Staying at the Ichijo Mansion was strange at first but with Kaname around I soon got used to how things worked in his world of aristocracy. It took four years to complete all the classes Asato Ichijo demanded that I attended and on top of that he had me working as a maid and as the kitchen staff to earn my right to stay in his mansion along side Kaname. I was lucky though that almost no one treated me horribly for being close or "a favorite" of Lord Kaname's. There was only one incident when a girl a little older than us got jealous of the young Lord calling for me by name and giving me special attention. She had no idea behind the reason he seemed to favor me over all the others so I never held it against her but apparently her hateful pranks had gone too far for Kaname when he witnessed her "accidentally" spilling freshly brewed tea on my hand. He came forth and delicately held my hand before licking the burns and eyeing the poor girl with hate.
"What is the meaning of this." He demanded.
"It was an accident my Lord. It shall not happen again." The girl stuttered unable to look into his angry eyes.
"I'm sure it won't. I would hate for my precious friend to befall any more accidents caused by those lacking the pose to be a part of the working class fortunate enough to work here, though just to be sure….the rest of the tea, pour it on your arm. You will feel her pain and suffer through it so you won't make that mistake again." It wasn't a light request on his part either, he was demanding retribution and even I knew not to deny him of it even if I was the one that was hurt. Whatever Kaname wanted, he got one way or another. After that she no longer bothered me and even went out of her way to avoid working with me until all of my training was over.
About a year and a half into my aristocrat classes, Kaname said he was growing bored and wanted me to accompany him to see a friend. I think it was his way of giving me a break from all the hard work I was doing but I had no idea the friend was Kaien Cross and that his intention was to introduce me to Yuki and ask me to help protect her.
She was so adorable as a child I completely forgot how much I had hated her as the protagonist in the series but I would never tell Kaname that. It didn't matter anyway, she was growing on me before I knew it. It took her a little while to get used to me but with our constant visits and with Kaname's insistence, she began to trust me as well, I even got her to play hide and seek with me. I was ecstatic to be able to come with him whenever Kaname decided to visit because hat meant eventually I would get to see Zero and start trying to condition him into being used to my presence so I could possibly pursue a romantic relationship with him in the future though I knew it was wishful thinking. I couldn't help it though! He had always been my crush throughout the years of watching the series from cute little crushes, to loving his stubborn personality, to understanding his stubbornness, I loved it all and wished to try for a relationship. I had even told Kaname about his importance to the survival and growth of Yuki and asked for permission to pursue him in the future. Kaname was a bit irritated with me but agreed nonetheless as long as I didn't step in the way whenever he decided to discipline the future vampire hunter. It was hard but I knew all three of them needed every interaction to happen for the character development.
Soon after the visits started and after gaining her trust, Kaname decided that I should have someone train me to fight in order to defend myself ad Yuki when the time called for it, because it will. A lot. It was even harder than learning to be a proper young lady while also learning to hold my tongue against men because sexism was a thing still and I hated it very much BUT I do get some leeway since I was a dear friend of the Kuran Heir and survivor. I learned how to fight with martial arts with Seiren, and I preferred the method of using dual-daggers to any other weapon Kaname insisted I learn to wield.
After the four year mark I officially finished my aristocrat classes and am now a high level of vampire in name only. I still had little respect from some high class vampires but I was still above all level C's. And since I am an aristocrat, I was no longer a part of the working class and can live side by side with Kaname and Takuma as they pleased but to Takuma's grandfather's displeasure. Kaname also deemed I was exceptional with my fighting skills as well since I had no powers like a normal level B vampire and ended my training, though I still trained on my own to keep up my skill level.
One day Kaname invited me along as he was headed to Kaien's for dinner and to see Yuki. She was about eight or nine years old now and completely over her fear of Kaname and myself. I loved playing with her but nowadays she mostly likes to sit around and have me read to her, claiming she was to old to play.
When we arrived at the house, we waved good-bye to takuma who had joined us for the ride just to get out of his house. Walking behind Kaname, he stopped just short of the door so I could walk in front of him and knock on the door because apparently it is supposed to be below a Pureblood to knock.
When Yuki opened the door she smiled at me before movement to my left grabbed both of our attention as Kaname moved past me to greet Yuki first. Delight shown on her face as she dragged him inside and I followed, closing the door behind us. Turning around, I saw Kaname holding his secret sister's face affectionately and smiled to myself before mentally preparing myself for what was about to happen next. I wasn't sure how Kaname was going to react seeing as he hated whenever I was injured in any way but at the same time, he knew Zero was important and couldn't harm him.
As soon as I heard the scraping of chair legs against the floor and Yuki's shouting, I darted in front of my friend and savior to get stabbed in the arm in his place. It didn't hurt per se, it only stung but the grip Zero had on the knife and the slight twitch of his wrist certainly didn't help the pain at all. "A vampire!" Zero shouted in rage.
"Rin!" Yuki shouted.
"Suddenly trying to stab me like that…..you're not very nice. And you hurt my friend, how violent." Kaname stated surprisingly calm.
"Shut up, vampire! You have the same smell as that woman!"
"That woman? Then you must be Zero Ziryu. I'm very sorry about your family, but I don't intend to be killed by you, or have my friend suffer that fate either." Kaname gave Zero his condolences and stated his opinion just before pulling the knife from my arm. "You're mistaking the target for your revenge, Kiryu." He finished before leading me into the kitchen to wash the drying blood off my arm. After all the excitement, Kaname and I waited in the siting room as the other three finished eating their dinner so that Kaname and Kaien can have some kind of important discussing. "Yuki, would you mind watching over TT for me while I talk to Kaien?"
"Yes, Kaname!" Yuki agreed happily before turning to me with a smile. "Rin, come sit here!" she lead me to the loveseat before darting off, "I'll go get a book to read!" All the while Zero couldn't go inside Kaien's office with the other two so he settled for sitting on the furthest seat on the furthest couch from me and glared, waiting for me to attack or something. Instead, all I did was smile and nicely as I could without showing my fangs. He continued to glare at me as I read to Yuki while simultaneously ignoring him. It was like that for about an hour until Kaname and Kaien finished discussing things.
It was a week later that we went back to finish the paperwork to enter the select vampires Kaname has chosen to attend the school upon opening. We let ourselves in just in time to hear Kaien explaining the idea of opening a school for both humans and vampires when Kaname interrupted, "In order to promote a peaceful co-existence of vampires and humans….young vampires shall be educated to become "moderates." So I understand…."
"Kaname! Rin-Rin!" Yuki exclaimed while running to us.
"Good evening, Yuki." Kaname greeted
"Hello, my heart." I greeted her as well, my nickname for her gained a warm smile from my friend and Yuki's adopted father.
We listened and watched as Zero complained to Kaien and said aloud his mistrust in us, thinking we would use the vampires at the school and turn on them. After a moment Kaname broke the silence to address Yuki, "Yuki, Rin would like to go outside to play can you make sure she doesn't hurt herself?" He asked as a way to get the girl's focus on me before following the ex-vampire hunter into his office.
Once we were outside, I gave Yuki a light shove then dodged Zero's arm as he swung at me before bounding off into the distance around a large tree laughing. No explanation was need for the girl as she ran after me to try and tag me back. I avoided her for a few moments before purposely letting her tag my leg and run off shouting, "You're it!" We played like this for nearly half an hour while Zero watched in disbelief. When the game was done and Yuki was thoroughly wiped out we sat in peace. My back against the tree, Yuki's head laying in my lap with her eyes closed enjoying the ministrations of my fingers running through her locks while I hummed a tune I kind of remembered from my past life, and Zero nearby watching the interaction somewhat calmly. As it got darker and it was time for Kaname and I to go, Yuki asked me to come by more often, I looked at her brother for permission and he nodded almost instantly. After that evening I would stop by for a few hours once or twice a week and spend time with Yuki while also trying to get Zero used to my presence since he wasn't too keep on spending one on one time with me quite yet, let alone leave me and Yuki alone for any girl time.
Years went by and Kaname and I where already attending the academy. During our time at the academy before the time period the series took place, Kaname and I had heard rumors about who ordered the massacre of my family and who did the deed. I really owed him for all he did in finding as much information as he could. One of which we unintentionally became closer physically and emotionally because I had decided to seduce the low-level man who did the killing and kill him myself but I did not want to lose my innocence in this time for a purpose such as this and in such a horrible way. I was beyond shocked when Kaname offered to be the one to take my innocence and at the same time, I would his as well. When the deed was done, things were a little different between us, I began to feel shy around him and he would become a little possessive of me at any social gatherings with other aristocrats around. We eventually overcame those emotions and almost went back to normal, except occasionally we would partake in drinking each others blood from time to time. That was as close as we would dare to feel the attraction we held for one another.
This wasn't the first time we drank each other's blood either, once I had gotten badly hurt during training and Kaname carried me to his room and offered me his blood when my eyes turned red from thirst and of course I offered mine. Takuma and I drank each others blood once as well. We had had a particularly good date and when we arrived home, his grandfather had been in a bad mood, taking it out on his grandson because no one would question him for doing so, so I entered his room and offered myself as a distraction. Things got heated when we subconsciously started drinking each other's blood but we had stopped ourselves from going any further in order to not invoke the wrath of his grandfather. Drinking blood was something I never thought I would get used to but growing up and feeling the need to feed fester inside of me for so long, I gave into instinct almost immediately and asked a maid for help with the thirst. Even in my ravenous state, I knew in the back of my mind I would hate to drink from an unwilling human.
Then came the time when Yuki snuck out and tried to enter the dorms to find us but fell asleep waiting for us to arrive from class. We were lucky to arrive before a male vampire could harm her. He immediately retracted and apologized for forgetting the rules of the academy. Since that night, I've taken it upon myself to slowly get Yuki used to the idea that when she starts attending the academy along side us, we would have to act differently around her so no one would think to use our relationship against us. Of course, it all went in one ear and out the other throughout the years and soon she turned the age of sixteen and she and Zero joined us at the academy while also starting their roles as Perfects.
Before the two protagonist joined the school however, getting to meet all the aristocrat students from the series was definitely entertainment in itself and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Especially when Kaname used Ruka to get Yuki to see him as a blood sucking vampire and start to back away from their relationship. Ruka tried to hold that over my head even though I gave no indication that I was love rival in the slightest, but Kaname had soon had enough of her clinginess and had timed it perfectly. Ruka tried to enter his room alone while not knowing he and I were in the middle of "lovemaking" and drinking from each other at the same time. He knew that I knew what was going on and that I wouldn't hold it against him for using me in such a way, because I had told him once before to use me any way he saw fit unless I said otherwise. So basically, we were lovers only when it was convenient. Otherwise, we are just close, trusted friends.
When the two Perfects started attending the school Yuki had become a little distant with Kaname and only slightly with me. So Kaname uses me to keep tabs on Yuki and often has me follow her in the shadows for her protection. And all the while I try to slowly gain his affections hello but all I was able to do let's get him to tolerate my close proximity and not shoot me on sight. On occasion, Kaname would allow me to skip class so I could be around Zero during his patrols. Zero would always ask me why I was skipping class and I would answer truthfully, I would tell him it was because I wanted to spend time with him. He never seemed to like that answer but he never demanded that I leave him alone. After some time, I would start to ask him questions and he would ask me some as well. He knew almost everything about me besides my past life that I couldn't tell him but he never once answered my questions or talked about himself. And to this day that's about as far as our relationship has gone sadly and I've started to think maybe I should move on and give me affection to someone else.
In the meantime I had become close with some of the aristocrats that I attended class with such as Senri and Rima because of Takuma. I do occasionally enjoy Kain's company because he allows me to use him for training though I do only tolerate his cousin Aido, because his constant worship of Kaname annoys me greatly, especially because when Kaname is not around he treats me as if I am nothing. Seiren and I have a mutual respect in our abilities to help and protect our savior. Upsetting Ruka on a daily bases is a wonderful pastime have that I have developed and though Kaname lightly reprimands me, I can tell by his face that he also enjoys it. A few times when Kaname would wish to be alone in his room and invite me along much to the displeasure of Ruka, he would feel curious and ask me questions about my past life and I would always answer honestly. I believe answering him honestly has solidified his trust and respect for me and has allowed me to become closer to him because of it. And thus my life growing up with Kaname came to a slow steady pace and my life attending cross Academy became a slight hardship as Yuki causing havoc wherever she went.