Eyes Red as Blood

Eighteenth Night: Of New Alliances

After a while of talking, mainly about the Academy, Reiko and Nathaniel retired to their rooms to sleep. That left Arisu wandering around the manor grounds by herself on the terms that she not leave the manor without someone. As she walked up the stairs to her room, she realized that Ichiru hadn't showed his face at all since she came back.

He's probably still in his room, she thought. The boy would often seclude himself to his room away from the others. She turned left upon reaching the top of the staircase heading for Ichiru's room. Arisu softly knocked and waited patiently, but there was no answer. Brows furrowing together, she reached for the doorknob and was surprised that it was left unlocked. She tensed when the smell from the room reached her nose. It smelled of dust. Quietly she stepped into the room. Everything was neatly in place, the bed was made, the desk organized, the curtains drawn, and no sign of the silver haired young man.

"He left."
Arisu turned around to see Reiko leaning against the doorway wearing a long white night gown.

Silence.

"I thought you'd be sleeping," Arisu said after a while; her voice devoid of emotion.

"I had, but I remembered I still hadn't told you about Ichiru."

"…Why?"

Reiko saw the worry and confusion in the young girl's face. "I asked him not to go, to at least tell you himself. Instead he insisted that he found a lead on Rido. He didn't reveal much, only that no news from him was better than any at all." Reiko reached out to her and led her back to her room where Arisu curled up next to Reiko.

When Arisu woke up, night had already fallen, and Reiko was already up. Arisu wandered back to her own room to change into a black skirt and a white sleeveless shirt. She tied her hair up into a ponytail. Noting her eye color change, she realized she had switched to her vampire form during the night having found more comfort in the physical power she had as a vampire.

As she walked down the stairs she could hear murmured voices out in the foyer. Arisu was able to overhear Reiko ushering the visitors into the parlor from the day before.

"Look, Sleeping Beauty decided to wake up," the blond boy muttered under his breath loudly enough for her to hear from where she was standin. He was clearly not excited to have been brought along.

"Somebody is in a grumpy mood today," Arisu retaliated, entering the room, "Did you happen to sleep on a pea, Kai?"

The boy rolled his eyes, "Actually I-"

"Good morning, Arisu," Mr. Koruya interjected before his son could reply.

Kai frowned at his father who looked back at him, raising one eyebrow, daring his son to continue what he was going to say. Instead Kai sheepishly looked away; surprising Arisu.

Mr. Koruya stood up and extended his hand in greeting.

"Good Morning, Mr. Koruya. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow," she replied shaking hands with him. Arisu glanced over at Kai who just scoffed and looked away.

"So Rei has told me. I was able to escape work a lot sooner than I expected," he replied, sitting down only after Arisu sat down next to Reiko. "I imagine you have questions?"

Kai shifted his attention back to conversation at hand although begrudgingly.

"Your letter revealed only part of your history with my mother, I would imagine, so I was wondering if you could elaborate on that."

"Of course, Arisu," the older man replied, "Where should I start?"

"How did you meet my mother?"

"That happened long ago. At the time my parents were running a private academy. I assume that your grandparents knew since they personally asked for Juri to transfer late into the year. My parents, thinking that they could gain something out of it, asked me to be her aid while at school."

"Mind you, I am not at all like my parents were. When they told me to 'play nice' I could care less about a possibly snotty pureblood that could do nothing for herself. I never understood why other vampires were so quick to worship the ground that all purebloods walked on, and Juri noticed that. We became close friends, much to the joy of my parents. Haruka, on the other hand, was weary of my intentions towards your mother, so he distrusted me for quite a while. He used to chase me away or at least tried to. So overprotective of Juri, he was."

Arisu beamed, delighted from the story. "How did you convince father that you meant no harm?"

"When my engagement to my wife was announced," Mr. Koruya chuckled.

Kai scoffed and Arisu scowled at Kai's expression; she thought it sweet.

"Your parents and I stayed in touch until shortly before they went into hiding. I would get the occasional letter, and young Kaname must have known that I was trustworthy considering how things unfolded," he summarized hoping to be able to settle her suspicions of his connection to her parents.

Arisu looked satisfied enough that she changed the topic of conversation, "I'd like to know how a pureblood was born to an aristocratic family."

Kai simply looked towards his father for a response. He had always known that he wasn't born into the Koruya, but he no one ever touched upon that topic before.

"Before you were born Juri and Haruka came to my home unannounced with both Kaname in tow and a small child in her arms," Mr. Koruya answered honestly, "the infant had been found near the Shirabuki residence, but when your parents went to inquire regarding this matter to the Shirabuki house, but no one would answer the door. Instead, they brought the child to me. They knew no one would believe them if they said that this blue eyed, blond boy was their own. Your parents hoped that my wife and I could take him in." Mr. Koruya finished and anxiously waited for his sons' response.

Kai cracked a small smile.

"If you're waiting for me to be outraged you'll be sadly disappointed, father. I knew since I was little that I wasn't your biological son." Upon seeing his father's crestfallen look he added, "Even so, I always have a home with you and mother."

Truth be told, he had seen the way some of his so called paternal uncle and aunt would sneer at him behind his back. Instead of crying over it, he quickly learned to flaunt his status as Atsushi and Renée Koruya's only son in their faces. He loved the way it made them disgusted in knowing that one day he would inherit the position as head of the family, but most of all he loved the way Renée would always welcome him home with hugs, the way Atsushi would always indulge any of his interests, and the way they would both beam at his accomplishments and proudly call him their son.

Mr. Koruya gave his son one last crinkly eyed smile before turning back to Arisu, who was also smiling. "Do you have any more questions, Arisu?"

"I do, but I believe breakfast should be just about done. Correct, Nathaniel?" She turned to the other man.

"You forget nothing," Nathaniel chuckled. Since she was little, he would always serve her breakfast at the same time. He stood up to make his way to set the table.

"It would be our pleasure to have you both present for breakfast," Arisu offered, gaining a nod of approval from Reiko.

"The pleasure is all ours," Mr. Koruya responded. Both he and Kai rose to their feet when Arisu and Reiko stood to show them the way to the dining room.

"I see you've done some redecorating, Reiko," Mr. Koruya noted looking around the dining room. It was much less gloomy than he remembered.

"Ah, yes. Mainly on Arisu's whims as she got older and fussier about not having anything to do." Reiko giggled at Arisu's expense..

"Then you have impeccable sense, Arisu," he complimented while admiring the layout of the room. The elegant arches served to bring in light and a sense of an openness despite there being no windows at all.

"Thank you, but I ran all of my ideas by Reiko first," she replied, "needless to say many of my ideas were rejected."

"Most of what you originally planned passed," Reiko argued back, "Shall we sit?"

Mr. Koruya pulled Reiko's seat out for her and she thanked him as she sat down.

"...what are you doing?" Arisu asked; brows furrowed together. On the opposite side of the table, Kai pulled out the chair and motioned for Arisu to take a seat.

"Ah, I apologize. I assumed you would know proper manners, so I got ahead of myself by treating you as a lady." He smiled sweetly, waiting for her reply.

Mr. Koruya sighed as he took a seat next to Reiko who was smiling at the banter before her. How he wished his son would behave; glancing up at the two teenagers, Mr. Koruya could only be glad Arisu did not take offense to Kai's actions. Certainly her eyes narrowed, but there was a glint of mischief in them as she had presumably decided how to respond.

"It's not that I don't have knowledge of proper etiquette. I'm just wary of a child's silly pranks" She smiled as she walked over to take the seat offered.

Kai cocked his eyebrow; there weren't many that tolerated his teasing. Usually people were much too worried about crossing the heir to a powerful company. Maybe it was because she was a Kuran, but he doubted it.

"Touché." Kai took a seat next to Arisu as Nathaniel entered the room with the platters. "Will you be joining us for dinner as well, sir?"

"Please call me Nathaniel, but I couldn't possibly. I am merely a butler," Nathaniel explained as he placed the platters before them.

Reiko rolled her eyes.

"Ah, I didn't know that you had made him a butler, Rei," Mr. Koruya smiled quizzically.

Said woman groaned as she rubbed her temples.

"I told you people would assume that, Nathaniel," she said exasperated, "Just take a seat at the table when you're done serving."

He chuckled in response.

"I wish to work for my keep," Nathaniel said addressing the older Koruya, "besides, this is less stressful than working in your company."

Mr. Koruya laughed. "Please, do sit, Nathaniel. It's been a while since we last saw each other. I wanted to catch up with the two of you, and now you can tell me how to make my company less stressful."

Nathaniel nodded and sat beside his former boss. The three adults struck up a conversation, conveniently leaving the two teenagers out.

"Great, now we're being ignored," Kai muttered low enough so that only Arisu could hear.

She rolled her eyes, "spectacular observation." She pushed around some of her food with her fork. "They're trying to force us to interact."

"Ingenious conclusion, Miss Kuran," Kai smiled back at her.

Arisu frowned back, stabbing the broccoli she had been playing with.

"Passive aggressive much?" He continued to delicately eat his food.

She sighed exasperated, and focused on her food.

"That was a marvelous meal, Nathaniel," Mr. Koruya exclaimed, setting his silverware down. Everyone soon finished eating, so Nathaniel got up to clear the plates. "Now are you sure you don't have any more questions for me, Arisu?"

There was a slight pause before she answered. "I would like to speak with you alone, if that's alright with everyone else."

Reiko nodded, and ushered Kai out the room with her. She softly closed the doors as they left.

"Now, I would like to know the extent of you knowledge regarding the... incident ten years ago, and how much Kai knows."

"I had already known about Rido from Juri, but I never would have imagined that man would do what he did, especially to his family –"

"He stopped being family long before I was born." Arisu pointed out.

"Yes, of course. My apologies," Mr. Koruya continued, "Rido and his followers attacked at night. Haruka and Juri died protecting their three children." He saw a surprised look on her face, "Yes, I know you have a sibling other than Kaname, but I don't know who. He never revealed their identity to me."

She nodded, hoping to keep it that way, "And Kai?"

"Kai only knows what the council and other vampires know. Your parents committed suicide, leaving only Kaname and you as heirs." He paused unsure if he should say anything else.

"Feel free to say what's on your mind, Mr. Koruya."

"Kai... Doesn't know for certain where he came from... And, he's never told me, but not everyone from the family accepts him as my son," now he hesitated further, "I know not another way to say this, but I hope you two become as close as Juri and I were... If not, at the very least, I hope you accept him as an ally." He looked to Arisu; his eyes hopeful.

This time Arisu hesitated, "To be completely honest, Mr. Koruya, I find Kai to be... Troublesome to deal with to say the least." Mr. Koruya looked worried and Arisu wondered if he always showed his emotions so freely. "However, I see merit to having him as an ally, and I will make an effort to befriend him. Of course, it is also up to him how far our relations extend."

Mr. Koruya sighed in relief, "That is all I could ask for."

He stood up at the slight indication that Arisu was getting up from her seat. They shook hands before making their way out of the dining room.

"I'm telling you that I don't remember that!" They heard as they neared the parlor.

"Rather you wish you didn't remember," Reiko replied smugly while Nathaniel chuckled, "denial isn't just a historic river."

"I don't know Reiko. It seems far-fetched that the young Koruya would have called you his only star. Not to mention follow you around like a lost puppy," Nathaniel joined in; an evil twinkle in his eye.

Kai groaned burying his face in his hand as the two entered the room.

"You didn't hear anything," Kai muttered, trying to hide his mortification.

"Seems like you used to be a lovesick puppy to me," Arisu gleefully took the chance. Kai glared back at her while the others chuckled. "That aside, would you like to stroll the garden with me? It's lovely this time of the year despite the weather."

His glare turned frown, but he nodded nonetheless.

"We'll be back shortly," Arisu said before heading out of the parlor towards the back exit with Kai close behind. The others remained silent as the two left.

"What's this about?" kai asked, holding the door open for her.

"I have to speak with you, and I also wanted to get out of the manor for a bit," Arisu gratefully walked through the rose covered archway leading to the gardens behind. The walkway was lighted by lanterns that emitted a soft yellowish glow.

"About?" He prompted.

"...something," she refused to budge. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts that she stumbled on a crack in the walkway. Kai immediately caught her by her arm and helped right her, "Thank you."

He hummed back a response but looked around the garden. Flower of different kinds were blooming; especially the roses.

"You're righ," he acquiesced, hoping that she would be prompted to speak.

"I usually am," She grinned.

Kai rolled his eyes and continued, "This is a splendid garden."

"I used to come here a lot as a kid," Arisu said picking up the pace so that Kai couldn't see her face. Instead he followed her lead; her hands clasped tightly behind her. He didn't say anything; allowing her to continue at her own pace. Arisu glanced back, but he looked straight into her eyes silently. "Aren't you curious as to why?"

"I'm sure you have your reasons. Just like how I did whenever I went into the woods near my home," he offered. He slipped his hands into his pockets.

They continued walking through the gardens. They were nearing the maze.

"I have decided to trust your father as a necessary ally if not family friend, but you are different matter altogether." This time she stopped walking and turned to face him. "I haven't any proof that you won't betray me or that you'd even agree to an alliance between us."

"Well, you have no reason to think that I would do either of those. Sometimes you just have to take a chance, Miss Kuran." He appeared nonchalant in his response, but he hoped she wouldn't notice how hard he was trying to keep still as she was scrutinizing him. Before coming to the manor his father had mentioned just how involved the Koruya were with the Kuran, at least him and his mother. The two families had shared a common goal that served to strengthen the two sides. Kai already knew the importance of connections and politics.

"I suppose you are correct," she replied holding out her hand to shake hands, "shall we agree to start over as allies?"

Kai stared back at her before taking her hand in his. "Of course, Miss Kuran." He brought her hand up as he bent down to kiss the back of her hand.

Arisu rolled her eyes, but let him. "In that case, I would prefer you called me Arisu." She took back her hand and walked further into the garden.

"Just what did my father tell you anyways?" He asked walking right beside her.

She glanced up at him as she spoke. "He told me that not everyone in your family is supportive of you as their heir."

"And that made you decide to reconcile your differences with me?"

"Well, he did ask me to be your friend because you have none."

"I'm being serious."

"So am I… for the most part," she chuckled, "If you really must know, I need to gather allies. The peace we have been enjoying won't last for long."

"What do you mean?" Kai reached out and forced her to stop and face him.

"You probably know the death of my parents as suicide, but that wasn't the case," she removed her arm from his hold, "they were murdered, and if the lead one of my…associates found is any indication, I'm sure that the man that killed them is coming back soon. He will probably target the school where the remaining Kuran are."

"Why?"

"That man has made it his end to become the head of the Kuran though he lost the right to call himself a part of the family long ago. I just need to know that when the time comes, you won't ally yourself with him and betray the alliance made here."

Kai seemed to think about things and hummed. "I can gain more out of an alliance with a true Kuran. Besides, you are amusing, Arisu."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you could. As long as you are loyal to me, I will be loyal to you… So you don't have to worry about the branch family."

Kai nodded in greement, but chose not to dwell on that fact, "Shall we go back inside, Arisu? It's getting a bit chilly." He took off his coat and offered it to her on their walk back.

Revised: 3/19/20