AN- Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I'm so happy about the warm welcome you have given this story, and I hope you continue to follow and love it! This story is going to be a little dramatic, so sorry about that, I'll try my best to tune it down some, but if you like drama then just wait. The later chapters are going to be full of it!
IMPORTANT!- When re-reading the manga I found that it did, in fact, hold the scene where Rido steals baby Kaname and scarifies him. So, in order to to sate my need to be cannon, I went back and rewrote the end of the last chapter. The basic plot is the same, so you don't really need to go back and read it. But you can if you want.
Warnings- Incest, Twincest, Slash, Vampire gore, AU, future character death, and drama.
Enjoy!
This was not my twin.
Logically I knew I should be more bothered by the fact that my twin was murdered by my insane uncle and then was replaced by my lunatic ancestor. But I wasn't exactly Kioshi Kuran myself, so I could really judge him without being a complete and utter hypocrite. The only difference between him and I was that I still remembered the life I lead before; the baby sitting in front of me, was just that, a baby.
I wasn't sure what triggered Kaname's memories. I seemed to remember it had something to do with Yuki looking like The Hooded Woman, not that she really seemed to look like her to me, but I didn't remember anything past that. So unless I found a way to stop Yuki from being born, then I was going to be stuck with a manipulative bastard as a brother.
I would like to say that since I already knew about his true nature I would be resistant to any sort of manipulation he threw at me, but I was never one to lie to myself. So for now I was just going to live with the fact the infant sitting across from me, adorably moving a wooden horse around as if it was running, was one day going to remember that he is the most powerful vampire in the world and kill everyone he felt was making the vampire world a bad place. Or whatever he was doing. I couldn't recall.
"Kioshi."
I turned my gaze from Kaname and stared up at the beautiful form of my mother. The air around her seemed to glow with the light of the many candles in our room, her smile was like the first beam of sunlight I'd seen since I was born into this strange world.
"Why don't you play your brother Kioshi?" Juri asked, tilting her head to one side.
After two years of being a Japanese vampire, I was rather familiar with the language, even if the some words were still a bit confusing.
Flickering my eyes quickly over towards Kaname, then back to Juri, I answered. "I don't know Okaa-sama."
"Kioshi." She sighed fondly, poking the little crease between my eyebrows. "You think too much for someone so young."
"You make it sound like he's a young adult." Haruka chuckled from beside her.
She pouted. "He acts like one. I believe that we should treat our children how they act."
"Yes love, but don't you think he's a little to young to be lecturing him about not having fun?"
"No." Juri scoffed. "I think—"
Tuning out the couple's rambling, I turned back to my twin. Kaname was still completely entranced with the toy horse's journey through the air, unaware in a way only a child could be of the events around.
"Onii-sama," I spoke.
He looked up, smiling. "Yeah?"
"Can I see the horse?"
Kaname giggled, shaking his head and scooting closer till our knees were touching. "You don't want the horse Kio."
"I don't?" I asked, cocking my head.
"No." He laughed. "You just don't want Okaa-sama to keep bugging you about playing with me."
I gave him a smile. Maybe I was underestimating how aware my older twin was without his thousands of years of knowledge that were hiding deep in his mind.
We were both very mature for the young age of two, me more than him, and I couldn't help but wonder why Juri and Haruka weren't the least bit bothered. It could just be the norm for a vampire child, or for a pureblood one, or maybe Juri and Haruka were just really good at hiding their feelings. I couldn't say, because I had yet to meet anyone my age. Or anyone other than us for that matter.
The second finger of the day poked the small crease that formed between my eyebrows.
"Okaa-sama is right." Kaname laughed. "You think too much."
I rubbed the spot with my middle finger, staring at my adorable twin brother as sparkles appeared around his smiling form. Sometimes I forgot that I lived in an anime, and when people smiled, flowers bloomed.
The first time we ever met anyone, other than our parents and the nobleman guards, we were about three (in human years). And it wasn't who I expected at all.
"Its so good to see you Kaien." Haruka said.
Juri nodded, her smile growing. "Yes, it had been far too long."
"Well, how could I pass up an invitation from my two favorite people in the world?" Cross smiled back.
The air around them started to glow so bright that it was getting hard to keep looking at them. Who knew vampires could sparkle so brightly without being in the sun?
"Kio," Kaname whispered from beside me. "Who is that?"
Not taking my eyes off the threesome, I tilted my head towards him. "His name is Cross Kaien."
"I know that." He whined. "I mean who is he?"
"Well," I hesitated, not knowing how much I could tell without being suspicious, "he's an old friend of Okaa-sama and Otou-sama."
Kaname pouted. "You're no help."
I shrugged, not knowing how to help him. I could tell him that Kaien Cross was once a vampire hunter with a plan to kill all vampires in the world. I also could tell him that Cross tried to kill Juri the first time they met and then after a uncertain number of years, and one accident involving Cross getting run over by Juri's carriage, they became good friends. But then Juri and Haruka might hear and wonder how I know these things, and I didn't want them to be any more suspecting of me than they already were.
Sliding down against the hallway wall where we were hiding, I wondered if I even was odd for a pureblood child. I mean, I wasn't that different compared to Kaname. But he wasn't exactly something I could accurately compare myself to, with him being one of the first vampires and all. I hadn't even met anyone that was under a century old. So I had nothing to compare my acting to.
A familiar finger poked between my eyebrows. "You're worrying again, Kio."
Not able to help it, I gave a small smile up at my older twin. He had completely adopted Juri's favorite way to get me to smile, and perfected it.
Absently I reached up and rubbed at the spot he poked. Did he ever do this to Yuki in the manga? I almost remembered that he would kiss her forehead when she got worried, but I wasn't sure if that was just my mind making up connections.
"Kioshi, Kaname," Haruka called. "Why don't you come out and met our guest?"
Not very shocked that our parents knowing we were there, we slid into the doorway with out hesitation.
"Kaien, these our twin sons, Kaname, and Kioshi." Juri smiled, gesturing us to come closer. "Kaname, Kioshi, this is Cross Kaien; an old friend of ours."
Kaname took a barely noticeable step behind me. Now that we were close enough, it was clear the level of power that surrounded Cross. At this point he was the most powerful person we had ever met, not including Juri and Haruka of course, but the guards that littered the mansion were mere specks compared to the man that sat in front of us.
Juri's smile grew gentler at our hesitation, she gestured us closer once again, this time with her arms open wide.
Kaname left no time between where he ran from behind me, and hid in the safety of her arms. I, on the other hand, was more thoughtful in my movements. I didn't want Cross to think he frightened me, but I couldn't keep standing in the middle of the room like an indecisive idiot.
Taking as normal paced steps as I could, I approached Haruka's chair instead. He gave me his small smile that seemed to know everything, and lifted me into his lap.
"It's nice to meet you Cross-san," I said, giving him my cutest smile.
"Awww! You're so cute! It's nice to met you too Kio-chan!" Cross folded his hand and cooed with even more sparkles sounding his face.
Good, that should help Kaname see Cross wasn't a threat. I risked a glance over to said brother only to see he was still staring impassively at the man. I had to get him to trust Cross, because one day he was going to be our only true friend.
"So Cross-san." I started. "How do you Okaa-sama and Otou-sama?"
Just as I predicted, Kaname perked up at this topic.
With a quick glance at Kaname's now interested face, Cross smiled. "Well, it's a very long story, are you sure you want to hear it?"
I opened my mouth to answer but was quickly cut off by Kaname.
"Yes." He insisted. "Yes, we want to hear it."
Haruka smiled at his eagerness, leaning forward he whispered in my ear: "Your brother is starting to sound a bit like Okaa-sama, don't you think?"
I tried to cover my giggle as Juri stuck her tongue out at him, I didn't want to interrupt Cross's story. After all, there we're some pretty sizable gaps in my knowledge.
"What you have to remember, Kaname, Kioshi, is that our blood is more desirable to the others than even their beloved's. And this makes their control weak when around us." Haruka lectured, straightening my jacket and giving us a small smile.
Our first ball was only in a few hours, and Haruka was reminding us why the lessons they had been giving us were so important. Why it was so important for purebloods to act as emotionless as they did.
"The only reason that their thirst does not completely grab hold of them, is that in a moment we could take control of them." He continued. "This is the only reason that they don't attack. They fear us, and what we might do. So they try their best to act normal around us, while the beast inside of them is assessing us for any weakness that they might take advantage of. So we must not give them an opportunity."
His large hand ran through my hair, as his smile grew fonder. "But this does not mean that we are above them, it creates a balance of power, and it is because of this balance that our world can continue to exist peacefully."
I took a glance over at Kaname, and wasn't surprised to see his young eyes absorbing all the information that our father gave us. I had a feeling that it was slightly more deliberate on the other vampires' end than Haruka made it out to be. But I also understood that he was trying to teach us to see the best in people, not just assume their nature.
The ball we were going to was being thrown by the Ichijo family, and I was anxious to see if would be any children there to compare myself to. If I remembered correctly, Takuma was the Ichigo heir, and he was probably best choice when meeting the first child of our life time. He was calm, kind, and polite, which would definitely help with my plan. I wanted to to show Kaname that he didn't need to hate every vampire in the world on the basis they were all trying to get something from us, namely our blood.
"Are you boy's ready?" Juri asked as she descended the stairs looking every bit of the queen that she was.
Her dress flowed behind her like a waterfall of silk, the color matching perfectly with both Haruka's tie and Kaname and I's blazers. Just like a pair of classic twins, both me and Kaname were wearing the same , personally, I thought it fit him better. Everything fit him better. He had a sort of grace surrounding him that I could never hope to accomplish. And everything he did seemed so effortless, sometimes I wondered how terrible I must look while walking next to him. While he could glide silently through a room, I could only hope not to stomp.
Maybe it was the ten thousand years of life, that just made everything so easy for him. I just wish he could teach me.
The first time Aidou Hanabusa met the Kuran twins he was four years old (in human years). He was the long awaited son of the noble Aidou family, and he knew that he was the cutest and smartest kid in the world. Then there was a knock on the door.
The door clicked as it opened, and the room was flooded with power. His head snapped up to look at the two sources standing side by side.
"Um." The smaller one whispered. "We felt the presence of a child . . . and we just had to look."
"Are you this family's child?" The taller one asked.
Even at first glance, Hanabusa could tell these children were special beings. With matching looks of hope, a small smile, and the air around them practically luring him forward to come closer they were undoubtedly different.
What were they?
Snapping out of whatever sort of trance the twins had put him in, Hanabusa stood. He refused to be charmed by these people. He was the best after all. They should be charmed by him.
"Who . . . Who are you?" He demanded. "You are disrespectful people!"
"We are—"
"Kaname-sama! Kioshi-sama!" The shorter twin was interrupted when Hanabusa's father burst into the room. "If you had only waited a bit longer, I would have given you a tour of the mansion."
"We're sorry." The taller one apologized.
"No, no, don't worry about it." Hanabusa's father dismissed. "Did my Hanabusa to anything rude?"
"Father the rude one was—" Hanabusa tried, but no one was paying attention.
The twins shock their heads. "No." The taller one said. "It's just that we haven't been around kids our age." They turned back to Hanabusa. "I'm Kuran Kaname, and this is Kuran Kioshi. Will you be our friend?"
Kuran. One of the pureblood family lineage. Which meant, according to Hanabusa's tutor, he was supposed to say yes and do anything that these brothers wanted of him. But Hanabusa was not going to.
"No." He denied. The rude Kuran twins didn't deserve his friendship.
The second time that Aidou Hanabusa met a Kuran was later that week. It was about 3 am and Hanabusa and his friend were playing in the sandbox.
"Hey Hanabusa," Ruka looked down at him and his brilliant sand volcano, "is it true that you refused to be friends with Kuran Kaname-sama and Kioshi-sama?"
"Huh?"
"I heard from Akatsuki that you met them."
Akatsuki turned from his own sculpture, just soon enough to met Hanabusa's glare.
"Was it something I shouldn't have said to Ruka?" He asked.
Hanabusa sighed. He loved his best friend, but sometimes he could be so oblivious, especially when it came to Ruka.
"So, what kind of person was he?!" Ruka asked loudly. "It just a rumor, but I heard that Kaname-sama is very beautiful, and smart, and strong, and pureblood and he doesn't have any strange quirks." She sighed adoringly, clasping her hands. "And I heard he never leaves his brother's side, because of how protective he is. Doesn't he just sound perfect and awesome?"
Slight envy welled in his chest at Ruka's speech, despite her terrible grammar. He didn't understand how everyone could just love the Kurans without even meeting them. They weren't any different then anyone else he had met, just from a better family, and a bit more powerful.
Hanabusa looked down at the ground. "Not really," He whispered.
"Good evening." A familiar voice called.
The trio stared at the pureblood, shocked that they had not even noticed his approach. It took a moment, but Ruka was the first to answer.
"Good evening," She whispered back.
"Hanabusa-kun." Kaname spoke. "Can I have a moment?"
Angry that he was once again entranced by the sight a pureblood, Hanabusa quickly turned his head away. He would not be trapped in this odd pureblood worship like everyone else. He was better than that.
"We're in the middle of a strength experiment on the sand in our research society." He snapped. "I would like it if you didn't bother us."
"We," Kaname sighed, "did something to make you angry. I wanted to apologize. So I was a brat in order to get them to let me come again."
Hanabusa sweat dropped. Was he stupid? They did nothing wrong.
Out of the conner of his eye, Hanabusa noticed a guard lurking against the wall behind Kaname. He didn't recognize him, and something about him was off. He had any odd look in his eye and Hanabusa didn't like it.
Turning to see what he was looking at, Kaname too spotted the guard.
"Ah . . . um." Kaname gave a shy smile. "I'm sorry, please pay no mind."
"Who is he?" Ruka whispered.
"Dunno," Akatsuki answered. "But I think—"
Hanabusa already knew the answer. The man was a bodyguard or rather a keeper of Kaname's. Everyone else was so intimidated by him. They all had such high expectations, but Kaname was just a normal kid. And a kind one as well. Kinder than his brother it seemed, Kioshi-sama hadn't even came with him.
"You don't have to apologize." Hanabusa finally answered. "It's just because I don't like you Kaname-sama."
After that, Aidou Hanabusa and Kuran Kaname didn't meet for a long time and by then everything had changed.
Since day one Kaname and I always slept in the same bed together. And before long, it got the point that it was impossible to fall to sleep without Kaname laying next to me. So there we were, laying with our foreheads just inches from touching, and his hair mixing with mine, giving it dark highlights as it spread across the silk pillowcase.
"Kioshi?" Kaname whispered, not sounding the least bit allured by sleep despite the fact the sun had been up for hours now.
I smiled at his resilience. "Yeah?"
"Is everything going to change?" He asked. "Now that Okaa-sama is pregnant."
"Well . . ." Part of me was tempted to lie to him and tell him that no, nothing is going to change. But he wasn't stupid, he knew that there had to be a reason for out parents tell us that no one could know about the baby. So I told him the truth. "I think it will, but not necessarily for the worse."
He sighed, weaving his hand through mine. "I'm scared."
"Why?"
His auburn eyes flickered down to our threaded hands. Sometimes he could be so quiet and just observe everything that was going around him and I would almost forget he was there. Others he would talk and hold my hand and there was no possible way for me to not pay attention to him. Then there times when I couldn't help but remember the character from the manga I once loved, and it scares more than I'd like to admit. Because I didn't want to my adorable, shy little brother to turn into the monster I remembered.
"I don't want you to stop loving me."
It was so quiet that no human could have caught it. But I wasn't human anymore. I tightened my hand around his.
"I will never stop loving you Kaname," I promised, using his name so that in the future years when he felt he was no longer my brother, he could remember this promise and know I was making it to the person he is, not just my brother.
The look in his eyes was heartbreaking, but he only let me see it for a few seconds before he buried his head in my neck and refused to say another word. And I let him. He needed to just be held to remind him that he was loved.
And he always would be.
Sama- A title such as Lord or Lady
Okaa-sama- Formal mother (such as saying mother instead of mom)
Otou-sama- Formal father (such as saying father instead of dad)
Onii-sama- Formal big brother
References- Chapter 28, where Aidou looks back on meeting Kaname. Chapter 53, Kaname gives Yuki a speech about the noble's intentions.
AN- I hope you enjoyed the second chapter! Please leave a review if you did!
Lots of Love
Scarlett
