Sorry everyone, I know I got your hopes up for speedy updates when I updated the day after I posted, but life got in the way. I hope this chapter will more than make up for the delay. And again thank you to everyone who reviewed.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, make no claim to and am making no profit from this story.
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Kaname Kuran walked with his back straight, and his head held high, surveying everything around him with cold calculation and taking in all the details of the senate house. Though used to rich surroundings himself, he was slightly disgusted with the opulence of it all. Especially because to a discerning eyes, it was apparent that everything about the grand furnishings was less grand than it appeared at first glance. If he looked closely at the golden furnishings he could see minute cracks in the finish that hinted to the fact that they we gilded, rather than the genuine article. Much like the council themselves, he thought with a small wry smile. But they still have their uses, even if they are now walking the line of being more of a nuisance than an aid.
Even though them reviving Rido was a nuisance, it also served the purpose of bringing the conflict to a head when Kaname was still in a position to use Zero to fight and kill Rido, so it was still beneficial. It also had the benefit of requiring him to speed up Yuuki's reawakening as well. Overall the benefit for Kaname's plans outweighed the nuisance of the action so he was OK with it.
The purpose of his meeting with Ichio was to remind him that there were more powerful forces out there than one crazed pureblood, and (if possible) to persuade him to realize the mistake he had made in taking Rido's side against Kaname. When he reached the door to Ichio's office, he didn't even bother to knock as he opened the door and walked into the office. The man behind the desk looked up from his papers and for a millisecond something akin to fear flashed through his eyes before it was replaced with calculation.
"Kaname-sama" he began smoothly, "this is a pleasant surprise. What brings you here today?"
"Don't pretend you're surprised to see me," Kaname said with a cold smile. "You know exactly why I'm here."
Ichio raised an eyebrow at Kaname's tone and replied, "Why Kaname-sama, I have no idea what you are talking about, but it is apparent that something had riled you. May I enquire as to its nature?"
"Mad," Kaname replied with a small laugh. "It, or should I say he is mad."
"Whomever do you mean?" Ichio asked feigning innocence because even though he had one pureblood on a leash, it would not be wise for him to invoke the anger of another, and he had only survived as long as he had by being wise. "Surely my grandson has not displeased you. If that is the case, I apologize for his insolence and would be glad to reprimand him myself the next—"
"Stop," Kaname cut him off, bored with this exchange. "This mincing of words does not reflect well on men of our stations. I will speak frankly, I know that the senate had a hand in the revival of Rido Kuran and while I do not fault you for siding with the only pureblood that was ever under your control, I wonder how much you know of his and my personal history?"
Ichio surveyed him warily, then replied slowly and gently, "I know very little, only that you were the one that nearly destroyed him on the night the Juuri-sama and Haruka-sama were killed. What I have never understood is why you let him live, when even as a child you could defeat him like that." Though he would never have said it aloud this was the reason the Ichio had applied to be Kaname's guardian all those years ago, someone with that much power needed to be kept close and made loyal.
Kaname smiled in response to those words, but it was a feral smile that did nothing to put the other man at ease. "Yes that is odd, isn't it? And you are right that I am infinitely more powerful than Rido, but I am also unable to kill him due to some . . . personal issues. But that will be taken care of shortly by someone that I have groomed strictly for this purpose." Kaname paused and thought his next words through carefully. The silence stretched for a few seconds, and it was an extremely uncomfortable silence for Ichio.
Finally Kaname spoke again and said, "That is one of the reasons that I am excusing your act of aggression towards me, and yes, that is what I see releasing Rido as, is that it has worked nicely into my plans and should cause no harm to any that I care about. However, I would caution you in the future to pick you allies and enemies more carefully, because as you have seen, I do not hesitate to destroy those that are deleterious to my plans and you are walking the line of being more of an impediment than an aid."
"Is that a threat?" Ichio asked, anger creeping into his tone.
"I intended it as a warning but take it as you will," Kaname replied calmly. "And remember that by unleashing Rido you have taken full responsibility for any actions he may commit while he is at large, if any harm comes to anyone, which is likely given Rido's temperament, it will be as if it had been done by your hand."
"I will remember that," Ichio said coldly, "But who will hold me responsible?"
"I'm sure someone will," Kaname said with another cold glance. "Well, I'll be going now though I do feel that you owe me some thanks?"
"And why would that be Kaname-sama?" Ichio asked, the title spoken with sarcasm.
"Because," Kaname replied with a sarcastic smirk, "I have kept Rido from biting the hand that fed him so to speak. He is just as like to turn on friend as foe, but you won't have to deal with that, because he will soon be gone and for forever this time."
"You seem very sure of your 'perfect' warrior," Ichio said. "What will you do if he fails you?"
Kaname just shook his head and said "Good night Ichio. Remember my warning," before disappearing into the night.
Once the pureblood was gone, Ichio rested his head in his hands on the desk and wondered if he had perhaps made a mistake in which pureblood to ally himself with in this conflict.
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Kaname appeared at the front gates of the school just in time to see a vampire about to stab the headmaster in the back. With a small surge of power, he turned that vampire into dust and approached Kaien Cross to aid in the battle, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by a wave of power that brushed him like a caress and passed him by, leaving only the headmaster and himself standing in a circle of dust. At the touch of that wave, all the level E's that had been about to attack were disintegrated.
"Thank you Kaname-kun," the Headmaster said, leaning against a tree and closing his eyes in weariness. "I don't know how much longer I could have kept that up. Apparently even legends lose their edge if they don't keep a hand in it." He ended his last statement with a tired smile.
"You're welcome," Kaname said with a fond smile, "I'm sure you would have done the same for me if I was otherwise occupied with an enemy."
"I didn't mean just the one," Cross said, opening his eyes to look at Kaname. "Weren't you the one responsible for the destruction of all of these vampires?"
"I thought it was you," Kaname said in confusion.
The headmaster laughed, "If I was capable of that do you think that I would have fought them hand-to-hand for so long?"
"If you didn't do it and I didn't do it, then who did?" Kaname asked hypothetically. The headmaster opened his mouth to suggest a possibility enjoying the light breeze that had just blown into his hot face, but he never had the chance to voice it because suddenly Kaname turned his head towards campus with murder in his eyes. That breeze had not just brought refreshment: it had brought the scent of blood to Kaname. Yuuki's blood.
"Yuuki," Kaname breathed before he sprinted at vampire speed towards the moon dorms, the direction her scent had come from.
Though weary, Kaien Cross felt new life enter into him at the mention of Yuuki's name and the sudden change in Kaname's demeanor and pushed away from the tree to follow Kaname at a sprint that was not nearly as fast as Kaname's but with him headed that direction there was only one place he could be headed: the moon dorms. Not for the first time, Cross hoped that his decision to keep vampires and humans in the same place had not resulted in harm for his daughter.
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There we go. The first look at Kaname in this fic. I will update again as soon as possible and get back to the Rido/Yuuki/Zero conflict in the next chapter.
As before a special thanks to Theskyisthelimit123, Roseheart11, rimalovesshiki, and Cosmic-lover for their reviews!
And thank you again for reading my chapter
Stickdonkeys