Here you are, the newest chapter of my story. I appoligize for the lack of updates lately but college just started up again and I swear all of my profs think I have nothing better to do than read for their class. Anyway, I finally got this up for you! I hope you enjoy!
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The nobles had assembled themselves in the drawing room where they had met the two purebloods the night before and waited for them to make themselves present for the meeting they had today. Though there had been no set time, the nobles had figured that it would take place around an hour after dusk. It was now two and a half hours after dusk and still the purebloods were not present and the crowd was becoming more and more restless by the minute.
"Someone should go and see what is keeping them," a female voice suddenly cutting through the crowd suggested quietly. No one was sure who had said it and no would claim the statement as their own.
"She's right," Ruka's father said eventually. "But who is willing to do it?"
"Perhaps one of the children," a different woman suggested. "They are closer to Kaname-sama than we are and he would be more likely to show them leniency than he would us."
"That could work," Ruka's father said. "Which of you would like to go ask the pureblood when they are planning to grace us with their presence?" The younger nobles looked at each other for a moment and then as one pointed at Hanabusa, who in turn was pointing at Ruka. He looked at his class mates and then his head drooped as he realized that he had been nominated. His father fought back a smile as he realized that his son too was used to being delegated to the less than desirable tasks that needed to be done.
Looking defeated, Hanabusa walked out of the den and headed for the stairs to the room were Kaname and Yuuki were staying. He walked slowly wishing that he didn't have to be the one to interrupt the two knowing what they were probably doing given all the sexual tension that had been between them for years.
I could always just go back and say that I couldn't find them, he thought almost hopefully. Then he sighed sadly and shook his head as he realized that it would cause a panic that not just one but two purebloods were missing. He turned the corner to the hall where Yuuki's room was his eye on his feet, which were getting heavier with each step. Hearing a giggle, he looked up instinctively.
Sitting on the floor across from Yuuki's door were Zero and Seiren. Aidou froze and his mouth fell open at the scene in front of him. Zero had a hand on her face and rather than removing the ex-human's hand at the shoulder, Seiren was smiling and blushing. If Aidou didn't know better he would have sworn that the giggle he had heard had come from Seiren, but that was impossible. She didn't smile and she defiantly didn't giggle. But the proof of her doing both was right in front of him because Seiren giggled again as she playfully pushed Zero's hand away from her face. Her expression fell a little as one of her finger nails nicked his arm.
Aidou expected that things would return to normal now and Zero would yell at her for drawing blood and she would suddenly disappear. Instead she gently brought his arm to her mouth and her pink tongue darted out and lapped up the thin trail of blood like a cat. Zero closed his eyes and drew a breath at the exquisite feeling of her mouth on his arm. His hand unconsciously tangled in her hair and held her there.
More surprising than the scene itself was that neither of them had noticed him. They were both so lost in each other that they had ceased to pay attention to the rest of the world. Seiren was lost in the flavor nuances in his blood that were not present in the blood of normal vampires. There was richness to his blood that she had never tasted, it almost tasted like Kaname and Yuuki smelled but it was different and then there was something else. It was almost . . . wild. That was the only word she could come up with but it excited her. Suddenly a surprised gasp and a "What the hell?" broke her from her musing and she pulled back from his arm slowly trying to regain control of her mental faculties.
As one they turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw a shocked Aidou standing in the middle of the hall. As one they felt first shame at being taken off guard, then embarrassment at what they had been caught doing, then anger at the interruption. Aidou watched the emotions flash through their eyes like quicksilver and decided that he needed to diffuse the situation quickly. Each of them was lethal in their own right and together; he hated to think what the two of them could destroy together if they put their minds to it.
"N-never mind," Aidou said quickly. "I really don't need to know. I mean it is your business after all, right? Do you know where Kaname-sama and Yuuki-sama are? I need them for the meeting with the nobles."
They seemed to relax a little and Seiren glanced at the window to make sure that it was true dark surprised to find that it was. Then she pointed at the door with a raise of her eyebrow. Aidou walked towards the door while Zero stood and offered his hand to Seiren. She took it and allowed him to help her out of the floor surprised by how stiff she was from sitting there all night. Keeping a hold on her hand Zero began walking in the direction of the den where the senior nobles would be waiting. As he passed Aidou, he raised his hand and hid his smile of satisfaction as the other vampire flinched as though he expected Zero to hit him.
Instead he just put a hand on Aidou's shoulder and looked at him levelly before saying, "Remember to knock. Trust me." Zero shuddered slightly and then kept walking the direction he had been headed. Aidou watched him wondering what that warning had been about. He would be lying if he said that it was with no trepidation that he approached the door that had made the stoic hunter shiver. Following his advice, Aidou raised his hand and knocked on the door. A few seconds passed and he was considering knocking again when Kaname called "Come in."
He opened the door slowly and poked his head around the door. Kaname and Yuuki were sitting on the bed and there was a decided flush across her cheeks. Also both of their hair was mussed. "What do you want Aidou?" Kaname asked shortly.
"Well . . . uh. . . " Aidou stuttered.
"What is it Aidou," Kaname snapped.
Yuuki smiled warmly and said, "Don't worry Aidou-senpai, we won't bite." Kaname patted her head indulgently.
"Well," Aidou said slowly, "the nobles would like to know when they can expect you to make an announcement as to your decision Kaname-sama, Yuuki-sama."
"Tell them we will be there within the hour," Kaname said his tone making it clear that what he said was a dismissal.
Aidou saw it for what it was and bowed as he left the room closing the door behind him.
"Well, let's get ready," Yuuki said suddenly bounding over to her vanity and lifting her hair brush. "We really shouldn't keep them waiting."
"So you still want to go through with it then?" Kaname asked slowly.
"Of course," she said looking over her shoulder through the curtain of her hair at him. "Don't you?"
"Yes," he said with a smile. "Yuuki, this is very important. When you are around the nobles, you must control your emotions." She opened her mouth to say something that he could tell from the set of her lips was going to be a reason why that was not true. "It's not from some antiquated tradition or out of fear of offending their sensibilities," he continued. "Our powers are directly tied to our emotions, especially since yours are new and raw. If you were to lose control of your emotions, you could seriously injure someone."
Yuuki felt her eyes go wide at that statement. She had never realized that that was how pureblood powers worked. It now made more sense why Kaname had always seemed so cool and collected. It wasn't that he was actually unfriendly he was just trying to keep an ocean of power dammed up. She nodded with a smile nervous smile and said, "I will do my best."
"That's all I can ask," Kaname said kissing her gently before he led her out of the room.
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Zero stood in the back of the room full of vampires trying not to radiate the tension that was running though him at having so many of them in the same place. He jumped slightly as he felt flesh brush against his own and looked down to see Seiren standing beside him.
"So that means they're on their way, right?" he asked her in a whisper.
She nodded and started surveying the room "They should be here any second," she replied.
True to her words, as soon as she had finished talking, the room went silent as the two purebloods walked in. Soon it filled again with the sounds of insincere inquiries into the rest the two had gotten the night before. Though she tried to hide it, Zero could see the disgust in Yuuki's eyes at the fawning behavior of the nobles. And he had to admit, they were giving him a headache as well. He was almost thankful when Kuran raised his hand and silence fell.
"My sister and I talked about the options that you presented us with yesterday," Kaname said in a quiet voice that carried authority. "And we have come to a decision."
The pause stretched on until one of the nobles asked, "What is it that you have decided, Kaname-sama?" Kaname smiled gently at Yuuki and gave her a little nudge.
"Well," Yuuki began slowly, "It was actually my idea." There was a murmur that went through the crowd at her words. She may be a pureblood, but Zero could see that she didn't yet command the fear and respect that Kuran did. She would need to fix that soon, or she would be in danger. Kaname saw this as well and felt his eyes tighten at the disrespect they were showing his mate.
"What did you decide, Yuuki-sama?" Ruka asked to prompt the shy girl into finishing her statement since she had gotten derailed when the nobles had begun whispering.
Shooting Ruka an appreciative smile, Yuuki continued. "We have decided that we will do neither of the things you suggested." With her new words, a roar of protests flooded her ears and it was everything she could do not to cover them with her hands.
"You must do something, we cannot go without a governing body," one voice said.
"There is no way we can do nothing," said another. The rest was lost in the confusion of everyone trying to talk over everyone else and be heard. Yuuki tried to take control of the conversation back by quietly saying, "Excuse me," a few times but was unsuccessful. Then she had had enough. They would never have done this to Kaname. They need to respect me, she thought and not just because I am a pureblood vampire but rather that I am a person. I don't want them to fear me, but they do need to respect me enough to let me finish my thoughts and if fear is the place I have to start, so be it.
"SILENCE!" she yelled, cutting through the chatter and cracking a window in the process. Slowly they turned back to look at her and saw her panting in frustration while Kaname rubbed soothing circles in her back. Then she closed her eyes and visibly regained her composure. "Now as I was saying," she continued, "My idea is neither of the original options, but rather a fusion of the two. Kaname and I will assume the throne, and we will form a new vampire senate that will vote on things to be brought to us for approval. So what do you think? I would like your honest opinions. I promise I won't kill you for disagreeing with me."
There was a little nervous laughter at her last statement but then one of the nobles said, "That is a very eloquent solution, Yuuki-sama. Of course there will be details we will need to work out with Kaname-sama and yourself, but I believe that this is the best outcome possible for the given situation."
"Thank you," Yuuki said, nodding her head in his direction. "Does anyone have any critiques of my plan?"
"I do," said a female voice from the door. "Why do you get to be queen?"
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So what do you think? I hope you enjoyed it. I promise that I will finish this story, updates just may be a little more sporadic than they were this summer. And you may get more than one in the same week if I have time to work on it. Feel free to leave a review if you feel so inclined.
Thank you
~Stickdonkeys