Welcome back to the Knightverse! This fic deviates greatly from the preview I put at the end of 'King', mainly because I hadn't written this. The stuff in the preview just plain doesn't happen. The same will go for the preview I have at the end of this chapter. I haven't written Chapter 2 yet, so it will just give you an idea of what will be going on. In this case, Chōko's character just wound up going in a different direction, and she wouldn't act as bitchy as she did in the preview.

Also: Building off the just-for-fun question I asked at the end of my Kamen Rider Wizard/Harry Potter crossover 'Himitsu no Hōki', I'll be posting polls on my profile, about which characters should go into which Hogwarts House. This month, it's Kamen Rider W. Please take your time to answer, it will take only a minute.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kamen Rider Kiva or any of its characters, just the Yamamotos.

WORD COUNT: 3290

EDIT 02/16/2016: It seems I forgot to add character profiles of Chōko and Mari, so here they are:

Full Name: Chōko Yamamoto
Birthdate: Jan 20, 1987
Fangire Type: Insect Class - Azure Fangire (summer azure butterfly)
Family: Mari Yamamoto (mother), unknown father
Dreamcast: Haruka Suenaga

Full Name: Mari Yamamoto
Birthdate: May 10, 1844
Fangire Type: Insect Class - Widow Fangire (black widow spider)
Family: Chōko Yamamoto (daughter)
Dreamcast: Mitchi Love

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Yamamoto Chōko had been born on January 20th, 1987 to a single mother, a Fangire woman who taught her to be proud of her heritage, of her superiority above all humans. Her mother, Yamamoto Mari, held a high-ranking and high-earning position in a computer software company, and had attained it through careful manipulation, making friends with the right people, and occasionally killing a human in her way, though she was very careful about that. She craved power and respect, and she stopped at almost nothing to get it. She wanted the best for her daughter, so she accepted nothing short of perfection from her.

Chōko endured, pushing herself through private school and university. She was comfortable with her life there. The work was challenging but not overwhelming. Her marks were in the top five of most of her classes, and she was a member of a couple societies that would look good on her resumé. That many of her schoolmates were actually enjoyable to be around helped ease the pressure of her studies, though she tried not to socialise with them outside of schoolwork or society meetings. She didn't tell her mother that she was beginning to question the idea that humans existed solely to be food for Fangires.

The only drawback in her life was that she had no idea what she wanted for her future, even with her final semester approaching. She had a flair for business, but the idea of following her mother's footsteps was just unappealing. Her other skills lay in the realm of politics, so perhaps that could be a feasible option.

Then, one Monday morning in November, when she was twenty-one, disaster struck.

Chōko woke up that day feeling incredibly energised for some reason. She went through the motions of getting dressed and washing up, but when she reached for her toothbrush, she saw something that nearly made her scream. Emblazoned the back of her left hand was a tattoo of a black queen chess piece and a rose. The mark of the Fangire Queen.

She may not have been certain of what she wanted for her future, but she knew that she didn't want this, to be married to the King and bear his children when she hadn't even met him. Hell, there was a very good chance that she wouldn't even like him!

Her mother, of course, would be ecstatic. This would be Chōko's ticket to power and prestige, and of course as her mother, Mari would gain some considerable status as well.

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

Chōko went out of her way to hide the mark from her mother for the next few months. Generously-applied concealer and gloves did the trick. But her luck ran out in February, about three months after she woke up with that accursed mark. She was doing the dishes before her mother came home, and was particularly stressed out after her busy day. So she wasn't being careful about covering it up, or the fact that the soapy dishwater was washing the concealer off. After all, she had enough time to get the job done and the stuff re-applied before her mother returned, right? Wrong.

Her mother came back from work earlier than usual that evening. She'd just finished an extensive series of meetings and was looking to de-stress. "Chōko, could you be a dear and fetch me the sake?"

Chōko's mind was currently on a school project, so she moved on autopilot, drying her hands and grabbing the bottle from the cupboard above the sink. She made her way to the living room, where her mother was sitting on the couch. Mari gratefully took the bottle from Chōko, and when she did, she spotted the mark on her daughter's palm.

"Chōko, what is that?" she gasped. Chōko tried to stick her hand behind her back, but quick as a flash, Mari grabbed her wrist. She was so shocked when she realised what it was that she actually dropped the sake bottle (which thankfully landed on the couch cushions and didn't break).

Chōko was frozen with panic. "Kaa-san, I-"

"When did this happen?!" her mother demanded, a big smile growing on her face, "Never mind, this is wonderful! My daughter, Queen of the Checkmate Four! Oh, the doors this will open for us!"

Maybe her mother thought that being Queen opened opportunities, but Chōko saw herself doomed to being chained to some stranger who would probably expect her to obey his every command.

Mari continued her excited chatter. "Oh, we'll have to figure out where to find the King! With you at his side, maybe he'll come back to his senses and forget that silly nonsense of befriending humans. Honestly, the things we could do!"

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

Chōko didn't know how her mother managed to learn where to find the King, but either way, she found herself being dragged into a dinky little café a month later, over to a pair of men about her age sitting at a table by the windows. Her mother had insisted that she dressed nicely, so she wore a pale blue silky shirt with sleeves made entirely of dark blue lace with a butterfly pattern, along with black dress pants and a silver butterfly necklace. "Which one of you is King?" her mother demanded eagerly.

The two of them exchanged a glance and tensed up; the one with auburn hair looked ready to defend himself. "I am," the other man declared, heavy suspicion laced in his tone, "Who are you, and why do you ask?" Chōko supposed the rumours of assassination attempts were true. Her future looked bleaker and bleaker by the day now.

Mari pulled Chōko forward. "This is my daughter, Yamamoto Chōko," she announced proudly, "She is the new Queen."

The two men's jaws dropped a bit comically. It was almost enough to make her laugh on the inside, but not quite. Instead, she took the opportunity to examine her… future husband. He was definitely a good-looking guy, dressed in a white leather jacket over a blue t-shirt, jeans, and a single black leather glove covering his left hand.

"The new Queen..." his companion whispered, having gotten over his shock first, "So soon..." He was rather attractive as well, it must be said. He wore black jeans, a black t-shirt, a brown corduroy jacket, a white scarf, and a pair of white fingerless gloves. His eyes grew sad, however. So did the King's, for that matter.

Before Chōko could ponder that further, the King spoke. "It seems we have a lot to discuss, but not here. Perhaps we should move this conversation elsewhere?"

Chōko tried not to show her shock when she saw the castle. It wasn't every day that one saw a building fused with a Doran. She'd heard the rumours, but...

The sleepy-looking creature looked up upon their approach and growled lowly. King's companion, earlier introduced as his younger brother Kurenai Wataru, sighed and went over to rub its scaly nose. "It's fine," he murmured, "They're with us. Go back to sleep." The Doran actually made a sort of cooing sound as he scratched its snout before settling its large head back down.

As they entered, torches and candelabras lit a hallway to a modern-looking sitting room, which honestly surprised Chōko as well, as she was expecting something far more archaic. The King and his brother sat down, and motioned for her and her mother to do the same. King was just about to speak when two more people entered. The first was a man in his late thirties in a butler's suit, though his bowtie and the top few buttons on his shirt were undone. He eyed the Yamamoto women suspiciously.

The second was another woman, appearing about Chōko's age, possibly, but it was hard to tell with Fangires, and she was very sickly-looking. She wore a plain black dress and shawl, as well as a leather patch over her right eye. "Taiga," she inquired in a soft voice, "Wataru, who are your guests?"

"The new Queen, apparently," Kurenai mumbled, "And her mother."

The man tensed up and frowned. "Are you alright here?"

"We're fine," King replied. The man didn't look reassured until Kurenai nodded in confirmation. Chōko got the feeling that the man didn't trust her or her mother.

"Still, I'll let Riki and Ramon know. Just yell if you need anything." And he moved out of the doorframe and into the hall, leaving the door itself ajar.

The woman looked at Chōko with a strange expression that might have been pity, or maybe regret, before sitting down. "I am Maya, Taiga and Wataru's mother. I must say, we weren't expecting the new Queen to emerge this soon."

Chōko knew who she was. Every Fangire knew about the exiled former Queen who'd fallen in love with a mere human. But she was supposed to still be in exile, so why was she allowed in the castle? Chōko supposed it was by her son's permission.

Her own mother stiffened just slightly beside her. "Well, we started looking to contact the King the very day my Chōko gained the mark." Her voice now had a chilly edge directed at Maya. "I must say, King, you were difficult to find."

The King had clearly picked up on her attitude, for his voice was also colder as he replied: "Well, with so many out for my blood, that was my intention. It's rather difficult to kill someone you can't find."

"That is true. There have been numerous rumours about you flying around, so many that I truly don't know what to think. Is it true that you have forged an alliance with the humans?"

King narrowed his eyes at her incredulous tone. "My brother is half-human, and I was raised by a human. Let me make this clear: I intend to bring peace between the Fangires and the humans. I understand that it will not be easy, and that I might fail. Perhaps my goal won't be achieved in my lifetime, but I will at least set the base. The company I run is already searching for an energy source to replace Life Energy, in order to eliminate the need for Fangires to feed on humans for sustenance."

Chōko was taken aback. Many of the whispers going around suggested that the King had discovered a supposed half-human relative and as a result was becoming soft on humans. They didn't suggest that he had such an ambitious and radical plan. It would be impossible to convert the entire culture of the Fangire Race in one lifetime (even one that could last centuries), as it had been essentially the same for millennia. No wonder so many were after him! Her future husband must have a death wish.
Her heart sank further as she realised that as Queen, she would be targeted for the same reason. Chōko's future was looking shorter and bleaker by the minute.

"My, how ambitious," her mother commented. Her voice had taken on the falsely-enthusiastic tone she used when pretending to be interested in something just for the sake of appearances or buttering someone up. "You have quite a project ahead of you."

Her mother would go along with it for now, Chōko knew. Yamamoto Mari craved power, and having her daughter as Queen would give her a big boost of influence. Chōko saw nothing but trouble for herself, having to persuade the King to give up on his suicidal quest, possibly risking his wrath if she went about it the wrong way.

Just then, a boy of about thirteen poked his head in. "Hey hey. Shima-san and the Nago's are here. Something about the meeting they had this morning."

The two brothers stood at the exact same time. "Did he say how it went?" King asked urgently. He turned to the Yamamoto women. "I'm sorry, something has just come up. We'll have to continue this talk some other time. Ramon will see you out."

Seeing no other choice, Chōko got up, followed by her mildly-offended mother, and left the room. She could tell, when she got closer, that this 'Ramon' was neither human nor Fangire. Then what was he? He was quiet as he led them out of the castle, and Chōko could feel the tension coming off him and see the constant sideways glances he was giving them. He didn't seem too comfortable with their presence. Then again, it seemed no one connected to the King did, either.

As they were heading home, Mari turned to her daughter, equal parts excited and worried. "This is worse than I feared," she stated, "If the King keeps going on this path, he will drive the Fangire Race into chaos and extinction! It will be difficult to put him back on the track, especially with the humans and that half-breed hanging around him. And those other two; I think they were a Wolfen and a Merman, those rumoured last survivors of their races. They will all have to go, but you must gain his trust first. Simply eliminating them could backfire, and cause him to try and avenge them instead."

Chōko tuned her out, thinking about what King had said from a different perspective. She'd gone to school with many humans, and though she didn't really socialise with them, gaining a reputation as an 'ice queen', she had noticed some admirable people among them. The very people who made her question why humans were considered inferior. Maybe King's goal would be impossible to achieve, but barring that fact, Chōko wasn't sure that she disliked.

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Chōko barely got any sleep that night. She was too occupied with worrying about what she was going to do. Her mother would eventually come up with a more concrete plan to undermine the King, or at least his plans, and Chōko herself would undoubtedly have to have to play a large role in it. Her best guess was that she would essentially be acting as a spy, and messing with the King's plan to create peace with the humans, probably by sabotaging his relationships with his supporters. It was likely to require every bit of her acting abilities and wordsmithing skills, and one slip-up could put her on the receiving end of the King's wrath.

The next morning, they got a phone call from the King, detailing the location of a small, but high-end, restaurant, at which they would meet for supper and to begin discussing wedding plans. During her classes that day, Chōko didn't hear a word of her professors' lectures, too full of dread to focus.

She dressed up nicely for the dinner with shaking hands, picking out a midnight-blue sleeveless silk dress with black trim and a dark silvery wrap embroidered with blue butterflies (her favourite colours were black, blue, and silver). She did her long, black hair up in a bun, her bangs held back by a silvery butterfly barrette.

When Chōko and Mari arrived at the restaurant, the King was already waiting at their table with his half-blood brother, his mother, and an unidentified man in his fifties. The brothers were bent over the same menu, but looked up as the two women approached them.

The man was introduced as Shima Mamoru, the human who had raised King. Oddly, though, he seemed more comfortable with Kurenai, out of all the people there. Mari began discussing wedding dates as soon as greetings were exchanged and drinks were ordered. She'd had to seat herself next to Shima, much to her discomfort, in order to place Chōko beside the King.

The two newly-betrothed young adults avoided eye contact all throughout the meal. Her mother had brought the schedules of as many of her well-connected friends as she could contact that day. She wanted to show off her great fortune in having her daughter become the Queen, and needed as many of those people present as possible. The King and his family didn't seem too pleased by this, and Chōko didn't blame them. There were many Fangires who wanted him dead; of course having strangers attending his wedding would be potentially dangerous.

By the time dessert arrived, they'd finally agreed on a tentative date, April 14th, which was just a little more than a month away. At that point, Chōko excused herself to go to the restroom. She needed a moment to collect herself, to just breathe, away from everyone else. This was moving way too fast, and she was scared, dammit. Her life was rapidly changing without her consent, and she felt like she was being spun around and around.

"Pull it together," she told herself, "Go back out there and hold your head up high, and deal with it."

As she left the ladies' room, she nearly bumped into the King himself. "I'm sorry," she muttered, and made to return to the table.

"Wait." Chōko stopped in her tracks when he spoke to her. "I know you're not happy about all this. Frankly, neither am I. I loved the last Queen, even if she didn't love me back. It hasn't been that long, really, since she was murdered on what was supposed to be our wedding day, so you can imagine how hard it is to be getting married mere months later."

Chōko sighed. "I rather liked my life the way it was before this damn mark appeared. Nothing will be the same anymore; I guess I won't be able to finish my exams, or get a job. I only had about two weeks of classes left, too." She hadn't yet turned to face him.

"Who says you have to give all that up? While the old traditions would have you leaving your old life behind, this is the twenty-first century."

"Oh." It felt like a small portion of the heavy weight on her shoulders had been lifted. "Well, thank you, I guess." She finally turned around to look at him. "So we agree that neither of us is overly pleased with this arrangement, and since there's nothing we can do to stop it, short of me dying, can we at least try to not to make things any more difficult for each other?"

He seemed to relax a bit, and nodded. "I'd be okay with that." Chōko had noticed the sadness in his voice when he'd spoken about his last fiancé. Asking him to marry her when he was still mourning had to be some sort of cruel joke the universe was playing on him.

They made no mention of their conversation when they returned to the table, though Kurenai gave his brother an odd, searching look, then caught Chōko's eye and subtly nodded. She figured he'd picked up on the King's lower stress levels and figured it out.

Her mother went on about guest lists and seating plans and invitations and dresses on the way home, but Chōko mostly tuned her out. Her agreement with King had (mostly) snapped her out of her panic. She would make the best out of her situation, somehow, instead of lamenting it. It was what Yamamoto women did.

I now have the basic plotlines written for the rest of the base Knightverse fics, though they will always be subject to change. The posting order, after this chapter, is this: 'Queen' Ch 2, 'Rook', 'Queen' Ch 3, 'Bishop', and 'King'. The other fics, 'The Bachelor Party' and 'Moving On', will come along after that, along with two other unnamed fics that focus on Maya's past and Nago and Megumi's first few years.

So like I said above, this preview scene may or may not be the same in the final product of Chapter 2, or might not even happen at all. But here it is:

Her dress was entirely black, something Ichijo had been confused by, but she'd gone along with it. Her kōhai had definitely been paying attention to Chōko's fashion preferences. The bodice was made of shiny silk, with black sequins sewn in that glittered in flickering candlelight. The neckline swept gracefully downward without showing too much cleavage, and the sleeves were made of a see-through black fabric, tight around her upper arms before opening into bell sleeves. The skirt was also silk, and covered with black lace. It flowed outward, just brushing the floor as she walked.

Her mother helped her adjust her veil. The night before, she'd alternated between obsessively going through the guest list to make sure everyone who'd RSVP'd was coming and sobbing about how her baby was growing up. Chōko had just sat in numerous spots throughout the house, getting up and moving to a new spot every five minutes until her mother forced her to go to bed. "We don't want the bride to have dark bags under her eyes."