Author's Note: Hey y'all! It's been ages since my last update. Please find it in your hearts to forgive me. I've been so busy with school and finding that balance in my life. xD Anyways, here is the next installment to my story. I don't know how long it'll be for my next update but please continue to show your support for this story! Thank you so much and enjoy! ^^

Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters. Their existence is accredited to Matsuri Hino.

Surprise, Surprise

Landing with a sickly crunch, the body laid in a crumpled heap in front of Rido who was breathing laboriously from the exertion of feeding. His wild, glowing yellow eyes flitted over the piles of bodies strewn around the room he had built to fulfill his sadistic urges. No windows-for they would provide his prisoners with a chance to escape. No corners-to create the illusion of an endless space, allowing for no distinction of direction. And no lights-so they would have to feel their way around like blind moles, all the while knowing that their efforts were made in vain for the only exit was through an opening in the ceiling.

He loved strolling beside his victims while they crawled frantically in the darkness, screaming out for help that would never come. Occasionally, he would nudge them with his feet, eliciting a whole new wave of panic and howls from them as they feverishly crawled further away, only to hear the sound of his footsteps beside them once more. They never knew when he was going to strike. There was never a pattern or frequency to his attacks. All they could do was sit and cower in fright for their end to arrive.

They were the worms writhing on the concrete that would not give way for them to hide-perfect targets for the keen eye of the bird of prey that was Rido. And he played his role well. With a sickening crunch, he would break their necks and feed on the blood that would stream forth from the fatal wound on their necks. He never left any survivors. All who entered his chamber left in unrecognizable heaps of flesh, bloody and bruised but today, it was going to be different. Today, a body was going to leave his chamber headless.

He inspected all of the corpses and chose the largest of them all to be his prize. Beckoning above him, Rido heard the soft rush of cloth as a figure clad in black landed agiley beside him.

"Dispose of the bodies but leave this one to me." Rido ordered, nudging at the body by his feet. The servant bowed in compliance and vanished to carry out his task, leaving Rido alone with his corpse prize. He gazed intently at the mangled body before him, his eyes brimming with anticipation. He had waited too long for this day to come when he could finally set into motion his plan to wipe all evidence of Haruka's existence off the face of the Earth.

A fleeting image of Juri, the bane of his affection, walking away from him with Haruka beside her had wounded his pride beyond repair. But now it was different. Now, he felt pride in having severed off his pathetic feelings for Juri when he severed off their heads. His body reeled with excitement at the thought of beheading a person again-even the dead.

He gingerly stepped over the corpse and strolled over to one of the walls where his katana hung. He swiftly dismounted it, relishing in the weight of the sword in his hands. He positioned himself in front of the corpse before unsheathing his sword. The sharp metallic sound of the sword as it parted from its sheath soothed his ears and only served to add to his excitement for what he was about to do. Gripping the sword in both hands, Rido raised it above his head, crouching ever so slightly like a tiger does before pouncing on its prey.

He sent the sword down in one violent motion, feeling the blade bite clean through flesh and bone. The head rolled over to one side. Dropping his katana, Rido grabbed a fistful of its hair and lifted the head up to his eye level. The bruises, the blood, the missing features more than satisfied Rido as his rumbling chuckles echoed through the chamber.

"Happy Birthday Kaname." Rido whispered as he headed back to the privacy of his room to decorate his gift.

oOo

It was fair and sunny on the day Kaname was to be the star of the show. He had prepared himself mentally for it but no amount of preparation could have prepared him for what he would face when he made his appearance at his birthday party. What caught his eye first were the balloons of various shapes and colors that were swaying in the air, forming a barrier around the Trust's gardens. Their vibrant colors accentuated the deep and sultry colors of the roses known to be the soul of the place.

Everyone in attendance marveled in silence at the combination including Kaname, who had spent practically every day of his life gazing down at the gardens from the second floor of the Trust. He felt like he was laying his eyes on it for the first time, mesmerized by their newfound look. But soon, his eyes drifted to the creamy white piano in the middle of the gardens from which sweet, cheerful notes were emitting from. He could not help but chuckle when he noticed it was Kaien who was playing the piano.

Although Kaien was silly most of the time, he took to playing music with the most serious of expressions: his eyes closed, his brows creased, and his lips pursed in what seemed like intense concentration. Moving on from the piano, Kaname skimmed his eyes across the booths scattered across the gardens, boasting intriguing and wild games. He felt his heart leap with excitement as he took in the entirety of his surroundings. Never before had he experienced such a burst of joyful anticipation like he did now. He felt like running off to each and every one of the booths to explore the secrets they held from within their makeshift walls.

He found himself scanning every possible face in the crowd for Yuki to share in his excitement with. Just as he was about to retreat inside the Trust to look for her, a boy of around his age sprinted to greet him with outstretched arms. He enveloped Kaname in a bone-crushing hug as he shouted, "Happy birthday Kaname!" He patted Kaname vigorously on the back twelve times before letting go. "I think it's strange to punch my leader so I just gave you twelve encouraging pats instead." He nodded proudly to himself.

Kaname chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Sure Hanabusa. Persuade yourself that it wasn't rude to slap someone on the back twelve times." He then noticed three other people behind Hanabusa who had just caught up to him. Takuma, who was among them, broke away from the group and swung his arm around Kaname, cheerful and excited.

"Your sister and Kaien did such an awesome job with this place! I didn't even recognize it when I got here!"

Kaname could only laugh as he felt his excitement double by the presence of his two close friends, Hanabusa and Takuma.

Noticing the two other children who were standing there, staring at him with intrigue, Kaname stopped laughing and addressed them gently, "What are your names? I don't think I've seen you around."

" Oh they just got here." Takuma replied. "I was showing them around the place. This is Akatsuki Kain," Takuma gestured towards the boy with deep orange hair, "and this is Ruka Souen." He gestured toward the petite girl beside Akatsuki whose caramel brown hair and large doe eyes reminded Kaname of a glass doll Yuki kept in her room.

"It's nice to meet you." He said with a smile. She blushed slightly and nodded in reply, unable to meet his eye.

The boy named Akatsuki grunted and murmured a, "Nice to meet you too," before stepping closer to Ruka.

"Now that everyone knows each other, let's go and have some fun!" Hanabusa took off at a distance and stopped, waiting for the rest of the group. Everyone eagerly followed him as he meandered through hoards of people, keeping his eyes peeled for the coolest, most eye-catching booth in the gardens. It was not hard to miss since it boasted the longest snake line of bodies but Hanabusa was not distressed. He simply placed Kaname in front of him and plowed the group straight towards the front, shouting, "Make way for the birthday boy! Make way for the birthday boy!"

The effect of Kaname's presence was immediate. The snake line melded into one large body and divided neatly in the middle, making a pathway for Kaname and his friends. Kaname felt slightly uncomfortable and embarrassed, mumbling his apologies as Hanabusa paraded him down the path with a smug look on his face. The rest of the party shared the same sentiments as they hid their faces out of shame but one look at the booth made them all forget about their uncomfortableness.

The booth was in the shape of a gigantic birthday present, complete with a bright red bow on its roof, masterfully tied to resemble a blooming rose. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood in the front, dressed in purple robes. He greeted them all with a toothy smile and was ecstatic when he recognized Kaname.

"Ohohoho! I've been blessed by the little master's presence! It must be my lucky day! Or shall it be yours when you walk through this huge present and come out with one?" His voice, although easily understandable, was tinged with a French lilt that Kaname found soothing. As he continued to speak, Kaname felt like he was being drawn in by the man's buttery gold eyes. He only had his sights on the gargantuan present of which was now within an arm's distance from him. The man ran his hand along the side of the present and miraculously pulled back a flap to reveal an entrance.

He beckoned Kaname to step through it. "Just walk straight through and you'll find a surprise within your hands." In the back of Kaname's head, an alarm of incredulity was sounding off but a force unseen by him was tugging him forward, compelling him to go through the present. Without resisting, Kaname just let his desire lead him through the pitch blackness, inside the present to the other side in which he walked straight through. The side gave way and he was outside again but this time, true to the man's words, a glittering gold present found its way into his arms.

He looked back at the large present booth behind him in astonishment. A few seconds later, his friends joined him, all with their own presents and all had the same reaction as his as they laid eyes on their prizes. No wonder why this booth is so popular. This is incredible. Kaname had completely forgotten about the sense of incredulity he felt earlier and only thought about taking a glimpse at what was inside his present. He hastily ripped through the wrapping and lifted off the lid.

Before he could marvel at his present, he heard a bone-chilling scream that he immediately recognized as his sister's. He dropped his present and frantically headed straight for the source of her voice. Yuki, dressed in a white chiffon dress was on her knees-her hands over her mouth, stifling the violent sobs that were escaping from her lips. She was staring at something on the floor. Kaname pushed past the crowd to get a better look. His eyes darkened at what he saw and whatever joy he felt was extinguished-crushed and forgotten as his hands clenched into fists. In front of Yuki, staring back with lifeless eyes and a smile stitched in place was the head of a man, complete with a bright pink bow on top.