Twelfth story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous eleven.
#: 12
Title: Dangerous visits
Characters: Kaname, chairman Cross, little Yuuki. Mentions of Ichiou and Takuma.
Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.
Warnings: NOT FLUFF. Angsty mentions of rape, torture and abuse. Skip if it bothers you. It's just mentions, nothing is detailed, but it's still a heavy subject.
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The chairman sat back down on the couch, a cheerful grin on his face as he addressed his young visitor.
"Kaname-kun, would you be able to come next month too? Yuuki has a school play and it's in the evening, so she is really looking forward and hoping you'll come and see her!"
Kaname paused suddenly, his tea cup's movement frozen in mid air as he was about to take a sip from it. A shudder ran up his back. Next month? To come here again so soon?
"I… I'm not sure. It's difficult to slip out of their watch so often."
He had just arrived, and they were having tea while waiting for little Yuuki to be done with school.
"I can only imagine. They're very determined to keep you under their control."
There was a distinct sadness in the chairman's voice, clashing with his usual manner; he knew that there wasn't anything he could currently do to remedy to the situation, at least not yet, and he hated the situation. He hoped his dream of creating a mixed academy could provide a safe place for Kaname one day, but for now he couldn't do more than wait and hope.
The pureblood didn't reply verbally, just giving instead a non-committal nod of agreement while he took another sip of the milk tea. You have no idea.
The chairman knew well the council's determination and ambitions, and how much they wanted to control Kaname. He had gone as far as often urging Kaname to escape definitively and live under his protection, but that would certainly have been their doom, and Kaname would never do such a thing, not when it would be certain to destroy the haven of peace he had carefully chosen for Yuuki. So he refused on and on, insisting each time that he had to return regardless of his guardian's intentions.
But what the chairman didn't know was how far things went, nor exactly what it was that Kaname had to endure on an almost daily basis. If he knew, he wouldn't ask Kaname to come visit so often.
Kaname eyed the longcase clock against the wall, hoping Yuuki would be back from school soon. He could only stay a few hours before he had to rush and make the trip back to Ichiou's estate, in hopes the old vampire hadn't returned yet. Ichiou was in theory away for business for the night and would only return the next day, but Kaname could never know for sure when that was true and when it was a lie to lure him into leaving too, and then catch him in the act right as he snuck back into the house.
Takuma tried to help as much as possible, but he was a poor liar and thus a lousy spy, and his grandfather was onto him, feeding him fake information, so that Kaname never knew when he could rely on it and when Ichiou was merely planning to trick him.
Worse yet, when it came to fixed dates such as traditional celebrations and the such, sneaking out was much harder, as Ichiou knew to expect Kaname's attempts each year.
Yuuki's birthday for example, was a sure occasion. The pureblood couldn't possibly not find a way to sneak out that day, and Ichiou would inevitably be waiting for him at his return. It had become such a tradition that the older vampire would purchase new torture instruments and get the old ones refurbished shortly before the date, knowing they would be put to good use when his ward returned.
The rest of the year, it was a constant ballet of occasions and attempts. At the slightest sign that Ichiou would be away for long enough, Kaname would try his chance. Sometimes he succeeded, sometimes he returned only to find his 'guardian' waiting for him at the top of the stairs, with a dark look of anticipation in his eyes.
Because of course, each and every chance to discipline Kaname was an occasion that couldn't be wasted. Ichiou desired nothing more than Kaname's blood, and second to that to touch the pureblood's body --partially in hopes that it would eventually push him far enough for him to give in and allow Ichiou to drink his blood…
While the former was forbidden by all their laws, the latter was perfectly possible, albeit it could only be done with a justified reason, such as punishing Kaname.
The council would close their eyes on anything Ichiou did that could be covered up. If he drank Kaname's blood, anyone in the higher vampire aristocracy would be able to feel the pureblood's power in him, which made it impossible unless Kaname gave him his permission. But as long as Ichiou was just hurting the pureblood, his body would heal leaving no marks, and no one would ever believe that the respected council elder was doing anything wrong. Short of creating a rift among the council and risking a civil war that would destroy all the ideals of peace he had been striving for, Kaname couldn't really do anything to stop his guardian.
Over the years, things had escalated considerably, going from mere whippings to torture with hunter weapons --to ensure that the pureblood's wounds would take longer to close and would hurt him much more—before finally moving to a horrifying new level.
The chairman knew Ichiou abused his power as a guardian. He even knew vaguely about the beatings, although Kaname lied through his teeth to make it seem much milder than it was, and made it sound like things had gotten much less bad over the years, when it truth it was quite the opposite.
But the one thing Kaname would not admit to, no matter how much Cross probed and asked, was the rapes.
He took another sip of his tea, letting it roll on his tongue slowly to focus on something else and try to still his breathing. Cross' hunter senses were flawless, and he might pick up on the young pureblood's nervousness if Kaname wasn't careful.
The pureblood pondered what it would cost him if he escaped again next month. The last time he did two outings in such a short time, Ichiou tied him to a bed blindfolded and gagged for three days straight.
Kaname wasn't even sure who was raping him during those three days, although it wasn't just Ichiou, no one could possibly last this long uninterrupted, not even a vampire, and there had been many people.
He held back a brutal wave of nausea at the memory, his mask of perfect calm nearly shattering for a second. It was a good thing that Cross was busy pouring himself more tea, or he would see Kaname's hands shaking.
No. There was no way he could possibly come back so soon. Next month was impossible.
About the time he had made the decision to tell Cross that, they heard the front door opening, and little Yuuki came bouncing in, exclaiming with delighted surprise "Kaname-sama!!" when she saw him.
It was as if pure sunlight had washed over a starved plant locked in darkness for too long. The shroud of seriousness and sadness clinging to Kaname's expression slipped away in one instant as he set down his tea cup and slid down to his knees to embrace Yuuki at her height. She threw herself into his arms and they held tightly onto each other, both hoping the moment would never end.
"Kaname-sama, I'm so happy to see you!! Will you be able to come see me at the play next month?"
At the face of her eagerness, Kaname's previous resolve crumbled to pieces in an instant.
His throat felt tight, but he answered without the slightest hesitation. "Of course Yuuki. Anything you wish."
To hell with the consequences. He would deal with it later.
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Sorry for another angsty ficlet. D:
I do think Kaname would face any horrors to make Yuuki happy, which is how this plot bunny came about. Then, it became longer as the middle part grew. XD;
One day, I have to write my many Chairman + Kaname + little Yuuki ficlet series idea. (Snippets from different moments in their lifes, that I've been meaning to write for a while but always hesitate on whether to do so as it is, or to integrate it all into a longer series sometime.)