Chapter 6
Impatiently, Hanabusa Aido had waited for October 31st. It was the day of the ball, he was tossing and turning in bed. Coming in to check on Hanabusa was a habit of Kaetsukikko's. She continued to do so even though he told her that he was a lot older than her and that he could take care of himself and her. The truth was that he liked being babied as he never had been by his birth mother and the real reason he didn't want her to was because he found it embarrassing and shameful that he wanted that sort of contact at his age. Kaetsukikko didn't seem to mind though; she enjoyed coming into to check on him because she missed being close to another person and wanted to be needed. Thus she was sitting by his bedside, petting his hair. Aido Hanabusa was face was flushed. Aido Hanabusa was not officially mated to Akatsuki Kain, so they could not share a room and because he was royalty now. It was just not done. It would cause more problems for his adoptive mother and that was not on his list of things to do.
"Get some sleep, Hana-chan," she said standing up. "There will be dancing tonight, political and social talks. I do not want you fall asleep and drool at the table." She said smiling then added teasingly. "Though I am sure your prince charming will save you, little princess."
Hanabusa flushed brighter.
"You are really cute when you blush, Hana-chan," she said. She pecked him on the forehead. If it was possible he would have flushed brighter. Instead, He tried to stop himself from whining, but ended up choking out, "You're so embarrassing. Don't do this to me tonight."
"I shall not. Now get some sleep," she said.
"Alright, hahaoya," he said.
She shook her head. With the decorations and preparations done, there was enough time for eight hours of sleep. She earned the respect of her serving girls by working along side them when they put up the decorations. When they awoke it was six. The guests were arriving in an hour. She stayed in bed for a moment then walked over to Hanabusa's room. He was sleeping soundly. She sighed.
"Hana-chan," she said softly. She did not want to startle him. He blinked at her then croaked out, "What time is it?"
"It is six," she replied. "I'll have Boa or Xiao Mei fill a bath for you."
"Alright hahaoya," he said.
"You may want to get some more sleep until they are here and finished," she said.
"Then why did you wake me up?" asked Hanabusa grumpily.
"When they try to wake you, you will not. Yester-night, Xiao Mei hit you to get you to wake. She sighed at this point. "To prevent you from injury, I came to wake you, before I take my bath," she said. "My bath is ready, Hana-chan. Look nice for hahaoya and our guests, ne?"
"…" the boy turned over in bed and went back to sleep.
Hanabusa rose to the sound of yelling. "Wake up, sleeping beauty! No prince is going to kiss you tonight if you don't!" It was Xiao Mei's voice. She was the only one who dared raise her voice against him other than his mother of course and her right hand, Tsukiru Shiroi. Tsukiru Shiroi was her spy, informant and messenger, at the moment she was at the Kuran estate. He knew now to wake to the sound of her voice, so that she wouldn't hit him again though that bruise healed quickly within a day.
"Alright, alright, I am awake," groaned Aido.
"Good it makes my job easier," she said. "Then I won't be responsible if you drown or have Kaetsukikko-hime come after me for assaulting you." She grabbed him by his collar and yanked him into the bathroom. "Take off your clothes and get into the bath. Oh no, not here, get behind the screen, idiot!" She stalked out of the bathroom, when she had finally given him all the soaps and washcloth, but not before she hung the towel on one of the panels of the silk screen. She picked out his clothes. It was a white suit, a white dress shirt, white bow tie and white cape, plus his black boxers. "Here." She held out his clothes, piece by piece over the screen. When he was done, he pushed it aside. That was when she grabbed him by the arm and forced him to sit on his bed, while she attacked his hair with a comb and blow-dryer. "All done," she said. His hairstyle was just the way he liked it, the same as it had ever been. She handed him a mirror. There was a hint of silver in his blond hair and a hint of mercury in his eyes, plus his face was longer. "Wow, I really look different. It has to do with the adoption. I have not been working on improving my abilities. I bet hahaoya will force me to before this year is out. I must have gained some new abilities too. I have to try them out."
"Bo[u]chama, what are you mumbling about?" asked Xiao Mei, curious.
"I said I need to train, starting tomorrow, or I will not know what my limits are if I need to protect my mother," said Hanabusa.
Meanwhile, in Kaetsukikko's room, she was getting dressed. Her hair was styled in the hime-cut. Meiyu brushed her lady's hair and pulled the longer section back. She the divided that section in two, then twisted them and pinned them up into odango, but because the hair was too long and anymore twists would make the hairstyle fall apart more easily, the rest was left hanging in pigtails that extended from each bun (Queen Serenity and Kikyou). She helped her mistress pin her veil in place and handed her the mask. Uruki helped her lady put on her jewelry. Together they helped the lady into the dress that was ordered for tonight.
Downstairs Boa fished out the ingredients that she and other girls had prepared the night before. She began to start putting the ingredients together to create the various snacks.
The knocker sounded. Kain opened the door. "Welcome Shirabuki-san." He bowed respectfully.
Shirabuki Sara just looked at him with disdain. She had brought her manservant. She gave him her coat. "Ask that lowlife where to put it, but mind you, do not let him touch it with his filthy hands."
When her coat was taken care of, Kain led her to the ballroom-dining room. There were tables set up, where various snacks would be placed. Bottles of champagne and wine were already set up, so were plates, napkins, forks and spoons. Beside the coffee maker and coffee cups there was sugar and milk, plus blood tablets. Some vampires liked blood tablets in their coffee and some liked them in their liquor. Others liked them in water.
"It is sweet that hime-sama caters our individual needs, but she is trying to hard," said Shirabuki Sara.
"Onegai-shimasu, if you find that I try too hard, Shirabuki-san" said Kaetsukikko.
"Oh, forgive me, hime-sama, I was being rude," said Shirabuki Sara, bowing deeply to the masked queen.
"Kaetsukikko-sama, let us go greet the guests," said Kain. He hid a smirk at Shirabuki Sara's behaviour around the queen. What a fool.
The knocker sounded once more. Just as Kaetsukikko suspected, the other invitees were at the door. At the head were the Kuran couple and the nobles that they had taken in. Tsukiru Shiroi was behind Seiren. Tsukiru Shiroi moved forward quickly and said "Kaetsukikko-hime-sama, I have brought the Kuran and their followers as I have promised."
"Kain!" said Ruka. There was an angry expression on her face. "How could you do this to Kaname-sama?"
"I was not as bound to him as you thought, Ruka. Before I swore to protect him, I told him that if my true master or mistress was to appear I would go to him or her. Aido just followed me after we were mated. He revoked those vows when he was adopted by Kaetsukikko-hime-sama," said Kain.
"Gomen hahaoya, I am late!" called a voice.
"Aido?!" said Ruka. "What happened to you? You look different."
"Blood adoption," said Hanabusa. "Oh no, oh no, not her…" He slipped behind his mother.
"Bo[u]chama!!! Your mother gave orders for you to wear contacts and the wig to hide the changes. Where are you? Oh no!" a girl with startling violet eyes and black hair gasped. "Gomen-nasai, hime-sama." She glared at Aido over the queen's shoulder. She hissed, "I thought I told you to make my job easier. Damn you, you spoilt brat!" Aido was cowering behind mother, "hahaoya, do something," he whimpered.
Everyone just turned and stared at the maid, the queen and the prince.
Kain coughed lightly. Everyone turned to look at him. He flushed, all the way from the roots of his blonde hair to his neck, as…
"For the love of god, I thought I told the two of you to refrain from causing trouble, tonight," said Kaetsukikko.
"Gomen," said Aido. He stared at the floor and then cried out, "It wasn't my fault!"
"…" said the serving girl. She bowed her head.
Everyone was surprised, when Kaetsukikko turned around and said, "Will you kindly please stop staring? Kain take them to ball room and turn on the music. The refreshments and snacks should be done cooking."
"Hai Kaetsukikko-hime," said Kain. "What?!" he said annoyed to the other nobles. "Kaetsukikko is her name. Did you not know?" Ever since I started working here, I began to think everyone else is idiotic. It must be the fact that I work for the highest power on this earth, plus the fact that the library here is bigger than all the libraries of all remaining nobles put together and that Kaetsukikko-hime reads there a lot, sometimes with Hana-chan. "Here we are," he said. The tables were laden with snacks. "Just how long did that talk take?"
"An hour," said a voice that Kain recognized as Kuran Kaname's.
"Arigato-shimasu, Kuran-san," said Kain.
"It's Kaname-sama," cried Ruka.
"Silence, bitch," said a soft male voice. It was Hanabusa Aido. His voice had changed. It was soft like silk and like the tiny splashes of waves during low tide. Ruka did not know that voice at all. Ruka shivered, it made blood rush up to her cheeks.
"I make you feel hot and bothered, do I not? Do you want to cool down?" Aido's voice was dangerously cold now, like ice. Ruka felt like she was drowning in cold water. Then she realized that she was drenched by ice water that seemed to have come from nowhere.
"Aido Hanabusa! What have I told you about misbehaving?" shouted an angry female voice.
"Hahaoya…she provoked me," said Aido pouting.
"I…I did no such thing!" cried Ruka. "Besides, even if I did, I have no idea what I did!"
"Hanabusa, she is a guest. Control yourself!" said Kaetsukikko sternly.
"Hahaoya! That's not fair!" cried Aido. "She was insulting you. She disregarded what Kain told her about his duty to you first, then him." He pointed at Kaname.
"It is rude to point," said Kaetsukikko. This time she sighed. Her voice sounded like: wind singing, water flowing, fire blazing and earth rumbling all at the same time. It was not the first time they had heard her voice, but it was only now that they heard the power in it without her having to force it, as in yelling. "Gomen Souen-san, do you want me to get some spare clothes that my ancestors once wore for you?"
"N-no it is fine," said Ruka. "That would be a little to much. I just need to use the water closet."
"Shiroi, bring Souen-san to the water closet. Thank you dear," said Kaetsukikko. "Now, how is everything suiting to your needs?" she asked Takuma Ichijou.
"The snacks are delicious," he answered.
"Thank you, I must tell Boa and the girls this after the ball. No, in fact, when they are assembled here, I would like give them a toast," said Kaetsukikko.
Kaetsukikko mingled among the nobles. They complemented her in the organization of the ball and in learning the customs of the Vampire Code. To that she answered that she could not have done it without Kain and Aido. And Hunter training. You have to understand your enemies to fight them. And Kurosu Academy, because in the Higher Level studies, one had to learn the Vampire Code and about Vampire culture.
The hours went by and finally, Kain announced that the Masked Queen would reveal her true identity in the throne room.
Doomedpassion: I wanted the suspense to be high, so read the next chapter.