CHAPTER NINE

The Comet (I)

"What?" Hanabusa stammered, "Why do we have to go to that?"

"You know why," Ruka snapped, frowning as she crossed her arms. She impatiently tapped her foot against the marble floors, waiting for her two cousins to finish preparing. "The limo will be arriving soon." She called out louder, seeing only the orange haired man looking back from the door of the Dorm to the door of his room. He slammed his fist against the door.

"Come on, Hanabusa! Your father is going to be there."

"I don't want to go!"

"Tsukiko will be waiting for you," Akatsuki reminded but he didn't respond. "She's going to be upset if you're not there."

"She won't mind," Hanabusa said but he didn't seem convinced. The last time he had seen her was during the Summer Solstice late June, and although it was her decision not to enrol in Cross Academy, he knew that she still missed not having him around. It was an abrupt change of having a tutor in their homes – along with his cousins – during his entire childhood to seeing each other months at a time. "I'll see her during the break anyway."

Ruka's face crinkled up. "That's two weeks away!" she told him, hearing his excuse from the foot of the stairs. "Come on, let's go – Rima and Shiki are already there."

Akatsuki was surprised to hear this. "Shiki's coming?" He tried not to frown. "I thought that Aidou was only inviting pro-Monarchy families," he muttered quietly. With the growing tension between pro-Council and pro-Monarchy testing Kaname's rule, Akatsuki had suspected that this soiree was intended for the aristocrats to get together and talk without arousing suspicions.

Hanabusa peaked out from the door. "Is Kaname and Takuma coming as well?"

Ruka's eyes brightened slightly at the opening. "They should be arriving later, but your father is expecting us – now."

He leaned back, considering this. He supposed one night out would be fine, and Kaede seemed a bit reluctant last night anyway. He went back into his room, changing quickly into his sweater vest and tucking in his tie before he grabbed a coat. "I'll meet you in the front in ten minutes." And much faster than either of them had ever believed, he disappeared out the door.

Scribbling out a note, he sneaked back into the girl's Sun Dormitories – something he had gotten rather good at – and left a sticky note on Kaede's door before he slipped back out.

xx-x-xx

Hanabusa stared at the wine glass as he swished the red liquid back and forth. His eyes flickered up the dimly lit ballroom, made more personal and intimate with its candlelight, soft piano and violin in the background and heavy red velvets that decorated the large space. He heard the soft murmurs and musical laughter of the aristocrat vampires he had been exposed to his entire life. And it was boring him.

Somewhere, Kaede was perhaps sleeping out under the skies, feeling the cool breeze and waiting for the first frost to arrive. He could imagine her hazel eyes searching up the black skies, seeing no colour but all the beauty in -

"Hanabusa!"

Snapped out of his reverie, he looked up to see Akiyama Maemi, a girl from the Akiyama family that although was a B-level vampire, not quite the highest level of aristocracy. He was surprised his father would invite her here, knowing that her family was not even a part of the Senate. He supposed people like her would help the pretence of a normal gathering. He felt the familiar, charming smile pull across his face, although he wondered when they spoke on a first name basis.

"It's good to see you, Akiyama," he said, careful to add the appropriate -san. She didn't miss the honorifics, and her smile faltered slightly, her gray eyes losing that eagerness.

"It has been a while, hasn't it? I heard you were attending Cross Academy with Kuran-sama," she said with reverence, as if speaking the Pureblood's name was like a God's. He supposed that vampires who weren't living in proximity with Kaname would have that careful boundary, and although Hanabusa still regarded him highly, he lost that strict formality some time ago. Hanabusa lowered the cup, examining her. She was lovely, he supposed, the way all noble vampires were. Her eyes were a pale gray, almost silver in the lighting, and she had long, ashy blonde hair. He knew from past events that she had a polite, reserved and kind personality. That, along with a sparkling laughter, made her the desirable to many – but not him.

Because surely if he were to turn around, another vampire would be exactly like her.

She would make him feel proud, higher class, entitled. She would be predictable, perhaps dull to talk to but not necessarily horrible. But there were too much like her.

Even Ruka had her own distinction – although that may be his own bias that made him think so. But with such a boring setting like this, he decided to give her a chance. Instead of shutting her down with a yes he gave her his undivided attention. "I am, it's enjoyable there. Perhaps you should visit sometimes."

Her eyes brightened at her invitation. "Well, I've already finished my school but I'll hold you to that, Hanabusa."

He winced just the slightest but made up for it with his smile. Then Akatsuki caught his eye and his cousin, seeing the girl, nodded towards Ruka who was practically surrounded by other vampires before he approached Hanabusa. Maemi sensed his presence, slowly turning around but despite that very same, very expected smile, she did not seem pleased at the interruption. But certain things were accepted among the vampire world – like Vampire Hunters are scums, Purebloods are powerful and the Aidou and Kain cousins were closer than brothers, and it was clear who the third wheel would be.

"It was lovely seeing you again, Hanabusa, and I look forward to seeing you in the future," she said pleasantly. She nodded respectfully towards Akatsuki and said, "Kain". Hanabusa tried not to roll his eyes and they shared an exasperate sigh.

"She's still chasing after you?"

"Since we were seven," Hanabusa said lightly but there was no annoyance in his tone.

"Did you see your family yet?" Akatsuki asked, knowing his cousin had the tendency to run off at social gatherings. The blond man shook his head. He had been trying to avoid his father the past hour since he arrived, knowing that it would only mean following behind Aidou Nagamichi as he introduced his son to other members of the Council. It was all about slowly incorporating him into the entire system in hopes that one day, he would take over the family name. With Hanabusa being so close to Kuran Kaname, it was practically a dream come true for Nagamichi who was an avid traditionalist.

"You can't run away forever."

"I can try."

Akatsuki sighed, tousling his already dishevelled hair. Tonight he wore a dark red suit over a white button down, carefully tucked to hide the flame tattoo on his hip but of course, it wasn't button up completely. Hanabusa on the other hand was dressed in an expensive, black tux with a black tie to match and underneath, a navy dress shirt. It was darker than his usual attire, but he thought it would provide a good contrast to all the red and warm tones around him.

"You know, Han -" He stopped, hearing the door open. Stepped in, Kuran Kaname and behind him like a golden retriever, Ichijou Takuma. There was a murmur of excitement like a shock throughout the crowd as they all placed their hands over their heart, bowing their heads at the pureblood. It was his father that greeted him first with the usual pleasantries.

The two right hand men made their way towards the dark haired pureblood, and Kaname's reddish brown eyes slid over towards them. "It seems that we're a bit late," Kaname said to Takuma, receiving a good natured laugh as a response.

"We hand our hands tied back at school," the blond Ichijou explained, "a bit of a riot. Many girls were out waiting...I wonder how they knew we were leaving..."

Hanabusa blanched, and then he laughed nervously. The note. "Well, you know how fan girls are," he said lightly, scratching his head. Akatsuki sighed but Kaname only spared him a glance. It was Takuma who pressed on as Kaname returned back to conversing with Nagamichi. "You know, I think I heard that they found the note on your Misane's -"

At this, his father turned around the moment Kaname walked by him and Takuma, like the idiot he was, said the name out loud. Curiously, Nagamichi's blue eyes turned to his son. "Misane?" He asked. "I don't think I am familiar with that name."

"Well -"

"You wouldn't be," Takuma grinned brightly as if nothing was wrong despite the way Hanabusa's face flushed, "she's a student at Cross Academy."

"Misane," he repeated and his polite expression became stiff as he turned to his son and said, "may I talk to you privately, Hanabusa?"

The blond vampire nodded solemnly, casting Akatsuki an I will die now, goodbye glance before he followed his father to the corners of the room. As if by magic, the door opened and closed behind him, the music and chatter fading in the background as they walked through the long, dark corridor. "Who is this Misane?"

"Don't worry father," Hanabusa said, trying to pass it off as a casual, "it's nothing serious."

"Is she one of your cousin's friends?"

"No -"

"Does Ruka at least acknowledge her?" Of course he would secretly ask about her status through whether or not Ruka would associate with her. It was a covert way of asking if she was higher class. Hanabusa stilled.

"No..."

"And this is your Misane?"

"Well..."

"Is she even of the Night class?"

"Well, not quite but -"

"Hanabusa." His father stopped him. All signs of that passionate, kind man was gone. Although Nagamichi had always been a good father to him, it was because Hanabusa was a good son. He had rarely done anything that would disappoint him. After all, he was handsome, polite, intelligent, charming, talented and overall friends with the pureblood. But entertaining a human to the point that their name would come at an event like this? And to be referred as his? There was nothing to be proud of that. "Whatever game you're playing -"

"I'm not playing a game -"

"If the council hears of this, surely they'll use it against us. Do you not grasp how important your status is - how important our family is? One day, you will take over the Aidou name, and all the other families associated. You will be head of the Pro-Monarchy seats in the Senate. I cannot have your name associated with a human girl, especially not -"

"Father, she's just a -"

"I will not hear that name anymore," he repeated sternly, his blue eyes hard. "You are lucky that Asato is not here tonight or else he will find some way to turn this information against us."

"You are taking this out of proportion," he began again quietly, but his eyes were fierce. "You have nothing to worry about. I won't do anything foolish."

Nagamichi appraised him carefully in the torch-lit hallway. There was a certainty in Hanabusa's eyes, and he hoped for the sake of the clan and cold war between those for and against Monarchy, that his son would not do something that would get them back later. Best case, Hanabusa was right and this was just another one of his fleeting girls for trivial gifts and trinkets. Worst case...Hanabusa was drinking this human's girl blood.

"You better hope that you are not," Nagamichi said stiffly. And then all signs of anger faded as the older man straightened up. His eyes softened, but there was still that stubborn look of reprimand. "Now, I will see you back in the gathering later." And then he walked away, leaving behind a distraught boy staring at the ground.

He wasn't the one to seriously rebel. Anything he did, it was either because of his boredom, curiosity or his loyalty to Kaname. But he had never intentionally wanted to do anything simply for the reason of going against the rules set to him. Yet for the first time in a while with complete knowledge that this was impossible, he allowed himself to freely wonder what his life would be like if he were to just drop everything, to act like a human and lay under the stars...

"Hanabusa?"

He looked up, his gaze lost in thought.

"I thought I saw you out here," said a soft voice, "is everything all right?" As she walked closer, he recognized Akiyama's face against the dark backdrop, the shadows of the quivering flames making her presence clearer to him. Great, she was following him – watching him. The thought made him uncomfortable despite the fact that for years now, there had been girls doing the exact same thing, and often to a creepier and perhaps illegal extent.

"Of course," his voice didn't sound quite right, "why wouldn't I be?"

"You left quite abruptly," she stated, her large gray eyes worried. It was hard to be annoyed of her when she was genuinely kind. But he was just genuinely not interested. Not when his mind was preoccupied with his father's sudden turn of emotions. To think that it took something as little as a name to erase all the years of a providing, dutiful father into this cold one that thought he would do something stupid. It was as if all those years of Hanabusa being the perfect son meant nothing, and this little slip up defined him. Not that he exactly knew why it was wrong, of course. "Are you sure?"

"There's nothing wrong, Akiyama," he said with heavy exasperation. "Now if you don't mind -"

And then her hand was on his arm. He stopped and slowly turned, staring at her as if had just ripped off all her clothing and performed a satanic ritual right before him. "What are you -"

"I thought we were friends, Hanabusa," she said in a low voice, "we've known each other for quite a while."

"It is custom," he said stiffly, pulling his arm back and she let him go with reluctance. It seemed that although she had the courage to suddenly touch him after years of timidly only having short conversations and exchanging brief glances with the occasional smile, she didn't have it in her to keep him there. Maybe he would have respected her a bit more if she had, but now he would never know.

"I know that you've dated many girls, but," she began and he suppressed a groan. He did not want to talk about this right now. "But I always thought you were kind to me. You can tell me if something is wrong." He wondered what it was with girls and the urge of having men talk to them. Why they always want to heal someone. Did they like sad, broken men just for the sake of fixing them up? And in her case, that process would end up with him falling in love with her. Typical. It was the reason why he never dated any one for too long. Either they were just too bland and merely something pretty to look at, or they were too emotional and began making up things about him. Too invested. They saw things that weren't there, like a broken, sad boy. "I'll do as much as I can to help."

"There's nothing wrong," he said again, his patience wearing thin.

She took a nervous step towards him, her eyes hopeful. Then she straightened up, slowly rearranging her hair to one side over her shoulder, her eyes on him. He couldn't help it. His eyes lingered over her smooth, pale neck and he had to force himself to look back at her face. "I'll do anything," she said again, quietly, willing him to understand. And he did.

"Akiyama," he was suddenly tired. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to be around other aristocrats, or have the weight of the future on him. He wanted to -

Wait.

He wanted exactly this.

To do whatever he wanted, to enjoy himself. And who was he to deny fresh blood – especially after so long strictly living off those horrible, tasteless and flat tablets? Years and months of it. Days of craving and here it was being served to him in a pretty, ashy blonde and gray eyed platter. "Are you sure about this?" He asked, although his eyes were already shifting into a bloodlust red. She inhaled sharply, never expecting him to give in. For years she had longed for his blood and solely his. When she had discovered that this was common among vampires as a sign of love, it all made sense. She had watched him growing up like a rising star, and knew that he would be great someday. And he was. He was everything she had hoped for, and more.

She nodded, trying not to seem eager. Her heart raced as Hanabusa took her gently into his hands, one around her and the other tipping her head away. Dreamy eyes fluttered shut as she gave into the rush of shivers down her back at his touch. And he wasn't even thinking anymore, he just gave into his instincts as he traced the line of the artery beneath her skin with his tongue. There was a heady warmth that the high pressured blood was giving off, and he decided not to prolong the taste any longer as his fangs lengthened and he pierced it through her flesh.

And then, just pleasure.

xx-x-xx

"Have you seen Hanabusa?" Ruka asked, now that she was away from a bunch of suitors. She looked happier though, knowing that her beauty was being appreciated by so many even when her heart belonged to only one man – one man that was not him. Akatsuki frowned.

"I haven't seen him since he walked out with his father," he said as his eyes scanned the crowd. "Maybe we should go find him."

Ruka's face twisted into a scrutinized expression. "I'd rather not," she said smoothly, looking away. "I do not want to know what he's up to this time."

This story is still on hiatus-ish since like...not the highest of priority?

(Sorry, VK Fandom)

But if upon request, y'all still want me to continue - I'll get this off hiatus completely and start cranking out more frequent, regular updates! So, reviews would be lovely :)

Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoyed!