Chapter 02
Enlightenment
When the parade of the Night Class started, Kaname never had the idea or the inkling that the night would turn as it did for it started relatively normal except for the few changes especially in his state of mind and feelings. When the door of the Moon Dorm opened and the march started, he was welcomed by the sight of the cheering mortals who were foolishly and unknowingly endangering their lives by coming close to them and the prefects who valiantly fought the wild crowd of Day Class students dying to touch them.
Three prefects to be exact.
Kaname had felt Zero even before they had left the dorms. He had to fight the urge to stare at the prefect who was missing for the last months. It took for an enormous amount of self-control to rein in the desire to come directly at him and drag him to a more private place to confront him, to what, he had not yet decided.
The pureblood contented himself with the thought that he was back at last. Though Kaname was getting impatient, he stopped himself. He was feeling too relieved to be angry right then. Yes, he admitted being relieved at seeing Zero relatively well, feeling more than seeing, the ever-familiar scowl he wore on his handsome face as he glared and dared any of the Day Class girls to cross the line and reach out for the Night Class members.
Burgundy orbs only allowed themselves to glimpse at the hunter who coincidentally turned to him at the exact moment so their eyes met. It was brief but very impactful.
Something had changed in Zero.
He just knew it.
What exactly, he couldn't pinpoint. When he walked pass the hunter, after giving acknowledgement to Yuki's and even Ichiru's efforts, he caught a small whiff of the silverette. Kaname almost stopped as he asked himself if the hunter had always smelled so lovely. He knew he wasn't imagining it when other members of the Night Class also turned towards Zero's way. He even later caught Hanabusa Aido's frown while deep in thought and he was sure that it was regarding Zero's change that he had notice. He was strangely annoyed at the blonde's curiosity towards the hunter but waived away the feeling. He did not want to ask himself further questions like the reason for his irritation.
All these silent contemplations done as the class progressed was suddenly broken by the tremor followed by a blinding light that came from the Academy Forest. He immediately rose from his seat and hurried towards the forest, the Night Class hot on his heels.
An indiscernible frown formed at the unknown auras inside the Academy grounds that suddenly sprang out of nowhere. He immediately turned to the glaring presence of two purebloods he felt nearby. There were others as well but there was something odd with them. Mighty as he was, he couldn't point what exactly they were and this worried the pureblood. There was, at this point, nothing that was completely unknown to him as far as species' auras goes. This meant that there was something that was completely different about them and if they were enemies then it would surely not turn out pretty. Without much choice, he first went to address the presence of those creatures whose nature was at least known to him as he needed to have a foothold of what was going on.
The silver-haired hunter was at the site when they have arrived and they were followed by the remaining guardians only shortly after. They were greeted at the sight of two pureblood children. A young boy and girl who were about three or four years old. They had silver hair that glittered beneath the moonlight and power that seeped unknowingly that seemed to have been designed to scare and intimidate all possible attackers. The sight of them stopped Kaname from moving forward.
He was by then seriously baffled at the sudden appearance of these unknown visitors. Only their pitiful situation prevented the pureblood from doing anything drastic as the measure of their power would prove to be a problem had they turned out to be enemies. Fortunately, anyone could feel that they meant no harm and were honestly scared and lost as they appeared to be.
He would have never imagined that these were all only icing on the cake. Only drizzles before a huge storm violent enough to tear one's house from the ground comes.
No.
The bizarre happenings became so confusing, it was chaos.
When the children tackled Zero and claimed that the hunter was their father, it made something in Kaname stir. He felt like someone just knotted his innards together so tightly that he couldn't breathe. His heart was too heavy he felt like leaning forward.
The fury that filled his very veins sang for violence and murder.
The resentment towards the hunter and that woman, whoever she may be that ensnared the hunter, was surprising but not unwelcomed. However, before he could even furiously react, the little boy ran from Zero to him and called him. He had lived for many years, for very long years, and was called many things by his loyal subjects and affectionate family but that was a word that was never used on him.
"Chichiue!"
To say that he was surprised was an understatement. He was completely shocked and all thoughts and feelings flew away from him. Even the animosity left him as quickly as it had come. He could only stand still even when the said child attacked his waist and wrap his little arms around him. That this child looked almost like the perfect imitation of the hunter, smiling at him and calling him his father, felt so bizarre Kaname decided that that was the strangest thing that ever happened to him in the course of his life.
They were so preoccupied that they didn't notice three pairs of eyes intently watching and observing the situation and whose auras now carefully concealed.
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When they arrived at the site where their youngest siblings are, after quickly enveloping themselves in a dimension she had created in order to avoid detection, they were greeted by the sight of Suiren and Naoto running to their daddy. Akira was about to jump out of the bush to join the fray but Kohaku stopped him immediately after getting their older sister's sign to stop the hyperactive younger twin.
It was basic to watch and observe the situation first if one didn't know what was happening. Aside from that, they were sure that their nee-chan just found it amusing and would like to watch a bit more.
But in all honesty, she would really like to get a foothold of their situation and idea of the time they landed on. The questions and confusion were already popping out at the sight of their parents.
Why was her daddy wearing black Day Class uniform? Oh dear. She did hear about their otou-chan being part of the human's class together with Yuki-bachan and Ichiji back when their parents still hated each other.
Gosh, we're doomed. Why?!
She was so sure they landed at the time she was already alive! What happened? It couldn't be, she refused to even think about it, that she actually failed… Well, true, nobody's perfect but it was something she really put effort to. She made sure.
That was why she was so confident about it…
And so, the question now came to her, how would they convince their parents of their lineage and connection? It was important that they'd be able to get their parent's approval or else, God forbid; they'd be sleeping on the street!
No! She couldn't do it to her siblings. She won't allow it!
She also had a very bad feeling that her power was not just at the moment snuffed but would take a long time to recover. Based on the amount and her previous records, it would be even longer than usual.
Oh my, I take it back. Let me be scolded! Please forgive me, chichiue!
The young brunette could only repent internally. No, no, no. She must stay strong to protect her siblings! What's done is done and the only way was forward! Yes. She must steel herself, and so taking a deep breath, continued on to watch the exchanges.
But when the situation turned a bit dangerous and attacks were directed to their cherished otou-chan, they moved in without a second thought, and sprang from their hiding place.
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The first to give their disapproval were unsurprisingly the blond boy and toffee haired woman that were beside Kain Akatsuki. His electric blue orbs suspiciously shifted their gaze from the two children but hers was intently throwing daggers at the hunter.
"Is this a joke, Kiryū?" Angrily spat out one Aido Hanabusa.
"How dare you make a fool out of Kaname-sama?" Hissed Souen Ruka venomously.
Before Zero could even retaliate and deny the accusations, the two, having already lost their composure in the belief that the hunter was no doubt trying to make a fool out of their beloved pureblood, moved in to attack the prefect. Though the actions of the two vampires were not unexpected, none of them were really able to react on time, not even Kaname or Akatsuki. They were trapped in their own musings as the strange happening took out all composure and rationality.
And what happened next threw them all in more confusion, if that was possible.
Before Kaname could order the two to stop, Hanabusa already made a sword out of his ice. Both he and Ruka closed in on to the hunter who was in the act of drawing out his replaced gun, a wave of brown locks as dark as his own obscured his view of the hunter.
And three older children appeared.
Even before Hanabusa or Ruka could get close to the hunter, the presence that Kaname didn't realize had vanished all of a sudden, instantly sprang up out of nowhere. Like a door suddenly being opened, it revealed the strange auras he had never felt before in his life coupled with power he never imagined existed. Their air was so great that more than the surprise attack; the auras alone stopped everyone from moving, including him.
A young girl, much older than the two silver heads, stepped out of nowhere, almost stayed midair when she balanced herself on one foot at the edge of the blonde's sword. Her eyes were shielded by her bangs but a smile could be clearly seen playing on her lips.
Hindering Ruka was two boys, who look exactly like each other, twins also older than the silver heads but younger than the little girl. While there was politeness in their countenance as they stepped in between the male vampire hunter and the female vampire, there was warning in their deep burgundy eyes.
"Ah, ah, you are indeed impulsive as Takuji said. You must have earned lots of reprimand but if you touch this person, you'll find your head separated from your body instead, Hana-jiji." Teased the female child in an amused tone. She bent down to face the wide-eyed blonde who stood frozen, in fear. For even though this was said in a light tone, her aura conveyed otherwise. It crashed upon them in a violent wave but not in rage, Kaname noted (if he was not wrong), rather, in anxiousness. This child was extremely agitated. Though the aura didn't hurt, not him at least and when he observed further neither was Zero, he could see that the rest of the Night Class felt the pressure greatly. Evident by their troubled faces, even Ichiru and Yuki though both were humans.
"Nee-chan…" Quietly hinted one of the younger, dark-haired children. When Kaname had finally gotten a good look at one of the twin boys, he was once again stunned. He knew that face. He watched it in the mirror everyday as he grew up.
It was his face. The exact copy of his visage.
"Hmmm?" The eldest child asked in a confused tone after she did a back-flip and left her place on Aido's sword to land soundlessly on the ground. When she looked around, she finally understood what Kohaku was trying to say. "Dear me! I didn't mean to! Please pardon this unsightly lapse of control, chichiue, otou-chan!" She agitatedly apologized while quickly retracting her monstrous aura. No sooner than she did, Ruka and Hanabusa collapsed on the ground, sweat running down their faces. "Are you quite alright Hana-jiji?" She asked before turning to Ruka who was clearly very pale by then, "Ruka-bachan?"
Kaname's bafflement had gone up a completely different level. The children's aura, class, power, familiarity greatly astonished him. Countless questions kept coming up, one after the other even before the first ones were answered. Slightly perturbed russet orbs stared at the now visible lilac eyes of the girl, who he assumed was the oldest of the five. When he had finally seen the little girl's face, he was once again amazed. The little girl looked a lot like his mother, Juri Kuran, but with eyes that had constantly been in his mind for the last months, the hunter's lilac eyes.
The Vampire King was about to begin questioning the little girl now leaning towards the still shell-shock blond when the little silver-haired child he had unconsciously embraced to support the small dangling body suddenly spoke. "Nee-chan!" He jumped down and ran past the blond to the little girl.
"Oh, yes, yes, Nao. Please behave now and stay still." She said while patting, obviously, her little brother's head. Then finally, she politely faced and addressed him after a small curtsey. "Greetings, chichiue. We apologize for the suddenness. I believe you want an explanation?"
"Yes please, if you could." The brunette quietly answered, internally fighting for calm. His heart beat even faster in anticipation for answers to his long list of questions.
"Then should we move in to a much more comfortable place? It is now deep into the night and I would rather do this in comfort."
"By all means." He gestured to the Moon Dorm. "Seiren, get the chairman and guide him to the Moon Dorm, in the lounge." He instructed his guard who appeared out of nowhere as usual.
Before they left though, Kain gathered his cousins who were still flopped on the ground. The rest of the Night Class shuddered and tried to gain their footing at the fast-paced situation while the little girl turned to the hunter for the first time.
She walked slowly to the silent and obviously confused hunter. His initial irritation now replaced with confusion. "Good evening, otou-chan." She greeted with a smile once in front of the hunter. The older twins followed behind her while one held the hand of the younger silver haired child. One of the boys, the one who spoke earlier, held the other back with his other hand since he looked very close to tackling the hunter. "Akira, restrain yourself. We don't need to cause any more confusion. Wait till we have explained." She mildly warned as if sensing her little brother's excitement.
"Eh? No fair, Suiren and Naoto got to do it!" The boy named Akira started whining only to be silenced by his twin's look and resorted to merely pouting.
The hunter blankly stared, not having the bandwidth to tell his siblings to close their mouths which were left agape in shock. Silver-lavender orbs were wild with disorientation at beholding the same eyes he had inherited from his parents on the face of the girl who called him otou-chan.
The very same child who called Kaname 'father'.
"Please come with us, otou-chan. I believe you would want to hear this after all. Ichiji and Yuki-bachan, too." She extended the invitation to the two speechless prefects behind the hunter. The small body then moved in to gather the now sleeping silver-haired girl whose arms were still tightly wrapped around their beloved otou-chan's leg. "Mou~, Sui-chan! Let go of otou-chan." After a quiet one-sided battle, she finally managed to untangle the vice grip. Before she could move to carry her baby sister, however, lean arms wrapped around the little silverette.
"I'll carry her." Zero offered before he was fully conscious of what he said.
Knowing how suspicious they look, the little brunette didn't think their otou-chan would be willing to get close to them. Soft lips smiled in elation. "Thank you very much, otou-chan!"
When everyone had found strength to move their feet, they started to move to the comfort of the Moon Dormitory. It was led by Kaname then followed by the mysterious children and the prefects then the rest of the Night Class.
They were met by the chairman who had long been waiting in his office with Seiren also sprinting behind him, anxiousness on his ageless face. After determining the overwhelming power of their uninvited guests, he had been preparing hunter talismans while observing if auras would turn hostile. While he was very relieved that no violent confrontation happened, he couldn't help but be puzzled. Had he known who their cute little interlopers were, he would have run to his kitchen to prepare red bean rice!
"Kaname-kun! What's happening? I felt the intruders. Who-?" Cross Kaien stopped when hazel orbs spotted the children.
"Ah, grandpa!" Beamed the excited hyperactive dark-haired boy. This time, Kohaku was unable to prevent his twin from tackling down the surprised ex-hunter who was also caught off guard by the intimate title.
"Eh? Eh? Eh?!"
"Akira!" Scolded the eldest in exasperation. "I said to wait. Mou!" She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry grandpa. Can you carry that little rascal so we can enter the dorm?" She implored with a smile, trying valiantly to lighten the mood. "I promise to give you a good explanation and answers to all your questions."
The chairman then turned to Kaname. Amber orbs quietly asking burgundy ones as his face also became overcome with confusion. Kaname only nodded so the hunter picked up the dark-haired child who smiled brightly at him. He almost stopped at the familiar face of the child.
Only the promise of answers enabled him to continue on to the dorm.
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"So…" The sweet, childish voice spoke again after clearing her throat. "Where do I begin?" She initiated the serious discussion after their sleeping sister was deposited on one of the couches in the lounge of the Moon Dorm. The little silver angel was shortly joined by Naoto who began to yawn and laid down beside his twin.
The little brunette was seated on a large bean bag cushion that they dragged in front of the couch. Kohaku and Akira, who she demanded to go to their side, were seated beside her. The Night Class stood behind the arm chair, besides the couch the children chose, where Kaname seated himself and Kaien chose to sit on the couch opposite the mysterious children together with Ichiru and Yuki, Zero stood leaning against the wall besides the window.
"Ah, perhaps, of course, an introduction." She continued. "Forgive my rudeness. I have completely forgotten it in the swirl of events. Oh my, how my etiquette teacher shall scold me…" She still opted in using a light and easy tone though she felt it lost to most of the people who were still tense and anxious to know about the situation. "Ehem, my name," she paused for but a moment before continuing. "My name is Anne Kuran, future daughter and first born of Zero and Kaname Kuran."
At the violent reaction of everyone inside the room, they didn't notice the frown that the dark-haired twin male gave their older sister. "What?!" was the general exclamation.
"Maa, maa, please do calm down. These two are my younger brothers, Kohaku and Akira Kuran. As for these two sleeping angels, the girl is Suiren and the boy is Naoto. It's a pleasure to meet you!" She finished, beaming.
"Wait, please! Alright, so… so you're Kaname-kun and Zero-kun's children… from the future?" Kaien asked trying to understand and calmly review what he believes he heard which by now he was starting to doubt. He must be turning deaf but when the little girl nodded, he immediately asked the most obvious question. "But little miss, hmmm Anne, right? Okay, Anne-chan, you must know that Zero-kun and Kaname-kun are both male. Conceiving is impossible between them."
"Oh yes! That is of course true for normal vampires and mortals but otou-chan is different of course." Then she paused. "Oh, dear me… I take it you do not know otou-chan's family history… Goodness… It will take a lot more explaining than just saying we came from the future… Oh my…" She sighed before continuing and looking up to the astonished crowd. This will be a very long night for all of them. "Of course, it is known that men can't conceive with another man but otou-chan is different, or rather, the Kiryūs are. Have you heard of the legend of the Suzaku family?"
"Suzaku family? Did you mean the mortal family with the unique blood?" Kaname asked.
"That legend?" Aido chimed in.
"Yes! Oh good! As expected of chichiue and uncle!" Now it's going to be a lot easier.
"What was that, Hana?" The blonde's cousin, Akatsuki Kain, asked him.
"You know that legend that said that once upon a time there was a human family that had very delicious blood that vampires will even hunt. According to the book I once read, their blood is so sought after that vampires from all over the world hunted every last family member for their blood as it was not only delectable but also gave vampires unimaginable power. Because of this, the family was annihilated by power hungry or gluttonous vampires. However, there was no record of it being true so I never believed it."
"Oh, but it's true!" Anne now continued and the attention was back to her. "But of course, they were smart enough to change their family name and there was also the matter of marriage. Through the years, they have lost their name and came by many other names but their blood is special because of many things, you know. One is that no matter how much foreign blood is mixed, a Suzaku will not lose their blood's power or characteristic. It refuses to be affected by any other blood; rather, it normally consumes it so as to remain pure but if the foreign blood is the stronger one, it will be consumed instead. In such cases, it will transform and enhance the foreign blood's characteristic but will still retain their own. Secondly, it is the only mortal blood that holds power. It's for this reason that despite their strong scent, they were able to hide their presence and mask the smell of their blood which is distinguishable only once shed. The Suzakus were known to hold power in their own right. Some people labeled them as witches during the olden times which sadly got them into trouble even with humans. And thirdly, because of the dwindling family members carrying this blood, the survival instincts of the members or the blood itself that wants to survive, I'm also not sure which, surfaced thus giving fort to another trait which is the ability to conceive despite the gender. Their blood's power was so great that this was not impossible for them. However, because of both vampires who hunted them and humans who persecuted them for witchcraft, their numbers continued to diminish as this trait continued to get stronger. That's why there's a higher chance of conceiving especially now that there are only two members left." She then turned to Zero. "The last of the Suzaku's descendant were otou-chan and Ichiji." She finished and when no one spoke, she added to supply to the deafening silence, "And we're the product! How wonderful was that?" while clapping her hands together.
"So, you're saying that it was nii-san that carried you to full terms?" Ichiru recovered first.
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?"
Zero grimaced at this. One hand covered half of his face. Though it was not stated, there was the indirect hint of him 'taking it'. Great. Now everyone knows. God, this evening couldn't get any worse.
"Where will you even pop up from?" The younger Kiryū asked, seriously curious, disregarding the fact that he was just indirectly told that his brother will be the bottom in the relationship. "Don't tell me you'll come from his ass?"
Zero glared at Ichiru at this while Anne, Akira and Kohaku burst out laughing. "Of course not, there will be a cut that will appear below otou-chan's navel, like caesarian. It will appear naturally once the time of birth has come so it's impossible to miss." She explained while giggling from time to time.
"Ugh, that must hurt; it might take a while to heal." Yuki was momentarily shaken from her own musings only to grimace at the thought.
"Yuki-chan, you forget that Kiryū is a vampire. It might heal within the day itself." Aido reminded, stopping too late.
There were numerous gasps that came from the Night Class. Aido paled when Kaname and Zero glared at the blond. Shoot, he forgot!
"You're a vampire, Kiryū-kun? Who bit you?" Ichijou asked but then paused. "Ah of course…" He knew something was weird about the hunter. He instantly remembered the tragedy of the Kiryū hunters and came to a heady conclusion that it was Shizuka Hio who bit him.
"An ex-human? For Kaname-sama?" Ruka was incredulous. Disbelief colored her voice.
"Eh, was that a secret, otou-chan? Why?" Before Zero could even say anything, Kaname had already changed the subject.
"Enough. Leave Kiryū's business alone. Anne, answer this, what are you exactly? I can feel strong pureblood aura from those two young ones but you three exclude a different aura." Kaname started, successfully diverting everyone's attention. He would deal with Aido's loose tongue later on.
"Oh, we're called hybrids for obvious reasons; we are a mix of vampire, human and hunter. It's still being studied though as we are a special case. They said that our blood is still as pure. That's because chichiue's pure blood is stronger than otou-chan's. It transformed the blood into vampire pureblood but still enhanced and strengthened it like it always does. We can still be considered purebloods but not quite, as we were granted powers and abilities that other vampires do not have; hunter's abilities strong enough that we're also mistaken as hunters. The mix gave us very distinct auras and smell though Suiren and Naoto only exude pureblood aura as a defense mechanism. It's by instinct as to intimidate possible attackers but as they grew up, they'll be able to hide their pureblood aura. We're the strongest creatures in existence, according to chichiue anyway." She shrugged.
"Oh? How so? Enlighten me."
"Let me show you." She then scrambled to her feet and stretched out her right hand in front of her with her palm facing the floor. A small circular light appeared on the carpeted floor; from there a white hilt of a sword appeared followed by the long line of white scabbard. Slowly, a pure white katana still inside the scabbard appeared. When the tip of the hilt hit her palm, she wound her fingers around the hilt and drew the sword revealing also a crystal white blade. "This is my anti-vampire weapon, my white night, Byakuya."
There was another wave of gasps before silence permeated in the room. It was becoming normal to her ears by now. She then returned Byakuya in its scabbard.
"How? Where-?" Kaien stammered.
"Ah, it's one of my abilities. I can control, open or create dimensions. I sometimes create one where I can put my stuff in so I don't need to carry them! It's very convenient!" She explained proudly. "Do you want one, grandpa?"
"Eh?"
"Here." She held out her palm again. On its surface appeared the same white light where a ring adorned by a single small ruby came out. "It's a ring that has a blood stone that I created."
"A blood stone? You can create blood stones?" Kaname asked in quiet amazement.
"What's a blood stone?" Yuki asked eyeing the ring that was presented to her adopted father.
"Blood stones are like crystallized blood that contains the maker's power. It has strong properties as it can only be made by purebloods." Kaien explained, bewildered.
"That right! This one contains a small space where one can store things… hmmm… Like a locker you can carry with you!" The little girl perked up by the wonderful example.
"Wow, that is so cool. Can I have one?" Ichiru asked. It would be great if he could also store his katana. This way, he wouldn't be detained every single time by teachers and other bothersome authority. He would also be ready for emergencies. He didn't notice the incredulous stares of the Night Class and a certain teen's worried gaze. Asking for a blood stone was the same as asking for pure blood which was an unforgivable crime in the vampire society but they were more surprised at the powerful child's ready compliance.
"Of course! Perhaps uncle would like a necklace or a bracelet…how about an earring?" She offered, happy that her uncle was being so friendly. Then again, her uncle Ichiru had always been easy to get along with. She really loves her uncle for always making her feel at ease.
"An earring then please." Ichiru answered, smiling. How very amiable this child was. He would love it if she was really his niece. Anne immediately conjured a stud earring with a small circular red stone and gave it to Ichiru.
"What are your other abilities?" Kaname inquired further after the exchange. He has grown extremely curious of these children. They were giving out evidences of them being purebloods and he was starting to believe that there was truth in their claims. There was also something in them that he could not resist and there was an unacknowledged part of him that greatly wished that what they were saying was the truth. That they were his….
"We'll there are a lot… hmmm… like elemental?" She said as she holds out her palm creating a mini tornado on its surface before closing it. "Of course, the ability to kill purebloods and have incredibly long life." She added a bit sadly.
"Nee-chan has the unique ability of controlling or rather manipulating time and space." Kohaku helpfully supplied so as to ward off any awkward tension that would have sprung from her last statement.
"Time? Not one has that ability; even the notion of controlling time is ridiculous. It's impossible."
"The very fact that we stand before father is the evidence that it had become possible. It was hard of course. I lost most of my stamina and power after that spell. It will take a while before I can transport us back…" She admitted while bowing her head, eyeing the floor. "I hope that you'll be kind to us and let us stay…"
Kaname paused only for a second before saying, "But of course. I will not let my children wander in the streets. Feel free to stay for as long as you like. Ah, will it be alright with you, chairman?" This made Anne perk up, almost sighing in relief; she didn't know what she will do if they were refused shelter because it was obvious how suspicious they looked right then.
"But Kaname-sama! How can you even be sure that they're saying the truth? They could be spies for all we know!" Ruka hastily disagreed, still not believing it.
"Ruka-chan, look carefully. I think that even without any evidence, it is quite clear that they're indeed Kaname's children. Look at them." Ichijou need not add the especially the older ones part as it was quite clear already. Even the silver-haired children, though did not have their king's eyes or hair color, still had something in them that screamed Kuran!
"This might help." Kohaku stood and made his way in front of Kaname while pulling out the necklace he was wearing that was hidden under his clothes. He took it off and gave it to Kaname.
"Ah." Kaname whispered after staring at the necklace with a small, elongated hexagonal ruby red crystal for a pendant.
"What is it, Kaname?" Ichijou asked, eyeing the necklace.
"A blood stone." He smiled ever so slightly. "My blood stone, with the Kuran insignia inside it. Of course. It's an old custom within pureblood families though only a few practices it nowadays." He gave it back to the boy. He stared first before touching his son's cheek, allowing himself to feel the child's face. His initial confusion started to ebb away completely and now replaced by a light feeling. He couldn't help but feel happy; he was looking at his son, his heir, and his progeny. How he dreamt of this.
Anne was floored at this. Goodness! How stupid! Of course, their father gave each of them a necklace with his blood stone as proof of their bloodline, of their lineage! How could she be so stupid as to forget!? She was ashamed of how slow her mind worked this time.
Kohaku spotted this so he bent down to pat his sister's head and comforted her as best as he could. "Maa, maa, nee-chan. You were flustered. Far more than you allowed yourself to believe so you just didn't remember fast enough. I know given time, you would have remembered so it's alright."
The painfully charitable consideration only succeeded in embarrassing her even more. Anne blushed at her own stupidity and glared when she heard Akira snicker.
Kaname uncharacteristically chuckled at the display. Everyone in the room stared and marvel at this. The pureblood rarely smiled genuinely, let alone display his emotions. To witness this unrestrained and honest expression of amusement was a sight to behold indeed. He then bent down and offered his hand to his daughter who was bowing her head in shame. "It's quite alright, Anne. Your explanation was very illuminating and this only strengthened your point. Though I do wonder what made you travel back in time."
They then explained how they were followed by some nobles while having fun and to escape their would-be captors, she opted to use her abilities and thought that she'd be able to do it again to travel back to their own time after only a while. Kaname listened to it in silence and felt fury at the thought of the dangers his children were forced to face. His protective instincts surfaced.
"But that was very thoughtless of you, Anne. What if we didn't believe you even after all the explanation? You will find yourselves out in the street or worse, killed." By me, he was too horrified to add. Considering the outrageous facts, it would have been likely had he been with a more impulsive nature. He forcibly tampered his growing rage when he saw the guilt and regret on his daughter's face. A gentle hand brushed her bangs and cupped her small face. "Don't look like that; I am merely worried about you."
"I know, chichiue." Small hands pressed on the hand that was currently holding her cheek. "I don't know why as well, but I did consider it…I made sure I'm already alive at this time to save myself a world of explanation…" A frown decorated her lovely face.
Kaname blinked at this then his eyes immediately shot to the hunter who blanched upon hearing this. Zero's heartbeat became so erratic as panic and fear settled. Suddenly, memories of that night and his condition weeks after that came back to him. His nausea, lethargy and morning spells he assumed were only due to flu now became signs of a condition that was supposed to be completely beyond him. One of his hands shot up to cover his mouth while the other was drawn on his stomach, reminded of the odd sensation he felt earlier that night. Oh shit. The night could still get worse.
"Kiryū?"
Zero's eyes were immediately met with questioning burgundy ones.
When Kaname saw the panic swimming in his darkened purple eyes, it was like being given confirmation. "Are you pregnant?" He asked, slightly coloring.
"Eh?!/ What?!" The incredulous exclamations were so violent that Anne, Akira and Kohaku jumped in surprise.
"But-but, for him to be pregnant, you first have to have se-," The chairman wonderfully supplied that made the hunter's blood, which just rushed out, came rushing back at an unbelievable speed with a vengeance. When he spotted his son's furious blush which was like a blaring affirmative answer, he, unknowingly the rest as well, also blushed... "Ah, ha, ha, ha. I- I see, so- so that's how it is…" Then he cleared his throat and let out another awkward laugh.
The children looked at the comically blushing faces of everyone in the room and found it quite amusing. They rarely see their adults flustered like this.
Zero, more than once that day, contemplated his death and perhaps the slow murder of his guardian before that. He wanted, more than ever, to bolt from that very room or jump into a hole to never be seen again. Damn it! How would he live from this day on? He regretted not saying anything in response to the pureblood's question and cursed his own reflexive blush; it was too late. Now, not even his most venomous voice or any form of retaliation would save him from eminent shame that coupled with having sex with a vampire and a male at that. His blush was a dead giveaway; he might as well have confirmed it using words. Fuck, kill me now.
His eyes stayed trained on the floor, wished more than ever that the world would just implode at that very moment. Shaking purple orbs did not dare meet anyone's regard which he could feel were currently drilling holes on his head. The silence was so unbearable; it felt like centuries before the pureblood spoke again.
"Zero, I'm asking you. Did you know?" Kaname repeated and opted to use the hunter's name due to his lack of response. He saw the panic in the hunter's eyes but he still wanted to make sure. What if the hunter knew and he just didn't want to tell him? Anger suddenly bubbled up inside him at the thought though he immediately put a stop to it. It was clear the silverette was also confused and it was confirmed by Zero's next words.
The hunter glared at the pureblood. He didn't know what to feel after hearing his name spoken so familiarly by Kaname. "Fuck if I know. It's normal to think of flu if you're suddenly nauseous or dizzy because it's common sense that men don't get pregnant, Kuran."
"Oh right! That. That illness that Toga-chan explained over the phone! The one that's been going on for weeks! Of course! Now, it makes sense!" The ex-hunter exclaimed, finally making sense of things as he looked at his still-flushed adopted son. Toga phoned him shortly after Zero's return to inform him of his son's present condition, right at not trusting his pupil to actually volunteer the information.
"But when? Nii-san?" Zero glared at his brother this time. He scowled, though he really wanted to cry, when his brother now asked the question. He felt like the world stood still for a moment. That's it; he'd pack his clothes and go on a very, very long journey.
"None of your business, Ichiru." He spat. The cat was out of the bag so there was no use denying it anymore. Whatever. He'd sleep today and hope he'd never wake up.
"So, is it true then?" Kaname asked again. Russet orbs looked searchingly at the Chairman and then back to the silverette.
"Shit Kuran! I said I don't know!" Zero almost screamed at the vampire who was continuously pushing him. He was feeling extremely dizzy and the stress of the conversation just added to his growing nausea.
"Well, Kaname-kun, Zero-kun was having morning spells where he kept on vomiting, getting dizzy and drowsy since a couple of few weeks ago." It was Kaien who gave the information. "But I believe, to make sure, we'll need a specialist to check him."
"I can arrange that." The vampire generously offered. If Zero was pregnant with his child, he needed to know so new arrangements could be made.
"Thank you, Kaname-kun."
There was silence once again.
"So… Are you going to marry my brother?"
Die. Die Ichiru. Die. Zero mentally cursed before he, luckily, tumbled into the darkness and escaped further embarrassment by slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing that registered to him was the warm arms that caught him just in time before he kissed the floor and the wonderful smell of roses that enveloped him.
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After fussing a good deal around the unconscious prefect wherein Kaname's offer of using his room to house him for a while was politely declined by the chairman and seconded by Ichiru. Knowing the hunter's undoubtedly violent reaction to waking up on the pureblood's bed, the chairman decided to carry his son back after a brief goodbye with his future grandchildren whom he doted upon almost instantly. The Vampire King contented himself to walking the chairman and the prefects back but before doing so, instructed Takuma to escort and deposit the children in the room facing his which the vice-president gladly accepted.
The cheerful blonde carried Naoto in his arms and instructed Akatsuki to carry Suiren before proceeding up the stairs. They gently laid the sleeping children on one of the two beds inside the room, careful not to wake them then turned to the others who followed them.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask anyone in this dorm, okay? Oh, by the way, are you hungry? Will you be sleeping already? It's still quite early…" Ichijou kindly asked after checking his clock to see that it was only 1 am in the morning. It felt like many things happened to them in those short hours.
"Um! I'm hungry!" Gladly accepted the overzealous Akira. He even raised his hand while volunteering the information.
"May we please have something to eat, uncle?" Gently asked the more reserve Kohaku.
Takuma smiled at the twins, marveling at how much they looked like the Moon Dorm president.
"Of course. How about you, Anne-chan?"
"Yes, me too please. But may I also take a bath first? I rolled on the dirt before this." She shyly admitted before giving him quite an embarrassed smile.
"Sure. You can use the bath. There should be towels in there already and bath essentials though I must ask someone to buy your personal things first. Oh, and clothes too, of course."
"It's okay, uncle. We have this." Akira pointed to his ears that were adorned with four, two on each ear, red stud earrings. "Nee-chan was quite the grandma type; we have one blood stone each only containing clothes for all season. One contained preserve food and blood tablets. The others have emergency supplies, weapons and some miscellaneous stuff."
"Which will now serve you well," Anne glared at Akira. "and don't call me a grandma. I don't remember raising you to be rude to ladies." She barely stopped herself from sticking out her tongue. No, that would be unsightly.
Takuma laughed at the exchange with a chuckling Kain behind him. "Wow, that's really convenient."
"Would you like one? I've made plenty for everyone!" Again, Anne offered.
"Oh no. I can't ask you that."
"It's quite alright since you'll be our uncle! We'll be family." She smiled at him.
"Eh?" Green eyes widened slightly in confusion. He would have asked more if only Kaname didn't at that moment arrive to check on his children.
"Father!" Greeted the children at the pureblood. Akira freely tackled his parent joyously.
"How is otou-chan? Is he alright?" Worriedly asked the eldest.
"He'll be fine, I assure you. The chairman gave his permission to let you visit him tomorrow." The pureblood convinced them while his arms wrapped around Akira. "You should eat before retiring. I have already asked the cook for supper."
"Yes, chichiue. We'll go down as soon as I have washed myself and these two. Let go now, Akira. You must smell like dirt." The little princess scolded while yanking her dangling brother.
"Ah yes. I will send for clothes immediately."
"Oh, it's okay, chichiue." Short fingers pointed at their ears once again and the pureblood immediately understood.
"Very well. Go down as soon as you're ready." Kaname smiled before closing the door and taking the other two vampires out of the room.
As soon as they were gone, Akira turned and nonchalantly asked his sister. "So, nee-chan, who's Anne?" At this, his twin also turned to their older sister.
"Ah, that's right! Good! You two didn't slip. My name is Anne. Don't make any mistake of calling my name, is that clear?"
"Well, don't worry about that since we do call you nee-chan, right?" Akira assured as he put his hands together behind his head. "But are you sure you want to do this? You have a very beautiful and meaningful name…"
"I don't think it will change anything, nee-chan. You should know more than anyone that the future cannot be changed. You cannot cheat fate." Kohaku voiced in a worried tone. They knew the reason behind the name, what his sister was planning and that it would fail miserably resulting to his sister's pain, no doubt.
"But… but it's worth a try!" She tried to reason, looking down. She also didn't want to do it. Her name was a beautiful present from her parents and she wanted to keep it badly but, "You'll never know, it might be fate that's cheating me… I need to at least do something or I'll regret it for as long as I live… So just… just let me do it."
"Well, if you're sure nee-chan." Kohaku sighed in resignation, catching Akira's nod.
"Thanks." She smiled a bit sadly. "Let's take a bath now so we can go down. I'm starving."
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