Sorry this chapter is late. I only got back from vacation late on Sunday and have been writing like mad all week to catch up. Enjoy.
Yuuki curled into her brother's side, pressing her face into his shoulder. She was tired and hungry enough to drain several humans, not that she would ever do so. But the pain in her mouth was mounting, and she wanted nothing more than to sink her fangs into Kaname's neck and feast on his blood; fresh blood that she had been denied and craved for weeks.
She inhaled slowly, attempting to calm her urges. It was a mistake.
The scent of her brother's blood, spicy and tantalizing as the first time she had smelt it, filled her sense. She could hear it, pulsing through his veins to the steady beat of his heart; feel its heat beneath the satin cloth that separated her from his skin.
Her fangs extended, practically throbbing with need. Yuuki stopped breathing, hoping Kaname's scent would dissipate, or at least she would acclimate to it enough to retract her fangs. As much as she desired his blood, and Yuuki knew it must be the same for him, the backseat of the limo, with Aidou and Akatsuki present, was not the place for their reunion.
"Are you alright, Yuuki?"
With tremendous effort, she pulled herself away from Kaname. Sitting up, she saw that Akatsuki had taken the seat opposite her, leaving Aidou to be behind the wheel. It explained the speed. The blond Aristocrat was of the opinion that mundane things like speed limits and traffic lights were for the benefits of humans who did not possess his amazing reflexes.
"I'm fine, Kaname-nii-sama."
Kaname's large hand entwined with her smaller one, and he set their clasped hands on her knee. Up front, Aidou peered into the rearview mirror, the joy in his ice blue eyes matched by that in his smile.
"Good to have you back, Yuuki-sama," he said warmly.
It was too much for her. The safety, familiarity and comfort of her brother's arms. Aidous sincere kindness and overwhelming joy. Akatsuki's steady and silent support. After all the stress of the last couple of weeks, it was too much.
Yuuki promptly burst into noisy tears, to which the ice-wielding vampire jerked the steering wheel. The right tire jumped up on the curb, jostling the vehicle's occupants and bowling over a mailbox, and Aidou hastily righted the limo.
"Don't cry, Yuuki-sama! Please don't cry!" he pleaded. "My lord will murder me!" He was truly panicking, knowing how protective the Kuran lord was of his little sister.
She peered up at her brother, whose lips were quirked in mild amusement. Aidou, still babbling apologies and entreaties, seemed to have completely forgotten that said lord was in the car with him, reverting back to his natural panic whenever Yuuki's hormones got the better of her. Yuuki thought he should have been a pro at handling a crying female at this point, but it appeared the Aidou would forever be a hopeless case.
The brunette released a high pitched giggle. All three men visibly relaxed at the sound. "I'm fine. I promise. Hormones," she offered, knowing they would accept it. It was the excuse for all of her out of character behavior and sudden changes in mood.
She scrubbed at her eyes, removing the tears that still clung to her eyelashes. "It's just . . . I know I already said this," Yuuki glanced at her orange haired bodyguard as she spoke, "but thank you. All of you."
And then the dam broke. What words of appreciation she had were lost as her tears fell anew and she cried and blubbered. She said something about how happy she was, repeatedly thanked them, and continually asserted that she had known her nii-sama would come for her.
Kaname's heart constricted painfully as he wrapped his still sobbing sister in a rib-breaking worthy embrace while she tearfully thanked them for coming to her rescue.
It wasn't caused by her tears, though he hated it when Yuuki cried. It was guilt.
Even though he had discarded the idea almost as soon as he had thought of it, Kaname had briefly considered that the best path forward would be to leave his beloved in Sara's prison so that the other Pureblood would think she had won and become complacent in turn.
"Of course we came to rescue you!" Hanabusa exclaimed, aghast at the very notion of not doing so.
It endeared the overly cheerful vampire to him further. He had never considered not going after Yuuki as an option. Hanabusa's idolization of himself would dim if he knew the truth. It pleased Kaname to know, because it meant that Hanabusa truly cared for Yuuki's well-being and was not watching over her simply because he had ordered it, and that he could continue to trust him to look after her and stand by her side.
"I have already told you that your gratitude is not required."
The male Pureblood did not miss the hooded glance Akatsuki gave his love, nor how she responded, with a softening of her features that conveyed that she understood his message and was going to feel her way regardless and he would damn well accept her feelings on the matter. Yuuki had shown Kaname that look several times as he revealed his plans and goals piece by piece, displaying her unconditional love and support. In Akatsuki's case, her only emotions were gratitude and appreciation.
Kaname carded a hand through her brown locks, uncaring that they were oily because Shirabuki had little regard for her prisoner's personal hygiene. Being able to hold her after three weeks of separation was a dream, and he revealed that he could feel the softness of her skin again. Yuuki drew comfort from his touch, all but sagging against him.
Unbidden, Yuuki yawned. Eyes fluttering, she leaned her head back against his shoulder, allowing his actions to quickly lull her to sleep.
"Will she be alright?" Hanabusa asked softly, concerned eyes locked on the figure of the sleeping girl who he had bonded so closely with.
"She will recover with time. Yuuki is strong," was Kaname's answer. Hanabusa nodded, never having doubted that.
No more words were spoken as the blond Aristocrat continued toward the Kuran Mansion. The three males were content to see Yuuki unharmed in the arms of her other half.
Hanabusa smoothly stopped the limo at the base of the impressive entrance to the mansion, and Akatsuki held open the door, allowing for Kaname to exit with ease, Yuuki cradled in his arms like she was made of glass. By an unspoken agreement, both Aristocrats vanished into the depths of the first floor, allowing their lord the privacy he craved as he quietly ascended to the second floor and down the hall to the room he shared with Yuuki.
With exaggerated gentleness, Kaname laid his love down on their bed and tucked her in. His fingers ghosted over the contours of her face, slightly more pronounced after three weeks in Sara's company, being feed just enough to not starve. The purpling bruises under her eyes showed her stress and exhaustion, and the corners of her eyes were pinched tight.
Kaname retreated to stand beside the window, where he would stand vigil the rest of the night. The soft white light of the moon made Yuuki look even frailer.
How he wanted to crawl in behind her. To hold her close and never let go. But he didn't deserve the loving smiles she gave him, never mind her touch. How could he even think to want her affections when he had arranged for this very outcome?
She would not forgive him this time, he knew. His Yuuki possessed boundless compassion, evidenced by her friendship with the Kiryu boy, but even she had her limits.
His sigh was inaudible, but his fiancée rolled over at the same moment, whispering his name. "Kaname."
The ancient Pureblood did not fear much. Kaname knew his powers were unmatched, being the very first of his kind. Sara's attempted coup d'état was more amusing than anything. She was foolish to think she could outwit him in the game they played.
But he feared losing Yuuki. Despite her love for him, there was a high chance she would leave him, and Kaname wouldn't begrudge her the choice, heavy were his transgressions. His love's trust in him would shatter when she learned the lengths he was willing to go, the risks he wanted to take and the sacrifices he planned to make.
No, it was deeper than fear. Yuuki was the sole bright point in his existence. Everything he had done was for her sake, so that she might live in a world without hate or violence.
Kaname had despaired when Rido Kuran had reawakened him. Had he not suffered enough? The heartbreak he had felt when she sacrificed herself was more than enough for his ten thousand years. The idea of living again, in a world crueler than the one he had known, had been daunting.
That was when Yuuki had arrived.
Small and pink and wailing, Kaname had thought nothing of his new 'sibling.' Then she opened her eyes, already the warm chocolate brown he loved, and smiled a toothless smile at him, and the several millennia old vampire remembered thinking that he had never seen anything more beautiful.
The ten years in which his beloved had been human, without any memory of who he was or what she meant to him, had been the longest years of his life. Kaname constantly feared that Yuuki would be taken from him during that time, the most likely culprit being Zero Kiryu whom she had hovered over like a mother hen.
He would not survive if Yuuki left him. The crushing pain of being alone again after opening his heart a second time would destroy him.
The moon arced across the night sky, shining brightly on the stillness of the mansion, for not a soul within moved until dawn broke.
Sara waited, perfectly still. A pleasant smile graced her face, though the emotions in her eyes were anything but. They promised retribution.
The Pureblood prided herself on her control, both of herself and her emotions and her ability to manipulate those she surrounded herself with like a master puppeteer.
She had expected Yori's deception. Her timing was too convenient and the girl was too subservient, never fighting for Sara's attention like the rest of her girls. But she welcomed the foolish girl into the fold, allowed her to believe she was secretly providing Kaname with the information he needed to triumph over her.
It mattered not how much Kaname knew, because she had the upper hand. Sara was superior to the human trash in every way, and when it came time to fulfill the challenge she had set, she would prove so, utterly dominating and annihilating the youngest Kuran.
Knowing that Kaname depended on her for intelligence and her position as one of the vampire's favorite handmaidens, Yori's overt betrayal had come as a surprise. Even more so when the girl had not fled with the rest of her cohorts.
"You summoned me, my lady?" came the human's soft tone from the doorway.
"Come in, darling Yori. I have an important matter I need to discuss with you." Sara smiled invitingly, sweeping an arm to gesture the girl forward.
Permission given, the brunette confidently approached the Pureblood, kneeling on bended knee dutifully. "How may I serve you, my lady?"
Sara reached out, long, slender fingers grasping the other female's chin, musing how easy it would be to squeeze and crush it. She felt an honest bit of regret, because Yori was precisely the type of girl she might have granted long life to. But it was fleeting, acknowledged and tucked away as she pressed hard enough to have bruises blossom beneath her fingers.
The human gasped, a sound which pleased Sara greatly.
"You helped that pitiful excuse for a human to escape." Yori's eyes glittered with defiance. Her lips tightened into a thin line, which curved slightly at the ends, refusing to comment.
Sara tsk'ed, as if she was scolding a young child for sneaking a cookie before dinner. "You should have let that corrupted filth be. Look closely at where it has gotten you. Abandoned by those you served so loyally."
The blonde then smiled delightedly. "Your darling Yuuki left you behind. Chose her freedom over your friendship." She stroked Yori's cheek with the tip of her forefinger. The girl shuddered at the touch.
"But perhaps it was for the best. She would have left you behind anyway, when you die sometime this century. Perhaps Yuuki saw your true worth and cut her ties accordingly."
Sara jerked the girl forward, never relinquishing her hold on Yori's jaw, forcing her to stumble and land on both knees. Then, before she had a chance to recover, Sara sank her fangs into the soft flesh of her neck, deep enough that they pierced the girl's clavicle.
Yori screamed and writhed beneath her, an action the Pureblood relished. This bite was not as gentle as her typical interactions with her handmaidens. It would do her no good to mar their necks with scars or render them unable to feed her because she was too forceful. But that was not her intention with Yori. A painful bite would be forgotten, the pain would become a dim memory and the human would continue to defy her.
No, it was much more satisfying to turn her into a vampire. Better in terms of her plans, too. If she survived, the girl would be dependent on Sara, for only by drinking the blood of her creator could she keep from descending into madness and losing her precious humanity.
It had the added bonus of destroying Yuuki, who would no doubt be guilt ridden upon learning that her friend had become one of the stereotypical monsters that haunted humans' dreams nowadays. She would be angry when she faced Sara, desiring revenge instead of the win, and her rage would make her sloppy.
Of course, the girl's death would work just as well. The outcome mattered not. She was killing two birds with one stone, as the humans like to say.
"I'll have one of my girls check on you in an hour."
With that parting comment, Sara swept out of the room, blonde locks flowing behind her in the picture of grace. On the ground, Yori continued to twitch and convulse, crying out loudly. The thick wooden doors closed behind the Pureblood with a resounding thud, muffling her shrieks of pain.