591vii.
chapter seven - fall of a thunderbolt
:-:-: theme; whispers in the dark by skillet :-:-:
Shiori's chest feels heavy as she stirs from her nap. Ever since that nightmare a few years ago, she's found it hard to sleep without a cold and eerie feeling coming over her. So, Shiori takes naps whenever she can get it, though her sleepy behavior isn't anything new to the people around her. She suspects that Kaname has noticed, however he has yet to say anything about it.
When she is finally able to open her eyes, the brunette isn't surprised to find a dozing Yuki on top of her. The young boy had grown quite a bit, and was now three years old. His messy brown hair had grown in quite thickly, and his reddish-brown eyes looked more doe-like than ever (and he was always prepared to use them against his big brother and sister).
Shiori could hear Kaname approaching Yuki's room and upon seeing them, he smiled in amusement. He had grown quite a bit as well, standing a few inches taller than Shiori herself. They were both ten years old now, and still growing, so Shiori wasn't too worried about the small height difference— she'd catch up to him eventually.
"Should I be jealous?" Kaname asks, coming to a stop beside them, looking down at the pair with a raised eyebrow.
Shiori merely rolls her eyes with a snort, "Why would you be jealous, Kana-chan?" She doesn't wait for his reply as she begins to sit up, gently waking Yuki in the process.
"Nee-sama…?" Yuki asks sleepily, rubbing at his eyes.
"What about me?" Kaname says teasingly, pinching Yuki's cheek.
The little boy squeals, instantly waking and swatting at Kaname's hand. "Nii-sama!" Yuki whines and squirms, making Kaname laugh. Shiori smiles, shaking her head at the two. They continue to tease and pester each other, and all the while Yuki is still in Shiori's lap.
Somehow, her humor at the situation begins to deplete… "I'm glad you're both having fun, but Yuki-chan— Your squirming is making my legs hurt."
Instantly, the two boys stop what they're doing. Yuki turns on Kaname with an accusing gaze, "You made me hurt nee-sama!"
"Me?" Kaname widens his eyes dramatically with a gasp, picking up Yuki and holding him. Shiori instantly sighs in relief, stretching out her legs and paying her brothers no mind. "You did that all on your own. In fact, you should apologize to Shi-chan."
Yuki looks conflicted, his eyes watering in distress and lips curling into a pout as he look from Kaname to Shiori repeatedly. "I-I… Do I…?"
Taking pity on her adorable little brother, Shiori snatches him back from Kaname and falls back onto the bed. With a grumble she says, "It's fine. Kana-chan is just teasing you— Let's just go back to sleep…"
"I love my nee-sama!" Yuki giggles as he cuddles up beside his sister.
Kaname grunts, and not one to be outdone, also lays down beside Shiori. "Well, I love her more."
"No you don't—"
Knowing exactly what would happen if she didn't intervene, Shiori reached up and covered Kaname and Yuki's mouths with her hands. "Hush— I love you both, too. Shut up and sleep."
"Yes, nee-sama…"
"Yes, Shi-chan…"
If asked, Shiori would say that Kaname and Yuki were close. As close as a pair of brothers could be, even. Though she noticed the worried glances Juri and Haruka would share sometimes, especially whenever they would witness Kaname and Yuki arguing and bickering over Shiori. Though the fights were lighthearted and not all that serious… Shiori could still see their intense fear of history repeating itself.
Which is why her parents decided it was time to escort her out of the house so that Kaname and Yuki would be able to spend time together without Shiori's presence. Not only that, but subtle changes had been made to the twin's lifestyles to further encourage them to become less dependent of each other— they now had their own rooms. Not that it stopped them from going to the other's room at night. Shiori was more inclined to leave her comfortable bed whenever she had a nightmare about the upcoming future.
Surprisingly, Shiori wasn't the only one plagued with the occasional night terror. Kaname never told her, but sometimes when he slipped into bed with her at night, his whole body would be shaking. She did her best to let him know that he wasn't alone.
Now, Shiori was still technically on house arrest, but so long as her parents or Kaien was with her whenever she left the mansion, everyone was at ease. Everyone except Kaname of course, who preferred to be with Shiori whenever she wanted to leave. A few years ago, that would have been fine, but as the years continued on—things between their family and the Vampire Council got more tense—Haruka and Juri preferred that someone with more combat experience be there to guard Shiori if anything were to happen.
Unsurprisingly, Kaname took that as both an insult and a challenge, and threw himself into his training. Despite any progress he's made, Haruka and Juri still preferred that Kaname and Shiori not leave the mansion alone together.
This visit in particular definitely required Haruka and Juri to be there. As the three of them were to visit a family that wasn't exactly trustworthy in these current times. Which was how Shiori ended up being sandwiched between her parents as they arrived at the Ichijō's residence.
Upon entering the large estate, Shiori was forced to stand between her parents and succumbed through boring political niceties that consisted of being greeted by the entire present household. When Asatō Ichijō's eyes met hers, she felt a shiver go down her spine and resisted the urge to gulp. Haruka and Juri stiffened, their fake smiles becoming even sweeter, before they directed the older man's attention back to themselves.
Eventually, the adults went their own way and Shiori was finally free to follow after Takuma as he marched up the many stairs towards his room.
"It's so good to see you again, Shiori-sama!" The blond boy smiles at her as he takes her hands firmly into his own. Shiori returns the smile softly, also happy to see her friend. Her smile falters immediately, however, when she takes in the bags under Takuma's eyes. "Writing letters just doesn't feel the same as talking in person."
Shiori tilts her head to the side in question, "Takuma, you—"
Before she can finish her sentence, Takuma quickly steps away and begins to walk around his room. Shiori watches as he grabs a few things and place them on the floor. "You've grown so much, Shiori-sama! You're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."
Taking the hint, Shiori decides not to press Takuma right now, and instead enjoys his company. She hasn't seen him in a few years, and doesn't want to spoil this visit— especially since she doesn't know when she'll get another chance. "You've grown a lot too, Takuma-kun. You're much taller than me now."
"Why am I not surprised that you'd mention that?" Takuma laughs, finally settling down in seiza position near the items he had arranged on his floor. Shiori thinks the scene looks vaguely familiar to something she'd seen in one of her classes. "Would you like me to teach you how to perform a tea ceremony?"
The first thing that comes to Shiori's mind is no. A ceremony for tea sounded extremely boring, but looking again at Takuma's tired demeanor, she couldn't help but give in and allow the boy to be happy. Who knew what pressures his grandfather was putting on him? Shiori just wanted to give Takuma a break from all of that while she could.
"Mm… Sure."
Takuma's green eyes light up noticeably, "Okay! Just watch me—"
Shiori sits through the dreaded tea ceremony, watching with a dazed expression as she only half listens to what Takuma is explaining to her. She may not be paying attention to the lesson itself, but she is definitely keeping an eye on how carefree Takuma looks as he joyishly explains every little thing to her.
He asks her if she wants to try it once, but after receiving only a blank expression in response, Takuma knows Shiori is more than content with just being a spectator.
Soon enough, Takuma serves the tea along with some biscuits and jam that a maid had dropped off prior to their little lesson finishing. Unfortunately for Shiori, neither the tea or jam was to her liking… Apparently, Takuma was a fan of rose tea and rose jam. Shiori had never heard of such a thing until now, and was not in favor of it. The smell was much to strong and potent for her to even think of consuming either of the products.
Takuma smiled apologetically and offered to make her a separate batch of tea instead, but Shiori was quick to shut his offer down.
"I can't finish an entire pot of tea by myself. Besides, these biscuits are enough."
"As long as you're fine with it, Shiori-sama."
There is a lull between the two as they eat (and sip at their tea, in Takuma's case). One that gives Shiori plenty of time to stare Takuma down. By the time she opens her mouth to confront him, the blond already knows what's coming.
"You look terrible." Takuma actually snorts at the blunt statement.
"Yes— Thank you, Shiori-sama." Though spoken with humor, Shiori doesn't look the least bit amused.
"What's going on, Takuma?"
The blond sighs, "That really isn't something we should talk about here." He attempts to give her a smile, and lowers his voice a bit, "I'll write you about it later, but it's nothing I haven't already told you about."
Shiori frowns, but nods nevertheless. She could understand Takuma's caution, seeing who his grandfather is— there were probably people listening in constantly to make sure Takuma remained in check; his loyalty never wavering.
"Very well," The brunette girl replies without much more resistance. She glances to Takuma's bookshelf, "Manga?"
Takuma smiles, bowing his head in relief. "Of course. Is there anything you want to read in particular...?"
Shiori and Takuma spend the rest of their together reading manga together. Though Shiori preferred to read fictional series, she didn't mind leaning against Takuma as they read through the colored pages together.
When Haruka and Juri finished whatever damage control they were doing with Asatō, it was time for them to return home. Shiori hugged Takuma, saying goodbye to her friend until they could physically see each other again. Before they broke away from their hug, Takuma whispered something into her ear that both set her on edge and confused her.
"Please be safe, Shiori-sama."
Takuma was ushered away by his grandfather soon after, saying something about his sword lessons. Shiori watched the pair walk off, conflicted and at a loss on how to proceed.
xxx
Haruka and Juri remain quiet on the ride home, seeming to be lost in thought over whatever they discussed with Asatō. Shiori doesn't want to think too hard about the politics her family is involved in, or the trouble that stupid old vampire could be causing as soon as they turn their backs. Her head is already aching at the thought of Takuma's foreboding message.
"So," Juri clears her throat, obviously tired of thinking so seriously. "Did you have fun with Takuma, Shiori-chan?"
"Hm?" Shiori says, returning her attention to the present. "Yes, it was fun. I've missed him."
Haruka's eyes narrow a bit, suddenly giving his full attention to his daughter. Juri, on the other hand, eyes had widened as she immediately giggled excitedly into her hands. Shiori said nothing, having expected this childish and dramatic reaction from her mother.
"Oh~ Is it like that then?" Juri teased.
Shiori didn't even flinch, "I'm ten years old, Okaa-sama."
"That didn't stop your Otou-san from harassing me until I gave in!"
Haruka looked offended, "You make me sound like a creep."
Juri clicked her tongue, "Well, you did make advances on me for a very long time. I'm honestly surprised you didn't give up sooner with the hell I was giving you for it."
"If I had given up," the man smiles, "We wouldn't be together now."
Juri returns the soft expression, "I don't know about that… Love will find a way despite all odds."
Ignoring all the mushy talk, Shiori was just thankful to have the attention shifted off of her relationship with Takuma (which was purely platonic). "So you and Otou-sama weren't together right away?"
"Nope~" Juri shakes her head, "It took a lot of tolerance on my part, and a lot of patience on his."
Haruka nodded, "I was in love with your Okaa-san from the very start. She, however, didn't see me in that way at first."
"Oh," Shiori nods her head, filing this information down for later. She then turns to look outside and at the passing scenery— signaling the end of the conversation. Haruka and Juri exchange amused looks, recognizing the action for what it is.
Time passes, scenes blending into one another. Everything is normal, and the Kurans go about their business as usual. Nothing exciting really comes to Shiori's mind when she mulls about the repetitiveness of her life right now.
She attends classes with Kaname, as well as training with her abilities. Kaname is doing just about the same, but she can see the way he looks sometimes… His mind goes somewhere else, and sometimes he'll just disappear completely to be alone. Shiori knows it's because he is planning for the future— their future.
Shiori doesn't want something so important to be planned out for her,so she begins to plan too. As well as she can anyway, with the amount of curve balls being thrown at her— She's surprised she hasn't been struck out just yet.
What pushes her forward is of course her family and the fact that Kaname doesn't have memories of a future that may or may not pass— So, if he can think ahead, then so can she.
Honestly, all she's really planned out are three things: get stronger, take out Rido, and save her parents.
No one said she was very good at "strategic thinking", but she's working on it...
Another person who has been working hard (aside from herself and Kaname), is her father. Haruka has been trying nonstop to keep the family together, going back and forth between all the "important" families to keep up appearances. So much political drama was going on with the Vampire Council —Rido's doing, with the help of Asatō— not to mention the more personal issues the family was facing… which was also Rido's doing.
Haruka is noticeably stressed and exhausted, but he still comes home with a smile on his face for his loved ones.
Then there is Juri, who isn't working for the present, but for the future. The "future" meaning Cross Academy, aka Juri's lifelong dream for humans and vampires to coexist peacefully. Shiori has seen her (more than once) with Kaien as they mull over a "work-in-progress" blueprint and various stacks of documents. The study has practically been taken over by the pair with how often they use it.
Shiori still doesn't quite get her mother's aspirations. Humans are obviously not on equal grounds as them —Kaien being an obvious exception, if he can even count as a human— so she doesn't understand why they should even bother trying to act like they have things in common with the humans.
Sure, she has memories of the humans in this world, but it only further proves how pathetic they are— becoming nothing but fodder for the "big bad vamps" much later on. Yuki— the main focus, wasn't even a human, despite what the author had you believe at first.
Maybe she'd come to understand their worth later on, but for now, the only "human" she could even think about acknowledging is Kaien.
Speaking of Kaien… the vampire hunter was on "babysitting duty" right now, as Haruka and Juri were out. Though, he wasn't doing a very good job— being rather neglectful of the three children as he continued to pour over the notes Juri had left him with. Why on earth did Juri think he would be a good choice as a babysitter again? They were saved by the fact that Shiori and Kaname were both very mature for their ages, although because of different circumstances.
While Kaname tended to Yuki, Shiori would have to tend to Kaien.
"You're supposed to be watching us," Shiori greets Kaien as she wanders into the study.
"Am I?" Kaien practically grumbles, his eyes never strayed from the papers in front of him.
"Yes, and you're doing a terrible job."
"I see…"
Silence resumes between them, and Shiori continues to hopelessly stare at the man. It doesn't take long for her patience to run out, especially since she knows Kaien is a concrete wall when it comes to focusing on something.
"I'm starving— I think I might die." It's an overly dramatic statement, delivered in a monotone voice. Since Shiori isn't able to express her feelings through her voice very well, she decides to add some emphasis to her statement by collapsing onto her knees. "It hurts..."
Kaien just stares at her for a moment, then finally stands up with a sigh. Shiori smiles smugly to herself as she follows behind the man. They head straight to the kitchen, Kaien mumbling under his breath about her dramatics the whole way there.
"You don't even need to eat…"
"I enjoy the various flavors." Shiori replies, receiving a glare in return.
"I was speaking to myself…"
"I know."
Probably figuring out that Shiori was, not so subtly, trying to mess with him, Kaien smartly decides not to reply this time and instead just clicks his tongue irritably.
When they arrive at the kitchen, Kaien doesn't seem to know where to go from there. He looks around the vacant room with a troubled expression, "Isn't there supposed to be someone in here…?"
"Yes, they try to remain invisible and like to leave when they sense one of us approaching. Kana-chan says that they might be afraid of us… I don't know, but they'll show up if we need them." Shiori drawls, not really caring. There had only been one single servant that Shiori had somewhat liked and— Well, Rido ripped her heart out in front of her.
Therefore, not concerned with the staffless kitchen, Shiori walked ahead of the vampire hunter to gather a few items that they'd need in a second or two— depending on how long it took for Kaien to realize their current situation.
"That explains why I rarely see any of them…" Kaien nods, "Hm, then who will get you your food?" His eyes suddenly widen a bit then, and as Shiori returns with two aprons and a cookbook in her hands, she can see his face color with dread.
'Seems he caught up.' She mentally smirks, but otherwise acts ignorant to his realization.
"I have to make it?" Kaien asks, somewhat hopelessly.
"We will make it," Shiori corrects as she drops the cookbook onto the island counter. "I can sense your incompetence in matters like cooking and therefore, cannot leave you to make our food alone." The brunette was suddenly thankful for the classes she had been forced to take that related to all things cooking.
"Incompetence?" Kaien scoffs, "I'm shocked you even know the term."
"Here," Shiori chooses to ignore that comment, and presses an apron into the man's hands after putting on her own. "You're going to need it."
Kaien rolls his eyes, but does as he's told. After the white cloth is tied securely around his body, he turns to the cookbook with a heavy sigh and opens it to a random page. His eyes scan through it quickly, "Let's get this over with."
xxx
The longer they're in the kitchen, the more Shiori regrets instigating a reaction out of Kaien in the first place. She would have just left the blond to his studies if she had known things were going to become this tiring…
"Step back, please." Shiori demands, more than requests, the blond man. She was mainly just going to supervise and hand Kaien whatever ingredients he'd need, but as it turns out he was going to need a lot more assistance than that.
Kaien takes a step to the side, huffing as he does so. This wasn't the first time Shiori made him stop what he was preparing and it definitely wouldn't be the last.
As Shiori frowns down at the mixture that is supposed to be dough, her expression increasingly gets more and more irritated. Glancing up at the supposed adult, she asks, "Has your common sense left you? There are egg shells in this."
"What's the problem? It doesn't say anything about taking them out."
Shiori stares incredulously for a minute, sighs, then addresses Kaien once again. "Have you ever cooked before...? At all?"
"Of course I have," Kaien frowns.
"Instant meals do not count."
Kaien decided to remain silent at that comment, turning to glare a hole in the wall instead. That's more than enough to answer Shiori's question.
"Right..." Shiori resists the urge to break something, and calmly returns to the ruined batter. "Just as I suspected."
"Excuse me—"
Before Kaien gets the chance to reply to Shiori's remark, her other half suddenly makes an entrance. The girl hadn't been paying attention, so she was a little surprised to see him walk through the kitchen's entrance.
"Shi-chan, there you are."
Shiori turns to him, wiping her messy hands on her apron, a reply on her lips that stops short when she takes him in. Kaname had been speaking to her, though his expression was hard and his eyes were glued to Kaien. The said man also seemed to be aware of this— frowning, and shifting on his feet under the younger boy's stare.
"Kana-chan," Shiori greets suspiciously, "Is something wrong?"
"No…" Kaname shakes his head, eyes slowly moving off of Kaien to settle on Shiori. As soon as their gazes meet, his blank expression morphs into a happy one. "Yuki-chan wanted to see his Nee-sama before taking a nap, so I came to find you." He looks around the room and at the mess Kaien had left behind. Shiori was cleaning behind him, but decided supervising him was much more important.
"Kaien is attempting to make cookies," Shiori explains, seeing the question on Kaname's face.
Kaien frowns. "We're making cookies? I thought it was cupcakes."
Shiori and Kaname share a mental conversation, and decide that statement didn't deserve a response.
"Anyways," Shiori pointedly changes the topic, "Tell Yuki-chan I'll be right there."
"I will," Kaname turns to leave, stopping at the door to bow his head slightly at Kaien. "It was nice seeing you, Cross-san."
Kaien's frown remains on his face, obviously suspicious of the boy who just left. Which is unsurprising, considering the attitude Kaname had just displayed towards the man not even five seconds ago. "Kaname-kun seems very different since I first met him."
His comment makes Shiori stiffen.
Kaien scratches his head, "I remember how he used to be curious and asked a million questions." He hums to himself, "Now he seems very… territorial, I would say." He glances at Shiori and attempts to ruffle her hair— She avoids him smoothly, not wanting to get any more messier than she already is.
Kaien looks at her affectionately, and says, "Keep an eye on your brother... He has a lot on his shoulders, being the eldest child."
'If only you knew…' Shiori can't help but think snidely. Outwardly, she only nods her head before returning back to the task at hand.
If Juri and Haruka arrived home to this mess, Shiori was sure she'd end up dead once again.
"Duck!" Juri shouts a second before she swipes at Shiori with her scythe. Shiori wastes no time in falling to the floor, only to roll over and pounce back up directly afterwards.
"Parry!" Juri orders again, lunging forward and giving space for Shiori to strike back. The young girl stops her mother with her daggers— catching the weapon between them. She grunts at the impact, the gritty sound of metal hitting metal was unpleasant for her sensitive ears.
Shiori slides the dual blades down the larger weapon, just close enough to her mother's arm so that she can kick it down, forcing her mother to disarm on reflex.
"Good," Juri smiles. Shiori frowns in turn— she's a panting and sweating mess, while Juri stands tall and untouched. Hell, the woman even let her win their little match. "Let's not stop here though."
"Wha—"
Before Shiori knew it, she's being flipped over and only has half a second to land on her feet. Not used to these surprise attacks, she barely makes it in time and ends up stumbling backwards a bit. Juri doesn't give her a break, and quickly goes in for the kill— kicking Shiori lightly and sending her onto the ground.
"Oof," the young vampire grunts at the impact, her daggers falling from her hands. Defeat is easily accepted, and Shiori merely sighs at her loss, staring up at the ceiling of the training room with a pout.
Juri moves to stand over her daughter, a smug smile on her face, "A lesson for you— you don't need a weapon to fight back."
"...Yeah." Shiori says, utterly exhausted.
Juri giggles, pulling her daughter up. "Don't be such a sore loser, Shiori-chan~! I was planning to do that from the start— it was all part of the lesson."
"Yes.. Thanks, Okaa-sama."
"Such a polite daughter I have." Juri pats Shiori's cheeks. "Now, pick up those pretty little tooth picks. We're going for another round."
"They're not toothpicks…" Shiori mumbles under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, Okaa-sama…"
"That's what I thought~!"
Shiori shivers; her mother was very kind, but also very scary.
xxx
After her training is finally over, Shiori is left alone inside the training room— panting on the floor as she tries to convince herself that she really needs to get up and take a shower. Another part of her viciously argues that she doesn't have to do anything; she's a pureblood and the Kuran princess.
'No. I'm just lazy.' Shiori eventually settles with, but still makes no move to get up.
Sighing, the brunette closes her eyes with the resolve to "rest her eyes" as a way to regain her lost energy. Just as she feels herself pulling away from the waking world, footsteps and a calm heartbeat enter her senses.
"Shiori-chan, is there a reason you're napping on the training room floor?"
"Mm… Give me a minute to think of one, Otou-sama."
"No need." Haruka chuckles, kneeling down next to his daughter to scoop her up in his arms. "I see your Okaa-san didn't go easy on you, hm?" He carried out of the room, heading towards Shiori's bedroom. The young girl is more than capable of getting there herself, but they both know she'd spend the rest of the night in the training room if it was up to her.
So, Shiori remains comfortable in Haruka's arms, allowing the man to carry her full weight all the way to her room. She sighs contently, making her father chuckle.
As Haruka walks in silence, Shiori peers up at her father's face. He is truly a beautiful man— porcelain skin, a face that almost looks sculpted for the gods. The Kurans especially, Shiori has noticed, all have exceptional looks when compared to other vampire families. She has never met another pureblood household, so she doesn't know if their beauty is a Kuran thing— or a pureblood thing. An odd topic to ask during lessons, she supposes.
"Is something wrong, princess?"
Shiori blinks languidly, coming back down from her thoughts.
"You look really pretty, Otou-sama."
Haruka's eyes widen for a moment, taken by surprise, but smiles soon after. He chuckles, hefting Shiori up closer so he can plant a kiss on her forehead. "And you, Shiori-chan, are my most precious and beautiful daughter."
Shiori scrunches an eye closed as she's pressed into Haruka's chest, "I'm your only daughter."
"Well," Haruka makes a show of looking around the corridor suspiciously, "If I were to say you were the most beautiful girl in the world— I just know your Okaa-san would sense it and get jealous."
"Mm, makes sense." Shiori hums as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I knew you would understand."
"Can't you say it anyway, though? Okaa-sama won't mind if she knows you're talking about me."
Haruka raises an eyebrow, "Are you trying to get me in trouble? Do you want me to compliment you that bad, princess?"
"Ah," Shiori smiles, eyes lit up with amusement. "Maybe a little bit."
"To which one are you referring to?" This makes her father chuckle once again. Haruka smiles down at her as they come to a stop in front of her bedroom. "You truly are something special. My beautiful daughter…"
Shiori shifts in his arms, wordlessly asking to be set down. Haruka obliges with a soft smile, inwardly comparing her mannerisms to a cat.
"Thanks, Otou-sama." Shiori says before disappearing into her room. Haruka watches her again, remaining outside her room for a just a moment. His smile becomes more sorrowful the longer he stands there; thoughts on what his family could have been like if they had never allowed Rido to get close to them.
He and Juri would still have their firstborn son, and Shiori would have her twin— not the boy that was beside her now. Despite the circumstances, Haruka had come to love this "false" Kaname. That was the plan along; Juri had wanted to replace what was lost and just pretend it had never been taken from them in the first place. Haruka could never forget, though, and had taken longer to accept this Kaname than his wife had. He still loved the boy in his own way, never once neglecting him or letting his own feelings of loss get in the way.
He just never expected to love him this much. To really feel like Kaname was his son.
Haruka does feel that way, though, even if Kaname doesn't return the affections. At some point, maybe Kaname did think of Haruka as a father. However, soon after Yuki was born, Kaname stopped referring to Haruka as "Otou-sama" and had instead shifted to referring to him by his name.
In that moment, Haruka knew that Kaname had regained the memories he had sought to repress— and that he had lost another son, yet again.
The next time Shiori gets to leave their mansion, her parents take her to the Aidō's. Once again, they are there to socialize, while Shiori is given the time to catch up with her friends—who didn't know she was going to be dropping by.
"Huh? Shiori-sama?"
"That's not funny, Akatsuki."
"I'm serious. She's really—"
"No, I'm not falling for it this time!" Hanabusa angrily turns his head away, coincidently in the direction of his room's doorway— where Shiori was quietly standing. His blue eyes widened comically, "Sh-Shi-Shiori-hime!?"
Shiori bows her head slightly at the two, a small smile on her face. Hanabusa scrambles to get up, knocking over the papers and books that surrounded him. Akatsuki also got up to greet her, although much calmer and with ease.
"It's— We— You look so beautiful!" Hanabusa is a blushing mess, stuck between bowing repeatedly and staring up (she is, indeed, taller than the boy) at Shiori's face.
"Down, Hanabusa." Akatsuki rolls his eyes, pulling his cousin back by the collar of his shirt. He smiles at Shiori, "It's nice to see you again. Took you long enough to come back, Shiori-sama."
"Politics." Is all she says in answer. Akatsuki nods, understanding the privacy revolving around purebloods. Meanwhile, Hanabusa was still doing his best to gather himself, not listening to a word the two were saying. "I've missed you both," Shiori pauses as she glances around the room, "Where's Ruka-chan?"
"She's been busy with her lessons lately," Akatsuki shrugs.
"Ah, you three are usually together. So I was surprised."
"You were surprised?" Akatsuki asks with a raised brow. "I couldn't tell."
Shiori puffs up her cheeks at the jab, while Hanabusa —finally tuned into the conversation— gets mad in her defense. "Hey! Don't make fun of her!"
Akatsuki rolls his eyes, but isn't surprised at the blond's outburst. "Relax, it was just a joke."
"Even so—"
"Hana-chan," Shiori interrupts, not wanting to sit through an argument. The boy is quick to still at the call of his endearing nickname. "It's fine."
"Y-Yes, of course it is… Sorry, Shiori-hime."
Hanabusa looks properly abashed, scratching at his cheek silently. Shiori sighs, feeling her heart swell— She really missed her friends.
Without warning, Shiori wraps her arms around Hanabusa in a hug. "It's nice seeing you again, Hana-chan."
"Asdfghjkl…"
"I think you broke him." Akatsuki observes, walking around his cousin who's stands stiff as a board.
Shiori steps away, not looking the least bit remorseful. "Oops."
xxx
After their awkward and emotional reunions, the two cousins and Shiori began to occupy the time they had together with various things.
Apparently, the two boys had been studying before she surprised them, so she decided to sit in with them and learn a few things herself. Akatsuki was first to voice his complaints; saying he'd rather do something fun rather than go back to staring at books. Hanabusa, on the other hand, thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to showcase his intellect.
"What are you studying?" Shiori asks from her spot beside Hanabusa. She's leaning near him, trying to get a look at the worksheets that are spread out on the chabudai in the middle of the room.
Akatsuki sighs, "I'm working on vampire history. Hanabusa is breezing through maths."
"Oh…" Shiori trails off, suddenly not interested anymore. She's terrible at both subjects.
"How about I tutor you, Shiori-hime?" Hanabusa asks with sparkling eyes.
Before Shiori knows it, Hanabusa is drilling her with math problems left in right. The longer he talks about the subject, the more her eyes feel heavy as drowsiness overtakes her. More than once, she's slumped over while Hanabusa was talking— making the boy cry out in annoyance.
All in all, the tutoring only results in a frustrated Hanabusa, a laughing Akatsuki, and a thoroughly confused and tired Shiori. So, the three decide to do something much more fun and suitable to Shiori's habits...
Build a pillow fort.
"Perfect," Shiori sighs as she plops down in her designated section of the fort. Each of the children were responsible for their own "rooms" and had crafted them themselves to their own liking. Despite this, Hanabusa found himself gravitating to Shiori's side of the fort.
"I like this room more!" Hanabusa declares without really inspecting said room. He simply claims it as his own, leaving Shiori to stare at him from the corner of her eye.
"Wha—?" She begins to mumble, only for Hanabusa to huff and plop down beside her.
'Dramatic as ever.' She thinks as she watches him get comfortable.
It's obvious what he's playing at, but Shiori doesn't really mind. They've slept in the same area plenty of times before. Why would this time be any different?
"Well," Shiori hums. "I'm not going anywhere."
"That's fine." Hanabusa immediately sniffs back, sounding suspiciously satisfied with the outcome. Shiori is sure if she could see his face, he'd be smiling smugly to himself.
'What happened to the blushing kid who greeted me hours ago?' Shiori yawns. 'Whatever.'
As Shiori drifts off, Hanabusa remains wide awake— a bundle of nerves within him. He rolls over so that he's facing the brunette, and simply watches her for a moment before smiling widely to himself.
He buries his face in a pillow, trying to suppress the elated squeal that's built up in his throat.
"Shut up, Hanabusa." Akatsuki groans from his side of the fort.
Akatsuki doesn't manage to dampen Hanabusa's mood, but he does manage to calm down a little bit. The blond sighs deeply, inhaling a scent he had never noticed before.
'Huh,' he thinks as he stares at Shiori's dozing form. 'Smells likes peaches…'
author's note: mm more filler than anything, though i feel like all childhood arcs in stories are like that. it's just one big skill/relationship buildup before ya hit the Big Boss chapters. regardless, i hope you still enjoyed the update!
this chapter was edited and reviewed by my amazing beta, LittleMiniMe21! special thanks and lots of love goes to them!
story rec: "fixated on your eyes" by leviiseverything
