626viii.
chapter eight - path to heaven
:-:-: theme; whispers in the dark by skillet :-:-:
One morning, Shiori woke up to find her mouth aching. This pain was nothing new, as throughout the years Shiori's baby teeth had fallen out and then regrown to fit a different set. The growth of vampire teeth was much faster than what humans had to go through; something Shiori very much appreciated (especially the year when she had lost her front teeth… Kaname had fondly teased her about her lisp relentlessly).
She was eleven now, around the age when humans typically finished losing their baby teeth— give or take a few years, depending on the person. The same applied to vampires, but rarely. It seemed Shiori was a late bloomer in terms of getting her vampire fangs in.
Kaname already had all four of his fangs, something he proudly achieved before their eleventh birthday. Since then, he was able to drink blood properly. Though as far as Shiori knew, he was only feeding off of the blood bags that she would so often see packed away in the fridge.
At the time, it had been a bit hard and strange. Kaname was confined to his room until he was able to control his blood lust. Shiori didn't see him for what felt like months but could've been weeks with how competent Kaname was when it came to control and willpower.
In that time, Shiori received her energy from her parents and Yuki— specifically Yuki, since he also needed energy, unlike Juri and Haruka.
Yuki was a bit put off at Kaname's sudden disappearance, and Shiori had to be the one to basically give Yuki the talk about what happens when a vampire fully develops their set of fangs. Shiori didn't go into much detail, seeing as Yuki seemed content with just knowing that Kaname wasn't staying away by choice. It was because he had to, and didn't want to accidentally harm his siblings.
Again, it had definitely been a strange time for Shiori, to not have Kaname —someone who has been a constant in her life— suddenly not by her side anymore. She managed to survive by keeping her mind on other things, such as Yuki, her studies, and training. Plus, she got updates from Haruka and Juri every day— who were the ones aiding Kaname in his task of gaining control.
Shiori wondered... Would Kaname be going through the same thing she did? They'd find out by the end of the week, she supposed, as that's when her fangs were expected to be fully grown.
"My mouth hurts, Okaa-sama," Shiori all but whined that morning during her lessons.
"I imagine." Juri smiled kindly at her daughter, gently massaging her jaw. "Soon, you'll be a big girl. Are you excited?"
"Eh." Shiori shrugged. "Just want it to stop hurting…"
Juri chuckled, as if she had expected that answer. "Well, that's also something to look forward to. Though, since this is such an important part of a vampire's life, I think it's time we have a talk."
Shiori's face scrunched up. 'As in… The talk?'
"Okay," Shiori said, despite the skeptical look on her face.
Once again, Juri found herself laughing at Shiori's adorable expressions. "It's nothing too dramatic, but it's important for you to know this as a soon-to-be fully-fledged vampire; especially as a pureblood. Your Otou-san gave Kaname the same spiel when his fangs were about to fully grow in."
Shiori nodded to let Juri know she was listening, so the woman continued.
"As you know, once they fully grow in, we'll have to keep you confined to your room. Not just for your own benefit, but for the safety of everyone around you as well. You'll be enveloped with this feeling; it'll feel like your body is burning from the inside out at first, but will eventually die down as you regain control of your impulses. Your fangs will awaken your body's need and want for blood, and that is what that feeling is: blood lust. The feeling will be intense since you've never had blood before— So, your body acts much like a starved vampire would." Juri paused to give Shiori time to process all that she had just been told.
"I see…" Shiori nodded, a considering look on her face, and narrowed eyebrows that told Juri the young girl was definitely not looking forward to something so troublesome.
"After you're able to regain control of yourself and tamper down your impulses, the feeling will go away. However, it will always be present when you so much as smell a drop of blood— only, it will start out as a small ember instead of a burning inferno. The stronger you are, and the more willing you are to control yourself, blood will be less likely to get a strong reaction from you, but still one, nevertheless. It is our food source, and our instincts make us crave it. All vampires are the same… mostly."
"What do you mean, mostly?"
"Well," Juri smiled, "Purebloods are a bit different when it comes to managing our thirst. We are able to have any source of blood, but it will only sate us for so long. In order for us to truly quench our want for blood, we must drink the blood of our beloved."
Shiori looked properly surprised. "Beloved… As in…?" She trailed off, an answer on the tip of her tongue, but not too sure of it.
Juri nodded, reading her daughter's mind. "Yes, as in your life partner. Your soulmate, I would even say." A smile crossed the woman's face, and her mind was obviously on one person in particular. Shiori felt her heart swell at the look on Juri's face; it's one of pure, unadulterated love. "This could be several people, rather than just one— And whether the love is platonic or romantic is dependent on the pureblood. Not everyone is attracted to others the same way."
"Mm…" Shiori nodded her head, thinking of all the people in her life, and wondering who it would be that she could rely on to keep her sanity in check. Obviously, the first person that came to mind was Kaname— then Yuki, Hanabusa, and Senri. Takuma, Akatsuki, and Ruka are also people Shiori knew she could count on, but she feels that she doesn't have as much of a connection with them; as far as soul bonds go, anyway.
For Kaname, perhaps Shiori herself, Yuki, and Takuma were people he'd find solace in.
"Mm…" Shiori said again, unconsciously, making Juri smile.
"You're obviously deep in thought about this." The pureblood woman teasingly poked Shiori's nose, regaining her attention. "Should we stop our lessons short for the day?"
Shiori bit her cheek, taking the offer seriously. On one hand, she could leave to go nap with one of her brothers… On the other, she really needed to hurry and master her training.
With a sigh, Shiori stretched before gripping her daggers again.
"Let's continue."
"That's my girl!" Juri cheered, ruffling Shiori's hair.
Yuki was four now, and like all children, he was a curious being. Though Shiori found such a trait endearing, in this case, it only caused everyone stress.
All the young brunet knew were the walls of the basement within the Kuran Estate. He had never been upstairs before, or experienced fresh air or heat from the sun's rays. Yuki only knew the outside world through stories that Kaname and Shiori herself told him.
So, it only made sense that Yuki would ask to go there.
Shiori's mouth was still hurting, and now she had a headache to accompany it. She shared a look with her twin before they both patiently turned back to Yuki, who was watching them with an expectant pout.
"Yuki-chan…" Kaname began, gently running a hand through Yuki's unkempt hair. The young Kuran huffed, but ultimately preened at the affection— making Kaname smile sadly since he didn't have good news to give. "You know you can't leave here…"
"Ugh!" Yuki's mood was quick to sour, making Kaname slowly retract his hand. Yuki's incoming tantrum would otherwise take it as collateral damage. "It's not fair! Why do I have to stay down here?"
"You know why," Shiori replied, crouching down next to Yuki. She gently cupped his face, forcing him to meet her serious gaze. He resisted at first, frowning and glaring at her, but her quiet plea of his name made him eventually calm down enough to hear her out. "There's a lot going on right now; it's not safe for any of us to go out right now, but you especially."
Kaname stepped closer to Yuki, also kneeling down to meet his eye level. With a kind smile, the older brunet once again reached out to mess with Yuki's hair. "We just want to keep our precious baby brother safe."
"B-But—" Yuki began to blubber, eyes tearing up.
Shiori shook her head silently. "One day you'll see it; and when that day comes, we'll see it together."
"Y-Yes!" Yuki sniffed, standing straighter as if he was trying to be strong. Kaname and Shiori's eyes softened at the sight.
"Now," Kaname hefted Yuki up, "Let me tell you a story about a very special rose…"
xxx
After teaching Yuki about the magical rose that only blooms once every ten years, the boy was successfully distracted and left to draw pictures of what he imagined it to look like.
He had also given Kaname and Shiori the serious task of leaving to find the rose, just to see if it had bloomed yet. Unfortunately, it would be a task the twins would not be able to complete just yet, as they knew very well the rose was still dormant. According to Kaname, the one who knew about the rose first (Shiori expected he came across this rose, many years before his slumber), the rose still had several more years before it would bloom.
With a meaningful look, he promised Shiori that he'd take her with him one day to retrieve it for their precious, spoiled, Yuki-chan.
"I look forward to it," Shiori had replied back.
By the end of the week, Shiori found herself stuck in her room and in immense pain. It didn't happen all at once, and was instead a gradual feeling. It was like sand filling up an hourglass slowly— grain by grain.
Shiori could feel the heat overtaking her body as she slowly roused from sleep. Her breathing was becoming haggard, and soon she was curled into a ball and gripping her sheets with so much force they had begun to rip.
She became aware of everything, but also forced to focus on just one thing. Her senses were extremely heightened, but all she could focus on was the sound of her own heartbeat and the smell of— blood? Was that blood?
All at once, Shiori slammed against her bedroom door, trying to break through it. The doorknob wasn't working..? Why wasn't it working? A growl ripped through her dry, dry throat before Shiori began to pound viciously at the door, determined to break through it if that's what it'd take to get to that delicious, mouth-watering—
"Shiori-chan…" Came a calm voice from the other side. Shiori paused, having just noticed the presence. It smelt like her mother. She had a mother. This was her mother. With a pained groan, Shiori tried to regain some semblance of her usual self, but found it hard to do anything other than not pursue that sweet scent. "Honey, I need you to calm down."
"O-Okaa-sama…?"
Juri seemed to take that as a good sign, going by the relieved tone of her voice. "Yes, Shiori-chan! It's me, your okaa-san. Your fangs finally grew in completely last night— You'll have to stay in your room until you can regain control of yourself, okay?"
Shiori breathed heavily, resting her forehead against the cool surface of her door. "Open.. this."
Juri sighed. "I can't do that. You could hurt someone in your current state, Shiori-chan. Or you could hurt yourself. I need you to step away so I can come in; can you do that for me? Go sit on your bed— and no funny business! I'll know if you try anything."
That made Shiori's eyebrows furrow, but her ears were ringing too loudly for her to think much more. It felt like her brain was going to implode. Slowly, she moved away from her door and made her way to her bed.
Shiori blinked, and Juri was now in the room, standing in front of her. She didn't have time to think of when that had happened (had she even heard the door open?), her mind was set on one thing only, and that was to sate the intense hunger that plagued her body. Immediately, Shiori lunged— eyes set straight for the woman's throat.
Just as fast as Shiori had jumped up, Juri pinned her back down. An animalistic snarl left her throat as she fought against her mother's strong hold.
"Shiori-chan," Juri began calmly, eyes concerned but determined as she stared down at Shiori. "Look at you— Your eyes are glowing. The hunger has definitely set in…"
Shiori vaguely heard something rip, and soon her eyes were zeroing in on the blood pack in Juri's hands, a corner of it ripped open, allowing Shiori to smell the rich scent. Suddenly, as if a knife was to her throat, Shiori went very still— her entire focus on nothing but the bag of blood.
"Good, good… Now, I just need you to stay like that, okay?" Juri spoke softly. "You're hungry, yes, but you need to be able to control that. You can't let this feeling overtake you. Tell me, what's the weather like outside?"
Weather? What weather?
"That's good." Juri's voice cut through Shiori's thoughts. "You're thinking. Now, try doing. Look outside."
Shiori's eyes stayed trained on the blood pack for several more moments, before finally (with much effort on her part) she managed to force her gaze onto one of the windows in her room. Shiori can't tell if it's early in the day, or if it's the evening. The sky is a dark gray, signaling the beginning of a storm.
"R-Rain… Rain."
"Yes, Shiori-chan. Very good. Now, I'm going to let go… Please, stay where you are, okay?"
Juri slowly released the hold she had on Shiori, and was relieved when the young brunette made no move to attack her again. Instead, her focus remained on the view outside. The glow around her eyes began to dim, but it was still somewhat there, just not as intense.
"Excellent, now—" Juri moved, accidentally squeezing the blood pack in her hand slightly. Shiori immediately shot up, the smell of blood flooding her senses once again.
Just like before, Juri was quick to hold Shiori down. She sighed, a tired smile on her face. "Don't worry. We'll work on this together."
xxx
Several weeks went by, and Shiori was slowly gaining control over her instincts each and every day. She was aware of herself and her surroundings now; her only hurdle was still being able to hold herself back whenever Juri or Haruka brought her blood. Other than that, she was her regular self.
Kaname's transition hadn't taken as long; it lasted a week, if not slightly longer. This probably would have made Shiori feel weak if she didn't know Kaname was the progenitor of the Kuran family… If anyone was going to take this change like a duck to water— it was going to be one of the first vampires to have ever existed.
Still, Shiori tried to keep herself motivated. She was nearly there— Soon this would be over, and blood wouldn't turn her into a crazed maniac anymore.
On the last day of the third week, Shiori felt confident that she could handle herself. For the past couple of days, whenever Haruka or Juri arrived with blood, Shiori had merely twitched at its presence. She no longer felt like she was going to die if she didn't drink it that second.
Presently, Shiori was sleeping atop her bed, curled slightly into a ball. Beside her was a book that was still being propped open with her hand. It was definitely a peaceful nap that she was having; they were a rare occurrence nowadays— with the combination of her old memories, and now with the bloodlust.
Her nap was so peaceful, that Kaname didn't want to wake her when he came to visit for the first time. He wanted to be the one to let her out of her room; he had insisted on it, actually.
"Shiori-chan…" the brunet gently whispered to the slumbering girl. He smiled to himself when she merely rolled over, grumbling beneath her breath. Kaname gracefully captured her book before it snapped shut, and grabbed the discarded bookmark to save the page she was on. Placing the object aside, he sat down beside her on the bed.
Slightly leaning over her, Kaname brushed the hair from her face.
"Shi-chan.." he tried, and this time, she finally stirred.
"Kaname…?" His name was spoken in a slur.
The boy in question raised an eyebrow. "We don't see each other for a month, and I'm suddenly just Kaname now?"
Shiori, still slow to wake, smiled dopily at him. Kaname couldn't help how his heart swelled at her unconscious expression. Shiori went to say something, but thought better of it and settled with just sitting up so she could fall into him.
Kaname breathed Shiori's scent in, pecking the top of her head. "I missed you, Shiori. Can you tell?"
Shiori hummed, nodding her head into his chest. It was clear she had plans to fall back to sleep.
Kaname chuckled, shaking her a bit to rouse her some more. "Okaa-sama and Otou-sama said your training is over. The hard part is over; the rest we'll learn with experience. Are you excited?"
"Mhm…" Shiori once again only mumbled a response.
"We may even have developed some new abilities."
Not even a sound that time. Kaname sighed, though not negatively, and gently stood up so he could situate Shiori back into her bed— albeit in a more comfortable position this time.
"Sleep well," Kaname spoke one last time, once again pecking the top of his twin's head. He grabbed the decorative blanket off the end of the bed to drape over her before exiting from the room, closing the door behind him.
Shiori didn't have much trouble returning back to her normal routine. Mainly because her family made it so easy for her to adjust back to it. The only thing that really changed was her diet.
Blood was her primary source; drinking from blood bags, and the occasional carton of animal blood. She had yet to actually drink directly from a source, but that wasn't something she really thought much about. Why would she need to worry about that, when the blood bags were right here?
Shiori was still able to receive energy through regular contact and affectionate gestures, it wasn't nearly as fulfilling as it used to be and was therefore practically ineffective in comparison to blood. Though, affection from her two brothers didn't let up— not that Shiori really minded. She was always sure to return it, and tenfold for Yuki's case, considering he needed the energy.
So, life hadn't really been tossed upside down, but Shiori couldn't help but find herself distracted with cravings at times. Her hunger especially became apparent whenever Kaname was nearby, and she honestly wasn't sure what to think of that fact.
So, she didn't. Instead, her focus would go to everything else. Mainly, her training.
Day after day, Shiori grew more antsy and paranoid that their peaceful days were nearing a close. She didn't know what she was preparing for. Would the scenario be the same as the one she had had a nightmare about so long ago, or would it be completely different?
Only time would tell, and she couldn't afford to wait that long.
"Shiori-chan? Are you alright?"
Haruka's voice had her slowly blinking back to attention. She merely nodded her head, before giving Kaname a small smile to appease the concerned look he was giving her.
"Sorry, Otou-sama."
Haruka smiled teasingly and gently pats her head, "Try and pay more attention, I know just talking about what powers you could have isn't very exciting, but it's important for you to know what to expect from these tests. Kaname, I'll be helping you first. Shiori-chan, your Okaa-san is going to help you. She'll be here any minute now— as soon as she's finished talking to Kaien."
Immediately, Shiori frowned. Kaname laughed quietly to himself at the drop in her expression. Haruka looked at her with kind eyes and an amused smile. "What's that face for, princess?"
Sighing, Shiori shook her head. "If Okaa-sama is talking to Kaien right now, then I'll be waiting here for hours. Can't you just help me after you're finished overseeing Kana-chan?"
"Sorry, Shiori-chan. I just think it would be better if your Okaa-san helped you, just in case you've inherited another ability from her."
Shiori didn't feel like wasting any more energy with arguing, so she merely sighed once more, and got as comfortable as she could in one of the chairs that were placed in the corner of the training room.
"I'm sure Juri will finish soon," Kaname tried to comfort her with an amused smile. Shiori shrugged in answer before yawning— it was clear what she would be doing to pass the time.
Haruka shook his head as he gestured for Kaname to move to the other side of the room so they have some space to work. Before following after the brunet boy, Haruka gave Shiori one last look. "Instead of dozing, how about you practice with your daggers a little bit more. I know you've been working hard to master them, and you definitely won't be doing that by lazing around every second you get some free time. Hm, am I right?"
The man left before Shiori could reply, not that she was going to. Instead, she merely watched his parting back with a frown on her face— challenge accepted. A minute didn't even go by before she had sped to her room and back, daggers now in both hands.
Kaname and Haruka both shared an amused look before they focused on their own agenda, though they were sure to glance over at Shiori from time to time, always happy to see her doing her best.
xxx
By the time Juri arrived to help Shiori with the tests she was supposed to take, Kaname and Haruka had already been through all the tests, discovered Kaname had awakened one new ability (he was able to transform parts of his body to act as weapons; he had quite impressively changed his hands to look like giant pincers), and then had proceeded to train with it for a bit before eventually calling it a day.
Shiori was thoroughly exhausted, having trained herself nonstop until only a moment ago. Kaname had offered to stay with her, but Shiori had waved him away and said that he should go and entertain their cute little brother.
Just as she was settling down into her cooldown routine, Juri sprinted through the doors of the training room.
"I'm so sorry, Shiori-chan! We were just making so much progress, I couldn't—"
Juri silenced when Shiori held up a hand, her eyes closed as she inhaled and exhaled slowly.
"Oh?" The woman moved closer to her daughter. "Were you training?"
Shiori nodded, breathing in and out deeply one more time before finally forcing herself back to her feet.
"Are you ready to go through these tests? Now, I'm sure your Otou-san told you last time, but don't expect too much. Just because your brother awakened a new power, doesn't mean you will, too. These things happen randomly, and…"
Shiori waited patiently for Juri to finish her explanation— one she had indeed already heard from Haruka hours before, when he had said it to Kaname.
"Okay!" Juri clapped her hands excitedly. "Let's move on. Now, the first thing I want you to do is…"
They began to go through various tests. Some were ones Shiori had experienced the first time she and Kaname had been tested for special abilities, and the rest were new altogether.
In the end, Shiori discovered her new power by accident.
Juri had walked her through all the tests, but none had produced results. The only thing noticeable that had changed about her, was now she was slightly faster and stronger than she was before. Even then, however, that was nothing new. Shiori had already been abnormally strong and fast, due to being a pureblood vampire. Her awakening had merely increased her natural born abilities by a small amount.
So, with no results to show, Juri decided to spend a little bit more time together through some more training. Shiori was already worn out, but Juri insisted this would be a good way to test her limits. Danger would strike whenever it could; it wouldn't care if Shiori was too exhausted to fight back.
Shiori is mainly kept on the defensive; blocking and dodging every hit Juri sends her way. One swing in particular, caught Shiori off guard. Juri swept Artemis at Shiori's ankles, and the young pureblood reacted just a second too late, and was sent to the floor on her butt.
Juri didn't relent, bringing Artemis up only to swing it back down, directly at Shiori. Just as it appeared like it was going to cleave Shiori in two, the scythe bounced back and sent Juri stumbling backwards in shock.
"!— What?" Juri sputterd, looking from her weapon to Shiori in confusion.
Shiori attempted to stand back up, but fell back down when her head was immediately met with a hard surface. The young girl grunted, rubbing her head to see what was blocking her, but saw… nothing.
"Okaa-sama…?" Shiori asked, cautiously holding out her hands. They met a solid surface, but, still, it was clear to both her and Juri that nothing was there. Juri dropped Artemis, quickly walking forward and crouching near her daughter.
"Shiori-chan, keep your hands there…" Juri said, her voice calm, but her hands slightly shaking as they reached forward to meet Shiori's. Once again, she was stopped by a barrier. Juri's face contorted into an expression Shiori couldn't quite place. Then, a chuckle left her lips, and Juri shook her head.
"Um…" Shiori said, still very freaked out at being stuck inside an invisible box. "Okaa-sama?"
Juri smiled, knocking against the barrier. "No worries, Shiori-chan. It looks like you take after your Obaa-sama."
"Obaa-sama?"
Juri nodded "Now, close your eyes, and take a deep breath. You unconsciously created a barrier to protect yourself, so just calm down and picture it disappearing. Your Obaa-sama also had this ability, and would use it whenever she got spooked. It was always so funny…" Her voice trailed off as she seemed to relive a distant memory, but Shiori chose not to linger on it, and did what her mother told her to do.
Eyes closed. Deep breath. A picture in her mind…
"Great job, Shiori-chan!" Juri cheered.
Cracking her eyes open, Shiori then saw her mother's hand outstretched and directly in her face.
'Oh, I guess it worked,' Shiori thought, taking the hand and allowing herself to be pulled up.
"Now, let's go and share the news! Then, we'll have to figure out a way to train you, and then we'll—"
Shiori's sigh was so loud and abrupt that it cut Juri off. The woman looked surprised for a moment, before smiling impishly at her daughter.
"Mahh, maybe we'll save all that for tomorrow. It's clear to me that my little Shiori-chan is ready for bed!"
Shiori nodded mutely, allowing her head to be jostled when Juri messed up her hair.
"Please."
author's note: we are slowly slowly slowly getting there! thank you to everyone who is still sticking around despite my slowass writing. i promise i will never drop a story without letting you guys know first, so even if i havent updated in months or years.. dont stress about it unless it says "discontinued" in the summary. next chapter will start with another timeskip!
big thanks to both LittleMiniMe21 and fortheloveofb for tackling this chapter and editing it for me!
Guest 01: thank you! and ah yeah i've been very forgetful about updating my bio with the progress. it has since been updated! thanks for reminding me to check on it lol
Guest 02: thank you for being an avid reader! i'm glad you like shiori lol she is definitely a gumdrop in my opinion. and hanabusa is 100% the best boy and is literally the most unproblematic at this point too lol thanks for sticking around despite my slow updates, and i hope you'll continue to do so
Guest 03: good question! it's also stated on my bio that any love interests listed are just possible options! they're not endgames or definite pairing. they're just who i could see my oc being with :)
R: ohoh whyyy do you have to bring up such a big plot hole! lolol i also wondered how the kurans came to be. to be honest, i have no idea how it could've happened. we know that the ancestors actually evolved from the human race, like ten thousands of years before the start of the series due to climate change (lmao). we don't know how many ancestors there were originally, though we know about several pureblood families mentioned in the series… my guess is the kuran family came about because kaname had a sibling or something? and she continued the line? unless you'd like to entertain the thought of kaname having a family of his own, once upon a time. but i'd rather not since it's depressing lol or i could come up with a more fantasy, fairy tale-esque reason: like kaname wanted his family to live on for generations, and so with his power and a love that could encompass the whole earth, took the petals of a rose, the thorns from the stem, and the soil from which it grew.. and created his first descendants.. lol but that's just me pulling something from my ass! let me know your thoughts too, and if anyone else is reading this, please drop your thoughts as well! i'd love to hear some theories.
story rec: "blood ties" by perseverance-n
