Kaname returned again...
This time only within three days after the night of promise for a fresh start. However unlike last time, this time he did not come empty handed. He brought her fresh flowers, a small stuffed animal and a box of expensive imported chocolate. He made sure to come looking every bit of a Romeo from a romance novel as possible!
Kuran Kaname standing by the door with hands full of presents for her...!
It was an image that she found to be quite strange, something completely unfit for him. No, that was not exactly correct. Rather, it was an image that she wasn't actually used to, thus the reason why is appeared so strange to her. The latter reason is actually more accurate. After all when has he ever brought her anything? So many birthdays, New Year, sibling days and many other occasions have passed during which he only gave her one thing...his absence. And now his sudden desperate forceful attempt made it not only hard but at the same time quite awkward.
"Do you not like the presents that I have brought for you?"
She winced as his voice pulled her out of the train of thoughts.
"There was no need for all these...but thanks anyway." She replied politely.
He flashed her a kind smile, though inside he was offended.
The girl did not give two shits to his presents. She simply accepted and shoved them to the arms of a passing by maid before he could even blink his eyes. But for now that was not important. These opinion should be saved for later. All that mattered was that she at least accepted them with a smile rather than throwing it into the garbage.
She invited him in for tea and biscuit, in the library. Like usual they chatted for some time before it was time for his return. However tonight he had other plans. It wasn't just going to end there with presents and their usual talks in the library...
That evening he also took her out for dinner despite her wish otherwise.
It was their first date and Kaname wished to make no compromise in the matter. He took her to one of the finest restaurants in town. Where they spent the rest of the night in each other's company.
Although from far it looked like they were having quite the time of their life but from up close the distance between them was visible. One could easily tell how much afford they were putting in order to enjoy the other's presence. However the cruel twist of fate was that in the eyes of a third party it was Aiyora who would look more like cold heartless one than Kaname because unlike him she wasn't acting or pretending. Her actions were all real and genuine.
...
They continued to roam the mall with him holding her small hand with his large one in a firm grip.
Kaname was back at the Shiki residence once again within that same week. To make up for that boring dinner date, this time he had to come up with something interesting and exciting that no female shall be able to resist. Thus, this time he took his little fiancée for a type of treat that every girl on the face of this earth craves for... shopping!
But the budget...?
There was none. Besides when has ever money been an issue for any members of the Kuran family? She was free to spend to her heart's content. But there was one tini-tiny problem...Aiyora wasn't showing interest in anything, she just quietly followed him like an obedient child.
"Isn't there anything that you fancy?" Kaname asked her calmly but his mind was close to its edge. He was on the verge of losing his patience. It is the cost of going from one to another for the last several hours.
"Not really."
"For some reason I'm having a difficult time believing that."
"..." Again that damn silence. Kaname clenched the inside of his mouth. Sometimes she really made it hard for him.
"Could it be that you are shy in my presence?"
She took her gaze down before focusing them elsewhere. Following her gaze Kaname turned his head back only to see that her eyes were set on a particular clothing store.
Aiyora did not specifically mention what she wanted but Kaname kept a watchful eye on her, which resulted in him buying everything that she gazed at with interest. Among which were multiple dresses, shoes, purses, cosmetics, accessories etc.
It wasn't long until both his hands were full of shopping bags as he continued to walk behind her.
But little did he know she was far from done. He may have done her personal shopping but she insisted on picking gifts for Senri, his mother, his grand uncle and small little things for her favorite maids- for all of which he had to pay!
Kaname was not sure if this was done intentionally- a deliberate move to test his reaction or just out of pure niceness. In either cases he was not very happy with the outcome. Clearly he did not bring her out to shopping so that she could purchase gifts for the members and maids of the Shiki house. But in the end he chose to keep his mouth shut after seeing how genuinely happy she was only to be able to do something for that family.
Therefore with a tender smile on his face he encouraged her to keep going...
All in all in spite of everything the pureblood duo had a great time mostly towards the end. Once Aiyora warmed up they shared opinions and arguments for instance Aiyora was mostly drawn towards purple and similar color within the same family. The same way Kaname was drawn towards red. If Aiyora picked a purple dress, Kaname picked the same dress in red and insisted she took the one he chose.
They also found one common connection between them which brought them back for shopping again and again. And that was their maddening love for high-heels!
Both Kuran Kaname and Kuran Aiyora shared a great deal of fascination towards high heeled shoes. Especially those thin pencil stilettos. Just the way Aiyora loved to wear high-heels and walk in on them. Same way Kaname had a weakness to watch girls walk in those beautiful delicate shoes.
"What do you think? Which one?" Aiyora asked posing before him in two totally different pairs on each foot. Kaname in return looked at the sales associate and instructed her to pack both of them up and put them by the cash desk.
In that one day he bought her over 20 pairs of those fancy shoes. Leaving no kinds to be missed; be it pumps, sandals, platforms, wedges and what not in various colors and styles. In leather, patent leather, metallic looking ones, the ones that comes with the red bottom, the one that comes with butterfly at the back, or diamond buckle in front, or heels made with diamonds etcetera.
...
After weeks of dinners and shopping. Kaname then amped it up to something different. Therefore in his next visit he asked Aiyora to accompany him to an art exhibition.
At first the girl appeared quite excited about it. She has never been to something of this sort. But sadly all her excitements died down once she was physically there. It was a lot different than what she thought and expected. There was nothing to do other than see those paintings on the walls and the odd looking sculptures that were out for display. How long could a person look at these? Surely she couldn't do it for long. Then there were all sorts of strangers looking at her with their curious gaze. Some were even drooling over her form like she was the most delicious dessert they have ever seen.
Not only did she find the event boring, the crowd was all full of older people too and that made it far worse. As a result of which the young Kuran found herself yawning every now and then.
Although Aiyora was bored to death but her companion was a different story. It came to her as quite a surprise to see how her brother was actually the one enjoying this. What an intense conversation he was having with a middle aged couple regarding politics. Quite often he was surrounded by people of these kind and together they shared long conversations about world politics, art, culture and what not. He didn't have any difficulty getting along with these kinds of crowd. To Aiyora it seemed like he was someone of that middle aged group despite the youthful face and body.
While some people were here for genuine conversation others came with agenda, to introduce their daughters to him. Some of them were even shameless enough to directly make him the offer to take their daughters' as a mistress.
Aiyora was beyond amused by this. Leaning on the wall by one of the corner the only thing she kept thinking was what was so special about him anyway? From the outside he was good looking. Even now wearing this dark form fitting suit he defined the word handsome. But he was no fun to talk to. He sometimes spoke like he was some sort of an ancient being, like from another generation. Won't these girls get bored in his company? She surely does most of the time...
"Let's go!"
Aiyora was pulled out of her train of thoughts. Before she could ask what was happening they were already walking out. She did not protest. Truth be told she was glad that they were out of that boring hell hole. But curious she was as to what happened for him to leave so abruptly.
They silently climbed into car. And neither of them spoke till the car drove out.
"I apologize," Kaname was the one to break the tensed silence. "... I did not think the evening would turn out like this."
"It's okay...it wasn't your fault." She flashed him a reassuring smile.
"Are you upset that I did not introduce you to anyone as my fiancée?"
The smile from her face dropped and Aiyora became tensed.
"No-no its's completely alright."
Kaname took a good look at the expression of her face.
And the rest of the ride kind of went by in silence.
...
A month after the art exhibition he took her to see the opera.
They had the best view, the best booth, all just to themselves. Overall it was a great atmosphere, only for Kaname that is.
As for his supposed better half, she was bored there as well. The poor child did not even understand O of opera, whatever was happing at the stage at that moment made no sense to her. And here she was a sucker for romantic movies.
Half way through the show she was already drooling over his shoulder.
Next time he actually took her to a fun-fair that was held on the park nearest to the Shiki residence. The same night from there he took her to nearest theatre to watch movie. A sickeningly romantic move. Where he was actually having a hard time keeping his eyes open.
...
During one of those random unannounced visits Kaname walked in on Aiyora, in the middle of her beautification session...
She was getting her regular mani-pedicure.
When their eyes met, she flashed him a soft sweet smile, before politely requesting him to wait till she was done with the promise that it would not take too long.
However Kaname on the other hand had a completely different plan; which is why instead of doing what he was asked he in turn dismissed the maid and took her place.
Initially Aiyora was clueless as to what he was up to but the moment she figured out, with her eyes turned as wide as plate, she half screamed and half squeaked in full astonishment.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING...!?"
"Just sit back and relax..." He assured her with full confidence. Flashing a small smirk that told her that he knew exactly what he was doing. "...I will take it from here."
She could not help but rub her eyes and blink them several times just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.
The scene playing before her was so absurd!
Kuran Kaname, the leader of their race, her cold hearted brother doing her pedicure...?
It looked as bizarre as it sounded. Something that she have never even tried to imagine in her wildest dreams.
All throughout the process Aiyora just sat there with an odd look pasted up on her face watching her brother as continued to paint her toe nails. He was already done with the right one, currently working on the left.
At the beginning she asked him to stop several times demanding what he knew of nails...? Kaname however gave her the answer through his works. Thus reason for her silence now...
First he clipped, buffed and filed the nails to give them the perfect shape... then oiled them...then soaked them under warm water while following same procedure on her hands.
Aiyora almost had her mouth drop to the ground discovering his excellent scrubbing skills. The way his hands moved, fingers danced against her supple skin it not only looked but also felt like she was being handled by someone who has been in this profession for over hundreds of years.
Not even for a split second did she feel it was a man!
She absolutely hated to admit but the truth cannot be ignored; he actually did a better job than her professional maid. To add on side, the massage he gave was something to die for...it was so good that the young pureblood had real tough time in keeping her eyes open. If only she was on her bed she would be snoring by now.
"Almost done..." he declared while his hand reached to grab the glossy top coat as the finishing touch.
The end result was absolutely stunning! In fact her nails never looked this great. In Aiyora's own words she could practically see them sparkling! She was impressed, very impressed yet couldn't help but wonder where he learned such great skills from...?
And ever since that day it became a regular session for them. The maid who was in charge of doing her nails was removed, and that position was taken over by the great Kuran Kaname- the full time prince and the part-time beautician!
It was a tagline that Aiyora made for him.
...
Aiyora is a huge fan of Shiki Midori!
Kaname discovered that about her during one of his visits. He went with intention to take her out for dinner but Aiyora refused to leave her couch. She was curled up like a ball with those large blue orbs completely engrossed into the television screen watching a cinema.
Seeing no other available option he decided to join her. He took the closest single sitter seat by her and focused on the television screen.
"The actress looks quite familiar..." he stated conversationally reclining back on the seat he just occupied.
"Did you not recognize her?"
He simply nodded his head no, how was he supposed to know? He was not the person with so much idle time that he could drown himself to the luxury where he can lay down and watch television. He barely had time for entertainment. And even if he had idle time in hand he would rather prefer to read a good book than waste his time watching this rubbish in the name of romance.
From the corner of his eyes Kaname noticed her sitting up. The expression of her face changed to something close to amused.
"You can't recognize her?" she exclaimed borderline offended. "Seriously...!?"
He nodded his head 'no' again, clearly not understanding the big deal about it. Was she someone that famous? Was it a crime not to know her?
"It's lady Shiki...Senri's mother!" Aiyora chirped like a bird. Her voice filled with pride as if she was talking about her own mother.
"Oh." His expression was as bland as plain white sheet, and that disappointed her.
"Isn't she absolutely beautiful?" she asked giving him the puppy eyes and then added. "I think she is the most beautiful woman to have ever walked on the face of this earth. If I was born a man I would have married her and given her all the love..."
Even though Kaname remained unmoving from his position but her words got to him.
Too bad your father never felt that way...the thought came up to his throat but never left his mouth.
Instead this was what he said "She is nothing special..."
In a second Aiyora's eyes turned wide, she looked offended like it was her about whom he just referred to. Wait a second...she didn't only looked offended, she looked angry!
Kaname put no attempt to hide the smug smirk that just made its way onto his lips.
Angry Aiyora was quite a delightful sight for the eyes...
And what was more hilarious was the fact that she was trying to look frightening! But unfortunately she was doing a terrible job in that aspect. Since those wide eyes, flushed puffy cheeks made her look all the more adorable than fearful.
There was tensed silence hanging in the air which could have been easily dissolved if he either apologized or even just stayed quiet for some time. But he chose to add further fuel to her fire by seizing the opportunity to tease her in her current state.
"I'm speaking from a man's perspective, there are way better looking ladies out there...in comparison to her!"
"Well in that case I can tell you have no taste in women!" Her words came out as a bite on his skin when he realized that she indirectly called Yuuki ugly!
Suddenly he was furious. Resulting in another long silence... during which the younger pureblood turned her focus back to the television screen while the older continued to watch her.
"You seem very fond of her."
He concluded out loud, after a period of observation. His own gaze now towards the television screen in silent defeat. There was no intention to get into any sort of argument with her. Aiyora has already shown how passionate she is when it comes to the Shiki family. Plus to top that she has unpredictable temper. The combination of two is absolutely worst. Who knows what tantrum she will throw if provoked?
It would utterly and absolutely foolish to risk all the progress he has made with her so far...over Shiki Midori's beauty!
Thus he decided to give it a try and see for himself what was so special about this lady anyway!
The lady Shiki his eyes were used to and the one on the television screen were polar opposite. As the movie continued he ended up finding himself agreeing more and more with Aiyora- She (lady Shiki) actually used to be quite striking in those days. And what was even more interesting was the fact that from some angle she really did resemble his late mother Kuran Juuri.
Now it all made sense as to why Rido took an interest in her in the first place...
He was so engrossed into his thought that he completely failed to notice when the scene on the movie changed from a romantic to a disturbingly lustful one... because the next time he looked onto the television screen lady Shiki was stripping down.
Kaname uneasily moved on his seat and cleared his throat awkwardly. Thankfully his companion in the room took no notice of that. He thought there would be a time when this vulgarity would stop but no she was already in her undergarments and it still didn't stop there. Her male co-star ripped off the rest while wasting no time in getting rid of his clothing before both their naked bodies dropped to the bed.
Now it was Kaname's turn to have his eyes wide!
At first he found himself at a loss. Then quickly gaining back his composure he moved his eyes to glance at Aiyora only to find her still staring at the television screen in awe, with her mouth was partly gaped.
Shameless Girl! He cursed her in mind. In his thousand years of past life and in this life Kuran Kaname has never felt so embarrassed...until now!
His eyes desperately searched for the remote so that he could at least change the channel but as luck would have it he couldn't find that damned object...anywhere! He became livid at the Shiki household. He always had his suspicion but today he got the evidence red handed that they are not guiding her properly.
She is too young to watch these sorts of movies! Besides why aren't there any sort of parental guides on the television? More importantly where is her nursemaid? Shouldn't that woman be keeping an eye on her all the time...?
Anger got the best of him. A small portion of his power was let loose...
All objects made up of glass in the room exploded...including the television screen.
...
Not all of his visits were eventful. Sometimes they simply stayed home. Locked inside the library studying. He decided to tutor her on some occasions thinking this would serve as another great opportunity to get to know her. And the idea proved to be a success, he did pick up few new details...
From day one of his tuition he discovered new qualities in the girl. She was no genius nor was she dumb, rather a bright child for her age. He was quite surprised to see Aiyora's hatred for reading. Despite being fond of romance she absolutely loathed reading and literature was her least favorite subject. She tried every possible excuse to not study that particular subject. Other than that, she was pretty good in English, she spoke fluently with a proper English accent and wrote fairly well too. Beside English she was also fluent in French and Hebrew. She lacked a little in science and general knowledge. But when it came to her skills in mathematics Kaname was left stunned, absolutely speechless!
At first he started off by giving her easy problems to solve, to test her skills. Only to change them to the critical ones moment later. He was taken aback when she solved the toughest of problems that he gave with a simple twist of finger...like it was no big deal.
Teaching Aiyora mathematics turned out to be more fun than he anticipated.
Unlike Yuuki, she is quite sharp and is able to catch the problems fast within the sums. Whereas Yuuki is more like her father Kuran Haruka, both of whom were weak in this aspect. Till to this day he remembered how Juuri always used to tease her husband by pointing out how weak he was in math compared to her and their older sibling-wait a second... now it makes sense, Aiyora is no math genius, it is genetically inherited from her father.
Ironically this was their (Kaname and Aiyora's) second common ground after high-heels. Like him she too shared the same idea for mathematics-The tougher the problems the more interesting it is to solve!
...
Seeing how good she was with math Kaname could only imagine what excellent skills she might have in chess.
When he asked she showed her interest. The thought of finally finding a partner to play chess with filled his heart with joy. A type of joy that he could not define in words.
Hence the next time he came, he brought his chess board along. Truth be told he was sick of playing by himself, which is why these days he only used chess for planning and calculation rather than actually playing it for the purpose of fun.
If he remembered correctly as a child Aiyora was quite fascinated with this game and had great interest in learning it. She would always sit on the side and quietly watched every time he and Haruka had a friendly match.
Aiyora helped him set up the board. Both sat down with the intention to the beat the other one as pathetically as possible. Like expected he picked black and she picked white. In her request he made the first move-a pawn. During her turn she moved two pawns. The game went on... He moved couple more pieces... she followed... He lost few pawns and a bishop... she lost couple pawns and a castle...
Then after a long wait and much thinking he finally moved his king to the left. And when Aiyora's turn came this was what she said, taking him completely off guard.
"This game is going nowhere...I'm bored. Can we do anything else but this?"
"What happened?"
The shock on his face was genuine. He could not understand. Why she did not want to play suddenly? Did he do something? Was the game not fun? He was enjoying. He was really enjoying. After a long time he was having fun and she was going to take it away just like that. How could she be so cruel?
"Why do you not want to play?" he pushed her further, because needed to know her reason for abandoning him like this. A part of him refused to believe that she was going to quit the game mid-way.
"I told you already...I'm not enjoy it."
"You used to love chess." He reasoned.
"Yes...used to. But not anymore." How is that even possible? it was her who pointed out to him at such a young age that what power the queen wields on this board.
"Why?"
"..ugh...it was so long ago. I guess I forgot the basic rules of the game."
"One cannot simply forget how to play chess. I can teach you all over again." He grasped her hand and pulled her back as she was about to leave the table.
She retaliated back right then and there by pulling her hand back and glaring at him with furious eyes confusing Kaname further more. He really could not understand the reason behind her unexpected anger. Was playing chess a crime?
"What happened Aiyora?"
Her breathing heaved. She took few deep breaths before finally letting opening her mouth.
"Every day I used to setup the board and wait for you with hopes that you will come and we will play like the old times. You never came. Then you promised me that you would come on my birthday. Again, you did not. I starved myself for weeks...my naïve mind thought you would come running just to feed me but you still did not. I finally understood that I mean nothing to you. Thus I rid myself off everything that reminded me of you which includes playing chess..."
"But-"
"Yes...I thought I could leave the past behind and just concentrate on the game but way too much emotion is attached to it. Which is why I cannot bring myself to continue playing this anymore..."
"I'm trying..."
"Yes you are. And I am also trying. But it's not easy..."
Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. He reached forward to wipe them away but she moved away just before his fingers could make contact with her skin. She stood up abruptly and rushed out of the room. Leaving him behind utterly confused and for the first time feeling strangely...guilty...?
...
For the next few days Aiyora barely spoke him but eventually with time she slowly once again started to act all normal.
...
Alongside her education he also started to work on her training. Knowing all too well that the Shiki family did nothing in that important aspect. However he preferred to keep it slow and as much fun for her as possible since it was the earliest stage rather than burdening her. After all these newfound powers and abilities can be quite overwhelming, especially when one is not familiar with its usage.
Their training session never took place anywhere near the Shiki residence. He took her to an isolated forest located towards the end of the town. This place was away from the human eyes and habitat giving them enough privacy to move freely as vampire.
For the first couple of days they only talked. He gave her few lecture on purebloods, how they came to existence, how their life was prior to war with humans. Then he focused on the Kuran family and what is her role of being a one. He gave her the platform to ask as many questions as she desired and he answered each one of them thoroughly. Making sure there was no doubt left in the back of her head.
Then finally proceeded to demonstrating some of his skills.
Just for the purpose of showing off how much power he wields, he converted a part of his body to weapon. His left hand suddenly changed into a huge weapon that was almost the same side as him.
Aiyora who was not used to seeing him like this freaked out. She let out a frightened scream and ran the opposite direction. Leaving him no choice but to immediately discard everything and chase after her...
Next day he focused only on the basic power that all general vampires have including the level Bs and Cs... which is how to target and hypnotize a prey.
Then he proceeded to aristocrat like powers like bending of natural elements.
-To demonstrate fire he burned the piece of paper she had on her grip without even taking at glance at it.
-For water and ice he picked up a flower from the ground and froze it.
-For earth he cracked the soil atop which she was standing.
-For wind and weather he changed the temperature once too hot to breathe and other time freezing cold.
To demonstrate the next ability he did something different...and exciting.
"Ai-chan!"
Aiyora jumped on the spot.
That voice! Her heart skipped a beat. Body tickled with excitement.
She frantically turned around to see Senri standing few feet behind with arms wide open.
"Senri-chan! ...you're here..." she whispered under her breath, clearly surprised. How is it even possible that he is standing here right before her? But does the 'how' really matter? No, it doesn't.
The maroon haired vampire said no word, just ushered her to come forth, into his awaiting arms. And that was all she needed, just one call to run to him...
Thus without a further ado Aiyora took her first step to throw herself into Senri's sweet loving arms. But before she could take her second step something different happened:
To her the next couple moments passed in a blur. She barely saw anything, all she did was feel and this all she could gather...
...a masculine arm snaking around her waist... its grip tightening... a sharp pull back...her small form colliding with a hard chest with a loud 'thud'... and then a deep husky whispering into her ear...
"He isn't here..." The same voice continued "...It's just an illusion."
Senri's form exploded into bits of tiny crystals and slowly blended into the air. Her eyes winded and mouth parted to let out a muted gasp as the realization hit her in the core.
The owner of the voice got closer.
"You only saw what I wanted you to see."
He was close, so close that she felt his lips tracing over the shell of her ear... His nose taking in her scent through her hair ...and his heavy exhale of hot breath washing over her exposed neck...
"It allows you to manipulate everything. With just the right amount you can have the whole world under your grip. That's what its true beauty is yet the same time its ugliness..."
Her large blue orbs stared longingly into the now empty space which was occupied by Senri's shadow not too long ago. Her head trying to register what it learned.
"Aiyora...?" she responded like she was under spell.
Her head turned back and she gasped. This time an audible one. A full force electrifying shiver ran down her spine, alarming her, awakening those fear that lay sleeping all these time. This fear crept along her skin, as she finally registered what she saw...
Glowing red eyes...
Her brother's eyes were no longer the warm burgundy that she is so used. Now they are the same shade as blood. Glowing in its agonizing, unquenchable thirst.
'What is happening?' this was the first time Aiyora was seeing him like this. Not being able to look into those eyes anymore she moved her gaze down. This time only to focus on his partly gaped lips... and that enough for her to have a glimpse of those ferocious elongated fangs!
He saw her fear. She was terrified. Her eyes could not hide it anymore as they stared back at him with uncertainty. With her body ever so slightly shaking. The situation, the position they were in...it enticed him. Her fear nearly doubled his excitement. He had never seen her, never smelled her, never felt her from such close proximity.
He took one daring glace down at her narrow long neck. Not even having the slightest idea how painfully tight his hold was becoming on her fragile little body. All that mattered in that moment of weakness was the sight right before his vision... the supple looking skin, like butter... that jugular pulsating in unsettling beats...
Her breath came out short and heavy. Each exhale was deeper than the one before. He felt it, his aura is suffocating her, not letting her breathe.
"Onii-sama..." her voice chocked.
That one alarming call was all he needed. He came to realize their position.
With the blink of an eye his eyes changed back to its normal hue. In a flash she was freed from him. She lost balance and her form dropped on her knees whilst he took few steps back.
She managed to speak all the in between attempt to catch her breath. "...were you trying...to...kill me...?"
He said nothing to that, just swallowed nervously taking another step back. No she was wrong. He wasn't intending to kill her. He had no such desire at all. For now till the time Yuuki awakens he would need her alive.
But truth cannot be ignored-he may not had the plan to kill her, however there was this foreign urge that kept chanting to him to devour her...
.
.
.
Once she had clear idea about the aristocratic level, he promoted her up to the pureblood's level. Here also he started with the most interesting one by showing her how to create a familiar. Aiyora was beyond amazed to see the big black wolf that he could create and right away expressed her desire to create her own familiar.
She was quite curious as to what her own familiar would look like?
"Can it be a bigger wolf than yours?" it was one of her frequently asked question.
"Of course it can...you just need to work very hard for that." His reply came with an affectionate pet on the head.
To help her create her familiar they worked together for days after days, meditating for hours after hours.
Then finally one day...
Aiyora still had her eyes closed sitting on the position of meditation, concentrating on putting her energy and life force to create a living being. Kaname remained standing behind her with his hands crossed over his chest and eyes glued to her form just to make sure she was not getting distracted.
Suddenly he felt something tickling around his feet looking down he saw tiny white fluffy kitten trying to bite the front of his shoe. A smile crept up his lips at the result of their success.
He picked up the tiny animal. She was so small not even half the size of his palm.
"Aiyora..."
She immediately broke her meditation and jumped onto her feet.
"It here...!?" he nodded his head yes.
"Where? Where?" her head frantically turned in every direction.
"Right here..." he extended his hand and revealed her creation.
The excited smile from the lips curved down to a disappointed frown. She gulped empty air and looked away from the little animal that was current licking a finger of the other pureblood.
"What's the matter? You look unhappy."
"Because I am..." she said through gritted teeth while her eyes kept their focus on her shoes suddenly finding them very interesting.
"You expected a big wolf like mine?"
"No exactly, but didn't expect something this tiny either." She pointed towards his hand. "I mean look at her she is not even half the side of your palm..." she let out a sad sigh. "...all you need to do is close your fist and it will done!
It feels like all my hard work has gone down the drain..."
Kaname could only chuckle. He set the kitten he free and marched towards Aiyora. He pulled her into his arms and held her into a tight embrace.
"Do not lose hope nor your faith, because the next familiar you create I'm sure will be a better one."
She wrapped her small arms around his waist and returned the embrace. "...you think so?"
"I know so..." he whispered burying his face over her head.
.
.
.
...
Months after months have passed...
And during these span of time things have certainly changed quite a bit. Night Class is fully established and doing a great of getting adjusted into living in the same vicinity with the humans. Senri and Rima are well recognized and currently the most in demand model for every agency. And as for the pureblood prince he spends most his time in the company of his fiancée.
At this point it appears that finally his connection with Aiyora is set on the path of being repaired, and with each passing day it gets even better.
Now in his presence she freely smiles, sometimes speaks her heart out and at times take the attempt to make him smile as well. It surely is a huge improvement however he still stands quite far from his desired destination...her heart!
Within these passing time he made a different approach on his plans.
He made some trips where he did not go alone, either took Takuma or Seiran with him.
Why? If you wonder...
...well time has come for Aiyora to be introduced to more handful of people, mind you handful only not mass majority...which was why chose the two mentioned earlier particularly.
His two trusted bishops!
Seiran and Aiyora's first meeting went exactly as he predicted.
Aiyora's colorful and Seiran's grey personality clashed. The two of them shared nothing in common. Therefore carrying on a conversation was hard. Heck even he himself never had any conversation with the female. Their relationship strictly is of master and servant. He commands and she obeys. That is how it works.
But Aiyora being Aiyora, she still put up a decent attempt to have a conversation with his bodyguard.
"Is it safe to assume that you are a friend of my onii-sama...Seiran-san?"
Aiyora's voice laced with excitement whereas the grey haired female simply kept it to her stoic self. Her job was to serve the Kuran heir and that's about it. She stayed focused on her assigned. She had no interest in her master's private affairs, unlike the mass majority in the night class.
"No, Kaname-sama is my master." Her voice was flat as paper.
Aiyora's excitement crushed right there but she tried to give it another chance.
"Can your master not be your friend?" her question was as innocent as she was.
"That is not how the world works Aiyora-sama."
Aiyora felt confused by her tone. Was she rude to her? Or is this how she is in general? However the hint was clear as water that she wished to share no information of the connection she shares with her brother.
Aiyora fully understood and respected her privacy, so she decided to change the topic anyway and proceed to another direction. True there was no point in knowing her connection with Kaname but it wouldn't hurt to get to know the girl on a person level...would it?
Clearing her throat the young pureblood proceeded.
"Why don't we talk about something personal then...what is your favorite color Seiran-san?"
"I have none."
The smile from the pureblood's enthusiastic face dropped while one of her eyebrow rose in confusion. Who on earth does not have a favorite color? She certainly does...there is an entire list of it.
"Your favorite food?" there has to be something interesting here.
"I have no preference."
Aiyora rolled her eyes. What sort of being was this person?
"Any hobby?"
"..." she just turned to the pureblood with a look that suggests she has no idea what this term 'hobby' actually means.
It put Aiyora in an awkward position. Inside she was really mad at Kaname out of all the members of the night class this is one he chose to bring here. But the child was brave enough to give it one last try so she explained.
"What do you do in your spare time Seiran-san?"
"I always serve Kaname-sama."
Aiyora let out a tired sigh looking up at the bright night sky "...Other than that?"
"That is all I do Aiyora-sama. My life is dedicated to serving him."
That was enough to kill Aiyora's mood any further conversation. She just turned on her heels and decided to walk the other way. Her maids are far more interesting to chat with than this robot.
Kaname and Shiki Sayatohi watched the whole scene from the rooftop.
"Sometimes she acts a little snarky..." the head of the Shiki family commented on Aiyora abrupt turn.
Kaname saw this as a complete waste of time. Seiran clearly failed now it's time to bring the other one.
...
The following day the two of them were in her room.
Aiyora remained seated on the stool in front of the dresser. Her blue orbs watched her brother through the mirror who stood behind her, brushing her hair. He was indeed a sight to be seen. Holding the comb with one hand and all of her hair gathered in another as he worked towards making the perfect ponytail. It was surely an odd sight however by now she was quite used to it. After all he is one who has been doing her manicure-pedicure every single week since then.
"Perfect!" he praised the result of his own hard work-the perfectly done ponytail!
He then bent her face upward and then bent down himself to kiss above her forehead.
"Ichijo-san, is he any different from Serian-san?"
"They are polar opposite."
"Will he like me?"
"I'm sure he will more than like you."
"Who is he to you again?" she turned her head to watch him respond.
"He is the only one whom I consider to be my friend..."
...
The expression on Ichijo's face was something worth capturing when Kaname first asked him if he would like to accompany him to the Shiki house.
The Ichijo heir said yes right away. Even before fully recovering from the shock he rushed out of the brunette's chamber to get ready. But here is the actual deal despite carrying the excited face on the outside, inside the blonde's suspicion actually doubled. As he came to realize half way through getting ready what an odd request this was.
It was not only unexpected but didn't make a lot of sense. Why all of a sudden Kaname wanted a third presence? What is he up to now? It seemed too complex of a puzzle to be solved so soon.
He went back to the brunette's room and found him almost ready. The pureblood was just fastening the belt of his coat.
As they headed out together Takuma could no longer hold back on his curiosity. His innocent mind gave in and he ended up asking.
"Are you sure it's alright for me to come along?"
"I want Aiyora to meet more people. That poor child barely knows anyone aside from Shiki and I..."
"And you suddenly care?" the question actually slipped from the blonde's mouth as they walked down the stairs towards the awaiting car by the main entrance.
"..." Kaname remained silent and Takuma did not push for the reply anyway.
The two vampire stood before car and waited as the driver came around and held the door open for them.
As usual the pureblood was the first to climb in and Takuma followed after. He took the seat across from the brunette. The door was slammed shut and not long after the sound of engine starting reached them. Soon after the car started to drive out.
Takuma watched his friend who had his wine like eyes fixated on the scenery outside. Still no reply came from him. Now the question remains whether it will actually come? If Kaname doesn't want to answer there is nothing he can do. No matter the depth of their friendship end of the day Kaname is still a pureblood, way above him in status and in power.
Thus the silence lingered inside the vehicle. It became apparent that the tension was on the rise.
"To answer your question... I've always cared for her. It is just that my way of showing wasn't very accurate."
What a bullshit! Takuma only wished he could scream that out loud.
"But you abandoned her...?" the 'why' remained silent.
This time Kaname turned his head and looked at him directly in the eyes.
"...Because no one comes before Yuuki."
Not a word came out of the blonde mouth. He made the smart move to not comment further. He turned towards the window in silent defeat. The pureblood's eyes lingered on him for a while longer before he too turned his gaze out of the window.
"You know something Kaname..."
"What is it?"
"... A day will come when you will love Aiyora-chan with everything! You love her more than anyone, more than anything, more than life..."
"And then what...?" there came the pureblood silent command for him to finish what he started.
"Nothing! Because she will never return your feelings."
to be continued in the next chapter.
a.n. Thank you all for reading and taking the time to review, follow and favorite, your support means a lot.
this chapter focuses on kaname's attempt to gain Aiyora's trust, next chapter will focus on Aiyora and Takuma. But for those of you keeping track... while doing all these he is actually spending most of his time with Aiyora while Yuuki is left in the company of Zero. A reader 'perseverance-n' pointed out to me.
Also just couple more chapters till Aiyora goes to Cross Academy.