"Why are my eyes blue?"
Rido looked to Hiro, who stood in the doorway. His eyes were downcast and he was deep in thought.
Rido turned around, gesturing for Hiro to come closer. Reluctantly, he did walked forward.
Standing in front of his uncle, Hiro looked into the same rusty red and sky blue they shared.
Rido's were much darker.
"I'm sure you've seen many strange things as a child. Shadows walking around, your eyes glowing, or even a shady figure at some point."
Hiro froze, eyebrows furrowing. He remembered the dreams, Kaname worrying over him, and the shadows.
Rido placed a hand on his blue eyes, a frown on his face. It was one of the few times he didn't smile or smirk. He was angry, but not at Hiro.
"It's a curse. One placed upon the Kurans a millennia ago."
Hiro froze, eyes wide.
A curse?
"The blue in our eyes signify insanity. How it happened is a mystery, but it passed down to me. And now, you."
"Insanity?" Hiro asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
Rido nodded slowly. His eyes closed, his hand reaching for Hiro. He placed a hand on his cheek.
"You will crave power, blood, war. You'll be forced to do terrible things. Destruction will bring you peace."
Hiro frowned softly, thinking to himself. The hand on his cheek was cold. And it smelled of blood.
It always did.
"Is that...what happened to you, uncle?" Hiro asked him. "You weren't always like this?"
Rido smirked, moving his hand back. He didn't answer him, instead laughing.
"Are you afraid of turning into me?" Rido asked.
Hiro looked away, unable to answer. But his answer was clear. But Rido only laughed more.
"Slowly, you'll start to lose your mind. It's inevitable." Rido chuckled.
"What about a cure?"
"For a curse more than a thousand years old?"
Rido seemed fond of his naive thoughts.
Hiro grimaced. That seemed almost impossible, didn't it? But his only option couldn't be to change and become someone else.
Something else.
"It is only a matter of time."
"Did my parents know?" Hiro asked, eyebrows furrowed. "About the Curse?"
"Of course. But they were blinded by their love, which became fear once they had a daughter."
Yuki..?
"They kept you locked away with her, didn't they? In hopes you'd grow closer with her and want to protect her."
Hiro thought back to the days he was left to take care of her. How she would cry for their mother and father and Kaname, and doing what he could to keep away her loneliness.
He missed those days.
"You were old enough to be seen by the world, just as Kaname was. But they were afraid."
"Of what?" Hiro asked.
"You."
__________
Maybe he was too naive.
But he refused to let a curse ruin his life.
Another Vampire turned to dust, flying in the air and leaving nothing behind.
"This is getting annoying..." Hiro mumbled, his shadows disappearing once again.
Rido was relentless. But of course, that was to be expected. His uncle was nothing short of excessive and irritating.
With a tired yawn, Hiro continued on his way, deciding to take a different path.
It wouldn't be long until more came along.
He had come across a small house, deep within the woods.
The light was on, and he could heard sounds coming from behind the house.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he followed the sound.
It sounded...different. Like rhythmic sounds.
It sounded...so pretty.
He stopped beside a bush with cherries, looking over.
A woman kneeled beside a potted plant, digging a small hole within the ground near more flowers.
Her voice was light and sweet, and her skin was dark and brown. Her eyes were pretty, and her hair was curly.
"Hello?"
Hiro jumped, nervously watching as she stood up from her garden.
She dusted her hands off, looking over to the bush.
Frowning, she placed a hand on her hip and gave a scary glare. "You here to take my cherries, too?"
Hiro quickly shook his head. "No...I-Uhm. Your voice, it's really...pretty."
The lady gave a relieved sigh, and then laughed. "Thanks." She walked over to him, wearing a bright smile. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Hiro shook his head.
"Uhm. What were you just doing? With your voice?"
She raised an eyebrow. "When I was singing?"
Hiro shrugged, but nodded.
"I was singing an old song. Guessing you younger kids never heard it."
"How do you 'singing'?"
"Sing. And it's easy... Just make a rhythm with your mouth." She pointed to her lips.
Hiro raised an eyebrow.
"Just follow me."
She started singing, gesturing for him to join her. He messed up a bit, not knowing the words, but he couldn't help but smile at the bubbly feeling in his chest.
They harmonized, and Hiro grinned as she bobbed her head to the sound.
He liked singing.
__________
He was surprised when she gifted him with a basket of cherries.
"Thanks for the company today. Don't be stranger now."
"Oh uhm, thank you." He smiled. "But I never got your name."
She gave him a wink and a smile. "My name is a secret."
Hiro blinked. "A secret..?"
She nodded. "If anybody knew a Pureblood lived out in these parts, it'd be over for me."
Hiro froze.
She laughed. "I keep my aura hidden. It's quite easy, especially when you spend enough time around the dirt."
He smiled, looking at the cherries. "You're very kind."
"And you're adorable." She pinched his cheeks. "Now, get home before it gets too dark. Someone must be waiting for you home." She said, patting his head and turning around.
His smile faltered as she walked back into the garden.
...someone waiting for him?
He gasped, threw faces appearing in his mind.
Takuma, Senri and Rima!
He turned to leave, thanking the woman once again before dashing off.
He'd have to find a way back.
The woman watched as he left quickly, a worried look of his face.
She smiled faintly, placing a cherry in her mouth.
"...those eyes again."