Ch 5: Caught

Yuki had finally mastered the art of summoning of her familiars and was now proficient in manifesting a copy of herself from the fluttering mass of butterflies. Her mother had spent the past few months teaching her this technique which was useful in many ways. Even though the copy could perform most of the things the actual self can do, if it was harmed, the real body suffered no damage. This was the same technique Shizuku sometimes used to visit her when he was too busy to actually leave home, though his familiars took on the form of bats like most other vampires.

When Yuki had first shown him her butterfly familiar, he had made a characteristically rude comment about how weak and girly they were, to which she had huffed and replied that was because she was a girl, and being girly was not weak! Her mother epitomized feminine grace and she definitely was not weak. Having been on the receiving end of her mother's frosty glare a few times, Yuki secretly thought her mother could probably kill with that glare alone – without even needing to unsheathe her katana or use any of her powers.

Today was an early spring day that retained some of the chilly bite of the recent winter. The earth was still muddy from the melted snow, and the grass still had not sprouted back up yet. As usual, Yuki was making use of her daily free time around sunset but had snuck out from the gardens surrounding the cottage. She had seen the familiar solitary bat hanging with one wing extended from the top branch of the tallest tree in the distant corner of the garden – their secret signal.

She carefully made her way over the mushy ground to the location with the large gray rock, their customary meeting place. Although this place was sufficiently far to escape her mother's detection, it was still close enough for her to make it back with enough time to spare. Having been grounded that first time she had met him four years ago for having strayed too far from the house, she had long since mastered the art of sneaking back into the garden before her mother awoke and noticed she was not in the immediate vicinity.

He was already there, sitting cross-legged with both palms flat against the rocky surface, staring up at the darkening sky. He was wearing his usual black cloak but had worn the hat with the blue band this time. Yuki wondered if he had an entire shelve in his closet dedicated to black top hats, the only thing distinguishing each one the color of its band. Given how fastidious he could be about his clothes, she would not be surprised in the least to discover that shelve of top hats really existed.

"Shizuku!" She greeted him happily with a wide smile, it had been almost a full month since she had last seen him.

He turned to glare at the girl clad in a peach colored winter coat, her brain hair tied into two braids with large white ribbons. "Like I've told you a million times already, its Shizuku-sama to you, brat!"

She pouted before complaining, "Ehhh, its weird to address you so respectfully when I am just as tall as you now."

It was true that she had reached the same height as her friend, and in fact might even be a centimeter taller than the boy whose appearance and height had not changed at all since their first encounter.

Shizuku frowned at the mention about their height. Maybe he should wear shoes with higher heels next time so her increased height did not inflate her ego even more…

"Don't look so annoyed! Look, I made you a gift!" She cajoled as she sat down next to him on their rock.

The boy grimaced at her declaration, the last time she had bought him a gift, it had been one of her hand baked cookies. The cookie had not looked the least bit edible, and practically had toxic vapors emanating from it. Against his better judgement and caving into her unceasing pleas, he had hesitantly taken just the tiniest bite and had nearly vomited up the contents of his last meal. Never in his immortal life had he ever come so close to death's door. Somehow, she had no problem chomping away happily at her own creations, perhaps her taste buds were naturally defective?

"What is it this time? Another poisonous cookie? Forget about being learning how to use the sword, you can kill even us purebloods with just your cooking."

She swatted him hard on his shoulder, her face reddening briefly at the mention of her disastrous cooking. She had tried to assist Aoi in the kitchen a few years ago, but after a handful of disastrous attempts (with her nearly setting the kitchen on fire that one time), Aoi had firmly insisted that she keep out of the kitchen. Even her mother had learned to decline her cooking politely but adamantly, always insisting she was not hungry when Yuki offered her some of her culinary creations.

"Forget about the cookies, you just don't have the refined palate to properly appreciate them. Here!" She huffed and thrusted something into his hand.

He looked at the item and saw with mild relief that it was a small, pink, silk drawstring sachet. The sachet gave off the faint fragrance of roses. What really caught his attention was some indecipherable creature embroidered with white thread in the middle. Clearly, the maker was not skilled with the needle, the threadwork was too rough and uneven, with visible patches of silk dispersed through the design.

Unimpressed, he stared down at the mysterious organism composed of white thread on the sachet. "What exactly is this supposed to be?"

"It's obvious isn't it? It's a bunny!" Yuki replied with a tinge of smugness, "It took me almost the whole week to make it, aren't I such a good friend?" She omitted the fact that this was the prototype and she had given the (slightly) improved version to her mother.

"Huh, I see you are a fan of modern art."

She shot him a suspicious look, though she had not understood the reference, she knew him well enough to figure out that he had probably just insulted her somehow.

She scowled, "You are so mean! I give you gifts but you just criticize me. You never even gave me anything in return! Cheapskate!"

At her last word he glowered back at her. "I grace you with the gift of my presence, brat! Do you even know anyone else besides me, your mother, and the maid? And did you forget that I gave you a whole tin of candy last time?!"

His words struck a chord, and she felt so frustrated that tears were starting to well up, as often happens when he went too far with his words. It was not her fault that she did not have any other friends – making friends was rather difficult when she had to hide from her crazy uncle in fear for her life! And she really did spend a full week embroidering the bunny – she had even been looking forward to seeing his response! She had been such a fool expecting gratitude from him when he had always been a jerk the whole time she knew him.

Seeing the threat of a sobbing tantrum on her red face, he decided it was probably wise to calm her down.

"H-hey don't go bursting into tears like a baby now, you always do this whenever things don't go your way."

"I am not the only baby! You claim you are older, but you don't act mature either, and you haven't grown even an inch since I met you!"

Her bold retort also struck a chord and he felt himself get fired up for a verbal throwdown with the ten-year-old girl but stopped when he saw the first tear drip off her chin. Oh jeez, the waterworks have started, he thought and grimaced. He better stop her before she starts wailing too, once she starts she does not stop for at least a whole five minutes.

"Fine! I am sorry okay? Stop crying, even your snot is coming out!"

"No its not! You jerk!" She sobbed loudly, wiping her nose with her coat sleeve.

Shizuku made a face at her questionable hygiene and pulled his handkerchief out from his front pocket. "Here, wipe your tears with this and stop crying, you are a pureblood vampire!"

She glared at him petulantly through her tears, not taking the offered handkerchief. Seeing her stubborn refusal, he ignored his distaste and leaned closer to dab her tears himself, feeling the warm liquid soak the fabric in his hand. This girl could be so tenacious it was truly something to behold. It was also quite the sight how she cried so unhindered, ignoring that she should keep up appearances as a pureblood, and letting it all out without any care for how blotchy her face was and how unbecoming she looked.

Oh crap! He suddenly realized he had taken out the wrong handkerchief in his haste, this was the one he reserved solely for himself. He felt himself turn a few shades paler and froze as he stared down at the soiled cloth in his hands.

Despite her sniffles, Yuki had calmed down enough to notice his strange expression. Concerned, she made her final sniffle and lightly touched his hand that was holding the handkerchief.

"What's wrong?"

At her touch he seemed to snap out of his reverie and turned away to quickly compose himself.

"Nothing," he replied gruffly, looking down at the dirtied fabric in his hand. It was not exactly the end of the world…he could always wrap it up with the spare and carefully wash it later.

Following his gaze, she examined the handkerchief, it was an off-white hue with lacy edges and decorated with an intricate pattern of daisies and primroses. The needlework rivaled that of her mother's. Despite being stained with her tears and nasal discharge, she could see that it was probably an old handkerchief, some threads were starting to come loose here and there.

"Shizuku, you always tease me for being girly, but you have such a girly handkerchief too!"

He looked back at her, his lips contorted in an upset frown. His light green eyes displayed a disturbingly uncharacteristic sadness for just a second or so before he turned away.

"I am going home." He announced tersely, quickly pulling the spare handkerchief out and carefully wrapping the soiled one before inserting them back into his pocket. He hopped off the rock and walked a few steps with Yuki following after him.

"Wait, don't go yet." Yuki protested, grabbing him by the arm.

She had not seen him in a while and she wanted to chat more. She was also curious why he was so upset, it seemed to be related to the handkerchief somehow.

At that moment, a katana flew through the air and impaled the end his cloak to the ground underneath.

"Yes, do not leave so fast, boy."

Stunned by the sudden projectile, Yuki gulped when she heard the familiar voice as she and Shizuku both turned in sync to stare at the newcomer like two deer caught in the headlights.

Her mother was standing a few meters away, arms crossed while observing them coolly. Her long hair was not tied up and she was still dressed in her nightgown, covered only with a light blue robe and her feet were bare.

"I would like to have a few words with you." Her mother's tone informed them there was no room for negotiation.

Shizuku and Yuki glanced at each other, both understanding clearly that they had screwed up and the secret was finally out.

Yuki and Shizuku were now both seated uncomfortably on the couch, waiting for Shizuka to finish getting dressed and come back down. They both knew it was futile for him to run and fleeing would probably make matters worse. Aoi was currently off to town working at Erina's shop, so it was just the three purebloods in the house. The boy stared around the interior of the English-styled cottage. They were currently in the living room and although the cottage was obviously old, it was well-kept. There was only one framed landscape painting in the whole room, most of the walls covered by large, filled bookcases. The heavy curtains covering the living room windows had been opened and he could see that the sky outside was now completely dark. As he examined his surroundings, Yuki sat fidgeting nervously next to him, worrying what her mother would do and how she had even discovered them in the first place.

They finally heard footsteps descending the stairs and soon the older woman entered the room. Shizuku wondered if she had purposely taken so long getting ready as a psychological tactic to make them feel even more ill at ease. Her hair was now done up in a low bun with an expensive looking hairpin and she had changed into a simple but refined white dress tied at the waist with a yellow sash. She gracefully settled into the armchair across from the two of them, crossed her legs and looked at them silently with an unreadable expression.

The two younger vampires waited silently for their elder to speak, each second marked conspicuously by the steadily ticking clock. Shizuka glanced at Yuki who was visibly racked with anxiety, then at the boy who sat with his back straight, daring to stare directly at her in a relatively successful attempt to maintain his composure as a pureblood.

"Boy, what is your name?" Her voice was light and casual, as if this was just a simple encounter.

"Shizuku Toma, ma'am." His voice sounded a little strained but at least it did not quiver.

"Oh, a boy from the Toma clan?" Shizuka eyed the boy in front of her, noting that he had their characteristic golden-orange hair.

His parents had been a bit younger than her, and had visited her a long time ago, once when she was still confined in her maiden home before she had gotten married, and three times at the large and cold mansion Rido kept her in after their marriage.

"I suppose you are currently the head of the family since your parents passed away."

The boy's gaze faltered slightly at the mention of his dead parents. He was a little surprised that even the "madly blooming princess" who had spent her entire life under house arrest knew a few things about the happenings among her fellow purebloods.

"Yes ma'am."

"Okaa-sama!" Yuki suddenly interjected, her apprehension finally overcoming her. "Shizuku didn't do anything wrong! He is my friend!"

At her daughter's outburst, the adult vampire dropped her relaxed façade and the two younger vampires felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees.

"Oh? So you are on first name basis with this boy are you Yuki?"

Her mother's cold glare and frosty tone made the girl shake with fear in her seat. She had never seen her mother this angry before and her mother's normally unperturbed aura was now threateningly volatile like a heavy thunderstorm.

"I suppose this must have been going on for quite a while then," her mother shifted her glare to the boy.

The boy almost felt like shivering despite himself. He was now fully aware of how this woman had gained such a fearsome reputation. Her aura almost overwhelmed him, and he wondered how it was possible for a soft crybaby like Yuki to have come from such a scary woman.

"If that is the case, boy from the Toma clan, how long have you two known each other?"

"Four years ma'am."

"Four years?" Despite her ire, Shizuka was slightly impressed that Yuki had managed to hide this from her for that long.

On the bright side, it seemed she could relax just a tiny bit. If he had known Yuki for four years already and the Council's dogs and Rido had not already reached their doorstep, then he was keeping their whereabouts a secret too.

"Okaa-sama…" Yuki weakly mumbled before being shut up immediately by another frosty glare sent her way.

"I am surprised the head of the Toma clan doesn't have more important matters to attend to than secretly socializing with a mere child."

The boy looked down and grimaced, it was certainly hard to respond when she phrased it that way…

Seeing his difficulty formulating a reply, Shizuka correctly guessed that he had been bored like purebloods so often are and had chanced upon Yuki by accident, deciding to interact with her for sheer entertainment. She herself was guilty of constantly toying with the little girl, her reactions were simply so childish and unlike that of their kind that it was hard to resist teasing her. Aoi was also fun to mess with…Shizuka always found her maid's straitlaced scowling and nagging amusing. It seemed this was a vice that all purebloods had, teasing others especially the weaker vampires close to them.

"I assume you know my husband is looking for me. Why haven't you turned us in?"

The boy looked back straight into her eyes and bluntly replied, "I don't particularly like the Kurans, so I see no reason to inform him of anything."

At that candid response, Shizuka's frosty anger melted somewhat and she started laughing, startling both younger vampires. Perhaps she and this boy shared more in common than she had expected.

Sensing that her mother's ire had subsided somewhat, Yuki finally dared to speak again.

"How did you find me Okaa-sama? You weren't supposed to wake up until later," she asked meekly.

Her mother gave her a piercing look before lifting a slender finger to point at the lowest shelf on the bookshelf on the eastern wall. Yuki gasped, that was where she had hidden the large tin of candy Shizuku had given her. She thought it was hidden so well behind a row of books that her mother and Aoi would never discover it.

"Yuki, for someone that avoids reading whenever possible, loitering in front of the bookshelves is quite suspicious. I asked Aoi and she denied having bought that box of candy for you, so it really made me wonder how you obtained it."

The boy would have laughed sardonically at that statement if it were not for the current situation. He should not have been surprised that Yuki had slipped up, she was pretty much an open book. Despite her earlier accusation of him being stingy with gifts, this is the real reason why he had not brought her anything else prior to the candy, it would only arouse suspicion.

"Having reviewed your actions and words that stood out in the past few years, I decided to keep an eye on you. I started to wake up earlier and today I sensed that you were not in the gardens and searched for you."

Yuki squirmed under her mother's disapprobatory stare.

"Imagine my surprise at seeing you with this boy, another pureblood no less."

Shizuku felt that he should probably apologize out of respect to the elder pureblood at the very least. "I am sorry for my furtive behavior ma'am. It was wrong for me to see your daughter without your knowledge."

"Boy from the Toma clan, what exactly do you plan to do with this daughter of mine?"

He winced slightly at such a direct question. There was no dodging it this time.

"I was not planning anything…I was simply curious meeting a pureblood child out here, especially one that has not been formally introduced into society. You might not have known this, but my land is not too far from here."

"And you expect me to believe that you are not planning anything?" The elder pureblood looked him straight in the eyes, and he forced himself to look back unflinching into her intense stare.

"If I were planning to harm her, I would have done so already. But for the past four years she has been returning home safe and sound."

Without pausing to blink, the older pureblood followed up with another question and asked, "What is Yuki to you?"

The question caught him off guard. He was not exactly sure himself; Yuki was not what he would call a friend, she was nowhere near his level. She was not exactly a little sister either, she was simply a crybaby that he liked to visit occasionally and tease.

He noticed Yuki looking at him with wide eyes, seemingly holding her breath waiting for his reply. She would probably get upset again if he denied her status as his friend…

"She…She is someone I enjoy spending time with."

The older woman's cherry blossom colored eyes regarded him for a minute that felt like a century. Her expression was inscrutable as she passed a verdict on his response.

"See Okaa-sama, Shizuku is my friend!" Yuki announced triumphantly, "He tells me about things happening in faraway lands and he even gave me candy."

At her daughter's naïve response, Shizuka sighed and pressed her fingers to her temples. This girl must be protected by some divine being, not having long since been abducted or worse with her ridiculous gullibility. She felt that she could really use a glass of wine right now…it seemed that all Kurans elicited this response in her.

Shizuka brushed aside her concerns over her daughter's naivete and focused on the boy's reply. He was not entirely unbelievable. She had witnessed him carefully dabbing Yuki's tears as she sobbed, brusquely consoling the crying girl. Witnessing that tender scene was what had caused her to impale his cloak instead of his chest with her katana as her first instinct had urged.

"Now that you know he is my friend… can I still see him?" Yuki ventured cautiously.

Seeing her mother's impenetrable expression, she hurried to defend her case. "All my life I had only known mother, Aoi, and Erina-san. I thought that was enough, but when I met Shizuku I finally made a friend, and I was so glad to not be so alone anymore. Even though I knew it was wrong to keep it a secret, I was scared Okaa-sama wouldn't let me see him anymore, so I didn't tell you."

At her words, her mother's glance softened just the tiniest bit. She had wanted to give Yuki a childhood different than her own, one in which the girl did not have to be locked up somewhere and isolated from everyone, but she had been unable to do that. The most she could do was let her play in the relative safety of the garden, under that small slice of sky surrounded on all sides by hedges and bushes.

Yuki slipped off the couch and made her way over to her mother, placing a hand on her mother's knee and looking earnestly into the adult's eyes with a pleading expression. Her mother leaned her head back, closed her eyes and sighed. More than a minute passed by in silence before she finally replied.

"He has to come through the front door the next time." At least this way she could still keep an eye on them.

At her mother's indirect acceptance, Yuki smiled widely and turned back to look at the boy joyously. Shizuku looked a little dazed, he had not expected to be caught, to be interrogated, and for their conversation to end this way. Maybe this turn of events is because of that ridiculous luck Yuki seemed to be blessed with. All's well that ends well, he supposed.

The music of the waltz taking place below floated up in the air, reaching the private sectioned off area in which Kaname was currently resting, hidden behind fancy painted silk screens. He was dressed up for this soiree that Asato had insisted he attend and looking dashing as expected. Although parties were meant to be fun, he had no interest in being here, and would have rather returned home early to finish filling out his assignments.

Unfortunately, Asato had wanted him to remain until the end and thus he stayed, but he was taking a long break right now. If that man had a problem with the length of his break, he would have to march up here himself to tell him that his respite was over. After greeting all the nobles of relevance, Kaname was slightly worn out, his face muscles feeling particularly stiff after having to fake so many smiles. Sighing, he couldn't help but think that if he was still king, like he was so many centuries ago, he would have abused his power to limit the amount of soirees and social gatherings that can take place per month.

If he were still king though, the problem of soirees was of the lowest priority, and there would be many other more urgent issues to tackle. As he laid on the luxurious chaise longue, he stared darkly at the high ceiling above him. Time inevitably corrupts everything, and the vampire world he and the other progenitors had established so long ago had degraded into this sick farce. A few years ago, at another gathering, he had first seen for himself the depths this society had sunk to.

The sight of two human children locked in an ornate cage like pets had made his blood boil, despite the mask of neutrality he managed to keep. The aristocrat who had offered the sacrifices up to him had proceeded to tell him that it was alright to drain the children to death, for he would dispose the bodies. He had said it so nonchalantly, as though it were the most natural thing, reflecting how commonplace this depraved practice had become. However, if Kaname were to be objective, he knew he shouldn't just blame the vampires, for it was the children's human parents that had sold them off so heartlessly without a care for the fate that would befall their own flesh and blood. Humans and vampires were not so different in that regard, after all vampires originated from humans, and thus they had also inherited the capacity for evil.

Unbidden, a memory from a long time ago arose in his mind. It was one of his oldest memories, and in it, he was sitting at a rustic wooden table, in what appeared to be the kitchen of a small but comforting house. To his side, a woman wearing an apron over a shabby dress that had obviously been mended multiple times was gently patting his head as he ate a bowl of simple rice gruel. Across from him, a man in equally run-down clothes was laughing at something the woman had said.

He had been so young then his feet did not reach the dirt floor beneath the chair he was sitting on. Those two had been his human parents – from a life so distant it felt like eons ago. With a heavy heart, he mused on how he could not even remember their faces, only remembering those other details. The color of their eyes and hair were all hazy, the details having been irretrievably lost with the passing of time. Even the immortal and powerful purebloods could not maintain the memories most precious to them when faced with the unrelenting onslaught of time marching on.

Despite having forgotten their faces, he knew his fragile human parents had loved him dearly. Being in that modest kitchen, he had felt safe and warm leaning against his mother and listening to the chatter between the two adults. Even though he was currently clad in an expensive tuxedo and lying on a luxurious chaise longue at a lavish party, living as Kaname Kuran, a pureblood at the top of the vampire world, he felt cold and empty. A part of him yearned silently for that warm home and family he could never return to.

A/N: Yuki and her homie got busted lol. Parenting is stressful, Shizuka has had enough of those kids and their antics. Jokes aside, I am rather interested in Kaname in his identity as the ancestor so I shall be going more in depth into his past in the second arc. I guess if anyone other than the tumbleweeds stick around that long for this story, that is something to look forward to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯