Vampire Knight Fan Fiction ❯ Painted Veil ❯ Kin ( Chapter 4 )

They call it foolish, the secret in my smile. They scoff at goodness, the radiance of my eyes. They name it frivolous. I name it you.

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The quixotic feelings bathing her the night earlier diminished in the morning. Yuuki, being a pertinacious pureblood, admonished herself. How could she begin to think the strange prince was charming? The maids must've added secret ingredients in her food it seemed, no wonder she eyed him akin a blushing maiden would. Never in her precious life had Yuuki blushed or considered a man to be charming. 

She was cradled by angels, kissed by goddesses as a babe, loved and cherished by her natives as a young lady. A person of her caliber didn't submit to such silly feelings. 

She scoffed at her previous musing. As far as she was concerned, they were purely strangers. By now he'd probably forgotten her middle name.

The longer she spent in his company Yuuki sensed a promiscuous vibe scintillating his speech. Her conviction cemented over last night's development. His straightforwardness was more out of brawn reputation than intuition, and she was scandalized by his nature when she went over the event early morning in her mind, coming to the austere conclusion that he certainly wasn't charming after all.

He was a wire of a harp trembling whenever her fingers played. Bendable, quivering and crying in her touch, and if she were a proficient musician, she'd make him cry out in delight or terror. It would take Yuuki little effort to set him straight.

If the maids were surprised to find her sleeping alone in what was supposedly the `Eve of All Eves' glamorized as the first night husbands and wives shared a bed, among other things, they controlled their surprise and kept their pity to themselves, resorting to prepare Yuuki for the journey to the foreign mountains.

The tents were dismantled, a nightly city tuned to the rising moon and crumbled between the spaces of the morning sun. Yuuki watched guards stagger with posts and remove remains of the camp. Workers salvaged and packed items inside carriages, those fortunate enough to travel on cargo or by animal carried domiciliary trinkets suitable on horseback. A productive quantity of workers were supplied with her father's orders, all obligated to escort and assist in settling Yuuki in her new home before returning.

Though momentary, her heart became lighter in the company of familiar palace workers.

Beauteous carriages waited upon Yuuki. Silk red cushions swallowed the interior from the preliminary view of the door. She was helped into a silken mattress inside, her gown flared and veil stretched over her face like a mask. She unbuckled her shoes and set them aside, resisting removing her socks and further alarming the maids. Horses stood waiting anxiously, scouts gravitated toward the streets and soon the entourage lurched forth.

Bleakly Yuuki watched her homeland sink under the terrain of dust, farmland and rivers. The palace shimmered like a distant star in the widening distance. The golden soil of the courtyard carpeted the resplendent image, she held her breath longingly and the image twisted opaque; a fading memory overrun by turning events, lost and abandoned in the hills of childhood.

Her white fist wiped tears under the veil. In the repetitive sway of the carriage, she glanced at the smoky soil chiseling over the side of the carriage and caked her veil. She pretended to be affected by the dust and wept secretly, blaming the stinging dust for her tears. Even in the bustling motions of the entourage, there were nameless and fulfilling sounds and scents of the forest, foreign and forgotten attributes of the wild.

He noticed her fight with herself at the window and said at long last, tilting his hat lower against the side of his elegant neck. His indescribable profile was aloof in the unremitting puffs of dust, bearing sunlight like a normal human despite his ancestral avoidance with radiation, Kaname looked aimable on the stallion.

“You have no reason to cry.” Kaname didn't look at her as the horse continued its relaxed pace alongside the carriage.

She jerked, caught off guard and stared at him drearily through the red veil. Unable to decipher him, Yuuki squinted lengthily to procure a glimpse of a familiar identifier. She clenched her jaw and straightened her small shoulders after finding it.

“You have your conditions remember.” Kaname hoisted the reigns in one hand and lifted the rim of his hat. His slanted eyes were a radiant maroon against the sun. In the narrowed shade of the hat, shadows curled around his forehead.

Locks of dark hair seeped down his cheeks and feathered tenaciously along the collar of his shirt. “You are free to visit and meet them whenever you want. Before the conditions come into effect, may I remind you first you have to meet your in-laws?” An unruly drop of sweat tickled his cheek, slid under the curve of his elegant, smooth jaw.

He caught the clench of her fingers on the windowsill. “No, you can't turn around and head home, if that's what you're thinking.”

Her lips curled in disdain. “Don't mock me.” Yuuki muttered across the path.

Kaname angled his eyes sideways at Yuuki sitting at the window. His white stallion grumbled in the tensed atmosphere. “Do you not want to meet your in-laws?” He sensed, looking immaculately ahead.

“I never said that.” She murmured hesitantly, gaze accidently mauling over his solid physique and fell upon the pale horse. Leaning slightly outward, she touched the cloud-like softness of the stallion's rib. “What's his name? Assuming, he is male.”

“He is named after me.”

She stilled with auguring derisiveness. “Oh, well he's well-mannered and sincere compared to you.”

He smirked before tossing her a look of feigned disapproval. “Seems I offended you somehow? I'm told women think differently. Considering my inexperience and failure to understand women, I guarantee you'll have much work in the future.” He struck a discourteous and lewd smile at the edge of the sentence, gauging the visibility of burning eyes in the veil.

Amusement bled into his soul the more irritated she became by the tease. “You should rest; it'll be a long journey.”

Before she reproached him, Yuuki frowned at the invigorating and near dismissal value in his accompanying her carriage. His counterparts and lithe guards were at the head, directing the voyage. Her criticism of Kaname's decorum and mien diminished at the informal arrangement. Normally significant figures led the entourage, circled by personal guards of his own. He was by her side instead.

“Did you think I'd jump out and run away?”

He didn't miss the cheekiness of her remark and replied identically, “I did, so I thought of hauling you on horseback and not unfasten you unless we reach our destination.”

“You mean to tie me like a rabid animal?” She gasped incredulously.

Patches of sunlight greased his handsome façade. Kaname surveyed her posture and imagined her looking surprised. “Don't like it?”

“Watch who you're talking to!” Yuuki rebuked, “I've never been insulted or treated lowly in my life.”

“How fortunate.” Kaname said. “All I meant was tying you would be convenient than watching you get eaten by lions and wolves.”

“I am a competent pureblood who can withstand any attack.” Yuuki announced. “You might not be aware, but I served with my father's army for a short term. I was taught combat by our famous generals.”

“It will be interesting to see our skills in match at some point.” He replied as astutely as a diplomat would about dead rodents and molds in cracks.

As one knew better, diplomats could care less about such adaptations. His indifference annoyed her but she refrained. Acknowledging her impetuous nature, idly Kaname acquired methods and shameless variations to tease, irate and distract Yuuki, who would otherwise be dismal as a waning flower in winter.

“Do you not believe me? I have no reason to lie.” Yuuki pressed.

“I believe you.” Kaname bowed his head deeply. “Would you be willing to combat me someday? For entertainment, of course.”

“No harm in defeating you in a friendly match.” Yuuki agreed.

“Defeat?” In the common place of the lands he'd soon lord, among his people, soldiers, palace officials, and guards either provisional, as well as honorable generals saluted Kaname for his dexterity in swordsmanship and war tactics.

For one who was molded in the harsh and tough wild, he was cut, trimmed and welded endearingly like swords smiths honing knives. Kaname was trained to bear feral challenges expressionlessly. Purebloods mustered and battled armies from youth, and because of their inability to expire from mortal wounds it was to their benefit while watching first hand the significance of the color red in carcasses. He had seen over a million deaths already, which led him the honor to designate and aspire to improve national security.

The middle lands were connected the giant seas and lower hemisphere of the country, all networked and associated economically with the middle. The greater resource center was the lower portion of the country where the moderate temperate atmosphere produced fine farms for harvesting and due to its rural location labor was feasible when cities needed extra help in factories. The middle lands were prosperous from its connections across the country.

Aware of the land's progression and effective economy standards, Kaname insisted on sewing old wounds and form an alliance. His suggestion was highly criticized by the royal family, and with insistence, they assented after realizing the benefits. His expeditious discovery of Haruka's daughter came as a surprise at a later date. As a single prince of the royal lineage, Kaname sent the proposal after some deliberation.

Haruka had agreed in the end.

Despite business arrangements ought to remain in coldblooded-business status and he overstepped the line, Kaname figured if winning Haruka's trust was the goal, marrying and taking Yuuki under his wing would be genius. And it was. Haruka left her completely at his disposal. He was no erudite when it came to marriage. In fact, he was clueless about having a woman around all the time.

Besides doing the obvious things with women in bed, what else was there?

She was no compliant woman either. Listening to a few words at intervals, he assumed she swallowed charcoal, wood, any flammable artifact to breathe fire. Her sizzling, seething words were as unpredictable as a slicing attack in battle. She was armed, and he hadn't been warned when she struck him deep in the chest. She'd lower her sword and cackle at the wound, then hungrily brand him with more strikes.

Feeling as if he was at the edge of the world, Kaname gaped widely at the stretching land. He had dug a hole and would bury himself alive. It would turn out incidentally that Yuuki would be the grave keeper and pour soil on him, a ruthless grin under her veiled face while she did so.

His grip tightened on the reigns. The stallion sensed his unease and huffed, shaking his head. He touched the area between the ears in assurance.

Marriage wasn't troublesome, the palace Elders agreed. Pureblood couples thrived peacefully at the palace. It was natural that distance spread like caves of water in the relationship. Purebloods won over time and melted with the everlasting universe that it was advisable to temporarily rest from the relationship, nonetheless, the crucial point was returning to normalcy afterwards. 

If they continually exchanged blood without seeing each other, the process would thereby be facilitated. Kaname imagined his relationship with Yuuki to be undemanding, neither requiring to see the other, handling conversations briefly at periodic ceremonies, and living outside the boundaries of a restrictive marriage. She could follow her conditions, and he'd stay out of her way.

A simple-minded woman such as Yuuki kept things close to her heart, no doubt she'd disagree. Yet if he pressured urgencies evident between a man and woman, he foresaw nightmares.

The last thing he wanted was to annul Haruka's trust with a tarnished marriage. 

He'd have to keep her satisfied and adhere to her conditions. Meaning no requests to remove the veil, but he disapproved living without seeing her face. Suddenly like a brash coyote howling in the middle of the night, envy twirled its noose around his heart. He envied the maids who helped her dress for they had unsuspectingly become the luckiest creatures in land to witness her face.

Full of caution, Kaname watched her out of the corner of his eye. “I suppose I'll accept defeat if it's only a friendly match.”

The veil slipped high over her dark hair. The heaviness weighed over her breast and shoulders, sweeping generously over her hands when she leaned forward to gaze at the forest trees. He snatched at the crawling, sluggish and hesitant drop. Yuuki dabbed her pate and rearranged the veil. Bothered like hot liquor erupting through a bottle, Kaname sighed and looked away.

“Don't go easy on me.” She held on watchfully, her elbows locked on the sill and eyes planted on Kaname's profile. Her knuckles bumped up her chin while she admired the green land. “I'd like to see your skill.”

“Oh, hmm.” Kaname nodded unenthusiastically.

Her arms extended and she stretched languidly, robes shifted over her bodice and caught around her breasts. Bare arms hung over her head and silently sailed in her lap.

The sight froze a ghosting image of her lounging in bed, arms and hair tossed over the pillow, legs curled and open to the eye. He fought to stare at the troops ahead, at the mundane siege of horses and guards riding in the forest. Each time his eyelids slid, the image of Yuuki in bed with messed hair, rumpled clothes and irresistibly relaxed while he slid her skirt over her thighs fortified. In each blink, her skirt rose higher from his hands. One more blink, her lips rode up in a smile, and he had touched the heat between her thighs. A soggy, saturated sanctuary at the apex of her thighs.

He sighed even harder, drowsy with lust.

Last night she specified not to share a bed and her body with him. He was not in a rush, and therefore, wouldn't touch her… Except in his thoughts. He'd touch and suck her as much as he wanted there.

The entourage rested by a stream late at noon. Food and drinks were passed between guards. Kaname had wandered elsewhere with his guards to converse. She sat alone in her carriage, arms wrapped around a pillow, warm in the noon heat but grateful to the shade. The voyage restarted at Kaname's orders, it was another five-hour journey. In the chilly evening, tents were raised and fires crackled from pits. She decided to sit down on a bench, a metal rod in hand to stroke the fire. She lost herself in the dancing flames, the ember ashes filtered the seams of air and scattered in the forest.

For seven miles guards were posted, watching over camp in the night. Kaname ordered similarly influential ones to scout every other hour and return to him with updates on roadblocks or suspicious activity.

“Hime-sama?” A maid bowed next to Yuuki's bench, the soil caked her supple forehead. Absently Yuuki brushed away the dirt. She squealed in surprise, ducking shyly. “Th-thank you, Hime-sama. Ouji-sama has asked you to dine with him in his tent. He said it's safer inside. Please, come with me.”

“Tell him I'm not hungry.” Yuuki replied.

The alarmed maid lingered silently on her quivering feet. “He…won't like that, Hime-sama.” The girl mumbled. “Please, follow me. We don't want to make him angry.”

Forcefully stroking the fire, Yuuki said, “He can't make me eat when I have no appetite. If he's worried about my staying outside, tell him I'll go in shortly.”

The speechless maid darted to the enormous tents. Her shadow whispered in the wind.

Yuuki cradled her warm temple. She wasn't bred and suited for traveling. There hadn't been opportunities requiring her to travel, and although their voyage lasted one day she was already uncomfortable and craving for a day away from carriages, guards, horses who were named after princes, and princes who watched her on horseback. All day was she stifled inside with nothing to do than interact with Kaname, listen to maids mumble behind their fans and be jealously gawked at.

She was beginning to enjoy the grievances of leaving home forever, yet the grief would stretch out and paint the life she'd begin with Kaname, with strange maids and in-laws. She hadn't properly prepared herself for the transpiring lifestyle.

Yuuki dropped her hands and stared achingly toward the stars, a soft cry tickling her wheezing exhale.

Now more than ever, she wanted to talk to her mother, ask for guidance and advice. How would she meet her in-laws? What could she say to them? Should she sit silently and answer only when spoken to? And her new obligations as a princess, could she fulfill them? What about her relationship with Kaname? Despite his hinting they'd live in separate quarters, something about his lascivious smirk and beguiling eyes convinced Yuuki he was a carnal beast who'd enjoy disheveling her robes regardless they were in bed.

She just couldn't trust the man.

Muffling tears in her hands, she hunched over in the seat, overcome by an outlandish hurricane of sobs.

A comforting heat draped upon her painful back. The softness nestled her neck and veiled head. She gaped at the wool shawl falling over the bench and up at the towering man in white. His dark locks shivered messily over piercing ruby eyes.

“Don't stay out here for too long.” Kaname murmured, the gentlest sound she'd ever heard. “The maids have prepared your tent and are waiting for you.”

Yuuki flinched when his hand descended over her head.

Fingers froze and retracted, hovering the veil on her hair. “A nights rest will ease your pains. We'll reach the palace tomorrow afternoon. It's not too far now.”

“Stop trying to be nice.” A fury as delirious and injurious fought over her quaking voice. Sharply her head snapped up at Kaname, the fury had won. “I don't need your hospitality. You don't know about my pains.” Shooting up, the shawl flopped to the ground at their feet, Yuuki walked over it, all too unwavering and unemotional.

Kaname grabbed the wrist hidden beneath silk sleeves. His gelid fingers chiseled the tender flesh. The look in his eyes blighted its previous concern, and his voice shredded the starkest ounce of friendliness it suspended before her outburst. “What don't I know?” The hostile vibe escaping from him twined her hand, shooting like poison up her arm and shoulder.

She numbed from the slaughtering force, staggered for scraps of self-preservation. His power was rivaling and potent, calamitous and black-winged that ran over her like seething blades. Fighting for control, limply she wrestled her poisoned arm.

“True, you may be leaving your birthplace, but don't forget you're starting anew in another, a place equally adaptable and nurturing than your home. It might not be the same,” Ebony irritation swallowed the ruby irises, Kaname narrowed his eyes, and suddenly she was seeing his magnetizing fangs at the roof of his mouth.

She panted fearfully at the excruciating fang tips gleaming white and silver against the firelight. The longer he held her hand, the colder and firmer her fears entrenched to the wallows of her frightened soul. Something about him exuded sinister and insatiable madness. If he turned those fear-thrilling eyes upon her a second time, he'd have no problem killing her with his bare hands. Today she was reachable, all innocent and afraid, never before realizing the ferocity of his capacity.

“But you'll have to adjust and accept any differences you may find. I leave it to you to make yourself comfortable.” A viper's hiss was ineffectual compared to his. “I expect you to.”

As if he spat venom on her face, she ducked her head, shaking, gaping in terror at the ground. His domineering powers reached her throat and squeezed her windpipe. She coughed from the poison and wheezed as his arm circled her waist. Her legs turned to lead, knowing in advance they couldn't uphold her weight and she was seconds from collapsing, he righted her singlehandedly.

“You're a pureblood.” He seemed to be admonishing as she continued coughing and swaying. “My powers should have no affect on you.” As he said the words, he noticed her fumble for control and lurch like a winding home in a disastrous storm against him.

Kaname released her wrist at long last and hunched over to slip his hands under her legs. She trembled when she was lifted from the ground, her feverish forehead set against the rigid scapula by his shoulder.

Yuuki breathed dizzily and watched the tents swivel into dots of white and gray.

Kaname carried her into the tent filled with maids. They shuffled worriedly as he reclined her sweltering body on the cushions. Kneeling over Yuuki, he touched her wet throat and opened the few buttons of her collar. Inside the veil her eyes widened in alarm and closed, fatigued to stop him.

“Bring a bowl of cold water.” Kaname instructed. Yuuki opened her eyes, her rasping mouth clicked open in the heat. Kaname unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them to his elbows. His fingers grazed the veil against her chin. Stopping unknowingly, he waited for her to react.

“Ouji-sama?” The maid had returned with the articles. “Do you want me to do it?”

Kaname pulled back and sat up. “Cool her body.” He took a cup from the tray and nicked his wrist. Blood dripped inside, pooled to the rim and he filled another before sealing the cut. “Make sure she drinks blood. She is enervated.”

“Hai, Ouji-sama.” The group of maids nodded and quickly rubbed wet towels on her pale arms and legs.

Kaname exited the tent to greet a field of frantic guards. They were from Haruka's palace who must've caught him transporting her to the tent.

“Ouji-sama, is Hime-sama feeling alright?” A guard meekly peered through the opened seams of the tent.

Kaname drew the curtain and turned around. “She will be fine.”

“I worked in Hime's quarters.” Said the elderly man, “Before her departure, she had a spat with Ousama and refused to eat. She must have grown weak.” The man opened his sleeve and prepared to slit the skin. “If needed, I'm willing to give her my blood.”

Kaname touched the man's shoulder and beamed at his generous heart. “Thank you, but it won't be necessary. I'll make sure she is taken care of.”

“Please, do so.” The guard nodded, his flicking dark eyes lanced the tent repetitively. “She is a strong person.”

“Rest assured.” Kaname replied. “It won't happen again, I'll make sure of it.”

Later in the night, her maids reported she consumed blood and was resting. He decided not to disturb her and waited until morning, when they prepared to depart to catch a glimpse of Yuuki. She ambled out of the tent gracefully, her arms solid on her sides and head draped in its usual red veil. She entered the carriage and sat listlessly in a corner.

“Hime-sama, please take great care of yourself.” Her maids advised during the ride. “We were worried.”

“It was minor fatigue.” Yuuki dismissed.

“You have to be careful. The royal family won't like listening their new bride became ill.”

“Our Ouji-sama was very concerned.”

She scowled out the window and stilled on Kaname upon his horse. He was the kernel of her condition. His supernal powers distressed her drained body with the attack. Yuuki inspected her wrist for damages and brushed the impeccable skin. They said she drank his cogent blood, and its effects put at ease quicker. She acknowledged its resourceful and healing affects, granted her body seeped every last drop lustily. 

But the body didn't understand the logic of the mind for it reveled and clamored for his blood, while her rebelling mind reminded his furtive fangs and threatening valor.

He was gruesomely frightening. She clenched her wrist to soothe away the lingering brand of his metallic fingers.

Feeling eyes upon her, Yuuki reacted to the vague sensation by looking out the window. Kaname stared back at her. She stilled and let her breath catch up to her racing heart. His dark and anxious eyes wafted sensually over her sturdy shoulders and head, scrutinizing for flaws, perturbation, or affliction escaped from her maid's radar.

“Don't look at me so intensely…Like you're waiting for me topple so you can eat me.” Yuuki mumbled under her breath to herself. Her fangs gritted close to her tongue. Pressing her lips together, she gulped, the sound blended with the pounding grooves of his stallion and carriage wheels.

It didn't go unnoticed by him. “Do I alarm you?” He had heard her mumble after all. “I wouldn't want to eat a person who collapses from fatigue. The taste would be bland and unsatisfying.”

“Watch your words.” She grunted nastily in her throat.

Kaname lowered the rim of his hat. “You will not refuse food and dine with me every day. This way I can ensure you're not starving yourself.”

“Who said I was starving?” Yuuki demanded.

“Your body speaks for itself. Have a care and don't decline the invitation while I'm asking nicely.”

She glared at her wrist, remembering his grip. “You looked like a monster last night.” She whispered.

“I had no intention to.” He replied as if he spoke about scattering leaves in autumn. “You must forgive me.”

Yuuki drew circles over the region. She was exposed to his power, and it wouldn't be fruitful to turn a blind eye on a man lethal than toxic. Rationality claimed she ought to listen and obey. However an encompassing need to know more about his power hosted her heart and mind, singing virtuously about resisting, objecting, giving him a hard time to feel the depth of his power. Purebloods were violently strong creatures, and despite she was one, she hadn't experienced power like his. It swallowed her body, pinned her to the floor and raped her of life.

Why did she want to provoke him then? A wise woman who hadn't tasted a stranger's blood until now, childishly wanted to bait and experiment the gauge of his power. Until it exploited her virgin body and fed on her vulnerability.

But she was not feeble. She too had equally disastrous powers. Even knowing this, Yuuki realized she was still no match for him.

“I'll let you dwell on it and wait for your forgiveness.” Kaname said.

“Thank you for the blood.” She whispered. “It was of immense help.”

He stared at her from under the shade, rubies naturally alluring and brimmed with tenderness. She liked this stare better than the concerned, or the angry one. It received and stared in amazement, understanding and admiring a new specie without ridicule or skepticism, only plain surrender.

“You're welcome, it's my duty to look after your health.” He took a breath and started, looked away to gather strength for his tickling vocal cords. “I heard you had an argument with Haruka Ousama and went on a hunger strike.” He waited for her to speak up.

She dodged at the accusation, mumbling, “I'm guilty, I wish I hadn't been so angry.”

“I'll take you home when the time is right.”

Her head strung up at the words. “You will?” Yuuki branched out of the window, bounded with excitement by the news. “You're not lying, are you? Don't play with me.”

He chuckled, “What makes you think I am? You can count on it soon. First you have to settle into your new home. Isn't there a tradition where the newly weds visit the bride's home? I'm sure there is…” Contemplating the soaring birds in the sky, he smiled secretly.

Yuuki balanced back on the mattress, wrung with elation. She pointed at Kaname warningly, “Don't take your word back. I'll never speak to you if you do.”

“I won't.”

The bobbing head in the veil indicated she nodded in affirmation and held him to his promise.

Lights flooded the palace, monuments and temples were flowered, and the streets were drenched with embellishments as citizens hurrahed and danced upon the approaching entourage. Two miles from the city, guards blew horns to alert their proximity. Another band of palace guards met them before making entrance.

Kaname charged to the front and spoke to the soldiers. The royal army bowed before him and announced their presence. Flowers were sprinkling on the waiting streets. The palace doors hung open in expectation. Along the noises in the moonlight avenue, Kaname turned to spy the carriage crowded by guards on horses, he saw a hand lift the curtain on the window and a veiled head peek out.

When they crossed the entrance into the streets, the standing citizens squealed and tossed flowers, praising and welcoming them back. More attention was according to the carriage where purified water was dumped on the wheels to carry the bride safely into the castle.

The royal Elders waited in the palace courtyard to welcome the newlyweds. Once the carriage rocked to a stand inside, guards and maidens stormed to open the door. The king and queen stood under the pagoda at a few distance. More servants lined beside the carriage. Kaname dismounted his horse and strolled up the stoned path.

His waiting parents stood observantly. Joousama glided forward, past her husband and smiled. “Ouji, we hoped your journey was safe and went untroubled.”

“Yes, it was a successful trip.” Humor winded his tone before he bowed to his waist respectfully. “There were no issues.”

“We are glad to hear the good news.” Ousama nodded at Kaname. “You've linked yourself and our kingdom to an important pact with the neighboring lands. We're pleased with your efforts and forward thinking.” Ousama glanced at his nervous wife. He rubbed her slender back comfortingly. “Your mother and I have been waiting anxiously for the last two days.”

Kaname gestured to the elder that had accompanied him in the entourage. He carried a large chest and motioned toward the stairs of the pagoda. Placing it on the top stair, the elder bowed before the royals.

“Respectable Ousama and Joousama, as witness of Ouji-sama's wedding I have maintained the marriage contract here.”

“Thank you.” Ousama answered. He looked at Kaname after a second. “Looks like everything went smoothly.”

“It did.”

“Ouji,” Joousama spoke up with a shivering tickle in her throat, “Let us see your bride. We wish to meet our new daughter.”

Kaname lowered his hand from his belt and turned around. The maids standing outside of the carriage looked hesitantly back. Unable to lure the bride out, they retreated in time for Kaname, who moved fluidly toward the gaping doors. The sound of curtains spreading apart quivered in the silence of the anticipant courtyard. The crowd stood on toes, breath held, knuckles white, large eyed and impatiently tight lipped to see the foreign bride. There wasn't a movement or an accidental echo when Kaname held open the curtain to peer inside.

She hadn't listened to the maids. Kaname found her sitting in the corner, legs folded, chest falling immediately as they rose, her fingers knotted on the silk spreading of the mattress. Through the veil a pair of sparkling diamonds gazed back at him. She sat absolutely still, afraid to move and breathe. He offered a hand, but she gaped still.

Turning solemn, Kaname nodded. “Come out, Yuuki. Don't be afraid.” He whispered.

She gulped. Her trembling hands unlatched the silk and grabbed his hand. She hesitated, a mournful sound swam out of her mouth.

“These are the people who raised me.” Kaname said silently. “Consider them your parents as well.” Her fingers curled around his palm frightfully. Nail punctured skin, unsealing drops of red on the floor.

Without strength, Yuuki plowed closer to the opening and Kaname. Gripping him as if he were rescuing her from a cave where she'd been lost for centuries. Her other hand lifted the skirt over her feet. She set one leg over the manual stair and slid the other one. Kaname guided her upright and into the open.

The unmoving world gaped in transient shock at the image the woman made, at the questionable veil.

She squeezed his hand raptly when he drew her from the carriage, slowly toward the stretching path directing to the pagoda. Her heavy breathing puffed and caused the veil to flutter over her mouth.

“It's ok.” Kaname soothed under his breath. 

Yet she stood as if she feared falling to the ground any second. Her body lagged without motive to function. The ongoing shake in her body made him pause in alarm. Kaname absently touched her back, stretched his palm over the silk expanse and nudged her.

She stumbled, heaving and whipped her head angrily at him.

He smiled empathetically and closed his fingers around her sweat-lathered palm. “I'm right beside you, follow me.”

Gingerly balancing her weight, she walked on his left up the path.

Heads of bowing soldiers and maids touched the ground. Yuuki dazedly rowed her eyes from side-to-side, perceiving the watchful courtyard as much as possible. They paused by the stairs; again she followed his lead to the top.

She didn't need to be told to bow. When she did, the king and queen gaped widely and glanced at Kaname.

Joousama took Yuuki by the shoulders. Within her fingers she felt her body tremble and jerk. She breathed at the veiled face. “Welcome to the Kuran clan. We are delighted to you have become part of our family.”

“Thank you.” Yuuki breathed gruffly.

“I hope the journey wasn't too hard on you.” Joousama regarded her hands clench the sides of her skirt. “Did Kaname take good care of you?” The single response came as a nod from the girl. Smiling around, Joousama touched the veil and began raising it.

Yuuki grabbed her wrist firmly. The queen stared in slight question and fret, restraining from mouthing irregularly.

“It's just that,” Yuuki closed her eyes fearfully and mustered courage to continue, “I made an agreement with your son. That's why it would be better to lift it in private.”

“Oh.” The queen blinked uncertainly. “I will take a peek then.”

The audience watched their queen raise the veil and pull back with an impressive smile, looking starry eyed.

“Beautiful…” She breathed in her husband's ear. The maids and guards cheered from below.

Ousama chuckled and looked at Kaname, who was standing with narrowed eyes, fangs gritting. Another lucky person.

• * •