#aikuma

Sun spread its tingling touch over her bare arms as the gravel shifted beneath the scuff of her boots. Her skirts whistled over the ground, dragging along the occasional stone. She ought to lift them up. Ai folded herself on one of the benches lining the path, gathering skirts and thoughts. With a sign, she lowered her head into her neck. Oh how he had those little realms of her mind in the palm of his hand. 

He will come soon. Father said he would. Her thoughts ran in circles as Ai’s gaze rose to where an imposing manor formed the crown for a young hill. A perk to this bench was the view, she was close enough to the manor to be alerted of the sound of the tires rolling up the driveway, but far away to go blissfully unnoticed by the arrived. 

The mouse-like tread of a maid wound up the path. “Lady Ai…” The young girl slumped down into a quick bow, before raising herself. “Lord Ichijo has a delay, he requested you’d be informed.” 

The young Pureblood bit her lip and frowned, before regaining herself, brushing the disappointment off her face. “Ah, alright. Thank you.” 

The maid nodded, then left with the quiet hush of a servant as Ai resigned herself to a waiting game. A delay… I can wait.

The sun had started its sluggish trek down, low enough to spill through the branches and wipe the blues from water. Ducks bobbed in the pond with their feathers set alight in the setting sun. The dome set the final mark of the evening, chiming 6 times in a row. 

At the last sun rays, a sleek car towed up the driveway. A smile curled around her lips as she found Takuma’s form filing out of the car and waving at her. Of course he’d notice her. With quick steps Ai made for the doors, leaving it open in her wake. 

~

The servants laid out a feast. 

Every inch of the table was covered with some outlandish dish Ai didn’t even know the name of. Though the view of dishes was mouthwatering, so was the view across the table. Takuma’s laugh wove into the warm patter of conversation and grasped so much of Ai’s attention that she barely had eyes for what she shovelled onto her plate, until her sister kicked her shin. 

“Ai-chan,” Ren leaned forward. “You don’t even like shrimp.” She wagged a finger at the pink, worm-shaped creatures, stacked up on her plate. 

“O-oh, is that shrimp?” Ai abruptly retreated her hand from the bowl. “I didn’t realise.” 

Ren muttered, “Right, well, you can give some to me, but I won’t take all.” 

Ai shot her a grateful smile and quickly started moving some of the shrimp to her sister’s plate. 

Dinner moved with a swift pace and soon the dessert was carried out from the halls. Ai bit her lip. Takuma will be leaving soon. This is my only chance to talk to him alone. She folded her hands into her skirt, knotting her fingers as a response to a foreigh feeling; nerves. She pinched the pleats between her fingertips, willing their movements to cease. 

Once the plates were cleared up, Ai hustled from her chair, ignoring the estranged looks from her sister and cleared her throat. “Eh, Takuma,” Like the last movements of a violin’s string, her voice trembled. “Shall we go for a walk?” Shyly, the young Pureblood extended her hand. 

Takuma smiled, enclosing his warm fingers around hers. “Of course, Ai, I’d love to.” 

With a loose hold on Ai’s hand, he trailed in her footsteps. Out in soft evening light, he looked breathtaking, with the final drafts of sunlight sieving through his hair. 

“It’s beautiful here, Ai.” He said, while slowly spinning around, eyes bouncing from the beds of flowers to the delicate iron-wrought artworks scattered throughout the garden. 

Ai hummed her agreement absentmindedly. Her fingers had started knotting themselves into her skirts again.  She took a breath then skittered over to his side to deliver a small jab into his flank. 

“Race to the fountains?” Ai asked with a sly grin. Without warning, she stove off, kicking up dust and gravel. Takuma let out a surprised laugh before chasing after her, spurting down the path, which curved and the fountain came into view. Time to put my plan in action, Ai thought as she risked a glance over her shoulder. 

She started slowing down her pace, tricking Takuma into thinking he’d win as he propelled after her. Then she suddenly came to a halt, not realising he was only a few paces behind her. With a yelp, Takuma crashed into her and Ai lost her balance, falling to the ground, Takuma tumbling after her. 

Her chest heaved and with a thump, she let her head sink into the gravel. 

“Eh, Ai…?” 

Ai cracked one eye open, to see Takuma’s eyes scanning her face. Slowly, Ai propped herself up on one elbow, drawing their faces closer. 

“Ai, your father is my dearest friend…” His lips parted but his head reluctantly tilted away. Ai felt the disappointment rise in her chest, before morphing into determination, making her grind her fingers into the gravel. He must have seen the changes on her face as he forged ahead. 

“And, all the respect I hold for him won’t allow me to kiss you,” The way his tongue darted over his lips belied his true intentions. “Ai…?” 

“Oh, I see,” Her voice trembled again. “Well the, as a Pureblood,” Ai inched closer, whispering the last part in his ear. “You cannot deny me.”

“It has to be stopped.”

Yuuki’s voice sounded resolutely and Kaname put all documents aside looking at his wife with interest. She spoke like that rarely; she’s used to play a role of Tender Princess of the Night society, though she’d been a queen for a century already. This is why Kaname let all thoughts about work go and listened to Yuuki carefully. If she spoke resolutely then it was important.

“What is it?”

“Christmas!” She noticed Kaname’s puzzled look and continued. “Every year our family celebrates Christmas separately. Mother and father travel somewhere together, as we do too, Ai is always with her friends. On the one hand this is nice to spend a romantic holiday evening with you, but on the other, humans celebrate Christmas as a family day. At least once in a century we should spend it altogether.”

Kaname smiled softly and rose from his table. Honestly, he thought about it himself, but every year he took a decision not to be a burden for the relatives. He came to Yuuki, hugged her kissing in her warm lips and said, “Everything will be done. This Christmas all your beloved ones will be near you.”

“But Kaname…” Suddenly she felt awkward. “If they don’t want-“

“They won’t dare to disobey their King’s order.” Kaname winked at her. “You can start all preparations.”

When the Kurans confirmed they would visit the main family mansion this Christmas Yuuki turned back again into sixteen years old young lady who has no other problem but to choose gifts for everyone. She felt how youth flowed in her veins and the feeling was so good that she almost burst into tears of joy.

Kaname bought a tree for every room in the Kuran mansion. And though Yuuki tried to scold him for being so wasteful, she changed her mind from anger to mercy as soon as Kaname closed the door in their bedroom behind their backs.

On Christmas she finished all preparations in a main hall with a big dinner table served with some expensive white snow table-cloth. Furniture and crockery had harmonious colours, and Yuuki felt proud that it all was her choice. She learnt how to be stylish and make her house look presentable, which was no wonder: she’d been living with Kaname for a century already and he always looked blameless even in a domestic outfit.

Yuuki checked if everything was fine with the main Christmas tree when she noticed Kaname watching her. He stood upstairs and looked at her, smiling. Yuuki’s fragile and graceful figure was hidden under an elegant dress of calm peach colour and it reminded him of the days when she was still an inexperienced little princess.

Kaname breathed out. “You’re so adorable.”

Yuuki smiled. She was happy with her life. A century had passed since those terrible days when she was about to lose Kaname. But she behaved mature enough to make him change his mind and forget about his crazy plans. And now nothing can destroy their love. They have wonderful daughter, they brought their parents back to life, and though Yuuki was uncertain about this decision, but as soon as Haruka and Juuri saw baby Ai they were inspired to give this life one more chance.

One of their maids appeared in the room and reported about a phone call. Kaname frowned and reminded her, disappointed, “I told you, no officials are allowed to talk to me today.”

“It’s her Highness calling, Ai-sama.”

Yuuki looked at her husband in anxiety. Ai decided not to come? Kaname let her know he would fix it, and Yuuki calmed down. When he disappeared, a doorbell rang and Yuuki cried to her maids, “I open the door myself!”

When she pulled golden handles letting a snowstorm and refreshing frosty air in, she saw her parents covered in shimmering snowflakes. “This is us! Merry Christmas!”

“Mum, Dad!” Yuuki rushed to hug the elder Kurans. “Merry Christmas! I’m so happy to see you today.”

“Come on, let us in, it’s very cold outside” mumbled Haruka pushing his beloved women into the room. When the door was closed Yuuki noticed some strange things.

“Dad, what did you put on?”

Haruka came into the Kuran manor in a classical Santa Claus outfit. Being a bit embarrassed, he started to shake the snowflakes down of his red coat. “I lost some argument with your mother and as a result I had to put on this. As you see, Juuri has a really weird fantasy.”

“I don’t!” Juuri returned. She hugged her husband tightly and squeezed him. “Daughter, he looks so hot in this outfit, doesn’t he? Such a cutie!”

“Mum, you cut your hair!” Yuuki finally noticed a main change in her mother’s appearance. Juuri’s hair had always been long, but now they were of shoulder length. She laughed in a truly coquettish style.

“Indeed! I decided it was wrong to live a new life with an old haircut. How do I look?”

“You’re wonderful!” Yuuki felt blessed to see her mother so cheerful.

“Of course, Haruka was going to kill me,” she said jokingly and added in a gloomy, but teasing voice, “You know, these Kuran men are over-possessive and over-manipulative-“

“I hear everything,” finally the voice of Head of the Kuran family flew in. Kaname smiled seeing the elder generation of the Kurans, or younger one, judging from his point of view. “Mother, you look fantastic.”

“Thank you dear!” Juuri laughed wholeheartedly. “I feel like I’m 500 years old again!”

Kaname hugged Haruka but then gave him a critical gaze. “What’s this on you, Haruka?”

“The holiday outfit. And why ‘Haruka’?” He sounded offended. “You call Juuri your mother, so what’s about me?”

“You’re doing amazing without it,” replied Kaname and came to his wife to kiss her cheek. “Don’t worry, Ai is coming. She called to warn that she took someone with her, but refused to tell whom.”

“Wow, Ai got a boyfriend!” Juuri exclaimed. “Or maybe a girlfriend!”

She liked to use modern words very much and did her best to be an up-to-date and fully understanding grandmother. But Yuuki shrugged, she was interested herself.

“She didn’t say a word about that.”

But they didn’t have to wait too long for them. As soon as the dinner was ready, the doorbell rang again and the maids informed about the princess having come with Takuma Ichijou.

“Mummy! Daddy!” Ai cried. Her cheeks looked red with frost and her eyes shined with joy. The princess flew into the room and kissed her parents.

“What, Tak-kun!?” Juuri almost jumped up on her chair but Haruka calmed her down with his embrace. “Tak-kun is Kaname’s good friend, so I think he decided to make a surprise for Kaname on this day, and Ai just helped him out.”

Juuri didn’t reply but a shade of doubt appeared for a moment on her face.

“I’m glad,” Kaname said when he greeted Takuma. “I thought you would spend this day with your family.”

“What are you talking about?” Ichijou got surprised and flapped Kaname’s shoulder. “You’re my family.”

Meanwhile Ai continued to coo at her grandparents covering them with her compliments. “Grandpa, what a nice dress! Granny you’re so sexy!”

Ai was happy to be back again in the house where she’d been born. There was a scent of tangerines and cinnamon in the room and she recollected the days when she was a little girl who used to run in corridors of the mansion with Seiren and Aidou. Now Seiren was freed by Kaname for her good service and loyalty and at the moment she was travelling around the world, while Aidou celebrated Christmas with his big family. But even so, she was glad to see her beloved ones gathered in one room.

“I asked the maids to go home,” said Yuuki entering the dining room after the rest of the family. “They should spend this evening with their families too. Now I’m responsible for everything and feel so anxious! Haven’t I forgotten anything?”

“Mum, all is fine!” Ai reassured Yuuki and took her hand to help her sit down.

“Yes, there’s a lot of food here,” Haruka added. “And if this is not enough Juuri shares her blood with all of us today.”

“No way!” cried Juuri but Haruka stopped her with a slight kiss.

“Ginger cookies!” Yuuki remembered about the sweets and was about to rush into the kitchen but Kaname immediately got up and said he would bring them in himself. The queen relaxed and added, “I did them with my own hands, you shall like them!”

A cracking silence hung in the air for a moment; everybody stared at Yuuki in terror. “What?” she asked.

“Oh Mum, I was missing your cookies so much!” Ai decided to relax the atmosphere. “Can’t wait to try them.”

When Kaname brought a plate with cookies made by his wife Haruka told him carefully with a sweetest smile, “Kaname, please keep the plate closer to you. You see there’s no free space on the table at all.” The king shrugged his shoulders but did what he was asked.

“So kids!” Juuri clapped her hands. “It’s your turn to give us your gifts.”

Ai and Takuma exchanged their looks. Then the princess coughed and said, “We didn’t buy something specific, it looks more like we have one huge gift for everyone here.”

“Yes yes,” Takuma repeated in impatience. He grasped Ai’s hand and shot, “We’re pregnant!”

“WHAT!?” The Kurans yelled altogether gazing at the couple of vampires threatened by their reaction. Ai rolled her eyes up and flicked Takuma’s forehead.

“Idiot! We were supposed to tell them about our intention to marry. We agreed to talk about a baby later.”

“Did we?” Ichijou got amazed. “You told me we had to inform them about the most important thing.”

“Yes and the wedding come first!”

“But the baby is already there!”

“Wait a minute!” Yuuki stopped the quarrel with her scream. “I have a headache because of you all. Ai why didn’t tell us before? That you’re dating.”

“I was afraid you would take it wrong,” Ai replied shyly. “And I decided I’d better do that when we had a good cause. Moreover, father isn’t going to kill Takuma on the day like this. Right, Dad?”

Everybody turned to Kaname. He broke a silver fork and both pieces fell on a plate with a sombre sound. The king threw a murderous glance at Ichijou. He gulped and whispered, “Oh Lord in Heaven…”

“Neither Lord nor any other god will help you now.”

Kaname said it angrily and moved to get up and beat the shit out of Takuma when Yuuki cried, “Stop violence! Kaname, we won’t change anything now. Ai, you should’ve told us before. Ichijou, I had a better opinion about you.”

“Yuuki, Kaname, indeed you have to calm down,” Haruka said as peaceful as possible. “Just look at them, they’re head over heels in love with each other!”

“Haruka’s right,” Juuri agreed. “And they assured us they were going to marry. Besides… We have something to tell you too.”

“Now?” Haruka whispered.

“Why not? It’s a good moment. We want to tell you that I’m… Hey, I liked it how Takuma did that. WE’RE pregnant!”

“You’re kidding!” Ai exclaimed.

“No!”

“Oh God, congratulations!”

Kaname didn’t understand how to behave now and he looked at Yuuki helplessly. A dark wish to kill Ichijou and scold Ai took over him, and at the same moment he was glad to hear such wonderful news from the elder Kurans. And this tumult made him feel uneasy, all what he wanted was take Yuuki and run away from this asylum that was about to turn into a kindergarten. It seems celebrating Christmas altogether indeed was a bad idea.

Yuuki noticed his gaze and suddenly burst in laughter. Now all the interested looks belonged to her. The queen got embarrassed but started to speak. “This is so strange to get to know that I’m going to have a sibling and a grandchild on the same day. But even this is not over yet.”

She was searching for support in Kaname’s eyes but he couldn’t suspect what she was going to say and currently was thinking about bringing a hunter’s weapon into the room. Yuuki didn’t disconnect eye contact with her husband and declared, “We’re pregnant too.”

The third shot was too much and the family was driven mad. They started to acclaim while Ai came to both parents with her congratulating kisses. When Kaname finally got what actually happened he got up and rushed towards Yuuki.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’ve learnt about it only yesterday and wanted to present it as a gift today during the dinner. But as you see, I wasn’t original.”

In response Kaname kissed her and embraced tightly. She didn’t need any words to understand that her very existence was the greatest gift for him.

“You know this is the weirdest Christmas in my excessively long life,” spoke Haruka as he was opening a bottle of wine. “I need to have a drink.”

“Me too!” Takuma picked up and moved his glass towards Haruka. “Great…grandpa?”

“Don’t you dare to call me like that,” Haruka replied in a sullen voice.

Takuma shrugged his shoulders and peered at happy Kaname and Yuuki, still in hugs. Having noticed his gaze, Kaname darkened and roared, “I haven’t finished with you yet.”

“Sure thing. Grandpa.”

“Keep silence.”

Ichijou sighed and turned to Ai. “I’m going to be an outcast in this family.”

They spent the rest of the evening in a truly family and warm atmosphere. Kaname had to eat all ginger cookies made by Yuuki but he did that with pleasure saying, “Don’t understand why you all are complaining, these cookies are made by Goddess and their taste is divine”. Despite the age, Haruka and Juuri were the noisiest. Ai and Takuma had to answer annoying questions about their future plans.

At some moment Kaname came to Ai and put his hands on her shoulders. She shivered from sudden feeling of warmth and raised her head to see her father.

“Ai, are you happy?”

She smiled and turned to hug Kaname. “I’ve never been as happy as I am today.”

“Actually I’m talking about that idiot” Kaname glanced at Takuma.

“Dad,” Ai gave him a stern Kuran look. “You know him. He seems to be careless and…foolish sometimes, but in fact he is reliable. He can take care of me.”

Kaname breathed out and kissed Ai’s forehead. Somewhere deep in his soul he was confident about that.

“You’ve grown up too fast, my princess.”

In the morning, when the sun was raising and the family parted to their beds, only the king and the queen didn’t sleep. They watched how sparkling snowflakes fell behind the window, Yuuki lying on her husband’s lap and Kaname fingering her hair. His other hand stroked her stomach, flat yet.

“You want a boy this time, I think?” she asked observing Kaname’s serene smile. He shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter. This baby is our child which means it is a fruit of our love.”

Yuuki closed her eyes listening to Kaname’s voice. Soft and deep, it was her favourite. With his hands on her body she was ready to start purring with happiness.

“The fruit of our love. It sounds splendid.”