#;;kaname’s wardrobe

[woodblxssomcrowned]

Some continued Warring States AU sketches of the layers of Kaname’s combat setup

The long coat is something she picked up from her mother’s clan.

Some more notes can be found in this older post. I have made some alterations to her armor since but the notes are still more or less much all relevant and accurate.

[glittergoats]

Kaname Date and his wardrobe of Spencer's shirts

[yume4evere]

Yuuki Kuran Part 1

Personality: ~The joy of life and a pure heart~

She is the joy of living personified. She offers her dazzling smile to everyone she truly loves. Her pure heart is the source of her overflowing energ

"("She has a special smile when she sees Kaname" 

Hobbies, favorite food: ~She loves sweets and cute things~

At school, she often eats the famous "ginger menu", as sportswomen do, but she likes sweets, like all girls.

Sports: ~She loves sports! She is lively and in great shape!!~

She hates school but she loves sports!! You can admire his liveliness and flexibility in his everyday gestures.

Yuki 's bed : ~A sweet night in a cozy bed~

Her life is very hectic and because of her mission as "guardian", she doesn't sleep much. So sleeping deeply in a cozy bed, to recharge her batteries, is also part of his mission.

Yuki 's closet : ~An adorable and well-stocked wardrobe!~

Choosing and trying on clothes from her wardrobe with Sayori is also among the girls' happy moments.

The big mirror: ~Check her outfit in her big mirror~

At this age, girls are very sensitive about their clothes, their hair... So it's more than necessary for them to have this big mirror in their room,She looks at herself in her large mirror. It's time to get motivated to go to class!!

A look at Yuki 's private life :

Despite a very busy schedule, she still finds some precious moments to have fun, it's her character.

~She takes baths in the headmaster's bathroom.~

The dorm bathroom is closed early in the morning, so she has to use the manager's bathroom.

~Her most precious treasure and her friend Yori~

Her room conceals many hiding places for her little treasures... But her most precious jewel is her best friend Yori .

 All the things that make his heart beat!!

The wise Yuki likes to feel her heart ignite for someone or something.

Number 3: Scale of exaltation ♥30

~ Aido said some very daring things to him...~

Number 2:~Forbidden bites in the dance frenzy!!~

Bite into the dark as everyone prepares for the ball...when everyone is boiling and losing their minds.

Number 1: Scale of Exaltation ♥200

~When Kaname hugged her...!!~

The looks and feelings between Kaname and Sara Shirabuki , both so beautiful, were so intense that Yuki had given up on getting between them forever... when the unexpected happened and Kaname carried her to the sofa, heart had never beaten so fast!!

A few messages for Yuki:

~The testimonials of friendship from those she loves.~

From Kaname : You are always so beautiful Yuki ... Hee, hee, that's right, don't be shy. When you blush, you're even cuter. Your smile is my sunshine, never change...

From Takuma Ichijo : It's funny to see Kaname suddenly change when he sees Yuki . I love that.

From Zero Kiryu : Your height, your character,... You are an eternal child. Despite that, you still act like I'm your little brother or something. You still fascinate me so much.

From Kasumi Kageyama : Miss cross , I'm going to curse you if you still have bad results in your exams!!

From Akatsuki Kain : That's a hell of a job you're doing for school, hats off to you, you little disciplinarian.

From the director: My lovely daughter. I cooked some good things for you, why don't you eat with your little daddy?♥ 

From Hanabusa Aido : You look delicious Yuki ♥ Just kidding. Your only advantage is the taste of your blood!!

From Sayori Wakaba : I encourage you for your work as a disciplinary officer but I worry about you... You need sleep.

From Senri Shiki : What... The little girl in charge of discipline...? If I say that, the leader of the Moon Pavilion will come at me. She reminds me of this little rat that lived in my garden when I was a child.

"fanbook"

[intotheabyssofunknown]

Was kaname’s clothes that he is wearing now new, or they are the old ones from a thousand years ago, imagine yuki setting up Kaname’s wardrobe before going to wake him up , I don’t think anyone knows his taste in clothing except her , I wonder if Hino will give us this scene

[pennycat83]

Again

(TLDR: sad ass Penny chan tries to fall asleep but keeps strugglin')

(Disclaimer: good ol' angst, mentions of suicide, vomit and religious trauma)

He was coming.

At this point it didn't even feel all that terrifying, but the feverish rate her heart kept pounding at kept some anxiety going. She gazed at the ceiling, 'again'.

She'd already divided up most of his belongings between his friends, brushing it all off as another depression escape. 'They know'. Their worried looks, her weak smile, the aggressive tone of the priest as he slammed her slightly against the wall, the insistence of the jacket...

It hung there, looming over her wardrobe doors, she swore he was still in it some nights. She shuddered out a sigh and checked her phone. By this point every magical girl nearby was rejoicing her supposed death. "No shinigami for a week? Thank fucking Kaname!". Every bit of this made her sick.

She wanted to. Throw up, cry it off 'nd get back to work. It was different though, she knew damn well.

It started to sink in, her body tensed as she hunched over. The feeling of her matted hair triggering little quivers as she stared across to her desk.

'I n'ed to get out'. She got up, pulling her blanket over her. With every step the certainty of her fate was etched into her mind. 'He's coming back...again', 'he's coming back again', 'again and again'.

The sofa didn't help this feeling, it just gave unpleasant reminders of when she insisted on doing so when they first...

"Really I don't mind-"

"Shinigami security comes with high quality treatment 'f clients!"

"yer persistent on this huh?"

"A man as charming as you deserves it~!"

She sighed. Sitting up again, the cold wind hit her fur as she slumped on the balcony floor. Scooting up against the beat up bean bag, she stared up.

The cosmos taunted her as she lay there, the distant sound of traffic soothing her heart to a near crawl, her eyes sagged shut.

It felt nice...

Cold....

Quiet....

Windbells twinkled as she stood there.

The sea of flowers brushing by her legs slightly, it felt...nice. Cicadas cries ghostly blew with the wind, tucking her hair behind her ear slightly. She closed her eye.

"Glad t' see yer doing good!"

Her eye shot open. The flowers below bleeding red...geraniums.

No...

not again...

He brushed a hand playfully over her hair.

"Sorry I made y'worry so much before".

Her hands shakily drew into fists as she gazed up into his face. The familiar softness he once held piercing her heart.

Wrong.

"Glad t' see ya stopped killing though, knew y' had it in you!" his laugh burrowed deeper. It sounded so warm. His hand slumped down to her shoulder, pulling her closer.

"Y'know...you were wrong about them..."

This felt wrong.

She looked up, eye dilating in fear. His once warm face over cast by the sun above.

"They're really nice, I don't think I've felt happier in my life!"

"They always make sure I'm doing ok!"

'THIS ISN'T RIGHT'

He bent down, embracing her as he brushed her hair again. Metal digits rubbing against her neck slightly.

"You should apologise, really. I don't see why you'd ever hate Ma-"

'WAKE THE FUCK UP!'

She flung up in fear, cold sweat dripping from her slightly as she stared across, no part of the apartment was safe. The guest room he once slept in, the bathroom he sheepishly agreed to used, the crawl space they had judged old movies in. 'Can't do it...I won't do it...'. Her legs wobbled as the door slid open.

"Fuck it".

The apartment stood ominous in the distance, her legs dragging in the inky void below. 'cold...so cold', she huffed slightly. Clutching the jacket tighter over her frigid shoulders. 'he won't hate me... right? He knows I didn't...'. Her eyelids slumped lower, 'God fucking damnit'.

"Y'...y'good?", his concern washed over her. Hung against his slender shoulders, her body melted slightly over the doorframe to her sis's house. "Tired....can't...", she paused. Looking up at B.O.B's concerned eye.

"C'mon....", he seemed to chuckle slightly as he took Vash's coat and hung it somewhere. Deep below the house, in a cramped concrete room, the gnawed hanging bulb swung slightly, hunched over the sofa, it felt right.

"Y'wanna watch something?", she stared up. He was flipping through various tapes she left absentmindedly on the side table, disinterest faded on his face. "...nothing he saw...", "gotcha....". He slid one into the player and slumped next to her.

She squirmed slightly, legs slipping behind his as she pulled a tattered blanket out from behind the cushions, the cosiness of his frigid body next to hers finally began to sink in. Her eyelids dipped, a cold sharp pain sunk across her leg, she tensed. Nails retracting just as quickly when he looked over, "y'know I can wake ya if y'want".

"....thanks, I-", her mumbling was cut with a deep yawn, "...thanks". Slumping further into the spot, the soft chattering of the TV getting less clear.

He stood there again, the meadow withered into the sandy dunes of Gunsmoke, the crimson blaze of his coat making the dusty charm of the environment seem null. His bag hung precariously over his back as he stood there. She put a hand on his back.

"Glad t' see yer doin' good!", her head sunk against his bag. He slid a hand behind to stroke her hair once again, "sorry I made y' worry". He turned slightly, the orange tint of his shades and the sun making it near impossible to read his face.

"..."

"...you were right y'know". Her eyes shot up slightly, seering in pain from the heat above. "Hate to admit it". His soft laugh pierced her heart again. "It's nice here but...", he paused. "I'm...sorry". "...You should...get some sleep". Her heart sank.

"Yeah... g'night, Humanoid Typhoon~"

"'Night, Shinigami"

I make-a-da sad ass Penny chan AU

(this makes sense to no one else but me but I don't give a fuck I love hate this thing)

Vash the Kaname

Alternative Universe in which Twobey and Kyubey decide to co-incidence and make Vash into a magical girl (and also kill him), as a way to lure Penny chan back into heaven (and to also just taunt her).

Often putting him into her dreams as either Kaname or as himself, he often serves as a painful reminder of her mistakes, as she now consistently struggles to sleep and find any kind of peace.

Pretty much anything that reminds her of him is a painful thing (but at the same time she still clings to it).

(I just realised this'd make a great sad ass fic I might make).

(how the hell did this all spawn from one shit post image I made)

(I legit didn't think it'd go this far but-)

[magical-girl-coral]

i just found out about urban samurai aesthetic and i want to cry from sheer joy.

i finally found Kaname’s modern wardrobe y’all 😭😭😭

[cxrsedsouls]

The Demonic Pureblood

Name: Kaname Yamazaki Age/Birthday: 225 / November 30th Height/Hair/Eyes: 5′11 / Black / Orange Species: Pureblood Vampire Gender/Orientation: Male / Demisexual / Demiromantic Relationship Status: Single Availability: Available Notable Features:  Cold pale skin, eyes that can change to red and fangs that can grow FC/VC: Gareki from Karneval / Bring Me The Horizon IRL FC/BC:  Andy Biersack / Tba

Bio:

Kaname is the third born to the Yamazaki Vampire Clan. He is strong, quiet and doesn't get along well with others. He's very awkward socially and prefers complete solitude over anything else. So long as he has his music that he shall be fine. If you approach him, the chances of him speaking to you are very VERY slim. Typically he will just put his headphones in and ignore you. If you are persistent enough then he will even walk away from you without a single word.

This man is extremely difficult to get to for he doesn't give anyone a chance. Not in the slightest. He has no interest in making friends or having any sort of relationship. All he wants is to be left alone with his music.

[nebyuula]

kaname headcanon dump * 

when he was in hs he’d carry around a box of colored pencils along with sheet music to write his music. he still does that now. 

big cat fan. you will always see him posting about his cat. some may say he’ll marry them one day (he won’t). 

his left arm is covered by a sleeve. it’s roses + geometric patterns + ivy branches the sleeve is very colorful. bright. 

very good cook, only a few people have tasted his cooking though 

good dancer 

voice claim

his hair is shoulder length now. he ties it up in a bun or a low pony tail on occasion. especially when he’s writing. when it’s up you can see the lyre tattoo on his neck. most often than not it’s down and out. 

most of his wardrobe are dark colors - blacks, grays, maroons 

when he laughs like really laughs he throws his head back or he snorts but his laughter is a rare breed 

normally seen with earbuds in because of his chromothesia 

he’s started exercising more! so he goes running with his brother, haru 

in mario kart he mains link and or shy guy 

he’s a scorpio 

his concerts are fun. he really comes alive in concerts. he moves on the stage. interacts with the audience. like it’s such an experience because on stage he’s electric and off stage he’s like “hi. bye.” 

[galaxsims-x]

 Hikaru Togami || 28 || Pansexual || Waiter || for @colourfullsims​ Love Island!

Hikaru has lived alone in San Myshuno for over a decade. After graduating high school, he went straight to work despite the fact that his teachers encouraged him to go to university after he scored well on all of his exams. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go; Hikaru couldn’t afford to pay for further schooling, especially after he was disowned by his parents at age seventeen when they caught him with a guy. He found a job in a basic restaurant that hardly paid him enough to pay all the bills, but it was the only thing he was able to find without any recommendations. Because a lot of his income relies on tips, Hikaru has an extra hard time thanks to his resting bitch face. He’s someone with a very rough exterior.

At the moment, he has no relationship with his parents seeing as he hasn’t spoken to them in a decade. Losing touch with them really hurt him and is still a sore spot for him to this day. He doesn’t talk about his parents at all, not even with the people he closest to.

Not long ago, Hikaru Togami got a call from an adoption agency. It turned out he had a three-year-old son he never knew about. Kaname. Apparently, Kaname was left on the steps of a firehouse, looking terrified and clutching a stuffed bunny in one hand and a note in the other. The note was from his mother who was too tired and sick to continue on. She was going to die. The note instructed for Kaname to be put in an orphanage, but after a DNA test was done on him, they found his father—Hikaru—and let him know that he has a son and he can take him if he wants to. Otherwise he will go into the foster system.

Hikaru was utterly dumbstruck to hear that he had a son, especially since he didn’t know his son’s mother very well, but he couldn’t let him be put into foster care. He wanted to have a happy family and he wanted to teach his son to love everyone no matter what. So Kaname came to live with his father, something that took a lot of getting used to for the both of them.

But eventually Kaname became the most important thing in Hikaru’s life. He will do anything for that little boy.

Hikaru has a hard time caring for Kaname because of his lack of money. He spends every extra cent he earns on his son’s clothes, food, and toys, leaving not much left for himself. He wants more than anything to give Kaname a good life. He wants to be able to buy a house and send his son to a nice school where he can grow up to be a fine young man. So Hikaru is desperate to get his hands on a nice sum of money.

When he saw that Love Island had a big money prize, he knew he needed to apply right away, even if it meant having to leave Kaname for a while. He’d have his best friend and neighbor look after his son while he was gone. He has no intention of losing.

Hikaru does not believe in love. It’s not something he’s ever believed in. After he was rejected by his parents, the two people who were supposed to love him unconditionally, he knew that love was nothing other than an illusion.

                       More pictures, unedited cas screenshots, and fun facts under the cut!

His traits are: bookworm, clumsy, and genius.

He has the big happy family aspiration.

Can and will be manipulative when needed.

Can’t cook. At all. He tries, though.

VERY CLUMSY. Also kind of a derp when it comes to feelings. If he got butterflies in his stomach, he would just think he ate something funky. And he’d probably think he was losing his mind if someone occupied his thoughts.

Is a scorpio. (November 8th is his birthday)

His favorite color is green, which you can definitely tell from his wardrobe.

He speaks Japanese and English. He has an accent when speaking English, which lbr is adorable.

Hikaru has lived in the city (San Myshuno) all his life; it’s his comfort-zone.

He tends to keep to himself and people tend to avoid him because he always looks like he’s glaring at everyone lol

People can never tell what he’s really thinking.

Makes a lot of dad jokes since becoming a dad

Hikaru’s affair with Kaname’s mother was something that lasted a weekend; after it ended, he never heard from the woman again.

Can and will do everything he can to win. He needs the money to give his son a good life, even if that means pretending to fall in love with someone.

Really is just in this for the money. Will someone be able to thaw his cold, dead heart?

Or will he stay true to his belief that love is an illusion?

All of his outfits are done with cc only being used on his everyday outfit! :)

I do have a lot of custom sliders in my game, but I don’t think I used any to make Hikaru. If I did by accident or out of habit, I doubt he’ll look different. The only presets I used on him are his ears and his jaw ^.^

I can also make his son if needed!

Private DL if chosen 💚 

[cloudydoodle-moved]

Tell us more about your ocs!!! I love them so much they’re such cuties and I wanna daydream about their universe with you in spirit

Hi yes please answer the ask abt your ocs I love hearing you talk about them and I’m really curious what you have to say!!!!!

FINALLY ANSWERING THIS!!!!! HELLO!!!!!!!!!! GOD i left this ask sitting here for so long. BUT HIII IM HERE NOW!!!!! it’s getting a bit late so most of this is copy-pasted from what i told my friends! (and not much of my usual rambling, as much as i love these kids lol)

ALSO TYSM FOR ASKING ANON ILY........ <3333 HEART EMOJI SPAM

under the cut!!

[PSSST this goes surname firstname bc im pretentious. anyways]

TAKAHASHI KANAME!!!! (she/her)

A girl who desperately wants to be cool--and comes off as a bit of a chuuni because of that. She likes to spout dramatic BS and kinda just hopes it works out. Kins Mikorin from GSNK, probably. Really, she's a bit of a goody two-shoes [1] at heart. She gets VERY flustered whenever someone compliments her. She's a bit confused (about...everything, really. especially math) but she's got the spirit! 

[1] compared to the other two im gonna introduce at least lol

BIGGEST WEAKNESS: cats (or anything cat related) and genuine compliments

-

MIYAMOTO [REDACTED]!!!! (they/them)

...Eh? What's up with the "[REDACTED]"? Well, they're just trans and haven't been able to pick a name yet, so they just go by Miya or Miyamoto (they like to tell people to call ‘em Miya-sama, but it hasn’t worked yet). They're surprisingly smart when it comes to academics, but they REALLY enjoy fucking shit up given the chance (though it's usually harmless. haha. usually... /hj)

BIGGEST WEAKNESS: cannot stop substituting in anime boys' names for their own. and it's like, almost always Really obvious (ex: tanjirou, katsuki, s....sasu--//dies). also will never talk about their feelings ever

-

YAMADA YUZURU!!!! (he/him)

I think you can already figure out his whole character from just this one image. Yuzuru’s wardrobe is composed of almost entirely black, shapeless clothes. When it comes to fashion, he just wants to look like a formless black blob. He’s very bored all the time, so he likes to start shit himself or enable what Miya does. He doesn’t care for his grades at all, either.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS: does not know what the fuck a “self-care” is. kid are you ok???? you’re like 5

oh yeah also they’re all like. 13~14ish! they all live rent free in my head and i like ‘em a lot... idiot best friends who maybe h*ld h*nds sometimes. AGAIN AAHHHH THANK YOU SM FOR ASKING!!!!!! ILY <3333333

[woodblxssomcrowned]

Fast doodles of casual WS!AU Kaname.

Casual home getup for chores and hanging around. Because not even the Senju “princess” gets out of doing chores.

[spring-emerald]

of dates and fame

 To say that Moniwa is excited would be an understatement. He’s thrilled and is really looking forward to his date with Ushijima.

It’s been a while since they’ve gone on a proper date, what with his boyfriend being a dedicated world class volleyball player that he is. They’ve been enduring for a few years now since Ushijima is busy with his year-round training while Moniwa is finishing his Master’s thesis.

This year is a little kinder to them, because it’s a home court exhibition game, which means Ushijima gets to stay in Miyagi around Valentine’s and Moniwa is already happy at the prospect of being able to spend it together after months of being separated.

He fluffs his stylishly messed-up curls in front of his wardrobe mirror and fixes his glasses for good measure then smiles, satisfied with how he looks, but before he can grab his phone, wallet and keys, the doorbell rings.

“Wha- Toshi… what are you doing here?” He says, opening the door wider, surprised and confused to find his boyfriend at his doorstep.

“Good evening, Kaname.” Ushijima greets, hands behind his back. “May I come in?”

“Uh, yeah,” Moniwa says, stepping aside to let Ushijima in, and with a quick glance outside, he notes that it was snowing lightly. “I thought we’re going to meet at the station.” Not that he didn’t want to see Ushijima sooner, but he didn’t get any messages about a change of plans.

Ushijima coughs, ducking his head a little, making the puff ball of the beanie bounce. “I wanted to surprise you,” he says with a light blush. “Here,” he takes his hands from where he’s hiding it and presents Moniwa with a small bouquet of assorted flowers wrapped in a bright yellow wrapping paper and a box of what seems to be an expensive brand of chocolate, if going by its foreign name written in fancy cursive lettering.

Moniwa gasps, melts at the thought and giddily grins up at him. “Thank you! You didn’t have to!” He takes the gifts but not before pushing himself up to his tippy toes to give Ushijima a kiss on the cheek. “We’re still going out, right?”

“Yeah. If you still want to.”

“I want to! It’s been a while since we went out. I’ll just put these away, alright.”

Ushijima nods and busies himself by getting Moniwa’s coat, scarf and the matching puff ball beanie, a gift from Tendou to the both of them for Christmas two years ago from the rack while Moniwa keeps the chocolate in the refrigerator and finds a suitable vase for the flowers. Once that is done, they head out.

Moniwa feels like he’s floating because finally, something is working out for them. He’s so happy and so grateful that they’ve been given this chance and he thinks that nothing can bring him down from his elated mood.  

---

The thing is, maybe they should’ve stayed in, after all.

Moniwa really wanted to go out with his boyfriend, but he’s also forgotten that his boyfriend, because of his prowess in the sport, enjoys a certain degree of fame, what with the endorsements and commercials he’s done for various products. So, while he’s not exactly ‘celebrity superstar’ famous, he’s well known enough for people to take a second look, and even ask for pictures.  

The walk from Moniwa’s apartment to the train station had been fine. It’s a short walk but they were able to update each other about what’s been going on in their respective lives, ones they forgot to mention over texts or calls. The train ride had went the same fashion, though Ushijima had started getting lingering looks, but it could easily be assumed that it’s because of his height, so that’s nothing out of the ordinary.

The central district is a different matter altogether.

Moniwa thought that since it’s basically a date night for all kinds of couples, the two of them walking around like every other couple would be just barely a blip in the radar, nothing out of the ordinary, because majority of the people on the streets would only care for their respective partners, right?

Wrong.

Maybe it’s because there’s actually a small poster of Ushijima holding a bottle of health drink he’s currently endorsing posted on the window of one of the convenience stores and his image is basically in the forefront of everyone’s mind and it’s not enough that he’s getting attention because he’s tall, but because he’s tall and recognizable as the Ace of Schweiden Adlers and a member of Japan’s Olympic team, but it seems like everyone and their mothers decided that today, of all days, they would recognize who he is, put a name on his face and they can’t seem to move to the next block without someone stopping them on their way.

It’s cute, the first few times that someone’s boyfriend, urged by their girlfriend, hesitantly approach them with an equally hesitant question of “Excuse me, are you Ushijima Wakatoshi? Of the Adlers?” in which Ushijima graciously nods and answers with a soft “Yes” and proceeds to do what a good, famous personality does- agree to give them an autograph and have a selfie with them. Moniwa politely stepped aside to let them have their moment, and was even really impressed with how Ushijima is handling this impromptu meeting with some fans.

But then it keeps happening. Even some of the patrons that were eating in the restaurant, for lack of kinder word, disturbed them, just to have a piece of Ushijima. Moniwa can feel his patience thinning and his mood sinking, but he covers it up and tried to focus on the positives instead. They’re together this Valentine’s and they’re having a date, and it’s not good form to spend it sulking because he can’t handle his boyfriend being famous.

It was difficult, but Moniwa tried.

It’s not until one group of college girls, probably on their way to a group date or something, had been bold (read: the audacity) to ask Moniwa to take a photo of them. It’s a good things that he’d already eaten, so he’s not as cranky, so it was fine with him, really. They were a large group, and with someone as tall as Ushijima to include in the picture, they would need an outsider’s assistance.

But when he returns her phone, she had the gall to give it back and asked to have it taken again because she wasn’t quite satisfied with how the first one came out.

Moniwa swallows his frustration down and tried hard to keep his voice from cracking as he counts down before he presses the capture button rather harshly. It took all of him to give the phone back as gently as he could. He doesn’t know what he’ll do if she demands him to take another one again. Thankfully, she was finally satisfied, and after a few more minutes of gushing and fangirling, they finally leave them.

Unfortunately, Moniwa’s already in bad mood. But he doesn’t want to ruin this night any more than it already is, so he settles for pulling the thick, knitted scarf over his mouth to hide his pout and muffle the sniffles that he’s unable to keep at bay.

Despite the distance, Ushijima is more attuned to Moniwa’s behavior and tells and knows that something is off. He stops walking then and stands in front of his boyfriend.

“Kaname? What’s wrong?”

Moniwa vehemently shakes his head, making the falling snow flurry in disarray around him.

“Kaname,” he says, taking Moniwa’s face between his large hands and tilting it up to make him look at him. “You’re hiding and crying, it’s not nothing.”

“It’s silly,” is Moniwa’s muffled response, avoiding Ushijima’s gaze.

Ushijima lets go of his face, takes a look around and finds a bench. He takes one of Moniwa’s glove-covered hands and leads him there.

“Hey,” he starts when they’re both settled down, squeezing their hands tight. “Please talk to me.”

Moniwa huffs, but decides to be truthful. He tells Ushijima how he’d been looking forward to their date and the prospect of spending time together, but people just had to keep interrupting them, that he can’t completely enjoy their date. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to feel like this, and I’m not blaming you, it’s just that… I can’t help it. I missed you so much and I don’t know when we can do this again, and it’s really frustrating that something like this happened.”

Ushijima pulls him and wraps him in a tight hug. “I didn’t know. I thought it was alright. I’m sorry, Kaname.”

“It’s not your fault,” Moniwa mumbles against his shoulder, wrapping his own arms around Ushijima as well.

Ushijima shakes his head. “I know, but I should’ve been more sensitive and mindful. It’s our time together, after all. I’ll do better next time.”

Moniwa nods. “Thank you.”

Ushijima presses a kiss on his cheek. “Do you want to go home?”

“Yes.”

Suffice to say, Moniwa’s in a better mood when they return to his apartment.

Ushijima kept his word and politely declined a fan asking for his autograph, proudly saying that he’s spending private time with his boyfriend. Moniwa had been apprehensive, especially when the fan looks at him and their intertwined hands. But he exhales in relief when they apologized for disturbing them and leaves them alone after sincerely wishing them a lovely Valentine’s evening.

To express his appreciation, Moniwa pulls Ushijima down by his scarf to give him a loving kiss while Ushijima’s hands find their home on Moniwa’s hips.

“Can you stay the night, Toshi?” Moniwa whispers against Ushijima’s lips.

“Of course.”

[jutsei]

Fireside, harvest, maize, cobweb, cinnamon

fireside - if you had your dream wardrobe, what would it look like? 

Heidi I’m gonna be frank with you if I had the cinfidence to wear dresses or cute otufits w/ semi-long hair, that’d be so ideal for me. It’d also all be either dresses or short sleeve shirts, probably! I cannot STAND long sleeve shirts!!!

harvest - what fictional character do you most identify with? Why? 

Madoka Kaname, if I was a kin, I’d be kin with her, she solidified my transition into a kinder person and is probably why I have such an affinity for pink, just the fact she never gives up hope and the entire message of the last episode resonated with me so much, sob.

maize - share the weirdest encounter you’ve had with a stranger on the street. 

When I was walking home from school this fucking weirdo from my school tried striking a conversation with me, to dissuade him I grabbed a giant branch and dragged it behind me like Pyramid Head’s great knife and I think that was enough to get him to leave me alone

cobweb - (if you’ve graduated) do you miss high school? 

ABSOLUTELY NOT. Was boxed in, people gave me weird looks, and the stress of homework nearly unmade me

cinnamon - if you had to live in a time period different than the present, which would you choose and where? 

The future probably, so I could live forever as a program or a robot and so I wouldn’t have to worry about outliving my friends ;v;

[helloyoucreatives]

ou may have heard of the term “Wardrobing.” The word is used for the act of buying an outfit, wearing it and returning it after. A lot of people do it���it’s a rising trend, and most fashion brands struggle with how to handle it.

Not DIESEL though, which introduces its new Fall campaign, aptly called “Enjoy Before Returning”: a playful, nonconformist stance on this controversial topic. Rather than condemning wardrobing, the brand comes to terms with it. If shoppers are going to buy, wear and return an item anyway, why not fully enjoy it in the process?

To illustrate DIESEL’s point of view on wearing and returning, the campaign’s photographs and videos have been shot and directed by photographer Angelo Pennetta.

Penetta’s imagery lenses wardrobers wearing DIESEL’s new Fall collection, along with watches and eyewear products. All of the items—including separate watch still-life visuals shot by the photographer Roberto Badin—share the common thread of “wearing the tag out.”

Agency Credits

Creative Agency: Publicis Italia

Global CCO Publicis WW: Bruno Bertelli

CCO: Cristiana Boccassini

General Manager: Daniela Di Maio

Creative Director: Thiago Cruz

Creative Director: Mihnea Gheorghiu

Creative Supervisor: Costanza Rossi

Copywriter: Sébastien Rouvière

Art Director: Andrea Sarcullo

Digital Account Director: Ilaria Castiglioni

Account Director: Filippo D’Andrea

Account Executive: Mirko De Martini

Senior Strategic Planner: Monica Radulescu

Social Media Manager: Doina Tatu

Head of TV Production: Francesca Zazzera

TV Producer: Erica Lora Lamia

Art Buyer: Caterina Collesano, Marcella Garutti

Film Credits Director: Similar But Different Production company: Smuggler Executive Producers: Fergus Brown and Chris Barrett

Producer: Javier Alejandro

DOP: Kaname Onoyama

Stylist: Luci Ellis

Music Production: Sizzer

Photography & Product Videos Credits

Photographer/Director: Angelo Pennetta

Production Company: Art Partner

DP: Errol Rainey

Stylist: Julia Sarr-Jamois

Casting: Julia Lange

Make-up: Lotten Holmqvist

Hair: Syd Hayes

Nails: Anatole Rainey

Set Design: Alice Kirkpatrick

Choreographer: Ryan Chappell

Still Life Credits Photographer: Roberto Badin @1806 Agency

Production Company: 1806 Agency

Post Production: Diego Speroni @1806 Agency

Set Designer: Martina Lucatelli

[lolitain]

Lolita Tea Party, Makes People's Hearts Move

The tea party is almost good to go.

The tea is hot and ready, and the bite-sized sandwiches and dessert treats are now laid out. The cups are arranged neatly on the table and the pixies did a good job on the folded napkins. Everything is ready for Mimi and Rize’s arrival.

Aside from their lovely host, it seems.

Kaname looks at her dresser, still unsure of what to wear for this month’s party. She’s already worn her favorite dresses and it’s a habit of hers to not wear the same thing twice. But none of her favorites even fit today’s occasion.

She shifts further into her closet but finds nothing good for the occasion. The pixies soon find her waist-deep inside her grand closet, searching for that one dress that will complete the whole tea party.

“Um, mistress?” one of the pixies says. Kaname makes a grunting noise that almost sounds like a muffled ‘Yes?’ “The guests are here.”

Kaname jolts and crawls from her closet. Her hair is now tousled across her face while her underdress is bunched up and wrinkled. She tries to smoothen it out and fix her hair back on its place.

“I’ll be there shortly,” she says. “Tell them that they can partake in some biscuits while they wait.”

“Yes, mistress,” the pixies say before they return to the tea party.

All alone, Kaname faces her wardrobe with a disgruntled sigh. While a good dress is important in any tea party, being an accommodating host is far more important. So she just pulls a regular long-sleeved shirt and skirt and settles for a mediocre outfit for the day.

* * *

Rize glances from her teacup to Kaname, who’s sitting quietly and sipping her tea at the front of the table. Meanwhile, Mimi is staring shamelessly with a confused look on her face, as if saying ‘Are you looking at this?’ The pixies hover above them, looking uncomfortable. Rize wishes that she can spare them from this weird awkward tension.

“How are you liking the tea so far?” Kaname asks.

Mimi still can’t speak, so Rize answers instead. “It’s good, as always,” she says but stops herself as she decides whether to address the elephant in the room or not. “You look very…tame today.”

“You mean underdressed?” Mimi finally speaks.

“Mimi!” Rize says, but Kaname shakes her head and shushes her.

“It’s alright, Rize. I do admit I’m overly undressed, if there’s such a word for it,” Kaname explains. “It’s just… I think I’ve run out of good dresses to wear for our tea parties. I don’t even know what to wear for this month’s party.”

Mimi smiles. “Oh, Kaname, it’s all the matter of patterns. You just need to miss and match the patterns of your dresses with the parties,” she explains. “Though it works if you have a lot of good pattern-printed dresses.”

“You can always get more from lolitain.com,” Rize adds. “Hm, I think I know which dress would fit you for this occasion.”

With a snap of her fingers, Kaname’s outfit changes to a pink Lolita dress with an Alice in the Wonderland print. It’s soft to the touch and decorated with lace and bows, quite fitting to the theme of this month and Kaname’s style. Kaname twirls her skirt.

“It looks so cute on you!” Rize swoons, but Mimi has a look on her face that tells otherwise.

“It’s good, good, but not quite enough,” Mimi says. She waves her hand and another dress replaces the other one.

Now, Kaname is wearing a black and red Lolita dress with a black corset-style top with a lace choker. The skirt is decorated with red frills and print patterns of cute animals wearing Victorian-style dresses. While the previous dress is cute and soft, this dress is bold and alluring. Rize even tops the whole get-up with a red bow in Kaname’s hair.

Mimi nods appreciatively at Kaname’s outfit. “It brings out your eyes,”

Rize doesn’t look convinced. She stares at Kaname’s dress before her eyes light up and she turns to Mimi. Mimi doesn’t get what Rize is trying to say, but then her eyes light up as well. They snap their fingers at the same time and Kaname’s dress changes at one final time.

Now, Kaname is wearing a blue frill Lolita dress with a printed pattern of colorful assorted hats and accessories. While the dress is simple in its design, it is topped with neat stitching and ribbon bows – Kaname’s favorite. Kaname takes a look at her dress and feels the softness of its skirt.

“It’s perfect!” Kaname says. “Thank you.”

Rize beams at her while Mimi gives a brief grin before sipping her tea.

The rest of the tea party goes well, now that the missing piece of the party is complete.

[eternalsshipsandfics]

In Cold Blood: Chapter 8

Summary: The illustrious Kuran family is thrown into disarray when the crown princess disappears under suspicious circumstances. Will she ever be found?

The cool night breeze whipped her cloak back and forth around her legs. The familiar hustle and bustle of the townspeople coupled with the familiar manor house directly ahead of her sent a blast of nostalgia towards her. She didn't know how long she had been away, but it had been a long while. It felt like a lifetime since she had seen her own home. She was grateful that Zero's escort had let her approach the manor alone.

The hood covered her face from the swarming populace who thankfully hadn't noticed her. She wanted her family and her best friend to know that she was back before anyone else. Taking in one last deep breath of the uplifting scent of home, she began the final leg of her journey home.

As she got closer and closer to the door, she began to wonder what she would say. Should she remain silent; allow them to wrap their heads around her safe return? Should she act as though nothing had happened; show them that nothing had changed? Should she explain it all at once, or a little at a time?

As the intricately patterned white door loomed in front of her, she decided to play it by ear. How could you really explain your disappearance to those who loved you? Especially when you turned up completely unharmed a while later. Her soft knock soon yielded a tiny click as the door was unlocked.

"Yes?" She felt a happy smile rise on her smile as the familiar blond haired, green eyed butler greeted her. She pulled the hood back from her face, delighting in the shocked glee that replaced the thinly veiled boredom.

"Hello, Takuma."

"Lady Yuuki! Welcome home! Come in, come in!" She was ushered inside, the door swiftly shut behind her. She hadn't realised how much she had missed the grand entrance hall with its spiralling staircase and myriad portraits. The fresh scent of the air was replaced by subtle floral scents from the decorative plants. "Kana—Lord Kaname, Lord Rido, we have a visitor!"

Her parents weren't here, then? She felt a little disappointed that she couldn't present herself to them tonight as well. She had missed her mother's warm embrace and her father's soothing influence. Though, she was excited enough to see her big brother again after all this time. She wanted to see her uncle also, but she had never been as close to him as she had the other three.

"A visitor at this hour?" She resisted the urge to run up the spiral staircase to her big brother at the sound of his voice. She felt like a little girl again as she caught sight of him. He looked more mature than he had the last time she had seen him; he was beginning to take on the slightly harassed look that her father had mastered over his years as king.

His eyes widened at the sight of his younger sister, and he almost skipped over the last few steps in his haste. She was rapidly pulled into his embrace.

"Yuuki! You're alright!"

She wrapped her arms tightly around him. To have her loving older brother back with her like this… she had known that it would happen eventually, but now that it had, she could barely describe the bliss she felt.

"I'm home, Kaname."

"Welcome home, Yuuki."

"What's all the noi- Yuuki." Rido didn't sound surprised to see her, as though he had expected to walk down the stairs and find his niece unharmed in the entrance hall.

"Uncle Rido!" The hug she shared with him was short; almost devoid of emotion. Whilst she had been distracted, Takuma had slipped away to attend to his duties. It was just her and her relatives.

"You must be tired, Yuuki. Go and rest! Get cleaned up. We'll call you down to dinner." Kaname told her. "We can catch up then."

"Now that you mention it, I am rather tired."

She had an affectionate kiss pressed to her forehead (god, she had missed this) before she started up the steps; Kaname giving her a lilting reassurance that her room was still the same. When she had lived here before, she had simply hurried through the sophisticated hallways without taking in the beauty of the architecture. Now, she took a slow, appreciative walk.

She had a bright smile and a thank you for a human maid that was hurrying by her, which caused the maid to stagger slightly behind her. Yuuki was going to make sure that she was alright, but she righted herself and gave her a slightly apprehensive nod. Had she always been so unaware of them that they would react in such a way? She had prided herself on her forward thinking views, but she couldn't put hand on heart and say that she had acted much differently to any other vampire. She resolved to thank all of her slaves and servants when she could. If her time in the hunter colony had taught her anything, it was that they worked very hard.

The solid mahogany door loomed in front of her. She had never realised just how big it was. After living in such a small room, she had a newfound appreciation for hers. The crystal knob was cold to the touch and yielded easily to the twist of her hand.

He hadn't lied to her. The large four-poster bed was still standing strong in the far corner of the room, just out of sight of the frosted glass window. Her vanity with the princess mirror stood regally on top and her huge mahogany wardrobe seemed to be welcoming her home. She had a thought to change the airy yellow wallpaper. Maybe a nice lilac…

She flung open the window to gaze outside. There were no market stalls set up tonight. Was that due to the traders, or had one of her relatives ordered it? It seemed like even the servants had turned in, only a few milling around the grounds and taking in the night air as she had. The more hectic activity would be further away, where the town began.

Her eyes darted back and forth in the vain hope of locating Yori. She knew that she shouldn't really be expecting Hanabusa and Yori; after all, they didn't live here. They did have to go home, eventually. She could always get Kaname to send out a summons for them.

She sat down on the edge of the bed. Now that her goal had been met, nothing was directing her thoughts anymore. As such, her thoughts drifted back to the man she had grown to care for while she was away. Along her journey home, she had accepted that this was the way things had to be. She had been telling herself as such before he set her free, but…

It would have been dangerous had she stayed. Not so much for herself, but for him. While he was near, she had been spiralling out of control; the urge to bite and drink deeply from his neck growing stronger and stronger with each passing moment. She would have killed him with her desire.

That didn't make parting from him any less painful for her. She laid back on her bed, gazing up at the rich ceiling above her; the thirst clawing and scratching at her parched throat. This was her punishment, she mused. She was a foolish girl after all.

Forcing herself back up, she headed towards her ensuite bathroom. She needed a delicious scalding hot bath.

~Z~

This was odd. The soft clatter of knives and forks and the pleasant aroma of rich food, coupled with there being actual people eating with her made her feel… not uneasy, exactly, it wasn't a negative feeling. It had become something outside of the norm, different.

Kaname had informed her that she had been gone for a full year. That had surprised her. Time had become a nebulous term in the colony; the only time days had any significance were birthdays. She didn't exactly have open access to a calendar like some of the residents did. She decided to be the one to break the comfortable silence.

"So, Mother and father couldn't be here?" The clatter stopped for the briefest of seconds, and she caught the tail-end of an awkward look between the two males opposite her. Her stomach dropped. Something was wrong.

"Not over the dinner table."

"She deserves to know, Kaname."

"Know what? What happened?" She was beginning to feel a panic rising to life inside her. Kaname was hesitating to speak to her, swallowing visibly as he sought the correct words. He settled on the direct approach.

"Father is dead, Yuuki."

"Wh-what?" It was as though the rug had been pulled out from under her feet. If she had been standing, she was certain that she would have collapsed. Of course, his absence had been immediately noticed by Yuuki, a true daddy's girl, but she had assumed…

"Your mother has been absent in grief for a while. She's kept in touch through writing." Rido took over. Yuuki was struggling to wrap her brain around this news. She hadn't expected her goodbye a year before to have been their final goodbye.

"How did he…?"

"Murder." Rido told her. She felt a mite of disgust at the relief that she felt. She couldn't have handled it if he had killed himself. But then…

"But only hunter weapons can kill a pureblood…" She left unsaid that another pureblood would be able to accomplish the same feat. That was too hard to accept.

"We did find some hair that didn't belong to father at the scene of his death. It matches the known criminal, Zero Kiryuu."

The cutlery finally fell from her fingers, pure shock rolling over her in waves. Zero had done this? The same Zero that had protected her from the assassination attempt? The same Zero who had been so affectionate to the young Yui? The same Zero who had danced with her? She couldn't equate the two.

"When did this happen?" She finally asked in a shuddering voice.

"It was shortly after you disappeared. You can imagine how worried we were when we heard that you were seen in his vicinity."

Yuuki had completely lost her appetite. Zero had been gone for a while shortly after she had woken up. Had he been out murdering her father? Was he, in actuality, a manipulative monster? No… No, she didn't believe that. The colony's affection for him was genuine. Even he couldn't manipulate hundreds of people from different backgrounds in such a way.

"I don't think he did it." She said quietly.

"What?"

"I don't think he did it. He treated me well. He's a kind person."

"You would say that. You've been under his control for a year, dear niece."

"No, it's not that!"

"Yuuki, I understand your reluctance to accept the truth…"

"It isn't the truth! He's being framed!"

"Yuuki…" Kaname sounded like he pitied her. It was as though she had been stabbed in the gut. He had always believed her before, so why wouldn't he believe her earnest response now? She felt betrayed.

"Why won't you believe me?"

"Like Uncle Rido said, you've been with him for a year. He's had plenty of time to manipulate you."

"He hasn't manipulated me!"

"We'll get the truth out of him when we catch him." Rido commented. Yuuki felt a stab of panic. Her uncle wasn't known for being the nicest of vampires.

"Don't you hurt him!" She demanded. She had gotten to her feet and slammed her hands onto the table, though she didn't remember doing that.

"After all the innocent vampires he's murdered in cold blood?"

"Were they innocent?" She asked, before she turned away from both of them. "I'm not hungry. I'm going to bed."

She could only imagine the looks her retreating back was receiving.

~Z~

The next night, after she had calmed herself down, a familiar mass of dirty blond hair caught her attention. She didn't know if her best friend had been informed of her return, but her reaction when she saw her would be more than satisfactory when she saw her.

Channelling her inner predator, Yuuki stalked stealthily toward the oblivious Yori. The startled squeak as she wrapped her arms around her in a sudden hug was worth it. The surprised bliss on Yori's face when she turned and saw her brunette friend was like ambrosia to Yuuki. Yori returned the hug with an enthusiastic squeal of her name.

"I knew you'd come back!" The mood changed as Yori pulled back, a thought striking her. "Do you know…?"

"About father? Yeah."

"I'm so sorry that you had to come back to that…"

"I don't really want to talk about it…" Only a day had passed; it was still too new to her. She wasn't sure that it had really sunk in yet. Yori gave her a sympathetic nod. Then she appeared to be chewing over her next choice of words, as Kaname had.

"How was Zero when you left him?"

"He was fine… Zero?" She would have thought that Yori would have referred to him by his nickname; as unwilling to give him an identity as the others.

"That's good. And he treated you well?"

"Yes. He treated me better than most of the others there." Yori looked…relieved? Had she been correct in her assumption a year earlier? Was she a sympathiser?

"I'm going to tell you something that I haven't told anyone else. Please don't repeat it to anyone."

"I swear I'll take it to my grave."

"Zero and I used to be close friends when we were young."

"What? You were?" Yuuki had always just assumed that Yori had been born into servitude. Technically, she had by virtue of being human. From what she had heard of Zero's background, he seemed to have lived free from vampires until that fateful night. Had he not after all? Or had Yori previously been a free human?

"You seem confused, Yuuki. I wasn't always Hanabusa's – Lord Aido's servitude. I was born in a town hidden from vampire society. The same town that he was born in. We always played together; him, his brother and me."

"Brother?" He hadn't mentioned a brother when they had been talking. Perhaps she should have paid attention to his wording.

"Yes. His name was Ichiru. He's…not around anymore."

"Oh, I see…"

"We were very close, as I said. That's how I knew he wouldn't hurt you."

Yuuki pouted a little. "You didn't worry about me?"

"Of course I worried about you. But the danger wasn't from Zero. He's always been kind hearted."

"I got that impression." She agreed.

"We were out playing as normal when we were discovered by vampires. There were a few of them, and we were quickly separated. A few of the townspeople were unlucky. The vampires were…sadistic… to put it mildly. Some of us were kept alive to be toyed with for days after the initial attack. It was awful." She shuddered a little at the memory. She didn't go into detail. "I didn't see him after that, but I always wondered. And when we saw that poster last year, I was so relieved that he was alive."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"You hadn't had the chance to know him yet. I didn't…want them to know my association to the vampires' public enemy number one."

"Yori… How did you get away from them?" Yori was about to answer, when she received a sudden call from another servant. It seemed like she was in the middle of a task when Yuuki had interrupted her.

"I'll tell you another time. It's so good to see you back." She gave her best friend another hug before she hurried away to complete her task.

~Z~

That night, while Yuuki was rooting around in the familiar bedroom she hadn't been in for a long time, she found a familiar face stuck behind her dresser where it had fallen over a year before. She wiped the dust off of the soft silver fur, looking into the small button eyes of the little toy wolf.

As she climbed into bed for the day, she found herself holding the wolf close. She didn't need to sleep with a teddy anymore, but she kept the tiny animal close as she drifted into a restless sleep.

~Z~

The following year was positively uneventful compared to the one that preceded it. The citizenry appeared calm as the memory of their leader's murder faded into the background. Rido had fully taken over his brothers duties; Kaname having informed him that he didn't feel that he could handle the responsibility yet.

Kaname seemed to have pulled away from her and their uncle. He had been willing to provide her with blood before, but since she had returned, he hadn't allowed her even once. She had been taking the blood she needed from vampire servants who lined up to offer their blood to her. It wasn't satisfactory. The past year had seen her suffer more and more from her unquenchable thirst.

Yuuki had attempted to forget Zero Kiryuu. If she forgot his existence, then she wouldn't be so thirsty anymore. Unfortunately for her, the rather frequent hunting parties sent out to find him served as a constant reminder. It didn't seem as though anyone had noticed how her thirst seemed to have increased tenfold. She hoped that it would remain that way. Kaname and Rido still held onto the belief that he had been manipulating her, so she hadn't spoken to either of them about him.

She had confided in Yori (who had noticed that she would often mope when Zero's name was mentioned and thus connected the dots) that she had hoped that it had just been a passing crush; her growing thirst simply accompanying the powerful peak of her feelings before she returned to normal. She had been forced to accept that this wasn't the case. A year later, and she had to accept that she was completely in love with Zero Kiryuu.

She had been preparing for the annual slave auction. This year, the anger had an extra burning edge to it that had not existed previously. She hadn't been as deeply immersed in the lives of humans before. Now that she was weaving through the usual crowds with her dearest brother, she felt severely out of place.

A different auctioneer stood before her on stage, calling out across the milling crowd. The line of humans that had been captured stood submissively; having been severely abused and beaten until they obeyed their new overlords. Her blood boiled.

Before Kaname could stop her, she was up on that stage; the milling crowd coming to a halt when they realised that their princess was before them.

"How can you all stand by and condone this barbarity! These humans were just living their lives, not bothering any of us before they were ripped from their families and brought here for our convenience! Who gave vampires the right to treat humans this way?" Her angry tirade was brought to a stop as Kaname roughly covered her mouth. The crowd was murmuring a myriad of things that she couldn't make out over the sound of blood rushing through her ears.

"I am very sorry for my sister! Please go about your business." Kaname dragged her off of the stage, not allowing her to open her mouth until they were a decent distance from the stage.

"What the hell? I thought you agreed with me!"

"You aren't the one who'll be punished for this, Yuuki!"

The implication of his statement made her blood run cold.

"Why would they punish innocent people?"

"Because they can't punish you." Yuuki struggled to hold back the pure rage that flooded through her. These people were living beings, with thoughts and dreams of their own. They weren't property.

The crowds were silenced once more when a town crier appeared with a message from the king. A summons to the main square. Yuuki felt the familiar uneasiness settle over her as she and Kaname obediently lead the way to the main square.

It was still referred to as the main square, but the truth was that it had been blocked off indefinitely for months. Many rumours had been floating around about the purpose of the closure, and they were about to see just what had been done.

As they arrived, they noticed the newly built stand. On top of the stand was a block with a single indent in the wood about the size of the average neck. A chopping block. That suited Rido's cruel need for dominance. What better way to take control than to wield the power of life and death?

Secondary to the block, they noticed Rido himself up on the stand. He gave Kaname and Yuuki a commanding look, which they obeyed. They came to a stop next to him, presented to the muttering crowds once more.

"Citizens!" Rido began as the crowds quieted down, "Our princess has been returned to us for a full year! We are all grateful for her safe return!" The crowd roared its' support. Yuuki shuffled uncomfortably.

"However, her kidnapper has remained elusive in the same time span. We have sent hunting party after hunting party to track him down. This is not unexpected; he has been eluding us for years before he took our lady Yuuki. Fortunately, our search has not been for nought."

He gestured to his right. Yuuki shared a glance with Kaname as the crowd gave up an anticipatory roar. Two vampires roughly handled a man who was dressed in tattered rags that must have once been clothes with a woollen sack covering his head onto the stand. His arms were tied tightly behind his back. Her heart sank.

This couldn't be him. He had been successfully eluding them for years, as her uncle had just told the crowd. Why would he suddenly be caught now? She realised that her logic was flawed. Just because he had been successful before didn't mean that he couldn't make a mistake.

But his aura was different. It didn't feel the same as the one she had grown so used to. It was…harsher somehow. More jagged at the edges. He was probably just giving them a show to keep them on side, using an innocent man to pretend that the threat was over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the notorious murderer and kidnapper; the esteemed silver wolf himself, Zero Kiryuu!"

On cue, the bag was whipped from his head. Yuuki failed to stifle a gasp. Though the man's eyes and mouth were covered with a thick line of material, the unique silver hair told her all she needed to know.

Zero had come back into her life.