The Vanishing by Karla Nikole

Three

The morning weather is warm and clear, the air fresh with the scent of damp earth and new life. Haruka looks up, examining the puffy white clouds drifting overhead as he waits on the front porch. When the door swings open, he diverts his attention forward and smiles.

“Good morning, your grace,” Sora says, returning Haruka’s grin as she pulls the door open wider. She bows at her waist, making the giant, messy bun on top of her head shift forward. When she’s upright, she adjusts her red-framed glasses. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“Please, just Haruka is fine, and it is my pleasure. My apologies for the delay. The past few weeks have been exceptionally busy.” Haruka steps into the cool foyer. The house smells of bitter green tea, clean tatami and something sweet.

“I can imagine,” Sora says. “Since you’ve come back, everyone’s been so excited and we all need something from you. Not to mention the social events and—”

The sound of small, eager feet racing toward them grows louder, making both Sora and Haruka turn their attention toward the long hallway. Haruka takes a step back to plant his feet, bracing himself for the impact of tiny vampires.

“Shion, Amon, stop—”

Haruka opens his arms just in time as the small girl pulls ahead of her brother, jumping at full speed into his embrace. He sweeps her up, while the boy crashes into his long legs, arms wrapped around Haruka’s knees.

“You cheated, Shion.” The boy looks up from Haruka’s knees, a stern crease set in his adorable brow. “It’s not fair!”

“Good morning, Haru-sama.” Shion smiles, ignoring her brother and settling herself in Haruka’s arms. “Me and Dad pressed mochi for you. We have tea, too. Will you have some?”

“I helped too,” her twin brother asserts, indignant.

Shion glances down at him in a pointed moment of silence, then focuses her rich brown gaze back on Haruka. Her face is indifferent. “Amon helped too.”

“I’m so sorry about my wild kids,” Sora says, bending down to peel Amon’s determined six-year-old frame from Haruka’s legs.

“There is no need to apologize. I would love to have mochi and tea. Thank you for the wonderful treat.” Indulgence. While Haruka doesn’t need to consume table food as a purebred, he enjoys it nonetheless. As a family of first-generation vampires, the human blood entwined within the Fujihara Clan’s lineage requires it. They need both food and blood to thrive as creatures born of vampiric biology.

Shion squeaks and wraps her small arms tight around Haruka’s neck. He steps out of his shoes and onto the hardwood floor to follow Sora down the hallway. She drags her son by the hand as they walk toward the kitchen. The scene reminds Haruka of an owner pulling its obstinate, untrained puppy.

“They’ve been going berserk for the past month over your visiting us.” Sora’s smile is strained as she wrestles with her little boy. “It’s all they talk about—they’ve been driving Kosuke and me crazy. ‘When’s Haru-sama coming? Is it today? Is it today? Why isn’t it today?’ Oh my God—we’ll never tell them anything in advance again. Everything’s a surprise from now on.”

Haruka laughs as they turn the corner into the kitchen. The bright sunlight spills in through the open windows and the musky scent of green tea is strong. Kosuke, Sora’s mate, smiles in greeting from the counter, an apron wrapped around his narrow waist.

“Good morning, your grace. Thank you so much for helping us with this project.”

“Please, just Haruka. It’s my pleasure. I apologize for the delay in getting started.”

“Don’t worry about it. We know how busy you’ve been…” Kosuke frowns at his daughter. “Shion, seriously?” He holds his palms flat, urging her to transfer into his arms, but she turns away. A distinct “No thank you.” Her shiny black ponytail bounces as she snakes her arms tighter around Haruka’s neck.

“It’s okay,” Haruka says quietly. “I don’t mind.”

Kosuke shakes his head in exasperation as he turns back toward the counter. Haruka watches him for a moment, considering. “Kosuke, does the bright light in here not bother you?”

“Oh no, I’m okay as long as I don’t go outside or sit in direct sunlight. Thankfully my sensitivity isn’t as bad as some other vampires with my similar genetic background—not enough to make our household nocturnal. It’s too hard in this day and age, living that kind of lifestyle.”

“Agreed, it would be difficult to maintain such an outdated existence.” Haruka moves to sit at the small kitchen table with Shion in his lap, taking the seat washed in direct sunlight. Sora joins him, still pulling an excitable Amon at her side.

“Haru-sama?” Shion whispers, lifting her face and blinking brown eyes. “You smell really nice—”

“Shion, good grief.” Sora frowns behind her trendy glasses. “Like, who’s raising this child? Someone call her parents—”

“I think so too!” Amon chirps from across the table. “He smells good ’cause he’s a purebred.”

“Can I sit with you while you read today?” Shion asks, batting her eyes. Amon bounces up in his mother’s lap.

“I wanna read Latino too!” he says.

“It’s Latin,” Sora says, rolling her eyes. “Haruka needs to concentrate. You two can’t be fighting and climbing all over him while he’s working.”

Shion directs her attention to her brother. “We won’t, will we, Amon?”

“We won’t—we promise.”

“Depending on the complexity of the will and trust, it might be nice to have company at least some of the time?” Haruka strokes his chin, playful. “Certainly for the occasional tea break?”

“Mom—he said sometimes!” Shion pleads, her bouncy ponytail slapping Haruka in the chin as she whips her head around.

“For breaks, Mom!” Amon adds.

Sora gives Haruka a hesitant look, but he nods to reassure her. “Alright…” Sora sighs. “But you have to behave and listen to Haruka when you’re in the study with him.”

A chorus of small voices rings out in celebration. Kosuke carries a large tray of tea and pressed sticky rice to the table. The oval-shaped sweets are powdery pink and wrapped in green leaves—cherry blossom mochi to celebrate the spring.

“Haru-sama, what’s your favorite color?” Shion asks.

“Hm… I like amber.”

“Me too,” Shion says.

“Me too!” Amon echoes.

Sora snorts. “Shion, you like green—"

“Nuh-uh, I changed.” Shion raises her chin. “I like amber now.”

“Whatis amber?” Amon asks, puzzled. He bulldozes on. “Haru-sama, do you like to read manga?”

“I’ve never read any,” Haruka says. “Perhaps I should? Which one do you like?”

“What?” Amon bounces in Sora’s lap, his eyes wide. “You’ve never read manga? No way. Dad loves manga. When Mom is at the hospital, all he does is read manga—”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Kosuke interjects, reaching down to snatch Amon up from his mate’s lap. “You see what we deal with every day? Small creatures that never, ever, ever stop talking.”

Haruka breathes a laugh as Shion leans forward in his lap, stretching and reaching for the mochi. He understands Sora and Kosuke’s exasperation. It is natural.

For Haruka though, this environment is special. Whenever he visits the Fujihara family, his heart warms. But the edges are painted with a gentle melancholy. When he was still very young and on the cusp of forming his first bond, he had imagined his life to be something like this. At least he’d hoped.

After a while, it became clear that he should give up. So he did. He buried the quiet desire deep down, never giving it another thought.

Things haven’t turned out the way he’d imagined, but he is infinitely grateful. He has Nino. A second bond. A serendipitous meeting and miraculous circumstance that he never anticipated. He couldn’t ask for anything more. He wouldn’t.

* * *

By the timeHaruka returns home, it is night. The house is silent. He walks into the kitchen and the white moonlight spills in from the glass courtyard doors and onto the sturdy oak table.

As Haruka moves forward, he’s amazed at the decadent sight before him. Thick black candles occupy the center of the table, flickering and burning softly. Beside them, a tall glass vase filled with long-stemmed red roses in full bloom. The atmosphere glows with dark elegance and romance.

Suddenly, Nino is behind him, snaking his arms around Haruka’s waist to embrace him and pull him into his chest. He plants a firm kiss just underneath Haruka’s ear. “Tesoro, bentornato a casa.”

Darling, welcome home. Grinning, Haruka leans into the hug. “Grazie, amore mio. This looks exquisite.”

“It reminds me of you.” Nino reaches up to pull his collar away from his neck. He lowers his head, placing a soft kiss at the top of Haruka’s spine. “Your aura and eyes haven’t glowed in that brilliant rose-red color since we bonded. I miss it.”

Haruka turns in his grasp, embracing Nino’s shoulders. “I don’t,” he says. “I much prefer my nature entwined with yours.” He leans in to kiss Nino, indulging in the rich, cinnamon-infused taste of him.

When Haruka bonded with Yuna the first time, his inherent nature hadn’t changed so drastically. In this new bond with Nino, everything is different: their open communication and overall dynamic. The passion and love he feels is more consuming—almost feral. Submitting to the allure of it… Haruka still hesitates, but he’s growing accustomed to it.

Nino lifts his head, amber eyes shining. “Have a seat and I’ll pour you a glass.” Obedient, Haruka moves toward the table as Nino speaks from behind the counter. “I have another surprise for you, but it’s not quite ready yet. I need more time.”

“When can I anticipate this surprise?”

“Mm… maybe next month?” Nino chuckles. “I bit off a little more than I can chew. How’s the translation project so far?”

“Challenging. Excellent.” He makes himself comfortable at the table and glances out the window. The cherry blossom trees in the courtyard flutter in shadowy pink hues, swaying against the nighttime breeze. “I read many things in Latin for pleasure, but my comprehension of legal terminology is rusty. I will need my lexicon and dictionary next time I visit.”

“How are the Fujiharas?” Nino asks, setting a generous glass of Merlot before him.

“Wonderful.” Haruka picks up his glass and takes a sip before continuing. “Their nest is always warm and welcoming.”

“I think… we have that too,” Nino says from the counter, arranging the plates.

“Of course we do.” Haruka watches him, confused. “It was not a point of comparison.”

Nino walks around the counter, two dinner plates in his hands. “You really like the twins, right? What are their names?”

“Shion is the girl and Amon is the boy. Yes, they are delightful. What do we have?” He looks down at the artfully plated food. It smells of fresh herbs—warm, buttery and rich.

“First course is pan-seared scallops with salsa verde. We’ll have three courses altogether.”

Haruka’s mouth is already watering as he picks up his fork. “Il secondo?”

“Second course is breaded filetti di cernia with sesame seeds and roasted vegetables. We have a little molten chocolate chili cake for dessert.”

God help me. How did he end up with this creature? This handsome, wholesome vampire that nourishes him and indulges him. That loves him and helps him. Haruka has faced much hardship and tragedy—the loss of his parents as a child, an unprecedented broken bond. With the appearance of Nino, it feels as if life has offered sincere recompense in one incredible, sweeping gesture.

“You have outdone yourself,” Haruka says. “This is divine. When you give consulting advice to your clients in Kansai, do you also suggest recipes?”

“Sometimes, but… I try not to stick my nose into their menu too much, especially if it’s food I’m not familiar with. If I see a need because it’s impacting their financials, I do give some general advice.”

“Such as?” Haruka asks, taking another bite of seared and buttery scallop. It flakes and practically melts in his mouth.

“I tell them to keep their menu small. Large menus with too much variety can be a business killer. For one, it’s expensive to keep so many ingredients in stock. Two, it impacts quality.”

Haruka nods. “They freeze things to extend the shelf life.”

“Exactly, and I don’t like that,” says Nino. “My philosophy is, make your food fresh and make it well. A smaller menu will help set them up for success. Most family-owned restaurants in Japan are good about that. I haven’t run into anything too crazy, which is why I avoid taking on major chains as clients.”

“Yes, with a larger business, I imagine it would be strenuous to make changes across various locations. Frozen foods are also inevitable for distribution.” Haruka takes his final bite of scallop, excited for the next course. He looks over at Nino, and his mate is staring into a half-eaten plate.

“My love, why are you not eating?” Haruka asks.

Something is distracting him. Unless they’re both receptive to it, they cannot explicitly read each other’s minds. As a general rule, they have decided it is better to give each other privacy.

Nino takes a deep breath before flickering his radiant eyes up at him. “I… I’ve had something on my mind the past few weeks. It feels like a topic we should have talked about by now, but I just never really…”

“Nino, what is it?” Haruka asks, his chest tight from the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

“You… and Yuna. You were bonded with her for ten years, right?”

“Yes,” says Haruka, his voice patient but his body tense. The last thing he ever wants to discuss is his previous mate. Especially on the night of their very young anniversary.

Nino rakes his hand through his hair, a clear indicator of his stress. “Why—why didn’t the two of you have children? Being together so long, it seems like you would have.”

Sighing, Haruka sits back against the chair, his appetite ruined.