Full Circle XV: Paris

Zero walked through the bustling, well-lit street, face half-hidden in the stiff collar of his leather coat. A flurry of white, fluffy snow fell steadily, blanketing the ground with white. Merry lights twinkled from the awnings of the buildings he passed by, and the sound of carols filled the air.

Around him people were hurrying about, chattering merrily as they flitted from one store to the next, cheeks pink from the cold. He moved amongst them at a leisurely pace, occasionally looking about but keeping his peripheral vision on the subject of his mission.

Yuuki Kuran, rosy-cheeked and light-footed, walked a few paces ahead, aided by a slightly bemused Seiren.

Suddenly she stopped in mid-walk, sniffing the air. Zero held his breath and halted as well, making sure to keep himself hidden from view. He had cast a protective hunter's spell around him beforehand to evade detection, but it is highly probable that he had been sensed. Yuuki is a pureblood, after all.

Then she smiled, and tugged at Seiren's arm, dragging the other woman through the crowded street. Zero let out the breath he was holding and resumed his stalking, feeling slightly foolish as he discovered what had actually taken her attention – a bakeshop, selling sweet concoctions and baked goodies.

Yuuki went inside the shop. He made a move to follow, but a strong figure clad in long black cloak stepped in front of him, effectively blocking his view.

Zero looked up, and came face-to-face with an expressionless, steel-eyed Kaname Kuran.

"Fancy meeting you here, Kiryuu."

Zero cursed, loud enough for the people nearby to hear. Smirking, Kaname gestured for him to follow and turned around, opposite the direction where Yuuki had gone.

He considered making a run for it, but his hyper-active senses confirmed the danger he had been expecting – Kaname is not alone. The nobles protecting the pureblood were all around the place, strategically positioned amongst the mass of people. He might be able to escape, but not without causing unnecessary commotion.

And a commotion he could not afford, not at this time.

Muttering another curse, he set his jaw and went to follow Kaname Kuran.

×××FullCircle×××

A bunch of blood-red roses adorned the lavishly set table in one of the exclusive rooms of Le Cinq, Sara's favorite upscale restaurant in all of Paris. Five attendants respectfully stood waiting, all of them vampires, personally led by the manager, a high-ranking noble.

The manager stepped forward as soon as Sara took her seat, followed by an attendant with a tray of aperitifs. "Your Majesty," he said with a bow, careful to hold his bow until Sara signaled him to straighten up. "Kindly accept our welcome offerings, for the honor of having you with us tonight."

"Yes, thank you." Sara waited until the tray was set down on the table before turning to her companion, who stood tensely at the far end of the long table, flanked by Sara's bodyguards. "Will you not have a seat, Rima-chan, and enjoy these treats with me?"

The model bit her lip, shook her head, and bowed. "My apologies, Your Majesty, but I dare not take the liberty of doing so."

"Oh, so modest. But I insist." Sara narrowed her eyes and gestured to the seat in front of Rima. "Please, sit down."

Unable to fight the compulsion, Rima sat down. Her eyes, however, glittered with unkempt hate at Sara.

Sara laughed coldly. "Such a scary expression, so unbecoming of your lovely face." She flicked a finger, and the wine menu held by an attendant flew across the room to land before Rima with a quiet thud. "Perhaps a drink of your choice will lighten up your mood, hmmm?"

Rima did not open the menu, but she addressed the manager, not taking her eyes off Sara. "A bottle of Pierre Moncuit for me, monsieur."

The noble took note of Rima's request, but glanced at Sara, waiting for her approval. "Ah, champagne, light and bubbly, just as you are. You have fine taste, Rima-chan." The Queen turned to the manager and said, "A Petrus for me, and a Moncuit for my guest."

One of the attendants scurried away to do her bidding. Sara called for the main menu and took her time with the selections, taking the liberty to order for them both. By the time she was done, Rima had downed half of her drink, although the aperitif on her plate remained untouched.

Sara chuckled and took a sip of her own aperitif. "Hmm, this is quite pleasant. You should have some, Rima-chan. It's not poisoned," she added pointedly with a smile.

Rima smiled back just as blandly but did not comply. "Your Majesty does not need to go to such lengths to accommodate me."

This time Sara laughed out loud in genuine surprise. "What a polite way of saying, 'I know that you don't need poison, if you really want to.' That might be true, but I am still quite offended, Rima-chan. Why would you think that I mean you harm?"

Rima did not immediately reply. Sara is already contemplating using compulsion when the noble finally spoke. "I have done nothing to earn your favor, and there is nothing I have which you could possibly want. So kindly forgive me if I assumed the worst, Your Majesty."

Ah, but there is something you have that I want, Rima Touya. And I will not think twice about killing you or anyone else to obtain it, if necessary.

"You and Senri-kun have a son, do you not? What is his name again?"

Rima did not reply, but she does not need to. Her thoughts, as clear as day to Sara, projected an image of a six-year old vampire child, with Senri's hair and Rima's eyes, the blood of Kuran running through his veins, and the soul of a pureblood prince giving him life.

"Ah yes, Kaien. Six years old, currently in the care of his governess...in your main residence at Avenue Montaigne."

Rima's eyes widened in shock. Sara took a moment to relish the fear and desperation emitting from the noble, before leaning forward to confirm Rima's worst nightmare.

"Yes, Rima dear, you do not need to say a word to give yourself away. So perhaps you will think twice about lying to me, or even attempting to mislead me by false information."

Sara watched as Rima took a few deep breaths, and had to admire the way the other vampire took control of her emotions. Sara caught a fleeting image of Senri Shiki flashing in Rima's mind, before it abruptly disappeared as the noble willed her mind to blank.

A tough one, but Sara does not mind. In fact, she is starting to genuinely like Rima Touya. A useful and worthy servant she would make, if only Sara can get her to her side.

Finally, Rima said the words Sara had been waiting for. "How may I be of service, Your Majesty?"

xxxFullCirclexxx

Senri stood in the midst of his workroom at The Papillon, the first vampire-owned modeling agency in the world. Established a year after Kaien was born, Papillon is his and Rima's brainchild, named after the favored familiar of the pureblood who is their son's salvation.

He was perusing through a list of applicants - talented models of both human and vampire births - when he felt it. A sudden uneasiness, followed by an ache in his heart, and a desperate, familiar voice that screamed in his mind.

"SENRI!"

Rima? Where are you? RIMA?

No reply. Instead, Senri felt a chill go up his spine, then a sense of utter, complete loss.

Fighting off dread, Senri fished out his phone from the pockets of his suit and hit the first number on his speed dial. As he feared, his call to Rima's mobile went straight to voicemail.

Now in open panic, Senri hit speed dial number two. The person he was calling picked up after the first ring. "Senri?"

"Takuma-senpai," he breathed out, trying but failing to keep his voice calm. "I can't find Rima."

There was a moment's silence on the other line. "What do you mean?"

"I can't feel her, senpai. She just suddenly disappeared from my senses. I heard her voice in my head, but when I called back, she did not answer. There was this cold feeling and then her essence is gone."

Takuma remained quiet throughout his terrified ramble, and for a few seconds afterwards. The older noble's voice was still calm, but edged with urgency when he finally spoke. "Where is Rima supposed to be right now, and with whom?"

Senri threw a quick look at his wristwatch. Eight thirty in the evening. "She's supposed to meet with her manager at the Ledoyen, after a charity fashion show at Hilton."

"Okay. This is what we will do. You contact her manager to confirm if Rima showed up for their meeting. Then, have someone get in touch with the organizers of the fashion show, so we could establish where and when she was last seen, and with whom. Do you understand me, Senri?"

"Yes, senpai."

"Good. I will call Seiren, and have her secure Kaien immediately. You should also close down early and go somewhere safe, as a precaution."

The terror that Senri was feeling magnified tenfold. "Precaution? Why?"

"Because Senri, from what you told me, someone abducted Rima. And the one responsible is a pureblood."

xxxFullCirclexxx

A blood red rose, one amongst the bunch of drying flowers thrown out from Le Cinq's dining rooms, quivered as it was dumped into the trash. Its petals flicked once, twice, moving to and fro until it disentangled from its fellow blooms.

The lone blossom then shook itself, unfurling its petals until it took the shape of a butterfly. In the dark hour of the night, just before the break of dawn, the butterfly flew away, back to the arms of its master.