A SONG OF SILENCE AND BLOOD

Chapter 1: A Song of Conquest and Fate

It was one of those days.

One of the days where Felicia and Flora had to dump ice water on me just to wake me up. One of the days I missed Gunter taking Leo and Elise to school. One of the days I had to throw on the nearest set of clothes I could find, whether they were clean or not. One of the days I had to call my best friend Silas to pick me up so I could barely get to class on time. It was one of those days.

"Gods, Kamui, you're a mess."

"Thanks, Silas. I really appreciate it."

My best friend had finally shown up, pulling up in his nice black Ford Mustang. I had yanked open the door and plopped inside before he could even greet me. Silas frowned, and reached out to pick something out of my hair, which I had put up in a haphazard ponytail. Unlike me, he was sophisticated as always, with his silver hair styled with gel so it spiked up in the front, fancy black dress shirt, impeccable blue jeans, and dark gray hiking boots.

"You have… ice in your hair," he pointed out.

Silas has been my best friend for as long as I could remember. He belonged to another rich family, which was how we first met. Our parents had originally intended for us to be prospective marriage matches… but any kind of arranged marriage was dropped when I came out as a lesbian, when I was fifteen. Silas was my right hand man, without a doubt, and I'd go as far to say I'd trust him with my life. We were inseparable. We still laugh about the marriage thing.

"Yeah, I know. I got the Ice Twin Special today. But seriously, can we get moving? My class is in five minutes! Five minutes, Silas!"

"Okay, okay! You sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

Finally, he pressed his foot down on the gas pedal and eased his car into motion, driving down the circular driveway that spanned the front of my family's mansion. Gods… if Mother and Father found out I had slept in again, I was going to get lectured later.

But now that we were finally moving, I let out an exhausted sigh and leaned back in my seat. This semester had been hell so far. I knew my major wasn't easy—I was studying to be a veterinarian, after all—but my classes were kicking my ass. Plus… I had other things on my mind. A lot of other things.

Two years ago, when I turned eighteen, my parents told me that I was adopted. In fact… almost all of us were. My older brother Xander was actually their only blood child. After he was born, Mother was told it would be dangerous to have anymore children. So my parents sought children to adopt. My big sister Camilla was five when she was adopted, so she always knew. Then they adopted me as an infant. My two younger siblings, Leo and Elise, were blood related, and had been adopted when they were four and two respectively.

I still loved my family. Not being related by blood didn't matter to me. But I had been interested in finding out who my birth mother was. I had spent the past two years trying to get information out of the agency my parents used to adopt me. It… wasn't going that well. Until recently anyway, when an agent there called me and said they would have information for me soon.

"Kamui? We're here."

I had been so lost in thought, I hadn't noticed that we had already reached my university. I gaped out the window, still processing it through my tired brain. Damn, either that was fast, or I was slow. Probably the latter.

Like I said, I had a lot on my mind.

"Thanks, Silas," I said, grabbing my bag and opening the door. "I owe you. Lemme pay you back with coffee after classes end today. We haven't been able to hang out as much lately because I've been studying all the time."

Silas just smiled. "It's cool, Kamui. I understand you're juggling some really tough classes. But coffee sounds great. I feel I'm gonna need it with the test in Calc we need to study for."

I let out a pained groan. "Gods, don't remind me. See you later, Silas."

Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I slammed the car door shut. I was already late… so there was no point in rushing and hurting myself over it. But I was still so tired, I didn't notice a small twig on the sidewalk. I promptly tripped over it, falling flat on my face and spilling the coffee Jakob had given me before leaving the house.

"AHHHH HOT HOT HOT!"

"Are you okay?!"

I had already pushed myself up onto my knees, ignoring the scrapes on my hands and arms to pull my shirt as far away from my body as possible. Hearing a voice that vaguely reminded me of an angel, I wondered for a moment if the coffee had somehow killed me and I had gone to heaven. And after looking up to see who it was, I might as well have gone to heaven.

"Um… uh… y-yeah."

Very eloquent, Kamui.

It was a girl, probably around my age. She had long sky blue hair that nearly reached all the way down to the ground. Her eyes were a striking shade of gold. Built lean in an athletic sort of way, her slight frame gave her a delicate appearance despite the fact that she was obviously fit. She was wearing a light blue tank top, white high waisted shorts adorned with six silver buttons, and a stylish pair of glittery white thong sandals. An unusual pendant hung around her neck. It seemed to sparkle in the morning sunlight.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that."

The girl held out her hand. I stared at it for a moment, until I realized she was offering to help me up. I hastily accepted her hand, letting her help me up. Gods… of all times to meet a cute girl, I had to be looking like this. I'd never been so embarrassed before in my life!

I immediately looked down at my poor t-shirt, and groaned. "It's so ruined… I can't go to class like this!"

"Um… well, I have an extra shirt you can borrow."

I looked over at her in surprise. "Really? Wow, that's really kind of you."

She let out a soft, but clearly embarrassed laugh. "Well, I… I just transferred here, so I thought it would be a good idea to try to make new friends."

A transfer student, huh… Well, that explained why I had never seen her around before. I think I would have noticed a girl as beautiful as her around here.

"Welcome to Krakenburg University, then!" I flashed a friendly smile. "I'm Kamui. Nice to meet you."

"My name is Aqua," she said, a small smile forming on her lips. "It's nice to meet you as well."

My cell phone beeped loudly in my back pocket. I pulled it out… and there was my alarm that I was extra late to class. I groaned.

"Ugh… no point in going to class now." I shoved it back into my pocket. "If you can grab that shirt… I'll show you where the locker rooms are."

She nodded. "My car is over this way."

Note to self: Get off your butt and either start saving for our own car or try to kiss up to Father to convince him to buy you one.

I followed her through the parking lot, and she took to me a powder blue Prius. I ended up just standing there as she unlocked it, popped the trunk, and went to retrieve a duffel bag from said trunk.

"It's just one of my workout shirts for dance," she explained. "But that should be fine… considering what you're wearing."

A forever coffee stained Lion King t-shirt and gray sweatpants? Yeah…

"You dance?" I asked in surprise.

"Um, yes… and sing." A faint blush darkened her cheeks. "I guess you could say I'm a performer."

"That's really cool!" I exclaimed, very much impressed. "Like seriously! I have zero coordination and my little brother says I sound like a dying weasel when I sing."

Aqua giggled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. "It's not that impressive… but thank you, Kamui."

I showed her to the locker rooms after that. They were inside the gym, which was thankfully empty at the moment. Once inside, Aqua handed me the shirt and I went inside a toilet stall to change. The shirt was a little on the tight side. Well, I was definitely bigger than her, but it worked.

When I stepped out, Aqua's gaze immediately turned to me. She frowned, scrutinizing me with those golden eyes of hers. I suddenly felt self-conscious. She was probably only checking to see if the shirt fit well enough, but I couldn't help but fidget nervously. I tried to pull the shirt down a little further, but the tubby bottom of my belly just didn't want to fit under it.

Aqua frowned even more, biting her bottom lip. "Ah… it's a little small. I apologize."

"It's, uh… It's not a big deal," I said, trying to give a smile as I waved her off. "Guess that means no donuts during Speech later…" Or donuts ever again. What a pitiful existence I live.

But Aqua didn't laugh at that. Instead, she shifted nervously on her feet, glancing back down at the ground. "Kamui, can I ask a favor?"

"Sure," I said, eyes widening a little. "What is it?"

"Would you mind giving me a tour of the campus? I'm still struggling with navigation."

Oh, that was pretty simple. I smiled. "Yeah, no problem. It's only fair, right? You helped me, I'll help you, too."

She did smile this time, looking back up at me. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

After giving Aqua a tour, we exchanged cell numbers, so I could return the shirt later, and so we could hang out some time. And despite having to go to my other classes, I was in a never eternally chipper mood. I had never felt this way after meeting someone before, but I was so happy. I even annoyed my lab partner in Bio, though Laurent is easy to annoy.

But when I saw the family car pulling into the parking lot after all my classes were done… that good mood crashed. I sent a text to Silas telling him I'd have to take a rain check on coffee.

If Gunter was here to pick me up, that meant Father had sent him. Which could only mean… that lecture was happening.

"Dusk Dragon help me," I muttered under my breath before putting my phone away and walking up to the car, accepting my dire fate.

It wasn't like my parents were mean… They were kind, but strict. Gunter was the same way. I adored them, but I always get so nervous when they want to talk to me in private. My siblings and I... We got into trouble a lot as kids. A private conversation always meant a lecture.

The door opened before I even got there, and Gunter stepped out. He was our chauffeur and bodyguard, a chiseled war veteran that served my father in the military back in the day. The scar he had on his face was proof of that. Since he had lost his family to a house fire, Gunter had nowhere to go, so my father invited him to live with us and gave him the job of helping protect the family. He was like a grandfather to me.

"Good afternoon, milady," Gunter greeted me like he always did when I stopped in front of him.

"Hi, Gunter," I said, trying to not sound so nervous. "I didn't expect you to come pick me up."

He chuckled. "Garon and Katerina requested I do so on my way to get Leo and Elise."

...Okay, well, at least I wouldn't be heading home alone.

"All right," I sighed.

Gunter opened the back door for me, so I got in, set my bag down, and buckled up. At least no one had questioned what I was wearing… yet. Knowing my little brother, Leo would probably make a smartass comment on it once I saw him.

So Gunter drove off, heading for Windmire High School, where my young siblings attended.

Windmire was a private school for rich kids. I had gone there when I was younger, along with Xander and Camilla. It was a good school… if you ignored how snobby and preppy the students could be. Gods, it had been hell when it got out that I'm gay. I had only told Silas, and the information hadn't come from him. Someone overheard us talking about cute girls once, and the rumor exploded from there. I didn't care what people thought of me when it came to my sexuality, but my classmates made my last two years of high school pure hell.

Still, I liked Windmire and didn't mind visiting it from time to time. I didn't blame the school for its bigoted students.

I took out my phone to play Candy Crush during the ride. When we pulled into the parking lot, I quit my game and put my phone away… because my little sister loved stealing my phone and sending embarrassing texts to my contacts. Gunter got out of the car.

Moments later, the door opened and I heard a loud, "BIG SISTER!"

Elise somehow launched herself into the car to glomp me so hard, I got the wind knocked right out of me.

"Big Sis, I missed you so much this morning!" she exclaimed, squeezing me tighter.

"E-Elise… I can't… breathe…"

"Elise, could you seriously act your age for once?"

She let go of me, plopping down in the middle seat and turning to stick her tongue out at our brother. "Could you seriously stop being a stick-in-the-mud?"

Now that I could breathe again, I sat back up just as Gunter closed the door and walked around the car to get back into the driver's seat. "Good to see you too," I muttered as I adjusted my now smushed ponytail.

Like I said before, Leo and Elise are the only blood related ones out of my siblings, and it was obvious.

Leo was seventeen, a couple months shy of his eighteenth birthday. He kept his blonde hair in a typical shaggy teenage boy style, but not a hair was out of place. His eyes were brown. He wore his usual black sweater vest over a white dress shirt, jeans, and dress shoes. He was a senior in high school, and huge nerd. By huge nerd I mean he can hack into any computer system. He was the one responsible for reprogramming Tumblr a few months ago.

Then there was Elise, who had turned sixteen last month. She had platinum blonde hair pulled up in two long pigtails, tied with cute black ribbons, and lavender eyes. She was a tiny little thing, looking a lot younger than she actually was. She wore a black tank top with a lacy pink undershirt underneath, a frilly pink mini skirt, and a pair of pink flats with bows on the toes. She was a sophomore, and played the violin in the orchestra.

Leo rolled his eyes at our sister. "Oh, please. Someone has to be the serious one without Xander around."

Xander and Camilla, being the oldest out of us, had moved out already. For Xander, it was a couple of years ago. He had his own flat in the big city, closer to where the family business, Von Brandt Electronics, was. For Camilla, it had been last year. She also moved out of the mansion district, Dragonfall Heights, into the main city, sharing an apartment with her best friend Beruka.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"How can I take you seriously when you go to university dressed like that?"

I looked down at myself. The shirt that Aqua had lent me had started riding up my back since it was too small, and my sweatpants had dried sprinkles of coffee stained on them.

"I was in a rush! And I spilled coffee on myself, so a friend let me borrow an extra shirt she had!"

"A friend?!" Elise asked excitedly. "I thought Silas was your only friend! Well, other than Felicia, Flora, and Jakob, but they don't count 'cause they work for us."

...Way to burn me, little sister.

"W-Well, there's Charlotte," I said with a wince.

"There is no way that's Charlotte's shirt!" Elise huffed. "Her boobs are huuuge! Like this big!" She held out her hands in an over exaggeration.

Leo pressed a hand to his forehead. "Gods, Elise…"

She puffed out her cheeks. "It's true! C'mon, are you saying you haven't looked?"

"...I'm not a pervert," Leo deadpanned.

"Oh, he's looked, all right," I said, smiled playfully.

Leo gave me a death glare, his cheeks tinting pink. "Shut. Up."

Elise giggled. "Aw, there's nothing to be ashamed of, Leo! You're a strong heterosexual male!"

"...Can we seriously stop talking about this?"

Elise and I burst out laughing. Oh, how I love torturing my little brother. He's such a sucker for it.

We chatted for a few more minutes, and then we finally pulled up into the circular driveway. Gunter parked the car, and got out to open the door for us. We all filed out, grabbing our things. I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or panicked that I was home.

But barely had Gunter closed the car door when my phone went off. I pulled it out of my pocket, and checked to see who was calling. It was the number of the adoption agency. Not wasting another second, I answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Miss Von Brandt," the agent greeted me. "This is Marie from Kismet Adoption Agency. I have some good news!"

"Oh! Did you find out more about my mother?"

"Yes, I did. Her name is Mikoto Iordanou, but she has married since having you. I emailed you the address where you can find her. She lives in Dragonfall Heights, actually—not too far from where you live."

Mikoto Iordanou… That was my birth mother's name. Despite the fact that I had been spending the past two years of my life searching for this, it was weird… actually finding out. I was so close to meeting the woman who had given birth to me… and finding out why she had given me up.

I wasn't sure how to feel about this. I had spent so much time seeking answers… Now that I had her name, I didn't know what to make of it.

"All right, thank you," I said. "I really appreciate you doing this for me."

I heard her chuckle on the other end. "It's nothing, dear. Just doing my job. I hope everything goes well for you."

I was aware that everyone was looking at me now. "Thank you again. I'll keep you posted."

"All right! Buh-bye!"

"Goodbye." I hung up, and turned around to face everyone. "Sorry, that was the adoption agency."

"Oh?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "Have they given you any actual information?"

I nodded. "Yeah. The name of my birth mother."

"Wow!" Elise exclaimed, her face lighting up with a smile. "That's great, big sis! I'm so happy for you!"

She was being honest, but… hearing her say that hit with me a twinge of guilt.

Leo and Elise's parents… had died in a drunk driver accident. They were driving home late from a day in the city when they were hit head on by a truck. Leo and Elise's survival was a miracle in itself. Leo had some memories of his birth parents, but Elise had none. I truly was lucky to have this chance to get my know my birth mother.

"Yeah," I said with a small, sad smile. "It really is. Thanks, Elise."

Gunter cleared his throat. "We should head inside, children. We should not keep your parents waiting."

"Right. Sorry."

Gunter led us to the front doors. The Von Brandt mansion was one of more elaborates houses in Dragonfall Heights. It resembled a medieval castle, with windowed mini 'towers' jutting up from the inclined roof. It was made of granite, with steel framed windows. It looked kind of intimidating to passerby, and I'll admit I was a bit afraid of the outside when I was younger. But this was definitely home.

The front doors opened right as we scaled the front steps, revealing Jakob. "Welcome home, Lady Kamui, Lord Leo, and Lady Elise."

Jakob was one of the three servants we had working for us. He was around my age, maybe a year or two older. I'll be honest… everything about him screams butler, from his clothes to how he wore his hair. He took his job very seriously, to the point where I wasn't even allowed to make my own coffee in the morning.

"Thank you, Jakob," I said, giving him a smile despite the building foreboding sense of doom.

"You are most welcome, milady," he responded, giving a short bow. "Shall I escort you to speak with your parents?"

...Oh gods. This was worse than I feared.

"We're coming too!" Elise exclaimed, cheerful as always.

Was this some sort of intervention? Gods, what did I do to deserve this?

"Of course," I sighed, contemplating my imminent death.

Since Gunter remained outside to put away the car, Jakob closd the door and began to lead us down the vast front hall. On the right was the doorway to the den, and to the left was the doorway to the dining hall, which was also connected to the kitchen on the other end. But straight ahead was a large arching doorway that opened up to the Great Hall, where we entertained guests. That was where Jakob led us.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever impending doom was waiting for me, and stepped into the Hall after Jakob.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAMUI!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as all of my friends and family leaped out from behind the various pieces of furniture in the vast room. Felicia and Flora threw confetti into the air. Silas blew a kazoo as hard as he could. Charlotte was here too… and so were Xander and Camilla.

"W-What?" I sputtered, still in shock.

"Oh, silly big sis! Did you forget your own birthday?" Elise asked with a giggle.

...Well, apparently I did. It was my twentieth birthday today… Wow, good job, me.

"Yet another thing to add to the list," Leo said, making a point to pull out his cell phone to record it.

"H-Hey-"

"Oh, come here, you!"

I never got to finish my protest, because my older siblings came up to us. Camilla proceeded to pull me into a bone crushing hug, nearly lifting me off the ground.

"Just look at my precious baby sister, all grown up!" she cooed, hugging me even tighter. "You're not a teenager anymore… Oh, how time flies."

"Ack—Camilla… I can't… breathe…"

She released me at that moment, and I stumbled back, nearly bumping into Leo. Gods… Elise really did learn how to hug from Camilla.

"Look at her, Xander!" she exclaimed happily. "Our little Kamui is all grown up!"

Xander chuckled. "Yes, yes, I can see."

My big brother and sister… despite the surprise, I was really happy to see them. It had been a few months since the last time we had all been together as a family.

Xander was the oldest of us at twenty-four. He worked at Von Brandt Electronics with Father as preparation to take over someday, and that kept him very busy. He was tall, towering over us all, and had slightly curly blond hair, and brown eyes. With how he was wearing a black suit jacket, a white dress shirt, and black slacks, he probably just got out of work.

Camilla was twenty-two, and spent most of her time volunteering at various charities whenever she didn't have class or needed to study. She had long curly lavender hair, with her bangs falling down to cover the side of her face, and brown eyes. She was wearing a thin and tightly fitting turtleneck tank top with a cleavage window (which is so Camilla, I don't even know where to start), tight black capris, and her usual pair of sandals with stiletto heels.

"I could just pinch your cheeks!" Camilla exclaimed, before reaching out to try to do so.

I quickly navigated away from her. "No, anything but that!"

That got everyone laughing. Well… at least we all were happy. But I wiggled away from them to go see the others. First, I went to Felicia and Flora, who Jakob had already joined.

The first thing I said was, "This was your idea, wasn't it?" to Felicia.

She giggled. "Guilty as charged! But Flora helped too."

Felicia and Flora were twin sisters who came to serve us when they were young children. They were my age, and we had pretty much grown up together. Because of that, they were my only friends besides Silas growing up. We were very close.

"If it means anything, I was adamantly against this," Jakob declared.

"Oh, come on, Jakob!" Felicia huffed. "We all can use a little fun every now and then! Right, Flora?"

"Perhaps," Flora agreed. "But a surprise party seems a bit… childish."

"I don't mind," I said. "I mean, now that the surprise is over."

That got all three of them to laugh. Then I moved onto my two friends.

"You!" I exclaimed, pointing right at Silas. "You were in on this, weren't you?"

He laughed. "Maybe, maybe not."

"You so were!" I crossed my arms over my chest. "Your acting skills are on par with Charlotte's."

"Hey, I wouldn't go that far."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Charlotte demanded. "I'm not acting. I'm simply playing a part."

"...Charlotte, that's exactly what acting is."

"Whose side are you on?!"

Don't get me wrong, I love Charlotte and she's my friend and all… but her gold digging ways are… something else. I met her at college freshman year. She came from a lower class family, and wanted to marry someone richer to get better standings in life, mostly to help support her family. I admired her for that, but her methods were… a bit unorthodox. My brother Xander had been a target when we first met. I guess he still was a target in a way.

Charlotte was beautiful, though, with her long, wavy golden blonde hair and pale blue eyes. A lot of boys had fallen for her femme fatale ways. She wore a sparkly white tank top cut low to show a lot of cleavage, very short jean shorts, and flip flops.

"Cheer up, Charlotte," Silas chuckled. "Most actors would be jealous of your skill."

She glared at him, and reached out to punch him in the shoulder hard enough to make him side step.

"Yowch! I forgot how hard you pack a punch..."

I let out a nervous laugh. "Come on, you two… It's my birthday! Can you at least try to get along?"

Charlotte huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I suppose I could try… but only because you asked."

"I wasn't doing it on purpose…" Silas mumbled. "But yeah."

After a few more words were exchanged, I moved on once more to greet the only people left waiting for me—my parents. As soon as I approached them, Mother gave me a warm smile.

"Hello, dear," she greeted me gently. "I hope you enjoy the party we threw for you."

"Thank you, Mother," I replied with a smile. "I really appreciate it. I can't believe I actually forgot, though…"

Father chuckled. "Your head has been in the clouds lately, child. You've been pushing yourself too hard with your studies. You need this break."

I grimaced. "Yeah, I know…"

My adoptive parents were named Garon and Katerina Von Brandt They both came from high class families, but unlike stereotypical rich people, they give back to the community. Father was the CEO of Von Brandt Electronics, and Mother was a fashion designer with her own line. Both frequently donated time and money to charities. Father had graying hair and a bald spot, but still kept a neatly trimmed beard, and stern brown eyes. Mother wore her curly blonde hair in a short, elegant bob, and her blue eyes were always twinkly.

"Don't worry about these things now," Mother said gently. "We want you to have some fun."

I managed a smile. "I'll try, Mother. I'm just a bit tired today."

"We've noticed," Father chuckled.

"But… thank you for the party." I gave them each a hug in thanks. "I'm going to rejoin everyone now, if that's all right."

"Of course, dear," Mother said after giving me a squeeze. "Go on ahead. This is your twentieth birthday. It's meant to be spent with your friends, not your crusty old parents."

"You're not crusty!" I protested, which earned me a laugh from both of them.

"Go on, Kamui," Father said. "You deserve this."

I smiled again, and nodded, before turning around to go rejoin the others. Today had been crazy, but… my friends and family were together again. There was no way I wouldn't enjoy this!

A while back, I thought... what would a modern AU of Fates be like? And this is what came out of it. As the title suggests, this is based on the Revelation path. A lot of things are different, as you've seen. The main differences are that Sumeragi, Mikoto, and Katerina are all alive. Shenmei... well, you'll have to wait and see.

The ships are as follows: Kamui/Aqua, Xander/Hinoka, Ryoma/Camilla, Leo/Sakura, and Takumi/Elise. I will be including as many of the other characters as possible (including some Awakening ones other than just Inigo, Owain, and Severa). But first and foremost, this is a mystery... which will be touched upon next chapter.

I decided to do f!Kamui as most Kamui/Aqua fics have m!Kamui, and the ship is just the same to me regardless of Kamui's gender. f!Kamui/Aqua needs some more representation.

Anyways, that's all I have to say for now. Reviews are greatly appreciated!