Chapter I.
Mizuki stood outside the front gates of Cross Academy, the breeze rustling her hair. It's light blue strands fell in wavy curls that had a mind of their own. The light of the mid-day sun showed just how pale her skin was, seemingly just a few shades darker than the white tank top she wore under her black leather jacket. In her hand she held the letter that had brought her there.
My dear Mizuki,
I would be delighted to have you at the academy! I'm sorry to
hear of your parent's divorce; I've always feared your father's temper
would bring things to this. My door is always open - should you need
anything, do not hesitate to call me. Yuki and I would love to have you.
Sincerely yours,
Uncle Kaien
She folded the letter and once again tucked it in the back pocket of her jeans, blue-grey eyes thoughtful. Adjusting the strap of the bag slung over her shoulder and picking up the carrier that held her cat, she pushed the gate open and made her way to the headmaster's office.
A few minutes and a couple sets of stairs later, she was at the right door.
"Come in," a familiar voice called when she knocked. Mizuki opened the door and stepped inside. "Mizuki!" Headmaster Cross exclaimed. "It's a pleasure to see you!"
"Nice to see you, too, Uncle Kaien."
Kaien Cross was not really her uncle in the biological sense. Her mother came from a family of European hunters that had moved into the country when she was a child. Though the woman did not hunt vampires herself, she had grown up being good friends with the headmaster, viewing him as an older brother.
"My goodness, you've certainly grown since the last time I saw you! Yuki and I were just talking about you."
Her gaze shifted to the girl standing beside his desk. "Hey, Yuki," she said, nodding to her adopted cousin. The two of them had always gotten along pretty well - Yuki was a sweet girl, even if she was a bit naive.
"What brings you here, Mizuki?" the brunette asked, chuckling.
"Yes, dear, why are you here?" Cross concurred, one brow raised.
"My father," Mizuki explained, a hint of coldness in her voice, "decided to move across the country, leaving my mom high and dry. Between my grades dropping and all the . . . stress, we thought it might be best if I live here for a while, if that's alright."
"Of course it's alright! The more the merrier! What about Daisuke?"
"My dear brother is still with Mom. He seems to have a calming affect on her."
"I'm sorry about all this, dear. I hope that we can make you feel at home." Cross gestured to Yuki. "You can take the room next to Yuki's. Get settled in and then she can show you the school and patrol routes before dinner."
"Patrol routes?" the girl enquired.
"I'm making you a prefect. Zero and Yuki do a wonderful job, but they could always use the help."
"Don't worry, I'll explain," Yuki assured.
"You'll start class tomorrow along with your duties."
"Alright."
Yuki walked Mizuki to the spare room beside her own, telling her what she would need to know.
"So our job is to keep the Day Class from discovering what the Night Class is?" the older of the girls enquired.
"That's right. This also means protecting the Night Class from over-zealous admirers."
Mizuki had to fight not to snicker for a moment. The top of Yuki's head came level with her nose at best, and she wondered just how her cousin handled crowd control.
The girls unpacked Mizuki's bag and then the tour began. The school was bigger than the girl had expected. Her mother had always said Cross had a large operation going, and now she saw what she'd meant.
The on-campus dormitories were huge, occupying what was formerly the Hunter Association's compound before they had relocated. Yuki explained that the Day and Night class were separated into two buildings - the Sun and Moon dorms. It was against school rules for either class to visit the other's dorm, and it was this regulation that so often caused chaos with the Day class students, particularly the girls.
Cross Academy's Night class was made up entirely of vampires, nobles that Kaien had persuaded to be a part of his quest for coexistence with humans. Every single one of them were drop dead gorgeous and girls flocked to them like moths to a flame. It was the job of the school guardians to keep the two separate, lest the balance come undone.
The two came to the gates of the Moon dorm to see a crowd of girls gathering in front of them. Yuki stopped and turned to Mizuki.
"I have to go do my duties as prefect," the brunette said with an uneasy smile. "Go get some rest, I'll see you in the morning for class."
Mizuki nodded and replied, "See ya." She turned and started back in the direction they had come from a moment before. As she padded down the sidewalk, she looked ahead to see a familiar face. A small smile played at the corner of her mouth as Zero came towards her.
"Long time no see," she said. A pair of cool lavender orbs met hers, the fact that she was the same height as the silver-haired boy making eye contact easy.
"Mizuki. What are you doing here?" the prefect asked, his voice mildly curious.
"I'm going to be staying here for a while. Kaien is making me a prefect so you and Yuki have some help."
"I see. We could use you - Yuki's useless."
She chuckled at this, not surprised. He was still the same old Zero she remembered. "I'll let you get to work. See you tomorrow."
"Later," Zero said over his shoulder as he went on his way.
Mizuki arranged the last of her belongings before changing into her pajamas. Sitting down on her bed, she reached over to her night stand and stroked the edge of the picture frame that sat there. In it was a photo that had been taken earlier that year of her mother, brother and herself. A sigh slipped out as she looked at their smiling faces, different from the expressions they'd had when she had left.
A soft knock on her door redirected her thoughts. "Come in."
The knob turned and Cross stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
"How do you like your room?" he enquired, coming to sit beside her on the edge of the bed. "I know it's a bit small, but I thought you would probably enjoy having your space to yourself."
"It's nice. This is actually a bit bigger than my room at home."
"I assume Yuki gave you the grand tour and explained what's expected of you. What do you think? Do you have any questions?"
She looked at him and shook her head slightly. "No, I understand. If I'm staying here it's the least I can do to help. The idea behind this school is wonderful in theory . . . but from what I understand, it sounds like the balance here is uneasy."
"This is very true. If the secret of the Night class were to get out at this point, there would be pandemonium. That's why the work of the guardians is so important."
Mizuki watched as he pulled something wrapped in black cloth out of his house robe and handed it to her. Unfolding the fabric, she found that he had handed her a pistol, the words Ghost of the Moon engraved in the metal of the barrel.
"Are you giving me this?" she asked with her brows furrowed. "I can't use this."
"This gun is an anti-vampire weapon, as is its sister that I gave to Zero. One shot can kill an average vampire. I know you don't believe in killing, but I want you to have it with you should something go wrong."
"How has Zero been?" Her voice was quiet as she enquired this.
The headmaster replied, "He's been having problems lately. It's getting harder and harder for him to ignore his cravings."
Absorbing this, she sat in silence for a moment. It had been two years since she'd last seen Zero. She could remember clearly when Cross had taken him in after the murder of his parents. Though her mother had chosen not to be a hunter, Mizuki grew up around others in the business. As a child, she had spent a lot of time with the headmaster, much to her father's disapproval. Zero had been a quiet boy, though she knew he had every right to be with the horrors he had witnessed. Despite this, she had always liked being around him.
"I'm glad I came when I did, in that case. I know better than most what the volatile nature of noble vampires can cost. . . ."
"I know. It's why I've placed you in the Day class rather than the Night," Cross said, gently setting his hand atop her head. "Get some sleep, tomorrow will be a long day."