Takuma arrived at the Kuran mansion. He stepped out of his sports car and noticed a red Porsche and a black Benz also parked in the driveway.

"It seems that Aido and Akatsuki are here. I assume Ruka's with them as well," he thought to himself. He brushed aside his blonde hair that fell along his face as he walked up the cobble-stoned steps and rang the doorbell. The door creaked open and a petite figure with long, dark-brown hair welcomed him.

"Takuma, it's great to see you! I'm so glad that you could make it." Yuki leaned over and gave him a hug.

Gently patting her on the shoulders, he replied, "It's nice to see you again too, Yuki." He gave her one of his warm smiles and then asked, "How are you and Kaname doing?"

"Great," she replied cheerfully. "Come on in. The others are already here." He stepped in and looked at the interior of the mansion. The inside reminded him so much of the moon dorms back at Cross Academy: aristocratic-looking but having a warm and comfortable feel to it. Yuki led him to the back of the house where the patio was. Tea and pastries were spread out on the table, and Kaname, Aido, Akatsuki, and Ruka all sat around it chatting. "We're back," announced Yuki.

"Ichijo!" Aido, jumped out of his seat and lunged forward, embracing him. Takuma smiled at the little, blue-eyed blonde crushing him in his hug.

"It's good to see you too, Hanabusa," he responded. "It's good to see all of you again. It's been a while." After Aido finally let go of him, Takuma shook hands with Akatsuki.

"Glad to see that you're doing well," said Ruka, giving him a hug. Takuma then walked up to Kaname. The black-haired pureblood looked a lot happier than previous years. His red eyes looked into Takuma's green ones.

"Kaname," he finally said, giving him a slight bow.

Kaname just smiled and responded, "Good to see you again, Takuma." After the greetings, they took their seats around the table again.

"Rima and Shiki couldn't make it today?" asked Kain.

"They're at a photo shoot downtown," replied Takuma.

"They're even busier now with that Italian company trying to get them to model for their products," added Ruka.

"Aido, how's the clinic going?" asked Kaname.

"It's a mess," he complained, resting his cheek against his hand. "Humans just aren't satisfied with what they've already got. They want things bigger, thinner, tighter, whiter…blah, blah, blah." Yuki giggled as Aido rambled on about his clients. Takuma looked over and noticed that Ruka and Akatsuki were holding hands. A smile appeared on his face. He was happy to see that the two of them were finally together. Akatsuki had been waiting for Ruka for so many years, but she was always obsessed with Kaname.

"I guess there are such things as happy endings," he thought to himself as he looked at the five of his friends. He suddenly thought of a girl – small, just like Yuki – with straight waist-length black hair and blue eyes. She had a small smile and wore the Day Class uniform. He suddenly snapped back to reality when Yuki called to Ruka.

"Ruka, did you and Akatsuki finish moving in?" she asked.

"Yes, we did. Everything's set up. You should come and visit the place. The view is quite fabulous," Ruka replied, taking a sip of her tea.

"How long will you be staying?" Kaname asked Takuma all of a sudden.

He crossed his legs and then answered, "Just a few days. I must attend a meeting in London in two days."

"Your company seems to be doing really well, at least that's what I've read in the papers," Yuki said, pouring some more tea into her cup.

"Well, there were minor issues with the branches in England, but they were taken care of, so I have to make a trip there just to make sure."

"You're always so busy. You barely have a social life anymore," commented Ruka.

"Staying busy helps keep my mind from thinking of…certain things," he responded with a slight sad smile.

Ruka was about to speak again, but then Kain gently squeezed her hand and hinted her not to. She closed her mouth and leaned back against her chair.

After chatting for a while longer, the friends departed. Takuma stayed for a bit to help Yuki clean up, since she told the maids to take the day off. He set his coat on the couch inside and walked out into the patio to bring the tea cups and plates to the kitchen. Yuki was washing the dishes at the sink as he entered in.

"Just put the plates on the counter, thanks, Takuma," she said.

He took his teacup and poured some more tea.

"I wanted to ask you something back there, but I didn't want it to be a big deal," Yuki brought up, her back facing him.

"What is it?" He took a sip of the tea.

"When you said that staying busy helped keep you from thinking of certain things…" She turned off the water and wiped her hands onto the apron before turning to face him. "Did you mean her?" Yuki's dark-brown, almost red, eyes stared at him.

He set his cup down. She saw that he wasn't smiling anymore, but frowning a bit. He walked around the center counter and placed his hands in his pockets, his back facing her. "Yeah," he replied so quietly that she could barely hear him.

"You still haven't let go?" she asked.

"I can't."

He turned to look at Yuki.

"I…I still love her, even after six years."

Yuki saw the sadness in his green eyes.

"Have you tried looking for her?" she asked.

"I've looked all over the east side." He ran his fingers through his hair and took a breath. "I'm going to look for her in America after I finish my business in London. But I don't know…I don't know if I'll find her...I haven't known for a while."

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, hoping that it would bring him some comfort.

"I hope you find her," was all she could say.

After Ichijo left, Yuki sat on the couch, a glass of wine in her hand. She stared at the glass, twirling it back and forth, watching the red liquid splash around.

"Are you alright, Yuki?" asked Kaname, walking over to the fireplace. "You look like something's brothering you."

"Did we really do the right thing…not telling Takuma?" she asked, doubtful of herself.

He walked over to her.

"You mean about Yoka? She chose to do it."

"But it's not what she wanted…and it's not what he would've wanted." She looked at him. She was so confused about what she should do. "For these past few years, he's been trying to keep a smile in front of all of us. But you and I both know that he's not happy at all, not really. We all got our happy endings. Why can't they?"

Kaname didn't say anything.

"It's not fair, not to him," Yuki said, setting her glass on the side table.

"Sometimes we can't decide what ends up fairly and what doesn't," he said, sitting next to her.

She stared at the glass for a moment and then responded, "No…but we can choose between what works and what doesn't. And right now, this isn't working. It hasn't been for five years."

She got up.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"I'm going to do something that works." She turned around and headed to the front door.

xxx

[6 years ago at Cross Academy]

[Flashback]

Yoka looked at her skirt as she waited in the administration office. She was wearing the Day Class uniform: a black skirt and coat, white collared shirt with a red ribbon, above-knee black socks, and brown high-top dress shoes. "Do all the girls have to wear such short skirts? Isn't this like breaking dress code or something?" she thought to herself, trying to pull it down a bit.

"Yoshika," called the secretary, Mrs. Sophie. "The chairman will see you now."

She entered the office. The blond-haired chairman sat snuggly in the large armchair behind his desk. He stood up and reached his hand out to her. "Welcome to Cross Academy, Yoshika Hananzo. I'm Chairman Cross."

"Thank you, sir. But you can just call me Yoka," she responded, shaking his hand.

"Yoka, please have a seat."

The two of them sat down. "Have you gotten your textbooks?"

"Yes, I have and my schedule."

"Good."

The door opened, and Yuki and Zero entered the room.

Yuki immediately walked over to Yoka. "Hi there, you must be Yoshika."

"Hi. You can just call me Yoka," she responded.

Yoka then turned to look at Zero. She frowned when he wouldn't stop glaring at the new girl her.

"Oh right, and this is Zero," Yuki added giving him a hard nudge.

"Uh, hi," he said apathetically, looking to the side.

"Yuki and Zero are the school prefects. They'll show you around today," said the Chairman.

"Just leave it to us," added Yuki, giving a wink.

"But before you three run off, I need to inform Yoka of certain rules that our school has," Chairman Cross said. "Yoka, you do understand that the school is attended by two classes: the Day Class and the Night Class?"

"Yes," replied Yoka, nodding her head.

"After day classes are over, you are required to immediately return to your dorm. Wandering around during Night Class hours is strictly forbidden. Is that clear?"

She nodded again.

"And also, the Moon Dorm is off limits to Day Class students. Same goes to them. Lastly, no going off campus, unless authorized. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Now, since everything is understood, I hope you enjoy your stay at Cross Academy." He gave her a welcoming smile, and they took off.

"You'll be rooming with me at the Chairman's place, since the Sun Dorms is practically overfilled," said Yuki, as the three of them walked down the hallway.

"Why is the chairman so strict with the two classes being separate?" asked Yoka.

"Cause the Night Class is filled with idiots," replied Zero.

"Zero! Don't say that!" Yuki gave him a glare and then turned to Yoka. "The Night Class is an elite group of students. They're a little…different than the rest of us, that's all." She smiled at her.

Yoka smiled back. "I see."

[End of flashback]

My first day of school…Yes, I remember that day so clearly in my mind. It was not every day that someone from a low-class family attended a top private school, not to mention an expensive one. "The Night Class students are a little 'different'," I said to myself, sitting under the maple tree. That was what Yuki said several months ago. I smirked to myself. "Different…more like rich and arrogant." I've seen them before. Without a doubt, they all look gorgeous, but are egotistical. That may sound a little harsh. But I can't help it. The Night Class just doesn'tt appeal to me that much.

I looked at my watch. Class is over. I better go find Yuki then. The Day Class people were already gathering around the gate. I shook my head as I stood up. This happened every day. "Are those guys really worth screaming for?" I walked down the path towards the crowd of hyperactive students. Yuki and Zero stood at the front, trying to maintain order.

"Yoka."

I turned around and saw Yori standing next to me.

"Hey, Yori," I greeted.

"I thought you didn't like staying for the class exchanges," she said.

"Neither do you," I replied back. "I'm just making sure that Yuki gets back right after this.

"Oh, but I thought she usually patrolled at night."

"She promised me that she'd take tonight off, after sleeping in and missing half her classes yesterday, remember?"

Yori chuckled to herself. It wasn't the first time that Yuki overslept. Being a prefect must be really tiring, I guess.

I turned my head in the direction of the gate when the Day Class screams escalated. The two oak doors opened and the Night Class finally walked out. As usual, Aido, the most 'annoying' one of them all, was at the front. He always acted so stupid with his flirtatious gunshot pointing and playboy acts. Then there was Kain, Ruka, Shiki and Rima, walking behind him, and Kaname following after. The five of them looked like they've never beenhugged when they were young, with their stoic appearances. Don't they know that it's healthy to smile occasionally? And Takuma Ichijo, always the one in the back, walked by the crowd just smiling. This guy seriously has problems. He's always smiling! It's so weird! Did he get hugged too much as a kid?

[Ichijo's POV]

The crowd was just as loud as always. It was difficult to refrain from laughing whenever I saw some random Day Class girl yell out my name and then get tackled by Yuki.

"Aido, that's enough!" shouted Yuki from a distance.

Looks like Aido was in trouble again. It wasn't a surprise. I walked over to him.

"Can't I just have a little fun?" he pleaded with the prefect.

"Come on, Aido. Let's not give her more problems than she already has to handle," I said to him, putting my hand on his shoulder.

At that moment, from the corner of my eye, I saw her. She was standing next to Yuki's other friend, Yori. I turned my head to get a better look. Yoshika Hananzo, that was her name. She was a new student of the Day Class and was one of the 'very' few that didn't fall head over heels for us Night Class students. Strange. Yoshika caught me staring at her. She rolled her blue eyes at me and flicked her black hair in the other direction. "I've never gotten a reaction from someone like that before," I thought to myself, a bit intrigued. This human is a real interesting one. I had only seen her once or twice these past few months. She rarely came to class exchanges.

"Hey, Ichijo. You okay?" asked Aido, raising one of his golden eyebrows at me.

"I'm fine," I answered and turned back to look at her, but she was gone.

"Let's go. The others are already heading to class," he said, giving me a nudge.

"Yeah," I responded and walked with him to the classrooms.

I stood by the window in the classroom, looking out at the Sun Dorm.

"Something on your mind?"

I turned around and saw Kain standing next to me. I smiled and answered, "No, just looking at the view."

"Ichijo, you've been zoning out quite a bit during classes today and during the class exchange." Aido said, walking over to us.

Kaname also turned to look at me.

"Oh? Is that so?" Ruka walked over, sitting on the desk in front of us. "Then obviously something is on your mind."

I didn't respond, but just kept smiling to myself.

"Leave the guy alone, Ruka," commented Senri, eating another Poky.

"Well surely, you would know, Shiki. You're his roommate after all," Ruka said to him.

Before they could say another word, the Professor entered the classroom.

"No more talking, buttocks in the chairs, feet off the table, and food away. Class has started," the teacher announced, turning his back to the class as he scribbled stuff on the chalkboard.

I took my seat next to Aido and rested my chin in my hand. Thoughts of that girl continued to swamp me just like it did during the previous classes. I remembered the first time I met her, well not officially though.

[Flashback]

It was the evening. Night classes had begun and Day Class students shouldn't be in the facilities. I was in one of my free period classes and decided to go to the school library to see if there was any manga. I doubted it though. I walked in and saw a girl sitting on one of the couches, reading an old black book. It was a Day Class student. She shouldn't be here at this time. I didn't recognize the girl, she must've been new.

"Excuse me, miss," I called to her.

She immediately jerked her head up at me. Her crystal blue eyes widened a bit. Then she glanced at her watch. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, her eyes getting even bigger. "It's way past curfew! Yuki's gonna kill me!"

Not even letting me say another word, she quickly grabbed her stuff and darted towards the exit. Unintentionally, she bumped into me and stepped on my foot.

"Excuse me," she said quickly, not even looking up at me.

Unlike the usual long, embarrassing, and deeply-sorry apologies that I received from Day Class girls, hers was brief and casual.

After taking several steps after she ran into me, she turned around and started walking backwards.

"You know, you should really watch where you're standing next time," she said in a matter-of-fact kind of tone.

Then she turned back around and ran off. I stood there, staring at the direction where she disappeared off into. I smirked to myself. Many would've felt insulted or taken aback by her comment. But I found her entire behavior during those two minutes very entertaining. Not even Yuki Cross would do something like that.

[End of flashback]

After class, I walked into the library. I wanted to look for the book that Yoshika was reading when I first saw her, just out of pure curiosity. I walked over to the shelves and began scanning them. "Black, hardcover, and a bit old looking," I said to myself as I searched. After running my finger over every title on the shelves, I still had no luck. I scratched the back of my head as I looked from the bottom-up on another bookshelf. Then I noticed a book shoved all way to the inside of the middle shelf. I took it out and was glad to see that I had found it. "Dracula By: Bram Stoker," I read amusingly. "So she's interested in vampires," I said quietly, sliding the book back in between the others. This discovery escalated my interest in her even more. That's it…I'm going to meet her.