Mio smirked as she slid down the banister. She jumped as did a spin before landing. She smirked and bowed since she was in front of Yuki and Zero, her fellow guardians. Her knee length black hair with white streaks were set into soft waves down her back. Her stormy grey eyes were so light she looked almost blind. "I'm ready to roll!" she said smiling as Yuki giggled and Zero glared slightly. "What? I didn't think I was taking long." She said scratching her cheek.
"You just couldn't put that book down could you?" Zero said as they began walking to the head master's office for their rounds. Mio shook her head.
"Nope! That's what you get for recommending it to me Aniki." She said smiling to Zero who held a faint smile. "Yuki-nee! How's the Halloween chocolates coming along?" she asked. Yuki sighed in defeat.
"Not good at all! I'm just not made to cook!" she said groaning as Zero chuckled.
"I think that was known when you kept on burning our meals." He said as Yuki blushed and pushed him lightly.
"You're so mean Zero! You're not getting any when I do make them!" she said walking up ahead of the two. Mio laughed.
"If she would just ask for help." Mio said shrugging as they made it to the head master's office. Zero sniffed lightly with Mio. Yuki knocked on the door oblivious as always.
"Come in!" Head Master Kaien said. The guardian walked in only to see Kaname Kuran sitting in the chair across from Kaien. Mio blushed softly looked away from him. Kaname smiled in her direction.
"Reporting for duty Head Master Cross!" Yuki said smiling. Kaien smiled
"Well then get started. And Mio, your charm is finished like you asked." Kaien said tossing the charm in her direction as she caught it and looked at it. The silver orchid shining.
"Arigatou Hogosha." She said bowing. Kaien sighed.
"No Mio, you can call me Papa!" He said smiling. Mio sighed and shook her head. She took the charm and clasped it to her chain. Zero placed a hand on her shoulder and Mio nodded.
"Well since we're done here! We're start on our rounds!" Yuki smiled happily. Kaien nodded and placed his hands on the table. Yuki ran out the door and just as Zero and Mio were about to follow Kaien stopped them.
"Zero, Mio, you two stay. We have business to discuss." Head master said serious. Zero and Mio turned and faced Kaien. "There has been a Level E sighting in town. You two are to go into town as soon as you're done here and vanquish whatever is causing this. Am I understood?" he asked. Zero and Mio nodded. "Kaname-kun has asked to tag along, since it might be more than one."
"I want to make sure our Guardians are safe." He said smiling at Mio who blushed and looked away.
"Well you two get ready and Kaname-kun will meet you at the gates." Kaien said. Mio and Zero nodded and walked to the window.
"Betcha I can get there first Aniki" Mio smirked as she looked out the window. Zero smirked back.
"I doubt it." He said. Kaien looked at the two.
"Wait! Not that way! You'll get hurt!" He said standing. Mio laughed as Zero scoffed before they both jumped out the window. Kaien ran to the window and sighed as Mio looked up and waved. Kaname walked to the window and watched as Mio and Zero run to get ready.
"She truly is remarkable." He said to Kaien who nodded smiling.
"She's opened up more recently. Considering when I got the call she was exclusive as Zero. Those two are good for each other. She looks up to him like a brother and thinks of Yuki as a sister. " Kaien said sitting back down.
"What about her family?" Kaname asked.
"Dead, every single one of them. She had to witness it herself. Her friends found her covered in blood. After that she went into fighting on the streets every night. She would sneak into her friend's room and rest with them for the night. Then disappear the next morning. Kept up her grades and her club activities even though the whole school knew what happen to her family. Without her knowing she killed several Level E vampires. Her powers as a Miko are special." Kaien said handing a file to Kaname. Kaname took the file and flipped through it.
"I understand why she would be the first pick." He said standing. "Thank you Head Master for the information." Kaname bowed slightly and walked back towards his dorm. He dropped the file off and began walking to Mio and Zero. When he got there he saw Mio sparring with Zero, both of them smiling. Mio stiffened and stopped mid kick.
"Kuran-senpai!" Mio said bowing with Zero. Kaname smiled softly.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting. Shall we be on our way?" He said smiling softly. Zero and Mio nodded and began walking into town. Mio looked around carefully as Zero stood guard. Kaname watched the two surveillance the area.
"Mio…" Zero said in a low growl. They had found one of the Vampires already.
"Zero, there is more than one. We have to be careful." She said touching her chain. Zero nodded and they began walking down the alley way. Mio grabbed her chain and pulled it off her neck. "Dilato!" she called out and her charm extended into blade the same length as her height. Zero took out his Bloody Rose and looked around.
"How many?" he asked Mio. Mio closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing.
"Invenio!" she whispered and she could see the aura of everyone around her in a 10 mile radius. She looked around and growled. "Quite a handful, about 5 of them." She said as she closed her eyes. She gripped her blade Antrum Roza and looked at the roof tops where a Level E vampire lunged at her. She spun gracefully and sliced the vampire in half easily. The rest jumped out and surrounded them.
"A Miko…I thought they didn't exist anymore." One laughed. Mio growled as she gripped her blade pushing her powers into it.
"Well now you do. I'm the last of my kind and I will show you how powerful I am." She growled as she looked at Zero who nodded. Swiftly he raised his gun and shot at the vampires as Mio ran in and began slicing at them. Kaname stood by, his presence hidden as he watched Mio battle. When they were all dust, Mio twirled her sword and glared at the ground. Zero walked up to her and she looked up at him.
"Let's get you some German chocolate cake. That would make you feel better." Zero said grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the scene. She looked up at him and smiled, small tears in her eyes. Kaname watched them, more specifically Mio. For some reason he was interested in her. Her history and everything about her. He walked into the bakery and watched as Mio jump up happily over the cake. The shop owners laughed at her appreciation. After buying her slices they began walking back to campus. When they got passed the gate they saw Yuki glaring.
"Where have you two been! I had to do everything by myself!" She pouted as Mio giggled.
"Gomen Yuki-nee. We had an assignment. But as repercussion I'll help you with the Halloween chocolates you want to make." Mio smiled. Yuki instantly brightened.
"Really?" She asked happily. Mio nodded and Yuki hugged the girl. Mio felt awkward for a moment before hugging the girl back. Yuki squealed again and ran off. Zero shook his head.
"I'll be in the stables if you need me Mio." He said before walking off. Mio nodded and went to walk to her room when she bumped into Kaname. Kaname grabbed her lightly on her upper arms to staeady her before she fell.
"Oh! Kuran-senpai!" she said backing away and bowed in apology. Kaname waved it off smiling at her.
"It's nothing Mio, just an accident. I'm sure you wouldn't want to mess up your cake." He said as she blushed. He looked into her eyes as the wind blew her scent to him. "You have such a delicious scent…" he said taking a deep breath. Mio's eyes dilated as she backed up.
"Go…gomen nasai!" she said before running off. Without knowing she had run into the stables. Zero shot up and looked at her.
"Mio…? What's wrong?" he said walking to her. Mio flinched lightly when he touched her hands which were clutching Antrum.
"Kuran-senpai…said I…smelt delicious…just like that vampire that killed my family…" She said is a scared voice. Zero went wide-eyed and began walking out the stables when Mio grabbed his jacket. "No…" she said looking up at him. His heart clenched seeing Mio so scared. "Just stay here with me…please Aniki." She asked, feeling helpless. He sighed softly and nodded. They walked over to his favorite spot and they sat down. Zero took her cake and took it out the bag and opened it for her. Mio smiled at the sight of the cake.
"Here eat up." He said handing her a fork. Mio took it and cut herself a piece. She took it in her mouth and smiled at the flavor.
"Thank you Zero. I appreciate it." She said eating her cake. Zero nodded and leaned next to her. He placed an arm over his eyes and sighed.
"If you would just let me get rid of those damn blood suckers then everything would be alright." He said. Mio sighed as she ate her cake.
"You know that won't help a thing Zero." She said softly.
"I know it won't Mio, but every time one those things tell you that your scent smells delicious, you revert back to the night your parents were killed! Mio do you know how much that hurts me when I see you like that?" he said sitting up and looking at her. Mio looked away from him.
"I…know it's just that…I find it so scary…even when Kaname-senpai says it." She said biting her lip. Zero placed a hand on her shoulder and she sighed. She continued to eat her cake sighed in between bites. Zero mushed her head making her face go into her cake making her gasp. "ZERO!" she yelled out to him. He laughed and got up and began running. Mio wiped her face and stood up. She began chasing after him yelling at him. He laughed as he ran. He jumped over Yuki who squealed.
"Zero? Why are you running?" she called out to him. Then Mio came running and flipped over Yuki without skipping a beat. She yelped again. "Mio? Why are you chasing him!" She yelled.
"He did it again!" Mio growled as she sped up. Yuki laughed and began jogging after them to make sure nothing goes wrong. Yuki jogged into a clearing and saw Zero dodging swings from Mio who was glaring heavily. Zero had a smirk on his face but it was light like a smile. People began to crowd around saying that the guardians were performing again. Mio smirked as she began to put more force behind her swings causing Zero to think twice. He saw her smirk began fighting back. By then end Mio had Zero pinned to the floor, her hand poised for a finishing blow.
"You've gotten better Mio." Zero said standing up and dusting his uniform for dirt. Mio did the same to hers.
"I am a MMA champ, and best fighter back in New York." She said smirking. Zero sighed and pushed her making her stumble.
"Still a kid in my eyes." He said smirking at her.
"Kid! We're the same age baka!" she squeaked at him making him laugh. Then the day class students were squealing and screaming. Mio stiffened and groaned. "Of course." She groaned and began pulling people away from the Night Class, Ruki and Aido. Aido smiled when he tured towards Mio.
"Mio-chan! We came here to see you!" He said going to hug but Mio was pulled away by Zero who had a glared on his face. Ruka sighed.
"We're here because Kaname-sama wishes to see her Aido and you know it" Ruka said glaring at Mio who glared back.
"Kuran-senpai wants to see me?" Mio asked, a little skeptical. She looked at Aido who nodded. She sighed and looked at Zero who was next to her. They began walking when Ruka held up a hand towards Zero.
"Just Sasaki. No one else he said." Ruka said glaring at Zero who glared back. Mio placed a hand on his shoulder and he sighed and nodded. She began walking towards the night class and they began walking back to the moon dorm. She unclasped her sword from her choker and held the hilt in her hand. Aido laughed.
"Still don't trust us now do you?" he asked smiling. Mio scoffed and motioned for them to keep walking. They walked into the Moon Dorms and all the students sitting in the common room all sniffed the air from Mio's scent. Aido placed a hand on her shoulder and lead her away from the rest of the Night Class. They walked into a room where Kaname was sitting at the window sill reading a book. Mio looked closer and saw it was a book she just finished reading herself.
"Thank you Aido, Ruka. You both may leave." He said smiling softly as she stood and placed the book mark on his page and closed his book. The door shut behind her and she flinched and gripped her hilt tighter.
"Why am I here Kuran-senpai?" she asked looking straight at the window. Kaname laughed softly.
"I simply wanted to apologize about earlier Mio. I scared you and I didn't want that." He said sitting back down. Mio looked on his desk and spotted her name.
'A file on me…?Why would he need that…?' she thought to herself. Kaname followed her line of sight and walked over to his desk and picked up the file.
"I bet you're wondering why I have a file of you on hand." He said flipping through it. Mio crossed her arms after she hooked her blade to her hip.
"Took the words right of my mouth." She said glaring slightly in his direction. Kaname sat down back on the window sill and opened the file.
"Well I have to make sure that a Miko you wouldn't hurt the Night Class." He said reading a small passage. "Back in New York, you were known as the Angel of Redemption. " Mio stiffened at the name.
"Yea…because I gave everyone a second chance to fight me. To redeem themselves and to find someone on my level." She said looking down at the floor. Kaname nodded slightly and paid attention to her aura which was begin to flare slightly. "It didn't matter who it was. I was always strong then they were. Someone told me was because I held no emotion when I fought. But that's not true! I held malice for anyone who challenged me! I held such deep hatred about myself for falling so deep that my light was gone. It's still gone." She said clenching her hand. Her aura flaring around her as Kaname watched it with interest. She took in a deep breath and calmed herself. He aura receded back into its normal state as she opened her eyes. She bowed to Kaname. "Gomen nasai Kuran-senpai. I let my aura out of control and it could have hurt anyone if I let it be that."
"You don't have to apologize Mio. I should apologize. I brought up unwanted memories." He said placing a hand on her shoulder. Mio stiffened from the contact and he removed his hand. "And again. Sorry. You are uncomfortable with my kind."
"It's not you Kuran-senpai. I just have bad memories with Vampires." She said grabbing onto her elbow in discomfort. Kaname nodded and gave her the file. She took it and began flipping through it. "Have a lot of information on me like I thought. Even the people I hung out with and my activities. Impressive I must say. Even my lineage as a Miko. Though I wonder why you would need that information." She said looking at him. "I haven't had contact with my grandmother in years since she found out about my darn powers. She wasn't too happy about them." She said casually, even though it hurt her immensely. She only wanted some sort of acceptance. It wasn't like she want to be a dark priestess.
"The head master and I believe that a group of Priest and Priestesses are looking for recruits. They know of vampires and wish to rid the world of them." Kaname said sitting on his desk. Mio nodded and let him continue. "I believe that they will show up here looking for you and if they do show up then, that can jeopardize the Night Class's postion." Mio nodded.
"Well then I just have to make sure that doesn't happen. I am a guardian for a reason. So you have no worries." Mio pointed at herself and smiled. Even though, inside she was tearing inside. Kaname could sense there was something wrong. "I have to get going. I promised Yuki that I would help her with cooking tonight." She said walking to the window. She bowed to Kaname and opened the window.
"You do know that is very dangerous Mio." Kaname said looking straight her. Mio waved it off.
"I'll be fine like always. Plus, this keeps my skills up to par since I can't really practice on campus." She said smiling as she stepped on the windowsill. "Have a nice evening Kaname-senpai!" She waved as she fell backwards and spun till she landed on her feet. She looked up and waved one last time and began running back to her post. Kaname watched her as she ran.
"How is that I feel like I'm falling for you little Miko?" He asked himself before closing the window and grabbed his book, once he saw that he saw Mio reading a few days earlier. It was a romance novel about a werewolf and a vampire. He thought it fitting for his dilemma. He was the vampire and she was the fiery werewolf. He enjoyed the book and was surprised to see it was erotica. Something he wasn't used to at all. But he enjoyed it none the less. He closed the book before climbing into his bed and laid back. Her scent lingered in his room and he hoped it would stay there; subconsciously he wanted her next to him. He sighed and went to sleep.
.::. With Mio .::.
Mio was running back to her dorm when she had the sudden urge to play piano. So she looked around and detoured towards the music room. She snuck in and smiled when she made it undetected. She searched for the baby grand piano she loved playing. She tuned it all the time herself. Not many students played an instrument but she still did. Very few knew that she played and only one had ever heard her. Zero had caught her one night and listened silently. When she left, she had bumped into him and began thinking up excuses but he just smile. She sighed softly and smiled back at him. No one else had ever heard her playing. She sat down at the bench and opened the covering. She smiled as her hands glided over the keys. A soft tune played throughout the room. She closed her eyes and let her emotions guide her fingers as she played. She never felt someone watch her as she played. She opened her eyes as she let the song finish. She closed the piano and got up. She turned and spotted Zero once again watching her with a smile. Mio blushed and looked down. He walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her. She grinned and leaned closer to her. "You shouldn't hide it. Your talent should be known. The classical club would love to have you. In my opinion they suck big time." He said smiling. She laughed and nudged him.
"I think I want to keep it a secret for a little bit more if that's okay." Mio said smiling. They walked back