A/N- This is my first Vampire Knight fic, but I'm not 100% sure whether I will continue this or not, so please review telling me what you think!
Disclaimer - Zero, Yori, Yuuki, Kaname and Cross Academy do not belong to me, however Izumi and the plot do.
The moon hung in the sky, serving as the only light source amidst the darkness, it illuminated the ghostly forest around her, making the shadows seem almost menacing, in a way that couldn't help but send shivers up her the spine. The moon's unnaturally bright tonight, the girl thought, pinning the freed strands of her scarlet hair back in to the bun. But it was hopeless; her hair was a tangled mess.
The wind whipped suddenly around her causing her newly constructed bun to fall to pieces, the ends of her dress to flare up in protest and stole away the circle the girl had just created. She sighed; the spirits obviously didn't want her doing this tonight, though that only made it of further importance that she complete this tonight.
She bent down and scrapped up her rucksack, rummaging for a pack of matches, though her violent blue eyes didn't waver from the moon. The clouds were already beginning to block it, she needed to do this, and fast.
She struck the match and held it to her eyes for only a second, allowing herself to soak in the magnificent light it created, and the beautiful dancing flame, from the darkness it almost looked like it was floating – or even flying. It was precisely things like this that made her think the world was beautiful, and reminded her exactly why she was doing this.
White, Black, Green, Blue...she danced around her newly re-created circle, lighting each candle into a flickering fire, it almost made the shapes and shadows in the darkness disappear – except one, that is.
The shadow took a step towards her, though it remained hidden in the darkness. From the silhouette the girl could tell that it was a boy.
"Rain, Izumi." He said, it came out almost as a growl. Izumi flinched, causing the alit match to slip through her fingers, and fall to the floor. The second it touched the floor all the light that it once held vanished, she took a step back.
The boy remained in the shadows; his head tilted downwards, his hands shoved in the pockets of his uniform. Izumi looked on in puzzlement, trying to figure out the boy's identity – there was an air about him that Izumi knew very well, which only further compelled her to finish the circle. But she couldn't, not with a stranger to bare witness.
Another gust of wind whipped around them, this time strong enough that it almost swept Izumi off her feet and blew out the candles with an aggression which was not natural. And that's when she knew, she definitely wasn't supposed to be out here, the spirits here were far too strong and if she wasn't careful, they would grow to be angry, too. Her eyes immediately darted up to the moon – it had been completely embellished in clouds. She needed to get out of here, it must be completed another night.
Mere seconds passed by, Izumi felt rooted to the spot, her eyes wide with fright. What of the boy? Is he human, or a spirit? She couldn't tell which, but she prayed and prayed he was human but the feeling in her gut told her that he was neither – how could that be?
"Rain-san, you're not supposed to be out here. Let me take you back to your dorm." The boy said, taking a step into the clearing, though Izumi could barely make out his features.
"Izumi? Come with me now please, it's not safe out here." She felt something stroke her neck, something she knew wasn't human, but she had already known he was right.
There was a flick and suddenly the whole clearing was lit up, she could now see the boy's face. He took another step towards her, a large black torch in his right hand. For a moment Izumi didn't recognise him, but then she caught his lavender eyes. Kiryuu Zero, one of Cross Academy's guardians along with Sayori. People tended to avoid him. Standing here, in this unsettling clearing she could see why.
"Oh, sorry. " Izumi spluttered, lost for words – how could she explain this to him? "Just give me a moment to collect, my, um, stuff."
He only nodded in return, and then thrust the torch her way with such a force that caused Izumi to drop it. She bent to the floor to pick it up, she felt mud cover her knees but instantly forgot that when the torch illuminated another shadow.
Izumi looked behind her to check it wasn't Zero, but he was still there, though she couldn't see his face she could tell by his body language that his eyes were wide with shock too, she bit her lip, praying it wasn't a spirit.
She heard the quenching of leaves and instantly knew that Zero had come up behind her, something was wrong.
"Kuran Kaname." Zero growled, positioning himself just in front of her. Izumi quickly shoved the candles into her bag and struggled to stand up, her legs felt like they were about to collapse.
Izumi reached now again for the touch, desperate to see past the silhouette of the boy, no – man. She picked it up and directly shone it in the man's eyes. His white uniform told her that he was one of the night class students. His maroon eyes instantly lit up in shock, his charcoal hair swayed in the wind, he looked frightening on such a night. He let out a gasp and shoved his arm in front of his face to block the light, Izumi knitted her eyebrows, the light wasn't all that bright. However she pulled the light down and muttered an apology.
Kaname ignored it. "Kiryuu, what business do you have in the woods at this time of night?" He said in a polite manor that caused Zero's entire body to tense up, but not in fear. His gaze swept to Izumi, sending a warm shiver up her spine. "And with a beautiful young girl like this. I hope you weren't-"
"No. We weren't." He said through clenched teeth. "I was just about to escort back to her dorm, I found her out here-" My eyes couldn't help but widen, I prayed that he wouldn't expose me. "-drawing, I suppose she must have lost track of the time. However, I don't owe you an explanation so I'm going to take Izumi-san back to her dorm, good night."
Zero grabbed hold of her arm which such a force that Izumi couldn't help but gasp and pulled her out the clearing, passing Karname whose hands had now balled up into fists.
"I have no reason to keep you alive anymore, Kiryuu." Was all he said before, he too left the clearing. Izumi felt a chill run up her spine; he had to be joking –hadn't he?
They walked in silence, an awkward silence which bothered Izumi very much so, she wanted to do nothing more than break the silence between them, but from way Zero's lips were set violently together, she could tell he was in no position to talk.
The ghastly trees were long behind them, and she hoped the spirits were as well, so she could at least sleep in peace tonight. It should have been completed tonight, but with Zero-kun and Kaname-sempai being present she had been unable to. She didn't even want to think of the unnerving strength of the spirits tonight – being able to cover the moon like that defiantly wasn't normal. She'd have to put salt on her windowsill tonight.
Izumi couldn't help but fall back slightly – Zero's pace was unbelievably fast and she struggled to keep up with him. He noticed her shallow breaths and placed his hand in hers, a gesture which sent her heat beating a pace that she wondered why it hadn't whirl-winded out of her chest yet.
He dragged her up, along the path to the sun dorms, the vast towers looming over her, reminding Izumi of something like a fairytale. Cross Academy had always been like a dream to her – it had never seemed quite real.
Zero halted abruptly before the sun dorms so immediately that Izumi toppled forward, she used a brick wall to steady herself, Zero didn't even bother to help.
She understood, this was as far as Zero and her would go together, but she didn't want that, she didn't want to walk down the cold, empty halls alone – not tonight.
"Will you walk me to my dorm room, please?" She mutters, praying he doesn't say no. She shouldn't be out on her own, not with the spirits as strong as they are tonight.
He doesn't say anything but merely nods, and indicates for her to lead the way.
"Thanks Kiryuu-chan."
Izumi watches on in wonder as his eyes flutter, wide with shock, but in a mere second it's gone. She sighed and begins to walk to her dorm.
Again, they walked in silence, however this time it isn't awkward neither of them feel the need to fill it, there was just something off about the dimly lit hallway that compelled them to silence. Izumi knew that the spirits were beginning to close in on the school grounds, but what was compelling them to do so?
Zero could feel it to, he felt the chills run down his spine, he saw Izumi shiver and wrap her arms around herself, he thought about giving her his jacket, but he knew she wasn't shivering from the cold. He had understood why she had wanted him to accompany her to her room. The same aura that had been looming in the forest was now here, and he knew that most certainly wasn't a good thing.
Then he realised. He had never questioned what she had been doing in the forest in the first place, what of the candles? What had she been doing? He didn't even understand why he felt the need to cover for her in front of Kuran, was there even something to cover for?
Izumi could tell that Zero felt it too, but normal people couldn't feel things like except for the few like her, and she highly doubted he was one of them otherwise he would have addressed her by now. Unless, that was why he was guardian? Why did Cross Academy even need guardians in the first place, unless they knew. And she highly doubted that.
There must be another reason, she could tell Cross Academy held an extraordinary secret, everyone could, but nobody had dared question it, or delved deeper into it. What was Cross Academy hiding?
They turned the corner and suddenly the negative energy was gone, it must have been the salt she had lined her room with earlier.
She knew Zero had felt it too, for he had suddenly become relaxed. Why hadn't he questioned what she had been doing in the forest, he must have known it was something that needed to be covered – otherwise why would he have done so?
She stopped in midstride and whirled to face him.
"Why haven't you asked what I was doing in forest?" She spoke in tone that wasn't loud, nor quiet.
His hand went to the intricate tattoo lacing his neck, something flashed across his eyes, but disappeared before Izumi could figure out exactly what it was.
"It's none of my business." Was all he said.
She pressed a finger to her lips. "But surely you are at least curious."
"I know the door you're standing in front of is your room, I have done my job. Goodnight Izumi." He muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and beginning to walk away.
"How did you know that was my room?"
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face her, however his gaze remained glued to the floor. She felt the hurt break his mask and glide to his features.
"Because that used to be Yuuki's room."
And with that he walked away at an inhumanly pace, and rounded the corner, leaving Izumi stood there in the empty corridor, shock present in her eyes.
Somehow she wished she were back in the forest, with the shadows, rather than being here.