"Her? What the hell is she doing here?" hissed Ruka. The light-haired, beautiful vampire whipped her crimson-nailed hand violently into the path of the approaching visitor.
"Aah!!" Yuki leaned backward and stopped on a dime. She hadn't predicted how very agitated the Night Class would be to see her in their territory…she had grown increasingly nervous with every step down their main corridor.
As if by intuition, she spied a familiar figure across the dark, ornate hallway just as his ears perked, acute. It seemed that he'd heard her scream.
The vampire closed his eyes and smiled. "Mmm…" he hummed loudly, audible even through the muttering and taunting of all of the lingering vampires in the hall. From between two feminine silhouettes, he seemed to float straight on to the space in front of Yuki.
The Disciplinary Guardian's bright brown eyes widened immensely. One person she always froze up around…
Aido…!
"Ah, I wonder what you're doing here…" he asked her, almost mockingly spirited. When his lips peeled into a smile, two elongated canine teeth protruded from behind his upper lip. Yuki held her throat instinctively. "Are you lost? Or did you come just in time to see me?" Chuckling, the charismatic beast swiftly placed his arms around her waist, and pulled her in close before she even realized what he had done.
A taller figure with jagged, crisply styled hair similar to Aido's approached from behind. "Aido, you're going to regret this. Leave her alone—"
"Shut up!!" Aido barked at his cousin, Kain. "I don't think I'd regret doing anything if I could…"
He leaned in toward Yuki, who struggled against his insanely tight hold on her. "…Lap her blood one more time …"
Yuki found her throat unbelievably hoarse, as though it was paralyzed from uttering speech. Her mouth fell a little, and she gasped before it came…
"AIDO."
Instantly, she was freed. She looked up after coughing, and the first thing she saw was Kain staring disappointedly at Aido. Aido didn't look so great, either.
What made everyone so quiet all of a sudden? Yuki wondered, rubbing her bruised throat with both hands.
When she regained her wits fully, the first thing she heard was a surging wind of power that led into a pound against the wall.
Aghast, she looked straight ahead.
"Kaname…!" she whispered.
The pureblood loomed over the cowering figure of Aido, who was crumpled underneath the fists that had struck the wall above him. An animal backed into a corner, he was on the receiving end of a great kick to the face from below.
Yuki had never heard Aido whimper before, but she felt a little sorry for him. Kaname's strong aura led anyone to feel sympathy for pain that he had caused.
After a moment of silence that seemed to last forever, Kaname strictly ordered the wincing vampire in a low voice,
"Get back to your room. Now."
Not daring to look up, Aido scampered down the passage slowly. He knew what was coming for him that night during class. All the way down, he held his head in remembrance of the last time it was pressured from above by a heavy kettle.
Yuki heard a wispy voice from nearby. "Oh! Aido-kun! Wait!"
When the human girl turned her head, she saw Ruka flutter past her in a flurry of gorgeous, radiant hair. Hurrying lightly as a butterfly down the path, the vampress caught up with Aido in no time.
At that moment, Yuki felt a weighty hand fall onto her shoulder. She heard Kaname murmur to her, "Let's go."
The rest of the way down to his quarters, she held his large but tender hand. Feeling safe, she almost smiled before she caught herself. She did not want to be eaten alive after coming out of Kaname's room, so she kept anything that might have been considered smug or overtly happy inside.
Before the door shut behind her when the two had finally entered Kaname's living quarters, she peered out quickly at the scene outside. Though most of the vampires were still silent and solemn, she faintly glanced Ruka and Aido past all of the others.
Ruka was busy slurping up the thick, red liquid oozing from Aido's face, which had been bloodied from Kaname's swift kick.
Mouth hung open a little, Yuki turned back to the most respected student of the Night Class as the heavy door fell shut with a resounding echo: Baan.
Immediately, Kaname smiled at her from his desk across the room. "Yuki. I'm so glad that you came. I know you're aware that you can't stay here for an extraordinarily long time, being that night classes start in about an hour."
"Kaname," Yuki responded promptly, with a hit of jumpiness in her voice. "I wasn't expecting to stay for very long. I-I mean, I don't see why I would have such an extended visit with you in the first place, being that you probably have a lot to attend to…"
As Yuki trailed off into silence, Kaname beamed softly. "I have all the time in the world for you, Yuki. But as you see, we live in two very different worlds. It's hard for us."
"Oh, I know it's hard for you," Yuki assured. "I can't imagine the stress—"
"I meant for you, mostly." Kaname told her with a serious look. He stood up from his posh red armchair, which looked nearly black in the dim candlelight. Yuki's eyes followed his face as he rose; she found herself unable to tear her gaze away from him. "Yuki…" he said breathlessly, longingly. "You're so strong."
The girl furrowed her eyebrows together, and opened her mouth to say that she didn't understand. But Kaname beat her to it, explaining all on his own.
"We both know that the Headmaster is admirably naïve in some ways." However bluntly he stated this, it sounded like a beautiful persuasion from his soft, sweet lips. "But let's face it. You've raised yourself, Yuki. Just because he gave you a place to belong doesn't mean that he's provided you adequately. And that Zero…"
Yuki braced herself for what he might say, and she blinked quickly.
"Yuki, he's using you. And I can't stand it; he doesn't even treat you as his companion in arms."
"-Pfft!-"
At this, Yuki couldn't help but laugh. Her lids shut tightly over her big, doe-brown eyes, and she giggled under her breath. In arms…
He circled around his desk and walked toward her. "Yes. In arms."
Kaname was a foot away from her, but he was much higher up. Yuki stared up at him, heart beating fast for reasons she kept to herself.
"By appointing you to the Disciplinary Committee, Headmaster Kurosu is putting you on the front line of this hushed war. You're in such a risky situation, and you don't even bat an eyelash. You don't fall into politics; you can just push through each day and keep your chin up. And…stay happy…"
"But Kaname, I just choose not to fall into politics...I don't have time, you see, it's not a conscious thing..."
Kaname lowered his eyes to the ground. "No one has time for politics. But only you have your priorities straight. You, Yuki, are smart."
When Kaname lifted his hand to run through Yuki's silky dark locks of hair, she felt her heart thump as plainly as though an earthquake had just rumbled throughout her body. She shivered at the contact.
"Kaname…"
"Yuki, I have so much respect for you." This made Yuki's eyes widen immensely—such a compliment from such a prestigious student… "And I Love You."
Time stood still for Yuki when those words escaped his lips, but Kaname broke through. He pulled her into him and squeezed her small frame tightly.
"Kaname…" she whispered through the moment. "Why did you invite me here?"
He pulled away, and with a smile standing all alone on his solitary face, he replied. "Because I wanted to talk to you."
At this moment, Yuki pressed in a little to hug him back. For some reason, tears threatened to spill down her soft cheeks. "You love me, Kaname?"
Kaname clenched his teeth. "Yuki…" His hold on her tautened. "Don't leave me all alone here forever. Do you promise me?"
"Kaname! I don't ever want you to be alone!" Yuki exclaimed abruptly. She pulled away slightly and Kaname's hands obediently loosened. "I don't understand! I don't understand…any of this…except…"
After she trailed off, she cupped her mouth in a gasp.
I Love You, Too.
I just never would have had the courage to say it.
Kaname looked away, almost as though he were ashamed. "When I told you that it is hard for us, I knew that we had feelings for each other that we felt were too dangerous—too deep—to express without causing our lives to complicate. But I can assure you, I won't let anything happen to you."
Yuki's head tilted to the side. Kaname strolled backwards and sat on his plush, luxurious bed.
"You're my girl, Yuki."
"… and I just wanted you to open up to me."
Perhaps it was because Kaname couldn't stand life without her any longer, but with that heartbreaking, desperate plea, he looked up at Yuki.
And his eyes were enchantingly, otherworldly lonesome.
His gaze piercing her heart, she clutched her chest and fell back a little. Yuki could feel the spell taking over her. Her soul went out to him at that moment, and as though he were magic itself, she was beckoned.
Dare she step over? Dare she go to him, knowing that she could never fall out of his strong, devoted arms ever again?
Her feet lost their shoes to the lavish carpet, and she ran to his bed.
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Until next time,
Surrealistic Strawberry