"Yuuki, we have a new student transferring into the Day Class. If you would, can you show her around and make her feel comfortable?"
The girl with the big crimson eyes and shoulder-length brown hair smiled widely and accommodatingly. "Hai, otosan!"
The Chairman's eyes began watering out of sheer happiness. "Yuuki!" He enveloped his adopted daughter into a firm embrace. "You called me 'Father' again! Otosan's heart is very happy!"
"Hai, hai! I'll be taking my leave now!" Yuuki bowed and ran off to welcome the new student.
Yuuki looked forward to meeting someone new, as transfer students into the Day Class at Cross Academy were quite rare. It seemed that non-vampire students did not see this school as extremely welcoming, which did not surprise Yuuki that much. Mostly the current Day Class students lived in places extremely far from good schools, or their parents were just fed up with city life in general. But these were the exceptions in society, thus explaining the very low campus population of 153, including the Night Class.
154, now. She reminded herself as she saw the distant silhouette of the individual she judged to be the transfer student. She remembered that the Chairman had not mentioned the name, gender or history of the new student as he usually did. Yuuki thought that it must have just slipped his mind, as he was getting old and all. Curiosity began to grab hold of her, and she wondered about this new student. The closer she got, the more uneasy she felt. This feeling…Vampire?
No, impossible.
Yuuki forced a smile onto her face and stopped just behind the person, who had its back turned to her.
"Hello, you must be the new student, right?"
Amaya had sensed the presence behind her long before it had spoken. She ran so loudly, with all that gasping and panting. But she waited until the girl spoke before she turned around and acknowledged her.
"Hi there, that's me. Pleased to meet you." Her smile was as fake as a spray on tan, and she got the feeling that the other girl knew it. "The name's Kumo Amaya, and you are?"
Kumo?
"C-Cross Y-Yuuki. Pleased to meet you." She must have felt very intimidated by the other girl who was much taller than her, probably bordering on 180 cm, nearly as tall as Kaname. She looked about eighteen, maybe seventeen, was beautiful and everything about her screamed 'vampire'. Yuuki decided to be brave and let her reckless side out.
"Are you a vampire, Kumo-san?" She blurted out, instantly regretting it. Why would a vampire transfer to the Day Class anyway?
And was flabbergasted when she smiled again and replied, "You believe in vampires? But they're just a myth. And no, I'm not. Obviously." She laughed quietly.
Yuuki looked up at her, slightly relieved. This was the first time that Yuuki had looked into her eyes, and was shocked to see a deep, dark chocolate brown colour, nearly black. They had certain coldness to them, and a hint of warmth being hidden away in the deep recesses of her soul. Kumo's entire way of being seemed to give off 'stay-away-from-me' vibes- not at all unlike Zero. Yuuki decided that she sort of liked this girl.
"No, no, of course I don't, Kumo-san. It's just, I always ask the new students that to try and figure out what kind of people they are."
"Well, Cross-san, you'd better stop with that unless you want this school's secret to get out." The smile never left her face.
"W-what are you talking about? Haha, the only secret this school has is the insane Chairman who bakes cookies in his spare time! Ha-ha-ha- I'll go and get you a uniform now, just stay there for a bit I'll be right back!"
When Yuuki was out of earshot, Amaya took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet afternoon air. Her long burgundy danced about her face and tickled her bare arms. Oversleeping that morning, she had only had chance to throw on the first things she could find and pack the bare necessities before the train left for the small town near Cross Academy. Resulting in the lack of a jacket, a plain brown t-shirt, a lacy black skirt, brown stockings with pink polka-dots at the knee and her oldest, most comfortable pair of black slip-ons. She looked a complete mess.
But she was finally in the place she belonged. Solitude was her comfort zone, but minimal social interaction was needed too, she supposed.
Cross Academy, and her future was beckoning her.
Or was that just Yuuki running towards her and waving the uniform about like a mad person?
Amaya smiled, and this time it was genuine.
The Chairman was still in the exact position Yuuki had left him in. His brain was working overtime. "I hope that nothing happens to disturb the peace here again. If it does…" He glanced at the safe he kept his sword in. That one memento from his 'Legendary' days. "No, I made a promise. I'll never bring you out again. Ever."
Suddenly pink blossoms began appearing out of nowhere around the Chairman's face. "Ahh, I'll make Yuuki and Zero some chocolates today!" He clapped his hands once and started humming.
The first thing Amaya remembered about regular school was the stupid, cursed, idiotic early mornings. Her room had no kettle, so she couldn't even have a cup of coffee. And it was too much trouble to go all the way to the canteen to boil a bloody kettle. They probably also only had instant coffee. She sighed. At her request, she was put into a single room at the end of the second hallway in the girl's dormitory, so she couldn't even tell someone to go make some for her.
"Stupid bloody government and stupid bloody early mornings." She checked the clock Yuuki had so graciously lent to her and was shocked to see that she was already late for her first class. She put her hands on her head. "Curse it all!"
Pulling her uniform on quickly, she stopped a moment to admire the clean lines of the most well-designed uniform she had ever seen. "One good thing about this place."
Once she was properly clothed, she looked at herself in the mirror, and her eyes stayed at her waist-length hair.
I wonder if I should tie this up. I had to at all my previous schools.
But then again, yesterday Yuuki had her hair loose.
But maybe she's an exception.
"Ah screw it I'm late already!" And she left, hair untied and unbrushed.
The first class in the old, medieval styled building was the class she was headed for.
Ethics. It said on the piece of paper. "I wonder what they teach at ethics?" She murmured to herself. Before opening the old wooden door, she steeled herself and reminded herself why she was here.
With a squeak, the door opened and 90% of the class jumped up in shock. A couple of boys swooned and a few girls looked offended. The teacher just looked like wooden plank. All hard and emotionless, like you were just about to step off a comfortable ship into the cold blue ocean and drown screaming for mercy. Not that Amaya would ever scream for mercy, however.
"Ohayo, Sensei. This is ethics, right?"
"Hn. Take a seat, new student. There's an empty one at the back." His sharp eyes were staring at her suspiciously, yet she did not waver under his gaze and instead returned it with doubled coldness.
A plain (and scared) looking boy stood up. "O-ohiyo transfer-student-san. Cross Yuuki informed us of your arrival, but I just want to ask you, didn't you make a mistake? S-shouldn't you be in the N-night C-class?" He stuttered nervously.
"Yes, Miss," the black haired teacher glanced at his notebook, "Kumo? You seem like you belong there, instead of here." His icy clue eyes evaluated her, as if comparing her to records and data visible to only him.
"No."
"Ahh, hai, then, miss, err, Kumo!" The boy sat back down with a face the colour of a bloody moon.
Bloody moon…
For just a second Amaya's gaze glazed over, and then she silently made way to the first open seat she could see, next to a boy whose features she didn't notice.
The whole class was talking about her, she could sense it. The gossip and the suspicion. The insinuations at scenarios that were too far-fetched to make it in reality.
Or were they?
The rest of the day went by uneventfully, and the interest in the new student began to subside. Until the end of the last class, as curfew was approaching.
"Hey. Hey. New girl!" The boy next to her tried to get her attention by tapping her head.
"What do you want?" She mentally gasped when she looked at his face for the first time. Defined features, silver hair and silver eyes. Beautiful.
"What is your name?"
"What's yours?"
"Kiryuu Zero."
"Kumo Amaya."
"What an unusual name. Cloud, then night rain. Sounds gloomy, doesn't it, Zero?" Yuuki popped up from nowhere and grabbed Kiryuu's arm. "Come, Zero. You aren't going to make me hold all those girls back by myself, are you? Kumo-san can tag along."
"No thanks."
"But you'll see the Night Class students-"
"Not interested."
"Why not?"
"I have better things to do."
"Like what?"
"Go to my room and watch my fingernails grow. Ja ne."
Amaya slung her school bag over her shoulder and slowly walked out of the class, ignoring invitations to the school dance from the boys and annoyed comments from the girls.
Humans really are fickle, aren't they?
Zero stared at Amaya until she was completely out of sight. Yuuki could see change in his usual calm exterior, but decided to ignore it.
"Come, Zero." Yuuki saw his need for human contact and hugged him. "Let's go hold off those girls, and then the Chairman is expecting us for dinner." Zero hesitated, but then returned the hug and rose from the bench. "Yeah, let's go."
Just about to exit the Moon Dorm, Kuran Kaname stiffened and his eyes flashed red.
"Dorm Leader Kuran? Whats the matter?"
"Kaname-sama?"
"No, no, it's nothing, Akatsuki, Hanabusa. I just felt a strong presence."
"Must I search for it, master?" Seiren asked with zeal.
"No, Seiren. Leave it be for now."
Exiting the dorm and going towards the classrooms, girls screaming and fawning as usual, Yuuki trying but failing to hold them off and Zero looking at him with hate. Nothing different, except for a single girl walking in the opposite direction. not sparing any of them even a glance.