[Author's Note] My first VK fan fic~ I suppose it's a tribute to Takuma for being awesome ^___^ Enjoy~
[Disclaimer] I do not own Vampire Knight or any of it's characters.

The Rose Falls

The young boy had blond hair that reflected pale, near-white light under the bright summer sun. A petite girl with long onyx hair stood idly as she watched. Her hands were folded together in front of her as she held her elegant, trained composure. His bright green eyes appeared to sparkle as he extended a hand towards the small girl with a smile. His lips moved in lieu of a phrase that could have been, "Let's go".

The bright bothered her. She opened her eyes lazily and groggily rubbed the backs of her hand to her eyes. The dark blue gems of her irises flashed as a stray beam of sunlight glared into her naked eye. With a slow, deliberate blink she fought back the temporary blindness caused by photophobia.

Miyabi had forgotten to keep the silk curtains closed again.

Pulling back the heavy down duvets off of herself, the dark-haired female slowly moved her legs off the side of the antique four-poster bed. She shuffled her feet across the floor, finally finding the slippers that waited by the side of the bed. It took her much effort to finally pull free of the clutches of sloth and stand on her own two legs.

She wasn't a morning person.

How ironic.

"Hirumi-sama." The voice was accompanied by a soft, cautious knock.

"I'm awake, Miyabi," the dark-haired girl, Hirumi, replied. Following her response, a young woman with sable hair entered the room with her head lowered.

"I have picked out your outfit for today and you will find it hung on the first rack in your closet, Miss," Miyabi explained as she made the bed. "Your breakfast is ready for you in the dining hall. Today, the chef has prepared a European-style breakfast. He has tried to incorporate the Italian—" The attendant continued although she knew very well, Hirumi wasn't listening to a word she said.

"I had a strange dream," Hirumi began as she straightened out the ruffles on her cream-toned dress. "It must have been from about ten years ago." Hirumi Barazen sat down on the edge of her bed. "I saw that boy again. The one whose grandfather was a close friend of mine," she said. She couldn't quite remember his name, though she was rather certain that it was Ichi-something or other. "I can't remember his name," the girl stated rather plainly.

"You speak of young master Ichijou?" Miyabi asked with a gentle smile. It was rare that Hirumi spoke of her own free will. It was rare to hear her voice even if you were her personal attendant of family. Miyabi Shingi remembered the days of Hirumi's childhood rather well.

"Yes, that must be the one. I think it must have been in our rose garden when he plucked from my rose bush. Do you know what ever happened to him since?" Hirumi inquired, trying not to sound too curious.

"I believe he is attending Cross Academy with some others," Miyabi replied as she closed the closet doors. "I hear it's a fine school."

"Otou-sama, what do you know of Cross Academy?" Hirumi asked quietly as she rolled the small piece of meat around her plate. "I hear some of the other nobles my age are attending there, even Kaname-sama himself." Her voice was ever so quiet as she kept her midnight blue eyes glued to her plate.

"Cross Academy?" her father repeated in a tone Hirumi could not assess. He cleared his throat and set down his cutlery, this generally wasn't a good sign. "While I see no good coming out of attending an educational institution with humans, I must say there must be some good to the whole nonsense if Kaname-sama is willing to attend such a school."

Hirumi nodded as poked at the meat before placing it within her mouth.

"Why do you ask, Hirumi?" her father inquired as he leaned back comfortably in his seat. "I find it is quite suitable enough for purebloods to be taught in private."

"I was only curious what you made of it, otou-sama," the girl replied, meek under her father's suspicion that there was a bigger picture she was painting out of this question.

"Daiki, do you not think it may be time for Hirumi to have a taste of the outside world?" her mother asked with a gentle smile. Hirumi and her father both looked up at Nadeshiko Barazen, both just as wide-eyed as the other. "She hasn't interacted much with other vampires, not to mention she's only met Kaname-sama in person once or twice."

Her father cleared his throat again as she brushed back a few strands of jet black hair that hadn't been gelled back properly. He took a swig of his red wine as he averted his eyes from his wife's. "I suppose," he started slowly as he ran his finger tip across the rim of the wine glass, "that it would be alright…"

Hirumi looked up from her meal eagerly as her father just came to finish the sentence.

"Only if it could be assured that somebody would be keeping an eye on her." The dreaded 'if' had made its entrance yet again.

"Doesn't Takuma-san attend Cross Academy?" Nadeshiko inquired innocently, as if trying to recall some faint bit of information she had picked up in the past. "Why, I'm certain that Takuma-san would look out for Hirumi like his own sibling. After all, they got along so well as children!" the hazel-haired woman smiled innocently as she looked toward her only daughter. "You remember Takuma-san, don't you? He used to come and visit with his grandfather and the two of you would play in the rose gardens!"

Hirumi pretended to think, like she had to try to remember who he was. "The grandson of Ichijou-san?" the girl asked as if she vaguely remembered something of the sort. "I don't remember all too well…" All the while, from the corner of her eye, Hirumi was watching her father's expression, looking for something that gave a clear answer.

"I suppose," Daiki Barazen began yet again, "it would be alright. I would have to get in touch with him personally, first."

"Isn't that wonderful, Hirumi? You'll be attending Cross Academy with the others!" her mother smiled pleasantly. Nadeshiko was the one who was always trying to have her daughter more involved in the vampire community while Hirumi was the one that shied away relentlessly from these attempts at entering the society (without trying to disappoint her mother too much, of course). "I think it would be wonderful if we paid a visit to the academy sometime soon before Hirumi's transfer," the slim woman said eagerly as she looked toward her husband. Daiki Barazen was no more than putty in his wife's very capable hands…

All she wanted to do was to just ask about the school. How did she end up as the newest student?