Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight as I have sadly stated numerous times.


Chapter 2

Thoughts of You

The normally bright green eyes of Takuma Ichijo seemed dull and sad as the blond stared out over the forests that surrounded the Ichijo manor. It had begun to snow not long before and he was watching the white flakes float down from the dark, cloud riddled sky with a melancholy expression on his handsome face. The white flakes melted upon contact with whatever they touched, telling him that it wasn't nearly as cold as it felt to him.

There was a small spark of light in Takuma's eyes as he let them roam over the treetops and hills outside, but with every second that passed that light grew dimmer. He was desperately searching for some trace, however small it might be, of the woman he loved. When the sun finally began to brighten the landscape, all sign of hope left his eyes. His already saddened expression grew more depressed until, without noticing, he had tears streaking down his pale cheeks that were more accustomed to smiling then anything else. An icy burn took up residence in his chest and he felt he may very well turn to ice as he released a shaky breath and leaned his forehead against the chill glass of his bedroom window, he couldn't find any sign of the familiar aura that belonged to his fiancé.

"Reina," he spoke aloud without noticing, the sound of his own voice in the quiet of his room startling him.

His eyes opened wide, a hand going instinctively to his chest where there was a painfully tight feeling that he knew was a result of the loss he had suffered. Even though his mind and senses were aware that it seemed to be a fact that Reina was dead, his body and heart didn't want to believe it. He wanted to push the part of him that believed her to no longer be a part of this world aside, ignore it and continue to search her out, but he knew that his search would be pointless. No matter how much he wanted to deny the lack of what he felt and what it meant, there was no denying that his senses were never wrong regardless of how hard he wished they were.

Another long sigh slipped through his lips when he realized that the sun had risen a fair amount in the sky and though it had stopped snowing sometime before, there was a thin blanket of white coating the world outside. Pulling his curtains shut, Takuma made his way to his large and rather lavish wood framed bed. He didn't bother to change or even pull the sheets down. He doubted that he would be able to sleep and if he did he knew he would be plagued by visions of the woman he had loved so dearly. Even if those memories were happy ones, he didn't think he could handle seeing her innocently smiling face or her sapphire eyes that held so much warmth.

"I'm so sorry, Reina...I was supposed to protect you... I promised," Takuma whispered, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. "But you died protecting me, didn't you?"

He continued to stare blankly at the ceiling, unwilling to shut his eyes because he was afraid of what he might see if he did. Eventually the troubled soul was found by the realm of sleep and he was able to get several hours of dreamless sleep that allowed him a brief respite from his pain.

When he awoke, there was light in his eyes again, but it faded when he turned his head to the side to see that he was in bed alone and the void of Reina's presence made his entire body ache. For several minutes he did nothing but lie there, staring at the spot where Reina should have been but never would be again. Slowly, a new spark lit his green eyes as he made a decision to join the woman he loved after he dealt with a few things in the material world.


The severe looking Asato Ichijo sat in a high backed, uncomfortable looking mahogany leather covered chair. His constantly narrowed eyes peered into the darkness to the south of his home, contemplating the most recent turn of events.

"Well, Ichio, it seems our little pawn didn't behave herself. What a pity," a smooth, even voice said from behind him.

Ichio turned in his chair to eye the brown haired boy before him that was casually sitting in one of the two chairs in front of his desk. "It is a shame, Rido-sama. She would have been quite useful to use against Kaname-sama."

"Ah, yes my dear nephew always has had a little thing for her, hasn't he?" the boy addressed as Rido replied with a low chuckle. "My darling nephew doesn't worry me though. Will our little Takuma still do as he's told?"

"My grandson knows his place, he will not disappoint me," Ichio replied with certainty and coldness.

"Such obedience, how cute."


The Moon Dormitories were quiet, classes had ended early after the strange disappearance of Reina's aura and though everyone was curious, they had all returned to their rooms to let their beloved dorm president have peace and quiet after the recent events. He was unhappy and they all knew it and didn't want to cross him in anyway while he grieved in his own solitary way. Two vampires had not returned to their shared room, Hanabusa Aido and Akatsuki Kain were sitting together on the couch in Kaname's office.

Kain didn't show much emotion, as usual, while he sat beside his cousin who was slouching slightly on the couch, his blue eyes staring forlornly at the carpeting at his feet and his arms folded over his chest childishly. Aido was clearly upset and he had no problem showing it. Losing Reina was a devastating blow, she had trusted him and loved him like a brother and now she was gone. She would never again tease him or poke him, sit and read with him, use him as a pillow, and she would never smile at him again. That was the hardest thing for him to accept.

They were all silent, no one really knowing just what to say. Kaname was sitting in the comfortable chair behind his desk, his head resting against the cool leather and his eyes closed. When the silence was finally broken it was by Kain, who had been thinking about Reina's sudden and rather saddening death.

"I doubt that Ichijo's grandfather is directly responsible. Indirectly, it's highly possible. Reina was a pureblood though, she should have been able to protect herself," he said calmly, his eyes watching Kaname.

Kaname sighed, raising a slim hand to rub at his temples as his tired crimson eyes opened. "You're right. She should have been able to protect herself especially from scum like him. I do agree with you, however, it's probably not Ichio's doing. The only one who should be able to kill a pureblood is another pureblood or possibly a very strong hunter, at the moment a hunter strong enough to kill us doesn't exist."

"Do you think that he's getting help from someone?" Kain asked, and as always he kept his calm and lazy attitude in place.

"Most likely," Kaname replied evenly, a frown marring his perfect face.

"The only pureblood family I know of that would support anyone from the Council is-"

"The Takamora's," Aido cut in quietly, his eyes never leaving the floor .

"Correct, the Takamora's," Kaname stated.

"But that doesn't make sense," Kain said, looking from his solemn cousin and back to Kaname. "The Council wasn't supporting the Takamora's. So why would they be assisting Ichio? And just what are they doing, why would they kill Reina?"

"They didn't want her in the way," Kaname quietly answered.

Kain frowned, there was something going on, but what it was and what it would mean for the vampire world, he had no idea. Somehow though, he didn't think that anything good would come of it.

"So what are we going to do?" Kain asked curiously.

"Nothing."

Aido's blue eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as he finally tore his gaze away from the carpet to look up at Kaname.

"For now," Kaname finished.

"Hanabusa, maybe you should-"

"I'm not going anywhere, Akatsuki," Aido grumbled.

Scratching at his fiery reddish blond hair, Kain sighed and shook his head. "What about Ichijo, he hasn't come back yet?"

"I'm sure Ichijo is already aware of the situation, he-"

"He was supposed to protect her," Aido said, his hands balling into fists in his lap and his eyes narrowing as he glared at the wall across the room. "He was supposed to keep her safe, but he didn't."

"He might not have had a choice, Aido. Reina herself may have kept him from interfering in whatever happened. She would have given her life to protect him, to protect you too, and she would have no problem forcing you to let her do so. Her life was second to those of the one's she loved," Kaname tiredly explained.

The answer didn't seem to satisfy the blond boy who stood up from the couch and inclined his head toward Kaname. "Please excuse me," he mumbled hoarsely before walking to the door, his hands in fists at his sides while he fought off the tears that swam in his eyes.

Both Kaname and Kain watched him go, it was difficult to see the normally bouncy and pride filled boy looking so lonely and sad.

"Ichijo should be returning tomorrow, Shiki as well. I know Aido is upset, but it would be best if he left Ichijo alone. I'm sure he's got enough to deal with without Aido trying to confront him," Kaname told Kain without bothering to look at him and rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

"Of course," Kain replied, standing up and giving a small bow before leaving. He was really hoping that Aido would cooperate and behave, otherwise getting the spunky and unhappy blond to leave Ichijo alone would be no easy task.

Kain's thoughts kept going back to Kaname's words about the reason why Ichio would want to harm Reina. His answer had been simple, much too simple in Kain's opinion. They had wanted her out of the way, but what was she in the way of to begin with? With a half sigh, half groan, Kain ran a hand through his constantly disheveled hair before shoving both hands into his pockets. There was just too much to think about and he would rather not think about most of it at the moment. He soon found he wouldn't have to when an angry, hate filled presence made itself known outside of the dormitories.

Changing course, Kain headed downstairs to see what the cause of the hateful air was. He found Seiren already there, leaning against the banister at the bottom of the steps, her eyes on the door and her arms folded over her chest, her face was expressionless, as it always was. He took up a position across from the silver haired girl, leaning against the wall by the doors and letting his head fall into his chest and closing his eyes.

Kaname ignored the annoying presence for as long as he could, but when it became obvious the person causing it was quite persistent and had no intention of leaving anytime soon, he stood from his chair and made his way to the first floor. He ignored Kain and Seiren's watchful gazes as he pulled open the door to see that the one possessing the bitter aura was none other than Cross Academy's silver haired prefect, Zero Kiryu.

"Oh, it's just you," Kaname said distastefully as he met the boy's lavender eyes. "What do you want, Kiryu?"

Zero's eyes narrowed at the vampire's blunt and uncaring greeting. "Yuuki, she told me you avoided her question earlier. The one she told you she had for you when you returned from break. You already know what she wanted to ask, so-"

"Kain, Seiren, you may both go back to your rooms," Kaname interrupted Zero's question to say to the to people who were guarding him. Once they had gotten up the stairs, he turned back to Zero. "Judging by the look in your eyes I doubt you're here to talk about Yuuki. You've noticed it too. Not that I'm surprised. You do have her blood flowing through you, don't you?"

"Is she dead?"

"Never mind that for now, this isn't the place to talk. Why don't you come to my room? That is as long as you're okay with being in the room of the vampire you hate most," Kaname said, turning to lead Zero through the dorm.

Scowling his obvious displeasure at having to be anywhere near the Moon dorms and its inhabitants, Zero followed Kaname into the spotless, mansion like dormitories. His hands stayed relaxed by his sides, his eyes carefully took note of where they were going and his ears listened for any sounds of attack. When Kaname opened the door to his personal room, he glared coldly at the amused smirk on the pureblood's face.

"Make yourself comfortable," Kaname offered. "Have a seat anywhere over there," he said, waving a hand carelessly at two chairs against the wall to Zero's right.

"I think I'll stand," Zero grumbled. "Do have anything to do with Yuuki's missing past or not? That's what she wanted to ask."

"You're not here to ask me about Yuuki, are you?" Kaname inquired monotonously, his crimson eyes assessing Zero.

Zero grunted, turning his head away from the intrusive gaze. "Is she dead?" He asked again.

"You should already know the answer to that question. I wonder why you took the trouble of coming here," Kaname answered.

Biting back the slew of curses he wanted to spew at Kaname, Zero instead settled for grumbling, "Do all you purebloods not know how to answer a damn question?"

Kaname's lips twitched slightly in amusement as he thought of Reina. "Seems so, but you have her blood flowing through you, do you not? You should already know the answer to your question."

"I hadn't noticed it. Or maybe I had but ignored it, but I could always sense her. I can't sense her anymore."

"No one can," Kaname sighed.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Zero growled, his fists unconsciously tensing at his sides. "She was just another one of your puppets, there was nothing she did that you didn't know about or have some sort of control over, so how could you not know?"

"If you're trying to imply that I had something to do with Reina's death, you're sorely mistaken," Kaname replied venomously, his eyes flashing a dangerous red.

"Am I?" Zero challenged. "You've never had a problem screwing with other people's lives. Like Yuuki, you were the one that erased her memories from before she was brought to the Headmaster. After all that would seem logical since you were the one to find her, alone in the middle of nowhere. Why would you take her memories and why won't you tell her? She's been having nightmares because she's been trying so hard to remember her past, a past you took from her. Do you ever plan on relieving her insecurities and telling her?!"

"Shall I relieve her of one of her insecurities now then," Kaname said evenly.

Zero grunted as an invisible force slammed into his chest, his hand flew to his waist, drawing his Bloody Rose gun before his back even impacted the wall. The gun was raised without hesitation, pressing into Kaname's jaw the second the pureblood's hand wrapped around the his neck to slam him forcefully into the wall. Plaster and paint cracked as the wall groaned and protested beneath the extreme amount of force that was being put upon it.

"You might as well kill me. I'll shoot you if I get the chance," Zero threatened calmly as he stared straight into the dimly glowing eyes that were coldly glaring at him.

"I really do despise you," Kaname hissed lowly. "You are a low level vampire, your instincts should tell you to fear me, a pureblood, but you dare to bare your fangs at me."

Kaname's grip tightened around Zero's throat, little beads of crimson liquid slid from the wounds his nails were causing to stain Zero's white shirt. There was a loud crashing noise, followed by a barely heard gunshot as Zero's body was pushed through the wall. Stumbling, Zero fell against the cold porcelain of an old fashioned tub, he was pushing himself up when Kaname walked through the broken wall into his bathroom to stand menacingly over him. He lashed out at the fallen boy, his nails raking across the skin of Zero's pale neck.

A thin line of red was seeping from a small wound caused by the bullet from Zero's Bloody Rose, it was just a nick, but it made Zero feel a little better about the situation while his shirt was drenched in his own blood from the damage to his neck. Kaname grabbed Zero's hand that held his gun and much too easily for Zero's liking, lowered the object and limb to Zero's side.

"At least your eyes are honest," Kaname observed. "You see blood and they tell me that you desire it."

Zero didn't reply, instead he remained quiet as he glared icily at the vampire looming over him. He fought against the intense hunger and thirst that was building up in his chest and throat, but he knew it was pointless.

"The intervals between the 'hungers' are growing shorter, aren't they?" Kaname inquired and without waiting for an answer, he continued. "You've been useful, Zero, to Reina and to Yuuki, but I wonder if I should just kill you now. Yuuki would be sad though and I don't want to make her sad. So I guess if I'm to do this, now is as good a time as any. You should drink my blood, Zero and let the shadows of insanity slip away."

"That's not funny," Zero replied blankly, his eyes wide and his heart racing.

"No, it's not, is it? But you should still do it. After all, within my veins flows the pure blood of the Kuran's that will lengthen your life. I've let you live because you are useful and now I'll make sure you remain useful. So drink, and don't ever forget who gave you this blood."


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