Vampire Knight (c) Matsuri Hino
Falling Short
Chapter ii
Previously:
"Uhm...we met before?"
"Of course!" Hanabusa said, pouting. "You were still a kid back then. Of course you wouldn't remember me."
"That's why you were able to pick me out easily outside..." Natsume mumbled.
"Yeah." Hanabusa answered nonchalantly.
"I'm sorry. I just don't remember you at all..." Natsume said, feeling a bit ashamed.
"No, don't worry about it. Now then, why don't we go back out and enjoy ourselves. Maybe we both can see your parents together." Hanabusa said, getting up.
Natsume nodded.
Natsume sat in her room tired. She'd taken the dress off and everything and put on her night gown. She looked down at her blood tablets and popped them in. She's been living on blood tablets ever since she was born. Her generation is the first to live on blood tablets successfully.
*Knock* *Knock*
"Natsume! Open the door." Iru called from the other side.
Natsume walked over to the door and opened it, allowing Iru to enter.
"Did you meet your fiance?" Iru asked.
"Yeah."
Iru chuckled.
"What is it?"
"Of course, you wouldn't remember the first time he came here."
What Iru said sounded familiar to what Hanabusa said.
"What do you mean?"
"I remember it like it was yesterday. You were so adorable when you were a child." Iru said. "Aido-sama came by once. And...ufufu~ you were so infatuated with him." There was a mischievious glint in Iru's eyes.
"W-Was I?"
"Yes. You clung to him like he was your own father. Ah, I remember you were so surprised by his ability to freeze things and create ice. Hehe, then you kissed him on the cheek a-"
"Stop! That sounds embarrassing! I was just a kid back then and I don't remember any of that!" Natsume yelled in embarrassment, her face turning red.
Iru laughed. "Well, Aido-sama is a kind man." Iru said, as her hand reached for the door knob.
"Wait Iru...how come he didn't know about my paintings?"
"Oh, that. Your parents decided not to tell him at all. I'm guessing you told him?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"Oh, well, it won't create too big of a problem. Oh, and you'll also be living with Aido-sama now. Your father told me to give you a message. He said if you had any problems, you may go see him. You'll be leaving the house in a few days." Iru said before leaving the room.
Natsume looked at the closed door. "I'm going to be moving in with H-Hanabusa-kun?" A thought slipped Natsume's mind and she quickly shook her head. She sighed before flopping on her bed. "I'm going to start packing soon then...I wonder what his home is like...Hanabusa-kun..." Natsume drifted of to sleep.
"Natsume, what are you doing?"
A smaller version of Natsume looked up to find Iru. "Iru! Look, look! Isn't it amazing!?" Natsume was looking out the window to find a blonde man creating ice under the moonlight. Her eyes shined in awe.
Iru laughed. "Yes, yes it is."
"Who is he? Can we meet him?"
"I don't know..."
"Then let's go!" Natsume started to drag Iru outside.
"Natsume!"
"Don't worry. If we get in trouble, then I'll bail you out."
"No, it doesn't work like that..."
Natsume and Iru ended up outside. Natsume ended up hiding behind Iru.
"Aren't you the one who wanted to meet him?"
"..."
Iru sighed, walking up to the man. "Hello. I am Iru, a working maid and servant to Hayashi Natsume. And who might you be?" Iru asked the blonde.
"Ah...hello. I'm Aido Hanabusa." Hanabusa looked behind her to find a little girl. "Is that Hayashi-san?"
"Mm? Ah, yes. We came out to greet you. Miss Natsume seems fairly fond of your ability, Aido-sama."
Natsume lifted her head out some more. "H-Hello...Aido-sama. I-I'm Hayashi Natsume..."
Hanabusa stared at the girl. "Hmm...ah, I know!" Hanabusa snapped his hands. "You better watch this." Hanabusa said to Natsume, who started to timidly walk in front of Iru.
Hanabusa started to put his hands together, causing the air around them to drop to a freezing degree. Natsume never let her eye wander from his hands. Slowly, Hanabusa moved his hands away from each other as ice started to form between them, gathering and shaping itself.
"Uwah~" Natsume's eyes widened at the newly-made ice sculpture.
"Here." Hanabusa handed her the rose made of frozen ice with one of his smiles.
Natsume extended her hands out and grabbed the rose, feeling it's every texture and freezing temperature. "A-Amazing. Y-Your amazing A-Aido-sama." Natsume said, looking up at him.
"Hmm. I know I'm amazing. Thank you."
Natsume blushed, looking back at the rose. "Aido-sama...c-can you come here for a second?"
"Hmm? What is it?" Hanabusa bent down to the blushing girl.
Natsume quickly pecked him on the cheek. "Th-Thank you..."
Hanabusa was stunned and blushed himself. Iru chuckled. Natsume quickly ran behind Iru.
Natsume woke up. "A dream?" She then got up off of her bed.
A knock came on her door. "Natsume, are you awake? If so, please open the door. I've brought the boxes." Iru said.
"Y-yeah, I'm awake. Hold on." Natsume walked to the door, opening it, letting Iru in with flattened boxes. "Iru, what time is it?"
"Oh, it's only 8 at the moment. You still have a whole night to pack up. There's nothing happening anytime soon." Iru answered as she put the boxes together back in their original 3d form.
"Are you going to come with me?"
"I can't. It's my job to stay here and tend to the house."
Natsume frowned. "I guess I'm going to be living there from now on..."
"Yeah."
Natsume slowly started to look through her wardrobe of clothes. Iru started to organize the room as Natsume started to take things out and into the boxes.
"Hello. I have come to pick up Lady Natsume to the Aido Household on order of Lord Hanabusa." A man said, bowing to Mitsu and Bell.
"Oh...so today is the day she goes to live with Aido Hanabusa." Bell said.
"It seems so dear..."
Bell sighed. "To send our daughter to him...are you sure it wasn't a wrong choice?"
Mitsu looked back at Bell. "I don't know. But he asked for Natsume's hand in marriage...he was persistent about it for quite a while those few years back."
"...I shall send my daughter to meet you outside." Bell told the man.
"Very well. Good day then, Lord Mitsu, Madam Bell." And the man took his leave.
"Does Aido not know about our daughters future paintings?" Bell asked Mitsu.
"I did not tell him."
"...well then...what will we do when they do find out? He may tell the whole world." Bell asked in a bit of distress.
"No, he is good friends with the Kuran pureblood. I don't think he would be one to tell the whole world that. We've had this talk before, there is no point in last minute hesitations."
"...then I will get our daughter." Bell got up and walked out the room.
"Mother." Natsume stood in the middle of her, now barren, room.
"Natsume, it's time that you go to the Aido Household. I will be escorting you out."
Natsume looked at her mother. Her mother had black hair that that was tied up in a bun. Her eyes were an ocean shade.
"If that is fine with you, Mother."
"...Let's go. A man is waiting for you out front." Bell walked out the hall.
Natsume followed. They walked until they reached the entrance to the Hayashi Home.
"If...If Aido doesn't treat you right, you run right back here." Her mother said.
Natsume smiled. "I will Mother. Please, do not worry about me."
Natsume walked outside to see a man open the car door. She stepped inside the car and watched as it rolled away from her home.
It was almost daybreak when they reached the Aido Household. It was quite a far ways in car. Natsume stepped out the car and was escorted inside, only to be met with a short line of maids and a lady in the middle of them all.
"Hello, Miss Natsume. So you're the one that my dear brother wants so badly. You don't look half bad."
"Stop picking on her, Maribelle." Another lady entered.
"I just wanted to check her out, that's all. Why are you here then, Sherry?"
"Making sure you don't play pranks on our guest like usual." The girl named Sherry said.
Sherry had long blond hair which was tied back in a loose ponytail. Her facial structure was mature. Maribelle had blonde hair that was put in high pigtails. Her face had a playful look on it.
Maribelle pouted. "I don't always play pranks on guests. And besides, this is the woman that brother wanted to be with. I would never do a thing to make him hate me."
"...Whatever. You are Hayashi Natsume right? I'm Aido Sherry. Nice to meet you. That perso-"
"I can introduce myself, your welome. I'm Aido Maribelle! Nice to meet you, Natsume-chan~!"
"Maribelle, keep it down. You don't want to wake the others up."
"Sorry~"
"Follow me, I'll take you to your room. The boxes have already been placed. You must be tired. I know I am." Sherry said as she started to walk up a set of stairs.
Natsume followed, eyeing the other vampires in the room.
"Here, this is your room. Hanabusa had it specially prepared for you. Well, we'll talk more later tonight..." Sherry said, walking down the hall.
Natsume entered her room to see that it had that icy feel to it. Like she was in a winter wonderland. She saw her boxes in a corner and decided to leave them until she felt rejuvenated.
"Thank you...for helping him move on."
"Who is this?"
"You don't have to worry about it."
"Eh?"
"Good luck."
Natsume's eyes opened slowly. "Another dream..." Natsume stood up and walked to the door.
She entered the empty hallway. She figured it was because it was still early. Natsume wandered around aimlessly. She was actually looking for the bathroom to wash up. She stopped to turn around but ran into someone. She looked up to face a sleeping looking person. She had blonde hair that was cut short, just below her shoulders. Her blue eyes were slowly focusing on Natsume.
"Hmm? Who are you?"
"Uh...uhmm...well, I'm Hayashi Natsume..."
"Hayashi? Ah...you're the one that Nii-san wants to be with...I have to thank you though...it seems you've made him happy like he used to be a long time ago. Ah, right...I forgot...I'm Aido Tsukiko. Pleasure to meet you Natsume-san." She said tiredly.
"Pleasure to meet you too, Aido-san."
"Call me Tsukiko...there are three other Aidos in the house."
"R-Right, Tsukiko-san."
"Then...see you later..." Tsukiko walked down the hall a bit absent-mindedly.
Natsume continued to wander around until she saw Maribelle.
"U-Uhm...excuse me, M-Maribelle-san." Natsume called out to her.
Maribelle turned to her. "Oh, yo, Natsume-chan. Is there anything you need?"
"Do you know where the washroom is?"
"Oh, yeah. You just take that hall down there and turn on the next hall then on the fourth door to your left, enter that room. The bathroom should be in there."
Natsume noticed that, that was an odd extra turns to a bathroom...but she took the directions none-the-less.
"Kukuku~ I wonder how Onii-san will fend that off." Maribelle snickered to herself before disappearing from the hall she was in.
Sherry immediately woke up. "That Maribelle is up to something again..." Sherry forced herself out of bed.
Natsume kept count of the number of doors she passed until she turned to the hall, looking for the fourth door to her left. Natsume clicked it open, revealing the changing room of a bathroom. Natsume sighed in relief and placed her hidden clothes she held onto in a basket.
Natsume showered her body in hot water. It felt nice, relaxing her muscles. Natsume heard a click and turned around to see another person in the changing room. She thought it was one of the other sisters and continued to shower herself.
The door clicked open.
End of Chapter
AN – Cliffhangers. Love 'em.
