Chapter 2: Cross Academy
Four years later ...
Sakiko sat in the backseat of a black funeral limo in Akira's body, a black cloak on over the trademark black uniform of Cross Academy's Day Class. Akira had grown her hair out over the years so that it was just above her waist which Sakiko had styled with a braid over the side and a black headband with white rhinestones all over it. Sakiko had painted Akira's nails black through the boredom on the way to the academy which was so far away from where she and Zero were staying.
A black casket was placed in the boot with Sakiko's cast-off body, ice surrounding it to keep it preserved. A cast-off body was practically a dead body, vampire wise.
"Sakiko-Sama?" Zero asked.
"I've told you a million times to just call me simply 'Sakiko' Zero," Sakiko says with a friendly smile. "Besides, you should be calling me 'Akira' or 'Nee-Chan' since the cover story is that I'm your sister."
"Oh yes, I forgot," Zero replys. He looks out the window and scowls in silent thought. Sakiko gave him a questioning look.
"What is it Zero?" Sakiko asked.
"I can't believe the headmaster had established a class for vampires," he mutters angrily. "And to think he was once a vampire hunter."
"You talk about my kind as if we're vile creatures," Sakiko points out, crossing her leg over the other. "And you don't seem to think that I'm a vile creature, do you?"
Zero seemed to think about something before answering, "you helped me four years ago instead of leaving me in that bloodshed, so I'll say that you are a rare type of vampire, one that takes enjoyment out of helping humans rather than toying with them. You're more human than a vampire in my opinion so it's hard to believe you're one of Them. Especially a Pureblood."
Sakiko chuckled emotionlessly. "You are so kind Zero. I don't know what I did to deserve for you to come into my life because of a horrific thing my sister did."
"What was it like?" Zero suddenly asked. Sakiko tilted her head to the side in puzzlement. "Growing up with her? Shizuka, I mean?"
"We were placed in isolation after our births because the Hiou family have a sad history of going berserk and they were afraid we would suffer the same fate as our kin," Sakiko explained. "But Shizuka-Nee and I were close growing up. The only other person, vampire or just simply a human being, were the only ones we knew in that cage and we were inseparable. But when we turned one hundred years old I was let out of the cage for some reason. I refused to be in the world without Shizuka-Nee so I made myself a tomb, wanting to sleep for all eternity unless Shizuka-New was somehow let out of he cage too and she came to find me. Instead it was those stupid human children, and I learnt that my sister had commited a taboo of attacking a hunter family out of a whim. Shizuka-Nee always hated the hunter association as well as the senate but I don't think it was right for her to do it. I mean, I hate the hunter association too but I won't dare kill an entire hunter family and leave their child as a vampire. Hunters don't kill us Purebloods so us Purebloods don't kill hunters unless it's for self-defense."
"Why did you help me back then?" Zero asked.
Sakiko stared out of the window, playing with the ruby pendant hanging from her neck and contemplating a response to that.
"Inside that cage we were given humans as a sacrifice to quench our thirst for blood. They always stared up at us in fear. But there was one human sacrifice that caught my attention. Instead he simply glared at me. Seeinh him giving me an emotion rather than fear, intrigued me. So when I was led out I turned him into a vampire and he became my betrothed. We had a child too. A baby boy named Asura, but he was killed in front of my eyes by a Senate member.
"And when I saw you back then, the agony in your eyes as you looked up at me, reminded me of the son I lost." Sakiko closed her eyes, reliving a past memory that happened over three thousand years ago. "The Senate were trying so desperately hard to erase the Hiou line from existence because they feared our bloodline, so they killed my son. The last time I saw him he was looking up at me with agony in his eyes before his body shattered. I don't exactly know why but your expression back then reminded me of my Asura. I had a strong urge to protect you, doing the one thing I couldn't do for Asura: protect him."
Zero sighed and looked away, not wanting to bring up any more painful memories for Sakiko. But something that Sakiko had said reminded him of what Shizuka had also said to him.
You are the second person to look at me with such an emotion in your eyes. Maybe the twin sisters were more alike than Zero realised, or at least in that department. Sakiko was nothing like Shizuka, sharing nothing but their looks.
The limo pulls up beside the gates of the academy and Zero jumped out first, holding out a hand for Sakiko to take. Zero helped Sakiko out of the limo and she looked up at the twisting path to the academy, frowning.
"I wonder why the path to the school is so long," she voiced her thoughts as the carriage driver handled their luggage. A petite girl with brown eyes fringed with red, shoulder length brown hair and wearing the Day Class uniform walks down the path towards them, a white armband with the Cross Academy symbol positioned above her left elbow.
"You must be the new students," she says kindly. "I'm Yuuki Cross. I'm the headmaster's daughter."
"I'm Akira Kiryuu and this is my brother Zero Kiryuu," Sakiko answers, taking Yuuki's hand. "I hope we could be friends."
"Of course we can be friends," Yuuki answers. Sakiko flings her arms around Yuuki's neck and hugs her, Yuuki petting Sakiko's back before they pulled away. Yuuki looked from Sakiko to Zero and back. "You're brother and sister?" Sakiko nods in answer. "You don't look alike."
"I look more like our mother and Zero looks more like our father," Sakiko quickly answers. Sakiko has seen Zero's parents before but they had been savaged and were covered in blood.
"I see," Yuuki nods. "Follow me, I'll show you around."
After Yuuki shows Zero and Sakiko around the school Yuuki starts explaining about the Night Class, the class that Sakiko should be in if she wasn't in a human's body. In Akira's body Sakiko only had the ability to heal quickly but it wasn't as fast as her rapid Pureblood healing or a vampire's not-as-fast healing, but Akiko's body was still human which made Sakiko human. Sakiko was not used to this kind of feeling, to be able to look at the sun without squinting and being temporally blinded due to her vampire eyes, being able to get through a day without the burning hunger deep in her throat that would be there forever and could not be quenched and just simply feeling alive which Sakiko has not felt since she was a teenager.
"Is the Night Class for elite students?" Sakiko asked, tilting her head to the side. "Or vampires? Or elite vampires?"
Yuuki froze at Sakiko's questions, her face turning white as the blood rushed out of her face. She gave Sakiko a look of surprise and fear.
"H-h-how did you know?" Yuuki asked, speaking quickly. Sakiko shrugged as if it were nothing.
"My family are vampire hunters," Sakiko answered. "Zero-nii and I were trained to kill vampires. Our nurse had been a vampire. We practically grew up with vampires." Sakiko knew about the nurse thing because Zero had told her about it, telling her about the nurse that turned out to be an Ex-human that had gorged out the eye of their teacher and master right in front of them. Sakiko didn't like seeing humans turned into vampires and succumbing to that fate so she tried to stay clear from drinking from humans, or if it was completely necessary she'll give them her blood in return and let them reside with her until their body turns to dust and scattered in the wind whilst Sakiko lived on.
Sakiko did not want that for anyone.
"I cannot wait to be properly apart of this school!" Sakiko says joyfully, clutching Zero's arm. For once she could finally be apart of everyday life, not a precious beast that had to be locked up and whose family had to be wiped off the face of the earth.
A/N: I will only be able to update on Thursdays because I can only get on this site on Thursdays. The real story will start next chapter though so stay tuned :)
