A/N: Thank you to those who have already favorited/followed this and special thanks to MonochromeJoker29 and FarFromTheSun for your kind words.
Disclaimer: Matsuri Hino owns VK, I only own my OCs.
the die is cast
"We're getting a transfer student."
"Really? From where?"
Kaien glanced up from the letter he had been reading, giving Yuuki a gentle smile. "She is a student from Greece. Her name is Moira."
"Is she gonna be in the Night or Day Class?"
Yuuki gave her fellow prefect a disapproving look. "Does it really matter, Zero?"
"Of course it matters," Zero scoffed. Kaien was quick to divert their attention back to him.
"From my understanding she will be a Day Class student. She will be arriving in a week or so."
"Yeah. Whatever," Zero muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "If you don't have any more useful information I'm going to start patrolling."
"Zero-," Yuuki said reproachfully though he had already left the office. She gave the chairman a weak smile. "Sorry, uh, f-father."
"It isn't your fault," he shrugged, taking a sip of his tea. "That's just how he is."
"Well he doesn't have to be such a jerk," she huffed quietly, resting a hand on her hip.
"I trust you will make her feel welcome?"
"Of course," Yuuki replied, saluting him. "You can count on me."
"Glad to hear it," Kaien smiled warmly. "Go ahead and get started on your patrol."
"Yes sir."
"Get up Moira. You can't hide under your blankets forever," Thomas sighed, looking at the vampire-shaped lump on the bed.
"Yes I can," she muttered. "It's six in the morning for crying out loud."
"You've had two weeks to adjust to the time change. If you wish to pass as a human you must get used to their schedules."
"I know, I know, but still-."
"I made coffee."
"You can barely work a toaster, let alone a coffee maker."
Thomas pursed his lips, folding his arms over his chest. "You have to get ready. You've already been registered and they are expecting you by 8:30."
"I'm not going."
Thomas raised a hand which sparked with electricity. "You have one chance to get out of bed before I make you."
"You're a bully."
"I am not a bully."
He heard something that sounded like a raspberry being blown come from beneath the blanket. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"
"Ow!" Moira cried in surprise, feeling Thomas's hand come down hard on her ass, electricity surging through her. She leapt out of bed, hair standing completely on end. "Thomas!" she whined, attempting to smooth it down with one hand while rubbing at her sore backside with the other.
Thomas simply gazed at her apathetically. "Your hair looks terrible."
"I wonder why!?" Moira snapped, whirling around to look in the mirror hanging over the dresser. "It will take me forever to fix it!"
The older pureblood rolled his eyes so hard he swore he saw his brain. "You are so dramatic Moira. I'll help you fix it, now please get dressed so we can get going."
Moira pouted, rubbing her eyes tiredly before shuffling towards the bathroom. "You did say something about coffee, right?"
It took a little over twenty minutes (and half a bottle of extra hold hairspray) to get Moira's hair styled into something acceptable. Usually she wouldn't be caught dead with her hair in something as plain as a twisted side ponytail (she would've added curls or ribbons or glitter even to make it more fashionable) but desperate times called for desperate measures.
They had been staying in a shinden-zukuri Thomas owned near Mito, Japan. It was a little over forty kilometers from Himura, the small town where Cross Academy was located. Moira had ventured out once or twice in the past week just to get a look at the school and learn her surroundings. She was surprised to discover the academy was smack-dab in the middle of a Hunter Town though in all honesty she shouldn't have been, considering who the headmaster was.
She rifled through her wardrobe, tossing various clothing items onto the futon. After some careful deliberation she settled on a pair of artfully ripped jeans, a fitted blue blouse that matched her eyes, and her trademark dark gray pea coat. She would top the outfit off with her favorite pair of black suede ankle boots.
Once she deemed herself dressed for the day Moira headed off in search of her 'guardian'. She found him in the small kitchen flipping pancakes in a skillet and humming along softly to the radio.
She leaned on the doorway, folding her arms over her chest and simply watched him flit about the kitchen getting breakfast ready. It was actually a touch…endearing…
He paused in the middle of rifling through the refrigerator, glancing up to see her staring at him. "You look lovely."
"Thank you," she replied with small smile before holding a thin silver chain out to him. "Can you help me with this?"
"Of course," Thomas grinned, taking the necklace as she turned, letting him fasten the clasp. When he finished he wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his head on her shoulder. Moira arched a brow at the sudden display of affection.
"Are you nervous?" he asked, lukewarm breath ghosting over the side of her neck, eliciting a shiver from the brunette.
"Hardly," Moira laughed uncomfortably, wiggling out of his grasp to take a seat at the table. "I'm just unsure of how to properly act. I haven't had to be around humans in years."
"Just be your usual sweet self and you'll be fine. They haven't changed; still as oblivious as ever."
"I hope you're right," she sighed. "I cannot hide at this school forever, Thomas. Sooner or later the council will come for me."
"And when they do we'll be ready," he replied nonchalantly. "I wouldn't worry about that now. I'd just concentrate on not being discovered by your fellow classmates."
"I'm not worried about that. I have enough blood tablets to last me a few months and if I need more I can always call you."
"I'm more worried about you letting slip your true nature. If the pureblood discovers who you are-."
"It won't come to that. I only need to conceal my aura around the Night Class and the headmaster. It shouldn't be too difficult," she said when he set a plate of pancakes down in front of her. "Itadakimasu."
"How do you take your coffee?" he asked, pouring her a mug of coffee.
"I like my coffee black."
"Like your men?" he joked.
"Like my heart," Moira corrected him without missing a beat, eliciting a chuckle from the blonde.
They finished eating in silence, topping off their meals with tablet water. Moira made sure she had what she needed in her backpack; iPod, headphones, wallet, cellphone, and blood tablets cleverly disguised as a bottle of Tylenol. She was traveling light; the rest of her clothing and personal effects having already been moved into her dormitory.
Well, what little I have anyway, she thought to herself with a frown. She had left her home in Asos, Greece with nothing more than the clothes on her back. Not that it mattered, considering the wealth she had but there were items she couldn't replace like pictures and family heirlooms.
She rested a hand on her necklace, curling her fingers around the small pendant which bore her family's insignia with a frown.
At least I still have this. Hopefully I will be able to return once this mess gets sorted.
"Are you ready, Moira?"
"As I'll ever be, I suppose," she sighed, tucking the charm down the front of her shirt to conceal it.
"Moira, you aren't alone in this, alright?"
"I know," she trailed off, frowning. "It's just been one awful thing after another in such rapid succession. Maybe Cora was right; us purebloods are cursed."
"What happened wasn't your fault. We will find who was responsible and when we do we'll tear them limb from limb," he assured her.
"You're such a romantic," Moira snorted a laugh. It felt good to laugh again, especially when it was at Thomas's expense.
"Makes you sad that we won't be spending eternity together, doesn't it?" he gave her a mischievous grin. Moira's smile immediately fell and she gave him a 'look' that had him withering beneath its intensity.
"Hardly..."
"Do you understand everything?"
"I believe so," Moira replied, skimming over the papers he had given her before the drive. "Transfer student from Greece, surname Xenos-?" she trailed off, giving him a look.
"I did the best I could on such short notice."
"You had two weeks to come up with a life story for me and the best name idea you had was Xenos?"
"It's fitting, no? You are a newcomer* after all."
Moira rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief before continuing to read. "-just turned 16 years old. Tch, haven't been sixteen for a hot minute but that's alright-."
"Did the best I could," he reminded her again with a pout. "You really wanted me to say you're two hundred and forty two years old?"
"Um, I am two hundred and forty one years old, thank you very much," she sniffed haughtily.
"You're actually lucky you look like you can pass as a high school student. If I didn't know any better I'd put you at 17 or 18 years old," he shrugged, turning down a cobblestone drive.
"Parents deceased, in the care of her godfather, Thomas du Bois. Why did you-?"
"For protection. Sure there may be other Thomas Rousseau's wandering the world but why take a chance? Don't need that hunter putting two and two together. He might be retried but he's not stupid."
Moira cocked her head to the side, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "I suppose that makes sense."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence as he continued to drive. About five minutes later did they pull up before an impressive set of wrought iron gates. Moira sighed, unbuckling her seatbelt and turned to face Thomas.
"Thank you, for everything."
"You don't have to thank me, Mo. You would've done the same for me were our situations reversed," he offered her a smile that did strange things to the butterflies suddenly present in her stomach. "Don't forget to check in every week or so. We'll meet once a month, just so I can update you on everything going on with the council and your brother and make sure you're alright."
"I can do that," she tried to smile for his sake but found she couldn't, couldn't even manage a fake one.
"Alright. Take care Mo."
"Wait. You're not coming in with me?" she asked, alarmed.
"You're two hundred and forty one years old, remember? You don't need me to hold your hand," he laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Besides, unlike you I can't conceal my aura. Can't risk being found out so early into the game."
"I guess," she muttered, glancing out the passenger window, feeling unusually shy. "I suppose I'll see you later then."
"Certainly. Just don't go looking needlessly for trouble while you're here."
"I don't have to," Moira replied, exiting the car. "If you recall, it has a nasty way of finding me long before I find it…"
"-over here is the library. And over there is the canteen. And the infirmary is that way-."
"Do you perhaps have a map I could use-?"
"-and the Moon Dormitory is over there but us day class students aren't allowed in it and vice versa. And over there is-."
It had been luck (or misfortune, depending on how you want to look at it) that she had come across the Day Class vice president, Megumi Samura, while wandering the campus grounds. Megumi was more than willing to show Moira around.
However, she had yet to show Moira the way to the Chairman's office which was the entire reason she had accepted the teen's offer in the first place.
"-and curfew is at six pm on the dot. Don't let the prefects catch you out after then or you'll get supplementary classes," she heard Megumi say before they came full-circle with their tour of campus outside what she assumed was the main building.
"Supplementary classes?" Moira echoed, arching a brow in confusion.
"Detention."
"Oh," Moira nodded. "Thank you for clarifying."
"Not a problem!" she chirped. "Maybe we'll have some classes together! You seem like such a sweetheart Moira!"
Moira felt her cheeks heat a bit at the endearment. "I-I hope so. Thank you Megumi-san."
Megumi gave her a megawatt grin, lifting her hand in a goodbye wave before jogging up the stairs and heading back to class. Moira waited until she was out of sight before exhaling a sigh. She didn't have nearly enough caffeine in her system to deal with someone like Megumi Samura.
She began walking up the steps to the main building which looked like something she'd expect to find in Paris rather than a little town in Japan. Maybe Cross had a thing for gothic architecture.
Or maybe he just has a sick sense of humor and figured 'gothic architecture equals vampires'…?
"Oh, hello," she tensed at those words, a familiar sickeningly-sweet metallic scent filling her nose. Her bloodline's archaic magick instinctively kicked in to flex around her and cloak her aura. She turned, making eye contact with a handsome blond-haired male wearing an inverted version of the uniform Megumi had been wearing. "Are you lost?"
Vampire, Level B if I had to guess, judging by his scent.
"Is it that obvious? Moira Xenos," she introduced herself, extending her hand which he shook politely.
"Takuma Ichijo. It's a pleasure to meet you Moira-san."
Ichijo. One of his family member's is head of the Senate here. Not to mention nearly all human business transactions involve the Ichijo Group in some way.
"Likewise Ichijo-san," she replied.
"You must be the new transfer student."
"I barely arrived twenty minutes ago. Does word travel that fast here?"
"It's high school," he laughed lightly. "Would you expect anything else?"
"I suppose not," she agreed with a shrug.
"Chairman Cross mentioned we would be getting a transfer student last week. If you don't mind me saying, you are very well spoken though I'm afraid I cannot place your accent."
"I was born in Greece. My parents passed away a few months ago so I moved here to live with my godfather," she recited the information that she had memorized not even an hour beforehand verbatim.
"I'm sorry to here that," he said, giving her a gentle smile before releasing her hand. "It must have been difficult for you to pack up and move halfway around the world at the drop of a hat."
What a strange creature…
She cleared her throat. "Are you a Night Class student? I only ask because of the uniform."
"I am," he said, adjusting a stack of folders he was carrying under his left arm. "I'm just running some errands for our dorm president. Did Chairman Cross give you the day free?"
Moira laughed sheepishly. "Actually, I haven't even found his office yet."
"Would you like me to show you the way?"
"I wouldn't want to impose on you."
"Nonsense. It's not every day I get to show a pretty girl around," he gave her wink and a charming smile.
How dare he speak so casually to me? I should put him in his place.
Moira sighed lightly, reminding herself that she was supposed to be playing the part of a human and instead gave him a breathtaking smile of her own.
"I would appreciate it," she purred flirtatiously, linking arms with him and leaning into his side. Judging by the way his eyes flickered ruby before fading back to emerald he liked what he both saw and smelt.
She may have been able to conceal her aura but there were some things she couldn't hide, her intoxicating scent being one of them. It wouldn't give away her status as a pureblood unless a copious amount of her blood was spilt but it would still draw unwanted attention.
"We-we should get going then," he said, giving her a tight-lipped smile. She could see the muscles in his throat work to swallow, sense his bloodlust. She was surprised he had such control over it and hoped the other vampires in attendance had the same discipline as he did.
"Right this way, please."
A few minutes later and they were standing before the chairman's office. The bronze plaque to the left of the door read; Chairman Kaien Cross. Beneath that was a piece of bright yellow paper with the words 'Please come in~!' written in bold pink bubble letters. Moira arched a brow at that, glancing sideways at her escort before knocking.
"Come in~!"
Inhaling deeply to steady her nerves Moira entered his office and was greeted with the sight of Kaien Cross, the infamous 'Vampire without Fangs' sitting behind a desk playing with a Chinese finger trap.
She was unable to keep her eyes from rolling heavenward in disbelief and took a tentative step towards him.
"Hello Chairman Cross," he looked up at her, blinking owlishly before a bright smile graced his features.
"Oh, hello. You must be Moira. It's nice to meet you," he stood, offering her a hand though both were still stuck in the finger trap. He glanced down, a nervous laugh escaping his lips as he worked his fingers free. "S-sorry about that."
"Nothing to be sorry about," she assured him, shaking his hand.
"I was expecting you half an hour ago. Did you get lost?"
"You could say that. One of your students, Megumi Samura, was kind enough to show me around."
"Ah, Megumi is a wonderful student and role model. She will never steer you wrong, Moira-chan."
"She is very nice," Moira settled on saying, clasping her hands before her neatly.
Cross glanced over her shoulder, seeing Takuma lingering at the doorway. She followed his line of sight. "Oh, thank you for showing me the way, Ichijo-senpai. I do appreciate it." She bowed respectfully at the waist.
"It was my pleasure Moira-chan. Perhaps I will see you around campus. Have a good day Chairman Cross."
As the door shut behind him she turned her attention back to Cross who had a wide smile on his face. "Look at you, making friends so quickly!"
Insolent little man, how dare you speak to me as though I were a child?
"Please have a seat," he gestured to the plush chair in front of his desk. "We have to go over a few things before I release you to your dormitory."
"Yes sir."
"It's just odd that we have a transfer student so late into the new semester," Cross commented, shuffling through a folder that she assumed contained her information as he sat behind his desk.
"My godfather's work takes him all around the world. He thought it would be in my best interest to stay in one place to finish my schooling. Cross Academy came highly recommended by his peers and the admission's officer assured us it was a lovely place of higher learning."
Cross beamed like a proud peacock at the praise. "O-oh, well, we do strive to be known for the academic excellence of our students."
"I can only hope to meet your standards," she said softly, sinking back against the chair, resting a hand in her lap while the other fussed with a strand of hair that had fallen into her eyes.
"Our Day Class students reside in the Sun Dormitories while our Night Class live in the Moon Dorms. You are not allowed to trespass on the Moon Dormitory grounds."
"I'm not sure what reason I would have for doing so but I will keep that in mind," Moira stated.
I assume that is where the vampires reside. Regardless, I have no desire to meet any more than I already have.
"You are expected to attend class on time everyday barring unforeseen events such as illness. Two tardies will result in one hour of supplementary classes and they work on a multiplier system. The more tardies you have, the more detention you attend."
"I understand."
"Students are not allowed to leave campus without written permission from myself though every other weekend we allow our students to meander about in town with permission from their guardians. Do you have a uniform?"
"Yes sir. It was packed away with my other clothing. My godfather had them moved into my room already."
"Yes, yes. That's right. I remember now. You will be rooming with a girl named Shindo Nadeshiko. She's very kind. I think you two will be good friends."
Somehow I doubt that.
"I hope so. I don't want to spend the next two or three years rooming with someone I do not get along with."
"Understandable," he agreed, placing two keys to her dorm in her hand as well as her class schedule. "It appears everything is in order here. I hope you enjoy your time here at Cross Academy."
"Thank you, Chairman Cross." The flaxen-haired man before her sniffed, wiping a tear from his eyes dramatically.
"You're so polite and well-spoken Moira-chan! It's a refreshing change of pace."
"Yes, well, I do like to think my sis-parents did a good job raising me," she corrected herself quickly, silently cursing herself for the slip-up.
He didn't seem to notice though and instead gave her a welcoming smile. "If there is anything you need, you know where to find me."
"You are very kind," Moira said, standing from the chair and giving him a short bow before her bright blue eyes met his warm amber gaze. "I have a feeling this will be a year none of us will ever forget…"
Long chapter is long.
*Xenos means 'newcomer, stranger' in Greek, hence why I chose it for her new last name. Also, chose the name Himura for the town the academy is located in [scarlet town, figured it was fitting *shrugs*. Don't kill me Rurouni Kenshin fans]. I read somewhere that Vampire Knight seems like it should be set in a European town and the reason the characters have Japanese names is an oversight on Hino's part (due to her being Japanese herself). I didn't want to delve that deeply into creating a new location (partly because I'm lazy, partly because why fix it if it ain't broke?) for Cross Academy so it will continue to be Japanese.
Also, the italicized words are Moira's inner thoughts, mostly from the vampire/beast side of her personality. I wanted to incorporate something to let you know she's still a vampire despite masquerading as a human and give a little insight into her true nature. Reviews are love and feed the muse. Thank you for reading.