Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(flash back continued)

Soon my vision blurred and I began to see stars. Then I heard barking and the hands and mouth retreated, dropping me to the floor. I saw my pet growling furiously at the man from by the door. The vampire looked at me and smiled, showing two sharp fangs dripping with my blood and eyes shining the same color. He was a macabre sight, but if not for the red hues and the hint of insanity in his eyes he would have been a beautiful creature. The man had curly black hair almost touching his shoulders, aristocratic features, and alabaster skin. He was tall and slim wearing a buttoned up black trench coat. In the few seconds I absorbed this he had backed up and jumped out of the window. I gasped for air and scrambled on my hands and knees toward the dog and away from the window weakly. About then was when I passed out.

I awoke to the sensation of something wet dragging up my face. I sluggishly opened my eyes soon finding myself staring straight into intelligent dark brown pair. The eyes pulled back and revealed a wolfish orange muzzle and a black spot over the right eye. I drug a hand down the left side of my face to remove the dog slobber before sitting up and blinking slowly. The memories returned in a torrent. I giggled. A dream was what it was. Only a dream. The dog just came in. I soon became aware of a throbbing sensation on the right side of my neck. I reached up lightly touching the two large puncture wounds that were sticky with blood. I rubbed and clawed at the blood, scrubbing it off and staring at it. It was real. I stared wide eyed and slowly stood and turned. My parents were on the floor, bloodied as I remembered. I stumbled backwards toward the door and fell back. I turned away from the bodies and crossed my legs, sitting Indian style; the mutt plopped into my lap. Tears slid down my face unbidden. The dog in my lap whimpered and I wiped at the tears, wrapping my arms around his large neck and whispering near his ear. "Thanks. You probably just saved my life, Jack." I mumbled hugging him tightly. We sat together for a long time. before I heard the door opening. I immediately looked up blinking back new tears. A man walked in shutting the door behind him quietly. He was sort of and slim built but muscular with long, red hair in a messy ponytail and deep, beautiful amber eyes, a scar on his cheek. I was on the floor so my vantage point was off and I couldn't see his face completely. The added factor of tears did not help. What I could see was familiar though. He was wearing a dark blue duster, black muscle shirt, black pants, and heavy boots, in his hand was a katana. When he moved forward I glimpsed more weapons underneath the duster. I stared at him as he walked by me and kneeled by the gruesome sight of my parents' bodies, seemingly examining them. My eyes widened when he put up his sword and pulled out a packet of some kind of powder and spread it over their bodies. He mumbled something and the powder glowed for a moment before bursting into a bright blue flame. Within seconds the corpses were gone and the fire extinguished itself. All that was left was ash, a torn scrap of my dad's favorite orange t-shirt, the pistol, my mom's silver bracelet, and their gold wedding bands. I watched wide eyed as the man turned to me. Jack growled and I scooted back an inch, one hand still on Jack's shoulder. The man walked closer and kneeled about a foot in front of me. "Sensei!" I yelled upon recognition. He smiled a little grimly before looking at me closely, "Were you injured?" "N-no," I stammered quickly, leaning forward so that my hair covered the bite marks. "What about Jack? Did you recognize the type of vampire?" Shinta questioned. "No sir," my voice still trembled slightly. I leaned against my teacher. When my parents were on long-range missions, he usually looked after me. He was a kind and caring man, but he had a harsh side. Since I was a toddler he had trained me. He was like a close uncle or an older brother. Perhaps even a second father. I went to regular school and then to the backyard or the room at the back of the house to learn under my loving teacher. Suddenly I felt thin strong arms encircle my shoulders. I slowly returned the hug and asked my sensei what I was going to do. "You're going to live with me and finish training. If you want to." the last part was unnecessary. I had no choice really. I was a twelve year old orphan with few friends and no relatives.

I slowly stood, stroking Jack's ears and nodded, murmuring an okay. I had no where else to go now. My teacher smiled gently and told me to gather what I wanted warning that the rest would probably be burned or confiscated as it was 'evidence of vampires and hunters. I grabbed my bag (a large black dufflebag) and ran through the house, throwing in my clothes, a pocketknife, my money, personal items, and a few keepsakes and photos. I walked back to the ashes and said my goodbyes, a tear falling into the ashes when I bent and retrieved their rings before running downstairs.

Shinta stuck his head in through the living room door and pointed to a sleek black car before retreating somewhere. I whistled once and Jack followed me as I walked out to the small black car with the front and back doors open I gently put the bag in the back and let Jack jump in. I shut the door and climbed into the front passenger seat, buckling up and shutting the door. Suddenly, Shinta was also in the car. I hadn't even seen him appear, much less get in! We drove almost an hour in silence before stopping in front of a large, old building.

Shinta got out and opened my door. "This is the Vampire Hunter's Association Headquarters. Many hunters live in this town, including me. We should probably start here. Leave your bag." I stayed quiet as he explained while opening the door but paused when Jack stood. "Can he come?" I asked, nodding towards my pet/ friend. "I suppose. But you must watch him." Shinta said carefully. I nodded and pulled Jack out of the car. Jack chuffed and nosed my hand. I was training to be a hunter but I had never been here. I stroked his head and followed Shinta into the large double doors. The doors led into an empty rundown room with two more doors, one with a peephole. When I walked near the second pair of doors, my neck tingled. I tried not to touch it and stood behind the hunter patiently, with Jack at my side. The left door slowly opened and a tall, stocky man with messy blond hair and a beard stood in front of a large room bustling with activity. My eyes widened at the sight of hundreds of armed men and women walking briskly past, many wearing long coats and carrying envelopes, a low hum of voices filling the hall. "Who and what is this?" the huge blonde man demanded. "My deshi (student) and her pet." Shinta seemed totally unfazed to the larger man. "What is she doing here?! How old is she?! Why is there a dog in the headquarters?" the blonde practically screamed, red coloring his face. "She is plenty old enough to be here. I've been teaching her since she was little. The dog was already with her and is her pet. Her name is Emma Lokni and her parents were just murdered by a pureblood. As far as I know she wasn't bit and would you kindly stop yelling before you attract unwanted attention." Shinta said all of this quietly and calmly but I noticed that his hand was resting on the katana at his waist and that a slightly dangerous undertone entered his voice, while harsh yellow tinted his eyes. Jack had lowered his ears and I was still just watching silently as the blonde's face paled slightly. "Oh." was all he said before stepping aside and letting us through. We walked through the crowd and I held new respect for my sensei. We turned and walked up a flight of stairs and down a long corridor. We stopped at the end and waited in front of a door for a few minutes before a tall, lean, and muscled man walked out. He was wearing a dark brown leather duster and a brown cowboy hat with a large leather patch covering one eye. He had brown hair that was almost black, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and his one good eye was a bright, piercing blue. He paused outside of the door and nodded, "Madessi." Shinta returned the nod and address, "Touga" They acknowledged each other by last name only? No honorifics. That was odd. There was no endearment nor any malice. I made mental note as I followed Shinta into a large office with book lined walls. Behind the large desk was a man, who I first perceived as a woman, with blonde hair in a topknot. I immediately noticed that the man had a bad aura. I felt as if he spent the majority of his time deceiving people. I had always been good at trusting first impressions and reading auras. This man I immediately penned as a greedy liar. The men began speaking and I picked out a few words ignoring the rest: student, vampire, pureblood, Lokni, murdered, dog, girl, teach Emma, twelve, and American-born. The discussion ended between the two men with Shinta saying thank you and turning to me. "You are under my guardianship. You will live in my home and complete your training. That is the Association's president. He controls all the goings on and missions." I nodded and bowed slightly to the president. Shinta smiled and led me out back to the car. The man was not at the door when we walked out and I felt oddly relieved. As I got into the car after shutting Jack's door, I realized that I had an odd trust for my teacher. I silently vowed that would I become a great hunter under his guidance.

For a little over three years I lived with my pet and teacher in sensei's home on the edge of town. Everyday I learned and trained diligently. Of course I learned regular courses but vampire hunting was the main topic. I knew quite a bit already, but I was at the age to start heavy weaponry. My favorites were the blades and charms. I was quite a marksman with throwing knives and loved to hold a katana. At the end of three years I was ready to go on solo missions and hunters were impressed. I could wield a sword against my master (who apparently one of the greatest hunter swordsmen) and tell a vampire from a human before you could blink. I didn't really notice or care about how good I was, I was thinking. About everything. About nothing. The past or the present. I had become quieter. I completely isolated myself.

When I wasn't training or thinking, I was drawing. Most of the time I wouldn't know what I was drawing until I was done. I'm not sure why it was, but all my pictures shared a trait, no matter what the drawing was of. They always had wide smiles. Even if it was a person that appeared to be crying, it smiled.

At the beginning of the second year I overheard sensei on the phone. His voice was hushed slightly so I had to strain to hear him. He said that he wasn't sure that I was okay. He said that I trained hard but that when I was finished I got detached and distant. He said that I was still a child. He said that he hoped that I didn't end up similar to the Kiryu kid. After that day, I made myself smile constantly. I always smiled, though I usually didn't mean it.

Sensei seemed worried about me often. He had grown to care about me even more and the feeling was mutual. I liked him. He was a teacher, father-figure, caretaker, older brother and friend all rolled into one. Jack also became more than a pet. He was a friend and companion. Two months after the attack was when the first bloodlust attack hit. I fought it and they gradually became more frequent and painful. In November of the second year, the attacks were once weekly and left me feeling weak and often made me feel sick or tired. I hid them from Shinta because I knew what they meant. I was a vampire. The one that bit me was a pureblood. Sometimes the attacks were so bad that I blacked out or tried to attack someone. Jack could usually sense the change and would bark and lick me. Sometimes it worked but usually it didn't. It was a very…unsettling feeling.

I could tell that sensei knew something was wrong with me. After a sparring or lesson where I had lost it and my vampire side had surfaced, he would dismiss me with a concerned look in his eyes. I would retreat to my room and stay put for an hour trying to calm down. Often after a major episode, sensei would sometimes fix my favorite meal of chicken ramen and chocolate pocky and eat with me. He seemed to know that I was a vampire, or would soon be, and would let me skip a lesson when I lied that I was sick or had a headache when bloodlust flared up. He never locked me up or accused me of vampirism though I knew that he knew. I always felt bad that I caused him worry and pain.

Four months into the third year, I was hit with the worst bloodlust yet. It was three thirty in the morning and I was slumped against the wall clutching at my neck and chest out of instinct; feeling the excruciatingly painful, burning sensation starting there. Jack was by the sliding door looking at me helplessly and pacing. I heard sensei stir and I slid farther down the wall, hoping the short bed would hide me from view should he open my door. He did. And walked straight toward me. I bowed my head and grit my teeth, feeling fangs press against my gums. I could hear his heart beat and smell the blood in his veins. My eyes were sharp and a red haze covered the room. Sensei footsteps quickened and as he got closer my insides squirmed and felt like they were on fire. He knelt next to me, grasping my chin in two fingers and tilting my head toward him. He thumbed my mouth open though and studied my teeth. I blinked and leaned forward against his shoulder. He smelled good. I licked his skin and he put a hand on my shoulder and pushed me back. I whimpered and stared at his neck, trying to lean forward against the hands on my shoulder. "No," He said commandingly, staring at me. I looked into his eyes, but only barely registered the sadness and slight anger in the amber depths. I was to out of it. He loosened his grip slightly as my body stilled and I lunged, biting into his neck before he could stop me. He fell back and was pressed between me and my bed. He didn't fight me. Jack was beside us, about three feet away, whimpering and growling. I took no notice as the sweet blood filled my mouth. I slurped at his blood rapidly and greedily. I drank and drank. And my teacher let me. As my thirst was quenched, I slowed and came back to myself. I pulled back in horror and scuttled back against the wall, curling my knees to my chest. Shinta had blood trailing down his chest and two messy puncture wounds adorned his neck. His eyes showed anger and revulsion, but more than that was sorrow. As if someone close to him had died. Like I had died. A tear ran down my cheek and sensei brushed it away. "No crying. Do you feel better? You need to rest," he said gently, masking his emotions. I shook my head. I bit him. I bit him. I was a monster. But… He let me. Why? Why hasn't he killed me? Why doesn't he hate me now? "I'm sorry. Are you ... Okay?" I whispered, watching him through my bangs. "Yes, now wash-up and sleep I've got a mission tomorrow and you're coming," he was so… calm. It surprised me. "Why? Why haven't you locked me up or killed me yet? Why are you speaking like you are still going to be my teacher?" Why do you care? I questioned him quietly leaving the last one unsaid. "Because I am your teacher and I don't want you to die or be hunted. Now do what I said," he was so sincere. I hugged him tightly and he returned the embrace. "Thank you," I murmured against his shoulder. He stood and left. I heard the water running and a long sigh. I hugged Jack and climbed into bed. The next day I went through the usual routine, but avoided Shinta's gaze. We never spoke of that night again.

A few months later, I decided to leave. I snuck out of bed and tread carefully through my room, gathering my belongings into a duffel bag and small backpack. My room was at the back of the traditional styled home and was small but comfortable. It was sparsely furnished. The one window was on the eastern side of the room and a small platform bed was underneath it. To the right side of the room (when you enter) was a six drawer dresser and a bed for Jack made of two pillows and a bamboo mat. The dresser contained all my clothing, my books, pictures of my parents, sensei, and pet, drawing supplies, and a few random keepsakes, (seashells from a vacation when I was six, a rock shaped like a heart, an arrowhead my dad gave me, a feather, a mask from a trip to a traditional theater, a bracelet with a star charm my mother gave me) all organized in the drawers. On top of the dresser was my dragon necklace that sensei had bought for my fourteenth birthday, my parents rings, and an old style, pop-up, black velvet top hat my parents had bought for my tenth birthday in addition to tickets to a play. Around the hat was a purple ribbon with a red card that said 'Happy Birthday Em' and was signed with a smiley face. Em was the nickname only my parents, sensei, and best friends could address me by. On the opposite wall was only a chair and my weapons rack. At the top was my katana, Crimson Rose. It was beautifully crafted and was contained in a black bamboo sheath. Near the crossgaurd was an engraved blood-red rose. An engraved vine lined with thorns slithered down the middle from the rose till about four inches from the point. The hilt was black and I had tied red ribbon around it. Then was my father's gun Bloody Sunrise which was silver except for the black grip with a orange sunburst engraved above the grip. Then were the Bloody Twins, my combat daggers. They were identical with crimson hilts and were about one inch short of being the length of my forearms. Lastly was a small set of black throwing knives. Earlier Shinta had told me that in about a month I could be a real vampire hunter for the Association because of how quickly I had learned. He said that my training was basically complete and that I could stay with him. But I had decided long ago that I didn't want to be part of the Hunters' Association.

After all of my belongings were in the bags, except for the hat and katana, I snuck out into the hallway. Jack followed as quietly as he could. Sadly, his quiet was pretty close to my loud and sensei stepped out from his bedroom three doors down with his sword in hand. Still clad in sleep pants only, I couldn't help but to admire his frame. He was short and thin but well proportioned and toned. His upper body had many scars and his long bright red hair hung down to his waist, the messy bangs in his eyes. "Em? Why are you up? What's in the bags?" he relaxed from his tense posture and lowered his sword. He seemed tired. "I'm leaving." I answered, trying not to grimace at the sad expression on my sensei's face. I was really afraid. Afraid of my episodes and bloodlust attacks. I constantly wondered if I would attack him again and kill him or if he would finish me before I snapped. I was positive that now that sensei knew what I was that he would eventually abandon me after realizing that he shouldn't care about me. "You don't have to leave. I don't like the thought of you alone. You could get killed. You're still a child." He sounded sad, like he would really miss and worry about me, and I felt that he would. This made me feel even worse at the thought that he would eventually want to leave me. He told me once that his family had died when he was a child and that he had lived with his sensei until he was sixteen and became a hunter. He said that he had lived completely alone since then. Shinta was obviously a person who needed human contact. I couldn't help but to love my teacher. He was the perfect friend and teacher and though he was at least twenty-nine he sometimes seemed younger than me. I smiled a genuine grin and hugged him suddenly. He seemed surprised at first but slowly returned the embrace. "I need to leave though. I will visit, I swear upon my heart and soul. And I will live; I had you as a teacher after all." I promised, pulling back. He smiled and said, "You better or I'll hunt you down. You were my first student and I'm glad you stayed with me." I gulped at the word 'hunt' but grinned none the less, "Thank you, Sensei. Goodbye." With that I turned and walked out of the front door.

Our final words were empty. I knew that I would most likely not visit him. I felt from his words that he would not hunt me as he said. Or at least I hoped.

A mere week later, I made a deal with the Vampire Hunters Association. I would hunt for them. But on my terms. I would be considered a rogue and not a 'true' hunter. The President accepted, more because of my lineage than my deal. I could tell he wanted me completely under his command or not anywhere near his association.

~Flashbacks end (finally) ~