Caged Nightingale

Chapter 2: Recollection

Aido opened the door of the building the night class was currently having lessons in. Kaname glanced at them, content that Aido and Kain managed to do what he asked without any problems.

"She didn't cause any problems, Aido?" he murmured, flipping the book he usually held shut. Aido nodded silently, placing Hitomi in her seat.

"You shouldn't of ditched class, Hitomi." her face was pouting like a child's, and it almost made him laugh how much she reminded him of Yuki, so long ago.

"I just wanted to be outside for once." she replied childishly, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Kaname exhaled, he couldn't punish her for something so normal, could he?

"Very well. Just don't do it anymore, or you'll be punished." her eyes suddenly widened, frightened as ever.

"Kimi!" she immediately dashed for the door, interrupting class again. Aido made her foot freeze to the ground on the spot. Kaname, again, kept being reminded of Yuki when she was little. Why? Did he crave those simple times once more this much? Desperate tears seeped down her cheeks, she was far more childish than he ever imagined.

"I need to go find her!" Hitomi snapped furiously, rubbing at the tears in her eyes.

"How can you?" Aido retorted in a hiss. "How do you possibly dream of achieving that when you cannot even see the ground?" her breath caught in her throat, he was right.

"I don't care." she growled. "I'll search forever to find her!" Aido grabbed her arm.

"You idio--"

"Enough." Kaname ordered them tonelessly, their voices froze. He looked up at Aido, running a hand through his luscious dark brown hair. "Go find it, Aido." Aido's eyes widened furiously, but he exhaled and exited. Hitomi blinked, and then dashed forward, grinning in Kaname's face.

"Thank you, Kaname-sama." she curtsied to the kind man, he half-smiled at her. Class ended, and as they walked back to the dorms, she heard footsteps coming their way and assumed it was Aido.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't find it." her eyes widened, just like before. Without a word, she began dashing in a random direction.

"Oi! Take better care of your things!" Zero shouted suddenly, Kimi landing within Hitomi's hands. She squealed and glomped the toy to her chest. Kaname smiled discreetly from where he was walking.

"Thank you, Zero-chan!" Hitomi shouted, following his scent and throwing her arms around the scorned vampire hunter. His body tensed.

"Get off!" he snarled, pushing the arms away with ease. She pouted, and turned to go back.

–

Kaname silently stared out the window, unable to sleep yet again. A knock came at his door, and his eyebrow rose, who would be awake at this hour?

"Come in." he murmured, never breaking his gaze from the outside. Hitomi peeked through in her nightgown, clutching her rabbit.

"Yes, Hitomi-san?"

"I wanted to thank you, Kaname-sama." something was off. She could feel it. Fear. Anger. Confusion. Sadness. Malice. Loneliness. Love?

"You're welcome. Go to sleep, Hitomi-san." she didn't budge, she just kept staring as if in a daze, though he knew she couldn't stare, what was she thinking about? She began stepping closer.

"Kaname-sama is crying." she whispered curiously, like a child. This reminded him of something.

"How could you be able to tell that?" he asked quietly, though her accusation surprised him. She lifted a chair easily, set it right next to him, stood on it and stopped there. His eyes became confused. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder, and encased him in a warm hug.

"Kaname-sama needed a hug, I could feel that. You toss aside your emotions, like nothing and yet it comes back to bite Kaname-sama in the end." she began stroking the back of his head, like Yuki used to do.

"You shouldn't do that, Kaname-sama. It hurts. It always does. Kaname-sama may be the best and strongest pureblood, but he still has his limits when it comes to his heart." his eyes were wide, and his lips began trembling slightly.

"Yuki." He breathed, thinking about her, letting everything come out in one big wave. In this strange embrace, he didn't want to hold back everything. She wasn't Yuki but this person was an old, cherished friend, and he remembered forgetting all the problems with being a pureblood when they played together. He recalled how much she saw, despite the fact that she couldn't see anything. He childishly buried his face in the crook of her neck, letting two microscopic tears trickle down his face.

"I'm tired." Kaname said quietly, his body slumping. She smiled, struggling to lift his tall body. She finally did, and sat him down on his bed and with a sigh, she slumped to his bedside.

"Oomf. When did you get so big and heavy?" she whined in a whisper. He chuckled tiredly.

"I've missed you, Mi-chan." was his reply before he got much needed rest. She sat there as he slept for twenty minutes, reflecting on their childhood. She lept up, stretching her arms into the air.

"Goodnight, Me-chan." she skipped silently to her room.

–

She awoke with a jolt, smelling the scent of potent blood. Intoxicating as it was, she hated the maddening aroma of it. The door suddenly opened.

"Hold your breath," Kaname said, splashes of anger in his voice. "It'll help just a bit." he was beginning to walk away, she immediately sat upright and held out her hand.

"Me-chan!" Hitomi called, the footsteps freezing. He looked over, sighed, and walked over to take the blind girl's hand. Her fingers trailed down his hand to his wrist, freezing there. She could feel the erratic pulse beating under the cold skin.

"What's wrong?" she demanded. He exhaled, knowing that hiding something from this woman was going to do no good.

"Yuki is … very kind to Kiryuu-kun." her eyes widened. Zero-chan?

"Me-chan … I'm sorry." she wrapped her arms around his waist, securing Kaname in another hug. He exhaled, needing this support immensely.

"Mi-chan, why is it that whenever you hug me, back then and now, I've always felt so … safe?" it didn't sound like he was asking her, almost as if he was talking to himself.

"That's what friends are for." she replied simply, letting go to reach up and poke the tip of his nose. He chuckled in a hushed tone, reminded tremendously of the old days.

"Is Zero-chan … okay?" she whispered at one point.

"He's almost on the brink of becoming a Level E." Kaname said tonelessly, running a hand through his hair. Her body stiffened at the sound of it.

"Level E?" she suddenly realized that there was a familiar scent to Zero, the scent of her own kind that she hadn't noticed. Before she could say anything more, Kaname's hand slipped away from her own, and he left the room.

–

A/N: Aww. I loved giving Kaname-sama an old best friend, it just felt too cute. Keep reviewing people! Feedback and criticism is welcomed. Stay linked for the next chapterr.