'Yuuki, do you mind if I take Mayu to her room? I have some things to discuss with her.' Kaname looked at Yuuki, but then his eyes locked on Mayu, who stood silently in a corner staring at her feet.

'Of course.' Yuuki nodded. She also looked at Mayu, her smile faded. Just as Mayu's fake one had. 'Mayu, are you okay?'

Mayu met her cousin's eyes warily.

'I'm fine Yuuki, just a little out of it. Been a while since I've been here.' She explained, smiling.

'You sure?'

'Positive.' Mayu nodded, walking to the door. 'I'll go to my room now.'

'You didn't hear our conversation did you?' Kaname asked, standing up.

'No?'

'I will accompany you, we have things to discuss.' He told her. She looked cautious, but nodded.

'Shall we go then?' She motioned to the door, Kaname nodded and left the room. 'I shall see you later then, Yuuki?'

'Yes. I will come and see you.' She nodded, smiling. Mayu nodded and closed the door as she walked after her cousin.

'You are uncomfortable in your old room, Mayu?' Kaname asked as Mayu reached his side.

'Not brilliant memories of being there, Kaname.' She admitted.

'When did you last see him, your father?' Kaname looked at Mayu as they walked up the stairs.

'When he was using my half-brother's body, I saw him attack Rima. I spoke with him shortly before.' She was looking at her feet as she walked. 'I was useless, just as useless as you, Kaname.'

'You could not kill your father, understandable, Mayu. Yet, you hated him, why could you not?'

'I was bound by the same chains you were, my father put me into a deep sleep, then awakened me again. The reason you did not see me for the first few years of my life, Kaname, was because, like him, I had been asleep.' She explained. 'I was more kind to my mother, I cared for her, yet I hated him. One disturbed family.'

'So that is why...' Kaname mumbled.

'Why I left the academy, why I hated you after that day.' Mayu finished for him.

'How?'

'I saw you. I never blamed Zero for my mother's death. I, always have, and always will, blame you.' Mayu said quietly.

'For once, I understand the logic in that theory.'

'What do you mean for once?' Mayu stopped as they reached an old black double door. The pattern on the door was blood red. Not actual blood though. It was a tribal pattern, an old fashioned one.

'Mayu,' he opened the door and went inside, 'your reasons have always confused me. You seem to go against most logic.'

'I go with my heart. What I think is right. Whether it is logic or not. My head is based on logic, my heart is more based on me.' She scanned the room with her eyes. The double bed was by the balcony, black sheets with the pattern matching the one of the door and the old wardrobe in the corner. 'Wow, nothing has changed.'

'You always did like old things.' Kaname looked around him also as he surveyed the room. 'This is the first time I have been in here.'

'Nothing has changed.' She repeated. 'Nothing at all, I can assure you.' She picked up a picture frame as she sat on the bed. It was of her and her mother when she was a child.

'The most resent photograph of you was at the academy, you and Hanabusa. This was the most resent before that.' He told her. 'You don't like your photo being taken, do you?'

'Not back then. If you look at my eyes on both those pictures you'll see why.' She pointed to the little girl on the picture. Kaname looked at it, one of her eyes was green the other brown. 'Just like Rido.'

'You are nothing like him.' Kaname assured her. 'For starters, he couldn't send things flying at people and twist peoples organs.'

'You said the last one like it's a good thing.'

'You are too hard on yourself.' He told her as he walked to the door. 'By the way, Hanabusa and Kain are already here.' He said as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

'Oh great.' She mumbled. She walked out onto the balcony, brushing the floor length black curtains as she went past. It was a forest view. Just a lot of trees. 'I remember sitting here when I was a kid.' She said quietly. She looked to the left of her and in one of the windows she could make out Hanabusa. She quickly backed into the room again.

'Want to come for a walk round with me?' Yuuki's voice reached Mayu's ears. She spun around and saw her younger cousin in the doorway.

'Sure.' Mayu picked up a book from on her bed and followed Yuuki out of the door.

'What's that?' Yuuki looked at the book in Mayu's hands.

'It's a book I used to read a lot as a kid. I never stopped reading it. Unless your brother dragged me away from it.'

'Haha.' Yuuki laughed. 'How long has it been since you came here?'

'Uh, eleven years.' Mayu's answer was quick. She didn't want to say anymore about that.

'Eleven years? That's when...' Yuuki cut off.

'Yes. I wasn't staying here at the time. I came with my father.' Mayu shrugged. 'Can we please change the subject?'

'Could you tell me about your mother?'

'Shizuka?' Mayu looked puzzled. 'What do you want to know, Yuuki?'

'What she was like, before she went, well, you know.'

'Mad?' Mayu offered the word to her, Yuuki nodded but didn't speak. 'She was always a bit odd. The man she was with, he was nice to me, though I was only a child, Zero's age, at the time. When my mother first told me about him, I expected him to think I was useless and annoying, but he didn't act like that. They were both kind to me. But after he died, and mother killed the Kiryuu family and stayed with Ichiru, I had no place there. When I rarely did see them, I was close to Ichiru, and to Shizuka. But never as close as I had been. My mother saw that, saw I had drifted away from her, and accepted it.'

'So you didn't see your mother often?'

'She met with me once, just before she placed herself in Maria's body. Then I met her as Maria.'

'No wonder you treated her just as oddly as Hanabusa.' Mayu jumped. Kain was stood in front of her. 'Hey, Mayu, Yuuki.'

'Good morning, Kain, going to Hanabusa?' Yuuki asked. Mayu was silent. She just nodded at him in greeting.

'If I can find him. He is not in his room.' Kain looked at Mayu briefly before turning to Yuuki.

'I saw him in a window a few moments ago. Just a while away from here.' Mayu said. She looked up at Kain who was looking at her in surprise.

'Yeah, I did from the garden, but I came up here and no one is in there.'

'Mayu will help you look.' Yuuki said cheerfully. Mayu looked at her in shock.

'I will?'

'Yes.' Yuuki pushed her to Kain's side. I need to get back to Kaname anyway. Goodbye you two. See you later Mayu.' With that Yuuki went skipping down the corridor.

'I swear, my cousins are two of the most annoying people, ever.' She mumbled. Kain smiled slightly.

'We'd better keep looking. You know this house better than me, Mayu, any ideas?' Mayu shrugged as they began walking.

'I haven't been here in a while, I'll end up getting lost. I was planning on staying in my room until the ball.' She said sadly.

'You, are actually going?' Kain sounded a little shocked.

'Yeah, and?'

'Nothing. Just a bit of a surprise. Can you actually dance?'

'Sadly yes, so I have no excuse not to go. Yuuki even bought me a dress.' Mayu sighed heavily, her expression fed up. 'I learnt when I was a kid.'

'Nice.' He smirked. 'I heard Zero just arrived.'

'Yes I know. So did I. I was with him.'

'Oh. Mayu,' he stopped her, 'I suggest you don't tell Hanabusa that. He's not himself at the moment, okay?'

'Sure, Kain.' She nodded and carried on walking. 'What's wrong with him?'

'Not sure. He had another argument with his dad though.'

'No surprise there then.' She mumbled.

'His dad actually liked you remember, Mayu. So I don't know what your complaining about.'

'I don't like it when anybody has a go at Hanabusa, or Rima. I don't give a toss if it's their dad or not. Besides, I'm a pureblood, most people have to like me.' She said the last bit as if she were upset.

'You really don't like being a pureblood do you? And thanks, it's good to know I'm on that list.'

'You are. I just didn't see the point of telling you.' She shrugged. 'And no, I don't.'

'Thanks.' He smirked. 'But I think I can guess who is at the top.'

'Who?'

'Hanabusa.' Mayu didn't answer she looked at her feet. 'You'd do just about anything for him wouldn't you?'

'I guess.'

'I haven't checked in here.' Kain stopped in front of a large door.

'The library?' Mayu asked him, surprised. 'Since when did he hang out in a library?'

'He does every so often. He doesn't read too much, he just likes the quiet.'

'Since when did he like quiet?' She said sarcastically.

'Since you left.' He said simply, sending Mayu into silence.

'Come on then.' She said after a while. She opened the door slowly.

'Hanabusa?' Kain whispered from behind Mayu.

'What?' Hanabusa's voice echoed from the opposite corner of the library. Kain pushed Mayu further in.

'Surprise for you.' Kain replied. He could just make out Aidou sat on the large sofa with a book in his hand. He glanced down at what Mayu was grasping onto so tightly.

'What kind of surprise?'

'A living one.' He smirked. He pinched Mayu's bare arm, making her drop her book.

'Kain!' She hissed, as she bent to pick up her book.

'Mayu?' Hanabusa recognised the voice immediately. He switched on the lamp beside him so that he could see if he were correct.

'Hey.' She smiled slightly as the light hit her face. She squinted as well.

'Uh, hi.' His voice was pretty much shocked.

'Can somebody speak to me without sounding shocked?' She thought aloud. Kain laughed.

'I'll leave you two to catch up.' With that he left the room before Mayu could protest. So she stood facing the closed door with her mouth wide open.

'What are you doing here?' Hanabusa asked. Mayu sighed and turned around to face him.

'I was invited. To that ball that Kaname is holding.' She explained.

'You are allowed to come and sit by me you know?' He told her. She nodded and gripped her book tighter as she walked over and sat beside him. 'I've missed you.' He said softly. He placed down his book and took one of Mayu's hands off of hers. 'We haven't seen each other in a while.'

'I'm aware of that.' She nodded once, looking straight ahead. She was refusing to meet Hanabusa's gaze.

'I'll show you how much I've missed you if you look at me.' Mayu didn't budge. Hanabusa placed his finger under her chin and turned her face to him. Her eyes still looked away. 'You really are awkward.'

'I'm aware of-' Mayu was cut short by Hanabusa. He had pressed his lips against hers gently. Then he pulled back with a smirk on his face.

'That.' He finished her sentence for her. She just nodded once. She fell totally silent.