Sorry for the wait everyone. I had 3 wisdom teeth removed and I haven't exactly been feeling all that great. Anyways, here's the new chapter. It's pretty long, eleven pages, so I hope you enjoy. Please review
Thank you for reviewing:
Blood-Stained-Wish - thanks for the cookie, but don't worry, I already planned out what I wanted to happen with Ayame before your review. Actually I had already started writing cuz I couldn't wait. Hope you like this turnout :)
hotarusgirlforever - yay, my second review from you, thanks
Ookami Kiba - I like the word bums for those who don't review -wink- Have fun in Greece!! I just got back from two weeks in Japan
yunibell - Thank you for reviewing!
Chapter Three
Kiss Goodnight
By DarkHeartMistress
Previously
Looking at her watch in the dim light, she realized that it was dinner time back at Cross Academy and that she should be getting back or face a long 'chat' with her uncle. She wasn't so much worried about the chat as having to sit through a discussion where every other sentence had 'Ayame-chan' in it.
She began making her way back down the alley way which she had come from. Ayame had absolutely no idea where she was which made matters even worse. All she could do was try and find a larger, more populated street or find someone and ask directions from. A sound from in front of her caused her to pause. It sounded like shuffling feet.
Squinting into the darkness she called out. "Hello? Excuse me, would you mind giving me directions?" She said, her tone attempting to be polite.
No response came, which irritated her even more. What a jerk! She continued moving forward again, following the sounds of the shuffling feet. Turning the corner onto another street, she found herself at the entrance of a small courtyard area. A light post shone down on the center where a man stood with his back to her.
Approaching cautiously, Ayame began to ask for directions again. His silence irritated her and her annoyance with being ignored caused her to walk up to him rashly. However, when he turned around his wild eyes caught hers. Fear edged its way into her subconscious at the sight before her.
"Level E…" she whispered.
Taking a step backwards in shock, Ayame stared at the sight in front of her. What were the chances she would have this much bad luck? Apparently her chances were quite high. Pushing her slight fear to the back of her mind, she narrowed her eyes at the creature and glanced around at her surroundings. A brief glance told her there were only two ways out of the small courtyard.
The street she had just come from was dark and riddled with intersecting side streets. She would get lost easily and probably wind up in a dead end somewhere without meaning to. The other option was behind the Level E in front of her. Behind him was a set of stairs leading downward onto what seemed to be a partially lighted street.
Having chosen which of the two ways out of this predicament, Ayame was now faced with another problem: how to get past the bastard in front of her who would like nothing more than to rip her throat out…
Foolishly, Ayame had left the Academy with no weapons and there was nothing in sight which she could use to defend herself. Even a broom handle would be helpful at this point. As she reached this train of thought, her gaze shifted back to the monster in front of her just as he lunged towards her, his arms out to grab her.
Ayame was prepared for the swift movements of the Level E in front of her. Quickly, she dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, away from his lunge. She pushed herself to her feet quickly and through her leg out in a kick as the beast lunged at her again. Her foot caught him in the stomach and sent him crashing to the ground a few feet away.
She smirked slightly as the creature lay sprawled on the ground. She wished she did not have to fight without a weapon, but outrunning this monster was out of the question, it would catch her easily if she ran.
The creature peered up at her from where it lay on the ground before jumping at her once more. She dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding its outstretched hand which was intent upon grabbing her. Without a moments notice, the creature had changed directions again and had sent out its hand once more, reaching for her throat. This time Ayame was not fast enough and the creature's hand managed to swipe her in the face. Her body felt like a rag doll as the force from the blow sent her through the air until her body's momentum was forcibly stopped by the brick wall of one of the buildings surrounding the courtyard. Upon contact, her body slid to the ground in a heap.
"Damn bastard," she muttered irritably.
For the second time that day Ayame saw spots dancing behind her eyelids as she struggled to breathe; the wind having been knocked out of her when her ribs made contact with the wall. Finally opening her eyes after a few moments, she looked up to see the Level E advancing upon her. Bracing her hands against the wall, Ayame pushed herself up as she prepared to square off against the monster once more. The movement left her breathless once more and a sharp pain came from her chest. Dizziness also threatened to overwhelm her as a throbbing pain came from the back of her head. Yet another reminder of why bodies connecting forcibly with walls was not a good thing.
That impact probably broke a few ribs, Ayame thought angrily as she glared in the direction of the creature. She was in a shit load of trouble now. Her eyesight was slightly blurred, probably from a concussion, and she probably had a few broken ribs. Things were not going in her favor.
The creature grinned menacingly at her as it advanced. As the Level E licked its lips in anticipation, she could see its fangs peeking out from its mouth. This was not good.
Ayame's body was slow to react as the creature lunged at her for the third time. However, she pushed herself away from the wall and twisted on her right foot. Her smooth maneuver allowed her to avoid the Level E as it crashed into the wall where she had previously been leaning on. The creature turned to look at her before leaping, its hands outstretched in an attempt to grab her.
Ayame stepped backwards, trying to avoid the oncoming creature. However, her foot suddenly met air and she felt herself shifting backwards and falling. The stairs… the thought came to her mind an instant before her body made hard contact with the sharp edges of the stairs. Her beaten body rolled down the last few stairs until she came to a stop. Pain shot through her body like an electric current causing her to black out for a moment before she regained consciousness. If her ribs hadn't been broken before, they definitely were now. She was struggling to breathe as she lay motionlessly at the bottom of the stairs.
Opening her eyes, she met one of the worst sights she had ever experienced. Staring not four inches from her face was a pair of deep maroon eyes which held a maniacal glint to them. The Level E crouched above her, its wide, crazy eyes seemed to laugh at her as one of its hands moved to grab her neck.
As the cold appendages made contact there was suddenly a loud gunshot like noise. The creature was thrown backwards off of her to the ground where it hissed in agony before disappearing into a dust cloud.
Ayame remained where she was, her eyes staring blankly up at the night sky above her. It hurt to breathe. Attempting to wiggle the fingers of her right arm she found it hurt to move as well. The sound of footsteps approached her. She was in too much of a pain filled daze to do much; however relief filled her as a face with silver hair and grey eyes looked down into her own.
"Z… Zero…" Ayame attempted to speak, but the pain from her chest made her wheeze out his name. The guardian crouched down beside her and began checking the other wounds on her body. Blood was dripping from a cut on her forehead as well as from the split lip she had received earlier that evening. Zero stared at the red liquid for a moment before shaking his head. He looked as if he was trying to regain his concentration.
"Do you think you can sit up?" He asked looking down at her.
Ayame did a mental assessment of her body. She felt as if someone had dropped her off of a cliff and then thrown a giant boulder on top of her. The word 'no' instantly came to mind, but her stubbornness forced her to use her left arm to push herself up. Zero assisted her and pulled her into a sitting position. Her vision swam and Zero had to hold her upright or else she would have fallen back to the ground.
For a moment Zero looked to be considering something before crouching down in front of her with his back to her. "Can you get on to my back?" He asked as he lifted her left arm over his shoulder and waited for the other one.
Ayame took a shallow breath and moved to put her other arm over his shoulder. It did not hurt as bad now, but when he pulled her body against his back she tensed instantly. Her chest hurt horribly now and she knew it was going to be an uncomfortable piggy back ride on Zero. His hands had moved behind him to support her bottom, which relieved some of the pressure on her chest.
Zero stood as soon as he felt she was secure and began walking down the street. Ayame's conscious came and went as Zero walked. One of her waking moments was when Zero had hailed a taxi cab and had placed her gently in the back seat. The driver had exchanged nervous glances, but Zero's no nonsense gaze kept the driver from saying anything.
Ayame made a mental note to thank Zero at a later time when she could breathe without being overcome with pain and to ask him how he had known she was there. That was one of the last things she remembered as her conscious left her again.
Yuki sat impatiently on the front steps of the school. It had already been two hours since Zero had disappeared, promising her that he would check the nearby town for her missing cousin. Yuki had stayed on campus and with her 'father' in tow they had searched the school grounds. Ayame was no where to be found.
Chairman Cross had asked Yuki to bring Ayame to him earlier that day because he had several papers she needed to go over with him to finalize her school transfer. However upon discovering Ayame was no where to be found on a brief search of the grounds, her 'father' had sent Zero to search in town as the he and Yuki did a more thorough search of the campus. They had even visited the Moon Dorm. Kaname had seemed unsurprised that Ayame would go missing, but he had assisted with searching the school grounds. Nothing.
Now all Yuki and Chairman Cross could do was wait to see if Zero had found Ayame in town. Going into town was against the rules unless given permission and Chairman Cross was already coming up with the speech he would recite to Ayame about following the rules.
"I hope Ayame and Zero are alright." Yuki muttered as she sat with her chin resting on her knees.
The headlights of a car coming up the driveway caught her attention and Yuki's head immediately shot up. She ran inside quickly to inform her 'father' that a car was coming up the driveway.. The older man immediately followed her to the entrance as the taxi cab pulled up to the front steps.
Zero stepped out and immediately motioned Yuki and Chairman Cross to help him as he pulled Ayame from the back seat.
"What on earth happened!?" Came Chairman Cross' shrill voice at the sight of his bruised and bloody niece.
"Aya…" Yuki whispered in despair at the unconscious body of her cousin.
"I'll explain later." Zero responded quickly as he and Chairman Cross went inside the building. Yuki was left behind to pay the taxi fare and deal with the driver's questioning stare.
The sunlight filtering in from the bedroom window was the first thing that Ayame was aware of the next morning. The annoyingly bright light irritated her eyes as she opened them and glanced about the room she was in. The room was not her own and the only other person she could think of who would give up their room for her would be her uncle.
Her gaze drifted about the room. The queen size bed she currently rested in was in the far corner of the room near an open window. Several other windows dotted the walls of the large room. Bookshelves covered an entire wall on the opposite side of the room and in the opposite corner
of the bed sat an immense desk littered with papers; probably an extension of his office. In another corner of the room sat a large grandfather clock as well as a couch and several comfortable looking chairs which surrounded a circular coffee table. This was where she found her uncle. A slight snoring noise came from Chairman Cross who sat upright, but sleeping in one of the chairs.
Ayame closed her eyes and did a mental check of her body. Her chest ached still, but other than a slight headache the rest of her body seemed in tact. At that moment, the door to the room opened and Yuki entered looking quite tired. She carried a tray with several bowls on it into the room and sat it down on the table in front of Chairman Cross. When her gaze drifted to the bed her chocolate eyes met aqua and instant recognition lighted in her eyes.
"Aya! You're awake." Yuki said delightedly as she shook Chairman Cross' shoulder before running to the bed to peer down at Ayame.
"Wha… huh… I wasn't sleeping!" Chairman Cross muttered as he woke from his slumber. His confused gaze darted around the room before seeing Yuki standing next to Ayame. Joy lit up over his face as he threw himself from the chair he had been residing in and ran to Ayame's bedside. "Ayame-chan!" he said excitedly, "I was so worried about you."
Ayame closed her eyes in an attempt to alleviate the irritation his shrill voice had on her ears. She nodded in acknowledgement before opening her eyes once more. She made to push herself up into a sitting position with the assistance of Yuki and Chairman Cross.
In embarrassment, Ayame realized that she had been undressed and that her upper torso wrapped in a tight bandage. Her gaze lingered there for a moment before Yuki caught her line of thinking.
"We had the school nurse take care of you. She said you have two or three broken ribs." Yuki stated as she recalled what the nurse had told her. "You also have a concussion." Ayame lifted one of her hands to her forehead and gingerly felt the gauze that was taped there. "But other than a few bruises and cuts, that's it." She finished brightly.
"Thank you." Ayame said quietly as she covered herself with the blanket.
"Zero told us what happened." Chairman Cross said seriously as he gazed down at his niece. "Why did you go into town without telling me?"
"I just had to pick up a few things." Ayame said halfheartedly trying to defend herself. She didn't really care if she got a tongue lashing from her uncle or not. She had suffered far worse than a concussion and a few broken ribs before. "I didn't think it was a big deal."
"You could have been killed!" Chairman Cross replied loudly once more.
"Next time I'll know to take a weapon." Ayame responded matter of factly. She watched with slight amusement as an outraged look crossed her uncle's face.
"A… a weapon! That's all you've got to say?!" He sputtered in outrage.
"Yuki, can you thank Zero for me?" Ayame questioned as she began ignoring her fuming uncle.
"Of course." Yuki smiled brightly. The grandfather clock in the corner by the coffee table struck noon. Yuki glanced at it in shock before mumbling, "I got to go or I'll be late for class. Bye Aya, I'll see you later." With that, Yuki ran to the door and was gone.
Ayame's eyes softened as she turned back to her uncle. "I'm sorry," she whispered looking at his distraught face.
"Just don't do that again. I was so worried when Zero pulled you out of the taxi unconscious. I had no idea what had happened to you." Chairman Cross replied as he pulled up a wooden chair and sat down next to the bed.
"I ran into a Level E after chasing a thief." Ayame said as she attempted to recollect her thoughts from the night before. "The damn bastard stole my wallet."
"Just don't do anything so rash again." Chairman Cross said seriously. He got up for a moment and returned carrying a bowl of soup from the table where Yuki had set the tray down. "It'll be uncomfortable, but you have to get something down."
Ayame took the bowl from him and stared at the contents of it before taking the offered spoon. The first sip was good, but hard to get down due to the pain in her ribs.
As Ayame began to eat the soup, Chairman Cross studied his niece. So much had happened to her in her short life and he felt guilty for not being able to stop any of it. His sister, Ayame's mother had died about six years ago. No, died wasn't the right word for it. The correct word for what had happened to Ayame's family was murdered. Chairman Cross sighed as he thought back to the day when his young niece had arrived at Cross Academy for the second time in her life.
The young child standing in front of Chairman Cross looked cold and distant. Aqua eyes stared blankly in front of her as the little girl with waist length black hair and wearing a soft blue dress stood quietly. She had met her uncle before as a younger child, but the now eleven year old child held a blank look without any bit of recognition in it.
"Ayame-chan…" Chairman Cross said as he knelt down to her eye level.
The little girl merely stared straight ahead. Chairman Cross looked at her with sad eyes before saying, "Let's go inside and have some lunch."
The girl did not respond, however she allowed him to usher her into the building.
A little while later, Chairman Cross had set the young girl up in a room across the hall from his. This way, he would be near by if she needed anything. He had tried everything to get the child to laugh or smile. He couldn't even get a word out of her. The child was just too traumatized by what she had witnessed and been through. He was starting to worry about her mentality since she had not yet spoken to him and had already been within his care for two weeks.
"Ayame, sweetheart, why don't you talk to Uncle?" Chairman Cross said one night as the young girl sat in his room. He was seated in a chair by the window where she stood gazing out at the full moon.
Her aqua eyes shifted to him and for the first time she did not hold a blank stare, but a very sad gaze.
"I… I… don't want what happened to Mommy and Daddy to happen to you." She said after a moment. "It's my fault they are dead. All my fault." She whispered quietly as she stared at her uncle, tears brimming in her eyes.
Chairman Cross was surprised by her confession and immediately had enveloped the small child in a hug. She was small for her age and her body was underweight as well. Was her lack of weight because of how traumatized she was or from something else? She had been eating well since coming into his care, yet she had only gained a little weight since being there. His worry made him make a mental reminder to have her see a doctor soon.
"It's alright," Chairman Cross said as he tried to comfort his crying niece. He patted her back gently before continuing on, "Why would you say it's your fault about your parents? It wasn't you who hurt them."
"But it is…" the child hiccupped between her tears as she wiped the droplets of water from her face. "I led the bad man to my parents. It's all my fault."
"You can't control what other people do." Chairman Cross said as he gazed into the sad eyes of his niece.
"The vampire… he told me it was my fault." She said after several minutes of quiet.
"Not all vampires are bad. This one though must have been a very bad vampire. He shouldn't blame innocent children for his own mistakes." He responded, trying to ease the guilt stricken mind of his young charge. "Blaming you just makes him weak. You're a very strong girl, Ayame."
Ayame stood in her uncle's arms for a few moments more in silence before she let out a tired sigh.
"You're tired sweetheart." Chairman Cross said as he picked Ayame up and began walking her to her room. "Why don't we continue talking tomorrow. You'll feel better the more you talk about what happened."
Tucking the child into bed that night had left Chairman Cross with a heavy heart. The details of her parent's deaths were vague, no one truly knew what had happened to her. A group of vampire hunters had found her among the carnage that was her home. The group had entered the house to find the once pristine walls coated with blood and a young child sitting on the floor. Her father's body had been lying nearby, but her mother's was no where to be seen. The child had not spoken, only stared hauntingly in front of her.
"Goodnight, Ayame-chan." Chairman Cross said as he left the room.
"The soup is good." Ayame spoke, effectively breaking her uncle free from the memories that were flashing in front of his mind's eye.
"Hmmm…." He noised in response as he looked at his niece. She had changed since that day six years ago. Of course she had matured into a young lady and changed physically, but there had also been a small change mentally. She was not as quiet or distant as she had been and seemed to be able to talk to people and have fun. Chairman Cross smiled cheerfully as he watched his niece take another sip of the soup.
"That reminds me," He started, "Kaname-kun said he would stop by later to see how you were doing."
Soup went flying from Ayame's mouth as she sputtered in disbelief at her uncle… Kaname…-kun… Her aqua eyes stared at him in shock as he laughed at her disgruntled appearance.
"He seems quite fond of you and was quite worried when I told him what had happened." Chairman Cross said cheerfully, enjoying his niece's perturbed face. It was only once in a rare while when he got to see his niece become upset and disgruntled, and he enjoyed seeing the change in expression on her face.
"What the hell did you tell him?" She glared threateningly at her uncle. That's all I need… a damn vampire checking in on me, Ayame thought to herself as she continued glaring her uncle down.
"Kaname-kun was just worried about you." Was the only response Chairman Cross gave as he stood up. "Seeing as how you look full now, I'll take your dish back to the kitchen." With that, Ayame's uncle fled the room and her seething gaze.
"Meddlesome old coot…" Ayame muttered once she was alone.
Later that night, Ayame had finally convinced her uncle to let her return to her dorm. Yuki and Chairman Cross had helped her back to her room and given her some medicine for her cuts and bruises.
Once everyone had been cleared out, Ayame realized how nice peace and quiet was. As much as she liked Yuki, Ayame had quickly realized that the girl was quite a lot like Chairman Cross, talkative and cheerful.
Sitting down on her bed, Ayame sighed in relief at the quiet of the room. She was now wearing a pair of navy blue pajama bottoms and a white tank top, courtesy of sending Yuki to her room for some clothes.
"You're looking better." Came a masculine voice from the darkened corner of Ayame's room.
Ayame jumped up from her bed and whirled to face the speaker. She had been unprepared for finding someone in her room, least of all Kaname.
Kaname smiled from where he stood, leaning against her wall near the window. His dark gaze travelled down her body in a quick assessment, lingering at her forehead where the gauze was still taped, and on her chest, where the bandages peaked over her tank top.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Ayame demanded irritably as she moved to her desk where a pitcher of water sat next to several cups, her mouth suddenly dry at his appearance. Pouring herself a glass of water, she took a sip and glared over the rim at the unwelcome guest in her room.
"Can't a friend come and check up on you?" He questioned lightly as he pushed away from the wall and approached her. She stayed where she was, glaring at him as he came within several feet of her.
"Whoever said you were a friend." She grumbled putting the now empty glass down on the table. "I don't need your concern either. I can take care of myself." With that, she turned to walk towards her bathroom.
However, Ayame didn't make it but a step before a hand on her elbow and a gentle tug pulled her back towards Kaname who had stepped forward to meet her. He stopped her gently, careful to avoid her ribs as his hands went to hold hers from trying to hit him. His dark gaze frightened her slightly and caught her off guard.
"If you can take care of yourself so well, how come Kiryu had to bring you back unconscious?" Kaname said darkly as he watched her wide, unguarded eyes.
"I… It was an accident. I was foolish. I'm fine now, see?" She said haughtily as she attempted to pull her hands from his grasp.
"Indeed, you are definitely foolish." Kaname said absently as he pushed Ayame gently backwards until she came into contact with the wall of her room.
"Let… me… go…" She ground out behind clenched teethe. She was not happy with the position she was in right now and the glare she was sending in Kaname's direction would have withered anyone other than a vampire.
Kaname watched her vibrant eyes flash in irritation and he couldn't help but grin. Pushing her buttons was highly amusing. Even when Ayame tried not to show emotion, Kaname found it his goal to get her to show something.
Without warning, his head dipped and his lips met Ayame's gently. Aqua eyes widened in complete surprise and she gasped against his mouth. Kaname took this opportunity to deepen the kiss as his tongue swept past her lips and into her mouth. Ayame was shell-shocked for a moment before her eyes closed and she moaned into his mouth. She had never been kissed like this… he was good.
Her tongue lightly caressed his and Kaname could not stop himself from releasing her hands and moving one of his own up to gently cup her face while the other rested on her bare, slim waist where his thumb made a circular motion on the skin between her tank top and pajama bottoms. Upon being free, Ayame's own hands went up around Kaname's neck despite the slight twinge of pain she received from her ribs.
Ayame broke the passionate kiss and took a deep breath of air. Kaname took this time to nibble on her ear which sent shivers throughout her body. Her wide, shocked eyes met Kaname's as he pulled back, a small smirk on his face at her flushed face.
Her blood pounded in her veins as Ayame looked up into Kaname's amused gaze. That amusement broke the spell he had over her. The damned asshole was… laughing at her?!
"Get off of me." Ayame spoke in a level tone as she pushed Kaname away from her and leaned against the wall, trying to get her breath back. Kaname stood quietly where she had pushed him away and continued his devilish smirk.
"What the hell is so funny?" She ground out, glaring at him.
Kaname watched her annoyed expression with humor. His feet moved toward her and once again he had her backed up against the wall, his body effectively blocking her. One of his arms came up and rested against the wall, while the other fell to her hip once more. "Now you can't say you don't want me." He said simply, his eyes dancing with amusement.
"Like hell I want you." She snapped back. She hated being toyed with, and that was exactly what he was doing.
Without warning, his lips descended upon her once more. Ayame couldn't stop herself from moaning into his mouth again as he nibbled her lip. Their tongues met as Kaname deepened the kiss into Ayame's all too willing mouth. Kaname's hand, which had previously been resting on her hip, drifted upwards until it was resting on her breast, separated only by the tank top and bandage around her ribs. This contact broke Ayame out of her haze and she broke the kiss. Her eyes stared bewildered at him.
"That was a convincing attempt at dislike." Kaname said bemusedly as he pushed away from the wall. He gave her one last handsome smirk before tossing something on her bed and walking out the door of her room.
Ayame was too shell-shocked to move and remained where she was, leaning against the wall. She wasn't quite able to comprehend anything at the moment because her mind was still replaying their kiss over and over in her head. The fingers of her right hand went up and touched her lips, as if disbelieving that they were her own. Had she really just kissed Kuran Kaname?
Her heart beat wildly within her chest as her bewildered gaze flickered around the room before landing on the object Kaname had thrown onto her bed. She staggered over to her bed and sat down, picking up the object. Surprise worked its way into her expression as she stared at the form of her wallet.
"How did he…" Her voice trailed off as her gaze flickered to the door Kaname had just exited out of and then back to the object in her hand.
That night Ayame found it hard to sleep, her mind constantly wandered back to her encounter with Kaname. He provoked feelings within her she did not know that she possessed. These feelings scared her. She did not know what they were and was unsure of what to do about them. Her mind finally gave way to sleep, leaving her with dreams of passionate kisses and a smirking Kaname which she would be irritable about in the morning.
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