I don't own Vampire Knight! IDK if I mentioned that before, but I think you guys figured it out...


CHAPTER 3 – THE SUMMONS


I love the night. So peaceful, so quiet.

Perhaps I should qualify that statement: I love the night after the fangirls in the Day Class have finished fawning over the Night Class like they're famous celebrities. Once they're back in their dorms, I'm happy.

Another thing, it's not necessarily the night that I love—it's the serenity of solitude. The world and all its troubles just melt away when I can just sit beneath a tree and read. I suppose I prefer just reading to thinking. Thinking means facing life's problems when you would rather just relax.

And God knows, I've got problems.

Well, not me, exactly… it's my family. While we're not poor, my family is considered to be middle class. In an academy full of high class kids from truly wealthy families, I'm the "poor kid." I only made it to Cross Academy through scholarships. My older brother, did, too, but he flunked out because he couldn't concentrate. My mom's suicidal, and when she returned to the asylum, my brother took it harder than any of us, except Dad. So now, I'm the only one at Cross, until my younger sister turns fourteen.

Mom's getting worse, too. It's difficult to deal with, sometimes—Mom's state of mind, I mean. She's chronically depressed, and that makes the rest of us depressed, too, but we all have to hide our feelings for Mom's sake. Dad lost his job last week, too, and I really wonder how much longer I'll be at Cross—what little we have to pay to keep me here might need to be used to keep Mom in counseling and to put bread on the table.

Okay, enough of that.

Like I said, I've got problems.

The cold, wet grass soothes my feet as I walk toward my tree. Yes, I call it my tree, because I'm the only one who ever bothers to climb trees (only one from this academy who ran around like a hooligan as a child, I'll wager), and it fits me so well… When I climb up to the third branch on the right, I can sit between two higher branches which serve as armrests. It's nature's perfect La-Z-Boy.

Another reason to climb trees at night: if you don't want to get caught by the disciplinary committee, being hidden by a bunch of leaves certainly helps. They're less likely to catch you when you're not on the ground in plain sight.

It's only been two nights since the ball, and it already feels like something out of a dream. I mean, would you believe it if you danced with your crush, and he seemed to enjoy it? I think I'm so used to the dull, mediocre, or sometimes tragic, so something that amazing… well, my mind wants to reject it as an illusion. The only things that make me rationally respond otherwise are the facts that Etsuko, too, remembers that I danced with Ichijo, that my right shoe is broken in two, and that I recall Ichijo having implied that he's got a crush on someone other than me. Why would I want to have dreamt something like that? Daydreams are supposed to be happy, aren't they?

Once I think about it, it makes sense. Ichijo wouldn't fall for someone like me. I'm nobody; I'm not anything particularly special. As far as I know, no one's ever had a crush on me. I'm plain, boring, but dependable and reliable, Hikari Yagari. Even my name sounds dull.

Don't think I'm depressed or suicidal—it's not that! I just like to be realistic about my life, my dreams, and my expectations: it leaves less room for disappointment, that way. I suppose I just don't want to get my hopes up, as it were. And because I'm trying to be sensible about myself, I realize that I am not really much of a prize. I'm just… normal. With a slightly dysfunctional family.

I really couldn't say how long I've been in my tree by this point, but I'm getting tired and I probably should get some sleep before class tomorrow. I've got a test in Human Psychology tomorrow and I need to keep my grades up, or I'll lose my scholarships.

The rough calluses of my feet don't let me feel much of the rough bark as I climb down. I suppose that's another mark against me: I'm a bit of a tomboy in the sense that I like to be outside a lot and have thus developed the marks of someone who has done so. I have a farmer's tan, calluses on my hands and feet, too many freckles, and a less-than-delicate structure. I should care about that more than I do, but being outside makes me happy. I almost want to doubt that any boyfriend who would somehow deign to like someone like me wouldn't be half as much fun as just being outdoors, free and wild.

I really am a freak, aren't I?

I drop from the last branch and land on the ground with a soft thump! But then, I hear the sound of running footsteps on the sidewalk, and from the sound of it, they're headed in my direction. Unfortunately (at the moment, that is), the number of trees around campus can shield someone's position from view.

Soon enough, I see Yuki Cross running toward me, and I freeze. Her eyes catch mine, and she stops to stare at me with mixed fear, anger, and surprise. "Hikari-san! You aren't allowed out here at this hour…"

Well, what do I say to that? "I know, but I like defying the rules." I don't exactly like defiance—just, I like defying this particular rule, since I can see no feasible reason why we shouldn't be allowed outside at night. "Oh, really? I wasn't aware." Well, that would be a ludicrous answer. Headmaster Cross kind of drilled it into our skulls, and the disciplinary committee only enforces it. "Sorry, I'll go back, now." If I was truly repentant, I wouldn't have come outside to begin with, because I know what will and won't make me feel guilty later on.

Yuki's head turns, and her short brown hair whips into her face. It's as if she's looking for something, and is distracted. I guess I didn't notice it earlier—her distraction, I mean.

"Good evening, miss." A calm, light, and vaguely amused voice sounds behind us, and we both turn. "Is this Cross Academy?"

Yuki says nothing, and I follow her lead. I look at the man who spoke. He's a little tall, perhaps, with dark blond hair and oval-shaped eyeglasses. He seems friendly enough, but there's something subtly forceful about him, something that just unnerves me…

"I apologize for visiting at such a late hour," he says with a smile. "I lost track of time at the office…"

I hear a shift in the leaves behind me and turn to look around. Is there someone else here, or is it an animal? Yuki's voice is so soft that as I turn in the grass, I don't even catch what she's saying. I turn back. I'm getting goosebumps, now… I don't like this situation one bit.

But when I look again, Yuki's got her Artemis rod out, stretched out and ready to attack (though she probably can't do much more than whomp him with one end of it, I'll wager). "…and the young lady is a guardian," says the man genially. "Then please, tell me—"

"What do you want?" she asks, but Yuki's voice is hard, like she's somehow threatened, and for the life of me, I can't imagine why! Who is this man? Why is he at Cross Academy, on the far end of campus? Why am I, too, getting the feeling that I should be away from here?

My heart rate speeds up, and I gulp. Stupid adrenaline kicking in…

"—where the other guardian is," hisses the man, and he leaps for Yuki.

I am way too scared to scream, but before I could've even opened my mouth, Zero is suddenly there, between the man and Yuki—more accurately, Zero is holding Yuki with one arm, and blocking the man's hand with his other, their fingers interlocked.

But that's not why I'm even more frightened…

The man's hand was normal when I first saw him. Now, his nails are elongated, talon-like… only they're close to a foot long! Sharp, menacing, and completely… unreal.

I almost don't want to believe my eyes. I mean, this can't be happening—just, can't be! What is this? How am I now involved?

Technically, I'm not involved, but I'm too scared to move. I can't help but realize that this man means business, and if he actually is going to attack Yuki and Zero, then one, my chances are higher with them nearby; two, I'm afraid that he won't want any observers escaping to leak information of his attack and he could outrun me any day.

"What do you want with me?" Zero practically snarls at the man, who smirks at him in return.

"Zero Kiryu," he muses as he pushes his glasses up his nose. "Under order of the Senate, the highest governing body of vampires, I have come here to execute you for the murder of the pureblood vampire, Shizuka Hio."

Zero's eyes widen, but it seems like he's more shocked than scared at the verdict.

But, wait—Zero's murdered someone?!

Vampires!?

What is all this…?!

And that's when it hits me…

…Ichijo smiles at me. "I guess I'm just not used to being around pretty girls…"

…Ichijo holds a Bleach book out towards me. "Wanna borrow it…?"

…Ichijo's white teeth gleam as he smiles. "You look so pretty in the moonlight…" but I'm distracted by his pointed teeth…

…"Are you afraid of me…?"

the kiss…

…"I'm sorry, Hikari-chan… When you awaken, you will have no memory of tonight…"

It all happened.

Everything…

Even the part about Ichijo and the Night Class being vampires…

A sharp crack jerks me out of my sudden revelation, and I watch in horror as Zero bends the man's hand backwards—he's breaking the man's wrist with sheer force!

The man's reddened face darkens into a nasty frown, and he snarls at Zero—snarls, like a feral animal! "How dare you break my hand!" He swats at Zero, who somehow manages to flip the vampire onto his front, where he lies there, unmoving. "Sorry," Zero mutters in a quiet voice. "I'm not willing to pay that price."

As much as I hate Zero, I find myself on his side. I don't like this strange man—or vampire, whatever he is—and I'd rather have Zero win against him. At least I know he's reasonably safe, when not crossed.

A strangled chuckle comes from the fallen vampire, which makes me wonder if Zero just knocked the wind from him. "Even if you kill me," he says weakly, "you can't escape your fate. You will be executed."

"This has nothing to do with you, Yuki, so get out of here," Zero says to Yuki, who's at his back, rod out and ready to fight. She responds in the negative. I suppose that means I could potentially leave, too, but I don't think that's a good idea…

I look around, and five strange men, all wearing suits and glasses, surround us. The odds are not in our favor, especially since I'll probably be no help at all in a fight.

Did I say I'm a tomboy? That's only because I spend a lot of time outside. I'm not especially tough, nor can I fight. It's not looking good.

Suddenly, there's a rushing wind that fills the area, and a bright flash follows…

And there are suddenly seven Night Class students there, materialized from nowhere, surrounding the bespectacled men. Kaname and Ichijo are among them, and I also recognize Shiki, Toya, and Seiren.

Ichijo's green-gray eyes meet mine, and he looks startled. Kaname glances at him briefly and with disdain. I'd guess it's because Kaname said that we can't be together… and they've probably figured out that I remember everything now. It's conceivable—unless I really try to put on a mask, my face can be read like an open book.

"As the Senate is well aware," Kaname says in his deep, smooth voice, "that woman did something so heinous that we cannot blame Kiryu if he did hunt her."

Exclamations were murmured throughout the circle of vampires, and they all knelt before him. "Kaname-sama!" "Kaname Kuran-sama!"

Okay, now I'm even more confused. One, why are they bowing to Kaname? Is he some kind of noble? That… doesn't make sense…

Then again, it would explain Kaname's ever-pompous and regal manner. He seems to have been bred for royalty, manners and all.

I suppose I'll just have to find out…

"Tell me," he says quietly. "Why should Kiryu be executed? To protect the so-called sanctity of purebloods?"

"Kaname-sama," says a blond vampire with a ponytail, keeping his eyes to the ground. "We cannot accomplish our mission if you, a pureblood, stand in our way. Please stay back, your comrades, too."

"This academy is dear to me," Kaname says in a slightly more forceful tone. "I do not want this place spoiled by foolish acts of vengeance by the Senate's henchmen."

"But—"

The ponytailed man is interrupted by a soft, dull booming sound, and when I look, his arm is lying a few feet away on the ground. Blood pools around it creepily.

I've mentioned before that I like to read, and I often read novels as well as manga. However, there's something oddly real and nauseating about seeing that much actual blood… I don't know how to put it… Suffice it to say that I am incredibly stunned by this move, and I can only try to stifle my horror by closing my eyes and holding my hands into fists. I keep telling myself to think happy thoughts, happy thoughts…

"Leave now," I hear Kaname Kuran say in the most chilling voice I'd ever heard.

Again, a rough wind blows through the clearing, and the Senate's vampires are gone, as if turned to dust and blown away.

I let go a shuddering breath and look around. Kaname turns to Yuki and Zero, saying softly, "Are you all right?"

I decide that I can leave, now, but… I really want some answers. I turn to see Ichijo staring a little helplessly at me, as though trying to say silently that he wants to talk, but can't. I bite my lip and sullenly walk back toward my dormitory, but I turn just before rounding the corner behind the stone wall that encloses the Sun Dorm, and point to it quickly—Ichijo's still watching, and he watches me.

"Ichijo." Kaname's voice is louder than I expected.

"Yes, Kaname-sama."

"Find the girl and remove her memories of everything."

There is a pause. "Yes, Kaname-sama," he answers in a soft, dull voice, and I hear footsteps approaching me. Part of me says that if I run and hide, or if I manage to make it to the Sun Dorm in time, that Ichijo can't take my memories, but I probably wouldn't be able to run quickly enough. And besides, I need to talk to Ichijo, despite the fact that I won't even remember it tomorrow…

"Hikari!?"

"AHH!" I stumble backwards and fall on my rump in the wet grass, which just aggravates me. Ichijo stands there, but quickly kneels down to help me up.

"I'm sorry…"

I shake my head. "You just startled me…" I pause. "I think I've had enough startling experiences for one night, too."

That makes him chuckle. "I don't think that startling really covers it…"

"Well, I can try and save face, can't I?" I mumbled with a smirk. Ichijo smiles and reaches forward to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Can I ask you a few things?"

This seems to surprise him, and he tilts his head with a confused look, but his long bangs fall into his eyes; he glares at them half-heartedly before tossing his head to remove his hair from his vision. "I suppose so, but I…" He sighs. "I'm going to have to wipe your memory again, so it might not make that much of a difference." He looks to the side for a moment, then meets my gaze again. "Then again, I have a few things to tell you, too, so…" He smiles crookedly and gestures to the grass, where we both sit, our backs against the stone wall.

"What the heck is going on!?" I ask quickly, eyes wide and probably scared-looking. "Who is Shizu-o-whatsherface, why did Zero murder her, what's a pureblood, and why were those creepy meganes here?" (1)

Ichijo chuckles again. " 'A few things,' huh?" He smiles at me, and I manage to look mildly sheepish. "In order… well, it'll probably be easier to answer with the pureblood question, first." He takes a deep breath and sighs. "We vampires have a kind of hierarchy. For those of us who are vampire-born—that is, we were never human—there are three kinds: commoners, aristocrats, and purebloods. The common vampires, well, they have a bit more human blood in them, and they're at the bottom of the caste pyramid. The aristocrats have purer blood, that is, mostly vampire blood, and a lot of us have special powers."

"So you're an aristocrat?" I ask then, a little disappointed. Why does everyone here have to be so freaking rich?! Even Ichijo's an aristocrat? Who uses that term anymore? It's so… archaic…

He nods, but his expression is a little bored. "Yeah. Everyone in the Night Class is an aristocrat, except Kaname, who is a pureblood. There are only a handful in this world anymore, and they're like vampire royalty. Kaname is rather like a prince, by human standards, and has the power and right to command any other vampire to do his will."

"Figures," I mutter, and turn away.

Ichijo laughs lightly. "Do you dislike Kaname?"

I roll my eyes and look back at him. "He's trying to keep me from ever seeing you! Plus he's kind of a jerk, from what I can tell," I add thoughtfully. "No, I don't like him."

He shrugs. "Well, he's not all bad, I suppose, but I can see why you don't like him, anyway."

"So… what about Zero murdering some chick?" My eyes snap open as I realize something. "Zero killed a pureblood, didn't he?"

Ichijo nods silently. "Yes, he did. She was insane, and she'd slaughtered his family in front of him, then allowed him to live. She's the one who turned him into a vampire in the first place."

WHAT?! "Zero's a vampire…?!"

"Yes. He hates it—his family was one of the most respected vampire hunter families in existence, but Shizuka Hio killed them and turned Zero."

"So that's why he's always so moody…"

"Probably, yeah."

A comfortable silence falls between us as I contemplate what I've just been told. I smell the faint scent of Ichijo—it's rather like a cologne, only much more subtle and soft… I can't even describe it, really…

Warm…

He smells warm. I can't tell how or why, but he just does.

"I still have your manga."

"Didn't I tell you to keep it?" he asks, amused.

"I thought you meant for the duration of the ball."

"Well, it's a good thing you still have it, because now, after I wipe your memory, I won't have a reason to see you, since I could just as easily buy a new book, but you will want to return it, so you'll have to seek me out," he concludes cheerfully. I feel a slight, cool weight on my hand, and see that Ichijo's own hand lies partially atop mine. I smile, and his fingers curl around mine gently.

"Good point." I stop, recalling that Ichijo had something he'd wanted to say to me, and now, I might be able to imagine what it is… "Didn't you want to tell me something?"

He instantly stiffens a little, becoming a bit nervous and scattered, which makes me smile. Ichijo really is cute. "Oh! I, er… well… at the ball, I was going to talk to you…" Ichijo stops and exhales slowly, like he's stalling. He turns his head toward me and looks me in the eye. "First… why did you leave the ball early?"

I frowned at that. "How did you know?"

"I went looking for you, but I couldn't find you. Akiyama-san said you'd gone looking for Akatsuki."

"Yeah, she'd wanted to dance with Kain-sempai, so I tried to find him, but—" I stopped. "I couldn't find him and got bored," I finished lamely. I'm not going to tell him that I eavesdropped on Ichijo and Kaname!

Ichijo raises a calm eyebrow.

Did I mention that I'm not a good liar, either?

"Why did you leave?"

"No!" I protest with a slightly guilty look, and Ichijo smiles knowingly. He stares at me, smilingly, and I stare right back… I won't smile. I will not smile. I will… not… smile… no, don't, don't—! Okay, so his smile is very infectious, and I can't help it, but I look away quickly.

"Come on," he says, laughing softly.

"I… might've heard you talking to Kaname… about having a crush on someone… and guessed it was someone else…"

His eyebrows go up, and his lips form a distinct "o." "I see…" he says, and I watch as his cheeks turn a little pink.

He's blushing!! That makes me grin despite myself, and I giggle at him. "You're blushing, Ichijo-san!"

He smiles right back. "I… was trying to convince Kaname-sama that I'm going to forget about you, which is a lie, because I'm not going to try at all. I'd rather not."

So he was talking about me…! (In retrospect, it makes sense—I mean, in Japan, you don't kiss someone for nothing, not like in America or Europe. So he's got a crush on me… doesn't care about my "family status," and he isn't going to "forget about me!")

He chuckles, then. "Well, I guess we're even, because I thought you had a crush on Akatsuki."

I grin. "Nope. That's Etsuko."

"So… I hope you'll forgive my forwardness, but… does that mean that… you like me?"

I feel like I'm back in junior high, adolescent awkwardness and all. But at the same time, those butterflies in my stomach are what convince me that this is real, that I'm actually going to get to tell him this… I haven't had this feeling for a very long time (except when we were beneath the tree earlier, and when I was getting ready for the ball… but those don't count). I have to look away at the ground, because I feel so self-conscious. My face gets warm, and I nod as I bite my lip.

I can't resist looking back, and Ichijo smiles, his face practically lit up. He leans in and kisses my cheek quickly, and my attempts to not smile fail even more miserably than before. Which is saying something. "I should be asking you that," I mumble, but I'm pretty sure that the kiss, hand-holding, and nervous attitude are all adding up to a resounding "yes."

"Hey, Ichijo-san—"

"You can call me Takuma," he offers.

I swallow and backtrack. "Takuma-san, then. Um, why are you bothering to tell me all this if you're going to wipe my memory anyway?"

"Well, I figure you'll probably find out again, soon enough." He smiles. "I have some plans to get around Kaname's restrictions, but I won't tell you, because I want to surprise you." He's grinning now, like he's extremely excited and pleased with himself, and I have to chuckle at him.

"Okay…"

The clock tower on campus tolls out the midnight hour, which makes me jump. "Oh, shoot, I've got to go to bed!" I say quickly. "I've got a test tomorrow…"

"Oh, we'd better not waste time, then," he agrees. "You should've told me earlier; I'd have been briefer."

I shake my head. "I like spending time with you, Takuma-san."

He smiles softly, but is soon replaced by a look of resignation. "Sorry, Hikari-chan…"

"It's okay," I reply as he places his hand on my forehead. "I know you'd rather not…"

He nods, and his face is the last thing I see…


ICHIJO'S POV

I stretch out my arms to catch Hikari as she falls limp, unconscious from her memory wipe. I'm strangely cheerful, considering I just wiped my crush's memory of my identity and half of our experiences together…

I know, it's diabolical.

Well, can you blame me if I just… tweaked her mind a bit? She'll only remember that we rescued her, Zero, and Yuki from a group of thugs, and that we confessed our feelings after a short conversation. To her, we won't be vampires. To her, I'm just a guy who likes her, and who knows what she really DID know, and with the proper catalyst, will know once more. I'm not even stepping outside the boundaries Kaname set for me, because he said to erase her memory, and I did, of all the things he would've wanted me to erase. I just… didn't erase every memory of me.

I told you it was diabolical.


HIKARI'S POV

I wake up the next morning, and it's a normal day…

Oh, crap, no it's not. I have a test in Human Psychology this morning.

Hm. Well, lying here in bed won't do anything for that, so I get up and get ready for classes. I see the manga Takuma lent me on the night stand, and I tuck it into my backpack on a whim. I'm really not sure why, as I probably won't see him unless I attend the Night Class Parade tonight (which I won't, but it's a little tempting… I mean, I'd really like to see him again, despite the prospect of squealing girls around me).

I go to class, I complete my test with a degree of satisfaction, and at noon, it's time for lunch. I want to go outside, since it's actually warming up, and as I walk across the grounds to take my lunch beneath my tree, I stop…

Takuma is sitting beneath my tree, clad in a grey hooded sweatshirt under a black blazer and a pair of designer jeans, smiling like a Cheshire Cat.

I've frozen in place, and after a few seconds of dumb silence, finally bow to him. "Hello, Takuma-san! I… didn't expect to see you here!"

"I thought I'd come and eat lunch with you," he says warmly, and pats a spot on the grass next to him. "How was the test?"

"It… was okay, I guess," I say, shrugging and slinging my backpack onto the grass before I sit down.

"Good, good…" He nods and pauses. "Hey… what are you doing tomorrow night?"

Tomorrow is Friday. I'd planned to stay in my dorm and read a good book, but…

"What did you have in mind?" I hedge.

"Going to town for dinner."

I am so glad that I didn't take that first sip of juice, because I would've spit it out in my surprise. My eyes go wide and I inhale. Is… is Takuma seriously asking me this…? I mean, really…?

"That sounds great!" I say with a grin.


ICHIJO'S POV

I smile at her acceptance. "Great. I'll pick you up in front of your dorm at seven."

Die… ah… bolical. This is the second time in less than twenty-four hours I've gone behind Kaname-sama's back, and I hardly feel bad about it. He may be my "best friend," but I know he's hiding something from me, now. He's seemed so detached lately, and I think it's got something to do with Shizuka Hio's murder. In fact, I'm sure of it.

I recall when my grandfather told me to "watch" Kaname's moves. I am beginning… to suspect that he was onto something…

And now…

I really shouldn't think about it. I mean, why should I bother depressing myself with my friend's secrets concerning the death of one of our kind, especially if my friend happens to be behind it somehow, when there's a beautiful girl sitting right beside me. A beautiful girl who thinks that we vampires don't exist…

That… I don't exist… in a sense.


(1—A "megane" is a Japanese term for a person who wears glasses.)


I'se proud of my update speed. Review? :3