AN: Sorry for the few days delay! I've been busy moving back home from my dorm and unpacking/cleaning/reorganizing my entire room. Also my best friend of ten years is getting married Friday (yeah!) and I'm the maid of honor so this week has been a little hectic. Anyway I know the narration of this story is kind of slow and pedantic, so please bear with me! Next chapter our favorite surly vampire hunter will make his first appearance!
Reviews or any comments would be much appreciated! I'd love to know what you all are thinking, especially since there aren't many stories centering on side characters. I just can't bring myself yet to write about Zero or Kaname since as a college graduate I feel slightly dirty when doing so.
Anywho there are annotations in this chapter marked with an '*' with explanations at the bottom. This chapter finally also brings us to the canon beginning of the manga and anime. It takes place volume 1 and 2 of the manga where Aido drinks a little of Yuki's blood up to the episode where Yagari appears by the pool.
Enjoy!
You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.
Ayn Rand
It was Elaine Hex's personal belief that Murphy's Law was one of God's default settings for dealing with the universe. More times than not she found herself slowly breathing through her nose and counting to ten, hoping the Almighty could hear her prayers for patience. Cross Academy had an abundance of possible mishaps just waiting to occur.
"God sensei I said I was sorry!"
"Mr. Kain, please inform your cousin that for the foreseeable future I will not be speaking to him."
Akatsuki turned to Aido. "Sensei says-"
"I can hear her!" Aido snapped. "Isn't this a little petty for a professor?"
The Druid merely stared at him, and the blond had to repress a shudder. The cold look in those heterochromic eyes seemed to pierce right through his clothes and his skin and plunge darkness into his veins. Fidgeting, the vampire looked to his cousin for support, but Akatsuki merely shrugged. Traitor… Aido thought bitterly.
Ruka sniggered to herself as the two cousins joined her. "Serves you right."
"Shut it." He grumbled, miserable. It was difficult enough to know he'd disappointed Kaname without his teacher giving her opinion on his actions.
Akatsuki shook his head and sighed. "I don't get you Hanabusa, this is what you wanted. President Kuran heard you and Dr. Hex was going to find out sooner or later."
Ignoring his cousin's comment, Aido propped his chin on his folded arms as Elaine began her lecture. It was as if the blond vampire was a child again, caught red handed telling a small lie or perhaps breaking his mother's prized Grecian vase because he had been playing roughly with his friends inside the house. For a childless woman Elaine had one of the best disappointed mother expressions Aido had ever encountered.
Elaine could tell that Hanabusa was sulking. Cartoon black squiggly lines of negativity were practically oozing off of him from where he slouched morosely. A small, nagging voice in the back of her skull whispered that perhaps she was being too vindictive to the young vampire. She considered herself an excellent judge of character, and Hanabusa was as loyal and softhearted as vampires were capable of being, if a little childish.
No, Banishing that voice Elaine forced the doubt away. That behavior is intolerable. As long as I am at this academy, I will also not allow it.
Apparently neither would Kaname, judging by the begging, puppy eyes Hanabusa was boring into the Kuran's back. Elaine had not been present for whatever punishment had been dealt, but she imagined it was not a mere slap on the wrists. Whatever she was to the Pureblood, Yuki Cross was a person no vampire was allowed to touch. Even if it was a lick of blood already spilt, Hanabusa's fangs hadn't even broken the girl's skin; Kaname Kuran had shown that she was special by his punishment to Hanabusa. Elaine was glad the airheaded girl had that type of protection, she was a little too sweet and naïve for the responsibility of a Guardian. Not that Elaine would ever mention this aloud, especially to Kaien Cross, but Yuki's strengths were not suited for the vicious tug and pull of reigning in vampires.
The darkness that it required, Zero had it.
And so did she.
Elaine realized the full burden of the Merlinus existence at the tender age of thirteen as her Uncle Emrys died in her arms.
The Merlinus line was not the most powerful Druid heritage in the world by being flippant or lenient when it came to the preparation of their heirs. Once a child of the newest generation exhibited the strongest affinity for magic they were instantly resigned to the strict regiment of the Vates apprenticeship. Typically Druid and Vate would retire to the Merlinus' family manor in Carmarthen, the birthplace of their ancestor, in order to continue the responsibility left to them.
The night her uncle was murdered Elaine Ambrosia Merlinus Hex not only received her name and power, but heard Merlin's words for the first time.
"... The gods only go with you if you put yourself in their path. And that takes courage."*
Despite her innocence and age, Elaine was well aware that she was different from other children. She could do and see things her peers could not. Running through the twilight countryside in her youth chasing fireflies and glimpsing the frolicking fay folk, she knew that she was merely an interloper in their plane, a privileged guest.
In wisdom is much grief*, for the Sight is not a kind nor gentle gift.
Her Uncle Emrys taught her that their birthright was something to be nurtured and protected, the world outside their family unable to comprehend it.
"You will be hated, dear one. The mortal world will cower from you and the mythical will shun you. Ours is truly a lonely existence."
She could feel it, the emptiness in her heart that even at such a young age grief was as silent and dark as a grave. It was an unexplainable sensation; such a void could not be described. When she was eleven Emrys found his niece hidden away in a forest grove, sobbing.
Older and remembering her uncle and first teacher, Elaine felt that the only physical resemblance between the two was their ash blond hair. Unlike her Emrys had been tall, lithe and pale with deep, soulful brown eyes. She could clearly remember this day, the forest was quiet and subdued, even the birdsongs were silent. Her sorrow, incomprehensible for a child, had been so deep she had not even heard nor sensed his approach.
"Cariad*, what troubles you?"
"Why does it hurt so much?" This immense sorrow was alien to her; it felt as if a part of her was missing or someone dear to her had died.
Brushing some snow white hair away from her face Emrys sighed. "Such is our fate. We must wait for him to return, for everything we are is for Artorius*."
But until then, what is my purpose? Am I merely to wait and waste away until he returns? Is that the fate of the Merlinus family?
She questioned the validity of her existence.
When she was twelve she moved onto the second caste, Bard. Elaine learned to read music, to play the violin and studied all of the texts gathered by their ancestors. Her thirst for knowledge and purpose consumed her younger self, and she devoted hours of her free time to reading the books written by mortal men. In her young mind she truly believed that somewhere in some book was the answer to her question.
Why am I here?
"You shouldn't be wandering around."
Elaine didn't even try to inhibit the long suffering sigh that escaped between her lips as she turned to balefully stare at the more dour of the two school Guardians. Zero's once crisp button down shirt was wrinkled, as if he'd been clutching at the fabric harshly. His tie hung loose around his neck and the first two buttons were undone like he had been struggling for air. Making a mental note of these details, Elaine swiftly regained eye contact with the silver haired boy.
"How many times are we going to go through this, Kiriyu? I am perfectly capable of handling myself."
Zero snorted and muttered something like "Doubtful…"
Irritated, still put out by Hanabusa's behavior and a powerful headache blooming behind her temples, Elaine felt her usual placid composure snap. "If you're so concerned then stop wasting your time with me and patrol the actual possible threats."
Ice crystallized in his amethyst eyes. A look of coldness so frigid that even hate didn't have enough warmth to survive looked out of place on a teenager's face. With a jolt, Elaine realized that without her heels Zero was a good three or four inches taller than her, and his figure cast a looming shadow over her. Something inside her prickled at the sensation of feeling a hunter's presence so near her. It was a mixture of the warmth of a human's cut with the chilling, dangerous one of a vampire…
"Vampires aren't the only threat at this Academy." He hissed between clenched teeth, hands balled to fists at his sides.
Elaine stared, unwillingly the temperature around them dropped, something Zero noticed. "Are-" She paused to strengthen her voice. "Are you implying that I am?" Her tone matched the iciness of his.
"You're not exactly human are you, Druid?"
Elaine cursed the complacency that had fallen over her within the last year of teaching at this Academy. While only Kaname and Cross were aware of her position as heir to the Merlinus line, her affinity for magic was not something she kept as closely guarded. The Night Class had seen frequent uses, albeit they were mostly parlor tricks. When she had a cold weeks ago every time she sneezed the lights would flicker. Yuki and Zero had both seen small displays of such magic but nothing to imply she was anything but a novice.
Anger surged through her veins, Elaine's hand holding her tote purse shook as the sleek leather of the handle bit into the skin of her fingers. "I am in the ways that matter, Kiriyu. And you are also not 'exactly' mortal are you?"
Zero recoiled as if he'd been slapped. The chilled gaze melted away for a split second, revealing a confused and terrified expression. Elaine was not about to confess outright that she'd guessed what had happened on the wintery night when a Pureblood Princess butchered his family, but neither was she willing to stand there and let him sling unfounded prejudices at her.
The silver haired boy stared at her for a moment, intensely searching her face for any hint of knowledge. Keeping her face carefully blank of anything but outraged pride, Zero satisfied himself that she was not talking about his secret, but rather how vampire hunters had devoured one of the first vampires to gain their strength and therefore possessed fragments of vampire DNA.
"I…" He struggled for a moment before finding his resolve and glaring at her. "am a Vampire Hunter."
"And I am not a vampire." She responded coldly. "I have never struck a person down in anger or maliciousness, if I have had to kill it was against those who would harm me. I have been scorned and despised and threatened since I was a child from the mortal and vampire world alike. I have learned how to deal with enemies, Kiriyu. And trust me you do not want to become one for I am probably the only person here who understands your plight."
Elaine jolted awake, still able to taste a scream on her lips.
Spittle had dried at the corners of her mouth and she wiped it away with the back of her hand, disoriented. The overhead lights in her office were still on and burning brightly, causing her to blink a few times to rid her vision of black spots. Pulling herself up from where she had been lounging on her couch, Elaine cradled her face in her hands and attempted to calm the rapid beating of her heart.
Something had startled her, magic strong enough to wake her from a deep slumber. The sensation had been short and abrupt, powerful but condensed into a single burst. She couldn't sense any magic users on the grounds, at least no one capable or aware enough to produce energy physically powerful enough to wake her.
What the hell…?
The answer struck through her like an arrow to the heart.
Hunters!
Scrambling to her feet, head still pounding and stomach roiling, Elaine rushed out of her office without closing the door and practically took the steps two at a time. Wretched mistake! The Druid should have known trouble was bound to occur tonight of all nights! Classes had been cancelled for Takuma's birthday, something not normally done for every student but as heir to the Ichijo family the celebration served as a time for the vampires to network as representatives of their families rather than as peers.
Kaname had also personally put the request through to Cross and the Night Class faculty. As if they could refuse him.
Only a hunter weapon could dispel that amount of magic in such a short burst without the handler being magic adaptable.
A hunter roaming Cross Academy while the vampires were free for an evening.
Skidding to a halt, her knee high brown boots crunching against gravel, Elaine closed her eyes as she searched for nearby auras.
Zero!
Once again cursing her thoughtlessness, Elaine sprinted toward the pool area. Her conversation with Cross surged through her mind as she pushed aside branches and felt her heart pumping hot, adrenaline soaked blood through her veins.
"The Hunters Association is sending someone to conduct a lethality assessment on Zero."
"I learned a long time ago to trust my instincts. And it feels like I've got a stone in my gut."
"… you must know what your children are doing."
"They're playing a dangerous game, Kaien."
"If the hunter finds out, there will be trouble."
Elaine was able to barely stop herself from barreling into Yuki. The brunette screeched at the sight of another person running in her direction at full speed, Artemis unsheathed and singing in her shaking hands. Breathing heavily, Elaine gripped Yuki by her shoulders, looking for any signs of fang marks on her neck.
"Where's the hunter?" She demanded in an uneven voice, still struggling to catch her breath.
Brown eyes wide, Yuki attempted to regain her bearings. The girl's mind was jumbled from the night's events. First there was Kaname's cryptic behavior at Takuma's party and then the whole business with Zero and the hunter. For a naïve and, frankly, simple girl as Yuki the amount of stress shoved into one evening was too much for her frayed nerves.
"U-Um w-with the Headmaster and Z-Zero," She managed to say.
Elaine focused on individually uncurling each finger from the girl's shaking shoulders and appraised her appearance other than her neck. Her skin was pale with strands of dark hair clinging wetly to her face. Her clothes were also sopping wet and her knuckles were turning white from where they gripped Artemis at her side.
She wouldn't get much out of the girl whose composure would probably barely last to her dorm. However Elaine was confident that the girl's fellow Guardian was at least alive, if he was not Yuki would be much worse. The Druid could attain the details from Kaien later in the evening.
"Is he falling to Level E?" Elaine asked somberly.
Yuki stared at her, pink lips forming an 'o,' caught off guard by the Druid's knowledge of Zero's secret. Did the silver haired boy confide in the teacher? Yuki did not think so. From the comments and looks she'd seen between her friend and the teacher, there was tension and dislike between Miss Elaine and Zero. The girl had heard little snippets from Zero and the Headmaster about a druid's power, and to see it before her cowed her slightly.
"No!" She vehemently denied, but Elaine's unwavering and piercing gaze stuttered her resolve. "I mean, I don't think-… I hope not."
Nodding to herself, Elaine gave the poor teen a light pat on the shoulder and continued less hurriedly down the path. However the pool was no longer her destination, but Kaien's personal quarters… "Go back to your dorm, Yuki. And don't leave the building for the rest of the night unless you absolutely have to."
Annotations
"... the gods only go with you if you put yourself in their path. And that takes courage.": Quote, Mary Stewart's "The Crystal Cave"
"In wisdom is much grief…": Ecclesiastes 1:18
"Cariad…": Welsh. "Love." (I used Google Translator so if this is incorrect please inform me and I will edit it!)
"… Artorius." Possible Latinized form of "Arthur"