Vampire Knight

Guilty Temptations

Chapter Three: The New Student

I looked at Yuki and Zero, waiting for the truth to come out of their mouths. Yuki grimaced. "It's true, Shiori-chan."

My throat suddenly went dry, and I cried, "B-But Kaname-senpai's so nice!"

"I know," Yuki smiled. "He's wonderful."

I frowned, and sighed. "And I let Aidou-senpai get so close to me."

Yuki looked up then, and asked, "How'd you find out?"

"It… all makes sense, doesn't it? They study at night time because the day is just too bright for them. They're pale, and beautiful… And the way Aidou smelt my neck was… not normal," I explained, though it would've been obvious to anyone.

That or the female students of Cross Academy are extremely stupid… which is possible, seeming as they seldom pay attention in class, but daydream about the boys of the Night Class.

They said nothing though, and I stared back at them for a few seconds before turning around. "I'll… just go and head to my room."

I took a few steps, and Yuki called, "Shiori-chan!"

I glanced at her.

"You won't… tell anybody… right?" She looked worried.

I shook my head. "I'll only say it if you want me to. Have a nice evening, you two." And I distanced myself further from the two prefects, until I reached my new bedroom.

It was a single room, with no roommates, not like Yuki's. Of course, my room didn't look as fancy and decorated as my new friends, in fact, it looked quite old. There were slightly worn out wooden floorboards, one window in the middle of a wall and a mirror with a sink nearby. At least the bed looked comfortable. I set up my clothing in the wardrobe, and other various things I brought from home.

Until something caught my eyes. I faced the window and saw Yuki guiding a petite, thin girl around the school. And I noticed she was wearing a Night Class uniform. …Another Vampire? I pressed my lips together tightly, as I saw Zero leaning against a tree, not very far from the two other girls. I was guessing they weren't aware of each other presence, since Zero never once looked at Yuki and Yuki seemed to be absorbed in listening to the new girl.

Zero's head lifted, and his eyebrows rose slightly when he caught sight of me. I drew up my hand and waved hesitantly. He averted his eyes for a moment, but soon nodded in a greeting way. My lips curved upwards simply as I gave Zero a smile. Then, a few knocks hit my door. I called out quietly, "Come in."

And I saw the chairman simper and greet me politely. "Good evening, Shiori-chan. Yuki… told me what you found out today…"

My attention grew towards him and I listened carefully with what he had to say. "Why are there vampires in the school? Isn't it dangerous?"

Chairman shook his head. "It's to the point to somewhat train these young vampires to co-operate with the human race. Kaname is a pureblooded vampire, so all the others obey him."

I cringed. "But what if Kaname-senpai decides to go against you? Against us, the school? Everything will be over, chairman!"

He grinned. "You know, that's the same thing Zero said when he found out about the Night Class."

"That...That has nothing to do with this," I exhaled.

The chairman nodded. "But I'll get straight to the point. Shiori-chan, now that you know about the Night Class' secret, would you do me the great favor of becoming a new addition to the prefects?"

"The… prefects?" I repeated. "Like Yuki-san and Zero-kun?"

"Yes! You'll be able to join them in their nightly shifts!"

He made it sound like it was a good thing. "Why… did you choose me?"

"Because you know of the vampire world, Shiori-chan. Yuki and Zero are more than just prefects… They're guardians. And you'll become one too. What you do is simply patrol the area between the Night Classes and the Day Classes, and make sure no mischief is caused by the day class. Or vice versa."

I breathed. "I don't really have a choice now, do I? You seem like the type to confuse me into making me do this."

He chuckled. "It's what I do!"

"Very well. I'll become a prefect with Yuki-san and Zero-kun… But what if Aid—one of the vampires begins to attack? What is there to defend myself? I'm hopeless at fighting."

"Ah, this is the best part. You'll have a weapon to keep yourself safe. And don't worry, it won't harm any humans, but it brings great pain to vampires."

Then he reached in his pocket an arm band -the one that Yuki and Zero wear- and a small object that seemed to fit snuggly in my palm. I blinked at it when the chairman handed it over to me.

"What… is this?" I murmured; confused at how I was supposed to defend myself with a small silver object.

He pointed at a small button. "Hold it out and press that button."

I reluctantly followed his instructions, and lifted my arm in an open space and leaned my finger against the button. The small silver object looked as if it sprung to life, and it –somehow- transformed into a shiny crossbow. I gasped as I realized what weapon I was holding, and looked at the chairman.

"I don't know how to use these types of weapons!" I cried.

"Don't worry, don't worry, there'll be training times when you can practice with your new crossbow. The arrows and such are in this compartment," He pointed at the bottom end of the crossbow, where it opened, and revealing packs of hard arrows. "Come to me if you need to reload on your gear. You can ask Zero how to use it. I'm sure he's gotten some experience with this weapon. Just be sure not to hit a vampire when they aren't sucking a human's blood, okay?"

"Okay…?"

"Fantastic! Well, you can go downstairs and start patrolling with Yuki and Zero now!"

And with that last sentence, he waved goodbye and exited my room. I looked myself in the mirror and took the arm band, slipping on my upper arm. It made me feel of a slight superiority. Or maybe that was just me looking up to Zero. It seems the girls always treat Yuki like nothing when she's doing her prefect activities. Maybe the other students will treat me that way too. But I won't let myself down. I had decided on becoming a prefect, so it's best if I stay positive if I want this to work out good.

I stared at my crossbow, wondering how to return it to its small black box. I pressed the button again, and it flipped to the original state I was given. I locked my door before going downstairs to meet the other prefects, or in this case, just Zero, since Yuki pranced off with the Night Class girl. I smiled and waved. "…Hey."

Zero eyed me, and asked, "Shouldn't you be in your room? It's late."

I sort of lifted my arm and chucked nervously as I showed him my prefect arm band. "The chairman told me I was a part of the team now."

His eyes rolled, and he sighed, "Tsk. It's too dangerous. What if one of the Night Class students attacks you?"

I took out the crossbow box from my pocket and shrugged. "This is for my defense."

"A black box is gonna save you from a vampire from sucking your blood?" He looked at me, unimpressed. "What are you going to do with it? Throw it at them?"

I shook my head and stepped back, pressing the button and showing what the box could do. "Like I would want to throw something as pretty as this at them."

He blinked, as if he couldn't believe I was holding a crossbow at him. "Do you… know how to use this?"

I shook my head once more. "I was actually hoping you would know how to. If you do… Could you show me?"

He took it off my hands gently and mumbled. "It's similar to a gun."

"So you can teach it to me?" I blurted out. "Ah! That's only if you want to!"

He nodded once. "I'll tell you when I have time for training…"

Zero was silent after that. Though I was hardly surprised at this at all. He didn't seem the type to start a conversation unless it was important. I took a glance in the far distance, where Yuki was talking to that new student; the one with the light silver hair.

"Have you met that new student yet? Or has she always been here?" I asked.

He looked over to where I faced, and he frowned. "I haven't met her."

Yuki noticed us, and she waved, grinning madly and running over to us with the new girl. Once she reached us, she exhaled, "Hey you two! What are you doing outside, Shiori-chan? Shouldn't you be in the dorm?"

Then her eyes trailed down to the arm band wrapped around the sleeve of my uniform. Her eyes widened and she said, "Y-You're a prefect too!?"

I slowly nodded, not really sure if she saw it as a good thing or bad. "Yes…"

"That's wonderful! That means we can become even closer friends!" She almost jumped with joy. "Oh, have you guys met yet? This is Kurenai Maria. She's a new student."

I sighed of relief, and turned to the new vampire—Uh, I mean, new girl. She seemed to be the same size as me; height wise. I almost hesitated to greet her, but I tried my best not to show it, you know, so I wouldn't offend her in any way. "Good evening… I'm Ninomiya Shiori. I hope you have a warm welcome to Cross Academy… I'm new too."

Maria stared at me emotionless for a moment, before smiling cutely, and in a way, elegantly. "Thank you! I hope we become good friends!"

In the corner of my eye, I saw Zero grimace as soon as he met eyes with Maria. As if it were a reflex, Zero slung out his gun, and pointed it at the new student.

He hissed, "You… You're…"

Yuki gasped, and stepped in front of Maria, spreading her arms out to shield the small girl. "Zero! What are you doing!?"

Zero grunted, "Tch." And he lowered his gun with his tight fist, glaring intensely at Maria.

Yuki frowned, and scolded Zero for his sudden behavior. Whilst that, I caught Maria still staring at me, with slightly cold eyes, until Yuki took her arm. Yuki pouted, I'm guessing from Zero's stubbornness. They both walked away, and Zero shook his head.

"Is there a reason why you pointed a gun at Maria?" I asked.

Zero mumbled, "Why should I tell you? You seemed to like her more than I expected."

I scoffed lightly and smirked. "Didn't you see the way she looked at me? It was like she hated me when she met me straight away. Is she normally like that, or can she tell who doesn't like her?"

"You… don't like her?" He repeated.

I shook my head slightly. "She doesn't exactly… feel right. If that makes any sense."

Surprisingly, he agreed with me. "…She reminds me of someone from my past."

"Someone bad?"

He didn't answer that one, so I left it at that.

"Uhm, so… what are you supposed to do, as a prefect?" I questioned him, even if I kinda already knew what to do.

He shrugged. "Make sure no Day Class students are lurking about… Make sure no Night Class students are sucking a human's blood… Patrol the area, basically."

"Oh, I see," I nodded.

And let me tell you now, once that conversation was over, it was awkward. It was becoming a habit now during our interactions. That's when I noticed the Night Class students walking out of their classrooms; it was probably break time.

Zero stood up properly now; not leaning against the tree, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm… gonna go and walk around now."

I nodded reluctantly. "Oh, yeah, sure. Uh, see you."

Zero trudged off, glancing at the few vampires he passed by in the courtyard. I was suddenly hugged –or tackled– from behind. I yelped and turned around. "A-Aidou-senpai!"

He pouted. "You don't have to necessarily call me 'senpai'… what happened to 'Aidou-san'?"

I shook my head. "What was the meaning of earlier this evening? When you said you fell in love with someone you met? You were joking, right?"

He chuckled. "I enjoy teasing you, Shiori-chan; seeing the faces on those girls were priceless."

"D-Did you ever think about how I felt? My new life at Cross Academy may be ruined now, due to the jealousy that the other girls seem to have. They all now think I'm your girlfriend!"

"Is that bad?"

"O-Of course it's bad! I only met you a day ago!"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Don't you get it!? I can't go out with someone so quickly! I mean, it was just early this morning when I met you!"

"But it's fun!"

"For you, maybe! For me? No! I can't go out… with you!"

"And why not?"

"B-Because you're a… you're a… Y-You know what you are!"

"What am I, Shiori-chan?"

I refused to say the word out loud. "N-No…"

He pushed me against the brick wall of the building nearby harshly. "What am I, Shiori-chan!?"

I whimpered, "…Vampire."

He cringed, and his mouth slightly opened. "Do you know why I enjoy toying with you, Shiori-chan?"

I placed my hands against my chest and mumbled, "No…"

Aidou took my hand, and led me to the dark corridors in Cross Academy, where rarely anyone passes by. By then, I was beginning to get frightened.

Aidou finished his sentence slyly, with a slight evil look in his eyes. "Because you look delicious."

I stopped breathing for a few seconds, as Aidou leaned over to my side. I felt his smirk against my skin; I shook my head, slowly reaching for my pocket on the other side.

"P-Please don't do this, Aidou-senpai…" I stuttered, swallowing the remaining saliva in my dry throat.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Shiori-chan. I could smell you all the way from the classrooms… And you haven't even been wounded yet."

I felt my hand touch the crossbow, and I grabbed it as gently as I could. I placed my hand against Aidou's chest, trying to push it back. "N-No. Don't."

Still, he ignored me. I gasped as soon as I felt something sharp against my neck; his fangs. I yelped, "NO!"

I pushed him away with all my strength, and then pulling out my crossbow, letting it spring in its weapon form by pressing that button. I aimed it at him, and murmured, "I… asked you to stop."

He didn't flinch at all, but he then reacted once he realized Kaname was next to him, not saying anything at all, but Aidou knew he was in trouble. Which got me thinking, why does he respect him so much more than the other Night Class students? I know he's the dorm president and all… but he doesn't look like he's very strict towards others.

"Aidou. I'm very disappointed that you decided to do such a horrible thing to Shiori. You will be punished when we return to the dorms," Kaname scolded in a somewhat formal manner. He then turned to me. "I apologize for Aidou's foolishness. I'll try my best to make sure he won't do it again."

I gripped on my crossbow, lowering it and shook my head. "I… I don't want him to touch me again."

"Isn't that a little harsh, Shiori-chan?" Aidou cringed, but he shut up once Kaname looked at him.

I disagreed with Aidou immediately. He had genuinely scared me back then; after the experience of my family, I can't help but think that all vampires are like that.

"Shiori!?" Zero came running from a distance, seeming that he ran as fast as he could.

I turned to him. "Zero-kun…! Why are you—?"

"I heard you scream. What did Aidou do to you!?" He growled, pulling out his gun and pushing it against Aidou's cheek.

"Zero. We have already dealt with the situation. Shiori is safe, so take her elsewhere while I talk with Aidou," Kaname stopped him from shooting.

I agreed with the part of me walking so away, so I did. I took quick steps away from Aidou and the rest. I didn't want anything to do with the Night Class; not after the impression the blonde boy gave me… Though I felt their eyes watching my back as I drifted further away from them. It made me hesitate a bit, but I kept on going.

I kept on thinking about how bad these vampires can get, so I wasn't watching where I was going; which led me to bump into someone in the hallway.

"I-I'm sorry," I looked up at them, and it was none other than Kurenai Maria.

She looked at me with those cold eyes, but she immediately smiled after that. "It's been a while."

I was confused at this, since it had only been about an hour since I had last met her. But I tried to play along. "Uh… It has…?"

She giggled to herself and whispered, "You really don't remember?"

I then raised an eyebrow. "Remember what?" I tried to laugh, as if it were a joke on me.

But Maria didn't explain anything to me. She only leaned forward –at first, I thought she was planning on sucking my blood out of my neck, though she wasn't heading to that direction – and placed her lips over mine, kissing me gently. She smiled, like she did this everyday, kissing girls she had just met – I wondered if she'd kissed Yuki too.

Maria let go, and I said with wide eyes, blushing madly, "W-What…W-Why… Huh!?"

"…I want you to remember as soon as possible."

Did you all like it? What do YOU think Maria is talking about? What do YOU think Shiori needs to remember?

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