Author's Note:

Greetings! I present to you the next installment in Moon Dancer (and it's a long one).

In this chapter, I will begin introducing everyone's favorite giggling purple-haired vampire, Maria. I've put in some funny moments, mixed in with everyday situation drama.

I will let it be known that I am making a minor change in the VK timeline. I think it is safe to say that Maria has probably been spying on Zero since before he went to hunt his first vampire in town. So, his first hunt will happen in the next chapter or so, after Maria's arrival. I may discuss it in detail, I may not. See my notes at the end of the story for more information.

Also, I have a BIG announcement...I've created a one-shot prequel of sorts. Whoo hoo! Technically, it can be considered as a separate piece, if you want it to be. I strongly discourage you from reading it unless you've seen all of the VKGuilty season. MAJOR SPOILERS. If that doesn't pertain to you, then be watching for it to be uploaded within the next week or so. :D

Standard Disclaimer:

I do not own Vampire Knight, nor do I profit in any monetary way from this story. It is written for my and other's enjoyment, and I am taking creative liberties with the characters. The only character that is mine is Ms. Himura. Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty are property of Viz Media and Matsuri Hino. Support them buy purchasing manga and dvds legally from your favorite retailer! The rating is posted above, and I cannot be held responsible if a reader who is too young reads this story without permission.

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Chapter 4: Two Figures on a Music Box

"Hey," Zero replied to the tranquil girl with his usual lack of enthusiasm. "What did Yuuki do this time?" A thin cloud of dust was wafting in the air from the earlier proceedings, moved along by the light, cool breeze that was in the air.

"Nothing, technically. She just got the female lead in the advanced class," Yori said proudly.

"Hmm, she did, huh?" he said with a slight approval on his normally stern features. He gazed in the direction that the talented girl had ran, as if being able to see her in his mind's eye.

"Yeah, go see for yourself. The names are on that list. I'll see you in class," she said with a nod as she resumed her journey to first period. Sayori preferred not to be late, but she would for Yuuki's sake, if need be.

Zero pondered the yellowed piece of expensive-looking paper tacked to the stone wall with trepidation. Satisfying his own curiosity, he read the other names on the list written in elegant script, and frowned when he realized that most of the qualifiers were living in the Moon Dorm. He had sensed that Yuuki was hiding something when he drank her blood the previous evening, and this must have been it. She knew that he would disapprove of her being in such prolonged, close contact with those beautiful monsters, so she purposefully hid it from him. He didn't trust any of them, but a few names furrowed his eyebrows more than others: Hanabusa Aidou and Takuma Ichijo.

Hanabusa, obviously, was on his bad side more than others due to the incident that occurred between him and Yuuki earlier that year. Takuma, however, was near the top of the list (just below Kaname) because he seemed too good to be true, and when something seems that way it usually is.

Takuma was extremely cheerful for a vampire, and had no trouble at all getting Yuuki to let down her defenses. Even Kaname was surprised at how well she trusted him when she arrived at his birthday party. If he wanted, he could probably sweet talk her into her own demise without her suspecting a thing. Most importantly, though, he was obviously Kaname's right-hand man, due to him being Vice Dorm President and at Kaname's side most of the time. Zero made a mental note to speak to the Headmaster later that night, and to make sure all those monsters in human form knew that there would be hell to pay if they hurt her.

Yuuki, frazzled as she was from running, eventually made it back to her first class of the day only a minute late. The stares of some of her peers were felt, both approving and disapproving, alike. She tried to keep close to Zero for the rest of the day, making full use of his scary aura that the rest of the girls dared not venture too close to.

Yet again, due to her tardiness, she had to stay after class to study a subject that didn't come easily to her. Zero, also required to stay, chose to sleep, doing so to forget the momentary pulsing from the mark that changed his life forever.

With class only two hours away, the goofy young lady and moody young man had just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before they had to start patrols. At the moment, the beginning class was in session, with it being dismissed at 5:00 p.m. Yagari insisted on supervising the beginning class, himself, albeit from a distance. The large dance room had the floor-to-ceiling windows that the Academy was known for having in many of its rooms, and Yagari could keep check on the night class instructor from the small forest outside. Kaname had made it quite clear to the instructor that he would be greatly displeased if he found out she had bitten a student, and she earnestly acquiesced his subtle order. Luckily, due to her shared temperament with Takuma, there was little risk of that occurring, anyway.

A few of the night class students would have to be escorted to the academic building early in order to attend the 6:00 p.m. advanced class start time, with the normal switch-over following a short time later at 7:00 p.m. In order to keep the beautiful vampires from being swarmed by girls like bees to honey, Yuuki was chosen to escort the first wave of white-clad students by herself, since she was going to the same place, regardless. That left Zero to draw his invisible line in the sand to keep the girls away from the next group.

The walk to the classroom was fairly quiet, with the privileged nobles feeling a bit odd that they were escorted by a petite Yuuki to class. Kaname, of course, was happy to be near her, and spoke about nothing in particular in order to engage her in casual conversation. Takuma, ever the social butterfly, joined in when he felt he wouldn't be intruding. Hanabusa was still flabbergasted that "Lord Kaname" was even speaking to the annoying prefect. The only way he could make sense of it was his previous guess that her blood belonged to him (and tasted amazing), but it still seemed out of character for him. Ruka, naturally, was irritated to no end that her crush was speaking to the scrawny girl, and had a scary expression that rivaled Zero's on a bad day. Carissa's expression was unreadable, as if she was detached from the group.

Rima and Shiki, as disinterested as ever, lagged a little behind the others. The male model sighed pathetically, leading Rima to ask the obligatory "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I suppose. I'm just hungry, and I won't be able to eat for a while," he said.

His companion rolled her eyes and reached into her backpack to pull out the usual snack - choco biscuits. "Here, eat this. You need to remember to eat or you'll get sick. Then I have to go to the photo shoots by myself."

Shiki gladly took the box of his favorite junk food and began to open them. Yuuki, hearing the odd sound of a box rattling behind her, looked in surprise when she saw what they were eating.

"You like...choco biscuits?" she asked, amazed that they enjoyed eating "ordinary people food."

Shiki, with a biscuit sticking out of his mouth, looked at her like she was crazy. "Yes, is there something wrong with that?" he asked in a slightly muffled tone. Kaname turned around with a warning glance to be more polite that sent a slight shiver down his spine. Regardless of their familial relationship, Kaname was still an intimidating pureblood, and Shiki got no special treatment. The reddish-haired vampire took the snack out of his mouth to properly address her. "Sorry if that sounded rude."

Yuuki, oblivious to the silent exchange, didn't pay his tone any mind, having gotten used to hearing it from Zero. "Oh, no, that's alright. It was an odd question, I suppose. It's just strange seeing a...someone like yourself eating something so normal."

Takuma chimed in, "We eat food and snacks just as you do, Yuuki. I thought you realized that after attending my birthday party."

"Oh, yes, I know. It's just I thought you all wouldn't want to eat something like that. It almost makes you seem...here we are! I'll stand watch outside to make sure no day class girls are hiding around," she said as she began searching the area. She had intended to say it almost made them seem human, but thought better of accidentally insulting the group that she would be dancing with. She hoped that none of them figured out what she was about to say.

The vampires all entered the dance studio, with Kaname taking a seat in a comfortable-looking chair in the corner and the others proceeding to the changing rooms. Shortly after they arrived, Ms. Himura entered. "Ah, Lord Kaname. How wonderful for you to join us. Is there anything that I can get for you?"

"No, thank you. I'm just here to observe, so pretend that I am not here," he said.

"Yes, of course, Lord Kaname. Please stop the class if you need anything," the lithe instructor replied as she did a few warm-up exercises. Soon after, Yuuki walked in behind the select day class girls that passed the audition. As expected, all of the girls, save Yori, were nearly drooling at the attractive dance partners that they had. After everyone had changed into their dance attire, the students all stood with their respective groups around the room.

"Hey, Yuuki, why is the Moon Dorm President observing the class?" asked Yori, as the other girls quickly switched their attention to their conversation.

"Uh, he is wanting to see how well the class integration goes in case the night class wants to add more courses," she came up with on the spot. Everyone seemed to accept this answer and they quickly turned their attention to the instructor.

Ms. Himura was wearing a purple leotard with light pink slippers, and she wore a tutu that was a sheer shade of the same rosy color. "Alright class, listen up. All of you have been selected because you have proven your abilities. This class will not be easy, and will require your full dedication in order to excel. Ichijo, Cross, you both have been chosen as the respective leads for this ballet. Your performance will be judged more strictly than the others. Please, do not make me regret my decision." The two talented students nodded their head in agreement, wondering just what they had gotten themselves into. "The ballet I have chosen is a little known piece called Moon Dancer, or Moonlight Dancer, as it is sometimes called. Ichijo, you will be playing the main love interest, and Cross will be the enchanted dancer. The other male love interest will be decided in the next few sessions, as that character doesn't appear until the second act and is minor in comparison. The rest of you will be playing multiple parts which are labeled on the list on the wall. Take a few minutes to look over it, and then we will promptly begin."

Yuuki's stomach filled with butterflies momentarily when the instructor mentioned "love interest." She felt awkward enough performing in front of Kaname, let alone appearing to be in love with Takuma. She quickly got over her brief insecurity and became professional about it. The ballet was just business, and she knew she shouldn't be acting childish over the matter. The class passed by without incident, with all parties too focused on following Ms. Himura's instructions. That, however, quickly changed for the two leads when they heard the instructor's last idea right before the end of class.

"Ha, ha. I'm sorry. I thought you just said that Yuuki and I have to kiss for this scene," said a nervous Takuma who was on the break of panic on the inside. Kaname, who was watching impassively from the corner, had made it quite clear that he held Yuuki in a special place in his heart when he would drive him to visit her for all of those years. He wasn't sure how he, or Zero for that matter, would react to this closeness.

"I don't think she was kidding," said an equally nervous Yuuki.

"You are right, I'm not. You don't have to actually kiss...unless you want to, of course," said the slender instructor, teasingly. Even after the last hour and a half of practice, not a hair on her head was out of place.

Both Takuma and Yuuki turned bright red, while Aidou made a gagging face to Shiki. Shiki smirked a little, willing to enjoy seeing how his roommate would react to the situation. All of the other day class girls had left, leaving only the vampires to observe what was happening as they gathered their things.

"Let's practice quickly before you leave for the night, alright? I want to make sure this will work. Just follow my instructions and the audience won't be the wiser," Ms. Himura said as she placed the two teens in an almost embrace. Yuuki stood in front of the tall vampire, with her head only coming up to his shoulders. The studious Takuma stood directly behind her, with her back nearly resting against his chest. Yuuki pointed one of her feet out to the side as she gracefully raised her arms to Takuma's head level. Ms. Himura then placed Yuuki's hands delicately in both of his as he looked down upon her.

"Oh, that looks beautiful! Now, hold her as if she were the most precious and breakable thing in the world to you. Yes, that's perfect," the ballet instructor said as she admired her own choreography with the two students. "Now, for the kiss. Cross, I want you to turn your head to the side and look up at Ichijo. Ichijo, I want you to look down at Cross and bend down slightly until your lips are almost touching."

Yuuki and Takuma complied, albeit a little apprehensively. Their faces were closer than they had ever been before, yet not close enough to be recognized as a kiss by the audience. Takuma was painfully aware of Kaname's intense gaze in the corner, ready to spring into action if need be, like a cat preparing to jump. While he hadn't said it out loud to him, Takuma had an idea that Kaname was romantically interested in her, for whatever reason, but it was not his business to pry.

Yuuki was too focused on trying to breath properly to worry about Kaname and the others watching, although she wished that she could turn her head to see if he was. Even though he spoke to her frequently, she wondered if he still saw her as more of a cute little girl rather than a true friend. She liked to think that he thought as highly of her and she did of him, but that would only be fooling herself.

Ms. Himura, not satisfied with their obvious distance, gently pushed down on Takuma until their lips were a little more than a hair's length apart. They both noticed that they were close enough to feel the heat coming off of each other's bodies, and they could each feel a slight vapor as they breathed out. Just a little bit more, and Yuuki would have her first kiss.

Being this close, Yuuki was able to see Takuma in a whole new way. His eyes reflected as brilliantly as an emerald, with a depth of compassion and kindness that was odd for a normally brooding vampire. His skin was naturally perfect, and his golden hair complemented his features beautifully. Yuuki found herself blushing slightly, and her eyes were a little wide, even though she had no romantic interest in him. She stood completely still, afraid that if she moved she would accidentally kiss the man holding her. If that happened, she wasn't sure if she would be able to look Kaname, or Zero for that matter, in the eye again. She wondered what was going through Takuma's mind. If he was panicky, he wasn't showing it now; his face had its normal calm appearance, but it also felt as if he were peering into her very soul. She wondered if that was an ability of vampires that she didn't know about.

"There! That is wonderful. Remember this pose, as it is the most important to communicate your character's feelings. Let me go to my office next door and get some additional materials for you to read about your characters. Don't move, though," she said as she quickly walked out of the room.

The two dancers held perfectly still, like two figures on a music box. Aidou broke Yuuki out of her thoughts by accidentally dropping a bag onto the floor with a loud thud when Shiki tripped him for a snide comment. Unfortunately, this noise startled her enough to jump a little, and Yuuki realized that what she had just been thinking about had happened; she accidentally kissed him.

Takuma froze with eyes as big as saucers when he felt her soft lips touch his own. Yuuki, unconsciously, gripped his hands a little tighter in her fright, completely unsure of whether to stay put like the instructor said or to run away in embarrassment. She had a mortified look on her face with a scarlet blush that reached her ears, and she just stared at him as he stared back.

"What the hell?" Aidou exclaimed in a harsh whisper as he saw what happened. Shiki held his mouth open in disbelief as Ruka and the other female vampires silently found the situation rather funny. Kaname was just as shocked as everyone else, but he carried it with his usual grace. Just as suddenly as she had left, Ms. Himura came around the corner with the small stack of materials, oblivious to what had happened.

"Yes, now that I look at you again this pose will work just fine. Both of you have the most adorable blush on your face, too! That will look great if you do that during the performance. Here are the papers I promised. Everyone, that will be all for tonight. I'll see you all in two nights. I expect you to practice what we've learned today, and you know that I will be able to tell who did and did not practice. That goes for you, too, Aidou," said Ms. Himura with her back to the blushing students behind her. Without giving Yuuki and Takuma a second glance, she walked out of the room towards her office down the hall.

"Yes, ma'am!" Aidou said as he stood at attention when she passed by.

As the group watched her retreating shadow disappear from view, Yuuki and Takuma hadn't moved yet, and Yuuki was becoming very self conscious as she held the paper in a death grip.

"Well, are you going to just stand there and stare stupidly at the paper, or can we get going, Takuma? We have another class soon," said Ruka as she gave Yuuki her usual glare.

"Oh, um, yes. Of course. Please, continue on without me. I shall follow you shortly," said Takuma, as he gradually walked away from her delicate-looking form.

"We will see you there. Take care, Yuuki," Kaname said with a twinge of sadness to his tone that escaped the notice of all except the two involved. The group, having already changed, walked out into the hallway towards their first actual course for the day.

The green-eyed vampire calmly walked over to his locker and gathered his clothes. Yuuki, not knowing what else to say, followed through with the same motions as he was. Silence was weighing heavily in the air like a fog, and it felt to Yuuki like a weight had been placed on her shoulders. True, it had been an accident, but she was sure that she had crossed a line that she wasn't sure she could recover from. Takuma was known as 'the nice vampire' in her book, and she was afraid that she had jeopardized that, not to mention not knowing how other important people felt about their little incident. Zero was sure to find out, eventually, along with the Headmaster, who would no doubt tease her. Yuuki knew she was probably over-thinking this, as she had a bad habit of thinking the worst. Just as she exited the changing room, the sight of Takuma standing in front of her with his white uniform on stopped her.

"Yuuki, you needn't look at me in that way. I know it was an accident," he said with smile that almost reached his eyes. She could tell it was true that he wasn't angry (if he was even capable of that emotion), but something else was bothering him, and she needed to find out what.

"Thank you, Takuma. I am truly sorry if I offended you," she said sheepishly as she bowed out of habit.

Takuma had that same pleasant expression he always had. "No offense taken, Yuuki. Well, I bid you good night, then."

Yuuki knew something was still wrong; she could almost feel it in the air. Before she could stop herself, she asked him to wait. Surprised, Takuma obligingly turned around and faced her once again, giving her his full attention as a gentleman should.

Yuuki continued on with a little trepidation. "Umm, Takuma, is something wrong?"

Takuma smiled a tender, knowing smile as he thought of how observant the petite guardian of the school was to other people's feelings. "I'm see I've been found out, ha ha. I'm sorry to have worried you. It's nothing you need to worry about," he said as he tried to make the conversation go away with a gentleman's politeness.

Yuuki refused to comply. "Don't say that. Yes it is, and I am afraid that I am the cause of it."

Kaname's closest friend sighed heavily and turned his now melancholy gaze on Yuuki. Most people would have let the conversation dissipate at his implied meaning, but Yuuki wasn't most people. "Did I...steal your first kiss, Yuuki?"

The brown-haired teen fidgeted a little and looked away embarrassed. "Yes, it was, but it was my own fault since I was startled. Was that...your first kiss?"

"Yes, I'm afraid to say, but I am not upset by it. If anything, I am honored to have shared it with as warm-hearted a lady as yourself."

Yuuki blushed slightly, dusting her porcelain skin with a dusky, pink glow. "Um, thank you. Do you think...the others were upset? I don't know if there is some taboo against humans and vampires kissing."

"Well, a few of my classmates may become upset, just because of my status compared to yours. There isn't a taboo, per se, but it isn't looked highly upon. Human and vampire relationships are...problematic in many ways, so relations of that matter are strongly discouraged among nobles, but they do happen, from time to time. We all have been trying to keep our distance from the day-class students, so as to lessen our need for blood. They will only be upset because they think I have somehow gotten too close to you. The need for blood can do nasty things to a vampire's mind, even aristocrats," he replied as if he were teaching a class on vampire culture.

Now it was Yuuki's turn to ask one of the things that had been bothering her the most, and his comment hadn't helped to quell her fears. "Do you think that Kaname is upset?"

Takuma looked to the floor as if deep in thought. He didn't answer right away, and the seconds that ticked by seemed like hours to Yuuki. She knew that Zero would be less than happy when word got to him, but for Kaname to be upset with her was something that had never happened before. She wasn't sure how she would react.

"I don't know," he finally answered. "That is mostly what was plaguing me a moment ago. Kaname thinks very highly of you, and, in turn, I watch out for you when he is unable to do so. I doubt that he would have wanted such a special thing as a first kiss to happen in such a manner, but it is trivial compared to other things. If there is nothing else, I must be going. The instructors for our group aren't as lenient with tardiness. Please, excuse me." With the silent footsteps that vampires seemed to all posses, Takuma left the dance room without a sound.

Yuuki felt a little foolish for making such a big deal out of an accidental kiss, but something about it wouldn't quit bothering her. Zero's potential reaction was making her very nervous, as well. He could have a handful of different responses to the situation, including asking the Headmaster to keep the day and night class apart for the remainder of the ballet. Yuuki was determined not to let that happen. If he did react that way, she would go down swinging. It was an accident. It was just an accidental kiss between a human girl and one of the most noble vampires in the school. No harm done...right?

With her patrolling duties beginning immediately at the conclusion of the class, she didn't have time to dwell on what others may or may not be thinking. It was a quiet night, which led to her being around Zero for most of it, standing on the roof of the academic building. They talked briefly about some of the same subjects they always spoke of in polite conversation, and she somehow managed to keep him from asking too much about the class.

The two guardians stood outside of Kaname's class, as they often did, and Yuuki found herself glancing at him now and again to see if he was visibly upset. She wasn't sure why he would chose now of all times to outwardly show an emotion in front of the nobles, but she couldn't help but peek. She was apparently not being sneaky enough about it, as Hanabusa winked at her and blew a kiss in her direction. This infuriated and embarrassed her at the same time, as Zero finally mentioned that he saw her staring, as well.

"Well, what did you expect after staring into their classroom for so long? You weren't as subtle as you think," he said, irritated that she was giving any of her attention to the creatures of the night.

"Shut up! I wasn't staring at them," she said, putting up her defenses.

"If you weren't staring, then what is the color of the book that Kuran is reading?" he asked with a smirk.

Yuuki replied without thinking, "Red. Oh, you tricked me!"

Zero halfway smiled with a twinkle in his eyes as he began walking towards the ladder that they used to get up there. "Come on, the Headmaster wants to speak with you soon. Those beasts are leaving their classes for the day, anyway."

The strong-willed girl followed obediently behind him as they finished their patrols for the night. Zero, after being told by her that she could manage the walk alone, left to go take a well deserved rest before classes began early that morning. The night class left for their dormitory without any escorts needed, and she slowly made her way back to her real home. The door opened with a slight creak, announcing her presence to the sole occupant.

"Ah, Yuuki, welcome home!" he said as he attempted to hug her before she side-stepped out of the way.

"Hello, Headmaster. I'm here, as requested," she said happily.

"It's Father! Since when do I need to make an appointment to see my own daughter?" he half-way wailed to no one in particular.

"Sorry, Father. What is it you need to see me about?" she asked. She knew that he loved her dearly, and she loved him, as well. Yet, something always made her keep her distance from him. She assumed it was because she knew that he wasn't really her father, and her subconscious felt as if she were betraying her real parent's memory by being coddled by someone else, even though there was a chance they had abandoned her. Kaien was aware of this, even though she hadn't voiced it, and was eternally patient with her. She was just so cute that he couldn't help himself from giving her the hugs she deserved, and that she seemed to need from time to time.

Kaien picked himself off of the floor and dusted off his frumpy clothes with a sigh. "Follow me," he said as they walked into his office. Going into his business mode, he pulled out a yellow file from his desk drawer. Opening it for her to see, he began explaining his reasoning for calling her there that night. "This is Maria Kurenai. She will be transferring into the Night Class tomorrow evening. I would like you to escort her around the campus to help her get familiar with the layout. She is a young vampire, and this will be the first time that she has attended school, due to her weak constitution. I wanted to let you know now since you may have to stay up later than you usually do."

"She has a weak constitution? I thought vampires didn't get sick."

He smiled at her common assumption. "You are partially correct. Vampires don't get sick in the sense that humans do, like catching a cold or any terminal illnesses, but they can have other ailments. They are living beings just as we are, with bodies that need to be cared for."

"Hmm, I guess that makes sense," she replied, putting the papers back into the folder.

"Did your class go well?" he asked, trying to do the impossible by asking his teenage daughter about her day. She had the commonly bad habit of teenagers by being incredibly vague in their answers.

"Uh, f-fine. Just great. I'm actually worn out from it, so I think I'll go back to the room. Good night," she said, trying to hurry out the door before he asked her more questions. She didn't get very far.

"Yuuki..."he said in a very fatherly tone.

She quickly spun back around and told him the rest of the truth, as her previous answer had been a half one. "It really was great. I learned a lot from Ms. Himura, but...something happened, and I am worried that Kaname is upset by it, even though it is just a little thing."

Now she really had his attention. "What happened? I wasn't informed of any incidents. Even if he takes care of them, himself, Kaname always reports to me."

"Well, it's silly, actually. Nothing that would deserve your attention. Forget I said anything."

"Yuuki, all activities at Cross Academy are worth my attention, especially when it concerns you."

She looked surprised at him for a moment, before taking a seat in one of the plush, green chairs as she told her tale of romantic mishaps. Her eyes looked everywhere but at his own, reluctant to be speaking about the topic to begin with. At the end of her story, Kaien was quiet for a moment, deep in thought.

Suddenly, he had his goofy I-love-my-daughter-and-she-is-growing-up face. "My Yuuki is becoming a lady! Her first kiss, and with an attractive, noble vampire who's family donates to the Academy! Where is my camera?"

Recovering from nearly falling to the floor, Yuuki yelled back at her father to get him to focus. "No, father, this is not good! Why are you so happy about this?"

He immediately calmed down to the point that it almost seemed like he was two people. "I'm sorry, Yuuki. I got carried away. As for your concern, I don't think Kaname dislikes you now because of it. Accidents happen. Besides, it isn't like you two are dating. Why would you be worried about what Kaname thinks?" Secretly, he knew that she loved Kaname with all her heart, but he wanted to try and get her to say it, just the same.

"I...I don't know. I just thought he might since..."

"Since you think you are close friends?" he replied, finishing her thought.

"Yeah, I guess so, but I don't even know if I am that. I was also worried about Zero." She was quiet for a moment, mimicking her father's earlier behavior of getting lost in her thoughts. "If it's alright, I'd like to be excused so that I can go to bed. Yori is probably worried."

"Yes, of course. Let me walk you to the door," he said. Yuuki, exhaustion catching up with her, walked sleepily back to the room she shared with her best friend.

Kaien walked quietly back into his house, aware of another presence that had been in the home since Yuuki's arrival. "There is no need to hide any longer; she's gone. Did you hear everything?"

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A/N:

And...end scene! Please don't throw anything at me! I know, it's another one of my cliffhangers, but if I didn't put them in, then you wouldn't be as excited for the next chapter, right? :D

Whew, that was the hardest chapter for me to write so far. I've actually had the Takuma/Yuuki kiss written since before I published the first chapter, but it was the stuff in between that proved to be the challenge. Again, I will try to update every week or two. I've been juggling work and final projects that are coming up, so that is getting in the way a little bit.

Just an FYI, if there are things/episodes left out of this story, it is safe for you to assume that they actually happened behind the scenes in this universe (unless I say otherwise). I'll let you know if I bend the timeline slightly, as I did in the top note before the story. If I followed the anime exactly, it would bring down the story. I think it would make it boring for everyone, since you are reading fanfiction to read something that didn't happen in the official story to begin with.

Check in next time to read the aftermath of the "incident."

As always, "I'll show you a lovely dance next night." ;)