(A/N): I'm bbaacckkk! And with the 4th chapter! Yaaayyy! Okay, enough of that. Lots of people have read this story, and I thank you all! But most importantly, I'd like to thank my reviewers, for giving me that tingling feeling when ever I get an e-mail alert ^.^ Thanks to MidnightVampire18, TwilightAnimeGamer, MargaSey, and Midnight Eternial. You are all awesome :D Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter this new chapter!
"Shizuki-san, your sister is asleep."
"I don't care!" I heard outside my door, jolting me back to consciousness. Asai? The door opened quickly and my brother came rushing through it.
"Karu-chan! Are you okay? Are you alright?!"
"I-I'm fine. Could you stop yelling?" I asked. My brother approached the bed I was in and wrapped me in his arms. I winced, as pain spread through my shoulder. He immediately let me go and looked me over.
"When I spoke to you about my sister becoming a guardian, you said it was perfectly safe!" Asai said, turning to face the Headmaster, who had followed him in.
"It is safe. Your sister was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," the Headmaster replied.
"Not to mention, she doesn't have the proper training," said Zero, who had appeared in the doorway.
"She has been trained enough. I've seen you, Karu. You've fought Level Es before…"
"Yeah, with you."
"Then she doesn't have the courage," said Zero, bitterly.
"And where were you, huh? Vampire or not, you're a member of the committee too! Where were you when that thing attacked?!"
"Asai!" I yelled. He turned back to me. "Stop it, okay? Zero saved me that night. He's the one who killed it," I said.
"Yeah, well, I still don't like him," he said, turning back towards Zero. "The Society has you under their radar, Kiryu. If you want to keep your life, you better stay sharp," said Asai. Was he... threatening him?
"Asai—"
"You should get some rest, Karu. If you don't mind Headmaster, I'd like to have a word with you in private," said Asai, turning to the Headmaster, who nodded and walked out the door.
"I'll be right back," he said, looking back at me, and then going off. Zero was the last one in the room. It was the first time that I had seen him since the attack.
"Uh... I'm sorry that—"
"Don't. He's just being an older brother," Zero replied, before turning to leave.
I was back on my feet within a few days, and met with Yagari within a week. My stomach was tied in knots as I approached the black haired man, who was wearing an eye patch.
"Yagari-sensei?" I asked. I prayed that he would say that I had the wrong person, but instead, he grunted and nodded at me.
"So you're the other Shizuki kid?" he asked. His voice was rough. He was a very large man. The very image of a model vampire hunter.
"Y-yes, sir," I stuttered. I was dead. There's no way I'll be able to survive training under him. He scares me almost as much as the vampires...
"Follow me..." he muttered. And I did, against my better judgment. My shoulder wound healed rather quickly. Asai beamed that is was because I possess the blood of a true vampire hunter. It just made me feel like a mutant... I followed him to a secluded part of campus. It looked to be a clearing, surrounded by a few trees. Zero was waiting there. What was this about?
"Fight Zero," he said. Excuse me?
"Huh?"
"I want to see what I'm stuck working with. So fight Zero," he said again. I still didn't believe him, but I wouldn't dare ask him to repeat it for a third time. He shot me a look and I hurried to the center of the clearing. Zero stood in front of me, looking bored. All the while, I was trembling from head to toe. "I want to see your basic fighting techniques," he said. Basic fighting techniques?
"Ready?" asked Zero. I was surprised he even had the courtesy to ask. When I didn't reply, I guess he took it as a yes. Zero lunged for me as his fist flew through the air and towards my face. Surprisingly to me, I easily evaded the attack. But my glory was short lived, as he kicked me in the back and sent me to the ground. I coughed and wheezed for breath.
"Zero..."
"I thought she'd avoid it..." he replied in earnest.
"Did you have to put so much force behind it?!" I asked, gasping for air. He had knocked the wind out of me.
"I was going easy on you..." he replied, annoyed. He grabbed my arm and pulled me hastily to my feet. That went on for about two hours. And I think it would've gone on longer, but I think Yagari-sensei was tired of seeing me get my ass kicked, over and over. Truth be told, he probably felt sorry for me.
"Same time tomorrow," he muttered, before walking away, and leaving me to bask in the pain of my aching muscles, or lack thereof.
"So, who's your favorite?"
A conversation perked my interest as I was walking towards the entrance of the moon dorm with Yuki by my side. A couple of girls from my class were behind us, talking.
"How many times have we had this conversation?"
"However many times it takes for you to say it."
"I am not going to say it."
"Come on! Idol is so much hotter than Wild!"
"I don't think so. Wild is mysterious and sexy..." the girl said, dreamily.
"You're delusional. I mean, come on... Kiki, you agree with me right?" she asked the other girl.
"Um... I think Ichijo-senpai is pretty cute..." she replied, shyly. Takuma... I hadn't seen him since I made a fool of myself in front of him. Ugh... the thought of that memory made me sick to my stomach. It also made me remember that I have his manga. I should probably get those back to him soon... I finished them a while ago.
"Seriously? Cuter than Idol?!" the girl asked.
"It's not just about how hot they are. I mean… I don't know. To me, something about Aido seems fake," she said. Hm... maybe I should become friends with this chick. Something tells me she's the smartest girl here... and the only person who sees past Aido's façade. "With Ichijo-senpai, he always seems sincere. He always smiles kindly to us, and he even said hello to me once, and asked me how I was doing. He just strikes me as a kind spirit," she said. Her friends were quiet for a moment.
"I can't believe you said that my Idol is fake! And Aido-senpai is nice too!"
"You didn't hear anything I said, did you?"
Yuki and I stopped as the girls walked ahead of us. "So Karuko, how's your shoulder?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh, it's a lot better. Thanks for asking..." I replied.
"When I was walking behind you, I noticed the bruises on your legs. Are those all from training?" she asked. I looked down at my legs. I hadn't realized how bad I bruised. I then wondered how I was even standing.
"Oh... yeah, I guess so. Zero kinda put me in my place," I replied. Yuki looked shocked.
"Yagari-sensei had you fighting with Zero?! He didn't tell me that! What a jerk! He should know that Zero has an unfair advantage over you!" Yuki replied. Yeah, well... be that as it may.
"KYAH! The gate is opening!" a girl announced, making all the others go into a frenzy.
"Are you sure you can handle them today?" asked Yuki.
"No... but do I have a choice? Besides, Zero isn't even here yet," I said. Yuki looked around. I guess she hasn't noticed.
"I'm gonna kill him..." she muttered. "Just do the best you can," she said, hurrying towards the girls. I did the same, assuming my role as the human barrier.
"Hey, stay back!" I heard Yuki yell.
"Would you knock it off?!"
The girls were as unruly as ever as the gates to the moon dorm opened. I hadn't missed this at all.
"Good morning, ladies!" . . . morning?
"KYAH!"
"IDOL!"
"It's time to go back to the dorms!" I yelled.
"Hello Yuki." I turned my head to see Kaname, stopping to talk with Yuki. At the same time, Zero was walking towards me. But he had his eyes on Yuki.
"Oh! Hello Kaname!" Yuki replied, blushing. When I looked back at Zero, I noticed that he rolled his eyes. And he looked even more pissed off than usual, if that's even possible.
"Lovely weather, isn't it Idol?"
"Not as lovely as you enticing ladies."
"KYAH!"
"So kind!"
"Oh look! Look, it's Wild!"
"And Shiki-san!"
"Follow them!"
"Huh?!"
"No, stop it girls!" Yuki yelled, blowing her whistle. The girls made their way further down the walkway. I heaved a heavy sigh. I was useless. And it didn't help that I was still sore from these nighttime beatings. I was about to go help Yuki when—
"Shizuki-san? It's nice to see you patrolling again."
I turned around and came face to face with him. I froze on the spot. Everything about him came rushing back to me. His blonde hair, his green eyes, his friendly smile... it was times like these that I hated being a vampire hunter. His fangs would go unnoticed to any other person who didn't know where to look. But to me, they stuck out as if they were glowing.
"I'm glad that your shoulder seems to be healed," he said. That girl had been right. This is just who Takuma is. He's friendly to everyone. Still, I was frozen. It was so embarrassing. "Well, I'll see you around!" he said with a smile, waving to me as he walked on.
"W-w-wait!" I yelled at him, impulsively. He turned towards me, looking surprised. I was surprised at my own self. I dug through my school bag and pulled out the manga he had left for me while I was in the hospital. "Thank you for lending me these... it was very kind of you and I really enjoyed them," I said quickly. He immediately smiled at me and I think a portion of my heart stopped.
"I think you misunderstood. Those are yours. As in, the ones you ordered," he replied.
"Huh?! But... I never picked them up. I didn't even pay for—"
"Relax," he chuckled. His laughter was like music. "It's all taken care of. In fact, why don't you come to the moon dorm later tonight and pick some more out of my collection. What do you say?" he asked.
Me? Go to the moon dorm? The thought of it made me go stiff. I'd go insane in there! My brain was screaming at me to run for it. To get as far away from Takuma Ichijo as possible. I couldn't possibly go to the moon dorm! But, for some reason, the word that spilled out of my lips was—
"Sure."
"Great! I'll be waiting for you outside the gates after your training," he said, turning and walking towards the Academy with the other nigh class students. What have I done?
Training went just about as well as I expected. And as I expected, I got my ass kicked. Zero had just sent me to the ground. And that's where I was laying now, flat on my back as I was trying to catch my breath.
"You can't let your guard down, Shizuki! You have to always be alert! Watch your front while watching your back!" Yagari-sensei yelled at me. Watch my front while watching my back? How?! That makes no sense! Zero extended his hand to me, and I took it as he roughly pulled me back to my feet.
"We're done here. I won't be here tomorrow, but I still expect you to spar with Zero," he said, walking away. I leaned up against a tree and slid down it. My entire body was pounding in pain. I don't see how these training sessions are helping me, unless the point is to get me as bruised as possible.
"You're really pathetic..." Zero said. I chuckled coldly.
"Don't pay me any compliments," I muttered.
"You know, I had a twin brother," he said. I raised my head to look up at Zero. I was young when his family was slaughtered, but I do remember it. A lot of people talked about the Kiryu brothers. Giving birth to twins is one of the greatest taboos among vampire hunters.
"Because we were twins, my brother was the one who got screwed over. He wanted to fight, but he was weak and he always fell ill. So what I don't understand is how much you suck when you have no handicaps. You're not a twin. The talents that your parents passed to your brother were passed to you as well. You have all the tools you need to become a great fighter, but you're too much of a coward to use them," he said.
"Why would I want to use them?" I asked. Zero looked angry for a moment, causing my heartbeat to quicken. The fear that I hold for Zero has changed since the first time I met him, but it's still fear nonetheless. "You of all people should understand Zero. Your family, my parents... they were vampire hunters and look at where they are now! They're dead! Our families were the greatest fighters of their time. They were professionals, so what chance do I have?! I don't want to fight because I don't want to die! It's shameless and selfish of me, but I still—"
"Is that why you were gonna let the vampire who murdered your mother kill you, that day in town?"
"How did you—?"
"Or is that why you let that level E nearly take your shoulder off?" he asked. I was standing now. Much closer to him than I was comfortable with but—
"I didn't let that vampire do—!"
"You already have a death wish, Shizuki! So if you wanna kill yourself, you might as well do it in a way that will honor your family," he said. "And if I were you, I'd back away from me."
I gasped and jumped away from him. He wasn't serious, was he? Does Zero have control? I can't fight him off. "If you don't calm down, you'll have them all running here in a few minutes."
"Zero! Stop tormenting Karuko-kun!" yelled Yuki, coming out of the woods. Zero remained still for a moment, and then backed away from me. I took in a large, faltering breath. I looked at Yuki. She had a bandage around her neck... had that always been there? Did a vampire... drink from her?! Zero... the way he regards her...
"I have to go," I said quickly, hurrying away.
"Karuko-kun, wait! You shouldn't— see what you did Zero?! You jerk! It's bad enough you give her a beating every night!" Yuki yelled, hitting Zero. Something is going on between them. I haven't been here very long, and I shouldn't know their business but... keeping a vampire alive by your own means is forbidden! Or did he drink from her without her consent?! No... if he had, I doubt she would've been acting that way. What is going on here?
I kept walking until I reached the outside gates of the moon dorm and I froze. Sure enough, Takuma stood right outside, looking angelic in the moon light. I couldn't believe it. I had actually come. Though, I think I did it mostly just to get away from Zero. When Takuma saw me, he smiled and made his way over to where I was standing.
"Shizuki-san, you came! I was beginning to think that you weren't going to make it," he said, chuckling.
"Ha!" I replied, forcing a laugh. I had to relax. I just have to... not think about all the vampires that are here... fuck.
"Is everything alright? I thought I heard yelling in the woods..." he said.
"Yeah, training..." I replied. I sounded like a five year old... Takuma only continued to grace me with his million dollar smile.
"Let's go inside then. You'll catch a cold if we stay out here for too long," he said. Again, every part of me said no, except my heart.
"Yeah," I replied. I slowly began walking next to him. It was the longest walk of my life. We walked through the gates and I got a good look at the moon dorm for the first time. Really, it didn't look much different from the sun dorm, except I knew a bunch of vampire were inside, and not a bunch of sleeping humans.
"Who's this?" asked a gruff voice from the shadows. I jumped away from it and into Takuma, who securely put his arm around me.
"Don't worry. She's a guardian of the academy," he said, pointing out my disciplinary committee sash.
"Hmph," he groaned and turned away. I guess that was him giving me his approval, because Takuma ushered me on. We reached the large doors and stopped.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked. There was no doubt about it. He could hear my heartbeat. I could hear my heartbeat.
"Yeah, I'm okay," I replied quickly. He chuckled.
"In that case, you should try to relax. I promise, you're safe here," he said. "And don't worry, but the others might tease you."
"Huh?!"
"Well... probably just Hanabusa," he said, opening the door. Of course, I would come on the day that they were all congregated in the entrance hall. All of their heads turned in my direction. "Everyone, this is Karuko Shizuki-san!" Takuma declared, taking my hand and pulling me into the building.
"Oh yeah... the vampire hunter," said Aido, looking me over. The others didn't say anything. Most of them turned away, uninterested, but Aido stood and walked towards me. I felt Takuma put his hand on my shoulder. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Hanabusa Aido," he said, taking my hand and raising it to his lips. I couldn't pull my hand away here. Not in front of all of them. I felt the brush of his cool lips, and then... was he smelling my hand?!
"Hanabusa..." I looked up and Kain, who was now standing behind Aido.
"Relax, Akatsuki... I'm jealous, Takuma. You picked such a sultry one. No doubt it's the vampire hunter blood that runs through her veins," he said, as I watched him lick one of his fangs. I felt Takuma's grip on my shoulder tighten.
"Aido."
Everyone turned to the source of the voice. At the top of the steps stood Kaname. If I was scared before, it was nothing compared to now.
"K-K-Kaname-sama!" Aido exclaimed. "I thought you were resting?!"
"That's no way to treat a guest, Aido," said Kaname, ignoring Aido and walking down the steps towards me. "Though, Shizuki-san, it's quite foolish of you to come here. Alone," said Kaname.
"It's okay. I'm accompanying Shizuki-san tonight. She's just going browse my manga collection and be on her way. If you'll excuse us," said Takuma, taking my hand and leading me up the stairs. This was so embarrassing. I should have known that I wouldn't be able to just walk in, unnoticed. Their eyes followed us until we were out of sight.
"Sorry about that," Takuma said, giving me an embarrassed smile that made my heart skip a beat. We stopped at a door. "Alright. Welcome to my room!" he said, opening the door. I stepped inside. It was pretty big for a dorm room, but that wasn't what first caught my eye. He had an entire shelved wall lined with nothing but manga.
"You weren't kidding..." I said, gazing at all the manga.
"Nope! I can't get enough of it! I know I don't look it, but I'm quite the otaku," he said, and even though I wasn't looking at him, I could hear the smile in his voice.
"How many series do you—"
"Three hundred twenty-four are here. The rest are at my house," he said. The rest?! I walked up to shelves, skimming across the titles. "You even collect the magazines... Shōnen Jump... Shōnen Gangan... LaLa?" I asked.
"What? Guys can't enjoy shōjo manga?" he asked, jokingly.
"No, it's just unusual. I love shōjo manga," I laughed, and then cut myself off. I was laughing with him?
"Well, shōnen is on the left and shōjo is on the right. And yaoi is on the top shelf, if you're into it," he said. I didn't know where to begin. I ran my fingers across the spines of the volumes, then stopped, allowing them to linger on a shōjo manga I had never heard of before. My heart began to beat faster as I realized where I was. I was alone with Takuma, in his dorm room. But... he's just being friendly, right? He's kind to everybody. He's just trying to be friends with the new girl... right?!
"Ichijo-san... why are you so kind to me? Really... I've caused you nothing but trouble," I said. I hadn't been paying attention, and I was suddenly jerked back to earth when I felt his hand over mine. His cool, large hand... he was so close to me!
"Well, I'm hoping..." he began, but trailed off. Again, I found myself frozen. They only thing moving was my rapid heartbeat. He then wrapped his hand around mine. "I'm hoping that one day, you'll no longer tremble at my touch," he said sadly.
Are those the words of a guy who just wants to be friends?! I gasped. I was shaking from head to foot.
"I... I-I- I should go," I said, panicking. I turned around and headed for the door. I didn't take two steps out before I saw Aido and Kain, standing in the hallway, blocking my exit. I stumbled backwards, away from them, and then I ran into someone from behind. I looked up to see Takuma, smiling down at me.
"I'm sorry for startling you like that. Would you like me to escort you out?"
"N-no, I'm sorry, I—" Wait... no I wasn't. I wasn't sorry for anything. But when I looked into his eyes, I felt like I should be. What is he doing to me?!
"Well, you shouldn't leave without taking a series with you. What do you like?" he asked, taking my hand and leading me back into his room. "I hope you don't mind if I close the door. Hanabusa is so nosy!"
"Takuma, you—!"
"Let's go, Hanabusa," I heard Kain say from the other side of the door.
"I'm sorry if they frightened you," said Takuma, approaching me. His eyes...
"No... it's my fault," I replied, unable to look away from him. He only gave me a kind smile and walked over to his manga wall.
"Now, I understand that my collection is overwhelming, so tell me what kind of manga you're into and I'll find my best recommendation," he said, scanning his wall.
"Uh... well, I've kind of been in a shōjo phase lately..." I replied.
"Uh-huh... any certain variety?"
"Well... um..." My face got unnaturally hot. He looked back at me, and I immediately averted my eyes, so I wouldn't get sucked into his gaze.
"Aw... you're blushing! Look, there's no need to be embarrassed. I've read them all as well," he said with a smile.
"Lately, I've been reading... manga with... girls and... vampires," I said quietly. I looked up at Takuma, who had a small smile playing on his face. He looked at me, grinning.
"I thought you were afraid of vampires?" he asked, with a sad smile.
"Eh... I- I'm—!"
"Don't be so embarrassed! I'm flattered, honestly," he said, laughing. "Besides, I have a lot of vampire manga! I find them all so hilarious that I just can't help myself," he said, browsing through the titles. The more time I spend with him, the less he seems like a vampire. "Have you ever read this series?" he asked, holding it up so I could see the cover art. It didn't look familiar to me, so I shook my head 'no' and he grabbed the rest of the series. He put the volumes in a bag, and then handed it to me. "Here you go! I think you'll like it. It's one of my favorites," he said.
"Thanks..."
"It's my pleasure. It's getting late… want me to walk you out?" he asked. I nodded. I've had my fill for one night... He opened the door and I walked out into the hallway. I was happy to see that no other vampires were lingering around. We walked back through the entrance hall and out the large wooden doors of the dorm.
"Uh... Kaname won't—?"
"Don't worry. I think he already has something on his mind. He seems troubled. He might scold me about bring you here later, but he shouldn't bother you."
"Is it that bad?"
"Guardian or not, he doesn't like it when humans come to our dorm. But whatever he says, I don't regret it. I'm really happy you came tonight," he said with a smile.
"Me too," I said, automatically. What was I saying?! "Uh... look, thanks a lot. You've been really kind to me and I really appreciate you loaning me your manga. I can make it to the headmaster's building from here," I said. We had walked back through the gates, and I could already see the building.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. You've already done so much for me tonight," I said.
"Very well, but if you don't mind..." he said, taking my hand. "I'm a little bit jealous that Hanabusa got to sneak a kiss on you before me," he said, raising my hand up to his lips. "Do you mind?"
"Please."
As I felt his lips brush against the top of my hand, butterflies filled my stomach. His lips were so cool and soft. When he lifted his head to look at me, I could still see his fangs in his smile, which made all the butterflies in my stomach drop dead.
"Oh! Ichijo-sama, you're outside?! Your new books arrived today! Where would you like them?!"
I looked, and a maid was standing outside of the doors of the dorm. I couldn't tell if she was a vampire or not, but furthermore... the night class has maids?!
"I'll be inside in a moment!" he called back.
"More books?" I asked. He didn't have enough?
"Of course. I've already read all of the ones in my room!" he said, smiling. Unbelievable... "I'll watch to make sure you make it to the Headmaster's safely. I'll see you in the evening, Shizuki-san," said Takuma.
"S-see you," I replied, as I took a step back. It wasn't until then that I realized he had been holding my hand the entire time. "Uh, thanks again," I said, taking my hand back and bowing my head to him, and then hurrying towards the headmaster's. I don't understand my relationship with him at all! Whenever I'm with him I'm nervous, but calm. I'm frightened of what he is, but I'm taken with who he is. And feeling all these things at once makes me seem about as intelligent as a baby... all I do is make a fool out of myself around him. I'm such a coward. And then I can't help but wonder if this is all just a trick. Is he using his vampire charm against me?
I shouldn't even be having this argument with myself in the first place… because Takuma Ichijo is a vampire. And vampires are horrid, evil creatures. They're sins against nature that drink the life out of humans in order to survive. Beasts in human form. I know this. I've known this my whole life, and it's consumed me and made me the spineless person I am today.
So why is it that for the first time in my life, I'm questioning all the beliefs that I've always held in my heart to be true?
(A/N): Finally, some Karuko/Takuma togetherness! And I know that I always make them fight, but I really do like Zero. It's Kaname that I can't stand... anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and come back for more! And if you liked it, you should review! Please? Pretty please? With [insert Vampire Knight character of choice] on top? Thanks for reading! . . . review.
stacyTHEemo :)