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Chapter 4: The Garden

Takuma

Aido, Kain, Yuki, and I went flying out of the dorm trying to follow A.J. One minute she was calm and the next she runs away. It seemed like she was all over the place as I was picking up her scent in multiple directions. She was obviously was looking for something, or someone. I stood with my eyes closed. I felt the slight breeze move, catching the light vanilla scent.

"She's this way," I said pointing. We all went running as fast as our powers could take us.

"I can sense her," said Yuki. We were approaching the main gate and say her standing there. Her jacket had fallen off her shoulders and she was grasping the gate.

"AJ, DON'T," I yelled.

AJ

I ran so fast everything started to blur. I couldn't stay in that suffocating environment a moment longer. I will never be what they expect me to be. I followed the smell of my aunts until I came to the gate. It was closed and I didn't see any sign of the car. I grasped the gate and looked through the iron bars. They were gone. My heart sank so deep, nothing ever could bring it back. I'm alone again. I sensed the oncoming presence of the Night Class students. There was no use in going anywhere. I could escape if I wanted to. Go back to living on the street like I was used to. But I'm a vampire now. And not just any vampire; a pureblood. They are counting on me to stay.

I don't want to let them down. If I stay I can prove that I deserve to be called a Valentine.

"AJ, DON'T," I heard a voice call from behind me. I turned to see Takuma standing behind me with Aido, Yuki, and Kain cornering me, making sure I don't escape. I looked past the gate again, kissing my freedom goodbye. I held the gate tightly as it kept me from falling to my knees. I felt my heart quicken with anxiety as I couldn't handle this sudden loss of self and will.

"Avery," called voice like steel. I turned to see Kaname Kuran coming out from the shadows, "Your aunts are gone and they have requested that I watch over you. I don't think it would be in your best interest to runaway now," He said firmly. I could fight my way out, but I'm not in control of my powers enough to use them, let alone to fight two purebloods. I have no choice. I have to stay.

I have nothing to lose. Nothing at all.

"Will you return to the dorm and stay," Kaname commanded more than ask. I looked at hands tightly holding the iron bars. I loosened my grip and let my arms go to my sides

"Yeah," I said hoarsely. I looked down as I walked back in the direction of the Moon Dorm. I was closely followed the whole way back. Once we got through the door, I saw that everyone who was at the little gathering had retired to their own rooms. The Kuran prince spoke again.

"Please don't try to run away again. This is for your own good," he said as I was walking up the stairs. I stopped halfway and turned,

"Why am I here," I asked bluntly. I looked directly into those wine-colored eyes.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," he said.

"Then I can't make any promises," I threatened.

"Avery," he called as I was about to continue my ascension. I turned to him again.

"You know I don't belong here so don't pretend like do," I said then running up the stairs before anyone could say anything else. I closed the door to my room and locked it. I took off my boots and flopped on the bed laying horizontal.

Hours passed and I felt thirsty. I got up and unlocked my door, only to run into the blonde Takuma Ichijo in the hall.

Takuma

After hours of inactivity she exited her room without shoes and in a spilt-second she went from surprised to blank. I opened my mouth to say something.

"Have been out here the entire time," she asked.

"Yes," I said quickly. Her eyes were piercing right through me.

"To babysit me, I suppose, make sure I don't try to escape again."

"Not exactly. Kaname-sama told me to stay and be here if you needed anything."

"I want a glass of water, or shall you have me die of dehydration," she said in a more monotone voice.

"I can get you a glass of water," I offered kindly with a smile.

"So I can stay in the vicinity of my room." I didn't really know what to say after that; she got me there. Kaname had ordered me to keep an eye on her. She pushed right past me. She stopped and looked back at me.

"Come on," she said motioning with her head, "You can't necessarily do your job of monitoring me, if you don't come along," she said with a sigh. I proceeded to follow her. She walked silently through the dining room with her bare feet not making a sound. We entered the kitchen where there were some maids cleaning up who stopped and bowed in reverence. She asked politely, where the glasses were and they pointed to the cupboard. She got a tall glass after reaching on her tip-toes. She then scanned the room for the large refrigerator and got four ice cubes out of the ice box. She went to the sink and filled up her glass and proceeded to take a sip. Everyone one in the kitchen, me included were surprised that she did all of that without assistance. She obviously wasn't used to people waiting on her hand and foot like most aristocratic vampires. She glanced over at me with a sort of questioning glance, "Do you prefer Ichijo, or Takuma," she said randomly.

"People call me Ichijo, but you can call me Takuma," I said nervously as her eyes were locked with mine. She made a 'hmm' sort of sound and turned to leave the kitchen. She thanked them gracefully and walked out of the kitchen glass in hand and a sway in her hips. I followed right behind her as we ascended the stairs back to her room. She opened the door and left it ajar. While turning on the light.

"Well, don't be a bloody creeper! Come in, Takuma," she said annoyed. I entered her room and closed the door behind me. She placed her glass on the bedside table and sat on her bed indian-style facing me with her arms hanging loosely between her legs. She seemed to be looking at me with observing eyes, analyzing my every move like she was the one watching me. She obviously doesn't realize how utterly breath taking she was. She has such a haphazard way of looking from her worn boost and her oversized jean jacket that was now hanging onto her by the sleeves to her lusciously bouncy hair that was tousled in a messy fashion. This look was made for her; no one else could pull this off and still look like a princess.

I glanced at her luggage that looked untouched from when Kain, Aido, and I brought it in.

"Do you need help unpacking," I asked pointing to her luggage. She turned her head lazily to look at her things and shrugged her shoulders.

"Not really," she said in her thick accent and raspy voice, "I travelled a little light, compared to most so it won't take long, Plus I don't have a lot of clothes since we wear a uniform, correct," she asked.

"Yes, in fact, your uniform is hanging in your closet." I went over to her closet and opened the double doors. I turned on the light to reveal two crisp white, Night Class uniforms hanging in the center of her closet. It was a walk-in closet that rounded in the center with a light in the middle and two rows to hang clothes. She walked over swift walked in. She turned and looked at me with a smirk, "Do I really need a walk in closet," twirled inside the confined space, "I don't think I have enough clothes to fill a quarter of a shelf." She started to examine the uniform, touching the pure white fabric, caressing it.

"Oh, I almost forgot," I said remembering something majorly important. She turned around with curious eyes. I reached in my pocket and gave her a black tin filled with blood tablets.

"What is this," she asked baffled

"Blood tablets, for when you get hungry," I said. She opened it and nodded.

"So we can' drink real blood," she stated rather than questioned.

"Yes, drinking blood is prohibited on campus."

"Hmm," she said as she walked past me to her bedside nightstand and dropped two tablet in her water. She swirled it around slightly so it could dissolve past the ice cubes and sipped the blood red drink. She drank it liked she was used to the taste. She glanced at the clock as it read 4am. She walked over to the large window that almost reached the ceilings, sat on the cushioned ledge and looked out the window. It was still dark and the stars were still out. The moon was already descending in the sky, but it still shone on her dark locks.

"Don't fret, love," she said still looking out the window, "I'm not going to leave again. I can't," she said the last part with some sadness, but when she turned, her expression was stone cold serious.

"Alright well, I hope you rest well. Kaname expects you in class with us," I said.

"Lovely," she said in a bored tone.

"Goodnight, Miss AJ," I said bowing and opening the door.

"Wait Takuma," she called out. I stopped and at her with her tousled hair covering one of her eyes an body facing me.

"Why do you think I'm here," she asked in a somber mixed with innocent tone. I honestly had no real answer.

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure your aunts brought you here for a good reason." She had a slight longing expression on her face that turned into an unreadable stare.

"Goodnight Takuma," she said in monotone and turned back to the window. I said goodnight again and exited the room.

I stayed outside for a moment looked and the doorknob without moving. AJ Valentine was a very interesting girl indeed. One minute she is like a curiously vibrant child and the next she is an aloof and dominating aura that is natural for a pureblood. She's very independent in a way I'm not used to with Kaname, but grittier than Yuki.

I went to Kaname and Yuki's room at the end of the hall and knocked.

"Enter," Kaname commanded. I walked in and found just him in the room, sitting on the dark love seat reading.

"Kaname," I said bowing, "AJ-sama has turned in for the evening."

"Good. I still want you to check on her, just as a precaution," he said coolly.

"May I ask, Kaname, what brings her hear to Cross Academy," I asked.

"What do you mean," he asked without looking away from the book.

"I mean, there is no outstanding reason for her to be here as a foreign pureblood. She doesn't really want to go here, and even though they are expanding their business associations, they are not planning to move to Japan, so why send their only niece to Japan to live by herself?" Kaname was flipping pages while talked and stopped mid-flip on the last part. He looked up from the book with a blank expression.

"The thought this was the best thing for her," he said.

"If I'm not mistaken, though, she just reunited with them three years ago and has only been a pureblood for one. Wouldn't it be better for her to be with her family; to get to know them better and bond, as well as learn how to be a powerful pureblood?" Kaname closed the book with his finger marking the pages and he let out a sigh.

"The Valentines are my dear and closest friends. In fact, I consider them my family," he looked in my direction, "there is a reason they have asked me to watch over and protect AJ. I will tell you when the time comes, Takuma. Trust me."

"I trust you," I said smiling at my childhood friend, "Goodnight Kaname."

"Goodnight Takuma," he said softly and returned to his book.

AJ

I went into my personal bathroom and decided to shower. After the long day I had, I needed something to calm my nerves. Everything happened so quickly, that it felt like a dream; I bad hallucination I was sleep-walking through.

I discarded my clothes, turned on the shower and let steam rise. I stepped in and let the hot spray rain down my back. I lifted my face up and felt the pulse run through my hair. I took the vanilla soap massaged it into my skin letting it soothe my nerves. As the water showered down, I kept having flashbacks of running; I was running. I don't know what I was running from but I was running. She sound of the shower turned into the sound of my feet hitting the ground and the wind blowing through my ears. I felt my heart race faster and my breathing was getting labored. I felt like screaming, I was going to scream as my I heard myself panting. I might have been standing still but my body felt like it was exerting all its energy to run away from whatever horrible thing I was chasing me. I don't want it to get me. Just before I exploded from the stress, I pressed the vanilla scented loofa to my face calm me down. The sweet smell filled my senses, bringing me back to a safer place. I had realized my eyes were closed until they were fluttering to open. The first thing I saw was my bright green loofa. I took it down from face and held it close to my body. The face of Takuma Ichijo, flashed in my mind; his soft green eyes looking at me with such wonder and kindness. No one has ever looked at me like that. My loofa barely compared to the bright hue of Takuma's glorious orbs. I felt the water getting cooler and immediately shut it off. The shallow walls of the shower stall amplified my breaths as they became quiet and even. I placed the loofa next to my soap and left the stall. I grabbed the white fluffy towel hanging up and dried myself before I dried my hair. I left the bathroom and put on a cotton tank top and underwear. I wrapped myself in my kimono-style robe and sat on the cushioned- window ledge. I gazed out at the garden in the backyard of the dorm. It's collection of beautiful flowers reminding me of a magical forest. The kind of forest I wished was my home, when I didn't have one. Whenever I had to sleep in a crowded homeless shelter, when the foster home wasn't safe, I dreamed I was sleeping in a canopy bed of daisies, grown between peach and apple trees, while a curtain of wisteria hid me from the world. Beautiful red roses would sing me a lullaby while a chrysanthemum cradled my head. The sunflowers and lilies would watch over me and the lilac kept me warm from the cool breeze. I would soon wake to the morning glories and gardenias greeting me with sunrays that shone on another glorious day in paradise. This image lulled me to sleep every night and made me feel safe from all the chaos in the world. No matter where I slept, my garden always made me safe; it was my home. My real home.

But it was all in my imagination.

A figment of my imagination.

I used to think the existence of vampires was all just fantasy. They weren't real. And the day I found out was the day I found out I had a family. Soon enough I believed I had a real home. I wouldn't need my imaginary garden anymore. It wasn't real anyway.

And neither was my family. . .they were vampires and so was I.

My reality became a fantasy world; but it wasn't one where I could be safe.

I became a Valentine, a pureblood vampire, and I would never be safe again… and that's why my father left me.

I wish I could play in the beautiful garden and sit by the fountain, but it starting to transition from the medium of dawn into daylight and I couldn't get caught in the sunlight. Not anymore. I got up the spot on the windowsill and walked to the vanity next to it, closing the curtains in the process. I felt something dripping from my face and looked at my reflection. I am crying and I don't know why. I proceeded to comb through my dark locks with a wide-toothed comb so my curly hair wouldn't tangle as it dried. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing down. I didn't sob, didn't whine, my face didn't contort in emotional pain. Was this a part of being a pureblood? Being numb to everything? I finished combing my hair and got under the fluffy, down comforter. I let the plush pillows cradle my head like the chrysanthemum in my daydream. I wiped my face of the liquid that was gushing from my eyes. Was I mourning the loss of my humanity or mourning my freedom? Was I crying over the realization that I would never have a real home? I buried my face in my pillows and dreamed of whatever good thing I had left; my aunts, my garden, the color of Takuma's eyes. Before I knew it I drifted to sleep.

Takuma:

I checked on Miss AJ later on in the night to see that she was sleeping soundly. Her black hair sprayed over the pillow in slightly wet waves. She slept in her kimono style robe, her shoulder bare, not being covered by the robe or covers. I walked in the room, my steps cushioned by the soft carpet. I walked over to the bed and covered her creamy skin with her robe and then the comforter. She looked so peaceful. I reached for her cheek. I caressed her soft, porcelain skin with the back of my hand. I trailed my hand down to the silver chain that connected to the beautiful chair that had the same color as her mesmerizing eyes. I pulled my hand away before I could touch the stone as it was nestled on her chest near the crevice of her bust. It would be dishonorable of me to cross the line. Kaname trusted me with looking after her and I couldn't taint his trust with curious fondling. I could tell from today's events that she was battling something inside her. She ran away so suddenly and yet gave in so quickly. Apart of her wanted to leave, but something in her made her stay. I noticed the dried streaks of tears that marked her flawless cheeks, tinting them slightly red. Did she cry herself to sleep? I caressed her hair and listened to her even breaths and watched the rise and fall of her chest. She was a gorgeous sight when asleep. She stirred in her sleep, sighing seductively causing my insides to leap and I felt my face get hot slightly. I shook the shameful thoughts from my mind and cover her curvaceous body with the comforter.

"Goodnight, Princess Avery," I said caressing her hair one last time and leaving the foreign beauty to sleep.

Sorry if the chapter sucks. I promise the next one will be better. Please review! I really want to know how I can make it better. Thank you guys who have supported my projects! Love you!