CHAPTER 4 (Maxine Jonokishi)
What was that...thing?
I saw Kaname reach out to me, trying to comfort me. I didn't want to be comforted, I wanted answers. I couldn't let Kaname baby me.
I shoved his hands away, a surge of anger flowing through me. I could see most of the Night Class tense at the action, though I didn't know why.
Aido stepped forward; however, I could see Kaname motion him back. I started to feel like I had done something wrong.
"Kaname, I'm not a child, so don't treat me like one."
"That was never my intention." He replied with a small smile. I turned to Rachel, who looked pale. I noticed her hand in Takuma's and gave her a smile, which she weakly returned as Takuma stepped forward and dropped her hand.
"Kaname, I think I should take them back to their dorms. We don't know if there are anymor- er I mean for their safety." He shot a knowing look at Rachel, who nodded almost imperceptibly.
I had gotten used to these looks that Rachel shared with everyone. Except for me of course, but I had always given her the benefit of the doubt. Even when she shared them with Zero, which I found bizarre.
But it was clear now that I could no longer wait for her to tell me.
It was clear that there was only one way I was going to figure out what secret she was keeping from me, that what seemed like the whole of Cross Academy was keeping from me, was, and the meaning behind it.
It was clear that I...
...was going to have to break into the Moon Dormitories.
"Maxine?" Rachel called, shaking my shoulder. "Maxine. We need to go."
I nodded, realizing that I had no choice.
"Come with me, I'll take you back to your dorms." Takuma smiled warmly at me. I followed Rachel and Takuma out the door, watching them have a silent conversation through simple looks.
Although I hadn't been at Cross Academy for very long, it didn't take a genius to know that Takuma and Rachel had known each other for years. I smiled, seeing him reach out and grab her hand.
I told her it was only a matter of time...
I let my mind wander, thinking about whatever had just attacked us in the Moon Dorms. It looked human, however it didn't seem human. The look in its eyes as it looked at me...
I shivered.
Why didn't Kaname think I could handle myself on my own?
How did that monster get into the school?
Why did the monster want to get into the school?
The questions raced through my mind, causing me to lose all sense of time. In what had seemed like an instant, Rachel and I were deposited at the doors to the Sun Dorms, Takuma giving Rachel an apologetic look as he left.
"Be careful..." He smiled at her, although the warning seemed to be meant for both of us. "Don't leave the dorms until morning, and if anything...happens," he glanced at Rachel. "Then call for help. And don't tell anyone about what happened in the Moon Dorm."
I nodded. I turned to Rachel before we wordlessly walked through the doors and up to our room. She sat on her bed, looking nervously at me.
"What was that thing?" I demanded.
Silence.
"What was it doing in the school?"
Silence.
"What did Shiki do to that thing to make it- what- explode?"
Silence.
"Why aren't you telling me about this?"
Silence.
I looked down before muttering quietly, "Don't you trust me?"
Rachel looked up at me with tears forming in her eyes. "Of course! I can't tell you though! You don't understand how much would be at stake if I did. How can I put this so you will understand?" She paused, looking down at her hands. "You know when I told you about how I like Takuma?"
I nodded.
"Well, if someone asked you who I liked, and you had sworn to me that you wouldn't tell anyone, would you tell them?"
"Of course not!" I replied.
"Even if you trusted that person?" She looked up at me, pleading with me to understand.
I sat down on my bed, realizing that she was right. Of course, I was still going to have to break into the Moon Dorms, but at least now I knew that Rachel wasn't willingly keeping the secret from me.
"I guess I understand..." I looked at her grinning. "But you do know that you're forcing me to figure this out on my own, right? And that I'm going to figure it out through any means possible?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way." She replied with a grin.
I woke up with a plan. I would skip class today, it's not like it would be the first time, and sneak into the Moon Dorms when all of the Night Class students would be asleep.
I left before Rachel woke up, knowing that she would only ask me not to go if she knew. Besides, now she could just assume I was out with Zero, and would only know that I wasn't going to class after it was too late. I grabbed my Artemis Rod, which I used to defend myself when I was out patrolling the grounds, and dashed out the door. I sped through the trees, figuring that the forest was probably the best way to go to reduce the risk of being seen, and was soon at the Moon Dorm gates.
I walked up to the guard, showing him my armband displaying that I was a Guardian. He nodded at me and let me through, where I circled around the building, searching for a way in. After several minutes of searching, I finally found my chance.
There was an empty room with a balcony on the second floor, so I walked up to the wall and began to climb the ivy that grew along the wall. When I reached the top, I slid over the banister and peeked into the windowed French doors in search of movement. When I was sure the room was empty, I turned the knob and was surprised to see that it was unlocked.
I crept through the room and slowly peeked into hallway, and, hearing voices down the hallway, I froze. I could tell they were coming from the front room where we had had the party, so I carefully tip-toed within hearing range. I peeked over the railing on the upper level of the foyer, having seated myself in an ideal space to hear and see the students below, who were still unaware of my presence.
"Why was it here? Level E's don't usually go out of their way to fight a battle they know they will lose. Even the most mentally unstable Level E would know that coming here would be a death wish. It had to have been sent by someone." Ruka looked down at her hands as she spoke.
Level E? Was that what attacked me?
"And what about that female disciplinary committee member? What's to be done about her?" Shiki asked, looking bored.
"You mean Rachel?" Takuma asked, puzzled why Shiki didn't call me by my name.
"No, the other one..." He trailed off, shoving a piece of Pocky into his mouth.
"Her? She disrespected Lord Kaname!" Aido stood, obviously angry.
Disrespected? What did I do?
A feeling of worry flowed through me as I wondered whether I really had been disrespectful. What would Kaname think? Was he mad at me?
I looked over the banister again, noticing the red liquid Aido brought to his lips.
What is that?
He brought the glass down to the table as I saw that the angered expression had not yet left his face. I furrowed his eyebrows and glared at the red liquid. It quickly turned to ice and the glass cracked, causing Kain to turn to Aido and glare at him accusingly.
"Aido, control yourself." He warned.
WHAT? Aido did that? But how is that possible?
"Although I must admit," Aido continued, smirking now. "She does smell absolutely delicious..."
"Aido, you'd better be careful about what you say." Kain warned, leaning against the wall.
"I was just saying..." Aido said defensively.
He trailed off as I noticed a new presence in the room. Kaname strode over to Aido, glaring murderously at him.
"You just?" He questioned, narrowing his eyes before slapping Aido across the face.
Aido grabbed his cheek, looking down in shame. "No one touches her, is that clear?" Kaname turned to inspect the faces of his fellow classmates.
What? Why is Kaname being so...protective? Could he possibly...? No. He probably just doesn't want any trouble for the rest of the Night Class.
And what did Aido mean by "delicious"?
I stood, running from the room silently. I had learned far more than I had expected, however was burning with even more questions than before. I quickly left the Moon Dormitories, noticing with a sigh that it had already gotten dark and began wandering about the grounds.
I was passing the stables when I saw movement in the darkness, so I cautiously proceeded forward. I peeked around the corner of the stables into the doorway, having already drawn my Artemis Rod and was ready to use it.
I entered the large space, the smell of hay overwhelming me. I squinted, trying to see through the darkness when all of the sudden I saw a flash of crimson. I stepped towards it while shakingly asking, "Who's there?"
Just then, the clouds outside parted and allowed a thin strip of moonlight to shine through the open doors, illuminating the face of...Zero Kiryu?
I knelt down next to him as he clenched his neck, fighting back pain.
"Zero, what is it?" I asked, worried for my friend.
He looked at me desperately and hoarsely gasped, "LEAVE..."
I looked skeptically at him, knowing that Zero had a tendency to keep all of his emotions bottled up inside and to push away those closest to him.
"No," I answered adamantly. "You aren't going to push me away Zero. I'm trying to help you!" I reached out, trying to touch his shoulder in a comforting manner. Instead, he jerked away from me, as if my touch was poisonous, before hauling himself up and staggering out of the doors.
"ZERO!" I called, hurt that he had in fact pushed me away. I ran after him, but when I exited the barn, I saw no one.
"MAXINE!" Rachel cried as I opened the door to our room as she threw her arms around me in a tight hug. I awkwardly patted her back, not sure whether or not to return the hug.
I found no need because Rachel pulled away, obviously having been in panic-mode before my arrival. I could tell she had been pacing, which was never a good sign with her.
"Where have you been?" She asked, worried still. "You weren't in classes today!"
I was about to answer her when it struck me that I couldn't tell her. In fact, I couldn't tell anyone about my moonlight escapades at the Moon Dorm.
I closed my mouth and looked away.
"Maxine? What were you doing?" She asked, getting even more concerned by the minute.
Again, I remained silent.
"Maxine! Why aren't you telling me anything?" She asked, pleading with me to tell her.
The silence that followed was possibly the most awkward silence I had ever experienced in my life. I stared out the window, avoiding her gaze, as she searched my face for answers.
Finally, I stood, gesturing towards the door. "Don't we still have Guardian Duties tonight?"
She pulled away, her face hardening as well. She turned around and reached out for her sword, wordlessly grabbing it and walking out the door. I followed her, feeling guilty, however refusing to change my mind. With a sad nod, we parted ways. I watched her slowly retreating form fade into the forest as I spun on my heels and meandered aimlessly throughout the grounds, only half-paying attention to my surroundings.
I snapped my head up when I saw Zero, leaning against a tree. He was still clutching his neck, as he had been in the barn, however I could see his eyes glowing a frightening crimson in the darkness.
I froze as the crimson eyes shifted their focus to me, shivering slightly. Zero was panting as I leaned down and hugged him.
"Zero, I'm trying to help you, why are you pushing me away?" I pulled away, and saw a strange look pass over his face.
He stepped away from the tree, grabbing my shoulders and drawing in ragged breaths now.
He leaned towards me, avoiding my eyes as he looked at my neck.
What is Zero- OH!
I gasped in surprise as I felt his breath against my neck, hot and rapid. He paused before closing the gap between his mouth and my neck. I felt a sudden pain in my neck, as if something sharp were piercing my flesh.
WHAT IS ZERO DOING?
I began to panic, not knowing what was going on. I heard the strangest sound, almost as if Zero was...drinking...
We stayed like that for a while, me paralyzed in fear and Zero seemingly drinking from my neck. Finally, I began to feel faint as the pain subsided a little and I saw Zero pull away, looking me in the eye with a disgusted look on his face.
This did not look like the Zero I knew. In one horrifying moment, I realized who Zero now resembled.
The "Level E" who had attacked me at the Moon Dorms.
Zero's panting had stopped, I noticed, as he wiped his sleeve across his mouth, attempting to clear away the red liquid around his mouth.
"This being I've become... it's despicable..." Zero looked down and began to stumble backwards.
Something in me changed in that moment.
Zero no longer resembled a blood-thirsty beast.
He resembled a hurt and broken boy, who had lost himself in a sea of despair.
I reached out before I knew what I was doing, grabbing his shirt with one hand while covering my neck, which was now drenched in blood, with the other.
"Zero! Wait!"
He righted himself, an incredulous look forming on his face.
"I want you to talk to me, Zero. I told you... to stop pushing me away." I looked straight into his eyes, daring him to turn away.
"Maxine..." His voice was thick with emotion as he collapsed to his knees, giving in. "I-I'm so sorry...I'm a monster... what kind of person would attack the girl he cares so deeply for..."
His head fell onto my shoulder as he came closer to me.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you hated me right now..." He breathed.
"Zero," I said softly. "I could never hate you." I fell to my knees too, looking up into his eyes.
Zero looked at me, surprised.
"Come on," I pulled away, grabbing his hand before giving it a squeeze. "We need to get out of here and cleaned up before someone sees us." I began glancing around, scanning for anyone.
"Maxine..." He trailed off, before looking down at our hands.
I smiled at him, watching his eyes widen. "Let's go." I said softly, as we both got to our feet. I smiled quietly as he squeezed my hand in return.
I looked up as Zero came into the door, the ends of his hair still dripping from the shower he just took to wash away the blood that had gotten all over him earlier. I had taken mine earlier, and we were now in the living room in the Headmaster's Private Quarters, seeing as it was the place we could be sure that no one would be able to find us. Headmaster was still in his office, and rarely ever went into his Private Quarters, so mainly the Guardians used it for late night showers when the dorm showers were closed.
He sat down next to me on the couch as I turned to him, smiling. "So Zero, I was wondering if you could tell me about-" I paused, unsure of whether or not Zero was ready for this. "-your past."
I could see him tense and grimace as he looked down, as if remembering something painful.
After several moments of silence, I was beginning to doubt that Zero would answer me, and that I had just crossed a dangerous line.
This is why I was surprised when I heard Zero begin to speak softly.
"What do you want to know?" He looked up at me tenderly.
The vulnerable look on Zero's face completely took me aback, leaving me speechless for several moments.
"Uhm..." I paused, thinking. "All of it? How did you come to be at Cross Academy? Haven't you lived here with the Headmaster for several years now?"
Zero sighed. "It all started four years ago, when I was little. I was living with my parents, like most normal kids do, and my brother, Ichiru."
I reeled, shocked that Zero had a brother. I had never seen him before, and Zero had never talked about him before, so I had always just assumed Zero was an only child.
"He was born with a weak constitution..." Zero continued, "And was sick most of the time. We were really close, seeing as we were twins."
This was too much. "WHAT?" I blurted out, quickly covering my mouth with my hand after I said it. I looked down apologetically before muttering, "Sorry...go ahead..."
Zero chuckled before continuing with his story. "We were training with our master, hoping to learn to fight just as well as our mother and father."
"So...your parents were hunters? What, exactly, did they hunt?" I asked, intrigued.
He looked at me wearily, as if choosing his words carefully.
"They hunted...monsters. Monsters that you couldn't imagine in your worst nightmares." I could hear remorse in Zero's voice, as I wondered if he himself had turned into one of these "monsters".
"Zero?" I spoke up, trying to figure out how to say what I had to say. "It's ok. I know you're a vampire."
I had put it together when Zero and I were walking to the Headmaster's building. I had been thinking about what he had done. Considering that he had in fact bitten me, and according to the gulping noises which I had presumed to be the sounds of him drinking my blood, what else could Zero be? I know that vampires weren't supposed to be real, but it was the only logical explanation.
Zero was a vampire.
He looked at me, shocked. "How did you...?"
"Please Zero. I'm not stupid." I grinned, trying to lighten up the moment.
Zero gave me a sad smile before ruffling my hair in a familiar gesture. "Yes...they were vampire hunters. There is a whole society filled with them, trying to keep them from senselessly attacking humans. My parents were a part of this society, and frequently went out on jobs to go kill them.
One day, when Ichiru was feeling well enough to go outside, we were wandering through the cherry tree grove not too far from our house. It was winter and they had no leaves or blossoms, but it was still a place that we both felt at peace.
It was then that we saw her.
By the farthest cherry tree was a woman. Her hair was long and grey, however somehow still held the life of a young woman's hair in it. She wore a long kimono and had an odd presence about her. The branches on that tree were filled with blossoms, which caught the wind and blew towards Ichiru and I.
'Is that snow?' Ichiru had asked hopefully. I don't think he had ever seen snow...he had been kept inside most of his life because he was sick.
'No,' I had answered. 'The cherry blossoms are blooming out of season.'
'She's so beautiful...' Ichiru had noted, wonder in his voice. I turned away, grabbing his hand and saying, 'Ichiru it's time we head back home...Father and Mother will be probably be looking for us.'
'What's wrong, Zero?' Ichiru asked, confused.
'That woman there is a vampire.'
Later one night, I could hear footsteps outside, and I felt her presence again. I rushed to the door, pulling it open and I saw her standing on the lawn.
'Clever boy.' her voice chilled me to the bone, 'You knew I was here even before your parents noticed.' she had laughed, amused somehow. 'The twin children of the hunters. It all comes down to your sinful blood.'
Before I knew it, she was behind me, nearing my neck. She wanted to punish my parents for killing 'him'. I still don't know who that was, but it didn't matter. She bit into my neck, as my blood soon covered the once white snow. She attacked my whole family, leaving only me alive. The last I saw of Ichiru, he was behind her, looking confused. I had shouted at him to run, then blacked out.
That woman was named Shizuka Hio.
And she was a pureblood vampire.
The worst kind of vampire." Zero's voice hardened as he said these words. I reached out and touched his shoulder, trying to be supportive.
Zero seemed to snap out of it and continued his story.
"After that night, Headmaster Cross took me in and provided me with a home. I began to fall into a rut, all of the days and years beginning to blur together. I was beginning to give up, not caring about what happened to me anymore.
Until I met you."
Zero looked into my eyes, searching for something.
"When you stood up to Kaname like that...I realized you were different from everyone else. And the better I got to know you, the more I saw how true it was. You saw me differently than everyone else. You didn't see me as just another Guardian, or someone scary. You saw me as a person, and as hard as I tried to push you away, being so used to a life of solitude, I couldn't get away from you. You were in my thoughts, in my dreams, and I'm fairly certain in my heart..."
Zero reached for my hand, gently holding it in his. His hands were warm and his touch sent shivers up my spine. My heart was racing as I looked into his deep purple eyes and he smiled at me like he had never smiled before.
It was a real smile that reached every corner of his face. His eyes lit up and I lost all ability to speak as he opened his mouth again.
"I think I was able to live on because you were beside me." He finished.
My heart jumped into my throat. I opened my mouth to reply to Zero and the door swung open.