Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight
Chapter 9
Unknown Instinct
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Reina inquired coldly.
"What does it look like, my dear?" Michael answered. His his eyes flickered over Reina, glowing a dark red while his fangs hovered inches from the girl's exposed neck.
Reina regarded him coolly. He had turned his attention back to the girl he held against his tall, lean frame.
"Bite her and your life is forfeit," Reina threatened.
A dark chuckle echoed through the clearing as Michael looked up at Reina, a manic grin on his face.
"You? Harm me? It's impossible and you know it. You're weak, Reina, you aways have been. Your blood may be strong, but you are not," he said tauntingly.
Reina's eyes betrayed her as self doubt flickered through them followed by anger, but not at Michael for what he spoke, but at herself. He was right, she was weak. She had never had to fight a day in her life, she had always been protected by others. Would she even be able to survive based on instinct alone? A vampire's instincts were certainly amazing, but some things come only with experience.
Michael released the blond girl and leaned over to whisper seductively in her ear. Reina growled quietly as his words reached her ears and she saw the glint of silver as Michael gave the girl a sharp, long dagger.
"Kill her."
Letting her body tense slightly Reina watched as the blond girl came forward, her eyes were far away and distant as she charged ahead. Reina bared her fangs at Michael who stood by watching the scene with a look of mild amusement.
'I can't hurt this girl, she's only a puppet,' Reina thought. 'I need to get to Michael.'
Being only a human the girl couldn't match Reina's speed even if she wasn't the one in control of her movements. At least that's what Reina had thought. As she disappeared to confront Michael the girl suddenly appeared before her. Surprised, Reina stumbled back a few steps when the girl lashed out at her with the dagger. Leaping away and landing on the trunk of a nearby tree Reina hissed instinctively as the girl came at her yet again, the dagger raised and ready to strike.
Disappearing in a quick, fluid movement Reina appeared behind the girl in hopes of disarming her. Her attempt was in vain, however, when the girl swung around wildly. The dagger slashed through the air, but Reina knocked the girl's hand away easily. She was beginning to worry that if things were to continue much longer she would hurt the girl without really meaning to.
"Having fun yet, Reina?" Michael sneered. "You can't even fight a little human girl. You are a disgrace to purebloods and don't deserve to call yourself one of us."
"What do you want, Michael?" Reina hissed while she leapt away from another of the girl's attacks and landed on the limb of an old knobby tree.
She glared down at Michael and the girl who seemed to be gazing up at her in confusion now.
'She can't get up here, so she can't follow her orders,' Reina thought. ' So if I stay in the trees, I might be able to get out of this with out hurting her.'
"I want your power, dear. You aren't worthy of the blood that flows through your veins," Michael said coldly.
"You already drank from me once. You will not drink from me again. More importantly...You will not kill me," she replied defiantly. He may have gained some of her strength from her blood, but she wasn't about to let him kill her for all of it.
"What's this? Has the pretty little princess Reina grown a backbone?" Michael stated in mock surprise. "Why the sudden change of heart, Reina? You were willing to give me your life on that night, why not now?"
"I have realized that I am not alone. That I have friends, unlike you."
Michael laughed harshly as she leapt into another tree that was a little closer to where he stood. "You think they're your friends, Reina? Especially Kaname. What good are you to him? What good are you to anyone?"
Reina's eyes showed her doubt and her uncertainty. "No, you're wrong," she answered, her voice didn't sound proud and strong like she had wanted and it surprised her. She swallowed and clenched her fists together, she wouldn't doubt her friends, even if she was worthless, they were not.
"See, even you know it. You're nothing, Reina. Nothing more than a spoiled little girl who knows nothing about how the world works," Michael said, a large, feral grin dominating his face as he looked at something behind her.
Reina's eyes widened and her senses suddenly started screaming at her to move. She stepped to the side and spun lithely. The dagger that was aimed for her heart missed her chest, but slashed open the sleeve of her white jacket and the black shirt of the uniform and bit into the flesh of her arm. Crimson liquid sprayed out of the cut and stained the sleeve of the white uniform with her blood.
"You're too easily distracted, Reina. When in a battle never take your eyes from your opponent," Michael teased.
'Bastard. He was just distracting me,' she thought angrily, eying the possessed girl warily and covering her bleeding arm with her other hand. She could feel the blood trickling down her arm and seeping over her fingertips before dripping to the ground below her.
The blond girl suddenly leapt at Reina, who in turn, leapt backwards and landed on the ground in a partial crouch. She watched as the blond girl slipped on the branch she had been perched on, slicing her hand open as she tried to catch herself. The girl lost her balance, the metallic scent of her blood invading the air as she fell.
Reina moved to catch the girl, but Michael was behind her in a flash, one hand holding her neck just under her chin while the other was wrapped around her middle. She tried to break free as the girl fell, but Michael's grip was relentless. She turned her head as the girl neared the earth, not wanting to witness the sickening impact that she knew was unavoidable.
The bone crushing impact she had expected never came. Instead there was the sound of something soft falling against something fleshy and a grunt. Turning back, Reina was surprised to see that Zero had caught the girl before she could hit the ground. She hadn't actually sensed him nearby, but figured that since she was a little preoccupied she hadn't noticed his approach. She breathed out a sigh of relief when Zero lowered the girl to the ground. Now unconscious the silver dagger fell from her limp hands.
"You're the Kiryu boy. The one survivor of the massacre that Hio woman was responsible for," Michael observed as he grinned wolfishly at Zero.
Zero's eyes hardened and his face fell into his usual scowl. He glared at Michael and glanced at Reina who was in his arms in a mockery of a loving embrace.
"Get the girl and go," Reina shouted at him as she struggled against Michael's grasp.
"What are you doing out here?" Zero growled.
Reina had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the boy, she may be childish and he may be suspicious, but now just wasn't the time.
"I just came to visit my fiance," Michael replied. He leaned closer to Reina and ran his tongue along her neck before lightly nipping at her ear.
Reina shivered at the feel of his breath against her skin and struggled against him again. Only this time she caught him off guard and was able to slip from his grasp before an unseen force sent him flying through the air.
"Get out of here," Reina ordered, whipping around to look at Zero. He regarded blankly and made no move to leave. "Go!"
"That wasn't very nice," Michael sneered coldly.
Appearing in front of Reina he grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the trunk of a tree. The rough bark of the tree dug painfully into Reina's back and she fidgeted uncomfortably as she tried to break free of Michael's restrictive grasp. Placing both her hands around his arm, Reina managed a weak smile before Michael was forced to release her. A strange swirl of energy had begun to rotate around him. He was pushed back a few feet, dirt piling up beneath his polished black shoes. Reina dropped to to the ground roughly jarring her knees. Grasping at the bruised skin of her throat, she struggled to catch her breath.
Eyes wide, her head snapped up as a gunshot shattered the quiet of the forest. She bolted upright to see that Zero skillfully held his Bloody Rose gun raised before him, a thin trail of smoke leaking from the barrel, twisting and writhing as it rose into the air.
Everything fell silent for Reina as she turned her head to look at Michael. He was clutching at his right shoulder and snarling angrily at Zero, his lips pulled back to reveal his fangs. Her hearing returned to her in a rush of air as everything progressed in what felt like slow motion.
White hair fanned out around a petite body. Sapphire eyes narrowed as a wind began to violently stir the shadows. Angry crimson eyes flashed in the darkness before all went eerily silent for several short seconds. Reina disappeared from her spot the same instant Michael seemed to melt into the earth.
A bitter wind stirred in the clearing, whipping Zero's hair around his face and stirring the blond student's black uniform around her. The trees started bending and warping as the knobby branches creaked and groaned under the pressure of the savage wind that was tearing through them.
There was a sharp intake of breath as the trees around the clearing rippled and disappeared in a dramatic display, like the shattering of stained glass or the explosion of fireworks in the night sky. They were replaced by less nightmarish pine trees and bushes that no longer looked as if they were trying to devour the very earth itself. Pale moonlight crept down into the clearing, casting an eerie, ominous glow on the four still people there.
Zero's eyes widened when he realized that the clearing they were in was suddenly completely different from only moments before. It was no longer threatening and too dark, but that wasn't what made his breath hitch in his throat. The scent of sweet, delicate blood as it mixed with another scent that made him want to wretch. Wisps of long white hair caressed his face as he stared at the sight before him and the scent of orchids seemed to linger in the air.
Reina gasped and tried to breathe, but found that she couldn't expand her lungs. A choked noise escaped her throat as she fought to take in a breath.
"You little bitch," Michael muttered furiously. He stumbled backwards withdrawing his hand from Reina's stomach with a sickening squelch that allowed a spray of thick crimson fluid to shower onto the ground. Stepping away, he clutched at his own side. Where his shirt and flesh had been was now a gaping hole. Behind him a spray of his own blood darkened the forest floor.
"Not so weak now, am I?" Reina taunted weakly with a small smirk as a thin line of blood seeped from her pink lips and down her chin.
Michael snarled venomously at her before vanishing in a small flash of blinding light.
A light breeze flitted through the trees making the leaves rustle gently, it was a peaceful sound after so much violence. A sound meant to relax and make one feel as if all their cares were slowly slipping away.
A strangled sound of pain escaped Reina as she stumbled backwards. She bumped into Zero who was still staring at the blood that was dripping from the wound to her stomach and down her leg to pool beneath her.
"Reina-sama?"
She heard the cry, but couldn't manage a reply. A cough racked through her body, her knees began to grow weak as her head nodded into her chest and she began to fall to the ground.
Zero snapped out of his stupor and caught Reina's elbows before she could land in a bloody heap at his feet. He sank to the ground with her in his hold, staring down at her face that looked so innocent and perfect in the pale glow of the moon as it rested against his upper arm.
The gruesome hole in her stomach was beginning to slowly knit itself back together, but he quickly looked away in discomfort, it was not an attractive sight.
Her eyes were open, blinking tiredly up at him while a small smile formed on her lips.
He frowned. "Why did you-"
"Reina-sama!" Aido shouted as he ran into the clearing, stopping abruptly when he laid eyes on the bloody mess that was Reina in the arms of Zero Kiryu. His lips pulled back in a menacing snarl and his eyes flashed red. He made to step forward but Kain walked out and laid a hand on his cousin's shoulder. Ichijo also moved into the clearing to stand on the other side of Aido.
Kaname and Seiren were the next to walk into the moonlit clearing. All eyes were on the barely breathing vampire who looked so ethereal and beautiful under the moon's pale glow. It was a painful sight for them all. She had been opening up so much, had been so bright and happy, that to see her half dead with such a peaceful expression on her face was saddening.
Kaname walked forward to where Zero and Reina sat on the blood dampened ground. Reina was staring vacantly up into the starry sky. Her breathing was ragged and shallow and her eyes were going in and out of focus as her skin was slowly becoming abnormally pale.
Zero blinked up at Kaname, his bloody hands on either side of Reina. He was covered in her blood, but somehow the scent of it didn't make him feel sick. It made him feel something else; confusion and regret.
"You're lucky, Kiryu. Had that been anyone other than Reina you would be dead. Remember that," Kaname said coldly.
Zero's face went from the look of shock he had unknowingly worn since Reina fell into his arms to a scowl as he stared at Kaname. "It wasn't my choice."
"No. It was hers. And it saved your life," Kaname answered pointedly.
"She didn't have-"
"Stop," Reina whispered wearily. "Please."
Kaname leaned down beside her."Why didn't you get one of us, Reina?" He questioned while he brushed some of her red stained hair from her cheeks.
"I'm not weak," she mumbled as her eyes began to flutter closed.
"Reina!" Aido cried. He ran forward, shaking off Kain and Ichijo as they tried to stop him.
"We need to get her back to the dorms immediately," Kaname said as he stood. "That girl and Kiryu need to be taken to the Headmaster."
"I don't need an escort," Zero growled.
"Ichijo, you will make sure the two get back to the Academy and tell Cross what happened. The girl will need her memories altered. Seiren and I will return to the Academy, the scent of blood is probably stirring everyone up. Kain, Aido, get Reina to the dorms and into her room. I'll be there shortly," Kaname ordered.
Aido nodded and leaned down to pick Reina up from Zero's lap. He growled at the lavender eyed boy who glowered at him in return.
"Aido," Reina scolded weakly.
"Sorry, Reina," Aido mumbled as he turned to glare at Zero one last time before lifting Reina into his arms. The weight of her body frightened him, she seemed to weigh no more than a feather as he held her battered body to him. "Let's go, Akatsuki," he said as he turned to his cousin who nodded in reply and followed after him.
Sighing, Ichijo walked over to the Day Class girl who was still unconscious and began to carefully lift her, Zero stepped forward to grab her from him.
"You're covered in blood, let me carry her," Ichijo said with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I won't be eating her."
Zero snorted, but let Ichijo carry the girl as he stalked off back to the Academy.
Kaname and Seiren walked back to the classrooms and sure enough the class was in an uproar. The scent of Reina's blood was thick in the air even here, as was Michael's although no one knew who the second more vile scent belonged to.
Aido carried Reina's limp body in his arms, her head was lying against his shoulder and he was doing his best not to jostle her too much as they moved. He glanced worriedly down at her pale face as he and Kain neared the Moon Dorms. Her eyes were closed and if it hadn't been for the blood and the torn mass of flesh that was her stomach he would have thought she was just sleeping peacefully.
"Reina?" He whispered quietly, worriedly.
As if in response to him saying her name, Reina huddled closer to him. Her forehead was now pressed against his neck and one of her hands clutched loosely at his shirt. A faint smile played on Aido's lips as she relaxed in his hold, she really was so childlike sometimes it surprised even him.
Even covered in blood she still seemed so innocent and pure.
'It hurts,' she thought. 'I feel as if my entire body is burning.'
Reina lay in her bed, the sheets pulled over her slight body, her hands were on the outside of her sheets resting by her sides. She was free of blood and all signs that she had been in a battle. Her bloody uniform had been replaced by a black night gown with long, sheer sleeves. With the peaceful expression on her face anyone would have thought she was only sleeping, but upon closer inspection the paleness of her skin and the slight sunken look of her cheeks was enough to tell anyone this beautiful girl wasn't sleeping, at least not peacefully or painlessly.
The peaceful expression on her face twisted suddenly into a grimace of pain and a small groan escaped her as she began to fidget under the soft sheets. Her breathing became erratic and quick as she whimpered softly into the quiet of the shadowed room.
Bright blue eyes flickered open at the sounds from the bed and Aido stood from the chair he had been resting in beside her bed. He picked up a damp cloth that was resting on the edge of a bowl of water, wringing it out he placed the cool cloth against her forehead.
The sudden coolness against her skin startled her and her eyes flew open as she gasped in shock.
"Don't move around too much, Reina, you're not quite healed yet. Are you thirsty?" Aido asked.
Reina blinked up at Aido not fully understanding what was going on. Her mind was fuzzy and confused from the unconsciousness she had been awoken from.
Nodding at Aido after a moment of thought, she took in a deep breath and whimpered at the pain it caused her. She lifted the sheets away from her body, but the shirt of her pajamas was covering the bandages she knew were wrapped around her stomach. Frowning, she looked over to her arm to see that the cut she had received from the Day Class girl had mostly healed, the skin was raised and an angry red but it was closed up.
Aido had disappeared to get Reina something to drink and when he returned he set a glass down on the table beside her bed before turning back to her. He looked tired and worn out, making Reina wonder just how long he had been sitting with her. The look on his face was serious for once and Reina felt a little bad knowing she was the one to cause him to not be his normal happy self.
"Let me help you up," Aido offered as Reina began struggling to push herself up.
Setting a few more pillows behind her, Aido helped her scoot up and lean back before handing her the glass he had retrieved. Reina took the glass of red liquid and slowly brought it to her lips. As the first drops of the drink slid down her parched throat she had to quickly move the glass away from her lips as pain washed over her. Her body shook with effort as she tried not to cough up what she had drunk.
Aido watched her worriedly as she regained control over herself and once again raised the blood tablet infused beverage to her pink lips. She was able to drink the rest without any problems and handed the glass back to Aido with a small smile.
Sitting down with a sigh, Aido stared at Reina who was staring down at her hands, a look of sadness and loneliness in her eyes. They remained like that for a few minutes before Aido stood back up and walked to her doors. Reina turned her head to him and sensing her eyes on his back Aido turned around as he opened the doors.
"I'm going to tell Kaname-sama you're awake," he said as he pulled her door shut behind himself.
Reina sighed and looked back down to her hands. She could feel the wound to her stomach. It was healing, she could feel the tissue repairing itself as well as the skin, but it still hurt. Her lungs hurt as well, she didn't know how long she had been unconscious but she knew that her body was low on blood. She had lost so much and had just now begun to replenish it.
A quiet groan leaked from behind her lips as she placed her hands over her chest. She hadn't wanted to worry Aido, but she could feel the slow burn in her lungs that told her the blood tablet wasn't enough.
'It hurts so much. I need to get more water,' she thought as she carefully moved herself to the edge of the bed.
She managed to snake her feet over the edge of her bed and place them on her soft carpeting. Slowly, she rose and took a shaky step towards the glass Aido had set on her nightstand. Picking it up she made her way to her bathroom and turned on the light. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness, but tried to ignore it as she stepped towards her sink. Thankfully her tin of blood tablets was still on the counter and she dropped two into the glass before filling it with water from her sink.
Half the water was gone in an instant as Reina drank it down quickly. She moaned as she raised her free hand to her chest.
'It's making it worse now. This is bad,' she thought as the pain in her chest intensified.
"Reina?" Aido called worriedly as he stepped back into the room.
She could sense that Kaname and Ichijo were also with him too. She frowned, now really wasn't a good time for visitors. Straightening up and doing her best to hide the pain she felt building up in her chest, she stepped in to her room and smiled at the three sets of eyes that turned to her worriedly.
"You shouldn't be up," Kaname chided as he walked over to her.
She smiled again, but let him take her arm and lead her back to her bed. After helping her back under the sheets, he watched her as she sipped at her drink. He caught the flicker in her eyes that no one else caught and turned to Ichijo and Aido who were behind him.
"Would you excuse us please? I need to speak to Reina alone," he said.
"We'll be outside if you need us," Ichijo replied, he smiled at Reina and walked into the hall with Aido who cast a curious look back at Kaname.
"The tablets aren't enough, are they?" Kaname asked as the door clicked shut.
A flicker of uncertainty passed over Reina's face before she shook her head, "No, it's making the pain worse."
"Given the amount of blood you lost and your injuries I'm not surprised. You're also healing slower than you should," Kaname replied.
"I'll be fine, Kaname," she said quietly.
"You won't be fine, Reina. The tablets are only a temporary fix, they aren't real blood. Which is what you need," Kaname pointed out.
Reina turned her sapphire eyes away and shook her head again. "I'll be fine."
"Drink," Kaname said softly as he leaned over Reina, his face inches from hers as he tilted his head to allow her access to his neck.
Reina's eyes widened and she took in a quiet breath. "No, Kaname," Reina said weakly as she raised her hands to try and push him away.
"You need it," he replied.
"Please, Kaname.. I don't want to."
"You must."
She shook her head frantically. "No."
"Reina."
Shaking her head again, she turned away from him.
Kaname sighed and moved away from her. "You need to drink, Reina, your body can't heal on just the tablets."
"I won't," she replied, her voice was shaking as if she were about to cry.
"I will not let you continue to try and kill yourself, Reina," he said coldly.
"I didn't try to kill myself," she snapped heatedly.
"What do you call what you're doing? Your body needs blood, Reina. We are vampires, we need blood to survive."
"I will not drink your blood, Kaname."
"Then drink Aido's, I don't think he'd mind," he replied.
Reina blinked over at him. "If that was a joke, it was a bad one."
"I tried," he said with a shrug and the hint of a smile.
"I'll be fine, Kaname. I don't intend to go and die anytime soon," Reina said softly.
"You aren't weak, Reina."
She didn't reply to his words and he sighed as he stood, running a hand through his dark brown locks.
"You won't be attending classes until you're healed, but someone will always be here with you. Probably Aido or Ichijo, I don't want to risk you being attacked again. You're not weak, Reina. You're too kind, and in a battle that isn't a good thing," Kaname said as he opened the door to leave.
She smiled wanly at him as he left and Aido and Ichijo strolled into the room. Ichijo glanced at her, a serious expression on his face before flashing her his usual grin.
Reina raised a brow at him. "Don't play dumb, Ichijo, I know you're not."
He blinked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"
She stared at him for a moment before he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"What are you talking about?" Aido asked suspiciously, looking back and forth between the two.
"Nothing, to worry about, Aido," Reina replied with a smile.
"But it is," Ichijo argued.
"No, it isn't," Reina said as she turned back to the pale green eyed boy.
"You're hurting yourself. Why?" Ichijo asked.
Aido was speechless and just turned his head to who ever was speaking, almost as if he were watching a tennis match. Ichijo was being abnormally forward and it was a little disconcerting. Ichijo was usually the one who smiled and laughed at everything and never seemed to take anything seriously. Yet here he was staring at Reina with a serious and concerned expression on his normally grinning face.
"Does it matter?" She replied evenly.
"Well, of course it matters, Reina," Ichijo shot back. "Your body is healing and weak and the tablets won't help, you know that."
"Yes, I know that," she answered beginning to grow angry with his sudden change in attitude. "I was brought up on those tablets, I have lived on them alone for my entire life. I'll be fine."
"You know you won't," Ichijo countered, anger was beginning to seep into his tone as he spoke also. "You have friends now, Reina. People who care about you, I'm sure any one of us would gladly give you what you need."
Reina glared at him and was about to reply when Aido spoke up.
"What are you talking about, Ichijo?" he asked.
Reina opened her mouth to speak but this time Ichijo beat her to it.
"She needs blood."
"That's it?" Aido asked as he looked over at Reina. "You can have some of my blood, Reina-sama."
"Shut up, Aido," she snapped, making the blond cringe. "I don't want your blood, or anyone else's for that matter. I'm sure Kaname has already told you I refuse to drink. I was raised as a pacifist and I will remain as such."
"There's a difference between not drinking from a human, who you'll likely kill, and one of us. You won't kill us, Reina, there is no harm in it. Vampires drink the blood of other vampires to avoid drinking from humans, it isn't wrong," Ichijo argued.
"Leave," she whispered.
Ichijo and Aido blinked at her. All color had drained from her face and she was no longer looking up at them, her eyes had focused on the sheets that covered her. Her hands were laying in her lap limply and her white hair spilled over her face hiding most of it behind a curtain of white.
"I-I'm s-"
"Leave," she repeated again cutting Ichijo off as he tried to stutter out an apology.
"Ichijo, what got into you?" Aido whispered fiercely.
"You too, Aido. Both of you leave now or I will make you," Reina said quietly, but the threat in her voice was obvious.
"But, Reina-"
"Aido, I want to be alone for a little while," Reina interrupted.
"Alright," Aido pouted as he began to slouch out of the room. "Come on, Ichijo."
Ichijo hadn't moved form the spot he had been standing in, he was staring down at Reina, a sad frown on his face. He hadn't meant to say the things he said and he didn't know why he had said most if it. He was worried for her, he wanted her to love herself and respect herself the way the others did. The way he did. She didn't deserve to suffer and it bothered him that she would willingly let herself be in pain when he was so willing to help her, so was Aido, and even Kaname, but she turned them all away.
Ichijo sighed sadly as he turned to leave the room, she wasn't going to let anyone speak to her right then and he didn't know what he'd say if she spoke anyways.
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