MAXINE JONOKISHI

"Takuma really does care for her...I'm glad he's found someone who cares just as deeply for him." Kaname smiled brilliantly.

"Yeah, I agree. I'm really happy for them." I smiled, glad that Rachel was happy.

"Come, let's walk." Kaname led me to the pier, my hair blowing gently in the breeze.

I remember the last time I was here...

I frowned sadly, thinking of Zero.

Kaname noticed, and he leaned in close to me.

"Maxine..." He breathed, his breath ruffling my hair slightly. "Have I told you...how beautiful you look today?" He asked.

I looked up at him, grinning. He bent down and kissed me sweetly. I sighed, truly happy.

He pulled away, fingering a loose strand of my hair. "I've been wanting to talk to you about something."

"Yeah?" I asked, distracted.

"I've been thinking about moving back home." he stated calmly.

I pulled away, devastated.

"So...what does this mean for us? Are you going to leave me here?" I asked, realizing that what I said could have been taken harshly. "I mean-"

"No, of course not, my dear." He cut me off, speaking softly and pulling me into a tight hug. "I want to ask you if you will come with me."

I threw my arms around his shoulders, thinking about his question.

"Kaname...of course I would love to come with you!" I answered without hesitation. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man, if not longer.

Kaname smiled and pulled away, brushing his hand across my cheek lovingly. "Hearing you say that makes me happy."

I smiled, knowing this was a big deal for our relationship.

"Do you have a dress yet for the ball?" He asked kindly.

"Yeah, but it's not very fancy or anything." I said, thinking of the dress waiting back in the dorms in my closet.

I saw Kaname smile slightly before taking my hand and walking me down the pier, just looking out at the water. I saw that the sun was dimming slightly, indicating that much more time had passed than I realized. I sighed, noticing how quickly my time with Kaname always seemed to go.

"I'm glad that you're wearing the necklace I gave you." He noted. "It's a family heirloom."

My eyes widened in shock. I had always figured that Kaname's family had been through so much that most of their valuable things would have been destroyed from all of the attacks from other vampires over the years. Also, the Kuran family seemed so...regal that I could hardly believe that I was wearing one of the few family heirlooms that had survived.

"Like I said before...it's beautiful, Kaname." I replied, slightly awed by the necklace.

Kaname chuckled. "And so are you."

I smiled up at him, stretching up and pecking him lightly on the cheek.

Kaname's smile grew, as did mine as we continued on with our conversation, talking about everything and anything. Only when I heard the clocktower ring did I remember the time and that we had agreed to meet Takuma and Rachel at the ice cream parlor.

Kaname turned as well, knowing exactly what time it had been but not saying anything. I rolled my eyes slightly, beaming.

We walked up the store and saw Rachel and Takuma sitting outside of the shop on the edge of the fountain, Rachel holding two bags of varying sizes.

"What's in the bags?" I asked, curious.

"Some books I found in the bookstore..." she trailed off guiltily.

I should have known. Rachel is even more dangerous in bookstores than Takuma!

"Even the huge bag? Rachel, how many books did you buy?" I asked, appalled.

"I wish!" she answered. "No, in this bag is my dress for the dance."

I was surprised. "You made Takuma sit through you trying on dresses for an hour?"

Takuma stood, fighting back laughter at our exchange. "No, it's my fault. I brought it on myself!"

Rachel pretended to look offended and turned away. Takuma and I laughed.

"No, I told her to go get one and I came along. I didn't mind." He corrected.

She smiled, looking up at Takuma once more, then looking at me and Kaname.

"So who's ready to go eat? I'm starving!" Rachel announced before walking inside, the curls in her hair bouncing.

"When are you not!" I called jokingly, knowing that the short, skinny Rachel was almost always hungry.

Takuma padded after Rachel, and Kaname stepped ahead of me in order to open the door for me. I smiled and walked through as he followed behind me and we stepped up to the counter to order our ice cream.

"Want to share, Rachel?" Takuma asked.

Rachel looked a little surprised, but blushed and agreed, adding an extra scoop to her order.

Kaname ordered both his and my ice cream, insisting on paying. We all meandered outside, ice cream in hand, and found a table to sit at, pulling a few chairs from the unoccupied table next to us.

Rachel and Takuma began to eat their ice cream, and soon their bowl was empty, spoons lying at the bottom.

"There's something I'm afraid I must say," Takuma spoke up. "My grandfather is coming to visit." He finished quickly, rushing to get the words out.

"I haven't seen Ichio in quite some time." Kaname noted calmly.

I saw Rachel and Takuma exchange worried looks as Rachel reached out and placed her hand on Takuma's shoulder in an effort to calm him.

"Uhm..." I shifted uncomfortably in my seat next to Kaname. "Who's Ichio?" I asked, still being a slightly new student and still being very new to the world of vampires.

Takuma looked down, looking sad. "In the human world, there is not a single business venture with which his company is not somehow involved. The Ichijo group was founded by him. In the vampire world, he is the patriarch of one of the most distinguished aristocratic families. Asato Ichijo, also known as Ichio. And, as a member of the Senate, he is also the vampire with the most seniority."

"But I still don't get it," I paused, "why is he coming here?"

Takuma shook his head. "I don't know."

"It's ok, I haven't seen Ichio in quite some time. I'd like to say hello. May I?" He asked Takuma.

Takuma was powerless to stop him, and merely nodded sadly.

"Rachel?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

She looked up. "Yeah?"

"You and Takuma grew up together, shouldn't you know Ichio?"

She looked down as well, as if remembering an unpleasant memory. "Yes, I do. He was never outwardly cruel to me but..." she paused. "There's just something about him that makes him so-"

"Scary." Takuma finished.

The awkward silence that followed my question was deafening, and I wanted to end it, however I had already tried to do this and failed. Thankfully, Kaname came to my rescue.

"I am very glad to have spent today with you all, but as it is getting late, I believe we should be heading back to the Academy to prepare for Ichio's arrival."

I nodded, getting up with the rest of the group before dumping our trash into a garbage can and walking to our car. We slid in almost wordlessly.

Finally, as I sat across from Rachel, I spoke, unable to resist the temptation any longer.

"Well, look at it this way Rachel." I began. "At least you managed to get into the car without jumping into my lap!"

She broke out laughing, happily changing the atmosphere in the small vehicle. Of course, seeing Rachel light up like that, Takuma soon followed suit, beaming brightly. Kaname even cracked a smile, and soon our awkward conversation was almost forgotten.

"Excuse me," Rachel replied. "But I believe that my problem before was getting out of the car!"

We all laughed again and the car ride passed by with a much less depressing atmosphere. The car stopped and we all got out, Rachel and Takuma stepping away from Kaname and I.

"Maxine...I think you should come meet Ichio tomorrow." Kaname said, reaching out to me.

"Wait...what?" I asked, confused.

"I think it would be prudent if we made your role in this known to the Senate."

"My role?" I asked, now even more confused by Kaname's cryptic remarks. "Wait, Kaname, what are you planning?"

"You will know soon enough, my dear girl." He smiled at me, cupping my cheek in his hand. He bent down and kissed me on the cheek and I smiled before he let me go.

"What time should we be at the Moon Dorms?" I asked, slightly dazed.

"I don't think Ichio would come before sundown, so anytime before then would be just fine."

"Ok...well, I'll see you tomorrow!" I said cheerfully before turning to collect Rachel from Takuma.

I saw Takuma kiss Rachel on the forehead before whispering something to her. She nodded and turned to me, waving goodbye to Takuma.

"Ugh, you two could really learn a thing or two about PDA." I groaned, punching Rachel playfully in the side as we walked towards our Dorms.

She blushed, taking me seriously.

"Rachel... I'm kidding. You're just fine." I said, reassuring her and chuckling to myself. We walked into the Dorm building, searching for our room. After walking inside, I collapsed on my bed, thinking about all that was going to happen tomorrow.