Chapter 11
Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing
-She thanks her reviewers for their kind words. The Maiden is very thankful for all of them, and as a thank you, she's decided to double post. She humbly thanks all for their support, and hopes they continue to enjoy the story.
The walk to the gates was as quiet and peaceful as last evening's. Vincent didn't have anything to say, and Kaname was a bit tired.
He had spent most of his sleeping time in the library, trying to dig up anything that might pertain to Vincent- he had looked up demons, to start with.
His search yielded next to nothing, and so frustrated, he had given up, determining that over the weekend, he would go into town. There was a larger library and more selection there, and perhaps he'd have better luck.
Aido and the rest of the Night Class were once again waiting by the gates, Aido muttering something about being late and depriving his girls of his smile and presence. The others were looking as unconcerned as ever, although he distinctly noticed Ruka giving the gates a dirty look. "This is ridiculous," she muttered. "This whole tradition is just a way for the Night Class to be swarmed by annoying little hum-"
"Ruka." Kaname's voice was quiet, yet held a clear warning. She backed down, but not before giving the gate one last glare. The screaming from the girls on the other side of the gate was nearly deafening, and Vincent could clearly hear Yuuki's voice and whistle cutting through the noise.
"Whoa! All the girls are going into hysterics! It's awesome! This is so cool!"
Kain yawned once, his hands going up to cover his mouth so Vincent wouldn't catch a glimpse of his fangs that were not extended, but like all higher class vampires, always present. "I'm still sleepy."
"I'm wide awake!" Of course they all knew Aido was awake. He looked like a sugar- rushed dog that was restrained on a leash.
"Okay, okay, okay! Get in line! Hey- you there! I saw that!" Yuuki could really learn to hate Valentine's Day, she really could.
The gates gave a click, and a whirr was heard as their automatic timers activated, pulling the gates open. Yuuki turned to see the Night Class standing there, with Aido at the front, looking extremely happy, while the others looked… uninterested. Well, Vincent looked a bit apprehensive, but considering his first encounter with the Day Class yesterday, she couldn't blame him.
"Okay! Welcome to the traditional Valentine's day, 'who is the lucky winner of the Day Class girls' chocolate?!' line- up race! All the members of the Night Class are to walk to their individually assigned gates. Once in position, the girls will line up to give you their chocolate. Please stay calm and cooperate with one another. Understood?" Yuuki looked each one of them in the eye, trying her best to get the point across. "It means a lot to the girls, so take it seriously!" She stepped to the side, out of the way so the Night Class could proceed.
Aido, finally having been given free reign, grinned. "They're mine! All mine!" He shot off to the gates, but froze when he heard Kaname call his name.
"Aido. Remember to mind your manners, understand?" Aido glanced back, giving a nod, before zooming away again.
The rest of the Night Class started walking, with Senri grumbling. "This is moronic."
Kain sighed from behind the short- haired brunette. "Just do it anyway." The faster they got through this, the faster they could get away from here and to class. Totally ignoring his gate, he walked past them, heading down the bridge to class.
Vincent was of the same mind as Akatsuki, but a calling of his name made him glance around, surprised when he saw a gate with his name on it, decorated in red. At the front of the line was a girl he recognized, who was grinning at him, and waving. "Valentine- sempai! Over here!"
He gave her a small smile in return, quickly walking over. "Rozu- chan. It's nice to see you again."
There was some stunned whispering behind him, and she looked surprised as well. "You remembered my name!"
He cocked his head to the side, confused. "Why do you sound so surprised?"
"Well, it's just… the Night Class students don't usually take the times to learn our names, much less remember them." Rozu explained as Vincent frowned. Well, that seemed rather rude on his fellow classmate's parts.
"Hurry up, Rozu!"
She glanced back as a girl yelled at her, and then turned back to Vincent, rolling her eyes. She held out the ribbon wrapped box that she had been holding to Vincent. "Here, in honor of Valentine's Day, I'd like you to have this, Valentine- sempai." She blinked once before grinning. "Hey, your name fits!"
Vincent reached out to accept the box, tucking it under his arm as he smiled in return, flicking his bangs back from his eyes. "Yes, it does, doesn't it?"
"Rozu! Don't take all of his time!"
She turned around to give the girl a glare. "I'm going, I'm going!" She looked back at Vincent. "Bye, Valentine- sempai!"
He nodded to her politely. "Goodbye, Rozu- chan." She stepped out of the way as the next girl came up to him, staring at his eyes and he listened to her gush about them, blushing as he asked for her name.
Zero watched from the sidelines as the chocolate- giving occurred, rolling his eyes. It was ridiculous how the girls squealed over the Night Class when they didn't really care about the feelings of the Day Class girls.
His eyes roved over the crowds, until they locked onto the one black- haired figure in the midst. Vincent.
He was smiling slightly and talking with the girls at his gate. Compared to the other Night Class students he was… plain. Not in looks, as he was as beautiful as the rest of them, Zero knew, but in his actions.
He wasn't as flashy as Aido, yet wasn't as intriguingly distant as Shiki or Kain. Neither was he a smooth talker like Kuran. He was more like Takuma, but in a more reserved way. Vincent was polite, but there was something about him, his open manner, that made him seem more real, more attainable than the other Night Class students. He didn't seem as superficial. And it drew the girls to him.
Already he could see a few girls from the gates of the other Night Class students glancing over towards him, where he was taking the time to notice them. Vincent acted different than the others, and people were starting to notice.
His eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on Kaname, glancing back at the ravenette. There was something about the way the pureblood looked at Vincent that made him uneasy, and at the same time, sparking a foreign, yet familiar feeling inside him.
Foreign, because he had only felt it when a different person was involved. He pushed away from the wall, and started walking towards the gates.
Vincent smiled as he glanced back at Kaname's gate, where a few girls were approaching him shyly. "Please accept this, Kuran!" a few other girls came forward as well, begging for him to accept their gifts.
"Ahh, sorry everyone… I can't hold any more than this." He held up his hands, where a few boxes sat. Vincent looked over at Aido, and then back at the brunette, smirking a bit. Kaname could hold more than that; if Aid could balance a mountain of chocolates, so could Kaname. The brunette most likely didn't want to look undignified. He apologized again. "I really am very sorry."
The girls bowed, fending off his apologies. "Oh, that's fine!" "We're so sorry to trouble you!"
Kaname turned to go to class, passing Yuuki on the way. Vincent saw the look in Kaname's eyes as he swiveled his head to look at her- love and warmth were evident in his eyes, and it dawned on Vincent in that second that Kaname was very much in love with the Day Class girl.
"Thank you for everything, Yuuki."
She looked back from where she was holding Kain's fangirls back, disappointed that he had not come over to them. "Sure!"
"Don't get hurt."
"I won't!" Yuuki pushed back against the crowd of fangirls, and Vincent frowned as he saw the worried and almost… desperate? Look on Yuuki's face.
Understanding came to him, though, as he spotted the ribbon in Yuuki's coat. It was attached to a box. She wanted to give that to Kaname…
For a moment, he considered going to her, and offering to give it to the brunette for her, before a shy tug on his sleeve brought his attention back to the redhead who was shyly standing in front of him. "Valentine- sempai? I'm Toppu Ninjin. Please… I'd like you to have this!"
He looked down at his full hands, and then to the girl in front of him. "My hands are almost full; this is the last one I can accept, okay?" He was talking to all the girls at his gate in general, and they looked crushed.
It wasn't his fault, though, and so he couldn't feel bad about it. He just couldn't bring himself to carry around the mountain of boxes Aido was; such attention made him uncomfortable. Still, he accepted the box from Ninjin, thanking her politely, before bidding her, and the rest of the girls farewell.
They cried out in protest, but he ignored them; they couldn't really expect him to take every single gift they had to offer. However, a thought struck him, and he looked back at the girls speculatively. They brightened, seeing him come back. "You know what would make me extremely happy?"
They waited for him to continue, eagerly anticipating what he was going to say. "If you would take the chocolate I can't accept, and give it to the Day Class boys." At their startled looks, he cocked his head at them. "I know you all respect and love the Night Class, but what about the Day Class? I'm sure many of them care for and respect you, but they are getting passed up. Look at Aido- kun." He gestured with his chin, pleased when their eyes got big at the mountain of boxes he had collected. "Do you think he's going to eat it all? Of course not; he's too worried about keeping his girlish figure."
He chuckled at that, ignoring the scathing glare Hanabusa sent his way. Well, he had said it rather loud, and the girls laughed at the remark. "The point is, all that chocolate is going to go to waste; why not gift it to those who would truly appreciate it, and actually be able to enjoy it? Valentine's day is not just for the Night Class; it includes the Day Class as well."
He turned to leave again, before throwing a glance back at the now thoughtful girls. "I'll be sure to enjoy the ones you gave me though; thank you, all of you."
Zero had heard Vincent's words as he approached the gates, and he shook his head in wonder. What kind of Night Class student does that? They didn't really care about the Day Class- they were vampires, and vampires only cared about their own. And sometimes, not even that.
He saw Yuuki's desolate expression as Kuran walked away- and it made him angry. Couldn't she see that all vampires were the same? Bloodsucking beasts disguised in human form were all vampires were. But Yuuki refused to see-
At that moment, the object of Zero's thoughts was knocked over by the Kain fangirls, desperate to reach their idol before he completely left. Really, Yuuki getting knocked over was starting to become an everyday occurrence.
This time though, Kuran didn't notice her, so it was Zero's job to pick her up. But, he noticed something had fallen out of her pocket.
The chocolates… The ones that she were planning to give to Kuran as an "object of her appreciation," to show that she was glad the vampires were on their best behavior.
He considered stepping on them, crushing them for a split second before brushing the thought away. Yuuki would never forgive him if he did, and the thought of her looking so crushed when the money she had spent on the little box of candy went to waste… He mentally cursed his soft heart.
Stepping forward, he bent down, picking the little box up, lifting his head as he straightened to see Kaname walking away. Perhaps he could hit him in the back of the head…? "Kuran!" He threw the box right as he called the name, watching as the pureblood snapped his hand up instantaneously to catch the little box, turning as he did. "You dropped that," Zero said expressionlessly.
Yuuki floundered at his side, ruffling through her pockets with an incredulous expression. "Huh?! When did... Zero!" she exclaimed, realizing what had happened.
Kaname gazed down at the little box in his hand, glancing up once to smirk at Zero, who returned the look with only a slight narrowing of his eyes. He knew it made Yuuki upset when they showed hostility towards each other; he'd put up with Kuran to prevent that.
"I accept. Thank you, Yuuki." Clutching the box lightly in his hand, Kuran turned to go, leaving Yuuki gaping after him. Zero's fists slowly curled, taking deep breaths to calm down his anger. That arrogant pureblood…
Yuuki was still gazing after the form of the pureblood with an expression of longing. A gentle tug on his sleeve made Zero whip around, seeing Vincent standing there with some boxes tucked under his arm, regarding him with a small smile.
His crimson eyes flicked over to Yuuki, and then to Kuran, who was just reaching the rest of the Night Class. "That was a kind thing you did, Zero- kun. Not many would have the guts to do that."
Zero glared at Vincent, leftover anger at Kuran making his tone sharp. "And how would you remember something like that?" Zero watched as Vincent's eyes widened the slightest bit, a flash of fear and hurt going through them.
"I… need to go." He started to walk stiffly away, before he glanced back at the stalls confirming that most of the girls were gone. He stopped in front of Yuuki, giving her a small tap on the shoulder. She jerked out of her trance, looking at him with wide eyes. He silently reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a single flower- a lilac blossom. She took it, curious. "As a thank you for last evening," he murmured, before continuing on his way, his whole body looking a bit dejected.
Zero observed him walking away, a slight felling of guilt worming its way into his gut. Vincent hadn't wanted anyone to know about his memory problem; that, Zero was sure of now. He hadn't meant to say anything about it, but now it was too late. That had been rude and uncalled for; bringing up something like that was unforgivable.
"Zero?" Yuuki's voice jerked him out of his thoughts, and he glanced down at her. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." But I can think of someone else who isn't…
"Good." Yuuki took a deep breath, a look of rage becoming fixed on her face. "How dare you just give it to Kaname like that!" she exclaimed, rapidly punching him in the arm.
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes; she needed to get a lot stronger if she had even a chance of hurting him. "You were going to wimp out! I saw you!" And… I wish you weren't so enamored with him… While cringing away from Yuuki's punches, he lifted his head slightly to see the Night Class walking down the bridge.
Vincent… His shoulders were slumped, and Kaname had his head turned towards him. As Zero watched, the brunette lifted an arm to rest a hand on his shoulder. He leaned forward, most likely saying something, and Vincent's head shook, his long black hair waving gently at the motion. Takuma glided over to him, and from his profile, Zero could see worry masked by a bright smile. His lips moved but even with his good hearing, he couldn't make out what was heard. Whatever it was, though, it must have cheered Vincent up, because his head tilted back a bit, as if he were laughing, and his shoulders straightened.
"…ifferent from me." Zero blinked as he saw that Yuuki had stopped punching him, and was instead gazing after Kuran with a thoughtful, nostalgic look.
The wind picked up, the breeze sending his hair waving in the wind, away from his neck. With trepidation he saw that the wind had done the same thing to Yuuki's, showcasing her long, elegant neck. The beast within him stirred, sending flashes of the blinding thirst down his throat, painful in their intensity. Bloodbloodbloodblood! The beast within his mind chanted, demanding to be let out, released, and to be allowed to sate its bloodlust.
His eyes closed as he fought to maintain control of the beast, succeeding in pushing it down. His eyes snapped open as Yuuki's whistle blew, and as he glimpsed that pale neck again, he almost groaned. The sight had just restirred the beast he had managed to get under control. Not knowing if he'd have enough strength to fight it a second time, he closed his eyes, whipped around, and ran to the Headmaster's residence, fighting the beast within every step of the way that called for him to turn around and attack Yuuki, sink his fangs into her delectable neck and take her blood.
NO!
