Inner Strength

Disclaimer; I do not own Vampire Knights or the charas of the manga and anime. I do own how ever, Kennard and Chiiro, Shinda is a chara of the original manga, she is the girl with the glasses who likes Zero so much…if someone doesn't know that.

Part Eleven

Rating; T – M , for later chapters

Warnings, blood, violence, bad speech, cussing, lots of! OCC, OOC at some parts of the story but mostly I will try to hold them in character.

Disclaimer; I don't own vampire Knights or the lovely character I just own a bird and a two room flat;

Important note, please don't skip it! I am native German. There for I make still errors with the language, so please if you want to help me, let me know. I know that my English is actually good but still I make errors, bear with me please and don't kill my imagination because of this, ok? Flames will be laugh at! PS, I need a beta I fear, but please, only serious people.

Thank you, and have fun with my little project.

Italics; /…/ thoughts

AAAA emphasis of something.

Other: This is for flaming Ember san this time, and don't worry, I understood your name perfectly well, gives a beam. And a very deeply thank you for all those lovely reviews! They all made me very happy and motivated me to write more.

Suryallee

A trip to a hall and sinister plotting

Shortly after the two had left, Hanabusa's Handy did chime. It was his cousin on the other side who told him some things to tell Kaname san. Meanwhile he spoke, Yori yawned a few times, then she fell asleep.

Putting his handy back inside his pocked, Hanabusa saw at her sleeping face. She still needed rest and with a soft caress of his hand through Yori's hair the vampire Noble left the room too.

Very far away from the council building and his families business mansion, a silent figure sat in a comfortable room with his chin probed up on his fist. This man had two different colored eyes and reddish black hair. His name, Rido Kuran. His species, vampire, a Pure Blood to be exact.

No one else was inside his room with him, having dismissed them right after he got the News from the Shiki elder told that the rumors indeed were true, since then he sat in silence in here. Undisturbed. He still couldn't get it! How could his entire plan go this awry?

Shaking the dark mane he finally stood and walked over to the only window of the room. To think of it that he accidentally did the new Kuran princes a favor when he originally had planned to make her and Kaname pay with changing her friends was really something else! That he could even do something like this…

Rido needed more information's on this matter! But the only person that seems to have the intellect for getting him some was that girl, whose glare still sends shivers down his spine. He was tempted to just let her turn into a D Level, back then, but she had been his closest hit on Yuuki and so he did turn her like he did turn the others.

She was guest to the Aido clan now, huh? No wonder if the rumors are indeed true and their heir liked the golden haired girl more then normal. Come to think about him, said heir was also someone for whose intellect he could have use for in the future. Sadly, he was a friend of the son of Haruka and Yuuji too.

His nephew begun to become a formidable treat to his plans! With his friends and his connections…and he still could see the girl glare at him with her strange determined eyes in his inner minds eye… she, she was fascinating Rido. Somehow…

And that his son, his puppet had taken Kaname's sides now too wasn't helping the matter at all! Now Rido had to search himself another body to use for his plans, curse this reborn soul! And Ichijo's grandson too! That brat had ruined it all too with his loyalty to Kaname.

Well, that wasn't to change now again, now was it? He grinned one of his disturbing smiles that scared the most people away from him.

Again her brown, angry and defiant eyes came into his mind focus. All the better for him, wasn't it? He thought with a laugh. A Noble she was now, huh? He shortly wondered what she could find so fascinating in the Aido brat that he didn't possess. Maybe because that boy was known to be charming? Well, he could be like that too.

Suddenly stopping in his tracks, Rido made for the first time in ages a really funny face! Only good that no one was in here to have seen his slip! Rido Kuran gave a bark of laugher, well that was new! He attracted to a female…for minutes he didn't stop to laugh, and even after he calmed down again, Rido still chuckled mirthfully.

Going back to his couch, he sat down again. Now that she was what she was, he found he should pay her a visit again. In his mind already plotting how he could manage to accomplish that without to get killed by that Kiriyuu brats in the same second, his mismatched eyes noticed a request note to attend a ball in two days from now.

They narrowed and with a flick of his wrist he snatched it from the side table to read over it anew.

It was an invite to the years ball of the Shirabucki family…Kaname and Yuuki would sure as hell attend it and most likely be pressed from the Elder council to show the new Nobles to the society there too…perfect!

They could not fight there, it was a safe ground on that they all could meet without bloodshed. Senri's mother had soon bored him. She had been broken so fast…Rido wondered if he could ever break that little girl like her. Something in his brain told him that she wouldn't give into him so easily as one would think. If this Sayori was truly a genius then she maybe could even give him amusing answers back…again his laugher filled the room. Her cussing at him and his family line had highly amused him that night, she was creative, that was certain!

It was set then, he would go and say his hello to Sarah and family then.

What reminded Rido that he still had to find a way to kill that Ichijo elder for his disloyalty to him in the near future! He just wished that he would have known before hand that he could do such a thing, and that she was so amusing…Rido would never have let her slip through his fingers then!

He rang a bell.

Half an hour later a messenger left the building of the main Shiki family in the direction of the Shirabucki family estate. Rido asked himself if his cousin, Sarah was still so attracted to that cursed hunter with the single eye, Yagari Touga. He knew that the human was it still to her. Why she never did just turn him and kept him as her lover was a miracle to Rido Kuran but then again, she wasn't his former wife Shizuka.

Sarah would never risk Yagari to be killed from his fellow hunters on a whim of Rido. Or risk it that he gained any kind of upper hand on her. He chuckled darkly, maybe he should send an invite to the hunter organization for him and that Kuroso to attend the ball too? Just to tick her off? He nodded at his own idea. It would be amusing to watch those two struggle with the two's now 20 years old magnetism between each other, this time he laughed.

He had watched that posse since the very beginning, 20 years ago. When that hunter was just beginning his career and was much younger and one day had accidentally rescued her from a car crash. She still looked like barely 19 years old but he did not. In the years he lost one eye and grew into a real danger for every vampire alive…for a moment he asked himself why that cursed hunter couldn't have been there at the school that night.

How much that would have angered the high council of the hunters to loose their top hunter to the vampires…! And even if he didn't have made it, he still would have angered the damn council with it. Rido knew that he was a secret member of the highest ranking hunter council. As it was that cursed former hunter Kuroso too, the one all called Cross san.

He shortly lost himself inside his musings.

But first things first, Rido thought. He had to get his hands on that note book of the cute girl. The president and her goons had failed to obtain it for him. Now did a dangerous expression enter his eyes. They nearly killed the Wakaba girl in the process! The leader of that group was currently a visitor of his dungeon here, one Rido planned to pay a visit later to teach him some lectures about endangering something that he saw as his!

When Yori woke, the sun was just setting. Feeling much better she jumped practically out of the bed. She craved a shower, badly! The same maid from before told her that she would now take care of here as long she was here…this startled Yori a little. She could take care of herself since her 6 birthday! But not wanting to upset her current hosts, Yori just relented to smile pleasantly and then did ask for the direction to the next bath.

Said bath was an adventure of its own!

Honestly! Who did need a bathroom that was as bigger as her family's living room at home?! She shook her head, this was ridiculous! And was that real gold on the controls? Shaking it off, the girl took the liberties of time and warm water to take a long one!

When she left it again, she found a beautiful evening dress laying on a bench specially made for the purpose alone to lay the change clothes of the bath users onto. Again Yori could only wonder how rich Hanabusa's family was.

The maid had asked her about her favorite colors and designer before she went to take a shower…how had she obtained clothes like these that fast? Yori decided again to not question it and put them on. They did fit, no surprise here for Yori. She never thought it otherwise.

Outside she was greeted with an empty room and a tablet with food on the table on the left. Her eyes spotted at once the dreaded glass full to the brim with fresh blood onto it. For some seconds the girl just wanted to take it and to put the contains into the next toilette…after a minute she stopped herself from it and simply took it and emptied it.

Again that strange sensations washed over Yori. This time the red stuff even tasted better to her as before. She gave a shudder. Yori did not want to feel like this! Or to enjoy the taste of it! The former human was feeling disgusted with herself now. She couldn't handle the strange effect blood was having on her. Again she wished she could ask Zero about this all!

And why did she suddenly ask herself how Hanabusa's blood would taste like?! Shaking her head wildly Yori tried to get rid of that disturbing new desire that she really didn't want to explore further here! Setting the empty glass back down on the tablet, she suddenly felt hungry no more. But she ate, none the less, a few bites from the eggs and the ham on her plate.

This minute used a certain member of the Aido family to knock at her door and to enter her room. Hanabusa had woken up a few hours earlier as Yori. He was used to it from school to wake up in the late afternoon to have time enough to get ready for the night. He could barely hold himself back from simply run into Yori's room to wake her up too. He wanted to use the time he had with her alone. Without nagging and noisy cousins and bossy Pure Bloods around him to pest him all the time! Hopping from one foot to the other and annoying the hell out of the rest of the household with it, Hanabusa had tried to distract himself until she woke up and was ready.

It made his father want to murder his own child for the rest of the time she was still sleeping! Lord Aido was just ready to climb up the walls of his own home when the maid mercifully told his infuriating son that the young lady was awake. Said son was faster out of the room as he could blink! Exchanging a bewildered look with his wife, both broke out into a big laugher. Who could have known that Hanabusa could move this fast?

His younger sister just shook her head at the antics of her brother. She always knew before that Hanabusa was nuts!

Not waiting for Yori to recover from his sudden bouncy entrance, Hanabusa walked over to her to wish her a good morning…err night. Yori could only smile at his hyperactive cheery self this nighttime. He seemed to have eaten too much sugar before or something that seem to make him more energetic as usual, at least Yori mused he must have.

Leaving her no time to mull about it more he suddenly did run out again.

Only to return to the now fully confused girl with something in his hands. Her Note Book! Yori recovered it fast from Hanabusa who had waved it in the air with one hand. That Aido! Didn't he know that it would loose papers if he did that? Fast checking on it she finally thanked him for bringing it back to her.

"I wanted to take you to the building on the other side of the great market place behind our house." He told her taking her hand and dragging her over with him to the door. "The elders gave us permission to use the library and even to go inside the secret part of it too, if we still wish to do some research." Without to wait for her response he urged her over to her new shoes meanwhile he spoke to her…much to Sayori's amusement. Did that guy ever shut up? Or at least, let people get used to him first? She did laugh to herself. He was so damn full of life in all what he did! "Now hurry up already! Geez, you girls always need ages to get ready!" His habit to hop from one foot to the other when forced to wait was showing again.

Hanabusa never even realized it that he did just run Yori over with his bubbly nature when exited about something…as always! His father watched the interaction between the two from out of a safe distance. He saw her face alter from surprised to confused then turn into a , I give up, expression to finally settle into an amused and tender grin.

He never saw her look repulsed or getting angry. Most would have told Hanabusa until now to shut up already, even Kain, but not Yori. The girl just took calmly her time in finishing up to dress and then let him drag her away with him in silent tolerance. His heir was right; this girl was amazing! First he had thought that Hanabusa had maybe frightened her with his passionate nature but now he thought different.

The young lady seemed to be the answer of his wife's and his own prayers.

The lord watched her rescuing Hanabusa a several times on their way out of the house. Sayori rescued him before he could to stumble over something in his way, or run into a person on accident, or just to hit something over on their way out of the building a several times. Lord Aido could barely suppress his laugher. And how she did that first was it worth to watch her all day!

Smartly, she altered their route a second before he could run into someone, or Yori simply tugged at his, hers, holding hand to keep him from hitting something onto a side table. All, without his son even noticing it that Yori did that!

Priceless!

Her always soft smile, directed at his son told him and his wife beside him that this young woman liked the company of their son…even if he acted this energetic! She was a miracle! Both watched the two finally vanish through the entrance door with four guards in tow. Not once she told Hanabusa to let go of her hand or to calm down…she didn't have too, he did it from all alone on their way.

When both did reach the door, he had already calmed down a little, much to his parents surprise. He even watched out to not hit against something on his way by his own now…the lord hoped that the investigators needed longer to solve the accident!

He wanted to keep the silent girl here for a while.

Yori had seen them standing in the end of the hall when Hanabusa and she left the house. Or should she say mansion? Villa? All did fit here! From the outside the building was really huge, it seemed to blend flawlessly into two other ones, equally huge.

Across a bigger place she could see the third of these three way mansions. To her all looked like a gigantic castle like thing. The inner place was secluded from all sides, whenever to keep the distance between the Aido house or the Council chambers, she could not tell. It looked that way. She noticed at once the four, business like looking man that trailed Hanabusa and her to the council building. "Who are they?" she whispered to him. Hanabusa looked behind him as if he noticed them for the first time. "Eh? They?" His thumb pointed at the one to his right. "They are bodyguards. Forget that they are here. They belong to my family, does they intimidate you?"

Yori nodded a little shyly. "Yes, they surprised me a little." He gave a barking laugh. "Oh Yori! They are only here to make certain that we are not disturbed. Trust me, they will never ever lay a hand on you." With the last words he turned his head into the direction of the nearest to them two and looked at him strangely. She couldn't tell what Hanabusa did but suddenly all four kneeled before the Noble with one arm in front of their chests and bowed heads.

She was startled from this show of respect that Hanabusa took without to even flinch. Yori wasn't used to such demure behavior. Hanabusa seemed unaffected by it. He was probably used to this since his childhood she mused. When he looked back at her she gave a shy nod and followed him further across the place.

Inside the new building run a lot people around. Most of them seem to just rush to certain directions. Wearing just normal every day clothes and fashions. To her they looked normal. Between them moved some people around with graze that belied their status from the start. Most of them wearied the newest fashions and expensive jewelry. Like Hanabusa too they gave a strange aura away that practically screamed, Noble! Most had bodyguards with them too, but only two of them had so many as Hanabusa and Yori.

Right when the door swung closed behind Yori, the entire busy moving of the people stopped up rapidly to a full end. Even the talking died down! Wide eyed she looked astonished at the, her watching crowd. Yori was just about to ask Hanabusa what the hell was going on when he suddenly emitted a snarling sound out of the sudden. She really jumped at the sudden, lethal sound! Not used to it and surprised that he would make such a sound.

When Hanabusa spoke, Sayori felt a little afraid of him for the first time in a while. She didn't understand what he was talking right away, Hanabusa used English to address the crowed. Most likely because these people, no vampires came from all places all over the world here to solve their causes. He told them cut short to stop to stare at…her? That he didn't like it that they made her nervous? Now Yori felt confused.

Abruptly all the odd reactions fell in place inside of her head. Of course! They stared at her because she was one of the made Noble…Yori had suddenly the strong urge to hold on something and grasped Hanabusa's hand. Without to even turn around to her he simply squeezed it and then begun to lead her to a side hall entrance that was guarded from a few guards in black suits.

A longer line of people stood before the checkpoint there. Strangely enough, the guards made not even a move to stop Hanabusa or Yori! They simply opened the door and let them pass with a bow. Yori could only shake her head at all of this. Behind the closed door was a sudden silence. Here only a few persons stood around. It gave more guards here too. On nearly every turn stood at least one. /I wish I would have staid at my room!/ Yori thought.

She didn't notice it that she clunk a little on Hanabusa now. But he did. A worried expression flickered shortly in his eyes and over his face. "Yori, calm down. I am sorry, I should have warned you. It was clear that this would happen, they already know that you all exist and that you live with my family for now. The others didn't mean any harm, I promise. They where just damn curios!" He gave her a worried look, that Yori fast tried to ignore. "I am fine, Hanabusa kun, just a little surprised that's all." She tried to smooth it over and even tried to let go of his hand.

But he didn't let her, instead he gave Yori a sudden hug. "I am sorry." He murmured in her hair. She couldn't help it, Yori hugged him back. She knew it wasn't Hanabusa's fool, it was just as it was. After a few seconds, a coughing sound behind Yori made both of them jump apart with slight blushes on their faces. Behind her stood a tall and regal looking man, clothed into a perfect suit and smirked at the couple. He could be 30 or 300 it was hard to tell that with a vampire but this one looked outwardly like a 30 years old man. A very beautiful and charming man.

Hanabusa didn't like him from the start! He even dared top glare a little at the newcomer what made the other raise a brow in question at his look. An amused smile on his lips the newcomer introduced himself as a messenger of the elders in the room ahead of Yori and Hanabusa. He was sent to ask them to come there for a minute. Hanabusa wished his father had come too! What did they want from Yori now? He barely stopped himself from snarling at the servant of the council he now identified as Yagamaro san. Yori, who somehow sensed the tension between Hanabusa and the stranger, begun to fathom what her new life did all implied. She didn't like it one bit!

Gazing at her friend to confirm that it was ok, she gave a cautious nod and both followed Yagamaro to the doors of the council chambers.

While moving, their bodyguards suddenly moved casually around Hanabusa and Yori, their guide noticed this with another arched brow but said nothing. One of them stood back and used a handy. At this, Yagamaro openly looked at the guard who shrugged unperturbed at him and went on to tell his lord the news. He heaved a sigh. "We didn't mean to cause a confrontation with your respected Lord father, Aido san." He told the scowling Hanabusa to his left.

Said Noble said nothing at that, he just crossed his arms and nodded sharply. It was clear that Hanabusa wasn't amused at all. Yagamaro shook his head at that and lead them to the room behind the doors. "If not, why then doing this?" Yori stopped them all with that question. The dark eyes of the guide trailed over to her with a surprised look. "My masters simply wanted to meet you and to ask you a few things, Wakaba sama. They didn't want to cause a riot about this. Aido sama would have been informed of this immediately too." He tried to smooth his surprise over with a charming smile when he addressed Yori…it did not work.

Yori still stood in the entrance of the doorway and moved not an inch.

She wore an almost bored expression, Hanabusa never before had seen on her face. It surprised and confused him just as it did Yagamaro too. He didn't know that Yori's parents owned an old shrine. He didn't know that she had always been trained in special behavior toward others, since she originally was intended to take over her mothers role as a shrine maiden one day.

Hanabusa knew nothing of this.

Her parents maybe were not rich, but Sayori's family came from out of an old chief priest clan. They had taught her to take responsibility for her family face in public in her youth. Yori stood straight without to look stiff, nothing gave the impression away that she would do anything that she didn't wanted to do without to intimidate. Hands clasped in front of her, over her notebook frame. Her head high.

Yori gave the perfect picture of a lady away.

But what made Hanabusa snicker in silence was the unruffled and chilly look of indifference she gave the now alarmed looking Yagamaro. The poor guide looked now a little troubled and Hanabusa could tell, a little frantic too. Before the man could say something Yori spoke to him again.

"How bizarre," Yori's head tilted a little to the side as if in deep thought. " Hanabusa kun told me that the council already gave us permission to go to the library…has that suddenly changed?" If Hanabusa could have done as he wished it right now, he would have laughed in his mirth! Next to him the vampire seems to sense this because Yagamaro san stiffened a great deal.

"No, of course not, Wakaba san. The elders just wanted to talk with you." His voice was the same pleasant tune as before but Hanabusa could tell, Yagamaro was uneasy now. Yori nodded and looked shortly down. When she spoke again she put a finger to her chin as if she was seriously thinking about something. She looked directly at Hanabusa. "Hanabusa kun?"

He decided to play the game.

"Yes?" giving the picture of pure innocence he looked curiously at Yori. Oh he so loved this already! Beside him Yagamaro san stiffened even more.

"Uhm…I cannot clearly remember, did your father, Lord Aido sama mention something like this?" Her big dark eyes were all innocent curiosity now. Inwardly Hanabusa did already roar in laugher. He folded his arms in front of his chest and walked a little up and down the hallway. Looking down all the time to hide his laughing eyes from Yagamaro, who, now gave a clearly annoyed aura off…he could hear him grind his teeth in his frustration.

"No." He answered Yori with a shake of his head. "Not that I can remember it. He told me to go in a straight line to the books and then without delay back. Nowhere else. Yet that you mention it…" He gave the now scowling Yagamaro a clearly false worried look. " I fear we cannot follow the councils wish this time, my lord. My father made clear rules for Yori chan and me to come here, and Kuran san did it too."

He gave the dog of the council a beaming smile.

Behind him Hanabusa could hear their guards cough into their hands to hide their laughs. Others were not so polite, further away from him and Sayori, bystanders did openly chortle behind mouth covering hands or they had simply turned around to be not caught smiling.

Yagamaro gave first the Aido heir and then Yori a clearly exasperated look, then his face was back behind his pleasant mask. He knew when he had lost. Anyway, it wasn't his fault. Nobody told him that these two played dirty together so nicely! He had to give the two, they did manage to make a fool out of him with grace. Inwardly Yagamaro had to grin himself…that sneaky little…!

He heaved an equally false, heavy sigh. "Well then, there goes nothing then…I will tell my masters to ask your Lord father first, Aido san." He gave a bow in the direction of Yori and Hanabusa and watched the two bow back and then the cursed little devil heir of the three times damned sneaky old dog Aido, take Sayori Wakaba san's hand with a cutely bow. To lead her into the other direction, the library room.

Giving a lopsided smirk Yagamaro closed the doors behind him again. Just in time, because a second later he was greeted with the roaring laugher of 4 elders in the room.

On the other hand, he missed the entrance of Hanabusa's father this way. Who just entered the council halls when Yagamaro closed the door, called here from his guard. Said guard had doubled over in laugher in the meanwhile. His lord gave him an astonished glance and said only one word.

"Explain!"

Two minutes later, Hanabusa heard the roaring laugh of his father fill the hallway behind them out. Around him and Yori their reminding guards also muffled their laughs. Along the many people in the library halls. They just managed it better to hide them then the most of the others. Yori tried her hardest not to blush and to laugh too, she couldn't believe it that she had done that!

But that guy had really riled her up with slick behavior and superior attitude towards Hanabusa and her. As if she would fall for something so openly set up like that! Beside her Hanabusa grinned from ear to ear. Whistling a happy tune she didn't knew and felt seemingly in high spirits, Yori could tell.

She puffed his arm a little to snap him out of it again and then pointed her thumb at the masses of books. "Help me to find the history section please, we have not all time of the world, you know? Mister, I am the currently very self-satisfied Hanabusa." She told him with a laugh in her voice. That did it. For the next ten minutes he and the guards burst out laughing.

Shaking her head at the quartet of silly acting males, Yori watched his father step closer and snigger at the picture. He gave Yori a sharp toothed grin then patted the surprised young woman on her head before he cuffed his ridiculous acting son shortly over the head. After that he told the reminding guard something in the ear and then left them again.

Yori could only raise a brow at that…did that vampire Noble lord just act like a normal human father or did she imagine things here? Seeing that Hanabusa was nowhere near to be helpful right now, she walked over to the reception table of the book hall and asked the female vampire there for directions to certain parts of this big hall.

She had to do some research!

End of chapter.

I think that two make a good team…don't you think so too? Laughs here, I hope the joke came over the right way. Until next time, Suryallee.