A/N: Yay Thanksgiving Break! I'm a little sad about the lack of the reviews for the last chapter. I only had half as many as the previous chapter :( (Whoa, my computer made an unhappy face for me when I made the face the first time!  See! It did it again!) Remember that reviews are what keep me writing. I accept all reviews so please drop me a line or two! The longer the better.

Ichijo= Takuma's grandfather(I don't want anyone to be confused about

Takuma=Takuma (of course)who is who in this chapter.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight if I did it would always be Christmas! (I have no idea why I said that, it makes absolutely no sense hahahaha.)

Unlocking the Gates:

Family, Suspicions and Questions

Ari woke up the next morning to the sound of talking and shuffling of feet in the hallway.

'I just want to sleep! Is there anything wrong with that?' thought Ari as she let out a small moan. She pulled her pillow over her ears and rolled away from the door, trying to block out the noise.

After five minutes of listening to the noise in the hall she threw the pillow across the room in frustration. Ari was not a morning person. She couldn't fall asleep with the racket going on in the hallway. She got out of her warm and comfortable bed and stretched with a groan. Rubbing her eyes and slumping she made her way to her closet to grab the detestable Cross Academy uniform. That was when a particularly loud bang startled Ari enough that she tripped over the rug on her floor and fell flat on her face.

"Why is it so loud this early in the morning?" Ari growled with frustration. Finally on her last nerve she got up to investigate the noises coming from the hallway outside of her room.

When she opened her door she found maids running through the halls. It looked like they were preparing for some sort of big event. They were dusting, sweeping, polishing and placing fragrant flowers into the many vases lining the hallway. Snagging a passing maids sleeve Ari was able to ask her what all of the commotion so early in the morning was about.

"You haven't been informed!?" asked the maid incredulously.

"I went to bed early last night," said Ari emotionlessly.

After reading her book for a couple hours Ari had gone to bed relatively early, or late depending on your point of view. She hadn't wanted to think about Takuma's reaction to her any longer and had sought the comfort of sleep to chase away her depressing thoughts.

"Ichijo-san's grandfather is coming to visit and pay his respects to Kaname-sama," said the maid politely.

"I see. You may finish your duties now," Ari told the maid quietly. Ari hadn't missed the maids fidgeting and understood that she probably had plenty to take care of before the arrival of Takuma's grandfather. With a nod of gratitude the maid bowed and scurried away to perform the rest of her duties.

'I suppose I'll be expected to meet him to show my respect,' thought Ari morosely. She hadn't met Takuma's grandfather before but had heard about him from Shiki. What she heard hadn't been good. Ari was not looking forward to meeting him. If she thought she could get away with it Ari would have just stayed away from him, but it would be considered an insult if she avoided him. It also didn't help that his grandson probably hated her now. And speaking of the devil…

"Ari," called a singsong voice before the door was abruptly thrown open.

Ari unhurriedly turned around to face the person who had suddenly opened her door. She knew who it was; no one else would have the guts to barge into her room unannounced. What she was surprised about was that he was still barging into her room after the night before, when he had found out about the monster she could become.

"What is it Takuma?" Ari coolly asked, completely unfazed by his sudden appearance. She couldn't let him know that his presence was causing her heart to beat wildly.

"Why are you being so cold this morning?" pouted Takuma. He had immediately picked up on her frostiness.

Ari just stared at him emotionlessly, her eyes reflecting her disbelief.

'There's no way he forgot,' thought Ari as a sweat drop appeared on the back of her head. Not even Takuma was that dense, at least she didn't think so.

"Have you forgotten what I told you last night?" asked Ari. It couldn't hurt to remind him, maybe then he'd remember and leave her to her misery. Ari watched as Takuma put his hand on his chin in a thoughtful expression.

'He really is that dense,' thought Ari with an internal sigh.

"Oh yeah! Now I remember. I decided that I didn't care. You're still Ari, my best friend, no matter what you turn into or who you kill," said Takuma happily with his trademark kind smile.

'It sounds slightly… disturbing when he puts it that way,' thought Ari before the words completely registered in her mind. When they finally did register she felt joy and happiness blossom within her. She wanted to scream, laugh and cry all at the same time. He still wanted to be her friend!

'Why do I feel this way? Is it love?' wondered Ari as she fought down the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Ari lifted her head allowing Takuma to look into her eyes and see the joy and happiness within them.

When Takuma saw it he felt his smile become even wider if possible. When Ari let her emotions shine through her eyes like that he couldn't help but think that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. If only he could see her truly smile just once.

"You didn't really think that I would hate you just because you're a bit… enthusiastic when you kill Level E's, did you?" asked Takuma with a slight hesitation as he tried to think of the best word to describe her when she hunted without hurting her feelings.

"You mean bloodthirsty, coldhearted or vicious," said Ari tonelessly as she let her head hang down in shame.

"You can't help it and it's a part of who you are. I wouldn't have you any other way Ari. If you were different you wouldn't be Ari and you wouldn't be my best friend," said Takuma with compassion.

"But,"

"No buts, you're perfect just the way you are and don't be ashamed of it," interrupted Takuma firmly.

Ari felt tears threaten to overflow at Takuma's overwhelming kindness. No one had ever said anything like that to her.

"I don't like seeing you sad," murmured Takuma as he gracefully walked towards Ari and gently lifted her chin to look into her eyes.

Ari stared up into his kind green eyes and felt a foreign sensation wash through her, she wanted something but wasn't sure what. The sensation only grew stronger when Takuma leaned in closer to her face, the inches between them rapidly decreasing. Ari felt herself leaning in closer to him as well and she closed her eyes in anticipation of something she knew nothing about. Just as their lips were about to touch the door was suddenly flung open for the second time that day, causing the two 'friends' to spring apart from each other quickly.

"What are you going to wear today Ari? You need to look nice to meet Ichijo-san," said Rima with her arms still spread wide from flinging the door open and a smile on her face. She failed to notice the flustered appearance of Takuma and the bewildered appearance of Ari.

"I-I'm not sure," stuttered Ari, the only sign that she was surprised by Rima's sudden entrance into her room. Rima seemed to suddenly notice Takuma standing the in the middle of Ari's room.

"Shoo Takuma! I need to get Ari ready to meet your grandfather! Don't forget that she needs to make a good impression on him. If she doesn't then he might not let her visit during break!" said Rima sternly while shaking her finger at Takuma in admonishment.

"Visit Takuma during break?" Ari questioned. She hadn't heard anything about visiting him while the school was closed down for winter break.

" Rima why don't you help Ari pick out something to wear, I've got to go now," laughed Takuma nervously while rubbing the back of his head. After he was finished talking he quickly ran through the door and disappeared down the hallway.

"What was that about?" asked Ari emotionlessly but with an eyebrow arched, showing she was confused by Takuma's behavior.

"Hahaha, uuuhhh, nothing nothing," said Rima nervously.

"Hmmm," uttered Ari suspiciously. Something was up with the two of them. They were planning something and if Rima was involved then Shiki was also. She could ask her brother later.

"Let's pick out your outfit for meeting Ichijo-san," said Rima brightly, obviously trying to change the subject, Ari let her for the time being.

Rima went over to Ari's closet and searched through it flinging clothes all over Ari's room in the process. After about five minutes Rima seemed to have found an outfit she thought was acceptable. She brought her choice over to Ari and forced her into the bathroom to change.

"Have you met Ichijo-san before?" asked Rima from the other side of the bathroom door while Ari changed.

"No," said Ari shortly as she dressed. Once she had finally managed to get the outfit on she walked out of the bathroom. It was a dress that she had never worn before. The entire dress was the deep velvety black of midnight and came down to her knees. There were satiny ribbons for the straps and ribbons that wrapped around her torso, giving it a corset-like appearance.

"It'll do. I think that some black flats will go with it nicely," said Rima critically. She was eyeing Ari up and down with an approving look in her eyes. Rima quickly went to Ari's closet once again and grabbed a pair of black flats she found in there, tossing them to Ari. Once Ari had the shoes on she stood still while Rima walked around her appraisingly.

"I think we should leave your hair down like it is," said Rima once she had finished her circuit of Ari.

With a clap of her hands Rima grinned and pronounced that Ari was all set. With a nod in Ari's direction Rima left the room saying she still had to get ready and would see her when Ichijo arrived.

'Rima sure is acting weird. She usually isn't this cheery. I wonder if she's nervous about Ichijo-san visiting,' wondered Ari.

Ari walked casually around her room picking up the clothes Rima had thrown all over in her enthusiasm.

Ari wondered what would have happened if Rima hadn't interrupted Takuma. She had seen people kissing before and wondered if that was what Takuma had been getting ready to do. Ari shook her head at her silly thoughts. There was no way Takuma would want to kiss her, but she could help but wonder and wish he would.

Once she was finished picking up clothes Ari decided to join everyone down in the main room to wait for Ichijo-san's arrival. When she walked down the stairs she immediately spotted Shiki's bright red hair and walked over to join him. Takuma and Kaname eventually walked down the stairs a few minutes after Ari's arrival.

Risking a glance over at Kaname Ari found he was as stoic as usual, unsurprisingly. Takuma, on the other hand, was nervously fidgeting, twining his fingers together while staring at the Moon Dorm doors.

Ari decided it would be a good idea to try to comfort Takuma. She could tell he was upset that his grandfather was visiting and she didn't like seeing him in that state. Without really thinking too much about her decision Ari quickly reached over and gathered Takuma's hands into her own. Takuma threw her a startled glance but quickly relaxed and smiled at her. Ari was about to withdraw her hands but he tightened his own around hers, looking at her with pleading eyes. With an almost silent sigh Ari let him keep her hands. Once he was sure she wouldn't try to take her hands back he slowly let go of her left hand and brought their entwined hands down near their waists inconspicuously.

Ari was surprised Takuma was so nervous to meet with his own grandfather. She had heard he was formidable, but to have his own grandson anxious he must be a very commanding individual.

Takuma suddenly stiffened and stared at the Moon Dorm doors as they flew open revealing the authoritative figure of what must be Takuma's grandfather. He rapidly walked forward until he was in front of his grandson and Kaname.

"Takuma, how have things been at Cross Academy?" asked Ichijo without preamble.

"I have been having a wonderful time grandfather. I've also made a friend," said Takuma, gesturing towards Ari. Ichijo turned his piercing gaze onto Ari when Takuma introduced her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Ichijo-san. I am Arianna," murmured Ari with a small bow in his direction making sure to keep eye contact. She didn't want him to think she was just another vampire willing to bow down to his every whim and was also slightly angry he had made Takuma so nervous.

Ichijo narrowed his eyes when he saw her keeping eye contact during her bow. He had seen her somewhere before, but where?

"You are Shiki's younger sister, correct?" asked Ichijo, finally remembering who she was.

"Hai," said Ari expressionlessly.

"I see," he said with a small smirk.

Ari narrowed her eyes when she saw his smirk. Ari made a mental note to keep an eye on him; she didn't like the way he was looking at her.

Thankfully after the introduction was over Ichijo turned his attention towards Kaname and away from a suspicious Ari.

While he spoke with Kaname Ari turned her attention inward to figure out why she was so suspicious of Takuma's grandfather. There was just something about him that set off Ari's internal alarm and made her want to destroy him. He was planning something, Ari was sure of that.

Ari was pulled from her thoughts by the sudden movement of Aido and Ruka towards Kaname. Looking around in bewilderment Ari saw all of the vampire's were sending hateful glares towards Ichijo. Ari looked at Ichijo and saw he was kneeling in front of Kaname, holding Kaname's hand.

'What did he say?' Ari wondered in confusion. Takuma was tense beside her. He looked upset as he watched his grandfather.

"I must be going now. It was a pleasure to see you again Kaname-sama," said Ichijo as he got up off of his knees and gave a deep bow to Kaname before sweeping out of the Moon Dorm.

"Well that was interesting," mumbled Takuma with a small bitter smile towards Ari. He frowned when he saw the faraway look in her eyes.

"Ari?" asked Takuma. At the sound of her name the faraway look disappeared and Ari focused on Takuma.

"Did you say something?" asked Ari.

"Nothing," said Takuma with a laugh. Inside he was worried though. Ari rarely lost focus and never when something important was happening.

"Okay then," mumbled Ari suspiciously. From the way Takuma was acting she had missed something, but if it was important Takuma would have told her.

"I'm going back to my room. I'll see you later Takuma," said Ari with a wave as she walked up the stairs.

"Hai," replied Takuma uncertainly.

'She's hiding something,' thought Takuma.

-2 weeks later

"So what do you want to do today?" asked Takuma with a smile as he played with the hem of his shirt.

Ari was currently lying on her bed reading a book with Takuma's head resting in her lap, playing idly with his hair as she read. They had become even closer (if possible) in the past couple of weeks. Neither had mentioned what had almost happened in Ari's room before Rima interrupted them. They hadn't had any more moments like that either. Takuma seemed to like being close to her and Ari didn't mind; she enjoyed the physical and emotional comfort Takuma gave her by being close. (A/N: Not that kind of physical comfort for you dirty minded people out there hahaha.)

"I don't care. You can pick," said Ari tonelessly, to interested in her book to pay much attention to him.

"How about we play Sardines(1)!" said Takuma excitedly while looking up at her childishly.

"Sardines," said Ari monotonously as she put her book down, making sure to mark her page. He had succeeded in getting her attention now.

'He has got to be kidding. Then again this is Takuma we're talking about,' thought Ari resignedly.

"Fine, as long as you can get more than just us to play," said Ari emotionlessly. She had told him they could do what he wanted today.

After about a half an hour of pleading Takuma had managed to convince Kain, Shiki, Rima and Aido to play Sardine's with them. Realizing that Ruka wasn't among them Ari sighed in relief. Ruka was still angry with Ari but the others had slowly warmed up to the emotionless girl.

Ari found Kain to be quiet and steady like a rock. He was nice to be around when she was finding it difficult to control her emotions.

Aido had also slowly warmed up to her and had started including her in his jokes on the rest of the Night Class. He had found Ari's ability to keep her face completely emotionless useful when he needed to convince someone he wasn't lying, or if he needed them to go to a certain spot for the joke to work. It seemed that no one expected Ari to have a sense of humor and appreciation for Aido's jokes. Aido was just happy he had found an accomplice.

Rima was great to have around because she helped Ari with her wardrobe. Rima enjoyed having Ari around for girly conversations she didn't want to have with Ruka. Ari also found Rima enjoyed hearing stories about Shiki's childhood. Shiki wasn't happy that Ari was telling Rima about the silly things he did when he was a child, but he was happy that Ari and Rima were getting along well.

Ari hadn't been able to spend much time with Seiran due to her guarding duties to Kaname but Ari found Seiran to be a good practice partner, as long as she didn't use her powers.

"All right, is everyone ready? All of you know the rules?" asked Takuma. When everyone nodded he clapped once and smiled happily.

"Then who wants to hide first?" asked Takuma.

"I will," said Ari as she raised her hand. She figured if she hid she wouldn't have to do as much work, plus Ari enjoyed the peace until someone found her.

"Okay Ari! Then we'll count to 20 and come looking for you," said Takuma excitedly.

"Ready?" asked Takuma.

Ari nodded.

"We're starting! One…two…three," said Takuma with his hands over his eyes.

That was all Ari heard because she was soon racing through the backyard of the Moon Dorm and into the forest. Ari knew the perfect place to hide. She came out here often when she needed to get away from everyone. She quickly ran and slide inside what looked like a large log. There was a huge tree that had been hollowed out by termites and had fallen. At the base of the trunk was a small opening that anyone could crawl through which widened into a spacious area that could fit ten people (A/N: it was a big tree okay!). Ari settled down to wait, not knowing how long it would take for everyone to find her.

After about five minutes of hearing people running back and forth past her tree someone finally stopped and looked inside, spotting Ari resting comfortably inside. With a quick look around they slipped quietly inside with Ari. Once the person was inside Ari was able to see Rima grinning at her.

"Great hiding place," Rima whispered.

"Thank you," replied Ari quietly.

After about five minutes Rima seemed to grow bored.

"So how are things between you and Ichijo?" asked Rima innocently.

"Fine," Ari replied suspiciously. Something was up.

"I've noticed you two have been getting pretty close," said Rima.

"Hn," Ari didn't know what Rima wanted but she wasn't going to let Rima trick her into saying anything.

"Fine," Rima sighed. She had known she probably wouldn't get anything out of Ari but had decided to try. Ari and Takuma had been getting very close lately and Rima was wondering when Takuma would finally ask her out on a date. It was obvious they liked each other but both were too shy to do anything about it.

"You're both being too loud," said a masculine voice from the entrance of the tree. The voice immediately slipped in next to them after saying that. When he was finally inside Ari saw it was Kain who had found them.

After Kain found them the rest were quick to find the hiding place. Soon Takuma was the only one left and Ari was starting to get worried that something might have happened to him. Her fears were laid to rest soon enough though when she saw a shadow outside of the log and a whining voice complaining about being the last one as he looked into the log and saw all of them inside.

"You're it Takuma," said Shiki.

"Fine," Takuma pouted.

Everyone counted to twenty once again as Takuma raced off into the forest to find a hiding place. Once the counting was finished everyone spread out and split up to find him. Ari jogged through the forest looking around and stopped when she heard a slight rustle above her. She immediately crouched down defensively and looked up, only to meet a pair of green eyes. Ari relaxed when she recognized Takuma hiding in the tree. Taking a quick look around she quickly climbed up to join Takuma on the highest branch.

"You found me quickly," murmured Takuma sulkily.

"You were making noise," responded Ari sensibly.

Takuma chuckled. They both sat in companionable silence waiting for the rest to find them.

"Ari," said Takuma nervously. Ari turned to look at him questioningly.

"Ah… would you… maybe go on a date with me?" asked Takuma while staring down at the ground in embarrassment.

"What?" asked Ari in shock.

"It's okay if you don't want to, I understand," said Takuma quickly with a smile plastered on his face. Only it wasn't one of his normal smiles this time, this smile was fake and Ari didn't like it. She wanted him to only show her his truly happy smiles that he always had on when they were together.

"I-I would love to go on a date with you," mumbled Ari quietly. She could feel her cheeks heating up in embarrassment and looked down to hide it.

"Really!" said Takuma in excitement.

"Un," nodded Ari still looking down in embarrassment.

"How about next Saturday?" asked Takuma.

"That's fine," mumbled Ari, risking a quick glance up to look at Takuma's face. What she saw there made the blush even worse. He was practically blinding her with his smile. She had never seen him so happy before. He looked adorable!

"I thought I told you not to be so loud," said Kain from below them, addressing Ari. Takuma jumped when he heard Kain's voice.

"Gomen," said Ari monotonously, once again gaining control over her emotions and extinguishing her blush.

Kain climbed up with them and sat on the branch. Ari wondered if he had heard their conversation but couldn't tell. Kain was almost as good as her when it came to controlling his emotions.

After Kain found them it, once again, didn't take long for the rest. They played Sardine's until everyone had a change at hiding. Soon Rima and Shiki complained about being tired and they all headed back to the Moon Dorm. Everyone seemed to be worn out from the game and went to their respective rooms to relax before school started the next night. Takuma seemed to understand that she needed some space after the shock of him asking her out and left to go to his room after walking her to hers.

Once Ari was inside she shut the door with a sigh of relief. She could still feel a happy smile trying to break through her barrier. She wanted to dance, sing and run around like a crazy woman. She had never felt as happy as she did now. She let out a blissful sigh as she let herself fall down on her bed with her arms spread out. Takuma had asked her on a date!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1)Sardine's- A game where one person hides (the hider) and the rest of the people playing count before looking for the person. Usually people look for the hider on their own or in small groups. When you find the hider you quickly join them in their hiding place without letting anyone else see you. Everyone joins the hider as they find him/her until only one person is left (usually people end up packed together like sardines, hence the name). The last person to find the hider has to hide in the next round.

A/N: Yay, another chapter completed! I know Rima's kind of OC in this fic, but that's just the way she came out when I was writing. Please please please review, it makes me so happy when you do (hey that rhymed! I think I'll use that from now on!) I hope everyone had a very happy thanksgiving (for those of you in the United States). For those of you not in the United States it sucks that you don't get a break!