RACHEL HAZUKASHI

"Maxine, relax." I said to Maxine, wringing my hands together as we walked across the grounds towards the Moon Dorms.

"Rachel, you're the one that needs to relax! Look at your hands!" Maxine laughed, looking as relaxed as ever.

I looked down and stopped ringing my hands together.

"Sorry..." I apologized. "I haven't seen Ichio in years...and I don't really know what he's going to think of, well you know...me and Takuma...as a couple..."

Maxine patted my shoulder awkwardly. "Rachel, it'll be fine!"

I took a deep breath as I raised my hand to knock on the door, seeing as we had reached the Moon Dorms. The door opened before I had a chance to knock and Takuma appeared, looking even more nervous than I was.

"Rachel! Thank goodness..."

He reached out, sweeping me up into his arms and spinning me around in a hug. Maxine laughed and walked by us.

"Hey Takuma?" she asked, pointing upstairs.

"Oh! He's in his room." He smiled at her, putting me down.

She nodded and ran up the stairs, disappearing behind one of the many doors.

"I haven't seen Ichio in years..." I said to Takuma, voicing my concerns to him as well as I had earlier to Maxine.

He hugged me tightly again. "I know...but don't worry, he'll love you." Takuma pulled away, looking down into my eyes. "Just like I do." I smiled up at him and stretched up on my tip-toes to kiss him. He kissed me back hungrily, pulling me into him.

After several minutes, we broke apart, gasping for air.

Takuma leaned his forehead against mine, smiling. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" he asked breathlessly, chuckling.

I smirked. "Yes, but it's always nice to hear it again."

I laughed as he picked me up and carried me to the couch, lifting me onto his lap. His arms tightened around me and I chuckled, our foreheads leaning together again.

I looked into his bright green eyes, biting my lip.

In a moment, his lips crashed onto mine once again as my arms winded around the back of his neck.

All of the sudden, we heard the large doors to the Moon Dorm swing open and saw Asato Ichijo standing between them, looking a little taken aback.

Most of the Night Class students rushed down the stairs to greet Ichio.

"I appreciate the warm welcome, but the only reason I have come tonight is to pay a visit to my dear grandson. No need to stand on formalities." Ichio said coldly, glaring at me.

Takuma and I jumped apart, standing and straightening our clothes out nervously.

Takuma opened his mouth to reply, however Kaname's voice rang out from the top of the staircase, Maxine standing behind him.

"Hello Ichio. I'm glad to see you're well." Kaname stated cooly as he glided down the staircase to meet Ichio at the bottom.

"We haven't seen eachother since the day you refused to have me as your legal guardian. And thats the last we spoke, Lord Kaname." Ichio's voice grew colder.

"Yes, I just didn't want to be coddled." Kaname replied calmly.

"Kaname, it isn't the time for this." Takuma interjected, looking nervous.

I saw Ichio's eyes narrow.

"Yes, you're right." Kaname replied to Takuma before turning his attention back to Ichio.

Ichio fell to his knees. "Purebloods are different from us aristocrats. Even if you're covered in blood, nothing can defile you. You're a flower that smells lusciously sweet for all eternity." Ichio grabbed Kaname's hand. "You possess overwhelming youth, power, and beauty, and I hope that I will be able to receive the unrivaled benefits of your blood."

In a moment, Aido and Ruka had descended upon the two, breaking their hands apart.

"You jest too much sir." Aido said coldly, glaring at Ichio.

Ichio glared back, removing his hand from Aido's grip before turning to Takuma and I.

Ichio looked at me judgmentally, and even colder edge to his gaze than I had seen when we were children.

"This girl..." He began, his tone tainted with disgust and disappointment. "Hmph." He grunted, turning his attention to Takuma. "She is merely a petty insect to the possible girls you could be courting."

Takuma stood in front of me, in an almost protective stance between Ichio and I. By the rise and fall of Takuma's shoulders, I could tell that he was fuming. He glared back at Ichio, opening his mouth to retaliate.

Ichio turned, cutting Takuma off. "And Lord Kaname." Ichio's tone was serious and disapproving. "The one you have chosen may be pretty...but let us face this. She is neither deserving enough, nor does she belong in our world. She belongs among her own self-destructive race. Besides, I doubt she could carry on a conversation, let alone a blood lline." he finished, referring to Maxine.

I saw Maxine's expression change, angry. She began to walk towards Ichio, however Aido spoke up instead.

"Ichio!" He said, angry. "I am not afraid of you, so I will say this! Even though she is human, I have seen her true self. Our race would be very fortunate to have her as a queen. Our race would flourish, and peace with the humans would be within grasp, instead of only a distant possibility. Therefore, I say this...Insult this girl again and-"

The sound of Kaname slapping Aido's cheek rang out in the silent room.

He turned to Ichio, bowing slightly. "I'm very sorry. I haven't taught him enough manners. However," Kaname's tone became menacing. "I hope that you will put enough faith in me to be able to make my own decisions, Ichio. I love this girl, and nothing you can say or do will change that."

I looked up at Maxine and saw her slightly stunned expression at everything that had just occurred. I could tell that she was surprised, as was I, that Aido had been the one to speak out to defend her. I smiled slightly, proud of my close friend for having the courage to stand up to Ichio. My smile disappeared as I remembered what Kaname had done. I felt bad for Aido, always being humiliated.

However, I also knew that Kaname had a reason behind every one of his actions.

Ichio bowed his head. "I apologize, Lord Kaname. My only wish is that you consider my concerns." He stood, looking at Takuma. "And now, I would like to request a moment alone with my grandson."

Takuma nodded, still fuming as he led Ichio wordlessly up the stairs and into a dark room, shutting the door behind them.

I trotted over to Aido, who was holding his cheek tenderly and looking sad.

"Aido...that was truly amazing, what you did." I said, pulling him into a hug.

"Yeah, well...don't get used to it." He grumbled, fighting back a smile.

I smiled at him, glad to see that the slap he had received hadn't affected him too much.

"Thank you, Aido." Kaname's cool, authoritative voice called out.

Kaname turned to Maxine, placing a hand on her cheek. "I am very sorry Ichio has treated you this way, Maxine."

Maxine nodded, and the two began to walk back up the stairs towards Kaname's room.

"Wait, Kaname!" Maxine called out, hesitant.

Maxine came down the stairs and hurried quickly over to us.

"Aido, thank you so much. I can't tell you how much what you said means to me." Maxine hugged Aido quickly before turning back around and following Kaname up the stairs.

I turned to where Aido had been standing moments before, however saw the space empty. I turned, looking for and saw him at the top of the staircase, disappearing down the hallway that Ichio and Takuma had gone down.

"Aido? What are you doing?" I asked, following him.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He replied, whispering loudly and stopping in front of a door.

"Aido!" I said as I caught up with him and kneeled by the door as well.

I heard the muffled voices of Ichio and Takuma behind the thick wooden door.

Aido pressed his ear against the door, attempting to listen in.

"Aido! You shouldn't eavesdrop! What if someone catches us?" I asked, panicking slightly.

"Oh come on. Don't you want to hear what they're talking about too?"

I sighed, giving in and pressing my ear to the door as well.

"Takuma, you could have practically anyone you desire." Ichio said.

"But grandfather, you don't understand. The one I desire is Rachel!" Takuma responded angrily.

A cold silence followed before Ichio spoke again.

"She is human."

"And I don't care." Takuma replied, still angry.

"Humans' lives are short, passing through what is only a moment for a vampire." Ichio responded, his voice chilling me to the bones.

Another silence.

"Grandfather," Takuma responded. "I love her. I would give up the world for her, even if she is human, which is why I'm willing to put forth the effort to overcome any problem that you, the Senate, or anyone else tries to throw at us."

Aido and I heard footsteps from the other side of the door, and we scrambled to get up and out of the hallway as quickly as possible. We ran down the stairs, jumping onto the couches trying to look nonchalant only moments before Takuma returned.

He descended the stairs wordlessly. I stood, rising up off of the couch and walking towards him as he pulled me into a tight hug.

I returned the hug before we broke apart and looked around, seeing that the rest of the Night Class was still in the room with us. Takuma grabbed my hand and we walked upstairs, heading for a place where we could talk in private. I finally noticed where we were before Takuma opened the door to his and Shiki's room and pulled me inside.

I walked in and sat at the edge of his bed, watching him pace back and forth in front of me.

Finally, he stopped pacing and stood in front of me.

"Rachel, I am so so sorry you had to hear that. And I apologize for my grandfather's actions."

"Takuma! You know I don't hold you responsible for what Ichio said! I knew he wasn't happy when he walked in and saw us on the couch."

Takuma blushed slightly before continuing.

"I know, but still. What he said to you was unforgivable."

I stood, throwing my arms around Takuma's neck in a comforting hug. He returned the hug gratefully, his arms sliding around my waist. He pulled away slightly, his hands still on my waist before speaking again. "I was planning on telling you what went on in that room, but it seems that you and Aido took that into your own hands, and already know most of what happened."

Takuma smirked at my surprised expression.

"You knew about that?" I asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, but it's fine. It was foolish of me to think that you two would be able to just sit in the foyer and wait." He chuckled lightly.

I paused, remembering Ichio's words sadly.

"But Takuma..." I looked down sadly. "He was sort of right you know. You really could have anyone you wa-"

But Takuma cut me off with a kiss. He pulled away and grabbed my chin lightly. "I love you, Rachel. Please, never doubt that. You are far more than I could ever have hoped for, and I could never even attempt to replace you with anyone. You are my life now, and you are more perfect than I could have ever thought possible. My grandfather is wrong. You are the one for me."

I hugged him, once again wondering how I got lucky enough to have such a sweet guy as my boyfriend.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" I asked, speaking into Takuma's shoulder.

He chuckled. "Yes, but it's always nice to hear it again."

Maxine and I waved goodbye to Kaname and Takuma, having left the Dorms before Ichio could cause any more damage. We trudged back to the Sun Dorms, grumbling over the prospect of having to return to classes the next day.

"Ugh...I have not missed doing Guardian duties." I groaned.

Maxine looked at her feet sadly, probably thinking about Zero.

I nervously tried to change the subject.

"But at least Headmaster is letting us have a ball to celebrate!"

Maxine perked up a little at the mention of the ball.

We talked about the ball and our classes, finally falling onto the topic of Ichio.

"I can't believe that he was so..." Maxine trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Disrespectful?" I offered, laughing bitterly.

"Yeah. I can't believe that Aido stepped up to defend me like he did!" she commented.

"Well, he is full of surprises." I said, still proud of what Aido had done. "But are you ok? Ichio did say some pretty awful things to you." I asked, scanning Maxine's face and reading her emotions.

She nodded. "Of course! Since when have I let what anyone's said get to me?"

I smiled, realizing she was right.

"What about you? I could tell what he said to Takuma hit you pretty hard."

"Yeah. I didn't think he would be as rude as he was though." I finished, opening the door to our room and collapsing on my bed. "Goodnight." I finished, too exhausted to change into my pajamas.

I awoke the next morning feeling excited. The ball was getting closer and closer, and I couldn't wait. I showered and got dressed, putting on my uniform for the first time in days. I was surprised that I had woken and gotten completely ready for school before Maxine even began to stir.

I cocked my head to the side, confused on what to do.

"Well, it is getting sort of late...maybe I should wake her..." I said to myself wearily, not having been in the position where I ever had to wake Maxine for school before.

I poked her toe cautiously and whispered, "Maxine?"

Maxine remained motionless.

I poked her toe harder, calling out slightly louder.

Maxine was still asleep.

Finally, I shook her foot violently and yelled, "MAXINE!"

Maxine shot upright, waking with a start.

"Jeez! You don't have to yell!" She said, irritated. She looked over at the clock and jumped out of bed, grabbing her uniform and rushing into the bathroom. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" she yelled, brushing her hair in a hurry.

"Sorry! I didn't know what to do! This is a foreign concept to me!" I defended, crossing my arms across my chest stubbornly.

Maxine blew past me, picking up her bag and shouting, "Let's go!"

We rushed to class, sitting down in our seats just as the bell rang.

Maxine shot me one more irritated look before looking towards the front of the classroom, actually paying attention today.

I smiled before turning my attention to the front of the classroom as well.

The rest of the day went by in a blur, saying hello to fellow classmates who had left to visit their families or go on vacation during the break. Maxine and I listened to hundreds of stories of their adventures, having to come up with lame excuses whenever anyone asked what we had done over break.

We approached our last class of the day, our final teacher being Toga Yagari.

"Now I know you're all excited about what you did over the break, but please don't make me remind you that break is over, and I have no desire to hear about any of your 'adventures'." He sighed before writing something on the blackboard and launching into his lecture.

When the bell rang, Maxine and I jumped up out of our seats, rushing to get to the Moon Dorms before the fan girls swarmed the entrance.

We arrived just before the gates swung open, the fan girls screaming with a renewed passion. I silently wondered to myself how so many of the girls ended up getting here before Maxine and I, seeing as we practically sprinted here directly from the classrooms.

I merely shrugged, noticing how much more difficult it was to control the fan girls with only two Guardians, instead of the usual three. Maxine noticed as well, and looked sadly at the section of fan girls that Zero used to have to hold back.

"Why hello everyone! I missed you all when you were on break!" Aido called out cheerily, skipping out from the gates. He pointed his hand at several of them, making a gun shape and playfully yelling, "BANG!"

I rolled my eyes, laughing. I saw Kaname walk by, smiling at Maxine, however refraining from making too much of a deal so that the fan girls wouldn't angrily swarm Maxine in a jealous rage.

However, this apparently didn't occur to my boyfriend. I saw Takuma come out of the gates and I smiled brightly at him as he walked over to me and kissed me on the cheek. The fan girls in front of me glared murderously at me as Takuma smiled dazzlingly, oblivious to the danger I was in. He waved as he walked away, saying, "Don't hurt yourself when you're on patrol, ok?"

Once the Night Class finished passing by and had safely reached the classrooms, I turned around nervously.

The giant mass of fan girls were seething with jealous rage. I realized now that none of them knew that Takuma and I were a couple, and that none of them liked it.

"Why was he kissing you!" several fan girls in the front accused.

"Are you two dating now?" asked several others incredulously from the back.

Finally, the large girl who had pushed me over during the Switchover before spoke up, pointing angrily at me.

"Who cares? LET'S GET HER!"

I spun on my heels, running away from the group of fan girls who had already formed an angry mob.

"MAXINE! HELP!" I yelled.

I looked over and saw Maxine rolling on the ground laughing, tears in her eyes.

"YOU SUCK!" I yelled, noticing the mob was gaining speed.

Jeez, for a ton of girls who are failing P.E., they can run pretty fast!

I ran, fleeing from the scene and running towards the classrooms.

I don't know exactly what I had intended to achieve through doing this, however I had no time to stop and turn around. I ran around the large building several times, finally running into Maxine who was casually patrolling the grounds for her Guardian duties as if nothing was wrong.

I stopped, bending over and gasping for air.

"Are...they...gone...yet?" I wheezed.

Maxine burst out laughing.

"They've been gone for like 20 minutes, I just wanted to see how long you would run!" she yelled, laughing even harder now.

I looked at her incredulously, my jaw dropping.

"Ugh!" I yelled, frustrated, punching her in the arm.

She laughed even harder and I began to laugh too, realizing that it much have been pretty funny to watch me run around the building like an idiot. I rolled my eyes, smiling to myself as I turned around, walking away and leaving Maxine in a hysterical heap on the ground, still laughing as I went to go patrol the grounds.