AN: I'll say now that I'm nearing the end of this tale, but don't worry, there are still a couple chapters left ^_^ Enjoy!
~11th Night, Chaos Taking Over~
Kaname was bored. It was only about fifteen minutes into the party and he was already beyond sick of the aristocrats groveling and sucking up to him. Yuki was fine, chatting animatedly with Ruka, Akatsuki, and Zero, who was actually here as a guest and not a guard. Kaname however, was stuck catering to all the vampires who wished to get on his good side, or making him show his bad one.
Even Eri was having fun, she was always the life of parties if Kaname's information was correct. She was one pureblood who wasn't always cold and distant. Well, Kaname thought, she had been a performer at one stage, so she was probably the most used to social settings out of all of them.
What is taking her so long to present Kai?
Yes, he, Kuran Kaname, was finally getting impatient. He hated it, hated that Kai, a mere fledgling vampire could get him so worked up and emotional. Still, he knew he loved her all the same, even though he wouldn't admit it publicly. He sighed, wanting her to come down so he would have someone to talk to.
"Are we a little tired this evening?" Kaname turned to see Sara standing beside. Of course she'd come to see Kai, it was only natural for purebloods to meet with other purebloods.
"You've been awfully quiet, haven't you, Sara-san?" he said, "I hope you haven't been up to any mischief."
"How rude!" she said playfully, "Is that all you think of me these days?" she demanded with a smile.
"You turned an entire school into a den of vampires," he said, "Forgive me for thinking you were up to something, or was it just for company's sake."
Her smile faltered, "I suppose that Kiryu brat told you?" she said, no longer playfully.
"He told Yuki, who always reports to me," he said, "What is your goal, Shirabuki-san?"
"That is my business, but for now, I'm here as a guest to meet the peace child." She said dismissively.
"Is that what she's being called?" Kaname said with mild interest, "I suppose, under the circumstances, it's actually quite a fitting title."
"Indeed, and this must be the new princess," Sara replied.
Kaname turned toward the stairs to see Tanaka leading Kai down towards them. She looked quite beautiful in her attire. Instead of the chain she usual wore, her neck was adorned by a black choker, from which hung a black crescent moon, emblazoned with swirling silver designs.
"So the little kitten is already wearing the Kirihara crest," Sara mused, "I wonder how she'll handle this den of lions."
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Kai's mother took her hand and lead her into the crowd of aristocrats.
"Eri-sama," they chanted.
"This must be your heir," one said.
"Young lady, what is your name?" someone asked.
Kaname watched anxiously to see how Kai would handle it. He saw her curtsy and heard her voice permeate through the crowd, "It's very nice to meet you all," she said, "My name is Kaida."
"Kaida-sama," they chanted. It was the same with every new pureblood, they learned the name, then chanted to remember it. It was a never-ending cycle for their kind. Luckily, Kai seemed to be managing well.
"Kaida-sama," one of them said, "May we ask your age?"
"Yes," she said with another warm smile, "I will be twenty as of February."
"So young," another cried in awe, "to be so important at such a young age."
"Yes, but Kuran Yuki-sama is younger, mind you," a third reminded.
"You look just like Eri-sama," another said, "But your eyes and the straightness of your hair, both of which are stunningly beautiful I might add, but you must get them from you illustrious father!"
Kai nodded, "Yes, he was very dear to me," she said, careful to hide the sadness Kaname knew she must be feeling.
"You're very like Kaname-sama," Lord Aido said, coming forward, "You are not only the product of Eri-sama and the illustrious Kiryu family, but you have chosen to join us, despite knowing what it is to be human. Such a sacrifice is truly a noteworthy indication of how much you support the peace between humans and the night clan."
"Thank you, lord Aido," she said.
They speak as if she had a choice.
Kaname continued to observe quietly as Lord Aido brought Hanabusa forward, "If, in future, and I pray this is not to bold of me, you are looking for a companion, I urge you to think of my son, Hanabusa."
Hanabusa looked outraged, but couldn't speak out against his father without fear of offending Kai. Again, it was always the same with purebloods, no matter who it was, if they had yet to choose a partner, the aristocrats would flock to them without unrestrained. So it was with Kai, many more of the aristocrats came forward, introducing their sons and urging her to think of them.
"So you are the new fledgling," Kaname had been so focused on Kai that he didn't even notice Sara approach her. She took the younger girl's hands, "I am Shirabuki Sara, it is so wonderful to meet you."
Kai smiled, but Kaname could tell that, instinctively, she knew Sara was dangerous, "It's nice to meet you, Shirabuki-san," she said. Kaname sensed her desire to be rid of this awkward situation and proceeded through the crowd. He bowed when he reached Kai.
"Kaida-san," he said, "Would do me the honor of giving me your first dance of the evening?" he asked.
Kai smiled and took his hand gratefully, "The pleasure is mine," she said.
As they danced, she said quietly, "Thank you."
"Any time," he said, "Sara's just as dangerous as you thought, be careful around her."
Kai nodded, "She's…scary," she said, "I could feel the urge to kill oozing off her skin."
"It seems you've retained your hunter's senses," Kaname said, "That's good, but on to a more pleasant topic. Do you still have the capsules I gave you?"
She nodded, "Yes, I'll be able to survive, school, don't worry," she assured him.
"So where's that prefect?" Arisa sneered at Kyoko, "Did she move on to bigger and better things?"
Kyoko sighed, "No, her mother lives far away," she said, "So she's returning late."
Takamiya clapped his hands, "Alright class, this is Ethics, not social hour," he said, "take your seats."
They sat down and Takamiya was about to begin when the door opened again. He looked over in surprise, then sighed, "You're late."
"Sorry, I had to check in with the headmaster," Kyoko grinned as she saw Kai enter the room. Her smile faltered a minute later when it hit her.
Kai was somehow, different, not necessarily in appearance, but her overall bearing was different. Kai seemed to have a more intense aura than before. It was dangerous, dark, yet beautiful and alluring all at once. She smiled again as her friend sat down next to her and did her best to get through the rest of class.
At lunch, she found Kai under a tree, writing in a notebook she had seen her carry frequently. It contained stories as well as piano pieces she was developing.
"Hey," she said quietly, sitting down beside her, "I thought you were, you know…transferring over to…" she gave Kai a meaningful look.
"Too risky," Kai said back, "besides, they don't have another female prefect they can use right now."
"I see," Kyoko replied, "You did it, didn't you?" she asked, "You know, changed?"
Kai nodded with a smiled, "So you can tell," she said, "Guess assuming things would be normal was wrong."
"Are you kidding?" Kyoko said incredulously, "I think everyone in that Ethics class noticed. You're…rather intimidating now."
He friend sighed, then yawned, "This whole nocturnal thing is making it difficult to stay awake," she said, then continued, "I can't help it, it's an occupational hazard of being in the night clan."
"Does Zero get the same attention?" Kyoko asked.
"How did you…?"
"My cousin, she's one of the day class students that didn't have her memory wiped, she told me everything."
"I see," Kai leaned back against the tree, "Well, yes and no, Zero is so anti-social that it counterbalance's his vampire charm."
Kyoko laughed, "I see. So…what's it like, you know, being one of the fanged creatures?"
"'Fanged creatures'?" Kai repeated, amused, "You can call me a vampire, you know, it's not insulting."
"Okay," Kyoko replied, "So what's it like? Do you still eat human food?"
Her roommate nodded, "Yeah, but I do crave blood as well," she said, "And unfortunately, I can't take the conventional blood tablets."
Kyoko gulped, "So what does that mean?"
Kai took a small matchbook out of her pocket, "I just take these," she said, sliding it over, "Special tablets just for me," she took one of them out and swallowed in, the delicious, yet still odd sensation of blood traveling down her throat.
"Hey, you know, later obviously, when there aren't any people around to see," the redhead said, "Can I see them?"
"See what?" Kai asked, confused, "The tablets are right here in front of you…"
Kyoko shook her head, "No…you're…vampire trademark," she said, almost a whisper, "Your fangs."
Kai laughed, "Yeah, later," she said, yawning again, "I want to take a nap in modern lit., but sensei would kill me."
"Is there any time you can take a nap?" Kyoko asked, "I mean, you'll be up all night on patrol, won't you?"
Kai nodded, "Yeah, but the chairman added a two-hour block into my schedule, so I can sleep in his guest room."
"What are you going by now?"
"How do you mean?"
"I mean," Kyoko said, "Are you still going by Kiryu or are you using Kirihara as your surname?"
Kai exhaled, "In school, I'll still be Kiryu for convenience's sake," she said, "But in the vampire world, I'm Kirihara Kaida, one of the rare and valuable purebloods."
Kyoko blinked, "You really are elite, aren't you?" she said, "You said purebloods are on top of the vampire race!"
Kai nodded, "That's why it's too risky for me to attend the night class," she said, "It's one thing for Yuki to be with Kaname, as they're siblings, but I'm from another pureblood family, so it could create a conflict of allegiance among the aristocrats that are currently under Kaname."
"The Kuran siblings are purebloods too?" Kyoko asked.
"Yes," Kai replied, "they're one of the oldest and noblest and are actually set somewhat above the other purebloods. I'm lucky enough as it is to be on familiar terms with them."
Kyoko gave a slight whistle, then checked her watch, "Oh crap," she said, "I've got sketching next," she hurriedly got to her feet, "See you!"
Kai waved as Kyoko dashed off, then got to her feet.
"Where do you think, you're going?" Kai sighed, she didn't even need to turn around to know that annoying voice.
"What do you want, class president?" she asked wearily, turning to face Arisa and her little group. For some reason, the blonde looked pissed off, with both her arms crossed and a glare firmly fixed on her face.
"Yuri saw you come back last night" she said accusingly, "WITH KURAN KANAME!"
"So?"
"SO WHY DID YOU?" Arisa demanded, "He's off limits to you!"
Kai shrugged, "And I suppose you've claimed him?" she asked, leaning against the tree again."
"YES!"
"And what, exactly, do you plan on doing to me?" Kai demanded, allowing her aura to take on a more menacing air. She was too tired to have to deal with this, "Do you really think you can go against me?"
The class president took a step back, then spun on her heel and stalked away, crying, "J-just STAY AWAY FROM HIM."
When she was out of sight, Kai smiled to herself.
Mission accomplished.
