Chapter 12

Night class meeting, the next morning…

Kaname and Ichijou had gone over what to do when he had come back. Ruka, Aido, Kain, Shiki, Rima, and Seiren were being told their parts. They were in Kaname's room. Kaname was sitting at the desk the rest were standing in front of the desk.

"Kaname-sama, if both Shiki and Ichijou got these letters then that means that Asatoo needs Shiki-kun," Rima said quietly.

"Yes, Shiki is HIS son. Although to get into this school they'll need someone already enrolled in," Kaname told them calmly. "Would you be willing to do this Shiki?"

Shiki nodded and replied, "If this will help you then of course I'll do it…"

"Thanks Shiki. Then the rest of you will help out at the end right?" Kaname asked the rest. "Also Ichijou has agreed to spy on his Asatoo. Ichijou if he asks about what is going on here… don't tell him that we're planning anything… alright?" Ichijou nodded and left to go pack. Shiki also left so he could go see his mother. Rima looked after Shiki; she wanted to say something but the words didn't come. She left with the rest but instead of going to her room she went to Shiki's room.

Rima peeked in and asked, "Shiki… can I come in?"

Shiki looked up and nodded. He continued to pack. She sat down on the edge of his bed watching him.

"Shiki is this really alright with you. If anything happens I don't know what I'll do…" Rima half whispered.

Shiki looked up and sighed. "Rima… I'll be fine. My family is torn, and I hate my father for what he did. If this is to take him down then I'd do anything. And Rima…" Shiki told her. He looked at her for a moment then pushed her down into a laying position. He was on top of her as he kissed her on the lips. He came off about an inch and whispered, "Rima, you and I can't get together just yet… because it'll hurt you once I come back. You know this, and so do I but it hurts to admit it. I want you more than anything. Rima can you wait for me just this once. Wait until this is all over. Then we can be together. No matter what I say once I come back know this… I love you more than I can bear. If I can't see you it'll hurt more than death itself. So please forgive me once the real me comes back… just for tonight can you stay with me?"

"… Of course Shiki… I know it will hurt not being able to be with you but I'll wait. I promise," Rima replied blushing the whole time.

At the hospital…

Yuuki spent her time leaning against some pillows reading. Her teachers had heard she woke up so now along with all the flowers, stuffed animals, and presents were books and folders scattered around her room. The Headmaster had stopped in earlier that morning. She had a deep sleep the night before. She looked out the window for the thousandth time. She sighed as she picked up another piece of paper.

This is giving me a headache. I knew that I'd either have to make up all this work or… repeat this year… which I'd rather not. I really don't want to be here. But everyone is so worried about me… what for anyway? I didn't die did I. Kaname… last night I heard someone saying 'I love you' but it couldn't be could it? This is so complicated! It's confusing me and driving me crazy. Zero… I never even had a chance to see him again… I never told him I was sorry. So…

As she sat there deep in thought Yori came walking into the room.

"Hey, Yuuki did I ever tell you how cute you were when you were thinking too much?" Yori joked, while smiling.

"YORI-CHAN!!" Yuuki half yelled happily. Yuuki smiled at her friend.

"Wow you're glad to see me… Yuuki I was so worried about you… by the way your room is fine no one touched it…" Yori told her while she handed her a belated birthday present.

"You know… I'm glad about that but too many people worried about me. None of them will let me get out of bed and it's kind of driving me crazy…" Yuuki said as she opened the gift. Yori sat down next to her bed. "Yori you really shouldn't have…" Yuuki held up a choker that was fabric and had pieces of fabric criss-crossing which made it thick.

"Classes are off and the Headmaster is back to his old self, which isn't necessarily a good thing. By the way I never got to tell you this before but I have a boyfriend… his name is Hiroshi," Yori confessed to Yuuki who just stared at her.

"Really?! That's great Yori," Yuuki told her friend. "So you're going to meet up with him today? It's fine if you want to go now besides it doesn't look like I'm going to be leaving this room for a while. So go have fun today…"

"You sure Yuuki?" Yori asked. Yuuki nodded. Yori smiled and said, "Thanks Yuuki for being so understanding…" Yori left waving a bit and walked down the hall.

Sighing she looked back at her school work and was surprised to see that even though she wasn't there. It was no trouble at all. She got done with all of it within an hour of starting. Yuuki was randomly drawing on a piece of paper when Kaname walked in.

"Yuuki, sorry I couldn't come earlier," Kaname said as he sat down on the chair next to her bed. He smiled at her. For the rest of the day he talked to her like nothing was wrong.

Asatoo's house…

Asatoo was in his office sitting at his desk while Ichijou was standing in front of him. Asatoo was working on a report.

"Takuma, you actually decided to come on your own free will. Here I thought I was going to have to come back to that school of yours," Asatoo said to Ichijou in a monotone voice. Asatoo had barely glanced up the whole time.

"Well it's better than you coming there and making a mess for me," Ichijou replied politely as he could.

"I always liked that you could talk back to me without cringing," Asatoo randomly said. "But as you probably guessed I didn't call you here to have a nice little chat… There is a reason." Asatoo was now staring at Ichijou.

"What would that be?" Ichijou asked, while returning his stare.

"Well, you should know why there aren't any of those other families on this committee. Most aren't cut out for the job. They are followers not leaders. On the other hand the Shiki, Ichijou, and Yamada families are born leaders that make decisions for the good of the night world," Asatoo told Ichijou.

"What does this have to do with the reason I came here? I'm always busy back at the school so… if you don't mind getting to the point?" Ichijou said while shifting a little.

"This has to do with that brat Kanai Ichijou or should I say Yuuki Cross. Also with Senri's father Kazou Shiki," Asatoo replied. Ichijou stared at him surprised.

"Yuuki Cross is a… Ichijou?" Takuma asked thoroughly surprised.

"Yes, she is the last of the Ichijou pureblood line. Although… at the same time she isn't," Asatoo answered.

"What do you mean she is and isn't?" Ichijou pried.

"Meaning… she has pureblood vampire blood in her but she isn't at least not anymore because her parents erased all trace of what she is, before they could erase her memory we stopped them in hopes to kill her. She ran before we could though," Asatoo told Ichijou.

"… Why did you want to kill the last of…?" Ichijou started to ask but was cut off.

"WE would lose our status as counsel members to her, and her twin brother Kai," Asatoo told him with a vengeance.

"Then Shiki's father…" Ichijou asked quietly.

"Is all part of the plan for getting rid of Yuuki Cross. We needed to resurrect him and we did so. Now we need to infiltrate the Academy and kill her to secure your position and mine for the time being," Asatoo told him. "You do understand don't you?"

"… Of course…" Ichijou forced himself to say as he was led to go talk to Kazou.

"That's a good grandson," Asatoo replied to Ichijou.

Shiki's house that night…

Senri walked into his home without bothering to knock. A kitchen boy had came running over and took his coat while bowing to Senri. He walked up the stairs to the master bedroom. He knocked on the door.

"Come in," a girl's voice said. He walked in and she turned around. "SENRI!!" She yelled happily as she ran up to him and hugged him.

"Hey… sorry to not call you," Senri said.

She smiled and said, "It's fine. As long as you're back I'm happy."

The woman had very long orange brown hair and dark hazel eyes. She wore a simple white dress that went to the floor. "I missed you mother." Senri said while leading her back to the seat in front of a make-up table.

After a few minutes she told him, "Senri… a letter came for you early last night. It's from the counsel. Asatoo Ichijou would like to talk to you concerning taking your place with the counsel."

"I'll go and see what they want but I really would like to spend some time with you first, alright?" Shiki replied. She smiled at him and nodded.

Cross Academy, nurses' office…

Maria Kurenai had woken up already and was talking to Kain and the Headmaster. She was propped up against some pillows. Kain and the Headmaster sat next to her bedside. The curtains around the bed were drawn.

"I-I went along with Shizuka because she said she'd make me stronger… so… please don't be angry with me… I didn't mean to make trouble," Maria said tiredly.

The Headmaster smiled at her and said gently, "Maria it's alright. No one blames you for what happened we just want to find out if you knew what Shizuka wanted."
"Well… I never really found out what she wanted all I know is that she wanted to speak to Zero Kiryu and his brother Ichiru was… bitten by her and turned vampire. She gave him blood and wanted to spend the rest of her life with Ichiru," Maria replied, looking at them timidly.

"It's fine… I have some work to do so please rest up; your parents are coming to get you tomorrow night. Please if you need anything don't hesitate to ask," the Headmaster told her getting hyperactive.

She nodded and after he left she turned to Kain and without looking at him said, "I'm sorry I… I should've warned you. But I wanted to get stronger. It didn't occur to me how you would feel. I just wanted to be near you."

"Maria, I'm not angry. How could I be? If I was in your situation I would do the same thing. So don't worry," Kain said gently while getting up from his chair and walking over to sit on the edge of the bed, he smoothed her hair.

"Kain… I-I love you. No one else would be so understanding," Maria told him while she buried her face in his shirt. His arm fell around her shoulders.

After a while she dozed off to sleep. He carefully got up and tucked her under the covers. He went back to the chair next to her bed and sat down.

Now this is like Kaname by Yuuki's bedside… it's so odd. Oh, well… guess I can't really help it… although now I know how he felt… I wonder what pureblood family Yuuki came from…? I wonder if Ichijou found out from his grandfather. Soon he'll be back anyway, so will Kaname once Yuuki falls asleep… I should probably get over to the Moon Dorms…

Kain took one last look at Maria and kissed her forehead then walked out. He headed back to the moon dorms thinking the whole way.

That night around 12 in the moon dorms…

Kaname and Ichijou were in Kaname's room talking. Ichijou was standing in front of Kaname's desk and Kaname was watching him intensely.

"So let me get this straight. Yuuki is the last ICHIJOU pureblood… and Asatoo wants to kill her off to secure his counsel job. Also she had a twin brother named Kai… Also HE came back and wants Yuuki's blood because of getting more power and to help kill her off. Oh, this is problematic…" Kaname said tiredly with his head resting in his hands. "I met her parents, I met her, but I never met her brother… but that doesn't mean he doesn't exist… now that we know. What do we do now?"

"Kaname does that mean that she's my half-sister?" Ichijou asked cautiously.

"Maybe… possibly… but to make sure we need more information," Kaname replied. "It doesn't sound like he knows Yuuki is awake yet… but as soon as she comes out of the hospital he'll know. And once Senri Shiki comes back possessed as his father he'll know for sure. There won't be anymore talking of a plan either so we need to make one now," Kaname said closing his eyes for a moment. He opened his eyes and sighed. "Ichijou… we need footage of the massacre to turn the whole night population against him without Yuuki finding out."

"What happens if she finds out?" Ichijou asked curiously.

"Well, she's afraid of vampires for the most part. If she finds out too quickly then she'll never be able to become one again. Even the tiniest fear can cause problems in the long run. Her true identity being completely erased caused her to have a vampire blood formula and a human blood formula so her body knows how to make both," Kaname explained.

"So how do we get her vampire side back?" Ichijou asked while staring at Kaname intently.

"A pureblood has to bite her taking out most of her blood so her body can think that she'll be a level E, but make the pureblood vampire blood. Then let her body rest and then bite her again taking the rest of the human blood out. She'll have to feed right after that. So technically she won't be the level E she'll be pure blood," Kaname told him pausing after each sentence. He ran his hand through his hair thinking.

"I kind of get it… I guess… but was the Ichijou purebloods really that strong?" Ichijou asked quietly.

Kaname looked at him quietly and cracked his neck while leaning back in his chair, "The purebloods were. You and the rest are very weak for an aristocrat family. Of course at the time the Ichijou purebloods were stronger than the Kuran family. I remember seeing only Yuuki… and that was one time. So to not get people suspicious of them they came to every party and took part in the counsel. Kai and Yuuki or Kanai were too small and were probably learning how to act at parties. Although if Yuuki got away there is a very good chance that her brother Kai got away too."

"Why doesn't Asatoo think that Kai didn't get away and only Yuuki did?" Ichijou asked getting confused.

"Well that night on the hill when I saved her. Kazou was that 'berserk vampire' that wanted her blood," Kaname confessed.

"… This is getting really strange," Ichijou stated looking out the window.

"Yeah I know…" Kaname agreed.

Alright that's chapter 12... I'm sorry about not updating earlier but first I had computer issues then finals... ugh.... I hate Finals...