-2 days later-

I have been going back and checking if the Kuran file in the senate web has been changed. It's been a long time since I've hacked in, the last time I did, I shortly confronted Kaname about it.

What a stupid kid I was.

I've become more used to being in Sayori's body along with being called her name. While living as the girl I made her to be, I've been trying to locate Rido Kuran, the vampire who broke the seal on me and taken the demon spirit that was inside me. I am in a weak state besides having to stay in secrecy to everyone. Ren hasn't dropped by for another visit, lately he hasn't shown up. I guess there's no reason for him to.

I've regained my past life memories and he's told me about Lavender already. He is the only one who knows who I really am, the presumed dead Lila Cross, but he doesn't know much about my life before. Ren was a messenger, a reminder of why I was given a second chance by his lover, the former host for the demon spirit.

I hear some things from Kaname and his serv-I mean- trusted vampires talking bits and pieces about how Rido is probably going to attack Cross Academy. But they are wrong. Rido will attack somewhere else first. As much as I hate the vampire senate it would be trouble if Rido succeeded with slaughtering all the senate members.

"Yori,"

I turn my head away from the papers in front of me, my sister stood by her bed. She has this look of curiosity as she stares out her window. I smile, "What is it, Yuki?"

Yuki holds her wrist behind her back, staring out the window in silence. She suddenly laughs innocently but a sad expression pulls on her face, "It's been a while now, Lila, she's gone and yet life just goes on. It feels like she never existed."

"You miss her." I played with the pencil in my hand, homework was becoming a struggle to keep up with.

"More than that; I wish she was back. I wish I knew how to interact with her as a responsible, older sister. And ever since Zero came I've left her alone more than I did before, that's the opposite of a responsible, older sister."

"You make it sound as if she hated you Yuki." I comment, finishing a sentence for an essay.

Yuki sighed, the bed groans under her weight as she sat down, she hugged her knees, "She might as well have."

I take a glance at her. Yuki was still gazing sorrowfully out the window. Here my sister was sulking, I shouldn't worry about her state of emotions yet my comebacks to Kaname about protecting her have repeated themselves in my head. Maybe I didn't need to make sure that she was always happy, but seeing Yuki so downcast now makes me feel as if I've failed to keep my word. I can only imagine what they all must be thinking.

"I don't think she hates you, Yuki. Did you ever think of why she left? Why she challenged that pureblood alone?" I started, hoping it would bring up her mood. Even a little bit.

Yuki looked away from the window to me, a curious stare. "She wasn't alone. A man was with her, he was also dead. I've always wondered what his connection was with Rido or..with my sister."

I looked back down to my essay. It was only halfway finished but I decide to save the rest of the work for tomorrow. Gathering the other pieces of paper and folders I sorted out the material into the correct folder and place them in my bag. I didn't look back to Yuki when I was done sorting my work but I can feel her anxious stare to the back of my head.

"Yori.."

I did my best to impersonate the uninterested, mellow tone and turned back to her. "What?" Yuki shook her head, looking back to the window. "Nevermind, it's nothing." I tried to restrain a long sigh that it was tiring, instead I divert my attention to my bed. Going over to our walk-in closet, I took out Sayori's nightgown and quickly changed into it.

"When did you know?"

"Huh?"

My body went stiff while I was getting in bed, I couldn't help the frozen smile on my face becoming wider. Yuki was glaring at me. I didn't know what to do, what to think. Yuki had suspected me of something. How should I respond without giving away my true identity?

"When did you know that vampires are real?" Yuki asked, more serious.

"Uh, what do you mean? Vampires aren't real." I reply, trying to sound awkward as a person who doesn't know the existence of vampires. But she wouldn't let up her angry expression, which was starting to worry me.

"Who are you? What have you done to Yori?" Yuki demanded, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, standing up.

My jaw went slack, nerves beginning to hum faster, question of where I went wrong was being asked again and again with no answer. I have no idea how Yuki was able to figure it out. How did she know that I wasn't Yori? When did she figure it out?

I did nothing when she walked over and clamped my shoulders, I didn't know what to say. I could only ask myself who she thought I was. Staring into her eyes there was sadness, but mostly an accusing glare.

"Tell me, what did you do to Yori? Who are you?" Yuki's voice trembled as she asked those questions. My muddled brain searched for words to string together and found a "how did you know?" I imagined my eyes to look cold and tried to make myself sound cruel. I heard a small gasp escape her mouth, she then, looked over to my computer. An idea struck my thoughts, if she saw what I think she saw it would be obvious enough that I wasn't the real Sayori. I don't even think Sayori even owns a laptop.

This time, I looked to the window, the glowing sunset light would have made this look heart warming. Almost. I counted to five seconds but Yuki didn't release my shoulders. Though when I got to seven her hands slowly loosened and she pulled away. Her right hand, however, rested on her upper right thigh, where Artemis was located.

"I'm sorry, but I need to make sure that you're the real Yori!"

In one quick motion, Yuki had drawn Artemis from its holder and swung down the blade over me. She wasn't fast enough, my reflexes moved me out of her reach. I knew she didn't aim to actually hit me, but what else could I say to convince her I'm the Sayori she once knew?

Grunting, Yuki planted her feet with Artemis gripped tightly in her hands.

"I don't know who you are, but if you want to live you'd best reveal who you are and release my best friend!" Yuki shouted, pointing her scythe toward me.

"I'm sorry, Yuki. I cannot tell you who I am...not yet." Eyeing my computer lying on the desk's top I dash for it before Yuki could move get to me. Springing from the desk, toppling the chair in the process, I run to the door and pull down the handle and yank it in. The thumping on the floor in the silent halls sounded to be unbearably loud as darkness enveloped me.

Rapidly blinking, my eyes quickly become adjusted, as there was some moonlight shining through open windows, I leapt on the wall and backflip onto what turned out to be the railing of second floor in the main hall. Opening my mouth wider to breathe quieter, the sound of another pair of feet sounded louder and Yuki appeared in the middle of the room, Artemis still engaged in her grip. She looked around in all directions, whispering incoherent words. I climb down slowly, trying not to attract her attention. Just in time, Yuki decides to run across through the opposite hall. Feeling the floor with my toes I slowly eased myself down from the railing with a relieved sigh.

"Well, well, well look what we have here." A voice whispered by my ear. I gasp and move away from the source and found that it was Takuya. I glared at him. He smirked, straightening himself.

"What are you doing in the girls' dorm?" I hissed. He chuckled, holding out his hand. I harrumphed, standing on my own. His smirk melted away to his gentle smile, directing it still on me, it became unnerving. The silence was becoming awkward, grinding off my patience.

"What?!" I shouted, finally. Then his smile wiped off and was switched with a curious frown. "You're quite snappy this evening, Yori. And to answer your question I was searching Lila's room for clues." His words were like a fist to my gut. I lost balance for a second until my hands found the stone railing. "You're disgusting." I groaned.

"Gah! Not like that! I mean that I was searching to see if Lila had left behind a note or something! It's not like her to just...disappear." Takuya quickly defended, he slouched after what he said. I narrow my eyes and scan his face. "Oookay, so why did you come this way?"

Takuya straightened himself again, "I could ask you the same. Why was Yuki chasing after you?"

My hand holding the laptop started to feel sweaty, I swapped the computer to my free hand and wiped the sweat on my gown. No. Yori's gown. I feel more guilty for impersonating her now after soiling her clothes.

"Did you always have a laptop? I didn't know. Hold on, that looks like the one that was in Lila's room. It's been missing ever since Lila…" He stopped, a sort of realization etched into his face now. I knew what he was about to say.

"Died." I finished. He swallowed hard, in the moon-lit hall I could see his adam's apple move. Another question was raised in my conscious. "How did you know that Lila owned a computer?" He looked flustered, as if what I was a strange question. Giving him five seconds to compose himself, he cleared his throat.

"If you must know, I am a keen observer. I cannot let such a device be bypassed, it must be suspected to be recording without her knowing in case the vampire hunters needed evidence to dispatch her." Takuya diverted his attention to the floor, seeming to expect something to pop up as proof of his claim.

"It may not be in my place to ask, Takuya, but are you in love with Lila?"

Takuya reeled back. Shock embedded in his expression before it disappeared into what looked to be uncertainty. "No, not like that. It's just been..years since I've seen her, my best friend. It feels just like yesterday when I was coming back from my training to find her house in shambles with everyone dead. Well, everyone but her. What am I saying? Nevermind. I only wanted to make sure that she was safe but...I've been doing a terrible job. I can't protect someone when they're dead." Though I heard his sarcasm I couldn't fathom the pain he went through, finding my family in gory bits but one missing corpse. While I was living my life as a normal girl with Kaien Cross, I forgot about him and put my attention to Zero and Yuki.

I didn't really try to remember if I've left someone else behind.

Didn't even ask to go back to check and see if someone returned.

To have forgotten someone who was that important, that made it all the more guilty for me. While he was searching for me, wondering if I was even alive. Wondering if I was tortured, lost, or all alone in the middle of nowhere. He didn't know. He couldn't have known that Kaien found me and took me in. He couldn't have known that Yuki was brought in that same day or that Zero would be like a big brother to me He couldn't have known any of that. It was so unfair to him.

"I see, I sometimes wonder how things are with Yuki and Lila, what with both being adopted children to Headmaster Cross," I switched the laptop to the other hand, less slick with sweat, "they don't spend much time together as I would have thought they would. However, neither of them complain. It was almost as if it was meant to be." I became more thankful for the cool air in the hall, then realized there was a nearby window that was open.

I could feel my face heat up from my babbling. Maybe I have said too much. Maybe I was too insensitive. "I didn't think you would be worried for that. I always imagined your focus to be on Yuki more than Lila." said Takuya, when I looked up he was admiring the column carvings at the top.

"There was something that told me that Lila didn't need to worried about. She was always alone, like she wanted to be independent, away from everyone. And it always felt as if she was trying to be distant, to be strong. I...respect that." A deep chuckling raised me out of my thoughts. I turned back to Takuya, not realizing that I kept turning away from him every time I finished speaking.

"It does sound like her. I didn't realize you were a keen observer as well." Takuya laughed, innocent, almost child-like. His laughter reverberated in my ears, sending chills down my spine because I know I cannot run and embrace him. He does not know it's me. I am not in my own body. I am Sayori Wakaba, that is who I must be. I am a soul possessing someone else's body, a someone I somehow created out of thin air. And yet, his laughter alone spurred memories of the time we spent together as small children, making me want to confess everything.

The plan.

The truth.

Everything.

But I chose to seal my lips shut, something called doubt troubled me. It raised fears in me. The thought that Takuya will not be of any help. He may tell everyone, Zero, Yuki, and...Kaname. No, not the vampire I loathed the most, the vampire who ridiculed me for being incapable of protecting my family. I can't stand it. The thought of not being able to do anything. A spark came and went, then I remember why I was on the run. Why I am still hiding. It's because Rido Kuran is out there, becoming a threat to the world. He may be strolling to the vampire senate right now and what am I doing? Chatting with Takuya as if nothing terrible was going to happen at all.

"Takuya, I apologize for this odd meeting but there's somewhere else I need to be right now. I don't have much time so I'm going to have to leave you dealing with Yuki." Holding the laptop tighter in my hand, I push past him, heading toward the open window, the one he probably opened to sneak in.

His confused "Wait!" had already drowned out behind me as I propped my foot on the window ledge and propelled myself out, the cold night's wind blowing my short, wavy, caramel-blonde hair. The moonlight shone melancholy over the school ground, casting tall shadows of trees and the school's towers. The ground met my feet like a jab of wood against stone, pain momentarily stung my legs.

Sayori had obviously not jumped out a two story building window.

Pushing useless thoughts out, I begin jogging. I need to get to town without getting noticed. Yuki should still be inside looking for me and Zero's station is on the other side of the dorms, on the male's side. The vampires should all be in class.

I've got to check, though, if Rido's still in the same mansion. I will be one step ahead of him. He will not expect me. He will not recognize me. I have my weapon to kill him. Daylight will be enough to kill him. Rido Kuran is still a vampire, just more powerful. I shake my head. No, this is not the time to be thinking of how he can win. That will give him the advantage. For now, I will concentrate on separating him from as many loyal servants as possible and kill him in one motion.

Get it done and over with.