Welcome back after a short break! I hope you're all doing well! Please enjoy Chapter 21.

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino.

-CHAPTER 21-

Michio's Reprise

By daylight in the bustling town, the Level E's footsteps went unheard. Above the throng of voices and other familiar clamor, he appeared nothing more than an ordinary child; a bit on the skinny side, perhaps a little short for his age, but an average boy nevertheless. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his trousers as he trudged down the brightly lit sidewalk. The dark hood of his over-sized sweatshirt hid his face. He was careful to keep his head low.

If they really saw him...

He didn't even want to think about it. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself. If these people caught so much as a glimpse of his true countenance, they would undoubtedly recognize him for what he truly was: a monster. He had no human form, no glamour of beauty behind which to lock away the darker aspects of his being. He wasn't monster and a boy. He wasn't like the blond vampire whose blood he had taken less than a moon's cycle ago. He could never be both. He was either one or the other, or perhaps he was nothing at all.

He balled his hands into fists, remembering for a fraction of a second the look on the girl's face. Taura, that was what they had called her. Taura Harugichi. Several weeks had already passed since then, but he could still feel the pinching tightness of the shackles around his wrists, the frustration of being all alone in that dark cell, gasping desperately for air, for companionship. That was neither here nor there. After all, thanks to that girl he had been freed. He had been allowed to creep out unnoticed, and without even a whisper slip back into the cold arms of the only creature who cared to remember his name. He might have been nothing, but that name was his alone.

Michio strode by shops and cafés, sidestepping humans going about their daily routines: laughing with friends, eating, drinking and enjoying the general merriment that accompanied a Saturday afternoon in town. He was trying not to take it all in, to disregard the joviality of these people, but all around he found his eyes drawn to sights that he wished didn't interest him. A young couple holding hands, unaware of the rest of the world rushing by; a friendly looking woman passing out fliers advertising her newly opened bookstore; a little girl pulling her hair out of the complex pigtails her mother had tied them in several hours earlier. This girl caught Michio's attention the longest. He watched her follow her parents along the sidewalk, skipping over cracked cobblestones as she tugged the elastics out of her dark hair. Michio almost wanted to smile at her determination—almost, but not quite. He felt instantly disgusted with himself, and as she passed him he made an effort to bump into her shoulder rather hard, causing her to nearly fall over. Her father caught her.

"Kumi, what have we told you about watching where you're going?" The man scolded. The girl apologized in a small voice, eyes fixed on the back of the boy who had purposefully knocked into her. He watched her back out of the corner of his eye. He was feeling quite proud of himself, at least until a pang of hunger went through him. His hand instantly shot up to his throat, and he came to a dead-stop on the sidewalk. The girl was still looking at him, and all around people meandered around him, none of them taking the time to glance at the small child who was, for all intents and purposes, completely alone in the middle of the crowded street.

The scent of blood suffocated him. The couple's, distinctly similar in odor; the shopkeeper's, revoltingly aromatic, like some old-fashioned perfume; and the little girl's, just the right combination of spicy and sweet. The smell drove him wild. It made him want to tear her from her father's arms and gorge himself. His eyes burned and his mouth watered. Had he not been surrounded by people, he would not have been able to stop himself from taking what his body so desperately wanted, but as it was he was forced to back away. He tore his gaze from the girl and stole down a small alley by the bookstore, pressing his back against the wall as he breathed.

Angrily he cracked the back of his head against the wall, gritting his sharp teeth as he tried to control himself. It occurred to him as he inhaled that it was not like this for all his kind.

His kind...

He did have brethren in a manner of speaking. There were other humanoid creatures who sustained themselves on the life-blood of mortals, but none, he knew, were quite like him. And it was this realization that had been haunting him for the past few months, carving a hole deep within him that no amount of blood could fill. He was starving, not just for blood, but for an explanation. He needed answers. Before that though, he really did need to find something to eat. If he didn't he was sure to go mad with hunger.

"Hey, kid. Are you okay?"

He snapped to attention at the sound of a woman's voice, his gaze being drawn back to the alleyway entrance where the shopkeeper was peering around the corner with a worried face.

He thought about going for her, but miraculously whatever remained of his better judgment managed to remind him that it was still daylight. Anybody might see. And so he nodded his head in her direction, jaw clenched as the sickeningly sweet smell of her blood washed over him.

"I'm fine," he said, the sound of his own voice almost catching him off-guard. He rarely got the opportunity to hear it. "J-just waiting for my mom. We always meet here."

"Alright, if you say so. Holler if you get lonely. I'll be here."

She smiled, gave a short wave and then vanished, probably going back to hand out more fliers.

Michio sunk down on the ground, crossing his arms over his chest. He was about to close his eyes when he heard the woman speak again, this time not to him.

"Didn't you hear? Authorities found twelve bodies on Mount Tanzawa a few days back..."

"Twelve," came a man's voice in reply.

"Rumor is it was some kind of serial killer. They were all torn up. Can you believe it?"

Michio didn't need to hear any more. A chill spread through him as he realized the girl and her mother were probably dead. Yet another failed experiment he'd coaxed her into doing for him. He had already suspected as much, but it was still difficult to accept. He was alone. He would always be alone, even with his guardian by his side. It was only thanks to her that he had even made it off the mountain to begin with, and now here he was, back where it all started, in the little town below Cross Academy. Everything was falling into place. It would not be long now.

"So you say this child was an ex-human?" Headmaster Cross reflected. He sat at his desk, spectacles fixed on a thick stack of documents. Whatever they constituted must have been of little importance to him because he had neglected to turn a page for the past few minutes, since Takuma had begun to relay our story.

Takuma and I had returned to Cross Academy in the early morning, following the long and arduous ordeal of relieving Mount Tanzawa of the corpses of all those claimed by Kira Oita. Twelve bodies in total, including those of Kira's older brothers, father and mother had been removed from the confinements of the mountain cave.

At my request, Barasa lent us a much-needed hand. His acquaintance with the Yokohama police force—which was apparently riddled with Hunters, not to my surprise—took a lot of stress out of the job, for which I had been extremely thankful. I was not thankful, however, for the attention Barasa insisted on drawing to my arm, wrapped tightly in gauze to conceal the punctures made by Takuma's fangs only the night before.

"I'm fine," I insisted, prodding the huge man in the chest as he zipped the final body into a long black bag. This was a messy job, and I was shocked that I was able to do it without hurling. My respect for the people whose lives had been stolen by the Oita girl pushed me to be stronger than I normally would have been. "And you better not say anything to anybody. Takuma doesn't need a bunch of Hunters bugging him. He feels bad enough as it is. Just look at him."

With that, I turned toward Takuma, who was standing solemnly off to the side with his arms folded. He appeared to be deep in thought. Barasa gave him a look-over as well, but wasn't nearly as concerned as me.

"Hmm. Too bad you're already the talk of the clean-up crew," he said to me, an arrogant smirk working its way over his dark face. I gawked at him, worried he'd already let the other Hunters in on my little indiscretion. Thankfully Barasa put my fears to rest. "Not because of that, and it's not because of Ichijo's presence here either. It's not really so unusual for Aristocrats like him to oversee sites like this. The leaches like to see that we're taking care to keep their secret secret. What I'm saying is it's not every day a 5'4 human girl goes all samurai-mode on a Level-E and wins."

"So they think I'm nuts? Great."

Barasa let out a deep laugh. "Hate to break it to you honey, but you willingly work with a vampire. You're nuts by default, but that aside, they said you've got guts. Mikoto—the big guy with the scar—even said you might make a good Hunter someday, once you give up hanging around with Nobles."

I looked up to catch the gazes of the other Hunters, trying to discern if they were making fun of me or not. A few waved, a few nodded, but all made some gesture of familiarity. There was nothing in their faces that suggested they knew anything beyond what had occurred between me and Kira Oita, only the story of the Noble's blade and the little ex-human girl.

"It wasn't like that..." I murmured, feeling suddenly cold. "I only did what I had to do. Don't get me wrong, I know hunting bad vampires is important, but it isn't something I would want to make a job out of."

So Barasa really didn't tell them about me and Takuma.

"Don't worry your little head off, I made sure to tell 'em you aren't really the fighting type. It's not like you could actually be a Hunter anyway. Takes a special sort of birthright." He winked.

I laughed a little, the corners of my lips twitching into a smile. With that said, Barasa and I continued our work. With the other Hunters' aid the job was completed in a matter of short hours, after which Barasa drove Takuma and me back to our room at the Bed and Breakfast. Together, we packed up our belongings and gave the room a final farewell, all the while the image of our shared moment fresh in my mind. As if on cue, the wounds on my arm twinged slightly.

Barasa offered to take us to the train station, and we accepted wholeheartedly. In the backseat of his car, Takuma and I weren't been able to speak much with the Hunter listening, but as we pulled up to the station he jumped out first to open my door for me. A complete gentleman, as always. I said my farewells to Barasa a few minutes later, giving him a low bow and then shaking his hand tightly. He was stern as he watched me.

"Be good," he said, addressing only me. "Stay out of trouble, and don't be trying to fight off any more Level-E's. I don't think you'll be as luck the next time."

I was worried he would leave it at that, but to my immense relief and satisfaction he turned to Takuma. "I'll keep this brief because I'm not really a mushy kind of guy, but thanks for everything. I still don't like you, can't deny that, but for a vampire, you could be a hell of a lot worse. I misjudged you and that was wrong of me. Doesn't matter much to me if you forgive and forget. But hey, at least you've got a nice scar on your midsection to remember me by."

"I'll treasure it always," Takuma had laughed softly, extending his arm for Barasa to shake. The Hunter had given me a hesitant frown, but with a nod of encouragement from me he had taken Takuma's hand. Warmth spread through me as I'd watched them acknowledge each other. It wasn't much, but it'd made me happy anyway. It had meant more than I could ever imagine.

"This is very troublesome news," Cross said then, transporting me back to the present just as he was setting down his pen.

Takuma nodded solemnly, and I tapped my foot on the ground, gaze flitting between my fellow Coordinator and the Headmaster. Neither had eyes for me, however. They were completely engrossed in their own intense staring contest. The tension in the room was palpable.

Cross was the next to speak.

"You will have to inform Kuran as soon as you leave. I doubt he will have any information, but he is the only one of his kind we have on our side. Also, I feel it would be in everybody's best interest if we kept this information between the four of us, at least for the time being."

"Of course, Headmaster. There's no need to worry the others."

Both Takuma and the Chairman were silent then, and feeling confused, I decided to take a chance.

"Sorry if the answer is obvious to you guys, but what exactly is troublesome? Don't get me wrong, it's awful that this kid got away with killing people for so long, but I killed her. She isn't coming back, so isn't all this over?"

"On the contrary..." Cross murmured, folding his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "It is likely just the beginning."

"You misunderstand," Takuma continued for Cross. "It's not what Kira did that concerns us, Miss Taura. It's what was done to Kira. Her mother expressly said a woman appeared, that she performed some kind of miracle to prevent the girl from succumbing to sickness. That miracle was the transformation from human to Level D vampire, but if you remember, only one class of vampire possesses this ability."

"A Pureblood, of course..."

"The thing is," Cross began, attracting both Takuma's and my attention once more. "The movements of Pureblood families are still closely monitored by my ex-companions, members of the Hunters' Society, and by the Council of the Elders, headed by Ichijo's own grandfather. Not only are Purebloods physically powerful, they are the sole caretakers of abilities unknown to other vampires. Without a doubt the power to create other vampires is their most dangerous faculty... if a Pureblood does not end the life of a victim, the human will either die, or rise again with an uncontrollable thirst for blood. That is why the making of vampires is strictly outlawed in our present day."

Takuma added, "All that aside, Purebloods are extremely rare. I can only think of a small handful living in Japan today. The fact that this girl—Kira—was turned can only mean that one of these Purebloods has directly defied the treaty, or worse, that there is a Pureblood living outside the knowledge of your brethren..."

Cross gave another deep exhale, his usual jovial expression wrought with exhaustion. It was not difficult for me to imagine why he was so frustrated. If Headmaster Cross cared about one thing, it was assuring the unified existence of both the vampire and human populations. An unknown Pureblood betraying the most fundamental rule of the agreement was probably more than he could bear right now, especially considering how well things had been going between the Night and Day Classes at the Academy.

"Don't worry, Headmaster," I said then, hooking my arm around Takuma's. "Takuma and I will do everything we can to get to the bottom of this. Isn't that right?"

Sensing that I was trying to make Cross feel better, Takuma nodded his head with determination. "Of course!"

"Oh, Taura, Takuma! I'm glad you're taking the high-road. It makes me a lot more confident about what I had planned for tomorrow."

"A-another mission already, Sir? But we just got back!"

"And I intend to give you ample time to recover... a day should do, right?"

I frowned, sure he was joking. But when I realized there was nothing humorous in his smile my mouth gaped open in utter disbelief.

One day off? One day? So after having to deal with the prejudiced rantings of a revenge-obsessed Hunter, share a one bedroom accommodation with a vampire for four nights, trek up the slope of a giant mountain, get knocked out and almost killed, not to mention nearly get eaten not one, not two, but three times—twice by my own co-Coordinator—the Chairman was expecting me to be back on my feet after one day off!?

I was ready to put up a fight for my own well-being when Takuma intervened.

"Sir, I must protest. Taura needs to rest, and to be honest I could use some time for myself as well. At this rate we'll both end up failing our classes."

"Hmmm... right you are, Ichijo," The Chairman scratched his forehead in thought. "Take the next three days off then, but be prepared to go back to work bright and early next Monday. You see, I've just decided we're all going on a field trip next week. Where to? You're going to be the ones to decide that, of course. You should know by now that a good 50% of your missions will consist of hosting fun events for your fellow Academy students." He gave us a wink. "In any case, go rest. You're dismissed."

"What is the Chairman thinking?" I groaned, trudging down the walkway with my shoulders sagging. The Headmaster had let us go a few minutes ago, and I was feeling completely drained. "Another mission at a time like this," I yawned. "He said himself there's potentially a treaty-breaching Pureblood on the loose, and here he is, pooling his time and resources into sending us all off on some grand weekend-getaway? I swear, sometimes I think he's missing a few screws—"

"That's not it," Takuma interjected. "I believe the Chairman is planning something, though I can't say what. He likely has alternative business to attend to on the dates he's chosen for us to take the Night and Day Class students away from the Academy. I certainly hope he knows what he's doing..."

"I do worry about him," I said with a small smile, and Takuma returned it.

We continued down the path to the Sun Dorms, exchanging words here and there about the Chairman and about our next mission. A field trip. We would have to arrange something truly spectacular to entertain all the students at the Academy. It was a big shocking to think that this school's budget allowed a sudden vacation to who-knows-where. Takuma was probably right though. This had something to do with getting the Classes away from the school. For what purpose? Neither of us could say, but somehow the thought of it left a bad taste in my mouth. What did the Chairman know that we didn't?

"By the way, how are you feeling?" Takuma voiced then, bringing me out of my own thoughts and back to the path. I wasn't entirely sure what he was referring to until I noticed his eyes dart to my bandaged wrist. I grasped it with my other hand, worried he was about to apologize. I had been wondering when the regret would finally start spilling out of him, but to my immense surprise he skirted around saying sorry for once, continuing to speak in a calm voice. "In all the commotion yesterday we didn't really get the chance to talk about it."

"I-I guess not," I replied. "But I should really be asking you. I'll heal. Just give me a few days. What happened to you..." I didn't want to imagine the blade sinking into Takuma anymore. The image had been haunting me for two days, despite the fact that it appeared as though he would make a full recovery, with perhaps only a small scar to remember the instant by. "Stuff like that probably doesn't happen to someone like you too often. I can't even imagine what must've been like. You're always so strong, not like me."

"From what the Hunter said you didn't exactly show a whole lot of weakness against that Level E."

I smiled, giving him a light nudge. "Think you're giving me a little too much credit. I just acted. I wasn't thinking about it. I'm glad it all worked out, but I don't think I want to go off on any vampire hunting missions again anytime soon. It was all a little overwhelming."

Takuma closed the space between us as we walked, catching my wrist gently. It stung slightly at his touch. The punctures were still very fresh.

"It wasn't exactly easy for me."

I knew he wasn't just talking about our trek onto the mountain.

"I realize you don't want to hear me apologize for what happened, but I want to you know that I'll be extra vigilant from now. It's my job to keep you safe, and not only did I fail, I personally put you in harm's way. I know it was what you wanted... still, I shouldn't have let it come to that. I promise it won't happen again, but you should know that it was..." He swallowed hard, finally reaching a detail that was difficult for him. "What I'm trying to say is, if you don't want an apology, you should be willing to accept another gesture." He pulled me a little closer, staring at me contentedly. "Thank you, Taura."

The words rang in my ears as he stared at me. It took several seconds for them to fully sink in, and when they did I felt my face grow warmer. "D-don't mention it." I said. I wasn't sure what else to say, but apparently he wasn't done talking. He gave me wrist a light squeeze as he continued.

"I took more than I've ever taken from someone. Y-you know you were my first human. My last too, hopefully. I hope it doesn't bother you to hear this from me, but it really was incredible. A little terrifying, definitely different, but incredible."

Cool wind ruffled Takuma's hair as he spoke, and he looked at me hard, allowing the truth of what he said to wash over me.

"I don't expect you to understand. I just thought you should know. I never thought anybody would do something like that for me..."

My cheeks flushed even further and my heart started racing faster. I knew he could hear it because his gaze softened as he released my arm.

"I... I also realized something when it happened. T-the taste..." He blushed too then, perhaps more deeply than me, his pale skin flaring tomato-red. "It's different for humans, I get that, but to someone like me it's like a conduit. I don't think I can explain it very well. In my world they say blood never lies. You and I were connected, and your blood told me things I thought I would never hear."

"I never knew it was so..." My voice faded as understanding dawned on me. Secrets hidden in blood, a substance that can never lie.

Oh god, no! Is he saying what I think he's saying?

I couldn't hide the fear in my eyes. The winter night chilled me, but my whole body was on fire. I hadn't thought about it in a long time, but this was so sudden. Somehow after everything that had happened, my feelings—whatever they were—had been shoved to the back of my mind, never to be acknowledged. It brought me back to a snowy day when he and I had first started to become friends, when I'd looked into his eyes and seen something in them I had wanted to avoid at all costs. Yet here I was, staring into those same eyes, deeply ashamed of an emotion I couldn't control, and he could never reciprocate. Why would he? He had said it himself. We were so different.

He went on, much to my horror. "It made me realize something about myself. You were right when you said that I like to believe I'm different. I guess I always have. When you told me I had no reason to feel that way, that I was a good man, it made me so happy. Nobody's ever told me that before. I really needed it... more than the blood, I think. So thank you again, for being there when I needed you most."

My heart thrummed again as relief flooded me. Had he not been standing right in front of me I might have leaped with joy.

He doesn't know...

"It's all good," I said, nodding my head. "I only did what I had to do.

"I think we both know that's not true. You were so brave. When I heard you killed the Level E, I was scared for you, but I was proud too. You really have come a long way. That's why I was thinking, tomorrow night we should go to town together, after a good day's rest of course. We both need some serious downtime after everything that happened." He rubbed his opposite shoulder, looking suddenly very awkward. "T-there's a festival going on right now. We can talk about our next assignment. What do you say?"

"A festival?" I said, trying to remain as calm as possible. "Um... sure, sounds good."

"Excellent! I'll swing by to pick you up after class. Oh, and wear something nice."

Takuma backed away shakily, nearly tripping over his own feet as he waved goodbye to me on the path. Then he turned around and in an instant he was gone, his abnormal speed allowing him to vanish in the time it took me to blink. I was left alone with my heart still thudding, one hand over my bandaged wrist. He had thanked me, and beyond that, he had said he was proud of me. If he thought my allowing him to take blood had meant something to him, then he had no idea what the effect of his admiration had on me.

But still, it had been a close one. Too close. Was I truly relieved that he didn't know, or was I disappointed? Things were easier this way, surely. Easier does not necessarily equate to better.

Michio woke to the sound of soft footsteps. He was curled up in the back of the alley, hood pulled up to keep the cold away. There was already less snow than there had been several weeks ago, but the chill of night had not yet faded. He pushed himself up, peering into the darkness with narrowed eyes. If it was a human he would not be able to stop himself from taking what he wanted, but he sensed already that this newcomer possessed too much strength to be mortal.

The shadowy figure loomed over him, and he sighed, stretching his arms.

"Took you long enough."

The figure crouched next to Michio, crimson eyes gleaming even more brightly than his.