Eyes red as Blood
Twenty-sixth Night: Turmoil
"What's wrong, Rima?" Arisu opened the door after her quiet knock resounded. The girl was clearly frazzled despite the front she was attempting to put up.
"May I come in," Rima asked. She fidgeted with the hem on her blazer.
"Of course, you needn't ask," Arisu replied stepping aside. Once the girl was inside she motioned her to sit on one of the armchairs by the window. Arisu then prepared tea with honey, heating the water in a tea cup was no problem given her spells, and handed it to the aristocrat. "Are you okay?"
Rima accepted the tea, and held it close to her while answering, "It's Senri. I think there's something …wrong him. I know it sounds crazy and he just came back, but I can't help to feel something sinister around him." Arisu froze as her brain made rapid fire connections.
"Have you told anyone else," Rima was unnerved by the severity in her voice. Quickly she shook her head. Then it clicked in Arisu's mind why Rima had fear in her eyes. It wasn't just because she thought something was wrong. Arisu grabbed her hands and leaned forward, "Rima, did he do something to you?" Her heart sank when she saw Rima's facade falter. Her bottom lip quivered, and Arisu felt her hands fist tightly in hers.
"It wasn't Senri. I know it wasn't him...he'd never hurt me," she replied once she found the words to, "I haven't been harmed, but…I don't know how to word it… I was sitting in the common room. Senri entered the room and just kept on looking at me… his eyes, they scared me. Then Takuma rushed into the room before Senri could talk to me and took him away."
"Was there something different with his eyes? Think back; you may have been trying to protect yourself by overlooking some details," Arisu explained. She remained holding onto her hands, "Take a deep breath, and close your eyes. There's no need to worry, I'm here." Rima did as she was instructed, visibly tensing. When she opened her eyes again there was a mix of anger, fear, and worry.
"His eyes were different color," Arisu tightened her grasp; that was all the confirmation she needed. "And his aura wasn't his."
"Rima, listen to me. I know your angry right now. I suspect you know who is behind this, but please do not confront Senri right now. That would extremely dangerous for you." This only served to fuel the girl's anger.
"Then what am I supposed to do? Nothing. Senri is hurting right now." She withdrew her hands from Arisu's and clenched them at her side.
"Rima. You don't know what -
"Oh and you do?" Rimas eyes narrowed when Arisu didn't respond right away, "of course you do. You know, Arisu, I thought you'd be different from Kaname, but I may have been wrong." Arisu recoiled as if Rima had struck her. A flash of remorse shone in Rimas eyes, but was masked under layers of anger. Rima didn't say anything else as she stormed out of the room. Arisu was broken. She gripped the table to support herself. This isn't how things were supposed to go.
"DAMMIT," she let go and kicked the edge of the table with the arch of her foot. The table screeched as it slid to the nearby wall hitting it with a loud thud. Arisu turned and took hold of the back of Rima's chair and threw it towards her desk. It collided and cracked under the pressure. The vase toppled over. The sound of glass shattering filled the room for a second as the vase hit the floor. The wilting flowers lay scattered on the floor. Arisu stood up, willing herself back into control. She slowly walked to the broken vase and knelt down to pick up the shards, not caring if her knees became wet because if the spilt water. One by one she gathered the pieces, stacking them on top of one another until there were none left in the floor. Mechanically Arisu stood up, walked to the trash bin, and dropped the shards in. She turned around so that her back was pressed against the wall. Sliding down to ground, resting her head on her knees. There was a soft knock on the door. Arisu didn't bother responding because she knew that he would let himself in either way.
"Arisu, are you alright," the door opened and closed softly. She could hear him walking towards her.
"Just peachy, Kaname," she grumbled back. Her despair was quickly becoming Embarrassment and annoyance. She had just accused him of the same thing that's Rima accused of a while ago.
"I'm sure Rima didn't mean what she said,"
"You were listening were you," she lifted her head to give him a weak glare. He was kneeling on one knee in front of her.
"No, but I gathered as much as I saw her angrily walk away," he glanced around the didn't need to point out the state of the room as evidence.
"You think you're so smart,' Arisu's annoyance overtook her embarrassment.
"I do, actually. Now will you stop making childish remarks; its unbecoming of you," Kaname tucked her lose locks of hair behind her ear, giving her a small smile. Arisu pulled her head away making Kaname sigh. "I know that Rido is back and at the academy. Please, stay away from him; I'll not ask you to do anything else."
Arisu looked at him, and nodded. It went unspoken that Arisu wished for Yuki to remain completely out of this ordeal, but that wasn't in Kaname's plans anymore. He needed to buy time now. Enough time so that he could ensure their safety as well as enough time to eradicate the Vampire Council.
"Don't do anything stupid, Kaname," she muttered.
Kaname chuckled, "I can't guarantee that. Love makes people act stupidly so I've heard." Arisu looked away; her heart hurt. She wasn't sure if Kaname was referring to Yuki or to the Ancestress. Whether he was really doing this to protect Yuki or if he was only doing this to fulfill whatever promise he made to the Ancestress all that time ago. Kaname didn't say anything else as he left the room. Arisu stayed there for a while longer before deciding to tidy her room. Outside the air was chilly.
It wasn't until she was done cleaning that she noted a folded piece of paper sitting atope her desk. Gingerly she reached for it, unfolding it. Instantly she recognized Kaname's lettering.
I suspect Rido knows of both of you.
As deranged as he is, he still believes in the traditions of the Kuran, which is why I think he'll go after you. If my suspicions are correct, Rido will move so that he kills Yuki and I; thus, leaving you as the heir to Kuran. I chose Yuki, so without us in the picture, you would be next heir.
Therefore, it would not make sense to leave her defenseless. Yuki will be turning tonight. I know Mother would not have wanted this. I'm sorry.
"There he goes doing something stupid," Arisu said, resigned. She grabbed her coat and left the dorms in search of Zero. Whilst doing so she summoned her familiar and gave it orders to tell Kai to be on the lookout for Shiki as he was being possessed by Rido. She jogged through the halls in search of the male prefect, and found him sitting on the window sill in one of the buildings.
"What do you want, Kuran?" he asked annoyedly, but didn't glance her way as she approached.
"There is something you should know. Actuall, I already told you before, but you asked me to erase your memories."
"What are you talking about?" This time Zero turned and glared at her.
"Kaname will turn Yuki or maybe he already has," Zero froze in cold fury, "When you see her next time, she'll be a pureblooded vampire, but –
"You must be joking," Zero seemed to relax after hearing the preposterous idea.
"I'm not. I have no reason to lie to you. I'm only telling you because I fear your reaction to her."
"Leave." He stood up from and towered over her. He hated the saddened look that crossed her
"I will," she hesitated before continuing, "Remember all the memories you have with Yuki, and remember that she will still be there." Zero growled and lunged for her, but Arisu was much quicker. She left through the window before Zero could pull out bloody rose.
There was a gust of wind as she landed outside. Ah, it must have happened just then. She glanced behind herself to see if she needed to continue running away, but he wasn't following her. Arisu could only hope that Zero listened to what she said. It wasn't long before she made it back to the Moon Dorms to wait, surely Kaname would be back soon with Yuki in tow.
She had barely walked within speaking range that she was swarmed by questions from the aristocrats. They could all feel the prescence of another pureblood nearby. She glanced around the room and saw Kai leaning against the Dorm wall. She gave him a slight nod before turning towards the others, "It is best that you wait for Kaname comes back. I'm sure your questions will be answered then."
Some of the aristocrats protested, but Arisu promptly ignored them and went to stand by Kai. Hanabusa looked mildly hurt. It wasn't long before they could feel Kaname and the other pureblood approaching the Moon Dorm. Kai nudged Arisu, and she looked up at him, "Calm down; you're too nervous."
"Can you blame me," she replied, but did her best to do so. She clenched and unclenched her hands as the sound of the front door signaled their entrance.
"Ah, it all makes sense now," Hanabusa muttered to himself. He was the first to recover from his shock. The unknown pureblood presence was undoubtedly coming from the long-haired girl; from the once human Yuki Cross. She was being carried by Kaname, and fear settled in Arisu. Why wasn't her sister awake yet? It shouldn't be taking this long. She rushed past the group of aristocrats to stand in front of the two of them. Tears welled in her eyes as she set eyes on Yuki. Her rich brown hair was longer now and her bangs were partially covering her face. Arisu reached out tentatively, ignoring the conversation that Kaname was having with the others. When her trembling fingers touched her sister's bangs to brush them away, Yuki whimpered and opened her eyes ever so slightly. At that moment, when their eyes locked, it was only the two of them.
"Sis," Yuki barely whispered before closing her eyes again.
Arisu covered her mouth with her hands to prevent herself from crying out. After calming down. she reached out again, and caressed Yuki's sleeping face. She bent down so that she could kiss the sleeping girl's forehead. "I missed you, Yuki. Welcome back."
"Arisu, I must take her inside before she wakens," Kaname softly spoke. Arisu didn't look at him as she nodded and stepped aside. She followed him through the group, and only stopped when Kai reached out to her. His eyes sending her a silent question. Arisu placed her hand over his, and gently removed it from her arm. She mouthed, I'm fine, before following Kaname to his room.
"Why hasn't she woken yet?" She asked once they were in his room. Kaname sat on his bed with Yuki still in his arms.
"She'll wake soon. If you don't want to be here when she feeds for the first time, I suggest you leave now," he replied looking right at her. His gaze never wavering. She knew it was going to happen, but it didn't lessen the hurt she felt. She knew Yuki would feed on Kaname. That once that happened, she'd never be able to do so again without committing taboo. Once Yuki drank his blood willingly, it would mean she had accepted his proposal. Arisu turned and walked out of the room just as Yuki was stirring in his arms.
"You don't look fine to me." Arisu jumped, and she looked to her right. Kai was leaning against the wall.
"Is that your new thing? Leaning against walls," she replied nonchalantly, slipping her mask on.
"You're not fooling anyone," Kai walked towards her, "come with me."
"Let go of me," Arisu protested when Kai grabbed her hand and started dragging her away from the room.
"No," he replied looking over his shoulder at her, "You'll end up hurting yourself or destroying something if I leave you alone."
"You don't know that," she muttered, "You don't even know me."
"I don't, but I do know what I did when – Just follow me." Arisu stopped protesting, and let herself be pulled away. They were soon out in the biting cold. "How come you let him do whatever he wants?"
"It's not like I can't stop him," she replied, attempting to pull her hand out of his, but he just gripped her harder. He opened his mouth to reply, but kept silent instead. They were walking on along the path to gate separating the two classes when they both smelled the scent of blood. Kai turned to Yuki, both of them stopping, "It's not Kaname's; we wouldn't be able to smell it from here…I think it's Rima's."
"You think somethings happened to her?" Kai asked to distract Arisu. It worked.
"Yes, I think she confronted Rido…even if I told her not to."
"I'll look for her while you head on back to the dorm." Finally, he let go of her hand.
Arisu shook her head, "No. I need to go look for her too. It's my fault that –
"Quit it will ya," Kai grumbled back, "Just go back, I know you can feel their presence as well." She furrowed her brow. She didn't know what he was talking about, but she closed her eyes and tried calming down. Seconds later she could feel what he was talking about. A horde of vampires where fast approaching. They would reach the Day Class Dorms first. She laughed, confusing Kai.
"There's even less of a reason for me to go hide now," she explained, "I'll go tell Zero about our guests; he should be able to help us take care of them." No doubt Yagari and the Chairman already knew about this assault because of the Association's Intel. Kai was about to protest when Arisu reached up to cover his mouth with her hand. "I'm not weak," he raised an eyebrow, "Quit being cheeky. I'm fine now; I have a goal. If you want, I'll even promise to stay out of harms way as much as possible."
Kai rolled his eyes and pulled her hand away from his mouth. "Just don't die."
"I'm not planning on it," she smiled, "So can I ask that you make sure Rima is safe while I go find Zero?"
"I'll come find you after I confirm her safety." They stood there, facing one another.
"I can't leave if you hold on to me." Arisu deadpanned.
"Right," Kai didn't immediately let go, however, "well." This time Arisu rolled her eyes.
"Be careful," she called back to him once he had let go.
"Speak for yourself, Arisu," he replied, watching her leave. When she crossed the gate, he walked towards the scent of the blood.
She had just reached the Day Class Dorms when the student council president stopped her, asking if she needed anything.
"I need to speak with Zero, have you seen him?"
"Erm, no, but I did hear some of the students talking about how he was escorted by Mr. Yagari out of the dorm," the boy replied. Sheepishly he placed a hand on his neck, "Sorry."
"Not your fault, but shouldn't you be in class? I never pegged the student council president as a truant," she teased meanwhile she determined where she could find Zero. The human blushed and stammered out an answer. "Wait, classes were canceled?"
"Yes, I was told by the Headmaster to make sure everyone stayed in their dorms today." She smiled, and bid him well before jogging in the direction of the Headmaster's office.
She saw him walking briskly out of his accommodations, sword in hand. "Headmaster!" Arisu was startled when he turned around and frowned at her.
"Go back to your Dorm, Arisu." He was turning, and was going to start walking away.
"Wait," he stopped and glanced back at her, "Where is Zero?"
"Didn't you hear me? Go. Back. To Your. Room."
"With all due respect, Headmaster, I don't want to be there right now, and you can imagine why. I need to find Zero. There is a large group of vampires heading towards the Day Class Dorms." The headmaster swore under his breath.
"He's in the Academy dungeons," he sneered, not at her, "apparently, the Hunter's Association felt the need to detain him." Arisu nodded, and bowed her thanks. "Don't do anything rash; hes probably volatile right now."
"I understand." The Headmaster sighed, but said nothing more before walking briskly away. It wasn't until after he was far enough away that Arisu realized that her heart was hammering in her chest. She had never felt fear being near the Headmaster, but at the moment she was. Instinct told her that she should stay away from him, he was dangerous. She pitied whoever he was going after. Arisu shook her head to dispel her fear.
She had a general idea of where the dungeons of the Academy were; Yuki had told her all about the Academy grounds when she was learning to be a Prefect. Zero had mostly just stayed silent and glared at her; Arisu chuckled as she walked down the steps towards the dungeons.
"What do you want this time," the voice echoed in the damp walls and her humor disappeared, "haven't you done enough?" He was clearly enraged. She passed through the entranceway to get to the farthest cell where Zero was sitting in carelessly. His violet eyes were stormy. They held so much anger, and hate.
"No, I haven't. which is why I am here," she raised an upturned palm, "The humans are in danger."
He scoffed at her, "You expect me to believe that you care for their wellbeing?"
"No I don't, but I expect you to help protect them by killing the enemy." She dropped her hands. He continued glaring at her.
"Even if I was going to I can't get out of here; the bars are warded to prevent me from breaking out." Zero bitterly replied.
"It's a good thing I'm here then," she tentatively smiled at him. Zero rolled her eyes.
"Don't. I will kill you once I get out." He stood up so that he was towering above from behind the bars.
"You can try, but I'm sure you'll prefer to run along and save my sister instead of wasting your time fighting me." Zero snarled at her, and clutched the bars. There was sizzling, and they both smelled burnt flesh.
"Stop that, Kiryu." Both turned towards the entrance. Kaname was standing there, "You'll be of no use if you injure yourself."
"Kaname, what are you –
"You. How dare you –
"How dare I what?" She matched his glare with one of his own. Zero became unsettled by the sheer power they were both exuding. He wouldn't show it, but he was affected by the two purebloods. Kaname closed his eyes, and took a deep breath to calm himself.
"You shouldn't be here."
"I gathered that from everyone telling me." They both quieted as they heard footsteps coming down the steps.
"Hello, Kaname," Kai greeted as he passed by him to stand next to Arisu. She spared him a glance, and he nodded. She visibly relaxed knowing that Rima was fine.
"This doesn't concern you, Koruya," Kaname bit out. He was frustrated; she shouldn't be here much less the other one. Zero was all but forgotten.
"Didn't Arisu tell you? We are allies now, so I'll stand by her against those that would cause her harm," the blonde condescendingly responded. Kaname looked at her; his blank expression hiding his anger and hurt.
"Arisu send your dog away," Kaname commanded. Kai whistled at the insult. Arisu balled her fists; Kaname could be cruel. The four of them waited for her reply.
She hoped her voice didn't tremble and she looked at the wall behind Kaname. "Kai, could you see to the safety of the humans?" Kai peered down at her incredulously. "I'll be fine," she whispered more to herself and turned to face Kai. He continued looking at her, frowning, and she sent him a small smile. "Go."
"As you wish, but I'd like to point out that Kaname over there gave Rido enough blood to fully revive himself." He locked eyes with Kaname as he walked towards the entrance.
"It was necessary. That was the only way to get him out of Shiki's body." Kaname glanced at Arisu who pursed her lips.
"Whatever," Kai waved at them as he disappeared out the door. It was silent, neither vampire knew what to say before Kaname broke the silence.
"Arisu, I know you're hurt, but come back to where I can protect you." He beckoned her to him, but when she stayed still, he started walking towards him. She drew back when he got too close to her. Arisu looked up at him and saw the hurt in his eyes. Kaname reached out to her to cradle her face in both of his hands. The younger vampire tried pulling back when he brought his face closer to hers, but he held her in place. Now he was only a couple of inches from her.
"I really am sorry, Arisu," he murmured before closing the remaining gap between them to touch his lips to hers. She was so surprised that she barely registered the stinging pain she felt on her neck. Her eyes glazed over, and her vision blurred as Kaname pulled away. Vaguely she registered Zero yelling, but he sounded farther away than he was. It was becoming hard to keep her eyes open though she tried so hard. Kaname's face was the last thing she saw before she collapsed into his arms, unconscious.