I don't own VK.

Sorry about the wait on this; university's been super busy lately (reading four novels in four days isn't really all that great an experience when not done voluntarily), and my poor beta (Tristyn des Fleurs) has been just as occupied. :( Apologies, but... we actually have lives with boringly adult obligations. Being an adult isn't all it's cracked up to be, really.

CHAPTER 26 – CROSS ACADEMY

ICHIJO'S POV

It's so strange to think that Yuki is human again! Well, I suppose that notion isn't as scary as thinking of what Kaname might do now that she's been changed yet again. What'll this do to her brain, her body? What will Kaname do? After all, it might hurt her if she's not sentient and capable as a normal human before she's turned back into her pureblood self.

And to add to this trippy experience, we're all back in the common room of the old teachers' dorms at Cross, which none of us have seen for about five years… this day just gets weirder and weirder.

Isn't there going to be a normal day, one where Hikari and I (and maybe everyone else; I don't care either way at this point) are able to just hang out with no real worries beyond when I'm going to sign those documents that'll transfer headship of the Ichijo Group to me…?

"I don't understand it," Rima says in a soft voice as she stares up at the ceiling (she's laying down on the other couch, head in Senri's lap). "What would they gain by turning Yuki-sama back into a human?"

"Beats me," Senri replies tonelessly.

"I don't really get it, either," Akatsuki muses from his position leaning against the far wall, one arm around Ruka, who looks rather shaken as she clings to his side. (I really don't know what to make of them. I think it's all a matter of time before they really get together… or rather, when Ruka will open her eyes and actually acknowledge that Akatsuki's love extends beyond that of a brother-figure… though that depends on how you want to take "brotherhood," considering Kaname and Yuki-sama's relationship.)

Hanabusa runs a hand through his hair. "It doesn't make sense. If Shirabuki or Shimizu wanted to kill Yuki-sama, it would make more sense if they would go about it in a way to drink her blood or something; that would increase their strength. But turning her into a human and not sticking around to see if they'd killed her or not…?" It makes sense to see Hanabusa upset like this. After all, he still harbors a deep-seated affection and respect for Kaname. Then again, Yori was so upset upon hearing of Yuki's condition that she (stone-faced-ly) retreated to her own dorm room across campus to be alone.

They all begin to discuss the possible reasons for Yuki's transformation.It's sad to say that I might know the answer. Having lived with Shirabuki for a year, I do know some of what goes on under those blonde curls.

For starters, Shirabuki would be one step closer to taking control of the vampire community as queen. To kill Kaname in a more expedient manner would mean to exploit what is very likely his only weakness: Yuki.

But why turn her into a human? The only way I can see that is if they simply wanted to get at Kaname by harming Yuki, but why not killing her? That's what doesn't make sense to me.

What's more… how did they turn her into a human? I mean, it takes every ounce of blood from a single pureblood adult to change another pureblood into a human. I suppose between Shimizu and Shirabuki, they'd both have enough to change Yuki, but… why go to all that trouble if they couldn't kill her? Did Kaname interrupt their plans? Why wasn't Kaname covered in blood, then? Was he unable to kill them before he rescued Yuki?

I seriously wonder how he's doing. We've been here for over three hours and nothing has really happened since Kaname and the chairman went upstairs with Yuki's body. We've not heard a sound.

"So what happens when Yuki wakes up?" Hikari asks me quietly, a little fearfully.

How to respond to that…? She probably knows nothing of pureblood curses or spells (not that many of us know anything about them, either), or what it was that turned Yuki into a human the last time. "Well, presumably, she'll have lost all her memories of anything and everything, from events to speech and even coherent thought…"

Everyone turns to stare at me. I hadn't meant to say that so loudly, but it's what I get for not whispering. "It happened last time she was turned into a human, about eleven years ago. After Rido-sama attacked the Kuran main house and killed Haruka-sama, Juri-sama sacrificed herself to transform Yuki into a human, to protect her from Rido-sama. Kaname was supposed to protect her, keep her a secret, but he instead went on the offensive and very nearly destroyed Rido-sama. Yuki awakened as a human and wandered off, away from the mansion, where Kaname found her a few hours later, just as she was about to be attacked from one of Rido-sama's Level E servants. He saved her and took her to Chairman Cross, who adopted her."

"How do you know all this, Ichijo?" asks Rima, turning on the couch to lay on her side, the better to look at me, I suppose.

"Kaname and I grew up together, remember?" I smile a little sadly at the memory. At least back then, it wasn't quite so lonely when Kaname and I were both being brought up by my tyrannical grandfather. "He came to see Yuki frequently, and I almost always came along with him—though I typically stayed in the car or ran other errands to give him privacy."

Silence hangs in the air for several long seconds—close to a minute, really—before there's the slightest creak of floorboards upstairs. We all turn to see Cross slowly descending the marble staircase, an unusually solemn look on his face. I rise to my feet, slipping back into my role as Vice President. "Chairman Cross, how is she? And… how is Kaname?"

He sighs heavily and removes his glasses to clean them on the edge of his shawl. "It's difficult to say… All we can really tell is that Yuki is, yes, fully human… though I'm not sure how…" Again, he stops to collect his thoughts. "And Kaname… is… incredibly upset…" I frown at the headmaster's words. Of course, he's upset, but how is he handling it? "If I know Kaname, he won't leave her bedside until she's awakened again. Ichijo, I'll count on you to look after him, make sure he doesn't starve himself or do something equally rash."

"Of course," I reply without hesitation. Admittedly, the thought of Kaname doing something "rash" is incredibly scary; however, when Yuki is at stake, who knows what he'd do? Though I think he'd sooner gorge himself on those blood tablets before he starves himself—that was his reaction last time, after all.

A few moments later and the headmaster's gone. I sigh and look up the stairs into the dark, vacated hallway, so familiar, and yet, so surreal. "I'll give him a few more hours and then check on him," I decide aloud. After all, he's just been with the chairman; Kaname will be fine for at least an hour or two, if not more.

HIKARI'S POV

It's weird, seeing Takuma this serious for this long. I know he can be incredibly solemn, but he usually covers up his seriousness by acting like a complete idiot, a jokester. Or at least by smiling. I don't think I've ever seen him act like this before, though.

But it seems like we shouldn't talk. No one else is… the silence is a little unnerving, and yet, nothing short of appropriate. What else are we to do while keeping our vigil, awaiting Yuki's awakening? I suppose it's just another way of showing allegiance to Kaname.

The more I think about him, the more I realize that he's really not such a bad guy. Kaname, I mean. He's just a little irritating in that he sacrifices his friends' happiness to further his own way as a pureblood would-be leader. It makes sense, in a way, and he'll probably be a very good leader in that he can distance himself emotionally from decisions. But that he shoves Takuma to the side just for the sake of his own goals, only to manipulate him (and everyone else) later… it's not a very endearing trait.

But seeing him this vulnerable, this dedicated to his lover…

I think I'm beginning to understand Kaname just a little more.

Just a little more. Meeting halfway, as Tohru would say in Fruits Basket.

It's a wonder that Takuma really stays this loyal to Kaname after how horribly he treated him. In a way, I have to admire Takuma for that, even if it does make him a bit of a doormat. At the least, I can understand his motives as best friend and ally of his pureblood leader.

As I look over at him, I see him lost in thought, slouched forward, elbows on his knees, pressing his chin against his interlocked fingers. His expression is rather pensive, and at the same time, plaintive.

I'm a little afraid to disturb his reverie, but I want so badly to see him smile again, even if it's a sad smile. At least I'll have succeeded in cheering him up a bit. My hand slowly reaches out toward him and lands on his shoulder; he twitches and looks over to me, a question in his eyes.

"You okay?" I ask—or begin to ask, anyway. I've been silent for long enough that my voice is hoarse and squeaky, distorting my words to the point of incoherency.

Before I can restate my question, he responds. Apparently, he understood my gibberish. "I'm fine, yes. But I'm worried for Kaname…"

After a few seconds of mulling over my options, I rise and present Takuma with my hand. He stares at it for a moment, then looks up into my eyes. I can tell he wants to know my purpose without him saying anything. "Let's go take a walk outside…"

He hesitates. "Do you have your cell phone?"

"I've got her number, Takuma," Rima announces from the other couch. "We'll call if we need you."

With that (and the knowledge that, running at top vampire speed, we can easily be back at the dorms in less than five seconds from anywhere on campus), Takuma relents and takes my hand in his.

We amble wordlessly about the grounds, which are rather bare and devoid of life. Everything looks so bleak and dead, cold and gray in the middle of January like this. All but the evergreens, which all point toward the sky in their stately elegance. At least something's alive…

But then again, the other trees and plants aren't really dead, are they? Just asleep. Just putting on a mask until spring time. Or is the flowery spring a mask for the death beneath?

I look up at Takuma, and his green eyes swivel toward me, wide and searching, curious. At that, I quickly turn away.

Which is his mask: the happiness or the seriousness…?

I don't know. All I know is that I don't want him to have to act in front of me. I want to be someone he feels free to be himself around, whatever that might mean.

That's when I wonder when I became such a prosaic twit for thinking of stuff like this consciously…

Somehow, we find ourselves walking toward the tree beneath which we shared our first kiss—had our first meeting, really. I smile a little at that, and look up at Takuma, who notices our location and gives a light chuckle. "Wow… it seems forever ago, doesn't it?"

Gracefully, he turns and sits back against the rough bark; I copy his move to sit beside him. "It certainly brings back memories…"

He smiles, looking almost peaceful for a few silent moments. "I miss this place. Everything was so much simpler here… most of the crazy politics were separate from school, so we didn't have to worry about that side of life until we left campus."

"And Kaname-sama was less enigmatic, here, right?" I add softly.

Those beautiful emerald eyes close for a moment, and he nods. "I don't know what to do about him."

"It's like you said earlier," I tell him, "you said that you wanted to give him privacy for a few hours, and then you'd go check on him. Now's the time when he needs you again, for sanity's sake. Just like old times."

"I just… part of me wants to not have to wait on him."

I blink a few times. "But that's what friends do—they support one another in times of need, and they forgive one another."

Silence—only the sound of the wind through the trees. Takuma's arm wraps around my waist, pulling me close to him. "It's just easier said than done, sometimes."

I nod. "I know." He's more than hinted at it, Kaname's friendship is incredibly… doubtable. I don't blame Takuma for mistrusting it and therefore being hesitant at reforming that bond with him.

The wind from the lake blows more strongly through campus, making me shiver. I know it's not unbearably cold, but I can't suppress my reaction to it; Takuma squeezes me once, gently, before removing his jacket and placing it around my shoulders, then resuming his position. "You'll catch cold," I mumble into the fabric of his shirt.

"I'm a vampire," he says with a light chuckle. "I won't get sick from being outside in the chilly weather."

"You'll… be uncomfortable," I retort belatedly.

"I'd be more uncomfortable if I didn't give you my coat."

I leave it at that. I suppose his manners dictate that he, as a gentleman, give his jacket to the lady, so he would feel funny otherwise. He's so considerate like that.

"OH MY GOD, IT'S ICHIJO-SEMPAI!!"

Oh, crap.

"What time is it?" I ask Takuma quietly; he looks at his watch.

"Not quite seven at night…"

"Well, that's just great…"

The Day Class' curfew has not even been reached, and now, they've seen us. I should've known better than to meander back to the boundaries of the Sun Dorms in the company of an ex-member of the Night Class.

Before we can make it out of there, a small group of five girls is running across campus toward us, and it would be incredibly rude to just run away (not to mention the fact that it would just spread rumors either way, and if we left now, the old teachers' dorms would have no peace from the hoards of rabid fangirls).

"Ichijo-sempai! You're back!"

"What are you doing on campus?!"

"Yagari-san?!"

"What are you doing with Ichijo-sempai?"

"Can we take your picture?"

Before I can even say anything, I'm practically shoved out of the way (there are now seven girls surrounding Takuma) and he looks incredibly confused as to what to do next.

"Okay, okay—please, be quiet, ladies!" he says loudly, and they all shut up for a brief moment. Takuma gives a nervous smile and edges his way through them back toward me to grab my hand like it's a security blanket (they all stare with eyes wide as plates). "Now, one at a time, please."

Shoot me now, please.

Is this what it felt like to be in the Night Class…?

"Why are you back, sempai?"

"Well…" He falters for a moment. "I've got some business with the headmaster I need to take care of, but he's busy right now."

"How long will you be here?"

Another hard-to-answer question. "I'm not entirely sure—a few days, at the least."

This declaration is met with squeals of approval and excitement.

"Okay, I've got one." I look over with ample horror to see none other than Sachiko Iemura standing there, one hip thrust out to one side and arms crossed over her Prada jacket. "What in the world are you doing with Hikari Yagari?"

At this, Takuma's eyebrows raise a bit and he tilts his head toward me. "Oh, don't you know? We've been going out for over a year, now. One year, one month, and five days, if I remember correctly…"

My first reaction is to blush, and then, I feel a very strong upsurge of gratefulness for Takuma's loyal, protective side. But I shrink back a little as all eyes in the group fall on me. I don't like this much attention, especially if it's half (or more) negative. Of course they're all jealous of me, and probably want to lynch me for desecrating Takuma's reputation. I wonder if this is how Yuki felt all the time, being able to talk with the Night Class guys all the time…?

"No way!"

"Yagari-san, seriously?!"

"Aw, lucky!!"

I blink. Maybe they aren't going to tar-and-feather me…

"What's it like?" asks a petite redheaded girl.

What? I give her a confused look.

"Going out with Ichijo-sempai—what's it like?"

"Erm…" I pause. "How do you mean?" Well, this is awkward, I must say! I'm assuming she means how it is to go out with someone so handsome and so famous (famous at Cross, anyway), in comparison to a "normal" guy. Which I can't tell her, because I've never gone out with anyone else before.

"Is he any different from any other guy?"

I frown at that. "Is he supposed to be different from any other guy…?" (Aside from the fact that he's probably about a million times sweeter and cuter than any other guy I know of, he's not a schmuck, and that he's a total fanboy.)

…Okay, so how's he supposed to be different from any other guy, aside from the fact that he's Takuma?

The redhead stops to think this over, and I decide it's about time to take over the situation by cutting off any more discussion on What it's Like to Date a Night Class Member 101. But before I can open my mouth, another girl pipes up: "What's he like in bed?"

WHAT?!

Takuma goes completely stiff, affronted. "Have you no shame?!" is the first thing out of my mouth. "Okay, okay—this is super-awkward; can you not ask questions like that?"

"You haven't even slept with him, have you?" Sachiko rolls her eyes. "If you were really comfortable with him, you'd be able to talk about him to his face."

I seriously wish there was a tumbleweed rolling by right now. It would very nicely illustrate the silence and unease of the overall situation, and provide some comic relief.

"It's not that I'm not comfortable with him. It's just…" I stop. What is keeping me from speaking about him, other than the fact that he's standing right beside me (and other than the fact that it would be extremely embarrassing and rude if our hypothetical love life did exist)…? I look up at Takuma, who looks completely lost, not to mention a little ill at ease. "I… er…"

"So you really aren't comfortable with him," she says snidely. "Well, then, you wouldn't mind giving him up for someone who wouldn't mind answering questions like that, then, would you? Perhaps you should pass on the baton to someone whose social status is closer to his."

"I would very much appreciate it if you would stop antagonizing my girlfriend," Takuma says coolly. "It's quite rude to keep on asking such inane questions. This isn't an interview. And I'm just a normal guy; I'm not anything special." Not as far as they're concerned, anyway. (Besides, I'm not about to spout off some sappy something or other about how "of course he's special," not unless I thought he was actually depressed about a lack of specialness.)

Well, that certainly shut them up!

"What's more, Iemura-san," Takuma continues in a lighter tone, "you're not considering my feelings on the matter. For one, I am not a baton to be passed. Secondly, and most importantly, I happen to love Hikari very much, and am not about to break up with her anytime soon."

Is it hot out here, or is it just me…?

The girls now stare in wide-eyed fascination. "You're so cool, Ichijo-sempai!"

"Ohmigosh, he's sooo cute!"

"You're so lucky, Yagari-san!"

Sachiko makes a "tch" kind of sound. "He must not love her very much, if he's not done her. What the heck's your motive in dating Yagari, sempai, if not to bed her?"

Takuma's hand tightly squeezes my own, and I can tell he's getting mad. Actually upset! But he doesn't let on in his expression or tone of voice as he continues to speak. "Do you really think you can raise my impression of you, Iemura-san, if you continue to insult Hikari?"

She stops, a little flustered, but then she snaps back with, "You dodged the question."

"So did you."

"Well… if she's not okay with sleeping with you, that must mean she doesn't really love you, right?"

"In regards to my motives with Hikari, that is none of your business, first off. Secondly, love and lust are separate concepts. And while I find Hikari incredibly attractive, that does not mean that I will abase her reputation solely for the sake of my own desires."

PLEASE MAKE THEM GO AWAY. THIS IS SOOO EMBARASSING!

Wait, he finds me attractive…?

And from his words, he also means that in a… in a sexual manner…?

GAH!

What do I do, now?!

(I'm sure I'm lit up like Rudolph's nose at the moment; my face feels so incredibly warm.) But seriously… what the heck? I mean… what?!

"Psh… what reputation?"

Oh, thanks, Iemura. Not that I expected anything less from her.

"Hikari Yagari has a much higher reputation than you can ever hope for, Sachiko Iemura."

If I faint theatrically right now, would that allow Takuma to end this ridiculous conversation immediately…?

A chorus of gasps issues from the girls (now about twenty) and Takuma winds one arm around my waist. "Now, if you'll excuse us, ladies, we'll be going."

Silence…

I think all but my basic motor functions have shut down. Or maybe I'm in shock…? My mind can scarcely wrap itself around that entire conversation back there.

It amazes me that Takuma kept on acting polite throughout the entire conversation, and even smiled for a good half of it. There he goes, wearing that mask again. I look up at him now, and his expression is rather placid, surprisingly enough. But he says not a word. I suppose, upset as he is, he wants to keep silent. It's a better alternative to fuming, in his mind.

"Well…" I finally say, once we've reached the headmaster's office building (I think we're here because it's a refuge away from the teachers' dorms, which will lead the fangirls straight to our hideout, and who knows what a lot of noble vampires will do to die-hard groupies in such a keyed-up state). "That was sufficiently awkward."

He relaxes a little with a long, loud sigh. "Yeah…"

"You wanna just forget that conversation ever occurred?"

"That would be nice, yes."

"Okay, then." I stop and, on that subject, happen upon an idea. Takuma halts beside me, studying me behind his neutral eyes. "Go ahead. Do it."

He tilts his head. "Do what?"

"Erase my memory. It should be quite easy, considering all the practice you've had doing it." I grin playfully up at him, hoping it'll take a bit of the edge off his moodiness.

After a few seconds, he smiles back (albeit in a strained manner) and exhales. "Thanks for that."

"I do try."

"Hikari…" That smile fades into a strange expression, one that I can't really define.

"Yeah?"

His eyes flick off to the side and—is that a blush? He clears his throat and scratches the back of his head, as though stalling for words. "I… do you…"

"You… do I… what?"

"…never mind." I blink. "Okay." What else can I say? I can't force him to say anything to me; if it's really important, he'll tell me when he's ready. Besides… I know he's got his reasons to keep things from me, even if I can't say I approve of them. Especially when I don't know what they are right now. Or even what he was going to say in the first place.

Upon reaching the headmaster's office, Takuma requests to use Cross's telephone to arrange for everyone's baggage to be sent here by some of the Aido household maids, and he even tells them to visit his own manor to retrieve some clothing and toiletries of his own (everyone else has at least part of their belongings at the Aido estate, so his is the only side trip they'd have to make). While he does that, I approach Cross myself to ask if I can borrow or somehow otherwise obtain a vehicle to drive to my own apartment for my things.

"I… er… of course, Yagari-san."

It dawns on me how strange it must feel to the headmaster to call me "Yagari-san," like my father. I know they're close and all, but he's still "Yagari-san" to Cross. "Please call me "Hikari-chan."

He gives a bit of a grim smile and nods appreciatively. "Thank you, Hikari-chan. You may call me Uncle Kaien."

Uh, what? "Er…"

"I insist! After all, your father and I are such good friends—we should be, too, Hikari-chan."

What's the harm in it, really? "Okay."

At first, I thought it a bit odd that Headmaster—okay, Uncle Kaien (that's going to take a lot of getting used to) would allow me to borrow his own car, but I think he knows that if anything happens, Takuma or Toga-san will be able to compensate for it. Not that I'm going to be reckless; I'm usually a very responsible, if defensive, driver.

"Why don't you take someone with you?" he then adds. Probably a good idea, considering how accident-prone I am. And knowing my luck, I'd wreck someone else's car and not my own where I'd be the only one affected monetarily. "Why not Zero-kun?"

My eyes snap wide open. That stone-faced enigma? I'd call him a jerk but he really isn't… oh, who am I kidding? He is a jerk. Even though he's really just the classic tsundere type.

I guess he's only a tsundere where Yuki is concerned, come to think of it…

Fact of the matter is, Zero and I would probably sooner claw each other's eyes out than ride in the same car together, alone, even if there's nothing going on other than him helping me pack up a few things.

So I tactfully avoid answering that question by suggesting something else. "How about someone who's not on disciplinary patrol? One of the ex-Night Class, perhaps?"

Cross is saved the trouble of an immediate response as Takuma reenters the room, finished using the telephone. "I'd better go back to check on Kaname."

I nod. "I'm going back to my apartment for my things." Come to think of it, why don't I just go back and stay there? I need to get back to work…

Takuma pauses, unsure of what to say. I can tell he objects, but he knows he's needed more by Kaname's side than mine right now, and that he doesn't have much cause to protest—I need my stuff, after all. "Could you at least take someone with you?"

Does no one here trust me? I am nineteen… Though I suppose they have a point. My track record for inexplicable incidents isn't exactly reassuring. "Yeah, we were just discussing that possibility." I look to him, wondering half-heartedly if perhaps he'll decide to come with me, but I doubt he'll leave Kaname's side for that long when our dearest pureblood king is in such a state.

"It's not a good idea to wait for me. I don't know what Kaname might need me for, or for how long. Perhaps Akatsuki…?"

I nod. I wouldn't mind that. I'd suggest Rima or Shiki instead, but they'd not help me at all, for one, and secondly, they'd both be downers about the whole thing. Ruka wouldn't help, either, and she and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye, anyway; Aido's probably depressed as anything (same with Yori, even if she might hide it)… that leaves Akatsuki.

Reviews are love!! I know, the plot is a little filler-y and boring right now. :( But! Reviews make me super-happy and that means I'll get to the next chapter more quickly and THAT means that we'll get past this abhorrant Human!Yuki arc more quickly, and to happier, fluffier, cutsy-er things! And believe me, things are gonna get deliciously WAFF-y and hilarious! Including... *drumroll* KainxRuka!! :D Yay!