Akane didn't return to the Unfortunate books the next afternoon. Her stomach was unwilling to let her forget the names and descriptions of how those people had died. Death was a very private thing, Akane believed, and she had no interest in the thoughts murderers had on causing it. But the other aspects of the books, despite her revulsion, were fascinating. Unfortunates had completely stumped The Vampire Council since they'd been catalogued. Every time someone took up the task of cracking the mystery, they were met with obstacles.

It appeared, Unfortunates were practically invisible until they reached puberty. After that, the researchers were faced with their scent. A lesser Vampire would attack and devour the child, but there had been a few entries that showed there were some, who did restrain themselves and observed their target. They never gathered anything unusual, as the children were apparently, no different from other Human children. Their blood was the only difference.

One Vampire, she remembered, had managed to get a sample of Unfortunate blood, and extracted some components that, at the time, he thought were the key to the Unfortunate gene. That theory had since been disproven with further testing, but he had been the only one to manage such a feat, and not cause any lasting harm to the Human. Until she had been killed by the committee who had come to review the researcher and his findings.

Akane sighed. She was sitting in the lobby of The Moon Dorms reading one of the books Ichijou had given her, but with her mind racing, filled with the mystery of her own blood. She couldn't give the characters her full attention. What bothered her most about reading those journal entries and science reviews, was that these children were never treated like people. They were anomalies, food, pets, forms of entertainment to their captors, the scientist, and spectators.

Akane couldn't imagine where she would've ended up if The Vampire Council had gotten their hands on her! She would have been a lab rat, or worse, the main course on a buffet table for a Noble or Pureblood family to tear into. She begrudgingly admitted, Kaname may have saved her from much worse than what she had already endured.

Something else came from reading those books, a sad pride in her father. That he had restrained himself so valiantly when others had simply given in to their hunger. The love he must have had for her had been enormous. Akane knew, of course, her father had loved her, but to have experienced the burning, unyielding thirst herself, then reading how much more intense it was when Unfortunates were concerned, she felt very glad to have had such a strong man as her father and regretful for all the pain she had unknowingly caused him.

Re-focusing her mind on the book, Akane willed the thoughts of her father away. The hurt in her heart was still so fresh, and she could not endure thinking about him for too long without bursting into tears. Years of forcing herself to stop crying over her mother, for her father's sake, helped, but the pain was latched onto her soul and would not yield for some time yet.

A sweet, syrupy scent, and a fresh, grape-like scent, invaded her nostrils then, just as footsteps from the corridor above caught her attention. Akane lifted her head to the stairs on the left side of the lobby, as Ichijou and Shiki emerged from the darkened corridor.
"Miss Nakamura?" Ichijou called. "Enjoying your day off?" It was Saturday morning, so that meant Aidou, as well as the rest of the Night Class, were still in bed. She was surprised to see the two Vampires up and about when, on their body clock, it was something like three in the morning. Akane was still getting to grips with the new sleeping schedule, so frequently found herself waking up at random times of the day and night.

"Where are you two off to? It's only quarter to eleven?" Akane asked as they walked down the stairs.
"Just running an errand for Lord Kaname before we turn in for the day. Are you enjoying the book?" The Vice-President asked, gesturing to the book in Akane's lap as he and Shiki came to stand beside her chair.
"Yes, thank you, but I'm a little distracted. I thought if I came down here, instead of staying in my room, it would help, but no such luck yet."
"Yes, Lord Kaname wasn't too pleased with Aidou, revealing The Unfortunate tale to you. I think he wanted to tell you himself, but what's done is done, and what he'd been trying to prevent hasn't happened anyway. So, no harm was done."

Akane nodded. She remembered when Aidou came back from school a few hours ago, he'd looked like a child that had been scolded by a parent in front of his friends. So, dejected and righteously angry, but unable to bite back as he had done wrong. Kaname had sought out Akane immediately and apologised if she felt deceived. Akane had waved his apology away saying, Aidou had done the right thing telling her, despite how difficult it had been to hear, she was glad he had. That had been what saved Aidou a punishment, it seemed. Something he had been grateful for, which is why her slave driver of a friend/tutor, had let her have this day off.

"How would you like to come to my party this evening? I've been planning it for a few weeks now, and I'd be glad if you would attend." Akane was flattered but anxiety immediately surfaced. She didn't feel ready for a party. A room full of people laughing, dancing, eating, drinking, dressing up in nice clothes to have fun. She wasn't the kind of person for much of that in the best of times, and right now, she certainly wasn't up to it.

"Thank you for inviting me V.P. but I'm not much one for parties," she tried gently but his eyes turned hopeful and his face took on a pleading expression. Oh, God! He can do it too!
"Please come, Miss Nakamura. It's my eighteenth birthday party." Crap!
"I'll… think about it." The look vanished, replaced by the blond's usual cheery smile, as Shiki remained stoically beside him, his customary poky stick in his mouth.

A hand came from his pocket, holding a box of poky (strawberry this time) and offered it to Akane, like some commiseration for failing against Ichijou's take on the Kicked Puppy look.
"Thank you, Shiki," Akane acknowledged as she nibbled on the treat as the two aristocrats turned and walked to the door. Ichijou shouted 'bye' over his shoulder as he closed the door, plunging Akane back into silence.

She remained for only a short while when her mind began racing again. Something unforeseen had come from Aidou revealing Unfortunates to Akane, she was intrigued. Akane was, by no means, an avid learner, she had only done so well in her studies because she had an uncanny ability to block out reality when things became difficult. School work had been her outlet, as she had never really enjoyed reading, but cracking a code, or working through a problem until she found the solution, that always gave her a sense of accomplishment. That feeling and schoolwork related problems, were always easier for her to deal with than her own emotions and situation, and not much had changed since becoming a Vampire.

Her thoughts on Aidou were one of the things she used schoolwork to distract herself from. The memories of her father and mother were another reason, as was Kaname. The Unfortunates were a perfect mystery for her to latch onto. Akane had the information she needed to start, herself. Her blood may now contain Vampire components, but she was still Akane, and DNA like that just didn't disappear. With renewed vigour, Akane gathered the book in her arms and made her way to her room to collect a notepad and pen, then proceeded to the underground library to look back over those books.