CHAPTER 2

AN: Here is chapter 2, so without further ado, enjoy. (Chapter 3 will finally have the beginning of the manga.)

"Hana, come and play with me. Pretty please, with a cherry on top." I asked for the umpteenth time. Ever since his encounter with the brunette pureblood he had been in a pensive mood. This meant long hours of silently staring out of the window, pondering the world inside his little flower palace. Which equals no playtime, leaving me feeling very lonely. Clearly, I was not happy about this stranger taking my best friend away from me. Well, I guess Akatsuki would have to do.

"Akatsuki-kun, can you please come and build this sandcastle with me?" I asked. The request took away his focus from Ruka, and he turned my way.

"Sure, Emmy" he replied. He left one last lingering gaze at the strawberry blonde girl and sauntered off to come play with me. I passed him a sand scooper and asked him to collect the sand. I then got up to get some water to wet the sand. It has taken us a good five minutes to prepare the sand.

"What kind of sandcastle do you want to build, Emmy?" Akatsuki mumbled.

"I want to make a big one. Like the one, Jerry made to beat Tom in the competition." I said.

"Alright." He smiled, I never would understand how Ruka hadn't fallen in love with him yet. I mean I know we were still children. However, vampires are different from humans in terms of emotional and intellectual development. Basically, we are a more evolved version of humankind, where the only difference would be that we had to rely on blood to provide us with sustenance. That, and the enhanced speed, healing, strength etc. A much more evolved version of humanity. Here I go again, lost in thought.

He was the best. He really was. Whenever my flower would decide to abandon me for his thoughts, Akatsuki would be the one to come and cheer me up. He really was the best cousin ever. As he was scooping some sand into the bucket to create our third tower. A presence filled the room, nobody else had noticed it. The presence encapsulated the very essence of power, the kind that would have you on your knees, begging for more. This presence. This soul, it felt ancient. The heady sensation was getting more electrifying as time went by as if it was moving closer to my location. I sat up, awaiting the presence to get closer with bated breath. Getting closer, definitely closer. Just a little bit more. It is here. A boy that was the same age as I?

Everything had stilled. A young boy with short mahogany hair and rich, deep wine-brown eyes. He looked just a bit taller than me. He was wearing what looked like a suit tailored specifically for him. Why would he wear a suit? I would bet my life that he was my age. But, that was not what had I intrigued. That strong, exotic aura that almost smelled like the sweetest, most profound perfume I had ever inhaled. A profound perfume, how can that be? Wisdom. He was covered with the scent of knowledge like he knew what the future would hold. How sad. Someone as young-looking as him should be basking in the blissful ignorance, that only childhood offered.

"Ah, Emmy-chan! I am so glad you are here. Here is the manga I borrowed last week" came from the one standing next to the young boy. He turned out to be none other than the ever optimistic, Takuma Ichijou. We were partners in crime when it came to mysteries and manga. There was something oddly calming about masterfully crafted mystery novels. I nodded towards him and accepted the precious book from him.

"Takuma-kun. Who is your friend standing next to you?" I asked. I had to, he looked quite shy and in dire need of some satisfactory play time.

"Oh. I forgot. This is Kaname Kuran. He is a bit shy, and he doesn't have a lot of people his own age to play with. I thought it to be a good idea to bring him here". He said. So, this was the infamous Kaname. Suddenly, my little flower decided to join us again, here on earth.

"There is no space left in the sandbox," Hana claimed, rudely might I add. Kaname looked sad but not surprised. Why? He should not be so accepting of the pathetic excuse my brother just made. I could not allow this.

"Hana is being ridiculous. Come and build this sandcastle with me and Akatsuki." I exclaimed. He looked positively shocked as if it was the first time anyone offered him companionship, other than the adorable Takuma.

"If it is alright with your friend." He said. Huh? Friend? He was looking at Hana.

"No. No way." Hana pouted. I sighed, clearly frustrated at my flower's behaviour. "Kaname-kun, I think I can decide for myself. Please come and help" I said gently. He let out a smile. Finally, now he looks like a child. It was a fun half an hour. Of course, Hana was not happy, but you cannot please everybody now, can you?

Two big burly men came out of the shadows. "Kaname-sama" they thundered. There it was again, that pained face Kaname came in with. "I am really glad I got to play with all of you," Kaname said.

"The pleasure was all ours," said Ruka. Oh? That's new.

"Kaname-kun, please come and play with us again in the near future," I said. He nodded, then walked over to Hana. "I am sorry if I had offended you last time, goodbye." As he walked off something blue fell out of his pocket. Hana jumped to action and called him back. I never understood what happened, but my darling flower came back holding a chipped orb, then he decided to grace me with the gentlest of smiles.

Present POV: Emmy

That was the last time I ever saw the pureblood. I heard that his parents had committed suicide and had left him all alone. I never really got attached to him that much. I felt sorry for him, but not the way the others did. I know I felt a strong connection with him. Such aura should suffocate someone, but to me, it was soothing and exciting. Alas, I had too much on my own plate already. I mean my manga was not going to read itself right? I would dedicate all my time making the best of this gentle atmosphere. How long till the storm starts, I wonder…

AN: This was a long chapter, phew. I do wish I would have written more, but I then would accidentally give things away. I am so grateful for the reviews, follows and favourites! I love both KanamexOCxZero stories as much as KanamexZero stories. I love experimenting, so I am so grateful for people reading my work. I love constructive criticism, I am not perfect so I would love for readers to point things out. Thank you all, lots of love,

Luna XO