Chapter 13
The rest of the week flew by in a blur. Willow was just happy nothing bad happened that would have canceled her spa day with her father. Though there was a tense moment when she ended up staying a little bit longer in the moon dorms and came across Ichijo's grandfather.
~Flashback~
It was the third day of Willow being a gofer for Kuran and she couldn't wait for it to be over with. Not only does she have to deal with Zero's jealousy but also Yuki's. While Zero is more quiet what with him being more pouty than anything else - which is really cute - Yuki on the other hand wasn't as quiet.
Every time they were near each other Yuki rants and raves about how it wasn't fair that Willow gets to be around Kuran more than she could. It didn't matter that everyone tells her it's just work related, she just wouldn't shut up about it.
'If I didn't think she would find a way to ruin everything, I would just tell her what really was going on. I won't even tell her that she would be spending the whole day with him on Sunday since she's been so annoying.' She thought with a tick of her eyebrow.
She really couldn't understand how Yuki believed she was trying to steal Kuran away from her. She had no interest in him what so ever. Yeah, sure, he was beyond hot. There was no denying that. However, she just didn't care.
She looked to her other problem who was hunched over his desk reading another report. While there were moments where she had to wait for him to finish some of his paperwork before she could take it, he would sometimes stop working to try and talk to her. She tries to be understanding in the fact that breaks from paperwork helps one keep their sanity - she went through periods of nothing but paperwork as well - she didn't appreciate him wasting her time.
"Is something the matter?" Kuran's voice asked when she turned sharply towards the door where a slight commotion was going on.
"Not really. Just that Ichijo-san seems to be in a more lively mood this evening then usual." She answered calmly. "I wonder what got him so excited."
"I don't know. I am sure we will find out sooner or later." He responded before going back to his paperwork. He was almost done with this report with only a couple more to go to where he can be done for the rest of the night.
He glanced at the girl resting in one of the chairs in front of his desk. She was looking out one of his windows where they could see the colorful sky the setting sun created. The past two nights he tried to get to know her better between finished paperwork but she was proving to be quite difficult in that regard.
"Are the Night Class not going to class tonight?" She interrupted his reading through another report with a raised eyebrow an hour later. "For that matter, shouldn't you start getting ready for class as well. The crossover will commence in a couple of minutes and nobody is leaving."
"Wha…no. I am not going tonight. I have too much work to get done if I want to have a free day Sunday. As for the…" He started but was interrupted by nervous knocking on his door. "Come in."
They weren't surprised to see an hesitated Takuma coming through the door. He was really the only one that ever comes to his office when he's working…or really when he just felt like bothering him.
"I have some news Kaname-sama." He started before he stopped looking at a bored Willow watching him in return. He continued when Kaname motioned him too. "It would seem my grandfather wishes to come and visit tonight."
"Your grandfather?" Willow couldn't help but ask curiously. He seem to be really tense at the fact a family member was coming. Not that she can really judge since she knew from experience that not all families were loving or nice but can be cruel and hurtful to other members of the family.
"Oh." Was all Kaname would say on that. He too seem to tense to unhealthy proportions then getting a hold of himself and relaxing.
"I am guessing from all this dark atmosphere that has descended in this room, that this isn't a good thing." Willow couldn't help but comment, wanting more information though unwilling to out right ask for it just yet.
"Ichijo-sama took me in when my parents died. Though I did refuse to have him as my guardian." Kaname told her happy that she showed some curiosity about his life.
"Why didn't you want to have him as your guardian but was willing to live with him? Well, I am guessing you were living in the same place as each other." She asked turning her full attention on the Pureblood, noticing how he straighten his back even more with her attention on him.
"Yes, he lived with us for a little while in the beginning. You have to understand…my grandfather…he's…well…he's power hungry. If he had Kaname-sama in his clutches then he would have used him until Kaname-sama became nothing more than a puppet with him as the puppet master. My grandfather will do anything to be the one on top even if it was to turn a powerful Pureblood into an empty shell or even lock him up and use the political powers of being a Pureblood's guardian to get want he wants." He took a deep breath to continue. "Pretty much the whole time he was with us, my grandfather was always on his case about something or other. Kaname-sama never had a moment of peace while living with us. It didn't help that grandfather had "business parties/dinners" to show off the poor Pureblood child in his care. Unfortunately, for my grandfather, Kaname-sama knew what he was doing and made sure that he didn't fall victim to his schemes."
"Whoa." Was all Willow could utter looking at Kuran with widen eyes.
"Yes. Well…that's in the past now." Kaname said feeling uncomfortable with Willow's assessing stare and Ichijo's saddened face.
"Is he going to be a problem to the school?" She couldn't help but ask - not commenting on how it wasn't really in the past if he was still affected by it or if Ichijo's grandfather was still trying to gain control over him.
She knew his type. If they didn't have power or even a say in something that could prove to add power to them if they were part of it or even in control of it, they would do anything to either tear it down or gain control of it then turn it into something that didn't even resemble what it originally suppose to. It was something that Dumbledore did a lot.
'Ever since he gain control of Hogwarts as Headmaster, it became a laughing stock throughout the other countries. A lot of the original classes were cut, the equipment was practically on their last legs since he didn't want to use the schools budget on them; instead used it to satisfy his greed. The bullying was off the charts with the teachers and Headmaster sitting back not doing anything unless it was a Slytherin that was caught bullying. Then they would get punished severely. Of course, if a Slytherin was the one being bullied, then the bully would just get a slap on the wrist. Definitely if that bully was a Gryffindor.
That's not even mentioning the condition the government became under his rule. It was nothing more than a cesspool of corruption and did nothing about it even though his positions would have allowed him to make a big difference. Of course, he couldn't have the government uncorrupted since he wouldn't have gotten away with half of the bullshit he got away with over the years.
That's not even getting started on how he handled my so call care when he became my so call Magical Guardian. He made sure nobody could over power him nor could anybody call him out for any wrong doing since he made sure nobody thought he could do wrong. If anybody went against him, he found ways to make it seem they were either going dark, throwing a childish tantrum or not feeling well. He played on the sheep mentality of the Wizarding World so well nobody thought to really question him until it was way too late and he was dead.'
"...we are hoping not. We just don't know any of his plans though we are keeping an eye on his and the Council's movements to the best of our abilities." Takuma answered honestly knowing if he tried to lie she would know right away.
"I see. In that case I wouldn't mind seeing him. I am now very curious to know who this being is." She utter looking out the window again to see the sun colors on the sky were gone with the crescent moon on the raise, shining it's beautiful light down on them.
"No!" Kaname was quick to deny making her narrow her intense eyes on him. He didn't want Ichio to know about Willow. Not only that, he wouldn't be surprised if Willow did or said something to piss him off. It would be just like her.
"I have decided." She said firmly. "When is he arriving?" She then asked Takuma who stood by the door beyond tense.
"Soon. I don't know the exact time. However, I should get to the entry hall to make sure I am there when he shows up." He answered tensely. "It's ok if you don't show up Kaname-sama. Everybody knows that you have a lot of work to do, so wouldn't be offended if you stayed to finish up." He then bowed and left in a hurry, not waiting for Kaname's answer.
"Well, this night just got that much more interesting." She said blinking at the closed door then turning her head to look at the scowling Moon Dorm President. "You know that Yuki will come here when the Moon Dorm doesn't go to class tonight don't you?"
"Yes." He sighed out. He just hoped that Ichio was gone when she does come.
"Good. I think we should head on down now. I think he's on his way." She said getting up. She felt the tainted aura closing in on the Moon Dorms slowly.
'Knowing power hungry people like I do, he probably wants to make an grand entrance.' She thought with amusement.
"It would seem that I won't be able to finish these reports any time soon." Kuran said with mournful sigh.
"You can just finish when you finish with the mandatory greetings. I wouldn't be surprise if this Ichijo-san wouldn't try to play his visit off as him just trying to see his grandson. If so, it wouldn't be considered rude if you happen to leave to give them some time alone to "catch up" with each other." She pointed out getting a raised eyebrow of shock from the Pureblood.
"I guess that's true." He said catching up to her in the hallway.
When they got to the entrance hall they saw that pretty much the whole Moon Dorm lounging around waiting for the Ichijo lord to come while talking about his accomplishments and how he strikes fear into them.
"Is he really that scary?" Willow muttered out in bemusement ignoring Ichijo's dismayed look he threw them when he noticed them.
She can feel the aura of the lord and she had felt stronger. Way stronger. She's not saying he wasn't powerful in his own right, but it wasn't really anything to tremble at either. Then again, compared to their power, she can kind of understand their fear.
"Yes. He's not only the Head Councilor but he pretty much has a hand in every company in the human world." Senri answered her.
"Ah. I see." And she does.
That type of political power was nothing to sneeze at. Even she would have been hesitant to go against him before she found out her true Title. Not for long before she found a way to tear him to shreds. She did it multiple of times when she was fixing up the Wizarding World before everything went to hell in a handbag.
When she was about to continue questioning Senri about the old vampire, the doors blasted open as if the wind itself was opening the doors for the being about to come in.
"I knew he was going for the grand entrance routine." She muttered getting a snort of amusement out of Senri and a couple of other vampires around them that heard.
"Well, well. I deeply appreciate all you coming to greet me but I came only to visit my darling grandson. You don't have to stand on formalities." Asato told the assembled vampires in his deep foreboding voice.
She could admit that he could cut a good picture what with his 6'0" strong build body, dark clothing, sharp ice blue eyes contrasting with his pale blond hair/ beard and pale skin. However, she wasn't all that impressed with his overall appearance. In his defense, though, it's hard to really impress her when she had to deal with someone like a resurrected Dark Lord before even finishing school.
Of course, there was Death Himself he had to content with to be impressive to her.
She turned her attention to Kuran with an amused eyebrow raised.
'Called it.' She thought to him, seeing his lips start twitching before turning his attention back to the lord in front of them.
"Ichio, I'm glad you seem to be in excellent health." Kaname said with a diplomatic smile.
"We haven't seen each other since the day you refused to have me as your legal guardian…Kaname-sama." The "once again" went unsaid.
"I didn't want to be coddled." He answered cooly, still with his diplomatic smile in place.
Willow was impressed with his composure. If it was her, she would have already cut him down for even trying to intimidate her into submission. She also didn't like the look of hatred barely hidden in the old timer's eyes.
"Kaname-sama, not here." Ichijo muttered lowly in warning. He didn't want them to get in an argument here. Their arguments are never pretty.
"You're right." Kaname conceded softly, turning his head slightly, exposing his neck unintentionally to the older vampire.
Willow didn't like the look that cross the older vampires eyes. It didn't just have bloodlust but also just plain out lust in it. She couldn't stop her tense form from stiffening even more when the Ichijo lord started rambling on about how Kuran's blood - and the other Pureblood's blood - was different from aristocrats and how his blood smelled sweet and what not. She, however, couldn't stay still anymore when the old geezer grabbed Kuran's hand in his to bring it to his mouth while purring out his desire to taste him.
She drew her sword from her back and before anyone could react, she had it at his neck, drawing the littlest bit of blood.
"If I was you, I would get your filthy perverted hands off him." She told him in a tone that sent a shiver of fear down every vampires' spine except Kaname's who had a different shiver going down his.
"How dare you! Do you not know who I am?" Ichio hiss in outrage though not moving an inch with the sword at his throat. He can feel it was an anti-vampire weapon so it can hurt him badly if not out right kill him.
Normally, he would have already dodge and have killed the one with weapon, except, he didn't see her move. If he didn't see her move, then it's a good possibility that she would have cut his head off before he could so much a twitched in her direction.
"Yes. I know who you are and no, I care not for it either. I do care that you are touching a minor inappropriately. That's sexual harassment. So back off before I have you reported and banished from the premises forever." She hissed right back. "Don't try to say you weren't because everybody saw you bare your fangs with your tongue coming out to play while also propositioning him for his blood. So back off while I'm still playing nice."
She didn't care if he can cause trouble for the school for her actions. If she has too, she would completely destroy him before he could really do some damage to the school. However, even if she wasn't able to do anything, she sure as hell wouldn't stand back and let some sicko do whatever he wanted. She can't remember the name or what the teacher looked like, but she can vaguely remember a teacher getting "handsy" with students while the teachers and Headmaster did nothing but turn a blind eye to their complaints and worries.
She will never let something like that happen ever again. Not while she was around to stop it.
She dug her sword into his throat a little bit more when she saw him tighten his grip on the hand still in his; making him drop it like it burnt him.
"Now back up slowly." She told him, this time in a more neutral tone of voice. Not once removing her eyes - or her sword - from him, missing the completely entranced gaze from the vampire she was defending and the admiring and respect fill eyes of the other vamps.
"You will pay for this insult girl." Asato hiss beyond pissed and embarrassed.
He's never been so insulted in his life. He couldn't believe this no namegirl would have the audacity to accuse him of all people of such things. Not that she was completely wrong when it came to this Pureblood in particular, but he wouldn't do anything until he came of age. He's no pedophile. When he does come of age, that is a whole other story.
Ichijo, Asato didn't care about gender when it came to his sexual exploits. The only thing he cares about is how beautiful his partner is and how satisfied they can make him. He didn't even really care about consent either. If he wants someone in his bed, then he will have them regardless if they want to be there or not. However, the only line he would never cross no matter how one temps him - like the Pureblood in front of him - he would never really touch an underage kid.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say buddy." She snarked. She had heard that line so many times in this life and the last, to be really affected by it. More than anything, it kind of makes her want to bust out laughing at the clicheness of it all.
"Willow-san. It's ok." Kaname said softly doing his best not to just preen like a puffed up bird. He never thought in a million years that one Cross, Willow would ever defend him in anything.
"It's not. However, I will let it go for now. Don't want to completely ruin the night." She sighed removing her blade from the geezer's neck before flicking it to get the blood off it. The blood splattered against the marble floor with a wet sound that drew all the glowing red eyes of the vamps in the room to it.
"Thank you, Willow-san." Kaname murmured. He had to force his eyes away from the girl to look at the old vampire in front of them. He didn't like the calculating look in the old timers eyes that were fixed on Willow.
"We should get back to your office. You still have a lot of paperwork to get done. Besides, old timer came here to spend some quality time with his grandson. We shouldn't hold them up anymore then we already have."
With that said, she turned her back and walked up the stairs knowing that she wouldn't be attacked and that Kuran would follow her. However, before she got to the stairs she cast a meaningful look in Senri's direction so that he would keep an eye on Takuma so he wasn't really alone with his grandfather. She didn't trust that man to not try and hurt Takuma in a fit of rage. So she will make sure that someone would be there to step in if things got rough for the blond teen. She sighed in relief when she got a nod of understanding from her favorite vamp.
She ignored the burning gaze drilling a hole in the the back of her skull. As long as he didn't try to attack either her or one of the students under her protection, she won't do anything even if every instinct she has was yelling at her to end his wretched existence.
'For now, I won't do anything more. Though the moment he steps a toe out of line again, I won't hold back. I am a Guardian of all the students here. They are under my protection wither I like them or not. Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets away with harming one of mine.' She thought darkly her eyes glowing a bright poisonous green, still not noticing all the other looks coming her way from the other student - especially the one right behind her.
~End Flashback~
As predicted, Yuki came right when the Ichijo lord was leaving. They didn't find out until everybody was gone and Willow was on her way to deliver the last bit of paperwork for the night. She had gotten the heads up from Takuma then Zero - who was waiting on the other side of the wall for her - on what had happened. To say the least; she wasn't a happy camper. Just unsurprised.
She was just happy nothing else exciting had happened. She knew she would have blown a gasket if her trip with her father was either postponed or out right canceled.
"I see you are ready for your trip." The smooth silky voice of the residence Pureblood said from behind her.
"I am. However, he is not." She answered testily.
She wasn't all that pleased to find out that her father wasn't all that ready. He had the whole damn week to be ready except he wasn't. She couldn't understand what would take so long since the only thing he needs to bring is an extra outfit for tomorrow and maybe his bathing-suit if he decided he wanted to go swimming in the spa's pool. Mostly, though, they would be in their underwear and a robe the whole time - if not out right naked at some point - while they are there nor were they staying for more then one day and one night.
'So why in the hell isn't he ready?' She thought viciously, arms crossed over her chest, foot wanting to tap in impatience but resisting the urge.
"How is he not ready? He had a whole week to get ready." Kaname asked, stunned.
"I don't know." She growled.
She was on the verge of just storming into the house to drag his ass out when he came out himself: dramatically.
Carrying three luggage, a pink with white polka dot round floaty through his arm to rest on his shoulder, and for some reason a pink umbrella handing off his left wrist.
The worst part was his outfit. He had on a bright orange button up Hawaiian shirt opened over a white v-neck tank top with dark blue Hawaiian style surfer shorts. He wore simple black sunglasses over his eyes and black flip flops on his feet. He wore his long hair in a low ponytail and a big ass smile on his face.
All in all. He looked ready for a week on the beach.
"Freeze!" Willow hissed before he could take another step or open his mouth to tell them he was ready. "What is all that luggage for? We will only be gone for a day not for a week or whatever. Not only that, why in the hell do you have stuff for the beach? The only thing missing is a cooler full of food, a lawn-chair, and toy buckets and shovel for sandcastles and what not."
When he glance back into the house, Willow knew that the other stuff is waiting to be carried out.
"No, just no. We are going to a spa. Not the beach. Put the food back in the refrigerator and pick one suitcase. I don't care if you bring the floaty, but nothing else. You have way too much stuff." She ignored the puppy dog eyes directed at her. "And hurry it up. If we don't leave in the next 30 minutes, we going to lose our hotel reservation for being late."
When he finally went back in, leaving only one suitcase out, Willow rounded on the silently laughing Pureblood.
"It's not funny." She grumped.
"I am sorry, but it is. Did you see his outfit?" He snickered again.
He was glad that nobody was around to see him loose his composure other than Willow but the sight he just saw was the funniest thing he ever seen. He couldn't be held accountable if he lost a little bit of his composure. There was just something about the Headmaster that always had him lowering his guard down to where it would be easy to see what he was really feeling.
"Yes, I saw." Willow sniffed, turning her head away so that the other wouldn't see her twitching lips from her holding back her own laughter. "I'm just glad he didn't have a stupid straw hat to go along with the assemble." She then muttered under her breath making Kaname snort in agreement.
Kaname was going to call her out since he saw her lips twitching before she hid them - while also hoping to banter with her more - when Kaien came back out sulkily.
"Good. Grab your bag and lets go." Willow commanded firmly, relieved that he didn't take more time to finish putting stuff back up. She turned to the amused - and slightly disappointed - vampire next to her. "Yuki is still asleep last I check. I am sure you can wait for her in the living room until she wakes. Don't worry about Zero or Sano-chan. They're going to spend this time with Toga-sensei today, so it's just going to be the two of you if you decided to just stay here." She informed him before moving to the passenger side of the car before getting in, not waiting for a response.
She didn't care if they stayed or not. She just wants to get going already. It seem like months went by since she came up with the idea to have a spa day with her father. Next time, she will just get a simple present for him so that she didn't have to go through all this stress again.
When they finally made it and started to fully experience everything they had to offer, she couldn't help but revise her thought process of never doing this again. She had never felt as relaxed as she did when she was getting a full body message from the woman with the magic hands. That woman found all of her stress point and at the end she was nothing than a puddle of goo.
The best part of the whole thing was that she and her father was able to start mending the rift between them. She knows they still had a long way to go, but this was a good start as any. She wouldn't give up this experience for the world.
What she didn't know was that their world was going to get a lot darker starting a few day after they come back when a new transfer student comes to school with her bodyguard not that far behind her.
A bodyguard that they thought was long since dead.
Until then, everybody was in ignorant bliss.
