Anju's mind spun as she steadied herself on the staircase rails. She still couldn't believe it, but the sight before her was all the proof she would need.
Ichigo was a vampire, and he had just bitten her and sucked her blood.
"I-Ichigo..." She stuttered, unable to find the words. "H-how?"
"Anju..." He groaned, keeping his distance. "I... I'm sorry..."
She could now hear her heartbeat thundering in her ears as more blood spilled from the wound he had given her. How long had he been one? Was this the reason for his behavior towards her?
"Anju..." Came a voice. She turned to see Akira now approaching the scene. His eyes darted to the blood flowing down her neck and then to Ichigo.
"So..." He said, his eyes hard. "You have succumbed to your instincts at long last." He approached with a menacing aura. "And of all people to target, it just had to be Anju, right?"
Anju stared at him with shock, reminiscing the night so long ago and the words she had heard Akira say as he slaughtered the one who was about to kill her.
You befoul the name of a vampire, mongrel...
Ichigo! Her thoughts ran wild. He's going to kill him!
"Wait! Akira, please don't!" Anju said, standing in between him and Ichigo, arms spread wide in an attempt to wall Akira off. "It-it wasn't Ichigo's..." Suddenly, she felt dizzy. Her legs felt like lead as she slowly sank to the floor, her arms the only things keeping her off the ground.
"Anju!" Akira gasped as he ran forward and grabbed her. As if she knew he would protect her, she finally gave way, her entire frame landing in Akira's arms.
"Please..." She muttered as weariness overcame her. "Don't kill him..."
"She was drained to the point where she is unable to even stand..." Akira said to Ichigo as he lifted her into his arms. "You must have fed off of her ravenously..."
Ichigo stared as suddenly, the tight agitation in his body died off. He now realized that was what he had been craving for. "Anju, her blood was that satisfying?"
"You must have had a desire for her." Akira frowned. "One so powerful it even made your body realize that without her blood, it would be impossible for you to go on..." Ichigo didn't reply. He was still overcome with shock.
"Akira." The two of them turned to see Chairman Cross behind. "Now that there's the scent of blood in the air, the Night class is starting to get a little restless. Even the Day class can tell something has gone amiss. Emi, Linhua and the rest of your friends are doing the best they can, but they are also starting to feel some of the effects. I think it'd be best if you returned and control the situation. I'll handle Anju, Mr. du Coteau will handle Ichigo."
At this, the old vampire emerged from behind, followed by closely by Misaki, Frederick, Laura and Hibiki, who all stared in shock at the situation before them.
"Ichigo..." Hibiki gasped, her hands flying to her face. Laura and Frederick merely remained silent, unsure of what to say.
"Ms. Kotetsu, please step aside." Mr. du Coteau cautioned as he approached Ichigo. "Now Mr. Kitsuke, I think it'd be best to come with me for now..."
Ichigo nodded, surrendering to the old vampire as Akira left, but not before turning to the Day class students to speak. "I will not blame you for fearing us." He said. "But please understand, Ichigo is a victim. I'm sure you know very well as to what I mean Ms. Shiba." At this, everyone present turned to Misaki, the only one who had kept a serious expression on her face.
"I'll explain another day." Misaki said. "First, we need to treat Anju."
Since the Valentine party, things had become quite silent in the academy. For the past two days, the Night class had been confined to their Moon dorm upon Chairman Cross's orders. Anju believed that although it was the right decision, it must have also been the hardest. Her foster father truly trusted the vampires and wished for them to have good lives with the human students.
In turn, the Day class had been told of what had happened that Night. Shock and fear were the common emotions that ran high in the previous days. Once more, it was Chairman Cross who had been so forthcoming about the fact that a Day class student had become a vampire, though he ended with a statement telling them to continue to trust the Night class and to remain faithful to their opinions of the vampires.
Despite all this, the Day class students were still uneasy. It is rather hard to forget that someone they were so used to had changed and now endangered the students.
She touched the plaster on her neck. According to Misaki, she had been bitten viciously as the wound was still quite deep. Every now and then, she would feel the slight prick of pain and remember the other sounds and sensations that came with it.
Ichigo sucking at her blood, his tongue lapping up the spilled drops on her neck. She couldn't help but feel a slight pang of fear for vampires.
As the class was dismissed, her thoughts turned to Ichigo. What had happened to him? Where was he now? Was he expelled? Or did something even worse than that happen?
"Hah…" Anju sighed. "What a day…"
"Tell me about it." Frederick nodded as he ate his squid-ink pasta. "Just earlier today, a bunch of students were gossiping about the Night class in a rather unbecoming way. It was quite the challenge to make them stop."
"Well, at least many of the students are still comfortable with them." Leonardo said.
At this, all eyes turned to Misaki, who now thought hard about what she is meant to do.
"Ms. Shiba." Leonardo spoke. "I understand that you are a vampire hunter. You know the vampires better than anyone. You are the only person-"
"No. I'm not." She said, cutting him off.
Anju blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Besides me, there is one more student who knows them just as well." Misaki said. "That person is none other than Ichigo. The Kitsuke family was also a family of vampire hunters." Anju's mouth fell open, shocked by this latest revelation as was everyone.
"Six years ago, they were attacked by vampires. Only Ichigo survived. I know because my mother was one of the hunters sent to investigate. Anju, you said Ichigo came to you six years ago right? He was also subsequently raised by Chairman Cross as his foster son."
"Right." Anju nodded. "That day, Chairman Cross brought him in. He was, well, he was a mess." Everyone at the table tensed, wondering how bad the 'mess' as Anju put it was.
"Now, now everyone." Misaki said, getting back the attention of everyone in the room. "Let's not get too carried away with our imaginations. There are much more burning issues to answer." Everyone now faced Misaki again. Confident that she had everyone's undivided attention, she resumed the small impromptu lecture. "The thing is, the vampire who bit Ichigo was no ordinary vampire."
"What?" Isabelle gasped. "What do you mean no ordinary vampire?"
Misaki now took up a pen and a piece of paper, drawing a triangle on the white slip, segmenting it into three different sections.
"Now, here are how vampires are classified." She continued, writing some letters in the four segments. She pointed to the largest segment that covered the middle toward the base. "There are the Normal vampires. Regular ones with not much special abilities besides great physical strength and speed. They're just like run-off-the-mill vampire folk." Then she pointed to the segment above, a smaller section that barely included the tip.
"These are the Nobles." She began. "They are very powerful vampire families who have dominated most industries and have great influence in the vampire councils. Additionally, Nobles are known to possess powerful abilities. Emi is one such Noble vampire. In fact, I assume most of the popular ones among them are of vampire nobility."
"What about the ones at the top?" Frederick asked. "Aren't the Noble vampires the greatest among their race?"
Misaki stared at him. "This is the secret Chairman Cross kept from everyone. Beyond Nobles is another class of vampire. And these are in a class entirely their own."
"The most rare and powerful of their race." She said, drawing all attention to the tip of her triangle. "The Purebloods."
"How is it going?" Akira asked.
"Mmmmph..." Gabriella groaned in response. She was currently lying on the sofa in the Moon dorm. "They are calming down somewhat. Ms. Shiba is currently in the cafeteria educating the rest of her friends on us it seems..."
"I'm sorry Akira..." Ganju said. "But Gabriella can't use too much focus on this during the day. Otherwise..."
"No. I understand." Akira nodded. "I'm the one who should be sorry. My selfishness is putting all of you under a great deal of stress."
"Actually, we are kind of being selfish ourselves." Henry said. "We also want to know of what the Day class thinks of us. We could actually say we are afraid of them. That sounds very pathetic doesn't it?"
"No it doesn't." Akira nodded. "I feel the same way. I'll take my leave for now."
Akira left the main lounge of the Moon dorm, stepping to an old grandfather clock in the corner. He pulled, not the door of the clock, but on the clock itself to open a secret stairway. In truth, not many of the other Night class students knew of this place. Akira descended the stony steps into a small corridor that was lit by the soft glow of candles. Approaching the door at the far end, he opened it to behold a huge room where many vampires sparred with each other with medieval weapons.
Emi herself practiced in the corner with her rapier, unleashing lightning fast strikes at an invisible opponent. As Akira walked to her, he felt the other vampires acknowledge his presence, bowing as he went past.
"Come to see him?" Emi asked, still in practice. "He's quieted down a bit somewhat, but I still don't think he's in the proper mood to talk to you. Mr. du Coteau has already tried to treat him with those tablets, but he's not receptive either."
"I don't think he would be." Akira replied. "His stubbornness runs in his blood. Still, I suppose I can wing it."
"You?" Emi grinned. "Wing it? Never thought I'd hear you say that."
Akira merely chuckled as he stepped to another door behind. This one was made of steel and strongly reinforced. Opening it, Akira made his way through another dimly lit corridor before arriving at a small cell.
"How are you Ichigo?" He asked the figure within, who merely looked up...
...and glared.
"Purebloods?" Frederick blinked in confusion. "Aren't the Nobles the most powerful?"
"No." Misaki continued. "Nobles hold the influence true, but Purebloods are much more influential, despite avoiding their involvement in vampire politics. They possess a far higher level of powers than any other vampire that exists. One of these is to effectively make any vampire lower than them in class submit to their will."
"Submit?" Hibiki frowned.
"Effectively, they can force Noble vampires and below to obey them, without question." Misaki elaborated. "Say if a Pureblood did that and ordered them to commit suicide. As much as they want to, they can't disobey." Everyone stared with a stunned silence.
"Wait, that means, they can effectively take control of vampires?" Isabelle said. "That is crazy shit..."
"Well, that is one of the bigger reasons Purebloods are feared. But that is for vampires. For humans, it's a completely different matter." Misaki said, which added a new level of confusion. She waved off their questions, focusing on her explanations. "Purebloods are the prime targets of vampire hunters everywhere. Not because killing one was a big deal or because they were dangerous. It was because no kind of vampire is hated greater than Purebloods. In fact, the hatred for Purebloods among hunters borders close to insane fervor."
"Why?" Yura asked. "Why would they hate Purebloods so much?"
"Because Purebloods caused hunters in the past to experience a pain unlike any other." Misaki explained. "When a human is bitten by a Pureblood..."
"They themselves become vampires..." She finished. Shocked gasps ran throughout the table. Anju felt everything go silent in her head. Such a thing was possible?
"So," Isabelle frowned. "Ichigo was..."
"Bitten by a Pureblood. Yes." Misaki nodded. "Honestly, it's quite an amazing thing. Usually, the bite is so toxic to humans that most of them die within seconds. And those that don't have to endure an excruciating transformation into what we call Ex-human vampires. Vampires classified lower than Normal vampires." At this, she drew another smaller segment at the bottom of the triangle she now had.
"The transformation is something even vampires cannot fathom." Misaki continued. "To think he held it off for six years. It is quite incredible really."
"So..." Laura shook slightly. "This hate..."
"Imagine seeing your friends turned and then forced to kill them." Misaki said. "Long have these things been the cause for many atrocities. And some still continue on today..."
"So that's it..." Anju said. "That's why he dislikes them." She knew it was stronger than just 'dislike', but couldn't bear to say the word. "He knew this was going to happen, and yet, I..." Anju squinted her eyes shut as small droplets of tears fell from the corners.
"It's okay Ann." Hibiki came over and hugged her. "No one could've known..."
"Damn. I actually kinda feel sorry for that punk now..." Isabelle said. "I've never known why he felt that way."
"Guess that explains why Ichigo isn't fond of them at all." Leonardo said.
"Yes. But there is something else that concerns him." Misaki said. "Think, only Purebloods can turn humans. So why does he show brimming hostility to the Night class if all they can do is kill us? Also, why is it that the wilder students of the Night class have been able to stay their hands and follow the school rules?"
Everyone frowned at Misaki's new question. Anju thought as she tried to keep back her tears. Vampires that could turn humans and take control of vampires. Never before had she heard of this. She could probably understand why the Chairman meant it to be a secret, the uncomfortable atmosphere attested to that. But still, why would the vampires? They had nothing to gain by doing so.
Suddenly, it was obvious. She tilted her head to Misaki. "Misaki, among the Night class, is there a Pureblood vampire?" At this, everyone turned their shocked expressions to her.
Misaki stared at the table. "Yes. Among the Night class, one of them is a Pureblood. Care to guess?"
Anju could only think of one name. "Akira..."
"Correct." Misaki nodded. "The Kuran vampires have been the most well known Purebloods since ancient times. As of now, Akira's mother is the High Queen and matriarch of all vampires in the world and the current supporter of this academy. It is only thanks to Akira that the vampires have behaved to this extent, though he has been very secretive of his nature. Why he kept it a secret, I'm not very sure."
Murmurs went through the small crowd at the latest revelation. Anju wondered why Akira wouldn't bother telling her about this. She had known him for a long time, longer than any of the students here. He, a Pureblood, and vampire royalty of all things!
"Hey, how long has that bat been here?" Laura said, pointing to the window. Everyone's eyes followed her finger to the bat that hung from a tree branch just outside. The minute it was discovered, it flew off, screeching all the way.
"Gabriella..." Misaki frowned. "Figures you'd be interested in what's going on..."
"The hell are you doing here Kuran?" Ichigo gasped. "The current state I'm in is better without you around..."
Akira just brought a chair over and sat down in it. "Really Ichigo, I'm just here to talk. Can't we discuss things like civilized men?"
"I have nothing to discuss with you..." Ichigo replied vehemently.
"Not even with regards to the cure?" Akira frowned. At this, Ichigo's head snapped up.
"Cure? What do you mean?" Ichigo demanded.
"Decades ago, Emi's grandfather managed to perfect a serum that allows us to turn vampires into humans without the loss of a Pureblood's life." Akira explained. "It was a technique first crafted by my ancestors and has been used a multitude of times on victims of indiscriminate Pureblood attacks. All have done well since, and we can do the same for you."
"How is this even possible?" Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then again, as much as he'd hate to admit it, Akira wasn't the kind to lie about serious things.
"Whether you believe it possible or not is not my issue..." Akira said. "However, there is something I need to tell you regarding the serum."
"There are cases where it actually fails. The body of the recipient refuses to accept it and stays the same." He said, standing up. "Usually then, we must acquire a sample of the Pureblood who attacked them. After all, once a servant receives his master's blood, it becomes quite easy for him to accept his standing, doesn't it?"
"I'm no one's servant!" Ichigo snarled. "Especially not to a vampire. And there is no way I'm even drinking an ounce of your kind's blood!"
Akira turned to walk away. "Perhaps you will not. Your will is strong Ichigo, but even you cannot deny the truth. We tried to administer it before, but as you can see, you fell within the slim category of immunities. Until we can capture the Pureblood who attacked you, we doubt we can return you to what you once were."
"Now if you'll excuse me, I must tend to other matters. But before I go, I have a simple thing to ask of you..."
The message tone sounded over the P.A. system. Anju and her classmates looked up as an announcement from Chairman Cross blared across the school.
Attention all students, please proceed to the courtyard when your classes are finished.
"What does the Chairman want us in the courtyard for?" Hibiki said as she drank her juice.
"Dunno..." Misaki said. "But if he wants all Day class students to go, it must be really important..."
As soon as the day ended, the Day class did as they were told, moving orderly to the courtyard. Upon arriving, the students truly wondered if they were in a courtyard.
A huge table covered in white cloth stood at the side of the courtyard, upon which were draped seven beautiful looking white cloaks decorated with red and gold trimmings. Mr. du Coteau and Chairman Cross both stood by the table watching the students file in.
"Sir, what's going on?" Anju asked as he came over.
"Not now Anju." Chairman Cross said. "Wait till after the ceremony okay?"
"Ceremony?" Anju frowned. What sort of ceremony was this?
"Anju, come here." Misaki said, pulling her back. "I must admit, I didn't expect this from them. Hehe..."
"What?" Anju looked at her quizzically as she was led back to the crowd. "Misaki, what's going on?"
"Wanna see something cool?" Misaki grinned. "This is something about the vampires we can truly trust."
Gasps sounded through the crowd. Anju turned to see Akira walking toward the courtyard. Following him were the other prefects from the Night class. Anju looked around at the rest of the Day class. Although they were overjoyed to see them once more, a slight twinge of uneasiness was present in their eyes.
"Lord Akira, we are ready." Mr. du Coteau said, bowing at the same time. That the old vampire would bow before him, Anju now saw how much of an influence Akira had.
Everyone watched as the seven vampires, Akira, Emi, Henry, Ganju, Gabriella, Shinji and Linhua went and lined themselves up before Chairman Cross and Mr. du Coteau. At this, Chairman Cross took up a small mike.
"Students of Cross academy." He said. "I'm sure you have all heard by now the secrets kept from you from the mouths of your own class representatives. Now, the Night class as well wishes to speak. Akira, if you will."
Akira received the mike from him, studying the crowd that had gathered. "As you know, I have withheld secrets from you. And unfortunately, it has led us to this state. Thus, it was decided by us all..." He said, turning to face his fellow vampires. "That we renew our code here."
"Code?" Anju frowned, looking at Misaki.
"It's quite awesome." Misaki beamed. "We get to see them recite the Knight's Code."
Anju looked as Mr. du Coteau took the cloaks and put them on each of the vampires. She stared in wonderment at how regal each of them looked. "Are they..."
"Yup. Like I said in my stories." Misaki nodded. "Vampire Knights. Vampires sworn to uphold the laws of the vampire monarchy and to ensure peace between their kind and ours."
At last all of them were cloaked. At once, they knelt on the ground, placing their hands over their chests. Mr. du Coteau now took his place before them. "You who bear the honor of the knights of our proud race. You have done this out of your own will and have embraced a difficult path. I ask know, do you wish to renew your decision?"
"Yes." The seven of them said simultaneously.
The old vampire nodded. "Very well. Then recite the code of the Vampire Knights."
"I am a Knight. Forever shall I be loyal to the monarchy and its laws." They recited, their voices one. "I shall protect the harmony of the day and night. I bear the honor, integrity and hope of all peoples. I will remain true, fearless and strong in my conviction and beliefs. I will stand as the vanguard of all things. I am the shield of protection, the sword of justice and the symbol of peace. This, I swear upon my blood and my life."
When they had finished, they stood up and left. Akira however went up to Anju. She watched as he knelt down before her. "Anju, I hope you are fine."
"Uh..." She started, but didn't know what to say. "I-I'm okay..."
At this, Akira turned to look at the bandage on her neck. He bowed his head, contemplating his choice of words. "Anju, are you afraid of me now?"
Anju stared. Akira was a Pureblood, it was true. He was a vampire far greater than any other and had more than enough power to do as he desired. But after everything she had seen from him today, there was only one answer for her.
"No. I'm not. Because now I know that when you saved me years ago, it's because you didn't want me to get hurt. And it's also because you wanted to."
Akira looked up to see Anju giving a reassuring smile. At this, he chuckled. "Is that so? I'm glad, truly."
Anju blinked, startled by his comment. "Glad? Huh? What do you mean?"
Akira stood up to his full height, reaching down and patting her on the head. "It's because, well, I can't imagine life without having human friends. And neither can the rest."
"Senior Akira..." Anju looked up as he walked away. It was so strange that the vampires themselves feared them even more. The thought felt so ridiculous that Anju had to suppress a chuckle.
"But now, it seems there is no need for that anymore. Thank you Anju." Akira smiled as he turned to walk away. "Thanks to you, I'm sure things can go back to normal." As he said so, he leaned in and gave her a hug.
Anju blushed slightly as the vampires turned and left. Suddenly, she felt an ominous force from behind her. Turning around, she saw dozens of Day class girls glaring at her, a dark aura emanating from every single one.
"Um... Huh?" Anju stammered, unclear of what was going on.
"Sorry Ann..." Hibiki said, smiling. "I think you're on your own this time round."
"Ehehe..." Misaki shrugged before Hibiki pulled her out of the cross fire. Just in time too as the second she did so, the girls descended on Anju like a pack of wolves.
Cross! Explain yourself! Why you? I want Senior Akira to speak to me too! What's your secret? Tell us? How do we get to be more familiar with him?
In the background, the rest of the Day class were getting animated on the regal appearance of the vampire prefects. Eventually, they all started to once more get hyped about whether the Night class would soon be returning. Chairman Cross smiled as he watched the students get over their previous fears. Perhaps it wouldn't be easy to completely erase fear, but at least they'd remember something more important. Now, there was only one loose end left.
He turned as the rest of the Night class came to take over the school. He eyed someone at the rear of the whole line, still clad in his Day class uniform. Walking over, he grabbed him by the arm and led him back to the Day class. Everyone now froze as Ichigo entered their midst.
"Everyone," Chairman Cross began. "It has been decided that Mr. Kitsuke here will still attend class with the Day class. However, he will do so under supervision by his classmate Misaki Shiba. She will ensure your safety from now on till a more permanent solution is found. That is all."
At this, everyone turned to Misaki, who walked up to Ichigo and jabbed him in the side of his throat with a small ring. At once, a small flash occurred, leaving a small cross shaped mark on his neck.
"That there is a seal." She explained to him. "So in case you start getting all agitated, we can just knock you out, like this!" Again, she pressed the ring to his neck. A small flash sounded and suddenly, Ichigo fell to the floor, his head smashing against the stony tiles.
"THE HELL?" He snarled. Although the seal appeared to restrict his movements, his mouth still worked fine.
"Just a demonstration." Misaki smiled. "So that everyone knows it works."
Ichigo merely growled as she released the seal, letting him stand up on his own two feet. By now, the rest of the Day class had decided to leave, fully confident in Misaki and the Chairman's safeguards. Ichigo turned to see Anju doing her best in running away from the Day class girls, whose eyes were filled with what he could only describe as the fires of jealousy. As he did so, his mind raced back to his conversation with Akira.
"But before I go, I have a simple thing to ask of you..."
Ichigo looked up, not really sure if he had a choice to not listen.
"Protect the Day class with all your might. Protect their smiles, and protect Anju as well. Surely you can do that right?"
"What makes you think I can?"
"Because, unlike some of us, you will never betray them, am I right?"
"Bastard..." Ichigo muttered under his breath as he remembered the obvious truth.