Chapter 11: Valentine's Day
It was that time of year in which the Day Class girls worked themselves into a frenzy – Valentine's Day.
As early as a week ago, most girls had been spending their free time in the home economics classrooms, making use of the utensils and appliances to create handmade chocolates for their crushes in the Night Class. The past few days, the aroma of cocoa butter had permeated the second floor of the school building.
The girls with less confidence in their cooking settled for visiting the chocolatier in the nearby town and buying chocolates sold in heart-shaped boxes adorned with pretty ribbons. Some of them also went to the stationary shop for note cards and envelopes, planning to pour their hearts out in written confessions.
The day they had eagerly awaited finally arrived, and the fangirls started lining up as early as the afternoon, behind the barricades the prefects and groundskeepers had set.
The entire pathway leading from the Moon Dorm gates to the main lecture building was barricaded. Starting from the dorm gates, every few feet of barricading was interspersed with banners displaying names of Night Class students. Fans of that student would line up in that area and wait their turn to hand their gifts over to said individual. It was one of their rare chances to be so close to their crushes – some even got to shake hands with their target of affection.
While the day's hysteria was dominated by Day Class females, some of their male counterparts also eagerly anticipated their chance to meet their female idols. This was exemplified by Kasumi Kageyama, their studious and bespectacled class president who had a most conspicuous crush on the beautiful Ruka of the ash-blonde curls. Although the vampire had always spurned his affections, he was still loyally devoted to her. Yoko and the twins could not help but be impressed by his unwavering adoration for Ruka.
It was not only the Night Class students that had admirers, the prefects themselves were rather popular.
Even the Day Class females had noticed how handsome the twins were, with their uncommon silver hair and violet eyes. Some girls gushed over Zero's reliable stoicism while others preferred Ichiru's smooth-talking ways and boyish charm. They received their fair amount of chocolate, with Ichiru laughing and accepting gracefully while Zero nodded and muttered his thanks stiffly. Yoko also received a few flowers from admirers, who she thanked in her usual cordial but detached manner.
The sun was now setting, and the prefects were stationed along the barricaded corridor, ensuring that none of the crazy fangirls went too far. The atmosphere was like that of a football game, complete with frenzied and screaming fans. As the dorm gates finally opened and the Night Class walked out, the screaming got even louder.
Most of the Night Class boys went to their reserved sections and collected their gifts, some (notably Aido) going so far as to flirt with the swooning fangirls. High pitched squeals emanated from his fans as he did his infamous finger gun gesture, pretending to shoot a heart at his victim and winking suggestively after pulling the trigger.
The prefects did a decent job policing the fangirls. Ichiru knew how to charm his way into getting them to stay orderly and civilized, while Zero's silent stares made the girls back down. Yoko carried a calm and authoritative air, as if she were a walking courthouse and her polite but firm directions were heeded.
Of the three school guardians, Yoko was the one the fangirls feared most, despite her gentle demeanor. Those that broke school rules had all faced Yoko, who would hold up a copy of the student handbook, turned to the very page containing the rule they had broken, and explain how they had violated school rules, thereby risking expulsion. When Yoko confronted a student about their bad behavior, she was like a prosecutor bent on bringing the gavel of justice down.
Every student who had faced her failed to excuse themselves or argue their way out because Yoko would simply smile before barraging them with a highly logical and flawless defense of her assessment, which none of them could respond to, because they knew they were completely and utterly defeated. Those who failed to take her warnings seriously and continued to break rules were expelled, no exceptions given. The fangirls learned not to mess with Yoko especially after one particular incident.
Naomi Harada had been an infamous troublemaker who acted as though rules did not apply to her. She would talk disrespectfully to teachers, bully the poorer students, and was generally a nuisance. She frequently bragged about her father being an important politician and her family wealth. The other students disliked her but feared her, so they did not confront her. The headmaster tried talking to her, but she had responded negatively, and bought up the fact that her mother had donated money for the construction of the school's fitness center, thus they should be grateful to her.
Thankfully for everyone, the girl slipped up one night when Yoko caught her trying to sneak into the Moon Dorm. Naomi had wanted to set up a hidden camera in Kaname's bedroom, apparently having no regard for the privacy of others. When Yoko escorted her to the headmaster's office and informed her that she would be expelled for her final violation of school rules, Naomi had thrown a fit and raged about how her father would shut the school down. In her anger she had struck Yoko across the face, to the consternation of the headmaster and the twins who were present. She would have hit again but Yoko had grabbed her wrist and coolly told her she would let her have that slap but not another.
The very next day Naomi's parents arrived, and their angry voices were heard through the headmaster's shut office doors. Before they departed with their disgraced daughter, the father memorably yelled loud enough for all students present to hear, that the academy had just signed its death warrant. That evening as the Night Class passed by on their way to lecture, Ichiru was coincidentally telling some classmates how crazy Harada had behaved the night before and how she had even slapped Yoko.
A few weeks later, the news reported that a certain Minister Harada in the Prime Minister's Cabinet had been arrested and removed on multiple charges of bribery and extortion. Not long after, there was news that the grocery retail company Harada Supermarkets had gone bankrupt. Although Zero had no proof, he was sure Kuran had something to do with this change of fortunes for the Harada family. At the very least, Zero knew his twin well enough to know it wasn't simply coincidence Ichiru had said what he had when Kuran passed by. Zero did not rebuke Ichiru though. And for once, he did not disagree with Kuran.
As the Night Class made their way to the main building, Kaname eventually came to where Yoko was stationed. He smiled at her as he passed by, and she nodded back in acknowledgement, before quickly returning her attention to her duties.
How like her to stay focused on the job, he thought.
In fact, she seemed so focused on her job and school that he questioned if she ever spared a second to think about boys and romance.
He knew she had admirers, given her looks, but they had all been too bashful to confess to her directly. It seemed that while Yoko's appearance was attractive, her personality was so reserved that most guys instinctively sensed she was someone to admire from afar, but not someone to actually pursue. The most they ever did was hand her flowers, stutter awkward words thanking her for her work as school prefect, and flee, ashamed of themselves for failing to confess.
Kaname was glad that no boy had successfully confessed to her, it saved him the trouble of having to scare them off. He would only accept someone cream of the crop for her, and so far, all the boys he had seen fell far from his standards.
On Yoko's part, she had never displayed any interest in romance. Kaname had always thought it funny how unlike Haruka and Juri she was. While those two were over the top with their cuddling and flirting, Yoko was their exact opposite. This difference can be seen in their reactions to Valentine's Day.
It had been Haruka and Juri's custom to spend the day pretending to be humans. They would go out in the daytime to watch a movie, shop, dance, or visit a park, and finish the day with dinner at some fancy restaurant. This seemed to be a relic from the time Juri had attended a human high school and Haruka had chased after her. Ever since Kaname had been adopted as their son, he had been (reluctantly on his part) bought along on their dates. He would sit frowning, trying to ignore their pink glittery world and praying for the day to quickly end.
In contrast, Yoko's views on Valentine's Day were tolerant but disinterested. Kaname had once asked her what she thought about it and her response had been a dispassionate "it is good for the economy."
Furthermore, she had never bothered giving him or anyone else chocolate. The previous year, when classes ended and he had a brief moment alone with her as she finished her prefect duties, he had teased her about not receiving chocolate from her. She had looked up from marking the roster of students and regarded him with a mild surprise.
"I wasn't aware you wanted chocolate Kaname senpai, since you always have Seiren-san collect them for you instead, but if you desire it, I'll buy some for you next time."
"You won't make them yourself?" he had asked, amused she was unintentionally treating him like he was a child wanting sweets.
"It would be better for me to purchase them, Ichiru has informed me on several occasions that my attempts at cooking are almost lethal."
He had laughed, and mentally scolded the younger hunter twin for his rude honesty.
She had then looked down unsure and apologized to his bewilderment.
"What are you saying sorry for, Yoko?"
"Sometimes I feel Kaname-senpai wants me to be a certain way, but I can't force myself to be what I'm not. I know Kaname-senpai and father want me to be cuter and more outgoing, like the girls that make chocolate for their crushes, instead of being the way I am."
He had been at a loss for words initially, for she had not been wrong. He sometimes wished she was more open, at least with him, and more expressive with her feelings like her late mother had been. Somewhere along the way, she had started keeping parts of herself hidden. She was no longer the child that embraced him without reserve, with her joy at seeing him clear in her eyes. He supposed it was inevitable that as children grew up, they become slightly unfamiliar.
"Yoko, there's no need to apologize," he had finally said softly. "I like you the way you are, even with your concerning bookworm tendencies and dangerous cooking skills."
She had smiled slightly at his reply.
And you are cute, the way you try to be more mature than your age, he had thought before patting her unruly hair and retreating to the Moon Dorm.
The evening after Valentines's Day, Zero wrung a wet towel, the icy water dripping into the basin. He folded the towel and placed it on the burning forehead of his twin, who was currently lying in bed.
Ichiru's skin was flushed, and his blue cotton pajamas were soaked with sweat. Although Ichiru had suffered from poor health all his life, with serious bouts of sickness interspersed with periods of normalcy, in the past months his fevers have become more frequent, occurring every other month.
After wiping the sweat off his brother's face and neck with another cloth, Zero carried the basin to the bathroom and emptied it, then replaced it on the washstand. Glancing at the clock, Zero realized it was time to go and prevent the rabid Day Class girls from harassing the Night Class. He quickly slipped his holster over his vest and put on the uniform jacket. At the doorway, he turned to take one last look at Ichiru before closing the door. He would return to care for him as soon as he was done with his rounds.
Zero and Ichiru had started attending Cross Academy two years ago.
Even before that, when they were younger, their parents had frequently left them in the care of Cross for months while they attended to their hunter duties. Despite missing them, their parents knew it was safer for them to stay with Cross, and that it was better for the boys not to move around all the time. Thus, the twins had been Yoko's classmates at the local middle school, although Zero had often skipped weeks of school to attend training with Yagari-sensei.
Ever since his parents and Yagari-sensei had determined Ichiru to be unfit for being a hunter, his parents had opted to let Ichiru live a normal life instead. Zero had refused to part from his twin and had begged them to let him stay with Ichiru. After much discussion they had relented, and allowed Zero to join the academy with Ichiru, on the condition that he keep up his training and take on the responsibility of hunting level E's in the academy's region. The headmaster also had a condition, that he and Ichiru (when healthy) assist Yoko with her prefect duties.
Although Zero sometimes missed his parents, he had long grown accustomed to being apart from them, due to their frequent and long absences. They would manage fine without him; his mother and father had hunted together for a long time and watched each other's backs. The one he could not be apart from was Ichiru, since his younger twin was often sick. Ichiru needed him, and he had sworn to always be there for him.
Despite how annoying it was to face off with the fangirls every day, it was a small price to pay for staying by Ichiru's side. And if Zero were to be honest, he enjoyed school life.
He liked attending class with people his age and learning about math, science, and the humanities. He also liked the recreational classes, especially horseback riding. One of the horses, a foul-tempered mare that went by the deceptively gentle name of White Lily held a special place in his heart. For some reason, the horse refused to let all others but him ride her. It was always amusing seeing unfortunate students cower in fear before the tempestuous horse.
And although the prefect duties were demanding, he enjoyed spending time with Ichiru and Yoko. After the Night Class students safely arrive at their classrooms without being mobbed by passionate fans, Yoko, Ichiru, and he would joke about which of their fellow Day Class students won the title of "Most Avid Fan" for the day.
Besides the classes and guardian responsibilities, he appreciated living with Cross and Yoko. Although the headmaster was an eccentric who concocted equally eccentric dishes such as pork spareribs sautéed with soda, and instant noodles garnished with avocado and beans, Zero knew the man tried his best. Cross was only surpassed in his disastrous cooking by Yoko, who cannot be trusted to even boil an egg without undesirably changing its taste. Despite the culinary threats he and Ichiru were exposed to living with that father and daughter duo, life with them was stable and relaxed. He did not have to move constantly across the country, chasing after the next hunter assignment. At times he could almost forget he was a hunter and pretend he and Ichiru were just normal civilians, attending a boarding school filled with privileged rich kids.
As the Day Class girls screamed their lungs out at the parade of Night Class students walking past on their way to lecture, Zero sighed and furrowed his brows, still worried about Ichiru. He wished the Night Class would walk faster so he could be done and return to Ichiru's side.
Yoko who was standing a few feet away noticed his troubled expression. She inched closer, still keeping an eye on the enthusiastic fangirls, and got his attention with a gentle tap on his shoulder.
"How is Ichiru? Did his fever go down?"
Zero shook his head and she frowned at the news.
At that moment, Kaname Kuran passed by, and Zero wondered if it was just his imagination, but Kuran seemed to have looked at him with a calculating expression for a split second. Then again, it would be no surprise the pureblood was scheming something. Even Zero knew how rife with conflicts and backstabbing the vampire world was. That look was probably not directed at him, but a mere reflection of Kuran's inner thoughts.
Zero shrugged it off and his thoughts returned to his ailing twin.
Later that night Zero and Yoko patrolled the grounds for mischievous Day Class girls that wanted to sneak into the Moon Dorm. Unfortunately, those were weekly occurrences. The offending students snuck out from their rooms after curfew, made their way past the headmaster's residence, skirted the nearby lake, crept through wooded areas, swam across the small river separating the human and vampire dorms, and slithered through more wooded stretches before arriving at their destination. Zero wished those girls saved their determination and energy for testing into the country's army instead of testing his patience as a guardian.
Thankfully, the number of students attempting this journey had been cut down ever since the incident with Naomi and Yoko persuading the headmaster to add a stipulation in the student handbook. Students caught sneaking into the Moon Dorm were now automatically expelled upon their second strike, no appeals allowed. Yoko could be ruthless when upholding the rules and was much less lenient than the headmaster.
As Zero finished inspecting the woods east of the Moon Dorm and rounded the corner, he was met with the sight of Kaname Kuran leaning against a wall, arms crossed and smiling genteelly. Zero halted his tracks, stopping a few meters from the pureblood.
He looked suspiciously at the pureblood before him. Although logically he knew the brunet would not attack him, he bought his hand to his gun. It was better to be safe than sorry…
"Kuran, what do you want? You must have better things to do than stand in this isolated area for no reason."
"Kiryu-san, no need to look so anxious," Kaname protested and continued smiling with practiced politeness, but his voice was not mirthful. "I simply want to have a little chat with you."
"I don't think there's anything for us to discuss. Although you're close to Yoko, I'm a hunter and you're a vampire – we're enemies."
Zero did not exactly hate the pureblood since he had not done anything to him personally. However, he was born and raised in a hunter family, and had heard tragic stories of hunters being turned against their will by malicious purebloods. Another hunter who had trained under Yagari-sensei with him, had had to kill his own older brother who had been turned and fallen to level E. It was only natural for him to be wary of this pureblood who was now scrutinizing him with an unreadable expression.
"Don't be so hostile, aren't hunters only supposed to go after vampires that have broken the laws? It would be a problem if hunters were to stray and hunt my kind with no regard," the pureblood spoke smoothly, his concern clearly tongue-in-cheek as he was still smiling amusedly.
Zero glared at him. "I have no time for your bored antics. Move before I move you."
Kaname smirked at the threat. "It would be interesting to see if you are capable of that, but I did not come to fight. If I told you there is a way for Ichiru to get better, and not be afflicted with any more fevers for the rest of his life, would you be willing to chat?"
The pureblood gazed at him with his deep brown eyes, watching a startled expression flicker across the young hunter's face.
"What do you mean, Kuran?! How do you even know about Ichiru's condition?" Zero asked accusingly. He could not help pursuing the topic, despite knowing better than getting entangled with purebloods and their cunning acts.
The pureblood smirked mysteriously at him. "Even I notice that Ichiru has been missing from prefect duties, leaving you and Yoko to handle those Day Class girls. I'm also aware of the curse behind hunter twins. For both you and Ichiru to be born alive is quite a miracle...your parents must have been so relieved."
Zero stayed silent for a minute, cautiously studying the pureblood leaning casually before him. "Even so, Ichiru's condition is none of your business. You wouldn't be asking about him out of goodness of your heart. What exactly do you want?"
"Yes, you're right… I'm here to make a deal. I can save Ichiru by giving him my blood, and in exchange, you need to kill a certain vampire for me," Kaname stated without batting an eyelash, as though this was a most common negotiation.
Zero was taken aback by how blunt and candid the statement was. With widened eyes, he stared in disbelief at the pureblood. He had heard about the miraculous powers contained within the blood of purebloods and was not skeptical of Kuran's claims that his blood would help Ichiru. However, he was aware of how valuable their blood was, with the lesser vampires craving that ruby liquid, willing to give up their life savings and even kill to obtain a few drops. If Kuran was offering his blood at the cost of killing a certain vampire, that vampire must be someone very difficult or even illegal to kill.
Zero growled, "Even if what you say is true, you must be delusional thinking I would just kill any vampire at your order. I will only hunt those on the list approved by the Hunter Association."
Kaname narrowed his eyes coldly, his relaxed manner dropping for the first time throughout their interaction. "Kiryu, you can be assured that my blood will definitely cure your brother. As for ethics, you have some misplaced faith in that association. It wouldn't be hard for a well-connected vampire to slip a name onto that list you uphold so staunchly. I'm being courteous asking you directly," he paused and observed the offense in the hunter's eyes. "Besides, the one I want exterminated is not someone you would mind killing anyway, he's a threat to everyone, even if he isn't on the list."
"Kuran, do you really think I would trust you, a pureblood, over the association my family has been a part of for centuries, stretching back to its very foundation?" Zero glared daggers at the brunet, angry at the implications behind his words. Disturbingly though, he could not shake off the pureblood's words as easily as he wanted to. He berated himself for being tempted by the offer.
Kaname stared hard at him, his irises glinting like garnets in the darkness. After a few tense seconds, he sighed and uncrossed his arms. "I see I won't get anywhere with this discussion tonight. However, my offer still stands, and you know where to find me when you finally think it through. You're a smart boy Zero, so you will make the correct choice in the end."
Having delivered his message, Kaname walked away, melting into the shadows and leaving behind a slightly rattled Zero, who kept turning his words over in his mind.
'I can save Ichiru.'
Zero clenched his fist at that phrase, before punching the nearby brick wall. He felt the skin of his knuckles chafe and burn. Sinking down onto the grass, he ran his other hand through his hair in his turmoil.
The doctors from the association had always been cautious in their prognoses whenever they examined the ailing Ichiru. They would always preface their assessment by mentioning how rare it was for twins born to hunters to both emerge alive, and how it was already a miracle that Ichiru had lived so long. Zero and his parents would hold their breaths, waiting anxiously for the doctors to tell them if Ichiru would make it through the night. The doctors would tell them to prepare for the worse, and warn them even if Ichiru recovered, he might not the next time he relapsed. None of the doctors expect Ichiru to survive into adulthood.
I can't, I won't accept Kuran's offer. No good can come out of entering a deal with a vampire, he thought, arguing with himself. Ichiru will get better even without Kuran's blood. The doctors have always been wrong. All these years, Ichiru's sickness has pushed him to the brink of death, but he has always recovered, and will continue doing so.
Having convinced himself of his twin's eventual convalescence, Zero forced himself to stand up. He brushed aside the conversation with Kuran and concentrated on finishing the patrol so he could return and tend to his bedridden brother. Ichiru was waiting for him.
A/N: Being a guardian at Cross Academy seems like a fulltime job, lol.
