Once she was out of sight of The Moon Dorms, Akane ran and didn't stop until she slammed her back against the door to her dorm room, shutting and locked it. She gasped for breath, lightheaded, her lungs and legs burned from the excursion. She sank to the floor on shaking legs and brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself in a futile attempt to stop the petrified tremors from wrecking her body.
The Unfortunate furiously wiped at her weeping eyes, choking on her tears and forcing her sobs to remain caught in her throat. He'll freak out if he sees me like this. Calm down, Akane! Once her tears had dried and her breathing returned to normal, Akane opened her eyes, tipped her head back, letting his nock against the door as she gazed listlessly up at the ceiling.
A tired sigh escaped her lips when she decided to move, forcing her legs to bear her weight and stand. A flash of light caught her attention as she rose, which stilled her in a half-way crouch. What she saw had not been there before. There, hanging on the side of the mirror, resting on the large dresser, was a thin, platinum chain, with a single pear cut, deep blue sapphire pendant, beautifully catching the last of the light through the, once again, open window.
Akane's expression had been one of a deer caught in the headlights at the sight of the perfectly crafted gem, but it changed to one of the most vacant looks she had ever worn. She walked mechanically to the mirror and reached out to the delicate necklace, not caring for the tingle in her fingers, or the hairs on her arms standing on end. She opened the clasp and swung an arm around her head, taking the chain with her, and re-attached the ends of the clasp before letting the necklace fall onto the base of her neck.
Akane stared at her reflection in the mirror, before abruptly turning away and wrenching her wardrobe doors open. She pulled out her duffle bag, opened it and set it at her feet and then began dragging the little articles of clothing she owned out of the closet and stuffing them hurriedly into the bag. She turned to the large dresser and pulled out her underwear, t-shirts, shorts and the one pair of jeans she'd brought with her and added them to the bag. The girl set about removing all traces of herself from the room.
Collecting her belongings had taken less time than Akane had thought. She found herself fully packed and ready to go in less than ten minutes and now, she stood in the middle of her room, looking for anything she might have forgotten. She knew full well she was procrastinating, dragging this out for as long as she possibly could, while the dread she felt increased every second she stood in the dark of her room.
A quiet knock at the door startled The Human. She stared, hoping whoever it was would think she'd gone to dinner and leave, but the knock came again, followed by a voice Akane, knew well.
"Nakamura? It's me, Yuki. Could you please open the door?" Akane hesitated but tentatively moving to her door and gently pulled it open for the Prefect.
Yuki greeted her with a reassuring and understanding smile at the sight of the bag slung over the taller girl's shoulder.
"The Headmaster wants to see you, please come with me." Yuki stepped aside, gesturing for Akane to follow her. Yuki waited patiently as Akane eyed her apprehensively, peeking down the corridor, looking like she fully expected to find someone else waiting to escort her if she proved difficult. But Yuki had insisted she come alone when Kaien had asked her to collect Akane.
"Please come with me, Nakamura," she repeated in the same understanding and patient tone that made Akane feel small. Reluctantly, Akane stepped into the corridor and closed her door behind her. She stared at her shoes, not wanting to see that pitying smile on Yuki's face any longer. She knew what was happening, they knew, and she needed to get out of this situation as quickly as possible to give Miu any chance of survival.
The walk to Kaien Cross' office was silent and tense, but Yuki didn't chatter away as she would ordinarily on their many trips to that door. Instead, she left Akane to her thoughts and only looked back occasionally, to check she was still following. Akane found herself in front of the simply designed, wooden door of her Headmaster in no time. Yuki gave Akane another reassuring smile and a pat on her shoulder but all Akane felt was sick while clutching at the pendant of her necklace tightly, hoping to calm herself enough to get through what awaited her on the other side of this door.
Yuki rapped on the door twice. The voice of Kaien Cross drifted out, granted them entrance. Yuki stepped into the room, holding the door open for the Akane as she walked in and finally looked someone in the eye. She stared unfazed at Kaien and his smile, just as pitying and reassuring as Yuki's had been. Stop it! Akane's blood was starting to boil that they saw her as someone to be pitied. Anger was good, anger was an emotion she could use in this situation. Her eyes swept the room looking for the one she knew would fuel the fires of her fury into the inferno she needed.
He looked unperturbed by her heated gaze, as nonchalant as ever, stood next to his Lord. He too looked cool, calm, and collected. Happy that she'd gained what she needed, Akane felt ready to tackle Kaien again and turned her gaze back to her Headmaster, who looked a little less sympathetic and a little more anxious at the bitter glare she shot him.
"You wanted to see me?" Her voice was hard and sharp, no movement for pleasantries with her tone. Kaien recognised the warning in her voice and attributed it to her fear of the situation she was entangled in.
"Yes, Nakamura. Aido has brought something to our attention, something we need to discuss with you."
"Then talk!" Akane still clutched firmly at her necklace and didn't so much as blink at the surprise looks at her outburst or the gasp from Yuki behind her.
She had never spoken so coldly or clipped before, her demeanour worried Yuki greatly. Though she wouldn't say she knew the girl well enough to call her a friend, she didn't think Akane would have ever talked to Kaien like that.
"Please take a seat, Nakamura," he offered gently, but the girl made no move to sit or even shift in her rigid stance in the middle of his office. Her glower merely deepened as the seconds of silence ticked by while he waited for her to do as he'd asked, but Akane was rooted. She didn't trust her legs to move to the chair anyway, not without taking a swing at Aido first.
"You're being stubborn Nakamura!" the Vampire complained in a bored tone, folding his arms across his chest. "Just sit down so the Headmaster and Lord Kaname can help you." Akane reacted quicker than Aido thought possible. Her arm shot out, her small hand and delicate fingers wrapped around his throat, pulled him forward and threw him down onto Kaien's desk. The force she threw him would have knocked the wind out of a normal Human.
"You don't know anything!"
Akane pinned Aido with a furious gaze as he scowled that she'd taken him by surprise. But Kaien stared in astonishment and disbelief at the necklace she'd finally released in her attack. Time stopped for the ex-Hunter, as he watched the sapphire glinting in the lamplight of his office, as it dangled over Aido's indignant face. His gaze trailed back up to the girl and studied her face thoroughly as she glared down at the Vampire with fury and disappointment in her gaze.
"Nakamura!" Yuki exclaimed.
"Miss Nakamura, please let him up. He's right, we can help you," Kaname's smooth, calming timbre soothed to her, but she trained her irritated eyes from Aido to the Pureblood.
"How the hell, are you going to help me? You don't even know what's going on!" She stood, releasing her hold on Aido's throat and stepped away. I don't have time for this shit!
Akane understood the Pureblood and her headmaster could help her if only she'd come to them sooner, but it would take too long to explain everything now. Akane couldn't afford to sit and answer all their questions with Miu out there.
Kaien slowly rose to his feet, his eyes fixed on the necklace, before bringing his eyes to the girl he finally recognised. How didn't I see it before? Akane saw the recognition in the man's eyes. This little revelation was one she'd come to over the conversations she'd had with the Vampire that was currently lying on his desk, and the little research she'd been able to do at the beginning of their encounters. Again, she didn't have the time to entertain them.
The girl's eyes steeled over. She turned for the door, but Yuki quickly stood in her way with a stubborn yet nervous look, trying not to falter at the hard glare from the girl that was half a foot taller than her. Aido had sat up, once Akane had released him, and scowled at her back, his insides squirming at the hurt he'd seen in her eyes. What did you expect from me when you come to me like that? Stupid girl!
"Yuki..." Kaien called softly, gaining his adopted daughter's attention. "Step aside."
"What!" Aido exclaimed, spinning on the desk to gape at the ex-Hunter. Yuki blinked owlishly but did as she was told and didn't try to stop Akane as she pulled the door and slammed it behind her. Kaien slumped back in his seat with a heavy sigh, running his hand through his long hair. "You can't just let her walk out there! Who knows if this Vampire can control himself this time?" Aido yelled in disbelief as Akane's scent began to fade, leaving an unwanted but almost crushing need to follow.
"I'm afraid this is far more delicate than I could have imagined," Kaien began.
"How so, Headmaster?" the Pureblood asked as he walked to stand in front of the usually energetic man, who sat with such a beaten expression.
"If I'm correct, Nakamura is the daughter of a Huntress that abandoned The Association when she was a teenager. If Nakamura is in this situation, then it's likely, her mother is no longer living."
"Why did she leave the association?" Yuki questioned, intrigued by the look on her adoptive father's face.
"Because she wanted to marry and have a family. The man she chose to do those things with was not who her family wanted her involved with, because, he was a normal man, who knew nothing of Vampires or Hunters. She was given a choice, and she chose." The sorrowful smile he wore at the mention of Akane's mother, caused Yuki to clutch her hand to her chest at the thought of being given such an ultimatum by your family.
"She was a wonderfully kind person, maybe too passive to be a Hunter," Kaien reminisced, fondly. "She tried, but she could never bring herself to see Vampires in the same light the rest of us were raised to." Kaien smiled to himself at the memories he had of the fourteen-year-old girl that asked so many questions, to the point he wanted to rip his ears off in a desperate effort to end the constant why's, what if's, and how come's.
Aido still stared after the Human, using all his willpower to remain in place. This information was important. Akane was the daughter of a Hunter and an Unfortunate. Was that a coincidence, or was that the missing link to part of the puzzle of Akane Nakamura and Unfortunates? He didn't have much time to dwell on his thoughts, or even think up a question of his own to ask the headmaster, however. A smell he was especially accustomed to suddenly filled his nostrils, knocked the air from his lungs.
The reactions from the Vampires had been instant and simultaneous, as the scent of Akane's freshly spilt blood, glided into the room. Their eyes reddened to a dangerous hue and they struggled to keep their feet planted where they were. The scent rendered the blood tablets they'd taken, to counter being in Akane's presence for a prolonged period, almost useless.
Kaien stood, moving from behind his desk to his daughter's side.
"I'll see to this. Go back to class and keep the others inside, Kaname." The Pureblood nodded with a grimace, not willing to argue if this was his reaction, but Aido was on another planet at this point. A single thought ran through his mind, which would later surprise him but now, caused everyone to stare in amazed confusion. She's hurt! The vivid blue of his eyes flushed out the bloody hue as his face morphed from pain and vampiric hunger to an expression of fierce anger. He fled the room quicker than anyone had the mind to stop him.
"Aido! Wait!" He didn't.