Akane remained awake for some hours after Aido left. Sleep was still difficult to achieve with her senses being battered with information from all angles, but eventually, sleep did claim her in the hours of the late morning, and she slept relatively soundly, for the most part. Burnt sienna eyes made fleeting appearances in her, otherwise, dreamless sleep, causing a rush of adrenaline that went idle, leaving her limbs feeling used and sore when she woke. Her body recovered once she was up and dressed, but her mind was still lagging by the time Aido arrived, insisting it was time for a tour of The Moon Dorms.
The early afternoon saw Akane following in Aido's wake as he introduced her to other Night Class students milling about the dorm before school. It was rather uneventful, except, for the rather heated yet, amusing argument between Aido and Ruka. They'd been abusing each other since they'd passed Ruka and Kain in one of the corridors. Aido had properly introduced Akane to his taller cousin, Kain, who'd nodded in acknowledgement at Akane, yet passed over Ruka as if she weren't there.
Akane and Kain stood off to the side as the pair bickered and snarled at each other, shouting nonsensical threats and childish insults.
"Is this a normal occurrence?" Akane asked, leaning discreetly towards the taller Vampire. She received no verbal reply, but the sigh and tired look that overcame his previously passive expression was answer enough.
"Miss Nakamura! Hello!" a cheerful voice called from down the hall. Akane turned to see Ichijo waving enthusiastically, walking down the corridor accompanied by another. Akane recognised the Vampire as Senri Shiki, with a stick of pocky caught between his lips, a typical sight Akane had been made aware of by Miu as was the description of his impeccable appearance and disinterested expression.
"I see Aido's showing you around the dorm," Ichijo commented as he and his companion came to a stop before her. "This is Senri Shiki," he introduced happily, explaining to Akane again, that they were roommates, and repeating his earlier invitation that she was welcome to stop by their dorm any time.
Akane glanced at the taller and more stoic Vampire, tilting her head slightly in a silent greeting, which he returned. She remembered Miu and Kimiko both telling her how quiet Shiki was, so saw no need to strike up a conversation if it would be a waste of breath, which seemed to be pleasing to the maroon-haired model.
Shiki offered his box of chocolate pocky to the new Vampire, gauging her slight surprise and quizzical look, as if she were asking if he was sure. He arched a brow in response and was pleased when Akane shrugged and plucked a pocky stick from the box and captured it between her teeth, offering a small 'thank you' nod.
"Come on, Nakamura. I'll show you the kitchen and where to find the staff area, next," Aido suddenly announced, pulled her away and down the stairs before she had a chance to even properly greet Ichijo, who waved, chuckling amusedly as she was whisked away, while Shiki continued to nibble his pocky tiredly. Ruka marched away, indignant that Aido had just run away from their argument. Kain followed quietly, another sigh escaping his lips.
"That was rude!" Akane chastised Aido as they left the staff room, where she'd met the head maid.
"What?" Aido asked confused. He'd been nothing but charming to the Vampire maid.
"Not that! Earlier with Shiki and V.P., and Souen. Getting into stupid arguments with your cousin. You're not four, and I'm not some doll you can drag around either!"
Aido quieted but the look of petulant disagreement was clear. He was supposed to be her teacher and coach, to help, and guide her. He didn't like the thought she could be close to anyone else. Except for Ruka, her, he'd just wanted to annoy, and he knew he had no worries when it came to Kain.
Akane sighed.
"Look, I know you feel responsible for me, and well, you are." Aido's frown deepened in remorse, glancing away. "I understand why you told. I chose to tell you what was going on and that left you with very few options after I came to the Changeover. I'm not angry with you anymore, so you don't need to keep doing that."
"Doing what?" Aido fought against the awkward fluttering in his gut, pushing it down and ignoring how relieved he was to hear Akane wasn't angry with him.
"Coddling me. I need to be able to live as a Vampire, right? I can't do that if you glare at every Vampire that stops to talk to me. Also, I want us to be friends," she declared confidently.
Aido stared, astonished. No one had said anything quite like that to him before, and certainly not with such a determined expression.
"You, what?" he asked dumbly.
"I don't want a teacher, a guide, a guard or a handsy acquaintance who doesn't know when it's appropriate to cuddle." A small, fond smile pulled at his lips, accompanied by a cheeky lift of an eyebrow. "I want a friend here, and you know more about my life than anyone ever has. I trusted you enough to tell you then and… I still do."
Akane stretched out her hand and waited for Aido to grasp it. He didn't take it right away. His mind kept bringing him back to the uncomfortable thoughts that'd been plaguing him since Tuesday. He couldn't take her hand, a symbol of friendship, and deceive her right off the bat. With his mind made up, his hand rose.
Akane smiled but Aido unexpectedly pulled her, causing her to tumble into his chest with a gasp as the air was knocked from her lungs. He caught her easily and grinned down at her unapologetically when she looked up at him with that adorable frown he remembered.
"Follow me you klutz, there's something I gotta show you."
Aido took her wrist and briskly lead her to a part of the dorm Akane hadn't seen yet. Instead of following the corridor back to the lobby, they turned the first right after the staff area and headed down a set of stairs. This part of the dorm was as prettily decorated as the rest of the building, except there was no natural light that could reach underground. So, the area from the stairs on was illuminated by flickering lamplight, throwing long shadows on the walls and across the floors and ceilings as they walked by.
The low light would have once felt slightly spooky to Akane, but her new sharper eyesight meant she could make out every detail on the brick walls and red-carpeted floor easily. At the bottom of the stone steps was a small foyer that housed a set of large, heavy double doors (mahogany, of course), with rounded, iron door handles and hinges.
"You're gonna love this," Aido declared with a grin as he grasped one of the handles and pilled. Akane was puzzled but excited to see what he had to show her. Judging by his assumption, she would like what lay beyond these doors. Akane could guess from the scent alone what she would find but it did little to prepare her for what lay beyond the doors.
A cavernous room, possibly taking up the entire footprint of The Moon Dorms, filled from floor to ceiling with shelves upon shelves of books. Akane stared in awe. She was not an obsessive reader, but you didn't have to know the entirety of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by heart to appreciate this treasure trove of knowledge she was presented with.
Aido stepped inside, holding both doors open for her as she followed him, her mouth still dropped open.
"Close your mouth, Nakamura," Aido giggled before pulling her to his side, trapping one of her arms while his coiled around her and tilted her chin. She glared up into his mischievous blue eyes, trying desperately to keep her heart at a normal rate while her nose was filled with his smell. "Or would you like me to close it for you?"
"Get lost, pervert!" she growled, shoving him back and stomping into the aisles of bookshelves, followed by the sound of his amused chuckle.
"Why did you bring me here, anyway?" Akane snapped as she found herself at the supposed centre of the room, where a large table sat surrounded by comfortable looking armchairs (you can guess the wood).
"I told you, I need to show you something. Now, sit here and wait for me." Akane frowned but did as she was asked. "Don't miss me too much," Aido chirped from somewhere within the room behind her, as he left.
Minutes later Akane heard him heading back to the seating area. She didn't turn to acknowledge him as he appeared from around a corner, and only frowned deeper when she noticed just three large, old-looking books in his hands. He placed them down on the table, and pulled out a chair beside her, but made no further move than that. She was about to reach for the book on the top of the pile herself, when Aido's hand quickly slapped down on the top of them, holding them in place.
"I wasn't supposed to show you this yet. Lord Kaname said to wait a while until you got used to everything," he revealed but quieted after he mentioned the Pureblood.
"And you decided to… what… disobey him anyway? Heaven, forbid!" The look of a kicked puppy crossed his face at the thought of going against Kaname's orders, causing Akane's eyes to roll, but she sat patiently to let him explain.
"This is important, and I think it's better for me to just show you rather than for you to find out some other way." The way he spoke made this whole thing sound far more personal than she would have liked, but she was also fully aware that what Aido was doing, was for her benefit. Disobeying a Pureblood for her no less. Whatever was in these books, it was something Aido felt she deserved to know, but by the look of doubt that crossed his face as he continued to hold the books ransom, she realised, she may not like what she found within their worn pages.
With a sigh, Aido lifted the first book. It was the compilation of the Unfortunates catalogued by The Vampire Council for the last three millennia. He placed the handmade tome before the ex-Human and allowed her to open it to a random page, filled with names, description and scene reports of the Unfortunates that came before her. Akane's face was scrunched in confusion as she began to read but quickly changed to shock and pity as she read on, as the books mainly described the deaths of the individuals.
"What is this?" she asked in a whisper as morbid curiosity forced her eyes to continue to glide over the page until the end, only to turn it and begin at the top again.
"We call them Unfortunate. Their Human, except, their blood is far more potent than an ordinary person." Aido let her read for a few moments more in silence, building enough courage to say what he had to say next. "Like you."
She stopped reading, her body stiffened, and her eyes slowly shifted from the book to Aido with a look of pained bewilderment.
"You were one of those Humans, Nakamura, an Unfortunate. You nearly caused a riot when you first came to the Changeover. We just weren't prepared for it. Everyone has been taking extra blood tablets ever since you arrived because of the intensity of your scent."
Akane turned back to the book and Aido could see her clever mind working out what this all meant. The tears brimming in her eyes as she stared at the pages was his cue to speak again before he let her anger cloud the truth.
"I wanted to understand why you were different because I'd never heard of Unfortunates before. But when I first came to your room, I nearly lost it! I thought I'd never let that happen again, despite the fact, I wanted to know more about you. But then, Headmaster Cross let you all go into town and asked us to keep an eye on you, then you saw that Level E and I ended up lying to Ichijo…"
He was rambling now, not even looking at her. Akane stared at him like he'd sprouted wings as he furiously tried to explain himself. It took Akane some seconds to realise that he thought she'd be angry and blame him for all this somehow. "And you were always so interested in everything…" He came to a stop. Akane had suddenly stood and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders.
Aido sat as still as stone as he tried to figure out what possible scenario this situation would fall into but came up blank.
"Um?" he muttered unintelligently.
"I'm not mad." That's a first? Aido thought in confusion as Akane pulled away and sat back in her seat. She was quiet for some time as she continued to read the pages. After the turning of the third page, she sighed and slowly closed the book. Aido waited uncomfortably, but he didn't want to do or say anything that might set her off. He could see the tears just pooling in her eyes. If she tilted her head down just a little, they would fall, but she didn't, and he remained quiet.
"They died, so young." Akane's voice was gentle, sad. She felt such pity for the Unfortunates listed on these pages. So far, thirteen had been the eldest she'd found and that was just, so, tragic.
"We think it starts when they hit puberty, some are earlier than others," Aido offered delicately.
"I was twelve when I started my period… She came… because of me." The tears fell finally, unaccompanied by sobs or cries, just tears and pain written on her face.
Aido inwardly cringed at the sight of the tears rolling down her haunted face. She looked so hollow at that moment, so there was nothing he'd allow to stop him from offering her comfort and wound his arms gently around her. She accepted his support as a rush of guilt and self-hatred crash into her. It was her fault! All of this was her fault! If she had never been born, her parents would not be dead. Her father wouldn't have suffered the loss of his wife, his humanity, and his sanity. He wouldn't have felt so conflicted and angry at what he had become, because it would never have happened!
Of course, Akane knew this thinking was detrimental and completely illogical. She'd have as much control over the scent of her blood, as she would over the weather. Her family had been destroyed because a Vampire caught her scent and followed it. However, unlike many of the Unfortunates in the book, a Pureblood had found Akane and devised a plan to keep her. She waited for Akane to be out of the house then attacked, killing her mother, the Hunter, the threat, and turned her father, forcing him to bend to her will and ferry her blood back to her.
Anger, grief, and guilt flipped at that moment to rage, disgust and hatred. Akane would not let herself believe she was the cause of all this. Her parents had fought for her and she would forever be grateful and sorry but thought her blood had been a reason to attack, the fault for their deaths lay with the Pureblood. Akane decided, she wanted to find this Vampire, and see just how far rules concerning Purebloods could bend.