Eyes Red as Blood
A/N: I never knew writing a personal statement was so hard. Is anyone else on the same boat? Good luck to anyone taking the SAT or ACT or any other entry exams/interviews for... anything really. Anyways, here is Chapter 19, and I hope you guys enjoy it.
I do not own Vampire Knight.
Sixteenth Night: Of Mischief and Guilt
Arisu sighed. Of course there wouldn't be any food in the cafeteria until noon, what had she been expecting? It was only nine in the morning, and the cooks wouldn't be at the school for another hour or two. She could just as easily walk out of the Academy grounds to buy food or she could go back to the moon Dorms to drink a blood tablet, but the first would entail being dragged back by Seirin and explaining to Kaname why she left without telling him.
She gave up on finding food and walked the hallways aimlessly. The hallways were desolate and uncharacteristically quiet. To say the least, the school had a very peaceful atmosphere as a whole. It was no wonder why the Chairman decided to build the Academy here.
Then she heard feet shuffling and faint whispers coming from behind a corner. Instinctively she reached for Artemis that was strapped to her right forearm under her sleeves.
"Stop. We're going to get caught," a girl giggled.
"That's what makes this exhilarating," replied a muffled male voice.
Arisu lowered her hold of Artemis as she blushed. She rounded the corner and startled the couple.
"You two should be heading back to class," Arisu stated; crossing her arms. Her previous embarrassment hidden behind facade as prefect. T
he brunette girl feverently nodded, face flushed. The boy was startled, but not as visibly shocked as the girl. The two quickly rushed to their classrooms.
"I told you this was a bad idea," Arisu heard the girl whisper to her partner as they hurried off. She stood there awkwardly watching them leave, that was embarrassing.
Arisu found different things to occupy her mind. She had explored the majority of the campus already and was sitting down between some book shelves in the library reading when Hanabusa came to her, holding a water bottle.
"Hey, Hanabusa," Arisu greeted closing the novel in her hands, and looking up.
"Hello, Arisu-sama," Hanabusa said standing next to her, "Kaname instructed me to give this to you, and to tell you to remember to eat." He handed her the water bottle and pulled out a tablet pack form his pocket.
Arisu gladly took the offered items. Before taking the tablet, she switched back to her vampire state. Her eyes turned bright red for an instant as she swallowed the tablet and taking a gulp of water, "Thank you, Hanabusa."
"No problem," he replied.
"You can sit down if you'd like," Arisu patted the ground next to her.
He nodded but sat with his back leaning on the bookshelf in front of Arisu so that he was fully facing her. "Is this where you've been all day?" Hanabusa inquired looking at the scattered books around her. Some were in neat stacks, but most were just lying about.
"I was walking around first, but then I decided to just come to the library and read," Arisu said, following his line of sight, "What time is it?"
"It's almost six," Hanabusa replied.
"What? No way! I've been in here for over six hours already?"
"Yes, which is why Kaname told me to come look for you," he stated, "it's almost time for us to leave."
"Ah, that's right," Arisu stood up to stretch, "let me just put the books back where they were. Then we can head back."
"Let me help… Did you really read all of these?"
Arisu laughed, "Of course not. I was just skimming through most of them unless I found something that caught my attention. Did you know that our world is called Midgard in Norse mythology and that it is connected to Asgard, the home of the gods, by the Bifröst, the rainbow bridge, which is guarded by Heimdallr? At least that's what the human historians used to think."
"No, I did not," Hanabusa replied, "Are you by any chance a history nut, Arisu?"
Again she laughed, "Nope, I'm just interested in folklore and ancient stories… most are quite interesting and deceiving at first glance."
Between the two it was easy to place the books back in order, so they quickly left the library.
"Has the Day Class left for their vacations already?" Arisu asked turning to look at Hanabusa as they walked back to the Moon Dorms.
"Most have already gone, but I think the two prefects will remain here over the break."
"I see," Arisu replied halfheartedly. A couple of birds were chirping, but other than that the walk back to dorms was quiet. When they reached the dorms, few remaining vampires were saying their farewells to Kaname. He turned his attention from the group to the two when they entered the common area.
"We'll be leaving shortly, but because I am responsible for the keys, I have to hand them to the Day Class prefects," Kaname stated.
"So I basically have very little time to pack, right?" Kaname nodded in response. "I'll head up to grab my belongings, then."
Arisu barely had enough time to quickly pack clothes and other items before Kaname came up to her room telling her it was time for them to leave. "I'll be down in a bit."
She grabbed the suitcase on her bed and turned to see if there was anything out of place or anything she would need. Satisfied, she locked the dorm door and walked down to the common area where she gave Kaname the key. With the others gone, it was just the two of them. She turned and tried walking out of the room when Kaname grabbed her arm. Arisu wearily looked up at him.
His expression conflicted, "I asked— Never mind, it is not important."
Kaname darted out of the room, giving no explanation for his behavior. Arisu shook her head; pushing the worry out of her mind and followed Kaname out of the door. He locked the building door and headed to the front of the school with Arisu on his heels. There was a slight breeze that added to the chilly evening. As the two neared the front gate, Arisu noticed the two prefects standing there. The others were there briefly, seemingly only to pass by to say goodbye.
"Ah, Kaname and Arisu," Ichijo said shifting his attention to them instead of the prefects he had been talking to.
Yuki glanced up to Kaname, but quickly shied away, trying to hide behind Zero. Arisu's brows furrowed while Zero looked down at Yuki.
"Did you lock the doors, Kaname?" Ichijo asked, cheerfully smiling and completely ignoring the tense mood.
Kaname pointedly looked at the cheeky grin on his face, "Ichijou… I can do that much by myself." He turned to Yuki and smiled warmly, "Here you go, Ms. Prefect, the keys to the Moon Dorms." Yuki hesitantly received the envelope. Kaname's expression softened only a fraction before he changed his expression, "I know what you told me wasn't a lie, so don't worry about it."
Arisu fidgeted with the straps of her luggage.
Ichijo spoke, "Kaname, I know you don't want to leave but—
"You can wait in the car with everyone else. Go with him, Arisu."
"Kana—
"Just go."
Ichijo turned to leave and Arisu quietly followed behind him. She glanced back for a moment as they crossed the gate door. Yuki was walking away leaving only Zero and Kaname behind.
"Do you know what that was about?" Arisu asked once they stopped in front of the driveway where the car was parked.
Ichijo glanced back, "I rarely know what Kaname plans, Arisu-sama."
"I see." Arisu opened the passenger door, "I hope you all have a safe trip, Takuma."
Ichijo paused, thoughtful for a moment. His signature smile wasn't there when he bowed quickly and entered the car door. Everyone always addressed him by his prestigious family name, not even Kaname addressed him with so much familiarity. A small smile escaped his lips.
It was a smile that Arisu returned when she closed the door and waited on the curb to say farewell to Kaname. She didn't have to wait long before she heard his footsteps coming closer.
"How come you haven't gone in?"
Arisu looked up at him confused. "I am going to leave tomorrow?"
"No, you are leaving with us right now."
"I'm what?"
"You heard me," Kaname curtly replied.
"What the hell—
"Language"
"Do not 'language' me, Kaname."
"Arisu, there is no need to make a scene of this. Just get in the car."
"I will make a scene of it, Kaname. Like I said before: you think that you can order me around how it pleases you without holding any regard for what I want!"
His expression darkened, his jaw clenched and unclenched before he replied. "Get in the car, Arisu. I will not argue with you about this right now."
There was a loud crack. A large fissure ran through the stone of the gate wall. It hadn't been there before. Arisu glared at him, knowing she couldn't win in a physical fight against him, but desiring to try.
"Fine, but be forewarned, I will try to escape." Arisu opened up the door and plopped herself in the seat next to Ichijo, leaving her luggage on the floor outside. ''
Kaname sighed. He picked up the luggage and walked over to the trunk where he set it down. He briskly walked back to the car door.
Arisu just smirked at him. It was petty, she knew, but it still brought a minuscule sense of satisfaction.
Ichijo adverted his gaze out the window.
"Drive," Kaname ordered the driver closing the door. She seems to have calmed down now; Kaname looked at Arisu through the corner of his eye while pretending to be looking out the car window. The only sign of their previous engagement was the slight furrow of her brows. Ichijo was sitting stiff in his seat, which only served to amuse Kaname and lighten his mood until Arisu glared at him again. She thought he was laughing at her.
The cars passed through the city streets on route to the train station. The yellow glow of the street lamps illuminated the road ahead. Traditional building styles contrasted with modern ones to create a peculiar landscape. The car slowed to a stop at a red light; the first of the night. The few humans that were still out trickled on by, probably walking home after a long day's work. Some scurried off quickly while others just shuffled by, looking exhausted. Dusk was settling in as te light turned green.
"Takuma, how much longer until we reach the train station?" Arisu spoke to the boy that had the misfortune of riding in the same car as the quarreling purebloods.
"We shouldn't be too long now," he replied, finally looking in from the window.
"Good."
The scenery passed by and soon the cars pulled into a parking lot structure. Everyone got out of their respective cars. The boys reached to take the luggage. Kaname was about to carry Arisu's when she snatched it out of his hands. "Not today, Kaname. I'll need this if I am to make my escape."
There was a playful tone to her voice, which made Ichijo question if she was joking or not. Kaname knew better than to believe it was a simple joke, however.
"Where to next?" Arisu cheerfully asked. It was her first time taking public transportation.
"We head toward the train station," Hanabusa replied, appearing by her side. He offered to take her bag, but she declined. The group of vampires briskly walked to the entrance of the station. The few humans that were there stared at them.
A group of the women took out their cell phones to take a few pictures, but Seirin reached them first, effectively cutting off their view of the group. "Excuse me, but we would prefer that you not take pictures without our permission." The women, startled at Seirin's sudden appearance, quickly apologized and left. The rest of the group changed formation. Ichijo and Akatsuki stepped in front of Arisu to cover her from any unwanted attention while Kaname slipped by her left. Rima and Ruka to Arisu's right with Hanabusa following right behind. Seirin rejoined them; preferring to walk next to Kaname and away from the cluster that would impede quick action.
"Anybody else feel claustrophobic?," Arisu mumbled. This will make things a bit harder, she thought and frowned. They walked through the terminal to the ticket booth where Kaname bought the boarding passes.
"The train will leave in forty minutes," he mentioned once he rejoined the group.
"Oh, good. Enough time for me to go change," Arisu responded, starting to walk away from the group. "Wouldn't want to stand out by wearing the school's uniform."
"I'll show you the way to the restroom," Ruka suggested.
Arisu turned to her and smiled, "That won't be necessary. I saw it when we passed by. Thank you, though." She continued to walk away.
Seirin looked up at Kaname; he just gave a slight nod of his head before Seirin went after Arisu who was now farther away.
"Let us wait for them at the café over there," Kaname motioned to the small café shop.
"Yes, Kaname-sama," Ruka replied dejectedly. Everyone else followed in silence.
Arisu ducked behind a corner and walked quickly to the nearest restaurant in order to try to loose Seirin. The silver haired girl was far enough away that she was only able to see Arisu round the corner before she lost sight of the brunette. Arisu hastily sat in the bar seat facing away from the restaurant window, earning her a bewildered stare from the bartender. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Seirin walk past the restaurant. She grabbed the bag she had tossed on the ground and left just as quickly as she had come in.
"Crazy people these days," the bartender muttered under his breath.
Outside, Arisu glanced to her left where Seirin was walking, so she walked in the opposite direction to the nearest restroom; happily humming under her breath even though she knew she had only about two to three minutes before Seirin found her again. It didn't matter. That was all the time she needed.
Arisu was fixing the sleeve of her brown coat as she walked out of the restroom. She noticed Seirin standing next to the restroom door and smiled cheerfully, "Hello, Seirin!"
Seirin pointedly looked back at her. Arisu was wearing a cream blouse with a frill neck and black ribbon under her coat. Instead of her skirt, she was wearing simple dark colored jeans, but was still wearing her mid-calf lace up black boots. Her hair was tied in a loose side pony tail. "Yes. You look lovely, Arisu-sama."
"Thank you, Seirin," Arisu beamed, "Why don't we head back to the others?"
Seirin nodded and extended her hand out to signal that she would follow close behind. When they found the others, they ordered a drinks. Arisu, instead of buying coffee like the rest, chose iced lemonade. She happily drank, enjoying the sweetness of her drink.
"You like eating human food don't you, Arisu-sama?" Akatsuki noted barely taking a sip of his black coffee.
"Yes, I like tasting the different flavors of each dish. You don't?"
"Akatsuki doesn't see the point in eating human food often because we don't need it. It's more of a luxury to him," Ruka interjected, slicing a piece of her cake to eat.
"That makes sense since our kind don't really receive all the nutrients we need."
Kaname stood from the circular table and left to the cashier register. Arisu glanced over, noting his gallant smile and the way the human girl was transfixed by him. She rolled her eyes. Hanabusa raised an eyebrow. Kaname returned with a small piece of cake in one hand and a napkin and fork in the other. He carefully placed them in front of Arisu and walked back to his seat.
"Thank you, Kaname. You spoil me so," Arisu muttered. The others thought it touching that Kaname would dote on her, but Arisu wasn't falling or the peace offering. She would go through with her plan until the bitter end. Really, how much longer did she have to wait to pull one over Kaname? Twenty five short minutes. They ate, mostly drank, with little conversation until it was ten minutes until the train would arrive.
"All right, everyone, we should be leaving," Ichijo gently reminded. The group of vampires threw away their trash and filed out of the café. They arrived at the platform just as the train was pulling in. Wordlessly the group vampires boarded the train and sat in groups of four. Kaname, Arisu, Ichijo, and Seirin in one group. Rima, Ruka, Akatsuki, and a pouting Hanabusa sat in the seats on the opposite side of the others. Arisu hummed to herself happily. Kaname relaxed in his seat because Arisu was sitting next to him without having tried to flee. The final whistle of the train blew indicating that the train was leaving momentarily. A couple of seconds later the train doors closed, and the train began creep forward slowly. Kaname glanced out the window and visibly paled seeing a hooded figure standing in the shuffle of people. The petite figure lowered the hood of the brown coat revealing a smiling face. She had the audacity to wave at him.
"Hey... Kaname-sama, isn't that-"
"Yes," Kaname cut Ichijo off. His shock turned to anger at the girl's rebelliousness. Seirin's head snapped to look out the window and mentally scolded herself about not doing a good enough job at watching over the pureblood girl. The train finally pulled out of the station.
"I told you that I would leave of my own accord," the Arisu in the seat next to Kaname spoke, slightly smirking.
"It is dangerous, Arisu," Kaname replied; his eyes narrowing.
"I can handle myself." Arisu turned to the group that sat wide eyed. She smiled at them in an attempt not to laugh at their expressions. "I hope you all have a safe trip. I'll be joining you later as planned." The girl sitting before them vanished into a red mist.
"Kaname-sama, your orders?" Seirin asked standing up in a flash as soon as the form disappeared.
He replied through gritted teeth, "Leave her be. I'll handle it."
He got up and walked to the restroom coach. The group of vampires looked worried and concerned. They whispered among themselves before they heard a child excitedly yell.
"Did you see that red brown dog pass by, mama, papa?"
"What are you talking about, Christian?" The boy's father asked, peering down at his son in affectionate confusion.
"There was a red brown dog that just passed by our window. It was big!" The boy motioned with his hands just how big the animal was. His eyes shone with wonder at the incredible size of the wine colored dog he had seen.
"My, what a vivid imagination you have." The woman replied to her son, smiling. The black haired boy pouted,more than able to tell that his mother wasn't taking him seriously.
Kaname returned shortly after, clearly in a foul mood from the way he sat down and glared out the window. The vampires avoided eye contact with him.
"Do not speak to me until we reach our destination," Kaname ordered, placing his head on his hand that he rested on the armrest. He closed his eyes after he was done glaring while the others murmured their assent.
Back on the platform, Arisu smiled happily and picked up her bag from the ground to walk to the ticket booth. Now that that matter is settled. She walked to the ticket booth they had purchased their tickets from earlier.
"Hello, I would like to buy tickets for Train A. The earliest possible," Arisu asked of the ticket seller while looking through her bag for her wallet.
"Miss, pets, unless they are service animals, are not allowed on the train without a carrier cage," the seller stopped typing mid-sentence.
Arisu looked up confused, so the woman pointed to the girl's left. Arisu looked down and saw a wolf peering up at her. She sighed and smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, he must have escaped from my friend. I'll go find them." She stormed off with the wolf prancing behind her, stopping to sniff at things occasionally.
"Alright, Kaname," Arisu said, walking toward the exit, "I'm guessing that you won't stop following me with your familiar, so how am I supposed to get to Reiko's if I can't take the train?" The wolf sped up in response, leading her to the lounge at the front of the station. The automatic doors opened, and the cold from the night outside greeted them as the two stepped out of the station. The wolf simply kept on walking to the bench in front of the building and promptly laid down next to it. Arisu grumpily walked over and sat down. From where she was sitting she could see the outside parking lot.
"How long will we be waiting here, Kaname?" The girl asked of the wolf after a long moment of silence. The cold was biting at her cheeks and her nose started to tint red. She suddenly wished she had packed mittens and brought her hands to her mouth in an attempt to warm them by breathing onto them. The wolf opened one eye and Arisu stared back at it. Kaname must have been really mad if he wasn't trying to talk to her through his familiar, not even a lecture. She averted her gaze just as guilt started to form in her stomach.
The wolf got up and jumped onto the bench pushing her to the side a bit, placing its head on her before closing its eyes again. Arisu's eyes softened. The warmth of the wolf helped to lessen the cold, so she placed on her hands on its neck. "Sorry, Kaname, but you really did have it coming. You can't keep expecting me to follow you blindly, without protest." Arisu spoke softly, almost inaudibly.
The wolf's ears perked up and opened its eyes to stare at the dark sky, but otherwise there was no definite response. Arisu sighed, guessing that Kaname wouldn't reply. Then it brought its head down and nudged her other hand with its nose before maneuvering to place the top of its head under her hand. Arisu smiled a bit before petting its head.
Seirin noticed that the murderous scowl on Kaname's face lessened.
Now, he was quite content despite his past anger. He wanted to lecture Arisu, but knew that she would still be doing whatever she wanted to so he just remained quiet. He enjoyed the feeling of her delicate fingers running through his hair. He sighed contently and leaned on the window, enjoying the soft caresses.
"Arisu!"
The wolf perked its head up, weary of the person that called the girl next to him, but quickly relaxed when Kaname indicated it was safe. Arisu looked up. The Headmaster was running towards her, waving his hand over his head. There was a slight frown on his face.
"Oh, hello, sir," Arisu replied, standing up carefully so the wolf wouldn't fall over. It sprang to its feet easily.
"Arisu, what were you thinking running off by yourself?" The Headmaster raised his voice, disappointment and anger evident in his expression now that he was close enough.
Arisu was stunned. This was the first time she had seen the otherwise cheerful man angry. She looked down. "I-I'm sorry... I just..."
His tone softened, "You are very important to Kaname, even if he doesn't express it well. You are also important to me. I don't want you to get hurt, so please don't run off on your own."
Arisu wolf nudged her side, and ex-hunter finally took notice of it. "Don't worry, Kaname. I'll take her from here."
The wolf lowered its head as if agreeing before darting off into the woods nearby the station.
"Let's go, Arisu." The Headmaster grabbed her bag from the bench before turning and leading her to the parking lot. He placed her bag in the trunk of a black car before walking over to the passenger side to open the door for Arisu. She got in the warm car and buckled her seatbelt.
"So tell me, how you managed to escape from Kaname?" He sounded cheery again.
Arisu looked up at the smiling ex-hunter and returned his enthusiams with her own.
"I created a familiar that looked exactly like me. Honestly, I didn't know if would actually work, so I waited until the train started leaving before I called the familiar back to me. I was standing at the platform as the train was pulling away," she explained happily now that the Headmaster's mood seemed to be what she was used to.
"Didn't he notice that it was a fake?" He asked, laughing heartedly, "Though you have a strong aura even for a pureblood because you are a Kuran."
"I created the familiar while I was in my vampire form before switching to human. Most of my aura seemed to be coming from the familiar. That way I only had to walk close enough to the others so that they wouldn't notice two auras of me."
"I can't believe it actually worked." The Headmaster tapped the steering wheel in tune to the soft music playing while they waited at a red light.
"Me neither."
"I think you got the mischief from Juri, but the cunning mind of your father," the man noted amused, "a formidable opponent indeed."
Arisu giggled, and glanced outside as the car began moving again.
"Actually, I need to tell you something, Arisu," His tone grew serious. Arisu remained quiet to let him go on. "Maria Kurenai woke up today."
Oh, that girl. The one related to Shizuka. "How much does she know?"
"From what she told Zero and Yuki, she doesn't know much about what happened sixteen years ago, but she may have alluded to Rido when she told them about Shizuka Hio's past. We aren't completely sure."
"Is knowing about that woman's past necessary?" Arisu asked. It had taken a lot of effort to convince Ichiru that she could be a trusted ally, even more effort to convince him not to follow Shizuka blindly.
"No, but I'm sure it would help you to have understood her motives." He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, and his shoulders sagged a little upon seeing her looking straight ahead, unwilling to discuss the new information if it didn't benefit her. "Either way, no concrete information regarding Rido can be gleaned from what Maria said."
"I see… Understanding Shizuka Hio's motives doesn't interest me. Besides, what's the use when she has already passed?"
"I thought you would say that." The Headmaster missed the exit leading to the Academy. "Kaname asked me to take you to Reiko, so we will just be heading straight over. I don't have much to do anyways."
"Oh! Do you know Reiko as well?" She turned into an excited child in her seat.
"Not as well as you do. I've only met her a few times on business."
"What kind of business?"
"You are suddenly full of questions, aren't you? Curiosity killed the cat, remember?"
"Good thing my familiars aren't cats then. Besides satisfaction brought it back."
"I suppose. Anyways, business meant keeping you safe and a secret."
"Oh, I thought it might have been something more interesting," she replied, deflated.
"It wasn't the most interesting, I agree. Especially since you were such a quiet and obedient child… Unlike now."
Arisu rolled her eyes at his teasing, but defended herself, "I am my own person."
"So you are. I'm sure you'll stumble more in the future, but you have a good head on your shoulders. Besides, you have others looking after you. Don't forget that." She didn't know how to reply. "Heh, cat got your tongue, Arisu?"
She smirked. "You know what, Headmaster? I should get you a cat for the holidays. You do seem to love them."
He cackled in response, "Do what you want. Not sure if it'll end up liking me. Animals have never liked me much. I think they can sense I'm abnormal."
"Really? I remember birds coming to land on my Mother's hands on the rare times that we went out."
"Well, your mother was... weird," he laughed again when she protested, "She was the one that convinced me that coexistence was possible."
The young vampire smiled happily, but then yawned.
"You can sleep if you want. We have a couple of hours until we get there."
Arisu rubbed her eyes. "It's fine. If I just turn back to a vampire I won't have to…" Her voice became faint as sleep overtook her.
Revised 3/18/20
A/N: Don't forget to review or something to let me know you are interested!