Eyes Red as Blood
Hello, guys! Typed this in a car while it was freezing outside. So much for a relaxing three day break. Hope you guys like this chapter!
I do not own Vampire Knight
Seventeeth Night: Of Old Mentors and Touching Tales
Arisu woke up disoriented; the car was still moving. "How long have I been asleep?"
"You passed out mid-sentence almost ten hours ago. Have you not sleeping lately? Have you been eating well?" The chairman asked worriedly, looking at Arisu from his peripheral vision.
"The time I'm supposed to be sleeping, I've spent in my human form and then when night comes I switch back to vampire. While it's highly efficient-"
"In your opinion."
"Yes, in my opinion," Arisu glared at him, "I end up crashing if I keep up the routine constantly."
"Then why do you do it in the first place?"
"I like the feeling of the sun on my skin," she admitted, turning to look out of the window to hide her embarrassment.
"What about eating?" The headmaster drove on, "I know that you would usually skip meals when you lived with Miss Asakura."
"I eat on a regular basis now. Either human food or blood tablets."
The chairman, satisfied with her answer, nodded and continued driving silently.
Arisu quietly looked outside of the car window at the scenery passing by. Already the city buildings were gone, replaced with dense forest and sparse fields. The sun was rising and diffracting on the water droplets that coated the tree leaves and grass. It would only be a couple more minutes before they were to reach the mansion.
"I find it funny how Kaname kept me so close by, yet expected me to stay hidden," Arisu noted wistfully as she saw a bird take flight from a passing tree.
"I don't think he intended it to be forever," the headmaster replied after some thought, "just long enough to make sure that you were to be safe."
Arisu did not respond. If that was Kaname's plan from the start, then what about Yuki? If Kaname killed Rido while Yuki was still human, would Kaname allow her to remain and live as human? It seemed the nobler option would be this, but that would deny Yuki her past. Turning her on the other hand would be an act of selfishness. Yuki was happy as a human. Happy in that she did not have the vampire council looming over her head. She didn't have people groveling at her feet just because of the blood that ran through her veins. Yuki was able to be just Yuki.
These were thoughts for another time, Arisu decided as excitement took hold when they pulled into a hidden driveway.
Standing at the gate was a single man dressed in formal attire. His hair a dark shade of silver, and his eyes a vivid green. His smile was just as captivating as his eyes. Cross rolled down the window, slowing the car to a stop.
"Good Morning, Mr. Cross and Miss Kuran," the man in black greeted, "Miss Asakura is waiting for you inside."
"Oh, please, Nathaniel, you don't have to be so formal with us. You've known us for how long?" Cross pouted theatrically, making Nathaniel quirk an eyebrow.
"About ten years for the young Miss. Unfortunately I have known you, Kaien, much longer." The man devilishly smiled remembering past encounters with the once hunter. Kaien cackled before he reached out to shake the man's hand. "Well, I'll be seeing you two shortly. Kaien, you remember the way to the garage?" Nathaniel turned and walked toward the manor.
"Some host; doesn't even wait to lead us in," the Chairman happily joked after him.
"You were the one who told him it would be all right to be informal with you," Arisu reasoned, laughing.
The Headmaster laughed, and he drove the car through the driveway. Green trees lined both sides of it. Although Nathaniel had walked this way first, they saw no sign of him as they neared the garage. Instead of going in the garage when the doors opened, the Chairman decided to simply park in front of the manor. Arisu happily got out of the car and eagerly walked towards the front entrance of the manor. The Chairman hurriedly retrieved her luggage and jogged to catch up to her. Nathaniel stood at the front steps next to a young woman.
"Reiko!" Arisu exclaimed, bounding up the steps in a joyful glee. The young woman returned her enthusiasm with a smile of her own, wrapping her arms around Arisu as the pure blood hugged her. "How have you been? Did you miss me?" Arisu looked up beaming. The young woman looked at Arisu. Her vibrant red bangs fell on her green eyes as she did so.
"Very much so," Reiko smiled, showing pearly white teeth. She tucked her long side bangs back behind her ear. She was beautiful, and the air around her screamed of a poised elegance. She was wearing a light blue layered chiffon dress that had a lace top and short sleeves. The dress flowed just above her knees revealing the beige lace heels she wore. Arisu remained smiling even as Reiko removed her arms from around her to clasp her hands in front of herself. She always stood upright and confidently.
"How are you, Kaien?" Reiko turned her attention to the Academy Chairman.
Arisu smiled knowingly, exchanging a quick glance with Nathaniel.
The Chairman smiled warmly, disregarding the exchange of the two, "I have been well. How about you, Miss Asakura?"
Reiko seemed to glow more than before, "I have also been well. You never visit anymore."
Nathaniel nodded in agreement, always trying to give Cross a hard time.
"I do apologize, Miss, but I have been busy as of late," he quickly made up an excuse, looking at Arisu as evidence for what he just said.
Arisu just stuck her tongue, proving his point further.
"Well, that can't be helped, I guess," Reiko replied. Her pearly laughter setting Arisu at ease, "Would you like to come in for tea or stay for breakfast?"
Only Arisu and Nathaniel noticed her hopeful tone, and only they noticed the glimmer in her eyes that disappeared when the Chairman declined her offer. He had to get back to the Academy despite the holidays.
"All right. Until next time, Kaien. I hope you'll visit more often, and thank you for bringing Arisu here."
"It was my pleasure. Please take care of her," Cross replied tossing Arisu's bag at Nathaniel without warning. Nathaniel swiftly caught the bag, remaining unbothered.
"Hey!" Arisu complained, not at all happy that her things were being tossed around. Cross said his farewells before walking back to his car.
"You should have been more insistent," Arisu bluntly stated once the headmaster was far enough away.
Reiko didn't deign her charge a response. Instead she turned around to go inside.
"Touchy are we?" Arisu laughed not at all discouraged by Reiko's attitude.
Nathaniel quietly followed the two indoors. The foyer was large, as to be expected, but it didn't bother Arisu all that much; she had practically grown up in this large manor. As always it was decorated for the season. They walked through that hall and into the main room of the manor which was fully furnished and had the fireplace a lit. Reiko asked Nathaniel to take Arisu's belongings back to her quarters and to bring them some tea on his way back. Nathaniel nodded and left to fulfill his duty.
"Arisu, please take a seat," Reiko said walking towards the couches by the fireplace.
Arisu sat directly in front of the fire while Reiko choose to sit on an armchair next to a small coffee table. The furnishings in the room were vintage, but still looked new.
"Your letter says you had some questions for me to answer." Reiko looked directly into Arisu's eyes as an indication that she was willing to be honest about everything.
Arisu looked back at the fire. The flames shifted and crackled as the logs burned red.
"What's your relationship to Kai Koruya and his father?" Arisu stared at the fire absentmindedly, but Reiko knew the girl's attention was fully focused on her
"Remember how I told you that my family was killed by a group of vampires when I was a child?" Arisu nodded again, and turned to face Reiko out of respect, knowing how it was to loose ones family.
Reiko's tone was spiteful and and mocking when she uttered, "seems that the group didn't think it was necessary to kill a child."
The red head took a deep breath before continuing. "Nathaniel was an old family acquaintance and by luck he was on business for the Koruyas near my old home. When he found me cowering in the corner of my room, he wrapped me in his trench coat and took me back to the main Koruya residence. The Koruyas allowed me to recover and cared for me. When I came of age they asked me to work for their company. For a time I was happy…"
"At least that's what I fooled people into believing." Reiko sighed, she didn't particularly want to remember the next part and she couldn't look into Arisu's eyes because of the shame. The young girl had always looked up to her. "It was right around the time that you were born when I decided to visit my old home. Nathaniel, worried for my sanity, decided to tag along with me, without my knowledge mind you. He was there to carry me out of the fire that burned down my old home."
"Who started the fire?" Arisu quietly asked, anxious nails digging into the cushion.
"I think you know the answer to that question," Reiko smiled sadly. There was a brief silence until there was a knock at the door. "Come in, Nathaniel."
He graciously entered carrying a silver cart with treats and tea.
"You have always liked sweets," Nathaniel said, trying to liven the mood in the room. He passed the treats and tea to them.
Reiko looked at him sadly. She was always sorry that he gave up his position in the company because of her, yet she had never returned his feelings.
"Has Reiko told you the story of how she rejected me?" He smiled cunningly as if he could tell what Reiko had been thinking.
Arisu chocked on the piece of cake that she had started eating. "You did what?"
This time Reiko looked away wordlessly. The remnant tension all but dissipated.
Arisu's eyes were shimmering with amusement as she waited for either one of them to spill the beans.
The red haired aristocrat walked through the halls of her new home. The manor was still unfurnished, so the sounds of her heels echoed throughout the house. She wandered up onto the second floor; trailing her hand on the wall adjacent to her. Reiko had yet to explore all the rooms of the manor.
"I guess I have to become familiar with the manor seeing as how I'll be taking care of a child," she spoke mainly to herself when she opened the door to the room that was to be her's. It was simply furnished as she had asked, but the furniture still looked to be of expensive quality. She walked through her room picking up and placing several personal items on the shelves and desk. Finally, she reached the french doors leading to the balcony.
She walked through, expecting to see the sun setting, but it seemed she had spent a lot longer exploring the inside of the manor. Reiko looked out into the elaborate garden. She had a clear view of most of the gardens of the manor. The moon shone brightly enough to distinguish the several types of flowers that decorated the space. A light breeze ruffled her hair. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had time for herself. Nathaniel was always hovering over her. Speak of the devil, she thought as he entered the gardens. Reiko's face scrunched up in confusion.
Nathaniel looked straight at her as he walked towards the balcony. He stood there wearing a crisp white shirt and black slacks. His dark silver hair was tousled to the side giving him a casual look despite his clothes. What really confused her was the bouquet of red roses he was holding.
Reiko was starting to get unnerved by the man.
He finally stopped when he was close enough to take in every detail of her as she stood out on the balcony. She looked beautiful standing there, looking down towards him. Her skin glowed in the moon light. Her hair, messily cascading into a side ponytail, reflected red onto her face making it appear that she was blushing. He tried calming his beating heart lest she hear it.
Her eyebrows furrowed together. She was the first to speak, "What are you doing here, Nathaniel?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't find the words. Finally he found his voice again. "I know about your feelings for Kaien, so I know that this is mostly pointless, but that still doesn't change the way that I feel about you. I love you!"
Reiko stood there like a deer in headlight. Her heart started to beat faster, "Back up a minute, Nathaniel. What do you mean my feelings for Mr. Cross?" She was genuinely confused as to what Nathaniel was implying.
This time, Nathaniel sighed. His hands falling to his sides, gripping the bouquet in his right hand. "I've seen the way you look at Kaien… I wished that you would glance at me that way," he softly muttered to the grass. He simultaneously wanted to turn back the time so that she wouldn't know how he felt, but also wanting to steer the conversation back to them.
Reiko blushed, embarrassed that Nathaniel of all people had to spell out what her feelings for the ex-hunter meant.
"I'm sincerely flattered, Nathaniel, but I'm not the one to return your feelings. Not now… I have to take care of a child whom I've never met. Mr. Cross-" Reiko stopped as her heart sankupon seeing the dejected look on the man's face. Nathaniel had been expecting her rejection, but still clung to that sliver of hope. "I'm eternally grateful to you. If you hadn't been there that night I—"
"I understand," He cut her off not daring to think of the alternative for if he hadn't been there, "Don't worry about the child. You'll have me to help you." He ended with a forced smile. "I'll put these flowers in a vase and set them in the foyer."
"You are too kind," Reiko muttered, gripping the balcony. She hated seeing a dear friend broken, felt even more terrible since it had been her doing. Nathaniel nodded; not trusting his voice as he briskly walked off to the front of the manor at a human pace.
"And that's the story of how Reiko, here," he jabbed his thumb in her direction, "rejected me ." He chuckled as Reiko threw the sofa pillow at him.
"How could you even stand to be near her after that?" Arisu asked, mortified on his behalf.
"Well, she had you to take care of, and I wanted to be there as support for her. It didn't matter how she felt about me as long as I could help her," he replied smiling. His eyes twinkled.
"Do you still…" Arisu's voice trailed off, not knowing if it was her place or if it was even okay to ask. She felt reassured when Reiko glanced at Nathaniel out of the corner of her eyes.
"Hmm, that's a secret, Arisu," he replied bringing a finger to his lips; a mischievous glint in his eyes. Reiko rolled her eyes at his antics while Arisu almost squealed.
The older woman cleared her throat. "Arisu, I invited Mr. Koruya to come visit tomorrow at the earliest. Hopefully he shows soon as I'm sure you have questions, but I am not the person you have to ask. Rest assured Mr. Koruya can be trusted."
Arisu nodded, acknowledging the confidence Reiko had in Koruya. Now it was just a waiting game until she had the answers she sought.
Revised 3/18/2020