A shocked silence met Kaname's words. Yuuki and Kaien were shocked that Kaname would admit to the truth while Zero and Seiren were shocked at what he had said. Kaname simply sat there waiting for someone else to speak, unruffled by the tension that had sprung up in the room at his pronouncement.
"What do you mean?" Zero insisted. He had been hoping that someone else would ask, but everyone else seemed to be too confused and he had decided to do it himself. "How could you have invented them? That happened . . . hell I don't even know but a very long time ago."
"Yes," Kaname replied. His tone hinted that he wanted to add "your point?" but managed to restrain himself.
"But . . . that's impossible. You can't possibly be that old," Zero said. It was an idea that he could not wrap his head around. He knew that purebloods live forever unless they decided not to, but knowing it and having someone in front of him who claimed to have done it were two totally different things.
"No," Kaien said with a sad smile. "It is not impossiable. It is the truth." As he took in the shocked face of both Yuuki and Kaname he gave a small, humorless laugh. "Yes, I knew the truth. Juuri-san told me just before you were born, Yuuki."
"You never said anything," Yuuki said. Even though she now knew the truth, it hurt that everyone had kept her in the dark for so long. Until this year she hadn't know about anything. She hadn't known that Zero was a vampire, or that Kaname was a pureblood—or even what a pureblood was—and an ancient vampire posing as her brother. She hadn't known that she was a vampire! And Kaien and Kaname had known about it all. She understood why they had kept the last bit from her, but the rest . . . she couldn't understand it. She was not helpless. She never really had been. The fact that they thought she couldn't handle the truth hurt.
"Would you have believed me?" Kaien asked. He saw the hurt and accusation in his daughter's eyes and couldn't bear to have her looking at him that way. She said nothing, but her look said it all. You should have tried, it said.
"We cannot change the past," Kaname said gently, stroking the side of Yuuki's face in an attempt to distract her. She flinched away from his touch. He was not immune to her anger at the moment. He had hidden many things from her as well. "There are many things I would change if I could," he murmured.
"As it is," he said more loudly, sounding sure of himself and commanding, "we must work with what we have done and try to make the best of it. Zero, Seiren, how many of your hand-to-hand fighters are at all battle ready?"
"None," Seiren answered honestly. "They wouldn't last a minute against the hunters, especially not with their weapons."
"The weapons will not be an issue," Kaname said. "Trust me on this. Without the hunters' weapons where do we stand?"
"Maybe ten, fifteen. No more," Seiren said with an apologetic shrug. There was nothing else she could do. They just hadn't had enough time to turn them into skilled fighters.
"Kaien," Kaname said turning to the headmaster after he nodded to Seiren. "What of your class?"
Kaien sighed before he answered. "All but five," he said. "So forty, give or take a few." Kaname nodded again. This was better than Seiren and Zero's number, but not by much.
"Yuuki," he said facing his lover, "How many of the magic-wielders do you think are ready for battle." She knew that he was asking her so that she felt more included, but she almost hated him for it. Asking her to make decisions for others was not the way to make up for treating her like a child.
"I don't know," she said honestly. "They should all be able to fight, at least a little. But most of them have no stamina. If the battle goes on for more than half an hour there will only be a couple left. And they won't last much longer."
"That should be enough," Kaname said. "The battle should go quickly. Without their weapons, the hunters will be surprised enough that we should be able to overtake them quickly. Yuuki, I will need you to lead the magic users."
"What?!" Yuuki exclaimed. "I-I can't do that!"
"I need you to do it," Kaname said sternly. "No one else can."
"What about you?" Yuuki demanded. She had wanted him to treat her like an adult, but this was too much. She couldn't be responsible for the lives of others. What if she made the wrong decision? She couldn't do this.
"I will be handling the other pureblood," Kaname said steadily. "Unless you would prefer to do that."
Yuuki pailed at the idea of facing a pureblood that was strong enough to mess with Kaname's mind. Even though she didn't like the other option, she knew that she really could not face down the other pureblood. She would have to lead the magic users.
"Kaname," she said, her voice pleading. "I can't lead them out to kill. I just can't."
"Then tell them to only kill if it is necessary," Kaname said placing his hand on her face and trying to ignore the haunted look in her eyes at the thought of dealing death. "That decision is yours to make. It will be easier if you will let them do what they must, but if the thought of death disturbs you so much, you can order them to try to avoid it."
His words, far from comforting her, made her feel worse. She couldn't tell them not to kill, not if it might mean their deaths as they tried to follow her orders. She had no idea what she was going to do. Part of her still hoped for a peaceful end to all of this but she knew that it was unlikely.
"How long do I have to decide?" Yuuki asked, her voice hollow and defeated.
Kaname felt sadness creep through him at her tone, but he had no time to worry about it. They needed to press on if they were going to win this war. He could worry about her feelings after he was sure that her life was safe.
"Two hours," Kaname replied. "We will attack in two hours." His words held a finality that no one that heard them liked. By the end of the day, for better or for worse, the war would be over and they would either be dead or victorious.
ooOO88OOoo
Seiren groaned as she stopped outside the doors of the moon dorms. She understood that Kaname had other things he needed to accomplish before the battle could begin, but she hated that he had delegated the task of telling the others of the new plans to her. She didn't want to be the one to break the news that battle was upon them to the rest of the vampires, but she would.
With a deep sigh, she set her face into a mask of determination and opened the door. At her entrance, the numerous vampires that were sprawled around the room in various stages of relaxation looked up at her. She knew they had to wonder why she was here. Lessons were not set to start for another hour or so, and she had never been one for socialization.
"The timetable for battle has been moved up," She said, pleased with herself when her voice did not quiver. "We attack at nine. Spread the word."
For a moment, there was only shocked silence in the room and then suddenly everyone was speaking at once. Seiren could make out no one voice in the din, but she understood their frustration and desire to attempt to sway her. She felt the same things.
"My orders came from Kaname-sama himself," she said loudly in an attempt to be heard over the roar of the others. "If you wish to argue, take it to him. I cannot help you." When she finished speaking, she turned and walked away content that she had done what he had asked of her and that her time—what might remain of it anyway—was now her own until his nine-o-clock deadline. And she knew exactly how she would spend what might be her last hours on this earth.
ooOO88OOoo
As news of the impending battle spread through the camp, many others followed Seiren's example. But for others that was not an option. Even at the end, some were unable to express their feelings. Kain was one of these. After he heard that they would enter battle, he had wanted to tell Ruka that he loved her but the words would not come. Instead, he sat beside her as they watched a movie and tried to forget that by dawn their world would be completely different.
What he didn't know was that Ruka already knew. It was there, in the way he looked at her and had pulled her against him when she sat beside him. She had known for some time, ever since Yuuki and Kaname's battle with Sara when he had stopped her from rushing in. If they both survived, she would bring it up herself if he didn't. But otherwise, it was better to not know what might have been. With this in mind, she sat against him and tried to enjoy the movie.
Rima, too, was sitting in silence staring at the TV, though she wasn't seeing the picture. All she could see was the image that had greeted her when she had gone to tell Senri of the newest development. Her heart had broken at the sight of the two of them asleep in each other's arms. Even though she knew that was how things were, it hurt to see it. She knew that she should be happy that they were happy, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Even though she knew that she might not make it to tomorrow, she couldn't be happy for them. Not now.
The melancholy atmosphere was not restricted to the moon dorm. Back at the headmaster's house, both Kaien and Yuuki sat in their respective bedrooms and thought about the past and the wrongs they had committed against others and had committed against them. Life was cruel and unfair. Just when things looked as though they would work out for the best, something came along a changed the game.
Yuuki particularly was feeling betrayed by fate. She finally had a taste of everything that she had ever wanted and some things that she had never imagined even in her wildest dreams, and now . . . it could all be gone by tomorrow. And instead of being able to enjoy it, she was going to spend her last few hours thinking about the things she had only just realized and agonizing over a decision she should never have been forced to make. How would she lead others into a battle that she did not want to fight?
ooOO88OOoo
We're almost there ya'll. The next chapter will be the beginning of the end. I'm almost sad that we're almost done. :'(
As always thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.
And thank you to:
Sapphire Kuran: Thank you. And we will see a much more independent Yuuki in the end, she is going to be on her own with her own little army in the battle. And no problem. I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter.
Giang Tien: Don't worry. It was far too early to kill him there. No promises for anyone's survival in the end though. I tried it once too. . .
Akira 91: Happy new year to you too! I am glad that I could give you something to make coming home from vacation worth it. And the can off whoop ass is coming in the next chapter. I am glad you appreciated the Senri/Takuma scene. I was worried about that. I wish you well for 2013 as well!
BookWormMissy: They had no way of knowing, and it was kind of fun to write Yuuki having a secret from the rest of them . . . sort of. And I'm not entirely sure that even she understands him. I'm not sure that he understands himself.
Ruby Red Kuran: I'm glad that you loved it! I had fun writing those two. I hope you liked this one as well.
fanficgirl85: I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I hope that you like the next chapter
Elliot Rose: I was surprised by how well I could get behind it as well. It wasn't something that I would have thought of initially (I tend to ship Rima/Shiki) but it was a request and as I thought about it, I realized that I could see it working since I don't know a whole lot about those characters sexualities either. And I don't see how I can throw her a romance with her so hung up on Senri, though I would love to. I feel bad for her as well. And I got the same feel from the manga and it drove me nuts. If he doesn't love her, he should let her go. . . and that is a good question. . . maybe we will get to find out eventually. It'll still take a bit to get to the end but it won't be too long. I haven't quite decided what to do about his children, but I will make sure to tie up those ends before the story is over but—like you—I doubt that most of them—if any—will be out and about even if they are alive.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this story and I would love to know what you think so leave me a review if you have time and/or the inclination,
Stickdonkeys