I'm back! Okay, some of you may have noticed, but I changed some of the spelling in characters names. These are the official spellings, all except Aidou and Kuran. Simply because I prefer the 'A' in front of Aidou's name, and I'll die before I use 'Clan' for any of the Kuran family. I would give an example, but I don't feel like dying, so imagine putting 'Clan' in front of the first name of any of my favorite family. (Rido doesn't count, since technically his name was stricken from the family tree. So there!)
I did make up a few things here or there, just for the sake of the story, but they're all basically self explanatory.
It seemed Kaname had a wicked streak in him.
Oh yes, very wicked.
The two Kurans gave each other one last smile and wink, before the gates opened and the entire Night Class began acting. A few of the new additions, all trailing behind the more experienced and trusted members, curved their lips upwards. What fun.
Yori was astounded, like all of the original Day Class, but for very different reasons. As the gates opened, the two prefects on duty had trouble keeping the Day Class girls from running over the Night Class. Just because they were vampires didn't mean that they had lost their charm. Actually, it had increased their popularity, of all things.
Well, at least the prefects had a moment to brace themselves, when the Day Class paused, recognizing Cross Yuuki.
Yori smiled wryly. Kuran Yuuki, now. Oh, if the girls heard that, they'd go berserk!
What they did know, however, was that Yuuki had a huge crush on Kaname. They doubtless thought that he had turned her. Which was partially true.
Yuuki's appearance was surprise enough, but the fact that she was apparently in conflict with Kaname made a few people off balance. It didn't last long once the Kaname fangirls thought they had a chance at their idol. They threw malicious glares at Yuuki, who was clearly angry. Aidou and Cain, who were walking between the feuding siblings, looked nervous. In fact, the whole Night Class looked shifty, as if they had experienced something nerve wracking. Something that could terrify vampires.
Needless to say, Kaname fangirls were ecstatic. Even a few of the guys started to eye Yuuki. She was less intimidating than Luka, since they knew her as the Chairman's human daughter, and she really was very pretty.
Yori was starting to get concerned for the siblings engagement when Yuuki gave her a slow wink. She sighed in relief as she watched their little façade and the magic it was weaving in the Day Classes minds. Actually, more like a big façade.
While Yori didn't particularly like the idea of her best friend marrying her brother, her first priority was seeing Yuuki happy. Besides, she had to acknowledge that she was no longer human. Despite this display, no, because of this display, Yori knew the siblings genuinely loved each other, and not just as family.
Yori had a revelation. Neither of the two purebloods could ever be happy with anyone but each other, even without taking into account their ridiculously long life spans. Kaname would never leave Yuuki's side. This made Yori feel a lot better.
Something moved at the corner of her eye, and she looked up. Chairman Cross was sitting on a tree branch, dangling his legs and watching his daughter.
Their eyes met, and they smiled.
Witnessing the smile between her father and best friend, she felt a little better inside. She didn't wish to trick the humans close to her.
Yuuki's attempt to ignore the smugness rising to the front of her mind was to no avail. Eventually she had to acknowledge it. Humans were so gullible.
This brought her up short. Who was she to criticize her way of life for so many years? But that wasn't quite right. As they approached the Academy, she realized exactly what it was. She knew humans; they had emotions, intelligent thoughts, and fought to survive like any other living being on the planet. Many people criticized past behaviour, but racism was completely different! Gods, she was losing her mind!
Suddenly, all her emotions fled, and were replaced by anger.
Frack, how she hated mood swings!
The now real anger on her face was for the exact opposite reason the Day Class girls thought. She was angry that she couldn't be with Kaname, her brother, her fiancé. The distance to the school was almost nonexistent now, yet impatience and anger filled her to the core. A few metres away, a tree cracked, and Yuuki panicked. She really didn't want to kill anyone.
Yet, despite all her efforts, the anger overpowered her.
Just in the nick of time, a 'blanket' covered her mind, protecting the outside world from her rage. She let herself let loose, knowing the only person who had shared enough blood with her to link telepathically was a strong man. She hoped he wouldn't mind her relying on him just this once. The environment -and people- were kept intact. It was one of the reasons purebloods were supposed to stay calm; both inside and outside.
Once inside Academy walls, many of the new members burst out laughing. Yuuki even caught a few of her friends smiling.
Her anger burned out, Yuuki simply became tired. The brunette glided towards her lover, and together they walked towards one of the many gardens. Classes didn't start till sunset after all, and they still had about forty minutes till dark.
Out of sight, out of hearing, but perhaps not quite out of mind, Yuuki collapsed into Kaname's arms, weeping uncontrollably. "D-don-n't e-e-ever d-do t-that again, o-okay?" She sagged into his arms like a wilting flower.
He pet her head slowly. "Shh… shh… It's alright…" his voice was low and comforting, making her tears dry up quickly. To her embarrassment, she started hiccupping. "We have classes and all our free time together… It's only a few minutes. We did want to scare off all our fans, right? Just a few more nights…" he rambled on, his voice getting softer and softer until it was completely gone. She appreciated how not once it was 'I' or 'you', but always 'we'. The two held their embrace until it got a little darker. "Fifteen minutes…" he mumbled in her ear. Her eyes shone as she looked up into his.
Their lips met slowly and it didn't last long, but that's all they needed.
The purebloods looked like any king and queen when they swept into the classroom, their group fanned out behind them. Yuuki had draped her hand over Kaname's bent arm, and held her head high. The pair looked so regal that the students at their desks instinctively jumped up to bow or curtsy, a step behind those who were already standing. They made their way to the back window seat, and sat. The new students let go of their breath and sat down just as the teacher walked in.
Yuuki showed no interest in the subject, though in fact she almost didn't want it to end. Not only was her mind more perceptive, but the teacher kept throwing in random facts about influences certain vampires made in history. Yuuki glanced at Kaname, and could tell he wasn't interested in a subject that he was probably tutored in as a child.
Classes were over, and the Night Class was preparing the charade all over again. Yuuki comforted herself by thinking over and over again about how grateful she was that her nocturnal day was not over yet. The sun had not yet peeked over the horizon.
The sound from across the wall was almost deafening. A couple of curious new students probably had gone to see what the commotion was yesterday morning. Word must have spread through the Sun Dorms new inhabitants quickly.
Sensing her inner turmoil, the blanket descended on her mind again. The gates opened.
All of the fangirls except the Kaname club were not as energetic as normal. The feuding couple put a damper on the others 'moods'. Aidou's greetings weren't nearly as charming as normal. Fangirls sulked.
Two new prefects were on duty today. Yori and a tall, dark-haired boy. Yuuki remembered a conversation she had with Cain.
"There are now eight prefects working in pairs, taking turns." He responded to her inquiry.
"But that means that there is one pair each week who only has duties once." Yuuki protested. She hid her relief that the job was still being performed, and that the new prefects wouldn't have to go through the same exhaustion that she had to, every day.
"Sometimes they get an extra holiday, but often they are asked to help on Sundays, which are the busiest days, with everyone out of school. They also are the most likely to be picked to help with dorm inspections, though sometimes almost the whole team is out helping. Don't worry, Chairman Cross chose the most responsible people of all the volunteers," he shrugged.
-
That day before classes began, Yuuki went to see her friend. She landed behind the girl lightly and was about to open her mouth when Yori twirled and pointed a gun at her. Seeing who it was, she relaxed and mouthed "Oh." The two began laughing, but Yuuki eyed the gun her friend was still holding and backed away nervously.
"You can put that away now, you know?" Yori looked down and blushed, then put it back down by her waist. Yuuki hesitated, and then unbuckled something from her leg. Before Yori could protest, she attached Artemis to her best friend's leg. "I want you to have it. I cannot even hold it any longer, so it's just habit that I keep it on me."
Tears filled Yori's eyes, and they hugged.
Something occurred to Yori then.
"Why are you making the Day Class think that you and Kaname don't like each other? I nearly had a heart attack!" She narrowed her eyes and looked at her friend suspiciously. Yuuki surprised her by laughing.
"I told Kaname that I didn't want the Day Class bothering us. The plan he came up with is completely evil." She grinned like a villain.
"I thought that you guys wanted to make it obvious about your relationship?" Yori felt her eyes climb up her forehead.
"Oh, we are. No-one's going to bother us after we pull this one off!"
Yori gaped at Yuuki as she finished. It was brilliant, and she was discovering a new found respect for Kaname. She better go warn the Chairman so he could put all the prefects on extra alert.
A few days later, a note was posted on the wall by the school gate. Day Class students were crowding around it, and gossip was flying through the air.
In one week there will take place:
A 'Back to School' dance hosted by
The Night Class in
The Moon Dormitory
From 9:30pm-12:00am
-Kuran Kaname and
The Night Class
Yori hid a smile as she heard girls plotting how to get the Night Class guys in talking range, and the boys were quietly encouraging each other after their crush, both Day Class and Night Class.
Personally, Yori found it quite hilarious.
Yuuki rubbed her hands in anticipation as she walked down the school hallways. Day Class just ended, so she was thrown many curious and envious glances. She stood outside a classroom door for a minute, and then walked in.
The stragglers watched in astonishment as someone in a white uniform walked in and grabbed Wakaba Sayori's hand. She just had time to grab her backpack before Yuuki dragged her into the hallway. They were about to leave the school when a couple of prefects stopped them. They stood in front of her, weapons ready.
"Where do you think you're taking that Day Class student, Cross?" demanded the girl. She was trying to sound menacing, but Yuuki guessed it was her first time confronting a Night Class student. She was glad her sunglasses hid her amusement.
"Oh, do put your weapons down." She flipped her free hand dramatically. "I have permission from my father to take my friends to town tonight. Here," she handed them a paper, which the boy promptly read. "I'll be back before morning, when my classes start." He blinked at her for a moment, picking up on her use of 'morning'.
"It's all right, Hikari. They have permission." He folded it and handed it back to Yuuki.
Hikari narrowed her eyes, but let them pass.
"So, why are we going to town?" Yori looked around nervously at the vampires who piled in the car around her. At least she had the door on one side and Yuuki on the other.
Yuuki couldn't blame her. She had brought the two females she trusted that would come. Luca and Rima were there, but Seiren was constantly at Kaname's side. Shiki was driving, since he and Rima were now virtually inseparable and he was the only one besides Cain and Kaname who could drive. Rima was in the front seat, holding Shiki's free hand, and Aidou was on the far side of the back seat beside Luca, acting as bodyguard. The third row of seats had been removed for extra storage space, so they were crowded. With so many vampires, the only human had reason to be scared.
"We're shopping for the dance. It's in a few days, there are a few good sales on, and I wanted to surprise Kaname with a new dress. He's seen all of my own and my mother's dampers his mood. Besides," she poked a finger at Yori, "you don't have anything good to wear."
Yori looked down at herself. "Why are we all wearing our uniforms, by the way? You pulled me right out of class, but you guys…" she trailed off when Yuuki shook her head.
"They tell other vampires that we don't want to be bothered. Else they'd stop us in the middle of the street and start talking politics. Very boring, believe me."
"Oh." Yuuki's friend drifted into her own little world, a frown on her face.
They arrived in town without incident and the girls pulled they unenthusiastic guys into shop after shop, each and every one uber-girly. Yuuki had to admit that part of their reluctance probably had to do with the fact that they decided to park the car and walk, resulting in the guys substituting for pack mules.
Yuuki ended up buying a figure-hugging black dress with light pink frills, black and pink heels, tiny pink earrings, and a black choker. She helped Luca pick a short dark blue dress with a silver choker, and Yori settled for a pretty green dress and silver earrings. They both decided they had shoes at the Dorms that they could use.
They had been through town without incident and were heading back to the car when Luca smelled something on the wind. "Oh. No." The other students looked at her funny, not understanding. "All of you, but especially Yuuki-sama, start taking your tablets and run. To the car, quick!"
Luca saw Aidou take a quick sniff, before his eyes turned red and he started shoveling pills in his mouth. "Yuuki-sama, keep your nose in that cake, and don't smell the air. Let's go!"
The vampires started running, but Luca hesitated when she saw Yori. She sprinted to the confused human and flung her up on her back. They took off so fast that the wind whistled in her ears and she almost didn't hear Yori's soft voice. "Thank you, for not leaving me behind."
"Oh, it was nothing."
"Still, I didn't think you of all people would come to my aid. I am Yuuki's best friend, after all."
Luca understood the implications, of course. She laughed quietly, to the girl's obvious surprise. "Yuuki-sama and I got over that misunderstanding a while ago. I simply serve Kaname-sama now, so Yuuki-sama and I are free to be good friends. Besides, I found someone who loves me back. I'm content." Normally, Luca would never share so much with a human, and a prefect at that, but the bond they shared relaxed her. For all of her low self-esteem, Yuuki-sama could work wonders.
Yuuki looked at Aidou and Luka in confusion. They wouldn't look her in the eyes, but she could see the red in theirs. Something was seriously wrong.
"Yesterday at about 5:30 pm, a speeding car hit a large truck. The truck was at the tail end of a traffic jam caused by construction on Main Street.
"The impact was so hard that the truck tipped over and caused a domino effect. A crane fell across the road, blocking the escape route.
"Police have released the real cause of the accident this morning. Investigators tell us that the speeder was a twenty-nine year old man fleeing with his kidnapped twin daughters after murdering his divorced wife. The only surviving family member is a son who was in a daycare.
"Death counts reached above a hundred over an hour ago when an old man died in the hospital. The serious injuries count, both permanent and temporary, is in the hundreds, including road workers at the site.
"This just in; death counts ri-"
There was a little beep! As a long and elegant hand reached over her shoulder to turn off the TV. Yuuki wasn't aware that she was crying until those same fingers swept them from her cheek. "We couldn't have done anything," he breathed in her ear. "Luca and Aidou did the right thing."
"There must have been something, anything, to save more lives that I could've done. Anything…" she whispered the last part, more to herself than him.
She was surprised when he jerked her chin around so he could look into her eyes. He talked softly.
"We're lucky there were no vampires there, particularly any powerful ones. With so much blood everywhere, they would have gone berserk, eating everyone in sight."
Well, that was one way to end a conversation.
So, did you enjoy it? Since you made it to the bottom of the page, I hope you did! Haha, do you guys like how Kaname's stated using 'we' for him and Yuuki? I think it's cute. On the whole Zero and Shiki thing, I planned on having those in later chapters. Also, I think I mentioned this before, but I'll be updating as soon as possible. Which may mean shorter or longer waits, depending on how busy I am and on any writer's blocks that sneak up on me. I'd just like to let you know that your comments are all very motivating, and I'm especially grateful to the people who have reviewed for every chapter so far. You are all a dream come true, to be able to hear a stranger's opinion on my works.
o_O That's a lot of rulers!
