Title: The Haunting
Summery: '"I saw my sister, Erica". "Your sisters dead Hanabusa" Kain stared at his cousin. "I know" Aidou sighed...' As secreats begin to reveal themselves and strange murders begin to increase, who is there you can truly trust.
Language: English
Rating: K+
Genre: Drama and Supernatural
By: Maxine/Stebbins -Stella-
Fanfic: Anime-Vampire Knight
Includes: Gruesome scenes and possibly self harm further on. No more really for this chapter right now... We will see as the story goes on.
Spoilers: There will be no real spoilers in this story but I may talk about them in these little bits, if I do I will put a big 'SPOILER: EPISODE...' before I write it so you know.
Chapter Three: Supposed Truth And A Trip Down Memory Lane
Kaname was the first to smell the blood in the night class room. Everyone was sitting and watching as a lecture went on in front of them all. Kaname sat close to the window while it was open so he could breath the fresh night air and so he smelt the blood almost instantly. Next was Ruka who had been standing right beside him, then slowly and gradually the rest of the class began to smell the blood.
At first it really was nothing, like a paper cut or prick of a pin but then it began to grow and they all, at the same time, shared a worried look. They all stood up and made their ways to the door. The teacher watched them but didn't fight, he knew they wouldn't leave unless something was wrong, at least Kaname wouldn't.
They all strode down and made their way across the freshly cut grass. All of them, practically gliding, as they moved down towards the smell which grew stronger with every second. They knew when they were getting closer as the smell became more and more distinctive as to the location. It made some of their mouth's water and their chests tighten so they couldn't breath as normally as they could. Soon the blood was so strong and thick they were running, they knew the smell could only be this strong when a human was practically bleeding to death!
Soon most of them where running as fast as they could to the blood's location. It was not too far high up so they climbed and slipped in through the open window. Ayaka laid, dead on the floor, hardly any blood left, most of it actually lay on her and on the floor. Her room mate Sharon lay unconsious on the floor, her head was cut and she was bleeding badly.
For a moment the night class just stared at the blood soaked wall and the pale day class students in silence. But then finally Kaname stepped forward and picked up Sharon, he told Ichijo to alert the chairman, then told Kain to check up on Aidou. He told Rima and Shiki to keep anyone from coming into the room unless they were the chairman and who he said. He then asked Ruka to go and prepare the medical room for Sharon. The rest were to go back to the Moon Dorm before they went crazy with hunger.
When they were all gone Kaname gave them a few seconds while he gently checked her pulse and made sure that the only damaged was the one to her head. With that, he stood, picking her up, and jumping out the window, landing gently on his feet. He then walked swiftly down to the medical room and lay her down on the bed. Ruka stood watching, she wasn't sure what to say, she knew she had to press the matter, but as she opened her mouth to speak Kaname raised a hand and silenced her.
"Not now Ruka" he whispered
She nodded but then instead asked a different question "Will you be questioning her alone?"
"I would like to" he nodded
Ruka nodded back and looked around for a while, she didnt want to leave Kaname's side. But after a while Kaname asked her to go and have some rest while he waited for her, it would be morning soon and the last thing they needed was for a night class to walk through them, and passed Zero, after what had just happened.
As she nodds and leaves Kaname turns his attention back to Sharon. He hoped... no, he prayed that when she woke she said it was a level E vampire that no one knew, but for some reason, he already anticipated the answer that she was going to give him, and it made him sick.
Meanwhile Kain knocked on the bedroom down and stepped inside. Aidou was laying in the bed, fast asleep. He sighed and went over, pulling the blanket over and up to his shoulders before turning to let Kaname know he was fine and everything was normal... when something stopped him. He could have sworn that he saw a girl in outside, a small child. At first he didn't understand why this bothered him, that was until he remembered, the girl looked like Erica.
He looked down at Aidou, hadn't he said that he had seen his sister. This disturbed him and as much as he wanted to leave and tell Kaname, he had a feeling that he should stay with his cousin, to protect him. So instead of returning he sat down on the bed and watch his cousin.
Then Kain heard giggling, strange high pitched and child like. He frowned and stood up, making his way from the room, he gave a quick worried glance at Aidou but then heard the noise once again coming from the large stair case. Curiously he made his way to the top of them and looked down.
Nothing was there. Sighing and running a hand through his hair he went to go back to his room when he felt something hard hit his back and he tumbled down the stairs. As he fell he only had chance to roar out once before his jaw hit the stair. Then he flipped and felt his arm snap when the weight was put on it. As he rolled again, head smacking the stairs, nose cracking, legs twisting, arms flapping like lose bits of food.
It took an age before he finally hit the bottom of the stairs and lay there in pain. His whole body hurt and for a while he found it hard to breath. Just as he was about to look around something landed hard on his head and it was all too much. He fell unconscious.
The dark shadow above him smirked and made his way back up the stairs, back down the corridor and to Kain's room.
*VK*VK*VK*
Rima and Shiki were finding it harder than they thought to keep everyone back. At first it was simple, telling her friends she was not well and letting the gossip spread but then everyone began to get suspicious. "Why was the night class doing this, why not the nurse or the prefects?" for one.
It was getting harder and harder and since they were actually night class then they did draw attention. They stayed there for a while until finally Ichijo came back with the Headmaster and Toya. They dismiss them and go to see the case while Zero and Yuuki come along after to clear off the class.
So Rima and Shiki headed back to the night class where they hoped everyone, or someone, was waiting to give some information. Unfortunatly, when they got there they found that not only had they no answers but more questions.
Kain was lain on one of the settee's, body bandaged, unconscious. Ruka was standing over him, she looked very worried.
"What's going on?" Shiki asked
"I do not know" Ruka said "I just came home and he was at the bottom of the stairs... like this"
"Should we get Kaname?" Rima asked
"Yeah, one of you go, he's in the medical room" Ruka said
"Should I take Kain?"
"No, he will heal soon, and if we drag him through people will see us and question"
"OK" Rima went to get him while Shiki looked at the stairs
"How did he fall?" Shiki asked "He couldn't have slipped"
"I know... I have a theory... But I shouldn't say... Not without talking to Kaname first" Ruka replied, stroking Kain's hair across his forehead
"What is it?" Shiki asked anyway
"...someone pushed him" she said hesitantly
"What? Who?"
"Not sure" she lied "But I want to run it by Kaname anyway"
"I am gonna check on Hanabusa" he said making his way up the stairs
"He isn't there" Ruka said "I already checked"
"Where is he?" Shiki asked
"I don't know!" she snapped
Shiki blinked and then went upstairs. He walked into Aidou's room without knocking and looked around. Aidou wasn't there, all his things were though so maybe he just went for some air. But then why was Ruka so angry with him? She didn't really think Aidou had pushed Kain did she?
He went over and stopped, lying on the floor was a rose. He frowned and picked it, setting it on the side and going over to the window. He stared out and frowned again, none of this was making much sense. That was when he spotted something on the window sill. It looked like someone had dug their nails into the ledge.
This was very odd and he ran his finger over them. It was getting weirder and weirder. Then he heard a loud shout that sounded like Kain. Running towards the stairs he slid down the rail and jumped so he stood beside them. Ruka was sitting beside Kain, rubbing his back as he held his head, shaking and pale.
"What happened?"
"He just woke from a nightmare" Ruka said
"About?" Shiki looked at Kain
"I... I cant... I don't know" he moaned "I saw Erica, Hanabusa's little sister, she was yelling at me and screaming and..." he shook his head
"Akatsuki... What happened to his sister?" Ruka asked
"I cant say" he sighed
"Kain!" Ruka glared at him
"...When he was younger... Erica was in a play but her parents were busy and couldn't take her to it... So they asked Aidou..."
A Distante Memory
Aidou was waiting for Erica to come out, as she had a average big role, she did a lot (or at least that is how she saw it anyway) so many people had come and wanted to ask her if she planned to go into a career of acting when she was older. Of course his little sister would play on it and act like she didn't know, say she was so shy even though she wasn't. She was a very good actor of course so everyone fell over her act.
When she finally came out Aidou was in a bad mood. He had planned to do some reading that night instead but now he had to help his sister, it was rather cold as well and although the cold didn't actually bother Aidou that much, he still would rather be at home, she he wasn't happy that she was taking her sweet time.
"You couldn't have taken any more time to leave!" Aidou snapped when she was standing beside him "Seriously, you weren't even the lead, you where just some bloomin fairy! And you had only a few lines, anyone can look sad if they try hard enough"
"Not in front of an audience or under pressure" she snapped.
Although it was not too late, it was very dark out, they probably would have been fine if they left straight away but since not it was hard to go across the streets. They received strange looks considering Erica was about five or six and Aidou was only about eight or nine. One old couple actually stopped and asked if they needed help. After avoiding a call to the police they made their way down the street.
It was Aidou who noticed that someone was following them. He casually pretended to drop something and turned around, he picked it up and saw the tall dark shadow stop. When he stood he took Erica's hand and whispered quietly.
"That guy is following us, when I say, run and don't look back, don't let go of my hand either, OK?" he whispered
"Ok" she whispered, gripping his hand tightly suddenly afraid
"..." They were about to turn a corner, the minute they did, Aidou was going to tell her to run, he was going to leave a thin layer of ice on the floor and they would run home.
Unfortunately when they turned the corner they froze to see the man smirking at them. Aidou yelled and fell back, still gripping Erica's hand so she fell with him. They both hit the ground hard and looked up just in time have to have something large and black smother their faces.
They fell unconscious and when they woke they were in the strange temple. Aidou was tied to the wall and Erica was unconscious by the eagle. He blinked and looked around.
"What's going on?!" he shouted
"You are helping me Hanabusa" a voice said
"Who said that?!" he shouted frantically
"I did" a man stepped out, he had these horrible red and yellow eyes, he was a tall man shaped but the colour of a shadow all over.
"Who are you?!"
"That is not important, what is important, is how you are going to be helping me" he smirked and walked over
"Stay away!" Aidou screamed but he ignored him, he then leaned down and sunk his teeth into Aidou neck "Stop" Aidou moaned and struggled but the ropes that bound his wrist and ankles stopped him from moving.
When the man pulled back he smirked and turned, walking over to Erica. Aidou was weak and sunk, the ropes the only thing keeping him up. So he could only watch as the man bends down to Erica and strokes her cheek.
"Remember this Hanabusa..." he whispered before whisteling, a large black hound came out "...You belong to me"
The hound walked over to Erica and grabbed her small fragile arm, then began to rip and pull. Aidou screamed but the ropes stopped him from running and helping his sister. The wolf ripped and ripped, the girl stayed asleep but half way through whatever knocked them out wore off and she woke screaming and howling in pain. Crying for Aidou.
"Stop it!" Aidou yelled
The man laughed and reached down, dipping his hand into the small crimson blood that was beginning tp spread over the long stones. He walked up and rubbed his hand on the eagles chest, spreading and smudging the blood. He then smirked and turned around, the eagle's eyes turning the same as the mans own haunting ones.
Erica lay, bleeding and crying. The man whistled again and the hound moved back, the eagle's eyes and mouth glowing brightly.
The eagles suddenly moved to the side, the stones rubbing against the floor, behind it was two large doors. He reached in to open the doors and stopped. He went turned around and went over to Aidou again. Untieing him and taking him to the doors, pushing him forward.
"Open the doors" he commanded
"No!" he shouted
"Do it Aidou, you belong to me remember" he smirked eyes glowing slightly
Aidou fought but soon found his arms lifting and taking the handles of the doors and pulling. The door's led into a pit of darkness. It was pure black but when it was opened a high pitched horrible screaming hurt Aidou's ears. The man laughed and stepped forward.
Aidou took this time to run back to Erica, whom was still bleeding badly, the dog stood still as a statue. He kneels beside her and calls her name softly. When she didn't respond he began to freak out and shake her. When she still didn't wake up he began to sob.
"Erica" he howled "Please wake... Erica!"
He looked up and saw the man standing in the doorway, the darkness seeping into his shadowed skin. Anger flew to him and he jumped up to his feet, running at him shouting, the man just managed to look around when Aidou grabbed both the doors and slammed them shut.
When he was done he sat down, panting and sobbing for his sister while she lay, curled into a ball, bleeding.
"... And soon his father and a group found him, but by that time Erica was dead, Hanabusa was half dead from starving himself, freezing and just refusing to leave her side" Kain sighed "He blamed himself for it, said he should have protected her, when they got to him he was sobbing, asking her to forgive him, it wasn't a pretty sight"
"Oh my god" Ruka whispered
"Please, don't tell anyone" Kain sighed
"We won't" they swore then Ruka asked "Kain can you tell us exactly what you saw in your dream?"
"I am not sure, I saw Hanabusa's home and she was pointing to it and screaming, then she was in front of the temple where they found him and she was still jumping and screaming. I think she was saying help" Kain mumbled
"Akatsuki, you don't think she might be trying to tell us something do you?" Ruka blinked
"Ruka are you serious?" he frowned
"Well. It cant hurt can it. Let's at least pop down the Aidou residence and see what we find, OK?" she said standing
Kain was about to snort and say no when he thought of going for a different reason, what if Aidou's family did know of some way to help his nightmares, that would help a lot, so instead he nodded and stood up, brushing himself down and running a hand through his hair.
"Shiki, you stay and tell Kaname, alright?" Kain asked
"I will" he nodded
"Thank you, we will be back soon" Kain promised
Then, Ruka and Kain, both made their way to the doors and down the long path in silence. When they reached the gates they both, swiftly and delicately jumped up and over them, landed daintily on their feet on the other side. They debated for a second between calling a cab or just walking but then decided to get a ride half way and then walk.
Once they were settled in the back of the taxi of a young greasy mans car, they sat in silence, Ruka stared off out the window into the distance while Kain looked at his feet and frowned slightly, he still had no idea Aidou was no longer in his room.
"What do we do when we get there?" Kain asked
"I don't know, ask around, see if anyone knows where he could be" Ruka said
"Huh?" Kain frowned
"Hanabusa" she said
"Hanabusa's at home, isn't he?"
"No, I couldn't find him when I got there" Ruka blinked
"He was asleep when I got him" Kain said
This only rose Ruka's suspicions on Aidou. It terrified her to think that he would hurt his own family member but then there had been many cases of vampires taking out brothers and sisters, then again this was usual to see who got the inheritance. Kain and Aidou were only cousins and none of their parents were actually dead yet... Yet.
They drove on for almost two, if not three hours and both were irritable. Finally they looked around and both recognised the familiar woods, thick brown tree trunks that held home to many squirrels and bird, owls and hid the hole entrances to the home of the moles and voles. A red fox even ran past and hid behind one of the large thick green bushes that matched the pure green leaves at the end of each of the trees. There was only a rough long dirt road that was full of bumps and holes, making the car jump up and down, irritating Ruka all the more and making Kain glare more furiously. Apart from the mud road there was nothing but pure emerald green grass covering the ground, encircling the trees and bushes, running along beside a pond not too far in the woods, clear blue crystal water with a bright shinning sun reflecting off the surface.
"Are, we, there, yet?" Ruka asked between the bumps
"Nearly" Kain replied when the cab driver came to a stop
"Sorry kids, car can't take much more, do you think you will be alright on your own?" he looked back
"We will be fine" Kain nodded as Ruka opened the door and got out "Thank you" he handed a fifty and allowed him to keep the change before climbing out of the cab and slamming the door.
Ruka and he stepped to the side and allowed the cab driver to return back and began to walk on there own. For a long time, once again, they didnt speak as they moved, maybe because they were to nervous or maybe just because there was nothing to say. But finally they made it to the large mansion.
Before they could reach the doors Kain came to an abrute stop. Ruka looked at him frowning "What is it?"
"That" he gasped pointing forward
By the large doors, waiting on some of the stone steps, spinning her dress around and around stood Erica, she smiled when she saw Kain and waved for him to come over then jumped down and ran to the woods. Feeling foolish and crazy, Kain quickly ran to follow, Ruka by his side.
"Is that her?" she asked
"Yes" he whispered
"But how is that possible?" she snapped "She can't be a day older than the way she was when she died can she? Especially if it happened so long ago"
"I don't know" Kain replied "But it is, quick, before we lose her"
They moved as fast as they could but Erica always remained too far ahead to catch, constantly looking and waving back for them to follow her. Ruka and Kain ducked, avoiding the trees and the bushes, jumping over certain wet areas of puddles.
"Akatsuki!" Ruka called as Kain began to grow determind and run ahead of her "It could be a trap!"
"I don't think it is" Kain said
"What makes you say that?"
"A feeling" he mumbled then repeated louder
"Feeling?! Kain we are practically risking our lives for this, I need a little more than a feeling!" she cried
"A positive feeling then!" he shouted back
"Kain!" she tried again but he was running as fast as he could, almost getting away.
Moaning loudly, Ruka hurried to catch up, her hair blowing in the mind, biting the side of her lip as she hurried along. Kain's eyes were set and it was clear he wasnt going to be turning back any time soon. Erica looked back and grinned at them to show she was pleased they were following her. She waved her hands again and began to run faster, a feeling wash through Kain, almost like someone pouring a bucket of ice cold water being poured over him, what if they lost her? What is Ruka was right and this was a trap? What if she was hurting Aidou? What if she believed, like Aidou, that it was his fault she was dead?
Pushing these feelings and thoughts away Kain continued to run, forcing his feet to collide with the ground and concentrating forward, he squinted his eyes and caught site of Erica's long hair and skirt as she turned sharply behind a large thick tree. When they turned they say she was turned yet another corner.
Turning was the worse for them because they were going so fast they sometimes would land in a puddle and slip as they turned, skidding into another tree or into each other, sometimes slipping to the floor and leaping right back up again. Neither were hurt by this, their white clothes now had large green grass stains and were wet from the puddles but what worried them was how this slowed them down, and every time this happened, the risk of losing Erica was greater and greater.
But thankfully she always remained just in view for them to see. Her hair blowing in the wind, matching Ruka's as she led them along through the woods. It was like a maze and soon Ruka began to fear that if this was a trap, which she thought it was, then this supposed Erica was purposely trying to confuse them and make sure they wouldnt be able to run away.
Ruka dug into her pockets and found her phone, good, she could at least call and warn the others if this was a trap, hopefully though, Kaname wouldn't fall for it so easily as she and Kain did. She didnt want to, but Ruka found herself almost blaming Kain. He was so sure she was good, he was so sure she wasnt going to do anything to them and yet he didn't even know her all this well. She had been dead for a long time, probably grown insane, who knows what she could be up to.
But never the less, Kain followed her like a faithful hound and Ruka had no other choice but to follow him.
"Akatsuki" Ruka sighed, they had been running after her a while and she was fed up "Akatsuki! KAIN!"
"What?" Kain called without looking at her, refusing to let Erica out of his site.
"It is no point, we are not going to catch her, she is playing with us, we have to get back, ask his family, this is pointless!" Ruka snapped at him
"No I know-" he began
"No Kain!" Ruka stopped and snapped after him when he didnt "You WANT to know, you WISH you were right! But face it! This girl is not Erica and even if she is, she is playing with us, tricking us! You can follow her if you want, but I am going back to help Aidou!"
Kain suddenly stopped and looked back, he looked over then hurried to Ruka and took her hands, looking her in the eyes. For some reason this made her blush.
"Ruka, please, I have a really good feeling about following her, I know you want more than that but please. Trust me. Isn't that what friends do? This is what is going to help Hanabusa, please?" he pleaded
She stared at him for a long time and looked over his shoulder. Erica was by a tree, waving her arms desperatly, trying to get them to follow again. She sighed and nodded "Alright, you better be right about this Kain"
"I am" he smiled "I know it, now come on"
They both turned around and followed her, she beamed at them and began to run again. As they both ran along they saw something up ahead. The trees were drawing father away, and soon the broke free and where no longer surrounded by trees but open fields.
Large long layers of green, but this green was lighter, as if the grass was getting ready to die. No more paths at all, no bushes plants or trees, no animals or life what so ever. The only other thing apart from rotting grass was ahead, was a large temple, plain and falling apart but still standing. Kain recognised it as the spot where they did in fact find Hanabusa when he and Erica were taken.
Slowly they made their way over toward it and stopped by the steps. Ruka yelped when Erica suddenly ran past her, up the stairs and to the door, she waved for them to come and slipped through a large whole in the door, crawling through like a baby. Beaming at the two as she went into the darkness and disappeared.
"Still trust me?" Kain asked Ruka after a while "If not you can go home. But I have to go in"
"I cant leave you on your own" she sighed and took his hand
"Thank you" Kain nodded
"For Hanabusa?" Ruka asked
Kain nodded and smiled "For Hanabusa"
Clutching each others hand, they stepped up, opened the door and stepped into the darkness, no clue of what will be awaiting them. No idea of the blood bath with in.
TO BE CONTINUED...
No one answered my Aidou genius question from chapter two!
OK really getting into this story, I have a few really good ideas but it wont be a very long story, this is why I have been making the chapters so long, cause the story will be a little short but I hope it is enough for you!
I will only continue if I get at least one review per chapter, otherwise it will just become one of those stories that gathers dust (not literally, lol XD)