Thank you for answering my questions all and the explanation of Erica will be here, it is kind of confusing though so be careful you might get lost. Most of this is your own opinion really of what you believe. Imagination from them both in their desperate hope of whatever or was she really there.

Title: The Haunting
Summery: '"I saw my sister, Erica". "Your sisters dead Hanabusa" Kain stared at his cousin. "I know" Aidou sighed...' As secrets 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

Chapter Six: The End And The Beginning

He couldn't hear anything. He could not see anything. He couldn't feel anything. It was as if he didn't exist, as if he was just there but he wasn't alive. Maybe this was death, he thought to himself, maybe this is what happens when you die. It may be torture for some to be unable to move, hear or see, or even feel but to him it was even a little relaxing just to be able to lay there. Maybe because all his life he had to work and be on the move but now there was nothing he had to do.

But then something broke through the silence. It was a murmur at first, then a mumble, then grew louder and louder when suddenly he could hear it perfectly clear.

"Hanabusa!" Erica called out to him, her voice echoed in the darkness

Aidou opened his eyes, he was laying on the floor in the pitch black darkness, as he stood light began to fill around and he saw that he was in a grave yard. There were small and large head stones laying down or standing up, small names and dates carved into the surface of each one. And all over was a pure white blanket of snow, cold to the touch but beautifully laid out and beautifully falling down in small droplets of frozen rain. The rain fell and landed softly, reminding Aidou of frozen tears dropping from the crying clouds above.

As he stood and looked around his feet walked along crunching in the white flowers lain out. As Aidou walked he looked around, everything was so big. That's when he realized as he looked down, he was in his seven year old body, short blond hair, wearing his winter trousers and blue coat with clothes and large boots on. He had on blue ear muffs but was still shaking in the cold, giving him chills down his spines and numbing his toes and fingers.

"Hanabusa!" Erica called out again

Aidou's head snapped back and forth, he could hear her but her voice echoed from all around and he couldn't see her. He tried to call out but his throat wouldn't work and it came out as a dry croak instead making him feel like an idiot. So he just began to walk, the further he walked the higher the snow grew under it was up to just above his knees. As he pushed through the snow he kept hearing Erica calling his name.

Whenever he tried to call out to her he could feel his throat tighten up and refuse him any help. It was torture and tears filled his eyes because of it. He wanted to call for her desperately. He wanted to hold her. He just wanted to be with her at least but she was no where to been seen.

"Erica" he choked finally as he pushed through the snow, then stopped.

Erica stood, she was standing by a large grave, it was a cube with a statue of Erica in a dancing pose on the top of it. It was Erica's grave, yet his sister stood beside it, how was that even possible. But Aidou didn't care, he began to run, sloshing through the snow, tripping and falling face first almost three times but each time getting up and running on.

By the time Aidou reached her, his hair was covered in white snow and so where his clothes. He ran to her and wrapped his arms around her, she was even more colder than he was, he had to give her the heat he had left, he had to make sure she would be ok.

"Erica! Oh Erica!" Aidou sobbed, repeating her name over and over "Erica"

"Hanabusa, please... oh please..." Erica sobbed back, both of them deep in tears

"What is wrong Erica?" Aidou asked her after a long time of crying.

"I don't want you to die" she cried "At first I wanted revenge, I wanted to hurt you but then I realized that I just wanted you to be with me but now I changed my mind again and I don't want you to die! I want you to live and go on but I don't want to be alone!"

"What are you talking about?" Aidou blinked

"Don't die please! I am sorry just don't die! Don't die and don't leave me"

"...Erica" Aidou blinked "I am not dying and I am not leaving you"

"Yes you are!" she howled cold hard tears

"Erica... talk to me... explain..."

"I am sorry, please, don't hate me Hanabusa, please don't leave and hate me"

"Of course not" Aidou held her close "I would never hate you and no one could make me leave you"

Erica looked up and smiled, her hair was tangled and hung over her face in twisted strands. Her face with sickly and her skin pasty. She was wearing her bright pink snow dress with her pink wrap around her shoulders and head, all of which had white fluff on the end of it. But even with her tattered hair and damp creased clothes she looked very beautiful as the snow drifted down into parts of her hair.

"What happened to your hair?" Aidou asked her

"It got messy" She whispered

"Here" Hanabusa laughed and pushed down her wrap so that he could brush down her hair. He pushed it away from her face and smiled down at her "You look very pretty"

"Thank you" she giggled through some more tears and hugged him "I really missed you"

"Same here" Aidou grinned down at her

"I really did miss you" she repeated, tears dribbling down her cheeks "But I don't want you to stay here"

"Huh?" Aidou blinked

"Wake up Hanabusa... Please just wake up..."

Suddenly everything went black, Aidou called out for Erica but she wasn't there, he held his hands out as he walked but could feel no headstones or snow drops, he couldn't even feel the snow under his feat. He felt his own arms to make sure he was still there and looked around around, but there was nothing but pitch black darkness.

*VK*VK*VK*

Everything was still black. Everything was numb. He did not understand what was going on. He could feel his body because there was a lot of pain, but he could not see his body, he could not blink either. A soft moan escaped his lips and he heard a soft of buzzing by his ear, then something tickled his nose and eyes, his blue eyes squinted up and he saw Ruka hanging over him, her hair was the thing that was tickling him.

Ruka gasped and shouted something but all Aidou could hear was the buzzing sound in his ear. Then Kain's face in front of him, followed by more yelling by not just them two but others around the room. Aidou wished they would shut up. The louder they yelled the louder the buzzing in his ear was.

Suddenly some of the words began to make sense. He could hear a dozen voices at once so only the odd one or two came into his head. He could make out people calling his name, it sounded like nearly everyone was here, yelling at him.

Aidou squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that would help ease the buzzing. Soon after a while, finally, the buzzing got quieter and quieter until finally he could hear the voices clearly. He could hear Kain and Ruka obviously because they were closest but he could also hear Shiki and Rima, Kaname and Ichijo, he ever heard Seiren and Yuki!

The headmaster, Yuki and Zero all stood together, they were talking with Kaname, trying to find out what had happened, but every time Kaname went to tell them, Zero would jump in and argue or just interrupt him. The noise began to grow louder again.

Aidou couldn't take it, he closed his eyes and opened his mouth, shouting as loud as his strained voice would allow "SHUT! UP!"

It wasn't actually that loud, in fact it was very quiet and frog like, but it still stopped everyone dead and made them all look at him. He tried to sit up but failed, falling back down again. Kain sat beside him and helped him sit up. When he looked down at his body he saw that he was naked except for his white boxers. Most of his body was bandaged with stains of blood and a lot of red parts where his skin was burnt.

"Wh...What happened?" Hanabusa moaned, rubbing his head with a red hand

"I was about to ask you" Kaname scowled "You just ran off into the flames"

"...I saw... Erica" Aidou whispered

Everyone's features softened. Aidou covered his face and suddenly began to cry as he remembered it all. Kain put his arm around him and Ruka even gave his shoulder a squeeze. Yuki and Zero shared a look while Kaname finally finished telling the headmaster what had happened.

Then when he was done he asked the question that had been bugging him for a while "I understand the Ryou part... But what ABOUT Erica... I mean, she can't have been his imagination if Kain saw her too can she?"

"No I don't think so... This is only a theory but..." The headmaster said "Maybe..."

"Maybe?" Kain looked up

"Maybe, her spirit did stay around and she controlled who saw her when. Maybe she had been living in the temple and only escaped when she realized that Ryou was going for her brother. Maybe, she was appearing and trying to warn him... Maybe..." headmaster said

"..." Aidou lifted his face from his hands and looked at the headmaster "You mean... she... doesn't hate me?"

"Well I really doubt that. If she warned Kain for you then what makes you think she hated you?" The headmaster asked

"...I hurt her" Aidou whispered

"Either way... She must not be mad at you"

"Aidou" Yuki said shyly "Are you alright now?"

"yes" he whispered

"Sure?" Kain pressed

"Yes... what happened?" Aidou asked Kaname "After I ran at Erica?"

"Well..." Kaname began "You ran into the fire and some of the building fell down on you. I ran over and managed to get it off but you got singed badly..."

A Normal Memory
Kaname managed to lift the part that landed on Aidou and throw it into some of the blazing fire. Then look down, Aidou was unconscious and badly hurt, he had to get him out of here. Bending down he slipped one arm under his knees and the other behind his back, he then stood up holding Aidou in a baby fashion. He then looked around.

Most the place was now burning and the hole where they could have gotten through was now completely covered, it was useless to them now. They where in trouble.

He went over to one of the walls, it was the only part that wasn't completely covered by the fire. He set down Aidou's legs but kept a hand behind his back, then placed a hand on his head and shut his eyes, concentrating hard. Suddenly the side of the wall blew and he bent down, picking Aidou up again and jumping through the hole.

He could hear the others yelling and arguing around the building and hurried to show that he was OK.

When he ran around he saw that Kain was trying to go back through but Ichijo was stopping him. Ruka and Seiren where staring into the flames, worried. Kaname hurried over and called for Kain. When he looked around he raced over to help his cousin.

"Take Hanabusa, but be careful" Kaname said "He has been hurt badly"

Kain nodded and held Hanabusa close

"We need to get back" Kaname said and began to move "Come on"

They nodded, Kain looking down at Aidou as he did. Fear rising that he was going to lose his cousin. Running as fast as they could, they moved down and back to the roads, hoping to get a lift. It wasn't easy and in the end they all had to split up. Kain, Aidou and Kaname went first, all getting in a car with an elderly foke who did nothing but ask how Hanabusa was. Then Ruka got a lift with a young couple and her kids who pulled her hair and threw food on her. And Ichijo and Seiren had to go on with a strange young man who insisted aliens where coming.

By the time they got back, all of them where irritable. They hurried over to the medical room, avoiding the remaining day class students that weren't actually in class. When they made it to the medical room they set Aidou down on the bed and Kaname checked that he was still alive.

"Alright, Ichijo, go get the headmaster, Seiren, let Shiki and Rima know its Ok" Kaname said

Nodding, they hurried from the room to do as told while Kain stood over Aidou, staring at him with worry. Kaname took a breath and relaxed when someone knocked on the door. He looked over in time to see Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryuu step inside, Yuuki smiling shyly while Zero scowled at them.

"Yuuki" Kaname smiled "It is good to see you"

"What happened?" Yuki gasped

"Aidou got... injured" Kaname sighed

"That's an understatement" Zero snarled

Kaname looked at him Cooley and then back at Yuki "I will explain once the chairman gets here... and maybe Kain can explain some as well. I don't know half of it actually"

"I will" Kain promised, sitting down and reaching over, brushing hair from Aidou's face.

"Let's wait for the headmaster first" Kaname said sitting down and inviting them both to sit with him

Seiren returned first with Shiki and Rima. Then eventually Ichijo comes back with the headmaster. When everyone was there Kain explained what he was told, how Ryou was really a strange shadow grown man that had always wanted Aidou to be his and how Aidou had been tricked to kill his sister, then how Aidou tricked the man and how he came back, explained how he saw Erica and how she led him to Aidou. When he was done, everyone was shocked.

Then it was Kaname's turn. He explained about how they had heard the scream and smelt the blood, how they had hurried over. He took longer to tell his story than Kain because Zero was constantly interrupting.

Ruka and Kain had both started to clean Aidou up as best as they could. Ruka's hear tickled him and he twitched. This got everyone calling for him and trying to get him to respond...

"...And then... well you woke up" he shrugged

Aidou stared at his hands and blinked. He missed so much, and all of this was over him anyway. His mind wandered back to Erica. Did this mean she would be free now? Or would she still be stuck, wandering all alone with no one to touch or hold her. Guilt stabs at him, he glares at his hands which sat gently in his lap and shut his eyes and tears filled them once again.

Kain re-placed his arm around him and smiled softly "Come on Hanabusa, its OK"

"No it's not, it's my fault, we went all through this because of me" he grumbled

"It's not your fault Hanabusa, you didn't want him to want you" Ruka said

"I know but still"

"Come now!" The headmaster said "Hanabusa needs his sleep"

Instantly, Aidou grabbed Kain's arm. Kain smiled but Aidou blushed and pulled back "I feel like a bloody baby"

"Come on, I won't leave, just get some sleep" Kain smiled as everyone left, Zero was first to leave since he couldn't care less about Aidou. He was followed by Yuuki who waved to Aidou and Kain. She was followed by the headmaster asking to speak to Kaname. Kaname gave a nod to Aidou and followed him. Seiren said nothing as she followed Kaname. Rima and Shiki nodded towards them and left at the same time. Ichijo wished them well and also left. Ruka smiled at the two for a minute but then went out with the rest of them all.

"You can leave if you want" Hanabusa said, pretending not to care

"No, that's OK, I will stay" Kain smiled and tucked him in the bed like a mother would a child

"Thanks Akatsuki" Aidou whispered before drifting off to sleep, for the first time in weeks, he had a dreamless sleep with no nightmares and no worries, Kain watching over him like a guardian angle and his sister... even though she was younger, watching over him as well.

*VK*VK*VK*

One Month Later
Aidou grinned and waved to all the screaming girls that surrounded them and made his way to class. He stood beside Kain and in front of Shiki and Rima, ahead was Ruka and in front of her was Kaname. Everyone had taken a while to recover, but soon they all, even Aidou, could talk freely about what happened. Aidou was looking very sickly, that one night had been the only night of a dreamless sleep in a long while.

Night after night was now filled with nightmares, but not only from the passed, from what had happened to him and dreams of Ryou finally coming back for him again. That was what terrified him most. Just the thought of Ryou's return.

Aidou had dark circles under his sky blue eyes, his golden blonde hair was more messier than normal and now he did have to style it when he woke in the morning otherwise he looked horrible. His pale skin was paler than normal with a tinge of green to show he was sickly. His lips were normally always bitten through and his nails normally always digging deep into his palms. He jumped at the littlest of sounds and sometimes when he woke, if Kain was beside him he would attack him.

Everyone was being very nice to him at least. Sometimes he would wake to find, not only Kain, but Ruka there as well, with blankets and glasses of water to calm him down. Once when he was really over the edge, Kain bled into a glass and allowed Aidou to drink it to calm him down. Shiki had came in once as well and sat in silence while Aidou told him how he felt, Shiki was good to talk to. Often when he felt too sickly or even too terrified to get up Rima would bring him his food and water or work that he missed in class. Seiren was constantly getting the latest news to see where and when Ryou was being seen, so far nothing but she did not stop which gave him some comfort as well. And finally Kaname.

Kaname had been so much kinder than Aidou was used to. He was also, nearly always there for him, one day when he feel asleep in class and had a nightmare, he ran off and Kaname found him. He done something Aidou hadn't expected, he hugged him and promised to get rid of Ryou if it was the last thing he did. Other than that he would really just leave the rest to Kain and Ruka and the others.

Aidou was trying very hard to pretend everything was normal for everyone else. Flirting with the day class and even getting in to trouble in hopes it would bring back the normal atmosphere they once had. But normally it would end badly with nightmares, everyone forgetting what he did in order to comfort him.

He had to admit he did prefer for them to sometimes ignore his cries and just pretend but when he metioned it to Kain, he snapped at him, saying he was being silly and they would never ignore any of his cries. This gets to Aidou and he feels himself crying, saying he wished they could all just go back to how it used to be.

Guilt kicked in and Kain began to say he was sorry and promised to look after him until he was better. Aidou thanked him and did appreciate it but he felt like a baby already and didn't want to make it worse.

As they walked down passed the girls to class, Aidou smiled and waved, acting like nothing had changed at all even though things most certainly had.

"Idol! Idol! Over here!" some girls screamed

"Hay there!" Aidou called for them and grinned

They were just passing the woods, still so many girls surrounding the night class. Aidou noticed most of them where following him, maybe hoping to catch them on their own to do something, like take a picture or talk with them all. Either way none of them noticed anything different, Aidou finally felt like things really might be going back...

But what Aidou didn't notice, as he waved to his adoring fans, were the eyes that were watching him from the dark cover of the trees he hid in the shadows, as Aidou made his way to class, the eyes were not normal eyes either, they where a blood red with bright yellow pupils a strange and very rare pair of eyes.

THE END! HOPE YOU LIKED IT! AND HAVE FUN BECAUSE I PLAN TO DO MORE AIDOU STORIES! INCLUDING AN IDEA FOR A SEQUAL IF YOU DONT LIKE HOW RYOU GOT AWAY!