It is almost twelve in the evening by the time Yuki was able to meet up with Nicodemus Winter outside of his Latin speech class. Casually his tall and thin frame leaned against the wall. And he lit a cigarette with no match,
"You can't smoke on school grounds" Yuki began as she walked to him, Nicodemus blew the blue smoke away from her face and sighed.
"I'm sorry it's a bad habit, very hard to break" and with the flick the strange looking cigarette disappeared and he smiled.
Yuki didn't realize it but there was the softest smell of roses all around him…
"Shall we?" he motioned and Yuki nodded.
As a hour passed and the full moon rose into the starless sky Yuki was smiling and laughing with the new student from America. She had shown him almost every building and told every story that she knew about the school. On their way back to the Moon Dorm Nicodemus stopped at a small hedged and gated area.
"What's this?"
"That's the Moon Garden, the Sun Dorm has one as well. I think I might be the only one who plants anything there."
Nicodemus suddenly looked sad "How terrible" his long fingers fingered the bars of the tall gate.
"Can we go in?"
"Only Kaname has the key to the Garden and besides it is lock…" Yuki paused as she heard the softest of clicks.
"Its open Yuki-san." And Nicodemus look one graceful stride into the garden.
"Nicodemus!" Yuki cried grabbing the back of his school collar, he stopped and remained quite still.
"Why don't you call me Tsuki instead?" he turned looking shyly at her.
"N-nani?"
"Wouldn't it be easier then using my American name?" he asked tilting his head to one side.
"Tsuki-kun then?"
"Yes" and he smiled "now Yuki-san are you going to prevent me from entering when in all rights each student in the Moon Dorm is allowed passage into this garden?"
"N-no, but what if…" she began suddenly flustered
"But what? If President Kuran has anything to say about me bringing a Guardian of Cross Academy into here I will fully accept the consequences."
Yuki felt her grip loosening and he quickly took her hand "Come now, let us see what your beloved president is hiding in this hedged garden."
Yuki was dazed, everything about Nicodemus- er Tsuki-kun was overwhelming. He was utterly persuasive, overly confident and not afraid of anything or anyone in this school. Didn't he already know that all of his fellow students were vampires?
"Kaname is not my beloved" she replied lamely
She heard Tsuki chuckle "You are as transparent as a wet sheet, pardon the expression Yuki-san. I know love when I see it and you have it quite bad for our President."
Yuki sighed there was no use in arguing the point, as they turned the corner Tsuki's warm hand in her own she gasped.
It was a rose garden, a rose garden that surrounded one of the most well taken care of ponds possible.
The air was heavy and redolent with the smell of roses, night blooming roses.
"Oh.."
She looked up to see Tsuki smiling the moon blaring its ethereal light on the both of them. In this light now it seemed Tsuki's brown hair had taken on a pale blue quality, and he looked down at her.
"You know vampires can't touch anything living… I wonder now how Kaname is able to take care of these flowers." Tsuki whispered letting go of her hand and approaching a flower.
Bending he inhaled the fragrance and sighed "How still this place is, almost like a tomb."
Yuki felt it too, it was spacious and yet it was silent not even the wind seemed to blow in the tall hedges. She wandered around touching the soft petals of the thousands of flowers that were so dark red they were almost black. Like blood in the moonlight….
She came over to the pond, which was lined with small blue stones, she kicked one into the water. Gazing at the night blooming waterliles and papyrus fronds. Flicking in and out of the moonlight were koi the length of her arm. Their scales glittering like diamonds in the light…
Why hadn't she smelt all these roses before? Their perfume was making her sleepy
"Tsuki-kun do your cigarettes smell like roses?" Yuki asked
Nicodemus came up beside her "No, why do you ask?"
"Because you smelt like roses back there when your were waiting for me."
There was a freezing silence and Yuki looked up, Nicodemus was smiling down at her. And then his eye moved to a place beyond her shoulder.
"Ah look at this" he passed her with a swift motion and came over to one rosebush that was speckled with disease,
Yuki came over; it had lost most of its leaves and was ailing even in the light of the moon.
"Here if someone didn't find this rosebush soon it would have killed all the others."
Reaching out a light appeared from Tsuki's hand, it slowly turned into a shimmering ball of molten energy the color of gold.
"See this?" he said holding it out to her
"This is the energy that exists in all things including you and me. This is the energy I will use to heal this plant."
Slowly he turned back and stretched out his fingers golden droplets touched the dying plant and then spread to all the other bushes around them. And the droplets began to form a stem and leaf, Tsuki coaxing them with every wave of his hand or movement of his fingers. Till finally the bush was once again green and healthy, to finish his work he formed a large bud, which rapidly began to change color.
"Touch it" Yuki reached out with a trembling hand and touched the rosebud; it opened to the largest rose she had ever seen. Its petals shimmering with golden dew that quickly turned to water. The golden color faded from the rest of the garden and Tsuki stood, smiling.
"None of these plants will ever carry disease again, the only way that Headmaster Cross could get rid of them now would be to kill me."
He giggled then like a little boy
"W-what are you?" she stammered
"I am just a student with powers like all the other vampires in the Moon Dorm. Though I would say I neither am nor ever wish to be a vampire. I am something that surpasses the bestial lust for blood."
"Nicodemus" came the soft voice; Yuki turned to see that Kaname Kuran stood at the edge of the garden dressed a dark robe.
"At your service President Kuran" Tsuki said with a deep bow.
"What are you doing here?" Kaname asked, Yuki was still yet her heart was pounding wildly in her chest.
"I stumbled across your sanctuary haven't I?" Yuki thought she saw a flicker of surprise on Kaname's face…
"You are not allowed in here without my permission" Kaname began softly
"The gate was unlocked, wasn't it Yuki?" Tsuki turned to her with that bewitching blue eye.
"Y-yes, I think so." She stammered,
"It grows late and Yuki needs her sleep. It would be best if we left this place for now." Kaname said after gazing at Yuki for a long moment.
"Of course" and Nicodemus took a step towards the exit and Kaname waited till he was out of earshot before taking Yuki by the hand as they walked.
"Do you love my roses?" he cooed in her ear, Yuki felt her cheeks growing red.
"They are beautiful, I'm sorry that you hid them for so long."
She heard Kaname chuckle "I suppose it was unwise thing for me to do. Since I knew you would find them eventually…" he paused
"So how do you like our new student?" Kaname asked
"He is interesting" Yuki whispered
"You know that he wants to be called…" Yuki began.
"Tsuki" Kaname finished "oh yes I know"
And Yuki swore she saw a tiny smile curl the side of his mouth before they left the garden and the gate closed with a resounding slam.
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