Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing

Now that the demon was gone from the room, he shot up from the door, knowing that Takuma had been left waiting outside of the door. He raced to the door, flinging it open to see the smiling student standing there with a tray, plates of food and a bottle of water balanced on it. "Kaname- sama mentioned that you hadn't eaten lately," the student said almost apologetically. "So, he sent some food up for you." He lifted the tray to emphasize his words, studying the new arrival discreetly as he did so.

There was something different about Vincent, he thought as he observed the student. Well, besides the jacket gone and the tie loosened, allowing the collar to fall slack, and exposing the pale, smooth skin of the boy's throat. The blood could be seen pumping under the skin, and it made Takuma's fangs throb, even though he had fed from his lover, Senri, and taken the blood tablets. Sniffing the air, he suddenly realized why. The dark, alluring scent just underlying the human smell of Vincent had strengthened, although Takuma was unsure why. But whatever the reason, the smell was delicious, and made Takuma hungry.

Still, he had been taught from birth to control his urges and no matter how much the smell called to him, or how tempting the smooth curve of Vincent's neck was, he was not going to simply give in. He was bred better than that.

Crimson eyes looked curiously at him. "You didn't have to bring it all the way up here; you shouldn't have troubled yourself." Vincent's voice was not sarcastic, just… matter- of- fact. He had obviously not been expecting the meals to be brought up.

However, there was a motive behind the seemingly thoughtful gesture. Kaname had mentioned that the boy had needed to eat, but there was another reason it was brought up. The red liquid that the cafeteria served was unable to be mistaken for wine or any other liquid other than that of the fake blood the tablets they all consumed created.

But he couldn't very well tell Vincent that, could he? "Well, it is your first night here, and Kaname wants you to focus more on getting settled in than worrying about finding supper." He lied smoothly. It didn't bother him as it usually did, though. The lie was a small one, and kept their secret safe from Vincent. "May I come in?"

Vincent glanced behind him, making sure that the demon really was gone from the mirror. He could just imagine the scene that would follow if Takuma came in, and the golden- eyed version of himself was standing in the mirror, and decided to wave to Takuma. He winced at the thought before nodding, and holding the door open, stepping out of the way. "Of course."

Takuma saw the wince, of course, but he didn't remark on it Maybe it was some sort of headache brought on by his accident, Takuma mused as he went inside, and over to the small table in the far right corner of the room that served specially for this purpose. The light footsteps behind him told him that Vincent was following him, and he set the tray down on the table, and seated himself while Vincent did the same.

"I hope you like blueberry pancakes," Takuma grinned, removing the top cover from the plates to reveal two stacked pancakes, a slice of butter on top of them, and coated with syrup. Vincent eyed them with an odd expression on his face that made Takuma wonder what it was. "What?"

Vincent shook his head, a wry smile coming onto his face. "I… can't remember if I do or not." Seeing Takuma's confused expression, he quickly clarified, "If I like pancakes, or not. I don't… remember."

Ah. So there was the problem. Takuma sat back as Vincent lifted the plate from the tray to set it closer to him, picking up the fork, and cutting his pancakes into small bites before eating them. Vincent didn't say anything, so Takuma relaxed, deciding that if the ravenette didn't care for them, he would have said something.

It would be horrible not to be able to remember anything of one's past, especially if that person were a vampire, and couldn't remember how to reign in the bloodlust. He wanted to ask about it, but didn't know how to breach the subject. "Vincent- kun…" He trailed off when he saw Vincent peer up at him. "What is it?" The boy was looking him with an expression of mystification on his face.

"Why do attach that to the end of my name?" he asked. "Or, now that I think about it," he added, "anyone's name."

"Oh, well… it's hard to explain," he sighed, sitting back more fully, and crossing his legs more comfortably. "But I can try," he said, seeing Vincent's almost dejected look.

As Vincent ate his dinner, Takuma explained about the honorifics attached to the end of people's names, and which ones applied to whom. Vincent listened intently, committing all of Takuma's words to memory. He was finished with supper as Takuma was still talking, and returned his plate to the tray, and rested his elbows on the table, devoting his sole attention to Takuma.

The blonde noticed this, and remembered Vincent doing this in the library. He focused all of his attention on whomever was talking to him, and it made Takuma feel, well, he wasn't sure. If it had just been him that it happened to, he would perhaps have been flattered. But it didn't, so now he just decided to take it in stride, writing it off as one of his quirks.

What he didn't know that it was instinctive, but Vincent didn't know this either. Vincent had been a gunman while in his past life, and his way of focusing on one thing had been the product of that life. It allowed him to spot little things on people, things that went unnoticed, but were important for someone like him, who had been anything from a simple gunman to a sniper. He took in everything about Takuma without realizing it, and had done the same to Kaname and the others when they had talked to him.

When the blonde finished, Vincent nodded, but cocked his head as a thought came to him. "You add -sama to the end of Kaname's name. Why?" –sama was the honorific used for someone with a higher power, like royalty or a master or mistress.

Takuma floundered inwardly, trying to grasp at an explanation that would explain Kaname's position without revealing that they were vampires. "He's… the Dorm Leader," Takuma said carefully, "but he's also the son of a high- standing official, and is in a position to take over his father's post in the future. Therefore, he deserves the respect." That wasn't too bad of an explanation, was it?

Obviously, Vincent didn't seem to think otherwise, because he sat back and nodded. "That makes sense." He smiled at Takuma, sincerity in his crimson eyes. "Thank you."

"Any time, Vincent." He wondered if he should try to ask about Vincent's memory, but decided to leave it for another time. It was getting into the later morning, and he still had to sleep, and so did Vincent, as he was attending class tonight. He stood up, and picked up the tray, balancing it on one hand easily while he slid his chair back into place. "You should get some sleep- our schedule takes some time to get used to, and our instructors don't take kindly to those who fall asleep in class." He smiled briefly at the thought. "Just ask Aido about it."

He turned to leave, before pausing as he thought of something. "The maids have most likely supplied toiletries in the bathroom for you, if you care to brush your teeth or take a shower."

The sound of a chair being pushed back told him that Vincent was getting up. "Thank you, Takuma."

"Of course, Vincent." He crossed to the door, and opened it, turning to see Vincent standing in the middle of the room hands shoved in his pockets. He looked so lonely, and lost. He sighed- God knew he would be too, if he lost his memories and was stranded somewhere strange. "If you ever need anything, I'm just down the hall, in Room 8. Come on down if you ever need anything."

A grateful smile spread across Vincent's pale face, lighting up his eyes. "Thank you, Takuma."

The look on Vincent's face made Takuma glad that he had made the offer. "Anytime, Vincent."

An uncertain expression came over his face, and he decided to try to broach the subject of Vincent's memory loss again. "I've been wondering…" he took a deep breath before finishing, "When Kaname-sama told us about your… accident, he also told us about your memory loss." His eyes flashed up to meet Vincent's crimson. "Is it true you lost all of your memories- every single one of them?"

Vincent just nodded. "Kaname- sama told me that I fell, and that I must have hit my head, which caused the memory loss. I can't remember anything before waking up in the infirmary." He paused, flashing an insecure smile. "I must have hit my head pretty hard to have lost everything, huh?" he tapped the side of his head for emphasis. "It's funny, though." He rested his head on his hand, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "I recognize little things- Moby Dick in the library, for one, and how to tie ties. Little things, but… I'm hoping it's a sign my memory's starting to return."

Takuma simply smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure it's going to come back, Vincent. Have faith." He glanced out the window, seeing how light it was getting. "Now, get some sleep before class, and don't forget to meet us at the entrance at 6:40. Sleep well, Vincent." With that, he left, closing the door firmly shut.

Vincent sighed as Takuma left, and turned towards the other door that he knew now was the bathroom. A shower did seem appealing, as he was sure he still had dirt and grime from his fall on him. Just the thought made his nose wrinkle, and he stripped off the rest of his clothes, carefully setting them over the same chair as his jacket.

Walking to the door leading to the bathroom, he stepped into the room, closing and locking the door behind him, then turning to examine the room fully. It was a large bathroom, and was supplied with full toiletries. Smiling in relief at the thought of being able to take a shower, Vincent pushed aside the curtain, and turned the shower on.

He looked around for shampoo and soap, relieved when he found some on the corner, along with a bottle of conditioner. He picked it up, examining it for a moment before lifting his head to observe himself in the mirror. He grabbed a few strands of his black hair, checking the ends before chuckling. God, his hair… he'd be attempted to cut the mess if he didn't feel attached to it.

Feeling the air heat up, he stepped into the shower, sighing as the warm water cascaded over his body.

He washed quickly, not willing to waste any water, and stepped out, drying off his body and hair, then draping his towel over the shower curtain for it to dry. No sense in wasting a towel that could be used again.

He stepped out of the bathroom, the other towel wrapped around his waist, and went to his bed, pulling back the covers before dropping the towel and sliding under the covers. He had nothing to sleep in as of yet, and since he didn't have a roommate, sleeping in the nude didn't bother him.

Reaching out, he fiddled with the alarm clock for a few minutes before figuring out how to set the alarm, and turning the volume up. Then, he rolled over, pulling up the covers, and nuzzling into the pillow, a soft smile coming over his face as he snuggled into the softness and warmth of the bed, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Chaos waited until his Host had drifted off to sleep before uncurling himself from the corner of Vincent's mind that he was currently occupying, stretching out, and surveying the space before him. It was Vincent's subconscious, where all his memories were when they weren't needed. Right now, the space was nearly empty, as Aerith had taken all his memories. The only things occupying his memory part of the subconscious were the memorable things that had happened after his Host's awakening.

He examined them thoroughly, searching until he found the ones he wanted- the ones of himself. In order for his plan to work, and for Vincent to truly receive the new life he had traded his memories away for, he needed to have no memory of Aerith or himself.

A wry smile crossed the demon's visage as the thought hit him that Aerith let Vincent be able to remember her, but not himself, the demon that Vincent was hosting. Ironic, really.

But two could play at that game. Sweeping out his hand, he raked his claws through the memories that featured his and Vincent's meeting, along with the hidden knowledge of Aerith that the Ancient had gifted him with.

The meddlesome Cetra would not be interfering with Vincent's life any more.

He scowled a bit as he sifted through the memories that Vincent had left; the interfering woman had taken all of his knowledge that he would need while at this Academy that she had landed them in. He was going to struggle, unless…

He smirked as he opened a connection between his and Vincent's minds, implanting the necessary memories of school knowledge that Vincent would need. He fed him math, literature, history, music- everything that would possibly help Vincent to get through school.

The demon had learned much from watching through the Lifestream while in his prison before the scientists had found him, and he gave that knowledge to Vincent now, in hopes that it would help him.

Stepping back to survey his work, he gave a satisfied nod; Vincent would not remember anything that had to deal with him or his past life on Gaia, letting the boy live a normal life. Well, until he started to notice that he didn't age. That would surely be a shock.

A sad smile flitted across Chaos's lips at the thought. It was too bad he wouldn't get to see the boy's reactions; it would have been amusing to tease him about it. But, he was procrastinating the inevitable.

With a last sigh, he closed his eyes, closing the connection to Vincent's memories, and opening a different one, leading to his central brain. He had decided to do this last action on a whim, justifying it as to would help Vincent if he ever got into a bad situation. Not that that would likely happen, but still, just to be on the safe side…

Connection opening, he steadied himself before gathering his energy, pushing it into Vincent. It didn't bind his being to Vincent, but gave him more control over the change and Chaos's powers. He was still a separate entity, but Vincent would be able to take on his form and utilize his powers and senses when they were needed.

Closing off the connection as he felt that enough of his energy had been bound to Vincent, he stepped back, feeling suddenly weary. The transfer of energy had taken a lot out of him, and he was sleepy. It was good, though; it would help him settle in for his long, long sleep, until Gaia called him back to the Planet to carry out his intended purpose.

Falling to his knees, he wrapped his wings around himself, closing his eyes as he curled up, settling in for his sleep. He let his breathing slow, directing his bodily functions to slow down, putting him into a hibernation mode. His mind started slowing, going blank and black as he succumbed to his sleep, satisfied that he had done everything he had been able to do to help Vincent before he settled in for his slumber.

Goodbye, Vincent. I will meet you again… in a few millennia. He bid his Host farewell, knowing that Vincent would not receive it, nor know of him, not until he was woken up later. Mind finally going blank, the great demon known as Chaos finally slept.

Later that evening, Vincent was up and ready by 6:30, as he hadn't been sure of how long it would take him to get ready. So, he had set the alarm on the clock on the nightstand for 6:15. The same sound of footsteps sounded outside his door, and instead of hiding this time, went to the door and opened it, stepping outside, and closing his door firmly.

The two people just passing by his door stopped, and turned to look at him. He recognized them from the library earlier that morning. Their names were Rima and Senri, if he remembered correctly. "Hello, Vincent- san," Rima greeted him. "You're early."

He cocked his head to the side. He was early? What about them? His confusion must have shown, because she clarified for him. "You're early for a newcomer. New arrivals usually always are late to wake up and get to class the first week or so. Rarely any are on time."

Vincent shrugged. "I was awake early, so there was no point in trying to go back to sleep."

He saw a smile tug at the corner of Senri's lips, changing his expression from its usually impassive one. "How refreshing to see someone who isn't addicted to sleep. Aido- kun is a positive bear when he wakes up."

Footsteps behind him alerted him to another's presence, and a familiar voice, though it was disgruntled, sounded. "I'm not a bear, thank you. And it's too early in the morning to be perky like Takuma." Hanabusa came around them, continuing down the hall. "Although, from what I heard this morning, I don't think he's going to be quite perky." A sly smile slid across his face as he continued down the hall.

Senri narrowed his eyes at the blonde, and he started to raise a hand to his mouth, but Rima stopped him, grabbing ahold of his wrist, and shaking her head. Senri schooled his features back into their normally impassive expression. He glanced back at Vincent, and inclined his head towards the staircase. "Come on."

What had had been about?

Dismissing the encounter, he walked forward to Senri's side, who waited until he caught up to turn and start down the stairs. There was peaceful silence between the three of them that Vincent found refreshing. The two Night Class students were quiet by nature, and Vincent himself wasn't a huge talker.

The other Night Class students were waiting downstairs by the doors, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Takuma, Vincent saw, was already downstairs, and was conversing with A tall, muscular student- Akatsuki, he remembered. A wry smile crossed his lips as a thought occurred to him, and he gave a small sound of amusement at the thought.

Rima heard this, and observed the smile on Vincent's face. "What's amusing?"

Vincent shook his head, and sighed, still smiling dryly. "I remember everyone's name in here," he explained. "For someone who has such a faulty memory of my past, I seem to have a remarkably good memory regarding recent things."

It was ironic, if one looked at it a certain way, and Rima was torn between sympathy and humor. "If you look at it that way, you're right, Vincent- kun." Rima agreed, and Senri nodded.

"Vincent- kun! And Rima- chan and Senri- kun! You're finally down!" Takuma had noticed them coming down the steps, and halted his conversation to cross the room to them. He met them at the bottom of the steps, and slowly walked with them to one of the walls, where he knew Senri would want to lean against one, and did, crossing his arms and resting his weight against it. He gave a friendly smile to Rima and Vincent, and shared a more intimate one with Senri, who gave the blonde a small smile in return.

The sight made Takuma's heart flutter as it always did, and he had to order it to calm down. "We all thought we'd have to send someone up to get you, Vincent- kun," Takuma exclaimed.

Vincent shrugged, and explained once more that he had already been awake. "Ah," Takuma said. "Well, in that case, you'll be sure to settle right into our schedule." He raised a hand, waving it in a come-over-here motion. "Ruka- chan! Akatsuki-kun! Come over here and say hello to Vincent-kun."

The two people he had gestured to detached themselves from the others to come over to where the four were standing. "You two forgot to properly introduce yourselves last night," Takuma said, a frown on his face.

The girl rolled her eyes, and then fixed Vincent with an almost- glare. "Souen Ruka," she stated. "And I know you're Vincent Valentine." A secretive smile flashed across her face, making Vincent wary of the girl. He didn't trust that smile. "Valentine… the fangirls will have a heyday with that tomorrow," she snickered before turning her back on them and walking away.

Were these Night Class students always this cryptic and mystifying with their statements? He didn't see what was so special about his last name or tomorrow. Actually, I don't… really know what day or month today is. Or the year, now that I think about it.

"Don't mind Ruka," Kain's deep voice broke him from his thoughts, and Vincent saw him staring after Ruka with a longing expression in his amber eyes before regarding Vincent once more. "She's a bit hostile towards newcomers." Especially if Kaname had expressed an interest in them, even if it was purely to keep a way watch over them.

He could smell Vincent's blood, the normal, warm human smell just overlaying the darker, more alluring- and less human- smell. It made him understand why Kaname wanted him close to them. For all Vincent looked and acted human, even mostly smelled like one, there was more to him that met the eye. "Kain Akatsuki. And don't mind the remark about the fangirls- we've got your back covered."

Even if Akatsuki didn't fully trust the crimson- eyed ravenette, he wouldn't just let Vincent be thrown out to the fangirls- as a new student, and Night Class, no less, it would be like throwing a bleeding human into a pool full of starved sharks. He almost shuddered at the thought.

As flattering and amusing as the admiration and adoration of the fangirls were, it could get a bit much to handle sometimes, and the sight of a new, handsome student would make them go into a frenzy.

"Fangirls?" Vincent didn't understand what the students were talking about.

Takuma had just opened his mouth to explain when the sound of a door opening upstairs made the blonde snap his head up to the floor above them. "Oh, good. Kaname- sama's finally coming down. We always wait for him to come down before leaving- he's usually a bit late," Takuma explained for Vincent.

There were the sound of graceful footsteps on the wooden stairs, and they all turned to see Kaname gliding gracefully down the steps, straightening his tie as he did so. His russet eyes scanned the room, and landed on Vincent, who, along with Rima, was just turning around. The boy's crimson eyes were visible even all the way from here, startling in contrast to his white skin and black hair.

Kaname wondered for a second what his parents must have looked like to produce a child of his coloring. And then, he wondered just what his parents were in the first place as the underlying smell of Vincent's blood reached his nose in a fresh wave, due to the closer proximity.

"Glad to see you've settled in, Vincent," Kaname greeted him. Vincent gave him a small smile in return, nodding his head. Continuing down the stairs, he greeted each one of his other companions, finally making his way to the door, and opening it. "Shall we go?"

The rest of the Night Class filed out, chattering with each other. Vincent started out the door, but was stopped by an arm across his chest, effectively halting him. "You can walk with me, Vincent," Kaname stated before allowing Vincent to exit, and following the ravenette out.

Vincent walked down the path leading to the gates with Kaname by his side. Neither said anything, until Kaname spoke up. "Are you settling in alright?" Vincent nodded, but didn't say anything else.

After what he had learned, about Kaname being the son of a high official, he was afraid to say anything that would offend him. The sounds of faint screaming reached his sensitive ears, and he frowned. It sounded like a group of girls. He decided to question Kaname about it. "Kaname- sama," he started, but paused when Kaname looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "What?"

"You're using honorifics when you weren't before. Why the sudden change?" he asked. It was true, though. Vincent hadn't bothered with any of the titles before, and now he was. To say the least, it made Kaname somewhat curious.

"Oh. Takuma informed me about them last night," Vincent explained, and then directed his next statement to his previous question. "Why are there so many girls screaming by the gates? Are they hurt?"

Taken aback, Kaname could only stare at Vincent. He could hear the girls all the way out here? A normal human wouldn't have been able to, even though the girls were always ear- shatteringly loud. "They're the reason you're walking with me, Vincent."

Still confused, Vincent decided to drop the subject, and silence settled between them, the sound of screaming in the background the only sound.

"Don't push!"

"Hurry up and move it!"

The sound of girls yelling at each other became clearer as they reached the gate, and Vincent froze as the implications of the screaming sunk in.

The other Night Class students were waiting at the gate, and Hanabusa grinned at Vincent. "Vincent- kun, meet the fangirls."

His eyes widened as his words slowly sunk in, and he traced the path. They were going to have to wade through them? He'd rather face a group of rabid sharks. Actually, he realized, that was exactly what he was facing. "Do you… go through this every night?" he croaked, gazing at the crowd in horror.

Hanabusa nodded, still grinning jovially. "Yep. They adore us." He sighed in pleasure. "Isn't it wonderful?"

Vincent's expression all but screamed otherwise, and Ruka took a malicious delight in that, her eyes narrowing as she realized Kaname had walked all the way here with Vincent at his side. Dammit, why couldn't it have been her?

Yuuki, on the other side of the gate, seemed to gain a bit of the lost ground as she stood up straight as possible, and yelled, "Okay, okay! Everybody move back please!" She threw out her arms wide, attempting to herd the girls back away from the gates. "It's curfew time for everybody in the Day Class, so just go back to your dorms!"

The order just made the girls angrier, and they surged forward, Yuuki holding them back desperately as they tried to surge forward. "Don't get bossy just because you're a prefect!" A girl shouted, and a few others shouted their agreement.

Yuuki desperately dug her heels into the ground, grunting a bit as she held the fangirls back. "Urgh!"

There was a loud clicking sound as the gate, run on automatic timers, unlocked, opening wide.

Shoot! The gate! She thought, as the mob of females turned as a collective group, sighing as the gates were opening, exposing the white- clad Night Class.

Vincent could see a horde of Day Class- dressed girls swarming around the gate, held back by a single girl. She seemed familiar to him, and he realized suddenly that it was Yuuki. He recognized the white armband and brown hair. She was valiantly trying to hold back the crowd, but it seemed as though she was slowly losing ground as the first of the Night Class stepped though- it was Aido.

"Good morning ladies!" he exclaimed over the shouts of "Kya!" and the screaming. "Still as pretty as ever, I see!" His electric blue eyes were sparkling as he scanned the crowd, reveling in the attention.

But, it's not morning… Vincent thought to himself. A nudge at his side made him turn to see Kaname looking down at him, for the first time truly making Vincent realize their difference in height. "They may scream, but they don't bite," Kaname murmured. "Walk a little bit behind me; they may not notice you."

Vincent swallowed, but followed Kaname out the gates as he walked forward into the middle of the Night Class students, the action serving to hide the ravenette somewhat from the adoring gazes of the fangirls.

Suddenly, though, one of the fangirls was able to get past Yuuki, and as the brunette was distracted the rest of them seized their chance, and stampeded forwards. Yuuki was knocked forwards onto the ground in the process, and the girls swarmed around her as they raced to get closer to the objects of their affections.

Kaname noticed this, and forgetting about Vincent for a moment, went immediately to her side to help her, which left Vincent exposed without his tall shield. At that moment, a Night Class student behind him stumbled a bit, crashing into the smaller form of Vincent, sending him forwards onto the ground.

The Day Class girls paused as Vincent fell out of the Night Class students, into their direct gaze. He slowly stood up, brushing the dirt off of his uniform, and flicked his bangs away, only to have them fall back and leave him peering through them with his crimson eyes.

"Oh… My… God!" A fangirl shrieked. "A new student!"

Vincent's expression was one of horror as they advanced on him, their attention directed solely on him, abandoning the others in favor of the newest addition to the Night Class. He wasn't one to curse, but at this moment, all he could think was… Fuck.

Kaname, meanwhile, was oblivious to this and was just helping Yuuki up. "Are you okay, Yuuki?" he asked concernedly. He smiled gently as he gazed into the lovely brown eyes. "They're always so difficult to manage."

A blush slowly spread across her cheeks, and Kaname found he was fascinated by it. "Kaname!"

She hopped to her feet, ignoring the few fangirls's stares that had not immediately rushed to mob the new student. "Yes! I'm just fine!"

She scratched her head, embarrassed at being so embarrassed.

Kaname chuckled, sensing this. "You're always so formal with me. It makes me really sad…" It didn't actually make him sad, but he did wish that she would be less formal with him.

Her eyes were startled as she started to explain herself. "Oh…I didn't mean to…It's because you saved my life!"

Kaname shook his head, about to rest a hand on Yuuki's head, when a decidedly male shout startled them, Kaname's eyes widening as he turned to see the scene before him. Oh no… I forgot about Vincent…!

Meanwhile, Vincent was backing away from the advancing fangirls, worry in his crimson eyes. He didn't see the rock that was right behind him, and his foot snagged on it, causing him to fall. He cried out as he fell backwards, and the girls surged forwards, seeing their prey incapacitated. He landed hard on his back, stunned at the fall. Oh, God, I'm going to die, trampled under the feet of a hundred females.

But obviously, it was not to be, as something black flashed before his eyes, and halted right in front of him at the same time he was gently picked up by his forearms, and set gently onto his feet.

"All of you! Get back in line! God, I'm so damn sick of dealing with you every day! What are you all? Sheep, following each other blindly?!" A hand slashed out to the side in a sharp cutting motion as this was said, causing the girls to shrink back.

"Are you alright, Vincent?" The voice in his ear brought him back to his senses, and he realized it was Kaname behind him, that had lifted him up. He turned his head slightly to see Kaname gazing at him with worry in his russet eyes.

"I'm fine." Vincent shot a reassuring smile to Kaname.

The brunette shook his head. "No, I should have known that something like this would happen." Concern and anger at himself laced his tone and he berated himself mentally. Stupid! You're supposed to watch over him, not throw him to the wolves!

The man in front of him had finished yelling at the girls that were rapidly slinking away back into line, watching the rest of the other Night Class students going by on their way to class. He whipped around, leveling a piercing glare at Kaname, ignoring Vincent.

He sucked in a breath as he saw the man's eyes. They were a beautiful, deep amethyst- a color he had never seen before on another person. Well, not that he could remember, anyway. Still, he knew that people didn't have purple eyes- at least not normally. People don't have red eyes either. Vincent mentally corrected himself. He's like me in that regard.

"Kuran."

Kaname directed his attention from the younger ravenette that was in front of him, and to the amethyst eyed- man. An unfriendly smile crept onto Kaname's face. "Hello, Kiriyuu."

The man's eyes narrowed, and Vincent took a moment to examine him closer. He was very tall- at least as tall as Kaname was. His hair was shorter than the brunette's, falling into his eyes and hanging around his ears. The hair itself was silver- not that of an older person's, but more the color of moonlight. It matched the silver rings in his right ear. His features themselves were extremely handsome, much like Kaname's and the rest of the Night Class's.

His eyes were drawn to his arms, and Vincent saw a white band with a distinctive mark on it- the same one he had remembered Yuuki wearing when he first saw her. Her previous words came back to him.

…Disciplinary Committee, which is what Zero and I are, along with being prefects as well, wear this white band on our arms…

So this man was the Zero that Yuuki had been talking about. He didn't want to disrespect Yuuki, but he thought that Zero did a better job at keeping the girls back from the Night Class better than the other girl did.

"You don't seem to be keeping very good track of your fellow classmates, Kuran." Vincent could hear the pure disdain and hatred dripping from Zero's voice, and it made him tense. Kaname, however, seemed to accept it in stride, letting it slide off of him.

"I was helping Yuuki to her feet, Kiriyuu." Kaname's voice was smooth and emotionless, his face likewise.

Zero snorted, crossing his arms, which outlined his slim, yet lithely muscled chest. "And almost let one of your classmates get harmed while doing so." He finally looked down at the student, frowning as he realized he didn't recognize him. "You must be the new student that Yuuki was gushing about," he stated. "What's your name?"

"Vincent Valentine." He found it hard to look away from the amethyst orbs in front of him. They were so captivating… is this why people felt the intense need to stare into his own? Because he suddenly understood the need, if so.

"Vincent, huh?" Zero shook his head. "You must not be from around here; they aren't Japanese names, that's for certain." Lifting his head back up, he resumed glaring at Kaname. "Class is starting, Kuran."

Kaname smirked at the prefect, giving Vincent a gentle nudge as he started walking away. "You're scaring me." He glanced back over his shoulder, "Mr. Prefect."

Vincent felt himself being pushed away towards the waiting Night Class students, but looked over his shoulder one more time to see the prefect watching them go as Yuuki approached him. He gave the silver- haired prefect a nod and grateful smile as he was led away. 'Thank you,' he mouthed hoping that Zero would be able to see what he was saying.

Thank you for saving me. And for not judging me on my appearance.

Zero had to admit, it had been hard not to flinch or go for his gun when he first saw the new student's eyes. He had seen enough red eyes in his past to forever make him leery of that eye color. But… this boy, he wasn't a vampire.

So why did he possess those captivating crimson eyes? He should have thought that they were unnatural, odd, and didn't belong on a rational human's face. Instead, they fit right in with Vincent's appearance, giving him an almost exotic air.

He watched the boy be led away by Kuran- bloodsucking scum- unable to help himself. He was surprised when the boy looked over his shoulder at him, meeting his eyes, and mouthing a thank you, giving him a smile that made him want to give him one in return.

What the hell?

He never smiled at a Night Class student!

Shaking off his uncharacteristic thoughts, he inclined his head to the boy in return, turning away as Yuuki came up to him. It seemed that the new student had better manners than the others in the Night Class.

Vincent was glad that his thanks had been acknowledged, and turned back again, feeling Kaname's hand on his back guiding him towards the Night Class students. "I do apologize, Vincent, for my neglect. I should have-"

He was cut off as a pair of giggling Day Class girls, seeming slightly saner than the rest, approached Vincent and Kaname. They both held roses in their hands, and shyly approached them. "You're the new Night Class student, right?" One of the girls asked Vincent.

Blinking warily at being addressed, he nodded. "That's correct."

The other girl gave a nervous giggle. "Can we have your name?"

Hm. Didn't seem like they were inclined to attack him. The thought made him relax, and he nodded. "My name is Vincent Valentine."

"Valentine? That's so… romantic!" the first girl gushed, before looking down shyly, and glancing over to her friend, gestured her forward. "We just… um…" The other girl stepped forward, holding out her rose to Kaname. "K-Kuran! Umm… Would you accept this?"

He smiled gently at the girl, and reached out to grasp it, holding it close to his chest. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

The other girl gathered up her courage at her friend's actions, and held the rose out to Vincent. "Valentine- sempai, please… this is for you!" He blinked in surprise at the gesture, before slowly reaching out to grasp it, gently fingering the petals. He brought it up to his nose, inhaling the rose's sweet smell, his eyes sliding shut as he bent his head slightly over it. After a moment, he opened his eyes, peering up at the enamored girl through his raven bangs.

"Thank you… may I have your name in return?" The girl's mouth fell open in surprise. None of the other Night Class students bothered with their names…

She blushed deeply, looking down at the ground. "Hanabira Rozu."

"Thank you, Rozu- chan," he said, calling her by her first name.

She blushed more deeply, and then rushed away, her friend close behind her. "I really did it!" "Wow!"

Kaname looked over to Vincent, who was still smelling the rose. "Keep that up, Vincent, and you'll have a whole flock of admirers."

Vincent blinked, and realizing what he was doing, held the rose away from himself, embarrassed. "Sorry," he mumbled. Yet, he couldn't help but gently trace the ends of the rose's petals with the tips of his fingers, reveling in the softness.

Kaname chuckled at Vincent's honest, almost childlike actions. "Come along, we need to get to class."

Nodding, Vincent followed the brunette to where the rest of the Night Class was waiting. Kaname glanced over at Vincent, who was still gently fondling the rose. A small smile came to his face, and he found himself wondering if that was the boy's favorite flower, before checking his thought process. Wait, why did it matter?

Shrugging of the thought, they finally caught up to the rest of the Night Class. "Hey, look, Vincent- kun got a rose!" Takuma noticed, eyes shining with happiness. "Looks like you already have an admirer."

Vincent just averted his eyes, a small tinge of pink coming to his cheeks.

Meanwhile, while the two Day Class girls were presenting their roses…

"It's none of my business how much you suck up to Kuran, but you do know the rules, right?" Zero leveled a knowing look at Yuuki. He knew of her infatuation with the pureblood vampire, and it disturbed him. He had seen, firsthand, how cruel and heartless pureblooded vampires- any vampires- could be.

Yuuki blushed a deep red, glaring at Zero, who was watching the Night Class walk away. "Shut up! I know already! They're different than the rest of us."

Zero frowned, not agreeing with her words, until a certain Night Class student came to mind. He's not the same… I can sense it... Shaking his head to clear away such thoughts, he snapped his head around as he sensed a few Day Class girls still slinking around. He whipped around, glaring at the girls. "Listen up brats! Get the hell back to your dorms! Why do I have to deal with you running around screaming, going 'Kya,' 'Kya, every damn day!? WHY!?'" He yelled, growling at them for good measure.

Eyes wide, they scattered, scurrying back to their dorms, or going to hide in the woods, or whatever the hell they did after the Night Class left. With that, Yuuki came to her senses, and stomping over to the silver- haired prefect, she started rapidly punching him in the arm and back "You were late again! You useless jerk!"

"Oww! That hurts!" Zero flinched back from the assault, even though her punches did no real damage. He waited until she had blown off her steam form the anger to turn to her, and fixed her with a trademark ©Kiriyuu Glare. "I'll get you for that later."

She snorted. "As if."