Disclaimer: Vampire Knight does not, has not, or will not ever belong to me. I only ask that nobody takes my characters or ideas.

Not my Time
A Vampire Knight Fanfiction

Chapter Ten: Discovery

On Friday it began to pour down rain, and the last thing I wanted to do was to go outside, let alone attempt to keep the fangirls at bay as the Night Class made their way into the school. However, Yuuki had been bothering me all day because I had been absent from my duties as prefect for the past two nights.

Missing prefect duties on Wednesday had been an accident. I had fallen asleep, and slept right through the night, as well as breakfast, homeroom, and my first class. I arrived just in time to fail my Kanji test in Japanese, and I spent lunch attempting to copy Yuuki's notes from the geometry lesson that I missed on Wednesday. The only problem I had with copying Yuuki's notes was that she clearly did not understand what the instructor had said. At some point during the lesson, she had stopped making notes, and had simply scribbled "everything equals one!" at the bottom of the notebook page. But it was obvious that this statement was incorrect.

Needless to say, I was forced to miss prefect duties that night as well.

Tonight I simply didn't feel like completing my prefect duties. I mean, I had already missed the past two days; what was one more? Plus, it was the day before the weekend, so I could always just start fresh next Monday, as if nothing had ever happened.

For this simple reason, I went up to the headmaster's room, and began to help him prepare the meal he'd planned out for our family dinner.

Despite the fact that I was openly skiving off my prefect duties, the headmaster was incredibly pleased to have one of his daughters cooking with him.

"Yuuki and Zero never cook with me!" the headmaster kept exclaiming at random moments.

When the headmaster asked if I would make a dessert, the first thing that came to my mind was my mother's recipe for Naan Panjereh.

Naan Panjereh was relatively simple, and the ingredients were not difficult to locate in the headmaster's kitchen. The only item I was concerned that he wouldn't have was a mold, but when I asked him, he surprised me by quickly retrieving one from a drawer.

As I set about preparing the Naan Panjereh, I recalled my mother patiently teaching me how to make it as a little girl. Of course, my mother had not let me handle the heated mold, but she always let me measure and mix the ingredients.

It seems silly now, but when I was little, watching the batter rise when the mold was dropped onto it seemed magical. I genuinely enjoyed witnessing formless batter taking on a new, more artistic shape. Once the molded batter was sprinkled with powdered sugar, they looked like dozens of large snowflakes.

After my mother died in a car accident, I would make Naan Panjereh whenever I felt afraid or alone. Even though I knew my mother was gone, I could feel her presence as I prepared her favorite dessert.

Yuuki and Zero both came into the headmaster's living space (soaking wet) just as the headmaster and I finished setting the food down.

Hesitantly, I asked them, "How'd everything go tonight?"

Zero simply glared at me, but Yuuki answered, "Well, it was raining so much that nearly all of the fangirls decided to head straight back to the dorm after classes, so it really wasn't difficult tonight. Just… very wet."

"Sorry that I didn't come to help," I apologized; although, I didn't feel as sorry as I should. "I made a dessert that my mother used to make, though." I pointed at the Naan Panjereh on the table.

We sat down to eat, and immediately the headmaster began to advocate the dishes he had prepared. After each name, he would cry "my style!" enthusiastically, but when none of us commented on the food, he sullenly went to sit at his own spot.

After a while, the headmaster apologized, and told us that Kaname had wanted to meet with him in his office at eight this evening. He left, grabbing a piece of Naan Panjereh on his way out.

Soon after the headmaster left, Zero began to act extremely agitated, and suddenly shoved his plate away, stood, and rushed out of the room. Yuuki stood up hastily, hesitated a moment, then rushed out after him.

I was about to run out, too, but a sudden ringing distracted me. For a moment, my heart pounded in fear at the sudden noise, and I couldn't decipher what the noise was coming from. Then I realized that it was the telephone.

Remembering that my brother had promised to call soon, I practically ran over to the phone, and looked down at the caller ID. I recognized the number immediately, and grabbed the receiver.

"Kit! It's Lily!" I exclaimed happily.

"Hey, Lily, somewhat good news," my brother told me. "I couldn't get hold of Dad, but I finally managed to book a flight back to Chicago. I'll be leaving early tomorrow morning, and I should be in Chicago by the afternoon. I'll make certain to call you as soon as I land."

Although I was disappointed to not have news on Kidd, I was reassured that Kit intended to personally oversee the farm.

"Thanks, Kit," I sighed. "I really appreciate that."

"How are things, Lily?" my brother asked. "Are you in a good place?"

I hesitated a moment simply because it seemed odd to describe Cross Academy as "a good place" when it was filled with vampires, but I eventually answered, "Yeah, I'm in a good place. Things are going really well."

"You said you had been taken in by a headmaster of a school outside of Kyoto?" my brother asked, conversationally.

"Yes; Cross Academy. It's very prestigious, and I am focused entirely on my studies," I informed him in what I hoped wasn't too false of a tone.

"Well, you can be now," my brother sighed. "Even though I know you're away from Dad, I still have this terrible feeling that you're in danger… It's probably just… an old habit... but… Lily, I want you to be very careful about what you do! Don't put yourself in danger if you don't have to!"

"I won't," I promised. "I have no intention of doing anything reckless ever again."

I heard my brother sigh in relief on the other line. "Good," he replied. "I'll speak to you soon. Auf Wiederhören."

"Auf Wiederhören," I replied.

As soon as I had hung up the receiver, a scream erupted from down the hall. I recognized it immediately as Yuuki's, and I tore out of the room.

I noticed that Kaname had already arrived, and was looking at Zero threateningly. After a moment, I realized why. Zero was covered in blood, and Yuuki looked as if she would pass out any moment.

I found that I could not tear my eyes away, but I certainly didn't want to see what was before me. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to find Ichijou standing behind me.

"Lily-chan, let's go back to the headmaster's office," he told me. His voice was level and calm; although, he was lacking his usual carefree demeanor.

I knew that I should be concerned that Zero was a vampire, or at least, that Yuuki had been bitten badly; however, at that moment the only thought going through my mind was that I was so relieved that my brother had not overheard Yuuki's scream. If he had, he would have taken me away from Cross Academy quicker than I could say Auf Wiedersehen.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Lily-chan," Ichijou told me, as we entered the headmaster's living room. "I'm certain it was very unexpected."

I nodded slightly, still thinking about how my brother would have reacted. In my mind, I could hear him demanding to know why I put myself into dangerous situations, and why I always downplayed the events that could get me killed.

Ichijou grabbed a piece of Naan Panjereh off the plate, then disappeared into the kitchen. He reappeared a moment later with a glass of red-tinted water, and went to sit on the couch.

"Lily-chan, why don't you bring that dessert plate over here, and sit with me?" Ichijou suggested.

I picked up the plate of Naan Panjereh, and brought it over. I placed it on the table before sitting as far from Ichijou as I could – not because I didn't trust him; simply because I felt better when I had plenty of personal space.

"Are you all right, Lily-chan?" Ichijou asked, concerned. "Are you afraid of all of us now because of what Zero did?"

I shook my head, then realized that shaking my head would be too misleading considering that Ichijou had asked two questions at once.

"I'm fine; not scared, just a bit shocked," I admitted. For the first time I wondered about Zero's past, and I was surprised that I had never bothered to ask anyone about it before. Timidly, I asked Ichijou, "Do you know anything about Zero, Ichijou-senpai?"

"Not much," Ichijou admitted. "He comes from a family of vampire hunters. His parents were attacked and killed by a vampire about four years ago. That's really all I know."

If Zero became a vampire, then his family must have been attacked by a Pureblood vampire, I realized. I decided not to state this fact aloud. But then another thought occurred to me. Ichijou told me that all former humans eventually fall into the level E category… Does that mean Zero will, too?

"Ichijou-senpai, will Zero eventually become like that vampire in the town?" I asked, hesitating a bit because I already knew the answer.

Ichijou did not look at me when he answered, "In all likelihood, yes." He looked up at me once more, then told me, "Actually, I've been concerned about you since that day because you stopped doing your prefect duties."

"Oh… I went to take a nap, and I didn't wake up until my second class the next day, and after that I was trying to get caught up in my classes. We started a new unit in geometry, and Yuuki took awful notes," I explained. "And then tonight it was raining."

"So your absence had nothing to do with that vampire?" Ichijou asked.

"No, it didn't," I insisted.

Ichijou took another Naan Panjereh. "These are good," he told her. "Did the headmaster make these?"

I shook my head. "No, I did," I told him. "They're Naan Panjereh."

"How did you get to be so good at all this stuff?" Ichijou asked. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"I'm about to fail geometry," I answered, sarcastically.

I didn't like to think about my reasons for becoming such a diverse person. When I was still living with my father, it wasn't even satisfying to look at a glowing report card, or even the awards I received for my artwork. It wasn't satisfying because I knew that I only worked so diligently in order to prevent others from realizing what a monster my father had become. Usually, the only feeling that came with receiving glowing praise was exhaustion and relief that I had managed to fool people for another few months.

"I could help you," Ichijou suggested. "Why don't you grab your books?"

As I stood, I was glad that I had decided to bring my geometry textbook to the headmaster's room. I had been hoping to have a spare chance to study sometime tonight, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity. Certainly Ichijou would understand this subject better than Yuuki did.

When I re-entered the sitting room, I noticed something that made me outrageously angry. I don't usually get angry over things, but there is one thing that would set me off: People knowing about my father. And the first thing I noticed when I walked back into the living room was that Ichijou had picked up my sketchbook and was rifling through its pages.

In order to prevent myself from doing something that I would regret, I took a silent step back into the kitchen, and sat with my back against a wall. I could feel myself shaking with anger – not fear, not sadness. Just pure anger. Anger because I had told Ichijou not to do something, and then he had decided to do it anyway. My whole life – good, bad, ugly, and unexplained – was depicted inside that sketchbook, and now somebody who I barely knew had opened it up and viewed what I had deemed most sacred.

Even my brother did not know the full extent of my father's abuse. He had left before the abuse had begun to escalate – part of the reason he had been so hesitant to take me away was because he hadn't understood the gravity of the situation. Certainly if my brother had seen what Ichijou had seen, he would not have hesitated to have forced me to leave my father. He would not have cared about my love for our horse-farm; he would have simply wanted me out of there.

I wasn't certain how long I sat in the kitchen. At first I was lost in my thoughts, and then I realized that Ichijou would probably call for me, or that he would come into the kitchen to see if I was all right. However, Ichijou did neither of these two things. In fact, the living room was eerily quiet. So quiet that I began to wonder if Ichijou had left to go tell the headmaster about what he'd seen.

Moving very slowly in order to remain silent, I stood up, then peeked around the edge of the doorframe. When I had caught a glimpse of Ichijou's blond hair, I hastily darted out of sight, then sat back down on the floor.

I had no intention of speaking to Ichijou tonight; however, I also did not want him to go tell anyone else what he had found out. Caught between a rock and hard place, I considered what course of action would be most prudent for at least an hour.

Finally, just as I had steeled myself to face Ichijou, another Night Class student entered the headmaster's living room.

"Takuma-sama, we're heading back to the dorm now." It was Ruka. As Ichijou began to walk out, she asked, "You didn't come back to class; is everything all right?"

Ichijou nodded, and I could tell from my vantage point that he was wearing a very false smile. "Yeah; everything's fine. I just fell asleep on the headmaster's couch. That's all," he replied.

I heaved a sigh of relief. He seemed to have decided not to tell anyone my secret – or at least, not Ruka. Maybe he had only seen the cover of the sketchbook; maybe he hadn't actually looked at any of my drawings.

I rushed over to the couch to grab the sketchbook before it fell into anyone else's hands, but my sketchbook was gone, and in its place was a note from Ichijou.

Lily,

I will be in the library tomorrow night at eight. If you come and talk to me, I'll return your sketchbook to you. If you do not come and talk to me, I'll give your sketchbook to the headmaster and let him deal with this.

Ichijou

I crumpled the note into my hand. How dare he make demands and threats? None of this would be happening if he had simply listened to me!

Angry and flustered, I grabbed my messenger bag and my textbooks, then left the room. Nobody was left in the school building, and nobody was moving about the grounds. I didn't realize how this was a good thing until I heard the shattering of many windows.

Whirling around, I realized that each ground floor window I had passed was shattered into thousands of fragmented pieces. I was uncertain who or what had caused it, but I suddenly broke out into a run in case somebody noticed me near the scene.

Once I had finally reached my bedroom, I lay down on my bed, and cried myself to sleep.

Revised chapter 10; I took out some scenes that didn't seem to have any meaning, and I replaced them with more about Lily. (The other scenes were supposed to help develop Nasrin, but the scenes ended up just getting in the way...) I feel as if this chapter turned out to be shorter than I wanted, but when I tried to add more information to it, the chapter became choppier than what I intended.

Happy reading; let me know of any mistakes in grammar, plot, and character. :)

Thanks,
Mango