I normally do not put author's notes at the beginning of my chapters, but I have a sense-of-duty to forewarn my readers that this chapter is only 400 words shy of being 10,000 words. XD I tried incredibly hard to limit the word-count to 7,500 at the most, but the events in this chapter opened up a flood-gate of important details. So really all I have to say is that I am sorry. So, so sorry. (Despite the length, I do believe that this chapter is well-written, as well as necessary. I would only upload a chapter of this length if I truly believed it was advantageous to my story.)

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 Fifteen: An Unexpected Visitor

"Nasrin! Wake up!" I shook Nasrin's shoulder a bit harshly. "It's almost seven already! We've overslept!"

In reality, Nasrin had overslept. I had woken up at six, so I'd had plenty of time to prepare for the evening's classes. It had been a minor oversight that I had assumed that Nasrin was capable of getting herself out of bed on time for classes.

"Five more minutes…" Nasrin mumbled, rolling away from me.

"We don't have five minutes!" I told her, going to the other side of the bed hastily. "It's six-fifty-seven now!"

"Three more minutes…" Nasrin compromised.

Huffing, I straightened up and placed my hands on my hips. "Fine," I told her, tersely. "I'll just go down by myself, then!"

Almost immediately, Nasrin had bolted out of bed, and had thrown open her closet in order to grab her uniform. As she ran into the bathroom to change, she called over her shoulder, "Don't leave me, Lily! I'm coming!"

While I waited, I heard crashing noises in the bathroom, and I wondered if Nasrin was changing or rampaging. Over the crashing coming from our bathroom, I managed to hear a knock at our door.

When I opened the door, I realized it was Ichijou. He seemed concerned, and he peered around me in an attempt to view whatever was causing the noise. He stammered, "Uhm… Kaname wanted me to make certain you arrived safely in the school-building. You and Nasrin are a bit late…"

I nodded. "Nasrin overslept," I told him. "She's a bit frantic now… Sorry."

Ichijou tried to smile reassuringly, but since the noises from the bathroom had yet to cease, he couldn't smile convincingly.

Finally, Nasrin burst out of the bathroom with her hair exceedingly disheveled, but her uniform in nearly perfect order.

"Apologies," Nasrin told Ichijou, bowing slightly. "Lily and I stayed up too late talking…"

"It's all right," Ichijou replied. "Kaname just wanted to make certain Lily-chan had someone to escort her to class. He thought you might have been cutting classes again."

Nasrin flushed, and tried to say something as an excuse, but she couldn't come up with anything.

Clearly we were running very late because by the time we got outside, the rest of the Night Class was disappearing inside the school-building, and the majority of the fangirls had left for their dorm-rooms. Unfortunately, the few who were left seemed to be the fangirls devoted to Ichijou, and they began to make a ruckus as soon as we'd stepped out of the gates.

Ichijou smiled politely and waved to the girls as he passed.

By the time we made it to the classroom, nearly everyone was already seated, but the instructor had yet to arrive.

Just as on the previous night, I decided to sit next to Nasrin a few rows below Ichijou, Shiki, and Rima. I pulled out a notebook, so that I would be able to scribble down notes as soon as possible.

When the door opened, I expected to see the instructor walk into the classroom, but instead Yuuki stood breathless in the doorway.

"Lily, there's someone in the headmaster's office who wants to see you," Yuuki told me, still attempting to catch her breath. Clearly this turn-of-events was short notice.

I stood and stuffed my notebook back into my bag. As I hurried out of the room, I glanced behind me, and noticed that Ichijou had an extremely worried expression on his face. Knowing that he had feared my father deciding to take me away, he must have become convinced that was what was occurring at this moment.

Yuuki and I were halfway down the hall leading to the headmaster's office by the time Ichijou caught up.

"Yuuki-chan, who wants to see Lily-chan? And why wasn't anyone given any notice?" Although Ichijou was addressing Yuuki, he was watching me carefully.

Yuuki replied, a bit flustered, "I don't know who it is. The headmaster just told me to go get Lily because someone was here to see her. He said that the visitor didn't pre-arrange the visit. The visitor just turned up tonight, and asked to see Lily."

"Lily-chan…" Ichijou began, and I knew that he wanted me to tell Yuuki about my father. When I shook my head, Ichijou continued, "I'll tell if you won't. I can't allow you to be taken away from this school's safety."

"Please, don't… We don't know the situation yet," I replied, and my calmness must have reassured Ichijou somewhat because he remained silent.

Outside of the headmaster's office, I heard the headmaster telling whoever the visitor was, "She is in the middle of the school year. You can't expect that she can transfer out at this critical stage…"

I didn't need to even look at Ichijou to know what he was thinking. It was certainly my father who wanted to take me away with him.

However, when Yuuki opened the door, I was incredibly startled.

"Crazy Aunt Icicle! I mean, Aunt Icicle! I mean… Aunt… Ice… Isis…" I jabbered away, flustered and embarrassed. Flushing redder than a tomato, I stared at the floor.

Ichijou seemed just as surprised as I was, but more at my reaction than at finding my aunt standing in the room when he'd been convinced it was my father.

"Good morning, Lily! Haven't seen you for a long while; thought I'd drop by! We have much to discuss," Aunt Icicle told me, smiling brightly.

The headmaster for once appeared quite even-tempered and sensible. "Um… Come in, Lily-chan…"

I stepped into the office, and Ichijou and Yuuki withdrew after a brief moment of hesitation.

"Aunt Icicle… I mean, Aunt Isis… Why have you come here?" I asked. "We haven't seen each other for ten years."

Aunt Icicle was still smiling, but she addressed the headmaster instead of me. "Headmaster Cross, the Waters family has always attended Celtic Academy. We've always been placed on the enrollment list, and Lily should have been attending Celtic Academy since she was twelve years old. It's an unfortunate mistake, but I have rectified it, and I will be taking Lily out of this school and sending her to the one she has always supposed to have been attending."

The headmaster attempted to smile at my aunt, but he seemed a bit flustered. "Miss Waters… I cannot permit Lily-chan to have her schooling interrupted anymore… She's already transferred once this semester, and the school I run is one of the finest in Japan," the headmaster replied.

"The Waters family is Scottish by heritage, and we have always attended a Scottish school! Her father's condition prevented her from attending her proper school, but as I have told you already, this error has been corrected! She must be sent there immediately! She's already so far behind in her proper education! First that lowly school in the U.S. and now this!" Aunt Icicle waved her hand at the headmaster's unorganized office, and I suddenly noticed that my aunt had caught him cooking a fish over an unusual looking fire-bucket.

The headmaster flushed, then defended his school, "I assure you that Lily-chan is receiving a fine education at Cross Academy. I've even moved her to an elite class!"

My aunt snorted, "I'm certain it's perfectly acceptable for this academy's usual students, but Lily must go to Celtic Academy to receive her education. It simply cannot be any other way."

At that moment, Kaname stepped into the headmaster's office. Despite my dislike of Kaname, I was relieved because I was certain he of all people could make my aunt see reason.

"Miss Waters, you must realize that you have little say in this matter," Kaname reminded my aunt. "Lily has been taken in by the headmaster of this school, so ultimately the decision on which school she will attend rests in his judgment."

My aunt's face hardened slightly, but she kept her voice calm as she informed Kaname, "I have filed for custody of Lily. Her father is unable to care for her – has been for quite some time." She looked at me with an expression similar to ice itself. I winced, and returned to staring at the floor. "Her brother has been working out the misunderstanding that has occurred since Lily's arrival in Japan. I must say that the authorities were exceedingly confused by the situation."

Kaname shook his head, a small smile appearing briefly. "Don't you think Lily would much rather remain at Cross Academy? She hasn't seen or heard from you since she was five years old. All she's really known for ten years is abuse at the hands of her deranged father. For possibly the first time in Lily's life, she is safe!"

"Don't call my father deranged!" I cried out, suddenly. "You have no right to say that sort of thing!"

For a horrible moment, I thought Kaname would strike me for my rebuke, but what he actually did startled me. "I apologize, Lily. I shouldn't have said that," he told me.

Feeling more confident somehow, I turned back to my aunt. "Aunt Icicle… I mean, Aunt Isis… I feel it's best for me to remain at Cross Academy for now. At least, until the end of this semester," I told her. "Perhaps we could discuss attending Celtic Academy over the winter holiday. If that would be acceptable."

I expected my aunt to argue with me in the same manner that she had argued with the headmaster and Kaname, yet she smiled and nodded to me. "Of course, Lily, you will come to my farm in Alaska for Midwinter," she informed me. Secretly, I wondered if this proposal had been her true intention for appearing suddenly at Cross Academy. Sometimes I forgot why my family had labeled her Crazy Aunt Icicle…

I hesitated, "Oh. Fine; I'd like to spend Midwinter with you… in Alaska…"

Aunt Icicle, now smiling pleasantly, asked the headmaster, "Would it be in your interest to permit my niece to spend Midwinter with me in Kaktovik? I haven't seen her in such a long time."

The headmaster must have been very relieved that my aunt no longer was making a fuss about the inadequacy of his school because he answered, "Oh! I think it will be wonderful for Lily-chan to spend her holiday with her family! In fact, if she decides that she would like to attend Celtic Academy starting next semester, I would happily agree!"

Kaname did not seem pleased at all when the headmaster said this. However, I was so flustered and confused by this point that I no longer cared about anything other than getting out of the office.

"If that's all, may I please leave?" I asked.

"If it is all right with you two, I must speak to my niece alone for a moment," Aunt Icicle addressed the headmaster and Kaname. Without waiting for an answer, she led me outside the office.

After glancing over her shoulder (I noticed Ichijou peering nervously around a corner, but didn't mention his presence to my aunt), she told me in a hushed tone, "Lily, it is imperative that you begin attending Celtic Academy. Absolutely, you must. Now, I always intended to have you begin next semester, but I had to play my role as the crazy aunt."

Confused, I asked my aunt, "Why must I attend Celtic Academy? Kit never went… I've never even heard of it… Or received any acceptance letters."

My aunt shook her head. "It is not safe here to discuss this topic. Your parents had a serious falling out…"

"The bow and arrows…"

"No. Much more serious than that… But we cannot discuss it here… Not around the vampires, or the headmaster…"

"You know about…"

"Not here!"

My aunt returned to the crazy aunt she had portrayed inside the headmaster's office. "Well, that's settled then, Lily!" She peered into the headmaster's office, and told him, "Apologies, Headmaster Cross, I must be off. I want to explore Kyoto before leaving for Alaska. Figure as long as I must be away, I should do some sight-seeing!"

With that, my aunt strode off down the hallway and out of sight.

Entering the headmaster's office once more, I bowed, then apologized, "I am really, truly sorry. My aunt is just… bonkers…"

The headmaster smiled at me. "It's all right, Lily-chan," he told me, but somehow I knew he wanted to add, "As long as I never see that woman ever again in my life."

Kaname did not address the subject of my aunt. He simply told me, "The headmaster and I have some business to discuss. Ichijou is down the hall; you may return to your lessons."

I nodded, then left the office quickly. Because I hadn't been looking up, I nearly ran right into Ichijou.

"Lily-chan! Is everything all right?" Ichijou asked me, gently pushing me back slightly.

I nodded. "My aunt's… I think she just wanted to ask me to stay for Midwinter…"

Ichijou did not look convinced. "She seemed to be persistent that you transfer out of Cross Academy immediately! To attend Celtic Academy, no less!"

I felt my brow furrow in confusion. "I've never even heard of Celtic Academy, but apparently my family is always asked to enroll," I said, almost to myself.

"Lily-chan, Celtic Academy is one of the most prestigious academies in the world! It's incredibly selective – only 1 in every 50 applicants are accepted. I've heard that only families who have had twenty generations consecutively accepted into Celtic Academy are automatically enrolled!"

"I never knew that I was supposed to have attended…"

I must have looked more sad than confused because Ichijou suddenly wrapped his arms around me in an embrace. "Your life should have been so different," he told me.

I pulled out of his embrace, then commented, "There's just so much I don't know about my own family. I mean, I'm not bothered by my past; I'm perfectly content with everything I've been through. I just feel as if… There's something about my family that I never realized, and I think it was intentional."

Ichijou didn't seem to know what to say. "Do you want to go back to class? We've missed both art history and British literature."

I nodded. "I don't want to get behind in too many classes. Learned that the hard way with geometry," I told Ichijou. "Besides, I don't want to think about having to spend Midwinter in Kaktovik."

"You'll be all right, Lily-chan…" Ichijou assured me.

I smiled slightly, wanting him to believe that I was fine, but I was truly dreading the idea of spending my winter holiday in Kaktovik. Only an average of three hours of sunlight each evening, an average high temperature of -5 degrees Fahrenheit, and numerous frozen water troughs. My aunt's farm in Kaktovik was like a frozen Hell.

When the history lesson began, I diligently took notes, and managed to push spending Midwinter with my aunt in Alaska to the back of my mind. However, when break arrived, Nasrin wanted to know all about what had occurred in the headmaster's office.

"Celtic Academy? Are you actually going to transfer there?" Nasrin asked.

I was about to answer, but Aidou (who apparently had been listening in on our conversation) repeated, "Celtic Academy?"

"You know of it?" I asked. "I only just heard about it tonight, but apparently I was supposed to have been automatically enrolled."

I had never seen Aidou so bewildered before, but he quickly reclaimed a self-important guise, and answered, "Of course, I know of Celtic Academy. It is considered one of the best schools in the world. It's impressive that your family has managed to become enrolled automatically; however, it's still not quite as impressive as having your own personal tutor."

From across the room I heard Kaname release what sounded like an amused laugh. He flipped to the next page of the book he was reading, but clearly Aidou had heard Kaname's laugh as well because Aidou suddenly didn't seem so confident. His shoulders slumped, and he seemed to have forgotten that he'd been speaking to me at all.

To be honest, I was more unnerved that I hadn't noticed Kaname enter the classroom than by his apparent amusement over Aidou's pride. While I attempted to decipher how long he'd been present, I continued to watch him carefully.

Kaname chose this time to continue, "Perhaps you should tell Aidou who you really are, Lily."

I looked at him a bit oddly – uncertain what he could possibly mean. "About who…"

Kaname smiled, and closed his book. "Aidou, Lily is too humble to tell you, but she is the daughter of Alan Waters who is the current owner of Apple Blossom Acres: Horse Rehabilitation and Reconditioning Ranch," he told Aidou (and anyone else who was currently in the room).

"No way, Lily-chan!" I heard Ichijou gasp behind me. To himself he mumbled, "How could I have overlooked that?"

This reaction simply made me more confused. I knew that I came from a well-to-do family, but I didn't think that was the reason for Ichijou's shocked reaction, so I found myself asking, "What's the significance of that?"

Aidou was too shocked for words, so Kain explained, "Your family is well-known and respected in the vampire world. For centuries, vampires from all over the world have been sending their horses to your farm for training."

No wonder they seemed so sensitive to my injuries… I thought it was odd that they knew I had cuts when I'd hidden them carefully…

"So that's why Apple Blossom Acres shut-down…" Ichijou continued, thoughtfully. Suddenly, he seemed to realize he was about to give away my secret, and he covered his mouth.

Aidou seemed to catch what Ichijou had said because Aidou asked, "Why did the farm shut-down?"

"I shut it down," I answered, calmly. "When Apple Blossom Acres shut-down, I was its manager. I decided I wanted to go on the rodeo circuit, and I didn't feel that I would be capable of managing the training farm properly."

"Which begs the question: Why were you managing the farm in the first place?" Ruka stated, coldly. "At that time, you would only have been thirteen years old, and thirteen year old human minds are hardly capable of running businesses."

Before I could respond to Ruka's statement, Ichijou reprimanded her, "That's uncalled for! You have no idea what Lily was going through at that time! She didn't have a choice except to manage that farm by herself!"

Quickly, I began to correct the damage Ichijou had done, "My father always hired inefficient workers, he would purchase hay before having it assayed, and, honestly, my father was always more inclined to work with horses than people. He left those tasks to my brother, who then left them to me when he went to Germany."

"You could have hired a manager," Aidou reminded me. "I'm certain your family has the money for one."

"That isn't how my family is," I told him, easily. "The Waters' family has always managed the training farm personally. We would rather shut-down our farm than hire someone outside the family."

This response was so simple to reply because it was the truth. Even as a toddler, my father had reminded me constantly that our family had never hired any outsider to manage the property, nor had our family ever sold half-an-acre when times became difficult. Brief shut-downs had occurred, but for the most part, our training farm had been up-and-running continuously since 1823.

"The Waters' family has shut-down their farm before," Kaname verified. "Not for as long as this shut-down has lasted, but they do occasionally shut-down in order to become organized, or reconstruct, or…" Kaname gave a long pause, and looked at me calculatingly. "To deal with familial disputes. But never for personal desire."

For a horrible moment, I thought Kaname was going to tell my secret, or criticize me for giving such a selfish reason for shutting the farm down. However, he seemed to be finished with his Snape-like performance.

Perhaps Kaname was under the impression that I would break-down now. He might have thought with enough goading, I might simply admit my secret just to save time and worry. However, he was wrong. I had no intention of telling the truth about my farm's shut-down. I did not care what people thought of me or my reasoning.

I had made the right decision. I was certain of it. I could lie about the reason behind the shut-down because the lie protected the one who I loved. Not to mention the reputation of the Waters' family as a unit.

"Why didn't you mention that you were related to that family?" Aidou asked. "Despite you having the same name as that family, I thought for certain their daughter would have mentioned her heritage."

I shrugged. "I don't need to mention my family's heritage to make myself feel important," I replied. "I would have discussed my family's farm if anyone had asked."

"Did you know you were training horses for vampires?" Kain asked.

For eight years I had helped train vampire-owned horses, and I had interacted with vampires themselves while demonstrating how to correctly manage the horses. While I had always felt that some of my clients were different, I had never imagined them to be vampires. Admitting that I had never placed the dark auras of the vampires until this moment would be embarrassing, but I didn't believe avoiding embarrassment was worth lying for.

"Not really," I answered. "I recognized dark auras around them, but I didn't realize they weren't human. Actually, to be honest, I always thought the dark aura was coming off the horses. I normally only see auras with animals, and often when the owners interact with their horses, the horses' auras become dark again."

Nobody in the classroom replied to this statement, and I felt a bit awkward. Maybe it was unusual, even for horse trainers, to view visible auras. I had always assumed that I had been able to detect auras due to how often I worked with animals, but now I wasn't so certain.

Luckily, our last class for the night began soon after my comment, so I became distracted.

The Night Class students did not seem to like Yagari Toga, the ethics instructor, very much. I knew Yagari Toga was the vampire hunter who had arrived under the pretense of instructing ethics; I also knew that his true intention for arriving at Cross Academy had been to watch Zero, and be certain Zero had not fallen to level E status.

If I were teaching a class for students who were hostile toward me, I wouldn't be trying to aggravate them more, I thought, watching Aidou gripping a pencil tighter each time Yagari insulted the vampires. Someone was going to lose their self-control, and Yagari might not be able to defend himself. Despite Yagari's confidence, I did not have faith in his strategies.

He's arrogant, I decided. He wants them to attack him. He'd love an excuse to go after one of these students.

Suddenly, one of the students threw a knife at Yagari, who held up a book nonchalantly to block the knife from stabbing him. However, the knife never reached the book. About a half-foot from Yagari, the knife appeared to hit an invisible barrier, and simply fell to the floor with a small clatter.

Like most of the class, I stared at the knife lying on the floor. How could it not have struck Yagari's book? How could it just fall out of mid-air?

"Uhh… I think that will be all for tonight," Yagari told the class, and he strode casually out of the classroom.

After he left, the Night Class began mumbling amongst themselves. I overheard numerous whisperings which credited the knife's descent with Kaname, and I instantly became relieved. For a moment, I'd thought I'd caused the knife to divert away from Yagari.

However, as I glanced toward Kaname, I realized he was staring right at me. The only reason he would be doing that would be if he thought I had been the one to prevent the knife from striking Yagari.

I shook my head. I couldn't possibly have put a barrier around Yagari; I was only human. Humans couldn't do anything significant.

Ichijou appeared beside me, and asked, "Want to go back to the dorms, Lily-chan?"

I started to nod, but then realized I would have to inform my brother about staying at my aunt Icicle's for Midwinter. "No, actually, I need to email my brother," I told him. "He'll want to know where I'll be during the holidays."

I had planned to use the school library, but Ichijou offered, "You can use my laptop."

"I don't want to be a bother…" I replied, hesitating slightly.

Ichijou smiled brightly, "You're not a bother. If you went to the library alone, I'd worry."

"All right," I agreed, gathering my books into my messenger bag.

As I stood, I realized that Nasrin was still sleeping on her desk. I shook her quickly, and told her, "Nasrin, class is over. You can go back to the dorm now."

Nasrin yawned, and stretched. "I'm glad you woke me… I dreamt that I was being attacked by a Christmas tree… It was bizarre," she informed me, unnecessarily.

"Very good; let's go," I replied, offhandedly.

While we walked back to the Moon Dorm, Nasrin rambled on about her dream. "We were all gathered around, opening presents, and then out of nowhere the tree starts spinning…"

Tuning Nasrin out, Ichijou addressed me, "Lily-chan, could you describe the auras that you see when working with horses?"

Before answering Ichijou, I considered telling him that I had only used the word aura to describe the behavior of the horses, but then I admitted, "For an aggressive horse I see something like a black mist or fog, but for balanced horses I see golden vines running throughout the horse. The golden vines are a bit similar to veins… I mean, I don't always see either… Most of the time, I just tune it out because it can become distracting."

"Do you see my aura?" Ichijou asked.

I halted, and turned to really look at him. To tell the truth, I had noticed his aura that day I had discovered the Night Class' secret, and it had been similar to Kaname's, but not the same color. Kaname's aura was pitch black, and was more like a veil than a mist, but Ichijou's aura was similar to a fine mist, and it would have been undetectable, except that it was red.

"It's red," I answered.

"What is?" Ichijou asked, and I realized he hadn't asked which color his aura was, but whether or not his aura was visible to me.

"Your aura is like a red mist," I clarified.

"Unusual…" Ichijou replied, folding his arms unconsciously. "You do realize that it isn't typical for humans to see auras?"

I nodded. "I'm getting that impression," I responded tersely.

Quickly, Ichijou corrected himself, "It's not impossible, of course! After-all, vampire hunters are human, and they can identify vampire auras." As an afterthought, Ichijou added, "I'm not certain they normally see the auras of animals… I know that vampires don't recognize animal auras."

Trying to shrug off my ability to see auras, I said, "Maybe I became sensitive to auras because I worked with horses so often."

"Or you could be an animal charmer," Ichijou suggested.

Perplexed, but not wanting Ichijou to believe that I was anything except human, I stammered, "I-I don't even know what that is…"

"Being an animal charmer isn't evil, Lily-chan. Just incredibly rare," Ichijou explained. "It used to be more common, but during the hunting of the Fair Folk…" He paused a moment before finishing, "A council decided that being an animal charmer was an indication of being of the Fair Folk. By the time the council realized that animal charmers were not of the Fair Folk, about eighty percent of the animal charmers had already been killed."

After Ichijou finished speaking, I wasn't certain what to say. Finally I asked, "Was this event recent?"

Shaking his head, Ichijou answered, "No; it was a relatively brief period in 1929. Luckily, the council uncovered the truth behind the decision quickly. A few of the council members had decided that there was a need to lower the population, and the animal charmers seemed an ideal target."

"My farm shut-down in 1929," I confided. "All our houses were sealed, and for a while my family lived elsewhere. My father used to tell me about how they considered not returning. I always thought it was because of the Depression."

As we continued walking to the Moon Dorm, we were all silent, even Nasrin had stopped jabbering about her bizarre dream. I was thinking about how anguished my family must have felt, as they witnessed all the animal charmers being ruthlessly persecuted.

It must have been awful for them… They must have felt so guilty for surviving when so many had been killed. No wonder they hadn't wanted to return…

"Lily-chan, I do want to warn you," Ichijou told me. He'd clearly been debating over whether or not to speak more on this topic. "Some people aren't convinced that animal charmers aren't of the Fair Folk. My grandfather… he swears that animal charmers are a threat to the vampire society. There's a reason why your family chose not to disclose their true heritage."

I nodded, slightly. "I wasn't going to go around announcing I'm an animal charmer. However, I'm certain that the other students here will be able to deduce what I am for themselves."

"Kaname won't let anything happen to you," Ichijou assured me, confidently.

To this statement, I did not reply. I wasn't certain Kaname was loyal to me, and I knew that his protection would ultimately come with a cost.

Silently, I followed Ichijou to his room, and sat down to type a quick email to my brother.

It took me a while to delete all of Shawn's messages, and I briefly considered creating a new email account to deter Shawn from emailing at all. However, I realized that it wouldn't be able to deter him long. The email I used was my school email – which Shawn shouldn't know in the first place.

Releasing a frustrated sigh, I selected the tab for composing messages, and began typing out my brother's email.

Kit,

Aunt Icicle showed up tonight at Cross Academy, and insisted that not only I spend Midwinter with her in Alaska, but that I should be transferred to Celtic Academy. Do you know what Celtic Academy is? Aunt Icicle claims that we should have each been automatically enrolled, but that it had something to do with a falling-out. Do you know what she's talking about?

Also, could I possibly come visit you and Dad during the winter break? I want to check on Kidd. And I want to see you, of course.

Respond soon,
Lily

P.S. Please, give Scott my email address. I've been on a bit of a strange schedule recently, and I think email would be easier for communicating.

Before I hit send, Ichijou placed a hand on my shoulder. "Lily-chan, I'm not reading over your shoulder, but… you typed your email in Japanese," he pointed out.

"Drat…" I mumbled, starting to retype my email into English. "I would have sent it like that, too."

"How did you learn Japanese?" Ichijou asked, curiously.

"I used to take extracurricular classes through the park district. I would choose difficult classes, so I could put-off going to my father's house," I answered. "I didn't just learn Japanese; I also took a Persian class. Of course, that one wasn't completely optional. All my mom's recipe cards were written in Persian, so I kind of had to learn it!"

Ichijou seemed to be caught up in something I said, because he asked, quietly, "You weren't living with your father?"

I shook my head. "No; not technically. When my mom died, my father sealed the main house, and we all moved to one of the Victorian houses that my great-great-great grandmother had built. When my father became violent, my brother moved my sister and I out of that house, and we stayed in one of the older houses on the property. After my brother and sister left, I moved into a barn-loft apartment."

"Lily-chan! Why did you go to your father's house at all? If you could have avoided it…" When I glanced back at Ichijou, I realized that his expression was more than concerned. He seemed to be sweating, and he appeared to be forgetting that we were in the Moon Dorm, and not in Sleepy Hollow.

"I am loyal to my father," I informed him, fiercely. "I will not disgrace my family's name by forgetting my father's goodness."

"Are you brainwashed?" Ichijou demanded, but quickly corrected himself, "Sorry, Lily-chan, but how can you call your father good when he abused you each time you tried to help him? It wouldn't be a disgrace for you to protect yourself from him."

For a while I remained silent. Ichijou's words didn't hurt; I had expected this reaction from him if I'd told him the truth. "My father was the kindest person before my mom died. Everything he did was kind. Even when he went to horse auctions. My mother would send him out to buy a gentle, well-trained horse, and my father would come home with three horses that everyone considered too aggressive, and my father would insist that they would be the most loyal and trustworthy of all the horses on our farm. And he was always right."

To my tirade, Ichijou did not reply. He stared resolutely at the floor; one arm crossed over his chest; the other held in a loose fist at his mouth. While he reflected upon what I'd said, I finished and sent my email.

Intending to return to my dorm-room, I began to leave, but Ichijou grabbed my arm as I passed him.

"You're a kind person, Lily-chan," Ichijou told me in a whisper. "But, please, don't sacrifice yourself. You have to remember that you are important, too."

Stunned momentarily, I could not speak. After a moment, I nodded, and Ichijou released me. Without another word, I returned to my room.

Nasrin was already asleep by the time I arrived. Doesn't she ever do any homework or studying? I wondered, pulling out my own school-books. All she really seems to do is sleep.

In my agenda was the list of art supplies I would need to complete my art project, and I decided that despite all the other work that had been assigned, my priority was to purchase my art supplies, so I could begin my painting as soon as possible.

I'll have to tell the headmaster that I must go into town tomorrow… Or… today… Whichever it is now…

In the meantime, I began to review the notes I'd taken during Calculus, but soon afterward, I realized that the majority of my notes were simply sketches. Since biochemistry had been a lab, and I had utilized Japanese class to write out my grocery list, I decided that it would be best to take a nap before seeing the headmaster.

While I laid in bed, I considered my previous visit to Alaska.

It was always so cold… Impossible to go outside without at least five layers on… And I remember that my snowshoes only made me trip. Yet, Aunt Icicle loved everything about Alaska. Or maybe she was simply pleased we'd come to visit her.

After a few hours of recalling all my memories of Alaska, I finally managed to fall asleep.

I was walking through a dense forest. The path was nearly impossible to detect since everything was covered in at least three feet of snow. As I walked, fresh flurries of snow began to fall. Carefully, I wrapped my wool scarf closer, and I clutched my seal-skin parka tight to my chest.

How can Aunt Isis survive in this place? Why would she want to live here?

A desperate yowling drew me from my thoughts. Searching for the source of the yowling, I made out the faint image of a frozen lake some ways in the distance. The yowling seemed to be resonating from that direction, so I set off at as brisk a pace as I could manage.

After what felt like hours, I emerged on the edge of a moderately sized lake. In the clearing, the little bit of sunlight present reflected brightly off the frozen water, and I blinked rapidly to adjust my eyes to the unfamiliar brightness.

Surveying the frozen lake, I realized that a pure white wolf had fallen through a break in the ice. As I watched it struggling to pull itself out of the water, I remembered what I'd heard a local man telling his companion in Kaktovik.

"The only good wolf is a dead wolf."

I could have walked away. Nobody would ever need to know that I'd ignored this wolf, and even if they did know I'd ignored it, they wouldn't have blamed me for it.

"Common sense," they'd say. "Not only is the wolf not worth saving, but the chance that you could cross that ice, pull it out, and live to tell the tale is slim to none. Best to ignore anything drowning in a frozen lake."

Yet I knew that I would not be able to live with myself if I didn't try to save this wolf.

Slowly I crept out onto the ice. It took all the balance I possessed not to collapse immediately. Instead, it took me about five seconds to fall onto the ice.

As I pulled myself back onto the bank, I considered my options more logically. The wolf had claws to grip the ice with. I would need to find something to give me more traction.

What I ended up doing was perhaps not the ideal manner in which to cross a frozen lake. On all fours, I used a few jagged rocks to assist me as I crawled toward the wolf.

Still struggling, the wolf whined, and I noticed that the break in the ice had slowly been decreasing.

The lake is freezing over again, I realized.

Quickly I began to chip at the ice…

"Lily, your alarm's going off…" a voice mumbled sleepily from above.

The ice wasn't easy to chip, and my small hands could barely grasp the rock.

"Lily! Your alarm is annoying… Why did you set it to go off so early?" the voice continued.

Slowly, the break in the ice became larger. It would only be a few more minutes until I could fit the wolf through.

"Lily! Wake up! You're starting to scare me!" the voice exclaimed, and I felt my body being shaken.

As I opened my eyes, I heard the door to our dorm-room being opened, then Ichijou's voice. "Is everything all right?"

"I can't get Lily to wake up," Nasrin answered. Her tone was a bit frantic, and I could tell that she was very worried.

Sitting up, I reached for my alarm, and turned it off. "I'm fine… It was just a very strange dream…" I told them. I rubbed my eyes wearily.

"Are you certain you're all right?" Ichijou asked.

I assured Ichijou, "I'm fine."

After Ichijou left the room, I rooted around in my closet for an outfit suitable for going to town in. Despite not possessing many clothes, it took me a while to locate a skirt to match the only blouse I'd been able to find.

"So few clothes, yet I'm never able to find anything to wear…" I sighed.

As I walked into the bathroom, Nasrin asked, "Lily, why are you getting dressed? It's only eight in the morning."

"I need to ask the headmaster to let me go into town. I want to get art supplies," I replied.

It didn't take me long to change, and I ran a brush quickly through my hair before leaving my dorm-room. Nasrin had gone back to sleep; although, she'd muttered something about how she wished she could go to town with me. It seemed that Kaname had gone out of his way to ensure that Nasrin was never permitted to go into town.

Despite closing my door as softly as I could, I still managed to get caught before I was even halfway to the stairs.

"Lily-chan, where are you going?" Ichijou rested his hand on my shoulder. "You shouldn't wander around the Moon Dorm by yourself."

"I was just going to the headmaster's," I told him. "I need to go into town for art supplies."

Glancing at Ichijou, I realized that he was dressed casually, but that he was wearing street-clothes instead of pajamas.

"As it happens," Ichijou replied. "Kaname has asked me to hunt a level E vampire that is in town. I'll take you with me, but on the condition that I drop you off at the art shop, and you remain at the art shop until I return for you."

Slightly relieved that I wouldn't have to waste time visiting the headmaster, who probably would have berated me with questions about how I was doing in the Night Class for an hour before considering permitting me to visit the town, I quickly accepted Ichijou's condition.

"Wait here. I'm going to grab my katana," Ichijou told me.

A few minutes later, we were outside the school-gates, and on our way into the town. Unlike the previous time I'd gone into town with Ichijou, today no clouds obscured the sky. I wondered whether Ichijou was bothered by the sun's brightness.

Shyly, I asked, "Is it true that vampires dislike the sunlight?"

"Kind of. We have heightened senses, so sometimes the brightness from the sun becomes nearly unbearable," Ichijou explained. "The sunlight itself doesn't harm us, but we prefer to avoid it for comfort's sake."

When we arrived at the art shop, Ichijou reminded me, "Wait here for me. Don't wander off, and definitely do not repeat what you did last time. I'll be back soon; this task shouldn't take long."

I watched Ichijou disappear around a building before I focused on the art supplies around me. It didn't take me long to forget that my companion was off hunting a vampire.

Selecting art supplies always filled me with a sense of elation. When I had been living with my father, I used to bribe myself with art supplies in order to convince myself a trip up to my father's house was worth the cost. I even came up with a reward system in case I became trapped in the attic.

If my father remained at the table, I would buy myself a new set of colored pencils. If my father became hostile immediately, I would buy charcoal crayons. If my father became hostile after my arrival, I would purchase canvases and oils. If I was forced to entrench myself in the attic for a day, I would buy a new set of paintbrushes, and if I was trapped for a week, I would buy myself every art supply I considered necessary to make-up for my suffering.

Today, I chose only what I needed to complete my art project. At least, I chose mostly what I needed to complete my art project. I couldn't resist a brand of colored pencil I hadn't come across previously.

As I waited for Ichijou to come back, I noticed a tall, cloaked figure traveling through town at a calm, calculated pace. Although this man clearly stood out from the townspeople, nobody seemed to notice him. It was as if the townspeople could not see him at all.

Despite my curiosity, I was willing to ignore the man in order to demonstrate to Ichijou that I didn't chase level E vampires haphazardly. Distracting myself, I reached for a sketchbook to examine. When I happened to glance out the window once more, I realized that the cloaked man was holding a familiar staff in one hand.

That looks like... When he holds that staff in that manner… He's the…

I dropped the sketchbook, and I beat a hasty retreat from the art shop. Luckily, the man's pace was slow, and I didn't have to make much of an effort to follow him at a safe distance. Although I was curious, I wasn't certain I wanted to risk upsetting Ichijou again. If he began to think I was unwilling to remain in a safe location while in town, I was certain he would ensure that I never went to town at all anymore.

However, after following the man some distance, I began to have the same fears that had overcome me while chasing the level E vampire the last time I'd come to town. Once again, I had wandered much farther from the busier parts of town than I would have liked, and the cloaked man still did not seem to have any intention of stopping.

It was as if he were on his way to a prearranged event. He didn't pause at crossroads, and he didn't take in his surroundings. The cloaked man simply walked deliberately on a path he'd already determined would lead him to his destination.

Rounding a corner, I realized that I had made a mistake following the cloaked man. From my vantage point, I could see Ichijou attempting to revive a girl who lay limply in his arms. I did not understand how I knew, but I could immediately tell that it was inevitable that the girl would die.

Perhaps I was too distracted by the girl to notice the level E vampire that Ichijou had been chasing. While I was considering how it must feel to know you were dying, the vampire crept up behind me, and I didn't realize its presence until it had snatched one of my arms to drag me into a nearby alleyway.

Luckily, I was quick to grab Coimirceoir from my bag, and I flicked it so that the sickle-shaped blade of the staff pierced the vampire.

Hissing angrily, the vampire let me go long enough for me to rise to my feet, and I ran off in what I hoped was the direction of the town. However, instead of going toward the town, I ran right into a dead-end.

Halting hastily, I didn't even have time to turn around before the vampire latched onto me again. This time, it didn't waste time sinking its teeth into my neck.

Momentarily, the pain of the bite itself prevented me from noticing the sickening sound of the vampire's sucking. Even as I realized the gravity of being attacked by a vampire who had lost its ability to reason, I could not help berating myself for disobeying Ichijou, as well as letting myself get attacked by the vampire. Given the fact that I would most likely be sucked dry, my concern that Ichijou would go out of his way to see that I never went into town again was ridiculous.

Without warning, the vampire stopped sucking my blood, and only a moment later, the hands that had been preventing me from pulling away vanished. Surprised by my sudden release, I managed to turn around before collapsing onto the alleyway floor.

I wasn't certain whether the reason for my collapse was the blood-loss, or if I had collapsed due to the fact that the man from my dreams was standing before me.

For the first time, I could fully observe the man's face. His bright blue eyes seemed to contrast his dark expression. Neither welcoming, nor unkind, the expression on the man's features was simply resigned.

"You are…" I began, weakly. I'm stronger than this. I know I am. I won't die right when I finally meet the man I've been so curious about.

"Restore," the man demanded, resting a hand gently upon my head.

A warm feeling that seemed to radiate from the man's hand cascaded over me, and I immediately began to feel my strength returning. Reaching up to feel the area I'd been bitten, I realized that the wound had been healed – not even a bruise remained.

Forgetting about Ichijou, I rounded on the man before me. He was already turning away, as if I didn't deserve any explanation from him for his actions.

"Hey! Who are you? Why didn't you let me die? You let that girl die! Why am I so special to you?" I demanded.

It was completely out of my character to behave so irrationally, but my rationality would have to be placed on the sideboard momentarily. It had taken me months to finally meet this man, and I had no idea when, or if, I would ever meet him again.

Without a word, the man began to stride away from me, as if he couldn't hear me. A bit irritated, I cried out, "Don't you walk away from me! I know you can hear me, and you know I can see you!" The man paused, and slowly turned toward me. Suddenly abashed by my shameful demands, I meekly continued, "I just want to understand why you're protecting me."

"I protect you because you are different from the rest," the man answered, and he turned away once more, as if that explained everything.

Momentarily stunned, I at first did not ask for clarification, but as the man disappeared around a corner, I asked, "Different from whom?"

Quickly, I leapt to my feet, and ran after the man. Because I hadn't really been looking where I was going, I ran right into somebody who was approaching the alleyway. Even without really seeing the person I'd collided with, I knew it was not the cloaked man.

"Sorry!" I apologized quickly, glancing around the person to see the cloaked man, but the man was nowhere in sight. As if he'd disappeared into thin air. "Did you see a cloaked man? You must have walked right past him."

As I glanced up at the person I'd run into, all thought of the cloaked man left me.

"I told you to wait in the art shop," Ichijou reminded me. He spoke in a low-tone, as if he was trying incredibly hard to prevent himself from becoming angry. "Why didn't you listen to me?"

"I did wait… for a bit," I replied, quietly.

I couldn't look at Ichijou. I had known better than to wander off. Even if it had been my only chance to better observe the cloaked man, I should have waited obediently in the art shop for Ichijou to return.

"Don't you understand that if you're injured, I'll be the one to answer for it?" Ichijou asked.

I was relieved that he didn't seem to realize that I had been attacked by the vampire; however, my relief was disrupted by Ichijou releasing a sharp breath.

"Lily-chan, there's blood on your blouse!" Ichijou realized. "Were you attacked by that vampire?"

Without giving me a chance to answer, Ichijou gently examined my neck. As his fingers traced the spot where I'd been bitten by the level E vampire, I suddenly felt as if I were re-living the attack once more.

I had been so distracted by seeing the cloaked man that I had completely forgotten about being bitten by the level E. As the memory flooded through me, I suddenly felt very vulnerable once more. Although I wasn't exactly afraid of Ichijou, I was suddenly much more aware that he had the capability of devouring me in the same manner as the level E.

As if reading my mind, Ichijou assured me, "I am not the same as a level E. Level E vampires attack because they've lost the ability to reason. I would never hurt you, Lily-chan."

Hesitantly, I asked, "Are you angry with me?"

Hastily Ichijou denied, "Of course, I'm not angry with you! How could I be angry with you when you're crying like this?"

Suddenly aware that tears were streaming down my face, I scrubbed at my eyes. Certainly my nose was running; I had never been able to cry without that rather nasty side-effect. Although I attempted to prevent myself from crying more, the idea that my tears made me appear more vulnerable than ever simply caused me to sob harder.

Attempting to comfort me, Ichijou reassured me, "You're all right, Lily-chan. You managed to kill the vampire who attacked you. You won't be hurt more."

I shook my head. "I didn't… Someone else killed the vampire; I couldn't do anything…" I sobbed.

"You must have killed the vampire. There was nobody else around," Ichijou explained. "You're probably too shocked to realize…"

I interrupted, "There was someone else! You walked right past him! You must have seen him when he came to collect… Oh dear…" Immediately my mind flashed back to the night Aidou had stolen one of my drawings. "The God of the Underworld," Aidou told Kain.

How could I have been so senseless? I should have remembered the significance of that man. How could I have forgotten that the man from my dreams was the God of the Underworld? Had he placed some sort of spell on me? A spell which made me forget his identity? Was that the reason I could never recall his face? But then, why could I see him when apparently nobody else could?

"Lily-chan, I can assure you that nobody else was here," Ichijou calmly assured me.

Deciding that I should stop speaking about the God of the Underworld, I simply nodded.

"I was going to lecture you about chasing another level E, but I'm convinced that you've learned your lesson," Ichijou informed me.

"I didn't chase the level E," I denied before realizing that telling Ichijou that I had chased after a cloaked figure who was carrying a staff probably would only make matters worse.

"Please, don't lie to me, Lily-chan," Ichijou replied. "If you still don't realize the danger your actions put you in, I'll have to tell Kaname or the headmaster."

Without considering my words, I asserted, "You won't be telling anyone anything because you weren't supposed to take me to town in the first place."

Ichijou's face tightened slightly, and he retorted, "Well, then I'll make certain you never come into town again. If you can't be trusted to act rationally when it's important, then I'll remove you from the situation entirely."

Ashamed of myself, I apologized, "I'm sorry, Ichijou-san. I'm just really upset still."

"I know, Lily-chan. Let's head back to the Academy," he responded, picking up the canvases I'd dropped while running from the vampire. "I really ought to be relieved that you weren't bitten by the vampire. I'll drop you off at the infirmary, so your wounds can be treated. It wouldn't be safe for you to return to the Moon Dormitory with even minor cuts untreated."

To prevent myself from telling Ichijou that I had been bitten, but that the wound had been treated already, I pressed my lips together tightly. Recalling how the God of the Underworld had healed me, I became immersed in cajoling myself for making demands of him. Of course, if I had realized exactly who he was, I would never have raised my tone to him in the first place.

After arriving at the infirmary, Ichijou told me, "I'll take your canvases to your dorm-room."

"Thanks," I replied.

As Ichijou returned to the Moon Dorm, I went to lie down on one of the infirmary beds. While I did not have any cuts or bruises from the vampire attack, I was mentally exhausted.

First, I'm violently bitten by a berserk vampire, and then the God of the Underworld arrives in time to destroy the vampire, as well as to restore me to perfect health. And, of course, I then proceed to berate him with accusing questions. He must believe I am the most ungrateful little girl he's ever come across.

While I drifted off to sleep, the words the God of the Underworld had spoken repeated themselves inside my head. "Because you are different from the rest…"

How am I different? Because I am unafraid to speak boldly to a god? If I had realized he was a god, I'm not certain I would have been so disrespectful.

It was true that I was unafraid of the God of the Underworld. My respect for him was not out of fear, but out of loyalty. He seemed so sad; so resigned that he had lost faith in humanity. Or was he resigned because humanity had lost faith in him?

He protects the dead; he does not harm them. He does not determine when they will die; he only comes to collect them when they're killed.

I did not know how I could possibly be aware of this fact, but I believed in its validity. The next question that crossed my mind was why the God of the Underworld thought the dead needed to be protected.

Maybe there is a future for the dead. A heaven-like location that has yet to be created for them. In the meantime, the God of the Underworld ensures that the dead are comfortable, and undisturbed.

Somehow, these thoughts comforted me. As I fell asleep, I thought about how much easier it would be to die knowing that somebody I trusted was waiting on the other side. Even so, I knew that my purpose in life was only beginning to reveal itself.

I finally managed to re-write chapter fifteen! I think it's a bit obvious why this chapter took me a while longer to re-write than the past few chapters... :/

Just a brief disclaimer: I don't really know any Japanese or Persian. The only language I can comprehend well is English (and sometimes German). Please, permit me a few liberties for the sake of my story.

Also, Aunt Icicle is not supposed to be so much crazy as eccentric. I used her character to introduce a few new revelations, as well as to tie up a few loose-ends involving Lily's family.

Please, enjoy my story, and review! Let me know of your thoughts, as well as any grammatical errors I made. This chapter was especially difficult to proofread.

Cheers,
Mango