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Chapter 18

Stolen Hearts

Reina couldn't help but to let a musical chuckle slip past her glossy lips as Emiko stubbornly stared at her from where she sat in her bed, her chubby little arms folded over her pink butterfly print pajamas and an exaggerated pout on her round face that was framed by her golden locks of wispy hair.

"I'm sorry, Emi, but the party is for grown ups, you're still too young to attend. Stay here and play with Setsuka. I'll check in on you later, ok?"

"No, I wanna go too. I wanna be with mommy," the little girl whined, her deep blue eyes beginning to fill with tears and her lower lip trembling.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you can't come with me," Reina said, running her hand through her daughter's hair.

"Please?" Emiko sniffled, her childish voice soft and quiet.

"I'm sorry, Emi, but no matter how many times you ask or how much you pout, I'm afraid you still can't come to the party. It's not proper for a little girl. I need to go, everyone's waiting. I love you and I'll come see you again later," Reina leaned down to brush a light kiss against Emiko's forehead and smiled at the stubborn look on the little girl's face now that she knew she wouldn't be allowed to go and that her cute pout and puppy eyes had no effect on her mother. "Sorry, little one, but your pouts only work on Uncle Hana," she tapped Emiko's nose with a thin finger and smiled before turning to sweep from the room.

There was no fighting the grin that kept appearing on her pink lips as she was led around the dance floor by Kaname, her long sapphire dress breezing around her legs as she gracefully performed every step of the dance before the music came to a soft halt as the small orchestra that had been hired to play for the night paused to allow the dancers to either continue dancing to the next song or take a break and enjoy the fine foods and wines that were on display.

Curtsying to Kaname, Reina laughed as she held a hand to her chest. "I think it's time for me to take a break, I'm rather thirsty."

"Whatever you wish," Kaname replied, holding his arm out to her. He was well dressed in black slacks a white shirt and a black jacket with a simple blue tie that matched the color of Reina's dress.

Taking the hand that was being offered to her, Reina smiled and let Kaname lead her through the thin crowd of people that had gathered for Yuuki and Ken's marriage. Many people had a hard time keeping their eyes off of the pair, they looked absolutely stunning together and Reina was breathtaking in her backless Grecian styled dress with tiny silver beads embellishing the strap that wrapped around the front of the dress and secured it over her shoulders. Her long white hair was in a partial bun with much of the silky locks left loose and curled into ringlets. Her makeup was done simply, as usual, and she wore just a light dusting of powder on her pale skin and her eyes were lined in silver and her lashes coated in black. There was no doubting that she was one of the most beautiful vampires in existence and though she had tried to keep her dress simple as well as her makeup, there were murmurs that she was still more beautiful than the blushing bride that was currently dancing with the man who had not long ago become her lifelong partner.

Yuuki looked exquisite herself, she was dressed in a beautiful sleeveless white satin gown that had a v-neck of sorts with an intricate beaded belt just beneath her breast. The dress was long and Yuuki had to use a thin wrist strap to keep the train from getting stepped on or in the way as she danced. Her hair was pulled into a twisted and elaborate bun and decorated with a pearl and diamond tiara. She looked beautiful, it was hard to imagine that just a few years before she was the same girl that seemed so awkward and not all that feminine.

"She really does look so happy," Reina observed as she daintily lifted a champagne flute from the tray of a passing waiter. "I have a hard time remembering that she is the same little girl that used to get so nervous around you at school."

"She has grown a great deal in the past few years, she's become accustomed to what and who she is," Kaname answered.

Reina rolled her eyes when she heard exaggerated sniffles coming from somewhere a few feet behind her. "Cross, are you alright?" She asked, turning to look at the man and having to choke back a laugh when she saw that Cross was leaning on a very unhappy looking Zero who looked as if he was trying very hard to not knock the overly emotional crazy hunter across the room.

"Sh-she looks so beautiful. My little girl is all grown up," Cross sobbed.

"She's not your little girl, you big oaf, now get off of me before you ruin my jacket," Zero growled shaking the blond man from his arm.

"And Reina looks so wonderful too, give daddy a hug."

Given their close proximity, her long dress and four inch high heels, Reina wasn't going to be able to move out of the way in time without causing more of a scene then was necessary. She cringed in anticipation only to find that Zero had grabbed the man's collar and was giving him a reproving look. Cross simply sulked, mumbling something beneath his breath that sounded awfully like 'no one loves their daddy anymore'.

"Would you control yourself?" Zero grumbled releasing the former headmaster and glaring warningly at him. "You're causing a scene."

"It's nice to see you again, Zero. How have you been these last two years?" Reina asked, smiling at the handsome lavender eyed boy, no he could no longer be called a boy, but man. He had grown a bit taller than he already was and it was easy to see that he really was no longer human, his skin was flawless and pale and his silver hair was perfect. Even his aura didn't seem the same anymore, it was tinged with a darkness that had never been there before. The darkness that signified him as a vampire, just like the majority of the people in the room.

Zero's eyes cornered over to Kaname for a moment and a spark of annoyance was obvious in them before he replied. "Fine, I've been busy."

"I'm sure you have. Would you like to dance? I happen to really like this next piece," she inquired, setting her now empty glass down on the nearest table and looking expectantly at Zero.

He didn't move at first, but knowing how persistent she could be, Zero sighed and stepped forward to offer her his hand, even bowing politely as he was expected to when addressing one of her stature.

Wordlessly taking the offered hand, the pair walked into the center of the dance floor just as soft, quiet notes began to fill the air. They took their places, staring into each others' eyes and placing their hands in the correct position before they began a slow waltz around the room.

"Just say whatever it is you want to say," Reina urged quietly, seeing the way that Zero kept looking at her.

"So you've forgiven him finally, Kuran?"

Reina sighed. "I forgave him quite sometime ago, I've just been taking my time on letting him back into my life."

"You look at him differently now," Zero observed monotonously.

"Do I?" She questioned innocently.

"Yeah, you look at him the same way you used to look at Ichijo."

Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened for a moment, she faltered in the dance steps and nearly tripped over her own feet before regaining herself and continuing on as if nothing had happened. "Is that so? I wasn't aware that you spent so much time watching me." Her voice sounded almost harsh as she spoke.

"Do you love him?" He asked softly.

Looking up into the lavender eyes that were watching her so carefully, Reina couldn't help but close her eyes and turn her head away. "Yes, I love him." The words hurt him, she knew they did, but she chose to be honest and not lie to him. There was never going to be a relationship between the two of them and though Zero knew that, she knew that he couldn't help how he felt for her.

"If he hurts you again-"

"I don't plan on doing any such thing," Kaname cut in, appearing beside them in the dim light of the room. "Pardon me, Kiryu, but the dance is almost over and there was something I needed to take care of."

"Kaname-"

Reina stopped speaking as the music came to a halt and one of the chandeliers that just so happened to be directly above them brightened slightly, illuminating she and Kaname as the crimson eyed man stepped before her. She looked around and was fairly surprised to find that everyone's eyes were on them and she couldn't help but to feel a little embarrassed, it wasn't her day after all, it was Yuuki's and Ken's and the spotlight at the moment was definitely not on them. She caught sight of the newlywed couple and she was confused by the gigantic smile on Yuuki's face as she clutched at Ken's arm. Even Ken had a large smile on his face as he smiled at the confusion that was evident on Reina's.

"Kaname, what's...what are you doing?" She asked shakily as he lowered himself to one knee in front of her.

"I love you, Reina," he began.

She couldn't find her voice to reply in anyway, she could only stare dumbfounded at Kaname as he adoringly looked up at her and gently took her left hand, bringing it to his lips and lightly kissing the tops of her fingers.

"I'd like to marry you, you're the only one I can find peace with, the only one who can calm me and the only one who will accept me as I am. Will you accept my love, Reina, will you marry me?"

There were tears welling up in her eyes and a lump forming in her throat. Taking a shaky breath and swallowing the growing lump, she tightened her grip on Kaname's hand, but she couldn't reply. She didn't know how to reply.

She loved him, she knew that, she had always loved him and she always would and though it had devastated her when he had ended their original engagement so long ago, it had been a good thing in the long run. For both of them. They both learned many things and gained a better understanding of not only each other but the world.

The tears that had filled her eyes overflowed and trailed down her cheeks as she struggled to breathe again since she had forgotten to do so in the last several seconds. She took an unsteady breath in and closed her eyes, the hand that Kaname was holding in his own finally regained feeling that had been lost when he had asked her to marry him and she squeezed it, but she still couldn't answer.

Kaname watched the emotion on her face and knew that she was having a hard time replying let alone recover from the shock of his question. He hadn't expected her to answer quickly, but he hadn't expected her to be so surprised. His hands cupped her cheeks, his thumbs wiping away the tears that were gliding down her cheeks as he put their foreheads together and stared into her eyes that she had just reopened.

"You don't have to answer now, there's no rush-"

She shook her head, muttering a quiet "No," under her breath.

"No?" Kaname repeated, his voice uncertain and tinged with sadness.

"I don't need time to think about anything, I was just shocked, I'm sorry," she told him through her tears that continued to fall from her sapphire eyes as she gazed up at him and smiled a misty smile at him.

"There's no reason to be sorry, Reina, I understand. I haven't been-"

"You fool," Reina mumbled, sniffing before taking his face in her hands and capturing his lips with her own for a brief moment. When she pulled away, she was smiling again. "I was apologizing for not answering, I wasn't saying no."

Kaname stared at her for several seconds until a smile pulled at his lips. "If you're not saying no, then what are you saying?"

"What do you think?" she replied, leaning forward to kiss him again, smiling against his lips as the crowd around them broke into applause.

A red glass vase holding a beautiful arrangement of red roses exploded violently, sending pieces of glass shooting across the entire room and leaving a wet mess on the table it had been sitting on in the dimly lit windowless room.

"Are you jealous?" A girlish voice asked, as the owner wrapped her thin arms around the neck of the blond man that sat in a chair behind a desk in the center of the room. "She was yours after all, she should be yours."

"Shut up, Sara," the man growled, but it sounded wrong coming from the beautiful lips of the pale, angelic face as his hands grasped at his long hair. "I'm having enough trouble sharing this body, I don't need you trying to stir the annoying pest that actually owns it up anymore. He's not rising to your provocations anyways, is he stupid or something?"

"No, Takuma is quite smart, don't let him fool you," Sara replied coyly. "He loves that woman and no man likes to see the woman he loves in the arms of another. He knows he can't be there to make her happy anymore and he's trying to remain positive, otherwise he'll lose the small hold he still has over his own body."

"There is one thing that makes it difficult for him to remain positive," the man said a sultry undertone creeping into his voice.

Giggles filled the silence of the room as Sara leaned over the chair, her blond hair spilling over the chest of the man that sat in it as she lowered her head towards his neck. Her tongue slid over the smooth skin of his and his arms rose to bury themselves in her hair, tugging at the silky locks as her fangs pierced into his neck. Her own small hands made their way to the buttons of the black shirt he wore, undoing the buttons one by one and then letting her hands glide over his chest before raking her nails over his skin.

The man groaned, his back arching, enjoying the feeling of Sara's nails digging into his flesh. Grabbing her arm roughly, he pulled her around the chair and into his lap. He pushed the lace of her high collar out of the way, ripping the fabric as he trailed rough kisses down her throat.

"So is it that Takuma doesn't like playing rough or is it that you're touching me with the hands that he feels should only be used to touch Reina?" Sara asked huskily, pulling him closer to her as he nipped at her skin.

"He feels like he's betraying her whenever I touch you like this."

"Silly boy," she giggled. "She's the one doing the betraying. Her beloved fiance is still alive and she's not only sleeping with his best friend, she's engaged to him and she's enjoying every minute of it."

"You're making the poor boy upset, Sara."

"Like you care, Michael."

"Good point, I don't."

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