Disclaimer: Don't own VK and its characters except the OCs.
A/N: Hi everyone, I am so, so very sorry for the extreme lateness in the update. Can't believe it has been more than a year since I last uploaded a chapter. Graduated school, but there was still a year in training to get myself to the real work force (with exams, and work together). It had been a rough year for me, so please do accept my apologies for not updating in ages. And thanks loads to everyone who followed, reviewed, faved - thanks so much for your support, much appreciated :)
I will try to update more frequently, but with full time work, we'll see. Hopefully it won't be such a hiatus like last year. Thanks!
# CHAPTER 23
Looks like someone is back at her classes today…noted Kaname as the Night Class reached the lecture theatre with no "kya, kya-ing" of their fans for the first time ever. Apparently the Day Class had not been doing well in Maths class, so an incensed Sensei Nakajima had ordered the entire class to stay back for another two hours at the end of the day, giving them more tutorials. The Day Class girls and boys reluctantly agreed to forego meeting their beautiful vampires for just one day because of the threat of them graduating this year thus they would need good results to secure the universities they would want to enter.
She seems to be holding everything rather well. I wonder how many hours is she actually sleeping these days… pondered Kaname as he caught Seiran's scent leading into the lecture hall. The Chairman had updated him on her work as well as more Level E deaths unfortunately. And the bespectacled man had tearfully begged Kaname-kun to watch out for her – he was so scared his 'son' would faint from fatigue one day, vampire or not.
It had been a tense situation when Zero had asked for Seiran to leave the Day Class and being a Prefect. Seiran remained silent and unreadable even though Zero had addressed her by telling her the choice was hers. All she did was look at him until he turned his head elsewhere – feeling guilty, Kaname assumed. Yagari opened his mouth but shut it once more; there was no denying they felt a sensation that only Seiran and Zero were in that room while they seemed invisible.
Seiran slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out the white band with a rose emblem before placing it on Cross' table.
The entire time, Zero's eyes avoided her.
Aidou sauntered inside the halls, his ego earlier dented at no one calling him 'Idol senpai' and missing Yori's smile, but he was cheered up when he spotted his relative seated in front as usual, the ever diligent student, but was asleep – apparently so, until she shuddered.
Kaname's watchful senses were switched on at the mere sight. Hmmm…?
Seiran-san! Aidou's baby blue eyes widened when he saw her struggling in her sleep. She's having a nightmare! He swiftly leapt past the tables to land softly behind her.
Immediately her body twisted upwards, her dagger raised at Aidou's throat and she gasped. "Aidou-kun?!" Tremblingly, she lowered her weapon while the aristocrat jumped away from her, fear and confusion painted on his face.
"I'm sorry, Aidou-kun…really…I…," her voice stopped when she saw Kaname approaching her and she inwardly cursed. Her 'secret' had been exposed.
"Aidou…please excuse us. I'd like to have a word with Seiran," said Kaname, keeping his hawk-like eyes on the younger pureblood. He had to take back what he thought about her being able to handle it. Looking at the expression on her face which she hadn't masked, he knew something had been plaguing her. For how long, he just didn't know.
Seiran hurriedly looked at her watch. "Kaname, class is about to start. We can talk about this later."
He said nothing, still staring at her. He decided not to probe her mind…not just yet…
"I promise alright? I'll talk about this later." It'll give me enough time to make some excuse…
"Alright." Kaname finally conceded before he went back to his own seat.
The Kaede pureblood's shoulders sagged as she huffed in her seat. She thought entering the Night Class lecture theatre much earlier before their class on Drug Mechanisms & Chemical Inventions started was a good idea but it turned out to be a bane because she fell asleep and got those flashes of that sorrowful looking lady. Strange…that sad lady looked…I don't know…she looked like she was longing for someone…And then…
The scene in Seiran's subconscious mind had changed.
Mayuu was looking rather wistfully at her family emblem, it was the water lily. Although it was a beautiful flower, it symbolized great strength despite looking fragile. That was how her family line, the Shueshiki was. They usually worked discreetly, as not to gather attention on themselves while their close relatives, the pureblood vampires who were skilled in defense were more outshining. In terms of strength and power the Shueshikis' relatives were amongst the best but they were bloodthirsty for more power, wanting to beat the other two royal pureblooded families – the Ideakis and Takagawas – and become the ultimate power every vampire would bow to. However, the Shueshikis themselves were a force to be reckoned with if provoked.
Great strength despite looking fragile…
Mayuu's dainty fingers traced the outlines of the water lily before she stopped and pulled them away. Her marriage to Kazuo Siekhai had changed her crest, a new crest she had to honour as she was now part of a new family and a new bloodline – such was the way of the purebloods during their era. There were many lesser powered purebloods compared to the three most powerful ones and usually the lesser purebloods would marry into more powerful ones as sort of a peace treaty.
The pureblood race was a proud one – and even if you carried a pureblood status but your family was not part of royalty like the three main royalties that existed in ancient Ryukyuu that time, your family name and crest would not even be recorded in any almanacs or historical recordings. Which was how the condition of the Shueshikis actually were, but since they were closely related to their more aggressive relatives they were considered to be a rather important family to bind to. And perhaps her new husband might turn their family into a pureblood family with royal status…
She took out her stamp bearing the name of their new family line. "Kuran…," she whispered in slight tenderness as she looked at the stamp, fond of the beautiful engraving of her favourite flower. Her new husband had surprised her…and everyone else present when he decided the symbol of their new bloodline would be the orchid flower. The Shueshikis' relatives were, considering that fact amongst themselves as they were occasionally known as the Orchid purebloods because the grand master of the clan – strangely – had a fondness for that flower and it was a fact known by many. Having two clans somewhat bearing the symbol of the same meaning would cause some confusion, and that pureblood family wasn't too keen on that until the aide representing the patriarch who was away, had spoken out and they allowed it.
The Orchid purebloods' actual symbol was the wolfsbane – poisonous and toxic – just like how they were…It was just because the patriarch shared her liking for the same flower, the orchid…
Mayuu shivered at the thought.
Then her thoughts reached out for him…dearly missing him, wondering where he was.
The usual bloodied attacks on innocent people, horror sinking in was what Seiran was used to, but what had really shaken her and made her react that strongly to Aidou was because of the new emblem that elegant lady was holding and the way the lady was mouthing the words, "Something…ran…" She had been starting to get annoyed by those nightmares which didn't make any sense to her because she didn't know what the lady was talking about – lip reading had never been her strong point, all the visions she'd been getting were silent movies for own interpretation…But she had seen it – the stamp – clearly enough to make her own conclusions. The front character she couldn't identify as it had been blocked from her view, but the back character had definitely been the word orchid.
She might be related to me…No, she has to be related to me with this emblem. It looked dissimilar to the orchid tattoo she had on her shoulder, but…with so many years that have gone past, it was probably that the emblem had changed over time as well. Then why can't I find out who she was when I was researching…It can't be that…the woman's past had been erased from historical records…? It sounds too farfetched, but…someone extremely powerful had the ability to do so…Seiran's brows were furrowed in deep concentration.
The lecturer entered and she forced her thoughts aside although the fact that she had to see Kaname afterwards was bothering her. She didn't know what Kaname was going to ask, but she knew he wouldn't stop pressing her for answers until she revealed everything to him.
"Class dismissed."
Seiran had never thought of those two words sounding so ominous until now. Her mind hadn't gone off the issue of the orchid stamp and she'd merely scribbled some notes on the hydrolysis of acetyl salicylic acid as well as buckminsterfullerenes – buckyballs – involved in nanotechnology. Slowly she packed her books, hoping to stall for some time as she tried making up plausible excuses. If she could speak the truth without even revealing anything, Kaname would be forced to allow her to go.
Up in his throne, Kaname mentally told Yuuki, I've to speak with Seiran for awhile, Yuuki, and I might be late, so don't stay up waiting for me, alright?
Is something wrong with Seiran? Earlier when Aidou senpai approached her…Yuuki telepathically replied, wondering why wasn't her brother speaking to her but using their mental connection instead.
I don't know yet…I wonder if she's alright…You remember right after the Kuroumura incident it seemed like she was entirely alright…
Yuuki's chocolate orbs widened. You think she might be suffering from some distress, oniisan?
It's possible. Look at Takuma a year ago. Seiran might be showing signs now…
Very well then. Yuuki pecked her brother on the cheek before walking away with Mia and Takuma before the other vampires followed behind them. Truthfully Yuuki wanted to stay by her brother-fiancé's side to enquire what was wrong with Seiran, but Oniisan had always been better at solving problems than her. Kaname nodded at her before taking one step and he was already at Seiran's place.
"How long?" he shortly asked.
"How long what?" she evenly replied.
Don't play dumb, Seiran. It's not a laughing matter when you're not sleeping well and having nightmares! And I don't think it's due to the copycat murders.
Look, even humans have nightmares, what makes vampires any different? Oh, come on, Kaname…you've never had nightmares before? She tilted her head.
Kaname went mentally quiet for a moment. He had them before…a long time ago but he shut them out because he had Yuuki by his side now.
Seeing his reaction, Seiran knew she'd nailed it. Even the great Kaname Kuran had nightmares before… "Kaname, it's nothing, really."
"How long?" Kaname repeated the question. Back at square one.
"A few months ago." Seiran gave a vague answer, keeping her voice steady, knowing Kaname was detecting her for any lies.
She's being deliberate. "What were they about?"
I knew it! "It's nothing of your concern, Kaname!" Her tone was hard, her aura bearing down on Kaname's body.
So…she's using her authority as having more superior blood…His russet eyes bore into her sapphire ones. "I know what you're doing, Seiran and I do respect you for your blood ties…but right now I'm the Dorm Leader, you are under my care, so you will answer to me." He took a step nearer her, showing that he wasn't afraid.
Suddenly a thought clicked in her mind and she lost her bearing because a small gasp was released from her lips. Ran…Ran…Orchid…The deadly beautiful person standing threateningly in front of her also had the character 'ran' in his name. And Seiran remembered reading something on the Kurans being the supreme pureblood race after the Gyoudai War…
Seeing his opportunity at the sudden way she had cracked, Kaname decided to use his probing powers onto her as his slender fingers gripped onto both her arms. Tell me…
No! she fought back, trying to release herself, but Kaname was much stronger than her in terms of being experienced in using power. There wasn't much choice, so she decided to reveal her last thought to him, hoping it would shake him off her.
"I wonder why does the Kuran name have the Orchid flower as part of its written characters?" she bit out.
His grip loosened at her words, as shock was etched on his face. What?
Immediately Seiran seized the chance to pry his fingers off her, grab her bag and whisked herself out the lecture theatre. She didn't realize her parting remark had left Kaname unsteady as he watched her escape.
What? Don't tell me…
She knows what I've kept hidden for millennia…!
She knows…
that person.
In the bathroom, Seiran was shaking as she unbuttoned her clothes. What the hell was that all about? She looked at herself in the mirror. Of course she looked the same…but…somehow…Her eyes had bags, and her skin was rather blanched…probably due to the earlier incident – she had been shocked at Kaname using his probing powers on her. Why was he so concerned about her 'nightmares'? It really wasn't any of his damn business!
But he was taken aback when I had just asked him why did the Kuran name have the Orchid flower as part of its written characters…To think about it, it was a somewhat random thought which would stall him for a few seconds just to make me squirm my way from his grasp…And yet he looked so shocked.
She splashed some water on her face before her lips curled up and she let out a forced laugh. Ridiculous! Are my dreams telling me now that I probably have some family ties with Kaname as well? Seems like almost every member of Kaname's clique is related to me – this is fucking hilarious! The smile on her face froze when she realized her eyes were glaring icily at her reflection.
Then again…the vampire race when it had been fully pure had always been intermarrying, until vampires who fell in love with humans gave rise to the nobles…
Lesson no. 24 : When you force another person to do something, you may get more than you bargained for…