A/N: Don't own VK. Thank you everyone for your support :)

# CHAPTER 25

Seiran had to thank the gods being on her side because Sensei Yagari had asked for her help in doing some 'paperwork' so her visit at the slumber party had been cut short. Although Yuuki had been disappointed with Seiran only spending at least 5 hours with them, she unwillingly bade Seiran farewell while the latter was doing her best not to look glad she had to leave. 5 hours of gossipping – what would Aidou and Kain look like if their hair was straightened or Takuma's hair was curlier?, or saucier things like what the Night Class boys wore to sleep at night – boxers, briefs or going commando?; putting on make up, getting manicures – Seiran was ready to run miles, miles away.

Rubbing the make up off and removing the ribbons which kept her hair in braids, she made sure she looked presentable before seeing Sensei Yagari and the Chairman.

"Sensei, thank you for getting me out of the slumber party."

"Rather, thank your boyfriend who said you needed any excuse to get out of it but not disappoint your other friends," grunted the one eyed hunter.

"Why didn't they invite me instead…? I haven't had a slumber party in a long time…," pouted Cross, leafing through an ancient text.

Dirty minded old man! "You could suggest that to your daughter the next time you see her," Yagari dryly spoke as Seiran hid a smile, taking her seat at the other desk and looked at the map marking the murder sites. It had been a week that the murderer was silent, which was clearly frustrating although the number of official deaths had increased to eleven.

Optimistically thinking, the murderer not being able to kill means the Level Es are safe, isn't it? They've managed to hide themselves. Seiran tilted the map at various angles to see if she could find a pattern but still, the crosses bore no in-depth meaning.

"Danna-sama, you haven't been sending the puppet to do any damage in this one week…"

"Patience, Neiji. Having you out of the academy too many times would raise the Kuran prince's suspicion as well. I don't want that…Although I must confess, the game is getting rather boring…"

"How may I assist you, then Danna-sama, so that you don't feel bored?" asked Neiji. His guardian getting disinterested didn't bode well for him.

"Keep on watching the princess. You say her relationship with the Kuran prince is getting closer?"

"It seems that way…although I'm not sure how the Kuran princess is taking it as she regards the princess as her friend."

"Heh, don't concern yourself with the Kuran princess – she isn't worth your time. As long as the Kuran prince and the princess are on good terms, that is what I want."

Mayuu felt her breathing became tedious to her as she smelt the familiar scent her husband emitted. Orchids…Her favourite flower. Her head spun when she heard him shouting at her, she had no idea what he was screaming at her about…She was honestly tired, she wanted to rest…Sleep seemed like an ethereal luxury to her now.

"MAYUU! MAYUU!" yelled Kazuo as he clawed at his neck and bent down at her pale lips, urging her to drink, to heal her wounds, make her stay with him…

Kazuo…I…I'm sorry…were all the thoughts she could send to him. It hurt to even talk right now…Mind reading was an easier chore.

It's alright, my love, we can solve this problem together…They're working on a cure for you, you just need to wait a while longer for now, so drink my blood now…his mind rambled as his blood splattered on his wife's face but she made no movement to even lick it.

Kazuo…I…I can't…Because I have condemned myself to hell…Her eyes closed as she struggled to stay awake to send her last thoughts to her husband.

Why? We have so many years together…So many opportunities…Please…don't do this to me…Kazuo begged in his mind.

Tears filled Mayuu's eyes – she knew she did not deserve him, purebloods were highly selfish creatures and she was…Kazuo, listen, I am going to die…It was a wonder how her body had held up this long. Didn't purebloods turn into pearl dust a few hours after they were severely injured? Or was it because of the silver properties of the dagger which prolonged her already-ticking-away-lifespan?

Listen to me, my dear…You have to drink…my blood to become stronger…For our children's sake…

Just like you allowed another person to take yours? Kazuo couldn't help himself from releasing those enraged thoughts to his wife. He had smelt the protector's scent on his wife and had initially thought it was some sick bastard who had gotten to his wife and had dishonoured her but he had found her fully clothed only with a wound near her heart.

Her lower lip trembled and she shakily confessed…I…I loved both of you…He…He was my best friend…She gazed at her husband with half lidded eyes, wondering why her chest seemed so much lighter as though a great burden had been lifted from her heart. Maybe because the truth had set her free…

Kazuo…just…take my blood…

Thank you…

The Kuran king sent no thoughts back to her, cradling her head on his lap before lowering his head to gently scrape his fangs against her slender neck.

It seemed to him that it was unfair time flew while he was retrieving her last memories in the time he took her blood and she was whispering in his mind to promise her not to hurt this man named Rui, he was the innocent party, she was entirely to be blamed…before she became pearl dust in his arms.

"NOOOOOOO!"

The entire forest grew deathly silent as an entire flight of birds took off. Not a single one screeched due to the disturbance.

Kaname sat up bolted in his bed, wiping a thin sheen of sweat from his face.

" – 'Name…niisan…wha's wronnng?" Yuuki sleepily drawled, looking blearily at him.

He forced a smile at her. "Nothing, Yuuki, I thought I heard something. Just my…papers that dropped from the study table, that's all…Go back to sleep." He gently patted her head while it took awhile for him to get his heartbeat steady.

"Nnn…" And Yuuki was asleep once more.

Why…? After all these years…Why? All those memories he kept hidden properly, swearing that he would never think about them seemed to be plaguing him once more. Memories of his old wife who…nevermind, he was not going there….Not going down the path of despair which led him to do many things – both unforgivable and stupid.

Why the hell am I getting them now? He ran a shaky hand through his locks, easing the head pounding which was increasing due to his brain firing thousands of thoughts all at once. Calm down, you're Kaname Kuran now, and not Kazuo Kuran anymore. Kazuo Kuran is dead…he tried telling himself but no avail. With a resentful sigh, he resigned himself to just recollect those unwanted memories. He'd rather think about them when he was awake than get them as dreams, or nightmares.

After that scene of his wif – no, he firmly reminded himself, Yuuki was his mate now – Mayuu Kuran, the queen, he as Kazuo had been rooted to the spot, crying; which was a pureblood's taboo. He knew he couldn't remember what happened in between as his mind went on autopilot and the next thing he really remembered was he was dressed in black at his wife's funeral with aristocrats offering fake condolences and not-so-subtly offering their daughters to him. He remembered he saw a child from another pureblood's family looking at him with any expression devoid from his face, but he had felt a queasy aura before the young boy turned away – he didn't know who it was.

There was another thing he remembered though. A flash of silver, and he swore he saw amethyst too but those two colours disappeared as quickly as he had seen them. And all he remembered picking up was a budding Dancing Lady orchid beside his wife's casket…

What came after that was Kazuo trying to hunt down Rui who had mysteriously vanished into thin air. He had almost killed the chief protector of their town with his thinly veiled patience, but the scared man had muttered incoherently that the man he was searching for had resigned…and the strangest thing was his hair had turned white but he, the chief, had to have mistakenly seen that, it was probably the light reflecting on his hair…

Kaname squeezed his eyes shut. His mind singling out one single acceptable explanation. Yes, that must be it…Seiran's words…

I wonder why does the Kuran name have the Orchid flower as part of its written characters?

I have to know how she knows that…I have to ask her…Force it out of her if she doesn't want to tell me…He was finally getting tired from his mind thinking too much and thankfully sank back into the warm bed, wrapping his arms around Yuuki for much needed comfort.

Seiran's grip on her Orchid Darts tightened as swirling images of that young boy…that young boy with so much hatred in his eyes was looking directly at her…Well, it probably wasn't her, but she felt she was the invisible onlooker who was pushed directly into his line of view. The evil, malevolent glare in his eyes had been for – she turned to look behind her – the man in black with hair cropped in a way which reminded her of Kain, she didn't know why.

The person who was grieving – she noticed the casket, whose she didn't know – looked in her direction. There was no mistaking who this man, no, this pureblood vampire was. Oh my God!

Creak…

"..Ran…"

Instinctively, she jerked upwards, ready to shoot the Orchid Dart…

Onto Zero.

She halted, gasping as her sudden body movement knocked the wind out of her. "Ze-Zero…?"

There was evident shock in Zero's eyes as he realized that his girlfriend had tried to attack him while he was trying to placate her. He had observed she seemed to be squirming in her sleep more noticeably these past few months and this time he couldn't take it. So he had climbed on top of her, wanting to gently wake her up when she suddenly…

"Zero, are…are you alright? Are you hurt?" she demanded, clutching at his arms, her Orchid Dart having fallen from her hand much earlier. First it was Aidou-kun, now it's Zero…?

I'm really losing my control this time!

"That should be my line, Seiran," he huffed back as he pulled her into his arms, running a comforting hand up and down her back. "Are you alright? You were tossing about…," he murmured into her ear as Seiran slowly relaxed in his hug. Hopefully she'll really talk to me and tell me what her problems are…

"They were just some old nightmares…about, you know…" She was implying they were about Kuroumura, which weren't partially the truth, but weren't lies either. Seiran had recognized those two people – the grieving man and the young boy, even if her mind refused to believe it. She had to find a logical explanation for this…this madness!

Kaname…or someone Kaname is a clone of…But it really looked like he was Kaname…That face…

And that boy…those hateful eyes…

Kuroumura's…

"It's alright now…It's just me…," Zero whispered as he felt Seiran's heart resuming it's normal pace. I'm here…Deep down inside he felt like a lousy boyfriend as each time when he was free he had to sneak around the Chairman's office just to hear something, anything about her – it made him feel like a goddamned stalker. He respected Seiran's personal space, but with the things she wasn't telling him…And then with someone clearly intent on keeping him away from Seiran – those warning notes told him enough…he just didn't know what to do.

"Will you…sleep next to me till next morning, Zero…?" hesitantly she requested.

The boy next to her was glad the darkness hid his blush as he agreed, "Y-yeah…," and gently both of them eased back into the single bed with his arms huddled around her and she wrapped in a ball enjoying his presence before she also fell into a much desired slumber.

Seiran rapped sharply on the door of the Kuran suite, displeased her concentration had been cut short. She had been in the lab, working on her ODV2 – when Takuma had entered the lab, handing her a note from Kaname. And the Royal Highness himself couldn't come down to see me, huh? She nodded at her relative and told him she'd see Kaname later, after she finished figuring out how to insert a large amount of thread into a minute compartment and yet ensure the threads didn't get entangled when she shot them out.

But no, Takuma had added Kaname needed to see her after she read the note – implying at that moment – and she grit her teeth as she saved all her data into her laptop, shut down the device and left with Takuma. This seriously was getting annoying – she felt she'd been interrupted too many times. First it had been the copycat Orchid Murder case, the slumber party, and now when she was working on her darts…it was especially infuriating when her brain had just gotten an idea, but an interruption had to occur and she couldn't work on it…

"I'll wait outside if there is anything you need me to do," Takuma gaily waved, pretending not to see Seiran's glower upon looking at the Kuran pureblood. When can both of them get along, I wonder…? He closed the double doors behind him.

"Kindly tell me what is the meaning of this, Kaname?" Seiran slammed down the note from the Kuran prince, delivered by Takuma. A crack appeared on the coffee table due to the impact.

Kaname was silently thankful he had requested Yuuki to spend time with Yori and the other Night Class girls while he was facing the fuming pureblood. "I believe my note was succinct enough," he calmly answered.

"This is blackmail!"

Seiran,

I'd like to meet you in my room right after you read this letter. Takuma will escort you there. You may not be agreeable about this, but I am sure you wouldn't want Kiryuu, Sensei Yagari and the Chairman to know about your nightmares.

Kaname.

Seiran controlled herself from burning the note right in front of him to show him what she thought of it. "I'm holding this as proof of blackmail," she returned venomously.

"I can be very persuasive, Seiran. Think what their actions will be – I'm guessing you may not be allowed to continue investigating this case due to possible 'emotional instability'," Kaname sneered.

"You're a bastard." Her fists were balled up, nails digging into her palms.

"Take a seat. Let's talk about those nightmares, shall we?" The mahogany haired pureblood folded his arms.

"I think not." Seiran leered at him when realization hit her that Kaname himself may have had something to hide.

The russet haired pureblood cocked an eyebrow.

"You're the one hiding something. You're the one who's scared Yuuki will find out."

So, she deftly turned the tables around. What a cunning opponent. He had to grant her credit for that. The door's security mechanism clicked as Kaname blinked his eyes. Seiran's orbs darted at the sound. Her body tensed further. The pureblood in front of her was not the actual Kaname Kuran but someone else assuming the former's identity!

"How about you tell me what you know, Seiran?"

Lesson no. 26 : Slumber parties aren't everyone's cup of tea.