~Before I Wake~

Author:
Danaeyl Panthernopaeus.

Author's Note:
I'm sorry to say that Koori is being persistent and shows up in this chapter and will probably appear in all the others.

Day Three – Sunday.

When I got back to the dorm last night, I handed Shikyo over to Aidou, who was ecstatic to have her added to his collection. Everyone wanted to know why I gave her away but none of them asked it out loud as, thankfully, they were aware that it didn't concern them. I had given Shikyo to someone who would cherish her very existence and it would mean that I wouldn't think I was going insane any longer.

I sat in my office, staring down at the paperwork in front of me. I didn't know what I was looking. Well, I knew but there was something playing in the back of my mind. The name Koori was sounding more and more familiar the more often I heard it. For some reason the name conjured an image of a young girl with auburn curls and grey eyes. For the life of me I couldn't place her. I knew I wouldn't forget a name like Koori. I think I would remember meeting someone that had a doll like Shikyo.

I shook my head. I was letting it consume me and at that moment, I couldn't allow it. I re-read the document and signed my name at the bottom of it. I looked around my office. There was someone in there with me. I didn't know who it was but I could feel their eyes. Slowly, I scanned the room and stared at the sofa. Shikyo sat there, staring at me. I rolled my eyes and sighed, getting to my feet. I thought Aidou would never let that doll out of his sight. Why was he playing games with me with it?

I picked the doll up and left my office, going to Aidou's room. Behind the door I could hear someone moving around. I knocked and the door opened, Kain staring at me. I held Shikyo up and Aidou appeared, taking the doll from my grasp. "Oh, thank you, Kaname-sama! I thought I had lost her!" the blond vampire declared, holding Shikyo tightly.

"I found her in my office. You should take better care of your possessions, Aidou." I nodded at Kain and turned, going back to my office.

At the end of the hall, I paused and looked over my shoulder. I wanted to make sure that doll was going to stay where it was meant to. There weren't any little tapping of the hard soled shoes behind me but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was following me. It had to be the lack of sleep. I went to my office and turned off the lights. I could worry about paperwork when I wasn't imagining things. I went to my room and turned on the lamp on my bedside chest.

I stared down at the black envelope. It was slightly bigger than the miniature one that was on Shikyo's coffin. I placed it down again and finished undressing for bed. I didn't care at that moment. I needed to sleep and weird envelopes could wait until the next day. I got under the covers and turned off the lamp. Maybe it was lack of blood or lack of sustenance. It had to be something that was making me delusional. There was also the theory that maybe I wasn't going insane and the doll really was following me around. I yawned and turned my back to the envelope.

"Kaname."

Was that a little girl? I looked around. I had no idea where I was but I was in a bedroom. It looked as though it belonged to a little girl. There was a white canopy bed. The covers were pink and purple and a horde of stuffed toys were seated along the pillows neatly. I looked in the mirror on the vanity and saw Aidou's glass cabinet in the reflection. Upon glancing over my shoulder, I found that it only existed in the mirror.

"Kaname."

Shikyo was on her side, staring at me through the mirror. Her unblinking eyes watched my every movement, like they were criticising me. I tilted my head. I didn't remember her having a tear in her left sleeve when I examined her a day or two ago. I was losing track of how long I had been her owner for. I couldn't have been more than four days. It was less than a week, I was aware of that much at least.

"Kaname."

I tore my eyes from the mirror and looked around the room. On the set of draws was a music box that was playing a tune I had never heard before. Next to it was a giant fairy statue that had moving wings, which were changing colour as they moved up and down. There was a large stuffed unicorn in the corner beside the draws. In the unknown light source, the shiny material that made the horn shimmered. It really was a little girl's room. Whose was it, though? I looked at the desk and saw a mass of auburn locks that were piled up on the head elegantly.

"Kaname."

I stepped over to the person who was sitting at the desk. She placed down a pen that had silver ink in it. I frowned slightly as the person picked up Shikyo and hummed as they began brushing the hair. I looked at the mirror and saw that Shikyo was missing from the reflection. The little girl stopped mid-brush and looked over shoulder at me. Her eyes were grey and they didn't seem to belong to her; they weren't the eyes of a little girl. They were hard and cold, like Shikyo's. Suddenly, she smiled and she turned back into a little girl again. I walked to my left and her head followed me.

"Hi," I said gently, not wanting to scare her.

Her smile got wider and became toothy. As her lips parted blood trickled down her chin. "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take," she said, more blood leaving her small mouth. "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Thy angels watch me through the night. And keep me safe till morning's light."

I stepped back from her. Why was she saying that? I glanced at the music box as it snapped shut on its own and the room went deathly silent. Who was this girl? Koori. The name whispered through the front of my mind. Without the blood staining her white dress, she was exactly what I saw whenever I thought of her. I still didn't recognise her, though and that was something that was beginning to annoy the hell out of me. It really had to be the lack of sleep. Wasn't I sleeping now?

A cat jumped onto the bed, leaving bloody paw prints over the light covers. I flinched as Koori opened her mouth and let out a piercing scream that would wake the dead in another country. The mirror cracked due to the pitch of the noise and the cat whined. I looked at the animal and saw that it had been disembowelled. How was that creature still alive? Why was Koori bleeding from the mouth? Why did she have Shikyo? In the mirror, I saw Aidou's cabinet fall over. It shattered with a deafening crash.

I sat up with a start and looked around. I turned on the lamp and cried out as Shikyo smiled at me. There was a commotion outside in the hallway. I could deal with the damn doll at another time. I pulled on pants and a shirt and ran out of my room. Kain was carrying Aidou out of his room and the blond looked more than a little shaken. I looked inside the room and saw that his cabinet was destroyed. Everything that it housed was spilled over the floor and Shikyo was back in my room.

My inner circle was standing around. Takuma was checking Aidou's mental state, even if that had been questionable at times. I beckoned Kain over. "What happened and how did Shikyo end up in my room again? I thought I told Aidou to take better care of his possessions."

Kain glanced through the door. "We don't know what happened, Kaname-sama. As for how the doll ended up in your room again, I don't know that, either. It was in the cabinet when we went to sleep and the cabinet was stable, also. Aidou triple checked that. He didn't want anything to happen unexpectedly."

"Very well. Accidents happen, I guess. How are you?" I looked the fire-starter over and the broad shoulders raised and lowered.

"I'm fine, Kaname-sama. How are you?"

I blinked and looked at him. Was that how Kain's voice always sounded? No. It wasn't feminine at all. He smiled at me and I took a step back. What the hell was going on around this dorm? I asked myself as I looked over at Takuma and Aidou. They seemed fine and Aidou was crying about his collection being destroyed. I looked back at Kain and his eyes were back to normal. Maybe it was the lack of real blood that was making me go into this state. How dismal would it be if I were to fail the test of the blood tablets?

"Kaname-sama?"

My hands gripped Kain's arm as I struggled to get oxygen into my lungs. The others crowded around me and I felt embarrassed. I was a damn pureblood and I was hyperventilating? If word spread of that, Lord knew what it could mean. My vision began going fuzzy and I felt strong hands cradling me as I was lowered to the floor. Through the vampires I saw glimpses of Koori. She smirked at me and turned her head to Aidou.

Someone went to say my name but stopped. They were cut off by the humming of the tune I didn't know. As it faded in and out like my vision, it slowly came to me. Without realising it, I began to sing in time with the humming. "This old man, he played one…" That was as far as I got before everything went black and I could no longer feel anything.

Day Four – Monday.

I woke up with Takuma by my side. He was glaring at the doll and I threw back the covers, picking up Shikyo and throwing her through the window. That wasn't one of my most dazzling moments but I just wanted that doll gone. She was gone now and there wasn't any way of her to get back to me or my room or even back inside of the dorm. It seemed that she had grown attached of me. I turned to Takuma, who was smiling at me.

"I'm going for a walk," I announced and dressed without showering or covering myself. I had to get out of the dorm. It felt as though I had been stuck in there for a month. "You're in charge," I told my friend and left my room.

Once outside of the building, I took in deep breaths. It felt so good. I sat down just out of reach of the doors and ran my hands through my hair. The twilight was almost there, which meant I would have to get back inside to change for class. I couldn't let anyone see me losing my mind or have anyone thinking I was losing my mind. What the hell was Koori's problem, anyway? Why did she send the doll to me? Why address the note as 'Dearest receiver' when you purposely sent it to someone?

I was sick of the questions and never having any answers. At least the cool air was nice and it helped to clear my fogged mind a little. I still wanted to know why I was the one chosen to receive the death doll. That was what was annoying me the most. What did I do to deserve something like that? If Koori was dead, I assumed I wasn't going to find out the answer. But it seemed that the evil, little bitch was still around. Or was I imagining that as well?

It was too complicated to even begin to fathom. Shikyo was gone. I had nothing to worry about anymore. I wasn't that stupid. I knew that when I went back to my room, she would there. It sucked but that was the harsh reality I didn't want to accept. Did I have to pack her up and send her to someone else? No, I wouldn't wish this sort of curse on anyone. Not even the Council. What was I thinking? I had to find out who Koori was and find out what her problem was with me.

I stood and brushed the dirt off my pants. I turned to go back inside when Zero's voice floated to my ears. "What the hell, Yuuki? What are you doing with that hideous thing?" It didn't take a genius to know they had found Shikyo.

"I just found it outside. I wonder if Kaname-senpai knows she's missing. Oh look! Her sleeve has a tear in it. I think I can repair that." Was that an echo in Yuuki's voice?

I went inside. I could talk to her before she finished her night duties. I went to my room and made myself a blood tablet and water tonic, drinking it quickly. That really was one of the vilest tastes I would never forget. With the drink finished, I got dressed for classes and collected my books. My eyes were drawn to Shikyo's coffin. I stared at the red satin that had been her bed for god knows how long. I did the clasp on my book carrier and picked it up.

I looked up when my door opened and Senri walked in, Shikyo in his hand. He placed the doll on my desk and stared at me with dull eyes. I could swear he was angrier than he let show. "Keep your toys to yourself. I'm getting sick of Takuma freaking out because you can't keep a better leash on that freak."

Shikyo's eyes flickered to Senri as the vampire turned and left my room. I watched him go before I lowered my gaze to the doll. She was smiling back at me, her eyes where they should be. Maybe I should call in sick tonight and try to get some rest. I looked at her left sleeve and saw that it was torn. I was insane. I left the room, knowing that I didn't have to apologise to Takuma or Senri, though I wouldn't mind an apology from my cousin. Sometimes, Takuma could be a bit of a handful so I didn't blame Senri for getting annoyed with me and my doll. Hell, I was getting annoyed with my doll.

I nodded at Seiren and she disappeared. It was good to know she knew exactly what it was that I was after and if anyone could find it, it would be her. I joined the others downstairs. Aidou seemed to have calmed down after the little episode that happened in his room the previous night. None of them were going to say what they were all thinking out of fear they might sound insane. If any of them were to say they believed Shikyo was responsible for it, they didn't know I would agree with them completely. Shikyo reminded me a doll I saw once in the window of a shop. Or maybe I saw a doll similar to her in a movie. I couldn't have seen her in a shop window.

The others gathered their books we stepped out of the dorm. The fan girls sounded extra excitable that day or maybe it was because I was nearly dead tired that they seemed louder than usual. The gates opened and Yuuki tried to keep them at bay, while Zero glared from his post. It was nice to know that he was trying his hardest to make sure none of them broke protocol. I glanced at him and he met my eyes. There was a flash in the lilac pools that made me smile. I could've imagined it but at that moment, I didn't care. I thanked Yuuki for her hard work and she blushed. Such an adorable girl, I couldn't help but think with a small spark of pride.

"Oh! Kaname-senpai!" I stopped and faced Yuuki as she grinned at me. "I found your doll. I took her to the Headmaster's house to fix her sleeve for you."

This time there was no echo in her voice. It had to be a side-effect of being around Shikyo. Unfortunately, Yuuki was perfect for possession. She had no internal protection from evil spirits and it wasn't something Zero or I could protect her from. I smiled at her. "Thank you, Yuuki. I think I should worry about that, though." I ruffled her hair tenderly and continued on way.

We got to class and took our seats. I found myself staring out the window immediately. I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on the lessons even if my life depended on it. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. How did I know what Koori looked like if I had never met her before? That dream had felt too real to be only a dream. Something was really off. Why had Koori glared at me, as though everything was my fault? I had never met her until then.

My eyes were drawn to movement in the trees. Koori walked between them, flickering in and out of existence. She held Shikyo by a foot as she walked. Her grey eyes were on me; again, accusing me of something I didn't remember doing. "This old man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my tongue," I murmured to myself, getting Takuma's attention.

"Is something wrong, Kaname-sama?" he whispered to me.

I shook my head. "No, Takuma," I lied. He had the good sense not to call my bluff and I went back to staring at the trees. Koori had disappeared and there wasn't really anything that I could do about that. I could only hope that Seiren found what I needed to get rid of the creepy little girl and her doll. I wasn't expecting it to be easy – I knew better than that.

I was back in that room. Did I fall asleep during class? That didn't seem like me and yet, right now, I needed as much rest as I could possible get. The disembowelled cat was on the bed, again, hissing at me. Its ears were folded back and I raised an eyebrow. That cat was scared of me? What about the doll? It didn't seem to have a problem with that. And how was it even alive with a gash in it like that? That was the least of my problems.

"This old man…"

I looked at the desk and Koori was seated there once more. She was facing me, in her white dress and the blood stains on it. Shikyo was in her lap, smiling at me inertly. Koori held something in her hands, which was hidden from my sight but she smiled as she raised them. It was almost as though she was daring me to have a look and something was telling me to let it be and ignore it. Sometimes common sense was an ability that everyone lacked at one time or another in their life. I just wished it hadn't been this time for me.

"…he played one…"

Koori's eyes began to change from a little girl's to that of an evil and hateful monster. Her innocent smile turned into a cruel and twisted smirk. It was upsetting to see that this little girl had been corrupted by the malevolence that was Shikyo. Is that what that doll did? Found innocent, little girls and tried to turn them into some sort of creature of her devices? That was probably the most insane thought I'd had since I'd received Shikyo but I wasn't going to rule anything out until I had all of the facts.

"…he played knick-knack and…"

As slowly as the song was progressing, Koori was opening her hands to reveal the secret she had hidden in them. With the way she was morphing, I knew I didn't want to see what she was holding. Shikyo continued to sit in her previous owner's lap without a care. My heart thumped in my chest with anxiety. Did I want to know what had happened this time? Last time, it was fine. All that went wrong was Aidou's cabinet breaking. Maybe it was something like that. Something not as bad as my imagination was thinking.

"…ripped out his tongue."

A short cry of surprise left my mouth as I saw someone's tongue in her small hands. There were screams of shock and fear around me and the scent of Noble blood filled the air. I looked at the mirror on the vanity and saw that Takuma had his hands over his mouth. I glared at Koori and Shikyo. Koori smirked back and Shikyo still had that lifeless smile on her perfectly painted face. What was wrong with them? Takuma had done nothing to them. Why attack him?

"Life is divine – your life will be mine," an older female voice whispered.

I woke with a start and looked around. Senri was shaking my shoulder, emotion showing in his usually bleak eyes. That was the most fucked up dream I could ever remember having. Wait a minute. Senri? It was a dream, right? That's all it was, right? I threw back the covers of my bed and followed my cousin out of my room and down the hall. The scent of fresh blood hit me before I got near Takuma's room.

I stepped in and the others looked at me. They were expecting answers but I had none. What could I say? 'Oh, don't worry, my loyal followers. I have dreams where I can see what will happen. Takuma, I'm sorry you lost your tongue.'? No, I couldn't say that. I couldn't answer any of their questions. I didn't even remember heading from class to my room or even falling asleep. Instead, I decided to ask some questions of my own. I needed to know if anyone knew what had happened.

"Can anyone tell me anything?" I turned to Senri. He shared a room with Takuma. He had to know something. "Can you recall what happened?"

Senri shook his head. "No. I was having a shower when it happened. Is he going to bleed to death?"

"He's not human, so no." My eyes roamed the rest of the Nobles that were in the room. "Did anyone see anything or hear anything before you caught the scent of the blood?" They shook their heads and I lowered my eyes. "Senri, keep a close eye on him. He's going to be needing blood when he wakes up. The rest of you, search the grounds. See if you can find his tongue. Maybe we can reattach it somehow."

Everyone nodded and went about their orders. I returned to my room, surprised to see Zero in there. He stared at me with grim eyes and that was enough to know he came bearing bad news. I sighed and closed the door. What could be worse than finding out that my second-in-command just had his tongue ripped out? I hoped nothing had happened to Yuuki. Zero shook his head and I sighed in relief. At least that was one worry I could mark off. So why was the hunter in my room?

"Is something wrong, Zero?" I inquired as I looked at my desk. Shikyo was standing on it, smiling at me innocently. I knew she was somehow responsible for what had happened to my friend and when I found out how to make her stop, I was going to take great pleasure in making sure it was a long and painful process for her.

"I…saw something, earlier on patrol."

My head snapped to Zero. Did he see Koori in the forest? Was Zero her next victim? Were Koori and Shikyo trying to take away everyone I cared about? I looked at the chess board and saw that one of my pawns had been removed from the game. I went back to gazing at Zero. I could worry about my chess game in a few minutes. "What did you see, Zero?"

Zero shifted nervously on my bed and got to his feet. "A little girl, wearing the same dress as your doll. The only difference was she had red curls, instead of black and grey eyes instead of blue. She was humming an old nursery rhyme. When I called out to her, she looked at me and it wasn't a little girl I was talking to…" As he spoke, Zero walked to random places in my room, running his hands through his hair.

"You saw Koori?"

"That was Koori? What is she doing here?" Zero frowned as though he was trying to remember something. "Is she here to take Shikyo back? I saw her holding the doll."

How was I going to explain this one? "I don't think it was entirely Koori, Zero."

Zero looked at me and tilted his head slightly. "You mean there's something else out there that took on her form? Or was it something that possessed her spirit?"

I blinked. "You've given this more thought than I have. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to think about it but I have sent Seiren to gather as much information as she can about Koori and Shikyo."

Zero nodded and took his place on my bed again. "I smelt blood when I came in. Whose was it and what happened? There was a lot of it, I know that much. It was as though someone's throat had been slit."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Talking about it was worse than I thought it was going to be. "It was Takuma's blood." Zero inclined his head. "Someone or thing…ripped his tongue out."

Zero stared at me blankly for a moment and then his eyes widened. "You mean…?" I nodded. "You…How? How could someone or thing do that? Takuma would have to have had his mouth open for quite a while for them to reach in and rip it out. Did anyone see or hear anything?"

I shook my head. "His roommate was having a shower when it happened and it was called to the other's attention when they smelt the blood."

"Is he going to be okay?"

I went over to Zero and hugged him. I knew he didn't give a damn about Takuma but it was nice of him to ask. "I hope so. He won't bleed to death but I get the feeling he might drain Senri when he wakes."

Zero pulled me onto the bed and changed our positions. He held me tightly. Even though it wasn't like him to be this sentimental, I accepted it. It had only been four days but I needed the strength. If things continued on like this, I didn't know what I was going to do. I closed my eyes and enjoyed Zero's scent. I opened them and glanced at my desk. My eyes didn't leave my bed though as Shikyo was sitting on it. I jumped slightly at her being so close so suddenly and Zero cursed when he saw it.

"Fuck! Not only is it creepy but it's ugly, too! Why is it on the bed?" Zero let go of me and picked up Shikyo.

"Don't annoy her, Zero," I said, sitting up and taking Shikyo off him. I knew it was insane to blame the doll for what had happened to Takuma, as there was no blood on her white dress, but I wasn't going to have anything happen to Zero. I didn't want Yuuki to have to worry.

"It's a doll, Kaname. What's the worst it could do to me?" Zero raised an eyebrow and I didn't have an answer for him. I just hoped that the worst Shikyo could to do wasn't what I was thinking.

End Chapter II.

Thank you to those who have reviewed, added to favourites and alerted this story. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

If you have any thoughts or comments, please feel free to drop me a line.

Update: My dearest reviewers, saying that you hope something bad will not happen to someone is more of an incentive for me do something horrible to them. If there is someone you don't like and want to see something bad happen to them, say you hope nothing bad will happen to them and I'll work it into the next chapter or the one after.
Thank you and please enjoy your day or night and always remember...Koori and Shikyo can be anywhere, at anytime.