Vampire Knight © Matsuri Hino

Forgive any mistakes . . . Spell check was being a douche. :P

Please enjoy . . . here's chapter three.

Chapter One:

Noon the next day, I had almost forgotten about Kaname and Kaien. Except, even if I wasn't directly thinking about it, I knew that they had their own little space in the back of my mind. And for some reason, I felt like I was being watched. Every time I turned around, my hairs would stand on end and my eyes would sweep over the surrounding area. The other kids were mocking me lightly about it, and they all seemed pretty peeved about yesterday. For some reason though, like with those girls last night, it didn't really bother me as much as it had before. I wondered why that was. Surely not because I had met Kaname? Why would that make any difference in the first place?

"Hey, Rin." I looked up as a boy a year older than me walked over to my sitting spot on the ledge of the orphanages dried out fountain. I think his name was Kon . . . Kona? Koma? Something like that.

"Hi." I said, pulling my knees up to my chin.

His eyes swept over me, and then zeroed in on my face. "You know, I don't understand why everyone thinks you're such a freak. I actually think you're kind of cute."

I felt the blood bubble up to redden my cheeks. Wait, what? Where was this coming from all of a sudden? I narrowed my eyes up at him. He was good looking himself, with a short crop of baby blond hair and bright hazel eyes. But- I almost physically reeled at the thought -he wasn't Kaname. But who was I to compare him to Kaname? Why should I even be thinking of Kaname now, of all the times? But then again, why was it that he seemed so perfectly etched into my brain?

"What?" I asked, a little too monotoned, but I was half there and half clouded by images of yesterday.

I heard Kona- or whatever his name is -chuckle. He sounded like he was on the opposite end of a tunnel. "I said you're cute."

"Where did this come from?" I asked, mumbling.

I just barely focused in on his face enough to see him roll his eyes at me. "I don't know, Rin. But I think you're cute." He grinned down at me. "Do you think I'm cute?"

I blinked up at him, utterly confused. "You're talking like we're kids or something."

He raised his eyebrows. "But I'm being serious, Rin."

"Sure." I said, and stood, brushing off the back of my pants.

He caught my arm as I brushed by. His hand physically burned my skin. I yelped and pulled back.

He stared at me, and then gazed down at his hand. "Damn, you're freezing cold. What are you, dead? Geez, I guess you are a freak."

I rubbed the spot where he had gripped. It had felt like being branded. Before anything else could happen, I ran upstairs to my room. I sat down on my bed, and curled into a tight ball.

I was cold? I didn't feel that cold. I was chilled, just a bit, but I wasn't freezing or anything. But what had just happened? Was I really that much of a freak? Was I in such a different world that I ran at a different temperature then normal people? Would I feel like that to normal people when they touched me? Was it just that Kona kid? I had hugged Kaien, but he had on a coat. So my bare skin against someone else's was totally different?

My eyes squeezed shut, leaking tears onto my cheeks. I wanted to be normal. Why couldn't I be normal? Was this really the reason why my birth parent(s) had given me away? Because I was . . . abnormal?

Who was I? What was I? But I knew that those two questions would be left unanswered. Nobody could tell me, because no one knew anything. I would grow up a freak, and then die alone a freak.

I wanted to shut myself off from the world. That way, I could at least pretend I was normal. I could pretend to be happy and normal.

I'm not sure when it happened, but I fell asleep crying a while later.

My eyelids fluttered open to light pressure on my forehead. At first, I thought I was dreaming. One, because I was staring at the most beautiful face I had ever seen. And two, because the velvety voice that whispered my name seemed to be otherworldly.

Slowly, my senses grasped that I was still on my bed in the orphanage, laying on my back now, with a blanket tucked in around me, and someone was sitting on the bed with me, petting my forehead softly. I gasped and wrenched upwards.

Kaname narrowly avoided a head-on collision with me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, Rin."

My eyes felt like they would pop out of my head. I wasn't dreaming? He was actually here? But besides that, he had actually drawn his face so close to mine . . . ? I felt my cheeks flush a bright red. "N-no, it's alright. I didn't even intend to fall asleep.." I said in a bare whisper.

A small smile curved his lips. "I told you we would be back, didn't I?"

"Ah, yes." I said, trying not to stare too long.

His hand came up to cup my cheek. Immediately, my body froze and then melted at his soothing touch. Like putting ice on a burn. His skin was so smooth against mine, it felt like satin. So it was just the Kona kid, was it? Kaname's hand felt normal . . . well better then normal, but still. His fingertips lightly brushed against my cheekbone.

"How are you today, Rin?" he asked.

I was leaning my head into his hand, but I couldn't stop myself if I wanted. I couldn't see, nor hear, or smell, or feel anything besides Kaname in front of me right now. I couldn't care less if the whole orphanage was watching right now. It was like his whole self was an intoxicating drug, even if you just inhaled the perfume of it.

"I'm fine." I answered after a long moment of silence. But I knew I was better then fine, now that he had actually come back. I hadn't realized up until now that since I had first saw him, and since he had made his promise of coming back, I had felt empty, like a part of me was missing when he wasn't here. But the relief was almost overwhelming. That, and his being so close.

He smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Mm," I sighed in agreement, taking a deep breath through my nose to try and memorize his bittersweet scent forever.

I probably realized I looked like a lovesick high school girl. I couldn't care less, and at the same time felt embarrassment squeeze my stomach into tight little knots. Reluctantly, I swung my legs out from under the blanket and sat next to Kaname. He dropped his hand to his side, and I was very disappointed. My skin heated up where his fingers had been. I at least wanted to act . . . at least a little coherent in front of him. I really didn't want to give him the wrong idea about me. And at the same time I didn't want to have to hold back anything of myself from him.

When my eyes finally looked back up to him, I noticed I only came to his shoulder, even when we were sitting. I wondered how tall he was. And since we hadn't been this close yesterday, I didn't know where I came to him when standing. I hoped I would soon find out, though. His wine coloured orbs burned right through me when I met them. I shivered involuntarily and tried to keep from biting my lip. Instead, I chewed on the inside of my cheek.

"Listen, Rin." he started. "I have a proposition to make with you."

I blushed, and looked up at him through my lashes. "Yes?"

I saw his eyes sweep over my mouth in an almost longing way. This time, it wasn't nerves that made my stomach flip in circles.

He sighed, and looked away after a moment. He ran a hand through his disheveled dark brown hair, revealing all of his face underneath.

I almost groaned, my gaze grazing his perfectly shaped jaw and high cheekbones. Was there anything about this man that was unperfect?

"Listen, I know you do not like it here . . . correct?"

I blinked, finally meeting his eyes again. "Yes, I guess so."

"Alright." he sighed. "There is a school a few miles north of here . . . Kaien is the headmaster. It is a private school, in which I attend. Kaien and I have discussed the possibilities, and we wanted to know if you would want to attend Cross Academy, and live on its campus."

My head cocked to the side. My senses were so fogged with Kaname that it took me a second to realize what he was offering. "Oh!" I gasped, looking up at him in shock. My hand had placed itself over my heart.

His lips twitched, fighting a smile. "Only if you want to, Rin. And I know this is very sudden . . . so you don't have to decide right away if that's what you want."

I felt the tears starting to build. Soon, they washed over and I tried to blink them away.

But he was right, this was sudden. It was very tempting to say yes and leap into his arms, because I knew despite we barely knew each other, I couldn't think of any other place I wanted to be besides where Kaname was. And away from the orphanage.

"Y-you want to take in someone l-like me?" I blubbered, my hands covering the lower half of my face.

"Someone like you?" he asked, and his hand swept some of my hair back off of my shoulder. He pressed his palm to the side of my neck, instantly causing the sobbing to slow. "Ah, you mean about what you mentioned yesterday." He smiled, and leaned in to me.

I froze, tears stopping, along with my heart. He leaned his forehead against mine.

"Rin, I've never met a more amazing, beautiful, or normal person in my life." His lips were so close to mine, that they just barely, lightly, brushed as he spoke in a whisper.

Once my heart started again, it thundered away like a mad cow stampede. His words brought back tears to my eyes. Electricity flowed from where he touched me, and my lips tingled in anticipation to be met with his, but he pulled back only leaving his hand on the side of my neck.

He sighed, gazing to somewhere behind him. But I didn't look, I couldn't look away from his heartbreaking beauty. "It's getting late and we need to go, Rin. But I'll be back in a few days for your decision . . . we'll have everything ready for you at the academy either way. Do you think you'll survive for three days?"

Despite my already embarrassing appearance, I shook my head, and chuckled with him.

"I have faith in you, Rin. You'll be fine." he pressed his lips to my temple, drawing in a deep breath through his nose, and lingered there long enough to get my heartbeat to start stuttering erratically again.

Then he got up and left.

A part of me was torn when he left the room with Kaien following, but then the other half was so lost for words it was even hard to think coherently.

Did he really just offer what I think he just did?

Now I really do think I'm dreaming.

How ever was I going to survive for the next three days without exploding with anxiety and anticipation?

He may have given me three days to think about it, but I already knew my answer.

Yes.

Review please! I'll try to update again today, but only if I get a review! ;)