Disclaimer: I own neither Doctor Who nor Vampire Knight. I only own my characters and ideas.
The Anomaly
A Doctor Who/Vampire Knight Crossover
Chapter Four: Premonitions
When my dreams had awoken me four hours ago, the sun had still been shining brightly. Since the brightness of the day still didn't affect me the way it affected Takuma and the rest of the household, I had taken my textbooks and papers outside to complete my schoolwork before the night fell. After working for several hours, the sun had begun to disappear behind the mountain range in the distance, and the sky had turned a combination of gold and red that was both beautiful and nostalgic.
Often I sat out on my balcony just so I could reflect on why a golden-red sky would bring tears to my eyes. Although I was careful not to permit Takuma to see me outside during the daytime, he'd once discovered me weeping about my inability to recall why I was so sad. Calmly, he had reminded me that I had likely been bitten by the Pureblood around this time of day. Speaking about my conversion was not something Takuma liked to focus on, so as he explained his theory, he neither looked at me, nor revealed his emotion, and soon after he'd finished giving his commentary, he'd changed the topic – regardless of whether I was satisfied.
Needless to say, I had been upset with Takuma that day, and I spent much of my morning avoiding him. However, I wasn't so upset that I lost all my rationality. He was one of the few people in the Ichijou Manor who treated me kindly, so I was careful to treat him with respect. Each morning, he would eagerly bound into my room, overly exuberant about some idea he'd dreamt up, and he would immediately drag me off to the kitchens, so we could finish our breakfast as soon as possible.
Luckily, Takuma would settle down somewhat once he'd eaten, and he reconsidered many of the ridiculous notions he'd originally believed to be brilliant.
We spent much of the night together; either playing games, or stargazing. Three times each week we would have lessons with a private tutor. Although the tutor referred to me as Takuma's "pet" more than I would have preferred, I enjoyed studying the topics assigned. Even the tutor couldn't deny that my work was thorough and accurate – in most subjects.
My aptitude score for mathematics had been almost ridiculously low, and many of my answers had made the tutor so upset that she'd appeared to be convulsing. In the end, she'd stopped attempting to score the section, and had given me simple addition and subtraction problems to complete.
I hadn't thought it could get worse until the tutor began screeching about how I'd filled out my history section. For several minutes she lectured me about history "being about what had happened – not what could have happened." Throughout her lecture, I had stared at her in bewilderment – unable to determine whether to laugh or cower. In the end, I did both.
Mountains of coursework had followed me after that moment. For several weeks, I was drowning in textbooks and papers. At the beginning of each lesson, the tutor gave me lengthy exams covering the assigned work, and if I was unable to pass, she would become livid. Perhaps it was that reaction that made me so determined to answer the questions correctly. In any case, I practically memorized my history and mathematics textbooks, and in the course of a month, I had advanced to almost Takuma's level.
Sighing, I gathered up my textbooks, then carried them back into my room. The night had fallen, and with it, the temperature. Despite feeling the cold less than when I had been human, I still didn't enjoy the bitterly frigid winds that seemed to tear right into my body.
As I set my books onto my desk, I rubbed my eyes tiredly. If I hadn't had lessons to attend, I would have crawled back into my bed and resumed sleeping. The nightmare which had woken me was receding, and the heaviness of sleep was overcoming me once more.
Yearningly, I glanced back toward my comfortable bed, and briefly considered lying down for another fifteen or twenty minutes, but ultimately, my fear of missing the lesson overcame my desire to rest, and I resumed organizing that night's assignments.
Besides, Takuma will burst in any moment now…
Proving my point, Takuma entered my room so abruptly that he ripped several of the Shoji paper squares. His expression was more excited than usual, and he practically shouted, "Lorna-chan! Lessons have been canceled for today! My grandfather has business with the Kuran family, and they asked if they could bring their son with them, so he could play with someone his own age!"
My immediate reaction was to stare worriedly at Takuma. Although I hadn't been a vampire for a significantly long period of time, I knew that the Kuran family consisted of Pureblood vampires. As if meeting a Pureblood wasn't nerve-wracking enough, the Kuran family had once controlled the vampire society, and even now they served as a symbol of the monarchy. Additionally, my last encounter – despite not remembering it – with a Pureblood had not been pleasant; in fact, it had altered the course of my life completely.
Hesitantly, I raised my concerns. "Um… Takuma… Aren't they…"
"Aren't they what, Lorna-chan?" Takuma asked; his brow was furrowed in confusion as he asked this question, and I suddenly realized that he did not fear the Pureblooded vampires the way his grandfather did.
Swallowing nervously, I crossed my arms defensively across my chest, then continued while staring at the floor, "They're Purebloods… aren't they?"
Suddenly, Takuma's expression changed, and he approached me slowly. "They aren't like the one who hurt you," he assured me in a soft tone. "I've met them before; they're very kind." Takuma placed a hand gently on my shoulder, and smiled at me soothingly, as he continued, "Their son is reserved, but he isn't cruel. You don't need to worry so much."
I attempted to smile, but it was difficult to feign contentment when my heart still quailed in fear. Something else about the Kuran family frightened me. Inside my dream-world, that man with the different colored eyes always lurked in the background. He wasn't looking at me, but I could sense his emotions, as well as his insanity. I could hear the thoughts going around inside his head, and I understood that he was fixated on something the Kuran family treasured.
Why I worried about the lives of strangers, I couldn't understand. However, over the weeks, I had managed to theorize that the tragedy and persecution of the Kuran family would ultimately involve me.
"I hope that…" I mumbled aloud, forgetting that Takuma was present. Quickly, I shook my head to bring me back to my senses, then added, "I'm sorry. I'm tired because I woke up nearly six hours ago, and couldn't get myself to go back to sleep."
Nervously, Takuma rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… My grandfather wants to lecture us about etiquette before the Kurans arrive, so even though they won't be here until midnight, I don't think you have time for a nap… Are you still having trouble sleeping through the day? Or are you having bad dreams?"
At the mention of my dreams, I felt my expression darken slightly, and I gazed solemnly at the ground. Often my dreams did not feel like dreams at all. They felt much too real – despite the absurdity of their context, or their apparent irrelevance to my life. For the past few weeks, I had considered them premonitions – ideas and events that managed to invade my mind while I was in a susceptible state. Fear of not being capable of preventing the events from unfolding was merely one of the reasons I didn't like to go back to sleep after being awakened by the images inside my head.
Tilting my chin so that I would look at him, Takuma whispered, "You can tell me when something's bothering you. I try not to bring up what happened, because it upsets you, but sometimes speaking about painful events brings relief. Memories hurt because they can make us feel so alone; our minds trick us into believing nobody else will understand, but that doesn't mean it's true."
His words should have been comforting. I knew he was being honest, and I knew too that his words were true. However, in that moment I had never felt more alone. Casting my eyes away, I considered whether or not I should risk recounting my dreams to Takuma.
Despite my trepidation of revealing my dreams' nature, slowly I began to inform Takuma, "Whenever I fall asleep, I see people… I can hear their thoughts, and I can sense their intentions and emotions. They aren't always frightening, but… there's one I have more than the others… I think something bad is going to happen."
Reassuringly, Takuma replied, "They're dreams. Dreams can't hurt us. They are caused by emotions that we attempt to ignore while we're awake, or by memories that we try to keep hidden. Expressing our emotions and speaking about our memories helps rid us of bad dreams."
I knew he wouldn't understand… Of course… I haven't explained the dreams in detail… I don't want to though… Somehow, I feel that if I disclose too many details, the Kuran family's fate will be sealed.
When Takuma's tone changed to a more reflective one, I looked back at him. "Is it possible that… Lorna-chan, sometimes vampires have special abilities – abilities beyond accelerated healing, long life, and keen senses. Typically, only Purebloods and aristocrat level vampires have strong enough blood to support more advanced abilities, but occasionally lower level vampires are born with abilities, too. I've never heard of a former human gaining one, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible." After a moment of pause, Takuma continued, "I might be wrong, of course. It isn't as if any of your dreams have predicted real events…" Noticing that I averted my eyes at this assurance, Takuma questioned, "Have your dreams accurately predicted the outcome of events?"
I nodded. "At first, I thought I was overthinking, or that I was tired enough to believe I'd dreamt about something I hadn't… But the coincidences never stopped – even after I began sleeping through the day, and now that I know my dreams almost always are certain..."
"You can't sleep," Takuma finished. Gazing at me quizzically, he commented, "But you can't… Nobody dreams solely in the form of premonitions… Premonitions only occur occasionally, and they're difficult to interpret, and most of the time you only realize they actually are premonitions after the events have unfolded. As far as abilities, predicting future events is unreliable, and even those who are capable of interpreting their visions are not able to use their knowledge for much more than entertainment. In fact, many people doubt fortune tellers' abilities because most of the time their predictions are inaccurate.
"All that to say, you're probably not witnessing the unfolding of anything significant; it's probably just caused by your mind filling in the memory gaps…"
Knowing that many of my memories were still lost, I accepted Takuma's answer. Over the course of a month, I had recalled many small, nearly inconsequential events from my childhood; however, I could never remember the moment when my life had been changed so drastically.
As Takuma and I set off in the direction of the kitchens, I wondered if I would ever remember my entire past.
And then, I seemed to realize… I didn't want to.
…
"They'll be here in a moment…" Ichiou informed us, as we waited in the reception area of the house. Glaring at me, he demanded, "Take off that senseless scarf! It's bad enough you insist on wearing it when we don't have important visitors!"
Nervously, I looked down at my scarf. It was nearly ten feet long, and it trailed the ground whenever I walked – even after wrapping it three times around my neck. As if that weren't bad enough, the scarf wasn't even the same shade of purple, nor did the changes in coloration have any rhyme or reason. Obviously whoever had knitted the scarf had run out of certain colors, then continued to knit in whatever color was available. As long as it was a shade of purple.
I wonder why I even feel led to wear this scarf… It isn't particularly well made… It's frayed in places, and it's dingy… The texture of the scarf is inconsistent, and it's wider in some sections, as if someone added more to the scarf as the mood struck them…
Despite the scarf's absurdity, I felt strongly attached to it, and unwilling to part with it. In a way, wearing it gave me the impression of strength and comfort. Two traits I sorely needed not only in the prospect of meeting the Kurans, but when I had the potential of facing Ichiou every day.
In the aftermath of my first meeting with Ichiou, I had believed that the worst was likely over. However, only a few days later, I had been called back into his office.
The second meeting was briefer than the first meeting. Ichiou simply wanted to study the mark which had appeared on my wrist. For a moment, I had felt immense relief at receiving such a simple command, and I quickly complied with his instruction. It wasn't until I noticed Ichiou's sardonic grin that I became afraid of his intentions once more.
Although he hadn't asked to see me again, occasionally I caught him studying me intently. His gaze was always apathetic, but from the length of his stare, I knew he was trying to determine whether I possessed something he could utilize.
Does he know about my dreams? Maybe they have something to do with my mark…
Just as this thought struck me, the front doors of the Ichijou Manor swung open to reveal three of the most beautiful people I had ever set eyes on.
But it was more than that. Although they were stunningly gorgeous, I was taken aback by how familiar they appeared to me. As I was considering how strangers could appear so familiar, I forgot everything Ichiou had lectured Takuma and me about only a few hours prior to the Kurans' arrival.
Slowly, I felt my eyes widen in fright. I wanted to run away, yet I seemed to be frozen to the spot.
I've seen these people before… in my dreams… At least… I've seen people who look similar to them…
Realizing that they weren't quite the same as those people who occasionally made appearances in my dreams, I felt myself relax. At least, I relaxed until I became aware of how disrespectful I had been by not greeting the Kuran family with a bow.
Even after realizing my mistake, I discovered that I didn't want to bow down to another person, and it didn't matter how frightened I was, I just couldn't permit myself to submit to another being arbitrarily. I didn't care whether they were superior in strength, beauty, or blood. Despite these convictions, I stared in terror at the family, as they approached us.
Both Takuma and his grandfather were bowed so low that I wondered if either of them even noticed my insubordination.
Ichiou greeted the Kurans solemnly, but I sensed both fear and resentment hidden beneath Ichiou's apathetic tone. After the head of the Kuran family recognized Ichiou, he and Takuma straightened. I didn't miss the reassuring smile Takuma aimed at me, but it did nothing to quell my fears.
When the lady of the Kuran family addressed me, I nearly leapt into the air. "What an unusual young lady… Immaculately dressed, and not a wisp of hair out of place… Yet you choose to wear a scarf that ridiculous. You must be a contradiction," she informed me, bending so that she could look into my eyes.
She was so close all I could see were her mahogany colored eyes staring into my celadon ones. I had never felt so exposed in my life, and swallowed nervously, as I wondered whether I should look away.
I cannot tell.. Is she punishing me for refusing to bow to her… or is she complimenting me… She insulted my scarf… Is she…
Smiling, the head of the Kuran family placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, and told her, "Juri, I don't think you're coming across the way you think you are…" To me, he spoke apologetically, "I'm sorry. My wife often confuses reassurance with ridicule. We aren't trying to frighten you."
I was still too startled by the situation to comprehend an appropriate response. When I had imagined what Purebloods would be like, I had not imagined them to act in this manner. In the midst of determining the best course of action, I found myself speaking randomly. "I am sorry for your loss."
Juri grinned in amusement, then gently patted me on the head. "Silly child… We haven't lost anything," she replied. Smiling, she gave the child next to her a nudge in Takuma's direction. "Go on and play."
Takuma grabbed my arm, and quickly pulled me away from the scene. While he practically dragged me down the hallway, I glanced back worriedly at the place we'd left Juri and her husband with Ichiou. I vaguely heard Juri comment on my untypical behavior, and noticed Ichiou momentarily cast a glare in my direction before becoming apologetic.
Bowing once more, Ichiou spoke again, "Apologies… She hasn't been part of the vampire society long enough to understand her place."
"I've never encountered anyone quite like that child," Juri replied. "She was frightened and awed, but she wouldn't bow to us. It's untypical of former humans… They tend to be instinctively reverent…" Thoughtfully, she looked in the direction I'd been dragged in.
Ichiou agreed, "Yes; she's very outspoken and self-assured for a former human. I haven't taught her enough manners."
By Ichiou's words, I knew he was displeased with my actions. In the presence of those kind-hearted Purebloods, he had curbed his desire to retaliate against my defiance, but I suspected he would scold me as soon as they left. Knowing Ichiou could be effortlessly cruel when he believed his reputation and position of power were in jeopardy, I couldn't help regretting my own stubbornness and pride.
It's just a stupid bow… It doesn't have to mean anything… Only a formality…
Takuma was speaking so excitedly that he was practically singing. Obviously this wasn't the Kuran son's first time visiting with Takuma, because he just smiled, and nodded politely when Takuma stopped for breath.
Studying the son of the Kuran family, I realized that he didn't look nearly as haughty and arrogant as I'd originally believed. In fact, his mannerisms suggested that he was as gentle and docile as his parents appeared. Beneath this layer of gentility, I sensed a tremendous amount of power, and something else that lurked in the hidden recesses of this young child's mind. Something even he was not yet aware of.
"You're older than I thought you'd be," I commented, without thought.
At my words, Takuma suddenly ceased his soliloquy, and gave me a quizzical stare. "What do you mean? He's only a few weeks older than I am," Takuma replied. He smiled at me in bemusement, as if he were attempting to discover the reason behind my senseless words.
I felt my lips curve into an awkward smile when I apologized, "I'm sorry, Kaname. You just seem so mature… Probably because Takuma is so effervescent all the time…" Noticing that both Takuma and Kaname had halted at the same moment, as well as that they were staring at me in shock, I nervously rubbed the back of my neck. "I'm sorry… again… I forgot the honorific, didn't I?"
"I don't think anyone mentioned his name…" Takuma explained. "Although… my grandfather might have told you during his lecture… I don't know… I wasn't really paying attention. He basically gives the same lecture every time we have anyone important over. I never understood why…"
"Because you don't listen," I added, feeling a bit agitated. Now that I had a chance to think about Ichiou's lecture, I realized I hadn't been paying attention, either. However, I had a feeling Ichiou hadn't mentioned Kaname by name.
"It's all right," Kaname smiled. "And you may call me without honorifics, if that's easier for you. As long as you'll play a game of chess with me. Ichijou hates chess."
Takuma groaned, "That's because it's so boring. Half the game is waiting for the other person to decide what to do… and besides that, I always lose."
Grinning, I told Takuma, "You can't stand sitting still, and you can't focus on one task for too long. I've seen how you complete your schoolwork… Sometimes you leave sentences half written because you become too bored."
Flushing red as a tomato, Takuma admitted, "Yeah… It's true… Remaining on-task isn't easy for me."
"So, you'll play chess, then?" Kaname asked, eagerly. "I can never win against my father, and beating Ichijou is too easy…"
Nodding, I quickly accepted his challenge. "I like chess. I played it a lot before coming here; although, my friends disliked playing against me. We would get into arguments because I would win and lose at the same time."
Curiously, Takuma asked, "How did you manage that?"
"I might have… disregarded certain rules," I shrugged. "I can't remember which…"
My voice trailed off as Takuma opened the door to his room. For a brief moment, I wasn't even certain we were in Takuma's room. Only this morning his room had been impossible to walk across without encountering knee-high piles of clothes, books, and random objects; however, now his room was immaculate. Everything had been replaced into its appropriate location, and all the surfaces were dusted. The pillows he normally left on the floor were arranged neatly on top of his bed, and the curtains were tied to the bed-posts.
"Wow… Takuma, you should try to keep your room this clean… It's nice not tripping every other step," I told him with a smile.
Takuma flushed again. "I've gotten into a bad habit… I know my grandfather will ask the maids to clean my room when an important visitor comes…"
A chess board was already set up on the coffee table in Takuma's sitting area. Kaname sat on the ground immediately, then smiled and waved me over, while Takuma searched his bookshelves for the manga he'd started reading.
"I hate when they put these away…" Takuma declared in a disgruntled tone. "I wish they would leave my manga where I'd left them… It takes me forever to find the one I was currently reading…"
"You spend too much time on manga," Kaname replied, moving a pawn forward two spaces. "If you're not careful, you'll become an Otaku."
Snorting, Takuma retorted, "How is that a bad thing?" His eyes gleamed with excitement as he finally reached the manga he'd been searching for, and he exclaimed, "Here it is!"
Gathering as many manga as he could hold, Takuma carried them over to the couch, then dumped them unceremoniously onto one of the cushions. From past experience, I knew he had no intention of replacing any of them back onto their proper shelves.
With a sigh, I moved a knight into a vulnerable position, and hoped Kaname would fall into my trap as easily as I anticipated.
By sacrificing the knight, I can set my bishop up to take the rook… My other knight is only two moves away from being able to take the king, and my bishop will prevent the king from moving out of the way…
To my delight, Kaname quickly moved his rook into the place of my knight. Hiding my expression, I maneuvered my bishop across the board, then collected the rook with a flourish. Not realizing that his king was in danger of my remaining knight, Kaname moved his queen to set up an attack.
Moving my knight to take one of the pawns remaining on Kaname's side of the board, I announced, "Checkmate."
Smiling pleasantly, Kaname acknowledged, "Yes; I moved the queen out too early. I was trying to use Scholar's Mate. It never fails against Ichijou. I needed to determine whether you really are a better opponent than he is."
After my initial win, defeating Kaname was much more challenging. Just as Takuma predicted, Kaname and I spent much of the game waiting for the other to decide which move they would make, and one round took as long as half-an-hour to complete. We were in the middle of our fourth round – the tie breaker, since we didn't count the first game – when Takuma finally released an irritated moan.
Both Kaname and I glanced over to the couch, and noticed that he was lying flat on his back, while scowling up at the ceiling. Obviously, his manga had run out several minutes before-hand, and he'd grown tired of watching us study the remaining chess pieces. His expression was pained, as if he were holding himself back from begging for us to move on to an activity with more movement than thought.
"Ichijou, this will be the last game," Kaname assured him, returning his focus to the board. "Probably."
As Takuma released another tortured groan, I grinned. "Don't worry, Takuma… I've almost won…"
Kaname snorted, "There's no way you're going to win this round, and you know it."
Although I didn't like to admit it, I knew Kaname was right. This round, I had lost sight of what my goal was because Kaname had outwitted every move I made. At the moment, the only players I had available were my king, one knight, both bishops, and four pawns. I had lost my queen early on in the game when I'd fallen into one of Kaname's traps.
"Please, forfeit, Lorna-chan," Takuma implored. "We can play soccer… I just want to run around… If I'd wanted to spend the night sitting and thinking, I would have preferred being with the tutor…"
"You can't possibly mean that," I replied, moving my bishop into a position that would make one of Kaname's rooks vulnerable. "It's weak to forfeit."
"Checkmate," Kaname announced.
At Kaname's exclamation, Takuma heaved a sigh of relief, as if he would have exploded if the game hadn't ended immediately. "Thank goodness…"
Yawning, I stood, then stretched. "So, what's soccer?" I asked. "Is that a game?"
Kaname gave me an odd look, and Takuma quickly explained, "She lost most of her memories when she was turned into a vampire. We couldn't even find an official record for her, so recovering them has been complicated…" Addressing me, he continued, "Soccer is a game where you don't use your hands to guide a ball around. Kaname and I normally just kick it back and forth, but if we had more people, we could have teams, and try to get the ball into the opposing team's net."
"Oh, that sounds like fun," I replied.
"Great!" Takuma rejoiced, running across his room to collect a black-and-white ball from its corner.
Apparently sitting and doing nothing for nearly two hours had caused Takuma to store energy, so Kaname and I both had to trot in order to keep up with him. By the time we finally emerged outside, Kaname and I were panting.
It was a cold night, and I shivered slightly as I looked across the grounds. I wished that I had thought to grab a jacket, but now that I'd exited the house, I didn't feel like making Takuma and Kaname wait.
When I felt something warm settle over my shoulders, I glanced up. "You'll need it more than I will," Kaname informed me.
"Thanks," I replied, smiling slightly.
Bundling into the coat, I wondered if I would ever become as accustomed to the cold as the two vampires in my midst.
"Don't forget to take your scarf off, Lorna-chan," Takuma reminded me. "I don't want you to trip…"
Quickly, I discarded the scarf, and left it on a nearby ledge. Rushing across the yard to where Takuma and Kaname were already kicking the ball back and forth, I glanced in the direction of the dock Takuma and I occasionally stargazed from.
From my vantage point, I could just make out a figure standing in the garden. An angel statue with her hands covering her eyes, as if she were weeping.
"Takuma… Is that statue new?" I wondered, turning toward Takuma. "The weeping angel one?"
Without taking his eyes off the soccer ball, Takuma nodded. "Must be… My grandfather's adding stuff all the time," he told me. "Why?"
Glancing back to the statue, I was startled to find that its hands had dropped, almost as if she were searching for someone. I was so frightened that it was looking for me, I didn't let myself blink.
"Takuma… I think that statue moved…" I informed him.
Picking up the ball, Takuma came to my side to look. "No… It's just stone… It isn't moving…" he assured me. "It must be due to lack of sleep. You have been up for a while, and you didn't get to take a nap. Maybe you ought to go back inside."
"Yeah, you're right…" I tried to smile, but I was still uncertain about the statue. Somewhere inside my mind, I seemed to recognize the statue as a being capable of turning itself into stone while being viewed. However, I couldn't imagine that really were possible. I apologized to Kaname, "I'm sorry; I better go lie down. Thank you for letting me borrow your coat."
I took the coat off, then left it in place of my scarf before rushing indoors. From the inside of the house, I crossed to a window which gave me a view to the garden. Leaning my head against this window's cool glass, I gazed out at the statue of an angel, and to my horror, I discovered that she seemed to be looking directly at me.
Here is the fourth chapter. Sorry, it took a while to write this one. I actually had a different version of this chapter, but I thought it was too boring, so I re-wrote it. I'm trying to get away from passively narrating this story, but I'm still setting up my conflict and characters... Next chapter should be more interesting. (I hope..)
I hope I didn't get the Kurans out of character... I think I did all right... (Kaname seems to be slightly different before and after his parents' murder, so I'm trying to give him contrast...) Also, in case it isn't obvious, my story is slightly AU. I'm intending to spread out the canon version (it will be in this story at some point...), so I can better develop my characters, as well as blend the story with Doctor Who. I can't focus on too much plot at once. XD
Please, review! I really would like to know what people are thinking about this story. :)
Cheers,
Mango