A/N: I forgot to put at the end of the last chapter that there are links in my profile for the dress and tux that Rima and Shiki wore in the Photoshoot, and her ring. Also, there's a poll about who Yuki should be with, Zero or Kaname,

XxMy Black RosexX

XxNotexX

"So, what's the ring about?" Ruka asked as she and Rima got ready for class.

Rima's eye's flickered to her ring on her nightstand as she tied the laces in her shoe. She took it off when she had a shower when she woke up.

"Shiki…gave it to me," She said softly, remembering last night.

"Is it an Engagement Ring?" Ruka asked curiously, making Rima frown at her.

"You know how Shiki and I feel about marriage," she said. "No, it's a…Promise Ring."

"Promise Ring?" Ruka's eyebrows raise. "You mean the kind they used to give back in the 1930's during that war? Well, that does suit you two."

Rima didn't say anything. She just gave her a 'Your-Annoying-Me' look. She picked up her ring, putting it through a small chain so it was a necklace, the ring hidden under her shirt.

"Don't want people questioning you?" Ruka asked.

"It's no one's business but ours about our privet lives.," Rima said, sounding like an embarrassed teenage girl. Sure, she was technically a teenager, being 17 now but usually she's more mature then most her age.

"It's not very classy to hide a Promise Ring like that," Ruka smirked. She enjoyed it when Rima acted like this.

"Neither is hiding your boyfriend in your closet when your dad comes for a surprise visit," Rima countered.

"Sh-Shut up!" Ruka blushed. About three months ago Ruka's father came to see her as a surprise. Akatsuki was in her and Rima's room and when Ruka heard her father was in the Moon Dorms she shoved him in the closet for two hours. "B-Besides, he's not my boyfriend!"

"Then what is he?"

"He's-" Ruka hesitated. What was Akatsuki to her?

Rima, who noticed this, sighed and stood up. "Let's go, or we'll make the others late."

Ruka nodded and grabbed her books of the dresser.

As the walked down the hall Rima asked about her ribbon.

"The red one? No I haven't. maybe it fell on the floor and just got kicked around," She shrugged. "It'll turn up."

"Yeah."

"Good evening Rima, Ruka," Ichijo smiled when he saw her and Ruka walking over to them.

Rima nodded in greeting. Ruka, however, seemed distracted. She was looking across the room where Akatsuki was.

"Where's Shiki?"

"Right here," The red haired vampire walked over, yawning. "Can we skip class today? I'm tired…"

"Shiki's always child," Ichijo frowned. "And no, you can't skip since you and Rima missed yesterday."

"So?"

Ichijo sighed. 'Why do I bother?' he thought as they left the Dorm.

As usual the Day Class girls were waiting and screamed when the Night Class gates opened. Yori pushed them back while Zero's glare made them too nervous to try to take a step forward.

"Yori-Chan!" Yuki hurried over when she saw her best friend trip from the struggle. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Yori nodded when Yuki knelled down to make sure she was okay. "Don't worry, I'm fine. You better hurry. Kuran-Senpai is waiting and you'll be late."

Yuki turned her head to see Kaname had stopped just a few meters away from her, waiting, which made most of the Night Class stop with him.

"Oh, right," Yuki nodded. As she stood, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned in time to see Zero look away. "I'll…see you later then."

"Yuki-Sama still seems to have trouble adjusting," Rima commented, looking over her shoulder at the Kuran Princess. She could see the slight sadness in her eyes.

"She did spend most of her life as a Human, and a year as a Guardian," Shiki said quietly so no one but Rima could hear. He couldn't risk a Day Class student overhearing.

"It's hard…Realising how different your life is when you're a vampire," Rima murmured so low that Shiki almost didn't hear it. But he did. He looked at her to see her starring at the ground as they walked, noticing how her grip tightened slightly on her books.

Shiki didn't say anything. He just stepped closer to her, his arm brushing against hers.

xXxXxXx

"Rima?"

"…"

"Rima?"

"Rima, time to stop daydreaming." Rima blinked as Ichijo waved his hand in front of her face.

"Did you not get much sleep yesterday?" he asked, looking concerned. He sat on her left while Shiki sat on her right.

"I'm fine," Rima sighed.

"But you seem a bit off, like when-"

"Ichijo-San," Shiki interrupted, an unusual firm look in his eyes and voice.

Ichijo blinked, slightly startled but the soft look returned to his eyes. "Oh, right. Sorry. Anyway, you should open you books to copy the notes on the bored, it'll be on the Final Exam before the break."

"Urg," Shiki's lips twitched when she groaned. She hated exams more then he did. He watched as she opened her notebook to take notes when a white envelope fell out.

"What's this?" he picked it up, turning it over. 'Rima' was written on the back.

"Give it here," Rima took envelope out of his hand. She starred at it, wondering how it got in there. She opened it, pulling out a sky blue piece of paper that had unfamiliar writing on it.

Her eye widened, the paper slipping from her hands.

"Rima?" Shiki looked worried, as did Ichijo.

"What's wrong?"

Soundlessly, she handed the note to Ichijo. He took it, his eyes also widening as he read it. He stood up, making the class look at him.

"Is something wrong Ichijo?" Kaname asked, looking up from his book.

Ichijo nodded. "We need to see the Headmaster right away."

Kaname frowned, looking from him, to Rima, and back.

"Alright," he nodded. "You can explain on the way."

"What's wrong?" Shiki asked, standing to go with them.

"Someone knows I'm a vampire." she said, handing the note to him.

'Rima,

I know what you go through because of him, and that you go through pain from Bloodlust.

I will make sure you are safe, I don't care that you are also a vampire.

I will help you.'

"This is a problem." Headmaster Cross said. "We need to find out who wrote this and how they know that Touya-San is a vampire."

"I don't know how a human would find out," Ichijo said. "She rarely talks to the Day Class."

"hmm…" Cross looked back at the letter, a frown on his face. " 'I know what you go through…I will make sure you are safe…'" he looked up at Rima, who was standing behind Ichijo and Kaname, Shiki beside her. "Do you have any idea what this person means by that, Touya-San? Or how they might know?"

"No," She shook her head, her hand on her hip. "Like Ichijo-San said I rarely talk to the Day Class. The only contact I have with them is during the exchange."

"Then maybe they saw something…" Cross murmured.

"Either way, we need to find out who wrote this before it gets around." Kaname said. "If they know that she's a vampire, then they will most likely find out about the rest of the Night Class."

"Your right," Cross nodded. "I'll have the Disciplinary Committee look into. But for now you four should get back to class."

As they went to the door, he added "Shiki-Kun, Ichijo-Kun, can I have a word with you both? It'll only take a minute then you can meet up with Kaname-Kun and Touya-San. "

"Of course," Ichijo said, surprised at the request.

Shiki nodded, but looked over at Rima, almost as if asking permission.

"Don't take to long," She said before leaving behind the Dorm President.

Rima POV

I scowled at the ground as I walked behind Kaname.

'Why does the Headmaster want to talk to them? Now I have to be alone with him' I thought. It's not that I hated the Pureblood, but after the Rido incident I lost some respect for him. I knew that he knew what would happen to Shiki if he went home for the holidays, and didn't do anything about it. He knew Rido would someday take control of Shiki's body but still did nothing.

"Your still mad at me, Rima?" his voice interpreted my thoughts. I looked up at him, but he was starring straight ahead as they headed back to the school. His question sounded more like a statement.

"Yes," I answered, turning my gaze straight ahead.

"Because I did nothing for Shiki when Rido took him over." Again, more statement then question.

"You would be also, wouldn't you?" I said.

Yes, I suppose I would," he said. "To see the one you love in danger, and knowing that the person who could have stopped it did nothing can be frustrating."

I glanced at him. His expression was free of emotion but I could hear the sadness in his voice. I had a feeling he was talking less of Shiki and I, and more of Yuki. My thoughts were confirmed when we reatched the school, and she was standing outside waiting, a worried look on her face. "But like you, I would put my life on the line to save them."

"Onii-Sama, Is everything alright?" Yuki asked, walking to meet us.

"Yes, there was just small problem, but it'll be solved soon," Kaname told her. I saw her frown slightly. She knew he wasn't telling her everything.

"I see," Cross said. "And I assume you've never talked about it?"

"Right," Ichijo nodded.

"But no one but the six of us know about it," Shiki said. "So there's no way someone outside would know of it."

"Then it can't be that," Cross sighed. "Well, we will figure it out. You two can head back to class now."

Ichijo and Shiki nodded. As Ichijo opened the door he almost walked straight into the silver haired Disciplinary Committee Member.

"Oh, Gomen, Kiryu," Ichijo smiled, only to receive a glare. "Ah, um…oh, hello Wakaba!"

"Hello Ichijo-Senpai," Yori nodded.

"Kiryu-Kun, Yori-Chan, come in," Cross said when the door shut.

"You called for us, Headmaster?" Yori said.

"Yes, there's a bit of a problem." he explained about the note, and having to find who wrote it.

"This is the note?" Yori asked, picking up the piece of paper.

"Yes. Touya-San said that she didn't recognize the writing, an neither did the others so that crossed out someone from the Night Class doing a bad prank."

"This wouldn't have happen, hadn't you agreed to re-start the Night Class," Zero glared at him.

"I know you don't like it Kiryu-Kun," Cross said, crossing his figures in front of him. "And to be honest, both Kaname and I wanted to wait a bit longer before re-starting the Night Class."

"Then why didn't you-"

"Because Yuki made a compelling argument." Cross said firmly. "She said that if we waited longer, there's a chance that some of the Vampire's would reconsider about co-existing with the humans of this school because of how they reacted when the did find out about them."

Zero didn't say anything. It was Yori who had to break the silence.

"Um, Headmaster?"

"Yes? Yori-Chan?"

"There's something I don't get," Yori said. "It says that the person with keep Touya-Senpai safe and help her. What does that mean?"

"That was what we were trying to figure out, but came up with nothing." Cross sighed. "In the mean time try to find who wrote this."

"It'd be easier if we had an idea of who it was," Zero grumbled.

"That's why I want you both to look into the Day Class and see if you can match the writing with any of her fans…but there might be a faster way, if Kiryu-Kun is up to it."

"What?" Yori asked.

"Well, he could smell the note and try to pick up a scen-URG!" Zero's hands wrapped around his throat, strangling him.

"I am not a dog!" he said menacingly.

"K-K-Kiryu…kun…can't…breath…"

'Yuki, how in the world did you put up with these two?' Yori wondered with a sigh.

Rima sighed, sitting on the couch with Shiki, leaning against him. Everyone else was in bed already, Ichijo explained that there was just a problem to the Night Class, but Told Akatsuki, Ruka, and Aidou about the note since he knew they'd want to know. They were worried but Ichijo had reassured them that the headmaster was on it.

"Go to sleep," Shiki said.

"Can't. My mind won't shut off so I'll just be lying there the whole time anyway," she answer.

"Don't worry. They'll find who wrote it, and erase their memory about it."

"Since when did you become the comforting one?"

"Since you became depressed."

"Hn," Rima closed her eyes, relaxing against him. She wasn't worried about them finding who wrote it. She was worried about how they found, and what the message meant.

XxI am torn, and mourn at what he does to you