Ello there! I've had a few readers! But as of yet no reviewers! : (
This chapter is much more lighthearted, with the introduction of more Vampire Knight characters to the story!
Disclaimer: I own Vampire Knight. *attacked by an angry mob of lawyers* Just kidding. *angry mob of lawyers leave*
"Mo!* They're taking too long! Kaname-sama must have decided not to come to this place!" Aidou ranted as he paced back and forth across a marble floor. He chewed on his right thumb nail nervously.
Luca and Akatsuki were seated comfortably on a dark red, antique, velvet couch. The backrest's upper end was lined with a dark brown wood, on which Akatsuki tilted his head back and rested on. Both of their eyes tiredly followed Hanabusa pace back and forth across the room.
"Hanabusa, Dorm Leader Kuran wouldn't do that." Akatsuki eventually said, attempting to make Aidou relax. His relentless pacing was making him dizzy.
Aidou stopped chewing on his right thumb nail and switched to his left. He had run out of nail to chew on.
Luca cut in, "If it was only Aidou he was supposed to meet here, then we'd know that Kaname-sama wouldn't come." She crossed her arms and legs and looked tauntingly at Aidou, "But seeing as I'm here, Kaname-sama is rushing as fast as he is able to push Yuuki-sama."
"LUCA! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Really? How many times have you said that, while I currently feel completely fine?"
Aidou charged for an attack, to which Luca blinked, now slightly worried, and Akatsuki simply face palmed. But Aidou's attempted onslaught was halted by two pairs of hands holding him back.
The feel of two figures holding him back made Aidou's face pale. "Gack! Kaname-sama! Yuuki-sama! It-uh, I! Forgive me!"
"Ah." Someone sounded.
The strange voice and absence of a slap made Aidou turn around, relieved that it was not Kaname, but now worried about who else it could be…
*
Yuuki and Kaname had reached the front of the estate, their steps echoing off the worn marble columns supporting the house. Yuuki paused to take in her surroundings, once more growing uncomfortable. The estate was Victorian style, made of white marble, with a black roof. It appeared to be at least three or four stories. Each floor had many windows with black shutters, but the windows were boarded shut. It had an air of a place that had once been the proud residence of a very rich and important family, but had been abandoned for one hundred years.
"Luca and the others are inside. They left us yesterday so they could fix it up inside before we got here." Kaname filled her in as they stopped in front of the door. Yuuki shied away from the rusted knocker in front of her, they had always creeped her out as a young child. In scary movies they were always in horrifying shapes of monsters, and knocking on one could never lead to something good.
Kaname chuckled at her childish reaction. "Don't worry Yuuki, I won't touch those."
She blushed and looked away from him, "Thanks." And she watched uneasily as Kaname pulled the large doors open.
*
"Hey, shouldn't you be less concerned about our arrival, and more concerned about the mess you people failed to clean up?" Rima asked, brushing her orange bangs out of her eyes.
As usual, Rima Tooya and Shiki Senri looked dazzling and completely composed. Except Rima had one hand on her hip as she examined the room, clearly unimpressed by the other's handiwork.
"Gross." Shiki remarked over a spider web hanging from the ceiling.
"How could you say that?" Aidou spouted, "If we had known you two were coming, then we would have had you help us clean this place up!" A vein on his forehead pulsed as he pointed an accusing finger at the two.
"We can't do anything requiring too much movement." Rima and Shiki spoke at the same time, their voices in a synchronized monotone, "The agency would get mad."
"We know, we know." Luca stood from the couch and pulled Aidou away from Shiki and Rima by his ear. "But if you intend to stay here with Kaname-sama, then you can't come and go from here to the agency as you please. Kaname-sama has forbidden such movement." She paused to allow Rima and Shiki to "Ehhhhh?" in complaint. "Besides," Everyone turned and looked through the nearest doorway. Through it, piles of trash and other such junk could be seen looming ominously. "We need all the help we can get."
"We're not going to be maids." Stated Rima.
Akatsuki face palmed again. "I knew this was going to happen."
"We're not going to help you, but that's why we brought someone else." Shiki and Rima took a step away from one another to reveal the person standing behind them.
*
Kaname and Yuuki stood in the entrance room of the estate, Yuuki was unable to see Kaname's eyes, his bangs obscured them from her, but she could imagine he was furious.
Yuuki searched for something to say, "Ahhhhh, nothing a good cleaning can't repair!" She attempted. But Yuuki's "good cleaning" was an understatement for what that room required. No lights were on or working, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling had spider webs spun around it like a cocoon. All furniture had decayed to the point of resembling piles of burnt firewood. The floor had a delicate covering of dust, which plumed into small clouds when stepped on. The only acceptable thing about that large room were the white curtains which hung by the windows. But since the windows were covered with wood for an unknown reason, the curtains couldn't even block the light it was supposed to block. Or even billow in the wind.
But it wasn't the room that angered Kaname. He finally managed to speak, "The reason I allowed Aidou to leave was to at least fix this home up a bit before we got here. Has he done anything?"
Aidou-senpai, thought Yuuki, you'd better hide, or have the rest of the house prepared for Kaname-sama!
*
Aidou winced. He felt the furious aura of Kaname! "Ichijou-samaaaa~!" He begged, throwing himself and the cheerful young man's feet, "Kaname-sama is going to murder me! Please protect me from him!"
Takuma smiled as usual, "Aidou-san seems rather perplexed! What did he do?"
Luca tossed back her hair, "Have you seen this place? It's a mess! He was placed in charge of cleaning it up! Akatsuki and I were supposed to follow his orders as we cleaned, but he only asked us to clean up this room and prepare a couch for him. So we can hardly be blamed! I'm interested to see how angry Kaname-sama will be…"
"He'll use the buckets of water again."* Akatsuki predicted. Aidou winced at the memory, and a rare smirk passed over Shiki's face.
"I'd rather keep away from an angry Kaname!" Ichijou responded, and stepped away from the groveling Aidou.
"He'll kill me!!"
"Yep." Agreed Shiki.
*Mo- Japanese sound/word used for frustration. Commonly translated as "Jeez" or "Honestly!"
*- Reference to a short comic in the manga, for those who haven't read it, Kaname punished Aidou for terrorizing Yuuki by making him hold two full buckets of water, and placed another full one on his head.