A/N: Okay, so no reviews as of yet; but tons of alerts. Please let me know what you like and don't like about the series, so I can make it better! Besides, Kahne-chan has low self-confidence — make her feel good! :D Please Review!!

Grey Flower
"There is no greater sorrow than to remember a time when we were happy."

Chapter Three
 "A-an outbreak...?" Takuma's voice still shook several hours into daylight when he should have been sleeping. We were scheduled to leave within the week — I, only on the condition that my 'self-inflicted' injuries had healed by then — and Takuma was already trying to ruin any chance of survival we'd have up north.

"It'll be fine, Teku. At least we're getting out of school, right?" I offered as I laid on my stomach nuzzling one of my Takuma-scented pillows fondly. Takuma was applying cool strips of fabric soaked in watered down medicinal herbs to my burns and it all felt rather soothing.... I could have been asleep by now, but I could feel Takuma's worry and it gave rise to my own. I felt my lover tense very slightly, then relax with a heavy sigh.

But he was still a little on edge. He'd never fall asleep like this. "That's not funny, Senri." Then he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry...."

"For what?"

"Well.... I mean, my worrying—" he began, but I cut him off with a loud snort.

"It's fine, Takuma. We've never handled a full outbreak before, and it's dangerous," I assured him, trying to turn to look over my shoulder. A searing pain shot up my back, and I hissed, returning to my position. "You have every right to be nervous."

"But what if the humans see us? Then they'll know," he whined, placing the last strip on my back and flopping down on his side of the bed. "We can't do that! The Senate'll—"

"Sucks to the Senate," I groaned, rather informally, turning my head to glare at him. "Besides, I thought you were on Kaname's side. Don't you want a monarchy?"

"Well, yes; but the Ichijous were—"

"So stop whining about it. If they see us, we'll tell them we're Hunters. They're just humans, they won't know the difference."

Takuma sank visibly for a moment, chewing his lip thoughtfully. Then, without warning of any kind, he became all aglow with hope. "Yes! Just humans! I bet that far north, they've never even seen a vampire!" Then he stopped, his expression becoming dire. "Then again, Senri... think about it. Isn't it a little strange? A poor little village, isolated in the mountains is suddenly attacked by a hoard of Level E Vampires...."

"Just a little, but it's not our job to figure it out," I told him and shut my eyes to end the conversation. "Good night, Takuma."

I could feel him, still on edge. There was no way that either of us were getting any sleep that night with him like that, but he tried to act indifferently. He covered me to my waist with the black comforter, making sure it didn't touch any of my wounds. He leaned down gently to kiss my forehead, then turned away to get ready for bed. But I didn't feel the telltale shift of the mattress underneath me, or the comforter over top of me, and opened my eyes to watch Takuma at the window. He leaned against the frame heavily, holding the curtain out and away so that he could stare out upon the world of day. There was something strangely different about him, something I couldn't place. It gave me a sinking feeling to know that he was quite obviously keeping something from me.

"Takuma..." I began, but he turned to me, and the overwhelming darkness in his usually sparkling emerald orbs stopped me. I could tell he knew that I had figured something out, but he obviously didn't want to talk about it.

"It's nothing, Senri. I'm just nervous, that's all."

But that wasn't like any nervousness I had ever seen....

xXXx

"I don't know what's going on with him! We usually tell eachother everything!" I complained, throwing myself on Rima's bed with a huff. I had decided to tell my best friend and colleague, and seek help from her. I remembered that I used to confide in her all the time before Takuma and I had gotten together; but since then, I had seen her less and less. Feeling quite horrible about deserting my best friend for my lover, I knew she would be the perfect person to speak to about the matter, realizing that Takuma wouldn't tell me anything.

"Takuma has a right to silence." She shrugged, and the growing level of indifference toward the subject was really beginning to wear me down. It felt like no one cared that I wanted to know what was so wrong with my lover — though realistically, I had spoke to very few people on the matter. I was thinking that eventually I'd have to see Kaname about it if I were to get to the bottom of this, and I was definitely dreading that moment.

I groaned, rolling onto my newly healed back and squeezing one of her pillows with a sort of frustration that I was beginning to notice had arisen alot more since I had begun my relationship with Takuma. It seemed like we spent more time making war than making love, and even though we always made up soon afterward, it didn't stop us from fighting about something else later on. There was something wrong with us that just felt so right — I knew that even if I yelled at him, insulted him, pushed him away, and whatnot, I didn't mean it. Or rather, I did at the time, but I really was sorry for it. Takuma made me burn with a sort of deep passion that I had never felt before. I was certain that it was love; but at the same time not so certain about anything. It confused me, it made me think.... It hurt my feelings to think that I could be wrong, and that was exactly what I needed to know that I was right. And Takuma.... He had promised that he would never lie to me as long as we both lived — and as cheesy as it was, I wanted to believe it.

"But he has no right to keep me in the dark. I worry about him...."

"That is so unlike you." Rima sat at the foot of the bed, brushing out her hair. It was nearly evening now, and she had already laid her uniform out on the bed to prepare for class. For some reason, she seemed to be anxiously awaiting tonight's lesson. So, maybe my actions were just a little out of character, but that didn't explain hers.

I decided not to pry on it, but kept the note in the back of my mind. "I know.... I just can't help it."

"Look, Senri, I have to get dressed; so I'll talk to you after class. Alright?" She turned on me, and I could feel that she was beginning to become impatient. I would have pointed out that she had dressed in front of me several times before, but I held myself. What was going on around here these days?

"Yeah," I sighed, picking myself up off her bed and replacing her pillow among the others at the headboard. I headed for the door, and paused with my hand on the knob. "Only, there isn't goind to be an 'after class' for me. Takuma and I are leaving in three hours."

Rima looked up and opened her mouth to say something. I had momentarily forgotten that Rima hadn't been informed of this mission, nor had any of the other aristocrats of the Night Class; they just knew that Kaname had wanted us for something important. I turned to look at her for a moment, then left the room before she had a chance to say anything more to me. I was rather angry that she wasn't taking this seriously. Takuma never kept secrets from me; even regarding the Senate's actions. Now, though, they were made up of Kaname's supporters — the parents of the Night Class and they were only in place to help Kaname with transitioning the Vampires into a smooth, flawless monarchy with Yuuki at his side. The last I had heard about that, Yuuki would be leaving school in a few months to take care of the new Kuran heir or heiress. Of course, she'd be telling the Day Class that she had found her biological parents and was moving in with them, transferring schools. I suspected that Sayori would know about what was going on with Yuuki and Kaname; of course, my younger cousin probably told her best friend like she had told me.

Not too long ago, Kaname had returned with her, her hair shortened so that she would fit in with the Day Class just the same as she had a year ago. Though this had angered Kiryuu, he had agreed not to hurt either of them, but only because Yuuki begged him. When he saw her cry, he couldn't help himself and apparently just gave in without a fight. Though I had noticed him growing rather irritable lately, and it wasn't from lack of blood intake. Yuuki was beginning to grow paler, and it was apparent that there was more illness growing than just morning sickness.

Not that I was prepared to look to much into it. I knew that Kaname and Yuuki were going to produce the first Kuran heir or heiress; and I knew that Zero was jealous — get this — not of Kaname, but of Yuuki. It wasn't as if I were disgusted with it or anything. Prior to my own relationship, most likely. But not now. Now I felt kind of sorry for Zero; I would have taken him as a cousin over Yuuki anyday. It couldn't be helped though. The most I could do was just ignore them and pay my attentions all to Takuma.

And the first order of buisness would be to find out what he was hiding from me, and why.