The Story of Amara Kuran | Mariah Bryant

Book One, Chapter Seven

My Return

I hugged my brother tight, and he put an arm around me. We walked down the Night Class sidewalk to a castle-like school. It was winter now, so there would be no students around, but it was day. The headmaster would be awake. Mike walked a little behind us, taking in the building and everything that was going on. He could probably sense the things I was feeling.

From a balcony girl stared out at us. She was very beautiful, and her eyes were deep. She, I knew though I had never seen her before, was Kaname's Yuki Cross.

Kaname opened the door and led me in wordlessly. Mike and I were led through lots of hallways before we came to a sign hanging above a mahogany door that read in Japanese "Headmaster." I quickly turned into my brother and we just squeezed each other hard for a few moments. I took a deep breath.

"This is where it begins. You are ready, Amara." Kaname whispered in Japanese.

I lifted my head to look at Mike, to make sure he was alright. Was he prepared for what lay ahead? Who knew? I doubt even he did, truly. He was, however, determined to be there for me. It was in his shining eyes, glistening like a knight's armor.

I smiled, forgetting slowly what was going on. Then I walked from my brother's arms and laid a hand on Mike's good shoulder. "Thank you." I said simply, but the words meant so many things that they were hardly simple. Mike nodded once.

"I'll be out here if you need me." he said.

I gave him a reassuring smile, and then stood back. Kaname looked at me gravely, then opened the door and walked through. I hung back, unable to move.

"Kaien? Do you have a moment? I apologize for not knocking or giving you any form of notice, but this is very important." Kaname said, his voice low.

I heard his cheery voice then, and a shudder passed through me.

"Kaname! Ah, you always drop in at just the most awkward times!" I heard the rustling of papers. "I was just . . . What is it?" Kaien's voice suddenly got suspicious.

"Shiki has awoken. He has plans to take over the senate." Kaname said.

"Shiki!" Kaien gasped. "You mean . . . and you just . . ."

I held my breath and walked into the room. My heart tried to pound out of my chest. The skinny man with glasses before me was the kindest person on the planet, and the one I had hurt the most. His eyes grew wide at the sight of me, but then a huge and unexpected grin grew on his lips.

"Amara-chan! You have grown so much! You are so beautiful!" he gushed, gathering me into a huge hug.

I laughed away my tears and hugged him back. "Kaien-sensei. I have missed you so much."

"I have missed you! Oh, I am so anguished about the circumstances, but I am so happy that you have returned!"

"As you have already guessed, she needs your protection and word." Kaname said.

"She has it! How long until he will make his move?" Kaien pulled away from me and stood at a distance, probably at realizing that I was a woman now and hugging me, a practical stranger, so tightly was inappropriate. I did not care, but he might have thought I would. Many purebloods are stiff.

"Two days after school is let back in, I have foreseen an explosive disturbance." I said.

"That is not very far off. What is the plan?" I hope I can keep Yuki as far away from this as possible, Kaien thought but did not add to his question.

In response to his thought, Kaname rolled over ideas in his head. I wish I could take her to England or a tightly packed place like that. Between me and the senate being unable to locate us, Yuki would be safe then. I have to be here for Amara, though. So I will send her with Ichijo, Aido, Kain, and Seiren. They are the most trustworthy of my comrades. Are they comrades?

"No, brother. I understand, but we may need them to back us up. Ichijo will be enough to protect Yuki. And perhaps Mike." I said.

Kaien looked irked, and I blushed.

"I am sorry. When I am with Kaname, I forget that everyone else cannot understand what we are saying when we refer to our thoughts. I was responding to his pondering over your thought about Yuki. I assure you, I am not selfish and will do everything in my power to keep her safe." I turned to Kaname. "You know Zero will be with her. With Zero and Kaien comes the vampyre hunter society. Yuki will be perfectly fine. Who we need on our side is the Night Class."

Kaname was silent.

"It is quite easy to forget just how clearly you can see into people's minds . . ." Kaien laughed lightly.

I smiled at him. "The plan is to expose Shiki's lies and show everyone the truth. Then I will come in as the good leader, and Kaname will accept me. Together we will be on the senate by law rather than by vote, like in the old days. We will have Shiki locked away." Here I paused. "It is easier said than done. There is still blood and fighting in the near future. No one is safe. It would be wise to only call the Night Class back to school."

"I can't do that," Kaien shook his head.

"The fight takes place on campus." I said.

"The Day Class?"

"I would rather not say more."

Before anyone could continue, I smelled Mike's delicious blood as he silently enter the room. He was taking slow, nervous steps. A smile spread across my face and I turned to him with an extended arm to beckon him closer. "Come on in. Perfect time to introduce you. This is Kaien Cross, pacifist extraordinaire, headmaster of this academy, and ex-vampyre hunter." I told him. "He is like a godfather to me."

Mike timidly walked up next to me and smiled at Kaien, unsure of how to greet him. "Hi," he said.

I looked back at Kaien, who was about the same height as me. In the language he could understand, I introduced Mike. "This is Michelangelo Thomson, a human from my school in America."

Kaien cocked his head. "Are they after him, too?"

"They know that I fought to protect him, and so he is the biggest liability I have." I said.

"Are you dating?"

I laughed. "I am just focused on saving his life at the moment."

Kaien laughed, too. Then he shook Mike's hand. "Hello." he said in English. His attempt to speak in English was hilarious because of the amount of determination and effort it took to say one word.

"Hello." Mike replied.

After eyeing Mike, Kaien grinned at me. "I will give you both my protection if you two accept my three conditions."

I sighed. "He wants to give us conditions in exchange for his protection," I told Mike, who nodded once.

"I want you two to enroll in the Day Class to promote peace between the humans and vampyres. I want you to set an example, and you are the prime lab rat for the job, since you have had prior experience being schooled with humans. So, it will help me to get more vampyres on the pacifist side and you will be staying away from the Night Class so that we can hide you until Shiki makes his move." Kaien announced.

I smiled. "Alright. That is one that we can do." I quickly explained to Mike what Kaien had just said, then asked what the other conditions were.

"You must support my pacifism before the senate and such, and you must both share dorms with other humans like they do."

I explained to Mike, then told Kaien that we agreed. He was ecstatic.

"So! We have a little adventure ahead of us."

"You have a little adventure before you. I have a large one." I said rather glumly.

"I will show you to your rooms. I see you have bags. You are vampyres, so you can carry them yourselves." Kaien rushed out of the room, and we followed. "Kaname, will you be staying in the Night Class dormitory?"

"I will stay with Amara until the Day Class students come back, if that is alright." he said.

"Very well. You have not seen each other in a very long time." Kaien noted.

"A very long time." I agreed.

The rest of the time I spent in either my dorm or Mike's. Kaname took us shopping for groceries for Mike and clothes for us both. We did not see Yuki around. Kaname looked hopeful to, but I knew that we would not. I began teaching Mike Japanese. Then, the Day Class students began trickling in and finally school started.

"When are you going to accept that you are only fourteen in human years?" Kaname whispered in my ear.

I chuckled. "When I stop looking like I am seventeen. But hey, I am aging slower with every day that passes."

"We have two new students joining us today: Amara Brian and Michelangelo Thomson. They are foreign exchange students from America." the teacher said.

I heard murmurings and even some giggles and laughs, and saw the teacher wave us through the door. Kaname disappeared down the hall after giving me a good luck smile. I looked at Mike one last time before heading into the classroom to be seen by all of the students in their desks on risers, like a college classroom. I heard a shockwave pass over the students, and even the teacher stared.

"She's even more beautiful than the Night Class students!"

"She's hotter than even Kaname Kuran!"

"He's not so bad-looking, himself. He's horribly easy on the eyes."

"Ha ha! Too bad about his arm, though. He cannot hug very well!"

The talking took off. I smiled back at nervous Mike. He was greeting the crowd with his eyes, but not meeting any of theirs. My gaze skimmed over the students, learning and remembering each of their faces. I quickly located Yuki, who was sitting forward with much interest in her eyes. She looked a little . . . sad?

She had seen me with Kaname and was now comparing herself to me. A feeling in my gut told me that we would fix that issue tomorrow. I let the worry fall to the back of my head.

I sensed an odd mix of emotions coming from a desk above and behind Yuki. I looked up and immediately knew that I was looking at Zero Kiryu. He was leaning forward, his back arched with fatigue, his hand covering his forehead and his eyes squeezed shut. He could have been sleeping. He could have been tired and hungry. Zero was both a vampyre and a vampyre hunter. His family had been killed by a woman named Shizuka, and Kaname had killed her. Zero's twin brother had followed the woman, and now hated Zero. (After a small physic stutter, I continue to know more.) Zero had little reason to live, and hated himself as well as all other vampyres, especially Kaname. He did not trust Kaname with his reason for living – Yuki – though he knew that it was inevitable that Kaname would get the girl.

How sad.

"So, tell us a little about yourselves." the teacher said, her voice a little bit higher than before.

"I love reading, and the majority of what I read is Japanese." I said.

"And you?"

Mike smiled feebly. "I do not speak Japanese well. Uh, I like chess."

"Thank you very much. I expect all students to welcome these two warmly. Amara, Michelangelo, you may go find seats." the teacher nodded toward the rest of the classroom.

I bowed my head thank you, and led Mike up to the top row where there were two seats that had no residents. We took out our notebooks and pencils, and began learning. Mike had a lot of trouble that day, and that evening he vented to me about the stress. I knew I would have to tutor him in every subject, not just Japanese, but it would have to wait until the chaos to come had died down. I comforted him in that it was hard stuff, and the Japanese were advanced. I was a lot older than I looked, and had been tutored through college level stuff before I had even left Japan when I was visibly three.

We studied in his dorm, which he shared with a rather small boy. When I looked up at the doorway, finding that Zero was watching us did not surprise us. The rumors being spread about our beauty had sparked his curiosity. What made him climb the steps to Mike's dorm was the commotion about the hottest girl in the world being in the guys' dormitories.