A/N I don't own Vampire Knight nor do I make any profit from it

Chapter 26 - Morning After

When Elizabeth woke up in Kaname's arms the next morning, her cheeks reddened.

They had made love the night before…

She was pressed against his body and his strong arms wrapped around her. Elizabeth knew that she had to get to her room before everyone woke up. Untangling herself from his arms, she tried to climb out of bed but she hadn't realised that Kaname was awake. Kaname wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back.

"Where do you think you're going," Kaname asked, whispering into her ear. Elizabeth blinked at him.

"I was going back to my dorm room," she replied, "It would look a little strange if I am suddenly emerging from your bedroom…perhaps I should go now."

"No, you're staying here," Kaname answered, "I want the world to know that you're my lover."

"They already do," Elizabeth said as she yet again tried to climb out of bed, "Besides…my mother will kill me…I hope for your sake I'm not pregnant."

"Vampires have a certain time when they can conceive," Kaname said, "That's why there are so few purebloods."

"Well, let's just hope that is true," Elizabeth said, "Anyway, I need to get up…"

She untangled herself from him and covered herself with the sheet whilst she picked up her school uniform which had been thrown all over the floor in the heat of intense passion and need for each other. Slipping her underwear on and slipping on her black blouse, she heard Kaname climb off the bed and walk over to her. He placed his hands on Elizabeth's hips and pulled her to his chest.

"Kaname, I have to go," Elizabeth whispered. Pulling away from Kaname, she leaned down and picked up her skirt, stepping into it and zipped the zipper. Elizabeth pulled on her thigh length stockings and picked up her blazer. She did this in silence and Kaname watched her as she did so. There was something off about her behaviour.

"Erisabesu," Kaname said calmly, "Do you have regrets about last night?"

Elizabeth turned to Kaname as she tied the ribbon on her blazer, her grey blue eyes staring at him, "No, Kaname, I don't regret it," she answered him.

"You could have fooled me," Kaname replied, "I don't regret it. Nothing could make me regret our liaison last night…your behaviour leads me to believe that you regretted it. Why are you being so cold?"

Elizabeth threw his clothes at him, "Get dressed," she said, "We can talk about this later."

Kaname stared at her as she slipped her feet into her school boots. He couldn't understand her behaviour and why she so cold towards him. He then came to a conclusion that made his heart ache, "Erisabesu, did I hurt you?"

Elizabeth didn't answer. She always knew that being intimate with a pureblood vampire wasn't going to be a tender affair. She did feel bruised, bruised all over to be exact. At one point, Kaname had become so overwhelmed by such sensual sensations that he had become taken her passionately and roughly, losing complete control. Even though she was a vampire herself, she still bruised easily; "No, I'm not hurt," Elizabeth lied.

"Then why are you being so cold towards me," Kaname asked. Elizabeth, knowing that men liked to be reassured, especially after watching her parents, walked over to him and took his clothes from him. She wrapped his shirt around his shoulders and Kaname finished putting his arms in his sleeves. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought him down for a passionate kiss. Kaname wrapped an arm around her waist, becoming needy and possessive.

Elizabeth broke the kiss and stared at him for a moment, "I need time to process what has happened," Elizabeth said, "Please give me some time…I wasn't expecting this to happen so soon."

"How can you say that, Erisabesu," Kaname asked, "It was going to happen sometime; I am your lover aren't I? Am I not your mate?"

Elizabeth blushed, "Well, I suppose you are…but…I was a virgin last night," Elizabeth fiddled with her hands, "I have to come to terms with the fact that I was a virgin and now…I'm not. I have given myself to you and…it feels as if my body is no longer my own. I'm not saying that I regret anything that happened but I just need time."

"Please don't take too long," he said drawing her back in towards his body. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I am not a patient man. I have waited ten thousand years for you to come back to me. Don't make me wait anymore."

"I have to ask you a question and you must answer it properly," Elizabeth whispered, "Do you love me as Elizabeth or do you love me as Naomi? In other words, do you love me or who I used to be?"

"I love you for everything that you are," Kaname answered, "I love you for you. Although, sometimes the little things you do remind me of her."

"What little things are those," Elizabeth asked. Kaname tightened his grip on her.

"The way you blush…the way you flick your hair…the determined gleam in you grey-blue eyes…lots of things remind me of who you used to be," Kaname whispered as he gently caressed her. Elizabeth closed her eyes at the feel of his smooth hands, "I need you to believe me and know that you're very precious to me."

Elizabeth sighed and pulled away, "I know…" she said as she walked towards to the door, "Well, I have to go now."

Kaname resisted the urge to throw her back on to the bed, to rip her clothes off her beautiful body and have her again. The night before had been the best night of his life and he was eager to repeat it.

"See you later," Kaname said as he fell back on his messy bed. He smiled and ran a hand through his mahogany locks.

When Elizabeth opened her bedroom door, she ran over to her bed and threw herself onto it. She kicked her boots off and lay back on the bed. The silky covers felt good under her finger tips and it felt nice to rest her tired body. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off but before she could, Elizabeth heard a knock on the door, "Come in," she answered. She turned her head and saw Kisetsu open the door.

"Hey, where have you been," Kisetsu asked, "I haven't seen you in such a while. When did you come back?"

"Last night…I came back last night," She replied, "I was with Kaname last night…and we…well…we mated. My body now belongs to him."

Kisetsu stood, frozen to the spot, "You're his mate now? You were actually intimate with him? If you don't mind me asking…what was it like?"

"Well, it was highly passionate and I could tell that he needed me," Elizabeth whispered, "It was rather rough at times, completely forgetting my request to be gentle."

"Did he hurt you, Riji-chan," Kisetsu asked.

"I have a few bruises but other than that I am fine," Elizabeth replied, "It was a nice night and wouldn't swap it for any other."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Kisetsu said as she sat down on the bed, "Will it happen again?"

"It shouldn't," they heard a voice say. They turned their heads to see Kuro jumping onto the bed, "We have no time for that now. I feel a storm brewing and I don't like it."

"You mean you think that there's going to be trouble," Kisetsu asked. Kuro leapt onto the bed and onto Elizabeth's lap.

"I mean, now that Rido is back, nothing will ever be the same again at Cross Academy," Kuro said as he sat on Elizabeth's lap.

"Kaname said that I shouldn't go back into the town to see my parents," Elizabeth added, "It's almost as if…he knows exactly what's going to happen. However, it's like drawing blood from a stone when you want to ask him something and he just doesn't want to give you the answers."

"That's Kaname for you," Kisetsu said, running a hand through her hair, "He doesn't reveal his secrets easily."

"No and that's the problem," Elizabeth sighed as she absentmindedly ran a hand through Kuro's fur. Kuro looked up at her, his wine coloured eyes brimming with sadness. Why did she have to love Kaname? Why didn't she notice him?

There was one simple answer to that…

…he was a cat and Elizabeth wouldn't love him in his current form…

…But he couldn't blame her…

….for who could ever learn to love a cat romantically?

Meanwhile, Aidou and Kain were investigating Shiki's strange behaviour. They tried asking Rima but she didn't know anything at all. They were puzzled by the fact that he was hanging around with Ichiru Kiryuu, Zero's identical twin brother. Everyone knew that Ichiru was working for the council but it didn't seem to explain why Shiki was hanging around him.

"Have you noticed that Shiki's eyes are different now," Aidou asked whilst flicking through a book in the Moon Dorm library.

"Yes, that's true and very strange," Kain replied as he too flicked through a book, "Besides that, Ruka hasn't come out of her room at all. I'm worried about her."

"Has she said why she has shut herself up in her room," Aidou asked.

"No, but I think I know why anyway," Kain said with a heavy sigh, "I think it has something to do with Erisabesu-sama and Kaname-sama's relationship. I think that they have become lovers in every sense of the word."

"You mean sexually," Aidou asked bluntly and Kain nodded.

"Didn't you smell Erisabesu-sama's virginal blood? It had a sweeter smell to it than regular blood," Kain said.

"And you would know that…how?" Aidou said, raising an eyebrow.

"It's what I've been told," Kain replied calmly, clearly unflustered by Aidou's speculation, "Besides, I think that is one of the reasons Ruka has shut herself in her room."

Aidou remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Do you ever feel that Erisabesu-sama is not who she says she it? I mean…why would Kaname-sama have taken interest in that girl if she wasn't someone special…if she wasn't Yuuki-chan?"

"I understand where you're coming from," Kain said, "But Erisabesu-sama...I can sense a change in her…it's almost as if she was a pureblood vampire but how could that be?"

"I have heard it said that she was the Kuran Ancestor's lover and has been brought back but born human," Aidou replied, "She was bitten by a pureblood vampire and then bitten by Kaname-sama, therefore awakening her pureblood self."

"I've never heard of that happening before," Kain said quietly, "But nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised by anything."

Meanwhile, Elizabeth walked outside and noticed that it was snowing. Rima had followed her out, looking for Shiki, "Erisabesu-sama," Rima said. Elizabeth turned to her.

"What's wrong, Rima-san," Elizabeth asked. Rima closed her sapphire eyes.

"Do you know what has happened with Shiki," she asked, "He's been acting strangely."

"I honestly don't know," Elizabeth cried, "I don't know…"

Rima crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself tightly, "It's cold."

"Yeah," Elizabeth answered, "It's quite a dramatic weather change."

They both walked down to the Moon Dorm gate and looked around, "It's quiet…almost too quiet."

In the distance, Elizabeth and Rima saw Takuma and Shiki, just standing there, "What are they doing?"

"I don't know," Rima replied. They walked up to the men and stopped in front of them.

"Rido," Elizabeth said seriously, "What are you planning?"

Rido turned to her, his odd coloured eyes boring holes into her, "I plan to use you, that's what."

"Use me for what," Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, Riji-chan, both you and Kaname are my ultimate servant and you will help me become king of my vampires," Rido said in a voice which didn't not belong to him. Elizabeth scowled.

"I'll fight you before that happens," Elizabeth hissed. Rido smirked.

"Well, why don't you do so and see where that gets you," Rido challenged. Elizabeth gulped but scowled again.

"Challenge accepted."

To be continued…

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