Author's Note:
This is (probably) the last chapter that I'm going to post before finals. :3
This chapter contains some Kaname-bashing. Before anyone gets mad at me, let me make it clear that I, the authoress, do not hate Kaname. However, Reina definitely does hate Kaname. She made me write this! But really, I'm not trying to bash anyone's favorite character. Because we see this world exclusively through Reina's eyes, the people whom she doesn't like tend to be portrayed badly in her thoughts. But I promise I won't bash them forever. There's a point to all this. 3
Reina knew that it was 5:30 am when she opened her eyes and beheld the wavering face of Kaien Cross looming above her through the water. His black-coated figure stretched and contorted, the arms becoming wider as he reached down and broke the surface with his hands. Carefully, he guided her body into a sitting position. Her shining head arched up out of the water as he deftly removed the plastic covering from her mouth and nose, which kept the water from coming in, and Reina tasted the air. It was stale, so far underground, devoid of sunlight and earth. Kaien Cross allowed her to lay there, half-in, half-out of the water, supported by his arms. Finally, the young girl turned her eyes down toward her inner elbow, eyeing the spot where the needle marking had been before. It was gone now, the skin fresh and clean. The hardest part was over.
"There, come on now, then, let's get you up…." The Headmaster was talking more to himself than to her as he tucked one of his arms underneath her floating legs and lifted her whole body out of the fountain with a splash. Reina's head lolled back, and she vaguely observed the room upside-down as Kaien Cross, now dripping wet himself, sloshed out of the fountain and made for the large doors. There was nothing to stay down here for- no heat, no blankets, no food to help her recover. They never lingered in the underground chamber after her initial healing hours in the fountain had passed. Before the doors closed and locked behind them, Reina caught a glimpse of the clear bags of her blood which lay upon the metal table, spread out like festering pustules.
It was difficult for Kaien Cross to carry her up the stairs, for he had to move sideways in order for her body to fit through the narrow passage. Even so, Reina was not worried about being dropped. The man was stronger than his constant silly antics made him seem. They went back through the secret doorway; then up the stairs tentatively, for classes had already ended, and Reina was too tired to use her senses to scan for night class students wandering around the main building. Like before, they made it into the Headmaster's private quarters undetected, and he took her directly to the guest bedroom. This was the room which Reina liked- which she associated mentally with warm blankets and good food and coming back to herself. The Headmaster managed to kick the dark blue blankets off the bed smoothly, then, not caring that she was still rather wet, he laid her down upon the mattress and replaced the layers of comforters. "Feeling better?"
Reina's response was a vague nod and a long, drawn-out groan.
"But of course, when you need is some of my homemade breakfast!" the blonde man exclaimed, bespectacled eyes glinting. His cheerfulness was returning with alarming rapidity. "This morning, it's woven breads and steamed rice and fruit salad and tea! So just relax right here, and I'll have you feeling well again in no time!" He lifted her head, plumped her pillow, and in another moment had zoomed out of the room with great enthusiasm, calling out "Ring the bell if you need anything!" behind him.
Reina closed her eyes and let her head fall back into the pillow. Her body felt so weak and chilled and brittle, a feeling she was decidedly unaccustomed to. And yet, inside of her mind, she was immersed in a definite sense of satisfaction. Another successful blood donation. Another whole month in between now and the next one. Right now, the young girl could definitely feel the absence of the blood she had lost- more than half of the blood in her poor, weak body. However, she knew from experience that in a few hours, with the influx of food and water and rest, she would be fit to drive off to school and start another week. In a day or two, she would be completely restored. And in Kaien Cross's lab, another batch of selected chemicals would be combined with her blood and emerge as blood tablets, little soldiers ready to march off and be devoured in the name of peace. The peace between humans and vampires, always a noble ideal, now brought into fledgling reality on account of the invention of those tablets….and the blood, her blood which sustained them….reaching for that ideal….
Reina fell into a drained sleep, her head molding itself into the pillow, her drying hair draped around her neck like shining cords. It was odd, but as she slept, she dreamed that she opened her eyes and saw Zero Kiryu leaning against the doorframe of her room. Something was wrong with him. He was panting, heaving, clutching at the side of his neck with the ornate tattoo upon it. His eyes were wide and horrified. He staggered toward the bed, reaching out for the hem of the covers, then cried out and fell back against the wall when he saw that there was already someone under them. Reina watched him impassively as he tried to gather himself. "What the hell are you doing here again?" he hissed, biting his lip until it bled. "What- what's wrong with you?"
"I'm only tired," Reina told him, sighing as she re-immersed herself in the dark comforter's folds. "What's wrong with you?" Too content with sleeping to watch him anymore, she closed her eyes and never heard him leave. In the back of her mind, a tiny idea came into being, reaching out its tendrils for energy to help it grow. But Reina had no energy to give it, and so it withered while she slept. When the half-blood girl awakened next, it was as if it had never existed at all.
The potent aroma of food wafted into the room with Kaien Cross, immediately waking Reina up. With a flourish, the man pulled the lid off of a tray of assorted foods, dazzling in their color and variety. She was almost never hungry, but she was certainly hungry right then. Reina was able to sit up on her own, and she began to eat enthusiastically as the Headmaster watched, beaming. His cooking could not exactly be called traditional, but it couldn't be called bad, either. He hung around by Reina's side for a while, making conversation, before standing up to return to his duties in the public office. The young girl did not resent his not staying with her- she knew that it was a struggle for him to take one school night a month off in order to remain underground while the bloodletting process was going on. Despite his carefree and cheerful demeanor, she knew that Kaien Cross actually did work very hard to pursue his dream of harmony between humans and vampires.
"I'll be in my office if you need anything," he told her, waving as he placed her normal clothes in a folded pile at the foot of the bed. "Otherwise, feel free to head out when you think you've reached a stable condition again. And once more, thank you, Reina. None of this would be possible without you. Remember that- you are integral to this world. You have a place in it that has nothing to do with your social status, real or pretended."
Left with these prophetic words of wisdom, Reina continued to dish the steamed rice from the lily-shaped bowl into her mouth, thinking of nothing. It was odd, but after that initial destabilized rebellion of the body, losing blood always made her calm and placated. She did not have the energy within her to waste on being antagonized, so until she recovered, she would simply float along, observing things but not reacting. It was going to be a very mellow school day for her.
Speaking of school….Reina rolled halfway over to peer at the clock on the bedside table. 6:45 am….she had better get going. She had brought her backpack and schoolbooks along in her car, just in case there wasn't time to stop at home before continuing on to her high school, but all the same….she should really go…. Still, Reina continued to lie in bed until she knew that she absolutely could not stay any longer. This was the only time that she had ever wanted to stay at Cross Academy, just like this….sleeping peacefully, with no prying eyes upon her. Finally, the last of the lackadaisical minutes milked down to nothing, Reina heaved herself out of bed, the white gown flapping loosely around her body. She closed the window's blinds and quickly changed into ordinary street clothes, a pair of jeans and a rosy red top. Tossing the white gown back on the bed like a fallen leaf, she checked to make sure that her keys were still stashed in her pocket. Satisfied, she crossed the room to the window, heaved it open, checked for that presence- nothing- and then leaped boldly to the grass below.
Her legs still had that shaky, new calf sort of feel to them, but her equilibrium was returning. She could walk without stumbling. Reina trilled softly inside at the thought of going home as she trotted across the dewy grass, headed for the abandoned guest building. The next moment, her trill turned into a low growl as she spotted part of the fence up ahead detach itself and begin to meander her way. It was Kaname Kuran, and amazingly, he seemed to be alone. Like Reina, he had changed out of his academy clothes, and he now wore a pair of black pants and a loose, dark shirt. He had the audacity to nod in greeting as he approached, as if they had planned to meet here. Bastard, Reina thought placidly. She was still too weak to feel truly incensed. Hopefully her blood-loss-induced apathy would help her to just ignore him and carry on her way.
"Reina-san," Kaname addressed her politely as he drew up in front of her, "I was hoping to have a word with you, if you could oblige me?"
Reina glanced behind him toward her car, wondering what time it was now. "I need to be somewhere soon."
"It will be a very quick word, then," the pureblood lord insisted impeccably, moving a step closer to her. She looked into his eyes and knew that they were alone. "For a long time now, Reina-san, I think you've been aware that I….do not regard you as the others do."
In a way, Reina felt completely calm and almost relieved. So they were finally having this conversation. It was coming out into the open. The brown-haired girl said nothing, feeling the wetness along her scalp where the water had not yet dried. Kaname shifted his weight, and moved a step closer again. "I wanted to talk to you long before today. However, I wanted to be sure of my intuitions before I voiced my thoughts. Reina-san….I think you know what I mean."
"I do," she acknowledged, nodding curtly. "It doesn't change anything."
Kaname blinked. "Pardon me?"
Reina scowled fiercely. "If you tell the night class- or if you do any sort of sneaky, underhanded thing to make sure the night class finds out- then I'll leave the academy and never come back. In fact, I wish you would tell the night class, in that case. My time here has not been well-spent."
The pureblood was very still. "….I am not sure that I understand."
"What's not to understand?" Reina blustered impatiently. "It's very simple."
He stared at her deeply for another minute. "Reina-san, I have been aware of your existence for far longer than you have known of mine. However, having never met you personally, I know nothing about your personality or life experiences. I was highly confused when you first began to attend this school under these conditions….posing as a common vampire and shunning contact with everyone. Even after all these months, I still would not presume to say that I have truly 'met' you. Now that I have recently become aware of certain circumstances, as the president of the Moon Dormitory, I cannot ignore your presence here anymore. What is your purpose?"
Reina blinked as well, then narrowed her eyes. Kaname Kuran had known of her existence? She deftly tucked that piece of information into the back of her mind, to be investigated later. In the present time, she answered him flatly. "I have absolutely no purpose here whatsoever. Don't worry. I'm not here to steal any of the admiration from your giant flock of followers for myself. I just want to be left alone."
She was rewarded for her bluntness by seeing the pureblood's lips part slightly and his face stiffen. "Am I to assume, then," he asked softly, "that you have perpetrated this hoax willingly, and with every intention of continuing it?"
"Indeed I have."
"You are a half-blood, a queen of the night world, and yet you desire not to be recognized as such? You would rather be scorned as a mere common vampire among aristocrats?"Even through his calm outer demeanor, Reina could not miss the tone of incredulity which took hold in Kaname Kuran's voice. She flared the redness in her eyes and nodded.
"Reina-san," he repeated lowly, "I know that you have been raised by humans. I know that there is probably a great deal which you do not yet understand about the workings of the vampiric world. Even so, that power within you calls you to take your rightful place-"
"You don't know anything about me." Reina snarled, a depth of derision rising up in her voice which not even she had known herself capable of. "I don't care what information you've heard before. Do you imagine that I envy you, you pompous, pretentious bastard? Your royal status and inheritance, your flocks of supporters and admirers in the night class, all the screaming fangirls in the day class, your power, your prestige, your blood? Did you think that I came here to take my rightful place by your side, to be like you? We are different beings!" Reina cut her hand violently into the space between them. "And even if I was a pureblood too, I'd still despise your lifestyle and hate your arrogance. I've seen the vampire world as it is ruled by you precious rarities, and let me tell you that I have never seen anything so foully unjust and distorted. I want no part in the world that you've made, and I don't intend to stay here any longer than I'm obliged to." Deciding that this was a good, hard-hitting way to end her rant, Reina turned away from the taller vampire and strode toward her car, a fiery kind of pleasure burning deep within her breast. How many times had she loathed the sight of Kaname Kuran flitting about the school with his flock of loyal supporters in tow, how many times had she wanted to march right up to him and shove her disdain right in his face? And now she was doing it, and she had no desire to lie to herself; it felt good, vindicating, cleansing. Today was going to be more exciting than she'd thought, after all. Right as she reached for the driver's side door, her path was blocked by the black-clad body of the Moon dorm president. Reina was planning on giving him a good clawed-hand slap if he grabbed her, but of course he didn't. He was such a stupid gentleman. His face was composed and very serious.
"Reina-san, please wait," he requested, moving to block her attempt to shove past him. "Reina-san, I fail to understand what I have done to warrant such dislike on your behalf. I have kept your secret. I have not been uncivil toward you, despite your unusual behavior. I have never asked anything of you-"
"And you never will. You were right; I'm not like the others. I'm not a brainwashed, level-obsessed aristocrat who's been raised to worship anyone with purer blood than themselves. I see you as you are, Kaname Kuran, and there's nothing venerable in what I see."
"Reina-san, I would never ask you to cater to me. We may be different beings, but we are equals." Kaname insisted, still firmly blocking her path to the car. The brown-haired girl laughed, a triumphant, harsh sound.
"That's right, as well. Whether anyone knows it or not, we are equals. So you'd better get used to me saying what I think and doing what I want, because I feel absolutely no obligation to please you or any other vampire. As we've already established, I don't care about you keeping my secret. And you think I'd care about the way you treat me?" Reina's voice rose in incredulity. "By all means, sell me out to the others! Spread rumors about me, or have your cronies do it for you- I doubt you like to get directly involved in the dirty work, hmmmm, pretty boy? Demand my expulsion for daring to offend you, if you want. It doesn't matter," she declared with a shake of her head, leaning forward to emphasize the last words. "I'm not some ignorant fangirl pining for a kind word or a gentle look from you. To use a very colloquial human expression, I hate your guts. Now get out of my way." Reina grabbed hold of his coat and dislodged the other vampire from the side of her car, pushing him backward as she popped the door and prepared to slide in.
"Wait, Reina-san," his voice called out from behind her, although she had absolutely no intention of waiting any longer. "Please listen."
"Kanaaaame-sama!" An utterly unrelated voice suddenly piped up a bit south of the car, causing both vampires to turn and look. Hanabusa Aidou was emerging from a clump of bushes, closely followed by Ruka Souen, Ichijo Takuma, and the rest of Kaname's group of most loyal supporters. Of course, they couldn't stand so much as half an hour without the presence of their precious lord. Reina was suddenly disgusted to no end. Fucking horrible. And she was not going to start her morning by running over a pack of vampires in a (probably futile) attempt to get to school on time. This was just too much. Turning away from their surprised faces, she swung herself fully into her car and slammed the door, wasting no time in firing up the engine and reversing toward the road. Despite her earlier show of boldness, she did not want to be present when her ultra-secret secret was finally revealed. She glanced up once, and noticed that Kaname Kuran bore a look of immense stress upon his aristocratic features as he glanced between his approaching followers and his retreating quarry. Then she pressed the pedal to the floor and rocketed past the lot of them, coming up out of the academy gates in a matter of moments, leaving the flawless night class to think what they wanted as she cleanly removed herself from their lives for what she was sure would be the final time.
Reina thinks her ordeal is over...but is it? O.O
The story so far has been experimental. I'll keep updating after finals if people want to read more.
Good luck to all of you who also have finals to conquer! :)