This chapter was written for Eien no Ajisai, who very nicely requested an update and convinced me to bring this story out of chronic hiatus. :)

The next night, much to her annoyance, Reina was compelled to do something she had never done before; she had to park her car on the grounds of the Moon Dormitory. She could not park it in her usual spot beside the abandoned dorm on campus, now that the dorm was no longer abandoned. Whether or not Maria Kurenai had anything to do with Shizuka Hio, the fact remained that Reina was not going to leave her precious vehicle unattended beside a building which housed a member of the Night Class. The little brat might damage it and then try to claim ignorance.

Reina made sure she found a spot on the Moon Dormitory grounds which was well away from any buildings or paths. She even tore down a few branches and laid them over her car to prevent it from being spotted by keen vampire eyes. She felt a little paranoid, but then again, after what had happened yesterday afternoon, she had no reason to doubt that the other vampires had spent the entirety of last night plotting for her head. Kaien Cross had given her last night off in what she suspected was a quiet gesture of gratitude for saving his daughter from serious injury. Reina had spent it with her own family. With all of her responsibilities at this school and the other one, she often worried she was missing out on precious time with them.

Now, unfortunately, she was back on schedule, and she was not at all looking forward to facing the hostile environment of her classes. Reina grumbled to herself as she swatted branches to the side, making her way out of the forest toward the setting sun and the bridge which would lead her to campus. She had just reconnected with the stone pathway when an irritatingly familiar voice came floating toward her from up ahead. "There you are, Reina-san."

"Go away," she snapped toward the tall, dark-haired figure of Kaname Kuran.

He detached himself from the tree he was leaning against and meandered toward her, keeping his distance. "Did Akatsuki not deliver the message that I wished to speak with you?"

"Yeah, he told me," Reina muttered gruffly, making sure her body language conveyed that this was not at all her wish.

Kaname smoothly ignored her dark aura. "Then I am afraid I must insist upon pursuing polite conversation, disagreeable as I know it is to you."

Reina could detect a bite of insult in this comment; however, before she could seize upon it, he had changed track completely. "First of all," he said, brushing dark-chocolate bangs out of his eyes, "I would like to thank you most graciously for protecting Yuki yesterday, and to apologize very deeply for the circumstances which required you to protect her."

Reina snorted, adjusting the lapel of her uniform. "I don't need you to thank me. It was my own decision. How….is Yuki?" she asked hesitantly, wondering how traumatized the little prefect had been after yesterday's incident.

"She will be all right. She is very resilient." Kaname murmured, his dark eyes flickering with warmth for the barest hint of a second. "She was uninjured, thanks to your efforts, so she has continued with her duties as a Guardian. I believe she is also attempting to make you a cake as a thank-you gift."

Reina tried not to let this news bother her. She did like cake, but the last thing she wanted was an enormous serving of happiness and gratitude which she would have no idea what to do with.

"On the subject of Aido, he has been banned from school for an additional week, and I am currently pursuing other disciplinary actions which will discourage this kind of behavior in the future."

This time Reina growled, remembering what Aido had said before he attacked them. "They're not going to stop, not even if you tell them to. You're the reason Aido attacked us in the first place. He was angry because you're always trying to talk to us, paying us special attention. They care a lot about who you talk to, haven't you noticed? The Night Class students really like you. Like, in a creepy way." Reina tossed her head and picked up the pace, the bridge coming into view ahead. "That's one of the main reasons I don't want anyone here to know what I am. I don't mind being ignored or even treated badly. I've dealt with it all before, so it's fine. But if people slavered over me the way they do with you, I'd probably punch them." Reina cut her eyes back to the figure following silently behind her, his face an inscrutable blank. "Yuki likes the attention you give her, and what happens between you two is none of my business. But if you really want to thank me for protecting her, you will leave me alone. Stop talking to me. I don't want the attention, and I don't need the animosity I get from the Night Class because of it."

For a moment, she hoped he would stop walking and let her carry on without him. Then his voice welled over her right shoulder. "I accept these are your true feelings, Reina-san. However, this is the point where I must be unquestionably rude and say that I cannot do that."

"Well, why not?!" she demanded loudly, causing a group of vampires up ahead to turn around and look at them. Kaname touched her on the shoulder to slow her down as they began to cross the bridge, keeping them out of earshot.

"I cannot do that because of what you are to the Night Class. You and I are the pillars that are holding up the peaceful way of life we have here. I keep the Night Class controlled and disciplined, and your blood creates the tablets which we need to continue this non-violent way of life." Kaname tilted his head musingly. "You know, an interesting fact about pillars- in order to provide the most stable support for a roof, they need to stand apart from each other. If they stood side-by-side, the structure would be unbalanced and could easily collapse. But by standing on opposite sides, they bring the whole of the edifice together."

Reina crossed her arms and gave him a deadpan glare. "I'm not buying into that metaphor. And even if I did, we're not the only pillars. Kaien Cross and Zero Kiryu and Yuki as well-"

"Yes, them as well," Kaname agreed tranquilly. "They will also take their places. But for now, there is something else I wanted to talk to you about- the reason you came to the Moon Dormitory yesterday. Ichijo has informed me that he had a conversation with you about a certain pureblood called Shizuka Hio."

Reina's back bristled. "What's it to you?" she asked aggressively, reminding herself to glare at Takuma the next time she saw him.

"To me, it is….a concern." Kaname suddenly stopped walking entirely, causing Reina to stop too. "Reina-san, I want you to understand-"

"Ta- I mean, Ichijo-san said it was impossible for Shizuka Hio to slip into this academy. It is impossible, isn't it?" Reina interrupted, eyeing the group of Night Class students gathered at the gate up ahead.

Kaname cleared his throat and followed her gaze. "Nothing is impossible," he murmured subversively. "However, Reina-san, I want you to understand that I allowed Maria Kurenai to enroll here, knowing she was a relative of Shizuka's. This is something which needs to occur in order for that which I care about to be made safe from future threats. I know this is an overused human expression, but I know what I am doing. So I would ask you to please refrain from interfering in the way things play out."

Reina gauged him critically out of the corner of her eyes, then rolled them up toward the sky. "You think too much, Kuran. I don't know where you get the idea that I'm at all interested in getting involved in whatever little debacle you're planning. The only thing that would compel me to act would be a threat to the safety of this academy or its students. If that occurs, all bets are off." Reina shrugged darkly as the vampires at the gate began to turn around and notice them standing there. "Otherwise, I don't give a damn what you do, as long as you leave me out of it."

"Then we are agreed," Kaname murmured, beginning to walk again. "There is one more thing I wanted to discuss with you, but as it is not terribly urgent, I believe it can-"

"Kaname-sama!"

Reina flinched automatically at the voices of Kaname's supporters, taking notice of their leader. She drifted off to the side and attached herself to the stone railing so she would not have to get too close to them.

"It can wait." Kaname finished, inclining his head slightly. "Thank you for talking with me, Reina-san. I hope you have a good night."

The half-blood girl grumbled something unintelligibly as she watched the white-clothed, straight-backed figure depart toward the eager ranks of his in-group. It galled her to realize nearly every student on the bridge was looking her way- the vampires from before must have let them know she and Kaname had walked up from the woods together. Why the hell were they all so interested? Reina fumed to herself as she stared determinedly into the flowing water. Once again, no one would dare question the pureblood's choices of whom to spend time with, but everyone would blame her for talking to him, even though he had initiated, he had persisted, he had insisted she hear him out. Stupid Kuran and his stupid fans and his stupid pillars….

Reina's mood only darkened when she heard a very annoying sound coming from the other side of the gates- the sound of dozens of squealing girls, pushing and shoving and staggering around, waiting desperately to see the faces of their favorite Night Class boys. The young girl sighed and decided to walk in the far back, where she would hopefully go unnoticed. This parade of idiocy was one of the main reasons she always parked on campus, so she would never have to enter through the gates. She did not know why Kaien Cross couldn't just make curfew a little earlier for the Day Class, so they would have no time to engage in such theatrics.

The gates swung open and the screams grew more piercing. Reina waited until all the Night Class students had filed out before following, slipping after them just as the gates swung shut. As she'd hoped, she was able to walk through the crowd without much harassment, given that she was female and the majority of the Day Class had come to see the males. She had just about made it past them when she heard a strained voice calling from her left. "Excuse me! Um-! Reina-san!"

She turned to see Yuki Cross, arms spread wide and body bent halfway backward as she struggled to hold back a line of Day Class girls who were entirely too excited. Giving up her apathetic walk, Reina approached and raised her eyebrow. The shorter prefect managed a smile despite her situation. "I was wondering- well, I was wondering if- that is- if you might like to come to the Headmaster's quarters after your first class? I- well, I wanted to say thank you for yesterday, so….I made something for you."

She couldn't say no- not to that hopeful face, not in front of all these people. Reina nodded brusquely. "Sure. That….that sounds nice. I'll be there. And you lot." She advanced suddenly on the group of girls who were slowly pushing Yuki backward. "Quit behaving like maniacs. You're almost adults, so act like it."

Yuki beamed while the other girls recoiled from her glare and huddled together meekly. Reina slung her bookbag over her shoulder and continued on her way, noticing Kiryu on the other side of the walk, staring down a group of girls as if daring them to try to sneak past him. She rolled her eyes at the absurdity of this academy, and continued on toward the towering academic building.

Her first class was a non-event. Reina did not know for certain, but she suspected that Kaname Kuran might have given the entire Night Class a lecture about leaving her alone. Everyone seemed to be resisting the urge to look at her as she made her way to the back of the class. Reina sat in her usual place and tried to devote her mind to the lesson while various worries bounced around her consciousness. Her gaze kept returning to the grey back of Maria Kurenai's head, and the conversation she had had with Kaname. So he had allowed her to enroll here, for purposes unknown. The more Reina thought about it, the more confusing it seemed. This girl was not Shizuka Hio. She just wasn't. She wasn't even a pureblood. So why was Zero so on edge, and why had Kaname been so evasive when she had asked him whether Shizuka could get into this academy? And if she did slip in, somehow, would the academy still be safe?

All these worries had given her a headache by the time the instructor ended the class. Reina waited for the majority of students to file out before hurrying after them. On the way, she accomplished her goal of glaring at Takuma, who had the decency to look appropriately abashed. Slightly more satisfied, Reina wandered warily toward the administrative building, hoping Yuki had not gone overboard with trying to thank her.

At least she had not put up streamers. However, it became clear to Reina upon entering the headmaster's quarters that Kaien Cross had also had a hand in tonight's event. He seemed to have made an entire dinner to compliment Yuki's cake, and Reina was assaulted with a medley of scents upon opening the door. She did not have enough warning time to dodge the headmaster as he slung an arm around her shoulders and crowed, "So glad you could make it, Reina! Have a seat! I've been meaning to cook a nice dinner for you for a long time, and now we can all join in!"

At least this time he wasn't roasting fish indoors, Reina figured as she was shuttled into a chair in the center of the room. Yuki was carrying out plates and Kaien Cross was insisting on describing the food as his very own recipe. The half-blood girl did not see him at first, because he had sequestered himself in a dark corner of the room, but at second glance she spotted Zero hunched over, looking gloomy and pressured. Reina guessed that Yuki and Kaien had probably guilted him into being here, which made her feel even more uncomfortable. Before she could say more than, "You didn't have to…." she found herself being served by the headmaster while Yuki practically dragged Zero to the table with the rest of them. "I hope you like it, Reina-san! I know my father's cooking is a little….unorthodox…." Yuki smiled happily as they settled in.

Reina cleared her throat, accepting that there was no escape from the current situation. "It's fine….he makes his special recipes for me every month after we come out of the underground, so I've taken a liking to them…."

"And here's the chicken teriyaki recipe I got from your mother the last time I joined your family for dinner!" Kaien Cross exclaimed, waving his chopsticks in the air enthusiastically. "Tell me, how are your parents lately, Reina? And your sister?"

Reina swallowed thickly. "Ah….they're….good. My sister too. They're all….good. We went to the, um….the planetarium last night…." It went against every habit in her personality to discuss her human family here at Cross Academy, even though the only ones before her were the headmaster and his children. It still didn't feel safe. It probably never would. Ever since they had been threatened because of her, she had vowed that she would keep their lives a secret in the night world. She scrambled mentally to change the subject. "So, um, how is school going for you, Yuki….and Kiryu?"

The silver-haired boy eyed her swiftly over the top of the rice bowl and said nothing. Fortunately, Yuki launched into a detailed description of the Day Class' excitement concerning some sort of upcoming annual ball, to which Reina could nod politely and feign interest. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Zero staring dejectedly at the plates of food laid before him. Vampires were rather limited in the types of food they could eat- dairy tended to make them sick, as did excess amounts of yeast. They could tolerate liquids better than solids, but nothing replaced the stringent need for blood. Reina wondered if it was awkward for Zero to be sitting across a dinner table from the person who had recently become his source of sustenance. It was certainly awkward for her. After Yuki finished talking about the ball, Kaien Cross began a humorous story about a past academy dance during which several Day Class boys managed to light their trousers on fire trying to impress the Night Class girls. Reina found herself able to relax a little more and enjoy the laid-back, familial atmosphere around the table. She made sure not to look at Zero, as any reminder that she was there seemed to ruin the meal for him.

Yuki was halfway through cutting her cake when Kaien Cross attempted to sneak a photograph of all of them around the table. Reina and Zero immediately protested and tried to wrest the camera away from him. The headmaster danced backward across the room, dodging their hands and still taking pictures. Yuki tried to break them up, but ended up tripping over Zero and bringing them both tumbling to the floor. Meanwhile, Reina managed to snatch the camera from Kaien Cross, and she promptly fled up the wall to prevent him from getting it back. In the midst of all this chaos, the door suddenly swung open. "Oh."

Everyone turned to look at the figure of the Moon Dormitory's president. "I apologize…. I didn't realize you were having a….party? I can come back…."

"We're okay, we're fine!" Yuki insisted, while the headmaster abandoned his attempts to retrieve the camera and ushered the pureblood inside to have a slice of cake. Without any consultation, Reina and Zero immediately departed through the bay doors to the balcony.

The half-blood girl set the camera down and sighed, wondering how she had gotten sucked into the academy's absurdity. Tilting her body sideways, she hoisted herself onto the ledge and eyed the ground below. "Well, this has been….eventful, but I think I ought to-"

"Don't leave," Zero interrupted, seizing the edge of her shirt. "Not that I care, particularly, but Yuki will be depressed if you don't eat the cake she made for you. She's hopeless in the kitchen, so it took her three tries to make something edible."

"She didn't have to do all that…." Reina trailed off, glancing back into the living room. "Well, I guess I'll stay…." She stepped off the ledge and settled into a chair on the balcony. Zero leaned against a stone birdbath and stared at the section of the sky which would host the sunrise in several more hours. She wondered if it was difficult for him to stay awake in the daytime now that he was a vampire. She wondered if Kaname had agreed to halt Zero's transfer to the Night Class. She almost asked him, but she didn't want to piss him off when they were trying to have a nice dinner with the headmaster and Yuki.

After almost ten minutes of semi-comfortable silence, Zero moved to sit on the ledge above the treeline, his back to her. She could not see his face, so his rough voice startled her from her sneaking sleepiness. "I don't have anything to give you that you'd want. I don't even know what you like, really. But I suppose I should say thank you as well. For….your blood. It's not….it's not that I want your blood. I hate having to drink blood. But I….I still have goals I need to accomplish. I'm not ready for my life to be over yet. So, thank you for….letting me make that choice."

Reina did not know what to say, but she felt she should say something. "It's okay," she murmured, craning her head back to take in the sky full of stars dripping light above their heads. She thought of his dead family, and her living family which could have been like his. "It's really, really okay."

Eventually, Kaname seemed to take the hint that Reina and Zero were not going to come back inside until he left. He bade Yuki goodbye and thanked her for the cake. Reina glimpsed the little prefect blushing through the balcony window. Zero stood up to return to the living room, and Reina followed him, allowing herself to look at him up close as a startling realization washed over her. The tall boy twitched and met her gaze warily. "Why are you looking at me?"

"You really are better now, aren't you?" she couldn't stop herself from asking, tilting her head and studying the contours of his face. "Heh." The barest hint of a smile worked its way along her lips before she turned her head to hide it, leading the way into the living room. She thought, but did not say aloud, My blood made you better. It did a good thing.

Yuki's cake was not delicious, but it was at least tasty, so Reina did not have to pretend to enjoy it. She was glad to see that the little prefect appeared remarkably uncowed by Aido's idiocy, and also by the myriad of secrets she had recently discovered. Kaname was right about one thing, Reina figured as she held her plate out for seconds. Yuki was remarkably resilient, which was probably the only reason she could work at a school like this for so long and still maintain her composure.

The meal ended with the headmaster knocking over one of the candles on the table and setting fire to his napkin, after which he was promptly doused with the water they had been using for tea. He didn't seem to mind very much. As Reina was being waved goodbye, she thought she glimpsed a streak of grey slide past the nearest window out of the corner of her eye. But when she turned to look properly, there was nothing there except the first droplets of an unexpected rainstorm.

So, what do you guys think...? Should I do another chapter?