* I'm kind of glad that I don't own Fairy Tail or Vampire Knight, this way I don't have to choose what I would like more: being a mage or being a vampire!

** Don't forget to vote for who you want to pair Lucy with on my profile: Aidou, Takuma, or Zero.

Takuma POV

"I will try to get over my fear and trust all of you. But I beg of you, please do make me regret this," Lucy said as she looked at all of us.

I had to give her credit, she may seem human, but she was as strong willed as any vampire I had ever met. Deciding to take responsibility for getting her settled, I looked over to Kaname for his approval. When he gave me a nod, I looked back to Lucy and Loke.

"Would you like me to show you to your room and bath so you can get cleaned up?" I asked her. I waited until she nodded her approval before stepping forward and offering her my hand, making sure to smile the entire time to put her as much at ease as I could. "Just follow me; I'll take you to the bath first, then to your room."

Loke held her back for a moment to hug her. "Just call for me if you need anything, princess."

"Thank you, but I need you to do something very important for me," she told him. She didn't say anything else, but he nodded in understanding and disappeared in front of our eyes in a cloud of gold dust.

It was only after he had disappeared that I noticed the pressure of Lucy's power dissipate greatly. I wasn't the only one who noticed. Everyone around us felt the change in the air once Loke was gone, but I also noticed how Lucy appeared much more tired than she had been before.

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked her.

She nodded again. "Just a little worn out. After the fight with the mage, my injuries, summoning three spirits in this world, and keeping Loke's gate open for a while; I guess I kind of over did it. And even though I can feel my magic starting to restore itself, it's doing it a lot slower than normal. It might take the whole day to get my magic levels back to normal."

"How long would that normally take?" Kaname asked.

"Maybe a couple of hours; it all depends on how long I keep their gates open, how many spirits I summon during one fight, and how much magic they use during that fight." She told us as she stood from the couch.

"Why would the powers they use have an effect on your powers?" I asked her, I was genuinely curious about what she could do. I also noticed that Lucy seemed much more at ease while talking about her magic.

"That's because their magic is my magic," she explained. When we kept looking at her, she figured out that we didn't understand and continued explaining. "All of my spirits have different types of magic and different strengths. Loke, for example, is the leader of the Zodiac and a spirit meant for battle so he is probably my strongest fighter. He uses hand-to-hand fighting techniques and amplifies them with Regulus magic, but without me giving him a constant supply of magic to use his as his own, he can't do it. I also keep his gate open the entire time he's not in the Celestial World, which is a constant, slow drain on my magic."

"So, any time one of your spirits is using their powers, their actually using yours?" Aidou asked.

"My magic, not my powers; but yes, that's how it works." Lucy stood from the couch, grabbing the basket that the maid spirit had given her, and looked at me with a shy smile. "Thank you for offering to show me where everything is. I'm ready to go when you are."

That was the first I had seen her smile and it took a lot of control not to gasp or lose my composure. She was absolutely beautiful in a way that was completely different from anyone I had ever met before. She was especially different from vampire women like Ruka, Rima, and Seiren. Yes, they are beautiful, but they are also somewhat cold and distant, as is the nature of vampire women. But Lucy, despite her fear, she was warm and friendly with a very open nature. I could admit how much that surprised and amazed me, and I very much liked it.

I smiled back at her as I offered her my hand again. She looked at it for a moment and smiled at me again, but didn't take it. I didn't let my disappointment show, but I could understand her reluctance since she still feared my kind. "Just follow me; I'll stay close by to make sure that no one else makes you uncomfortable."

"Thank you, I really do appreciate that," she said as we walked past the others and up the stairs to the room she would be using.

It was a single room that was next to mine and not far from Lord Kaname's. It was probably the best option for everyone since I could tell that Kaname wanted to keep an eye on her but I was close enough to stop her in case she proved to be a danger. Somehow though, Lucy didn't strike me as the type of person that would even think about attacking someone who wasn't threatening her or her friends.

"You're name's Takuma, right?" She asked me, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I looked at her and smiled. "Yes, Takuma Ichijo, at your service. It's nice to meet you."

"And you as well, I... um... want to apologize for causing so much trouble in such a short time and for letting my fears get the best of me," she said in a rush, taking me by surprise again. "I know better than to judge anyone for something that they have no control over, you might have never wanted to be turned into a vampire."

"I wasn't turned into a vampire, no one in this dorm was ever human. We were all born vampires," I told her.

She looked down as her cheeks turned pink. "That's even more of a reason for me to apologize. No one can choose their parents, so that makes it even worse for judging you for who and what you are." She bowed deeply at the waist. "My sincerest apologies, Takuma Ichijo."

Careful not to scare her, I reached out my hand and placed it on her cheek to lift her head up so she would look at me. She surprised me yet again when she didn't flinch or jump away, but the intensity of her blush increased.

"You are more than forgiven," I smiled at her, and she returned my smile. I'm not sure why, but I couldn't stop staring at her. There was just something about her that made me want to be close to her and know more about her, but it was more than just for curiosity's sake. "Come on, the bathroom is right over here, and it has a good sized tub for a bath."

"That sounds amazing right now." I tried not to stare too much as we went into the bathroom and I showed her how to adjust the taps. When the tub started to fill, I stepped outside and shut the door. When I heard the lock turn, I didn't feel insulted or anything like that. She was a teenage girl in an unfamiliar place; and even though a locked door wouldn't do much to keep a vampire out, if it made her feel more comfortable, I would respect her wish to be left alone.

I leaned against the door as I waited for her to finish. Lucy was still inside when Kaname came up to me. "She seems to have calmed down. I can tell that she's still a bit scared, but not as bad as before," I told him.

"That is good. I have made a call to Head Master Cross, he is aware that I will be bringing a new student to see him tonight and that she will be part of the Night Class," he told me.

"Did you tell him what she is?"

"I thought it would be better for her to explain it herself." Kaname looked at the door and smiled slightly. "Lucy Heartfilia, she really is fascinating. I am still curious about her abilities as well as the world she comes from."

"Maybe she'll be willing to tell us, if we asked. I think everyone in the Night Class would be interested in hearing about her world."

"See if she would be willing to give us a lesson during Night Class about her world, in exchange we might teach her a bit about ours to alleviate her fear of us. I have a feeling that she could be a powerful ally if she is meant to be here for a while," said Kaname.

There was no disputing that, I don't think anyone who had felt or seen her power could. I had known for a while that Kaname was planning something and he was quickly factoring Lucy into his strategy. I didn't think he would do so in order to harm her though, at least I hoped not.

"I will ask her about it when she's finished and let her know that she will be meeting with Head Master Cross tonight. But Kaname, what about the Senate? If they find out about her, they might try something." That was a serious fear of mine, especially since my grandfather had the most power on the Senate. If anyone found out about Lucy or the powerful blood she possessed, that could put her in extreme danger. And since Kaname had given his word to keep her safe, I didn't want anything to happen to her and cause him to break his promise.

"Like I said, Lucy is under my protection as well as this academy. If the Senate attempts anything, I will not be pleased." Without another word, he turned and continued to his rooms.

General POV

Lucy flinched as she scrubbed her body with the soaps and bath oils that Virgo had given her. She hated using them at times because they made her skin sting, but at the same time it advanced her healing by days. Even now, the bruises she had received earlier were already fading and her magic levels were rising as well.

She tried to finish quickly considering that Takuma was waiting for her I the hallway. Lucy still felt really guilty for acting like they were beasts since none of them had hurt her and the only one that had really tried apologized. She hated her phobia of vampires, it never made sense, even to her, but she still couldn't help but be terrified of them.

I can't let myself be scared of them anymore, she told herself as she started scrubbing the dirt from her hair. Not only am I stuck in a world where I'm surrounded by vampires, I'm going to be living with them until my guild figures out a way to get me back. I can do this! I've faced dark guilds, demons, dragons, and my father; vampires should be nothing compared to all of that.

A few minutes later, she was ready to step out of the tub when she realized that although Virgo had given her clothes, she had neglected to give her a towel. A look around the room didn't reveal a linen closet either. Fighting down a blush, she reached over and knocked on the door. "Takuma, are you there?"

"Yes, is everything alright?" She heard him through the door.

"Virgo forgot to give me a towel to dry off and I don't see any in here. Could I bother you for one?" She replied.

Takuma fought down the urge to blush as Lucy's shy voice reached his ears. "I will be right back with a towel for you, do not open the door for anyone but me, alright?"

"Yes, thank you," she said back.

He went to his room to grab a spare towel and hurried back, not wanting to leave her vulnerable for long. When he was about to knock, he couldn't help but hesitate. A gentleman does not look at a woman while she is undressed, let alone step into a bathroom while she is cleaning, so how was he going to do this? Shaking off his nerves, he knocked on the door. "Lucy, I have a towel for you."

Though she didn't say anything, his acute hearing made it so he could hear her every move so clearly, it was like he was watching her. The plug being pulled from the drain, the rush of water over her skin and dripping as she stood from the tub, then the sound of her small feet padding across the tile floor until she reached the other side of the door. He could feel her hesitation before the lock clicked and it opened the slightest bit so her fingers could peek out. Too tongue tied to say anything, he touched the towel to her fingers so she could grab it before closing the door again.

"Thank you, Takuma. I won't be long," he heard her say softly from the other side of the door.

Her voice had a strange affect on him, but he couldn't place why at first. Then when she stepped out of the bathroom, he completely lost his train of thought as he looked over her curvy form. She was wearing a pink tank top, a pair long purple sleeper bottoms and a pair of pink slippers. Her golden, blonde hair was down around her shoulders but her chocolate brown eyes looked at him directly as she smiled brightly at him. "Thanks for waiting, Takuma. I feel a lot better. Those soaps and oils that Virgo gave me helped a lot with my healing and my magic levels, but I'm still really tired."

He couldn't help but look at her body, specifically her left shoulder, and was shocked to see that the bruises were nearly gone. "That's good to hear, but are you still in any pain?"

She giggled. "Not much, my shoulder is still a bit sore, but I've had a lot worse than that before, especially during the Grand Magic Games. Oh wait, you don't even know what that is! I'll have to tell you some time, I think you would find it really interesting!"

"About that, Kaname has requested that you tell us about your world when Night Class is in session," he said as he turned to escort her to her room. "You will not be forced to if you do not want to, but I'm sure that most of the students will want to hear about the world you come from," Takuma told her. He didn't miss the slight hitch in her breathing or the way her heart sped up in fear. It was only then that he realized that he was asking a girl who was terrified of vampires to stand in a room full of them, become the main focus their attention, and speak.

He was about to tell her to forget about it when her chin went up a notch and her eyes met his. "I'd be glad to do that. All of you are helping me get used to this world and have promised to protect me. The least I can do is satisfy your curiosity about the place I come from."

Takuma didn't even bother to hide his surprise this time. This girl, this mage from another world, was completely different from any human or vampire he had ever met. Even though she was clearly scared, she was willing to face her fears head-on and smile the whole time. He couldn't help but smile back at her as he opened her bedroom door for her.

"Thank you, Lucy. I'm sure that Lord Kaname will be pleased to hear that. This is your room, no one else uses it, so feel free to lock the door if you want. If you need anything, my room is right next door," he told her as she stepped past him to look over the room. It was basically like every other room in the dorm with a canopy bed, closet, plush carpet and a large window with thick curtains to block out the sunlight. "I'll come by an hour before we leave for classes to wake you up and bring you a school uniform. You will also have to meet with the Head Master and the Disciplinary Committee tonight and tell them about your situation, but tell no one else unless Kaname or I say it's okay."

"Why not?" She asked as she set the basket down on top to the end-table.

"Most of the humans in this world know nothing about vampires, as you said earlier, nothing but myths and stories to scare children. I hate to think what would happen if you told them what you are, where you come from, or what you can do, let alone if someone saw one of your spirits appear," he explained. "The students at this school believe that we are human, and they need to believe the same thing about you as well."

When Lucy looked away from him, he was a little disappointed. "I haven't had to hide my magic since before I ran away from home. I can do it, but it won't be easy."

"You only need to do it around the Day Class, and we only really see them when we are on our way to class or when some of the female students sneak out of the dorms to take pictures of us after curfew. This is probably another reason why Lord Kaname wanted you to stay in the Night Class, so you wouldn't have to hide as much."

Lucy smiled softly. "I can do that." Then she turned to Takuma and smiled brighter. "You know, even though you're a vampire, I don't think I'm scared of you. You've been kind to me this whole time and I think I like talking to you. So don't be surprised if a time comes when I do get nervous or scared, you'll probably be the person I come running to so I don't feel scared anymore."

Takuma felt his face heat up and knew he was blushing. He smiled nervously as he waved both hands in front of him. "D-don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be just fine. Well, I'm going to get back to bed. If you need anything, I'm right next door."

"See you tonight, Takuma. Sweet sleep," she said as she followed him to the door to close and lock it behind him.

He was in a daze as he walked bad to his room. Senri, his roommate, was in bed so he didn't bother to say anything as he climbed into his own.

"Was that her blood I smelled?" Takuma looked over at Senri, his blue eyes were staring at the ceiling.

"Yes, her nails cut into her hand when she got scared."

"Hmm, that was an interesting scent, very powerful. Made me wonder what she would taste like," he mused.

"Don't, Lord Kaname has given his word that he would not allow Lucy Heartfilia to be harmed, no one is permitted to drink her blood," Takuma warned him.

"Are you saying that you're not tempted to taste her?"

Unable to answer, Takuma turned onto his side to star out a crack in the curtains at the sunlight. If he were to be honest with himself, he was very tempted. Not only to know the taste of her blood, but even the taste of her kiss. There was something about the girl that was pulling him towards her and he had a feeling that trying to fight the pull would be useless. For now, all he could do was watch over her and protect her from any threat, even himself.

A/N: Takuma just seemed like the most friendly of the three so I decided that Lucy would probably feel the most comfortable around him. I haven't really decided what type of interaction or relationship Lucy will have with Zero or Hanabusa yet, will just have to see how the story develops!

So far, Zero is in the lead for the pairing! If you think it should be Hanabusa or Takuma, cast your votes and write some reviews!