A/N: Wow this chapter... Takes the crazy level up a few notchessssssss...
"So just where are you sneaking us off to?" Yori asked suspiciously, staring at the backpack Aidou had slung over one shoulder as if her gaze alone could decipher its contents.
"I told you, it's a secret," he insisted, shooting her a wink over his shoulder.
Yori inwardly sighed. It wasn't like she distrusted him, but she was really worried that he had planned something lavish. Moreover, if they went into town, she was worried that they might be seen, and Aidou had done nothing to conceal his appearance this time. Both of them were dressed casually, so at a glance from afar no one might recognize them, but still the risk was there.
She felt him squeeze her hand, as if he sensed her preoccupations, and she tried to relax. Yes, she knew she needed to trust him. They weren't going in the direction of the town anyway. Actually… She looked at her surroundings warily. Just where were they going?
"I feel like Hansel and Gretel," Yori commented dryly, noting the forest stretching out in every direction.
Aidou grinned. "In this case there's no need for breadcrumbs. I know the way. We're almost there. Believe me, no one will find us there."
"Or no one will find our bodies after the wolves…"
He laughed. "I'm a vampire, remember? Which do you think is stronger?"
She laughed now, too, and teased, "Definitely out of the three of us, it's me, right?"
After a few minutes more of walking the trees thinned out and she could see the blue footprint of a fair sized pond. At the far end, a ribbon of greenish water flowed into it from the stream she recognized as the same that traversed the campus. She had crossed it many times on horseback. The air was a touch chilly, and with such weather there were still no flowers, but the grass was beginning to grow again. A few ducks floated lazily on the pond surface. It was a gentle place with a peaceful, spring feeling.
"Okay, this is nice," Yori admitted.
"Told you." The blonde allowed himself a moment of pride, and then removed the backpack, unzipping it to pull out its contents. Inside were a small blanket and some snacks. "It's not really a picnic," he sulked a little as he said this, "but I do what I can."
"I like it." Yori spread the blanket and sat at one end. It wasn't really big enough for the food, too, so Aidou sat beside her and put the backpack within reach.
"The menu of the evening is…" He trailed off to build her expectations. "Item number one…assorted stolen cafeteria fruits."
Yori laughed suddenly as he pulled out a few random fruits that the cafeteria usually kept stocked.
"Next we have, why yes, could it be…bagged snacks…again from…you'll never guess, yes it's the cafeteria!"
Yori pressed her hand to her mouth to suppress her giggles as potato chips and dried fruit and nuts came out of the backpack.
"Don't forget the all-important juice boxes," Aidou continued to narrate, removing these as well. "And then, as the crowning jewel of the meal, we have most importantly…a box of crackers!" With that, he pulled out the box she had bought him so long ago in case he had needed it to assuage his hunger.
She felt bad for ever doubting him. This was absolutely perfect. She had been worried he would plan something extravagant or expensive, but instead he had done exactly the opposite. Seeing the pile of stolen goods and that box of crackers, she felt oddly touched and really, truly happy.
"It's a dinner fit for a king, don't you think?" Aidou quipped.
"Thank you," she told him sincerely, leaning forward to kiss him lightly. He seemed surprised by her sudden action, and she rummaged through the food to hide the embarrassment she felt.
"Thank the cafeteria. They unknowingly sponsored us."
"You've been reduced to a common thief. I'm consorting with a criminal."
"Yes, but you like it. Do your parents know you're into dangerous men?" He opened the cracker box, accidentally spilled a few in the process, and held one out to her. "Please taste this and tell me what comes to mind."
From the pond, a chorus of quacks could be heard, and Yori glanced up to see a line of ducks making for them. Their beady eyes seemed fixed on something pointedly.
"Um, Hanabusa, we have company." She pointed.
"Shoo," Aidou motioned them away as they closed in, unfortunately using the hand that held the cracker.
The first duck in the line snapped at his hand, breaking off part of the cracker and catching part of the vampire's hand. Aidou made a surprised noise and flinched back.
Yori giggled. "I think they expect you to feed them."
"Shoo, shoo," he repeated, tossing the crackers that had fallen previously far off. "Go eat those and leave us alone. You're ruining our atmosphere."
Two of the ducks made for the discarded crackers. The rest, however, continued to approach. Aidou snatched up the cracker box and got to his feet, moving backwards. "These aren't for you." The ducks ignored him. "Hey…" They were at his feet now, pecking insistently at his shoes. "Ahhh, what the hell?!"
Seeing him so flustered, surrounded by ravenous ducks, Yori couldn't help but dissolve into laughter. It was too much. Aidou might have called it a disastrous turn of events, but honestly, to her, the day couldn't have been more perfect. It would be nice if days like these could last forever.
Yuuki opened her eyes, blinking blearily at the light that streamed in through the window. It was afternoon, but it felt far too early to be awake for her vampire senses. She didn't really have a choice though. She needed to see the Chairman and discuss several things. Aidou had come to see her briefly last night and suggested that they restart the Night Class. It was a good idea, she thought. She was a pureblood, after all, and a Kuran besides. The other vampires would, as Aidou said, follow along out of habit and duty at the very least.
She yawned. She really didn't want to leave, but she knew she needed to. For a moment she continued to lay there, eyes tracing the contours of Zero's face. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she knew that would wake him, and she preferred to avoid that. It had been a very long time since he had been able to sleep so peacefully.
Carefully, she extracted herself from the bed. Even such a small movement, however, brought him out of sleep, and he looked at her through a haze of sleep.
"Sorry," she whispered, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "I'll be back later, okay?"
He nodded slightly, and closed his eyes again, clearly intent on going back to sleep. Yuuki smiled and stretched. Today would definitely be a good day, she was sure, if only because she had Zero by her side once again. With that thought, she went to the closet to choose her clothes for the day.
He could feel the vestige of that phantom ghost, the whisper of insanity, worming its way through the tunnels of his brain, yet he was incapable of stopping it. That constant dark murmuring trailed behind it twisted bones of once innocuous thoughts. He was aware of the change, of the gradual warping of his conscious, yet he had already forgotten his self that existed only moments ago. The specter of his uncle Rido shrouded him in a deep, vengeful pessimism.
That rabid voice whispered within him, She is yours. She was born for you. You alone have a right to claim her.
I may have the right, but she also has the right to refuse me, came the reciprocating thought, though already he could feel the end of it blurring over and becoming muffled. That sinister voice resounded powerfully within him until he could no longer decipher whether it was his or Rido's. The voices were tangling together into an indistinguishable knot.
Once, perhaps, his love for Yuuki had been pure and untainted. Now, however, it festered inside of him, rotting until it became something grotesque. It drove him crazy, this insatiable desire to have her with him in all moments, to consume her reality, to possess her entirely until her very being became an extension of his own. She was like cruel venom with no antidote. Her betrayal and departure had cut its poison into him with the fangs of a serpent, and he could feel it infecting him with increasing ire and madness.
She has been yours since the day of her conception. It is unnatural and unjust that she should be with any other. Why should the hunter have any right to her when he has loved her for a mere handful of years and you have loved her before even her birth? Her existence is meant for you.
Himself, or Rido? Already he wasn't sure. Nevertheless, he felt his own voice respond. I have waited centuries…she will become mine in time. The hunter won't live forever.
Then you'll wait as he claims more and more parts of her? Even now he could be touching her, holding her, and every moment she is growing further from you… You must take her now before she turns too recalcitrant to mold to your will. Or will you break your doll in anger in the same moment you obtain it..?
He was afflicted with the thought of her bestowing that delicate touch or innocent gaze on another, even if only a passerby on the street. Her eyes should be blind to the world except for him. If he couldn't have her, perhaps it would be better to destroy her and put an end to all this vicious cycle of thought. He knew this way of thinking was rooted in the ghost of Rido, but at the very least, in the moment of her death at his hands, he could be put at ease that she could never give her love or company to another, and he would have been the god who measured the last moment of her life.
She is your possession. She is yours. To her you should be like a god.
Yes, I should be her god. As he was the god of the purebloods, above all he should be hers. She should look to him and him alone in all things. Hadn't she idolized and adored him for years already? The vehemence of his emotions, of his passion, threatened to overwhelm him for a moment before he was able to regain his calm.
Why couldn't she feel the same love for him that he felt incinerating his soul? This diabolic passion that filled him was like the wrath of a dragon, rising up with wings of jealousy to devour him. He was slowly being consumed by himself, by these livid feelings that could not be repressed. He wanted to lash out with them, wanted to kill her, wanted to kill Zero, and at the same time wanted to kill himself to murder the mad phantom within him. He had fallen, and saw no chance for redemption now. Soon he would be driven to action, to bloodshed. But then his thoughts were already churning back around to her and her betrayal.
Take her. What is her will, her whim in this moment? Nothing. She is a child who doesn't understand this world. As her god it is your duty to educate her, to take her away from the reach of everyone else. Even through her death…
Yes… He was losing himself, already falling into perfect alignment with the sadistic whisper that echoed through him.
His gaze slashed across the room, shattering every inch of glass within it. The windows fell with the sound of deadly rain. No, he couldn't let himself, the epitome of the pureblood line and the king of the vampires, surrender to madness. There was only one option left for him. One that would preserve his image, his memory, and his sanity…
That is the coward's route. That fire… Wouldn't it be better to kill them both and continue on in godhood?
I am better than you, and I shall not fall into madness. His conscience regained its force, its self. He would not let Rido's phantom control him.
A knock on the frame of the half-opened door jolted him into awareness. Rage continued to writhe within him, but he contained it for the moment to register his visitor. He held back a snarl when he recognized the blond hair and sharp blue eyes of the Aidou family. Aidou-dono stood composed, a servant a few steps behind him in quiet attendance. When he saw that he had his lord's attention, he gave the customary bow and greeting.
His son betrayed you. Robbed you of what is rightfully yours. Their blood is the blood of traitors.
Automatically, his blood boiled with this knowledge. It was truth. His thought or Rido's, that small detail did not matter in this moment, confronted with this ruinous truth.
His moment of temporary stability crumbled. How dare a member of the Aidou family show their face here, now, after all that had happened? Hadn't he been betrayed by Hanabusa Aidou, by all of them? And yet this person came here as if nothing had passed. His son was a traitor, a thief who had helped rob him of his only happiness. He was there now with her, receiving the blessings of her smiles, of her words, of everything that should by all rights belong to him. Kaname had bound her to him with a promise, with a bond made tangible with a ring, and still she had broken her honor and forsaken him. He trembled with rage. How dare this betrayer stand before him now?
"Kaname-sama, I came to discuss-" Aidou-dono began formally.
Traitor. Thief. Profaner. End him.
End him. Yes. I am their god. I decide their fates. Let them understand this.
End him.
End him.
A spark flashed in the pureblood's eyes; indecipherable, abominable. The world was jagged and bloody around the corners of his vision. He was only left with ancient solitude and abyssal fury. These people needed to see the punishment that would befall traitors. His power lashed out, furious, boiling, and the noble's words were abruptly cut off, punctuated with a malicious smile that danced around the corners of the pureblood's mouth.
The servant stared in horror as the body of his master cracked apart and splintered away into dust. In that moment, one sole thought took possession of him: run.
Aidou glanced down from his perch in the tree branches, closing his book with a sigh. He should have expected that his family would know where he was no matter what. Still, he hadn't expected one of the Aidou family servants to put in an appearance quite this soon.
"What is this about?" he asked shortly, annoyed. It would really be best if Yuuki could start the Night Class sooner rather than later. That way his parents would have no reason to complain.
"My apologies, Aidou-sama, but it's about your father…"
"Chairman, good afternoon!" Yuuki beamed, closing the door behind her.
No sooner had she done this than she stopped. The air in the office was dark, foreboding. For some reason Yagari and Kaito were there as well, expressions stern.
The Chairman held up a hand to still her. "Yuuki, something urgent has come up. I won't try to keep it from you. It's about Kaname."
A/N: Review!