Chapter 22
We find the Moon Dorm almost exactly like I'd left it, our inner circle lounging around the common room. Seiren is still absent, but I notice Hanabusa is not there.
Kaname immediately appears at my side and wraps his arm around me. Its weight is comforting and I'm grateful to be at his side.
"Where's Hanabusa?" I ask.
"He's preparing to leave to go check on Yori," Kaname replies.
"Bring him here," I order. "Now."
Kaname raises a brow at the order in my tone but doesn't look displeased. In fact, he looks pleased that I'm taking on more of a commanding role.
Kaname looks at Akatsuki, who immediately disappears to fetch his cousin.
"We've got some things to tell you all," I say to the room. "Let's wait until Hanabusa gets here. Please settle in. We've got a lot to discuss."
Most people are already seated, but my father, Yagari, and Zero find places around the room. My father sits down next to Ruka, who I notice looks vaguely uncomfortable. Zero positions himself against the wall by a window and Yagari mirrors him on the other side of the window. Those two can never relax around vampires.
It's not long before Hanabusa and Akatsuki emerge. I motion for them to sit. Akatsuki takes the middle seat between my father and Ruka, to which she gives him a grateful smile and Akatsuki rests his hand on her thigh. She takes his hand. Hanabusa does not sit.
"What is it?" Hanabusa asks. "I want to get going."
I take a deep breath. "There's no need," I say. "Yori's not at home. I presume you were going to go to check on her."
"What? She's not?" Hanabusa exclaims. "Where is she?"
"We don't know," I reply, my voice cracking at the end. Kaname stills and begins to rub my back. "She's been missing for about a month now. I only just found out." I gave a pointed look at my father, who had the grace to look sheepish.
"I kept this from Yuki and conducted my own investigation," he says. "I foolishly thought she had enough on her plate. And, I made the old man's mistake of forgetting how capable young people are." He looked over at Yagari. "We both did." Yagari nods, looking first at me and then at Zero.
Hanabusa's gaze is murderous and a quick glance at Kaname shows a similar expression mirrored on his face. I quickly step in.
"We've already discussed this. This will not happen again," I stare at my father, Zero, and Yagari each in turn until I get a nod from each of them. "Mistakes were made."
I stand up straighter. "I'll tell you what I just told those three," I say, gesturing at the 3 vampire hunters. "We're a team. We came together under a shared hope that humans and vampires can co-exist. We share this belief. This mission. We have too many enemies and non-believers trying to bring this apart. We can't afford to not be a team. We need to trust each other. Secrets kept, no matter the good intentions, fester away and create more problems than they're worth. And often cause more pain than if the secret had just been revealed initially." I look at Kaname for a moment. He looks thoughtful and guarded.
"It's risky to share secrets," I continue. "Sometimes we do need to keep them for the sake of others. There are always exceptions. But we have to weigh the cost of not telling a secret. In this most recent case with Yori, who knows what damage we've done to her by not revealing that she's missing." The grief threatens to overwhelm me, but I press on. "We find her. And we destroy whoever had the audacity to take her."
Hanabusa's crushed face when I mentioned the damage and then its transition to pure wrath is the mirror to my own feelings.
"Yes," he says, clenching his fist. "They will pay."
Yori knew what had happened to her. That man was Rido Kuran. A pureblood. And he had bitten her.
She had been turned into a vampire. Against her wishes. Given no choice in the matter.
She felt violated. Desperate. Sickened.
And most of all, deadly thirsty.
The blood tablets that appeared every day did nothing to sate her thirst. It took some of the edge off but sitting in this cage for days was torture. A pretty, oversized bird cage in the middle of a dungeon with that cruel skylight on top. The light trickling in felt unwelcome and she avoided it.
She had been tracking the days as best as she could, but she could not believe that she had been there for almost a month. Didn't want to believe it. Had no one noticed she was missing? She refuses to let herself go down that line of thinking, but sometimes the doubt creeps in.
Yori tries to spend all of her waking hours focusing on who she is, who she loves, and who she wants to protect.
Movement breaks her out of her reverie. Instinctively, she crawls backward to the opposite edge of her cage from where she saw a figure emerging from the darkness. She hates herself for being so cowardly.
Gleaming white hair reflecting the faint sunlight streaming in from the skylight catches Yori's eye first. A tall elegant figure with pink eyes dressed in a white kimono emerges from the shadows. Yori recognizes her as the one that Rido had been talking to when she first awoke in this hellhole.
"You!" Yori exclaims. "You're working with him."
The woman stops, looking affronted at the exclamation, but then continues moving to the edge of the cage.
"I once lived here, you know," she says, not looking at Yori and running her hand along the outside of the cage. "I was his pet. His reward for nothing but being a pureblood male of the Kuran line." The bitterness in her voice echoes the darkness that had begun to emerge within Yori.
"Who are you?" Yori whispers.
"My name is Shizuka Hio. I'm Rido Kuran's fiancée," she replies. "Not that I had much choice in the matter." The bitterness had returned to her voice.
The name sounds somewhat familiar to Yori, but she can't place it. "And why are you here?"
"I came as soon as it was safe to do so," Shizuka says. "Rido has finally left this place and I wanted to help you."
"Why do you want to help me?" Yori asks, not feeling particularly trusting at the moment.
"Because it's the right thing to do," Shizuka says. "I'm tired of sitting off to the side while Rido terrorizes everyone and everything." She pauses. "And, I have a debt to repay to humanity." She did not elaborate.
"Okay, so what do you plan to do?" Yori presses Shizuka. "Will you help me escape?"
"I cannot get you out of here," Shizuka says. "I cannot have Rido knowing that I'm getting involved. Not yet. But I can help keep you from deteriorating even further. I know those blood tablets do little to stave off the hunger and I'm sorry I couldn't send you anything better." Shizuka looks around the room. "This is the first time he's left and he's taken most of his people with him. I seized the chance to come back here and help you."
Yori hadn't realized that the blood tablets didn't come from her captor.
"How can you help me?" Yori whispers. "If you can't get me out of here, then what can be done?"
Shizuka raised her arm to her wrist. Yori saw a flash of fangs before Shizuka bit down onto her wrist. Wordlessly, she extends her arm into Yori's cage.
A delicious scent fills Yori's nostrils. Her focus is drawn to the blood slowly dripping down Shizuka's wrist. The smell is intoxicating. Yet…it's blood. Her human nature resists her new instincts screaming at her to drink that delectable liquid.
Yori tries her best to resist. However, Shizuka's blood never had the opportunity to drip to the floor before Yori's mouth closes over Shizuka's wrist and she drinks.
Half of Yori is disgusted by her weakness, this new state. The other half has never felt so alive, so vital. Yori drinks and drinks until the blood flow stops when Shizuka's wound heals.
A clarity Yori had not felt for what feels like ages enters her consciousness. Yori feels almost…human, again.
"Thank you," Yori says, not quick able to meet Shizuka's steady gaze due to her shameful display. "You saved my life."
Shizuka merely nods.
"When Rido deigns to visit you next," Shizuka says. "Be sure to act like you're half-mad with thirst. He's been starving you for a month. I imagine he plans to dump you on Yuki's doorstep and force her to kill you because you're an uncontrollable Level E who will attack and kill everyone you see."
Yori nods her agreement, horrified at the idea of being used as a weapon against her best friend. "Yes, that makes sense," she says. "Yuki and I were attacked once by Level E's. I'll channel that day."
"Good," says Shizuka. "It shouldn't be long now before Rido decides to use you."
Something clicks in Yori's head.
"Wait, you said earlier he took most of his people with him," Yori says. "What's he going to do?"
Shizuka's eyes turn cold and empty. "What he does best. Destroy."
"Everyone in agreement that it's time for us to make a move?" I ask. I look around the room. I see nothing but calm determination. Around the room, those who were seated stand. Yagari and Zero, who had both been leaning against the wall, move away from the wall and stand up straight.
Takuma takes the lead. "Yes, we're ready," he says, crossing his arm over his chest and bowing slightly. All of the vampires and my father do the same. Yagari and Zero nod.
"Good," I say. "Let's make a plan."
Kaname, who had mostly been silent until now, steps forward. "You think I've been idle all these months?" he asks wryly.
I raise an eyebrow. Or try to. "Didn't I just give a whole speech about not keeping secrets?" I ask.
"Yes. And it was enthralling. You also said there are exceptions," I open my mouth to protest, but he continues before I can start. "Forgive me, but I am unused to having people to work with. To rely upon. I've never truly been part of a team. Only uneasy alliances." He smiles slightly. "This is very difficult for me. But you've shown me, Yuki, that there might be a better way. I'm willing to give sharing my plans a try."
As if on cue, Seiren appears. She looks at Kaname, a grim expression on her face. He studies her for a moment and then says, "Report."
She looks taken aback. She looks around at the room of people and back at Kaname, not-so-subtly making the point that there's a room full of people.
"Report," Kaname orders again. "Yuki and I trust these people."
Seiren nods. "It is as we suspected. Rido has possessed Senri."
Rima falls into her seat. "Rido? He's possessing Senri?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Kaname says. "We thought this could happen. Rido is Senri's father."
"You thought this could happen?" Rima asks, her voice deadly calm. "And yet, you only bothered to check on him today? After Takuma said something?"
Kaname shifts his weight a little. I realize it's the only sign he'll reveal that he's uncomfortable. He's not used to having to explain himself. I place a hand on his arm.
"Rima, remember yourself," Takuma says. "Kaname is a pureblood and our leader. I'm sure he had his reasons." Rima glares at Takuma.
"Yes, I did," Kaname says. "We need to draw Rido out. I don't like Senri being put at risk, but we need to let Rido think he's ahead of us."
"Promise me," Rima demands. "Promise me that you won't let any harm come to him."
"I can't promise that," Kaname says. "I can't promise that for any of you. Rido will stop at nothing to capture and kill Yuki. To destroy all we've built. To me, this means war. And war has risks. You agreed to follow me before, but it's not too late to leave. I would, of course, ask that you say nothing to anyone about any of this."
"I'm not going anywhere," Rima says. "I'm saving Senri."
No one makes a move to leave. They wait expectantly for Kaname to continue.
"I've set several plans into motion," Kaname says. "I'm not sure you'll like all of them." He looks over at Takuma. "One of them has implications for your family."
Takuma nods. "My loyalty is first and foremost to you," he says. "I suspected this day might come."
"Thank you," Kaname says, nodding at his friend. "When Rido makes his move, I'm going to destabilize the Vampire Senate." He hesitates, looking at my father and over to where Yagari and Zero are leaning against the wall once again. "I'm also planning to destabilize the Hunter's Association. Both organizations have gotten too corrupt. We need a clean slate." My father looks thoughtful, while Yagari and Zero are stony-faced. "Will you try to stop me?" Kaname asks.
To my surprise, Yagari answers first, "No, I will not," he says. "They lost my trust after they allowed my fiancée to be turned by a pureblood who bore a grudge against me. They lost my loyalty after they set the Kiryus up." Beside Yagari, Zero is frozen. Staring at Yagari in shock at his words. "I've been biding my time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike down that cross-dressing scumbag who masquerades as our president."
My father nods his agreement. "I always found it perverse for the president of a vampire hunting association to be addicted to drinking vampire blood." At his words, there's a stir in the room. It seems that, like me, most of the room didn't know that about the president. Including Yagari and Zero, I notice. My father continues, ignoring the stir. "For a long time, I let that go because I didn't want to judge him for that alone. However, it has become clear that he's compromising any integrity he once might have had and that of the Association by putting his personal interests over those he's charged with protecting."
I look over at Zero and ask, "Zero, what do you think?"
Zero looks me in the eyes and says, "After everything I've seen so far and learned just now, I'm in agreement."
"Good," says Kaname. "I'm glad to have you on board to destabilize the Association. I'd like your help to do it."
All three men nod.
"All right," Kaname says. "Here's what we're going to do."