Black Rose: Book One (Vampire Knight)

[ItachiRockstar]

//Chapter One: No Beginning\\

Her feet carried her swiftly across the slick pavement, wet with fresh rain water. The images were burned into her subconscious...she knew she could never forget what she'd seen. Her chocolate brown, shoulder length hair stuck to the sides of her face as she ran, also wet from the rain. Thunder clapped overhead...and the laughter was catching up to her. She knew the main street wasn't too far. Someone would be there...someone to help...

A figure dropped down directly in front of her, eyes glowing red with hunger. "You left before we could party with you..." It hissed through its fangs as blood dripped from its chin.

"Yes..." Another voice sounded directly behind her. She spun around to face it. "...how rude of you to leave without even introducing yourself."

"L-leave me alone!" She swung at the creature hoping it would jump back and allow her room to run...but instead it grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"Mmm..." It closed its eyes and inhaled deeply. "Can't you smell it?"

She looked up at it in fear.

"Can't you smell...the blood?"

The other nodded and she began to struggle against her captor. "Please no...let me go!"

It happened so quickly that her mind had difficulty processing the events as they took place...like a movie where the scenes jump ahead of the voices heard. She saw the monster leap forward as the other held her in place and grabbed her arm. Then came her own scream. Fangs lowered and pierced the vein in her inner elbow. Blood wet her white blouse. Oh how her mother would scold her for that...Her head was pushed roughly to the side. Another late scream. Colors flashed behind her fluttering eyelids as pain erupted in her neck and shot through her body like invisible tentacles gripping her tightly.

"No!" She screamed as time and sound finally caught up with each other. She could hear the steady sucking sound roar in her ears as the creature forcibly drank her blood. Her body twitched as both creatures siphoned from her.

"Let her go."

Both creatures immediately stopped and looked behind them. Figures dropped down all around them. She opened her eyes and looked around. She could see them wearing white...but couldn't see their faces.

"Angels?" She whispered weakly as she was dropped to the ground. Now mud and blood covered her clothes. 'Mother will kill me...'

"You?!" One of the creatures hissed.

"You know it’s a crime to attack a human...much less a whole family." The cold voice whispered disgustedly. "And then to consider it a 'party' and chase another innocent bystander...Your punishment is death."

Before the creatures could protest, their agonized screams were heard...and immediately stopped.

"Kaname-sama said that there are more in the area...should we go search for them?" A girl's delicate voice asked.

"Yes. If they are anything like these...they are a threat." There was a brief silence. "Aidou. You stay with her. Erase her memory. She'll need immediate medical attention so if we don't come back when you're done, take her straight to the academy."

"What?! Why me?"

"Because Seiren is with Kaname-sama and cannot do it herself. Besides...someone needs to report to Kaname-sama and let him know...there were no survivors from that family that was attacked."

A bored sigh was heard. "Fine. But please note that I am not thrilled with this task at all."

She was lifted into someone's arms and a hand was placed on her forehead...then everything faded to darkness.

[ItachiRockstar]

Chapter Two: "Who Am I?"

That wound has gotten worse than it was when Aidou brought her here, Kaname-sama.

She took a deep breath and turned over slightly. The conversation stopped and silence followed. She sensed light coming from a small corner of the room from beneath her closed eyelids.

"Kaname-sama. I believe she's--"

"Yes. I know Ichijou."

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was laying on her left side because her right arm and shoulder was heavily bandaged to the point where she couldn't move properly. There were two men in the room with her. One had blonde hair and a peculiar shade of green eyes, looking directly at her with concern on his face. The other had dark brown hair, sitting in front of the other with his face turned away from her. She blinked slowly as her body began to wake up as well...and as a result, so did the pain.

"Ah!!" She cried out and layed flat on her back so that she could cradle her right arm.

"She's suffering. What do you want me to do--"

"I'll handle this. Thank you, Ichijou." The male stood slowly, then practically floated over to her side. His steps were silent yet she watched his legs move. Tears of pain blurred her vision and when they leaked out of the sides of her eyes. The male knelt at her side and gently wiped a tear away. "Please don't cry. I know it hurts but if you just be patient...I can make it go away."

The blonde's eyes popped open in disbelief. "K-kaname-sama! You can't...not in front of...Chairman Cross would disapprove..."

She finally picked up the man's name. Kaname?

Kaname closed his eyes and gave a small smile. "Ichijou, please calm down. If I didn't think it were safe to do...would I do it?"

Ichijou's expression immediately turned into a doubtful one. "Is that a rhetorical question, Kaname-sama? You're not exactly known for doing things at the 'right' time..."

Kaname slowly turned and looked at him over his shoulder. Whatever look Kaname gave Ichijou caused him to clam up and even take a step away from him.

"Ah! But I trust you and your instincts, Kaname-sama!" Ichijou chuckled nervously while waving apologetically at him.

"Thank you, Ichijou." He returned his attention to the girl lying in his bed. "Besides...I am confident that she can be trusted to keep a secret." His eyes met hers. In that moment, she noticed how handsome the man was. He couldn't have been a day over nineteen years old. His dark, almost black brown eyes seemed to suck her into them and she felt herself free falling. She felt as light as a feather. He touched her cheek lightly. "Can you keep a secret?"

As much as she wanted to nod, her wounds wouldn't let her. Finally she croaked out a hoarse whisper. "Yes."

"Do not tell anyone of this. If they ask then it's fine, but do not tell anyone." With that he moved close to her and lightly touched her arm. "This may hurt a bit. If it does, I apologize."

His touch was as delicate as a rose petal as he quickly removed her wrappings. He took extra care in peeling away the last layers that were literally stuck to her skin due to dried blood around the open wounds. She gave a small whimper as a sign of her discomfort but she did not cry or whine. Kaname inspected the marks and frowned. For several moments he didn't move.

"Kaname-sama?" Ichijou moved forward and peered over Kaname's shoulder. He gasped. It was something he had never seen before. Her elbow and shoulder were consumed with purple almost black bruises around the lacerations left by the Level E vampires. Upon closer inspection...they were both still bleeding.

"This is serious." Kaname whispered to himself. "Ichijou."

Ichijou snapped to attention. "Yes sir!"

"Please go find Chairman Cross and tell him what you see...and explain to him what I plan to do."

"Yes Kaname-sama!" With that the blonde ran out of the room.

Kaname's eyes met the eyes of the young victim in front of him. Looking at her, seeing her mangled in such a brutal way...stirred his emotions. Chairman Cross worked so hard to establish what peace there was between humans and vampires. If that hot-headed Kiryu boy saw this girl in this manner...He sighed. It didn't help matters that she looked so much like Yuuki. Brown eyes that held curiousity and fear at the same time. Chocolate locks that, for the time being, smelled strongly of dried blood. He reached up and gently patted the crown of her head. She blinked yet held his gaze. Yuuki could never keep her eyes on him for this long without looking away. She looked a bit taller than Yuuki...yet he couldn't help but imagine that it was actually her and not some total stranger looking back at him. He gently stroked her head. "It won't happen again. I assure you."

Her brown eyes blinked in recognition of his promise yet she didn't speak. His hand wandered down and rested upon her warm cheek. He inhaled the scent of blood once more, checking himself to make sure he didn't show any signs of hunger. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her. He inhaled deeply. Company was coming...

He leaned down and raised her elbow up a bit. She hissed at the pain of the movement but the minute he began to blow across the bite mark, she relaxed. She watched in silent awe as the wound began to close up right before her very eyes. Better yet, the pain began to fade away as well.

"There." Kaname whispered as he rose and sat beside her on the bed. "Now sit up..."

His delicate fingers closed around her wrist as the other hand went to her left shoulder and pulled her into a sitting up position. He started to lean in but halted, whispering into her ear. "If this scares you, don't hesitate to stop me."

She nodded slowly and he continued. His breath blew across her neck and she felt her cheeks grow warm. She didn't even know the man! As the wound began to shrink in size, blood leaked out of it. She then noticed that she had on a simple white night gown. 'Where did this come from?...' She wondered. Having been so concerned with her clothes, she didn't notice the gentle tongue lapping away the blood that threatened to soil the collar of the nightgown. Kaname sat back and admired his work.

"Much better." He nodded slightly. There was a gentle knock at the door. "Please...come in."

"Kaname-sama!" A girl rushed in.

"Yuuki." Kaname stood and allowed her to take his place beside the girl sitting on his bed.

Yuuki stood transfixed by what she saw. It was like looking in a mirror...

Kaname felt another presence enter the room. "Kiryu-kun."

"Kuran-sempai." The silver haired boy didn't even look at Kaname directly.

Yuuki sat on the bed and gently took the girl's hand into hers. "Are you okay?"

The girl nodded, still studying Yuuki carefully.

"What is your name?" Yuuki smiled, rubbing the pad of her thumb across the back of the girl's hand in a gentle, re-assuring way. The girl frowned. She thought about it...and did not know an answer. Yuuki looked at her expectantly. "Well?"

Frustrated, the girl yanked her hand away from Yuuki. She hopped out of bed and stepped away from the group. She wanted to go to Kaname and ask him the question herself...but how foolish she would look asking a stranger for her name!

She pressed her back up against the wall and glared at them. She felt like a trapped animal...She looked at them each closely. "....Who...who am I?"

Kaname's gaze lowered to Yuuki's feet. Upon hearing that Aidou of all people had been left to take care of her...he had doubts that it would end well.

Yuuki stepped forward with an apologetic smile. "I-I'm sorry! I wouldn't have asked had I known that you didn't know!"

The girl pressed herself even tighter to the wall. She heard a tiny click and felt her balance shift quickly against her favor.

"Watch out!" Yuuki yelled and rushed forward. How could she have not known she was leaning against a window? Zero, who had chosen to watch this while leaning against the wall by the door, stepped forward. The early morning sky opened up above the girl's head as she began to fall out of the window. A hand tightly enclosed around her wrist and, with a powerful yank, snatched her back inside the room. Her face was buried into something strong...and it smelled like roses.

"Kaname-sempai!" Yuuki cheered. The girl pulled away and looked up. Kaname looked down at her.

"Please be careful." He stated evenly before taking a step back. The girl started to nod but suddenly clutched her arm as pain throbbed in her neck and shoulder. She swayed as the room began to spin out of control. She fainted, falling directly into Kaname's arms. "I think you should take her to the Chairman. From there he can tend to her during the day. I myself need to sleep."

"Yes, Kaname-sama!" Yuuki bowed deeply. She turned to the boy standing by the door. "Zero? Do you mind carrying her?"

The boy instantly turned his head to the side and muttered under his breath, intending for Yuuki to hear him anyway. "Of course, unless you plan on carrying her."

Had Kaname not been standing there watching her closely, Yuuki surely would have attacked him with punches. "Will you just get her already?"

Zero sighed with annoyance. "Sure. I wouldn't want your hero to be robbed of his beauty sleep..." He moved slowly over to Kaname. The pair briefly stared at each other before Zero put the girl's left arm around his neck and then lifted her up into his arms bridal style. "Let's go, Yuuki."

Yuuki continued to twitch with rage as Zero stalked out of the room. "Yuuki."

She turned to Kaname who was looking down at her. Before she could respond, his hand caressed her cheek. "Have a good day today...see you this evening."

"Y-yes, Kaname-sama." She mumbled back and ran out the door behind Zero.

Kaname watched her disappear out of the door and closed his eyes, leaning against the open window sill. "I wonder what things will be like...with a Yuuki double here on campus..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

She woke to the sounds of voices speaking softly outside of the closed door of the dark room that she was in. She was laying in a hospital bed in what appeared to be a nurse's room. Light came from under the door.

"She doesn't know who she is, Headmaster Cross." A girl's voice whispered sadly.

"Please, Yuuki...call me daddy!" An older male begged, sounding as if he were on the verge of tears. There was a deep groan of frustration.

"I have other things to do besides stand here, you know."

"Zero...could you lighten up just a wee bit?"

"Could you try to stay on topic for a wee minute?" Zero spat back mockingly.

There was a moment of silence. She sat up slowly and pressed her back to the wall beside the bed. As the three continued to talk about her and her "condition", she felt strange. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. She was among strangers, people she couldn't remember having met before. However, she was a stranger even to herself. She couldn't recall a single fact about her from any moment before the one when she awoke to Kaname and Ichijou's voices. Her chin rested ontop of her arms. She was a nobody. The people around her were able to carry on conversations with one another, were able to express emotions...able to call each other by name. But she...she had no one...only herself...and even then...that wasn't much to have. Her eyes filled with tears. Lonliness. In a world so big...filled with so many people...she didn't have one to care for her, to joke with, to make her feel like someone special.

No.

She was just a faceless nobody in a vast sea of somebodies.

....And it was the worse feeling in the world.

The door opened and light gently lit the room.

"Ah, you're awake!" A cheery voice exclaimed.

"Well, if she had been, the way you opened the door would have woken her." Zero folded his arms across his chest.

The man with glasses turned to Zero and waved a finger in his face. "Ah, but she wasn't sleeping so it doesn't matter now does it?"

"Headmaster Cross--"

"Yuuki!"

"...Daddy...what do you plan to do now?" Yuuki tugged at his elbow and gave the girl a warm smile. Against her will, the corners of her mouth curved into a small, sad smile upon the recognition she had been given.

"I was wondering about that." He responded thoughtfully. He crossed the room to her bed and leaned closer, eyeing her. "I don't see anything physically wrong with her." He paused and leaned away. "My! You look just like Yuuki!"

The girl briefly looked at Yuuki then down at her knees. She wasn't sure how to take that. Did it mean that she actually had a face in the crowd? Or would she simply blend in with Yuuki's shadow?

Kaien Cross mentally noted her reaction. His hand reached out and cupped her chin, lifting it so he could look into her eyes. She looked lost. He recalled seeing the same look on his own little Yuuki's face when Kaname brought her to him ten years ago. He allowed the pad of his thumb to brush gently across her cheek to wipe away the fresh tears. He knew what she was feeling. She had no identity....yet he couldn't help but to seize the moment...to take the oppertunity...

Both hands cupped her cheeks as he pressed his lips to her warm forehead.

Both Zero and Yuuki stared at him in shock.

"Um...daddy?" Yuuki looked at him.

He closed his eyes and spoke softly to the girl. "You're not alone like you think."

The girl's eyes widened in shock and she tried to pull away. Kaien held her firmly in place.

"You have us here with you. You also have those from the Night class, like Kaname and Ichijou."

Zero immediately saw through the Chairman. "Don't try that. Don't."

Kaien chuckled softly. "Why not? She should be able to trust everyone here at Cross Academy."

"Not everyone here is trustworthy, especially those from the Night class."

"Don't say that!" Yuuki cut in. "Kaname-sempai is nothing but kind!"

Zero sighed disgustedly. "Fine. Tell her your stupid twisted lies. When she finds out the truth..." He chuckled and walked away, waving them off.

Kaien ignored the boy. His hands smoothed down her messy hair as he pulled away. He turned slowly and grabbed Yuuki's hand. Yuuki obediently came to his side and let her head lean against his arm. "You don't remember your name?"

The girl shook her head slowly.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to give you one. Something that could start you with re-creating your own personality...so you can stand out from the crowd you're so relunctant to blend in with."

Her eyes looked up at him with hope. Yuuki smiled. It was a pleasant change from the hopeless, lost look she had since early that morning. The girl looked at the pair. Although she wanted to learn about her past, where she had come from, and if someone loved her...but...a chance to stand out? To be recognized?.....to become someone?

She nodded slowly.

Kaien smiled broadly. "Great!" He clapped his hands then grabbed hers. With a gentle tug, he helped her off the bed and stood her in front of him. Well she was taller than Yuuki by an inch or two. Her hair was darker than Yuuki's but still a shade of brown. As much as she looked like the other girl...he knew that she wasn't that girl. He wanted to help her rediscover herself.

"Yumiko." He whispered as he laid a finger lightly on her nose. "And what a beautiful child you are."

"Yumiko..." She repeated with a small, satisfied smile.

"Great!" Kaien clapped his hands together as his chest swelled with pride. "Now I have two little princesses to help me achieve my goal!!!"

"To do...what?" Yumiko looked at him curiously. He stopped celebrating to look at her. He wasn't sure how she would handle the idea of vampires...it would be best to wait a while before introducing the idea to her. He patted the top of her head.

"Don't worry about it for now." He smiled, casting a sideways glance at Yuuki. Yuuki nodded slightly to let him know she got the message. Yumiko wasn't to be told the truth about the Night class students just yet. "Yuuki, I've set Yumiko up to room with Amai. There is a uniform laid out on the bed there. I'll write you both notes so that you can help her get dressed then go to class."

"Yes, Headmaster!" Yuuki saluted him. He sighed heavily. "Er...Daddy!"

He brightened up. "Thank you. Have her shower and if she's hungry, take her to the cafeteria to get breakfast. After that, go straight to class."

"Okay." She reached her hand out and grabbed Yumiko's. "Come on."

"Okay." Yumiko whispered gently and followed Yuuki.

"Wait! You must get your excuses!" Kaien rushed out ahead of them. Yuuki lead Yumiko to the Chairman's office, finding the strange little man scribbling away on a piece of paper. Yumiko watched the Chairman write the note...then noticed the warmth Yuuki's hand gave her own. Yuuki was being so kind to her...was it because of the Chairman? Would she always be this kind and friendly to her? Or would she treat her differently? "Here you go."

"Thank you." Yuuki smiled and turned quickly, almost dragging Yumiko behind her. "We have to hurry. Classes have already started. Ah!" She covered her eyes briefly with the free hand that held the excuse. "I bet Zero-kun has already gotten to class."

"Zero?" Yumiko repeated.

Yuuki looked back at Yumiko and smiled. "The other guy? Zero. You'll learn to ignore his behavior. He's always rude and obnoxious." She waved her hand at Yumiko. "He's not too popular with the girls of the Day class."

They came to a flight of stairs and Yuuki went up. She let go of Yumiko's hand. "Day class?"

Yuuki looked back at Yumiko. "Come on." She motioned for her to follow her. "Yeah. Oh!" She smiled apologetically. "No one's properly explained the academy to you yet."

Yumiko shook her head.

"Well, that's why I'm here! There's a lot for you to learn...."

[ItachiRockstar]

Chapter Three: A Few Friends

"The first thing you must know is that there are two separate classes here at Cross Academy: Day class and Night class."

"Okay." Yumiko nodded as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Day class is...well...day class. You're going to be in Day class. All of your classes are during the day. Your dorm is the Sun Dorm, the building that we're in. You're not allowed to be found outside of it before six in the morning and seven thirty in the evening. It's for your own safety so please do not violate the curfew."

"Okay."

"Night class is...the advanced students." Yuuki spoke carefully. She had seen Yumiko sitting close to Kaname. She didn't show any fear but she had to agree with Chairman Cross; they didn't know how she would take it so they didn't tell her. "They're fairly nice and friendly, but it is preferred that you not bother them when they go to the main building for their classes."

"Why?" Yumiko asked as they approached a door.

Yuuki took out a key and unlocked it, then pushed it open. She turned to Yumiko and pressed the key into the girl's hand. "Well...the way I look at it is that they don't bother us during the day when we have our classes so why would we bother them? It's very rude."

Yumiko nodded. "I understand."

Yuuki smiled and hugged her with one arm. "Good! Now don't lose that key. It's your room key..." She looked into the empty room. "Well, your roommate has already left." Yuuki gently pushed Yumiko into the room. Yuuki spotted the uniform laying across on the bed like Kaien had said and went to pick it up. Yumiko stared at the open door...and closed it. Behind the closed door, she felt a sense of security. She couldn't explain why...but she preferred it to be closed. Yuuki didn't notice this. She whirled around and held up the uniform with pride. "Okay you go shower and put this on."

Yumiko only nodded and took it. Yuuki went to a dresser and took out a under shirt, bra, and panties. "Thank you, Yuuki."

Yuuki only smiled. "Here we use community bathrooms."

"A group of showers and toilets?"

"Closed for privacy." Yuuki reassured her. "This isn't a military school."

"Oh."

After Yumiko had showered and changed, Yuuki took her down to the school cafeteria in the Main Hall. Although she was offered a wide selection of breakfast foods, Yumiko settled on a cherry poptart and a carton of 1% milk. Yuuki sat with her and animatedly talked about the teachers she would meet. By the time they finally got to class, they were almost a half hour late. Yuuki handed the teacher the note.

"Thank you, Yuuki. Go take your seat."

Yuuki bowed and walked up the stairs. Yumiko's eyes followed Yuuki up the stairs...and noticed the sea of faces staring back at her intently. Quiet whispers filled the room.

"Attention!" The teacher tapped the edge of his desk loudly with a ruler. "This is..." He looked at the note. "...Yumiko. Everyone please welcome her to the academy."

Everyone mumbled their own version of a greeting and went back to whispering. The teacher placed a hand on Yumiko's shoulder. "Go find a seat."

A boy stood sharply. "Since I am the class president I will look after our new student."

Yuuki looked at him and stood as well. "If I may, I would like to look after her."

The boy turned to her. "What are you talking about? It's always been the class president's job to give a tour of the school campus to the new student."

"I know but..." Yuuki searched for words to explain the delicate situation. "...well it would just be better if I took that responsibility."

"As a prefect, I'm sure you have way more important duties than to play tour guide." He turned back Yumiko. "Please. Allow someone who has time for you to show you around."

"Akio--"

"Cross!" The teacher barked. "He has a point and you two are holding up my class."

Yuuki's head dropped in defeat and she sat down. Yumiko walked up the stairs and sat down next to Akio. Akio slid a few sheets of notebook paper and a pen over to her, then continued with his notes. "Welcome to Cross Academy, Yuuki."

"Thank you..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When math class let out for lunch, Zero dragged Yuuki off somewhere. Originally, Yumiko intended to stick by Yuuki's side since she was the only one who truly wanted to be in her company. However, she was left with....

"I'm guessing by the bored look on your face that you've seen the cafeteria before?" Akio looked back at Yumiko. She only nodded. "Well, here it is again then."

A group of kids rushed up to Akio and began chattering wildly about the Night class. Yumiko stood there quietly waiting for him to return his attention to her...but it seemed as if he had forgotten about her. Since they were standing a few feet from the entrance of the cafeteria, soon they became surrounded by students. Her heartbeat quickened. She looked around at the sea of faces. Sweat beads began to collect on her forehead.

Thump, thump.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Voices grew louder with each second as she was pushed and bumped by somebodies.

Thump, thump.

She took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself.

Thump, thump.

The voices grew louder and she was pushed harder. It grew hot and she tugged at the collar of her jacket.

Thump, thump.

She began to pant and covered her ears. She wanted it to stop. She wanted it all to be quiet. She wanted....she needed....

Thump, thump.

"What's her problem?" A boy asked.

Thump, thump.

Somewhere...someone was laughing. She could hear it. Very faintly, there was someone...no...a group of people were laughing at her.

Thump, thump.

"Stop it." She whispered. The insane laughter kept going, as if whatever that had caused them to laugh was just too funny to stop laughing.

Thump, thump.

"Please...please....stop it!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. She looked at the crowd who was looking back her in silent shock. Her chest rose and fell with panicked breaths. Those eyes...those faces...She shook her head.

"Yumiko, are you okay?" Akio took a step forward but Yumiko stepped back.

"I...I'm sorry." She shook her head as tears fell. She turned and took off running.

"Yumiko! Wait!" Akio yelled after her.

People became a blur as she rushed by them in a full sprint. She didn't know where she was going. She just wanted to escape the laughter. She didn't care if she left school grounds. She just wanted to escape the crowd...the one that swallowed her whole and made her....a nobody. She pushed open a door and the bright sunlight temporarily blinded her. She immediately recovered as her eyes adjusted to the light and kept running. She didn't even hear someone calling after her any more.

'No one really cares...not really...they pretend...but in the end...all I am is a girl with a name.' She didn't even pay attention to her surroundings. Everything was a blur to her. 'I'm just another face with a name...who can't remember a friendly loving face...someone to make me feel...human.'

She tripped over a rock and fell. She examined the knee that came in contact with the ground and sighed when she saw that she was okay. She stood and looked around. Nothing looked familiar.

"Oh...right. Nothing looks familiar....because I don't know anything." She hugged her knees and looked around. She felt so alone...a tiny rock...just a pebble in a huge pond. Unnoticeable. Unimportant.

"...Who really cares?" She wondered aloud, talking to herself. She stood and looked around. She wanted to hide. She would rather deal with being alone; she would rather isolate herself in her own little world...than to deal with being rejected by "the crowd". At least in her little world...she had one friend...herself...well, at least she could get to know herself.

She found a nice secluded patch of grass and sat down. It was pretty comfortable outside. Warm, but not so warm that she felt hot in her jacket. There was a light breeze that carried the scent of lavender in the air. It made her drowsy. She laid back and watched the clouds drift by lazily overhead.

"Who really cares...when I talk?" She continued to speak to herself. "What I feel? What I say?"

'Nobody...not really...'

"Who wants to take the time?...I would like...someone to heal me with some empathy....that I can't find..."

'Nobody...not really...'

"Maybe I'm invisible to the world..." She thought about the faces. Did they really see her? Or did they see Yuuki...Akio...did they wonder why they were talking to themselves? "Is there anyone in the world...who thinks of me as more than just a hopeless cause?"

She remembered the looks that she had received....from those who knew her story thus far. Pity.

"Maybe the world is not my block...my stoop...my life...my dreams..." She closed her eyes. "My anything....." She felt herself become sleepy as her eyelids became too heavy to open. "I'm alone in a big empty space...with..."

'Nobody...not really...'

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Yuuki looked around the classroom. Yumiko hadn't made it in yet. She waited patiently beside Sayori, her best friend, waiting patiently.

"Who are you waiting for?"

"Huh?" Yuuki blinked and looked at Sayori. "What?"

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." She didn't look at Yuuki. "I know you better than you think. You came to class on time. Rare. You didn't put your head down and fall straight to sleep as usual. Rare. You're looking around the classroom. All the signs say you're looking for someone." She finally turned to Yuuki. "And since Zero is sitting behind us, I'm sure you're not looking for him." She pointed at him with her thumb.

"I can hear you." Zero glared at the back of their heads.

Yuuki chose to ignore him. "The new student. Yumiko. She has this class..." Yuuki looked around. "But she isn't here."

Akio walked into the class room and took his seat...alone. Yuuki's eyes bugged out and she jumped up. "Akio? Where is Yumiko?"

Akio looked highly uncomfortable with the question. "Ah! About that..." He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "You see...she freaked out at the beginning of lunch and took off. I tried to follow her but the lunch crowd separated us. By the time I made it out to the courtyard in one piece...she was gone."

"KYAAAAA!!!!" Yuuki screamed. "YOU LOST HER?!!! YOU'RE THE CLASS PRESIDENT AND YOU LOST HER?!?!"

The boy seemed to shrink down into his seat. "Well it was the lunch crowd. You know how they can be--"

"I TRUSTED YOU WITH HER AND YOU LOST HER!!!! WHAT KIND OF CLASS PRESIDENT ARE YOU?!?!"

"Cross! Please take your seat. Class has begun." The teacher scolded her. She gave Akio one last lingering death glare before returning to her seat. She tried to pay attention to the math lesson but...her mind was on Yumiko. She wondered where she was. She wondered if she was okay. Tons of possibilities...but she honestly didn't have a clue.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Aidou stood beside Kain, studying the sleeping girl. "I wonder if she's simply skipping class." He turned to look at Kain. "Those prefects usually are aware of such things."

Kain merely shrugged and pushed his hand through his hair. "Or she could be new and got lost. I haven't seen her before...at least, from this distance, I don't think I have."

A smirk curved Aidou's lips. "Why don't we take a closer look and see?" He muttered and moved forward. Kain sighed and followed the blonde. Usually when his cousin as a question like that, it was always rhetorical. Aidou had a nasty habit of making group decisions.

Aidou looked down at the peaceful sleeping face....and quietly gasped. "Kain...it's the girl we rescued."

"Ah...then I retract my earlier statement." He looked at his watch and shoved his hands into his pockets. "We should get back to the dorm. Everyone should be getting ready to go to the Main Hall. We also have to get through the Day class crowd."

Aidou didn't react as if he had heard his cousin. He knelt down beside her...reached out and pushed her hair away from her neck. "Sleeping so soundly...yet I can almost taste--"

"Aidou." Kain said firmly. "We should go."

Aidou pouted and looked over his shoulder, his big blue eyes pleading. "Just a taste? She won't even notice--"

"Aidou." Another voice was even and cool.

They both looked up to see their dorm leader, Kaname Kuran, standing there patiently with his bodyguard, Seiren.

"Kaname-sama?" Aidou stood sharply. "We--"

"Why aren't you getting ready for class?" He looked down at the girl. "Yumiko."

"Yeah! She was just laying here." Aidou looked down at her, happy to have the attention off of him.

Kaname looked at Kain. "Pick her up. We'll take her with us to the gate so that Yuuki and Kiryu can take care of her."

Kain nodded and moved to her. He bent down and lifted up into his arms. Immediately, Yumiko began to stir. She opened her eyes and looked around. Kain stood and put her feet on the ground. She looked at the group.

"What are you doing here?" Kaname asked.

"Are you skipping?" Aidou eyed her suspiciously.

Yumiko looked down at her feet.

Kaname stepped forward and stared at the top of her head. "You are. That's not allowed."

She didn't reply.

Aidou moved over and put an arm around her shoulder. "Ah, Kaname-sama. Don't be so hard on her. I skip all the time and--" He suddenly stopped, realizing he had said too much. "Ah!!! Well, that's besides the point. She can walk with us to the gate. We can get to know her better."

Kaname gave Aidou a warning glance and turned on his heel. "Very well. Let's get moving....I'm sure Yuuki will be relieved to see her new friend is okay."

Yuuki looked at his back as he walked away. 'Friend?'

Aidou looked at her shocked expression. "What? Is the concept of friendship foreign to you?" He gently pulled her into step beside him as they continued to walk, keeping an arm around her shoulders.

Yumiko didn't know how to respond to the question.

"It's okay. Friends are good to have." He smiled broadly as he waved the hand holding a book. "In fact, my name is Aidou and I'll be your friend too."

She looked at him, clearly overwhelmed with the idea.

He misunderstood her expression. "Ah. I understand how you must feel. Many girls from the Day class would kill to be in your shoes..." An idea struck him but he kept moving. "...and if they found out such a thing they would be so jealous of you."

"Jealous...of me?" She looked positively shell shocked.

"Of course! Don't you know who I am?" He pulled away and posed. "I am Aidou "Idol" Hanabusa!"

Yumiko simply stared at him. His face fell.

"You...don't know who I am do you?" She shook her head. He sighed, put his arm around her, and kept walking. "Ah, but you will find out quite soon, I assure you."

They came to the Night class crowd waiting at the gate.

"Kaname-sama!" A boy that she recognized as Ichijou rushed towards them. "There you go wandering off again..." His words trailed off as he looked at Yumiko. "Where did she come from?"

"It's of no importance." Kaname stated and walked past him.

"...Okay then." Ichijou shrugged and followed behind him. If the dull roar coming from the other side of the gate and Yuuki's voice clearly ordering people to move back was any indication...then there had to be a small army waiting for them. A whistle blew insistantly followed by Yuuki's firm orders.

"This shall be fun! It's the best part of my day." Aidou's chest puffed out. "Greeting my fans!"

Yumiko noticed a long haired, platinum blonde staring at her. "What is a human doing on our side of the gate?"

"Ruma." Kaname glared at her. She instantly turned away from Yumiko and faced the gate with a huff.

"Just asking."

'Human?...Isn't she one too?' Yumiko wondered. There was a loud creak and the gates slowly began to swing open.

Aidou's arm hugged Yumiko closer. "This will be very interesting." He allowed some of the other students to walk ahead, deliberately placing himself and Yumiko in the middle of the crowd.

"Idol-sempai!!!"

"Shoot me, please, Aidou!!!"

Girls clamored and screamed at the mere sight of him. Yumiko felt herself once again become a nobody...until...

"Hey...who is that beside him?"

"Isn't that the new girl? What's her name?"

"Her name is Yumiko! I had her in my history class this morning!!"

"HOW IN THE WORLD DID SHE GET TO HIM?!?!"

She looked at the girls. They didn't look happy to see Aidou so close to her...but it was recognition. A smile formed slowly and she briefly giggled. Aidou stopped waving with his free hand and looked at her. Seeing her smiling...he smiled too. She loved the attention that being with him gave her.

"Enjoying yourself?" He whispered.

She looked up into his eyes...and smiled a bit wider in response.

"Good." He leaned over and kissed her ear. "Good day then."

A whistle blew and suddenly they were separated. "Idol--I mean--Aidou!!! You know you aren't to get so close--"

"Ah, calm down, will you? I wasn't even thinking about doing that." He cut his eyes at Yuuki and Zero. "You prefects are too uptight. I was just making my new friend feel welcome." He looked at Yumiko and waved. "Later."

"Bye..." She whispered returning the gesture.

They watched as the Night class continued walking. Yuuki immediately went back to ushering the Day class girls to their dorms.

"Where were you today?" Zero asked bluntly.

Yumiko looked up at him and, upon seeing his disapproving glare, looked back down at her feet.

"Well?"

She didn't respond. He sighed with frustration.

"Fine. Don't answer. But I advise you to enjoy your freedom while you can. Once you actually go to the class and enroll...they'll mark you absent and notify Headmaster Cross of your truancy."

"Okay."

He seemed satisfied to get something out of her and dropped the subject. "Also..." He put a hand on her shoulder to make her look up at him. "Stay away from the Night students."

She started to ask why but he turned and walked off. Yuuki rushed back over to Yumiko and hugged her. "Do you know how worried I was about you today??! I literally screamed at Akio in class today and then spent the remainder of the school day looking for you. Were you with the Night class the whole time?"

"Er...no. I was asleep somewhere back there." She pointed to the area she had been in. Yuuki stared blankly.

"Well...please don't take off like that again. It's not safe for you to do that." Yuuki grabbed Yumiko's hand and lead the way back to the Main Hall. "You missed dinner. Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Oh...well I guess I could take you back to the dorm--"

"Can't I stay with you?" Yumiko stopped walking.

Yuuki looked at her. "Well...no."

Yumiko looked crushed. "Oh...well why not?"

Yuuki was startled by the question. How would she explain that??

"Well, I actually have night duties as a prefect and am not allowed to let anyone 'tag along' with me. Otherwise, I'd let you come." She smiled broadly and put an arm around the girl's shoulders. "Besides...I don't get much sleep because of these duties...it's no fun really. Hey! But if you get sleep then you can help me stay awake in the classes we have together tomorrow. That is your duty."

Yumiko smiled. She had a purpose! She nodded. "Yes...sempai."

"Good. Now, do you remember how to find your dorm room?" Yumiko nodded. "Then hurry. I don't want you breaking curfew."

She didn't even have to repeat herself. Yumiko had already taken off.

------------------------------------------------------

Note: Song lyrics taken from "Nobody Not Really" by Alicia Keys

[ItachiRockstar]

Chapter Four: Yuuki's Shadow

The following days were uneventful with the exception of Yumiko witnessing the prefects punch and push one another after Zero called Yuuki a brat. Before she knew it, it was Friday night. She couldn't understand why curfew for outside the dorms wasn't extended but she never questioned Yuuki's orders. Also, because she was so quiet, she was able to observe and learn a lot of things. For instance, the Day class' girls could really hold a grudge. Apparently, they still hadn't forgave her for being able to actually touch Aidou, let alone get to the other side of the gate. Another thing she learned was that no one knew much of anything about the Night class beyond what the prefects told them. The mystery surrounding them made the Day class students absolutely nuts about the Night class.

Although they were allowed to roam around their dorm building until midnight, Yumiko opted to stay in her dorm room and finish all the homework she'd been assigned. After all, if she did it then instead of waiting, she would have the whole weekend to herself, allowing her to spend more time with Yuuki.

The door opened and her roommate, Amai, stepped in. "Hello, Yumiko."

"Hello."

Amai wandered over to her dresser and began pulling things out. "My friend Keiko has invited me to come sleep in her room for the weekend since her roommate went home for the weekend." She explained, shoving clothes into a gym bag. "There's been a death in the family."

"That's horrible!" Yumiko covered her mouth.

"It is. On the bright side, you'll have the room to yourself so you sleep in as late as you'd like!" Amai smiled. Overall, she was very kind to Yumiko. She was about Yumiko height but was in a class lower than hers. She had short, choppy black hair. She had leaf green eyes, freckles, and a round face that still hung onto baby fat. She got good grades, but didn't devote enough time to studying because she wanted to spend endless hours talking about the Night class with her friends. Yumiko also noted that even though Amai would stay up for hours with Yumiko chatting about whatever crossed their minds...Amai never invited Yumiko to tag along with her. Sure, Yumiko never actually asked to go...but Amai never extended an invitation. Amai picked up her bag. "See you Sunday, Yumiko!"

"Bye." She mumbled to the door as it slammed shut, once again isolating her inside of her own little world. By the time she finished her homework, it was nearly one in the morning. Amai would have freaked out if she saw Yumiko complete a writing assignment that was allowed a week before it was actually due. However, due to spending a little time with the class president, Akio, she picked up the habit of doing something as soon as she could instead of putting it off for later. What sense was there in waiting anyway?

She stood and stretched, yawning loudly. She didn't have anything else to do since Yuuki was busy with her prefect duties so she decided to shower and go to bed. She was surprised that all the other girls were locked in their rooms, seemingly sound asleep. She showered quickly and tiptoed back to her room. She pulled back the covers on her bed...and heard a knock at her window. The sound startled her since her room was on the second floor! She peeked out of her closet when she heard the noise again. What she saw nearly made her pass out cold.

"Stop staring at me and let me in!" Aidou whispered urgently, motioning for her to come to the window. Her feet and hands moved on their own as she moved over to the window, unlocked it, and stepped back. Aidou was standing on a narrow ledge protruding from the building. "Took you long enough."

He hopped inside the room and closed the window. Hearing the window softly shut made her snap out of her stupor. "What are you doing here?!?"

He eyed her for a moment then moved over to her bed and plopped down onto it. "That's a question you should have asked before you let me inside." He frowned, sat up to fluff her pillow, then laid back. "The question should now be 'Aidou-sempai, will you marry me?!'"

Yumiko didn't find this amusing at all. "What do you want?" She asked folding her arms across her chest.

He cut his icy blue eyes at her and frowned. "It's bad enough you look like that perfect prefect, but must you also be as annoying as her, too?"

Goosebumps appeared on her exposed arms as the temperature in the room dropped. She unconsciously rubbed her arms to keep warm. "I wouldn't have to be if you simply followed the school's rules."

He sighed heavily and sat up. "Let's face it. Rules were meant to be broken." He stood and the air in the room became comfortable again. He walked slowly over to her. "If we always followed the rules..." He reached out and teased the ends of her hair with his fingertips. "...then we would all die of pure boredom."

She swatted his hand away. "We would not."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, the perfect prefects break the rules constantly." He counted off on his fingers. "Sleeping in class. Skipping class..." He tried to think of examples that didn't involve him, Zero, and that cursed nuisance called Bloody Rose. "....hm...."

"Their duties as prefects excuse them from the rules."

"Does it really? Then please remind me to go race and apply for the position as prefect the next time the job is available." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "At any rate, I didn't come here to have a battle of the wits with Yuuki number two."

"Wha--"

"Get dressed and let's go."

"...Excuse me? Do what?"

"Let's. Go."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Au contraire. Since you let me into your bedroom, you'd be in triple the amount of trouble you'd be in if you were merely caught outside roaming around campus." He looked at her smugly. 'Check and mate.'

Yumiko's face fell. He was right. The consequences for having a male in the girl's side of the dormitory were far worse than being found frolicking around outside at one in the morning. She took a deep breath and retreated back inside of her closet. He waited patiently, ignoring the sounds of rummaging and angry mumbling. She finally emerged wearing her school uniform and glared at him. "Happy?"

"Not as long as you look like her." He drawled and turned to the window. "Come on. Zelman can only keep the prefects occupied for so long before they catch on."

"Why do I get the feeling this won't end well?" She asked approaching the window and looking down at him as he extended his hand to her.

"Because you're bound to get caught. It will be worth it. I promise."

She took his hand and put one leg out the window. "How so?" She asked ducking down to stick her head out then followed by her other leg. He put his hands on her waist and set her down on the ledge.

"You'll see." He smiled wickedly.

"I don't think I'll like this."

"Neither will Yuuki."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I wonder what's keeping them so long..." A guy stood by the window with his arms folded. His hair gave him a wild appearance yet his eyes told a different story.

"The whole thing is troublesome I tell you." Shiki stood and pushed a hand through his red hair as he looked around the room. "What's the point of deliberately causing trouble?"

Kain looked at him with a dry smirk. "I'm sorry. Are you talking about Zelman or Aidou?"

Shiki tilted his head to the side briefly as if contemplating an answer then settled on shaking his head. "Why do we always get pulled into this?"

The door burst open and a guy with dark red hair, about Shiki's color, ran and and slammed it behind him, pressing his body against the door. Seconds afterwards someone began screaming and pounding on the other side of it.

"PYR WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU YOU'RE GONNA BE LUNCHMEAT!!!" A girl screamed at the top of her lungs.

The boy rolled his eyes and scoffed with a sinister smile. "Oh, hell, like I haven't heard that before!" He yelled back sarcastically then locked the door. "That was fun."

Kain and Shiki looked at Zelman with curious looks. Kain unfolded his arms and spoke softly, "Zelman...what did you do?"

Zelman winked and plopped down on his bed. "The same thing I do every night, Pinky." He closed his eyes. "Try to take over the world!"

The beating on the door continued for another fifteen minutes or so before Yuuki's voice was heard asking the girl to go back to her room. Zelman chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Shiki asked. Although he personally didn't care as to what the self-destructive thrill seeker did in his spare time...he learned it was best to be prepared for any punishment either Kaname or the Headmaster deemed fit for them not stopping Zelman and Aidou.

"Her hair is blue now." He smiled with satisfaction. "Permanent dye isn't the easiest to get out."

Kain's eyes widened with horror. "And who was that?"

"Some first year...what's her name....ah, Amaterasu. Hell, too many letters if you ask me."

"So where are they?" Kain looked at Zelman.

Zelman opened an eye and looked directly at Kain. "The guy is patrolling the northeast part of the grounds while the girl is somewhere inside the dorm with Amaterasu." He closed the eye. "All is well."

"Good." Kain whispered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"W-wait! I changed my mind!" Yumiko whispered and stopped walking alongside Aidou.

"Again? What is it now?" His icy blue eyes gave her chills. She looked away and chose to stare at the water in the pond that was under the bridge there were standing on. "If you keep this up, we'll certainly be found before we even get to the Moon Dorm!"

"Why are we going there?"

He looked at her for a second. "Don't you want to meet the Night class?"

She thought about it. "I already did."

"Not formally."

"Why me? Of all the girls in that dormitory...why me?" She looked down at the ground between them.

For this Aidou didn't have an answer. "Why must you ask so many questions?! Anyone else would be on the verge of fainting to even be near me alone and yet here you are playing 21 questions with me."

Yumiko bowed her head submissively. "I-I apologize."

Seeing her do this, Aidou only saw Yuuki repeatedly doing the same thing to Kaname....and it grated him. "Stand up straight!" He barked and she snapped to attention.

'Pathetic.' He thought to himself. 'She's nothing more than a pet begging to be trained. A puppet needing someone to pull her strings. She doesn't think for herself. She has no true personality. Flatter than a ruler and equally as dull.' "That annoys me.." He whispered to no one in particular. 'She's nothing more than Yuuki's shadow...and having one Yuuki is more than enough...'

A devious thought entered Aidou's mind...and with it came a sinister plan.

'But what if....what if I took this dry, dead soil and planted a seed? What if I watered it with my own personality...my own thoughts and wants...and grew....a dark beauty. Someone to stir up commotion and chaos during the day for those damned prefects while I slept peacefully? Then when she laid her precious head down to rest...I could rise and start the torment all over again.' He smiled wickedly. 'Where there is light...there is dark. Yuuki is Kaname's good little princess...and Yumiko could be my wicked, thorned black rose....'

He inhaled deeply and turned on the charm, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Come. We don't have all night to stand around."

It didn't take them long to get to the room where the others were waiting for them. He had to carry her on his back in order to get to the second story window where Kain already had the window open.

"Hell, it took you long enough." Zelman teased sitting up. His eyes settled on Yumiko and for a minute he freaked out. "Why did you bring the prefect here?!?!"

Aidou smiled as he put Yumiko down. "Take a closer look; this isn't the prefect."

Shiki and Zelman leaned forward, staring at the girl. Zelman was the first to lean away after a few moments. "I see. She has a beauty mark on the left side of her face. The prefect doesn't."

"Exactly. Her name is Yumiko."

"Did you bring her here as a snack?" Shiki's eyes threatened to change color but Aidou got in between them to prevent her from seeing this. "No. She's a friend of mine...don't touch her."

The group sighed with disappointment.

"You're killing me, Aidou-sempai." Zelman pouted.

Aidou ignored him and turned to Yumiko. "These are my closest friends." He pointed to each person as he called their name out and each gave their own version of some greeting to her. "Shiki Senri, Zelman Pyr, and my cousin, Kain Akatsuki."

She smiled awkwardly and gave a small wave.

"Come! Sit down!" Zelman patted the bed beside him. Yumiko merely stared at him. He looked down at the bed and grinned. "Or not..." He stood, lept over the back of the couch that sat between three beds (one on each wall except by the door) and sat down. "Okay, now let's try that again."

Much to Yumiko's (and Aidou's) surprise, Yumiko found comfort within the group of guys. Contrary to the shell she was when she felt no one was looking at her or that no one cared about her, she was very conversational. Zelman and Aidou made up most of the conversation, jumping from topic to topic so quickly that Kain and Shiki didn't even bother to try to actively take part in it after the first thirty minutes went by. However, Yumiko was able to keep up with the two. While Aidou and Zelman expressed their opinions and differences, Yumiko made mental notes to find out these things so she could form her own list of likes and dislikes. She watched them both carefully and was inwardly thrilled with the recognition and personal attention the boys gave her. Her shyness disappeared. She actually relaxed instead of being on edge. At some points during their conversation, Zelman had been able to move behind her and start playing in her hair. She would playfully swat his hands and tell him only girls play in people's hair; he would respond that "friends" allow friends to play in their hair. After the third time of hearing this, she stopped fighting him.

Aidou watched her carefully, making mental notes and plotting out his "lesson plan". It would take a while to make his plan work. It would take lots of patience and commitment...but it would work. She was perfect. Step one had already began to effect her. She trusted them.

He knew he had to go slowly through the steps. She had to trust them and what they said before anything else could be done. As long as they were kind to her and treated her like a good, valuable friend, she would become attached to them. Yes. She would want to spend time with them. This was a crucial step in that, in the future, she would actively seek them out on her own, wanting company that most likely would never be found over in the Sun Dorm.

He smiled as he watched her yawn and stretch, eyes blinking as sleep began to weigh down on her eyelids.

"I think you should be heading back now, Yumiko." Aidou sighed and stood up. As much as he hated to admit it, she needed to go back before she was caught inside their dorm room.

"Yes..." She muttered sleepily, leaning against Zelman who was intrigued by her being comfortable enough with them to actually not mind being to so close to him. Aidou grabbed her wrist and slowly pulled her to her feet.

"I don't think I'll walk you back. If you get caught out alone, this tired, they may just fall for the sleepwalker trick." Aidou mused.

"Aidou-sempai!" Zelman feigned shock. "You, a gentleman, would allow a lady to walk back alone to her room in zombie mode?! I am apalled, sir!"

Aidou cut his eyes at Zelman yet still smiled. "I haven't had my medication yet. I don't think it would be a good idea." He took both of Yumiko's hands and looked directly into the girl's tired eyes. "Can you make it back alone?"

She blinked a few times. "Huh?"

"Wow." Kain finally stood and stretched. "It's nearly four in the morning. The prefects should be on their way back to their dorms."

Yumiko yawned...and fell forward against Aidou, sleeping soundly. Aidou looked at her in disbelief as she continued to sleep, then immediately shot Zelman an accusing look.

Zelman looked around suspiciously, and the minute he felt the intense glare, got defensive. "Oh come on! I couldn't resist!"

"She could have used what little energy you left her in the first place to get back home!" Aidou nearly growled. "Now I have to take her back!"

Zelman stood and went to his bed. "You're forgetting to mention where that becomes my problem, my friend."

[ItachiRockstar]

Chapter Five: Black Rose

The sun rose slowly, bringing a dreaded Saturday morning with it. All across the campus, students scampered around trying to hide their most prized belongings. It was inspection day. It was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. but activity peaked around nine in the morning. Even the night class students were running around the Moon Dorm trying to find places to hide things they wanted to keep.

Zelman's walked down the hall beside a sleepy Shiki with his hands in his pajama pants pockets, bare feet padding softly on the hardwood floor. "I took it even farther this time. Last time Zero found my stash of whoopee cushions. This time he won't find a thing."

Shiki's sleepy blue eyes slowly looked at Zelman. "Joker, what are you talking about?"

Zelman smiled. "Ah, it's been a while since I've heard my nickname. I was beginning to think people forgot just who I am. Well, I learned from previous experiences that you usually get caught when you try to move things right before they come. That Zero has some really sharp eyes. He looks for things that seem misplaced or moved. If you leave things where they've been for the past few weeks then he won't see it as 'suspicious' and take your stuff."

"Why can't you use that sharp mind of yours for good?"

Zelman spun around and paled. "Kaname-sama!"

Kaname has his arms folded over his chest. "I'm inspecting rooms before they even get here. I don't want you all creating problems for Yuuki." He walked past them. "She shouldn't be bothered with such trivial things like this anyway."

Zelman looked as if he would cry. He could never get anything by Kaname. If he was going to do the initial inspections...He sighed. "Fuck."

Shiki looked at him. "What?"

"I have to get all my goodies out of my room...Kaname will find them and have my head." He turned back around and dragged himself back to his room.

On the other hand, Aidou was confident that his things wouldn't be touched. He smiled broadly and put his fists on his hips in a super hero pose, inhaling deeply.

"Ahh! Look at my collection of treasures."

Ichijou stared blankly at them. "Aidou...surely you don't believe--"

"Yes I do. Kaname-sama will appreciate my lovely collection," he picked up a glass cup with big shiny eyes, "and maybe even ask for something to keep!"

As if on cue, Kaname was standing by the door. "What is that?"

Aidou almost skipped over to Kaname and held the cup up for him to see. "I found this in an alley!"

Ichijoy nearly fell over on his face from the shock. Kaname's expression didn't change. "So it's...junk?"

Aidou stepped back with a dramatic gasp. "Junk?! No! Kaname-sama, it's a rare artifact! There aren't many of these in the world." Aidou gently petted the glass with his finger.

Kaname stood up straight and sighed. "You can buy more of those down at the market in town...they come in many different colors." He eyed the blue cup. "The red ones are better looking."

Aidou's face fell with hurt.

"Nonetheless, it's against the rules to have these things in your room." He called over his shoulder. "Come in."

Kain and Shiki came into the room with boxes...big boxes.

"N-no!" Aidou's protested in a high-pitched voice. "Not that. Anything but that!!!"

"I don't want you making the inspections harder for Yuuki than they have to be." Kaname turned and walked out the room, leaving Aidou to continue to scream and fuss...and curse those "perfect prefects."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Many of the other students spent Saturdays in town buying things for the next week. Yumiko instead chose to stay on campus, seizing the oppurtunity to explore the campus freely. Since she had no personal belongings, she was dismissed from the inspections. Unfortunately, Amai had a closet full of things related to the Night class. So much, in fact, that she was given detention as punishment for making Zero go get a separate cart just to hold all that she had.

It was fairly sunny outside, just a bit chilly due to the wind. Yumiko felt like exploring...She wandered around on her own, taking the time to enjoy herself. She spotted a tall wall...and got an idea. Her motions were fluid, pure instinct. She climbed a tree closest to the wall, inched along a sturdy branch, and climbed onto the wall. A feeling of familiarity washed over her and she felt pure joy consume her. Her smile was wide and bright, something she hadn't felt since she woke up a few days prior.

She turned so that the wall's narrow width stretched out before her and inhaled deeply. Her arms stretched out on each side to give her a better balance. She could hear a distant roar of a cheering crowd in her mind.

And she loved it.

She took careful steps in forward, keeping excellent balance. She was smiling so hard that by this time, her cheeks began to hurt. Without even trying to, she had unlocked a part of herself. She had unconsciously remembered something: she loved walking along narrow beams! She stopped and gracefully picked her right foot up, bringing it mid-calf level to her opposite leg. She brung her arms up above her head...and gently brought then down behind her, arching her back.

She felt like a swan, gracefully spreading her wings. She didn't understand what she was doing. She didn't know why she was doing it. All she knew was that she liked it...

Someone began clapping and it startled her so bad that she lost her balance, and therefore her footing, and fell. The right back side of her head slammed into the concrete wall and she fell for what seemed like forever before slamming into the hard, cold grass below.

"Ow...ow...ow!" Yumiko cried out, alternating from grabbing her head and her shoulder.

"Don't move!" A guy's voice yelled out as quick footfalls approached her. He knelt down beside her and gently touched her. "Are you okay? Does anything feel broken?"

She looked up to see Zelman looking down at her with worry on his face. 'Well, this is a change from that smiling, mischievous guy I met last night.' "I don't think anything is broken...but my head and shoulder hurts."

He nodded and gently moved her hand. Blood was leaking from the wound in the back of her head. It wasn't a lot...but more than enough to cloud Zelman's judgement. He had just taken a blood pill, which was nothing more than blood in the form of a pill, designed to dissolve in either a glass of water or on one's tongue. However, the sweet, warm scent of blood set of a reaction in him that he was having trouble keeping in check. She didn't seem to notice that she was bleeding.

"My shoulder...I landed my shoulder." She rubbed at her shoulder and winced at the contact. Zelman's hands moved quickly to keep his mind off the red, alluring liquid soaking her shirt collar. He untied her tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons to pull the fabric away from her shoulder. He gasped. There was a vampire bite on the crook of her shoulder, clearly a miss from the orginial target, her neck. What fascinated him even more...was the fact that it was bleeding slightly. Her hand covered the exposed area and she cried out in pain, tears beginning to leak from her eyes. "Why does it hurt so much?" She whimpered as her hand went up to her head.

She felt the warm wetness. She pulled it away and looked at her bloody hand...and screamed.

"No! Don't panic." Zelman tried to lift her up. "Come on. We have to get you to--"

Click.

Zelman froze and swore loudly. "FUCK!"

"Move and you won't pull another prank, Pyr." Zero's cold, indifferent voice ordered.

"It's not what it looks like." He tried to explain.

"I beg to differ." Zero muttered and stepped to the side. What he saw made him snap.

Yumiko tried to keep calm like Zelman had told her.

"Look, she fell. I saw her fall. I can't explain everything else but--" He looked back down at the girl. "Can't you shoot me after you get her help?! Yumiko. Please stay calm."

She heard her name whispered with concern. She looked over at Zelman...and Zero standing behind him with a gun to the back of his head. The pain became insignificant to her when she saw that someone who cared about her, even with a gun to his head, being threatened in such a way. "Zero, what are you doing?"

Zero paused upon hearing her say his name. "What did he do to you?"

"I fell. I was walking on the wall...and I fell." She attempted to sit up.

"No. Stay down." Zelman reached out to her but Zero pressed the barrel of the gun against the back of his skull to remind him just how close to death he was.

"Did you just move?"

Zelman didn't respond. Arms wrapped around him and Yumiko's face appeared in front of the gun. "Don't hurt him. He's trying to help me!"

Zero's arm wavered at the sight of blood. "He bit you?"

Yumiko blinked in confusion. "What? No! Why would he do that?" She hugged him tighter. "Back off already."

"Listen to the girl, Kiryu." Aidou said coldly. He walked slowly over to them with Shiki and Kain on his flank, also accompanied with other Night students. "Surely you wouldn't dream of opposing all of us, would you?"

For a second didn't say a word, even moving the gun so it was redirected to Zelman, who was on the verge of tears.

"Leave him alone." Yumiko said firmly, with an attitude she didn't know she had.

"What's going on?" Kaname emerged from the crowd of Night students. He assessed the situation...and his eyes fell on the bite mark on Yumiko's shoulder. The first thing he noticed was the bruising around it...then he knew. "Kiryu-kun, please lower your weapon. Zelman didn't harm her. That's an old wound."

Zero didn't seem to believe it...but he put the gun away. He grabbed Yumiko's wrist and attempted to pull her along but she snatched away from him.

"You owe him an apology!"

Zelman finally uncovered his head and looked around wildly, apparently shocked that he was still alive and not a pile of dust.

"I don't owe him anything but a bullet." Zero retorted coldly.

"You--" Yumiko started but a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Please go with him, Yumi." Kaname whispered. She looked up at him...and blushed. He had given her a nickname. He had taken off the ending that meaned "child" and made her simply..."beautiful". He smoothed her hair down. "It's not safe for you to remain here at the moment."

She turned away quickly and stared at the ground. "Y-yes...Kaname-sama." She didn't understand it...but...she liked him.

Aidou's blood boiled at seeing Yumiko go from defiant to a pile of mush within seconds! Just like that prefect...just like her...

"Let's go back inside." Kaname spoke firmly but with a soft tone. "We could all be doing other things."

The small crowd dispersed but Aidou and Zelman stayed behind, watching Yumiko follow silently behind Zero.

Zelman happened to see blood stains on his shirt and touched his neck where Yumiko and placed her own when she protected him. He pulled his hand away and looked at the fresh blood on his fingertips. Instinctively, he ran the tip of his tongue along his teeth and nicked it on his growing fangs. Aidou watched him carefully. Zelman eyed the wet substance on his fingers....and licked them tentatively. He closed his eyes with bliss as he sucked on his fingers in delight. Yes, peace is what they wanted but in the end....blood was what they needed.

"How does it taste?" Aidou interrupted Zelman and stalked over to him.

"Delicious, Aidou-sempai..." Zelman murmured as his amber eyes deepened in color to blood red. Aidou didn't even hesitate. He reached out, wiped off the rest of the blood with his hand, and licked it too.

He slowly inhaled the scent and exhaled as he licked his hand clean. When it was all gone, he shook his head. "This is becoming more complicated than I expected it to be."

Zelman looked up at him with a lost expression. "What do you mean?"

Aidou brought his icy blue eyes up to Zelman's...and they also turned blood red. "I have plans for her." He chose his words carefully. Although he intended for Zelman to be in on it, he didn't necessarily have to tell him all the details right then. "However, when a human's blood is so rich and tempting as hers tastes...it's too easy to lose sight of the ultimate goal. Like the Cross girl. Every time her blood signature hits the air..." He inhaled to emphasize his point. He looked around and his eyes landed on a red rose bush. "It's very distracting. With Yumiko, I'll have to exercise extreme caution and control. She isn't aware of the vampire world. Right now...she is a very delicate flower...still blooming." He plucked a rose bud from the bush. "But if I water her, feed her, and give her the attention she craves..." He sent some of his own energy into the bud and it opened up and began to bloom. "She will grow into a flower...a beautiful flower."

"But what sense is there in doing that?" Zelman asked.

Aidou's eyes faded back to their ice blue. He bit his bottom lip in thought and sent more energy into the flower. "She would be my rose. My beautiful rose. If successful, she could pay those prefects back for ruining our fun. She would become such a burden on them that they wouldn't have even half the energy to handle us at night."

Zelman opened his mouth to point out a flaw in Aidou's thinking but paused upon seeing the rose slowly turn as black as the Day Class's uniforms...yet it didn't burn. It didn't even look as if it was going to wilt. It held its form and was even more beautiful than a regular red rose as it sparkled faintly in the sunlight. He understood what Aidou had done to it. He sped up its growth...then froze it from the inside out so that it would forever maintain its beauty. However, it was dead.

Aidou turned slowly and walked back towards their dorms. "I'm going back to sleep. It's Saturday evening. When I wake up, we can go scout the grounds for Day Class students."

Zelman nodded. His skin tingled. He was being watched. He used his senses to pinpoint. He turned slowly...

She saw him look directly at her and put the binoculars down, quickly closing her curtains. 'How did he...'

Zelman blinked in surprise. The Sun Dorms weren't too far away from the Moon Dorms. But for a student of the Day class to be spying on them instead of just sneaking over was....strange.

He shrugged it off and pushed his hands into his baggy uniform pants. He needed to figure out a way to smuggle more tricks onto campus again.

[ItachiRockstar]

Chapter Six: What Lies In the Shadows

'I'll always love you...'

He narrowed his black eyes as his hands formed fists at his sides. Despite the cool fall air, he was hot. Not just physically, but also emotionally as well. How could she? He had given her everything he was able to...including his dead heart. He had explained to her how much she meant to him.

"You filthy little liar." He mumbled as he walked along the side of the road, his black leather winter coat swishing softly as he moved.

Nothing could compare to the way he felt upon hearing about her "sudden disappearance." No. He knew exactly what it was. She had left. Although she'd promised to leave with him...she instead left him as well. If she didn't feel the same way, or want what he wanted, she could have just told him that. But no. She abandoned him.

And she would pay dearly for it.

She would pay for making him open up to her like he had. She would pay for tricking him into telling her things he should never tell a human. She would pay...for breaking his heart. He had trusted her. He loved her.

And she ran off without as so much as a goodbye.

He thought of all the ways he could torture her for her crime against him...but those lost brown eyes faded slowly back into his subconscious. She was like him, a prisoner of her lifestyle. Being forced to do things that she'd rather die before doing. He could smell her delicate scent of a rose in his arms as he held her. How often he had to soothe her worries and calm her fears? How often had he had to listen to her cries of despair and hopelessness...and had been unable to think of a way to make her smile?

He stopped walking and closed his eyes. Whatever the case was...he could no longer afford to be so forgiving towards her. She was making him weak when he needed to be strong. He closed his eyes as darkness of the night settled around him. When he opened them, were blood red.

"I will find you....and I will kill you." He hissed...then disappeared.

[ItachiRockstar]

Author's Note: I know Chapter Six was short and confusing. However, every word I typed will come back to light later on. Don't dismiss that chapter.

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Chapter Seven: Attitude Check

Yumiko's schedule drastically changed after her first night visit by Aidou. Instead of spending her free time studying or something alone, Aidou and a friend or two of his would pop up and whisk her away to some secluded part of the campus. She thought this to be highly strange at first, but as the weeks wore on, she grew to be quite comfortable with them. Most of the time they would sit and just chat about anything that crossed their minds. However, one particular day Aidou had other plans...

"Yumiko, you're too uptight." Zelman laughed at Yumiko's expression as he revealed the "snake" to be made of rubber, therefore, a fake.

"There's a difference between uptight and cautious." She gasped for air holding her chest as she tried to slow her heartrate down to a normal pace.

Aidou took the oppurtunity. "Actually, you are, Yumiko." He spoke lazily, laying across the marble bench while twirling a thorned rose between his fingers with such grace that not one thorn pricked him.

She turned and looked at him. Fear slowly uneased her, causing her to shake very faintly. She knew how Aidou felt about the prefects. She couldn't understand what was so wrong with Zero and Yuuki, but considering that the pair were too busy with their duties to even have lunch with her...she feared being rejected by Aidou and hew new friends more than being alone in the crowd. She had grown attached to them. She looked forward to each day's evenings because she knew that whenever one of them (Aidou or Zelman) decided to skip class that she would have company. Aidou had said on many occasions just how much the prefects irked him. He always called Yuuki "uptight" to her face...and he had just told her the same. Did he no longer wish to be around her?

"I-I'm sorry--"

He sat up suddenly and his eyes flashed dangerously. "What have I told you about apologizing?"

She gasped and stood up, backing away. She opened her mouth to apologize again but thought the better of it. Aidou sighed heavily and walked over to her, putting an arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him as he stared down at the ground. "Aidou--"

"You've been taught to follow the rules. Rules that are meaningless to us." Aidou guided her over to the bench he had been laying on. "So therefore, to keep us from losing interest in you as a great friend...we're going to deprogram you and teach you that rules don't matter."

Yumiko thought of protesting this statement but something stood out to her. '...to keep us from losing interest in you as a great friend...' She bit her bottom lip, drawing it into her mouth and biting it lightly.

Aidou smiled and became cheery. "You understand! Good." He jumped up and signaled for Zelman to do the same. "Okay. Rules are just a way of stopping others from having fun."

"How so?" She looked at him curiously. Common sense told her that he was wronger than two left feet but still she had to pretend for his sake.

Aidou sensed her skepticism but didn't say a word about it. "Take Zelman, for example." He gestured to the red head who was currently pulling out rope. "How often have you seen him break rules? How often does he get severely punished for it?"

Yumiko thought about it. To her knowledge he had committed nearly 80 pranks/tricks/moments of pure chaos. From those instances that she knew of, he had never received more than a glare from Zero.

"Exactly. Now think of all that I do on a daily basis that I hardly ever get in trouble for yet you know is against the rules."

She didn't have to think. Looking at where they were now said more than enough.

Aidou nodded as he slowly circled her. "You see, the rules are more like guidelines for students to follow. Very seldom does something life threatening happen to someone because they broke the rules."

"Yeah!" Zelman nodded. "Day Class students always sneak out and try to get to the Moon Dorms. The most they ever get is extra classes. In fact, I heard the prefects got extra classes once and the boy skipped out on them."

"What I do is none of your concern, Pyr."

They all turned around to see Zero walking up to them with his hands in his pockets. Aidou stepped closer to Yumiko while Zelman gritted his teeth in anger. "You! I still owe you for--"

"Save it for someone who cares. Yumiko, you know you're not allowed to be around them, much less alone. Let's go." Zero stared at her. She started to move but Aidou's hand gently grabbed her elbow and pulled her back to his side.

"No one's bothering anyone." Aidou tried to keep his cheery attitude.

Zero eyed them all. "Not yet. It's only a matter of time before one of you--" He looked at Aidou and Zelman. "--get hungry. That's why the Day Class students aren't allowed near you. You're animals. Animals who take on human form and feed on other humans."

The conversation threw Yumiko's mind for a loop. Was he insulting them? Or insinuating something? What did their hunger have to do with anything?

Somewhere, Yuuki was yelling and blowing her whistle. Zero sighed with annoyance. 'Damned girls.' "Yumiko. Come."

Zelman stood between her and him. "She's not going. Not at the moment."

Zero thought of arguing but his right index finger was itching to pull the trigger of the gun that still rested in his pocket. He figured it could wait. Yuuki sounded distressed and it would be only a matter of seconds before Kaname showed up to save her like some dark prince. "Fine." He turned curtly and stormed off. "When I come back, you'll all be taken to the Headmaster."

"You mean your father?!" Zelman shouted after him and smiled broadly when Zero turned around to mouth a few obscene words to him, then kept going.

Aidou's smiled faded the second Zero had disappeared. "I can't stand him!" He yelled and the temperature around them dropped so fast that Yumiko could see her breath in the chilly air within seconds.

Zelman noticed this. "Aidou-sempai..." He put a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Please calm down..." He leaned over and whispered in Aidou's ear. "Yumiko's here."

Aidou closed his eyes and the temperature returned back to normal. Yumiko rubbed her hands together and looked at Aidou curiously. This wasn't the first time she had experienced such a dramatic temperature change when in Aidou's presence.

"We should leave. Or at least move somewhere else. He'll be back." Zelman put his hands behind his head as he relaxed and stared up at the darkening sky. "Ah, class will be starting soon. Are we going?"

Aidou didn't answer; he just nodded his head. Yumiko's shoulders slumped with disappointment. It got quiet and she looked at the pair to see them staring over her shoulder. A hand was gently placed on her shoulder and she turned around.

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"Next time I catch you, you'll be suspended!" Zero whispered harshly to the frightened girls. They both nodded quickly out of fear.

"Y-yes, Zero!"

"Get to your room!" He barked and pointed the way. They nearly ran each over in an effort to do what they were told, as quickly as possible. Zero put his hands back into his pockets and turned around to look at a flabbergasted Yuuki.

"H-how did you...." She looked geniunely confused.

"Doesn't matter. Yumiko is out there with Hanabusa and Pyr." He turned, intending to go back to where he had found them.

"That won't be necessary, Zero."

They both looked up to see the Headmaster standing there with a small smile on his face. "I asked Kaname to deal with that situation. Night Class is already preparing to go to class. He can afford to be late since he will be taking those two with him. You two go ahead and take your posts and begin patrolling."

Zero stared at the man for several minutes before walking off, not saying one word. Yuuki started to say something but couldn't think of one relevant thing to say. She bowed and ran off after Zero.

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Yumiko stared up into Kaname's onyx colored eyes...and blushed. "Kaname-sempai?"

"Yumi, what are you doing?" He asked brushing the back of his hand against her cheek. "I'm sure I've told you not to be found out alone at night. Even on campus...it's not safe." His eyes wandered to her neck. When he saw no marks or freckles from healed bites, he looked up at Aidou and Zelman. "You two. Do I have to ask?"

Zelman shook his head quickly. "Ah! No, Kaname-sama!" He took off running back to the Moon Dorms. Aidou stood still.

"Aidou--"

"Forgive me, Kaname-sama, but..." Aidou tried to keep the question from coming out but he couldn't help himself. "Why are you touching her like that? I thought Yuuki was your 'important one'?"

Yumiko felt part of her crush under the weight of Aidou's words. She unconsciously stepped away from him. 'How could I be so foolish? For one second, I thought he--'

"She is dear to me." Kaname stepped closer once again and lifted her face with his index finger. "Go to your dorm and please stay there. I wouldn't be happy if you were harmed."

She blinked back tears and nodded, dashing around him and running back to her room.

Aidou watched, and the faint smell of tears reached his nose. He balled his hands up into fists. "I know what you're doing. It's not fair to her."

Kaname slowly lifted his gaze to Aidou's ice blue eyes. "It's for her own good."

"How so?! You're toying with her emotions. You're using her feelings towards you to coax her into doing what you want." Aidou folded his arms across his chest. "It's not something I'd expect of you, Kaname-sama."

Kaname turned away from him slightly. "I was informed that someone is searching for her...and this person may not have the best intentions. If she isn't outside--unprotected--then we have a better chance of protecting her. However, as long as she roams the campus freely at night hoping to run into you..." He allowed his words to trail off to allow Aidou's imagination to do the rest. "Let's go to class, Aidou."

Aidou followed. "Who could possibly be looking for her? What do they want?"

"I haven't found that out yet. But we must keep in mind that she doesn't remember her past. If she's done something, she won't know of it."

"Oh."

"That's why I ask that you please not corrupt her. It's too dangerous...and it causes more trouble for Yuuki."

Aidou gritted his teeth and started to open his mouth.

"Before you say it, and I advise you not to, please think of it from my point of view." Kaname spoke gently, however every word was firm and commanding. "If the situation were to be reversed, and I was the trouble maker using an innocent girl for my own personal goal--making Yumiko's life harder--would you not do the same? Would you not interfere for Yumiko's sake?"

Aidou stopped walking. 'Yes, I would...but why?'

Kaname stopped walking and looked back at Aidou. "I see you never realized why exactly you chose Yumiko...do you?"

Aidou didn't answer. He thought he knew. He was sure...but...was there more to it than that?

Kaname smirked and kept walking. "One day...One day, you'll see it all from all angles."

[ItachiRockstar]

Chapter Eight: Just Like You

'Her...in the end...its always her.'

Although Kaname intended to use Yumiko's attraction to him as a means of influencing her to be safer on campus, it royally backfired upon her learning that he cared more for Yuuki. She locked herself in her room for the whole following weekend. Amai saw her sour mood and decided to stay in a friend's room for the weekend. Yumiko sat on her bed in her school uniform, hugging her knees and staring at the room's door. Her face was buried behind her knees, only revealing her dark eyes. Anger boiled under her skin. Hurt and disappointment tore at her already delicate heart. No matter how much she wanted to...she couldn't bring herself to cry. Tears lined her lower eyelids but they refused to fall. 'My first crush...my first rejection. I can't summon the tears....' She could hear Aidou ready to blow if he saw her like that. So instead she closed the curtains and made the room as dark as possible...just to sit alone in the darkness.

Loneliness.

She felt alone....but it didn't bother her as much as did in her beginning. In her beginning, she freaked out and ran from the thought of being a nobody in a crowd. But that's just it. The crowd was what she truly feared. It swallowed her up and made her insignificant. However, thanks to her new friends and the past two weeks of their continuous company...she preferred being alone because she was now someone. Behind closed doors, in an empty room with just her, she now had herself. A small smile spread across her face.

"I'd rather be all alone and keep myself company...than to go out into a crowd and become a nobody." She whispered to the darkness that surrounded her. Yuuki had temporarily made her a nobody because Kaname preferred her over Yumiko. It hurt to be so vulnerable and be attacked in that way...but she didn't want to disappoint Aidou by allowing it to reduce her to another "Yuuki". She was Yumiko. She had to assert the fact that although she looked like that prefect, she wasn't her. Thinking something like set off a chain reaction within her.

'She thought she was guiding me...helping me...but she was just in my way. She was trying to set an example for me to follow...so I could be just like her.'

She looked around the room, her eyes adjusting to the growing darkness of the night as light began to fade away. Did Kaname say that because she looked like Yuuki? She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, her hands clutching at her stockings. Yuuki. Yuuki was standing in the spotlight. People looked at Yumiko and called her Yuuki. No. She worked hard to reconstruct herself. She had spent so much time with Aidou and the others studying different personalities and picking out which ones she liked and wanted to imitate.

Yuuki would no longer be the center of attention. She could have Kaname now for all Yumiko cared...but she would not allow her to steal her spotlight.

'You want me to be in your shadow. Aidou was right. You want me to be just like you.'

---------------------------------------------

Zelman stopped cutting up strips of paper and looked over at Aidou. "Your flower just began to bloom."

Aidou was laying on his stomach across his bed, drawing in his notebook. "Hm?"

"Yumiko. I felt her break out of her mold." He turned his chair around to face him. Aidou looked up at him.

"Really?" He smiled broadly and sat up.

"Ever since you brought her over that first night, I established and maintained a connection to her. The whole time we talked I was planting a lasting seed in her head that allows me to keep tabs on her thoughts via her emotions and her aura."

Aidou folded his arms across his chest and smirked. "I thought her falling asleep had something to do with you using your Psi-vampire abilities to simply drain her energy."

Zelman shook his head, causing his red hair to sway gently. "Nope. At that time I only wanted to see what was in her head. After you explained your intentions for her I strengthened and maintained the connection. How do you think I was able to tell you all the things she feared and wanted the most?"

Aidou only nodded.

"It's not coincidence that I knew that she wanted friends. It's not coincidence that I know now she resents Yuuki for being the source of the rejection she feels. She's siding with you. Her aura is tinted black with negative emotions...like I said. Your flower just bloomed."

"You never cease to amaze me."

Zelman smiled. "Why thank you. Now may I go torment Amaterasu some more? Or maybe Ruka?"

Aidou chuckled. "I don't want to see you killed...It's best to stick to tormenting the first year's like Amaterasu. She is only a Psi-Vampire, after all."

Zelman stood. "True. I guess maybe I can go cut her hair or....ooh!" He rubbed his hands together in a sinister manner. "I think I'll put dye in her toothpaste!"

Aidou watched the hyper redhead run out of the room, then crossed the room to the window. He wondered if Yumiko would seek him. He wondered what she would say. His nerves tingled with excitement. He had been confident that his plan would work, but he didn't think it would go so quickly. It was the weekend, nearly the end of October. The following Wednesday would mark the beginning of November. If he had been able to, he would have summoned Yumiko right there just to hug her. He was thrilled!

"I think I'll go pay the Sun Dorm a little visit." He smiled widely and disappeared.

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Amai burst into the room screaming and squealing as if she had been given an adrenaline shot. "OMG, YUMIKO YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHO'S HERE!!!!"

Yumiko looked up and Amai nearly froze from fear. Yumiko softened her angry glare. "Who?"

As if on cue, Aidou stepped into the room smiling. "Hiiii!"

A wry smile gently curved her lips. "Aidou."

"Yumi-chan!!" He snatched her up and hugged her tightly, squeezing her more and more every second. "It's the weekend! Shouldn't you be outside?"

Amai merely gawked at Aidou as if contemplating whether or not to attack him in a fangirl manner or go recruit more fangirls.

Yumiko struggled to get out of his embrace. "Aren't...you...supposed..." She pushed away. "Aren't you supposed to be in your dorm?" She folded her arms.

Aidou smirked then put an arm around her. "True. But today is Ichijou's birthday! He wanted me to invite someone to come. I choose you."

Amai swooned and fainted. They both looked at her strangely. Yumiko looked away. 'What would it hurt?' "Let's go then. Should I change?"

"No, you're fine." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her out the door.

Once they had made it to the main courtyard, he let her go and walked beside her. "So it's Ichijou's birthday?"

Aidou noted that she'd already dropped the formalities when speaking to him. "Yes."

"How old is he?"

Aidou twitched briefly at the question. It was a very delicate situation that had to be handled with care. If he told her the truth she was sure to call him a liar. If he told her something Ichijou would say, he still faced the risk of Ichijou assuming that Aidou had told her the truth if she would willingly come out in the dark of night... "He's eighteen." He only hoped Ichijou would assume he hadn't told her anything.

"Oh, wow." She nodded. A few moments of silence followed before Yumiko cleared her throat and stopped walking. "Aidou."

He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"I shouldn't have run off the other day."

He turned to her. "Are you apologizing--"

"No." She balled her fists up at her sides. "I had every right to do what I did...I just feel that I shouldn't have."

He nodded. "Why did you?" Even though he knew why, he wanted to hear her explanation.

"Because it hurt. I thought...that I could find someone to like me...that I liked...and make me feel human. Not some insignificant little nobody who has a schoolgirl crush on someone who would never see her as more than a clone of someone he really has interest in." Aidou noticed the way her speech pattern gained momentum with each word, her emotions slowly rising to boiling point. "But I've come to accept that. He can love her for all I care. I'll just show him I am more than just a pretty face. More than just that girl...in the crowd." She stood up a little straighter. "My name is Yumiko...and I'll make sure that everyone never forgets it."

She looked up at him and shock arrested her. Aidou stood before her wiping away what seemed to be but surely couldn't have been...tears.

"A-aidou?"

"I'm so proud of you!" He pulled her into another bear hug. 'That was even better than I imagined she would say!'

"Aidou...air....air..." She struggled to breathe.

They arrived to the party in less than two minutes later. The minute Yumiko saw the other night class students...fear nestled deep within her. Something about them scared her, put her on edge, told her to run far away and to never look back. They all looked at her, whispering to each other while eyeing her as if she would suddenly change into something.

"Yumi-chan!" A familiar voice called out and she turned around to see Zelman approaching with Kain and Shiki. "It's nice to see that even the Day class supports our nightly functions." He smiled broadly.

Kaname's sharp eyes landed on Yumiko the second he heard Zelman call out to her. He inhaled deeply, but remained seated. She was fine as long as he kept an eye on her and the other students that inched closer to her. They wouldn't dare harm her, he knew, but after all...despite being told, they were predators underneath their beautiful exteriors.

"Take action, Kaname-sama?" Seiren looked at him. He only shook his head.

"No need to cause a disruption." He closed his eyes. 'She's coming...with him.'

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"Wait, Zero! You shouldn't be accompanying me to the night section with attack in mind!" Yuuki panicked upon seeing him loading his gun. "I'm really grateful for your concern, but I'll be alright by myself...You should go back, Zero."

A loud click of the clip sliding back into its place shut her up as he cut her off with a glare. "If there weren't any problems, I wouldn't have troubled myself."

"This..." Her words trailed off. What could she say? Zero had always been trigger happy. "From this point on, we're in the Moon Dorm's vicinity...as expected, the atmosphere here is special..."

The wind blew hard and leaves swirled around them viciously. Yuuki immediately pulled her Artemis' Rod and the distinct click of Zero's gun was heard.

"Here to welcome us..." Zero asked dryly as he pointed his gun directly at Kain's nose. Kain stared down the barrel and sighed. "...vampires?"

Yuuki stared up at Aidou who looked down at her disdainfully. "That's right. Ichijou asked me to, or I wouldn't have come."

Kain threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Don't always be at odds with my kind, so, go back to being a perfect little prefect."

Zero slowly lowered his gun and put it away as Yuuki did the same. They walked in silence, Yuuki and Zero, with Kain leading the group and Aidou bringing up the rear. Zero was inwardly proud of himself for not having shot someone yet...yet promised himself if he had to he would not hesitate as he had for the vampire that had attacked Yuuki earlier that day. How could he have left her alone? If even for a second...that one second almost cost her her life. That's the only reason they were there at the moment. Ichijou and Shiki had shown up and put the ravage monster down. He didn't understand himself why they would kill his own kind so when Ichijou extended an invitation to find that out, he knew Yuuki would take it and he wanted to satisfy his curious mind.

Yuuki fought to keep her growing fear in check. She knew not all vampires were dangerous...but the looks she was receiving from the Night class students wasn't exactly welcoming either. 'These faces are different from the ones they show at school...these are their true selves...'

"Over here." Kain looked at them and changed direction, maneuvering them around a crowd of students. He approached a blonde turned towards a table. "I brought two people here."

Aidou sensed the girl staring at him and looked down at Yuuki. "What?"

Yuuki only continued to stare back. "Nothing."

"You came, Yuuki and Kiryu-san!" Ichijou smiled warmly, the first real welcome they had received. "Tonight is my birthday party! Isn't it fun?"

Yuuki blinked several times in confusion. 'Only this place is another world...feels too much "human"-ish, not "vampiric" at all...perhaps it's only this person...' "May I ask how old are you...?"

"How old...in terms of human years...? Or vampire years...?" Ichijou smiled.

Yuuki twitched. "Vam...vampire?"

Ichijou cupped his cheek and blushed, turning his head slightly. "I'm 18 already. I'm an adult now...so for a present I'll accept Yuuki's kiss."

"WHAAA?!"

Yumiko washed her hands and looked in the mirror. She was still fascinated that the Moon Dorm had so few windows in such a beautifully furnished place but she didn't care. Her mind had been taken off of Yuuki and Kaname for the moment, allowing her to focus on relaxing in such a threatening atmosphere. She took her time getting back to the party. So far all the patrons were doing were drinking what she guessed to be red wine (although she had her doubts drinking was allowed--another fine example of blatant rule breaking) and eyeing her as if they were cannibals.

She found the door that led her back outside but stopped upon hearing a familiar voice.

"I heard today a report that there was an 'E Class' vampire roaming outside." Kaname's soft, suave voice spoke. "Ichijou and Shiki went to hunt him down."

'Vampire?' She peeked out. Her eyes landed directly on the back of Yuuki's head and the side of Zero's face. 'The prefects!'

"At my order." Kaname looked at Yuuki. The students chattered quietly about "Kaname-sama".

"That Kaname-sama would actually appear at this night meeting...is such a rare sight."

Zero looked at Kaname but didn't say a word, expression devoid of any recognition of what he'd just said. He heard them speak, but all he could think was that once again...Kaname had done something he himself was able to do but had hesitated in doing. 'Why...why do I keep hesitating?'

Yumiko's head was still trying to wrap around the facts that Kaname of all people had spoken of something that she heard to be a myth as if it were a basic fact of life and that the prefects hadn't called him foolish as they would the Day class students. Kaname took a step back and sat down on a plush sofa she hadn't seen before. Yuuki and Zero moved slowly up the stairs with all eyes on them.

"Yuuki...come sit beside me."

It grated her. She hated the way he said her name. It made her increasingly jealous. Jealous of something she grew more confident as the days wore on that she was sure she would never find...love. She looked down at her feet but still listened.

"The safest place is beside me..." He murmured. Hot tears filled her eyes as her arms unconsciously wrapped around herself. That's what she lacked. Safety. She had friends. She had recognition....but no one who wanted to protect her. Once again, Yuuki had come out ahead of her...better than her.

As Kaname tended to the wound that Yuuki had gotten, Kaname spoke softly to Zero. "Then why is it that you didn't kill him?"

Zero froze.

Kaname glanced at Zero. "Or is it that Kiryu-san, you pity him?"

Through watery eyes, Yumiko saw Zero pointing the gun at Kaname's head and all the others around them suddenly on edge, ready to attack Zero.

"Seiren. It's okay." Kaname said dismissively. "The one who spoke carelessly was me."

However, Aidou was livid. "He dared point a gun at Kaname-sempai...that bastard...cutting him to pieces won't even satisfy me."

"Forget it Aidou." Ichijou looked at him. "You can't really do anything."

Aidou took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Ah...I will try my best to bear with it. During this time at school...I won't go against Chairman Cross' Peace Treaty." Oh but I promise to make that boy's life a living hell.' "But don't forget..." The students around him drew nearer. "It's only because of Kaname-sama's presence that we even came here in the first place."

Yumiko fought a smile. She had been wondering who she would try to be like...and all along she had been looking directly at him.

Zelman took his place beside Aidou. "Damned straight." His eyes flickered blood red. "That's the only reason I haven't taken that gun of yours and shoved it up your--"

"Okay!" Ichijou stood up. "So mean of everyone to forget...everyone is gathered here to celebrate my birthday so we must enjoy ourselves properly. No matter if it's Yuuki, Kiryu-san, or Yumiko. They are still my honored guests."

This caught their attention. Zero looked around. "Yumiko's here...again?"

Yuuki started to stand but Kaname put a hand on hers. "Don't worry. I have my eye on her. I will need to speak to her privately later..."

Yumiko watched as Zero suddenly took off running and Yuuki followed yelling after him. When she saw he was gone, she finally stepped out from her hiding spot.

"There you are."

She turned to see Aidou standing there with Zelman. "Aidou..."

He studied her face and inwardly cringed. She had heard too much.

Zelman frowned sadly. "Kaname-sama will want to speak to her...Aidou."

"For what?" Yumiko took a step back...and into something solid. She knew by the scent alone who it was.

"There are some things you don't need to be aware of at the moment." Kaname whispered putting on hand on her left shoulder as the other gently covered her forehead. "Some things...you need to forget."

Aidou watched with a bit of guilt as his friend slumped over in Kaname's arms, unconscious. Part of him worried if tampering with her mind was even a safe thing to do. Part of him was even more worried that Kaname would actually erase more than just that night's memory...making her forget how she now felt about Yuuki. He needed that change in her more than anything else in the world.

"I trust that you two can take her back to her dorm and come straight back here?"

Zelman nodded and moved to take Yumiko from him. Aidou turned away and walked off...heading for the Sun Dorm.

[ItachiRockstar]

Chapter Nine: Joy

When Yumiko appeared outside of the wall separating the Moon Dorm from the rest of the campus, Zelman could have sworn Aidou would have a heart attack or some other fatal reaction right there in the middle of their room. The blonde danced around the room a few times then disappeared leaving Zelman sitting on the couch with an invisible question mark of utter confusion above his dark red head.

Yumiko was equally confused by the joy her friend expressed for her arrival but dismissed it upon remembering just how weird the Idol of Cross Academy could be. "Nice to see you, too."

Aidou calmed down enough to assess the potential damage. "So...do you remember anything about yesterday?"

Yumiko's brow furrowed in deep thought. "....Gah! Did I fall asleep at the party or something? All I remember is asking to go to the bathroom and waking up on my bed."

Hope tickled Aidou's chest and he spoke softly, "How do you feel about Yuuki?"

A frown arrested his friend's apologetic expression as she snapped, "How should I feel about her? I'm nothing but a reflection of her to

most people."

Angels sung praises in Aidou's ears as he spun her around until she threated to kick him in an unlady-like manner unless he immediately released her. "No need to threaten vital body parts." He inhaled and unconsciously ran a hand over her head as the wheels in his head turned, resuming the steps of his plan.

Yumiko started to pull away from his petting hand but noted the thoughtful look on his face and stayed still, wanting both to know what he was thinking and not do anything to cause him to lose his train of thought.

"Ah ha!" He exclaimed and looked down into her wide, curious brown eyes. "Would you like to look different from the prefect?"

Yumiko was confused for only a second before she quickly caught onto his suggestion. "Really?"

Aidou folded his arms and nodded triumphantly.

"Sweet!"