Vampire Knight: Redemption

Day & Night | Black & White

Chapter 2 (Ashley)

"Welcome to Cross Academy. I am the principal, Kain Cross." Cross surprised me: he was a very ordinary person. His office was ordinary, though comfortable and clearly filled with expensive furniture. That made me feel a little relieved: I worried that the whole school would give the impression of being haunted.

"Ashley Black. I apologize, I know I was supposed to arrive earlier." I said politely as I shook his hand.

"No worries, no worries." He said brightly. "I'm just glad you made it safely. Before we get started is there anything you'd like to ask me?"

I started to shake my head, then remembered what Aido had said. "I do have one, actually. What's the Night Class?"

"Did you meet one of the Night Class students?" Cross asked and I nodded.

"Aido Hanabusa." I replied. Cross seemed to understand and leaned forward, resting his head in his hands.

"Ah. Well, let me explain. There are two groups of students at Cross Academy: there is the Day Class, who attend classes during the daytime, and the Night Class, who attend classes after dark." He explained.

"Why separate them?" I asked.

"Various reasons. Oh, and the uniforms for the Day and Night classes only differ in color." Cross added.

I paused. "Wait, uniforms?" I questioned. "I didn't hear anything about uniforms."

"Yes. The Night Class uniform is as you saw and the Day Class has flipped colors: it is primarily navy blue, rather than white." Cross explained.

"Do girls have to wear a skirt?" I asked with disgust.

"Yes, of course." Cross answered, though his expression told me he didn't understand why I was asking. I wast tempted to moan.

"Is there any chance you can make an exception and let my wear pants?" I dared to ask: I had nothing to lose.

"I'm afraid not. You can wear shorts under the skirt, if you so desire." He suggested.

"That'll have to do." I muttered. "But why is the Day Class in navy and the Night Class in white?" I asked myself.

"What do you mean?" Cross asked.

"Oh, it's just nighttime is usually associated with dark colors and daytime is associated with light colors so it makes more sense to me for the colors to be flipped, that's all." I explained my train of thought.

"That is an excellent point." Cross agreed then brightened as he noticed something behind me. "Ah, Zero, perfect timing. Please escort Miss Black to the dorms. Her roommate can take her on a tour of the school tomorrow."

I quickly looked behind me to find out who this Zero was. He was a rough looking boy, who appeared to be older than me. His hair was white, his eyes were gray, and he wore a Day Class uniform. It was just as Cross had said, navy with white. I decided I liked the Day Class uniform better, but I had always been partial to dark clothes. "Why do I have to?" Zero grumbled.

"Because Yuki is still in class. Miss Black, this is Zero: he and Yuki are my adopted children and members of the Disciplinary Comity. If you ever need anything just talk to one of them." Cross added to me.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ashley Black." I offered a hand, which Zero just eyed then turned on his heel and started walking. I just watched him as he walked off, then he stopped.

"Are you staying or coming?" He asked with clear irritation. I quickly grabbed my bag and smiled at Cross.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Cross." I said, then hurried after Zero. He walked fast, but I didn't have to much trouble keeping up. We passed through the hallways of the mansion-like school. My biker boots only made soft noises against the wooden floor but it was so quiet around us that they were audible.

"Okay. I take it back. This is a bit creepy. Okay, maybe more than just a bit." I thought as we walked. A door to a classroom opened and out stepped what I assumed were Night Class students. The one leading the way was a tall man, with brown hair and eyes. He was handsome, even among the rest (all of whom were enchantingly good looking). On his arm was a brown haired and brown eyed girl, who softly smiled at us.

"Ah, Zero." The girl said sweetly. Zero made a 'tch' sound and turned around. He grabbed my arm, pulling me after him as he stormed away.

"Hold on a moment, Kiriyu. Who is this?" The man asked.

"New girl." Zero replied through clenched teeth, without stopping.

"Ah, I'm Ashley Black. Nice to meet you." I called back at them as Zero pulled me down the stairs. He offered no explanations and I didn't ask for any. It was his business, not mine. The dorms were on the other side of the grounds from the entrance and there were two gateways, one with a moon and the other with a sun.

"Hey, what's that?" I finally asked Zero.

"The Moon Dorms, for Night Class students. Only the Night Class and Disciplinary Comity are allowed there." He explained dryly.

"Huh." I glanced back towards the gate. "I bet a lot of Day Class try to go over there. Those Night Class men are good looking."

"I'm going to leave you behind if you don't pick up the pace." Zero called and I hurried after him. If he left me behind I would be in trouble.

My room was on the top floor, near the end. Zero had left me at the entrance to the woman's dorms so I stood alone in the hallway. I raised a hand to knock and had barely touch the wood with my knuckles when it flew open.

"Hi!" A girl said brightly. "You're Ashley, right? Come on in." She pulled me inside before I had a chance to comprehend. "I'm Nanami, a second year like you."

"Hi, Nanami." I said slowly.

"So, this is my bed, but I'm happy to switch if you'd prefer this side." Nanami said but I was far more interested in the view from the window: it was also on the opposite side of the room from Nanami's, right next to the bed.

"No, I'm... I'm good." I replied. The view went over the walls of the school and I could see Arrowits in the distance. Better still was the tree just outside my window: if I needed a night out, I had my way out.

I closed the curtain, as to not give away my intentions, and turned towards my new roommate. "So, what now?" I asked.

"Hm, I don't know. Let's just go to bed. Tomorrow is Sunday so there aren't any classes and I'll be able to take you on a tour." Nanami said brightly.

"Sounds fine." I agreed and I tossed my duffle bag onto my bed. "My life at Cross Academy starts now."