Rare (Vampire Knight)

Chapter 7

Why would he get defensive over a troublemaker like Charlotte? She was a sweet girl when she wanted to be, and she was respectful, from what Yuki has seen, but she caused a bit too much trouble for what she was worth.

-

Ichijo sat beside Charlotte's bed. She was sleeping, just as she had been for the past week. He didn't know it was possible, but here she was, sleeping in an almost coma-like state. He could see the differences in her already—he could feel it.

Her hair that had once been shoulder length and golden blonde was now past her waist and a platinum blonde. Her skin had gotten paler as well. Despite that she was lying down, Ichijo could see that she had already grown a couple of inches.

Charlotte no longer had a baby face that made her look younger than sixteen. Her cheeks were no longer round and childish. Her jawline was no longer as soft, and her cheekbones had become more visible. Her lips were fuller and pinker, a darker pink, reminding Ichijo of raspberries. Even her nose had changed. It was smaller, thinner, the tip coming to a bit of a point as opposed to its previous roundness. Her eyelashes, which had once been as gold as her hair, were now dark and longer, thicker.

Her body had filled out as well. She had been thin and bony before, like a runway model whose purpose was to allow clothes to drape over them. But her chest was fuller, hips wider, making her waist look smaller even though it was perhaps the only thing about her that hadn't changed. Even her thighs had filled out, closing the gap between them. Her arms were thicker as well, more toned. Her fingers changed, growing just a bit longer and thinner, looking more elegant than before.

Charlotte no longer looked like a child. She no longer could be mistaken as a tall thirteen-year-old. She looked somewhere between sixteen and twenty, almost no childishness left on her face or on her body. She still looked like Charlotte, just older. Ichijo had a feeling, depending on the makeup she so rarely wore, she could look either sixteen or twenty.

The power she normally emitted had magnified twenty-fold. It radiated off of her just, and so did heat. She was burning from the inside out, Kaname's powerful blood flowing through her along with another pureblood's blood.

Ichijo could feel Kaname's power flowing through her, rushing through her veins. It was intimidating, even if Charlotte was unconscious. She felt like another pureblood, the overwhelming need to bow his head to her was washing over her. He found he couldn't look at her for more than a couple of minutes before having to turn away out of ingrained respect.

"I remember when your brother's power overshadowed yours," he murmured, brushing a bit of her hair from her face. "You were so young." Her skin was hot, and he was surprised she wasn't sweating. He was also worried about how hot she felt.

Charlotte tensed suddenly, and her breathing became heavy and louder. Her hands clenched and unclenched, pain evident on her sleeping face. Ichijo's eyes widened at the sudden change. She was still clearly unconscious, but he could do nothing to ease her pain. It wasn't his blood she needed. Who she needed wasn't there to put her at ease, and he didn't have the means of reaching them quickly.

But he didn't need to. The windows slammed open with a sudden violent gust of wind, and Kaname was standing, suddenly, in the room. He pushed his sleeve up to his elbow. There was nothing urgent in his movements. He leisurely unbuttoned the cuff and folded it neatly to his elbow. His eyes were locked on Charlotte as he brought his wrist to his mouth.

His eyes flashed red and his fangs elongated. His sharp teeth pierced through his pale skin and the scent of his blood immediately wafted through the room. Ichijo shifted almost uncomfortably.