Rare (Vampire Knight)

Chapter 8

Charlotte looked at herself in the mirror for a couple of seconds before pushing it away and looking down at her hands. How was this possible? How had this even happened?

She sighed, standing from the chair Ichijo had her sit in and walked away back to her room. He called after her but she ignored it, brushing off his pleading to let him and Kaname explain. She really didn't want to hear their explanations, she just wanted some alone time to think, to pull herself together.

"Charlotte!" Ruka launched herself at the girl when she noticed her. She ignored the fact that she had looked different and pulled the blonde into a tight hug. Ruka didn't say anything about the noticeable difference in her, especially not about her height now that she was an inch taller than her, she was just glad Charlotte was finally well and up and walking around. "I was worried when you were gone for so long! How'd you get sick?"

"I'd rather not go over the details," Charlotte feigned a grimace and shake of her head.

Forcing out a smile, she hugged Ruka back and hoped the hug didn't feel fake because she really wasn't in the mood to socialise. When they pulled apart, Ruka tried not to narrow her eyes now that she noticed the change, she wasn't exactly looking at Charlotte when she seen her, she had just sensed the girl and jumped at her.

Ruka's face softened and she smiled, reaching out and caressing Charlotte's cheek, "Glad you're well again. We all missed you." She didn't say anything, not wanting to upset the blonde and walked away down towards the parlour, Charlotte's physical change the one thing on her mind.

Finally getting to her room, she shut the door behind her with a sigh, running her hand through her now platinum blonde hair. She could barely remember what happened, the events from two weeks ago a blur in her memory.

She had been out for a fortnight and she had no clear recollection of what actually happened. Trying to force herself to remember was no better, the images of her memory were blurry, hazy and caused her had to pound the more she tried to think about it.

"Don't force yourself, they'll come soon enough," Kaname spoke, suddenly standing by her door that she had remembered closing but her memory was so spotty at the moment it may have served her wrong and she perhaps didn't close it. "Glad to see you're awake and well."

"What did you do?" Were the first words out of Charlotte's mouth. Even her voice was different, lighter and higher than before, more gentle. Her voice had already been gentle and dainty but there was a difference to it this time, there was more power behind it, more authority and control than before but still gentle and dainty. It was more intimidating, the intimidation expertly concealed and laced into her voice even better than it had been. 

"You're mixed in too well in me. I can't... can't feel..." she trailed on, shaking her head and clenching her fists with sudden anger. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

Kaname gave a gentle smile, walking forward and caressing her cheek. She didn't flinch away like she usually would when someone tries to make physical contact with her. She stood completely still, stiff, a glare on her face but the glare didn't make her face look hard like it used it. The glare was effective in making Kaname falter for just a split second and a smirk played on his lips as he had never felt something like this before, the uncertainty in his movements when she glared at him. She had made him unsure, cautious even, and he didn't know how to feel about. He didn't know whether to admire it or hate it.

"You have no idea," he murmured, his voice quiet and soft. A growl of frustration ripped from her throat and she grabbed his wrist, shoving his hand away from her face but not letting him go. Her strength had increased and he found it difficult to get out of her grasp. Little bolts of pain shot up his arm when she tightened her grasp on his wrist. He leant in closer to her ear, "I purified you. I finished what had been started."