Shattered Angel |Vampire Knight|

♥︎~ChapϮer SεⱴεɳϮεεɳ~♥︎

~Ｂｅｔｔｅｒ   Ｓｔｒａｎｇｅｒｓ~

"I don't like being alone... It's scary." The child sniffed. Turning, Dahlia flinched at the sudden sight of the child in the dark.

Who was she?

Drawing closer, the teen made sure she didn't scare the girl. "Wha-What's wrong?" She asked. No sound came from the child who buried her face into her arm. Suddenly the small child's face shot up and  Dahlia paled at the horrid sight.

Eye sockets empty of eyes and with a red substance staining down her chubby cheeks and into the dress she wore. "It's scary! I don't like it. It hurts—It hurts!" The girl began to scream and Dahlia's ears ringed in pain.

"I wish I wasn't alone. It's always dark and scary here. That's why they never come." There was a soft voice this time. "I'm sure of it!"

Trembling, Dahlia stumbled back and fell onto the ground. Snapping her head towards the teen, the little girl drew closer.

"You're afraid too. I can feel it. What are you scared of?" Small cold hands pressed against Dahlia's cheeks. Squeezing her eyes shut, the teen did not dare to look at the nightmarish sight before her. Especially when the little girl was becoming more scarier by the minute.

"He said I would be okay, that they loved me. I wasn't alone, that's what he told me. But I was. I was in the scary dark place and it hurt– and who am I?" There were sharp whispers that surrounded them. Dahlia cowered in fear, trying her best to block everything out.

The cold hands at her cheek loosened their tight hold on Dahlia's skin until they let go. A sense of relief washed over the teen girl before feeling a burning pain at her neck.

"It's okay because it's almost our time."

Eyes flew open at the pain and Dahlia saw the mirror that was in front of her. She saw the back of the child clinging onto her, head buried into her neck and biting into her flesh. Dahlia could feel the horrible pain coming because of the small girl. Eyes looked back at the mirror and froze at the sight of her red eyes. She screamed.

-----

Dahlia smiled at Maria Kurenai politely before taking her seat at the front of the classroom. She carefully prepared for class when suddenly there was someone leaning over her space.

Looking up, she made contact with a pair of lavender eyes. "Yes?"

"I heard you're a Level E, is that true?" Maria asked. Dahlia looked away and accidentally made eye contact with a few curious students. Embarrassed, she gave a hesitant nod. Smiling widely, the gray-haired girl twirled away. "Uwah! What a shame. You'll be killed soon."

Dahlia flinched at the seemingly innocent comment and forced a small smile. There was a few snickers from the little students currently in the classroom.

"Oi!" Maria was suddenly thrown back into the teacher's desk. Gasping, Dahlia made contact with a pair of blue eyes that were narrowed in anger. He was instantly in front of Maria with a hand to her neck, choking the life out of her. "You better watch what you say to her or I'll–"

"No! Stop! You're hurting her!" Dahlia scrambled to the two and gripped onto Sora urgently. She tried to pry his fingers off of the other girl's neck but he only squeezed tighter. "You're going to kill her!"

A hand suddenly grabbed Sora from the collar of his shirt and pulled him off of Maria who was coughing and urgently gathering air into her lungs. Brown eyes glared down at blue ones, both males exerting the same wave of intensity and superiority that the classroom felt suffocated. Spitting at the Pureblood's face, Sora pushed Kaname aside and stormed out.

Dahlia gasped and watched the altercation. Bodies pushed her in an effort to reach Kaname. He was surrounded by aristocrats who swore at the disrespect and the delinquency of Sora Karasu.

Looking over to Maria, Dahlia flinched at the sight of a certain dark look in the girl's eyes that immediately disappeared. With a big smile, Maria Kurenai left the class as well.

———

It was after class when Dahlia was stopped by Takuma and told her of her needed presence in Kaname's room. She followed after the blonde while noticing the glowering looks of her classmates.

Knocking on the wooden door, Dahlia waited alongside the blonde and watched as the door was opened by Seiren. Dahlia looked over to Takuma who began to enter the room and was quick to follow into the room after him and join the blonde in bowing before Kaname.

"Lord Kaname, I brought her here."

He regarded Takuma before dismissing him and turning his gaze towards Dahlia. Once the door closed shut and it was only the two of them in the room, he was in front of her in an instant. A hand rested on her cheek where he caressed the side of her face. Taken back by his actions, she stared up to his face and watched as he softly smiled down at her.

"My dear Dahlia," He began and paused to move his free hand to her hair where he brushed a free lock of hair.

"Yes Kaname-san?" She asked him, taken back by his actions.

"Have you thought of my confession from the other night?" He asked. Heating up at the mention of said event, the Level E female turned red and looked away from the beautiful vampire. "A-Ano, I'm afraid that I can't really answer that. I don't know much about you and..." 

The beautiful man held a kind smile as he looked down to the short girl, "That's why we'll have the time to get to know each other, but I would like it if you thought about it further." He softly spoke. 

Nothing could alleviate the blush that further grew on Dahlia. Why was he so interested in her? From what she was able to pick up, the aristocrat born vampires here in the academy were inhumanly beautiful. Like Rima and Ruka, they seemed like the ideal targets anyone would admire. So why was this Pureblood that is surrounded by breathtaking people of all genders so invested in wanting to court her?

It was flattering, it really was and she would not deny that there were butterflies that fluttered in the pit of her stomach and her heart that raced for this Pureblood who seems somewhat adamant to not be rejected, but she did not know him. In fact Dahlia did not even know who she was. She may be like this now, but what would happen when she regained her memories and turned out to be something that would make the man regret his choice in pursuing her? There was weight that she carried of having amnesia.

If anything, she would like to know who she was.

"I would not like to burden you with my amnesia." The two were now sitting on the plush, velvet couch in his room. She shyly glanced to her fiddling fingers that sat on her lap and avoided his heavy gaze on her.

There was a light touch to her chin that lifted her head to meet his gaze. "Just know that I am here for you, Dahlia. You may not believe me, but you are important to me and I just need to make sure I have you by my side." He brushed his fingers to move a strand of hair out of her face, causing a blush to form on her face. "I won't give up on you, my dear Dahlia, I just hope you'll be able to remember me soon and share the same sentiments that I have for you."

Taken back, Dahlia became speechless. She was a blushing mess with a mind that raced with so many thoughts running wild.

What mostly stuck out was: How did he know her?