Chapter 20 Senri’s Erased Memories
~~~
~Ichijo’s POV~
“Sakura Cross? The one in the Day class?” I whispered. Rima nodded, terrified. Why was she so scared? I didn’t bother questioning her, and went over to Shiki. “Talk to me, Shiki.”
“There’s this girl… who’s really small. I’m actually the same age as her. Rido… stole her away and locked her in a cellar. Her name is Tsubaki, and she has mahogany hair like mine. There’s another man too, with mahogany hair. We’re not in my house. It’s somewhere else. And - and I helped her escape the house… but we’re now in the forest, ouch my neck!” His hand went straight to his neck, even though there was no way he could’ve been cut.
“Listen Shiki, I want you to go back to sleep for now. I’ll come back in a few hours time. Come on Rima, let’s get you back in bed.”
~
Shiki calmed down when I returned at ten o’clock. “Takuma, can you check if I have anything on my neck?” He pulled back the hair covering his neck whilst I checked.
“There’s a scar, and it’s quite big. It goes across your neck, like a necklace.”
Shiki went silent. Then he struggled in pain, clutching his head again. I gulped, waiting for him to speak. “I’m going home, right now! I need to talk to that mother of mine!” he finally said.
“Wait, Shiki, it’s dangerous! Rido-sama might still be outside!” I warned. But he didn’t listen and stormed out of the room into the sunlight. I watched as he squinted - the morning sun was bright and blinding. “Shiki, won’t you listen to me?”
“No, I won’t. Pack a bag for me, Takuma. First I need to go see Sakura Cross.”
~Sakura’s POV~
I woke up after sleeping in the corridor of the Sun Dormitory. I could hear commotion going on outside, and went to go have a look.
“Ah, Sakura!” Kumiko shouted, running up to me. “Where were you? You know what, the Night Class are vampires!! It’s so freaky!”
What? How did Kumiko know? “O-oh really? Is that so?”
“Yep! If my mum knew about this, I would be sent home straight away! It’s so scary… to think that they actually exist!”
“Where’s Kaori? Does she know?”
“I don’t know. You dad is conducting this information thing. I haven’t the slightest idea why, or what it is. Look over there,” she said, pointing towards the main academy. There was a long queue leading up to a desk where the Headmaster and Yagari-sensei were.
“Let’s go check it out,” I suggested. I wanted to know what was happening. We walked briskly towards them, and Kaori found us, looking rather dazed.
“Kumiko? What’s going on? I can’t remember anything that happened last night! You should go see the Headmaster, he did some kind of trick on me.”
“The Night Class-”
“Sakura!”
My head turned around and was facing Senri Shiki. My eyes widened. I swallowed and cleared my throat. His head was covered in blood, and I only just managed to stop myself transforming. “Y-yes?”
“I need to talk to you in private. Now would be a good time.”
Kaori and Kumiko looked at me, smiling. Then they skipped off towards the queue. “O-okay.”
“Let’s go somewhere a bit less rowdy.”
He stopped at a tree near the fountain. I saw that it was ruined - had the battle last night really caused that much damage?
“You’re called Tsubaki, aren’t you?”
I gasped. How on earth did he know? “I suppose…”
“Why are you in my past?”
“I don’t know!” I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Then I guess I have no choice.” He pierced his finger, letting blood come out. I couldn’t hold it back anymore - my fangs appeared. I tried to push it back but nothing happened. My breathing got heavy and my sight blurred slightly. I rubbed them as hard as I could. “Tell me, Tsubaki! Who are you really? Why are you hiding in the Day Class if you’re a vampire?”
“I-”
“Tsubaki’s powers were hidden until recently. Please don’t surprise her like that, she’s not used to it.”
“T-Takeru?” I whispered.
“Why is a teacher protecting a student? Oh, you’re a vampire too.”
“Actually, I’m her cousin. And you two share a brief moment in the past. I don’t recall any of it, but Shiki-kun will be able to.”
“What do you mean?” Senri asked, getting angry.
Takeru chuckled. “Basically, you are one of the four people left in this world that know what happened when you two were younger. There’s you, Tsubaki, Rido and Tsubaki’s father. Rido is now dead, and we have no idea on the whereabouts of her father. She is not strong enough to remember it - you are the only one who can undo the erased memory.”
“Rido-sama is dead?” I stuttered.
“Yes. Yuki and Zero killed him.”
“No way… He was the only one who knew where my father was!” Tears fell down my cheeks. Surely there was no way I could find Haruka Kuroda now that Rido, the only source of information I had, died.
Takeru smirked. “Actually, you can still find him as long as Shiki-kun remembers what happened.”
Suddenly, Senri collapsed.
~Senri’s POV~
Whilst Sakura and Strauss-sensei conversed, I tried my best to remember. It was obvious this piece of information was important to both Sakura and I. Just when I remembered the sight I saw earlier this morning, I fell onto the ground and saw everything much, much clearer.
“Haruka, why don’t you give me your child?” Rido asked a man around the same height as him. “Her mother is dead and you can’t possibly look after a child. Just give her up. I’m sure you don’t want to give her back to that Senior Council guy, do you? My arms are free, and you can trust me with looking after her.”
“Never!” the other man, Haruka, raged. “It’s your fault her mother died, for heaven’s sake! I was planning to marry Kotoko, you know! But someone stopped that, and it was you. Stop chasing your wild dreams, and stop stealing children!”
“Oh? Do you really want to have a controversy with me? It’s not a good idea, Haruka.”
“Oto-san!” A little girl, probably Sakura, came running in through the door.
Haruka frowned but picked her up. “Now, now, Tsubaki. Didn’t I teach you not to interrupt people when they’re speaking?”
“Sorry,” she apologized as her face fell. Her head dropped and a few tears fell.
Haruka sighed. “Well now that you’re here, we might as well leave. I’m telling you, Rido. You’re not having Tsubaki even if I have to kill you.”
~
The scenery changed to a garden, full of blooming flowers. The sun was going down, a perfect time for vampires to go out. “Tsubaki, look at this. This is a Camellia and it’s what your name means. This is a tulip, and this is a daffodil. Can you tell me what this one is?” Haruka asked Tsubaki.
“It’s a rose!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands.
“That’s right! Well done!” Haruka praised, lifting her and spinning her around. Tsubaki giggled like crazy. “You know, we can’t keep meeting secretly. One day, daddy will have to leave and you will have to stay with your other family.”
“I don’t want to. Carry on spinning me!”
Suddenly, Rido jumped through the hedges and bushes and snatched her out of the air. Haruka tried chasing after them but he was too slow… He gave up, unable to retrieve Tsubaki.
~
“Now, Tsubaki, kiddo, you’d better listen up. I’m your dad now. You’ll live here with me! I’ll call you Sakura. But you must withstand two days without light, food or water. Let’s hope your powers get awake sooner than that,” Rido chortled. A small version of me was hiding behind a wall, watching Rido throw the crying child down into the cellar.
~
Several hours later I snuck into the house again with food. The house seemed to be owned by Rido‘s acquaintance or someone. Then I opened the cellar door and gave the food to Tsubaki.
“Here, you’ll starve if you don’t eat. Save it, I won’t come again till tomorrow, ‘kay?” I assured, passing the food whilst wiping her tears and snot.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Senri Shiki.”
“I’m Tsubaki Kuroda. Father says my name is a Camellia,” she said proudly.
I smiled. “That’s cool. I have to go now.”
Tsubaki was looking at me with sad eyes but waved. I rushed out of the house.
~
It wasn’t long before I came back. This time I brought more food and even some sweets.
“Senri-chan!” Tsubaki exclaimed when I opened the door.
“Hello Tsubaki. Here, do you like sweets?” I asked, showing her.
Her eyes gleamed as she climbed up the steps. “Yes! Dai~suki!” she replied, using her arms to emphasize the ‘daisuki’. I smiled as she munched on the onigiri I had brought. It was my mother who made them, so perfect and delicious. “Can’t you stay here with me?” she asked after finishing everything I had brought.
“No, I’m sorry. My mother doesn’t like me going out.”
“Oh. I’m four years old. What about you?”
“I’m also four! I have to go. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
~
The last time I visited was when Rido let Tsubaki out. “Come to daddy, Sakura!”
“Senri!” Tsubaki shouted. I came running, picked her up and ran out of the house. Luckily the forest was nearby, somewhere we could conceal ourselves. My neck got cut and so did her hand, but we didn’t stop.
“Now, now, Senri, give me the girl and I’ll leave you alone. If you don’t, I’ll kill you!” Rido shouted, panting like crazy.
“I’ll never let you kill me, or have Sakura! You know, her real name is Tsubaki!!” I retorted, also out of breath.
“SENRI! You bastard! Hand over the child! Now!” he ranted.
“Never! I’m going to bring Tsubaki back where she belongs! With her father!”
Rido was furious. “You’re too clever for your own good Senri! Act your age! Go read picture books! Don’t get involved in adult business! You’re four years old for heaven’s sake!”
“You’re a terrible father, Rido. I hate you.”
I ran like the wind back home, where my mother awaited me. “Mother! We have to run away!”
“Senri? Who’s this cute little girl here?”
“T-Tsubaki,” she answered shyly. She was obviously still in shock too.
“It’s Rido, isn’t it… RIDO! Stay away!”
“Bara, move away from the child.” Rido had caught up again.
“A friend of Senri’s is a friend of mine!”
Rido grimaced. “Shut your face, Bara!” He hurled a rock at her head. Mother fell onto the ground. I couldn’t let go of Tsubaki but I had to help mother! “You’re in luck today, Senri. I leave Tsubaki in your care.”
He disappeared immediately and I was left to help mother back into the house. I made sure Tsubaki was all right before deciding to take her into the village to search for her father.
~
It was past midnight but we were both wide awake. Tsubaki was wearing my coat since it was quite cold, and I had to live without one. We were holding hands, searching everywhere.
“Senri-chan, when will we see daddy?” Tsubaki asked, chattering her teeth.
“Soon. Let’s keep walking, okay?”
Suddenly, a human walked up to us. “Tsubaki! Come home now! You are not allowed to run away, ever again!” the woman shouted.
“No! I don’t want to go home! I want to find daddy!” Tsubaki wailed.
“Daddy is at home, waiting for you. He brought home some lovely houseplants for you to care for. Let’s go.”
“She doesn’t want to,” I protected. The woman looked at me icily before shaking her head.
“This won’t do. Tsubaki, daddy will have to hit you for having a boyfriend so young!”
“Iyada, iyada!” Tsubaki cried.
“Stop making a fuss! You, little boy, go home. Tsubaki can return to her own home now. Tell your parents that we are grateful for them looking after her.”
I stood up after crouching next to Tsubaki. “Do you really think she wants to return to that hell’s lair you live in? A vampire doesn’t belong with humans, even if the Senate decides so.”
A small crowd of vampires had gathered. “E-excuse me?” she coughed. “I’m afraid you’re wrong about that.”
“IYADA!!” Tsubaki bawled for the last time. She ran off somewhere, not even bothering to take my coat. I tried chasing after her but the human stopped me.
“Do you really think I am a human?” Her fangs appeared and her eyes flashed red. I gulped, backing away. “Tsubaki belongs to whoever pays the most to own her!”
“Don’t talk about Tsubaki as if she’s an object! She deserves to be happy, with her father!”
“Nonsense. Stay away from this village, young man. I can sense Kuran blood in you.”
~
The last memory was of the time I followed uncle to see Rido. The reason why I was in shock was because someone had erased all the memories of me knowing him. And a memory had been provoked when I saw him.
I awoke with a start. Tsubaki was in tears next to me, and Strauss-sensei was standing in the corner of the room which we were in. “S-Shiki-kun, thank goodness you’re all right!” Tsubaki exclaimed. I sat up.
“What happened?” I asked sleepily.
“After you collapsed, I carried you to the Headmaster’s sleeping area,” Strauss-sensei answered. I glared at him but softened my gaze at the crying girl next to me.
“It all came back to me, Tsubaki. I’m sure that if you try to recover the memories of when you were four, you’ll succeed. For now, I’ll just tell you.”
~Sakura’s POV~
Senri woke up and saw me in tears, which was quite embarrassing. But then, he told me everything about our past, and how it had all been erased from our memories. Unfortunately, Senri didn’t know what happened to me after my fake mother tried to take me home, but I assumed that Kaname picked me up and brought me to the Headmaster. I tried to remember what happened in that time period but nothing came.
When Senri was properly awake, we went outside for some fresh air. The Day Class were in lessons so it was peaceful, walking around the campus. Takeru seemed to notice that I wanted to speak with Senri alone, and left to do ‘teaching duties’. Although the silence between Senri and I was awkward, I finally spoke up.
“S-Shiki-kun, could I be ultra selfish and ask you to help me find my father?” I blurted out. My cheeks heated up as he gave me that cold glare.
“Is it because I know more about him than you, since you can’t remember?” he replied bluntly.
“I suppose. I know that he had dark red hair, just like ours. And that he was quite tall, around one-hundred and eighty centimetres.”
He smiled weakly. “That’s surely enough.”
“But… it’s okay actually. I don’t mind searching on my own. I just hoped maybe… no, it’s fine. Thank you very much for your help, Shiki-kun. I’m going to return to my aunt and search in the vampire villages nearby.”
I tried to hide my embarrassment by hurrying off, but he grabbed hold of my arm to stop me. “Wait. I can accompany you for a few days, but I’ve got modelling to do. Besides, I need to help you control yourself, right? You did bite me, once.”
“I’m sorry!”
He chuckled. “It’s fine. I’ll let Rima know-”
“So you’re here, Shiki.”
I turned my head and saw Rima, looking tired and worn out. “R-Rima-san!”
“And there I was, thinking that Sakura was just too shy to even talk to her crush. But no. Now, she wants him to search for her father with her! This is outrageous, even if you two share memories in the past!” Rima argued. I looked down, ashamed.
“Leave her alone,” Senri said protectively.
“No, don’t. Everyone always sticks up for me, and I need to be strong!” I said. They both looked at me as if I were crazy. “S-sorry…”
“I’m going with her. We can go back to the modelling agency whenever. But Tsubaki is desperate-”
“Oh, so we’re using first names now?” Rima glared at me with murderous intent. “Whatever, just remember that I’ll be at home, waiting for you.” She turned to me. “And you had better not seduce Shiki, okay? You may be really, incredibly pretty but no kissing.”
Me? Pretty? That was something I didn’t hear everyday. I smiled at Rima, thanked her, then ran off to the Headmaster’s office.
“Headmaster?” I called.
“Come in!” he replied cheerfully.
I opened the door and watched his face fall. “I’m leaving now, in search of my father. Shiki Senri is coming with me, and I don’t know when I’ll be back. If you see Yuki again, tell her I really love her and can’t wait to see her again.”
“S-Sakura…”
“Oh, one last thing. Can I ask about how Kaname found me?”
“Of course! Listen carefully, I won’t explain it again. Me and Kaname were quite close for acquaintances, and he often visited me. One day, he picked you up in the early hours of the morning, and brought you here. You were very ill, and almost hypothermic. I happily took you into my care but had no idea on what to call you. When the sun came out the next day, you were fully well and Kaname came to visit you. We all went into the garden for tea, and the sakura trees were in full bloom. Kaname suggested we call you Sakura, but I know it was because of Rido. Well now I do, but before it seemed like a wonderful idea.”
“Thank you very much. I’m going now,” I stated before kissing him on the cheek. “I promise to come back one day, after I’ve found my father. Until then, goodbye.”
~End~
FIRST FINISHED STORY!!! WHOOP! I promise to write the sequel straight away. Though I'm a little stuck on the name... I'll come up with something ^_~ So, what did you think of the end? A sweet farewell from daughter to father... *sigh* Note: 'Bara' means Rose. 'Iyada' is like a childish way of saying 'I don't want to!' or 'no way!'. Hope that helped. I know this is quite a crap ending (if there wasn't going to be a sequel) but I'll make sure there's a kiss in the sequel!! And lots of moments when you want to punch the screen ;) Vote, comment, fan if you really like it! xxx