As the days pass, the end of the holidays has reached to an end.
"Oh... They should be here soon..." I whispered to myself as I stared blankly out the window from the dorm.
'I need to get out of here...Maybe I should go check out town before they arrive...'
I sighed as I continued to walk, listening to the small echo of my footsteps that rung within the dim-lit halls. For a while now... I've begun feeling so uneasy.
Once I reached the main hall, I slowly took steps down the stairs and walked towards the door. I carefully reached out one hand and grasped the cold knob of the large door that led outside, and opened it slowly. I clenched my grey cardigan for warmth as I inhaled the fresh cool air that blew immediately towards me.
I took a step out and let the outside breeze flow through my long, wavy brown hair as I let out a soft sigh.
Something suddenly caught my breath and whispers filled my ears as if the wind was speaking. The breeze grew strong, I gasped in surprise.
The whispers soon turned to screams. I looked around frantically as my heart raced. I hissed and covered my ears, trying to block the non-existent noise.
'Run.'
'He's coming for you! Run!'
'Disappear.'
'Leave! Before it's too late!'
'Run away-'
"Stop it!" I screamed as I slammed the door shut as I fell to my knees, panting.
"Why is this happening..." I said out loud in a shaken and confused voice.
I stood up and backed away from the door. I then turned quickly and ran up the stairs, rushing to my room.
______________________
The hooded girl put her hand down as the wind begins to calm.
She gazed up at the large academy that sat high on the hill.
"Forgive me...." she sighed as she turned around and begun to walk back into the woods until she noticed two black cars begun to pull up.
When the car came to a complete stop, A Pureblood stepped out of the car.
'Lord Kaname...' the girl gazed at his calm-like face and blushed slightly. When everyone else got out of the vehicles, the drivers sped off, which she got a good view of his tall figure.
She then averted her gaze down and notice he was holding a rather large white cloth in his left arm. She leaned out more for a better view, only to realize he was holding what looked like to be a life-size curse doll.
She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Still a creepy life-size doll.
'Wh-What the hell??' She thought in utter confusion as she watched the group make their way up to the academy.
__________________________
Yuki stood next to Zero as she finished greeting everyone that came back from their holiday break. She watched as the Day Class students quickly walked to their dorms to unpack while catching up with their friends. Now, the Discipline Committee was waiting for the rest of the Night Class to show up.
Yuki glanced up at Zero, seeing a calm look in his lavender eyes. The whole break, he had been trying to help her figure out her past and she felt guilty for it.
A few nights ago... Zero held her as she cried in his arms, telling how scared she was about finding out her past... She hated that she worries him, even when he said he didn't mind using what's left of his life to worrying over her, it still made her feel guilty. She then began to blush as she recalled a memory of the time Zero had almost kissed her.
Zero then noticed her staring and glanced over.
"What are you staring at?" He asked as a confused look played on his face.
She jumped and shook her head.
"O-Oh! n-n-nothing!" She stumbled over her words and gave a nervous laugh. Zero sighed and shrugged it off.
______________________
Yuki gazed at the rose Kaname had given her as a present. She then noticed the thing he was holding in his arm.
'....What the heck is that?' She asked mentally as she stared. Kaname then held it out towards Zero.
"It's for you, Kiryu," Kaname said with a blank expression and Yuki looked at Zero, shocked.
Zero glanced at it with an annoyed look.
"I don't want it."
After the atmosphere grew dark, Yuki jumped in, asking Kaname to speak with her alone. She then ran off to do a roll call, leaving Kaname and Zero alone.
Zero glanced over, only for a small grey box sticking out from the pocket of Kaname's tan coat to catch his eye.
________________
"Let's see... Ichijo and Shiki are coming back late due to family circumstances...." Yuki said to herself as she reviewed the roll call list. Rima overhead her and turned to her.
"Discipline Committee... You heard from Shiki?" She asked, confused.
Yuki looked over and nodded.
Rima replied with a 'hm' as Aido came up beside her.
"Toya?" He asked concerned.
"Shiki has been showing up at work...but I haven't been able to get in touch with him." She spoke with a hint of worry in her eyes.
______________________________
I was seated on the wooden floor of the bedroom as I rested my head on the soft mattress. I stared out of the window that stood between me and Rima's bed, watching the trees sway with the wind.
"....They're back..." I sighed in relief as I lifted my head from the mattress, feeling their presence.
To be honest... it's been hell staying in the dorms all alone.
Especially with all the nightmares, I've been having.
I stood up and began walking to the door, peeking out into the hallway.
There were muffled voices coming from the main hall and the sound of people climbing the steps could be heard. I stepped out of the room and made my way towards the entrance hall to greet everyone.
I peeked over the corner and the first person my eyes met were Aido's.
"GAH!" Aido yelped in surprise, almost falling back. I covered my mouth the prevent laughter from escaping while I stepped out into view.
"Sorry, are you okay?" I asked with a giggle. I looked behind him to see Rima and the others.
"Honesty, jumping over nothing." Ruka cut in, giving Aido an annoyed look. Aido pouted and scratched the back of his head.
"Jeez, I wasn't expecting her to just pop up!" Aido whined.
"Whatever, I'm exhausted." Ruka sighed and passed us, disappearing into the dark hallway. After I greeted Kain and Aido back, they too went to their room to unpack.
"Welcome back, Rima." I gave a soft smile as she came up the stairs with her luggage.
"Thanks." she nodded. I tilted my head to the side and gazed at her with confusion.
"Are you okay?" I asked with concern. She sighed and her eyes filled with an emotion of worry.
"I'm worried about Shiki. He hasn't contacted me..." she admitted. I tensed up a bit and looked down.
"I-I see... I hope he's okay..." I whispered.
"I should go unpack, I'll see you later." She returned to her normal monotone-like voice. I nodded my head as I watched her make her way down the corridor.
'I wonder what happened to Shiki... I hope Rima will be alright.' I thought as worry begun to fill my mind. I was deep in thought, I didn't notice someone walk up beside me, which
I jumped when I felt a warm hand grab my shoulder lightly. I turned around and my eyes locked with familiar brown orbs.
"K-Kaname...!" I whispered in surprise as my heart began to race when he gave me a gentle smile. The two of us stood alone in the quiet hall.
"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." He chuckled softly as I blushed in embarrassment and averted my gaze.
"No no, it's my fault for spacing out." I laugh and looked up at him again.
"Welcome back." I greeted, giving a smile.
"It's good to be back." He smiled softly in return. I then noticed that I didn't see Ichijo when everyone had arrived.
"Hm? Where is Ichijo?" I asked with curiosity.
Kaname sighed and ruffled his brown hair softly. "He will be returning later. Ichio needed him." I tensed up at the sound of Ichio's name and hummed in response.
'God...the sound of his name still gives me chills down my spine...' I thought to myself as I gazed over to the large door that leads outside. My mind began to drift to the events that happened earlier.
'Why...'
"Emi." Kaname snapped me from my thoughts. I jumped slightly, drifting back to reality.
"Y-Yes?" I stuttered out, glancing back to Kaname. He then got close and leaned down slightly.
"Come to my study later tonight, there is something I want to give you." He said quietly by my ear. He then started to walk, heading towards his room. I stood there and watched him make his way down the hall until he was no longer in my sight.
'Hm... I wonder what it is he wants to give me...' I thought in curiosity as I made my way to my room.
It soon became dark and the stars shone bright...
_________________________________________
"You came home without a fuss, huh." Ichio begun as he glance back to see Ichijo.
Ichijo gave a slight smile. "I don't want you barging into the academy again, grandfather."
Ichio turned with his large chair and placed the papers he had on the desk and sighed. "It is my duty as Lord Kaname's legal guardian...to see how he's doing."
Ichijo frowned slightly. "Kaname said having a guardian is unnecessary...he also told the Senate not to interfere in the affairs of Cross Academy. Have you forgotten that?"
"The Aido family wants to return to monarchy. They can be called Anti-Senate." Ichio started. "At the academy, only you and Shiki are from truly Pro-Senate families."
"Kaname doesn't want to become king. This is my opinion as his friend." Ichijo gave a serious look to his grandfather, hoping he would stop this conversation.
"Dispense with your emotions soon," Ichio said bluntly as he stood from his chair and eyed Ichijo. "You know your role. You were educated to fulfill my expectations."
"Grandfather, I--"
"There's someone important I want you to meet. It's why I had you return. Come."
'Someone important?' Ichijo looked back at his grandfather with surprise. The way he spoke, means it's most likely a Pureblood. Ichijo then followed his grandfather, who was leading him down the dark hallway. He then came to a stop as he watched the two maids slowly slide open the door. The first thing Ichijo saw was a young girl fall limply to the ground next to a chair that was occupied by someone.
"Not bad.." A familiar male voice spoke as Ichijo watched his grandfather bow.
"I am pleased to hear that...My Lord."
Ichijo looked up at the stranger to only to be overcome with complete shock.
_______________________________________
I stood in front of the door that leads to Kaname's study and gave a gentle knock. I then heard a muffled "Come in", so I twisted the doorknob and slowly opened the door to see Kaname resting on the loveseat. He gave me a warm welcoming smile, which my face began to heat up slightly.
"Please, sit." He spoke softly. I then made my way to the loveseat, sitting next to him but kept a small distance between us.
"You never left the academy during the holidays, did you...?" He started and I looked over in surprise.
"How..." I let out softly.
"It's strange to explain but...I can faintly sense your presence all over the dorm." He chuckled and locked his gaze on me. I blushed and averted my eyes, being overcome with embarrassment.
"W-Well... I kinda canceled my plans so I stayed here." I admitted and gave a nervous laugh. His eyes stayed locked on to me.
"Oh? Did something come up?" He asked with a bit of curiosity as he rested his cheek on his knuckles.
"I..." I felt the words get caught in my throat and the feeling of guilt begun to bubble up inside me. I looked down and stared at my hands that rested on my dress. I wish I went to see those two...
Kaname became aware of the gloominess that begun to showed on my face. "You don't have to force yourself to tell me. But..." he gently grabbed my chin and made me turn to him. "Are you alright? You looked pale earlier." A hint of worry flashed in his brown eyes as his gaze pierced through me.
"I'm... I'm fine." I gave a small smile and turned my head to hide my blush, trying to reassure him.
"A-Anyway it's getting rather late and class will start back up tomorrow-" I spoke quickly as I stood up. Just as I was about to make my way to the door, he grabbed my wrist gently. I turned my head slightly to look back at him.
"Wait." He said as he stood up from the couch and smiled softly. "There is something I have for you, remember?"
I let out a soft, yet surprised "Oh" as I swiftly turned my body towards him, remembering earlier why he had invited me. Kaname then pulled out a small grey box from his pocket and placed it gently in my small palms.
I looked up with a confused, yet surprised look on my face, but soon returned my gaze down to the small box Kaname had just handed me. I then pried my fingers on the end of the top part and pulled it off gently, only to reveal a beautiful golden necklace with a small rose, where a small jewel sat in the middle.
My eyes widen as I glanced up at Kaname, giving him a shocked look.
"Kaname! You didn't have to-!"
"When I saw it, I immediately thought of you. I hope you like it." He chuckled. I returned my gaze back to the small, light box and pulled the necklace carefully from the box as if it was fragile and held it up for a better view. The moonlight that shone through the window made the jewel gleam.
I gave a big smile.
"It's beautiful... Thank you..." I said while admiring the necklace and held it close to me. Kaname then gently took the necklace from my hand and came close to me. I looked up and blushed, seeing how close we were and I began to feel shorter compared to him when he was so close.
"I'll put it on for you." He smiled. I slowly nodded and pushed my hair to the side so it would be easier for him. He then pulled the necklace around my neck, bringing us closer than we were before to the point I was resting my head on his chest. I could feel my heart pounding like crazy, I began to think it might just explode if it didn't calm down soon. After he was done, we pulled away slightly to see how it looked.
"Thank you, Kaname..." I smiled, gazing back up to his eyes.
I then noticed how close we still were and the heat on my face felt even hotter.
There was silence as we gazed into each other's eyes. I would've been nervous to move a muscle being under his intense gaze but... I was losing myself in his beautiful eyes. I wanted to speak out, but I somehow couldn't move my lips. But I kicked myself back to reality.
"I-I should really get going...I don't want to o-overstay my welcome...." My stuttering voice drifted off. I wanted to avert my gaze but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It was as if I wanted to enjoy this moment to the very last second. Kaname suddenly brought me close and wrapped his arms around me, resting his forehead against mine and closing his eyes. At this point, I was on the verge of collapsing due to my pounding heart. I then slowly wrapped my arms around him, but it was as if I was clinging on to him...
' Is it really okay...? Is it okay to be this close to you?... Is it okay for us to hold each other like this? Is it okay that I feel like this everytime I'm with you...?' These were the thoughts that ran through my mind as we stayed like this for who knows how long.
'Someone who I thought I lost forever...Here I am holding onto him...'
'I love you...' The words I could never say out loud kept repeating in my mind... I would always tell myself to never have such thoughts, but now... every time I'm with him, I felt happiness...
I can't seal these feelings anymore... no matter how hard I try...
All of a sudden, those eyes that had been in my nightmares flashed in my mind.
My lip quivered as something came over me, immediately pulling myself closer to his chest. He looked slightly surprised but began to comb his fingers through my wavy brown hair.
"Emi?" He whispered with concern hinting in his soft voice.
"I'm sorry..." I whispered in his chest, tears began to slide down my cheek and I held him tighter. These selfish desires that I kept bottled up for so long are starting to consume me. I then regained my thoughts and pulled away slightly, I averted my gaze and apologizing once again. Kaname then cupped my cheek and used his thumb to wipe away my tears that spilled from my hazel eyes. He then leaned down slightly and placed his warm lips on my forehead.
He then whispered something that made my heart calm, yet flutter. "I'll protect you...I promise..."
But then Yuki flashed in my mind and I bit my lip.
"Kaname... May I ask you something...?" I asked as anxiety slowly started to build up because I was about to ask something I might not want to know the answer to...
"Of course." He said as he rested his hands on my small shoulders.
"Yuki...Do you lo-"
I then came to an abrupt stop mid sentence as a sudden presence came to our attention and It was a presence that didn't belong here. He then pulled away and looked at his door with a slightly annoyed look.
"So he decided to show up..." he sighed quietly.
He then looked back to me and stroked my cheek.
"I'm sorry but it seems we'll have to continue our talk tomorrow if that's okay ...I'm sure you're tired, Please go rest." He gave a warm smile and stroked my warm cheek once more before making his way the door.
I immediately walked out, shut the door lightly behind me, and stood in the hallway, trying to calm my racing heart. I then held the small rose close to me, giving a soft sigh before returning to my room.
As I made my way back to my room I heard a familiar voice faintly echo through the halls.
"You know what Yuki wants to ask. Why won't you tell her?" Zero's blunt voice echoed faintly. But soon their voices died out as I drew closer to my room.