〜Ｐｉｌｌｓ〜
"Oh, Dahlia is not here..." Takuma mused.
"She wasn't feeling well, so I had her sleep in." Kaname answered. Eyes watched him in surprise as a wave of uncertainty fell over the vampire students.
Behind the group, a male gritted his teeth. His blue eyes narrowed dangerously with a clenched hand at his side.
〜〜
"Wake up..." A voice whispered into her ear. She shivered in the dark abyss, confused on what was going on.
"Wake up, ------. You need to remember." There was another voice now, sultry and sinister, "You are in danger..."
Shivers ran up her spine, hands now grasping onto her body and pulling her back towards them. Two small hands flew pass her face and covered her mouth.
〜〜
Dahlia woke up groggily, the room dark and silent.
With slow movements, she stumbled out of the bed and onto the floor, her head spinning with many incoherent thoughts.
She extended a trembling hand towards the nightstand and latched onto it. Her fingers slipped on the smooth, wooden surface and she fell.
The door softly opened and a pair of dress shoes came into her vision. She winced at the pain that erupted from the side of her skull.
"What happened?"
Her eyes snapped toward the Pureblood looming over her, his hand reaching down towards her.
His warmth radiated off of him and onto her, having a calming effect on her rapid heart.
Kaname helped her back onto the bed. His eyes scanned her face for any discomfort or pain, before reaching to the glass and small box nearby.
"Did you need another?" He dropped a tablet into the water, and just as she was about to refuse, he placed it into her hands. Her eyes lost their shine and blankly stared forward, her hand lifting the cup and drinking the content down.
Kaname helped take the cup away from her lips, watching the dark liquid that escaped the corner of her lips.
His eyes widened for a moment.
"Help me... Onii-sama..."
Her cheeks were smudged with dried blood and ashes while her face contorted with that of pain and anguish.
Her body shrunk to a younger version of the teen, her exposed skin covered in cuts and bruises. Her hair had always been wildly wavy and beautiful, but the ends were singed off and turning black.
Blood oozed down her face.
"D-Dahlia..." Kaname stilled at the sight in front of him.
He blinked, meeting a pair of dulled blue eyes that stared at him. With a trembling hand he reached towards her face and flinched as she looked towards him. Confusion suddenly replaced her once blank face.
"Kaname-san?" His eyes examined her carefully, looking for any signs that would indicate that something was out of the ordinary.
He sighed in relief before staring at her again. He rested the palm of his hand against her cheek, caressing the skin and enjoy the warmth that radiated off her body.
She stayed silent, processing what was going on. Her heart hammered in her ear, uncertainty filling her. What should she do in such a situation.
Shakily, she lifted her hands and placed them on his back. His large frame engulfed hers for a few long minutes, before he pulled away. He stared intently at her, lifting a finger to brush a strand of her hair out of the way. Her skin reddened at the intimateness of the male before her. She immediately looked down towards he lap.
"Would you like to accompany me tomorrow?"
Her head snapped towards the Pureblood, completely caught off guard. "Ca-Can you repeat that... please?" She squeaked out.
The end of his lips twitched upwards as he came closer. "I would like to take you out tomorrow morning." Her face began to turn pink at the words he repeated.
With a meek nod, she agreed.
He held a soft smile towards the girl as he sat on the edge of her bed. Dahlia rested her head against the pillow, peering upwards towards the looming vampire who ran a hand over her hair. He waited until she fell asleep, staying in that position before standing up.
〜〜
He watched her, as the night rolled on, and she fell in and out of sleep, his gaze never left her for too long of a time. Occasionally, his gaze went to the half empty glass cup of the tainted water and the small box on the nightstand.
Soon...
And with vibrant red eyes, he would go back to watching the sleeping girl unaware of the unknown presence in the room. In the dark corner of Dahlia's room, he was able to see glowing red object that suddenly appeared. Standing up, he carefully drew closer until he was in front of it.
She stood there again. So small and horrifying.
"It hurts." She whispered. Blood dripped from her face, mingled with the child's tears.
Unpleased, he wrapped a hand around her small neck, only for her to disappear without a trace.
It took him a moment to process it before turning back to the sleeping girl. She was coiled in a large ball of blankets, shivering even then. Drawing closer, he lifted the sheets from her obscured body and was shocked at the smaller person occupying the space next to Dahlia.
There she was again, only this time, her eyes were closed and her hands held onto the teen beside the child. The whole area of the bed was colored in red and a black powder. The two girls were a mirror image of each other, stained in blood and ashes, with bruises to decorate most of their skin. Reaching a hand towards Dahlia, he tried so hard to not be shaken and tremble at the sight, but he couldn't stop it.
She felt so cold under his fingers, and he couldn't fight back the horror he felt when the two girls screamed together in unison, more blood poured out of their bodies. The scent dominated the air thickly, suffocating the male until his eyes were a bright crimson and his throat tightened at the tempting smell. He fought against the urge.
An arm quickly went to cover his face to prevent the further intake of the heavenly smell. He stared narrowly at the child that continue to latch onto Dahlia before extending his free arm to the child. Just as he was about to grab her, another hand beat him to the punch.
The child clutched onto the thin tainted dress, her eyes snapping open. Her hands clawed at her chest, leaving scratch marks, but that wasn't what alarmed him. It was the four dark purple lines that covered the whole left half of her neck. He backed off, fear gripping him so tightly at what he witnessed. He suddenly forgot the scent of blood that hung in the air, and of his surroundings. Memories began to crawl up into his head that he had long forgotten.
His red eyes began to fade back to the dark color it always was. He met the glowing red gaze of the child, that were so bright in color yet so painfully dull with lack of any life in them.
He became frozen into place, staring at the rising child that moved over Dahlia's body. She held onto the teen for dear life, ignoring the man close by, and instead, collapsed onto the teen's body.
The child faded into nothing.
Fully steadying himself, he loomed over Dahlia, taking in her sleeping form.
He sighed in relief when he saw there was no blood or bruises on her body. Lifting a hand, he touched her skin, feeling the burning warmth she provide, shivering at the cold air conditioning of the room. He brought the sheets over her body, watching her murmur incoherently in content. She stirred in place, moving in position until she was comfortable.
He stilled at the markings on her neck.
The same four long purple bruises adorned the left side of her neck, while a single smaller purple line was on the right side. His breathing almost ceased when he saw this.
Taking a step back, he slumped back at his chair and clutched his hair.
What was going on?