Vampire Knight Fan Fiction ❯ Before I Wake ❯ Chapter I ( Chapter 2 )

~Before I Wake~

Author:
Danaeyl Panthernopaeus.

XxX

Day One - Friday.

We were in our ethics class. Half of us were paying attention to Yagari-sensei and the other half were day-dreaming. I was half paying attention, half day-dreaming. My mind was on the slight problem of the Council and Zero's petulance. I had never let it show that some of his remarks annoyed me to no end. That sometimes, I wish I could kill him and erase everyone's memory of him. I refrained from doing that because he was really good at apologising. He had to apologise to me soon, though. There were a few remarks that had ticked me off a little.

My attention turned from Yagari-sensei to Aidou. The blond vampire was furiously scribbling away in his book. My eyes followed the strokes of his pencil and I titled my head, ever so slightly. I couldn't see the image he was creating but from the movement Aidou was doing, I could make out that it wasn't something very nice. He was speaking to himself, also. His voice was the lowest I'd ever heard it go and I had to strain my ears to hear.

I looked around the room. It seemed that the others were also whispering. Their voices ran over each other as their hushed tones encased me. I blinked and, as suddenly as it started, it disappeared. Aidou was still drawing in his book and still muttering to himself but the others were as silent as graves. I looked down at my book and sighed to myself. There wasn't anything I was learning that I didn't already know. Why did I bother to humour the teachers by showing up?

Where had that thought come from? It wasn't like me to be so narky. Truth of the matter was I really did enjoy school. I enjoyed the way the teachers taught their lessons; all the different techniques they'd use. It was a psychology lesson for me. I got to see the way the others reacted to certain teachers. Yagari-sensei was not a boring teacher but none of us really enjoyed ethics. I already knew how to diplomatic about anything, including dealing with someone like Zero.

Then there was the teacher for our math class. She was a little insane but she made the lesson fun. Everyday was a new experience and I found that we left that class having learnt something new. We weren't running on autopilot. Even Aidou sat up and paid attention when it was time for math. Most of the time he could be found doodling in his book, like he was now. I followed the pencil. It was basically the only movement in the class.

Aidou stopped mid-stroke and looked over his shoulder at me. I got to my feet, staring at the blond Noble. The others looked at me curiously and I could hear the questions they were asking in their head but would never have the guts to ask aloud. Could they not see Aidou? Could they not see that his usually light blue eyes were not…his? Or had I just been awake for too long? Aidou blinked and turned back to his picture. I sat back down and tried to ignore the eyes of the others that were on me. I knew that once we were alone Takuma would demand to know what had happened.

I must not be sleeping as well as I thought I had been. That would change tonight. I would get an early night and hopefully catch up with all of the rest I had lost. There wasn't anything special keeping me up in the mornings. My sleep had become broken, though. In the last week, especially. There would be something that would wake me, even if there was no reason for it. I was certain that I wasn't having nightmares and whenever I woke there were no presences around me, except those of the vampires that were in their slumbers.

I hid a yawn behind my hand, which came to an abrupt halt half way through. The whispering returned. I glanced around the room and saw that the vampires of my inner circle were staring at me. Their eyes didn't seem to belong to them. There was a glint in them that I couldn't pin-point but the incoherent whispering was getting louder and louder by the second. The more I tried to focus on it the more it seemed to get incomprehensible, which made no sense.

The whispering came to a sudden stop when there was a knock at the classroom door. Everyone stared at it, waiting to see who it would be that disturb the class at that hour. Yagari-sensei opened the door and a voice travelled to our ears. “Kuran Kaname?”

I blinked. It was a human that was asking for me, as any vampire would know that Yagari was not me. Yagari stepped back and pointed me out. The man stepped into the room, a large box under his arm. I raised an eyebrow as he handed me a clipboard. I scanned the lettering, making sure it was only a received goods contract and not something else. I signed my name and handed the contract back and he gave me the box, which was wrapped in basic brown paper, tied with brown string. He bid me a goodnight and left the room. What kind of company does night deliveries this late? I asked myself, turning the package around in my hands.

“You got a special delivery delivered to your class, Kuran-san?” Yagari asked, with a shake of his head.

“No. I haven't ordered anything.” I stared at the brown paper. “There's no return address, either.”

“Maybe it's from a secret admirer?” someone offered.

“There's no perfume on it and I can't smell roses,” I said softly.

“Well, since you found it necessary to disrupt my lesson with that, you may as well open it now.”

I hid a smirk. Yagari was just as curious as the rest of us. I nodded and undid the bow that the string was in. I gently pulled back the paper and found myself staring at the back of a black, glass box. I turned it around and raised an eyebrow. Takuma shuddered beside me and I removed the little, black envelope that was attached to the top left corner. I glanced through the glass as I unhooked it. I opened it and quickly read the neat handwriting.

I nodded, placing the note inside of the envelope and reattaching it to the top left corner. I placed the porcelain doll to the side and waited for the lesson to resume. Takuma had other ideas, though. “Could you face that thing away from me? It's really freaky.”

Aidou turned around and stared at the doll. The doll's eyes were a shade lighter than his and the Noble tilted his head, as though he was contemplating something. “I think she's kind of cute.”

“You like porcelain dolls?” Takuma asked, shock playing through his eyes.

“That doesn't matter. Do you know who sent it, Kaname-sama?” Ruka inquired.

I shook my head. “There's no return address. The author of the note called herself `Koori'.”

“What did the note say?”

I looked at Takuma. It seemed that my package was more important than the lesson and even Yagari was listening in to what I was saying. I removed the envelope and handed it to my friend. He gingerly opened it and pulled out the black slip of paper. “`Dearest receiver, this is Shikyo. I ask that you take care of her and treat her like a queen as she can become quite possessive of her owners. Don't you know that dolls do have a life of their own? And you never know when they will become attached. Sincerely, Koori.'.” Takuma raised an eyebrow and handed the note back to me. “Creepy. I knew there was a reason why I didn't like porcelain dolls.”

I nodded and took back the note, attaching it to the box again. For a moment, I thought I saw Shikyo's eyes flicker to Takuma. Another sign that I hadn't been receiving the right amount of sleep lately. I knew that dolls didn't have a soul. Porcelain dolls on the other hand…I understood what Takuma meant. People that collected the objects usually ended up weirder than before. I didn't have a thing against porcelain dolls, I just didn't like them. It never crossed my mind to be an owner of one, either. It would appear that someone else had a different idea.

“What are you going to do with it?” Takuma asked.

I turned away from the doll. “What did you want me to do with it?”

Takuma tilted his head. “Get rid of it. If you take that thing back to the dorm I know I won't be able to sleep knowing that it's around me.”

“Are you that scared of a doll, Takuma?” I smiled at him. “She is only a doll. A lifeless possession that can bring you no harm.”

Takuma looked ready to fight me on it but the bell rang, ending the classes for the night and for the day. I gathered my books and my doll. On the walk back to the dorm, I tried to figure out who would send me a doll. Was it a random pick? I didn't know anyone that would have a doll like that. The box she was in reminded me of a coffin. And what sort of company delivers something like this at night? I didn't remember seeing urgent anywhere on the package.

I paused and looked to my right. Zero was standing there, watching us. Making sure none of us decided to take a de tour for a midnight snack. His eyes flicker to the black glass coffin in my hands and I raised an eyebrow. His eyes returned to mine and he glared, turning his head away. If I didn't have Shikyo with me I would've spoken to him. In fact, I question myself as to why a doll was stopping me from speaking to someone I wanted to talk with. The others were waiting for me; I knew that and maybe talking to Zero could wait a little longer. I turned from him and continued on with my inner circle to the dorm.

The others were going to be up for a while longer as it was the weekend. I bid them a goodnight and went up to my room, placing my books on the desk. I looked at Shikyo. She smiled at me from within her glass prison. Her porcelain face was flawless. Long, black lashes. Rosy cheeks. Pale pink lips. All surrounded by black curls. I placed the glass coffin on my desk and opened it, pulling her free. Her eyes don't close but I figured she wasn't that type of doll.

She wore a white dress. The front had been cut and the sides pulled back to reveal the black material beneath. The bottom was lined with dark red lace, hiding her black shoes. The sleeves were made of black, sheer and edged with white lace. Around her waist was a red ribbon that formed a bow at the back. Atop her black curls was a small black and white hat. I turned her around in my hands. I didn't know what I was looking for but I knew I was looking for something. With a shrug, I placed her beside the coffin and began stripping out of my uniform. I was too tired to worry about Shikyo. What a fitting name. She smelt like death.

Day Two - Saturday.

Someone was knocking at my door. I rolled away from my door, hoping that would work in making the irritating sound disappear. It didn't work. I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw through the haze was a pair of light blue ones. I sat up and stared down at Shikyo. The knocking continued and I put the doll on my bedside chest, pulling myself out of bed. I honestly felt as though I hadn't gotten any sleep the previous night. I pulled on a robe and opened the door. Takuma was standing there, smiling.

I had half a mind to kill him for looking so refreshed. I invited him into the room and went to my desk, sitting down behind it and staring at my books. They were out of their carry pack and were strewn across the wood. I don't remember going through them but that didn't matter. It wasn't like Takuma to wake me up that early without a good reason. I looked up at him and waited. He shifted nervously and glanced at my bedside chest. He really didn't like Shikyo and I didn't blame him.

“Yuuki-chan is here to see you, Kaname-sama. Apparently there was something about you joining her and the Headmaster for lunch. I think you slept through it.” As he spoke, Takuma kept glancing at the doll, as though he was expecting it to lunge at him. “How could you sleep with that thing in the same room as you? I begged Shiki to let me sleep with him last night.”

How could I have forgotten then lunch? Yuuki had been so excited about it. I was certain she would understand why I missed it. I nodded at Takuma and made for the door but paused and looked his shoulder me. He looked at me with concern and I knew from that look I had to look like death warmed over. I gave him a small smile but he didn't seem to buy it.

“If you like, Kaname-sama, I can tell Yuuki-chan that you're sleeping. Oh! And Aidou and the others wanted to know if they could go and see a movie a little later on tonight.”

“Only Aidou and the others? What will you be doing this evening?” I asked as I got to my feet and opened the door to my en suite.

“I've got a mountain of homework to complete before Monday.” Takuma tool hold of the door handle. “Kaname-sama, I hope I'm not out of line when I say you look horrible. Did you get any sleep last night?”

“I did, Takuma and thank you for your concern.” I closed my eyes, feeling just how tired I really was. I fell into a deep sleep, which probably wasn't the best thing for me to do. “The others have my permission to go out for three hours only. I don't want them to cause any sort of trouble.”

Takuma nodded and left my room. I slipped into the bathroom and removed my robe and pyjamas. I turned the shower on and glanced at my reflection in the mirror. I looked worse than death warmed over. I looked like death himself. I yawned as I stepped under the current, not caring about the fact that I hadn't added any cold water. I need the heat to relax my sore, tense and tired muscles. I just wished it would've worked better than it did. I had Yuuki waiting for me downstairs and I couldn't take as long as I usually did when I felt that bad.

I dressed and went downstairs. “Yuuki…Zero?” Takuma forgot to mention that the male prefect was also with her. If I had actually been paying attention to who was around, I would've noticed his presence in the dorm. As it was, I was almost at the state of not knowing my own name.

Yuuki grinned at me but it faltered. “Kaname-senpai! Did I wake you? I really didn't mean to. I told Ichijou-senpai that if you were still asleep you let you stay that way.” She glanced at me anxiously and I smiled at her. It wasn't her fault that I was having such a terrible time sleeping.

“Its fine, Yuuki. I'm sorry that I missed lunch. Perhaps we could have dinner instead?”

Yuuki opened her mouth but a scream from upstairs got our attention. I turned and ran towards it; Zero was right behind me. I opened the door to Takuma's room. There wasn't anything around that I could sense but I could see what it was that had made him scream. Shikyo was standing on his bed. Zero pushed his way past me and stared at the doll.

“Is that the creepy thing you were carrying last night?” he asked as he walked over to her and picked her up. “So the tough pureblood likes dolls, huh?” He smirked at me before he shoved Shikyo into my hands.

“How did it get in here?” Takuma demanded. His heart was racing to the point where I thought he was going to have a heart attack.

“I don't know,” I answered. “I left her on my bedside chest.” When I thought about it, I didn't remember seeing her there when I left the bathroom. She had to have been there. “It was probably Aidou.” Even though I said it, I wasn't entirely sure if I believed it.

“Is everything okay?” Yuuki inquired from behind me.

I turned to her and she flinched as she saw the doll in my hand. “Everything's fine, Yuuki. How about dinner?”

Yuuki nodded, her eyes still on the doll. “I think the Chairman will like that.” She blinked and raised her eyes to meet mine. “I know he loves to see you, Kaname-senpai.”

Zero stepped past me and took hold of Yuuki's hand. “Be sure to leave your friend here, Kuran.” With that, he dragged Yuuki downstairs and out of the dorm; Yuuki called out her goodbye.

I apologised to Takuma and left his room, closing the door. I looked down at Shikyo and she smiled back at me. I shook my head. I had to be insane to think that dolls could move on their own. One of the other vampires had to have entered my room while I was downstairs or while I was in the shower. I've been so out of it lately I doubt I would've noticed if someone had been in my room while I was in the bathroom. I took Shikyo back to my room and glanced at the time.

The Chairman was probably making dinner now, which gave me about an hour before I was due to be there. I placed the doll on the bed and went to my desk, pulling my calculus homework out. My eyes scanned the notes I took and I did the problems easily. With calculus out of the way, I pulled my ethics book forward. Yagari-sensei hadn't appointed any homework because of the surprise delivery. Who would send me a doll? I didn't even know anyone that liked porcelain dolls.

Shikyo gazed at me from the bed. How had she ended up in Takuma's room? “Don't you know that dolls have a life of their own?” Dolls weren't alive - everyone knew that. But maybe they were. In a sense, everything is alive. Alive enough to move on its own? An inanimate object? No. That's not possible or even probable. I looked at Shikyo and she smiled back at me with her cold, dead blue eyes. How was I meant to treat her like a queen? It was a doll!

I rubbed my eyes. If I didn't get some decent rest soon I would probably go insane. I looked at my door when there was a knock. My heart thumped in my chest and I granted the waiting person entry. It took a lot for me not to smile when Zero slipped inside. He turned and walked up to my desk, gazing at me. I studied him expectantly. I knew I wasn't due at the Headmaster's house for a little while still. Zero didn't appear to be in need of my blood, either. He stood there, staring at me and I beckoned him around to my side.

As he walked, I scanned him. He had Bloody Rose on his person but it wasn't on his mind. I smirked and he was beside me. “Is something wrong, Zero?”

Zero shrugged. “Boredom mostly.” His eyes roamed my body.

I got to my feet and stood in front of him. “Shouldn't you be helping the Headmaster with tonight's dinner?”

“He kicked me out of the kitchen, saying he had everything under control.” Zero leant against my desk, staring me in the eye.

“And what did you think I could do to help relieve this boredom you're suffering from?” I placed a hand on the hunter's chest and slid it down, undoing the buttons as it went.

Zero's eyes flashed with mischief, an emotion I was hoping that would enter his eyes more often. He pushed my hands to the side and gripped my shirt, pinning me to the wall. I allowed him to have that freedom as our mouths connected. A soft groan came up my throat as I got one hand tangled in his silver strands and the other pressing against his lower back. He slipped a leg between mine, attempting to get closer than what was physically possible. Our tongues fought for dominance and I allowed him to win that small victory. It wasn't often I allowed him to have power over me.

We parted for air and I changed our positions. I removed the shirt that Zero was wearing and licked down his neck and across his clavicle, down his bicep and nipped inside of his elbow, receiving a strangled moan from him. My tongue swirled around the sensitive skin and he whispered my name. I nodded and picked him up. Zero wrapped his legs around my waist and I took us over to the bed, laying him down. I removed my own shirt, feeling Zero's warm fingers over my torso. Shikyo and her former owner were pushed to the back of my mind.

***
I held Zero close, feeling very satisfied as the water of the shower ran over our bodies. I kissed him possessively as I washed his body. We still had a few minutes before we decided to head off to the house and have dinner. I rinsed Zero and turned the water off, stepping out. I handed him a towel and got one for myself and we went into the bedroom to collect our clothing, which had been strewn around the room in our lustful frenzy.

In the room, Zero sat on the bed and picked up Shikyo. “I seriously can't believe you're gonna keep this thing. How can you sleep with it staring at you?”

I dried my hair and put the towel into the hamper, pulling on my pants. “The same way I sleep with you staring at me: I ignore it.”

Zero placed Shikyo on the bed and came over to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist. “There's just one huge difference between the doll and me. I'm at least good looking.” He tilted his head up and pecked me on the lips.

“Yes,” I agreed as he detached himself from me and got dressed, also. “I really don't know who would send her to me, though. Everyone I know doesn't like porcelain dolls and the note that came with her was as strange as the arrival.” I buttoned my shirt up.

“Someone actually called a doll Shikyo? Freaks. Is that cat's blood I can smell?” Zero handed me the note and I sniffed it.

“Possibly. It smells as though it's been aired out, though.” I shrugged and handed it back to Zero, who slipped it into envelope again. “I just wish there was a return address so I could send her back to her original owner.”

Zero stared at the doll. “Maybe the person who owned it before you decided they'd had enough of the freakiness that surrounded porcelain dolls and randomly picked a name.”

“I wish that were true, Zero.” I went over to him and did up his shirt. “It was addressed to me here. I didn't send out a newsletter letting everyone know where I was. Only the Council and Association know that I'm here. I want to know why I was chosen to receive Shikyo.”

Zero lowered his eyes. “Maybe they sent it to one of your homes and someone re-wrapped it and addressed it here. It could explain why there wasn't a return address. Someone probably thought you were expecting it. As for why you…maybe they thought you'd take good care of her, like the note said.” He raised his eyes. “Who's Koori?”

I shrugged. “I don't know anyone by that name. At least, I'm fairly certain that I don't. Let's drop it. We should get to dinner.” Zero nodded and pushed off the desk. Before I left my room, I glanced at Shikyo. She smiled lifelessly at me from where Zero left her on the bed. I didn't trust her but she was a gift and it would be rude to dispose of her.

Maybe Aidou would like her. In fact, that was a good idea. Aidou cherished everything that was touched by me. He would be able to treat Shikyo like a queen and he did think she was rather cute. He could've been saying that because he didn't know what I thought about her, though. Either way, Aidou would take good care of her. Zero and I stopped and looked at each other. We laughed, shaking our heads. We were going insane. At least, that was what we hoped was happening. It would've made things much more easier to handle.

XxX
End Chapter I.