Vampire Knight Fan Fiction ❯ The Black Sincerity ❯ The Darkhour Ball ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven: The Darkhour Ball

 

Author's Note:

Thank-you for being so patient with me! I hope this humongous chapter was worth the wait (1100 more words than the last). Also I would like to thank those people that review my story, your input is invaluable! A hurrah for this story reaching over 500 reads, thank-you readers! (*** denotes a flashback)

 

Stepping out of the carriage Yuki looked around hesitantly. Dark stone arches loomed above the friendly glow of the carriage light. Leaves rustled in the night air, whispering dark secrets to one another. Nervously she fingered the dense velvet of the cloak. She heard Ren alight behind her and soon felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. As if by magic she echoed Yuki's thoughts:

 

“You don't have to go through with this,” Yuki shook her head and Ren sighed. The two sisters stared at the entrance, each lost in their own thoughts:

 

***** ***

 

Zero kept his promise to talk to Ren, going to her room when he knew that Yuki wouldn't be there. Ren speedily dismissed Chiyzu and Inari when she saw the look on his face.

 

“I know what you've come here to say,” she began. Zero leaned against the door jam, his jaw clenched, waiting for her to continue. “I didn't want her to come but you know I can't say no to her.” She gave him a look that said `and neither could you,' Ren saw Zero twitch with anger. “I can keep her safe,” she added defiantly.

 

“SAFE!? You're taking a human to that-that disgusting ritual where she'll be surrounded by hungry vampires and you say you can keep her safe!? How can you even think to promise that?” Zero knew he was treading on thin ground; there was nothing that riled a witch up more than saying they couldn't protect their loved ones. Ren eyed him coldly,

 

“This is why I can say that,” she said standing up and turning around. Slipping off the sleeves of her robe she let it pool around her waist.

 

*****

 

Fortunately, Zero had said nothing more after that, for which Ren was grateful. She had enough on her plate as it was.

 

****** ***

 

Chiyzu had found Yuki the day after they had come on the pretext of helping her fix the hem on her dress.

 

“I just came to make sure you knew what you were getting into. Inari is all for not telling you anything” here Chiyzu made a face “but I think it's important.”

 

“Thank you” Yuki said, touched by Chiyzu's concern. “Tell me everything please,”

 

“Well do you know anything about witches?” Chiyzu asked. Yuki shrugged

 

“A bit…I read the History of Witches,” Chizyu looked impressed.

 

“So then you know that witches are divided into clans and each clan has a head person that sits on the grand council. The ruling clan is the black rose clan and whoever their head person is, is the Queen of the witches. We, meaning Inari, Kaemon, your sister and I are from the black rose clan. You can tell because of this,” Chizyu opened her shirt and showed Yuki the black rose tattooed on her stomach just left of her navel. “The bigger it is the more powerful the person is.” Yuki reached out a carefully touched it, tracing the petals with her fingers.

 

“It's really warm,” Yuki said, surprised.

 

“Yes and you have to be careful about that. Don't touch a witch's mark without their permission.” Yuki looked confused but pulled her hand away hastily.

 

“Why?” Chiyzu buttoned her shirt back up and carefully tucked it in before responding:

 

“Depending on how powerful the witch is, it could kill you. It's a defense mechanism or something. Anyways at the ball the Queen of the witches dances with the leader of the vampires.” Chiyzu gave Yuki a look under her eyelashes “And most of vampires feed on the witches. It cements the pact in blood,”

 

“Every witch has to be fed on?” Yuki asked her hand going to her throat.

 

“No, only by choice.” Seeing Yuki's obvious distress, Chiyzu added, “Don't worry though, your sister will give you a token that tells all the vampires you're off limits. You'll be 100 percent safe,”

 

******

 

Looking down at the strange bracelet Ren had given her Yuki did feel safe; so had her fellow passengers in the carriage. On the ride over Yuki had been introduced to Ryo, who claimed to be Ren's bodyguard. His playful demeanor had put Yuki immediately at ease. However Yuki saw none of the same friendliness in Kaemon. Chiyzu had whispered to her though that it wasn't personal, Kaemon was just worried about Ren. It was Kaemon who now interrupted the two sister's reveries:

 

“We await you my lady,” Kaemon said coming to stand beside Ren. Yuki turned and saw a mass of people wearing black cloaks. Ren gave Yuki another look before giving a sharp nod in response. “Hoods up” commanded Kaemon. Faces transformed into indistinguishable shadows. Ren turned to Yuki, her face barely visible:

 

“Stay with Chiyzu Yuki. Ryo, Kaemon.” Ryo swept up to Ren and bowed, before offering her his hand. Ren giggled and placed her own hand in his.

“Shall we my lady,” he said as he bent over again and lightly kissed the back of her hand. Yuki saw Kaemon stiffen. Ren sighed again but Yuki could hear the humor in her voice as she responded.

 

“We shall!” With Kaemon and Ryo as her vanguard she walked towards the large double doors. The whole group surged forth in response and Yuki, caught in the middle, had no choice but to follow. At first she was annoyed but once she entered the hall she was grateful for the people surrounding her. Vampires and witches alike lined the walls and, as they were announced, a wave of bows and curtsies preceded them. Yuki could hear the murmurs following in the wake of their progress. Suddenly Chiyzu grabbed her arm and stopped her. Yuki watched as Ren continued on with Ryo and Kaemon still following slightly behind. Once she reached the low steps leading to the top of the dais, Ryo and Kaemon turned with military precision and stood on either side of it.

 

Ren stopped and the whole room collectively held its breath. They did not have to wait long for the cloak to flutter to the floor, revealing the mark of the new queen.

 

*****

 

Kaname had hissed when he realized that Ren had brought Yuki with her. What was she thinking, he fumed silently, bringing a human to the Darkhour ball? Despite the ritual black cloaks shielding their identities from sight, Kaname could smell them, the sweet pure scent of Yuki and her sister's deeper, slightly more seductive, one. He watched Ren's ascension to the dais with some shock. He had not expected that she was the new queen. But it made sense now, when he thought about how much power there had been in the challenge. Ren must have fought the old queen and won. He had just started contemplating on how much power she must have when he saw the movement of her hands from the corner of his eyes. Ahh yes, he thought, the mark will tell how powerful she is. The cloak dropped and his eyes widened in surprise.

 

In cruel terrible strokes the black rose was etched across her whole back, the bloom itself touching the nape of her neck and extending from shoulder blade to shoulder blade. Triple circles of thorns wound around the tops of her arms. When she turned around, you could see the leaves that began on her back, swept around the front, with their tips meeting at her sternum. The dress was art itself, fitted to Ren like a second skin. Sheer black fabric hung beneath the breast band, showing off her entire torso until, at the waist, it became dense black velvet again. With the exception of the two thin straps that supported the entire top, the tip of her spine to the nape of her neck was bare. It was made for one thing and one thing only, to display her mark at the best advantage and to show everyone exactly how powerful the new queen was.

 

*****

 

Even Yuki, new to customs and traditions of witches, realized that her sister must be extremely powerful. Chizyu's rose had been maybe six inches in diameter and it was dwarfed next to Ren's. Suddenly Yuki spotted Kaname making his way toward the dais with a group of older vampires surrounding him. Chizyu whispered in Yuki's ear

 

“That is the high council for the vampires.” Ren extended her hand towards Kaname and Yuki watched as he bowed and kissed it.

 

“Tonight we come together to renew the ancient bond between our peoples.” Kaname began his formal voice carrying across the entire room. Just then the clock struck twelve. The sound of the bells tolling was eerie, causing Yuki to shiver. When she looked up again Kaname was leading Ren out onto the dance floor and out of nowhere the orchestra began to play.

 

******

 

Kaname looked down at Ren as they began to waltz. She gave him a half-smile as he spun her around.

 

“Surprise,” she said her voice low so it wouldn't carry.

 

“What am I supposed to be more surprised at, you being queen or you bringing Yuki to the Darkhour ball,” Their dark eyes met.

 

“She wears my token, she'll be safe” As they continued to waltz other couples joined but they remained isolated in the center. Kaname lifted his eyebrow at her,

 

“Nice dress by the way…it really shows off your figure,” He laughed quietly at Ren's face. “I can see you don't share my opinion,”. In fact Kaname was starting to become a little too aware at how well the dress was actually designed. Having Ren so close was intoxicating, arousing the hunger deep inside of him.

 

*****

 

Yuki was getting thirsty and so she looked over at Chizyu to get her attention. But then through a gap in the crowd she noticed a table with, what looked like, punch on it. Not wanting to interrupt Chizyu's conversation, Yuki slipped away and headed towards it by herself.

 

She was about to pour herself a glass when she realized it looked like blood.

 

“Oh!” Yuki said in surprise, dropping the ladle back into the bowl. She flinched at the harsh chinking sound it made. There was a low laugh behind her.

 

“Don't worry little lamb…it's made out of diamond, it won't crack” Yuki turned and saw a beautiful tall man right behind her. He was smiling, showing his sharp fangs. Sliding up next to her, he poured a cup. Yuki backed away towards the wall. Holding it out to her he said,

 

“It's pomegranate juice not blood, we vampires prefer our blood straight from the source, if you get my meaning. I'm Tsukette.” He brushed his hand against Yuki's hair “My but you do smell delicious…” Yuki's eyes grew wide as he moved his head closer to his neck.

 

“No…I'm not a…that is…” Yuki took a few steps back and felt the wall behind her. The vampire set the punch glass back on the table and took a purposeful step towards her.

 

“Come come little lamb, I won't hurt you…too much,”

 

“No you can't,” Yuki squeaked holding her hands up in front of her and closing her eyes. He laughed again and grabbed her wrists. Suddenly Yuki heard him give a shout of pain.

 

Opening her eyes she saw him standing quite a bit away from her rubbing his hands. He pointed to her bracelet angrily,

 

“What is that thing!?” he started walking back towards Yuki with murder in his eyes. “You'll pay for that you little bitch,” Yuki closed her eyes again, frozen with terror.

 

“That is my sister you're calling a bitch,” a cold voice said. Yuki's eyes flew open and she saw her sister standing there. The vampire was facing Ren now,

 

“So sorry, I didn't know the little lamb belonged to you,” he purred holding his hands up surrender. Yuki saw Kaemon come up behind Ren and place a hand on her shoulder. Whispering in his ear, Ren pointed towards Yuki. Kaemon walked over and put his hands on Yuki's shoulders to steer her away.

 

“Please do me the honor of dancing with me,” he said giving her a push towards the dance floor.

 

“But Ren…” Yuki looked back at her sister, who now wore a cold smile.

 

“She can take care of herself,” Kaemon said in a low voice and then added under his breath “and him,”

 

******

 

Kaname watched the man lead Yuki into the dance before heading over towards the punch table. The crowd parted easily for him and at once he saw Ren. She was standing over the body of a vampire. She turned and looked at him, her face hard and her eyes shining in fury.

 

“You know the laws,” she said “It was within my rights,” Kaname nodded sharply. A cry came from the crowd as another vampire pushed her way through.

 

“Tsuke, Tsuke,” she cried over his body, shaking him. “What have you done!?” she yelled at Ren.

 

“He broke the rule and was punished accordingly,” Ren said coldly as she turned and walked away. Kaname watched the woman mourn for another second before following her. He grabbed Ren's arm and yanked her around.

 

“See why bringing Yuki wasn't a good idea,” he said angrily.

 

“I dealt with the situation,” Ren replied coldly trying to shrug off his hand.

 

“Great way to start off your queenship,” Kaname sneered at her.

 

“He deserved it and I was well within my rights,” she hissed at him. She was about to say more when he interrupted her,

 

“I would have never forgiven you if Yuki got hurt,” Ren's face grew livid but before she could respond Kaname walked away.

 

*****

 

Kaemon was a good dancer, Yuki thought as he twirled her around effortlessly. Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she asked him the question that had been plaguing her,

 

“What will happen to him?” Kaemon looked down at her for a second and Yuki was stunned again at the brilliancy of his blue eyes.

 

“That is nothing you need to worry about,” he said, his tone clipped. Yuki fidgeted as the silence continued and then suddenly it just burst out of her,

 

“Do you really love my sister?” Yuki blushed and looked down. The silence dragged on until Yuki couldn't stand it anymore. She looked up again and found that he was staring at her.

 

“I'm not even going to ask how…” suddenly realization dawned on him and he smiled wryly. “I have Chiyzu to thank for that one don't I?” Yuki glanced down quickly and then stared at him through her eyelashes. After some intense scrutiny on Yuki's part, he gave in with a sigh:

 

“Yes” Yuki was about to bombard him with more questions when she felt his grip on her tighten.

 

“I'm sorry but you can't dance with her,” she heard Kaemon say in a mean voice. Yuki looked to see who it was.

 

“Kaname!?” she gasped. He smiled warmly at her.

 

“I do believe that Yuki will have no problem with me cutting in,” Kaemon gave him a frown of displeasure before asking Yuki,

 

“Is this okay with you?” Yuki nodded, happy to see Kaname. Kaemon gave short nod and relinquished her to him, all the while giving Kaname a hard stare that promised trouble should he make a mistake.

 

*****

 

As soon as they were alone, Kaname looked Yuki over to reassure himself that she was safe.

 

“You are unhurt?” he asked. Yuki blushed and nodded at his concern for her. He sighed.

 

“I wish you would have told me; I could have cautioned you against coming, so that something like this would have never happened.” He looked down at Yuki and saw her face go red.

 

“Ren saved me. I'm happy I came,” she said stubbornly. Kaname knew that she would never see reason and switched tactics.

 

“Well let me make your night go much better from here on out,” and he swirled her in a large arc causing Yuki to clutch at him and giggle. He leaned down, “It's good to hear you laugh so freely,” he whispered in her ear, his warm breath making Yuki shiver. As they danced Yuki continued to chatter happily. Kaname listened with one ear as he savored the moment of holding Yuki in his arms. Looking down at her happy face he thought about how precious she was to him, how precious she'd always been. It angered him when he found out that Yuki was letting that disgusting Zero feed on her. But now was not the time to dwell on that, sooner or later Zero would need to be removed and Kaname was willing to wait until that day.

 

******

 

Sensing his Queen's anxiety, Kaemon had convinced Ren to dance with him. However, the entire time her eyes were glued to the two figures across the room, both of whom were unaware of their watcher.

 

“I don't like the way he's holding her,” she said crossly. “He looks like he's going to bite her. Maybe I should…”

 

“You're acting like a jealous shrew. You can share your sister with her friends for one night, besides your sister was happy to see him. You would just be interrupting her happiness,” Kaemon reasonably.

 

“He's a pureblood, he could turn her with one bite!” Kaemon tried to calm her down:

 

“But he won't, at least not here, if he wants to stay alive. You can relax your vigilance for one night,” Ren fidgeted for a bit before mumbling,

 

“I guess you're right,” Kaemon gave her smile

 

“There doesn't that feel better?” he asked. Ren stuck her tongue out at him. Kaemon leaned down and whispered in her ear,

 

“That's not very queen like behavior. Besides if you keep doing cute things like that I might have to lure you away to a dark corner,” Ren's tongue quickly went back inside her mouth. She looked up at him

 

“When are you going to stop saying such nonsense,” she asked.

 

“Not until you agree to be with me and maybe not even then,” Kaemon said intensely. Ren looked away as she replied,

 

“You know I don't feel that way about you,”

 

“You don't yet…but one day you will,” Suddenly he dropped his arms and Ren realized that they were no longer on the dance floor. Cupping her face between his strong hands, Kaemon leaned down and kissed her. For a brief second Ren was frozen still with shock but then she came to her senses and pushed him away.

 

“How dare you!” she hissed startling some of the people around them. Kaemon grabbed her shoulders.

 

“One day you will be mine,” he said forcefully. Ren made a face of disgust and pushed past him.

 

“I don't want to see your face the rest of the night,” she said before turning and walking away.

 

******

 

Dawn was just beginning to make its appearance when the black rose clan took its leave. Everybody was so exhausted that, except for Kaemon, they fell asleep on the ride back. Kaemon stayed up to keep watch but ultimately just watched Ren who had fallen asleep curled up with Yuki. He had kept his promise to her and she hadn't seen his face all night, but that hadn't made her anymore cordial when he helped her in the coach. He made sure that both girls got to their beds at the Cross Academy before leaving again. Shaking his head, Kaemon was glad that the ball only happened every three years. It had been an eventful night for all of them.

 

 

Author's Note II: Waaah, that took me a long time to write! Warning!!! The next chapter, Chapter Eight: Rage and Desire, is the reason why I gave this story an X rating, so reader be forewarned, if you don't like this type of content skip over it…