Music of the Knight

[Wishfully]

Kaname cast a glance over at Takuma and his cousin who had transferred to Cross Academy this year. So far, she hadn't caused any trouble. She seemed rather harmless, but he still had to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't make trouble for anyone. The Disciplinary Committee had enough on their plates with the Day Class students, so Kaname always did what he could to ease the burden by keeping the vampires in check. He knew the Headmaster would be at the dance, so that would also ensure that everything went smoothly. Kaname found himself actually looking forward to the event this year. He was accustomed to soirees and parties within the vampire society, but he only went out of duty rather than genuine interest.


Maia shook her head. "Of course, I won't tell them." She figured it would scare them anyways, and that made her a little sad. Sometimes, Maia found herself wondering what it would be like not to worry about upholding social status or drinking blood. It sounded so nice... "I'm glad I came here," she said quietly, truly happy her parents had sent her to be with her cousin. She was much more lively around him, and although she was still getting to know the other Night Class students, she thought they were good people too.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki took the package back to her room and, like on the famous holiday, she was excited to find out what she had received from some anonymous person, though she was sure that she knew exactly who it came from. "Kaname." The package smelled like him, definitely. Being quite clumsy, she fumbled with the string and trim. "Oh, great. He knew!" Yuki sighed.


Takuma laughed at her answer. "I hope you have something to wear." He knew that his aunt and uncle wouldn't send Maia to this school with nothing to wear to this party. They loved to promote peace among humans, only relying on each other and blood tablets for food.

 

[Wishfully]

The Headmaster knocked on Yuki's door. "Yuki...your loving father wants to see what his darling daughter got as a present!" He clasped his hands together like a child and grinned before knocking on the door repeatedly. "I know Kaname will want you all to himself, but you have to promise to dance with me!!!" he insisted.


Maia nodded. "My parents made sure I had a couple things to wear besides a school uniform." She had a couple dresses with her, so she would just pick one. She was definitely excited for the dance, not that she had anyone in mind to dance with, but because she enjoyed going to formal events every once in awhile. If she had any close female friends, it would be fun to get ready with them- at least, she heard that's what humans liked to do. Vampires were probably different though, and she wasn't sure that Ruka and Rima even liked her.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki jumped when her father knocked. "Uh...fine, come in." She let the dress rest against her blanket, the skirt draped over the edge. Yuki was fingering the mask. "It's just a dress...Father." she knew that calling the man 'Father' would please him. "But, I'll have to let Kaname know when you want to dance." She sighed and leaned against the headboard.


Takuma smiled at her again. "You really aren't that little scared child that you were at your parents' anniversary party a few years back." He told her while unwrapping another chocolate from the holiday earlier that week. "It was cute. What did you do with her, eh?" He teased. "You aren't my cousin." He moved a piece of hair from her face.

 

[Wishfully]

Headmaster Cross stared at the dress with wide eyes for a few moments before practically jumping affectionately on his daughter. "Yuki...you called me Father! Oh you're such a wonderful girl, and I'm so excited to see you at the dance!" he babbled, not thinking about his age- the fact that his high school dance days were over. "Okay, okay...I'll leave you be now." And with that, the Headmaster left with a satisfied look on his face.


Maia smiled gently. "Well...I'll take that as a compliment...I think?" she laughed slightly. But when Takuma brushed back some of her hair, she seized the opportunity and stole the piece of chocolate he unwrapped. She grinned and popped it in her mouth before darting off like a child, running over to where Aido and Akatsuki were sitting. "Hi! Mind I join you?" she intended to ask, noticing their card game, but it came out more like "Mur murf hmm nurr nu?" since she was chewing the chocolate.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki was taken aback when her father hugged her. "Y-Yeah, I called you Father." She was grateful when he let go and left her alone again. "He's getting weirder." She mumbled as she placed the mask back in the box and then took the whole thing to her closet. "He's trying to embarrass me. They both are." Yuki concluded. "Wait! How did he know that I needed a dress? He's been spying on me!" Yuki was both shocked, and flattered.


"Hey!" Takuma felt the chocolate being ripped from her grasp and growled. He didn't care, but there was no way that she should be acting like this days before Ichio, their grandfather, was supposed to evaluate how well she was adjusting. Takuma was scared. He received a letter saying that he was evaluating how well vampires and humans got along here, and if he found that Maia was in danger, she would be taken away! "Maia, please." He walked toward her.

 

[Wishfully]

Kaname stared out the window as the sun was just starting to lower itself in the sky. As Kaname touched the glass, he quickly removed his hand. There was a crack in the window that revealed itself only by the new blood on Kaname's palm. He stared down at the red and quickly licked his wound to seal it. Kaname sat down and tapped his fingers on the surface of the desk, eyeing the chess pieces thoughtfully. He took into account each of the players, and he counted up the remaining pieces. "Soon," he said. "Soon, you and I will be together."


Maia shrugged. "Well I can't give it back now..." She sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. I won't take your chocolate anymore." Maia sat down near Aido and Akatsuki, watching them play cards. She kept quiet now, for fear that she was annoying the others. Maia rested her head on her hands and stared out the window, soon losing herself in her own thoughts.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki decided that she wanted to thank him now. It was the perfect time and the sun was setting. The dance was to start soon. Yuki was nervous. "What if he changes his mind? What if he forgets? What if he gets sick?" Thinking about all of this, she got the box back out and put the dress on. "Great, Cross is going to make a fit about this. I don't know if I should be going out in it."


Takuma shook his head as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You can have some, but you have to ask me, considering that you didn't bother to tell your favorite cousin happy birthday a few weeks ago." He teased. "I can't believe that you of all people forgot it." He moved one of Aido's pieces for him. "There, Akatsuki. Your turn." He smirked.

 

[Wishfully]

Kaname ran a hand through his hair and straightened his tie. Since the boys still wore their uniforms, he didn't have much to do in order to prepare for the evening. He inhaled the sweet scent of a rose before attaching it to his collar. Kaname wasn't quite ready to leave his room yet- for some reason he felt just a tinge of anxiety. He had no reason to be nervous, though- he knew how Yuki felt about him, and she obviously was looking forward to being his partner. Kaname reached in a drawer and examined the mask he had chosen for the event. It was a rather large mask that covered nearly half of his face. The base was white but had regal red and gold patterns, with black near the edges. Kaname figured he should tell the others to get ready, but he didn't intend to all walk over there together- nothing would be mysterious if they did so, and that would defeat the purpose of masquerading, right?


"Pft, I didn't forget..." Maia said. "I just thought I'd keep you in suspense," she protested a bit sheepishly. "Oh! I guess we should all be getting ready, shouldn't we?" she said, standing up. Maia went up to her room to start preparing for the dance. Better to start early just to make sure she wasn't late.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki had to be there early, considering that she was the last one on the disciplinary committee now. "This is dumb. Why am I supposed to be here fifteen minutes before. There's no way that I won't be able to hide this." She held up her wristband with a sigh. "So much for the mask." She talked to herself as she waited on the bench outside, waiting to greet people.


Takuma sighed and got ready. Like Kaname, he had nothing to worry about when it came to dancing with someone. Surely one of his fans would ask him. He rolled his eyes as he got in line a while later. "Now, Maia, be careful, alright?" He took her hand. "It might be a little overwhelming for you, but just remember to breathe through your mouth if it becomes too much."


Takuma got himself ready, like Kaname, not paying too much attention

 

[Wishfully]

Kaname descended into the main room of the Moon Dorms and warned the others of the time. "Come as you are ready," he instructed. "I will be there already, so you don't have to wait for me. Just please make sure you attend. The Headmaster and I really appreciate this." Kaname smiled gently at his classmates before walking out the door. His steps were smooth and graceful as his feet quickly led him to the ballroom. Spotting Yuki couldn't be too hard, could it? Though, with everyone wearing masks, it would make things a bit more difficult. However, Kaname did have the upper hand. He knew what she was wearing...at least, he expected her to wear the dress he gave her.


"Thanks, Takuma. I will," Maia replied. She looked down at the mask she was holding and admired the small accessory. Masquerade masks were quite beautiful,in her opinion. It would be lovely and elegant at the dance, she was sure of it. Maia slipped into her dress and fixed her hair before leaving for the ballroom as well.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki saw the first new arrivals inside then came back out to wait for the next group, but, it wasn't a group that came, but Kaname Kuran. She knew him anywhere. No matter what he wore, there was no mistaking his auburn hair that came to his shoulders and even a little further, and his gait was different from his classmates. "Hello." She didn't mention his name, not wanting to ruin the point of a masquerade. She had already given herself away by being the welcoming committee and wearing her wristband. There was nothing that she could do. "It's nice to see you." She gave a soft smile.


Takuma looked up at the class, then back to his cousin. "Maia, if you wanted to go ahead of me, I'll wait here until every one is gone, then, I will find you no matter what you're wearing." He smiled and pinched her nose. "Remember, don't breath through your nose if it becomes difficult around the humans. Grandfather will have my head." He laughed and let go. "If Lord Kaname doesn't get it first."

 

[Wishfully]

Kaname smiled as he looked down at Yuki, since he was much taller than she. "Hello," he greeted her. "You look lovely," he said. "I take it the dress is to your liking?" Kaname stepped to the side in order to allow some Day Class students to pass him in line and go in the ballroom while he talked to Yuki. He knew she was on duty, but she was his partner, after all, so he felt he had a right to speak with her for a few moments. Plus, if anyone had known their history, they would realize that he had every right to keep her to himself. "So thoughtful of you to be working tonight, though I'm glad a pretty face like yours is the one to welcome us all here." Kaname bowed respectfully as he entered the ballroom. "I won't take up much of your time, but I will be waiting for you once you can spare a moment for me."


"I'm sure I'll be fine," Maia replied to her cousin. She smiled amiably at his jokes but made a note to cause any trouble for him. She wouldn't want to worry anyone, especially on a special night. Maia walked to the ballroom by herself and entered, passing a figure she knew must be Lord Kaname. Although this was a masquerade, there was no one who looked quite like him. Maia respectfully lowered her gaze as she passed him and the girl he was speaking to before taking in the lights and music. The dance was only starting, so few people were actually dancing, and Maia wasn't sure what to do besides wander along the side.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki watched Kaname walk up the path and then stop to talk to her. "H-Hello." She smiled at him as well. "Yes, thank you so much." Yuki blushed slightly. "I had a feeling that it was you that sent it." Still, she wouldn't reveal his name, ruining the anonymity. "Oh, well.." when she mentioned her face, she reached up to rub her head out of sheer embarrassment. "You know the headmaster. He can't really do anything by himself." She spotted the new blonde walk in and bowed to Kaname. "You're right. I'll have to hurry."


As the last few vampires got up the energy to come outside, Takuma walked behind them, like Kaname would normally do, but, since he went ahead, Takuma was left to walk Senri down to the party, alone. "Where did she go?" Takuma asked himself as he passed by Yuki with a thin smile. Senri gave her a slight nod as they walked on. "Maia?" Takuma remembered what his cousin wore, but she was already being pursued, by Hanabusa Aido. "Maia?" Aido kissed her hand.

 

[Wishfully]

Kaname chuckled when Yuki talked of the Headmaster's, well...incompetence. She was right about it, but Kaname wondered if she knew the truth about her adoptive father. From what he could tell, she had no idea the power that man hid behind his sunny, childlike smile. Kaname knew that change was coming soon. So, that meant this night would be important- a little peace before the coming storm. He would have to make sure Yuki enjoyed this dance. If she was having a good time, then Kaname knew he would also be happy. He reached up and touched her head, brushing aside some of her hair. "Good," he responded when she mentioned hurrying. He was glad she wanted to be with him sooner, but in truth, he would wait for her forever if he had to.


Maia smiled politely at the other vampire but shook her head, putting a finger to her lips. "Don't you know this is a masquerade, silly? You're not supposed to tell the world who I am," she said with a slight laugh. Maia asked how Aido was enjoying the party so far, trying to make conversation. She didn't think ill of anyone and always did her best to be pleasant to everyone. She intended to enjoy the change of pace and hoped to have a lot of fun at the dance. "Do you like dancing?" she asked with a smile.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki finally showed the last excitable teens inside and was finally able to look for Kaname or her father again. She decided that she would keep both promises to both men. But, how could she find them without calling their names out to the world. She decided it would be best to go wait on the outer rim of the dance floor. "Wow, he's pretty quick to disappear." Yuki talked of Kaname as she searched for him among the white coats. "Well, that's just great. My one chance to dance with him and he's already decided to vanish. Better find Father." Yuki searched for Mr. Cross, not quite concerned about pointing him out to everyone.


Hanabusa blushed in embarrassment. "Th-That is true, but in all honesty, you answered to me." He tried to put the blame on the younger vampire. "You shouldn't do that at masquerade parties either." He continued their conversation, regaining that old Aido confidence. "I love dancing, yes, but I don't do it with people around on a daily basis, but, with everyone wearing disguises, I doubt I'd be doing anyone any harm. I wouldn't be doing them justice either."

 

[Wishfully]

Kaname talked patiently with some Day Class girls who approached him. Surprisingly enough, they seemed pretty clueless to who he was. They seemed to understand the Night Class uniform, but were they all really that similar? If anything, it just proved how different Yuki was from the others- she had recognized him instantly. Kaname looked past the girls awkwardly trying to socialize with him, searching fro the brunette. He didn't see her by the door anymore, so he assumed she was somewhere among them. That's when he noticed a taller man hugging a smaller female in excitement. Undoubtedly the Headmaster, he thought. Which means that must be Yuki. Kaname smiled as he watched the pair. "If you'll excuse me," he said, politely detaching his attention from the others.


Maia put a hand on her hip. "Don't try to blame me!" she said, crossing her arms. "It's not my fault," she said, sticking her tongue out at the other blonde. Then she grinned amiably. "Well then you should dance! It's not every day we have the opportunity. Plus, I bet any one of these girls would dance with you, right? So what are you doing talking to me?" she laughed slightly. Maia started gently pushing Aido toward where some Day Class students were clustered, but then she stepped on someone's foot. "Oh, forgive me!" she said quickly with a rushed bow. "Se-?" she stopped, remembering not to say his name, but she was pretty sure it was Senri. "Um..Sir," she corrected herself sheepishly. "I'll pay more attention," she said assuredly.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The other girls that he was talking to huffed in frustration. "Another day that Yuki actually manages to have the Night Class to herself." A curly haired girl complained. "Always able to go inside the Moon Dormitory with them, always able to talk to them. It isn't fair!" The others agreed. Yuki was still talking to her father. "Headmaster, I wanted you to know that I still haven't forgotten my promise. I'll dance before the night is up." She reminded him as Kaname was spotted walking toward them. "Oh, great."


As Aido was pushed, he tried to fight it. "Hey! Hey! Don't- blondie!" He groaned. Senri chuckled and mimicked her by putting a finger to his own lips. "Remember to keep the secret." He laughed and bowed to her. "Yes, how are you? You should really watch your step." He teased.

 

[Wishfully]

The Headmaster also seemed to spot Kaname from the corner or his glasses and smiled knowingly. "Well, I'll leave you to it then!" he said while backing away, as if to make things awkward on purpose. Kaname shook his head at the other man's antics but approached Yuki with a calm smile. "This is a lovely song. Won't you dance with me?" he asked, extending his hand in a gentlemanlike manner.


Maia blushed slightly as she apologized again. "Ah, yes...I'm so sorry!" she said. Oh, I'm so clumsy! she mentally scolded herself. And Senri is a model at that! Oh dear, I hope I didn't do any serious damage... "I'm doing quite well, and yourself?" Maia replied with a smile.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki blushed when her father decided to leave. "Great, thanks for embarrassing me, Headmaster." Yuki mumbled as Kaname approached her. As her father left, Yuki spoke to Kaname. "Y-Yeah, it's a nice song. Let's go." She took his hand when he offered. "So, would you mind telling me why I'm the only one that you actually asked to dance with?" She had to speak over the chatter and music.


"I'm just fine, are you?" Senri asked with a smile. "Would you like to dance with me, madame?" He couldn't help but notice that she looked unsure of herself, completely opposite of how she was earlier that night. "Oh, don't worry about my shoes. Really, they're old. Probably my father's. Beat them down." He laughed, hating his father.

 

[Wishfully]

Kaname took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Placing a strong hand gently on her waist, he led to the rhythm of the music. He found it amusing when she was forced to raise her voice. Not that Yuki was the most quiet or shy girl on a regular basis. He could hear her anyways, of course. "Is it so hard to believe I enjoy your company, Yuki?" Kaname asked. "We have known each other for a long time, and it is you I feel most comfortable around," he stated honestly, his gaze never leaving her eyes to prove his sincerity.


"Oh.. Um, sure!" Maia agreed. She hadn't expected him to ask her, but she was more than willing to oblige. Maia did enjoy dancing, and she had wanted to become better friends with her fellow students. "I didn't expect you to enjoy dancing," she told the male honestly. "But I suppose I don't know all that much about you really."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki began to see things going well with Kaname as she felt his fingers at her waist. "I just...I know, Kaname." Yuki couldn't get herself to bring up her past and how she and Kaname met in front of everyone. "It's not hard to believe that you like spending time with me. I've noticed small things." Yuki smiled. "And I'm sure that I can't remember others."


Senri laughed. "Well, I should hope not. Only the headmaster has enough information about me." He took her tenderly by the waist. "He has information on all of us, you know, name, age, date of birth, blood line, relatives all of that tedious stuff." Senri took a deep breath. "He even has identification for our bites." Senri had seen these files when visiting the headmaster.

 

[Wishfully]

Kaname smiled at her response. "Good," he said. If he couldn't successfully portrays a few simple emotions of companionship and attachment to this young lady, how would he be able to do anything greater? Kaname loved Yuki, but love was a complicated emotion. He knew she wouldn't understand everything he did and why, but he hoped that someday he would be able to tell her and have her return the feeling. "Well it loks like this has been a success so far," he stated, referring to the ball. "Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, thanks to you. Even Aido is behaving better than usual," he joked.


Maia looked confused for a moment but then nodded. Of course, it made sense for the Headmaster to have said information. She was sure he would have to be extremely cautious about which vampires were let into a school full of humans. She imagined that all of the other Night Class students had to be pretty well in control of their thirst. She knew she had never had a problem yet, and the only person who came to mind as being a problem or biting a human was Aido. Others, like Senri, she couldn't imagine harming anyone.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Yuki copied him, scanning the ballroom. "Well, that's probably because you're watching them." She smiled, hesitant to do anything else in front of her school. "Still, it's nice not to have to do anything tonight." She couldn't help but stare down at her wristband. "Hm." Yuki stopped dancing for a second as she took the wristband off and put it in a pocket on the dress. "Sorry. I just had to do that quickly." Again, Kaname had this effect on Yuki, causing her to act stupid.


"I think it's pretty dumb." Senri groaned. "He has no trust in us at all." As this was being said, Takuma watched from a distance, not ready to let Maia have space just yet. "I promised my aunt and uncle that I'd keep her safe. I promised Grandfather Ichio as well." He mumbled. "I intend to keep said promise."

 

[Wishfully]

Kaname smiled. "You really think so?" he asked when she mentioned Kaname's watchful eye on the Night Class. "I'm glad to hear you say that," he said gratefully. It was nice to be appreciated, to know that your efforts did not always go unnoticed. Kaname watched curiously as Yuki stopped for a moment, wondering if he had done something wrong. "Such an interesting girl," he said simply as she removed the wristband and apologized. She was always apologizing to him. He didn't know why she felt the need to, but that was just her way, he supposed. When the song ended, Kaname continued to look at Yuki. "Would you like to step out on the balcony for a bit of air?" he asked.


"Oh, I see." Maia thought for a moment as he said this. "I suppose it could seem that way, but I don't see the harm in being cautious," she replied. Maia had always been a rather diplomatic person, finding it hard to see fault in any one person's side of the story. She looked over Senri's shoulder and noticed Takuma watching them. Maia felt her face flush a little. Was he thinking there was something going on between them? "Would you like a drink?" Maia asked Senri when the song ended. "I'll bring you something from the refreshments table if you like?" she said, making sure he knew what she meant by a drink.