Black Rose: Book One

That wound has gotten worse than it was when Aidou brought her here, Kaname-sama.

She took a deep breath and turned over slightly. The conversation stopped and silence followed. She sensed light coming from a small corner of the room from beneath her closed eyelids.

"Kaname-sama. I believe she's--"

"Yes. I know Ichijou."

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was laying on her left side because her right arm and shoulder was heavily bandaged to the point where she couldn't move properly. There were two men in the room with her. One had blonde hair and a peculiar shade of green eyes, looking directly at her with concern on his face. The other had dark brown hair, sitting in front of the other with his face turned away from her. She blinked slowly as her body began to wake up as well...and as a result, so did the pain.

"Ah!!" She cried out and layed flat on her back so that she could cradle her right arm.

"She's suffering. What do you want me to do--"

"I'll handle this. Thank you, Ichijou." The male stood slowly, then practically floated over to her side. His steps were silent yet she watched his legs move. Tears of pain blurred her vision and when they leaked out of the sides of her eyes. The male knelt at her side and gently wiped a tear away. "Please don't cry. I know it hurts but if you just be patient...I can make it go away."

The blonde's eyes popped open in disbelief. "K-kaname-sama! You can't...not in front of...Chairman Cross would disapprove..."

She finally picked up the man's name. Kaname?

Kaname closed his eyes and gave a small smile. "Ichijou, please calm down. If I didn't think it were safe to do...would I do it?"

Ichijou's expression immediately turned into a doubtful one. "Is that a rhetorical question, Kaname-sama? You're not exactly known for doing things at the 'right' time..."

Kaname slowly turned and looked at him over his shoulder. Whatever look Kaname gave Ichijou caused him to clam up and even take a step away from him.

"Ah! But I trust you and your instincts, Kaname-sama!" Ichijou chuckled nervously while waving apologetically at him.

"Thank you, Ichijou." He returned his attention to the girl lying in his bed. "Besides...I am confident that she can be trusted to keep a secret." His eyes met hers. In that moment, she noticed how handsome the man was. He couldn't have been a day over nineteen years old. His dark, almost black brown eyes seemed to suck her into them and she felt herself free falling. She felt as light as a feather. He touched her cheek lightly. "Can you keep a secret?"

As much as she wanted to nod, her wounds wouldn't let her. Finally she croaked out a hoarse whisper. "Yes."

"Do not tell anyone of this. If they ask then it's fine, but do not tell anyone." With that he moved close to her and lightly touched her arm. "This may hurt a bit. If it does, I apologize."

His touch was as delicate as a rose petal as he quickly removed her wrappings. He took extra care in peeling away the last layers that were literally stuck to her skin due to dried blood around the open wounds. She gave a small whimper as a sign of her discomfort but she did not cry or whine. Kaname inspected the marks and frowned. For several moments he didn't move.

"Kaname-sama?" Ichijou moved forward and peered over Kaname's shoulder. He gasped. It was something he had never seen before. Her elbow and shoulder were consumed with purple almost black bruises around the lacerations left by the Level E vampires. Upon closer inspection...they were both still bleeding.

"This is serious." Kaname whispered to himself. "Ichijou."

Ichijou snapped to attention. "Yes sir!"

"Please go find Chairman Cross and tell him what you see...and explain to him what I plan to do."

"Yes Kaname-sama!" With that the blonde ran out of the room.

Kaname's eyes met the eyes of the young victim in front of him. Looking at her, seeing her mangled in such a brutal way...stirred his emotions. Chairman Cross worked so hard to establish what peace there was between humans and vampires. If that hot-headed Kiryu boy saw this girl in this manner...He sighed. It didn't help matters that she looked so much like Yuuki. Brown eyes that held curiousity and fear at the same time. Chocolate locks that, for the time being, smelled strongly of dried blood. He reached up and gently patted the crown of her head. She blinked yet held his gaze. Yuuki could never keep her eyes on him for this long without looking away. She looked a bit taller than Yuuki...yet he couldn't help but imagine that it was actually her and not some total stranger looking back at him. He gently stroked her head. "It won't happen again. I assure you."

Her brown eyes blinked in recognition of his promise yet she didn't speak. His hand wandered down and rested upon her warm cheek. He inhaled the scent of blood once more, checking himself to make sure he didn't show any signs of hunger. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her. He inhaled deeply. Company was coming...

He leaned down and raised her elbow up a bit. She hissed at the pain of the movement but the minute he began to blow across the bite mark, she relaxed. She watched in silent awe as the wound began to close up right before her very eyes. Better yet, the pain began to fade away as well.

"There." Kaname whispered as he rose and sat beside her on the bed. "Now sit up..."

His delicate fingers closed around her wrist as the other hand went to her left shoulder and pulled her into a sitting up position. He started to lean in but halted, whispering into her ear. "If this scares you, don't hesitate to stop me."

She nodded slowly and he continued. His breath blew across her neck and she felt her cheeks grow warm. She didn't even know the man! As the wound began to shrink in size, blood leaked out of it. She then noticed that she had on a simple white night gown. 'Where did this come from?...' She wondered. Having been so concerned with her clothes, she didn't notice the gentle tongue lapping away the blood that threatened to soil the collar of the nightgown. Kaname sat back and admired his work.

"Much better." He nodded slightly. There was a gentle knock at the door. "Please...come in."

"Kaname-sama!" A girl rushed in.

"Yuuki." Kaname stood and allowed her to take his place beside the girl sitting on his bed.

Yuuki stood transfixed by what she saw. It was like looking in a mirror...

Kaname felt another presence enter the room. "Kiryu-kun."

"Kuran-sempai." The silver haired boy didn't even look at Kaname directly.

Yuuki sat on the bed and gently took the girl's hand into hers. "Are you okay?"

The girl nodded, still studying Yuuki carefully.

"What is your name?" Yuuki smiled, rubbing the pad of her thumb across the back of the girl's hand in a gentle, re-assuring way. The girl frowned. She thought about it...and did not know an answer. Yuuki looked at her expectantly. "Well?"

Frustrated, the girl yanked her hand away from Yuuki. She hopped out of bed and stepped away from the group. She wanted to go to Kaname and ask him the question herself...but how foolish she would look asking a stranger for her name!

She pressed her back up against the wall and glared at them. She felt like a trapped animal...She looked at them each closely. "....Who...who am I?"

Kaname's gaze lowered to Yuuki's feet. Upon hearing that Aidou of all people had been left to take care of her...he had doubts that it would end well.

Yuuki stepped forward with an apologetic smile. "I-I'm sorry! I wouldn't have asked had I known that you didn't know!"

The girl pressed herself even tighter to the wall. She heard a tiny click and felt her balance shift quickly against her favor.

"Watch out!" Yuuki yelled and rushed forward. How could she have not known she was leaning against a window? Zero, who had chosen to watch this while leaning against the wall by the door, stepped forward. The early morning sky opened up above the girl's head as she began to fall out of the window. A hand tightly enclosed around her wrist and, with a powerful yank, snatched her back inside the room. Her face was buried into something strong...and it smelled like roses.

"Kaname-sempai!" Yuuki cheered. The girl pulled away and looked up. Kaname looked down at her.

"Please be careful." He stated evenly before taking a step back. The girl started to nod but suddenly clutched her arm as pain throbbed in her neck and shoulder. She swayed as the room began to spin out of control. She fainted, falling directly into Kaname's arms. "I think you should take her to the Chairman. From there he can tend to her during the day. I myself need to sleep."

"Yes, Kaname-sama!" Yuuki bowed deeply. She turned to the boy standing by the door. "Zero? Do you mind carrying her?"

The boy instantly turned his head to the side and muttered under his breath, intending for Yuuki to hear him anyway. "Of course, unless you plan on carrying her."

Had Kaname not been standing there watching her closely, Yuuki surely would have attacked him with punches. "Will you just get her already?"

Zero sighed with annoyance. "Sure. I wouldn't want your hero to be robbed of his beauty sleep..." He moved slowly over to Kaname. The pair briefly stared at each other before Zero put the girl's left arm around his neck and then lifted her up into his arms bridal style. "Let's go, Yuuki."

Yuuki continued to twitch with rage as Zero stalked out of the room. "Yuuki."

She turned to Kaname who was looking down at her. Before she could respond, his hand caressed her cheek. "Have a good day today...see you this evening."

"Y-yes, Kaname-sama." She mumbled back and ran out the door behind Zero.

Kaname watched her disappear out of the door and closed his eyes, leaning against the open window sill. "I wonder what things will be like...with a Yuuki double here on campus..."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

She woke to the sounds of voices speaking softly outside of the closed door of the dark room that she was in. She was laying in a hospital bed in what appeared to be a nurse's room. Light came from under the door.

"She doesn't know who she is, Headmaster Cross." A girl's voice whispered sadly.

"Please, Yuuki...call me daddy!" An older male begged, sounding as if he were on the verge of tears. There was a deep groan of frustration.

"I have other things to do besides stand here, you know."

"Zero...could you lighten up just a wee bit?"

"Could you try to stay on topic for a wee minute?" Zero spat back mockingly.

There was a moment of silence. She sat up slowly and pressed her back to the wall beside the bed. As the three continued to talk about her and her "condition", she felt strange. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. She was among strangers, people she couldn't remember having met before. However, she was a stranger even to herself. She couldn't recall a single fact about her from any moment before the one when she awoke to Kaname and Ichijou's voices. Her chin rested ontop of her arms. She was a nobody. The people around her were able to carry on conversations with one another, were able to express emotions...able to call each other by name. But she...she had no one...only herself...and even then...that wasn't much to have. Her eyes filled with tears. Lonliness. In a world so big...filled with so many people...she didn't have one to care for her, to joke with, to make her feel like someone special.

No.

She was just a faceless nobody in a vast sea of somebodies.

....And it was the worse feeling in the world.

The door opened and light gently lit the room.

"Ah, you're awake!" A cheery voice exclaimed.

"Well, if she had been, the way you opened the door would have woken her." Zero folded his arms across his chest.

The man with glasses turned to Zero and waved a finger in his face. "Ah, but she wasn't sleeping so it doesn't matter now does it?"

"Headmaster Cross--"

"Yuuki!"

"...Daddy...what do you plan to do now?" Yuuki tugged at his elbow and gave the girl a warm smile. Against her will, the corners of her mouth curved into a small, sad smile upon the recognition she had been given.

"I was wondering about that." He responded thoughtfully. He crossed the room to her bed and leaned closer, eyeing her. "I don't see anything physically wrong with her." He paused and leaned away. "My! You look just like Yuuki!"

The girl briefly looked at Yuuki then down at her knees. She wasn't sure how to take that. Did it mean that she actually had a face in the crowd? Or would she simply blend in with Yuuki's shadow?

Kaien Cross mentally noted her reaction. His hand reached out and cupped her chin, lifting it so he could look into her eyes. She looked lost. He recalled seeing the same look on his own little Yuuki's face when Kaname brought her to him ten years ago. He allowed the pad of his thumb to brush gently across her cheek to wipe away the fresh tears. He knew what she was feeling. She had no identity....yet he couldn't help but to seize the moment...to take the oppertunity...

Both hands cupped her cheeks as he pressed his lips to her warm forehead.

Both Zero and Yuuki stared at him in shock.

"Um...daddy?" Yuuki looked at him.

He closed his eyes and spoke softly to the girl. "You're not alone like you think."

The girl's eyes widened in shock and she tried to pull away. Kaien held her firmly in place.

"You have us here with you. You also have those from the Night class, like Kaname and Ichijou."

Zero immediately saw through the Chairman. "Don't try that. Don't."

Kaien chuckled softly. "Why not? She should be able to trust everyone here at Cross Academy."

"Not everyone here is trustworthy, especially those from the Night class."

"Don't say that!" Yuuki cut in. "Kaname-sempai is nothing but kind!"

Zero sighed disgustedly. "Fine. Tell her your stupid twisted lies. When she finds out the truth..." He chuckled and walked away, waving them off.

Kaien ignored the boy. His hands smoothed down her messy hair as he pulled away. He turned slowly and grabbed Yuuki's hand. Yuuki obediently came to his side and let her head lean against his arm. "You don't remember your name?"

The girl shook her head slowly.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to give you one. Something that could start you with re-creating your own personality...so you can stand out from the crowd you're so relunctant to blend in with."

Her eyes looked up at him with hope. Yuuki smiled. It was a pleasant change from the hopeless, lost look she had since early that morning. The girl looked at the pair. Although she wanted to learn about her past, where she had come from, and if someone loved her...but...a chance to stand out? To be recognized?.....to become someone?

She nodded slowly.

Kaien smiled broadly. "Great!" He clapped his hands then grabbed hers. With a gentle tug, he helped her off the bed and stood her in front of him. Well she was taller than Yuuki by an inch or two. Her hair was darker than Yuuki's but still a shade of brown. As much as she looked like the other girl...he knew that she wasn't that girl. He wanted to help her rediscover herself.

"Yumiko." He whispered as he laid a finger lightly on her nose. "And what a beautiful child you are."

"Yumiko..." She repeated with a small, satisfied smile.

"Great!" Kaien clapped his hands together as his chest swelled with pride. "Now I have two little princesses to help me achieve my goal!!!"

"To do...what?" Yumiko looked at him curiously. He stopped celebrating to look at her. He wasn't sure how she would handle the idea of vampires...it would be best to wait a while before introducing the idea to her. He patted the top of her head.

"Don't worry about it for now." He smiled, casting a sideways glance at Yuuki. Yuuki nodded slightly to let him know she got the message. Yumiko wasn't to be told the truth about the Night class students just yet. "Yuuki, I've set Yumiko up to room with Amai. There is a uniform laid out on the bed there. I'll write you both notes so that you can help her get dressed then go to class."

"Yes, Headmaster!" Yuuki saluted him. He sighed heavily. "Er...Daddy!"

He brightened up. "Thank you. Have her shower and if she's hungry, take her to the cafeteria to get breakfast. After that, go straight to class."

"Okay." She reached her hand out and grabbed Yumiko's. "Come on."

"Okay." Yumiko whispered gently and followed Yuuki.

"Wait! You must get your excuses!" Kaien rushed out ahead of them. Yuuki lead Yumiko to the Chairman's office, finding the strange little man scribbling away on a piece of paper. Yumiko watched the Chairman write the note...then noticed the warmth Yuuki's hand gave her own. Yuuki was being so kind to her...was it because of the Chairman? Would she always be this kind and friendly to her? Or would she treat her differently? "Here you go."

"Thank you." Yuuki smiled and turned quickly, almost dragging Yumiko behind her. "We have to hurry. Classes have already started. Ah!" She covered her eyes briefly with the free hand that held the excuse. "I bet Zero-kun has already gotten to class."

"Zero?" Yumiko repeated.

Yuuki looked back at Yumiko and smiled. "The other guy? Zero. You'll learn to ignore his behavior. He's always rude and obnoxious." She waved her hand at Yumiko. "He's not too popular with the girls of the Day class."

They came to a flight of stairs and Yuuki went up. She let go of Yumiko's hand. "Day class?"

Yuuki looked back at Yumiko. "Come on." She motioned for her to follow her. "Yeah. Oh!" She smiled apologetically. "No one's properly explained the academy to you yet."

Yumiko shook her head.

"Well, that's why I'm here! There's a lot for you to learn...."