Starless Night

When the sun rises, the world comes to light.

People wake up from their slumber, getting ready for another day. They go to school, work, parties and various other things. This cycle ends once the sun sets and covers the world in darkness. Then the people go back into their slumber to prepare themselves for another day.

However, for vampires, their day begins once the moon rises.

And so, under the darkening skies, our story begins…

The sun was setting, hiding itself from view behind the clouds and the masses of trees in the horizon. The moon could be seen up high, ready to provide light once the sun had completely set. As several birds flew across the sky, a slim figure could be seen walking up the hilly road, coming to a halt once on the flat ground.

It was a young girl, carrying one heavy backpack with a luggage trailing behind her. Her forehead was glistening with sweat, her long hair ready to slip out of its high ponytail. Taking off the hat that had shielded her face from the sun, she looked straight ahead with an air of awe.

“Cross Academy,” she whispered to herself.

Before her was a magnificent piece of architecture enclosed by intimidating walls. She could see the high bell tower and the lit windows of several dorm buildings. She let out a breath before continuing up the road and towards the gates.

Day Class, the “ordinary” division of the school, had already finished their studies, and several students were venturing out towards the town the girl had just walked from. Many turned their heads back to look at the girl, who was now on the school courtyard, staring at the main building.

She grinned. “I’m here.”

~*~*~*~

“Shitsureishimasu^[1]~” the girl called out as she entered the Headmaster’s office.

Headmaster Cross cheerfully greeted her. “Welcome to Cross Academy! You must be…”

“Natsume Rika, reporting for duty,” she answered immediately with a smile.

“Perfect timing! The Night Class should be gathering in their classrooms soon. Would you like to go see them?” he asked with a warm grin.

Rika nodded and followed the man out into the campus.

~*~*~*~

As confident as she felt when she first arrived at the school, Rika wasn’t feeling at all comfortable once she set foot into the dimly lit classroom. She felt all eyes on her as the Headmaster led her in, and she thought she saw flickers of red in some of them. Rika kept her gaze at the wall on the far end of the room, determined not to look frightened. She had to keep her composure.

“Everyone, this is Miss Natsume Rika,” the Headmaster paused, “She’s a vampire hunter apprentice, and is here to observe the interaction between vampires and humans as a part of her training. However, her primary task will be clearing out the Level E vampires roaming the region.”

There were several murmurs and scoffs across the room. Rika finally tore her eyes away from the wall to examine some of the stunning people in the room. One blond male was snickering to a taller one, and behind them she caught a pretty-faced male falling asleep on his desk. Yes, they were all very, very beautiful, but one certain vampire seemed to emit an entirely different aura from the rest of them.

‘That’s got to be Kuran Kaname, the pureblood in charge of everyone here,’ Rika noted, curiously scanning the dark-haired man. Suddenly, his eyes met hers, causing her to nearly flinch. She hadn’t expected him to return the gaze so intensely, and she could feel the pressuring aura silently urging her to yield to him. Defiant, she continued to look straight at him, ignoring the chills she was getting from the mere eye contact. After a few seconds, though, she was unable to hold it any longer. Rika hastily averted her eyes towards the crystal chandelier on the ceiling. The Headmaster went on to briefly introduce all the students to her by giving their names, and she was proven to be right – the vampire was indeed Kuran Kaname. Before long, it was Rika’s turn to talk.

“My sensei is Yagari Touga. I believe you remember him substituting as a temporary teacher once?” she glanced sideways at the Headmaster, who just nodded. “Do we ever,” one vampire muttered to another.

“I’m training to become a Level E specialty hunter, and so I will not be a threat to anyone in this class,” Rika took a sharp breath as she heard some chuckles, “So, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.^[2]”

Kuran Kaname was looking at her interestedly, holding a thick book in his hand. He was a work of art, sitting by the windowpane, engulfed in the moonlight. She forced herself to look away and bow politely before exiting the room.

And that was Rika’s first meeting with the vampires of Cross Academy.

~*~*~*~

By 10 o’ clock, Rika unpacked her belongings in her given room, which was considerably spacious and comfortable. She had been assigned a guest room in the Headmaster’s private quarters, since she was not going to be regularly attending classes. She sighed as she took out her gun, given to her by her sensei.

There has been an increase of Level E’s in that area lately. Be on your guard. That’s what he had said to her.

Rika looked out her window, towards the Moon Dorms. ‘I wonder what it’d be like, to battle a Level A or B vampire…?’ she thought to herself, recalling the intimidating auras from the Night Class she had witnessed… and the intense, pressuring gaze of a certain pureblood. She shivered at the memory.

A quiet knock on her door snapped her out of her stupor. Holding her gun out to her side, she cautiously opened it, only to drop her weapon and let out a gasp.

Kiryuu Zero.

Rika stared at the man in front of her. The last time she had seen him, he was just a boy, and she was just a girl. She took in the unchanged intense pair of eyes, the firmly set lips, the emblem on his throat… “Zero,” she called out, as if trying to confirm that he was really there.

“Rika,” he gave a small smile, “It’s been a while.”

She threw herself at him, pulling him into a tight hug. He winced pointedly at the impact, but made no move to remove her. Rika noted how much he had grown – he was more than a head taller than her, and his body felt hard and toned with muscles. She laughed softly, stepping back to ruffle his hair.

“I missed you, idiot,” she pouted.

Zero smirked, lowering her hand from his head. “How’s sensei doing?”

“That man ages backwards, it’s creepy,” Rika giggled, stepping out of the room and walking down the hall with him.

Rika had known Zero since they were children, and they had both been trained under the strict supervision of Yagari Touga. Both their families were respected vampire hunter clans, though the Kiryuu’s were much more recognized by the society. And both of them had lost their parents at a young age. Rika had become orphaned when a fire struck her home while she was out training with her sensei – that’s when he took her under his care. And when Zero’s family was killed four years ago, he had been taken to Headmaster Cross, and Rika hadn’t seen him since then.

“What did he say about his visit to the academy?” Zero asked quietly as they stepped out into the deserted courtyard.

Rika paused. She had expected this. Yagari had told her of Zero’s succumbing to his vampire instincts after four years of suppression, and when she heard of it, she had broke down crying. But now, she had seen him with her own eyes – and he was just like he used to be. “He said that you were still the asshole you were as a kid,” she said lightly, looking up at the glistening fountain.

He raised an eyebrow. “Still delicate with words, I see.”

Instead of telling him to shut up, Rika held Zero’s hand in her own, making him stop walking.

“Zero,” she whispered, “I’m so glad you’re alive… I’m proud of you for continuing on…” She bit her lips, lowering her head and staring hard at the concrete ground.

Zero blinked, and then let out a deep breath. The years had done nothing to diminish Rika’s compassion and kindness. A small smile reached Zero’s lips. He reached out to pat her head before leaning his forehead against hers. Rika found herself staring straight into his gorgeous eyes, realizing just how close they were to each other…

“Thanks,” he murmured before gently pushing her head back down, making her stare at the floor again. “I have to go do my school prefect duties – you go and rest up. However, that doesn’t mean you get to sleep in until noon tomorrow,” he teased lightly before walking away.

Rika was glad he didn’t look back, because her face had flushed into an alarming shade of red. She lifted a hand to her chest, feeling the rapid rhythm of her heart. She inhaled slowly before slapping herself on the cheeks, trying to nap herself out of it. The cool breeze woke her up a little, and only then was she able to look back up from the floor. She hadn’t been able to socialize or interact with any males her age outside of training, and she had to admit, her brain had shut down upon Zero’s touch. Rika sighed and turned to return to her room, only to be stopped by…

Kuran Kaname.

And several of the Night Class students.

Damn, were they beautiful, practically glowing in the moonlight.

“What do you know, it’s the little Miss Hunter,” Aidou Hanabusa waved cheerfully, but Rika couldn’t help but feel a cold look in his eyes. By his side were Soen Ruka, Kain Akatsuki, Ichijou Takuma, Shiki Senri, Touya Rima and Seiren.

Kaname stepped towards her and gave her a polite bow. “Natsume-san, I wonder who created such an effect on your face?” he inquired softly.

Rika’s hand immediately flew to her cheeks, covering her blush. “I don’t think it’s any of your business, Kuran-san,” she replied stiffly, receiving offended glares from some of the vampires, “Besides, I think you know perfectly well who was here just moments ago.”

Kaname just chuckled. “You’re right, I apologize.”

And that was Rika’s second encounter with the vampires of Cross Academy.

~*~*~*~

For the next few weeks, Rika’s life was fairly routine – by day she would patrol the campus, exercise, have lunch with Zero and Yuuki (whom she found very easy to get along with), and write letters to her sensei. By night, she would be much busier – she’d attend some of the Night Classes, help with school prefect duties, interact with the vampires, etcetera.

She also became the center of jealousy and curiosity among the Day Class students, since she was seen with the Night Class students frequently. Not only that, the students of the Night Class seemed to have warmed up to her considerably, since some of them (notably Aidou and Ichijou) were enjoying teasing her and touching her in public (and arousing more than enough outbursts from the fangirls). Even Kuran Kaname would sometimes lightly tease her about this and that, causing her to get flustered and embarrassed. Sometimes Rika wondered if they were truly vampires. (But then again, she had only encountered Level E vampires before, so the Level As and Bs were practically humans to her.)

Furthermore, Zero would from time to time give gentle touches and words like he had on her first night at Cross Academy, making her beet red in the face. Rika wondered if the tenderness was from the fond memories they shared as children training and playing together, or something else…? She sighed and gave herself a small smile for thinking that.

Now, Rika was in the town not far from the academy, responding to a report of a Level E vampire sighting. Zero was also by her side, since he insisted that he tag along. The Headmaster had received a blow to his face when he had said, “Aww, Kiryuu-kun, how much you’ve grown! You’re gonna protect your osanajimi^[3]?”

She honestly couldn’t understand how a man like that could have been a strong vampire hunter.

Rika and Zero were walking in silence down an alley, passing through the chattering crowd and street vendors. Rika’s eyes widened as she felt Zero’s hand wrap around hers. When she looked up at him, he only said, “You’re going to get lost if you space out like that.”

She blushed slightly, nodding in reply. It seemed like such a short time when he let her hand go as they walked deep into an isolated alley. Ignoring the empty feeling on her hand, she drew her gun, readying herself for the hunt.

The Level Es jumped down towards them from above, only taking Rika by surprise. Zero calmly blocked the attack, shooting the vampire straight at its head. Spinning around on the spot, Rika kicked another vampire’s claws away before shooting multiple times at its torso. Shrieks and hisses filled the alleyway as the two hunters did their job.

They were finally cornering one last Level E, and Rika cautiously took a step towards it. This was proven to be a mistake when the vampire lashed out at her and succeeded in cutting the side of her face. She let out a short yelp as blood dripped from her cheek, struggling to maintain her posture.

“Dammit!” Zero yelled hoarsely before shooting madly at the Level E. As the vampire perished, Rika clutched her wound, slumping down to the ground. She was alarmed at the sight of Zero’s eyes glowing red with bloodlust. He seemed so… vulnerable.

“Are you alright?” Rika asked tentatively.

Zero glared at her as he knelt down. “That’s my line, idiot.”

“Sorry, I put my guard down…” she hung her head in shame. But Zero wordlessly tilted her chin up to examine her wound, breathing heavily and wincing from time to time.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to scar,” he concluded.

Rika stared at him. Zero was a vampire now; the thought struck her for the first time since they had reunited. Yet she wasn’t afraid of him. She couldn’t be afraid of Zero… This was Zero. The Zero that she had cried with, laughed with, fought with… “Clean it for me?” she said quietly.

Knowing what she meant, Zero stared hard at her, his lips slightly parted. Unwavering, Rika looked right back at him. After a few moments, he exhaled sharply, “Only because it’s you.”

Before Rika could say anything back, he tilted her face to the side and covered her bleeding cut with his mouth. She winced and shivered simultaneously, marveling at the tickling yet sharp sensation. She couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp as Zero’s tongue slid against the line, cleaning the blood away. Rika felt her own hands gripping Zero’s shoulders hard as he held her face in place. She closed her eyes, and too soon he moved away from her face. Before she could make any move, though, Zero’s lips found themselves against her soft throat, begging for the fresh blood to be released.

Rika buried her now-free face into Zero’s shirt, unable to feel anything but his lips gliding sensually against her neck. She was trembling with anticipation; she could feel Zero pressing closer and closer.

“Rika…” he breathed, clutching her tightly against his body.

She felt so breathless, so warm. She didn’t care that what they were doing was beyond scandalous. Zero was someone very important… even special to her. For all she cared, he was thirsty and she was the only one able to quench his thirst right now. Wordlessly, she clung on to him and let out a deep breath.

“Do it.”

And he did.

Rika gasped out loud as Zero’s fangs bit into her skin, breaking it and releasing the dark red blood. It was painful, yet… she felt good. There were no words to describe this feeling… sensual? Pleasurable? Her shirt was already drenched with blood – her head was starting to spin.

After a few more moments, Zero finally drew back, breathing heavily and immediately pressing against the bite mark on her neck. Rika winced, leaning against him for support.

“You alright?” he panted, concerned eyes desperately searching for her own. What was he expecting to see? Fear? Revulsion? Disgust?

But Rika’s eyes contained nothing but amazement and slight confusion. Soon she was grinning back at him with open friendliness that hadn’t faded away with their distance and time apart. “I’m fine. You?”

Zero couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “More than fine.” He loosened his school uniform tie and began to gently wrap it around her throat.

Rika stared at him. “Hey, Zero…”

His response was the arching of his eyebrows.

“Don’t get mad, but…” she paused, “How did it taste like?”

Zero’s hands froze at this question, his eyes slightly widening. But he recovered quickly and finished tying the temporary bandaging around her. “I guess you have a right to know… Basically, it tastes to me like how ice cream tastes to you,” he said lightly with a smirk.

“Oh,” Rika laughed, but she fell quiet as Zero’s hand caressed her cheek. He silently pulled her into an embrace, causing her to immediately blush. “Zero?” she called out tentatively, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her ear. “Sorry you had to experience this.”

Her eyes began to water at the bitterness in his voice. She held him close as she forced a laugh. “Stupid, you’re supposed to say “thank you,” not “sorry!””

Rika felt Zero smile at this. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied, closing her eyes and hugging him tighter.

~*~*~*~

From that incident on, Rika offering her blood to Zero became a routine thing. And Rika couldn’t help but feel more and more attracted to Zero with each bite… and she wasn’t talking about just friendship… It was... Something… More.

His beautiful eyes, feverish with lust for her blood… his lips, brushing provocatively against her throat… Rika unconsciously touched her bandaged throat, which she had covered using a light scarf.

“Natsume-san,” a voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she realized that she had been spacing out on the balcony near her room.

“Kuran-san,” she replied politely, unconsciously tensing up.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” Kaname looked straight at her with an impassive face, “I know what you and Kiryuu are doing.”

Rika visibly froze, unable to come up with anything to say back to him. She couldn’t even flinch when Kaname’s hand reached out to touch her neck, slightly pulling down the scarf.

“Do you even realize what you’re doing, Natsume Rika?” his voice suddenly lowered into a deadly tone, adding onto the fact that he had dropped the honorifics. “A vampire hunter offering her blood to an ex-human vampire who is also a vampire hunter… how do you think the Vampire Hunter Council will take this? Or the Vampire Council itself?”

Rika stepped away from his touch, unable to stop her trembling. “Stop it… It’s not Zero’s fault…” She inhaled sharply as Kaname suddenly cornered her, trapping her in between his body and the wall. “What are you doing?” she called out, realizing the proximity between them.

“Do you understand the fact that no matter what you do, Kiryuu will drop down to become a Level E… and being a Level E specialist hunter, you will have a duty to kill him… Did you ever think about that?” Kaname stared hard at her.

Rika’s lower lip began to tremble. She tried to speak, but nothing came out… except for her tears. Of course she knew that. Did he have to point out such painful things? She didn’t want to face it. She didn’t want to know…

As she began to cry, Kaname didn’t even blink an eye. “It irritates me that because of your foolishness, the Night Class is growing more and more restless. We can smell your blood, you know,” he gave a slight chuckle, but it sounded cold and piercing to Rika’s ears.

“It’s not foolishness,” Rika finally spoke, unable to stop her tears.

He tore off the bandages from her throat, revealing the marks of Zero’s fangs. “Then what is it? Pity?”

It wasn’t foolishness… It wasn’t pity… The reason that Rika was doing this was because… she wanted to be special to him? Because she cared for him? She closed her eyes and tried to sort out her emotions.

“What the hell are you doing, Kuran,” a threatening voice growled from behind Kaname.

Rika looked up, meeting Zero’s aggravated expression and the Bloody Rose pointed at the pureblood vampire. Zero noticed the tear stains on Rika’s face, and began to glare hard at Kaname. “Bastard, what have you done?”

Kaname gave a sigh before finally drawing away from Rika. “Kiryuu-kun, you should be careful too. Deprivation has been known to kill men, but overindulgence can also do serious damage.” He lowered Zero’s gun with his hand before walking away.

Zero scoffed before coming to Rika. “You okay?”

‘You will have a duty to kill him…’

‘Me, kill Zero?’ Rika covered her face, seeing images of Zero’s bloody body before her, a gun in her hand…

“Rika,” he called out, reaching out to gently touch the top of her head.

‘No matter what he does, I won’t be able to kill Zero… because I…’ she looked up at him, meeting his worried eyes with her teary ones.

“I won’t let you,” she whispered.

Zero looked at her, confused. “What?”

“I won’t let you become a Level E,” she continued, wiping her tears away, “I won’t let you become a monster.”

There was silence. Suddenly, Zero pulled Rika up and pulled her into her room with him. “What the- Zero?!”

She was silenced with his lips pressing against her own.

“Nn-” she moaned, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him. As his tongue ventured into her mouth, her own tongue felt the sharp end of his fangs, drawing blood and filling both of their mouths with the metallic taste. Zero pulled the scarf away from her neck, tenderly touching her throat. Then he brought his lips to the mark he had already made, his fingers tangling with her hair.

“You’re always looking out for me, aren’t you,” Zero whispered into her ear, pulling her closer to him.

“It’s because I love you, stupid,” the words flowed naturally out of her mouth, as if it were the most obvious thing. And Rika realized that she indeed did love Zero… ever since they were young, she had loved him so much. She hadn’t notice that it had surpassed the “friendly” love… But the fact that she loved him struck her harder than any other feeling had before.

Zero looked straight at her, a softened look on his face despite his serious eyes. “I’m going to say this only once, so don’t even ask me to repeat it,” he gave a small smile before leaning his forehead against hers. “I love you too, idiot.” Then, immediately he began to blush, slightly scowling and muttering, “This is embarrassing.”

Rika giggled and kissed him once more, capturing his face in between her hands. Zero pushed her down onto the bed, pinning her beneath him as he continued to kiss her. One by one, their clothes began to come off and fall onto the floor. Hands began to explore, sliding against each other’s skin.

‘It may be inevitable that Zero will someday become a Level E vampire… But I’m not going to run away. I’m going to fight with him…’ Thinking this, Rika caressed the emblem on Zero’s throat and closed her eyes. With that she surrendered to the sensation that was ready to overwhelm her.

When the sun sets, the world is engulfed in darkness.

People may wander endlessly, lost and exhausted, unable to see. Others may attack them and take advantage of them. They may fall into despair, unable to endure more hardships.

However, the sun definitely rises once more.

Right now we may be going through a difficult time, but I believe that there will be light, even for us, at the end.

After all, even when the sky looks pitch black, there are always millions of bright stars shining past the darkness… you just have to believe that they’re there.

~*END*~

[1] Shitsurei shimasu – Excuse me, pardon me, etc… I feel like I should have used “Ojyamashimasu,” which is “I will be intruding,” but it’s more for when entering someone else’s home…

[2] Yoroshiku onegaishimasu – roughly “Please take care of me.”

[3] Osanajimi – Childhood friend

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