Brewing Tea & Secret Plots [[Suoh Sayaka-san + Request]]

[Kiyoko Ruri]

倫理．
私は彼が大嫌いです！ 教師は、私がこれまで会ったことがある最も横柄な人間です。 誰かが彼を殺すべきです。 しかしそれは私ではありません！ 叔父さんが訪問するためにアカデミーに来ます。 すごく． 私は同様に彼が大嫌いです。 ただ私がちょうど逃げることができれば...

Ruri scribbled away in her diary, glaring as the tip of her ball-point pen bored holes into the bamboo pages of her journal, imagining it was not the paper, but Yagari-sensei’s face she was attacking with a sharp point. It was more than irritating that she had to attend a class in Ethics with a teacher that was, no less, an extremely feared and infamous hunter of vampires. Why him?! Was it that the Headmaster, despite claiming to believe in peace between the two species, requested his presence to further ensure the safety of the day class students? Did he honestly believe that any of the noble class would risk that with pro-human Purebloods like Kuran Kaname-sama attending the academy? Were there not enough of his bloody safety measures to protect his precious, dimwitted blood-bags? With a sigh, Ruri closed her journal with a quiet click of the antique silver lock and tucked it away into her mahogany drawer with a loud slam. She glanced out of her window, slowly drawing back the white Italian lace curtains, watching as the sun sank beneath the snow-capped mountains to the West of the Academy, tucked away, far away, from her home back in Hokkaido, waiting for her to return home. Chemistry 303 Honors was first on her schedule, as it was a Friday, but she decided without much of an internal struggle that she would skip it.

After all, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t been tutored for years back at home – all of the nobles, and especially the purebloods, had already received rigorous academic training while growing up. So why were they here? Perhaps to escape the boredom of luxury? No, it was politics, and power. The answer to whatever vampires did always boiled down to those two expedients – it was always about power – who had it, who didn’t, and how to acquire more in a society where everyone was striving to attain more of those two things: there could never be enough. Swinging her feet back and forth, Ruri suddenely remembered that she had invited Suoh Sayaka to her room for some tea and a ‘talk’. Mentally, she chided herself for being so forgetful, as usual, and busied herself by preparing the tea in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony manner, priding herself on having everything exact and in its proper place. If there was anything that mattered to Ruri besides her own ambition, it was the appearance of social norms, of propriety. Dressed in a simple black dress trimmed with French white lace at the hem, and her usual black stockings that went up to mid-thigh, she padded around her dormitory barefoot as she prepared the ambiance she wanted the Suoh girl to walk into. Clean, open, and proper, a place that would hopefully remind her of their place as Noble B Class Vampires. Finally, after about thirty minutes of tidying up and setting the mat on the floor, with two porcelain cups and a hot, bronze pot of tea in the middle, Ruri sat herself down, cross legged, back straight, and emerald-hued eyes trained on her door as she awaited the arrival of her much-awaited guest.

[Suoh Sayaka]

Sayaka stared out the window of her dorm room. The sun was already setting; another day was gone. In her mind she knew it was a natural part of life, but she couldn’t help but let a feeling of sadness move throughout her body. “Maybe it’s time I return home.” She said, though it was closer to an dormant thought than anything else; she could leave, she could be rid of this entire place, but would that really make her happy?

Moving away from the window, she looked in the mirror one last time making sure that everything was perfect. Half of her hair was held loosely by two elegant silver hair pins, a few ringlets falling before her face and the rest cascading down her back in their natural ringlet shape. She wore a semi-long dark black dress and a pair of silver heels. Around her neck hung a silver chain with a pendant that her father had given her when she was only 3.

Everything looked too familiar and she knew exactly why. She had worn this outfit the first time she had met Rosenkreutz-sama, before she angered him enough to want to take her life. ‘He has a good reason to hate me. They all do.’ She thought as she lifted her hands to run through her hair, all the curls staying in place.

Her hand lifted to knock on the wood door in front of her, but instinctively paused. The bracelet there, the one that he had given her, catching her attention. If she hadn’t met him, if she had never met anything, she would still be the way she was when she came here. ‘I’d still be content with my life the way it was.’ She thought, but quickly removed the thought from her mind. She would like to wish it was because of him, but she knew it was only her and her selfish needs that had caused all the problems she wanted to escape from now.

She had been wary of accepting the invitation that the young Noble was willing enough to send her way. Pushing people away from her was what Sayaka did best, but why did she accept the invite? Sayaka calmed her emotions and knocked on the door; her face displaying nothing but pure apathy.

[Kiyoko Ruri]

As she waited, Ruri fiddled with the edge of her lacy hem, her long, manicured fingernails carefully avoiding the intricate patterns, consciously afraid that she might damage the delicate weave. She suddenly thought to herself how alike the thread of her own life was to this beautiful, fragile material – the design sketched and wrought by her family, with a myriad of patterns she herself created; and yet, taken together, the whole thing was extremely vulnerable, one wrong move, one mistake, and everything she had worked so hard for could be torn into pieces. A sudden, but faint knock on the door jolted her out of her private thoughts, and Ruri slowly rose up and calmly walked to the door; she hesitated for a moment before taking a breath and pulling the door open – it was strange, this classical western style of architecture that the academy strived to emulate, at least on the outside. Back at her family’s mansion in Hokkaido, they had only the traditional Japanese style of sliding doors, but Ruri accepted it without much thought – it was, after all, something she had to adjust to – just another thing to add to her shit list, which was already long, and being added to constantly.

She noticed, through a single glance, that her fellow vampire had taken care to present herself well – Suoh-san, she decided grudgingly, was actually rather pretty, even for a vampire…
With pink hair…pink?! How strange…
With a dip of her head, Ruri bowed politely as she swung the door open further and took a step back to allow her guest inside her room, her den of iniquity, as it were. In her mind, it was an honor, since she made it a point never to invite anyone into her room, which she considered very private.
“Welcome, Suoh-san. It’s a pleasure to formally meet you this way – if you don’t know already, I’m Kiyoko Ruri. Please, come in. Thank you very much for accepting my invitation. Will you take anything to eat with your tea? Some milk, perhaps? I have some wagashi, if that is what you prefer to eat with your tea.”
Shall I give her some arsenic with her tea? Monkshood? Ah, no…not that. Not yet.
Her eyes cast downwards in an imitation, or, more accurately in her case, a mockery of respect, Ruri courteously muttered the expected questions that those in their high society circles were wont to ask.

However, Ruri had never been one much for small talk.
How are your classes? Oh, how nice. Is that so? Please, yes, no, thank you, Oh, not at all! Ugh, how bothersome this all is.
Just thinking about such niceties made her want to retch, but Ruri kept her face impassively and diplomatically blank as she bent to carefully pick up the pot of tea and poured first her guest, and then herself, some traditional sencha green tea, which made intricate spirals of steam that floated above their heads, attempting to find some sort of escape. With a soft cough, Ruri sat down upon the mat and gestured towards where her shoes were by the door, suggesting silently that Suoh do the same.
“So, Suoh-san, I wanted to tell you how pleased I am to have this…opportunity to have a cozy chat with you,”
Ruri began, her jade eyes peeled on Sayaka’s as she took a tentative sip of her tea, which she always took without milk; bitter at first, but one developed a taste for it eventually, similar to black coffee.

“To be truthful, I’ve been curious about you for a while now. There have been various…well, rumors circulating around the C-classers that, though I tried to ignore their petty gossip, I couldn’t help but overhear. Of course none of them are true, but I wanted to hear about it from you personally, as…”
…Barely acquaintances. Allies would be a better term, if she cooperates, that is.
“…Friends,”
Ruri nearly choked on the word, but managed to hide her reaction by hiding her face in her cup of tea before setting it down once again.
This mindless chatter is boring me. Time to get to the point now.
“Tell me, is it true you have supported the pureblood Sakurazuka-sama? About his support of peaceful relations between noble vampires such as ourselves and…humans, I mean. I was curious, since I had supposed earlier that your…opinions lay with the honorable Rosenkreutz-sama and Suzuki Rin-sama. Forgive me for asking such a probing question, Suoh-san, but, to be frank, that is the real reason behind my invitation.”

[Suoh Sayaka]

Bowing slightly as the girl opened the door, Sayaka took a step into the room. It didn’t feel right to be there, it didn’t feel right to be conversing with another vampire like Kiyoko-san. She noticed that Kiyoko-san was basically everything a person could expect from a Noble Blood Princess. Her long dark her and her dark dress, everything about her practically screamed Nobility, even her deep green eyes.

She heard the girl welcome her and only one word escaped her mouth in response.

“Pleasure. . .” She said, though she was sure she probably should’ve said more. She watched the girl, all formalities being taken in, Sayaka expected the girl to have a different agenda than what she said to be just “Tea.”

“Nothing added is fine with me. . . Thank you.” She said, from the way the girl acted she knew it was nothing more than an act. Kiyoko-san’s voice was pretty; it was similar to Sayaka’s own. Removing her shoes by the door, Sayaka felt a little weird moving around a room barefoot. Taking a seat in front of the girl and listened to her begin to explain her real reason for inviting Sayaka to her room.

“To be truthful, I’ve been curious about you for a while now. There have been various…well, rumors circulating around the C-classers that, though I tried to ignore their petty gossip, I couldn’t help but overhear. Of course none of them are true, but I wanted to hear about it from you personally, as…Friends.” Sayaka heard the girl start to talk; though she made no move to respond. Just sipped her tea, her eyes not looking at the one in front of her, but the cup in her hands.

‘Rumors? Friends?’ Sayaka thought to herself, a little skeptical. She knew not to expect much from anyone of a lower class than her. She knew not to expect anything from anyone really, she had been disappointed so many times. When She heard the girl continue with her little speech, Sayaka couldn’t help but feel a pang of hurt. What the Level Cs were saying was completely true, what the girl was saying was completely true. She heard the girl continue, a question followed by a little speech.

‘Rosenkreutz-sama. . . Suzuki-sama. . .’ Sayaka thought to herself, though she tried to remain emotionless. It wasn’t too long ago that she thought she was willing enough to do anything for them, to give her life for them, but then--

‘I’ll never regret the decision that kept him alive.’ She thought as she looked back up at the girl in front of her.

“It is true. . . I have shown support for Sakurazuka-sama. . .” Sayaka said, her tone a little remorseful. “His ideals, his motions, and I will continue to do so in the future.” She said, though in the back of her mind she knew that she didn’t believe that the idea of pacifism between humans and vampires was nothing but a distant dream. She felt nothing about what she was saying; they were just simple facts that would answer the question.

It made sense for the Suoh Corporation to align itself with the group of Purebloods that seemed stronger than the rest. Kaname-sama and Sakurazuka-sama wanted the Headmaster’s ridiculous ideals to become a reality and while she initially wanted to support both Rosenkreutz-sama and Suzuki-sama; she had thought that their wants matched her own quite perfectly, but she was wrong. Joining them was nothing but a mistake, a mistake that had almost cost her life and the life of the only one she wanted to protect. She owed Sakurazuka-sama more than just her support, he had kept Akeno-kun safe, and it was because of him that she still had her life.

“Perhaps it was a mistake to decide to align myself with a Royal Pureblood with so many enemies, but that is where I stand. She finished answering the question. Lifting the small porcelain cup to her lips, her deep green eyes staring at the girl in front of her. ‘Of course with any rumor, assumptions will be made about the party at hand. Those assumptions made on three factors. . . Personal gain, affiliation, and interest.’ Sayaka thought as she set the cup back down, her eyes following the movements of her hands. The bracelet giving a little glare from the light. . . Why was she so attached to that one vampire? Why couldn’t she forget about him?

“What is it that you really want to know? Kiyoko-san.” Sayaka asked, knowing that the young noble was more informed than she was letting on. The Suoh Corporation had never shown an interest in anything that had to do with Pureblood affairs and they kept their distance from the Senate, her family was once completely neutral territory. Why would a vampire assume that she follows some, but not others when there was nothing but ‘rumors’ floating around the school?

[Kiyoko Ruri]

From somewhere outside, probably lost in the Zen tranquility of the academy gardens, the soft sounds of a violin floated into the room, blending perfectly with the scene and ambience Ruri had striven, with a small amount of difficulty, to create for her guest. As she took another sip of her still hot green tea, Ruri closed her eyes briefly, losing herself for a fleeting moment to the lovely sound – even if she herself was not particularly adept at any of the arts, except for brief snatches of poetry here and there, she had been born and bred to appreciate it. Of course, she didn’t consider it rude to shut herself off from the scene for the few seconds that she did, since the other vampire remained silent, most likely speculating as to what this was all about; Ruri was a calculating and manipulative creature, and therefore suspected many of her fellow nobles to think almost exactly as she did – for instance, if she was placed in a similar situation, she would also be wondering about the other’s ulterior motives. It was not an unreasonable assumption, since after all, what else did they have to do with their time? All they had was time, months and years and decades and even centuries of time that flowed into an empty abyss that would be meaningless without all of their plots and plans to improve and perfect themselves and others, to infiltrate and corrupt and disease.
I sometimes wish that none of this was real, that I lived in an ethereal world of clouds and mists where nothing could touch me, except the beautiful light of the moon. But I do not, instead I am here, where the only thing left to strive for is power, and I will not allow anything or anyone to stand in my way.

“It is true. . . I have shown support for Sakurazuka-sama. . .”
Ruri hid a small, secretive smile behind her tea cup, and kept her eyes hidden with a downward sweep of her thick black eyelashes as she swept her gaze to her lap.
Well, I already knew that, silly. Everyone knows that. Let’s see you stripped of all of your secrets – ah! If only I had that power that…what was that stupid boy’s name…Ah, yes, Akeno…His power. Then I could read all of Suoh’s thoughts and control her utterly...well, almost…
“…I will continue to do so in the future.”
Not if you come to your senses, foolish girl.
“Is that so?”
Ruri asked as soon as the girl hesitated in a polite attempt to show that she was listening attentively, and nibbled on a piece of her sweet wagashi.
“Demo, if you don’t mind my asking, why? It is common knowledge to all in our circle that you used to fully support Suzuki-sama and Rosenkreutz-sama. You yourself are a member of a proud heritage; a prideful, Noble heritage that honors itself on its…lengthy distance from mere blood sacs, I mean, humans, of course. Surely you cannot agree with their opinion on humans? On how we should, ‘get along’ with them, I mean,”

She commented with a clearly distinct accent of distaste, making quote signs with her fingers to emphasize how ridiculous she thought of the whole thing.
“Kuran-sama himself has sunk to the point of defending a human…that irritatingly noisy prefect girl, Cross Yuuki, and her rude partner, that D-classer,”
Ruri continued, not so subtly refusing to refer to Kiryuu Zero by his actual name, just as “that D-classer”.
“Humans do nothing but squabble amongst each other, making life all the more difficult for those of us that really pull the strings of power. We, as nobles that serve the honorable purebloods, have a responsibility to our kind, and to the preservation of our species. Humans are like children, thoughtless of how their careless actions affect those other than themselves, and out of all species on this earth, they are the most greedy and corrupt. To us, they are nothing more than food, and they should never be given more importance than that – they are arrogant enough on their own. More tea?”
Without waiting for a response, Ruri carefully poured more hot water into the female vampire’s cup, and still, she kept going; she was on a mission, one that had been carefully planned, for nearly a week.

“I have also heard, forgive me, that your life may have been threatened. Please believe me when I say that your life is one to be considered precious, and if we can keep this between us, I also believe that the one who threatened you acted rashly.”
Dangerous words. But they are necessary. And yes, your life is precious to me, at least for now, if only for my own purposes.
“Well, Suoh-san?”
“Perhaps it was a mistake to decide to align myself with a Royal Pureblood with so many enemies, but that is where I stand.”
“And I respect those with strong convictions, Suoh-san,”
Ruri offered courteously, and proffered the porcelain plate of wagashi to the girl.
“Sweets? Please, take one. It is not possible for me to finish them off by myself.”
Flies are attracted more to honey than to shit…Is that how it goes? Eh, wrong! Feh, I don’t care. Stupid westerners.
“Perhaps it was a mistake, Suoh-san. And as for Sakurazuka-sama and his position as a “Royal” pureblood, I am sure you don’t need reminding to recall that so is Rosenkreutz Valizh-sama. I am sure it was all a misunderstanding, and if you only were to repent, he would surely forgive you…for whatever it is that you did to so anger him…”

…Besides your betrayal of him and Rin-sama, of course…
None of that was to be said aloud, though, Ruri reminded herself silently – tonight, she was only to be light and compassionate – for the sole purpose of pulling on Suoh-san’s sympathies, if that was at all possible.
“What is it that you really want to know? Kiyoko-san.”
How sad…is the game already over? Thank the gods…
Ruri set her tea-cup down again, a serious gleam in her eyes and a cold smile on her rosebud lips.
“I would simply like for us to be…friends, Suoh-san. I can imagine how difficult it has been for you, since you…left the protection of those I serve. You and I are similar creatures, Suoh-san; I know you cannot honestly and sincerely support Sakurazuka-sama, since I do not yet believe that you agree with…what he stands for. I cannot believe it. I…truly wish for you to come back. If you do not wish to serve Rosenkreutz-sama due to a particular grievance, please, serve Suzuki-sama with me. Demo, if you do not wish to do even that, at least be true to yourself, and what you truly believe. Be honest with yourself, and return to us – surely our superiors can offer you better protection than that of purebloods who use their legendary powers for the protection of mere humans.”
Checkmate? No, too early for that.

[Suoh Sayaka]

Sayaka listened to everything that the girl was saying,. . . How she would claim to respect Sayaka’s decision, but then turn around and try to persuade her to change her allegiance once again. She could feel the girl’s emotional atmosphere seeping into her own bubble, feeling the deceit that was behind her words. She knew the girl meant what she was saying, but what was she doing trying to convince someone else to join her? There were plenty other Nobles who would agree with her over Sayaka.

She listened to the girl’s words, feeling her emotions, feeling how she felt and was disgusted. The girl was trying to persuade, the girl was trying to convince, but that was an impossibility when it came to Sayaka. Having someone that she wanted to protect was something that Sayaka couldn’t forget.

She sat quietly as the girl even went as far as insulting her knowledge of Vampiric History, though the girl probably didn’t realize she was doing it. ‘A noble knows the Pureblood lines, they know the Nobles closest in relation to them, and the Nobles in Highest standing with them. It’s our job to know these things, it’s knowing these lines that differentiate us from the Level Cs.’ She thought as the girl tried to remind her that Rosenkreutz-sama was a Royal as well.

“I do not need to be reminded that Rosenkreutz-sama is a Royal Pureblood, to forget something like that is an impossibility for our race. For vampires such as ourselves, it is a gift just to be able to meet one of them, but to be attending a school with three of them. . .” Sayaka said, though she knew she never really wanted to come here. Most students were sent as presents to the Purebloods that attended Cross Academy, but Sayaka was lucky enough to be born to parents that merely wanted what was best for her. They had kept their distance in respect and protection.

“Likewise Kiyoko-san, I wouldn’t assume that I don’t need to remind you that Kuran Kaname-sama is the Pureblood Prince, the Purest of the Purebloods, and his ideals match that of Sakurazuka-sama. You can see how unevenly matched the two sides are. . . Correct?” She questioned, though she knew it was correct. She knew the inner workings of the Pureblood lines; being in Axis had given her that much.

“I…truly wish for you to come back. If you do not wish to serve Rosenkreutz-sama due to a particular grievance, please, serve Suzuki-sama with me.” Sayaka had heard the girl say. ‘She doesn’t know as much as I thought.’ Sayaka thought to herself. The fact that Kiyoko-san would even bring up the idea of Sayaka serving Suzuki Rin meant that she didn’t know it was the Pureblood Illusionist that originally pushed her away.

Offering death or murder over the possibility of love.

“No. . . I would never be able to truly support either of them again. With all the information you have, with all the information you’ve displayed in this little chat; you of all people should know this.” Sayaka said as she politely refused the wagashi yet again. It was a ridiculous thought. A futile effort, to think that Sayaka would serve the Pureblood Illusionist that Kiyoko-san seemed to love so much.

Sayaka couldn’t bring herself to think of the possibility of serving under Rosenkreutz-sama again. He had sided with Suzuki in the matter of Akeno, though she had clearly told him that he was the one person she wouldn’t be able to hurt. He knew about how she felt about him and refused to accept it, then went and tried to proclaim his love for a human girl.

“But if one were to love a human. . . What would be your thoughts on that?” She said as she looked at the small colorful plate of wagashi. She didn’t like the little pieces of confectionery; their unnatural sweet taste was the thing that disheartened her the most about them.

Her eyes flickered upwards toward the girl that Sayaka was almost positive would never become one of her friends. Sayaka had been able to avoid thinking about the members of Axis since she left their organization. Her life had been peaceful for the most part, the only problems caused by her own needs. She had been able to steer clear of almost all of the Purebloods at the school. If she hadn’t accepted the invitation of “Tea” she’d still be in that utter bliss. Was it bliss?

“Everyone knows that I have no compassion for the human race.” Sayaka said, at least that was what she conveyed to other vampires, knowing that the only reason she didn’t like them was because she was what she was. If I had been born a human. . . Would I be happier than I am now? Vampires lived a life of constriction, their society based upon a balance of powers that everyone needed to acknowledge.

“But everyone also knows that I am one to stand in the place that would let my family’s corporation grow. Why would I not support the rulers of our time?” She asked, knowing very well that the girl was one that would believe that the members of Axis would someday dominate the world. But Sayaka had already proven to be stronger than one of their strongest members. Yodobashi Hideki. . . The imbecile that had threatened her life without fully understanding who she was. ‘Axis will eventually fall. . . But you don’t even know of it’s existence. . . Do you?’ Sayaka thought to herself as she took another sip of the green liquid. Removing the cup quickly from her mouth to her lap before she began to speak again.

“I support Sakurazuka-sama, if I don’t support him, I support no one. My family is a neutral territory, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I were to claim no one as my leader.” She said, as she looked at the tea inside the cup. ‘I used to not even consider Rosenkreutz-sama my leader, just followed him with his wishes.’ She thought to herself. If she had stayed away from Sakurazuka-sama, if she had stayed away from Akeno-kun, she would still be with them.

‘If I had been born human, I’d be oblivious to the existence of vampires, just a short girl with average looks and an average family, I would’ve been happy.’ Sayaka thought as she waited for the girl to speak once again.

[Kiyoko Ruri]

As Ruri sat quietly, her petite hands folded modestly in her lap, she could already sense, with a great deal of dismay, that she had already begun to lose the other girl; and it wasn’t that she could tell from her face – Suoh’s expression remained blank, empty, and, unless she was greatly mistaken, a bit sad as well – it was only a feeling, but it felt quite strong. In a rare fit of emotion, unable to stop herself, Ruri stood up suddenly and walked stiffly to the wide, French windows, her fingers plucking restlessly at the delicate ivory-lace curtains, suddenly regretting the whole mess she had created. It wasn’t that she wanted Suoh as a friend, to the contrary, she merely wanted an ally – someone that could assure her that everything she had worked for, her position under Rin-sama, was enough – that it was all worth it. The secrets, the lies, the isolationism she ruthlessly imposed upon herself; it was nearly unbearable for her, now, to be even in this same room with the girl, for all she reminded Ruri of was her own imperfection, how far away she was from her goal, and the girl’s hesitation and adamant refusal of her suggestions fanned the small flames of doubt that nagged and tugged deep within her heart. Although to many of her fellow vampires, Ruri gave off an aura of apathetic cruelty and cool superiority, in private she felt disheartened by her own lonliness, and secretly ashamed of such a feeling, since it was all her own fault.

All her life, she had never made an effort to break out of her shell; she had never tried to make a sincere connection with another being, human and vampire alike. Her own parents had never given her any semblance of affection, believing that such softness of discipline would have her grow up to be a weakling; she had only ever received admonitions, warnings, lectures, and lessons on how to be the perfect daughter of the Kiyoko clan that they wanted her to be the model that they desired for her to emulate. In truth, she had always surreptitiously believed that if she allowed anyone to get too close to her, or to know her too well, they would grow to despise her almost as much as she disliked herself. Not for being a vampire, of course – she was quite prideful of her status among other members of high society, and she played her part extremely well to please her family and amuse herself – but at times, when she was alone during the day, trying to sleep but could not possibly find a way, she would feel an utter sense of loathing about the things she had done, the selfish, horrifying things she would do to get her own way – it reminded her of humans and for a while, she would feel dirty, and sometimes would even sink into a hot bath just to be rid of the external feeling. Reluctantly, Ruri turned her thoughts outward, and once again sank back down to the Earth, into the present, to Suoh-san and the hole she had dug all by herself.
“I do not need to be reminded that Rosenkreutz-sama is a Royal Pureblood, to forget something like that is an impossibility for our race. For vampires such as ourselves, it is a gift just to be able to meet one of them, but to be attending a school with three of them…”

“…Should be the highest honor, neh, Suoh-san?”
Should be. It is, isn’t it? Of course it is. This girl! It’s her fault I’m thinking such thoughts…bad thoughts. I can’t let this stand in my way – weaknesses!
Her fingers trembled despite her inner conviction to remain strong as they gripped the curtains; in spite of the fact that she was sent to Cross Academy almost a year now before, Ruri was still two months away from her seventeenth birthday – she was still quite young, and sometimes unable to properly control her emotions, especially in a private situation like this. Normally, Ruri would have but in and countered Suoh’s response; instead, she remained silent, and waited patiently for the girl to continue, which she did.
“Likewise Kiyoko-san, I wouldn’t assume that I don’t need to remind you that Kuran Kaname-sama is the Pureblood Prince, the Purest of the Purebloods, and his ideals match that of Sakurazuka-sama. You can see how unevenly matched the two sides are. . . Correct?”
“Quantity is no match for quality,”
Ruri quickly replied, her conversation on auto; she did, however, continue to listen attentively to each word Suoh said – she couldn’t help but to listen, as each word sent a dagger of doubt into her mind and heart, into her only sense of purpose and conviction. What purpose did she have, she wondered, if it was not to serve the Pureblood Suzuki-sama? Her parents had nearly gift-wrapped her for the Kuran ‘Prince’, as Suoh referred to him as, since they supported his ideals, at least publically. Silently, however, she had rebelled against their wishes. Had that been a mistake? The traditional Japanese answer would be ‘yes’; to go against the wishes of one’s family elders was always considered to be wrong. Sinful.

“No. . . I would never be able to truly support either of them again. With all the information you have, with all the information you’ve displayed in this little chat; you of all people should know this.”
Ruri leaned her head against the cold windowpane, and her bony shoulders sagged slightly; she suddenly felt more drained of energy that she had in a long while, almost as if she had lost her will, her drive, to continue. The feeling of exhaustion was overwhelming, and her eyelids lowered as she looked out and up, longingly, at the harvest moon, which shone brightly and powerfully, almost too strongly even for her, in the shape of a perfect crescent.
“I understand,”
Was all she said, in a soft whisper, her back to the girl as she continued to stare away, far away, outside.
Dance me into the night, underneath the full moon shining so bright, turning me into…the light…
Those lyrics, unwished for, came to her mind suddenely, and although she couldn’t recall where she heard them, the melody of a dark waltz sang within her, and she suddenely stood on tiptoe, wishing she could dance her way up the moon. And then, just as her thoughts were closest to a romantic notion than they had ever been before, Suoh said the exact thing she never wanted to hear, ever.
…To love a human?
Ruri spun around swiftly, and jumped backwards onto the windowsill, her green eyes dulled slightly, her beautiful face even more sullen than usual.
“There is nothing one can love about them,”

She said in a matter of fact, unswerving tone that stemmed from years and years of firmly built prejudices, built upon a base of a hard stone of thousands of years of tradition.
They live such petty lives, for no purpose one can see, and their lives…are so short and fleeting, mere blinks in the grand space of time. Why would a vampire put themselves through such pain, allowing themselves to sink into love with one that would die so soon? Such unnecessary pain…Why?
But these thoughts she kept to herself, kept tightly away with golden lock and silver key. Suoh said something else, but at that point, Ruri’s thoughts had drifted again, and she was no longer listening as well as before.
Buzz buzz Sakurazuka-sama buzz buzz
“Hai, wakata, Suoh-san,”
She replied softly, when she saw that the girl had finished speaking. Politely, Ruri bowed slightly and did something she had never, ever done before in her sixteen years –
“I sincerely apologize for inviting you here with such intentions, Suoh-san. I truly hope you can find it within yourself to forgive me – I won’t call upon you again, so…”
Please just leave. Before I say something I regret, before I sink too far in this weak state. I need time, just a little time…to be strong again. To be perfect again.

[Suoh Sayaka]

Sayaka watched the vampire move to stand by the window, seeming to become lost in the music that floated in from outside; realizing that the two of them had more in common that she had originally suspected. They were both two daughters of Noble blooded vampires. Both wealthy, both having a hatred for humans, but their stories differed in so many ways.

Hearing her say something about being able to attend a school with Purebloods being the greatest honor, Sayaka couldn’t help but wonder if the girl knew what she was saying. It was obvious that Kiyoko-san didn’t enjoy the company of the majority of the Purebloods here, it was also obvious that she didn’t like the school in general, similar feelings, yet interpreted in different ways.

When the subject of humans was brought up. . . Sayaka knew that she couldn’t expect the girl to enjoy them. She had described them as moving blood sacs.

“There is nothing one can love about them.” Sayaka heard the girl say, her voice was cold, sounded somewhat defensive, a little disgusted? Sayaka merely smiled a small smile, laughing on the inside.

“A lot of vampires would beg to differ with you on that one. But that isn’t of my concern. . . Is it?” She said, though it wasn’t really a question. Her eyes averting to the ground, feelings of hatred for him and his hypocrisy were rising in her. ‘Calm down. . . This isn’t the time or place to act like this, to feel like this.’ She thought to herself though the words that he had said that day still echoed in her mind.

"So you finally decided to join Seiryu and destroy me... dirtying my name... taking my honor away... and putting my loved ones against me!" He had practically yelled in fury, he had a good reason to say it. He had said it and than accused Sayaka of doing it for money and power, but had he not offered her the same thing? He had made her pick and choose where he could not. ‘I support Sakurazuka-sama, but I will not work to make another vampire turn against them.’ Those thoughts ran through her mind, almost bringing back the feelings she had felt that day. She would not turn others against them, just as she wouldn’t work to bring more followers of the Sakurazuka family; that was the agreement that she had made with herself, while she didn’t support Axis, she wasn’t willing enough to actively work against it. ‘The people who support them, they have to find their path on their own or it isn’t worth it.’ She thought as her face returned to its blank state.

It wasn’t everyone’s knowledge that the Pureblood Vampire Supremacist was one to have feelings for a human. It wasn’t public knowledge that a human within the Academy was something more than she seemed, and it was almost taboo to speak of it.

Hearing the vampire apologize for inviting her to tea and asking for forgiveness for her actions, Sayaka knew it was her way of asking her to leave. ‘How cold must I be to even be able to force feelings like this from this girl.’ Sayaka thought to herself, feeling a little remorse for how strict she was when explaining her standings. The girl’s facial features had dulled, her eyes seemed a little more lifeless than before. Sayaka felt a little sorry for the girl, but it wasn’t her place to try and convince her otherwise, it wasn’t her job to save her.

“I have no ill will towards you Kiyoko-san.” Sayaka said as she set the cup she was holding down onto the table and stood, rising from her sitting position, straightening out her outfit, and looking at the girl who had taken a position by the window. Sayaka had grown from when she first came to the Academy, her attitude; her thought process was better than it was before. Had Kiyoko-san brought a subject such as the current one up while she was still in that state of mind, Sayaka would’ve taken offense and thought of the girl as an enemy more than anything else. She would’ve ended up hating the noble for her actions today, but somehow couldn’t do it, though their conversation was something that she wasn’t fond of, she wouldn’t hold it against her.

“It’s only natural for you to be curious about rumors, in fact maybe it is a good thing that we had this talk.” She paused for a moment and stood there, her hands held together in front of her. “If were done here. . . I’ll take my leave.” She said, bowing slightly as she started walking towards the door.

Her emotions were jumbled, everything about her was out of place, she couldn’t even think correctly. ‘It would be better if my memories were just erased. . . Life would be easier.’ Sayaka thought, though she didn’t truly believe she would ever act on it.

She slipped on her silver heels and reached her hand for the door, not turning back to look at the vampire who she knew would’ve been better off if they had never met. Pausing as she reached the door.

“I’m sorry. . . Kiyoko-san.” She said as she twisted her hand to open the door and leave.

[Kiyoko Ruri]

‘Time dancers whirling past, I gaze through the looking glass, and feel just beyond my grasp is heaven’...A sad and silent song sang its melody within her, and Ruri gazed out again towards the perfect image of the moon, and briefly, but quite vividly imagined a rope dangling precariously from the bottom tip, a fallen angel clothed in black wisps of shadow and red blood, hanging from the neck, her once gloriously white wings limp and covered with dust and ash from Hell, from the Earth. But she blinked, and the picture was gone, and once again Ruri collected herself, and turned her head slowly to face Sayaka, whom she could now see was…smiling? In an effort to restrain herself from rudely asking the other vampire what on earth she could possibly be gay about, Ruri bit the inside of her cheeks and waited for Suoh to speak.

“A lot of vampires would beg to differ with you on that one. But that isn’t of my concern…Is it?”
Of course not. And I couldn’t care less, I cannot.
“I suppose nothing anyone does is of your concern,”
She quipped shortly instead, while thinking…
Especially what I do, when I choose to do anything of consequence at all…which is rare. And a lot of vampires would disagree with me about the ridiculous notion of loving a human? Hah! I think that Suoh is the one who is a little disillusioned on that note…
The female vampire’s mood appeared to change again, and Ruri’s keen emotional insight picked up that the girl now felt…angry? Disheartened? Something along those lines, and she couldn’t help but wonder why. Of course, at first she connected the dismay with her betrayal of Valizh and Rin-sama, but no, that couldn’t be it, as the girl had made it quite clear how heartily she disliked them as well as their policies.

Ruri knew little to absolutely nothing about the concept of ‘love’; indeed, she hardly believed it actually existed, especially as she had no personal experiences of which to base it on. All she saw in society did little to improve her knowledge of it – all she could see were beautiful dancers at a thinly veiled masque, doing their best to convince everyone that there was love as well as true beauty in the world, all the while fooling really nobody. Thankfully, Ruri noticed that Suoh must have picked up on the obvious fact that she wished their chat to be done and over with, and she nodded at the girl’s polite, but nonetheless expected, words.
No ill will, hm? Well, at least I have not made an enemy out of her…even thought everything I had planned for so long has gone awry, the game-board and my pieces of all been strewn away into nothing, and I have at best alerted her as to what I am up to, and at worst, she will go running off to tell her new Master Sakurazuka about this…Or perhaps not…Ah, what have I done this time?

“It’s only natural for you to be curious about rumors, in fact maybe it is a good thing that we had this talk.”
“Of course…”
A good thing…An enlightening one for her, I am sure, a humiliating one for me…
As she watched Suoh delicately slip back on her bright silver heels and put her hand on the door, Ruri felt a pang of loss in her heart, as if she were about to lose something precious, and she could not for the mockery of life of her tell why. She already felt physically weak – it would be time to have another one of those disgusting blood tablets very soon, now – but the emotional sense of exhaustion was taking a toll as she, with effort, jumped from her perch on the windowsill and walked up behind the girl, perhaps to open the door for her, when, unexpectedly, Suoh added,
“I’m sorry…Kiyoko-san,”

Another word to tear at her already fragile emotional state, and she felt something she didn’t recognize sting at her eyes –
…Nani? What is happening to me…This girl…
Releasing a pent-up sigh, Ruri suddenly put her hands gently on the girl’s slim shoulders, and bowed her head to hide her face, her forehead just touching the top of Suoh’s back. Her black strands of hair seemed to cling to her sharp, wet cheeks, and on them was the smell of rain.
…No, I’m sorry…
“Arigatou…!”
Ruri whispered, her breathing tight and shallow, her insides curdling with self-disgust and shame at so revealing herself to someone she might have made an enemy out of, to someone who might as well be just as disgusted by her as she herself was.
…Please, don’t say anything to anyone. Just leave…please don’t go…I don’t even know what I want anymore, and it’s not even your fault, not really. This, this feeling, I know now, was always inside of me, and now I don’t know how to deal with it. Maybe…maybe I don’t have to act on it at all…Maybe it will fade…all of my feelings…if only they could just fade away…So I could be perfect, like they want me to be, like I’m supposed to be…

[Suoh Sayaka]

Sayaka felt two small hands grasp her shoulders as she tried to leave. A feeling of shock running through her body; what was happening? In her mind Sayaka thought it was best if she went through with her original plans to leave, but she heard one word escape the girls lips.

“Arigatou…!”

She slowly turned her head to look at the girl behind her. Her eyes widened as she saw tears sliding down her face, but she did her best to remain calm. ‘What is she doing? Why is she crying?’ Sayaka could only question herself; for the girl, a noble in fact, to cry in front of a vampire whom she had just met.

Why?

“Kiyoko-san.” Sayaka said trying to keep her voice dull and apathetic, but little bits of emotion seeping through. She had to be able to keep her apathetic façade, had to stay away from everyone who was close to Rosenkreutz-sama so that the two of them would never have to meet again; it was the only way for her to be able to keep herself out of their reach. It was the only way for her to be able to keep him safe, she couldn’t get too close to anyone, and she always had to watch her back.

‘I’m truly sorry I made you feel this way.’ She thought to herself, thinking the words that she couldn’t say. She knew that subconsciously this was the outcome she was looking for. She was a breaker, bringing people down the only thing she had perfected. She could feel what the vampire was gong through as she spoke, but she had decided to ignore it simply to get her point across. ‘How selfish.’ She thought as she calmed herself down even more. The girl was touching her meaning her emotions affected Sayaka so much more than when she was across the room. “I know-” Sayaka started to talk, but found herself pausing without being able to say anything at all.

Sayaka knew in her mind that the lives of the people at the Academy would be much better if she had never come. If she had stayed home and lived the life that was expected of a vampire like her. If the school was never built, if it didn’t exist vampires would simply have their personal tutors or look to their parents as their teachers.

Personal relationships were only made if they came with a monetary gain for either the power of the family or the power of the family’s company. Was it confusion that Sayaka was feeling? She knew there wasn’t a doubt within her body that following Sakurazuka was the right choice, but what was she supposed to do about this other vampire? ‘It’s not my job to save her.’ Sayaka resolved. She knew that it was cold and heartless of her to think that way, but vampires are cold by nature. It was a gift to find one with anything close to an ounce of compassion.

“Don’t let anyone else see you like this. It’s a weakness to cry in front of others. . .They’ll take advantage of how you feel.” Sayaka started, stating only what the vampire should’ve already known. Was it not the truth that most wished were a lie? She slowly turned her body to look back at the girl, the door remaining closed. Her hand lifted as if she was going to touch the girl’s face, but that was too familiar to her. She couldn’t do that to her and her hand dropped immediately; for a moment, only a moment, her face displayed hurt and anger before she composed herself again.

“I won’t tell anyone what happened tonight. If I can help it, I won’t tell anyone what took place here.” She said, her voice no louder than a whisper; it was the most she could offer. She couldn’t give Kiyoko the gift of forgetting about the meeting all together, but she could promise not to bring it up. She wasn’t one to easily forget things, but she could promise not to tell anyone about their talk.

‘You’ll be just fine Kiyoko-san. I’m sure you’ll find the path you want to take soon.’ Sayaka thought, though she wasn’t sure whether or not it was true.

“Just get better. We aren’t enemies. . . Yet. Until something happens and that changes, you have nothing to worry about.” She said hoping to never meet this vampire under circumstances where she’d have to try and kill her. If she truly was with Rosenkreutz-sama then she was a threat. Axis couldn’t touch Sayaka, but since when did evil organizations care about what they were killing if it was in the means of accomplishing their goals?

[Kiyoko Ruri]

It was incredibly foolish of her to so openly reveal herself and her emotions in front of this cool, contained vampire she was hardly acquainted with. Oh, Ruri knew, she knew with a painful clarity that it was beyond stupid of her, beyond weak to break down like this, and she did not need to be reminded of it. And still, she couldn’t help but cry then – it was so difficult to always be this perfect model her parents had strived for her to be – it was taxing and exhausting. If anyone could understand her split feelings, Ruri was sure, it would be another noble, just like her, too all likelihood raised in a very similar environment. And she also realized then that, despite her constant denial of it, she truly did need someone to talk to, to pour out her heart to, her worries, stresses, and fears – it was no longer enough to converse with just herself – it was driving her mad. There was no way she could ever speak freely with her parents – they could never understand, and even if , by some remote stretch of possibility, they did, they would suppress their own feelings and punish her further by making her feel guilty and ashamed for having such feelings, even as she punished herself in kind, horrified by her own weakness.

The mask she wore around school was a beautiful, immaculately polished and refined one, and always formal and uninterested. But it was only a mask, and like all masks, was only an illusion to cover the reality, her true face. All her life Ruri had been secretly terrified that someone might ever see her like this, weak and afraid to go on with the plan she had set out upon with such apparent confidence. If they knew, if they could see how vulnerable and sensitive she truly was, the palace of glass she had created would shatter into a thousand and more pieces, and she thought she would surely crumble into nothing, into dust, like those level D vampires she had killed numerous times before, purely for the sake of amusing her twisted fantasies – that she had a purpose, that she was important to someone – to the one she served, and that she was more than just a hollow shell of what those in her life merely expected her to be.
“Don’t let anyone else see you like this. It’s a weakness to cry in front of others. . .They’ll take advantage of how you feel.”

…Don’t you think I know that? Why must you drive the knife in further, twisting it? Or is it me who does this to myself, while you really have nothing at all to do with this…wreck I’ve created.
The glistening tracks the tears had made upon her porcelain face had already dried and begun to fade – only the shine in her eyes would give away to anyone else the horrible fact that she had recently allowed herself to cry, like a human girl, but not half as easily. Not that, never that. She forced herself to smile, but it was a bitter one, full of a grim and angry wretchedness that she had already begun to close the lid on, locking the tremulous box of her heart once again with the tinkling of the lock and silver key.
“Of course. Forgive me, Suoh-san…I was only acting such a way on a whim, to see if you might change your mind had I played on your sympathies. Excuse me for using such petty trickery, but I see now that you are set hard upon your course. May it work out for you as well as you’ve planned so carefully, Suoh-san…”

An pretty lie is so much better, an infinite number of times better, than the actual truth, neh?
Calmer now, Ruri pulled herself up, lifting her hands up into the air before dropping them to her sides.
“And you are perfectly right. If I had been sincere at that point, yes, it would have been a weakness. In retrospect, it’s certainly a good thing that I merely tried to pull the wool over your eyes, neh?”
She asked in a crisp voice, a frozen smile on her lips as she attempted to fool the other girl – possibly it would piss her off, if she believed her.
Oh well…she turned out to be disappointing anyways…Even if she was kind…Feh – she was right, showing mercy or kindness is nothing but vulnerability. I should take that from her and never, ever do this again.
“Also, I am disappointed that you did not choose to…cooperate, shall we say? However, I hope we do continue to be on speaking terms with one another, Suoh-san. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“Just get better. We aren’t enemies. . . Yet. Until something happens and that changes, you have nothing to worry about.”
Ruri’s lips curled up again, but this time her smile was not a kind or polite one – the steel hardness that had been hammered into her over the years had returned with a surprising vengeance.
“Oh, if such a time does indeed come, it is not my safety nor my personage you should worry about, but your own.”
I am not so weak as she thinks. That was nothing but a slip-up…a misunderstanding of my own feelings, and I shall see to it that it never happens again. I need no one but myself…
“However…”
Ruri continued in a deceptively soft voice,
“I truly meant what I said…Thank you, Suoh-san, for only strengthening my resolve in what I must do. You shall serve your master, and I shall serve mine…May the best one win.”

…And thank you. I will not ever tell you the real reason, I cannot…but…
Hastily, Ruri reached past Suoh and swung the door outward, and with a fake, courteous smile on her face, Ruri bowed politely. The dance had begun again, the strings fastened fully back into their proper place.
“Jaa mata, Suoh-san…Do come again. Perhaps we shall even become good friends! After all, there are so few of us nobles with good breeding left – we should take a care to stick together.”
As soon as the door closed with a soft click behind the other vampire, Ruri’s cold smile slid off of her face like sap, and she leaned against the doorway sullenly, her face resting in her palms, her shoulders in a slump as she wondered still…what she would do now.
And the hole she had dug grew still deeper, the mounds of black earth hovering around her, whispering seductively, crooning for her to dig further, and further, and further…
…

[Suoh Sayaka]

Sayaka watched as the vampire changed her emotions right before her eyes. No, not changed, covered, layered another one over the ones she was just feeling. She heard everything that she was saying, but wasn’t paying attention for the most part, just standing there thinking about why she had even acted the way she did. Months earlier she wouldn’t have stayed as long as she did, that is if he even accepted the invitation. It was when the girl mentioned something about disappointment that made Sayaka actually listen.

‘I’m a disappointment?’ She questioned in her mind, knowing that there were some that would believe so. In fact when it came to the vampires the girl in front of her was involved with, it was a possibility that Sayaka was the biggest disappointment of them all.

“You’re not the first one I’ve disappointed and I’m sure you’re far from the last.” She said nonchalantly. Being a disappointment was one of the biggest fears that Sayaka had, but it was more of whom she was disappointing; rather then just being called a ‘Disappointment.’

Her attention was put back on what the vampire in front of her was saying, hearing everything, about lying, about sincerity, about sympathy.

“Playing on my sympathies?” Sayaka questioned as though it was a new word to her. It did irritate her that the vampire in front of her would even try to claim something like that, knowing that it would irritate her a little more than the next vampire. ‘She thinks I’m exactly like the next person.’ Sayaka assumed as her eyes dulled, removing every form of companionship she might have felt towards the girl. Would another vampire have changed their mind if they saw one of their possible enemies crying? No, would another being change their position, change what they believed, just because another one of their kind shed a few tears?

“Oh, if such a time does indeed come, it is not my safety nor my personage you should worry about, but your own.” Sayaka heard the girl say, causing her to lift her eyes to the girl’s face. The girl hadn’t heard about everything that had taken place, she truly was following her Pureblood in true ignorance. She hadn’t heard about the skirmish she had with the vampire that had claimed to be the “Hand which guides the sword of Axis?” She didn’t know that it was under Rosenkreutz-sama’s orders that Hunters were being slaughtered by night, that once she go into Axis it wouldn’t matter what she wanted to do, but simply what she was ordered to do. ‘Is that the existence you wish for? Just so that green haired illusionist stays happy?’ Sayaka thought though she couldn’t say it out loud.

“You obviously don’t know me very well.” She said as her lips curled into a small smile. Sure, the vampire that she displayed to the world and that her parent’s thought she was and the vampire she truly wanted to be were quite different from each other.

Coming to the school had given her that much more freedom, if her parents had seen her act the way she really wanted to, there was no doubt in her mind that they’d be disappointed. She was the perfect citizen when they were around, truly charismatic when the need came for it, a true leader when it came to the company. She became everything they thought she should be, and she kept all her faults away from their eyes. It had to be that way, for her to achieve her goal, for her dreams to be attainable, things needed to be that way.

‘That is why they’ll never see me like that.’ She thought to herself as she turned towards the door, watching as the other vampire opened it for her, hearing her say something about “Sticking Together.”

“Perhaps it would be best if we, the Nobles of proper background stuck together, but don’t you think that it would be a waste if our goals aren’t the same? If they were at the completely different sides of the spectrum?” Sayaka said the smile completely gone; as if it never existed in the first place. She stepped out of the room, the temperature of the hallway lower than that of the room. “Thank you for inviting me. . . Good Night Kiyoko-san.” Sayaka said with a small bow, waiting for her to close the door before she turned to leave.

Walking down the hall, another smile made it’s way to her face as she thought of what took place. Specifically one of the girl’s assumptions had stuck with her. “You shall serve your master, and I shall serve mine…May the best one win.” The girl had said.

“He’s not my master, no one will ever be my master.” Sayaka said, shaking her head as she walked down the hall back to her dorm. She couldn’t understand why people automatically thought that when it came to a relationship between a Pureblood and a vampire of her status. She was barely an acquaintance of his, he had kept his distance and she had kept hers. ‘Just because they put themselves in a position in where they’ll be ruled over by their ‘King’ doesn’t mean that I have to.’ She thought as she approached her own door.

She looked to her left, down the hall towards the vampire’s room.

‘Best of Luck. . . Kiyoko-san.’ She thought as she opened her own door. The talk that had taken place still lingering in her mind.