Rare (Vampire Knight)

Chapter 25

Charlotte trudged beside Kaname with a scowl on her face. She was knackered but could never stay asleep longer than an hour, as she always got this frightening feeling that had her springing awake and it had been a couple of weeks of that. She took little forty minute naps every few hours but that had barely done anything for her. Everyone except Kaname and Rima were staying away from her, as she was a bit snappy and sleep deprived. Only Rima and Kaname could take her grouchiness, even Shane was afraid of the possible words of abuse she might spit at him like she had to her brother for accidentally stepping on her foot when getting off the train.

She was grateful that for the first time they weren't mobbed by fan girls, as it was both the Day Class and the Night Class arriving at the academy at the same time, all talking amongst themselves about their break. Yuki greeted everyone happily while Zero just stayed quiet, scowling at almost everyone but avoiding doing so to Charlotte as he noticed the dangerous look in her dark blue eyes and slight bags from lack of sleep under her eyes and he didn't want to be yelled at by her either.

"I'm home," Kaname smiled pleasantly at Yuki and Charlotte forced a smile out as well, although she did look worn out and Zero tutted at the girl for even putting in the effort to look happy. Yuki bowed enthusiastically at the pureblood, a smile on her face as well.

"Welcome home!" The brunette greeted cheerfully.

Kaname reached into his pocket, the smile still on his face, "I brought you a present, Yuki. It's a rose which only blooms every ten years, hardened in resin. I decided to get it for you because it was unique." He handed the rose encased in resin to the girl. She looked down at it with a blank expression, her eyes wide as she stared at the forever blooming rose. "Would you have like food instead?"

Yuki tensed in surprise and shook her head quickly, "Huh?! That's not it, I just thought it was pretty."

Kaname smiled again, giving a side glance to Charlotte, "It was a beautiful place where even a rose would bloom during this season. I'll take you there next time. Charlotte showed me where it was at and it is truly beautiful." Yuki turned to Charlotte and cracked a smile before turning back to Kaname... or more like the life sized doll he had in his hand that Charlotte found in the loft in the mansion. "Oh, this isn't food."

"I can tell by looking at it..." Yuki trailed off, furrowing her eyebrows at the doll. It even had a face with soulless eyes.

"Kiryu, here's a present." Even Charlotte chuckled at Zero's expression as Kaname handed the silver haired boy the doll she found in the loft when she had gotten bored and decided to walk around the mansion, even in places she wasn't allowed to go to when she was younger─like the loft.

"I don't want it."

Kaname leant forward with an almost cruel smile on his face, "It's a life-sized doll said to be cursed from ages past. Charlotte and I bought it just for you." Charlotte grinned tiredly at him with a thumbs up. He looked at her for a couple of seconds before snatching the doll from the pureblood's hands and slamming it on the floor, stomping violently on it a couple of times, causing Yuki to flinch at the sudden violence, and he picked it up off the floor and handed it back to the pureblood.

"Thank you very much, Kaname-senpai!" Zero's smile was so sarcastic, Charlotte found it to be a work of art and she nearly cooed at the sight of it on the boy's face. "It has served its purpose, I've had enough." Charlotte snorted, grabbing Kaname's jacket sleeve involuntarily as she was hit with weariness again, squeezing her eyes shut tightly before opening them again and letting his jacket go. He looked down at her with confusion for a second and she forced out an innocent grin.

"Kaname!" Yuki waved her hands in front of his face to get his attention, "Um... um... I have something that I want to speak with you about! Uh... but later at school." A blush crept up onto her face when Kaname leant forward and whispered something in her ear that neither Charlotte nor Zero cared to eavesdrop on. Yuki wrenched herself away from the pureblood and her face got a bit redder than before and she stuttered, turning away from him and towards the open gates, "Everyone! Please let me check your names off on the student roster!" She ran towards the gates, waving a clipboard with a few papers clipped to it that had a lot of names on them.