No Warmth

Chapter 16- Unanswered Questions

Takuma walked down the hallway; he thought back to what Akari told them a while ago.

"I have something important to tell you three; I wanted you all to hear the truth from me. I lied earlier...I never forgot my identity." Akari looked into their eyes. "I'm the daughter of Shizuka Hio and Hayate Amamiya, her ex-human lover."

Rima lowered her gaze. "Then, your vampire family is de..."

"Yes...my father was executed by hunters and my mother was murdered last night." Akari added.

Rima placed her hand on Akari's back. "I'm sorry for your loss...I know how much you wanted to reunite with your family."

"You have our condolences." Senri said.

"We're here if you want to talk or if you need a shoulder to cry on." Takuma added.

"Thank you. I need some time to gather my thoughts, but I'll see you all in class later." Akari walked away.

Takuma stepped forward, but Rima tugged on his sleeve.

"Let's give her some space." Rima said as they watched Akari get farther away.

Takuma stopped in front of Kaname's room. "Kaname, can we talk for a moment?"

"You may enter, Takuma."

Kaname sat on the bed when Takuma entered.

"I want to talk about Akari." Takuma said.

"What about her?"

Takuma lowered his gaze. "What plans do you have for her?"

"You make it sound as if I'm using her." Kaname replied.

Takuma frowned. "Four years ago, you confessed to me that you freed Lady Shizuka Hio from her cage...it resulted in the slaughter of the Kiryu hunters. In addition, you knew Lady Shizuka was in our school and you allowed it. You must have known what would happen...were you hoping for this outcome? What are you planning, Kaname?"

Kaname sighed. "Are you going to question my every move?"

"I worry about you because you're my best friend, Kaname. We used to tell each other everything, but you don't share things with me anymore." Takuma smiled sadly.

"You will get answers in due time." Kaname answered.

"Also, Akari is my friend too. I don't want to see her get hurt." Takuma added.

"You don't have to worry. Like I told her earlier, I can guarantee her safety as long as she's in this academy."

***

When Akari arrived at her old home, Ichiru was looking at the paintings on the wall.

"These are my father's paintings...I loved looking at them when I was a child. I guess some things never change." Akari mused.

There were paintings of birds, trees, flowers, and the sky. However, the paintings that caught Ichiru's eye were the paintings of Shizuka and Akari.

"I don't think I ever saw Lady Shizuka smile like this." Ichiru murmured. "I wonder if she was ever truly happy when I was beside her."

"I think the reason Mother was able to hold on after she lost Father was because you were by her side, Ichiru." Akari smiled.

Ichiru cleared his throat. "How is Maria doing?"

"Unfortunately, she hasn't woken up yet. The Headmaster and Yuki are looking after her in the meantime. I will keep you updated on her condition." Akari said.