The Guardian (Vampire Knight ~ Akatsuki)

Chapter 3: Interactions

Tonight, I couldn't get out of my new duty. I'm not jetlagged, have not been traveling for over 24 hours and have not been walking around the school ground all day, unlike yesterday. This is why headmaster Cross asked me.

Not only do I have to monitor the Night Class leaving the dorm like yesterday, I also have to work until 1 am to make sure no Day Class students are out of their rooms.

Yuki, Zero and I set up a new routine – since there are three of us now. I patrol the Moon Dormitory, Yuki takes the Sun Dorm while Zero walks around in between to make sure no one slipped through before patrol (or got away from Yuki).

After one hour I decide I hate patrols. After two hours I start pacing. After three I have paced around the Dorms so many times I memorized all the cracks in the walls. And when my watch hits 11 I start seeing Day Class students when there are none.

When I realize in despair I still have two hours to kill – and that I have to do this every day from now on – I lean against the wall next to the gates and slid down until my butt hits the ground.

This would be unfortunate if I were to wear the white uniform. For some reason I wonder who designed these. It must be the boredom.

"Now what?" I mutter to myself as I pull up my legs.

I feel the presents suddenly before I hear the voice and before it speaks, I'm already on my feet.

"If you're bored already, you're going to have one hell of a hard job." A low voice answers my rhetorical question. But before he even spoke, I knew it was Akatsuki. Though I hadn't noticed he opened the gate, I did feel him. As a hunter, you learn to notice vampires or any other presents. It is almost like feeling an aura; humans have a dull one, but vampires have this vibe around them. That is part of the human attraction to vampires too. Vampire hunters are of course human, but we are born as what we are, slightly different than your typical human, so our 'aura' is again slightly different. It is hard to put your finger on really, it's just something you know on instinct.

Akatsuki was looking at me, leaning against the wall about three steps away from me. He was wearing his uniform wrong again – though it seemed right on him – and as his expression was casual, his eyes were glittering with amusement.

"That might be a problem yes." I say, relaxing myself. A normal vampire hunter would be on guard right now. It is dark and I'm alone, making small talk with a vampire. But I know Akatsuki wouldn't be here if he couldn't behave himself. Both the headmaster and Kaname wouldn't let him.

Plus, auras also differ vampire's from one an other. The Pure Bloods have the brightest aura, but also with an edge of darkness that causes fear to most. Aristocrats lack the dark edge, but also a little of the brightness. Then there is this feel that you get with vampire's who are whacked and the ones who are not.

"Did you come here to entertain me so I won't bore to death or to check up on me?" I ask as I slump back against the wall. My insides were doing weird things again and I willed them to stop. It is really distracting.

"Kaname did ask me to check up on you, since you suddenly disappeared out of view, but I could do both." The amusement leaks into his dark voice now and to my surprise, he sits down next to me on the ground. Not too close, but not as far away as I'd expect. I could still touch him if I wanted to.

I sigh at his statement.

"Did Kaname think I'd screw up on my first day at work?"

"You're sitting on the ground. That shouldn't count as work." He replied, evading my question, which I filled in as a 'yes'. I sigh again, but this time inwards.