Rare (Vampire Knight)

Chapter 60

"Brooding and staring out at the window will not make you any happier, Kaname," Charlotte burst in Kaname's office in a singsong voice. Charlotte rose an eyebrow when she saw that Kaname was still in his school uniform and the sun was almost up. She would have questioned on what he was still doing up, but she quickly realised that that question could easily be turned back to her.

A soft smile came to his lips and he turned away from the window to look back at her, "I'm not brooding, Charlotte, I'm reminiscing."

She made a face, "Well, those lines on your forehead had me fooled. The use of 'reminiscing' makes it sound like pleasant memories... yet those forehead lines..." She tried to imitate the creases on her own forehead, but she frowned when she realised that she wouldn't be able to because she didn't have enough skin, nor enough skill like Kaname. "What are you 'reminiscing' about, anyway?"

He strode away from the window and to where she was standing by the door. "Simpler times, my little rarity. I'm reminiscing about simpler times."

She tilted her head to the side, "Like to last week before Rido started stirring?" She sauntered past him and to his desk, her dark blue eyes beginning to scan the chess board with pieces scattered around.

"To times before you were born."

"Oh, ouch. Are you saying that my being born complicated things?" She gave him a playful look before she worked to move some of the pieces around. She was humming to herself and chewing lightly on her bottom lip. "Rude."

Kaname chuckled, shaking his head, "Before your line even started, Charlie. Those times. Though they were riddled with slavery and wars, they were not cryptic nor were there waiting games. Everything was straightforward... but now..." He shook his head and came to stand on the other side of the desk.

"Charlotte, I have a question for you."

"And what would that be, Lord Asshole?" She hummed and looked up from the board and at him.

"The Hooded Woman, do you know anything of her? Anything that I should know?" His face suddenly became impassive and Charlotte guessed he was guarding himself from her.

Charlotte knew who The Hooded Woman was and who she was to Kaname─she had seen her in his memories. She knew what she meant to him and Charlotte's heart really went out to Kaname. Kaname had loved the woman dearly, would have done anything for her, and she had chosen to give her life for a greater cause and leaving him behind. However, Kaname had initially planned to be the one to aid those humans who wanted to kill the purebloods, but The Hooded Woman beat him to it.

"I only know what you have shown me. Why?" Charlotte asked, tilting her head to the side slightly, raising an eyebrow. Her hand hovered above a piece on the board as she and Kaname made eye contact for a few long seconds. "Is there something important that you're contemplating on telling me, oh great and powerful pureblood prince?" A smirk was playing at her lips again and she lifted the chess piece, twirling it in her fingers.

"The Hooded Woman, she who helped you originally find your place in this world..." She trailed off, looking away from Kaname and turning to look out the window that he had been before. Kaname was silent, watching as she manoeuvred the game piece between her fingers. "She loved humans dearly, for her parents were human. She despised those purebloods who believed the humans deserved to be nothing less than servants or food simply because they were weaker than them. She believed strongly in freedom and coexistence between us and the humans. She worked very hard to protect them, even going as far as to come up with a weapon that the humans could wield to kill those vampires who were evil. You and she came to the accurate conclusion that it was only purebloods who could kill other purebloods..."