Lady Vampire Knight (Vampire Knight Fanfiction)

Chapter 75: Anger, arrows and archery

"I think there are some people here," Mum pushed a gate open. "But it'll be fine. As long as you don't hit anyone, they can't throw you out or anything."

"But they hate vampires," I protested weakly. "I'm pretty sure if they saw me shooting, I'll be their target."

"I'm here remember," Mum dragged me outside. "If they try anything stupid, I can report them."

"What if they figure out I'm a Level D?"

"They won't."

"I guess."

"We can take the target at the end," Mum marched confidently down the strip of green to the right. "If it makes you feel any better."

"It doesn't," I mumbled, all too aware that every hunter in the range had stopped shooting, and were scrutinising me with suspicious eyes. My vampire-like presence stuck out like a beam of light. Even if I was still somewhat human, my vampire DNA would no doubt be much higher, and the hunters still thought I was a Level C. It's strange. I lived as a vampire for all these years, I thought I was a vampire.

Does that mean I can stay in the Day Class?

"Here's a bow," Mum handed me a curved wooden bow. I hadn't brought my silver one, since it would attract too much attention, and I could do perfectly fine with a normal one.

"The target's 75m away. Can you do that?"

"Yeah," I nodded. Yagari had trained me to shoot up to 150m. I just had to aim higher when it was further away anyway.

Drawing back the string, I stared at the brown and white target in the distance, once red and white, but faded from dust and age.

Releasing the string, my eyes couldn't keep up with the arrow as it streaked through the air, flying towards the target. With a thump that floated to my ears, the arrow embedded itself into the target, a little way to the right of it.

"I'm a bit rusty," I admitted. "It's been a while since I last practised." I could picture Yagari hollering to me about my shot. How I should have checked the wind before, and I should have been more careful.

"It was a good shot," Mum dismissed the fact that I missed the bullseye. "Try again." With a nod, I picked up another arrow, fitting it onto the string carefully.

Drawing back again, this time, I kept my sense alert for the wind. It was blowing slightly, only a small breeze that tickled the back of my neck occasionally, but a breeze nevertheless. Slowly, I aimed slightly towards the direction of the breeze. In this case, it was coming from my left, so I pivoted the bow slightly, to aim more to the left. 

I'm pretty sure I did everything I had to. I think. Well, I guess I can only wait and see. Releasing the string, I watched as the arrow flicked out through the air, headed towards the target. This time, it landed on the left again, but slightly closer to the bullseye. Slightly.

"Did you forget everything I taught you?" The voice made me jump, and turning around, I saw Yagari leaning against the wall behind me, arms folded. "A snail can go faster than the speed at which you fired that arrow."

I flushed slightly. I knew I had been taking a while, feeling for the wind and all, but really? Mum was nowhere in sight. She must have gone off somewhere. Why wasn't she there when I needed her the most? Now Yagari was going to chew my head off.

"Let's refresh your memory," Yagari picked up another bow. "Watch and remember." Nocking the arrow into the string, he set the bow upright, facing the target.

"A good archer should always have an idea about that wind," he said, his eye narrowing on the target. "Even you should have a feeling of which way the wind is coming from."