A/N: Ohayo! Yep, I'm back with another story, just 2 days after finishing Vacancy. ^^ I just couldn't resist teehee ... Anyways, this idea has been floating about my head for a while now, and since my last story was surprisingly well received, I thought I'd do another Shiki/Rima fic, but this time, I'm setting it in the vampire world. ^^ Please keep in mind that this is my first experience writing a non-AU fic so I might make some very dumb mistakes, but this is my interpretation of the story, and I hope you'll enjoy it with me! ^^ Also, I haven't watched VK anime or read the manga in a long time, so my interpretation may be kinda different from the real thing ... Anyways, please enjoy!

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Fear

Darkness was falling as the school bell rang, signalling the end of the day for the Day Class students and the beginning for the Night Class. The over-excited Day Class students made their usual show of rushing out of their classrooms and gathering outside the huge wooden gates that separated them from the Night Class dormitories.

Inside, a girl was sitting on the ledge of a huge window, holding the curtains to the side and peering out at the commotion outside. Her long copper bunches fell forwards as she leaned her forehead against the cool glass, trying to soothe the burning headache brought on by the high-pitched squealing voices of the girls below. It was times like these that she really, really hated having super-sensitive hearing. Despite attempts at sound-proofing the walls, vampire hearing was still many times more sensitive than human hearing, and the occupants of the room heard every voice as clearly as if the crowd was standing right beside them.

Although the bell had already rung, none of the room's occupants had moved from their positions, all waiting for the commotion outside to die down a bit before they made their journey towards the main school building for their lessons. Eventually, the dorm president rose, and the others gradually followed his lead, reluctantly pulling themselves from the safety and comfort of the main room.

Rima sighed as she hopped gracefully down from the window ledge, following the others.

"Ne … they're giving me such a headache …"

Most of the others murmured in agreement, except the two blond males, one of which simply smiled in amusement and the other started to make vain comments about how "his fan girls" were just excited to see their "Idol-sempai".

Rima rolled her eyes. She had heard it all before, and so had the others. The dorm president gave a small smile as he stood at the door, straightening his tie. Rima was the last person to make her way towards the door, so she was surprised to see that one of the couches was still occupied.

A boy with messy red-brown hair lay sprawled out on the couch, an arm thrown over his eyes to block out the light.

"Ne, Shiki, it's time for class … "

The others turned around at the door to observe the two still in the room. Rima had crouched down beside Shiki and was shaking his arm.

"You go first … I'm still tired …"

The others nodded and started to file out of the door, leaving the two in the large room. Shiki had just recently returned from visiting his sick mother, and they all knew that visiting her always took its toll on him. He was often tired and seemed rather distracted on his return. They all sympathised with their friend and were happy to let him get some space.

However, Rima wasn't that quick to give up. Having grown up with him, she often held more power over him compared to the others and he was more likely to listen to her.

"But Shiki … you shouldn't skip class again … is something wrong?"

His reaction surprised her.

"Leave me alone!" he growled out harshly, throwing her hand off of him.

Rima stumbled backwards, but not only from the force of the push. She sat on the floor in front of him, rooted to the spot in shock and fear. She had never been afraid of him before, not even of his pureblood powers and his ability to kill her with a flick of his finger if he so wished. He had always been very close to her and they were like brother and sister as they grew up, and now that they had matured significantly, she liked to think that there was something else blossoming in their relationship, something akin to love.

But she could find none of that in his menacing tone, or the way that his eyes flashed dangerously, as the arm that had been covering them hung limply at his side after having pushed her away. His eyes ... There was something very wrong with those eyes. Something about them wasn't quite right. Rima had always loved his eyes, a cool blue colour that helped to calm her. But right now, one of them was a dull, lifeless red, like dried blood.

"Shiki …" she whispered, not knowing what exactly she wanted to say. There was something wrong with his aura too; he didn't feel like the Shiki that she knew and loved.

He didn't reply and simply lay there, staring her down with those frightening eyes. Rima warily began to get back up, brushing the dust from her white uniform as he observed her with a predatory gleam in his eyes. Her heart was beating erratically in her chest. She slowly began to make her way towards the door, afraid to turn her back on those eyes that bore into her.

"I-I'll see you later then," she murmured, her voice unsteady. "I hope you feel better … "

She couldn't help but add the last words. As much as he was scaring her right now, a part of her refused to believe what her senses were telling her: that he wasn't Shiki.

As soon as she had shut the door, she sank down to the floor against the wall, breathing in short little gasps as she was paralysed with fear. The atmosphere inside the room was suffocating; it felt as though there was a physical force pressing on her windpipe, limiting her intake of air. She knew purebloods could do that kind of thing – manipulate their lower orders – but she had never seen Shiki use such a power, especially not with her.

As she sat there on the floor with her knees hugged to her chest and her head resting on top of her arms, she started shaking, and soon little sobs of fear and hurt escaped from within her. Back inside the room, the vampire heard the little muffled noises … and smiled grimly in satisfaction.

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Thanks for reading! This story is dedicated to all my lovely reviewers from my last story, your support means the world to me! I hope you'll enjoy this as much as Vacancy, if not more, and to any new readers, I hope you'll like this too! Please review and let me know what you think. Much love, Suki Yume. x