I don't own Vampire Knight. Started off as a lemon attempt, thought I'd best leave it though, in fear of writing something cringingly bad. I may write a lemon sequel should I get more adept at writing that sort of thing. Hope you enjoy. Please review.

[ShikixRima, Cross Academy HxC and Fluff.]

Toy with Me

-Of Crimson Bites and Kisses (series)

"So I was thinking," Rima mused aloud, legs swung leisurely over the arm of the art noveau sofa, lying back against the pile of fashion magazines behind her. "That maybe we could talk to Haruna about doing something really edgy!" she swiftly tore a page out of the glossy magazine she was reading, balled it up and threw it at Shiki.

Shiki was perched on the opposing lounger. His eyes bore blankly past Rima, obviously pre-occupied. Anyone would have taken him to be troubled, the way looked at this moment, but Rima knew, this was just how Shiki relaxed. Or not as the case may be. His shoulders, so wound up and introverted you could almost see the knots poking through his white school blazer. His chest so still, it looked like he wasn't breathing at all and you could feel the tension radiating from his neck. His neck.

He didn't so much as flinch when the balled up magazine page bounced off his head.

"Hey, Shiki!" Rima flung some words in his general direction, trying to deter him from his intense daze.

Shiki didn't move. Not one inch.

Rima swung her legs around, balled her fists and leaned forward, all in one smooth movement, "Baka! Snap out for once, I want to talk to you about something!" she moaned, tediously.

Shiki did not budge. But his mouth opened, slowly, like a gaping fish, "If your idea of edgy is another you plus weekend plus Aidou's camera and me half-naked," he paused to let the boom of his voice echo around the room, "count me out." He separated each word, never taking his eyes off wherever he was pointing them.

"Aaahh! …Cool it. Please, if you remember that was probably the best weekend so far this year." She protested, giggling at the memory, imagining Aidou's face when he checked the playback.

Shiki's eyes finally moved, he looked down into his lap and frowned, "It's early in the year." He mumbled, almost inaudibly.

"Hah! You loved it." Rima snickered, dumping the magazine she was holding onto the sparkling ebony wood floor. Rhythmically swinging her legs back over the sofa arm, she reached back behind her head, sloppily and tore through several uninteresting magazines, annoyed.

"Bah! You need a drink, Shiki. I don't know why you zone out so often now…" She trailed off, snapping her body up and heading for the mini-bar in the corner with a packet of blood tablets.

Shiki hadn't taken his eyes off his lap. He slumped forward with his head in his hands, he didn't think he could hold for much longer, her flouncing around like this. He didn't know when it clicked, it just did. And now any time they spent alone together, in the lounge or otherwise, was plagued but recurring urges of a third kind, alien to him. Oh God. Maybe a drink would do him good, or maybe it would just remind him of what he longed for most and was convinced he couldn't have.

"I don't want one." He replied, flatly from behind his hands.

"And I don't care, I just want you to snap out of this thing you've got going on and talk photo-shoots with me." Rima chuckled, she was only joking, she wanted him to resurface anyway, just so she would know he was okay. He's Okay. He always did this lately. Or is he? I don't know…

Rima pulled two flutes from under the mini-bar and filled them with water. She tossed in a couple of tablets and bent down to watch them dissolve. One of the tablets slowly descended to the bottom of the glass and fizzed rapidly straight away. The other dropped through the liquid immediately, Odd; it didn't fizz at all, just sat there. Rima took a glass rod and shook the tablet around the glass a little. It worked; it fizzed and disappeared just like the other glass. Hmmmmmm. "Application of theory" suddenly sprung to Rima's mind.

She crossed the floor and cautiously sat beside Shiki. Her arm brushed his.

"Here." She smiled even though he wasn't looking. She gingerly took one of his hands wrapped it around the flute.

Shiki began to refuse, politely, "I'm fine thank you, I don't…" Rima cut him off, playfully back-slapping his shoulder.

"Just drink it! Please? You'll feel better." Rima waned in a concerned tone. She really needed to get to the bottom of this.

Shiki did as he was told, seductively wiping his lips afterward. He didn't realize what he did to her. Rima kept herself under control. She never let herself slip. Never let it show. She was his friend and nothing more. It wasn't that kind of a relationship. They were colleagues, school-mates, surrogate siblings. She knew it couldn't be that way. Or could it? No, no stop it! She screwed up her eyes, trying to forget, hoping he wouldn't look up just at that moment.

"Urrr…Touya, why did you screw your face up like that?" Shiki's lips cracked into a slight smile.

"So you're back from outer space? I think that was a smile I saw there…" Rima giggled, hastily covering her tracks.

Shiki's slight smile dropped back into line. He mumbled, "No it wasn't." and dropped his eyes to his lap again.

"It was." Rima persisted, taking a sip from her glass and setting it on the adjacent coffee table. She narrowed her eyes cheekily and pursed her lips, in an effort to make him say…

"What?!" Shiki droned, open mouthed.

"Nothing," Rima smiled, her kind eyes searching his. But then adopted a solemn expression, "It's just, I wondered if you wanted to talk about…well…what's been up with you lately?"

"Nothing," Shiki's eyes tore away from hers to his glass, he sipped, he wiped, slowly. "Only, I know you wouldn't want to know."

Rima reached out to his chin, and gently turned his head to face her again, "Shiki, if anyone wants to know what's been up with you, it's me. I'm worried about you."

"Touya, look, don't be. I'm fine, it's probably just me not feeding properly, system's playing up." He defended, setting his glass next to Rima's and pushing her hand away. He felt what he always did when he touched her hand, but he never let it show. It couldn't be that way.

"Shiki, I know you better." She simply stated, hoping she might see a glimmer of light in his eyes, no such luck. "And I'm Rima?" she laughed, lightly punching his arm.

Shiki flinched and grabbed his arm "Ow, yes, ow, I know." He laughed along with her.

"And he's back!" Rima grabbed their glasses from the coffee table, insisting they should toast.

Shiki stood abruptly, gazing past the copper-coloured walls into an unknown far beyond the both of them, "Back from where?" he questioned, blandly, almost harshly, not even looking her way.

"Shiki! You always have to ruin everything." Rima whispered. She laughed and smiled, masking her concern for his behavior. She locked herself to his icy eyes, he wasn't returning her glance, but she couldn't stop. His eyes, his small pale lips, the smooth skin of his bare throat. All her fantasies-run-wild sprung to mind when she looked. Of stroking his hair, touching her lips to his and caressing the naked skin of his throat. Baka! Stop it, you can't DO this, you can't THINK this…

She stood and swept towards him. Rima placed her hands gently on his shoulders, as he still stared past the wall. The graceful moonlight was weakening; dawn was seeping in over the windowsill. Shiki noticed this, tensed his shoulders and tried to shift away from Rima's hands.

"Shiki.." Rima whispered as he slowly made for the door. His fingers touched the handle, "Stay," she pleaded.

"Tou-Rima," He started, but did not turn around, just stopped dead, "I can't." His shoulders looked as if they were carrying the world; his neck was bent forwards in frustration.

"Why not?" Rima whispered into the dark, "Why can't you stay?" She went through every possibility, every motive, Why can't he stay? We still have a couple of hours…

A flash of anger, "Because!" he snapped his head sideways to catch a glimpse of her, "I just can't okay? Please drop it."

Tears started to well up in Rima's eyes, but she held her breath and did not let them fall. "Shiki, why are you acting like this? You're being stubborn; please just tell me what's wrong?"

Shiki's nostrils flared. He was about to shout but then…he couldn't; he felt something else. Something strange but familiar. A kind of fire, flickering at first, but that spark had been fanned into a flame that would near enough destroy him if he couldn't hold himself together. His body turned around, though his mind willed him not to, he started towards Rima.

"Shiki…" A single tear escaped Rima's eye and flew down her face leaving a sparkling trail in its wake, "Shiki stop, you're scaring me."

Shiki, tried to force himself from his gait, to stop, turn around and leave. He couldn't, the fire inside him drove him forward, with every step he could feel it, he could smell it, he could taste it. He flinched in pain, it was driving him insane. The want, the need, he couldn't hold it in. He couldn't control himself. It burned so much, the pain was intolerable. He continued to shuffle towards her.

"Agh," Shiki's face contorted as he gasped, he wanted it so much, "…Rima," his upper body held stiff, his own arms trying to hold himself back, clenched at his sides, a silver droplet fell from his face, "…Rima…I-I…I can't stop."

Rima flew at him. She ran, closing the space between them and throwing her arms around Shiki, she slammed her body into his. She pulled his shoulder under her chin and watched her silent tears trail onto his back. "It's okay Shiki, it's okay. What can't you stop?" She felt her shoulders shaking, Shiki was sobbing harshly into her shoulder.

Shiki couldn't stop it. It was like he was on autopilot, he hadn't fed properly in days, he hadn't taken his tablets…the ache was too much…"Rima…you shouldn't have done…unuhh," He submitted to the beast within him and sunk his fangs into Rima's neck.

Rima's mind exploded. Everything around her turned to dust. Everything she saw or heard or felt, except for Shiki's teeth embedded in her throat, was null. Her eyes were pasted open in shock, fear and utter disbelief. It isn't happening, it's just a dream… And just as she began to float into the grey world of denial, a jagged wave of burning pain ripped through her waking eyes. Shiki, it hurts… She gripped his shoulders, holding on for the moment when the pain would subside. She thought it would never come; an eternity seemed to pass before the burning was doused. And when it was, it was paradise. Electricity ran wild through her veins, initiating her consciousness and igniting her heart. She jolted at this instantaneous feeling of pleasure and she heard Shiki wince. "It's okay, Shiki. It's alright." She soothed him, caressing his neck and hair, encouraging him.

Shiki couldn't hold back. He had let himself be reduced to this. To feeding from childhood friend. He could not bear to continue, but neither could he bear to stop. A furious ripple of desire cascaded down on him. He couldn't stop, no matter how much he fought. He pulled her small hips into his and craned his tensed neck further into her bare throat. His sin battled his conscience in a magnitude of internal conflict. This isn't happening, I can't be hurting the one person I…No…don't…stop…stop it…Stop! Damn it Senri, STOP IT! NOW! Now Goddammit! You're killing her… His throat began to gag as his mouth pushed itself from Rima's skin. He pulled up to look at her, blood still smeared across his jaw, and over his lips. Her eyes, dark, dead, cold, they bore into his endlessly. Why?

A breath escaped Rima's lungs, "Shiki…" she whispered, before losing her balance and toppling into the hurt-stricken vampire. He caught her before she moved two inches and lifted her into his chest, clutching at the small, shaking form he had drained, her arms hung limp below her.

"Rima!" he cried, "Rima, please say something!" He had run dry of tears for the evening, but he had tears enough to cry for this. He pressed her to his form. Careful not to crush her weakened body, but holding her so close as if he could transfer his strength back to her. "Rima, if you don't say something now…I'm begging you, I don't know what I'll…"

Rima's dark, dead eyes once again caught the watery dawn from the window, and flickered into motion. Shiki stopped, mid-sentence, aching to hear her voice. He held her pale, blood-stained cheek as she moved her lips to say something. Shiki held his breath in anticipation.

"Shiki…" she breathed, slowly expanding her form and wrapping her trembling arms around his neck. "It's okay." She gave a weak smile, her eyes saying everything she needed them to, "It's really okay, I'm fine." Rima leant her head into his soft torso, breathing in the scent of his earthy aroma, and blood.

Shiki's eyes lit with relief, he tenderly kissed her forehead as he made for the nearby sofa. He sat down carefully, Rima still in his arms.

"You do not look okay." Shiki waned, sternly. But then his face melted into compassion, "Rima I'm so sorry, I don't know how I could have, but I did, and I'll forever be ashamed for doing this to you." Fresh tears seeped from his wavering eyes.

"Shiki!" Rima began, loosening herself from his tight hold and gazing into his eyes. "It's fine, I'm fine, we're fine."

"It sure as hell is not fine!" Shiki retorted. "Look at you; you can't even…stand up."

She stood. Rima pried herself from his arms and stood before him. Then, leaning forward, her face not centimeters from his, she whispered directly, "It is. You will not hold this against yourself, do you hear? It's what you are, it cannot be changed. You will not let this damage you. Everything is okay."

Shiki smiled, for the first time that night, he genuinely, truly smiled. Nothing was the same, but everything was okay. His sparkling eyes regarded the exquisite face before his nose. His eyes lingered on every strand of fringe, every freckle, each smooth expanse of alabaster and rose skin. Not at all pretty, but stunningly beautiful.

Rima narrowed her eyes into his. She saw right past his icy orbs, straight into his soul. And she had the feeling that he was doing just the same. Which he was. Staring infinitely into each other's eyes… something somewhere in the fabric of time and space, clicked, and the eyes were shut. As each head closed an equal gap, and his reddened lips met hers.

Dawn broke over the horizon as Shiki tilted his lips into Rima's. He could feel the electricity surging though her and into him, via their kiss. No matter how much he craved her blood, he knew he would crave this more, forever. Her kiss was like silver spark of storm, he never knew he'd been alive until he'd felt this. However much it accounted in gentle velvet waters, it equaled in unsubduable fire. Her tepid, delicate lips responded feverishly to his as he ceaselessly brushed his bottom lip into hers.

Rima's senses flew beyond all space. The very edge of his kiss held her still with triumphant awe. She could feel his heartbeat through his blood smeared lips, pulsing with unanticipated weight and speed. She could hear her own heartbeat, thundering through her entire body. She struggled to hold her desire in check as his graceful, satin lips slipped across hers. It was ecstasy.

Shiki tentatively reached out to Rima's arms and dotingly looped them around his neck, in turn placing his hands at her hips and gently pulling her to sit in his lap. He tried to steer her sideways to lift her onto his legs, but instead, Rima put one knee on the sofa, and climbed to straddle him. Shiki snickered through the kiss and Rima could feel his smile against her own.

Shiki broke away for a second, "Rima," he teased in a cheeky tone, "I never knew you were so…"

Rima sneakily cut him off, "Shut up." She whispered sweetly.

Shiki reached up to the back of Rima's neck, and pulled her in, to kiss him again. Rima ardently held his face in her hands as she pried past his lips and claimed his mouth with hers. Shiki chuckled softly at the sudden invasion and began to fight back. He playfully pushed himself forward and leant down over Rima, letting her fall backwards. Rima's squeal muffled through the kiss as he caught her back and pulled them both back up again. She gripped Shiki's shoulders and ripped herself away.

"NEVER do that again." She barked, trying desperately not to smile, but crashing into a weighty laugh.

Shiki joined in her laughing chain. Pulled from all else he was thinking of, a mischievous streak overcame him; he pulled Rima close to his chest. "Oh what? This?" he taunted and tipped her backwards.

Rima wasn't giving over without a fight. If she was going down, Shiki was coming down with her. As she giggled in sheer joy, she caught hold of Shiki's shirt collar, and they both tumbled from the sofa into a giddy heap of laughter on the wooden floor. Shiki rolled to protect Rima from the fall, but she clambered off him and cheekily poked his nose, a wide grin on her face.

"I'm not made of glass, you know." Rima snickered, leaning in to kiss him.

Shiki received the kiss with a smile, it promptly dropped, but his eyes still held their glint. "I've hurt you too much for all eternity," he whispered, "I want never for you to be in danger again…maybe I should leave." He pulled his knees up to rise, but Rima held him, fast.

She snaked her arms around his shoulders and spoke against his cheek, "You will never hurt me, we've been through this, I am fine." Rima pulled back and her eyes pulsed into his, "I've never felt safer than when I'm with you, never leave me." Her amorous eyes glinted as she spoke.

"If that if what you wish, I'll never leave you." Shiki's mouth turned up into a weak smile as Rima covered his lips with her own and held fast to the back of his neck. Shiki felt Rima exhale and try to grin as he pushed past her fervent, soft lips to caress her tongue. He heightened their gentle kiss as he drew Rima into him, encompassing her and leaning slowly backwards until his head touched the floor with a soft thud. Rima responded excitably, encircling Shiki's face with her lithe arms and parting his legs her thigh. She felt his soft snigger against her lips.

"What?" Rima demanded, teasingly. Raising her eyebrows, she attempted to convey a sense of 'I don't know what you're talking about,' or maybe even innocence. But try as she might, she already anticipated Shiki would react this way to her dalliance. Surprised.

"Nothing." Shiki chuckled, captivated by her alluring eyes. He'd never experienced this Rima. The Rima he always knew was an innocent, virtuous little butterfly. And now all this sensual, enticing behavior? It suited her; he liked it, a lot. Though it did cause him further fall from keeping his desire in check.

Several moments spent, eyes gazing, hearts sprinting…and a bright morning sun was streaming in through the window.

Shiki broke his glance towards the yellow dawn, "Do you think…we ought to be in bed?" he locked his eyes back on Rima's as the corners of her mouth turned up into a cheeky smile.

"Nah!" Rima scoffed, "Give a few more hours, my eyes aren't burning yet." She lay her head back onto Shiki's chest, he breathing in sync with his.

Shiki brushed Rima's fringe from her eyes, "Do you really want to take that risk?" he said in a comical, mock-serious voice. Rima laughed through her nose, softly. "I think maybe we should…" he took a relatively deep breath, and sat up on his elbows, Rima sliding down to his stomach. "…should…relocate?"

Returning his mock-posh voice, "Relocate?" Rima pushed herself up to face him, "Floor getting too uncomfortable for you?"

"A little." Shiki laughed, before wheeling around on his knees, he back turned to Rima.

Rima cocked her head, confused, "Shiki what the hell?"

"Jump." Shiki turned his head back around and grinned at her, the innocence his smile held as a child shining through.

Rima grinned in return and bestrode his back, "Shiki you're such a kid, we haven't done this since decades."

"Exactly," Shiki craned his head and winked at her, "High time we did it again."

Shiki rose from the floor and wobbled out from between the sofa and the coffee table. He crossed the drawing room floor with a giggling Rima latched to his back. She yanked Shiki's hair quickly and shifted her hands from his shoulders to cover his eyes.

"Hey! Rima! What the hell?" Shiki spluttered, jokingly as he slowed his step, not wanted to collide with a wall. Rima just continued to laugh at his misfortune (orchestrated by her). Shiki wouldn't let this stand. His hands, incidentally, were holding her bare thighs, which he promptly began to tickle.

Upon standing before the door to Shiki's usually shared bedroom, he finally set Rima down.

Shiki cleared his throat, "Do you want to…come in?" he looked into her eyes hopefully.

Rima reached for his hand, hung trembling at his side, she placed a feather-light kiss on his knuckles and her eyes smiled at him. "I'd love to." Rima winked playfully and tiptoed to kiss his neck. She felt Shiki shiver with pleasure, obviously a point to note. She ducked under his arm as he opened the door. She subtly noticed the other bed, thankfully empty.

"Takuma?" Rima questioned, doe-eyed.

Shiki slid door closed without turning away, "He's level E hunting today; shouldn't be back for a couple of hours."

Rima backed up against the bed-side end table, "Convenient." She half-whispered, a sultry tone in her voice.

Shiki removed his shoes and slid them under his standing closet. He noticed Rima standing there, like a still doll, exquisitely beautiful, but somewhat awkward. "You're allowed to crumple the line of the bed sheets, Takuma's not here." He joked.

"Oh…" Rima smiled stiffly and gracefully dropped onto the exceedingly large double futon, of which there was only one, in the stark white minimalist boudoir. She wondered where Takuma slept. The crisp sheets felt comforting against her skin.

Shiki broke the semi-silence, pulling the drapes closed over the sun saturated windows. A warm-grey lightness spread over the room. It was soothing.

"Rima, I know a lot's come out tonight, and not necessarily through spoken word, " he paused to gauge her reaction, she smiled earnestly, encouraging him to continue, "and I just wanted you to know, that if you think you might…feel about me…the way I feel about you.." he was silenced.

Rima, enchanted by the blushing stuttering redhead confessing to her, leapt from the bed, threw her arms around him and kissed the satin lips of his she longed for.

"I do," she began, "if you were about to say, what I thought you were about to say…then yes. You bet I do." She placed an affectionate kiss on his nose.

Shiki beamed. "And what did you think I was about to say?"

Rima broke her eyes away, thinking, "Something along the lines of…" she snapped her eyes back when Shiki spoke.

"I love you." Shiki's eyes grew wide. He could not believe what he'd just let slip. He'd planned this moment a million times in his head. He'd imagined her reaction as much also. He could only pray it wouldn't damage what they had.

Rima's eyes matched Shiki's. She knew she wasn't dreaming now, she felt him, here in her arms. She knew the time had come. "I love you too."

Shiki pulled her trembling face into his and smothered her torrid lips, breaking through and meeting her almost immediately. Now he was shaking also. It was incredible, something he'd only ever dreamt of had happened. His head whited out, he knew he would never get enough. He knew he would always long for her, long for what was now his. He loved more than both the stars and the sky.

Rima couldn't stop. She had thirsted for him for so long and now she had him. For decades she had suppressed her amorous affections; for the boy in her arms at that very moment. It was so surreal. She knew she could never want anything more, nor find anything else in life that would fulfill her ardent desire. She loved him, more than she loved pocky and more than her very essence to love.

Post Script

Note- I used the word "muffled" as a verb, not an adverb in this story. I know this is quite unorthodox and seldom done. Sorry if I confused anyone. =) And I apologize profusely for any horrible spelling or grammatical errors, my basic communication skills suck.

So tell me if you'd like to see a sequel. Tell me if you WANT to write the sequel = D Thank you SO much to anyone who reviews, it is very much appreciated. I apologize for any blatant OOC-ness guys. Thanks for KiNoMoTo18 for pointing that out :D

Love PixieDust x