Disclaimer- Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino, not me (sob).

These quiet moments

Chapter 1- Rima

Expectations

"Between the wish and the thing lies waiting."

There is simply nothing that I can't stand more than those fickle minded girls that feature in trashy, mediocre romance novels. The type sold in drug stores with the same picture of the swooning damsel staring dead eyed at you from the front cover, slightly lopsided next to the bottles of aspirin.

They'll just go on and meet a guy, get swept of their feet and married before you can say 'Whirlwind'. Then they'll skip off into the technicolor sunset, without a second thought to the fact that all of this occurs roughly a month or so after first clapping eyes on the poor sod.

I really do despise them, truly, it's just I think that I'm starting to see the allure lately.

I shouldn't do, my situation's not a bit like that of those vacuous harpies. I think I have a pretty good idea of what is on the other side of my sunset. And why shouldn't I? I'veknown him pretty much my entire life, I know everything about him. It's not as if we'll suddenly discover after an extended length of time with one another that we actually drive each other crazy with those hidden habits and quirks which only become apparent after the dewy haze of sickly infatuation clears up and the serious 'relationship' gets underway.

Take that you impulsive shrews, they've all yet to discover that they'll want to do in their beloved with an axe after finding that they absentmindedly click their spoons on their teeth every morning or that prince charming sings the songs you hate while showering.

As fun as a tumultuous love affair may be, you can be sure that rather un-pleasant surprises await the short-sighted couples in the following months (assuming that they stick it out for that long).

And as many faults as I can see with their design, I have to hand it to them- at least they get the job done.

As for me and the boy who I've been in love with pretty much half my life, we've been making all the progress of chess match played between two dumb, blind, Aido-addled fangirls.

Now, I'm not the sort of girl people usually associate with this kind of impatience, those girls with the wedding dresses and monogrammed bathrobes at the ready. But all natural logic and my own straight forward nature tell me something ought to have happened by now. Anything.

A lot of people already assume we're together, and why wouldn't they? We're constant companions, every class seated next to each other, every break, meal, evening and holiday together and yet...

I'm conducting this inner rant while simultaneously pretending to show at least some sort of half-hearted interest in whatever class I happen to be in at the moment. History? Maths? I'm not really sure and I definitely can't be bothered to find out.

Simple things really, staring in the general vicinity of the teacher, flipping the pages of a text book every so often. It stops people talking to me as I try to organize the random and confusing mess circling my mind.

It's not as if anybody else is really paying any attention. As usual we are scattered in the far corner of the room, some seated on desks, others not even facing the front of the room. But it's not as if this teacher is ever going to enforce any form of discipline on us. One mostly insignificant vampire facing a room full of our society's best? I think most of our teachers must be content in this, its not as if they need to put any effort into what they do. Why the very one in front of me could be reading out from the menu of a highway diner he picked up off the street for all I know and care.

So with all things considered this really is the ideal time for me to fume in silence. Time in the 'privacy' of my dorm room is often spent with Ruka, who either wallows in her own love related misery or otherwise attempts to pry into mine to distract herself from said misery. Any other time is spent with, well him.

He's next to me right now of course, but he won't bother me. Not while I'm so hard at work. I hear him, absentmindedly munching on the candy I handed to him earlier. I know how he is sitting and what expression he has on without having to even look at him.

It's the last class of the night, meaning he'll be even more weary that usual, slouched forward on the desk, one hand underneath his chin and the other arm folded in front of him. Long, pale fingers are causing that slight, almost indistinguishable tapping sound I am hearing. He will not be hiding his fatigue. Earlier in the evening he might have leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head.

His expression. Well that doesn't change as time passes, not at all in fact. Lips forming a soft, but straight line, his eyes half lidded in seemingly constant disinterest. The grey irises appear lightless despite their pale hue.

I take a cursory glance around the room, everybody appears to be occupied. Directly in front of me is Ichijo chatting with incomprehensible swiftness and enthusiasm to a distracted Kain. The assistant dorm leader appears to be oblivious to the fact that Kain appears to be simultaneously trying to watch both Aido and Ruka, his self-imposed wards.

This appears to be a difficult task to manage as they are sitting some distance apart from each other. His eyes dart between them every few moments, alternating his watch over them. Well how much trouble does he expect them to get into in a maths class? (or history or modern languages or whatever). But you never know.

I decide to follow his gaze which has lingered on its subject far longer than previously before. He appears to be gazing at Ruka, who in turn has her eyes lingering in the direction of our pureblood leader.

Sidestepping that rather not-so-subtle triangle I wonder, is my situation in any way similar to theirs? Well not really. Both of the objects of their desire have such an air of the unattainable so how could they be anything like us? Not to sound cocky or even overly hopeful, but it's just a fact. It will happen one day and I can only hope that it is soon. I'm so very fed up of waiting.

I feel a slight tug on my sleeve but I ignore it, preferring instead to drift off into my, now calmer thoughts. But soon the slight pull turns into a set of long, elegant fingers closing around my arm shaking me from out of my own head.

"Class is over now, everyone else is leaving".

He stands above me with a curious expression. It's only slightly different from his normal look, perhaps others wouldn't even notice the change. I gather my things quickly as he stands aside, waiting for me.

We set of together outside as the light rain falls above us, invisible in the moonless sky. He takes my arm again, silently urging me to speed up while he holds one of his text books above my head, preventing the rain from reaching me. His own perpetually messy chestnut hair is becoming slowly saturated with water, turning it a darker brown. I raise one eyebrow up at him quizzically and he shrugs, giving my arm another pull.

To my pleasant surprise, I find this far more than bearable. Maybe I'm over stressing things with all of this concern over our progress. I could be rather content in this alone I think. For now at the very least.

.x

Author's note- Well that's one chapter down and an unspecified number left to go. Before it's said, and you can say it again if you want, it was pretty OOC, but I'll explain why. These little scenes'o mine are meant to explore the perhaps rather latent aspects of some characters in moments in which they are not quite themselves In Rima's case, a little bitterness and longing, just for a while. That, and the fact that some characters are a still a little less developed than others in the manga so I took a little creative license. Rima and Sieren especially (which is next by the way, well Seiren or Kaname I haven't decided which).

Tell me what you think and there is more to come, I get discouraged incredibly easily so feedback would be great.

Till next time, bye!