A/N:
I've had the idea for this story for a while…
So now, I'm going to take the plunge and post it! I couldn't get
Ichijou out of my head, so here's a romance for him!
Ichijou Takuma's POVIt has been three months since I killed my grandfather and destroyed what was left of the Vampire Council. Three months since Kaname and Yuuki left the Academy together, only to be forced into hiding for fear of Yuuki being targeted. Their names became taboo at the Academy, causing a dark shadow to cross the face of anyone they were mentioned to. But life went on; Day Class girls still crowed around the gates to wait for us (although many were heartbroken when they discovered Kaname's absence), classes went on, Zero still acted as the guardian (though he was solo now), and the routine went on.
However, it was summer and classes were out for a good two months. Most of the students went away from the Academy to visit family or friends and enjoy the majority of their summer elsewhere. The Night Class students, except for Aidou and Akatsuki, wouldn't see family or had none to speak of. Akatsuki and Aidou's cousin was transferring in to the Academy in order to see her favorite cousins, more often.
It was the third day of the summer break, with the sun shining mercilessly bright through my window in the dorm. I groaned and stretched out lazily, not really wanting to be awake. However, Aidou would murder any of the Night Class students who were not awake to greet his cousin early this morning.
Rising from the bed in a half awake state, I began to dress in the white Night Class uniform that I had ironed out the night before, making it absent of all wrinkles. My mind had no part in my movements, it was all done out of memory and habit. I ran a comb through my hair swiftly, not taking much time to mess with it because it fell naturally into place for the most part; the beauty of relatively short hair and of being male. I buttoned my shirt with one hand while attempting to brush my teeth with a toothbrush in my other hand. Next, I tied my shoelaces loosely and made for the door, smiling at myself in the mirror on my way out and glancing at Shiki, who appeared to be sleeping soundly.
I walked down the hall slowly, slowly beginning to wake up completely.
"Ichijou. Your collar," Shiki said nonchalantly as he also emerged from our dorm room looking just as sleepy as I felt. His face was a perfectly emotionless mask, as it always seemed to be. I examined my collar sleepily and realized that it was bent funny. Just as I was going to fix it, Shiki, face still emotionless, stepped in front of me and took hold of the collar, fixing it's position for me.
"Uh, thank you Shiki, I'm sorry if I woke you," I said, chuckling a little in a nervous embarrassment. Shiki just shrugged and began to walk away, headed for the grand staircase that lead to the dorm common room. I felt what could only be described as a faint blush tainting my pale cheeks. I raised a hand to my face, shocked by my reaction. Pushing the thought out of my mind, I also made my descent down the staircase.
"Good morning, dorm leader," Akatsuki said, sleepiness, or perhaps mere laziness coating his tone. He motioned for me to come sit near where he was, the cushioned couch positioned in the center of the common room. I sat near the spiky haired noble blood vampire and felt Shiki's gaze rest on the antique clock on the wall behind me. Rima stood close beside him, and Aidou not far from the two. Ruka stood on one side of the massive double doors that lead into the dorms, waiting for any sound that signaled our guest's arrival.
You could almost hear the time passing as we all stayed silent and motionless. Finally, I decided not to sit still any longer and went to retrieve a glass of water to dissolve blood tablets into. Soundlessly, I drank all but a small amount of the red liquid. As I lifted the glass to my lips a final time, intending to finish the glass, a hand grabbed mine and took the glass out of my hands. I looked up in slight irritation to find Shiki drinking the last of my synthetic blood mixture.
"Hey! I was going to drink that, Shiki!" I chastised the still expressionless red head standing in front of me.
"Ew, you know that's indirect kissing, right Shiki?" Aidou called out in his usual tone that could make the most common situation sound overly dramatic. Shiki stared at him blankly for a moment, while I rolled my eyes in exasperation.
Shiki appeared as though he was going to say something important when a soft knock was heard on the dorm doors. We all snapped to attention instantly and Ruka made a move to open the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aidou smooth his hair down.
The doors opened soundlessly, revealing a slender girl with a head full of auburn hair, rivaling the length of even Ruka's hair, down to her waist. It fell with small wavy curls and framed her pale face and brought out the color of her eyes; a vibrant and almost electric blue. Something in the back of my mind told me that I should recognize her, but at that moment, the reason escaped me.
"Welcome to the Night Class, I am Ichijou Takuma," I said politely, bowing as was expected of any dorm leader welcoming a guest or in this case, a new student. The girl nodded her head in acknowledgment.
"I'm Hikari, pleasure to meet you, Ichijou-senpai," She returned in a quiet voice. She scanned the room for a few moments before finding what she was looking for, Aidou.
"Aidou!" She said with excitement, her earlier quiet tone replaced with a livelier one. Aidou embraced her tenderly, his arms resting lightly on her mid back. He released her and smiled down at her in light amusement. The girl then hugged Akatsuki in a similar manner, although it was clear who her favorite cousin was. Hikari turned to face me again, smiling an overly charming smile that showed both her perfect teeth and her short fangs.
I recoiled a little at the intensely flirty nature of her smile, but found it within myself to smile back as politely as I had before.
"Ichijou –senpai? Could you perhaps show me to my room?" She asked sweetly.
"I'd be delighted to, Hikari-chan, but I'm sure that Aidou-kun would prefer to show you himself," I returned, looking to Aidou, who nodded in silent agreement.
"Isn't it the role of the dorm leader to escort new students to their dorms? I'm sure Aidou will understand, Ichijou-senpai," Hikari reasoned.
"Ah, uh, um…. Alright, I suppose that's true," I said scanning each face in the room for an excuse to get out of it. Desperate, I looked at Shiki; surely he would bail me out. But he, too, stared at me blankly. Although he didn't have any emotion on his face, I could almost read amusement in his eyes.
Acting as a gentleman should, I took her bags and gestured for her to follow me. Her room was located on the far end of the hallway, next to Rima and Ruka's. Until another student arrived, she would have the room to herself. When we arrived in front of the door, I set down her things carefully and began to walk away, when she grabbed my wrist.
Turning back in surprise, I was even more shocked to find her smirking at me, less than three inches from my face. Before I could as much as blink, her lips were on mine. My eyes must have been as wide as saucers as I pulled back as gently but swiftly as I could manage.
"Hikari-chan?" I questioned quietly, not entirely sure what was going on.
"Ichijou-senpai, won't you be my lover?" Hikari asked with what I assumed was confidence in her feminine voice. That was when I realized just where it was that I knew her from. My grandfather, before his death by my own hand, had arranged a marriage for me in order to ensure that the family name would carry on. Hikari Aidou was planned to be my wife…
Not entirely sure what to do, I pondered giving the girl a chance. Surely my grandfather had been warped as far as the vampire government was concerned, but I would like to think that he truly did care for my well-being, right?
"I accept," I said in a voice void of emotion. I would try. That was all. I would promise her nothing.
Hikari's face lit up happily and she grabbed my arm and began to drag me back down the hallway, towards the common room.
"Where are we going?" I asked her, confused.
"We have to tell the others, Takuma!" She said. I was a little shocked at how quickly she dropped the formalities that should have been applied to my name, but I decided to let it slide. She pulled me quickly to the railed ledge that was between the staircases surrounding the common room and called for everyone's attention. She elbowed me lightly and whispered, "Go on, tell them, Takuma,"
Staring blankly into each vampire's face, I monotonously said, "We've decided to become lovers,"
"I hope you'll cheer us on!" Hikari chimed beside me.
I saw a mix of emotions appear on the faces of my classmates and fellow vampires. Aidou gave me a warning look that said 'hurt her and you'll regret it'. Ruka's mouth hung open and Akatsuki who stood beside her looked impassive.
But the face that burned into my mind to deepest was Shiki's, which showed a look of disbelief and hurt, mixed with shock for two seconds before he could smooth it back into his normal composed and emotionless mask.
A/N:
So, what did you think? This is my first real attempt at Shouen Ai, so go easy on me.
Please review if you would, it's really encouraging. Anyway, I hope you'll stay tuned for the next chapter! Thanks for reading! -MicchiChan-