chapter 4 already...seriously, your REVIEWS AND COMMENTS are keeping me on the ball with this story - even thought I would like WAAAAAAAY more of them hint hint nudge nudge!
heads up: Hekeriki means thunder in japanese. I named him that because he was originally supposed to be Rima s cat and she can spark electricity, so it was like thunder and lightning...lol...bleck. bad attempt at a pun :c disclaimer: Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino. Kuro Touya, Kiko and Hekeriki belong to me. :3
3 Days Later; Monday at Twilight
Tonight was the first I'd stepped out of Shiki's house since my arrival.
The past 3 days had drug on and on. The panic attacks faded rapidly until they hit a complete halt - or at least I assumed they'd stopped. I'd only been awake for an hour or so today and nothing had overwhelmed me yet, so I suppose that was just an assumption. My fear of...well, Him, seemed to dissolve over time, as well, or at least, I started to forget about it. 'Very soon' hadn't yet come, and a glimmer of hope shone inside me that perhaps it never would.
Optimism, a first for me.
Shiki held my hand and guided me to the front doors. His mother followed us to the porch.
"Don't go too far, Senri. Remember, you need to water the plants before the solar eclipse or those annoying pixies will tear the shower curtain again!" She called pleasantly. Even in my predicament, I pitied Hita Shiki.
"Yes, Mother. We're not going far." Shiki purred, in an attempt to elongate her good mood. Hopefully now she wouldn't lock us out or anything.
Shiki led me around the house to the back fields of tall grass. The grass was long and dry, almost sharp to the touch, but Senri fixed that. He held out a finger to me.
"Would you care to?"
I lightly grabbed his hand and pricked the finger off my tooth. He smiled charmingly at my touch.
He swung the blood whip sharply, slicing the tall overgrowth and clearing a small circle to a normal height. I skipped to the opened space and lied down immediatly, flatening myself onto the cool earth.
"Mmm, it feels nice." I murmured.
"Strange, strange girl..." Shiki muttured with a chuckle. I tossed him a dirty glare.
"Meow." He mocked.
"Meow!" A real mew came from the tall grass. Then a slinky silver tabby cat appeared through the foliage.
"Hekeriki! I haven't seen you in, like, forever, buddy!" I sat up on my knees and scooped up Shiki's playful feline. I stroked his soft ears. "Do you remember me?"
"Meow." said the cat, nuzzling my chin. I patted him a few more times before sitting him back on the ground. Hekeriki swivled between Shiki's legs a few times before jumping back into the overbrush.
"Well that was fun for all of 5 seconds." Senri coughed dryly.
"I cannot understand how you could possibly hate that cat." I mumbled.
"Oh, he's friendly to you; sure. But as soon as no one s looking, BAM! He digs his claws into me and starts ripping at my leg or something!"
"That sweet pussy? Aw, come on."
"Whatever. I'm not picking him up and holding him close to my face, that's for sure."
"Oh, calm down." I reached out and caught his leg in my grasp, pulling at the bend in his knee. His leg buckled and he flopped down beside me.
"Nice trick." He muttered.
"You should try it for yourself sometime." I laid back, flat across the ground. "Whoa, Shiki, look how many stars there are tonight!"
He sighed and half laid down, propping himself up on one elbow to face me. "Ever tried counting them?"
I stayed laying, but turned my face to him. "Only that one time-"
"With me-"
"On my birthday-"
"Right here in this field-"
"A week after-"
"The beach. I see." He commented.
"...Does looking at the stars make you...think?" I ask.
"About...?"
"About everything. Life and death, maybe. Like, the things we think are so important now probably won t make a difference when we re dying and trying to look back on the happy things in our lives."
"Oh, yeah, I know what you mean now." He laid back down flat. "Mother always used to say, 'People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they'll always remember how you made them feel.' You know, in her...better days."
"How you made them feel..." I mumbled to myself. "Senri..."
"Mmm hmm?"
I bit my lip. "I know I shouldn't bring up memories on purpose;"
Shiki propped up on his elbow again, eyeing me curiously.
"But, when...he...was here, you told...him...we were friends, good friends, but still, friends."
"Rima..."
"No. I ve got to know...what you meant."
"Rima, I -"
A tiny, pixely ringing wafted from Shiki's pants pocket. He stuck hid hand in and pulled out a sleek red cellphone. He stared at the screen, apparently displaying the caller ID.
"What the heck...?" He muttured as he flipped open the phone. He didn't even get a chance to say Hello; by the look on his face I guessed the caller started spilling out conversation immediately; conversation that flew right over Shiki's head.
"Dude, slow down. You re not making any sense."
There was silence for about a minute.
"Well, what did you think was gonna happen? You can't punch a cactus and think you won't get stabbed in the hand."
I heard the soft buzzing of someone screaming on the other end. Shiki held the phone away from his ear momentarily. "Fine, we'll be right over. Just...I don't know, pretend you know karate or something until we get there -"
Momentary pause.
"Well of course Rima's with me! - Listen, do you want your ass saved or not?"
And again.
"Fine. Hold her off for 5 more minutes." He snapped the phone shut.
"Who, what, when, where, how, why?" I complained.
"Oh, the usual. Hanabusa was being a prick annoying Ruka, then he said something about her weight, or maybe her chest - I don't know, it was hard to understand him. He sounded like he was out of breath on the other line, I think he was running away from her or something. But I told him we'd try to rescue his dumb ass, so..."
"Can't Akatsuki do something about it? Everyone knows he's got it bad for Ruka."
"When does Kain ever do something? He's probably there right now, standing on the sidelines watching it all happen." Shiki stood wearily and brushed off the back of his pants. "C'mon, get up."
I stuck my tongue out at him and rolled over. He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me straight up in the air.
"What the - HEY!" I shouted. "I was being contrary! You can't just disturb stubbornness at work!"
"Get over it." He stood me on my own two feet. I promply tried to sit again, but he was expecting it. He caught me around the middle and flipped me up over his shoulder.
"Damn it! Put me down!"
He started to walk, carrying me like a damsel in distress. He reached the front door of his home quickly, opened it, and yelled inside.
"Mother, we're...going to visit friends. We'll be back soon."
"Alright, sugar-bean. Don't eat the wild berries! Oh - should I tell the perfume bottles you'll be back by 11?"
"Fine. And it's the fridge magnets, Mother. The perfume moved out, remember?"
"Of course, cheese-muffin. My memory sometimes - I must be getting old! Pretty soon I'll go crazy, too!"
"Perhaps, Mother." He shut the door.
"I question your sanity every time you speak to her." I muttered.
"In the politest way possible; shut it and hold on." He sneered.
Then we were off. Shiki could run faster than anything I knew with a motor. His sleek, toned body pushed him forwards at absolutely impeccable speeds, even with little old me draped over his shoulder. That didn't seem to bother him, either - he could carry 110 pounds of bones and pigtails on a bad day.
We reached the Aidou mansion in minutes, even thought it was miles away from Shiki's place. There were no cars in the drive way, but lights were turned on in the house, indicating to me that the parents were gone but the kiddies were still home - and killing each other, apparently.
Kain was sitting on the outside stairs, looking very bored.
"Rima's legs broken or something?" he noted.
"Yeah, um, Shiki...?" I poked him in the back.
"Oh." He gently set me down.
"Much better, thanks." I smiled.
Kain opened the front door and stepped away from the opening. "Good luck."
I was first to go through. The entrance hall was a mess, as the rest of the house probably was. Tables and chairs were overturned, water dripped from the wall where it looked like a vase had been thrown and smashed and a few banisters seemed to be missing from the stairs railing.
Immediately, I had to duck for cover as another vase hurtled through the room. Luckily, it landed on the floor beside me instead of on me.
"Guys - finally!" Aidou fell through the doorway where the vase had been chucked. "Somebody, please make sure she doesn't get in the cutlery drawer!"
"On it." Shiki noted, pushing past me and heading for another doorway - to the living room, I think.
"No, I'll do that." Kain, too, pushed through.
'God, Kain! I thought you were leaving your own cousin for dead in here!" Aidou moaned. "Just go guard the kitchen!"
Shiki and Kain switched directions as Senri ran throught the doorway Aidou'd just came from.
"Rima! You ve gotta help me hide!" Hanabusa's eyes pleaded at me.
"What? Where the heck are you gonna hide?"
"That's what I need help with!"
"I'm not helping you! You deserve what Ruka's throwing at you - literally! Plus, when have you ever done something for me?"
"I let you eat all my pocky that one time!"
"Oh, please. I would have done that anyways."
"Pleeeease! I'm too young and handsome to die!" He crawled to my feet, still on his knees.
"You're so pathetic."
"Not pathetic, desperate!" He grabbed my hands. "Help me!"
"Get off me, Hanabusa!"
"You were always my favorite!"
"And what the hell does that mean?"
"Have I ever told you that you're beautiful?"
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
"No, really! I love the way your hair shines in the moonlight and the rich, mocha brown of your eyes-"
"My eyes are blue, idiot!"
"Whatever! You're sooo pretty, Rima-chan, and I'll be your boyfriend and slave for life if you just HELP ME HIDE RIGHT NOW!"
"God, you're so aggravating!" I hissed. "FINE!"
" - Really? Oh, thank you, Rima-chan, thank you! I love you so much, Touya-chan!" Either out of excitment or to try and keep true the promise he made (the boyfriend part, which I really didn't want him to keep), Aidou put one of the hands he still held to his lips.
He..kissed...my...hand. Just...like...he...did...
A single tear ran down my cheek.
"Uh, Rima?...Are you okay?"
I tore my hands from his and ran out onto the veranda. I leaned over the railing, gasping to fill my lungs with fresh air. The tears really started to run, dripping off the edge of my chin and falling over the railing and into a flower bed below.
"Rima, what's wrong? Was it something I said?" Aidou followed my outside. "Rima -"
"Just stop it!" I exclaimed, spinning around, but still leaning on the railing with my back for support. "You are - are - SO CONCEITED! You have no clue about anything in my life - or even about me!
"Then tell me. Tell me all about you." He approached me with a swagger in his step.
Great, just what I need in a crisis.
"Get away from me." I cautioned him. "Hanabusa, I'm warning-"
"Aw, you can call me Aidou-kun now, Rima-chan, since I am your boyfriend."
"What?! No!" He crept closer. "I swear to God, if you even touch me - " I began, but he'd pulled out one of my hair ribbons and entwined his fingers in my hair.
I had no other choice. "TESQUETAI!" I yelled.
"What? No, shhh, Rima! This is a good thing -" Hanabusa idn't even get through all of his bull shit before Shiki stood behind him, angrily breathing down his neck.
"Move your hand or I'll cut it off."
SUPERSPECIALSUSPENFULENDINGTOCHPTER4!^^ p.s. tesquetai means 'help me' in japanese. A un autre temps, mes amis et lecteurs!