Chapter Four - Face Only A Mother Could Love
(re-vamped)

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, or its characters, or Zero's hot, sexy ass. Kaname's aristocrat, pureblood butt is also very far from my reach.
Let's not rub it in any further than it is and give me some peace. I don't want a lawsuit.

-X-

"See it appears me: you like the way I move...
Tell you what I'm goin' do..."

Kaname's nose twitched delicately as a sweet, wafting smell drifted past his nose. His eyes fluttered open gently, and he gingerly propped himself off his elbow, making his way gracefully to the kitchen, where quiet singing was heard.

"So you grab your girls, and you grab a couple more
And you'll all come meet me in the middle of the floor
See the air; it's thick, it's smelling right
So you pass to the left, and you sail to the right!"

His tracks halted and his calm expression darkened due to his gloomy mood. His eyes slithered to the clock, where it read 6:18. He muffled a grumble and watched as the redhead twisted her hips this way and that, whispering the lyrics to some song she had on her IPod.

"Don't be so quick to walk away
Dance with me...
I wanna rock yo' body this day
Dance with me~
You don't have to admit ya wanna play
Dance with me~
Just let me rock you ~ ah! To the brink of day!
Dance with me," she sang quietly. Kaname raised a brown brow to the provocative lyrics. Of course, Aya's dancing reflected the song's lyrics perfectly. Especially when it came to thrusting her hips out suggestively. She spun around, putting ingredients in a bowl and mixing them as she danced. She put the bowl down and opened the fridge door, licking some batter off her finger and humming a bit before breaking back into song.

"Talk to me, boy!
Hurry up~ Cause you're takin' too long!
Talk to me, boy~
Better have you naked by the end of this song— AH- OH MY GOD!"

Kaname watched in mild interest as Aya closed the fridge door and fell at the sight of him. He fought a smile back and readjusted his standing position with his elbow resting up along the doorframe, and his other arm on his waist. Aya gulped, scooting backward and standing back up, her face as a cherry. The blood rushing to her cheeks...

Kaname licked his dry morning lips and sighed. Aya pulled out her earphones and tried her best to calm her flustered self.

"Uhh... Sh-shouldn't you be sleeping?" she choked out, genuinely embarrassed. In defeat, he let out a faint smirk.

"I was. Until I was awakened by singing and the smell of cooking."

"... My bad," she groaned, cursing at herself for not being quieter.

"How long were you watching me?" she asked cautiously. Kaname mused his answer.

"...I believe it was when you told me to grab 'my girls' and meet you on the dance floor." His eyes never left her as she blushed an even darker shade of red and scrambled to put away the appliances. He eyed the blood pooling behind her cheeks thickly.

"It's fine, you may continue. I just wanted to check if there was anything wrong."

"...Sorry; for waking you up. I've never had a kitchen in my room before and... It started calling out to me..." she mumbled in humiliation, lowering her head as he side glanced her. She looked back up, and gulped at his smirk. He nodded, disappearing from the frame. Aya pursed her lips. Maybe if she caused enough of a disruption, he'd kick her out!

But... didn't that defeat the whole purpose of trying to cover her scent?

She rolled her eyes and grunted, shuffling to another song and singing quieter, wishing there was a door on the kitchen. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she noticed the empty bed. She walked out, pulling an earphone from one ear and stared at the prince sleeping soundly on a couch.

"... You could have used the bed," she muttered, going back to cooking. Little did she know that sleeping beauty was not at all sleeping and had heard her. He cracked open an eye at the sound of her voice, and listened as she began singing again. Kaname considered the thought of Aya worrying about him, before brushing it off entirely. He shifted onto his other side to sleep.

It was going to take some getting used to; waking up to singing and cooking every morning.

-X-

I thanked my lucky stars that Zero wasn't in any of my blocks that day. But when it came to after school, my heart was racing at quite possibly two hundred beats per minute.

It had taken a ton, and I do mean a ton of time trying to explain the whole thing to Yuuki, and even still, I was sure she was having mixed feelings about me. Did she feel betrayed, or disappointed? Hell, she was being extremely understanding about the entire thing, which just brought me to a whole level of paranoia...

Nothing prepared me for when Zero caught sight of me. The look of mixed emotions from horror, confusion, betrayal, and worry hit me square in the face when he sped up and stared me down, face to face. I gulped.

"Z-Zero, I can explain." I wasn't braced for the low growl he made in his throat and when he leaned down and cupped my face wit his large, rigid fingers. I blinked in confusion as I watched his pupil dilate and it seemed as if he were searching for something in my face. I looked around the premises awkwardly, avoiding his piercing eyes.

"...Do I have something on my face?"

"You-" he choked. My eyes widened: was he crying? He let out an exasperated sigh, almost a grunt and let go of me. I immediately grabbed onto the hem of his uniform and pulled him back, urging him to turn around.

"You idiot." I was taken back again, the fingers on his blazer at a standstill, unmoving. "I thought... I thought you... Why do you have that vermin's scent all over you?"

I jumped into action. "Zero, I need you to listen to me."

"Well, I'm listening," he spat. I pursed my lips, taking a step back. He was overreacting again, the jerk. But I held back my complaints and got on with the matter at hand. I guess with my mood ruined, and in a flustered state, I decided to give it to him straightforward.

"I'm rooming with Kaname Kuran," I said, and before he got a word in, I took his alarmed reaction as my cue to quickly step back in. "It was Kaien's idea, and as much you disapprove and hate the jerk's guts, you have to listen to me, Zero, because I know you all too well that you're just going to get all narrow minded about all this!"

My words failed at calming him down. I could completely see the outrage and the need to shout out in his face, and I wished I could take his hand and lead him to a fireplace and drink hot chocolate with him. Without him stomping away before we got there, that is.

"I don't know the details, but Kaien does, and he told me that my cover's starting to blow. Half of the Night Class has already begun to suspect what I am, and it's not going to stop there, because he said my scent is just going to get stronger." Yuuki slowly made her way over, listening to my explanation again, as if she hadn't heard it earlier. But with her there, it seemed to comfort me, and I tried my best to keep Zero at a standby.

"So Kaien asked Kaname if he would let me room with him, because he claims that a pureblood's scent is enough to hide my scent completely. He said that it's my only option if I don't want to die before I'm in my twenties, so I have to put up with it!" This was bad. It was beginning to sound like I didn't know what I was saying, and that I barely believed it myself. Which might have been the case.

"So you're going to the route of the problem to ask for help? That's a great idea," he snapped. His sarcasm slapped me across the face, and before I knew it, I was on another rant.

"You know, it's not like I want to be 10 meters within that guy either, Zero! I thought that of all people, you'd be able to believe me when I say that I don't like this alternative either. The least you can do for me is nod and smile and stop making me feel more distressed than I already am!" I shouted, voice cracking. Yuuki muttered my name, soothing my back with her gentle hands. A glare down ensued as Zero growled again, flashing a glimpse of his fangs. Without a word, he whipped around and began to stalk away. My temper got the better of me and lashed out at him, grabbing him by the arm.

-X-

"Zero!"

"Cut it out!" he snarled, and Aya dropped her jaw.

"Cut what out? Cut being what I am? Cut worrying about you? Cut trying to survive? God, Zero, I wish you'd stop being such a child about everything! If you were as understanding as you are stuck up, then maybe we'd be a lot closer!" her breath caught in her throat, but she still continued on. She hadn't noticed she was screaming. "If you think for a moment that I enjoy arguing with you, then maybe you should spend more time wondering about why I'm arguing with you in the first place! Why do you always have to provoke so much anger out of me?"

Aya huffed her chest out and tried her best to stand taller to match his height as he turned around and faced her. His eyes were narrowed, and his gaze was just as 'searching' as if was before. "You're impossible."

Her jaw dropped and she huffed, stomping away. "UGH!"

"Aya-chan! Ahh- Darnit," Yuuki sucked in her lip, clutching her fist to her heart. She looked up hopefully at Zero, who was seething just as furiously on the spot.

"Zero, calm down," she crooned, taking Zero's hands and looking up at his grimacing face. She looked up sadly at him, holding his hands under her chin, as if to warm them up. "You won't solve anything while you're angry. Cool down first, and then we'll figure something out, okay? I know you're upset..."

A shaky breath released from Zero and he nearly collapsed onto Yuuki, digging his head into the crook of her neck. She blushed momentarily, surprised by the sudden action and sighed, patting his back like a mother. "You remember what we talked about yesterday, don't you?"

She sighed. "If you continue like this, she'll never know how you feel."

-X-

"You guys..." Yuuki groaned. They had gotten through Prefect duty as smooth as possible, but it was entirely obvious that Aya was not in the mood, especially when she ignored Hanabusa's flirting attempts completely, giving him the cold shoulder. Zero, with the same attitude, glared harder at the girls. For Yuuki, she was stuck in between two dark, unforgiving auras, and she was sick of it. "We're supposed to be shopping for supplies! Can we put the past behind us, where's it's supposed to be?"

"Kaien's a constipated cow nipple for making us shop so much," Aya hissed, kicking a rock that happened to be on her side of the sidewalk. Zero just remained silent; eyes closed as he miraculously walked straight and avoided obstacles.

"We don't have so much today. These are mostly his personal needs, anyway," she said, taking the list out of her pocket. "Let's see..."

"I'll get the shredded pork from the butcher shop... Zero, you can get the office supplies-"

Aya caught on instantly. "But then-"

"—with Aya," she finished, smiling warmly, before ripping the list up and shoving it back in her pocket. Aya gawked at her, and Zero stiffened just a tad, glaring hot rays of death at the ground.

"I'll get the pork with you," Aya offered desperately.

Yuuki shook her head. "No! We need more people on office supplies. Why would we place two people for 2 pounds of pork?"

"Why the hell does Kaien even need pork? I'll get it, it's fine!"

"I'm getting the pork," Yuuki snapped, faking an angry pout at Aya for being difficult. Biting her lip in defeat, Aya grumbled, kicking another stone in aggravation.

"Well, I'm gonna turn left. You guys meet back here in forty, kay? Zero has your money!" she winked, disappearing behind a corner. Zero stood there awkwardly, not meeting eyes with Aya and proceeded to walk on. After a few moments of speculation, Aya followed, eyes down cast.

It was a silent, tense walk. Aya struggled just a tad with keeping up. She was tall, but still inches away from Zero, and his strides were long and quick. She didn't want to jog while he walked, either, because... that was miserably degrading.

Aya nearly swore loudly when she remembered there were three alternative ways to getting to the store for stationary. Basically, there were two long routes that took about 20 minutes to get to the store, and with the timeframe Yuuki gave, that wasn't enough time.

Which meant the 5 minute shortcut.

She gulped as Zero turned into the Alley. She hated that alley. It was the back of two stores and no one ever went through there for two reasons: one, it was filled with spiders, rats and other infestations.

And two, it was tiny.

She watched as Zero slipped through the crack with expertise and she stared at it for a while, determination running through her veins. She took a breath of fresh air and held it in, slipping into blackness. It was damp and smelly. With her amplified senses, it really did take a toll on her, nearly knocking her out one time because of the acrid scent. She let out a groan and a yelp when something slimy and hairy whizzed past her bare legs. Bad day to wear shorts.

Maybe it was the yelp that triggered it, but she felt a hand softly touch hers and pull her gently towards the exit. Taken by surprised, she let out her breath and didn't even notice the horrible smell because it was taken over by her savior in front of her.

"Thanks," she breathed, coming out from the alley. He didn't even look back at her at first, but when he finally glanced back at her, he stopped and stared at her for a minute, fighting back a grin and turning away to walk away again, letting go of her hand. Confused, Aya wiped her face with her finger and looked at it, dropping her jaw.

"CRAP! Is it all over my face!" He glanced momentarily back at the flustered red head and watched as she wiped her entire head, smearing it everywhere. He blinked, rolling his eyes and stopping, walking back.

The world came to a standstill when Zero reached out and used his rough fingers to rub the dirty and residue off of Aya's face. She winced when he rubbed too hard or too near her eyes, but otherwise she was too caught up staring at him in bewilderment and appreciation.

"Idiot," he stated bluntly. Aya, overcome with emotions, broke out into a silly grin and flashed her teeth.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you so much. I really am. And I'm sorry for calling you stuck up. Even though you are..." she mumbled the last part quietly, earning a frown from him. She chuckled. "Alright, alright! You're awesome, Zero, and I know you were just worrying about me. I'll try to control myself from now on, okay? It's just... sometimes, I take what you think so seriously."

This caught him off guard, and his eyebrows popped up barely. Clearing his throat, he shoved his hands into his pockets and turned around. "It's all off."

It took a moment for Aya to realize that he was talking about her face. "OH! Thanks."

She jogged up to catch up with him. "Wait, so am I forgiven? Zero? Zeroooo!"

Trying his best to keep his straight face on, he deepened his frown and looked away, giving Aya the wrong message. Sighing in defeat, Aya blew at her bangs in aggravation. But she shrugged it off, anyway. She had gotten that over with, and that was the main thing! Usually their arguments didn't last very long, but when a big one happened, and words were spoken too harshly, she liked to get them out of the way as soon as possible. At least there'd be less tension. He might still be mad at her, but she felt that it was better that Zero knew she wasn't mad at him anymore.

"Sorry."

She was a face of speechless, blissful bafflement. He apologized. Zero Kiryuu apologized.

"My god, Zero, did you forget to take your meds?" she teased, nudging him in the side. Despite her mocking words, it was evident: Aya was already giddy.

This is progress, she guffawed, earning off looks from bystanders. It's just one word, but it's progress!

"Stop laughing so hard, everyone's looking at you strange," Zero muttered, glaring at Aya for laughing at his apology. She was still an insensitive, unappreciative idiot.

She looked at him with gleaming eyes, shocking him. "Zero, at this rate, you'll be even more irresistible than spicy hot!"

"Makino."

"Oh, but seriously: hey, mind if I call you Bona fide Sex God of All (1) or something?" She blinked at his stern gaze. "What?"

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

"Calling you what? Bona Fide Sex God of All?" His face gave in and he reddened. Cursing at the betrayal of his circulatory system, he averted his face from her.

"Do you always have such sick thoughts?"

"Guilty!" she chirped, nearly making him facepalm.

"... You're a pervert."

"Guilty again!"

"Don't deny it."

"...But I'm not..." she wailed, chasing after him as he sped up and went into the store.

-X-

"They're late..." Yuuki sighed, looking left and right. She checked her watch and held her grocery bags in front of her knees with both hands. "I hope they didn't fight again. I thought it was a good idea to put them together..."

45 minutes. I'll stay longer. They couldn't have taken the long way, could they?

A few more minutes and Yuuki furrowed her brow. What's taking them so long? And... why are the streets so empty...

It was already getting dark and the streetlights flickered on. Yuuki gasped in surprised and breathed into her cold hands for warmth. She was only wearing a T-shirt with capris and she began wondering if she should have brought a sweater. A crash sounded from behind her. She yelped, jumping back and looking into the black space between the two stores. ...It was only a trashcan lid. It probably just happened to slide off...

Just to be safe, she put her groceries down onto a bench and placed a hand on Artemis, her vampire combatable rod. She braced herself, but nothing happened. She looked over in the distance and saw two figures arriving: Zero and Aya. She relaxed, taking a hand off Artemis and bent over to pick up her bags from the bench.

"YUUKI!" She looked up at the sound of Aya shrieking her name.

"RUN!"

-X-

Aya watched in horror as something beast-like climbed down from the roof and latched onto the wall, drooling as it stared wide eyed, hungrily at Yuuki. She had screamed for her to run, but all in vain as the creature took it as its cue and shot its body at Yuuki, missing her by a foot thanks to her reaction time and common sense to jump back. Zero and Aya were in a frantic sprint, arriving as soon as the thing jumped at Yuuki again, who had cleverly wacked its body away in the process of pulling Artemis out.

"Nice one!" Aya shouted, lunging at the hideous monster and nailing it the floor. She punched it hard in the jaw, kicking its face over and over again. Zero took out his gun, aiming it at the thing. Aya got off of it and he shot it three times. Breathing heavily, the three of them grouped together, staring at it unmoving on the ground, dead. Aya swallowed her saliva and panted more, squinting at the corpse, just lying there, rigid. Now that it was just lying there, she got a good look at it. It was truly ugly, that thing. It was about five feet tall, with two distinct arms and legs, almost like a human's. From top to bottom, it was a gross grayish-brown colour. Its eyes bulged out, a nasty puke orange shade, reminding Aya of hardened puss. It had an inserted nose and a wide-open mouth with razor sharp, yellow tooth. Its ears were pointy, like an elf, and overall, its whole body looked dehydrated and dried up. Aya noticed that it smelled of urine, too.

"...Is it dead?"

"It doesn't... seem like a Vampire," Zero muttered, walking closer.

"... But if it weren't an E Class, then... then.. your bullets..." Aya whispered, trailing off. Those bullets were designed to kill vampires. It was shot three times, and there were only holes in its calf leg and thigh. It wouldn't have died even if it were a human.

Suddenly, it moved. Robotically, but surely, it moved its fingers, then its limbs. Zero stood protectively in front of the girls with his gun out, and Aya didn't want to admit it, but she was frightened. Whatever that thing was, she hadn't seen it before. And the grimy, slushy sound it made as it moved grossed her out...

The three of them backed away as fast as they could, getting distance. Zero shot a few more times, aimed at the chest. A few meters away, they could see the bullets pop out of its skin and the wounds heal.

"That's... not good," Aya mumbled to Yuuki a few meters away, who held tightly onto her Artemis.

The attacker sprouted into action, jumping high into the air and sprouting wings. The trio knew exactly who it was after: Yuuki.

It plunged at the brunette, but not before Aya ran over and attempted to block the attack, getting punched hard in the face instead, toppling over and skidding on the ground. The thing immediately started going at Yuuki, who tried her best to use Artemis to block and hit the thing. Zero ran at the monster attacking Yuuki, since he was unable to get a good aim at it. He grabbed the thing by the neck and punched its head multiple times before throwing it on the ground. He looked at Yuuki, unconscious and Aya getting up, clutching her throbbing head. After she regained her balance, she took in the monster struggling to get up from the ground, wings twitching and head shaking violently.

"Take her and run," Zero commanded harshly, kicking and punching the thing as hard as he could.

"F*ck that, as if I can carry her," she replied, shaking the pain and rustiness off. She cracked her neck and knuckles, stretching. "You take her. I'll deal with this freak."

"Like you could. You don't even know what it is," he said, picking it up again and throwing it against the wall.

"I said take her."

Zero looked over at Aya, standing up confidently like she hadn't been pummeled in the head at all. Logic told him to take Yuuki and run for it before she lost too much oxygen or had a chest injury, but he couldn't bring himself to just leave her alone against a monster in the middle of the night.

"Zero! I can take him, so get your ass over there and help Yuuki!"

He cursed, finally stopping his ruthless attacks on the monster and hoisting Yuuki onto his back. "You—"

"Two hours. If I'm not back by then, send help," she growled, walking towards the monster. Zero pursed his lips and glared. Despite knowing her for so long, he'd never seen her take on something by herself. Could she really take it? She wasn't just putting up an act so she could be a hero, was she?

"Zero, I can do it! Run!" And that was the end of his excuse. He gripped Yuuki tighter and sprinted, desperate to hurry on back and save Aya's life if necessary. Which he predicted was surely the case.

Aya glanced over her shoulder and made sure Zero's back was turned on her. Looking back at the place the monster was, it was shaking, like a dog getting rid of fleas. She blinked, smirking. "Know what? I'll give you a name. I'll call you Billy."

'Billy' burst into life and flew up into the air again, flapping several times, as if sizing Aya up. She raised an unimpressed brow and grit her teeth, watching its every movement like a hawk. He flew around, as if taunting Aya for the fact she couldn't get it while he stayed up in the sky. He let out another shriek. She bent down, eyes not leaving the prey, as she felt around for a good-sized rock. She tossed it up and down, sizing the creature up with just as much taunt before launching the weapon full strength, hitting 'Billy' square in the head. She watched in amusement as he lost balance and fell to the ground, making high pitched wheezing sounds and crawling the ground the get away.

"Weak, aren't ya?" she sighed, feeling almost piteous.

Before 'Billy' could hoist itself off the ground and fly away a third time, she crashed her foot down onto His head and grinded it into the cement, and then putting her full weight on him by digging her heel into his back. She stepped off his head and positioned herself standing on his back, grabbing hold of the left wing and using both hands to grip onto them. With a strengthening cry, she ripped the entire thing off, causing 'Billy' to release an earsplitting cry from his mutated mouth. She put a foot down and crushed his head back onto the floor.

"Y'know, Billy, you could have avoided this, but noooo. You had to get all excited when you saw a pretty girl all alone, didn't you?" she muttered sarcastically, struggling to rip out his other wing with a cry, panting heavily. She disposed of them to the side, trying to catch her breath and kicked the body. The ugly thing wasn't screaming anymore, and instead let out something close to a whimper, which triggered sympathy in Aya's heart. Gulping she got off of it, kneeling down.

"I'm sorry, Billy. But if anything happens to Yuuki, I won't forgive you. Keep your hands to yourself in your next life," she finished squatting comfortably next to the head of the Billy. With a grunt, she grabbed hold of its head and twisted it sharply to side, breaking his neck entirely. Facing his own back, Aya let go and watched as corpse laid there in front of her, eyes bulging and ugliness at its full.

"A face only a mother could love," she said to herself. She reached out and with the last bit of bravery in her heart, she touched its flabby eyelid, closing the 'hardened-puss'-like eyes so it looked like it was sleeping. She stared at it for a while and looked around, noticing the infuriating buzzing sound the streetlights made.

"...Seriously, why is the street so empty?" she said to herself, feeling a bit crazy. "It's like someone set it up..." She shook her head, getting up and sniffed the air for anyone nearby. Not a soul.

"Well, Billy, it's my lucky day. I don't have to explain you to anyone," she joked one last time, staring at the poor thing lying dead on the cement. As soon as the words left her mouth, 'Billy' 'poof'ed into a pile of dust, allowing the wind to blow his ashes and body particles away. She blinked a few times, confused. She shrugged: less evidence to get rid of.

"Night, Billy." She turned around and headed towards the Academy, unaware of the two pairs of eyes stalking her every action.

-X-

"Not bad. Not bad at all. Brutal, ain't she?" Kai chuckled, squatting comfortably with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning forward. Rei was sitting casually on the top of the building, leaning back and looking at the sky, his navy blue hair swirling as a strong breeze flew by. Kai lifted up an arm to block his red bangs from getting in his face.

"Brutal? Yeah right. She f*cking gave the monster a name and got all friendly with it. They'd be best friends if it hadn't attacked her girl," Rei spat. "Well, she didn't even notice the two of us up here."

"Disappointed she didn't recognize your scent, bro?" Kai replied, glancing at his brother tauntingly. Rei glared back at him.

"Whatever."

Kai chuckled again. "I like her."

"You like everyone."

"Not true! I don't like that guy they were with."

"You like everyone; who has a pair of decent boobs."

"... Can't argue with that logic!" he admitted nonchalantly, making Rei smirk. "Sh*t, do man boobs count? Gross!"

Rei rolled his eyes at Kai's immaturity. "Come on, we gotta report to Hibiki."

"I bet he'll be pissed another one of his experiments got messed up."

"It was another failure, anyway. That girl was right about one thing: it was weak," he scoffed. "But not even a mother could love that face."

-X-

"My cheek~ Ow, ow, owww!" Aya howled, making Zero grimace harder. She was holding an ice pack to her face, and the nurse was in the process of applying antiseptic and bandages over her wounds, already done with Yuuki. Patting a bandage on tightly, she smiled and stepped out of the room, leaving the trio alone with the Chairman.

"Oh, my daughters, are you alright? Do you need a magical kiss from Papa—" Aya chucked her shoe at Kaien with a kick.

"Your two 'daughters' are in pain and would rather not hear you talk in annoying high pitched voices, Mister Chairman." Aya raised her brow in question and Kaien stood back up and straightened his tie like nothing had happened. Using his sleeve to wipe off Aya's shoe mark from his face, he cleared his throat and got back to being serious, a blush tinting his cheeks.

"Er... Well, that certainly wasn't expected. And I mean the attack, not Aya's shoe but-... Nevermind. For it to not be an E Class... what could it have been?" he said, straightening his clothing awkwardly.

"It was after me, but..." Yuuki began, lying in her bed with white sheets covering her. "I don't... know why."

"I thought it was just a vampire," Aya added. "They always go after Yuuki: you know, 'cause she's one tasty chick."

Yuuki glared at Aya for her choice of words, but she went on like she didn't notice. "But Zero's bullets had no impact on it. They freakin' popped out: like daisies! Freaky stuff, man."

"What else happened? Did you notice anything weird when you were fighting it?" Kaien asked, rubbing his chin intently. Aya noticed a bit of stubble growing. So he hadn't shaved in a few days.

"Uhh... other than the fact that it was really, really disgusting and ugly? ... It turned into dust. That's kinda it..." she said, looking up into a corner to recall on events. "I think it was just me, but I really connected with that thing..."

"...You connected with it?"

"Yes, Zero. Do you always feel the need to repeat what I say in ridicule?" Aya hissed in annoyance, a bit offended and embarrassed that her personal opinions were being judged so quickly.

"I think that's just you," Kaien inputted, and Aya crossed her arms over her chest haughtily. "Anyhow, I'll look into it. Let's do a few tests tomorrow to see if you're infected with anything. We don't know anything about the monster. We'll just pull you out of your classes for a few minutes..."

"I should have taken some of that dust back. But y'know, I didn't really want to touch that thing anymore," Aya breathed, recalling the last moments she had with the creature. "Oh, Billy, forgive me!"

"Billy?" Yuuki questioned accusingly. Aya laughed sheepishly, waving it off like it was nothing. "He told you his name?"

"No, I named him."

"..."

Zero scoffed. "That's so like you."

"WANT TO SAY SOMETHING TO MY FACE, YOU DISGRACE OF DELICIOUS MAN MEAT?"

"Aya," Yuuki sighed, shaking her head as she watched Zero stiffen and turn away. "You really have to work on your insults."

-X-

(1) You'll ALSO know this reference if you've read my Girls Got Game story. If you don't, well, you should. GO READ THAT BAD BOY.
(2) No, don't go look for it because there is no (2). The song is Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake. I own no rights. I've got this infatuation with Justin Timberlake, and I often sing his songs in my house while dancing some funky jig. Thank gosh for window blinds and ear plugs.

To make up for my months of hiatus, here's a quick next chapter! It's only 5000-6000 words, but this'll do, ne?

My muse has returned and I'm going to try and get farther with romance and character development this time. Wish me luck!

When I opened my inbox the day after I posted the last chapter, I had 40 e-mails for alerts, favorites, reviews, and stuff. You guys pamper me, you do.

And yet, I love it when you review, I do. Spoil me some more?