The day's events had worn her down. Yuki had moved back into the chairman's house for the break after much pushing, shoving, and blackmailing. Yori realized that Yuki needed time with her "family", even if that meant Yori being alone. Sighing, she gently placed the book she was reading on the nightstand and turned the light off, settling in for sleep. She only prayed that her memories would remain buried where they were.

It would not be such luck for her that evening. The blood, the pleading, the screams, the pain, everything came back to her in a flood that evening, leaving her breathless and alone. She had known he was coming for her, but her fear had rooted her to the spot, unable to fight back and all the while her mother remained "oblivious" to what was happening. No one was there to help her, or to make him stay away. For a long time he came to her every night, plaguing her in an ever-waking nightmare.

Yori sat up as sweat trickled down her temple, intermingling with the tears that ran unchecked down her cheeks, dropping from her chin onto the coverlet. She sucked in air in heaving gulps, trying to calm her heart. It wasn't until her heart had stopped racing so desperately when she noticed the shadow in the room. She opened her mouth to scream, but a firm hand shot out and pressed itself against her lips. Hanabusa's handsome face came out from behind the hand and stared at her.

"It's me," he whispered the obvious. Her eyes were wide with the shock and tears began again in earnest. It was too much for her, the day, the memories, the nightmare and now this. Hanabusa slowly removed his hand and used his thumb to wipe away the tears. "I came to tell you that, I would have killed him," he whispered honestly, intensely, never taking his eyes from hers. Her tears were drying now as quickly as they had started. Biting her lip, she looked away from his intense stare.

"I can take care of myself now. I've grown since then," she said bitterly. Hanabusa sat so close, it was making her nervous.

"Your cries when you sleep say otherwise. Is that the reason you wanted Yuki back at the chairman's home so badly? So you could suffer through this alone?" Yori stubbornly looked away. "I can take those memories away from you, you know. All you have to do is ask. Just put your trust in me," he said firmly. His heart was racing.

"I will not become your pawn or exchange my soul in return for such a thing," she said shakily. At first he was enraged and he felt his hands clench the sheets beneath him. He had presented a peace offering and she rejected it completely.

"As I said before, you are unable to be a pawn. You wouldn't allow yourself to become one," he said angrily, almost hurt by the truth of the matter. In all honesty, he wanted her to be his pawn; he wanted full control of her as he did the others, more her now than anyone else before. Yori glared straight back at him, not deterred by his anger in the least.

"No, I won't ask that of you. It is mine and mine alone to suffer."

"So you will truly live the rest of your life thinking that is what it feels like?" he said angrily, enraged not by her, but by her stepfather. "You will forever allow that experience to keep you from being loved?"

"What does a vampire know about love," she said mockingly as she laid her head back on the pillow, turning her body away, shutting him out. She was suddenly grabbed from behind and forced to face his shining blue eyes. Once again they were glowing in the dark.

"More than you will ever know," he said dangerously as he fell in upon her mouth. She squeaked in surprise as his tongue forced her mouth open, slanting his lips against hers as he tried to get her to respond. He wanted to hurt her, yet comfort her; give her pain, but yet make her smile. It was a constant contradiction for him and the confusing storm inside of him had been growing for months. His hands were firm, but gentle, easily removed. His fang elongated ever so slightly at the taste of blood, he had accidentally bitten her lip and it was bleeding now. His hunger grew as he suckled on the thick liquid. She had not moved, completely shocked by his antics. He was breathing quickly as he forced himself to pull away, licking his lower lip. He craved her blood. That simple taste was not enough for him. He moved to bolt from the scene of the crime, but her hand grasped his sleeve urgently. He stopped and looked at her with pained eyes.

"Don't go," she whispered. "Please." Hanabusa groaned and gently pulled her hand off of his sleeve.

"I can't do that. I… I will… I've already…" Yori gently reached out and took hold of his hand and placed it at the nape of her neck, pulling aside the material.

"It's all right. I'm fine with it," she said shakily. Hanabusa's eyes widened.

"Yori…"

"Just do it!" she cried loudly. If it meant she wouldn't have to be alone tonight, she would give whatever she could. Out of this entire academy, only he shared this horrifying secret with her. The bed creaked under the added weight as Hanabusa gently pulled her closer. He could still feel her trembling. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he forced himself to cover her neck once again. She looked at him questioningly.

"Aidou-senp…"

"At this rate it will hurt more than it is worth," he said gravely.

"You once told me though that it would actually be… all right… if…" He smiled slightly.

"You remember that do you?" She nodded, her hands clenched tightly on one another as she looked away at the wall on the other side of her bed, avoiding his searching look. What does it matter? It's not like it would be her first time after all. "You do realize what you are asking of me, right?" She nodded silently. "All right…"

Hanabusa leaned in once again to take her lips, only this time much more gently. His touch was feathery; afraid she'd shatter or worse, run away from him. Since when had she become such an obsession of his? Since the day he found out she was unable to be controlled? Or perhaps it was the moment he saw her diving into the lake. One way or another, this girl had intoxicated his senses and despite having fought against it all those weeks, it had finally taken hold of everything else that made him Aidou Hanabusa. He felt her shiver as his attention was focused on our mouth, his hands wandering all over her body. Perhaps her physical wounds had healed, but her emotional ones were still raw, he could sense it. Maybe in time they would heal completely, but for now, he would walk around them with caution and the utmost care.

Every movement and breath that was made from that moment on was done in a rapid succession of request and approval. Yori had to admit that he knew how to read her messages well. There wasn't any hesitation on his part, as if he knew what she sought. His fangs skimmed the surface of her skin, causing her to shiver from the intense electricity it left in its wake. The moment that he entered her, she cried out, not in pain however. Now was the opportunity he had built up for. He sank his teeth hungrily into her bared throat and she had not felt any pain at all, on the contrary. Her cries were all-encompassing as she grew closer to her climax. Hanabusa pushed into her over and over again all the while drinking only as much as he could risk. Finally he knew he had enough to stem the hunger and pulled away, concentrating fully on his own satisfaction and that of Yori's. His face twisted into a mask of pained pleasure as he finally released himself, emitting a body-shattering groan. Slowly, gently, he lowered himself on top of her, planting healing kisses on her neck all the while. She sighed in sleepy contentment as she slowly rubbed circles on his back. Their hearts were both racing as one. It was in those positions that they finally allowed sleep to overtake them.

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Yori felt the sun pouring in through the window and her first thought was cursing herself for not having done that the night before and it was at that very moment the flood of memories raced back into her mind's eye. She immediately sat straight up and looked around, seeing that she was alone. Was it a dream? The bird's voice floated in muted through the closed window. The sun's rays glinted momentarily off of something small in partly concealed by the coverlet. Yori bent forward and slowly reached for the small cufflink sitting oddly out of place on her bedspread. No, it wasn't. She slowly raised her head to look around her, and realized that if it weren't for the fact she had slept without the cover of her nightgown and the small jewelry left behind, she might have believed it was a dream. Heaving heavily, she fell back on her pillow with her hands raised above her head, examining the gold encrusted item, her mind completely blank. The only coherent words she could think were, "What now?"

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Hanabusa walked slowly through the gardens, despite the rays, he moved as though in water. His hands were sluggishly shoved into his pockets under slouched shoulders. He kicked a rock dazedly as he moved his way towards the Moon Dorms. The others would be asleep right now and that bore some kind of comfort. Thankfully few remained on campus, leaving fewer to question his whereabouts during their perusing hours. Though few would find it extraordinary, his absence that is. He was the campus playboy, and he was just as well known within the vampire realm as he was within the adoring eyes of the human girls. Perhaps no one had noticed after all and for once he was grateful that someone had not been watching his moves.

A twig snapped from behind as Kaname stepped out from underneath the shade of some trees. His face looked as stoic as usual, but this time it was slightly grim and Hanabusa had known him long enough to be able to tell the difference. He bent at the waist and bowed slightly.

"Kaname-sama," he said quietly, trying to force any tremors out of his voice. "What brings you out at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said just as quiet. Hanabusa grinned and scratched his head… something he did when he knew he had been caught.

"I found a lovely little lady that I just couldn't say no to," he said arrogantly. Kaname was not amused in the least. The dark man stepped forward and stood menacingly in front of the other.

"Whatever game you are playing, it stops, now," his voice was filled with steel, emotionless, but just as effective.

Hanabusa looked away, unable to take the heated stare from his superior. He felt his smile melt away and fading into something completely different. He couldn't seem to force a response.

"Is that clear?" Hanabusa mumbled a reply. "Louder," Kaname barked. The other stood tall and stiff instantly.

"Yes, Kaname-sama." To drive the point home, Kaname stared him down with his warning, drilling it further into Hanabusa's mind before stepping back and away. Instead of saying anything else, the elder turned back towards the dorms to return to the shelter of its dark confines. Hanabusa could feel his skin flaming from the sun even as he stood there staring after Kaname, eventually being driven into motion towards the dorms, only taking a moment to glance over his shoulder at the Sun Dorms. He mentally forced himself to shrug. It was fun while it lasted.