Full Sumary: When Irene found out her two friends were leaving her to go to Japan for a scholarship as Foreign Exchange Students, she was devastated. Not long after, however, she found out that she was being given one of the same kind for the most ridiculous of reasons. Unsure as to what the Chairman was thinking when he gave her that, or if he ever thought at all, she found herself being dragged along as the loyal friend she was. However, when she and Skylar get separated from Eliza due to her being a Night Class student, things start to get a bit hectic.

It gets even worse when they actually start interacting with the mysterious students, a simple mishap caused by a gust of wind knocking all the papers out of her hands. Accidents always happen, some good some bad, and as her friend constantly argues with the silver-haired prefect Irene is still trying to figure out if coming to Cross Academy was a mistake or not.

Classes went by without a hitch, though I was still trying to figure out why the Headmaster let us go so easily. I ended up thinking about how I was attacked, how I let Aidou go, how Skylar had that gun, and... what they said about Aidou having attacked other students before. Even if I did let Upperclassman Ichijou report him, it's probably one of those "Oh, but it would ruin his scholarship" kind of things and he wouldn't get into trouble at all. I heard cases like that on the news all the time; my dad told me about them constantly.

And with how much the other girls hated me for talking to Upperclassman Ichijou, I doubt they'd even listen to me if I did try to warn them about Aidou. I groaned and buried my face into my hands, eyes stinging as I thought about how scary last night was. I've never been attacked, nevertheless touched, like that in my life and I-I couldn't even fight him off. Not really.

Still leaning over I grabbed at my hands, running my thumb across my knuckles. That punch had really hurt... I doubted I did much to harm him as I did to me when I hit him, but even though he had been attacking me I still felt like a bad person for hitting him. I sat up and groaned, ruffling my hair, and was more than grateful that Skylar was currently asleep. I'm pretty sure she was still irritable with my actions from yesterday.

Isn't it bad to still feel guilt even though you were just defending yourself from your attacker? Why does my brain work this way? Why must I feel horrible for things that I do to people when they just wish to harm me? This is so stupid...

I don't even know why Kaien let us go-I had been panicking and freaking out, terrified of getting yelled at and in trouble, and due to how fast the events in the forest happened I hadn't had time to process them until after we were thrown into the Headmaster's office. It all just caught up with me a-and... and before I realized it the tears were falling. I felt so violated-I still feel violated.

It didn't matter how much I rubbed or scrubbed or scratched, I could still feel him. I could still feel Aidou gripping my arm and running his tongue across my neck. My eyes burned at the memory and I pulled at my hair, lowering my head. A felt a twinge of gratitude at that moment, as since Skylar was up so late last night she was currently asleep. Nobody else in the classroom cared about me, so no one would bother me.

But I also felt like that was a horrible thing, as I would give anything for a good distraction right now. I had taken a shower once we got back to the dorm and this morning, scrubbing until the skin was red and raw, but still... Damn it. God damn it. The hold I had on my hair tightened and I reached up underneath my glasses with my other, pressing my fingers against my burning eyes.

I couldn't even sleep last night; I kept freaking out thinking Aidou was climbing in through the window or something and try to finish what he had started. I prayed Ichijou and that one guy... Shiki, was it?... kept quiet and didn't mention anything to Eliza. If I talked about what happened I would probably start bawling; I'm already crying just thinking about it. My chest constricted, making it hard to breathe, and my nose was running so bad I had to keep sniffling. I could feel some people glance this way, probably curious as to what was wrong but not caring enough to find out.

I took a deep, shaky breath and sat up, pulling my glasses off and rubbing at my face with the sleeve of my uniform blazer. I'm okay. I'm okay. He's not here. H-He won't... He won't do anything. Ichijou will keep him at bay, right? He's the Vice Dorm Head-he even wanted to report him to that-that Kaname guy.

Kaname... that sounds familiar. Wait, isn't that the guy who looked a bit like Yuuki? The tall one with the dark hair and garnet eyes?

I didn't dwell on it much. I just watched the clock with lifeless eyes and waited for the bell to ring. I was too upset to draw; every time I attempt to draw whenever I'm upset it just looks wrong and never comes out good. I didn't follow the crowd after class-I just woke up Skylar, told her to go help Yuuki and Zero, and made my way to the Day Dorms with head held low.

It was Saturday, so despite it being the weekend we had classes, but because it was the weekend the classes ended early. We were also allowed to the leave campus and into town, but only if we had a friend with us. I didn't care about that however and just went to take another shower, scrubbing my neck until it bled, and got dressed into some casual clothes before burrowing underneath the covers in my bed until I fell asleep, plugging my earbuds into my ears with my music from phone in order to distract me from bad thoughts.

I woke up to Skylar shaking me, demanding in a lighthearted tone that I go into town with her to check out some candy shop she heard some students talk about. I groaned and rolled onto my back, whining about her stealing my blankets and taking my earbuds. I opened eyes and stared at her groggily, the girl dressed in normal clothes as well.

I almost snorted at her choice, finding it quite fitting. Skylar did love food after all. She had gotten dressed into a purple, off-the-shoulder shirt that had the image of a taco on it, the words "Current Mood" written underneath. Attached two the shirt were two black straps on each side, holding it up on her shoulders, and she wore a pair of white leggings with black combat boots.

"You need to come with me!" She said, still shaking me. "It'll be fun! We never got to go out like this before! Please~?"

"Do I have to...?" I just wanted to stay in bed. I didn't even have the strength to get up.

Ice blue eyes flashed in my mind and I froze, fear rushing through my face and paranoia washing over me. No! I sat up quickly, breathing a bit faster than normal, and looked at Skylar with an almost pleading look.

"I'm coming!" Please don't leave me alone. I-I can't-No. No. I'm fine. I'm fine. Aidou can't get me. He's Night Class, so... after class he's probably sleeping. Actually, wait, what time is it?

I rubbed at my eyes, squinting as I was no longer wearing my glasses, and looked at the clock on the nightstand between our beds. We had changed stuff up after we moved in, the room being quite huge but rather empty, so we put the beds closer together and put the nightstand between them. On the opposite wall was the dresser, which was located near the closet that Skylar used for her clothes and stuff.

Blinking, my eyes widened at what the clock said. It was already eight. The Night Classes were probably going to end in about an hour or so due to the Saturday Schedule. N-No... I'm not staying here. I reached over and plucked my glasses off the nightstand and put them on, stumbling out of bed and clumsily making my way over to the bathroom.

Skylar waited patiently for me to brush my hair to the left and spray it, leaving my undercut there for all to see, before pulling on some socks and lumbering about like an oaf in an attempt to pull on the boots I had brought with me.

I reached out and grabbed onto her sleeve with my thumb and forefinger, a bit like a small child would their mother, and followed her off campus and into town. After a long walk of silence, my thoughts wandering to less than pleasant places, I had to ask-

"Since when did you go hunting?" She didn't seem like the type to like to go and kill adorable small animals. Skylar remained silent for a while, thinking about her answer.

"...My father used to take me when I was little." Oh. How do I respond to that? She never told me much about her father, except that he had died when she was younger.

I was never good at approaching subjects like these; someone in class would bring up how their parent or sibling had died, and I would just go silent. It's not like I could say "I'm sorry"-I've never lost a family member I personally knew. I didn't really know grief or loss unless it was over a pet, and with how badly I cried during those I knew I would probably break if I lost someone important to me. I try to think of something to say, something that would make them feel better, but I just didn't know what.

"So... think they have chocolate?" Skylar randomly brought up, changing the subject. I was confused for a moment, brain temporarily failing to realize she was talking about the candy shop we were looking for.

...

"The hell?" Eliza could smell it. From the moment he walked into the classroom to the moment he sat down a few rows in front of her. Even now he was covered in it. She remembered last night-she had smelled Irene's blood nearby. She didn't know why it had seemed so close to the Dorms, Irene isn't a rulebreaker, but when she was leaving the Dorms this evening to head to class she could smell Irene on Aidou. Skylar was also a little more than just obvious about the glares she was shooting at him. And Ichijou... why does he keep refusing to look at her?

No... Did Aidou do something to Irene!?

Suddenly she remembered what Ichijou had told her when they first met. How Aidou had been one of the many Vampires to have been fed Human blood in the past.

Disregarding all manners of the Japanese culture Eliza yanked Ichijou's sleeve, frowning deeply as she narrowed her eyes. The blond had almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden action, pencil shooting across the paper and leaving a line. He looked at her almost nervously. "Y-Yes, Riza-Chan? What is it?" Releasing him now that she had his attention she asked,

"What happened last night?" She knows something went on. If Aidou did anything...

"What do you mean, Riza-Chan?" He gave a small closed-eye smile, trying to play it off, but Eliza already knew. He was being so obvious it was almost painful. Eliza just looked at him, unimpressed by his horrible attempt at lying. "Is something the matter?" He grew more nervous when she didn't speak, her blue eyes just boring into what felt like his very soul. He shifted uncomfortably. "R-Riza-Chan?"

"What did Aidou do?"

The blue-eyed blond stiffened from his seat below them, hair sticking up on the back of his neck. He shot a nervous glance towards them before hurriedly scribbling in his notebook, ripping out a sheet of paper and balling it up, and throwing it in their direction. It bounced off Eliza and Ichijou's desk, rolling onto the floor. They stared at it. Aidou huffed and repeated his action. Kain raised his head from his spot against the wall and raised an eyebrow down at him. Souen, the pale brunette from before, looked at him like he was an idiot.

Aidou was about to repeat the action a third time, the second wad of paper haven fallen on the floor, but Kuran Kaname spoke up, not ever lifting his gaze up from his book. "It would be appreciated if you didn't litter in the classroom, Aidou..." The blond let out a small, terrified squeak before sinking into his desk, trying to bury his nose into his book as he let out a frightened,

"Y-Yes, Lord Kaname! M-My apologies."

Ichijou, seeing the scene, sighed and put down his pencil. Though reluctant, he spoke quietly and muttered, "I'll tell you after class."

...

"Skylar?" I spoke aloud, looking around frantically in an attempt to find my friend. Where did she go? She had been right next to me a second ago... "Skylar!?" I called out louder, pausing only when I saw some passerbys look at me strangely. I tensed, stomach twisting uncomfortably at the thought that something could have happened.

We had been walking, a good half hour having passed since our conversation about her dad, and I had zoned out only for a moment... but when I let go and tuned back into the real world she was gone. Just... gone. Not even dust was left in her wake.

N-No... She wasn't grabbed, was she!? Skylar wasn't kidnapped, right? She... She just walked off? Where did she go!? No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! "S-Skylar!?" Do I stay put, do I go look for her; what do I do!? What if she comes back and I'm not here? What if she was kidnapped and the longer I stay here fussing about it the farther away they get unless I go after them? WHAT DO I DO!?

B-Breathe. Breathe. I-It's okay. It's okay. J-Just... Just...

So many eyes. So many eyes are looking at me right now. I-I can't... I'm scared. Skylar, I'm scared. Where are you? I-If she was grabbed... th-then...

Aidou's face flashed through my mind and I flinched, stepping back and almost crashing into someone who walked by. I stammered out an apology, heart hammering loudly inside of my chest.

...

"What did you do!?" Eliza growled, glaring up at the blond who flinched. He tried to hide behind Ichijou, but the tall man just leaned to the side, blinking innocently. Even he knew better than to get on the bad side of an angry female, and being how Eliza was on the verge of being his friend... he really didn't want to make her mad. "Who the hell said you could go and attack her!? Isn't that against the rules of the Academy!?" She looked at Ichijou for confirmation, who nodded.

Aidou just huffed and turned his head away, a bead of sweat trailing down the side of his face. "I was hungry... and annoyed."

"Annoyed with what!?" Eliza was this close to hitting him in the face. "Irene is not someone you can go up and bite whenever you please! Her blood is off limits and if you ever try anything again-no! No, fuck that, if you even eye her wrongly then so help me I will rip out those canines you call fangs and-" Aidou grew paler and paler, and Eliza's threats became darker and darker-not stopping until a slightly unnerved Ichijou moved over and clamped a hand over her mouth, trying to get her to stop.

"I-I think that's enough of that, Riza-Chan. I can assure you, I have thoroughly lectured Aidou on this subject."

"Why didn't you report him!?"

"Ah, that is-"

"The stupid human asked him not to." Eliza and Ichijou both paused when Aidou spoke up, the blond refusing to look at either of them. His expression resembled that of a pouting child who had been scolded for stealing a cookie. Eliza raised an eyebrow at him. "She didn't see my eyes glow, she didn't see my fangs; she hit me twice, claimed I was trying to... to..." He brought a hand up to his face, his expression twisting into a disturbed look as he flusteredly cried out, "To do that to her a-and she went and told Ichijou to let me go!" He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated and confused. "I don't understand Humans!"

Eliza was stunned. Aidou had tried to bite her and Irene... hit him? Not once but twice? W-Was this really Irene they were talking about? She's a pacifist! "Why didn't you just report him anyway?" She looked at Ichijou, ignoring Aidou who promptly glared at her for her comment.

"Why the hell do you have such a problem with-"

"Because Irene-Chan is kind," Ichijou answered, smiling softly. Eliza blinked, only to recall all the times she had lectured Irene for holding doors open for crowds of people who'd never do the same for her. They'd stand there for five minutes arguing before Irene reluctantly agreed to go in before her and stop holding the door. "I want to respect her wishes, even if I don't exactly agree with them."

"Hey, Vice Dorm Head, Foreigner..." Aidou grumbled, looking up at him with a sour expression. "Why are you two talking like you want me in trouble? I'm still in the room." Ichijou's smile was just blinding at this point, only causing Aidou to grow more annoyed. "Stop ignoring me, damn it! Ichijou-!" Ichijou dropped his smile, frowning at Aidou as he continued to shout at him, and slumped his shoulders.

Seeing a specific person out of the corner of his eye Ichijou brightened and then lunged, releasing Eliza and tackling the person he saw as he cried out, "Wah~! Kaname, Kaname; R-Riza-Chan and I were just talking, but Aidou's being so mean to us~! I'm just respecting someone's wishes and he's getting so mad at me about it; I don't know what to do!"

Eliza watched in shock as the almighty Pureblood reached a hand up and placed it on the blond's head, petting his hair, and just looked at Aidou. He just looked at him, and Aidou looked ready to cry. "L-Lord Kaname," He choked out, "I... I..."

"Aidou..." The aristocrat squeaked and stood up straight, shivers running down his spine.

"Y-Yes, Lord Kaname?"

"Apologize to Takuma."

It was as if an arrow had struck Aidou in the chest. Ichijou pouted, hugging Kaname tighter, and sniffled as the tears stung the corners of his eyes. Aidou wanted nothing more than to turn the bubbly, non-Vampire-like blond into an icecube, but Kaname's words had Aidou bowing to Ichijou and forcing out a reluctant, "M-My sincerest apologies, Vice Dorm Head. Please forgive me."

"..." Ichijou stared at him, resting his chin on Kaname's shoulder, not really believing his apology to be sincere, before he sighed and partially pulled away from his friend. "Fine~ But only because I know how hard it was for you to say that. Oh! Kaname! That's right, I almost forgot-" Arms loosely around his waist Ichijou looked at Kaname with a smile. "I promised Shiki I'd go out into town after he got off work. Will you be alright by yourself, Kaname?"

"I'm not completely helpless, Takuma," He said quietly, eyes almost amused. "I can go one night without you."

"Wonderful!" He pulled away completely and waved at Aidou and Eliza, who were just stunned at the whole scene. "Well, I'll see you two tomorrow! Goodnight!" Ichijou bid them goodbye, heading out of the building to go the Moon Dorms to get changed. Meanwhile, Eliza cast Aidou another glare and he huffed, crossing his arms and returning the look.

"What's with you?"

It didn't take long for Ichijou to go out into town and find Shiki; he was actually quite easy to find and it helped that his scent was one he easily recognized. Shiki had a nice scent-it wasn't overpowering like most, nor too terribly sweet. It was almost a timid smell-soft and welcoming, and calm like that of chamomile tea.

"Shiki~ How was work?"

"...Fine..."

"Is everything okay? You look down."

"...I'm hungry." He almost didn't answer, but seeing Ichijou's concerned gaze the redhead lowered his gaze and reluctantly answered. "I gave the rest of my pocky to Rima..."

"Eh? Hm... Oh! I know!" Ichijou beamed, "Some girls from the Day Class told me about this new cafe that opened up a few days ago and that the food is really good; perhaps we should go try it out?" They were just walking around town, no real goal in sight as of yet except some casual window shopping. "Their tea is supposed to be exceptional, not to mention the pastries. I've been meaning to try it out for a while now."

A familiar floral scent Ichijou's nose, sweet yet mild, and quite pleasant to the senses. It gave off an air of kindness, it being so warm and friendly. It was like a soothing cup of lavender tea on a stressful day. Yet, for some reason, the normally peaceful scent was accompanied by the rich rush of panic and fear.

That scent... He stopped walking, confusing Shiki, and Ichijou turned his head in the direction the smell was coming from. Eyes widening, Ichijou looked on in surprise at the petite brunette that was looking around frightfully, hands curled up to her chest and arms pressed to her sides as if she were scared of bumping into anyone. She wore a gray sweater dress, sleeves long enough to cover her fingers, and black leggings. Her brown eyes were filled with tears, her face puffy and red from crying.

...

"Irene-Chan~!" A familiar voice called cheerfully. I stopped walking, freezing in place at the sound. Slowly, almost as if I were in a trance, I turned my head. Across the street, dressed in a pink button-up with a tan vest on top, decorated with pink and blue diamonds, finished with a pair of white pants was Ichijou Takuma. He waved excitedly, green eyes bright. Some people eyed him strangely, but he didn't seem to care.

Beside him was the... the guy who "tried" to defend me. To convince A-Aidou to... to stop...

I choked on the lump forming in my throat, squeezing my burning eyes shut tightly as I recalled that awful memory. I-I'm okay. I'm okay. I felt a wave of relief wash over me though, seeing Ichijou over there. He was always a nice presence, and without any of the fangirls around I didn't have to fear being mauled. I started to step forward, ready to walk over, but hesitated and looked around tentatively. W-Was it okay to talk to them? A-After what happened a-and with how much I've been avoiding Ichijou...

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, pulling me into a chest and pressing my face into a shoulder. Warmth hit me so randomly I found myself unable to breathe and unable to react, only having enough control to look up at Ichijou with wide eyes when he pulled away, hands on my shoulders. The new contact had me in shock.

"It's so good to see you outside of school!" Ichijou exclaimed with a smile. He then frowned, but before I could open my mouth or even think of speaking he knit his eyebrows together and tilted his head, asking, "What's wrong? Ah-where's Rosemary-San? Aren't you two always together?"

I debated answering, slowly regain control of my body, and ended up choking on any and all words that tried to form. Ichijou grew more worried by the second, concern clouding his eyes like the light of day. Any attempt I made at trying to remain calm shattered completely, tears welling up in my eyes uncontrollably and falling, strangled hiccups forcing their way out as my body began to tremble.

He looked startled for a moment, but soon a serious look blossomed on his face and his eyes softened. "Irene-Chan... what's wrong? Please, speak up. I can't help you if I don't know what's troubling you..."

My eyes burned so bad-it was like someone had poured acid on them. No matter how tightly I squeezed them shut or rubbed at them, foolishly trying to wipe away the unstoppable tears like a child, they just would not stop burning. The sob bubbled up in the back of my throat, my chest constricting and aching so painfully one would have thought I'd taken a knife to my heart. "S-Sky-Sky-" I hiccuped, almost knocking my glasses off my face as I tried to stop the tears with my hands, "Skylar's gone!" I wailed.

He blinked, green eyes wide. "Eh? What do you mean "gone"? She was with you?" He was leaning down so he was closer to my height-my pitiful five foot two.

"W-We-We w-were trying to find a-a store a-and she just vanished!" I forced out, choking on the words. "I-I can't-I can't f-find her anywhere a-and I-I don't-" Oh god. Oh god. No, no, no, no, no. She's okay. She's okay. Sh-She has to be... "W-What if s-something happened to her!?"

Ichijou pushed my hands away, instead using his own to grab at my face and force me to look at him. He thinks I'm stupid, doesn't he? That I'm an idiot for thinking something bad happened. He's probably ridiculing me right now, b-but-! "Irene-Chan, open your eyes. Look at me." Horrible thoughts of all kinds running through my head I reluctantly did as told, hiccuping and sniffling painfully as my eyes met his. My breathing hitched. "We'll find her," He promised, a warm smile on his face. "Rosemary-San is a clever, strong girl. I doubt anything has happened to her. In all honesty, I'm more worried about you."

Wh-What?

My eyes closed from reflex as his cool fingers brushed against my cheek, wiping at the burning tears falling down my face. He explained, "After what happened... aren't you scared to be alone? You're always getting hurt, Irene-Chan." A-After what... Aidou. Horror even worse than before struck, my fear for her wellbeing growing and growing like a parasite. My heart raced so fast I almost thought it was going to stop. "Irene-Chan?"

We need to find her. Now. O-Or else... Or else she'll...

I tried to run, but Ichijou shot out an arm and stopped me, the limb catching and wrapping around my stomach and pulling me back. I gasped, temporarily winded, before trying to push myself out of his hold. "L-Let go!" I need to find her! I need to find her now! B-Before... Before Aidou o-or... or someone else...

"You're not thinking rationally!" I froze, his words hitting me at full force. No matter how frantic I ever became, I always managed to retain some small amount of self-control. This moment was proof of that, as it was what caused me to stop in my struggling and stare into nothing, listening to the blond as he spoke instead of searching desperately for my best friend. "Running around blindly will do you no good, Irene-Chan. You have to remain calm in situations like these, otherwise you'll get yourself into danger. Then you wouldn't be helping anyone, right?"

...I hated to admit it, but Ichijou had a point. Running around like crazy wouldn't help me find Skylar. With my luck I'd probably just get lost and we'd end up being locked out of the Academy. Slowly, I stood up, fingers gripping onto the sleeve covering Ichijou's arm. I sniffled, deep in thought, before exhaling as I forced myself to relax. I looked up at Ichijou for a moment, the male staring down worriedly at me, before I lowered my head.

"I'm certain that Rosemary-San is well," Ichijou continued, voice softer than it was a moment ago. He brought a hand up to the side of my head, a gesture that while should have been unwelcomed ended up quite comforting. "She will come back to you. In the meantime, why don't you come with Shiki and I? We're bound to run into her soon, don't you think?"

Hope rising in the depths of the abyss of my wavering heart I lifted my head and looked at Ichijou with wide eyes, wondering if it was really alright and if he was just joking around. "I-I'm allowed to...?"

"Allowed?" He repeated, echoing my partially-spoken question in confusion. "What do you mean "allowed"? Irene-Chan, you don't have to ask for permission; I'm inviting you." O-Oh... right. I swallowed thickly, shifting awkwardly for a moment before pausing when I realized I was still holding onto his arm. I released it like fire, stumbling and then yanking my head away from the hand that was resting on it. I was already awkward around guys, but this was getting... weird. E-Even if Ichijou was nice. "Eh?"

"S-Sorry." I rubbed at my face one last time, regaining my bearings, and sniffled. "I-I'm sorry-" My voice cracked and I cut myself off, taking another deep breath to calm down. Ichijou shook his head.

"There's no need to apologize. Right, Shiki?" I blinked dumbly, having not noticed the redhead standing there once I had begun to cry. I completely forgotten he existed... Oops. Sorry, Shiki. Ichijou looked at the teen, expecting an answer, and in response Shiki just gave a small shrug, hands in the pockets of his oversized grey jacket. "See? Perfectly alright! Speaking of-how hungry are you, Irene-Chan?"

"H-Huh?"

...

The hell is it? Skylar scowled, holding onto the gun she had had tucked into her right boot. The whole reason she had went out into town today was to find the stupid Level-E that's been driving up trouble within the town. A wretched beast like that...

Skylar will admit the way she chose to hunt the Level-E wasn't a good way, using her injured friend as bait to tempt out the horrendous creature, but it was fast and efficient. It didn't take too long for the Level-E to near, but when it saw Skylar and felt her presence it bolted quickly. She had to run off on Irene in order to chase after it, but now she was having trouble locating the beast.

That was when she felt it. Fast as lightning, Skylar had barely stepped to the side when there was a flash of color beside her-red dancing in the air and something sharp scratching her cheek. She wasted no time in shooting, letting out two bullets before turning and letting out a curse. Narrowing her eyes she broke out into a run, chasing after the creature that hissed and screamed at her, demanding blood and death.

...

"So Rosemary-San woke you up and asked you to go into town with her?" Ichijou asked, getting clarification on everything. I nodded awkwardly, clinging onto the sleeve of his arm as I followed him and Shiki around the town. I hadn't originally began clinging onto him like this, but after nearly bumping into multiple I found myself hovering beside him like an awkward shadow. Strangely enough, he didn't seem to mind. "Hm... well, there's no reason to be scared. I'm certain she's alright and well. In the meantime, let's go get something to eat. I can hear Shiki's stomach grumbling all the way from over here."

"...My stomach isn't as loud as yours, Ichijou-San..."

Ichijou stopped laughing, looking at his friend in surprise, before grinning. "Well, I guess that just means I'm hungrier. What about you, Irene-Chan?" I blinked, looking down as I went deep into thought as I tried to figure out how hungry I was. I did feel a bit nauseous, but that could probably just be from crying and running around so much...

I gave an uncomfortable shrug, not entirely sure how to answer or even if I should. I had no money on me, so even if we did stop somewhere it's not like I could pay for anything...

Suddenly his face was in front of me, the blond having leaned down to look at me. His eyes were wide with curiosity and concern. "You've been looking rather pale all day... hmm. Are you sure you're feeling better, Irene-Chan? I think you should eat something, even if it's small. Come on, I think the cafe is this way." He started leading me and Shiki down another direction, the redhead so silent I had to keep reminding myself he was there, and we only came to a stop when a loud noise echoed about-akin to that of a firework and sounding awfully like that weapon Skylar had fired off the other day.

The second it went off I shrieked, jumping almost five feet in the air as my anxiety shot upwards like crazy, a fresh wave of tears falling down like a stream as I clung onto Ichijou's sleeve and buried my face in his arm out of reflex. The blond looked at me in surprise for a moment, eyes softening briefly, before his gaze turned grim as he looked up at the sky in the direction the gunshot had come from. "Someone is busy..."

"Rosemary-San must be hunting right now," Shiki bluntly commented, looking the direction Ichijou was before closing his eyes. They opened and he turned his head lazily in his friend's direction. "I think we should hurry to the cafe, Ichijou-San, otherwise things may go bad..." His gaze flickered over to me. I blinked, knitting my eyebrows together at his stare, but Shiki said nothing else and simply turned away, walking on ahead of us.

...

Skylar let out a string of curses, before coming to an abrupt stop as she now had the Level-E cornered. Narrowing her eyes at the beast she let all emotion slip from her face, nothing but cold hatred in her eyes as she levelled the barrel of the gun to the monster's forehead. "Say goodbye, Vampire."

Skylar was unable to stop the feeling of cruel satisfaction, watching the abomination turn into dust. A small part of her felt bad at the last moment, recalling that the Level-E once used to be human and was simply an unfortunate victim of a Pureblood, but even as the last bit of humanity they had left flashed into their eyes as they were met with death did little to keep that feeling within her.

Every time she saw one go crazy, every time she saw a blood thirsty vampire like the one now, she could only think of the one that caused. The one that brought her to where she is now. If it wasn't for that thing, then...

Skylar wouldn't be hunting now.

...

"Ah~ This cake is delicious!" Ichijou cheered, beaming brightly as he ate. "It's so good!" He looked at his friend excitedly, watching as Shiki ate some strange combination of omelette and rice. Well, I suppose it wasn't that strange; it looked quite good. "How's your food, Shiki? Is it good? It's good, isn't it?"

The redhead chewed slowly, leisurely taking his time eating, before swallowing and giving the slightest nod of his head. "Yeah..."

Ichijou looked so gosh darn happy at those words-one would have thought he was a doting mother and Shiki was his spoiled child. "Isn't it!?" He was practically sparkling Ichijou looked so happy. I had to fight against a smile at the scene, awkward and not entirely sure if I was able to join into the conversation or not.

I poked at my food with the chopsticks timidly, attempting to pick up my own piece of omelette. I had tried to tell Ichijou I wasn't hungry, which was just an excuse because I didn't have money, but he wouldn't listen and demanded I'd get something to eat so I wouldn't end up sick. I took a tentative bite, praying to whatever higher being up there I wasn't using some offensive table manners with my horrible chopstick skills.

"What about you, Irene-Chan?" I shrunk underneath his happy gaze, and was more than intimidated by Shiki's own intense and almost empty stare.

"O-Oh, it's-it's good..." Ichijou smiled, before happily taking another bite of his cake. They gave him a spoon for that, which made me wonder what would have happened if I asked for a fork. "Um, th-thank you..." I feel so bad now. Maybe I should have tried harder to refuse...

"Don't worry about it," Was his response, "Ah, this tea really is exceptional! Wasn't it such a great idea to come here? I'm glad you thought of it, Shiki."

"...You were the one who brought it up..."

"Eh? I was?" The blond looked surprised. Ichijou then laughed. "I guess I did. Haha! I really am ditzy, huh?"

"..."

I watched the two nervously, feeling a bit like I was intruding upon them. They seemed close, and thinking about it they probably planned to come here by themselves to spend time together, yet here I was making a fuss of things... I should finish eating and go look for Skylar again, I thought, convinced I was ruining their time here. I was just an unnecessary tag-along after all. I wouldn't even be here if I hadn't run into them.

Now that I had calmed down I found myself feeling apathetic towards the world, more self-deprecative than usual due to the burst of emotion earlier. All I wanted was to find Skylar, but I was unable to search and I knew if I did try I would most likely get into trouble. Ichijou was right on that aspect, but even so...

"-ade you decide to come to Cross Academy?" I blinked, startled, and looked at them in confusion. Did Ichijou say something to me? He did, apparently, because he was looking at me expectantly with a spoon held up to his mouth. "Did you have an interest in Japanese culture perhaps? Or maybe a relative living here?"

O-Oh... um, how did I answer that? I didn't exactly "decide" to come, I was more dragged along. "W-Well, uh... I like mythology." Ah, yes, we can go with that. "A-And yeah, I-I guess the culture. I-I find other countries and stuff interesting. S-Skylar and Eliza told me they were going to be leaving for Japan 'cause they got accepted and I... I got a phonecall from the Headmaster not long after that." I awkwardly took another bite, the delicious food almost like ash in my mouth. "I-I wasn't accepted for my grades or anything like that; I-I'm pretty bad at math and-and science, but... h-he said they told him about me and apparently my English grades got me in? I-I don't..." The more I spoke the more lost I became, understanding even less of the Headmaster than I already did. Why was I accepted? What reason could the Headmaster of such an important and prestigious school have to take in someone like me? "I don't... really know..." My voice got soft, quieting down as I trailed off.

I set my chopsticks down on my plate, staring hopelessly at the food in front of me. Just what's my purpose here?

"He said..." Both Ichijou and Shiki were staring at me now, listening intently to everything I had to say. I didn't like the attention-not in this form, but I suppose I was glad I wasn't entirely ignored anymore. "He said Skylar needed a roommate. I-I'm just... I'm not even supposed to be here." A shadow. A follower. Without realizing I began to tug and pull at the hems of my sleeves, biting my bottom lip as my eyes started to sting again. I was just baggage, not matter which way you looked at it. "He's probably going to send me back to America once they get another student."

I gave a laugh, finally allowing myself to look at the two Night Students I was talking to. Ichijou's face was serious, Shiki's was as blank as ever and just as hard to read. Surprisingly enough, it was the redhead who spoke. "Headmaster Cross... does things with reason..." Ichijou sat up and turned, eying Shiki curiously. "He won't send you back... after going through the trouble of bringing you here. He has something planned for you."

Does he? I certainly hoped so.

"I believe Shiki is right," Ichijou said quietly, palm of his hand resting against his cheek as he cut off a piece of cake with his spoon. Ichijou's eyes were thoughtful. "Headmaster Cross is... while he is a bit strange and... eccentric, he does think about these kinds of things. If he brought you here to Cross Academy, then he must have a reason for it. And because of that, I feel that you should not fret over it too much. Everything will be explained in the end, won't it?" He smiled, all traces of his somber look gone. "So until then, you should just enjoy your time here like we do."

I thought about his words, thinking deeply about it, before giving a hesitant nod. I supposed they were right. There really wasn't a reason for me to freak out about it; I was here, not there, so I should just focus on what's happening. I can worry about the future later.

But that's easy for them to say... I sighed, picking up the chopsticks and struggling to tear off a piece of omelette. I can't ever NOT worry about something.

I chewed slowly, sluggishly finishing off my food. Ichijou ordered some more tea, getting some biscuits, and gave a muffin to Senri. Ichijou settled for a cupcake himself, and due to my lack of a sweet tooth I almost refused when he tried to give one to me. Unfortunately, the excitable look he had on his face made me decide not to do so, and I was about ready to grab it when a caramel colored hand snatched it out of Ichijou's hold. Both of us blinked, startled, and looked up.

It was Shiki who spoke, stating the obvious as he went, "Oh... Disciplinary Committee Rosemary-San is here now..."

Skylar munched on the cupcake, dried blood on the side of her face from a cut running across it, and licked the icing off of her fingers as she finished it. "Got any more?" She asked without remorse or shame, grinning at Ichijou before looking at me. I could barely even see-my vision was so blurry. Skylar, seeing my face void of almost any emotion, paused. "I-Irene? A-Are you okay? Wh-Why do you look so serious? It's... It's scary. Irene?" She started to look very frightened as I stood, biting the inside of my cheek, before the tears welled up and fell, a wail escaping as I lunged and tackled her.

"I-I-I was so scared~! Don't run off on me like that, you idiot!"

Skylar laughed, hugging me back, and pet me on the head as she said, "There, there. It's okay!" I quickly pulled away, reaching a hand up to her face where she was cut.

"What happened!?"

"Huh? Oh. I fell into a bush." Another laugh. I huffed and pulled away, crossing my arms as I scowled at her, pouting. She just grabbed me, pulling me into a hug as she rubbed her face against mine. "You're such a fragile little flower~ Aww~! Thank you for looking after her, Upperclassman Ichijou, Underclassman Shiki."

Ah... "Shiki's younger than us?" I blinked dumbly, leaning away slightly so I could wipe at my eyes, sniffling. I stared at the redhead in confusion, having not expected that. "How old are you? Sixteen? Fifteen?"

"...Sixteen..."

Ichijou piped in helpfully with a smile, "I'm almost eighteen! My birthday's in about two months." My mouth opened in shock, before I clapped my hands together excitedly.

"We're the same age! Skylar, Skylar, all three of us are the same age!" I pointed at Shiki, waving my arm excitedly, before gasping and covering my mouth with my hands as I stared at Ichijou. "No wonder you're so tall... that makes sense." The blond just chuckled. "Wait, no, hold on, is pointing rude here? Oh god, was I being rude!?" I started to freak, but Skylar just placed a hand on my head and tilted it back.

"Calm down~ Jeez. They're not mad about it, so clearly not."

Ichijou just waved it off with a smile, amused. "It's quite alright. I understand the way things are done in America are quite different compared to here, so I won't take offense to it. I know Irene-Chan means no harm, and I'm certain Shiki feels the same." W-What? How?

I was about ready to ask what he meant, when a nearby waitress glared at us for being loud. I shut my mouth instantly, sheepish and humiliated, and promptly hid my face in Skylar's shoulder. We had to leave not long after, Shiki pointing out that it was almost time for the school gates to lock. It was quite dark out, but Ichijou and Shiki seemed to have memorized the way and led us back. Ichijou talked all the while, Skylar piping in every now and then, and I only started talking once certain mangas were brought up.

We ended up ranting about that, before getting onto the topic of anime and pestering Ichijou for having not watched any despite having read so many mangas. He laughed sheepishly, promising he'd would try and do so, before her and Shiki had to bid us goodbye as we split up to head to our opposite Dorms.