Okay, so now it starts into the events of the fourth book, completely skipping the third book, mostly because I felt Akane had no place in there. So from here on out, everything will start taking its time, and it'll be better! Thanks for reading. And remember, Yuki's not as involved as she was. Of course she will be soon, though, when it starts getting into more of her story.
Not that long, sorry.
I also really, really love reviews.
"You were out for so long with your flu," Ria pointed out, her cold hand on my forehead.
Awkwardly, I shuffled my feet as I gazed down at the ground. Class hadn't started yet, and Ria, Yuki, Yori, Zero and I were just waiting until the bell had rung. I clutched my books tighter to my chest, sniffed just a bit, and shrugged. "Yeah, but that's what I get," I said, my face going a bright red. "Who goes swimming at night?"
Keeping a secret from Ria was harder than I thought, but she hadn't thought anything was suspicious. In fact, she had said that "taking a swim during the night" was something I'd do, so she hadn't questioned me further, thank goodness. The only thing she had really wanted to know was why that "random guy" had dropped me off. And honestly, I had no clue. There hadn't been much time, between my flu and all, to ask Zero what had been going on. We hadn't even brought out the night a few weeks ago.
"You," she sighed briefly, smiling.
"There's a ball?" Yuki suddenly asked, and promptly ended my conversation with Ria. I turned to gaze at the short girl, who was staring up at Yori, wonder with her eyes. "Yeah, I guess I'd forgotten... but I don't think that's really what I'm interested in at the moment. I think I'm more worried about the tests...right?" She gazed back at Zero and I.
"Are you saying I won't pass?" I huffed jokingly, hands on my hips.
"You failed worse than Yuki last year," said Yori, leaning forward as Yuki gazed at her friend who joking anger in her eyes. "Which is really saying something, because no offense to her, but Yuki sucks." Yuki nodded, almost agreeing. "And you're not doing any better this year, so start shaping up your act, missy!"
Grinning, I shrugged. "Why should I?"
Yori's face suddenly dropped, and even Ria was glancing at me. "I think they forgot," the red-head said glumly, looking at Yori.
"Forgot what?" asked Yuki, coming to stand between Zero and I.
"The class that scores the lowest on the tests...they have to work at the ball," said Yori, and Ria nodded, her eyes glancing between Yuki and I. "At first, I thought we might have a chance, because it's basically only Yuki that sucks at her tests. But then we got you, Akane..." Yori stared at me, as I crossed my arms. "And you're ten times worse."
"Well, I'll just try harder-"
"Morioka!"
Oh please no not him.
Slowly, I turned, my annoyance growing. I really hated this guy. I had never known his name, so to me he was always just 'class rep', and I had never bothered even trying to talk to him. He was nothing but a horrible person, always the most annoying thing ever. He hated me, and I hated him, and normally we were content to hate each from afar, nothing but glares and knocking each other's books down and childish things, but it was only when he really spoke to me that my blood boiled in anger. "What do you want?"
"I just need to speak to you," he said in that annoying, "I'm-almost-certainly-better-than-you" tone of voice. Trying to be formal and sophisticated never worked on him, and when I saw him he only looked like a rate-A nerd.
"I don't like talking to you," I said back.
"Nor I to you," he said, almost tiredly, as if he couldn't imagine even looking at me.
I nodded. "Okay, now that we have settled that...why don't you just go back to the molehill you came out of, and I'll just forget you even looked at me. Agreed?" I swiftly turned around, coming face to face with Yuki's chuckling and Ria and Yori's disappointed looks.
Even Zero was chuckling, though. "Molehill?" he asked briefly, and I grinned.
"Akane Morioka! You turn around this instant!"
So even though I was more than annoyed at this rather horrible excuse for a boy, I turned, trying my hardest to come off bored rather than "I'm-going-to-murder-you-slowly-in-a-second", because believe me, it was hard. "What's up, mommy? I'm going to school, you'll embarrass me."
"Why you." He started to twitch, as if he was going to strangle me, but I merely grinned as he tried to compose himself. "Just listen to me, will you? It's taking a lot to keep from punching you here and now."
"Oh goodness me, I'm scared."
His eye twitched. "Anyways, normally this would be the kind of thing I'd imagined saying to Cross over there. She's normally the one who has the bad grades. But since you've been kept, and you're grades have sunk even lower than her's - how did you manage that? - I have to say it to you." He jabbed a finger in my face. "Don't you even think about failing this test?"
"But what if I want to?" I asked.
"Don't even think about!" he nearly screamed. Man, I truly loved testing this guy's anger with me. It was almost as if he were a rocket, and everytime he even saw me he was just once inch closer to taking off, he though he wasn't ready yet. "You know the Night Class and Day Class attend! So if I don't get a dance with Ruka-"
"Aww, someone has a crushy-wushy!" I chirped, pressing my hands to my cheeks.
He continued, as if I hadn't spoke. "If you ruin it, I'll hate you for life."
With that, he turned and started to walk away. "I'll hold you to that!" I yelled at his back, grinning and waving, even though he couldn't see me. Feeling quite proud, I turned to the others, who were watching in some sort of grim amusement.
"Well, Yuki and I have to get to class. Would you like to come, Ria?" asked Yori.
"Sure." She nodded at me. "See you later, Akane."
"Laters."
I watched the three of them head of to class as I turned to Zero, who was staring off just a bit. It was finally my time to ask him all the questions I had built up in my head. Thankfully, I had just yelled at King Blabbermouth enough that I had mostly everything out of my system, and could just ask him straightly without getting sidetracked. "So, Zero-"
Someone yelled something sharply, cutting me off.
Annoyed, but sidetracked, I turned and watched as I saw blondie the vampire - whose name I still didn't remember, crap - chase after some new blonde girl I hadn't seen before. She looked as though she were stirring up all kinds of trouble, and I couldn't helping laughing as I saw blondie run after her, looking quite distressed.
"This is my type of party!" I yelped happily. "See you, Zero, gotta see this!"
I started off, but Zero grabbed my arm and tugged me back. For a moment, I continued to run, so it looked as though I was running in place while Zero held my arm back. Then I realized he was preventing me from running so I stopped, ripped my arm free, and turned. "What's up? You wanna come? It does look funny..."
"Akane," he said, stopping me as I talked. His eyes locked with mine for a second, and I was curious as to why he had gotten all serious on me. Was he finally going to tell me the answers I've been waiting for...? How would he even know? Didn't matter, I guess. "Stay away from that transfer student?"
"Huh?" I was confused. "The one blondie was chasing?"
"Yeah. Just let him take care of her, alright?"
I brushed off my skirt, shrugging. "Alright, I guess, if you don't want me to get involved with the party, I understand. Rid me of my fun, why don't youuuuuuu!" Someone had tugged me off the ground and spun me so I was facing away from Zero, and my 'you' had gone all whacked up. I glanced up to spot Aido, who was smiling at me.
"Oh, you! Hey, how's it going? How's it been?"
"It's been fine," he said, and I grinned. "Just wanted to say hi to you."
"Cool." I cast a glance behind him, and spotted tons of the girls in my classes standing just inches behind us all, their razor-sharp eyes pinned on me. Almost curiously, I looked behind me, just to see they had circled us in, too. "Damn. Look at everyone - they're like hawks. Doesn't that get annoying?"
"Not really. Want to see them do something?"
Did he mean like he could get them to do whatever he wanted? So I nodded eagerly, my mouth open in a smile. He reached down and hugged me tightly, his arms around me. Frowning for a second, I attempted to tug away. "Hey bro, I like you and all, but as a friend..."
He let go, and I saw what he had meant.
All of the girls had their eyes super-razor-sharp eyes still pinned on me, although now it seemed like they were glaring at me, and it almost seemed like they were staring into my soul. I shivered lightly. "Oh, you bastard. I see what you did there." I winked and flashed the double pistols hand motion. "Clever."
He shrugged, smiling. "What can I say? I'm smart."
Zero had suddenly moved up, so he was staning beside me. "Could I have a word with you?" He had been talking to Aido, not me, so I stepped back. Aido nodded and the two of them headed off together. Only Aido turned back and gave me a wave, which I returned gratefully. For a moment, I watched the two of them head off, and then I bent down and scooped up my books, which had gotten onto the ground.
Then I noticed they were still staring at me.
"Akane..."
"Morioka..."
"Disciplinary Commitee..."
"Oh, wow, I'm so happy all of you know my names," I said, mocking sincerity as I started to back, realizing I had trapped myself within their circle. "If you'll all excuse me for a just a moment, and if you could be so kind as to clear a way for me...?"
"You're not going anywhere until you explain yourself," one of them stated.
"In that case, well..." I dropped the rest of my books except for the semi-heaviest one and slammed it into the closet girl's shoulder. She let out a scream and dropped to the ground, holding her shoulder as it throbbed painfully. I chuckled, dropping the book, and shrugging. "You could have just let me go," I sang happily.
Rushing past them, they didn't let up until I had the smarts to jump into a tree. I stayed there all through the rest of my next classes, until night began to dawn and I grew bored of seeing how long I could withstand poking myself with a branch. So I hopped off and stumbled my way back into the headmaster's office, ready to let him know that some of the girls had threatened me, and I didn't feel safe, and it would just be better if I left the school.
I had just been inches from opening the doorknob when I heard someone go down the stairs.
They seemed quite urgent to get to wherever they were going, so I felt I should follow. Besides, if it was a student, I could easily get them in trouble for being out of the dorms. So I rushed after them, and stopped when I saw Zero take a sharp turn. So that's who I'm following. "No way..." I breathed, and wondered where he had been going. Maybe he was going to see Aido again...? I grinned.
Resuming my following, I ducked down everytime he looked as though he were going to turn. Finally, he stopped and turned into another room, where the transfer student blondie had been chasing was. Maybe they were secret lovers...? My heart beating, I licked my lips and peered in to see what they were murmuring about.
And then I rushed forward, breaking my silence.
In my defense, Zero had had a gun pressed to the transfer's chest, looking like he was just seconds from killing her. So I panicked. I didn't want to witness a murder. He glanced up at me, eyes wide, and so did the transfer, but her eyes were almost half-lidded as she slowly smiled at me.
"Akane," he said, shocked and quietly.
"Zero, stop, what are you-" I went to make a move to get closer, but the transfer held out her hand to stop me.
"Don't worry, Akane," she said, and the way she said my name made me want to shiver. It almost sounded horrifying, as if she knew she was saying it in such a way to make me want her to stop it. "He can't kill me?"
"What?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
Usually, in a situation where something was going to happen and I wasn't directly involved, my hearing went blank and my eyes start to search for a way out. It was something I had developed when my parents had passed, as almost a way for myself to escape if danger ever did arise when I was involved.
And then Zero and the transfer did start to fight, and I got scared.
Yes, me, Akane Morioka, got scared.
"Hey, come here, you," said someone behind me, and grabbed me lightly, dragging me away from the scene unfolding in front of me. I thrashed, trying to get loose so I could someone do something to help Zero, but the person was too strong and I was taken from the room, to outside. "Do you like getting yourself in trouble?"
"Aido?" I asked, suprised. "Why were you there?"
"Kaname told me something was wrong," the blonde said, shrugging. "So I came by to check it out, although I didn't know you were involved." He glared at me. "Why were you there? You have no reason to be involved, and yet there you were, in the middle-"
"I wasn't in the middle," I said defiantly. "I was about two inches away."
"That's not an answer," he said, narrowing his eyes at me.
"Okay, alright," I said, dropping my arms. It wasn't as if I had something to hide. I wasn't even in the fight, like Aido had said. "I was just following the noises at first. Then I found out it was Zero, so I just got even more curious. So I continued to follow, and then I saw him meet that transfer... I thought maybe they were secretly dating, so I continued to watch, and then they started fighting..."
I was shivering, even though it wasn't cold. I knew some part of me was still scared, because even though yes, I trusted Zero, that part of me thought I was going to die. The other part of me thought I was invincible, because even though my parents had passed, I hadn't, which had to mean something. But no, right now, both parts of me were saying: YES, WE AREN'T IMMORTAL, WE'LL DIE SOMEDAY.' And just the mere thought of that made my eyes start to burn, but I refused to cry.
"You're still scared, aren't you?" I heard Aido say. "I can hear you shivering, and it's warm out."
"Shut up," I said, taking a step back. "Am not."
And then he pulled me into a hug, holding me tightly agaisnt him. I was a bit shocked, mostly because he wasn't doing this just so a hord of fangirls could run after me with a knife. No, maybe he was doing this because he didn't want me to be scared. Or he was doing this because this 'Kaname' or whatever told him too. I guess it didn't matter now, though, because the hug was working and I wasn't that scared anymore.
He pulled away first, nodding at me, his face expressionless. "Go back to your dorm now, Akane, and forget this ever happened."
So, sleepily and clumsily, I went back to the dorm, dreaming softly of ways to be expelled.
