Chapter 8! I'm so happy too, because all you people reviewed, and alerted, and favored! Thank you all so much! This chapter is dedicated to everyone who reviewed, alerted and favored!
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Shiori was about to give up completely when suddenly the door opened. Her head slowly turned, fearing what she may see. Her eyes finally locked on the object and widened considerably. Her breath hitched in her throat and she could feel the color, only a few minutes ago too much, leave her face. Because there in the doorway stood the Chairman.
His face was just as shocked as hers, and she felt her heart sink when it changed to anger. Her limbs snapped back into action, and she pushed Takeshi off with a power that surprised even her. The collision with the floor finally woke Takeshi up with a start. With a hand on his head and a scowl on his face he sat up. He looked as though he was going to shout, but when he saw the Chairman in the doorway, and remembered the situation he had been in only moments ago, his face paled just as quickly as Shiori's.
"What are you two doing?!" the chairman shouted, fists clenched at his sides.
"Takeshi was asleep, I came to wake him and he fell off-" Shiori tried to explain, but the Chairman cut her off, and came forward.
"This is a school, and I will not let you engage in this sort of thing with my daughter!" the Chairman said as he pulled Takeshi to his feet by his collar.
Shiori stiffened as he shouted. It wasn't like she was afraid of him, it was the things he was shouting that made her react so. She looked at the doorway to see all of the night class standing there. Most of them held no expressions, but then others held a hand to their mouth, or snickered at the predicament she was in. She looked back to her father and Takeshi, and saw the two glaring at each other.
She couldn't take it anymore. The air was filled with so much tension that it was suffocating. Her shoulders refused to settle and her heart was going so fast that it made her dizzy. She could hear each beat in her ears, and shuddered at the thought of the others in the room knowing this as well. She needed to get out of this room, out of the stare of all these people. She looked away from her father and Takeshi, burning a hole in the floor instead. Takeshi noticed her movement, and his eyes flickered to her form quickly.
"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding sir, but Shiori tells nothing but the truth. I fell from the bed, and fell on top of her." He started into the Chairman's eyes, "If you'll excuse me, we must get to class."
The Chairman threw him away like a dead rat. Takeshi stumbled only a little and grabbed the uniform from its spot on the chair. Slinging it over his arm, he walked towards the door quickly, pulling Shiori along just as fast.
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They hurried to the gates, both with embarrassed looks on their faces. Shiori tried to escape the look of all the day class girls, and the two guardians. She pulled her wrist from Takeshi's grasp, and quickened her pace. The crowd parted as the two hurried through, all the girls staring at the new boy on campus. Shiori was took focused on getting away to noticed their looks though. Then Yuuki stepped in her path.
"Hello Shiori, the Chairman just went in to see you and Takeshi-san." She said
"Hello Yuuki-san," Shiori looked behind her quickly, seeing several forms coming down the dirt path "I'm sorry but I'm in a hurry please excuse me." She stepped around the shocked girl, and continued with the same quick strides as before.
She didn't hear Takeshi following, and looked back to see him talking to some of his new fan girls, and Yuuki. She saw Zero standing against the wall, glaring at Takeshi, and sighed. This was not turning out well…
She looked back at the road in front of her. She felt her nose start to burn, and gritted her teeth. She was not going to cry, there was no reason too! But her vision started to get blurry, and she was losing sight of her goal. She started to run, hoping it would get her to the school before the tears started to spill down her checks. She collided with the old wooden door with a thud, and pushed it open quickly. She walked down the hall much slower now, wiping the water from her eyes. She took a deep breath and blinked a few times. She saw the door to the classroom, that Aidou had mentioned during her uniform fitting, and entered without hesitation.
The room was very dark, and she felt a sense of comfort in it. The tables were set up in a way that reminded her of a college lecture hall instead of a high school. She looked around the room with a curious eye, looking for the space that held the best chance of her being over looked. Up in the corner, closest to the wall. She made her way up the isle, sweeping her hand across the tables lightly. She liked how the wood felt under her fingers, and smiled at the thought of her few minutes of alone time. She sat down and waited.
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They came soon enough, and Shiori was bombarded with questions as soon as they did. She answered everything truthfully and with only a few words. It was better to get them satisfied then to have them wanting to know all the time and never giving her a moment of peace. Takeshi came in later then the others, his face flushed. Shiori looked away as she realized why. He sat down beside her and both utter not a single word to each other. Finally the teacher came in and the lessons began. Shiori focused all her attention on his words, trying to forget about the incident. It wasn't even that bad, and she'd already blown it out of proportion. But what did the night class students think about her when they came upon the scene? How did they see her now?
If she confided in Takeshi like she always did, he would tell her exactly the opposite of what she wanted to hear. His words may have helped her in some conditions, but right now they would only cause her further stress. His gentle hand that would ease her pain in some situations would burn on contact in this case. She didn't know what to do to get these thoughts out of her head, so she had to grin and bear it just like Takeshi's father told her to do as a child.
The class was dismissed at about 2 in the morning, a normal time for them, but Shiori was exhausted. She needed to get some sleep and have time alone to clear her head. But as she collected her things and prepared to leave, Takeshi took her hand.
"I'm sorry Shiori," he tried to take her books, "I'll take you to get something to eat."
"No," she took her things a bit too roughly "I'm tried, you go with some of the girls you talked with earlier." She spat
"They're asleep, Shiori." He commented
She had nothing to say to that, so she tried to step past him and leave the room, but once again her path was blocked. She clutched her books harder, and looked at him with a terrible glare. "Takeshi, please"
"Are you alright, Shiori?" he asked, a very concerned look on his face
"Yes, I'm just tired" she said "Please let me by."
"Are you sure, you look-" she cut him off
"Can you just leave me alone! I can't think with you hovering over me all the time!" He was shocked, and Shiori took this opportunity to get past him. She ran through the door and out into the hall. She made her way to the old wooden door she ran into before class, and pushed her way out into the night air. She looked to the Moon Dorms, then behind her. Takeshi still hadn't left the classroom yet, and she didn't want to be found at the dorms easily by him. She headed for the woods instead.
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If felt like she'd been running for hours. Her lungs burned and her legs were numb. In the distance she saw an old lonely house. With sleep on her mind she put the last of her strength into her legs and headed for the house. She pounded on the door, but heard no answer. She opened the door and entered the house. It was had a very homely feeling to it, and she looked around the small house with curious eyes. Little objects, probably full of sentimental meaning lined the walls. Comforting colors decorated the walls, and a window at the end of the house claimed Shiori's attention. She stumbled forward, and stared outside. Even though she was surrounded by trees outside, the window portrayed a beautiful meadow. The grass outside was a sandy color and tall green trees lined the perimeter of the meadow. Far off in the distance Shiori could see the ocean, a body of water so blue that she wondered if this window was a painting instead. She reached forward and instead of glass or canvas he hand went through. A liquid substance ran down her arms and she panicked a bit. She tried to pull her arm free but she was stuck. She looked around the room frantically, searching for something to help her. She looked back at her arm to see it sinking deeper into the scene. She looked behind her again, and saw Kei.
She stood at the door of the house, light spilling in behind her. Her light illuminated the whole house, and Shiori felt a sense of calm sweep over her. Kei glided over to Shiori, her back making a sickening crack when she stopped. She placed a hand on Shiori's shoulder and gave a slight push.
"What are you doing!?" Shiori's calm disappeared quickly as she sunk deeper into the window.
"Do not worry little one, you are safe. Past these walls is a different word. This world will show you the questions that trouble you so." Kei said
"Questions? But I thought that I must answer them myself?" she said, most of her body eaten by the window now.
"You will see." And with that Kei disappeared, just as the rest of Shiori was swallowed.
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