His Only Princess: Chapter 10
It was finally the weekend, and Yori couldn't have been happier. The past week had really taken a toll on her, and she felt that a few days on her own is just what she needed. Pulling a light pink sweater over her head, she peered out the window, watching the snow gently fall while she fixed her hair with her fingers. It was such a peaceful scene, and her thoughts went wandering, not really focusing on one particular thing. Until she remembered last night.
Zero had stayed in her room for quite some time, well past curfew, which also meant well past any proper time for a young man to be in a girl's room. He had clung to her like she was the only thing holding him to the planet. Once he seemed to realize what exactly he was doing, however, he ripped himself away from her, pushing her to the side before rushing out, much like he had done the night he drank from her. But, she didn't go after him again, too shocked from having just been so close to him. Remembering the feel of his hands pressed against her back made her cheeks go warm.
Eyes shifting back over to the window, she decided that maybe going out and taking a walk would be a nice change from being cooped up inside. She tugged on a pair of dark grey wool stockings, which contrasted a little oddly with her otherwise light colored outfit, but she didn't mind that too much. Besides, she wasn't attempting to impress anyone, anyways. Lacing up her only other pair of boots—short, ankle-height black ones—as well as her ribbon around her neck, she donned her white winter coat, which almost reached her knees, and rushed outside, chest swelling with joy of being able to go out for a little while.
The hallways were empty, which confused her. Yori was certain that the students would be jumping for joy to get a break from their rigorous studies for an opportunity to go out and play around in the snow. Outside, there were a few people; a group of boys she had physics class with were huddled around each other, planning some kind of elaborate snowball fight. She recognized one of them as the Sun Dorm President, and a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Ever since he had taken it up on himself to keep everyone calm when Rido attacked, he had gained more friends, and even though they could not remember why they had befriended the brave boy, they still had a strong bond with him. It made her glad to see him with actual friends instead of being constantly picked on. Further down the way, a couple Yori had seen sneaking around after curfew a few times was snuggled together on a bench under a large oak tree, completely absorbed and content with each other's company.
She felt a small surge a jealousy course through her, and it shocked her. She had never been one to think a relationship was necessary, and always said she didn't need a boy to make her happy, which was the exact opposite of her best friend. Yuuki had been head-over-heels for Kaname Kuran, and Yori was certain she held some sort of love for Zero, too, just like he did for her. But, when her mind produced an image of the silver-haired male, her heart sped up while her stomach felt as though it did a little flip. Yori had become aware of her small crush on him some time after she had learned of his feelings for Yuuki, and then she assumed she had more than likely had a crush on him for a while and just wasn't aware of it until learning of him having feelings for another. Of course, she would never, ever tell him. She was happy he had found a person who made him happy, even though said person never seemed to realize how much pain she caused him. Plus, she wasn't even friends with him. It would be weird of her to confess to someone she didn't even have a friendly bond with.
"But, we're friends now, aren't we?" her question was as quiet as the falling snow. She toyed with that idea for a few minutes, when her mind forced her to remember someone else's face. Takamiya's messy bronze colored hair and kind face invaded her thoughts, causing a sheet of guilt to sweep over her. The man had been nothing but kind to her; a little forceful at one point, but still very, very kind. He even apologized, and let her in, revealing several things about himself that she would not have expected. And he was her fiancé. There was no way she would even consider cheating, even if she still wasn't completely sure about whether the engagement would follow all the way through or not. Takamiya had been a complete gentleman, giving her space to make the decision, but also subtly allowing her to get to know the man who may just become her future husband. He was kind, handsome, and really a sweet guy, once you got past his teasing exterior.
Puffing her cheeks out in frustration, she blew out slowly, watching the white cloud of breath fading in front of her.
"This is so awful of me," she groaned quietly, covering her face with her hands. She was still walking, though, so she didn't see who she was quickly approaching. "Why? Why did it have to be me?"
"Talking to yourself, Wakaba?"
She gasped at the sound of his voice, her head snapping up to meet his amused eyes.
"Takamiya-sensei." She could already feel the heat creeping up her face at the fact of being caught talking to herself. Takamiya was leaned up against a tree, his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in a maroon colored knit sweater, which complimented his hair very well, making a sort of reddish color stand out in it, paired with khaki slacks and a black trench coat, unbuttoned. To top off the entire look, a devilish looking smirk graced his handsome face. He leaned forward, taking long-legged strides until he was a foot or two short of being right in front of her.
"Well?" he raised an eyebrow in question.
Yori scratched the back of her head, averting her gaze to her shoes, scuffing at the snow at her feet.
"Ah, well…yeah," she admitted lamely. She started when she felt a hand under her chin, lifting her head. When did he even move? His smirk grew, and he removed his hand from her face to ruffle her hair.
"You're too cute, Wakaba," he stated warmly, making her go wide-eyed. Even though they were engaged, she couldn't get over the fact that it seemed so wrong that a teacher would say those kinds of things to his student. But, before she could think too much on it, he proposed to her a plan. "Would you like to accompany me in town today?"
"Accompany you in town?" she repeated incredulously, to which he nodded.
"Yes. I have a few errands I need to run, but it gets rather lonely going there alone. So, what do you say?"
"Hm…sure. Why not?" she smiled up at him, which made his heart race. Face breaking out into a full smile, he placed his hand against the small of her back, holding it there tentatively for a few seconds to see if she would move away from him, but when she didn't, he pressed it more firmly against her back and led her out the iron gates that surrounded the campus.
"Oh, look at this!"
She hadn't expected to really enjoy her time in town with Takamiya, but she was now standing in front of yet another shop window, admiring the glittering decorations within it. Every time she would stop, Takamiya would stand a few feet back from her, watching with an amused smile. Out in town, they weren't teacher and student, but Kaito Takamiya and Sayori Wakaba, an engaged couple who were getting to know each other better each and every day. No school rules binding them, and no certain ill-tempered Hunter looming over them, glaring them both down.
Yori glanced over her shoulder at him, beaming brightly.
"Isn't this pretty, Takamiya-sensei?" He saw her pointing to a set of crystal that was adorned with white, making it appear like a mini Winter Wonderland. Nodding, he moved closer to her, bending over to examine it closer, a clever idea sneaking in his mind.
"It is. Almost as much as you are," he whispered, chuckling a little when her face went a deeper shade of red from embarrassment. "Would you like for me to buy it for you?"
She backed up and gawked at him openly.
"No! I couldn't possibly let you do that," she shook her head furiously, ready to set off down the sidewalk when he reached out, dragging her back to him by her wrist.
"Really, it's not that big of a deal," he reassured her, the sly grin still playing at his lips. "However, I have one condition for doing this."
Yori watched him warily. "What is it?"
"Stop calling me Takamiya-sensei while we're out here." He still held her wrist in his semi-loose grip. "And allow me to stop calling you Wakaba."
"That's two things, Takamiya-sensei," the ever-logical Yori pointed out, slightly flustered from his request.
"I suppose it is," he smiled down at her, releasing her from his hold. "But still, is it really too much to ask?" He sounded a little concerned when he stated the question, worried that he had crossed a line with her that would cause her to back out of their deal.
"Well," she looked to the side, her heart skipping a beat when she thought she caught a familiar shock of silver. But, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. "I guess not."
"Then...may I call you Sayori?"
"Yes," she smiled up at him, reaching out and giving his hand a reassuring squeeze when she noticed the timid look on his face. "I suppose you would like for me to call you...?"
"Kaito," he answered readily, but then backtracked. "Only if, you know, you're comfortable with that." He rubbed the back of his neck, and Yori thought she saw a faint pink tinting his cheeks. Really, he was a humble sort of man.
"It's fine. I'm okay with it...Kaito."
The sound of his name finally being spoken by her made a shiver roll down his spine and warmth to bloom in his chest. A goofy grin spread across his face, making her giggle lightly at how ridiculous he looked, but he didn't care. She still held his hand, and he tightened his own around hers, tugging her into the little shop behind him.
Both of them were completely worn out when they returned to Cross Academy, having just barely beaten sundown. The paper bag hanging from the crook of her arm brushed against her legs as she walked, irritating her. She kept trying to adjust it when it was completely taken away from her.
"Huh?" She looked up at Takamiya, who now had the bag on his own arm.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. Thank you."
Takamiya grunted in response, blush creeping across his face for the second time that day. He ducked his head in order to hide it from her and other passerby students.
"Would you like me to walk back to the dorm with you?"
"I'll be fine. You've already done so much for me as it is," she motioned to the bag still swinging from his arm. "I'll take that." He handed it back over to her, and she bowed politely to him. "I really had fun today."
"Me too. Well then, I guess I'll be seeing you in class next week." He tapped her nose lightly before turning to walk away, stopping when she called out to him.
"Mm. See you then. Thank you, Kaito!" she unknowingly had gotten a little bit used to calling him by his first name since she had been doing so for so many hours. It slipped out almost naturally to her now.
Takamiya let out a short laugh, shaking his head and waving to her over his shoulder before stalking off towards the Academy building. Yori stood there for a good minute, watching him until he disappeared, and then looking down at the bag which held her crystal present.
"Thank you," she whispered happily, heading inside.
The young man slammed his fist against the wall for what seemed like the thousandth time. It was starting to get really sore now, but he didn't care. He'd inflict any sort of pain at the moment to get his mind off of the other that was torturing him. His throat felt as though he had swallowed white-hot daggers and sandpaper, and, as much as he hated them, he had taken over half of the vile white tablets, hoping for some relief. It helped him none, though; if anything, it only made the pain worse, teasing him with a substitute of what he had had just a couple of nights before. Real blood. Human blood. Strangely enough, there was also a dull ache in his chest, which he played off as an effect of the burn in his throat. His platinum hair fell in his eyes, still damp from where he had submerged himself in icy water only an hour ago, as well as his clothes, which clung uncomfortably to his skin, and his neck had pale red scratches on it from him dragging his nails down it, trying his best to not rip it out. His thoughts ran rapid, going back to the only thing he knew could alleviate the pain, but logically knew was wrong and absolutely did not want to revert to doing again. He remembered her fear, the avoidance that came afterwards. But even more so, he remembered what happened straight after the incident.
Finally, his grip loosened enough for her to slip away from him, tumbling down to the chilly tile floor. Her body convulsed with shock and fear-filled tremors and everything had an almost technicolor hue to it. She felt as though she could vomit and pass out right then and there, but she forced both feelings down, too fearful to lose consciousness. Bringing a hand up to her stinging neck, she drew it back shakily to examine her blood covered palm, the ivory skin tainted entirely crimson.
Zero swiped the back of his hand over his own blood stained lips, regaining his sense of judgement, but really wishing he hadn't. The trembling, teary, bloody mess of a girl on the floor before him made him sick with anger and guilt. He watched as she made to rise to her feet, stumbling and almost falling flat on her face. Reaching out, he caught her easily in his arms, supporting her entire weight on his chest. Her eyes were shut tightly and her breath came out in short gasps, but he couldn't figure out if she had passed out or was just trying to steady herself. The scent of her blood still obviously hung thickly in the air around him, but he was at himself enough to hold everything at bay. He didn't think either of them would be able to handle this again.
There's no way, he thought bitterly, going back to his abuse on the wall and his fist. But his thirst was determined to make him think differently, agonizing heat clawing up his throat as his mind assaulted him with memories of the scent. Backing up against the wall, he connected the back of his head with it with a loud bang. He ground his teeth together, his hands flying back up to his neck, nails sinking into the soft skin there.
Her eyes drooped with sleep, but she didn't want to sleep just yet, even though she had already changed into her sleepwear. Sitting up at her desk, she admired the present bought for her as it glistened in the orange glow of her table lamp. Carefully, she poked at it with her pinky, trailing it down the grainy surface. Glitter from it layered her skin, making it shimmer silver.
In her slap-happiness from being tired, a round of giggles sputtered out from her. Finally deciding that it would be best to get some sleep, she gave her present one more appreciative look, pushed away from the desk and trudged over to her bed, flopping backwards on it. Really too lazy and worn down to get back up, she shimmied and wriggled until she was somewhere near the headboard and clawed at the perfectly tucked in blanket, fighting with it until she could manage to pull it over herself, snuggling deep into the bed's warmth and closing her eyes. Behind her eyelids, images outlined in silver danced in the black. Or was the entire image silver? It almost resembled her crystalline wonderland.
As she slipped further into slumber, the silver image developed a figure, standing before her. It held a hand out to her.
"Yori?"
Their voice is nice. It's caring, yet quite stern sounding. In her dream, she reached for them, feeling their slightly chilled hand wrap around her own.
"Stay way from him."
From who? She didn't understand. But, they sounded worried, and a little angry, too. They gripped her hand tighter, tugging her towards them. However, their face was still shrouded in fuzzy silver, making it impossible to see them.
"He's no good. It's not healthy for you to remain next to him. Stay with me."
What felt like another hand reached up, touching her face. Even though it wasn't the warmest of touches, it still felt nice, and she leaned further into the palm of their hand.
"Promise me, Yori."
I promise.
Even though it seemed she had no voice, they apparently understood what she was trying to communicate to them, and, finally, a feature of their face became visible. A soft smile, almost a smirk. They yanked her towards them, just as the suffocating dark of a soon to be dreamless sleep swept over her, erasing their existence.
Alright, my smart little cookies! That last sentence is hinting to BIG events to occur, so what are your predictions?
This chapter was much anticipated, however, no Zero. Except for a little beating up blurb. The boy likes hurting himself, it seems.
I've been getting ready for finals, so that's what took me so long :( I'm sorry!
So, onto my reviewers', who came at me left and right:
DrkSpphrGT: Holy dear smoke! I hope all of your family is healthy now! And I hope you didn't get sick, too :( I stayed healthy, and am almost fully recovered. So, obviously, Kaito hasn't figured out anything yet, but he certainly is suspicious. There will be plenty more bites ;) I skimmed through the raw 89...and ahhhh! It just fueled my dislike for Yuuki that much more. But, I am glad he forgot her. However, he'll probably remember =_=" Also, I did a little research when I saw your icon (I absolutely love Jae!), and we've got a bunch of similar things that we like! Haha ^_^ Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this!
HYPERASSGIRL5: I wish Zero was real, too. Oh, how I do. And Prussia. And Gamzee. Don't get me started on the guys I wished were real xD
Tia: I am sorry if you don't like the way my story is written :( Um...the best I can do is just keep trying to improve as I continue writing.
Anon: Thank you :) I'm trying to make everything ready for a lovely little triangle/potential square.
Lakemet: Happy late birthday! Your birthday is a day after mine :D I will never abandon this, so don't ever fear that, okay?
Julianne: You're so sweet :) Thank you for worrying about my health. But, even if I have the flu, I'd still love to see what you thought of the chapter :)
Elune: I agree. She is very confused, but then, if you had Kaito and Zero basically competing for you, what would you be? ;)
Blah-Chan: Hahaha! I thank you, and welcome you with the rest of us. We're all pretty much great Zori shippers.
Aym: I felt they did too, and even though it isn't canon, I still love it ^_^ Thank you very much!
ShinigamiCelty: Your name makes me think of Death Note :) I won't give up on it! I hope you love this chapter, too!
*and you other wonderful readers', thank you, too! You all are awesome!
Until chapter 11!
-artificialTrickster