*~*~ A/N – Another chapter with Damian, yay! I hope you enjoy this chapter, this is the first time I've had to write something like this. I think it turned out alright.

Anyways, lots of love to those that review! You guys keep me happy and writing chapters :D. I'm only sad I can't give the anonymous reviewer a picture to see. :(

Now, for real, I have to slow down posts to once every few days to once a week. School is starting on Monday and I need to get ready for it. So, probably won't update with chapter 12 for a few days. (Also, I lied, Naka explanation comes in chapter 13. Chapter 12 was too long so I had to split it into 2 chapters, the explanation is in the later chapter.)

Review incentive is a cute picture of Damian and Kari, so please review. :D*~*~


DAMIAN:

The pain was still there. It seemed to intensify little by little over time. I tried to ignore it, as I waited for Kit to leave her class so we could go to lunch; but it raged at me. Demanding my attention. It was starting to worry me, and my anxiety was showing. Kit had already asked me if I was alright twice today.

Maybe I should bring it up with Naka, I thought to myself grudgingly. I really didn't want to do that, but I didn't have very many options at this point. What if I were sick? What if I were contagious? Could dragons even get sick? I'd never been sick before, nor had any of my family that I knew of.

If I wasn't better by tomorrow, I'd bring it up with Naka. If I had to.

Kit came out of the classroom with her small gathering of human followers. I glowered at them, but they mostly ignored me. Probably from Kit's urging. There wasn't much of a threat from humans, I just found their incessant chattering a nuisance. I committed myself to ignoring them for the next hour or so, until lunch was over.

As we approached the lunchroom, Kit held back to speak with me. I suspected it might have something to do with my odd behavior, but her expression was one of gloating excitement, not one of worry.

"Guess what I found out today," she said, teasing. I wasn't in the mood.

"What?" I spoke not really caring for the answer. Some thing must have been off in my tone, because her smile faded and she frowned.

"Are you sure you're okay? You look... I don't know... weird."

I sighed, making an effort to sound normal, "I'm fine, just a little tired." She didn't look convinced, but didn't say anything more as she turned back to the humans.

I didn't get any food as we went through the line. I didn't feel like pretending to eat, and the food in this place was disgusting. We didn't need to eat as often as humans did anyways. Kit grabbed a tray for herself, the quality of food didn't seem to have much of an effect on her.

Kit led the way to a table, and I sat down across from her, as far away from the humans as I could manage. Most of them seemed to take the hint and stayed away from me, but there was one female in particular that was irritatingly persistent.

I was ignoring her attempts to start up a conversation with me when a familiar scent wafted towards me from the aisle way. I knew the scent; I had had it in my face for an entire hour yesterday. Not to mention the walk to the nurses office afterwords. However, yesterday it hadn't had the same effect as it had today.

I was no longer in pain. More than that, I was completely and utterly relaxed. Everything was now right with the world, because I now knew where the girl was, that she was safe, and that she was now close enough for me to easily protect her from any harm that may come her way. Heaven help anything that threatened her, because I knew I'd show it no mercy.

Not many things scared me, but at that moment, that little human girl terrified me.

Kit noticed her too. "Kari!" she called out excitedly, waving her over to our table. I felt sick because I wanted to hug Kit for calling her over. Probably to invite her to sit with us. An idea that I found I liked very much. Too much.

I stood up. I needed to leave. Now.

I forced myself to ignore her presence and focus on the door. I almost lost my will power when a chillingly sweet voice coming from across the room froze me in place.

"Edward," The vampire female spoke, "We need to leave. Now. Before he notices us."

They were here, my mind hissed at me. They were in the same room as the girl. That was not acceptable.

"Too late." I heard the mind reader reply, "Bella, we'll see you in class."

I turned to watch them leave. I would let them leave. Not because it would attract attention if I tore them apart in front of all these humans, and not because I'd have to go through Kit; but because I might scare the girl. I very much did not want to do that.

With them gone, I returned my focus to the door. I needed to get away from her, outside. I needed to clear my head.

I was too preoccupied with my confusion to see Kit's reaction as I all but ran to the door. Once outside, I ducked between two buildings, out of sight of everything, and jumped onto the roof.

I wanted to go farther, to go home and demand an explanation from the demon that was my mother, but I simply could not. I couldn't get any farther from the girl than I was now. Even this far was stressful, though it wasn't so much the distance that mattered. It was my inability to see or smell her. I couldn't be sure she was safe.

I tried to ignore those thoughts as I focused on calming down. It took me a moment to get to where I could almost think coherently.

Just what had happened? My mind was racing for some sort of explanation to make sense of it. This girl meant the world to me, and I had no idea why. No one had ever meant this much to me except for my family; and she was most certainly not family.

I thought about her in my head, and my anxiety calmed slightly; much to my irritation. There wasn't anything obvious about her that would warrant my

attraction to her, but, somehow, she was special. She was mine.

I shuddered at that last thought. It had come out of no where, but I could tell I meant it.

I stayed up there through lunch, grateful Kit did not try to come and find me. I was debating whether I should go to class or not. It wasn't much of a debate. In the end I'd decided that instead of brooding on the roof worrying whether she was safe or not; it would be better if I went to class and worried there, where I could see her.

I had no idea what I would do after we had to separate. That was a lie. I had a few ideas, I just didn't like where they were leading.

I waited until I could no longer hear anyone below before jumping down from the roof. I sighed wearily, the anxiety was already starting to subside as I made my way to Biology.

She was there already, reading through the small stack of loose-leaf paper sitting on the table in front of her. She didn't look up as I sat down.

That worried me a little. She was the focus of my attention, and she didn't even notice me. All the other girls in the school didn't seem to have trouble noticing me, why did it have to be this one that did? Life's sick joke on me, I suppose.

It was odd to find that sitting next to her actually made me think clearer. I'd have thought this new found obsession would make it harder to concentrate. No, my anxiety was completely content now that she was next to me. Where I could see her.

I sighed, looking over to see what she was reading through. It looked like notes, but it was hard to tell through the random scribbles drawn all over them. Stick-figures shooting each other and what looked like a giant square shaped monster with large teeth. I wondered what that was about.

My sigh caught her attention and she looked up. I didn't want to meet her gaze, afraid it might make my problems worse, so I continued to stare at the scribbles on her notes.

She noticed this and quickly shifted her arm so she was covering them, flushing with embarrassment.

"Studying for a test next period..." she mumbled, looking away.

I frowned, her words making me remember that I also had a test next period. Dare I hope?

"History?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Yeah," she answered making a face.

"You don't like history?" I mused, unwilling to stop the conversation now that we'd started it. Inside I was relieved, history was my next class as well. I didn't have to suffer through being separated. At least, not until after school; but I'd cross that bridge when I got to it.

"No, I don't," she replied turning to me. She looked a little surprised at my question.

I was relieved when meeting her gaze didn't make a large impact. I did have trouble looking away from those beautiful blue eyes, but I didn't feel any more worse off than I already was.

"All those dates and names, I have a hard time remembering them," she explained.

"Ah, I see," I said. I didn't want the conversation to end, but I didn't know what else to say to extend it. She saved me the trouble.

"Glad to see you're feeling better," she spoke after a while, looking back down at her notes. "Your sister said you weren't feeling well after you left the lunch room."

"I'm fine now," I answered quickly, not liking the turn in the conversation.

"Sorry, didn't mean to pry," she frowned, looking back at her notes.

We sat in silence after that, I was beginning to realize that conversations could be dangerous. I'd never had a desire to talk to any other human besides my father before; I hadn't realized how hard it was to keep secrets.

Fortunately, it wasn't much longer before the teacher came into the class room and began his lesson. Kari put aside her history notes and took out fresh paper to take notes on the lecture.

It was as dull as any other class, but I was disappointed when it ended. I was one hour closer to the end of school. That much closer to leaving her.