A/N: I'm up way too late for my own good. People being too loud in the dorm.
#college life #first floor problems

Satomi's POV

Today is not turning out so well. Akahina has refused to speak or even look at me since she stormed out on me last night. When she finally did return that night, she said not a word to me and went straight to bed. Now, keeping up her streak, my best friend has left for class on her own, leaving me to walk to class by myself.

I can't remember the last time I walked by myself to class. I feel pathetic and absolutely pitiful. My brain can't even come up with any thoughts to distract me from how alone I feel right now. I'm so out of it, I almost didn't notice Zero as he slid in step with me.

"I see you finally did it," he comments quietly, "Ryo's a full vampire now. Speaking of, where is that hyperactive pain-in-the-ass?"

I shoot him a glare as the silver-haired hunter calls her a name. Sighing, because I don't feel like dealing with him right now, I huff, "I don't want to talk about it... just go away, Zero..."

Zero asks, "What? Did you two have a fight or something?"

"Since when have you been so interested in us?" I retort, dodging the question, if only for a few minutes. We'd be in the classroom in about 10 minutes; I can stall for just about that long.

"You guys did, didn't you?" Obviously, Zero isn't going to be falling for anything today.

I grumble, shaking my head, "Honestly, Zero, I don't even know myself. Just leave me alone!" I storm to class by myself, not even worrying that I am alone. I just can't get away from him fast enough for my own pleasure. I take my seat next to Akahina and all sense of anger vanishes as it's replaced by guilt once she turns her body in her seat to face away from me and have her back to me. I can already tell it's going to be a long day.

First class of the day is math. Today, we are moving onto Algebra 3 to prep us for Pre-Calc. No sooner have I finished the practice problems in my notebook that we will be going over shortly does Akahina snatch it up to copy my work.

Feeling hurt that she won't talk to me, my guilt turns back to annoyance. "You won't talk to me and you think it's okay to just up and take my notebook? I don't think so!" I hiss, grabbing it back from her. There's no way I'm letting her copy off me when she's ignoring my existence.

"You took my humanity," Akahina remarks in a hateful tone, taking it from my grasp that loosens as she says that.

I'm completely caught off guard. I recoil in my seat, unable to say anything to her. It's not like it isn't true, but she didn't have to take a petty argument over a math notebook so far. I'd have rather she had gotten up and just punch me in the face. That would have hurt less. By far.

Akahina spits, "That's what I thought..."

It doesn't get better. Each hour is more painful as the previous as the day goes on. Akahina's anger towards me seems to intensify to the point where she actually up and moves a seat up to sit in the row with Yuuki and Yori who eye both me and her in confusion. And when we are dismissed, Akahina, instead of waiting for me to finish packing up my school bag, ditches me and heads out to greet the Night Class with a few of our classmates.

I stand farther back than usual, almost feeling ashamed. I shouldn't have come. I don't even pay attention as the Night Class students come out of their dorms. I don't respond to my cousin who sends me a wave when she spots me from the crowd around her.

"Satomi? Satomi. Satomi!" Takuma's voice calls to me, the third time getting my attention. He stands in front of me, a worried look on his face. Probably because I look like I'm about ready to crawl under a rock and not come out. And honestly, that didn't seem like too bad of an option at this point since my best friend in the whole world wanted nothing to do with me. Not even the embrace of my fiancé is enough to drag my from how I'm feeling.

"H-huh?" I half-jump, "O-oh... Takuma, it's you..." God, even I can hear how depressed I sound.

Takuma murmurs, "I'm guessing things didn't go over so smoothly with Ryo after she changed?"

I shake my head, absolutely lost. "I don't know what to do anymore. No matter what happens, she always gets angry with me. I guess I deserve it, though..."

"Nonsense!"

"Takuma... I-"

"Just give Ryo a little more time. Her body must feel foreign to her now. She has to adjust to life as a vampire. Be patient with her, love."

Akahina's POV

Hanabusa comes walking up to me and I can already tell by his facial expression he's going to ask me about Satomi. "Akahina... why aren't you with Lady Satomi?"

"Because I don't want to," I smartly remark. It's not like we're attached at the hip. Just because she's a pureblood vampire and I'm a level C vampire, doesn't mean I need to be within such a distance from her. And right now, she's the last person I want to be around right now.

"What's up with you?!" he angrily responds.

I snap back, "Nothing!"

"Bull... shit..." Hanabusa mocks.

"It's not like you'd understand. None of you would. Not you, and especially not Satomi," I growl.

Hanabusa shouts, "Maybe if you let us in on what the hell is bothering you so much, we'd be able to. But you blow up at us every time! Just like you are now!"

"Ha! Now there's a laugh!"

"What do you mean?!"

"Vampires who are born vampires will never understand us vampires born as humans."

"You know what?!" he finally snaps, yelling at me, "Then why don't you just go gripe to Kiryu and stop taking your anger out on m and Lady Satomi! We're not some outlet for your anger issues, we're your friends. Not that you've been treating us like ones recently." With that he storms away from me. He's so mad; he doesn't even flirt with his screeching fans flocking after him.

Angered and hurt that he's now blaming me for this, I shout back in retaliation, "Fine! Maybe I will!" I stomp up to Zero who looks at me with a "what now" expression on his face. "We need to talk."

Zero turns his head and calls out to Yuuki, "Yuuki! You alright on your own?" Wow, I didn't expect him to ditch so easily just to talk to a classmate.

"Yeah, the Night Class is almost done passing through. Go ahead!" Yuuki permits.

"Let's go," Zero huffs. He leads me behind the horse stables for more privacy. No one comes around here anyway. Except for Zero and Satomi. "Is this all about you not talking to Kaneshiro?"

"How'd you-" I gasps.

Zero scoffs, "Save it. The whole academy practically knows. You didn't even eat lunch together."

I snap, "Well, it's her own damn fault!"

"Because she changed you?" Zero ponders.

"Yes!" I yowl.

Zero exhales, "Aren't you being a bit hard on her?"

I furrow my eyebrows. Oh he's one to talk. "Don't you spring that on me," I defend, "I didn't shoot her 5 times with an anti-vampire gun."

"Even so, I let it go and forgave her. I at least speak to her."

"You didn't forgive Shizuka."

Zero glares at me. Guess I said something I shouldn't have. But it's not like it's not true. He was all gung-ho and ready to kill her when he had the chance. Zero glowers, "Shizuka murdered my family and turned my twin brother against me. What really did Kaneshiro do to you?" He cuts me off as I open my mouth to object, "She turned you into a vampire, I know. But she did something for you... or else you wouldn't have stood up for her back then."

He must mean when he kept targeting Satomi and labeling her. I came to her defense without question back then.

I lower my gaze to the ground, mumbling, "She... she saved me from the level E... that murdered my parents..."

"And Kaneshiro didn't turn you into a vampire to make you a plaything of hers like Shizuka did to me. If she could, she'd turn you back in an instant. She did something Shizuka didn't for me... she saved you. From the Association and the Senate," Zero explains, hitting me with the truth that I didn't want to admit.

And that made me angry. So angry. I scream, balling my fists, "Why is everyone on her side?! Why does no one understand how I feel?!"

"Because you're acting like a brat!" the silver-haired, lavender-eyed hunter prodigy yells, "I get it! You didn't want to be this. You're not comfortable with life as a vampire. But shutting out the only people who want to be there for you isn't going to make it any easier for you!"

"What?"

"Don't think I don't know. You've been treating Hanabusa like shit too."

"I... I am not!"

"Just stop! Stop making Kaneshiro so upset because she can't seem to please you 24/7! You don't need to be the one to make her feel horrible about all of this more than she already is! If you've forgiven her like you keep saying, then dammit, Ryo, start acting like you have!" Zero scolds. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd hear Zero Kiryu, vampire hunter and hater of said creatures, come to the defense of a pureblood vampire.

I stammer, "Z-Zero..."

"What are you doing?!" he barks, "Run! Go fix things with Kaneshiro before I drag you there myself! MOVE IT!"

"R-right!" I squeak, tearing off to the dorm. I run as fast as my legs can carry me. He is right. I kept telling Satomi I'd forgiven her, then I'd keep yelling at her. I'd been so cruel to ignore her like I did.

Satomi's POV

I keep staring at my ceiling, silently lying on my bed. I feel so numb from Akahina ignoring me. It's past curfew and she's not here. She's so upset with me; she's willing to get in trouble with the Disciplinary Committee just so she can avoid me.

Of course, that's what I thought until she burst in the room. "A-Akahina... I-!"

"No, let me talk first," my best friend says calmly, looking directly at me for the first time today.

I nod, "O-ok..."

"I realize... for the past few days... I haven't been acting like a good friend. To you... or Hanabusa. I've been taking my frustrations out on you two. I just... my body feels..." she starts to explain.

"Foreign?" I finish her thought.

"Yeah..." she mumbles, "I don't like not knowing how my body works anymore. I was scared after my change... and how blood will taste from now on... and so I shut you out. That was wrong of me... and I'm sorry..."

I almost cry in tears of happiness. I lightly smile, "I forgive you. I hope you know that Takuma, Amaya, Hanabusa, and I will always be here to help you through this. You don't have to handle this alone. And we won't ever leave you. So... are we good?" I pause as she takes a step forward and throws her arms around me.

"Yeah... we're good..." Akahina answers and I tightly hug her back.

"You know this means you'll have to apologize to Hanabusa tomorrow, right?"

"Ugh... don't remind me..."

A/N: I know, I know, short chapter. Don't bite my head off.
Longer chapters will be in the near future. Just sit tight.
One more week 'til Thanksgiving break! Whoooo!