Disclaimer : Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino. I also don't own the Pillowpet brand, nor any manga called "Sunken Woods" if it actually exists.
A/N :
YOOO! What's up, you guys? ;D Is it just me or can you guys already believe it's March? When I realized how fast the time was flying by, I died just a bit on the inside. Only three more months until we need to suffer through finals before enjoying summer... At least, unless you're taking summer school. BUT ANYWAYS.
I finished the twenty-first chapter! I'm getting so excited. LOL. NOW THE CHAPTERS ARE IN THE TWENTIES, GUYS. HOLY- NSEOBNEWONBWEB.
There's more Shiki in this chapter, but I gotta admit, it's not revolving around him. -SLAPPED- ENJOY IT ANYWAYS!
Read on, m'loves, read onnnn! (:
Shitsuren.
A Vampire Knight fanfiction.
_"Broken Heart"_
CHAPTER T_W_E_N_T_Y_O_N_E :
"Breaking the Ice"
DAY TWENTY-FOUR
I watched as Yuuki and Sayori hugged tightly, speaking about how they would see each other when the break was over. The dark chocolate-haired girl looked sad to see her friend go, but her smile was somehow still happy. It was probably because she was glad that Sayori would be able to spend time with her family. Yet underneath it, I wondered if she was lonely, since she couldn't return to her own parents.
"You're not leaving?" Zero's silky voice inquired from next to me.
Glancing up to meet his eyes, I forced my voice to come out as apathetic as it usually would. I shut my mind off, trying to push all the thoughts surrounding the subject to the back of my mind. Trying to create a blank slate in my mind was hard, but I tried to do it as best as I could. "No. I'm staying at the academy."
He stayed silent for a moment, analyzing me with his pale lavender eyes. Instead of pressing me about why I wasn't returning home and instead staying with them for the break, he commented, "The vampires are leaving tonight as well."
"I'm surprised that nobody left earlier," I pointed out flatly. "Tomorrow's Christmas. Normally, winter break should have started last week." I had always been wondering why we still had classes when winter break would normally have already taken place, but I had heard from Ichijou that the Winter Dance had been set back this year due to technical difficulties, and so winter break had been postponed and also extended. It allowed us to have an extra week of break in January for compensation of losing the seven days in December.
"Don't you have something to give your vampire friend before he leaves?" Zero's quiet voice was laced with disapproval as well as bitterness. It was clear that despite everything, Zero still didn't like how I associated myself with the Night Class. He especially didn't like how I had actually grown attached to them.
"It's none of your business," I deadpanned, turning away from him. I redirected my gaze at the two females still saying their goodbyes. I had already done so—sort of. I'd rather not give out the presents directly, so I had settled for just sticking them into the respective person's dorm room. I hadn't signed a card or anything, but I knew that they would be able to tell simply by the scent.
Thinking about it, I wanted to let out an enormous sigh. After announcing yesterday to Aidou that I'd buy him something as a gift, I realized that it seemed so stupid how I was neglecting everyone else that was in Kaname's little clique. It wasn't as if I had any particular opinion on the rest of them, since I had never really quite spent time with them, but since I had started living in the Moon Dorms with them, I had to see them all pretty frequently. It wasn't as if I had never made contact with any of them, so I knew that they weren't exactly horrible.
Except for maybe Ruka.
She still looked like she wanted to rip my head off every time she saw me.
But I had made a few short encounters with Kain Akatsuki, and he wasn't really that bad. He hadn't been thrilled upon bumping into me, but he hadn't looked completely angered and disgusted. Rather, all his face held was mild surprise the first few times before he managed to keep a straight, neutral expression. He wasn't mean or rude to me, and he certainly didn't piss me off. In fact, the calmness that surrounded the tranquil vampire was something that I found very lovely. It was nice to know that not everyone was always cheerful like Ichijou, impassive like Shiki and Rima, hot-headed and loud like Aidou, or someone who hated me like Ruka. He was just... sort of there.
He was someone who seemed impartial towards my presence, and while he didn't go out of his way to be my friend, he didn't seem to mind speaking with me.
Admittedly, our conversations had always been more than just a little bit brief, but I had the feeling that he wasn't a bad guy. His eyes had always been warm and gentle, even though everything about him seemed so masculine and strong. Although those tangerine orbs were soft, I knew that if I hadn't been so uncaring, they would be able to send tingles of intimidation up my spine.
Considering the fact that the only people in the group that I wouldn't be getting a present for would be Ruka, Rima, and Kaname, I had given it a few moments of thought before grudgingly deciding to get something for everyone, so it didn't look like I was favouring certain people. The more that I had thought about it that way, the more relief that flooded into my system. By getting everyone something, it wouldn't look as if I had something more than just a platonic relationship with Shiki. I didn't want any weird ideas to form, especially not when it came to our relationship. If rumours were to fly around, I'd hate to know his reaction to them. I could almost imagine the stiffness that'd line his indifference if that were to happen.
So I had really actually spent time impulsively searching for a present to give everyone, and let me say, it was more dreadful than I would've imagined. Not only did I have to gather so many gifts, I was buying them for people I didn't even know that well. Shopping without knowing if the other person would like it or not was horrible enough, but to do it for people who were practically strangers... It had made me so frustrated. I had no clue what they liked or what they disliked. I didn't even know what their favourite colours were. The only things that I possessed were vague ideas on what their hobbies were, and even then, I wasn't even completely sure.
To say the least, it had been torturous.
Thinking back on it made me scowl instantly. I wasn't even sure why I had even bothered to spend so much time and effort into finding gifts for them when they probably didn't even want any. Because of two certain vampires, I wasn't even sure what I was doing anymore. My brain got all messed up, even though I was supposed to know exactly what the limits were.
She was right—Amaterasu, that is.
Change.
What a scary thing.
Tingles along my body, and then her soft voice brushing my mind. "Not all change is bad, Riku."
I gave an internal snort. I'm sure that's true, but from what I've experienced, the words "change" and "Riku" going together is guaranteed havoc.
"Do you think the way they're affecting you is truly such a bad thing?" she questioned, an already knowing sort of tone in her voice.
Yes, I answered frankly. My eyes narrowed slightly, my hands clenching. And you know why it's such a bad thing.
She gave a soft sigh. "You're still thinking that way."
It's how I'll always think, I retorted sharply. There's no way that I can think any differently.
"Riku, if you were in their shoes, wouldn't you want to know even if it might hurt a lot more afterward?" she asked.
I didn't need to think about it. No. I wouldn't have wanted to meet them, if that was the case.
She was silent for a moment, clearly shocked at my words. I could feel the surprise reverberating through her as she processed the words I had said. It caused her to tense up slightly, and it took a moment for her to gather her thoughts. "How can you say such a thing?"
Because it's painful.
"Are you so scared of pain, Riku? I thought that you were stronger than this." Her voice was soft, but there was a somewhat challenging tone in it. It wasn't clear to me whether or not she was trying to provoke me into saying something that I'd probably regret, but I didn't want to give it too much thought.
I'm not strong at all, I admitted bluntly. Why would I intentionally put myself through such excruciating heartache when it could be avoided?
"Because with that pain comes memories that are full of warm laughter and immense happiness," she answered swiftly, not even an ounce of hesitation in her wise, melancholic voice. "Don't you think it's a fair exchange? To share your happiness with them and have them remember it even later?"
Happy memories would only hurt more, I returned. To be able to think back and remember that person... it would only make me wish for that person to still be with me even more. It would be easier if we hadn't met at all, or if I could simply forget them completely.
"That's so incredibly sad, Riku," Amaterasu murmured. Sadness coloured her tone, and it only made my heart thump a bit harder inside my chest. "Can you honestly, genuinely say from the very bottom of your heart that, if you and Shiki-san switched positions, that you'd regret meeting him? Do you regret spending time with him, getting to know him, being friends with him?"
... Yes.
"Liar," her voice was just a breath, "I know everything about you."
Agitation lined my thoughts. Then don't ask me.
"You need to admit it," she returned, the frown in her voice mirroring the one that was on my face. "Denying it won't get you anywhere. What happened to accepting everything and not running away anymore? Where's that girl that stood up and faced Kaien, even though you were so uneasy about it? I want to see her again. She resembles the you from before."
I felt like all the oxygen just left my lungs. A lump formed in my throat, making it hard to swallow. I wanted to cover up such feelings with anger, yet all I felt was numbness. I felt as if I had been standing out in below negative ten degrees Celsius for hours. My entire being felt cold, the blood running through my veins almost freezing.
Don't bring her up.
"You were so different as a child," she murmured.
Don't talk about this. I gritted my teeth together. She's gone.
"Don't you intend to return to the old you one day, when this is all over?"
Stop joking, I scoffed. When this is all over, there won't be a day for me to return to who I was, and I know that. Stop trying to implant strange thoughts into my brain—it's forcing unpleasant memories to emerge.
Amatersu was silent for a moment, and I jolted slightly when Zero spoke. I had almost forgotten that we were still standing near the gates, waiting for the Day Class students to finish saying goodbye to their friends. However, the one that Zero was addressing wasn't me, but Yuuki, who I had just realized was in front of the two of us.
"Are you finally done?"
"Yeah," Yuuki nodded her head. Her wide, doe-like crimson eyes were dimmed slightly, but they were somehow bright. A smile was on her face, but it looked somewhat wistful. "I'll miss Yori-chan a lot over the break."
"We can tell," I informed her flatly, thinking back to how tightly and how long they embraced one another. It was clear that they had a strong, close bond with one another.
I wondered if that was how it was like with Shiki.
A snort almost left me at that particular thought. Shiki and I weren't nearly as close as Yori and Yuuki—even I knew that much. But I had to admit; I wanted that kind of relationship with someone of the same gender as well. Yes, Yuuki and I were close, but it wasn't to the extent where I could pour my heart out to her.
It was a saddening thing to think about.
"You can never have a bond like that with someone with your current perspective," Amaterasu chided, alerting me of her presence once more. "It's not as if you can't share with them everything about you, but rather that you choose not to."
We're back to this? My thoughts were flat and just as apathetic as my voice would've been if we had been speaking aloud to one another. I thought we dropped this topic. It wasn't a question, but rather a statement.
She knew that too. "Riku..."
Everything always goes back to the fact that I don't want to drag them into this due to the end that I know is inevitable. This discussion was over the moment our first ever conversation about this matter concluded.
"You're so stubborn."
When you find someone who isn't, gladly tell me.
"Well, I highly doubt that anyone is quite as stubborn as you."
Yeah, well, nobody's exactly been through what I have.
She didn't say anything for a moment. Then in a barely audible whisper, "I'm so sorry."
I let out a sigh. We've been through this. Don't—
"Sasaki."
Upon hearing that angelic voice, I froze. My entire body was rigid, my heart stuttering slightly in my chest. Yuuki and Zero stopped what they were saying to look over at who I knew would be standing there with the same nonchalance sculpted onto his porcelain face.
"I shall leave you for now. It seems that you have something important to tend to."
We're not done—I was cut off when I felt another round of tingles invading my system, signifying that she returned back to her own protective shell that I couldn't reach. I hated how she was able to infiltrate me so easily, yet I could never come into contact with her on my own. It was irritating—it was just a reminder that she was the one that was truly in control of this body that was supposed to be mine.
"Riku," Zero said lowly when I didn't make any move to answer the model.
"S-Shiki-senpai..." Yuuki drifted off for a second before asking, "Shouldn't you be asleep at this time? It's ten in the morning."
"What did you come here for?" Zero questioned. He elbowed me roughly in the side, causing me to whip my head up to glower at him.
Shiki's indifferent voice sounded slightly sleepy. "I need to take Sasaki with me back to the Moon Dorms. We have important things to discuss."
"And those important things are?" Zero's tone was less than friendly, but I was glad to know that he was still civil.
I turned around, still slightly stiff with shock that he'd be awake at this time, just in time to see his head tilt a fraction to the side as he responded, "Sorry, Kiriyuu-san, but it's not matters that concern you."
"Like hell—"
"Zero," I interrupted, jabbing him in the stomach. As he clutched at the spot I had hit, I said, "That was for what you did earlier." My eyes fluttered upwards to meet blank azure ones, and I addressed the Night Class student next. "Are the matters truly that important, Shiki?"
"Yes," he answered. "Let's go. Ichijou-san is probably whining about how I'm being slow." His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his—I just noticed—dark grey sweats. He wore a thick white jacket that had faux fur lining the wide hood, but I had a hunch that he was wearing casual clothing underneath it as well.
"Why is Ichijou-senpai awake as well?" I inquired, already taking steps towards him. The action was nearly absentminded—I just felt pulled towards him, as if he had invisible strings attached to his fingers that latched onto me and made me move to him.
Unfair.
He had already turned on his heels, his back facing us. He looked over his shoulder at me. "Of course. I told you that we have important matters to discuss. Ichijou-san would never be excluded from something so significant."
"What could be so important?" I demanded from him. He was already walking away, and my feet began to follow him. I shot a glance behind me to where Zero and Yuuki stood, giving Zero a shake of my head to tell him I'd be okay. He didn't look pleased at all, but he hadn't reached into his Day Class blazer for Bloody Rose yet, something that didn't slip my mind.
"You'll see," he answered vaguely.
After a moment of silence in which we only trudged along the path towards the Moon Dorms, I observed, "You're tired."
"I'm a vampire," he reminded me in a casually disinterested tone. He didn't turn around to look at me as he continued walking ahead, his footsteps so quiet that it was almost as if he wasn't walking along the earth at all.
"Oh, is that so? I completely forgot," I shot back sarcastically. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I rephrased, "I was trying to ask you why you're awake at this time. Can't this discussion that you speak of wait until later, when it's time for you guys to actually wake up?"
Shiki paused for a moment. "Is it such an inconvenience to you, Sasaki?"
Incredulity was weaved into my voice. "Inconvenient for me? Shiki, I'm not a vampire."
"Oh, is that so? I didn't notice at all." The blankness in his tone that was already present didn't change, but the sarcasm that coated his words was so clear. I wasn't sure how I knew that he was being sardonic, but I just did. I supposed it was because I had been around him too much, and I was beginning to get used to his behaviour. I felt like I was starting to understand Shiki well enough to correctly translate his words and blank tones into phrases that expressed what he truly wanted to say.
But of course, it was also probably just me being unnecessarily arrogant.
"What game are you trying to pull?" I scowled in aggravation, my eyes narrowing at the back of his head as I tried to figure out what he was thinking. However, I had no luck as we had already reached the luxurious building that was the Moon Dormitory. We had easily passed the guard that sat waiting at one of the other entrances to the Night Class' living territories since we were both residents of the dorm. We made our way up the stairs that led to the enormous double doors. He grasped the handle of one and pushed it open, walking into the foyer first. I followed after him, and froze when my eyes swept across the large and spacious area.
The vampires that were the closest to Kaname were all awake and lounging around, their eyes darting to rest on Shiki and I the moment we had walked in. I stared at them with masked bewilderment, wondering why all of them were up at such a time.
Aidou had previously been pacing around, but he stopped and stood still as we had entered the dorm. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, his cerulean eyes not drooping with sleep in the least. In its place was a bright, almost feral glint in those deep ocean orbs, and they narrowed slightly as they rested on me. His hair, which looked like it was made from the finest threads of the purest of gold, swayed away from his devilishly handsome features, though a few stray tresses fell into his eyes. He was dressed in a matching pajama set, and while it was plain, it was clear that the material it had been created from was more than just expensive.
Ruka was standing at the start of the stairs, in the space where the intricate banister curled outwards slightly before extending upwards to the top. She leaned against the railing, her waving strands of extremely pale straw-coloured hair cascading down her shoulders and back. Some wisps fell into her eyes that were tinted with what looked like immense agitation. The glower she shot at me showed me that she was not the least bit happy about my presence. Her perfect lips were pressed together into a tight line that was pulled downwards. A pale pink nightgown fitted over her perfectly shaped physique, the material falling down to mid-thigh. A white shawl made of the same material was draped over her shoulders delicately, and she held the two ends together in front of her chest with a hand.
With an indifferent face that matched the one that Shiki always had painted on so well, Rima sat on the second step that ascended upwards of the staircase. Her long, slender legs were uncovered and they touched the ground easily. Her hands, which were loosely curled, rested on her lap, and her expression would've given away nothing at all if it hadn't been for the downward tilt at the corners of her smooth, carefully shaped lips. Her dark orange-gold hair that was normally seen tied into two pigtails on either side of her head was left down, the ruler-straight strands falling delicately over her rather bare shoulders. She didn't have a shawl wrapped around her to keep her from the cold of the morning, but she didn't seem to notice it despite only wearing a black nightgown that held a layer of black lace over it. Her eyes, though just as blank and cautiously nonchalant as Shiki's, were a deeper shade of sapphire, and they narrowed just a tad as they landed on me.
Sitting down in a rather lethargic manner and looking just as serene as he always did was Akatsuki. He had one of his immensely long legs propped up to rest against the knee of the other. Both of his arms were stretched out along the back of the couch, his head tipped back. His breathtaking gold eyes slid to meet mine through the corner of his vision, not changing his position. His waves of tangerine were swaying away from his eyes, so it gave me a clear look at them. Unlike the first two, he didn't seem to emit any hostile feelings or any displeasure. The emotions that were displayed in his eyes seemed more like confusion and mild surprise, but that seemed to be about it. His expression didn't change in the least upon my arrival, his look still solemn and slightly lazy. The buttons of his black satin nightwear were undone until halfway down his chest, and a pair of white pants made of the same material covered his legs.
Next, my eyes fell onto the male that sat with one leg folder over the other on the coffee table, the man clothed in a set of matching emerald sleepwear. He had propped an elbow up onto the knee of the top leg, resting his chin into the palm of his hand. A wide, bright smile adorned his inhumanly angelic face, the smile itself almost so beautiful that it was blinding. Ichijou's wide, but charismatic forest eyes were sparkling like facets on a jewel that got hit by the light. His usually neat sun-kissed hair looked just the slightest bit tousled and out of place, but it didn't seem completely unfit for him. He radiated a beaming aura of happiness that made the sun look shameful. He made it seem like there was nothing wrong in the world. His emotions were so different from Aidou and Ruka's, I couldn't help but wonder what was up with their different moods. If it was something so serious, could Ichijou truly look so carefree and delighted?
I took a mental note that the dark brunette with the dark ruby eyes was nowhere to be seen.
As a movement in my peripheral vision took my attention, my eyes darted away from Ichijou to rest on Shiki, who had removed his coat and hung it on the coat hanger by the door. The same impassiveness surrounded him, his eyes meeting mine in a way that told me nothing. His disheveled maroon locks had been tossed around a bit more by the wind on our way up, making it even messier than before. I couldn't help but notice that even though he could've, he hadn't moved to take a seat next to any of his fellow classmates, but rather stayed near my side. My eyes also took in the way I had been correct about what he wore underneath his jacket—a long-sleeved, button-up dark red shirt. It hung from his frame loosely, but it somehow looked so amazingly good on him.
Minor tension danced in the air between all of us, and my eyes kept darting between everyone.
"Sasaki-san!" Ichijou exclaimed, breaking the stillness that had settled between everyone. "You're finally here! I was so anxious while I sat here and waited—I wanted to see you as soon as possible. You have absolutely no idea how happy I am that Shiki managed to find you and bring you back!" He stood up as he spoke, striding towards me and stopping just a few feet away.
"... Right," I agreed lamely, not knowing what else to say. Trying to catch Shiki's eyes, I questioned slowly, "So the important matter that we need to discuss is...?"
"Those," Ichijou grinned at me brightly as he swept his arms in a grand gesture to the table he had been sitting on just moments ago. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline before I could stop myself as my eyes skimmed over familiar wrapped gifts that were laid out on the table. I hadn't noticed it before, since I had been solely focused on trying to read everyone's moods and emotions. Not to mention Ichijou's tall and broad figure obscured most of the presents from my view.
An uneasy feeling washed through me, and I felt like I was a deer caught in headlights. They weren't supposed to find the gifts and then bring me back to discuss about them. They were merely supposed to find them, open them, and then go back to bed, not whatever this—this?—I didn't even know what this was. I felt like half of them were angry with what had happened and yet the other half just didn't care too much about it. Was this a chat on how stupid it was of me or a talk about their thanks? I wasn't even sure I wanted to know.
Maintaining my calm and uncaring composure externally, I forced my voice to come out unwaveringly. "And what of them?"
Ichijou blinked his gleaming eyes at me. "Well, of course we wanted to open them when you're with us. We'd also like to thank you!"
I had to cough to cover up my choke. Did I hear him right? "What do you mean, 'you wanted to open them when I was here'? You could've just opened them up yourselves."
"But that wouldn't be any fun," Ichijou pointed out to me with a lovely smile. "Besides, we only have limited time to see each other before we leave for two weeks. We should make a lot of happy memories and spend lots of time together before we go, right?"
"Is that how you see it?" I deadpanned. I didn't really see what his point was. It was true that sometimes time seemed to flow a bit faster or slower due to the circumstances, but even so, it wasn't as if the length of our absence was over a month. It wasn't that long, but I felt like I should've known better.
It was Ichijou, after all.
"Don't look at me like that," Icijou chided lightly with warm emerald eyes and his lips pulled upwards. "I really do want to make pleasant memories with everyone before departing for two long weeks."
"That's not the issue, Ichijou-senpai," I half-mumbled.
"Ah?" He blinked his eyes at me curiously. "Then what's wrong, Sasaki-san? Are you feeling unwell?"
I knew that if I even tried to explain my train of thought to them, it would only get put into a jumbled mess and probably make Ruka even angrier than she already was—and by the looks of it, she was plenty mad already. So I just kept my mouth shut, shaking my head subtly at him. "It's nothing, Ichijou-senpai. I'm fine."
"Are you positive?" Ichijou's eyebrows scrunched together in worry as he looked at me.
Before I could respond, Aidou interjected. "She said she's fine, Ichijou-senpai." With aggravation lining his handsome, prince-like features, Aidou strode purposefully in my direction, his arms still folded across his chest as he stopped just a mere foot in front of me. With a scowl twisting along his lips, he demanded, "What the hell, Sasaki?"
I gave him a less than amused look. "What?"
"What did I tell you yesterday, huh? Did none of it get registered in your brain? I don't even know what to say, I'm just so—I don't even—" Aidou stopped himself from saying any more, his expression contorting into one of immense displeasure. He continued scowling down at me, an expectant look in his vividly bright cerulean eyes.
"You said something yesterday?" My look gave nothing away as I stared up at him. Of course, I remembered extremely clearly what had taken place between the two of us yesterday during my hunt for Christmas presents, but I was choosing to ignore that specific part in which he had told me that my present would be like receiving torture. Admittedly, I didn't get Aidou a present because I wanted to make him unhappy—it was the complete opposite, actually.
How he took in, however, was something I couldn't control.
I could practically see his eyebrow twitching in barely chained aggravation and anger. He spoke through gritted teeth, "Oi, Sasaki—"
"Wait!" Ichijou exclaimed, cutting off whatever Aidou was about to say. Surprise and curiosity covered the neat blond's eyes as he inquired, "What happened yesterday? Sasaki-san, you met up with Aidou-kun?"
Ichijou's tone bothered me, and I gave him a wary glance. "No." It couldn't exactly be called "meeting up" if it had never been intended, right? Right.
He blinked his eyes at me. "Is that so?"
Aidou scoffed, turning his head away from me. "As if I'd intentionally try and meet up with someone like her."
"But you guys did see each other," Ichijou confirmed.
"Not willingly," Aidou emphasized once more. "You wouldn't catch me trying to meet up with someone like her even in a million years."
I gave the haughty blond a brief look. "It was accidental."
The olive-eyed aristocrat made a contemplative sound. He looked between the two of us, and then commented lightly with a smile, "No wonder."
Confused, I asked, "No wonder what?"
"Aidou-kun came back yesterday from his patrol in town really annoyed," Ichijou chortled, "but something was different about it. I suppose that whatever happened, you guys got a little bit closer to each other, right?"
Whipping his head to look up at the taller blond, Aidou's face was sculpted into one of horror and disgust. "What did you just say? No! There's no way in hell that I'd be bonding or getting closer or having anything to do with her!"
"Stop yelling," Ruka told him in her elegantly cold voice. "Your voice is giving me a headache."
"Then go back up to your room," Aidou retorted.
Her pale eyes narrowed at him daringly. "Say that again, Aidou."
"I said—"
"I thought that the reason we brought her here is to open up our gifts?" Rima intervened, her voice just as indifferent as Shiki's. She flicked a glance at me, and almost as if the eyes of everyone in the room didn't affect her, she stood up with grace and moved to where the presents were all placed.
Ichijou, who had looked like he was just about to stop the fight between the wavy-haired female and the other blond, seemed relieved with her interruption. Nodding his head, he beamed brightly at us. "That's right. We brought Sasaki-san back here so we could all open our presents together. Aidou-kun, Ruka-chan, let's try to get along for now, okay?"
They stared at the older blond vampire for a moment, looking like they were about to protest violently against his words. However, Ichijou's lips curled up into a bright smile, and they just couldn't get their objections out.
Ruka's lips pressed together, her hand tightening its hold on her shawl. She made a delicate, almost inaudible "hmph" sound as she turned her head away.
"Tch." Aidou swiveled around, looking displeased.
"Who wants to go first?" Rima asked indifferently, stopping as she reached the table. She peered at the presents that had all been wrapped in a variety of wrapping paper. They had no idea how much I had struggled with the stupid wrapping—it had taken me absolutely forever to actually wrap the things properly. It had been my first time doing such a thing in quite a long while, and I wasn't eager to do it again anytime soon.
I had balls and balls of used tape in my garbage can, right on top of all the disproportionate pieces of wrapping paper.
Akatsuki looked around at everyone, and as his eyes landed on me, he hoisted himself up off the back of the couch. It was probably pity that drove him to say in his calm, deep voice, "I'll go first."
"Can I go?" I muttered to Shiki under my breath. It was beyond strange and awkward for me to watch as people who were practically strangers to me open up gifts I had gotten them. I doubted that they would actually like what I had gotten anyways, since I had no idea what they liked and disliked. If I got something wrong, I'd rather not be there to witness their horrified and disgusted reactions.
The model slid his eyes to meet mine. "It'll be fine, Sasaki."
"So you say." I broke our short moment of locked gazes, letting my eyes shift back to where Akatsuki was carefully, but swiftly opening up his wrapped gift. When he saw what was inside it, he raised an eyebrow.
"So, Akatsuki? What'd you get?" Aidou asked, sounding like he didn't really expect much.
"A book," Akatsuki said, opening up the cover and flipping through the pages. "I've heard of this novel before. Its genre is romance, isn't it?"
Aidou whipped his head to stare incredulously at me. "You got Akatsuki a romance novel for Christmas?"
I ignored the blond, and instead faced his cousin. Staring at him steadily, I asked, "Have you ever read the book before?"
"No," the orange-haired vampire admitted amicably. He didn't sound like he hated what I had got him, but he just seemed kind of surprised and perplexed—something that I had been expecting. "I'm not exactly a romantic."
"Read it." It sounded almost like a demand. When his topaz eyes met mine, my gaze was unwavering. I stated flatly, "You'll get why I got it for you when you read it."
"Is that so?" Akatsuki made a contemplative sound. He turned the book over to look at the back for a moment, before turning it back to the front. He once again opened it with his long, slim fingers. Letting his eyes meet mine once more, he held up the opened novel and said, "Thanks, Sasaki."
I could only nod at him awkwardly in response, and I saw something like a look of amusement cross his features before he turned back to the novel. His amber eyes glided over the words—was he already starting to read the thing? I had been expecting him to just leave it in his room or something and not touch it.
"How about you go next, Rima?" Ichijou prompted, a wide smile on his face. He sounded excited even though he wasn't opening his own present. He turned to look at me over his shoulder, and then made a motion with his hand. "Come and sit, Sasaki-san! You too, Shiki. Why are you guys just standing near the door like that?"
"I'm fine with standing," I informed him. I had almost blurted out to him that I was standing near the door because this way, I could make my escape easily if Ruka suddenly decided she wanted to lunge at me, or if Aidou wanted to throw stuff at me after seeing what I had gotten him. It was also off to the side, so I didn't feel like I was in the center of attention.
Ichijou's lips tugged downwards into a concerned frown. With eyebrows pulled together, he asked, "Are you sure? It looks very uncomfortable standing. You must be tired."
"Oh, just leave her be, Ichijou!" Ruka exclaimed, sounding exasperated. Anger lined her voice, her eyes flashing. "Why does it matter whether she stands or not?"
It was moments like these where Ruka's unconcern for my well-being earned my gratitude.
"Ruka," Akatsuki chided lightly, slight disapproval in his tone. He lifted his head up from the book to stare at the beauty, his expression just as neutral as always.
Her lips thinned. "I'm going back to sleep." The wavy-haired female noble shot me a glower, which I responded back to with a blank look, before she began up the stairs, her tresses of glossy silk hair flowing behind her. Her nightgown seemed to billow out a bit with every movement she made, and she tightened her grip on her shawl as she walked. Her footsteps were quiet, but you could tell that they were laced with anger, annoyance, and frustration.
Akatsuki sighed, watching as she went up. "Ruka," he tried again.
She ignored him.
"Just let her go, Akatsuki," Aidou advised. He, too, followed the figure of his childhood friend as she reached the top of the staircase and then rounded the corner. "You know how Ruka is. She's probably extra grumpy today because she's tired. I'd rather not get yelled at by her again today."
"Hanabusa..." Akatsuki and his cousin exchanged a long look with one another, having a wordless conversation that I didn't understand. But eventually, Akatsuki's stiffened body relaxed, and he sunk back into the couch a bit. Resuming his previous position, he once again turned his attention back to the book that he held gently in his tanned hands.
Aidou tore his eyes away from the staircase, and redirected his attention. He took a look at the time, then began to tap his foot impatiently. "Can we hurry this up? I need my beauty sleep."
"I'm opening it," Rima informed us flatly in her musical voice. Finding the first package that had a card with her name written on it, she carefully began to unwrap the shiny paper. She did it swiftly and precisely, not even ripping the wrapping paper at all. She blinked as she opened up the box, pulling out a large black umbrella out. It was gothic or Lolita style, with a lot of frills and complicated designs on it.
When she looked up at me, I felt an automatic need to explain why I had chosen it for her. "You go out a lot during the day. That one's larger than your average umbrella, so it's more efficient when you're with others, too."
"I know," she answered. It didn't sound harsh or snobby coming from her, but it still made me feel like an idiot. Of course she would know—why I had gotten it for her was pretty obvious, after all. She glanced down at the other package with her name written on it. Picking it up, she didn't look at me as she asked, "You got me two gifts?"
"It's one gift," I corrected her nonchalantly. "With two parts." Because I felt stupid for just getting her an umbrella. I would've gotten Akatsuki two gifts as well since I had to admit a book was a pretty crappy Christmas gift, but I had ran out of money.
This time, her eyes flickered up to lock with mine for another second. Opening it up with just as much precision and caution as the first time, she slid out another box—I had somehow managed to find enough boxes that correctly suited the sizes of all the presents, since wrapping something square or rectangular was so much easier than struggling to wrap something with a more complex shape—and after opening it, pulled out a dolphin Pillowpet.
"It's so cute!" Ichijou blurted out immediately, a laugh escaping him.
Aidou's eyebrows were furrowed slightly as he looked at that. "What is it?"
"Pillowpet," Rima answered him vaguely.
"That doesn't tell me anything!" Aidou protested immediately, sounding agitated. He was scowling with his arms still in the same position as earlier. He made his way over to where Akatsuki was sitting on the couch, and upon reaching his calm cousin, the wavy blond flopped down next to him.
Rima spent a moment petting the animal-shaped pillow, hugging it to her and then pulling back to look at it again.
"Rima?" I couldn't tell whether Shiki's apathetic voice held a chiding tone to it or a questioning one. To me, it sounded like a bit of both. When I turned my head to look at the maroon-haired model, he was staring ahead at his companion with his usual expression.
"Shiki, it's soft." She pet the pillow once more, and then raised her eyes to meet mine. "Thanks, Sasaki. It's cute."
Staring into her beautiful sapphire eyes, I really wasn't sure what I was supposed to feel. On one hand, I felt a bit pleased to know that she didn't completely hate what I had gotten her—or, at the very least, she didn't outwardly show it—but at the same time, I wondered how she felt about getting a present from me. After all, she must've known how I felt about Shiki. There was no way that the orange-haired model was oblivious to that fact, especially since I seemed to be hogging him lately.
I never really knew where I actually stood with Rima. I didn't hate the model, but at the same time, we had never gotten a chance to bond closer for me to like her, either. To me, we were on neutral grounds with one another—as long as you excluded the fact that I was envious of her relationship with Shiki more often than necessary. However, how the dazzling azure-eyed model felt about me was a completely different matter, as she was just as unreadable as Shiki was. Although Rima did seem more vocal and upfront about how she felt, she still maintained a rather aloof and uninterested expression, emitting a nonchalant vibe that matched Shiki's.
We had never really talked, and as a result, I had no idea how to respond to what she said. It felt awkward to me—it made me uncomfortable, and not to mention it made me feel pretty horrible about myself. It was normal to be jealous of someone, yet seeing her apathetic kindness made me feel like punching myself for all the times that I felt slightly bitter towards her simply because of her connection to Shiki.
My face absentmindedly twisted into a scowl at my own thoughts.
I felt as if I was becoming one of those catty girls that often started fights with other females because both parties were going after the same guy. I had always scoffed at those girls, whether it be in real life or in stories and movies. I had always found it so stupid how they got jealous and felt so upset with the other person that they'd resort to doing things like bullying. Of course, I wasn't stooping down to the level where I felt like I had to perform ridiculous acts to attempt and ruin Rima's life, but the mere feeling of being mildly resentful had me feeling as if I'd been slapped.
Really, I hated what he was doing to me. I genuinely loathed all the emotions that he brought out in me—how was it possible that he could make me feel like I was someone who mattered, yet also somehow managed to make me feel as if I was a scumbag that needed to be backhanded a few times?
"Sasaki-san?" Ichijou's inquiring voice brought me out of my own musings.
Snapping back to reality, I realized I had an unpleasant facial expression on my face and quickly rearranged it back into my indifferent one. Not knowing how to respond to her words, I merely nodded my head in response, the awkwardness practically seeping out through my pores.
After a brief silence in which nothing occurred, Ichijou glanced at Aidou who merely glowered slightly in response, before clasping his hands together brightly. "I'll open my present next!" He picked up the long, but thin box first.
Rima moved out of his way, giving him more room. She strode up to Shiki with grace, and looked up at him. He merely stared back at her in a silent inquiry, and she gave him a rather pointed look before turning back to face Ichijou while by the maroon-haired model's side.
Ichijou slid the object out of the box, blinking his eyes at it. Holding the ends of the scroll, he unfurled it to reveal a realistic painting of a katana on the cloth. It was a pretty big scroll, with a really nice background of a mountain. The sword itself was painted in thick black, making it stand out. Ichijou's eyes were wide as he looked at it.
Shiki, too, seemed to pick up on why I had gotten it for the emerald-eyed aristocrat. "Ah. Ichijou-san, doesn't that look a lot like—"
"The katana I use," Ichijou finished in a murmur. His eyes skimmed along it for another moment, a smile tugging at his lips. "It's beautiful."
"Yes, we all know that you think the old-fashioned scroll that nobody uses anymore looks great," Aidou said flippantly, a sarcastic twinge lacing his voice. "Are you going to open up the next one or just stand there drooling over this one?"
"You're in too much of a rush, Hanabusa," Akatsuki faintly chastised.
"Of course," Aidou scoffed. "I'm tired and it's so early in the morning—we're vampires, Akatsuki. We're supposed to be sleeping right now. Do you know much it wore me out to have to handle her yesterday?"
Akatsuki raised his eyebrow a fraction. "Didn't you say that nothing happened?"
Aidou's scowl deepened. "Nothing did! It's just—I don't know how to explain it, Akatsuki! Something about her just drains all the life out of me and it's annoying and I want to go to sleep!" A frustrated tone was now in Aidou's voice, and he ran a hand through his wavy locks of gold. He sounded like a child about to break down or throw a tantrum.
"Then go," I retorted, not flinching away from his piercing glower as his eyes snapped to meet mine. He could easily get up and leave the room, and yet he was still here. I didn't understand why he'd choose to remain here with us if he was so unhappy about it when he could just leave like Ruka did.
"Trust me, Sasaki," Aidou snorted, cockiness surrounding him in robes. "I would if I could."
I stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment. "Why can't you?"
Aidou opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Ichijou's sheepishly cheerful voice. "Actually, that'd be my fault, Sasaki-san." When I turned to look at the tall blond, he merely smiled innocently at me in response. "I'm the one who asked everyone to gather here so we can open presents together."
Dim incredulity sprung up inside me as my eyes shifted from Aidou to Ichijou and then back to the cerulean-eyed noble. How was it that someone like Aidou was being held back by someone as kind as Ichijou? Was I the only one who saw a problem with that he had just said?
Shiki must've seen the disbelief that I was struggling to hide. "Sasaki, Ichijou-san is the vice-president of the dorms."
"I know," I started off flatly, "but how does that—" I stopped myself.
Oh.
My eyes shifted over to Ichijou again, and I had to bite down hard on my tongue to keep myself from saying something along the lines of, "Are you stupid?" I didn't understand why Christmas was such a big deal to him.
He smiled at me in response, his straight rows of white teeth showing briefly. Carefully rolling the scroll back up, he set it down gently on the table and picked up the second part of his gift. When he opened it up, he exclaimed, "You got me the box set of Sunken Woods!"
It was some kind of mystery, suspense, and thriller manga that I hadn't actually read myself, but I had remembered overhearing Ichijou speaking to Shiki about it one night when I had been getting ready to head out for my patrols. From the animated way he had been speaking, it was clear that he really liked the manga, and I happened to see it in the store I was in. I had been hesitant in purchasing it, but as I looked at Ichijou's sparkling eyes, I was relived I had stumbled across it.
Beaming, he placed the new set of manga down before striding over to me. I eyed him warily as he came closer, wondering what he was doing. As his arms shot out and wrapped around me, pulling me to him, the surprise that masked my features was uncontrollable.
"What—"
"Thank you so much, Sasaki-san!" he cut me off. "I love both of these gifts so much; I can't possible express the extent of my gratitude!" His warmth radiated off of him, engulfing me to the point where I almost felt like I was about to sweat from the heat.
My face was pressed into his shoulder, the contours of his muscles very noticeable due to the thin pieces of clothing that separated us. Even though I wasn't exactly uncomfortable with the position, as I had gotten used to Ichijou's openness with physical contact, it still surprised me. In all honesty, I didn't know what I was supposed to do. Hug him back? Push him away? Just stay like this?
Unable to find an appropriate way to respond, I merely remained motionless, my eyes staring straight over his shoulder. I found it disgustingly amusing how my heart beat no faster than its normal pace in the arms of his inhumanely gorgeous blond optimist, yet it would've been speeding into overdrive if the person was a certain maroon-haired model.
At the thought, my body stiffened slightly.
It really shouldn't be like this.
"What's wrong, Sasaki-san?" Ichijou's curious, soft voice was so close to me, I could hear it so incredibly clear. It was a nice harmony—smooth, fluid, tinkling with emotion and tainted with a brilliance that dimmed and brightened, but never seemed to leave.
"Nothing," I responded, not wanting to admit that I had been thinking about the indifferent cerulean-eyed male.
"Are you sick?" Ichijou questioned, his hold on me loosening. This guy worried too much. How many times had he asked me something similar in the past hour?
I expected him to break our embrace apart, but instead, his face came incredibly close to mine as he lightly rested his forehead against mine, his eyes staring into my own.
If I hadn't been rendered speechless, I would've made some kind of strangled, drowning cat sound. I was ridiculously aware of how close his face was to mine, and how the warmth of his hands sunk through my Day Class uniform and tickled the skin of my waist.
What was he doing?
I voiced aloud this thought, watching him with eyes under furrowed eyebrows. My voice came out just as flat as it always did, but even I could tell that there was something strange about it. It wasn't as if I was excited about Ichijou being so close to me, nor was I completely revolted by it, but there was just something about the position we were in.
Dear lord, what coated my voice was something similar to embarrassment.
"Checking to see if you have a fever," Ichijou answered easily. He blinked, a thoughtful expressing crossing his features. He puffed his cheeks out a bit. "Well, you don't seem to have one."
"I don't," I answered.
"You don't look very well, though," Ichijou commented. He didn't lift his head up from mine, nor did he let me go.
Letting the confusion show on my face, I stared back into his sparkling olive orbs. Ignoring what he was saying about my well-being—who would actually look like they had won a million dollars in the same situation as I was?—I opened my mouth. "Ichijou-senpai, what are you—"
His grip on me tightened abruptly, cutting me off as I suddenly got pulled closer. His eyebrows were furrowed as he looked at me intensely, and I wondered what the hell was running through his mind. The way he gazed at me unnerved me—it made me feel uneasy. I could feel my stomach clenching, my intestines feeling like they were coiling up tighter.
"Wait, Sasaki-san," Ichijou told me as I craned back slightly from him. "Don't move."
"I don't—"
Another voice this time—an indifferent voice that I knew so well. "Ichijou-san—"
Something wrapped around my forearm and pulled, breaking me away from Ichijou's embrace. The movement was so unexpected and swift that I found myself losing my footing for a moment, lightly bumping into a solid wall. Surprised, I looked up at who had grabbed my forearm in such an unexpected manner, my heart giving an almighty thump.
But I knew that it couldn't possibly be him.
Face to face with a clearly annoyed Adiou, I wondered how I hadn't noticed him getting up from the couch he had been resting on with Akatsuki earlier. But then again, I had been a bit occupied with my raging mind.
Aidou scowled fiercely at me. "Are you done trying to flirt with the Vice Dorm President yet? Like I said, Sasaki, I do have a life. You're wasting time I could be using for my beauty sleep."
"Aidou," Ichijou reprimanded.
"What?" Aidou whirled around to face the taller vampire. "What do you think you're doing? I clearly wasn't going to sit back and just watch some kind of affectionate show that you two decide to put on. I never knew your taste in women was so horrible, Ichijou-senpai. How could you have possibly sunk so low?"
Slight amusement was in Ichijou's voice as he chuckled, "Really? I wouldn't call someone of Sasaki-san's calibre low at all. Rather, I think that she's one of a kind. In an extraordinarily good way."
Horror plastered itself onto Aidou's facial features, and he looked like he had either just seen a ghost or gotten told that his hair wasn't as beautiful as Shiki's. To me, it really just looked like he had gotten slapped in the face. "Did—did I really just hear that right?" Raising up his arm that held mine, causing my arm to follow his action, he gave our arms a shake and asked incredulously, "This Sasaki?"
Beaming, Ichijou nodded his head. "Yup!"
"Ichijou-senpai," Aidou started very seriously, "go get your eyes checked. Take your words back before it's too late. It's Sasaki. Do you understand what you—"
"Sorry, Aidou-san," Shiki apologized nonchalantly as he interrupted what the other noble was saying, "but Ichijou-san, what were you so fixated about?" He didn't even flick Aidou a glance, despite the way the said vampire seemed to flare up in indignation.
"Don't just interrupt—"
"Hanabusa, calm down and just listen to—"
"Sasaki-san." Ichijou's voice stopped anyone else from trying to get into the conversation. Aidou, who looked like he was about to tell Akatsuki off, closed his open mouth to keep his words inside. We all stared at the tall vampire for a moment, waiting for what he was going to say next. Something about his tone of voice was unsettling—it seemed a bit too serious, a tad too solemn.
Involuntarily, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. Despite the slight anxiety that bombarded me like falling rain during a storm, I met his gaze with my own. His emerald orbs, too, looked a bit too dim for comfort. "What is it, Ichijou-senpai?"
He remained silent for a moment, like he was trying to find a way to phrase it properly. "Sasaki-san, when we first learned about who resides in you... your eyes changed colour when you were in tune with Amaterasu-san, right?"
My blood seemed to run cold. "Why?"
"Your eyes—" he paused for a moment, his lips thinning slightly. He looked more worried than afraid. "They're not... pure lavender."
"What?" The word left my lips in a hiss. My heart pounded in my chest, and I somehow managed to feel both blazing hot and freezing cold at the same time. Something shot up my spine, making me want to shudder. My fisted hands clenched tighter until my knuckles were white, and I couldn't help but feel disbelief, incredulity, and confusion spin inside me.
Immediately, I ripped my forearm out of Aidou's grip and whirled towards the staircase.
Ichijou had to be joking. There was absolutely no way—I didn't understand.
I had barely gotten five steps towards the winding stairs when another person caught my wrist. I tried shrugging him off—I didn't want him to see it, just in case it was true. Yet he firmly tugged on my wrist, forcing me to twirl around and face him. When I turned, I hadn't expected his face to be so close, but it was.
The breath was knocked out of me.
Shiki's eyes were slightly narrowed as they stared into mine in a scrutinizing way. He maintained his bored expression, nothing about his expression or his eyes giving away his thoughts or his emotions. I could see myself reflected so clearly in his pale, glass-like blue eyes, which meant I could see the slight panic that was written across my own face.
The moment he opened his mouth, I already knew that Ichijou hadn't been kidding.
Tearing myself away from him almost as if he had burned me, I bolted up the stairs as fast as I could, ignoring the maroon-haired model who called out my name. All I could think about was getting to the mirror. I felt like I needed to see it for myself—it just seemed so completely and utterly impossible.
Slamming open the door to my room and then locking it shut behind me, I strode into my bathroom hastily, flicking on the lights. I brought myself up as close as I could to the mirror, forcing my eyes to widen a bit so I could get a better view.
For a moment, as my heart thumped uncontrollably in my chest in what seemed like fear, horror, uneasiness, and panic, I couldn't see what either Shiki or Ichijou did. Looking at my own reflection, I could only see what I had seen for the past few years—nothing looked out of the ordinary.
But the dread inside me didn't leave, and I didn't need to wait long to find out why.
After another moment or so of staring hard at the reflection of my eyes in the mirror in front of me, I began to see it.
The faint flakes of crimson that were scattered around my lilac irises.
A/N :
Yup, that concludes the twenty-first chapter! I hope you guys liked it!
Man, I really have to admit, I'm starting to love writing about Aidou. I dunno, maybe it's because I find it so fun. Or maybe it's just because he dislikes Riku so much, and it's fun thinking of what he'd say. IUNNO. BUT IT'S FUN. HAHA.
Don't worry, you guys! The next chapter will definitely contain a lot of Shiki than this one, so I hope you guys are going to look for it and stay tuned! (;
And what's this about Riku's eyes? OH SNAP.
I apologize for any spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and any OOCness that may have taken place in this chapter! ;O
SPECIAL THANKS TO MY AMAZING REVIEWERS;
Lianne Sabrina, Smirk 'N' Sweat Drop, Yamai-san, ZabuzasGirl, LadyAmazon, Storygirl11, Shannyrox101, luvJesusInHeavn, Princesa de la Luna, Astin, Darkemi, x3sYellowie, XXTakaraXX, AwesomeEraser, OH. MY. GOD, Youknowwhothisis, I'm Plotting Something Evil, Tsukuda Sumiko, The Goddess of Flash, and Rane Kurodo
You guys are more than just "amazing" for reviewing for me, and you guys have absolutely no idea how much I appreciate it! So thank you guys so much, and I really hope to hear from you guys again! (:
Also, thank you to everyone who alerted and favourited!
The next little bit is just going to be me responding to a few reviewers, so... Like usual, if you want, you guys can skip this part, but if you guys want to continuing reading, then it's okay, too! xD
To Smirk 'N' Sweat Drop;
HAHA. Trust me, I smile a lot when I write about then, too! I'm glad that I managed to make you smile (: I love writing about them. Heh, well, I got a new chapter up, so I hope you enjoyed it! And I always try to list everyone who reviewed, and I try to answer people, so... ;D Look, you're in the A/N again! Or, well, you always SHOULD be in the list of reviewers, but ANYWAYS. Thank you for the compliment and for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed the chapter (:
To Yamai-san;
I'm glad that you like my stories! And I'm really, really curious... Which author do I remind you of? ;O Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope you liked the chapter~ ;D
To Shannyrox101;
LOL. Really? I feel so refreshed after midterms, it's like a load has been lifted off my shoulders. Sorry about the typo! I read in your review in Heterochromia that you had your midterms coming up, and I'm guessing you finished them by now? I hope that you did well! But I also hope that you didn't strain your health studying. =P Fighting! HAHA. I like writing about both Riku and Shiki as well as Riku with Aidou! They're both fun in their own way, and your questions will definitely be answered as the story goes on, so I hope you look forward to it! I love reading long reviews, so I'm happy that you gave me one! I hope you liked this chapter, and thank you so much for reviewing for me. You're awesome. (:
To Astin;
Nono, please don't say sorry for being an anon. HAHA. I like anon reviewers, too. I mean, I don't have a problem with them. =P SO IT WAS YOU! Thank you so much for that review! I recognize your shooting star at the end of your reviews, but... I didn't know how to do that. LOL. -SLAPPED- Thank you so much for reviewing for me, and I hope to hear from you again! (:
To x3sYellowie;
I showed Aidou in this one too! -sparkly eyes- Well, everything will be answered in the end, so I hope you look forward to it! And who knows, maybe Aidou doesbecome friends with Riku! Or... Is he a rival? DUN DUN DUN DUNNNN. LOL, I'm being so mean by teasing people like this. -SLAPPED- I loved the ending of the last chapter, too. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I'm glad that I made you smile! I'm also glad that you're one of those people that don't think Ichijou is secretly in love with Riku. LOL. Thanks for reviewing for me like you always do, and I hope you liked this chapter! (:
To AwesomeEraser;
First off, I gotta say I love your name. -grins- And I'm glad that you don't think he was out of character! I'm actually going to addressing the responses to the previous question as a whole later, but ANYWAYS. I'm glad you thought it was awesome even without the presence of Shiki. xD I felt like in the earlier chapters, all I need was focus it on him and Riku, and it bothered me, so tada! I have to admit, it's really fun writing about her with other people as well. I'm glad that you like what I'm doing. HAHA. Well... Riku opening up. Hmm. I think it'll happen pretty soon... Sort of? It'll happen during the winter break and from then on, but I don't want to give too much away, so... OTL. I'm glad that I've made you a happy reader. It makes me a happy writer. xD Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement, and I'll continue doing my best! thank you so much for your review, and I truly, truly hope to be hearing from you again! ;D
To OH. MY. GOD;
Well, I wouldn't call it stressful, but... HAHA. I'm glad that I made you happy by updating! I laughed when you said you bragged to your friends about it. -snickers- I hope that the fanfics they're reading have also updated by now! Last minute shopping for presents is a serious pain. It really is. -SLAPPED- I had fun writing that scene, too. Oh, Riku. -sighs- Showing her affection when he's asleep. He missed out. -grins- YES, FLIP 'EM TABLES OVER. That's how I feel sometimes, too... When I do a lot of things. LOL. I hate headless mannequins. I gotta say, I just had to make Riku hate them, too. It amused me too when Riku was kinda irritated at flinging Shiki's gift aside, but I felt like it showed that's how much she cares about it. I'm so bad at writing fight scene! -SLAPPED- T_T It's why you hardly ever see me writing any! D; But I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. xD I think a lot of people WOULD be rooted to the spot in fear, but y'know how Riku rolls. She just... doesn't stand there in fear like that, so she thought the woman was stupid. LOL. I purposely wrote "Sasaki" that way, wondering if people would get heart attacks thinking it was Shiki. (; The "don't start drooling" line made me laugh when I wrote it. LOL. I had a lot of fun writing their interaction together, and I'm glad you liked it too! LOL. NO WORRIES. Riku picked up her gift on her way back. She would've blown a building up if she had forgotten it after spending so much time trying to decide what to pick. LOL. Back to "beastly"? XD You make me want to go back and change it so that it was "beau" instead! OTL. -grins- And yeah, I get really worried. I'm so conscious of it, because I know that I hate it when writers don't keep the characters in character. Well, I don't see why it wouldn't be okay with me if you have it bookmarked. In fact, it makes me feel so cocky and flattered. LOL. Whoa, PRINTING it? Hmm. That'd be a lot of paper. xD You don't need to be sorry about not reviewing often; I'm just glad to know that I have a reader like you! I love hearing from you. HAHA. You're hilarious. Thank you for reading Heterochromia! I'm glad that you like it! HAHA. I think that, in some ways, Ivy's more complicated than Riku. BUT THEN AGAIN, THAT'S ANOTHER STORY, SO. NEOBNWEOBWEB. I try with the chapter titles. Trust me, I do. xD It's alright if you don't read my other fics! ;O Don't push yourselfff =P I want you to read and have fun reading, and it's definitely not that fun if you don't know what's going on. =P Of course you can draw her! I'm really looking forward to the finished product! HAHA. YOU'RE making ME all excited. xD Ah, really? Please, don't say thank you! ;O I mean, I should be the one thanking YOU for reviewing. You have no idea what it means to me. (: And I really love replying to reviewers, it's fun. xD I always try to reply to people who write something that make me especially happy. (: If you review for me again anytime, I promise you I'll reply! So thank YOU so much for your review and taking your time to write one for me as well as for reading, and I hope you liked this chapter! ;D
To I'm Plotting Something Evil;
I'm glad that you love my story and all, but WHAT? I MEAN... ARE YOU OKAY? D; I-I... I'm glad that you find Shitsuren touching, but it worries me now that I know you can relate to her pain that way! D; If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm all ears. For reals. Like, anything at all. if this story gives you inspiration to stay strong, well... Please keep on reading. If this story gives you strength, then... -nods- Thank you so much for reading, and for reviewing for me. I hope that by reading this story, maybe the pain that you can relate to has subsided just a bit? -hopeful look-
To Tsukuda Sumiko;
He really IS amusing. LOL. I loved writing the scene with the blanket. I'm the one that wrote it and all, but I swooned a bit. -SLAPPED- Ichijou is trying to play cupid in all of this. It's fun writing about him, too~ Shiki and Riku are just... -sigh- IT'LL COME. The time where they figure everything out with each will come. It just... might take a while... OTL. I DON'T THINK I CAN MATCH UP THE CHAPTER 19. EVER. OTL. I rewrote scenes in that chapter so many times, holy... It's going to be hard trying to top that. xD When Shitsuren ends, you gotta tell me if I ever surpassed it. Or, well, in any of my stories. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for always reviewing for me! I love hearing from you xD
And that concludes... My really, really, really... long responses to reviewers. HAHA. Sorry if you guys actually spent a lot of time going through and reading them!
This part is actually going to be talking about the responses I got for the Aidou question. IUNNO, YOU GUYS. XD I got a lot of mixed responses for it. Some people said he was a bit OCC, while others said he wasn't at all. It was really just a matter of opinion, and I'm glad that you guys told me what you thought! To be honest, I felt like I had him down pretty well... Maybe it's just me and my cockiness, who knows? HAHA. I tried making him cocky, but... the conversation he had with Riku at that time was too serious, and I feel like Aidou is a pretty serious person when it comes to something like that. So yeah. BUT ANYWAYS. He was also in this chapter, and I hope that he's... less OOC? For those of you who felt he was OOC, I mean. I MEAN, LIKE... I didn't try and change how I saw him or anything or how I believe he'd act, but the conversation this time is lighter, so yeah. BUT OKAY. ENOUGH ABOUT THIS.
This time, I'm sorry, but I gotta ask you two questions. LOL. You guys can answer both, of just pick one. I'd love to hear your thoughts on either!
The first question is; Why do you think Riku got Akatsuki that romance novel?
And the second question is; Why do you think Riku's eyes are flecked with red now?
Maybe the reason is super obvious to some people, and maybe it's not. I have no idea, which is why I'm asking you guys! HAHA. I wonder if anyone will be able to get it right? Tell me what you think the reason is in a review! (: The first question will be answered in later chapters, but the second question will be answered in chapter 22! So tell me your thoughts about it!
The next chapter will contain Shiki in it. And some more Aidou. 'Cause I have so much fun writing about him, and 'cause what Riku got him wasn't shown in this chapter. xD I hope you guys look forward to it! (:
Thank you guys for all the support, and I really hope to hear from everyone again!
Review for me if you think I deserve it! And also to tell me your thoughts. xD
XOXO,
-EverlastingxSong-