Sunday had come and gone. Akane had pushed the unwelcome thoughts of the night before to the back of her mind, to analyse another time, or to never revisit again, she had yet to decide. Now, on Monday morning, she was surprised to find Miu's bed in the same state it had been in all weekend, unslept-in. Miu had come back to school late once or twice before, so Akane hadn't been worried by this much, and figured, her friend would appear in either their first or second class. She did have some ways to travel and traffic was always unpredictable. So, Akane shuffled tiredly about her room, getting ready for another frustrating week of school.

Lunchtime and Akane sat with Kimiko in the school cafeteria.
"And you haven't seen her at all today either?" Kimiko shook her head before swallowing her food to offer her own thoughts on their friend being MIA.
"I wouldn't concern myself, Nakamura. Miu's family are very high up on the social ladder. Her father could have organised a formal birthday celebration for her at their summer house. He would have invited business partners and potential clients, using it as an opportunity to improve relations. It's happened before, and the Headmaster would be fully aware of it, so Miu won't be in trouble for coming back a day or two late."

Akane nodded, finding Kimiko's theory plausible and probably the most probable explanation, but she found it strange that Miu hadn't told her before she left. Maybe she didn't know, and her dad sprang it on her like she said he'd done with her big sister's engagement party? Deciding not to think about it any longer, Akane continued with her day as normal, ignoring the glares from the girls, still fully endorsed in the 'hate Akane campaign'. She tolerated the awkward semi-conversations with the boys who were brave enough to talk to her after her social dilemma with the girls and spent some time talking with Kenshin and Nori.

She sat with them at their shared desk between classes, discussing their interests and getting to know them better, laughing at the jokes Nori cracked. The guilt she felt over rejecting them both was fully forgotten once their conversations fell into a comfortable rhythm. She was grateful to them both, because, despite their disappointment in her decision, they were both still willing to be friends.

Like the good friend she was, Akane had diligently been taking extra notes in class for Miu, so she didn't fall behind upon her return. But that had been more tiring than she'd thought and by the time school was finally over, Akane was exhausted.
"My head feels like it's going to split open!" Akane complained as she passed girls rushing to the dorm to get ready for the changeover. She sluggishly dragged her feet through the chattering crowd to her dorm room and was grateful to close and lock the door, partially drowning out the irritating twittering from the hallway.

She fell onto her bed, buried her face in her pillow and groaning as the pounding in her head continued. Akane turned her head to stare listlessly into the room and watched the light of the, soon to be, setting sun, shining in through the window, which was open. Confused, she sat up and watched the curtains lightly fluttering in the afternoon breeze. Akane was sure it had been closed since before Miu left.

Her first thought was that Aidou had gotten into her room for some unfathomable reason. So, she irritably stood and bent down to check under the beds. Akane frowned. She hadn't found an intruder. She sat up and looked at the bathroom door. Climbing to her feet, Akane stormed to the door and wrenching it open, but again, there was nothing and it was the same with the shower and the closet. With nowhere left she thought the boy could possibly hide, she decided, she must have just left the window open.

The temperature was dropping quicker this time of year and the chill was creeping into the room, so she moved to the window and brought it down. The gust that swept into the room as the window closed, caused a piece of paper, Akane hadn't noticed until now, to fall off the dresser. Wondering what she'd left out now, she picked up the slip of paper and began to read, anger pulsing thick and fast through her veins as she did.

The paper was a note from Miu, but what she'd written had Akane storming out her room and down the stairs to the entrance of The Sun Dorms in less than a minute. She took long and angry strides. her face, the perfect picture of calm before a storm. It was a relatively neutral expression, but the fire in her eyes had many of the students she past giving her a wide berth.

She didn't react to the smile that widened as she strode purposefully towards him, but now that she could see him, surrounded by his peers and fans, another scenario was playing in her mind, one far more terrifying than the one that brought her to the gates of The Moon Dorms during the changeover. Akane walked through the Night Class, giving none a glance as her eyes remained locked on one individual, one pair of puzzled, topaz eyes, belonging to a face with a perfectly angelic smile.

She stopped before him and his tall cousin and thrust the piece of paper in his face. Blonde and auburn brows quirked simultaneously as Aidou looked wearily at the note.
"Explain this and make it good!" Akane warned in a deadly calm voice, that caused the Vampire to gulp. Hearing it coupled with the steely stare she sent him unnerved him. He'd never see her this pissed, and he'd irritated her plenty of times. So, whatever was on that piece of paper, it was bad.

He reached for the note, ignoring the noise from the Day Class girls and the stares from the other Night Class students, and opened it. The note read,

Akane,

I'm sorry I didn't stay to walk to school with you this morning, but something amazing happened! I was getting back to school when I found a note in my bag from Idol! He asked if I'd like to go for a walk this morning before class! I've written this as fast as I can for you, but I hope I haven't kept him waiting! I'll see you later,

Miu. XXXX

Aidou frowned, not recalling this note he supposedly gave to Akane's friend, in fact, he couldn't remember seeing Miu at all since they left the group with Yuki on Saturday. So, when he looked up and realised Akane thought he'd hurt her friend, his eyes widened.
"It's not true, I haven't seen her, I swear!" he defended earnestly, waving his hands in surrender at the firm glare on the Unfortunate's face.

Akane stared hard at the Vampire before her features changed to an almost painful grimace. Her head dropped. She stood for a second listening to her heart beating furiously in her chest. She was out of time. The only other explanation she had was one she had hoped to avoid. It was always going to happen, she supposed with a defeated sigh. It was just a matter of time.

She snatched the note back from the bewildered Vampire and turned towards her dorm, but Aidou shot his arm out, spinning Akane back around to face him to demand an explanation. He was surprised when she refused to look at him or even attempt to pull herself from his grip when usually, he would see the frustration in her dark emerald depths and laugh at her attempt to shake him off.

His grip loosened and Akane slipped through his fingers and walked back the way she'd come without a backwards glance. He watched her every step with a frown marring his normally cheerful expression. So, that's it huh? he thought as the scent of the tears he'd seen pooling in her eyes, before she disappeared, caught his nose.

Kain put a hand on his cousin's shoulder, to urge him onward, as the Day Class and Yuki were looking between the Noble and Unfortunate with questioning looks that he didn't think best be answered. Aidou walked on but headed straight to his Vampire Lord with a resolute expression. Despite the guilt he knew he would feel for what he was about to do, his mind was set, but he scolded himself for feeling so conflicted. What has that Unfortunate done to me?
"Lord Kaname! Please, I need to speak with you and Headmaster Cross." He waited anxiously as the Pureblood stared him down with an unreadable expression, before finally nodding, and resuming his pace.