Summary:

Hanabusa Aidou discovers feelings he never thought he would have. Because of this, his state of mind is completely altered, he is unable to disguise his expressions and wants to remain quiet in his corner. Akatsuki Kain notices his friend's behavioral changes. What at first seems strange, becomes a great concern as time goes by. Meanwhile, Valentine's Day is approaching. Will Aidou have the courage to admit the feelings that are eating him up inside? Will Akatsuki find out what is wrong with his friend and accept what he discovers?


It was already a regular bustle. Although the screams were already a constant melody as soon as night covered the day. That melody began to take on a new proportion from a week ago. The reason: Valentine's Day was near.

"They sound like bees!" complained Shiki with distaste, wrinkling his nose.

"You should be happy to get so much attention!" rephrased Ichijou, taking the situation as a joke.

"I thought you'd have gotten used to it." mocked Akatsuki, a smile on the corner of his lips.

Leaning against the wall, his yellow eyes scanned the entire perimeter through the window. He had gotten used to that crowd, but what at first was no more than ten to twenty women, in this year ten more had joined.

"There are more and more of them!" exclaimed Ruka with a displeased sigh. Her elbows were resting on the windowsill. "It's already starting to get annoying!" she rolled her eyes.

Outside of all this excitement was a fully emerged Aidou in his thoughts. Sitting on one of the red couches in the great hall, he sighed each time his mind and heart remembered a feeling that shouldn't have existed. When had he started to feel this way? He didn't even know it himself. And when those two things came together, the feat of playfulness and smiling began to be a martyrdom to maintain once the day was over and a new night began.

"I wonder how many presents I will get this year?" Ichijou spoke again with excitement.

It was a truth to say that the Nigth Class students, whether male or female, beauty radiated with each passing day. At first, a rumor formed that didn't make much of a fuss. But as two years went by, things escalated to a huge proportion. As soon as the sun started to set on the horizon, more women from the Day Class gathered at the gates of the dormitory of the Nigth Class to watch those otherworldly beings leave and go to school. No one suspected that they were vampires, but even if they knew the truth it wouldn't matter because of their strange beauty. Instead of scaring them away, if they found out the truth, it would only cause the rumor to spread and instead of a crowd of thirty, they would have doubled or quadrupled that. Since the stories about gruesome vampires have become novel and beloved stories of the population.

"Our popularity is growing. Damn the time for ridiculous stories to come out in public romanticizing everything." Complained, once again, Shiki. And, with good reason.

"Maybe I should write a story about how romance exists, but it can be deadly," Ruka said, sighing once again and standing up. She had had enough of that yelling and had to get ready to go to class.

Away from that discussion about vampires, yelling and romance were an Akatsuki with his attention on Aidou's despondent figure. His friend's energy and cheerfulness had called a truce for weeks, and no matter how much he pretended that everything was fine, that mask was transparent before Kain's eyes. Not that he hadn't already questioned what was happening, but the answer had always been the same. Everything is fine. I'm just not in my day. Akatsuki pondered various scenarios for Hanabusa's mood change, but the one that made the most sense was the scenario of him falling in love with a mortal woman. Since to create a lasting romance, he would have to turn her into the same species. And the dilemma would be whether she would accept it or not. To want to exchange darkness for sunlight. And to live off blood instead of food. Too many factors against, in the face of forbidden love. Kain could have asked directly about this very question. But he preferred not to touch the subject, since Aidou was not well and could make him even worse.

If the shouting was terrible without their presence, once the gates opened, it was unbearable. The lucky thing was that they were on their best behavior and only screamed. Because if they threw themselves like crazy fans in front of idols, the security guards had their hands full. The forced smiles and hand waving to the crowd became a sacred ritual. However, Ruka no longer cared about that reputation. So, she passes them with ignorance. Shiki chose to always carry a book in one hand so he wouldn't have to look at them and smile. Ichijou, on the other hand, would nod and smile as if it was nothing. Akatsuki was also smiling, but his hands remained in his pockets, and Aidou, once cheerful and always excited, closed his eyes and forced a smile. And once the crowd was left behind, Ruka sighed with relief. Shiki closed the book and tucked it under his arm. Akatsuki relieved the pressure in his mouth and Aidou returned to his quiet, lost air.

Classes were already long, and so was the night. Exams were coming up and attention was focused on the teachers of each subject. The attention that was traveling again in desolate and painful thoughts. Aidou tried to understand, since he began to feel this way, the reason for such a feeling. Until then, everything was normal. But from one moment to the next, normality turned into a distorted reality. He knew how it worked. He had even read about it and, whether it looked like it or not, it matched what his heart felt. He was not ashamed to have such pure feelings, but he knew that he had to repress and forget them. Because besides being incomprehensible in the real world, it would be much less understandable in the person he had feelings for. He sighed again. He had to find a way to stop feeling that way and forget about that.


Talking was easy. Trying was hard. Changing your mind is another discomfort. The week passed and the long-awaited day arrived, with a huge crowd near the Nigth Class dorms. Aidou had woken up in the middle of the day, with only two hours of sleep. If he could consider it that way. Every day it was harder to hold those feelings in. He tried. He tried everything. In class, he tried his best to concentrate on the subject matter being pronounced by his teachers. In breaks, he would retreat to the most remote corners of the college, to find peace of mind and avoid contact with the person he loved. In the dormitory, he would run to his room. But the hard part was at mealtimes and socializing. In the dining hall, he could not escape somewhere else, but he could turn his back on the person he didn't want eye contact with by joining at another table with his colleagues. In socializing it was completely different. Although he was present in the activities performed there, his smile was barely placed, and his expression showed his discomfort no matter how hard he tried to disguise it. Not indifferent to the whole situation was an Akatsuki who noticed the absences and the sudden change in his friend's behavior. What was customary for the two of them to meet to play the letters after school and drink their cup of blood before they went to their rooms, ceased to be two weeks ago. Where Aidou's constant excuses were beginning to leave Akatsuki's peacefulness in a deep irritation. He tried, waiting for his friend to go to his room after their social hours, to question what was going on.

"I don't want to pry into your life, but the Aidou I know no longer exists. Can you explain what's going on?"

Those were the words spoken with fury and to the surprise of Hanabusa who stopped mere feet away and his blue eyes met the yellow eyes of the figure leaning against his door and with his arms crossed. He could run and turn away, but he swallowed dryly and forcing a soft smile on his lips, replied with the greatest of naturalness.

"I've been having some concerns, but nothing serious. I regret my behavior. But these days and in the present moment, I prefer to stay in my quiet corner. If you would?" and in a gesture, he indicated for Kain to move out of the way of the door so he could enter.

"I'll leave if you give me a reasonable explanation." His eyebrows drew together, demonstrating to Aidou that the conversation was not going to stop there, much to his displeasure. "We all have our problems. But yours must be more serious than you say."

"I repeat my words earlier. Will you please leave?"

The last person Aidou expected to encounter was a questioning, angry Akatsuki. And he didn't want to have to explain himself at all, least of all to him.

"You've been avoiding me and the others for weeks. Your smile is forced. When you find yourself alone, your expression looks broken. Aidou, I have two eyes that are not only good for futile things. And, being a vampire, I have better eyesight. What's wrong with you?"

"I'll say it again. Worries that take time to pass. Can you leave, please?"

Kain faced him once more and closed his eyes, sighing at the same time.

"There's no point in insisting, is there?"

Aidou only shook his head negatively.

Taking a deep breath, he then ducked out the door, letting his friend proceed to his quarters. The sound of the door slamming in front of him made him question even more what was going on. He knew him well. Playful, always smiling, collecting human stuff that he hides from the leader Kaname. A born heartbreaker. Not even when he ended a two-year relationship did Kain see him like this. If his theory of having fallen in love with a mortal wasn't right, then there had to be something else that left him in that state. But, what the hell would it be? Akatsuki scratched the back of his head. He was worried, it was obvious, and he was going to find out the reason behind it all. No matter what.

To be continued…