The rest of the week consisted of Akane dodging or ignoring Miu's attempts to coax her into attending the changeover again. She refused each time and even resorted to leaving class without waiting for her friends and walked back to their room alone. It was the only time she had during the week where she hadn't heard more good reasons why she should go.
"You need to socialise more. Because it's fun and because they're gorgeous, and… because I said so!" These had been Miu's main reasons, and finally, by lunchtime on Friday, she'd relented and stopped harassing Akane about the Night Class.
Kimiko had hosted a sleepover that night but Miu, feeling guilty about being the cause of Akane's progressively souring mood over the last week, had decided not to attend and instead, remained in her room with Akane. She wanted to make it up to her friend by spending some quality time together, without the Night Class as the discussion point for a change. Akane had assured Miu that she didn't mind if she'd prefer to be at the sleepover with the others, but she was grateful she'd thought to stay. Her nightmares had been more frightening lately, ever since her late-night encounter with Aido Hanabusa.
"Aren't you going home today?" Akane asked at 10:05 Saturday morning, as Miu would have usually left by now.
"Yeah, but I have to get my mom a present from town. It's her birthday next Sunday, and this is the last chance I'll have to get her anything. I wanted to get her something myself this time, not just have my dad order something. You know?" Akane nodded then went back to her chemistry homework. "I was thinking…" Miu began, sitting on Akane's bed and sidled up to her friend. "Since I've been a total pain to you all week, I thought, maybe you'd like to come and help me pick something out and get some ice-cream. My treat?"
Akane smiled at Miu peeking at her sheepishly, accepting yet another apology for her friend's behaviour.
"Sure, I'll come. Just stop apologising, it's fine." Miu beamed, jumping back to her feet and scurrying from the room to get permission from the headmaster for her and her roommate to leave and go shopping in town. An hour later and the friends were walking through the town Cross Academy called home.
"Thanks for picking out the birthday card, Akane. I would have chosen one, it's just, my sister usually deals with the cards for me."
"You take way too long choosing something as simple as a birthday card, it's making my dread shopping with you to tell you the truth. But you're welcome." Akane grinned at Miu's look of mock indignation. "Now, do you have any idea what you want to get your mom for her birthday?" Akane asked as she and Miu walked down the busy street to the diners and coffee shops. The smells of coffee and sweet and savoury treats filling the air, shifting Miu's thoughts and bringing her to a stop.
"A new coat… I think." Akane rolled her eyes playfully. "Dad said she's had her green one for ages and would probably appreciate one for the warmer weather. But first, as promised, ice cream!" Miu cheered, opening the door of the ice-cream parlour for her friend.
The girls found a small table in the middle of the shop and settled in to wait for their treat. Five minutes later, after discussing which shops to peruse for the perfect summer coat for Miu's mother, their order arrived. Miu had decided they should 'go all out', and ordered a banana split with everything on top, for the pair to share. They ate their treat happily, discussing school, sharing ideas of other gifts Miu could consider for her mother, just in case they couldn't find a coat Miu liked. With their sugar levels high and purpose in their steps, the girls left the parlour in search of the perfect gift.
They decided to start at the top of the main shopping road in town and work their way down. Miu treated the outing like some covert mission to find the right coat as she hadn't been overly enthusiastic about thinking up other gift ideas and had a limited amount of time left to shop. So, resigning herself to an eventful and entertaining morning, Akane followed her friend from high-end boutiques to designer brand stores, giving her opinion on the garments held up for her scrutiny.
"Mom will love this!" Miu declared, admiring the waist-length, dark red coat she'd bought some hours after their search for a gift had begun.
"Definitely!" Akane agreed, appreciating the faint, floral design in the fabric of the coat which Miu had informed her would be perfect for Spring and Summer wear. It also had the benefit of hidden pockets on the inside, lapels around the collar, military-style button detailing and a thick belt which could be tied at the front or wrapped to tie at the back. It was designed to fall to mid-thigh and was made of a light material but would keep out a chilly wind. It was pretty and expensive, just like everything else Miu owned.
Unlike Akane, Miu and most of the other students of Cross Academy came from wealthy or well-off families that could afford to pay to send their children to such a prestigious institute. The only reason Akane had the good fortune to be with Miu, Kimiko and the rest of their classmates, was because she'd buried herself in her schoolwork after her home-life went through a dramatic change, resulting in Akane soaring to the top of her school and beyond in a matter of three years. Thus, gaining the attention of Cross Academy's Directors, as well as many other schools and colleges across the country after one of her teachers sent off recommendations on her behalf.
As Miu and Akane made their way out of the busy shopping quarter, ready to head back to the academy, Miu suddenly halted. A panicked expression overtaking her face as she began frantically rummaging through her shopping and handbag.
"What's wrong?" Akane asked as Miu thrust her handbag into her friend's arms so she could rifle through it.
"My purse! Oh, I think I left it at the store. My dad said if I lose that credit card, he'd kill me!" she whined, stuffing her belongings back into her bag. "Oh, man! I can't lose a third one this term. Wait here! Watch these. I'll be right back," she said, depositing everything into Akane's arms and darted back up the street.
With little choice, Akane remained where she'd been left, resting herself against the wall of one of the shops. Miu's handbag hung on her shoulder and the bags filled with the gift and other trinkets Miu had bought were held limply in her hands. The crowds were thinning out this close to the academy and due to the time of day, so, it was easy to hear as someone cried not too far away.
The sound came from down a side street behind the building she leant against. Akane peeked down the lane finding it deserted, but the crying persisted, so she ventured further to investigate.
"Hello?" she called as she drew nearer the sound, the further she walked. The side street connected to a lane that ran behind the shops and houses in this area of town, connecting the many side streets and the main road. At the crossover, Akane turned to the right and spotted a woman sat on the dirty ground a little way down the back street. She held her head in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Hello? Miss, are you alright?" Akane asked from a few paces away. The woman sounded miserable and her clothing embodied that sadness with their torn and stained state. She looked cold and hungry, her clothes certainly not enough to stave off the cold, especially not this time of year. Her blouse might have been white, once upon a time, but was now filthy from dirt and sweat. The sleeves were ripped with frayed edges and loose threads and one of the cuffs was missing. Her teal skirt was torn to almost tatters and barely covered her thighs. Her hair was dark, oily, hanging limply and unkempt about her shoulders.
The weeping woman suddenly stopped and pulled her grimy hands from her face, but kept her head bowed, panting heavily. Akane stepped closer, curios and concerned but still keeping a sensible distance. The woman was sitting in the middle of a deserted alley, dressed in rags, and crying to herself, after all. She could still be a threat and Akane had no desire to set someone off who may be a little more than slightly unstable.
"Hay? Do you need any help?" Akane's voice was gentle, calm so as not to startle the woman but she suddenly sprang to her feet and lunged at Akane. She staggered back but the woman caught her wrists and twisted them forcefully. She spun Akane around, using a hand to restrain one of her arms behind her back while the other held her across her chest in the same cold, clammy, bone-crushing grip.
"You smell so good! Give me a taste!" the woman cooed into Akane's ear.
"Let me go! Let go!" The woman licked up the column of her neck, inhaling deeply, seemingly unaffected by Akane's attempts to wrangle herself free. Suddenly, Akane was pulled from the woman and lurched forward into a wall, almost smacking her face on the brick at the force she'd been flung. She quickly turned back to the scene. The woman stood with her back to her, facing off against, Aido Hanabusa?
Aido stood a few feet away, eyeing the dishevelled woman with a look of dispassionate boredom. A scream sounded, followed by frightening, animalistic snarls and growls that Akane soon realised were coming from the woman who had just held her hostage.
"You should go now, Miss Nakamura," came a friendly voice as a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder, guiding her to stand behind them. Akane looked up at Takuma Ichijo, his eyes set on the woman who'd turned with a fierce shriek at the boy, displaying her fangs!
Akane's eyes darted between the three, her gaze lingering on Aido a fraction longer. Their eyes met and Akane quickly turned and ran from the area, her bags swinging, held in white knuckle fists in her hast to escape the small backstreet.
"Oof…!" Akane's breath whooshed out as she barrelled someone over, both landing in a heap on the cobbled street. She rubbed the newly sore spot on her elbow and looked up to apologise.
"Akane? There you are! Are you alright?" Miu asked, jumping up and holding her found purse in one hand while offering the other to help Akane to her feet. She accepted the help up and apologised again for knocking Miu over. "It's ok. Where did you go?" Miu asked relieving Akane of her handbag and shopping bags.
"I-I thought I heard something but, umm, it was nothing." Akane steered her friend down the road and away from whatever was going on with the Night Class students and that woman as quickly as possible. The visceral need she had to leave this area was sending surges of adrenaline through her veins, but she kept herself at a steady walk. Miu merely shrugged at her friend's sudden urgency to return to school but allowed Akane to drag her back. She did have a schedule to keep if she was gonna make it back in time for her father to pick her up.
Once the Human had run, Ichijo spared no time taking out the Level E with a swing of his sword.
"Did she see?" he asked Aido, as the former Vampire was scattered to the wind.
"No," Aido lied before suggesting they tail the Humans back to make sure Akane didn't attract any more unwanted attention.
"You're right, her scent is strong, it could draw out more Level E's than the Hunters are aware of in the area," Ichijo agreed in a troubled tone. "I wish the Headmaster had realised who Miss Hayashi's roommate was before he granted them permission to leave the academy." Aido agreed. Kaien Cross may have been a superb Hunter, but the guy sometimes seemed a few crumbs short of a full cookie. Ichijo sighed in relief as the blood tablet he swallowed took effect. "We should go before they get too far ahead."
They remained out of sight as they followed the Humans back to the academy without incident. Once the Humans were within sight of the entrance Ichijo left to inform Kaname that they had disposed of the Level E that had been reported and that Miu and Akane were unharmed and none the wiser. Leaving Aido to ensure they made it the rest of the way back to their dorms safely.
"I trust you'll keep your distance, Aido?" Ichijo warned in a teasing tone and a smile on his lips. He received an annoyed frown from the younger Vampire.
Aido knew he should stay away, never interact with the Unfortunate again, but he'd lied to Ichijo, and now, he had to make sure to erase his mistake before anyone found out he'd let the Unfortunate remember she'd seen a Vampire. He had no choice, he had to speak with her and make sure she kept her mouth shut. Also, her frazzled and panicked expressions were entertaining, to say the least.
"I'm going to leave this with you for now, so Mom doesn't get her hands on it," Miu explained as the gates of the academy grounds came into view. Her father was due to pick her up in 10 minutes, at 3 p.m. so, they'd decided to just wait by the gates. However, Akane wished they hadn't when she saw the figure leaning casually against the gates, looking like he hadn't a care in the world.
"Oh, my, gosh!" Miu exclaimed. "It's Idol!" Aido heard Miu's excited cry and turned to the girls with a pleasantly surprised expression.
"Oh, hello Miss Hayashi, Miss Nakamura," he greeted cheerfully, waving them over and of course, Miu practically ran, dragging Akane by the sleeve of her coat.
"You remembered my name?" Miu asked quietly, her cheeks flushing.
"Of course! How could I forget beautiful names, attached to such beautiful faces?" His tone was sultry, leaning closer to a swooning Miu, who wore her usual goofy, 'Idol' expression. Akane attempted to appear as impassive as she usually was, rolling her eyes at her friend as she turned to her excitedly, but couldn't make eye contact with the boy herself.
After Miu returned to Earth, she inquired as to why Aido was out during the day.
"I mean, I thought, with all your classes being at night, you'd still be sleeping?" she quickly added, not wanting to sound like she wasn't pleased with the change in his behaviour. "And you can call me Miu if you like?" she offered with an even greater blush to her cheeks.
Aido beamed charmingly.
"I decided, it was such a nice day, I'd come out to enjoy the sunshine. I was thinking of taking a walk." His voice dropped to a silkier tone as he leant down to be closer to Miu's level, causing her blush to darken. "Would you like to join me, Miu?" Aido asked, offering her an arm. Sadly, before Miu could do more than nod enthusiastically, a horn beeped, shattering her dreams in an instant.
"Oh, no!" she complained as her father appeared in his car, waving her over through the wound-down window. She looked back at Aido with a disappointed and frustrated expression. "I'm sorry Idol, I can't walk with you. My father's here to pick me up."
"You're leaving?" he asked in mock regret when inside, he was intrigued and pleased he didn't have to think of a way to get rid of her later to speak with Akane alone.
Miu nodded dejectedly.
"My family don't like that I'm away at school, so, I always spend the weekends at home." Every weekend, hmm? Aido inwardly smiled while Akane visibly tensed. She saw the sudden spark in Aido's eyes, even as he told Miu he'd make sure to walk with her some other time.
"Miu, come on! You'll see Miss Nakamura on Monday. Your grandmother's home from the hospital." Miu huffed before handing Akane her gift bags. The girls hugged, Miu waved sheepishly at Aido, her silly grin and blush still plastered on her face as she tripped into the car. Aido and Akane stood side by side, smiling pleasantly, waving Miu off until the car was out of sight.
Akane dropped her hand and turned abruptly to walk through the gates, taking long strides to get behind the safety of her dorm room door as quickly as possible. Aido followed her nonchalantly, thoroughly enjoying the unease he could feel from her. It appeared she had learned a thing or two about her natural predator and wanted to keep her distance.
"So, she goes home every weekend, huh?" He walked with his arms clasped behind his head, his ego and smugness, easily heard, shining through every syllable. Aido's face split into a wide grin at the lack of a response. It was electrifying to know he was getting such a reaction to his presence from her now.
"That's none of your business!" Akane snapped, quickening her pace as The Sun Dorms drew nearer.
"We need to talk about today," Aido said seriously, stopping at the entrance to The Sun Dorms perimeter.
"Well, you found your way into my room once, why don't you try it again!" Akane threw over her shoulder as she continued to march into the female dorm building.
"Was that an invitation?" Aido pondered in mock contemplation, a finger placed on his chin. He smiled mischievously and turned towards The Moon Dorms.