This is the point where you're going to have to decide whether to continue reading or cut your losses and run because this is going to be a long one. I will be continuing to try and keep close to the plot of the manga, but you'll start to see more of my own plot points from here. Fair warning, I am not consistent with my updates. Please let me know how you're enjoying the story so far by leaving a review. Enjoy XxXxXxXxXxXxX.

Aido was lounging on one of the extravagantly designed couches in the foyer of The Moon Dorms, irritably waiting for Ichijo to leave so he could sneak away to The Sun Dorm, and Akane. However, Ichijo was comfortably sat in a single-seater chair, one leg crossed over the other while reading his manga. His eyes gliding over the pages slowly.

"Miss Nakamura's predicament is a sad one, isn't it?" Aido had been laying with his feet up, appearing the picture of indifferent to his surroundings and turned to Ichijo at his forlorn tone.
"I suppose. I haven't given it much thought."

The green-eyed Vampire closed his manga and stood from his seat.
"I'm going to bed. Today was more taxing than I thought," Ichijo admitted with a pleasant smile, but Aido fought to arch a brow at his sudden decision to leave when he'd been happily sat there for a good hour without complaint. "Aren't you tired after today?"
"Not really. I'm going to get a drink," Aido said swinging his legs to the floor heading for the kitchen with hands fisted deep in his pockets. He didn't look back at the dorm Vice-President who he knew, was watching him.

In the kitchen, Aido grabbed a glass of water, dropped in two blood tablets and quickly drained the contents. He waited a few minutes before checking the lobby to find Ichijo had gone. Aido slinked soundlessly back into the kitchen and out of the staff's exit, into the courtyard. In a matter of minutes, he was expertly skulking through the darkened forest-like garden of the academy, trailing the wall surrounding The Sun Dorms.

He kept his senses sharp for the ex-Hunter. He'd nearly been caught twice previously in his haste to get to Akane's scent-filled room. Thankfully, tonight, there was no sign of the headmaster. After a cautious glance around, Aido hurried from the cover of the trees and climbed over the wall. He entered the main doors, which always remained open for Yuki to lock once her patrols were done, and so that anyone she caught out past curfew could be escorted in without inconveniencing anyone else.

He was in the warm and dimly lit hallway, tiptoeing around the squeaky floorboard he'd found on his third visit when the sound of a doorknob turning startled him. He trotted back gingerly to the stairwell and hid as a girl came from her room, yawning, and rubbing her face as she crossed the corridor to another room, closing the door behind her. Aido wasted no time and scurried back to Akane's door, grabbing the handle, it twisted. He was surprised to find it unlocked for the first time.

Akane looked up from her studies as the doorknob creaked and watched as Aido scuttled in, closing, and locking the door behind him. She raised an eyebrow at his laboured breathing but decided she didn't want to know why he looked so pleased with himself and went back to her notes.
"I won't be long, so, please wait before you start making a nuisance of yourself." Aido frowned but felt he didn't have it in him to be angry right now. So, instead took on a mocking air and bowed overdramatically, before moving to lie on Miu's bed.

As he walked around the studying teen, something on the floor caught his attention and he chuckled. He bent down and picked up a white, fluffy object and turning to Akane with a knowing smirk. Akane turned to the far too quiet Vampire and saw him holding up her damp towel, grinning. She'd let it drop from her shoulders once she was done drying her hair earlier and forgot to pick it up.

She glared suspiciously as he stroked the fabric, wrapping it around his hands as he spoke.
"How nostalgic."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, turning her attention back to her books.
"I remember that first night. There was a towel, much like this one, then too." Akane stopped writing and frowned.

Had she left her towel on the floor that night? She thought she'd picked it up and placed it on top of the chest of drawers before lying down to read, from what she could remember, at least. She studied the Vampire, closing her book, knowing she wouldn't get anything done with him here. I'm almost done anyway.

Watching Aido closely, a mischievous grin spread across his face, causing her frown and her confusion to deepen. I'm missing something here, Akane realised and started packing away her things. She pondered Aido's smile as she moved around her room, tidying away and reached for the towel he still held and dropping it in the hamper in the bathroom.

Akane reappeared, glass of water in hand for her 'guest' to use when his inevitable craving appeared and placed it on her bedside table. Aido had stealthily taken up residence in her bed in her absence, so, she settled onto Miu's bed, still trying to decipher that grin and what it could mean. What significance did the towel have? The Vampire watched, amused at the sight of the cogs turn in the Unfortunate's head.

Ok, the towel is definitely a factor. Think! The first time he'd snuck in, I'd taken a shower, then fallen asleep reading… I woke up… Akane's grimaced the more she thought. She brought her legs up onto the bed and crossed them along with her arms and closed her eyes to think. This was annoying. She would figure out this idiot and why he was smiling so damn wide. But Aido was here, after that?... When I heard that noise… unless… he'd been here the whole time? Her eyes popped open. My towel, I'd let it…!

One look at the leer Aido sent her, as realisation dawn on her face, was answer enough. The Vampire had been in her room when she'd been showering. This Vampire is the first man to see me naked! What the fuck kind of karma is that!? Aido sat up with a laugh as Akane's cheeks bloomed scarlet while her hands came to cover her mortified face.

"Don't worry Nakamura, I only watched for a second… maybe two." Her groan as she flopped back on the bed and curled herself into a self-conscious ball of regret only served to amuse him further. If he were to be truly honest, he'd have said he'd thought of certain aspects of Akane's body for longer than was appropriate (or safe), in the time he'd known her. That first peek had been exciting, even though, at the time, the situation had been terrifying. He had secretly hoped to find her in a similar state, but that was preposterous. Just a Human.

He climbed onto the bed where the Unfortunate lay and leant over her, placing his hands and knees on either side of her humiliated body, his grin fixed in place.
"What are you doing? Haven't you humiliated me enough for one night?" Akane's muffled voice sounded from where she hid under her arms.
"As entertaining as this is, I would rather make the most of my time here, as that is the only thing you can give me, per our arrangement."

"You've been following us around all day. You've had plenty of time with me," Akane argued, peeking from behind her flimsy barriers.
"No, I've had to share you all day, so now, I get you to myself." Akane's expression was one of surprise and befuddlement. She was so jarred by his remark that she couldn't have stopped the red from staining her cheeks if she'd tried. The kick to her heart sook her further.

"What?"
"Make the most of it. There isn't a Day Class student alive who's got to be in your position." Aido snuggled down beside her, taking up his favourite position with his head buried in her hair, under her ear and against her neck, tangling his arms and legs with hers. The Human squirmed uncomfortably until finally, giving up and slumped in his embrace, relaxing as much as she dared. Aido sighed happily once Akane had stopped pushing against him. He decided he was in no hurry to move.

The girl huffed her discomfort in the silence that surrounded them. The heat the boy emitted was giving her a headache, as well as affecting her emotional state. Why does he have to trap me like this? It frightens me!... It… confuses me. She started shifting around, trying to free an arm, at least, but her movements seemed to stir the Demon in disguise beside her.

He turned, pushing his head more into Akane's neck, his tongue slithering out to slowly travel along the curve of her throat to her ear, causing a terrifying shudder to travel down the Human's body.
"Aido?" she breathed, but his arms and legs merely tighten their hold. She held her breath as she felt his lips grazed a spot just behind her earlobe.

The Vampire pulled back to look down at the girl beneath him. Her ebony tresses fanned out on the crisp white bedding. Her dark, forest-green eyes stared back, confused and apprehensive. Her scent, the feel of her skin, all of it was provoking his instincts. Aido's mind was clouding quickly. He cupped the back of the girl's neck, stroking the side of her throat with his thumb, and slowly grazing his fangs over her jugular, taunting himself.

His lips met her neck again and again as he pecked at her throat before his senses returned and the clouds lifted. He ripped himself away from her, reaching for the glass left forgotten until now, on the bedside table. Akane sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed away from the Vampire, leaving plenty of breathing space as he waited for the tablets to take effect. She was still shaking in fright, her throat was still dry, but her heart had beaten for a different reason for just a second. That one second terrified her more than the Vampire had ever scared her before.

"I still haven't given you the answer to your question yet, you know?" His voice had been quiet, calm as if the episode was already forgotten. She silently agreed, it would be best if it were overlooked as she glanced at him. His fading red eyes watched her. The sight would always cause a thrill of fear inside her. She wondered if she could ever think of them as rubies instead of pools of blood one day.

Once the topaz was back in his eyes, Akane inhaled deeply, scooting closer to fully face the Vampire with a determined expression.
"Tell me!" she demanded firmly, tension building inside her at the thought of finally getting the knowledge she needed.
"It really won't help," he revealed, mimicking her position on the bed.
"I don't care!" Akane cried, frustrated and impatient, flailing her arms and nearly knocking the boy in the face with her gesture.

"I don't care what ritual I have to perform, what sacrifice I have to make. I need to know! I have to have something for him, when he comes for me, no matter how small or hopeless."
"What do you mean, when he comes for you?" Aido inquired with a confused air. He didn't like the thought of the Unfortunate being taken away from him before he even got a chance to understand her.

"This isn't my first Houdini," Akane admitted. "It's the longest I've ever been away. I suppose I have you and the Night Class to thank for that. You keep me hidden here, but it won't last forever." Akane sounded bitter, her tone harsh as she scowled at the floor, unwilling to look Aido in the eye, something she rarely did. He never liked it. He liked looking into her eyes, she let so much slip through them.

"I need something to tell him that will help. Even if death is his only chance to escape her, she won't let him just die!" Finally, she looked at him, a forest fire burning in her eyes. The sight was almost enough to cause a shudder down his spine, but he kept his features in check at the look of determination and anger on her face. And now, I must extinguish that fire with the cold, hard truth… What are you doing to me, Nakamura? I'm going soft, he thought, running his fingers through his silken locks with a sigh.

"How do I break the hold she has on him?" Akane asked for the second time of the Vampire, and again, he was struck with the same thought he hadn't let himself indulge in the first time. Pity. He pitied her for what he knew of her, for what he knew of her chances of survival and her prospects of freeing the wretched Vampire she was infatuated with. He didn't like what she felt for the creature, but he understood it none the less. He had no choice but to feed on her, possibly hating himself for making her sick and weak, all to satisfy and sustain the real monster in this story.

"She has to die." He'd said it so softly, almost apologetically, because Akane knew, if a Noble or Level B, like Aido, could overpower her with next to no effort, a Pureblood wouldn't even notice her struggles. I can't do it, and neither can he. He's compelled, by nature, to submit to her. Even if he did manage to kill her, no one would condone the murder of a Pureblood. They're practically sacred!

The fire had gone out. A ringing silence filled the darkened room, only the dim lamplight from the bedside table aided the Human's eyes to watch as the Vampire neared.
"I told you it wouldn't help," Aido tried gently as he watched the tears pooling in her eyes and felt the tremors through the springs, as her body tried to hold off the defeated sob he knew was lodged in her throat. She surprised him once again by dragging her gaze away with a nod of acceptance and dragged herself to her feet. She began to pace at the end of the bed wrapping her arms around herself as if to hold herself together.

Her back was rigid as her feet fell into a rhythm on the floorboards, unwilling to cry. This was a scenario she'd, not only faced before but one she'd prepared for. The hope she'd foolishly built had weakened her in front of this Vampire, and this was not the first time she'd let herself become affected by him. She'd willingly shared more about herself with him than anyone else had ever known. She'd spoken with him longer than she had conversed with any other person. Her mind had tricked her into thinking it was safe to talk to him, that he could help. She'd been wrong. He couldn't help her. She had nothing, no solution, no light at the end of the tunnel, just an impossible task that could never be achieved.

Aido sat silently, waiting patiently for Akane to calm. Soon enough she stopped her pacing, her shoulders and head dropped on an exhale, then, when she breathed in again, she picked herself back up, straightening herself as she stood and turned to the boy that confounded her.
"Thank you, Aido." Her voice was calm, devoid of any real emotion, but what unnerved him were her eyes. Akane's eyes were icy. She was wounded, and the guilt he felt cut him for being the cause of such an expression. "I'd like to go to bed now. Goodnight, Aido."

"Cheer up Nakamura," he began with an attempt to soothe the hurt with the happy character he put on for the Day Class. "You said yourself, the Night Class is keeping you safe at Cross Academy. If your Vampire comes knocking, we'll just send him back. The Pureblood won't risk exposure, so you don't need to worry." He'd hopped to his feet and made his way to her as he spoke and had begun to stroke her arms in a comforting gesture, wanting to thaw the glaciers that were keeping her from him. "Everything will be ok." Look at me.

Akane observed his hands neutrally, as they glided up and down her arms. She turned to look at the expression the boy wore that continued to contradict his eyes. The look was one he'd used for the other Humans, but his eyes were ones she'd only ever seen directed at herself. Why? What happens to me shouldn't concern him. So, why has he always looked at me like that?

It surprised the Vampire to realise his action tonight had been far more intimate and affectionate than they had been any time before. Activities that were not expected or proper for their sort of relationship. He'd kissed her neck, several times! He strained to justify himself by blaming it all on the haze her scent had trapped him in. There's no other explanation or any deeper meaning to it! He stepped back, feeling awkward in the silence and announced his departure, making a swift exit.
"You're so confusing. Selfish Vampire." Akane voiced to the darkness, despondently.

Aido skilfully made it back to The Moon Dorms undetected, but his mind had been preoccupied. He had stepped over an invisible line tonight. It was one he couldn't afford to ignore. Akane Nakamura was Human, an Unfortunate, currently wrapped up in some Pureblood conspiracy to conceal her blood. He was a Noble Vampire, he couldn't allow for her scent to cloud his emotions. Although, now that he thought about it, he hadn't been consumed by her scent earlier. It had certainly been a factor in his behaviour, but that had not been what had lured him to kiss her.

He mentally shook the thoughts away as he came back through the kitchen via the maid's entrance at The Moon Dorms. He needed to ensure he could keep her here when her Vampire came to collect her. He was not about to let such a find go so easily. Immersed in his planning as he walked into the lobby, he failed to notice a second occupant sitting in the single-seater chair.

"You must have been thirsty, Aido?" He stopped, spotting the blond Vampire, his eyes wide and startled. Ichijo looked up from the manga he'd been flipping through and locked eyes with the academy Idol. He smiled just as pleasantly as he always did, but Aido saw the challenge behind it. He decided silence was his best defence and continued up the stairs as if the interruption had never occurred.