Alice Alive

By, KKYOKO

Chapter Thirty: New Obsession

Well you taste like whiskey and you smell like smoke,

Drowning in your words as soon as you spoke,

Trying to find a different direction,

I'm drawn to you – my new obsession,

No one's taken me away, the way you did,

No one's taken me away,

Cloud my mind, my dime, my lime light, delayed me from flight,

Unable to see from wrong to right,

Try to find a different direction,

I'm drawn to you – my new obsession.

-Carly M. Burns

It was raining on Wednesday. There were even darker clouds in the distance, and I found myself checking my phone for the weather. I probably needed wait in the school for Kurama to pick me up, since I didn't bring an umbrella. I stood by the window in the corridor, waiting for the weather app to load.

I glanced outside again, watching the students who got caught in the rain race inside, down the street, or put up their umbrellas. The courtyard was drenched, and the rain was so heavy that the footpath was turning into a small lake. I made out a black Audi driving past the school, windshield wipers flying, heaved a sigh, and glanced down at my phone.

Yup. Rain all day. I sent a text to Kurama, asking him what he wanted me to do.

Stay inside and wait, he answered. I have day duty, but I'll finish that quickly.

I sighed again, and looked back out the window wistfully. I wanted to go home, now. A nice cup of hot tea, and a nifty fantasy novel I picked up the other day would be really nice. Sitka would curl up next to me –

The same black Audi drove past the school gates again, slowing to a stop. I watched warily for a few minutes, but no one got out. Maybe it was someone's manager, or chauffer. There were a lot of rich kids in the school…

But then it slowly drove off again. I relaxed, but I decided to keep an eye on the road – both for Kurama and that car. It gave me an uneasy feeling. I had to go back to the classroom and get my bag. Chewing my lip, I slid open the door and picked up my bag from the side of my desk. Usui Nanami was wiping off the chalkboard, while another girl swept the floor.

"Ah, Minamino-chan," Usui said, turning slightly as she continued to erase the notes from the last class, "could you bring the day book to Kitani-sensei please?"

"Sure," I answered, picking it up from the podium in front of the classroom. "It's raining cats and dogs. Be careful going home, you two."

"You too, Minamino-chan," the other girl answered, looking up from her work, smiling.

"Bye," I said, waving and shutting the shoji behind me. The staff office was in the middle of the school, past the first inner courtyard, but there were pavilions to protect the walkways from the rain. It was probably possible that I would have to swim across - there was a flash flood warning on my phone.

I glanced out at the front gates again, just to check, but I didn't see the car. Maybe they were trying to pick up someone, but they had the wrong school. There was a Seto High on the outskirts of Asaka, but that theory didn't totally make sense, since Seto was just a normal high school with lower middle-class students. Not that Audis were that ritzy, but it doesn't seem like anyone would necessarily pick up a student like that in a country where cars were a bit of a luxury.

I went outside with my guard up, day book tucked in my arm, and my fist around my phone. If I needed a weapon, there were baseball bats in the gym. I should text Kurama again, but I was about to enter an office full of teachers. I just had to hand in the day book quickly and find a place in the gym to watch the road and possibly hide.

I slid open the door, leaving my phone in my pocket, and strode around the corner to Kitani-sensei's desk. He was hunched over, grading a stack of papers, eyeglasses slipping down his nose. Silently, I set the day book on the corner of his desk, trying to avoid any unnecessary conversation.

He looked up, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Ah, Minamino, I thought Usui was on day duty."

"She is," I said, flashing a smile, "I was just asked to bring this by."

"Oh, well, since you're here, I wanted to talk to you about your essay on the Kanagawa Treaty. I was really impressed by the amount of research you put into it, actually. Your point of view was quite refreshing too, telling it from the western side –"

"Ah, sorry, I tried to stay objective, sensei –"

He waved his hand. "No, it was, certainly, but I impressed mostly by the way you tied trading and the beginning of the Industrial Era in the west together. You touched on some interesting points in history. Have you ever thought about tutoring? Or teaching? I could use some help with some students who are falling behind in class. You're actually one of the top students – although, you are contending with Usui."

"Um," I said, feeling a mixture of pleasure and despair, "I'll think about it. I'm sorry, I have to go, sensei. My brother –" I swallowed a feeling of disgust "- is picking me up. Thank you for reading my essay!" I turned and darted out of the office, back under the pavilion. The rain was still pouring down, smelling of ozone, and it was loud as it hit the tin roof above me.

The gym was to my left. I broke for it and dashed across the courtyard. Rain splattered on me, but when I got inside of the building, I realized it wasn't quite as bad as it could be. I was only a little damp, but my shoes were soaked. I took them off and hid them behind a convenient mop bucket. I couldn't put them with the other shoes, since my name was on them.

I started upstairs, listening to some boys playing basketball in the gym. There were some girls in there too, chattering excitedly. I got to the landing and circled around the second floor corridor, spotting the equipment closet to the left of a wide set of windows. The western side of the building faced the road, and I stared hard outside, looking for anything suspicious. I only saw stragglers, students who had just finished their day duties and didn't have any club activities. Their umbrellas gleamed with rain as they disappeared from the gates. The road was empty.

Maybe I had overreacted.

I checked my phone to see if Kurama had sent me a text yet. He usually told me when he was leaving his school, but there wasn't anything so far. I figured he should have been finished by now. I checked my email and waited for something.

I glanced back outside. The black Audi was back.

I jumped away from the window and stood to the side, so I couldn't be seen from the road. I panicked for a second, nearly dropping my phone. My phone, my phone – I hit Kurama's number from my contact list. It rang, and rang, but I ended up with his voicemail.

"There's a black Audi outside of Sato – it's driven by three times now, and," I peeked around the window, "fuck, someone's coming out. Two guys in suits – nice suits. They look like fucking yakuza." I squinted harder in through the rain. One of them had a rifle (Jesus Christ – a gun) with a scope on it, but it didn't look quite normal. "I think they have a tranquilizer gun. Kurama, hurry." I hung up the phone.

The guy on the left put the scope up to his eye, while the other guy held an umbrella over the gun.

I backed away from the window, but it was too late. I heard the shot as he fired it, and the window shattered, blowing glass over the gym. The guys playing basketball shouted in alarm, and the girls screamed. I felt my cheek burn, and knew there was a cut there. There was also a deep slice in my arm from a flying chunk of plated glass.

"Fuck," I hissed, holding my arm. I got away from the window, darting around the balcony. I flew down the stairs, knowing I couldn't stay here any longer. I was just putting the other students in danger. I had to get some help getting out of here. A baseball bat was far too close for a fight.

I paused on the landing, trying Kurama again as I pulled on my shoes. He still didn't answer. Shit.

"Minamino! Hey, were you just up – are you okay?!" It was the manager of the basketball club. He was wide-eyed. The club members and their cheerleaders crowded around him in shock.

"I'm going to the infirmary," I lied. "You guys should get out of here. A branch just blew through the window up there. Don't go home until it clears up."

"I'll take you to the infirmary," the manager insisted, reaching for me.

"No, just get out of here. It's too dangerous to stick around. I have to grab my clothes from the changing room anyway."

The club members and the girls darted out into the rain, heading into the school. The manager stood still, waiting. "I'll stay."

My hand, bloody from holding the cut on my arm, snapped out and wrenched his shirt up. "Look," I spat. "When I tell you to get the fuck out of here, fucking do it. I tried to be nice, but if you don't get out of here now, I'll knock you into next week. Do you understand?"

He swallowed, nodding. I let go of him, and he ran out of the gym. I was probably going to pay for that later.

I tried Kurama one last time. Still nothing.

The next person on my list was Kuwabara, even if he was busy, I knew he would still come and help me if I could get ahold of him. The phone rang. I got his voicemail too. I tried Shizuru, but I doubted she would answer because she was working. I was right.

I heard the gun pop off again, and another window above the gym exploded.

Hiei? I tried. But I could tell he wasn't in range. He hadn't been in days.

There had to be someone. I scrolled through the contacts of my phone, listening hard at the door in case someone else came in. They would start making their way into the school as soon as they finished testing the security. Kurama had plants here and there, but without him around, I doubted they would be very effective. There was also the coupling fact that these guys were likely psychics, as well as yakuza. The police would probably be useless.

My vision blurred as my eyes burned, but I swallowed down my nerves. I would be fine. Even if there wasn't anyone –

Hagiri Kaname.

I hit the call button before I could even comprehend what I was doing. It rang, and I bit my lip as it went on, but –

"This is a surprise," he remarked casually as he picked up.

"Can you help me?" I blurted out, voice shaking. "I'm sorry, I tried everyone else, and they didn't answer their phones –"

"What's wrong?" he asked seriously. "Where are you?"

"Sato – it's down the road from your school, right? There are these yakuza with a rifle, two guys, plus a driver probably. They're trying to capture or kill me – I'm not sure which. I thought they had a tranquilizer gun, but they shot out two windows in the gym with it."

"How close can you get to your school's gate?" he asked.

"They're right outside of it. I think they're just testing the security now, but I'm pretty sure they spotted me in the scope of the gun. They'll probably come onto campus soon."

"Are you in the gym?"

"Yes."

"Stay there. I'm coming. Don't go out into the open, and don't come out until I say so." I heard the background noise of school life, and then the sound of rain as he went outside. "I'll be there in two minutes."

I sniffed. "Okay."

We hung up, and I crept across the floor of the gym, peering through the small window in the front door. The yakuza were still out there, waiting in the rain, looking around in the scope. I ducked down again before they could see me, and listened for Kaname's motorcycle.

My heart was racing, and I clenched and unclenched my fists nervously.

A bang came from the opposite side of the gym, the side facing towards the school, and I jumped and ducked behind a pile of mats. I heard someone's heavy footsteps come in.

"Minamino! Are you in here? Shiina said you were injured." It was Kitani-sensei, but I wasn't about to come out. "What a mess. Minamino! Hello?" He sighed, mumbling to himself. I caught the word 'infirmary', so he'd probably go check there next. Good. His footsteps disappeared, and the door slammed shut behind him.

A roaring engine grew louder as it approached, and I knew Kaname had finally arrived. I sat up and went back to the front-facing door, peeping out of the window again. The rain was still pounding the road, so everything had a haze of grey, but Kaname's flashy blue Honda was hard to miss behind the black Audi.

The yakuza were in a crumpled pile on the ground, already dispatched, and I could see the driver slumped over the wheel of the car. Kaname pulled out his cell phone, hunching over it so it wouldn't get wet. I got a text a second later.

Come out. It's safe.

I straightened my bag over my shoulder, flung the door open, and darted across the walkway to the school gates. I leapt over the prone bodies, the rifle, and let Kaname catch my hand. The smell of his Burberry cologne was a welcome one, and I ran with him across the street to his motorcycle.

"We have to get away from here," he said, climbing in the seat of his bike. "Get on, I'll take you to my place. They won't be expecting that."

I got on behind him, already drenched from the rain, and wrapped my arms around his waist. He kicked his bike into first gear, then second, and we took off down the street. I could feel the remains of his territory attached to his aura, and sensed his psychic energy laced throughout his motorcycle. I didn't have to worry about us sliding around in the rain.

My heart was still racing, and I was still shaking, so I held on to Kaname tighter as we got out of Asaka and headed to Mushiori. The rain poured harder, and I had no idea how Kaname could even see anything. I was still panicking. I couldn't believe – I mean, I knew I was in danger, but I didn't expect fucking yakuza.

Kaname started to slow down as we got into a really residential area of Mushiori. I bit my lip, eyes darting around at the neat houses. I was probably safe enough here, but I wanted Kurama. I couldn't believe I actually wanted him. Right now.

He was going to be mad at me for leaving the school, probably.

Kaname turned down a small side street and pulled into a short driveway. He killed the engine and put down the stand. He helped me off, and as he pulled away, I realized I was freezing. Getting soaked and then going fifty miles an hour on a motorcycle was probably a great recipe for pneumonia. Kaname must have been cold too, since he pulled me close against his side. I didn't mind huddling together as he led me up the walk to his house.

It was a simple, modern two-story. There was a garage beside the house, with stairs leading up to an apartment. I figured that his parents had been renting or something, but Kaname led me up the stairs instead of into the house.

"I live up here," he told me quickly, jiggling a key in the lock and pushing the door open. "My younger brother and I needed to have separate rooms a few years ago. My mom was afraid we would kill each other. Come on in."

I slipped past him, glancing around his room. It wasn't really so much an apartment as a master bedroom with an en suite bathroom. Kaname obviously didn't clean much – it was a little dusty, dirty clothes were strewn here and there on the floor. There were a few dirty dishes lying around too. The walls were lined with bookcases, and every single one of them was crammed with novels. His desk was the tidiest part of the bedroom, with only a half-finished mug of coffee, a black spiral notebook, and a laptop lying on the surface.

"You can take a bath first, if you want," he offered, pointing me in the direction of the bathroom to the left. "I'll get some fresh clothes for you. They'll have to be mine though. My sister is really possessive of her stuff."

"Thank you," I said, really meaning it. I sniffed. "Kaname, seriously. Thank you for helping me out and coming to get me and – and –" I was on the verge of tears. I was starting to finally come down from my panic, and I was just so grateful.

"You don't have to cry about it," he said, smiling slightly, hand coming to rest on my head. "Go get warm. You had a shitty day."

I let out a sharp laugh. "Tell me about it."

I only spent about ten minutes in the tub, long enough to warm myself in the very hot water, and long enough to feel uncomfortable being naked in the same vicinity of a guy I barely knew. Kaname had passed some clothes to me - a t-shirt and his school gym shorts, and I got dressed and quickly let him have his turn in the bathroom. He closed the door, and I heard him start the water a few minutes later.

My bag was by the door where I had left it. It was soaked through from the ride over, and I scowled as I pulled out a wet textbook and my folder full of unfinished geometry worksheets. Maybe if I laid everything out in my room, everything would dry out all right. I dug out my cellphone, hoping that it didn't drown too.

I could see water trapped in the in case, and I fished it out, patting it dry with the hem of my borrowed shirt. I noticed that while I had been in the bath, Kaname had consolidated his dirty clothes in a laundry basket and put his dirty dishes on top of them to take down to the house later.

I hit the button to take my phone out of hibernation, and I was rewarded with a screen full of missed call notifications from Kurama, along with several text messages demanding to know my whereabouts. I quickly called him back, hoping he would actually answer this time.

"Alice?" he greeted, tone sharp.

"It's me," I answered, "I'm all right. Kaname helped me out, and I'm at his house now in Mushiori. What happened with you? Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"Hagiri helped you?" There was a note of surprise and slight indignation. "Are you all right? Really all right?"

I felt my eyes burn. "As well as can be expected," I said thickly. "He really came through for me – don't worry. I'm safe now."

He made a soft humming noise. "Well then, to answer your question, after finishing the day duties, I had a request from a teacher to help him grade papers from another class. I had my phone switched to silent, and I wasn't able to check it at all, since he and I were working at right across from each other."

Behind me, the bathroom door cracked open. "Hey. I brought the first aid kit up for you. It's on the desk. If you don't wanna do it yourself, I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay, thanks," I called to him. He shut the door again.

"Are you injured?" Kurama asked me in my ear. "How badly?"

"I've got a couple of cuts from a broken window, but it's nothing your salve can't handle. Did you see the yakuza in front of the school? Are they still there?"

"I saw them, and of course not. Hagiri didn't kill them, but I saw fit to kindly rid them of their existence. Their bodies are gone too, so there's nothing to send back to Hatton. He'll likely assume the worst, and will be more discrete in the future. I'm surprised that no one noticed them right in front of the school. Had everyone already gone home?"

"Yeah, mostly." I wasn't that upset about Kurama killing the yakuza. In fact, I'm glad he did. I hope Hatton got the message not to fuck with us. "What'd you do with their car?"

"It had a rather terrible accident off the side of a mountain. It's a shame about the excellent gas mileage. The car will burn for hours." He paused. "By the way, I guess it doesn't really matter now, but I have your umbrella – you forgot it when we left the house this morning and ran off before I could give it to you."

"Well, I'm dry now. If you stop by the house before you pick me up, will you bring a change of clothes though? My uniform and everything underneath it was soaked through."

He made a noise in his throat that I thought sounded slightly disapproving. "Of course. You rode on his motorcycle again, in a downpour this time, didn't you?"

"It's not my fault you weren't crafty enough to get out of grading papers, sensei. It'd be pretty hard to crash when he's driving anyway – or did you forget that everything he touches can be controlled by his telekinesis?"

"Don't expect me to pity you when you catch a cold," Kurama retorted.

"I don't want your pity to begin with. Are you on your way or not?"

"It would help immensely if I had the address, Alice."

I got up and crossed the bedroom. "Hey, Kaname," I said through the door, "what's your address, please?"

He opened the door, letting out a puff of steam, wearing nothing but a towel around his hips. His lavender eyes zeroed in on my still-not bandaged cut on my cheek. "Block 5, number 12."

"It's the apartment above the garage," I added, knowing that Kurama caught the address over the phone. I smoothly turned away from Kaname's chiseled torso. "Where are you now?"

"I'm just getting to the house. I'll be at the Mushiori station in about twenty minutes."

"Okay. I'll see you in about a half-hour then."

"If that." He hung up.

I set my phone on Kaname's desk, while he rustled around in his wardrobe, and I opened the first aid kid. It was packed full of bandages, antiseptic, and the like. There was even an epi-pen. "Are you allergic to something?" I asked him.

"My sister's allergic to strawberries," he answered, pulling his shorts up under his towel. He pulled on a t-shirt, and tossed the towel over the pile in the laundry basket. "Need some help?"

"Er, yeah. Unless you have a mirror."

He crossed the room and pushed his laptop to the side of his desk, dropping his notebook on top of it. He patted the cleared corner. "Hop on."

I hesitated, but figured that since he was much taller than me, and if we just stood, he would have to hunch over uncomfortably to tend to my cuts. I sat on his desk with a straight back, and he rummaged in the box for some peroxide.

"This is deeper than I thought," he remarked, pressing a damp cotton ball to my cheek. His fingertips nudged my chin, and I tipped my face up obligingly. "It might scar."

"It won't," I insisted, glancing away from his studious expression to examine his bookcases. "You read a lot of sci-fi."

"It scares my mom." From this distance, I could smell his soap and shampoo. I could even feel the remains of the hot bath radiating from him.

My knuckles brushed his laptop. "Well, do you write at all? You have that shut-in, eccentric, writer look about you. No offense – it's kind of attractive, actually."

He pulled back with a suppressed smirk. "I've written a few things. Next time, I'll let you read something, if you want. Hold still while I put these butterfly bandages on you."

I did as he said, and watched his hands move, feeling dazed. The panic and fear I had been feeling earlier seemed so far away now. It was quiet in his room, with only the sound of the rain hitting the roof and the occasional car passing by to break the silence. It was strangely comfortable. His fingertips brushed my cheek, and I relaxed under him like a cat.

"You've calmed down a lot." He pushed up the sleeve of the borrowed t-shirt, and rubbed the stinging cut on my arm.

"I feel safe here," I told him, letting my eyes shut. "It feels like another world in here."

"Mm, does it? I was talking about around me though. You were still pretty skittish in the café, the last time I saw you." I felt him press and smooth a larger bandage over my skin.

"You're not the enemy anymore, Kaname," I said, opening my eyes and looking at him. His hands were back by his sides, and he was watching me with a furrowed brow. "You came and helped me when you didn't have to." I reached out and grasped his wrist. "I'm really grateful. I mean it."

His palm touched the side of my uninjured face, warming my cheek underneath it. "You want some coffee?" he asked, dropping his hand and crouching down in front of the end table by the desk. He opened the basket of the coffee maker sitting on top of it, frowning at the old grounds. "I've got a dark roast from that café in Asaka."

"Oh, I'd love some," I said, crossing my ankles as I watched him dump out the grounds in a nearby waste-bin and refill the brewing basket. He grabbed the pot and went into the bathroom to get water from the sink. "Is it okay that I'm up here?" I called to him, swinging my feet. "Your mom and dad won't get mad at you, will they?"

He shut the water off and came out with a pot full of water. "It's just my mom, but she stays pretty busy with her job. She travels a lot, so we don't see her much." He lifted the back of the coffee maker and dumped the water inside of it. He turned it on, straightening up, and looked around his room. "Hold on a sec, I have to rinse a couple mugs out." He snagged a couple dirty ones lying around and went back into the bathroom.

"It must be hard on you," I said when he came back out of the bathroom, holding the now clean and dry mugs. He set them on the desk and gave me a curious look. "I mean, you're the oldest, aren't you? You have to look out for your siblings. I know what it's like."

Kaname shrugged, giving a slight smile. "It's not that bad. They're old enough now that they can be pretty self-sufficient. Anyway, my sister's the one who's really in charge, and she knows it too." He pulled out the desk chair and sat down, stretching his arms over his head. "I thought Kurama was older than you."

"Well," I nibbled on my lip, "I guess he's been alive longer, but I'm still eight months older than he is."

"You know that makes no sense, right?"

So while the coffee brewed, I told Kaname the whole thing. From my death, to my appearance, to Hatton, and a little bit about Kurama's background; I told him just enough for it to come together. I'm sure Kaname probably already had some intelligence from Sensui about Kurama's powers, so I skimmed over that. In fact, I tried not to tell him a lot about Kurama to begin with – Kurama wouldn't have appreciated it at all. I kept it about me.

Kaname listened without saying anything, pouring the coffee and handing me my cup. After I finished, he hunched over in his chair and looked up at me, still sitting on the desk. "How's the coffee?"

My mouth curled in a smile. He was stalling to give himself time to come up with a response. "It's great. Delicious and hot."

He set his cup down on the floor between his feet and stretched his arms out in front of him. "So…what was your life like, before Hatton killed you? I'm guessing you had siblings?"

"Two younger sisters," I answered, feeling my heart ache. "Honestly, it feels like they're the ones who died. My parents, my friends – they're all some place I'll never see again. I've never stopped missing them. Not for one second."

"I would have liked to meet them. I bet you look like your mom," he said, picking up his mug and sitting back in his chair.

"I do look like her, actually. What about you? Who do you look like?"

Kaname's mouth made a downturned motion, a semblance of a scowl, with an edge of disgust. Oops, a landmine.

"My dad," he answered quietly.

I couldn't help myself. "Is he still alive?"

"He left when I was thirteen. He had a new family started and everything at that point. I think they live in Kyoto now – I haven't heard from him in years."

"What a shitty guy."

"Yeah."

We fell into a pregnant silence for the next few minutes. I felt closer to him, now that I knew a little more about him. "You don't have to answer this, if this isn't okay to ask…but…do you think your dad is the reason you teamed up with Sensui? Was he like a father figure to you?"

Kaname shrugged. "Probably. Sensui just caught me at a point where I wasn't satisfied with the way things were going. And I did look up to him - if not like a dad, then at least a mentor. He was there for me. He was there for all of us – until he wasn't."

I sipped my coffee. The mug warmed my hands. "Do you regret trusting him?"

"Yeah. It wasn't until everything was over that I realized he was just like my dad. He was there when it was convenient for him, and only when he needed me for something." He let out a long breath of air. "I don't ever want to be an adult like that."

"I don't think you could be like that," I told him, smiling. "You're far too empathetic."

"Hmm. Thanks for saying so." He flashed a wan half-smirk over his coffee mug, and finished his coffee off. He picked up the half-full pot. "Need a refill?"

My coffee was half-gone, but I could still drink some more. I held my mug out to him. "Top me off?"

"Sure."

After he sat back down, I asked him to show me his arm where I had bit him. He held out his arm as he sipped his coffee, letting me turn it over in my hands. The mark I had left on him was completely healed by now, but it was still puckered pink in some places, and white in others. I could easily see the outline of my teeth, although it wouldn't be noticeable from a distance. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be," I told him, running a fingertip over the scar. "I'm glad it's not that obvious."

Kaname's shoulders hunched when I brushed the sensitive skin of his wrist, and slowly lowered. "It's not, but my friend Shigure noticed it the other day."

"What'd you tell him?" I asked, letting go of his arm and sitting back on the desk.

"Said a crazy girl just came up and bit me."

I tried not to smile over my coffee cup. "If he's your best friend, he probably knows you're full of it."

Kaname's throat expanded as a surprised laugh came out. "He definitely knows. I've been telling him shit like that for years."

An insistent knock came at the door, cutting through the pleasant atmosphere and the sound of rainfall.

Kaname gave the door a frown. He glanced back at me. "Must be Kurama."

I could sense his youki. "It is."

He crossed the room, and I hopped off the desk as he opened the door. Kurama was standing in the doorway, still in his school uniform, closing his umbrella as Kaname stepped aside to let him in.

His green eyes zeroed on me immediately, giving me a quick once over before he held out a bag in his hand. His sigh was one of relief, but he grew businesslike and tart. "Your clothes. Go get dressed. We have to hurry back to the house."

I took the bag and ducked into the bathroom to change. Kurama had brought me a pair of fitted denim shorts and a chiffon floral print shirt, along with a new bra and panties. I tried not to think about him digging through my underwear drawer, as I stripped Kaname's clothes off and pulled on my own. I also found a blue boyfriend cardigan and my pair of yellow pumps in the bag. It was a rather interesting clothing combination, but totally pleasing to the eye. Maybe I should have Kurama pick out my clothes more often.

I went back out to find Kaname and Kurama talking about the attack, and I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

"I appreciate your help, Hagiri," Kurama said, sticking his hand out for Kaname to shake.

Kaname took it, glancing at me. "No problem. If you need me, let me know."

I could see Kurama's hand tense ever so slightly around Kaname's, but he dropped his grip before Kaname could notice. "I'll keep your offer in mind. Let's go, Alice."

I slipped on my heels in front of the door and took my umbrella from Kurama. "Thanks again, Kaname. I'll see you around."

"Text me to let me know you made it back all right," he said, eyes roving over me. He gave me a slight smile.

"I will."

Kurama closed the door behind me and we put the umbrellas up to fend off the rain. He took my hand and led me down the steps to the street. I glanced back up at Kaname's room to find him watching from the window beside the door. I gave him a smile before Kurama tugged me around the corner and out of sight.

Kurama stopped as soon as we were around the corner, turning to me with his mouth in a line, as he looked me over. He tipped my chin to examine the cut on my cheek. "I'm grateful that you weren't more seriously injured. Even this is too much. Are you in any pain?"

My arm stung a little, but it wasn't worth mentioning. "I'm fine."

A dark look passed over his face, and the panic I had felt from earlier resurfaced. I had been in a bit of a daze while I was safely tucked away with Kaname in his room, but now I felt the full brunt of paranoia seep into my stomach. Between Kurama's hard green eyes, the cold rain, and being in the old warzone of Mushiori, I had to fight to swallow my nerves. It was like being reminded all over again that my life could end at any moment.

"You're tense," Kurama remarked. He moved closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Come here. We'll walk together. We'll be at the station before you know it, and not soon after that we'll be home. I'll make a cup of tea for you when we get back."

"I'm afraid to go to school tomorrow," I admitted. "What if something else happens?"

"I highly doubt he would make a move like that again so soon," Kurama said. "But the two of us being in separate schools for most of the day is certainly a weak point in the security. Even if I post demonic plants as guards, they aren't very discriminatory, and someone can infiltrate the school as a teacher or a student easily. I think we've come to a point where I must teach you some extra self-defense. Carrying a weapon with you wouldn't go amiss either."

"Can I stay home tomorrow anyway? Please?" I begged, feeling my eyes burn.

I heard him inhale, and I knew he could smell the tears before they came out. "We're you really that frightened? You aren't normally –" he stopped, looking surprised for a moment as a thought occurred to him. His eyes were softer than usual when he turned to me. "You're terrified of humans, aren't you?"

I sniffed. "Can you blame me?"

He pulled me closer to him as a car passed us on the street, and squeezed me in a warm hug. I wrapped my arms around him, digging my fingers into his uniform, pressing my face into his warm shoulder. He patted my back and tucked my head under his chin, answering me in a soft murmur. "Not at all. I just find it a bit ironic, considering you are one. You've had a long day. Why don't we save this discussion for tomorrow morning?"

"All right," I said, submitting, still clinging to him. He would probably make me go to school no matter what. At the very least, going would show Hatton that he couldn't scare me. Maybe I should suck it up after all. I gave another sniff and let go of him, straightening my back.

We got home relatively quickly, before Shiori had even come home from work, and I pulled out my phone as soon as we walked in. Kurama sent me a curious glance, eyebrow arching slightly on Kaname's name. I ignored it, and shot Kaname a quick text to let him know we made it back safely.

Kurama's hand went around the strap of my bag to tug it off my shoulder, turning me with it. "How about that tea?"

I gave him a wary look, but followed him into the kitchen. He was probably going to bring up Kaname. He was probably going to tell me not to get involved with someone. He was probably going to tell me that I would be stupid to bring someone into this mess.

But he didn't. He just put the kettle on the burner and started prepping the tea. He brought up the coming wedding instead. "Mother said that they've picked out a venue on the other side of town. It's the little white church by the grocery store."

"She wants a western ceremony?" I asked, puzzled. I hadn't been paying much attention to the planning lately, what with being a serial killer's target and all. Paying attention in school was hard enough.

"Yes. She finds them terribly endearing. Have you ever been to a wedding like that in your old life?"

"Only constantly. A lot of the people I graduated with got married right out of high school, but that's small town Texas for you. Crazy Bible-thumping Baptists – there's a reason I moved out to Austin by myself at eighteen. Mama couldn't stand it either, but she preferred living in the country rather than the city."

"What about your father?"

I gave him a smirk. "Mama was Queen. Daddy went with whatever she wanted."

"I pity your father, in that case. Do you think you could offer Mother some help with planning the wedding? I think she would be more than pleased to have you involved." Kurama set the teapot in the middle of the table and poured me a cup.

"You know I'm not crafty. I don't do crafts." I took the cup from him, catching a whiff of jasmine and orange peel. "I don't have patience for scissors and glue and glitter." It didn't really make a difference that I was in art school – it wasn't about talent so much as the patience to painstakingly glue, craft, or sew.

"I remember your macaroni pictures in primary school, Alice. I'm aware of your limitations as an artist."

"All right," I said, setting the cup down, "how about this – I'll find nifty décor ideas, and you take care of the manual labor. You have eons of patience."

"That sounds reasonable. I'm certain that between the two of us, we can manage to create a wedding with a wonderful aesthetic appeal. I'll leave the research in your capable hands."

"What about the reception?" I asked.

He shrugged. "She hasn't brought it up, so I assume she's still thinking about what she wants to do. Katsuya mentioned hiring a band or a DJ last week."

"Ooh, that would be cool," I said brightly. "It would be nice if everyone would dance too. I'll have to tell them they should go with that idea."

Kurama's green eyes roved over me. "You seem less tense. I'm glad."

I sipped the hot tea. "Being home helps. I think I might be able to sleep tonight. Maybe."

"If you're frightened, we can sleep together tonight," he offered with a soft smile.

I considered making a blanket fort or pulling out the kotatsu when I suddenly remembered why I wanted to keep my distance from him. An invisible fist squeezed my heart in my chest, and I gave a dry swallow. My tone was sharp. "I don't think so."

His smile drooped into a frown. "We slept together when we were smaller."

"That was then." It almost hurt to be so unkind, but I set the empty teacup down and got to my feet anyway. "Thank you for the tea. I'm going upstairs."

"Sit down," he ordered, managing to sound soft and hard all at the same time. His eyes were stony, and I saw a quick streak of angry red and a pained grey in his aura. "I'm not finished with this conversation." He held up a jar he conjured out of thin air. "I also need to address your wounds before Mother sees them."

I obviously hit a nerve of his that I didn't even know existed. I sat and stared numbly at my knees.

He moved his chair closer to mine and carefully pulled the butterfly bandages off of my cheek. The salve was cold when he rubbed it over my cut, but I stayed still, expressionless. He leaned in, inhaling, and zeroed in on the cut on my arm instantly. I imagined that he could easily smell the blood and antiseptic, and not even the cardigan could mask it from his powerful nose. He pushed the cardigan off my shoulder and moved the chiffon sleeve out of the way.

"This will hurt," he said, ripping the bandage off as soon as he said it. He was right.

He slathered salve over the cut, and I felt the sizzle of my skin mending back together. Both cuts would be gone by morning. He put the lid back on the jar and set it back on the table, leaning forward slightly.

"Listen, Alice," he said, using a voice that came from somewhere in his chest, and I could feel his glare strengthen the longer I refused to look at him. He was being very much the alpha kitsune. "You told me to sit you down like an adult if I had a problem with your behavior. This dismissive distance you are displaying is driving a wedge between us, which is the last thing we need with an enemy like Hatton at our doorstep."

I felt a hot wave of rage flash over me, but I forced it back. "I don't know what you want me to do, Kurama," I told him mildly, still refusing to meet his eyes. "I know you don't want to fight, but you don't respect that I need space from you. When I step back, you crowd me. It's not me driving a wedge between us – in reality it's you. It's always been you."

His jaw clenched for a moment, and then relaxed. "Why do you say that?"

I lifted my eyes to his. His expression was still hard. "Because it's true. You've always been pushing and pulling away from me. It's almost as if you…" I stopped, struck by a sudden realization. No, that couldn't be right, could it? But we've been through that, circling around that, and playing footsies with that. It obviously couldn't be true.

"Almost as if I what?" he prompted.

I gave him an uncertain look. "It feels like you don't look at me as a friend, or a sister, but rather like a lover…and you're denying or suppressing those feelings for me. There's really no other explanation that comes to mind for the way you treat me. I know you've said that you don't love me – over and over again, but your words and your actions don't really match."

Kurama got to his feet and picked up the teapot and our cups, crossed the kitchen, and turned on the water to rinse them out in the sink. The teapot overflowed with tap water, and the cups rolled around the bottom of the sink. His movements were oddly mechanical, and I watched his back with trepidation. Why wasn't he saying anything? Maybe he was just gathering his thoughts? Usually he would respond with a vehement denial. Could I actually be right?

"Kurama?" I tried, feeling lost.

He set the teapot and the cups in the dish strainer to dry, and set his palms on the edge of the sink, leaning against it as he looked down at the floor. His back expanded before he let out a long sigh. "Alice…perhaps you're right."

I stared at him. "I…am? Is this a trick?" It had to be. He was pulling my leg. He was the enemy of all women.

He twisted, looking at me over his shoulder with a slight smile. "No, this is not a trick." He straightened, watching the rain pour outside of the darkening kitchen window. "For the last few weeks, I've been…processing this. I think ever since you and Hiei slept together, I've been rather unhappy. Jealous, perhaps."

My stomach dropped with nerves and shock. I couldn't believe I had been right. I couldn't believe he was admitting-

"Are you surprised?" he asked, turning around to face me. His mouth was in a slight curve, but his eyes held no humor.

I tapped my nail on the tabletop casually, looking away. I still refused to give him anything, but felt my stomach flip-flop. "A little. A bit. Not really." I looked back up at him. "No matter what's happened between us…I'm glad you're admitting your feelings, more importantly admitting them to yourself. If anything, processing them might help us have a healthier friendship."

He sunk back against the sink, not meeting my eyes. "Yes, certainly."

I realized that Kurama was being very vulnerable to me right now. I had never seen him quite this open. Swallowing, I got to my feet. "Do you want some space? I need to dry out my textbooks and feed Sitka anyway. He's probably starving."

He smiled. "You don't have to be so considerate of me."

I frowned at him. "Stop being polite. I know how you feel, so I want to be nice to you. And if I were you, I'd want to get away from me, so I'm going to do what I said."

His expression was touched with a bit of warmth. "As you wish."

The next morning was still rainy, and a little colder than yesterday. I pulled on a sweater and went to my wardrobe, staring hard at my uniform hanging inside. Sighing, I left it there, opening my bedroom door, and headed downstairs for breakfast. Shiori was already there, making toast, and I gave my best raspy cough.

"I don't feel good," I told her, dropping in a chair and folding my knees to my chest.

She clucked over me – a perfect mom – pressing her hand against my forehead, like I wanted. "Oh, you do feel a bit clammy, dear. Shuichi-kun said you had gotten caught in the rain yesterday. Do you want to stay home?"

I nodded.

"All right. I'll phone the school." She smiled and patted my cheek. "You should try to eat something if you can."

"Can I just have tea?" I asked pitifully, giving her a pout. "I don't think I can eat anything right now."

Shiori looked above my head, her eyes focusing on Kurama coming in the kitchen behind me. "Shuichi-kun, would you put the kettle on? I've got to make a phone call. Alice-chan is staying home from school today." She gave me another soft smile and went out to use the telephone in the living room.

Kurama moved into my line of sight, stepping around the table and doing as he was bid. He turned on the gas and set the teakettle on the range. "Are you really not feeling well, or are you just trying to avoid leaving the house?"

"I want to stay home today," I said to his back as he quickly buttered a piece toast for himself. "Just today, at least."

He came to the table, setting his plate down, and pulled out a chair adjacent to me. "Tomorrow we'll start extra self-defense training. You need to be able to protect yourself a bit more." He bit large chunks out of his toast – two bites and it was half-gone.

"All right," I agreed, tightening my arms around my knees. "Honestly, Kurama, I…"

"Hm?" He looked up at me when I trailed off, mouth full, raising his green eyes from his plate to my face.

I gave him a grim smile. "I'm surprised you aren't hauling me off to Spirit World to get demonized."

"About that," he began, brushing his hands off over his empty plate and taking it to the sink, "I've seriously considered it…but there's no way to tell how it may affect your psychic abilities. Becoming demon may actually make you more vulnerable, unable to defend yourself from both humans and demons."

I had never thought of that. "That would be pretty useless, in that case."

"Indeed," he agreed, as the teakettle started screeching. He poured me a cup of oolong this time, and set it in front of me. "I've got to go. Don't leave the house – not even to go to the mailbox."

"I promise."

He gave me a pleased smile and left the kitchen to go put on his shoes. He called a goodbye to Shiori, and I heard the door shut behind him a second later.

Shiori left soon after, and Sitka and I decided it would be good to watch TV, since we had the day to ourselves.

"-and so there will be rain all the way into tonight for the Kanto region – most specifically for the prefectures of Saitama and Tokyo. And now back to that mysterious car accident outside of Saitama prefecture's Asaka, where a black Audi was discovered burning off the side of a cliff, off of route 79. There was no evidence of a driver inside when the accident occurred. Police speculate foul play was involved, but can confirm no theories as of yet. They are searching for suspects involved."

I turned off the TV. "You know, Sitka. I might just read."

He gave a snuffling noise that sounded suspiciously like a dog-laugh, and scratched his ear. He rolled on his back and gave me an expectant look, so I gave him a good belly rub.

I heard my cell phone go off, so I went to grab it from the kitchen. Kaname had sent me a text message, and I blinked at the notification. What did he want?

Hey, next time, let's meet up at the café. I'll even buy you another latte, if you want.

I stared at it for a full minute, stupefied. He was asking me out on a date?

I bit my lip – there wasn't any way I could really start dating Kaname, was there? I mean, Kurama didn't like me going out of the house unnecessarily, and not to mention his feelings for me – that would completely throw a wrench into me dating anyone for awhile at least. I mean, just look at what happened with Hiei.

"Augh!" I yelled at the ceiling. "Why is this happening to me?"

I wanted to have him – and not just have him, but I wanted to actually date him too! I wanted to know more about him, and read his work, and ride his motorcycle, and just hang out with him. He was cool. He oozed sin. And he was really fucking sweet on top of that. There was no way that I would willingly let a hot tamale like Hagiri Kaname slip through my fingertips.

The only obstacle was Kurama.

Well, him and the serial killer, of course.

My phone went off again.

If it's too weird, you don't have to say yes, he wrote. I realized with horror that he could probably see the 'read' script at the end of the text he had sent me. I had been taking too long to respond.

"Buy time," I told myself firmly. "Be available, but don't be eager."

Sorry, I texted, I left my phone unlocked and didn't hear the notifications. I was in the kitchen.

Then something horrible happened.

He called me.

"Hello…?" I answered, walking out of the kitchen, pacing the living room floor. "Er, how's it going?"

"You're home?" he asked, curiously. "Well, I guess you wouldn't want to go to school after what happened yesterday. Are you alone?"

I glanced at Sitka. "No."

He sounded relieved. "Ah, good. I just wanted to check up on you." There was a surprising beat of awkward silence, which was kind of cute, since Kaname didn't seem the awkward type at all. "Uh, about the café…"

"Yes!" I blurted out, stupidly. "I mean…I don't know when we could meet up…but I want to. Meet with you. Um, there."

What the fuck was wrong with me?

He made a sound like he was trying not to laugh. "Oh, good, I'm glad. I thought you would turn me down, you know, after everything with Sensui. Maybe you wouldn't be comfortable being alone with me or something."

"I was fine yesterday," I reminded him, feeling my mouth pull in smile. "I had fun with you – and you were really nice, and I needed that. And I want to get to know you better. And you're really cool, you know?"

"Hm," he said, but there was a definite happy note there. "Thanks for saying so. It's too bad I'm actually a creepy sci-fi nerd in disguise."

I laughed, feeling my heart skip a beat. "Don't worry. I like creepy sci-fi nerds. And if it makes you feel any better, I read copious amounts of really stupid shoujo manga. Like, the kind with zero character development or plot."

"Ew," he teased. "You're right, that does make me feel better. Hm…if you're going to school tomorrow, do you want me to pick you up afterwards?"

I blinked and felt my cheeks heat up. "Erm, I'd like that…but I think Kurama has plans for me in the afternoon. Survival training. Maybe another time?"

"Sure, but will you be okay?"

"Eh?" I grinned, letting a teasing tone come into my voice. "Kaname, are you seeing me as a girl?"

"Yeah," he said casually. "You are one, you know. I know you're pretty tough, but it's still hard to picture you in something like survival training. Well, maybe not that hard - I can still see you with your teeth in my arm. But I hope your training goes well – next time you try that, you might break your teeth."

"I'll do what I can," I responded, rolling my eyes up to the ceiling, begging God for a miracle.

"Hmm, yeah. Well, I could teach you to shoot, if you want."

There it is! Maybe God doesn't hate me after all? Kaname seemed to be trying to go out of his way to spend time with me, and I had to suppress a pleased sigh. "I sorta have some issues with guns…but I'd really like to give it a try, actually. I think that's what happened in the fight between us – you activated my viciousness when I was scared." Probably shooting off a few rounds might not hurt, PTSD-wise. It might even help.

"I think you were already vicious. I'm surprised you didn't try to shove me off the cliff."

"Nah, you're far too good-looking to go that way. Next time, I'll just drown you."

"Well, aren't you a peach," he drawled. I heard a dinging in the background. "Ah, there's the bell. I've gotta go – school's starting. See you around."

"Mm, bye then, Kaname."

He made an amused 'hmph' in his throat and hung up.

"Gah!" I yelled at Sitka, jumping up and down like a little girl. "He's such a tease! A tease! Do you think I played it cool enough? I mean, he's totally got a thing for me, right? He sounded nervous at first, but then he got all cool, and I got all cool and goddamn it, why didn't he just ask me out?" I dropped on the floor and rolled around. "I'm so dumb, this is dumb! He's too young for me, except not because he's seventeen and I'm fifteen, but I'm kinda actually twenty-nine and he's still seventeen. Ah, but he's so cute, you know?" I continued, rubbing my face on Sitka's leg. "This could be bad. This could be a crush."

I'm very uncomfortable right now, Sitka grumbled, pulling his leg away and sitting on the couch – where he was not allowed.

"I have to call Shizuru," I told him, rolling up and folding my arms. "It's a matter of life and death. And what am I supposed to do about Kurama? He's probably going to be weird about it if I start dating someone else. I don't want to wait, but I also probably should…" I growled, falling forward, burying my face in the carpet. "He should just throw those feelings for me away. I don't want them."

"Don't you?" Shizuru asked me later on the phone. She was between clients, waiting for her next appointment, while I divulged everything to her in one big hairy clump.

"I would like him to quite literally die," I replied. "He's troublesome."

"You and I both know you don't mean that. You won't get anywhere if you don't say what you actually mean."

I rolled around on the floor again. "Okay, maybe not die, but he is troublesome."

She sighed. "What do you really want from Kurama, Alice?"

I thought about it, staring up at the living room ceiling. "I would like to be friends with him again, I guess. Before this whole me-liking-him thing started, we were actually really good friends. The best. You didn't know us back then."

"Well…why don't you tell him that? Maybe he'd be open to it. From there, maybe he'd understand if you wanted to date Kaname."

"Hm, I should go slowly about Kaname, shouldn't I?" I scratched my neck. "It might be good if I could really fall for him. He's really cool, Shizuru. And he's thoughtful. And he's also not manipulative at all, which is a big plus in my book."

"Let's focus on Kurama first," she said, seriously. "You have got to make things better between you two. He's the type to ignore his own feelings if it's for the sake of someone else, which is not exactly healthy, but you can use it to your advantage. You just have to make him realize that he should care more about your feelings than his own. You have to show him, prove to him, that Kaname can make you happier than he can. If you can't, he'll probably continue to sabotage all of your relationships in one way or another – or he'll chase you directly."

"I prefer to do the chasing, honestly," I yawned. "But you're right. I need to smooth things over with him."

She chuckled. "No more revenge?"

I let out a huge sigh. "It wasn't going anywhere anyway. It's pretty hard to defeat a three-thousand-year-old kitsune – he wasn't giving me any opportunities."

"That's not true," she calmly rebutted. "He finally opened up about his feelings to you, didn't he? You could have raked him over the coals – but you didn't. Why not?"

I wrinkled my nose. "I know what it's like to open yourself up to rejection – I know about getting rejected. Even a polite 'no' feels like a thousand knives to the gut. I won't lie and say that I didn't think about telling him off, but I just…I couldn't do that to him. I guess I don't hate him like I thought I did. Hate's a terribly exhausting emotion to carry around anyway. I'd rather be nice."

"You have a big heart," she remarked gently.

"No," I countered, "it's not that simple. I'm nice to people I don't like because I'll never know when I'll need them. It's much easier to count on someone's help when you've treated them well verses when you've treated them like shit. In Kurama's case, he protects me. He lets me live in this house. If he wanted, he could make Shiori-san forget me and he could drop me off in the woods like an unwanted dog. I don't think it'd ever come to that, even if I rejected him harshly – I'd probably have to threaten his mother's life for that to happen."

"Well, it's not a half-bad philosophy, but I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. You're a lot kinder than you realize – even if you are a selfish bitch half the time."

"Thank you, best friend. I can always count on you for a nice word or two."

"My next appointment is here – come next Tuesday at four-thirty for a trim. And bring me cupcakes. Chocolate ones."

"Fine, fine," I agreed, rolling onto my stomach. "I'll lick the spoon and keep using it, so I just want you to know there will be love in them."

"You're so gross. Bye."

"Bye!"

Hiya guys.

I know, I know, you must be shocked out of your socks that I updated so quickly! Surprise!

I. Some of y'all thought it would be pretty intense between Hiei and Kurama, but they were friends - how do you think Kurama and Kaname are gonna jive? (Hint: Not well.)

II. What do you think of Kurama's confession? (ABOUT FUCKING TIME)

III. Hatton's henchmen? Mwahahahahaaha!

IV. Alice is very good at history - it's her best subject.

V. Alice is developing a super-crush on Kaname. She's such a stupid spazz. Even Sitka was scared.

VI. The basketball manager will probably be half-afraid of Alice forever - but he's a nice guy. He was just trying to be concerned for a fellow student and she got all up in his face and threatened to beat him up. Poor fellow. Will he be seen again? We'll see, but not likely.

Also, lately I've been thinking about getting a few e-pals to e-mail and stuff. Letter-writing - even e-mails have gone by the wayside. I'm really interested in the art of writing a letter, and that includes e-mails. I mean, have you guys noticed that e-mails are not really a thing anymore? It's just texting short messages and chatting on Skype or Facebook, and that's nice - but I sort of want to have the time to mull over what I want to write someone. You know? I don't think I'm alone in this. So, if you're interested, PM me (don't leave your e-mail in a review - those are public, you know), and I'll send you my e-mail address. We can be e-pals! Oh, boy!

Also, if you want to follow me on Tumblr, the link is on my profile page.

Let me know how you liked this chapter, and if you could leave a review, that would be just dandy! (Go by bullet points! Hahaha!)

(Seriously, please review. I'd love to know your thoughts!)