Chapter 2- Part-time Job
A/N: Hello, everyone! I wonder if anyone even likes Aidori anymore, lol (it's been over two years since I've been even remotely active in the VK fandom—I blame the near ending of the manga) XD I remember reading lots of Aidori fics back then but perhaps the craze has gone down…
Anyway, as per usual, reviews would be lovely and greatly appreciated. I would also like to know if I've done an acceptable job at characterization; it's been at least 3 years since I watched the anime so…
Thanks again for taking the time to read my story! I hope you have a great day!
-Isis
So, she was studying to be a lawyer, he mused, munching on a spoonful of bran flakes (of course she wouldn't have any sugary, diabetes inducing cereal… killjoy).
He had been literally freeloading for the past week, unable to tell her the true reason as to why he was alone (unless he wanted to rest the whole burden of the vampire race on the shoulders of a human girl) that night in the middle of nowhere. Yori had merely raised an eyebrow and extended her hospitality to him without a second thought.
His first assumptions of her being too kind of a person were correct. He had literally tried to rip her throat out on their first meeting (something she barely brought up, thank God) but responded with the utmost kindness, allowing him to sleep on her couch in the living room in exchange for general household chores. The poor vampire had to learn how to vacuum, take out the trash, and wash dishes all in one day (the look on his face as she explained how to wash dishes was priceless and too big a chance to pass up—she had snapped a photo on her phone when the blonde noble wasn't looking).
As for his vampiric nature, he had managed to keep it under wraps, explaining his general moodiness towards the sun, aloofness, and blood tablets as anemia (she seemed a bit too smart to accept that answer but she didn't press).
Luckily, he had managed to get in touch with an old friend who could give him a steady supply of blood tablets; money, on the other hand, was a different story. Turns out his loving (insert sarcasm here) parents had frozen his bank accounts, making it impossible for him to take out any cash.
Of freaking course… although, bad luck wasn't that strange for him (in fact, their meeting and everything following could be called a string of bad luck).
Bringing the spoon back to his lips, Aidou studied the girl in front of him.
Auburn curls framed her face, bouncing slightly as she ran her small fingers through her hair. She really seemed tiny and fragile to the vampire, more so than any human he had met before. While he wasn't abnormally tall, the honey-eyed girl didn't even reach his shoulders. And, not that he'd ever admit it, he was quite fond of her stature. It really emphasized her nymph-like features, from her large oval eyes to her pale, pouty lips.
"Aidou-kun?" She questioned, breaking his train of thought.
"Hmm?" He mumbled out through a mouthful of bran flakes (ok, so maybe the cereal wasn't that bad).
"It's not like I don't appreciate your company but," she hesitates, playing with the hem of her skirt, "are you going to find some other place to stay? Or at least a part-time job?"
He nearly choked on his spoon, cerulean eyes widening comically. Work? The man had barely ever needed to lift a finger, what, with the proverbial silver spoon (which had tried to kill him) in his mouth since birth.
"C-come on, Yori-chan, you know life has gotten more interesting since you met me!"
"I know nothing of the sort." She deadpanned, yawning.
"B-but I wouldn't even know where to start!"
God, did people still look in newspapers for jobs? He never paid any attention to such matters when he was living in the Aidou mansion.
"That's why I mentioned you to a friend of mine, Yuuki Cross. She and a man by the name of Zero Kiriyuu run a small antique shop a few blocks from here. They could really use the help."
His eyes narrowed at the name. Kiriyuu, that was the name of a well-known vampire hunter clan!
"Ah, tell me, what exactly does this Kiriyuu guy look like?"
She looked at him suspiciously but responded anyway, "He's tall. Silver hair. Purple eyes."
The noble paled considerably. Yep, he was definitely a vampire hunter.
"Are you alright, Aidou-kun?"
The man quickly shot up from his chair, knocking his knees into the table, cursing.
"I-I'm fine, Yori-chan! Perfectly fine!" He forced out a shaky grin, returning his empty bowl to the kitchen sink.
"If you don't want to work you don't have to. I can understand if it's too much for you to take."
The blonde's ears perked up. That sounded like a challenge. And he never backed down from challenges (blame the pride of the nobles).
"Hah, I was just worried you were going to miss me if I started working part-time. Promise me you won't cry when I'm gone!"
The girl let out a laugh, covering her face with her hands.
"In that case I'll let Yuuki know that you want to start today. I'll drive you to the shop; it's really a nice place."
He nodded his head in agreement, inwardly cringing.
Hanabusa Aidou, what have you gotten yourself into now?
The second he walked into the store, following behind Yori like a lost puppy, he found a hand wrapped around his throat.
"Vampire! What do you think you're doing here?" The silver-haired hunter growled, pressing his fingers against the base of the blonde's windpipe.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He croaked, hands up in surrender.
"Z-zero, stop!" Yuuki yelled, prying his hands off of the noble's throat. She looked at the silver-haired man sternly, a warning on the tip of her tongue.
Aidou let out a sigh of relief, slumping onto the ground. Yori quickly rushed to his side, concern etched on her face.
Damn. He hadn't expected the hunter to catch on so quickly.
"Yori, stay back, he's not what you think he is. He's a monster." Zero warned, pulling out his gun.
"W-what the Hell, you can't just shoot me—"
"Shut up!" He roared, aiming the gun directly at his chest.
The blonde noble could feel the air around him grow cold, ice forming on the tips of his fingers. He couldn't lose control here—not in front of Yori, but the stupid hunter was making him seriously pissed off!"
"Zero, stop before someone gets hurt! Let's just talk this out!" Yuuki reasoned, clinging to his arm.
He gave her a single glance before pulling the trigger. The vampire squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable gunshot. A flash of purple erupted from the gun, bathing the shop in an eerie glow.
The noble waited. And waited. Hesitantly, he opened a single eye, peering through the lavender haze.
Yori had fallen to the ground, eyes shut.
"Yori!" Aidou cried out, crawling towards the girl curled up on the ground. He gently rolled her onto her back, expecting to see a bleeding wound. But, there was nothing. Honey eyes slowly blinked open, taking in the form of the startled blonde.
"I… I'm not hurt?" She checked herself for wounds, surprised to find none.
"Y-you idiot! Why would you do that?"
"Well, I kinda owed you one; I hit you with my car."
He let out an exasperated laugh, pulling the woman into a hug.
"That's not enough of a reason to take a bullet for someone!" He chastised.
"…I'm sorry, Aidou-kun. Do you think you could let go now? I'm fine."
The blonde blushed heavily, quickly pulling away from the girl. He set his eyes towards the surprised hunter, eyes narrowing in disgust. And he called me a monster!
"Zero, that was dangerous! Just because you knew the bullets wouldn't work on humans doesn't mean you shoot it randomly!" The brunette huffed, glaring at her friend.
"Whatever… You win this time, vampire. But, if I see you here again I won't hesitate to kill you." The amethyst-eyed man left the room, returning to one of the back rooms.
"Ah, sorry about that Yori-chan, Aidou-kun, Zero sure has an active imagination sometimes! Hehehe…" The brunette trailed off, eyeing her friend worriedly.
"Yuuki, you can drop the act. As a friend, I think you owe it to me to explain what is going on. And, Aidou," she called out, watching the blonde in amusement. He had tried to step out of the store quietly, cursing as the bell tied to the door exposed his plans of escape.
"So, you weren't lying when you said you weren't a cannibal. You are a vampire."
Shit.
"Y-you don't actually believe that guy, do you Yori-chan? He's delusional, he pulled a gun on an unarmed person!"
The girl gave a small smile. "You really are a horrible liar, Aidou-kun. How could I be unharmed if it wasn't true? I felt the bullet go through me. And…"
She grinned wider, walking towards the man. She grabbed his hand, pulling up his sleeve. Sure enough, in his anger he had pulled the ice down his sleeves in a vain attempt to hide his powers.
"That isn't a human ability."
He was so screwed.
He thought of erasing her memories, adamantly denying her claim, or even running away.
"…I'm a vampire." He mumbled out, looking down at the floor. Wait, why didn't she seem surprised?
"Actually, Aidou-kun, I knew you weren't human the minute I ran you over. There was ice on my tires as well. You saved me from running off the road, didn't you?"
He blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "I-it was kinda instinctual. Besides, I couldn't let a beautiful lady such as yourself be hurt!"
Yori blushed at the statement, pulling the scarf around her neck tighter. The man's ice blue eyes widened in shock. Did Sayori Wakaba just… blush? He felt as if the world would implode at any moment.
Yuuki coughed awkwardly, breaking the silence. "You know, I still think Aidou-kun can work here. It may take a bit of persuading but we really need the help."
"W-wait, you would still hire me even though I'm a—"
"Of course. Zero's a vampire too—" She covered her hands with her mouth, eyes wide in surprise.
The hunter was a vampire too? What a hypocrite!
The brunette looked at the pair worriedly. "P-please don't tell Zero I told you that! He wasn't born a vampire, he was turned."
"Turned? So, people can be…" Yori trailed off, looking at the blonde expectantly.
"Ah, I don't have that power. Only purebloods can. They are vampires whose lineage is of vampire blood only."
The girl looked relieved, turning back to her friend. "Yuuki, it would mean a lot if you got Aidou a job here. He's been freeloading on my sofa for the past week."
Said freeloader let out a strangled choke. Geeze! This woman was full of surprises!
Suddenly, the bell rang, alerting the group of another person's presence.
"Kaname-san, it's great to see you!" Yuuki ran over to the brunette man. He pulled her into a hug, chuckling.
"I'm happy to see you as well…" He pulled away, turning his attention to the shaking noble.
Oh shit.
"Aidou, it's a pleasure to see you again. Your parents are quite worried."
"K-kaname-sama, it's an honor to be in your presence!" He immediately dropped to his knees, prostrating himself against the floor in a vain attempt to avoid being slapped. Oh god, please don't let him kill me!
The pureblood didn't respond. He walked slowly and deliberately towards the man, stopping at his feet.
"Stand up."
The blonde immediately scrambled off the floor, standing straight. He could feel a cold sweat breaking on the back of his neck as seconds passed, the pureblood's mahogany eyes boring into his own.
"I hope you are not causing Yuuki any trouble."
He turned his attention to the quiet auburn-haired girl.
"My apologies. My name is Kaname Kuran. I can only assume you are Miss Sayori Wakaba, Yuuki's friend. I've heard great things about you."
"Ah, it's nice to meet you. Yuuki's told me many great things about you as well."
He gave a soft smile. "I'm glad to hear that. I only have a few moments to spare so I'm afraid we'll have to talk more later. Sayori-san, Yuuki, Aidou." The vampire walked out of the store, giving the brunette girl one more smile. She blushed, waving wildly as he left.
Aidou sighed in relief. He was sure he was going to be dragged back to his family, or, worse, killed. He was honestly surprised neither of the two happened.
At that moment Zero walked back into the room, a heavy glare on his face.
"Why is this blood-sucker still here?"
The blonde nearly spat out a retort involving the hunter's own identity as a lower class vampire but bit his tongue.
"Zero, be nice! I hired him!"
"…You did what?"
"We need the help, Zero! Besides, he's only working part-time so you won't even see him all that often."
The silver-haired hunter stalked dangerously towards the vampire (Aidou wouldn't be surprised if he was suddenly riddled with bullet holes) but instead, walked past the man without even a hint of a threat.
Wow. This Cross Yuuki sure can tame a beast… And she's the human that Kaname-sama's been obsessing over. She is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
"Anyway, you can start tomorrow. Just wear something casual; you'll be doing lots of heavy lifting." Yuuki giggled.
Oh, right. Now he was employed. Surely there was some irony in a vampire working at an antique shop.
Hanabusa paled considerably, walking mechanically out of the store, following after the honey-eyed girl. Yori owed him so much for this. And, he planned to get a reward for all his hard work… if he managed to survive his first day of work.
A/N: Ah, Yori took the reveal pretty well, right? I think she'd be a really level-headed person; besides, she had her suspicions from the start XD Next chapter will have Aidou's first day on the job and his 'reward.' Poor Yori, I can only imagine living with Aidou isn't as amazing as it sounds :P
Also, while this is an AU, it technically takes place two years after the group graduates from Cross Academy (except Yuuki is not related to Kaname and Aidou had never actually met Yuuki or Yori while they were at the academy).
Remember, reviews are love! I'd like at least one review before I write chapter 3 (sorry if I sound a bit stingy, lol). I promise next chapter will be fluffier and funny!
-Isis