Disclaimer: Various concepts and characters have been retrieved from Dragonball Z and Bleach for this story; they belong to Akira Toriyama and Tite Kubo. Please note, however, that the plot, which is an original plot, is unrelated to the events that take place in DBZ and Bleach, meaning this is an AU fic. The OC's and plot belong to myself, and KRenee.

II

Faintly, she heard Juritsu's voice, "I'm home!" Kaisuki was still hurting, and Khrai wasn't about to force her forward to deal with her roommate. She was still out of breath, a shakiness running through her muscles and nausea staining the flavor of the water she was trying to drink.

Juritsu only had one class on Mondays, but she had come back a bit later than Khrai had been expecting. Juritsu and Kaisuki had collectively decided to put printouts of their schedules on the refrigerator so they'd know when the other wasn't going to be able to answer a call or a text, or whatever. It had been Kaisuki's (Isolde's, actually) idea, and Juritsu had thought it to be a good one.

She was nearly an hour later than she should've been. Khrai looked up as Juritsu walked further into the living room. The others hadn't been kidding about the well of energy she carried around, and her senses were also heightened – she looked over at her roommate and blinked, looking slightly confused. Khrai was still wearing Kaisuki's appearance, but Juritsu could obviously tell that something was off.

"Welcome back," she replied offhandedly, hating the unsteadiness of her voice. Juritsu glanced over at the fridge in Khrai's peripheral vision, evidently noting that Kaisuki shouldn't have returned for at least another five and a half hours, as she had classes from 8am to 3pm on Mondays, and it was only 10 in the morning.

Khrai slowly pulled away from the sink after setting her glass down. Her throat was burning and her head was killing her. Juritsu watched her almost suspiciously as she made her way back to the living room, falling onto the couch and sinking into its softness. She let out a shaky sigh, closing her eyes tightly as another wave of nausea washed over her.

"Are you alright?" Juritsu's voice was quieter than usual. She was probably watching the volume of her voice because of Khrai's obvious discomfort. It was taking a longer moment than normal to register the question, but when she finally understood the words being said to her, Khrai couldn't help but glare at her for a moment before turning her attention back to the wall across the coffee table from her.

"Yea," she retorted dryly, "Peachy, in fact." She immediately felt Juritsu stiffen from the sarcasm and irritation. Okay, that had been pretty rude, and she knew that Juritsu was just trying to be considerate. The girl was a good person, and Khrai didn't want to ruin Kaisuki's relationship with her roommate over a headache and a sour stomach.

"Havin' a bad day," she continued, swallowing down the hostility. The brunette seemed to understand that much, and when Khrai looked up again she had moved around the island that separated the kitchen from the living room and was in the process of turning on the kettle, although she could see that the brunette's shoulder's were still tense.

"Sorry," Khrai managed to continue, "I didn't mean to snap. I don't handle pain well."

"Pain?" Juritsu had turned around to face her, looking over the island, "Are you hurt?"

"N-…nah," the pain was spiking again, and she just knew that her Kaisuki act was going right out the window. "S' just a headache." Were her words starting to slur? This was worse than she thought, wasn't it? She could feel the residual pressure from that attack Kaisuki had sustained, and she knew that the hostess was still being beaten on by Thad, even from this distance. She needed to put a barrier up around the house, maybe put up a dozen in their head and lock Kaisuki back to protect her. She could hear a small whimper of discontent – the Yurei didn't seem to like that idea. Well too bad. If you're gonna do what you can to protect me, I'm gonna do what I can to protect you. Get over it.

Juritsu was watching her worriedly; she could feel the intense scrutiny. But that didn't matter; it was now or never. If she waited, she wouldn't have the strength. She felt the brunette roommate walking over, and Khrai could feel her radiating, pure energy. The darkness that was plaguing Kaisuki seemed to wither away at the proximity, and Khrai took the chance.

She pulled back into their mind, reaching through the unconsciousness and finding Kaisuki's hand. The enchantment was a speedy one, rushed because she knew that taking too long would make Juritsu worry. But it would be strong enough to defend Kaisuki until they could figure out a better arrangement. Almost as soon as the hostess had been wrapped in the barrier and thrown as far back into their subconscious as Khrai could manage, the headache and nausea were gone. That attack had been directed at Kaisuki personally, and it was clear that keeping Thad's greasy fingers off her had been enough to boot him back out. She knew he was strong, but for him to have been able to get a tight enough grip on the Yurei as to keep Saeka from throwing him back out…

Something was going on, and it wasn't going to be pretty. She threw a halfhearted glare at Saeka, knowing that the little one knew something, and came back to reality.

She blinked, pinching the bridge of her nose. Juritsu was walking back towards the kitchen to deal with the screaming kettle. The headache was still present, but it was more of a residual ache than an active throbbing. It would be gone soon enough.

Juritsu walked back over with a cup of hot tea, offering it to Khrai. The elf took it gratefully, smiling apologetically at her hostess' roommate.

"Thanks."

The brunette still seemed a bit guarded, but not necessarily distrusting. It seemed more like she was a bit confused as to who she was talking to, exactly. Khrai took a sip of the sweet tea, and let out a soft sigh of relish.

"Let me know if you need anything," she offered, sounding preoccupied, "I'll be in my room."

Khrai nodded slightly, not wanting to aggravate her headache as Juritsu disappeared into her bedroom. Saeka made a soft sound of relief in their head, and Khrai frowned slightly.

"What's going on, Saeka-nan? You know something, don'tcha?"

"Not yet," was the cryptic reply, "I'll tell you soon enough. Promise."

That had to be one of the most unsatisfactory replies that she'd ever heard. But Khrai knew that pushing and nagging Saeka wouldn't end well, so she pursed her lips and finished her tea in silence, wondering if she'd be given a chance to sneak out tonight and collect herbs that she could use in a barrier spell or seven.

…

November, 2011

"Oh, hey!"

Juritsu paused in her steps, glancing over her shoulder at the voice, and found herself looking at Chris as he briskly strode over to her.

She greeted him with a bright smile. "Hey Chris! Used to things yet? It's been about two months now, right?"

He gave her a warm smile in return. "Thanks for your concern. I think I'm getting used to this place pretty well. I moved here about a couple weeks before school, but I really like it here."

"That's good. Have you checked out the places off-campus? There's plenty to do."

"I've been to a couple of low-key bars. I heard about the clubs downtown though. I have a cousin in town; she's been here a bit longer than I have, so she's going to be taking me out this weekend."

Juritsu's grin widened. "Oh really? I'll be going out too. Maybe we'll see each other there?"

There was a strange glint in Chris' eyes; Juritsu wasn't sure what it was exactly, and rather than unnerving her, it only piqued her curiosity. "I hope we do. I'm looking forward to this weekend now," he had a wide, knowing smile on his face, and she giggled. She didn't really know Chris – she'd been spending a little more time with Grimmjow, orienting him to the campus and its features over the past two months – but the few times she had interacted with the brunette, she thought he was pretty cool. He had a charming aspect about him that seemed different from other guys she'd talked to in the past, like it had some sort of sophisticated quality to it. Very suave, indeed.

"Where are you heading now?" he asked her. As she paused to think about it, she adjusted her backpack.

"I'm going to go buy some more notebooks, probably," she replied after a moment, glancing over at him, "Wanna come? Unless you have everything you need, that is."

Chris smiled again. "Sure, I'd love to come."

Juritsu shook her head, chuckling slightly before leading the way. Along the way, her cell phone vibrated in her phone. It was a text:

Wanna help me buy my crap later?

Chuckling quietly, and earning a questioning glance from Chris, Juritsu texted Grimmjow back:

You're so helpless without me :p but I'm more than happy to help.

…

Weeks after Thad's attack, Kaisuki had been released from the subconscious and allowed to attend class as herself, after a long spat of begging and nagging. Khrai had left up the barrier, and Kaisuki could feel the distant pressure of that intruder, but they couldn't get in. The result was mild discomfort, but nothing more. She could live with discomfort.

Khrai had confided her suspicion of Saeka to her, and Kaisuki had understood entirely. Saeka was a little off lately – not as bloodthirsty, which was a good thing, but also more coherent. Normally, she was a yard short of sane, but lately she had been calm and calculating whenever she spoke. Something was going on, and she just wished the black-haired girl would tell her before they got killed or something.

"I will, just be patient."

"Would you hold it against me if I took that with a grain of salt?"

She heard Saeka chuckle as she dumped her bag on the chair next to her seat and sat down, "No, I won't hold it against you."

She smiled a little bit to herself. It was a little odd for Saeka to be so au fait, but it was also a nice change. Kaisuki was used to mood swings and tantrums and having to tranquilize Saeka on a semi-regular basis. Having that weight off her shoulders was definitely a plus.

The door opened and she looked up, watching other students file in as she reached over to start pulling out her book and notes. The professor had already written the chapter they would be covering today on the board – physiological abnormalities in the brain and DNA of schizophrenic and autistic patients. She looked up as the girl who sat next to her, Akari, took her seat and saw a familiar mop of black hair walk into the room.

Her blood ran cold – damn it! He was in this class with her? Luckily, he wouldn't be able to sit on her right, as that was where Akari sat, and Kaisuki kept her bag on the chair to her left. And she'd be damned if Thad was going to be able to persuade her to move it.

The class dragged on and on and on for what seemed like an eternity. Thad's presence made her both anxious and impossibly tired. His existence seemed to weigh on her like an eight hundred pound dumbbell. The barrier that Khrai had put up seemed to be slowly wearing away, and she didn't notice until the headache became unbearable. Khrai was there in a heartbeat, grabbed her by the spiritual scruff of her neck and switching places with her impossibly fast.

"Looks like I'm gonna hafta keep you back there for a while, Kaisuki-nan," the elf said, expression darkening as she glanced over at Thad – he was sitting a few seats down from her. That filthy little scumbag… she had half a mind to walk over there and start pummeling him right this second.

"What do you say we do just that?" Saeka's voice was oozing with hostility, and for once, Khrai openly embraced it.

"What'd you have in mind?" She felt Saeka push forward just a little bit, and Khrai allowed it. She heard it more than she felt it, Saeka opening the walls and letting Thad in for the three seconds it took her to deliver a powerful blow directly to his chest. She heard a soft cough that sounded more like a choke and looked up. Thad was pressing a hand to his sternum, his already pale face taking on a ghastly tone. She smirked, cruelly drinking in the pain he was trying to hide. A blow like that from the likes of Saeka wasn't one that anybody to ignore. She wasn't the strongest physically, but her energy took a form much like the talons that replaced her fingers – it was sharp and black and it hurt when she hit.

The professor didn't miss a beat when Thad suddenly stood up, making his way out of the room with shaky steps. Khrai returned her attention to Kaisuki's notes, unable to contain the smile on her face. She didn't know who that guy was, but the bastard had it coming. That much she knew for sure.

…

"You almost done yet?" Grimmjow's voice called from the living room, "The club's gonna be closed before we even get there."

Rolling her eyes, Juritsu finished applying her eyeliner, glancing over at Kaisuki in the mirror.

The dark-haired girl pulled back from the mirror, nodding approvingly at the dark makeup she had applied to her eyes. She returned Juritsu's gaze, looking mildly impressed, "Gorgeous. Where'd you learn to do makeup so well? I thought you were some kind of athlete."

Juritsu blinked, slightly taken aback from the compliment. She didn't remember ever receiving flattery for feminine traits. And it wasn't a big deal; she received plenty of praise for her accomplishments on the battlefield. But this was the first time she'd ever received such a... human compliment.

That was why she found her cheeks heating up, and she quickly averted her gaze to check over the bronzer and look for mistakes. "Ah, well... I kind of taught myself when I was younger..." in between training and fighting for the sake of the entire galaxy "... when I had free time..." and wanted to see what it was like to act like an actual girl.

"For self taught, you're practically a professional," Kaisuki replied, taking her hair out of its messily-clipped bun-thing and pulling it back more carefully, "Are we ready?"

Juritsu also pulled her hair out of her ponytail, tousling it a little bit and wishing she could better control her fringe. Saiyan hair, half or not, always seemed to have a mind of its own. She sighed slightly, feeling a flutter of nerves. It was rare for her to go out with a guy aside from Gohan (on the rare occasion he went out), and she quietly hoped that she didn't freak him (or Kaisuki for that matter) out with some unexpected display of power.

Glancing over at Kaisuki, she presented a grin. "Let's go."

Grimmjow glanced over at the duo made their way into the living room, and immediately perked once he took in their looks. Juritsu noticed his eyebrow pique as his eyes slid up and down Kaisuki's figure, and there was some kind of pang, almost like the wind was knocked out of her. For some reason, she felt... disappointed? But why? This wasn't any different than what she was used to.

It was nice that Kaisuki thought her make up was superb, though the demi-Saiyan created a look that wasn't so dramatic and eye-catching. It was the same reason why she picked out more subtle outfits and avoided dresses. She didn't want to catch anyone's eye, really. Because she knew that eventually, they'd find out about her abilities, and they'd very quickly ditch. It'd happened the few times she had tried. So she didn't understand why, now, she was feeling so crestfallen.

But she couldn't let that put a damper on the night. It was a Saturday night. It was time to let loose.

Grimmjow stood up and was facing them fully. He had a lopsided grin on his face. "This is your roommate, right?" he asked, extending a hand in introduction. "I'm Grimmjow. And you would be Kaisuki, right?"

Kaisuki raised an eyebrow at Grimmjow, glancing down at his hand as if it had done something terribly offensive. She didn't take his hand, seemingly making a point of ignoring the friendly gesture.

"Yea, I'm Kaisuki," she replied coolly, looking over at Juritsu and completely disregarding the blue-haired man, "Shall we go?"

Juritsu was mortified. Honestly, she didn't think anyone would ever do something like that, well, aside from Vegeta. At any rate, she decided it best to remedy the situation.

Grimmjow, who looked slightly dumbfounded - and maybe even a little bit defeated - hadn't even started to move his hand before Juritsu grabbed it and tugged him into a walk. She grinned, covering up her intentions. "Yea let's get going."

Grimmjow stared at her, switched his gaze to her hand, and then back to her, and Juritsu wondered for a moment whether her springing into action was a bad idea. But then a look of understanding crossed his eyes, and he smirked, matching her smile. "Finally," he playfully shot back.

...

Juritsu carefully handed Grimmjow and Kaisuki a shot glass full of liquor, a big grin on her face. "I hope you like cinnamon!"

Kaisuki snorted, throwing the drink back and grinning back at Juritsu, "You ain't got nothing!"

Grimmjow nearly shattered the shot glass given to him when he half-tossed it onto the bar. "What was that, a fireball?" he asked nonchalantly.

Juritsu liked drinking - it was fun, and it helped her loosen up some - but it was even better when there were friends who could actually keep up with you. She wasn't sure just how much they'd collectively had, but she did know that the tab on the credit card Bulma had given her on her 21st birthday was well in the hundreds. The demi-Saiyan could only be thankful that the blue-haired scientist was a multi-billionaire, thanks to Capsule Corp.

The next thing she knew, her roommate was drinking straight whiskey like it was juice, and Grimmjow was relaying one of his better nights out - which, he added somewhere in the midst of his story, later turned out to be the most traumatizing nights. Between the buzzing from the alcohol and the flashing lights and the warmth and the music, Juritsu found that she wasn't quite tuning out her classmate's words, but she wasn't quite tuning in. It was rather like she was absorbing it without realizing it, her eyes lazily drifting around, briefly settling on Kaisuki. The girl was watching Grimmjow too, a grin on her face that didn't at all match the coldness she'd presented to him earlier.

The girl's yellow eyes (such a strange color for a pair of human eyes) shifted away from Grimmjow for a moment, settling on Juritsu briefly. They both widened their grins at the same time, and the brunette could've sworn Kaisuki's eyes shifted to the most incredibly brilliant blue she'd ever seen - aside from Grimmjow's, of course. She blinked, her eyes finding Grimmjow again, but not missing the way her roommate's gaze moved over to look over her shoulders, grin fading.

A hand touched her shoulder and she turned swiftly, meeting a pair of familiar ice-blue eyes. "Chris!"

Her brunette classmate had a playful grin on his face as they exchanged a friendly hug. "Looks like you're way beyond getting started!" he teased, and Juritsu laughed. Something about his charm was slightly intoxicating, or was it just the Long Island she had chugged?

"If only you knew," she stuck her tongue out playfully before offering him a fireball, "Shot?"

Chris' grin widened, and he graciously accepted, throwing the liquor back like a champ.

Juritsu glanced over to see on Kaisuki and Grimmjow. Her blue-haired friend was eyeing Chris with some kind of glint in his eyes... what in the world was that? It wasn't anger...

"Chrissie!" Out of literally nowhere, a woman appeared from behind Chris, throwing herself at his back, "I didn't know you had friends already!" She practically lifted him off the ground with a bear hug, dropping him back down unceremoniously, and walking around him. Juritsu's jaw would've dropped if she hadn't had the discipline to control herself. This girl was drop dead gorgeous. Her form-fitting belly-shirt hugged her in all the right ways, dark denim jeans accentuating her perfectly proportioned hips. She was fair-skinned, and her blue eyes sparkled with feistiness, and she stuck out a hand to the group, grinning and revealing perfect teeth. Who the heck was this?!

"Hi!" Her eyes swept over the ground, settling on Grimmjow for far longer than was necessary, "I'm Lily, Chrissie's cousin." She aggressively wrapped an arm around Chris' shoulder, only to have him wriggle his way free almost immediately, embarrassed.

"I'm Kaisuki," she heard her roommate say, and the words managed to drag Juritsu back out of her awe-struck almost-staring, "This is Juritsu, and that's-..."

"Grimmjow," her blue-haired classmate received Lily's offered handshake easily, his lopsided grin returning with ferocity that matched Lily's feisty grin to a T. Kaisuki had flagged down the bartender, ordering a special round of shots for them, using a hand-written recipe she had apparently been carrying around. The bartender walked off, and Kaisuki looked up again, paused, and glanced back to the bar, "Make that six!"

Chris and Lily both looked at her, and Juritsu and Grimmjow joined in the bewildered stare.

She cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted, "THAD!" Someone halfway across the floor from them paused in their steps, turning around. Kaisuki grinned, obviously pleased to see she'd been heard.

"Where're you going? Come join us, ya' recluse!"

Thad? Who was Thad? A classmate of Kaisuki's? As he approached, she noticed that he looked... gloomy. Or maybe it was his eyes, vibrant, yet empty. What did that mean?

"Thad," Kaisuki introduced him easily, "This is Grimmjow and this is Juritsu."

He nodded in acknowledgment as Kaisuki explained they were in a psychology class together, "Though you've been absent the past couple of days," she paused, and Juritsu saw the way her eyes flicked to a hot pink for a split second. Last time it was blue, now pink? Was she trashed and seeing things? "Are you feeling better now?"

Thad smiled, though the look was almost strained, "A lot better, actually."

There was a strange kind of tension passing between the two. Juritsu looked away from them, glancing curiously at Chris. Lily had moved away from her cousin, walking over semi-innocently to stand by Grimmjow, leaning over the bar and receiving their round of shots.

"Shots're here!" She held out the tray, allowing each of them to take one of the small glasses, "What're we 'cheers'ing too?" She looked directly at Grimmjow as she said that, and Juritsu didn't miss the over-the-top flirting, even if she wasn't usually the one partaking in it. Who the hell did she think she was? Traipsing into an already-established friendship like she belonged there and...

"Cheers to a hell of a year!" Grimmjow said, raising his glass and locking his gaze with Miss Perfect. Juritsu raised her glass half-heartedly, throwing the alcohol back at the same time as the others. The liquor burned going down, though the peppermint taste left a cooling tingling in her mouth.

"What did you call this shot?" Chris was asking Kaisuki, looking impressed.

"A Minty Fresh," she replied, her grin and friendliness not hiding the chilling gaze she directed. What was everyone's problem tonight? "They used to serve these in my hometown. It was a kind of house special."

Thad cleared his throat, which turned into a coughing fit. He hunched over, pressing a hand to his chest as the color drained from his face. A couple of strangers glanced their way. Chris and Lily both tore their gazes away from their conversational partners (Grimmjow looked more disappointed than worried about Thad's sudden fit the jerk was probably just upset that his new fling-to-be was distracted so easily from his-), Lily moving over to Thad's side quickly.

"Hey, you alright?" She asked hastily, rubbing his back soothingly.

"I-...I'm..." he couldn't seem to catch a breath past his wheezing. Kaisuki suddenly moved forward, touching his shoulder and kneeling in front of him to get a better look at his face. His fit slowly began to subside. Juritsu couldn't help but notice the way Kaisuki's ki seemed to shift when she touched him. Thad looked up at her, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"I can take him outside," Kaisuki offered, "You should probably get this checked out. Might be serious, y'know? You were coughing like this last time you were in class, too."

Thad furrowed his brow, glancing at Lily and Chris, "I'm fine," he straightened up slowly, but Kaisuki didn't remove her hand, "I can..."

"A cough like that doesn't sound like 'fine.'"

"Kaisuki's right, you know," Juritsu decided to finally speak up; maybe she'd feel less invisible if she did, "I'm sure she can help you flag down a cop or someone to look at you."

Thad glanced over at Chris and then at Lily, but he didn't say anything to them. He turned his attention back to Kaisuki - her eyes are pink again-... no, they're normal now... what the hell...? - and cleared his throat again. It looked like it was painful for him to do so, but he finally spoke, "Very... very well." Kaisuki smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes at all, and placed a hand on his back as a support.

"I'll be back soon," she promised, before walking off with Thad.

"Geez, Thad," Lily suddenly said, "Way to be a buzz kill. Who wants more shots?" She was already flagging down the bartender again, "What do you guys want? Another one of those-... What did she call them? Minty Fresh? Or are we looking for a fishbowl or two?"

Grimmjow spoke up before Juritsu could even think of a response. "Fishbowl sounds good to me," he had a smirk on his face; different from what Juritsu had seen before. It oozed confidence, and it had a sensual feel to it. And she already knew who it was directed to.

Lily grinned at him, ordering two fishbowls when the bartender came their way again. They started chatting, though Juritsu couldn't help but feel more or less excluded from the conversation. Perhaps it was her own fault - she was already feeling a bit upset about Grimmjow practically ignoring her existence. That might've been off-putting for her blue-haired classmate all by itself.

"So," she turned back to face them, looking towards Juritsu with a glint in her eyes that the brunette didn't quite recognize. It was almost competitive, but it was dripping with self-assurance that matched her knowing smirk too well. "Are you two together? You and Grimmjow, I mean. I already know that my dopey cousin is single."

The demi-Saiyan was taken aback. Had they really presented as a couple? "Wh... what...?"

"Nah," Grimmjow cut in, moving closer towards Lily, not even sparing Juritsu a glance. "We're just classmates."

It felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Just classmates? They'd been hanging out since the day they first met, and they weren't even friends...?

Juritsu couldn't prevent her shoulders from slumping, still reeling from being brushed off like she was some kind of nuisance.

She didn't miss the way Lily cocked an eyebrow, an interested smile replacing the taunting smirk she'd been directing at Juritsu, "Oh, so you're a free man, huh...?"

It wasn't long before they started conversing completely separately, Lily only sparing them a glance when the two fishbowls arrived. She slid one over to Chris and Juritsu, keeping the other between her and Grimmjow.

"Juritsu," Chris' voice pulled her hollowed attention away from the drink that had been passed her way, "I'm sorry about her, really. I didn't think she was so low that she'd-..."

The brunette wasn't even entirely listening, just trying to focus on the movement of Chris' lips to distract herself from the duo standing next to her, chatting away and flirting mercilessly.

She spotted them in her peripheral vision, walking away to the dance floor. He hadn't said a word to her. Neither of them had said anything to the rest of their party.

So he really had meant it. 'Just classmates...' If that was really how he felt, he could've just stopped talking to her. That would've gotten the message across without having to humiliate and ditch her here like this!

Her fist clenched. What a waste of time. Sure, she hadn't exactly been trying to impress him; in fact, this was more what she wanted right? Hide her secret, and yet... why was she growing so upset over it?

"Juritsu...?" Chris sounded hesitant. Juritsu almost felt bad, knowing it was her fault this suddenly awkward atmosphere had appeared. At the same time, she didn't care. Actually, it occurred to her, the only thing she really wanted to do at this point was get the hell out of the club and just go home.

"Juritsu-nan?" Kaisuki appeared in her line of vision, uttering an unfamiliar syllable after she said Juritsu's name. She looked alarmed as her flickering gaze swept across the bar. She paused for a second, before turning back to her roommate, "Where's Grimmjow?"

Juritsu squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her fists even tighter. "Grimmjow's… on the dance floor with his new friend."

Kaisuki froze, looking for a moment like she didn't quite believe Juritsu. A moment later, her expression shifted to anger, and she turned away, looking out to the dance floor as if she wanted to hunt him down and pummel him.

The thick tension grew too much to bear. Juritsu had to leave, just get away from everything.

Abruptly she stood up, startling Chris and Kaisuki, and pushed through them and the throng of students trying to get to the bar. Fresh air, she just needed some fresh air to clear her head and-

The instant she burst through the doors into the chilly night, she took off, running. The further she got away from that bar and... him... the better.

"Juritsu!" A hand encircled her wrist, tugging her to a stop, she glanced over her shoulder, finding...

"Chris?" she asked, slightly breathless as the lump in her throat was starting to suffocate her.

"I really am sorry about Lily-..." he began, and a flare of indirect anger welled up.

"I don't want to talk about it," she half-snapped. Chris didn't falter.

"He made a stupid choice, I think."

… What? What did he mean by…?

Chris smiled warmly, then continued, "It might just be bias, but honestly, I've would chosen you over Lily any day."

Oh. That was what he meant. Juritsu blinked. "You two are cousins."

Chris winked. "That's the bias."

For some reason, she found that humorous, and she giggled a little. Chris' eyes lit up. "There it is!"

"There is what?" She asked after her chuckles ceased.

Chris' smile softened. "That beautiful smile I've been missing all night."

Something fluttered in her stomach, and it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. No one had ever complimented her smile before, not outside of the family. It felt, different compared to when her dad would say it.

Juritsu's cheeked warmed and she averted her gaze to the ground. "Thanks..." she mumbled, unsure of what else to really say.

Chris' hand squeezed hers - had they been holding hands the whole time? "Come on; let's go grab a bite to eat. I think a hearty slice of pizza will lighten things up. What do you say?"

"Juritsu!" She looked up, seeing Kaisuki running towards them. The black-haired girl slowed to a stop beside Chris, "Jeez, don't run off like I that. I got worried when I couldn't find you right away."

Juritsu pulled her hand from Chris', rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry about that..." she chuckled slightly.

Her roommate smiled at her, looking relieved, "Don't worry about it," she reassured, "Are you heading home now, or...?"

It was probably better. She needed to get some sleep anyway. "Yea, I think I'm gonna go to bed," she glanced apologetically over at Chris. "Thanks again."

He looked only slightly disappointed but he smiled warmly nonetheless. "If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me."

"Thanks for looking out for her, Chris," Kaisuki's words didn't match her tone of voice, but perhaps that chilling undertone was simply from her residual anger at that guy.

Juritsu decided not to dwell on it, lest her mood go back down the toilet again.

"You'll be alright walking home?" Chris asked, directing his gaze towards her rather than Kaisuki.

"Yea, we'll be fine. I know... a little self-defense."

"Alright. Then I'll see you in class!"

Juritsu waved as he turned and headed off, likely in the direction of his home, and she let the smile fade with a tired sigh. Her bed was calling to her at this point.

A/N: This is the re-write of me and my sister's collaboration. KRenee's OC was overhauled in the more recent chapters, so we re-wrote the older chapters to make sure everything works out. I will be posting up the rest of the re-written chapters over the next few days, so please bear with me!