His Only Princess: Chapter 2
The second day was only slightly easier.
Yori was on her way to her class that morning-Mr. Takamiya had scheduled a ridiculously early study session for them, claiming it'd help them for the upcoming test-when she was stopped suddenly.
"Yori-chan!"
She recognized the animated tone before even turning to face them.
"Good morning, Chairman Cross," she bowed politely, smiling at the vivacious man. Ever since she and Yuuki had become friends, he had treated her like a second daughter, always addressing her in a very endearing fashion.
His glasses were slipping down his nose, and his hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, as though he had rushed to get to her.
"I was hoping I'd catch you this morning," he stated. Well, that basically confirmed her thoughts. She giggled quietly to herself. His expression went slightly solemn before he spoke again. "How have you been, dear?"
Her mind went blank for what to tell him. She'd been depressed, lonely, and heartbroken. But, she also knew that he was probably feeling the same exact things, only to a higher degree. After all, Yuuki had been his daughter for about ten years. And now, he was left with a solemn, closed off "step-son."
"I've been alright. It's gotten better over time," she lied blatantly, giving him the brightest, most convincing smile she could possibly muster. If he were to pay that much attention, he would have noticed how it didn't reach her dulled hazel eyes.
Chairman Cross' shoulders sagged, almost as though there had been some invisible string keeping them drawn up and tense, and her words had been the scissors.
"I'm glad to hear that at least one of you is doing any better." He sounded so relieved, and she decided she was more than glad that she had decided to lie to him. Growing up, Yori was taught very strictly by her parents that lying was something she should never do, but, as she grew, she learned the hard way that sometimes one had to in order to protect those they cared for. Just like Yuuki had lied to her for all of those years, and she in turn had been lied to, too.
Suddenly, Chairman Cross perked up. "Yori-chan, have you seen Zero this morning?"
She shook her head. He frowned, his bottom lip jutting out in a hilarious looking pout.
"Zero-kun is never around!" He whined, shocking Yori and making her want to laugh at the same time. That man could sure be comical sometimes. "I have something I need to give him."
"He is in my next class, given that he actually shows up today. I could give it to him for you," she offered.
"No!" he burst out, then paused. Laughing nervously, he added, "that's no need, sweet Yori. I don't want to trouble you. I'll just find him later. It was good getting to see you! Bye!" his singsong goodbye echoed in the hallway as he vanished into his office.
"That was odd." Shrugging her shoulders, she pulled her bag up higher on her shoulders and continued on to class. She'd already spaced off and, seemingly, gotten on the bad side of Mr. Takamiya. She certainly didn't want to be late and anger him further and end up with supplementary class. However, her morning was packed with more surprises than she'd assumed.
Once in the room, she became aware of two things: one, Zero was actually there. He had his head buried in the crook of his arm, the tips of his bangs brushing his desk. He didn't seem at all bothered by the noisiness of the other students in the room, so he must have been asleep. Either that, or he had become really good at blocking people out. And the second thing, the seat next to her wasn't empty.
A girl with short, dark brown hair sat there, hands folded in her lap, minding her own business. No one was bothering her, and she wasn't bothering them. Yori couldn't see her face, but her side profile resembled Yuuki quite a bit. It made her heart falter a little.
When she reached her seat, the girl looked up at her, and the resemblance wasn't so much anymore. Where Yuuki had wide, chocolate colored eyes, this girl had deep blue ones. Her face was also more narrow than Yuuki's was, making her appear older. She smiled at Yori and jumped up from her chair, catching the attention of a few people.
"Good morning! I'm Matsuki Naomi," she stuck her hand out to Yori. "What's your name?"
"Ah, Wakaba Sayori," she spoke without thinking, still trying to get used to the sudden burst of energy from the girl.
"It's nice to meet you, Sayori-san! I'm new here, and it looks like we're desk partners," Naomi stepped back and bowed dramatically. "Please take care of me!"
Yori only nodded her head, embarrassed by how loud she was being, and her eyes flickered unconsciously to Zero, who began to stir. Naomi caught the direction she was looking in, and her own eyes widened when she saw him.
"Hi! I'm Matsuki Naomi!" she waved at Zero, whose eyes were narrowed from either having just woken up or from irritation.
"I know. This entire school probably knows because of how loud you are."
Yori burst out in laughter, gripping the poor, confused girl's blazer sleeve in her hand and yanking her down with her.
"Naomi-san, when did you get here?" She was hopeful her question would distract Naomi. Sure, Zero may have been woken up by her, but that wasn't any real reason for him to be so rude to her. He had nothing to keep him awake at night anymore since he no longer had to patrol the grounds while the Night Class attended their classes, so him getting no sleep was his own fault.
His foul mood didn't seem to ruin her exuberance at all.
"Just this morning. But, I had to be interviewed a week before I arrived. It was so complicated!"
That peaked Yori's curiosity. "Interviewed?"
"Yeah. Chairman Cross wanted to speak to both me and my parents, but then halfway through the interview, he accidentally cut himself on a piece of glass he had on his desk. Blood was everywhere. It was really scary." She spoke a mile a minute, never seeming to stop for breath.
It made sense, though. Of course Chairman Cross would want to interview potential incoming students. And the whole "accidental cut" was his test to see if the student or their parents were vampires. He really was a clever man.
"I see. I guess things have changed since I came here," Yori rubbed the back of her neck when Naomi raised an eyebrow in question to her, hoping the girl wouldn't see through her.
"Maybe. Sayori-san?" Naomi grabbed her hands and tugged her closer to her, smiling brightly. "I really hope we can be great friends."
Her statement flabbergasted Yori. She didn't know how to reply to her; she hadn't had any other friends, and didn't think too much on it. All she really thought about was getting her best friend back, so she nodded to Naomi, a soft smile gracing her face. Seemingly satisfied, Naomi released Yori's hands and turned to face the front of the room, just as Mr. Takamiya entered.
"Good morning, class. I'm certain all of you are ready to study hard, right?"
Class had dragged on for what seemed like hours, but it ended around noon. The bell rang, and everyone left the room in a hurry, ready to rest their over-stuffed minds. Yori was packing up her things when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned her head and saw Naomi.
"Sayori-san, I was wondering if you could help me find my dorm room. I haven't been shown around yet."
"Of course. Come with me." Together, she and Naomi went to leave their aisle, almost running into someone. Yori rocked back on her heels to somewhat stop herself, causing Naomi to crash into her. Yori shot her hand out to catch her before she hit the ground, right when a hand wrapped around her forearm, righting her. She raised her eyes to the person who caught her, ready with a thanks of appreciation, but the words failed when she saw who it was.
Zero looked agitated, as he seemed to usually look when he was around her, for some strange reason, but he still held her arm, his hand easily wrapped entirely around it.
"Thank you," she mumbled, pulling her arm back sharply, causing him to release his hold. Her's and Naomi's hands still clasped, she led the girl around him and out of the room.
"Well, that was interesting."
Zero's emotionless gaze met with Mr. Takamiya, who looked thoroughly amused with the event that had just happened. "Hm, maybe she thought into what I said to her yesterday." He tapped his chin with his middle finger, all but smirking at the vampire before him.
"Kaito-,"
"Relax, Zero. It's not like I told her you're a vampire or anything," Takamiya chuckled and walked back to his desk, the heels of his shoes clicking loudly against the floor. "I just asked her if she was your girlfriend."
Zero rolled his eyes. "You really are insane, aren't you?"
"Why, I never," Takamiya feigned offense at his words. "What? Are you saying she's not worthy of being your girlfriend? I think she's cute."
"You stay away from her!"
Takamiya raised his hands, chuckling.
"Whoa there, tiger. Don't let me get you all riled up. I know what it is, though. You're waiting, aren't you, Kiryuu? For your precious little Pureblood-,"
He moved at such a speed that Takamiya didn't even see him move, and before he knew it, he was pinned up against the chalkboard by Zero.
"Don't speak of her," he threatened, eyes glinting dangerously. His grip tightened the slightest bit.
"Let go, Zero. I meant no harm in what I said. You obviously know it's true, otherwise you wouldn't have had such a strong reaction." He knocked Zero's hand away. "I know you're up to something though," he jabbed his thumb in the direction of the door, where Yori and Naomi had left just a few minutes ago. "You wouldn't hang around Wakaba so much if you weren't. What is it? Does she remind you of your little princess?"
"Kaito, that's enough! She's nothing like Yuuki!"
Takamiya seemed pleased with himself at getting Zero to show so much emotion.
"Then I'm relieved. She'll have a promising life ahead of her." Before Zero could so much as make a sound of protest at his words, he was already nearing the door. "Don't be late for class tomorrow, Kiryuu. You'll be getting a healthy dose of supplementary classes if you are."
"What's your room number?"
"It's...oh, here it is! 316." Naomi stopped in front of her door, showing Yori the paper she had in her hand with the number 316 scrawled on it. It was her room.
"We share a room," she said in a hushed tone, not really believing it. She knew that most everyone had to have a roommate, unless it was the Representative or President, but she hadn't expected for her to get a new one so soon.
"Really That's exciting!" Naomi cheered and clasped her hands around one of Yori's, who remained unresponsive. "Eh, Sayori-san, are you alright?"
"Hm?"
Naomi glanced at her worriedly. "You just, kind of froze. Is something wrong?"
There was a lot wrong, but she couldn't tell Naomi about it.
She shook her head. "No, everything's fine. I'm glad that we're roommates, Naomi-san." She gave her hands a friendly squeeze and turned to unlock her...their door, and flipped the switch on the wall, bringing the room to life, bathed in a warm yellow.
Blue eyes turned bright as they examined the small space. "It's such a pretty room."
It was a rather simple, humble little room, much like the girl who had inhabited it by herself until today. Two single beds were on either side, pressed up against the walls, a desk sitting between them. There was a window on Yori's side, with simple pink curtains hanging around it. She had picked that side of the room just because of the window because she had always enjoyed watching outside ever since she was a little girl.
"I suppose it is. Maybe I'm just too used to it," Yori dropped her bag on her bed and wiggled out of her uniform jacket, hanging it on the bed post. "Do you want to work on our homework together?" She may not have been entirely ready to accept a potential new friend in her life, but she would do her best to be nice to her.
"Yes. I don't have any clue how I'll get through Takamiya-sensei's class," Naomi covered her face with her hands and groaned. Yori only laughed.
They both finished their homework rather quickly. Naomi was much smarter than she gave herself credit for, Yori noticed. They had even studied and extra half an hour just to make sure they were ready.
Now, the dark haired girl was fast asleep, her even breathing the only sound in the room. Yori sat up in her bed, clutching her duvet close to her neck, peering out of the window. It was too dark to see anything except for the few stars in the sky, but she found it tranquil.
"Yuuki, I hope you're doing well. I hope you're not too worried about things." It had become her ritual to speak to Yuuki every night since she left. Even though she knew her message would never find its way to her, it made her feel better just being able to say the things plaguing her thoughts.
The wind began to pick up outside, howling and rattling the window, startling Yori. She squinted her eyes, trying to adjust them to the inky blackness, when she finally caught sight of it.
Snow.
Without even thinking, she threw her blanket off of her and flew across the room, stuffing on her boots, tugging a jacket over top of her nightwear, and running out of the room, not closing the door all the way so as not to wake her slumbering roommate. Carefully, she maneuvered her way through the hallways, knowing exactly where to go to avoid the dorm monitor since she and Yuuki had sneaked out before to go play in the snow when she would return from her patrol. Once she made it outside, the frigid winds hit her smartly, waking her up and causing goosebumps to erupt on the exposed parts of her legs.
Snowflakes, though few and far between, sprinkled from the nighttime sky, some clinging to her chestnut colored hair. There, on the cold ground, Yori dropped to her knees, un-shed tears stinging her eyes.
"Yuuki, I miss you."
Zero's nerves were thoroughly grated after his unpleasant conversation with Takamiya. In order to clear his head-and hopefully sober him up from his thirst-he didn't even bother going back to his apartment. Instead, he decided to stalk about the grounds in the cold, wearing nothing more than his uniform. He hadn't even noticed the snow flurrying around him, too angry to really pay attention to anything.
"Who does he think he is?" he growled, his hands balling up into fists in his pockets.
That was when the sound of quiet sniffles reached his ears. He turned towards the sound, almost missing the outline of a person kneeling on the ground. He could tell from the size that it was a girl, but as to who it was, he had no clue. He did, however, know they were an idiot for being out here.
Prefect instincts kicking in, he approached them, entirely ready to scold them until they ran back inside, until they raised their head up and he could see the back of her short, light brown hair.
"Wakaba?" He picked up his pace, stopping just behind the shivering, sniffling girl. "Hey, Wakaba, what did I tell you yesterday? You'll get sick out...here...," he trailed off on the last few words when she looked up at him, unbidden tears streaming down her pale face.
Completely ignoring him, she looked back down at the ground, hugging her arms tight around her knees and resting her forehead against them.
"What's wrong?" he knelt beside her, hand hovering over her shoulder, debating whether or not to touch her. Finally deciding it couldn't hurt, he reached over her, taking her in his hold until she was pressed lightly against his side. He could feel her shivers, causing his arm to tremble, and hear her muffled cries. "Sayori?"
"She was my best friend, too."
Any normal person would have had no hope of hearing her whispered words, but he was far from normal, and heard her as easily had she yelled in his ear. He removed his hand from her shoulder and placed it on the side of her head, pulling her over until it rested on his shoulder and patted her hair lightly.
"I know."
He kept her company as she cried, and, on the inside, he cried a little, too. However, whether it was for the lose of the one he held dear in his heart, or the girl beside him, who had become a regular part of his life, he didn't know.
After all, the second day was only slightly easier.
Done! Phew, that one wore me out! But, I love writing this, and it's so much more fun than doing my semester work :p
So, there's chapter 2. And now we know Zero's not an emotionless zombie (just an emotionless vampire) WOOHOO! \(^_^)/ Also, I find flabbergasted to be a very funny word. It was still kinda slow, but I promise it won't remain at a stalemate. There's lots of action, drama, angst, suspense (and romance) to be revealed.
Thank you to my reviewers', Lakemet, Anonymous (you know who are you), and HYPERASSGIRL (your name. Love it.) Your reviews made me smile :) And, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU, TOO (even though I'm a day late. Let's pretend I'm not.)
Until Chapter 3!
-IdleScribe
*P.S. I learned that Naomi is actually a Japanese name. Never knew that. I'm flabbergasted!