His Only Princess: Chapter 8
Yori awoke the next morning, feeling awkward about her actions from the other day. Sitting up in the bed, she rubbed the sleep out of her droopy eyes with her knuckles, her hysterical moments replaying behind her closed eyes. She groaned and flopped back, hair fanning out around her head, and covered her face. In her mind, there was no discernible excuse for it, and she felt thoroughly mortified.
"There's no way I can face them," she smacked herself on the forehead a few times, leaving a decent sized red mark in the middle of it. But then again, she wouldn't skip class for anything, really, which resulted in her scooting along to the adjoining bathroom to wash up and get dressed for her first actual day back in class after getting back from the hospital.
She felt as though she moved in slow motion for the most of the day. It was unnervingly quiet without her chatterbox of a friend always next to her, and even though Zero was in his classes today, he didn't even look in her direction. It was understandable, because she had crossed the line.
Which she vowed to never do again, but still. It didn't change the way she had acted.
Ethics class passed by at a snail's pace. Takamiya was acting completely normal, his usual cool attitude shining through, making the Day Class girls' positively swoon over him. Too bad for them that he was already engaged.
She found herself sneaking glances at him when his back was turned, or simply when he was looking in a direction that he wouldn't catch her. He was really handsome, admittedly. Any girl would be lucky to be engaged to such a regal looking man.
At least he didn't see everything, she sourly thought. She had originally wanted to pass everything off as being stressed and still in a silly state from being on such heavy drugs due to her pneumonia, but she didn't even really think that'd work. She was just ridiculous acting.
When Takamiya passed by her, she raised her hand to get his attention.
"Yes, Wakaba?" he smiled kindly at her, as usual, not seeming the least bit perturbed.
"I was wondering if I could speak to you after class, Takamiya-sensei?" she questioned boldly, a little apprehensive of his response, but hoping it was positive.
He certainly looked surprised by it, but recovered his neutral expression quickly.
"Of course." Nodding, he continued walking up the rows, a ruler in his hand. She heard it smack down on a desk, and could only assume Zero had been asleep. She didn't bother to turn around and look, though.
When the bell finally rang out, the class dispersed in a speedy fashion, leaving her, Takamiya, and Zero behind. As to why the latter had stayed, she wasn't sure, but she really wished he hadn't. Once the last student had exited, Takamiya sighed and turned to her.
"You wanted to speak to me?" he arched an eyebrow, not letting his eyes leave her, even as an icy glare was directed towards him.
Yori rubbed her arm, uncomfortable with Zero's presence. The conversation she wanted to have with him was between the two of them, no onlookers required.
"Ah," she coughed, her eyes meteorically shifting to the stone-cold boy beside her. "I was...hoping to speak to you...alone," her voice dropped a few octaves on her last word, but it was still audible. She bowed her head, pink dusting across her face, so she missed the triumphant smirk cast towards Zero.
"Of course," he motioned to Zero. "Kiryuu, you'll have to excuse me for a moment. We can have that discussion you were dying to have later." He offered no room for him to oppose, even though he certainly would have tried. Instead though, he behaved and left, shooting a side-glance at Yori. "Okay," Takamiya closed the door behind him and went to his desk. He sat down and folded his hands, perching his chin on his knuckles. "What did you want to speak to me about?"
Steeling herself with a deep breath, she forced it out before she had the time to chicken out.
"I wanted to apologize, Takamiya-sensei."
Now he was interested in what she had to say. Unfolding his hands, he scooted his chair back and crossed his legs, letting his hands rest on his knee instead. He didn't speak, which was him signaling for her to continue.
"Yesterday, I was out of line. I treated you rudely, too much so for a student to act like with a teacher. I'm sorry for that," she bowed respectfully to him.
Takamiya rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering why exactly she was the one doing this. He felt ashamed that his young student had more guts than he did. After she had fled the room, he wanted so much to rewind everything, to take back what he said, to do it correctly. He had convinced himself she wouldn't even look his way now, but she had proven that she would always be surprising him.
"Wakaba?"
"Yes?" she sounded hesitant.
Takamiya stood up, walking towards her slowly. He ran a hand through his tousled hair.
"I should be the one saying that," he laughed cattily, the cruel meaning laying under it directed towards himself. "I really shouldn't have acted the way I did." He stopped, just shy of being directly in front of her. "I could only hope that you would forgive me."
Well, it wasn't a dream. She concluded that. But, the change in his demeanor blew her previous conclusions away, much like the wind outside blew the old snow across the ground. She had expected something similar to yesterday, him trying to hold onto her once more, but instead, she ended up with an apology and a look of shame on his tired looking face.
"Takamiya-sensei, are you feeling alright?" she ventured to ask him, since he really did look quite run down.
"To be honest, not so much," he shook his head and closed his eyes, his teeth gritting together. "I was up all night, trying to come up with any reason that would have made my actions excusable," he glanced up at her with apologetic eyes. "I didn't figure one out."
Yori stood, tight-lipped, watching him with a slight ache in her chest. No, what he did wasn't very considerate on his part, but her reactions weren't very respectable either.
When she continued to not speak, he took that as his sign to try and explain himself.
"You see, I've known about...this," he motioned between the two of them. "For quite awhile. However, things, up until now, made it impossible for us to ever meet. Especially under correct circumstances, which these most certainly are not. I didn't take this job because you were here, though; that was just an added bonus," he smiled softly, and even though his words were intimate, it didn't leave her frightened, but more so curious as to how he developed such unique feelings for her. "But, I'm pretty sure I sound like a madman right about now. How about I start from the beginning?" When she nodded in curious agreement, he took a seat at one of the tables, giving her the option to sit with him or stand.
Feeling the tiniest fraction more comfortable around him, she did sit with him, smoothing her skirt out nicely and zoning in on her hands.
He crossed his arms and tipped the chair back, balancing it on its back legs.
"When the whole process began, I'll admit, I was a skeptic. I didn't have an option, seeing as how I was born into an arranged marriage family, but the idea of marrying someone I had never met before seemed insane to me. I had just turned twenty when I found out I had been chosen as a possible candidate for a family's daughter, and was absolutely scared. Especially when I learned the age," his gaze ventured over to her, right as she looked up at him. "How appropriate do you think I felt? But, your father, he's a very convincing man."
"That he is," she quietly agreed. He had completely hoodwinked her into accepting the arranged marriage without being informed of anything to do with her fiancé.
"He had shown me photos of you, obviously. Actually, he had your entire life in photographs to show off," he chuckled a little when Yori blushed from embarrassment. "I fell instantly."
Her breath caught in her throat, and she watched him with interest.
"From your personality, which he did do a decent job of explaining, to your looks, it was impossible for me to not develop some sort of an attraction. However, I had predetermined that you were not my type from the get-go, simply because I had a fantasized idea that I'd marry someone similar to a princess, but instead got stuck with a commoner." The teasing lilt in his voice made her laugh.
Her comfort level of being around him grew as he continued speaking, her mind not focusing on the other day.
Until he brought it up.
"And about yesterday," he smoothed a hand along the back of his head. "I really am sorry, Wakaba. It was very inappropriate of me. It's just, I can't help but feel a little threatened."
"By what?" his words confused her, and even though it was a topic she was still sore about, she wanted to know why he had acted out the way he had.
"Kiryuu."
His response left Yori floored. He felt threatened...by Zero?
"Why?" the amused tone to her voice shocked them both, but really. Zero? How absurd could he get?
"I guess you really just don't know," he sounded as though he was speaking to himself, and sounded amazed. "Anyways, I just wanted to apologize, Wakaba," he paused. "I can understand if you would wish to terminate the arrangement," he added gruffly. He abandoned the chair, letting it fall back on all four of its legs with a loud clunk.
When she saw he was about to leave the room, she stood up, causing her own chair to scrape loudly against the floor. He looked over at her.
"Takamiya-sensei, I," she stopped and thought out how she could say it properly without making it seem too final. "I...would be willing, to get to know you better. Before I decide anything," her mind was made up, and she wouldn't back out of her part of the agreement because of a fluke. She had decided to play the other day off as an accident. "The other day, we can pretend it never happened, if you'd like. We can start over." She offered him a sincere smile that made him pause in his actions of putting on his coat.
One arm hanging halfway out of one of his sleeves, he lowered his arms and just looked at her for a moment before speaking again.
"I'd like that."
She had migrated outside to do her homework. The sun was just barely setting, giving her at least another hour before curfew hit. Making sure she bundled up properly, she found a spot on the fountain in the middle of the courtyard to sit. It didn't run this time of the year, and the water that rested in the bottom of it had frozen over, making it look as though it was made of glass. The white lights decorating around the campus shone brightly, like little stars adorning the stones.
Even though she had only known her for a few days, Yori felt lonely without Naomi there to talk her ear off. She had become used to having someone attached to her side again, and now that she wasn't there, she felt a little colder. But, she'd be back after the New Year rang in, and she could only anticipate and count the days until then.
Her calculus homework had her rather stumped, seeing as how she had missed out on two days of lesson. And even though the teacher had attempted to explain it, he wasn't the most detailed individual, leaving his answers rather vague and her hopelessly lost on how to do it. She had erased the same problem for the third time when someone sat down next to her.
Glancing up, ready to ask them why they were disturbing her peace, she found she couldn't when she was met with the same icy eyes that had stared down Takamiya just an hour ago.
"Um," she wasn't too sure how to address him. She felt particularly weird around him, having acted like a complete loon when he had touched her, and found herself wondering why he even came around her now.
He leaned over, examining her eraser-raged paper, his cold breath tickling over her bare hands.
"Seems like your having problems," he pointed out, burying his hands in his coat pockets and leaning back slightly.
She cleared her throat and nodded. Going to put her papers back in her bag and hopefully escape her own awkwardness, her hopes were squandered when his hand held her in place.
"Would you like my help?"
She was certain she'd bang her head against the wall soon. That, or she'd throw him out of the window. Whichever came first.
Zero was, astonishingly, very good at calculus, and she didn't understand how. Didn't he sleep every day in there? The only problem was that he was almost as vague as the darned teacher, which helped her none. She was getting farther trying to work it out on her own. They had gone back to her dorm instead of the room Chairman Cross had stuck her in, which she preferred so much more.
Cramped and stuck together at the small desk, Yori put her head down, the small curls sticking out of her hair brushing against his hand.
"You're not helping me," she criticized, earning a ragged sigh from him.
"I'm getting you further than you were going to," he reproached pointedly, taking another stab at trying to explain the problem to her.
"No, you're just getting on my nerves. I can't understand a word you're saying!" She tossed her hands in the air, almost hitting him in the face.
"Watch it," he growled, grabbing her offending hand and shoving it down, which made her loose balance from her just sitting on the edge of her seat. Trying to regain it, her hand latched onto whatever it could reach first, which just happened to be his arm. The action moved them closer together than they already were, leaving a very small amount of space between them.
Zero turned from her, a somewhat pained expression on his face, and Yori barely kept herself from groaning. They had been getting along so well, her stupidity from the other day seemingly a thing forgotten, to her relief, and then she had to go and do something like that.
She fanned herself with her hands, trying to cool the heat that had taken over her face, which helped him none. The burn in his throat became the most prominent thing, and as hard as he tried, he couldn't make himself ignore it. Her motions only stirred her scent; he was biting at the bit, holding on to whatever ounce of control he actually had. He had been so distracted lately that he had completely ignored the fact that he never took his blood tablets, having now gone a solid two days without them. Not that that had even hindered him before, but when he had such a drugging scent around him, it was as though he had gone for years without feeding.
He stood up briskly and rushed out of the room, leaving his things behind.
Yori didn't know what to make of how he was acting, and, going against her better judgement, followed after him. He was a fast mover; every time she made it to where she had seen him go, he had already vanished. She had to guess several times as to which direction he had gone in, but she was clever and finally caught up with him just as he was walking out of the doors of the Sun Dorm.
"Zero-kun!" she called out without thinking about her words from before when she had addressed him so formally. Playing it off as an accident, she reminded herself.
He stopped, halfway out the door, his hand trembling from his tight grip on the frame.
"Go away, Wakaba," he warned sternly, fervently hoping she'd just leave. But, of course, she was stubborn, and he could hear her move closer, that rosy amber scent assaulting him from all directions. He felt like his jaw would lock from the pressure of his teeth grinding together. When she tentatively placed her hand on his arm, he was certain he was going to break right then and there.
"What's wrong?" she whispered, her concern for him easy to detect.
"It's best that you leave," he remained cold, still hopeful he could get her to leave from his sheer unpleasantness towards her. "I don't want to be around you," he added for an extra hit.
But she wasn't giving up just yet. The stupid girl.
"I want to help you," she sounded so certain about her statement, removing her hand from him.
He took a much needed breath, grimacing because the sweet smell was still there.
"You've helped me so much. I feel like I should repay you," she dared to take a step closer to him. "Please, let me help you."
No argument at hand, he reached down and grabbed her arm, dragging her behind him.
She asked to help, after all.
He ended up at the communal washroom for the Sun Dorm. Thankfully, no one felt the need to shower at this time of night, unless they were just a strange individual. Taking a quick survey of the area around them, deeming that no one was around, he walked in, Yori in tow right behind him.
She felt a little nervous when he let go of her and began pacing back and forth, his hands lost in his hair. It had grown longer, the ends of it now resting at the base of his neck and almost covering his tattoo. Watching him for a few more minutes, she thrummed her fingers against her lips, trying to think of something to say.
She didn't have to speak, though.
"You want to help me?" he sounded accusing, as well as disturbed, eyeing her reflection in the floor length mirror. He closed his eyes when she nodded. "Why?"
"Because," she began. "We're...friends. Friends help each other."
"Friends," he repeated the word, testing the sound of it out. "I guess we are." He approached her and made a move that threw a curve for her. His arms came around her waist, pulling her small body against him, and his tall frame leaned over, resting his head against her shoulder. "Friends help each other?" He felt her nod against him, her shaky hands coming to rest on his back in a soothing manner.
His world was tinted red. Pulling back a fraction from her, he lifted one of his hands and brushed the hair against her neck back, his lips a hairs breadth away from her skin. He could feel her accelerated pulse. His other hand gripped her shoulder, keeping her caged to him, and he lowered his mouth to her neck, licking the spot just above the juncture between her neck and shoulder.
She froze.
"Z-Zero-kun?" her scared voice came close to making him back away from her, but he had gotten this close. There was no hope for him, now. The irony of how familiar this was to him had him stuck in the past.
Unsheathing his extended fangs, he deliberated for only a second, tightening his hold on her.
The painful sting against her neck left her paralyzed. She gasped. Her eyes went wide with unadulterated fear, and she turned her head the little bit that she could, barely catching a glimpse of her reflection. She felt sick when she saw red staining the collar of her white uniform shirt. Things began to become blurry, and she saw technicolor dots flashing before her. Her hearing faded in and out, the only sound she was entirely aware of being her blood rushing behind them.
The very blood that Zero was drinking.
Her hands gripped tightly against his back, balling his shirt up in her fists, and her knees buckled underneath her, causing her to sag against him. If it wasn't for his strong hold on her, she was certain she would have fell to the floor. Her heart fluttered against her rib-cage, like it was a small hummingbird trapped inside of her.
As her mind increasingly became more and more hazy, her one logical formed thought zeroed in on her own words.
"Friends help each other."
She asked to help, after all.
This. Was. Written. In three hours. Tops...
I don't even know.
I needed to re-correct my mistake that was chapter 7, because that was on huge blunder on my part. And since I couldn't just go back and rewrite the whole thing, I decided to throw another surprise and distract you all! :D No, not really. I don't know about both chapters. I feel like I'm loosing my touch, especially on Yori. But, since she's a side-character turned main, it's hard to determine how she'd act since we only really see her all calm and collected x( Gah! I'll just excuse it as her being on drugs from her being sick, and we can ignore that poor thing. That's why I didn't let it have much effect on this chapter. I hope this one corrects it, at least to some degree. I had to have vampire Zero. I was going crazy from him being a good boy. I just hope I didn't fumble again and make this one weird.
Emotionally unstable and weird. This poor story is going to need therapy thanks to me.
Okay, time for the important stuff!
Thank you to:
Guest: I hope that not being able to think something is a good thing? Otherwise, I'm sorry T_T
Julianne: I agree, I agree. Too emotional *headbang* But, come on. In my defense, what would you do if Zero and Kaito wanted you? ^_^ (I know what I'd do...)
Lakemet: Woot! Thank you :D I don't particularly like him, but he makes for a nice antagonist.
Anon: I knowww :( But thank you for that. At least I'm getting them semi-correct.
DrkSpphrGT: Nice to hear from you again :) I know, she really was. That was my own awful mishap. Honestly, I think I'd do the same thing, haha! Thank you, you're welcome, and here's your update!
My fanfic brings all the readers' to the yard, and I'm like, you can read this...but then have to suffer from my over thanking of you beautiful people! ^_^
So, until Chapter 9!
-IdleScribe