100 bonus points if you catch the (really lame) reference to Harry Potter in here, as requested of reader Cassandra-Jayne (: I kinda cheated and it's not really a reference to HP itself though… I promise to do better later on! ^^
Onward!
-X-
How the Heart Races
|| -X- || CHAPTER TWO || -X- ||
"Speak Up"
Valentine's Day is four days away, and Cross Academy has officially gone crazy.
I'm walking through the halls after-school with a scowl on my lips, because it feels more like I'm walking through a safari full of animals in heat. It just goes to show that even strict rules and the prestigious status of an honourable Academy will still have nothing on teenage hormones.
"Um… excuse me." The couple in front of my locker is gazing hotly at each other, the boy pinning the girl to the surface with one hand like something out of a cliche romcom poster. They glowered at my interjection. "Sorry to interrupt…" Not really. "I thought it'd be better to say something… before you guys made out…"
The girl's cheeks turn apple red, and she swoops out from the boy's grasp looking utterly embarrassed. He chases after her, but not before throwing me an irate glare from over his shoulder. Sighing, my fingers twist open my lock. I should carry a shotgun around these hungry animals. It's after school! Go home already!
"Aya Makino?" I blink, and move the door of my locker out of the way.
"Yuuki Cross," I acknowledge, and the corner of my lip twitches into what I hope looks like a friendly smile. "Hi. Do you need me for something?"
"I'm actually here to ask you… a favor. From the Headmaster." Yuuki grins. She's awfully cute, with eyes round and brown like a doe's. Her hair is the same shade, and it falls just a bit past her shoulder, which is significantly longer than I remember it being. Then again, I haven't ever seen her up close before. As much as I love Kaien, I've always opted to stay away from his two children, a preference that he wishes I didn't have, but I have my reasons. "Um, you've probably noticed Valentine's Day coming up…"
I scoff, and Yuuki seems to flinch a bit in surprise. I couldn't forget even if I wanted to, with girls walking through the halls giggling and holding boxes of chocolate and hearts. The day hasn't even come yet. "No, actually, I haven't noticed. When is it again, like December 25th?"
She snickers, and my own lips lift shyly. "So what's Kai— the Headmaster want from me?"
She looks around to see if anyone is listening, and leans in a bit closer. She smells a bit strange. Not like bad body odour or perfume, but just… strange. "Zero and I are prefects, and now that Valentine's coming up… we could kinda use some extra—"
"No."
She looks lost. "B-but I haven't even told you—"
"You want me to help control the girls because they're going boy-crazy over the Night Class," I close my locker with my textbooks and binder in arm. "My answer is no."
"But Ay— I mean, Makino-san, why not?"
"I know why you're asking me, and I'm sorry that I'm being so mean about this," I blow out a sigh as Yuuki follows behind me, and people are starting to look in the halls. I'm beginning to look like the bad guy because it's obvious that Yuuki is desperately trying to convince me of something, and I'm not having any of it. "I just really don't want the extra attention—"
"The teachers are agreeing to giving you extra credit!"
My feet halt, and Yuuki crashes into me from behind. I'm quite a bit taller than her, but only because she's terribly short, standing at five feet tall so I've got about 5 inches of looming height of her when I turn around. Now students are really starting to wonder what's going on, so I take Yuuki's wrist and lead her away to outside. Luckily, it's sunny despite the cold temperature, so it's fine for a short conversation.
"How much extra credit are we talking? And all of my teachers?" So much for integrity. But this isn't pity, this is a bargain.
"Kaien said he's made arrangements for an additional ten percent —" My eyebrows shoot up, and Yuuki grins. I don't dwell on the fact that she says Kaien has already made arrangement, because it means the sly bastard is already sure I'll say yes. "I'm sure they'd offer more if you stayed on for longer!"
I'm half tempted to shrug this off as a lie, but something about the way she says it is like… she's excited for me. Plus, I can tell from the way she looks at me that she's not exacty unafraid of me. "Ten percent seems like a lot for just a few days so… how long do you think we're talking?"
"Hopefully not for too long! It's just that things have been getting super chaotic lately. Zero had detention yesterday, but luckily, the teacher let him off, or I would've…"
So that's what his prefect duties were… It really must be difficult right now, since Valentine's Day is coming up. A pang of guilt causes me to nibble the inside of my lip. Okay, so I may have misjudged him just a bit. But he still broke that girl's heart like an inconsiderate son of a bitch, so the guilt is very minimal.
I sigh. "I see… You just need me for the curfew? So not during breaks or anything, right?"
She makes a guilty face. "We don't need you for breaks, but we're going to need you a little later than even our curfew. Girls have been trying to sneak past the gate. We think they're trying to leave notes and presents anonymously, or meet up with the Night Class students secretly, and you know… we really can't let that happen. We're going to make an announcement later on about the consequences, but we're taking extra precautions. Better safe than sorry, right?"
I bite my lip. That's pretty serious. No wonder they need more help.
"I'm sorry to do this to you… And um, Kaien hasn't told us anything, but we know that you don't talk to us for a reason…" I blush, embarrassed, even though it would be unrealistic for them to not notice. "But we would really appreciate your help. We don't really have anyone else we can trust. Zero and I are already prefects."
"No, I'm sorry for being so… awkward. I'll do it. The last thing I want is for a stupid first year girl sneaking past the gate and — … yeah, I'm in." I clear my throat awkwardly. "So when do I start?"
Yuuki beams. "Now! We need to go put your stuff away and let's go!"
"…What?" She laughs, and grabs my hand in hers. It's been a long time since I last had my hand held and was lead somewhere by someone, and the gesture makes me blush, only to have heartbeat increases again as I realize that I'm blushing. And then an even more depressing thought crosses my mind.
I can't remember the last time I've made contact with someone besides Kaien.
-X-
He clears his throat.
I blow my bangs away from my eyes.
He shifts his stance to the other side.
I cross my arms.
"Is there something I should know?" Yuuki puts her arms on her hips and raises a dark brown eyebrow at us. My eyes dart to look to my right, only to coincidentally meet with lavender and avert my gaze again. "Have you guys met before?"
He says 'no' at the same time that I say 'yes'. We both glare at each other, and Yuuki only looks even more perplexed.
"We're in the same chemistry class," I say.
"We don't talk," he says.
"He sits right beside me."
"She's failing."
It takes all of my control to not drop my jaw. I grit my teeth. "What does that have to do with us knowing each other? Do you not associate yourself to people with bad grades or something? So you'd rather not know me, is that it?"
"Her question was whether or not we've met." His gaze is cold and unforgiving. How does Yuuki put up with him? "We've never met before."
"Meeting doesn't mean I have to tell you my name and shake your hand. Meeting means we've come into contact with each other."
"Unfortunately."
"Zero!" Yuuki reprimands angrily, and he sends her a look, almost as if he expects her to be on his side.
My teeth are starting to seriously hurt from how hard I am clenching them. "Are you always this charming, or did a snake crawl up your ass and lay eggs?"
It's Yuuki's turn to stare at me with her lips parted, and Zero literally scowls.
"Um." She takes a moment. I don't blame her. It's obvious that she's neither the rude type or the cursing type, which Zero and I fall under respectively. "Let's start over? How about we… introduce ourselves?"
"I'm going." Zero shoves his hands into his pockets and stays true to his word as he trudges away. My lips are literally locked in a grimace thanks to him.
"Jerk."
"Hello, 'Going' and 'Jerk'. I'm Yuuki Cross. Nice to meet you guys too." I can't help but smile at her little joke, and she releases an apologetic smile. Yuuki seems to be a much more likeable person than Zero, but from what I've seen, it seems like everyone else is too.
"Sorry about that. I didn't know you guys were, um…. acquainted already, or I would've made sure to talk to him—"
"It's not your fault, Cross-san. It's okay, as long as I don't need to interact with him on a personal level, we should be fine."
"Still…" She sighs, and hands me an arm band. "Wear this for now. Thank you for doing this, Makino-san. I hope you're prepared."
"For ovary explosions, and a class full of gorgeous rich kids? My two favourite things." She laughs at my sarcasm, and I withhold the blush. For someone with such a sharp tongue, I'm surprising myself with how soft I feel around this girl. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I really can make friends…
Several hours later, the sky has grown darker, and the wind chill has grown in intensity. We've only been patrolling the grounds, and already we've caught some suspicious behaviour of girls hanging dangerously close to the gate, and peering into the Moon Dorm pathway eagerly. I notice Yuuki wraps her arms around herself.
"Are you cold?" She looks at the jacket I'm holding out to her. "Here, take it."
"No, I couldn't, Makino-san, you'll be cold—"
"No, seriously," I chuckle, and drape the jacket over her shoulders. I'm probably just a size larger than her, so it keeps her decently warm without being tight on her. "Trust me, I'm not cold."
"Thank you." I nod awkwardly to myself. Her eyes are trained on the ground, and I have a prodding feeling.
"If you want to ask me anything," She glances up, and her innocent brown eyes catch me off guard. My voice comes out softly, "I'll try my best to answer."
She nods quietly to herself, and we continue walking around to patrol. Finally, she breaks the silence of our footsteps with an confident tone.
"What are your hobbies?"
I catch her eyes again, not expecting that question. She could've asked me anything, from the way I invited the interrogation. I try not to think about how I let myself become vulnerable to her, and analyze her question. Is she trying to warm up to me, or rather is she trying to warm me up to her?
"Well, I like to run," I answer truthfully, grinning. "I've been in track and field for the last two years because Mr. Kimura saw me sprinting around the track a few times. He begged me for a month, and even got Kaien on it. I gave in, and ended up bringing home 3 Gold medals. Both years." The pride is hard to hide from my tone, even though I try to play it off casually.
"Wow, that is so cool!" Her voice is genuine, and my heart reacts by doing a funny jig in my heart. What's happening? "You must be really good. I've always been pretty bad at sports… I blame my short legs, but to be honest, I'm just not that co-ordinated. Surprisingly, I'm good at landing from high places, oh, and balancing though!"
I snicker, and she goes on. "Are you going to join the Spring team this year?"
"I don't think so." She asks me why not, which I already expected. I give her the short, evasive answer. "I don't want to get attached."
Yuuki tilts her head cutely. "Attached to running?"
"To the team," I answer softly. I don't meet her eyes, because I don't want to know what my heart will do when I see her brain piece things together and form an opinion of me. I don't know why I answer her truthfully. "Plus, they gave me the ultimatum that if I don't get my grades up, I can't race. So I didn't join, because I don't like how they threatened me with something like that."
"Do you not think grades are important?" She treads carefully, and I shrug.
"I don't think people's opinions of me are important, and I feel like grades are just a teacher's opinion of me. I try really hard, but I forget things really easily. I do all my homework, but I bomb every test. I'm super bad at multiple choice. I'm better at essays and free-response." I'm chatting. I'm having a friendly conversation with her.
What am I doing?
"Wow, that's the opposite of me! I hate essays, and I'm a lot better multiple choice, you know, because there's a one in five chance that I'll get it right! We should help each other out!" From the corner of my eye, I can see her smiling brightly and leaning forward, trying to catch my eyes. I reach up to rub my nose, like it might be runny or something. I hope she doesn't notice the heat seeping into my cheeks.
"Hey, it's Zero!" I look up, and like she said, there he is, just several feet away at the Gate. Zero snaps his gaze over to us, and I half-expect him to frown and walk away, but he just stays there. Yuuki races up to meet him, but I take my time just walking there normally. I can hear him talking to her, probably thinking I can't hear.
"What took you guys so long?"
"We were talking. She's really nice, Zero, not like what we thought. You could at least be civil."
I wish I had a scarf to bury my face into. Obviously, it's not like I expected them to have a great opinion of me, but from her words, I can predict that they didn't have the best opinion of me… and well, Zero still doesn't. On the topic of a scarf, I'm starting to get cold now, so I breath some hot air into my hands.
"Hn."
"Don't be so mean!" She turns around to smile at me, since I'm close now. "I'm going to make a quick trip to the washroom. What about you?"
"I'm good," I say too quickly, and bite my lip. I would rather go to the washroom with Yuuki than stay here with Zero, but she's already dashing off.
I catch Zero looking at me, and he looks away. I don't have a watch, and my cellphone is in my bag. "Um, could you tell me the time?"
He doesn't look at his wrist. "It's eight."
"Oh, okay… Thanks." Great. Now what?
Silence is what, apparently, because that's what follows. I don't mind not talking, but it's a lot worse here, because there's actual tension between the two of us as opposed to if I was just with anyone else.
His silver hair is unique, and I have no idea if it's natural, or if it's because of stress… I doubt he's the type to dye it, but I have to admit, it looks good. As if lavender eyes and sharp, handsome features weren't enough to label him attractive, he's gifted with height and large hands, which I find strangely appealing. I've never seen him with his sleeves rolled up, or in any kind of exposing attire, so I don't know if he's toned or not, but I don't doubt it. The more I think about it, the more otherworldly he looks, as if he's not human.
"What?" he barks.
I should look away, but I don't. He seems phased at my lack of embarrassment at being caught staring. He breaks out eye contact first.
"I'm sorry." I don't look at his expression. I don't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing the face of guilt on me. "It's kind of my fault that we got extended detention yesterday. But you didn't even sit through it…" I try to hide how bitter I am about that, but I remember again that it kind of sort of wasn't his fault. "And I'm sorry for eavesdropping on you and that girl, but I didn't want to interrupt and… I needed to get to the classroom for detention. I still shouldn't have eavesdropped, though. I'm sorry. I won't tell anyone."
I clear my throat and shift uncomfortably. My apology isn't really sounding sincere, probably because I'm not actually truly sorry. "We don't need to be friends or anything, but we're going to be working together for a little while, and I'd prefer if you didn't, um… hate me."
Zero's arm eventually drops back to his side. My hands are folded over my chest, because I don't have my jacket pockets to shove them in and it's getting really cold, even for me. His eyes slithered to my hands, watching how I hold myself. He says nothing.
"I'm back!" Yuuki joins us, and she hands me my jacket back, and I take it back with a quick thanks.
"Sorry it took me so long, there was a line-up of girls checking their reflection," I let out a not-so-subtle snort, and Yuuki sniggers. "They're getting ready to come out!"
There's a noise in the distance, and Zero's features crinkle. Whatever he's sensing, my senses aren't good enough to catch, and wonder seeps into my curiosity. Just how enhanced are his senses?
"Someone's bleeding," he snarls, and my heart leaps as he bares his teeth. "Beyond the gate. Someone get through."
Yuuki jumps into action, already runnning. "We have to hurry! Come on, Zero!"
"I'll stay here," I offer, and Yuuki nods.
"We'll be back soon. Just make sure no one else gets past!" I wave passively as they expertly pass through the gate, and disappear from my sight.
I guess it's a good thing I'm here. They can go deal with it together without having to worry about the situation up here. Just as the thought passes, my attention is whisked away by the sound of girls making their way from the Academy, and appearing from the way of the dorms.
"Makino-san is a prefect now? Since when?" Whispering is only to be expected, but that doesn't mean it doesn't bother me. "Aren't her grades like terribad?"
"Not a prefect." Their eyes grow wide and they look almost guilty. Almost. "Just helping out."
Nothing else leaves their candy apple lips, and girls scurry to the huddle together and show each other their cards and and photos on their camera. Behold, the female fan girl in her natural habitat. Please remember that flash photography is prohibited, and to remain in the vehicle at all times.
Yuuki and Zero haven't come back in half an hour. I'm growing restless, but I'm not the only one because we're about fifteen minutes away from the dorm gates open for the students to make their way to the Academy, which means fifteen minutes until I get absolutely trampled by ravaging fangirls. I need to take a moment to remember exactly who the predators are, whoI'm supposed to be protecting…
"Makino-san!" The Gates open, and the girls begin to scream, only to have their hopes dashed as Yuuki and Zero come racing out. In Zero's arms is a passed out girl, and Yuuki is piggy backing another one, who's eyes are also closed. I rush over to help, but Yuuki shakes her head.
"I'm going to take them to the Nurse, and then I'm going to take them to the Headmaster. You and Zero need to stay here to manage the crowd, okay?"
I nod, and Yuuki looks to Zero. The girl who was in his arms has been passed off to two girls, most likely friends of the injured girl, and they carry her away. Another cluster of girls comes up to Yuuki, cooing at the girl on her back as they also help take her. At least they're decent enough to prioritize their friends over gawking at good-looking boys. Still, Yuuki has to go with them to make sure the memory modifying is done. She throws me a look over her shoulder, and we nod at each other before she goes.
I want to ask Zero what happened, but something stops me. His face is stiff, and his features are tense as if in pain, or disgust. "Are you okay? You look—"
"I'm fine." Boy, is he ever good at killing conversation. "We need to get ready."
His words are perfectly timed as the gates open wider, and sure enough, the Night Class has appeared. The girls are rushing forward. I quickly recall what my instructions were, and why I'm here.
"Back off, h-hey!" The scene from Lion King appears in my vision for a brief second as I relate to how Simba must have felt trapped among those wildebeest things in the gorge. "They need to get to class, you hormonal freaks!" My voice is drowned out by screaming. Flash, flash, flash! Cameras snap and signs are being waved as they push past me and crowd the gate. I can't see past their heads as they jump up and down. It's absolute madness. "Hey, are you freaks listening? Get away from there! You need to get out of the way!"
"Shut up!" someone snaps.
She did not just tell me to shut up, I try to convince myself, but fingers are already tingling from the need to meet with someone's face. She did not just tell me to shut up.
Oh, but she freakin' did.
TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! TWEET TWEET TWEET TWEEEEET! Hands fly up to their ears at the distasteful high-pitched noise, and expressions are filled with irritation. "What is that mysterious tweeting noise?"
"Kind of…" Tweeeeet! "Annoying…"
"I found the source of the tweeting. It's her!"
"Now that I have your attention…" My fingers hold the whistle that Coach Kimura gave to me as a present. Something about a whistle just demands attention. "Let's play a game. Which do you think is easier to move away from: the Night Class, or my fist?"
Pairs of eyes look to one another, and I can make out whispers of my delinquent past. I scoff. Delinquent past my ass; I punched that guy because he was 'accidentally tripped' and touched a girl's breast a girl in the hallway, so I 'accidentally tripped' and touched his face with my fist. He deserved much worse. Leave it to self-centered gossipers to blow the story out of proportion and claim that I picked a fight…
It doesn't take long for them to scurry to each side, forming a neat path. Zero's face is hard to read from this distant, but I swear he almost looks amused, or as amused as a guy like him can look. The Night Class is waiting patiently at the front of the Gates. Of course, as soon as the path is formed, the screams start again, but at least the Night students can get through and there's a good distance between the two uniformed groups.
This is the first time I've ever seen the Night Class up-close, but I don't stay to admire them for long. I walk in front of them to clear a path, while I can faintly hear snippets of Zero's voice pushing girls away from the rear.
The whistle is at ready between my lips, just in case it gets out of control again, but the girls obediently disperse to each side as soon as I approach. If people didn't stay away from me before, they sure would after today.
We make it to the front of the Academy, and I step to the side of the entrance to let the Night students through. I keep my gaze down, not wanting to make eye contact with them.
"Thank you," the voice sends shivers up my spine, smooth and sultry. My eyes meet with the owner of the voice, and I can't hide the words that come out from my mouth.
"Don't mention it," I mutter. The man at the front of the pack is Kaname Kuran, the only pureblood of the Night Class. His wavy brown hair frames his devastatingly handsome features in a way that I thought could only be achieved artificially. "And I mean that seriously. Don't ever mention it."
"She's a rude one." A blonde male near the leader regards me with disgust. I return the gesture. "You might want to watch your mouth, newbie."
Kaname sighs, "Hanabusa, not now."
"I'm not new," My brow quirks upwards, "and I don't think I'm the one who should be watching my mouth, blondie."
"Blondie?" I can hear the hurt from his words even after he's made his way down the hall. The students are making their way into the Academy, but not before shooting me a glance. I sigh, rubbing my sore temples. Their senses are a hundred times better than mine, of course they heard every word, Stupid.
I slip past them and join Zero outside. The girls are dispersing, checking the photos they snapped and twittering away. "How was that?"
"Not bad for a newbie." He says nothing, and only gives me a glance before turning away to face me with his back. "Duty isn't over. Let's go."
I rake my teeth over the outside of my lips, curing them of the dryness that accompanies the cold weather. "How long do you guys stay out here?"
"Midnight. Sometimes later," he answers coldly. I'm still walking behind him, so I don't see his expression. I don't really know where we're going, but we're heading back the way we came, towards the Dorm Gates. "If you want, you can go."
For some reason, his words offend me. Maybe he thought that I want to leave, or I can't take it anymore, but I wasn't asking with a whiny 'Are we there yet?' kind of attitude. I was only curious.
But I am tired. Tired or arguing with this boy, and tired of pretending.
"I'll stay," I whisper, so inaudibly that I am sure I am the only one who hears, but his head turns just the slightest, as if to look back at me, before he seems to change his mind and keep walking.
Again. What a cold-hearted bastard.
-X-
Zero Kiryuu falls asleep in Chemistry the next day. I had slid my foot to nudge him awake, but he scowled in his sleep and re-adjusted his position. I nibble on my bottom lip, thinking. Chan is writing on the board, but we're in the second row. As soon as she turns around, he's screwed.
I freeze. Why do I care? If anything, he deserves another detention after missing the last one. Heck, if our roles were reversed, he probably wouldn't bat half an eyelash for me. I think about the Guardian armband in my pocket and sigh lightly. I can't do that to him.
Come on, get up already! I take a pencil and jab him in the side. Getupgetupgetup!
He snarls, and I snap back to sitting upright in retreat. Chan has been going on and on about the new chapter on gases, but she's finishing up as she approaches the answer. I scowl, reaching into my school bag and pulling out my waterbottle. I shove my finger into the opening, and tilt until the water comes soaks my finger entirely. I take a deep breath, and lean over. No pain no gain, broody.
I shove my finger into his ear. He jerks upright in his desk as an instant reaction. Definitely awake now.
For the first time in my life, I see pure, unadulterated hatred through his eyes.
"… Are there any questions?" By the time Chan has turned around, everyone is sitting eerily upright, eyes blinking innocently. Zero darts his eyes slowly back and forth between me and Ms. Chan, his groggy mind probably trying to piece together what just happened.
"Makino-san," I stiffen. "Why don't you come up here and show what you did for question 5A?"
My notebook is filled with the work and answers for the assigned homework, but my mind is blank. She never calls on people. She is a textbook lecture-type. She doesn't give a crap about our progress, she just talks and talk and talks and tests and that's what our marks are based off of, thus why that 10% meant so much. Homework isn't ever checked or marked. Why is she calling me up?
"I'm waiting," she presses, chalk in hand. I bite my lip to snap out of my confusion. I step out of my seat with my notebook in hand to stand in front of the board.
The questions is: 'A 5L container is filled with N2(g) to a pressure of 3.00 atm at 250 degrees. What is the volume of a container that is used to store the same gas at STP? Solve this problem using each of the following approaches: A) gas-law equation. B) PV/T = constant at different conditions if the number of moles is constant. C) "common sense" and Charles' and Boyle's law'
I start to write. I did the homework, so I remember. PV = nRT = V = nRT/P.
"And, uh.. then I solve for 'n', so…"
3.00 x 5L / 0.0821L x 523K = 0.349 moles. My hand is shaking. My hand is shaking. Everyone can see my hand shaking. 0.349mols x 0.00821L x 27B / 1 = 7.82
I look at her expression, only to find skepticism. I wonder if I did it right. She frowns.
"Finish the rest of the question," she commands. I swallow hard, but oblige. I finish both the equations for B and C, but she doesn't look pleased. I put the chalk down on the ledge of the board when I have written the answers, double checking to see if it's the same as my work, and turn around. I take one step forward, and then her words stab me.
"Who did you copy from?"
I must have heard wrong. "Excuse me?"
"I've had enough of your attitude, Makino. Just because I do not take homework for marks does not mean you can blatantly copy someone else's work."
"You think I copied from someone… for work that's not even worth marks?" I can't hold the disbelief dripping from my words.
I must. "Do not take me for a fool, Makino." Be hearing. "I have had enough of you sneaking behind my back. You should be ashamed of yourself."
Wrong.
Backing down isn't even an option. Indignation has creeped into my core and seized me, but I welcome it with open arms. My fist is tingling. "You said it yourself that homework isn't for marks, so why on earth would I have even wasted my time copying? What… what reason would I have… to even bother?"
"I will not have this conversation now, Makino. Be seated. I will see you after class." My heart burns. It stings, and my throat is tight. This is unjust. This isn't fair.
"I haven't done anything wrong—"
"I will not repeat myself, Makino!" She barks, and her face is absolutely red. "Sit down!"
In Chan's face, I can see fragments of worry surfacing from behind her glasses. I wonder if she's heard rumors about my so-called delinquency. I wonder if she remembers what I said about being suspended for punching someone in the face. I wonder.
My mind races as I force my heart to calm down my emotions. Anger seeps from my core, but strangely, I'm able to ignore it. I can feel my face relaxing, but my emotions still feel like they're in hysteria.
I walk back to my seat.
With a firm swipe, I snatch my schoolbag from the floor of my desk. It isn't until I walk out from Ms. Chan's hollering attacks that I am finally calm.
-X-
When I was younger, I would always run to Kaien's office. He had essentially taken on the role of my Guardian, and I viewed him as my saviour in more ways than one. Finding me on the winter's night, and protecting me from my Aunt's rage. It's not hard to piece together the puzzle and realize that Kaien was trying to make me forgive my aunt, if just for the smallest moment, when he claimed that the gift had been from her. He probably wants me to eventually go back to her and try to work things out, yet he didn't look disappointed when I relayed to him that I no longer wanted anything to do with her. Is it because he knows I won't do it? Does he think I'll give in, like I always do, and end up putting up with her anyway?
Either way, I take time for myself. Ever since I entered teenage years, I no longer seeked out Kaien as my console. Once in a while, like on monday, I go there to catch up with him during my study block. If he wasn't the Headmaster of the school, I wonder if I'd seek him out more. I don't do it because I dont' want to be a burden, not because I don't want to talk about anything with him. He has a lot to worry about, that man. He's running a secret of an Academy filled with two groups: one that could essentially annihilate the other, while the latter has fundamentally no clue.
If Kaien thinks that Vampires and Humans can co-exist with each other, then I'm not going to argue with him. I respect that man enough to take his opinion in stride, whether or not I agree with it, and he also respects my wishes to remain unassociated with them.
Well, I was pretty unassociated at least up until yesterday.
I've made my way to the bleachers outside, spread to view the track. The wooden steps creak under my weight, and I station myself the farthest away from the school. I might get caught for skipping class, and I am not being dragged back to Chemistry after what just happened.
I grab my phone from my schoolbag. It's barely 8:15, and the period doesn't end until 9. What am I going to do next class? It's way too late to drop out… I guess I'll just have to awkward sit in class and hope the prefect duty really does boost me ten percent because I am totally going to end up with like a 60 percent average —
… Who is that? The thought crosses my mind for only a split second, before the morning sunlight catches strands of his silver hair in speckles of blinding white. He's just come out from the doors, and his eyes land on me. I blink, as he just watches me. I'm waiting, expecting, wondering. What is he doing here?
And then I see his expression. He looks absolutely seething, his eyes glaring and jaw clenched hard. He takes his first step forward in my direction, followed by another, then another, and soon enough it's obvious that he's approaching me. He's a prefect. He's going to drag my sorry ass back to class because he needs to enforce school rules and regulations and unholy hell he's going to make me pay for disrespecting a teacher and
The biggest NO erupts in my head. I bolt it.
"Hey-" The faint word slips past his composure in his alarm, and I can hear the sound of his footsteps quickening.
"YOU CAN'T TAKE ME ALIVE!"
His speed picks up. Frick, he is so not joking, this is serious and I'm going to get suspended for walking out of a teachers class after she's already taken 10% off my test and embarrassed me in front of the entire class and I'm gonna get punished for this stupid-ass shit ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
He's faster than me. I don't even want to think about how my pride hurts at that notion, but he is, and I'll bet he's gonna catch up in about 10 seconds. I'm on a zip line to the Gardens, where it'll be easy to lose him.
"Stop!" He calls when he realizes where my running course is headed. My heartbeat is thunder. I would rather trip land flat on my face than return to that class.
"YOU STOP FIRST!"
"Because—"
"I'M NOT GOING WITH YOU!"
"I'm not—"
"GET AWAY!"
"You idiot!" My elbow is jerked back, the motion causes my legs to lose balance. My ankle twists weirdly, trying to keep my body from falling, but luckily he yanks me back upright, hard. I wince, pain in my shoulder. "Why the hell are you running from me?"
"W-why are you… ch-chasing me?" I tell myself that I'm stammering and huffing because I'm tired, not because I'm intimidated. "You're going… t-to d-drag me… back to c-class… aren't you?"
"What?" Zero's not even sweating or out of breath. He looks like he freaking pranced over to me while I look more like I ran 2 blocks out in a windstorm. "You thought— god, are you always this stupid?"
"…Ouch." His expression twitches, and he lets go of my arm. It seems that he may feel sorry for what he said, but he's about as close to an apology as I am to being on Principal's List. I don't care. "Seriously, why else… would you be chasing me?"
"I wouldn't have chased you if you hadn't - forget it."
I force myself to control my breathing before I went on, every huff in between my phrases ripping my pride in half. "You started coming towards me first! And you looks furious! You'd think I ran over your cat or something from the murder in your eyes."
For a moment, all we both hear is our breathing. He clears his throat, and the words come out awkwardly, and forced, as if it's painful to say. "That's… just how I always look."
…Oh.
"Oh," I verbalize. Zero rubs his temples like he's having a migraine. He probably is. "So… why were you coming towards me?"
He is quiet for a while as he stares blankly at me, unable to answer.
"…What?" I press, cocking my head diagonally to convey my curiosity.
"Nothing."
"What?" He turns to walk away, and it's my turn to grab him by his arm to hold him back. He's not used to the contact, and I can feel him tense in answer to my gesture. "What do you mean nothing?"
He yanks away. "Nothing."
"If you don't answer me, I'm going to scream at the top of my lungs and rip off my clothes." His expression stiffens, and I can see that he's weighing out the possibility of whether I really will or not. I quirked a brow to make a point, and take a deep breath in…
I get half an 'A' out before he slaps his hands over my mouth and the back of my neck, clamping my head to shut me up. I blink fiendishly innocently to say 'I'm waiting.'.
Zero scoffs, takes his hands away and grumbles, "I was wrong to worry about you."
This catches my attention. "You were worried? About what? About who? Me?"
"No," he denies half-heartedly, already walking away from me. I scamper behind him, eager to keep up despite how tired my legs are. Not to mention that the pursuit was absolutely pointless.
"But you just said!" I imitate him in a lower 'boy' voice. " 'I was wrong to worry about you.' "
"I don't sound like that."
"Yes you do."
"No I— stop talking to me."
"So… you were worried about me."
"I was not—"
"You know, you're actually kinda cute when you're embarrassed."
He freezes right where he is, pauses for a moment, and turns around to regard me with an icy glare. "I am not embarrassed."
"So you don't deny being cute, then."
A twitch of his lips. "You. Are. Impossible."
I grin broadly, saying nothing as I notice the tug of his lips into a smirk. So the cold-hearted Grinch is capable of positive emotion. As if reading my mind, he catches himself in the act and the upwards tug gets dragged down by an anchor back to his usual frown. Well, at least he wasn't lying earlier when he said he always looked angry or upset. He sure did.
"Thank you for worrying about me," I said gently, and I half expect him to continue denying the accusation, but he just stays quiet, thinking to himself. Had he followed me after I stormed off from class? Was he worried that I'd do something stupid, like punch a few kids in the face to relieve my anger? … Gosh, that's actually a really good reason to be worried. I just might have, if someone happened to stumble upon me at the wrong timing, I muse densely.
I wonder if he walked out of class without saying anything, or if… just maybe… could he have stood up for me? Could that be a reason why he left, too?
My eyes flicker to meet his angry gaze. Nawwwww.
"You're failing Chemistry."
"Wh-" And to think I thought he was a decent guy. "Okay, seriously, Kiryuu, what's your problem?"
"Your assignment marks are higher than mine." My lips part. Zero Kiryuu may look like a complete slacker, but his grades are pretty high, if not at least impressive, I believe — they'd have to be if he was a prefect. High enough for that statement to surprise me. "And you pay attention in class, despite always being late."
"… What are you trying to say?" But I can already hear the question that his words are begging to ask, and I find myself growing a question of my own.
"You freeze up and do terribly on every test."
I purse my lips. He noticed?
Just as I predicted, the question falls from his mouth as a single word. "Why?"
This is the longest conversation I have ever held with Zero Kiryuu. My impression of this impenetrable character was that he hated everyone. I didn't need to ask Kaien to guess that his parents weren't around anymore, but weirdly, and probably cynically on my part, I hadn't ever tried to empathize with this kid. I should probably be treating him a lot better, knowing his circumstances, but it's like those emotions have been locked into me for so long that they don't know how to surface. In that past day and a half, I've talked to both of them, and those are big enough steps for me at this point.
I don't need to explain myself to this guy. I barely even know him. In a week, I won't need to interact with him anymore either. Ha, you know, he probably doesn't even care about me. He's probably just saying this out of duty because I'm dragging the grade average down.
"I'm scared."
So why do I tell him the truth?
The words are on the tip of his tongue, I can see, from the way his eyes soften just the slightest bit: he wants to ask 'of what?'. If I wasn't so attracted— I mean, mesmerized— I mean… ahem, aware of those eyes, I probably wouldn't have caught it.
But he doesn't say anything as the words resonate in his mind and he seems to either come up with an answer himself or just decide to drop the subject.
"I-I'm telling the truth," I say uncertainly, unsure of why I want him to believe me.
"Hn."
"I am!"
"I know," he says this as if he regrets opening his mouth at all. He turns his back on me.
"A-are you going?" Why do I sound so desperate? Clearing my throat, I try again. "Back to class?"
"I can't, thanks to you."
"What do you mean?" I think back to the prediction I had earlier. He couldn't have…. could he?
"Nothing." I roll my eyes. Must be his favourite word or something.
"Hey, don't go yet." His back is still towards me, but I walk along after him. "I have a question."
He says nothing.
"I answered you. Truthfully, too. The least you can do is answer, whether it's true or fake, only you'll know." We both knew I was appealing slash poking at his pride. Let's see how accurate that list I made yesterday turns out to be.
He exhales noisily through his nose, and rotates to face me, his hands shoved in his pockets. "What?"
"Why did you reject that girl so coldly the other day?" The way his eyes widen and his gaze focuses a bit more seems to tell me that he wasn't expecting this question. Much like how Yuuki asked me about my hod dies yesterday, he wasn't expecting such a question. I'm sure we both knew how much I knew about him, and how much I didn't.
"Because I don't like her." I don't think it means that he didn't like her as a person, but more that he didn't return her feelings.
"I'm not stupid, despite what you may thing." His gaze hardens. I ignore it. "You were really mean, and I mean really. You didn't just break her heart, you shattered it and crushed it to tiny pieces. What was with that? What did she do to you?"
"If I don't crush it, it'll heal and come back."
I shift my stance to the other leg, crossing my arms as I lowered my gaze uncomfortably. "That's unnecessary. She didn't seem like the type to come pestering after you even after you rejected her. Plus, she's going away in a bit. Couldn't you have… I don't know—"
"Would you?" I looked at him, taking a moment to consider his challenge. If a guy confessed to me like that, and said he was going away in a few months, would I be with him just for a few months to make him happy?
"First of all, no guys has ever liked me, nevertheless confessed. And second, I don't know the first thing to making a guy happy."
"And you think I know how to make a girl happy?" I pause. How would Zero be as a boyfriend? My opinion of him may have gotten a bit better in the past 15 minutes, but now that he mentions it…
"I don't know what you think you know about me." He shook his head exasperatedly. "You don't."
"I don't need to know you to say that the way you turned her down was unnecessarily harsh," I glowered at him. "Maybe that's the main reason, you're alone, Zero. You don't care about how people feel in the slightest. If you justify turning her down like that, it's the same thing as not respecting her enough to tell her how you feel!"
He steps closer, eyes slit dangerously into a glare. "You don't understand."
"Then explain it to me until I do!" I hiss, "You don't have the right to speak to her like that, when all she wanted was-"
"I don't have the right to be with her. With anyone."
Ahh.
He gives in. "I don't deserve her honest feelings. I don't deserve her affections, or anyone's for that matter, do you get it? Do you understand, Makino?"
He might as well have slapped me in the face. That's how much it stung. Not that I wouldn't have deserved such a retaliation. I knew of his circumstances well enough to know how much those words must have meant.
"I…" I begin, because I don't need him to elaborate, not that I expect him to. I can hear his ragged breathing, how hard he held it in, and how much I must have offended him. ".. I… I'm sorry, I was just…"
He's right. I was. I was thinking about the girl, but it hadn't occurred to me that he might have… he might have needed the concern instead. I was blaming him. His answer is so pitiful, so honest that I'm humiliated to have pushed him so far. Talk about hypocritical. "I went too far and I was just—"
"You were just too busy caring about how she felt, that's all, because you're so great at caring for others." he intercepted, expression unreadable. I swallowed, eyebrows turnings upwards as guilt seeped into my face. "Maybe you should become a Guardian full-time. You seem a lot better at caring than I do."
The venom in the words cut deep, and I suck my lips in to keep them frowning or even quivering. I've pissed him off, from the way he's just letting his genuine malice come through. Why had I even gotten involved? As if eavesdropping at all wasn't bad enough, I had to stick my nose in. I wasn't caring. I was just being nosy.
"I'm sorry," I say, because that's all I can, anyway. I don't look at his expression as he spins back around, his scent fanning me in the face from how close he was to me. Zero smelled like an fresh wave, cool and masculine. The scent lingers for just a moment longer before he's out of my sight and the scent eventually fades.
I stay by myself for a while, deciding to stay until the signal of second period triggers me to get up. I'm leaning against a tree stump, watching a few students walk around in the courtyard in the distance, but otherwise, I am alone.
Maybe under different circumstances, we could have been friends. I let the thought float in my mind, playing with it, prodding it to see how I feel about it. Could two people, both so damaged in their own way, be friends with each other? For a long time, I was convinced that the answer was no. People like us need someone innocent and happy to balance us out, from all the love stories and movies I've seen. Moody and Broody meets Happy and Cute, helping him see the finer things in life, kind of thing, you know? Opposites attract, that kind of mojo. But innocent and happy pisses me off, the same way ignorance does.
I think back to Zero's words. Maybe it's not that it pisses me off. Maybe it's a blatant reminder of what I'm not, and how I can't possibly be because of my past and the way I am. I can never be innocent and happy. I wasn't built for that. I don't deserve to be….
"I don't deserve her honest feelings. I don't deserve her affections, or anyone's for that matter, do you get it? Do you understand, Makino?"
I wish I didn't.
End of Chapter Two.
-X- Author's End Note -X-
Fast update for you because I am on a mission to get this story GOING! You should definitely put yourself on alert (winkwink), because I can already feel the other chapters digging tunnels out of their cages to get out.
I don't really know what the pacing of this story is going to be. Do I want it to be faster, or slower? I always have a tendency to say slow, but I don't want to bore you guys to death and have you say 'Get on with it, already! We get it!'
So Aya's helping out with Prefect duty because she's the only other one in the school who knows about the vamps, eh? Realistically, for someone so repulsed with them, she genuinely wants as little to do with them as possible, so their first meeting together was far from climactic, but all in good time, my fine readers. I promise you good things if you wait ^^
I tried to keep Zero as in character as possible, and I really try to think things through before I give him any dialogue at all, making sure that it's always justified. How are you liking this new Aya? Do you think it was out of place for her to get nosy, or do you think she was just trying to be helpful, or DO YOU WANT HER TO JUST GET IN BED WITH ZERO ALREADY lolwut
Let me know what you think in a review or so! And did you catch my ultra-lame HP reference? HAHHAHA. See you soon! ^^