"Bird in a Cage"

Haruna walked around campus, her eyes searching for that one person. She woke up that morning to see the frozen rose that Aido made her the other night and she couldn't help but feel guilty. It wasn't his fault that he wanted to shelter her away from the world; he just wanted to keep her safe after what she'd gone through. "I need to apologize," she held no life in her breath.

"Are you looking for me?" She turned around, wanting to bow down a thousand times to ask for forgiveness, until she realized it wasn't Aido.

"Hunter-san," she referred to Zero as. He didn't seem to mind the nickname. She looked at his extended hand that seemed to ask for something. "I promise I'll pay you back later!" Last night's dinner wasn't gotten from recycling cans, she had happened to run into him onto the street and had begged for money because she couldn't stand seeing Aido so miserable.

He tugged onto her shirt with ease, not letting her escape. "Because of you, I couldn't eat ramen last night. I expect the money back soon, and with interest." She looked gaunt.

She gave in, but promised only to pay with interest so long as he promised to not tell Aido about her little deal with him. "Haruna!" She jumped at the shrill of that voice, turning to face Aido. His blue eyes fell dark when he saw Zero. "Hissss..! Stay away from my Haruna," he warned, though Haruna found that the hiss really made him seem less intimidating.

Before Zero could say a word, she pushed Aido the other direction. "Ah... Forget about him. How could you leave this morning without waking me up?"

"You looked so happy to be sleeping on wooden floor; I couldn't wake you up." She blushed in embarrassment. Honestly, she did prefer the ground than a princess' bed. "Ah, Haruna. Tonight I start my shift; I'm afraid I won't be able to come home with you tonight-"

She nodded, "That's mighty alright! In that case, I'll go look for a job too-"

"No no no," he chanted, "I'm the man here, let me handle the money." She crossed her arms, seeing him so protective. She muttered, 'sexist,'before being kissed on the forehead. "I'll take care of you with the money I make with my own hands."

She watched him leave, finally coming to accept their engagement. A normal life like this wouldn't be bad, she thought. If everyday was like this, she'd wish to be by his side for a long time... Yeah.

Days Later

"I'm telling you! It's the looks!" She looked at the room which was almost filled with all the necessities: furniture, t.v., lamps, food, etc. "You've only been working for a week and you got paid this much already!"

Aido smirked, holding his head high like a king. "I do grow a money tree, after all, I'm a genius~" he boasted with much confidence. "So, how do you think I'm doing working around in this 'normal' life that common people go through everyday? Tell me I'm a success!"

She bit her tongue, quietly uttering, "You're a... " she gagged with disgust, "success."

"I did it!" He shouted, "So can we go back to living at home? Please?" She had to admit; he did everything right and experienced her life.

"Alright. I'll come back home and stay away from the Day class dorms." She gave up, realizing that perhaps she was just being too... Distant. She had to accept her new life one day, right?

Aido was ecstatic to return; he missed his lavender-scented sheets deeply. "I'm very happy to see you cooperating," he kissed the tip of her nose, "but now I must go back to work!"

She frowned, "Aren't they working you overtime? You've been working every night this whole week. I don't even see you in the mornings-"

"My dear girl. Work is work, and to earn money you must work for it, right?"

She wanted to say something, wondering if he'd fallen on his head or some tragic accident, but sighed with a smile. "You're right... Don't work too hard though," she departed with him at the door, waving goodbye and watching his figure become smaller and smaller.

Later

"And here is your money! With interest too!" Zero quirked his brows, amazed that she had managed to return the money so quickly. She panted after running across the entire campus to find the hunter. She knew now that it was never a good idea to borrow money from loan sharks like him.

"I got the money from working at night while Aido was away working too- and please, keep that a secret too," she answered after he asked how she earned the money.

He counted the money and after being satisfied, looked away with disinterest. "You can leave campus now," he shoo'd her away. "You don't want to get caught by a vampire in this time of day," he stared at the full moon.

She stared at it too, grinning to herself like a child when remembering the snow Aido made just for her. "The scent of blood..." The next thing she knew, she was following Zero after he had dashed off into the other direction.

"Hunter-san, where are you going?" Her short legs couldn't keep up and she felt as though she was just chasing an unreachable shadow. "Hunter-... Aido?"

The look on his face made her realize that she wasn't supposed to see him like this- like a vampire without a conscience. His fangs were still protruding and his eyes still red. "Haruna," he reached out, only to come face to face with the Bloody Rose that Zero always carried around.

Haruna realized that the girl Aido had bitten was Yuuki Cross, the other prefect. "You've been caught, Aido," Kain shook his head with pity for the man. Two other girls that happened to be nearby shrieked at the sight of Aido, fainting a second later.

She felt his cold hands grasp hers, "Why aren't you at home sleeping?" He seemed to forget that he'd just been caught red handed by everyone.

"I thought you were... working-"

"He lied to you. All vampires are cruel; he's no exception," Zero said before leaving with Yuuki. All vampires... cruel? Now that she thought about it, every single one she had come into contact with looked at her with either disdain or lust for blood. Aido was the only one who was kind to her... until perhaps now.

~ Later::

"Come on, why are you avoiding me now?" He constantly bugged her on the walk home, watching her eyes narrow more and more into a glare. She was too angry to speak. "I said I was sorry-"

She sighed, speaking as calm as she could. "You said you were 'working' and that's why you left every night. In truth, you were sleeping at the Night Dorms and using the money from your parents to buy all those furniture, right?" Her ears were met with nothing but silence. "So in conclusion, you were avoiding me all this time."

Aido's words clogged in his throat; what she said was true. He was frantic, worried that perhaps she'd never look at him the same way again. He kept repeating in his head, 'If only I kept my word.'

"Young master," the butlers and maids greeted Aido as he desperately tried to keep up with Haruna's pace. After Haruna had found out about his little web of lies, she declared the deal over, hence the reason why they were back at the Aido household. He cringed, recalling the disappointment in her tone of voice.

He was never used to Haruna being so... independent. Usually, she'd kindly accept the situation and keep her thoughts to herself, but now she was becoming so outspoken. He figured that was his biggest fault to assume that she would always be the docile type. "Are you going to leave me now?"

Haruna paused at the foot of the staircase while the surrounding housekeepers watched with fear. A simple 'yes' would instantly ruin Aido, they understood that much. She looked at him sternly as he did the same. How could she ever say yes? Her family was depending on this marriage to live a carefree life; if she were to say yes, they would have to return to their old lifestyle.

However, she felt a terrible shake in her heart - she liked him too much to let go now. She pursed her lips, hating how he had bewitched her already, though she'd never tell. His brows relaxed when he heard a simple sigh escape her, "No... Let's just forget everything; pretend I never got the taste of liberty. I'll stop asking for petty things."

What? Aido watched her sulk to her room; shouldn't he be rejoicing? She had given up the fight and he had won! He shook his head, disliking the situation. This wasn't what he wanted. "I'm always the bad guy," he went into the room opposite of hers. How could he face her again?

Aido basically cut her wings and locked her inside a cage. Did he not understand what it meant to love? Or was he, the prideful (narcissistic) Idol of every woman, insecure?