Sorry its been a while, but its hard getting everything done, you know. This chapter was going to be about the Model Agency only, but I ended up writing about Natsumi's past. If I wrote the whole model agency part and her past it would get too long so I'm spreading it out between 2 chapters. Hope you don't mind =P Ooh and aren't i good at coming up with names, you'll see. Hint: Bunnies.

Anyway heres the next chapter: Out of the Forest, Way Out

Natsumi's POV

I'm so excited, really excited, Ichijou and I had been invited by Shiki and Rima to spend a day at their workplace, the Model Agency and did I mention how excited I was? Ok, going to Cross Academy had been such a buzz for me; I mean finding out that there were vampires of my age was big enough. Before coming here I had been raised and home-schooled by my mother in our small home in the forest.

Mum would leave me once a week or so to go to the village to get basic supplies. She had said it was dangerous for me to be out there, there were many people and I could hurt them. In my earlier years my grandmother had taken care of me while my mum went to the village, but then she passed away. My mum didn't stop going to the village though, she left me in the care of the forest's animals, one in particular was the fox that saved her life, Shunkashuutou (the four seasons). They took good care of me, after all the Retasu's have an unusually strong connection with animals. It was then I found out that I had an even stronger connection than the rest of my family. One day my mum left for the village, and a small rabbit came into the back garden (the gate was left open for the forest, that's how much my mums trusts them) as a lot of people do to dogs or other pets I started to talk to it slowly.

Then the small creature looked up at me from nibbling its food and replied. I staggered backwards, clapping my hand to my chest; I was so unbelievably freaked out. A rabbit just talked to me, well not exactly talked, it was in my mind, but I could hear it loud and clear as if a person just talked to me. So just to prove that I was just going mental for a second and hearing things, I asked it a question, it answered it. Just then my mum rang the doorbell, I scooped the rabbit up in my arms opened the door.

"Mum, Mum, this rabbit can talk!"

"Yeah right, a talking rabbit"

"Mum, I'm not going crazy it really did talk"

"Ok, ok, ask it a question then"

"What's your name?" I asked it

"Usagi(rabbit)" it replied (I know that's not the most creative name but yeah)

"See, did you hear it? It really talked, it's name is Usagi"

"Usagi, what a creative name for a rabbit" she said sarcastically "And no I didn't hear it"

"But Mu-m" I said in a little kids complaining voice "I really heard it, I'm not mental"

Mum decide to take a walk in the forest with me, it always cleared her mind. Along the way we saw Shunkashuutou leading her four nearly-grown cubs. When mum was confused she always talked to Shunkashuutou, even though she never heard the reply it helped her.

"Shunkashuutou, what am I going to do? My daughter's making claims that she can communicate with animals"

"She can" the fox replied "it is within her blood, giving her extended powers"

"She just talked" I cut in excitedly "She said 'she can, it is within her blood giving her extended powers'"

My mum still didn't believe me "Shunkashuutou, is that really true? Did you really say that?"

The vixen nodded.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A few years later mum thought that I should know more about the real world, stop being home-schooled and that I was getting lonely spending all my time in the forest. In truth I wasn't lonely in the forest I had plenty of animals I could talk to. So she went to the vampire senior council for some advice for schools. The senior council recommended Cross Academy since it was the only school known to have their own class especially for vampires. So she sent me there and now here I am.

My first week had been nothing but eventful. I sprained my ankle, found out that I was seriously allergic to blood tablets, met cute guys, got myself a blood donor, found out I was a kemonomimi (animal ears), I find my long-lost half-brother and now I get invited by him to go to the Model Agency with some of his other friends. Doesn't that prove that I have made some good friends?

So I woke up and thought I am so excited then I went Wait! What am I going to wear? It's a model agency I can't walk in wearing trackies and a T-shirt. The clothes I wore while living in the forest were cheap and plain, I didn't need fancy clothes hardly anyone saw me. Just before transferring to Cross Academy mum took me on a shopping spree at the village for everyday clothes at a reasonable price. So I went and asked Rima too see if a model can change everyday clothes into catwalk material. Unfortunately, she couldn't. But she lent me some stylish clothes from her wardrobe that would fit me (I'm a little taller than her. And her wardrobe was so good; it had everything when it came to clothes! Everyday ones, comfy, stylish, warmer clothes, colder clothes, cute, plain, just about everything) She was right, the red dress (with sequins and beads! Yay!) really did suit me and it brought out the amber of my eyes. She even did my hair in a pony tail with a red matching headband and small twirls of my hair escaping my ponytail, the finishing result was absolutely gorgeous (Look out Takuma!! lol!).

Ichijou got a shiny, white limo to drop us of to the Model Agency (how did he get all this money? Oh yeah, his granddad was in the Senior Council had died only a few months ago and he left everything to Takuma, his only living relative) Shiki and Rima sat in front of us and behind the driver. I swear those two are like secretly together or something. They both say not officially, but who needs officially, you can see the signs (even I can and I've only been here for a week), they both like each other, end of story, full stop. So that left me and Ichijou in the back seats. I kept sneaking glances at him (What? I couldn't help it! I know you all secretly fangirl him too! Don't deny it).

"Natsumi"

"Yeah" I said looking down shyly. Damn, he noticed.

"This is your first time coming to the Model Agency, right?"

"Yep, and I am so nervous"

"Don't be. Tip for ya: Confidence is the key. People won't notice as someone different over there if you walk past proudly like you've been there heaps of times"

"K, I'll remember that, thanks"

"Oh and Natsumi"

"Yeah?"

"That dress and your hair, it looks really good on you. You should wear it more often"

"You think so?" I said and felt a blush creep up my cheeks "Thanks. Well, Rima did it really" I was trying to act calm and collected but honestly I was thinking: omg!! OMG!!! Oh Em Gee!!! He said I looked good!!!!!

The Model Agency was a medium-sized, classy, maroon building with mauve doors and windows. It seemed a lot bigger on the inside. The receptionist smiled up at us.

"Oh Shiki, Rima come in" then turning to Ichijou and I he said "And you would be?"

"My two friends, Natsumi and Ichijou" said Rima for us "Can they join us?"

'Ichijou, I remember you now, you've been here before haven't you. And her is she your new girlfriend" she said looking at me while I looked down and blushed furiously.

"Uhh…no, she's one of our friends" Ichijou said looking at me uncertainly.

"Oh, well welcome in"

So we followed Senri and Rima up a lift to the third floor. "Well, this is where the people our age, teenagers, usually work" he said as we walked through a mauve door. There were heaps of chairs and dressing rooms and pretty people rushing about in fancy clothes. Then my half-brother started looking at me. He looked different somehow. It was his eyes, one was a different colour. As soon as I noticed this I was thrown into a gray void all I could see was Senri's face, which sometimes faded away to show only his eyes (that reminded me of the Cheshire Cat) and gray. Then his voice came into my head except it had a little creepy hint to it.

Hello Natsumi,

Long time no see. And haven't you grown.

Grown into the daughter I wanted you to be,

The perfect weapon…All you have to do is join me

"Shiki? Shiki…no, it can't be, Rido" Rima's voice broke into the void (she said Rido with a particalur tone of hatred) "Rido, leave him alone, stop using him. No, you were trying to get Natsumi under your spell too weren't you". She started slapping him furiously and the void faded away.

A tall brunette lady walked up to Shiki and Rima and told them something

"Um… Ichijou, Natsumi enjoy yourselves we've go to get ready for a photo shoot. The refreshments are over there we'll be back soon" Senri told us.

So we ourselves some sodas and chips and sat down to talk. I told him about my childhood and things and he told me about all these other places, then we decided to get some more chips. A tall, pretty girl with waist-length, wavy hair walked past us. Pureblood.

"Sara… Sara… Shiraa…Shirabuki" Ichijou stuttered and then fainted. Maria was right, he did faint a lot, it's not like that girl had purple skin or something creepy like that. Sara Shirabuki. That would probably be the girl that walked past us. Obviously Takuma knew her. Oh no, he didn't like her did he? I had to push these thoughts out of my mind, Ichijou needed help right now.

Ooohness. Hey, I just realise pratically every time I do an author's comment on the bottom I start it with 'Ooooh'. Anyway, Ooooh two villain's in one chapter, ooooh. Well, atleast I think Sara Shirabuki's gonna be the next villain after Shizuka and Rido. Hehehe, Natsumi thinks Ichijou like Sara, man is she wrong. Oh with Rido randomly doing the void thing, he is dead, it's just that a small part of him still survives in the people he has taken over, its not as small in Shiki because he is Rido's son so he has a stronger connection. Anyway find out what happens next, does Ichijou die. Of course not, he's my fave character and I was already horrified enough to find that a building had collapsed on him. If he dies on the actual series, god no I cant even think of it, its too sad. OMG! I just read the latest chapter (49) and he's still alive but Sara was being a big meaniepoo, she hurt him, bad Sara, bad. He looks so cute on page 7 *squeals*. Sorry I'll stop my fangirling now. *goes back to the other tab where theres a picture of him* oops.