III - Pocky

"Hey, Shiki, why do you like Pocky so much?"

Said vampire just looked at his friend silently, not responding and not intending to.

Because in truth, he never used to hold such a high opinion of the chocolate covered sticks until the blond haired girl had come along.


"Pocky again?"

The girl looked up at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't you get tired of it?" Shiki threw back at her, the usual laziness (which Rima had long since grown used to) apparent in his voice.

"No."

Was it just him, or had there been a slightly offended note in her voice? Shiki sighed internally, and resumed staring blankly out the slightly fogged school window, like he had been doing before his best friend had walked in holding a box of the sweets.

Most of the other vampires that attended here would probably have broken—or tried to break—the near-absolute silence that followed (Rima was constantly munching on the thin sticks). But unlike them, Rima was completely home in silence, and the lack of it would sometimes upset her.

But that was why he liked her.

"Want one?"

And so, it was perfectly natural—or at least Shiki thought so—to have been surprised when Rima went and broke said silence. He raised an eyebrow. "Sorry?"

"I know you aren't deaf. I asked if you wanted one." Rima thrust the Pocky box at him, in offering.

Shiki blinked. "No, thanks."

Rima shrugged, and then took the chocolate covered stick out of its box, ready to toss into her mouth.

Wait—was that the last—

Shiki glanced at the box in the other vampire's hand.

…Well—what could it hurt? he thought, before his hand darted out and snatched the last of the pack of Pocky out of Rima's fingers, and bit into it.

The girl blinked—the only action that betrayed her surprise. "You could have just said yes."

Shiki smirked. "I changed my mind."

"At the last second? That isn't like you," she insisted, half-jokingly.

Then, as if it had been an after thought, she smiled. Not those false smiles that she always had adorning her features in most of their photo shoots, but a genuine, amused smile.

Maybe, he decided, though he had a feeling his friend was laughing at him, Rima's right to like these so much…


Yes, Shiki thought to himself, long after the initial question had been asked (and probably, forgotten), you can blame that on Rima.


Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.

A/N: Yeah, I know, not exactly 'good', but I had to get this idea out of my head. Sorry. ^^;