AN: In answer to an anon review, I wanted to clear up my thoughts about Akatsuki knowing Yori's name and calling her that (despite not having a formal introduction). In the manga, everyone seems to know Yori's name, and especially if she's the daughter of one of the most important people at the school, I would imagine they would know at the very least that she was Sayori Wakaba. Plus, she's Yuki's friend and since all of the Night Class know Yuki I assumed they'd know Yori by proximity (which is why I had him use the informal chan ending instead of the formal san). And then, Yori has already drawn Akatsuki's attention because of her glaring at Hanabusa and her sudden appearance during the class change, not to mention Hanabusa's strange behavior. It seemed right for him to know or to have found out her name.
All of that stated as my own thoughts, if it's something that you all don´t like and would like me to change please let me know! This story started as a request and I'd like to keep it very open to ideas and changes. It's really no trouble for me to tweak her name, and if it struck everyone as odd when they read it then I'd prefer to change it anyway.
Let me know and on to the story!
Hanabusa dreaded every step that brought him back to the dorm. Akatsuki barely spoke a word, leaving the blond to anticipate the worst. Were they marching directly to the guillotine, to Kaname-sama? Or would the redhead opt for a slower punishment? He wasn't sure he wanted to know. The only thing he was sure of was that it was Akatsuki who had switched the movies. After all, he had borrowed the film from Akatsuki. Normally, he would have been livid, but under the circumstances he was subdued with dread.
Once safely back in the dorm, the redhead shut the door and turned, arms folded, to regard Hanabusa with disapproval. "So. Do you want to tell me why you were watching a movie with a Day Class girl?" Akatsuki stared at him evenly.
"Do you want to tell me why the movie wasn't in its case?" the blond returned acridly.
"You were acting suspicious," the redhead remarked.
"So what?" Pointedly ignoring his cousin, Hanabusa turned his back and fished through his dresser for more comfortable clothes.
"You and I both know 'so what.' It's forbidden. Unbelievably, I didn't see any bite marks on her neck, but even though I'm a bit proud of your restraint, Kaname-sama will still have to put an end to it."
Hanabusa was glad he wasn't facing Akatsuki. The guilty grimace that contorted his features would have been a dead giveaway. It was lucky he'd chosen to take blood from Yori's wrist last time...the sleeve of her shirt hid that particular bandage quite well, and the wounds on her neck were fortunately healed.
"Don't tell him," the blond proposed, stripping off his school uniform to change into the t-shirt and sweatpants he'd chosen for lounging around the dorm.
"Hanabusa..." There was a note of warning in the other's voice. "You know I have to."
Numbness was beginning to creep through his veins. If Akatsuki told Kaname-sama...if he couldn't see Yori anymore... The words rung from his lips desperately, "I like her..."
Turning to face his cousin, he saw the look of shock that overtook the redhead's features. "You like her," he repeated slowly, as though chewing his words over like that would help them to process. "You mean you like the smell of her blood."
"No," he denied, glancing away to hide his embarrassment. "I mean yes. But...that's not the reason..." Not anymore, at least... Or, not the primary one...
Akatsuki was staring at him in astonishment now. "As in, you like her...the way I like Ruka?"
Ha. No. Hanabusa nearly laughed in his cousin's face. He wasn't pitifully besotted with a shallow, arrogant woman who refused to see him. He wouldn't throw away his happiness for years and years, waiting for her to notice him. No, this "like" wasn't at all similar. Besides, Akatsuki's feelings ran deeper and had existed far longer. Hanabusa wasn't in love with Yori.
Nevertheless, he said, "Yes."
The redhead grew strangely quiet for a minute, brown eyes brooding. At last, he shook his head. "Kaname-sama should really know about this... But... You know he'll make her forget. And maybe you, too."
Hanabusa swallowed. Yeah, of course he knew. That was why he didn't want the pureblood to have any reason to suspect him.
"If it were me, I would never want to forget Ruka..." Akatsuki sighed. "I won't say anything for now. Just be careful, okay?"
The blond couldn't believe his ears. "I will be," he promised.
"No," his cousin admonished. "You have to be. Because now all three of our necks are on the line. Yours, mine...and hers."
11 days later...
Yori set down her pencil with more force than was probably necessary, frowning at the paper and the stack of books that loomed before her. She just wasn't inspired for this project. Normally, she enjoyed history, but this time the assignment was like pulling teeth. She really didn't care about the beginnings of the town and the academy; it was all humdrum, run-of-the-mill history, and writing an essay and making a timeline poster on the topic was equally tedious. She'd been forcing herself to try for the past hour, yet she had a scant pair of paragraphs to show for it.
Overhead on the wall the clock was defying her, informing her silently but smugly that it was 8:30 pm and she had to be back at the dorms at 10. The assignment wasn't due until Friday, but nevertheless she felt unproductive, unfocused, and deflated. Despite the emptiness of her corner of the library, she found herself distracted by everything. By the ticking of said clock, by the leaves scratching against the window in the wind, by the librarian returning books to the shelves, and most of all by her own thoughts, which continuously returned to the same topic, the very topic she was trying to avoid thinking of.
It had been nearly another two weeks since she'd last interacted face-to-face with the blond vampire. Twice she'd found herself watching the daily procession of the Night Class from afar, and she knew he'd seen her since he'd thrown a quick, casual wave her way on both occasions. Nothing that drew any attention, though enough to assure her he hadn't forgotten her. She knew she shouldn't be bothered. In fact, she should be happy to be rid of him. And yet, she felt entirely the opposite. She was bored without him to occupy her, and she was forced to admit to herself that she enjoyed his company, even when they were sparring over her blood or whatever else. To her shame, she wanted him to ask her out again...or even to drink her blood.
She flushed. Being bitten by Hanabusa Aidou was an experience not lightly forgotten. Though he frequented her dreams, the fantasies of his painfully sweet bite were the most vivid and memorable. It was something irresistible that captured every last one of the senses... Something she couldn't dismiss or deny despite the desire to do exactly that. Like it or not, she found herself captivated by him. By his eyes, by his mouth, by his banter...
"Ugh," she muttered, head in her hands. She couldn't like him. Please. Anything but that.
"Rough night?" The question caused her to jerk her head up.
Her eyes widened. Could vampires read thoughts, as well? She had just been thinking of him, and here he was in the library, looking entirely out-of-place in his button-up, sapphire-hued shirt and jeans. He gave her a small, genuine smile, and she felt her heart jump incriminatingly. Although she attempted to silence it, the thought remained: Aidou looked incredibly handsome tonight. She swallowed. The diagnosis on her feelings towards the upperclassman wasn't looking good.
"Rough assignment," she corrected. "I don't have any interest in it..."
"What is it?" Aidou curiously peered down at the nearly empty paper before her.
She told him the details and then added, "I hate being assigned a topic... I prefer to choose one for myself..."
"Wait here," he told her abruptly and disappeared into a section of books.
Yori raised an eyebrow. Aidou was weird. Weird, and yet... She pressed her hands to her temples. No, the diagnosis was not looking good at all. She needed an intervention quite desperately.
Moments later, the blond returned with a few narrow volumes. He pushed aside her stack of books and set his on the desk, saying, "There. Try those. There was some drama and a few scandals at the time of the school founding, so it will be more interesting than those dry-as-a-desert history books you had the misfortune of picking out."
"How did you know where to find these?" she inquired, opening one to see that it was a collection of old newspaper articles dating back to the founding of the town and school.
He shrugged. "I read a lot when I'm bored."
"Even history?"
"Everything. It's fascinating." He shifted in place, looking slightly embarrassed. On the contrary, Yori found him more appealing than ever. He was just as bookish as she was, then...
"What's your favorite subject, then?" she asked eagerly.
"Science, probably," he admitted. "Especially biology and chemistry."
"I love biology," she said brightly. "And history."
"Math is pretty okay, but you can't read much about it that isn't as boring as the French teacher," he commented wryly. Immediately, she envisioned the old, monotonous man reciting his drawling, flavorless lectures and giggled.
"By the way, don't you have class?" She found it beyond strange that he wasn't dressed in his uniform and heading there already.
"No, we have an exam tomorrow, so it was cancelled. So we could 'study.'" He snorted. "Yeah, right."
She grinned. "Lucky you."
"Technically...I'm not supposed to be caught here but...do you want help? I can mark the passages you should read."
No, Yori, her mind chided, even as her lips defied her. "Oh. Are you sure? That would be great, actually."
He grinned, pulling up a chair and taking the first book off the stack. "Yeah, of course I'm sure. I wouldn't offer if I wasn't. Do you mind if I use your sticky notes? And a pen?"
"No, not at all." Quickly, she fished a blue ballpoint out for him and passed him the sticky notes.
"Thanks." With that, he immediately got to work.
As the minutes passed, surprised didn't quite describe how Yori felt. Incredulous, perhaps? Aidou was sitting beside her, helping her studiously and quietly with her homework, and he wasn't flirting. Neither had he uttered a single comment about her blood or a future date. It was bizarre, and yet...strangely she found it pleasant to have his company while she jotted down notes and began assembling her essay. His presence was oddly comfortable, accented with the subtle but pleasant scent of cologne that drifted from his skin. She wondered if that was how he felt about the smell of her blood.
It was half an hour later that he spoke again. "Look at this." He passed her the book he had in his hand, tapping a section with the pen.
Scanning the text, Yori read: Most assume that Cross Academy was named as a consequence of the heavy influence of Christianity in the region. However, the school does not in fact have strong religious ties, and was named after the campus' original layout: that of a cross. The campus was designed by Keichi Cross, an architect who later joined the school board. Keichi often employed the shape of a cross as a signature for his works to reflect his last name. His son Kurama became the second chairman of the school, and since then the position has been passed down through the family.
The caramel-hair girl laughed. "That sounds exactly like something the Chairman would do."
"It's great." He chuckled and placed a sticky note on the page, making a small note in cramped, slanted handwriting.
"Wait a minute." She snatched the book from his hands, eying the writing. "This is the handwriting of school genius and idol Hanabusa Aidou? No one would ever believe it."
He rolled his eyes. "My brain works too fast for my hands to keep up. That's the result."
"Complimenting yourself as an excuse, I see," she observed, quashing a smile.
"Give me that," he muttered, yanking the volume from her hands, lips curving down sulkily.
Suppressing a smile, she ensured her voice was even and calm as she said noncommittally, "It's cute." As with Yuki, it was altogether too easy to manipulate Aidou's mood swings.
"It's not," he mumbled. In contradiction to his words, however, his eyes lightened from navy to cerulean with her comment.
The pair lapsed back into silence. Aidou continued passing her books, and she continued with her notes until she had a fair outline of her essay. She felt beyond relieved, knowing she would easily be able to finish the project now. It certainly was much easier when she was focusing on the interesting tidbits of history rather than the usual dull facts. At 9:40, she set down her pencil and stretched. It was almost the curfew and she didn't want to risk being late.
"Good enough for now," she declared, beginning to organize her supplies and return them to her bag.
"You wrote down the titles of the books, right? So you can find them later?" he asked, handing her back her pen and stick notes.
"Yes. Thank you," she told him sincerely.
He shrugged, standing along with her and picking up the books, presumably to return them to their proper shelves. "No problem. I'd say let me know if you need anything else but...guess you can't do that."
Her mouth pinched together sourly for a moment. No, she couldn't. For once, she was aggravated by the restrictions set into place to separate the Day and Night Classes, although she knew it was for her own safety. "Thanks for the offer, though," she settled for.
"I'll see you around. Good night." He waved, turning back to the shelves.
Suddenly, the impact of his words sunk in. Good night. That was it. There was no offer for a date, no promise that she would see him again. Nothing. He was just going to let her go back to the dorm without a word of complaint. For reasons she didn't want to examine, the heaviness of disappointment weighed down on her limbs.
"You're just letting me go to bed?" she asked, tone dry despite the tightness of her chest.
He half-turned back, eyebrow arcing up. "Would you prefer if I didn't?"
Her cheeks warmed traitorously, though she responded with, "No, it's just surprising that you would help me out and not expect anything from me."
Now his expression turned angry. "What kind of person do you think I am, exactly? I told you already, I like you. I didn't help you because I wanted anything in particular. I helped you because I wanted to."
Her fingers trembled on the strap of her bag. She was making a mess of things. It was true, she had been thinking poorly of him, of his character... But then again, most of her interactions with him were based around his manipulations. What else should she expect?
He seemed to realize this, too, because the harsh lines of his face softened and he amended, "Well, I haven't really given you much else to go off of..." Then, "Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry," she replied quickly. She should leave now. She should, yet she didn't want to go without some kind of promise that he would see her again. "Actually...I was just thinking about it...I don't really know much about you at all."
He stuck out his tongue, informing her jokingly, "Oh, are you going to feed me again for that information?"
Yori paused. Hadn't she just been thinking that anything would be okay? Not to mention, she was slightly craving that strange, warm sensation again... Adjusting her bag, she uttered a single word: "Okay."
Both eyebrows shot up this time. "Hey, I was only teasing."
"I know. But, okay." Her face was impervious, a mask of cool reservation that she knew he would not be able to decipher.
"Seriously?" His voice was low, marked with disbelief.
"Yes, sure, stop looking at me like that." She put a hand on her hip. "Besides, last time you didn't even take as much as some blood tests I've had."
He chuckled, though he rapidly glanced around the library to make sure no one had heard her remark. "I did mention I'm not a savage, right? I get enough nutrition from those damn tablets. What I really want is just the taste of your blood."
"You're right. I need to ask Zero-kun to bite me then, so I can see the difference for myself."
"No!" The word exploded from him far too loudly for the library.
"Shhh," she shushed him, laughing quietly. "I won't do that."
His look of relief was almost comical. Recovering, he inquired, "Do you want to go out, then? Or just talk?"
She shrugged, heart speeding internally. Finally, he was taking her hints. "We could go out."
"There's a festival going on next weekend in town, I think."
"Yeah, that sounds nice," she agreed.
He grinned widely, exuding his happiness palpably. "When?"
"Saturday?" she suggested.
He nodded. "Okay, Saturday. I'll meet you outside the gates at 5?"
"Okay. I'll see you then." Waving, she headed for the stairs now.
"Good night, Yori-chan," he called after her.
"Good night," she answered, satisfied with her victory as she descended back to the ground floor.
Heading back to the dorms, her triumph gradually faded into something else: despair. What was wrong with her, anyway? She was a glutton for punishment. Not only was she breaking at least 3 school rules, but she was doing it with one of the most irritating men in existence. Yet, in spite of that...oddly enough...she was content. Content, and undeniably looking forward to their date this weekend.
AN: More bloodshed to come ;)