To apologize for not updating last week, I will update twice this week. Next posting will be on Valentine's Day.

15 YEARS OLD

LIFE APART and TWO PEOPLE MAKE PLANS

Kokoa frowned as her sister Moka shuffled around the house doing her daily chores. She was like a robot: she did whatever she was told without question, and without fail. In five years, Moka had become the prime example of what the ideal daughter should be like. Everyone was always complimenting her on "What a great job you do!" or "How loyal you are!"

Everything had changed that night five years ago when father had caught her sneaking around with some human boy. Count Akashiya had brought her back home and locked her in her room with orders to stay put until he said otherwise or else something bad would happen to the human. For once, Moka had done as she had been told. The next day, nearly every vampire household had heard the rumors and come clamoring for an explanation. It took days for Count Akashiya to calm everyone down, and when he finally finished with damage control, he joined Moka in her room. They were there for hours, and nobody knows what happened, just that when Count Akashiya emerged from the room with Moka in tow claiming that he had 'cured' his daughter, Moka was avoiding eye contact with everyone. At first Kokoa hadn't realized anything was wrong; it served her sister right to be reprimanded! Spending time with a human? Unheard of! Kokoa tried to confront Moka a few days later as she was cleaning the library as part of her punishment

"Ha! You got what you deserved, Moka!" She taunted. There was no answer. "What did Father do to you?" Still no answer. Tired of being ignored, Kokoa grabbed her sister and looked her in the eyes. "Hey!" Whatever Kokoa was going to say died in her throat. Moka's eyes were completely dead; there was no emotion in them. Kokoa was so stunned that she let go of her older sister, who simply went back to work as in nothing had happened. Five years later, nothing had changed, and Kokoa was sick of it. She wanted her sister back! She wanted to have fights and argue! Kokoa knew what she had to do: she would have to defy her father and help her sister.

Kokoa thought she might have a plan to get her sister back, but first she needed to test the waters. She leaned against the doorframe, watching Moka doing her chores. Count Akashiya had never revealed the details of Moka's "Human Incident" as it was hatefully referred to, but Kokoa had uncovered enough details to figure out what had happened. Kokoa knew she had to be careful; if she did something wrong, she might lose her sister forever. However, she knew what she was going to say: she had rehearsed a dozen times, and had practiced her facial expression even more. Kokoa decided that this was the perfect time, and she cleared her throat to get Moka's attention. Moka paused.

"How's Tsukune doing?" Kokoa deadpanned. The change was instant. Moka gasped, tensed up, and she was so shocked that she dropped the broom she had been using. However, the best reaction was the flash in Moka's eyes, the first flash of emotion in five years. But, just as quick as it had appeared, the emotion vanished. As Moka recovered, picking up the broom and sweeping again as if nothing had happened, Kokoa smiled. It's reappearance may have been brief, but there was still emotion buried in Moka; it just took a special person to find it.

And Kokoa knew just who that person was.

XXXXXXX

"Here are your tests!" The teacher chirped, a pile of papers enclosed in her hands. She ignored the near-unanimous moan from the class and instead started down the aisles, handing out tests and moving on before she could get overwhelmed with questions concerning grades. When she reached Tsukune's desk, she paused. "Top of the class again, Mr. Aono! Congratulations!" Tsukune accepted her flattery with a nod, and then went back to staring out the window in a daydream. He didn't see the glares he was getting from the guys and the looks of adoration he was getting from the girls.

XXXXXX

In the hallway, Tsukune was nearly bowled over by Kurumu's tackle hug. "Hiya Tsukune! How'd you do on the test?" She asked enthusiastically. Tsukune shrugged.

"Same as always." He said. Kurumu gave a comedic frown.

"Me too…" Tsukune chuckled at his best friend's always-bad grades.

"If you really need help, I could tutor you." Tsukune offered as the duo made their way to the cafeteria. They got in line, keeping up the constant banter until a shy brown-haired boy interrupted them. He fidgeted for a few moments, gathering his wits until he finally found the courage to speak up.

"Um…K-Kurumu?" He stuttered. Said blue-haired girl smiled softly and waited for him to continue. "I w-was j-just wondering if m-maybe you would…I dunno… g-go on a date with me?" He forced out his sentence, the hope in his voice shining past the stuttering. Unfortunately, Kurumu couldn't return the sentiment.

"I'm sorry…" She started. That was all the poor admirer needed to hear, and he ran away screaming before Kurumu could continue. Tsukune shook his head at the receding form.

"Jeez Kurumu, that's like the tenth guy in two weeks you've turned down. Why do you keep doing it?" He asked with a light-hearted smile.

"Because I love you, Tsukune!" Kurumu informed him with a 'duh' tone of voice. Tsukune's smile fell, and his eyes tinged with melancholy.

"Kurumu, we've been over this." He said sadly. Kurumu waved her hand.

"I know, I know!" She assured her best friend. Tsukune nodded and turned around to face the line again, leaving Kurumu to stare sadly at his back. He had changed so much in the five years that he hadn't seen Moka. Tsukune had gone from the middle of his class to the very top in one semester, and had also gone from a relative wallflower to one of the most popular kids in school. Through it all, he and Kurumu still stayed good friends, and he always had time for her.

Although Tsukune's situation would normally make most people happy as can be, Kurumu knew the truth behind Tsukune's social 180. She had been in the house when, five years ago, Count Akashiya had lain out with shocking coldness an itemized list of why Moka and Tsukune could no longer be friends or meet. The main argument was that Tsukune was a human, and therefore unfit to even be in the presence of a noble and mighty vampire. Since then, Tsukune had been doing his best to be the best person he could be (although in Kurumu's opinion he didn't really have too try too hard). But it was all a shell. Anyone who got close enough to Tsukune could see that he was hurting inside: not being able to see Moka anymore had been a hard pill to swallow, especially when it was so sudden. Kurumu stared at Tsukune's back. She didn't want him to hurt anymore, and as his best friend, it was her obligation to do anything possible to make Tsukune feel better.

Anything: even try to track down a vampire.

XXXXXX

God, I hope I didn't make the characters so OOC that they're not the same anymore, and if I did I had good enough explanations why…