Arthur Kirkland was not in his room.

It had become evident with one glance as soon as the four of you had entered that you would have to find help elsewhere. Of course this is where you had expected him to be, but now that he wasn't, you were at a dead end.

"Well, this isn't getting us any farther…" You muttered. "Where has he got to?" You didn't want to have to wait until tomorrow to get this matter at least partly straightened out.

Alfred scratched his head. "Man. I saw him headed here after dinner, so I assumed that we would find him here. He's probably off hiding somewhere. I've known him all my life, but he still acts mysterious sometimes!"

Not intending to be creepy or anything, you walked over to inspect the desk you assumed was Arthur's. The one with half-burned candles lined across the back. "So you guys have been friends for life?" You couldn't help being curious. "Why does he act like he hates you at times?"

Alfred chuckled a little. "Oh, don't worry about Arthur. He acts all cynical and rigid, but we're not enemies or anything!... He's like my older brother." You caught a glimpse of his smile. It was calmer than usual, and looked somehow… far away. "We've had our disagreements… but, well, I don't know. It feels like we can't ever actually be separated. We're both in this world together, no matter how either of us acts."

His smile faded for a split second, and you noticed Kiku watching him with a strangely understanding expression. For a fleeting moment, you felt like you were invading something deeper than you realized.

Then Alfred turned back to you with an enormous grin stretching across his face. "Plus, he'd never be able to get rid of me, anyway!" You smiled at the familiar sparkle in his eyes.

"Hey, what is that?" he exclaimed suddenly, almost leaping over to the desk. He snatched up something soft-looking from in between a pile of thick books and a jar of translucent sand. "Aww!" He held it up with evident glee. "Arthur has a stuffy unicorn! It's so adorable! Look, Kiku!"

You could swear you saw Kiku's eyes grow bigger as he stared at it. You were trying desperately to hold back laughter, and from what you could see, Sonia was as well.

That was when the cringe-worthy thud of falling books sounded from the hallway behind. All four of you twisted around guiltily to see Arthur himself standing outside the open door, shocked speechless by the scene before him. For some bizarre reason, he was dressed in a long, black cape, with a dark hood over his usual blonde head of hair. You were aware of another figure standing in his shadow.

He emitted a few strangled noises before his words returned. "What… what the bloody hell is going on in here?! Who let you in our room?!" Finally getting over his initial shock, he breezed crossly through the doorway with the second student in tow.

You decided to speak up and attempt to smooth things over. "Um, we came to ask for your help, but you weren't here. We were just about to leave to find you…"

"Your pet unicorn is very cute," Kiku piped up for the first time.

He caught sight of the stuffed toy, blushed intensely, and snatched it protectively from Alfred. You tried to suppress a grin.

"Is this your roommate?" You asked, turning your attention to the unfamiliar figure in the room, who had taken off his hood.

"This is Vladimir," he finally introduced, still irate. "Yes, we share a room."

You shook the student's hand, taking in his cropped brown hair and narrow eyes. "I'm happy to meet you," he told you. His voice was thickly accented, but you weren't sure what sort of a lilt it was. Romanian, maybe? He seemed very friendly. "Is your name Laurel?" he asked.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

Arthur cut in before he had a chance to reply. "Alright, are you all going to tell me why you're here before I send you all out? How did you even get in here? I thought the door was locked!"

Alfred just laughed.

"Perhaps Laurel would like to explain the situation," Kiku pronounced.

You took a deep breath. "Well, you see… We need you to help Sonia and I find out the cause of some unusual things happening in our dorm room." He listened, trying to act like he wasn't interested. You knew he was. He had that look in his eyes. "I was hoping because of your experience you would come and check it out for us."

He fidgeted. "What do you mean by unusual things happening?"

"You know, like the paranormal…" That caught his attention. But he was still acting sore.

"I'll have to think about it…"

"Oh, come on, Arthur! We need your help! I mean, you know more about this sort of stuff than ANY of us, don't you? You're like a professional!"

He stood up straighter, obviously pleased. "Well… I suppose I could come have a brief look," he gave in.

"Okay! Let's go!" You grabbed him suddenly by the sleeve, pulling him through the doorway and out into the hall.

"Erk—! What?! Now?!"

You heard Alfred's amused laughter following behind, and you smiled secretly.

AN: Hey, there! Now that you've read this far, I'd love to hear what you have to say! Leave me a review with any comments, theories you have, or even interesting moments you would like to see in future chapters. Input is greatly appreciated! ^_^

Thanks for reading, and have nice day!

-Confessions of a Yandere