AN: A rather unexciting chapter all in all...next time I plan to have something better. And... Sorry for the Kaname bashing...I can't help myself sometimes hehehe.

"Thank goodness it's the weekend," Ruka commented as she braided the waves of honey hair that cascaded over her shoulders and down to her waist.

"Yeah," Rima agreed disinterestedly, browsing the bookcase she had stocked with unread novels, plays, and poetry. She'd voraciously consumed a stack of literature already this semester, but she made it a point to collect more whenever she was able, so her supply hadn't dwindled enormously. Which was good...Rima did not enjoy enduring even moment of boredom.

"I wonder what Kaname-sama is up to..." her roommate murmured.

That brought the tally up to almost 900 mentions of Kaname Kuran in a month. Rima rolled her eyes at the row of books in front of her, trailing her finger across their spines until she found one that seemed particularly appealing today. If she heard the pureblood's name come from Ruka's mouth one more time today, she might throw up.

"He'll be in his room," Rima commented wryly. "All day." Because that was all the pureblood did. Ever.

"He must be lonely..."

"Why don't you go find out?" the model suggested with a touch of asperity, pushing her arm through the sleeve of her chic designer jacket and heading towards the door determinedly.

"Oh! I couldn't possibly!" The slight flush on Ruka's cheeks sent Rima's eyes shooting skyward again. "Kaname-sama doesn't like to be disturbed."

"Well, I'm going to go read outside," she told her roommate ruthlessly.

"Alright. I'm in the mood for a shopping spree, I think. I hope Akatsuki will go with me."

"I'm sure he will." One hundred percent sure, given the redhead's complete and totally misguided infatuation with the honey-haired vampire.

"I'll see you later, then."

"See you." And with that, Rima was out the door and heading to her favorite bench. The bench, while not particularly noteworthy, was placed within the Night Dorm grounds and out of reach of the Day Class. Rima did not want to risk drawing the attention of any humans, particularly the lovestruck boys who followed her like a religion, and besides, she enjoyed the quiet and the wintry air there. At least, it was a welcome respite from Ruka's suffocating stench.

Once settled, she flipped open the play she had chosen and began to read. This particular work followed the escape of a female fugitive who had been condemned to death for killing a soldier in self-defense. The story itself was tragic and fast-paced, but Rima felt a particular connection to the protagonist. They might share the same fate one day, fleeing from judgment and persecution... If Rima did indeed enter the acting industry and her true nature was revealed, the humans might hunt her to the ends of the earth, after all... Perhaps this attempt towards coexistence at the academy wasn't so pointless, after all.

She could imagine herself there with the protagonist now, on the old dusty road, ducking into trees, the rocks digging into her bare, bloody feet. There were only stage directions and dialogue, but she could still imagine the branches snagging her cloak and unruly, curly hair, and slashing open gashes on her cheeks and hands as she franticly shoved them aside. Those branches snapped loudly underfoot, betraying her to the dusk, but she could not stop. To stop meant capture, meant death, meant the end of everything. And she was not ready for it all to end in such an abrupt, cruel manner.

"This way!" a voice shouted, too near for comfort, and with a rush of instinct she hurriedly pulled herself up into the lower branches of a tree, climbing high and out of sight as the dusk began to dip towards night. There, overhead, she might avoid detection. If she could last the night, perhaps when the sun rose the morning would grant her a second chance.

In the distance, she heard the crash of the underbrush, ever-nearing. Trembling and weary, she clung to the trunk of the tree, resting her head against its rough bark and relishing the ability to at last pull air into her tortured lungs. If only they would let her be... She hadn't done anything wrong. If she hadn't killed the soldier, he would have killed her instead. Or worse...

"Over here! I thought I saw-"

A weight settled on the bench beside her, followed by the subtle scent of rain, and Rima was jolted from both her thoughts and her book. She glanced at her colleague, who murmured a brief, "Hello," and then said nothing more. Rima pursed her lips. She detested being torn from reading. Go away, she thought, ignoring him as she attempted to reenter the narrative.

"That's a play," he observed, shifting closer to read over her shoulder. His burgundy hair brushed against her ear and she shot him an annoyed look, leaning ever so slightly away. First, he had barely spoken to her. Now, he was invading her personal space. The man was an utter mystery...an irritating one.

"Yes," she answered, hoping that he would lose interest.

Instead he grew contemplative. "Hmm... You really love acting, huh?"

One eyebrow raised a centimeter. She was surprised he remembered that. "Yes... That was my dream when I was little."

"And now?" he inquired.

"Now, too," she admitted.

Although for now she had set aside that particular aspiration, she couldn't deny that it drew her as modeling never had. The 3D vibrancy of acting attracted her in ways a photograph simply couldn't. She was fascinated by actors who were able to immerse themselves in a role and transform their entire persona so completely. Imagining how she would portray the characters in the plays she read was one of her favorite pastimes, and also part of the reason she was so frustrated with Shiki's presence at the moment, in spite of the fact that she knew she should take advantage of his sudden interest in conversation. But then again, ever since the classroom conversation she had shared with him and Ichijou, these bouts of chattiness had been happening a little more frequently lately, and she had just been in the middle of a very elaborate fantasy. She supposed Shiki was one of those introverted types who needed to feel comfortable with someone before initiating any conversation. Even though they'd been working together for weeks now...

"It's different than modeling," he commented vaguely.

Vexed, she asked, "What's Ichijou-kun doing right now?" Go bother him...

"I don't know," he replied, oblivious to her hint.

She sighed, making a note of the page she was on and shutting the book. Really, why wasn't he with Ichijou? Those two were inseparable, it seemed, except when there was a photo shoot or interview. Then, by default, Shiki was with her instead. For him to choose her company voluntarily seemed...strange.

"Why did you decide to join the Night Class?" she questioned, abruptly interested.

She should have anticipated his answer: "Because Ichijou-kun asked me."

"That's it?" Was that actually the entire reason? Or, was there something else? Something, perhaps, that had to do with his mother? When he didn't answer or elaborate, however, she changed tactics. "Well, what do you think of it?"

A deadpan rise and fall of the shoulders. "It's fine."

Eyes sparking with exasperated electricity, she pressed, "Do you like it or not?"

Grey orbs flicked over to meet hers for a brief interval and then fled again, watching a tawny bird as it hopped along the lawn. "I guess...I like it," he said at last.

Finally, a satisfactory reply. Her lips nudged upwards, not quite a smile. "Yeah. I guess I do, too."

"Even sharing a room with Ruka-san?" he asked and her mouth completed its upward curvature into a small smile.

"Ha. Yeah. Ruka-san is..."

"Tiring," he supplied.

"Exactly," she agreed.

"She smells like a florist...on steroids," he remarked.

"It's unbearable," Rima grimaced, pleased that she wasn't the only one who had noticed Ruka's particularly...pungent blood. "But I've smelled worse...Aidou-san, for one..."

"Not all of the Night Class is so bad, though..."

He paused, trailing off, and she told herself she wasn't at all curious whose scents he did like. She absolutely didn't care. Why should she...? She had no reason to. Yet...why did Senri Shiki keep picking at the edges of her indifference in this irritating manner? It didn't help that his own scent was...rather tempting... Beyond aggravated now, she tugged out the box of chocolate pocky and munched angrily on a stick. It was ironic and ridiculous that she might be attracted to his blood when his personality was so unappealing. How could someone be so physically alluring while at the same time so entirely, otherwise bland? It was enough to drive her insane.

"I'm hungry...," he murmured, and she begrudgingly passed him a stick of pocky. Of course. He wouldn't eat the smallest crumb if he had to feed himself. But the moment she had something, then he wanted it. Was this a ploy, some evil plot Ichijou had hatched to mess with her? If it was, it was sadly working. She was thoroughly frustrated.

"You really need to eat more," she muttered.

One of his characteristic, impassive shrugs.

"That's why you're hungry."

"I know."

"If you know...then why...?" She stared at him, uncomprehending.

"I don't want it... Food..." He leaned back, gazing upwards at the sky, and she imagined his eyes only reflected the clouds floating above. Only the dim grey of dusk. Nothing more. Not a hint of blue.

She shook her head. Shiki was unfathomable. "At least take your tablets," she advised.

"I am," he assured her, and she reluctantly accepted that such mediocre nutrition would have to be acceptable.

Her coworker quieted now, and she gave him a second cookie, opening her book to the appropriate page. As she immersed herself back into the role, Rima decided that, while poorly timed today, Shiki's company wasn't terrible. He sat beside her without further comment, reading idly over her shoulder, and she found his presence soothing. At least with her coworker, nothing was expected of her. Well, nothing apart from the occasional stick of pocky he demanded by nudging her with his shoulder.

Normally Rima preferred solitude, but the evening transitioned tranquilly into night, and she discovered that they had passed over an hour together in companionable silence. For Rima, who valued her privacy and time alone, this was an unheard of occurrence. She stood, stretching out stiff muscles, and rather than escape her coworker's company, said, "Let's go."

She hadn't told him where or why, but somehow she enjoyed the easy way he fell into step beside her.

Senri rolled over in bed, hugging one of his pillows to his chest as he contemplated a nap. It was after midnight and he was fatigued by Ichijou gushing over some manga or the other. The vice president had seemed surprised when the model had finally returned to the dorm room, but didn't voice his questions aloud. To a vampire, his whereabouts should have been obvious, since Rima's faint perfume clung to his clothes. And while Ichijou was certainly his best, if not only, friend, he honestly found Rima's company to be less stressful. He hadn't intended to spend the evening with her, but unconsciously he had been drawn in by the maddening scent of dahlias, and he'd stayed there like an addict, content and relaxed. Ducking his head down, he could still catch her scent on him, and he pushed it heavily from his lungs like smoke.

"I read your interview in the magazine the other day. Seems like you let Rima-chan do most of the talking," Ichijou chuckled.

Right, the interview. That had already come and gone and passed entirely from his memory. Senri shrugged. Yeah, he had. The questions had been repetitive and boring anyway, and just because he was a model didn't mean everyone was entitled to know everything about him.

"How is work going, now that you're partnered with Rima-chan?" the vice president asked casually.

The mahogany-haired vampire shrugged a second time. "Fine."

"Just fine?"

Slightly annoyed, the model added a few synonyms for good measure, "Fine, good, no problems."

"If you prefer, I'm sure it'd be possible for you to work alone again..." the blond trailed off.

"No." He shook his head, eyes half closed as he studied the ceiling. "Don't wanna."

Ichijou smiled faintly. "Well, that's a good sign, coming from you."

"I don't like humans," he murmured, thinking back to all the humans he'd worked with in the past. They had all been varying degrees of irritating, and their scents had always caused him discomfort, because while they ignited his hunger, they also smelled unappetizing. Rima, on the other hand... He closed his eyes for a moment, picking up the traces of her scent that remained, nose recollecting the subtle but captivating perfume of her blood when she was beside him in person. Rima caused him discomfort, too, but her scent was comforting and appealing. The distinctive aroma of her blood itched at his fangs even when it was only a memory, even when she wasn't around.

"I like Rima-chan," he continued disinterestedly after a moment. "She smells nice."

The vice president straightened, staring at him. "What...really?"

Senri's eyes flicked to the blond vampire now with exasperation, unaware of the glimmer of scarlet that his friend found there. "Yes, really. Just because you smell bad doesn't mean everyone does."

"Shiki-kun, that's very, very mean of you to say," Ichijou chastised, but there was a strange smile pulling at his lips, and he turned quite suddenly to adjust his pillows for no apparent reason. Senri suspected he might be laughing or at the very least covering amusement, but the model wasn't sure what his roommate was so entertained by.

"Ah... I feel lonely...," the blond said.

What was Ichijou on about now...? "You're weird," Senri muttered.

"In other news," the vice president declared abruptly, turning back to face the model now. "My favorite holiday is approaching."

"Which..?" Whatever it was, if the blond liked it, Senri almost assuredly didn't.

"Valentine's Day, of course!"

"Great."

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Ichijou, who chuckled and asked, "You don't want any chocolate?"

The model grew pensive for a moment, thinking. His eyes drifted back to the ceiling, where he lazily traced the patterns and swirls in the dried paint. Chocolate... Before, he might have utterly dismissed the notion of receiving the sweet, but now... Now, chocolate brought memories of afternoons together with Rima in the studio and nights in class where her snacks were destined for him alone. Somehow, the treat had become associated with his coworker and her delicate scent. Although, he would probably eat anything that had touched her fingertips, anything on which that perfume of dahlias lingered...

"If it's from Rima-chan, I'll eat it," he murmured at last.

The vice president's shocked reaction wasn't lost on him.

"Ichijou-kun... We are vampires, you know?" Senri lifted an eyebrow. "You barely qualify...but it's natural for us to prefer the scents of some to others."

"Yes, but you've never..."

"Rima-chan is unique."

"Yes, she is," the blond agreed quietly. Then, "Are you sure it's okay to call her Rima-chan so casually?"

"Huh?" He glanced at the vice president in confusion. He couldn't explain why, but even from the first moment he'd met her, in his head Rima was just...Rima. For some reason, he didn't feel like any title belonged with her name, although he tacked on the chan anyway. "You call her the same way," he pointed out.

Ichijou shook his head. "I've known her for years. If she hears you call her that, she might get mad."

"Ah...I don't mind."

"Shiki-kun..." An exasperated laugh. Then, "You don't find Rima-chan a little prickly at times?"

Prickly? Yes, perhaps... Her aura pricked at his skin, her blood at his throat, her words at his ears, but... from the weeks he'd spent working with her, he thought that was Rima, a creature of electricity and wildflowers. He shrugged. "That's her."

The vice president regarded him curiously for a moment before at last remarking, "I wasn't sure, when you first told me who you'd be partnered with, but...it seems like the two of you are unexpectedly compatible."

Senri shut his eyes, relaxing against the bed, intent on ending the conversation. He just wanted to rest... Ichijou was right, though...unexpectedly, he did get along with Rima rather well...

AN: I'm thinking...if in this universe vampires can naturally like certain scents (of blood), then Shiki saying Rima smelled nice would be a red flag for Ichijou XD. Like, he'd know Shiki has a "crush" on Rima, even if it's only her scent at the moment. Idk, just my thoughts.

As always, review!