Senri sat up from where he'd sprawled out over his colleague's bed and claimed the majority of her pillows. Rima was cross-legged in the center of the mattress, reading through a magazine which featured several models from a rival company. He was perfectly happy to lounge around beside her, particularly when Ruka wasn't around, and they'd passed the evening that way, mostly in silence. Lately, several members of the Night Class, including Ruka, had been occupied with the new student, which was fortunate for him because it meant they were usually away from the dorm, investigating.

"What color tie should I wear?" he asked suddenly, thinking to the upcoming spring dance. Without asking, he assumed he'd be going with his coworker.

"What?" She gave him a puzzled look.

"To the dance... To match you...," he explained.

"I don't remember you ever asking me to go with you," she retorted, turning back to her magazine, a touch huffy.

"Will you go with me?" he inquired on cue, shameless.

This time, she shot him a glare. "First, you have to wear your uniform. That's the rule."

"Lame," he muttered.

"And secondly, the Night Class does not go with anyone. We're supposed to be free to mingle with the Day Class. That's how Ichijou-kun explained it last night while you were dozing off."

"I want to go with you," he grumbled. "I don't want to mingle."

Rima's lips curved upwards, though she only said, "Well, you have to."

"Hey... Why do you always wear your hair like this?" he asked abruptly, suddenly focusing on her hair and reaching out to touch the ends of the nearest pigtail. The silky, golden strands brushed lusciously across his fingertips.

"I don't know... It's my style." She shrugged, turning the page of her magazine and jotting some notes down as she assessed one of the outfits featured there.

Curious, he shifted towards her, rolling the pigtail into a tight bun against the side of her head. The effect was rather adorable. "You could put it up like this...," he suggested.

The blond vampire rolled her eyes. "I'd look silly."

"I think it's cute..." More than cute, even. Darling. The edges of his eyes crinkled almost imperceptibly in the hint of a smile Rima could not see. Yes, Rima was darling, though she'd probably be angry if he said so. Amused, he wondered how her hair would look in other styles. A braid, maybe? Or... Seized by a sudden idea, he leaned forward, unraveling the ribbons that held her hair up with a single tug. Immediately, a cascade of straight, shimmering hair tumbled and blossomed down over her shoulders, glittering as though studded with topaz in the lamplight. The subtle scent of flowers, damp and perfumed after a storm, rushed into his nose.

The model sighed. "Shiki... Put them back." The absence of any title on his name told him she was annoyed.

"In a minute," he demurred, running his fingers through the soft strands where they draped over her shoulder like a tributary river of gold. She sighed again, and he urged her, "Leave it down."

"No." The reply was immediate.

"Why...?" He frowned. Really, why? He'd never seen her with her hair down. Even in photo shoots, she insisted to leave it up and barely tolerated the staff to touch it. Tucking her hair behind the nearest ear, he wondered vaguely why she was permitting him to touch it at all.

She glanced at him now with the threat of a scowl twitching at her mouth. "It's mildly effective at discouraging suitors. And annoying my parents." When he gave her a confused look, she explained, "Mom and Dad have been trying to engage me for a while now. The last time I met one of the potential suitors, I wore my hair in pigtails and he balked. He thought I was too childish or something. That really bothered my parents, so I kept doing it."

He didn't respond, grasping onto her words like ice water. Engaged... No, worse...married, graduating, moving on to another stage of life that did not involve school or him. That would mean...gone. She was seated beside him, the light twinkling like gems in her hair, but he could imagine her absence. He was already missing her, the silence opening wide as a cavern around him. His heart sickened with loneliness and growled jealously, though he tucked those feelings away inside his chest and drowned them like sunken islands. How could he say these things when he should not be thinking them at all..?

"What?" Her question broke through the haze of uncomfortable emotion.

"Your parents are really doing that, aren't they..." He trailed off, unable to express these thoughts trapped in his heart.

"Of course. I've already told them I won't marry anyone unless they allow me to do as I please, but they would prefer if I removed myself from society. I won't budge from my opinion on the matter, though." She shrugged, obviously nonplussed by her situation.

"Hm..." Of course, he should have known...Rima couldn't stay with him like this, here at the academy, or even at work. Even though he was accustomed to her now, even though he was addicted to the scent of dahlias...one day, all too soon, it was inevitable that they would part ways. The idea was difficult to breathe around.

"Shiki-kun," she said rather abruptly, and he knew to expect a change of topic, "everyone else is really on edge lately because of the new student. Maria Kurenai, isn't it? Should we really be doing nothing?"

"Why not..? Kaname Kuran is dealing with it himself. We're not really needed." He raised and dropped on shoulder apathetically. The newcomer wasn't really any of their business, particularly not when the pureblood was stepping in. Even if it was, what would they be able to do about it?

"If you say so." A pause. Then, "Put my hair back up, already."

"You should wear it like this at the dance." Seeing that some of the strands had escaped, he tucked her hair behind her ear again, ignoring her request. It was fascinating to watch the patterns of light ripple through it.

"No, thank you." She stared at him expectantly, obviously waiting for him to return her ribbons, at the very least, which were held captive in his other hand.

"Your parents won't be there," he pointed out.

"No, but... I've worn my hair up for so long... It would draw too much attention." From her grimace, he knew she was picturing the vocal members of her fanclub.

"Then wear it down sometimes when it's just us."

"Why?"

"I brush Mother's hair at home sometimes... She lets it get so tangled and knotted... Yours isn't like that at all." His mother's hair was a dark, savage beast, tying itself into thick mazes. It was a testimony of madness, a solar system of its own which pulled all of her delusions into orbit around it. But Rima's hair... Rima's was soft and pure, a stark comparison to his mother's. Perhaps that was why he was drawn to it.

"You're strange," she stated bluntly.

"Yeah," he agreed. He couldn't offer her any better explanation when he didn't have one for himself.

"I guess it's alright," she said at last.

"My strangeness?" he asked, half-sarcastic.

"No. Leaving my hair down sometimes." A pause. "But only with you. Don't get any ideas about taking my hair down in public." She squinted at him in warning.

And like the sun peeking through rainy clouds, scattering the grey dreariness, a smile creased up one side of his mouth with pleasure. How pathetic of him...how dangerous, to crave these little pieces of her just for himself.

Unexpectedly, he sensed his coworker's pulse spike for a brief moment and glimpsed a tinge of pink brush across her cheeks before she turned her head rather quickly away from him.

He wondered why...

And finally began gathering up the molten gold of her hair to tie back in place.

AN: Heh, Rima is a real sucker for those little smiles hehehe. Sorry for the short chapters lately, next time expect a much longer one =).