School starts back up today! I have an Intro to Education class, Economics, and the second half of Physics with a lab. This is going to be a long day.
Sakura02: Um…I guess with the U? Shhh, I was half asleep when I wrote this chapter. I wasn't paying attention.
Xx-NiXXy-xX: I'm not sure if she'll get paired up with anyone, since she is rather little. You never know, though :)
hikari no mikomi: Yes, sadly, school must come before writing. I would rather write then go to school any day. Not too sure about her getting paired up with anybody since she is still a little one and she has scary Kaname for a guardian now.
Anemos: Yes, Senna loves pocky just like Senri, though, I don't think she's as bad as him about it.
Thank you: unknown player, noooowalmartshutdown, Shiki and Ichijo Forever, IAmABoredGirlWithNothingToDo, cityhobo1118, guardianranger, XeniaKunoichi, SolitaryNyght, CuttlefishShiz, BlackRosario, shinigami777, Princesa de la Luna, FallenBleedingAngel, rockbabyval, and Shifuni for reviewing!
"Senna, you get back in here right now!" Aidou howled furiously as he stuck his head out of the train. He tried in vain to grab at Senna's foot but the little girl had already swung herself up onto the roof of the train. "Not again!"
Senna ignored Aidou's furious shouting as she swung herself up onto the roof. She needed to get away from everyone. She needed to get away and think for a bit without having someone constantly watching her to make sure she wasn't going to keel over on the spot.
They had been on the train for a couple days now, heading to yet another town that Kaname and Touga believed may be yet another base of operations for Jadoku. Senna walked slowly on top of the roof, her arms held out to help keep her balance. It was strange. She knew she was dying, knew that she only had a year, two max, to live. Despite knowing all this, she didn't feel any different. She knew she looked different and that thought bothered her more than the thought that she was dying. She didn't want to look like Rido. She wanted to look like Senri.
She was walking close to the edge of roof. Each gust of wind made her teeter close to the edge and she almost fell off more than once. Shizuka's words from the other day were still troubling her. She had absolutely no intention of ever betraying her family, even if it meant forfeiting her own life. She thought back to when she had been under Rido's control and how she had hurt the others, even though she hadn't wanted to. Could that happen again?
"Senna!"
A strong gust of wind caused Senna to stumble. She felt her left foot slip over the edge of the roof and then felt herself falling over the edge. She tensed, ready for a rough impact. Instead, she felt someone grab the collar of her dress and hoist her back onto the roof. She dared to open her eyes and smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Kaname."
Kaname sighed, sitting down on the roof and placing Senna beside him. "What are you doing up here?"
Senna shrugged. "Nothing really. Just thinking."
"About?" Kaname prompted.
"Everything." Senna answered. "I don't wanna look like Rido. I'm scared that I'll hurt everyone again. I don't want to hurt you guys." She blinked as she felt a gentle hand resting on her head.
Kaname smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "Everything will be all right, Senna. We're going to find a cure for you. As for hurting anyone, I won't ever allow you to be controlled like that again. Yuki would never forgive me."
Senna smiled back before staring at the trees whipping past them. "I miss Ichi-nichan…Kaname, what do you think Sara-hag is up to?"
"Don't trouble yourself with her." Kaname said softly, standing up and holding his hand out to Senna. "Are you ready to go back?"
Senna shook her head as she picked herself up from the roof. "No. Aidou-nichan is being whiney again and that Kaito guy keeps looking at me funny. I want to stay out here." She waited for Kaname to scold her, pick her up, and drag her back into the train.
Kaname chuckled. "All right. How about we have a race then?"
"Really?" Senna's eyes lit up.
Kaname nodded, taking Senna's hand and leading her to the very end of the train. He could hear Yuki and Aidou shouting for the two of them to get back in the train, but he ignored them. Once he and Senna were at the end of the train, Kaname released Senna's hand. "Whoever runs front to back five times first, wins. Okay?"
Senna nodded, crouching down, ready to run as soon as Kaname said…
"Go!"
"Cheater!" Senna wailed as she rushed after Kaname. "You didn't even count!"
"You should know by now that we Purebloods don't play fair." Kaname teased as he ran ahead.
Senna glared at his back. She was catching up to him despite how fast Kaname was.
"Kaname-sama! Senna! What are you two doing?" Aidou wailed as he clung to the edge of the roof.
"Racing." Senna answered as she rushed past Aidou.
"You're going to ruin your dress!" Ruka shouted, pulling herself from the window in her cabin. "Yuki, tell them both to get back in here!"
Yuki poked her head out of her window and sighed. "It's no use. It's impossible to tell those two what to do."
Senri motioned for Yuki to move out of the way. He clung to the side of the roof much like Aidou and watched as Kaname and Senna raced along the train. "Senna, I have pocky!"
"She's not like you." Rima sighed as she joined Senri hanging on the side.
"Zero-san, what are you doing?" Mikiri asked nervously as Zero cursed under his breath while he pulled himself out of the window so he was hanging beside Aidou.
"I'm getting the kid back in the train." He muttered. He waited patiently until Senna ran by him. He reached out and grabbed her ankle. Before Senna could even hit the ground, Zero yanked her off the roof and under his arm before jumping back into the train.
"No!" Senna wailed. "I was about to win! You're mean, Zero-nichan!"
Kaname swung himself into the cabin, followed closely by Aidou. "I won."
Senna huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Only because Zero-nichan didn't let me finish the race." Senna suddenly felt very ill. She wriggled out of Zero's grasp and curled up into a tight ball on the floor.
"Senna, what's wrong?" Mikiri asked in alarm. His cry brought all the others from their cabins to crowd at the door.
Yuki shoved her way through and knelt beside Senna. She pulled the little girl into her lap, frowning at how pale she was. "Senna, are you okay?"
Senna shook her head but didn't say anything. She gasped as spasm of pain rushed through her body. It felt like thousands of tiny needles were stabbing her skin. She was cold and hot all at the same time. She was so hungry but it felt like if she ate, she'd throw up.
Kaname knelt beside Yuki and gently pried Senna from her. He frowned at how glazed over Senna's eyes were. "Ruka, go get lots of blankets and water." He didn't even look up to see Ruka nod and drag Akatsuki off to help her. "Senna, stay with us."
Senna could barely hear what Kaname was saying. She was scared. Was she already dying? She just wanted to sleep. She just wanted to…
"Senna?" Yuki called softly as Senna's eyes slipped shut. She frowned when the little girl didn't answer. She could see that Senna's breathing had become very shallow and that the young girl's skin was growing paler and paler with each passing moment. "Senna? Senna!"