CHAPTER FOUR

Ignition

If there was one class I hated – which surprisingly wasn't Art – it was Math. You may be thinking, oh, but it's black and white only! Or you may agree with me like majority of the world (except perhaps Japan, here). Tiny, thin lines and complex diagrams just didn't work well with me. Grade ten math I could handle, but right now in the eleventh grade, it was becoming more bothersome.

Because I was failing.

"But Sagawa-sensei, it's so hard seeing the graphs –" I began bullshitting but he gave me a look that sliced right through it.

"You're making excuses, Misane. Your teacher last year had no problem teaching you; perhaps it's more of your mental capabilities than your visual ones lacking that are preventing you from passing this course."

My lips twitched. He basically said I was more stupid than I was blind. Fantastic. "I'm sorry." I didn't know why I was apologizing, I really didn't, but I didn't want to spend lunch talking about my 46% when there was a freshly brewed cup of coffee waiting for me at the library. That, and books. "Is there anything I can do?"

"We're approaching examinations and perhaps it's in your best interest to invest in a tutor."

"Invest?" Was he not aware of the crazy prices of living in a boarding school? And now I had to pay for a tutor too?! Medical bills, schooling and not to mention my own parent's expenses…I was seriously starting to worry my financial status. My father was a scientist and my mother a painter...and of course, they didn't get paid as much as you think they would. Sagawa saw my devastation and an unexpected sigh left him.

"Look, I'll pull some strings for you, Misane, but exams are a week after your break. I suggest you study hard meanwhile."

I sighed, relieved and picked up my books. "Will do, sir." I bowed politely but to be honest, I wasn't going to get much better in Math. But if there was one thing I knew, it was this: the Venn diagram of the things I should be doing, and the things that I actually was doing…was a circle.

xx-x-xx

"Get the damn door!" Hanabusa shouted, tossing a pillow across the room as he threw his arm over his eyes. His cousin on the bed next to him replied back with profanities and it was clear that neither of them had any intention of opening the dorm doors to whoever it was knocking on the door. At last, it stopped and he allowed himself to fall back into the comfort of his bed.

Seconds later, a sleepy honey blond appeared at his door. "I swear if you're –" Tired and crabby, he was already threatening the Vice-President when Takuma just yawned and opened up the letter. Then he froze. Hanabusa didn't see but a smile had appeared on the vampire's face as he waved the letter tauntingly, reading it out loud. "Addressed to upperclassman Aidou Hanabusa, of Class 10-C."

"Shut uuuup–"

"With acknowledgement of his academic standard, an opportunity of peer tutoring is being requested. Not only would this benefit his university transcripts but –"

He stopped listening and smothered his face against the lavender-scented satin pillow. Intent on ignoring the annoying blond, he almost fell back to sleep when he picked up on a name.

"…for student Misane Kaede in Grade 11 Functions tomorrow following standard Day Class dismissal."

He shot up immediately and ran over to his desk, smacking around for paper. He grabbed the letter out of Takuma's hand and scribbled down the time before telling him he could leave. Misane Kaede. That's her name. That was the name of a failing student who he was going to show her exactly how not stupid he was.

xx-x-xx

I was screaming. Screaming.

Because holy shit did it hurt when you fell asleep with contacts on. Actually no, not pain but it was just achingly dry. I kept on swearing as I fumbled to get it out – and then bam the lights flashed on and I was shouting again. "Who's there?" Someone returned my death-like shrieks.

"Just turn off the lights!" I screamed back, squeezing my eyes shut as I smacked around for my sunglasses. Through a God-given miracle, this greatly blocked off the light. It didn't help with my horrible headache, but it was better. I took a deep breath and calmed down. "You do realize that closing hours were 12 hours ago, don't you?"

I was still wincing as I pulled together my stuff. Ah, shit. I was going to be late. You see? I skipped my usual routine for one day – one day – to study for Math and what I got were aching eyes and late arrival. Wonderful. "What time is it?" I asked quickly.

"You have two minutes until first period."

I dropped my books. I give up. I'd rather just try to rest in complete and utter darkness, in hopes that this headache would go away. I said goodbye to the custodian as I ran off, and I didn't stop – using my folders as a shield so that I could see where I was running – until I retreated into my room, where I tore off the uniform I fell asleep in earlier. I curled up into a cocoon and slept for the rest of the day.

What felt like seven minutes but in actuality had been ten hours later, a knock starkly woke me up. Nobody knocked on my door. Like, ever. Nobody ever needed anything from me and I was never in trouble so as soon as I heard it, I was awake. I didn't even bother throwing on proper clothing – because why not wear a rumpled up blouse, boxer shorts with the knee high socks still on when you answer the door?

I yawned and scratched my head along with the mess of the hair. I opened the door expecting to see perhaps one of the prefects or maybe the Headmaster himself yelling at me for ditching. Instead, that stranger from the forest was there, leaning over my door as if he was posing for an advertisement. Of doors. And brooding looks.

"You're late," he said, almost growled as his eyes narrowed at me.

"Late?" I repeated and brushed back what I could of my hair with my fingers. "For what? And what are you doing here?" More importantly, how did he find me?

Suddenly he pulled out a piece of paper and stuck it in front of my face. I leaned back because it was that close before snatching it out of his hands and reading it thoroughly. Then I flipped the page over. Then back. And then I handed it over to him with a puzzled expression.

"Well?" he prompted.

"Well what?" I asked slowly.

"Aren't you going to apologize?"

I gave him a look and took the paper back. "Student Misane Kaede," I began reciting, "lacks the needed attention to fully and actively participates in class. Although her work is thorough and time-consuming, the overall results consistently produce failing marks in this course." I stopped and looked up at him through my eyelashes. "I'm supposed to apologize for Sagawa-sensei for calling me slow and dumb?"

He stared at me as if I was crazy and then sighed. "I'm your tutor, and you're late," he said at last and I frowned.

"I didn't agree to a tutor though." I was the charity case blind girl with mental capabilities, apparently.

"Agreed?!" he repeated, with a stutter. His eyes were wide and incredulous. "This is supposed to be for your benefit."

I crossed my arms. "Um," was all I could say to that. But I mean, what do you say when suddenly there's a stranger insisting to play a part in your life – even an insignificant one like a tutor?

"Do you have to try to get a 40?"

"46," I corrected immediately, receiving a withering glance from him as a response.

His eyes narrowed. "You know, I never figured you'd be a bad student," he muttered, his eyes now back to narrowing all accusingly. My lips twitched. Bad? He might as well say what he was really thinking: dumb. And I honestly wasn't…I just, you know. I didn't get the right answers too often.

"And I never thought you would be the brightest either," I retorted, his assumption bringing out my prissier nature. "What with the whole – hey!" Before I could continue, his hand wrapped around my wrist and he was dragging me out into the hallways in my boxers all across the entire Dorm until we reached the library on campus. With me screaming all the while, going as far as to stop moving my legs altogether but that didn't seem to stop him.

At last, he forced me down on the chair and magically conjured up math text books, placing them down on the table as I glowered up at him. "Is this real?" I said to no one in particular, looking around then back down at my pajama shorts. "This isn't actually happening," I continued, blinking. Since when did my life consist of upperclassman dragging me out in practically my underwear to study math?

His long, fingers – that reminded me of an artist's, I noted – pointed at a formula. "Read it," he commanded, abrasively. My eyes flickered down at the too-complex equation full of variables, roots, exponents and…then back up at my tutor.

"Okay."

His face dropped and he rolled his eyes before sitting down next to me. "Do you understand?"

"Without a doubt." Not at all.

He frowned and he stared at me for a long while, as if he wasn't sure whether or not I was telling the truth. Hint: I wasn't. Then he sighed and flicked a few page back. "Alright," he said and he sounded tired – more tired than me – as he explained the first concept. But despite the even, strangely nice sound of his voice, I actually didn't get sleepy even taking in consideration the material he was reading. I needed coffee though, and he allowed me to at least get that - not go back to change for proper clothing, but coffee seemed to be okay.

"Do you understand now?" he asked, half an hour later.

"No." There was no point lying, he would test me on it later anyway. He sighed, hitting his face before reaching out to drink my coffee and slamming it back down. And then he began again, his fingers leading the way to the written text. I groaned because although it made sense, it was still too much information and I didn't feel like learning at the moment. And I sighed too, taking another sip of the coffee.

"Kaede?" I looked at him. "Pay attention."

But when my eyes stayed on him longer, I panicked. I was panicking – panicking because as I stared at the man next to me, open and leaning towards me as he followed the text with a point of his fingers…his eyes were down. His eyes were down, and the blackness of his lashes should have altered something but despite how long I stared, that one thing remained the same: those eyes of his were not entirely grey.

Partially-abandoned fic, but hey I found this waiting on Doc Manager so why not?

Reviews would be lovely (and very, very motivating!) :)