A/N: I know it's not very good. I just haven't had time to really write something in a long while. DX So please tell me what you think! Criticism is much loved.

Disclaimer:

Me: Ahem, I do not own VK.

Yuuki: But muffins are yummy!

Me: Uh…Yuuki….

--o--[Chapter Start]--o--

"Just take the damn letter!" Aidou yelled in exasperation, shaking the proffered paper impatiently.

Why was he always the one saddled with the most pointless, most annoying tasks of all??? What had he done to deserve this fate???

Oh, wait. That was right. It was his own fault. He had brought this torture upon himself. He just had to promise that he would run this little errand if Yuuki had gotten a passable grade. But who would have thought that she would actually get that grade! And just to rub it in his face, she just had to get exactly the minimum number of points required. It was infuriating.

And, to top it off, he wasn't able to just run to Cross Academy and throw the stupid letter at Sayori Wakaba and then run off. Oh, no. That would be far too easy. No, instead she had to insist that he step into her pathetic excuse for a dorm room and wait. Wait for what??? Pigs to fly??? There was no way he was going to agree, but her clear brown eyes brooked no argument and the set of her mouth told him she was determined that he was going to be the one to give in. Stupid human.

Then, as if all this wasn't bad enough, she refused to act like a normal human girl and faint at the sight of him. He had forgiven her the last time they'd met, on account of her being terrified, but this time she had no excuse. What was wrong with her??? She was obviously retarded. No sane human girl would behave in such a manner. Not before Hanabusa Aidou!

"Would you please just come in?" she repeated, surveying him calmly. Her voice was soft but firm, her lips pressed in a straight line.

"Look, girl, I have import-" he began, eyes flashing livid crimson.

"It's Yori. Not girl," she stated evenly.

"Alright, Yori, I have-"

"Yori-chan, Aidou-senpai. You don't know me nearly well enough to address me so informally," she interrupted again, just as frustratingly serene.

"Listen here, you-" he started again, shaking with rage.

"At least come inside to yell at me, if you please. I don't fancy standing here much longer," she opened the door wider, making room to allow him to pass her.

"Do you know who I am?!" he demanded, fist clenching, nails biting into his delicate skin hard enough to draw blood.

"Yes. You are Hanabusa Aidou," she replied smoothly.

"Do you know what I am?!" he snarled.

"Yes. Annoying. Now, are you coming in?"

"If you don't take the damn letter right now, I'm dropping it on the floor and leaving!" he threatened.

"You won't do that," Yori said with certainty.

"Oh? And why won't I?"

"Because if you did, you couldn't tell Yuuki that you had delivered the letter safely to me. And second, you wouldn't have any letter of mine to return to her. Do you really want to get into trouble with Kaname-sama for making Yuuki unhappy?"

"Kaname-sama doesn't know about the letter," he returned triumphantly.

"He doesn't have to know. I'm sure Yuuki can make it clear that you were the source of her misery without mentioning it," her logic was infallible.

"Fine," he huffed, striding into the room angrily.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely, shutting the door and taking the letter.

He didn't answer. Instead, he attempted to calm down, trying to ignore his furious thoughts. It couldn't end well if he worked himself up into enough of a tantrum that he forgot himself and ended up sucking the life out of Yuuki's best friend. No, that would definitely mean a slow death for him. Not that the idea wasn't tempting. He would thoroughly enjoy removing such an irritating creature from existence.

"You can sit down, you know," Yori murmured, gesturing to the bed across from hers. She was already seated, back against the wall, the letter in her hand.

He sighed and plopped down on the bed, noting the hardness of the mattress with a scowl. Who chose the furniture here, anyway? Not that it especially mattered to him. He wasn't the one who was stuck sleeping on it. He glanced at Yori smugly. Served her right that she had to sleep on such an uncomfortable bed.

The petite brunette opened the envelope carefully and extracted the paper from inside. There were more sheets there than he remembered, but he dismissed it. What did it matter how much Yuuki wanted to babble on, anyway? Except for the fact that he had to wait even longer before he could leave…

Yori's eyes flicked back and forth across the page, taking in Yuuki's undoubtedly nonsensical words. He watched her idly. At times, her mouth would curve up into a gentle smile, and at other times, would tighten slightly, perhaps in thought. He was rather intrigued with her expressions, and his anger slipped away after a few moments.

As she read, he occupied the time with studying her. She wasn't one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen, but she was certainly pretty. Her bronze hair and warm eyes evoked a certain response. She seemed soft, something precious that needed protection, but he knew that she was capable of taking care of herself. She was certainly capable of handling him, he thought bitterly.

Before long, she crawled to the head of her bed and opened a drawer in the table beside it. From within, she withdrew paper, pencil, and a book that he recognized as 'Pride and Prejudice.' He'd actually read that one when he was younger. And strangely, he remembered liking it, too.

She returned to her former position, placed the paper on the book, and placed the book onto her lap. Then she began to write, the pencil moving quickly, filling the room with faint scratching sounds as it formed the letters to her words. He flopped over onto his back, staring at the ceiling, bored. Hopefully this wouldn't take much longer and he could get back to the Kuran mansion.

The pencil continued its rhythm, offsetting both the steady beating of Yori's heart and her quiet breathing. Her heartbeat was much faster than his own, a mouse compared with a snake, pumping her delicious smelling blood at a swift pace through her small body.

He tensed. Her blood did smell maddeningly sweet. Almost as sweet as Yuuki's, which was impossible to match. It held the faint scent of autumn and lavender. A peculiar combination, but a delectable one.

Get a grip, Hanabusa, he mentally scolded himself. Why should you need the blood of such a pitiable, obviously impaired, human girl? Tablets are preferable. And anyway, what do you think would happen if you decided to make a snack out of Yuuki's friend?

He sighed, sitting up quickly. Clearly, he should have followed his original plan to drop off the letter and get the hell out.

"Almost done," she assured him, breaking the silence.

"Good," he muttered.

She glanced up at him, mildly amused, "Why did you bring the letter if it bothers you so much?"

"Because I promised I would," he said flatly.

"Yes…Yuuki said you seemed surprised that she managed to meet your requirements," she bit back a smile. "She says to warn you that she won't be defeated so easily."

He shook his head, "Is she asking for more work? Stupid girl…"

"Please don't make it too difficult for her, Aidou-senpai. She's trying very hard and she wants to talk to me very much."

"I can't. She can't do much better than that," he rolled his eyes. "Not in math, anyway."

"That's harsh. Making her get a C in the subject she despises. Not to mention…I don't believe I've ever seen her get a C before in that class… She must have worked much harder than she led me to believe," Yori frowned thoughtfully.

"She say anything else in there about me?" he asked, partially out of irritation and partially out of curiousity. "Like how cruel and despicable I am?"

"Actually, she wrote that although you're very strict, you're also a very good teacher and she's learned much more from you than from her sensei here. And she's very grateful that you brought me the letter."

"Hunh," he had nothing to say to that. It wasn't what he'd expected at all.

Yori smiled, then folded her papers and placed them in the envelope that Yuuki's had come in. She tucked the flap down so that it closed, and held it out to him, "Here. I don't have any envelopes, though I'll get some in town as soon as I can. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't read it. Though, if you must…"

"I won't read it," he grumbled, taking it and shoving it into his coat pocket. "I'm sure it's full of nonesense anyhow."

"No doubt," she returned, a touch of laughter brightening her eyes.

"Alright then, have a good evening," he said briskly, moving to the door.

"Ah, Aidou-senpai?" she seemed a little hesitant.

"What?" he turned tiredly, only wanting to get out.

"Are…will you be the one to bring me the next letter?"

He rolled his eyes, "Obviously. And if there's a next letter. Don't get your hopes up."

"Hmm…," her fingers tapped the blanket idly for a moment before she asked, "What do you like to eat?"

"What do I…," his brow furrowed in confusion at her question. What was the idiot human trying to pull now? "Why does that even matter?" he snapped.

"Well…the tablets must taste pretty bad…and I know you must be hungry coming all the way out here, and quickly enough that Kaname-sama won't get mad at you. So, I could have something here for the next time you come."

His eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch with every word. She was going to feed him, now? Or, had she noticed that he was strangely attracted to her blood? As if he would even try to drink it…

Instead, he replied, "Keep a box of crackers in here or something. They won't go bad. Okay? Good night."

"Good night," she murmured as he stepped out and shut the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Yori glanced out the window, where the snow fell past as delicate puffs of white.

"Yuuki…," she whispered, allowing her eyes to drift shut. "I will definitely try my best."

777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

In a dark place, someone asks, "How many tablets have you taken in the past hour?"

Another person responds, voice hoarse in the black, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I lost count months ago."

--o--[Chapter End]--o--

A/N: See that review button? You KNOW you wanna press it. You do. You know you do.