A/N: Oh it is so rushed…. Moving to Spain has made my schedule hectic but as you can see, still writing! Next chapter will be better, I promise.

Disclaimer: I don't own VK.

Yori shook her head as she made her way towards the Chairman's office. What exactly were the 'Secrets of the Most Secretest Waltz of Cross Academy' and why in the world would Kiryuu-kun respond to that when he hadn't bothered to show up after the Chairman had summoned him the first time? It didn't really matter to her, but she wasn't sure she would agree to be messenger for a third time, when Kiryuu-kun clearly had no intention of visiting his adoptive father.

Still, she had to tell the Chairman that she had delivered his message and Kiryuu-kun had acknowledged its existence. Which, albeit, was more than he usually did for Yuuki's letters. She sighed. If only he would properly respond to her letters, instead of sending her a scrap of paper.

As she reached the closed office door, she paused, lost in thought. If only she could see Yuuki in person… Hear her voice again… She didn't know why, but she had been carrying around her return letter for Yuuki ever since Aidou had dropped off Yuki's letter. It was almost like having direct link to Yuuki while she sat in class, even if it was only a tenuous paper connection.

She shook off her momentary loneliness sharply and knocked on the door.

"Come in," the Chairman sang from the other side.

Pushing open the door and stepping inside, Yori saw that someone else was also visiting the Chairman, who was tucking a nondescript envelope away in one of his desk drawers.

"I delivered the message," she reported as she stepped inside.

As she spoke, the other person in the room turned towards her, and she took in the black trench coat, the thick hat, the sunglasses…the scarf she had knit herself… Her eyes widened as her chest seized up with sudden tightness.

He didn't say a word, but the recognition passed palpably between them.

The Chairman was clearly oblivious to this exchange and chattered at Yori happily, "Thank you for delivering my message. This time I don't think he'll be able to resist. Secrets are just so much fun! Especially secrety father-son ones!" He winked.

"It's no trouble," Yori smiled, though she wasn't particularly interested in delivering yet another message. Was this how Aidou had felt at first? Perhaps his initial attitude wasn't that hard to fathom after all.

"And I believe that's all from me for now, as well," Aidou said, voice muffled by the scarf.

"Yes, thank you both. Now I must await my adorable son!"

Yori gave a slight bow to both the Chairman and Aidou, keeping her expression smooth and composed so as not to alert the Chairman that she was familiar with his guest. Then she stepped out, heart racing with the unexpected visit. A moment later, Aidou had exited the office as well, closing the door behind him with a soft but resounding click.

In the hallway under the fluorescent lights, Aidou's outfit looked particularly silly. The combination of clothing items, including black trench coat and sunglasses, made him look like he either had a terrible hangover or was extremely suspicious. She muffled a giggle.

"What?" he asked, readjusting his coat.

"Nothing," she answered serenely.

His voice took on a distrustful tone. "What?"

Her reply came evenly, without a trace of the laughter she felt, "You look ridiculous." And cute… If she were being honest with herself, it was kind of refreshing to see him looking so out of place without his designer clothes.

"Don't even get me started!" he exclaimed in discomfort as he shifted his coat, his hat, the scarf, in a doomed attempt at normalcy. "It's just a disguise! So I'm not seen!"

"Did you lose a bet?" she continued ruthlessly.

"No. I hate this," he muttered irritably, adjusting his clothing with evident frustration. "Everything is dim, it's stuffy in this coat, and I have hat hair." He heaved an exasperated sigh, falling back against the wall not unlike a few five-year-olds she'd seen.

Yori held back another smile of amusement, clearing her throat slightly to hide the urge to laugh. "It's winter, it's bright outside, and no one can recognize you. It can't be that bad."

She could scarcely detect his glare from behind the sunglasses. "Hat hair." He repeated, expression glum.

"I don't know, it could be a new look for you. Maybe you're onto something." She grinned, then reached towards the hat suddenly. "Let me see."

"What? No!" he clamped a hand down on the hat, sliding adeptly beyond reach in the blink of an eye. "It would ruin my image."

"Oh, please. Just let me see. It might be cute." She made a grab at the hat again, but Aidou danced out of reach once more, arms locked down over his head. Giggling a little despite herself, she shook her head, eyes sparkling with laughter.

"No way! I'm in disguise, remember? What if someone saw me?" He latched onto this defense desperately.

"There's no one here," she gestured around the empty hallway.

"There could be at any minute."

"You'd smell them," she pointed out.

His mouth creased down into a full-on pout, "I'm not taking off the hat."

She rolled her eyes, folding her arms and commenting wryly, "I'm sure your fans would still find you attractive with hat hair."

"Ha. They-" he broke off. There was a pause, and then one corner of his mouth stretched upwards into that devilish grin that sent warning bells ringing through her mind. She squinted at him, suddenly wary, as he took a step forward, leaning closer to her.

"So you do find me attractive after all?" His eyes held a predatory glint.

She rolled her eyes. "I never said I was attracted to you."

"You're not answering the question," he smirked.

Her lips pressed together in a thin line. She was not going to respond to his flirtation. Besides, she could not possibly be attracted to such a flagrant womanizer.

He was quiet for a moment. He took a breath. Then, "Sorry."

Her eyes widened a little. Was this really Hanabusa Aidou? Was he actually apologizing for…well, being himself?

He smiled ruefully. "I couldn't help myself." There was a pause, and then he asked with mock sincerity, "Will you still be friends with me if I have hat hair?"

She laughed, and her irritation with his previous behavior shattered abruptly. "I don't know… I might get teased for having a friend with hat hair…" She pretended to think this over.

Aidou grinned, and seemed about to say something else, but instead stopped abruptly, eyes shooting towards the end of the hall, "Someone is coming. I don't want to cause you any trouble, and I certainly don't want there to be any suspicion if we're seen talking like this. We can't be seen together."

She nodded, suppressing sudden sadness at the news of Aidou's imminent departure. She understood that it was necessary, and she was trying to be patient, but lately it had been harder than usual to wait between visits. Not having Yuuki around was more difficult than she'd expected.

"I'll be back before you know it," he promised, as if sensing the onset of her melancholy.

"I know that," she replied quietly. She did know…but more and more often lately it seemed cold comfort to her.

She was about to say goodbye, but she suddenly remembered the letter she had been carrying with her, and slid it out of her jacket pocket. "Take this. I'm glad I kept it in my jacket. It's for Yuuki."

He blinked, "That was good luck." His eyes flicked again to the far corner of the hall. "I'd better get going before I'm discovered." He smiled wanly. "Until the next test."

"Bye. Be nice to Yuuki," she waved.

"I am always a perfect saint," he flashed her a brief grin, and then held up his hand, repeating "I'll be back soon." Then he was gone, vanished around the opposite corner of the hall.

Yori took a deep breath. The familiar feeling that had set upon her last time was back. He was walking away, away again for another two weeks. Possibly more if Yuuki failed her test. She didn't want that. She wanted him to come back, she wanted to go with him, she wanted Yuki back with her at the academy. All these things that she wanted just tangled together, leaving an empty spot in her heart.

Her hand twisted in her other sleeve, holding herself still. She was alright. She was practiced in loneliness, and she would survive as she always did. The selfishness she felt at this moment would fade.

She could hear footsteps approaching now, and in the last moment she had alone in the hall, the words popped back into her mind unbidden.

So you do find me attractive after all?

Her mind churned over the question. Did she find him attractive? Obviously he was objectively handsome, but was she attracted to him? Did a little crush extend to that?

She let her eyes fall shut, picturing the face that was familiar now, instead of the face of the Night Class poster child. She pictured his eyes, eyes that she wasn't sure she could safely look into again. They were too blue, too mesmerizing. She remembered the gentleness of his touch and the soft pressure of his lips against her forehead. The quiet reverberation of his voice beside her ear… Her heart was compressing tighter. She couldn't let it be true. Sayori Wakaba was not attracted to womanizers.

Yuuki's words rushed through her head. Isn't that love?

She felt her face grow warmer, heart clenching a little in her chest. She fought it back stubbornly. This couldn't be real. She wasn't attracted to him, and she certainly wasn't going to fall for him. At best, it was a little crush…

And yet… The faint flush in her face, that tremulous flutter in her heart… The remembrance of that smile that seemed to reach in and touch her heart physically… She felt slightly stricken. Just a little crush… She was desperately trying to convince herself of that, even when she already knew the truth.

She had fallen for Hanabusa Aidou.

A/N: #welcometothefanclubsayori