Wanna know what's really sad? Over a month has passed since the beginning of term, and I still haven't managed to befriend my roommate. Truthfully, I sort of gave up trying because he's so quick to shut me down.

That said, things in our dorm have become less uncomfortable. The two of us have developed a routine. I get up and use the bathroom's amenities first, and then he takes his turn. After that, we walk wordlessly to our first class.

At first, I was surprised that he walks with me to class in the morning and back to the dorm in the evening if neither of us has plans. It was odd to me. Now, it's something that comes second nature.

My thoughts are that the rumors about Yahiko aren't true, or at least are missing some of the truth, and he's not a complete asshole. I mean, this side of the city is lively with college-related events like parties and such. Until he proves my theory wrong, I believe he won't leave me behind because it's not always safe for women to travel alone, even during the day. Amegakure has a strong gang presence, even on this side of the city.

Maybe I'm wrong, and perhaps I'm not. Only time will tell.

It may also be because I still don't have a phone, and he doesn't want one of us to get locked out like before.

With the monthly allowance the university grants me for food and supplies, I've been saving up for winter clothes and a phone. I only spend about half the funds on meals, but I've always struggled to put food on the table, so my diet didn't change much. A lot of my friends noticed quickly and still try to get me to put some meat on my bones, but I'm too ashamed of my dismal financial status to admit to why I'm actually cutting back on food intake.

Classes have been challenging yet enjoyable. The rumor that scholarship students always flunk out didn't seem palpable until maybe a week into term when the professors removed the kid gloves and really began putting their all into teaching.

As someone who barely managed to graduate school due to being moved from town to town, most of the subject matter we're studying is entirely new to me. Art history is the class with which I struggle the most. The other ones are at least interesting to me, but learning about centuries-old painters whose work I don't particularly care for is difficult.

With that thought in mind, don't assume I'm failing because I'm not. In fact, I excel in all classes except that one, which I'm currently graded at a C.

At Amegakure's University of Art, there are four exam periods each term. The first is this Friday, four days from now, October twenty-first. The second is December fifteenth. The third is March first. The final exams, which will be the hardest of all, will be held on April thirtieth, two days before term's end.

When I say that the stress has become suffocating in the last few days, I'm not exaggerating. Just the thought of losing my spot in this beautiful place where I get to be surrounded by those who share my interests, and we all get to study and produce art together, not to mention having somewhere safe to lay my head at the end of the day, causes heart palpitations.

It wasn't so bad until this morning when Kabuto sought me out in the hall to explain that I could potentially lose my scholarship prior to the term's end if I let any of my grades fall to anything lower than a D+.

Now, it's nearly midnight, and I'm hunched over my notes from Art History. Nothing seems to work for me when it comes to memorization except for rewriting the information repeatedly, so that's what I began the moment Yahiko and I returned after the last class. I haven't moved from my desk since.

"Midori Nami was born near the turn of the fourteenth century. In his lifespan, he was regarded as a madman and a peddler for attempting to earn a living by producing and selling art. It wasn't until centuries later, when a cache of paintings was unearthed that the deceased creator gained fame. Now, Midori Nami is a household name. Even those with no interest in art have heard it. His style of-" A soft sound broke my focus, and I straightened my spine with a wince.

Sitting still for too long periods because I'm too engulfed in a task has always been a bad habit of mine. It often results in sore muscles, tired eyes, and the delusion that time has passed much quicker than normal.

Turning in my chair, I located the source of the sound. It was Yahiko. He'd obviously stirred in his sleep, knocking a pillow and his phone off the bed and onto the carpet. I spared my notebook one last glance before sighing defeatedly. If I don't try to get some rest now, I'll struggle to focus during classes tomorrow.

So, I clicked off my lamp, brushed my teeth, and headed toward my bed. As I passed Yahiko, whose bed was closer to the door, I paused with a frown. It's just not fair that he's so handsome. Even now, asleep, his appearance is captivating. If only he weren't so cold to others, especially me. Gone was the tension in his jaw and brow, making him look younger.

Though it made me childishly pout, I carefully placed his pillow and phone on his bed without waking him. That's when I noticed his nails were painted black. A smile tugged at my lips. Things that might not work for other men, like the dozen or more piercings and polished nails, only enhance his beauty.

Before my actions could be misinterpreted as creepy, I shook my head and climbed into bed.

The sleep was restless as the overwhelming worry I'd fail my exams and subsequently be forced out of this dorm and school shook me to the core. A mild pain ran across my eyes when I got up to shower. I groaned softly while procuring clothes from the dresser and trudging into the bathroom. Thankfully, the steam of the shower woke me and dulled the ache.

Staying up late and hyperfocused like that always gives me headaches the next day. I should probably buy some over-the-counter pain medicine today because I have no choice but to fill every waking moment with studying until the exams are finished.

After Yahiko was ready, we walked toward the lesson building. Usually, neither of us speaks, but he surprised me by observing, "You were up late last night."

Being the grump he is, I immediately realized what he was trying to say and apologized, too tired and worried about classes to argue, "Sorry if I kept you up. I'll try to be quieter."

The man didn't verbally respond, so I let the conversation end without sparing him a glance. All day long, I clung to each word my professors said, intently scrawling down notes to study tonight. A few of my friends took notice of the behavior change, but I played down my concern to not worry them. At the end of our final class, I briefly told Yahiko I had an errand to run and wouldn't be able to walk back with him.

….

By the time the drugstore nearest campus came into view, it was dark outside. As I passed an alleyway, I heard the never-welcome and always-offputting sound of a whistle, an unfamiliar male voice following it, "Hey, Baby. What's a pretty thing like you doing alone at night?"

My teeth gritted in half-irritation and half-fear as my footsteps quickened.

A second voice came, "Where are you headed? We'll walk you there."

When I stepped into the shop, I could've sighed in relief that the pests hadn't caught up before then. There was a woman around my age behind the counter, and we shared a look when the two men followed me inside. She offered a curt nod as though silently confirming she'd keep an eye out for trouble.

I hurriedly purchased a bottle of headache medication and a bottle of water, only to hesitate to step outside. The men pretended to browse while keeping their gazes on me. As soon as I step outside, they'll follow and likely approach more aggressively than before. It's times like these that I wish I had a cell phone so I could call one of my friends to come.

Swallowing anxiously, I spared one glance behind me before leaving, briskly walking with my head down.

As expected, one of them hollered after me, "Don't play hard to get, beautiful!"

My heartbeat sped up to the point that it felt as though it was in my throat. The sound of nearing steps met my ears as I approached the street corner. Tears welled as I squeezed my eyes closed and prayed these two idiots only wanted to tease me and wouldn't actually do anything.

Suddenly, I ran smack into someone, my forehead hitting their chest. I opened my eyes to see a black shirt and a familiar-looking necklace. Before I could pull away and apologize, an arm came around me, "There you are, Babe! Been looking everywhere for you. Did you get what you needed?"

The air in my lungs disappeared as Hidan's voice came calmly.

As I met his gaze, I heard the men's footsteps stop behind me. The corner of his lips turned into an encouraging smirk, and I awkwardly nodded, playing along in hopes the stalkers would believe this was my boyfriend.

His smirk became a grin, and he hugged me, barking irritatedly at those watching us, "Did you scare my girl? Wanna die? Fuck off."

Humiliated warmth met my face as I nervously held a handful of Hidan's shirt and listened to the two men mumble half-hearted insults while backing away. Once they were out of earshot, the man released me, "You're welcome."

I frowned, falling into step beside him toward campus, "Thank you."

"Monster too busy?"

"Didn't I tell you not to call him that?"

"Yeah, but that was before he let you go out alone at night? The prick."

My brow furrowed, and I glared at him, "First of all, I don't need anyone to "let" me do anything." Hidan's frown lifted into an amused smirk, obviously finding my annoyance funny. "And secondly, I didn't tell him where I was going, so he didn't know I'd be back so late."

The man scoffed, rolling his eyes but changing the subject, "I think this is the first time I've seen you look anything but bored or pissed off."

It was my turn to scoff. I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. We walked back to the dorms in silence, where Hidan followed me to my dorm's door. Awkwardly, I fished my keys out of my pocket as we neared and said, "You don't need to escort me or anything."

Hidan leaned against the wall with crossed arms and a shameless smile while I unlocked the door, "Who knows what trouble you'll get in if I don't watch you go in? You were almost fucking jumped earlier."

Once the door was unlocked, I hesitated, facing him fully with an uncomfortable feeling on my skin because I was not sure how to properly display most positive emotions, "Um, about that. Thanks again. I'm not sure what I would've done if you hadn't shown up."

The mischievous glint in his purple eyes disappeared as he tilted his head, standing straight, "G'night."

"Yeah, good night."

I waited until he was further down the hall before entering. Tears welled up when the door closed behind me, and I squeezed them closed to try to stop them. Earlier, I was so scared I couldn't think straight. It didn't take much imagination to figure out what those men would've done to me if Hidan hadn't chased them off.

That's when I remembered I don't live alone. My eyes shot open to see Yahiko focusing on an assignment at his desk. Did he see? I walked across the room to put my books and shopping bag down. He didn't say anything, so probably not.

I studied until the early morning, only to have another night of restless sleep. All day Wednesday, I forced my attention to remain on my schoolwork fully. Then, on Thursday, I reached my sleepless limit. All day, but especially during the latter half, I struggled to keep myself awake. When I was, it was difficult not to zone out.

Thursday night, I tried to stay up to last minute cram for the exams tomorrow. One moment, I was staring at my notebook, pencil in hand, and then something was sounding in the room.

Immediately, without even opening my eyes, a wild wave of dizziness washed over me. I groaned, only then realizing I'd fallen asleep at my desk. As I sat up, the world around me spun, but I realized it was my phone alarm ringing. Showering and getting dressed proved strenuous. Upon looking at my reflection while brushing my teeth, I concluded that I'd made myself sick working so hard this week.

My mood was sour as could be. Of all days for this to happen, this was the worst possible one. A hiss passed my lips when Yahiko and I stepped outside and began walking to class. Being in the light makes my entire head throb, face and all.

"You should go back to bed," the man quietly said.

An unhappy, disagreeing sound left my chest, and that was the end of that.

The professor instructed everyone to sit in their seats and be quiet. The atmosphere had yet to be so strict. None of us were even allowed to speak while waiting for tests to be passed out. Soon, the exam began. Though it was excruciating, I feel as though I actually did pretty well.

The next class is the one I'm most concerned about. That said, as the current class ended, the paper before me fell in and out of focus.

No, damn it. This can't happen today! My entire future depends on how well I do on these exams!

The bell rang, and everyone gathered their items and filtered out of the room. "Jeez, that was harder than I thought it'd be!" Tayuya muttered.

I followed the group into the hall, a tightness forming between my brows that flexed with each step. My eyes are so heavy, and my vision is cloudy and much too bright. Fingers tightening around my books, I swallowed.

One step. Then another. Keep going until you're in class. You can make it. If you don't, you'll be on the streets again.

Unfortunately, my body did the opposite of what I needed. All the strength left my limbs. I felt the books slip from my arms, stumbling to the side as my legs gave in. I was unconscious before I hit the ground.

…

I blinked, confused about where I am and what time it is. Slowly, my blurry vision cleared enough that I could identify my computer chair sitting bedside with a bag of supplies atop it. Groaning, I sat up, brow furrowing further, when a used cold compress fell to the bed beside my pillow. Still dizzy and weak, I peered into the bag to see drinks and medicine.

The dorm's door opened, Yahiko stepping in with his usual frown in place. When his eyes met mine, I fought tears, "Did you do this?"

The man didn't respond. Instead, he tossed his keys casually onto the desk before coming closer, kneeling by the desk chair. I flinched when he reached up to press the back of his hand to my forehead, staring at his face in surprise.

His brown eyes were narrowed into their usual glare as he let go, pulled some medication and a drink out of the bag, and handed it to me.

Normally, I'd feel awkward, but my being sick severely hindered my self-control, and I sniffled, wiping at my tears with one hand while sitting up further to accept the items, "I'm sorry…."

Yahiko appeared unsure of what to do before sighing with closed eyes, "It's fine."

I took the medicine, trying to stop crying because it was pathetic and embarrassing.

He accepted the drink back and spoke in a low, uncomfortable voice while preparing a fresh cold compress, "The fever's still high."

The man explained that my exams would be rescheduled to when I was no longer sick. When I laid back down, turning onto my side, I uncharacteristically spoke my genuine thoughts, "You probably hate me even more now, don't you?"

His jaw flexed, but he turned to sit with his back to my bed after applying the compress, resting his elbows on his bent knees while turning on the television, "I don't hate you."

I studied his messy orange hair, curling into a ball to try and get warmer under my thin blanket, "...You don't? But you told me not to talk to you."

"I shouldn't have done that. I thought-" He abruptly closed his mouth, looking down at the carpet as though trying to gather the strength to speak his mind. "I thought you'd end up falling for me, which annoyed me. Sorry."

A small laugh passed my lips, making him turn his head to look at me with a lifted brow. I teased half-heartedly, "You're kinda full of yourself." His frown deepened, and I felt guilty, so I added, "I'm assuming you've had bad experiences with women in the past?"

"You could say that," He faced forward again.

Suddenly, I recalled Karin and Tayuya telling me about the rumors that Yahiko used to get into fistfights with all kinds of people, women included. Is this related to that?

He didn't elaborate further, and a wave of exhaustion hit me like a train, so the subject dropped. I stared at his messy orange hair, blinking slowly as the medicine kicked in, making me even drowsier.

Because I still felt emotional with fever, I wiped at my eyes as they watered again, mumbling, "Thank you for helping me."

"I already said it's fine. Stop crying."