All Things Beautiful and Bloody [3/?]
Title: All Things Beautiful and Bloody
Characters: Everybody, this part featuring Ookubo Shoutarou, Jinnai Sho, Omi Youichirou, Yamada Yuuki, Mitsuya Ryou, Nishii Yukito, Yamaguchi Kenki, and Akutsu Shintarou.
Genre: Vampire School!AU
Chapter Rating: PG-13 probably for attempted seductions and other gruesome things.
Word Count: ~3530
Summary: Everyone has various anxieties and faces various setbacks when it comes to the first day of school.
Notes: I just want to point out that this fic is not exactly a traditional RPS!type AU in that I am somewhat unconcerned with characterization (see: Yukito) and am a little more interested in playing with the concept of vampires in general in regards to TRUMP. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I see it more as me writing a screenplay-esque thing and then having boys cast in parts that coincidentally have the same name as they do, much like PDB. (and this is how I justify it to myself as not creepy to have boys fantasizing about biting each other all the time)
Just. had to get that off my chest.
--
Chapter 3
Shoutarou lay in bed, dreading the setting of the sun. When it went down, he would be forced to walk among vampires again. He didn’t want to be alone, he didn’t want to be around other vampires - he hated even thinking about the fact that he was one - and he couldn’t be around humans.
Shoutarou hugged himself and squeezed his eyes shut. He had made his choice, of his own free will, and now he was going to have to live with it. Perhaps the others wouldn’t be so bad. The instructor from last night had smiled when he called out to him, after all, and had explained a number of things he had been wondering but hadn’t dared ask about. When he had gathered his courage and asked what areas of study he was in charge in, his face had lit up and he’d started to talk about how much he was looking forward to the coming semester, especially getting to teach them all kinds of ways to defend themselves from mental attacks. Then he’d ruffled his hair and added that he’d also decided to look after Shoutarou in particular.
He rolled over. He didn’t think it was a good thing that he had already caught someone’s eye. When he had been with others, he had survived as long as he had by staying quiet and not drawing attention to himself.
He had tried coexisting with other vampires, once. He had found a small group and been accepted as one of them, but once they found out he didn’t fall into the same enchanted sleep at dawn as they did, they’d turned on him. They’d held him down, drained him of his blood, and sent him outside just before sunrise. He would have died then if he hadn’t fallen into a ditch by accident and managed to pull himself into a sewage drain. He’d spent a week there regaining his strength, feeding off rats and other small creatures until he could move again and find larger prey. The other vampires were by then long gone, and he’d lived alone for another month in the abandoned shack they’d used, mostly feeding off deer and the occasional lost hiker.
Then Kazuma had found him. Kazuma claimed to be two hundred years old, but Shoutarou doubted he was much older than he was. Nevertheless, Kazuma was much stronger than him. He had originally approached Shoutarou under the guise of being weak and in need of blood. Although Shoutarou had been smart enough not to give him his own blood at first, he’d been so lonely and desperate for a companion that Kazuma managed to persuade him to let him drink from him within the second week they’d known each other. He’d offered him his wrist, but Kazuma had frowned and said that if they were going to be true companions, he’d have to let him drink from his neck. The more vulnerable position meant that he hadn’t had the strength to push him away when he betrayed him.
He’d lived in thrall to Kazuma, constantly in need of blood, often so weak he was rendered unconscious. He existed more in dreams and hallucinations than reality, only coming to in order to drink from whatever victim Kazuma deigned to throw to him. Then one day, the blood he found himself drinking was not that of some hapless animal or human, but that of Kazuma himself. An unfamiliar vampire with a demon’s grin had cut a long slice through Kazuma’s neck and torso, nearly severing his head, and was offering him up to Shoutarou. It had taken several minutes before Shoutarou had been conscious enough to take in the full horror of the scene, one that was only compounded when he realized that Kazuma was still very much alive.
He hadn’t been for long. He hoped, anyway.
After that, his savior had introduced himself as Kamitsuru Tooru, headmaster of a school for vampires. His tone seemed to imply that what had been done to Shoutarou would never happen under his watch, and that people like Kazuma were most definitely not welcome. Even so…
Even so, vampires were not to be trusted.
Shoutarou had no intention of being tricked again, nor did he intend to get involved in any situation that would lead to him getting taken advantage of. The first step to doing that was being prepared, so he got out of bed, exchanged his pajamas for his uniform, and tidied up the room. Relax, he told himself. Focus. If you go into this with a clear mind, you’ll be able to react more quickly to anything that might happen.
When the knock finally came, he was as ready as he was ever going to be.
-
He and Youichirou had been lovers almost since before he could remember. They had shared a bed since before the first proper novel was written, and Sho could recall her keeping him up all night discussing new plot twists in The Tale of Genji and spending the next several centuries tracking down all kinds of variants and additional chapters written by imitators. She had been with him through nearly every trial he had faced in his immortal life, and without her, he never would have survived to see the current millennium. She had saved his life time and time again, and her love for him had never dimmed in more than a thousand years.
Which was precisely why he felt no remorse about taking the key she had taken from Yamada, tying her to the bed and leaving her.
After last night, he’d thought he might have to take steps just to coax Shoutarou out of his room. The boy had been positively trembling when he’d been escorting him to his room, and he had snatched the key out of his hand and slammed the door in his face once they got there. As usual, Kamitsuru hadn’t bothered to tell any of them anything about the new year’s students, but it was fairly obvious that something in Shoutarou’s past had left him terrified of other vampires. Well, he reasoned, swinging by to pick Yamada up might help him see that the rest of them weren’t all that bad. He was slightly surprised when Shoutarou answered his knock immediately and was ready to go after he locked his door, but not too surprised. He’d figured that the kid had to be tougher than he looked to catch Kamitsuru’s eye and earn a place at the school.
He patted Shoutarou on the head. “Sleep well, kiddo? Ready to learn some things?”
A wave of unease rolled off of Shoutarou and Sho resisted the urge to poke at it. It wasn’t nice to get too deep into a kid’s mind before he knew how to shield himself properly, especially if it was just ordinary first day nervousness. Better to keep their respect and let them open up on their own terms. “I… yeah, I guess. What are we doing first?”
“Your first class will be with me, you lucky little vampire duck. But first we’ve got to pick up Yamada, since my better half couldn’t seem to get out of bed this morning.” Sho sighed. “I was hoping I could get to know you better, but I guess that won’t happen with that hairball around.”
Shoutarou snorted. Sho decided to take that as a good sign. “Hey, hey, you weren’t thinking I’m a hairball too, were you? I’ll have you know that my hair was cut and styled by the headmaster himself.” Living proof that everything Kamitsuru Tooru did was done to spite him. It got an honest laugh, though, which was something. He patted Shoutarou’s head again, and this time he didn’t flinch. “Incidentally, if you ever need yours done, there’s an older student here named Mitsuya who’s probably a safer bet.”
“Are there many students here?”
“Only the ones you saw last night. We’re a very select institution, you see, with an excellent teacher to student ratio. You’re one of the biggest classes we’ve ever had.” Sho thought it over and decided it wouldn’t hurt to give him a little warning. “Mitsuya’s the brown-haired one, looks super pretty? You might want to watch out for the short one that’s sometimes with him, though. That’s Yukito, and he’s… well. He likes to be entertained. He mostly behaves himself at school, and he’s all right if Mitsuya’s with him, but it might not be a good idea to get too close to him.”
Shoutarou didn’t say anything, but he was giving off an even larger wave of anxiety now. “Ah, but don’t worry! If you’re ever in trouble, just think of me and call my name in your mind, and I’ll come help you out, okay?” He grinned. “No matter what. Even if I’m in the middle of a haircut. …No, especially if I’m in the middle of a haircut.” Just like this.
Like... this?
Exactly. Call for me any time. Shoutarou’s emotions died down somewhat, which was good since they were in front of Yamada’s door and Sho didn’t have any longer to try and comfort him. Clearing his throat, he knocked on the door and unlocked it. When he didn’t receive an answer, he opened the door to find Yamada lying in bed, fast asleep.
“This is why I picked you instead of him,” he whispered to Shoutarou, and motioned for him to be quiet. Creeping into the room, he waved his hands and strings of energy sprung out of them. They pulled back the covers and wrapped themselves around Yamada. Shoutarou watched, fascinated, as they pulled him out of bed, set him on his feet, and immediately began to make him dance a solo Charleston. Sho cracked up and sent him pirouetting around the room before dropping him back in bed, the impact just hard enough to finally wake him.
Yamada sat up, looking incredibly confused and not at all awake, and Sho laughed harder. “Wha… what’s so funny,” he said, in the tone of someone who hasn’t yet learned what a question is. Between this and the conversation Youichirou had relayed to him last night, he was hoping that Yamada was at least a little brighter when he was sober.
“Practicing for the ballet?” Sho said. Yamada looked blank. “You were talking in your sleep, something about tutus and Swan Lake from what I heard.” Behind him, Shoutarou had grabbed the back of his coat and was shaking with laughter. “Now, get up, get out of bed, it’s time for school.”
When this registered, Yamada sprang out of bed and tore his closet door open. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry please get out I’m sorry I’m sorry,” he said as he began taking off last night’s clothes. Sho smirked and shut the door behind him, but waved a finger so that it was transparent to him. He watched Yamada undress, eyes tracing every blue vein that lined his pale skin, wondering idly where he should bite him first. The neck was always a safe choice, prone to provoking all kinds of interesting noises and expressions, but it was very tempting to tear a long gash into one of his thighs and try to lick up all the blood that poured out before it had a chance to spill over onto the sheets.
I do hope you weren’t too fond of our bed frame, Youichirou said, and in response he sent her his view of Yamada as well as a few of his more vivid mental images. She hit him with a wave of jealousy and lust, adding I intend to bring that beautiful little blossom into my bosom and shall not let him leave until I am entirely satisfied, along with a few images of her own.
Sho laughed under his breath. So, never, then?
Most likely, Youichirou said. Enjoy yourself while you can, as I doubt you’ll be seeing him in one piece again.
Better get on finding a new bed then, Madame Seductress, he said, ignoring the flurry of images she sent reminding him that she had done a fine job of seducing him long before the Western bed had arrived in the country. Instead, he turned to Shoutarou. “It would appear your classmate is having issues with his wardrobe. I’m afraid my assistance seems to be required.” He shrugged, figuring Shoutarou wouldn’t mind him abandoning him for a little if it was to help out a truly hopeless case, and opened the door, closing it behind him with a flip of his coat.
“You appear to be having trouble with your cravat,” he observed. Yamada, who had been staring at the white piece of cloth in something closer to horror than confusion, jumped and dropped it. Sho bent down to pick it up, and with a flourish he was behind Yamada, tying it around his neck. He felt a shiver run through Yamada’s body and smirked. When he was finished, he fussed with the ruffles, fingers lingering for just a second on his skin. “There you are. Dress uniforms sure are a pain, aren’t they?” He patted Yamada’s shoulder and walked toward the door.
“Um… Why are you here?” Sho turned and raised an eyebrow at him. Yamada pulled at his collar somewhat self-consciously and said, “I mean, I thought… it would be the lady from last night…?”
Sho laughed. “Hoping to be seduced by the Madame now that you’ve sobered up a little, were you?” The blood rose to Yamada’s cheeks and Sho licked his lips thoughtfully. “I suppose you weren’t counting on her to be seduced by someone else first. Well, don’t worry about it too much, feel free to find her any time you feel like being cut to ribbons.” He sent Yamada just a hint of the goriest scene Youichirou had sent him earlier and was happy to feel him exude an aura of distress. He opened the door and beckoned to him. “In the meantime, we’re late for class, and while I’m sure everyone expects it of me and you, I don’t want Shoutarou here to catch the same bad rap. By the way, have you two met?”
As he had hoped, Yamada seized the opportunity to move the conversation away from his potential seduction and introduced himself briefly to Shoutarou before starting to babble observations about the school, the clothes, the beds, and the food. Shoutarou responded politely, if a bit more distantly than he had with Sho earlier. Well, that was all right then. Yamada kept the conversation as far from the teachers as he could (which made Sho laugh, as a quick peek into his mind showed that his thoughts were largely about him and Youichirou), only turning to the topic of the other students with some reluctance as they made their way to the hall where the first class would be held. “This might be sudden, but will you be friends with me?” Yamada said, rubbing the back of his head.
Shoutarou looked taken aback and glanced briefly at Sho, who pretended not to notice, but curved his lips slightly upward, as if he were incredibly pleased that someone wanted to be vampirebuddies with his cute little protégé. “Sure!” he said with a rather impressive amount of false enthusiasm. Yamada sighed in relief, thanked him, and immediately started in on how he thought maybe they could be friends with Negishi too and how the other two totally terrified him.
Sho left them to it and drifted to the center, where Yamaguchi was already waiting. Shiramata arrived with Negishi a minute later, and at last Youichirou arrived, looking much the way she had when he had last seen her. He grinned and started helping her with her hair. Eventually, the Tsuchinoya came in alone, either because Kamitsuru had something better to do or because he thought he was better than everyone else. It didn’t much matter to Sho, who stretched his arms and stepped forward. Time to show off a little.
-
As much as he wanted to graduate, Mitsuya couldn’t help but be excited to start school again. He woke up early, practiced the two sword forms Yamaguchi had specially taught him, and spent an extra long time on his hair. He left his bathroom to find Yukito lying on his bed. “Mou, now the covers are all wrinkled,” he said, and sent Yukito flying off with a burst of energy.
Yukito rebounded off the wall and flew at him. “No hello?”
“Not for you, you bed-ruiner,” Mitsuya said, and kissed him on the forehead.
Yukito giggled and grabbed Mitsuya’s arm. “Come on, let’s go!”
They managed to be the first ones into the big practice hall, and spent the time waiting for the others chatting about what they thought everyone would demonstrate, and which instructor would ask them to aid in their demonstration. Yukito didn’t much seem to care, and Mitsuya was hoping that Yamaguchi would choose him, which naturally earned him some teasing. “You’re just going to use whatever you get to play with that one boy some more, aren’t you,” he said in retaliation, and Yukito’s eyes lit up.
“Ooh, Micchan, that’s a good idea! I forgot he’d be here, we should definitely play with him some more.”
“What do you mean, we? I certainly don’t recall provoking any baby vampires into unfairly attacking handsome instructors.”
Yukito laughed, the sort of laugh he used when Madame Youichirou had him play the villain in one of her demonstration skits. “Maybe next time you can provoke him into attacking you, and then have a handsome instructor save you.”
“Shut up.” Mitsuya crossed his arms. “I don’t know why you’re being so mean to him. Didn’t anyone ever teach you that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar?”
“A spider’s web is sticky but not sweet,” Yukito returned, and went silent as Yamaguchi entered the room. The other boy followed, looking slightly less sullen than he had last night.
Mitsuya jumped up. “Hello, sir! Did you sleep soundly?”
“Well enough. You seem prepared for today.”
“Oh, yes! I woke up early to practice - ah, a little more than usual, that is, I always try to practice when I first get up, of course.” Mitsuya twisted a strand of hair around a finger and tried to keep the blood from rising to his face. “Um, and this is the new student you’re in charge of, right?”
“Akutsu Shintarou, the youngest vampire to attend the school in its history.” Akutsu didn’t react, except to change his position slightly.
Mitsuya smiled and bounced over to Akutsu, bowing deeply. “It’s nice to meet you! I’m Mitsuya Ryou. If you ever have any questions about anything, feel free to ask me. I might not know the answer, but I’ll help you as much as I can.”
“Nice to meet you,” Akutsu said, in a tone that suggested rather the opposite. He still hadn’t moved or even looked up at him.
Undeterred, Mitsuya began exuding an aura of pure cheerfulness and honest friendship. “I think it’s really impressive that you’re the youngest ever. I was pretty young for a vampire when I started, but I definitely wasn’t the youngest. I hope you’ll be able to graduate as the youngest too.”
Akutsu still didn’t react, but that didn’t bother Mitsuya. “Um, the other one over there, that’s Yukito. I… think you encountered him last night?” Akutsu’s face darkened and he looked up, not at Mitsuya, but at Yukito, who was idly tracing magic patterns in the air. “I’m really sorry about that. I’m sure he really wants to be friends with you, he’s just really stupid about it, so feel free to ignore him until he starts acting civilized.” Mitsuya smiled tentatively. Something twitched in Akutsu’s face, but he couldn’t tell if it were in a good or a bad way. Shison and Maeyama came in at that moment, and he took that as an excuse to leave Akutsu and greet them instead. He didn’t think he’d done much to help the situation, but maybe he could explain it more to Akutsu after the demonstration. At the very least, hopefully he’d shown that he wasn’t a threat.
The other teachers and students began to arrive steadily after that, and Yukito pulled Mitsuya aside after he’d said hello to Maeyama. “Look,” he said, and pointed towards the ceiling. When he took Mitsuya’s hand, he could see that he’d created a spider’s web of magic, invisible to everyone else, and probably undetectable too. The last student, the noble, arrived, and Head Professor Jinnai stepped away from Madame Youichirou and into the center of the room to give the introduction. Yukito let go of Mitsuya’s hand, making the web vanish, and smiled vaguely out over the room. I wonder if I can’t capture a juicy fly and suck it dry, he sent, along with an aura so malicious Mitsuya had to take a few steps away before he could recover and take Yukito’s hand again. Yukito rested his head against his shoulder and closed his eyes, squeezing Mitsuya’s hand.
Fear not, my beloved companion. I’m sure I can catch one for you as well.
--
Well! Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope these vampires put you in the holiday spirit. or. something. Remember that the best gift you can give me is a comment ;D
The next chapter is mostly planned-ish so hopefully the next update will come a little sooner than this one did c:
Characters: Everybody, this part featuring Ookubo Shoutarou, Jinnai Sho, Omi Youichirou, Yamada Yuuki, Mitsuya Ryou, Nishii Yukito, Yamaguchi Kenki, and Akutsu Shintarou.
Genre: Vampire School!AU
Chapter Rating: PG-13 probably for attempted seductions and other gruesome things.
Word Count: ~3530
Summary: Everyone has various anxieties and faces various setbacks when it comes to the first day of school.
Notes: I just want to point out that this fic is not exactly a traditional RPS!type AU in that I am somewhat unconcerned with characterization (see: Yukito) and am a little more interested in playing with the concept of vampires in general in regards to TRUMP. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I see it more as me writing a screenplay-esque thing and then having boys cast in parts that coincidentally have the same name as they do, much like PDB. (and this is how I justify it to myself as not creepy to have boys fantasizing about biting each other all the time)
Just. had to get that off my chest.
--
Chapter 3
Shoutarou lay in bed, dreading the setting of the sun. When it went down, he would be forced to walk among vampires again. He didn’t want to be alone, he didn’t want to be around other vampires - he hated even thinking about the fact that he was one - and he couldn’t be around humans.
Shoutarou hugged himself and squeezed his eyes shut. He had made his choice, of his own free will, and now he was going to have to live with it. Perhaps the others wouldn’t be so bad. The instructor from last night had smiled when he called out to him, after all, and had explained a number of things he had been wondering but hadn’t dared ask about. When he had gathered his courage and asked what areas of study he was in charge in, his face had lit up and he’d started to talk about how much he was looking forward to the coming semester, especially getting to teach them all kinds of ways to defend themselves from mental attacks. Then he’d ruffled his hair and added that he’d also decided to look after Shoutarou in particular.
He rolled over. He didn’t think it was a good thing that he had already caught someone’s eye. When he had been with others, he had survived as long as he had by staying quiet and not drawing attention to himself.
He had tried coexisting with other vampires, once. He had found a small group and been accepted as one of them, but once they found out he didn’t fall into the same enchanted sleep at dawn as they did, they’d turned on him. They’d held him down, drained him of his blood, and sent him outside just before sunrise. He would have died then if he hadn’t fallen into a ditch by accident and managed to pull himself into a sewage drain. He’d spent a week there regaining his strength, feeding off rats and other small creatures until he could move again and find larger prey. The other vampires were by then long gone, and he’d lived alone for another month in the abandoned shack they’d used, mostly feeding off deer and the occasional lost hiker.
Then Kazuma had found him. Kazuma claimed to be two hundred years old, but Shoutarou doubted he was much older than he was. Nevertheless, Kazuma was much stronger than him. He had originally approached Shoutarou under the guise of being weak and in need of blood. Although Shoutarou had been smart enough not to give him his own blood at first, he’d been so lonely and desperate for a companion that Kazuma managed to persuade him to let him drink from him within the second week they’d known each other. He’d offered him his wrist, but Kazuma had frowned and said that if they were going to be true companions, he’d have to let him drink from his neck. The more vulnerable position meant that he hadn’t had the strength to push him away when he betrayed him.
He’d lived in thrall to Kazuma, constantly in need of blood, often so weak he was rendered unconscious. He existed more in dreams and hallucinations than reality, only coming to in order to drink from whatever victim Kazuma deigned to throw to him. Then one day, the blood he found himself drinking was not that of some hapless animal or human, but that of Kazuma himself. An unfamiliar vampire with a demon’s grin had cut a long slice through Kazuma’s neck and torso, nearly severing his head, and was offering him up to Shoutarou. It had taken several minutes before Shoutarou had been conscious enough to take in the full horror of the scene, one that was only compounded when he realized that Kazuma was still very much alive.
He hadn’t been for long. He hoped, anyway.
After that, his savior had introduced himself as Kamitsuru Tooru, headmaster of a school for vampires. His tone seemed to imply that what had been done to Shoutarou would never happen under his watch, and that people like Kazuma were most definitely not welcome. Even so…
Even so, vampires were not to be trusted.
Shoutarou had no intention of being tricked again, nor did he intend to get involved in any situation that would lead to him getting taken advantage of. The first step to doing that was being prepared, so he got out of bed, exchanged his pajamas for his uniform, and tidied up the room. Relax, he told himself. Focus. If you go into this with a clear mind, you’ll be able to react more quickly to anything that might happen.
When the knock finally came, he was as ready as he was ever going to be.
-
He and Youichirou had been lovers almost since before he could remember. They had shared a bed since before the first proper novel was written, and Sho could recall her keeping him up all night discussing new plot twists in The Tale of Genji and spending the next several centuries tracking down all kinds of variants and additional chapters written by imitators. She had been with him through nearly every trial he had faced in his immortal life, and without her, he never would have survived to see the current millennium. She had saved his life time and time again, and her love for him had never dimmed in more than a thousand years.
Which was precisely why he felt no remorse about taking the key she had taken from Yamada, tying her to the bed and leaving her.
After last night, he’d thought he might have to take steps just to coax Shoutarou out of his room. The boy had been positively trembling when he’d been escorting him to his room, and he had snatched the key out of his hand and slammed the door in his face once they got there. As usual, Kamitsuru hadn’t bothered to tell any of them anything about the new year’s students, but it was fairly obvious that something in Shoutarou’s past had left him terrified of other vampires. Well, he reasoned, swinging by to pick Yamada up might help him see that the rest of them weren’t all that bad. He was slightly surprised when Shoutarou answered his knock immediately and was ready to go after he locked his door, but not too surprised. He’d figured that the kid had to be tougher than he looked to catch Kamitsuru’s eye and earn a place at the school.
He patted Shoutarou on the head. “Sleep well, kiddo? Ready to learn some things?”
A wave of unease rolled off of Shoutarou and Sho resisted the urge to poke at it. It wasn’t nice to get too deep into a kid’s mind before he knew how to shield himself properly, especially if it was just ordinary first day nervousness. Better to keep their respect and let them open up on their own terms. “I… yeah, I guess. What are we doing first?”
“Your first class will be with me, you lucky little vampire duck. But first we’ve got to pick up Yamada, since my better half couldn’t seem to get out of bed this morning.” Sho sighed. “I was hoping I could get to know you better, but I guess that won’t happen with that hairball around.”
Shoutarou snorted. Sho decided to take that as a good sign. “Hey, hey, you weren’t thinking I’m a hairball too, were you? I’ll have you know that my hair was cut and styled by the headmaster himself.” Living proof that everything Kamitsuru Tooru did was done to spite him. It got an honest laugh, though, which was something. He patted Shoutarou’s head again, and this time he didn’t flinch. “Incidentally, if you ever need yours done, there’s an older student here named Mitsuya who’s probably a safer bet.”
“Are there many students here?”
“Only the ones you saw last night. We’re a very select institution, you see, with an excellent teacher to student ratio. You’re one of the biggest classes we’ve ever had.” Sho thought it over and decided it wouldn’t hurt to give him a little warning. “Mitsuya’s the brown-haired one, looks super pretty? You might want to watch out for the short one that’s sometimes with him, though. That’s Yukito, and he’s… well. He likes to be entertained. He mostly behaves himself at school, and he’s all right if Mitsuya’s with him, but it might not be a good idea to get too close to him.”
Shoutarou didn’t say anything, but he was giving off an even larger wave of anxiety now. “Ah, but don’t worry! If you’re ever in trouble, just think of me and call my name in your mind, and I’ll come help you out, okay?” He grinned. “No matter what. Even if I’m in the middle of a haircut. …No, especially if I’m in the middle of a haircut.” Just like this.
Like... this?
Exactly. Call for me any time. Shoutarou’s emotions died down somewhat, which was good since they were in front of Yamada’s door and Sho didn’t have any longer to try and comfort him. Clearing his throat, he knocked on the door and unlocked it. When he didn’t receive an answer, he opened the door to find Yamada lying in bed, fast asleep.
“This is why I picked you instead of him,” he whispered to Shoutarou, and motioned for him to be quiet. Creeping into the room, he waved his hands and strings of energy sprung out of them. They pulled back the covers and wrapped themselves around Yamada. Shoutarou watched, fascinated, as they pulled him out of bed, set him on his feet, and immediately began to make him dance a solo Charleston. Sho cracked up and sent him pirouetting around the room before dropping him back in bed, the impact just hard enough to finally wake him.
Yamada sat up, looking incredibly confused and not at all awake, and Sho laughed harder. “Wha… what’s so funny,” he said, in the tone of someone who hasn’t yet learned what a question is. Between this and the conversation Youichirou had relayed to him last night, he was hoping that Yamada was at least a little brighter when he was sober.
“Practicing for the ballet?” Sho said. Yamada looked blank. “You were talking in your sleep, something about tutus and Swan Lake from what I heard.” Behind him, Shoutarou had grabbed the back of his coat and was shaking with laughter. “Now, get up, get out of bed, it’s time for school.”
When this registered, Yamada sprang out of bed and tore his closet door open. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry please get out I’m sorry I’m sorry,” he said as he began taking off last night’s clothes. Sho smirked and shut the door behind him, but waved a finger so that it was transparent to him. He watched Yamada undress, eyes tracing every blue vein that lined his pale skin, wondering idly where he should bite him first. The neck was always a safe choice, prone to provoking all kinds of interesting noises and expressions, but it was very tempting to tear a long gash into one of his thighs and try to lick up all the blood that poured out before it had a chance to spill over onto the sheets.
I do hope you weren’t too fond of our bed frame, Youichirou said, and in response he sent her his view of Yamada as well as a few of his more vivid mental images. She hit him with a wave of jealousy and lust, adding I intend to bring that beautiful little blossom into my bosom and shall not let him leave until I am entirely satisfied, along with a few images of her own.
Sho laughed under his breath. So, never, then?
Most likely, Youichirou said. Enjoy yourself while you can, as I doubt you’ll be seeing him in one piece again.
Better get on finding a new bed then, Madame Seductress, he said, ignoring the flurry of images she sent reminding him that she had done a fine job of seducing him long before the Western bed had arrived in the country. Instead, he turned to Shoutarou. “It would appear your classmate is having issues with his wardrobe. I’m afraid my assistance seems to be required.” He shrugged, figuring Shoutarou wouldn’t mind him abandoning him for a little if it was to help out a truly hopeless case, and opened the door, closing it behind him with a flip of his coat.
“You appear to be having trouble with your cravat,” he observed. Yamada, who had been staring at the white piece of cloth in something closer to horror than confusion, jumped and dropped it. Sho bent down to pick it up, and with a flourish he was behind Yamada, tying it around his neck. He felt a shiver run through Yamada’s body and smirked. When he was finished, he fussed with the ruffles, fingers lingering for just a second on his skin. “There you are. Dress uniforms sure are a pain, aren’t they?” He patted Yamada’s shoulder and walked toward the door.
“Um… Why are you here?” Sho turned and raised an eyebrow at him. Yamada pulled at his collar somewhat self-consciously and said, “I mean, I thought… it would be the lady from last night…?”
Sho laughed. “Hoping to be seduced by the Madame now that you’ve sobered up a little, were you?” The blood rose to Yamada’s cheeks and Sho licked his lips thoughtfully. “I suppose you weren’t counting on her to be seduced by someone else first. Well, don’t worry about it too much, feel free to find her any time you feel like being cut to ribbons.” He sent Yamada just a hint of the goriest scene Youichirou had sent him earlier and was happy to feel him exude an aura of distress. He opened the door and beckoned to him. “In the meantime, we’re late for class, and while I’m sure everyone expects it of me and you, I don’t want Shoutarou here to catch the same bad rap. By the way, have you two met?”
As he had hoped, Yamada seized the opportunity to move the conversation away from his potential seduction and introduced himself briefly to Shoutarou before starting to babble observations about the school, the clothes, the beds, and the food. Shoutarou responded politely, if a bit more distantly than he had with Sho earlier. Well, that was all right then. Yamada kept the conversation as far from the teachers as he could (which made Sho laugh, as a quick peek into his mind showed that his thoughts were largely about him and Youichirou), only turning to the topic of the other students with some reluctance as they made their way to the hall where the first class would be held. “This might be sudden, but will you be friends with me?” Yamada said, rubbing the back of his head.
Shoutarou looked taken aback and glanced briefly at Sho, who pretended not to notice, but curved his lips slightly upward, as if he were incredibly pleased that someone wanted to be vampirebuddies with his cute little protégé. “Sure!” he said with a rather impressive amount of false enthusiasm. Yamada sighed in relief, thanked him, and immediately started in on how he thought maybe they could be friends with Negishi too and how the other two totally terrified him.
Sho left them to it and drifted to the center, where Yamaguchi was already waiting. Shiramata arrived with Negishi a minute later, and at last Youichirou arrived, looking much the way she had when he had last seen her. He grinned and started helping her with her hair. Eventually, the Tsuchinoya came in alone, either because Kamitsuru had something better to do or because he thought he was better than everyone else. It didn’t much matter to Sho, who stretched his arms and stepped forward. Time to show off a little.
-
As much as he wanted to graduate, Mitsuya couldn’t help but be excited to start school again. He woke up early, practiced the two sword forms Yamaguchi had specially taught him, and spent an extra long time on his hair. He left his bathroom to find Yukito lying on his bed. “Mou, now the covers are all wrinkled,” he said, and sent Yukito flying off with a burst of energy.
Yukito rebounded off the wall and flew at him. “No hello?”
“Not for you, you bed-ruiner,” Mitsuya said, and kissed him on the forehead.
Yukito giggled and grabbed Mitsuya’s arm. “Come on, let’s go!”
They managed to be the first ones into the big practice hall, and spent the time waiting for the others chatting about what they thought everyone would demonstrate, and which instructor would ask them to aid in their demonstration. Yukito didn’t much seem to care, and Mitsuya was hoping that Yamaguchi would choose him, which naturally earned him some teasing. “You’re just going to use whatever you get to play with that one boy some more, aren’t you,” he said in retaliation, and Yukito’s eyes lit up.
“Ooh, Micchan, that’s a good idea! I forgot he’d be here, we should definitely play with him some more.”
“What do you mean, we? I certainly don’t recall provoking any baby vampires into unfairly attacking handsome instructors.”
Yukito laughed, the sort of laugh he used when Madame Youichirou had him play the villain in one of her demonstration skits. “Maybe next time you can provoke him into attacking you, and then have a handsome instructor save you.”
“Shut up.” Mitsuya crossed his arms. “I don’t know why you’re being so mean to him. Didn’t anyone ever teach you that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar?”
“A spider’s web is sticky but not sweet,” Yukito returned, and went silent as Yamaguchi entered the room. The other boy followed, looking slightly less sullen than he had last night.
Mitsuya jumped up. “Hello, sir! Did you sleep soundly?”
“Well enough. You seem prepared for today.”
“Oh, yes! I woke up early to practice - ah, a little more than usual, that is, I always try to practice when I first get up, of course.” Mitsuya twisted a strand of hair around a finger and tried to keep the blood from rising to his face. “Um, and this is the new student you’re in charge of, right?”
“Akutsu Shintarou, the youngest vampire to attend the school in its history.” Akutsu didn’t react, except to change his position slightly.
Mitsuya smiled and bounced over to Akutsu, bowing deeply. “It’s nice to meet you! I’m Mitsuya Ryou. If you ever have any questions about anything, feel free to ask me. I might not know the answer, but I’ll help you as much as I can.”
“Nice to meet you,” Akutsu said, in a tone that suggested rather the opposite. He still hadn’t moved or even looked up at him.
Undeterred, Mitsuya began exuding an aura of pure cheerfulness and honest friendship. “I think it’s really impressive that you’re the youngest ever. I was pretty young for a vampire when I started, but I definitely wasn’t the youngest. I hope you’ll be able to graduate as the youngest too.”
Akutsu still didn’t react, but that didn’t bother Mitsuya. “Um, the other one over there, that’s Yukito. I… think you encountered him last night?” Akutsu’s face darkened and he looked up, not at Mitsuya, but at Yukito, who was idly tracing magic patterns in the air. “I’m really sorry about that. I’m sure he really wants to be friends with you, he’s just really stupid about it, so feel free to ignore him until he starts acting civilized.” Mitsuya smiled tentatively. Something twitched in Akutsu’s face, but he couldn’t tell if it were in a good or a bad way. Shison and Maeyama came in at that moment, and he took that as an excuse to leave Akutsu and greet them instead. He didn’t think he’d done much to help the situation, but maybe he could explain it more to Akutsu after the demonstration. At the very least, hopefully he’d shown that he wasn’t a threat.
The other teachers and students began to arrive steadily after that, and Yukito pulled Mitsuya aside after he’d said hello to Maeyama. “Look,” he said, and pointed towards the ceiling. When he took Mitsuya’s hand, he could see that he’d created a spider’s web of magic, invisible to everyone else, and probably undetectable too. The last student, the noble, arrived, and Head Professor Jinnai stepped away from Madame Youichirou and into the center of the room to give the introduction. Yukito let go of Mitsuya’s hand, making the web vanish, and smiled vaguely out over the room. I wonder if I can’t capture a juicy fly and suck it dry, he sent, along with an aura so malicious Mitsuya had to take a few steps away before he could recover and take Yukito’s hand again. Yukito rested his head against his shoulder and closed his eyes, squeezing Mitsuya’s hand.
Fear not, my beloved companion. I’m sure I can catch one for you as well.
--
Well! Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope these vampires put you in the holiday spirit. or. something. Remember that the best gift you can give me is a comment ;D
The next chapter is mostly planned-ish so hopefully the next update will come a little sooner than this one did c: