Intensity Within

Kaname's smile lifted in the slightest at her words, especially when he heard the tinkling laughter escape her lips. Even if the laugh only lasted for a moment, it was an incredibly beautiful sound and he wanted nothing more but to cause the noise to escape from her again, if only for a second. "Well, you'll figure out what it is later," he told her quietly as he looked down at her, lifting his hand to brush a stray strand of hair out of her face. He tucked it gently behind her ear and let his fingers rest there for a moment before he tilted his head slightly. "And I'm still sure that you'll like it."

---

Rina rolled her eyes slightly in response to Takuma, able to hear the doubt in his voice. "I'm pretty good at reading people," she said quietly. "My father taught me how to at a young age." She didn't go into details about it, because she didn't quite like talking about her past. "Not just that, but I don't think Kaname just said what he did because of how you were poking at the subject. There was genuine emotion in his voice. Plus, there's the fact that I know something you don't and I'm obviously a genius." Her last bit was just a joke, but the rest of it was completely serious.

@ momentai.

"I could totally be a genius if I wanted to," he countered. "I just don't want to outshine you and make you feel insecure with my full genius power and brains." Takuma joked along with her as they watched Kaname reach up to Sakura's face. "Not to mention my charm and incredibly good looks.... What does that mean? What is he doing now?" His joke shifted when he Sakura turn her head slightly into Kaname's hand,

---

Sakura subconsciously turned and leaned her face into Kaname's fingertips as they trailed along her skin with a soft smile playing on her face. After a moment she pulled away and took hold of his shirt sleeve, pulling him along as she turned around and began to walk in the direction that Takuma and Rina had gone to get to class. With another light laugh as she gently pulled him along she teased, "This surprise of yours better be worth all my suffering while I wait for it, Kaname Kuran."

Kaname was surprised to feel her tug him along, but he didn't mind at all. Instead, he let the slight smile remain on his features and he followed along, arching an eyebrow when he heard her words. "Oh? I'm certain it's well worth whatever suffering you're going through. And, if it's not, I'll do my best to make up for that as well," he told her with a subtle nod, his tone coming off as determined - because all he wanted to do now was to make sure that she was happy.

---

Rina couldn't help but to laugh quietly in response. "Don't get too arrogant there," she teased lightly before she turned her attention to the other two. "The way he moved her hair out of her face? It's generally a gesture of affection, a way to make it easier to get a better look at somebody's face." She was about to explain further but she blinked when she noticed them walking away, towards the direction of the school. "Oh, they're going to notice that we're not there!"

@ momentai.
(Sorry these were all so short.)

Takuma noticed them leaving too, though he found it strange that Sakura pulled Kyoya along by his shirtsleeve. "Let's get out of here then," he whispered harshly before a quickly standing, taking Rina's hand and running along the shrubbery until the two of them were a safe distance ahead of Kaname and Sakura. Panting, he turne his eyes to Rina, "Do you think thy saw us?" Takuma felt dread at the idea, if they saw them then maybe they knew that Takuma had been spying and would be so angry with him they wouldn't talk to him. "They didn't see us right?"

---

Sakura eventually forced herself to drop her gentle hold on Kaname's sleeve and only walk beside him. The determination in Kaname's voice about how he'd make sure not to disappoint her surprised Sakura to the point where she couldn't help but to turn her face, brows raised at him. "I never saw you so serious about something that wasn't political."

(Don't worry, they were great! :) )

Kaname was, admittedly, surprised at Sakura's words and he turned his gaze to her, blinking several times. "Ah, I suppose you have a point there," he murmured, trying to think of any other time that he had spoken so seriously about anything aside from politics. Even he couldn't really come up with anything and he generally had an impeccable memory, for the most part. "Is it a bad thing, though?"

---

Rina let herself plop down on the ground as she tried to catch her breath, rubbing her hands over her face slowly. "I hope they didn't," she murmured quietly, frowning slightly before she lifted her attention to him, removing her hands from her face. "Otherwise, all that running will have been for nothing."

@ momentai.

Takuma laughed before he sat down beside Rina and leaned back on his hands. "Yeah, and we probably would have heard Sakura's voice yelling after us by now." He smiled before exhaled in a bit of a sigh. "I'm sorry if I get on you nerves with all of my worrying about the two of them. Besides you, Kaname and Sakura are really my only true friends. I'm just very afraid one of them is going to get hurt by the other and if I should ever have to choose between them... I don't know who I would choose because they both mean so much to me."

---

Sakura sighed and folded her hands together behind her back, "The way I see it..." Sakura looked down as they continued walking and her voice got a little softer. "It's not nessisarily a bad thing, but it's one more thing that separates people like you, from people like me." She chewed the inside of her lip as she tried to think of a way to say what she was thinking without hurting his feelings. "It makes you look cold in the eyes of those uninvolved in the inner workings of this twisted society we live in. That's why I hadn't liked being around you for even a breath longer than I had to be," keeping her eyes downcast, Sakura kicked a loose pebble. "There's more to life than politics and what others think of you."

Kaname kept his attention ahead, listening to her quietly. He wasn't sure on how to take her words, so it wasn't too surprising that he was quiet for a long time after she had finished talking. "You're right that there's more to life than that," he eventually murmured before he let out a sigh, "But politics is what I know - and it's what I'll always have to deal with." He was a full-blood vampire, after all; he had to deal with politics, even when it got annoying. "But I do understand your point."

---

Rina blinked several times to her words before she let out a quiet laugh. She wasn't laughing at his words, of course - she just found it ridiculous that he would think he got on her nerves. "Takuma, that doesn't bother me," she assured him once her laughing died down, offering him a smile. "I like knowing that you care so much about them - it's rare to see people who care that much, after all. I admire it about you, I promise, so don't worry. You don't get on my nerves."

@ momentai.

For a reason Takuma couldn't name, what Rina said to him made his heart flutter. He wasn't sure if it was out of sudden nervousness or excitement but he felt much, much better once she said she admired him for his care towards his friends. "I'm so glad," was all he could manage to say in order to explain how she made him feel. Faint movement in the distance caught his eye as two silhouettes began to form in the moonlight, "Looks like they're a finally beginning to catch up."

---

Sakura sighed and kicked another pebble only to watch it roll out of range, so she kept her eyes down and began a search for another. "I'd hate to see it completely consume you, is what I guess I'm trying to say," she didn't know what else to say after that so silence overtook her. It wasn't like she had any part in whether or not Kaname's life was or was not run by political alliances and appearances but if she found out years after they finished school that, that was all he had... Sakura would feel bad for him. She was sure after she finished school she would settle into the working class like her parents and find someone probably through whatever job she found and start a life with them. It would be simple and tough at times, but it was what she was used to and prepared for. Sakura couldn't imagine the life Kanamd lead.

Kaname nodded slowly in understanding, but the silence was already starting to get at him, ebbing away at his nerves and raising his senses. A sigh soon left his lips and he turned his attention ahead, occasionally letting his eyes glance over at her. "I suppose that makes sense," he eventually murmured, though the subject was clearly making both of them uneasy. "Ah, you never told me whether you'd agree to spending time with me later," he recalled, though he honestly wasn't sure if they had agreed to it or not - it was just the only thing he could think of to get the uneasiness to go away.

---

Rina offered a smile in response, but fell silent at noticing the others approaching. They were still a good distance away, but she wondered if things would still be tense between the two of them after their private conversation. She wasn't even sure what the two had talked about, since she had only heard bits of it, and she hoped that things would be okay between them. Regardless, she shifted to stand up, brushing herself off before she grinned.

@ momentai.

Takuma noticed Sakura's posture of having her head down but then as he watched Kaname's lips faintly move he saw a change, though slightly delayed. "It looked like everything is at least okay for now." Takuma absent mindedly reached his hand out and took in Rina's hand, interlocking thir fingers, and instantly felt soothed as he kept his eyes trained on their two friends in the close distance. "Hopefully they'll stay that way through class."

---

Sakura let the silence and her thoughts comsume her south that she almost missed Kaname's comment about them spending time again later. She grinned and let a loose laugh escape her lips, "I think I can pencil you in my super busy schedule." She then processed to take out an imaginary planner, flip through invisible pages and pretended to write it in the planner. "Yep, I can make some time for you." She felt a little bit of the weight from the intensity within the air lift with her laughter. "Though, I still don't know what exactly you're planning."

Kaname couldn't help but be a little amused with Sakura's joke. She had a nice sense of humor and it wasn't something that he saw often amongst the vampires at Cross Academy. It was a nice change and he didn't really want that change to disappear - nor did he want to lose the feeling that Sakura was giving him. "Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that," he decided with a subtle nod, though he blinked at her last statement before a coy expression crossed his features. "And you won't know what I'm planning until it happens. It's a surprise, remember?"

---

It surprised Rina when she suddenly felt Takuma's hand, but she had grown to like the contact, so she really didn't mind. With a smile, she nodded in agreement to his words. "I'm sure things will work out," she murmured quietly, hoping that she was right about it. Despite that Sakura wouldn't outright admit it, Rina knew that Sakura had feelings for Kaname - and, from the way Kaname had disagreed with Takuma and openly admitted that he thought Sakura was beautiful, she was certain that Kaname felt the same way.

@ momentai.

Takuma felt so at ease with Rina beside him, and even more so when she voiced her thoughts about Kaname and Sakura. "Yeah," he sighed, "Me too." Before he could really say anything else to just Rina, Sakura and Kaname came within hearing distance. "Long time, no see, huh guys?" He teasingly shouted. "No bloodshed I hope?"

---

Sakura instantly frowned and crossed her arms, "I hate surprises, here I am suffering and you get to enjoy every minute of it." She laughed, "They're only good for the person giving them." Just as she finished speaking, Takuma's voice broke through to the pair and Sakura took notice that they'd finally caught up and hadn't suspected anything out of the ordinary judging off of Takuma's comment. "Ah, sadly no. A little real blood would have been a nice change. Those tablets are awful."

Takuma laughed out loud at Sakura's easy joke and roled with it. "Ah, I'm sure you're blood is just as bad."

Sakura laughed and playfully ran her finger with a feather light touch along the base of Takuma's neck as she suddenly raced by. "Wouldn't you like to know!" She then began to run ahead of everyone with laughter and happiness in the breeze surrounding her. "Come on, we're going to be super late if we aren't already!"

Kaname blinked in surprise as he watched her run ahead. Arching an eyebrow, he glanced to the others before lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "Though I'm doubtful that we'll actually be late, she does have a point. We probably should get going," he decided with a subtle nod before he began following after Sakura, though in a much more laxed pace. He wasn't in a rush to get to classes, after all, since he was more so looking forward to classes ending.

Rina watched the two before nodding slowly. "Let's go, then," she hummed out quietly, glancing to Takuma for a moment before she started heading towards the school. She wasn't sure what to expect for the night, but she figured that she likely wouldn't pay attention during classes, anyways.

@ momentai.

Takuma laughed as he walked alongside Rina and Kaname listening to their small comments and pleasent tones. It made Takuma happy to see everyone so lighthearted and to not have the usual intensity in the air whenever the four of them got together-- though technically Sakura wasn't with them at the moment, since she was still running ahead. "Do you think she's going to notice we're not following her anytime soon?"

---

Sakura kept running ahead, the sensation of the wind in her hair made her feel free as she effortlessly picked up her pace. All too soon though she came to the front of the school building and ultimately had to wait for the rest of them to catch up, but I gave her time to think. It was just about certain she wasn't going to actually deny Kaname's offer to be her date to the ball, but she still had to go into town with Takuma and Rina to get the clothes and that would have to be today after classes. Sakura wondered what color she would wear, or what color Kaname would want her to wear, or if he even would think she looked good at all. The sudden pressure of needing to know his opinion on her make Sakura's head spin, which was something she most definitely wasn't used to.

"We are following her. We're just not running," Kaname pointed out with a slight shrug. There wasn't really a reason for them to be in a hurry, after all. If they rushed themselves, they'd just be raising suspicion. Besides, the teachers weren't really brave enough to give them detention or anything if they ended up late. They had too much power there and the teachers knew it, so there was no point in not using it.

Rina listened to Kaname quietly, but she remained quiet, her attention turned ahead. Really, she was a little relieved when she spotted the school and their friend just a few meters away. Within a few minutes, they were in front of Sakura and she vaguely heard Kaname suggest that they get inside.

@ momentai.
(sorry this is so short... :( )

Takuma smiled as he walked alongside his friends while they strode inside, thankfully not the last ones to arrive. He turned to Rina with soft eyes, "Would you um.. Will you sit beside me?" He felt nervous and dorky every time he talked to Rina and even though he felt like sometimes he made a complete idiot of himself, Takuma couldn't help but also feel completely amazing when she focused only on him. "If you'd rather sit beside Sakura that's okay too.."

Sakura smiled in adoration at Takuma, who had such an adorable, vulnerable gaze as he looked at Rina with such a soft yet strong shine in his eye. "Ah, there's plenty of Rina to go around, I'll just sit behind you two," she chimed in as she took one of the two seats behind the pair of desks Takuma had been motioning to. "Besides, the three of us will be hanging out later when I help you two pick out your outfits for Kaname's ball." Sakura was careful not to mention that she'd be looking for a dress of her own, courtesy of Rina's pocket.

(Oh, don't worry! :) )

Kaname was a little surprised with Takuma's change in behavior, his brows quirking with only slight amusement. He wasn't making fun of Takuma, of course; he just hadn't really seen his friend in such a state and it made him curious as to what about Rina had caught the boy's attention that much. Instead of mentioning any of it, he turned his attention to Sakura. "Would you mind if I sat beside you, then?" he asked with curiosity. Normally, he sat beside Takuma, but since Takuma was planning to sit elsewhere - and because Kaname would rather sit beside Sakura, anyways, - he figured now was a better time to ask than later.

Rina was surprised with Takuma's question, but she offered a small smile and nodded in assurance. "Sure, Takuma," she hummed out after Sakura had given the okay for it. "At least, this way, class won't be boring." She grinned, then, before she moved to sit down in one of the seats, leaning back slightly and relaxing. Admittedly, his request had caught her off guard, but she was rather thankful for it.

@ momentai.
(did we say the ball was the following night or two nights time?)

Takuma felt a large grin expand on his lips as Rina slid gracefully into the chair beside the one he also slid into. "Class beside me is never a boring thing, don't worry." He laughed lightly, feeling like he was on cloud nine as he looked at the beautiful girl beside him. "Besides, the fun will continue after classes ar over too, like Sakura said, we've got to go pick out our attire for Kaname's ball."

---

Sakura was surprised to look up from her seat behind Rina to see Kaname. She looked around the room to see that other students were gawking at her because of his request to sit beside her and because she was sitting Takuma and Rina. Usually, Sakura would just sent an expression of screw you on her face to the onlookers but this time she felt a little uneasy. Clearing her throat, she stood and uncharacteristically radiated a nervous, tense energy, "Ah, actually I'm just going to go sit in my usual, spot. I'll see you guys after class is over." Thankfully, the professor strode in at that moment, providing Sakura an escape with no tail, and began to introduce the night's lecture.

(also, sorry this is so short.)

(I really can't remember. xD)

Kaname blinked slowly, staring after Sakura as she dashed away. A frown pulled at his lips and he was about to go ahead to follow her, but she didn't seem to want to be around him. He didn't want to lose any chance he had with getting her to agree to join him at the ball, so he relented and moved to sit behind Takuma. Occasionally, he glanced over towards where Sakura had gone to and he wondered if, maybe, she would choose against joining him at the ball purely because of everybody else.

---

Rina offered a smile in response to his words and nodded in agreement. "That should be fun," she decided quietly. Or, at least, she hoped it would be; she had never bothered to go to the events that were thrown. Then, her attention got diverted towards Sakura, her brows furrowing when she watched her stand and move away from them. "I wonder what happened," she murmured quietly.

[ignore]