Intensity Within

@ momentai.
(omg i'm watching Attack on Titan for the frist time and I had no idea what it was about btu I can already tell im going to fall in love with it just by judging off of the style and the music)

Takuma frowned as he took notice too that Sakura had dashed back into her usual seat in teh farthest back corner of the room but before he could say or do anything to figure out why the professor began his lecture about some kind of type of impossible mathematics. Every so often though he'd look back at her to try and figure out what had happened based off of her face, because no matter how much she denied it--Sakura's face told the story of how she was feeling-- but every time he would turn Sakura's head would be down as she wrote notes on the lecture. After a little while he gave up and lazily listened to the professor's rant about variables and their importance and he slyly took his hand that was between himself and Rina and found her lonely hand.

---

Sakura tried her best to forget everything as she listened to the professor and give him her full and complete attention but Takuma's reappearing eyes were a huge distraction. Whether or not she was emotionally comprimiseed, Sakura still had to work very, very hard in her classes in order to get the outstanding grades she did. A stable supply of fortunes and social standing weren't a guarantee or even an unwavering certain factor in her future life so Sakura had to put in the work now and keep working if she wanted to live a well-off life after she graduated from school. Still, every so often the whispers of the no-good, socialite vampires scattered in the desks around her would reach her ears.

"Isn't that the girl Kaname's taking pity on?"

"Yeah, she's not even pretty... I wonder if his parents are making him do it to keep up his image?"

"Hm. Either way she's not good enough for him. If only he'd notice me..."

After a while she just couldn't take it anymore. She slammed her notebook shut and abruptly stood up when the professor demanded to know why her problem was Sakura's face was downcast as she did her very best to hold in her pain and tears. "I don't feel well, I'm sorry professor but you'll have to excuse me," before the professor could say anything more she left the classroom and her pain began to show.

(I still haven't watched it. xD)

Kaname could hear everybody talking, a frown forming on his lips. Occasionally, he'd glance over at Sakura in hopes of catching her eye, but she had been looking down. It wasn't until she stood that he realized the emotions radiating from her and, the moment she rushed out of the class, he stood up. A disappointed frown crossed his features as he glared at the students that he knew had been speaking poorly about Sakura before he rushed off after her.

---

Rina blinked slowly at feeling Takuma's hand around her own. A slight blush tinted her features, but she otherwise smiled - though the smile vanished when she noticed Sakura rush out, then Kaname follow after. Glancing towards the door, she found herself wondering what was happening. She had been too consumed with the feeling of Takuma's hand to really notice anything, admittedly, and she felt a bit bad about it when she realized her friend was probably distressed.

@ momentai.
(Okay so not only do you have to watch Attack on Titan, but you've not got to watch AQUARION too haha)

Takuma frowned at the sight of Sakura dashing out from the classroom with obvious, intense pain hiding in the corners of her eyes. He almost stood to race after her but Kaname's form crossed his vision and slight shock made Takuma's eyebrows rise on his forehead as he watched one of his best friends dash out after the other. Takuma sighed and turned his head away, only to catch sight of Rina's worried face. He gently squeezed their secretly entwined hands and whispered to the beautiful girl beside him, "Don't worry about them. It'll all turn out okay." Takuma took out his pen adn notebook sadly with his free hand after he made his comment only to follow it with a sigh. "But now we have to take notes for Sakura. She needs to get good grades and even a second away from class might hurt her. Let's take notes for her together, okay?" He whispered and slowly took his hand away from Rina's so he could write.

---

Sakura raced down the hallway as fast and as quietly as she could, with only the sound of her footsteps in the hallways as she cried silent tears. When a second pair a footsteps echoed her own she kicked up her pace, there was no way shed let anyone catch her crying like this, not even Takuma- who she figured the footsteps belonged to. She raced down the halls past classrooms containing groups of her vampire classmates and professors, not stopping or slowing even though her ragged breath was begging her to. When it seemed her body couldn't run anymore she made a hard left and flew into an empty classroom she knew was never used at night because it was a Day Class health classroom. She nearly collapsed against the wall once she was inside, too concerned with catching her breath and staying quiet to focus on the footsteps anymore. Sakura only prayed that she'd lost whoever it was following her since the tears had only gotten worse as she'd run away.

('Tis true! At least that gives me something to do in my free time!)

It wasn't difficult at all for Kaname to follow Sakura. The sound of her footsteps thumping across the hallway floor radiated in his ears and he could even hear her heavy breaths - which were either from her crying or her running or perhaps both. Shaking the thought away, he picked up his pace when he heard her pace quicken - and, when he no longer heard her footsteps, he focused his hearing on whatever he could. He soon caught her heavy breathing and a frown came to his features as he slowed down, moving to approach the room that the sound was coming from. He wasn't sure if she wanted anybody to follow her or if she would be annoyed with his sudden presence. Perhaps she might want somebody else to have followed her, he thought, but he forced that away and entered the room, staring at the girl for a long moment before he approached her. "Sakura?" he murmured her name gently, something almost unusual for him, "Are you okay?"

---

Rina blinked several times at feeling the slight squeeze, the action being the only thing to draw her attention away from her concern for Sakura. Her gaze turned to Takuma momentarily as she listened to him and nodded slowly to his words. She had already begun to miss the feeling of Takuma's hand in hers, but she forced that away and pulled out her paper and pencil. "Okay," she murmured quietly, figuring that it was the least that they could do for their friend. They didn't necessarily need the notes, anyways, but Sakura did. It was best to help their friend, so that was what she concentrated on. Hopefully, the notes wouldn't be too complicated; she wasn't exactly used to taking notes, so she could only hope that she was doing it properly.

@ momentai.

Not even a minute into note-taking did Takuma already wish he hadn't suggested it. How on Earth Sakura managed to take notes on the complete gibberish the professor was talking and get the excellent test scores she did. Takuma had no idea what was important and what wasn't so he just tried to write down everything that the professor said, but then he'd get halfway into writing the last thing he heard and the professor would already be onto the next topic. It was all making his head spin, not in the good way that Rina seemed to make happen, but he kept trying anyway. "This is harder than I thought," he mumbled sadly as his pen swiftly traveled across the paper. After a little while he got a cramp in his fingers and frowned, however Sakura managed to do this was beyond him.

---

Sakura's heart skipped a beat when she realized someone else had joined her in the empty classroom, but she kept herself turned away in the hope that they'd get the hint and leave. When Kaname's voice, so soft and gentle reached her ears she felt another wave of sadness drown her. Sakura pushed herself from the wall and took a few steps away from him, further into the classroom and with her back still to him. "W-why did you f-follow me?" Sakura managed to choke out her words between silently strangled sobs and quiet tears. The last thing she'd imagined was for him of all people to chase her, especially since she was in such turmoil because of what people were saying about the two of them. Sakura's body began to shake as the hateful, venomous words of her socialite classmates pierced through her mind again. "She's not good enough for him." "He's just pitying her, poor thing is probably too poor to even realize it." "That Sakura girl is too ugly to be seen with him." It all made her heart hurt more than she could have ever imagined. The worst comment of all though, the one that plagued her the most beat into her like a hammer on a nail, "She's just going to drag him down." Sakura could handle being looked down upon. She'd been looked at that way her whole existence. Being viewed on the same level as dirt wasn't something new to her, but to drag down Kaname with her? Sakura's heart felt like it was ripping into pieces at the thought of it all. She wrapped her arms around her shaking body, trying to get her control back, but her emotions were flying all over the place. The tender change in the sound of his voice, the fact that he was even there, that he got up from class and ran like a maniac after her... Sakura couldn't take it.

Seeing Sakura in so much pain and seeing her so conflicted tore at Kaname's heart, something the male wasn't used to. He was used to punishing those that got on his nerves and part of him debated on punishing whoever had hurt Sakura so much - but, then, another part of him was certain that Sakura would disapprove of that. So, he tried to concentrate on the fact that the girl he had fallen for was hurting, rather than focusing on those that had hurt her. Making his way towards her, he tried to ignore the fact that she had distanced herself all the more earlier. "Sakura..." His tone was still gentle, still kind, and he was surprised that she had such an effect on him. "I wanted to check on you. Are you okay?" Was it not obvious why he had followed her? Couldn't she see the concern in his eyes? No, of course she couldn't, because she wasn't facing him. Deciding to fix that, he moved closer and gently wrapped his arms around the girl, drawing her close to himself as he shifted her to face him. "Are you okay?" he repeated his question once more.

---

Rina tried not to laugh at Tamaki's words and instead offered an amused smile in response. With a shrug, she tried to keep up with what the professor said. "I'm not very used to this," she admitted quietly, though her gaze remained on the paper as she wrote, trying to concentrate on the matter at hand. "But, we have to help Sakura somehow - and if this is all we can do, I'm sticking with it." Even if taking notes was frustrating, she decided that she could handle this - or, at least, she could try her best to, for Sakura's sake.

@ momentai.
(should we leave Takuma and Rina to take notes for a little and focus on Kaname and Sakura? I dont know whta else to say for him right now haha)

Takuma nodded to Rina's smart response, she always knew what to say in order to put him at ease. A new determination filled him, if Rina could do it, so could he, and they had to because obviously something was very wrong with Sakura if she had run out from class. He wanted to know what was wrong, but he had to take notes adn after class Yuki was still going to deliver the gifts for Rina and Sakura to himself and Kaname. With them gone from the classroom, he highly doubted Yuki would be able to deliver the present for Sakura to Kaname so Takuma would probably have to hold onto it for a little. Takuma then remembered that he and Rina had also agreed to take Sakura out shopping for her dress and for their own clothes. Takuma groaned, there was too much to do and not enough time to do it all.

---

Hearing Kaname's voice, so soft and kind, made Sakura's breaking heart melt. He had come just to see if she was okay, and even though she clearly wasn't Sakura wasn't ready to admit it. When he turned her around, where his fingers touched her, Sakura's skin warmed and she secretly desired he would hold her in his arms so tightly that her broken pieces would mend. She knew that could never happen though, she would only drag him down to the level of dirt she was in. Sakura angled her face downward, so not only could she not see his beautiful eyes, but he couldn't see her ugly, sobbing, desperately sad face at all either. "I'm f-fine," her voice hitched as she held back the sobs that wanted to escape from her lips. "You shouldn't have c-come here," as she spoke her heart began to crumble once more. "I don't want you h-here," she pushed him away from her and turned away from him again, the sadness overflowing from her shielded eyes. She had to protect him. Sakura couldn't let him throw away his reputation just to take her to some stupid ball, just to prove his dumb point that he wasn't some mindless socialite. "Don't you get it? I h-hate you! I only went along with your stupid game to try and get a laugh but obviously I made a mistake. Don't touch me, don't ever t-talk to me again. I h-hate you, Kaname Kuran. I always have and I always will." Sakura felt like she was about to crumble to dust, each spoken word went against everything she felt inside about him, but she couldn't let him destroy everything just so that he could make a point. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she cared for him way too much to let that go. Sakura didn't know how or when it happened, but she had fallen for Kaname. As foolish as it was, a piece of her loved him and she couldn't hurt him by being with him, even if it meant hurting him right now to do it.

(Yeah, that's fine! :) )

Kaname couldn't possibly describe the emotions that tore through his heart at hearing her words. He didn't want to believe her words, but the feeling that stabbed itself multiple times into his chest, slicing his heart into bits that he didn't want to imagine, was so overwhelming that he knew that it would be impossible to ignore. If she really meant those words, then he wasn't sure how he should react. He couldn't let his usually calm demeanor fall away, could he? But, with all the pain that he felt in his chest, even he wasn't surprised that it had managed to etch itself into his features. "I see," he eventually murmured, letting his arms drop to his side. If she hated him, then he couldn't possibly change that, he couldn't do anything to fix it. He had already tried everything just to get her to agree to going to the ball with him. And, if that had all been some game to her - despite that he didn't want to believe that, either, - then there was no way that he could make her change her mind about him, no matter how much he craved to be capable of such a thing. "I'll leave you alone, then." Because, what other choice did he have? He couldn't force her to feel the same for him that he felt for her. The realization stung him, forcing him to accept things that he never even thought was possible. Sakura didn't share his feelings. She hated him. It was all a game to her. Then, why? Why couldn't he have seen that from the beginning? He couldn't voice these thoughts, though, and instead, took a step back, then another, before he turned and made his way out of the room, figuring it was best to leave Sakura alone. She didn't want him around her, anyways. No need to force his presence.

@ momentai.

With each sound of Kaname's retreating footsteps, Sakura felt a new piece of her heart shredding itself to dust. When the footsteps faded into silence, her heart was nearly gone. She had done what needs to be done, she knew that. Sakura knew that there was no way she and Kaname could be together, not that he would ever want to actually be with her of all people. No, she probably just saved him some time and energy, pretending to actually care about her. When she was sure he was gone Sakura left the room and went straight in the direction of the dorms. She didn't care about class. She didn't care that she probably meant nothing to Kaname, the one man she actually had fallen in love with. She just wanted to lay down and cry. She knew she had to hurry, classes would let out soon and Sakura didn't want to be seen by anyone like this. Her eyes were swollen and red, not from hunger but from crying so much, she knew her bottom lip was swollen too because she'd bjtten down on it to stop herself from crying out. Just as she go to the gates leading into her dorm, Sakura saw Yuki standing alone with two bags from a jeweler in town. Sakura had never been inside but the teams that sparkled in the window always made Sakura swoon. Before Yuki could say anything, before she could even offer her help like Sakura knew she would, Sakura picked up the pace and sprinter inside. She slammed and locked the door to her plain little room and finally let it out. Her sobs were so full of pain, so loud in their agony that Yuki could hear them from her place waiting for Kaname and Takuma outside the dorms.

Kaname didn't return to class, but he did wait for classes to let out before he made his way out of the school. He didn't bother glancing around, didn't react to any of the fangirls' screams from those that had woken up far too early or had been awake all night, waiting for the Night Class to be let out. He just walked towards the dorm, not bothering to wait on the rest of the Night Class like he normally would. In reality, he was still trying to understand whatever pain it was that made his heart ache the way it was. It was so new, so foreign, and it was far too painful for him to want to acknowledge. His eyes caught sight of Yuki with the items he had requested and he sighed quietly as he walked past her. "I don't need those anymore," he told her, his tone blank, lacking both the kindness that he had shown Sakura earlier and the usual authoritative lilt that it generally contained. It was rare for him, but he shoved the realization away, and made his way made his way into the Moon Dorm building, a frown set upon his lips. From outside the Moon Dorm, he had heard some noise, but, once inside, the sound became more easily recognizable. Without really realizing it, he had begun to follow the noise, his brows furrowed slightly. It had been the same sobbing that he had heard inside the school building, he knew that, and he knew he shouldn't be heading toward the noise, but instinct won over due to his need to check on Sakura. As he drew closer, he hesitated for a long moment at the door, staring at it as he was still mentally debating on his choice. Before he could stop himself, though, he had lifted his head and knocked on the door, deciding against speaking, for he was worried that if he let her know it was him, she wouldn't answer.

@ momentai.
(Sorry this is so short)

Sakura's chest felt like it was concaving from within her skin. The bones of her ribs felt like they were breaking inward, the sharp edges tore at what little parts of her heart were left intact until her torso was a bloody battleground of heartache and unbelievable turmoil. She didn't realize how loud her cried of pain has been until a soft knock sounded from the outside of her locked door. Sakura stayed on her bed and softly called out to the source of the knock in a voice so defeated and heartbroken it shocked even her, "I can't talk right now..."

(Haha, don't worry!)

Kaname frowned at the tone in her voice, the sound of it tearing through him even harsher than her statements of hatred towards him had. After a moment's hesitation, he let out a sigh and went ahead to open the door, a frown on his lips as he stood in the doorway. "Are you sure you can't talk?" he asked as he made his way into the room, soon stopping at the bed as he stared down at her. All he wanted to do was engulf her and figure out why she was crying, figure out a way to fix it, but he didn't dare do it, not wanting to give her another reason to hate him.

@ momentai.

As soon as her door opened Sakura spoke a curse under her breath, she could have sworn she had locked it, and another curse came to her lips as the beautiful sound of Kaname's voice drifted into her ears. "Can't you take a hint?" Sakura tried her hardest to throw her venom into her tone but it was too watered down by the tears that can down her face and the ache in her heart. She stayed laying down on her bed, but turned over so her back was again to him, Sakura didn't have much left except her pride. "Look, sorry for making all the noise, but you need to leave. I already told you I never want to see you again." Each word of hatred she spoke to him was like another knife into her body, there wasn't any solid pieces of her heart left to break so the rest of her began to feel the pain too.

Kaname frowned deeply as he watched her. "That doesn't sound very genuine," he said bluntly as he moved to sit down on the edge of the bed, not caring how she reacted anymore. If she wanted to hate him, she could, but he wouldn't leave until he knew for sure that she wanted him gone. "Why are you crying, Sakura?" Because that was why he came here, wasn't it? But, then, a part of him knew that he wanted to be here, wanted to see her, even if she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

@ momentai.

Sakura groaned in frustration, why did he always have to make things harder for her? When Kaname's weight sank down on the bed Sakura's body began to shake a little bit, so badly she wanted to embrace him, but she knew that she couldn't let herself give into that craving. "I'm not crying! Just go away, damnit!" Sakura kept her face turned away and tried her best to hide her sniffles as she fought for control over herself again but kept failing. "Why do you have to be so annoying!? I don't want anything to do with you, I hate you!" Sakura couldn't take it anymore, he needed to leave and just let her crumble, acting like she hated him was the hardest thing she had to do.

Kaname frowned deeply as he stared at her for a long moment. "If you hate me, then look me in the eyes and say it," he said simply. She had avoided his eyes earlier when she had told him those painful words and she was avoiding his gaze now. "I won't believe you unless you can stare straight at me, into my eyes, and tell me that you hate me, that you want nothing to do with me. And, if you can't do that, I want you to tell me what's going on, why you're so upset, and why you would say things like that in the first place."

@ momentai.

Sakura sucked in a huge breath as she mentally prepared herself to carry out his request. She had to do what was necessary in order for him to leave her alone and go back to treating her like before, so he wouldn't be dirt like she was. She sat up and wiped her face completely dry, though it was still painfully obvious she'd been crying hard, as she turned to finally face him. As she lifted her gaze to meet his own her heart began to beat faster and slower all at the same time, she felt like she was suffocating and breathing in fresh air, like she was drowning and floating, as he looked back at her. "Kaname, I..." Sakura's tone of poisonous hatred trembled as she tried to force herself to say such a damaging lie to his face. "I... I!" She was growing frustrated with herself, angry that she couldn't do it. "I," her eyes dropped but she kept her face toward him, her body slumped in defeat and her tone dropped to just barely a whisper. "I hate you."

Kaname felt a little better at realizing that she couldn't do it, that she couldn't look him in the eye and say that she hated him. "You're lying," he muttered, the realization dawning on him that he had been so hurt before, even though it had all been a lie. "Why? Why did you lie to me, Sakura? Why say that you hate me when you don't?" His tone was gentle, kind, but there was a desperation to know the truth in his tone as well. He could only hope that she would notice it, that she would understand just how much her words had hurt him and that she would tell him what had brought her to say such a lie to him.

@ momentai.

Sakura kept her eyes downcast and her tone soft and defeated as the sadness came creeping back in, "I'm not lying." She couldn't do this to him, the guilt was nearly killing her as much as the pain of pushing him away was killing her. Sakura couldn't drag him down, the other students already were beginning to even though they thought it was all a joke, which it probably was to Kaname. Sakura was foolish to even secretly wish Kaname actually cared about her. She lifted her eyes to reveal all of the pain and emotions swirling inside of her like a hurricane, she was so hurt and angry with herself for being foolish enough to fall for him. "You don't care about me, why bother pretending like you do? You can forget about the stupid ball, take one of the goody-goody, airhead socialites with you. They'll match with you, you'll make a damned perfect pair of no-good higher-up Vampires."

Her words surprised Kaname more than he cared to admit. "You really think that? You think I'm pretending? That I don't really care about you?" he asked, a frown coming onto his features. "If I didn't care about you, Sakura, I wouldn't have come in here to check on you. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have chased you down the hallway to check on you, to figure out why you had rushed out with so much pain on your face. If I didn't care about you, then I wouldn't have asked Takuma for advice. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have asked Yuki to go get a bouquet and a necklace for you. Does all of that sound like I don't care?"