Icon for Hire- The Grey

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"You again?" Zero says annoyed.

"I want to know if Tatsuki's back yet." Sora says standing in front of Zero. 

"She's not. If you don't see her walking with the Night Class then she's not here yet. Get it?" He says, but Zero is distracted with his own things, and Yuki's things. As she continues to figure out her past. He's becoming suspicious.

"Fine." Sora says walking away, and heading in the direction of the boys Sun Dorms, but once out of Zero's view he rushes over towards the Moon Dorms instead.

He jumps a couple times until he manages to get over the wall hiding the Moon Dorms. He is met with the sight of a cloaked old man sitting there.

"You're not a guardian. You shouldn't be out here." The old man says looking over at Sora. 

"I need to speak to someone in there." He says to the old man. 

"You're not a guardian. You shouldn't be out here." He repeats. Sora clenches his hands tightly, and tries to find a way past the old man. But something about him makes him rethink what he plans on doing.

"Why can't I go in?" Sora questions him. 

"You are not a guardian." He tells him once more. 

"So that's it? Just because I'm not a guardian?" He curses, and turns away to exit the gate that opens for him.

"Wait." He stops as he looks back to find Rima. 

"Rima Touya?" He says surprised to see her. 

"You're friends with Tatsuki, right?" She questions him. He nods his head, but isn't very sure anymore. She has never relied on him as a friend should and tries to do things on her own. He feels like an annoying child that people are just trying to get away from.

"Why do you ask?" He questions her, trying to get out of that negative thought path he was heading down. 

"Has she been in contact with you? Break is over, but neither Senri, Takuma, or her have returned yet. I haven't been able to contact any of them since they left for break." She says looking worried. 

"Sorry. I haven't heard anything from Tatsuki. I was hoping to talk to someone in the Night Class. I thought maybe someone would know, but now I see I came here in vain." Sora says disappointed, and becoming worried. Rima and Sora look at each other for a moment longer before turning away, and trying to figure out the reason behind the three missing students on their own.

                                                        ~0~ 

"I say, it's time to wake up." Takuma says as he walks into a bedroom, and walks up to a covered up bundle. He looks to the side to find Tatsuki resting on the couch beside the bundle. He looks at her sadly. She looks like she had a horrid night of sleep.

"Senri." Takuma says trying to shake him awake. 

"Mmm." He rubs his eyes. "You're being so noisy Takuma, it's still morning." He says turning around, and hiding under the covers only leaving his mahogany hair in the open.

"Senri!" He says surprised as he sounds like his usual self. Even Tatsuki wakes up with a start. "Sorry. Are you alright? Sit up slightly!" He says, and Tatsuki stands up just as hopeful as Takuma. "Sen-" He grips Takuma's wrist making him stop. 

"Senri, Senri, you're so annoying, Takuma." Tatsuki clenches her hands tightly as she realizes that it was just a cruel joke. She feels foolish for believing that Senri would be back to himself. He is still gone and Rido is the one still in control.

"Where is Senri?" Takuma questions trying to keep calm for Tatsuki. 

"Oh. The Senri you know is sleeping on the inside." Rido-Senri says with a smile. Rido-Senri reaches for Tatsuki, and pulls her to his bare chest. He then smiles, and strokes her mahogany hair.

"It's sort of weird for me to say this, but my son and daughter are rather cute." Tatsuki holds her tongue as Takuma looks on worriedly for the Shiki twins. When Tatsuki said Rido was a monster, he realizes she was putting it in lighter terms. He isn't just a monster, but something a lot worse.

"Are you already used to your son's body?" Ichio questions also entering the room that was shared by Tatsuki and Rido in Senri's body. 

"Grandfather." Takuma says surprised. 

"What? One by one you disturb me from my sleep? Oh well, it doesn't matter." Rido-Senri says as he adjusts Tatsuki in his arms. She wants to escape the arms that are not really her brother's warm embrace, but she's afraid if she displeases Rido in any way, he'll hurt Senri.

"I suppose. I'm quite used to it now." He says with a smile, and looks down at Tatsuki with his own mismatching eyes. Ichio bows, and takes Senri-Rido's hand to kiss it.

"The person arranged to welcome you at school has already been sent, Master. He is as you expected. There weren't any troubles sneaking in." Ichio says to him. 

"Oh, you're talking about the child Shizuka took in." He says rubbing the back of his head, and refusing to release a very uncomfortable Tatsuki.

"I am sure, that the day you would be revived is near." Tatsuki feels some relief that he'll release Senri's body soon, so she begins to concoct a plan for when that happens. Rido-Senri grips Tatsuki's chin tightly. 

"Don't get your hopes up. Once back in my body I'll be unstoppable." He says knowing what she was thinking about when he felt her tense body almost relax. Tatsuki looks away from his eyes. 

"I wasn't planning anything, father." She says to him. He lightly chuckles, and finally releases Tatsuki. She stands up, and Takuma tries to go towards her, but Rido-Senri's eyes on him prevent him from doing so.

"The true head of the Kuran family. Rido Kuran-sama." Ichio says not standing up. 

"Next I should meet my 'not cute at all' nephew." Rido-Senri says with a dark smirk while Tatsuki and Takuma look worriedly at Senri's body. Wondering how or when he'll come back.

"Alright get out of my room." Rido-Senri says stretching his arms over his head. Everyone does. "Tatsuki," She stops as he calls out to her. "I didn't dismiss you." She clenches her hands tightly, and turns back to face him. He smiles coldly at her. 

"It almost feels cruel the way he is using Senri to look at me like that." Tatsuki mentally states to herself.

"Are you not going to get dressed?" Tatsuki questions him. He simply smiles at her. 

"If only you were this obedient as a child." Rido-Senri says with a shake of his head. 

"You didn't have Senri then." Tatsuki tells him once again. 

"This is what growing attached to someone does. You become soft." Tatsuki frowns at him. 

"Like you're one to talk. You're still obsessed with the memory of my aunt Juuri." Tatsuki says. Rido-Senri glares at her, and pulls her down to the bed, choking her tightly.

"You know I'm right." Tatsuki says trying to remove his hand from her neck. "You couldn't have her, so you settled for my mother. Breaking her until she became what she is today and then just abandoning her after stealing her child away." His grip loosens and he laughs. 

"Odd that you're so much like Juuri. You would have been the ideal daughter if you were from Juuri." He says to her. Tatsuki clenches her jaw, and glares at him with all the hatred she holds for him. "Your eyes look at me like hers. Juuri..." He lowers down to Tatsuki's neck, and bites it harshly.

"Senri... please wake up..." Tatsuki softly pleads as he greedily drinks up her blood.

                                             ~0~

"TATSUKI!" Takuma quickly rushes towards the weakened girl. Rido was cruel, and nearly drained her dry. She grabs his arm, but only to push him away. 

"Go away." She tells him. Takuma looks at her sadly. 

"You're angry with me, aren't you?" He questions her. 

"Yes, I think you are right." Tatsuki says leaning against the wall.

"What happened to you?" Takuma questions her. 

"Se. . .Rido nearly drained me dry." Tatsuki tells him as she removes her hand from her bloody neck. Her pale hand is completely stained.

"I'm sorry I can't help you. But I don't think the two of us can go against a pureblood and the Senate alone." Takuma says to her in all honesty. Trying to get her to understand his reasoning.

"Have you ever tried? Right now I'm helpless because Rido is in control of Senri. But he's going to release Senri eventually, and return to his body. So once that happens I'll face him along with the Senate. They destroyed my entire childhood." Takuma looks at her sadly. 

"You've lived for revenge." He says sadly. 

"Yes, that is all I've lived for. Revenge. It was all for me, but then I met Senri, and now it's for him. I couldn't protect my little brother. The only one who matters." Tatsuki says finding some strength to walk past Takuma, but he pulls her back to him.

"Please don't do this, Tatsuki. I can't bear to see you hurt." Takuma says stroking her flushed cheek. "Drink my blood. You need it." Takuma pleads with her. At his request her eyes glow crimson, and she nears her fangs to his neck, piercing him gently. Unlike Rido had done to her.

She pulls away after somewhat filling herself, and wipes away Takuma's remaining blood on her face. "Better?" He questions her concerned. Tatsuki nods her head. 

"Thank you." She says again trying to go past him, but he pulls her harshly back only to plant his lips gently on her. Tatsuki's eyes open wide in shock.

"This doesn't feel the same as when I took Shiro's life." Tatsuki mentally states at the feeling of his lips against her. "Warm. Gentle. Soft. Cruel." Tatsuki closes her eyes letting his lips send her to a world of feelings she's never known before. Feelings that were deprived from her since the day she was born up until her life changing move to Cross Academy.

They slowly pull away from each other. "Tatsuki, I want to help you and Senri, but I don't know how." He says feeling helpless. Tatsuki meets his eyes for only a moment before dropping her head on to his chest. Feeling helpless. "I'm so sorry." Takuma says embracing her tightly.

Someone clapping scares them both. Tatsuki looks over Takuma's shoulder to find Rido-Senri watching them. "How cute. My cute Tatsuki is in love." He says with obvious sarcasm. He walks towards them, and takes Tatsuki into his arms.

"But my cute girl deserves someone better." He says coldly to Takuma. 

"Now you play the role of a caring father? Although it seems rather cruel when you don't really mean it." Tatsuki says to him. Rido-Senri smirks, and digs his nails into Tatsuki's arm. She cries out in pain.

"STOP IT! DON'T HURT HER!" Takuma yells out, pulling Tatsuki away from him. Her arm heals, but the blood stains her arm. 

"Such interesting children. I'll keep you just a little longer." Rido-Senri says before turning away, and heading towards the exit.

"Do you have your bags?" Takuma questions her. 

"Yes." Tatsuki says looking worriedly at Senri's body. 

"Lets go get them. We'll be going back to Cross Academy shortly." Takuma tells her. 

"I hope Sora and Rima are okay. They will probably have a lot of questions for us." Tatsuki says before seeing Rido-Senri look back at her. He motions for her to follow him. She gulps, but eventually obeys.

Takuma watches the Shiki twins. Wondering how he can possibly help them get through this moment with this demon of a father they have. He clenches his hands before going to get Tatsuki's stuff. "She's right. Why does she suddenly matter to him?" Takuma questions as he walks down the silent and unwelcoming halls. 

"How could I have called this place home?" He questions himself. Falling deeper into the darkness of this nightmare being caused by people he grew around.

                                                                      ~0~

"We are almost there, Senri, Tatsuki." Takuma says with a smile looking back at the twins as a coffin rests in between them. The coffin containing Rido's real body. 

"Okay." He says not really caring, and Tatsuki simply keeps her eyes downcast in silence.

Rido-Senri then smiles to himself. "When the real heir comes, how are you going to react? You fake heir." Tatsuki clenches her hands tightly as she glances over at the coffin. Wanting nothing more than to destroy the body inside it. She holds herself in check though.

"Tatsuki, you seem tense." She unclenches her hands. 

"I'm fine." She says looking away from the coffin, and meeting Takuma's eyes, who turned back to face them. 

"You're rather rude. You should look at someone when they speak to you." Tatsuki has a witty retort in mind, but holds her tongue. Not wanting to displease Rido. She's afraid he might hurt Senri.

"Forgive me. I'm fine, father." She says meeting his amused eyes. He puts a hand to her chin. 

"Such cute kids." She closes her eyes so he won't see the disgust in them. He smiles, and lets her go. She relaxes some, and takes her seat. Trying not to come to the attention of Rido again. All she can do is be ready for when he releases Senri.