Moshi moshi minna!! Wow. Anyways, here's the good news: We have electricity back!! And the Internet people fixed the Internet, too, so I have that back. Which means that I can update again! Isn't that just great? (If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Please.) Bad news: We have school again... -sighs- What a drag. Oh well. At least it starts next Monday, on the 29th (The 29th is a Mon. right?). So, until then, I will be able to update my stories and post new ones! Unfortunately however, the stupid hurricane left a ton of laundry and housework to catch up on...-cries-

Disclaimer: I owned VK, but Matsuri Hino stole it...-pouts-

Oh, yeah!! I just read VK 43, and iamlikesohappy!thehappiestfangirlinthewholeworld!! There wasn't much ShiMa, but it least there wasShiMa. I love the Hanabusa part. So kawaii! -coughs- Anyways, back to the story.

Ice Cream

I sat on a bench, alone, watching the other kids playing. They were kicking a soccer ball towards each other, but they weren't playing soccer. It made no sense. Why play with a soccer ball when you're not playing soccer? For thus reasons, I decided to keep to myself. That, and…the other kids find me strange…odd…different. I sighed. My mother fretted over me constantly- over my lack of social interaction, my more-than-mature frame of mind, and other otherworldly and trivial motives. I've never really understood exactly why she was worried about me because of those reasons. But worry she did.

Maybe she was worried I would be lonely. I pondered that for a moment. Nah. Speculating other kids of my age kept my mind company, so I've never felt lonely. If that wasn't the reason behind her constant fussing, what was?

The soccer ball rolled towards me, losing momentum slowly, until it rolled to a halt at my feet. A boy sprinted after it immediately. I examined him quietly, sure that I've never seen him before in this park, ever. "I'm sorry…" he whispered, picking the black and white ball up in his hands. He looked at me then, and I think I saw his eyes widen briefly, taking me in with surprise. Hmm…No one's ever reacted to me like that before. Except for my manager in the modeling agency, of course. Most people gasp, some drool, and other stare in envy and awe.

"Do you want to play with us?" he asked, smiling shyly. The boy was definitely new. He was also the first to actually talk to me. Face-to-face anyway. The others preferred to speculate me behind my back. I observed the boy again. He seemed nice enough, and rather cute. Dark chestnut hair, stunning silver eyes that reminded me of the moon…

"No, thank you." I replied, my high soprano voice ringing softly but clearly. The boy's face puckered a little, not expecting my response, but still stunned by my voice. I wonder why… "Oh." He replied. "Shiki-kun! We're waiting for you!" one of the boys called out. 'Shiki?' That rang a bell…where have I heard it before? Shiki hesitated, torn between me and the rest of the kids. He set the soccer ball on the ground, stepped back, then kicked it. The ball spiraled towards some random person, and the game continued.

The girls hesitated, their eyes flickering from me to Shiki with doubt. I ignored them, staring at Shiki, one eyebrow raised. He plopped down beside me. I could see through his pretenses, however. I knew he meant them, but he was forcing himself, his shy nature screaming at him. "I'm Shiki. Shiki Senri." He introduced, a small blush appearing on his cheeks as my stare made him feel self-conscious. "I'm Touya Rima. Call me Rima." I responded, my gaze switching back to the other kids who were not playing soccer with a soccer ball.

"So…" he started nervously, "Do you go here everyday?" I nodded, trying to look at him from the corner of my eye inconspicuously. The ice cream stand on the edge of the street caught his eye, and he jumped up, muttering a soft 'wait here' behind his back before walking towards the stand, hands in his jean pockets.

I could tell that Shiki, like me, preferred to keep to himself and didn't like to speak unless necessary. The reasons behind our actions were different, though. His were because of his introverted, reserved attitude. Mine were because I found talking excessively rather useless, and a huge waste of time. In other words, I didn't particularly enjoy conversing- I'd much rather listen and observe.

Shiki hurried back, two ice cream cones in his hand. One was strawberry, the other chocolate. He held both in front of him, and asked "Which one do you want?" I wasn't used to this kind of thing, so it was natural for me to stare at him like he'd just grown a second, third and fourth head. I sensed his uneasiness. "Or did you want something else?.." I ignored him, taking the strawberry cone and whispering a silent 'thanks'.

He still felt uneasy, so I decided to talk- an unusual thing for me to do, obviously. "You're new here?" I questioned. I heard him sigh a breath of relief- probably because he was afraid that he'd hurt my feelings or something closely related to that.

"Yeah." He answered, licking his melting ice cream. "We moved here yesterday." He said matter-of-factly. "Hmm…" I slipped back to silence afterwards, and we finished our ice creams in a comfortable silence.

To my surprise, I found that I likedShiki's company. He wasn't like the other fools mother insisted I played with, always loud and obnoxious…No; Senri was the quiet type that didn't usually feel the need to fill a silence with conversation. I could tell that we would be great friends. "Are you going to be here tomorrow?" he asked, his tone no longer shy, but eager. I nodded, and I noticed that I was more lively than usual. He smiled, and got up. "Mother said that I had to be home early because she wants me to meet one of her friends." He informed.

I almost gasped, shocked at this bit of information. My mother had said the exact same thing- not that I was going to tell Shiki that. He waved, walking back to his house- the opposite direction of mine. I watched until he rounded the corner, and got up myself, heading for my house.

.xOXo.

Here I sat again, feeling a wave of nostalgia as I eyed my surroundings. The grass was expertly trimmed, the kids- a new bunch now- playing with a soccer ball but not actually playing soccer, the ice cream stand still in the same corner…

Only one thing was missing. I felt a pang of sorrow as my thoughts drifted back to my first friend, remembering his face, his voice… I knew some of the little children were watching me with interest- grown-ups usually didn't waste time dallying in parks. Unless you were the Ice Cream Man, of course. I sighed, closing my eyes. The reasons why my Mother always worried over my lack of social interaction… I found out the day he'd left. She was worried I wouldn't find a mate…

Though I knew her concern was genuine, and that she was just being a mother, her attempts were futile. In all my three hundred years of life, I've never found any one I've been interested in- in a romantic sense, at least- except for him. And he was gone…

My eyes fluttered open as I heard a small girl's footsteps nearing me. She looked extremely curious as to why I was here, so I allowed her to sit next to me. Hey, no reason to make little kids run crying to their mommies…

"You're sad." The girl stated. My eyes flickered to her. She reminded me of myself in a way. Straightforward. Curious. She reminded me of myself physically too…Blonde hair close to the golden shade mine was, without the slight strawberry tint, but her eyes were a warm, chocolate brown. My answering smile was melancholy. "Yes," I replied ruefully, "Yes I am." The girl cocked her head to the side. "Why?" I heaved a sigh. "Because," I explained, "When I was small, I used to play here, too. I met my first friend here." My lips tugged slightly at the happy memories.

"And you liked him?" The question sounded more like a statement. I smiled again, sniffing slightly. "Yes, I did." The girl narrowed her eyes. "Then why are you so sad?" she pushed further, trying to understand. "Because he left." The girl's face went blank for a moment before she looked up at me. My story had made her feel my grief, too, as it did to anyone else who heard it. She- hesitantly- put her hand lightly on top of mine, trying to comfort me. She smiled. "Don't worry, you'll find him someday." She reassured me. Then, she hopped up, her hair swinging as she walked away.

That was when I realized that the park was mostly empty, and the ice cream man was packing up. Grudgingly, I stood up, heading back to my car, keeping my eyes to the ground. As I dug into my pocket for the keys, I noticed that there was someone leaning on the hood of the Porsche. Gasping, my gaze met his. Azure on silver; silver on azure.

The car keys dropped noisily at my feet. For a long moment, I was too astonished to move, my body wouldn't follow my brain's commands, and I forgot how to breathe. He was grinning at me, the same, humorous twinkle I've come to love in his eyes. He's matured since I last saw him, more than ten years ago…

"Senri?" my voice was shaky with disbelief. He held his arms out, inviting me… My eyes glazed over as I ran towards him, crushing myself against his body. He chuckled, wrapping his arms tightly around me. "I missed you, too." He laughed. He pulled away, and I dabbed at my tears, sniffing. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, waiting for me to recompose myself. "Is it really you?" I asked, my voice soft, guarded, despite having slightly broken down already.

He pulled me against his chest again- I could hear his heart beat, accelerating slightly as I pressed my cheek against the spot where his heart was located, and hugged him once more.

I felt something damp run across my cheek, and was surprised when Senri wiped it away with his thumb. I locked gazes with him again. He had changed. I had changed. Our relationship had changed too, progressed into the next level unconsciously…

I found myself leaning towards him, my eyes closing slowly. Senri did the same, and I could hear the blood pounding in my veins, feel the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Someone cleared their throat, and I jumped in alarm, taken off guard. The ice cream man rolled his eyes, but held out a chocolate ice cream cone towards us. "About time…" he muttered, and Senri took it from him gratefully. He offered me some, and, shrugging, I licked it.

Since Senri left, I hadn't eaten ice cream. It was nice to taste the sweet treat again, but… As if he had read my thoughts, he leaned closer, warning me with his eyes. I allowed my eyes to droop. Instead of kissing me however, he breathed in my ear, "You weren't thinking of some perverted thing just now, were you?"

My eyes snapped open, and I smacked his arm. He was teasing me, again. Nope, he definitely has not matured. At all. Not one bit. "Senri!!" I complained. Then I frowned, realizing how much I sounded like a child whining. He chuckled, and- before I could register it in my mind- he was kissing me. Instinctively, I pushed myself closer to him, locking my arms around his neck and pulling him closer, while his hands braided into my hair. He licked my bottom lip, asking- no, begging for entrance, but I pulled away, feeling dizzy.

I had to hold onto Senri for support as I waited for my heart to calm down. He pressed his forehead against mine, and I noticed that his cheeks- like mine- were flushed.

The fact that it was cold didn't register in my mind. Nor the fact that it was starting to drizzle. I was too caught up in the joy, the pleasure, of having Senri back.

.xOXo.

I knew there was something wrong by the way he was acting. Depressed, silent, melancholy… As to why, well, I was waiting to find out. Senri kicked a random rock as we walked through the hiking trail, hands in his pockets as always. "I'll miss you." He mumbled, halting to a stop, avoiding my eyes. "I'll really, really miss you."

I understood immediately. Against my will, the tears started running, betraying my feelings. His eyes finally met mine, tortured, and already grieving for the future ahead of us. "W-when are y-you l-l-leaving?" I managed to choke out.

He stared at the ground silently. I sank to my knees, scraping them with the rocks in the process. "I'm sorry," he whispered, hugging me. His voice was agonized, and his face even more so. "S-s-Senri…" As much as it pained him, he stood up. I could tell he was fighting tears as he stumbled away, shooting an apologizing glance over his shoulder once.

I curled up on the ground, hugging my knees, as I broke down. I already missed him. This was exactly why I avoided social interaction, why I hadn't let myself get attached to anyone. Because in my subconscious, I knew I'd get hurt, and it wasn't sure whether I could survive through it.

--

My mother found me. The sun was setting, and the rest of the kids were long gone. She didn't question me like she normally would have. She wasn't having a panic attack. No, she was lapsed in a sorrowful calm, gazing at me helplessly, not quite sure how to comfort me, or if I would want to be comforted.

So instead, she carried me home. I didn't complain. I was a lifeless corpse for the rest of that month, refusing to eat, refusing to talk, refusing to do anything. I locked myself up in my room, wallowing in misery.

But eventually, I gained control of myself again. I knew I had a life to live, no matter how pathetic it probably was, and that- if I tried hard enough- I could get over this somehow.

My first friend…

My first best friend…

I would always miss him, and it didn't matter how much time I took to try to heal- the wound was deep, and I would keep the scars forever.

My first and only love…

.xOXo.

Mother stared. And stared. More staring. Squeal. Ah, Mother is sooo predictable. She was jumping for joy, pleased that we were united at last, and that I had (finally) found a mate. I rolled my eyes at the thought. I found a mate, so what?

"Rima, I want grandchildren!!" she chided. My eyes widened, and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, burning them. I take it back. That was very unexpected. In my panic, I covered her mouth with my hand, dragging her to some random room in my mansion/house, and locking it behind me.

"Mom!" I hissed, biting my lip. The only response I received was a hysterical giggle. "Don't talk about things like that!!" As usual, Mother ignored me. She was talking into her phone urgently, already planning my wedding.

Planning.

My.

Wedding.

OH.MY.GOD.

I grabbed her phone, smashing it into pieces with my hand (vampire strength comes in handy a lot). Mother sighed dejectedly. "Fine, fine…" she said, "I'll stay quiet…" her shoulders slumped, and she walked outside, pouting.

Senri, however, agreed with my Mother. He- of course- overheard, and brought up the subject again- another sure way of tormenting me. They were currently discussing wedding plans and such while I gazed at them in horror. I narrowed my eyes, shooting a death glare in Senri's direction. Again with the teasing. I growled. TRAITOR!!

"Shiki Senri…" I warned. He met my gaze with a smug smirk. "Do you think she'll have a boy or a girl first?" he asked mother, still facing me, his face mocking. First? First?! They expect me to give birth to more than one baby?!

WHAT THE HELL?!

Yes, I know the orders are all mixed up. Sorry if it confused people, but I liked it better that way. –sweat drops- (-.-)" And, no, I have not gone insane. At least I hope not. Reviews are dearly appreciated.

Aikoi,

-xOVampireKissesXo-