Chapter 3- Employee Woes and Old Woman Oddities

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updates! I recently got a summer job so all the time I thought I could devote to my fanfics kind of got… eaten XD Anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for it and I want to thank everyone who's kept with the story up till now. It means a lot! As usual, reviews/critiques are welcomed!

-Isis

The blonde noble quickly slipped on a pair of sunglasses as he walked down the crowded street towards his new 'part-time' job. He let out a sigh, wiping sweat from his brow and tugging at his uncomfortably stuffy sweater-vest. Curse his inability to dress like a regular human being (it wasn't his fault he wanted to look professional even if it was a job that only paid 8.50 an hour). Wait. He wasn't even human.

The thought brought a grimace to his face. So why the Hell was he working at an antiques shop in the first place?! If only his parents could see that he just wanted a breath of freedom, not to be ostracized by his whole entire (did he mention his family was very large, influential, and well-known) family for wanting to achieve something on his own for a change, instead of having them just fling money or their name around to get whatever their son desired. He thought they'd be happy. That they would say "Good job, Hanabusa! We're so proud you finally grew up!"

If only.

A little boy dressed in khaki shorts and a shirt walked past the vampire, whispering to his mother, "Why is that guy dressed like it's winter?"

The woman pushed the boy along, eyeing the strange blonde in a sweater-vest in one-hundred degree weather, "It's not polite to stare. He probably has some sort of mental disorder or handicap. Leave him be."

Great. So the man with an IQ that could rival Nobel Prize winners had been reduced to an apparent, sweating mess. This day was not turning out as he had planned. His first bit of bad luck had even happened before he left the house!

He wanted to go change (and the only part of the apartment besides Yori's room that had a door he could close and lock was the bathroom) so he knocked on her bedroom door. Since he received no answer, he assumed she had already left for school so he waltzed right in. Before he could open the door to the adjoining bathroom he was met with the sight of auburn hair buried beneath the covers. Being the curious idiot that he was, he pulled the covers down, about to wake her up since he was actually a good person at heart (sometimes) and he didn't want her to be late to class, only to have a small fist collide with his face.

Despite his supposed 'vampiric agility and grace' he had fallen backwards, colliding with the edge of her writing desk. And it hurt. Like Hell.

"W-what are you doing in my room, Hanabusa?" She had asked, pulling the covers back around her lithe form (he had widened his eyes at her calling him by his first name before wincing at the sharp pain in the back of his head).

"I was just gonna go change in the bathroom, geeze! Don't you remember, I start work today?"

"…Oh. Right." She paused from her anger, returning a mask of indifference.

Aidou's eye twitched.

"Sorry about that… I thought you were a serial killer or something."

The noble blinked. And then blinked again. "Have you been staying up to watch those crime dramas and police procedurals?"

She fidgeted slightly, looking down at her lap. "…Possibly."

He facepalmed, picking himself off the ground and walking towards the bathroom. "Yori-chan, I'm going to go change. When I walk out of the bathroom please don't forget I was in there and throw something at me… like a desk."

"That's impossible. I'm not that strong."

There were times when he wanted to strangle her. He covered his face with his hand, "Yori, I wasn't being literal. Just don't worry about serial killers or psychopaths, alright? I am a vampire, after all. I'd hear if anyone was breaking in."

"Right. You act so stuffy and regal that I forget that you're actually a blood-sucking monster."

Ouch.

She gave a small smile. "I wasn't being literal, Aidou-kun. I don't think you're a monster. I was kidding."

The poor blonde noble could feel a headache forming. Before he could retort the woman fell back against the bed sheets, instantly asleep. Well, that was slightly terrifying. She sleeps like one of those vampires in old, black and white movies.

Shrugging (because it took a lot to surprise him anymore), he had gone about his business before leaving the apartment.

After a fifteen minute stroll (which felt like an eternity for the heat-stricken man) he collapsed at the door of the antiques shop, silver bell ringing wildly as he fell against the wooden floor.

A brunette woman poked her head from one of the storage rooms, straining to see if anyone had made it through the door. She spotted a mop of blonde hair and quickly ran to the front of the store.

"Oh, Aidou-kun, just on time… wait, why are you on the floor?"

He immediately picked himself off the ground (for the second time that day), giving a shaky grin. "Ah, I kind of tripped. That's all."

She nodded in understanding, leading the blonde vampire to the spacious storage room. A certain silver-haired hunter glared at him but otherwise left him alone, continuing to write down stock numbers on his clipboard.

"Anyway, here's your uniform. It's a bit strange though… you didn't have to dress up. Wasn't it really hot outside?"

"I just wanted to give a good first impression. And I'm able to control ice, so I didn't get hot at all." The vampire said, crossing his fingers behind his back.

"Oh, that makes a lot of sense. Well, I'm glad that you care enough about the job to want to make a good impression! You seem nice, Aidou-kun!" She gave him a large smile, cinnamon eyes gentle and soft.

Wow. It almost made him feel bad about lying.

He tied on the green apron (which he was silently grateful about, since he had spent more money than he was proud of on getting presentable clothing) before walking towards the stoic, silver-haired hunter. The amethyst-eyed man glanced from his clipboard, frowning as the noble approached.

"What do you want, vampire?" He growled out, placing the clipboard on a stack of boxes.

Aidou had to bite his tongue to stop himself from retorting about the hunter's own secret. Instead, the blonde sighed, looking up at the vampire hunter wearily.

"Look, Kiriyuu. I don't care if you're a hunter. I don't care if you want to kill me. All I want is a job; so, could we try to work together?" Aidou held out a hand, forcing himself to grin.

Zero took it hesitantly… and used it to flip the vampire onto his back, successfully knocking the breath out of him.

"I should kill you now. Listen to me, vampire. I hate you. In fact, it would bring me nothing but happiness to take my gun, shove it in your mouth, and pull the trigger. But, Yuuki thinks you have some redeeming factors so for now… you're safe here. If you so much as look at Yuuki or Yori in a way that makes me think you want to drink their blood, you're a dead man, understand?"

The noble nodded dimly, picking himself off the floor (god damnit! That was the third time today!) to hobble over to the oblivious brunette who was struggling to reach a box on a high shelf.

"Need some help, Yuuki-chan?" He questioned happily, tapping the woman on her shoulder.

"Oh, thanks Aidou-kun! I was just trying to get an old vase that a woman requested. Do you think you could get it?"

"Of course!" The noble grabbed the box easily, placing it down on the floor before opening it to retrieve the vase. "Is this what you were looking for?"

"Yep! Thanks so much, Aidou-kun!" She patted his back happily, slender wrist just inches away from his mouth when she pulled back. Oh shit.

He had been in such a rush that morning that he'd not only forgotten to take his blood tablets but also forgot to bring them with him. Of freaking course.

"H-hey Yuuki-chan, why don't I bring the vase to the lady?"

The girl nodded in confirmation. "Alright, it will be your first 'test' as a new employee!" She pointed at him, face serious.

He took the vase and walked out of the storage room, closing the door behind him. He rested against the door, trying to control his breathing. First day on the job and he would be shot by Kiriyuu! He really didn't want to disappoint Yori and he chided himself for his general run of bad luck and stupidity.

"E-excuse me, did anyone order a vase?" He called out, trying to distract himself from his ever increasing bloodlust. Come on, Hanabusa. You only need to survive four more hours than you're done. You can do this!

A small voice called out, breaking his reverie. "Y-yes, I did. Thank you, sonny."

The noble bounded towards the female voice, coming to stop at an elderly woman who was wearing sunglasses and a long shawl. He felt something off about the woman but continued regardless, smiling brightly.

"Here you go, mam." He handed her the vase carefully.

"Ah, sorry to seem disrespectful, but isn't there a little brunette girl working here? I've been to the store a couple times you see and would love to talk to her." She said, serpentine fingers making their way to his hand, patting it gently. Aidou's eyes widened considerably. Her hand was ice cold.

She seemed to notice his change of demeanor and smiled at him, showcasing a row of razor sharp teeth. "Sonny, I think it's alright. I'll look for her on my own." She dropped the vase, allowing it to shatter onto the wooden floor. Loud cackles escaped her lips as she removed her shawl and sunglasses, revealing crimson eyes.

"Kid, I'm sorry you got wrapped up into this. But, I'm a vampire. And you're dead." She lunged at him, trying to get her fangs into the soft flesh of his neck. The blonde dodged her attack easily, wrapping one hand around the struggling Level-E. He cringed slightly as it felt akin to holding a slippery fish. She wiggled and growled in his grip, fangs gnashing at him as he let out a sigh.

"I'm already having a bad day. Regardless, I can't just let you take a bite out of my boss. So, could you do me a favor and… disappear!" The hand that was wrapped around her throat was soon encased in ice, sliding towards the Level-E. Ice ran up her neck to her face until she was frozen in a block of ice. Removing his hand, the noble created a sort of ice spear with his hand, piercing the vampire's heart in one swift movement. Almost immediately the ice crumbled away, leaving a pile of ash and water.

"Aidou-kun, I heard screaming and…" Yuuki stopped, looking down at the pile of ash.

"Was that—"

"A Level-E. I got her though, so everything should be fine." He bragged, crossing his arms. Heh, how about that Kiriyuu. I protected Yuuki this time—

"You shouldn't have made such a mess. Clean this up, now." The hunter who had just emerged from the storage room frowned, handing him a mop and a bucket.

"B-but I—"

"Clean. This. Up. Now." Zero glared at him, leaving no option to retort as he discreetly pushed his motioned towards the Bloody Rose in its holster.

Aidou gulped, immediately falling on the cleaning products before getting to work. Dimly, he realized his situation was something akin to bullying, which made him feel worse. Great. I'm a Level-B vampire and I have to take crap from some Level-D? Wouldn't mother be proud now…

Four hours later of cleaning, heavy lifting, and ignoring his bloodlust, Aidou nearly sprinted out of the store, shouting with glee. Besides disturbing the hordes of people on the street (not that he really cared anymore), he shifted through the crowds, making his way to the apartment complex. Fishing out his key, he stopped at apartment room 83. "Yori, I'm back. Are you home?" He called out, locking the door and dropping the keys on the kitchen counter. He quickly swallowed some blood tablets from the tin before settling into the chair.

A still pajama-clad girl emerged from the bedroom, auburn locks sticking up in all directions. She shuffled towards him sleepily. "Nice to see you, Aidou-kun. Today was my only break from college this week so I kind of slept the whole day."

"I can see that, you're hair is all messed up." He patted her head, ruffling her hair even more. She frowned but didn't stop his teasing. He couldn't help it. She looked so cute when she was sleepy.

"Anyway, you owe me for getting the job. Like seriously, it was Hell. And… I finally decided what I want."

"I never agreed to anything." She deadpanned, turning on the TV and sitting on the couch.

"Come on, Yori-chan. Please, it's nothing bad, promise!"

She turned her honey orbs towards him, sighing. "…Fine. What do you want?"

"A date!" He grinned, laughing at the girl's shocked expression.

"So… should I take that as a yes?"

A/N: Whoo! This chap was really fun to write :P Next time we'll get to see if Yori accepts his invitation or blatantly refuses it XD Anyway, I'll see you guys next chapter!

-Isis