Title: Insomnia

Pairing(s): Shiki/Rima, Kain/Ruka

Date: 7/25/08

Words: 507

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Sometimes Rima can't sleep. She gets up in her pajamas and opens the door, and sneaks down into Shiki's room. He's always awake when she gets there, and she snuggles in beside him, and falls asleep. He waits until she's definitely gone, then puts an arm around her shoulders and pillows his head on her hair.

She wakes up this way.

She likes it.

For the past two months she hasn't had any trouble sleeping, but she goes anyways. He knows this, and he really doesn't mind.

A week ago Rima passed Ruka on her way to Shiki's room. The older girl stands, unmoving, in front of the next door. She says nothing.

"Shiki," she whispers that night. "Who's next door?"

"Kain and Aidou," he replies, then smoothes her hair. "Go to sleep."

Rima sees Ruka standing there every night. She is gone by the time Rima sneaks back to her own room at twilight, but she's always standing there the next morning. The brunette is suddenly vacant and failing in class, and Rima thinks, she must stand there all day. Rima never hears the door open, not once. She does, however, always hear movement inside the room, someone sitting up and staying that way.

She doesn't understand why Ruka doesn't knock.

"Why are you up?" she asks her friend one time, on her journey to Shiki's.

"I have nightmares," Ruka replies.

"Why don't you go in?"

Ruka does not say anything, and Rima does not question any further.

She hears footsteps that night, because someone is leaning on the other side of the door. A fraction of a second later, Ruka runs away. She asks Shiki, and Shiki shrugs.

"It's Kain," he replies, "Go to sleep."

She feels bad for Ruka, because the one she worships is so far away, and the one who loves her, she is too frightened to go to.

One night she does not see Ruka. Curious, she knocks on the door.

An angry Hanabusa wrenches it open, and demands, "What?"

She peers in. She does not see anyone else, and she is surprised.

"Where's Kain?"

He shrugs. "Out, I guess."

She does not continue on to Shiki's that moment. Instead, she turns around and heads back to her own room, and wonders how she did not notice the tall boy sitting against Ruka's doorframe, eyes closed.

"Kain," Rima pokes him. "What are you doing?"

"Ruka can't sleep," he says. "It's better this way."

"Why don't you go in?" she asks.

He thinks for a second, then replies, "Because she doesn't," and closes his eyes again.

Rima sojourns back to Shiki's room, and tells him all about it. The black-haired boy shrugs when she asks him why Kain does that.

"It's love," he replies. "Go to sleep."

She obeys, pressing her body against Shiki's, and wonders if they'll ever have something like that. She feels his hand on her head, waiting for her to float into unconsciousness.

Before she falls asleep she suddenly understands that hers is better, because she can go inside.

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Review, please!