Ok. Everyone just ignore the break i've had. Life hit me.

Thankies to all the lovely reviewers~! Kudos to you!

Warning to kiddies and newbs: This is going to be Yaoi. EVENTUALLY. You've got the green light on this chapter.

Disclaimer: IT IS MINE!!! MINE! I SWEAR. (Methinks the lady doth protest too much...)

"Ah. Thank-you, please take care of me."

Zero felt himself respond automatically with the traditional greeting, his lips jumping to cover the sudden floundering in his brain. He didn't bother thinking deeper into his words – indeed his senses were too busy screaming Kaname to really pick up on any unintended undertones or subtleties of the slight vocal interaction. Zero really hated it when his body reacted like this. Which, he grudgingly conceded, was all of the time. With supreme effort he wrenched his body out of its little side trip. Obey me you stupid traitorous thing.

Finding refuge in routine, Zero chose to ignore the now abashed and blushing Aido. He turned back to face Ichijou, who had tilted his head to the side, still smiling. The friendly noble was a little surprised by Zero's attitude. Seeing him like this, Takuma felt a little bad for expecting Zero to be the angsty teenager he'd have to baby-sit, and he had never heard Zero speak politely before. Even more surprising that it was directed at Kaname.

"Well, I'm sure we'll get along just fine. If you just follow me, I'll show you to your new room." Takuma turned to smile at Kaname and the others. "Class starts in an hour – I'm thinking breakfast would be an excellent idea. Shiki, save me an egg roll?"

Shiki murmured a yes, and with that Takuma moved off up the stairs, Zero in tow, and the rest of the Dorm breaking up and heading for the dining hall. Kaname let himself feel immensely relieved. No drama. Glass still in the windows, portraits still on the walls, doors still on their hinges. More importantly, no red eyes, no fangs, no screaming and no blood. Maybe he'd been a little too melodramatic earlier? Well, in the very least, it seemed Kiryuu had decided to behave himself today. Maybe it's beginner's nerves? Kaname couldn't help smirking as heturned and left to get his breakfast.

Zero was quietly impressed with his new room. There were two beds that he could see from his position in the doorway; one a deep green and the other a light yellow. Zero couldn't help stopping for a moment to grin at the sight that confronted him. Around the yellow bed was what could only be described as a bombshell. Clothes were thrown haphazardly all over the floor, underpants hanging off the side mirror, mismatched shoes clogging the bottom shelf of the bookcase, whose proper function seemed to have been reallocated to the tabletop, which caved under the great weight of many ancient tomes. The other side of the room was a total polar opposite. The strangeness of the contrast caused Zero some badly hidden bemusement.

The green bed was perfectly made, pillows fluffed and placed carefully atop the covers, which looked as though they'd been ironed that same morning. Beside the bed was a little rug with a pair of slippers on it, neatly set so that the bed's occupant would wake up and step straight out into them. The bedside table was clean and clear, aside from an old alarm clock and an Ipod. There was nothing else which suggested permanent residence.

Zero's eyes flicked from one side of the room to the other. Whoa. He could see that the mess of clothing stopped dead as it hit the center of the floor space. The effect was funny. Straight down the middle of the room, from the door to the window at the other end, was a clear divide. On one side, pristine polished floorboard, on the other; chaos.

"Ah!" Takuma pushed past him, rushing to pick up some socks and pants. "I'm sorry! I should have cleaned up a bit before you came in. Shiki and I didn't want to give you a bad first impression! It's just been so busy…." He trailed off when he noticed Zero wasn't listening, bending over to scoop a pile of indistinguishable items and throw them down the chute.

Zero decided that it was best to leave the mess alone. Keeping to the clean side of the room, he gave the place a thorough checking – he didn't shift through belongings, of course – with Ichijo in the room that seemed a little rude, but he swept it over with his eyes, looking for anything suspicious. A door on the cleaner end of things caught his eye. Oh…is that the en suite bathroom?

"Excuse me Ichijo-san, but may I open this door?" Zero figured it was best to stay polite, because if there was the slight possibility that Ichijou was the type of person who flicked like a switch, he didn't want to be the one that caught the brunt of it. Best to observe, and find out the easy way whether Ichijou was as friendly as he seemed.

"Eh?" Takuma sat up quickly from his position on the floor, reaching for an elusive purple sock. Zero had said something about opening a saw. What? Hang on, he might have said floor. Opening a floor? Takuma frowned and looked over to where Zero now stood by the bathroom, hoping to put the words in context. Ah. Most probably he said door. "Oh yes! Go ahead and open it. But it's nothing special – just a little bathroom."

"Yes, I thought so, but I'm just curious." Zero swung the door wide and stepped onto the tiles. It was indeed a bathroom, but he realized instantly that Ichijou's definition of 'small' was most people's 'big'. He eyed the spa, the shower, massive marble sink and bench top, and all the mirrors – which weren't really necessary – the room would still have been impressive without the added space illusions.

He ducked back out and moved to the middle of the room. Two beds, two desks, two wardrobes and two bookshelves. Two of everything. Zero felt that it was kind of obvious that one of everything was Shiki's and the other was Ichijou's. Had everyone totally forgotten that he was moving in? Or, as out of character as it sounded, was it just a rushed decision on Kaname's part? Where was he supposed to be sleeping? He voiced this last question to Ichijo.

"Well, as you've probably noticed, this room is a twin single. All the Moon Dorm rooms are set out this way, so we room in pairs." Takuma decided not to mention that Kaname had a room to himself. "We currently have full enrolment, so all the rooms are taken. However, as you are already enrolled, and the Chairman's son, we have an obligation to accept you. You're not a new student. So now you, me and Shiki are sharing this room – room 12 is the biggest."

Takuma walked over to the tidy green bed. "This arrangement is for now. The chairman has organized for the construction of a new wing. The builders have orders to concentrate on only one room and then build according to protocol. Once that room's done, you'll have it all to yourself." He fumbled around under the bed, finding and grabbing the thin timber frame and pulling it out. "For now, please use this trundle bed. If you dislike it terribly much, I'll swap with you."

Zero had been expecting something a little more awkward, but Ichijou's explanation was comprehensive and he found himself taking it in his stride. "It's fine. I don't mind these arrangements."

"Ok, that's great! If you're up to it, we have class shortly, and breakfast is being served as we speak. Just leave your stuff here, and we'll go down to eat with the others." Takuma couldn't pretend he wasn't relieved. He had grown quite fond of his own bed over the years, and knowing that Zero was accepting of the arrangements, mediocre as they were, made the day suddenly brighter – metaphorically speaking.

"Fine." Zero dumped his bag by the trundle bed and followed Ichijou out the door. A knot of apprehension sat somewhere in his stomach. Ichijou was seemed friendly enough, but he knew the others weren't so accepting of his transfer. Going down and joining vampires for breakfast seemed too carefree and lighthearted for someone who constantly death glared and pulled his gun on said beings. Zero wondered if he would come across as shallow, he certainly didn't seem to be sticking to his 'I hate vampires' attitude.

They went back down the staircase and took a brightly lit hallway to the right, following the humming drone of many voices. The tight feeling in Zero's gut intensified as he franticly thought through how to approach the upcoming situation. It was bound to be awkward. Zero knew he could avoid the socializing entirely – tell Ichijou he wanted to rest, or unpack or something, but it wouldn't help anything. So then maybe he should just be disgustingly polite? Or maybe be grouchy? Angsty? Shy? Pretend they were all friends and act the average joe?

Zero almost ran into Ichijou before noticing that they'd stopped in front of what was obviously the eatery. "This is the cafeteria. We eat here at the beginning and end of each school day. Weekends are optional, lunchtimes it's closed – so stock up while you can! Haha." Ichijou trailed off feeling somewhat stupid as his light joke was met with silence. Zero seemed to be the type that regularly zoned out – Shiki and Zero would get along great, he mused.

Zero was busy noticing that Ichijou seemed to be the type that continually understated things. The 'cafeteria' was a freaking five star, five course meal, gourmet restaurant! He let his eyes do a routine sweep of the dining hall, noting the suit-and-tie waiters, the gleam of crystal wine glasses and – what the hell, chandeliers? There were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling! Boy, if the day class knew about this…

And then Ichijou was leading him forward again, and Zero couldn't help but feel small and totally out of place. The eyes! Did they ever stop staring? The lull in conversation became more and more pronounced as they walked further inside, the soles of their shoes rapping smartly on the polished hardwood floor. And his senses flared again, screeching Kaname at him before he ruthlessly squashed them down. I got it, he's in the room. Thank-you pain in the ass body. Ichijou stopped at what seemed to be the smallest table in the room, obviously also the most exclusive, judging by the angry mutterings of the mob around them.

"Hey guys~! Zero – you just sit here…" Ichijou ushered Zero into an empty chair beside Kain before taking a seat himself on Zero's other side, "We've got Zero's stuff all tucked away upstairs; Kaname, he's content with the arrangements for now, Zero, eat whatever you want, and Shiki, do you have my egg roll?" Ichijou glanced expectantly at Shiki while the rest of the hall stared at him dazedly.

Shiki blinked twice before his brain caught up with the action. "Uhhhh…yeah. I got it." He passed the plate to a cheerfully smiling Kain who passed it to a bemused Zero who passed it to an apparently hungry Ichijou, who began eating the food so fast he was almost inhaling it through his nose.

The uncomfortable silence began to disappear in the clatter of cutlery and bubbling murmur of socializing vampires. Kain took it upon himself to start the conversation at their table. "So….what do you think of our …facilities?" he asked, reaching over Shiki to grab a bowl of rice.

Stuff it. Just be truthful Kiryuu. Zero opened his mouth to reply, "Well, I've noticed-"

Kain suddenly convulsed over the table, causing its contents to rattle alarmingly "AHH! Ok…that's just…ouchie…"

Zero noticed that no one even bothered to question what Kain thought he was doing. In fact, they weren't even looking at Kain. Aido had suddenly become extremely focused on his food, while everyone else had become extremely focused on Aido.

"So immature…" Rukia murmured, rolling her eyes. "Grow up Aido."

Zero glanced up, meeting Kaname's eyes before turned he answered Kain. "Right. Well, your 'facilities' make for good first impressions. I've noticed Ichijou-kun likes to devalue them – the 'small bathroom' and 'cafeteria' – if you think you're living it rough, you should spend a night in the Sun Dorms. Gain a new appreciation of your humble abode."

"Oh yeah, he does do that." Shiki smiled at Ichijou.

"It's one of his quirks. Never listen to a word that comes out of his mouth – everything's either exaggerated or minimized. He's a liar!" Kain added, leaning forward to point his fork accusingly at Ichijou. "You sir, are a liar!"

Ichijou made a show of widening his eyes and raising his hands above his head. "Isshh all muminten…shioll!" He swallowed. "I swear!"

A chucked went round. "Say that again Ichijou?" Kaname said with a quirk of his lips.

"I said, it's all unintentional, I swear."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Damn. You seemed more interesting when I thought you said: I swore at the principal. I swear!"

Kain snorted into his rice and begun to choke. Rima extracted herself from her chair and came around to thump him on the back.

"Heh. That would make my day." She sighed. "Sometimes the perpetually happy lunatic grin on Cross's face just makes me want to strangle him…"

"Tell me about it!" Rukia said, throwing up her hands with a groan. And with that Zero watched the breakfast conversation disintegrate into a happy 30 minutes of Cross-bashing.

At the end of the day, as he lay on his trundle bed (truthfully it was sort of uncomfortable and lumpy) Zero would remember the day as a fast paced blur. It had been one of those days that just carried you with it – the ones where it felt like you were watching a movie and it wasn't your life that was happening. Class had been advanced, but the teacher had still managed to project a formal monotone, which had Zero off with the fairies in minutes. Then lunch break was filled with the formalities of schedules and class timetables. Was he going to take advanced Latin? Did he realize that Ancient Vampiric History and Nuclear Physics were on the same line? And then, when the classes were done, Ichijou had dragged him back to their room and pilled his arms full of shoujo manga. He ended up reading Sailor Moon with Ichijou on Shiki's crisp green sheets until lights out.

He rolled onto his side to glance at the clock on the floor beside the bed. Six am, he thought blearily, Yuuki's probably swearing at her alarm clock right now.

And that was the last thought that went though his head before it dropped back onto the pillow.

****************

A sharp rap to the head woke Zero from his dreams.

"Oi! Dude, time for practice! Mitzuki-Taichou is going to make you run laps." The familiar voice floated somewhere above him.

Zero groaned and pulled the pillow over his head, only to have his blanket yanked out of his grip. An ice cold chill crept across the exposed skin. "What the hell? Takagi, I changed classes, remember?" Zero groaned again, struggling to sit up. He froze.

Oh crap. Please no, not right now…

"No man, Taichou asked the Chairman if your class change affected extra-curricular activities, and he said no. So you're still on the team. Pretty awesome, huh? I was kinda worried."

"That's great. But um, could you just step outside for a bit?" Zero tried to make it sound as normal as possible. "I'll be with you in a tick."

Takagi smirked down at him. "Oh? What's to hide?" He leered down at Zero, taking care to rake his eyes down Zero's body.

Zero blushed. "Dude! Get lost!"

"Its morning mate, greet the new day~!" A pillow went flying and caught him on the shoulder. "Yeah yeah. I'm going!" Takagi took cares to slam the door as he walked out.

"Damn it…" Zero cursed as he threw his legs over the side. The throb between his legs was starting to get painful. What had he been thinking about? A dream maybe? He fought to remember.

"Morning Zero."

Zero spun around to see a sleepy figure sitting up in bed, "Ichijou-kun? I…oh jeez, sorry about that, we've only been asleep for what? An hour?"

"Nah. It's ok." Ichijou smiled. "Do you play a sport or something?"

"I'm kinda on the Day Class soccer team. We practice once a week on Monday morning." Zero stood very still, hoping that Ichijou would drop the topic and go back to sleep so he could take care of it.

"Sounds fun, can Kaname and I come and watch next time?"

Zero froze again as the tent in his boxer shorts twitched in appreciation. Kaname?! Please don't tell me I dreamed that dream again… He began to rummage through his suitcase for his soccer gear, keeping his back to Ichijou the whole time. "Yeah sure…"

"Cool. And Zero?" Ichijou smiled at the back of Zero's head.

Zero looked over his shoulder, "Yeah?"

"Everyone conscious person in this building heard our conversation. They'll hear every second of whatever you do next sooo... I suggest a cold shower." Ichijou shot Zero a 100 watt grin before falling back against his pillows. "Night night!"

Zero glared at the lump in the bed. "Right. Thanks for letting me know." With that he stomped across to the bathroom and slammed the door.

MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU LOT!!!

REVIEW, and also tell me what they eat in Japan....

IMPORTANT!!! Someone please tell me the name of that Day class guy who's on this page: .com/manga/vampire_ The guy in the top right corner! I can't for the life of me think of his name....T- something??