Change of Heart

by Miarath

I planned it to be in the same AU as 'Where the Tiger Lilies grow' and 'Darkest Salvation' were but I got carried away --

and well, now, they're only loosely connected.

Oh, yes, it's a crossover with X-Men the movie, well sort of.

It's AU in that way that I mixed part movie and part comics. Timeline for VK is at the end or shortly after the end of volume four
but some things happened differently. So, this is AU for volume five.

Pairings: It's mostly about Yuki x Zero. There are some others but you've got to find out by yourself. ;-) Oh, I really like the love triangle, but that's all I give you as a hint. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own either Vampire Knight or X-Men, nor do I make I any profit with this one.
Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino and X-Men to Marvel I think.

That's all I'm saying.

And this little story is only for fun and nothing else.

So, on with the story and have fun!

Cold

It was an ordinary day with class as usually and I had, of course, my prefect duty to do but things were very different than they were supposed to be. At least that's how it felt to me.

I shivered and pulled my jacket closer for comfort. I was the same and -- Cross Academy looked as least on the outside the same as before but -- Zero was not.

It was scary, it really was. I mean he wasn't the same, hadn't been the same since days or is it already months? Yeah, I know Zero looks the same; he walks the same way as always but he didn't act like Zero, not like my Zero; and most important -- he's not by my side.

It feels like I've already lost him. Lost him somewhere between yesterday and today, then and now. I swallowed; I tried to swallow the sadness down, only partly succeeding but how could I when such a big part of myself was missing?

"I miss you." I murmured. "Zero, where are you?"

Before this thing happened he was closed up and sometimes really rude, but now? Now, it's like I don't know him anymore - and I hardly see him.

I saw him discussing something with Kaname-senpai, in a normal casual non-threatening way, which the old Zero would have never done so.

No, Zero really had changed and I had enough proof. One, he was not arguing with Kaname-senpai, neither was he glaring at him. Something I know, I had wished for before; for Zero and Kaname to go along, only I hadn't imaged it under such circumstances.

But there's more, he's smiling at Aido and Shiki, joking around with them, which the Zero I've known would've never done. True, at first he hadn't done this but it seemed that both Aido and Shiki could make him smile, something which filled me with a feeling of envy, jealousy? I didn't know but I knew that I had always longed to see him smile but I had wanted to be the one to make him smile, smile like he did now.

The Zero I've known, he had hated vampires with fervour and wouldn't laugh and smile with them. I shuddered. True, he's not ignoring me. Actually, he's a lot nicer to me than before. He's smiling at me too -- but he felt like a stranger now, someone I didn't know at all or how to act and talk to. The Zero I knew had been afraid that the vampire-side of his would devour him, which I think had happened in a way only not like we both had expected it for he hadn't turned Level E but he's certainly more vampire than before.

What happened to the Zero I knew?

No, I know what happened, but that makes it none the less scary to me.

The worst thing is the gaze he keeps giving Yagari-sensei every time during class change; it's chilling. I shivered unconsciously. I mean he had been his childhood sensei, hadn't he been? Zero had called him master after all but now he's calling him Yagari-sensei like the rest of us. No, it's not that he's showing any hatred towards him but he's so formal - so perfectly well mannered as you could only wish for. Zero's treating Yagari like a stranger, like he had never known him before, and Yagari-sensei did the same, I noticed.

It's like he had changed sides, hadn't he? More so, he had switched class. Something, I thought, he would never do on his own free will; at least not in this lifetime.

But he had -- and it's like he now truly had become one of them and wasn't struggling anymore but I couldn't be sure. His eyes, they still looked haunted whenever he thought nobody was looking. Grief, it's grief what I could see in his eyes and knowledge, I guess it was the latter which kept him away from me for most of the time; both, him and Kaname-senpai.

I shook my shoulders. "Forget it Yuki, you can't make it undone. You can't turn back time."

I sniffled, trying to keep tears from coming. "Why could I not simply turn back time?" I knew that was impossible but right now that was all I could be thinking about, to make it undone. It was foolish -- but it would make my world whole again … and return Zero to my side.

Well, I cannot, nobody can but this was all so unfair and Zero…

Zero, he was now wearing white, night class white.

"White … this had all begun with white, lively strong white but it became tainted by red until it was gone." I remembered the strangling dread of that night and shivered in response. No, that had not been the beginning but it had been the last drop, the one, which made the boat sink. Yes, I remember that night well, it was just two weeks ago but it felt like eternity to me.

Sometimes this felt like a dream, I wished it were to be a dream cause if it were a dream I could wake from it and find out that this never happened, but it wasn't a dream --

And wishes weren't horses, sadly.

"Yuki?" I heard a voice, calling me back from my dark thoughts.

I turned around. "It's Yori," I noticed and tried to smile a little, at least for her. She was looking like always. "No," I thought, "Yori hadn't changed." Yori was the same and by my side. I managed to smile thinking about this. There was still light even if it was small but it was there.

"Yes?" I reply. I barely recognized my own voice, for it was so weak.

"You okay?" She asked softly with her brows slightly raised in concern. Wonderful Yori, she was always there when I needed someone. She was a real friend, but should I burden her with this? My longing for something gone, my sadness, no, I thought, she didn't deserve this.

"Just peachy," I whispered. No, I couldn't bear lying to her. No, not about this in general, not this part where I didn't had to. Yori didn't answer though; no, instead she pulled me into a hug and I broke down. I finally managed to cry, cry tears I had caged so long but had been unable to cry. Suddenly all my strength had left me; left me weak and hurting in her arms.

So bad, my heart, it hurts so much, Yori.

"I am cold," I murmured. Why had everything become so cold, so distant? And Yori felt so good, so warm and comfortable. I don't know but it felt like I stayed for an eternity like this in Yori's arms but I finally let go.

"W-When did it all go so wrong, Yori?"

"I don't know, Yuki." I heard her whisper in return. "But it is a mad world, is it not?" I felt her running her hands through my, trying to sooth me. It helped, not much but it felt good.

"Yes, it is." I agreed. "Everyone's becoming mad Yori. How's this going to end?" I was not only hurting but scared too. "I'm scared … of this world."

"I-I know." Yori said slowly. Was there a tremble in her voice, too?

"Cause I'm too." She added with a little more fervour. "They're all crazy, Yuki. There's nothing else to call this… madness. They're all madmen … I'm terrified Yuki."

"They are … mad --" I replied and tried to smile but failed miserably. "And we can't do anything about it." I sighed in defeat but was angry with myself all of a sudden. There had to be something we could do! I know it must have shown on my face cause Yori gave me a curious glance but I simply shrugged it off. I couldn't help myself, how was I supposed to help others?

"It's okay, Yori. We …" I looked at my watch. Math was next, and we would need to hurry.

"Yori," I said a little louder, "we should hurry! We've class in five minutes."

"Oh! You're right. Wouldn't miss math." She agreed half joking and half seriously. Truly we had both too much of an issue with math that they could afford missing class.

"Then come on!"

We fell into a slight run and reached class just in time. Math was boring like usually but I managed to only doze off once, today. Actually, I was quite proud of it. I'm becoming better in this. In the past I usually ended up sleeping for most of his class, which the teacher didn't find amusing at all, naturally.

So, this was a good thing, after all? I mean since Zero left Day Class.

"Um, Yuki?" It was Yori again.

"Yes?" I replied slowly, looking up to Yori. I had left the building and leaned now against the fence, watching the horses on the other side grazing. On the other side was it, the place were riding class always was. I didn't felt like riding, not since that night but today there was no riding class, thankfully and I was off to my own thoughts.

"You're going to be all right?" She questioned.

"Yes, no. Ah, I just need some time." I replied and I know my voice must have sounded far away because of the way Yori was knitting her brows.

"Truly?"

"Yes, it's okay." I shook my head, feeling slightly annoyed but I put myself together. Yori didn't deserve anything but gratitude.

"I just need some time alone. That's all."

Yori gave me a long look-over and nodded finally. "Okay."

Yori had left and I was back to my thoughts. "This was Zero's favourite place," I thought dimly while giving the place a closer look. He had been right here when Lily bolted and thrown me up, right here. I've never seen him here again since that time nor had he been in the stables. Actually the latter was better this way because since that day something else has changed, something, which made the other horses shy away from him. This was new, too, for it hadn't happened before that day, strangely.

I was zoning out, I knew but I did nothing to stop it, could not. Maybe I wanted to remember it; maybe I needed to remember it. At least nobody had taken this from me, this memory. I smiled as I was being pulled back, a few months ago. A few months ago, everything had been okay until one morning something changed. Only, it had been something rather ordinary, which I never would have guessed to be the beginning of the end, in a way.

Zero and I had been invited to have breakfast with father like we he often did. We both loved these days because during breakfast father didn't have us trying out his newest creations of his cooking like on dinner. I mean, yes, he did mean it well but some of these things he had us eating were just weird. So, now I was already sitting at the table but I couldn't stop myself from glancing towards the window, or rather to the table next to it. The table had been empty yesterday but there stood a TV set now. Just a TV, but it felt so weirdly out of place here with all what happened the last few days back then. With that woman, this Shizuka Hio and these men, these vampires who wanted Zero dead for killing Shizuka, which I knew he wasn't guilty of. So, this was a nice exception in our strange life, something normal, something ordinary.

"Father…" I began but was interrupted by Zero, who'd just walked into the room and stared wide-eyed at the TV, just like I had minutes ago.

"Where did you get that?" That was so Zero, speaking things out loud like this - but I had wanted to ask the same thing actually.

"Oh, that?" Father answered with slightly raised brows and a mischievous glint in his eyes, gesturing towards the TV. "Yagari-san gave this to me, saying I need to know a little more about what's going on in our world." He walked over to it and took its remote control and walked back to us.

"Yagari-sensei did this?" Zero replied sounding even more surprised than he had been by seeing this here.

"Oh, yes, he did." Father chuckled and put it on, using the remote control in his right hand and shrugged. "Seriously, I think he just wants it here, so he can watch soccer." Father sat down and motioned towards the table. "But now, please sit down and let's enjoy breakfast, shall we?"

We sat there just like this, eating in silence with our eyes glued to this flickering and noisy thing. Okay, I was just as curious and interested as Zero and father but I thought father would be too conservative to have something like this during breakfast. I guess I was wrong. I glanced back at the TV and from there to father and back to Zero, who watched it with a very curious expression. He looked so cute then, I thought and chuckled.

"What?" Zero frowned at me, knitting his brows too. Um, when he did that his looks reminded me somehow of a cute little thundercloud, all dark silver, grumbling and a little bit scary.

"Um, nothing Zero." I tried to refrain from laughing out loud then; I really did but I guess I wasn't all that successful cause he continued staring at me.

"Zero?"

"You didn't just laugh about me, did you?" He whispered and stopped eating for a moment.

"Um…"

"You did. I knew it." He growled and went back to eating breakfast, concentrating deeply in eating his toast and inducing into tea trance, too; so in other words: ignoring me.

"But you were so cute." I muttered to myself but he turned and stared at me even more intensely. "Darn, he heard me," I thought; but now I couldn't look away, not from these eyes; I never could for they were so full of emotion. I think we must have stayed like this for a rather long while, not saying anything to each other.

I jerked around when someone tipped me on my shoulder, father. "Darn, what had just happened?" I wondered and I think we must have made a very strange face at that cause father gave us one of his strange little smiles, saying he knew more than we thought. What?

"Ah, it's just a TV, come do me a favour and stop these little childish games, would you?" Father interrupted us, reminding us to continue eating.

"Oh, yes." I answered and heard Zero murmuring a yes too, or something like that.

So, this was our first breakfast with us watching TV and it shouldn't be the last morning like this but the next few time father insisted of having it off, saying it would distract us from eating a proper breakfast.

So, I think Zero and I were more than a little surprised to find it on a few days later. I don't know what did make him do it, but I remember this one morning very clearly.

I shivered when I saw the news from the USA. "Mutants?" I thought; I'd have heard of this term somewhere before but I remembered it only dimly. I had more important things to deal with like keeping Night Class' secret secret. So, there were people with special abilities out there and they were talking about registering them. It sounded wrong; people shouldn't need to be registered, so wrong. People being different shouldn't be a reason to hate them; yet … they obviously did.

"Father?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, my Yuki-chan?" He replied with a soft smile.

"Why do they need a cure?" I asked the next best thing that came into my mind. "They weren't looking ill. Father?" No, the people shown on TV looked healthy enough even if most of them were looking a little strange.

"Yuki," he said softly and sighed. "Think of it, how would you feel if you were suddenly different from anybody else?"

"Afraid, I guess I would be afraid, afraid of being shunned by my friends." I answered his question and sighed. "But I am not exactly normal. I mean most of my friends aren't too. I doubt they would be freaked out if I were one, a mutant I mean."

He chuckled warmly. "I guess that's right. But Yuki-chan, you answered your own question."

"They are afraid, aren't they? Afraid of others being afraid of them." I murmured thoughtfully.

"Yes, you're right … and fear leads to anger…" He mused.

"And anger to hatred. I know, Yoda, I know. I've watched that movie at least a dozen times." I snorted, feeling slightly annoyed by his antics. Father was sometimes such a child but I love him and it was cute, sometimes.

"But it's true, Yuki-chan. It's real wisdom."

"Yeah, I guess it is." I agreed, knowing that he wouldn't accept anything less when he was like this.

"And it's definitely enough for today." Father replied and turned the TV off. "I have some office work to do, Yuki-chan. I'll see you two later." He smiled and left us alone.

"He's right you know, Yuki." Zero said to me, between bites of his toast. "Everything that has even the possibility of being more powerful than them will make the mob cry for blood." He smirked a little at his last word. But I could see he had been thinking about these recent events too. "But they're wrong about them. I mean, even if some of them are dangerous they aren't monsters unlike …" He trembled and went silent.

"Unlike vampires?" He stared at me for a moment then nodded.

"Unlike vampires they don't need to drink peoples blood. They aren't … predators, beasts." His voice sounded suddenly so forlorn. Oh, Zero.

"You're not a beast, Zero!" I protested and swallowed down a lump. "And you're wrong about vampires in general, too."

"Am I not!" He objected and pouted at me. In return I poked him into the ribs. Zero could be such thickhead most of the time. I pulled him closer, holding his jacket by its revers that he had to look into my eyes.

"I won't give up on you, not ever. So please stop this … this… You're not a monster, Zero!"

Zero sighed. "But I feel like one, Yuki. I did this." He gestured towards my neck, where I wore a plaster now. Zero had been right the bandage had been too noticeable and the plaster almost disappeared beneath my blouse.

"Zero? Please trust me in this. You are not a monster, ever!" I said very seriously, speaking every word loudly and slowly. I hoped he would understand eventually.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I am sure Zero." I smiled at this. Why had he to be always like this? But that was just Zero and then my heart skipped a beat -- cause I caught him smiling, that cute half-smile of his. He looked gorgeous when he did that and right now he was giving me one of his best.

"Zero," I whispered.

"Yuki, thank you."

I just smiled back just then. "Come lets do what father suggested. It's almost time for class."

"Sure."

We sat in silence for another moment or two, just like this. Somehow, I was reluctant to let go of him; just like he would slip away if I let go, silly me.

"I doubt this will happen to vampires, Yuki." He said suddenly.

"What?"

"I said that this, thing what it's happening to mutants won't happen to vampires. At least I'm quite sure about this. Vampires have been hidden from humanity for what, thousands of years, haven't they? I doubt they would be found out so easily." He smirked at the last sentence.

"I hope you're right," I said, nodding thoughtfully. "It won't be pleasurable if it would happen." I shuddered slightly. No, I prayed it would never come to this.

"You can say that again." He swallowed uneasily for a moment. "Yuki, I might hate them but I'm not that foolish." He gave my hand a pad and looked up to the clock on the right wall. "Let's eat up."

I stifled a yawn and nodded. Zero was right; we should finish breakfast. I was still hungry and there was little time left until we had to go to class. I sat down again and went back to breakfast.

We went to class and ended in detention once again, for being late and sleeping during class.

Other than that everything was normal - as usual.

Then there was another news report on the other day. I had just come back from class and intended to grab something to eat before I started my duty as prefect. This time it was from the US senate, they were debating about mutant laws and if and how they could control them. And worse they actually were debating on using this cure to defend against mutants.

This time I stopped eating. I wasn't hungry anymore. A government, which was seriously debating something that sounded more like a witch-hunt than anything else to me, that couldn't be a good one. "They're really serious about this," I wondered.

I swallowed. They have mutants - and we vampires. The latter still unknown to the public, but what… I couldn't help to remember the things father had said about the war between vampires and humans. There wasn't one right now, but if people from the Hunter Association changed their minds after seeing this? I trembled; no, I didn't wanted to think of this but it kept my thoughts spinning.

"What happens if this…?" I pointed towards the TV. "If this happens to vampires?" I pointed out, suddenly overwhelmed by the dread of this thought.

Father swallowed and sighed. "It won't happen Yuki. Believe me, vampires have been hidden far longer then these … mutants and they are better at it, too."

"But what if it does?" I couldn't help but feel worried. I didn't want my home to become a battlefield. Who sane person would like that?

"Then we fight." He said grimly. "I won't let my dream of peace being destroyed, by anyone."

I hardly recognized him, for I mean he was usually kind and softhearted and I could hardly believe he had been really a hunter once upon a time. But he had been and moments like this made me remember it. There was a core of steel under all his fluffy softness.

So, that was that about mutants - and least that was I had thought then.

And no it's not that I had never heard about them, but we are rather far off from the world here at Cross Academy and things far away do slip easily out of our thoughts. I guess that's what father had in mind, to keep us away from too much publicity but it made us also more than a bit coddled up. I had never thought of Cross Academy this way, but it was kind of an ivory tower for us.

So, I think I was a little bit shocked when I came to father's office the next day and heard a voice that was not his; a voice I never had heard before.

Father wasn't alone.

"You'd better keep her safe, Kurosu-san." I heard; the voice was really blunt and had a slight foreign accent to it.

"She'll be safe." Father reassured, but I could hear a slight anxiety in his voice as he raised his voice to ask for his visitor's name.

"Logan-san is enough." The voice grumbled. It was definitely a man's voice.

He didn't sound like anyone I had ever heard before - and he spoke Japanese very fluently although with a rather odd accent. I couldn't place it; it sounded ancient. More like someone out of our history books would speak than an actual living person. I noticed it also being very rough.

No, this wasn't a person I ever wanted to cross whatsoever. Judging by his voice, he was no one you'd wish for your enemy. I don't know exactly why, but I kept still and didn't enter father's office, curiosity possible. Instead I leaned against the wall and continued listening.

"Logan!" A third voice objected, a girl. "Stop talking as if I'm not here."

"Whatever." He muttered in return, followed by a grunt of pain or annoyance. The girl must have slapped him or something, hard.

"I still don't know what Chuck thought of sending you here, Rogue."

"Ah, I think he knew, I just need some space, Logan." The girl muttered. "And he knew that I wanted to see the world, travelling, you know."

"Yeah, sure."

"And it's Marie now." She added slightly snappish.

"Whatever."

"Ehm?" Father interrupted. I could almost see his raised eyebrows. I was suddenly squirming. Oh, yes I was dying of curiosity then.

"Oh, all right." Logan acknowledged and swallowed. "Right, and you can come in, too."

I froze in space. He had opened the door and was looking directly at me, fixating me with his grey eyes. Who was this man that he could look through half closed doors or how did he knew I was here?

"Yep, you girl, you can come in." He repeated his words and it was clearly an order. An order I didn't feel like disobeying. "No," I shivered slightly. This man was almost as scary as any vampire I have seen before. So I walked slowly into the office, not quite knowing what was awaiting me.

"Yuki?" Father asked and sighed. "Logan-san, Marie-san this is my daughter Yuki-san."

"Logan-sama, Marie-san?" I nodded; father hadn't said anything about her surname so I went with Marie. She was bit taller than me and she was looking older, too. "It's her eyes," I thought. "It's like she'd seen too much already." I took another look, yes, I'd seen right there were bangs of white in her hair but she couldn't be much older than me.

"It's Logan-san." He muttered.

"All right," I agreed; what else could I do?

"Yuki-san, Marie-san here is joining you in class." Father explained. "She will be staying as transfer student for a few month'."

"So, you're a transfer student?" I asked, now even more curious. "What'll you be, Day Class or Night Class?" I couldn't help wishing she would be Day Class, for somehow I felt like I could like her and if she'd be Night Class there would be little time to talk. Besides we didn't need another vampire, as we had enough to do as it was. The ones we have were hard enough to keep in check. Ehem, I'm beginning to think like Zero - but it was true, at least partly. Well, it was mostly because of Aido-senpai and Kain-senpai that we had so much to do.

"Day Class, Yuki-chan." Father was smiling - no wait he was beaming. "She's going to join Day Class."

I sighed with relief. "At least something normal for a change." I thought and remembered that he had asked for me to visit his office, earlier.

"You wanted to speak me, headmaster?"

"Ah, yes I do. Well, it was about this." He gestured towards this girl, Marie. "I want you to give her a short introduction into Cross Academy. The basics, you know?" He gave me one of his serious looks. I knew then that there was something not so quite normal to come than I had first thought. This is important to him.

"That's all?" I couldn't help smiling feeling happy for his trust in me.

"Yep, Yuki-chan, it is." Father returned my smile, grinning but turned serious after another moment. "Yuki?"

"Yes, headmaster?" I asked, feeling now even more curious about this new event. What did father really want me to do?

"You have permission to tell Marie-san as much you think is necessary." He was smiling innocently at me, like usual. What? That was unheard of, I mean my and Zero's job was it to keep the Night Class' secret as hidden as possible - and now this?

"Yes, my Yuki-chan you heard me right. It'll be okay." He nodded again and turned his attention back to the other man, Logan, continuing their talk.

I guessed it was time to leave and turned towards Marie. "Come this way, Marie-san," I said to her, noticing her startled look of having to actually to stay here. "Did she not want to come her?" I wondered briefly for a few minutes ago she seemed to be excited about being here but now she was wearing a deep frown on her face. Cross Academy was a school of high quality and state, an elite school, so what was wrong?

"Rogue?"

"Yeah?" Marie turned around to face her friend, father or what ever he was to her.

"Stay away from Night Class." It was an order. Did he suspect something about Night Class? Strange man this Logan-sama; he did look like some ancient warrior in modern clothing or a professional football player with all this muscles of his.

"Okay." I heard her reply. She didn't object or ask why but curiosity was clearly in her voice.

"Come, I'll show you where're you'll be staying." I lead her out of our main building. "It's over there, Marie-san." I gestured to the building on the left side. "Moon Dormitory is on the other side and before you ask, no, it's off limits to day class students." I gave her a serious look to make sure she understood the latter.

Marie-san nodded at these. "So, you're the headmaster's daughter? It must be rather cool, isn't it?" She asked while looking around with a strange expression on her face.

I guess Cross Academy must be looking rather imposing to outsiders with its old architecture. Father said that it had been build after the plans of a European architect, though I didn't remember his name.

I chuckled and nodded. "Well, he's my adoptive father and I guess it should." I sighed. It surely was, I mean being his daughter and prefect to Cross Academy was sometimes not easy.

"We're almost there." I opened the door to main hall of Sun Dormitory. "Here, it's upstairs. Boys' dorm is to other side." I led her to the first story. "But no, it's entirely cool. Sometimes it's quite tiring as I have lots to do as prefect."

"Prefect," she repeated slowly. I could see her frowning at the term. "Has that anything to do with this Night Class thingy?"

"Hmm, yes I guess it has." I answered hesitatingly. I wasn't sure what I should tell her. Father had said it was okay but he had also said only as much as needed.

"I and my adoptive brother, Zero, are responsible that everything's running smoothly between Day and Night Class." I explained after a tense moment of quietness. She didn't say anything in return. I guess she was thinking about what I said and maybe about what that friend of hers had said, too. "We're responsible to make sure anybody keeps playing by the rules."

"Rules?"

"Yep, rules. One of them is not leaving dorm at night for day class students. Keep that in mind Marie-san, as it's the most important one." I explained in a quiet serious voice.

Marie gave me a puzzled look but nodded. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

"Here, Marie-san, this is your room. Clothing has already been taken care of, as I know father." I opened the door to show it to her. It was a nice room, not luxurious but spacey and comfortable as all the other rooms were. It had a great sight at the riding ground and one could see bits and pieces of the lake when the weather was clear enough.

"Hmm, Yuki," she muttered and tipped me on the shoulder.

"Yes?" I turned around to face her.

"Am I going to have any roommates?" She asked finally. I thought I heard a slight tinge of fear in her voice. Of what was she afraid?

I shook my head. "No, there are none right now."

"But there might be, in the future? Doesn't it?"

"Yes, I guess. Why is that an issue?" I couldn't help my curiosity then. She looked both happy and unhappy about this.

She swallowed and shook her head. "Nah, it won't."

I let it be cause I could feel her unease. She was afraid of having a friend but from what I could see she could clearly use one. Then I decided I would be a friend to her. I really liked Marie-san besides her being a little odd, but after all my life was odd enough; so I didn't mind.

"You want go to sleep now?" I asked, noting how tired she looked. She must have had a tiring flight.

"Ahm, that sounds like a good idea, Yuki." She yawed and swallowed. "Can I call you Yuki? I'm feeling kind of funny having to use all theses honorifics all the time. Do you mind?"

"It'll be all right … but than would like me to call you Marie, too?" I'm not sure Marie knew it then but asking what she did, was asking me to be her friend. Well, I'd gladly oblige.

"Oh, yes, that would be nice." Marie smiled at this. "And yes I'd like to be you're friend, too."

"You know?"

"Yes, I do … but it feels strange to me, still." She nodded and grinned. "And I'd really would like you to be my friend, you know. Remember, I don't know anyone here but you, right now."

"Okay, I'd like to be your friend, too, Marie." I smiled back at gave her a slight slap to the shoulder. Marie jerked away from me at this. What was wrong?

She swallowed then sighed. "It's okay Yuki, just habit, sorry."

"So, good night, Marie."

"Good night, Yuki."

Please review for I'd like to hear your thoughts about this.

Well, it helps me writing, too.