She felt the blood, thick and satisfying, running warm into her mouth, over her teeth and tongue, as she drank deeply. The scent overpowered everything else, but the taste. Oh, god, the taste. Warm, the warmest thing she has had since ever, and that slightly bitter taste--indescribable. She could feel the erratic pulse of her victim becoming gradually slower and fainter as she held him even tighter in her embrace. Finally--she let him fall to the ground, resting in a heap on the cold grass, breathing shallowly.

“Let’s go.” she whispered to her darker companion, “The sun will soon be up.”

The other woman nodded, dropping her victim as well. “She’ll be waking up sometime soon, don’t you think?”

Dark blue eyes turned and seemed to be looking right at her, the woman’s blood red lips curled into a wide grin.

Suddenly, the two girls--the black haired beauty, and the other girl, who she had not gotten a good look at, her face was hidden by a shadow or a hood, or maybe it was because of the dream that she couldn‘t see her clearly?-- disappeared.

And then--

Kanna Nichibotsu opened her eyes.

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Light blue eyes stared at the ceiling--painted light blue as well, though she recently thought about changing it to orange. Maybe I will do it this weekend… after school lets out. Yeah, I’ll go get some orange… no red. Red and white… mix them together and… wait, that’s pink. Okay, okay. Red, white and yellow. That way I can make it the shade that I want it, not whatever shades the people at the hardware store want it…

She groaned, reaching over to press the ‘SNOOZE’ button on her alarm clock-- the bright red numbers read that it was only five-thirty in the morning. She didn’t have to get to school until seven-thirty. Although, since her brother was a big mean jerk and can’t drive me to school, I have to ride the damned bus… there are so many people on there, Kai, and none of them are even remotely nice to me and I can’t get through a whole four years of high school on this bus!

Of course, when she had mentioned this three years ago, at the dinner table, where her and her older brother were eating left over pizza from the night before--It was Kai’s night to make dinner, and he was even worse a cook than Kanna at that time--she had been a freshman in her high school, and had only been on the bus for a whole two days. She didn’t like them, they didn’t like her, and she was sick of being stared at all the time.

But then again, with her long, blood red hair, and bright, bright, and oh so deeply blue eyes, porcelain pale skin, and small stature, who wouldn’t stare at her? She knew that there weren’t many people around where she lived that had such pale skin and deeply red hair. Unless you counted her brother, but Kai’s hair wasn’t nearly as red as hers was, and his skin was much tanner--his eyes were green more than they were blue, and his he was far taller than Kanna was. Kanna was glad that her head reached his shoulder, now that she had gone through a growth spurt at the age of fifteen.

Anyway, Kai had said “No,” while pointing at her with his half-eaten reheated pepperoni and green pepper pizza, telling her that she “would have to deal with people that you don’t like no matter what, and getting used to it in high school isn’t the worst that could happen.”

Kanna had been forced to agree, then told to wash the dishes, do the laundry, and think of something to make for dinner the next day, seeing as he had already used up the last of the leftovers for the last three times he had to cook, and they were running out of food.

The alarm went off again and she opened her eyes once more, yawning widely. Five forty-five. She had to get up so she could get in the shower before Kai. She sat up and clicked the switch on the lamp next to her bed, turning the light on so she could see. She squinted in the bright light, spots of blue and green invading her vision and reminding her of her dream.

Just who were they? And why did that tall one look at me like that? She shook her head; now wasn’t the time to think such thoughts. She had to be ready to catch the bus by six thirty! She quickly threw the dark blue blanket that she had taken from her brother three years ago, off her body and stepped onto the floor of her bedroom. She rushed over to her closet and picked out a pair of jeans and an orange tank top before walking out of her bedroom door, knocking on the one across the hall.

“Kai, hey, Kai! Wake up!” She listened for a moment, not hearing any noise from her brother’s bedroom. “I’m getting in the shower, so… you better be up by the time I get out, ‘cuz I am not going to be late to school just to wake you up today!”

She waited a moment before turning and going down the hall to the bathroom. Opening the wooden door, she reached over to the right side and flicked the light switch. The room turned bright, making Kanna squint her eyes quickly. The light blue, pastel like color of the walls and the white of the porcelain sink and bathtub made a small smile appear on her face, for some reason that she hasn’t been able to figure out. It must just be those colors, and the calm that she feels when she sees them. Either way, she really loves the way that they make her feel.

Setting her clothes on the side of the sink and plugging in the light blue radio/CD player that was on the floor next to the sink and pressing ‘play,’ she closed the door and started undressing, tossing her clothing in a pile in front of the laundry basket before stepping into the shower and turning on the water. Mm…. So warm… she relaxed and ran her fingers languidly through her hair before deciding to wash it. She reached for the strawberry shampoo that she insisted that Kai buy for her, popped the cap open, and gasped as it slipped from her hand, landing on her foot. She bit her lip. “Ouch…” reaching down, she picked up the shampoo and rubbed her foot. It didn’t hurt that badly.

After washing, Kanna stayed in the shower, basking in the heat that came from the steam and the pounding water on her back. A knock came at the door.

“You better be on your way out of there! It’s almost six o’clock!”

Kanna’s eyes snapped open and she rinsed her hair again, making sure that the shampoo and conditioner were completely washed out of her hair, and then stepped out into the cold air of the bathroom. “Oh, I hope we have towels, Kai, or you’re so dead!” Kanna mumbled, opening the door to the cabinet where they kept towels. Luckily, there was just one more towel, and she would be the one to use it this time. The last time that they were down to one towel, which was only the day before, really, Kai had gotten the last towel and decided not to tell her that they were out. This had caused her to take a shower and then come out of the bathroom dripping wet and without a towel, ordering that he find her one immediately. That was another reason why she tried to get in the shower before him, other than the fact that he had a habit of being in there far too long and using up all of the hot water that she cherished so dearly.

Quickly drying off, having no time to spare and knowing that she should have gotten up a whole hour earlier so that she didn’t have to dry off in such an unbelievably uncomfortable way, she put on the clothes she had brought with her into the bathroom. Then, she glanced around for the light blue brush that she kept in the bathroom, knowing better than to attempt to use Kai’s green comb--last time she had done that, she had not eaten dinner in a week afterwards, and her hair had suffered, as well. She found it on top of the sink and quickly pulled it through her bright red locks before switching to her toothbrush and brushing her teeth. She decided against the makeup for the day, since she knew she only had a short while left to get ready, and her backpack still hadn’t been packed for the day.

“Kai! You need to do another load of towels--and I know that you have mostly all of them in your room. Don’t deny it!” she ran past the door to the kitchen and slid into her bedroom, glancing around for her messenger bag that she had all of her school stuff in. Picking it up, she quickly scanned through it, exchanged books, notebooks, folders, and binders until she had the correct supplies that she needed for the day.

“Kanna, do you even know what time it is?” her brother’s voice was exasperated. Kanna knew that he hated being woken up so early and then having to make sure his sister was on time for school every morning, when he didn’t need to be up for work until at least seven in the morning, compared to the five thirty that he was woken when she had to go to school every morning. That way she knew that he wouldn’t be late to work and she wouldn’t miss school. He leaned against her bedroom door’s frame with his arms crossed and a piece of buttered toast in his hand.

“Yes! I know what time it is!” she muttered, quickly grabbing her bright red and black portable CD player from the corner of her bed side table, and looked for the black and red ear buds that she knew had to be nearby. Finding them in the first drawer in the table, she also found a small case that held twenty-five Cd's. Grabbing that as well, Kanna stood and walked to the door, hoping she wasn’t forgetting anything.

Hesitating, she also grabbed the piece of toast from her brother, figuring that she might as well have something to eat. Even after living together, just the two of them, for as long as they have, they hadn’t developed any sort of skills, or at least involving cooking. Whenever Kanna had to cook, the meals were simple, and whatever was left over from that, would end up being the next night’s dinner. And usually, whatever was made wasn’t nearly enough to last her until lunch the next day. Obviously, her brother knew this, and wouldn’t hold it against her for too long. She had to be out of the house in… how many minutes? She glanced at the illuminated numbers on her alarm clock and nearly choked on the toast. She had to be out of here sometime very soon!

Where did all of my time go? she wondered, rushing out of her room and into the living room. She glanced again at the large digital clock hanging on the wall next to the door, hoping against hope that her own alarm clock was wrong; that somehow the numbers weren’t right, and that she had more time. When I woke up, I had plenty of time left and now I don’t have any! And why is my alarm clock five minutes early? She groaned and decided that she would just wait outside for the remainder of the time. Opening the door, she was hit with a cold blast of air. Or maybe…not…. Crap!

Turning around, her blue eyes wide, she called for Kai. “Do you have any clue where a hoodie is? Or a jacket or sweater or--” she heard the bus hissing to a stop in front of the house. Biting her lip, she decided that she might as well not go with one today. She could handle an hour in the cold, right? As she turned, something was thrown over her head, obscuring her vision.

“Take mine for the day. Just don’t get anything on it, or you’ll be washing it yourself, got it?” Her brother’s voice seemed stern, but was also somewhat amused as well.

Kanna nodded and grabbed the dark green sweater before whispering a quick “Thank you, Kai!” and running out the door, her black messenger bag slapping against her thigh as she ran into the cold autumn morning. Luckily, she had managed to remember to put on her sneakers, sometime between running into the living room and receiving Kai’s hooded sweater, which she held clutched to her chest as she ran up to the street. Glancing up at her bus driver, she waited for the sign that would tell her that she can cross the street. She didn’t ever complain about having to be told this, it was much easier than trying to see into the dark morning herself.

She walked up the steps and glanced at the bus driver. Okay… no sub. She looked quickly for an empty seat that she could sit in, and only found one in the third seat. She walked calmly to it and set her bag on the seat before sitting there herself, feeling the eyes of other students on her back. When she sat down and looked at the ones boring into her back, she only saw bored blue eyes staring back at her. Reminding her so much of the dream that she could not quite remember. Save for the deeply blue eyes that had pierced her soul in that one glance, and the sensations of her heart pounding in her chest as blood rushed in her ears. The eyes looked away and she was able to breath again.

Settling more comfortably in her seat, black bag on the seat, between her and the cold metal of the school bus, blue clothed knees propped up on the seat in front of her, slouching over a bit so that the only parts of her body really touching the seat of the bus was her shoulders, her lower back, and her shins. The skin of her arm met with the cold metal of the bus, and she shivered slightly at the cold. She remembered Kai’s hoodie, which she held over her stomach. She quickly put it on, feeling small as it was extremely loose fitting on her frame, and pulled the hood over her head. She placed both ear buds into her ears, making sure that they would not fall out so easily, before hitting the play button on her CD player.

Loud music blared in her ears, heavy guitars and drum, prominent bass line, and heartbreakingly beautiful vocals. The man’s voice varied in pitch, and sound as well. One moment he was singing in a sweet, melodic soprano like voice, and then the next, she was hearing growls and cries like nothing she had heard before. This song was heavy, she knew, and it wouldn’t--couldn’t--make an impression on somebody if it was sung straight through, if it was just sung, without the whispers, or the screaming, or the crying. Pure pain could be felt through the voice, even if she could not quite understand the lyrics--they were in a different language, after all, and she hadn’t begun to learn more than a few words in this one--the emotions in the voice surely carried through loud and clear.

Staring out the window of the bus, watching the familiar scenery flying by her in the dark, she let go of the current world--the world where it was only six forty-five on a Monday morning, and she was on a bus that hated her almost as much as she hated it, and she was going to school, where she hadn’t managed to fit in anywhere other than where those who weren’t good enough for anything else were--and let her eyelids droop until they closed, and her breathing was turning deeper and deeper, until the only thing that was known to her was the steady beat of the drums, and the harmony created by two guitars and a deep bass, and a clear and alluring voice, singing in her ears, only for her to hear.

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So, this is my currently-most-loved project. I've got two of them going at this time, but I've been working on this one the most. If anyone reads my other story, Perfectly Unperfect, then they may recognize some of the names that come up in this one. Mainly "Kanna Nichibotsu," "Yume Mikazuki," and perhaps "Kai." That is because these are three of the most-used characters that I have. (Well, Yume is actually my best friend's character, but I have permission to use her any time I want.) Kanna, for me, is a character that I love, and who can fit into many different roles, so she will often be used... even if her back story changes a bit.

I won't get into that here, I believe it can be found, along with many other things, on my profile. So, I will leave you with the first chapter of this story... and the title is only temporary, unless I can't find one that fits it. (Suggestions?)