Just like their last class Chikaze had ushered them to a different location than the classroom. And this time, they had left school grounds, all of them sitting on a bus that chugged and bounced along down the street. The windows of the bus had been covered mostly so they couldn’t see outside, save the driver’s window and door to let students in, so there was enough light to see things clearly. As she addressed them at the front of the bus, they all had curious and confused looks.

  “Today’s lesson will involve the art of balance,” she said standing with relative ease as the bus bounced. Vincent wondered how she was not having to shift her weight as it seemed, at least to him, difficult to stand without holding onto anything as the bus jerked this way and that.

  She moved to the front of the bus, and even with intermittent bouts of acceleration followed by some abrupt stops and jerks, she never once checked her balance, grabbed onto any of the seats, or raised her hands to help keep herself upright. It was kind of amazing to see her glide along as if the random movements of the bus had no effect on her. Perhaps she was using her Kindred Gryphon Child abilities of the Cyclones to manipulate air to help keep her upright that Mr. B had mentioned in class the other day.

  She spun on her heel and looked to each of them as she spoke in her soft and alluring voice that was like a lullaby but strong enough to be heard clearly. “Each of you will come up to the front of the bus and walk down the aisle till you reach the back. Then turn, and doing your best to not fall, return to the front.” She then moved from the front, walking down the aisle in a demonstration, gliding along as the bus accelerated, made a turn, stopped, bounced some, and was random in its movements. “The only rule is that you cannot use your hands to touch anything, or stop yourself from falling.” She made it look so easy, so it couldn’t be all that hard, right? Then again, Vincent thought, she must be using her abilities to cheat or something because it probably was that difficult, which was the point of the lesson. “If you use your arms or hands to stop your fall, you will lose points.”

  She reached the back, elegantly turned on her heel again and faced them with an enigmatic smile, her perceptive purple eyes exuding a magnetic pull. She then, slowly and smoothly, without using her hands, took a seat, her eyes falling on Max which made him jump in place, a look of anxiousness on his face.

  “Y-you want me to go first?” he asked with a gulp as if this was the last thing he thought would happen.

  “Yes,” she said with a slight nod.

  “Ah, geeze,” he said, scratching the back of his head as he slowly stood on shaking feet. When he let go of the seat and made a move to step forward, the bus gave a jerk and sent him flying face-first into the back of the seat in front of him. This got a few giggles from everyone which made him glare at them all as he rubbed his face.

  “What happens if we lose?” Alacard asked, curious for the first time.

  This got a few looks from the others, because it was quite odd for Alacard to ask a question like this as he usually said some sort of wisecrack.

  “Your grade in this class,” she said, her eyes on Alacard, which made him shift uncomfortably as she seemed to have the same effect on all of them, “is dependent on how many points you have at the end.”

  Alacard nodded, his eyes fixed on hers, not a snidd or stupid comment, not anything except looking uncomfortable.

  “You begin with 10,000 points,” she said. “Each fall, or mistake you have, will lead to a loss of 10 points, which includes using your hands to save you from a fall.”

  “That don’t seem so bad,” Alacard said with a shrug.

  “It isn’t,” she said, small smile forming on her face. “As long as you don’t fall. But do not fret. If you lose points, there are ways to gain them back.” Vincent wasn’t sure, but that tone in her voice as she said that last part, and the flicker of her smile, made him think of devious things he didn’t want to imagine.

  With that, they all turned back to Max as stood at the front to begin his trial, his hands gripping either side of the seats. He shifted his weight from one foot to another, looking at the back. “Okay,” he said, trying to hype himself up. “Here goes.”

  He slowly lifted his hands and took his first step. The bus jerked, and he fell forward, stopping himself with a hand. “Yikes,” he said, reflexively jerking back and standing up straight, shaking his hand as if to remind himself not to use it. “Harder than it looks,” he wiped his brow with the back of his arm, then took a reluctant step forward.

  The bus bounced, and he went flying face-first into a seat, his arms flailing about, his legs pointing toward the ceiling. He scrambled about and awkwardly picked himself up, red spots on his face where he had rubbed against the chair. He stood for a moment, looking clueless as what to do, anxiety on his face. He thought for a moment, then moved in jerky steps toward the back in a rushed effort this time. As the bus turned again, he fell forward and was about to topple over the seat but stopped himself with his hands. He let out a little noise of frustration, pulling his hand back as if the seat was cold at the realization that he was losing points – tons of points. He stood there and gulped, keeping his weight even as he spread his legs and stared toward the back, a place that seemed so far, impossible to get to.

  He was about to move, but was cut off as Chikaze raised a hand to add some points. “Oh, if you fall and use your hands to stop yourself, you will lose 10 points. But if you choose to fall without the assistance of your hands and arms, you will not lose any points.”

  “That woulda been nice to know,” Max said with a frustrated rub of a hand through his hair. “I’ve only lost, like, what? 40 points already.” He stood his ground, his legs shaking as he addressed the teacher. “So, what you’re saying is if we take our falls like complete idiots, facing potential for pain and wounds, and even…” he gulped at this last thought. “Broken bones, we won’t lose points, just some pride and other things.”

  “Correct,” she said, raising a finger. “And the longer you hold onto a seat after using it to stop yourself, the more points I shall deduct from your total.”

  “That seems quite unfair,” Isabella said with frustration. “And inappropriate for adolescents that are students at a school.”

  “Lessons aren’t meant to be fair, Isabella,” Chikaze said with no expression. “And if appropriate is what you are looking for, I suggest you go mingle at a regular human school.”

  Was that a joke, some sort of mock toward her? She didn’t know. Instead, Isabella folded her arms in a huff as she leaned back in her seat.

  “Sounds about right,” Alexander said with a sly smile and a nod of his head. “The fairness of the lessons and all.”

  “I do love a challenge,” Mizuki said, sounding excited. The look on her face made Vincent think she really was a masochist. He gulped thinking about how he was going to achieve this task without losing points or experiencing pain.

  Max was a few paces from the back, sliding his foot forward, inch by inch, which wasn’t against the rules, right? He kept feet planted and slowly slid one forward, then after readjusting himself. He glanced outside to see what the bus was doing and cursed as he had forgotten the windows were covered. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he continued his slow-slide technique. It didn’t really help though, because as the bus came to an abrupt stop, he was thrown against another seat, slapping his hand down instinctively because he certainly didn’t want knock against the solid seats that were reinforced with metal, nor get another skin burn from rubbing against the rough material of the seat.

  “Curses,” he snarled as he lifted his hand and stumbled against the back door of the bus, falling down on his butt in a huff. “This is… stupid,” he said in a moment of frustration. Granted, he had made it to the back, so now all he had to do was… make it back up front. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he thought about his plan.

  He nodded, and let out a sigh, slowly standing to his feet, then strode forward. As the bus lurched again, his hip was pushed up against a seat, stopping him from fall, making it so he didn’t lose any points. He looked up and beamed as if this was some amazing skill when it was literally luck. He licked his lips as he eyed the front, holding himself steady against the seat with flexed leg and hip and body tensed, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down the side of his face, tickling him as it did. He wiped it away and stared at the front, imaging a beautiful busty woman in a bikini waiting to embrace. It helped, sorta, but not with the heat, which was most likely another ploy by their freaking teacher. Either she had instructed the driver to blast the heat or not have air conditioning running as the inside of the bus felt like a freaking tropical forest in the heat of wanning summer. He cursed and grumbled something incoherent and pushed forward, thinking to himself that it didn’t matter what happened, that he’d make it to the front without incident and be embraced by the bikini-clad beauty he had fantasized to keep him going. And… it worked, it actually worked.

  He had arrived at the front, and was blinking, thinking how in the world he had done it, imagining being hugged by the girl, her sweaty body against his, smelling of flowers and water, asking him to join her in the showers, and he melted with that thought, a silly smile crossing his face. Once he came back to reality, he jumped in place, giving fist pump of victory, then slipped and fell on his face as the others chuckled. Joke was on them, though, as he wouldn’t lose points for that one.

  “Nicely done, Max,” Chikaze said with a soft clap. “You may take a seat now.”

  She looked to the rest of them, her eyes falling on Alexander.

  “Guess that’s my cue, eh?” Alexander said, standing and moving to the front. He looked to the back and tilted his head, focusing on a spot in the back, then nodded. “Here goes.” He slid one hand into pocket and strode forward. The bus accelerated randomly, sending him face first into a seat. He twisted with the fall, moving into a sitting position. He nodded, as if expecting this, then stood and kept walking down the aisle.

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  Max glowered at this display of showmanship.

  Alexander continued toward the back just as the bus made a jerking turn, which sent him flying forward, and he smashed into a wall, tumbling over a seat with a loud grunt.

  Alacard chuckled at his display, a delighted smile on his face. Max seemed pleased as well.

  Alexander let out a groan, then slowly stood up, keeping hands in pockets the whole time, a red mark on his face from rubbing against the seat. It looked like it hurt, but he was focused as he continued onward.

  After a few slips and tumbles he made it to the back, then returned to the front without incident, sliding back into his original seat, sighing and nodding. He gave Chikaze a sly smile. “That suffice?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Alexander.”

  Chikaze’s eyes then fell on Alacard.

  He gave a little shrug and chuckled as he stood. “Time to show y’all how this is actually done.” He moved to the front and stood there for a moment as if developing a plan, then simply sauntered forward. The bus bounced over a speed bump which sent him stumbling right into Mizuki’s seat, his hands falling on her body in particular places that made her face go red.

  “Get off me,” she said with a flush, shoving and kicking him away. “The rules say no hands, jerk. That’s a loss of points.”

  She had knocked him into the seat across from her. He looked dazed for a moment as he sat there, back against the wall, stupid grin on his face as he wriggled his fingers in a delighted manner. “I may have lost points for using my hands, but it was a score for me.”

  She glowered at him, her fiery eyes blazing with fury, looking like she wanted to uppercut him.

  He gave a delicious smile and licked his lips, then stood and made it to the back without falling. As he made his way back to the front, the bus jerked and sent him flying into another seat which he used his hands to stop himself with.

  He stood with a frustrated grunt and quick motion, narrowed his eyes on the front of the bus and leapt through the air, his hair brushing the roof as he bounded across the aisle, landing at the front in a crouch.

  It was quite the impressive maneuver, maybe even elegant for such a rough individual.

  He turned and brushed himself off, giving a lazy smile. “Easy-peasy,” he said in a pleased manner.

  “Hey, that’s cheating,” Isabella said, jumping from her seat and pointing at him. “He didn’t walk back to the front.”

  “I appreciate your enthusiasm, Isabella,” Chikaze said. “But he did not break any of the rules I presented.”

  Isabella slumped in her seat, folding her arms with an angry growl, speaking under her breath. “We we’re supposed to walk from the front to the back. Dirty, rotten cheater.”

  “Well done, Alacard,” Chikaze said, motioning him back to his seat. “You may sit now.”

  “Thank you, Ma’am,” Alacard said in the politest manner possible as if he aimed to impress, broad smile on his face as he met Isabella’s angry eyes. “I aim to please.”

  Mizuki had been waiting for her chance, bouncing her leg in an anxious manner. She was furious at how Alacard had placed his hands upon her, so she jumped up and volunteered herself. “I want to go now.”

  “Very well,” Chikaze said, raising a hand in a motion toward the front.

  Mizuki stomped forward, then as she spun around, she gripped either side of the seats. She took a breath, removed her hands, and strode forward. While she stumbled here and there, struggling a bit as the bus turned several times and jerked to a stop once, she never actually fell or tripped over herself, as if she knew what she was doing, or was just that determined to show up Alacard. She did the whole routine without incident.

  She looked proud of herself with her flawless victory, playful grin crossing her face as she stared at a slack-jawed Alacard. “Try to beat that, sucker.”

  He shook his head, chuckling and raising his fingers as if to remind her of what they had explored a moment ago. When she went red and puffed her cheeks, sticking out her tongue and plopping down in frustrated manner, Alacard smiled with pleasure.

  “Excellent job, Mizuki,” Chikaze said with a light clap.

  “Some things I’m just smooth at, teacher,” she said, giving Alexander a wink.

  Alexander inclined his head in his own way of approval. Max was confused at how she had pulled it off, while also looking furious at her flirtatious ways with Alexander, and even how Alacard’s… hands were getting time with her. Why didn’t he think of falling on her like that? He’d have to figure out better strategies in the future.

  “It is your turn, Vincent,” Chikaze said, her eyes falling on him.

  He gulped and nodded, slowly moving to his feet before making his way to the front.

  He glanced over at Isabella and noticed she looked upset again as she gripped her seat, nails digging into the material. Was she really that mad about Alacard’s little stunt that she thought was cheating, or something else? He did notice she didn’t seem to like the teacher. But he also couldn’t figure out her moods. One minute she was mad, the next she was kind. Then again, she did know that he had a thing for her sister, so… it made sense she was angry. He rubbed the side of his neck, thinking about all these awkward things and how hard it was to navigate a social life. Ironic, really.

  While he had no clue about matters of the heart and attraction, he had to shake it off as he needed to focus on the task at hand. And how had Mizuki pulled it off so easily? The only thing that came to mind was the sway of her hips and bounce of her chest. Perhaps a large chest and the weight distribution made some sort of anchor for her to easily walk about without worrying about tripping or being flung somewhere. Which was totally inappropriate, even if it was a bit mesmerizing. How pathetic was he to think those sorts of things? He had to shake that off and focus – focus, Vincent!

  He certainly didn’t want to look like a fool, totally messing this up, so he took a deep breath and exhaled, thinking about the details. This was a lesson in balance, right? Which was actually quite difficult because while they could somewhat see where the bus was moving, it was fairly limited. The random, jerky movements of the bus when it turned, stopped, or accelerated, made it difficult to keep one’s balance because of the limited perception of being inside the bus. It was kinda like having a blindfold on. And it was doubly hard to keep one’s balance without the use of one’s hands or outstretched arms, which if he did that, it would be more likely he’d use his hands to stop a fall out of instinct. Perhaps the secret was, like in most things, about not worrying so much about it, and just letting the moment happen.

  So, perhaps he’d just do that. Walk forward, not thinking about it too much. Then again, there had to be some sort of strategy, right? It was a lesson after all, so there had to be a trick to it, a way to do it right, just like Mizuki had. Even so, even if it lost some points, the end goal was completing the task, so he’d focus on that.

  One thing was for sure: Chikaze and Mizuki both knew something the others hadn’t grasped. Perhaps it was something in their Kindred blood that gave them the ability to do it. Either way, he had to take his first step. So, why was he making such a big deal out of it?

  He felt his anxiety rise with the increase in his heartbeats as he looked toward the back of the bus, trying his best to ignore all the eyes on him. He didn’t want to lose points, but he also didn’t want to fall flat on his face, hurt himself, or look like an idiot falling. Granted, even if he did lose points, there were ways to gain them back, even if they were probably unbecoming, so perhaps he should just use his hands as leverage, and then learn the lesson later? Maybe just going with the movements, taking the fall and the pain, would be the best lesson there was? Decisions, decisions.

  “You can go anytime you wish, Vincent,” Chikaze said, which made him give a little start as he was thinking deeply, not realizing he had been standing there for a long, awkward moment.

  Vincent nodded and took a step forward, feeling the movement of the bus, thinking about his body and feet, but not thinking too much. As he moved forward, he felt as if he had figured something out. Then the bus jerked, and he went flying. He closed his eyes as he fell forward, his hands stopping his fall reflexively as a flashback of falling from the roof hit him.

  “That’s 10 points, chump,” Alacard said with glee.

  Quickly taking his hands off the seats, he corrected himself, and stepped forward a few more times, thinking that focusing on the back and hoping for the best would get him there. As the bus jerked unexpectedly, it sent him falling right into Isabella.

  He had closed his eyes once again, putting his hands out to stop himself, because he couldn’t just fall into her and touch something he wasn’t supposed to like Alacard did with Mizuki. If he did, Isabella would resent him forever, so he took the loss of points.

  “That was a close one,” he huffed out, opening his eyes. “Sorry about that, Issy.”

  Her cheeks ran red as their faces were several inches from each other. He noticed the rise and fall of her chest as if she was out of breath, perhaps surprised at him lurching at her like that, which he couldn’t really help. What would she think of this, what would she do? He held himself like that for a moment, and the scent of lemons and honey fell over him from being so close. The dark abyss of her eyes and the radiant red ringed irises pulled him forward, freezing him in position as he leaned over her, holding steady against the seat, and losing a ton of points. As she blinked and turned away from him in embarrassment, he was released from her grip, and he pushed off from the seat and made his final steps to the back, cursing himself for letting that happen.

  Crap. That really did it, he thought. It was intense, and he felt heat radiating from her in that moment of closeness, taking in her scent, and the first time he thought back on that moment, how she had looked, how close they were and… No. It was just a weird moment, nothing more. It didn’t mean he liked her or anything. But the way she had flushed, pulled back, become startled, it really made him want to pounce on her and… Okay, Vincent, back to reality. Let’s not go there.

  What mattered was that he had made it to the back in one piece. Okay, he thought as he did his best to loosen his body and look toward his final goal in the front and banish all thoughts of Isabella laying back, red-ringed irises staring up at him, the tempo of her rising and falling chest calling to him to continue onward, to lean into her and – Nope, focussss, Vincent. Focus. That was just his Beast Mind. She wasn’t some piece of meat, and he didn’t think of her that way, did he? No, certainly not. He looked up, let out a breath, and somehow made it back to the front without incident. Yes!

  He gave a little fist pump, not caring that Alacard was sneering at him.

  “Good job, Vincent,” Chikaze said before turning her eyes on Isabella. “Finally, we have Isabella.”

  And they all watched her as she stood and moved to the front, shifting nervously, but as she met eyes with Vincent, an anger flashed over her face as if remembering how he had embarrassed her a moment ago, and he couldn’t tell if she was upset, or something else.

  Either way, she stiffened and lifted her chin, confident and proud, then pushed off from the front, her strides smooth and light. While she stumbled once or twice, she didn’t fall. And after reaching the back without an error, she turned her nose in the air as if full of pride, then marched forward to the front without incident. Clearly, she knew the same thing Mizuki and their teacher did, or perhaps her anger had a way of making reality bend to her will. Maybe it was some sort of vampire ability. It made Vincent shiver as she had a scary elegance to her that reminded him of Alicia in a way.

  Isabella plopped down in her seat in an angry huff, turning to look out the window with her arms folded.

  “Well done, Isabella,” Chikaze said, looking pleased at the outcome. “Wonderful effort, everyone.” She glanced at the driver. “Driver, please take us back to the school. I thank you for your willingness to help out with this lesson.”

  The driver gave Chikaze a little tip of his black bus driver cap. As he turned back to face the front, his dark eyes and gaunt face passed by Vincent’s. Vincent shivered because the man reminded him of a skeleton, his skin was so taut to his face and his eyes looked dead. Vincent shook off the uneasy feeling, doing his best not to think about it, and the bus turned with a jerk and headed back to the school.

  .   .   .