Midnight Rose (Kaimaki vampire AU)

Chapter 10: Preparations

Planning has finally finished, preparations can finally begin.

After months of planning, the festival preparations are finally under way. Stalls have been built, now they just need to be set up properly. All the students worked hard to make sure that the stalls were set up according to plan. Plans had to be changed on the spot to make it work, but they seemed to still go smoothly all the same. Instead of wearing all their usual attire, they worse old clothes that they didn't mind getting dirty and covered in paint, and was more comfortable to work in the sudden heat of the day. Workers remained on sight to build a stage for any performances and speeches to take place during the festival. Most of the staff at Hope's Peak were around to help keep an eye on the students. Especially after the recent attacks that had suddenly propped up.

"Hey, Kaito. Could you get some fresh water please?" Shuichi asked, white paint smudging his cheek as he painted the front of the stall. Kaito nodded and grabbed an empty bucket that was beside him, carefully putting down his currently white paint. As he filled it up at the tap provided, he glanced around, briefly watching all the groups as they made their own stalls. His eyes suddenly fell upon one in particular. It was surrounded by potted plants and had a very familiar girl, wearing black jeans and an elbow sleeved red shirt, working on it. Kaito couldn't keep a smile from gracing his face. He had hoped to see Maki when he and Shuichi went to collect the roses that she had put aside for them as promised. The garden was empty, no one there at all. He was disappointed but figured that Maki was busy elsewhere.

Once the bucket was full enough, Kaito started walking over to Maki. He had been meaning to talk to her since the last time they spoke was that night after dinner, and that was a while ago now. Since then it had been harder to not think about her. No matter what he did or saw or felt, thoughts about Maki seemed to somehow sneak up on him. The problem was if it was because he was just fascinated by her, or (being the worse case scenario) his dark instincts were urging him to drink her blood. Since he had somewhat formed a friendship with her, he only hoped that it was just him wanting to be around her more.

"Momota." Maki greeted, sensing him behind her.

"So this is where you've been hiding?" He announced as he walked over to Maki. She turned around as he approached, a positive emotion dimly shining in her eyes. It seemed unintentional but Kaito couldn't stop himself from continuing to smile.

"Who says I was hiding?" She asked, brushing her hands free on any soil as Kaito placed the bucket next to him. No sense in holding it if he was going to speak to her. "The garden needs extra funds. I thought setting up a stall and selling the flowers would help." Kaito felt a little disappointed upon hearing that. The garden was stunning, he couldn't help but be in awe of it no matter how many times he sees it. It would be a shame to see all the hard work that Maki had put in it go to waste.

"That's not a bad idea, Maki Roll." He finally said, trying to find the right words at that moment.

"Maki Roll?" Maki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nickname I thought up for ya. Cool, right?" Kaito smiled, feeling proud of himself. Maki didn't respond, just rolled her eyes at his child like behaviour. She glanced around him, spotting the familiar plants that she was able to provide.

"I see that the roses haven't gone to waste." Maki said, turning the conversation in a different direction. She looked impressed that her hard work was going into something that seemed important.

"Yeah, they're perfect." Kaito smiled, pointing a white tipped thumb at the stall. Gonta currently had Kokichi on his shoulders, holding his legs to make sure the smaller boy didn't accidentally fall off, and Kaede was on a small step ladder. She and Kokichi had gloves on to protect their hands from the thorns as they cautiously placed the roses on the roof of the stall, using wire and tape to help keep them in place. "Do you need any help?" While it was clear that Maki was alright by herself, he didn't think that would hurt to ask. He was taught that a man should help a lady out or at least offer it.

"Thanks, but I can take care of it. Besides you've got your own stall to set up." Maki said, sounding grateful that Kaito had offered to help her. Kaito felt a little disappointed because he wanted to hang out with her more, but he decided not to show it. She was right after all about him needing to help the others right now. Maybe if there was extra time by the end of it all, he can catch up to her.

"I'll see you later then, Maki Roll." Kaito smiled, watching as Maki disappeared behind the flower stalls. Knowing that she might not reply back, he picked the bucket back up and returned to his stall. It was a slow progress, but Kaito could see that Maki was starting to open up more. It felt like a victory in a way. There's still a way to go however. And with how things are with Kaito being a vampire, it would be best to not go too fast, especially after the incident. He didn't want to rush things and end up hurting Maki. As Kaito rejoined his group he noticed two things. One was that somehow, as he was saying goodbye to Maki, Kokichi and Gonta had disappeared somewhere (hopefully not causing any trouble). Two was that Kaede and Shuchi was looking at him quite expectedly. He assumed that they got impatient or wondered what took him so long. He was ready to make up a story as to why he took a while, but Kaede had beaten him to it.

"I see you've made friends with Maki." She smiled, stepping down from the ladder.

"Is that a bad thing?" Kaito asked cautiously. No doubt the two had heard the rumour about Maki sleeping around by now. He trusted Shuichi not to believe it and he hoped that Kaede paid no mind to it too.

"No. If anything I'm happy for her." The Ultimate Pianist smiled, brushing a rose petal that had fallen into her blonde hair.

"Really?" Kaito asked, unable to hold back his surprise. Kaede giggled at his reaction a little as Shuichi stood up and shared a smile.

"I have heard about the rumour that Maki is the "school's slut". If you want my honest opinion, however, I think that she is just lonely." She continued to explain. Kaito listened keenly, wanting to try to know more. "I never see her talk to anyone, even before the rumours started. She's so silent that it always feels like a blink and you'll miss her trick. So she never struck me as the type to sleep around."

"And I loathe gossip, so unless there is solid proof, I don't believe the rumours either." Shuichi added, seemingly disgusted at the rumours that had been spreading. Kaito felt glad that there were some people that saw Maki as a normal person, not as a prostitute. As he thought that though, as he continued to work, one thing still lingered in his mind. Maki had been shutting people out for a long time it seemed. It was sad to think that. She seemed like a good person. There is no reason for people to judge her as any differently. Especially if they didn't know her. If anyone could just see how well she was taking care of the school garden, maybe they can see her in a more positive way. She's also known to most as the Ultimate Childcare Giver. She helps take care of kids. Kids probably like her. While there is a rumour going around that she has been lying about her talent, there's no evidence to say that's true. People have been too quick to judge her. There is no logical reason as to why she shouldn't be trusted. Maybe that's why she's so closed off to other people, because they don't trust her. With this in mind, Kaito can only hope that he sees Maki for who she truly is. All it takes is baby steps.