rainbows in oil puddles

xvii

Here's the second half of that chapter, everybody. I didn't realize how long the chapter was until I looked at the word count. 

<->

"Hello, Kiryu." Kaien stood in the doorway, dressed in white and blue striped pajamas. "If you're going to come in smelling like that, the least you could do is put your clothes in the wash and go take another shower. I'm not going to have the bedsheets smelling like smoke."

Zero nodded, then headed off to the bath again.

"Hello, Zero!" Yuki greeted him as she walked down the hallway. She wrinkled her nose as she walked by him.

"I'm going to shower again. Don't worry."

"Good. Because you smell."

"I know."

Zero reached the bathroom, and shut the door behind him. He wondered if there was a specific temperature that was best for getting rid of the smell. He could always ask his sensei.

He left the bathroom and walked down to his sensei's room, knocking on the door.

"Yeah? That you, Kaien?"

"No, it's just me. Zero."

"Oh." Shuffling from inside, then Yagari opened the door, still dressed in his day clothes. "What is it, kid?"

"Does warm water get rid of the smell of smoke better than cold water?"

Yagari chuckled. "So that's what you were doing, huh? Kaien was wondering what kept you so long."

"Yeah," Zero scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Kaname offered me one, and I decided to try it, but now I don't know how to get rid of the smell."

"Well, I've noticed warm water gets rid of the smell, but you better throw those clothes in the wash fast." Yagari sighed. "Don't get hooked on them, okay, kid? The packs are expensive as hell, and there's a crap-ton of health issues that go along with it. That's why I'm trying to quit."

Zero sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Kids your age get into worse, actually. Weed and LSD, stuff like that." Yagari added after a pause. "Don't try LSD. That stuff is the worst."

"Wait, you mean-" Zero stared at him, dumbfounded. 

"Yeah. Like you, I was young and dumb. You'll see stuff you don't want to see on LSD. Both of them make you paranoid as hell, anyways, and weed stinks to high heaven."

"Noted. I never planned to try them, anyways."

"Good. Now get in the shower." Yagari pat Zero's head, and closed the door.

Zero left. He made a detour to grab his pajamas out of his room, and throw his uniform into the wash. He stepped into the shower once he'd found the right temperature, feeling the drum of water on his skin for a second time.

He couldn't believe his sensei had tried that stuff at one point, but then again, everyone was young once. Everyone made mistakes, tried stuff they regretted trying. It was all part of human nature.

And vampire nature, too, apparently.

Five minutes later, Zero stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel to wrap around his waist and another one to dry off his hair. He walked over to the mirror and stared at himself in it again. The silver piece of jewelry in his navel caught the light from above the mirror and shined.

Speaking of stuff he regretted.

He had gone through a phase where he kept getting piercings. When he had run out of 'real estate' on his ears, he debated where else he could get done. Kaien had said no to getting his nose done. Yagari said he really didn't care as long it was nothing grotesque.