Disclaimer: I don't own Karin or its characters. Also this chapter has not had the seal of approval from my muse and beta, just saying.
Kenta took a deep breath, reflecting on everything that had happened since that dark, pain filled night. An involuntary shudder shot up his spine and he shook his head sharply to rid himself of the unwelcome memories, on this day of all days.
Kenta suddenly had the feeling that someone was watching him. And he had a pretty good guess who: Karin. He snuck a quick glance at her; her dark amber eyes, staring straight at him, and maroon hair were standing out easily against the sea of dark blue and white uniforms.
They weren't supposed to smile, graduation being such a formal occasion, so merely winked surreptitiously to reassure her. Sheesh, you'd think she'd quit worrying about me so much, now that I'm a vampire. He thought fondly.
He turned back to face the boy in front of him before their home room teacher saw him. The boys were lined up in alphabetical order according to last name, as were the girls lined up to the right of them. He was the second to last in his row, and Kenta felt his heart start to race as the teacher started calling the names of the boys in front of him to come onto the stage and receive their diploma.
Most of the long ceremony was over, for which he was glad, but he knew Fumio, who was sitting with the other mothers, was overjoyed at seeing her only son graduate high school. The principal had already given the speech and they were now going in order of home room.
"138456 Tsuyuda, Yusuke." As the boy in front of him walked up the steps, the butterflies in his stomach fluttered madly as anticipation and nerves built in Kenta.
"675548 Usui, Kenta." Straightening his shoulders, Kenta looked straight ahead and stepped forward confidently. As he stepped fully onto the stage, Kenta felt all the tension drain abruptly out of him and time seemed to slow.
He strode forward raising his hands to grasp the diploma that the principal held on either side. As the ceremony dictated Kenta raised the stiff sheet of paper up into the air feeling an incredible burning sense of achievement and triumph fill his chest. He then bowed to the principal and walked the rest of the length of the stage.
Making his way back to his place, Kenta felt the sensation of slowed time disappear and caught Karin's brief joy filled smile directed at him. He returned it just as quickly, thinking of the small object in his left front pocket of his pants.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur. Only when Karin ascended the steps to receive her diploma stuck in his mind. Afterwards they helped put away all the decorations and chairs as required and were then released to wander the halls and make farewells to teachers and faculty.
Sliding through the masses Kenta caught Karin's small hand in his. She turned from her conversation with Maki to give him a brilliant smile that showed her larger than average canines. Though not as big as my own. He though wryly, feeling the large, pointed bones with the tip of his tongue.
Karin let him lead her to the flower gardens on campus, where he stopped and glanced around to make sure they were alone. Kenta turned and looked down at his girlfriend of over three years, smiling softly.
Karin stared lovingly up into her boyfriend's unique eyes. They had actually changed color slightly, now they were the same shade as her own instead of his previous tan-brown, but no one noticed other than her and Fumio.
Looking at the rest of his face, she saw that he was smiling gently, with just a glimmer of his dormant fangs showing. Karin sensed something was up, but was too happy to have a moment alone with him to really care. Still…
"Kenta? What did you want to talk about?" She queried and watched as her boyfriend became slightly nervous, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. He jammed his hands in his pockets and briefly looked over her head before turning his eyes down to look into hers squarely.
"I love you, Karin Maaka." He said, his voice unusually deep and serious. Sensing the importance of her answer, Karin blinked and smiled.
"And I love you, Kenta Usui. I will always love you, no matter the trials or trouble that may happen." Her voice was even as she looked directly into Kenta's eyes, the breeze ruffling their hair.
"Then, will you give me the greatest joy and be my wife for as long as we may live?" Kenta asked as he managed to gracefully pull the little box from his pocket, simultaneously sinking down to his right knee. His fingers pried open the box revealing a beautiful engagement ring.
Kenta held his breath unconsciously as time once again stood still. Not even the wind stirred. He looked up into Karin's eyes to see her incredible joy.
"Yes, I will…my love." Karin said the endearment almost shyly as tears of happiness welled up in her eyes. She smiled hugely as Kenta gently pried the ring from its bed of velvet and slipped the slim band onto the fourth finger of her left hand.
Her breath caught in her throat as she examined the ring through her tears. It was a simple white gold band with a small inset pink sapphire in the shape of a heart. The very simplicity of the rings itself enhanced the beauty of the faceted gemstone that winked at her in the sunlight.
She started slightly as Kenta rose and gently laid his capable hands on her shoulders. She felt the wave of love he sent to her, making her breath catch again as she saw the tiny glimmer of tears in his eyes as well.
Kenta stared down at his new fiancé, who had tears rolling down her pale cheeks. She launched herself into his chest, her arms encircling him and holding fast.
The overjoyed young man hugged her back, pressing a kiss to the crown of her hair, smelling the light scent of her shampoo and ignoring the tears of joy that threatened to spill from his own eyes.
He pulled slightly away from Karin, bringing his right hand up to grip her chin and gently tilting her head up. She realized what he was getting at and helpfully raised herself to her toes as he angled his head down and strengthened his grip on her waist.
Their lips met with a soft sigh from them both at the feeling of rightness permeating the two vampires. The kiss was quickly deepened as the two eagerly explored. Tongues tangled and fangs scraped lightly against lips as Kenta buried his right hand in Karin's hair, while hers came up to rest between his shoulder blades in a position reminiscent of her blood injecting embrace.
Then time abruptly resumed and the two jumped and broke the kiss as the happy shouts of their fellow graduates shattered the silence. Karin and Kenta stared deeply into each other's eyes for a long second before gently disengaging themselves, though Karin caught up Kenta's right hand with her left.
Feeling the coolness of the metal contrasting with Karin's warm skin, Kenta smiled again.
"We should head back. I'm sure your mother is looking for you." Karin said and thought for a second as they slowly started walking back towards the school. "Actually I'm surprised she hasn't already called you."
"I put my phone on silent." Kenta chuckled, pulling said object out. Indeed there was a missed call from his mother. He quickly called her to reassure that he was fine and just mingling with the other students, which was true as they were now making their way through the crowd near the main entrance. Right after he had hung up Maki came bouncing up to them with Winner in tow.
"There you two are!" She said coming to a halt, looking closely at their faces. "You've been kissing haven't you?" The green haired teen continued grinning at the sudden blushes on the two vampires' faces.
"Mou, Maki!" Karin groaned, berating her best friend while she quickly squashed her embarrassment for Kenta's sake. His gentle squeeze on her hand told her he appreciated her effort. But the small gesture which should've gone unnoticed made the gem on her finger catch the light just right to grab Winner's keen eye.
"Karin-san! What is that on your hand?" He exclaimed in his usual fashion, though he had enough sense to stay out of his girlfriend's way. With a squeal of delight, Maki grabbed their intertwined hands and held them up at eye level.
"It's an engagement ring!" She squealed loudly, drawing a dozen people's attention. Kenta groaned in annoyance as everyone stared. Karin was opening her mouth to scold her friend when the other girl suddenly threw herself at the startled vampire.
"Oh, Karin, I'm soo happy for you!" She exclaimed, leaving everyone else to offer their congratulations as well. Karin and Kenta were overwhelmed by their fellow classmates, their grip on the other's hand was broken as the guys pounded Kenta's back and the girl's either snatched up Karin's hand to inspect the ring, hug her or both.
After what seemed like an hour of that, Kenta and Karin were finally able to free themselves and escape. They grinned at each other as they made their way through the park to Fumio's. Fumio had agreed to meet them there, as she wanted to see the ring. Kenta had told her his plans but hadn't showed her the ring.
"That wasn't so bad was it?" He asked jokingly, referring to the crowd.
"Not as bad as I thought it would be." Karin admitted. "But let's not repeat it shall we?" she asked hopefully.
"As my love wishes." Kenta grinned. They arrived at Fumio's humble apartment, and gladly partook of the miniature feast she had prepared for them. After she had looked her fill of Karin's ring, the happy mother shooed the teens out of the house, telling them to 'go spend time with each other' while she cleaned up.
Not at loathe to do so, the couple obeyed. They made their way to a private bench under the trees in the park. There they just sat cuddling, saying little, just enjoying each others' company and the brightness of their future together.
Bea here: I'm not dead! Ok I know this seems like an ending, but it isn't. I just couldn't think of a good cliffie for it. The next installment will be our fave reverse vampire couple in college. Lemons ahoy! Lol
Ja ne!
