Chapter 4:
Once his heart had stopped hammering, Akatsuki followed Kuro out the double doors that led into a long lavishly carpeted hallway, turning left and walking past several closed doors before reaching a stairway landing. Kuro was nowhere in sight, but Akatsuki could sense his presence in the direction he was heading, so he continued forward at a human pace; there was really no hurry. He descended the long staircase into a large high ceilinged foyer. To the left of the staircase was a wide archway that opened into a comfortably decorated living room, with soft looking white couches and leather armchairs, decorative pillows, a cream plush rug covering the dark hardwood floors, and lamps playing warm golden light around the room. The color scheme was similar to the rest of the house; creams, browns, reds and golds. It looks like this vampire liked the finer things and seemed pretty good at decorating, he thought. Through the large curtain opened windows, the last brilliant streaks of sunset stained the sky, the sun falling behind a picturesque scene of mountain ranges and tree covered bluffs. He had to raise his hand to shield his sensitive eyes from the blazing streak of light that fell into the room, as it burned far too brightly. The sun hurt a little, but not enough to stop him from marveling at the beautiful view outside. He could tell by the color of the light that the windows had some sort of UV protection on them, like car windows did.
Although momentarily distracted by the scene outside, he concentrated once more on following his senses. He could smell Kuro's scent lingering in the air to his right, moving away from the living room. He walked through the open foyer to the mouth of a long hallway, with closed doors on either side. As he walked past two doors on either side of him, he sensed Kuro's presence close by and could smell his scent hovering around the door to his left. Knowing what he would find if he opened that door, he reached for the handle and wrenched the door open, a triumphant grin playing around his lips. But it was only a supply closet, filled with brooms, mops, buckets and other cleaning supplies. Confused, Akatsuki went to turn back down the hallway when two gentle hands caught his upper arms, sending more electric sparks down them at the touch, identical the first time. Kuro leaned in, his lips suddenly mere inches away from Akatsuki's left ear; he could feel the other's warm, deliciously sweet scented breath on the side of his neck. Startled, he flinched, and an involuntary shiver ran down his neck and all the way down his spine at the sensation, his breath coming out in a little gasp.
"Boo," Kuro whispered, chuckling softly. "Too bad you fell for my trick." Akatsuki could hear the smirk in his voice. "I was testing you, to see if you'd go looking for me for my scent or my aura. I suppressed my aura to see if you'd fall for the scent I marked in that closet…" As Kuro spoke, his lips moved in closer, almost touching the cold metal earrings on Akatsuki's left ear. Akatsuki's heart began to race wildly as Kuro's parted lips drew still closer to his neck, just millimeters now from landing on the soft skin under his ear…. His mind was fogging over and he couldn't think straight, even though a voice in the back of his head was screaming at him to run. "You really should be more careful…" Kuro's soft, somewhat dangerous voice whispered.
Frantically shaking his head to clear it, Akatsuki spun around out of Kuro's grasp. "Don't go scaring me like that!" he barked.
"Oh fine, I'm sorry for startling you. I was only testing you. And having a little fun," Kuro shrugged casually. He hadn't been able to help himself… his usual control kept slipping where the newborn was concerned; he could still feel that bit of yearning roiling within him from minutes before, seeing the newborn in his bloodlust...
"You can't just… do stuff like that!" Akatsuki said a little shakily, trying to ward off the warm pulses he felt on his skin where Kuro had touched him. "I'm new at this… you can't just mess with me like that…" His entire body felt hot… Why was he reacting like that? Whether it was the fact that Kuro was a vampire and could have easily ripped out his throat just now, or was it proximity of Kuro's lips to his skin… he wasn't totally sure… But he was noticing that this guy seemed like a bit of a pervert, which embarrassed him and wasn't making this any easier.
"Aww you're no fun!" Kuro pouted. "So serious all the time… lighten up!" He smirked playfully as he walked past Akatsuki, continuing down the hallway. "Or we're not going to have any fun in this…" he said quietly over his shoulder, his eyes flashing. But his inner voice was nowhere near as smooth and teasing as his outer one. What the hell are you doing, Kuro?
Still standing stiffly with stomach fluttering wildly, Akatsuki scowled. He didn't like feeling like this, like Kuro was simply playing games with him. He also didn't care for how crazy his reactions were when Kuro was that near to him, looking at him, touching him. "Who said vampire training had be fun?" he grumbled.
"Who said it didn't?" Kuro called, almost at the end of the hallway now. Akatsuki sighed and followed him. The hallway opened up into a brightly lit, open-concept kitchen and eating area. It was a chef's dream kitchen; with large dual ovens, multiple cooktops, a large granite island gleamed in the middle of the room, and pots and pans hanging from an ornate rack on the ceiling. A double fridge stood against one wall, and a deep farmhouse sink lay under the window. Despite his annoyance with Kuro, Akatsuki whistled softly in surprise as he stepped into the large room and flinched slightly, his still bare feet sensitive to the cool tiles.
"You like?" Kuro asked, giving Akatsuki a sidelong appraising glance.
"What's not to like?" Akatsuki admired, his anger at Kuro subsiding somewhat. "It's a great kitchen. And a great house from what I've seen so far. You've got a good eye for décor."
Kuro's cheeks colored slightly, a faint smile tugging up his lips. "Thank you." He watched the silver haired man gaze around the bright kitchen, his eyes glinting with pride. "Do you like to cook?"
"Yeah, sometimes," Akatsuki said, averting his eyes, but smiled slightly despite himself. He wasn't going to admit to Kuro how much he actually loved to cook. This kitchen was perfect; exactly what he'd want his dream kitchen to look like. His own tiny apartment only had a small two burner stove, barely any counter space and a dinky little microwave. What he would give to be able to cook in a kitchen like this…
"Well, you live here now, so you can cook whatever and whenever you want," Kuro said, still watching his expression. "You won't need to though, because Kagori can prepare all of your meals."
"That's okay, I can cook for myself," Akatsuki assured him.
"You really won't need to. Kagori can do it all."
Akatsuki stayed silent, letting it go. As Kuro had said his name, Kagori entered the kitchen through a side door, bowing first to Kuro, then to Akatsuki. "Masters," he said in respectful greeting. "How may I serve you?"
"I'm thinking fried chicken for dinner," Kuro said, licking his lips again in anticipation. "And those little corn muffins you're so good at making," he added.
"Can I help?" Akatsuki asked Kagori, but he could barely get the sentence before Kuro was grabbing him by the upper arm, pulling him from the kitchen. "Hey! But I–" he protested as he was unceremoniously dragged through the doorway back out in the hallway. "I can walk, you know!" he barked, wrenching his arm free. "I just wanted to see if he needed any help."
"Kagori can handle things. It's what he does. You're a guest here, you don't need to be helping in the kitchen," Kuro sighed exasperatedly.
Akatsuki frowned, then gave up. "Whatever. Fine, you win. Seems like that's happening a lot around here."
"Now you're getting it!" Kuro smirked, turning to continue down the hallway, but Akatsuki's next words pulled him up short.
Akatsuki had stopped walking, his scowl deepening. He did feel annoyed, but his new over exuberant emotions, in particular the uncontrollable anger that was always hovering right below the surface of boiling point since he'd awoken, was curling around his stomach again without his permission and had decided to bubble over. "So is this how things are going to be while I'm staying here?" he said quietly, ice permeating from his voice. "'Your house, your rules', I get that… But are you going to treat me like some captive, someone you can jerk around on a string, like… some plaything?"
Akatsuki's dangerous inflection on the last word seriously caught Kuro off guard. He turned, meeting the eyes of the man before him. The light grey eyes blazed with anger, his shoulders tense and his hands balled into fists at his sides. He'd had obviously done or said something to really upset him. Oh no… he thought... Well this was off to a swimming start, wasn't it? "No, of course not," he said, trying not to let his voice show how off guard he was. "I just…" He stopped short, not knowing how to explain himself properly. He just felt such an uncontrollable, incomprehensibly strong pull toward this man that it was throwing him off balance, not allowing him to fully act like himself. "I'm sorry for making you feel that way, it was never my intention. I just… I don't know how to do this… your presence is hard for me to get used to…" His shoulders slumped the tiniest amount.
"So you don't know how to do what, act normal?" Akatsuki retorted, his shoulders relaxing slightly at Kuro's intense expression of remorse, but he was still thoroughly annoyed.
"I suppose," Kuro said quietly with a sad little smile, dropping his gaze to the floor. "I don't know how to not… be alone…"
"What do you mean?" Akatsuki asked, slightly confused, his anger evaporating at the brunette's heartfelt confession.
"Comes with the territory, I suppose," Kuro said, his voice taking on a barely contained bitterness. "Noble in class often makes for a separated life, apart from normal society. I was educated at home, and I was never truly allowed to socialize with people my own age in my youth. A life full of business meetings with my father, etiquette schooling with my mother, formal parties and dinners… being forced to be the most prim and proper little vampire child… I couldn't take it. And even being surrounded with vampire society's elite felt completely and utterly alone. When I was old enough to be out on my own, I chose to leave it all behind. Not much love lost there…" He paused then… fiddling with the ring on his right ring finger. The ornate silver ring encased a brilliantly blood red stone, a coat of arms etched into either side of the large stone.
"Yeah but… You're not really alone, though; you've got Kagori. And you must have friends now, right? People you met after you left home?"
"Not really…" Kuro confessed, forcing his voice and eyes to remain steady and passive. "Coworkers really… well, subordinates actually… I never really had the opportunity to meet people other than professionally. Because vampire society is all about power, wealth, and expressing one's class, people keep you at arm's length when they can sense that you're of a superior class. And yes, even though Kagori's presence keeps me from being truly alone, I still tend to feel very isolated." He sighed and shook his bowed head with a pretend little smile. "Ahh the life of a noble, a gift and a curse. Nevermind about it."
Akatsuki felt a pang of sadness and sympathy for the noble vampire standing in front of him, that feigned happy twinkle upon his face clearly put there purely for show. What a life this must have been, with no one to keep him company but his parents, who seemed to only treat him like a last name, nothing more than the continuation of the family legacy and bloodline. The brunette obviously resented his family for keeping him cooped up, or otherwise parading him around like a show pony. Akatsuki didn't know how he felt, but he still felt bad that he'd had to go through that.
"I am sorry for messing you around though," Kuro continued, looking genuinely apologetic now.
Akatsuki nodded. "It's fine, just watch it with the touching though, okay? I'm still getting used to this extra sensory stuff… okay?"
"But what about during training?" Kuro's grinned slyly, his mischievous air coming back to him. "I'll have to touch you when we spar."
"Spar?" Akatsuki's eyebrows rose in interest. "What will this training be, anyway? Combat training?"
"Think of it as Vampire Boot Camp. Or maybe Vampire 101 as a college course." Kuro winked, chuckling at his own little joke. "I'll teach you everything I can so you'll be able to be a functioning member of vampire society."
"Hmm… fine," Akatsuki agreed. "Sounds okay to me."
"Great! We'll start tomorrow then." Kuro chirped happily, all earlier traces of his depressed mood gone.
"Tomorrow? But…" Akatsuki protested. He was antsy to get started now.
"Yes. Tonight, I need you to rest up. Make sure the blood takes, and makes you strong."
"Oh, okay sure," Akatsuki said vaguely, letting it go. Fine, we'd do this Kuro's way...
"Come on, Kagori will serve us in the dining room," Kuro said, turning again, leading Akatsuki down the hallway and back out into the foyer. To their right was a pair of tall French doors, trimmed in white and paned with crystallized glass. Kuro turned the handle and pushed the doors open, revealing a traditionally decorated dining room with a long oak table and eight finely upholstered chairs taking up the middle of the room. Standing in a corner was an ornate china cabinet, encasing gold trimmed plates and tall crystal goblets. Under the large window was a wheeled serving tray, holding napkins, napkins rings and shining silver cutlery.
"You know, I did say you decorated well, but in some ways – like this room, for instance – you have the home of a 50 year old woman," Akatsuki commented teasingly.
"And what, pray tell, is wrong with that?" Kuro sniffed indignantly.
"Nothing really, just not much of the traditional bachelor pad," Akatsuki said, running his fingers through the gold fringe of the table runner spread out across the table lengthwise. He plucked delicately at a piece of fringe, raising his eyebrow as he looked at Kuro appraisingly. "So what's up with it?"
Kuro paused thoughtfully. "When I left home, I didn't have anywhere to go. I had to make a life for himself. Thank goodness my parents didn't leave me out to dry completely… not financially, anyway. I still had my trust funds and my inheritance… they wouldn't want a vampire of noble blood and one of their own kin living on the street. Quite unbecoming and dreadful for their reputation…. Anyway, I had Kagori pick out and buy a house. I don't really care where I live or how it's decorated for the most part; I'd live in an apartment for all I care, but Kagori wouldn't hear of it. Sure, maybe he went a little overboard," he gestured around him, meaning the whole house and its immense size, "but I let him have free reign. He came with me from my parent's home. He's taken care of me my whole life, so my parents didn't want me to part from him. I had Kagori decorate it too; it didn't really matter to me…"
"But I enjoyed it immensely, Sir," a voice chimed from behind them. Kagori had entered the room, carrying a tray holding a bottle of wine, two wine glasses, a pitcher of water, and two crystal water goblets. He set the tray on the table, removing the crystal goblets and placing them in front of two places at the table; the head of the table and the one directly next to it. He then placed the wine glasses next to the goblets. "Gentlemen, please be seated," he said as he bowed to them both, pulling out the chair at the head of the table, indicating that they should sit.
Kuro sat first, motioning his hand at the chair directly next to him on his right, implying that Akatsuki should sit there. Akatsuki sat, feeling slightly awkward at the formalness of the room and place settings. He studied Kuro out of the corner of his eye. So… he may came off as a pampered little rich boy, with the big house and the butler and everything, but he was really more down to earth than he seemed. Akatsuki could sense a sort of darkness and a pain past wavering just beneath the suave appearance and lively smile that Kuro kept firmly in place.
Kagori picked up the bottle of white wine, turning it so the label was clearly visible to the two men sitting. "Would you care for some wine?" he offered. "It is a vintage chardonnay. Bright and crisp, yet sweet. I believe it will be to your liking."
"You know what I'd like Kagori, thank you," Kuro said. Kagori inclined his head, and quietly left the room.
Akatsuki looked at Kuro quizzically. Kuro gave him an answering smile. "I prefer red wine."
"Red wine? Really? But white goes so much better with chicken," Akatsuki said skeptically.
Kuro looked slightly surprised, before quickly checking his expression. "You know wine pairings? So you do know how to cook then," he smirked appreciatively. "However, it's not really the wine I want."
Kagori reentered the room then, carrying an unlabeled dark red bottle. The moment he pulled the cork from the bottle, Akatsuki could smell the faint scent of blood, growing stronger with each passing second as it filled the air around them. His throat, which had been aching dully in the background, tightened.
"We call this our blood wine. Kagori makes it himself," Kuro said, turning his head and beaming up at Kagori.
"Indeed," Kagori said. "Would you like to try some, Master Akatsuki?"
Akatsuki hesitated, swallowing nervously to reduce the lump in his throat. "Um... no thanks... The regular wine will be fine for me," he said. He wasn't sure how much blood his system could handle at once, and he wasn't about to test it on his first day.
Kuro shot him a look that clearly said 'wimp', but he let it go. "Fine, more for me then," he said, holding out his wine glass for Kagori to fill. The dark red liquid poured into his glass, causing the scent in the air to heighten, constricting Akatsuki's throat still further. He swallowed again and tried to ignore it; he'd have to practice this. Kuro sipped at his wine as Kagori walked around the table to fill Akatsuki's glass with the white wine.
"Dinner will be ready shortly," he said, and bowing, he backed out of the room.
"So…" Kuro said conversationally, swirling his liquid around the glass between his long fingers. "I'd like to know a little more about you."
Akatsuki hesitated, feeling like this might would end up being more of an interrogation than an conversation. There was no way he was going to divulge too much personal information, but it all depended on the questions… "Uh, alright," he said tentatively. "What would you like to know?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"That's a bit of a broad statement, don't you think?" Akatsuki, taking a sip of his wine. He was dry and brisk with a sweet finish, exactly how he liked his wine. "What specifically do you want to know?"
"Fine then. Let's start with some basics. Where are you from, originally?"
"Tokyo, born and raised," Akatsuki said.
"Never wanted to move elsewhere?" Kuro asked.
Akatsuki paused. He'd thought about it, and had wanted to, but Ishino's doctors were here, and he didn't think uprooting him was in anyone's best interest. He'd also thought seriously about moving after Ishino's death to get a fresh start, but he had a hard enough time getting out of bed every day, let alone dealing with moving… "Just… haven't felt like moving anywhere else…" he said cautiously.
"And what do you do for a living?"
"I'm in the police academy at the moment, training to be an officer," Akatsuki said.
"Ahh the Force, huh? A noble and hardworking profession. And how is it going for you?" Kuro asked.
"Fine, I suppose. I'll graduate and be a full time officer after I fulfill my training hours. It may take longer than expected though, because… I've been taking some time off..." he said, his voice trailing off.
"How long?" Kuro inquired.
"…a while," Akatsuki said quietly. With everything that had been happening in his life lately, the last thing on his mind had been work, and his commanding officer had understood. He'd insisted he take time to collect himself and rejoin the recruits when he was more focused...
Kuro, who looked slightly concerned at the way Akatsuki's face hardened almost as if in pain, leaned forward in his chair slightly toward him. "Oh? And why is that?"
Akatsuki stared down, fixing his gaze deliberately on the wine glass in his hand. He didn't answer right away, but Kuro waited patiently. "I…" Akatsuki started, but the words caught in his throat, and he couldn't continue. His brows pulled together, but he tried his hardest to keep his face from screwing up with pain-filled lines.
"…You're in mourning," Kuro stated matter-of-factly in a quiet voice. It wasn't a question.
Akatsuki's gaze snapped up, eyes wide with surprise. "What? How did you…?" he asked breathlessly.
"When I found you at the cemetery, I noticed the grave you had been next to when you collapsed. I saw the picture of that boy… he looks exactly like you, just a perfect younger version. And I read the name on the headstone; Ishino Yata." He paused then, examining the dark liquid in his wine glass thoughtfully. He knew the answer to the question before he asked it. "That boy… was he your br–"
"My brother, yeah…" Akatsuki cut in sharply, suddenly standing, the chair screeching out behind him. He'd set the wine glass down on the table hard and it wobbled slightly, threatening to tip over, but thankfully straightened before doing so. He'd placed his heavily shaking hands upon the table in front of him for support; his legs felt like jelly and barely held his weight. His his head was down, his silver hair falling across his eyes, hiding the anger and torment in them from view. He had felt the question coming; it'd been hanging awkwardly in the air around them from the moment they met – the question of why he'd been in the cemetery at all that day. He didn't want to talk about this… especially with someone he just met, someone who he still didn't trust yet. Why was this guy even asking questions when it seemed like he already knew the answers? I bet he really can read minds… he thought angrily. I don't need this...
"Hey, are you alright?" Kuro asked, his voice full of concern.
"…I'm fine," Akatsuki bit out before straightening up and turning swiftly to leave the room.
"But– hey wait! Yata!" Kuro's voice called as Akatsuki crossed the threshold of the dining room. He decided to test his new vampire speed, desperate to get away from the thoughts he always tried to keep at bay. He sprinted forward as fast as he could, and wind whistled in his ears as he entered the foyer and started up the stairs at full speed. He'd made it almost to the top of the tall staircase in a fraction of a second, an accomplishment that unsteadied him a little, but he didn't let his astonishment stop him. Suddenly, a blur of motion materialized to his right as someone stepped in front of him, far outstripping his own speed. A strong hand shoved against his chest, decreasing his forward momentum, and he stopped abruptly. Kuro was slightly above him on the top step, blocking his passage forward, keeping his hand firmly on the center of his chest. "Hey, what's your hurry?" Kuro asked, sounding worried, eyebrows furrowed in surprise and concern.
Akatsuki tried to step to the left, attempting to move around Kuro, but he blocked his path. Akatsuki tried the right, but was blocked again. Just like their standoff in his bedroom, this exchange got him nowhere. "Let me through," he said dangerously, practically growling. His hands balled into fists at his sides again, his furious glare hardening.
"Did I say something wrong? Have I upset you or something?"
Akatsuki's breath was growling through his throat and his chest was heaving. A tiny part of his mind realized that in the last hour he'd become a complete basket case several times, stuck on a dangerously looping roller coaster of over exaggerated emotions, but the bigger part didn't care much right now. He was normally so calm and collected, but he didn't know how to control his new heightened emotions or responses, and rage burned through all his senses, obscuring anything else. "You just butt your nose into everything, don't you?!" he said angrily, his voice rising with every word. "You think you can just read me like an open book, that you just know everything about me so well like you basically read my mind or something! You don't even know me, but it's like you're crawling inside me, picking at my brain… Knock it off… Get out of my head!" His voice cracked and he almost sobbed the last words as he collapsed to his knees on the step below Kuro, grabbing fistfuls of his silver hair as he fell. His tense body was trembling. What was going on with him? Why couldn't he get a grip on himself? These kind of fits just wasn't like him…
"Hey," Kuro said softly and soothingly as he knelt on his step in front of the bowed silver head. He placed a hand on the man's shoulder, gripping it in a reassuring way. Akatsuki flinched and shied away slightly from the touch, but Kuro ignored it and left his hand there. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to do that." He spoke quietly to try to calm the situation. "Vampires are very perceptive creatures… we can sense things that humans can't; physical and emotional responses that are much more subtle. But you're right, it is sort of like reading someone like a book, at least their emotional state, since I'm already so susceptible to it. I guess I don't even know I'm doing it sometimes." He felt like he was rambling, and the fists grasped in the silver hair before him didn't loosen. Knowing his special ability may help here, Kuro concentrated hard on surrounding them both where they knelt together in a quiet calm, sending waves of tranquility flooding into Akatsuki. He slowly but surely felt the rage in the other man's aura dwindle, and the white-knuckled hands gripping the silver locks finally uncoiled and fell dully to his sides. "I don't presume to know you or your situation…" Kuro continued soothingly. "And I sincerely apologize if I came off that way."
Akatsuki sighed deeply and finally raised his grey eyes to meet Kuro's consoling amber ones. All anger was gone from them and they were now filled with a dejected tiredness and a desperate longing for understanding. He was still trembling slightly, but his body had at least somewhat relaxed.
"You're doing that… that weird thing again… aren't you?" he choked, his voice hoarse from yelling.
"Uh… yes, sorry for that too…" Kuro muttered sheepishly. "It's the only way I know how to calm someone…"
"You know that means you're pretty much are always going to be rummaging around in my head, right?" Akatsuki said somewhat bitterly, but still quietly. Kuro was keeping his anger levels suppressed, but he was too tired to feel much of anything anyway. His body felt like a thousand pounds of lead.
"I can't read your mind, Yata. I'm not a vampire with those abilities, remember? I can just tamper with emotions, and only when absolutely necessary."
Akatsuki scoffed. "'Tamper with'", he repeated in a mumble. "Great…"
"I assure you, I can't possibly know what you're really thinking," Kuro said. "Just my perceptions…"
"Uh huh…" Akatsuki added skeptically, turning to leave.
"Hey," Kuro said, grabbing the attention of Akatsuki's gaze again. "I really am sorry," he repeated. Akatsuki nodded slowly then his eyes flitted downward once more. Kuro watched him carefully for any reaction. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, and I won't pry into… sensitive topics… okay?" Akatsuki nodded again. With no other visible reaction, Kuro continued speaking, starting to feel like he was trailing on and on. "And I know we just met, but I don't want to scare you off already. I really do want to help you, and I want this to work..."
Akatsuki blushed a little, the inflection in the words gave the sense of an possible ulterior motive… Maybe he was just too messed up and was reading things the wrong way, but the look in Kuro's eyes wasn't altogether innocent. His heart started to pound faster in his chest again. What are his real reason for keeping him here? Akatsuki shook that thought off it quickly. No, he just wanted to help… No way… we're both guys… quit thinking like that, it's weird.
Seeing the other man's blush, Kuro began to stammer, not wanting to embarrass him or come off the wrong way. "I–I mean this whole teacher-student dynamic! I just meant that… you need to be taught the basics at the very least… for your own protection, and that of those around you. And if you leave… well… I didn't do my job right, did I?"
Akatsuki breathed a sigh of relief. "Your job? You know you don't have to do this. It's not your responsibility to 'get me up to speed'. You act like if you don't, our whole world will fall to ruin. You don't have to beat yourself up about it; I'll be fine." He was trying to be reassuring, but he probably wasn't doing a very good job.
"No you won't," Kuro insisted. "If you aren't properly trained to handle your body's enhancements and responses, you'll not only endanger yourself but countless others. I can't let that happen, as an upstanding and contributing member of vampire society. So yes, it is my responsibility." His eyes were burning deeply, smoldering with sincerity, and his face was serious now. "You need to learn to control yourself, for everyone's sake."
"I know…" Akatsuki said quietly, looking down, not able to meet Kuro's intense gaze anymore. It made him uneasy and embarrassed. "I just… I don't want to put you out. It's great that you're helping me. I really do appreciate it, even if I'm not acting like it. You're right before… I guess I've become a bit of a hothead…"
"No way," Kuro said sarcastically, a crooked half grin crossing his lips. Akatsuki finally smiled too and relaxed, breaking the tension that had been floating around in the air between them. Their eyes met again and they stared silently at each other for a long moment, when the crisp sound of a cleared throat echoed through the open room, breaking the silence. Akatsuki jumped; he hadn't sensed Kagori's presence. He'd been… distracted… lost somewhere deep, swimming in liquid amber…
"Masters, dinner is served in the dining room," Kagori said.
"Right, we're coming Kagori!" Kuro said, standing up quickly and extending a hand to Akatsuki. Hesitantly, Akatsuki took it, straightening up as well. The same electric spark, similar to the one that'd occurred in the bedroom when their hands had touched, now shot through their joined hands, sending a warm tingle up Akatsuki's forearm. He retracted his hand as soon as he was standing upright, trying his best not to blush deeper.
"Hey," he said quietly, embarrassed. "I'm sorry for… always losing my temper… it seems like I'm doing a really piss poor job at getting any kind of control down. It's just all really overwhelming."
"It's quite all right," Kuro said, smiling. "You're new at this; I know it can be hard. I'll give you a few freebies." He winked again.
Akatsuki, cheeks still flushed with embarrassment, turned and started back down the long staircase, Kuro following behind. A swirl of butterflies had erupted in his stomach when he had taken Kuro's hand, and the fluttering had not yet subsided. He closed his eyes, trying to settle himself, but Kuro's presence right behind him set his body on edge. Why did he feel this way? He felt such an odd nervousness around the noble, but not in the way he thought he should. At first, he thought these feelings of edginess were caused by the fact that Kuro was a powerful and cunning vampire who could kill him in an instant if he wanted to. This, in the beginning, may have been the cause for his unease, but surprisingly he wasn't even remotely frightened of Kuro now, although he knew he should be. The instinct to be fearful, distrusting and cautious fought fiercely with the unexplainable yet powerful desire to be in the other's presence. Great, he thought. Like he didn't have enough to deal with right now…
Reaching the bottom of the stairs and reentering the dining room, the men were greeted by a delectable smell and an even more delicious sight. A large plate of golden brown fried chicken lay in the on the table between their two empty places, and two smaller dishes of a warm corn and pepper mixture, and a cold watermelon, radish and dill salad sat on either side of the chicken platter. Next to that lay a napkin covered basket, a corner of a fluffy golden muffin poking out from under the corner of the cloth napkin. Everything looked and smelled delicious.
Kagori, standing behind Kuro's chair, pulled it out and gestured for Kuro to sit. "Young Masters," he said, giving a little bow. Kuro's eyes had lit up like a child's on Christmas morning, and he almost skipped to his spot at the table, taking his seat quickly. He took his crisp white napkin and, with an unnecessarily large flourish, laid it across his lap. Akatsuki also took his seat, excited by the prospect of the delicious looking food. He hadn't realized just how hungry he really was until his stomach gave a gigantic, somewhat embarrassing rumble. He must have just been hungry when he'd felt those butterflies in his stomach a moment ago. That had to have been it…
Kagori served them each heaping plates of everything on the table, and inclined his head respectfully as he backed out of the room, carrying his tray. "Please enjoy, Masters," he said, and left the room, closing the double doors after him.
"He's the best cook in the world!" Kuro chimed, picking up a crispy chicken leg and biting into it, eyes rolling to the ceiling and shoulders slumping in apparent bliss.
Akatsuki also took a bite of his chicken thigh, and inwardly sighed with contentment at the delicious flavor. It was very well done; crispy yet juicy, seasoned perfectly. "It is pretty good," he agreed nonchalantly.
"Pretty good? Pretty good?!" Kuro repeated, incredulously. "What, you think you could make better?"
"Probably," Akatsuki said, smirking. He was trying to annoy Kuro now and he was doing a pretty good job. Kuro's eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open comically in disbelief. Akatsuki laughed heartily at the absurdity of the childish reaction. It felt good; it'd been a long time since he truly laughed. "Calm down," he said. "Kagori is a great cook, I probably couldn't surpass him."
"Damn right," Kuro snorted, taking and biting into a corn muffin. "Oh my lord, these are so good!" he trilled, chewing happily. Akatsuki shook his head, still chuckling, as he continued to eat.
xXxXxXxXx
Authors Note: I love that we are finally getting into developing their kind of weird, awkward relationship :) If you're still with me on this journey, review for me! I want to know how I'm doing :) Follow/Fav!
