Luckily, Kamijo didn't seem to have noticed that Rubi had been gone. When Yuki took Rubi back to the bedroom, Kamijo was still asleep. Rubi had laid down with Kamijo and snuggled against him. Yuki left them alone. The brunette vampire went back up the spiral staircase and knelt in front of the desk again. He stayed there for hours, eventually falling asleep on the floor, leaning against the desk.
~X~
In the morning, Kamijo got up and changed his clothes before heading out of the bedroom, leaving Rubi alone because he was still asleep. He left the castle with Teru. They were going out to hunt around for a bit. Maybe they would get lucky and find someone to feed from. Kamijo had taken Teru with him because the kind one was the least experienced hunter. Hunting and searching for someone to feed from would give him more experience."You know, Kamijo.." Teru began to speak as he and the older vampire made their way carefully through the large forest that surrounded the castle."Rubi seems to be interested in you. He asked me yesterday how to find out what you think and feel about things."
"Is that so?" Kamijo was already aware that Rubi was interested in him. However, he was unsure of what type of interest the boy had.
"Have you claimed him?" Teru was almost as curious about this as Rubi was about the purpose of the room beyond the double-doors.
Kamijo stopped and chuckled lightly."Yes, I have." Teru had stopped as well as the old vampire spoke."I never thought I would claim such a young, innocent boy." Kamijo hadn't thought about claiming a human much before."That is only the second time someone has been claimed in that castle after all."
"Really?" Teru hadn't known of any other people being claimed there."Who else was claimed there?"
Kamijo started walking again, motioning for Teru to follow him."I can't tell you. That's a personal matter for someone else."
~X~
Rubi was awoken later by a knock on the bedroom door. As he sat up, Hizaki stepped in with Rubi's shorts and shirt in his hands."Good morning. I've brought your clothes."
"Oh, thanks." Rubi watched Hizaki set his clothes on the bed."Um..Where is Kamijo?" He felt a little odd not being in the others arms when he'd woken up.
"Kamijo took Teru out to hunt." Hizaki answered."They'll probably be gone for quite a while longer." He stepped back over to the door then glanced back at Rubi."If you would like something to eat, just knock on the kitchen door." After saying that, he left the bedroom.
Rubi got off the bed and changed into his own clothes. Once dressed, he left the bedroom and wandered around for a while. Since this castle was so big, he rarely came across anyone. In fact, the only person he saw while walking around was Masashi. The black-haired male seemed to be searching for something or someone. Wondering if he could help the other in some way, Rubi stepped over to Masashi."Excuse me." he said to get the others attention. Masashi stopped in his tracks and turned to Rubi."Are you looking for something?"
Masashi eyed Rubi with a raised eyebrow."I'm looking for Yuki." he answered."Have you seen him? I haven't been able to find him."
"No, I haven't seen him." Rubi moved both of his hands behind his back to hold them together in an innocent-looking way."Would you like me to let him know that you're looking for him if I see him?"
Seeing that Rubi was trying to be helpful, Masashi gave him a nod."Yes. That would help. Thank you." He walked off to continue searching for the brunette.
Rubi began looking around for Yuki as well, wanting to help Masashi. He wondered why Masashi was looking for the other but didn't want to ask because his curiosity had already gotten him into trouble. He didn't want to get into trouble again. As he searched around, the only other person he saw was Hizaki. Then, he got an idea. Maybe Yuki was up in that room at the top of the spiral staircase. He made his way to the staircase and quietly went up. If Yuki was up there, Rubi hoped the other wouldn't get mad at him for going in there again. After all, Yuki had said that it was a private room. At the top of the staircase, the door was mostly closed but not completely. It was left ajar. Carefully, Rubi pushed the door open and spotted Yuki sleeping on the floor. Even though the brunette vampire always seemed unhappy, he looked so calm and peaceful at this moment. Rubi moved over to him with light steps, knelt down, and gently tapped his shoulder."Yuki.." He lightly nibbled on his lower lip.
Feeling his shoulder being tapped, Yuki scrunched his brow a little before opening his eyes. When he saw Rubi, he sat up and stretched just a bit."What are you doing in here?" He didn't sound mad, but he didn't sound pleased either."Didn't I already tell you that this is a private room?"
Rubi fidgeted with his fingers nervously."Well, yeah, but..I couldn't find you anywhere else. So I came up here to find you." He had lowered his gaze while speaking."Masashi is looking for you."
As if he could tell how nervous Rubi was, Yuki set his hand atop the boy's head."Alright." When Rubi lifted his gaze to look at the vampire, Yuki lightly flicked his forehead."Don't get so nervous. I'm not mad at you for coming up here to find me." Yuki stood, as did Rubi, and stepped over to the door."Only come up here if it's important. And never tell anyone else about this room."
"I won't tell anyone." Rubi couldn't help but smile, relieved that Yuki wasn't mad at him."Oh, and, uh.." He stepped over to Yuki."Thanks for keeping me safe when I fell last night." he said, referring to when they'd fallen down the stairs."I hope you didn't get hurt."
"No problem." Yuki ruffled Rubi's hair."Just don't mention that again. Ever." Yuki just wasn't used to anyone thanking him. Rubi could tell, so he smiled at the brunette. The vampire seemed to grimace slightly."Hey. Stop smiling at me like that."
~X~
Rubi, as he made his way to the den, couldn't help but think that Yuki didn't seem as bad as he first thought. When he'd first seen the other, he thought that it would be best to avoid him. However he didn't think that anymore. Now, he wanted to be around Yuki more. He wanted to get to know him better. Going into the den, he sat down on the sofa and tried to think of something he could do to occupy his time. He found himself wishing Kamijo would get back soon. Thankfully, he didn't stay alone and bored for long. Hizaki stepped into the den and smiled when he saw Rubi."Ah, Rubi, I've been looking for you." Hizaki was wearing an elegant dress as always."Will you assist me for a while?"
Rubi gave the beautiful male a nod."Sure." He stood and stepped over to the other."How can I help?"
"Come with me please." Hizaki made a motion with two fingers for the human to follow him. He led Rubi down various halls to his bedroom. Opening the door, he let Rubi enter first then closed the door behind himself. Hizaki circled Rubi a few times, eying his closely."I need you to take off your shirt and shorts." he stated simply.
"What? Why?" Rubi was confused now. Why would Hizaki need him to take off his clothes?
"Don't worry." Hizaki said with a light chuckle. He stepped over to his bed and grabbed a dress that was there."I just need you to put this on and be very still while I make some adjustments to it."
Rubi was a little unsure about this, but he also wanted to help."Uh, okay." Shyly taking off his shirt and shorts, he set the clothes down and put on the dress. The dress was white with some pink lace and trim. It reached down to just a couple inches above his knees.
Hizaki pointed to a wooden stool with a smile."Stand on that stool. And remember: you have to stay very still. I don't want to accidentally poke you with a needle." As Rubi got onto the stool, Hizaki got some white and pink thread, some fabric, and a couple sewing needles. He moved back over to Rubi and started working on the dress."You're quite short, huh?"
Rubi crinkled his nose at the mention of his height."Yeah, I suppose." He really didn't like to be called short, though he knew that he was.
"That means I need to make the dress longer." Hizaki began adding some fabric onto the dress to make it a bit longer."I'm making this dress as a surprise for Teru. So you can't mention this to him. In fact, don't mention it to anyone." Since Rubi was shorter than Teru, the dress would be a bit shorter on Teru than it was on Rubi.
"Oh, I see." Rubi was trying so hard to be as still as he possibly could."I didn't know Teru was the type to wear dresses."
Stopping what he was doing to the dress, Hizaki looked at Rubi with a raised eyebrow."What do you mean by that? Do you not like guys who wear dresses?"
Rubi shook his head."I didn't mean it that way. Really. I just meant that I didn't know that Teru wore dresses."
"He wears them on special occasions." The beautiful male resumed working on the dress."This one is for something very special."
"Really?" Rubi was interested and curious."What special occasion is it for?"
The vampire smiled as he kept his gaze on the dress."I'm making this dress for him to wear when he confesses his feelings to Masashi."
"Teru likes Masashi?" Honestly, Rubi hadn't expected that."Do you know when he plans to confess?"
"No." Hizaki finished the part of the dress he was working on and started on another part."He still needs some encouragement. He really likes Masashi a lot, but he's afraid to tell him."
"Oh." Rubi could kind of understand what that must be like for Teru. Though his situation was quite different, he was still afraid to confess his own feelings to Kamijo.
