Forced To Love
Chapter VIII
Suspicions and Revelation
"Where is… Jinguuji Ren?" Akashi asked, looking at the audience. The strawberry blonde idol wanted to step up, despite every gesture his fiancée made, telling him not to do it. One of the masked men had his hand on her mouth, so she couldn't all out to warn him of what was waiting for him. He hesitated. Mizashi looked deeply frightened, and he guessed it was to warn him too, not for her own life.
Akashi, who was getting quite impatient, sighed in irritation. He closed his eyes for a second or two before he lifted up his hand, the one that held the gun, and pointed it at the girl behind him. Gasps filled the whole arena, and some girls even started screaming, holding onto each other, shaking and trembling. The security, which seemed to have been kept back by some people who were probably Akashi's allies, managed to reach the stage, pointing their stun guns at Akashi and the masked men.
"Do not dare to move, or I'll shoot." Akashi stated with a calm expression. The guards shared a look before they put their weapons down. "Now, Jinguuji. Step up, or Little Haru here is going to face death."
'No, please, Ren. Don't do it.' She thought, shooting a pleading look in Ren's direction. He and the rest of his companions seemed to notice it. But Ren was not going to risk his fiancée's life. He was about to head to the stage, but was held back by Otoya, Nanami and Reiji.
"Ren, don't be reckless." Otoya whispered. "We don't know what he is up to…"
"Ittoki-kun is right." Nanami agreed, tugging on the taller idol's arm. "It's dangerous."
"But, if I do nothing, he will shoot Haruka."
"I doubt that." Reiji said. "I don't think he would really—"
"I'm getting impatient here, Jinguuji." Akashi said, pressing the trigger. That loud bang echoed through the arena, followed by loud screams, and young women running around, heading for the exits as fast as possible, with security guards, who have left the stage as soon as they saw that Akashi was serious about what he was doing, helping them leave without anyone getting injured. Mizashi breathed heavily and looked around, eyeing the people as they left. Her vision was getting blurry bit by bit.
'Damn… At this rate… He will see Ren…' But little did she know that Akashi knew where Ren and his friends were standing, and he knew every move they did and every word they said and exchanged with each other. Mizashi couldn't hold it any longer. Her vision faded, and her world turned black.
By that time—a few minutes after the bullet was shot—there were no people in the arena. All the people who definitely had no idea of what was going on were all out now, safe and sound. Natsuki, Ittoki and Cecil have lead Nanami and Tomochika away to keep them safe, while the rest stayed with Ren. Akashi looked at Ren directly and smiled. It was a smug one, as if mocking Ren. Ren clenched his fists. Just looking at the man made him feel angry. He had hurt his fiancée for no reason.
"There you are, Jinguuji…" he said. "My master sends you his regards."
"Your master?" was Ren's reply.
"Yes. Kirin-sama thanks you for taking care of his daughter." Akashi jumped off the stage and slowly walked towards Ren. He kept walking till he stopped before him, smiling down at the saxophonist. The height difference was something that could not be ignored. Akashi gave a creepy, sick smile, baring his sharp teeth at him. "He has reached a settlement with your brother, and both have decided on the date of your marriage."
"What?" Ren asked, clearly annoyed.
"You heard me." Akashi replied. "Your marriage is in three days, and will be kept secret from public media, so it would not interfere with your job. In addition, after the marriage ceremony and rituals are done," the red-head stopped and smirked, leaning in to whisper into the younger's ear. "You will not see Haruka again…" Ren's eyes widened a little, shocked by what he just heard.
"You… You are lying… Haruka would not—"
"Would not agree? Ha!" Akashi laughed mockingly and turned around, glancing at Haruka's unconscious figure that was being carried away by his men. "She was forced into all of this, Jinguuji. She was just obeying her master, like a loyal dog would do. Or should I say bi—"
"Don't you dare!" Ren hissed at him, anger flashing through his baby blue eyes. Akashi chuckled once more, amused by how angry Ren was.
"My, my, you truly fell for her charm, ne? She has always been such a playgirl… Tricking men into believing her…" Ren grew angrier by the minute. He clenched his fists tightly, trying to refrain from punching the man. After all, he knew Akashi had a weapon, and would not hesitate to use it against him. Akashi saw it, and went on. "You were stupid enough to believe her lies. Poor you…"
"Shut up, you!—"he was about to lunge forward, but a firm hand held him back. He glanced back to see his silver-haired senpai, looking at his seriously—like he always does.
"Ren… Don't do it…" he said calmly.
"But—"
"You better listen to your friend, boy." Akashi said, heading back to the stage. "You want Haruka to be safe, right? Then don't interfere." In a second, he was back next to the men carrying Haruka. He pulled off his black glove and touched Haruka's face gently, smirking. "She is such a beauty, isn't she?" he said, glancing at the furious Ren. In fact, 'furious' could not describe how angry he was at that moment. The bastard dared to touch HIS fiancée like that, right in front of him!
"Hands off, bastard!" Ren yelled, completely pissed off. Akashi chuckled once again and put his gloves back on.
"Kirin-sama expects to see you within a week, at the marriage ceremony. You are lucky you get to see Haruka that day, before you two are separated. So long, Jinguuji." With that, he and his men disappeared. Ren fell to his knees and kept his glare fixed on the ground, his heart broken by the fact Haruka was no longer there with him. Masato knelt beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Jinguuji… It's no use crying over her…" he said. Ren stood up suddenly, but did not face any of his companions.
"I'm not crying." He said quietly before walking away. "I'm going back to the dorms."
"Wait, Ren-chan!" Reiji said, but Ren just ignored him. He didn't want them to see him cry. He didn't want them to think of him as a love-struck idiot. Though he was really sad she was not there anymore, he just couldn't cry in front of his friends. He wanted to be alone. Unfortunately, there was no Haruka to nurse his wounded heart.
One week later…
It was finally that day, when he got to see Haruka again. After contacting his brother, he gave him the address that would lead him to the man who would take him to the Mizashi Estate. To be honest—Ren thought—an estate was a very poor word to describe the house. It was bigger that any building he had seen so far. So huge that it would fit more than 100, 000 people to live in. It was also dark and grim, and Ren couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the whole atmosphere. It was too dark for his liking.
"Welcome, Jinguuji." He was greeted by that voice he hated. Akashi. The man had a smirk on his face, making the saxophonist feel even more annoyed. "Don't look so grim. You are going to marry the girl you love, ne? Anyway, please follow me. Kirin-sama is still preparing for the rituals, so you would have to private time with your beloved." The way he stressed on the word made it sound like he was mocking him again. He just kept silent and followed him into the enormous mansion.
On the inside, it was darker than he had expected. Everything was almost all blood red and black—with some dark reddish-brown here and there. It almost looked like it was a house of the dead—and it was almost true. Eerie silence filled the thick, creepy atmosphere, almost driving Ren insane. But he was NOT going to start a conversation with Akashi, that's for sure! The man was creepier than the silence itself. Soon enough, they reached a room with a huge, dark brown mahogany double door.
"Here we are. Haruka is waiting inside." Akashi said, and walked away. "I'll leave you two alone. Enjoy your last moments with her." Ren knocked on the door, feeling so nervous. He wondered if Akashi's words back then were true. What if Haruka was just acting? His heart was already crushed, and he did not want any more of this.
"Come in…" That voice, so delicate, yet so boyish. He missed it. He missed hearing it every day, waking him up. Yet, it was full of sadness and hatred. Was it because of him, he wondered. He opened the door slowly and walked in, surprised to see his fiancée. Her hair and tied into a low ponytail, with her pitch-black fringes framing her pale face. Her crimson eyes looked melancholic, and her smile was not there. She was wearing a long, strapless black dress that further showed off her boyish features. Around her neck was a black choker with a silver crescent on it. When her eyes fell on Ren, they shined a little, as a small smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, it's you, Ren." She said. "I'm sorry, I thought it was Akashi." She apologized, getting up from her seat—a dark red armchair—and sitting on the matching sofa, patting the spot next to her. "Please have a seat, Ren." Ren smiled a bit, feeling some of that familiar warmth course through him. He walked over to her and sat down beside her.
"Haruka…" Ren, as soon as he sat down, pulled her into his arms, in his iron grip. Haruka was taken by surprise, but she liked it. She—no, they both missed this, feeling each other's warmth and love. It has only been a week, and none of them was able to live without the other. Haruka slowly wrapped her arms around him, smiling even more.
"I missed you, Ren…" she murmured. He tightened his grip even more.
"I missed you too…" It seemed like eternity before he finally pulled away from her, still keeping his hands on her shoulders. Haruka was happy with the warmth of his hands against her cold skin. She looked up at him, her pale hand caressing his face gently, with her long, delicate fingers feeling his skin, rubbing against his cheeks every now and then. They soon found their way through his strawberry blonde hair, weaving through the soft locks. She let out a sigh and pulled her hand away, after tucking some stray locks behind his ears.
"Too bad it is going to end like this…" she said at last, disappointed. Ren could feel it. He was disappointed as well. After this day, he was not going to see her again. He put his hand on her head and patted her gently.
"Hey… I'm sure we would be able to keep in touch somehow…." He tried to comfort her. So he added with a smile. "We can run away, like Romeo and Juliette." Haruka looked up at him with a childish pout.
"You know I do not like that play, Ren." She said, but then her expression turned to a soft smile. "But… I wouldn't mind doing it for you…" Before Ren could respond, the door opened. A figure wearing all black walked in. He had almost the same features as Haruka, and Ren guessed this was her father, Kirin. He tried not to laugh at the name, as the man looked like the 'I'm so serious' type. Haruka sat up straight, her smile fading away. The man sat down across them, with two servants standing behind his chair.
"Now, let us begin the rituals." He said, looking at Ren, then at his daughter. Ren seemed a bit surprised at how his and Kirin's voice were similar, except that Kirin's was colder and more serious. "Unlike what other people do, we as the Mizashi family have our own unique rituals for marriage." He explained. The two servants walked over to Haruka and Ren, each holding a wooden box in their hands. "It's called a Blood Bond."
"May I—"Ren spoke, but stopped when Kirin raised his hand.
"I'll explain. Simple enough, each of you has to inflict a wound on the other, and then put it on your rings alternately." The two servants opened the boxes each. Each of them had a small, very pointed knife and a ring with a transparent gemstone. It looked like a clear piece of glass. Haruka took the knife and looked at it for some time, debating on what she should do. She didn't want all of this to happen again. She didn't want to hurt Ren. She hated those rituals. Why couldn't they just get married like normal people do? Oh right—she forgot they were not normal…
"Ren, are you ready?" she asked. Ren also had his knife in hand—it was more like a small, silver dagger—looking at Haruka in anticipation.
"Are you okay with his, Haruka?" he whispered. "I don't want to hurt you…"
"It wouldn't hurt me… I know it." She said. Ren blinked. She knows? It means she did this before? He didn't realize he was so deep in thought until he felt Haruka's hand grab his own. He watched her as she carefully pricked his finger with the knife, causing a little blood to come out. It stung a bit, but nothing too much. She carefully took the ring and touched the glass-like stone with the knife. It absorbed the blood on the silver knife and turned to deep crimson, just like the color of Ren's blood.
"It's your turn, Ren." She said a minute later. Ren looked uncertain.
"I-I don't want to hurt you, Haruka."
"Trust me, I'll be okay." She reassured him, taking his hand and guiding it to her own. With her assistance, Ren was able to perform that simple task, which he found really hard for him to do. Kirin looked satisfied with this.
"These rings bond you together now." He said. "You must never lose them, or betray this bond between the two of you. Shall one of you do anything against it, they shall be punished severely. I will not tolerate any defiance. Understood?"
"Hai" they both replied. Kirin got up.
"Good. Put on your rings. You two are now officially married." Then he walked to the door, with the servants behind him. "But don't be so happy. Enjoy these last moments together." Then he left. Haruka looked at the ring—now resides on her right hand's ring finger—then glanced at Ren. He was deep in thoughts again. She put a hand on his lap and looked at him worriedly.
"Are you okay, Ren? She asked with concern. Ren snapped out of his trance and smiled at her.
"Yes. Don't worry, Haruka." He said then looked away. He wanted to ask her about it, but he couldn't find the nerve to do it. Luckily, Haruka started first.
"What's on your mind, Ren? Is something bothering you?" she asked. Ren opened his mouth, but shut it immediately. They sat in silence for a while before Ren finally found the courage to ask.
"Haruka."
"Hai?"
"Were you—"But sadly, he couldn't go on. A sudden interruption stopped him as a young boy; about 4-5 years old ran into the room. He had messy platinum blonde hair and ice blue eyes, and was wearing a dark pirates' attire. He jumped onto Haruka's lap and hugged her tightly, giggling.
"Chii missed Okaa-san!" he exclaimed. Haruka let out a gasp and looked at Ren from the corner of her eyes, just to see his expression. He looked shocked, and his eyes were clearly demanding an explanation. Haruka looked away from him, not uttering a word. The boy looked between them for a while before scooting closer to Haruka nervously. "O-Okaa-san… Who is this man…?" he asked, shaking a little. Haruka gently ran her fingers through his hair and sighed.
"From now on, he will be your father, Chiisai…"
Wow. That was a lot. There were definitely weird things up there, but it's a family of vampires so who cares? (I do.)
I was planning of ending everything here. Do you think this should be the end of it, then I should make a sequel featuring my little cutie Chiisai, or does this need a bit more? I still have a little to say, so that the title would make sense, but it can be saved for later. So I vote for ending things here then starting a sequel. (This might be out tomorrow. I have just finished my final exams, and I really feel like writing stories.)
If you want, please tell me what you would like best. (Not that both of them would have explanations concerning Haruka's past.)
KuraiHaru17
PS: I thank all those who read, liked and reviewed this story. You are really special to me.
PPS: I will change the status of the story depending on your thoughts. Please be kind enough to tell me of what you think.
