Chapter 9

Yoru woke up to Aoi playing with her hair. She lay in his arms, as he looked steadily down on her. She yawned, stretching and almost hitting him in the face, making him laugh.

"Good morning." She laid her body over his.

"Good morning." He leaded down, kissing her head.

She smiled up at him before reaching up to twirl a semi-long lock of his dark hair around her finger. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her up to where he could kiss her softly before she laid her head on his shoulder.

She sighed happily.

"Can we just stay like this forever?" She nuzzled her nose in his neck.

"You know we can't..." Aoi said gloomily.

She frowned, remembering Kamijo. He wouldn't be too happy if he knew about this. All the more reason to hold on as tight as she could for as long as possible.

"I love you." She told him. "Whatever happens, whenever it happens, just know that I will never stop loving you."

He grinned. "At least you'll admit it now."

She looked up at him. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, before, a long, long time ago, you'd have nothing to do with me." He smirked up at the ceiling. "Because you knew how I felt, and you knew how you felt. And you refused to accept it. Because I was, and still am, a vampire."

She shook her head. "That's probably because I was stupider back then. And I very much doubt you saved my life back in those days."

He chuckled. "Actually, I saved you a few times. You always tried to kill me afterwards..."

She groaned. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He kissed her hair. "We better get up and go downstairs before they suspect something."

"Who cares about them?" She asked, leaning up to kiss his nose. "Let's just stay here all day."

He shook his head. "No. Up."

"Aww..."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Walking into the living room, Yoru knew that somehow, Uruha and Reita were going to ruin this lovely day. It was like, a weird psychic thing. She just knew.

And she was right.

Uruha and Reita were sitting on the couch, wrapped in each other and watching TV. Akarui was beside them with Ruki. Kai and Yugure were MIA.

Automatically, as if clockwork, Reita noticed when she walked into the room, Aoi closely behind.

"Well, well, well." Reita smirked. "Look who's up!"

Uruha chuckled. "Bet you guys had fun last night. What with all that noise."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Yoru crossed her arms.

"Yeah, yeah." Reita snickered. "So, some other girl was screaming 'Aoi! Aoi!' "

He exaggerated a bit on the sexual tone.

Aoi growled at him, but it didn't phase the two vampires.

"Wait, what?" Akarui asked, looking up at Yoru. "You slept with him?"

"So what if I did?" Yoru still scowled at Uruha and Reita.

"So you can do it and I can't?" Akarui demanded, pushing herself out of Ruki's arms and to her feet.

"Hey, don't be yelling at me!" Yoru demanded. "At least I waited!"

"Oh, yeah, right!" Akarui threw her hands up. "Long freaking wait! You probably just slept with him to piss Kamijo off!"

"What? No I did not!" Yoru glared at Akarui. "Stupid human!"

Akarui hissed before pushing Yoru's shoulders, but the slayer caught her forearm, twisting her around and kicking her to the ground. Ruki jumped in front of her, stopping her from advancing just as much as Aoi's arms around her.

"You bitch!" Akarui tried to get past Ruki, but was unsuccessful. "Stupid slayer bitch!"

"Human whore!" Yoru yelled back.

"Calm down!" Aoi told Yoru as she attempted to get out of his grasp.

"No! I won't freaking calm down!" Yoru screamed. "Dumbass one and dumbass two have ruined my mood!"

Suddenly, Akarui was giggling uncontrollably. She put a hand over her mouth as she gave up on trying to claw through Ruki. She fell to the ground, still giggling like an idiot.

Yoru raised an eyebrow, ceasing her own struggling.

And then she was giggling.

The both of them were snickering like retarded school girls as the guys looked at them like they had lost all sanity.

"That...that ryhmed!" Akarui exclaimed, making Ruki roll his eyes.

"They're just plain stupid!" Uruha said.

"Yoru...Yoru-chan..." Akarui slowed her giggle-process. "I still don't understand why you get to and I can't."

"Neither of you are supposed to." Reita stated.

They turned, glaring at the two of them.

"You know, you can both shut up." Akarui snapped.

"Well, we're just sayin'." Uruha shrugged. "Neither of you are ever going to be happy. Because you'll be leaving soon. And you might never see Ruki and Aoi again."

The girls' teeth snapped. Akarui stood, stomping off down the hall. Yoru shook her head before sauntering herself up to her room.

"Good fucking job!" Ruki exclaimed.

Uruha nearly missed the vase that Ruki threw, but Reita didn't. He shook the glass out of his hair.

"Next time," Aoi snarled. "Keep your fucking mouth shut."

The both of them turned to go to thier women.

"Now I have to go clean up your God damn mess!" Ruki called from down the hall.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Akarui walked through the path in the gardens, then ran through the arc of roses. She held up her skirts before sprinting to the bench at the end and collapsing.

Uruha was right. She'd have to leave. And she would never see Ruki again...

She cried. Tears poured down her face and she wiped them with her belled sleeves before giving up and just laying down and sobbing.

She didn't want to leave him.

She wanted him forever and ever.

"Akarui!"

His voice just made her cry more. She didn't want him to see her like this. She was so weak and human. It was horrible.

He approached the bench quickly, internally swearing to gut Uruha later for making her cry like this. He put his arms around her, sitting down and pulling her onto his lap.

"Ruki..." She whispered. "I don't want to go....I can't leave you..."

"Akarui, you have to." He rocked her, kissing her forehead as she cried.

"But I don't want to!" She objected. "Isn't there some way I can stay with you?"

"No, baby." Ruki looked extremely sad, and torn as she looked up at him with those broken eyes. "You have to go with him. He'll take care of you, and treat you right. I promise."

"But I...I don't want him!" She shook her head violently. "I found something amazing and I'm selfish! I'm too damn greedy to let you go now!"

Ruki sighed, leaning down and kissing her softly.

She clung to him, deepening the kiss and pressing her body to his. It made him want her even more than he did, which he used to think was impossible.

"Ruki..." She whispered as she pulled back a little. "Please...I'll do anything...I just want to stay with you."

"You can't..." He shook his head slowly.

"I don't want him, though!" She pleaded. "I want you!"

Ruki's eyes suddenly went wide, and for a second she thought she had gotten to him. And then the voice made her think otherwise...

"What's going on here?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Yoru laid on her bed, sobbing into the covers that only hours before she had made love with the most amazing man in the world. And now, she was crying. Because she knew she couldn't keep him.

She knew when Aoi walked in, quietly closing the door behind him. He walked up to the side of the bed and sat down beside her. He ran his hand along her back as she brought herself into a sitting position, wrapping her arms around him.

"Aoi..." She sobbed.

"Don't listen to Uruha." He said softly. "He's stupid and emotionless and self-centered. Besides, Kamijo will be good to you. You won't have to worry about me."

Her teeth snapped.

"So....Last night meant nothing?" She whispered.

He bit his lip, shaking his head. "No. No, it meant everything."

She sniffed. "Well, then why are you going to ship me off to some old rich vampire like I was just extra baggage?"

"Yoru, you don't understand." He shook his head.

"What don't I understand?" She demanded. "Tell me."

"This can't be stopped." He grabbed her hand. "I can't stop loving you. Just like we can't stop the fact that you're going to have to marry a completly different person."

She sobbed again, grabbing his neck and burying her face in his shirt.

"I don't want to..." She sounded desperate.

"Kamijo is what's best for you." Aoi let out a shakey breath. "He can give you so much more than I can."

Yoru shook her head violently. "No. You keep on saying he can give me more. But, you're....you're wrong. Because he could give me the whole world, the whole universe and more. But he could still never give me you."

Aoi felt his heart break, and he suddenly felt the weight of the shattered peices on his chest as he just let go. He dropped his head to her shoulder and cried. He couldn't help it. He didn't care if it meant he was weak, it was pointless. Because he couldn't hold in the pain of having to let her go. Not again.

She held him close, crying herself.

Then, suddenly, the door opened, making them freeze.

The soft, sympathetic voice reached thier ears.

"But I can."

Playlist:

Rainbows - Alice Nine

White Flag - Dido

Silly God Disco - The GazettE

Kimi Ni Negai Wo - Miyavi

Ouka Ranman - Kagrra

Shadow VI II I - The GazettE

Like You - Evanescence

Tonight, Tonight, Tonight - Beat Crusaders

Genosense - Lolita23q

Decieved Mad Pain - Girugamesh

Chizuru - The GazettE

Taion - The GazettE

Colors - Crossfade

Kaleidoscope - D'espairsRay

Still Doll - Kanon Wakashima