The puppy needed stitches. The vet had to shave her leg, and the jagged line across the bare patch looked sad, but otherwise the dog was in decent health, if a bit underweight. They'd spoken to the vet about it, but finding a shelter… Well, for now they were keeping her in the secret place.
Not being under anyone's watch, Azusa ended up taking on most of the responsibility of the temporary schedule they worked out: he would feed her three times a day and clean up her messes, with small periodic check-ins as well. He could only bring Yui out once a day.
Writing the timetable down into her notebook made Yui's pencil stop several times, overwhelmed with guilt. She'd wanted to help the poor animal, but she hadn't realized how much work she was signing Azusa up for.
When she asked how he felt, his brows rose in surprise. "Oh, I want to… she's little and weak, so… she needs help," he said, and it didn't sound like a lie.
Determined to redeem herself during lunch breaks, Yui and Azusa used a computer in the library to look up the names and numbers of some shelters.
Azusa had a smartphone, but unfortunately he didn't know how to use it. He barely knew how to make calls and use the Twitter app that Kou had set up for him. In the library, all Azusa could do was lean over her chair, watch her type, and ask the occasional question. He didn't appear to be watching her to make sure she didn't get help, however- the expression on his face was too nervous.
He became distressed when Yui rejected one place for being a kill shelter, confessing that he didn't know such things existed.
"They take them in...and then kill them... if no one wants them?" His voice was very small. The way he clasped his arm in front of him looked like he was giving himself a hug.
Feeling a pang of sympathy, Yui pushed forward a smile. "We're going to find the best one, okay?"
He nodded, but didn't meet her eyes.
In the end, Yui printed out two copies of the results of their research. She filed her copy away in her school bag, while Azusa folded his into a very small square and tucked it into his jacket's pocket. They would make some calls in the morning, when the rest of the world came to life.
On their way back to class, Azusa asked, "Will she... be okay… Our… little friend?"
Yui didn't get to reassure him. Without warning, she felt a hard shove and the world jerked sideways, dropping her towards the stairs. She caught herself against the railing, with half of her body down the stairs and one foot dangling in the air. The backs of her legs were stinging with scrapes.
Azusa pulled her up by her sides and… curiously, didn't let go. He wrapped his hands around her middle and spoke over his shoulder. "That was… mean."
"Like I care," came the sharp reply. "Don't talk to me now, you filthy thief."
Her eyes widened. "Kanato-kun…" She slipped free of Azusa's grip and faced the vampire across the hallway, his back framed by large windows.
Outshone by the electric lights above, only a trace of moonlight streamed through and reflected off of his purple hair. His wide, wide eyes were full of tears. "I'm thirsty." Kanato clutched his beloved Teddy and tucked his chin on top of the bear's head. His voice dropped into a sad whimper, "Why haven't you come to us, already? You know we're here..."
Called out on her inaction once again, Yui still couldn't answer. She'd only tried to escape once before getting caught up in new mysteries, of Eve and of… Yui glanced at the vampire beside her.
The expression on Azusa's face was… annoyed, in a way she'd never seen before.
"Say something! You're being very rude, ignoring me even though you're just an insect..." Kanato turned on a dime, going from tears to grumbling in rage. "Or maybe you can't speak because you feel guilty?"
Her head jerked back in surprise. "I-"
"Shut up! I knew you were guilty!" He cut her off with a new tirade: "I don't want to hear your lies! Just come back with me and everything will be fine again." Kanato stepped forward, his expression one of hateful fury, of bites that rip the skin.
Yui faltered and "I can't," slipped out of her mouth without thinking. The scrapes on her thighs stretched painfully when she moved.
"Traitor!" He seethed. His eyes grew wider, his pupils contracting with rage. "How dare you decide that on your own!" His expression contorted into violent disgust and the contempt in his voice could scald skin off. "I knew you'd betray us. You'll obey anyone who treats you a little nicely."
Yui froze, feeling the knife of his accusation pierce her heart. Was that… true?
"Sorry, but… Eve is with us, now." Azusa's arm slid across her back and the other scooped Yui's legs up into a bridal carry. She looked up at him in shock, and he said, "Let's go… okay?"
A tiny squeak escaped Yui's lips as he took off running down the hall with her.
Kanato's scream was loud.
The windows flying by blurred into bars as Yui held on tight.
"It's okay…" He flashed her a fanged grin. "I won't drop you…"
He ducked into a classroom and pushed the door shut with his back.
The pungent scent of chemicals tickled her nose, and she glanced over to see the rows of bookshelves and empty tables of the laboratory.
"He didn't chase us…" Azusa carried her over to one of the long lab tables and laid her out flat. Almost like… she was going to be dissected.
Alarm bells ringing, Yui tried to sit up, but Azusa already began to climb on top of her.
His bangs swayed in front of his serious face as he crouched over her thighs. He slipped a hand under her leg and pulled one knee up. "You were hurt, right?" Azusa's cool fingertips glided along the back of her thigh, up her skirt.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Frantically, she tried to push down her skirt, but he didn't seem to notice.
"It's nice, right? This pain…" He chuckled, and touched her scrapes. His smile was gentle even when she winced. "Your painful face is... great. The scent of your blood is wonderful, too..." He leaned closer and inhaled.
Yui tried her best to scoot away from him, but there was nowhere to go. "Azusa-kun, I don't really… uum..." Even her mouth was shaking, twisting up painfully. Her throat closed. What could she say?
Azusa didn't seem to hear her. He stared between her legs. "Fangs… bit here, too…?"
Every muscle in Yui's body seized up. Not now. Bad memories bubbled threateningly below the surface. No, no. ..
Blue and green light, cruel laughter- no, no...
Azusa slipped between her legs, a parody of the horrific memory threatening her. His hand still spread painfully over her scrapes, he kissed the scars on her legs - one, twice, feather light on her skin.
Yui slammed her legs shut and closed her eyes. "No, no, no-"
"What's wrong…?"
She could almost hear that distinct giggle .
"Who are you thinking about?"
Her eyes snapped open. She met his eyes again.
"Ah… good, you're looking at me…" He smiled, soft and sweet. "I'll... make you feel better…"
Her shoulders began to sink in relief, but-
"...and… more painful." He punctuated his terrifying statement by dragging his nails through her scraped skin.
The wreckage path from his nails burned worse than the initial scrape. Yui winced, and her voice betrayed her agony, "Stop, don't-!"
He licked a fingertip. "Why not? Won't you feel better...if it hurts? It'll distract you… if I drink your blood..."
Yui began to tremble. It always came back to this. She futilely pushed against him. It was like trying to move a wall. "No, no- please... not there…" She squeezed out her pleas through a sore throat.
Azusa grabbed one of her shaking hands and held it still. His nails were dirty with blood. He watched her quiver with an unreadable expression.
Abruptly, he pushed off of the table. "Sorry, I… I… was I wrong?" She heard him mutter. Louder, he added, "Let's go home… We need to… call, later…" His voice seemed unusually dazed.
The severed tension left her with a strangely floaty feeling. The undersides of her thighs burned and Yui stumbled when she tried to walk. She leaned against a table to get her bearings.
Azusa didn't help her this time. His eyes were downcast as he clutched his left arm, digging his dirty fingernails into the gauze.
He sent Yui home by herself and went to check on the puppy.
Cleaned up and bandaged, Yui looked into the mirror of her vanity. Her face looked tired. She was glad Azusa had let her go, but... Kanato's words echoed in her mind. Was she really fickle and weak for wanting to be treated gently? It didn't sound right, but a warped form of guilt kicked at her all the same.
