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Kaname sensed Yuki's aura approaching him before she knocked on the door a few minutes later , asking for permission that he granted in a heartbeat .
He found himself letting go of the literature book he'd been engrossed in a while ago and shifting in his seat , instinctively giving her his full attention .
She walked inside , a near smile plastered on her face , and stopped by the entrance of the room , cell phone in right hand .
It looked like she'd just made or received a phone call , if the way she moved her hand up and down once was any indication .
True enough , she hummed for a second , as if she hadn't yet decided on what to say , then eventually spoke up , informing him " Ichiru will be here in about an hour . "
Kaname responded with a subtle nod , still gazing at her like nothing mattered more than she did . He couldn't understand why she took the time to tell him about that when he already knew . She'd asked him if it was okay to offer Ichiru a stay in the mansion so he could be there for his twin and Kaname had agreed , for her sake and maybe .. Just maybe his own guilt .
He wasn't exactly overjoyed to have two live-in guests for an indefinite period of time , but he acknowledged it had to be done , the reason why did not make much of a difference .
The fact Zero Kiryuu occupied a room in the Kuran manor was something he could not change or complain about , not even within the confines of his thoughts . It might be best to look at it as some sort of compensation for what he'd done a couple of years ago , he supposed .
" Kaname , I'm sorry . " Her voice , gentle and soft , took him away from that daze and brought him back to reality .
He blinked , feeling as if his mind had just disconnected hearing that .
He couldn't understand why she was apologizing , until he got the answer through her eyes .
For everything , for doubting you and voicing it too . It must have hurt , especially when you did the exact opposite of what I'd accused you of .
It was truly astounding how a simple gaze could have so much emotions and words stored in it .
It pained him to have Yuki , of all people , say that to him when in truth , he didn't deserve it .
You are going to take that back , Yuki .. The moment I find it in me to show this dark true nature of mine , to confess of my crimes , you would regret this apology .
But for now , I'll just let you believe - for as long as I can - the picture you have always had of me , no matter how fake .
I won't be cruel enough to give you more anguish than you already have to deal with , just to relieve this guilt .
There would only be one reason strong enough for me to expose such an ugly secret .. Protecting you .
Finding peace in such decision , Kaname let out a heavy breath , then with a smile , he stood up and reached forward , guiding her to follow him .She'd crouched down earlier , a way of meaning her words , as if saying them while standing felt too superior and contradicted what she'd wanted to achieve .
" Yuki , there's nothing to be sorry for . "
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When she was finally back in her room , Yuki allowed her mask to crumble .
She sagged down the wall and looked up , the white ceiling greeting her vision . If only she could have that bland color paint her head , free it of worries , soothe that ache residing so deep in her restless heart .
Too bad life had never been that easy , it wasn't meant to be so .
For a moment , all she could see was an infinite amount of green and red surrounding her . She couldn't tell if it was sunset or sunrise , because - oddly enough - it looked like both .
The tree she'd been leaning on swayed with the wind and spoke , no , sang .
Yuki's eyes came back to life when she realized the source of that melody . It wasn't the tree her imagination had conjured up , but her phone .
She answered the call with a swipe of her finger , lifted the cellphone , and held it up her ears .
" Yuki , I have just gone to the hospital to visit Zero but they told me he'd been discharged this morning . What happened ? Is he okay ? Are you with him ? Why didn't you say anything ? "
Yori's concerned tone made Yuki feel extremely bad she hadn't told anyone the news , besides Ichiru .
She could only sigh at that .
" Yori-chan .. I'm sorry .. I was too caught up in everything I didn't have the mind to inform you .. But yeah .. He's fine and with me , in the mansion . " At that point , she was truly starting to feel like a zombie , or a robot .. Or a doll.. She was that worn out . Even speaking over the phone felt too demanding . The fact she'd managed to speak with Kaname a while ago without breaking down was something she could admire . Nothing else made her feel satisfied .
" .. In the Kuran Mansion ? Why not his own house or yours ? " Yori inquired in a tone that implied she wanted to make sure she'd heard it right . Yuki couldn't blame her .
" Yea . It's true that I want and have to take care of Zero but I can't keep on running away from Kaname either .. For once , I'll do everything I can to be fair and if that means facing them at the same time , in the same place , then so be it . " Before she knew it , a surge of determination raced in her blood and whole being as she said that , surprising her with how intense it was . She wasn't complaining though . Whatever strength she could salvage , she was going to cling to .
Yori , detecting her best-friend's wistful vibe , could do nothing but offer unconditional support .
" Oh.. If .. If you want , would it be okay for me to come over tonight ? "
That had been the last straw .
Yuki froze in place , her features eventually trembling , as if everything in her has been waiting and begging for comfort . Her eyelids quivered and gaze faltered with the effort it took to hold back her voice .
She managed a nod but quickly realized Yori couldn't see it which forced a vocal response out of her .
" Please do . " Came the whisper . As alarming as that was , Yori couldn't dwell on what could have possibly happened to garner such despair from her friend . She was going to have to wait until they were face to face .
Yuki didn't remember much of what happened after she'd ended the call and dropped the phone to her lap . All she could think of was one thing .
She'd been trying to look composed and strong the whole time but truth was , she couldn't lie to herself anymore . She was fully aware of that , she'd realized it .. But she refused to admit that at the end of the day , she was still the same helpless little girl she'd always been ..
She'd felt the pang of having her hands tied when she was a human but at least back then , she had a plausible excuse , no matter how pathetic it was under the surface ..
For her to feel this way as a pureblood too .. Well , it completely devastated her .
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Ruka was this close to throwing her phone against the wall and watching as it crashes to million pieces .
It seriously didn't stop ringing ever since she woke up !
Muting it seemed like a perfect idea , temptation in itself . But she couldn't ignore those calls . It was her job after all . Which explained why , it's with a great deal of self control that she marched forward and made her way to that side table in living room where she left her phone charging atop .
After a deep breath , she flexed her muscles and answered the call " Yes ? "
" Senpai , I have some bad news to deliver . It's about The Bluethread bridal order . You know how I was supposed to go there and make sure it's well done .. " Her secretary , kyouya sato , trailed off uneasily .
" But ? " Ruka felt several veins popping in her head .
" But I'm deeply sorry for I won't be able to go . My fiancee is going to kill me if I don't show up for our date which turned out to be a celebration of our 5th anniversary . I totally forgot about it until she asked If I had free time Tomorrow . I checked the calendar by chance and that's when it dawned on me ."
The guy sounded both hopeful and anxious , to the point Ruka took pity on him and decided to be a nice flexible boss for once .
" Fine . " She said reluctantly . It's not like she had a choice . Kyouya had always worked hard , he earned a day off , even if not scheduled . It was a special occasion after all . The fact they'd gotten closer as time went by must have been why he could ask such thing of her , as if they were working together .
" Don't send me greasy thank yous . Just go before I change my mind . " Without giving him a chance to respond , she touched the end call option and smiled as she shook her head good naturedly until a charred smell reached her nose .
Eyebrows furrowed , she sniffed the air carefully , gasping when finally realized what she'd left on the stove , french fries .
She rushed her way back to the kitchen she'd abandoned a few minutes ago to answer the phone , cursing all the while .
Ruined .. The food was all ruined , burnt to coal black degree and most importantly , it had gone to waste . The kitchen smelt awful , much the same like how she felt . Everything screamed ' terrible . ' in big bold letters .
She turned off the stove and stilled , anger consuming her , soon turning into pure depression and bottled up emotions .
With a cry of frustration , she tossed the pan aside , its contents flying all over the wall , some landing on the floor too , messing the whole place . But she couldn't be bothered with that .
Why does everything have to go wrong ?
Fed up , she slumped against the counter and drowned in a fit of rage , kicking the table in front of her multiple times and slowly breaking down into tears , silently crying her eyes out .
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