tohru15: Haha yeah he will have a hard time dealing with Horn. XD Horn and Atsuko will do anything to get them back! :D So, that's going to be an interesting development! :D Haha. It was a heartbreaking moment between her and Mika. XD Atsuko's still going to attempt to find the picture cause she's convinced it's in his underwear drawer now! XD She hasn't learned the lesson very well yet. :P I hope you enjoy this chapter!
MakogirlY14: I hope that you enjoy this chapter! (:
I'm sorry I took so long to update! I've had this mostly done since yesterday, I just hit a lazy streak. XD Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. (: Thank you for reading!
The trip toward the meeting point doesn't seem to take any time at all, but it seems to take forever at the same time. She could barely contain her excitement. There was a few patrols full of humans floating around, but Mika helped to avoid them. She missed the group more than she thought she would. She picks up her pace the closer she gets. Mika easily keeps up with her, but he seems to be more aware of what was going on around them. Her heart leaps with joy as she hears Yuu yelling near by.
"Shut up, Kimizuki! You'll see!"
She hurries around a corner and freezes. She was staring down the barrel of a gun. She looks from the gun to the person holding it. She didn't recognize him at all. He was taller than her. His hair was a silver color. It wasn't short, but it wasn't as long as Ferid's It looked like it probably reached around his ears. His eyes were blue like Mika's were, but they didn't hold the same frosty edge that Mika's carried. They seemed warmer, despite the fact that the man was glaring suspiciously at her. She slowly raises her hands to try to show the human that she didn't mean any harm. She slowly slides her foot back. Her heart feels like it stops when Mika's sword appears close to the man's throat.
"Put it down, human," Mika says coldly.
"Wait!" Yuu's voice shouts. She could hear him approaching, but she didn't take her eyes off the man in front of her. To his other side, she sees movement. Her eyes move toward it to feel her heart sink. It was the purple-eyed man from before. His name slips her mind at the moment, due to her nervousness, but she's sure that she's seen him before. She keeps her hands up as Yuu approaches Mika's side. "These are the two I was telling you about, Guren! It's Mika and Atsuko!"
No one moves for a few tense seconds, before she feels two arms wrap around her. She hadn't even see Yoichi move at all, but he was hugging her now with a pleading look at the two older humans. She ignores Yoichi and slowly reaches out to put her hand on Mika's back. She says softly, "Mika, I think you should put your sword away. It doesn't help our case when you are aiming a weapon at their throats."
She feels him twitch, but she just presses her hand on his back a little harder. She mutters his name again, and he slowly pulls his sword away and places himself between Yoichi, her and the gun. Yoichi didn't seem like he was going to let her go any time soon, so they're forced back a couple of steps because of it. It becomes silent once more before the unfamiliar man says, "Well, what do you want to do, Guren? Your minions look like they are going to insert themselves into the line of fire. I don't know about you, but I don't feel comfortable willingly killing a comrade."
Guren casts an annoyed look at the other man, who just returns it with an unusually happy smile. Yuu moves to stand right next to Mika. His shoulder was pressing against his brother's as he immediately jumps back into the discussion. "Please, Guren. Just talk to her! You'll see how different she is from the vampires. Can't you see that Mika cares for her? You promised to let Mika stay! I promise that she won't hurt you. She wont' hurt anyone."
It's silent for a few moments before Guren lets out what sounds like a sigh. "Shinya, put it away. We'll see if Yuu is right about this particular leech."
Despite the insult, she feels herself relax considerably as she peeks around Mika to see that the man named Shinya was no longer holding his gun. Yoichi slowly lets her go, but he doesn't step away. She could feel that he was shaking a little. It made her want to reach out and hug him. Mika presses back against her as he says, "It's too dangerous to remain here. We are leaving."
"No!" Yuu cries as he steps around Mika to grab the front of Mika's clothes tightly. "Please, just talk to him! He's part of the family, too! I didn't agree to the other guy showing up, but Guren said he needed back up if there was possibly two of you. I told him that he was being stupid, and you guys won't hurt anyone."
Atsuko lets her eyes drift back to Guren, though he seemed to be looking Mika over. She felt a sense of relief at the fact that he wasn't paying any attention to her, but she still worried about the look in his eyes as he regarded Mika. Yoichi says to her softly, "Why don't you come sit down?"
She finally turns her attention to Yoichi. He gives her a nervous smile. She feels Mika's hand wrap around hers and glances back at Mika. She leans forward and says softly, "Let's give this a chance. Yuu really wants you to talk to this human. What harm could it possibly do?"
Mika makes a soft noise of irritation, but he doesn't look back at her. Yoichi turns to look up at Mika with a pleading look. Yuu was giving Mika a desperate look. He finally says, "Fine."
She finds herself sitting between Yoichi and Mika, both were pressing on either side of her making it hard for her to move. Shinya and Guren are sitting across the group from them, both were silently observing her and Mika now that she wasn't hiding behind two bodies. She shifts every so often hoping someone would say something. Finally, Shinoa says playfully, "So, Atsuko, do you find Shinya attractive?"
Shinya gives Shinoa a curious look as Atsuko jumps feeling a blush forming over her face as she says, "Why would I think that?"
"So, your saying he's ugly?" Shinoa says, sounding positively evil. Atsuko feels herself panic as she looks toward Shinya. She didn't know him, so she didn't want to hurt his feelings. Who knew how he would react to being insulted, and she didn't want a fight to break out. It helped that she didn't think he was bad looking either. She turns her eyes back to see Shinoa is watching her with a slight tilt of the head, though she looked anything but innocent to Atsuko right then.
"Ah! I didn't mean he's ugly! He's very good looking, but I just don't... I..." She finds herself unsure of what to say. It gets worse when Shinoa, Mitsuba, and Shinya start laughing. She puts her hands over her face to hide the blush the best she can. She could even hear Yoichi chuckling.
"Is it because he has blue eyes?" Mitsuba asks playfully. Atsuko lifts her gaze to glare at the blonde, who just laughs even harder at Atsuko's look. "It is! Kimizuki, I think you lost the bet! She has a weak spot for blue eyes! It doesn't seem to matter who has them!"
She could feel her blush getting darker. She was tempted to find something to throw at Mitsuba when she feels two arms around her shoulders. She tenses and looks to the side to see Shinoa's smiling face.
"I think he's single, but he's quite a bit older than you. You like older, right?" Shinoa says playfully and glances toward Mika, who was giving Shinoa a cold look. Atsuko tries to wiggle out of Shinoa's hold, but she finds that the girl was just putting more weight on her. She laughs in Atsuko's ear making her cringe. She blushes harder and finds it awkward to now look at the human. Her eyes focus on the ground directly in front of her. She decides not to say anything to Shinoa. It'd be better if she didn't give Shinoa more ammo to use against her. Yoichi is pushed aside, though he lets out a whine that is ignored, and Mitsuba sits beside Atsuko with a smile. Dread fills Atsuko's stomach as she moves her eyes up to meet Mitsuba's. She reaches out to playfully poke Atsuko's side making her jump. Atsuko tries to lean into Mika, but Shinoa pushes against her to prevent her from finding any sort of comfort from her lover. She turns to try and give a desperate pleading look to Mika, but she finds herself staring at rose colored eyes. She leans as far away from Shinoa's face as she can.
"I'm happy with who I have now," Atsuko says. "So, I just..."
"Ah, Shinya, she doesn't think you are good enough!" Shinoa says dramatically. Atsuko elbows her lightly which just makes Mitsuba laugh. Atsuko looks up at the older male to see that he was chuckling. She feels a sense of relief that he knows Shinoa is just playing. Shinoa pretends to get a look of disappointment on her face. She says softly, "And here I thought we could be related by marriage."
Shock runs through Atsuko's body as she looks from Shinoa's still overly close face to Shinya, who gives her a playful, but strained, smile. They didn't even look alike! Atsuko was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that they might be brother and sister when she feels Shinoa pull away. Atsuko feels Mika's arm being wrapped around her waist pulling her closer to his side. It falls silent once more before Yuu says, "See, Guren? She's not like the other vampires."
"She's still a vampire, Yuu," Guren says. He turns his purple eyes away from her and focuses on Yuu. "How she acts doesn't change what she is."
"She's family, though," Yoichi argues softly. That startles her, and she leans around to look at him. He gives her a nervous smile. She hears a sigh and looks back at Guren. He was once again focused on her. Mika's hand tightens in her clothes for a moment as he watches Guren. When the human doesn't show any signs of moving, she feels Mika's hand relax. She could feel a sense of nervousness settle over her. Guren's face was set into a suspicious look.
"You drink human blood, don't you?" he asks sternly. Atsuko feels herself blush and looks down to pull at the hem of her skirt.
"Ah, I... ummmm... I don't usually."
"You don't?" Shinya asks. She didn't know him very well, and she wasn't looking at him, but she was sure he sounded baffled. She just nods a little. She finally gets the courage to lift her gaze to look at Guren and Shinya. Guren had a suspicious look, while Shinya did actually look baffled. Shinya asks softly, "What do you drink if you don't drink human blood?"
Atsuko immediately looks back down. She found that she didn't have the ability to talk any more. This whole situation was getting to be so awkward. She shifts a little as the silence drags on. How does she even describe the fact that she drinks from Mika? Will they consider that cannibalism? She didn't want to come off as weird, since Yuu clearly held the man in high regard. She felt the need to try and make a good impression. Finally, Yuu speaks up sounding unsure, "I think she drinks from Mika. Right?"
She nods a little. Shinoa chuckles behind her making her stiffen. Was she going to say something perverted? Atsuko hoped that she didn't. The situation was already awkward enough as it was. Thankfully, Shinoa doesn't say anything. Finally, Atsuko manages to look up at Guren and Shinya. Shinya looked surprised, but Guren's face was a little harder to read. The silence drags on for a few minutes before Guren and Shinya start to take turns asking her questions. She answers them truthfully. They ranged from when she was human, which it surprised her to know that Guren knew she was human once. Shinya didn't seem to know since he looked like he was surprised too. It ended with what she does now as a vampire, though she tries to be vague about what she does do. She makes sure to just tell them that she was in charge of making sure that the captive human's needs were met.. She could feel Mika remain tense beside her the entire time. Finally, it falls silent for a few minutes before Yuu repeats his earlier words, "See, Guren! She's not like other vampires, is she?"
Guren lets out a sigh and closes his eyes. He seems to take a moment to gather his thoughts before he says, "How long have you all been secretly meeting with these two?"
Everyone seems to stiffen aside from Yuu. He grits his teeth and clenches a fist saying, "What does it matter how long we have been meeting?! She isn't like the others! She's never once tried to attack humans, nor has she even shown any desire to hurt humans!"
Guren reaches out and punches the top of Yuu's head. "You do realize that this could be seen as treason, don't you?"
"But..." Yoichi says softly. Atsuko could feel every muscle tense in her body at the thought that the group would be punished. She swallows hard as she tries to find something to say to protect them from harm. Her eyes drift to Yuu, who looks horrified and upset.
"What are your true intentions for being around these kids, Atsuko?" Shinya asks suddenly, drawing her eyes back to meet his blue ones. She is silent for a moment as she gathers her thoughts. She finally finds what she wants to say.
"It won't matter what I say, since you won't believe me, but I'll tell you this. I love this dysfunctional group like they were family. I have a question for you now," she makes sure to put as much confidence in her voice as she can when she focuses on Guren. "Do you have any hand in what they have been doing to Yuu?"
He seems to regard her for a moment before he asks, "Why does it matter to you, vampire?"
She clenches her fists and says, "Because I care for Yuu. He's naive and doesn't deserve to be treated badly."
Guren closes his eyes and chuckles. "No, I don't have anything to do with what is happening to him."
She feels suspicion well up in her chest as she watches Guren. She didn't liked him at all, nor did she feel like she could actually trust what he was saying. It's silent for a few minutes before she glances at Yuu. He's watching her with a curious, yet hopeful, look. She smiles at him little before she notices something about him. Her eyes drift back to Guren, who was once again watching her suspiciously. She lifts a hand to point at Guren. His eyes narrow a little, and his body clearly tenses, but she didn't care. She says softly, "You know, you look like you could almost be related to Yuu. Like your his big brother or something."
Shinya starts to laugh. He lightly elbows Guren saying. "She hit the nail on the head. He even acts like you."
Guren lets out a soft scoff and says, "He doesn't act anything like me. He's a childish, uncooperative brat that doesn't know what the word teamwork even means."
"Hey!" Yuu leaps to his feet looking offended as he glares at Guren. "I know what that word means!"
"You forgot to mention that he's a cherry boy, who gets so shy about the simplest displays of affection," Shinoa adds playfully. Yuu turns on her and snarls softly before he raises his hand to point at her. Laughter was starting to bubble up at the sight of his red face.
"He's gullible," Kimizuki adds with a smile before Yuu can verbally attack the now innocent looking Shinoa. Yuu turns on him immediately, but he doesn't get a chance to even say anything since Mitsuba quickly decides to add to it as well.
"He's reckless and stupid. Don't forget to add that!"
Atsuko felt like she couldn't breath since she was laughing so hard at the look of embarrassment and anger on Yuu's face. He drops back down onto his butt and glowers at them all. "Fuck all of you! Why do I consider any of you family? I thought family was supposed to support each other."
That just makes everyone seem to laugh harder. Finally, the laughter fades away. Guren suddenly says, "I don't trust you, vampire."
"Guren!" Yuu says desperately.
"I don't trust you either, human," Atsuko replies without a second thought. His purple eyes seem to brighten a little with amusement. He closes his eyes and smiles. She just watches him for a few minutes till she feels someone tapping her knee. She turns her attention to Yoichi, who gives her a nervous smile.
"How have you been doing? The last time we saw you, you were being carried off by that noble," he says softly. Shinya tilts his head a little as he watches Atsuko. She turns her attention back to him when he asks.
"What noble is he referring to?"
For a moment, she considers not answering. She feels Mika tug on her clothes gently and looks up at him. He glances down at her and gives a small nod of his head. She takes a deep breath before she replies. "His name is Eusford Crowley."
She turns her attention back to the two humans to see they had stiffened. They both had matching looks of suspicion that were clearly directed at her. She feels her body starting to tense once more. They didn't look happy. Guren asks, "What is your relationship with that noble?"
She feels a sense of unease settle into her stomach as she regards Guren for a few moments, before she shakes her head. "I'm not telling you anything about him."
Guren watches her for a moment before he closes his eyes with a brief smile on his face. He says, "You're loyal to that vampire, aren't you? Have you been giving information on Yuu to him?"
It's silent as Atsuko frowns at the accusation. She wasn't going to say anything at all about Crowley. Guren seems to be mildly amused. She finds the silence irritating, so she says softly, "I won't tell you anything about him. If that is what you are hoping for, you are wasting your time."
Guren lets out a soft chuckle, which surprises her. Shinya smiles kindly at her. Her attention is drawn away from the two of them to Yuu, who looked excited. He says, "See? She isn't a danger to us! Please let her stay!"
Shinya gives him a look of sympathy. She feels her heart sink at the look. She knew it wouldn't mean anything good. Guren's eyes close. His voice is stern as he says, "The answer is still no, Yuu. She can't come with us."
"Why not?" Yuu sounded so desperate and upset. He was clenching his fists as he gives Guren a pleading look. Shinya is the one who answers.
"Her connection with the noble. She won't explain it, so we must assume that they are at least close. If that assumption is correct, and we take her with us like you want to do to, he will likely see it as us kidnapping her. What do you think he will do?"
It's silent for few seconds before Shinoa says softly, "He'll likely come for her."
Atsuko looks at the ground feels unease run though her. She feels Mika's hand tighten in her clothes once more and glances up at him. His eyes hadn't left the two humans before her. She knew that he didn't trust them at all. It made the unease even worse. Her thoughts were starting to race. Her eyes drift from Mika to Yuu. She had tuned out what was going on around her. She could see that he was arguing with Guren. She hadn't truly thought about it before, but she found herself wondering how they were all supposed to break free of their bonds. She had Crowley, Chess, Horn, Lacus, and Rene. The thought of leaving them caused a pain to swell in her chest. She could see that Yuu cared for the older human, and she wasn't sure, but she assumed the human cared for him as well. He'd been considerate enough to allow two vampires in his company, despite the fact that he had pointed out that Yuu's group had been committing treason. Her heart starts to sink. She feels a hand on her shoulder, and she turns to meet worried green eyes. Yoichi had managed to move closer to her once more. It made the pain grow even more. She hadn't ever truly considered that these people might have someone they couldn't leave behind in the human world. She reaches up to put her hand over Yoichi's hand. She loved these humans so much, but she knew that she couldn't bring them with her into the vampire world. They would never fit in. They'd be nothing but targets for the others, and she didn't know if she could protect them all the time. She wouldn't allow them to be changed either.
She grips Yoichi's hand a little tighter as she feels like a weight is crushing her chest. She knew that Mika and her would never truly belong among the humans, and she couldn't bring the vampires she'd come to love. She brushes Yoichi's hand from her shoulder and stands abruptly. She felt like she was suffocating. She sees both Shinya and Guren tense up and watch her. Their hands were on their weapons. She hadn't even noticed that Mika had released her clothes as she stood. She had everyone's attention. She swallows hard and says, "He's right, Yuu."
Yuu just stares at her for a moment before his eyes widen as her words seem to settle in. He opens his mouth to say something. She shakes her head quickly and turns to walk away. She feels Yoichi reach out and grab at her, but she catches his hand and gives him a smile. She slowly lets him go when she realizes that Guren had gotten to his feet. She just turns to leave again. She finds herself panting as she leaves the group. All the excitement from before had melted away. She felt confused and lost on what to do. She wanted to be with Yuu's group, but she found that she didn't know if she could even fit in with them anymore. She hears someone behind her and spins to face them. To her surprise, it's Yoichi. He gives her a desperate look. Her chest starts to ache even more. He lunges for her before she even manages to move through her shock at seeing him and wraps his arms around her.
"Please don't leave! We'll convince him to let you stay!" he says desperately. She feels like a lump is forming in her throat as she returns the hug. She could feel herself starting to shake.
"Yoichi, I can't go with you to the human's civilization. You know I can't," she says softly. She feels him shaking his head. She doesn't give him a chance to speak though. "I'm a danger to all humans. I know I am."
"You've never hurt us!" Yoichi says as he pulls away from her to look her in her face. She feels herself smiling a little. She reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder.
"Not yet, but I do have to drink human blood from time to time," she turns to look away from him. Why hadn't she actually truly thought of this before?
She pulls her hand away from him. He reaches out grabbing her wrist. She looks at him to find tears in his eyes. Her heart feels like it's sinking more than before. The feeling of hopelessness takes an even stronger hold on her heart. He says softly, "We'll figure something out, then! You are family to us! You and Mika both are. Please don't leave."
She hears others approaching and looks up to find that Mika had approached as well. Yuu and Shinoa were with him. She found herself at a loss for what to say. Shinoa hurries past Mika to stand at Yoichi's side. It feels like her resolve was starting to crumple. She pulls on her wrist, but Yoichi just tightens his grip. Shinoa doesn't reach out to touch Atsuko, but her expression was just a little softer than Atsuko had seen it before. She noticed that Mitsuba and Kimizuki were both hanging back, but they were there. She feels an arm around her waist. She turns her gaze to look at Mika. He had his eyes closed. He leans forward to put his chin on her shoulder, but he remains silent.
She could feel her body shaking even more. She closes her eyes fighting her tears. "But, I killed... I drink... I can't..."
She feels Yoichi reach to hug her again. She hears the noise of irritation from Mika as he moves his chin away from her shoulder. She still wraps her arms around Yoichi. She could feel Shinoa trying to awkwardly join the hug. Atsuko could feel amusement starting to take the place of her hopelessness. She buries her face in Yoichi's shoulder. She feels someone's hand on the shoulder Mika had previously had his chin on, but she doesn't look up to see who it is. Shinoa finally pulls away. Atsuko pulls away from Yoichi as well. She stares at the ground between the two of them. Mika presses against her back. His arm tightens around her waist and says softly. "There is something that needs to be addressed before we go any further."
Atsuko lifts her gaze to look at Yoichi. The hand had disappeared from her shoulder. She was pretty sure it was Yuu that had touched her shoulder. She could see that Yoichi was nodding. He smiles at Atsuko and says, "It doesn't matter what it is. We'll figure something out! That's what family does! Don't give up on us yet, Atsuko."
She feels hope starting to fill her heart once more. She reaches out putting her hands on either side of Yoichi's cheeks, which seems to startle him. She finds that she doesn't have words to say to him, so she pulls her hands away from him. She says softly. "Mika's right. There are things we need to discuss, but I don't think it's wise to do it right now. Those men don't trust us, and I don't trust them."
Yuu looks like he's about to protest, but Atsuko forces a smile in his direction. "There is so much going on right now. The vampires and the humans are all fighting this war. We have to address the fact that you guys seem to care about those two."
"Guren's family. I don't care about the other guy," Yuu states stubbornly. Atsuko finds herself chuckling especially when Yoichi calls out Yuu's name in a reprimanding voice. "He'll like you. I know he will."
"Yuu, the only reason he didn't kill Mika and I back there was because of you. He considered your feelings on the matter. He will never like Mika or me. We are, and will always be, enemies," she says softly. He gets a frustrated look on his face.
"These guys have accepted you guys!" Yuu argues, gesturing to the humans around him. She feels amusement at his stubbornness. She wasn't sure who was worse when it came to be stubborn between him and Mika. She just shakes her head.
"We had something in common, though," she says softly. "We had you as a common ground. I do think he cares about you, or he would have never agreed to meet us, but I don't think we could ever be friends or close. It's was amazing that we've all managed to get as close as we have, Yuu. You can't hope for another miracle. That's like me bringing you home and expecting you to get along with Crowley, Horn, and Chess."
"You don't hate humans though, Atsuko," Yoichi says softly. She turns her attention back to him. She shakes her head slowly and closes her eyes. The thoughts of everything that humans have done to each other seems to drift to the surface. Humans had hurt Mika and Yuu. Her own father turned out to have something to do with it in the end. She'd have to talk to Yuu about that.
"You're right. I don't hate humans, but I have found that they aren't any different than vampires. There is good and bad in both species, but I don't think they will ever co-exist with one another, since both are greedy and selfish. It's a wonderful dream to think about, but that's all it is. Humans are right for revolting and wanting freedom. I don't blame them for that, but vampires are just trying to secure their food. There are humans that seek out vampires for protection." She opens her eyes to look at Yoichi then at Yuu. Yoichi looked upset, but Yuu looked ready to argue. "Vampires and humans live in two different worlds. I guess, I didn't want to think about it before, but we have people on both sides that we would have a hard time living without. You can't force that man back there to accept me. It'll never work, Yuu. Just like I can't force the vampires I care for to not think of you as food."
Yuu's green eyes retain their stubborn look, so she turns her eyes to meet Yoichi's green eyes. She says softly, "That's something to think about. You can't come home with me, and I can't go with you. Our best chance is to each make a sacrifice and abandon every bond we have made with each side."
Yuu steps forward pressing his shoulder to Yoichi's. Atsuko looks at Yuu once more. He looked desperate. "We can't just leave Guren behind!"
"Will he even want to leave, or does he have people he cares for back there? You can't bring half of a city with you when you leave, Yuu," she says softly. His eyes widen a little. She continues to say, "You won't be the only one leaving loved ones behind. I will have to leave the family I've found behind too. It hurts to think about, but that's the only option I can see right now."
She presses back on Mika. He takes a step back pulling himself from Atsuko. She turns to leave, but she feels someone grabbing her wrist. She turns to find herself staring at Yuu. He grits his teeth. He had a look of anger on his face, but he sounded so heartbroken as he says, "That isn't the only way. There has to be another one. We won't leave family behind."
She closes her eyes and releases a sigh. "You might be right. We shouldn't give up on all other options just yet, but that is the most solid one right now."
She pulls on her wrist, and Yuu lets it slip through his grip. She felt a surge of guilt run through her. She would have to talk to him about the experiments sometime soon, but she didn't think now would be a good time. She reaches forward and hugs him. He stiffens against her, and she quickly releases him. She takes a step back and smiles a little. "You guys are important to me. I just wanted you guys to know that. I love all of you, and I want us all to be happy. This world doesn't allow happiness, though. If we want it, we'll have to create it ourselves. We might have to lose some people that we care about to do so. We should think about our next few steps carefully. We've all lost so much, and it won't help to make rash choices anymore."
She shakes her head and says, "I think it's best that Mika and I go now. We all have a lot to think about, and I don't wish to talk about it around him. I'm sorry, Yuu. I know you care for him, but I don't trust him."
He looks away from her finally. She hesitates wondering if she should say anything else. He hadn't returned her first hug, so she didn't feel comfortable giving him another one. She finally decides that she should just go and turns to leave again. Her chest starts to ache once more as she carefully leaves the group behind. She felt as if she'd left on bad terms, but she didn't know what else she could say. The walk was becoming lonely as she thinks over several possibilities. She stops suddenly. Mika does the same a few steps later. He turns to look at her. She looks up at him with a curious look. She says softly, "Do you think Crowley and the others will let me leave?"
He shakes his head a little. She feels her heart sink more as she looks toward the sky. Her thoughts begin to race. "Do you miss spending time with Yuu, Mika?"
He doesn't reply, but she finds herself looking at him once more. She sees the suspicious look on his face. She reaches out and puts a hand on his chest. She wasn't sure how she wanted to approach the subject that she was thinking about. She lets out a sigh and closes her eyes. Worry starts to bubble up. What if they had to chose between families? She wraps her arms around herself and looks toward the sky once more. "Do you think that any of this will ever work out?"
It's silent for a few moments before she feels Mika wrap his arms around her. He presses his face into her hair. He mutters softly, "I don't know."
She closes her eyes and leans into Mika. She finds the silence between the two of them comfortable. She lets her thoughts race for a few minutes as she stares at the ground after settling her head against his chest. Finally, she says, "If you are able to, you should go wi-"
He jerks away from her startling her. She looks up at him in surprise. He was giving her a stern glare. He says softly, "I'm not going to leave you with the vampires, if that's what you were planning on saying."
Her heart flutters as she feels a desperate need fill her chest. She knew that he wanted to save Yuu from the humans. If he was allowed to be near them, he could have more chances to find a way to help Yuu and the others. Chances he wouldn't have if he stayed with the vampires. She says, "But if you are close to them, yo-"
His hands close around her face, and he leans down pressing his lips to hers effectively silencing her. He kisses her for a moment before he pulls away and says, "I am not going to leave you with the vampires. You're coming with me."
She's stunned for a moment before she says softly, "But, what about Crowley and the others?"
He smiles at her a little. She feels like her heart is stopping at the sight. A warmth feels her chest. He always looked so much more attractive when he smiled. He leans in like he's going to kiss her, but his lips don't touch hers again. Instead, he says, "You are just as important to me. I'll find a way that we can all be together. Remember, I promised that those stupid humans that call themselves Yuu's friends could go with us. Crowley and the others do present a problem, but we'll find a way around them."
He presses his forehead to hers and closes his eyes. She feels her closing as well. She says softly, "You sound so sure of yourself, Mika."
He chuckles softly and pulls his head back to look at her. "Of course. Besides, who will be there to watch over you when you wake up at night crying like a baby, because you had a bad dream?"
She can only gap at him before she playfully pushes on his chest. "Shut up! I haven't cried about a dream forever!"
He gets a playful look on his face as he leans in and kisses her once more. She can't stop the roll of her eyes and teasingly says, "You sound just as arrogant as the others."
His hands pull away from her face before one takes her hand, intertwining their fingers. He scoffs playfully at her and mutters, "Anyone would have to be arrogant to put up with you."
She pretends to glare at him, as he turns to lead the way back to the mansion. She could see the smirk from the side of his face as she follows after him holding his hand tightly. There still felt like there was so much weight on her chest, but she felt a little better now. She had Mika and Yuu's group. Her thoughts turn back to Crowley and the others. Maybe she could approach them and see what they thought. She wouldn't be able to come right out and tell them that she planned to leave, but she might be able to figure out how they'd react if she disappeared. It'd help to know what to expect in the future. That way they wouldn't be surprised again. She feels Mika squeeze her hand lightly and focuses on him. He was looking back at her as he walked. She was surprised he didn't trip over anything. A surge of jealousy rises in her chest when she actually almost trips over something. It's made worse when he catches her with his free hand and laughs. Her face flushes embarrassment as she looks away. He leans down so that his lips are inches from her ear and mutters. "Do I need to carry you?"
She pulls her hand away from him and steps away pretending to be upset at him. She closes her eyes and crosses her arms before turning her face away with a pout on her face. "If you hadn't distracted me, I wouldn't have tripped. So, it's your fault."
It's silent for a lot longer than she thought it should have been. She feels worry flood her chest as she lets her arms fall to their sides, and she opens her eyes to turn and look at him. He had a guarded look on his face. She opens her mouth to apologize, but she doesn't get the chance to, since he takes a step forward and suddenly sweeps her up into his arms. He starts to walk again. She lets out a surprised squeak, which just adds to her humiliation. She wiggles a little, but he just squeezes her tightly causing her to stop. She finds herself just staring up at him for a moment before she lets out a sigh and gives in. It was less work that she had to do anyway. She leans her head against his shoulder. He starts to walk once more. It's silent for a few minutes before she closes her eyes and says softly, "I think I should talk to them. If I can find out how they'll react when we leave, we can plan for it. It'll make it easier for us to know what to look for. I'll have to make sure to be careful, so they don't expect us to do something."
He doesn't reply to her. She didn't mind though. She found comfort in being carried by him. She could feel herself dozing slightly. She hears him ask softly. "Do you really think of Yuu as family now?"
"Mmm." That's all she says. He pulls her closer. She opens her eyes to try and focus on him once more. She could feel that he was shaking slightly. She feels a wave of confusion crash over her. Had she said something wrong? "Mika?"
"Thank you, Atsuko." That's all he says. The rest of the trip is made in silence. She dozed in and out trying to figure out who she wanted to talk to first. She had to be careful, since she knew that Crowley would pick up that something was off if she wasn't, but she couldn't decide who to talk to. She didn't even know how to start the conversations. She decided that she'd choose whoever was closest at the time. For now, she was just concentrate on taking comfort from being held by Mika.
