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Bloody Nurse
Chapter 19
Yuuki was again the first one to wake up. She found that surprising, considering how long she had lain there in the dark, her thoughts spinning in circles, Kaname's soft breathing behind her a constant reminder of the new memories she had made.
"You made me very happy today."
In the darkness of the room, Yuuki covered her face with her hands just as heat crept into her cheeks. She would have wondered if it had all been a fever dream were it not for Kaname's chest pressing into her back, his arm loosely draped around her waist.
If someone had told her two weeks ago that this situation was coming, she would have laughed herself hoarse.
She had no concept of time, didn't know if it was morning, afternoon, evening, or the middle of the night. The drapes covering the windows didn't offer any hints, and Kaname apparently had no use of time-telling devices in his bedroom.
No matter the time, Yuuki couldn't sleep anymore. Her body ached with disuse, and no matter how comfortable this bed was, she wanted to move.
Slowly, she scooted towards the edge of the bed, Kaname's hand sliding off her waist in the process. She sat up, planting her feet on the floor, and stretched her back, arms reaching to the ceiling.
What was she going to do in this new reality? It still felt like a giant bubble that would burst with the first signs of the outside world. She had convinced herself everything would go back to normal, but Kaname had made himself pretty clear regarding that.
She touched one hand to her lips.
Actually, he hadn't. He was still keeping secrets. Despite the words they had exchanged, she was still left in the dark about so many things.
The dark.
She stood up, carefully this time in case of a dizzy spell, but she needn't have worried. A full stomach was apparently a cure-all. She padded towards the heavy drapes and ran her fingers over the luxurious material before she found an opening and parted them slightly.
Her eyes burned against sunlight and she quickly closed them again. Blinking in the dark, practically blinded, she realized that based on the Sun's position, it must be afternoon. How odd that Kaname would choose rooms in direct path of the Sun.
She parted the material again, this time carefully, gradually widening the gap until her eyes adjusted to the brightness. She looked outside and found a cheerful sunny day peeking inside the darkened room, no trace of the dreary rainy day that was her last memory of the outside before everything… happened.
Rustling of fabric caught her attention and she looked over her shoulder just in time to see Kaname burrow his face between the pillow and blanket with a soft groan of protest. She realized a strip of sunlight managed to sneak past her and land across the bed. Yuuki bit her lip to suppress a smile, maybe even a chuckle. It was still so bizarre witnessing these other facets of the vampire.
She'd have burst out laughing if he had mumbled five more minutes.
She readjusted the drapes so that the sunlight fell across the floor by the bed instead, illuminating the rest of the room a little for her to see by.
She tiptoed to the bathroom. Only when she was done brushing her teeth did she realize she had nothing to change into. Peeking through the door, she saw the Kaname-shaped lump under the covers. Moving to the other door, she slipped into the closet. Fumbling for the light switch, she was yet again in awe of the place. She took her time exploring.
She took in more details this time around. Her eyes were drawn to a wide selection of silk ties rolled into spirals, neatly placed in individual partitions; flat glass-covered drawers which housed a display dedicated to cufflinks and some other accessories she couldn't identify. Leather shoes in hues of black, brown, gray, and dark blue lined one part of a wall, polished to a shine.
Yuuki couldn't resist running her hand along the row of patent silk shirts, noticing they were divided by color and then style, several sporting even patterns or unusual collars.
Was she invading Kaname's privacy? Absolutely. But hey, they shared a bath together, apparently twice now.
Yuuki's hand froze on the cuff of a midnight blue shirt with smoke-like tendrils running up the sleeves. This new bizarre reality hit her again like an anvil to the head. So much had changed. And yet, so much more would if they continued down this path.
She couldn't see it happening. If she were perfectly honest with herself…
Zero's face suddenly appeared in her mind, anger and shock written across it.
She gulped. How could she face him baring such news?
"You can have it, if you want."
Yuuki jerked her head up and found Kaname leaning against the built-in shelves.
He presented a baffling contrast with the meticulous perfectionist surroundings. He looked…disheveled. His hair was tousled, his shirt partly undone and – she cringed – greasy stains adorned his shoulders. Her doing.
"Though I must admit," he went on, "I do like the way you look in reds."
Yuuki blushed at the comment.
Kaname smiled lazily at her. "Ah, you aim to please, I see."
She cleared her throat and attempted to change the subject. "I'm sorry about your shirt," she said, gesturing to the stains and then looked quickly at the floor. She noticed he was still barefoot. Slippers were apparently the only kind of apparel he didn't own.
"A work of art, really," he uttered and Yuuki chanced a glance up at him. He had an almost dazed look on his face. His eyes were roaming across her face until they stopped at her lips.
Well then.
She let go of the shirtsleeve and turned away from his tall figure. "Um," she searched for something to say, wondering how one approached the subject of so I totally agreed to be turned into a being of the night yesterday, if it was actually yesterday, or today, who can tell really, and we kissed, didn't we, so that was exciting, right? "What are these?" she asked instead, pointing at the display of accessories she hadn't recognized.
Kaname moved further into the closet, stepping closer to her than the situation strictly required. He looked at what she was pointing out and said, "Tie accessories."
Yuuki lifted her brows. "Really? I had no idea there were so many. I know you wear the school crest with the uniform, but…" She trailed off as Kaname reached over and uncoiled a black silk tie. Turning to her, he looped it around her neck and began tying the knot under the collar of her borrowed shirt.
To say she was confused would be an understatement. Yuuki looked up at his face, noticing the shadows his eyelashes cast as his eyes were focused on his task, and the strands of silky hair that fell forward, caressing his cheeks.
Before she could voice her confusion, he tightened the knot under her chin and opened one of the glass-topped drawers. His long elegant fingers pulled out a thin silver rectangle that almost looked like a flat bobby pin. He turned back to her and held it up for her to see. "A tie bar," he said, and then he reached for the tie again slipped it across the silk horizontally.
Then he let go and Yuuki gasped as something cold touched her chest. She felt around the bar and found he slipped the back part of it between the buttons of the shirt, pinning the tie to it.
When she looked up again, he was holding another accessory, this time slightly more ornamental.
"A tie clip," he murmured and added it beneath the first, making Yuuki shiver when he let go. The metal felt cold against her skin at first, sending a slight shock through her system each time he added a piece, before it warmed up.
"A tie tack," he said, adding a slightly more complicated item to the growing collection, piercing the tie through and slipping a cold dangly chain between the buttons of the shirt.
Yuuki swallowed nervously. She had gotten herself into this mess with an innocent question, but she should have known better.
She let him adorn the tie with various pieces until he pulled out what looked like a silver necklace connected to a small delicate clothes hanger.
"A tie chain," he almost whispered and Yuuki held up a hand.
"I-I think I get the idea," she said quickly.
"Good. I'd have to take everything off to demonstrate this particular piece."
Yuuki thought she had heard wrong before her brain caught up and got on the right track. The accessories. Take off all the accessories. She felt her ears burn and saw him smile in satisfaction as he put the chain back in the drawer.
Was he trying to see how far he could push before she retreated?
She helped him remove all the shiny pieces in silence. When they were all back in their proper place, she slipped past him, brushing against his side. Stopping in front of the shirts, she removed the midnight blue shirt with smoke designs from its hanger and handed it to him. "You should change," she said, "and I'll see what can be done about those stains."
Kaname wore an amused expression as he leaned towards her. "What gave you the impression I want them gone?" He reached out and took her hand, bringing it up to his lips. "I told you," he said against the back of her hand, "I consider it a work of art."
Yuuki looked at the offensive greasy imprints dubiously.
"I might even have it pressed and framed."
"Please, don't."
"It would look lovely next to the glass exhibit."
"You're not honestly going to keep the morbid shard, are you?"
Kaname sighed and released her hand. "I see our tastes in décor differ slightly."
"I think I got a paper cut last week. Would you like me to bring the math textbook responsible? You know, for your collection?" Yuuki wasn't sure what she was saying.
But Kaname apparently hadn't minded. His eyes danced with mirth. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love it when you come out to play."
She blinked in confusion.
"Breakfast," he said, and she blinked some more as he strode past her and back out into the bedroom.
"It's afternoon," she said, following him out. She didn't get an answer as he headed for the bathroom, the shirt she gave him – and another piece of clothing she hadn't seen him take – draped over one arm.
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They were sitting in the middle of Kaname's sizeable bed again, freshly made, courtesy of Yuuki who found the linen closet and had decided to change the sheets she spent who knows how much time being sick in. Kaname had frowned at her when he had reemerged showered and dressed from the bathroom.
She had been glad to do at least something, keeping herself busy before he had returned with two trays of food, thankfully including cutlery this time.
They ate in companionable silence for the most part, interrupting it only to remark upon things of no great significance. Yuuki still had no idea how to approach the recent events and Kaname seemed comfortable just being in her presence. What a strange turn of events. Yuuki felt like she should have a crick in the neck from all the whiplashes.
Which put her on this path to begin with.
Chewing on her food, she watched as the drapes swayed in the gentle breeze coming through the window she had opened to air the room out. Her eyes fell on the streaks of sunlight sneaking in.
She swallowed the food and asked, "May I ask a potentially stupid question?"
Kaname's crooked smile made reappearance. "Are you setting a trap for me?"
Yuuki blinked. "Ok, now I'm not sure which one of us is asking the stupid question."
He laughed through his nose. "If I say you may, I'll be admitting the fact that your question is, as you say, stupid."
"I said potentially stupid."
"Ah, then I'll be acknowledging the fact that your questions have the potential of being stupid."
"Shouldn't you be the judge of that after you hear the question?"
His eyes danced with silent laughter. "Proceed," he said with a nod, taking a sip from his glass.
"Of all the rooms in this dorm, why did you choose the ones that get blasted by full sunlight for a good portion of the day whenever the weather is nice?"
Kaname drank again and sat the glass down on his tray. "That is not, in fact, a stupid question." He looked at her and his eyes held their usual seriousness.
Yuuki shifted nervously as she waited, but when he didn't continue, she prompted, "And are you going to answer it?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "I am. Although I'm apprehensive about your reaction. I do not wish to frighten you, and past experiences are not on my side."
Yuuki bit her lip. "I promise that whatever it is, I won't bolt. I told you – you don't scare me." Though she couldn't imagine why a set of rooms should be frightening.
He stared at her for a beat of silence before he said, "I chose these rooms with you in mind."
Yuuki felt her lips part in surprise. She wasn't expecting that.
"Even back then," he continued, "I'd hoped that perhaps one day you would share them with me. And as a child brought up in a house of light and sunshine," he said, looking down at his hands, "I wanted you to keep that light. I didn't want to shut you in and throw away the key. No matter what my instincts were telling me."
Yuuki shifted on the bed again. "Your…your instincts are telling you to keep me locked up?"
"Yes," he breathed, his gaze locking with hers. There was practically a challenge behind those burgundy eyes.
"I don't want that," Yuuki said quietly, but not weakly.
"I know."
She pushed her tray aside and moved closer to him. Kneeling in front of him, she lifted a hand slowly and placed it against his cheek. Kaname closed his eyes at the contact and leaned into the touch.
"You wouldn't do that to me." She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince more. "You wouldn't," she repeated, wanting a confirmation.
"You have no idea, Yuuki, what I would and wouldn't do."
He got her there. None of what had happened so far was something she would have expected in the first place. But, still… "You wouldn't lock me up," she insisted. "Embarrass me, tease me, do ridiculously unreasonable things that are, for some reason, in your power, sure, but not that."
He covered her hand with his, opening his eyes. "Your trust in me is admirable. Though I must take issue with your other statements."
"There wasn't a single lie in there."
His hand tightened on hers. "You weren't conscious for any of it, but the way I acted while you were sick, Yuuki…"
"I'm sure you had your reasons, and look," she encouraged, "you helped me recover."
His eyes remained serious.
"You were worried, which is a perfectly human feeling by the way, just amped up in your case. You're not as crazy as you think," she said with a smile. "And, I know how we can prove it."
He reached out with his other hand, pulling her closer by the waist. "Hmm?" was all he said, his eyes dropping to her lips once more.
This was the problem with kisses, Yuuki thought. Once a good one happened, it's always on the table. At least she thought so. "Y-yeah," she stammered, "it's quite easy actually."
"Is it," he said distractedly.
"Sure," she said too cheerfully, rising up on her knees, towering over him a little. She needed the position of power. Or at least, the illusion of it, as his eyes immediately trailed down to her throat. "All you have to do," she said, bringing her hands – this time thankfully clean – behind his head, "is let me go back to my dorm."
Slowly, he brought his gaze up to hers.
"I have things I need to do," she said hastily, "responsibilities I can't overlook. And no matter what we…um…agreed on before, I do need to attend my classes. Probably more than my other classmates, to be honest." She cringed thinking about her grades and her already poor attendance. School seemed so far away from her reality in the light of recent events.
Kaname's hands tightened around her hips. His eyes flicked between hers, as if searching for something, and then he looked off to the side. "If that is what you wish, I shall escort you to your classes in the morning."
"Tonight," she pressed.
"There are no classes tonight," he replied, still keeping his head turned.
"I need time to prepare, to get my head on straight."
"Your head is perfectly fine the way it is."
"No, Kaname-sama, it isn't. It's so hard to think around you," she said, watching as his jaw tightened, trailing her eyes down the column of his throat. "You are a distraction." She wound one hand into his hair, touching his pulse point with the fingers of the other.
He seemed to have stopped breathing under her touch.
"I feel like a different person here." She pulled herself closer, bumping her nose against his throat. "I don't feel like the Yuuki that does math homework on the kitchen table."
She remembered sitting on top of Kaname's desk, his hands on the sides of her thighs.
"I don't feel like the Yuuki that helps her father prepare dinner and set the table."
She remembered bringing a strawberry to Kaname's lips.
"And I don't feel like the Yuuki that puts on the guardian badge every afternoon."
She saw in her mind Kaname's hands as he pinned another object to the tie around her neck.
She said all of this against his soft pale skin. "But I am all of those things. They are a part of me. And I'm not ready to give that up just yet."
Kaname's body came alive under her and he pulled her close.
She tore her face from the warmth of the crook of his neck and hugged his head tight, patting his silky hair in a comforting gesture that came naturally to her.
They stayed like that for several long minutes, the silence interrupted only but the gentle swish of drapes in the breeze.
"I understand," he said after a while, his forehead pressed against her clavicle. "However, you cannot expect me to pretend nothing had changed between us."
She looked up towards the ceiling, teetering on the edge of this new reality. "I wouldn't wish you to."
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Zero walked down the corridor of the Chairman's house. Probably for the fifth time. Maybe sixth. Was he pacing? Absolutely.
He was running low on patience. He needed to do something. He needed to smack some sense into the Chairman who merely sat on his hands, offering empty words of reassurance.
He wanted proof. He wanted to see her.
Screw waiting.
He turned on his heel and headed for the door. When he swung it open, he was met with both a beautiful and a terrible sight.
Beautiful because it was Yuuki. Healthy and smiling, her cheeks tinged pink.
Terrible because she was smiling up at Kuran who in turn stared down at her, one hand placed against her cheek.
She was wearing a silk shirt that was way too big for her and loose pants that were rolled up several times around her ankles, letting her bare toes peek out from beneath the material. She looked ridiculous, but healthy. Whole. Human.
It took Zero all of half a second to take all of this in, another half for Kuran to turn his head in Zero's direction.
He heard Yuuki's surprised tone of voice shaping itself around what sounded like his own name. But he was focused on a whole silent conversation he had with the pureblood in no time at all. Zero hoped he heard all that was shouted inside his head.
Perhaps he did because he smirked haughtily a turned back to Yuuki. "I'll see you soon," he said to her and bent down to kiss her cheek. His lips lingered far too long for Zero's liking.
When he backed away, his gaze swung back to Zero's for a second, before he disappeared in a gust of wind.
Zero wasted no time grabbing Yuuki above the elbow and towing her inside the house. When he closed the door behind them, he spun her to face him.
"Zero! What — "
He pulled her in and hugged her tightly.
"You're alright," he said, breathing in her scent. The underlying tones were the same, but the temporary scents that lingered were all wrong. Her shampoo, her clothes…
"Of course I'm alright," she said, hugging him back, and that was the proof he craved. It felt like all of his frazzled nerves were being smoothed out.
"I didn't know. They didn't tell us anything. They wouldn't let me…" he trailed off. "I wasn't sure if you were coming back."
He felt Yuuki stiffen in his arms.
He pulled away and looked down at her, noticing she was avoiding his gaze. "I'm glad you did. Even if your clothes didn't."
Yuuki plucked at the shirtfront with her fingers. "Yeah, my uniform got ruined in the chase. Or at least that's what I was told."
"Days ago. And Kuran couldn't spare you some shoes?"
"They would have fallen right off. Besides, he carried me here."
Zero felt his jaw tighten. "What happened, Yuuki? Besides you being sick, what happened?"
She fidgeted on the spot. "That's… private."
An answer that told him nothing and everything at the same time.
His proverbial hackles rose. "I see," he said through gritted teeth. "I swear, Yuuki, if he forced —"
"No!" she interrupted him vehemently, finally looking up. "God no, Zero! He would never force me to do anything against my will!"
"He kept you for long enough."
"Well, maybe I haven't protested quite strongly enough."
"But you have protested?"
"I — oh hell, I can't believe I first defended you in front of him, and now I have to defend him in front of you!"
"I don't need defending."
"Typical answer," she said, throwing up her hands.
"You were gone for days, what was I supposed to think?" he asked practically with desperation coloring his voice.
Yuuki stared at him as he breathed heavily, his chest expanding and contracting visibly. She took a step closer to him, almost tentatively, placing a hand on his forearm.
"I'm fine," she said gently. "I'm sorry I made you worry. I really am." She spoke as if trying to tame a wild beast.
His throat suddenly felt too tight.
"Are…are you ok?"
He didn't answer.
"Do you need…" She left the sentence hanging but he understood.
He felt terrible. Wretched. Despicable.
But he nodded anyway.
"Ok. Alright." She took him by the sleeve and urged him to follow. "Come with me."
He followed after her, his gaze glued to the back of her head. She traded a wolf den for a viper's nest.
His throat went dry, his gums ached.
She opened a door and pushed him inside. He only vaguely recognized the bathroom where he patched up her hand. She was gone only long enough to lock the door, then she reappeared before him.
"Here," she said, turning around and hopping up on the counter, giving herself some height. She opened her arms in invitation and wiggled her fingers for good measure.
He was rooted to the spot. Terrible. Wretched. Despicable. Selfish.
Without really meaning to, he found his face buried in her shoulder.
"It's alright," she whispered, and he nosed the offensive silk aside.
Softness and warmth against his hunger.
He felt her hands petting his back as if he was the one needing comfort.
Warmth filled his mouth.
He swallowed once, twice, and then he saw a pair of burgundy eyes, filled with emotions he had never witnessed in them before.
He swallowed again, and saw a pale hand holding out an apple slice.
Again, and he saw two pairs of naked knees side by side in a tub full of bubbles.
Again, and he saw hungry eyes framed with dark tresses, bending down towards her.
Zero wrenched himself away.
But her arms prevented him from going far. Yuuki was sitting with her eyes closed, her head thrown back, a blush staining her cheeks, but she had a firm grip on his shirt.
Slowly, lazily, she opened her eyes and looked at him almost dazedly. She detangled her hand from his shirt and reached up to his mouth.
Too late did Zero realize that she was touching the blood on his lip. She looked at her finger wonderingly. She brought the hand closer to her own face before —
Zero grabbed her wrist. "Yuuki?" he said, his voice raspy.
She blinked twice and looked up at him, suddenly alert. "Are you alright?" she asked as if nothing had happened.
He frowned down at her.
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A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you.
If you've read this far, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I'm thinking that once the story is done, I'll edit the first couple of chapters to match the writing style of the more "recent" ones. It's been years and, well, I like to think that I've changed for the better. Though my updating schedule could certainly use more work.
Take care,
Matylda