Chapter 5

The intrusive thoughts plagued Yui's mind to the point of being unbearable and she came to the conclusion that sulking in her bedroom wasn't doing her any favors. The garden was beautiful, even only being lit by the moonlight, and just walking through it was enough to ease her mind. Yuma had worked hard to build it up and the passion had clearly grown into each plant, building them up to the point of being taller than Yui herself. She hadn't told any of the boys where she was but suspected that Ruki already knew. He often watched her from afar and she would pretend not to notice. Some may consider it unsettling but somehow, it was a comfort to know that someone was watching over her - even for the wrong reasons. She peered through the darkness and gazed up at the haunting Mukami mansion. Ruki wasn't standing anywhere visible to her in the windows. It was just her and the plants. She felt oddly safe and began wandering the various creations of Yuma.

"They're nice... aren't they?" Yui spun around and was standing face to face with Azusa. She gasped and stumbled back against the greenhouse shed, the cool moistness sticking to her back and the leaves of the tomato plants climbing up to her knee caps. "Azusa-kun!" She stammered, "I thought I told you- what are you doing?" He was strangely far away from her and it was almost uncomfortable. Most of the time, they were so close that not even a knife could cut between them but now, he had kept his distance by at least two feet. It was clear that he was uncomfortable as well. His lips shifted into an awkward half smile and his hands had sunken into each of his pockets. "I don't know what I'm doing... I suppose I just wanted to admire Yuma's hard work." His gaze danced across the tomato plants and he sighed, inhaling the scent of the freshly ground Earth surrounding them. His eyes met her legs and she moved them, locking her knees and standing doe legged. "I told you. I told you I wanted you to stay away." Her voice shook as she spoke and she clutched onto her own hand, squeezing it tightly. Azusa's forehead creased as his brows furrowed and his eyes met hers again. "Eve," he breathed. He began to take a step forward but came to a sudden stop when her body began to visibly cringe. "How can you be so angry... when all I wanted to do was to show you," he inhaled deeply again and spoke as he exhaled, "something so precious..." The last words had been choked rather than spoken. Yui gazed up at him and loosened her grip on her own hand. The aching in her lower stomach was still apparent but was beginning to fade as she stared at him. "How is pain precious?" She whispered. Her back was cool pressed to the greenhouse. Azusa took a full step forward, closing in the space between them. He snatched up her wrist and pressed it above her head to the glass. She gasped and he immediately loosened his grip, gliding his hand along her skin to gently cup her hand instead and squeeze it. "What better way... to feel alive?" He said.

The darkness began to swallow them, allowing the distraction of the plants to fade and the attention to solely be on the two of them. Yui's voice quivered as she said through the blackness, "I'm not like you." She daringly adjusted his grip on her hand to allow her fingers to fall between the gaps of his. He squeezed her again and accepted her change openly. Azusa had already come to the conclusion that he surely was nothing like her. "I know you're not..." he sighed. He leaned in and rested his forehead to hers. She froze and held her breath as Azusa lovingly nuzzled her, his eyes shut in clear concentration. "And that's okay... I suppose I can love you, even if you won't love me in return..." He spoke in a gentle whisper and the feel of his breath blew against her mouth. Yui's stomach had twisted in knots and she knew it was because of him saying the word love. She believed that he didn't know what love was and that was okay. What frustrated her was his assumption of her not loving him. She was capable of real love and she was smart enough to know her own feelings. She shut her eyes tightly and said through her teeth, "I know what you want me to do. But I couldn't possibly - even if it means you don't believe me. Even if it means you don't believe that I love you." A chilling feeling hovered through the atmosphere and Yui desperately wished that she could just crawl into herself and be alone again. She had never said the words before and certainly never expected to say it to Azusa. He could feel the tension as well but ignored it, continuing to softly nuzzle her and softly beginning to purr gently from his throat. It was as if he were completely unphased by her words and it left her feeling small, insignificant. He had responded but the words hadn't registered in her mind. Azusa only understood language through actions, her words meant nothing to him and she was fully aware that he would never be able to love her in return or accept her love without her doing this for him. "I can't do it to you," Yui sighed. Her chest began to feel tight and she struggled to grasp the right words. She whispered through the darkness, "but I'll let you do it to me. If that what it takes, I'll do it." Azusa's affection came to a sudden stop and he drew back from her, his hand still in hers as he gazed down at her. It was as if he were waiting for something. She stared up at him with wide eyes and their eyes locked in a silent stand off. She finally choked, "I devote myself to you in every way. I am yours, Azusa-kun."

Azusa sunk to his knees in front of Yui and held her by her thighs, caressing them as he stared up at her through the darkness and watched her every move. The leaves of the tomato plants tickled her legs as they rustled against Azusa, his hands wandering her body. Yui looked up to the sky and wanted to count the stars but there wasn't a single one to be found. She truly was alone with Azusa and not even her mind could distract from what his hands were doing to her. She desperately wanted to perk up and cry "do it already" but wouldn't allow herself to. She listened as Azusa's body shifted and she assumed he had withdrawn his knife from his pocket, just as he had done before. She closed her eyes and suddenly she felt as if she were back in her own bed with Azusa between her legs. She had felt the same shifting and she felt foolish for what she thought he had been taking out of his pants. Her breathing was now audible and her chest heaved as she anticipated to be cut again. He had touched the skin of her thigh again and she jumped, gasping for air and nearly crying out. Azusa hushed her and used his free hand to pull up her shorts a bit, exposing the higher part of her thigh. All of her hairs were standing on end and she felt the cool touch of his blade. He was teasing her. Just do it, she pleaded in her mind. But it never came. The coolness faded and suddenly she felt an entirely new sensation. The feel of Azusa's lips. "Azusa-kun," she whispered. He softly kissed her bare skin and breathed in against her flesh, allowing her to feel his fangs but not quite penetrating her. The tip of his tongue teased her as he began to kiss deeper, his lips beginning to wander. Yui melted down the glass of the shed and retreated into the vines of the plants, her body being caressed by them with Azusa kneeling before her. He sat up straight and she looked at him, puzzled. Even with the knife in his hand, she viewed him as gentle and innocent. The feel of his mouth on her skin was clumsy, as if he were learning how to wander her for the first time. His violet eyes had found hers and she watched as the same crooked smile washed over his face. "Come inside with me," he said softly, "I have something to show you..."