Chapter 11

"Is it too hot, Eve?..."

Azusa laid back in the tub and delicately pulled Yui forward to lay on top of him. He could feel her heart pace finally beginning to relax as she lay her head to his shoulder and he nuzzled his face into her hair, inhaling the sweet aroma of the blood and sweat from their passionate love making. She assured him that the water was fine and hummed sweetly to herself as her eyelids shut. Her body was relaxing to the point of slipping into sleep mode and Azusa smiled to himself, wrapping his arms around her lower body and stroking his fingertips down her spine. The skin of her back was a clear canvas that he examined awe-fully. The rest of Yui's visible body was covered in bruises and puncture marks, the most horrendous sight arguably being the shredded skin of her neck from Ruki's attack, and seeing a part of her that wasn't riddled in scars seemed odd to Azusa. His fingers began to tingle as he felt the strong urge to mark up the clear space on her body but he held himself back, for she had been through enough and finally seemed to be at peace in his arms. She was content and he was smiling at the thought of holding this precious girl in a bath contaminated with his own blood.

"Aye, Azusa!"

Kou skipped through the doorway of the bathroom and quickly shut the door behind himself, grinning at Azusa who was still laying in the tub with a sleeping Yui in his arms. Yui churned slightly in the water but Azusa clutched onto her to soothe her as she slept. "Kou..." Azusa sighed under his breath. The annoyance in his tone was apparent. Kou clapped his hands together, causing an echoing reaction among the bathroom that stung at Azusa's ears, and exclaimed, "Move over, brother!" He ran his fingers through his blond locks and winked at Azusa, who remained in his original position, and giggled. "M-Neko Chan and I have a little deal. I can have her whenever I want - her words, not mine!" Azusa could feel Yui's heart rate quicken against his chest as she began stirring in his arms, her demeanor suddenly surging into panic mode. She clung onto Azusa and stared up at Kou with fearful eyes. "If this is about the other night..." Azusa said slowly, "Ruki... he knows. Run to him... tell him the same has happened tonight." His eyes locked daringly with Kou's and he said calmly, "I dare you."

Their eyes held in a strong lock before Kou threw his head back in the air and let a bellowing cry of laughter. His laugh was high pitched enough to make Yui's body cringe and melt into Azusa's for comfort. Anger bubbled in Azusa's chest as he glared at his brother with hate filled eyes, watching as Kou danced around the bathroom and taunted his rage. "Azuuuusaaa!" He whined, "No fun, no fair!" Kou finally stopped beside the bathtub and knelt down beside the two. "You're usually so passive; how is it that such a simple minded girl can get to your head?" Azusa watched closely as Kou leaned forward and flicked his tongue out against Yui's ear, tasting her teasingly. A small hiccup of fear left the girl's mouth before she turned her face to hide it against Azusa's chest. "Mmm.. that's why. She's so yummy, Azusa! Don't think I won't get a bite later." Kou winked at his brother, who was left dumbstruck as he watched him leave and slam the bathroom door behind him. Azusa had never spoken to Kou in such a manner and he was left stunned wondering if the those words had truly left his mouth or not.

Neither Azusa nor Yui dared to speak for a long while after Kou had left. Yui's mind was swimming with questions and doubt. She wondered what Azusa was thinking, if he was mad at her for what Kou had said. She devoted herself to Azusa and Azusa alone; allowing Kou to feed from her in exchange for silence was purely to protect them. Azusa's cool skin had drained all of the heat from the tub and Yui began to shiver in his arms. "Eve..." He muttered. His face was hidden in her wet locks and he softly kissed her head before continuing, "Get dressed. Wear something... that makes you feel pretty. I will call for you later..." And within moments, Azusa was gone. His movements were so fast that Yui barely saw it coming and dived face first into the water of the tub. She squealed, spewing bubbles from her mouth, and quickly emerged from the water. The taste of blood stung her lips and she was cold all over, but somehow she managed to smile at Azusa's parting words.

"Something that makes me feel pretty. Hmm..."

Yui smiled at herself in the mirror as she ran the comb through her pale blonde hair. It was heavily tangled, presumably from her tossing and turning in the bed, and not even the worst yank of the comb could wipe the grin from her lips. Once she was satisfied with her hair, she sprung up from the chair and danced over to her dresser. She yanked it open and gazed up at all of the foreign clothing. An audible gasp left her lips as her eyes scanned the various skirts, blouses, and dresses. This truly was like a dollhouse and the thought of playing dress up actually excited her. She had never bothered to truly try on any of the clothes that had been laid out for her, probably by Ruki, and now she was beginning to wonder why. Her delicate fingertips clutched onto a lace-covered, powder blue silk gown and she tugged it out to try it on. The dress slipped on like a glove and hugged the little curves that she had. The sleeves reached down to her wrists, conveniently covering her various scars, and had a high neckline to hide her skin's worst secrets. But when she gazed at herself in the full length mirror, her heart nearly stopped. She had never seen herself in such a beautiful dress but not even the finest of clothing could distract from her legs. They were bruised purple, blue, and red; a complete eye sore. "Ah... how precious."

Yui peered up in the mirror to see Azusa towering over her from behind. His lanky arms slipped around her tiny waist and he smiled at her in the mirror. Yui's eyes locked with his and she faked a small smile, shifting uncomfortably in her gown and tugging at the ends to drag it down to her knees. Azusa's eyebrow raised and he grasped onto her wrists, pulling them away to allow the dress to drop to it's usual fashion. He held them out to her sides and suddenly his smile had vanished. "Don't hide..." He said softly, "not from me."

"Azusa-kun, where are we going?" Yui struggled to keep up as Azusa tugged her along behind him, his hand firmly gripped on hers and his movements perkier than usual. When he had lead her outside, she assumed that they were going back to his 'special place' but she remembered enough to know this wasn't the right direction. He ignored her and instead gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She opened her mouth to speak again but Azusa finally said, "No more questions..."

An audible gasp escaped Yui's mouth as Azusa parted the bushes and willingly invited her into the large clearing. She slowly stepped forward and walked past him to better take in their surroundings. The sky was hazy and the clouds overhung over the grassy land. In the middle of the clearing stood something that Yui thought was just a visitor in her dreams. An apple tree. It stood dauntingly high and she could see that a thin blanket had been laid out underneath it. Apples had littered the ground around it and a large basket sat in the middle of the blanket. Yui turned to Azusa, utterly speechless. Suddenly she felt tears swelling in her eyes and she came to the realization that tears of happiness is not a figure of speech but is a very real thing that she was experiencing for the first time. The dark haired boy simply smiled back at her and brought her tiny hand into his, lacing their fingers as he guided her through the clearing and to the apple tree.

"It's so beautiful, Azusa-kun..." Yui breathed. The taste of the fresh air on her tongue was refreshing and she happily allowed the air of the outdoors to swim through her lungs. "When did you find the time to do this?" She said softly. She was choking back tears and finally smiled as a single drop rolled down the apple of her cheek. Azusa released her hand as they reached the blanket and he plopped down clumsily onto his butt, slowly crossing his legs and then smiling up widely at his beloved. "While you dressed," he said slowly, "You know... I can be fast when I want to be." His grin expanded and as he laughed once, his lips curled back to expose his hideous fangs. Fangs that only Yui could find beautiful. She slowly knelt down across from him and tucked in her dress to modestly hide her legs. The basket was the only thing between them and the curiosity began to get the best of her. Yui half expected the intents to be lazily prepared sandwiches and was shocked as Azusa revealed that it was clearly not the case. It was full of various sweets, consisting of everything chocolate dipped and covered. "Did you make all of this?" Yui gasped. She thought the only one of them who remotely knew how to cook was Ruki. Azusa nodded his head once and mumbled "mm." before reaching forward to pluck a macaroon from the basket. Yui watched intently as he delicately bit into his food and began eating. Through a mouth full of macaroon, Azusa muttered, "Eve... eat, please." Yui looked down and rested her hands onto her thighs, clutching onto them tightly before she inhaled deeply. "Azusa..." she said. Her voice was suddenly shaking. "I want you to call me by my name. I want you to call me Yui. You have called me it befor. I'm more than just Eve." Her fingers trembled slightly and she dug her fingernails into her thighs, fearing his reaction. "Hm..." She heard Azusa say before swallowing his mouth full. There was a pause and Yui refused to look up at him. "Yui-san," Azusa said gently. She looked up at him with wide eyes and suddenly all of the tension had drained from her body. Azusa was already holding onto another macaron as he giggled slightly and said, "As long as you don't ask me to call you M Neko-Chan... I suppose I will respect your wishes..." Yui's cheeks burned red as she sheepishly smiled back at her lover. "Now, Yui." He said, "Eat."

The overwhelming smell of sweets wasn't enough to distract from the enchanting surroundings. The setting was eerily familiar and the apple tree that stood above them was beginning to make Yui uncomfortable. "You know..." She said softly as she peered up from the biscuit in her hands. "I've seen this place before. In a dream or two." As she spoke, Azusa stopped eating and stared at her. He watched as her eyes scanned the tree hanging over their heads before she continued, "And you are always here with me. Same with Ruki, and Yuma, and Kou-kun." Yui's eyes quickly met with Azusa's and both of them had stopped smiling. Her chest was tight but she managed to say, "Except for last time. Last time, it was just me and you." Yui hoped that Azusa could comprehend what she was trying to convey in such limited words and as he stared at her, she could tell he was calculating what she had said. He opened his mouth and paused at first, as if he were suddenly too hesitant to speak a word. After a minute had passed and a slight breeze blew between the two, Azusa leaned forward and brought Yui's hand into his. He looked down at it, examining her size compared to his and gently stroking the pad of his thumb over her fragile skin. "I felt it..." he said slowly, "but I never thought it could be true... Eve chose me." His eyes darted up to meet hers and he whispered, "And I've chosen you, Yui."