Chapter 20

"I have a mortal woman who stops by every now and then to spruce up my wardrobe; I'm sure she would be able to whip up some maternity clothes." Kou spoke smugly and placed his hands onto the girl's shoulders, squeezing them in a false reassuringly fashion. "Come," he said in a softer tone, "you'll stay in my bed tonight."

Kou's bedroom was spacious and far more decadent compared to any other room that Yui had been exposed to in the mansion thus far. If her bedroom had been fit for a princess, then his was where the king would sleep. His king sized bed was dauntingly large compared to anything she had ever laid in before and simply sitting at the foot of it made the blonde feel extremely uncomfortable. She had only slept in Kou's bed once and the experience still haunted her in her dreams. The way he had cried at night and clung to her like an infant had made her see him in a different light. Even when he had forced his fangs inside of her, she would think back to the pathetic boy who just wanted affection and to be held as he slept. "I must admit," Kou said, "I expected my sweet M Neko-chan to have better taste. A potential father figure such as myself would be ideal to anybody, much of an improvement over Azusa- or Ruki-kun." He flopped down onto his back and sprawled out across the sheets, sporting a playful grin as he peered down at a tired Yui and nudged her with his socked foot. Yui turned to face the blond with tear filled eyes.

Suddenly all the joy had drained from his cheeks and what was once a lighthearted joke had turned into a serious question. "I don't know," Yui finally choked. She had assured Azusa previously that the only thing that Ruki had touched her with was his hand - and knife - but she was well aware that it was a lie. Despite losing consciousness and sanity multiple times over the course of however long she was in the prison, she knew the feeling someone's manhood slipping into her at this point. But that time, it wasn't a feeling of love. It was far more violent, more terrifying, than the first time her bud had been penetrated; something she didn't expect to even be possible. She didn't have the guts to tell Azusa herself. "Please don't tell him," she said quietly.

The two laid in the bed for what felt like hours before Kou spoke another word. "Was it your choice?" He said. When Yui looked at him, she noticed that his eyes were fixated on the ceiling and that his mind was far off somewhere else. The lack of intimacy between them made it somehow more comfortable to speak to him about such matters. "No, Kou-kun." She spoke clearly and suddenly it seemed that all the tears within her had been drained and she was finally emptied. Her strength was something that Kou began to sense and it forced him to look in her direction. Large, bright eyes were staring back at him. Despite all she had been through, what he had contributed in putting her through, seemed to have had all faded away in a matter of an instance. "I want to say that I know how you feel," he said. "But I can't lie to you, M Neko-Chan." And with those final words said, Kou brought a sleepy Yui into his arms and hugged her from the back until he drifted off into a sound sleep.

Yui remained awake as Kou slept but she wasn't alone. The gentle twitching in the low simmer of her belly had turned over to a light bumping and the only thing keeping her from touching it was Kou's firm grasp around her tiny frame. When it first started happening, she considered that it could be an upset stomach and now the matter was so silly that it made her smile. Her baby was nothing like an upset stomach, but rather a concept that no one wanted to truly face; Yui included. She wondered if the child could sense her body aching all over, the bruises on her lower half and slices on her upper. The pain suddenly erupted as she felt her upper arms being squeezed into a tight lock by Kou's grip; he began howling and randomly shouting "No. Stop," followed by a bout of hysterical crying. The sounds in her ear caused her mind to flood with images of Ruki on top of her. A knife in one hand and his cock in the other, drawing in closer and causing her to scream in a similar manner. "Kou-kun!" She whispered desperately through closed teeth. The boy's grip on her suddenly loosened and he continued to weep in her mid back, his forehead rested between her shoulder blades, and pleaded for mercy.

The human girl awoke to the strange sensation of a patting on her belly and immediately swatted her hand at whatever was causing the feeling. Her eyes connected with the blue seas of Kou's and he smiled at her widely, giving her tummy a final pat before saying, "Just giving the little one a wake up call from their new daddy!" He laughed and threw his head back, showing off his razor sharp fangs and earning himself a fake laugh from Yui herself. She hoped that Kou was joking, but the realization that he very much may not be made her stomach churn. "Now get dressed," he said, "I laid out some spared clothes for you." Within a moment or so, he had disappeared into pure air and Yui was left alone to forget about the bizarre sight of Kou in her face and instead focus on what he had picked out for her to wear for the day. Half expecting it to a school uniform, Yui was pleasantly surprised to see her usual pink sweater and shorts laid out on Kou's dresser for her. They had been cleaned and smelled prominently of roses. She thought that they had been lost somewhere in the mansion upon her arrival and the feel of her own clothing when she touched it made her heart flutter inside her chest. "Kou-kun" she whispered to herself with a smile, "thank you."

Breakfast was an eerily awkward experience. Kou had sat down in Azusa's usual seat, something that didn't seem to bother him a bit, and Yui was meant to sit beside him. Azusa across from her was the most awkward of all; she refused to allow her eyes to meet his and even when she looked up, he was busy staring down at his full plate of food. Even when she had finished her second helping, not a work had been spoken from the dark haired vampire boy. "Slow down!" Yuma had called out a few times as Kou began shoveling more and more food onto his plate, but besides his constant hounding there was nothing else of pure substance to be said among the breakfast table. After finishing off her third donut, Yui pushed her plate out about an inch or so to signify she was done and wait to be excused by one of her fellow housemates. An excuse never came but instead Kou said, "M Neko-chan and I are going into town today!" He turned to face Azusa, who wouldn't stare him in the eye, and added cutely, "I'll take care of her, don't you worry."

It all seemed to good to be true. Breakfast had been delicious, she was wearing her own clothes finally, and now Kou was walking along side her into town on one of the busiest days. It was a luxury she had been denied every since accessing the vampire world and the thought of being around her own kind again made her body bubble all over with excitement. "Just remember," Kou said with a smirk, "I run much faster." 'Escaping' had never even occurred to the girl at this point, so returning the smile and saying cheerfully, "Of course!" was easy for Yui to do at this point. If she returned to a somewhat normal life at this point, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. She didn't belong there anymore, especially with what was growing inside of her at this point.

The streets were busier than Yui could have ever imagined. As soon as other people came into view, Kou had wrapped his arm around hers in a protective lock and began dragging her along, as if they were in a dance together and he was forcefully taking the lead. They passed various sweet shops, the ice cream parlors immediately grabbing the girl's attention, as well as clothing stores and simple tourist stops. She had almost forgotten how colorful the outside world was. Girl after girl approached them and begged Kou for a photo, something he would usually accept willingly but this time he strangely turned it down and said "Next time; you can always see me at my shows!" He would tighten his grip around Yui and instantly drag her away without a fuss.

"Come," Kou said gleefully, "I'm sure you would love this place!" Yui barely got the chance to respond before she was pulled into the closest clothing shop. The manikins in the windows stood tall with various accessories such as knee socks, blinged out bracelets, cute boots, and short dresses. Though Yui rarely dressed up on her own, the fashion world was always something that had fascinated her. She used to enjoy peeking on Japanese Fashion blogs online and idolized the girls she would see. It was surprising that she had never come across Kou in her online searches, but now seeing him in the shop was a clear indicator of that is where he belonged. He blended in effortlessly with a pair of sunglasses sliding down the bridge of his nose and a bright pink jacket draped over his shoulders. He finally let go of her arm and allowed her to explore the shop.

The place that first caught her attention was the display of socks. She suddenly felt like a kid in a candy store when she was surrounded by everything delicate and frilly; ankle socks with lace, knee socks with cute designs, banana and ice cream running socks, and everything in between. Every cute pair, she just had to touch; feeling the thin fabric between her fingers and giggling. "You like them?" Kou said from behind her. Yui turned to face him and blushed brightly, nodding only once and then quickly letting go. She had no money to spend but it was something she was used to, for she had grown up poor in her own world and rarely had the chance to buy such cute things for herself. Kou stood beside the girl and watched her intently as she watched all of the displays. Once she even managed to slip out an, "oh wow!" when gazing at a manikin who was wearing a simple pastel purple top paired with white shorts and a pair of pastel flats, topped with white boys and paired with a couple of options for cute socks. When the words left her mouth, Yui quickly turned to Kou and smiled wide. "You must be bored," she said happily, "c'mon, let's go to a shop you want to be in." She said this before adding on in a low tone and a blush, "I just need to use the restroom first. I'll be quick."

After refreshing herself and stepping out of the bathroom, Yui's eyes spotted Kou who was just walking out of the store. She pouted out her bottom lip and quickly hurried after him, grabbing him by the sleeve as the door began to shut behind him and she said "Hey, where are-" before he turned to face her. In his hands was a light cherry printed bag and he handed it to her at once, a smile spread across his juvenile cheeks as they stepped out of the way and stood by the doorway of the shop. Shocked, Yui slowly opened the bag and peered in to see various types of cute socks she had been staring at on the display. Underneath, she could feel the flat shoes and even see the purple color of the sweater she had been looking at. Tears began to swell in the girl's eyes and she darted back up to look at him, smiling slightly before whispering, "Why?" Kou looked back at her, his eyes now softer, and said, "I just wanted to." But deep down, Yui feared that the kind gesture would later come with painful consequences.

The two walked side by side, now not connected even by the arm, and Yui held the bag close to her side. They had walked in and out of several shops and only bought a pair of ice cream cones. Kou ordered black raspberry for himself and ordered a large cookie dough cone for Yui. She wondered to herself if he knew it was her favorite or if it was just a lucky guess. The pair walked along the streets until Yui's legs began to ache and finally the silence was broken. "I thought you would be happy with my gift," Kou said. "What's the deal?" He had stopped walking and Yui instinctively stuck to his side before turning to face him and taking a step back. She clutched her icecream tone tightly, enough to make the cone crack, and felt as sugary treat began to melt down the sides of her hand. "I am grateful!" She said quickly, "It was such a nice thing of you to do. But - I'm scared." She dropped her head shamefully and listened as Kou snorted and scoffed, "Scared of a gift? What kind of lady are you?" The silence continued before Yui said, "Because it's not just a gift. It's an exchange and I know the moment we go home, you're going to want something in return." Tears began to steadily fill her eyes before she muttered, "It's like I'm gonna be drained out and not have any blood left soon." There was another long silence. "Your ice cream is melting," Kou finally said. He used the napkin from his back pocket to wipe off her hand and added, "It is a gift. Just like the contents of that bag; all a gift." He slowly placed his free hand under the sad girl's chin and lifted her face to look at him. His eyes weren't playful anymore, but not angry either. It was something soft within him coming out. "If I'm going to be a father figure, I might as well start out by caring for you. Right?"

Yui quickly began walking again in the direction she knew the path to be towards the Mukami mansion. She heard the footsteps of Kou behind her, slow at first and then quickly speeding up. "M Neko-chan, it's a good thing!" He suddenly clutched onto her wrist and sent the girl spinning around. She dropped her ice cream to the ground and gasped, cringing into herself and preparing for the worst. Kou quickly released her from his grip and instead placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't be upset," he said with a sigh. "I already told you I'd be the best father for that baby. Forget about Azusa, forget about Ruki-kun." The entire time he spoke, Yui couldn't gather the courage to look into his eyes. It's as if one word went into her head and suddenly right out of it. "You know who I love," she said in a small voice. She half expected Kou to lunge at her but instead he did something completely unexpected. He started to laugh. "I know, I know," he giggled. "You love Azusa-kun, it's so sweet. Sweet until he did what he did last night, right?" He gave the girl a playful nudge with his shoulder and chuckled, "Fine. Keep the gift though. And don't think I won't be having a word with him either."

The blonde couldn't understand why the previously viciously sadistic vampire was now being so kind, but it was refreshing. She had her lover in this world, but even that had its problems. Perhaps she had found something arguable better. A real friend.