Chapter 14

Yuuma had given Mary's head a hard smack, nearly shoving her head against the wall.

- Mesubuta. I said NOT TOO MUCH WATER - he scolded her, snapping his fingers against her forehead as soon as she had settled down to frown at him.

- Ouch! - she rubbed the sore area, looking at the plants she was watering: definitely too much water - Ugh, sorry Yuu-kun, I'm a bit distracted...

The giant looked at her surly as she was retrieving some of that water with an absorbent paper (she had told him that she had learned that trick from her father) and pouring it where it was still needed; indeed, it had been two days, since they came back to school, since she had been behaving strangely: she had begun wearing gloves without a reason, Ruki would call her at least twice in order to be heard, she wouldn't get scared at Azusa's sudden appearances, she wouldn't answer Kou's naughty questions and... she would have killed his garden.

- AAAH! MESUBUTA! GET INSIDE, NOW! - he yelled as soon as he realized that she was about to step on his beloved tomatoes, the last of that season as the cold was approaching and the sun was paling; she pushed the girl towards the kitchen door, abruptly though holding her firmly – Come back when ya'll feel better! Damn

Mary looked at him getting back to his garden, slightly sorry, and mentally criticized herself for her recent lack of attention; she didn't noticed Ruki staring at her from the open door, puzzled, so focused on her that he almost jumped as he saw Azusa peering over his shoulder.

- Izanami...?

Mary turned with her eyes wide and hostile, not after having shivered at that name.

- Do not call me Izanami - she said with disturbed voice.

- Izanami - Azusa tilted his head, innocent; she facepalmed.

They heard a laugh coming from behind the vampires: Kou was leaning against the door.

- Neko-chan~ You've been strange, lately... Not that you weren't already before - was the snide remark; Mary narrowed her eyes, ready to use not really elegant words, but Ruki pinched her neck to stop her, getting a strange look from her, whose arm was hold by the lavender-eyed vampire's .

- Nope~ Azusa-kun, I think that after yesterday's and the day before yesterday's bites you can also let her go for a bit~ I've never had the pleasure of sampling Neko-chan's blood - the blond pouted, looking at him dryly, with his hands resting on his hips in a fake serious gesture. Azusa scowled, whispering something to himself, disapproving his comment and clinging more to the girl.

Ruki sighed, brushing his hair, and returned to his chores, slightly chucking as Kou and Mary started a battle of harsh remarks followed by Azusa's comments; he thought it was almost like the girl had got back a little bit of energy: he had noticed her attempts to keep herself active and calm, despite having a very bad mood.

She gets depressed so easily, he pondered as he reading a recipe he wanted to try for dinner, and yet the first time we met her... she was so determined, calm. Is being Izanami so much problematic? After all, Karlheinz-sama didn't tell us much, except that she is an important figure for his plan... and we have to help him. He saved our life...

He tightened his fingers on the recipe book in his hands and put an end to his thoughts, realizing that they were doing nothing more than arousing several, useless doubts.

Or was it better to put them aside, at the moment?


Mary was looking for him, everywhere.

Since she had returned to school she hadn't been able to find any trace of that blond head and the melancholy shimmer of those ocean eyes; she had looked in the music room, on the roof, in the courtyard, in the less frequented classrooms and in the infirmary: nothing, it looked like Shuu had suddenly disappeared.

She had even dared to ask Reiji, who, with an abhorred grimace, had replied he wasn't aware of the whereabouts of that slacker good-for-nothing and he wasn't interested in anything related to him.

Thank you Reiji, we hadn't understood your hatred and your fratricidal instincts yet.

The girl had sat on a bench, sighing tired and slightly hungry; she had spent the whole break looking for him, even skipping the next lesson – who knows what Ruki and Reiji had thought in seeing the empty desk between them - and her usual meeting with Yui.

Where are you, Shuu?

- Shuu-san... - she whispered in a low voice, almost hoping that only he could hear her and appear before her; she jumped out of fear as she felt a breath on her ear; she turned immediately and shouted - YUU-KUN!

Her reaction was welcomed with laughter by the giant, who walked around the bench in a few and wide steps, leaning his arm on her shoulders as a support.

- Oi, mesubuta! Ahahaha, you got a jumpscare, huh? - he snickered, ruffling her hair - And what are you doing here, shouldn't you be in class?

- I could ask you the same! - Mary replied, trying to move away that heavy arm in vain; the vampire stared at her, grumbling that he had asked her first - I was looking for Shuu-san...

- Ah, that Neet... your lover, right? - he added, smiling mockingly; the girl blushed and looked elsewhere.

And in that elsewhere she saw him, with the uniform jacket on his shoulders, the beige cardigan over his shirt, his blond hair lit by the lights, the ear-buds in the ears; those ocean eyes making eye contact with hers.

- Shuu-san! – the girl exclaimed with excitement, getting the giant off her, and headed closer to the blond as Yuuma watched her, seemingly impassive, but his lips were slightly bent upwards in a serene smile. He had never seen her being so enthusiastic, since troubles had fallen on her; it was time she had a moment of peace.

Unfortunately, it was literally a moment of peace.

- Ah... it's you... - Shuu turned to the girl, but his glassy eyes were focused on the brown-haired vampire, who frowned.

Mary at that moment didn't know what to do: try to talk to both of them, suggesting Yuuma could have been that friend Shuu believed had died in a fire, or let them talk between themselves? Would Yuuma have had a guess, or wouldn't his memories have given him any clue? Would Shuu have had the determination to step forward, or would he have withdrawn as always?

The girl approached the blond, taking his hand, thus making his gaze shift on her.

- Shuu-san... try to ask him... - she pleaded with her eyes.

Shuu widened his blue orbs, astonished that she had understood so much about him; he turned to Yuuma, staring at him intensely, then back to her tense face. In his mind he saw pictures of Edgar, apples, his town on fire, and the very human boy going to save his family without returning, because a human being is a fragile life; he remembered the first time he had bitten Mary in the music room and what she had told him: "The fire would kill me, if I didn't escape on time".

But Edgar... he survived, he thought, and then his face darkened, it's not sure that she will be safe, if something happens to her... and I don't want to... feel again... that suffering; he stared deeply into her eyes as he felt her grip on his hand, and this visual contact looked like a farewell to Mary: Shuu moved away, lowering his head, for he didn't wish to get fond of people whom he would surely lose later.

- Stay away from me... It's better if you stay with them - he murmured, turning his back.

- Shuu-san...? But I... I... - I love you. Look at me. Please. Look at me!, she continued in her thoughts, widening her eyes and approaching him.

Shuu turned, but to give her a fierce look, threatening her:

- Do not come any closer! - he hissed on her face, coldly, almost towering her despite their only ten centimetres of height difference - You're just food to me and with me you would have no chance to survive! – he narrowed his eyes - With them you will be safer.

Mary kept motionless and saw him leave, unable to speak; she was reached by Yuuma, who had witnessed that with his mouth open, surprised by the blond's sudden snap, and he mumbled that that guy had some serious problems. He glanced at her with a sorry look, and he tried to give her a few pats on her back, since he didn't know what was better to do (and couldn't have done because of his pride); however he stopped.

Shuu was moving forward, determined in not getting involved with the half-witch anymore (despite heart and mind, miraculously, had joined forces to tell him he was an imbecile) when he suddenly fell to the ground after being violently hit on his back by an object, his face on the ground; he lifted himself slowly on his hands and knees, looking forward as he complained about the pain and widened his eyes at realizing that a bench had been thrown at him: he knew very well who had done it and he would have tell her off. Or this had been his aim before standing up to address her aggressively.

He lost voice in seeing her silver-coloured eyes and her slightly whitened hair, her fists tight and her seemingly furious grimace.

- You lazy, immature, deadbeat, irresponsible, weakling, gokutsubushi, sloth, COWARD! - Mary screamed at him, with as much anger, disappointment and resentment she could express; tears slipped down her cheeks - How much longer are you going to hide yourself? How much longer will you think living is useless? Do you really think that living means either just being happy, or just suffer? Do you really think it's not worth it to do something, struggle, make efforts to live?! How much longer do you think you'll go ahead without doing anything, withdrawing into yourself, wearing yourself out?! SHUU!

Silence fell, interrupted by Mary's knees dropping on the floor and her sobs.


- How is she~? - Kou asked, fiddling with a lock of his hair. Yuuma sighed, annoyed.

- Nah, she's okay. Venting helped her alleviating the shock. Even I think that idiot was really an asshole. Try finding a girl as much in love and devoted like her - he mumbled, cursing at some insects who were partying with his potatoes.

- Mh... - the blond thought - Dunno. Don't talk about love, I know nothing about it – he said, getting beck in, looking for the very girl, whom he found sitting in the living room while reading one of the books borrowed from Ruki.

As he saw her browsing those pages, he took on an expression of disgust, for reading wasn't for sure one of his favourite hobbies, rather the opposite: to him it seemed such a sad, cold and gloomy activity... no, he preferred bright colours, cheerfulness, the stage lights, the music competing with the voices of the fans charmed by his figure and voice!

- Neko-chan~ - he chirped, sitting beside her and pulling the book out of her hands; Mary glared at him and huffed.

- Do you have anything to ask me, Koucchi? - she questioned. The blond ignored her for a moment to read the title of that volume: Fëdor Dostoevskij's Crime and Punishment.

- Mh, it seems boring - he tossed the book onto another couch, then turned back at her, who had looked with anxious eyes the book's journey, then exhaled a sigh of relief when it had landed safely - Why do you like reading? How can you isolate yourself with your nose in the paper when there are people whom you can hang out and have fun with?

Mary observed him a bit before answering.

- Even reading can be a source of fun... and I don't just read, every now and then I do hang out with someone, if I can - she said, arching an eyebrow, perplexed. Kou curled his lips, not convinced yet.

- But how can you have fun by reading? You're just reading some words!

- And you just sing some words – Mary replied and, before Kou, after a moment of silence, could argue back, she added - On the stage, you use your voice, your dance, the lights; in the books you use your imagination.

Afterwards, they fell silent, one reflecting on what he had just been told, the other staring at him waiting for him to react, in one way or another.

Kou frowned out of antipathy, because the girl was most probably right, and at the same time also because this concept of imagination was partly unknown to him; frustrated, he pinned her wrists, made her lay on with her back on the couch and straddled her.

And I'm irritated by her sincerity and firmness too, the blond thought, getting closer to her neck as she protested that he could have been gentler with her if he needed to feed; he sniffed her, tasted the skin with his tongue and sank his fangs in her tender flesh, greedily sucking that scarlet, aromatic nectar... the blood of a hybrid, Izanami's blood.

The girl gritted her teeth and kept calm, waiting for the vampire to finish his meal; she caught sight of Ruki staring at them emotionless, outside the living room, then grinning at her questioning gaze and leaving. As if to say "it'll be my turn, sooner or later"; Mary was convinced that it was going to be sooner than later.


Yuuma was gazing at the night sky, partly cloudy and partly clear, and counting as much stars as he was able to spot.

- "Make efforts to live", huh... - he murmured, remembering her words addressed to Shuu; or better, those words were addressed to the whole world.


- Mary, Mark.

Stroking her belly, a woman with white curls, aquamarine eyes and a crystal voice, pronounced the two names. In front of her, another woman with purple hair and green, like envy, eyes scowled at her, with hate; she said:

- Even if you gave birth to Izanami... our father will not notice you. You're his shame... he preferred me over you even if I wasn't born a demon!

The woman with clear eyes stared at her blankly, then turned.

- I don't care, sister. I will live for myself. Not for the other - she murmured; she left.

Mary suddenly woke up and turned on the light, massaging her temples and trying to remember all the details of that dream: it probably was a fragment of something that had happened in the past to her mother. She got up, yawning, and looked around the room, sleepy, until her gaze fell on her bare feet; her fingers were transparent; she swallowed, returning to bed and turning off the light.


Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!