Chapter 16

Three weeks had passed, during which the Mukami brothers had bonded a lot with Mary, establishing an almost fraternal relationship with her; perhaps it had been the ability to cohabit and collaborate under the same roof, perhaps the mere agreement among so different personalities, or something incomprehensible had connected them, beyond their intellectual capacity. Although Ruki's affection was something slightly different, not reciprocated in the same way by the her.

Kou had learned to enjoy reading, of course not with any book: historical novels, love stories, and philosophical volumes weren't his cup of tea (the latter genre wasn't to Mary's taste either); he liked reading light and funny stories, which didn't required great reasoning skills to understand the plot. Yet, when she had recommended The Little Prince, the blond had been mysteriously fascinated by it. He didn't have much fun, but he had felt something warm growing within his chest; melancholy, perhaps, born from the encounter with the Little Prince's character.

Whenever Mary would read on the living room's couch, after a few seconds Kou would join, sitting next to her with his back on the seat and his legs against the backrest, or lying down with his head resting on her lap; at times, when he would come to a boring point, he would fall asleep, and the girl smile slightly, caressing his hair, often hovering on the locks covering the eye used to read people's hearts.

They rarely argued, and Kou would sometimes get annoyed, perhaps because of some whim or disagreement; he would talk about his plans, rehearsals and concerts, make her listen to some of his CDs and ask her for some advice to match clothes.

Yuuma and Mary's relationship was bizarre: they would hear the two screaming insults and snipes at each other from the garden (especially in this period they were preparing the garden and the trees to endure the forthcoming cold); at home they looked like brother and sister, Yuuma messing her hair up and joking (sometimes embarrassing her - without mentioning the "ocean eyes" issue), Mary smiling and lightly punching him on the shoulder. Kou would look at them, arching an eyebrow, confused; Azusa was clearly jealous and he felt neglected, after all Yuuma was his brother and Mary his Izanami; Ruki... whenever he would meet with them, he would order them to get out of his way straight away: he couldn't bear their lively atmosphere.

He had seen them once in the living room, asleep on the couch, her head on his shoulder: if Azusa hadn't threatened to cut himself everywhere and dirty the whole house with his blood, probably Kou would have had Yuuma and Mary's steaks for dinner instead of vongole bianco.

The giant was the only vampire who would sense a curious feeling, during the sleeping hours, and got up and teleport into the girl's room, lying next to her on his side and caressing her back or head until her face would relax, tormented by nightmares.

With Azusa, Mary had got to know exasperation: she would find him everywhere, at any time, wounding his body; her hair would stand up on her head, she would smack her cheeks with her hands as in Munch's picture The scream and try to stop him from shedding more blood, reproaching him like a mother with his son. Azusa would say "Do you... hate me...? Don't you want... me to be happy...?", interrupted by her pinching on his cheeks, pointing out that he didn't need to cut himself if she could pinch his cheeks; it had almost worked: he would avoid using his knives in front of her, otherwise...

He liked observing her drawing, asking her to tell him about the hidden meanings and the stories behind her paintings and how she had learned to draw, how to use watercolours; he understood that, as he somehow couldn't give up on Justin, Melissa, and Christina, Mary couldn't help but draw: it was her soul, her thoughts, her outbursts, her happiness.

Mary didn't like Azusa appearing behind her. She knew that vampires could teleport, but the young man would often been behind her since a while; the girl was able to perceive the others' presence in the surroundings, yet he was an exception: she had never been able to sense.

The relationship with Ruki was exhilarating. After being hurled against the wall, the vampire, who didn't appreciated it at all, had taken the necessary measures to avoid similar episodes, without giving up his authoritarian attitude, grabbing her head with one hand and gazing at her gloomily when something wasn't okay, as she would crack a nervous smile and apologize; when they were cooking or washing the dishes together, sometimes they would fight, sometimes they would work peacefully - like a married couple (he wished); during tea time, they would converse about literature (especially detective stories), homework and so complex topics that the other brothers would stare at them speechless - Azusa would just tilt his head, his cup in mid-air.

He would watch her from the window while chatting with Yui, smiling as she laughed, frowning as, after Eve had gone back to her classroom, Mary turned her gaze to the roof to look for some a blond head; and just those three times she had crossed that person's ocean eyes – who disappeared immediately after - Ruki had waited for her after school in her bedroom to bite her, angry, hiding behind his eyes the bitterness.

On the other hand, Mary was well aware of his feelings (she had had the previous experience with Subaru...), without being able to do anything: she couldn't treat him with compassion or kindness because she would have risked deluding him, nor she had the courage to discuss about it; Ruki himself had made her understand this, perhaps because he didn't want to admit his own feelings (Tsundere).

The girl seemed to have recovered from the small trauma, even though it was obvious she wasn't pleased with the Izanami issue and she was missing Shuu; but at least she had started throwing objects to those who would annoy her, using her sharp tongue to reply to mischievous observations, and smiling with more energy. And above all she was proudly defending her food during meals.

She had got deeply fond of the Mukami brothers; moreover, after Azucchi, Koucchi and Yuu-kun, she hadn't given up choosing the nickname for the eldest: Ki-kun.

(General laughter from the other three)

Her arms and feet had become completely transparent and she had decided talk about it with those who were still unaware, Kou and Azusa: the first had said that she was becoming like a glass statue (she had asked herself if she would have become as fragile as a glass statue, too...?), the latter had begged her to verify how a wound on transparent skin looked like, instantly rejected with Yuuma and Ruki's support as the little brother had chased after her enthusiastically throughout the house.

About her past and the ghosts haunting her at night, she had got used to it. She couldn't explain to herself why she had dreamt about other people's past, like her mother; maybe there was some hidden meaning, but she would have talked with her mother as soon as she would have had the opportunity to meet her.

At last, it was the last week of October.


Mary sneezed, blowing her nose in her handkerchief. Sitting on her right in the limousine, Yuuma looked at her puzzled, wondering if even witches could catch a cold: she turned slowly towards him, impassive, with a strawberry-like red nose; Kou was holding back from laughing and Ruki pointed out that the girl was a hybrid between a witch and a demon, unheard.

- I can repair wounds, regenerate tissues, undo the effects of poisons, but I can't avoid some viruses and bacteria - she explained, mentally noting that couldn't defend herself even from the Miriandola Bluetta parasite; fortunately, Kou didn't read her mind, she wouldn't have been in the right mood to bring up that episode to them.

- Cover yourselves, then! - the giant exclaimed, leaning his arm on her shoulders and ruffling her hair – Just a sweater won't warm ya up!

The girl was wearing just a heavy sweater over her shirt, as if she had no clothing suitable for the cold season; which was true: the only winter coat and the only autumnal cloak she had owned had worn out during the previous seasons and she had got rid of them just before meeting Karlheinz and his sons.

This time the blond read her thoughts.

- Eh?! How come you don't have much clothes?!

Ruki raised an eyebrow.

- Don't you have any coats?

- Those she had were discarded in March because they were worn out - he replied, incredulous - But I can't understand, I know girls who have dozens of coats and you had only had one and a lousy small cape?!

Mary narrowed her gaze, offended by the adjective attributed to that fabulous indigo-coloured small cape that Theo had given her for her fourteenth birthday, and which had lasted three autumns and three, almost four, springs; annoyed, she told him:

- Sorry if I'm not the classic example of a girl.

- I like you this way, Izanami - the youngest brother said, seated on her left and as usual clinging to her arm.

- You'd like Izanami even if she was fat, Azusa-kun - Kou sharply commented before realizing the girl was glaring at him.

- Have you got a problem with chubby people?

Yuuma stifled a laugh; he had called her chubby a dozen days before, after having entered her room as she was changing and having got a heavy suitcase on his head.

Before the half-witch could have tackled the blond, the five of them had already reached the school; they went to their own classrooms, after bidding farewell with a mere nod of the head, a grouchy muttering, a timid look, a happy exclamation, and a slight smile.

Once in the classroom and seated at their respective benches, Ruki took advantage of the missing minutes to the beginning of the lesson to read his book, while Mary searched under the desk for the spare pen that she had left at school in case she lost or ended the one she was using: she found both that and a similar object, but, touching it carefully, it had a large and soft extremity and it felt... fresh.

She pulled out the pen and the unknown object, widening her eyes: it was a white rose.

In October?; and the thoughts outlined in her mind Subaru's figure. She smiled gently and put the rose under the bench, taking a look to check it better and seeing a note in a hasty and very simple calligraphy: "Sorry".


- Subarucc-...

- DO NOT CALL ME LIKE THIS AND STOP FOLLOWING ME!

Kou was watching and laughing at the scene in front of him, from the terrace: Subaru was escaping from Mary and probably had already travelled for the third time around school building; Yui was with the blond, staring at the two with a glimpse of amusement and worry, knowing that such a race would have created problems to the half-witch. Who, in fact, collapsed later to the ground, panting because of the fatigue and the difficulty to breath.

But it was all planned.

Mary had decided to run so much on purpose.

She knew the albino would have helped her if she had fallen.

Certainly he would have stopped and have reached her to make sure she was fine.

- O-Oi! Are you ok?! - as expected, Subaru hurried towards her and bent on his knees over her to help her stand; she leaned on him with a last, immense effort and embraced him tightly, making him blush and gasp.

- Subaru-kun! - the girl exclaimed, tightening the hug.

The vampire raised his hands to take her off him, hesitant; at last, he patted her back twice, looking up, embarrassed, and gritting his teeth, and they stayed in that position until Kou's whistle made him get off her to address him with a thousand insults and a shaking a fist towards him.

- Subaru-kun is a casanova~ ehehe!

- OI, YOU BASTARD IDOL! COME HERE AND TELL ME IF YOU DARE!

Mary laughed and invited the two to come down and join them, ignoring the albino's shocked look; the blond agreed to, and took a surprised Yui in his arms, jumped down from the terrace, scaring the neo-vampire for good, who, once on the ground, shuffled to embrace her friend in search of comfort.

In the meantime, the vampires were fighting as if there was no tomorrow (?): the two girls examined them, while Subaru was yelling like a crazy man and Kou switching from a playful façade to a heavily annoyed grimace; the two girls exchanged empathetic looks.

- They will become great friends, huh? - Mary smiled.

- Mh, if you say so... but they certainly don't hate each other - Yui replied, looking at them - If they really hated each other, either they would ignore each other, or they would have already killed each other.

- Vampire logic, huh - the other nervously laughed; her friend imitated her.

- Yeah... Even if...

The half-witch looked at her curiously, noticing her more serious tone.

- I think feelings are not just for humans... They... They say that vampires are cruel... cold... that they don't feel "human" feelings - she stopped, breathing - But I disagree... If even humans themselves can be cruel when they preach peace, union so much... then even vampires can nourish affection, feel happy... if the circumstances allow it.

Mary looked back at the two vampires who were holding each other by the jacket; she smiled and looked up to the dark, cloudy sky.

The stars are always behind it.

Yes, my dear sister. I hear them singing... And you see them. You see All and Nothing.

"We're all creatures ... we love, we hate ... we suffer, we rejoice ..." he murmured.

We hope, we believe... we fall, we deceive ourselves...

- We live - the two girls added simultaneously.

Kou and Subaru were looking around themselves, the first one brushing his hair and the other rubbing his neck; they suddenly stretched out their hands to each other.

- Let's start again... ? - they mumbled in unison.

They resumed their quarrelling, klutz as they were.

- Shopping?

- Exactly, Neko-chan~ Let's go!

And the next evening Mary had been dragged out by the blond to the stores.


Thanks fo reading~! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!