Author's Note: Hey everyone! I want to thank everyone that has left a review, fav or follow! I love seeing them! The small poll from the last chapter has ended, and I've made my decision on it! This chapter was a bit hard for me to start, but once I got past the first few paragraphs things started to fall into place. It just took me a little longer than I had wanted due to me falling ill this weekend, so I didn't feel like working on anything, but I managed to finish the chapter and get it typed up! I actually quite like this chapter and how it turned out.

Chapter 8 Slow Recovery

The silence stretched on between them after Kuro had told Mahiru his first Eve's name. Mahiru had been stunned into silence, and Kuro was just waiting for the explosion that was to come. The vampire wasn't even sure why he had said anything in the first place. It wasn't as if Mahiru had been pushing for the answer, he had just been curious. He didn't have to tell him, but he had, and it was too late now to take it back.

Eventually the silence started to become too much for Kuro. He had been sure that Mahiru would have said or asked something by now, but when his Eve continued to be silent it started to unnerve the Servamp slightly. Mahiru was not a quiet person, not by a long shot. He chanced opening his eyes again and looking over to Mahiru, and was startled to see his Eve looking back at him with unshed tears shining in his bright eyes. Seeing that made Kuro's heart constrict slightly with an emotion that he couldn't place. He didn't like being the cause of pain and hurt, especially to his Eve. So, he did the only thing that he could, and that was to shy away from his over emotional Eve. "Mahiru? What's with the look…?"

Hearing his tired voice seemed to have snapped Mahiru out of whatever state of mind that he was in, because his Eve suddenly scrubbed at his face with a sleeve. When he finished and had composed himself Mahiru looked back to Kuro with a soft smile. "Sorry, Kuro," he said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Kuro still gave him a wary look. He did not want Mahiru to bring up his first Eve again, since it seemed to make him rather emotional. The last thing that Kuro wanted to deal with right now was exhausting emotions and the exhausting teen that brought them out. Mahiru must have been able to read his expression rather well because all his Eve did was to give him a bright smile. It was enough to get the vampire to relax slightly again.

It wasn't long though before Kuro could hear Mahiru moving restlessly on the couch beside him. Man…Mahiru did not know the meaning of the word 'relax', even if his life were to depend on it! He closed his eyes again, counted to ten in his mind before looking over to his Eve. Mahiru was doing his best to keep still and quiet, but his bouncing leg and restless shifting told Kuro that this was difficult for the normally active Eve. "Mahiru…" he started, and as soon as Mahiru was looking at him again did he continue, "…you don't…have to stay here with me…" he finished quietly.

Mahiru shook his head 'no'. "I can't just leave you here, Kuro. You're hurt! It's not right for me to just up and leave you. What if you need me?"

The Servamp of Sloth gazed at his Eve tiredly. "I can't deal with this side of you… You're so exhausting…" he murmured quietly. And Mahiru was exhausting, at least he was to Kuro. It wasn't just Mahiru's seemingly boundless energy as he tried to do everything himself, but it was also the way that Mahiru had somehow managed to slip past the incredibly high walls of apathy that he had built up around himself. Mahiru made him remember and feel things that he did not wish to. His Eve was even managing to make him a little more motivated to do things… And he hated it. He hated feeling this way. He did not want to actually feel anything anymore. It was much easier to just ignore all of these annoying and conflicting emotions, to just shove them into the darkest depths of his heart and mind and forget that he even had them to begin with. Mahiru was starting to chip away at his uncaring and laissez-faire attitude and he needed to put a stop to that. Nothing good had ever came from him when he cared about and tried to protect things… Mahiru was a good example of that… His young Eve had been suddenly thrust into a world of supernatural beings and war because of him…because he had been selfish and had been craving some kind of interaction. He had changed into his human form that day, knowing full well that the boy who had picked him up would find him like that. He tried to tell himself otherwise, that it was just his bad luck and inattentiveness to the time, but he knew better deep down. And it was because of his selfishness that the boy who had been so kind to him when he had been a cat had gotten so hurt.

"…Kuro? Hey, Kuro…are you okay?" he heard Mahiru question him quietly, his voice laced with concern.

Kuro blinked slowly and the expression on his face changed, alarming his Eve even more than he previously had been. "Ah…sorry Mahiru," he heard himself say, not wanting Mahiru to pry deeper. He didn't want to cause any more trouble for his already troublesome Eve.

"You sure, Kuro? You know you can talk to me about anything," his Eve said to him as he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. The added pressure on his shoulder almost made him grimace from the renewed pain, but he somehow managed to keep his expression from shifting. Kuro needed to put a stop to this. He didn't deserve the kindness and caring that Mahiru was showing him. He needed to put some distance between them again. His walls had already been lowered enough that Mahiru had been able to slip inside and touch his heart, reminding him of feelings and emotions that he had discarded long ago. He knew that he would not be able to shut Mahiru out completely, it was too late for that, but he could do his best to keep Mahiru an arms' length away from now on, and to not let him in any further.

With his resolve to do just that renewed slightly did the Servamp shrug off Mahiru's hand before he stood up, letting the blanket that had been around his shoulders pool to the floor in a heap. He needed to quickly think of some place where he could go that his Eve would not follow him. Mahiru was standing up as well now and reaching out for him again. He shifted slightly, even though his muscles screamed in pain from just that slight movement alone, to dodge Mahiru's outstretched hand. The flash of hurt that passed over Mahiru's face instantly made Kuro's resolve waver. 'Sorry…Mahiru… I don't want you to get hurt by being so close to me…'

Before his resolve weakened any further did Kuro turn slightly and silently head deeper into the apartment. When he heard Mahiru following after him, the Servamp adjusted his course a bit and went into the bathroom. He flicked the lights on before turning to give Mahiru a glare that just dared him to follow him in. His Eve definitely looked hurt and confused at his actions and sudden change in demeanor, but a spark of determination was starting to make its way back into his Eve's eyes. It was a sure sign that a rather exhausting, and loud, argument was going to happen. Rather than face it head on, Kuro stepped fully into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. The vampire couldn't help but to lean back against the door slightly once he was safely inside. The pressure on his back was painful, but he didn't make any moves to go further in. He could sense Mahiru's growing frustration as he battled with himself on whether he should try and open the door or not. Kuro made the decision for him as he locked the door, and the quiet click reverberated loudly in the otherwise quiet apartment. He knew Mahiru had finally gotten his hint for solitude when he heard his Eve huff angrily out in the hall before leaving. "Sorry…" he whispered.

He sighed wearily before he finally pushed himself up off the door. The bathroom wasn't exactly where he had wanted to go, but now that he was here, he may as well make use of it. He softly padded his way over to the rather large and deep tub before starting to run the water. He'd soak and relax a bit, and hope that the hot water soothed more than just his aching muscles. While drawing his bath, Kuro retrieved a fluffy towel before gingerly undressing. It still hurt to move after all, and he wanted to mitigate as much pain as he possibly could. He shut off the faucet before easing into the hot, relaxing water. Kuro took a deep breath before exhaling and finally relaxed a little as he leaned back slightly. He let the tension that had been clinging to him fall off him as he tried to blank his mind. He didn't want to think right now. He just wanted to be in blissful emptiness for a little while. Kuro had just closed his eyes to relax fully when he heard the quiet laughter of his inner demon again. He couldn't help the groan of frustration that left him as he sank a bit further into his bath. He just wanted to relax. He wanted to relax and forget, so why was everything determined to see to it that he couldn't?

[You know that Mahiru won't let up on this.]

"Shut up… I don't wanna deal with you right now."

[Heeheehee~! What's the matter, little kitty cat~? Is the pain clouding your mind~?]

Kuro growled lowly but didn't respond further. Hopefully if he ignored it long enough, it would leave him alone. However, it seemed that it was not to be.

[Your Eve can take the pain away, you know~ All you have to do is ask him~]

"…not gonna happen… I've hurt him enough as is…"

[Ah~ How noble of you~] the little demon sneered at him hatefully. [You won't be able to protect him, Kuro. You'll fail~ You'll fail, you'll fail, you'll fail~!] it sing-song at him gleefully, causing Kuro to flinch violently. [You'll fail, Kuro. Just like all of the other times that you've tried to protect others~] it whispered into his ear before a myriad of unwanted images flashed before Kuro's eyes. The sudden images were unexpected and Kuro couldn't help the strangled yell that left him as he shut his eyes tightly, covered his ears and pulled his knees up this chest in a vain attempt to block the memories out. He could vaguely hear Mahiru shouting for him as his Eve tried futilely to get the door opened. He heard Mahiru pound on the door a few times before hearing him run down the hall to get something.

"St-Stop… …please…st-stop…" he couldn't help but to whine quietly. He didn't need to see all of his past mistakes and failures to know that he was useless. He already knew that he was. He knew that he was a mistake, a failure, a monster. He didn't need his inner demon rubbing salt into his open wounds for him to get the picture.

[You poor, pathetic little boy. Just how long do you intend to run? You can't escape~ You know what to do to get the pain to cease~ Trust your Eve, Kuro.]

The images suddenly stopped their assault as the demon left, but Kuro didn't uncurl from his position. His heavy panting was the only thing that could be heard in the otherwise still bathroom until the small click of the lock sounded. It wasn't but a second after that that the door was pretty much slammed open and his panicked Eve came rushing in and over to the side of the tub. "Kuro! Are you okay?! I heard your yelling and you sounded hurt!"

Kuro had removed his hands from his ears by the time Mahiru had reached him, and he was staring blankly into the water. His knees were still up against his chest as he tried to calm his racing heart. His breathing was still a bit erratic and his lack of response to Mahiru's questions were only further panicking his already panicked Eve. "Kuro… I just want to help you…" Mahiru said to him softly. "Please don't push me away. We're supposed to be partners… I know that I haven't been the best partner to you but… I want to be that 'someone' that you can eventually rely on."

It took a moment but Kuro eventually gathered his courage up to look at his Eve again. He took in Mahiru's worried expression as he hovered over him slightly from the outside of the tub. Trust his Eve…huh? His inner demon was annoying and exhausting to deal with even on the best of days but…it was still a part of him. And…even though he was usually at odds with it…the little creature usually did not steer him wrong, even if it did make its point across in the most tortuous and painful way that it could. Kuro leaned back slightly again, grateful that Mahiru was being quiet and giving him time to collect himself again. Obviously, trying to shut Mahiru out was not going to work. He knew that Mahiru was too stubborn to give up and he was sure that his inner demon would not let up on its assault if he were to try again. '…all right…you win… …I won't push him out again… Just…'

The quiet laughter returned for a moment before it vanished again. [That's a good kitty~ Learn to trust again, Kuro. You may even be able to protect this one~]

Kuro sighed quietly before speaking to Mahiru, "…sorry, Mahiru…"

His Eve blinked before a gentle smile appeared on his face. "Nothing to be sorry about, Kuro. I don't know exactly what's going on in your mind, but you looked overwhelmed before you got up off the couch," he replied.

"…I just…don't want you to get hurt…because of me…"

"And you thought that I'd be safer if you distanced yourself from me?"

"Yes. Mahiru, I sometimes wonder if you remember that I am a vampire; a monster. I'm not someone…that you should put your trust into."

"I'll be the judge of that, Kuro," Mahiru replied which caused Kuro to look back up to his Eve in surprise. "I do happen to remember that you're a vampire, but that's not what I see when I look at you. I see a kind-hearted person who has built up an apathetic nature to protect himself due to events that were beyond his control. …I also see a fiercely protective warrior that's been buried deep beneath a lazy attitude, because that warrior was used and abused so much in the past. I don't see anything resembling a monster when I look at you, Kuro. I just see…Kuro."

Kuro was silent for a moment as he studied Mahiru's face. There was nothing there that gave off the vibe of being lied to. Mahiru was speaking from the heart, and meant every word that he had said. Kuro sighed heavily before leaning back further and closed his eyes again. "You're such a pain, you know?"

He heard Mahiru chuckle at his statement. "Considering you tell me that just about every day, I'm pretty sure that I know," he replied. "I'll let you continue to soak in peace now, but don't hesitate to call for me if you need help getting up! I can tell that you're still in pain, Kuro," Mahiru said before Kuro heard him stand back up from the kneeling position that he had been in.

Kuro kept his eyes closed, even when he heard his Eve close the door behind him with a soft click. A moment later he uncurled and tried to relax again. He opened his eyes slightly and looked at his hand before sighing quietly and letting it drop back into the water. "…you don't see a monster, huh? …that's a rather tall order that you've given me, Mahiru… …I hope that I can…live up to your expectations…"

Kuro stayed soaking in the bath until the water turned luke-warm. The soak had taken the edge off of his aching, sore body a little, but it wasn't enough. He sighed once more before getting out and draining the bath as he carefully dried off. He had been hoping that he wouldn't need to ask Mahiru, but it was looking like he was going to have to anyways. It was bothersome, but he knew that he would be of no use to Mahiru as he was. Just the lightest of touches had his body screaming in agony, so fighting would see him on his knees within moments. Once he was sufficiently dried and dressed again, he headed back out to the living room where Mahiru was waiting for him. Upon seeing him enter, Kuro watched as his Eve went a bright red and hid his face from him. "Mahiru? What's gotten into you?"

"Uhm… I uh… I'm sorry!"

Kuro looked at him, not quite understanding what his Eve was apologizing for. He had made a rather convincing speech to him just a little bit ago, so he didn't know where this apology was coming from. "Sorry?" he questioned as he shuffled further into the living room.

Mahiru's face turned a darker shade of red as he stuttered out, "I… I d-didn't mean to walk in on you bathing! I-It's just, I heard you yelling in pain and I wasn't thinking!"

"And…you just now realized that…?" the vampire questioned as some amusement filtered into his voice, glad that it was just Mahiru's shyness about these things instead of something else. And while it was amusing that it had taken his Eve this long to realize what he had done, it did pose a bit of a problem. What he needed to ask of his Eve was not going to help matters. He had been around long enough, and had seen and read enough bad romance novels and shoujo manga, to know that asking for blood right now would only make things more awkward. He'd have to ask later, when Mahiru got over his embarrassment about it.

"It's not funny, Kuro!" Mahiru exclaimed as Kuro made his way to the couch again.

"It kinda is," the vampire replied as he sat down next to Mahiru, and a small hiss of pain left him unintentionally.

Immediately Mahiru's expression of embarrassment changed to one of concern. "…Is there anything at all that I can do to help?" he asked, not liking how pained his Servamp sounded. He didn't know much about Servamps or vampires in general, but he did know that they healed quickly. So, the fact that Kuro was clearly still in pain was rather worrisome.

"…ah…well… I guess there is…" Kuro replied as he leaned back against the couch.

Mahiru gave him an irritated look, "I thought that you told me that there wasn't anything that I could do to help you."

"Ah… I had hoped that the pain would let up as the day wore on… …but…that's not gonna be the case," he replied.

"And you didn't tell me this earlier, why?"

Kuro sighed before slouching a bit more into the couch. "Too bothersome."

Mahiru was not impressed with Kuro's answer. "So? How can I help?" he eventually asked when it became apparent that Kuro wasn't going to tell him.

Kuro hesitated. He didn't like drinking blood, even though he was a vampire. He did his best to minimize any biting and blood drinking that he had to do. He really only partook in blood drinking when he absolutely had to, which usually meant when he was fighting. He must have taken too long to answer because he had Mahiru trying to catch his attention again. "Kuro? What do I need to do?" he asked again.

"Ah, this is so bothersome…" he sighed again. When he saw Mahiru's unrelenting gaze he knew that he couldn't stall any longer. "I need blood, Mahiru," he started to say and he saw his Eve's eyes widen slightly and his blush returned, like Kuro thought that it would, "but if you're not comfortable with it, I can wait," he finished.

"N-No, it's all right, Kuro. You've been suffering since last night. It's not right to let you continue hurting when I can do something to help," Mahiru quickly reassured. It was a bit embarrassing for the young Eve considering what he had seen, but Kuro's nonchalant attitude, and his amusement about the situation, was calming him down some. If Kuro wasn't embarrassed about it then…he shouldn't let it get to him either. It was just hard to get the image out of his mind with Kuro watching him with his usual lazy gaze.

"Such a pain…" Kuro complained before he suddenly took hold of Mahiru's wrist. He just wanted to get it over with. He wasn't going to enjoy this any more than Mahiru was, though for a completely different reason than his Eve.

"H-Hey!" Mahiru exclaimed when he was suddenly grabbed. A tired, pained look from his Servamp had him shutting up and he sighed before nodding slightly, letting Kuro know that it was okay. Mahiru still turned away slightly when he saw Kuro open his mouth and his fangs became more noticeable. It was still a bit embarrassing, since this wasn't a fighting for their life kind of thing. Plus, this was also the first time that Kuro had actively asked for blood, which made it feel more intimate to the young Eve than what it probably was. He still winced slightly when he felt the double pin pricks in his arm, but that pain soon dulled away.

He was still a blushing mess when he felt Kuro let go of him and he saw the chain connecting them flare into life. He took a moment to compose himself before glancing at the Servamp again. Kuro's eyes were closed and he was breathing in deeply, but Mahiru had to admit that he did look better. It was as if the tension that the vampire held was slowly melting off of him. "Feel any better, Kuro?" he asked after a moment.

"Mmhmm…" Kuro hummed back to him in contentment. Even though he didn't like to drink blood, Kuro had to admit that the pain he had been feeling was starting to ease away. He'd thank Mahiru as soon as the warm, pleasant feeling that was spreading through him and easing away his pain went away. Right now though, he finally felt relaxed, and he didn't want to disturb that.

Kuro must have dozed off because when he opened his eyes again he found that he had been covered with his blanket again and he had been using his Eve's shoulder as a pillow. His shifting alerted Mahiru that he was awake again, for he felt Mahiru move to pause whatever game he had been playing to pass the time before he felt the Eve pat his head gently. "Glad to see you awake again."

Kuro couldn't help but to yawn tiredly before getting up off his Eve. He stretched slightly before replying to Mahiru. "…didn't even realize that I had fallen asleep…" he murmured sleepily.

He heard Mahiru chuckle at him, "I kinda figured that when you suddenly just slumped onto me. It didn't look like you had slept at all last night, so I didn't want to wake you back up."

"…thanks…Mahiru…"

Mahiru gave him another brilliant and sunny smile. "It's no problem, Kuro," he replied. "I'm glad that you're feeling better though," he went on to say. "After the week that we've had, I think that the two of us deserve to relax this weekend, what do you think, Kuro?"

"I think that you already know my answer, Mahiru," Kuro replied as he settled back against the couch. Spending the rest of the weekend relaxing and playing video games sounded like a plan to the vampire. And this time, it seemed that he was actually going to have an actual partner join him, instead of a worrying, nagging mess of an Eve. While he wouldn't admit it out loud, he was glad that Mahiru was starting to unwind and spend time doing things with him. A partnership, and the trust that goes with it, wasn't built on fighting alone, after all.

Author's Note: This chapter was a lot of fun to write once I started getting into it. I felt like these two needed something like this to set them on their path to growing as friends and partners. I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter! The next one may take me a little longer to get out. My final has been pushed up my two weeks, so I'll be working on getting ready for that. I'll still try to get the next chapter out next weekend, but we shall see! If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review, fav or follow! See you all in the next chapter!