Author's Note: Man, I am so very sorry it has taken me this long to get this chapter up. I had to put my writing on hold last month due to having to take my final for my Student Teaching Seminar, and let me tell you that took a lot of time and energy on my part. Not only that, but I also had to finish up several papers for the class as well as put my portfolio together. I swear, when I went to turn my portfolio in, it had to have weighed at least five pounds. The other reason why this chapter has taken me so long to get done was that I kept getting stuck and had to leave it for a while before trying to continue on. It took me a while to get into the pace of writing for this fic again, plus I had to do some mild research for one small section. I have also been torn on how to approach the time line that's in the manga. I started the fic at a strange place in the manga, and now I'm paying for it by trying to figure out how to fit this chapter in so then I can continue, thankfully I have overcome that problem, so I'm back on track with that! Whew, now that that is done, I would like to thank everyone that has left a review, fav or follow! I love seeing them!
Chapter 9 Bond
The rest of the weekend passed on quietly. There were no more surprise trips into Kuro's mind, and the vampire had gone back to being his usual lazy self. While normally seeing Kuro lazing around the apartment would have irritated Mahiru to no end, the Eve let it slide this time. Kuro had had a rather stressful weekend, so the least that he could do was to let him rest and laze around. Besides, Mahiru was starting to learn that by pushing Kuro into doing things it caused the vampire to dig his heels in more and resist his attempts. However, if he were to just casually mention or suggest something, Kuro would eventually get around to doing it. It wasn't the best system, but it was all that Mahiru had that seemed to be working at the moment.
It was early morning and school was back in session for the week. Mahiru was already up and ready, but Kuro was still sleeping soundly on the futon. They needed to eat breakfast soon or else they'd be late, so Mahiru had the task of trying to wake the sleeping vampire up. "Kuro! Get up you slacker! We'll be late if you don't get moving soon!"
Kuro groaned tiredly and moved to cover himself more with his blanket. It was way too early for this. Sleep sounded so much better than going to school any day of the week. However, he knew that Mahiru would flay him alive if he made them late. So it was with reluctance that the vampire removed his nice warm blanket away from him just as Mahiru entered the room to yell at him again.
"Oh…you're getting up," Mahiru said in surprise when he saw Kuro's sleep hazed eyes shift slightly to look over to him. "Hurry and get dressed, Kuro! Your breakfast will get cold if you wait any longer!" he said, leaving only once he saw Kuro sit up. He heard the vampire mumble a sleepy "What a pain…" as he left, causing Mahiru to smile at his complaining. He was glad that Kuro was feeling himself again, even if that meant that he had to deal with the vampire's complaints and demands. Mahiru had just sat down to start on his breakfast when Kuro wandered into the living room, still looking as sleepy as ever. "Hurry up, Kuro! We have to leave soon!"
"…yeah, yeah… …heard you the first time…" the vampire replied sleepily as he sat down at the table. Like always Kuro slumped over so he was practically laying on the table as he flicked on the news once again.
"You know Kuro…I never really took you as the type of person who followed the news regularly," Mahiru pointed out.
Kuro slumped even further onto the table into a relaxed state as he started on his breakfast. (Mahiru had no idea how the vampire managed to do that and still look as comfortable as he was.) Kuro answered Mahiru after he had taken a few bites of his breakfast, "…just like to see the weather and a few other little things, Mahiru," he replied as the weather came up.
"Guess that makes sense…" Mahiru replied as he heard Kuro curse about it being sunny once again, causing Mahiru to have to hide a grin. He really was glad that Kuro was feeling better. He hadn't liked seeing him in so much pain. Mahiru had decided against saying anything to Kuro about hearing the cat plush in his mind. He hadn't heard it since it spoke to him the one day and he was chalking the strange experience up to their bond deepening a bit. He had been pulled into Kuro's mind unexpectedly and had interacted with it more deeply this time, after all. He had decided that if it happened again then he would say something to Kuro. He felt no need to stress the vampire out when he knew that Kuro did not really get along with the plush. However, he did want to speak with Kuro about that velvety sensation that he had felt brushing against his mind. It had felt strange, not unpleasant, just strange, and he wanted to know what it was. Or, at the very least, he wanted to see if his theory was correct and it was their bond deepening a bit or something similar to that. This conversation though was something to be held later this evening, not now when he needed to finish getting ready for school.
Before long it was time for Mahiru to leave, which prompted Kuro into complaining about having to go to school too. Mahiru rolled his eyes at Kuro's dramatics once again before pulling open the curtains, causing the vampire to poof into his kitten form. Mahiru couldn't help but to grin at Kuro's disgruntled look before he picked up his school bag. He felt Kuro settle on his shoulder with one of his lazy meows as they left the apartment. As he walked along the familiar route to his high school, Mahiru couldn't help the smile that made its way onto his face as he reached up with his free arm to scratch behind Kuro's ears slightly. He heard a surprised 'prrt?' from his Servamp before he felt Kuro relax and melt into the touch with a soft purr and a contented sigh.
Mahiru had made a personal goal for himself over the weekend. He wanted to strive to be a better Eve to Kuro. The memory that he had seen had made him realize that he really wasn't trying to understand his partner. He was not an Eve that Kuro was completely comfortable with and he wanted to fix that. He knew that it wasn't going to be an overnight change and he was sure that he was going to make plenty of mistakes along the way, but all that he could do was to try his best and make sure that he didn't lose sight of what was important to him. Mahiru already knew that he would never be able to replace Kuro's first Eve in his heart, and he didn't want to. He wanted to become that 'someone' that Kuro could depend on again. He wanted Kuro to be able to rely on him for anything, to open up to him, to be comfortable enough to lower his guard when it was just the two of them.
Mahiru was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard his friends calling his name. His smile widened a bit as he waved back to them and he picked up his pace slightly to catch up to them. He heard Kuro complain quietly but by this point, Mahiru knew that the vampire didn't really mind the attention that he received from his classmates. He always had that look of contentment when he was fawned over after all. Before reaching the school Mahiru had to place Kuro inside his bag. He always felt slightly guilty doing so, what with knowing that his cat was actually a vampire and would probably like to be anywhere else other than in a small, cramped school bag, but for now they didn't really have a choice. With Tsubaki being unpredictable and his subclasses able to be out in the sun, plus the distance limit, it was just safer, and simpler, to merely keep Kuro close by.
The school day went on as it normally did. Mahiru diligently took notes, despite knowing that summer vacation was just around the corner. Lunch came around quickly enough and soon makeshift tables sprang up around the classroom as friends got together to chat. There were already a few of Mahiru's female classmates waiting impatiently for him to bring Kuro out of his bag as he got ready for lunch break as well. He had no sooner placed the yawning cat on top of his desk when one of the girls tried to snatch him up to cuddle with. For being so lazy, Mahiru couldn't help but to marvel slightly at Kuro's quick reflexes to slip right out of the girl's grasp before he lightly jumped onto his lap where the vampire settled into a little cat ball to sleep. It was a new, and slightly worrying, behavior from Kuro. He placed one hand on Kuro's back, but the vampire merely curled into a tighter ball before dozing off again.
Mahiru gave his classmates a sheepish smile before apologizing. "Sorry. Kuro wasn't feeling his best this weekend."
That statement was met with several disappointed sighs and mutterings before his classmates moved on. Mahiru glanced back down to Kuro as he lightly carded his fingers through his soft fur. He could feel the vampire purring softly at his petting before he removed his hand to get his own lunch ready. 'Kuro…are you still sore? Is that why you don't want to be held and cuddled by my classmates like usual?' the Eve couldn't help but to wonder. It was another thing that he would have to bring up later.
"Poor Kuro-chan. I hope that he feels better soon, Mahiru," Koyuki said as he sat down across from him.
"Yeah. It's weird not seeing him being lavished with attention. Makes a guy slightly jealous, ya know?" Ryuusei added as he opened the package that held his sandwich.
Mahiru smiled at his friends' worry. "I'm sure that Kuro will feel better soon. He'll be up to his usual antics again soon enough," he replied as he opened his lunch and grabbed his chopsticks. He had already taken a few bites of his lunch when he noticed that he had something extra in one of the compartments of his bento. Placing his chopsticks down he set out to untie the small cloth pouch that he didn't remember placing in his lunch. The pouch fell away to reveal three individually wrapped mochi, which caused Mahiru to stare at them for a moment until he realized that each had a name written on the outside of their packaging.
"Wow! Mahiru, did you make some mochi for us?" Koyuki asked excitedly when he saw the sweet that had his name written on it.
"Seriously?! Man Mahiru, it's been ages since you've made something to share," Ryuusei chimed in as well.
Mahiru couldn't help but to sigh quietly before handing the mochi over to his friends with a slight smile. He watched as Koyuki and Ryuusei eagerly took the mochi out of the little plastic pouches before enjoying them. He most certainly had not made any mochi for his friends, and his uncle had left earlier that weekend, which only left one other person that could have made them.
"These are so good, Mahiru!"
"And here I thought that the butter cookies that you had made before were good! What'd you do Mahiru? Stay up all night to get these perfect?" Ryuusei asked as he and Koyuki finished their sweets.
Mahiru laughed nervously at that. "N-No, haha! I…didn't think that they'd turn out as well as they did," he tried to cover. It wasn't as if he could tell them that his vampire partner had made them! His friends soon went back to their lunches and were happily distracted with their own conversation once again. It gave Mahiru the chance to glance down at the cat sleeping peacefully on his lap once again before he opened his own packaged mochi. If it was half as good as the ramen that Kuro had made, he would definitely be putting the lazy vampire to work in the kitchen. One bite had Mahiru determined to make Kuro in charge of meals. The lazy cat had to have had an Eve that had been a chef at one point during his long life. There was just no other explanation for how Kuro could make such divine food. It was another "casual suggestion" that he would have to make.
Lunch soon came to an end and classes resumed. Like always Mahiru struggled to understand the English lesson and was just as glad as the rest of his classmates when the bell sounded, signaling the end of the school day. As usual he walked home with his two friends and Kuro was once again lazing on his shoulder. If he wasn't mistaken, Kuro looked more relaxed than he had ever seen him before, and he also seemed to be in a rather good mood too, if the soft, content purring was any indication. It wasn't long before he parted ways with Koyuki and Ryuusei and was waving them off as he headed down the path that led to his apartment. Once they were well out of earshot Mahiru turned his attention to Kuro.
"Thanks, Kuro," he started out.
Kuro opened his eyes slightly to look at Mahiru for a moment before he closed them again with a yawn. "For what?" he mumbled sleepily.
Mahiru rolled his eyes slightly at his reply before picking the vampire up off of his shoulder to look at him better. "You know what for," he replied when Kuro opened his eyes again.
"Such a pain…" the vampire sighed.
Mahiru gave him an unimpressed look before he cradled the vampire turned cat to his chest. "You know Kuro…I wouldn't mind sampling more of your cooking sometime." The Eve heard Kuro's nonsensical meow at his suggestion. It wasn't an outright refusal, so Mahiru let it be, knowing that Kuro would eventually make him something else. Their walk home was quiet for a little while longer before Mahiru decided to take a small detour, which instantly caught Kuro's attention.
"Mahiru? Where are we going?" he asked as he slipped out of his Eve's hold to settle on his shoulder once again. This wasn't a familiar path back to the apartment, nor did it lead to the store.
"There's a park that I used to play at when I was little…"
Kuro glanced over to Mahiru when he heard that. "…oh?" he questioned.
"It's a rather secluded and shaded place… There's usually no one around," Mahiru went on to say. He could tell that Kuro wasn't catching on to what he was implying, but that was fine by him. He wanted to check the park out to make sure that it was like he remembered; which was quiet and out of the way. It could be the perfect place for him to start his training. He hadn't been to this park for several years now, which was why he wanted to check to make sure that it was still being unused.
Kuro didn't say anything more and soon enough the park that Mahiru had mentioned came into view. It wasn't an overly large park and Kuro could see why it was pretty much devoid of children playing. It was rather…simple. There was a straight slide, a swing set that held four swings, a small sand box, a see saw, a monkey bar, and a few of those bouncy animals for small children to ride. There wasn't anything fancy to it, and quite honestly, it was a nice little park that was tucked away deep inside the urban jungle that surrounded it. While it looked like it hadn't been used recently, it was still being maintained.
Mahiru smiled slightly before making his way to the swing set and sat down on one of the swings. He felt Kuro jump off his shoulder and transform back into his human self before the NEET hesitantly took a seat beside him on another swing. "It hasn't changed at all," Mahiru remarked.
Kuro just hummed quietly, not quite sure how to reply or even knowing why they had stopped here to begin with. The vampire glanced at his Eve with a heavily lidded gaze and watched as Mahiru's warm brown eyes roamed around the small park. He was obviously reminiscing about a much simpler time, and it made guilt claw at his heart. He was the reason why Mahiru's simple and peaceful life had been shattered. It was his fault. All his fault. A shadow was cast over the vampire's eyes as he slouched a bit more on his swing.
[Kuro's in need of you again, Mahiru~] a familiar voice purred softly into the Eve's ear. It was said in barely a whisper but it still jolted Mahiru out of his thoughts, and when he heard nothing further he passed it off as his mind playing tricks on him. Still… He glanced back to Kuro, only to see that his partner's expression was clouded over by a shadow and his posture spoke volumes. Mahiru could practically feel Kuro's guilt eating away at him. It was almost suffocating, causing Mahiru to shudder slightly as his breath caught in his throat, making it hard for him to breathe.
"K-Kuro?" he managed to stutter out.
Hearing his name seemed to have snapped the vampire out of whatever depressing thoughts he had been sinking in to. The shadow that had crossed his face vanished and the suffocating aura went with it, leaving behind an exhausted looking Kuro. Mahiru could only watch as Kuro blinked lethargically before finally looking over to him in response to hearing his name. The vampire's usual look of absolute boredom and apathy was back and Mahiru got the distinct feeling that Kuro had just pulled his walls up. He could tell that if he tried to push for information about what Kuro had been thinking about the vampire would become standoffish with him. So instead he settled for asking him a simple question. "Are you okay, Kuro? You're still not hurting from this weekend, are you?"
While Mahiru knew that the hurt from this weekend probably wasn't the problem he at least wanted Kuro to speak with him and to lower his walls again. It made conversation between them rather stilted when they were up. Kuro remained silent, however. 'He's probably trying to figure out what to tell me,' Mahiru mused. He flashed the Servamp an encouraging smile, which made Kuro's frown deepen just a little more.
"You're such a pain in the ass…" Kuro eventually sighed out in a weary tone, "…but I'm okay, Mahiru," he finished quietly.
It wasn't much but Mahiru was able to tell that Kuro had lowered his walls a little bit. It seemed that he knew that his Eve was not going to press him for answers. It was faint, but Mahiru could feel that soft velvety sensation brush against his mind again. It held a small amount of warmth to it this time and it was difficult for Mahiru to place what that warmth meant. But, this was as good of an opportunity as any to ask about it. "Hey Kuro…" he started off before waiting for Kuro's acknowledging hum that he had heard him. "I was just wondering but…just now I felt a kind of…soft, velvet-like feeling against my mind. …it felt…warm… Do you know what it is? Is it just our contract? Or is it our connection? Your inner cat plush said something about a connection and kind of explained what it was."
A look of resignation passed over Kuro's features after Mahiru had asked his questions. The Eve had pretty much guessed what it was anyways, so there was no point in keeping quiet about it. He sighed heavily before replying with his usual exhausted tone. "…yeah, kinda… …I guess… If you're feeling something like that then it's most likely the connection between us."
"I see! So…what exactly does this connection entail? The plush didn't really go in to detail about it. It just said that it was a mental pathway."
"That pretty much sums it up… When we're fighting it's how I know what you want me to do after you've given me an order…" the vampire replied tiredly.
"I guess I can understand that… Oh! But Misono didn't give Lily a direct order, at least, not that I was able to hear the other night…"
Kuro yawned before replying, "Bastard-chan and Lily have had their contract for several years now… Their connection, their bond, no longer needs verbal orders. …Lily can feel what Bastard-chan's order is through their bond."
Mahiru sent a look over to Kuro. "I don't think Misono will take too kindly to you calling him that," he scolded lightly. All that he received back was a slight shrug of the vampire's shoulders, causing Mahiru to sigh in annoyance at Kuro's lack of caring. "Will you be able to do something like that now?"
"I dunno…" was Kuro's reply.
"How can you not know?! It's as much a part of you as it is me now!"
"Meh. The bond can work in different ways depending on the Eve…"
"What do you mean by that?!"
"…you're so demanding…and explaining all of this is a pain…"
Mahiru scowled at his Servamp before getting up off the swing to stand directly in front of Kuro. The vampire watched as he did so, but made no moves to get up himself. "Why do you have to be so difficult?! We're partners, Kuro! I'm still new to all of this!"
"Why are you being so loud?" was the response he received. Mahiru's scowl deepened and he was about to go off on his Servamp again when he felt it. The soft velvet-like sensation was back and it felt warmer than it had earlier and…was that amusement that he was feeling coming from it? His eyes narrowed slightly as he glared at the vampire in front of him. The feeling of amusement was still there before it finally clicked for Mahiru. He was feeling an echo of sorts of what Kuro was feeling. It didn't quite explain the warmth he felt but it certainly explained the amused feeling that wasn't his.
Kuro's gaze hadn't left his since he had stood up and, while his expression hardly changed, Mahiru did hear the quiet huff of laughter that came from the Servamp when Kuro realized that he had finally figured out what was going on. The young Eve couldn't help the tick mark that formed and before he could stop himself he had already launched himself at the vampire, knocking him off the swing as he tackled him to the ground with a loud thud and a surprised "Reeeowr!" from the vampire as they landed.
"You're such a jerk!" Mahiru exclaimed as they wrestled. He had somehow managed to grab onto the two tuffs of fur lining Kuro's hood that formed 'cat ears' and was tugging on them, causing Kuro's hood to obscure his vision as the vampire vainly tried to get Mahiru off of him.
"Why are you so abusive towards your cute little pet?!" Kuro shot back as he finally managed to grasp Mahiru's wrists to keep him from tugging on his hood any more.
Mahiru was still glaring at his Servamp even if he couldn't really move now. "You're not that cute!"
"So mean…"
The Eve continued to scowl down at the vampire, unsure of what to do until he noticed that not once had Kuro's amusement wavered, not even during their little tussle. 'Kuro thinks this is funny, huh?!' he thought furiously before he took a moment to assess the situation. Kuro was still pinned under him, his hands loosely gripping his wrists, even though Mahiru knew that the vampire could easily throw him off. His tired red eyes were watching him with an almost bored expression but…it contradicted what he was feeling from the vampire. Kuro was amused. Kuro…was having fun. He was having fun with their interactions, even if it didn't show on his face. Mahiru couldn't help the chuckle that left him when he realized that and he finally let go of Kuro's hood as he started to laugh more. Mahiru felt Kuro release his wrists but made no moves to push him off of him. In fact, he could actually feel the vampire relaxing, as if he was trying to melt into the ground that was under him. It was then that Mahiru felt the unknown warm feeling settle in his mind and he knew instinctively that it would not leave him. Not only did it feel warm and comforting but it also felt like safety. It…felt like Kuro. Now he understood what his Servamp had been trying to do. It was easier to experience the bond first hand rather than have it explained.
Eventually Mahiru stopped laughing and got up off the vampire and offered him his hand to help him back up. Kuro glanced at his offered hand before he took it, allowing Mahiru to help him back up into a sitting position. "You're still a jerk, Kuro," Mahiru huffed out before sitting on the swing that he had knocked Kuro off of. "Why didn't you just tell me that you were going to show me?"
"You didn't give me a chance to," was Kuro's lazy sounding reply.
"You were the one being difficult!"
Kuro shrugged slightly before responding, "You understand it better when you figure it out for yourself."
Mahiru scowled slightly but eventually dropped it with an irritated huff. "What else does this bond do for us?"
Kuro scratched at his cheek slightly before answering, "…well… I guess it also serves as a way for us to locate each other…"
"That could come in handy… But how does it work?"
"The further apart we are the less we can sense each other," Kuro yawned, dragging out the last few words.
Mahiru nodded at that explanation. It was a nice, simple one to understand. "Will I always be able to tell what you're feeling? For that matter, are you able to sense my emotions?"
"So bothersome…" the vampire complained, "but no, you won't always be able to feel what I'm feeling, nor will I always be able to tell what you are feeling. It'll just be sometimes…but I dunno what triggers those emotions to be felt."
"I guess that kind of makes sense…" Mahiru conceded. Kuro probably had a better control of sending and restricting feelings, but even Mahiru could tell that the vampire really didn't have a say in if those feelings came through their bond or not.
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Mahiru noticed that Kuro seemed to be working up the nerve to tell him something. It was a few more minutes before the vampire felt motivated enough to do so.
"Hey…Mahiru…?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Ah, this is a pain but… I don't…need to be the one to decide if we fight or run…"
"Huh? But I thought…"
Kuro shook his head slightly in the negative. "I'll be content enough if you just take my words into consideration… You're the Eve, after all. You're the one that makes the final decision… I'll follow whatever orders that you give, even if they are bothersome…"
"Are you sure, Kuro? I don't mind letting you make those calls."
"I'm sure," was Kuro's final say in the matter.
"Well…okay then…" Mahiru replied. He wasn't quite sure what had brought out this subservient behavior, but he could tell that Kuro wasn't comfortable with the thought of being in charge. "Are you about ready to go home, Kuro?" Mahiru eventually asked as the street lights started to flicker on.
"…yeah," Kuro replied as he easily got to his feet. He followed after Mahiru in silence for a while before asking the question that had been bothering him ever since they had gone to the park. "So…what was the point in going there?"
Mahiru smiled at his question, even though Kuro couldn't see it. He stopped to face Kuro and saw the Servamp was waiting for his reply. "It's nice and secluded, don't you think so, Kuro?"
"…ah… I wasn't able to sense anyone near the place the entire time we were there…" he confirmed. He could feel a twinge of something coming from Mahiru but his own sense of dread had quickly overwhelmed it.
"That's good! I've decided that that's where we're going to do our training!"
Kuro blinked at that rather bold statement. "…'our'…training…?"
"Yep! We don't really know how to fight together so…it's simplest if we train and work on it together!"
Kuro's shoulders slumped forward slightly, obviously not as enthused as his Eve was at the prospect of training. "…that sounds rather exhausting…"
"Everything is exhausting to you!" Mahiru replied hotly. He sighed heavily a moment later before looking at Kuro again. "…I felt absolutely useless in our last fight, Kuro… I was indecisive…and because of that you and Misono were hurt," he said before looking down.
Kuro was silent but Mahiru could hear his quiet footsteps coming closer to him. "…wasn't your fault, Mahiru… …it's…hard to go up against a friend…"
Mahiru glanced back up to Kuro and gave him a grateful smile. Hearing that made him feel better but… "Thanks Kuro, but you're still not getting out of this."
Kuro groaned in resignation before draping himself over Mahiru's shoulder. "You're such a cruel creature…forcing a cute little cat like myself to do something so exhausting," he complained.
Mahiru couldn't help but to roll his eyes at Kuro's dramatics. He was thankful for it though, as it put a smile back on his face and chased away his depressing thoughts. Kuro let go of him a moment later and the two continued their walk back to the apartment. While Mahiru knew that it was going to be a hard sell to get the lazy vampire to actually train with him, he was confident that he would be able to pull it off. After all, he could feel Kuro's contentment through their bond, despite the complaining he had just heard from him.
Author's Note: Even though it took me forever to get this chapter done, I'm actually quite happy with how it turned out, especially the second half of it. I always have a lot of fun writing interactions between characters, and Mahiru's and Kuro's interactions are among my favorite to write. I hope that I was able to clear up some questions that Mahiru has been meaning to ask! Though, I don't know just how helpful Kuro's answers were. If you've enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review, fav, or follow! See you all in the next chapter!