5. Reunion
It had been through a simple stroke of luck that Tsukutane had managed to turn into the right corridor and arrive at the end of the hall where he'd found Mitsuki standing, her back to him. Appearing transfixed by something at the opposite end - Tsukutane peering over her shoulder as he'd approached her - he'd taken advantage of her distraction and swept her up from behind, embracing her slim figure to him. A moment before he'd whisked her away, Tsukutane imagined he had caught a look of brief but vivid horror carved into her expression. Then he had seen nothing more, his steps requiring him to look away lest he guide them ungracefully into the surrounding furniture. Upon releasing her Tsukutane had expected nothing less from Mitsuki when he'd spun her around and spotted the look of complete astonishment gracing her features, her eyes growing large as they had fallen upon his relaxed figure.
Her expression, full of such disbelief and almost detached wonderment, continued to bring him great amusement as he inspected her now - his previous concerns, forgotten - and, wanting to break the wall of shock that separated them, Tsukutane decided to act.
He took a step back, brandishing the back of one hand against his white blazer before inspecting his polished nails closely. Then with a look of fixed concentration, Tsukutane pressed his middle and forefinger together, the rest balled into a fist, and touched the tips of them lightly to Mitsuki's brow. "Don't frown like that, Mitsuki," he insisted, his seriousness breaking beneath a cheerful smile. "Wrinkles at your age would be highly unattractive."
Her eyes widened at the contact, the touch seeming to spark life into her system, and Mitsuki finally registered the figure standing in front of her, a faint smile still touching his outer lips. So affected by his appearance, Mitsuki's expression made her appear almost lost, like a child left on the deserted streets. "You're...here..." she whispered almost inaudibly as her voice trembled with sudden emotion, and the boy, catching the words as if they were spoken on a clear summer day, nodded happily in agreement.
He tapped his cheek lightly, an action of self amusement. "Yes, it's me," he smiled before lowering one eye in the fashion of a slow wink, and as he cocked his head, a silver studded earring caught the faint candlelight and flashed at her, making her blink in surprise. "And although I'm smitten by that unwavering gaze of yours," he continued to say, resting the fingers of one hand against her chin, "I'd like to carry an actual conversation with you, Mitsuki. Please," he touched her bottom lip in a brief caress, "say more than what you have before this day finishes."
Purposefully becoming intimate to instill some action within her, Tsukutane grew pleased when she pushed his fingers aside with a startled expression and retreated a step away. "Oh..." he said, feigning hurt as he pressed a hand to his chest in subtle theatrics, but she ignored it, trying to contain the overwhelming wave of emotions inside her.
Mitsuki inhaled shakily, a clenched hand to her breast as she forced herself to remain calm. No amount of words could describe the gratitude she owed Tsukutane, for when she had been twelve, he had swept down a saving hand and snatched her from the depths of insanity. This reunion was almost as significant as the one she had had with Ichijou, and once more memories of her past resurfaced. For a split second Tsukutane was replaced by a vivid collection of light and color as they raced across her mind's eye, mirrors and brief images of children flashing into view. Then, appearing with such a speed that almost made it indiscernible, came a pair of lilac eyes, dulled in a pale face that was drowning in a stormy, blackened night.
It rushed her, nearly drowning her consciousness as the sounds - so familiar and yet which she had no memory of - began to swamp her, but before they could surface entirely, Mitsuki forced them back. With a tight gasp, she snapped her eyes to Tsukutane, momentarily bewildered. Then, tenderly, slowly, her expression softened into relief, the silent battle ebbing away, and she finally addressed him. "I'm glad you're here, but," and a moment of confusion swept over her face, "why?" As she continued to speak, continued to focus her attention on Tsukutane, she felt the tension in her body fade.
Drawing comfort from this sensation, Mitsuki pressed him further with question, wishing to rid herself completely of the visions. "Tell me - Tsukutane, you were supposed to be attending class over seas."
To her surprise, light-hearted laughter filled the room as Tsukutane turned his head to the side and chuckled, and the sound seemed to be the final key for Mitsuki's relief as she felt the last stream of anxiety leave her. Another moment of gratefulness passed from her to him as Mitsuki pressed a hand to her chest, exhaling deeply.
Unaware of his effect, Tsukutane began to answer her, his fingers following along the collar of his blazer till they reached his tie and, with a subtle flick of his nails, the silk tie unraveled and he pulled it free from about his neck. In keen interest, he started to run it through long, pale fingers, enjoying the smooth feel of it. "But I'm here, as you can see. I transferred here instead. "
Unburdened of her previous worries, his reply made Mitsuki grow responsive, her actions becoming animated as she placed a hand to her brow, shaking her head gently from side to side. "But I don't understand," she began, her amethyst eyes concerned, "you were given the opportunity to study abroad because - "
She was cut short by a soft woosh as Tsukutane appeared before her once more, stopping her words with a finger pressed lightly against her lips. He was close enough that the color in his eyes nearly blinded her as they regarded her in their vivid green ambiance. "But I'm here," he repeated, and though he spoke gently there was a strain in his words that told her this conversation had reached its end.
Taken aback by the inflection in his voice, Mitsuki halted immediately. Tsukutane, a rather easy going and cheerful character who rarely succumbed to such sensitives, had acted so abruptly to the situation. His insistence at ending the conversation was a rarity for Mitsuki.
At her hesitant but acquiescing nod, Tsukutane rewarded her with a small smile, one that caused his eyes to soften with warmth, and she could almost see the spill of relief enter them. He slipped a hand into his pocket, pulling out something tiny, and then set it shining before her eyes. "This," he said, lifting one of her own hands and pressing it into her palm, "is for you - "Mitsuki gazed at the simple piece of metal lying cool against her skin and recognized it as the latch that held the school uniform ribbon "- to help me with. As you can see," he continued conversationally, tapping the collar of his black shirt, "I'm missing a key piece to our uniform."
A sound of surprise escaped her as Mitsuki pieced together what he was asking. "But I didn't..." she started to protest but he was already slipping her the ribbon, the crimson silk pooling alongside the clip, ineffectively. Mistakenly, he had assumed the perfection of her bow tie had been because of her own handiwork. "Where's your original piece? And where did you get this new one?"
Tsukutane, who was in the process of retying his hair, paused to give her an inquiring look and then dropped his arms, allowing his shoulder length hair to sweep forward. When it settled, his hair framed his face attractively. "I'm borrowing it," he replied lightly, running his fingers through chestnut brown bangs, but the mischievous glean which entered his eyes left Mitsuki unconvinced. From the supply room, he finished silently in his head, recalling the events before he'd run into Mitsuki. By some miraculous chance Tsukutane had managed to locate the Moon dormitory's supply room.
Although he had been polite enough to signal his entrance with a knock, Tsukutane had been unsurprised at the vacated room as he'd entered. He'd only leaned against the front desk for a moment, contemplating his situation as he stared at the shelves lined with boxes along the walls. Then, turning a blind eye to the sign that clearly read 'Staff only', Tsukutane had hopped nimbly over the short counter top and swiftly found the appropriate drawer. Slipping the metal hasting into his pants pocket, he'd leapt back to the other side with a satisfied smile and exited.
The eighteen year old swiveled on his heel to face Mitsuki, beckoning. "Come, come, Mitsuki," he insisted lightly, "before we're any later to - " He halted mid sentence, his eyes drifting to something behind her with curious inquiry. "Oh, but before that," Tsukutane said with a pleasant smile and tilted his head to the side, "please introduce me to our guest hiding there in the shadows."
Mitsuki couldn't tell whether Tsukutane's manners were genuine or not as he waved cheerfully at the person standing behind her, and she turned just in time to spot Kain as he appeared from the darkened end of the hallway Tsukutane had appeared from earlier. He seemed to have materialized from the darkness, for his wildly colored hair almost burned to life as the chandelier light touched his fair skin. His eyes were even more dramatically colored as they narrowed in suspicion at Tsukutane, eying the boy whose mint green orbs appeared to eat the light.
"It's against school policy to steal from the supply room without permission." said Kain, who had caught the last bits of their conversation. His voice tickled along her skin as Mitsuki heard the low rumble of his voice vibrate with slight annoyance.
"Borrowed," Tsukutane cooed softly. The reply made the hairs on the back of Kain's neck bristle, his eyebrows pulling down in sharp lines, and seeing his irritation, Mitsuki stepped up to the taller vampire, one arm held out slightly to the side.
Despite the sudden tension she gazed up at the male who spanned at least two heads taller than herself, gladdened by his return. "Kain-senpai!" She'd nearly forgotten why she had stayed at the top of the stairwell, and yet here he stood, looking relatively unhappy. "Where did you..." He raised his left hand at her question, which was momentarily preoccupied with two, heavily bound books, a maroon colored ribbon tied neatly along each of the leather covers. "Go," she finished softly as she spotted the texts, and her expression became lost in wonderment, daunted by their enormous size. "Those are for me?"
Temporarily, Kain allowed himself the luxury of forgetting the male standing opposite him to address Mitsuki. "I don't leave without a purpose," he replied, starting to hand over the texts but noticing her hesitancy he retrieved them back to his side. "You won't need them until class time," he said, giving a plausible excuse, and Mitsuki, trying to hide her look of relief, mustered a weak smile at Kain. He took a deep breath, deciding to address the issue that continued to stare at him, and regarded Mitsuki's companion. "Who is this?" he sighed, trying to keep his voice neutral but Tsukutane, noticing his recognition, threw another wave at him, and Kain felt his brow twitch abominably.
"Senpai," Mitsuki began hastily, hoping to reassure Kain that Tsukutane's jests were simply harmless but from behind Tsukutane made a small "Ooh..." of interest as he caught the title, his lips pursed in amusement.
"You address him so formally, Mitsuki," he mused softly.
Mitsuki threw a firm look over her shoulder and the mischievous vampire quieted instantly, a hand pressed to his mouth in an obedient gesture. She then turned back to Kain, who appeared to be restraining himself with some effort.
"Tsukutane Koegi," Mitsuki answered quickly, her heart in her throat as she watched Kain's eyes flicker from hers and then to Tsukutane. "He's part of the Night Class now, from what he's told me. And he's someone I've known since I was young - a friend."
"Mitsuki..." She could still hear the wariness in his voice and it appeared as if he would remain unconvinced.
Tsukutane sighed, wishing the other vampire would just come to terms and accept Mitsuki's words, if not him. But as he opened his mouth to stake his claim, Mitsuki's voice cut through his own.
"Someone...dear to me," she pressed softly, and this time there was a sincerity in her voice that Tsukutane realized reflected a genuine part of Mitsuki's character. Scoffing quietly to himself Tsukutane finally looked away, tempted no more to taunt the situation. She had always carried that trait with her, even when he'd first met her.
Kain stared at Mitsuki a moment longer, and although he appeared unfazed by his outlook on Tsukutane, he finally sighed in defeat, deciding to withdraw his animosity for the moment. "Let's get to class then." He glanced briefly at Tsukutane standing placidly to the side, who appeared preoccupied by staring outside one of the wall length windows. "You too," he added gruffly before starting down the stair case.
As Kain made his way down, ruffling his hair in exasperation and mumbling something incoherent beneath his breath, Mitsuki appeared in front of Tsukutane, her hands held out apologetically before her. The clip and the tie, which still remained unfashioned at his neck, lay in her outstretched palms. Her eyes fluttered to him, then looked away, almost shyly.
"Kain-senpai helped with my bow," she admitted, half embarrassed, "but when we get to class, I can try my best to put it on..."
Caught off guard by her offer, Tsukutane's brows drew up in slight surprise at Mitsuki's willingness. He thought she'd forgotten. With a gentle smile he retrieved the items from her, pressing her hands close. "You've done enough, Mitsuki."
A/N : As I was writing this chapter, I began to realize that Tsukutane was starting to remind me of someone with an extremely similar character - a particular eccentric blond haired, blue eyed vampire to be exact. I will do my best to branch Tsukutane's personality from Aidou's - we don't need two in this story. The same goes with Mitsuki - we can't have two Yuukis'.