(A/N) strong language. You have been warned. Love you all :)
Chapter 11- An Instilled Distance
After dinner, I excused myself from the table and headed to the library. It was the room next to Mr. Takemura's study and even though there was an adjoining door between them, anybody hardly went there except for me. When I had told Mr. Takemura that I would love to travel and go outside of town he brought me numerous books with pictures of exotic places from all over the world. I read about their cultures and their traditions, their rituals and beliefs. I never grew tired of the different view on every page of the books I read. Even so, the longing in my heart to see the world grew even more. I had decided to tell Mr. Takemura when he comes back that I would like to go on one of his trips with him next time. I had asked him something similar before but he had gotten angry at me and refused the notion. This time I would be adament on going. The library was large with every shelf extending from the floor to the ceiling. There was an entire shelf with my books at the side wall of the library, right beside the door to Mr. Takemura's study. I wander through the shelf and after picking a book, go to a couch at the far corner of the room, hidden behind all the shelves. I make myself comfortable and start to read.
After about half-an-hour of emersing myself in the book, I close it and return it to the shelf. As I'm skimming through another one I pick from the shelf I hear voices beyond the door in Mrs. Takemura's study. I would usually ignore this kind of situation but I recognized the second voice as Ren's. The saying curiousity killed the cat came to my mind before I pressed my ear to the door seperating the rooms.
'You still havent told me your relationship with Usui, Ren,' I hear Mrs. Sakura say in a slurred voice. I had been right when I noticed she was drunk.
'I told you, he's just a friend,' I jumped and spun around when I heard his voice. My heart slowed down when I realised he wasn't in the room, rather, right on the other side of the door. Ren's voice was hostile and bored as he answered her. I can imagine him standing in a stiff manner, his back leaning against the door, his arms crossed. She gives him a sultry laugh.
'No, Ren, that's not what I meant. What kind of a friend are you to him?'
I recognize a hint of posessiveness underneath her cheerful voice. He's silent for a few seconds.
'Is that why you called me here? To answer your inane questions?'
She lets out a humorless laugh. Then I hear her take slow steps, advancing towards the door, towards Ren. I know what she's doing. She's trapping him to her. I can imagine her raising her hands to brush his hair behind his ears, lingering a second longer on his skin. Every man had run after her when she used this method on them, with her eyes raised underneath her heavy lashes, her lips pouted no man had ever resisted her advances. Ren would be no different.
'I'm sorry for the way I acted this morning. I wasn't thinking straight. You had my mind in a whirl.'
She whispered the last part to herself, but she had wanted him to hear since I had heard and I was on the other side of the door. I hear some movement on the other side and I have to force myself to not open the door and see what's going on.
'You're drunk,' Ren says, his voice annoyed.
Mrs. Sakura laugh. 'No I'm not. Why don't you stop resisting. I won't tell Usui if anything happens between us.'
A deep ache entered my heart. She was almost there, he would be under her spell in no time. I almost groaned at the pain that went through me like lightening, but I didn't move away. I wanted to see how this played out. I wanted to see how Ren would react to her. I wanted to see the effect it would have on me so I could understand why I was feeling the way I was towards him. I hear her let out a gasp, and I the sound of her heels taking a step back.
'There's nothing going on between us,' Ren hisses, as if through gritted teeth.
'Do you want to change that?'
'I'm not interested in old women.'
I hear her let out an exasperated breath. 'Yeah, you'd rather f*ck that little b*tch. I see the way you look at her. She won't satisfy you, she will never be able to satisfy anyone except for Usui, she's his personal wh*re-'
I jump back as a crashing sound of a table and the screech of a chair. Mrs. Sakura screams and then there's silence except for the echo of what just happened. I can hear her ragged breath through the door. My own heart pounds against my chest.
'You should watch what you say with that pretty mouth of yours. I wouldn't mind shutting it permanently for you.'
I shiver at the pure hostility and anger instilled in his voice. I move away from the door, my knees shaking. I slowly put the book on the shelf before I can drop it and tip-toe out of the room. The door to the study is slightly ajar as I looked in. Mrs. Sakura was leaning back on the table, a chair had been thrown on the ground and papers were scattered around the floor. Another small table was toppled over. Ren had his back to me so I couldn't see him. I turn the other way and start walking down the hall, my forehead perspiring. I didn't notice I had been holding my breath until I let it out when I was sure I was out of ear-shot. Maybe he did know me, why else would he defend me to such an extent. It could be because he didn't like Mrs. Sakura and her ways, or that he lost his temper. But whatever reason, he had done it for me and an unexplainable jolt of exhileration shot through my body. I finger the neclace around my neck. I felt light-headed with happiness for a second. I let myself smile. I noted footsteps coming towards me, I look up to see Mr. Thornton coming my way. He smiles at me and I smile back, the happiness from before still inside me. I see a bright hue come to his cheeks and his eyes suddenly looking everywhere except into mine.
'May I speak with you Yuki?'
Though I wanted to go to my room and replay the entire incident through my head, I knew I shouldn't be rude to him as he was a guest. As I was about to give him my affirmitive answer, I hear another set of footsteps coming our way. They weren't heels that Mrs. Sakura was wearing so it could have been either Ren or Mr. Hugh. I didn't care if it was Mr. Hugh but I didn't know how I could face Ren after eavesdropping on him. I didn't want to take the chance so I turn back to Mr. Thrnton and decline his offer.
'I've been feeling under the weather since dinner, I'm really tired right now. I'll speak with you tomorrow.'
Without waitinmg for a reply, I fled to my own domain.
Later that night, after I had taken a shower and worn my night-dress, I went to bed. However, as soon as my head hit the pillow the moans and groans from Mrs. Sakura's room next-door fill my ears and echo against the walls of my room. I let out a sigh, I guess it was okay for her not to sulk at Ren's rejection of her. But still, jumping from one man to another was in her character and it would hurt her one day. I hear the moans getting louder and I knew better then anyone that they would continue all night. Mrs. Sakura was loud when she wanted to be, she was probably doing it on purpose so that the boy with the silver hair in the room down the hall would hear her, letting him know that she was indeed attainable.
Without a second thought, I decide to sleep in the spare room at the other end of the castle. It was located at the far side of the building and I would be able to get a good nights sleep there. I take the candle holder and leave my room, the light of the fire flickering and illuminating my path. I close the door behind me carefully and make my way down the hall. The corridors are quiet except for the soft moans I hear, as well as the creaking of the bed they were on. I almost gagged. I keep walking when I feel the hair at the back of my neck prickle. I felt someone watching me. My heart jumps in my throat and I turn around but there was no one there. I hold the candle higher as to provide a bit more light, but all I see is the empty black hallway. I internally shrug, though my heart beats with fear. Calm down Yuki. I make my way through a number of corridors and a set of spiralling staircase. I reach the room and open the door. We didn't usually give this room to guests because it was old and smaller then the other ones, but I loved the cozy feel of it. The walls were bare except for a two windows on the wall opposite the bed, from those windows you could see the ocean in the distance. I would occasioanlly come here when the sun would rise, time would stop and I would feel utter peace. A small wooden maroon side table was placed beside the bed, there was a round table with three chairs set around it, a small couch in front of the bed as well, and a table with a mirror stood opposite to the door, directly in front of me.
I close the door behind me and it makes a creaking sound, the noise against the silence made me wince. I went to close the curtains of the window, but when I did, I felt a breeze, a breeze that so short and sharp that I was certain it had not come from outside. I checked to see if they were closed. My heart stilled when I realized they were. There was someone in the room. My body broke into a wrack of shivers, I turn around slowly, adjusting my eyes to the blackness. I see a dark figure standing at the corner of the room. I gasp, the candle-bra slips from my hand and lands on the ground with a loud clattering sound. The only source of light is gone, now the room is completely dark. My breathing is loud and heavy. I tell myself not to panic, to calm down. I have to get out, I think to myself. I will my feet to move and walk with my back towards the wall, I lean back against it and follow it to where the door is, trying with all my might not to make a sound. Suddenly, I feel someone standing directly in front of me. I swing my hand at it, letting out a grunt. It catches my hands and I'm suddenly pushed against the wall, its body is against mine, rendering me motionless with it's strength. It was a males body, I knew that much. I let out a breath I had been holding, he takes both my hands in his and traps them over my head with one hand, I struggle to get free. My throat is clogged and I can't scream, even if I did, I didn't think anyone would hear me. Broken sobs wrack my body. I struggled against him, but his body pressed harder to mine, my breasts are pushed up against his. I felt the heat radiate from his body. His hand travels down my arm to my face, caressing my cheek so gently I slow my thrashing, breathing hard now. I knew what he wanted to do, but I wouldn't let him, he would have to go to Mrs. Sakura for that. His hands travel lower to my neck and he traces it softly over my neclace, the places where his hands touch burns my skin, and I shiver at the contact. I lay my head against the wall closing my eyes, trying to regain my strength from the thrashing. His head moves closer and he rests his mouth against the side of my neck, where Mr. Takumi's puncture wounds were. Though the wound had healed, it's effects were still somewhat evident when you looked at it closely. My eyelids fly open when I feel him kiss me there. I knew that the person in front of me wasn't a vampire, so I didn't have to be a afraid being bitten, but there was still all the other things he could do. The tight hold on my wrists loosens, but I don't move. I know this body, I think to myself, I've felt it before. A sudden flash of a memory comes to mind, but it feels like holding water at the palm of my hands, the more I try to remember it, the more it slips away. It feels like a haze. I realize that I've felt this sensation of happiness and fear and joy and loneliness overcome me. He rests his head on my shoulder, I don't move. Who are you? I will myself to ask, but before I can, the apparition speaks.
'You don't remember me do you?'
Then he is gone.