A/N: Good news! This is NOT the last chapter! I began writing and realized that there was way too much to put into one chapter. So I decided to split it. Also, I just recently started school again and I have a very busy major, so I can't guarantee fast updates. But I already have the last chapter outlined in my head and an epilogue is already written. But in the meantime... enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 7: The Shattered Masquerade

"Young Master Len, Lady Miku has arrived."

Len took in a shaky, deep breath as he sat in his chamber, staring out the window on his plush chair. He did not look to the servant for a good while and he continued to gaze out to the sky. The servant had nearly called his name again just as Len finally stood up from his chair and faced him. A small, almost sheepish smile crossed his lips which struck the servant as odd.

"I'll be right down."

With that, the servant retreated back into the hallway and closed the door to Len's chamber, but not before getting another peek at him. Len had been much more solemn than usual for the past few days. Usually, he always seemed to be exasperated and agitated. However as of late, he appeared to be distracted, almost deep in thought, and perhaps with even a hint of fear behind his eyes. It was as if another man was there, merely wearing Len's body for a masquerade. But little to the servant's knowledge, the man that now stood in Len's chamber was more of Len than he ever was.

Len took in another deep, shaky breath and went out of his chamber and walked down the hallways with nothing but the sound of clicking from his shoes on the cold, hard floor. Everything about his surroundings seemed deceiving. Even though bright sunlight crept through the windows, it seemed dark. Instead imagining birds singing outside, Len could imagine nothing but silence. It was a silent world to him with nothing but his thoughts.

When his walking had ended, Miku seemed to have just appeared in front of him, as if pulling him out of some distant space. Len realized he was in the drawing room, and when Miku had greeted him, he mumbled back a reply. After she had furrowed her brow at his poor response, Len noticed the servants scurrying off for tea.

"Oh, we will not be needing tea today."

Miku's face only contorted with more baffle and confusion at Len's words, but she quickly composed herself when Len approached her.

"I think today, we should take a walk. Is that agreeable to you?"

Miku hesitated for a moment. She saw that Len wore a face of extreme seriousness, despite the fact that he quickly forced out a smile to mask it. Her mind raced in thought until she had decided to indulge him.

"Yes."

Miku couldn't help but notice Len's shoulders tense as he began to lead her out of the drawing room. At first, he eagerly walked ahead of her, as if he was racing to some destination. He seemed to notice his behavior, however, and quickly retreated to her side, but kept his head low and his hands behind his back. Len was a little more ill-mannered than most men in her eyes, but he was far more unusual today than he had ever been. To intensify the situation, not a word was spoken between them—only the sounds of their footsteps echoed in the air.

It was only when they had stepped outside that Len had begun to speak.

"Do you find today's weather well?"

Miku paused, sensing the obvious awkwardness brimming Len. She then hesitantly replied, "Yes..."

There was another long silence as they began to walk well down the path in the courtyard. Miku finally resolved to take a glance at Len. His lips were curled inward and his eyebrows arched in a way that made his face look strained. He obviously was struggling to say something, but she could hardly figure out what it was. And she knew if she couldn't get him to speak, then she would never know.

"Surely you must have something to talk about bringing me out here like this."

"Ah..." Len turned his head toward Miku, slightly flustered, then quickly looked back to the ground.

"Well?" She urged, impatience growing on her.

"Miku... what do you think of the way marriages are arranged?"

Miku was slightly taken aback by his question. In her mind, it was merely how things went in their society. Though, truth be told, she despised it, knowing that she could never have the man she truly wanted, and left him to that terrible wench she knew as Rin Kagami. Miku dared not speak her true opinion in front of a man, however.

"I think of it as merely a part of our society." Miku replied, monotone and rehearsed.

"Do you believe that love should be a part of it?"

Miku gave Len another questionable look. What odd and bold questions he was asking. And so sudden, too.

"Perhaps..."

"Then if a marriage is arranged not by the couple to be married... then how can love be a part of it? Doesn't it seem more like a business deal to you?"

But that's what marriage was... even though Miku desperately wanted to deny it, "Well..."

"Miku, do you think you could ever grow to love me?" Len stopped, placing himself in front of Miku.

Len's presence was breaking Miku down more and more. The wall that held her soul slowly crumbled and crumbled as he stared deeper and deeper into her eyes with that piercing gaze of his. It was such a serious question and yet she was sure he already knew the answer by the way his face was composed. In fact, they already knew how they felt about each other from the moment their engagement was announced—and nothing had grown since then.

"No, I couldn't..." Miku whispered, her thoughts instantly revolving around Kaito now.

"The feeling is mutual," Len replied.

She found it odd, yet not in the least bit surprising, that when he said that, she was not hurt. Apparently Len wasn't either because his face seemed to show a slight relief from that statement with their agreement. But why must he confirm this now of all times? Miku only grew more suspicious of him.

"I've longed to know what love feels like..." Len seemed to trail off and even smiled for a bit, "And so I sought it out."

Miku's heart slowly began to pound faster and faster as she slowly began to realize what Len was trying to say. Apparently she was not alone in her sin and ironically, it was turning out to be her own fiance.

"Miku," Len began, "I've been having an intercourse with Rin."

Miku had expected something like this to be uttered from Len's mouth, but it took her several seconds to register the woman of his affairs. When it suddenly hit her, her mouth curled into a sneer and she wondered how a woman like that would be preferred over her. She nearly found it unbelievable. Len may have been a man that slightly strayed from tradition, but he was still the son of Earl Kagamine, someone of great status and reputation. Yet here he was, having an intercourse with that impossible, ill-mannered woman.

"How did that wench seduce you?" Miku snarled.

Suddenly something tight wrapped around Miku's wrist and pressed harder. Len was firmly gripping her wrist and when she turned her head to look into his eyes, she found a deep ferociousness and anger that had been sparked from her words. Confusion immediately engulfed her as to why he was defending her like that.

"Don't you ever speak of her like that," Len growled before pushing Miku's hand away, "And she did not seduce me. We simply found something that could not be realized in an arranged marriage. We love each other."

"You... love her?" Miku was perplexed.

A slight blush colored Len's cheeks, "More than anything... She's more dear and precious to me than any name or piece of status. She is akin to my very life." As he continued to speak, his voice grew fragile, "What we may have done was wrong, and I will not deny that. But what I can't deny is that I love her with every fiber of my being. And to prove that I truly love her, I will do anything, even go against this aristocratic prison and run with her, just to protect her smile."

Miku pursed her lips, but she couldn't help but notice an undeniable sincerity in Len's words. She saw an expression on his face that she had never seen before—passion? His eyes stirred with something that she could only recognize with her own heart. His voice was tender when he spoke of Rin, and his countenance soft.

Miku stared at him longer as her thoughts trailed back to Kaito. And when they did, she finally grasped the feeling that was pouring from Len's heart. She could not curse Len for what he had done, for she had done the same thing. And the more she thought of it, the more she understood. It was true that what she had done was forbidden, but the feeling that she had for Kaito she understood to be love. No matter how much she wanted to lash out at Len or retaliate against him, she could not bring herself to.

Then it struck her. Did Kaito speak of her the same way Len does of Rin? She was certain of her feelings towards him, but what of Kaito towards her? Surely she felt that they had been growing closer, but it seemed their relationship still held the disguise of a masquerade. Yet here Len was speaking openly of his relationship with Rin—a pure, mutual bond. Miku scowled once again... she loathed Rin for yet another reason. How could someone like her receive such a pure love? Len was curiously eying her now, trying to decipher her expression. Miku couldn't take it any more.

"I must be going." She quickly said, turning on her heels and quickly pacing away.

"Ah...!" Len followed after her, a bit perplexed that she had nothing more to say to him. Somehow he expected more, "Where are you going?"

"That is my business." She snapped before quickly stopping in front of the entrance back into the manor, quickly remembering that she was not in a world of her own.

"Shall I... escort you to your carriage?"

Miku clenched her fists silently and inwardly gritted her teeth. She didn't want to touch that man anymore... all she wanted was Kaito.

"I can manage myself."

And with that, Miku hurried into the manor, leaving Len standing with his thoughts in the courtyard. She quickly walked through the manor, ignoring the servants gestures and made her way to the front where her carriage waited. Before her driver could greet her, she sternly ordered him to take her to the Shion household and did not wait for the door of the carriage to be opened for her. Miku had nearly tripped entering the carriage, she was in such a hurry, and when she had gathered all of her dress inside, the door was shut and the carriage suddenly hurried off.

With a shaking hand, Miku drew back the curtain covering the window of her carriage and stared at the passing road with her mind swirling and her heart racing. Miku began to carefully think of every meeting, every moment she had shared with Kaito and carefully considered his behavior towards her, trying to see through what she called their masquerade of a relationship. Was he not expressing his emotions toward her simply because he was careful in disguising their affair? Even though she could not recall him ever openly expressing his feelings over her, Miku had to know for certain. And at that very moment, Miku resolved to directly confront the man that she called her lover.

The journey to the Shion household only seemed to be a blur, because before Miku knew it, the carriage she rode was pulling up to the front. Her already pounding heart only seemed to beat faster. As the carriage came to a halt, the last thing she saw before the carriage door was opened was Kaito nearly stumbling past the door into the mansion. Their meeting was not predetermined, so it did not surprise Miku that he seemed a little short of breath. The door was opened for her, and Miku tried her best to appear as composed as possible.

Kaito should not have been surprised to see Miku stumbling out of her carriage and quickly pacing toward him. However, truthfully a part of him expected it, especially since women always seemed to cling to one thing in his eyes. He could not deny being caught off-guard by her sudden visit, however. As she ceased her walking and now stood close to him, he tried his best to color his face with a small smile.

It had been several days since Kaito had partook of her, and he had made sure that she would never know. Once she had awoken from the sleeping drug, he had simply told her she felt faint and sent her on her way. He did not leave any trace. Now that he had taken what he desired from Miku, his thirst had been quenched, he took great satisfaction in already having robbed Len of her and that was enough for him. The woman that stood before him now was nothing more than a pretty girl begging for his attention—nothing more. Honestly, Kaito had felt a twinge of annoyance with her standing there. However due to the practices of his society, he was obligated to oblige her.

"What a pleasant surprise, Lady Miku. What brings this visit?"

"Good day, Lord Kaito," Miku curtsied, still half out of breath, "I wish to speak to you about... pressing matters."

Kaito raised an eyebrow, confused for a moment about what she meant, then groaned inwardly at the possibilities. Although he was slightly flattered, he did not want to risk any more trouble with her. Before, he would have leaped at the opportunity, but after his carnal act with her, something had changed within him. She had filled his cup to the brim and he no longer thirsted—so he did not desire her. After all, he was still the heir of the Shion estate, and as such, still needed to keep his honor—even if it meant marrying that dingbat of a woman, the Kagami daughter. He paused for a moment at her words before putting up the mask of a gentleman once more.

"Then shall we come in for tea?" Kaito begun to turn, but was interrupted by a sudden loud noise that was Miku's voice.

"I-I was...!" Miku stopped and covered her mouth, realizing that she had overstepped her bounds, "I was wondering, Milord, if we could walk through the garden instead."

Kaito eyed her curiously before nodding to her request. He might as well cater to her—he was, after all, in the presence of a beautiful woman. Miku smiled in return and walked to his side as he began to make his way into the manor with her. Hardly any words were spoken between them, as was the norm. However, Miku noticed something peculiar about the silence today. Usually the laconism carried an alluring aura between them, as if something was silently drawing them together. However the feeling Miku felt now was tense and uncomfortable. Her chest churned and her brow sweat as she felt the uneasiness radiating off of Kaito. She denied the feeling of foreboding, however, and continued to keep her composure.

As they walked out into the beautiful Shion garden decorated with blue roses, Miku noticed that clouds were cast all over the sky, covering the sun, making the roses look almost like ice. Even though everything appeared cold, she couldn't help but marvel at the way it made Kaito appear. His face was as if it was carved from an angelic marble, pale and unblemished. She could not see his eyes, however, because as soon as they entered the garden she had stopped while he continued to walk forward, only showing the back of his head to her. Kaito seemed to notice the lack of company, though, and turned around to face Miku. She trembled at the sight of his eyes and inwardly cowered in her mind. The fiery longing and passion that she had noticed before seemed to be absent. The sight was enough to almost make Miku cry and when she opened her mouth, no sound came out. But she had to know for certain... she had to confront his feelings. So somehow, she mustered enough courage to speak.

"Kaito..." It was the first time she had used his name, "Do you love me?"

Suddenly a chill swept her skin. Was it the sudden breeze that blew or was it the stare that Kaito gave her? She waited and waited, watching Kaito's lips twitch in some way that she could not understand. Eventually, he painted a confused expression over his face.

"I do not understand what you are referring to."

Miku could not keep her ladylike appearance any longer. Her countenance shattered and she lunged forward toward Kaito, balling her fists and hitting his chest.

"No!" She hollered, "Don't give me that! I know how you've been looking at me! I know how you've been approaching me! Why are you still wearing this mask?"

Kaito let out a long breath and closed his eyes. Women were so indigent. Just as Miku's composure shattered, Kaito gradually, all at once, removed the mask from his feelings. His eyes almost seemed to change color as he looked at Miku now and his new, growing coldness was now more apparent than ever.

"Perhaps I did love you." He murmured, "But what I feel for you now is nothing more."

Miku's breath stopped for a moment, lifting her head up towards Kaito and staring at him with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. With a small, shaky breath, she uttered, "What?"

"It is as I say."

"W-why? Your smile to me... your touch... did they mean nothing?"

Kaito pressed his hands on Miku's shoulders and pushed her away, looking at her face intently. Perhaps he was trying to bring back that lost ember that burned so brightly before, but it couldn't be set ablaze again. He groaned slightly. Kaito had hoped not to leave any trace behind, and keep his antics secret, but with Miku pestering him such, that seemed impossible now.

"I only wanted to take what Len had and I did not. Always, he's been ahead of me. Always, he's had more than what I've possessed... but now..." Kaito swept his fingers across Miku's bangs, "Now I've triumphed over him... now that I've taken your abstinence, I possess what he will never have."

Miku's heart froze and chills ran up and down her spine, "What did you say?"

Kaito had grabbed hold of her arm and drew her back into the manor, walking quickly through the halls and running past and ignoring any servants that came by his way. Her mind was swirling with questions, trying to run away from the one answer that so blatantly stared at her back. Eventually Miku found herself being dragged into his chamber where he finally let go of her and approached the dresser adjacent to his bed. Miku was trembling as he violently fumbled around with the contents of the drawer, before he pulled out something small, eying it for a good few seconds. Leaving the drawer open, he approached Miku, holding a small object in his hands. His fingers uncurled, and he gripped a small bottle containing a menacing green liquid with his thumb and finger holding it in front of her.

"'Cantarella' is the name of this drug," Kaito plainly began, "I slipped this into your glass of wine, and you fell into a deep, deep slumber as though you were dead. While you dreamed of silly things, I laid myself onto you."

Len straightened the tie around his neck, glancing at himself in the mirror. His stomach once again churned with nervousness as he contemplated the coming events of the party he was about to attend, knowing that Duke Hatsune, Baron Shion, and Earl Kagami would be attending along with his father. He glanced once more past his window, seeing the sun had finally set into the darkness. Feeling his throat suddenly becoming dry, he gulped and brushed out the rest of the wrinkles from his clothes before setting out of his chamber. Len couldn't help but feel that he was walking to the gallows, but what he had told Miku still held true—he would do anything to protect Rin's smile. And he would protect their unborn child.

Len met his mother and father in the main entry hall, and after his cloak was draped over his shoulders, he followed his them outside and into the carriage, a serious expression never leaving his face. In that moment where the carriage still remained motionless, Len exchanged an uneasy glance with his father. Then the horses made a sound and the carriage hurried off.

A/N: Yes, cliffhanger. Yes, I like reading your guys' reactions to cliffhangers. Yes, I'm evil. And by the way, I actually do really like KaitoxMiku, so I died a little bit writing this chapter. Hopefully this wasn't boring! Please review!