A/N: Heylo guys~ Sorry, I've been extremely slow on updating T~T

Forgive me! Well, here is the next chapter, enjoy!

"Burdens"

It's that feeling of not having to hide anything anymore, like a hundred pounds of weight has been lifted on your chest. That's how Haruna felt.

She sunk low into the tub, the water leveled up to the bridge of her nose. She stared at the soap bubbles that surrounded her, like a fort of it. Not only did Aido find out about her dreadful secret, but he didn't abandon her after learning about it.. That made her the happiest.

But, even though he did accept her, it seemed like the gap between them had widened just a little more. She felt like perhaps her honesty made him scared… Or maybe they both just didn't have the courage to speak to each other freely after secrets had risen.

'This silence is unnecessary.. Why am I shy to speak to him now?' She thought, exiting the bathtub now. Wrapping a soft warm towel around her petite body, she felt that it was enough to exit the bathroom with just that. Of course she'd feel that way, no one else was in her bedroom besides her presence-…

She paused, wide eyed at the figure of someone else in her bed. She didn't yell or shriek or anything, since the person was her 'fiancée,' Aido. He stuttered a little, catching her at a bad moment. "E-eh.. I hope you don't mind that I let myself in! The.. The bed looked comfortable enough to lay in and.. Ah.." He realized that making excuses wasn't helping much.

Haruna felt bad for him, feeling embarrassed for him. "It's.. alright," she pretended to believe his story. He realized she was a bit dazed since she sounded just as confused as a school girl with a crush. When she entered the bathroom again to change, he hung his head low, cursing at himself for being in her room without her permission.

Opposite of what Haruna had though, he felt like their relationship had gotten closer. Attempting to get closer, he thought it was fair enough to finally sleep in the same room and bed from here on. From the look of her, it didn't look like the idea was good at all. "Ack..! Stupid, stupid," he pulled his golden locks, ready to leave.

Before he could reach the door, Haruna had already came back into the room, fully dressed now. "Where are you going?" She asked, curious and a little bit innocently. He turned his face around, so that she wouldn't see him. He snickered to himself, smiling widely. 'She wants me to stay!' He nodded, feeling full of himself.

"You wanted to ask me something, right?" His face then turned into a sad frown. Apparently, she only wanted to know what he came for. He sighed, telling her it was nothing, ready to leave again. "Wait," she called, noticing that he was feeling down. Even a fool could tell that he wanted to badly to sleep in the same room. She pitied him, mentally comparing him to a puppy that wanted to stay by its owner. "If.. If you find my bed comfortable… You can sleep there."

He looked like a statue, his stern expression not changing. He didn't want to chase her out of her own bed, and he didn't want to sleep on it if she wasn't going to be there. "It's not the same.. Forget it," he yawned.

Now he was really making her feel guilty. She felt like she had to owe him back for all the things he had done for her already. "You can sleep there on my bed… With me," she finally told, not really thinking before speaking.

Without any further stalling, she found the vampire already sprawled on her bed, happily shifting around to find a comfortable position to sleep in. "Ah..! Haruna-chan is really kind~" She smiled a little, unfortunately the boy didn't catch it in time. She found him looking just like a child, harmless and cute.

'One night sleeping beside him won't be bad…' She hesitantly crawled into bed, her every movement etched into the mind of Aido. He felt exuberant, happy, dazed - all these feelings just because of her allowing him to sleep beside her.

She froze for a minute, wondering whether she should sleep facing him or not. She shook her head, confused as of why she would think so hard over a trivial decision. She turned her back towards him. Aido was a little saddened, but happy enough that she was even letting him stay.

He was so confused, why did the girl not like him? Looks like his would make a million girls fall in love, and yet they had no effect on her.

Every breath he inhaled, he could smell her intoxicating scent. It was enough to make him shake from pleasure; he wanted to badly to bite into her neck and to be inside her, to feel every inch of her body, but she'd never forgive him if he were to do something like that.

Being so close to her, yet not being able to have her, it was unbearable. He couldn't stand it, it was like God was testing his patience. He could have her if he wanted to, but yet he couldn't. Not being able to do much more than sleep beside her, he made another daring move.

She gasped a little, looking over her shoulder at the sea blue eyes, feeling his arm wrap around her waist to pull her close to his chest. She wasn't sure of what to do in the situation, but she could tell in his eyes that he was pleading her to let him hold her.

Haruna felt his grip tighten, like he was desperately holding onto her. She was starting to think that she had become too nice, since she let him slide this time. She laid back down, though her nerves were still tense.

Aido let out a relieved sigh. He was really sure that she was going to slap him again like she did earlier, but he didn't expect her to let him embrace her. She didn't quite understand why he was so happy just to hold her, not thinking too much of it.

Still, she felt uneasy in his arms underneath the silk covers, but she felt safe. It wasn't long before Aido's breathing became heavier, including hers.

Next Day

"I already told you father, I am set on Haruna!"

Haruna could hear Aido raising his voice from the other side of the room. Earlier that day, his father had unexpectedly brought in a set of aristocratic females for him. She heard them go at it for about an hour before the father gave up, for the day of course.

'Why is he so fixated on me..?' She felt a little burdened, able to sense the hate radiating off her father-in-law. He passed by her, scowling at her before leaving the place. The other women followed behind him, looking at her up and down with unpleasant looks. 'They're all beautiful..'

She felt extremely unwanted in the household, it wasn't a good feeling. "Don't mind them. As long as I'm here, they won't do anything to hurt you," Aido approached her from behind, scaring her a little. This man who tried so hard to keep her by his side was suffering too.

Haruna could tell that he didn't enjoy clashing with his father, and yet he did it for her. "I'm sorry," she lowered her face, hiding her teary eyes with her hair. When it came to crying girls, Aido was usually capable of handling the situation, but since it was someone who he really cared for, he was a little nervous.

"D- don't cry, it's only for the time being!" He frantically tried to calm her down. "It's all my decision anyway. I'm the one forcing you to stay, so don't be sorry."

She shook her head, feeling too overprotected. "Because of me, Aido is pressured and not getting along with father-in-law.. I don't want Aido to be sad," she murmured, knowing that she wasn't the only one being bashed in this whole marriage.

He paused momentarily, not really taking in what she said. The only thing that peaked his interest was that she was concerned for him. "You're.. Worrying about me?" He asked, though sounding too ecstatic. It was the first time she'd admit having some sort of feelings for him.

She started to doubt whether he really was being troubled by the whole marriage since he seemed too carefree. But still… She could recall days where he'd pace back and forth with such a worried expression. Haruna felt helpless and at fault, not sure what to do.. No, there had to be a way.

'I'll find a way to fix everything…'