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"Conscience"

"You're smiling," Isley commented. Haruna wiped away the warm expression she had, feeling shy for getting caught. "Did something good happen?" The two sat together at the dinner table.

"What do you mean? You act like I never smile."

"That's because you never do. It's been awhile since you've had a real one." Lately he'd been so worried over Haruna, seeing her so happy made him relax for once. He was starting to think that she was dying from depression or something like that.

Haruna shook her head, "I just had a good dream."

Isley couldn't believe it. In the past, he'd buy her gifts to die for, to which she hardly showed any interest in. And now, when she has a stupid dream, she's all smiles? "It must've been one hell of a dream..."

"Oh," she beamed, "I called Yuuki-san earlier. She said you didn't have to attend Cross Academy anymore." Isley frowned, asking why. "I noticed your head was going bald from stress, so I didn't want to force you into joining her crew anymore. Cheer up a little, neh?"

Ha, if only she knew that she was the source of his anxiety. "Great, now there'll be rumors in the vampire society that Isley Rhys III can't even work alongside a Kuran. My image is going to hell," he sighed. Though, it didn't really matter. He only cared about what Haruna thought about him. Unfortunately, she still saw him as a tyrant and a brute. "How about we go out for dinner tomorrow to celebrate your sudden joy?"

Haruna's expression cringed a little. Her hands gripped tightly onto her dress as she pulled at her collar, feeling uneasy. She hadn't even thought about how she was going to leave the house and babysit for Aido without getting caught. If she told Isley the truth, surely he'd lock her up in her room forever and forbid her to leave.

Isley was practically glued to her. "N-no... I'm not craving anything fancy."

"Something's bothering you." He was so blunt.

Haruna trembled, fearing for her life. She felt ashamed that she would even have to feel this way towards her fiance. "Would you be angry if I said I went to..." The words clogged in her throat as she could only imagine how he would react when she told him what she'd been up to. She could already feel him throwing her across the room.

"To?" He waited, tapping his feet, "It's not like I'm going to hurt you."

Oh, he is, she thought. "I went to Cross Academy yesterday while you were sleeping," she ran her tongue, hoping his ears didn't catch the words. However, when there was a stern silence that added to his unwavering glare, she knew he heard every word.

"What for?"

"To meet with Yuuki Kuran."

"And did something good happen that made you so disgustingly happy?"

She sunk deeper into her wooden chair; her fingernails dug their way underneath it. There was no way he would let her babysit a stranger's kid. He would laugh at her if she told him she felt some special connection to Mugetsu. "It's nothing..."

Isley's flashing red eyes fell back to their original colors; why was she so... sad? He could only see her scalp as she hung her head low, unable to look him in the eye. How could he hate her? He couldn't bring himself to do that. "I won't get angry," he swore, "you can tell me."

Without hesitating, she spoke almost as though she had a big exciting story to tell, "I met this cutest little old lady who had in her arms an adorable baby! His name was Mugetsu and his papa wanted me to babysit the kid-"

"Who's this 'papa' you speak of?" His voice suddenly became dangerously low with a rumbling anger. Haruna was too busy trying to recall the man's name. She was too nervous at the time to remember.

Haruna tapped her chin, "Ahh... Ah ah ah... Aiko? Or was it-"

"Aido?" His voice boomed throughout the corridors. Haruna's lips zipped tight. He clearly broke his promise about not getting angry. "This conversation is to never be brought up again. Understood?"

Isley watched the glistening hope in her eyes shatter to pieces when he shouted at her. Haruna just knew he wouldn't understand her. How could she even think that he'd understand her, even if it was just a little bit? Just like an obedient dog, she nodded with no complaints. "I got it."

Haruna excused herself from the table. Isley groaned, "Why can't we ever have a decent meal without arguing?"

Haruna's Workplace

It'd been two weeks since the incident at the dinner table and ever since, Isley and Haruna hadn't been able to sleep comfortably beside each other in the daytime. "Haruna! The customers won't be able to sit with ease if you keep frowning!" Uncle lectured, as usual. "And after you're done, close the shop." Haruna, ever since turning into a vampire, had taken the night shift.

Every time she came to work, he would usually notice a flaw about her. "Sorry Uncle. I'll try harder," a smile lit up on her face. She continued to work diligently, snipping away with grace. Perhaps the only liberty Isley had given her was her work. It was the only time where she didn't have to worry about him breathing down her neck; she sighed.

"Did you suddenly get cold feet?"

Haruna turned towards the voice that seemed to light up the atmosphere. "Aiko- er, Aido-san..." He gave his infamous charming smile.

"Is this seat taken?" He pointed to the chair in front of her. Unable to speak clearly, she shook her head no, quickly dusting the remaining hair off the seat before he sat down. "You know, I think Mugetsu misses you."

Haruna turned red. She couldn't tell him that her obsessive fiance wouldn't allow her to go to Cross Academy. "Sorry. I had a tight schedule and couldn't make it," she wrapped the cape around his neck to prevent hair from falling onto him. "How is he?" She unconsciously held a faint smile just thinking about the little boy.

"I just want a light trim. Mugetsu's fine, though he's been a crybaby lately. Really, he never stops crying unless it's me or you who holds him." Haruna was flattered, though it embarrassed her. Aido shivered at her light touches; he liked the feminine touch she had. "Do you have children?"

Haruna nearly cut a strand too long before she stopped herself, "E-excuse me?"

He laughed nervously as her hands trembled. "Well, you're quite lovely." She would die if he said another word about her, "I mean... Not that I'm trying to flirt with you. But, you know how mother's have a certain 'glow' to them? You have that; you look like someone with a lot of love to share."

Haruna's hands instinctively reached up to her cheeks as she struggled to maintain her composure. Did she really have a motherly aura to her? "Unfortunately, I've got no kids yet."

Aido frowned, "Oh, sorry for assuming. I saw that ring on your finger too and I just thought that maybe you were a parent like me."

Haruna almost forgot that she was wearing the pretty little thing. "I'm not married, just engaged-..." She wanted to cut her tongue off with the scissors. Why was she explaining something like that to him? She didn't have to explain herself!

Aido chuckled, "Yeah, we all wish we were single again..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this, but... Have you ever fallen out of love?"

Haruna pondered. Did she love Isley? She truly didn't, and for that, she hated herself. She desperately forced herself to try and like him, but not matter how hard she tried, her actions were futile. "No," she answered truthfully. She never loved Isley to start with, so how could she fall out of love with him?

Aido sighed, annoyed that he was the only one experiencing dying love. "I don't know why I'm telling you this, but for some odd reason, I feel like everything is just wrong. Feels like I'm being manipulated..."

Haruna frowned because that was exactly how she felt. "And like there's something missing, right?"

"Yes," he nodded, grumbling because he couldn't figure out what was missing. "How do you know this?"

Haruna thought for a minute. She wanted to say, 'because I've been feeling the same exact things,' but maybe it would be too strange to say? "N-no reason... Though, say I happened to be experiencing the same things... What do you think is this missing thing?"

"I'm a genius," he boasted, "but I can't say for sure."

"Are you falling out of love?" Haruna hated the thought of married couples divorcing. It tore her heart in two to see something so beautiful fall apart. Aido's brows wrinkled a bit. "I mean," she tried not to sound invasive, "if you did happen to be... I hope you and your wife stay together." The two stared at each other in their reflections. "Um.. I'm done."

Haruna wished she hadn't said something so stupid. Who was she to tell him what she thought? Her fingers combed through his hair once more; he was amazed at the results. Aido would've never expected her to have a talent to cut hair. "Thanks. But why would you say something like that? Out of generosity?"

Haruna could only think of one answer. "Your son would be terribly sad. I hope he never has to experience having divorced parents. He'll probably grow up thinking that his parents don't love him."

Aido laughed at her silly reason. He really wished she would babysit Mugetsu, seeing as she cared about the boy a lot. "Would you come take his mother's place then?"

The scissors fell out of Haruna's grip and clattered onto the floor. Become Mugetsu's mother? What kind of proposal was this? Still, Haruna was slow to react and reject his request. It's obvious that such a thing was impossible. Once again, her tongue was tied. "I-I..." She almost forgot she was engaged to another man.

If possible, she probably would've shouted 'yes!' like last time. "I'm just joking," Aido finally spoke after seeing her incredibly flustered. She should've been relieved, but how come she wasn't? Haruna felt guilty that she was actually even considering his preposterous question earlier. "I was thinking and maybe this empty feeling I have is due to the fact that I'm losing a grip of my relationship with my wife."

Haruna felt his hand touch her shoulder as he readied to exit the store.

"Thanks for helping me straighten out my thoughts," he said. "Make sure to invite me to your wedding, alright?" He winked.

After he left, Haruna hurried to the back of the room where she drank nearly a gallon of water. Her heart raced and she sweated like she had ran a marathon. She wasn't nerve wracked because of him asking her to become Mugetsu's mother. She was in this state of chaos because she wanted to kill herself! "I'm such a hypocrite," she breathed out.

Haruna had told Aido that she wished for him and his wife to stay together, but after hearing that he was going to fix his relationship with her.. She died a little on the inside. She couldn't possibly be jealous, right? It was only her second time meeting him and plus the fact that he was already a married man and father - it's completely taboo to feel this! It was wrong in so many ways!

"You're engaged Haruna. Come on, go home and greet your fiance and make love to him-" she slapped herself. This, she thought, would be one of the longest days of her life. There was no way she would be able to sleep comfortably in the morning.

Morning

Haruna yawned, exhausted from the night. She laid her head against the pillow, facing the opposite direction of Isley. His hands tugged at her waist, pulling her towards his body. Haruna looked over her shoulder, giving a semi-smile. "Good morning," she whispered, ready to fall asleep.

Isley's gaze seemed to yearn for something; his fangs were visible. Haruna sighed, a little annoyed that he was asking for something right before sleeping. Knowing what he wanted, she pulled her hair to the side, baring her neck. "I'll be gentle," he kissed the nape of her neck.

"Don't make a mess." Haruna shut her eyes, waiting for the raw pain to come. Isley leaned over her tiny figure; he looked like a bear compared to her. Swiftly, he bit into her, tasting the rich blood.

Isley's eyes shut close as he savored her feelings in the blood. Even though he craved her blood and enjoyed the taste of it, he hated it at the same time. All the emotions that settled into each drop of blood overwhelmed him, they were so painful. He could only sense sorrow and rage. He opened his eyes, seeing a different scenario as he entered her thoughts.

He felt a cold chill to his skin, it was snowing. Delicate white flakes fell from the black night. He sat on a bench in the middle of an empty park, only the streetlights provided him light. "It must be fun toying with me." Isley looked beside him to finally see Haruna. "How can you sleep knowing what you did six months ago?"

The harsh expression she held haunted him. "I erased your memories yet you're still existing deep in your conscience." Isley reached out to touch her, only to be rejected. "No matter. You won't be finding a way out of this place," he looked at the end of each street. They seemed to go on forever, leading to nowhere.

Haruna scoffed, "I'm closer to escaping than you think..."

Isley pulled out of her conscience, withdrawing his fangs. He was back in his bed next to the Haruna who knew nothing. "Something... the matter?" She panted, feeling faint.

Isley's panicked look faded as he licked the excess blood off her neck, "Nothing's wrong. Go to sleep."