"Caught"
Haruna awoke that night to see the housekeepers gossiping, frantically avoiding contact with her all day. She'd catch a few words from them, words like 'young master' and 'dead pureblood.' Were they planning an assault against Isley? She caught sight of her fiance, "Hey, is it me or is everyone acting..." The maids gasped and hid behind the furniture. Yeah, they were as quiet as mice. "Strange," Haruna finished.
Isley looked around, barely giving her question any thought, "It's just you." Okay, now he was just insulting her intelligence. She wasn't that dense to not know he was avoiding something.
"As your fiancee, I have the right to know what's going on." Haruna placed her fists on her hips while holding an innocent glare, hoping to force the truth out of him. Her weak intimidation did little harm. He only smiled, pinching her cheeks while kissing her forehead. "I'm serious." Isley could care less about her thoughts- "Alright, since you're avoiding the topic, it must mean you're scared."
Now, one thing he couldn't stand was being insulted. Isley scoffed, trying not to slip. "Look, I'm not running away from anything-"
"Young master! Is it true that another pureblood has been killed by Kaname Kuran?" Ken, the butler, ran towards Isley while waving around a newspaper from the 'vampire world.' The vampire society usually produced newspapers involving matters of their kind.
Haruna frowned, snatching the paper out of Ken's hand, only to have it taken away by Isley next. He stuffed it in his fine suit while restraining himself from murdering Ken on the spot for spilling the beans. "What does he mean Isley?"
Ken gasped, falling to his knees while holding his head down. "He means nothing." Isley made sure to emphasize the last word, letting her know that he basically didn't want her nose sticking into this pureblood business. Haruna absolutely hated it when Isley kept secrets. She couldn't understand his motives, but whether it was to keep her safe or just to keep his pride safe, she could care less. "Don't make me have to lock you up."
Though he's never done anything like keeping her in a cell, the possibility of it being done, she believed, was very likely. The curiosity was eating at her, but she'd be a hypocrite if she called him a lying bastard because she too was one. She never mentioned to him that she saw Aido again the other day. Well, she had her reasons not to. If she had... Haruna didn't want to know what sort of punishment he would inflict upon her.
"From what Ken-san says... It seems like Yuuki's fiance, Kaname, is on a pureblood killing spree?"
Ken whimpered, terrified that his life would not be spared this time. Isley excused the man including the other maids who were listening intently. As they vacated the room, Isley could only tell her that it was 'nothing to worry about.'
"How could this be a miniscule matter? You could be next on his list-"
"Do you really think of me being incapable of protecting myself?"
"I learned in vampire history that Kurans are the strongest purebloods. And by hearing that he's killed more than one pureblood, it must mean he's the real deal. Besides, he's centuries older than you!"
Isley groaned, exasperated by her nagging. What scared Haruna most was how Isley didn't know fear. He was naive and cocky. She knew that those qualities were going to get him killed someday, and perhaps the day was going to arrive soon.
Haruna grabbed his shoulders, shaking him violently, "We need to go to Cross Academy where it's safe-"
Isley gave a humored laugh, "You want me to go crawl on my knees and beg for protection? You must not know the pride of being a pureblood-"
"Your pride isn't going to matter once you're dead!"
"And you think this stupid little 'haven' of yours that's being run by a puny Kuran girl could be any safer than here?"
"Then go to the hunter's association-"
"You're telling me to get locked up, is that right?"
Haruna nodded. If being caged up meant being protected, it didn't matter! As much as she disliked his attitude, he was still her fiance and she couldn't bear the thought of him dying. Though he'd never admit, she had a feeling that maybe he was afraid also. "I'm worried for you. Don't be stubborn."
The frowning expression plus her glistening brown eyes was able to peel away at his 'tough guy' attitude. "... Fine. But only I'm moving out of this place, got it? You're staying here."
A small baffled gasp left her parted lips, "But what if he comes for me?"
"Please, like you're worth killing."
Cross Academy
"Here, I brought some-" Isley snatched the cardboard box out of Haruna's arms, "... books." She sighed, knowing he was still upset at her for forcing him to move back into Cross Academy. "Everyone's glad to have you back," she hoped to make him feel welcomed.
He only continued to set up his room while giving her the silent treatment. "You tell me to join miss Kuran's Night Class, then you tell me to drop it due to my stress, and then you tell me join again for my protection. Make up your mind."
Haruna didn't blame him for seeing her as annoying and overreacting, but now he had a taste of his own medicine. She was always the one being told where to go and where not to go and who to speak to and who not to speak to. It felt good to boss him around, she nodded while hiding a smirk from him. "Do you need anything else-"
"Just go home." He still disliked her being on campus, but after she insisted on helping him pack and unpack his things, he couldn't get her off his back; she was a leech.
"I can't come visit?"
"Don't even dream about it-"
"Isley-sama, Yuuki-sama would like a word with you..." A female voice faded out. Haruna and Isley turned to face a blonde woman with fair skin.
Haruna's eyes lit up at the sight of the porcelain doll-like woman. She was the same chick who told Haruna to leave Cross Academy a few weeks ago. Haruna scratched her head, still wondering what that was about. "Yes, I'll be there in a second," Isley calmly replied.
The girl drew away, disappearing. When Haruna saw the woman, she noticed the same frantic look she held three weeks ago. Was she still unwelcomed here? "Isn't that woman strange, Isley? I saw her last time I came here and she told me to leave immediately."
Isley glared to himself, "Really?" He was able to keep a calm act, but when it came to Misha... Her feelings were completely obvious. If she didn't learn how to tame them, it wouldn't be long before people started getting suspicious. He would definitely have to make her take acting lessons.
"Yes, and she pushed me too. It really hurted," Haruna rubbed her chest, still feeling the sting.
Isley quirked a brow, "Did she?" And he would definitely have to reinforce his rule to her again about not laying a hand on Haruna.
"Okay, well since all of your belongings are here, I'll head home now." Though she tried, she couldn't avoid giving him a farewell hug and kiss. "You know, departures like this wouldn't be so sad if you would let me come visit you."
He growled at her, closing the door in her face. Yep, he hated her.
Haruna made her way out of the Night Class dorms, roaming around the enormous campus in hopes of not getting lost again like last time. She was sure of it that she would not be as fortunate to have someone find her again were she to get on the wrong path. Though, speaking of last times incident... Mugetsu's image filled her thoughts and in her chest was a burning feeling that yearned to hold the child again.
There was just no way that fate would be generous and allow for such a thing to happen twice. "Haruna-chan? It really is you. Did you come back to take up the offer?"
Haruna almost didn't recognize the voice calling to her, especially since the person who was speaking to her had just said her name for the first time. Her name sounded so soothing rolling off the tip of his tongue... She turned to her left to see Aido striding over. She smiled, glad to see that his haircut was looking good even though the wind tangled his hair quite a bit. "Aido-san."
Unfortunately, as her eyes scanned him, she found him Mugetsu-less. "What are you doing here? You don't attend Cross Academy, right?"
"My fiance's moving into the Night Class dorms, so-"
"Wait... you mean that pureblood?"
Haruna figured he meant Isley; she nodded enthusiastically, though stopped when he gazed at her like she was an alien. "Why, is something wrong?"
It took a moment for him to answer. He laughed warmly, apologizing for alarming her. "No, not at all. It's just rare to see a pureblood take in a... well, ex-human, in this case, as a mate." Haruna mouthed a silent 'oh.' It was true. She felt bad that she would cause a disruption among the pureblood bloodline; her filthy blood would surely taint theirs. "Sorry, it was wrong of me to assume. Don't think you're not worthy enough."
Haruna hadn't ever thought about herself as being unworthy, but now that someone finally mentioned to her... She felt conscious about it now. "I'm not," she lied. "Where's your son?" She couldn't help but ask. She was dying to see the boy again.
Aido snickered, "I'm glad to know he's loved. He's with Mugen. If you stay a little longer, maybe you'll see him?" Haruna's heart throbbed, aching. She shook her head no. If Isley were to catch her snooping around, he'd get even angrier. "Why not? You're welcomed to Cross Academy you know," he flashed a lovely smile.
Haruna laughed, thinking it was funny how both her fiance and that blonde girl disliked her presence, but when it came to Aido, he wanted her there. "I've got some errands," she lied again. Lying was starting to become a bad habit of hers. Soon enough, her nose would probably start to grow. "Maybe I can see him again next time," Haruna returned the grin.
"Yes, maybe next time. Oh, by the way, I really have to treat you out for lunch some time."
"Why do you owe me something like that?"
"Last time you made me realize that I needed to repair my relationship with my wife. Things between she and I have started to become a lot smoother. I really do owe you." Haruna felt guilty at his kindness. She didn't deserve his thanks, secretly, she wished she hadn't given him such advice. Ah, there was that pang of jealousy in her heart again... She hated herself for feeling this way.
It was best to avoid Aido at all times, she concluded. Seeing him every day like this would only add to her anxiety. "It's fine, really. Isley would wring my neck if he heard I had lunch with another man," she rubbed her neck, gulping. Aido laughed, not understand that she was serious.
"You're funny, but I suppose you're right. My wife would cut my..." Aido looked down between his legs, coughing while scratching the back of his head. "I guess we've both got collars on our necks huh?" Haruna laughed. Saying that Isley's hold on her was like him keeping a collar on her was just an understatement. He had her by her soul. "So when is your wedding?"
Haruna felt ill at the mention of her wedding. She started panicking every time she heard the word. "If things go well, the big day should be here in about two months." Her heart ached as though somebody were stabbing it with a needle. She wouldn't be surprised if Isley was doing some voodoo witchcraft on her.
"Excellent," he nodded. "For my wedding, I can recall that everything was perfect as I imagined," he looked up at the rolling clouds, then frowned. "Hm... Weird," he tapped his chin, "I remember something being off that day though... Completely off. Damnit, now I'm confused again. Anyway," he let out a frustrated sigh, "for everything to be swell, you must have lavender flowers."
Haruna immediately lit up, "Right? I told Isley that we should have lavender flowers too, but he got mad at me," she pouted.
"Peh," he spat, "your fiance has no taste. The smell of lavender is just so-"
"Comforting?"
"Exactly!" Aido was pleased to see that this girl was pretty wise. Of course, his opinion of her being intelligent was only biased though.
Haruna laughed softly, "I'll ask him again and maybe this time he'll comply. Anyway," she looked at her watch, seeing that it was a little past noon, "I have a feeling that this may be our last meeting..." Her voice faded quietly. She hardly knew Aido, but the thought of not seeing him again was sort of heartbreaking. Aido sighed, a little bummed too.
He held out his hand, "May fate bring us together again, friend." Haruna stared at his delicate hand and slender fingers. Are men's hands usually this beautiful? She was ashamed to bring her dry calloused hands to shake his, but felt it would be rude to leave him hanging.
'May fate not bring us together again,' she thought. Her hand came into contact with his and he shook it with firmness. For a vampire, his hand was very warm, much warmer than Isley's. There was a stiff tension between them before Haruna took the initiative to break off. "W-Well," she stammered, "goodbye then-"
She whimpered feeling a harsh tug forward. It took her a moment to fully register that she was pressed against his chest as he wrapped his bear-like arms around her. Something like this wasn't normal, especially between people who are getting married and who are already married! "Sorry," Aido whispered, "I just feel like a final goodbye isn't good enough with just a handshake. Don't worry, this is just a friendly hug."
Even so, Haruna couldn't stop her heart from beating erratically. The heat on her face spread quickly as she blushed a thousand shades of red. 'Ah... this smells like lavender.' His shirt was scented of it and just like she said earlier, it was so comforting. She didn't want this to be their final meeting. 'Would hugging like this be categorized as cheating on your spouse?' She asked herself, though not feeling guilty at the moment.
His embrace felt different from Isley's. Whenever Isley held her, she just felt like he was suffocating her, but when it was Aido... She felt safe and perhaps this other feeling was silly, but she felt loved. Haruna could hear his steady heart rate and she wondered how he could be so calm like this, and it dawned on her that she was the only one feeling excited. He only saw her as a friend and yet she was thinking of him as someone more than that. "Haruna-chan?" Aido asked after being shoved away.
"I-It wouldn't be good if someone saw us like that, they'd misunderstand." She couldn't get herself to relax. Haruna was never the type to swoon over a man, but Aido was an exception to this rule. Dense, he couldn't tell why she was panicking. "Goodbye Aido-san-"
"Why don't you join Cross Academy?" he asked. Haruna gave three long blinks. Join? She couldn't do that with her possessive fiance. "I can tell you don't want to leave. Besides, your fiance is here. Wouldn't it make sense to stay?"
That's what Haruna always asks Isley - wouldn't it make sense for her to enroll in Cross Academy too since Isley was attending? But no~ He would just give her a medusa-like glare. "That wouldn't be a good idea." There were two particular reasons why: Isley wouldn't let and Haruna couldn't stand being around Aido and his addicting hugs. "Okay, I'm leaving for real now. Don't try to stall me any further," she said.
Aido sighed, waving- "Ah, Misha! Come meet my buddy. She's the woman who gave me a prince-like haircut," he pointed to his golden locks, striking a cocky pose. Haruna looked behind her to see the same woman she met earlier. "That's my wife," he whispered to Haruna. A gasp lodged in her throat as she saw the woman storming over. For some reason, her instincts were telling her to get the heck out of the academy.
Still, Haruna was dumbfounded to see that Aido was married to the same lady who scolded her last time. It didn't surprise her that the woman was extremely gorgeous, even when she was glaring. Haruna bowed her head lightly, "Hello-"
A loud smack was heard and both Haruna and Aido were speechless. Misha just slapped Haruna. She blinked owlishly, poking her cheek only to wince from the burning pain. Why did this seem familiar, she wondered? "Stay away from my husband!" She pointed her dainty finger in Haruna's face.
"Misha!" Aido raised his voice, "I get you're overly jealous, but don't you think slapping someone you don't even know is a bit overboard?" He looked at her with disapproval, then apologized to Haruna on her behalf. "I'm sorry... She's really not like this, but she's been moody lately." He turned back to Misha, "Don't you know who she's engaged to? I swear, one day you're going to get in huge trouble and I'm not going to be able to bail you out anymore."
"I... I'm sorry," Haruna muttered. Perhaps she saw the two of them sharing a 'friendly' hug earlier? She couldn't blame the girl. Anyone would get jealous over seeing that. Aido sighed, telling her she had nothing to apologize for.
"You, however," he turned to Misha, "have some serious ass-kissing to do."
Misha laughed, crossing her arms while staring Haruna down as though she was vermin. She raised her nose up while furrowing her brows, "I'm sorry you're such a whore-"
"Did I miss out on anything?" A low voice disrupted the fight. Haruna's body shook in fear at the appearance of Isley. She should've been happy to see him, but she wasn't sure if he was here to save her, or call her a whore too. "What's this dispute about ladies?" He flickered his daunting eyes at Misha who lowered her gaze.
Aido stepped up, "I apologize for the behavior or my wife. She, for unknown reasons, hit your fiancee. If I can make it up to you-"
"That's not necessary," Isley gave one of his fake smiles that seemed to fool everyone except Haruna. "I'm sure my Haruna was in the wrong too," he glanced over at Haruna with a smile, but Haruna knew very well that behind it he was biting his tongue in anger. "If you'll excuse us both, I'll escort Haruna home," he placed an arm over her shoulder.
"Isley-sama," Aido addressed, "I know I'm in no place to say anything... But Haruna-ch... I mean, Haruna-sama, would like it if you gave her permission to attend this academy. There is no harm in it."
Haruna flinched, feeling Isley's grip on her shoulder tighten in frustration though his poker face never changed. "... I'll consider it," he said. He had to be careful with his temper. Were he to straight up say no and drag Haruna by the hair, surely things would be suspicious about his and Misha's frantic behavior. "Come, Haruna," he pulled her closer to him.