"Haunted"

"What is this, a joke?" Aido asked while staring coldly at the wedding invitation sent to him personally from Isley. Isley just was pleased with his reaction. There was a loud ripping noise as Aido tore the pretty letter apart into small pieces, scattering them across the floor. "If this is your plan to shake me up, it's not working," Aido said flatly.

Isley shrugged, "Just thought you'd like to see Haruna in a bridal gown since your wedding with her that was supposed to happen, never happened," he rubbed in. Aido laughed lightly while walking in the other direction. Isley followed close behind, stalking him wherever he went. "How's the divorce going with you and your wife-"

"Shut up for once will you?" Aido snapped, creating a thin layer of ice on the ground and the walls. Isley sighed, his breath visible from the cold air. "You got what you wanted: Haruna. You won, alright? So quit following me around, creep."

The Night class students peeked out of their rooms, wondering what all the fuss was about as they wanted to see a battle between a pureblood and a noble. "You really thought my only motive was to snatch Haruna away from you? You're clearly wrong." Aido frowned. What else could Isley possibly want from Aido? He had nothing that he wanted. "My god... why do you even deserve to be called a genius when you can't even understand something so simple?"

"Then tell me what you want because I'm tired of seeing your hideous face everywhere," Aido looked at him boredly. "Or don't tell me you grew fond of me?" He was disgusted at the thought and so was Isley.

"In your dreams," Isley scoffed, placing both hands on Aido's shoulders. He fixed his tie and jacket, murmuring, "Tell me Hanabusa. Did you really love Haruna? Or was she just a toy to mess around with because you had nothing better to do-"

Everyone who was staring gasped when Aido sent a hard punch at Isley. Their mouths watered when they caught a whiff of the pureblood's blood. Isley glazed his eyes back to Aido. There was no sign of anger in his face, but usually his stoic expression meant no good. "I do love her and more than some scum like you will ever know."

Isley chuckled softly, then roared with a loud laughter that scared nearly everyone except Aido. His hand grabbed Aido by the throat and smashed him into the wall, creating a large crack in it. He whispered lowly enough so that only Aido heard his words, "Then why was it so easy for you to give up on her?"

Aido couldn't answer. It wasn't because he was being choked, but because he didn't have an answer to the question. Was he just using his father's death as an excuse to run away? Or did he really not love Haruna as much as he claimed to? "I'll put the Aido name to shame if I took her in-"

"Bullshit!" Isley shouted. His words echoed in the hallways and perhaps through the entire building, "Listen very carefully... Because I'll tell you something very interesting."

Aido narrowed his eyes at Isley. "And what's that?"

Isley smirked, "Take a good look at your son. You've already put your family name to shame the moment he was conceived."

"What?" Aido asked, coughing as Isley let go. "What do you mean?"

"Don't be in denial. You know what I mean."

Isley's Mansion

"Seymour! Come here," Haruna patted her thighs, holding out her arms for the dog. Seymour's tongue hang loose and his tail wagged energetically. "Come here boy- wait, no!" Haruna gasped as the giant dog tackled her to the ground, licking her face. "Ack... go to your master," she struggled to push him off.

"Sit," Isley commanded. In an instance, the dog calmed down and took a firm seat in front of his master. He sat still like a statue and didn't even make a whimper. Haruna wiped the dog drool on her face with her sleeve, impressed at how obedient Isley tamed the dog. Well... She wasn't surprised. Isley always had a dominating aura about him that seemed to make everyone obey him. "He's cute, isn't he?"

Haruna thought it was amazing how Isley was so cruel to people but when it came to dogs, he was totally... Nice. It frightened her a little. "Yeah. He's quite... charming?" Haruna sat beside Isley, watching the dog intently to see if he was even breathing. "You treat him much nicer than you do to me," Haruna glared.

"That's because it's fun to tease you."

Gee, Haruna thought, is threatening your girlfriend to stay home at all times and forcing them to marry you considered just teasing? "You've got a strange idea of what teasing means."

"Really?" He asked quite seriously. Isley never realized that his actions were always a little overdone. "Seymour really likes you," Isley spoke unconsciously while paying most of his attention on his blue colored dog. He placed his hand over the dog's head, ruffling his fur. Seeing Isley acting so calm and mellow like this almost changed her perspective of him. She wondered if she just misunderstood him all this time. "Do you hate me?"

Isley's sudden question threw her off a bit. Did she hate him? It was hard to read him; she wasn't sure how to feel about him. When she didn't respond, he repeated his question, a little louder the second time. "Yes," she instantly replied in surprise. Haruna gasped, covering her mouth with a hand, not meaning to say what she did. It came out unexpectedly like a hiccup would. She didn't think of saying yes; it just came. "Sorry-"

"What for? I appreciate your honesty. I've kept you captive and have never showed you kindness; it's only natural for you to despise me." His eyes never left Seymour; her grudge towards him had little effect. He seemed unbothered, but then there was that look again on his face from last time when they both were at the meadow. "Did you think I was going to punish you for your answer?" Haruna nodded, embarrassed. He finally looked at Haruna; he seemed tired. "Do I scare you?"

Haruna wasn't sure what to say. Would he really punish her this time if she said yes? Or would he again tell her that he appreciated her honesty? "I'm afraid of you," she whispered.

Haruna feared she said the wrong words when he stood up, towering over her. In that instant, it was as though he reverted back to his old cruel self, "Why? I've done so much for you and yet you dare look at me as though I'm a monster. What did your prince Hanabusa ever do?"

Haruna hated this side of him the most. Almost fearlessly, she reached up and cupped his face with her hands, "Are you okay?" Isley paused, his tense shoulders slumping forward. "You've been cold lately. If there's something bothering you..." Isley grabbed his head in pain. Seymour started howling and running around frantically.

Isley snickered, panting in between words, "You can manage worrying about me even while I'm snapping at you?" Haruna couldn't describe it, but it was as though he was fighting with himself. He pushed her aside as he limped up the staircase, "Leave me alone for the day. It's best if you don't come near me."

Haruna jumped at the sound of a door slamming as Isley went into their bedroom. Seymour lay down, covering his face with his large paws. "With the way you're looking at me," she spoke to the dog, "I'm guessing I'm not the only one who sensed him growing distant?" Seymour barked, suddenly running to the entrance door- The doorbell rang. Haruna knitted her brows, wondering who would come visit them. "When did you become psychic, Seymour? Sit. Siiit-"

Haruna was dumb at the sight of Aido at their front porch. "Haruna," Aido paid little attention to her. He looked behind her, searching for someone else. "Where's that guy?"

"That... guy?"

"Isley." Aido hated the guy to the point where he didn't care about giving him any honorifics anymore. He wanted him dead and it bothered him even more to know that Haruna was going to marry the baboon. Haruna's throat grew arid as she saw a little head poking out of a baby sling that strapped onto Aido's chest.

"Mugetsu-kun!" Haruna exclaimed, smiling at the baby who giggled with his arms reaching for her. Haruna invited them in. "You've grown so big since I last saw you." Aido had no clue why Haruna felt so attached to his son. Seeing them both so happy like this made him feel terrible that Haruna wasn't Mugetsu's mother; his anger for Isley was replaced with regret. "May I?" Haruna asked, hoping she wasn't imposing herself onto them too much.

"Of course," Aido pulled Mugetsu out of his sling. "What?" He asked when Haruna laughed to herself.

"No, it's nothing... I just think it's cute how you're like a monkey carrying around a baby." Aido laughed - not with her, but at her. She had the wildest imaginations, he thought. Haruna fondled the boy, holding him against her breasts. "He's beautiful," she admired, forgetting why Aido had come. Aido too almost forgot his purpose of coming.

"How can he not? He does inherit his good looks from me," Aido bragged.

Haruna sighed at his confidence. "His mother is flawless too." Aido knew his good mood would only be temporary. The mentioning of Isley and Misha would always be taboo around him now. "Oh right," Haruna only recalled Aido's question earlier when she saw him deep in thought. "I don't think you would want to see Isley at the moment. He says he's in a bad mood and usually when he says that, he means it."

Aido smirked, glad to know that Isley was having a bad day as well. "That's fine. I can wait here until he feels better," he took a seat on the couch. Seymour came barking at Aido; Seymour would remain faithful to only Isley. "Hush it or I'll feed you to a pack of lions," Aido threatened. Seymour gave a silent moan, running upstairs with his tail behind his legs.

"That wasn't nice," Haruna frowned. "What do you need to discuss about with Isley anyway? From what I know, it doesn't seem like you both are on good terms." Haruna didn't even know if it was a good idea letting Aido into their home. If Isley discovered that Aido was here, she was sure that both she and Aido would feel his wrath.

"Just..." Aido looked down at Mugetsu who was tugging at Haruna's hair. What Isley said about Mugetsu earlier bothered him. Earlier, he had sat down with Mugetsu and interrogated him like he was some terrorist, asking him questions that he couldn't answer even if he wanted to. The whole time, Mugetsu just drooled while curiously blinking at his father. "I just need to talk with him about our next meeting at the academy."

Haruna couldn't really say if she believed him or not, but seeing as she had no proof to question him, she simply nodded. Being this close to Aido, Haruna could remember the pain she felt when he bit her last time. Ah, she hated it when she drifted into thought like this. Now she could only feel a tense wall between them both. "Er... I'll get us some tea and snacks." Yes, that was her sorry excuse to escape Aido's company.

"Your wedding is in two days."

"Y-yes. I believe Isley sent you an invitation?" Haruna asked. She remembered Isley snickering to himself when he said something along the lines of him inviting Aido to "annoy" him.

Aido gave an exasperated laugh, restraining himself from marching upstairs to have a duel with the pureblood. "Yes, I received it, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it."

"That's unfortunate," Haruna lied. She was glad he wasn't coming. She could barely speak and look at him at the same time; how would she be able to face him at her wedding?

Aido swore he'd be fine with letting her marry the jerk since he knew that Isley would never abandon her... but he couldn't resist asking her, "Does he truly make you happy?" Haruna and Mugetsu both looked at him with big eyes. "I don't mean to say anything bad about his love for you," he cringed just speaking about his nemesis, "but I'm curious."

It was more than just curiosity. It was a mixture of absolute jealousy and hate. No one has really asked her how she felt about this marriage she was having with Isley. Her family was too blinded by Isley's wealth to care. No one else knew how she was being forced the marry the guy. Would Aido be the one to help her if she said that she was utterly miserable?

Mugetsu's wails echoed the large room as Haruna handed him back to his father. "Remember that conversation we had when I gave you a 'prince-like' haircut?" Haruna asked. Aido scoffed a little, nodding. "That empty feeling we discussed... I still have it even when I'm around him." Her heart ached, "I yearn so much to figure out what it is, but I can't no matter how long I think about what I'm missing."

Aido avoided her gaze. If he wanted to, he could tell her the truth that the reason why she was feeling like this was because her memories were manipulated by Isley, that way she wouldn't feel so troubled and confused... But he remained silent. He would just let her marry Isley and continue feeling like this for the rest of her life.

Once again, Aido failed her. Did Haruna really think that he would the one to reach down to her and help her when she told him how she felt about her engagement to Isley? "I'm sure the void in your chest will disappear one day," Aido finally replied. Haruna felt like a fool to rely on Aido. He was telling her the same thing Isley did: her feelings would come in time. No worries.

"I hope so," Haruna hid her disappointment with a smile. Even so, Aido was still able to see the tears that nearly fell from her eyes. Haruna felt so alone because no one could understand her; everyone just kept telling her that everything would be alright when everything wouldn't be. "Truth be told, I dislike tea, so I hope you're fine with water," she headed to the kitchen.

Aido winced, ashamed in himself. He loved Haruna so dearly yet he felt too obligated to his father to do a thing. "Haruna," he followed her into the kitchen, "I can't tell you why, but just... I'm sorry."

"You're sorry but you can't tell me why?" Haruna laughed heartily, "Well... regardless, you are forgiven."

"If you knew what I was apologizing for, I fear you wouldn't forgive me so easily."

"What's with everyone speaking about such ominous and secretive things for? Sometimes I wish you weren't so much like Isley. I've already had enough of him spewing weird things for the day. The last thing I need is for you to do the same thing," Haruna grumbled while pouring a glass of water. Aido bit his tongue when Haruna compared him to Isley. Were they really alike? "Both you and Isley need to stop treating me like I can't handle such topics. I'm not as frail as you think I am."

"But you are."

Haruna raised her brows, "What makes you say that, Aido-san?"

Aido paused. She'd think him crazy if he started talking about her as if he knew her, to which he did but she didn't know that. "You're like a broken treasure."

"Broken treasure?" Haruna echoed. Was it an insult? She wasn't sure. "Interesting idea you have- ah, Seymour. Did you run away because Aido-san was mean to you?" Haruna knelt down, petting Seymour who came back with a wagging tail as though he didn't run off earlier from what Aido said. Aido rolled his eyes, murmuring about how silly it was that a great dane was afraid of little threats. "Pick on someone your own size," Haruna joked.

"Actually, Seymour is about seven foot tall if he stood up." Aido and Haruna glanced at the direction Seymour came from to see an irritated Isley. Haruna should've known that Seymour would arrive with backup. Isley yawned, "I was sleeping quite wonderfully for the first time in weeks when suddenly I heard Seymour whining at the door. You caught me off guard, Hanabusa."

"Don't be angry at them Isley. I let them in." Haruna was quick to take blame.

Isley ignored her words. He nonchalantly poured a glass of water for himself, "Is that Mugetsu-kun? How cute. I always hated children," he said dryly. Aido glared, placing one protective arm over his son. "Relax. I'm not the kind who would stoop so low to beat up a kid." Isley laughed at the thought of punching babies for a living. If people knew what went on in his head, he'd probably have no friends at all. Well, the only friend he truly did have was Seymour to be exact. "Did you come for answers? Or are you just here to stir Haruna up even more?"

"Isley, you don't have to be so obnoxious. Aido-san just came to report something about the academy-"

"I came for answers," Aido said. "I'd appreciate it if you left us alone, Haruna," he gave a grin to convince her that there wasn't going to be any conflict between him and Isley.

Haruna remained immobile. She knew that being alone with Isley was dangerous; the guy was always unpredictable. Besides, what were they talking about? She wanted to know too. Isley was quiet, looking at the noble with seriousness before calling out to Ken. Once the butler arrived, Isley asked him to show Aido to the door. "Yes, Isley-sama," Ken bowed, asking Aido to follow him.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me," Aido stubbornly told.

"Isley... is there something you're hiding?" Haruna asked. She was like a mother asking her son if he had done something wrong.

Isley merely shook his head. "You should take this opportunity to think for yourself, Hanabusa. I can't always guide you, can I?"

"Guide?" Aido laughed almost maniacally, "Do you think you're some kind of saint helping everyone? You're hilarious." Mugetsu looked up, mimicking his father's laugh. "If anything, you're like a disease." Aido was pleased to see Isley gritting his teeth. "Listen very carefully... Because I'll tell you something very interesting," Aido repeated the same words Isley told him last time. "I did a little research on you... and might I say, I feel sorry for you." The glass in Isleys hand shattered into pieces of shards as he held it too tightly; Haruna flinched. "Don't act like you're better than everyone," Aido said to Isley before following Ken out the door.

Haruna's eyes lit up with a tint of red as she caught the smell of Isley's blood. "Y-you're bleeding," she grabbed a nearby towel, "here-"

Seymour gave a loud cry before scurrying off again after hearing a loud slap. Haruna held her cheek, feeling the intense pain as she could feel her flesh bruising. Isley glared at her for a while and she could only stand still in surprise. "You-..." Isley planned to scold her and perhaps punish her further, but when he saw the shock on her face, he choked and became silent. He had betrayed her - he laid a hand on her. The stinging in his hand hurt more than anything he had ever felt. "Haruna..."

Haruna shook her head, not wanting to hear a word. She was still unable to comprehend what just happened. She wasn't shocked that he had hit her, but that he had grown... So cold. "I- I'm fine. I'm used to being pushed around," she said mundanely. "I just hope you're okay." Isley tried to touch her, only to have her take a step back in fear. "I'm going now," she evaded him and rushed out of the place.

Things, he feared, would not be okay. "I've got a way to fix everything, Haruna. After this, we'll be okay."

A/N: Hey ladies (and maybe guys too), I hope you all aren't too disappointed with my latest chapters, including this one. Lately, they've been focused around Isley and drawing away from Aido, Haruna, and Mugetsu. I'm trying to avoid doing that because obviously you guys are here to see some good stuff between Aido and Haruna, right? So forgive me for my lameness. As you can see from my ominous foreshadows, I have even more stuff about Isley that's gonna happen (I know, you all don't care, but bear with me). If I could go back and rewrite my older chapters, I would so that stupid Isley isn't all over the place, but clearly it's too late for that -_-'

Isley: Who did you call stupid, stupid?

Me: You; did I stutter? Keep up that attitude and I might just kill you off in my story.

Isley: … You got a test on Monday?

Me: … Yeah.