I forgot to say this before, but I do not own Crescent Moon. Although I would think that obvious. Anyway, just enjoy the story.
CHAPTER FIVE
Mahiru and Mitsuru can feel each other's breath on their skin when they hear a loud crashing sound and the stomping of feet coming from the stairwell. Instantly, the moment is lost, both taking several steps back, cheeks burning furiously. Instead of looking at each other they focus on whomever, or whatever, is coming their way.
They start to hear voices. "I'm telling you guys, I swear I can smell them."
"And you are sure it is Mitsuru and the Princess?"
"Yeah, Misoka, I'm one hundred percent sure."
"Well, hurry up, Akira, and get the bloody door open!"
"Chill out, Nozomu! I'm going as fast as I can."
Finally the door swings open and Akira, Nozomu, and Misoka come crashing onto the roof.
"Mahiru!" Nozomu and Akira cry at once, pulling Mahiru into a group hug that almost crushes her. Akira has his ears out and his tail is wagging a mile a minute.
Misoka sighs in relief. "Princess, Mitsuru, it is good to see you both again, but what calls for the…sudden return. We had though to not see either of you for some time."
Mitsuru just stays silent so Mahiru answers when she is finally free from her friends' arms. "Well, it's a long story. But first, I've gotta ask, Akira, what are you doing back? You…had left, too, didn't you?"
Akira puts his ears and tail away and says somberly, "Well, yeah, I had left, but then Nozomu had Mr. Bat find me, saying you had left your aunt's house without taking Mr. Bat with you and they couldn't find you anywhere. So I came back to help with the search."
Nozomu gasps and narrows his eyes on Mahiru. "That's right, you did! We told you never to go anywhere without taking Mr. Bat with you! So why did you leave without him? Especially considering the…state…we were all in."
Mahiru blushes slightly and stumbles over her words. "W-well, I hadn't really been…s-sleeping very well lately a-and Mr. Bat was staying up with me all night…to keep me company and to try to…ch-cheer me up." She looks down at her feet. "When I got up to go to school this morning Mr. Bat was sound asleep and wouldn't wake up, so I just left him in my room to sleep. He deserved it. I-I couldn't have gotten through the past couple of nights without him."
A sad and guilty silence spreads across the rooftop.
"Be that as it may, Princess," Misoka finally says, "that was still very reckless of you. What if something bad had happened to you?" Mahiru laughs nervously and refuses to look at anyone. Misoka's eyes narrow. "Did something happen?" He then notices her cheek. He walks forward, gently grasps her chin, and turns her head to get a better look at her bruise. "Princess…," there is a slight hint of anger in Misoka's voice that no one is used to hearing. "Who hit you?"
"What?!" Nozomu and Akira yell, and chaos ensues.
Akira starts running around the roof shouting, "Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, Mahiru's hurt, Mahiru's hurt! Someone get Oboro! No, wait, he and Katsura are at the Moon Palace. Someone call an ambulance!"
Nozomu reacts in a different manner, rounding on Mitsuru, jabbing a finger into his chest, sparks flying. "You finally hit her, didn't you?"
Mitsuru stares at the vampire in shock. "What?"
"You finally hit Mahiru! You let your anger get the better of you and hit her!"
"I did not!" Mitsuru's fists clench at his sides. "Why do you automatically assume I did it?"
"Because you're the one with the anger management issues!"
Mitsuru growls. "I would never hit her!"
Everyone stops and stares at the tengu. Eyebrows rose at the implications of that sentence.
Mitsuru turns bright red and growls again. "I-I would never let my anger get the better of me."
Nozomu laughs. "Oh, really? That's hard to believe considering-"
"Enough!" Mahiru yells and gets between the two demons. "Enough fighting already. Mitsuru is not the one who hit me."
"Then who, Princess?" Misoka asks.
Mahiru takes in a deep breath and says, "Hokuto Koudokui." Everyone except Mitsuru gasps. "Dawn's Venus, they found me on my way back to my aunt's tonight. They…," she shudders and takes another deep breath. "They tried to kidnap me. But then Mitsuru heard my screams and saved me." She turns to Mitsuru with a smile. He looks away with a grunt.
Akira whimpers, werewolf ears hanging low. "It's all our fault. We left you alone after our stupid argument and Dawn's Venus was almost able to kidnap you. If it wasn't for Mitsuru they would have succeeded, too. We're the most horrible friends in the universe!"
Mahiru goes up to Akira and scratches him behind the ears like she would if he were a puppy. In a way he kind of is. "Oh, Akira, it's alright. Everything turned out ok."
"No, it's not alright, Mahiru," Nozomu says miserably. "Protecting you is part of our job, something we all swore we would do and we failed."
"He's right, Princess," Misoka says. "What we have done is unforgivable."
"But I love you all so much, how can I not forgive you?" Mahiru looks at them all in turn with a bright smile they have all missed. "Besides, it's partly my fault, too. I'm sorry about what happened the other day. I'm sorry that I left. And even though that probably won't be the last time we fight, I want to stay with all of you, and not just now, but always. This is my home now and I don't want to be anywhere else anymore."
Mahiru's smile is infectious and soon everyone is smiling. Except for Mitsuru, of course. Stubborn tengu, Mahiru thinks.
Suddenly, Akira glomps Mahiru again. "Yay! It's so good to have everyone back together again. Everything is going to be alright from now on! Come on let's all celebrate with pancakes!"
"Who in their right mind would have pancakes in the middle of the freaking night?" Mitsuru asks. The bickering continues back and forth, but Mahiru can't help but smile. Everything seems to be back to normal and Mitsuru isn't taking off again like Mahiru was afraid he would.
Everyone starts to head inside the Moonshine when Mahiru pauses. "Oh, I almost forgot!" She fishes around in the pocket of her skirt and holds out the teardrop for everyone to see.
Misoka takes the jewel from her and examines it closely. "Princess, where did you find this?"
"Dawn's Venus had it when they tried to kidnap me. During the commotion of the rescue Himura slipped it to me, saying to return it to the people it belongs to." The others look at her in disbelief. "You were right, guys. Himura is a member of Dawn's Venus, but the reason I didn't want to tell you at first is because I don't think she's our enemy. Tonight, not only did she willingly give me the teardrop, but she also helped me get away."
"Does Hokuto know of her actions?"
Mahiru nods.
Misoka clutches the teardrop in his fist and turns to go inside. "Then we must proceed with caution. If it truly is as you say, if the girl is on our side and not simply trying to trick us, then her life may be in grave danger. There is no telling what Hokuto will do with her after her betrayal."
Everyone heads inside, Akira looking a little paler than usual, but Mahiru hangs back for a minute. She can't help but raise her fingers to brush against her mouth remembering how close Mitsuru's lips were to her own. A spark of hope ignites in her chest. Maybe…Mitsuru has feelings for me, too? Nozomu yells her name and she hurries off down the stairs, a little skip in her step.
Author's Note
Told you I wouldn't give you that kiss yet lol. I'll try to post more tomorrow, promise, but the next chapter or two are giving me a bit of trouble. I shall do my best nonetheless.
