Author Note: I'm trying to update everything at least once before the storm gets real bad. I hate when the power goes out and I have to leave you guys with nothing for two or three days... Anyway, the idea for this came to me when I thought of what a lot of girls fear. Ruka was raised to be a "lady" so I saw her having a paralyzing fear in this area...
Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight and I make absolutely no profit from this!
This kind of behavior was definitely uncommon for thirteen year olds.
"Akatsuki!" Ruka yelled from her room. Akatsuki came running, as he always did. Whenever she called his name, he was pulled to her, day or night, rain or shine.
"What's wrong?" Akatsuki scanned the room, but everything seemed fine.
Ruka looked at him with huge eyes and looked around, then darted to him, hugging him tighter than she ever had before. "There's a spider..."
Akatsuki tried not to sigh. Besides not being good enough for Kaname, this was Ruka's other crippling fear, and he always tried to understand.
"Ok, show me where the spider is." Akatsuki gently tried to detach her from him, but she wouldn't let go. "Ruka, if you want me to get rid of it, you have to show me where it is..."
"I'm scared..." Ruka hid her face against his shirt.
"I know, I know." Akatsuki picked her up and set her on her bed. "Tuck your legs up, I won't let it get you. Where is it?"
Ruka pointed a shaking finger at her vanity mirror, where a single daddy long legs spider crawled placidly, uninterested in anything.
"It won't hurt you, I promise." Akatsuki scooped the spider out, took it to the front porch and set it on the railing. When he returned, Ruka was nearly in tears.
"You didn't kill it right?" She asked, bottom lip shaking. "It didn't deserve to die just because I was scared of it... you didn't right?"
"I just took it outside." The boy sat beside her and hugged her tight. "It'll live a long happy life there."
"Thank you... Akatsuki..." Ruka buried her face in his shirt. "You're the only one who understands."
"I try to." Akatsuki held her close and rubbed her back. "Are you going to be alright, Ruka?"
"Yeah..." Ruka looked up at Akatsuki, who even at thirteen was taller than her. "You're the best friend I could ever ask for."
Even so young, the word "friend" felt like a bullet in the boy's heart. Still, he tried not to let it control him. "I'm glad I can be here for you."
But Ruka had a secret, one she kept even from Akatsuki. She had a crush on him, a crush she had harbored for a few years now. It was the way he always cared for her, always taken care of her, the way he understood. But she had been scared for just as long as she had this crush, that he wouldn't understand this, that he wouldn't see her that way.
"You're so special..." Ruka gave him a broken little smile. "I hope... that the girl you end up loving appreciates you."
Their eyes locked, and unspeakable tension flowed through their gazes. They understood the rules: Akatsuki wouldn't make her do anything; it was Ruka's job to do it.
Ruka leaned in and lay her lips ever so lightly on Akatsuki's that either of them could barely feel it. As her nerves ebbed, she increased the pressure, kissing him with increasing intensity. Akatsuki's hands drifted down to her hips, which he laid his hands against. Ruka slowly wrapped her arms around his neck; in such a cautious manner that Akatsuki briefly wondered if she was still nervous. They had both been dreaming of this moment, but neither of them knew it.
The next time Ruka saw a spider, she hoped it could lead to a moment just like this.
Author Note: I'm laughing because that was the worst kiss scene ever. My prompt was arachnophobia, if you can't tell. I kind of like the way this one turned out, but I hate writing in third person. Anyone have any tips for me about writing in third person? Thank you for reading!