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Kamui knows nothing about the guy he’s fucking right now.
Not his name, or why he was at that party, he might as well have started hooking up with a blank sheet of paper.
But it’s better that way. Kamui doesn’t need messy, complicated relationships. He just needs to be drunk and with a guy that’s hot and he’ll have a good time.
And Kamui is having a really good time. His heart is racing and he feels like he can do anything. Absolutely anything.
“Hey,” Kamui whispers into what’s-his-name’s ear. “Guess what. You’re not getting any sleep tonight.”
When Hatsuaki wakes up and the space beside him is empty, for a second it’s like his world has ended all over again.
Then Hikari comes back with coffee, wearing an ugly pair of red blue and white pants Kamui SWORE people in Western New York wore everywhere and an old shirt Hatsuaki had forgotten she’d stolen.
She’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.
He leans in for a kiss as she hands him the coffee mug.
“Ok, hold your horses, big guy,” Hikari laughs. “Gotta go back to the real world sometime.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Hikari says. “Oh man this is gonna be so complicated now, I–”
Her phone buzzes, as she sets down the coffee to look at it. “Fuck it’s the shithead.”
“Who?”
“Osamu Kubo,” she sighs. “He’s younger than me but my superior in the order so he likes to boss me around. He wants to know how Akito-kun is doing.”
“Akito-kun? Toya’s boyfriend? Why does your cult–”
Hikari shoots him a glare.
“Erm- Order even care about him?”
Hikari sighs. “Let’s go find everyone else, I don’t feel like explaining this twice.”
Dishes are flying around everywhere. Since everyone they knew had stayed over, Honami had offered to help with making a big breakfast.
At least Kotaro’s chatting with the other Tenma ghosts and seems to be getting along with them. Aunt Gertrude had disappeared during the night at some point, probably in the process of possessing someone doing some very obscure drugs.
Auntie didn’t know where she was, and she’s always hard to pin down about the prophecy. Other ghosts promised to look through her things to try and find the picture of Akito she drew, not that there’s any hope that Akito isn’t the chosen one, at this rate.
In fact, that’s the reason Toya’s parents are here, even if they’re staying as far away from Akito as possible. Auntie said they’d all have to discuss the prophecy over breakfast.
Akito had wanted to go out for one of his early morning runs, but Toya had made bat eyes at him until he agreed to stay, at least while things got sorted out.
Finally, the doors open and in comes Hatsuaki and Hikari.
“Caine!” Narin gasps. “So it’s true!”
“H-hello Mrs. Aoyagi,” Hikari says. “I know I have a lot to explain, and you’re probably mad at me but–”
Narin pulls her into a hug, and Harumichi pats her on the back. “There will be time for explanations in a minute. For now we’re glad you’re ok,” Narin says.
Hika-nee looks incredibly uncomfortable and locks eyes on Akito, walking over to him.
“Hey, you alright?” she asks.
“Uh, yeah?” Akito says. “I’m the chosen one, apparently?”
Hikari sighs. “Yeah let’s… let’s unpack all of that.”
“Oh, but first!” Honami says. “Breakfast is ready!”
Cinnamon apple pancakes float over to everyone’s laps, and the Aoyagis, Tenmas, Hikari, and Akito all sit at the table, while everyone else sits around the living room floor or kitchen.
Honami’s pancakes are melt in the mouth good, and Akito looks like he’s died and gone to heaven.
“Alright,” Hikari says. “Where do we–”
The door slams open, and Kamui comes in, wearing dark sunglasses. “Here’s where you all are!”
“Where have you been?” Narin asks, “we texted you hours ago.”
“Exactly where you think I’ve been, mother. But no matter, what’s so important I had to come here early without finishing my breakfast.”
“Good to see you too, Kamui,” Hikari mutters.
“Ah, the lost lenore returns! Now what were you up to, beyond driving my brother mad with grief?”
Hatsuaki stands up. “Kamui!”
“What? I don’t know if you had the important family meeting without me already, but last I checked, you were spending every day distraught your beloved Hikari didn’t love you enough to come back as a ghost.” Kamui leans back in the doorway. “Except she’s here, looking none the worse for wear, which is odd because if I remember correctly it’s very hard to accidentally fake your own death for years, so what exactly were you up to?”
“Enough, Kamui!” Narin snaps. “If you’re drunk, go sleep it off, and we’ll tell you what’s going on later.”
“What it’s ok to do this without me and with all of Toya’s closest friends? We expanding the clan now?”
“Clearly you’re not in a position for this!” Hatsuaki snaps. “Now go, before I make you.”
Kamui shrugs and glides upstairs, probably to the Tenma’s guest room to sleep off his hangover.
“I’m so sorry about him,” Narin says turning back to Hikari. “Somehow, I think he’s gotten worse since you left.”
“I mean, he’s not wrong to be wary,” Hikari says. “I lied to you, all of you. I’m a member of The Order of the Heavenly Chord.”
“The cult?” Harumichi asks.
“It’s not a cult,” Hikari says. “It is a secret order of monster hunters meant to protect humanity from the forces of darkness. And because of this I was supposed to infiltrate your clan to keep eyes on you. That’s how I ended up meeting Hatsuaki. And when we moved on to other priorities, I faked my death and never looked back.”
“But you came back,” Hatsuaki says, taking her hand. “That’s what matters most.”
“Speaking of coming back,” Akito says. “Why’ve you been stalking me?”
Hikari grimaces. “Um Gertrude’s prophecy, I found it one day and told my superiors. They got excited about it, the idea that we could finally be rid of monsters.”
“But we don’t know that’s what it means, right?” Toya says. “It could mean anything!”
“Yes, of course, but they’re convinced Akito-kun marks our chance, and I’m supposed to make sure no one gets rid of him before they can finalize their plan.”
“What plan?” Tsukasa asks.
“I’m not allowed to know. I’m supposed to shut up and keep my eyes on The Chosen One.”
“Ok but this seems to be a lot of faith put into an already vague prophecy written by a woman who was high at the time!” Akito points out.
“Hey now!” Everyone jumps as Aunt Gertrude reappears. “Intoxication is an important part of receiving visions in many cultures! You think the Oracle of Delphi was sober when she was telling people they’d kill their dad? The Giant prophecies were known for being incredibly accurate and precise! It took so much work to find a temple with intact herbs which you can’t cultivate anymore I might add.”
“Wait, hold on,” Ena asks from the kitchen. “You found ancient Giant weed, smoked it, and got a vision about my brother ‘making the human and monster worlds one,’ and because of that a cult is after him to help destroy all of us?”
“Not a cult,” Hikari mutters.
“Yes! I received the vision, wrote down the prophecy and details I could remember, and then I died.”
“How?”
“Oh the Giant weed stopped my heart.”
Everyone stares at her.
Yakumo coughs. “It’s not the strangest way anyone’s ever gotten a prophecy.”
“It isn’t?” Rui asks.
“Anyway, a few people knew about it,” Hikari says, “mostly old demons and vampires and the like, but the order managed to synthetically recreate the Giant weed to receive the same prophecy.”
“I’m sorry,” Tono says. “So your not-cult had someone get high on the Giant weed that kills you just to confirm that teenage boy is the subject in a prophecy they think is about killing all monsters.”
“Ok, you don’t get to judge me, you’re the reason any of this is moving as fast as it is!” Hikari says. “If you hadn’t kidnapped Akito-kun, then my superior wouldn’t have freaked out and made a move early!”
“I was cursed!”
“Because you were being a bitch.”
“Now now!” Koki says. “Look, everyone, there’s no need to fight, right? It’s not like the prophecy is widely known, or that Akito-kun’s the one mentioned, so there’s no real need to worry someone might target him about it.”
“Lugh yeah,” Arata says. “If he starts getting targeted for something specific along with his natural ability to wander into trouble–”
“One of those times was literally just you,” Akito says.
“-- we’d have to keep like constant watch on him.”
“I can make you a protective Talisman!” Tsukasa offers.
“That’d be great,” Toya says. “I’ll also be close to Akito.” Toya says that last part while not breaking eye contact with his parents.
“Yes, I suppose as one of the few people who know the prophecy, we have an obligation to not let harm befall anyone because of it,” Harumichi says, but he clearly isn’t happy.
“I’ll go report to my superiors, tell them you don’t know about the prophecy or anything, so they don’t get suspicious,” Hikari says.
“Do you have to go back to them?” Hatsuaki asks.
“Yeah, I do,” Hikari says. “They’re my family… I can’t just abandon them.”
Then she heads out the door.
Hikari’s been gone for a couple hours, and everyone else went home.
Toya feels… hollow. It’s like losing her all over again.
The Order of the Heavenly Chord means more to her than they do… a society that wants to destroy monsters.
Toya shakes his head. No, that’s not it. There’s… something else. He knows it.
Right now, he needs to focus on Kamui-oniichan— who should be awake and hungover by now.
He steps into Kamui-oniichan’s room, and Kamui-oniichan looks… annoyed as he stares into his mirror.
“What’dya want?” He groans, and Toya raises an eyebrow.
“Still drunk?”
“Nope. Fully sober.”
Huh, Toya doesn’t remember hangovers turning Kamui-oniichan into this much of a prick.
“Doesn’t matter. Turns out Akito’s the chosen one in Gertrude’s prophecy, and Hika-nee’s a member of The Order of the Heavenly Chord.
Kamui rolls his eyes.
“Of course she is.”
Toya raises an eyebrow.
“Did you get into a fight with Shosuke-san?”
“Shosuke? No, he has nothing to do with this. I think it’s just ridiculous that we’re putting so much stock in her and this stupid prophecy!”
“Stupid?! He’s the one who’s meant to make the human and monster worlds one!”
“Who cares?! So we’re supposed to defend the squishy little human because we need him?! We’re vampires, we shouldn’t be putting so much stock in some dumbass human!”
Toya’s face falls.
“Even if we didn’t… you know I love him. I thought that would be enough for you, Onii-chan.”
And Kamui-oniichan… he laughs.
“Love? You love him?” He says, before his voice drops to a dark tone that Toya’s never heard out of him. “Don’t make me laugh, Toya.”
Toya freezes.
“What did you call me?”
Kamui-oniichan finally turns around and looks at Toya, and… something’s wrong.
“You… you didn’t call me your little maestro.” Toya says, and Kamui rolls his eyes.
“Aren’t you a little old for cute little nicknames?” He hisses. “You want to protect your boyfriend, do it yourself.”
He turns into a bat and flies out the window, and Toya turns around and runs down the stairs.
“Something’s wrong!” Toya snaps, and his mother sighs.
“Toya, Kamui’s just drunk. He’ll be back to normal in a few more hours.”
“No! No way! This isn’t just him getting mean while he’s drunk! He’s not acting like himself!”
Hatsuaki-oniichan sighs.
“Kamui’s going to be Kamui. You know how he is, Toya.”
“He didn’t call me his little maestro and when I asked why he said I was too old for it.”
Auntie drops a flask.
“…Now, that’s different.” Toya’s father says.
“Kamui?” Akito asks. “Why are you following me?”
Kamui slams his palm into the wall by Akito’s head. “Hey handsome.”
“Kamui, this wasn’t funny last time, it’s not funny right now.”
“Really? I think it’s pretty funny. The way Toya squirms when you do anything.”
“Toya? Since when do you call him Toya?”
Kamui grabs Akito’s face. “You’re much cuter when you don’t talk.”
“Ok. So something is desperately wron—“
“I said shut up! God it’s so unfair, why does my stupid little brother get someone who’ll worship the ground he walks on?” Kamui snarls. “I’m hotter than him, I’m more fun, I’m a better musician, and yet I have no one to appreciate me.”
Akito carefully reaches for his phone. He doesn’t have to look to call Toya, if he can just…
“Hey. Stop that.” Kamui says forcefully, and Akito’s body moves on its own.
“H-how—?”
“Shut up.”
Akito’s mouth clamps shut.
“All that time with Toya, you’ve probably built up some resistance to hypnotism,” Kamui says. “That’s why you’re still glaring at me like that. Ah well.” He scoops Akito up over his shoulder. “Whatever, we can still have our fun little surprise for my dear little brother.”
Hikari bursts through the door, her eyes panicked.
“Kamui, where’s Kamui?” She gasps.
“He just left, why?” Toya asks, and Hikari looks even more panicked.
“A hypnotist vampire with light blue hair was just targeted by the Order.”
“Why would they target Kamui?” Toya’s father says, and Hikari shakes her head.
“It’s just because it’s… him. He’s under a curse that corrupts and destroys the soul.”
Toya’s mother sighs.
“Which of his ex-boyfriends did he piss off?”
Hatsuaki-oniichan counts his fingers and thinks.
“I can’t think of any wizards or warlocks, but then again, he has so many exes.” He sighs.
Hikari shakes her head.
“Worse than that. It’s transitive— passed through loveless sex. It normally kills the victim, but…”
“Vampires don’t need a soul.” Auntie finishes.
Toya blinks, and Saki puts her head in her hands.
“Kamui-nii has an STD that’s turning him evil?”
“This would only happen to him.” Toya groans.
“Of course.” Toya’s father says. “Now, how do we fix him before he loses all of his soul?”
“You’re going to hate this part.” Hikari says. “True love.”
Everyone freezes.
“We need to find… Kamui’s true love?” Hatsuaki says.
“Would Shosuke-san count?” Tsukasa-senpai says.
“He’d have to admit he was in love with him.” Hikari says.
“So no.” Auntie finishes.
“True love’s a fickle thing.” Tono-san says, and Toya’s head snaps over to him.
“Where did you come from?”
“Sensed something was up. I think Akito-kun’s in trouble. And it might have something to do with that curse you just mentioned.”
“What would you know about curses?” Tsukasa-senpai asks, and Tono-san rolls his eyes.
“Faerie, remember? We invented curses. And the stipulation on true love is a lot less strong than in true love’s kiss— the kiss modifies it into romantic love. So what you need is someone that your brother adores.”
“Sorry, can we go back to Akito?” Toya asks, and Tono-san waves his hand so purple sparks fall off.
“Oh, yeah, I’m pretty sure he got kidnapped. That’s what those monster hunters were saying, anyway.”
“What?!”
Akito groans. It’s always him, isn’t it?
Of course Toya’s brother would get turned evil, and of course he would turn around and kidnap him!
He doesn’t even get it this time! Kamui’s never shown interest in him before, aside from jokingly calling him hot to piss Toya off. Tono kidnapping him makes sense because he’s a pathetic loser, the Order kidnapping him makes sense because of that stupid prophecy, but why the hell is Kamui kidnapping him?
And Akito can’t move. He thought Toya was strong, but compared to his brother?
Toya…
Akito’s hand twitches at the thought of him, and Kamui rolls his eyes.
“Will you stop being stubborn? Freeze.” He says offhandedly, and Akito’s frozen again.
Kamui’s not using his whole power, that much is obvious. To do this level of hypnotism, Toya has to focus and make direct eye contact.
But why? What’s going on?
Eventually the door bursts open, and it’s… Hikari?
“Ah, the lost lenore! Come to break my brother’s heart again?”
“That’s none of your damn business, Kamui.” Hikari responds, and a group of bats and Tenmas rush in after her.
“Onii-chan!” Toya snaps, shifting back into human form. “What are you doing?!”
“Isn’t it obvious, Toya?” Kamui says, with a lazy, catlike smirk. “I’m taking your little boyfriend for myself. I thought about killing him, but can you imagine that ending? You just summon him back as a ghost and it never mattered? Hah! Can you imagine telling that to Clara-san?! She’d drive a stake through my heart! No, no. I need an Aoyagi finish. That beautiful sonata, or that stunning high note. Something that brings the house down.”
“So… what? What’s your big finish?” Toya’s mom asks.
“And spoil the ending?! Mother, I’m surprised at you! I mean, I know you expect nothing from me, but I thought my passion for a good performance is one thing you’d never question me on!”
Hatsuaki raises an eyebrow.
“‘I know you expect nothing from me?’” He asks, and Kamui laughs.
“Ever the big brother, huh, Hatsuaki? Here to save me again? You know, I bet you love it when I screw up. It just shows how you’re so perfect and I’m the family joke.”
Hatsuaki’s eyes widen.
“Wh—?!”
“I mean, the kinds of things you say to my face! Imagine what you must be saying behind my back! ‘Don’t worry about Kamui, he’s just going to keep being a screwup!’”
Kamui suddenly stops laughing, and there’s this… dark tone in his voice.
“Even now, I’m embarrassing you. That’s why you’re all here. To get me to stop ruining your reputation among the vampires. So won’t this be better for everyone? I’ll kill him, lose my soul, and no one will get hurt.”
…Hang on.
“You’re… trying to protect them…” Akito forces out, and Kamui turns around and glares at him.
“Shut up!”
The pressure on him gets so much worse, and Akito can’t even process what’s going on anymore. It’s like he’s surrounded by bright blue streaks and spirals.
Toya’s eyes soften, but Hatsuaki’s eyes sharpen.
“Keep talking.” He says, and Akito’s suddenly dragged into a world of night.
“He’s trying to protect you. He’s doing this to himself because he thinks it’ll be better for everyone if he loses it— and if he kills me, there’s no chance that the Order’s version of the prophecy could come true.”
Kamui scoffs.
“He’s wrong. Let him go, Hatsuaki.”
Hatsuaki just turns to Kamui.
“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?” He says, and Tenma-san turns to him.
“Isn’t the point of this to be nice to your brother?” She says, but Hatsuaki ignores her.
“You’re right, you are more trouble than you’re worth! So you know why I keep coming back to drag you out of trouble?! Because you’re my brother, and for some goddamn reason, I love you!”
“Hah! Don’t give me that! You’re always talking about how much you want to strangle me!”
Hatsuaki’s eye starts to twitch.
“Of course I want to strangle you sometimes, we’re siblings! But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you, and that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t kill for you!”
“He’s right, Kamui.” Toya’s mom adds. “You’re our child. And I know we fight a lot, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love you.”
“Rather, it means the opposite.” Toya’s dad cuts in. “We only care so much because we love you— and that means we’ll call you an idiot when you’re acting like an idiot. If it wasn’t you, I wouldn’t bother to say anything about it.”
“We’re a family, Kamui.” Tenma-san adds. “Nothing’s ever going to change that.”
“Yeah, Kamui-nii! That’s right!” Saki cheers. “I mean, when I was growing up, I always wanted to see you! You never said no to playing with me!”
“And you’d always drop by when Saki was in the hospital to make sure I was doing alright!” Tsukasa cuts in.
And then Toya steps forward.
“Kamui-oniichan… I know things are different between us now than from when I was a child. It’s a lot more complicated now. But… I never stopped loving you. Sometimes family is hard and complicated, but… I’d hate not having you around.”
Toya starts to tear up.
“I’d hate it if I never saw you again, Onii-chan.”
Then Toya rushes over with full vampire speed and hugs his brother, and Kamui freezes.
“My… little maestro…” he mutters.
And then he scoops Toya up and pulls him into a tight hug.
“I love you, little maestro!”
Toya chuckles.
“I love you too, Onii-chan.”
Then Kamui rushes over and practically drags the rest of the family into a group hug, and he laughs.
“I love you guys so much! I have the best family ever!”
“There’s the Kamui I missed.” Hatsuaki responds.
Akito can’t help but crack a smile. It’s good to see Toya and his family getting along.
“…Hey, wait.” Kamui says. “Where’s Uncle?”
Tenma-san blinks.
“Wasn’t he right behind us?” She asks, and then the door bursts open again and another blond man runs in heaving.
“I’m… I’m here… gotta tell Kamui… that we love him…”
Kamui’s eyes widen.
“Uncle! It’s okay! I’m fine!”
Tsukasa-senpai’s dad lets out a breath.
“Oh, thank God. I didn’t know what I was going to do if you weren’t around.”
Even Hikari’s smiling.
“Good to have you back.” She chuckles.
“Can we go get ice cream?!” Saki cuts in.
“Yeah! Ice cream!” Kamui adds.
“Fine, fine.” Toya’s dad says. “Come on, Hikari. You too.”
“What about Akito?” Toya asks, and Harumichi rolls his eyes.
“…Just because of what just happened. Come along, Shinonome.”
Akito tries to get up, but his legs still feel weighted.
Tenma-san snaps her fingers in front of Akito’s face.
“Hatsuaki, Kamui, I think you guys are still holding him.”
Hatsuaki and Kamui share a glance, and then the pressure on Akito’s body is finally released and he can breathe again.
“Thanks.” He groans, and Toya rushes over to help him up.
“Are you alright?” He says, and Akito nods.
“Yeah. I’m fine, Toya.”
The ice cream parlor isn’t too busy, which is great because the entire family can come in and hang out!
Hatsuaki and Hikari are sharing a banana split, Akito and Toya are splitting a milkshake, and Kamui’s chowing down on an ice cream bar.
“You know, Kamui, I do hope this experience has taught you something.” His mother says, sipping a smoothie. “Like to be a little bit more careful about who you have relations with.”
Kamui raises an eyebrow, and Hatsuaki sighs.
“Please think with your brain, not your—.”
“Hey!” Kamui cuts him off. “I’m always safe! This is the first STD I’ve gotten! And anyway, how was I supposed to know it was a transitive curse?! They’re illegal for a reason!”
Hatsuaki puts his head in his hands.
“…Just be careful, okay?” He says. “You might be immortal, but you’re not invulnerable.”
“You’re not faeries.” Toya’s friend Tono says, laying on top of the booth, and Kamui jumps.
“Where did you come from?!”
“Ignore him. He does this.” Shinonome sighs. “He probably just came to make sure I’m not dead.”
Tono flinches slightly. Oh, Shinonome clocked him.
“I’ll tell Ken-san.” He says, before giving a Cheshire smirk and vanishing.
“So that’s just a thing he does?” Hikari asks, and Kamui’s mom shrugs.
“It’s a thing all faeries do.”
Hikari sighs.
It’s a good day. She gets to be out with her… boyfriend? Lover? Whatever Hatsuaki is to her, and it’s nice.
“Still think all us monsters should be destroyed?” Hatsuaki says, and Hikari sighs.
“…I used to think that. Before I met you. But then I saw people who were… kind, gentle, and sweet. I didn’t know how to reconcile that with the image of vampires I had in my head.”
And Hikari looks up.
“You’re just like we are. Living, laughing… loving.”
Hatsuaki turns red, her blood rushing up to his face.
“Before you… I was going to ask if you would stay with me… longer. More than eighty years. Maybe a ghost, maybe a vampire, whatever you wanted.”
And then his face falls.
“I tried to call for you, my dear.”
Hikari fiddles with her hands.
“I know you did. I wanted to come back, but…”
“They’re your family.” Hatsuaki finishes. “But… is that how a family treats you?”
“What?” Hikari asks.
“You see how much my parents ‘hate’ Shinonome, right?” Hatsuaki says. “But they’d never shun Toya for dating him. And they’d never try to hurt him. That’s what family is supposed to be— they’re supposed to love you no matter how much you screw up. If you told your cult how much you loved me, would they accept it because they loved you?”
Hikari turns away.
“They wouldn’t.” She says. “But they have good reason. Monsters like you… they killed my family.”
Hatsuaki steps back.
“Like me?”
“Vampires.” Hikari says. “Vampires killed my family. Ones that lost their souls, like Kamui almost did.”
Hikari takes a breath.
“I didn’t help you because I love you.” She says. “I helped you because I was scared that if Kamui lost his soul, he’d come after me.”
Hatsuaki shakes his head.
“I don’t believe that.”
“Believe what you will.” Hikari says. “I should go.”
He’ll find someone else. Someone not torn between love and hatred for everything he is.
She tries to walk away, but Hatsuaki grabs her arm.
It’s a loose grip. Hikari could pull out if she wanted to.
“Then why did you warn us that your cult was after Kamui?” Hatsuaki asks. “Why did you fake your own death? You could have killed the entire clan easily— we trusted you.”
“I tried!” Hikari finally snaps. “I tried to kill all of you! That was my order! All we needed were the Tenmas, so we could stake the Aoyagi clan with no hesitation! I had my crossbow, and I was ready, but… but…”
Hikari starts to tear up.
“But Tou-chan walked in. And he looked at me with those adorable eyes of his, and he asked me if I wanted to read his Nancy Drew books with him. And I thought to myself… how could I kill that innocent child? And even if I spared him, how could I kill his family? How could I kill you? So you see, I could never join your clan. Because I almost did destroy you.”
Hatsuaki sighs.
“But you didn’t. In a hundred years, I’ve made more mistakes than I can count. In almost a thousand, my parents have made even more. That’s part of life, Hikari. No matter how long it is. The important thing is that we learn from them and move on.”
Hatsuaki suddenly pulls Hikari close, and Hikari’s heart starts to race.
She was raised to hate monsters. Especially vampires. But…
But her heart doesn’t race with fear or hatred when Hatsuaki holds her like this. It races with excitement. Passion.
“I won’t ask you to choose between them and me.” Hatsuaki says. “If you love them, you love them. And I meant what I said— if my being alive causes you pain, then stake me right now. Because I adore you, Hikari. And I’d do anything to make you happy.”
And Hikari lunges up and kisses him. It’s hungry, it’s desperate.
The next thing she knows, she’s back in her apartment, sitting on her desk, and Hatsuaki’s fangs are in her neck.
It’s complicated. It’s messy.
But she knows that she wants him. Badly.
And when those eyes like an endless night stare back at her, she knows that he wants her just the same.