16The atmosphere felt tense around the table. No one uttered a word and an eerie silence fell upon them. With Reiji sat at the very far corner, Laito in between him and Shu, and Kanato right at the end, she didn't have much of an issue. Except for the fact that Laito was sat opposite her. This gave him an excellent view of her body and face which in turn made her uncomfortable, knowing Laito's personality. Subaru was sat to her right and Ayato to her left, which felt a little intimidating but nonetheless, she knew they were the best options. If she was sat next to Reiji, he would constantly remind her of her table manners. Kanato, would just look at her and possibly throw a fit and Laito would probably try something inappropriate.
What broke the silence was a crude comment from a certain red-head. "Hot~" Ema, not getting the joke, looked up and peered into his face. "What, do I have something on my face, Bitch-Chan~?" Averting her gaze, a slight blush coloured her cheeks. "Hey now,~ There's no need to avoid eye contact.~ In fact, that is one of the main properties of a good conversation.~ Maintaining good eye contact is a way of showing the person that you're listening.~" Laito said, with a wicked smile on his face. "Your behaviour is telling me that you are not listening to me, therefore, ignoring me, which I cannot accept." His smile quickly turned sour and his eyes held an unspoken malice. The food on the table and their company forgotten, Laito urged her to say something.
"Um... Sorry, Laito-kun." She said, a little shyly. Looking straight at him, however, gave her the chills so she managed to glance at his face before steering her gaze towards her plate, trying to concentrate on the task that she was meant to do. Nevertheless, he noticed the quick movement and smiled to himself.
"That's a little better but-"
"Laito, stop blabbering on about nonsense during dinner. It is incredibly rude." Reiji's voice rose from the end of the table. Adjusting his glasses, he continued eating, as if nothing was said at all. Dinner seemed to draw on and on in the silence that followed. With only an improper conversation with Laito it was not a very fun experience. Looking around the table she noticed, that every one of them was, different. She took into account their different personalities, but overall their appearance was different. Weren't they all brothers? She pondered. Apart from the two red-heads, she wouldn't be able to tell that they were siblings.
"If you're wondering why we're all so different I'll tell you." Shu's quiet voice wafted through the still air. The blond looked as if he could be in better places. "Reiji and I are from a single mother, whilst Ayato, Kanato and Laito, are from a different mother." At the mention of their mothers, each of the brothers faces, scrunched up in disgust. Only Shu's face remained passive.
"What about Subaru-kun?" She said, hesitantly.
"Subaru-"
"I have a different mother as well." Subaru's irritable reply was what ended the conversation. It appeared that everyone lost their appetite after that, and so, Reiji dismissed them, only to stop Ema before she reached the door.
"You have to work on your table manners, young lady." He said irritably. Glaring daggers at her until she left, she felt a sense of fear and quickly tried to escape to her room. "It is also quite rude to leave the room during a conversation." She didn't take two steps back when he appeared before her. Leaning down, he made his face level with hers and stared intently into her eyes. "Humans are all the same. All greedy and filthy in their own way, in the end there isn't a single soul untainted with gluttony." Straightening up, he looked down onto her and adjusted his glasses with the tip of his finger. Ema cocked her head to the side in confusion.
"Huh?"
"You wouldn't understand anyway and I have no intention of repeating myself." Sighing, Reiji spun on the spot and left the room, leaving a very bewildered Ema stood alone in the middle of the vacant dining area.
Trudging through the dimly lit corridors, she encountered Kanato with a grim look on his face.
"Kanato-san? Is everything alright? You look down. Did something happen?" She asked, getting a little closer in an intention of consoling him. However his curt reply caught her off guard.
"Follow me. Now"
With a look of hesitation, and glancing behind her, Ema accompanied the lilac haired boy to his room. Only then she noticed the absence of a very special someone.
"Kanato-san, where's Teddy?" Cautiously coming up to the still figure of Kanato, she placed a hand on his shoulder. Immediately, she regretted it.
"Don't touch me you! Don't think that you have the right to ask me such trivial questions! You are worth nothing!" With that burst of rage Kanato clenched his fists and took deep breaths. "I want you to fix Teddy. His paw has ripped." Shuffling towards the French windows, Kanato placed himself on the window sill and watched the moon rise.
Hesitant towards her actions, Ema carefully made her way to the bed were the stuffed toy was located. Picking up the sewing kit that lay next to it, she instantly set to work, keeping a watchful eye on the restless vampire.
His room was quite different to hers. Where she had a plush red carpet, his carpet was the colour of burnt wood. The bed posts were a rich metallic colour and apart from the silver bedside table, the room was lacking any other furniture. Despite this the room felt stuffy, probably because of the rows upon rows of stuffed animals, from human sized giraffes to hamster sized cats. Creatures of all shapes and sized lined the shelves on the walls, and those too big, were neatly arranged on the floor. Kanato also seemed to be in possession of a large variety of sweets. Cakes, chocolates, biscuits and candies were all stored in big glass jars in one vacant corner of the room. The air smelled sweet but salty, and the stuffed bears made the air heavy with moisture.
Feeling sweat build up on her brow, Ema looked up and decided on a very risky question. Depending on his mood, the little vampire might not kill her.
"Umm- Kanato-san, please may you open a window? It is terribly stuffy in here and I wouldn't like to spoil Teddy and miss a stitch with my moist hands." Reluctantly he obliged.
A refreshing blast of cold air brought a smile to her face as she continued to work.
Doing up the last stitch, Ema cut the needle and presented Teddy to the impatient Kanato. "Sorry it took so long." She said with a little smile.
"... fine. Just het going already." He whispered the first part, hugging Teddy tightly but she caught onto what he was trying to say.
"Oh, ok. Enjoy the fixed Teddy, and try not to break him in the future!" With a bright smile, she danced out of the room.
She hoped that this time, she'd make it back but fate had something else in mind. On the corridor leading to her room, she encountered a slumped figure lying on the floor. Walking up closer to the shape, she noticed it was Shu. His handsome features relaxed with sleep, seemed to send a shiver down her spine. One of his arms was supporting his head whilst the other rested on his chest, where she could see his gentle breaths. Holding her own breath, she crouched down and leaned close to his face to try and catch onto what he was listening to.
Ema was almost touching her lips with his when a faint classical tune reached her ears. Closing her eyes, she listened intently and without warning she heard him say, "If you want a kiss you can just ask you know."
Startled, she fell back and scrambled away from him. Holding her chest to slow her beating heart, she took three deep breaths but he didn't move an inch. Was she imagining it? But no, because he said again, " I couldn't make it to my room over there," he pointed to the door exactly at his feet, "could you perhaps help me?" Oh God, Shu Sakamaki is asking for my help, what the heck am I supposed to do! She thought franticly but he turned his head and looked at her questioningly. "Well?"
"U-u-um alright. I'll help." She stammered and scrambled to stand. Cautiously, she walked towards him and leaned down to grab his arms. In the process she slipped and fell on top of him. Her face flaming she frantically tried to get up but his arms held her in place. Suddenly she realised that she didn't slip, he pulled her down. Giving him an angry look, Ema tired standing but failed miserably, his arms were like iron vices, inescapable. She stopped her struggling and asked, "What are you doing here on the floor, really?" She felt his smile on her back.
"I already told you didn't I? I couldn't make it to my own bed so I had to make do with what I had."
Not really believing him, and thinking he did it all to try and lure her in, she realised she fell for his trap and now she was stuck like a deer in a hunter's trap. And just like that, she felt a stab of pain at her neck. Without warning, it came.
*** Looking down onto her hand, she noticed his trembling. Giving him a smile, she grasped his tighter until it stopped. The tears framed his vibrant scarlet eyes and she sat on the bench next to him. Taking a handkerchief from her pocket, she offered it to the crying vampire.
"I've never seen a vampire before, especially a crying one. Will you tell me what's wrong sir?" The little girl asked, curiosity peeking through her eyes. The man in the cloak looked her over and answered quite bluntly.
"I lost my wife." In shock, the girl hugged him. She knew it was wrong to hug a complete stranger but she couldn't help herself, he looked so lost and sad, she liked comforting people. Surprised, he stiffened and looked at her petite body.
"What's your name sir? I'm Ema Koyori, nice to meet you." Detaching herself from him, she smiled, never letting go of his hand.
Squeezing hers back the man smiled, "I'm Cain." ***
Screaming, Ema clawed at her temples. These visions are killing her. What did they mean, why did they only appear now. For the past six years she never experienced anything like this. For some reason she couldn't remember her childhood years but she had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with that car accident in her dream.
Surprised, Shu let her go and she rolled onto the floor clutching her head, face scrunched in pain.
Finally, as the pain was starting to ebb away, she relaxed and realised she was on the floor, looking straight at someone's shoes. These are really nice shoes. She felt herself being lifted and carried somewhere. Where are you taking me? She heard a door opening and closing and she instantly felt warm as softness enveloped her. Where am I? Closing her eyes, she drifted off into a dreamless state.
Watching her sleep he cast his mind back to her fit of pain. The flash of sudden pain sent panic to his head. It wasn't him that was hurting her like that so what was it? She was clutching at her head so... Maybe some sort of mental disorder? Maybe she finally became delirious after so much blood loss? He didn't know, and that was what bothered him. Staring at her sleeping features, she looked so innocent and vulnerable. Why did she even come here anyway? She didn't know them; she must've known something wasn't right when her parents said she'd go live with some 'relatives'.
Sighing, he made his way out of the room. Plugging his earphones back into his MP3 player, he filtered through his collection of classics and came across his favourite. Humming, he made his way to his bedroom where he could, hopefully get some well deserved rest. She was heavier than she looked.
Opening her eyes, she temporarily forgot where she was. Walking towards the bathroom, she looked into the mirror. Wait, wasn't this broken? Realisation hit her and she remembered what happened last night. The flood of images filtered through her head but she couldn't hold onto a single memory. Everything was so fuzzy. All she remembered was encountering Shu on the floor in the corridor, then nothing, just a lot of images of red eyes and a bench in a park. Thinking about it sent a jab of pain through her mind. Wait, what day is it today? Oh that's right!
Making her way downstairs, she passed Kanato with his newly fixed Teddy. Giving him a smile she waved and moved toward the kitchen, getting no response, she felt him following her. Grinning to herself, she took out flour, eggs and milk and measured out each. Feeling his eyes on her, she mixed the ingredients and heated a pan. Grabbing a ladle from a nearby drawer, she began making pancakes. Once the batter was finished she reached for the fridge and escaped with some whipped cream and berries.
He couldn't take it any longer. "What are you doing?" Smiling she turned around in fake surprise.
"Oh? Kanato! Hello, would you like some pancakes? They're very sweet and I could put on some extra cream for you if you'd like." She said cheerfully. She reached for an extra plate when she heard rustling behind her. Smiling, she turned around with six extra plates. "Good morning how are you all?"
Taking them all by surprise, she walked into the dining room and began to set the table. Returning to the kitchen she felt six pairs of eyes boring into her back, but she didn't let that stop her. Grabbing seven forks and knives, she took the cream under her arm and whizzed to the dining room. Making everything look perfect, she returned for the pancakes and placed them elegantly in the middle of the table. Turning around she found all six of them staring curiously at her. Even Shu took his earphones out to concentrate on her. Giving them a grin she said, "Would you all like to be seated? After all, I wouldn't want all those delicious pancakes to go to waste." Giving them another innocent smile, she seated herself on the end of the table, expecting Subaru to sit next to her but being disappointed when Kanato took his place. Quickly regaining her smile, she passed the pancakes around, "Here take some," silence following her request, "Could you pass the cream and berries Shu?"
"OK, that's it. What the heck is going on?!" A certain red head burst out, finally breaking the deafening silence.
Looking innocently at him, she beamed, "Whatever do you mean, Ayato-kun?"
"You fully well know what I'm talking about. What's with the pancake breakfast, Pancake? If it's something to do with Valentines Day, then I would say I'm impressed but don't girls give chocolates for such occasions?" Ayato demanded. Sighing with defeat and feeling six pairs of eyes on her again, she stood and reached for the cream herself. Sitting back down, she began her breakfast by herself, after about three bites, Shu stood and was about to leave when she murmured something. "What was that Pancake?"
"I said it's my birthday." Ema said a little louder, casting her eyes downward. She was hoping to spend her special day with her own family but apparently that wasn't possible and she was forced to spend it with six sadistic vampires. She made the best of the situation and tried to make it feel homely. After about three minutes of silence, Reiji cleared his throat, "Well, let's not waste any good food then." Glancing at him, she saw a hint of a smile on his face but as soon as it appeared it vanished.
Settling back down, Shu sighed and everyone began eating. Feeling hope surge through her, Ema ate the breakfast with a smile all the way through. Once or twice, she stole a glace form Subaru, but every time she looked at him, he turned away, a hint of red highlighting his cheeks. Ten minutes later, Ema was about to say something when Subaru stood and abruptly left the table, Reiji muttering something about manners as he left.
After clearing up, she made her way outside before she had to leave for school. She couldn't believe the change in atmosphere. Yesterday she was terrified of sitting with any of them and after getting a telling off from Reiji she was scared of sitting at that table ever again, but one day changed everything. She didn't exactly feel any safer now than she did yesterday but at least the atmosphere was a little livelier, and she felt a little more at ease sitting next to Kanato.
She wanted the news to sink in a little more for them all. Inhaling the sweet scent of a nearby rose bush, she let her mind wander, not knowing that she was being watched.
He found her again. She changed drastically form the last time he saw her, but the vibrant blond her and deep sapphire eyes was what gave her away. Perching in a nearby tree, he recalled the deal that they have struck eight years ago and mentally cursed himself for not being able to stop her departure, but following her led to further complications. After the car accident he had to return to Japan and wait for her to return willingly. Though following the years of waiting he feared the worst and was about to give up when the same energetic, fearless girl jumped out of a black Volvo in the street that he was passing. By the look on her face then, she looked excited to be back, as if she didn't remember anything about being here before.
Cursing himself again, for her amnesia, he stared longingly at her beautiful face. The day was drawing near. Another year and she would be his. He would wait another couple of hours when she's alone and unaware.
With school over, she found herself back in her own room. There, she was surprised to find five neatly wrapped gifts lying side by side on her bed. Smiling, she made a mental note to thank those sadistic teens later. Pouncing on the nearest parcel, she read was from Ayato. Obviously it had to be the largest one. Under the paper she found a beautiful ebony black, satin dress. Gasping in adoration, she covered her mouth in surprise and hugged the dress to her body and hung it in the wardrobe, she was sure to wear it sometime soon.
The next parcel was addressed from Reiji and it housed a beautiful sapphire necklace with real gems. From Laito, she received a pair of deep blue high heel boots. Squealing in delight like a little girl, she rushed to open the next parcel.
This one was from Shu. Opening up the tightly packed box, she saw the latest MP4 player. Quickly plugging her ears she heard a chorus of k-pop. This particular song ripped her off the bed and made her dance. It was her favourite band, Big Bang singing their newest song, 'We Like 2 Party'. This was perfect for the situation. Once the music reached an end, she removed the ear buds and reached for the final parcel, from Kanato.
Inside she found the cutest stuffed bunny she ever saw. Hugging it tight, she fell onto her bed. Wrapped in discarded wrapping paper, she slowly drifted to sleep, worrying about the number of parcels. Where's the one from Subaru? Closing her eyes she left this world with a smile, satisfied with all the gifts she received, and being completely unaware of the presence at the window.
Opening the latch, he saw her sleeping soundly amongst shredded pieces of wrapping paper. Of course it was her birthday, though he didn't know why she picked this particular day for this. Gliding silently towards the bed, he glanced at her sleeping form. Leaning down, he elongated his fangs and pierced her supple flesh as gently as possible, so not to wake her. Surprised, at the slightly sweet taste, he removed his mouth form her neck, receiving only a moan from her. Lifting her head, he cut his wrist and placed it to her lips, urging her to drink. She was resistant at first but gradually, she gulped the blood. Satisfied with the healing wound, he stood and covered her with blankets.
He moved to the window then, and only glanced back once, seeing her shift her body to hug the rabbit, he latched the window and disappeared into the night. "Until the twenty-first of the tenth month, my dear." He whispered.
Hearing a rustling noise, she cracked an eye open to see Subaru entering her room with something behind his back. Smiling, she sat up and felt energy rush through her. She felt more alive than ever. A faint copper taste filled her mouth followed by the sweetest sensation she ever tasted. Licking her lips, she remembered her visitor. "Good morning Subaru-kun!" She felt like she could jump to the moon. In today's Judo class, she was sure to beat him. "What do you have there?"
Blushing slightly, he revealed a golden birdcage. Inside, she saw the most beautiful and crystal white macaw she ever laid eyes on. "Happy Birthday." It cawed, much to Subaru's satisfaction.
"Do you like it?" He asked when she just stared at the cage. "If you don't I can always return it..." He said rather annoyingly.
"What? No! I love her! It is a 'her' right?" Blushing another scarlet red, he nodded and handed the cage over to her. He made to go out when she called him. "Subaru," he glanced back at her quiet voice and saw her blushing pink, "Thank you. I love your present the most."
"The most! The most!" The macaw repeated, at which he cracked a small smile, seeing Ema's embarrassed face.
"Happy Birthday Ema." He said and left the room.
A/N- So, please review ad tell me what you think. Please try to be as honest as possible, any amount of criticism is greatly appreciated and also, a lot of motivation! The more motivating reviews, the more support I feel I have to write the next chapter! And like I said before, I am so terribly sorry for the wait. I'll do my best to try and publish chapter seven next week but I don't know if I'll be able. I'll do my best though. With summer holidays coming up I'm sure to find more time to write so you can definitely expect more chapters from me.
And please, please,please review. As you know, some or most of you here are fellow writers yourselves, so you know how writers block feels. Without motivation, I feel as though nobody wants to read my fanfiction so I don't have the spirit to write so yes, please, review.