BLOOD STAINED ROSES

Blood Stained Roses
Chapter 10

Two weeks had passed pretty uneventfully since Ryou had left. During this time, things in the mansion had more or less gotten back to normal. Kisaki was still staying most of the night, but meals were no longer filled with that awkward silence that they all hated. They talked about whatever they could think of, though sometimes that lead to things just as awkward as the silence. Even Kisaki joined in the conversation every once in awhile. As usual, the people who came to Chuu's room varied a little. Even Ichirou and Noriko came in a few times. He even got a visitor that he did not expect.

It was a very normal night. Kisaki had gone out to hunt as he usually did. Yami and Yuna had just left only a couple minutes before. That was why Chuu was startled when he heard a soft knock on the door. Who would be coming to see him now? Usually no one came to see him unless they were bringing food. Had one of the girls forgot something? They did seem forgetful, but what could they have left behind?

The door opened and an unfamiliar woman with brilliant red hair, which waved and framed her pale, delicate face and golden brown eyes practically glided in. At least that was what it looked like to Chuu. He was also beginning to wonder if vampires were required to wear black, because every one he had met wore black... although it could just be a requirement that Ryou had come up with. He did seem like someone who would be into the whole 'vampire image' thing. Whatever 'requirement' there was, this woman was not exempt. She wore a knee-length, black sleeveless dress with a high collar.

"Good evening, Atsuhiko-san," she greeted him with a small nod. "My name is Akira Saki."

"Um... hi?" said Chuu, confused. "You can just call me Chuu."

It was really strange for someone to call him by his surname now. No one else had. It was usually 'Chuu-chan', something that used to annoy him, but he had gotten used to it since almost everyone called him that now.

"Alright then, Chuu-san. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come introduce myself. It's very rude of me."

"Th- that's okay..."

Saki smiled reassuringly. She pulled the chair near Chuu's bed and sat down. Something about her told Chuu that she had not come just to introduce herself. She did not seem like the kind of person who would do something like that unless forced to.

"I've wanted to talk to you for awhile, now," she said.

"Me?" asked Chuu, startled, though this proved the impression that he had that she had not stop by just to say 'hi'.

"Well, I've wanted to see what you're like. I know you and Kisaki are... well, involved and I guess I just wanted to make sure that you're right for him... among other things."

"And do I seem... right?"

He was not sure why this was any of her business, but it was obvious to Chuu that she was here because she cared about Kisaki. After all, why else would she be there to talk to him? Saki looked down, her expression turning sad.

"You're perfect," she answered. "I've known Kisaki for what seems like forever and he's never really responded to anyone... that is, until Ryou brought you in. When I met him, he was still in pieces. We helped each other recover and he's been like a big brother to me... a distant big brother, but he was all I had. That's why... I have to ask you to leave him alone."

"What!" Chuu yelled incredulously. Hadn't she just said that he was perfect?

"I'm sorry... I really am, but I don't want to see Kisaki revert to how he used to be. I'm afraid that if you die, he'll go and find a way to kill himself. You don't want that, do you? That's why I want this to end as soon as possible, before he becomes any more attached to you than he is already... You understand, don't you? This is dangerous!"

Chuu could not believe what he was hearing. Could she really be serious? He closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths to calm down. As much as he did not want to admit it, he knew that everything she said made sense. The problem was how was he supposed to just let go of Kisaki when he was the only thing keeping him sane? Then again, wasn't that a bit selfish? He did not know anymore. His thoughts were just going around in circles.

“Not only that…” she continued, hesitantly, “I don’t know how this whole thing may affect the rest of us. Surely you’ve realized how Ryou likes to torture someone by taking his annoyance out on those close to the victim. You may not be just hurting Kisaki, but everyone else as well!”

It took a few moments for this to process through Chuu’s head. Did this mean that the reason for Saki coming here was really selfish after all? Did she think that Ryou might hurt her for what went on between him and Kisaki? Though, if this was the case, it would mean that she was just looking out for herself, Chuu could not deny that she had a point. She, nor anyone else, deserved to pay for something that had nothing to do with them.

"I'm sorry... I really don't know how to respond to that," mumbled Chuu.

"I understand," said Saki. "I'll leave you now to let what I said sink in. Goodnight, Chuu-san."

She got up and walked out the door without another word, leaving Chuu alone in a daze. He did not know what to think anymore. He loved Kisaki but... Saki had made holding on to him as he did seem so horrible… and not only for them.

Suddenly, he was questioning everything he had ever said or done while in Kisaki's presence. Why did he do it? Was it to keep himself sane... because he loved him. They were all selfish reasons. What about Kisaki? Chuu had never even stopped to consider this. It was very likely that he was going to die and leave Kisaki behind, no matter how much he tried to forget it. Was that fair? No, it was horrible. It made him horrible.

Tears had begun to sting his eyes when he noticed Kisaki in the middle of his room. Chuu looked down and tried his best to calm down. He did not want Kisaki to worry about him anymore. It was not working. It seemed that it was too late anyway. As Chuu tried to stop crying, Kisaki had sat on the bed next to him. His hand was on Chuu's chin and pulled his face upward so he could look into his eyes, but Chuu had closed his.

"Chuu, what's wrong?" he asked.

Chuu shook his head and tried to brush Kisaki's hand away, but it did not work. The vampire kept his hand firmly on his chin. Reluctantly, Chuu opened his bloodshot eyes to meet Kisaki's, full of concern.

"What's wrong?" repeated Kisaki.

"I'm sorry," choked Chuu.

"For what?"

He pulled his hand away and stared at Chuu in shock. What did he have to apologize for? Kisaki was pretty sure that Chuu could not have possibly done anything wrong... at least, not anything that he would have to apologize to Kisaki for.

"I never... I never though about what would happen to you... I've been so selfish..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Kisaki, who obviously had no idea what was going on. "You aren't selfish!"

"Yes, I am! I've only been thinking of myself and you were talking about running away, but what if I do die?! It's very possible whether we want to think about it or not! If I do, I don't want-"

"Chuu, stop talking like that. I love you. Being here with you is my choice, no one else's. I won't leave no matter how hard you try to get rid of me... I don't care what your excuse is.

"But-"

He was interrupted by Kisaki's mouth covering his own. Kisaki pulled away just long enough to whisper, "I love you. Everything will be fine." before reconnecting their lips.

Everything seemed to be forgotten as Chuu locked his arms around Kisaki's neck. The kiss grew steadily deeper and Chuu's heart beat so hard he was sure it would explode. Kisaki's hands felt around Chuu's back before pulling the deep red shirt off the smaller body, breaking the kiss for only a moment.

Slowly, they moved downward until Chuu was lying on his back with the top of his head barely on the pillow. Kisaki pulled off his black shirt, dropping it carelessly to the floor beside the bed. Chuu's hands wandered along his lover's naked back and chest as if he was memorizing every curve that made up his slender body.

Kisaki moved away from Chuu's mouth, instead kissing his neck and chest. He felt Chuu tense beneath him and drew back, suddenly unsure of what he was doing.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"It... It's nothing," muttered Chuu.

He did not convince Kisaki at all.

"Maybe we should stop now," he suggested.

"No!"

"It's Ryou, isn't it?" Kisaki guessed. "Are you sure you want to continue? I don't want to do anything you aren't ready for."

"I'm sure," Chuu assured him. "I guess it was just a reflex... like my body was expecting to feel something sharp cut my skin..."

"I won't, I promise."

"I know."

He closed the space again by kissing Kisaki. Chuu promised himself that he would not let Ryou ruin any of this. When Kisaki once more began to move his kisses down Chuu's body, Chuu pushed Ryou out of his mind as the sensation of Kisaki's kisses overtook him.

One or two marks were left on Chuu's body. Kisaki always had to be careful. He always had to remember how fragile Chuu was compared to himself and most everyone he came into contact with since he was usually only around vampires. One wrong move and he could leave behind more than a little mark. One wrong move and the sheets could end up stained with blood, as they often were when Ryou was there.

He could not remember when the rest of either of their clothes had been removed, but they were gone. All of the layers of cloth that had separated them had been thrown aside. Chuu put his hand on Kisaki's bare shoulder looking at the contrast between Kisaki's snow-white skin and his own, slightly tanned skin. He blushed slightly and Kisaki took the hand from his shoulder into his own, intertwining their fingers together. Their lips met again with a new earnestness.

Slowly, Kisaki's fingers traced down Chuu's body, feeling his hardened organ. He reluctantly backed away a bit and Chuu spread his legs expectantly. Gently, Kisaki pushed one finger inside of Chuu. He made a hissing sound as he took in a deep breath and his body tensed slightly. When he exhaled, his body seemed to relax more and Kisaki inserted another finger, moving them slowly within. As he did, he listened to Chuu's gasps and moans telling him that he had hit the right spot.

Not much time passed before Kisaki decided that he could not take waiting anymore. He pulled out his fingers, replacing them with his erection. Below him, the younger man gasped and put his arm around Kisaki, as though holding on for dear life; Kisaki had hold of his other hand once more.

Once inside, Kisaki was still. He looked at Chuu's face, waiting for a signal that told him that Chuu was ready. He nodded, smiling weakly. Penetration had gotten a little easier for him since his first time and Kisaki was much gentler than Ryou, which made it easier yet. It was just a little pain and then...

"Ah!" A small pleasurable moan escaped his lips.

Hearing him, Kisaki began to quicken his movements. Their bodies seemed to melt together and heat radiated from them. Kisaki could feel the warmth that he so desperately wanted, that he craved. He was addicted to it. He was addicted to Chuu. It was not just the warmth. It was the sweet little sighs that came from his mouth, the feel of Chuu's arms around his neck, the optimism that kept him going through so much pain... it was everything.

Sighs and soft moans blended together so it was almost impossible to tell who belonged to what. The only distinction was the name that was often said. When Kisaki said Chuu's name, he was answered by his own coming as a soft moan or gasp from Chuu's mouth.

Each second brought them closer to their climaxes. The closer they were the harder, more frantic Kisaki's thrusts were. They came within seconds of each other, calling each other's names in voices that had become a little louder than was probably wise considering that the mansion had at least six other people within its walls at the moment and at least four of them could probably hear them. Not that they cared at that particular moment.

They were still for a while. Both were breathless and tired, but happy. The worry that had been plaguing Chuu earlier seemed forgotten and they were able to lie comfortably on the bed together without any disturbances for what seemed like forever. Chuu was curled into Kisaki as usual while Kisaki stroked his hair lightly.

"I love you," murmured Chuu, contently.

"I love you, too," answered Kisaki.

***


"Kyaaaaaaa!! I'm so sorry!!" screamed Yami.

She had unsuspectingly opened to door to see Chuu and Kisaki cuddling on the bed, still naked. It was not exactly a bad thing to see, but it was obviously something that she was not supposed to see, and Yami was sure that Kisaki was not going to be happy. But how was she supposed to know what was going on in there? Sure, she had not knocked as she usually did, but Kisaki should have heard her coming. He could have at least done something to prevent this from happening. It was not as if she always knocked.

"Um... Yami-chan, what are you yelling about?" asked Yuna who was with her.

"N- Nothing... Let's come back later, okay? I don't think now is a good time for them," said Yami, nervously.

"Whatever you say."

They left to find something to do to kill time. As they did, Yami tried to think of something to say to Kisaki and Chuu when she saw them. She thought about apologizing, but was not sure how to do it. She did not even know how to act around them after that and she did not know how they would act around her.

"So... You gonna tell me what you saw in there?" asked Yuna casually, although she already had a pretty good idea.

"Nope."

"Give me a hint!"

"Uh-uh."

"Whore."

She shrugged. She was used to being called a whore. It was not really an insult anyway, more of a joke. Even if it was supposed to be an insult, she would not tell her. If she told Yuna and Kisaki found out, Yami knew that she would be the next target for any vases he decided to throw.

***


Kisaki had not heard Yami and Yuna until it was too late. Even then he had figured that one of them would at least knock before entering, meaning he would have a chance to yell for her to stay out. He had obviously been wrong. As a result, Chuu was now worrying about it.

"Agh! I can't believe that just happened!" he moaned.

"It'll be fine. I'm sure she won't bring it up," said Kisaki calmly.

"Yeah, but it might get all quiet in here again!"

It seemed like the usual noise had just returned. Now, Chuu was worried that it would probably get awkward in there again. Chuu hated that. Why didn't Yami knock?

"Anyway, didn't you hear them coming? You could have warned me!" he said.

"Sorry, I at least thought they'd knock. I heard them too late, anyway," Kisaki explained.

"Whatever, I'm getting dressed before something else like that happens..."

He was about to get up when he felt Kisaki put his arms around him. He stopped, leaning into the embrace.

"You're going to have to let me go," he pointed out.

"Just give me a moment," said Kisaki.

He kissed Chuu's neck before finally letting him go. Chuu went around the room picking up the fallen clothes. How some of them had managed to end up where they were was beyond him. After sorting them out, he gave Kisaki his and began getting dressed himself.

This had been the last thing Chuu had expected to happen. He could not really say that he did not want it to happen or that he was sorry, but the timing was so strange. He had practically convinced himself that being with Kisaki was wrong. Now, he knew, wrong or not, that he could not give Kisaki up.

After about an hour, there was a knock on the door followed by a "can I come in?" just to make sure it was safe. When Chuu gave the okay, Yami opened the door and she and Yuna walked in.

"Okay, would someone mind telling me what the hell it is she saw?" Yuna asked loudly.

"Yuna!" Yami gasped.

"What?"

"That's none of your business," Kisaki said coldly.

Yuna glared at him, though it was not a serious or actually scary glare. She rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in defeat. It was obvious that she was not going to get anything from any of them.

"Fine, I get it, you won't tell me. I guess I'll just have to be the only one here that doesn't know," she sighed.

"I guess so," Kisaki said indifferently.

"Aw, come on!"

"I thought you said that you were giving up."

"But... but...!"

"It really isn't any of your business," said Chuu softly.

He had been silently eating his food until then, preferring to stay out of this particular argument. He agreed with Kisaki about this not being her business, it really was not Yami's business, either, but she knew and there was nothing they could about it. However, Chuu was still embarrassed about what had happened earlier and did not want to say anything.

"You're all mean!" whined Yuna.

She tried pouting for a while, but that did not last long. It became too quiet, especially since Yami and Chuu were still embarrassed and Kisaki never started a conversation. She started talking and everyone slowly began to feel more and more at ease. Things were still a little tense, but it was nowhere near as bad as Chuu had expected or even as weird as when Kisaki had first begun staying longer.

Yuna kept asking about what had happened, but no one ever answered. She never really gave up and whenever she tried again it was always at some strange time when she hoped to catch them off guard. Even when she and Yami left, she said that she would find out. Yami apologized, both for Yuna's constant questions and for not knocking earlier before finally following Yuna out the door.

A strange silence filled the room once they were gone. Kisaki seemed to be deep in thought and Chuu did not want to disturb him. Instead, he sat there, waiting to see if Kisaki was going to say something.

"Chuu... Why were you so upset earlier?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Oh! Um... no reason, really. I just thought I was a problem so... yeah..."

"Stop trying to make me believe that," Kisaki interrupted. "I highly doubt you just started thinking like that without something or someone first putting the thought into your head. I remember just last week you were practically begging me not to leave you."

"And I couldn't have possibly just realized that I was being selfish and stupid?"

He had no idea why he would not just tell Kisaki what had happened. For some reason he was afraid of how the vampire would react to the warning Saki had left him with.

"I suppose you could," said Kisaki, choosing his words carefully, "but for one, I don't think you're being selfish and secondly, it seems a little strange that you would start thinking that you're selfish without something triggering it since you never said anything about being selfish before."

"Oh..."

"So, would you mind telling me what's going on?"

"Well, this woman came in earlier... She said that she's known you forever... and that... I should end this before... you got hurt."

Kisaki was quiet. It did not take much for him to figure out who Chuu had seen earlier, though he seemed reluctant to say her name. He knew that Saki probably thought that she was helping, but she was doing the exact opposite.

"I'm not sure what she hoped to accomplish, but there was a major flaw in her reasoning," said Kisaki. "I won't let you go. Anyway, even if this were to end now, it would hurt me if anything were to happen to you. It's too late for me to be unattached.

"When would it have been early enough?" asked Chuu, innocently with a slight smile.

"Before I saw you in Ryou's arms."

He stroked Chuu's cheek lightly and Chuu blushed. It was too late. He understood that now. As Kisaki kissed him gently, it became clear, even as everything else became fuzzy: They could not undo what was already done. There was no reason for regrets.