Oikakeru Yume

Author’s Note: Well, here it is, the final chapter in this tale of Hide and Taki. I hope you have had as much fun reading it as I have had writing it. Who knows? I’m so in love with my two characters that there may be a few more adventures awaiting them in the future. Anyway, I didn’t want to disappoint, so I’m ending with another lemon. (You didn’t think I would be so cruel as to deprive my poor boys now, did you? Please… I’m a voyeur, people… I LIKE to watch!) Thanks so much for reading! You guys really make it worth my while to write. Enjoy!


July


A month later, life was back to relative normality… sort of.

Oh, a few things had changed.

There were now two guards posted outside of Hide and Taki’s home, providing round-the-clock surveillance. The young vampires had insisted on it, but it was Taki’s rather vocal support of the idea that had finally convinced Hide to allow it. The vampires had also wanted Hide and Taki to take security with them when they went out, but that particular idea was vetoed by both men. There WAS a limit to their tolerance. As much as Taki loved the whole “American Secret Service” idea, what he really craved was a little more alone time with Hide. They’d had so little of it over the past few months and he was starting to get cranky. And it would be pretty difficult to be alone with a security guard perpetually hovering over their shoulders.

Thanks to the constant watch on their home, though, they were finally able to go out again, which made Yukishiro very happy, since he’d decided that he actually missed their little mid-week get-togethers. Hide kept himself busy with his vampires and taking care of their home. Taki had even received a small promotion at work and was now able to write a few stories of his own in addition to doing research for the more established writers.

July meandered by, with Taki busy at work and Hide finally getting accustomed to being the master vampire. Still, Taki couldn’t help but feel that something wasn’t right. At first Hide had only been distant, but as the days passed the gap between them seemed to be getting worse. Hide only spoke when spoken to and then only to answer questions with short, concise responses. They hadn’t had an actual conversation in weeks.

The nights were even worse, with Hide going to bed much earlier than Taki. By the time Taki got to their bedroom, all he could do was silently slip into their bed and just go to sleep, afraid to wake the unconscious vampire. Worse yet, it seemed like Hide just didn’t want to be touched, flinching away every time Taki accidentally brushed against him. Because of this, Taki maintained his distance, unsure of what else to do.

The end of the month happened upon them while they were occupied with their respective tasks. Suddenly, it was July twenty-sixth, Taki’s twenty-second birthday. Taki had been particularly excited about this since he hoped the occasion would break Hide from the funk he’d been walking around in. Given the vampire’s penchant for celebrations, he’d expected Hide to fawn over him, so his surprise was palpable when that didn’t exactly happen. Yes, there HAD been a special breakfast prepared, but it was delivered without the usual fanfare Taki had grown accustomed to the vampire having.

At least Hide was agreeable regarding some of the activities Taki had planned for the day. They spent the morning in Harajuku, where Taki finally managed to convince Hide to get his ears pierced. He’d been trying to talk the vampire into it for months now, to no avail. Now, tiny silver studs lay on the previously unblemished skin, taunting and tempting, driving Taki crazy with the desire to nibble at them. He’d wanted Hide to get a pair of gold studs he’d been eyeing, but the vampire explained that gold wouldn’t keep the holes in his ears open… only silver would. Taki was impressed. After knowing Hide for nearly a year, this was one of the first times he’d heard that the vampire had a “common” vampire trait.

Taki had seen a pair of blue topaz earrings in the window of the same jewelry store and fell head-over-heels in love with them. They were the exact same color as Hide’s eyes. The semi-precious stones now rested in his own ear lobes, a gift from Hide.

Then, they’d eaten lunch at a traditional soba restaurant, before heading home.

Hide presented Taki with his birthday gifts that afternoon; a stack of music CD’s the young man had been talking about, as well as an iPod music card and a brand new iPod. Taki was ecstatic, tearing through his packages like a little boy, but when his gleefully sparkling eyes met Hide’s, all that greeted him was a distant look…

… and his heart froze.

In spite of his rather complicated outward appearance, Taki was really quite easy to please. Oh sure, he liked many things, thought a lot of things were cool, but when it came right down to it, his wants were very simple. That’s because he only truly wanted one thing… Hide. He was always happiest when Hide was somewhere within his orbit. Gifts and accolades were wonderful and greatly appreciated, but absolutely nothing compared to having the flame-haired vampire in his arms. Hide completed Taki in ways neither man could fathom.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that something was seriously eating away at Hide. He’d been trying to cover it, pretending as though everything was normal, but Taki knew he’d been acting strange ever since their encounter with Alex. Taki also knew why. Maybe Hide was finally ready to put it out in the open, the younger man thought, hopefully.

“Hide,” Taki murmured, cupping the vampire’s face in his hands and placing a tender kiss on the trembling lips. “Talk to me.”

The teal eyes focused on Taki’s face, spilling over with tears. “I can’t,” he sobbed, hanging his head.

Brushing Hide’s hair back behind his ears, Taki tilted his chin up. “Yes, you can. Talk to me, Hide,” he repeated. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Pulling back from Taki, Hide dropped his face into his hands, weeping disconsolately, sobs wracking his body.

“This is about Alex, isn’t it?” Taki asked, quietly.

Hide froze; his mind suddenly a whir. “You knew?” Tear-filled eyes searched Taki’s face as the younger man nodded. “You knew what he did to me?”

“I was hurt, badly… but not unconscious, Hide,” Taki replied, softly. “When he assaulted you, I tried to move, but I couldn’t and it made me insane to know I couldn’t protect you.”

“You knew? And you didn’t say…” Hide anguished.

Arms folded around Hide’s shaking form, pulling him against Taki’s chest. “Yes… I knew. But I also knew that you would talk about it when you were ready. I didn’t want to dredge up that kind of pain before you could deal with it. This is YOUR demon to vanquish.”

“You knew. All this time,” he pushed away from Taki, retreating to the other side of the sofa. “How can you touch me? How can you even stand to LOOK at me knowing what I’ve done?”

Taki was stunned. “What YOU’VE done? Hide, is THAT what this is all about? All this time I thought you were making yourself crazy over what Alex did to you, but REALLY you were torturing yourself over WHY he did it. Did you think it was YOUR fault?”

“Of course, it was,” Hide answered, his voice filled with pain.

Taki stalked over to the vampire and dragged him to his feet. “Baka! None of it was your fault. Not the fight, not Alex being brought back and turned, and certainly not his attack on you.”

“But he…”

“But, nothing! IT WASN’T YOUR FAULT! How could you even THINK that? He assaulted you, against your will. It was a vicious, malicious attack. But you had nothing to do with it. You didn’t do it, HE did.”

“I should have…”

“Should have WHAT? Tried to fight harder? You were already fighting as hard as you could. What should you have done that you hadn’t already done?”

Hide’s shoulders shook as he cried. “I couldn’t stop him.”

“You don’t think I feel that same pain? I wanted to save you, baby. I wanted to stop him, to kill him with my own two hands for what he was trying to do to you. I wanted to kill him, Hide… more than I wanted him dead for hurting my mother. I couldn’t do it that time, but for hurting YOU… I would have.” Taki’s admission took him by surprise. He hadn’t really thought about it since the day they’d fought Alex, but in an instant, he knew it was the truth. He would have killed Alex just for touching Hide, let alone violating him.

“I keep feeling him…” Hide sobbed. “And I can’t get it out of my head.”

Taki’s angry expression softened, “Do you know how hard it was for me to get that image out of my mind; him, assaulting you when I was completely powerless to stop it? Sometimes, when I’m trying to get to sleep at night, I can still hear your scream.” He gathered the vampire into his arms once more. “But, he’s gone, Hide. Alex won’t hurt you ever again.” Resting a cheek against Hide’s temple, he added, “I’ll be damned if I ever let ANYONE hurt you again.”

“Why?”

The question shocked Taki even more than the admission. Leaning back, he cocked his head, gazing at Hide’s face, partially obscured by the thick red curtain of his hair.

“Why would you protect me? Why would you want to? After all of this…”

“Because I love you, you idiot!” Taki was beginning to sound exasperated.

“You can’t! You can’t mean that after everything that’s happened. Don’t touch me!” Hide shrieked when Taki reached out to hold him again.

At his wits end, Taki grabbed Hide by the forearms, propelling him backwards until the vampire’s back banged against the living room wall. Terror filled the blue-green eyes as Taki’s mouth closed over his. The kiss was rough and angry, but Taki refused to back down, pressing into Hide until he finally felt a slight reaction.

He’d been afraid, an odd reaction for a master vampire to have, but one he’d experienced a lot over the past several months. He didn’t like the feeling, it was foreign and upsetting. But, in some strange way, all of Hide’s insecurities had completely bypassed Taki. The young man remained as impenetrable as ever. The lips on his ground against him angrily, until, at last, Hide began to realize that they weren’t meant to cause pain, but pleasure. Hesitantly, his own lips parted in response.

As soon as he felt Hide react, Taki’s grip on him relaxed, hands gliding upward so that the fingers could thread through Hide’s hair, holding the vampire’s head steady as Taki deepened the kiss.

Hide’s hands clutched at Taki’s arms, tightly.

Drawing back, Taki looked at him with all the sincerity he could muster. “Aishiteru, Hide. I love you. Whatever happened in the past, what ever happens from now on; it won’t affect how I feel about you.”

Hide moved to pull away, but Taki stopped him, pinning him to the wall once again.

“Listen to me. We can get through this, but you have to let me in. You’re not alone, Hide… you never have been. I love you, damn it. I don’t care what you are, I don’t care what you’ve done; I wouldn’t even care if you sprouted pointy ears and wings and started crawling across the ceilings at night. I love you. YOU, Hide. And that’s not going to change. That’s NEVER going to change.” Looking into Hide’s tear-stained face, his heart ached, wishing that the vampire would finally understand.

Hide didn’t know how else to react, so he broke down, his legs failing; buckling as he slid down the wall.

Taki caught him, firm but gentle hands raising him back up. He clasped the sobbing vampire to his chest, allowing Hide’s tears to wash away the pain and revulsion over what had been done to him. “Aishiteru, Hide,” he whispered into the vampire’s ear, over and over again, a constant reminder that he would always be there and Hide would never be alone. The vampire clung to him in desperation.

With an arm behind Hide’s legs, Taki lifted him, turning to brace himself against the wall, before sinking to the floor with the vampire draped across his lap. Tears soaked through the collar and shoulder of his shirt, the wetness rapidly spreading down the left arm. The tattoo of Kannon gleamed through the damp fabric, the goddess of compassion smiling serenely at them, as she bore silent witness to their struggles.

Hide’s fingers dug into him, but still he held on, cradling the vampire in his arms as he professed his love. Taki’s soul was laid bare by Hide’s pain. He wished he could do more to make the hurt go away, but it really WAS Hide’s demon to exorcize. All Taki could do was be there for him, to support him. Hide had to find his way back from the darkness on his own.

Eventually, the tears subsided, Hide finally running out of salt water and the strength to cry anymore. He sniffled into Taki’s shoulder as the arms that held him tightened, gently. The soft pressure of Taki’s cheek against the side of his head felt good; warm and comforting.

“You okay?” Taki asked, quietly.

A heartbeat and a fleeting thought later, Hide nodded.

“Are WE okay?” the second, much more significant question was asked.

Another nod, but with no hesitation this time.

Lifting Hide’s chin, Taki’s lips sought his. “Aishiteru, Hide.”

In that instant Hide finally realized exactly what Taki meant to him. Taki loved him, unconditionally; unequivocally; completely. He finally knew what it was like to have someone in his life; what it was like to be loved and he finally realized, right at that moment, that he would never be alone again. Putting his entire heart into their kiss, Hide sank into Taki’s embrace.

Feeling the last vestige of resistance ebb in Hide, Taki smiled. After eleven months of living together, it was about damn time.

Somewhere in Hokkaido, on the living room wall of Chieko’s house, an old, weathered wooden plaque began to hum, giving off a faint glow. After a few minutes, it returned to normal, just a faded wooden carving of a komori in a circle. No one was home to see it, so no one would ever know.

After their rather eventful afternoon Taki decided to give Hide some space, retreating to their study to play on the computer while Hide did whatever it was he did to gather himself, which usually entailed messing around in his garden.

An hour passed, but Hide didn’t come back inside. Taki was absorbed in his computer game, so he let it slide. But then, another hour went by. It was late in the afternoon by then and the younger man was starting to get antsy. After another thirty minutes slipped away, Taki decided he’d had enough of killing time and virtual enemies, so he went in search of Hide. The tension was so thick it crackled in the air around him.

Hide wasn’t anywhere in the house, but Taki already knew that would be the case. Slipping out the back, the younger man walked the garden path, instinctively knowing that he would find Hide out there, somewhere. Taki found him standing in the doorway of his little teahouse, staring off into the unknown. At the crunch of leaves and twigs, teal eyes flicked toward him, warily watching his approach. “Hide… what are you doing?”

“Well, you know what day this is?”

“Oh, I’m well aware of what day it is, since I was born on it twenty-two years ago. What are you getting at?”

“The twenty-sixth of July is MORE than just your birthday, you know.” Hide lectured.

“Oh really? Then tell me, just what OTHER fabulous things happened on this day then?”

“Well, in 1139 the count Afonso was proclaimed the first king of Portugal.” Taki stared at him, blankly, so he went on, “In 1380 Emperor Komyo, second of the Ashikaga Pretenders died; in 1775 the first Post Office was established in the United States and in 1856 the writer George Bernard Shaw was born.”

Stepping forward to cautiously wrap his arms around the talking man, Taki‘s smile widened when Hide slowly melted against him. “What are you… an encyclopedia?”

Undaunted, Hide continued, “In 1908 the Office of the Chief Examiner, later to be renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigations, or the F.B.I. was established in the United States.”

Taki’s tongue trailed its way down Hide’s neck as his fingers began unbuttoning the other man’s shirt.

“Then there’s the one I think you’ll like… in 1943, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones was born.”

“Cool,” Taki answered, nibbling on Hide’s earlobe, toying with the new silver stud and earning a heady sigh from the vampire. The tip of his tongue traced the outside of Hide’s ear, as one hand successfully dipped into Hide’s shirt to fidget with a stiffened nipple, making it difficult for the vampire to continue… though not impossible.

With a stammering voice, Hide recited, “In 1953 a stupid move by Fidel Castro started the Cuban Revolution.”

The entire shirt had been discarded by now, as Taki’s teeth latched onto an aching peak while his hand traveled south, reaching the equator of Hide’s belt and making short work of it, before dipping into the front of Hide’s pants.

“In 1991, the American comic Pee Wee Herman was arrested for exposing himself in a Florida adult theater.”

“Will you please shut up,” Taki moaned, closing his lips over Hide’s to stop the man’s historical recitations, as his journeying hand closed over the throbbing shaft.

Smiling through the kiss, Hide whispered, “The twenty-sixth of July was a very important day.”

“Yeah, I get that now,” replied Taki through clenched teeth.

Misty teal eyes locked with dark brown ones, all the love and honesty Hide could amass pouring from them. “It was the most important day in my life.” Hide moaned; his hips canting toward Taki as the younger man’s hand stroked him, his pace increasing until the vampire had to fight to hold himself upright.

“Why is that?” Taki asked, not quite comprehending Hide’s little admission.

“It was the day you were born.”

Timing is everything.

Hide’s confession and his climax both came mere seconds before Taki’s brain engaged and his hand stopped moving. He stood there, jaw hanging slack as the vampire shuddered helplessly in his arms. Gathering the trembling figure to his chest, he laid a tender kiss in the damp red hair over Hide’s forehead. Tilting the chin up so that Taki could look into Hide’s eyes, he said, “Aishiteru, Hide. Gods, I love you.”

Tightening his arms around Taki, Hide could feel the other man‘s warmth radiating throughout his body. Looking into Taki’s eyes, Hide found them studying him expectantly… hopeful.

The two of them had been through so much together, far more than the average couple would have to deal with. And through it all Taki had been the one constant in Hide’s life, the one anchor to sanity and his driving force. The fact that he was a vampire meant nothing. His vampire powers meant nothing. Everything he was, everything he’d accomplished was all due to Taki. Taki was his strength. Clutching the younger man’s body to his, Hide buried his face in the thick, black hair, breathing in Taki’s scent of spice and sweat. Placing a kiss in the ebony tresses, Hide drew back, cupping Taki’s face in one hand. “Aishiteru, Taki,” he whispered. A look of pure anguish flashed across his features, “I love you so much it hurts.”

The light in Taki’s eyes flared and the younger man’s lips crushed into Hide’s, as both men sank to the floor of the teahouse, fingers working furiously at buttons and zippers, each apparently trying to unclothe the other man in record time. Pulling away from Taki and sitting back on his haunches, Hide sifted through the pile of discarded material, knowing exactly where to look. Taki grinned.

The bottle of lube was in Taki’s back pant’s pocket, where he usually carried it when he planned on making love to Hide in someplace other than their bedroom. Taki chuckled at Hide’s faultless deduction. Well, well, well… it looked like he was starting to become predictable.

Hmm…

Opening the bottle, Hide took one of Taki’s hands into his own, pouring a generous amount of the slippery liquid into the younger man’s palm. Setting the bottle of lube aside, Hide rubbed the gel over Taki’s fingers, spreading it around until they were nice and slick. When he was satisfied, he leaned back, positioning Taki’s hand at his quivering pucker. Taki swirled the fingers around, coating Hide’s entrance before he stiffened one finger and allowed Hide to push it inside. The vampire worked at Taki’s hand, trying to move the finger around in his body. All Taki had to do was keep it straight and Hide did all the rest of the work. Sweet…

Hide ground against the first finger, taking it as deep into his body as it would go. When he felt he was ready, he searched around for Taki’s second finger. As with the first one, Taki extended the two fingers, letting Hide shove them inside his clutching channel, moving them this way and that, playing with them as though they were a toy and not part of Taki’s anatomy. The only time Hide couldn’t control his reaction was when Taki scissored the fingers, spreading them to open Hide wider. “Aah,” the vampire cried, his hips bucking against Taki’s hand. Still, he manipulated Taki’s movements, pushing and pulling at Taki’s hand to get the fingers to move within him.

Taki knew Hide wouldn’t be able to take the third finger as he had the first two, because the overwhelming sensations were beginning to get the better of him, sweat breaking out over his body as he began to quiver in eager anticipation.

“Third one, Taki.”

“Nani?” Taki teased, knowing precisely what Hide wanted, but messing with him nonetheless. It was just so much fun.

“The third finger, Taki. Please. Put it in,” Hide begged.

“This?” Taki taunted, wiggling his ring finger to tickle at Hide’s entrance.

“Ohh,” Hide pleaded. “Please, Taki.” Balancing on his neck and shoulders like a gymnast, his hips were suspended in front of Taki as Hide circled them in time with the thrust of Taki’s other fingers.

Taki drew the two fingers out, adding the third, but still refusing to push them all the way in. He played at Hide’s entrance, barely pushing past the quivering ring, only to draw back out.

Hide’s cries were getting higher and higher, until he actually sounded like a female in distress.

Taki chuckled again.

“Taki… Taki… please, Taki. Please.” Hide was imploring, his small opening trembling, waiting to be filled.

It didn’t take much more than that to get Taki to give in, as he added the third finger, grinding the digits into Hide, then drawing them partway out and cupping them to brush the fingertips over that secret spot that made Hide’s body jerk. Hide grabbed at his hand, shoving at it, the heat of the moment enticing him try to push Taki’s entire fist inside.

“Oh, no, you don’t. We’ve never done that before,” Taki chided. “I came out here to make love to you and I won’t be able to do that if we screw up your plumbing now.”

Hide’s hand fell away with a disappointed sigh.

Fortunately, Taki knew exactly what to do to make Hide forget his lust-induced behavior. A few more strokes of Taki’s fingertips and the vampire reached his climax, shouting at the top of his voice, his body lunging and jerking in spasm, threads of white shooting across his stomach. Taki’s fingers slid from the clutching body, stopping to circle the head of Hide’s dripping shaft, making him jump once again. The younger man leaned forward, planting a kiss on the trembling vampire’s lips.

Suddenly, Taki was thrown over as Hide pounced on his body. The bottle of lube was back, though this time Hide was pouring it into his own hand. Taki cocked an eyebrow curiously. His query was answered when Hide’s hand wrapped around the younger man’s erection, stroking and coating it simultaneously. “Hide,” he groaned, his hips canting off the floor. A firm hand pushed him back down. With Taki completely coated and lying prone on the floor, the vampire straddled him. “Don’t move,” Hide ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Taki replied, teasingly.

Holding Taki’s shaft at his eager opening with one hand, Hide sank down on it with a satisfied groan as the younger man lay flat on the floor, in observation. Taki’s hands reached up to grip Hide around the hips, but Hide batted them away. Taki’s eyebrows shot up.

Then Hide began to move, raising and lowering himself over Taki’s erection, his channel tightening with every move. Taki moaned appreciatively, hands fisting at his sides. “Taki…” Hide moaned, his breath shuddering through him. His thighs clenched, causing his rear muscles to contract around Taki’s shaft. Sweat beaded on Taki’s forehead, trickling down the sides of his face. Then he looked at Hide, REALLY looked at Hide. That face, those eyes, the pale white flesh, chiseled chest, flat stomach. Hide really WAS too beautiful to be a mere mortal and Taki’s mouth watered. It was at times like these where he found it hard to believe just how fortunate he really was, as he watched the most beautiful creature on the planet make love to him.

Hide leaned forward over Taki’s chest, arms braced on either side of Taki’s head, hips sliding back and forth. He sighed, eyes closed, savoring the hard planes of Taki’s body as it lay beneath his. He moved slowly, gliding his clutching channel over Taki’s solid shaft, his pace gradually increasing as the stimulation within him grew. Once again, he sat up.

By rotating his hips, Hide discovered the location of his own nerve bundle, running it over the head of Taki’s shaft repeatedly. He was bouncing frenetically on Taki’s lap by now, making the younger man look somewhat like a trampoline. This time, when Taki grabbed for Hide’s rear end, the vampire took no notice. Slightly manipulating the vampire’s movements, Taki was able to change the angle of his penetration, hitting Hide’s prostate more completely and sending the vampire into spasms. Red hair flung wildly in every direction, as Hide cried out in ecstasy.

After that, it was a simple matter for Taki to flip them over, sliding Hide under him and hooking the vampire’s legs over his forearms. He sustained Hide’s rhythm, pistoning his hips into the vampire’s clutching channel as the older man writhed beneath him, shouting his name. Releasing Hide’s legs, he sat back, pulling the vampire upright to wrap the long trembling limbs around Taki’s waist. Hands gripping the clenching globes, Taki ground Hide into him, the vampire’s heels digging into the small of his back.

“Taki,” Hide cried, his breath coming in shuddering gasps.

Taki slowed his thrusts, rolling his hips into Hide, waiting.

Hide tried to move, but Taki’s hands prevented him. He whined, his entire body quivering right on the verge of his climax. Taki’s pace was torture, the head of the younger man’s shaft brushing almost leisurely over Hide’s prostate, prolonging his agony.

“Taki, please,” he begged.

The younger man smiled, shaking his head. “Not yet.” Fingers idly teased the head of Hide’s shaft, making the vampire’s body twitch as he tried to pull away from the torment.

“Please…”

Taki’s head shook from side to side. “Uh-uh.”

Why was Taki doing this to him?

It took a while for Hide to finally realize what Taki was waiting for. The situation had to have been pretty dire for Hide to actually forget the most important aspect of their lovemaking. Once everything became clear to him Hide moved swiftly, closing his mouth over the side of Taki’s neck and piercing the tender flesh; drinking in the sweet nectar that was Taki.

“Aah,” Taki exclaimed, as his climax was finally allowed to come to fruition, coating Hide’s channel with his essence as the two of them continued to rock together. At Taki’s completion, Hide’s shaft gave a final pulse before streaming threads of white between their straining bodies, the vampire’s climax shattering him, as he shouted Taki’s name. Wrapping his fingers around the twitching member, Taki squeezed it, wringing every last drop from Hide’s body.

“Taki,” Hide whimpered, his arms draping loosely around the younger man’s neck.

Taki slid his hands up Hide’s sweat-slick back, pulling him closer. He covered the vampire’s mouth with his own, tasting the coppery flavor of his own blood. He loved how Hide was always extra child-like after they’d made love, the vampire sinking down against him, seeking the comfort of his arms and the reassurance of his heartbeat. He drew the still trembling body against his, kissing the soft, damp hair framing Hide’s face. “Thank you for my birthday gifts, Hide,” he murmured.

“You like them?’ the vampire whispered back, his voice still shaky from the force of his climax.

“I love them,” Taki replied.

“Good,” Hide turned his body sideways to sit across Taki’s lap.

“But, you know what?”

Hide looked at him, uncertainty plainly written across his gorgeous face.

“You didn’t need to buy me anything.”

The vampire was confused. “But it’s your birthday.”

Taki smiled. “I know… but everything I really wanted,” he hugged Hide tightly, “I already have right here.”

“Taki…” Hide melted to him again, lips brushing the younger man’s collar bone.

Taki’s hands brushed over Hide’s hair, enjoying the silky feel as the tendrils slipped easily through his fingers. Hide sighed, happily, Taki’s fingers in his hair affecting him almost hypnotically.

“Wanna know something else?” Taki teased, nipping at the top of Hide’s ear.

Hide curled tightly against Taki’s chest, his long legs trailing over Taki’s as his arms wrapped themselves around Taki’s ribcage. Although he buried his face into the juncture of Taki’s neck and shoulder, hiding within the spill of dark hair, Taki was pretty certain he heard a muffled, “What?” come from the vampire.

“Aishiteru, Hide,” Taki whispered softly into the vampire’s ear.

A smile spread slowly across the other man’s features, as Hide’s face pulled back to look at him. Misty teal eyes twinkled merrily as Hide answered, “Aishiteru, Taki.”

Outside the sun was shining, a cool breeze was blowing in off Tokyo Bay and the sound of koi contentedly splashing around in their pond drifted through the maple leaves.

All in all it was a beautiful day.


~End of Chapter Twelve~