Ireland 9:00PMLila woke up with her body sore all over and reached over to get some blood from Haruka. But the spot beside her was empty. Where did he go? No good, she can"t stand up. Whether it"s Haruka having s.e.x with her, or him drinking her blood, she always ends up feeling this way. "They really do need to avoid this for a while," Lila thought. Last time she saw Eitsan, he told her to refrain from too much physical activity. Is her condition that bad? Lila never got around to asking. It was apparent even without her asking, anyway. Her condition is getting worse, and if she doesn"t pay attention to when her body needs rest.
She scanned the room, where did he go? Will he return soon? Maybe he went to get them some food for the morning? Lila closed her eyes, attempting to fall asleep again, but it did her no good. She didn"t feel tired at all.
Instead, her gaze flickered to the phone beside her pillow. Haruka left his phone here; a deep sigh pa.s.sed her lips. How hopeless. How on earth can she contact him? Lila reached over and noticed something - the display screen was still on and there it opened up to the message he was looking at last.
From: ...
They left the house eight years ago.
So it"s abandoned now.
Ah? This must be the person Haruka was contacting. The house is abandoned.. Haruka told her that he had to give up when he was younger. Lila frowned, something seemed wrong here. Why did they leave the house? When she looked around the city on the way here, Lila noticed how beautiful the homes are. There is no reason for them to leave the house.
Unless her frown deepened as a sudden thought came to mind. It can"t be, can it? But she can"t think of any other possibility. Lila scanned the room, and thankfully, the jacket she wore on the way here was in sight. She reached out for it and took a packet of tablets out,
.....
The night air was chilly, as expected of a town that was so close to the coast. Thankfully Haruka left behind his jacket and Lila hugged the material around her body. It smells like him, "my favorite scent," Lila thought. She wondered if he did it deliberately, leave his jacket and phone out with the message. Did he mean for her to follow? Her gaze softened at that thought, things really have changed, huh? If it were in the past, then he would not have left her a hint and just left.
After walking for a few minutes, it didn"t take long before Lila found a relatively medium-sized house that resembled a cottage on the outskirts by the coast. Ah, that must be the place. She made her way down the steps and pa.s.sed the archway before she arrived at the door. Noticing that it was slightly opened, Lila cautiously peeked inside - to her surprise the place was utterly worn down. It didn"t look like that from the outside though, the archway - the steps, the fountain in the center all looked like it was in tac.
Carefully she made her way inside and found the person she was looking for in the main room. Haruka was sat down on the ground his back against the wall, lost in thought. He looked up, and their gaze met.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to cuddle."
Haruka"s lips curve to an amused smile, "Really?"
Lila nodded. If they cuddle, then she can cheer him up. Seeing Haruka"s hands reach out for her, Lila made her way over. Each step she took felt like an eternity, the old floorboards creaking at her every movement. Lila wrapped her arms around Haruka and hugged him tightly, "They tricked you into giving them the house, didn"t they?"
"Yeah, I heard that they didn"t even stay here and just sold most of the antique valuables for extra cash. Then they thrashed the rest of the place," Haruka trailed off, "It was my decision to give it to them. But even so, this surprises me. I didn"t think they would go this far," Lila felt him tremble in her arms.
"Those people are cruel. They knew how much this place meant to you, and how much you were loved too."
"They did tell me before that they couldn"t stand to see me happy. But who would have thought it would lead to something like this?" Haruka said bitterly.
"The world is a cruel place."
"Yeah, fortunately, I found a ray of light amongst that cruelty."
"Are you talking about me?"
"Who else?" Haruka paused, "Thank you, Lila, honestly I was a bit shocked when I came here. But I"m not as upset as I would have been. If I returned years ago, then I would probably end up hunting the family down myself,"
"But now?"
"Other than give them an angry phone call, nothing else."
An angry phone call, they"ll probably end up so scared and come begging for their lives. Still, Lila smiled, it"s the same for her. Amongst the darkness, Haruka is one of her lights. Her thoughts broke off when she felt the familiar feeling of his lips on her neck.
"H-Haruka?"
"Should bring you to my old room, and we can do it there."
Lila rolled her eyes, and she hits him, "Don"t be stupid. This place is falling apart. We should fix it up," though the place is worn down. It"s not entirely doomed. A few touches here and there will make it liveable before serious renovation is needed.
"Haruka, are you um serious?"
"Always serious when it concerns you," he muttered as he continued licking and sucking her neck.
"L—let go for a second."
Haruka immediately followed her instructions, and she reached over and caressed Haruka"s cheeks. This person is so very precious to her; she no longer wants to see him in pain anymore. While he acted all nonchalant about everything, Lila understood that he was still in pain, "When you touch me Haruka, do you feel better?"
"Yeah, it helps me forget for a while."
"Ah-huh, I understand," Lila nodded. But it"s no good like that. He"s avoiding solving and confronting his problems if he carries on acting in that manner. It won"t do him any good, "I know it"s scary, but I"ll always be here for you Haruka. If you can"t solve it alone, then I"m here for you."
At those words, Haruka suddenly pushed her down; it happened all too quickly. One second he was biting her neck before he was kissing her so pa.s.sionately. Pa.s.sionate aside, "He"s so gentle" Lila thought. So gentle and kind. Lila didn"t know how many minutes had pa.s.sed but when Haruka finally stopped kissing her. Her whole body felt sweaty, Haruka got off her and sat up with his back facing her.
"You--you always mean the best for me, I didn"t have to drink your blood to know."
"..."
Lila is speechless; usually, she would comment regardless of everything. However, the kiss from just now made her head all fuzzy. She really does become stupid whenever it comes to this man. She wonders if it was like this back when she was with Kiryu. When she was with Kiryu, lately Lila is having a hard time recalling. Though from time to time, Lila gets flashbacks of their times together. It doesn"t stay in her memory anymore. Lila shook her head, right now, that isn"t important. She reached over and buried her face in his back.
"Show me around Haruka?"
"Yeah. I will."
.....
Though there was a lot to be explored on the ground floor, Haruka leads her upstairs. Lila didn"t question his decision; he must have something important to show her up here. But, her gaze softened at his hands that were holding hers. She didn"t think they would hold hands. Recently the two of them don"t have many sweet and romantic moments like this. With Haruka, busy working and her schedule also packed, the only thing they do as a couple is have s.e.x together. Whenever Haruka gets near her, it always leads to that. Lila noticed how he still felt awkward about holding hands and thus refrained from doing so.
So, when he grabbed hold of her hand earlier, it surprised her. Is it because he"s feeling all sentimental? Then again, since they arrived, he"s been acting a bit strange.
"Watch your step, I walked here earlier, and there is a hole."
"Did you fall in?" Lila asked. Sure enough, as she approached Lila saw a large hole.
Haruka sighed, and Lila laughed, she would like to have seen that sight.
"Say Haruka," Lila started.
"Hmm?"
"Do you have any special pictures of me?" she asked. Lila figured after seeing the photographs on his desk, "Like photos in your desk or something."
"Special, huh," Haruka suddenly stopped and took out his phone. He pointed to the strap and Lila blinked in confusion, "It"s a locket, did you not notice?"
Oh?! Her eyes widened, and she reached out for it. Sure enough, Lila could see the lock. Carefully Lila opened it up and saw a photograph of her, her cheeks flushed red and soft laughter pa.s.sed her lips. There is a picture. Though Lila asked, she didn"t think Haruka actually had one. But considering the condition of those photo alb.u.ms, Lila figured that she might as well give it a shot. It seemed like her gamble was worth it.