• CHAPTER 111 - CRUEL IS THE WORLD

    Why must some be deprived of their most valuable people? Why can't people just get over themselves and move on without killing?

    I stretched and yawned, "Say, Ai, since we're already awake, what say we hop in the bath?" I offered generously, remembering back to when Aya and I would take baths together. It wasn't uncommon in Japan for siblings to bathe together, even in their teens.

    Ai's face lit up and she looked up at me, "Yes!"

    I glanced back at Kai, "Do you mind?"

    Kai smiled lightly and kissed my cheek daintily, "Not at all,"

    Ai hopped off of the bed right away and smiled, excited to take a bath. After venturing through the dresser to grab some clothes, I frowned after realizing Ai had no other clothes. I turned around to Kai with pleading eyes and he instantly knew what was up.

    "No, I'm not going to a child clothing store," Kai protested.

    "Kai, please? Ai needs to go to bed and I can't keep her up any longer than a bath." I pleaded, puckering up my bottom lip.

    "She's gonna have to deal with a large shirt; I'm not going." Kai crossed his arms, diminishing the sincere mask he had shown Ai just a few minutes earlier.

    "Whatever, Kai, I know that once I take a step in the bathroom, you'll leave and go shopping," I headed towards the bathroom with Ai's hand in mine, not looking back at Kai. "Take my car; my keys are hanging up by the door."

    I shut the bathroom door before Kai could protest and Ai giggled audibly at Kai's display of immaturity. I couldn't hear Kai leave the bedroom, but, just as I predicted, I heard the purr of my engine a couple of minutes later and it died down as Kai left in the distance. I sighed and smiled in success; I had overthrown Kai for a moment. The bath was started and bubbles were put into place, only to have Ai squeeze over half of the bottle into the tub.

    "Nana, you and uncle Kai should marry," Ai smiled, giving Kai a nickname.

    I smiled nervously, fondling with my ring on my finger under the water, "Uncle Kai, huh?" I giggled. "How are you liking him so far?"

    "He's really nice!" Ai exclaimed with a wide smile. "He seems to really like you, Nana."

    I laughed halfheartedly, "Well, we have been together for about ten months now,"

    "And he's cute," Ai continued to smile with a little pink in her cheeks. "Does he have any brothers?"

    I laughed out loud that time, "Ai, you're only six! His brother is a hundred seventy-seven!"

    "I thought you said they were eighteen?" Ai cocked her head.

    "Well, yes, but still," I rolled my eyes. "The last thing you should be thinking about is hitting on my boyfriend's brother."

    Ai giggled and started messing with the bubbles, blowing them everywhere from her tiny palms. A few heaps of bubbles managed to land on my nose and my chin and soon enough, Ai was making me a bubble beard. After another long several minutes in the bath, the front door opened and closed and Kai called out to confirm he was back. He sounded agitated, as though he was stared at while he was in town. No surprise; he was beautiful. I finally kicked Ai out of the tub and she hopped right out, not bothering to wash off the bubbles that clung to her skin. I climbed out shortly after and drained the tub and wrapped myself in my robe after slipping into my lingerie.

    We hurried into the bedroom where there were two small bags of newly bought clothes. I dug through both of them with Ai's assistance to find her some pajamas. After searching for three minutes, there were no pajamas. Only t-shirts and skirts and jeans.

    I turned my head and shouted out the bedroom door, "Kai! You forgot pajamas!"

    "Well sue me!" Kai complained, only making me laugh.

    I tugged an old, striped, long-sleeved shirt from the closet and handed it to Ai, "Wear this; we'll get you some pajamas tomorrow."

    After Ai slid into the oversized shirt, she hopped right into the bed just as the rays of the morning sun were caressing the bed. It was odd to be tucking in a child during the morning; I still wasn't used to the whole Vampire sleep schedule, seeing as Kai was usually awake when I was. I pulled the covers up to Ai's chin and she smiled sheepishly and tiredly. I gave her a small friendly embrace and smiled at her.

    "You're such a brave girl; sleep well."

    "Good morning, Nana," she mumbled with a smile on her face instead of saying "good night".

    I snuck out of the bedroom after seeing Ai fell asleep right away, signaling that I probably deprived her of so much sleep. Still in my robe, I tip-toed out to the living room and Kai was sitting quietly on the couch with no television on or anything. I hopped onto the couch next to Kai and his reaction was wrapping one arm around my waist and pulling me in for a soft kiss. He lowered me gradually until I was on my back on the couch. He bestowed little passionate pecks on my lip and his hand slowly but surely moved up and down my back, causing me to giggle.

    "It's great to have you back," I giggled whilst pressing my fingertips on either side of his cheeks. "You've become more immature since hanging out with Takeuchi for a week."

    Kai rolled his eyes, "Tell me about it; he grows on you when you're stuck with him."

    Kai apparently had enough with words already and his mouth attacked mine again. It felt so good to be kissing him again; it almost felt like an eternity without him, what with him being gone and me nearly being killed twice and all. I cupped Kai's head and gripped some of his hair to pull him closer, feeling the cold oozing off of his skin. He must have been so tired; I didn't even know why I was having a moment with him. Just as I was about to pull away, Kai seemed to get a little excited and he halfway opened my robe--revealing my pretty frilly lingerie. One of his hands cupped my waist and it caused me to arch my back upwards from reaction to the cold, only making myself press to his torso.

    Just as I was about to pull Kai off of me, asking for a breathing break, Kai stopped the kissing and his head perked upright. I was lying under him in a daze and out of breath and Kai seemed pretty concentrated...towards Ai's room.

    "She's crying," Kai confirmed apathetically.

    "Oh no--" I tried to get up but Kai ceased my movement by pressing his palm against my chest lightly.

    "It would be better for her to have some alone time," he suggested. "People need time alone when they're mourning."

    I embraced Kai while I was sitting halfway up and I buried my face in his chest, "The poor girl..."

    "She'll be okay," Kai rubbed my back. "She's lucky she ran into you when she did, otherwise she'd have been killed."

    "Her eye," I mumbled. "Hitoshi nearly gauged her eye out; the cornea is still scratched and she can't quite see out of it yet."

    "It'll heal," Kai caressed me. "She's still a Vampire child; it takes a little longer for them to heal. Speaking of which, has she had any blood?"

    "She did bite my wrist when I found her," I pursed my lips together. "She hasn't had any blood since; I didn't know if I should feed my blood to her or not."

    "You probably shouldn't," Kai pursed his lips together. "It would be bad for her to become addicted at such a young age."

    I sighed sadly and glanced away, "Why must my blood be so addictive,"

    "For me, it's not your blood that captivates me," Kai smirked and pushed me onto my back lightly again and he kissed me daintily. "It's you in general."

    "Oh how I missed your corny pick-up lines," I frowned and kissed him back.

    Even though Kai's pick-up lines were corny--although I'm sure he meant to alter them as such--they still tied my stomach in knots and made the butterflies mad. His soft voice was so captivating; it was so hard to believe he was a killer. He could easily kill me every time we kiss, every time we hug, any time I breathe. It just goes to show that there's always a soft spot in the most gruesome killers.

    "Please tell me Ai will be okay," I tangled my fingers in Kai's hair and pleaded. "Tell me she won't die."

    Kai looked down at me apathetically and kissed my forehead, "I promise. If she's gotten this far already, then she'll be fine. We'll find her father."

    After a few more minutes, I noticed Kai's kisses getting slower and slower and he was sluggish all together. It was when I opened my eyes again that I took notice of the dark purple rings under his eyes. At that, Kai smiled faintly and managed to roll us over while we were on the couch so he was lying on his back and I was lying on his rock-hard torso. I'd have offered him some of my blood, seeing as the rings under his eyes also meant he was dehydrated, but my neck was so incredibly tender still. I'd have to give him blood some other way.

    I smiled and kissed Kai lightly, ignoring the fact I was straddling him with a half-open robe in almost provocative lingerie, "I love you so much,"

    "Same to you," he kissed me back, "but more of it."

    For several minutes, I ordered Kai to finally shut his eyes and, as he did so, I gently stroked the locks of his hair. Soon enough, Kai was in a deep enough sleep for me to kiss his neck and his jaw line. He kept one arm firm around my waist and his other hand was underneath the pillow supporting his head. I continued to stare at him in awe and brush his hair around. His complexion was completely relaxed, much like a child. He was simply adorable and enamoring at the same time when he was sleeping. Watching him only made me realize how much of a creeper I was being but I couldn't exactly help it. Okay, I could help it but I enjoyed watching him sleep for a little bit and I enjoyed playing with his hair.

    Soon enough, unexpectedly, I ended up falling asleep on Kai. Just as I was on the brink of unconsciousness, I promised to myself that it was merely a nap and that I would wake to fix lunch or supper, depending on when Kai and Ai would wake up. It was funny; it was almost as though Kai and me were parents now, parenting little Ai. It was strange to think of but it was like we had our own child in a way, despite it was only the first day of Kai and Ai meeting.