• CHAPTER 61 - PAINFUL DISTRACTIONS

    Can people be so attentive between a multitude of incidents? One thing happens, then another, then another, and it never seems to stop...can you keep up with it all?

    A cold, porcelain hand lightly and slowly cruised up my arm and gripped my shoulder gently. I shivered from the cold and forced myself awake. I moaned as I felt the cramps in my limbs settle in from being curled up in a ball and sleeping for a few hours. I looked over from the corner of my eye and Kai was looking over me, hesitation subtle.

    "Hey," he whispered. "I think it's about time we bandaged that wound of yours."

    My wound? Oh, Kai's bite. I guess we both had forgotten about it over time during our little homecoming argument. I sat myself up with Kai's help and finally decided to remove the t-shirt from my neck. I moved it half an inch and groaned. The blood from my skin dried onto the blood on the t-shirt so they ended up scabbing together; it was almost as though the t-shirt somewhat fused to my neck. Kai offered to help and I shook my head, waiting for the pain to stop. Kai cupped one hand gently around my neck and grabbed onto the t-shirt with his other hand and swiftly pried it off.

    "Ow, ow, ow," I groaned and cupped my hand over my neck.

    "Quit covering it," he told me gently and removed my hand from my wound. "It looks like we won't be able to bandage it yet; it needs aired. It will become infected otherwise."

    "I thought you were mad at me," I interrogated him as he helped me off of the bed.

    "I wasn't angry at you," he smiled at me reassuringly. "I was just frustrated that I couldn't control my appetence. I was about to infiltrate you again." his face fell.

    I smiled at him halfheartedly and released my grip on him and tried to walk on my own so I wouldn't rub my smell all over him. I didn't get too far. I ended up wobbling from loss of blood and the ground came up to my face dramatically until Kai caught me and sat me down. I leaned against the bed with my head back and my eyes closed, my face red from embarrassment.

    "Ugh, how embarrassing," I groaned again.

    "You shouldn't have gotten up so fast," Kai sighed.

    Kai helped me up after I sat down for a few minutes and made me wrap one arm around his slender waist, opposing what I wanted to do. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and we headed to the bathroom. He cleaned my wound, which stung unbelievably, and helped me downstairs into the living room. He wrapped me in a blanket after I shivered...since I was still in my camisole and underwear. I sat on one of the gorgeous couches in the living room while Kai was generous enough to make me some hot chocolate. I assumed it was only an excuse to escape my scent.

    "Hey, Kai?" I asked him after he handed me my hot chocolate and he sat down next to me.

    "Yeah?" he asked while draping his arm on the couch behind me.

    "I have another question for you," I started. "When you said your family died...they didn't die of a car crash, did they?"

    Kai paused, "No, they didn't,"

    "How did they die, then?"

    "They got old. They lived like normal humans. That's only what I assume because I hadn't seen them since the day I was attacked." he sighed.

    "It must have been difficult," I stared at him sympathetically, "to have to run away. To let everything go."

    Kai lightly grabbed my chin with his hand and turned my head towards him, "That's a colossal account that I wouldn't mutate you,"

    "Can you try to use shorter words?" I asked him, hoping for some comic relief. "And you didn't answer my question I asked yesterday."

    "Which question?" he raised an eyebrow in amusement.

    "If you would turn me into a Vampire on my deathbed," I whispered and looked down.

    "I already told you that you will not die," he chuckled darkly.

    "Kai--!" I was on the verge of exploding again until Kai silenced me by pressing his thumb against my lips.

    "Hush," he whispered.

    He cupped his hand on my cheek and leaned forward. He compressed his frozen lips onto my forehead a couple of times and then kissed my temple. He was subtly making his way down to my fragile neck, seeing as he kissed my cheek, then my jawline, then my neck and throat. He inhaled deeply and landed a rough kiss on my neck. He gripped my shoulder with his other hand that was draped along the couch and pulled me a little closer to him. I barely felt his fangs pierce my skin until he immediately backed off and stood up. He covered his nose and mouth again with his forearm and fury clouded his complexion.

    "Kai," I sighed, "if you want to bite me again, then just bite me."

    "I can't," he hissed. "I'll end up killing you next time."

    "You have more control now than you did the first time you bit me," I reminded him.

    He ignored me by turning away and he headed into the kitchen. I ran my fingertips over my neck and when I pulled my hand away, small speckles of blood trickled down my fingers. I cleaned my fingers and neck off on the napkin Kai gave me with my hot chocolate once the blood was making me nauseous. I tried to see if I could overcome my nausea from blood but since it's been so long since I've seen it, I haven't overcome it.

    I turned my attention at the sound of the front door opening in the late night. Miku and Takeuchi walked into the living room and Miku looked exhausted. Shortly after them two, Matsuda and Orihime came in carrying a small pet carrier. When I saw the pet carrier, I panicked and started looking around; where's Momo?!

    "Don't worry," Orihime smiled at me.

    Matsuda crouched onto the floor and opened the cage and out came the familiar black cat I had missed for so long. There were small casts on his front paws and it was difficult for him to approach me. As soon as he did, I scooped him off of the ground and held him close to my chest.

    "Momo!" I screamed, holding him tighter.

    "We had his front paws declawed," Matsuda smiled then shrugged. "For personal reasons."

    Of course. They declawed his front paws so I wouldn't cut myself open from them, how benign of them to think of me and my recklessness. I held Momo back a little bit and observed him up and down. I frowned at his enlarged frame and whined.

    "Momo, you're bigger," it's amazing what a month's time can do to a kitten. "You're not supposed to grow up. You're supposed to stay as a kitten."

    "He is still a kitten," Matsuda chuckled. "He just grows fast."

    I cuddled Momo up to my chest again and stroked his chin and behind his ears. He purred audibly and rubbed the top of his head against my chin. I giggled and continued to stroke is silky fur and he continued to rub my chin with his head.

    "Looks as though he still knows who his owner is," Matsuda smiled at me again and I nodded. He helped Orihime up the stairs and they disappeared.

    I held one of Momo's casts in my hand and observed it. I frowned after remembering how oddly Momo had to walk to get to me. But it's for the better, isn't it? I won't have as much to injure myself with. You never know, with me, I'll find a way to cut myself open with a blanket.

    "Kai?" I whispered. I didn't bother to speak louder because I knew he could hear me anyways.

    He walked into the living room, self-loathing still subtle in his complexion, "Yeah?"

    "Where did Kira go off to?" I asked worriedly.

    He sighed and smiled halfheartedly, "I don't know, honestly. Probably into the city to feed."

    As soon as he said "to feed", I flinched, "It's my fault, isn't it?"

    "No, it's not your fault," he sighed. "You can't help your scent; Kira can't help his determination of infiltration."

    I sighed again and looked down, "When do you think he will be back?" I asked hopelessly.

    Kai thought for a moment, "Probably a few more days,"

    I continued to absentmindedly stroke Momo's fur and look down after slumping my shoulders. Kai approached me stealthily and rested a gentle hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him, wanting the world to swallow me whole again.

    "It's not your fault," he told me again.

    "Yes it is," I sighed. "When he gets back, I'm getting him a birthday present." I smiled to show Kai I was halfway better.

    "A birthday present?" he cocked an eyebrow. "His birthday was a month ago. It's the first day of March."

    "But I wasn't here for his birthday," I pointed out, but I didn't remind him why I wasn't there.

    "Hello, lovebirds," Takeuchi interrupted us and smiled while helping Miku over to the couch. He helped Miku sit down and he stared at me in my camisole and underwear with my messed up hair. He grinned widely. "Were you two getting frisky when we were gone?"

    It was unexpected for me, but Kai acted quickly and flipped off Takeuchi. Takeuchi threw his head back and laughed and I covered myself once more with my blanket, still holding onto Momo. I had missed Momo so much, I never wanted to let him go again. I peeked over at Miku and paused in worry; she was pale and sweating excessively, holding onto her tummy.

    "Miku, are you feeling okay?" I asked worriedly.

    "Yeah, I just--" she couldn't finish her sentence before she groaned in what sounded like pain.

    "Miku?" Takeuchi's tone switched to worry as he sat down and rubbed Miku's forehead and her belly. "Miku, babe, what's wrong?"

    "The baby is just kicking a lot," she tried to smile to reassure us, but groaned in pain again.

    "Matsuda, Orihime," Kai barely called out to them, knowing they could hear him clearly.

    Miku fidgeted and took short breaths, "It's kicking hard,"

    "Miku, it's not kicking you," Kai confirmed.

    Matsuda and Orihime came rushing down the stairs, "Kai, set up some towels in the study room," he gave Kai orders before even confirming what was really wrong.

    Kai teleported out of sight and was gone for a mere ten seconds before he appeared again at my side, "Got it,"

    "Takeuchi, grab Miku and take her into the study room on top of the towels," Matsuda teleported out of sight as well. That was my first time ever seeing him teleport.

    Takeuchi scooped up Miku swiftly, despite her increased weight from pregnancy, and rushed to the study room. Orihime followed after him at a slower pace, rarely feeling her way to the room. I put Momo down and gripped onto Kai's sleeve.

    "Kai, what's wrong with her?" I asked shakily.

    "Come on," he drug me into the study room and Matsuda had arrived before us with many medical supplies.

    Miku was lying on the ground on her back and was sweating even more. Takeuchi was holding onto Miku's hand and rubbing her head and whispering some things to her. Matsuda slipped on some rubber gloves and Orihime held onto Miku's other hand. Miku's breaths were still short and she kept moving her head from side to side. It took me a moment to realize Miku's clothes lying on the ground on the other side of the room; she was covered up with a clean white blanket. Miku groaned again and arched her back upwards.

    "Kai?" I asked with a shaky voice.

    Kai wrapped one arm around my waist and propped me up so my shaky knees wouldn't give out. He rubbed my waist in small circles and looked over at Miku, "She's in labor," he mumbled.