Written by Miyu, Vampire Princess

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
AU to the furuba universe...more so here than in the first 7 chapters. It's Sierra's second year in Japan with her estranged family. Someone returns. Someone leaves. And poor Sierra isn't sure what to do anymore! Is her family falling apart? Please enjoy. Comments always welcome. 

Chapter 10 - Inevitable Separation

Tohru sent me another postcard the day before summer break started. Or rather, I RECEIVED another postcard from her. That made two in one week and ten in the past three months. It's amazing the pictures that were on those things. They ranged from anything from national monuments and natural sites, to random pictures of animals doing weird and unusual things. The latest featured a cute little orange and white striped calico on the front. The poor thing looked like it had just been drenched in water.

Funny, I can picture Kyo looking just as angry. Hahaha!

They've all said that she's doing well. Making new friends. Enjoying the school environment. She even started taking origami classes. Who'd have thought?! She misses everyone -- and we miss you too Tohru! -- but she wished everyone well.

And she included a return address! YES!

I think she left it out because she was afraid Akito would find out she was still communicating with me. Kyo was caught with a letter from her -- originally addressed to Hatori -- and boy did he get in trouble. Two casts, a splint and crutches. I spent a good week checking up on him. I even said some harsh words to Akito on the matter, but he only laughed them off. It pissed me off, but I was used to it.

Hatori got in trouble too, but at least he was still able to walk. His other eye didn't look good though. Maybe his cheek was just swollen. In either case he wouldn't talk about it.

"It's nothing, Sierra. Don't worry about it."

If I had a nickel for each time I heard that one!

I told Tohru about the subtle changes around here. How strangely Akito tended to act around me and that he insisted on my making regular visits to the Honke. In truth it frightened me. He really did seem like a different person around me. He was actually...nice!

I shared most of my postcards with Yuki and Kyo, but I had to make it subtle. Eventually I had the things memorized and recited them word for word to my cousins. I told Tohru they were both doing well...but in fact...they weren't. Kyo was still in fact Kyo. But the last beating he took from Akito really stung his pride. Something Akito said, I thought, though I wasn't sure what. He seemed, more resigned. Actually I think he was just defeated. Being locked away in a small cage was really wearing him down. He still tried though. Really.

Yuki, on the other hand, seemed more withdrawn. Now that could've been for several reasons. He was a college student now, taking way too many courses. He did it mostly to keep busy...and to stay out of the Honke for as long as possible in one day. He was always working on some project or paper when I would stop by to see him. Looking tired and worn out was the norm for him anymore.

It could also have been the things Akito was doing to him.

Now I don't know specifics. Only what Momiji's told me...and what I've learned from the house staff (such nice people -- I'll miss them). But many told me that Akito would sneak into Yuki's room. It was next to his, and the maids said he never knocked. It was usually quiet in the room, they said, but once in a while, you'd hear something. Something so horrible most times they'd have to cover their mouths and walk away. I never saw any bruises or marks when I saw Yuki, but they could've been hidden.

"It's nothing, Sei-chan. I'm just overwhelmed. Please, don't worry about me."

But worry I did.

Momiji was doing well, and still growing. He sprouted another two inches since the semester began. I was beginning to get jealous, especially since I'd only grown one inch. His fan club was still going strong at school too. It was the one thing Yuki actually smiled about.

Haru was...Haru. Little changed with him, I think. Just before summer vacation he started coming to class less and less, or skipping out before the school day was over. When either myself or Momiji would ask, he just shrugged and told us it wasn't important.

My summer vacation started out well. I had gotten a hold of Uotani Arisa, who had contacted Hanajima Saki and we made arrangements to have lunch in town. It was really good to see them. They didn't look much different from when I'd seen them at graduation, but it was easy to see they had matured a bit.

Arisa even colored her hair! Red!!! It looked really good on her too.

We sat down in the cafe, ordering our drinks then our meal. The main subject of conversation was Tohru. I shouldn't have been surprised that she was writing to them as well. They got the same interesting postcards, sometimes with different information.

"She seems to be doing well," I told them after discussing our latest postcards.

"Tohru puts up a good front," Saki said. "But I sense that she is sad."

"Yeah," Arisa added. "I think it was mean of the writer to kick her out like that."

'It was better than the alternative, I guess,' I thought. Aloud I responded, "Well, I suppose she couldn't stay forever."

Saki nodded. "Tohru will do well on her own. She has always been...independent."

"I suppose your right," Arisa said with a sigh. "We all gotta grow up sometime."

"How are Yuki and Kyo?" Saki asked, changing the subject.

"Doing well," I lied. "Kyo's still practicing his martial arts and Yuki is strapped with college courses." At least that part was honest enough.

"And Kaiwaia? Is it still the same place?" Arisa asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Same old, same old." I sipped my drink realizing, "Oh hey! Did you know Momiji has a fanclub now?"

"Seriously?!"

"I suppose it shouldn't be all that shocking. But it is."

We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about life in general...and Momiji's fanclub.

The next day I spent with Chidori and Sakura. We went shopping. Big surprise there, right? After wasting half the day at the mall, I took them by Ayame's shop. I warned them ahead of time, and while that prepared them for the clothing, it didn't prepare them for my cousin. Ayame was in rare form that day.

"AH! Sei-chan! Hello, HELLO!"

"Konnichiwa, Ayame-san." I said with a smile. I couldn't help it. Ayame's personality always seemed contagious...if not outrageous.

"And who are your lovely friends?"

I introduced him to Sakura and Chidori. He gave a lavish bow and kissed them both on the hand. I tried not to laugh as they blushed profusely.

And I attempted not to faint when he asked them to model some clothing.

Even still, it was a good day.

The next two days I spent at home with my uncle. He locked himself in his study to work on yet another late manuscript. I took the time to finish chores and work on homework. In the evenings we would go walking around the neighborhood. One night he even took me out for dinner. And to a place where we had to get all dressed up no less. For one night I happily wore a dress my mother had picked out and my uncle paraded me around town like a princess. It felt kind of...nice.

I finished the week with a visit to Akito. Not the way I would've wanted to end my week, but it had become habit to have late afternoon tea with him. As usual he seemed very calm. He welcomed me with a slight hug and actually complimented me on my clothing. I was only wearing a long black skirt and a red blouse, but he seemed impressed. Strange.

Stranger still was that he kept looking at my throat. Had he become a vampire or something? I realized later that he had been staring at my necklace; the one he had given me as a birthday present. I rarely took it off. He seemed very happy that I would accept such an heirloom. It had belonged to his mother. Apparently there was something special about it, but he wouldn't tell me what. All I knew was that it was passed down from generation to generation in the family. It had been worn by Hatori's grandmother before Akito's mother was given it as a wedding present.

"All in good time," he said, kissing me on the forehead before I left. Another first. It felt kind of...icky. Is that the right word?

Weird just didn't cut it anymore.

I left Akito's quarters feeling the need to shower. At least the weekend was in front of me. And another week of vacation. There was more homework to complete, and more shopping to do, oh yeah, and I still had a major paper to finish writing.

"Sei?"

Haru was waiting for me at the gate of the main house. He was dressed in his usual garb, and he looked none the worse. I think it surprised me because it had been over a week since I'd seen him at all. He offered me a small smile as he stepped away from the gate fencing.

"How ya been?" I asked. "You weren't in school those last few days before vacation started."

He shrugged. "I had some things to take care of."

"Oh."

"If it's all right with you, can I come over tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Of course." Why wouldn't he be allowed to visit Shigure's? "I plan on being home all day. Stop by around lunchtime and I'll whip up something to eat."

"Sounds good."

"Haru?"

"Hmm?"

"Is everything all right?"

It certainly didn't seem right all of a sudden. Asking permission to come over. Practically avoiding eye contact. The fact that he fidgeted when he spoke. Something seemed...wrong.

"I just wanted to talk is all."

Alarms went off in my head, but I ignored them for the moment. "All right. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Noon sharp," he said, opening the door for me.

The first thing Shigure said to me Saturday morning was:

"I'm late for my flight!"

I looked up from my research paper and asked, "You have a flight?"

"Hai!"

"Where are you going?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"Ummm...."

"I'll take that as a 'no'."

"Yes."

"Oh! So I did tell you."

"No, you didn't."

"I didn't tell you I had a conference this weekend?"

"No."

"Well, now you know."

"Uncle?"

"Huh?"

"Your suitcase." He was ready to walk out the door without it. I walked over to the door and handed it to him.

"Arigato, Sei-chan." He kissed me on the cheek and rushed out the door.

"Uncle?"

"Yes?"

"Who's driving you?"

He paused, mid-stride. He looked left, then right, then left again, then back at me. "AH!"

I sighed, shaking my head. "I'll call Hatori."

"I am not an airport taxi," Hatori said after I explained the situation.

"But I'm running late, Ha-san," my uncle whined loudly.

"His flight leaves in half an hour," I said.

"Tell him to reschedule. He can still make it to the conference if he takes another flight."

"I'll still need to get to the airport," Shigure said.

"Call an airport taxi," Hatori suggested.

"That'll take too long!"

"Do I really need to be the one on the phone?"

"We're wasting time, Ha-san!"

"Gomen, Sierra. Tell Shigure I'll be over in ten minutes."

Ten minutes later....

"He's late!" My uncle was pacing the front porch.

"He just pulled up," I said, pointing to his car along the curb.

Shigure stood, waiting for Hatori to get out of his car. "He's not getting out."

"You're running late, uncle."

"Oh, yes!" He practically jumped off the porch and started for the car.

"Uncle?"

He turned around. "Yes?"

"Your suitcase?" It was still sitting by my feet on the porch. I picked it up and held it out for him.

"Ah! Arigato, Sei-chan."

He took the suitcase, kissed me again, then took off for Hatori's car. I watched him jump into the passenger seat. Hatori looked less than thrilled, but he pulled away from the curb and headed into town anyway. I waited until they had disappeared before turning to go back into the house.

"I guess I've arrived just in time."

"Eh? Yuki-kun!"

It was indeed Yuki, walking towards the house from the wooded path. He smiled and waved in greeting. Was this the same Yuki I'd seen so stressed out last week? Perhaps I was imagining things.

To be sure, I hugged him when he reached the porch.

>POOF!<

Nope, I'm not imagining things.

"Sei-chan?"

"Gomen, gomen. You were so stressed last week. I just wanted to make sure you were you." I paused in thought. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Akito asked me to watch over you while Shigure was away this weekend."

"That's mighty nice of him." My words came out more sarcastic than I had intended. I gathered Yuki's clothing and the duffel he had brought with him. "Why is he so concerned? I'm almost 17 you know."

"I know," Yuki replied as I picked him up, too. Such a tiny little mouse. Kind of cute actually. "But who can explain Akito?"

"Not even Akito, I'd wager," I told him, carrying him and his things into the house. I sat Yuki on the dining table while I placed his things in a neat pile next to him. "Are you glad to be out of the house anyway?"

The smile he gave me practically lit the room. "You bet."

>POOF!<

EEP! Naked Yuki! Run for the kitchen!

"Do you want anything to eat?" I called from the kitchen. "I'm going to be making lunch shortly, but Shigure left some oatmeal from breakfast--"

"I'll pass, for now," Yuki replied from the dining room.

I grabbed two glasses, filled them with water and left the kitchen. Yuki was dressed when I re-entered the dining room, digging through his duffel for something. He smiled at me and I handed him the water. He accepted happily, leading the way into the living room.

I'm not sure how long we were there watching TV -- I put off finishing my paper, it was giving me a headache anyway -- but I was so caught up in the show that I totally forgot about Haru. I only remembered after being scared senseless by a knock on the door. Yuki looked at me, a question on his face.

"Haru's supposed to stop by today," I explained, getting up from my chair.

Yuki only nodded, returning his attention back to the TV as I went to answer the door.

I was surprised again, the door opening before I could touch it. I jumped back, willing myself to be calm, knowing it would be Haru.

But it wasn't Haru.

"Sei-chan! Konnichiwa!"

HUG!

>POOF!<

When the smoke cleared and I was finally able to come back to my senses, I was sitting on the floor, holding a happy bunny in my lap. I sighed, half disappointed that it wasn't who I had expected it to be. Then I hugged Momiji tightly.

"Konnichiwa, Momiji-chan." I lifted him, holding his rabbit form at arm's length. "What are you doing over here?"

"Hatori said that he had to drop Shigure off at the airport, and we thought we'd visit so you wouldn't be alone."

"But I'm not alone," I pointed out. "Yuki is here." I thought a moment. "Wait...we?"

"Konnichiwa, Sei-chan," said a young female voice.

"AH! Kisa-chan...and Hiro." They were standing in the doorway. Kisa looked a bit leary, but smiled anyway. Hiro only smirked.

"We thought we'd come along to keep you company," Kisa offered. She held out a bag of what looked like video tapes. "We brought some anime and stuff to watch."

Gods she's so dear!

"Arigato," I said, giving her a big hug once I untangled myself from Momiji. "Ma, if I'd known everyone was coming over, I'd have gone grocery shopping. I'm not sure I have enough food to make lunch for everyone."

"Then we can go out to eat," Momiji said, bouncing over to Yuki. The older boy patted him on the head between his ears. "Ne, Yuki?"

"I don't see why not," he answered with another smile. The most I'd EVER seen him smile, even when Tohru was around.

"But...I promised I'd make lunch," I sputtered. "Haru--!"

'I don't have a problem with it."

I jumped again, my heart stopping. I heard Haru's voice, knew he was standing behind me. Very close behind me. I looked over my left shoulder and saw nothing. When I looked over my right shoulder, he was standing right there, his face mere inches from mine. I tried to smile, but I was still too shocked.

"I don't mind," he repeated. "We can all go out for lunch."

I opened my mouth to question but didn't. Instead I smiled. "Out for lunch it is."

>POOF!<

"WHEEEEEEEE!"

"ACK!"

"Momiji!"

"And we'll leave as soon as Momiji's dressed," I added, hiding my eyes as Momiji ran past.

So my somewhat relaxing afternoon turned into a circus. Lunch was a full two-hour affair. Trying to find a place where 6 people can sit comfortably on a Saturday is a pain in the ass. But we found a place not far from Shigure's and spent our time goofing off as well as eating. When we returned home, Kisa suggested watching a video. Between Yuki, Kisa, Hiro and Momiji, a movie was chosen. As Yuki was putting it in the player, Haru pulled me aside.

"I think would be a good time for our talk."

"What about the others?"

"They'll be engrossed in the movie."

"Umm...all right."

Haru had been right. No one stopped us as we made our way over to the stairs and stepped upward. I led Haru to my room. Waving him inside, I closed the door behind me.

"So," I said. "What's up?"

Digging into his back pocket he pulled out a bundle of something and held it out for me. It was a small box, neatly wrapped. "Here."

I took it curiously. "What is it?"

"Your birthday present."

"Haru, my birthday isn't for another month."

"I know."

"Then why not hold onto it and give it to me later?"

He sighed, turning away from me. "Because there may not be a later."

I sat down on the edge of my bed. "Why not?"

His only reply was, "I saw Rin."

Surprise! "When?"

"About two weeks ago."

"She's back? That's great! How is she?" I asked excitedly.

"She's leaving again." He bowed his head, sighing. "She asked me...she asked me to go with her this time."

"Oh." I stared at the gift in my lap because I didn't know what else to do. "Is she all right?"

"She was pregnant."

"Was?" Rin had told me, and I wasn't to tell anyone else. Still, the use of past tense was surprising. She'd been gone a long time. Almost long enough to have the child. "Did she have the baby?"

"She had a miscarriage."

Oh, not good. "Is she all right?"

Haru smiled and nodded. "She's well."

"Ah." Torn between sadness and relief, I nodded to the gift now in my hands. "So that's why you wanted to give me my birthday present early."

"Aa."

"Do the others know?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. I don't think I should say anything. It'll be safer that way. But...I want to say something to Yuki at least."

"Why not now?" He was right downstairs.

Haru shook his head. Walking towards me, he sat beside me on the bed. I looked up at him and made eye contact for the first time since the conversation began. Electricity shot through my system and I suddenly became tense. A good kind of tense. Or so I thought. But fear got the better of me and I attempted to stand. Haru grabbed my arm and gently pulled me back down to the bed.

"I can go get him--"

"Stay here," he told me. "I have something else to give you."

What? I never got to ask. He was too busy kissing me.

I was too busy kissing him back.

I'm not sure I'm courageous enough to give out lots of details, considering I know SOMEONE in my family will read this later (right, uncle?). I can tell you I will never experience anything like it again. Even stripped of my memories as I will be, there will be no one else quite like Haru.

I really wasn't sure if I should've fought back or not, remembering vividly our previous conversation. But this was not Black Haru, nor was there any sign of him. He was extremely gentle, totally caring and wonderfully loving. He asked when and where he could touch me and his fingers were pure fire. Tell him 'no' when his touch felt so wonderful? Tell him 'no' when the warmth of his body was so close? Tell him 'no' when I wanted to do everything to him he was doing to me?

Yeah, right!

Everything happened in a blur, yet I can recall each detail as if it all played in slow motion. I blinked and my shirt was unbuttoned, yet I felt Haru's fingers working on them, pulling them apart. I didn't notice my shirt had been slid from my shoulders until cool air swept against my skin, yet I could feel the material sliding down my arms. The same goes for my skirt. All the while fire moved over my bare skin, warmth surrounded me and kisses rained down on me.

Our lips were locked, my fingernails scratching the hell out of his shoulders and forearms when that moment of contact came. Pain shot through my system and I cried out into the kiss. It was probably a good thing, too, otherwise the others would've heard us. Haru stopped, waiting for me. I'm not sure how long it was, but I know time didn't sit as still as the two of us. Tears fell from my eyes. Haru whispered apologies in my ear. Eventually both mattered little as the pain slowly gave way and a more primitive need took over.

Now I know they say sex burns calories, but damn! Good thing I'm flexible, otherwise half the moves we attempted wouldn't have been possible. Maybe we even figured out a few you've never seen, Uncle. I'm not sure I can even describe it in words. It's one of those things you have to experience for yourself.

When that final moment came, pure bliss sweeping through my body, clouding my mind and taking away any kind of thought coherent or otherwise, I bit into Haru's shoulder. Hard. I did it mostly to keep from screaming, which I wanted to do so badly. Haru only grunted, although I'm uncertain if it was from the bite or not. I wanted to apologize. But my consciousness seemed to disappear with my thoughts. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I felt the vague sensation of falling backward, felt the sheets of my bed under my back and arms. I think Haru kissed me on the forehead as he covered me with my blanket.

It's my last memory of him.

The best gift he could ever give me.

And I never got to say 'thank you'.

"Yuki! She's waking up!" Momiji cried out.

"How can she NOT with all your yelling?" Hiro questioned.

"I'm not yelling," the rabbit defended. "I'm just excited."

"Is she all right?" Kisa asked.

Why wouldn't I be all right? It's not like I fell down the stairs or anything. Wait...why was I curled up in bed? And where was Haru?!

I bolted upright at that moment, scaring Kisa and Momiji and bumping my forehead against Yuki's chin. My body so argued the movement. My back and my legs ached. Something else ached too. It wasn't a bad pain...but it was there. I also noticed with some trepidation that I was half naked. While I was wearing my shirt, there was no bra. And while I could tell I was wearing underwear, my jeans were clear across the room. I could see them. With a blush on my face, I looked around the room at everyone, apologizing to Yuki who was rubbing his chin.

"Gomen, I didn't mean to fall asleep," I told them.

"Haru came down an hour ago and said you weren't feeling well," Yuki explained. "He said to let you rest."

"But we were worried," Momiji added with a nod. "You didn't seem ill earlier."

"How do you feel?" Kisa asked, leaning into the bed.

"I'm...fine. Good. Great even," I told them. And contrary to the aches and pains, I did feel great. "I guess all I needed was a little rest." I looked around again. "Where is Haru?"

"He left when the movie ended a few minutes ago," Hiro said.

"Oh," was all I could say. I managed a smile, despite a sudden empty feeling inside. "Why don't we all go back downstairs and we can watch another movie?" My smile grew. "I promise I won't fall asleep this time."

Momiji clapped happily. "Great! I know just the one!"

"Hey," Hiro complained. "I get to pick this time."

Kisa gave me a small hug, then grabbed Hiro by the hand and pulled him towards the door. "Hiro gets to pick this time, Momiji."

The rabbit shrugged, following them out of the door. "Then I pick next time!"

I laid back down on the bed with a sigh. Closing my eyes, I remembered briefly what had happened. Recalling every touch. Every kiss. Every ounce of emotion. My body reacted to my thoughts, heating and flushing without my knowledge. It wasn't until I felt the tingling in my limbs that I realized I wasn't alone in the room.

"Sei-chan?"

When I opened my eyes, Yuki was there. He had remained behind, his eyes looking me over curiously. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I smiled, somewhat stupidly. "Yeah I'm fine. I'll be down in a bit. Oh! We'll have to go shopping for dinner, unless everyone wants to go out again."

"How about we order delivery?"

I nodded. "I'm sure you remember where uncle keeps the menu."

Yuki smiled again, a knowing smile. "Yes. Come down when you're ready."

"Hai."

I felt great. I was happier than I'd been since Tohru moved away. And yet, I couldn't help but feel sad. Haru was gone. I knew that the next time I set foot in the Honke, he would be nowhere to be found. It hurt to realize that I couldn't be with him...that I wasn't really the one for him. And it damn near killed me to know that what happened between us could never be duplicated. I was positive I would never feel that same way about anyone else.

I AM positive.

It's...depressing.

And depressed I was for a while afterwards. I got through the weekend and the following week just fine. I even brought myself to open Haru's birthday gift to me. It was a necklace: a golden rose on a silver chain. I thought it was very pretty. There was a tiny stone in the middle of the rose that glittered in the right light. I likened it to a teardrop. How appropriate. Without much thought, I took off the necklace Akito had given me and put on Haru's.

Bad idea! Very BAD!

When I sat down to tea that Friday, Akito was very short with me. I didn't really understand why, until we had finished our tea and I was about to leave. Akito stopped me at the door, grabbing me by my shoulders and holding me against the wall. For a moment I was truly afraid. What had changed all of a sudden?

"What's this?" he asked, fingering the necklace around my neck. He held the rose charm carefully on his forefinger.

"A new charm," I said quietly.

"What about the one I gave you?" He sounded upset.

"I still have it."

"Why aren't you wearing it?" He sounded angry now.

"Gomen nasai," I muttered. "But I just got this one and wanted to wear it a while."

"Who gave it to you? Shigure?"

"My mother."

The lie came out so easily it was kind of scary. There was no way I could admit it was from Haru. Akito was already angry about my cousin's disappearance. Hatori told me about the temper tantrum he had thrown the day before. When Haru couldn't be found in the house, Akito pitched a fit and a half.

"Do not wear it in my presence again," he said, releasing me and taking two steps backward. "The one I gave you is much more beautiful, don't you think?"

I nodded to appease him, hurrying to open the door beside me. There was something very evil in his eyes as he watched me leave. It made my skin crawl. I had not, in all my time with him, seen him look at me that way. It was worse than scary. It was terrifying.

It was like he'd already staked a claim on me or something.

The weeks back at school didn't feel quite the same without Haru. There were lots of questions, but very few answers. Momiji only knew that Haru had run away.

"Good for him," Momiji had said in the midst of his fanclub. "Haru's always been a free spirit, doing what he pleased. He's probably better off."

Chidori and Sakura did little things to try and cheer me up. I think they knew things were more than just friendly between me and Haru, but they never said anything. Instead, they took me shopping, bought me cake and left me little notes in my locker to let me know that I wasn't alone. It was actually a big help, considering I got no consolation at home.

My uncle's smarter than your average dog. I think he KNEW what happened between me and Haru the moment he came home. I told him that Haru was gone. I told him what Akito had said to me at our last meeting. Apparently Akito had said something too, because even he was adamant about my wearing that necklace.

"It was rude of you to wear that other necklace to see Akito," he told me without looking away from his computer. "I think you should wear his gift next time you go."

And I did. Akito seemed very pleased. If only he knew that I put it on before I got to his rooms and took it off before I reached the main gate. Or maybe he did know. Because Haru's necklace went missing about a month later.

I still can't find it.

Needless to say that life, in general began to return to normal...again.

I heard from Haru once in a while. Rin, too. I hope to see them again at least once before...well...before the end.

But I'm not holding my breath.

They don't know what I intend to do. They have no idea what's been happening to me. No one does. Well, all right, maybe a few people know.

Including you.

~TO BE CONTINUED~