Blood Rose (Midnight Rose Sequel)

Chapter 9: Recovering

Thank you all so much for waiting. And thank you all for the 270+ reads. All of you are amazing and I hope that you all enjoy the chapter.

Hours had passed now at this point. Kaito right now didn't know what to do. When he told his grandparents his plan, they looked appalled but agreed to help him out. He was going to go through with it anyway, with or without their approval. So long as he kept himself from hurting Maki again. As soon as he finished, he set to work to cover up the murder that happened in the woods. He buried the bodies as far and deep in the ground as he could. He recovered his and Maki's belongings and cleared up everything else that would've been evidence as to what had happened. It was so morbid doing all of that, but he felt like he had no choice. Just one more secret to add to the ever growing pile. Kaito was starting to get sick of it.

Wanting to think of something else, Kaito turned around to look at Maki from were he stood at the window. A little colour had returned to her face, making her look more alive. Her breathing had gone from shallow to being calm and more even. The bleeding had stopped, so the bandages were removed from her neck finally. However, now it showed the bite marks that Kaito now permanently left on her neck. The scar will fade over time, but it will always remind Kaito of the damage that he had done. If that weren't bad enough, the dark instincts were slowly coming back to him again. He hated this curse that he was now trapped in. It was like consuming Maki's blood was an addiction that he can't stop. It scared him. Hopefully the plan that he had set in place will work for now. At least until he can control this darkness inside of him.

"Kaito..."

Kaito snapped out of his inner hatred as Maki slowly opened her eyes. They were a little dim, but seemed to brighten up as he looked over at him. Kaito wanted to keep his distance, but his body had a mind of its own. He slowly approached the bed, gently sitting beside Maki. Maki looked like she wanted to sit up, but she couldn't bring herself to move.

"Hey, Maki Roll." Kaito spoke quietly, brushing a strand of hair from Maki's face. "How are you feeling?"

"I...I think I'm okay." Maki smiled weakly, her voice so quiet that she might as well be whispering. She suddenly tried to sit up, prompting Kaito to gently keep her from doing so.

"Whoa, whoa. Don't try to get up. You lost a lot of blood." He gently said, worrying painted all over his face. Maki looked like she wanted to protest, but decided not to. Smiling back at her, Kaito gently laid down next to her so they could look at each other better. Maki managed to move herself a little, turning onto her side to face the vampire properly. She had some difficulty due to being wrapped up in a blanket cocoon.

"The woman that was here, she said that she was your grandmother." She spoke up, trying to make her voice a bit more strong.

"That's right. We made it." Kaito smiled widely, once again feeling glad to be at home. This was the safest place for the pair of them for now after all. Maki weakly smiled back, but Kaito could see something in her eyes. Was that guilt? No, it couldn't be. Everything that happened was never Maki's fault. She didn't ask for any of this to happen. Kaito wanted nothing more than to hold her close, but he was still scared to do that. He didn't want to get too close and end up hurting her again. He stayed where he was, trying not to do something that he'll regret.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take so much." Kaito immediately started to apologise. He didn't want to hurt Maki, and he also didn't want her to think that this was her fault either.

"I don't blame you." Maki suddenly spoke up, cutting Kaito off from what else he was trying to say. Kaito blinked in complete surprise. She doesn't blame him? Why? She should be angry at him for what he did to her. He put her through a lot of pain, almost killed her. And yet she's willing to forgive him. "You said no, but I forced you to take my blood anyway. This is my fault too."

"No, Maki-" Kaito started protesting. This wasn't her fault. Kaito wants to remind Maki that he was the one that had done the damage. He wants to fix this, but he can't do it if Maki blames herself for what had happened.

"No one is to blame, but at the same time, we are both to blame." Maki interrupted, her eyes looking sympathetic. Her hand slowly came out from the blankets. "I don't want to see you hurt yourself like this. Okay?" Maki's hand trailed up to Kaito's face. She gently stroked his face and even ran her fingers through his unkempt hair, just like she did before the ambush. Not exactly what Kaito wanted to hear, but in a strange way, it comforted him. But there was still something that he wanted to put across.

"Only if you stop blaming yourself too." He smiled slightly, gently grasping Maki's lukewarm hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. Holding her hand, feeling her smooth skin, soothed him, making him almost forget about all of his troubles. It seemed to have a similar effect on Maki as she felt Kaito's warmth encasing her hand gently. Her eyes suddenly started to become half lidded as she seemed to sink into the bed a little. "You okay?"

"Sorry, still tired." Maki muttered, her voice suddenly sounding a little groggy. She seemed to almost imitate a small child trying not to fall asleep despite needing it. Kaito ignored his own advice about not holding her as his arms automatically wrapped around Maki. Maki's eyes slowly closed, her form more relaxed than ever.

"Take her blood. Now! While you have the chance!"

Kaito looked at the corner of the room. He glared as hard as he could at the shadow that room his form. He felt a chill run through him as he saw those cruel, dark eyes. He looked back down at Maki, who had returned to the realm of sleep. She looked so peaceful and vulnerable, just like a child. Just someone that Kaito wants to protect. He instinctively held her close, wishing the dark instincts away as much as he could. The shadow instantly faded, but it'll come back soon. That's what Kaito was dreading the most, especially when it comes to the Hunter's Moon. Kaito looked down at Maki again, seeing how comfortable she was as he held her.

"Don't worry, Maki Roll. No matter what, I won't hurt you again. Never again." Kaito whispered, brushing some strands hair away from her face. If that were possible, Maki only relaxed even more in Kaito's hold. Smiling tiredly, Kaito placed a light kiss on Maki's forehead. Finally feeling like the darkness was gone for now, he finally drifted off to a deep sleep that he didn't know he needed. Holding his beloved human in his arms.