Blood Rose (Midnight Rose Sequel)

Chapter 22: Some Good News....

Sorry this one took so long to come out. The inspiration for this was very dry and writer's block didn't help. Hopefully this chapter is more than enough to make up for it.

Maki had been awake for a while now. It was nine in the morning, the sun streaming through the window. She wanted to get up, but didn't want to. Even though she was awake, she still felt tired. All of her energy had been drained from the night before. She felt like her body wouldn't be able to move at all. Another reason why she didn't want to move was because she couldn't get up anyway. In the night, Kaito subconsciously wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. The hold wasn't too tight, but just enough for the assassin to be held securely. Maki could hear his steady heartbeat, which almost lulled her back to sleep. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but this was her favourite sound in the world.

Maki looked up at Kaito, smiling tiredly as she saw how peaceful he looked. Much different to how he was the past few months. He was much more relaxed instead of being stiffer than stone. Before he would hold her so tight that his grip was almost like a vice. Now she could slip out of his arms. Now that she wanted to right now. Aside from getting together with Kaito, this was the happiest that she has felt.

Maki straightened her back as she felt like it was getting stiff. She tried to keep movement as subtle as she could. However, as he felt the movement, Kaito started waking up. Maki became still as if she was attempting for him to keep on sleeping.

"Hey...." Kaito smiled, his hand gently stroking her hair as his other hand rubbed the sleep out of his eye.

"Morning." Maki smiled, leaning into his touch. She didn't feel like getting up as she placed her head back on Kaito's shoulder. Kaito didn't protest as his hand kept going through her hair. He caught a couple of knots but Maki didn't react to it. A couple of small pulls from her hair was nothing compared to what she had been through in the past. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but that's better than how I was before." Kaito spoke before letting out a long yawn. Seeing Maki's inquisitive stare, he smiled tiredly. "I'm not hearing voices in my head, I'm not seeing shadows. Whatever it was, that darkness, I think it's gone for good."

"I hope so. I don't want to lose you like that again." Maki smiled, settling further into Kaito's hold. Kaito's smile became more relaxed as his eyes subconsciously held on a little tighter. Again, it wasn't too tight to keep Maki still, just loose enough for her to slip away if she needed to. Maki wasn't phased as she just felt more peaceful than she had ever been in her life. Kaito felt equally at peace. For once, since the whole situation had started, he could hold Maki without having the sickening feeling of his fangs inching to extend to full length or the haunting whispering in his head to drain her of all her blood. There was no shadow looming over his shoulder that made him feel like he was constantly in the dark, even in bright sunlight. Finally he felt like his old self again.

After what seemed like an hour, the young couple finally got up. They knew that if they stayed in bed any longer, they might never want to. Their bodies were stiff and sore from not moving around, but they kept moving in order to wake up more. Kaito groaned as he felt his bones crack a little whilst Maki locked herself in the bathroom to get changed in private. Once they were both dressed and freshened up more, they finally went downstairs. The house seemed empty as there wasn't any noise from the rooms downstairs. Judging by the plates next to the sink, everyone else already had breakfast and started their own routines for the day. The elders seemed to be out as the truck was gone. Only Mondo was still around as he was checking up on his motorcycle. He might have been checking it for maintenance, but there was a feeling that he was getting ready to leave. Did he need to go now because he wasn't needed? Or was there somewhere else that he needed to be at?

"Mornin'. Got some good news for ya." Mondo beamed as he heard the door opening and saw the two heading towards him. Good news? This sounds extremely promising. "Kyoko was able to get the guys that were after ya. You're both safe to go back to school finally."

A wave of relief washed over Kaito and Maki at that moment. The threat of the Vampire Hungers loomed over their heads, even with the incident going on. Now that they heard that it was gone, they both looked forward to getting back to the normal that they were both used to. Well, almost normal. Maki had been looking forward to seeing the garden on the school roof again. It was her safe space in the entire building, especially while those rumours about her were going on the previous year. If there were rumours still going on about her, ld or new, then she'll have somewhere to go to. Not to mention, she didn't know how well maintained it was while she was gone, so it would be nice to focus on what others may or may not have left her to finish. For Kaito, he was more looking forward to seeing everyone. However, a part of him also dreaded seeing the faces of his friends. He didn't know why cover story they might have been told, but he had a feeling that they might not be happy to see him. After all, he had no contact with everyone at all for safety reasons. Hopefully, if he explains that he was in some kind of witness protection, they might be willing to forgive and forget.

"Thanks, Mondo." Kaito smiled, trying not to think about the negative feelings.

"I didn't do anythin' kid. It's Maki that did the work." Mondo shook his head, gesturing to Maki. She only responded with fiddling with one of her twin tails as a light blush graved her cheeks. "Don't know how she did it, but she did."

"What will you do now?" Maki asked, keeping the blush down as much as she could. Mondo sat down his bike and made sure that the bike bag was secure.

"Go back to my partner first. Then tend to my gang." Mondo smirked before the bike roared to life. Mondo took a moment as he dug into his pocket and handed Kaito a small slip of paper. When he looked down at it, he realised that it was a phone number that the biker had provided him with. "If you need any help, just let me know okay? You're both good kids, don't want to lose ya."

Before either teen could say anything, Mondo had already started to race down the road. Dust and leaves kicked up behind him and the engine continued to loudly rumble, almost fading away completely as he disappeared into the forest. Both teenagers stood silently as the motorbike became silent as it vanished into the background. Once the engine was out of ear shot, they both went back inside. They didn't feel the end to celebrate yet, as they hurried to repack everything and make sure that they had bus tickets to get back to the city. Once they were done, they decided to take a moment to absorb everything that they had learned that morning. They can finally go back after staying out in the country for months. They would need to catch up on school work, but they decided to help each other out as well as Kaito asking help from some of his friends. If any of them wanted to talk to him that is.

When the elders got back. The rest of the day was spent making small talk and finishing off with clearing the basement of the bad memories. In all honesty, Kaito would feel better of never having to step foot in it again. After having a large dinner and let the food be digested for the night, it was time to finally go. The elders gave a tearful goodbye, especially when Yuuta hugged Maki tightly as if she were a granddaughter to her. Maki would be lying if she said that deep down, she would miss that hug dearly. It felt normal. It felt like she truly had a family. She hoped to see the elders again one day. Both teens watched from the bus window as Kaito's grandparents waved a final goodbye to them. When the bus pulled away from the town, Kaito and Maki were again hit with the reality that they were safe and they could almost normal. After having another small chat, they both fell asleep, looking forward to the next day.

I am glad that I finally updated this story. Sorry if the chapter has been a bit rushed. It's been a while since I wrote a chapter for this story. It feels nice to go back into it. Hopefully the next chapter will be better.