Akira was brushing out her hair in the vanity. Without proper care for some time, the it had become a tangled mess of silver. She really envied Yui and her full head of shiny bouncy curls.
There was a knock at her door. "Come in," she called. Kou poked his head into the room with a bright smile. He held something behind his back. "How are ya, Masochistic Kitten?"
Akira managed a smile and got up from the chair. He gave her a weird nickname—they all did—but he was nice. "Can I help you?"
Kou, still beaming brightly, thrust out a bouquet of roses. "Ta-da! A present." When Akira stared at it in confusion, he bundled the enormous bunch of flowers into her arms. "It's for you!" He winked.
Kou insisted. "It's a symbol of our friendship." Akira finally relented. Friendship, huh? She bowed her head. The cloying scent of the roses invaded her senses. "Thank you so much..."
"You're very welcome." He grinned, clasping his hands behind his back and bouncing on the balls of his feet. Something was up. Was he waiting for a compliment?
"They, um, smell really nice." Akira hugged the bouquet to her chest. In truth, she wasn't a fan of roses. "Really?" She nodded nervously. Kou's smile grew wider. "I'm so glad you like them!"
"Now, then..." Akira looked up. "You'll show me your gratitude, won't you?" Kou's delighted gaze had turned dark.
"Eh?"
"Do you really think you can take something without giving anything in return? What absurd morals you have." Kou made a grab for her, which she dodged out instinctually. His eyes narrowed in displeasure. "It's a give and take world, you know."
Akira could only stare at him.
"What a pain." He flipped his hair back and glared down at her. "This is the thanks I get for being nice? So you just take and won't give? Who the hell do you think you are?"
"I'm sorry..."
Kou snatched the flowers from her and sneered. "You won't need these anymore, right?" Before her eyes, he began ripping handfuls of petals off of the flowers and hurling them to the ground in a fit of anger. "I gave them to you, so I can take them back. It's my right!" He continued, grabbing her by the throat. Akira hadn't said a word, and he had gone off on a full-blown rant."You could've just given me your blood when I was being nice. This is what you deserve." Kou pushed her to the ground and straddled her. She couldn't push him off. He pinned her wrists above her head and drank. She felt him grin against her neck.
"I could get used to this. As Adam."
They all kept saying the same thing...
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Long after Kou had gone, Akira found herself lying on the ground in the same place. The withering rose petals were still scattered on the floor all around her. She got up and stumbled to the door. She was thirsty. Had she always been to quick to lose consciousness? It had to be because of all that blood loss.
