Bitten By Love

Sixteen

"It's snowing!"

Akiko laughed softly as she opened the window. Snow had settled in overnight, making the city look like a giant frosted cake.

"I should clear out the snow," Akiko said to herself. She got dressed, and grabbed a shovel to remove the snow outside her café.

The café was closed, what with it being Sunday. Akiko had kept the day aside to fill out her college application form. They were using an old building temporarily until the new one was built.

As she removed her jacket, Akiko noticed small marks on her neck.

She lightly touched the marks Uruha's fangs had left on her nearly two months ago. It seemed like they would never go away. He'd marked her forever.

*  *  *  *

Uruha was currently lounging about the house he shared with his band. They'd miraculously found some free time before Christmas. None of them had the space to breathe until Christmas Eve.

At this point, all five of them were just getting their lives (and their rooms) in order. Uruha always kept his room clean, because he was a little scared of Ruki barging in at any random time for work. Ruki was a neat freak, and Kai was relatively well-organized if he had the time. But Aoi and Reita had the messiest rooms of them all, and it would take them ages to get their rooms sorted out.

The reason everyone was so desperate to clean the house was because in a couple of weeks, a girl would be visiting for a few days. All of them were looking forward to meeting Akiko for the first time. They had spoken to her over the phone a few times, but only Uruha, her boyfriend, had ever met her.

"I can't wait to meet Akiko!" Kai said. "She seems really nice. And we can exchange recipies!"

"She's cool," Aoi said. "But do we have to clean our rooms? It's not like she's gonna come inside them anyway..."

"Really now," Ruki said angrily, "how can we welcome a lady into this dump?? And someone who's so accepting of the fact that we're vampires too!"

"Mehhh," Reita groaned. "Oh, by the way, Uruha, are your walls soundproof? I don't want my sleep disturbed because of whatever it is you two do at night."

Everyone burst out laughing, except Uruha. "We haven't done anything," he said shortly.

"Really?" Aoi asked. "Not even the night you drank her blood?"

"No."

"Are you going to?" Ruki asked.

"Depends if Akiko wants it or not."

"Someone's being a gentleman," Kai chuckled.

"It's not that," Uruha protested. "I just...I just want to protect her. She's grown up in a district filled with civil unrest, and I want to make sure she never has to feel that fear again. I don't ever want to hurt her or make her sad."

By the end of Uruha's little speech, everyone was misty-eyed.
"Uru," Reita sniffed, "that was so sweet!!"

"We'll support you!" Aoi said enthusiastically.

"It's amazing, what love can do to anyone, even a vampire," Ruki said.

"Okay then," Kai said, "Let's make Akiko's visit here the best ever!"

*  *  *  *

Akiko's POV

I checked my Christmas presents. A set of earrings for my aunt, a pen for my uncle, and  guitar necklace for Uruha.

I'd already given Clara her present the day before: a music-box I'd wanted to gift her for years. I'd told her in whispers that I'd got a boyfriend, and was going to spend Christmas with him. She was so happy she almost cried.

"I'm so happy for you, Akiko," she had said. "You deserve this love and affection you're getting from him. And that's why, I'm giving you a special present!"

After work, Clara had dragged me to the clothes store, and bought me this very embarrassing set of inner wear.

"Don't call it that!" She'd said yesterday. "Inner wear is what they call the clothes you wear under your winter clothes."

"B-but it's t-too embarrassing to say it--" I'd nervously stammered.

It still was. I stuffed it into my suitcase, along with Uruha's present, and some other things. He'd said he'd drop by in the late afternoon or early evening. I would still be at my uncle's place.

I texted him, saying: Hey, there, I'll be at my uncle's house when you reach, so just keep my bags in the car and make yourself at home. My things are near the front door. Message me when you get here.

I smiled. I wanted to introduce Uruha to my uncle and aunt. I wonder what they'll think of him, I thought, closing the front door and leaving the café. They shouldn't be mean to him, hopefully, they're both good people.

I first stopped by the graveyard, and laid flowers on my parents' graves. I planned on showing Uruha this place as well.

I touched the tombstones one last time, and left.