I N N O C E N C E (Shu Sakamaki)

Chapter 14

"Vampire skin is extremely soft, isn't it?" Manami said, as her hand made its way to Laito's cheek.

He had came to her room in the mid of the day (their sleeping time), claiming that he had experienced a nightmare and that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again without a 'woman's comfort.'

"Little dame, please?" He pouted. "I won't touch you! I promise!"

...

"I can't promise that but please!" Laito corrected himself, as Manami gave out a sigh.

"Just lay down." She said, patting the side of her bed, deciding that it wasn't a good idea for her to continue to have him stand in her doorway.

And so he did. Playfully, he got under her blanket, staring at her with a grin on his face. It made Manami fidget at how excited he was.

His room was besides hers, therefore she would always hear his late night activities with women that he would bring into the house. If she was lucky, she would catch a glimpse or two of them making their way into his bedroom, as he sent Manami a wink. With the time she had spent at the school, she had become familiar with the fact that he was the notorious playboy of the Sakamaki family, but that wasn't the only thing to him.

They were silent, as Manami stared in the opposite direction, trying to distract herself so that she could go to sleep quicker.

"Aren't you going to ask?" Laito questioned, and she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"No." She said, sounding soft and a bit sleepy. "If you don't want to tell me, I am not going to ask you."

"It was my mother." He said, as Manami turned her head to look at him.

A peculiar expression was on his face - it was filled with all kinds of emotions that she couldn't describe with one word. It wasn't just sorrow. It wasn't just rage. It wasn't just pain. It was something like a combination of the three. It was something more than she could have ever understood.

"Right," she replied, "the infamous first wife I've been hearing so much tragic stories about lately."

He chuckled, as he looked at the ceiling. "Do you know how it feels to love someone so much that you hate them?"

Her brother's face appeared in front of her, as the memories of before had flashed in front of her eyes.

"Hm." She nodded with a hum, as Laito gave her a soft smile, one that was more genuine than anything she had ever seen from him. "To a vampire, murder is the ultimate way to confess your love, and that's what I did."

Manami chuckled at his response. "That's a poetic way of saying that you killed your mother."

"So you know?"

"Kanato isn't the quietest of your lot." Manami shot back, burying herself deeper into the blankets.

"I killed my 'beloved,'" he laughed, "and yet you don't seem to be terrified?"

"Beloved?" Manami questioned, her eyes curiously gracing his face, which had been facing the ceiling with his hand on his forehead covering his eyes.

"Yes, yes." His lips curved into a smile. "My 'beloved,' the woman whose sole presence filled me with glee in all types of ways. Both physical and emotional."

Manami understood exactly what he meant by that, her eyes furrowed.

"I don't need your pity."

"I am not giving you any." Manami replied. "On the contrary, I'd say that's the last thing you need."