Okura-Osamoto Apartment

Rukuya wrote:

[You don 't ne e d to. It' s fine. Thank y ou.]

The text had been a bit...messy, but it'd taken a while before she could type it in the first place. Just with that message she felt...drained, and she was lucky she was lying in bed. Iyuki would be home soon, that...that would be good...really good...

She could admit to herself she probably needed him right now, but, she wasn't going to just make him come home quicker because of this. He would be back soon anyway...

Muika hadn't really moved since she'd sent the text, just...sitting there in bed; her knees were drawn up to her chest and eventually she moved to rest her forehead on it.

Drained...she was just...drained. It was done with, there wouldn't be any worrying about Seiya anymore. No more of it...

Iyuki opened the door with the key, stretching and yawning as he entered the apartment. His hand held a back with ingredients for dinner, it'd be an easier one tonight. Today had been a longer day, he wanted something quick to make for it at least.

Stepping out of the entry way, he was wearing his butler suit as he looked around. Muika's shoes were here and she normally greeted him... Where could she be? "Muika?"

He called lightly, having blushing flashbacks to the last time this had happened. Was she...

Muika's head lifted some upon hearing her name being called, glancing over towards the door to the bedroom. "I-..." She attempted to call out to him but could only manage the beginning of it as she tried to let him know where she was.

Her hand clenched her phone tightly, but it wasn't like it would break or anything...

Iyuki heard her voice, quiet and subdued as it was, from the bedroom. Only a short sound but it told him enough.

Worried, he rushed into it with a frown that quickly became a large one. "Muika? Are you okay?"

He crawled onto the bed, leaning over her and touching the hand holding the phone tightly, worry coming from every ounce of him.

She heard him enter the room, her eye peeking at him as he moved to the bed and felt his hand touch hers. A breath escaped her, a slight shudder within it as she attempted to gather her words.

"Aoi...S...Seiya's dead."

Taking a deep breath, Iyuki heard the words and his heart soared but also...it felt sad. The man had had to die, he had proven someone miserable and awful who would never stop. But still to hear...he had died...

Moving to lay down, he pulled Muika against his chest and held her close. "It is all done with him now. We just wait for Takuya and Selena to clean up the rest, so you can live on safely."

Kissing the top of her head after his words, he held her to him securely and rubbed her back lightly.

Muika immediately curled into him as he laid them down, holding onto him as he began to attempt to comfort her. "I...It's just...mm..."

She didn't know how to word things probably, everything a bit...jumbled. "D-Drained...it's a...just...it's done...no more..."

"Mm, I see." Iyuki continued his soothing, a hand sliding up to her hair to play with it. The worry was gone but it was also something familiar to her. It must feel odd to have the man dead after all those years...and she hadn't done it herself...

"Did you want this? Or did..." Had Aoi stolen Muika's revenge, as much as it hurt him to think of her wanting that... it was her choice.

"I-I couldn't of...done it..." Muika replied after a moment, "I-I've known...that I couldn't of...for awhile now...when he showed up that time...I couldn't do any more...than I had..."

It wasn't like she was...completely innocent here...she'd given Aoi permission after all...

"Aoi didn't...she only did so with my permission to..." At saying that she attempted to bury her face further in his chest, hiding slightly; "H-He knew where we...we lived, and he...alone might not have been a threat anymore but...thinking that...I-I..."

Iyuki smiled softly, his Muika was so kind even though it was hard for her to be... He had felt it would hurt her too much to be the one to end that man's life and had for a while now... It was good to hear that she had felt the same too, albeit in another manner. His hold became more secure, nuzzling her head.

Her next words made him nod against her head, holding her a bit tightly as she seemed to want to hide. "I understand... She and you were protecting us. I think... Aoi is someone who that would not hurt, whereas I think the you that you are now would be hurt if you had been the one to. I have thought so for a while. It was not my place though, this was something you needed to decide that you wanted and if you had I would have been here to help you. Thank you..."

"Mm..." Muika gave another small nod against him, already holding him as securely as she could without hurting him. "I..."

Back then...when she still felt she had the will to go through with dealing with Seiya herself...she hadn't had any plans for after...she hadn't even expected to live that much longer afterwards...now though...

She had so much to live for now it was almost overwhelming.

"I'm the one that should be saying thanks...." She muttered, her voice muffled slightly due to his clothing. "I was ready back then...fully ready to just throw my life away afterwards if I'd done it...so...thanks for saving me..."

Ever since he'd come along she'd started...straightening out...feeling more human, it pulled her away from her original plans, and she was honestly thankful for that.

"I do...not think I should be thanked. It is entirely selfish of me to want to be by your side... And want to keep you here with me." Iyuki murmured softly, smiling happily but also knowing he had nothing to be thanked for. She had done this all herself, merely leaning on him when she needed. It was what he was here for and what he wanted.

Knowing that she was fully prepared to die... It was something that had been in his thoughts sometimes. He'd wondered if that was still what she had wanted. He had felt with her words about things, that that had been her plan... He squeezed her for just a moment, his fears from before breaking out for a brief moment as he lost his control.

"It's...good to be selfish sometimes though, like this time..." Muika felt his hold on her tighten for a bit, but she made no move to bring it up, simply holding him like she'd been doing. "We can...both be selfish, b-because I want that too...that's what I want..."

She was still faced into his chest, but she took that moment and her position to nuzzle him slightly, offering some comfort...

"Then we will be selfish together and never be apart." Iyuki murmured into her hair, smiling at the soft nuzzles he was getting. He still was upset over the thoughts that had invaded his mind but did not let them override his happiness. "You are not allowed to even think of that again though. I... will never allow it."

He wouldn't. He would drive such things from her mind. "Soon all of that will be over for you... You will be entirely free to do as you wish."

"I won't; promise..." As she'd thought before, there was too much to live for now, she wanted what she had now and wasn't going to let go of it.

She gave a small nod against him when he mentioned things would be over soon, "Mm...we won't have to worry about it anymore...never again...my wish is...is to stay with Iyuki, so I'm going to do that..."

"Then I shall fulfill that wish." Iyuki smiled, happy to have her promise. Muika kept those, not making any lightly to him at least and he felt a weight lifting from his heart. Now it would be up to him to make sure things stayed happy for her.

"We should start dinner soon, do you want anything in particular? I got some chocolate chips to make melonpan for you..."

"Mm...melon-pan..." She answered, though...He probably meant more than melon-pan considering it was dinner, that was more of a snack or a lunch. "Did you wanna make anything specific...? I...It's your cooking...so it'll be good."

Her face reddened a little saying that...which was surprising considering she'd hardly blushed while saying all of...of that other stuff...

"I was thinking something a bit more exotic today. I was thinking hamburgers." Iyuki smiled, letting go of Muika slightly and lifting himself up. Her excitement over the melonpan was small but he could easily tell she wanted it. Bending back down briefly, he planted a kiss on her head.

She was slightly red from what he could see, though he just smiled at the compliment. "Thank you. I am glad you like my cooking... Shall we go then? It is almost time for dinner."

"'Kay." That seemed good, they could have that then, that was perfectly fine with her. As Iyuki moved back, she moved to sit up some once he'd let go, eventually letting go of him though not fully; one hand of hers that'd been holding onto him moved to his hand.

When she finally took notice of what he was wearing though, she had to give a small laugh; "You're still in your work clothes..."

"I am glad you like my choice. Oh? I guess I am. When I was changing one of the Maids spilled hot fudge down my usual clothes. She would not let me take them home to wash, insisting she do it herself so I let her. It looks dashing, doesn't it? I wish I had more like these." Holding Muika's hand, Iyuki took her from the bed and picked up the bag by the door, before leading her out to make dinner. She needed distractions and though he felt bad for the man's death... he had been someone dangerous and evil. He merely hoped no one had to grieve for him.

Muika nodded at Iyuki's explanation; so that had happened...she supposed he was lucky to have not been wearing his usual clothes at the time or that might have burned...

She followed him from the bedroom, sticking close as she usually did; they could eat dinner soon and then they could do whatever they wanted, they had the rest of the day and evening to distract themselves with other things that wasn't the death of a horrible man.

Iyuki had gotten Muika to the bathroom and closed the toilet lid, setting Muika down on it carefully. He held out his hands. "Stay right there. I am going to get clean pajamas after I start the bath. Then we can get you tucked into bed... Unless you need food? I can get food."

He was slightly panicked still, moving to the tub to start the water and get the hot water running.

"Wha..." Stay...what...bath...

She...She was fine now though! That thought briefly passed through her mind as Iyuki went and prepared everything, turning the water on. What...

"I-I'm fine..." Her tiredness was outweighing any hunger she might of felt, but...but still...

She shook the thoughts, Iyuki was still panicking it seemed...she'd just need to reassure him she was fine...though she supposed she shouldn't fight him on these things if it made him feel better...

"Okay. I will be back, the tub is filling up. Don't try to change without me!" Iyuki scurried from the room, heading into the bedroom and pulling out some of her pajamas from a basket of clothes he hadn't folded yet.

Rushing back into the bathroom, he set them down and then moved towards Muika. "Lift your arms, I will help remove your clothes."