EPILOGUE: GOOD ENDING.

      The end of the school year was approaching, and that meant final exams. Izumi was in the school library, her face resting on her hand as her eyes scanned a book in search of a better explanation instead of the one her biology teacher had provided. Meanwhile, Shu lay beside her sleeping, his head on a small pile of books he used as a pillow, and his hand clinging to the pinkhaired's thigh.

      The blond mumbled in his sleep, and Izumi looked down at him to find that he was already looking at her.

      "Are you still at it?"

      The vampiress glanced sideways at the clock hanging on one of the walls and turned her attention back to her boyfriend with a smirk, "It's only been fifteen minutes since we arrived."

      Shu huffed, getting up to stretch his arms in the air. He looked around, lowering his arms and placing one on his companion's shoulders, "Those slackers still haven't arrived."

      "I told you when we arrived that we were coming early," Izumi reminded him, knowing he was referring to the little study meeting she had arranged with Yuma and Yui. Noting the blond's sleepy face and bored eyes, she reached over and adjusted the collar of his uniform, "You can go home if you want. It's okay. Yui will come as soon as she finishes her Literature classes, and I don't think Yuma is far from here."

      She knew the boy wanted to leave, mostly because he wanted to sleep now that he was attending his classes (once a week, but that was already an upgrade when it came to him) so, according to him, he was exhausted and deserved a refreshing nap. And even though he himself had said he would wait for them to go back together because he wanted to sleep with her, Izumi felt guilty for making him stay when he could leave. But she had no choice either. With everything that had happened, studying had been at the bottom of her concerns and, with exams coming, she had to get to studying or then she would have to deal with Reiji's wrath. Plus, she didn't want to repeat a year either. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she would be free.

      "No, I'm going to wait for you," Shu insisted, leaning on the table again but this time resting on his crossed arms. However, he didn't last long like that, and soon placed his head under the table to rest it on the legs of the girl.

      Izumi paused from taking notes to lower her eyes to him, and bit her lip as she noticed the horrified looks of the students around her giving free rein to their imaginations.

      "Are you comfortable?"

      "Pillows don't talk, shh," he sighed, turning so that his breath now caressed her stomach.

      One of her hands came down to his head to stroke his hair, as she continued to take notes from the book. She lifted her head when she heard the door open, and smiled at the newcomer in greeting.

      Yuma threw his backpack on the table carelessly, getting a dirty look from the library clerk. Then he moved the chair, making more noise than necessary, and finally sat down.

      "Hi, cutie," he greeted, already starting to take things out of his backpack, "Neet."

      "So you know I'm here and you still flirt with Zumi," Shu growled under his breath, "Is it bravery or stupidity?"

      Izumi rolled her eyes, "Pretend he's asleep."

      Yuma guffawed, "So that's what he's supposed to be doing and not making an or-?"

      The vampiress kicked him under the table, her face turning red.

      Shu watched her still from his position, "You pervert, what are you thinking?"

      "I was perfectly studying before you arrived," Izumi gave Yuma a dirty look, but he didn't seem the least bit affected.

      "Liar, I heard you talking to Neet here before I arrived."

      Izumi opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted.

      "I thought you said you were going to study," Ayato muttered to Yui, who stood behind the human with a hand on the back of his neck and his eyes averted elsewhere.

      Yui's cheeks flared at the redhead's comment and she pinched him on the arm as a scolding before sitting down on the free spot next to Yuma.

      "Sorry, the teacher was just giving us some tips for the exam. Uhm, Ayato is interested in joining if you guys are fine with it."

      The pinkhead arched an eyebrow, looking at the vampire who was still standing uncomfortably, "You're going to study? Really?"

      Ayato frowned, "Shu is here so you can't tell me anything!"

      "Shu?" Yui repeated, confused.

      Then, Shu got up and poked his head over the edge of the table, making the only human among them jump in place. Holding back a smile for startling her, the blond finished sitting in his place and rested his narrowed eyes on his brother.

      "If you think I'm going to leave you alone with Zumi, you're sorely mistaken."

      The red-haired man snorted, "I wasn't even invited."

      "I came because of Yuma," Shu shrugged, to which the brunette laughed.

      "Oh, so you trust me?" Yui asked, but when Shu's cold eyes turned to her, she raised her hands in the air in surrender, "It was just a joke!"

      "Shu's going to stay because he's sleeping, isn't he?" Izumi clarified, fixing her eyes on the blond vampire. He returned to his previous position, settling his head on the girl's legs. Then, Ayato finally sat down on Yui's free side.

      "What would you say is your worst subject?" Yuma asked.

      Izumi shrugged her shoulders, "None. I just have to review the things we saw at the end of the term, but I'm fine," she answered, and it was the truth. To avoid having to study everything like a doomed woman before exams, she was in the habit of learning and practicing things during the course of the year. By the time the end of the year came around, she only had to memorize the concepts that for some reason she couldn't remember and she was saved.

      "Smart and pretty."

      "Enough," Shu hissed, to which Yuma and Izumi laughed. Even if the blond complained, he was aware that the Mukami only made those comments to annoy him. They were getting along better lately, they wouldn't call each other friends, but they did act like ones.

      "It's the same for me, I'm fine with all of them," Yuma nodded, surprising those present. At the looks he received, he frowned, "You idiots! Why are you looking at me like that?"

      Yui was quick to change the subject, "Uh, my worst subject is history."

      "History is the best subject!" Yuma was quick to turn to Yui, and that was enough for the two of them to start working together.

      The pinkhead's eyes traveled to Ayato, "Do you need help with anything?"

      Ayato averted his gaze to the side, embarrassed, "Literature..."

      Izumi took the chair next to his free side and moved it to signal him to sit down, and he did. The four of them remained working like that, muttering under their breath so they wouldn't get kicked out of the library and helping each other. The only thing they didn't know was that Shu was far from asleep and, on the contrary, only pretended to be so while his ears were pricked up over one of the pairs.

      "Did you read the stories we had to read this year?" Izumi narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

      The redhead snorted, "Obviously not. They're all boring."

      "When we get back, you won't sleep until you finish reading everything."

      Ayato frowned. "Why would I waste my time on that?"

      "Because more than half of the exam is just analysis questions about the stories," she explained, then added, "And I'll make you Takoyakis when you finish reading everything." Just as if he were a child, the vampire perked up at the Takoyakis proposal and nodded effusively, "I'll read everything when we get home."

      Izumi couldn't hold back the laughter that fell from her lips. Ayato was always so easy to read. Even when they were children, she applied similar techniques to convince him to play what she wanted. While she couldn't offer him Takoyakis because she didn't know how to cook, she could bribe him with candies and chocolates.

      However, her laughter was interrupted when she felt two fangs burying in her thigh. She breathed in air through her nose and tried not to react, but quickly the scent of her blood flooded the place. Yuma stopped talking to Yui to look at her, leaving the ignorant human worried because you could sense something was wrong based on her reaction. Ayato growled under his breath, holding a hand to his mouth to hide his growing fangs.

      "Fuck, Shu, do you have to do this here and now?" The red-haired man complained.

      "What's... wrong?" Yui stammered, her eyes wandering over the vampires before settling on the pinkhead who remained strangely quiet and tight-lipped, "Zuzu, are you okay?"

      The vampiress opened her mouth to calm her down, but at that very moment Shu buried his teeth even deeper, causing her to immediately tighten her lips and stir in her seat. She only nodded, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace before hiding her face with her hands. Far from calming Yui down, it only made her more nervous.

      Yuma looked Izumi in the eyes, asking her if he should intervene, but she shook her head slightly so he remained in place. Finally, Shu stopped biting her and a sigh escaped her lips before she could help it.

      "Hypocrite," Shu muttered, raising his eyes to his brother, "You used to do the exact same thing."

      "Kissing and biting are different things," Ayato argued.

      "Not when you do it for the same reason."

      Izumi looked down at her skirt to watch Shu, understanding what he meant. When Ayato kissed her in front of the others, it was always to emphasize that she was his. And now he was doing the same, only going a step further and biting her.

      "Uhm, should we go back to the mansion?" Yui suggested.

      "No, it's okay," Izumi spoke at once, taking her things to put them in her backpack. Yui passed her a handkerchief which she accepted to press on the two stitches that had been left on her thigh. Shu had already stood up from her legs and just watched her silently, sitting in his place. After she put away all her belongings, the girl stood up and looked at her partner, "Let's go."

      Shu sighed, but got up anyway, "Where to?"

      "Home."

      "Agh, what a bummer," he complained, but walked over to her to take the backpack out of her hand and carry it himself.

      Silently, the two went to the bathroom and, from there, teleported to the Sakamaki mansion. Back in Shu's room, the boy looked at her with amusement.

      "Why did you come to my room? Pervert."

      The vampiress rolled her eyes, unwilling to act like nothing happened, "Why did you do that?"

      Shu averted his gaze and plopped down on the bed, causing Izumi to huff as she knew she wasn't going to get a straight answer. Then, the girl sat down next to him, only for Shu to turn over his shoulder and turn his back to her.

      "Shu, you know you can't do that in a place like school," she began, "What if we're seen?"

      "I don't care if they see us."

      Izumi felt her cheeks turn red, but continued, "That's not the point."

      With a deep sigh sliding down his nose, Shu turned to look at her again, "I was just making sure you didn't give your blood to someone else."

      The girl frowned in confusion. At the same time, it reminded her of the time back where no one knew about the qualities of her blood or KarlHeinz's plan or that she wasn't a vampire but rather an experiment... just like everyone in that fucking house apparently. Back to that time, when it was a secret that Shu took her blood, he always insisted on that little detail: that none of his siblings took from her blood.

      However, beyond the memory it brought to her mind, she didn't understand. They were in a relationship. Although neither of them called the other love or some corny nickname for that matter, they were still together. They knew it. Their siblings knew it. Even the Mukamis knew it. That's why she didn't understand what he meant.

      Shu sighed, "Forget it," and turned his back on her.

      But the vampiress didn't give up that easily. Shu could be quite childish, and it was only worse when they were alone. She was used to this by now, so she went on to grab him by the shoulder and pull him to insist he turn around again.

      "Come on, tell me. I know you did it for a reason," she insisted, but then her hand stopped pulling and only stayed on his shoulder gently, "You... you're not thirsty again, are you?"

      "No," the blond assured.

      "Then why are you-?"

      "You and Ayato were always together," he blurted out, "I remember seeing you together everywhere since we were kids and..." he huffed, "I guess I don't like seeing him making you laugh. I don't like knowing that there are so many things I don't know about you that he does, things I'll probably never know because they're part of the past and-"

      "But he won't know the future," Izumi interrupted, "and neither will he know the present, for that matter. Ayato and I... we have a lot of history and, yes, we know a lot of things about each other, but that doesn't mean that I," -she swallowed, "-that doesn't mean I love you any less."

      A smile broke out on Shu's face the second he heard those words, and he finally turned on the bed to look at her. His smile only increased as he looked at her red cheeks.

      "Say something, you idiot."

      "I love you too, Zumi," he replied, sitting down on the bed to join their lips in a sweet and gentle kiss, full of feeling. One of his hands caressed her jaw, while the other remained resting on the mattress for balance.

      "You're so cute when you're jealous," the pinkhead teased once they broke apart.

      "Who said I'm jealous?" Shu growled but, at the look he received, his face softened, "Just... don't make Takoyakis for Ayato."

      "But I promised!"

      "Just buy some from a store and tell him you made it."

      Izumi twisted her head, an amused smile on her face, "Isn't it the same thing?"

      "No, it's not the same."

      "Whatever you say," she muttered and got up from the bed, rearranging her clothes, "Are you coming with me or staying?"

      "Ugh, what a hassle," he mused but got out of bed anyway.

      Izumi rolled her eyes in amusement and headed for the door, Shu behind her, but gave a little jump when she felt a pinch on her butt.

      "Shu! Pervert," she scolded him.

      "I'm the pervert? You were asking for it when you put on such a short skirt."

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      Hours later, late in the afternoon, Izumi returned to Shu's room after corroborating that Ayato had indeed read the books and giving him his Takoyaki. She was not surprised to find the lights off and the boy in bed, so she quietly went over there and laid down next to him.

      Not more than ten minutes passed when he squeezed her butt.

      "Shu, stop it. I'm trying to sleep."

      "Heh, it was your idea to sleep here, now you're paying the consequences."

      Another squeeze. A finger dug into her hip. A pinch on her arm. An extra squeeze on her butt.

      "Shu! I'm not moving from here," Izumi had already made it a challenge in her head: she couldn't give in to his whims. She knew he was only looking to make her react, so she just shut her mouth and tried to fall asleep.

      Of course, Shu didn't stop.

      It didn't take him long to notice that the physical stuff wasn't working, so he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her closer to his body. Izumi relaxed, believing she had won and they would both sleep in each other's arms. Shu had other plans.

      "Sleeping here is an excuse to get something else?" He whispered in her ear, "Admit it, you came here because you want me."

      Izumi turned around, their faces now facing each other with mere inches separating them. While she had a frown on her face, he had a sly smile.

      "Has someone ever told you that you can be really annoying?"

      "Yes," he said easily, "Has someone ever told you that you don't come to a man's bed if you don't want to comply with his wishes?"

      Izumi narrowed her eyes. "And your wishes are...?"

      Shu was silent for a moment, seemingly surprised by her question. Then, with the confident smile back on his face, he continued, "Can I use your ass as a pillow?"

      "Really?"

      "Really."

      Izumi sighed but obliged, lying down on her stomach. She sank her head into the pillow, while Shu settled in (happy as a kid in a candy store) to rest his head on the place he cherished so much.

      "Ah, now I can sleep."

      "Since when did you have trouble sleeping?" The vampiress scoffed.

      "I don't have any, but with my personal pillow I sleep much better."

      A smile took power from the pinkhead's face, but she kept her face buried in the pillow, "Just go to sleep."

      She got no response.

      Izumi woke up again when it was time to go to school. She opened her eyes lazily, barely coming out of her reverie, when two fangs buried themselves in her right buttock. She let out a small squeak of surprise.

      "Shu!"

      "Mhmm?" He muttered as he fed.

      "Warn first, you idiot," the girl whined, and had to bury her hands in the mattress when she felt his fangs sink in. She pressed her lips together and kept her face against the pillow.

      "You're awfully quiet, Zumi," the blond commented once he stopped. He rested his chin on the same spot where he had bitten her to look at her, sending a small prick of pain.

      Izumi lifted her head to look at him, her eyes narrowed and her face heated, "Would it kill you to warn me before you do that?"

      "Yes," Shu shrugged, "Your reaction won't be the same if you know what I'm going to do, and that's the best part of it."

      "Fuck you."

      Shu placed his hands on her waist and turned her around, then stood over her. His hands immediately traveled to hers and intertwined their fingers, only to place his hands on her head. Izumi looked down at him, her hands struggling against his grip even though she knew she had no chance of overcoming him in strength when he had just drank her blood.

      "Shu," she murmured in a warning tone.

      "Yes?" He asked, feigning innocence.

      "What are you doing?"

      "You hid your face from me both yesterday and now," he explained, his eyes darkening with longing. When he smiled, his fangs glinted in the faint moonlight streaming through the window curtains, "I just want to see your expressions."

      Izumi's face had turned red, and her eyes drifted to the side, "Just make it quick."

      "Oh, really, woman?" He laughed at the double entendre.

      Izumi looked at him again, "Come on. Do it."

      "How needy," he guffawed as he lifted her hands up and brought them to his mouth. His eyes were glued to her face, and he licked her wrist before biting her. Izumi squirmed under his body. Although wrists were a good access to the veins, it hurt like shit. However, the vampire venom that brought her pleasure took effect faster.

      Her face reddened more, and she was forced to clench her lips to hold back the sounds she didn't want to release. But Shu released her other hand and placed it under her chin, bringing his thumb to her lips and placing it between them.

      "Aw, open your mouth, Zumi," he pleaded, "I want to listen to your music."

      But Izumi refused to do so, knowing that everyone in the house was more than awake at this hour and close enough to hear her perfectly as they were all still in their rooms getting ready. So she gave in to opening her mouth, but caught his finger to squeeze it. Shu couldn't help but chuckle when he saw her expression, a slight blush falling over his cheeks.

      "Shit, Zumi. You're one hell of a pervert."

      The door opened, and the lights came on. The two turned their heads to find Reiji under the doorframe, who huffed at the scene and stroked his temple as he looked away. The magenta-eyed boy already had his uniform on, and the two on the bed knew they were going to be scolded.

      "At this point, this doesn't even surprise me," Reiji muttered aloud to himself before looking back at them shamelessly. He entered the room as if he were a nosy mother and opened the curtains wide, "Both of you up! If you're not ready in five minutes, we're going to leave you here."

      Shu plopped down on the bed beside the vampire, "Then we'll stay."

      Reiji gave him a dirty look, "That's not going to happen. Izumi has exams next week, she's going. You're free to stay."

      "But you just said-" The blond huffed, cutting himself off, "Whatever, we're going. Get out now."

      "Izumi, I'm going to drag you to school if I have to," Reiji warned, now looking her in the eyes.

      She nodded wearily, "I know, I know. I don't doubt it."

      "Then, I want to see you in the limousine in five minutes."

      "Get out already!" Shu complained.

      Sure enough, five minutes later (or seven according to Reiji, but who cares?) the two found themselves in the limo. They were the last to arrive, so they were greeted by Laito's comments.

      "And the couple arrives," he crooned as they sat down, "Reiji found you in the middle of the act again?" He laughed, "Really, I lost count after the hundredth time."

      Izumi rolled her eyes, "You're not one to talk."

      "On the contrary, little princess, I have much more right," he replied before putting a hand to his chest, "You're stealing my place. I feel outraged."

      "Don't stress, we are far from that point," the pinkhead denied.

      "Yes, to at least be compared to you we should come up with an orgy behind us a couple of times, don't you think?" Shu interjected. Then, he turned his head to Izumi, "Do you think we should do that to-?"

      "Don't you dare," said Izumi.

      Shu smiled and put his arm around her waist, pulling her close to his body to whisper in her ear, "I was only joking."

      She gave him a sidelong glance, "Uh-huh."

      "Shu," Reiji called, "Don't think I didn't hear about what you did yesterday in the school library. Let me tell you, you're walking on a tightrope. I hope I don't hear anything close to you breaking the rules, or-"

      The blond threw his head back, and raised his free arm to cover his eyes, "Agh, it never ends."

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      Izumi left the classroom accompanied by Ayato and Yui, and spotted Shu and Yuma waiting for them since that was their last exam. While the blond was sitting on the floor, his eyes closed and his back resting against the lockers; the brunette was standing, also with his back leaning against the lockers and his arms crossed over his chest.

      "We are officially free!" Ayato celebrated.

      "Izumi, what did you put in the last question?" Yui questioned.

      "C," answered the pink-haired girl, stretching her arms towards the sky, "It was C, I have no doubt about that one."

      The human's cheeks flared up, "I marked B."

      "Well, I don't blame you. B was a bit of a cheat, but A was all wrong."

      Now it was Ayato's turn to blush, and he scratched the back of his neck, "Wa, stop talking about the test! I just said we're free, I don't want to think about literature anymore."

      Izumi smiled at him, realizing that he was nervous about the results, "Don't worry. When we did the review, you knew almost everything. I bet you did well."

      Ayato relaxed at that, giving her a grateful smile. He went to speak, but Shu beat him to it.

      "And what are you betting? Your red panties?"

      The vampiress immediately brought her hands to her skirt, flattening it and taking a few steps back.

      "Red panties?" Laito purred, crossing the aisle and joining the group, "That's so hot, princess," he went to grab her shoulders, but Shu read his intentions and was quick to appear between the two. Laito stopped, laughing at his reaction, "Shit, Shu. Calm down."

      Shu gave him a sharp look, and his arm wrapped around the girl's waist as lethally as a boa. Izumi placed a hand over his, caressing it in an attempt to bring him some reassurance.

      Perhaps it would take a little more time for everyone to get used to this new dynamic. But at least Shu and Izumi were willing to work hard to make it work.

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[THREE YEARS LATER]

      Izumi thanked the person who passed her the two cups of coffee and resumed her walk to the table. Her hair now resting over her shoulders was blown back as new customers entered the place, allowing the cool winter breeze to enter for a moment. She dodged a little kid who ran past before finally reaching the row of tables at the back of everything, next to the windows. This was the most private place since most preferred to occupy the tables farthest away from the windows because of the cold that ran through them, but that was no problem for the vampires.

      Shu looked up from his sheets of paper full of notes and erasures to thank her and take a quick sip of coffee before continuing to jot down notes. The girl watched him intently, a smile gracing her features.

      "Are you inspired?" She asked, adjusting the glasses she now wore to appear more grown up. While many would call never aging an advantage, sometimes it could become one: like when you wanted to go to college but your body still looked like that of a young teenager.

      "I've been so lately," Shu murmured, lifting his head for a moment to smile at her, "The music I'm listening to is extremely inspiring."

      Izumi narrowed her eyes at his tone and reached over, stealing one of the headphones to stick it to her ear. Her face turned red as she recognized her own voice in... well, a specifically heated situation. She dropped the earpiece, and Shu quickly picked it up to return it to his ear.

      "When did you record that?"

      "I always make sound notes when-"

      "You idiot!"

      Shu didn't look anywhere near affected by this, and just took a sip of his coffee calmly before announcing, "I'll be with you in a minute. I just want to jot down a few details."

      Izumi shook her head, trying to forget what she had heard seconds before, "Okay, I'll get my work done in the meantime."

      She took the laptop from her backpack and checked her mail, only to find an email from Laito containing all the pictures he had promised to send her. He had been living in Amsterdam for four months now, apparently living his best life. She took a quick glance at them before sending him a picture of Shu playing the violin in reply, to which Laito quickly replied, "Stop bragging."

      It had been two years since Izumi and Shu had left for London, where they got a small apartment near the center and were keeping afloat thanks to the Sakamakis' vast fortune. Shu was at a renowned music conservatory, and had even played a couple of concerts and already had a small but loyal fan base. Meanwhile, Izumi was studying clothing design and working in a small boutique.

      The pinkhead smiled, being quick to send him a picture of her backstage, with Shu in the background playing on stage.

      "Why the smile?" Shu asked, and Izumi turned the computer to show him the screen.

      "I'm just showing off my boyfriend."

      Shu laughed, before his eyes fell on the pictures Laito had sent, "He never changes."

      "What did you expect?" Izumi laughed, taking the computer to close it and put it aside. She took the cup of coffee between both hands, enjoying the warmth it emanated, and brought it to her lips, "So, what did you want to do?"

      "Have a date," he mumbled, his eyes darting to the window as a soft blush dusted his cheeks, "It's been a while since we've had one."

      "We've been busy," Izumi nodded in agreement, "So, what do you want to do?"

      The blond scratched the back of his neck, "Let's do whatever you want."

      The girl arched an eyebrow, "What were you thinking?"

      Shu looked at her again and shrugged, "Sleeping."

      "Look who never changes," she scoffed, "But actually, I was thinking the same thing. I'm exhausted."

      "But... it's not very romantic," Shu pointed out, looking away again, "I mean, it's what we always do."

      Izumi watched him, taking a sip of coffee to give herself time to think. She set the cup down on the table and slid her hand across the surface to reach for his and entwine their fingers together. Shu squeezed her hand and looked at her, she smiled at him, "If you want to do something romantic, we can do it whenever you want. But, if you do it for me, I don't mind. I'm happy as long as we're together."

      "Are you sure... it doesn't bother you?" He asked, Izumi realized he was trying hard not to look away.

      She nodded, giving his hand a squeeze, " Absolutely. Then, why don't we go home and get ten hours of sleep?"

      Shu put the note sheets in her backpack and stood up, taking the coffee to go, "Can we stop by the music store first?"

      Izumi smiled insightfully, "The one next to Chanel?"

      The blond glanced sideways at her as they left the store, the cold wind greeting them as soon as they crossed the threshold, "Just don't be here for three hours."

      "You say it as if you didn't spend three hours in the music store!" She quickly defended herself.

      Shu frowned, offended, "I don't spend three hours there!"

      "Yes, you do. Don't even try to deny it," Izumi raised her hand, shutting him up with just that gesture. Then, she looked at him and laughed, "Let's just keep in mind that the longer we're there, the less sleep we'll get. That should be enough to keep us there for no more than an hour."

      "Zumi," he called out to her suddenly, and the girl raised her head.

      "Uh?"

      "I'm also happy as long as we're together."