• CHAPTER 99 - HOW LONG?

    You should start counting down the minutes now because nobody knows how much longer you have with your love. Everything is spontaneous.

    My teeth clamped on my bottom lip and I stared at Kai's eyes, "Why?"

    Kai answered with silence and he looked down. Why would he suddenly come up to me and say that he thinks our time together is nearing its end? Is it so much closer than we expect? Was the contract starting to take over?

    "I just...I spoke to the Vampires not too long ago." he mumbled. "They're getting sick of waiting."

    My heart skipped a beat, "And?"

    He sighed, "They're still waiting, but I'm paranoid it will be sometime relatively soon that the contract will gradually start taking over,"

    "Oh," I mumbled.

    "I don't want to lose you," Kai breathed and pressed his forehead against mine.

    "I don't want to lose you either," I cupped his face. "I still don't believe in fate; I believe we can change this."

    Kai shook his head, "Forget it; forget I said anything."

    "You can't tell me to forget such a thing, you fool," I smiled halfheartedly. "It's on my mind every day...ever since you first told me about the contract."

    "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

    "Don't be," I closed my eyes. "Let's just count down our minutes and savor them."

    "The only positive thing is that I still retain full sanity," he slid his hands up my waist.

    "That's always good," I whispered, choking on a lump in my throat.

    I was starting to miss the others already, and badly. I wanted to go back to Matsuda and Orihime's for at least one more day. I wanted to discuss solutions to the contract, I wanted to play with Toshihiro.

    My musing was disrupted by Kai's soft lips pressing against mine gently. I absorbed the softness of his lips and I allowed my lips to form into the same shape as his. My heart sped up and beat irregularly from sorrow and my arms wrapped around Kai's neck. The tip of his tongue traced over my lips and ever so gracefully slid in between my teeth. His kisses were slow and steady, but I could tell he wanted to go harder.

    He must have read my mind because I was pushed down onto the bed and his kisses were a little rougher. It was strange; his body was as hard as steel but yet his lips were incredibly soft. His tongue gently massaged mine and I only allowed him to carry out his heart's desires. I was looking forward to finally moving in with him and he just had to bring up the subject of the contract.

    "I'm sorry," he breathed into my mouth.

    "Forget it," I breathed back.

    My legs wrapped around his hips again and our mouths met up. My arms slid up and down his waist and finally constricted around his waist. Our jaws, heads, mouths, and tongues moved in synchronization. Every movement was the same, creating perfect harmony. My hands anxiously ran through Kai's hair and I pulled him closer, our kissing heating up. I gnawed on his bottom and in return, he sucked lightly on my top lip.

    Our tongues immediately met up and the kissing was getting rougher and rougher. Kai's anxious hands were all over me; my waist, my hips, my butt, but not quite to my chest. The tears were building up and I cracked my eyes halfway open only to have them gaze into Kai's halfway open brown eyes. My eyes closed and the rough kissing continued. Kai lowered himself enough so that he was flat against me, but not crushing me and the cold radiated off of his bare torso.

    I was so in love with him; I couldn't let him go.

    There was no chance in the world that I would let Kai go. He was much too precious to me; we were fools to fall in love, knowing the contract would end my life. We were such ignorant fools, but we don't regret falling in love.

    "I love...you..." I gasped between kisses and breaths.

    "Same...to you..." he breathed back.

    His breath was so warm; his whole mouth was incredibly warm. He sucked on my bottom lip and I grasped his head and my breathing sped up. I could feel him moving against me; was he wanting to take it all the way as he wanted to before? Would I actually have the stomach to let him? Kai's lips moved down to my throat and collarbone and the butterflies acted up so severely that it caused me to moan out loud and I gripped the pillow my head was resting on.

    We turned over to where I was on top of Kai and his hands reached down to my butt. I moved my head to the side to kiss his jaw and his neck. I even gnawed on his neck a little, knowing it wouldn't do anything. I ceased the kissing as soon as Kai's hands were over halfway into my shirt. I took my time to regain my breath and to halfway calm down my erratic heart.

    "I still...can't...Kai..." I gasped. "I'm...not ready..."

    "I know..." he whispered, hardly out of breath.

    I wanted to beat myself for rejecting Kai again; it's what he wants, so why not just fufill his wish? Why do I have to be so pathetic and turn down every offer he makes to move forward just a little bit? What was it that I was afraid of from sex anyways?

    "Don't question it; just leave it alone." Kai cupped my face.

    "If I was more confident," I gazed into his eyes, "it would have been tonight."

    "Only when you're ready," he stroked my lower back.

    I buried my face in his neck, "I'm sorry you're engaged to such a stupid, weak girl," I mumbled.

    "Don't get started, Arisa," he lectured. "I wouldn't change a thing about you."

    I shook my head, "There has to be something,"

    Kai paused, "You're right," he rubbed my back again. "I would change your outcome in the future."

    I pecked his lips, "If only," I mumbled.

    We kissed several more times, almost getting carried away again. I propped myself onto my hands and knees above Kai and we gazed into each others eyes for what felt like an eternity. His hands lightly rubbed the back of my thighs every few seconds. I knew how badly he wanted to make love with me, but I couldn't do it. I was starting to doubt if we ever would; the contract would probably have done its duty before we could even schedule a wedding date.

    "Don't fret; we'll set up a date sometime."

    I sat up, pretty much straddling Kai, "But by the time I'm ready, I'd be long gone,"

    "Arisa, don't say that,"

    "You can't hide from the truth, Kai," I sighed. "I already told you I'm starting to become adjusted to what's going to happen."

    He sighed, "Let's just concentrate on moving in,"

    I had completely forgotten for several minutes that we were moving into our own house. I sighed and kissed his lips, "Okay,"

    "I love you," he kissed me back. "Happy birthday."

    "Thank you," I smiled. "I love you too."

    We shared one more kiss and he held me close as I managed to hum myself to sleep. The familiar lullaby shared by my mom hummed out of my mouth and Kai rubbed my back. My eyes drifted shut, attempting to block out the conversations we've had of the contract; I wanted it destroyed.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    I woke up with a stiff neck early in the morning only to see that I was sprawled across Kai's torso in one position all night. His arm hung limp around my waist but was still secure. I gazed upon his sleeping face and he seemed completely relaxed, despite last night's talk. He was probably too tired to make any sort of face in his sleep.

    "Should we start packing up?" Kai mumbled and cracked his eyes open.

    "Oh, did I wake you?"

    He shook his head, "No, you're fine," he yawned. "The house is finished being arranged so we can move in now."

    I propped myself on my elbow and rubbed my stiff neck, "God, my neck hurts,"

    "You should learn not to sleep on a Vampire," he chuckled.

    I climbed off of the bed and pulled clean clothes out of the larger suitcase. How sad that only my clothes were in the small suitcase and another majority of my clothes were in the large one as well. All of Kai's clothes fit in half of the large suitcase. That either means I have too many clothes or Kai doesn't have enough.

    I was showered and dressed within ten minutes and once I exited the bathroom, the suitcases and bags were gone; and Kai wasn't in the room. Great, he ditched me. Right when I started thinking he was gone, he teleported back into the room.

    "I thought you were moving without me," I frowned.

    "Of course not," he frowned back.

    "Well, if you are, leave my car; you're walking."

    Kai laughed and embraced me and leaned in for a light kiss. He grabbed the key from the top of the television and he grabbed my hand. We left the room, turned in the key, and left into the parking lot. Kai handed me my car keys and I was actually surprised my car was still in tact. I climbed into the elegant black interior of my convertible once more and started it. The purr of the engine helped to calm down my nerves of moving in with Kai and I cautiously left the parking lot for the long forty-five minute drive to our new home...

    ...Alone.