Eternal Melody

If Toh truly still has feelings for her, then she has to clarify to him that the one she wants to be with now is Yuhi and only Yuhi.

Sumire tried to sleep, but she was distracted. It's not like she can treat Toh like she did with Sano. Toh is different. She can't play games with him and use him.

After what felt like an hour, she hears shifting beside her.

Toh had his arms wrapped around her from the back. "Are you still awake?"

Sumire nodded. "Yes."

"I-I can leave if you want." Sumire knew even without words that he was-- he was still aroused. The shower seemed to have done little to uh calm down his little friend.

Even though Toh was hugging her, he maintained some distance, most likely so she couldn't feel him. But the damage had been done already.

"-and go where?" Toh asked.

"The kids room."

"That's too small."

"Then I'll sleep in the living room." Sumire protested. She needs to get away from him, for both their sakes.

"Sumire. You can stay right here." Toh insisted.

"But your obviously--" Sumire struggled to get the words out. She didn't want to say it out loud.

Toh chuckled. "It's fine. I'll calm down. I won't attack you."

"I'd never let you anyway."

"Indeed."

Sumire turned around and hesitantly ran her hands through his cheek.

"Thank you," Sumire said quietly.

"For?"

"Just now. I mean, an hour ago?"

"No need for thanks."Toh ran his fingers across her stomach. "You still can't sleep?"

"It usually takes me time." Sumire struggled to explain.

"I know," Toh said with a gentle smile.

Right, of course, he did. Sometimes she forgets how their relationship even started. Toh has already seen her in a far worst state. This isn't the first time he has seen her throw up. He saw the state she was in after one of her suicide attempts.

He'd been there during her darkest times and had even felt them against her. There was a time when something like that would have frightened her, showing such a weak side of herself to another person. But, after she met Mashima Toh. She realized how quickly those walls she had taken so long to build could easily break if the right person came along.

"You really have a lot of weight, though. Have you not--" Toh shakes his head. "Well, even if you have been eating, if you throw everything up, I can see why you lost weight."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. I know that the lord has been aggressive recently, and because of your connection to him. You may be seeing more darkness."

"Oh."

"You didn't know?"

"I figured it was just the same as usual," Sumire mumbled.

But that makes sense. Earlier, she heard the sound of her heartbeat being strange again. Sumire recalled what that Arata person told her not too long ago. Now that she thought about it. If it's about that person, Toh should have more information.

"Toh, recently I met somebody called Arata."

At those words, Toh exhaled deeply. "That guy, I told him already to wait before he sees you again."

"Is he your friend?"

"Something like that." Toh ran his fingers through his hair. "What did he say to you?"

"Uh, he seems to know a lot about me. Even the situation with my heart."

Toh frowned. "Right, I suppose we can discuss that now. Your connection with the Lord seems stronger than I thought." He trailed off and grabbed hold of her hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze. "Do you remember drinking his blood?"

Vague images of her sucking someone's neck and a cold hand on her back and hair flashed through her mind. Sumire shuddered but nodded.

"Just a few weeks ago. It came back to me properly. There are still a few details like what happened after that I don't know."

"It seems you performed what is known as a hanyou ceremony that ties you to the other person. Of course, this doesn't make Lucifer your destined partner. It seems he conducted the ceremony forcibly. You were young, and you had no idea what you were. He took advantage of that and found a loophole to bind you to him."

"To be honest, my knowledge is still fairly weak. I understand being an evolved human with abilities. But, being a hanyou. Being a creature of light and dark. I don't understand it very well. Or did I?" Sumire questioned him.

"As far as I recall, you had little understanding back then too. But, you knew about drinking blood and some relevant customs."

"Oh, I don't exactly remember-"

"It's fine. You don't have to rush to remember. If there is anything you want to know desperately, I shall tell you."

"Then my heart?" Sumire wondered.

"It's connected with the lord. Every time he gets sick, you will too." Toh explained.

"Is it only one-sided? I don't assume he gets sick when I'm the one who catches the illness?"

"That's right."

Sumire sighed. "That's unfair. Why do I have to suffer so much?"

Toh chuckled. "I think it has something to do with traditional values. But the females tend to suffer more during the bargain."

"So that's why Yuhi-san always seems disturbed whenever I mention it. It's like a link between souls." Sumire mumbled.

He'd always act very grumpy and behave more like a huge sulking lion than usual. She never minded it since it usually meant that he would cling to her more.

"Yes, it is easily more important than marriage or a relationship."

"Since it was forced on me. I don't think Lucifer is my partner." ｂｅｄ𝚗ｏ𝚟𝚎𝚕.𝚌𝚘ｍ

"Your right about that. Maybe it's me." Toh nodded.

Sumire rolled her eyes. "Don't you think if it was you, I would have noticed already?"

Toh chuckled. "Not necessarily. Sometimes these things take time. Besides, we ended up being separated. So we didn't have a chance to test the theory."

Indeed, he makes a point there. But this whole talk about having a destined partner reminds her of the tug she felt when she first saw Yuhi-san in the facility. That same tug in her heart appeared when she finally got to watch his concert in person.

Since her family was strongly against the entertainment industry, she couldn't use any of the allowances they gave her since everything she purchased had to be logged. That's why she did those part-time jobs and eventually saved up money to buy tickets for his concert.

When she first saw Terashima Yuhi in person, she felt that tug. There was something there, more than a fan meeting their idol.

Thinking about it now, being the daughter of a rich family was truly difficult. The lifestyle she has now suits her better. If her family were still around, she wondered if she would have eventually gone her separate ways with them.

She may not have had the chance to pursue her dreams and be in the same world as Yuhi.