Feelings Collide

-----Yui's POV

Soft...Warmth. That's all I can feel at this moment. But after my eyes slowly open up, I only then realize that I had been asleep. That's right... The last thing I remember is giving my blood to Kaede. Seeing tears streaming down her face like that... It was impossible for me not to let her drink my blood. Blood is essentially food for vampires, so it must've been hard for her to sit there and watch me eat. But now that I'm awake, I'm now focused on what my head is resting on. Also the blanket that we used for our picnic is draped over me, keeping me warm.

Kaede: "You're awake?"

Yui: "Ah-"

Looking up, I see Kaede's face as I finally realize what I'm laying on. I would try and move and get up, but my body feels quite weak right now as I continue to rest on Kaede's thighs.

Kaede: "I'm sorry..."

Yui: "Eh?"

Kaede: "I'm really sorry."

Yui: "I-It's okay. I didn't mind it."

Now thinking about what happened, I can still feel the lingering sensation of her drinking from my neck. To be honest, sure it was quite scary, but the pain was barely anything. It really does make those horror movies look like a joke. Although my body does feel quite light now, probably due to having lost quite a bit of blood.

Kaede: "You never change, do you."

Yui: "What do you mean?"

Kaede: "In the other world. You'd always say that... You were even saying it while I was drinking... Just like her..."

Still looking up at Kaede, her face contorts once more as her brows furrow, as if she's trying to hold back her emotions. But even I can see the slight glimmer in her eyes as tears slowly built up. I feel bad a little, knowing that I'm the cause of why she's feeling like this, reminding her of her lover; the other Yui.

Kaede: "You even held me close, stroking my head. Everything... Everything. Is so unfair."

Yui: "..."

Hey, it's unfair for me as well. Having to compete against myself... I know it's a losing battle, but it still hurts to have Kaede talk about a different Yui than me. So honestly, a part of me is feeling a bit victorious, knowing that I'm now reminding Kaede of her.

Yui: "...It's unfair for me as well."

Kaede: "Well, yeah. I did force myself on you. I'm sorry about-"

Yui: "No, not that. I'm talking about how you always talk about a different version of Yui than me. I feel like I'm inferior to her, knowing that I cannot take her place."

Kaede: "..."

Yui: "So I uh... N-nevermind."

What the hell was I about to say?! Keep yourself together, Yui! Kaede's obviously set on bringing back her Yui, so I shouldn't try and wedge myself in between them.

Kaede: "You're not inferior, Yui."

Yui: "W-what?"

At her words, she gently begins to comb through my hair with her fingers. The feeling of her nails gently gliding along my scalp is unbelievably soothing, but it also makes the rest of my body tense up instinctively.

Kaede: "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I thought it was okay to treat both of you differently, but I realized when you comforted me before that it's wrong. I should've been treating you the same way..."

Same way? Wait, does she mean to say that she wanted to treat me like her lover? What?!

Kaede: "Of course I do want you to remember the past, that has never changed. But the way I treated you until now was not right. There's only one Yui, and it's the one that's laying down here on my lap, hehe."

Yui: "...Kaede."

Finally, a single drop finally escaped her eyes as it crashed straight down onto my cheek. But no more tears were spilled as the smile on her face was now a lot softer, and her face looked a lot more relaxed than before. It was like all that pain that was built up into that one single tear. I want to hold her. Hold her tight, but my body is still incredibly weak as the best I can do is cling onto her shirt.

Kaede: "Here-"

But just then, Kaede hands me a water bottle from her side.

Kaede: "I already had my fill, so it's now your turn."

Yui: "...Pfft."

Kaede: "Hehehe."

We both chuckled at each other, thinking back on what happened earlier. Well I guess in a way, blood hydrates vampires, so it's pretty much the same.

With the help from Kaede, I sit up while still leaning against her as I slowly start drinking from the bottle. With every gulp I take, I feel my body becoming more and more invigorated, but I can only imagine what that feeling would be for Kaede.

Yui: "Wait. Did you get enough by the way?"

Kaede: "Mhmm. It's okay. Your blood was so delicious that I could've gone on forever, but of course that would've been bad."

Strangely enough, hearing that I taste delicious for her makes me incredibly happy as I hide my embarrassment by drinking more of the water.

Yui: "Is the taste different depending on the person?"

Kaede: "Yes. In the other world, I used to drink many different kinds of blood, from many species. But among the humans, yours was the tastiest."

Yui: "R-really?"

Kaede: "Mhmm. Humans in general were preferred since it satisfies the hunger by a lot. But your blood was special for some reason. Even to this day, I still can't figure out why."

Yui: "A-and you're saying I taste the same way?"

Kaede: "Mhmm. Like I said, there's only one Yui."

Knowing that I'm more alike with this other Yui makes me even more happy than I already am. I feel like I've grown closer to Kaede now, but I still think it's too early to try anything bold. Even though Kaede says that her Yui and I are one in the same, it would still be rude of me to get in the way. But that only drives me to get to the bottom of this, seeing this through to the end. I want to remember, to fully become the Yui that Kaede loves. Until then, I'll just keep my feelings in check.

...

After regaining some of my strength, we left the cave as Kaede began blocking up the cave entrance. There's still some gaps which light leaks out of from the crest inside, but it's not too noticeable. You'd only really notice if if you're up close like we are.

Kaede: "Okay. Shall we head back?"

Yui: "M-mm. But could we go a little slower?"

Kaede: "Hmm?"

Yui: "I... I want to fly with you more... So-"

Kaede: "Fufu. Okay. Let's fly around for a bit before going back to your place."

Yui: "Mm!"

And so, with Kaede picking me up in a princess carry once again, we were soon up in the air while I held the now empty lunch wrapped up in the blanket. On the way here, I wasn't in control of my emotions as I was panicking throughout the entire journey. But after our little talk in the cave just now, I find it a lot more peaceful as I lean into Kaede's embrace more, letting out a long sigh of relief. But I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't still a little bit nervous having Kaede this close, but I'm sure anyone would feel this way being this close to someone they like.

Kaede: "Hehe, You're not even looking."

Yui: "Mm... I just want to stay like this for a bit longer."

Kaede: "Yeah..."

My vision is only filled with Kaede, but I can still see a bit behind us, seeing the town where my grandparents live get smaller and smaller. But right now, I just want to enjoy this feeling more, being held by Kaede... I honestly might get addicted to this.