Sugar Sweet Love (Kanato x OC)

Chapter 9

((**A/N** Soo... it's been a while. XD I hope that this fun little chapter makes up for my absence! School has been killing me, I'm very tired, and just... yeah. I'll try to update more often, so vote and comment if you can. It encourages me a lot!))

I wake up again. I don't know how much longer it's been. The last thing I remember is falling asleep not long after Kanato gave me my meal. He'd fed me more than a few bites of it before letting me eat on my own, which still comes off as... weird. 

I'm tired. My body is heavy and my head is fuzzy. Part of me wants to keep sleeping, but I can't. I can't keep doing this. 

What's going on? Everything here is weird, and my worries are only building. 

For a few minutes, I just sit and think. I don't know what to do. I want to go home more than anything, but no one will tell me anything about what's going on. No one will so much a let me call my mom. Kanato has been as kind as can be, sure, but I still feel like something's happening that I don't yet understand. Maybe I don't want to. 

No. I shake my head. I need to know. I need to get out of here. I can't stay in this mansion forever, no matter how nice everyone is. 

But... what can I do?

Closing my eyes, I make myself breathe deeply. The first thing that will help is getting my strength up. Getting out of this bed and moving around will do me some good. Even though it might make Kanato upset, I have to take some steps to help myself. 

Shakily, I stand. It takes me a minute to get my balance— and get my legs to hold up under me. I wobble and have to hold onto the bed, but eventually, I manage to stay upright. 

It's a relief. I've been doing absolutely nothing on my own for what feels like weeks now. I want to get up and move, not stay in this bed and let myself be treated like a doll. I'm sick of laying around and letting everyone take care of me. With a determined set to my jaw, I take a few steps forward and head toward the door. 

I wish that there were proper clothes I could change into, but searching Kanato's room just feels rude. I'll make do in the nightgown for now... and get my own clothes back soon enough, hopefully. They have to be somewhere. 

The door to Kanato's room opens with a faint creak. I wince. I really, really hope that no one notices me wandering around on my own. I'm not sure why I'm so scared of Kanato finding out, but some part of me just has a bad feeling. It wouldn't be good if he catches me outside the room on my own right now. 

But I pad out into the hallway anyway. Once again, it's the middle of the night. The hallway is just as I remember it; ominous, dark, and vaguely creepy. 

Swallowing my fear, I keep going. 

I feel as shaky and weak as a newborn deer. My legs feel like they could give out at any moment. Just moving is wearing me out, and a throbbing headache is starting to form at the base of my skull. I do have a head injury, I guess. 

It's so late that everyone should be in bed. I don't want to disturb any of the brothers... for a few reasons. But the mansion is huge. No one should notice me like this. 

I creep down the hallway as quietly as I can. Fortunately, the thick, carpeted rugs muffle my bare footsteps pretty well. I don't think I'm making much noise. I look around at everything as I go. This whole mansion feels weirdly empty and dark, like no one has properly lived in it in years. There's something off about it, even though I can't place what. It just feels like there's more than I know about hiding behind the scenes. 

Although I don't know enough about the mansion to tell where I'm going or how far I've gone, I feel like I've gotten quite a way away from Kanato's room. I'm concerned about getting lost, but I should be able to find my way back well enough, right?

Eventually, I come out at a balcony overlooking a staircase. The staircase leads down to what's probably the ground floor. 

I decide to go that way. 

Creeping quietly down the stairs, I keep glancing around. I can't help but be nervous that someone (or something) is going to jump out at me at any second. 

The nervous feeling is just getting worse. I can't shake the sense that something here is very, very wrong. But even so, I keep going. I have to get stronger. I have to figure out what to do. No matter what, I have to get home. 

At the base of the stairs, two more hallways trail off in opposite directions. I decide to go right. The floor here is wooden and frigidly cold, and now, my bare feet make soft sounds against the wood. I stick close to the walls and move as silently as I can, hoping to avoid any unwanted creaks that'll be too loud in the quiet night. 

And then, after what feels like ages of walking, I come to a door. 

This is one of the exits to the mansion. It has to be. I place my hand against the wood and gulp. I could get outside this way. 

For a moment, the thought of running crosses through my mind. I could get outside and run away, find someone to help me, and get back home. But... I don't know where this mansion is. I don't know how far I'd have to go, and dressed as I am, that could be dangerous. On top of that, Kanato has been so kind to me. Doing something like that would be foolish and cruel. 

I close my eyes and lean my forehead against the door. I feel so close to getting somewhere, but I still can't do it. I'm not brave enough to try. 

I should just go back to the room, I think. This has been enough wandering around for one night. I'll go back upstairs, lie down, and rest until Kanato visits me again. If I keep doing this, I'll get strong enough to do more for myself. And no one will ever—

"Rosalie...?"