gureshin - the lavenders that grow on your porch

little bonus

[aoi's pov]

this little bonus is not related to the main plot but it's kureto apologizing to aoi because i think some people would want to read it? idk can't read your minds but here it is

feel free to skip to the next chapter, this isn't important i was kind of bored

now onto the chapter

I received a notification from Mahiru yesterday. We were talking normally through text, but then when she was about to go offline, she told me that Kureto would like to meet up with me tomorrow after the bell rang.

I was hesitant to say anything. I had blocked Kureto on all of my online contacts so I kind of knew him somehow contacting me was inevitable. 

I didn't want to meet up with him. He was a selfish, ignorant brat that I no longer want anything to do with him. I don't know what I saw in him.

But another part of me willed me to go because I was sure he could explain himself. Or maybe he was going to yell at me. 

But I went nevertheless. Now I'm standing outside the school gates, waiting for my 'prince in shining armor'. I'm starting to think he set me up and is never going to come.

The students milled out of the school gate, some of them casting weird glances in my direction, definitely wondering what Aoi Sangu is up to. But no one stopped to talk to me. I've lost a lot of friends now since I'm not talking to Kureto. I'm better off without them though, I think they just wanted to use me to get to Kureto.

Most of the kids are out of school now. The only people inside the building are the faculty and the kids with after-school activities. 

I should have left a long time ago, but I'm still standing there. 

I hear soft footsteps behind me. The familiar tapping of fancy shoes on cobblestone. I don't need to look to know who it is. I've known him for too long, it was inevitable, wasn't it?

The almighty Kureto Hiragi.

yes, i notice that i use almighty a lot, describing kureto, tenri, and sakae. i cannot find another adjective and grammarly is angry

"You actually came," Kureto said, a hint of surprise in his voice. 

I turn around to face him. The sun is filtered through the trees and makes his eyes and skin glow bronze. I'm a sucker for pretty faces, and my heart betrays my brain. It starts beating fast. Just like every other time I look at Kureto.

"I wanted to know what you would say to me," I say, trying to keep my voice even.

Kureto studies me for a while. I feel trapped, like an insect under a microscope. He then walks past me and says, "Come."

I seeth with anger. He's treating me like his assistant. I open my mouth to protest, to yell, but then he surprises me.

"Please."

The harsh words die in my throat and my legs move despite me commanding them not to. I follow Kureto Hiragi into the park. 

He sits down on one side of a bench and motions me to sit on the other. I hesitate and sit there reluctantly.

He stares ahead. I do too.

It's silent for a while. I wonder if he's going to say anything.

"I'm sorry," his voice breaks the silence. I'm surprised, at the words and at how weary his voice sounded. I never realized me being salty and avoiding him was wearing him down.

Inside, I feel a little bit satisfied and a little bit guilty.

"When you came to me that day and told me you didn't want to be my assistant anymore," he pushes on, "I thought you meant something else. I... Well, it doesn't matter now. I think you were tired of me pushing you around and pushing you too hard. I think you wanted me to treat you like a mutual. I'm sorry. I reacted badly. I hope you can forgive me but I understand if you cannot. That... That's what I want to tell you."

We're silent again. I get the feeling that I'm supposed to say something.

"Kureto," I say, "I guess I'm not that angry at you for reacting badly. The reason why I'm avoiding you is because of what you thought I meant. I made it obvious in primary school that I was... quite fond of you, but this isn't primary school anymore. You were assuming, and to be honest? It struck me as selfish. I didn't see you as a selfish person before, Kureto. That moment kind of ruined it for me."

He stares into the distance, "Okay. Thank you, I understand now. I'm sorry for assuming and... being selfish. I'll... strive to be a better person, from now on."

There's no sound but the birds chirping and the leaves rustling.

Kureto hesitates as if he's somewhat scared of asking, "Will... will you ever forgive me?"

I smile, "Kureto, I was being passive-aggressive because you never said sorry. Now you did, so I forgive you. As long as you're a better person."

Kureto laughs. It's dry but genuine, "Alright then. So... Friends? Not anything less, not anything more?"

If I'm being honest, I still have a crush on Kureto. 90% of the girls in the school do. But sometimes I know that Kureto won't return the feelings. I'm not sure if he will in the future but definitely not in high school. 

So the least I can be is his friend, right?

I stick out my hand, "Yeah. Friends, not anything less, not anything more."

He shakes it and smiles a small smile, too.

We sit in the park for a few more minutes, about fifteen. We don't talk, but it's a comfortable silence. 

I never thought that Kureto Hiragi would apologize to me. I thought he would wait for me to come scurrying back to him, and apologize like it was my fault in the first place.

I start to feel like he's changed. He's no longer the person I walked into primary school with. He's definitely changed, and for the better.

Kureto's voice breaks the silence, "You'll still make me tea, though, will you?"

I consider it with a smile, "Maybe, maybe not."

"Damn it."

a/n: aoi makes kureto tea a lot, canonly

i feel this chapter kind of went nowhere but whatever lol

if you've never read the light novels (catastrophe at sixteen and resurrection at nineteen), you may be wondering why I'm writing so nicely about kureto, because they're pretty much the antagonists in vampire reign. imo the anime was not the best and paled in comparison with the story and plot of the manga and light novels because some of the characters (almost everyone in the hiragi family and a few others) aren't explored a lot and on the tip of the iceberg, they might seem like pure evil (kureto, mahiru) when irl and in the light novels they are not (kureto was quite funny in the light novels tbh, and mahiru was possessed when she became the antagonist). in this fanfic, i kind of want to show what could have been with these characters and develop those ideas a bit more if that makes sense lol