Venom { Bitten Sequel }

The Notes

Alaria's POV

I woke as the sun began to set. I rolled over, looking for Mori.

Surprisingly, he was asleep next to me, his arm gently wrapped around my waist.

A small smile crept to my lips, and I almost touched him, but remembered what happened last time and decided against it.

I threw the covers to the side, leaning my legs over the edge of the bed. I pushed my weight foreword when a hand grabbed my wrist. I gasped and twisted, only to find Mori was slowly pulling me back down on the bed.

His eyes were closed, his hair still ruffled. I couldn't tell if he was asleep, or if he was awake. But I obliged and slid back into bed. He covered me, and I knew, then, that he was awake. I turned me over so that I was facing his chest and hugged me to him.

It was comforting, to be honest. He was warm, and his skin was soft. It was only now that I realized he had a mere pair of blue sweat pants on, leaving his chest and abs on display.

My fingers traced his abs, his muscles throughout his chest. He shuddered and I chuckled, retreating my hands from his skin with a small, amused, "Sorry," But he shook his head and pressed my hand over his heart, snuggling closer to me. "It's fine..." He murmured, his voice rough and hoarse from sleep. I blushed and continued tracing his muscles.

"M-Mori?" I found myself suddenly nervous. He hummed in reply, a short, curt sound. "Why are you... Protecting me...?" My voice came as a weak, soft whisper. Mori's eyes opened at my question, looking down at me curiously. "Honestly..." He sighed. "You mean a lot to me, Lari."

Well, that could mean numerous things!

I looked up at him, tracing circles on his stomach. "What do you mean? How?" My stomach felt light, my head fuzzy, as I waited for a reply. "I-I think... I think I like you, Alaria." He admitted with a quiet sigh. He sat up, releasing me. I sat up behind him, touching his shoulder. "Are you... Embarrassed? Nervous?" I asked gently. I was in no condition to mock him. He shrugged, looking at me over his shoulder. "I don't know how I feel... Just not tired." He chuckled. "You always made me feel so energized and alert." His voice faded as he grabbed his shirt. But I covered his shirt, taking it into my hand. "Mori-Senpai... Look at me." I sat on my knees now, pulling his left shoulder back just a bit to make him look at me.

He did turn to me, too. "You are an amazing guy, Mori. You shouldn't be embarrassed to express your feelings for someone." I paused. "Even at a time like this." He smiled at me and pressed a hand to my cheek. I let out a breath slowly, closing my eyes. "I like you, Alaria." He repeated.

His voice was much closer to me this time, as if he'd leaned in to whisper it to me. I felt his hand slip into my own, and his lips met my forehead before he pulled away. "But I'll wait for you to recover." As he said it, his hand left mine and he reaches for his shirt.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that his own were closed. I gaped at him, tears in my eyes. He'd wait for me? He's wait for my recovery? He had so much faith in me...

Mori-Senpai pulled on his shirt, smiled encouragingly at me, and left the room. I decided to get changed; maybe it'd help boost my recovery?

I changed into a pink tank top and white sweat pants. I was brushing through my hair when the curtains behind me separated, letting in a cold breeze. I shuddered, but one thought lingered in my mind as I shut the window. How long had that window been open?

As I settled the curtains once more, I noticed an envelope on the red window seat. I looked around the room as if I'd find the sender. I picked up the envelope, sat down on the edge of the bed, and opened the envelope.

"Alaria,

My, isn't it a shame that the bullet didn't hit you? I bet you're wishing it had. Instead of hitting poor, poor Haruhi.

You're so oblivious. Kaoru will be mine, Alaria Mae. Even if I have to kill all of the hosts to accomplish it.

Ah, I bet you're wondering who I am? I'm sorry, you'll just have to guess for now. But, since I'm nice, I'll give you a guess. The third letter of my name is "I".

Well, I'm Haruhi's murderer. That's right, I escaped. And now I'm just waiting for my next target.

Good luck,

"I" "

I dropped the letter, noticing, now, the tear stains on the white paper. I screamed for Mori and Tamaki. What would they think? What would they do?

Mori slammed open the door and ran to my side, Tamaki and Kyoya following him. "What is it, Lari!" Mori cried desperately as I hid my tears behind my hands. "Th-The letter, M-Mori! The l-letter!" I pointed at it, unable to control my sobs. Kyoya sat behind me and rubbed my back, comforting me. Mori read the letter aloud, and Tamaki cried a little, grabbing my hand.

I gasped for breath before speaking, still crying. "The bullet should've hit me!" I cried. Mori wrapped his arms around me, the letter crumbled on the ground. He rocked me back and forth in his arms, his jaw clenched. I cried, my hands still covering my face.

Who did this? Why would they send a letter to me? Why would they give me this information?

All I could do was sob. "Kyoya, go get a glass of warm tea." He mumbled. I felt Tamaki's hand on my shoulder and I turned to him, throwing my arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry, Tamaki!" I cried against his shoulder. He nodded and I felt the few tears roll down my shoulder. "It's okay, Alaria. You didn't do anything wrong." He whispered, one arm around my waist, the other caught in my hair. "I'll help you with that tea, Kyoya." Mori murmured, leaving us to grieve alone.

***

I sat in between Mori and Kyoya. Tamaki and I were both drinking warm tea, and Hunni was eating cake quietly.

The room was quiet, too quiet.

My tea set down on the table, I waltzed to the stereo Kyoya had set up nearby. I turned on a classical station and held my hand out for Kyoya. "Would you dance with me, Kyoya Ootori?" I asked. He sent me a small smile and took my hand, standing. "Of course, Alaria Mae." He said.

We began dancing, keeping time with the music. We continued to dance until Kyoya and I did a spin, and I ended up in Mori's arms. I immediately picked up the dance with Mori, smiling. We ended our dance the same way; with a spin. And, this time, I ended up in Tamaki's arms. For the first time in a while, I saw life in Tamaki's eyes, happiness. Which brought happiness to me. I started laughing, and Tamaki did, too.

The song ended and Tamaki ended the song with a dip, which caused us all to laugh.

But, no matter how happy I was, the letter was always stuck in my head. It was like it was carved into my skull for all to see. But I didn't let them see that.

Because I am dauntless, and I will recover from this. I will bring down Haruhi's murderer. I will overcome this.

*****