Over the past few days, life in the nightmare had taken a strange turn. I was growing closer to Yuki. Against my better judgment, against all reason, against every voice in my head that whispered none of this is real.
It was painful if I thought about it too much. Painful to wonder what would happen if I finally escaped this nightmare. Would everyone here just vanish? Would they crumble into dust like dreams do when you wake? Or… were they never real at all?
I didn't want to know.
So instead, I kept doing what I had been doing—bringing her food, sitting with her, bickering like an idiot because it was easier than acknowledging the way my chest tightened whenever she smiled.
Tonight, though, something was different.
When I opened her door, balancing a tray of food in one hand, I didn't find her sulking in bed or curled up in her tails. Instead, Yuki sat at her desk, candlelight flickering across her pale hair as her quill scratched furiously over a notebook. Her ears twitched in focus, her tails swaying lazily behind her like nine restless shadows.
"Whatcha writing?" I asked, stepping inside.
Her whole body jolted like I'd dumped a bucket of cold water on her. She slammed the notebook shut so fast the candle nearly went out. When she turned toward me, her face was red as a sunset.
"N-nothing!" she stammered, clutching the book to her chest like it was some sacred relic.
I arched a brow, setting the tray on her bed. "'Nothing,' huh? Looked like a lot of ink for nothing."
Her tails puffed out in embarrassment, wrapping around her like a barrier. "It's… personal."
"Personal?" I leaned on the desk, smirking. "What, like poetry? 'Oh Sebastian, your fangs shine like moonlight, your hair is dark as the—'"
She hurled a pillow at my face before I could finish. "Shut up, bloodsucker!"
I caught it, laughing. "So it was about me?"
Her blush deepened. "N-no! It's not—it's none of your business, alright?!"
I waved a hand in surrender, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Fine, fine. Keep your secrets, fox."
Her ears twitched again, but she relaxed, still hugging the notebook tightly. "Good. Because I'm not telling you."
"Alright, alright." I slid the tray toward her. "Let's just eat before the food gets cold."
Dinner, as always, was a battle of words.
"You really can't cut bread straight, can you?" Yuki teased, eyeing the lopsided slice on my plate.
I snorted. "Bread is bread. You eat it the same way either way."
"It's an art, Sebastian. Even peasants back home can slice bread better than you."
"Oh, I'm sorry, your royal kitsune highness," I said with a mock bow, "next time I'll make sure the bread looks as perfect as your tails."
She smirked, flicking one tail against my shoulder. "Flattery will get you nowhere."
"Not flattery. Just facts."
Her ears twitched, the blush creeping back. She tried to hide it by sipping her tea, but the smug grin stayed on my lips.
By the time we finished, her bad mood from earlier was gone, replaced by that mischievous spark I'd come to expect.
Later that night, we walked through the castle halls together, Yuki humming a tune under her breath. Her tails swayed, brushing against my arm every so often, and for reasons I refused to acknowledge, I didn't move away.
Of course, the servants noticed.
"Ah, young master Sebastian," one maid whispered to another as we passed, "looks like he's finally found a sweetheart."
Her companion giggled. "And such a pretty little fox, too."
Yuki's ears perked, and she leaned close, smirking. "Hear that? They think we're sweethearts."
I groaned. "Ignore them."
She tilted her head innocently. "But what if I don't want to?"
We turned a corner and came across two skeleton guards. One tapped his spear against the floor, voice rattling like dry bones. "If I had a heart, it would be fluttering right now."
The other added, "And if I had skin, I'd be blushing."
Yuki giggled behind her hand. "See, even they ship us."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
But I couldn't hide the small smile tugging at my lips.
Eventually, we ended up in the gardens. Hairless was waiting there, pawing at the ground impatiently. His dull eyes lit up as soon as he spotted us.
The air was strange tonight. The sky glowed a deep crimson, the moon fat and swollen above us, stained the color of fresh blood. I'd heard whispers from the servants earlier—this was the Blood Moon, an omen that only came once every thousand years. They said it was a night when fates intertwined, when secrets were revealed, when bonds either shattered or grew unbreakable.
Superstition, probably. But staring up at that scarlet sky, I couldn't help but feel a knot tighten in my chest.
Yuki clapped her hands together, her tails flicking in excitement. "Oh! Can we ride him again?"
I hesitated. Normally I rode Hairless alone—it was my time to clear my head, away from everyone. But tonight…
"Yeah," I said after a moment, extending a hand to her. "C'mon."
She blinked at me, surprised, before slipping her small hand into mine. I pulled her up onto Hairless's back, then swung up behind her.
The second I sat down, she stiffened. My chest pressed lightly against her back, my arms on either side as I took the reins. Her ears flicked furiously, and I could practically feel the heat radiating off her cheeks.
"Y-you're too close," she stammered.
"Where exactly do you expect me to sit? Behind the tails?" I muttered, tugging one gently.
She yelped, twisting her head back to glare at me. "Don't touch the tails!"
I chuckled, leaning slightly closer just to mess with her. "Sensitive, huh?"
Her face turned crimson, and she whipped forward again. "J-just shut up and ride already!"
So I did.
Hairless surged forward, carrying us through the moonlit gardens. The pale grass shimmered silver under the bloody glow of the moon, casting everything in eerie shades of red. Yuki's laughter rang out as her tails streamed in the wind, brushing against me with every turn.
"Faster!" she cried, gripping his mane tightly.
"You'll fall off if I go faster," I warned.
"Then catch me!" she shot back, grinning over her shoulder.
I almost said something stupid then, something I couldn't take back. Instead, I just smiled and urged Hairless forward, feeling the thrill of the ride drown out my doubts.
For a moment, I forgot about nightmares, about the real world, about everything except the girl in front of me, the strange beast beneath us, and the stars burning red above.
Back in Yuki's room, the candle still flickered faintly. Her desk sat exactly as she had left it. The notebook she'd slammed shut earlier was still there, a quill lying across its cover.
The pages beneath that cover were ink-stained with shaky handwriting, words blotched where the quill had pressed too hard.
I think I'll confess tonight.
I'll tell him how I feel.
The diary sat waiting, silent and fragile, bathed in the glow of the thousand-year Blood Moon that poured through the window.
Outside, Yuki laughed as Hairless galloped across the gardens, her voice steady this time, not wavering with uncertainty. Her cheeks still burned, her heart still raced, but deep inside, she had already made her choice.
Tonight, under the crimson light of the Blood Moon, she would confess.