#kuro wants his eve/partner to be mahiru not the count

[childrenofthesun77]

I wonder if the count is going to be jealous of mahiru if he returns in one way or another.

Mahiru achieved all the the count so desperately wanted. He became kuro's eve. He became friends with him. They understand and trust each other pretty much completely at this point. And all without mahiru having to sacrifice anyone like the count wants to do. Before the count came up with the plan to become one with kuro he simply wanted to be his eve. But kuro didn't want that so the count eventually arrived at more desperate measures. I guess if they talk mahiru will have much to teach/explain to him about relationships and death.

[xchibikai]

SV99 Recap

Spoilers and pics below the cut

Yotaro drives through the rural countryside with everyone in the car.  Gear says they won’t be followed anymore, now that the daylight has dispersed the fog.  While they talk, Mahiru watches the scenery outside the window, surprised at how big the fields are (I thought this was such a cute scene lol.)

While Yotaro scolds Gear for losing his temper, Gear makes a comment about “CCC” getting involved.  Seeing Mahiru’s confusion, Gear rephrases to use their current name, C3.  Mahiru is surprised that C3 is also in England, and Gear explains that C3 actually started out in England.  Meaning “Conjurer Control Convention,” C3 was a group of magicians that all started with the “Count” who created the Servamps.

They start talking to Mahiru in English, but then realize he won’t understand, and they start again in Japanese (LMAO this poor kid, people really need to stop with the English already.)  Gear explains that C3 wasn’t always the kind of group that was committed to coexistence.  He says that lately they’ve been trying to butt in to control other magical groups and species.  Yotaro remarks that Gear was already handling things fine without C3.

Yotaro says that they’re heading to a safe house out in the country, and when Kuro starts to make a comment about this particular direction they’re traveling, Gear grabs him and threatens to throw him from the car while Yotaro orders Gear to focus on finding a gas station on the map instead (lmao love it)

As Yotaro reaches into the bag he packed, he pulls out the rose and shows it to Kuro and Mahiru, who immediately are like why would you bring this thing?!, confusing Yotaro who was like, I don’t know I thought this was important to you guys?!

Yotaro assures them that the safe house should be relatively clean, since he had been there at the beginning of the month.  As they go inside, Gear heads upstairs and tells Yotaro he’s going to sleep.  When Yotaro tells Gear it’s already noon and they should eat lunch instead, Gear tells him to bring food up when it’s done and he’ll eat by himself in his room.  Yotaro sighs and apologizes to Mahiru, insisting that Gear just needed more time because he’s shy.  (I love Mahiru’s reaction, he’s just like, ??? okay, if you say so)

Cooking scene!  Mahiru and Yotaro are finally getting to make that breakfast together.  While they prepare the food, Mahiru asks Yotaro if he and Gear made a contract.  Yotaro seems confused, and Mahiru explains that back in the city, Yotaro called out to Gear, and his voice made Gear become human again.  That was what made him think that Yotaro and Gear made some kind of contract, just like he and Kuro had done.

Yotaro starts laughing, and as he apologizes to Mahiru for laughing at him, he tells him that he and Gear don’t have a contract.  He insists that Gear is his friend, and it’s a strange idea to think he had to make a contract in order for them to be friends.

Mahiru is shocked as he asks why Yotaro was the only one whose voice could reach Gear that morning.  Yotaro casually tells him that he has no idea, but even when you can’t hear anything else, you’ll always be able to hear the voice of a friend calling to you.  Yotaro says it’s the same for Mahiru and Kuro as Mahiru blushes.  He says their “contract” is more like a “promise” to always back each other up.

Yotaro samples the food they’re making, and as he offers for Mahiru to try some too, Kuro is passing by the kitchen window.  He thinks back to when he and Gear shared a meal together, and Gear told Kuro that only someone he’s close with can bring him back to reality when he became a werewolf.  He says that the problem with humans is that their lifespan is so short, and it’s always sad to lose a friend.

As Kuro shifts to another flashback, he tells Gear that he’s going to Japan.  Gear notes that Japan is very far away, and he asks Kuro if he decided to kill the “Count” after all.  (This is back when all 7 Servamps got together to decide what to do about killing their creator.  Apparently, this flashback takes place immediately after that meeting.)  Kuro confirms that all seven of his brothers and sisters voted on the matter.  Gear tells Kuro that just because CCC wanted it done, that doesn’t mean that Kuro has to do it, since he’s not really affiliated with CCC to begin with.  Kuro tells Gear that this was his own idea.  Gear doesn’t look convinced, and after asking Kuro how long he’ll be away, he tells him to come right back to England once he finishes his task.  There’s a hole in their roof, and Gear tells Kuro that they’re going to fix it once Kuro returns.

As present-day Kuro sees the hole in the roof of the safe house, he realizes where they are.  He also realizes that the whole reason Gear went to Japan was because Kuro never returned to England, and Gear went looking for him.

When Yotaro goes to bring Gear his lunch, it’s missing from the countertop.  Upstairs, Gear answers the door and is irritated, demanding to know why it’s Kuro bringing the food instead of Yotaro.  Before he can start arguing, Kuro tells Gear that what he did was wrong, back when he said he would return from Japan and then never did.  Gear gets annoyed and insists he never said he needed an apology, but Kuro goes on and insists that back then, he didn’t understand yet.  He went through with his task and killed his creator, but he was still supposed to be a friend to Gear.  As Kuro starts to apologize, Gear takes the sandwich Kuro has brought and tastes it, smiling a bit as he says he can tell Yotaro made this food.

Gear and Kuro sit together on the balcony.  As they eat, Gear tells Kuro the same thing he said in the past -- that human lives are short.  But this time, he adds that they’re also too long to spend it alone.  He says that being by yourself is definitely easier, but it’s also too boring.  As he asks if Kuro thinks so too, Kuro hears Mahiru calling to him in the distance and agrees with what Gear has said.

Yotaro and Mahiru decide to eat outside when they finally find Gear and Kuro out there.  As they set up their picnic, Gear tells Kuro that having friends is important, and he’s glad that Kuro finally realizes that as well.  The chapter ends with Gear insisting that Kuro made a promise to him before he left England, and he should finally fulfill that promise and fix the broken roof.

Servamp takes a break next month and returns in October for the 100th chapter!

__________

I thought this was an interesting chapter in quite a few ways!  I love the way Tanaka draws colorful scenery.  It reminded me of the artwork she did for the Servamp Quest.

Now that C3 has been brought up again by Gear (and possibly brought into the picture after his werewolf rampage,) I really would be curious to see the London headquarters.  The fact that C3 originated in England makes me want to see some of their heritage and the places where they first became an organization, kind of like going on a history tour lol.  It’s not surprising that C3 tries to dip its hands into everyone else’s business -- and it’s also not surprising that the other species/groups don’t seem to be happy with it.  I imagine there’s some kind of agreement/pact between C3 and other magical alliances, but it’s probably strained.

Every time someone starts to speak in English, you can see the light in Mahiru’s eyes die out.  He’s gonna go back to Japan and never want to visit an English-speaking country ever again, after this.

And on the matter of Yotaro being a normal human, props to tiny child Yotaro who met a werewolf and was just like, I know what I wanna do with the rest of my life.  He’s just living his best life with his buddy in England.  No contract or obligations, just good times.  A true champion.

Had a genuine laugh when Yotaro tells Mahiru that Gear is just shy and Mahiru has no idea how to respond to that.

Having Yotaro talk about being Gear’s friend made me wonder about something.  Assuming there was a legitimate way to sever a Servamp’s contract without killing the Eve, would Mahiru be willing to do that so that Kuro could take back his powers?  Hearing Yotaro talking, he pretty much points out the fact that Kuro and Mahiru stay together because they want to, not necessarily because they made a contract.  I think they both would choose to remain partners at this point, but if Mahiru found out that this other option could save his friends, you know he would be forced to consider it.  Of course, that’s just a wandering thought of mine, I don’t really see Tanaka being like “oh guess what, you can actually sever the contract safely, hooray.”

I think the fact that Kuro apologizes to Gear is another way of showing his growth, but also, it’s probably something he has wanted to do for a long time.  When they were first sent to London, it was clear that Kuro was afraid of seeing Gear again, because he knew he had messed up.  I feel like Kuro still wants to be Gear’s friend, and I honestly hope that Gear and Yotaro end up sticking around, maybe even moving back to Japan.

Honestly, I have no idea what to expect for the next chapter.  We still haven’t figured out how they’re going to face off against Tsubaki, and now that we know Mikuni (I’m assuming) is trying to track down Mahiru and Kuro before someone else does, that’s another situation we will probably see play out.  We know that it’s getting closer to the full moon, and as far as Tsubaki holding a bunch of people’s spirits hostage, I wonder if Gear will have some kind of answer for it when they finally find out about it.  No matter what the next chapter focuses on, I hope it’s juicy!

[skylar-lei1634]

Both have a vampire as their main focus

Both have partners that are more fun and outgoing then them themselves

Both Male protagonists uses the phrase "Give me a break" alot

Both have dark past that coincideds with the reason why they are vamps

Both vamps has a hidden power inside that gets unlocked by drinking blood

Both have "Lion Powers". Kuro is usually in cub form but can be a Lion (this is shown during the greed pair retrieval arc). And Akatsuki can form a Lion out of his lightning

Both have red eyes (Akatsukis eyes change red when the "urges" hit)

Both have fair hair, slouching positions, and constantly wear their hoods up

Both meet their Parteners by saving them or, truely, stopping the fight

Both of their Partners are magicians (Mahiru's family are magicians so being one is in his veins)

Both of their partners have spear-like weapons

They both live on an island

They both now have to deal with an extra "baggage" (read: partners) because of reasons

Both of their Partners were their first in some aspect (Mahiru was Kuro's first Eve and Himeragi is Akatsuki's first...bite? Victim?)

Both have been created into a vampire against their will and by being a science experiment

Both have been associated with the color light blue

Both go to school (Kuro's dilemma counts)

Both lives with a housewife in their home

Both are the most powerful vampires in that world

Both complain massively about their dilemma (being undead)

Both are passive aggressive "teens" that just want to coast through life without any complications. Their Partners are the ones running head first into danger

Both are associated with the word STRIKE. As Servamp has the author use the pen name Strike Tanaka and Strike the Blood literally have Strike in its title

Is there anything else I'm missing?

[renaaraki]

Title: Distance

Word Count: 1016

Fandom: Servamp

Characters: Kuro, Mahiru

Pairing: KuroMahi

Summary: I think about you often but sometimes I wonder if I even cross your mind in the same way.

"You know I care about you."

They're sitting on opposite ends of the couch, the late evening light casting a warm glow upon the quiet living room as Mahiru folds the week's load of laundry. Kuro watches closely as Mahiru carefully folds each article of clothing before neatly placing said clothing in the organized pile of already folded laundry beside him.

Mahiru glances at Kuro and smiles fondly. "I know."

Mahiru continues to fold the laundry, without another word or glance to Kuro, and silence fills the air as Kuro mulls over Mahiru's reply.

He knows.

Having never been good with words, Kuro often found it difficult to express the thoughts and feelings within him that he found himself wanting to describe to Mahiru. Sometimes, he suspected that Mahiru might share the same feelings that had so unexpectedly settled in his heart, constantly reminding him that he cared for Mahiru in a way that was ineffable and beyond solely a Servamp and Eve relationship, though he lacked the courage to ever bring this up.

"Y'know you're important to me, Mahiru."

"You seem talkative today. What's up?"

Kuro frowns at this, not fully knowing the answer to the question himself.

"Not talkative. I just... I don't say this enough. But..." Kuro pauses, thinking of the right way to place his feelings into words, "I care about you. You've helped me, emotionally, more than anyone ever has, and you've shown me so much kindness that... I'm not used to."

Mahiru is silent for a moment as he takes in the sincerity of Kuro's words, and then quietly responds with, "I'm glad."

The response, Kuro thinks, is vague.

Kuro sighs and leans back on the couch, stretching his legs forward and absentmindedly studying the wall across from him as he ponders over their short conversation.

He knows they're close.

The strength of their bond and the trust that they have in each other is admirable. They're able to communicate with each other, to listen to each other and to believe in each other no matter what.

They're close, emotionally.

Yet Kuro can't help but feel like there's still a distance between them - perhaps, something unsaid between them that Kuro often thinks they're both aware of, but that they've also both never dared to mention.

"Sometimes I wonder if you feel the same."

At that, Mahiru stops his folding and looks up, his brown eyes meeting Kuro's red ones as he furrows his brows in confusion. "Well, of course I do. I'm your partner. It's only natural, is it not?"

Kuro sighs heavily, feeling as if Mahiru was missing the point that he was trying to get across. He should've expected that Mahiru would give an answer like that, though a part of him seemed to be hoping to hear something else - something more - than just Mahiru's usual reasoning that they were partners and that was why they meant something to each other. He scratches his cheek nervously as he searches for his next words.

"Not... just as Servamp and Eve, though. More than that."

The cloud of confusion in Mahiru's eyes clears in an instant and is promptly replaced by something close to understanding. They still hold each other's gaze, though colour is steadily rising in Mahiru's cheeks and their hearts begin to race.

"I... I mean, I find that you're on my mind lately... a lot. But not... just because I'm your Servamp and I'm supposed to protect you. More like... ah, what a pain..." Kuro breaks eye contact, letting his eyes awkwardly wander elsewhere, "More because I find myself caring about you... so much. Maybe, beyond just our contract."

Kuro doesn't think his words make sense, though he hopes that Mahiru nevertheless will be able to decipher what he struggles to convey with only words.

He starts abruptly when he feels smaller, softer hands take a hold of his own. His head jerks up at the gesture in time to see Mahiru moving closer.

A lot closer, Kuro thinks, because with his Eve's new proximity, he finds himself only a short distance away from big, brown eyes that are widening with slow but sure comprehension.

It's the closest he's ever been to Mahiru, he realizes.

"K-Kuro..."

Kuro takes a deep breath before he speaks again, the anticipation of Mahiru's response to his next words making his voice shake and his heart race.

"I don't know... if you care deeply for me in the way that I do. I don't know... if I'm important to you... in the way that you are the most important person in my whole life."

He definitely notices Mahiru's hitched breath and reddened cheeks. Yet, in spite of his evidently flustered demeanor, Mahiru offers a shy smile to Kuro and inches closer still.

"Well, like I said, of course."

"Mahiru, I really mean it. I mean... not just because we're partners but more like because I-"

He freezes and seems to lose his voice when he feels Mahiru lean his forehead against his own, and they're so close that their noses brush and their hearts flutter at the contact.

"Because I love you," Mahiru says simply, and Kuro's heart skips a beat when Mahiru closes the distance that's left between them, pressing his soft lips to Kuro's.

It lasts only a second and then Mahiru draws back, brown orbs holding a trace of some gentle emotion that Kuro realizes he's seen in those same eyes before when he's caught Mahiru's gaze lingering on him a while longer than usual.

"Kuro, you're important to me... in a way that I can't describe with just simple words."

As Kuro gazes into Mahiru's honest, brown eyes, he feels like all of the doubts and questions are gone, and all that's left is the knowledge that he truly is special in Mahiru's life - he truly is someone significant in the life of the boy he loves so much.

The thought brings a rare but content smile to his face, and he wraps his arms around Mahiru, holding his Eve close with the intent of never letting go.

[jey-chan]

The eves read, How to take care of your servamp for 1ts time eves. ch 1

Beta'd by @legendarygriffin  Thanks Mahi for doing it!

Mahiru was in the library that Misono had in his mansion and of course, he found the need to clean some part of it. That’s when he found a little book that appear to be a journal, the thing was old and had a strangle black ribbon like drawing. However, the most interesting thing was the title. In some old fashioned type writer letters - How to take care of your servamp for 1ts eves - was written.

“How to take care of your servamp? How old is this? And more importantly, who wrote it?” curious of why shush a thing was made he took it and read the sumary: If you aren’t an Eve don’t read this! And more importantly DO NOT TELL THE SERVAMPS ABOUT THIS! NEITER TO THEIR MINIONS. Ok now if you are an eve please read this and don’t say a word to the guys. It’s for their dignity. If you are ready to read this then I really hope, it will help you. Att. Our Little Bird.

Now that took his interest and so he opened the book and started to read it. Yellow pages met him and a really strangle mix of cute old fashioned letters and a very modern way of writing started telling him the message of that mysterious Our Little Bird person.

Hi! I’m someone that just wants to help you take care of yourself and your servamp. (You know that vampire that can become an animal but has some serious issues with itself. Yeah that person.) I lived with them for a while and I learned some things about them so knowing how bad it was for some eves to figure out the things they need to do to have a proper relationship, I have decide to do this. Here are all my theories and observations, please be careful and share the information. More importantly, if you find something more adequate then please pretty pretty please update this stupid book.

Okay that throws away the idea of this person being a long lost relative for the guys but… they lived with them so, what was and who was it? Probably the answer will be more ahead so he started Reading again.

Okay so first thing you need to know about a Servamp is what is his/her power is. All Servamps have one, and it’s part of them so you need to balance that.

For example, if your Servamp is Gluttony you need to give him some meals but at the same time you need to take care he does not eat more than necessary, You are his balance in conscience! If he does not let you eat you can always punch him in the face! (if it doesn’t work you can always be a traitor to him by killing a cake) He need to know you need to eat too! Scold him if it’s necessary but make your point clear! (Make sure to do that with his minions too. Some of them will help you).

If your servamp is Wrath then… sorry but you are sooo dead. She is the mom of the house and if you do something stupid you are going to be grounded for your life. Buuuut that doesn’t mean I do not have a solution! (or a theatrical one anyway I don’t have many ways of experiment it, I mean I usually are off trouble so yea, I hope this will help you) you need to make her remembered to take a breath and take it easy, once she is calmed things are going to be fine. (If you found another one, please put it here! I left some blanks pages in the end of this journal so you can put there the new information) But seriously she is nice, very very nice, don’t let the face scare you. She only wants to protect all of us and do the best for you, she may be a Little spooky but she is nice and is a lovely mother. Just make sure you don’t make her mad. She can be scary like all moms are when their angry, but she has the pluses to be a vampire and a Wolf soo… yeah, try to be a good guy.

Mahiru took that to heart. It was real, he may know her a Little but it’s true, she is really a good mother.

Jealousy is a Little shy like how you sometimes envied some thigs but don’t say anything about it and no one can call it. He is like that but is easy to made mad and play pranks in him so yeah he can become a powerful hurricane of deadly things if you don’t take care of what you do and you promise to him. But is a great guy! He may be a “I do not care what happen to you but silently I wish you the best of luck with some thigs and Im here to you but Im not going to tell you that because you are strong”  jaba daba dubi du type of guy. However, he is mature and usually he will talk to you if he like you or you are a person worthy of it. So if he says something to you don’t take it bad, he really care for you.

Mahiru didn’t know how to take that. He knows that Jeje is a little strange but it was a good guy so he will take this in count the next time he sees it.

Lust is the best girlfriend that is a guy that you can hope to have in all the time! He may be a person that like to show some skin (and you need to remember him HE DONT NEED TO DO THAT ALL THE TIME! ),  he is a good person too,  but sometimes he thinks that secrets are the safe way to keep someone’s mind safe. You need to tell him that not all humans are like that.  Confront him and make him tell you the truth, and try to make him feel better.  He always has a special spot for children, and is so sad for him when one chooses to leave this living Word.  So please, try to made him better when this time come, he is the more series and tactical brother, always have a wise words and know how to take care of others but never to himself so please take care of him!

That was true. Mahiru know that Lily was just like that and sometimes he prefers to deal with the problems with no sharing them, he need to talk to Misono about this. “oh Tetsu’s is next”

Pride is… prideful. He is the only one in this strange family that acts like a real vampire (or at least the one the Dracula story tell us). He is one of the best people around here, it’s always good to know what to say to make you think and do the right choose, he prefers to try and correct his siblings and more than one occasion it had done some nasty things in name of the pride. So if he is your servamp you need to remember him that something is more important your dignity or your family above pride, you need to make him see the pride in little thigs that no one seems to care, that’s the balance you need to make for him.

Mahiru was speechless, Old Child doing bad stuff for pride. Na, that’s have to be a lie, right? But… yeah sometimes pride made you do stupid thigs… he need to pass the tip to Tetsu.

Greed. Man, this one is just… I don’t know how to describe it, but he is a good guy only that he… well he can be in pain sometimes. And his need of greed blinds him of some important stuff, he is an artist so you need to remember to look around him sometimes, and if that means doing it in a punch way then do it. Do not hesitate and do it. (You have all my permission to kick him in the ass if its necessary, if does not work you can always tell Mother, she will make sure to put some sense in him) anyway your duty is to make him see that not all the gold in the world is a material thing. That he need to be greedy in the emotion land, that sometimes it’s better to let it go than to have it and made it useless.

That… it was perfect for that extroverted vampire. In addition, He need to tell Licht that this person gave him permission to do some kicking sense to his vampire.

Sloth without doubt is the one that needs more balance, and more than balance he need something that help him to not sleep his problems away. He is the most silent and caring guy you will ever meet.  He is the shy guy that complains about everything, but the first to run to protect you if you need it. He had made some bad choices in order to protect us all but sometimes his siblings don’t see it that way, and critique him, he needs a balance that remind him that you can do things at your own time but there will be times you will need to stop being lazy and work your way out. However, please if he is your servamp.  Take care for him, okay? He is the one that needs it the most. And personally he is the one that that will help you in his one way.

That… that made Mahiru stop. It was so true. Kuro was the one that needed it the most, he was the one that always carried the consequences of the bad things he and his family did, he needed more support than nothing, but he was better now. He helped more and more, and is in peace with himself, he doesn’t try to sleep away more of the time now so, in a way he felt he may have made this person have a breath form worry over him. Mahiru did not know this person. He doesn’t know if was a mage or if it was a vampire, or a werewolf, but he had the feeling that it was not more alive. And that their soul was in a more peaceful rest because of the way kuro and the rest of the servamps was healing.

“Mahiru? Oi you are here. Bastard-chan want you to see something in the garden. What a pain, he could have come to find yo- What is that?”

The voice of his partner made him close the journal and try to hidden it. “K-Kuro?! What are you doing here? I oh this is nothing it’s only an old novel I found here and I was so into it that well I think I will ask Misono to borrow it?” He really wanted to fulfil the wishes of this Our Little Bird person, and it was more than sure that if the lion saw it, he would create a bad reaction and reawaken some pain that he had or had not forgotten. The blunette did not put much importance in the thing. He knows that Mahiru was hiding something but he will wait for him to tell him what it is.

“Can’t deal, common bastard-chan is waiting”

“Don’t call him that!”

“what a pain” Mahiru signed, he knows that he knows about the lie, but this is was something he prefers to discus with the eves alone. It may not like it, but it was for the best and… hopefully with this book they will know more about their parent’s and help them when they need it the most. Oh and add what a servamp and an Eve its, section to the book. 

 The same with the lead.

Hope you enjoy it! and special thanks to @angel-of-music-hyde-no-longer @tina-nightray @just-servamp-trash and @legendarygriffin 

[childrenofthesun77]

Assuming that the whole 'mahiru is the vessel needed to bring back the count and the 9th servamp will be the servamp of vainglory' theory will be correct, it's interesting how both mahiru and touma can be accused of this sin even if the way it applies to them is opposed.

What touma wants is to be acknowledged and to that end he was willing to become the villain who destroyed the world before mahiru and tsurugi managed to change his mind:

Mahiru's way of being vainglorious seems a lot more positive at first because he wants to be a hero who saves others, but it's self-destructive and encourages laziness in others:

But thankfully we see mahiru starting to let go of the need to make other people proud of him and to prioritize making himself proud in his conversation with tsurugi:

and later when mahiru has a meltdown because he fears his uncle might be dead and suggests sacrificing his life to save the world kuro rightfully yells at mahiru for acting hypocritical and not listening to his own advice:

(I want to mention here that I really love how horrified kuro looks as he realizes that mahiru's reckless hero behaviour comes from a very self-destructing place:

because not a lot of manga I know really acknowledge that maybe the way a lot of their protagonists try to be heroic is actually pretty unhealthy and shouldn't be encouraged? Like Sigurd pointed out at the C3 meeting, it's kind of shameful that the children have to save the day)

Which is why I love that mahiru decided to trust kuro to handle tsubaki without him going with him:

He decides to stay back with everyone else, showing that he has learned that he doesn't need to be the one to do everything and can stay back with the others to buy kuro time.

Interestingly we see touma doing something similar. Opposed to his old need to have the whole world acknowledge him he now wishes for everyone to believe he's dead and he's helping to protect the city by creating a huge barrier without making it known that's he the one doing this:

He's helping the protagonists seemingly with no intention of earning acknowledgement for it.

I think in a way it could be cool of servamp to subvert the shouned trope that for the finale battle the only one able to defeat the big bad is the protagonist while everyone else just watches on from the sidelines, not allowed to do anything because this is the protagonist's moment of glory.

What if lily's plan when he put kuro in mahiru's path was that if kuro tried to stop tsubaki at the gate surely his eve would need to be there with him, right? Because of course he needs his eve to fight and then there's also the distance limit. So why not make the vessel you need at that gate for the ritual to work kuro's eve? Then the vessel would be at the place where you need them without you even needing to do something because naturally they would be thinking they are doing the right thing by going with kuro to fight tsubaki together. And surely someone as vainglorious as mahiru would never pass up the opportunity to be the hero who stops tsubaki. It's foolproof!

Unless of course before the ritual the vessel learned to let go of their vainglorious nature, accepted that it's okay to take a step into the background and trust in others. And additionally also found a way to break through the whole forced proximity thing that the servamp and eves had going on.

I don't know, I feel like it would be a neat bow on mahiru's character arc and a unique way to thawrt the antagonists' plans if the creation of the servamp of vainglory failed because the 'it has to be me' guy they wanted to use as the vessel decided against glory and stayed back to let his partner handle things with tsubaki alone because he trusts him. Kuro on the other hand wants to make up for his past regrets and resolve the conflict through communication this time. Learning to trust in himself again by managing to talk tsubaki out of going through with the ritual on his own would be a logical conclusion to kuro's arc.

[renaaraki]

Title: Contrast

Word Count: 1158

Fandom: Servamp

Characters: Kuro, Mahiru

Pairing: KuroMahi

Summary: Mahiru loses his patience with Kuro and fails to consider the effect his words could have on Kuro.

"Kuro! I told you more than twenty minutes ago to get off the floor and come help me!"

Choosing to ignore his Eve, Kuro continued to tap away at his video game console - which was a mistake on his part.

Marching over to the living room from the kitchen, Mahiru made his way to where Kuro was sprawled comfortably across the ground and snatched the console out of Kuro's hands in one swift movement before shutting it off. He stood in front of Kuro - who had to take a moment to process what'd just happened - hands resting firmly on his hips.

"Hey," Kuro said in annoyance, looking up and giving his Eve an irritated look, "I was playing something."

"And I'm cooking! And I told you, to get your lazy ass off the floor and come help me! And you're still here!" Mahiru frowned disapprovingly at his Servamp.

"Ah, helping is a pain..." Kuro mumbled. He rolled over on the ground, turning his back to Mahiru.

Frustration welled up inside the Eve. "You seriously dare to turn your back on me?" Mahiru raised his voice.

"So noisy... can't deal... Mahiru, you speak too loudly sometimes..."

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have to if you'd actually listen to me for once!"

The already aggravated Eve was met with a silence that only infuriated him further. He stepped over Kuro and shoved him with his foot, using just enough strength to force the vampire onto his back.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Kuro said, his own voice raising slightly in clear vexation.

"Don't take that tone with me! Just look at this mess!" Mahiru waved a hand at the empty candy wrappers, chip bags and ramen cups that were scattered across the ground. "The floor's a complete disaster! I told you to clean this crap up this morning, and yet you're still lying here in the midst of this all like it's completely alright! Do you seriously think this is acceptable?"

Kuro shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know, maybe…"

"What the hell did you just say? Maybe?" Mahiru said, his eyes widening in obvious indignation.

"Mahiru… can't deal…"

"Well, you're going to have to deal! You're cleaning this up after dinner, no excuses! Now, get up right now and come help me!" Mahiru demanded, resolute in having his way. He even waited for Kuro to stand up - which took quite some time, seemingly a very difficult task for the lazy vampire - before heading back to the kitchen, Kuro following close behind.

They were both silent once in the kitchen, but it most certainly wasn't a comfortable silence. Mahiru couldn't help but feel how tense the atmosphere was - something that he was sure Kuro could sense as well.

Perhaps he'd been a bit too harsh with Kuro. Even though Mahiru tried to remind himself that it wasn't exactly Kuro's fault for being as lazy as he was, he still found himself losing his patience with his Servamp at times. He loved Kuro dearly, and only wished that Kuro would actually make an effort to help him out sometimes and keep the apartment clean instead of leaving messes wherever he wanted to.

As he worked in the kitchen, finishing up his preparations for dinner, he became distracted, his mind still on the argument he'd shared with Kuro. The more he thought over what he'd said, the more he felt regret replacing his original frustration.

Distracted with his own thoughts and not paying attention to what he was doing, Mahiru didn't notice how dangerously close the knife he was using to slice a cucumber was to his fingers. It wasn't until he felt a strong pair of arms wrap themselves around his body and looked down to see familiar, pale hands just above his waist that he was snapped out of his thoughts.

"Don't cut yourself, Mahiru."

The deep voice spoke directly in his ear, sending a slight shiver down his spine and making him drop his knife against the cutting board. He felt the weight of Kuro resting his chin on top of his head as his hold around Mahiru grew tighter, but the vampire was silent, offering no explanation for his sudden actions.

"Mahiru, don't you love me?"

The question utterly confused Mahiru.

"Huh? Kuro, of course I do. Don't tell me you… doubt my love...?" Mahiru responded perplexedly.

"No, I don't. But then… why do you get so… frustrated with me?"

"Kuro…?"

"Sometimes… I feel useless, or like I'm an annoyance to you. Like I do everything wrong, or don't live up to your expectations," Kuro mumbled. He pressed a tender kiss to Mahiru's soft, brown hair before continuing, "I know you love me. But when you raise your voice at me, it makes me wonder if I'm even worthy of being yours, since I'm such a pain to deal with, and you're... well... the opposite."

The explanation made Mahiru feel stupid. He felt stupid for not realizing that the irrationality of losing his temper would likely cause Kuro to feel this way. As Kuro's partner, he should've thought carefully about his words and considered the effect they could have on Kuro.

"Kuro, is this really how you feel?" Mahiru said softly, pulling away from Kuro's hold and turning around to look up into vibrant, red eyes - eyes that he'd grown to love so much.

"Sometimes. I love you Mahiru, and I don't want to be an annoyance to you. But I feel like I am."

"No, Kuro… you're not. Really, I mean it. I'm so sorry, Kuro, I didn't mean to make you feel this way. I'm just… impatient, and I got upset because you made a mess. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you, though." Mahiru paused for a moment before cupping Kuro's cheeks in his hands lovingly and smiling kindly.

"But Kuro, I do need you to help me out sometimes. So, please promise me that you'll try and help me out in the kitchen sometimes too, okay? I know we're different from each other and we have our disagreements, but that isn't necessarily bad. It simply means that we'll have to both do our best to make this relationship work. We both love each other, so thinking simply we'll just have to learn to resolve our problems together if we want this relationship to work. I know we can do it. I'll start by trying to be more patient, and you can start by trying to help me out more often. Does that sound alright?"

Kuro thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. "It's a pain, but I can try."

"Good! Also, Kuro… I love you. Don't ever doubt that. I'll help you clean up after dinner, too. Now, go set the table for me, alright?"

Kuro nodded again, this time listening to Mahiru's request without any complaints.

He truly is grateful to have someone so kind and understanding like Mahiru in his life.