Nobody Owns a Cat

Scalded Cats Fear Even Cold Water

After hearing that Nao had been without education all his life, Reiji basically gives up on the boy's schooling. This made him ecstatic till the vampire said he still had to be monitored. So Nao would go to school anyway and had to, at the least, learn how to read and write. The cat boy didn't really see the use in that, but Reiji was as stubborn as always.

Yui offers to teach him much to Nao's relief. He preferred her over Reiji and wanted to stick close to her. What happened before had him feeling guilty and he was worried about her recent condition. It wasn't unnatural for the weak girl to pass out every now and then. She seemed fine the first time, Nao had made sure after he got back from school. However, the spacing out and falling unconscious seemed to be increasing at an alarming rate. There was obvious discomfort amongst the vampires. So much so that Reiji did little to disagree with the girl. Nao knows they know something but even Subaru and Ayato refuse to tell him what it is. All he could do is watch over the sweet Yui. There was still stuff he didn't like about the girl, but she was a kind and caring person. She didn't deserve whatever was happening to her.

After one lesson with her ending with the girl passing out, Nao had enough and confronted Ayato again. The vampire was watching over their session as always, having made Yui sit in his lap. He was crowding her more than usual and was obviously unhappy with how close Nao and her were. The cat boy waits for the other male to put her to bed before motioning to the door, suggesting they go out into the hall. He didn't want to wake Yui, if it was possible.

Ayato makes a point to glare at the boy before complying. As soon as they made it out of the room, Nao was on the attack. "Just what is going on with Yui? It is only getting worse and you brothers obviously know what is happening." The small male recalls when he found Yui in the underground of the mansion. She was barely wearing anything, not even shoes, and didn't respond to him. Her skin was ice cold and her vacant eyes still gave him goosebumps.

"The weakling is just a little tired. I told you. So shut the hell up about it." Ayato doesn't look at the boy, face full of anxiousness.

"It isn't just sleeping more now. She just loses consciousness. I find her in strange places spacing out and when she snaps out of it she doesn't remember how she got there. She is even starting to smell different. Something is changing. Something is wrong. Don't you love her? I might be able to help, if you just tell me what is going on!" The vampire's obvious worry and anxiousness was rubbing off on the boy. If it has all the brothers out of whack, it must be something bad.

"There isn't anything anyone can do. So just shut up and stay out of it. You're such a pain in the ass." And with that Ayato was gone.

Nao hisses and heads out of the mansion, hoping the garden will calm his terrible mood. He had started going there a lot since that time he let Subaru stay in the room with him. He had even convinced the red-faced boy to teach him a little about the roses and helped care for them a few times. Each time a comfortable silence would fall between them and it was the few times that Nao could relax. As he steps through the front door, his tension is immediately whisked away by the warming wind. It was already mid spring.

He had been kept busy with the vampires neverending interest and Yui's worsening condition. In fact, so busy that the agreement they had made completely escaped his mind. As many of the vampires grew anxious, they withdrew. This gave Nao a little more time to think, but the thoughts were mostly filled with Yui and Ayato. Subaru also accompanied an embarrassing amount of thoughts.

That didn't mean that Nao had given up on escaping. It just didn't seem like a good time. Especially with what was happening to Yui.

After the lessons started, the boy had learned a lot about the girl. She was quick to share and snake her way into his heart no matter his protests.

She had told him about her time at the church and how much she missed it. "Everyone was so nice. There was always something to do. Life was very fun and fulfilling. We did many great things with the help of faith."

Ayato rolled his eyes from behind her.

She grows quiet, obviously lost in memories. Her eyes grow a little teary. "I really miss everyone. Especially Father. Oh if you could meet him, you and Ayato." She looks back at the vampire with fondness. "He is such a great man, very holy and kind."

"Yeah super kind. Not telling his adopted daughter anything and then sacrificing her." Ayato grunts, unbelieving and sarcastic.

Nao nods in agreement. "To a bunch of perverted teen vampires no less" He adds, earning a glare from the vampire. He merely sticks out his tongue in response.

Yui is quick to defend her flawed loved ones. "I'm sure Father has a good reason! He raised me well as his daughter and is a man of god. Even in his journal he said he loved me, he wouldn't do me harm. And the brothers aren't so bad! You must know that much by now Nao."

The redhead hugging her pouts a little with furrowed brows, obviously not happy at that weak defense of him.

Nao laughs a bit at the vampire's expense. "I suppose some of them aren't so bad."

He learned that she lived her life on completely different principles than him. She will help people no matter the risks and strives to be a good person that makes a positive difference in people's lives. The way she lives is to give to people. This fitted well with Ayato, who seemed to live only to take.

Nao still didn't like the vampire, but he saw how he treated Yui. Everything he did screamed that he loved her, even though it wasn't always a good thing. It seemed like Ayato spent every minute with the girl. He had a rough way of going about things, but he was obviously being a mother hen with her. Especially so now-a-days.

The girl also looked at him like he was a precious, fragile person. It was clear to the cat boy very quickly that Yui belonged in this place after all. She would be alright and happy by Ayato's side.

Even if he wanted Yui to escape with him, it wouldn't happen. She would choose a hard life with Ayato over any happiness she could have. Nao couldn't say that he agreed with her, but he did feel that there was something admirable about her foolish way of life. It did have a great value and she was a good person.

Watching and interacting with them, opened his mind to things that he had never known. He thought them utterly ridiculous at first. Then he started to feel the same about Subaru and Yui and even Ayato (only because of Yui). Nao started thinking more of them and wanting to help them. Then he would beat himself up over how stupid and dangerous the thought was. Slowly those feelings were growing as he got closer to them. A fear rose in him with that growth. The fear of caring and hurting. Even with these feelings, that fear had him stuck in place and unable to change.

So there he was, a war with his heart and mind keeping him indecisive. He could not stay but didn't want to leave. He cared for Yui and wanted to protect her but was unable to muster the courage. He wanted to be with Subaru but couldn't trust anyone enough.

The small male had given some trust to a brother before and that had turned out poorly. A betrayal that would not go forgotten. It only added the obstacles blocking his path and his trust issues.