A/N: The Yui sprites are drawn by me, if anyone wants to use it for their own couple blog etc. Leave a message I'll leave a link to the download link. Just make sure you credit me for the sprites and we cool ouob
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With Karl now heading back to Eden Castle, the guests are now focusing their attention to the oldest Heir of the King. Shu does his best to keep a calm posture all while knowing what is happening back in the castle. There is however, still one person he is curious about.
Yui, she was according to his sister, one of the victims during the assault. Shu knows she is here. Her scent lingers in the cold evening. If he can't find her, it isn't a big problem for he can smell the founders too. A rich scent he still has a great disdain towards to.
They have taken a prey that officially belonged to the Sakamakis, after all she came to them first. How is it that she is now with the Tsukinamis? Either way, the reason might be even more troublesome to think about now. Shu's priority at the moment is to make sure the fireworks event will continue as planned.
However, if he is completely honest he just wants to kill the people that caused his sister to break down to the brink of tears. Only him and his brothers are allowed to make her cry and then it isn't even for the sake of hurting her, more for the sake of teasing her.
Dear God, if you can hear me right now, please hear my prayer. Let Liana-san be safe. Let Shin-kun and Carla-san notice something is wrong before I am thrown back into a darkness I do not wish to see so soon. Please, don't let the Hunter Association win this battle.
"You, to whom are you even praying to? There is no God here." Carla breaks Yui's focus when he sees her kneeling on her floor with her hands clasped together
"Carla-san... I...I was just...."
"It stinks... Something is up. Even that Karl Heinz just up and went back, leaving that Neet in charge, the heck is he even thinking." Shin wags his tail angrily, his gut feeling is sending all sorts of alarm bells
"Hmpf, a trap most likely. You, tell us everything you know! Right now!" Carla brushes his bangs behind, with one stern glance he focuses on the female kneeling on the ground.
Yui holds her left arm, trembling, knowing full well the Association even installed a microphone inside of her. They weren't too sure if she had given herself to the demons of the Netherrealm, but they could smell she has been with dark magic for a good amount of time. Perhaps the fact she is Seiji's daughter might have saved her from some of the abuse and torture.
Yui can still see the images of how Liana protected her. How her blood splattered on Yui's face. How she kept on smiling to the others while she was nearly broken.
"The Hunter Association. I can't think of anyone else who would be this foolish." Shin mentions, even without sniffing the scent left behind by the hunter when they planted the microphone, he knows there is only one group of people who would dare to challenge the Netherrealm using human bait.
"Hmpf, that human stench never gets better. Woman show me that arm. I'm going to remove whatever it is they have planted in you." Carla demands, removing his white glove from his right hand, reading his sharp claws.
Yui can only close her eyes as she shows her left arm, the white bandages still look fresh as if the Hunters applied something else before she left for the Netherrealm with Shin and Carla the other day.
Shin takes a closer inspection as well. Taking a few sniffs, trying to find if Yui has been poisoned. When he stands back, Shin lets out a sigh, a sign for Carla that there is no other substance in Yui's body that would give away an odor. However, there are countless of poison that are odorless. The Founders can't be too careful.
"A tracker?" Carla inspects the micro device in his hands
"No, it looks more like a microphone." Taking a closer look, Carla notices a square pattern. "Those foolish humans, did they really think we wouldn't find about their ploy. Seeing how that woman acted in the Ballroom, she must have found a way to make sure that their plans would fail."
Carla chuckles darkly "Now to those foolish humans on the other side. Allow me to give you one warning."
With one quick slash of Carla's claws he cuts out the microphone planted inside of Yui's skin, with a quick push he shoves the young female to his younger brother. Holding the microphone up in the air, as if investigating if there is a camera as well.
"You have messed with 2 kings tonight. Our vengeance will be sweet. None of you will see another day."
With that Carla breaks the microphone, letting the small machine fall to the floor. Glancing back to Yui and Shin, noticing how his brother is already licking the wound clean. Enjoying himself to some of Eve's sweet blood.
Carla scans the area, with a single look he finds Shu, conversing with their eyes only. The world seems to disappear around them, the Founding King and the Sakamaki Heir, exchange serious glances, seconds appear like hours. However the message is clear between them. The danger that is within the Netherrealm has been thwarted.
For now.
Which leaves only Eden.
The Castle still remains unprotected with a hidden danger only Liana knows the origin of. Shu simply nods, the world appears back to normal for the pair. When he hears the voice of Antares, Shu turns his attention behind him. The young maiden, hidden under the big coat of his father is now with Kino. Perhaps one of the better brothers to be with right now.
The two can get along rather well, Shu takes another look at the mantle. He didn't realize just how great his father actually is while standing in front of him. However, now that Shu is in charge while an emergency is going on, it is then he understands a little bit what it means to be a King. With how he is now, he still has many centuries to go before he can even grasp a small amount of what his father can do.
"This is taking him too long." Kino grits his teeth, it's hard to ignore the scent of blood coming from Yui, then again the Founders must have had a good reason to do this now.
"Did he come across the hunters? I hope not. They won't stay alive for even a second when he sees them." Not that Kino could care more about them, most of the human kind are too proud for their own good. So far they only brought distress to the family, especially his sister.
"Yuri how about it, any news from the Ghouls?" Kino glances back, his ghoul servant doesn't seem too worried at the moment, which is good for his sister who can't seem to stop worrying about either of her parents.
"None, for far our intelligence goes, there is no mole among us." Yuri's voice is soft and gentle, he doesn't show any signs of making things better either when he replies.
"Daddy is already fighting, look at the skies, I can smell it too." Antares points to the skies, even the slight light from the moon is no longer visible.
"The smell of human blood. They must have sent people here the moment we started to move to this location. But not only that there is a different scent in the air I don't know."
"Try describing it. The human blood is making me feel a wee bit nauseous to be honest. I don't think I can detect a different scent in between." Perhaps it is a curse on Kino's side to be this close related with Karl, there was a time where he thought he was simply an illegitimate son, now he knows he is something perhaps far more powerful than that.
"It smells like fire and something already burning, like charcoal?" Antares glances back, the mantle partially falls from her petite head. "I don't know Kino-nii, it smells like something is..."
It was then when Antares got the clue, quickly turning her attention back to the Castle beyond. It is as everyone fears. The hunters are trying to Kill the King of the Vampires, with as bait both his wives.
Antares, pulls of the mantle of her head, before she even can take another step Kino and Yuri hold her back.
"No!! Mommy!! Mommy is still!!! Kino-nii!!! Yuri-san!! Let me go!! Mommy is going to... Mommy is going to!!"
Antares can going scream and cry her lungs out knowing full well her mother won't survive the explosion should she not get out on time. Her father will most likely survive the blast of an explosion, her Aunt Christa might make it too, given she has a maid that can sustain her should she get wounded while getting away.
Antares' birth mother on the other hand, a human woman's chance of surviving an explosion is near zero. Kino quickly grabs Karl's mantle, covering his sister. Allowing her screams and cries to be muffled even just a slight.
The guests can only look in shock when they see the smoke coming from Eden Castle, they once bullied the Queen for her race. For her common looks, for her religious way of dressing. However, with how things stand right now. She is the one who just saved all their lives. They are in her debt, whether they would like it or not.
Whispers of the guests start to reach the ears of Kino and the other brothers. They can only look back in anger as the hypocrisy of the aristocrats reach them, how their so-called words of pity for Karl and Antares for losing a wife and a mother, while they so no words for the Queen who just saved their asses.
When the guests feel the intent to kill from the Sakamaki's, the Mukami's and even Tsukinami's, they can only fall silent. It is at this moment that Shu finally speaks up.
"Woah, he actually is gonna do something..." Kino looks up in surprise when Shu steps in, pulling the mantle back over Antares' head. Hiding her behind him.
"I don't know what to think of any of you right now. You are all troublesome. However, your gossiping right now, even I can't sit still about this."
"Hmpf, to think we are in debt of a human woman. While I dislike the thought it still remains a fact." Carla steps up as well, as a King he has now an obligation to show a form of gratitude towards the human Queen.
"Nii-san?" Shin joins Kino with the surprise. For it is unusual to see Carla care about humans. They are mere livestock for the founders after all.
Antares grabs Shu's blue cardigan, carefully looking to the guests and the King of the Founders. "Shu-nii, Carla-san..."
"That old man of mine is heading back to Eden castle, we are the ones who should show some sort of shame. We didn't even sense anything was wrong all while the party was going on. Yet..." Shu pauses for a moment, gritting his teeth when he is about to say the most painful truth in a room filled with a far superior race.
"...A foolish human being. Someone who is like livestock for us, planned an escape route. Thought of something long enough for us all to be out of reach of the hunters so Your King can fend them off while retrieving back his home. All you can do is show fake worry for the first princess and your King while you all couldn't wait for the Queen's death, mere moments ago."
"Woah he said quite a lot too." Again Kino murmurs surprised at Shu's reaction.
"It is a possibility that there are a few hunters will reach us here. I don't know about you lot, however I will not let a few human beings show us more shame than they have already done." Carla takes of his other glove, tidying his scarf before he takes several steps closer to the edge of the forest which they left several hours ago.
"Nii-san are you saying?" Shin's tail starts to wag a bit more in excitement as he can already smell can his older brother is going to say. There is only one thing now that awaits them.
War
"Yeah, it is an all out war. Us Founders and Vampires against the entire Hunter Association."
More guests murmur around when both the King of the founders and Shu has given a speech to ruse the moral among the people. While the other Sakamaki and Mukami can only watch in awe for Shu has spoken more words in one moment than he ever has done in his entire life.
When one aristocrat finally gives in, sighing in defeat as all the words spoken by both men are facts only. What kind of superior race are they if a human woman is going to do all the dirty work in saving their species.
Shu pats Antares on top of her head. His eyes are the fiercest Antares has ever seen. Forming a defensive line for the younger generation among the guests. The adults, Founders and Sakamaki's form the first line of defense, while the Mukami's, Kino, Yuri and the Ghouls form the second defensive line. Tsukiko and the guards as the final defensive line. With in the middle of the group the children, Yui and Antares.
While Carla may have said it is an all out war against the hunters. With all of the Netherrealm actually joining hands, there would be no numbers of casualties among the Demonic Species. Their rage against the humans coming for them and their Faith in the King who is ready to take back his castle, is what keeps the moral stronger than anything.
Closing in on his home, Karl can already smell the burnt wood and bricks. The rattling of fire and the several explosions causing bricks walls and marble floor to collapse echo in his ears.
"Christa... Liana... Hold on, I'm almost there... "
"Don't do anything foolish, especially you, Liana. Hades' realm has no place for you yet. I won't allow him to take you."
"Not now, not ever!"