Ayato felt another stab of Carla's sword fall upon his left arm. Battered and bruised, he felt his intestines being dragged behind him as he crawled away from the Founder, crying in sheer pain and agony. His every pore could feel the pain being inflicted on him by his perpetrator, a gnashing torment that destroyed everything in its wake. His nervous ends frayed, he slowly felt his body become numb and insensitive to the torture that Carla inflicted upon him.
He felt stinging tears in his eyes, but he held onto his broken sword, crying out another painful scream. Pain and numbness combined made his surroundings hazy, his senses starting to lose focus, even Subaru's mother's cries for help faded in a distant, as he could only see a piece of his flesh and bone drop down on the ground.
"Whether the son of the vampire king or not, I am going to win," Carla said, jabbing his sword right into his chest, gaining a torturous screech from Ayato. A mixture of blood and sinew escaped from Ayato's chest, his internal organs tumbling out after. Ayato spit on the ground, unable to believe he was alive at this point.
"You," Ayato started, his voice hoarse with the strain he'd put up with during Carla's sadistic assault over him, "You think you will get away with stealing Pancake from me?" A sickening laughter escaped him, as Carla looked on in bewilderment. "I was careless and let her wander away from me before. But I don't make the same mistake twice, you bastard. You have ten seconds. I will forgive you right now if you take your tail between your legs, run off and never show me your face again, but if you even fucking touch a hair on Yui, I will personally make sure you regret your own meaningless existence. I won't kill you, but you would wish I rather did. You will neither get her blood, nor her body." He paused, taking in a shaky breath. "Her body, her blood, her soul, her very life belong to Oresama."
Carla looked at the young vampire in astonishment. Here he was, gutted out, dragging himself on the concrete, not only refusing to ask for forgiveness, but actually threatening him. Raising his sword, he said, "How dare you talk to me like that!"
And he swung, aiming for Ayato's head.
But he couldn't deliver the blow, for a dense white light invaded his vision. Ayato looked at the blinding light, believing this to be a hallucination. He shielded his eyes with his right hand, his hair wet with blood as he touched his face. soon, through the gap in his fingers, he saw an imposing figure, long whitish hair, huge robes, and a red cape fluttering in the wind.
"Long time, son."
Anything but this, Ayato prayed to whoever was in heaven or hell. Anything but my father.
"I think you should heed to my son's warning and respectfully step back," Karlheinz said, stepping in between. "If you want to go back with both of your legs intact, that is."
Ayato was taken aback by the sharpness of his father's tone. He'd only seen that sass and no-nonsense in Shu and Reiji. He stared at the man for a long time as Carla took in the shock of seeing Karlheinz in the flesh. Nobody in the demon realm had seen him in his true form, but most agreed upon the fact that he didn't have one. He could appear as anything or anyone, as you most cherished dream or your most horrifying nightmare. Falling back on his hands, Ayato saw his father merely flick his hand towards the Founder, and he was sent tumbling down across the estate at a force unimaginable by both immortals and mortals. The shock of Carla's body impacting the ground was such that Ayato bit into his tongue.
He gulped, his mouth tasting tangy blood on his tongue. Looking up at his father, he said, his tongue heavy, giving him a lisp. "Hey, popf."
Karlheinz turned towards him, his half lidded eyes focusing on his son. "Ayato, you look in the best of spirits."
"Of courf, popfy," Ayato struggled, maintaining his devil-may-care attitude. "I'f bin great, all fhankf to your niglibenf." What he meant was I've been great, all thanks to your negligence, but fortunately for Ayato, his father barely understood him.
"I'm glad." Karlheinz said, looking at his son like he had discovered a long lost treasure. "Well, aren't you a mess of emotions here. The last time I saw you, you had you leg cut off."
With his senses fading, Ayato didn't understand him as well. "Yeah, abfolootly. Fee fucked dem ol." Ayato obviously thought his father was talking about his mother and her previous lovers, but again, luck was on his side as his father couldn't understand him a bit.
"You could use a little healing," his father casually said, waving his hand as Ayato levitated in air, his feet barely touching the ground. Then began the most painful five seconds of his life.
His arm popped back into his socket. He screamed. His muscles stitched themselves together. He screamed. His spine straightened, snapping pieces of bone back into place. He screamed. His fallen organs fell back into their cavities, as his ribs, ligaments, tendons and diaphragm, all reassembled. He screamed.
Karlheinz smiled slyly, dropping Ayato's healed body on the ground, as he heard a yapping at him. Shin, still in his wolf form, chased Laito, as the latter grabbed his right arm, almost ground into mush by the Founder's sharp canines. Karlheinz flicked a finger at the wolf, and it went flying across the meadow facing the left side of the mansion.
Ayato felt his swollen tongue fall back into his mouth, with ease as the inflammation eased out. He looked at his father, as he expected at least a rap at the back for being irresponsible with his prey. Instead, he felt his father's gloved hand over his head. "Too much work watching over the sacrificial bride, huh?"
Ayato focused his stare at the ground, memorising the cracks and crevices in the concrete pavement rather than answering his father's question. Yui was way more high maintenance than other girls sent to them, but those others barely managed to stay alive for more than two months. Whereas Yui... She had that weird self preservation skill that Ayato never understood. Her caring for the very people who preyed upon her was the most commendable attitude she had. While in a traditional setting, it would be pathetic and weak, amongst the brothers, however, it lent her an advantage. If she had never cared for them, the egotistical Reiji would not have concocted a potion to ensure her survival, when his bitch mother took control of her. If it wasn't for her selflessness, Ayato would have left her to die with the Mukamis.
Yui's selflessness was her only weapon, and look where it had landed her into.
"Ah, tragic," Karlheinz said, as if reading Ayato's thoughts. "Perhaps we should return her back to the church."
Ayato crossed his brows, looking up. Karlheinz withdrew his hand, and tilted his head, slitting his shockingly bright magenta eyes. "If it's such a burden to have, why not give it away?" His father said, nonchalantly, "It's lived with you for long enough, surely it's time for a change. We'd arrange for a new bride..."
"Stop, father." Ayato said, brushing the top of his head, as if to dust off his own father's touch from his body. "Yui's a person. Stop blabbing about her like she's some furniture you're giving to charity." He dug his nails into the palm of his hand. "She's a hell of a responsibility. But I'm not giving up on her. If that's not what you like, then behead me and be done with it." He paused, looking at his father's reaction. "But don't think that my brothers would just let me go like that."
His father looked at him, his eyes slit. Ayato felt a weight drop off his shoulders as he'd admitted that Yui meant more than a blood bag to him. He looked at the mansion, his eyebrows crossed, when his father sighed. "All right," Karlheinz said, sounding a bit upset and bored. Ayato couldn't put him at fault, a few months before he'd have had the same reaction if one of his brothers refused to switch up a bride. "If it is your wish."
A stream of white light blinded him again, as Karlheinz disappeared into the thick night mist, abrupt and without a closure.
The first thing his mind focused on was the Founders, who had been tossed aside like ragdolls by Karlheinz. His eyes searched through the night, as he only found evidence in Laito's obscure form stumbling towards him, almost as if in a daze. Ayato slipped off his torn up jacket, his shirt shredded and his tie missing. Laito gurgled something as he stepped close to his brother.
"Is your tongue still in your mouth?" Ayato asked, and Laito shook his head. He'd been closer to Carla, so it made sense. Laito reached his mouth with the cuff of his woolen jacket and wiped a bit of blood splatter.
"You'd grow it back, don'cha worry," Ayato said, surprising himself. Since when was he being so nice to his brother?
Laito shrugged, then stumbled back towards the mansion. Ayato looked for signs of distress around, but even Yui's faint heartbeat told him she was at peace.
Yui...
He rushed back to the entrance hall, where he found Reiji looking down at the carpet spoiled with the gin Shu had dropped before. His eyes were tired, his clothes loosened up, his glove was missing from his left hand. His posture was slightly slouched, as he regarded Ayato with authority.
Damn, he really needed a night off.
"I'll explain later," Ayato said, his eyes looking at the library. He could feel her breath right from here, hitched into her throat. She was saying something, but it wasn't clear enough, as Reiji started to complain about his spoiled carpet. Ayato didn't wait up for Reiji to dismiss him, but rushed towards the library, as he found a piece of wood knocked out by the doorway, Subaru among the bookshelves, busy reading something. Ayato's eyes traveled towards the wooden table, where Yui was strapped by her arms and legs, her eyes half lidded, unfocused, her hair splayed out behind her like a halo. She'd probably been changed by Subaru, a flimsy nightgown riding up her haunches as she struggled with her straps.
"Of course, you had to come here," Subaru said, closing his book shut. Walking towards Ayato, he crossed his arms across his chest. "She's been calling for you."
For him?
"What happened?" Ayato said, as he heard her giggle in amusement. Subaru ignored her, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. His jacket was missing, Ayato noted. "She found some trouble. Her heart almost gave out."
"Her heart... but what... why?"
"Ayato kun~" she slowly purred, straining against the straps, her legs kicking in the air. "The takoyaki is salty, I don't want it."
Ayato looked at Subaru in confusion. Subaru returned a stoic expression. "Reiji gave her a whole lot of sedatives, now she's acting like she's drunk." Ayato raised his eyebrows in surprise. Yui had never been under influence in their company, and considering her upbringing in the church, he doubted she'd even been drunk.
"A.YA.TO. KUN~" Yui shouted at him, erupting in a weird needy tone. "Why did you lock me up in the bathroom?"
Ayato looked at Subaru, who was shooting a death glare at him. "I can explain."
"Don't."Subaru was curt with his words. "Her stitches have opened up, her blood is leaking. Unless you want me to gorge on her, better seal her wound."
"Why can't you do it?"
"What?" Subaru said, taken aback. "Stupid. You just get on with it."
Subaru was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving Yui to blabber on about something, but as soon as she noticed he was alone with her in the library. She cowered in her little corner, her hands curling up in her straps, as Ayato stood beside her, his head tilted to the side as he tried to understand her emotions. "What happened?"
"Are you going to punish me again?" she said, pouting. He raised his eyebrow, expecting it to be bad. "What did you do?"
"Nothing,"she said, swiftly avoiding the topic. Ayato noticed her neck, smooth and pale, unmarred by fang marks.
"What happened to your marks?" he asked, but he already knew the answer. Karlheinz had healed her just as he had healed Ayato.
"It hurts," she said, pointing to the left side of her torso. He could see damp, warm blood staining under her heart, seeping through the thin fabric of her night dress.He felt a bit awkward, but slipped the thin strap holding her dress up.
She was healed from inside out, her malnourishment now almost unnoticeable. Her breasts had never been Ayato's taste, but now they looked a bit healthier, her skin supple and smooth to touch. He shook himself from thinking perverted thoughts, and noticed her stitches were bleeding, even though her wound had closed shut. He looked at her, silently asking for permission.
"What?" she seemed bored and unaware.
"We should cut the stitches," he said, his mind going back to lewd thing. Her skin seemed so soft and supple, he just wanted to taste her once. Once would be enough for him.
"Yeah," Yui said, absent minded. Ayato thought better of explaining it to her, and hunched over her chest, pressing his mouth over the bleeding skin. Yui went completely still, as he carefully snipped one of the stitches with his canines, her scent driving him wild, as he licked the puncture from the needle clean of blood. Her blood seemed to have improved in quality, if such a thing was even possible. He proceeded to slowly and carefully snip the thread, leaving his healing saliva to stop her bleeding. When he was done, Yui relaxed a bit. He didn't like her being so stiff when he was only helping her. She looked at Ayato as he lifted his head up, fighting his urge to rip into her skin and gulp down her blood. Or worse, fondle her.
"Ayato kun?" Yui said, still hazy with the sedatives, her body so easily pressed up against his, Ayato had to bite down on his teeth to stop him from biting her.
"Hmm?" he whispered, appearing just a bit softer toward her than ever. She was using the same tone, memories of the early night filling his mind. When she had lifted his coffin lid and shut herself with him, allowing him to suck her blood.
But she knocked all sense out of him when she pleaded to him, "Kiss me?"
Ayato jerked back, and judging by Yui's eyes, she didn't like his reaction even a bit. "What happened?"
"You're not in a healthy state of mind," he reasoned, but his rapid breath and bothered face seemed to contradict his statement. He wanted to kiss her at that moment, but he knew it would only result in regret. He would soon forget about it, but Yui will harbor it in the back of her mind, and it will make her blood sour.
He chided himself for even thinking about blood.
"You've kissed me before..." Yui said, her ragged breathing interrupting her speech. "Twice. Consent didn't matter to you then."
He had tried to save her life on both of the occasions. "That was different."
"And, what about..." she said, her words slurred, "All the times you've forced me to give you my blood?"
Ayato hated her in that moment. She was being way rational than when she'd ever been sober. She was also being awfully true. "What about when you gave your blood to the Mukamis?" he said, his chest resonating with a dull pain as he continued, "They relished in you for months, didn't they?"
"I didn't have a choice," her eyes welling with tears, "They were probably even more malicious than you, if it is possible."
Her chest quivered as he held her face in his hands, cradling it. She burst into sobs, as he wiped her tears away. "Ayato kun, you're so cruel to me."
Stop it, Ayato said, his dead heart yearning for a taste of her lips. She went on, calling him names, reminding him of times when he had been absolutely ruthless to her, when he'd pushed her around like she didn't matter.
She finally said, "Fine," shaking her head to get away from his touch, "Suck my blood, take away the sedative from my system. I want to be aware when you kiss me."
He hated himself for even considering it. She drove a hard bargain. Her sweet blood, her rosy lips, how would he refuse either of them?
He lifted her strap back in place, as she cried out in desperation. "Ayato kun!" she said, struggling against her bonds, "I'd never kiss you while sober."
He almost laughed. "Am I that undesirable?"
She said, her voice dropping down. "You'll just treat me like a blood bag when I come to my senses."
"Maybe." He was sure of it. He wouldn't hurt her now because there was no point when she didn't feel humiliated about it. He still didn't want to think about kissing her.
"Why don't you do it?" she said, her voice fading, as the sedatives kicked in. Her eyes drooped down, her mind going back to whatever dream she was awakened from.
He held her chin, and turned her head, exposing her neck to him. Taking in her aroma, filling it in his lungs. "Because I want to give you a choice for once," he smiled to himself, his thumb rubbing against her lower lip. "Your blood, your body, your soul, all belong to me, but I have to earn your love."