Ayato took off his winged helmet, latching it onto the back of his armour, and climbed down his horse. His gloved hand patted the mane of the horse, as it gave a satisfied neigh, leaning into his touch.
Subaru followed suit, his own spiked helmet coming off and being latched to his back plate. White locks flew free in the warm breeze, and had there not been a rotting corpse behind him, he would have seemed to be the proverbial prince from the fairy tales. But he had the additional title of Commander in front of his name, so it matched his image well.
Ayato's name, however, evoked the sole image of violence and brutality. He didn't just seem to fit in with the gore behind him, he defined it. The fear that settled quietly into the free folks' hearts as he casually lifted his lashes to stare at them while they scurried away was justified. Ayato was unpredictable. He had gone to plunder the far off kingdoms and returned with the blood of an innocent religious centre and city of knowledge on his hands.
They started walking casually towards the castle, their swords dangling on their hips as they moved.
Subaru smiled slightly at his brother. "Thought of what to say to Reiji?"
Ayato shrugged. "I'm pretty sure he'd be thrilled to have a city razed to ground. He loved the input Eden had in science." His tone dripped in sarcasm.
Subaru cocked his head, squinting at him. "So what are you expecting from the mama bear?"
Ayato laughed. "He'd slap me," he held up three fingers, lowering each as he went through his list, "He'd probably punch me, or I'd get a nice ass whopping."
"You look oddly excited about it," Subaru commented.
"What can I say, pissing him off makes me happy." Ayato mocked a serious look. "Maybe this time he'd direct his anger at Shu instead. As he always does."
Subaru rolled his eyes. "What did you get from there? I'm sure apart from the research Reiji wanted, there must have been treasuries in the city that funded such an institution."
"Nope. Unfortunately the little treasury we found would sustain our army for about a week."
Subaru's eyes widened. "So, you're saying we did it all for nothing?"
Ayato shrugged. "Not exactly, we've had some nice blood slaves. And the support of the demonfolk now that we've attacked the epicentre of the free folk. It won't be long before we imprison everyone..." They reached the stairs of the castle, and from his point of view, Subaru could actually see Reiji's troubled face. He was pacing back and forth in the hall, and immediately stopped as soon as he saw both of them. Ayato breathed hard, knowing that it couldn't end up well, the way Reiji had just placed his glasses away in his pocket, his hands behind his back, his posture straight to the point of physically hurting.
"Would you tell your old woman to make some salve for me?" Ayato jested, walking painfully slowly towards Reiji, his boots heavy so that they made a sound every time he stepped forward, something Reiji absolutely disliked. Subaru was forced to walk at the same pace. "I would personally make sure Reiji whips you a thousand times more," Subaru seethed.
"Fuck you too, Subaru," Ayato gritted his teeth, and held his hands at his back as Reiji came forward, inspecting them both with an eye of scrutiny.
"Whose idea was it to storm into Eden?" Typical Reiji. Jumping into the meat of the matter rather than wasting time in worthless pleasantries. Ayato dared to smirk, before being caught by Reiji, after which he promptly bowed his head. Subaru tried to lift the tension. "Nice to meet you too, Reiji. I heard you sent troops for us while we were running low. It was a nice gesture."
Reiji smiled coldly at Subaru before punching him straight into his gut. The blow knocked the air out of his lungs, as Subaru struggled to cough, Ayato looked at him wide eyed before noticing Reiji look at him again. He lowered his gaze, ready to face what would happen to him once Reiji got to know it was Ayato who rushed into Eden without thinking.
"I had only ordered you to retrieve the research from the Garden, and you burned it down." Reiji pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ayato, was it your call?"
"Technically yeah-" Subaru started before another hard blow hit him in the stomach.
"Have you no manners, Subaru?" Reiji boiled. "I am talking to your elder brother, right? Or are you as dense as he is?" Ayato was reminded of the megane's habit of drinking tea and stifled a laugh into his fist.
"What's so funny, Ayato?" Reiji removed his glove. That only meant one thing. Ayato knew he was getting whooped even before the blow landed across his face. His cheek stung, burning up inside his skin. He stared down, refusing to meet his eyes with his elder brother.
"This is what rotten kids are," Reiji went on, harping about his superior manners and how Ayato and Subaru were cursed with ill equipped mothers with deplorable parenting skills. Ayato tuned him out, focussing rather on the pattern of his laced up boots. He wanted someone to patch a lion onto them.
"Do you understand?" Reiji asked, stomping his foot on the ground.
"Sir yes sir!" both parrotted before Reiji gave them a wave of his hand, dismissing him.
Ayato dared to raise a question. "Hey meg- I mean Reiji, who would get the Eve? I've been dying to taste her blood-"
Reiji squinted his pink eyes at him. "Retire to your bedchambers, we will have this discussion later in the evening."
Reiji methodically walked off, and Ayato wanted to snap him in half as he watched him withdraw into the dark.
Subaru smacked the back of his head.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"For being an insufferable bastard." Subaru walked off to the spiral staircase, climbing to his own room.
Ayato pouted at his brother, rubbing the back of his head. He retreated to the stairs, his steps heavy as he entered his room, the window of the room closed shut in front of him.
He walked softly towards the window, drawing the blinds and opening the glass doors, watching silently as the army was returning to the barracks in the distance, and the slew of prisoners of war captured had just entered the castle. They were all bound in chains, their necks bound in iron collars, their hands locked in cuffs. Ayato noticed someone familiar, a splash of lavender among the rest of the crowd. The woman raised her head towards the window, and smiled directly at him.
Ayato shook his head, not believing his eyes. As he looked closer, the woman was gone, and all he could see was hordes of human folk bound in chains, wearing identical white garments, being directed by the gargoyles into the dungeons below the castle.
Why did he just see that bitch again? It was impossible. He'd killed her with his own hands...
"Ayato sama?" A slave knocked at his door, making him jump.
"What the hell?" he looked at the girl, her eyes trained at the ground, her hands holding a set of his formal clothes. "What is this?"
The girl didn't look up. "Reiji sama sent for me to fetch these for you."
Ayato came closer, his expression unreadable. He snatched his clothes from her, and threw them back on his bed, staring down at the girl. "When is the tableware otaku going to call for us?"
The girl seemed determined to stare down at her ragged shoes. "He told me it wouldn't be before the eighth hour."
Ayato leaned over the door frame, watching the girl with intent. Finally, the tension dissolved as he dismissed her with the wave of his hand. The girl seemed to be relieved as she turned around, running along the corridor, disappearing in the distance.
Ayato looked back at the window, watching the last of the captives walk down the dungeons. He saw the brief splash of blond hair before the sun dipped into the horizon.
Ayato smiled. The long night has now begun.
***
Yui's heart started beating furiously, heating her body up as the guard stopped her. The strange goblin-like creature clasped an iron collar around her neck. Her neck should have had a bite mark there, but it was pristine and unmarred by fangs. It was weird. She knew someone had bitten her before she lost her consciousness and woke up in the bogey carrying the captives of the city of Eden. Many, in hushed voices, discussed the presence of the Eve of Eden among them. Some blamed her for their fate. Some empathised with her. She didn't know what to expect from them, though, so she kept her mouth shut and did not interact with any of them.
Yui stared at the gargoyle. "What is this for?" The girl pointed at her collar, her voice coming out hoarse. She must have cried a lot in her sleep, since her throat seemed scratchy. Her cuffs jingled on her hands as she wiped off the sweat from her forehead.
The gargoyle managed to mutter out, "The prince wants attendance." His voice was weirdly deep. Almost as though he was from another plane of existence.
But then, maybe he was.
The gargoyle averted his gaze, whistling at a lad. The boy was barely fifteen, dressed in an immaculate white shirt and black trousers, with an obnoxious amount of frills. It reminded her of the Victorian dresses she saw in the portraits hung in the study of Lord Seiji. The boy looked at her, before gently taking her hand and kissing it. "My pleasure to meet the lady," he said, the sweetest smile on his face. She blushed, but composed herself. "Likewise," she didn't have the heart to speak anymore. Her energy was spent, and she had seen enough horrors to expect anything good done to her.
The boy let go of her hand. His freckled skin tinged with red under the warm light of the lamp overhead. "I must ask you to accompany me to the main hall, our princes will be waiting for you there."
She looked towards the castle. Not unlike her own home at Eden, but with an utter lack of crowd bustling with monks, abbots, priests and sages rushing about their routine.Her ears already missed the hushed discussions that happened in the hallway leading up to her bedchambers, the monks always giving her a sympathetic smile when she slithered away from their company. Her heart was now crying for help as a dull pain resounded in her chest.
"Is there any problem, Miss?" the boy's auburn hair shifted slightly, revealing a burn scar below his hairline. Yui tried not to make him aware that she noticed it. "Sorry, I was just zoning out a bit."
The boy smiled. "You use a very peculiar language to express what you feel," he remarked. "Shall we?"
Yui stood a bit straighter, mimicking his posture. "Sure."
The boy walked towards the castle entrance, and Yui followed closely behind. The walk to the castle was slow and torturous, so Yui decided to fill it with meaningless conversation instead. "You look too young to be hanging around in a castle like this," she remarked.
The boy smiled at her, before tilting his head. "I had no choice. I was bought as a slave at seven years old, and I think my home was way worse than what this castle is right now."
Bought? Slave? "So, what exactly do you do as a... slave?"
"You're a peculiar one, Eve," he said, chuckling, not maintaining eye contact, "I do chores, call the princes for their assemblies, sometimes I deliver messages to the barracks. Slaves have a multitude of things to do here."
Yui nodded in approval. "These princes you talk about..."
The boy stiffened a bit, but kept walking. "You're going to meet them soon. I'm sure all your queries will be answered by them."
Despite being curt and professional to her, he gives her a humble curtsey, before leading her to the main hall, where a tall figure stood imposing, back straighter than the pillars at her temple. He had a pair of glasses resting on his slender nose, she noticed as she walked closer, and a pair of striking pale magenta eyes. He had his hands at his back, his expression crisp and business like while he scrutinised her. She wasn't used to being ogled at like that, and felt a red burning sensation creep up inside her skin. His plum purple hair flopped over his forehead, one chunk of his bangs stuck behind his metal spectacle frame in an anomalous fashion. He towered over her, his figure looming over her petite frame.
The slave gave the strange man a low curtsey, and bade him goodnight. Reiji blinked at him as he rushed off away from the castle.
"I think we should start with names," the man said, wringing his hands. Yui felt a strange pain in her heart as she felt his hot gaze glare over her. "My name is Sakamaki Reiji. Pardon my brothers for the moment, they are utterly useless and do not know what the meaning of a summoning is."
Yui tucked a stray strand away from her face behind her ear. "I understand."
Reiji cocked his head, as though in expectation for something.
Yui realised too late. "Oh, I... I am Komori Yui, the Eve of Eden and the High Priestess in the Temple of Ar'aa."
The man crossed his arms across his chest, the frills on his undershirt snagging up on his cuffs. "You are no longer the holder of that title."
Yui bit the inside of her cheek. "Of course, all thanks to your army."
Something flashed behind his eyes, rage perhaps. Nevertheless, he buried it beneath a stoic expression. "You might want to watch your tongue amongst our presence, Eve." The way he uttered her title was downright insulting. "I might let your insufferable attitude fly past me, but beware of my brothers, they aren't as civil as I am."
She nodded, as somebody walked languishly from the stairway to the centre of the entrance hall, flashing right before her eyes.
"Took you long enough, you good for nothing." There was spite evident beneath Reiji's voice, as she saw the tall man linger close towards them. He had strange dirty blond hair, very different from her own hair, that was almost a golden colour. The man had strange cornflower blue eyes.
"This is Sakamaki Shu, he is the first born."
There was no way the blond was the first born. He looked tired, with bags under his eyes and a hazy look. He was nonetheless dressed immaculately with a white undershirt, a blue tuxedo and a cape that hung over his shoulders. He adjusted himself a bit, and looked at Reiji. "I came here because you said this was the Eve that Ayato captured."
"Ah, Oresama is pleased that he is being discussed in good spirits behind his back." A deep voice echoed inside the hall.
Both the men groaned in exasperation. "Ayato, come out if you want to, no need to be theatrical," Reiji said, pushing his glasses back.
Yui widened her eyes in horror as this Ayato strolled in, appearing at the end of the hallway, his walk uncaring and his posture not sterile and formal like Reiji's. She saw the blond roll his eyes at him.
Ayato stepped into her field of vision, scrutinizing her as he widened his eyes at her as well. "I didn't know you were the Eve of Eden, Chichinashi."
Yui crossed her eyebrows, knowing that she had in fact seen his shocking red hair somewhere. He raised a hand to scratch the nape of his neck, his odd tie knotted over his neck and snuggled into his undershirt, that had been left open to his midchest. Everybody else looked fairly formal, but Ayato stood out as a sore thumb in his devil-may-care fashion sense. She was reminded of the sharp, searing pain that bore deep into her shoulder that she experienced just before passing out. Her expression changed at the realisation that he'd just called her titless.
Reiji turned towards Ayato, suddenly intrigued. "How do you know her? Explain, Ayato."
Ayato shrugged. "I took a sip from her."
Yui felt cold hands wrap around her shoulder, slipping her cape off to expose her skin, the only place where her bandages had come off. She jumped in her place, as a deep, sultry voice announced, "I do not see any marks here, Ayato, are you sure you bit her?"
Ayato looked at her like she was a piece of meat. "She sprouted like a fountain as soon as my fangs found her skin, are you saying Oresama's fangs are not good enough to leave a mark, Laito?"
She snapped forward, turning away from Ayato to face the red headed, green eyed person that touched her. He had hair that was a bit darker that Ayato, probably he was his brother. The rest, she was not sure. This Laito was perhaps pretty touchy, because he did not hesitate to take her hand and observe her silky bandages. "Oh, maybe the little bitch is a prude after all, not skin has been exposed for our entertainment."
Yui snatched her hand back. "Saying something like that..."
"Teddy and I also want a taste of the maiden," a squeaky voice announced, as she felt something wet on her ear. She stumbled on her feet, as she saw the lavender haired boy look down at her, an amused smile on his face. His outfit was obnoxiously layered with frills. He had a pretty silver brooch that adorned his sky blue jacket. A little plush bear was in his left arm, wearing a gruesome eyepatch. The boy appeared to enjoy her discomfort.
"Kanato," Reiji warned the boy, glaring at him with suppressed fury. "Do not treat our guests like that."
Ayato threw a hand, signifying that he was done with everything. "Yeah, you do not touch Oresama's property like that. Oresama saw her first, so Oresama is going to be her first everything."
Her eyes fell upon another silhouette in the distance of the hallway. Another character stood imposing behind the stairs, looking at Ayato with quiet fury in his eyes. He resembled a dove, with his stark pale complexion and his platinum blond hair.
"I just don't like that you Oresama-Oresama yourself," he interjected.
Yui saw Ayato turn around and glare at the man with a silenced fury of his own, growling through clenched teeth, "I will kill you, you rage fueled maniac."
Reiji stopped the fight from brewing further. "Stop this, both of you, can't you see this young woman was in the middle of saying something?"
The white haired man pouted at Ayato, who appeared to find his immature reaction funny. She thought that out of the six brothers, they both somehow gelled the most.
"I hope you pardon this interruption by Subaru, Miss Komori," Reiji glared at the boy standing away from them, "He has been brought up by a lady not in control of her mental well being."
She saw Subaru clench his jaw at Reiji but did not see any further reaction from him. Perhaps he was too respectful of his elder brother to raise any question or displeasure against him.
Reiji huffed. "Now that we all have assembled, we must make sure that she ends up in hands of someone worthy."
"Someone worthy, you say, Reiji," Laito glared down at her trembling form. "My spies provided vital information about Eden so that Subaru and Ayato could attack it easily."
"Not at all! Oresama captured her after the attack, thus Oresama is the one that should be getting Chichinashi's rights." Ayato crossed his arms across his chest.
Shu yawned. "I just want to sleep."
"But I gave you directions by using magic as well," Kanaot blurted out, his expression displeased.
"You should have tried to predict who would get the girl's rights first," Subaru remarked, appearing nonchalant. Kanato started blubbering with tears.
"Well," Reiji stated in a tone that was far from pleasant, "We must let the lady decide her fate. We can at least give her this freedom so that she doesn't blame us when she is ultimately met with her fate of being slaughtered by one of us."
Shu interjected, "Didn't that person tell us not to kill her? To keep her as an insurance against further conquests?"
Reiji looked at him calmly, flitting his gaze periodically between Yui's form on the floor and the blond who had now made himself comfortable on a couch beside them, an arm behind his neck as he rested casually and closed his eyes. "Did he?"
Shu yawned. "Whatever you see fit. I do not have any interest in her."
Reiji looked at her again, his eyes narrowed. "I would give you the freedom to choose any one of us."
"I object." Laito, Ayato and Kanato said together, each sounding annoyed and revolted.
"I did not ask for your esteemed opinion," Reiji quickly shut down every one of them. Turning towards Yui, he continued, "I hope you choose wisely, for this is not something you can pass through without getting hurt or manhandled. We are creatures of the night, and we are enticed by blood and violence. To complain that you have been dealt a bad hand will be irresponsible on your part, since it's obvious that you have been given full control of your choice."
Her mouth felt dry, and she forced herself to remain calm. "I think I'm understanding my position here, Reiji san," she said, her heart beating faster as she admitted, "I'm a prisoner of war, and as such, have no right upon myself to object to your treatment of me whatsoever..." She trailed off, her speech hitching up in a couple of sobs, before she conducted herself, and continued, "Whoever I choose will have rights to my blood?"
"Precisely," Reiji appeared to be unfazed by her snivelling, "Though it's unlikely that we will stop there."
He was being point blank honest with her.
"Then, I choose..." she looked around at the six vampires, already looking anxious at the prospect of tasting her blood.
When she froze, unable to think, her mind running into a blank, Ayato thundered at her, asking, "What's taking you so long, Chichinashi?"
"A-Ayato kun," Yui blurted out.
Laito whistled, turning around to hide his embarrassment. Shu slapped his forehead, as though not expecting this. Subaru's eyes widened, and he kicked off a chunk of the wall in fury. Kanato started whispering something into Teddy's ear.
Yui squared up her shoulders. "I choose... Ayato kun."
Reiji appeared uncomfortable, looking at Ayato, who smiled back, flashing his fangs at him. "Excellent choice."
Why was everyone acting like it was a horrible decision? Even though she couldn't really judge any of them on the basis of a minute meet n greet, it wasn't like she was going to benefit from choosing any other person.
They were all going to suck her blood anyway.
"Well then," Reiji instructed Ayato, "You should mark her."
The collar around her neck seemed to tighten like a noose. Ayato stalked her in a predatory stance, his lips opening a bit, his eyes struck with wonder as he picked her up, her thin and frail body leaning into his cold automatically. She'd read in her stories that vampires often tempted their victims by their charm. Was that what she experienced in the brief moment of despair?
She didn't have time to think, as two sharp fangs bored deep into her flesh, making her body jerk with the intense amount of pain that seemed to flow through her system, effectively paralysing it. His mouth latched onto her shoulder, his hands holding her elbows, as she felt her knees weaken, the pain dulling a bit, her eyes rolling back, her scream buried in the back of her throat. It was all too surreal and too sensitive, but she had no way of making anyone aware of her plight, as the vampire kept on taking her blood, his groans echoing inside her chest.
"That's enough," Reiji said, and even his voice was all too loud against Yui's sensitive ears.
Ayato didn't pay heed to him, and wrapped his hand around her belly, trapping her body against his iron grip.
"Ayato." The word was a warning. Yui felt herself descend deeper, deeper...
Until he was ripped away from her.
"What the hell," Ayato said, his mouth now stained at the corner with a trail of fresh blood. Shu had pulled them apart, as Yui heaved, her breath noisy and shallow. Her chest felt as though it would burst. She looked over at the eldest Sakamaki, his blue eyes staring down at her in indifference. Her hands tried to push her body up, and failed, as she collapsed under her own weight.
"Oops," he said, and skipped over Ayato's body, to lean against the couch.
"You lazy piece of horse shit," Ayato wiped the bloodstain on the sleeve of his shirt. "I will kill you."
Shu smiled, and drifted off to sleep, softly snoring.
Reiji squared his shoulders. "Well, then, I will show you your chambers." Turning to his brothers, he said, "You all are dismissed."
Yui looked up at Ayato, who smiled at her in a sadistic fashion, and mouthed something at her.
Her eyes widened.
Welcome to your nightmare, Eve.
She staggered as Reiji pulled her up, her dress now stained with blood and her silk bandages ripped away completely from her shoulder. She paused to look at Ayato's retreating figure yet again, wondering whether she had made a bad choice after all.