The turning of the doorknob made Ayato hyperaware of the other presence inside the room, as he quickly unlatched his iron maiden and threw the lid off. The curtains moved against the wind, making it hard to see even for him, but soon enough, the wind settled to a cool breeze, as he saw a girl in a white dress leaning against the window frame, her legs dangling on either side of the ledge, the white flower set in her jet black hair, her supple lips pressed into a thin line as she looked at Ayato, her beautiful golden eyes shining bright against the dim bluish glow of the lamp light outside.
Ayato strolled out of the iron maiden, his hands on his hips, as he asked, "How did I do?"
"You let yourself be played by that pretty little maiden, how cute~" The girl giggled, and Ayato realised what she was talking about. Was he really exploited by Chichinashi, of all people? He brushed off imaginary dust from his shirt collar, embarrassed. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about whether she bought it or not?"
"Oh, she did," the girl said, tilting her head. "She would believe that you're angry with her for a long time right now."
Ayato ruffled through his hair, Yui's mellow scent still lingering inside his room, as he breathed in a lungful of her honeysuckle musk, letting it settle inside his body, calming him. "I want her all to myself. I don't want anything to come between us, and no harm should befall her."
"Little boy in love, you do not know what would happen if you do try to save her on your own," the girl looked up at the crescent moon in the sky, her hair now waving ever so slightly in the wind. "Which was why you did everything you did, remember?"
"Taking advantage of the affection I have for her, you are deplorable, Traveller," Ayato leaned against the bedframe, looking glum. "You promised me that she would run off as far as possible if Ruki was with her rather than me, yet they chose to go down into the sewers of all places."
"I can explain how that would be beneficial for you in the long run," the Traveller's voice was uncharacteristically calm.
"I expected them to run off to the Mukami manor instead, but knowing that they would lose their way I tried sending one of my bat familiars. And still they were caught by Laito."
The Traveller looked grim as he started raising difficult questions.
"Do not give me that look, you hag. I can smell your scent, mind you." Ayato wiped off the drool from his face. "You smell human, but something more dangerous. Something ancient."
The Traveller smiled.
"Thank you for giving me the right information at the right time, for without you I wouldn't have rescued Yui from the Mukamis, without you I would have surely lost that idiot to Ruki." He glared at her, as she raised her body and stood over the ledge, her eyes now looking down at the red headed vampire. "The only reason I sought your guidance was so that I could have Yui with me again."
The Traveller laughed. "How cute, hearing her name on your lips." She climbed down the ledge, her body slithering like a snake as she came forward, hooking an arm around his shoulders. "You should keep that passion to yourself, boy, otherwise Yui will get suspicious about your intentions."
"Haven't I told you before?" He snatched his arm away from her, wiping his salivating mouth, taking a few steps away from her, "No matter how hard I treat her, she will come back to me."
"Then why do you seek my guidance?"
The question made him shake his head. "As long as she's alive, she's mine. Oresama will be the one who gives her the gift of murder as well. No other man or woman shall have her as long as I live."
"Aww, like mother like son," the Traveller giggled as he tensed up.
"Don't put me alongside that bitch," he breathed hard, feeling a strange sensation in his throat. What was this again? Why did he feel that insatiable thirst yet again?
"She wanted to force her love upon your old man as well, don't you know?" The Traveller stalked too close to his liking, as he stumbled onto his bed, with her straddling him. His breaths became bated as she opened his shirt, tossing it away as she helped him out of it.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ayato cried out, looking at the door. He was afraid that Yui would walk in on them, then demand to know who the Traveller was. Humans were not as jealous of their partners as vampires were, but knowing Yui, he expected her to at least sulk for a while if she caught him in such a compromising position.
"Don't you need a change for a while? Do you not tire of that prude?" She chuckled against the hollow of his neck. "And let's face it, you only like her for her blood at the essence of everything."
His expression darkened, as he flipped her aside. Thirst drove him crazy enough to consider drinking from the Traveller, but he locked her limbs as she wore a smug expression, enjoying his dilemma. He looked at the pretty mole at the bottom of her lower lip, and held back. "Do not underestimate me, you evil woman. I can rip you apart within seconds if it falls under Oresama's interests."
She looked up through her lashes, fluttering them seductively. "I wonder what must be possessing you for holding back for so long. Does that pathetic girl mean so much for you? Would it be for the sake of her that you curb your thirst so often? What do you fancy about her?"
"Shut up." He barked at her, and she curled lower into the mattress, her voice soft and inviting. "Come on, suck on me instead."
"Fuck off." He flung her away from the bed, as she crashed into the dresser. Something fell from the top shelf, knocking her in the head. "Ow."
"Serves you right."
She laughed at him, and he felt just a little bit embarrassed as she inspected what had fallen upon her. "Ooh, what have we here?"
He jumped towards her, snatching it back. "Don't touch it, you'll spoil it with your filthy hands."
The Traveller raised an eyebrow. "You're as much of a killer as I am, Ayato kun. We've both killed."
"We're born killers."
"We do have a choice not to kill, don't you think?" She raised herself up, meeting his gaze. "Here's a parting gift as I go," she leaned into him and whispered into his ear, "Don't let the girl get wet alone."
Ayato blushed. "Get wet?"
She smacked him across his face. "Get that mind out of the gutter, ya silly." She ruffled his hair. "Don't let her go out in the rain alone. Stay with her as long as you can. Do anything you can but save her from going out while the heavens shower."
"What purpose would that serve?" Ayato rubbed the side of his face.
"If I tell you everything, you might lose interest pretty quick."
With that, she jumped out of the window, while Ayato looked on in wonder.
Keep her away from the rain, Ayato thought, how hard would it be?
***
Reiji looked up from the ground, his nose dripping with sweat, as another lash struck him across his back.
"Finally, I get to do whatever I want with you."
He gritted his teeth as the cold voice roared behind him, his back being lashed with his own whip. He dared not make a sound, though, since it would only fuel to please her instead. He bit into his tongue, his hand curling up into fists as he squinted, the light inside the room dim, the floor now pooled with his own blood.
"You consider it as your weakness when you show even a hint of emotion, don't you?"
He was struck yet again, this time the whip cutting across his cheek. He panted, a slight blush painting his face.
"How lewd. Little Reiji is now getting turned on by this immoral behaviour, right?" The woman bemused, as Reiji chuckled darkly, as soon as another whip lashed across his raw skin. At this, he shivered.
"It's all good and fine, don't you think?" The woman pressed hard against his back, her breasts practically spilling out of her dress and flush against his naked back, as he squeezed his eyes shut. He willed himself not to get swayed by this woman of loose morals. All she wanted to do was to corrupt him in order to use him for her own advantage. He flexed his muscles a bit, and knelt down, his throat raw and his body tingling with a strange sensation that started inside his belly and ended at his sensitive hair. He panted as she kept lashing sadistically, cackling with joy.
"Thanks to my dearest Karl, I get to torture you the way I wanted to!"
So this was the extent of his father's powers. Making this horrible woman come back to life with his powers, while he chased around, finding alternative after alternative while going as far as sacrificing his dearest elder brother to get his mother back.
"Are you repenting, Reiji?" she cooed, her voice jarring against his ears. "Are you lamenting the fact that your brother will never see you again?"
Reiji felt his chest quake with laughter. "You want to get a rise out of me, don't you, Cordelia?"
She chuckled darkly. "Perhaps."
"You have already slapped me once, made me strip for you, strapped me on a wall and now you're lashing me. What else do you want?"
She wrapped her hands around his jaw, jerking him back harshly against herself. He moaned, struggling against his bound wrists, pressing into her.
"Say it and I will let you go," She licked her lips, letting him know what she meant. He panted, his vision a bit blurry, but his resolve strong against everything else.
"Fuck you," Reiji spat at her, as she threw him upon the ground, while lashing him multiple times. So hard that he almost blacked out.
"Funny that you still hold me responsible for your mother's downfall. Scum will remain scum." She must have dropped the whip, because Reiji heard a thud against the stone floor, as the iron gate was shut; Cordelia had walked out of his prison.
He gritted his teeth in dismay. To fall from such a height after being so highly regarded by his father, Reiji wanted to end it all. In the pursuit of glory, he had just fallen from grace, taking with him the two people he could call family. Only to be met with the woman who drove his mother to jealous tendencies, pitting their children against each other, poisoning their childhood and their family.
He spat out blood upon the cold stone floor, screaming into the air, burning with agony.
***
Yui stumbled across the mansion looking for where Subaru could be. She'd seen a few wall broken down, and had been sure it was his doing. Her eyes followed the trail of destruction of property he had left in his wake, and knew immediately that he had been angry about something. She didn't want to confront him about his issue though, since it most probably had something to do with Ayato, and she couldn't help but be biased about Ayato and his antics. The thunder outside rolled, lightning painting the whole house in an electric blue hue for the slightest second before disappearing.
Her leather shoes creaked as she climbed down the stairs, unsure of what was to be expected now that her father had gone away, with only the triplets and Subaru in the house. She already missed Reiji, since the house had lost natural order in his absence. She could only be so strict with Ayato before doubling down upon anything she said even remotely mean to him. Ever since the last night after their little conversation, he had kept himself closed behind the iron maiden, only coming out to glare at her and roam around the house like a creep. She wanted to force the brothers to start night school again, but everybody hated that idea. They only went to school because Reiji said to, and since now he wasn't around, nobody bothered to do much. She was the only one who prepared meals, kept the house clean and sometimes asked the servants to help her. Ayato especially thought that her talking to the servants rather than him was insulting to himself, although Yui never intended to hurt him like that. Laito had finally gotten out of his depression, occasionally saying things that offended her a lot. Like commenting about her and Ayato's uncertain relationship. She didn't know what to make of it at this point. The longer she dragged this issue, the harder it will become for her to overcome her guilt. And there was no way to make him understand what she felt, by any means.
She noticed heavy muddy footprints leading down the basement, the edges a bit darker. Then she smelled the air, noticing a familiar metallic tang in the air.
Her hands shivered as she realised what it was. Blood.
She descended down into the bleak looking corridor, the dark barely lighting up the halls, as she carefully treaded through the obscure stairway, her feet shaking tremendously. This was a mistake. She shouldn't have come down like that. It was rude of her. The best thing she could do right now would be to get out, take some time, call up her father, tell him to pick her up and leave the Sakamaki mansion once and for all.
But that would be easy, and god forbid Komori Yui to do the easy.
So she lightly treaded the faded tile floors and jumped at the sound of a smash.
There was breathing, very heavy and scary breathing. She calmed a bit as she tried to feel through the darkness, her hand smacking right into a hardened chest.
She shrieked, as a hand gripped the back of her neck, and she heard a gruff voice snarl at her. "Keep quiet."
Yui felt her heart almost jump out of her chest, as she gasped, clawing at the vampire in desperation. This was not real. This couldn't be real.
But before she could run free, the hand around her neck started choking her, cutting off the supply of oxygen to her brain. She had five seconds to act before she either died of asphyxia or went unconscious. Her legs kicked out, struggling, wasting precious energy while she tried using her elbow to get out of her attacker's firm grasp.
The grip was too strong though, and she almost passed out, before a flash of white appeared within the dark, blinding her vision.
She was flung to the side, her back colliding with the stone wall as she saw Subaru's pink eyes glow in the dark with a menace she had never seen. The stranger chuckled, and then, in an instant, he was gone, leaving Subaru to punch a wall instead of his face.
Yui gasped for air desperately while trying to get up, as Subaru let her lean into his body. Her head spun, the bleak colours In the background coming to life momentarily before fading back to black.
"Subaru kun," she gasped, holding a firm hand on his bicep.
"Did you see him?"
His question made her reflect upon the striking blue eyes that shone in the dark before he came to rescue her. She gulped down, her body shaking in tremors as she admitted, "That... that was Shu san."