Parastin: to protect


Chapter 2

Yui felt Ayato push her down onto the couch. It was an abrupt feeling – rarely did they do it in a place this open in the house.

His eyes peered at her greedily. "I don't care if you never kill another human Pancake, or you kill a million, you are all mine."

He pinned her wrists above the couch and planted a strong firm kiss on her lips – a kiss she could recognize blindfolded as Ayato's. With force, and with love; with possession and passion.

His lips moved to her neck where he undoubtable made a visible mark on her skin, raising whatever blood was sitting still in her veins to the top of her skin. Marks of possession. A kind of sucking that didn't need fangs.

She couldn't help but make an audible moan.

"Oh dear me, so public you two? Have you considered my invitation to allow me in your bedroom at least once before you two wed it off? Bringing this down to our living room makes me suspect you must have!"

Yui nearly jumped up, hitting Ayato's chest, as they both looked up to see Laito looking over them, with the sounds of the other brother's following.

"I told you she's mine. And who are you to interrupt yours truly and-"

"Interrupt? Ah, but I was only observing. I assure you I am not the lewd one here."

"And with the snake freak missing in action, I'd say we get on with our lives." Subaru pummeled through the front door, sick of the small digs the others had given him on their hunt.

"I will admit, it will be nice to go to school tomorrow knowing that nobody should or will challenge us again. They would be pathetically naïve to do so." Reiji peered over, as Yui sat up and pushed her shirt up back to where it should sit on her neck.

"Damn straight." Ayato affirmed.

"As long as we don't break our cover by being reckless." Shu said bluntly before disappearing to his choice of hangout in the parlour.

"However daft and vacant he seems..." Laito nodded, agreeing in the sentiment before his cat like eyes moved back to Yui and his brother. "I still hold my place in my offer. Yui, dear Lady Bitch, I promise you my only intent is to let you witness the splendor that is my brother and I when we are with our prey... even Subaru and Kou can vouch for my prowess in be-"

"Don't count me in on your scheming shit." Subaru crossed his arms and pushed the door into the hall open with force leaving.

"Ah, always so bitter." Laito shrugged. "Well either way, I stand always in offer of my services. Ta-ta until morning."

"No luck?" Ayato looked sharply to Reiji.

"No...no traces of a demon snake. Frankly I think whomever that was, wasn't quite acting within Burai's command."

"Do you think I care?"

"No, but if they are acting out of line, there is no reason we cannot destroy them without any looming retribution for killing one of his men. He has no heir. He has nothing to gain or lose but her." Reiji looked at Yui.

"I'm not going to let someone else just take me again."

"Perhaps not, but when it comes to Snake demons whose fangs do not take but give deadly and poisonous venom, and whose forms can sometimes expand to that of a dragon, one must not forget that until Burai passes on to whatever form of death he has found...which I still suspect was bestowed by our father somehow." Reiji sighed a bit before he took off his glasses. Within the presence of Yui it seemed strange to keep them on – everyone knew they were but false, the façade of his own being, the construction of his demeanor to be the smart and well-mannered, when beneath it all he saw parts of him that reminded him of his father. The parts of him that held private tutor sessions in the lounge which had never sufficed his lust.

"And I'm not going to let it happen again..." Ayato crossed his arms and looked dead on to Reiji. Reiji merely nodded.

"Well... If we're returning to school tomorrow... I think I need to rest." Yui stood up.

"I'll be there in a few moments."

"But Ayato-"

"Even if you are sleeping, nobody the hell else is getting into your bedroom."

She nodded and left.

"Don't run yourself too thinly... I suspect with time whomever comes for her or comes to confront us will reveal themselves plainly." Reiji turned to leave as well.

"Poison...do you think..."

"They wouldn't poison her there would be no point. As a matter of fact I've gotten to thinking about that..."

"What?"

"I'm the one of us who will be least susceptible to their fang. Perhaps you should all consider a bit of this in your morning tea or red wine...or crimson...whatever works best." He threw a small vial into Ayato's hands.

"Are you serious? We don't need your-"

"Be smart. Those demons can effect our brain, our blood, heart, feelings...a localized area on our body? While ones which stop the heart do not worry us, I would hate to see one of them bite us and convince us to do their bidding?"

Ayato scoffed. The idea of being forced into killing Yui...it brought back bitter memories of that fox demon's stupid ploys.

"Fine."

"It's a suggestion at the least, my King."

"Don't taunt your's truely."

"I'm not. As the matter stands you remain our king. Frankly be warry that your Diabolik blood might awaken again too... it perhaps might be the one thing we can use against Burai. Good night."

Ayato looked at the vial and put it in his jacket. He found his place in the chair across from Yui's bed and watched her as she slept. No snakes. No problem.


The next morning at school had come to provide the brothers with a series of easy days.

It wasn't much to say they had acquired themselves a new reputation – very few had pestered the Sakamakis before they had taken on the conglomerate of King. What was once a brotherhood of princes now was a group that hid the power of a King. The girls tended to wish themselves on even more them now, and the male vampires left pestered glances or passively walked in the other direction.

Those who sat with distaste knew well that the brothers may be inclined to take on some of their father's habits.

Another movement was formed. People seemed to respect Hitoshi who seemed to be the one of the few who accepted the Sakamaki brother's reign. To Hitoshi it was simple; the death of their father meant the survival of his father. What worried him was gone, and it seemed naive of him, especially after Isamu's idiot incident, to rebel. He saw no reason to get on their bad side.

Not to mention, Reiji had decided to publicly announced that should his family need anything the Sakamaki's would provide the Tanakawas what they needed within reason. Reiji knew well they owed something to his father, as for without that information they may not have found out who Kohakoto was.

It was interesting to say the least. The brothers had power without a doubt, and perhaps they had too seen the effects of it even in their teacher's eyes, but there was something to be said in it all.

Nobody wanted to cross the path of the man who killed the famous Karlheinz.

And dare someone touch a finger on their announced Lady of the house, they would too soon loose it, and likely their head as well.


Yui fell back onto her bed.

The rush of the sudden power she'd begun to see at school had changed her view of the brothers.

There was a kind of grace they held it in; tyrants perhaps, but at the same time they did not hold their peers like a mafia held it's payers.

And she had enticed Ayato to continue with his school, albeit the temptation of skipping did come to him a bit.
However only a few days had passed since the event with the rumoured Snake Demon encounter and it seemed the brothers all kept a keen eye for her. Even when she thought Laito to be flirting with other girls, or Shu to be asleep by the stairs, it seemed she always caught their glance.

She silently knew she needed to find a way to protect herself. If she remained the glass doll in their possession, she knew she'd only cause more pain.

Her eyes grew heavy, and she knew Ayato would be in the room soon to watch her. She warned him that he was taking his day shifts too seriously, but to be blunt as always, he denied any need for his own sleep.

She wasn't sleeping much either. Knowing he was awake, she silently kept to herself, her mind keeping her from sleep. Always wondering how she could ease him of his guilt.

Now she sat on the bed, with her uniform still on, wondering if sleep would come to her tonight...