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]he look of disappointment on her mother's face was even worse than the lecture she had gotten from her father the minute she walked in the door after getting suspended. Her mother wasn't an overly tall person, but it didn't change the fact that she was still intimidating when she wanted to be. In fact, Mai stood a good three or four inches over her mother. Her mother barely stood over five feet. Her long chestnut colored hair fell in lazy ringlets down to mid back. It framed her face perfectly. Her face was perfectly round, and her eyes were a deep coffee brown color. She seemed almost perfect to Mai.

A sigh escapes her mother's mouth. Her eyes drift closed, and she lightly taps her foot. "Mai, are you even listening to me."

Mai flinches and lightly rubs her left arm with her right hand. She turns her attention to the floor beside her foot. She mutters softly. "Yes, I am listening, mom. But you don't understand! I didn't even get a chance to argue my case."

Her mother drifts closer to Mai. Her soft voice takes on a warning tone. "You know better than to physically lash out at someone; a boy of all people. You know that he could have hurt you!"

Mai manages to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. Her mother had taken on what Mai liked to refer to as the 'mother tone', and she was also good at over exaggerating things. Her father had lectured her about being suspended and how it would look on the man who was funding her schooling, but it seemed like her mother was worried about some teenage boy being able to hurt her. Mai mutters. "He was bullying us, mom. I wasn't going to stand there and take that."

"Well, you've probably just made it worse for your friend who is stuck there without you. Mai, you should have just gone to someone with more authority." Mai feels her chest deflate. She had tried! Why didn't anyone want to listen to her. She feels arms wrap around her body. Her mother gives a surprisingly tight squeeze. "I'm proud of you for standing up for you and your friend, but it doesn't change the fact that you need to be careful."

Mai leans into her mother tuning out the rest of what was said to her. It was going to be a long week at home. She didn't hate her parents; she actually loved them very much. She had a good relationship with both of them. The problem was that she didn't have anything to do, and she was so used to stay up in the night that she didn't know what she was going to do.

Time was dragging on a lot longer than she thought it would, but she found that she was able to relax a lot better than she thought she would. She didn't see much of her parents during the week, but she didn't mind. The quietness that came from being alone was just what she needed. She found herself finishing any homework she thought that she might have during the week. She settled for watching every horror movie in her house, and she proceeded to read some leisurely books.

That's where she found herself on the fourth day. She couldn't bring herself to even bother with reading anymore, and, to be honest, she was starting to feel cooped up. Her mother was home, but she was currently sleeping.

She was stretched out on the couch, flicking lazily through the channels to find something to watch. It was later at night, so it seemed like there wasn't really anything on. She lets out a sigh, gets up and grabs a jacket. The sun had just gone down, so it was still lively out on the streets. She didn't think it'd be a problem to take a short walk to clear her head. She was hoping it would make her feel tired.

Unconsciously, her feet lead her to the gates of her school. She stares up at the building thoughtfully. She didn't particularly like school, but she didn't hate it either. She just wanted to get through it and go to college. Her mind drifts to her friend. She hoped that Yui was alright. Mai had been worried about her after what her mom had said. Laito was suspended too, but that didn't mean that Yui was safe. The look on Yui's face the last time she had seen her was still haunting Mai. It was a look of pure terror; something was very wrong in Yui's life. The sound of a familiar voice pulls Mai from her thoughts. Her attention turns toward a familiar blonde girl jogging toward her with a tired smile on her paler than normal face.

"What are you doing here, Mai? I heard you were suspended," Yui mutters once she is close to Mai. She was strangely out of breath, causing Mai to feel renewed worry well up in her chest. Still, Mai forces a smile on her face.

"I was just out taking a walk. Hey, you look tired. Do you want to come to my house for a bit. It'd be easier to rest, and I'd enjoy the company." Movement just past Yui causes Mai's heart to skip a beat for a moment. She was sure that she had saw a flash of red. Her eyes shift to look for it. To her relief, she saw that it was Ayato, if she remembered correctly. He was making his away from a group of boys toward the building. That was odd. Mai didn't think Ayato had friends.

Her attention turns back to Yui, who looked unsure about leaving with Mai. Yui casts a glance behind her. It seemed almost like she was searching for something. Suspicion fills Mai's chest, but she quickly pushes it away. Yui turns her attention back to Mai and starts to shake her head. Mai didn't want to take no for an answer though. How was Mai supposed to find out what was going on the Yui if she couldn't talk to her privately? So Mai reaches out and grabs Yui's forearm. She proceeds to drag Yui down the street away from school. She lets out a hollow sounding chuckle and says, "It's alright to skip once in awhile, you know. Look at me! I haven't been to school for almost a week! You don't always have to follow the rules!"

"Wait! Mai, please!" Yui protests, but she doesn't try to pull away. Instead, the two girls make their way down the street. The crowds were starting to thin out, and Yui had gotten quiet. Mai still had a good grip on Yui's arm though, just in case. A sudden jerk from behind causes Mai to stop and look back at Yui. Yui's attention was on a fast food place they were passing. She glances at Mai with a sheepish smile and asks softly, "Can we get some food? I don't have any money on me right now, but I will pay you back! I think it'd be better to be in a public place anyway. The streets are getting empty now."

It feels like warning bells are going off in Mai's head, but she simply nods. She finally releases Yui, who glances around, then hurries into the restaurant. They both order, Mai pays, and they get their food. For added privacy, they sit in a corner, away from customers and workers alike. It's silent for a few minutes while Mai picks at her food silently. Finally, her eyes lift to look at Yui, who is quietly eating. Mai lightly licks her lips and asks softly, "Are you ok?"

Yui flinches like she had been struck and closes her eyes. A frown settles over Mai's face. There was something seriously wrong here. Did it have to do with the relatives she was staying with? She sets down the fry she had picked up. Yui's hands fall to her lap. Her eyes fall to her lap as well, causing her to end up staring at her legs. She slowly starts to shake her head. Mai flinches when she sees tears falling from Yui's cheeks to land in her lap. Awkwardness fills the silence between the two of them. Mai finally moves to her friend's side and reaches out to awkwardly rub Yui's back in short hesitant circles. "I'm sorry I asked, Yui. You know what? Just forget I said anything. Why don't you tell me about what's been going on at school? Did anyone new break up?"

Yui shakes her head a little, and her face turns to look at Mai with a startlingly desperate look marring her features. Mai leans away, completely taken aback by the look. It takes a little bit, but Yui finally gets a reign on her emotions. Mai returns to her seat across the table. Silence settles over the two of them once more. Mai was silently cursing herself for trying to pry into Yui's life, but it didn't quell the concern she felt in her stomach. Yui is the one to break the awkward silence this time. She starts to tell Mai about how she was sent by her father to live with her relatives, but, upon arrival, she found that she wasn't living with a relative. She was instead stuck with six sadistic brothers. She claimed that their hobbies were torturing people. She was given the choice of which one to 'belong' to. The thought made Mai sick. She couldn't believe that something like that was happening. In fact, Mai was finding it difficult to believe that something like that was truly happening. It sounded more like a bad plot for some stupid horror movie.

Still if it was true, Yui was a human being, not a possession. Mai finds her appetite disappearing the more that Yui speaks. Finally, Yui slows to a halt in the middle of her sentence. Mai scoops her uneaten food up and proceeds to throw it away. With determination, she says. "Come on. We are going to the police. You can stay with my family until we reach your dad. I'm sure that my parents won't mind. They aren't home most of the time anyway."

A look of panic settles over Yui's face. She starts to once again shake her head. "Wait! You don't know who it is! I can't go to the police! They won't allow it! They'll know that I was trying, and they'll stop me! I don't want you to get dragged into this!"

Anger and frustration at Yui swells in Mai's chest. She slams her hands on the table, gaining the attention of a few people in the restaurant. Mai tries to keep her voice contained, and choses to ignore the flinch from Yui, "You have got to be kidding me! You can't just allow this to happen! They aren't going to know that you went to the police until they show up! We can ask to have you put under protection! This isn't some stupid movie where the bad guys are all knowing!"

"There is something you don't understand." Yui mutters.

Mai lets out a soft growl and straightens her body up. "Fine. Don't go to the police. I will though. You made me a part of this when you told me about what was going on. You can't just take it back, and I am not going to just sit here worrying about you. I'm going to do what I can to help you. Don't you know that your relationship with those….. Those… freaks is going to get you killed?"

Mai clenches her fists and turns on her heel. She doesn't slow down her pace, even when she hears Yui call out her name. She was determined to do what she could. She didn't want Yui's death to hang over her head. She barely makes it out into the nearly empty street when Yui catches up to her. Yui grabs her arm and pulls with surprising strength.

"Please don't tell anyone what I told you!" Yui practically begs. Mai attempts to pull her arm away, but Yui clenches it even harder. "They'll hurt you, too!"

"They won't know who turned them in! You'll be in more danger if you go back after they get in trouble!" Mai argues and attempts to continue her on her way to the police station. Yui leans her weight backwards in an attempt to stop Mai from moving. It startles Mai at how light Yui felt. Mai stops trying to walk and turns her attention back. She barely represses the snarl in her voice when she snaps. "I am not going to just sit around waiting for something bad to happen to you, Yui! Don't you understand?"

"It's you who doesn't understand! The police won't stand a chance against them! They aren't normal!" Yui's voice had a pleading tone. Once more, tears were filling her eyes, only they didn't fall this time. She just clenches her eyes as tightly as she can.

"Then why don't you tell me everything!" Mai snaps, but Yui simply shakes her head. Mai can't stop herself from rolling her eyes at Yui's behavior. She jerks roughly on her arm. "Let me go, Yui. I am going to the police. I'm sure they'll be able to talk to the school and find out where you live. They'll get a hold of your father and let him know what is going on."

"No, I just… I just need to talk to my father!" Yui desperately says. Mai's anger is still burning, but she feels it cool a little at the watery voice Yui uses. She finally uses her free hand to search her pockets before she finds her phone and passes it over to Yui. Yui stares at it, dumbfounded, for a moment. Finally, she releases Mai and grabs the phone, but she doesn't even start to dial her father. Instead, she mutters something under her breath, but Mai can't quite hear what she said.

"What?"

Yui's hands lands on Mai's shoulders, and she casts an anxious look around the empty street. She starts to push Mai along, who didn't do much to protest until Yui started to push her down a dark alleyway. Mai knew that horror movies weren't real, but murders and druggies were. Mai was certain that at least one of them would be lurking in an alleyway like this exact one. "Hey, Yui, it's not a good idea to step out of the eye of the public this late at night."

Yui doesn't answer. Instead, she continues to push Mai. Mai only takes step into the alley before halting. She completely refused to go any further than that. The alleyway didn't reek like she thought it would, but it was still filled with grime and trash cans. It also looked uninhabited, but there were plenty of places to hide. She finally turns to face Yui, who was looking around her as if she expected a monster to leap out at her. Finally, crimson eyes lock with Mai's brown ones. Yui's voice is very low as she mutters. "They are vampires. The police can't help."

Mai stares at Yui not quite believing what she was hearing. Finally, Mai closes her eyes and starts to shake her head. Rage builds up in her stomach. Was Yui just toying with her emotions? "If this is meant to keep me from going to the cops, you are wasting your time. I'm not gullible enough to believe in such things, Yui. Vampires are only scary to little kids. They aren't even real."

Yui's trembling hands grab the front of Mai's jacket. Her face looks desperate. "The Sakamaki's are all vampires! I live with them! They said that if I tried to escape, they would know and I'd be killed!"

Her voice disappears into incoherent mumbling. Mai only manages to catch a few words here and there like the name Subaru and cellphone. She thought she heard Ayato's name, but she wasn't sure. Mai can only stare as her brain tries to catch up with what Yui is babbling. Sakamaki was Laito's last name. He certainly wasn't a vampire. He was just some rich kid who thought the world revolved around him. Finally, Yui closes her eyes and says loudly. "Ok! Stop!"

Everything falls silent. Yui is staring at her feet with wide eyes. Mai opens her eyes and rubs the back of her neck. She tries to think over what Yui was telling her. "You must not be sleeping well. I mean, vampires? Really? Yui, this isn't even a funny joke. I was really worried about you, you know."

Yui looks up. Her mouth opens, but Mai holds up a hand to stop any words from spilling out. "No, Yui. This is insane. You just need to call your dad and come with me to my house. It's clear that there is something weird going on. You've been trying to get a hold of your dad for a while now. We'll talk to my parents about what we should do. You need to relax and settle down."

Two arms wrap around Mai from behind. Her body tenses, and the arms pull her close to a body. Without much effort, Mai is dragger further into the alleyway. Yui quickly follows after Mai with a mixed look of concern and panic. Mai's heart starts to race. Mai instinctively opens her mouth to let out a scream, but a cold hand is pressed against her mouth. She tries to slam her head back into the person behind her, and she lifts her foot to slam it down on her attacker's. She knew it was a bad idea to go down an alleyway. Why did she think it'd be a good idea to turn her back on one?

The hand on her mouth simply pushes her head back along with her momentum. Her head collides with something hard, making her feel dizzy for a moment. Her foot slams down on something, and she hears a satisfying grunt behind her. However, much to her horror, the person didn't let her go. They just adjust their grip so that their arm is around her ribs, just below her breasts.

"Now, now. No need to play rough here, unless you want everyone else to see us having such fun. I for one wouldn't mind an audience." The horribly familiar, sultry voice mutters much too close to her ear. She can feel a cool breath against the skin of her neck, cheek and ear. Her eyes widen for a moment. She recognized that voice! It was a voice she never wanted to hear again, so she reaches her hands up to pull desperately at Laito's hand. He lets out an amused chuckle. His hand doesn't even bunge though. Mai's eyes turn to look at Yui. She tried so hard to tell her to run with just her eyes, but Yui wouldn't even look at her. Her crimson eyes were locked on the male behind her. Mai was screaming in her head at Yui to run and find someone to help them! Mai once more lifts her foot and slams it back down on Laito's foot. If Yui was frozen in fear, than Mai would just have to try to free herself. He lets out a hiss of irritation, and his arms squeeze her painfully tight. Her ribs were starting to hurt. Mai releases a wheezing sound, but it is muffled by his cold hand. She feels his lips brush her ear this time, and she shudders; even his lips felt insanely cold. "That's it. It's so much more fun when they struggle."

That wasn't what she wanted to hear. Those words set her heart racing. She wanted to hear anger in his voice. Instead, it seemed like he was enjoying the fact that she was struggling. That didn't mean that she was going to give up though. She wasn't able to pull his hand away, so she decided to try a different route. She begins to dig her nails into the skin of his hand and wrist. While doing so, she continues to attempt to pry his hand off of her mouth. She had to get away from this crazy boy before he did something truly twisted to her. She drops her weight, but it doesn't seem to affect him. He just effortlessly keeps her pressed against himself.

"Laito, please!" Yui suddenly says. Mai didn't pause to look at her though. She just squeezes her eyes tightly shut. She lifts and slams her foot as hard as she can down onto his. He finally releases a satisfying hissing noise. Unfortunately, he doesn't release her. Panic was coating every muscle in her body. It was making it hard to breath through her nose. In fact, it felt like she felt wasn't able to breath. For a moment, he pulls his hand away from her mouth. She sucks a small amount of air in, ready to scream at the top of her lungs. Sadly, she is quickly stopped. His hand closes over her nose as well as her mouth. Her eyes snap open as raw, wild panic settles in her stomach like a cold hard knot. Instinctively, she starts to struggle even harder. She hadn't gotten a good breath before he had cut off her air supply, and it felt like her lungs were already screaming for air.

"Now, now, Little Bitch, you know I love that desperate look on your face, but I am not interested in your tears. You caused this. You were told not to try to seek help. You were told you can't run away, or you would be killed. Did you think that the rule only applied to you?"

Mai begins to claw at his abnormally freezing hand instead of just digging her nails into his flesh. Laito made some noises, but they sounded closer to groans of pleasure than they did sounds of pain. It felt like an eternity had passed since she had air. Their voices were fading away into her panic stricken mind. The only thing she could think was that she needed to get his hand away from her mouth and nose. She feels his chest rumble with laughter. It makes her feel sick to her stomach that he is finding amusement in this. Maybe Yui hadn't been wrong. Maybe she was really living with sadistic brothers. She squeezes her eyes as tight as she can. It felt like the strength was draining from her body, but she still tried to fight. She didn't want to die! There was still so much she hadn't experienced. She was much too young to die!

Finally, she is dropped to the ground in a large gasping heap. She greedily sucks in breath. Each breath felt sweeter than the last, and she was suddenly immensely grateful to have oxygen again. Her mind trying to clear the lingering sense of haze from her mind. Her head groggily lifts from the filthy ground when a hand touches her back. Concerned crimson eyes lock with her clouded brown ones. Mai flinches back a little, but her body relaxes after a few moments. It was Yui; she didn't have anything to fear. She just lets her head hang for a while, trying not to let it touch the gross ground again. She still felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. She just wanted to go home.

"What is wrong with him?!" Mai finally manages to snarl. Her voice was hoarser than it was before. She clenches her fists tightly. She never wanted to see that boy again. With Yui's help, she manages to get back up to her feet. The dizziness was clearing, so she was able to walk on her own. Yui muttered an apology every few seconds, but Mai waved it off with a "It's not like you did it to me. Don't worry about it."

"It was my fault though," Yui mutters quietly. She looked close to tears, but Mai wasn't sure that she should reach out and comfort her. Mai wasn't naive enough to say that it wasn't Yui's fault. Laito had referred to her every time he had appeared before Mai. It seemed like it was Yui's fault, but Mai couldn't find it in her heart to hate the small blonde. With a sigh, Mai reaches out to give Yui a comforting hug. Yui quickly hugs Mai back.

If only it ended there.

She was finally able to return to school. It felt like her suspension hadn't been long enough, and, as a result, she was running late to school. She had overslept, but she was positive that she had set her alarm. What scared her the most was the fact that the whole clock was missing from her room. Nothing else was, so she couldn't prove that someone had been in her room, but it still made her feel uneasy.

Her footsteps sound insanely loud in the school hallway. She had ended up running most of the way to school, so she was out of breath on top of everything else. She was embarrassed, and she was worried that she would smell like sweat. She's not sure how, but she makes it to her homeroom without actually being late.

She makes it to her desk just as the warning bell goes off. She's surprised to see that Yui is missing from her usual seat beside Mai. Instead, the purple haired boy is sitting there. Mai glances around wondering if their seating assignments had been changed during her absence, but it seemed like no one else moved. Perhaps the purple haired boy was just moving on his own. Mai shrugs it off. If he wanted to get in trouble, it wasn't her problem. Mai lets her bag drop off of her shoulder. It lands with a loud thud by her feet. She slides into her chair just as the teacher steps into the room. A small pain races up her spine. Startled, she leaps to her feet. "Son of bitch!"

All eyes turn to her. Her thighs had hit the bottom of her desk, shoving it into the chair in front of her. The girl in front of Mai turns to gives her a glare.

"Mai! Sit down!"

Without saying anything, Mai moves away from her desk. Her butt still stung, but she wasn't about to touch it in front of everyone to find out why. She would escape to the bathroom and find out in the privacy of one of the stalls. She wasn't sure how it had happened, but the strap of her bag had gotten wrapped around one of her ankles, causing her to lose her balance. She lifts her arm to keep her head from colliding with the wall beside the window. She lets out a cry of pain and humiliation as the class erupts into laughter. The teacher hurries toward her. She is briefly thankful that she doesn't sit on an inside row. She turns to free her legs from the backpack. Pain races up her spine again, bringing tears to her eyes. Her ankle hurt where she had twisted it on the way down. Her elbow had hit the wall first and took the brunt of her fall. It was throbbing in time with her heart. She was now positive something was stuck in the flesh of her butt.

It doesn't matter how stubbornly she fights her tears, they still start to leak down her face, much to her humiliation. The teacher crouches beside her and quickly detangles her ankle from her bag. He assists her to a standing position. She flinches when she puts too much weight on her now sore ankle. She had never tripped over her bag before. In fact, she prided herself in not being a klutz.

With the help of her teacher, she makes it to the nurse's office. She carefully lays on her side in a bed, while the teacher explained what happened in a quick rundown. While he is doing so, Mai reaches back to run her hand along the sore area on her butt. She closes her eyes silently thanking the nurse for closing the privacy curtain. She flinches when there is another sting. It's hidden between one of the ruffles on her skirt. She can feel the tip of a tack. It was one that didn't have an easily gripped head. In fact, the top was smooth and flat. She has to dig her fingers around it to pull it out. She grits her teeth hard to keep from making any noise and alerting the adults. She didn't want to embarrassingly tell the nurse that she had sat on a tack.

The nurse appears around the sheet that separates her bed from several others just after Mai pulls tack out. She quickly hides it in the blankets around her. The nurse gives Mai a pleasant smile. She was an older woman, in her mid-forties. She wore a long skirt and button up blouse with a white doctor like cloak over it. She wore flat heeled dress shoes to finish her look. Her black hair was turning to a white color, and it was cut in a bob style. She sits on the edge of Mai's bed with a caring look on her face.

"Want to tell me what happened, sweetheart?"

Mai forces a smile. "I thought I was going to throw up. I must have gotten careless. I didn't realize I had sat my bag that far forward. My ankle got tangled in it, and I went down. How stupid is that?"

The nurse gives a good natured chuckle, but it was clear in her face that she didn't believe a single word Mai had just said. She gestures downward with a clear question on her face, and Mai gestures to her throbbing ankle. The nurse carefully removes the shoe and sock. Mai flinches each time it's moved. There was a terrible black bruise forming already, and it was swelling. Mai sucks in a sharp breath as the nurse gently probes at it with her fingers. She gives Mai a reassuring smile. "Well, good news is I don't believe that it's broken. It's just sprained. I'll wrap it up and get you an ice pack. You'll have a limp for a few days, but it will go away before you know it. Now, let's see that elbow of yours."

Mai had hit hard enough to split the skin, but it wasn't anything a bandage couldn't fix. There was some swelling around the cut, but she didn't mind at all. Just as the nurse was leaving, Mai called out to her. "Um, actually can I please have some extra bandages? Just incase I have to replace the one on my elbow."

The nurse smiles kindly at her. "You won't have to, but I'll give you a couple extra just because you asked so nicely."

Relief flood Mai's body. The woman disappears from sight. She returns with the extra bandages. With practiced ease, the nurse wraps Mai's ankle with the icepack. Mai thanks her and waits for her to leave before she applies a bandage to her butt. She was completely embarrassed to do so, but it was better than having the nurse do it. After she is done, she settles into the back into the bed. She didn't want to go to class now. She just wanted to go to sleep. In fact, she never wanted to go to class again. It would take forever for the students to stop talking about what happened, and her ankle was still throbbing. The nurse hadn't told her to get back to class, and Mai didn't plan to leave until she was told to or school ended.

Her eyes feel incredibly heavy. A short nap wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? Maybe after she woke, this horrible nightmare would be over. She doubted it would be, but it'd at least feel less embarrassing.

She wiggles until she is comfortable, and she allows herself to finally drift off to sleep.