Chapter Four:

…..

Morning came in a rush of sunlight that said that it was past midday already. Yui rolled over in her bed, taking the sheets and blankets with her. She kicked a pillow off the end as she stretched, one arm over her head and the other blocking the light from her eyes. She slowly sat up, not excited for what the day would bring, but definitely better than last night. She cried in the tub for almost two hours before pulling herself together. But rest really seemed to do the trick. She was going to go to work at her usual hours and try talking to Misaki. It couldn't hurt and the situation couldn't really get any worse, so what did she have to lose?

She groggily made her way to the kitchen and made herself a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave. She let it sit on the counter to cool as she headed back to her room to brush her hair and clean up a bit.

By the time it was daybreak, and the sun was practically gone behind the tall city buildings, Yui had taken a couple hours to mentally prepare herself for what was to come. Although, she knew that nothing was really going to prepare her. She was going to fight for her job—her life. And that was it.

She stepped outside into the cool night air and headed for her car, keys in hand. She drove slow and arrived a little later than her usual time, but she figured that was for the best. No one would be expecting her… She hoped.

"You okay?" a voice called as she entered the building. It was Kara, one of the more social nurses. "We were worried you weren't coming in today."

Yui paused. "What do you mean?" Didn't Misaki tell everyone that she was taking a leave?

"Well, you're a little late," Kara said, pointing to the clock above the double-door entrance. She looked confused, lifting an eyebrow at her. "Did you not realize?" she then added with a light smile. "Maybe our top-rated surgeon should get a little more rest." Kara laughed and Yui just forced a small smile.

"Do you know where Misaki is?" she quickly asked.

"Oh, you two lovebirds spend too much time together in here," she said with a giggle. "He hasn't arrived yet, though."

"Lovebirds? Kara, we're hardly..."

"No need to hide it. We can all see that he likes you. And it's great you finally agreed to go on a date with him. I think you two go great together." She flashed a pearly white smile and Yui frowned.

"We're not dating. I never agreed to go out with him." She was getting a little angry with the woman. "Yesterday he threatened me, Kara. He was going to fire me if I didn't go out with him and I still said no. That's why I'm late! I wasn't supposed to come in today because he told me to take a break—!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up there, little miss!"

Misaki came striding into the room with his normal clothes on and a square bag hanging off a leather chest strap, waving his hands in the air with a triumphant smirk on his face. Yui glowered at him. What was he playing at?

"Yui, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, and she frowned even deeper.

"I'll give you two some privacy," Kara said, winking. Yui wanted to vomit, but she was left alone with the man within a minute. She took a second to look up and make sure the camera lights were on, so he wouldn't be able to try anything with her.

"Now what was all that about, Yui?" Misaki asked, placing his hands on his hips. Right away, she could see that this was all just a game to him.

"I'll have you reported for unwanted sexual advances," Yui replied, trying to sound fierce.

"But I haven't done anything. I just asked you out. That's all."

"You threatened my job."

"Says who? As far as everyone else is concerned, you were late to work today. You were supposed to be here and you weren't. What would have happened if we got a call and we needed you? That's very unprofessional, especially for the amount you get paid... You think this job is some kind of a joke? You're responsible for the lives of the patients that come in here at this hour. I'm not so sure that you can be trusted with this job if you can't at least take being on time seriously."

Yui's mouth was open. "What the hell do you want from me?" she spat.

"I told you already. I just wanted you to think about my proposition from before."

"I told you my answer!"

"I just figured you might want to give it some more thought, is all."

"No, I don't!"

"I would strongly recommend that you reconsider, Miss Komori. We wouldn't want any more unfortunate accidents like what happened today, or I may have to file a report."

Yui could only shake her head in amazement. "You're crazy."

"We got a call!" a nurse suddenly shouted from down the hall, running towards them, waving a pile of papers. "A stab wound and a gunshot, two guys got in a fight, did it to each other. Unanimous caller said he just saw them lying on the street. Ambulance should be here any minute!" She reached Yui and handed her the papers. "Lethal blood loss, and the one has extreme internal damage to the heart and kidneys, the EMTs recommend immediate surgery, maybe even a transplant. I checked and we have enough for one at the moment. I just called a couple donors as well just in case. I would get suited up right away, Doctor Komori." And then the nurse ran off to prep the rooms.

Yui turned to rush off as well, but Misaki grabbed her upper arm and spun her around violently. She winced at what she knew would be future bruises.

"You didn't answer me."

"Sir," she said angrily, "there are two dying men on their way. Would you please let me go—"

"I said, answer me. Now, Yui. You wouldn't want more people to end up dead because you couldn't come in on time, right? I'll have you all over the news, sweetheart. You can bet on that. "The woman who neglected to save lives." How does that sound? You'll never get another job in this line of work again. I can ruin you. Don't doubt that."

Yui pursed her lips. "A date? Is that all you fucking want? Will you leave me alone if I say yes?"

"Say yes, and I'll do whatever you want me to." She didn't like the way he sounded. He was winning. And she was letting him.

…..

"Absolutely not."

Ayato ground his teeth so hard they hurt.

"Well, fucking do something! Anything!"

"As much as I love tying people up, Ayato, this isn't how to solve your problem." Laito smirked, playing with the tan twine in his hands. His purple-haired brother sat in a chair in the middle of the room, glaring daggers at everything he laid his eyes on. "Get up already, will you?"

Ayato's groans turned into screams as he rolled off the chair and cradled his head in his hands. "She's in fucking distress and I don't give a shit about it!" he shouted at the ceiling. "She's a fucking human!"

"Why are you making this so difficult on yourself?" Laito asked, cutting his middle finger with a slice of the twine and taking a sip of his own blood. "It's not even like it's a bad thing."

"I'm not getting involved with a human!"

"It's not like you can just ignore it until it goes away either, you know? It's just going to get worse the more you fight it."

"Shut the fuck up!"

Ayato screamed as loud as he could and sat upright.

"I want to go to her," he growled.

"Then go. What's your problem?"

"Fuck you. You wouldn't understand."

"I'd be happy to bond to anyone, and you're over here all picky-choosey like it's a burden to be bonded, which is absolutely ridiculous."

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"I'm not tying you to a chair, Ayato."

"Then fuck off!"

"What going on in here?" Reiji asked, stepping into the room. "Who's shouting in the library?"

Laito smirked and pointed a finger at Ayato, who grumbled angrily in reply.

"Is this still about the human?" Reiji asked, and then looked at the chair in the middle of the room and the twine in Laito's hands. He raised an eyebrow at Ayato. "It doesn't exactly work like that..."

"I've been in and out of this house all fucking day and night! I doze off for a second and I'm halfway to the city already! And by the time I force my legs to walk back here, I'm halfway back again!"

"Why are you trying so hard to fight your instincts? It doesn't go away, you know."

"Then I'll keep fighting it…" His voice was dropping.

"The farther away you go, the harder it gets. It doesn't stop. If you try to fight this, you'll be fighting it until the day she dies. And then it just gets worse. Or so I've heard."

"Will someone please just go kill her?" Ayato begged, on all fours on the library's extravagant red and gold carpeting.

"You wouldn't let that happen."

"Then fucking tie me to this chair and lock me in a room!"

"It wouldn't work, Ayato. Even after her death, you would kill whoever was responsible."

"I wouldn't!"

"You need to face the facts. Bonding is permanent, and we have no control over it. Some say it happens for a reason. Others claim it's karma, good or bad."

"So, what you're saying is I deserve this torture? Tell me, then. What have I done that was so bad?"

"I never said it was bad."

"Look at me! Are you trying to tell me that this is a good thing?!"

"Go to her."

"Fuck you!"

"Why not? What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid! I don't want to be attached to a human for the rest of my life! I don't need a weak sack of mortal flesh following me around! She's weak and I can feel it! Emotionally, she's fucking trash! She hasn't given me a fucking break in the past twenty-four hours! Physically, she could never compare to me! And the last thing I want is to feel compelled to care for and protect something so worthless and frail!"

"Have you not been paying attention? That seems to have happened already, don't you think?"

"There has to be a way to stop it!"

"Well, there isn't. I told you this already."

Ayato's body jerked when he felt his female wince in pain. What the fuck was she doing now? She couldn't give him a break for two fucking minutes? He hated this. He hated feeling like he had to do something to help her when all he wanted was for her to go away.

Laito took a step forward, a smirk on his face that Ayato instinctively glared at. "Maybe I can help..."

"What? How?" He narrowed his beautiful yellow-green eyes.

"Let me go to her instead. I'll make her very happy," he smiled to himself, winding the twine in between his fingers, purposefully drawing more blood from himself. "I bet her blood is even sweeter, now that she's been bonded to."

Ayato felt a low growl bubble up from his throat.

"You know what, brother? I'll spend tonight with her, I'll make her enjoy herself, and then you won't have to worry about her being sad for at least a few days. How does that sound?"

"Don't you dare touch her, bastard."

Laito shrugged dramatically. "Oh, but I thought you didn't care about her."

Fuck.

"That's enough," Reiji sighed, annoyed with the pettiness of his more exotic half-brother. "Ayato, whether you want to believe it or not, you're stuck with this. You've bonded to a human, and I pity you, but the least you can do is make the most of it."

"There's no point," he growled. "What am I supposed to do, just tell her all about vampires and how we bond and expect her not to run away screaming?"

"Believe it or not, even though humans can't bond, they can feel if they've been bonded to. Even a human's senses can tell when a vampire has bonded to them. They may not fully understand it or be able to comprehend what their minds are trying to tell them, but I guarantee, you show up on her doorstep and even a human female will be able to smell the bonding on you."

"And then what?"

"There's no answer to that."

"I mate with her? I bring her home to meet the family? We all have a nice dinner together? What the fuck do you think this is, some kind of a game?"

"Of course not, but it will satisfy your urges for now. Just being around her will put you at ease. Mating with her will certainly help."

"What if she doesn't want to?" Ayato asked angrily, and then the thought of her rejection almost sent him to his knees. He covered it up quite well when no one seemed to notice how crippling the thought had been. He lowered his eyes. "This is stupid."

"To you."

"No, it's stupid because it's a fucking human." His eyes flared when he glared at his brothers. "There's no future, only a false bond. I feel tormented and it's all her fault." Ayato paused and then spat onto their shoes. He looked back up at them, his yellow-green eyes glowing. His voice became feral."I can't wait until she dies."

…

Yui came out of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit cleaned and in a new set of scrubs. Even after a couple hours in surgery, she still had another four hours left in the shift.

Fortunately, both patients were steady and heading for a long and difficult recovery, but she didn't doubt that either of them would recover. On the other hand, they may have to face some serious charges and possible jail time, but it was better than being dead. And they had her to thank for that.

Unfortunately, as soon as she put down her clipboard and made her way past the passage, Mr. Misaki Sansu was waiting for her. His arms were folded over his broad chest and he was staring at the ground. He almost looked normal, but when he spotted her coming his way, his face distorted into a cruel smile and a creepy glare. Yui shivered, but walked towards him anyway, needing to get to the west wing.

"Mr. Sansu," she said quickly, walking right past him.

"Whoa there, hold up a second. I think we have dinner plans to discuss."

Yui paused for only a moment to respond. "I'm sorry, Doctor Sansu, but I have patients that need to be checked up on and—"

"The nurses can handle all that crap. And what I really want to talk about is how amazing you are in surgery. I swear, there's no one else that could do what you do. It's amazing." He was playing with her again.

"I'm sorry, I really do have a lot of work to get done before the night is over."

She tried to force her way by, but the man grabbed her upper arm for the second time that day. Yui wore a tight frown as she turned to him.

"You can do it later. Let's talk about those plans, shall we? Let's say, my place, tomorrow night?"

"I'd prefer to go out somewhere," she responded quickly, dropping her eyes to the floor.

Misaki tsked and waggled a finger in front of her face until she looked up at him again. She wondered if he could see the emotions in her eyes—she didn't want to do this. She was scared and angry at the same time, but also confused. How did she get herself into this mess? And her boss was always pushy with her, but he was never this… forceful before. What had gotten into him?

"I'll pick you up from your place. You have tomorrow off, right, so it shouldn't be a problem, sweetheart. Make sure you wear something nice, okay?"

Yui wanted to curse at him. She wanted to throw a tantrum and stomp her feet and scream at the man, but instead she kept silent and nodded once before returning to her work.

….…

Ayato sighed.

He felt like he was giving in and he hated it. What power this human had over him! It shouldn't be like this… He was a warrior among his kind. He was a pureblood, a royal, a fighter. He'd survived multiple encounters with vampire hunters and only had a few scars to show for it. He'd killed more than he could count and he was still standing, unscathed and flawless as ever. And yet one weak human was holding him down.

And he was actually deciding to go to her. After fighting for over forty-eight hours, he'd finally broken down. It felt like it lasted forever, but even consciously, when he made the decision to go to her, it felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, even though he hadn't even started to move yet. It felt like he was being rewarded for compliant behavior. And Ayato hated being compliant…

He would be able to find her with ease. He felt like he'd be able to sense her from half a world away. He could already catch the scent of her blood and he was barely at the edge of Manhattan. His family's mansion was closer to the edge of the city, which he preferred. It allowed him and his brothers some privacy with all the land around their home. And for their kind, a little secrecy wasn't so bad, either. So being hidden in the backwoods was the best condition.

He sighed again when he stepped out of the taxi, surrounded by humans that neither saw him nor cared. He wasn't even sure why he'd called for a taxi, seeing as he could run their faster than any vehicle could carry him. He hoped his female's humanity wasn't already rubbing off on him. He'd rather kill himself than live like a human. And being surrounded by them made everything that much worse. He was blending in with the crowds—just like another human. He quickly pushed the thought aside.

She wasn't far now. He could feel her within a mile and he started walking, picking up the pace as he reduced the distance by half, and then cut it down again and again until he was standing outside a large complex. On either side of the apartments was a small house, and he could feel her in the one on the left. He slowly closed his eyes and felt the rush of hot water pouring over her skin. He could feel her running lathered hands through her blonde curls and it made him shiver as if she was touching him instead.

He let out a low growl when he realized his head was turning up at the sensations.

He was just here to check on her. That was what he'd promised himself. He wouldn't interact with her. He was just here to take a quick look, make sure she was doing all right after all her emotional blubbering over the past couple days, and then head the fuck home to get some much-needed sleep. And maybe find a human to drink from on the way back. He was thirsty as hell.

He was grateful for the clouds, covering the moon and blocking out the moonlight. A few streetlamps were out and he stood under them, glad to be able to stand in the shadows, where he felt right at home.

His ears perked up when he could hear her voice. Well, not truly hear her, but he could feel the vibrations in the air over every other sound in the city. He inched a little closer, making sure to stay in the dark on the sidewalk, but positioning himself to be able to see in one window. He watched her come into view, a towel around her body and another holding up her hair. She was on the phone with someone, but she didn't look happy. In fact, she looked flat-out pissed. He lifted an eyebrow and strained to hear. Her voice was clipped and cut-short, so he figured she was speaking with someone she either didn't trust or didn't like.

"Yea… be right out..." He could barely understand, but then a car pulled onto the side of the road and parked right in front of his female's house. Ayato quickly turned and pretended to continue walking as the man stepped out.

But then he froze.

That disgusting scent and the arrogant aura… It was the bastard. He looked over his shoulder to find that he'd been ignored, fortunately, and the bastard was walking right up to the front door. He felt a pinch of dread from his female and had to hold back a grumble in his throat that was threatening to come out.

About two minutes later she finally opened the door, and Ayato felt like he'd been hit by a wall. Her scent was intoxicating, and almost brought him to his knees. He'd been away from her for too long. It felt like too long, at least. Two days made his head reel. He wondered what would have happened to him if he truly stayed away from her. Now, it seemed like that would have been impossible. He took another long drag of her and closed his eyes for a moment, his blood stirring.

"What took you so long?" the bastard asked casually, all arrogant and snotty-like. God, he wanted to tear a hole in the man's throat.

Ayato opened his eyes when his female didn't respond. He looked over at the scene before him and realized that her eyes were pointed at him. He sucked in a quiet breath, but then realized that she couldn't see him. He was still in the shadows, but she was mesmerized by the dark anyway, like just his presence put her in a trance.

"Earth to Yui," the bastard said tersely, snapping his fingers in front of her face. Ayato couldn't help a growl at his taunting, but quieted himself immediately. "You ready to go or what?"

"Yes," she said quietly. It was much easier to hear her with the door open, but she clearly wasn't enjoying herself. Was this supposed to be some kind of… human mating ritual. The bastard seemed to think so from the way his body was reacting, but his female wasn't excited at all. It made him happy that she wasn't interested in the other human.

"It's kinda late, but we'll see if we can still find a place that's open at this time of night. Sound okay, sweetheart?"

Ayato found himself rolling his eyes at the endearment. His female was having none of it and he loved it. This male did nothing for her and he felt almost proud.

After a few more words were exchanged, Yui Komori left her home and went with the bastard in his car. And as they drove off, Ayato knew he was going after them.

…..

They sat in silence until the very end. Misaki clearly wasn't taking this date thing seriously. He didn't mind sitting in the car in silence and he certainly didn't mind ignoring her at a bar and grill, either. He'd turned on the radio in the car, and he paid attention to making sure that his mouth was full whenever it got unbearably awkward.

But now it was as if she was out to dinner by herself, and she didn't even know where she was. She never came to this part of town, and she never would have if it wasn't for the man sitting in silence across from her. He barely looked at her, too. What was the whole point of getting her to agree to this stupid date thing if he wasn't even going to try? She didn't get it.

"Anything else for you two?" a waitress asked, standing beside the table. Yui snapped to attention, realizing that she dazed off for a while.

"Just the check, please." Misaki answered her tersely and Yui frowned at his rudeness. The waitress forced a smile and nodded once before pulling out the small paper from her pocket and setting it on the table between them, clearly unsure who was going to pay. And after all this, if he wasn't paying… well, she wouldn't be surprised, actually. It almost seemed to her that it would be a fitting ending to this stupid charade of his. He knew she didn't want to be here with him, so he was just playing. This was probably some kind of power game to him—just some way to prove that he could do whatever he wanted. And Yui didn't even care anymore. So he won. Good. Hopefully after tonight he would let go of this inconvenient attraction to bossing her around.

To her surprise, Misaki reached for the check and pulled out a credit card. He stood immediately after and lifted his glass off the table for one last gulp before motioning for her to get up and put her jacket on.

Yui wanted to roll her eyes. He was acting more like a child than anything else.

"Ready?" he asked, and his tone suggested that he was annoyed with something. And before she could respond to him, he just turned and headed for the nearest waitress, handing them his check and card. The woman just took it, startled, and hurried off. Misaki stuffed his hands in his pockets and let out a long, loud exhale as they waited by the exit. She shivered every time the door opened, letting in a gust of cold air that hit her hard.

The woman came back a couple minutes later and Misaki flashed her a strange smile before holding the door open for only himself. Yui caught it behind him and hurried out, eager for the night to be over.

.….….….….….….….….….….….….….…..….…...….….….….….….…..….

His mating instincts were getting stronger and Ayato didn't like it one bit. The bastard was getting a little too bold with the things he thought he was hiding. Granted, other humans wouldn't be able to tell, but it was almost as if he was bonding. To his female.

Ayato snarled under his breath, watching a puff of cold smoke exit his mouth. It was a frigid night for this early in the season, he thought. Not that the temperature really bothered him, though.

He'd followed the two of them to a bar and grill, and the stench of humans in the place made his head reel. He hated being around so many of them. He could smell everything from the bloody fight going on two blocks down and over, to the drunk, underage girl trying to sell herself cheap to the gentleman in the alley behind him. What kind of a place was this that his female agreed to go? He doubted the bastard would even try to protect her if something happened. He also couldn't help but be mad at her for putting herself at risk, as awful as that felt. His protectiveness of her was the worst part of it all. He didn't need that. If there was one thing he wanted to get rid of, it would be that. The feelings made him unstable, as if he wouldn't be able to control his own body.

His snapped to attention when the glass door to the place opened and he caught the strong scent of her blood in the chilly wind. He looked away in disgust when the bastard's sex-smell also reached his nose. But he looked back quickly when he smelled something else. He looked closely and narrowed his eyes. The bastard's hands were shaking. And it wasn't a cold-shaking. He was twiddling his fingers. His arms weren't swinging right as he walked. Everything about the human was just wrong. He was nervous. He was excited. Ayato bared his fangs in the dark.

His female wasn't getting the same vibes as he was. She was awkward but not as nervous as she should be. She didn't notice how off the male was. She couldn't sense his graceless heartbeat or his rising blood pressure. She couldn't feel his aura darkening over his skin… the bastard had bad intentions. And Ayato could feel his own rage building in response. He wanted to harm his female. He wanted to hurt her somehow, and by the way his body was moving... His erratic breathing paused for a moment.

Ayato ran at them.

He was there in a matter of seconds, crossing the street and flashing past two blocks. He caught the bastard's shoulder and dragged him into the closest alley within the next second, making sure to hide his face in the dark. He ignored his female's annoying shouts and cries and swiftly threw the bastard against a wall, holding him there, his feet an inch off the ground as he gargled on his own saliva. Ayato put his face real close and made sure his anger was getting across to him. Even a human would be able to feel something with how dark his aura was.

"You don't touch her. You don't bother her again. You drive her home and you hurry back to your place and hope to dear god that I'm not there waiting for you."

He let out a quick snarl before flashing back a few blocks and crouching down. He closed his eyes, feeling the anxiety from Yui Komori. The bastard showed himself from the alley and he felt her relax a little. He didn't like how she was relieved to find him unharmed.

He watched closely after a minute or two of swift, nervous conversation as the human lead her to his car and put boot to pedal. Ayato proudly noted that the bastard was more eager for the night to be over than he was.