Reiji

Shortly before the bell rang to announce that classes would be starting again, I decided to take a short walk in order to compose myself to the point that I would no longer find that girl's presence quite so irritating.

However, as I was walking I came near to the stairs to the next floor and was startled by feeling a human hit my chest as they were walking down. Due to their weaker human scent, they fell to the ground.

Looking down, I saw the very same girl I had been trying so hard to avoid. I saw fear blossom in her eyes as she realised precisely whom she had just run into.

However, instead of feeling the pleasure that I normally would have felt at such a reaction, I felt nauseous, as though I might become ill. I couldn't understand this. The only human who has ever caused me to have such a reaction was Yui.

When she was alive, we had taught her to fear us. After Yui had nearly been taken over by Cordelia, I regretted the way that I had treated her. I hated to see the fear that would appear in her eyes whenever I came near her. More than anything, I wanted a chance to show her that there was no need to fear me.

But I never got that chance. Before she died, Yui may have said that she was glad that she was sent to us, but that same fear would still show up in her eyes as she looked at us. Perhaps I can take some pride in the fact that that fear began to lessen before her death.

But now, I will never know if I could have it disappear. If I could have made her happy.

That is what I have thought for so many years.

When this Hikari girl had stepped into my class, I let myself hope, for just a few seconds, that I might be able to do that.

Then, I saw her eyes and knew that she was not Yui.

But now, as I'm staring at her on the floor, I can see that their eyes are the same. They are two different colors, but I can see the same fear, and underneath that, I see the same clarity and honesty that I always saw in Yui's eyes.

Most importantly, I can smell her blood. Hikari has the same blood as Yui, even though that's impossible. After all, she couldn't possibly have Cordelia's heart like Yui did.

Just as I was thinking that this really was some kind of a trap, a memory flooded my mind.

I remembered Yui's words, and the promise in her eyes as she said that she would see us again.

I have tried to forget those words so many times over the years, afraid that if I believed in them, that hope would crush me someday.

Maybe I shouldn't have. This girl is just like Yui, and I know that Yui believed her own words. It wasn't in her nature to lie.

Perhaps Yui has managed to do what everyone else has thought was impossible. It wouldn't be the first time, and in the light of all this evidence, I'm beginning to believe that she has been reborn.

Just as I was pondering what this could mean, Hikari cleared her throat and said, "Sorry, I know that you were a million miles away, but I'd like to get up."

That really is just like what Yui used to do: ignore her fear and talk to us.

But before I let her go, I need to take care of her leg. If any of my brothers smell it, the result could be disastrous.

As I get her to agree to allow me to take care of it, I consider whether or not my brothers might already know that she is here.

But I doubt it. That good-for-nothing isn't close enough to smell her blood, and Ayato, the only one known for wandering the halls to such an extent, has decided not to attend school, regardless of our father's decision.

Next, I turn my thoughts to how to form a connection with Hikari. She may be Yui's reincarnation, but I doubt that she remembers us consciously.

After Yui's death, I researched this field in great detail in the hope that just such an event should occur. How irritating that when it finally did come to pass, I was too emotional to recognize the truth.

However, I do know that when a human reincarnates, they rarely remember anything about their last life unless they decided to cling to it right before their death. Even then, they usually are unable to recall these memories anywhere other than their subconscious. This could work in my favor.

It's clear that I have frightened Hikari, but she doesn't seem to be as scared as Yui was of me. She can't remember us.

That will make it difficult to speak with her, but it will also mean that I will have a better chance of gaining her trust as she won't start off with the memories of how we treated her in her past life.

However, I recalled that Yui always seemed to have trouble with math, the subject that we would have next period. Perhaps her reincarnation would also have this same problem. If that is the case, I could offer her assistance.

With this plan in mind, I quickly treated her leg and left her in the hallway. I considered asking her if she would like some help getting back to the classroom, but I knew that if I was going to be spending more time around her, I would need to feed first.

Still, I couldn't help but think that this has actually turned out to a surprisingly good night.

Sorry for the short chapter this week, but writing from Raito's POV kind of scared me off of it for a while. I love Raito, but writing him is tricky, especially since I don't think the anime did a very good job of explaining him. Next week I'll give you a longer chapter as Hikari meets the rest of the brothers.

And as always, let me know if you have any suggestions and who you want Hikari to end up with in a review, PM or on the poll that I think is on my profile. I never said that I was good with technology.

Anyway, I hope you have a great week and thanks for sticking with this story so far.