In recent news, I've pre-ordered my copy of 'Lost Eden'. I'm getting the super expensive LE pack from Ami-ami, and it seems that it'll cost me a fortune (but all the goodies are so cute, I can't help it). Along with all the other PSV and PS4 games that I'm planning to get, my wallet is just dying, lol.
Thanks everyone for the reviews so far btw! I don't quite comment on them, but I read every single one and it's heartening to see the support. Hope you guys will enjoy the twists in this chapter too!
Her mind went into overdrive, as fear washed over her in that moment. Was it really her father? What was he doing in the Sakamaki mansion? Why was he holding onto a weapon?
Is he really…dead?
It felt unreal, seeing such a familiar face scrunch up in unexplainable pain, blood pouring from the chest, and a silver arrow dug deep in his chest. Despite herself, she remembered sprinting forward, tears streaming down her face, and getting on her knees next to the now-writhing body.
"Da-daddy…you…I…," she didn't know what to do, or what to say. She couldn't stop herself from shaking. There was so much blood, much more than she'd ever seen gush out from any one person, and it pained her even more that up-close, she recognised it to really be him. As she tried to stop the wound with her own bare hands, she noticed how badly they were trembling.
It felt like nothing short of her world crashing down on her.
Her father, with bated breath, touched her gently on the hand, even as colour was steadily draining from his face. Yui paused instantaneously to look into his eyes. She waited for him to say something, placing her ear closer to his lips, even though every second that ticked by was killing her on the inside.
"You…you're not…hnngh…my daughter", he whispered painfully. It was barely audible, yet every word struck her hard. As she looked into her father's eyes, they seemed so hard and unfamiliar.
She spun around to look at the Sakamakis, who were all simply just standing around. No one was running to help her or to get help.
"Please! Please, call an ambulance, somebody," she cried. When nobody seemed to be rushing to do so, her eyes flew to Ayato first.
"Ayato, please! He…he's my father! Please help me save him!"
But what shocked her more than anything was the coldness in his voice. "Let him die."
"W-what? No! He's my father!" she repeated.
"He's a vampire hunter who wanted to kill us. He doesn't deserve to live."
Yui knew she must look a mess now, with every hair on her body standing up, but she'd never felt more helpless or betrayed than she did at this moment. As she struggled to think of something, anything, she felt the hand that had laid itself upon hers go limp. Yui's heart immediately sank.
There was no longer any spirit left in her father's eyes. He wasn't struggling anymore…his eyes were just wide open and blank. His body was limp where he laid, and it was pure horror to witness. Yui was lost for words.
It felt like only a few seconds ticked by, when Yui felt a pair of cold hands tugging, egging her to get on her feet. She looked down at the corpse, then at her own two, very bloody hands. They were stained with the blood of her father's, the man who had single-handedly raised her for all those years-
"C'mon, let's go back to the room. We'll get rid-," Ayato started to say, when he felt a sudden blow to his left cheek. He looked up instantly, eyes wide open, at an expression he'll never have imagined capable from her.
"Why…are you so heartless?" Yui sobbed.
She couldn't even take another look at his face. She just wanted to leave, and she did.
If this were months ago, the Sakamakis wouldn't have had any of this, especially not from a female prey that doesn't know her place. They would've killed her. But this was Yui, and Yui was different. Her blood was special, and her spirit was something they all grew used to. They never would've imagined this coming from her, however.
"Ayato," Reiji was first to break the silence. When his younger half-brother failed to respond, he called out his name again.
"What?!" Ayato snarled.
"It is best you get that looked at first, before you solve your personal issues," Reiji pointed. Ayato looked down at his arm. He hadn't even noticed the deadly swipe that the vampire hunter had caused when he tried to attack him. Although it was barely a cut, it was starting to spread as it'd been from a silver knife, creating disgusting black veins that threatened to erode his arm and slowly kill him.
He'd have no choice but to go to the demon world for now. Even though he wanted very much to be by her side, Yui will just have to come later.
Subaru knew that the family had unwanted visitors, but he couldn't care less. He knew Reiji, especially, would finish them quickly, and he wasn't wrong. Sometimes, it was good having him around, because at the very least he was useful. Plus, it also meant that he wouldn't have to get his hands dirty.
He barely left his room for a minute, when he heard noises coming from the communal bathroom down the hall. His real intention had simply been wanting to clarify if the hunters were all cleared out from the mansion, but the sniffles coming from the bathroom piqued his attention. He opened the half-ajar door.
It shocked him, to see the amount of blood she was covered in. Yui was bent over the basin, choking on sobs and scrubbing at her hands under running tap water. The mere sight of it broke his heart.
"Yui! Are you okay?" he dashed over. He hesitated to touch her, but he wanted to check if any of the blood was hers, (even if none of it smelled like her,) so he did it anyway. There weren't any bite marks, nor wounds on her exposed arms, legs or neck.
Yui just stood there, feet glued to the floor. She looked so broken that he threw the little tiff they had earlier aside, and embraced her. At the very least, he thanked that she wasn't physically harmed.
"Yui…what happened?" he had to ask.
And in between choking tears, she told him. How she had no idea how her dearest father turned out to be a vampire hunter, how Ayato killed him in cold blood, and how she had been completely helpless.
"I wasn't able to do anything for him. I was just…useless," Yui whimpered. Subaru simply looked at her, his expression hard. This would be fine if it happened to him, for he was a person used to pain. But not Yui; She loved life and she even gave herself to a vampire (even if he didn't think she should have). She didn't deserve to have to go through this.
"You're not useless, y'hear me," he emphasised, pratically shouting. "You're not!"
"Then why…why wasn't I able to save him?"
"Because," he breathed in, "There are some things you can't save, even if you try."
Yui kept silent, and watched as Subaru helped to clean her up. He took care to wipe at all the blood with a cloth, going from her hands to her arms, and to her face. Along with the blood, he wiped away the dried-up tears on her face as well.
"Subaru," Yui spoke, "I want to leave."
He looked down at her, his eyes pitiful and gentle.
"I think I know a place."
It didn't take Yui more than 5 minutes to pack everything she needed. She took a few sets of clothes, her undergarments and toiletries, and two of her favourite novels. She also threw her Rosario and bible in her rucksack. She didn't have much to begin with, even though she'd grown familiar to this room and was actually starting to feel so accustomed in it. Now, if she thought any more, her heart would just ache.
She'd also quietly went back to the hall, as horrific as the scene would be for her. She wanted to see her father's body again. But when she got there, there was not a single trace left. None of the brothers were around either. It was so clean, as if no fight had taken place and no blood had ever been spilled. Every corpse, every weapon that the Sakamakis had seized, were gone. Yui had stayed glued on the spot, until she felt Subaru take her hand to tell her it's time.
When Subaru said he knew some place, she hadn't expected it to be in the demon world. Even more so, she hadn't expected that she'd have to take transport operated by bats, or see the occasional witch or demon flying in the air.
But then again, nothing really throws her off anymore these days.
"Here," Subaru let out a hand, helping her down from the carriage. He then proceeded to pay these bewildering creatures gold coins.
It seemed like a beautiful cottage from the outside, rustic, but also unbelievably surreal, surrounded by red and white flowers of a species that Yui can't name. Since it was the Polar season (Subaru had said that that meant it was going to be night time all throughout the days, until Spring comes), the sky was dark, but it wasn't discomforting at all. There wasn't another house in sight, as far as she could see, just several trees and vast greenery. The air smelt fresh, yet different, but it wasn't bad either.
Yui had stood slightly stunned, until she felt a nudge. "Come on," Subaru said.
It was just a simple, one-room cottage on the inside. The kitchen, living room, dining room and bedroom were all in one, spread out across the cozy-looking house. Most of the furniture seemed slightly old over time, but they didn't look too shabby. It had very simple decoration, and fading floral prints or patterns on some furniture. Subaru had the lights turned on in no time. Although it wasn't very bright, but for some reason, Yui felt safe.
"It's very lovely," she complimented.
"It was my mother's. She, uh, came here sometimes to…recuperate."
Yui spotted an old photograph, hanging right above the small fireplace. "Is this her?"
Subaru mentally hit himself for forgetting to hide those, but when he saw the look on Yui's face, there was just something about her that made him feel like it was okay to just be himself, and to tell her things, including his past. It wasn't a condescending, mocking expression, the one that hung on most of his brother's faces whenever the topic of his mother came up. It was one of genuine concern.
"Yeah," he mumbled, coming up next to her. "She's gone now anyway."
"I'm so sorry," Yui said. "She looked so beautiful. She must've been a really good person."
It astounded Subaru, how someone who'd just barely lost her father and who had been through so much over the past year could say things like that. But he knew Yui was selfless like that. It was just the way she was.
Subaru didn't really know how to react, so he just swallowed and proceeded to help her place her bag on the bed.
"Uh, place isn't huge, but just make yourself at home. The bathroom's right there, and I don't have much in the drawers, so you can just use 'em. I'll go, uhm, boil some water."
Yui nodded. She still seemed a little out of it, but it was an understandable situation. Subaru watched quietly, as she unpacked her clothes and belongings in silence. He wanted to say something, but it didn't seem right to say anything.
While Yui stayed home and showered, Subaru went out to get some groceries. There was virtually no food inside the house, and he couldn't let Yui starve. At the nearest store that was a good 30 minutes away, Subaru picked out food and drinks that looked (and smelled) most human. He also got some fresh soap and candles, which he thought she might like.
When he got back, Yui was already in her nightgown, combing her hair on the bed. She perked up, seeing him enter.
"Subaru, welcome back."
"Hey. Uhm, I got you some food. And other stuff, in case you need them."
Yui gave him a tiny smile, "Thank you. But I don't have any appetite right now. I think I'm just going to go to bed."
Subaru nodded. It was probably what she needs the most now anyway, to get some rest.
"Sure. I'll be here…if you need anything."
Yui nodded, and then she curled under the covers of the bed.
He turned off the lights, save for the small one at the doorway, before making himself comfortable on the dusty old couch. Outside, the moon was fuzzy, bright but partially hidden behind thick clouds. He thought back about how he just stole away with Yui to this place, a place where not even his own blood brothers knew of. How he was here, but with simply no regrets.
He wasn't close to dozing off, not really, but then he heard a voice call his name.
"Subaru," Yui had half-sat up, "Will you…sleep with me?"
His entire person practically jolted awake. "Wha-?"
"I mean, the bed feels too huge for me alone. There's space, so you don't have to sleep on the couch..."
He nearly wanted to ask, if she was absolutely sure, but he could see it in her eyes her sincerity, even if it wasn't in that way. (Subaru wanted to hit himself for thinking indecently.) He mumbled a small, "Okay," and got up to slide into the same bed as her.
"Thank you," she said softly, "Thank you for not leaving me alone tonight."
He didn't respond, simply watching as Yui slowly dozed off. It also didn't miss him by, the single teardrop that flowed down her delicate face, one of sadness and feelings of loss. Subaru lifted a finger to wipe it away gently, and then he scooted just a little closer to her. He watched her, like a guardian angel would, until he himself drifted to sleep, while thinking of how if she asked, he would gladly be her guardian angel for life.
