Moonbroch: a halo round the moon which presages an approaching storm

Chapter 21

"Yui I... I don't know what to say..." Ayato pushed himself up, distancing the space between their bodies. He looked at her. Was it Yui or her blood? Could he divide the two...she was addictive...but if she became a vampire...what if she lost the taste of her humanity that drew him in?

Did that mean she wasn't for him? He had to figure this out.

"I'm going to go light that fire. I'll be back. We're going home." He suddenly got up and left.

Yui felt tired. She knew she had possibly said something wrong, but if she craved one vampire's blood after this changed...and it meant something…

Nothing was clear anymore.

She felt her eyes fade out to black. She had nothing left, now that the edge of the pain had left with the taste of his blood, but to wait.

He looked at Richter's head, his green hair tossed over covering his expression. He groaned.

Did any of her brothers care about Pancake? Did they want anything more than her blood? Was that the curse of being a vampire? Only being in it for blood? His father never damned loved his wives. Just the blood needed for strong children. Experiments. Blood. Heirs.

If the Founders revealed anything it was their father's intentions. His father knew they knew now. Yui was around to embrace both Founder and humanity...darkness and innocence. She was emotional because she was human. And now he wasn't sure what he was.

But it was damn good blood. Fuck.

Then why did he bother kissing her? Fuck this sentimental shit. Why did it matter? She'd remain part of their family, perhaps he could still have her blood even if she craved another brother but-

His fist clenched and he reached into his pocket and grabbed a lighter. The hell fire began to burn. The flesh already began to melt off his skull. He'd make sure the damn thing turned to dust this time and then they were going to return home.

The fact was…he couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was his own fault; he'd been her first and not even realized it? He wanted nothing more. First kiss…perhaps…but why did he save her in that pool? Because she was helpless like he was?

Or was there something else Pancake offered him?

The fact was that he knew well why he did. As much as he'd never admit it to his brothers…if Pancake died in this process…it wasn't just her blood he'd miss. Maybe that was the answer.

He watched his Uncle incinerate. He didn't want to look at that man's pathetic face, but instead watched as from the back his body and head began to crumble against the heat. Soon this place would follow; the only memory it held were ones that no brother wanted to return to.

It was a place of death.

"We're going Pancake." He prepared himself to walk in stern, nothing in him was ready to give her an answer just yet. He couldn't bubble that truth to come to his lips. Instead she was passed out again.

She looked less tormented. He sighed.

It wasn't in her hands or his anymore was it?

He looked up. The sliver of moon was almost gone. Soon that burnt orange tinge would cross the moon and a glow of red would scorch the night sky.

Her blood would be in the hands of the Moon.

Ayato had just returned Yui to her bed when he heard the door slam. His brothers had perhaps returned from their hunt for her? No doubt they had found the carnage of that hell fire or perhaps they were just as stumped and useless in finding her and returned to their abode.

How reckless had they been to let her get kidnapped?

"What happened?" Reiji took no time to ask his brother.

Ayato looked at him, his eyes were green, bright, fiery with passionate anger.

Reiji looked suspicious. Had their inclination been true? Was Karlheinz …or perhaps?

"Ah my brother has finally returned. And he brought a gift! Little Bitch has returned." Laito followed.

"I suspect we ought to let her sleep?" Reiji's brow raised and Ayato nodded sharply. It wasn't long before they had all conglomerated in their living space.

"What happened?" Shu asked. They all knew that something had been terribly off; it hung in the room like the stench of a rotting body.

"I was doing my damn rounds…"

"So you give yourself a break by heading to the family estates?" Laito asked. "I didn't think you were one for family reminiscing?"

"It's an empty space I can wander without you all driving me crazy. And you're lucky I did because you're damn well not going to guess who ended up appearing at that one…"

"Karlheinz or Richter no doubt?" Reiji looked all to smug with himself.

Ayato was surprised for a moment, but then returned to his normal gaze. "No doubt...but he took your mother's retreat as his home. No doubt a place where side deals and shady business goes on…" He said simply as if this was a fact.

Reiji knew damn well Ayato was referring to the fact that he had his mother killed by a vampire hunter rather than do it himself. At that location. "Yet she has been less of an issue … less of a bother than some other mothers we know… I suppose that runs in the family though…"

"So who was it?" Subaru asked irritated with the brother's petty quarrels at each other.

"Richter. Who should have been dead?" Ayato for once looked at his triplet with a dark gaze. Laito looked surprised. They had rarely quarreled before…petty things perhaps…but never quite as serious as this.

"I swear he died. I watched him burn…" Laito looked at his brother. Laito for once looked solemnly about this. For one who never was too serious about anything, he knew when it came down to Richter it meant nothing good.

"Well he was damn there and was trying to rape Pancake all so he could become the new Adam before she turned. So I don't expect any of us to be able to get near her for a while." He recalled the way she flinched at his touch. She was damn scarred now.

The room was silent for a moment.

"Frankly he shouldn't have survived even if he wasn't watched until the bitter end…nobody that injured should have escaped hell fire. I suppose we ought to check that room again to make sure there were no escape routes…although it's in shambles now…" Reiji shook his head.

"Was he that desperate?" Shu asked.

"Yui looked near death. He was apparently attempting to drain her of vampire blood to make her as close to human as he could …and then tried to get her to feed off him. Our father ... he's letting this go too far."

"Playing the same game we were? She left because of us." Subaru said this with a sarcastic dig; they all knew that their competition had perhaps gotten out of control – they wouldn't have had this issue should Yui had not wished to escape their grasp so soon.

"I chopped his damn head off and made sure his bones disintegrated to dust." Ayato sat on a couch, crossing his arms.

"Well I suppose we should send news to the Mukami's that she is safe now…" Reiji sighed.

"She's not at all friggen safe? She's going to turn and you think she's safe?" Ayato looked up and rolled his eyes at Reiji.

"Well she's with us is she not?"

"I can't help but think that our father let that happen." Ayato looked to Laito, refusing to glance at Reiji any longer.

"Perhaps…it wouldn't be the first time he let things progress…in some twisted way he would have gotten Little Bitch to give birth to a new race…if he had succeeded…although it didn't align with what we were told…he'd intended for one of us to do it. Something about her humanity in that letter he had being key..."

"That he wanted one of us to succumb to it. And so far, none of us have succumbed...she's still pure is she not?" Shu pipped in.

"He didn't actually do it. But he might as well the way she looked..." Ayato bit his lip at his words. He shouldn't say something so freely but Pancake looked damn horrible.

"The Mukami's say they haven't either…so they say…" Subaru looked across the room.

"I'll send a letter to them…they did help us look for her…and managed to give us that note from our dearly departed Uncle." Reiji turned as if too leave.

"What note?"

"It seems Richter had planned on, whether Yui went to the gates on her own or by his good guiding graces handing her to the Mukami's to distance her from us…to create a better opportunity to steal her. He gave an ambiguous note to the youngest telling him to find her there…it seems his writing matched nearly perfectly to a signature I found of his…and was rather close as well to our father's signature... I suppose it is because they are brothers…" Reiji still had his back turned. "Now, I suppose that explains why we too were looking at the estates as possible hiding places… I have to admit we may have been too late. Now I suppose we should prep for her final awakening."

He left.

"So it's coming." Shu looked out to the moon. It was turning a burnt orange red. By night fall tonight Yui would be changing.

"I don't suppose you benefited to this did you?" Laito looked at his brother.

"I'm going to be the first blood she craves either way. I had to save her somehow. Plus I don't think you have the damn right to be talking." Ayato's words were sharp.

"Oh come on, I honestly thought he was dead and I knew you'd be the one to find her first so don't play with me. If anything I held Reiji off enough to get you time to find her first..."

"At her expense?" Subaru butted in.

"No ... but Reiji would not have picked that place first. He hates that mansion so it was not just fate that brought us there last. He has been playing Alpha lately...but the little bitch is safe. I made my mistakes and I will likely pay for them in one way or another." Laito's eyes turned to the side.

Ayato noticed his brother's melancholy look. "I suppose we all would have made that mistake. Still I can't help but blame you..." He looked away as well.

"So what exactly are we going to do when she starts to change?" Subaru looked at them. "You two are not the only ones who are anticipating her change."

"She asked me something strange, Pancake, after it all..." Ayato leaned back. Perhaps he could use this against his brothers. Perhaps it was worth it to extend Pancakes words to them...if she was going to be used by one of them...

She'd be damn miserable. Maybe she would leave to the Mukami's... her emotions drove her...and as a vampire they might not have the ability to stop her.

"What?" Shu asked.

"She asked me...if her blood changed when her humanity was overcome...would I still care for her if she craved my blood? If she didn't taste good...anymore..."

The room was silent. They all pondered these words.

"Well...if we don't like her blood it simply means she's not for us doesn't it?" Laito said.

"But if she craves one of ours because we made her crave us by feeding her our blood isn't it our responsibility to give it to her?" Subaru shook his head.

"I suppose we'll find out." Shu nodded.

They went silent again.

Until a piercing scream filled the room.

It was Yui.

It was beginning.