Just Barely There

by Brendi 717

Hiyori Yamaguchi has just transferred into Ryoutei Academy, an elite night school. Little did she know that she'd have quite the experience with quite a few odd students, especially concerning a certain devious Sakamaki. Hiyori even starts to uncover some interesting things about herself as well. (LaitoXOC) (AyatoxYui) I don't own Diabolik Lovers.

19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Yui and I had finished up our conversation with her suggesting that I get some answers from my Dad. I told Yui all of what I wanted to tell her at the moment. I've yet to tell her about the strange dreams and visions I've had about Laito and a woman with long purple hair. If Laito knows her, then maybe Yui has heard of or seen her. I considered the thought of asking her but I wasn't sure if that was a question that was ready to be brought to attention. I still had no idea how I was even able to do what I did that night with Laito. As soon as I touched him, I was suddenly overwhelmed with many different flashes of his memories. I couldn't recall if it was through his eyes or someone else's, either way I saw what I saw and it was far from innocent.

Yui had bid me a goodnight and insisted that I stay in the room that I stayed in previously. I made my way to my room and saw that it was exactly how I'd left it. However I could tell that it had been cleaned a bit since I've been gone. Unfortunately I didn't have any clothes to sleep in but Yui volunteered to lend me a few of her gowns to choose from. That's if I could fit any. No offense to Yui, but I was a bit more shapely than her, so it may be a bit tight for me. Maybe I could ask her if she could steal one of the boys shirts and I wear that. The thought of me wearing their clothes actually made me blush. God why would that even cross my mind. I can barely think wholesome anymore thanks to those boys. I sighed while shaking my head. I kept thinking back to the things I've experienced ever since Yui and them appeared in my life. I knew it sounded ridiculous, especially when I barely had any proof, but it feels as if I'm meant to be here. Its the strangest thing. Even though I've never seen any of them before in my life, it feels as if I've met them before. But that's impossible.

I fell back on my bed and closed my eyes.

"Maybe I'm going crazy."

With my thoughts going a hundred miles an hour, I started to feel myself doze off. I eventually fell asleep for a short while, only to be woken up by a knock on the door. I took my time getting up because of how exhausted I was from my eventful night. Whoever it was, I hope that this would go smoothly so that I could lay back down and rest. I make it to the door with a tired sigh.

"Who is it?"

No answer.

"I said who is it?"

Still nothing. I rolled my eyes annoyed at the thought that one of the brothers may be messing around with me. Not bothering any second longer, I turned around planning on laying back down but then there was another knock on the door. Only this time it made me practically jump out of my shoes. It was very loud and echoed throughout my room. I stayed rooted to my spot not wanting to go closer.

"W-whoever is doing that, its not f-funny..."

Not to my surprise, I was still greeted with silence from the other side. I was considering the thought of whether or not I should open the door. I mean of course its one of them playing around. And by one of them, I mean Laito. I mean who else would pull something as childish as this. Ayato would pull something like this as well but he's with Yui. He has no reason to pull petty pranks with me. I decided to approach and open the door. I slowly creaked the door open and peeked out into the empty hallway. No one was there. The only thing that was present was absolute darkness and a small breeze of wind that carried throughout the hallway. Stepping out a bit further, I looked up and down the bare hall hoping to see a familiar face.

"Anybody out here?"

There was suddenly a loud thud that made me jump and place my hand on my chest. Whatever the sound was, it echoed loudly through the hall. I looked in the direction of where the sound came from and was unsure if I should even go in the direction of highly possible danger. Deciding not to explore the noise, I went to turn back in my room when all of a sudden the door slammed shut in my face. I immediately grabbed the door knob and twisted it only for it to be locked.

"Okay seriously, this is very strange. I didn't have the window open, so there's nothing to have pushed it closed. Unless it really is someone messing with me."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. Looking left and right, I folded my arms and leaned against the door.

"Laito I know its you, knock it off."

Of course there was no one to respond back in return.

"Look I'm tired and I want to get some sleep, now if you wanna talk, can we do it some other time?"

Still no one answered back.

I then felt an uncomfortable chill run up my spine. I felt myself truly getting scared and went to try to open the door yet again. I frantically pulled and twisted at the knob but it still didn't budge. Almost as if someone was on the other side holding it. Seeing as how I wasn't gonna be able to go back in my room, I decided to just go and find Yui. That would be better than waiting around in a dark vacant hallway in a mansion full of vampires.

On trembling legs, I began walking down the hallway. Looking behind me every second because I could've sworn I felt someone touching the back of my neck. It felt as if I had been walking for minutes with how slow and careful I was moving. I wasn't even sure where Yui's room was, I was pretty much lost and I barely made it far. Without even realizing it, I ended up going in the same direction that I had heard that sound. Not wanting to go any further, I stopped and leaned up against the nearest door. My heart was pounding and I could feel myself inheriting a new profound fear of dark hallways. As I leaned up against the door trying to slow my heart rate, the door had opened up and next thing you knew I had fell back on the floor into the now opened room.

"Oww...what the...?"

I rubbed my backside and stood up dusting myself off. After relieving my aching bottom, I took a minute to look around the room I had fallen into. I didn't even notice that the door was open. Or maybe it truly wasn't and it opened by itself. I quickly shook that unsettling thought out of my head and went further into the room. Looking around, I saw that there was a lot of books. Like shelves and shelves of books everywhere. Was this a library? Of course they'd have a library. I mean this place if big enough for them to have a ballroom, so them having a library should be of no surprise.

I walked around looking up high at the many books. It wasn't dusty but it did appear that rarely anyone was in here. Now that I think about it, why would they have a library. I mean I'm certain that Reiji has made use of it and maybe even Shu but the rest of them? Well looking at all of these books, they appear very old of age, so maybe they use to study using these books or something. I mean why else have a library and all these books if you aren't gonna make use of it.

As I was walking, I ended up tripping over a stack of books and I fell to the floor with a painful and loud thud. To make matters worse, I had lightly bumped into one of the book cases, causing a book to hit me right on the head.

"Seriously, how much worse could this already get?"

I rubbed my head and thanked god that it was a small book and not something as heavy as a Dictionary. I looked on the floor and saw the book that hit me on the head. It didn't appear to be a book, more like a...Journal? I reached out and picked it up while analyzing the front and the back. There were initials sewed onto the cover and quite beautifully too might I add. With the journal in my hand, I stood up and out of curiosity, began flipping through a few of the pages. They were definitely worn and even dust puffed up in my face as I ran through each page. I ended up having a coughing fit and dropping the journal. I bent down to pick it up but then I began to hear faint whispering.

"We...-ould be...isking-...a lot..."

Grabbing the journal, I quickly stood up straight and began turning my head left and right trying to locate where the voices were coming from. I didn't see anyone nor anything that would be causing any noise.

"Hello? Is anyone in here?"

Walking around, I stuck my ear out trying to see if I could hear where it was coming from but it seemed faint.

"...-ou...agreed to...-his..."

I looked behind each corner I came by, calling out to anyone that may be in here with me. Then I realized something, that the voices I was hearing sounded very familiar to me. It was the same voices of that man and woman that I had dreamt about that night. Why was I hearing their voices? More importantly, where was it coming from. I'm not asleep as far as I know, so I can't be dreaming. Unless maybe I am dreaming and haven't realized it yet. Just to make sure, I pinched my cheek as I winced in pain.

"Yeah definitely not dreaming. But if I'm not dreaming, then where are those voices coming from?"

Next thing you knew a loud bang caused me to whip my head around to find that one of the windows had flew open slamming against the wall. Clutching the journal close to my chest, I couldn't help but start to shiver in place. This was more terrifying than I had thought. It wasn't meant to be a windy night, so how did the windows open like that. What if their house has apparitions and I'm getting haunted right now? Just the thought sent goosebumps all over my body.

Not wanting to be in the library a second longer, I slowly began to back up only for the back of my feet to be stopped dead in their tracks. Before I could react, I ended up falling backwards and onto whatever caused my third fall. At first I thought it was just another pile of books but it felt a bit different. Like...softer?

I felt around for a good minute trying to figure what I landed on. After feeling underneath me for a while, I came to the conclusion that I didn't fall on something, but someone.

"What a perverted woman you are fondling me like this."

With a yelp, I hopped up off of whoever spoke just now. Recognizing the voice, I felt myself calm down a bit.

"S-shu? Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?"

His eyes were closed but that didn't stop the small smirk from appearing on his face in amusement. What in the world was he doing laying in the middle of the floor like this anyway? Maybe he was sleeping in here or something. Yui did say that he liked to nap in quiet places, and I could definitely see this place being on his list of where to take a snooze.

I continued to stare at him until I decided to get myself together.

"I'm sorry for falling on you and um...touching you like that. Its a bit dark in here...so I didn't know what I landed on."

I felt my face burn at the thought of how bold my actions must've appeared to him. Definitely a misunderstanding.

Opening his drowsy eyes, Shu met my apologetic gaze. He simply stared at me as I tried to think of something else to say. This suddenly felt awkward. Why was he staring at me like that? Perhaps he wasn't buying my excuse? Or maybe he was still half sleep. Hearing a small sound come from his earphones, I decided to make conversation about his taste in music.

"I...n-notice that you always wear your earbuds, what kind of music do you listen to? Is it classical?"

Still nothing.

I smiled nervously.

"I uh...overheard a bit of what you were listening to in the car. You have nice taste. It seems right up your alley."

He was still staring blankly at me. I mean if he's gonna stare at me, at least say something to me. For goodness sake I'm trying to make this less awkward but its only becoming more awkward. Mostly from my end obviously seeing as how I'm the only one attempting to make idle conversation with the least talkative brother.

Seeing as how this whole situation wasn't going anywhere, I got ready to stand up to leave only for him to reach out and grab my wrist.

"Would you like to listen?"

His offer caught me by surprise and at first I was almost speechless.

"A-are you sure? I-I mean, I didn't mean to disturb you..."

He pulled me closer to him and I practically fell on top of him again.

"You're interested in my taste in music right? Here."

Shu took an earbud out of his ear and offered it to me. I hesitated before I took it thinking that it was kind of strange for him to let me listen to his music. Deep down, I felt honored because it felt as if this was a step in getting to know him properly. He's always to himself and isolated from everyone else, that I can't remember seeing him little to at all. Minus our first interaction at school on the steps.

"Really? Uh, okay."

I put the earbud in my ear and the sound that entered my ear was something I definitely had not planned on hearing. I felt my whole face get hot and in shock, I yanked the earbud out of my ear and tossed it in his direction. Utterly horrified at what I had heard.

"S-shu! W-w-what was that!?"

Shu merely let out a soft chuckle at my embarrassed state.

"It's music."

"That's not music! That's...that's..."

I couldn't even say it I was so disgusted. How can he actually sit here and listen to such things. He was absolutely deplorable. More deplorable than Laito. My god, I didn't think that'd be possible.

Shu picked up the earbud I tossed at him and placed it right back in his ear.

"To hear a woman sigh and moan in ecstasy is true music to a man's ears."

I couldn't help but gawk at his explanation. Was he serious? What am I saying of course he was.

"That's just disgraceful, not music! That kind of thing...you just don't...its not..."

I didn't have much to argue with. I mean who am I to tell him he shouldn't listen to stuff like that. He's older and more mature than me, so I'm sure he has experience in that sorta thing. So perhaps he truly does see some kind of satisfaction in listening to such things. Its not like I have experience with that sort of stuff but did he truly have no shame in what he was doing. I mean for heaven's sake, does he listen to this all the time? Even at school?

Shu noticed that I was tripping over my tongue and chuckled.

"There's no reason to shy away from it. You'll make those sounds one day."

My jaw pretty much might as well had hit the floor. He didn't just say that. Did he really just say that so nonchalantly? I couldn't help but think back to that time Laito touched me and my whole face felt like a dead giveaway.

Shu gave me a coy side glance with a light tilt of his head and small raise of his eyebrows.

"Oh, unless you have already?"

He smirked.

"Did they help you get a release? Or maybe...you did it yourself?"

Next thing you knew, there was a loud smack that sounded around the library. Did I just...hit him? Oh no. I hadn't even realized. I just saw red. Right at that moment with the way he was speaking, he reminded me of Laito. His appalling way with words, his crude and bold nature, almost everything. Yet it was something different with how he said it. Laito was a true disgusting pig that didn't shy away from such inappropriate behaviors, but with Shu it was a bit different. He seems to find the art in such intimate actions and takes pleasure in it, whereas Laito was like a horny dog. Seemingly no standards and didn't see his actions as nothing but pure lust that needs to be satisfied.

I saw a small redness began to appear on Shu's face and I covered my mouth with my hand in shock at my actions.

"I'm...I didn't mean..."

I stopped my words from finishing that sentence. No. I'm not gonna apologize for hitting him. He deserved it. He shouldn't speak to me or any other girl like that.

"I know I shouldn't have hit you, but you can't speak to a woman like that. I don't know where you get off talking to me like that, but its a highly inappropriate topic and a very sensitive one for some people. At least have some kind of subtlety. Now I'm sorry for disturbing you, that's the only thing I'll apologize for."

Before I could move away, I ended up being pulled down to the floor and him hovering over me with disinterested eyes. The sudden action caused me to gasp in surprise and I immediately went to try and move from underneath him but with his weight on me, it was far from possible.

Shu ended up laying his head between the crook of my neck. His light breathing was causing my skin to tingle a bit and my heart began racing.

"Heh, where'd all that fire go? You had so much to say before."

"I..."

I felt him graze his lips along my neck and I couldn't help but shut my eyes and shiver under his small touches.

"Your heart's racing. Are you scared? Or perhaps a bit excited?"

"O-of course not...!"

He lifted his head up to meet my eyes and a smug smile reached his lips. He looked so for sure of himself that he was getting a reaction out of me. I mean he was but not the reaction he was hoping to see. I would never give him that satisfaction.

Before I had time to react, his mouth made its way back down to my neck and bit down. A small squeak of a sound left my mouth. I winced as he drank his fill. I tried to calm myself down in hopes that it would hurry and end but it was no good. With him pretty much laying on top of me, it was a bit difficult to breath, so I just had to wait for him to finish as soon as possible.

He suckled and licked at the wounds with a sigh and moan in satisfaction.

"You taste...different."

Frowning, I stared up at him not fully sure what he meant.

"Huh?"

"Much sweeter than the first time."

I then felt one of his hands start to wander along my legs. Lightly grazing his fingertips on my skin all the while continuing to suck my blood. He sucked harder and more the more he touched me. He would occasionally stop to lightly lap at the wounds.

"Maybe you taste sweeter because you're feeling a bit of pleasure. If that's the case then..."

His hand slowly traveled up to my thigh edging my skirt up little by little.

"S-stop!"

Even though I say that, I couldn't help the chills that coursed through my body at each caress. His hand eventually traveled further up my leg and underneath my skirt. I then felt his fingers teasingly tugging at the seam of my underwear. Each light pulls sent my heart pounding. Afraid he might actually tear them off. I was hoping to think heavens above that he wouldn't do that to me. I wouldn't be able to stomach it. Absolutely humiliated and reluctant, I shut my eyes praying that he would stop. Hoping that my body would stop feeling these things as he touched me ever so gently.

"S-shu...please...stop..."

I felt his movements almost quickly halt after my small plea and hesitantly opened my eyes, only to see Shu staring down at me with his eyes more open than they usually are. As he stared at me, I noticed a small glint of familiarity in his gaze. That was the same look he had given me when I caught him staring at me in the car. Why was he looking at me like that?

Shu's gaze then glossed over off to the side. I followed his site and saw that he was staring at the journal that I had dropped on the floor. I tried calling his name but he didn't budge one bit nor look my way. It was like he was almost frozen...

Years ago...

As the woman sat on the bench writing away in her journal, out of the corner of her eye, she sees a curious Shu approaching. She looked up from her journal and smiled. Shu couldn't help but turn a small shade of pink when she smiled sweetly at him. She was an acquaintance of his Father and they'd always have meetings talking about things that stayed behind closed doors. He felt himself having a small crush on her. Today she was wearing a golden dress that really made her eyes shine. And her hair was soft, brown and curly as it framed her face perfectly. It was a sunny day, so she looked almost as if she was glowing like a goddess.

"Hi Shu, what brings you here to me today?"

Shu shrugged. "Nothing really, just walking." Shu saw that she had her pen and journal in her hand.

"I always see you writing in that when you're here. What are you writing? A story?"

The woman closed the journal and patted an empty spot next to her.

"No not a story, just everyday events that has happened to me."

Shu sat down next to her."What were you writing about today?"

"I was writing about my time here is all. Nothing too exciting. Shu, do you know how long I've been coming here?"

He frowned clearly unsure.

"I don't know but you seem to come here whenever Father is here. So I guess for how ever many times he has stopped by."

Shu looked down at his shoes with a sullen expression.

Concern dressed her face. "Shu what's the matter?"

He scratched the back of his head unsure if he should say anything.

"It's...mother. She's been more and more intense with her teachings."

The woman placed her hand on his head.

"Yes she is very...strict. But please don't doubt that she loves you and Reiji. She only wants what's best for you."

Doubt crossed his face.

"I don't know. That doesn't feel like its true. Besides, she never pushes Reiji this hard and he's way better at studying than me."

She nodded.

"Yes its true he's always buried in books but she probably expects more from you since you're the eldest. Speaking of her, where is she?"

Almost as if she was summoned, Beatrix had began walking towards the both of them and she didn't look too pleased that her son had wandered off away from her. She didn't frown but you could see in her eyes that she was far from pleased with her sons actions.

"Shu what are you doing here when you should be going over your lessons."

Shu couldn't even look at her.

"But mother I...I was just taking a break. I never have time for anything. I don't even remember the last time I've played with my brothers."

The corner of Beatrix's mouth almost upturned into a snarl but she kept her composure.

"Playing? Fooling about will not aid you for your future. Shu you have to be better, better than..."

She stopped herself and sighed. "Son, just come and finish what you were assigned to do."

Shu hopped down from his seat disappointed that he couldn't win this argument.

"Yes mother."

Shu began walking away going back to what his mother had tasked him to do, but he couldn't help but overhear the two women's conversation.

Beatrix then looked at the woman casually sitting there observing the whole scene.

"Thank you for watching him. I hope he didn't disturb you."

The woman shook her head.

"Not at all but you have to admit Beatrix he has a point. The least you could do is understand from his perspective. You must give him time to himself. To be a child. Forcing such responsibilities on one so young will damage him."

Beatrix sighed. She seemed to had considered this thought but merely for a second.

"I appreciate your advice but he is my son and I know what's best for him. I get to choose his path. Its...better this way."

The woman shook her head knowingly.

"From what I've been seeing, it seems to be better more for you than your own child."

Beatrix couldn't hide the anger on her face at the woman's bold claim. The woman shook her head shamefully.

"Don't look at me like that Beatrix, you know it to be true."

The woman then stood and began walking off but not before turning her head and speaking behind her.

"If you continue to waste your time competing with that devil of a woman, you will fall and you'd be dragging your sons with you."

The woman kept walking until she was out of Beatrix's sight. Beatrix frowned deeply angry at the woman for saying such things. No, she was wrong. I'm doing this for my child, not for me. She tried so hard to reassure herself but deep down, she knew there was truth to what she had just said. She felt herself clench her fists angry at the fact she had spoken to her with such certainty.

"No, you're wrong Aria..."

"Aria..."

Shu's small whisper almost went unnoticed by me and I patted his shoulder trying to bring him back to reality. I really began to feel his true weight when he spaced out like that. He was barely holding himself up before but now he appeared to almost have collapsed on me.

My touch brought his eyes back down to me.

"Shu...I can't breathe..."

Seeming to have snapped out his trance, Shu shut his eyes with a sigh and slowly removed himself from off of me. I sat up dusting myself off and fixing my clothes. I reached and touched where he bit me and felt my wounds already closing. Not wanting him to see, I quickly kept my hand covered over the bite marks. Laito already knows and that was one too many. Yui does too but I obviously trust her more than him. I don't think Shu would say much of anything but I didn't wanna risk it.

I saw that Shu had trained his eyes back on the journal that laid face up on the floor.

"Um Shu, is that journal yours?"

Nothing.

"You said...Aria? Is she someone you know?"

Apparently I must've had pried too much for his liking because he suddenly stood up without a word. Before he walked out, he stopped to look back at me with a blank face, then he took his leave.

It was now my turn to stand up from the floor. I patted myself down getting off any dirt that may have gotten on my skirt. I really needed to get out of here. Its been so many odd occurrences left and right, I fell three times, almost jumped out of my skin more than twice and I ran into Shu getting bit in the process. Fortunately he didn't take that much blood, so I felt fine afterwards but my neck was sore. I could feel the pain diminishing though.

I got ready to walk out but then I forgot about the journal. Shu appeared fixated on it which made me curious as to why. I asked him but of course he didn't give me answer. Would it be wrong of me to take it and go through it? Well I mean it should be okay. It was pretty old and I'm sure no one has touched it in god knows how long. The journal was worn and the pages were dusty, so I'm sure I'm the only one that has touched it in a long while.

The sound of the wind whistling startled me causing me to hurry with my decision and I decided at last to bring it back to my room. Grabbing the journal off the floor, I hurried out of the library and rushed back to my room. When I got there, I noticed that the door was finally unlocked. Not bothering to question why it locked in the first place, I twisted the knob and bolted inside. Closing the door with a slam, I leaned back against it and breathed a huge sigh of relief while holding the journal close to my chest.

"Oh. My. Goodness. That is the last time I go walking around like that."

Finally calming myself down, I headed over to the bed and sat down with a tired flop. I held the journal in my hand and stared at the cover. This thing looked as if it could crumble into pieces at any moment. I'm surprised that it survived falling on my head. I felt hesitant on opening it, but I didn't know why. Maybe because it wasn't my place to read whatever was inside of it. I ran my fingers over the initials A.R. that was finely stitched at the bottom of it. I almost didn't notice it. I carefully flipped it open and ended up on the first page. Whoever's journal this was, clearly had beautiful hand writing. Most definitely a woman's handwriting, but why did it look so familiar.

April 25th XXXX

I've never had a diary before, so I have no idea of what to write about. Well first off, this journal was a gift from Karl, the man who managed to save me from starving and dying in the middle of the night. He told me that I could write in it whenever I felt stressed or just wanted to describe a good day. It was very kind of him to give me such a thing. Well that's all I have to say for now I suppose.

~Aria Reyes

My brows shot up in realization. "Aria Reyes? Aria. Didn't Shu say that name back in the library?"

Deciding to shake off that thought for now, I flipped the page and continued reading.

May 20th XXXX

Its been a while since I've written in this thing. Of course I've had nothing to vent about because I wasn't stressed. So I suppose I could talk about the good that has been happening. Karl took me shopping today and he bought me the most beautiful dress I've ever seen. I can't recall ever receiving a gift so extravagant. And to make the whole dress even more outstanding, he bought me a lovely necklace with an amber stone hanging from the chain. He told me that it reminded him of my eyes and that it made them shine more. Even now I can't help but turn red thinking back to his bold compliment. This man really was remarkable. Is this what they called courting? My mother would warn me of such actions and that it was a sign that a man wanted to bed me. But I don't think that's the case with Karl.

~Aria Reyes

I found myself really immersed in what I was reading. This woman was clearly impressed and in awe with this Karl guy. I wonder if they actually ended up being together in the end. She sounds as if she may have actually given him a chance.

I can't help but feel guilty a bit because I was reading something so personal about a person I don't even know. It felt like I was snooping. Well I mean I was, but does it count if its like hundreds of years old? Maybe she passed away a long time ago. I mean look at the year. This was clearly more than a long time ago. Also, if Shu was talking about this very same person, it makes me wonder how old him and his brothers are.

Reading a bit further into it, I felt myself not being able to stop. It was almost as if I could feel myself being in her shoes. She spoke of this man with trust yet at the same time, uncertainty. Reading on she was basically talking about all the time she's spent with this man and that she felt truly happy for the first time. She mentioned that he saved her life but doesn't really specify what happened. Maybe I have to read a bit more in order to come across it. It felt like I was reading a real life Fairy Tale. I only wondered if it had a happy ending in the end.

I looked at the clock that hung on the wall and my eyes went wide. It was pretty late. I laid the journal on the bed and removed my shoes and socks. I didn't have anything to wear and I didn't want to sleep in my uniform. I wanted to find Yui and see if she had anything but what if she's with Ayato. The last thing I would want is to walk in on them in a...compromising position so to speak. Then I remembered something. The room I was staying in was more than a guest room, so maybe it had spare clothes in here as well. I went over towards the dresser and opened up the drawer. There were night gowns folded neatly inside and right along side them were some pairs of small slippers. They looked a bit old fashioned and very long but that was fine as long as it was comfortable.

I pulled out a soft white colored one, and pressed it up against my body while leaving the shoes on the floor.

"Even slippers? Why do they even have these kind of things anyway? This is all feminine attire. Maybe they have a lot of female company."

I shivered at the thought and hated myself for letting my mind go there. If that were the case, at least they kept their company comfortable. Not wanting to think about it any further, I got ready to change out of my uniform. I decided to change right in the middle of the room rather than go into the bathroom. Everyone should be asleep and thankfully, I haven't been harassed by Laito or anyone else. Minus Shu of course, but that encounter was fortunately brief and didn't cause as much damage as it usually would. I felt for my bite marks and they were actually gone. Yeah this is freaky. They're healing faster than ever. I felt myself panicking a bit and took deep breathes to calm myself down.

"Its fine. Its fine. I'll just tell Dad and he'll have an explanation for this. Maybe it comes from mom's side of the family. Genetics? No way, this is clearly beyond genetics. God what am I saying. I sound insane."

This will all be fine once I talk to Dad. I'm sure of it.

Once I got the gown on, I sat my uniform on top of the dresser and went back over to the bed. I picked up the journal and ran my hand over the fragile cover. I wonder if anyone else knew who this Aria was. I mean her journal was in their home and in their library, so I'm sure someone has heard of her. As soon as I was about to open it back up to read some more, a knock on the door caused me to jump a bit dropping the journal on the floor. Without thinking twice, I kicked it under the bed. I'm not sure if it would matter or not to them, but just in case someone asked questions, the book was out of sight.

I made sure my gown was on appropriately and I went to answer the door. It must be Yui, I mean she'd be the only one to knock on my door rather than barge in or sneak in. I opened the door and was quite surprised at who I saw.

"R-reiji?"

Reiji stood outside the door with his arms crossed as if he had been kept waiting for a long while.

"You took your time answering. Were you occupied?"

I shook my head.

"No I was just um...changing into something for bed. Was there something you needed?"

"I'll tell you when we get there. Come with me."

Without even waiting for me to follow up behind him, Reiji had already begun walking away. I left the room and closed the door right behind me. I managed to catch up with him before he disappeared out of my sight. We were walking side by side down the hallway in dead silence. I know he said that he'd tell me when we got there but the suspense was killing me.

"Uh Reiji...?"

Silence.

"I know you said that you'd tell me when we got there but don't you think its not an appropriate time to talk. Its really late."

Still nothing.

"Well is it urgent?"

Seeing as how I wasn't gonna get anything out of him, I figured that I'd just do what he says and wait til we got there. I had no idea where we were even going, I was simply following him. We ended up in front of a door that was partially opened. Reiji went in first and of course expected me to follow him inside. I did indeed follow right behind him not wanting to keep him waiting.

Was this his room or his workplace? There was a huge case with many books, a table that seemed to have chemistry equipment, a desk that had a two chairs near it and I saw another case that had table wear inside of it. Just how many hobbies did he have? I wasn't sure if I should be impressed or scared out of my wits right now. As I was taking in everything, Reiji had headed over to the table with the beakers and stuff on it and put together a small teapot of hot water. Was he making tea? While he did that, I merely stood still in the middle of the floor occasionally looking at my feet or the ceiling. I would've sat down but I'd prefer to wait for him to tell me where to sit. I didn't want to upset him. It seemed like the smallest thing would set him off, so I waited.

Once Reiji was done getting the teapot set up, he turned to me. Our eyes locked and I couldn't help but feel trapped. He made me so nervous. Just what did he want at this hour?

Reiji motioned his head in the direction of the chair by his desk.

"Take a seat."

Not waiting a second longer, I hurried and sat down while twiddling my toes. This was beyond nerve racking. I watched as he slowly made his way to the chair that sat right across from me and sat down. I couldn't help but look everywhere else but at him.

"How ridiculous. Can't even make simple eye contact."

His stern and callous voice made me jump a bit in my seat.

"I-I'm sorry...just a bit...nervous is all."

Reiji sighed, looking more than done with me. Why does he look annoyed? He was the one that came and got me in the middle of the night. He act as if I'm bothering him or something.

"Do you plan on associating yourself with this house further?"

His question caught me off guard and I simply stared at him at a lost for words. My silence obviously only bothered him and he adjusted his glasses.

"Is that a complicated question for you to answer?"

I shook my head.

"Its not that at all. Its just...why ask that?"

Reiji sighed while crossing his legs.

"That girl has had quite a plethora of acquaintances, which have all caused quite a bit of trouble."

I nodded knowingly.

"Yeah, Yui told me."

"Good then I don't have to explain much but I will say this. If you intend on being around as much, then you need to be given a warning."

I felt goosebumps rise almost immediately at the change of his tone. Readying myself for what he was about to say. I didn't want him to think I was easily intimidated but that wasn't so easy. I mean look at my situation. How can anyone stay remotely clam and collected. I met his piercing gaze with as much confidence I could muster up.

"Is this a warning or a...threat?"

A small sinister smile stretched on his face appearing to be somewhat impressed with my response.

"Despite how skittish you are, you seem to have a tongue on you."

"Is that bad?"

"Depends on what comes out of your mouth and who you're addressing."

Not knowing what else to say, I zipped my lips.

"Anyways, to answer your question, yes. It is a threat. I'm not one to prolong the inevitable so I'm just going to put this as bluntly as possible. If you've come here with a motive, or any other personal reason that may benefit you, I will personally see to it that you be disposed of. Now you see, I really don't care who that girl invites into her personal life but if her choices put all of us in a situation that will make things...difficult, then that's when I start to interfere. I hope I'm being as clear to you as possible."

I couldn't even form a sentence at that moment. I had no idea what to say to all of what he threw at me. Just what had those girls done for him to come at me and say these things. Yui did tell me that they used her merely to get close to the Sakamaki's but maybe she only told me so much. Whatever had happened before, it must've been serious if Reiji is actually threatening to kill me. Honestly though, I couldn't help but feel my heart drop guiltily in my stomach when he mentioned having a hidden motive. Truth be told, I actually did but it wasn't like that. I came here on a whim because of what Laito had claimed to know. And its not like I've befriended Yui because I knew there was something more here in their home. I wasn't even gonna come here at first, but then something told me to just give it a chance. He could be telling the truth. And as for the whole vampire thing, I became Yui's friend because I wanted to, not because I wanted to be these guys blood bag or because I found myself infatuated with them. Heck, I didn't even know anything about them until Yui told me about them. Even after she did, I didn't fall for their charm or try to weasel my way into her life to get to them, I stayed by her side and began to understand her bit by bit. She's also helping me understand these guys as well. Its very difficult but I'm trying. I'm trying to see what she sees.

Reiji was looking at me as if he had just succeeding in catching me.

"Seems I was right. I'm usually not this kind, but I'm giving you a chance to find your way out and...-"

I stopped him midway.

"I have no idea what those girls did to have you threaten me like this but I don't have any intention of doing whatever they did. I'm not like those horrible and greedy girls. I'm not gonna sit here and lie to you about something that has never even crossed my mind. I care about Yui and I want her to trust me just as well as be a friend to me and vice versa. But if you still have doubts of where I stand, then by all means you can interrogate me for the rest of the night."

Reiji stared at me appearing to be caught off guard and bothered by my sudden interruption. We shared each other's gaze for what felt like an eternity until the sound of the teapot whistling caught my attention. I broke our eye contact looking at the steaming pot. Reiji stood up while adjusting his shirt.

"Would you like some tea?"

I almost took him up on his offer, but one look at his chemical set up had me thinking otherwise.

"N-no thank you."

Reiji noticed where my eyes went and smirked.

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't do it in such a tasteless manner. You'll drink the tea. I rarely offer such a gesture, you'll offend me if you don't accept."

He went over to get our tea cups prepared all the while he was doing that, I noticed his fancy and neat tea cups, silverware and other well kept knickknacks. Did he collect them?

"You have a beautiful display Reiji."

My compliment caused Reiji to halt his movements over by the table. He didn't turn around but I could tell that he did acknowledge my compliment. It was quiet for a second until he turned around with towards tea cups in his hands.

"I've spent much of my time tending to my collection. This set is my Royal Albert. Not my favorite, but still one of my most precious of treasures."

Reiji offered the beautiful tea cup to me and I hesitantly reached out and carefully grabbed it. It really was something. It had a real vintage appeal to it especially with its lovely royal blue and golden art style along the edge. I was honestly afraid to put my lips to it thinking I'd ruin it with my lips imprinted on it. Reiji noticed my hesitant behavior yet again and didn't like it one bit.

"Are you turning down my gesture?"

"No no not at all! I swear. I was just admiring the cup. I-its really beautiful. I'd hate to drink from it."

With his cup in hand, he sat back down across from me and sipped carefully at his drink. As he sipped his tea, his eyes stayed on me the whole time. Maybe he was waiting for me to drink mine.

I looked at the contents in the cup and couldn't help but feel scared to try it. I mean it looked normal, and smelled nice. Maybe he wasn't trying to kill me but scare me. Slowly, I bought the cup to my lips and sipped. The temperature was just right, and it had a very smooth taste. Of course Reiji can make tea this good. Out of all his brothers, he seems to be the only one with a proper upbringing.

"Its delicious."

Reiji let out a confident 'Hmpf' as if it was obvious.

"Of course it is. I wouldn't serve anything that wouldn't do my set justice."

I couldn't do anything but nod in agreement. He really did take much pride in his hobby. It was honestly kind of...cute? That was a strange thing to think about the most uptight person I've ever met. Maybe it was because of how proud he was of it. Even not daring to put just any old ordinary tea in the cups was a sign enough that these items meant a lot to him. I wonder what got him into it so deeply and passionately. We continued to sip the tea silently. The silence was really getting to me, so I decided to take it upon myself to start up a conversation.

"Um Reiji, what got you into collecting tableware? You're very passionate about it."

At first I thought he was gonna ignore me because he didn't say anything. He only sipped away at his tea appearing to carefully savor each sip that touched his tongue. Then much to my surprise, he said something.

"What does it matter to you?"

Okay nevermind. For a second there I thought he'd open up but I expected too much too soon.

"Just curious is all. You have such an elegant hobby, its just interesting."

"Just curious? What would you gain from gathering information on my 'hobby'?"

"I-I wasn't trying to gain anything, just make simple conversation is all. I mean we're just sitting here in silence. You got me from my room to talk to me, we've talked and seemingly got some understanding out of the way, I figure we change the atmosphere a bit."

"With idle unnecessary chatter?"

I shrugged.

"I mean I wouldn't put it that way but...yeah."

Reiji's face twisted in irritation and annoyance.

"I'm not one to indulge in that kind of activity while drinking tea. I prefer silence or a good book."

Not another word was exchanged between us for a while. I mean I could just get up and leave but every time I made a move to get up, Reiji would give me a look that basically said, 'I'm not done with you yet'. I had no idea what else he wanted from me but I wish he'd hurry up and tell me instead of making me sit here in silence. Once I was done with my tea, I decided to look around the room yet again only this time out of boredom. My eyes then glossed over to the desk that was right next to me and I saw that it was littered with papers. There was a book that was on the table and it looked as if he was reading it still. You could see the bookmark peeking out between the pages. The bookmark was more than a bookmark. It looked like there was a pressed flower in between what seemed like glass. It may even be crystal with how shiny it was. I could only see half of it but it also had some gold trimming along the edges. Where'd he get something that lovely?

Reiji noticed my attention was on his desk and he sat his cup down.

"Your eyes sure do love to wander."

"I'm not trying to be rude, I was just looking at your bookmark. I'd never seen one like that. Did you make it?"

"No."

I simply nodded. Of course he wasn't gonna carry on a conversation. My eyes went back to the bookmark and I noticed a letter. Then another. There were initials on the corner of it and it said...A.R.?

Those are the same initials that were on that journal. Maybe it was just a coincidence or maybe there really was a connection here. Perhaps it belonged to the same woman that owned that journal. If that's the case, then maybe Reiji knew her as well. Could she be the same woman Shu mentioned? Is that Aria?

I so badly wanted to ask but I knew that that would be beyond a bad idea. Especially with that "warning" Reiji gave me, I'd only provoke him to carry out his threat.

"You're especially interested in my bookmark."

Quickly removing my eyes from it, I looked back at him.

"Oh I...I um..."

"Is there a reason in particular that you're so drawn to it?"

I shook my head denying it.

"No its just...a unique bookmark is all. I also noticed that there's a flower pressed within it. Its an Nymphaea lotus right?"

"...It is. Not many people know of it, but I was fortunate to obtain it."

Obtain it? Did he find it or did someone give it to him? I think the latter is more possible. I can't really picture Reiji picking flowers just to make a simple bookmark. I'm honestly surprised that he even has it, Reiji didn't seem like the type to use one seeing as how brilliant he is. I couldn't contain my small smile which didn't go unnoticed by Reiji.

"What are you smiling about?"

I stood up slowly while rubbing my eyes.

"Nothing. I um, think I should get back to my room, I'm feeling tired."

I really was exhausted, like I suddenly had no feeling in my legs. I could barely keep myself up, so I held onto the closest thing which was his desk. I ended up knocking some papers on the floor while trying to keep my balance.

"Oh no...Reiji...I didn't mean...What's wrong with me?"

Reiji then stood as he watched me struggle to keep my composure.

"That took quite a long time to take effect. I didn't think you'd be able to fight it for so long."

What did he just say? Wait, did he put something in that tea after all?

"But you said..."

"I said I wouldn't kill you and what I gave you won't kill you but you do seem to have a strong immunity to it."

I watched as he began to approach me as if he was inspecting me. Out of instinct, I started to back away from him, only to trip over my suddenly heavy feet. Falling flat on my bottom, I could feel my eyes getting heavier and heavier. Just what in the world did he give me?

Reiji watched as my body slowly gave out and folded his arms.

"Your body's fighting it pretty hard. I'm sure its because I only gave you a small amount but still..."

He suddenly came closer and grabbed my wrist pulling me up rather roughly and tossing me back into my seat. I wanted to tell him off for his rough handling with me but I couldn't even muster up a whole sentence. My head felt heavy and my body felt as if it had been drained and yet I couldn't pass out. It felt almost as if I was...

Reiji smiled as if he was fully entertained.

"Rather than it render your body useless, it seems to have you feeling a bit intoxicated. This is quite an amusing outcome."

I couldn't hold back my displeased expression and tried to get up yet again, only to fall back down.

"What...did you...give me?"

Reiji walked over to his desk and picked up the book that had the bookmark, opened it up then began writing something down in it. He was ignoring me.

Feeling myself get angry, I forced myself to stand up despite my body's protest. I laid my hand on my head while laying the other on the nearest thing to keep me balanced. Before I could even attempt to give him an earful, Reiji sat his book down and looked at me.

"There's one more thing I need to see."

Without warning, Reiji wrapped his arm around me pulling me close to him. I was definitely too weak to fight back, so I just waited for him to do the obvious.

He pushed my hair away from my neck and craned my head back while leaning into my neck. As he bit down, I couldn't help but feel an odd sensation overcome me. It didn't hurt like it usually would but it was...unexplainable.

Noticing my change in mood, Reiji lifted his head and couldn't help but smile smugly.

"Enjoying it are you?"

I shook my head denying the obvious but of course it was far from convincing. Clearly not believing me, Reiji gave me a cold glare and practically sneered at me.

"What a disgraceful girl."

Reji went back in for another drink as I lay almost lifeless in his arms. A pleased and curious moan came from him and he lifted his head yet again.

"Strange, you taste nothing like before."

His head went back in between my neck and took another mouthful.

"Mmhm...so sweet..."

In between each sip of my blood, Reiji couldn't contain his infatuation and curiosity with my blood. It was as if he was tasting blood for the first time. He held onto me tighter than before and his head tucked itself deeper into my neck. I could barely move, so I was completely at his mercy. My ears were filled with his suckling and pants as he didn't seem as if he would stop. My heart began to race in fear and my chest rose repeatedly as I began to breathe rapidly. He was going to drain me dry at this point. Slowly, I brought my hand up and placed it on the back of his head.

"R-reiji...stop..."

Unfortunately my plea went on empty ears. Reiji was truly losing control. When he first drank my blood, he only took so much. As if he was merely sampling me to see if I was even worth the time but now he doesn't want to let go. What was so different now? I didn't understand at all. He mentioned that I tasted different from before. Now that I think about it, Shu told me something similar. And Laito as well.

After what felt like an eternity, Reiji finally put a stop to his fulfilment, lifting his head with a soft pleasing sigh. I could still feel his light breathing on my neck. Every time he exhaled, his soft yet cool breath would bring temporary relief to the wounds he inflicted. I swallowed and prayed that he wouldn't go back for another drink, I don't think I'd be able to stay awake at this rate. I then heard him whisper onto my skin.

"I very seldom ever let myself lose control like that."

For a second there, Reiji looked a bit taken aback at how he had just behaved. He probably was a bit embarrassed by his own lack of control. My hand slipped from his head and fell limp. He let me go without caring if I had hit the floor like before but this time I managed to hold myself up and maneuvered myself back into my chair. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back while breathing heavily. My neck had a dull pain in it and it felt hot. I quickly reached and covered the bite mark with my hair to avoid him from seeing it heal.

"You can stay here for a short while until you get your strength back, then you can leave."

The nerve of him to say that to me, when he's the cause of putting me in this position. Reiji wiped at his mouth with a handkerchief and left the room. At the sound of the door closing, I felt my shoulders relax. Whatever he gave me, it was starting to wear off and thank goodness. That was absolutely horrible. My whole body felt as if it just shut down but I couldn't pass out. I was dizzy, weak, and couldn't comprehend much of anything while I was under the influence of whatever he put in my body. I finally began to doze off for a few minutes. It wasn't comfortable but it was better than laying on the floor.

I was woken up to the sound of a door closing. My eyes struggled to stay open but I eventually got to keep them open as wide as I could. Reiji had come back into the room and looked more than annoyed to find me still sitting there.

"You're still here I see."

"I just woke up. Sorry."

Reiji made his way over to the table I was sitting at, and started to rummage through some papers. I noticed that those were the papers that I had knocked down before whatever Reiji gave me took affect. He begrudgingly began sorting them out and apparently putting back as they were.

"I didn't mean to knock those over, I can help you fix them."

I tried to stand up only to flop back down in my seat. Reiji let out an irritated scoff while scanning through his papers.

"If you're wide awake, then leave. I don't care if you can barely walk. Crawl out or drag yourself out, I have work to do and you're in the way."

What kind of nonsense is that? He's talking to me like I came in here on my own and drugged myself up or something. The absolute nerve of him to act like this was all my doing. On wobbly legs, I stood and kept myself as balanced as I could. As Reiji focused on fixing the mess I made, I ended up losing my footing and tumbling into him. Instinctively, Reiji caught me by the upper arms and was staring down at me. Oh no. Now I've really upset him. He was already telling me to get out, now I've made things worse. But it's not like its my fault, whatever he gave me hasn't worn all the way off yet. Despite me not being to blame, I couldn't help but feel apologetic.

"I'm sorry...I-I'll leave now."

I tried to pull out of his grasp but he wouldn't let go. He only stared at me. Well more specifically, he seemed to be staring into my eyes. As if he was suddenly entranced or something. I couldn't help but feel myself staring back deeply into his. His eyes were an unusual and very unnatural color. They were red. Considering the whole vampire thing, this shouldn't be a surprise to me. Reiji narrowed his eyes for a split second, you could almost see a small tinge of sadness in his eyes. Just what was he thinking?

Next thing knew, Reiji began carefully lifting his hand up towards my face.

"Your eyes..."

This whole thing was getting weird now. I couldn't stop the light redness that appeared on my cheeks as Reiji began to move his face closer and closer to mine. My heart began to race. What is he doing? He's leaning in almost as if he is going to...kiss me?! No way. I'm sure I'm just speculating something absurd. What was this all about? He needed to snap out of whatever dream state he is in.

"R-reiji..."

At the sound of his name being called, Reiji seemed to jump back into reality. He blinked rapidly snapping himself out of whatever state he was in. He looked down at me and noticed how close we were. Without a second longer, Reiji let me go with a somewhat soft push. Seeing as how I was still feeling awful, that soft push was all I needed to hit the floor. I was still weak, so my balance was completely off. I looked up at him with upset and dazed eyes. He didn't even look at me after he did it, he turned back to his desk to finish doing what he was doing.

"Out."

I wanted to question whatever just happened but I knew that'd be a very bad idea. I pulled myself up off the floor and dragged my feet along to the door. Once I got there, I turned back to look at Reiji. So many things were running through my head at that moment. When he was staring into my eyes, he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at someone else. I wonder who he was thinking of while trying to kiss me? Perhaps a former lover? If so, I couldn't help but feel so bothered by it. Yet something is telling me, that that's not the case. There's this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach that something more is going on, and that that woman Aria is linked into it somehow.

~lllllllllllllllllll~

As soon as she left, Reiji put a stop to organizing his papers. He couldn't help but feel angry with himself with how he behaved just now with her. What the hell was he thinking? She wasn't her, but she sure did have her eyes. Her magnificent amber like eyes.

Reiji slammed his hand down on the desk, causing some of his things to fall on the floor. He hasn't thought of her in over a century, so why the hell now? Is it because of her? That simple girl. Reiji thought back to tasting her blood and couldn't stop his tongue from going across his fangs. He hadn't tasted anything like her before but he recognized the scent. Too familiar and very likely that he and his Father's theory may be correct. But if she is her daughter, then that means Aria is alive. Its only been well over a decade since they've last seen her, but he thought that perhaps his Father had gotten rid of her. Like anything else he loses interest in, but has his Father truly lost interest in a lost woman? Based on what he told him that night after dinner, clearly not. So that could mean that she's not dead as he thought.

Reiji couldn't help but feel a small tinge of happiness at the thought of seeing her again. His eyes found Aria's gift to him tucked away in his book. Unlike his own Mother, Aria actually took notice of his brilliant and quick mind and was more than happy to help him further advance himself. She could recognize his smarts and potential, whereas his Mother wouldn't bat an eye at each goal he managed to achieved. She always had her eyes set on the pathetic Shu. There was nothing special about him, so why? Because he was the eldest? He clearly wasn't capable of taking on such responsibilities yet Reiji was. Reiji was willing to put his childhood aside in order for his Mother to finally see what he was fully capable of, but of course it was all in vain.

Clenching his fist, Reiji's face upturned in a pleased yet upset smile. He thought back to his Mother's relieved smile as she laid on the ground bleeding from her mouth. She shouldn't have looked at peace. She should've suffered. Been in pain and writhing around struggling on her whatever last bit if undead life she had left. He wouldn't be satisfied with putting her out of her misery because that's not what he wanted.

"You didn't deserve a peaceful death. I'll be sure of that."

~lllllllllllllllll~

After making my way back to my room, I let out a tired sigh and laid down face first in bed. I looked over at the clock on the wall and saw that it was past one a.m. It felt as if it should've been almost morning by now. I adjusted myself in bed and pulled the covers up over my head. I needed to sleep. Perhaps sleep until next year.

The warm beam of light streaming through the window shined bright across my face causing me to stir awake. I rolled around in bed trying to avoid the streak of early morning sunlight but to no avail. Giving up at trying to stay in bed longer, I slowly opened my eyes and stretched my limbs with an loud groan. Finally waking up a bit more, I began to remember everything that happened mere hours ago and I placed my hand on my neck.

"They're gone."

There was an almost invisible ache there but other than that, I felt not a trace of what happened. Other than Reiji drugging me, which I still felt slightly sluggish from. Sleeping really did help though. As I sat up, I felt my joints pop in one place after another. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was six a.m. Still early but I can't go back to sleep even if I tried. My body was screaming at me to at least move around a bit. It'll definitely help wake me up more and give me a little energy after what I had been through.

Moving the covers aside, I got up and made my way to the bathroom. Fortunately the things I needed to freshen were already in the bathroom for me. After brushing my teeth and washing up, I went back out into the bedroom. It was a bit dim inside, so I made my way towards the window and opened the curtains a bit letting more light in. I couldn't help but sigh in amazement at how beautiful the sky looked. The sun was rising and the beams of light were peaking in between the thin clouds making the whole sky look as if it was on fire.

I closed my eyes basking in the warmth of the early morning sun and sighed. This is the kind of downtime I needed after my ordeal. A calm, quiet and warm morning all for me to enjoy.

Leaving the curtains open, I walked away from the window over to the bed. I slipped on my slippers and ran my fingers through my hair.

"I think I would enjoy this quiet morning more if I got some actual outside air."

I walked up to the door and opened it. I was surprised with myself for not being more cautious before opening it. Usually I hesitate before opening the door but not this time. I highly doubt anyone was up at this hour. Besides, I believe they sleep during the day anyways. They get up much much later. Not me though. I'm usually up and moving around. Making my way down the hallway and towards the stairs, I couldn't help but still look around to see if anyone was up and about. Of course my hunch was right. No one was up at the moment thankfully.

Heading downstairs, I wasn't sure whether or not I should exit the front door or the back door in the kitchen. I opted for the back door. They had an impressive garden and I remember Yui showing it to me and just how lovely it had been. I made my way towards the kitchen and was about to head out the door, until a small scratching sound entered my ears.

It was coming from the door. Was it a cat or something? I opened the door carefully only to be greeted by a small curious squirrel. It wasn't scratching on the door, just rummaging around one of the flower pots by the door. When I opened the door, it quickly scurried away with a squeak.

I smiled as it ran off and walked out into the garden.

I inhaled the fresh morning air with a huge hint of flowers to go perfectly along with it. Taking a carefree stroll through the garden was the most relaxing thing I've done in a while. I ended up finding the small white bench Yui and I sat on when I first walked through here with her. I thought about taking a seat but decided against it and chose to keep strolling along.

You almost can't believe something this natural and lovely is actually occupied within their gates. The manor itself is more than intimidating and the inside isn't exactly what I'd call cozy, but when it comes to their garden, you'd think this place shouldn't exist here. Especially with a home of vampires. Well one of them being Yui Komori, so I can definitely picture it being here because of her.

As I casually strolled along, my mind started to drift to what happened back in Reiji's work room and what he told me. I really wonder what those girls that befriended Yui had done. I mean of course it was the obvious. Getting into her good graces just to be around the Sakamaki's but I wonder if it was a bit more than that. I can't imagine the kind of things that stirred up around here when a conniving manipulative school girl is around. Well now that I think about it, I think the only one that would truly be bothered by the girls would only be Reji and Subaru. They tend to stay to themselves and don't appear to want to indulge themselves in all that attention. But Laito and Shu on the other hand, I bet they were the reasons those girls kept feeling like they had free reign to keep coming around. I'm sure Ayato was off limits because he only wanted Yui but what of Kanato. The only thing he pays attention to is his Teddy Bear, so I doubt he'd even bother himself with female company.

I walked until I ended up near an area that had a big willow tree and many other small bushes surrounding it. It was beautiful as its branches and small leaves laid slumped over onto the ground. The sun was shining right through the branches giving it a lovely outlined halo appeal to it. Its like they had their own personal meadow amongst other things.

I made my way over to the tree to get a closer look at it, until a figure sitting down with their back against the trunk caught my attention.

As I got closer, I saw that it was a resting Subaru. What was he doing out here? Don't he and his brothers sleep during the day? He really must be sleeping soundly otherwise, he would've heard me by now. Feeling a bit daring, I slowly walked a bit closer to him hoping not to cause him to stir. He had his arms folded and his face was very relaxed. Gone was his usual everyday scowl and frown, which was now replaced with a soft serene expression. For him to be sleeping this peacefully, it makes me wonder if he gets any proper sleep at all.

I was now in front of him looking down at him. Feeling more bold, I bent down so that I was almost face to face with him. His chest wasn't moving up and down which means he wasn't breathing. That's right he's a vampire. He doesn't need to breath, just like they don't need to eat food to survive. I forget sometimes that they don't need to sustain themselves on trivial everyday things a human needs.

I found myself staring at his face longer than I intended to and couldn't help but see him as adorable. He was pretty handsome as well. It was hard to tell sometimes because he was always in a sour mood and it showed 100% of the time on his face. Looking a bit closer, I noticed a small but fresh cut on the corner of his mouth. I wonder what happened.

Without realizing what I was doing, I leaned in closer to inspect the minor injury, but was then stopped by a pair of pissed off piercing red eyes.

Startled by his sudden alertness, I went to move away from him but was stopped by a hand wrapped around my wrist. He was definitely upset with me for waking him up and entering his personal space like that. Not knowing what to say to explain myself, I ended up apologizing.

"I'm...I'm sorry for waking you. I didn't mean to."

There was no way to tell if he cared about my apology or not because his usual scowling expression appeared almost immediately after waking up and seeing me. He had my wrist held pretty tightly in his cold grip.

"The hell are you doing here?"

My mouth was moving but no words were coming out. I sat there staring at him with my mouth agape. If I didn't say anything, he'd only get more angry.

"Nothing. I mean...I was just walking in the garden. I didn't know you were out here. Well I mean I saw you, but I guess I shouldn't have come over. I'm sorry, I'll just go now."

I tried pulling away but Subaru wasn't ready to let me go yet. I winced as his hold got more tight.

"Subaru...you're hurting me."

I let out a surprising yelp as he pulled me closer to him with our noses almost touching

"So what if I am. You shouldn't have come over here being a damn pest."

The fear in my eyes was definitely evident and he could tell how frightened I was right now. I didn't know what he was gonna do and I didn't want to find out.

"B-but I said...I was sorry..."

His mouth upturned into an amused smirk.

"That's not good enough. You woke me up from a pretty good nap. What are you gonna do to make it up to me?"

I've yet to see Subaru behave like this. I mean I had a close call before at school but this was different. For a second, I thought that he was different from his brothers but as you can see, I was wrong. No matter what I thought or how something seemed, it didn't matter. They were still vampires through and through.

I was about to answer him until I saw the cut on his lip. Maybe I can deter his intentions.

"Your lip."

My statement caused him to look at me in confusion.

"What?"

"Y-your lip. What happened?"

Turning in head away from me, Subaru ended up letting me go.

"Tch..."

I held my wrist close to my chest while rubbing it with my free hand. Well my distraction worked but it seemed to upset him when I mentioned his injury.

"So...what happened?"

I know I'm on a tightrope with this but I couldn't help but wonder. But then I thought back to when we were all gathering in the limo. Subaru and Kanato got back to the car pretty late and I noticed Subaru wiping at his mouth before entering. Did it happen at school? Maybe...

"Um, did you get into a fight?"

Subaru lifted his hand which was balled up into a fist and punched the tree.

"What the hell does it matter to you?!"

I couldn't help but move away from him a little bit at his outburst. He obviously didn't want me prying, and clearly didn't want to talk about it but would it kill him to show some restraint. I mean, did he really have to punch a tree?

The tree now had some damage to it and I couldn't help my disappointment but at the same time I couldn't help but wonder if his hand was okay.

"Your hand...is it okay? You hit the tree pretty hard."

But that only seemed to make him more upset.

"Would you mind your business and get out of here. Why the hell are you being a damn pain in the ass?"

I felt myself getting upset as well. Why was he being like this? Is it bad to ask about ones well being? Maybe he's not use to it or maybe he just doesn't know how to respond to others showing empathy. Regardless, he really should calm down. I folded my arms and frowned.

"Is it bad that I care? I'm asking because I'm worried about you. Is that bad?"

I knew I was out of line, and I wasn't in any condition to go toe to toe with him, but I didn't care. I'm sick of his quick temper and attitude.

We both stared at each other for a short while until he turned his gaze towards the tree he punched. He looked like he regretted it for a second but then turned his angry gaze back at me.

"Would you stop it."

I frowned in confusion.

"Stop what?"

"Looking at me like that..."

I frowned deeper even more confused.

"Like...what?"

Without warning, Subaru's hand darted out and grabbed my arm pulling me close to him yet again. Only this time, he pulled me on the ground and hovered over me with both arms suspended on the sides of my head. Eyes wide in shock, I laid there in confusion.

"S-subaru?"

He didn't do or say anything but I did see a look of uncertainty cross his face. Was he hesitating on biting me? Why would he hesitate anyway? If he was gonna do it, then do it rather than leave me in suspense.

We shared each others gaze again and I could feel him looking straight through me. For a second there, it felt as if he was looking at someone else rather than me. What he did next made my heart leap in my chest. He brought his head down placing his forehead against my own while shutting his eyes. The surprise on my face was completely warranted at such a strange yet gentle gesture from him.

I then started to feel Subaru's body quake a little above me, and I couldn't help but feel even more concerned.

"Subaru are you okay? What's the matter? Should I get help?"

His light shivering had ceased but he hadn't removed himself from me. However he did open his eyes but they had a strong look of conflict in them.

"I..."

Not sure of what else to do, I hesitantly brought my hand up and laid it on his face. This caused Subaru to immediately tense up and lift his forehead from mine. I thought he was gonna pull away from me, but much to my surprise he ended up subconsciously leaning into my touch.

What was going on? Is this even still Subaru? Is he even aware of his own actions right now? And what the heck am I doing? Touching him like this. I am way out of line. Just when I was about to call out to him, he appeared to have snapped back to reality.

"You shouldn't have come here. You'll end up just like her."

"Like...her?"

Subaru slowly brought his head down in between my neck and let out a whispered breath.

"Tch...be quiet..."

Then that's when I felt the bite. I shut my eyes trying to endure the soft pain I felt. I wasn't sure if he was intentionally being gentle or perhaps I was getting somewhat use to the biting. Even though it didn't hurt as much, I still couldn't help but wince as he suckled. I felt Subaru's weight shift on top of me the longer he sucked. As he was sucking my blood, I noticed that he was the only one that hadn't sucked my blood until now. Not counting Ayato of course for obvious reasons, but I mean Subaru was definitely different from his brothers. He was very standoffish, not one to want to be bothered, always so bitter and angry. Yet at the same time, he has his between the lines moments where he can actually be, dare I say it, kind. I thought back to Yui telling me that he had his moments where he was actually very nice and helpful. I can agree to the helpful claim because he actually did come to my aid on occasion. Although one or two of those times were unintentional.

Why did he behave differently from his brothers?

I felt myself becoming oblivious to the biting and found myself shutting my eyes. It was the strangest thing. It was almost as if I could feel myself becoming overwhelmed with emotions that weren't my own. I whined as I felt him suck harder and pressed himself into me more. I was trying to focus on breathing but his weight on top of me was making that difficult.

"I can't...Subaru..."

At the sound of his name, he lifted his head and looked down at me with a small frown on his face. Realizing what I was trying to say, Subaru lifted himself off of me and turned to lay on his back with his arms crossed. I sat up while holding my head and knew that I was dizzy. Then it dawned on me that I've had my blood sucked 3 times in a short amount of time. Once I got my dizziness kinda under control, I turned my head towards Subaru. I saw a small smear of my blood on the corner of his mouth and his tongue peeked out to lick up the small smudge. As I stared at him, I noticed that he was looking at me with a curious expression.

"W-what?"

"Your neck."

I quickly covered the spot where he had bitten, but it was already too late. He had seen them disappear.

"Did you...did you see?"

Subaru didn't say anything, he only stared with a curious frown on his face.

"Um Subaru?"

Then I had realized that he wasn't staring at me, but he was spacing out. His eyes then suddenly went wide but I couldn't tell if it was out of realization or something more than that.

Years ago...

"Subaru?"

Subaru looked up from his hands and up at the woman with Amber eyes. He had been sitting outside lost in thought after going to check on his Mother.

"Ms. Aria..."

Aria smiled seeing as she had finally gotten his attention.

"Subaru I've been calling your name for a while, is something on your mind?"

Subaru lightly shook his head and sighed.

"Nothing. What did you want?"

Aria held up a pair of small shears. "Hope its no bother, but I just wanted to know if maybe you want to help me tend to this baby willow I've been growing."

Subaru frowned. He knew nothing of plants and such.

"Why me? I don't know anything about that stuff."

Aria smiled while handing him the pair of small shears.

"Well let's use this opportunity for you to learn. Besides, its not like I want you to uproot an entire tree. Come."

Not waiting for his reply, she started walking and without thinking, Subaru was right behind her. Maybe this is what he needed right now. Some time away from his Mother. Just a moment ago, he had went to see her and just as usual, she would be gentle and soft spoken with him one minute, then the next she's lashing out at him ordering him to kill her. Of course it hurt him whenever she said stuff like that and it pained him to see her suffer so much, but no matter what his Mother did or said to him, he never loved her any less. He didn't understand, he just wanted to be there for her and love her, but she always shoved him aside and ran into his Father's arms. The main cause for her distress and suffering.

"Here we are."

Aria's voice pulled him from his thoughts and he looked around at where they were. He didn't even know this little area existed in their backyard.

Aria noticed his small sincere surprise and smiled.

"Didn't know you had this lovely little area so nearby? Its great for clearing your thoughts and spending time just for yourself. I believe everyone should have some time to themselves and escape the world. Even if its just for five minutes."

Aria stared at Subaru knowingly and gestured him to come closer. Subaru went closer and noticed a small drooping plant.

"Is this what you're tending to? It looks dead."

Aria chuckled.

"Oh dear no, its simply a willow. A Weeping Willow, and you're going to trim the small branches."

"But wouldn't that be bad for it?"

She shook her head.

"Not in the slightest. Go ahead, I'll tell you which ones to snip off."

Bit by bit, Subaru cut one twig after the next. Aria was sure to show him which were dead branches and which were freshly sprouting. Each one that got cut off, Aria gathered them to properly dispose of them.

"You did a fine job Subaru, very patient and gentle, I did right in asking you."

Subaru couldn't contain the small blush that appeared on his face.

"Its not a big deal..."

Aria reached out and tussled his soft hair making him grunt in embarrassment.

"H-hey!"

He stepped away from her so that her hand fell from his head.

"Its alright to take compliments Subaru."

Subaru huffed and shyly handed her back her shears. Aria reached for them but then winced and pulled her hand back. One of the blades had nicked the tip of her finger as she tried reaching for it.

Once Subaru saw the blood, he immediately felt guilty.

"I didn't...I mean...I should've turned them the other way..."

Aria dismissed his worry words and smiled.

"Its fine Subaru, just a small cut."

Before Subaru could say another word, he saw that her cut had quickly began to close up. Aria noticed his curious expression and tilted her head while wiggling her finger.

"See."

The surprise on Subaru's face made Aria chuckle and she waited on him to say something. Her amused smile then dropped when she saw a bit of worry on his face.

"Does...he know?"

His question caught her off guard.

"Subaru?"

Subaru then clenched his fist and grunted.

"Does...Father know about what I just saw?"

Aria nodded.

"...He does."

Subaru then looked at her with heavy concern in his eyes.

"He'll...he's just gonna use you. Like everyone else."

His words surprised her and she sighed while looking at him with appreciation. He was concerned about her.

"Your worry for my well being touches me Subaru, but I already know that your Father has ill intentions."

Puzzled by her words, Subaru took a step back and stared at her clearly confused.

"So then why keep coming here?"

Aria smiled and placed a hand on her chest.

"The truth is, I would've left long ago but then I became attached to you and your brothers. You all have made my life so much brighter than it was before. I do know that in time, I will eventually have to leave here but I hope that time isn't soon."

Subaru shook his head and frowned.

"You shouldn't stay here because of us! We'll...be fine."

He then looked away with a conflicted expression.

"Subaru, I know that it wouldn't seem like that much of a difference if I did stay but I love you boys very much. As if you were my own."

Subaru shook his head.

"You're wrong...!"

His small outburst surprised her. "Wrong?"

Subaru shyly looked away not able to meet Aria's eyes and he spoke almost quietly under his breath.

"You being here just makes things a little bit...easier."

"Subaru...?"

At the sound of my voice, Subaru looked down at his arm to see my hand resting on it. I couldn't help but begin to worry. He had suddenly spaced out and wouldn't respond at all to my when I called his name a few times. He moved his arm away from my hand and huffed while giving me a look of annoyance. I was expecting him to lash out at me about not touching him or to mind my own business but he didn't say anything. He simply got up from the grass and got ready to stomp off.

"Subaru..."

At the sound of his name being called, he did stop for a second but then continued on his way. I sat there on the ground while staring at him until he disappeared from my sight. He truly was one confusing guy. Just what even happened just now? If I'm not mistaken, he looked as if he didn't want to bite me let alone hurt me.

And the way he looked at me sent chills up my spine. It felt as if I should know him yet I was sure I didn't. So why did he look at me with such a familiar gaze. Shu and Reiji gave me similar glances. This whole thing was becoming more questionable by the minute.

I got up from the grass and brushed my hands all over my body getting rid of anything that may gave gotten on my gown. I needed to get back inside before Yui comes looking for me. I wonder if she's even up right now.

I made my way back inside through the kitchen and looked around to see if anyone was up. To my surprise, the kitchen was bare. I was at least half expecting Kanato to be in here looking for something sweet to eat but he was nowhere in sight.

Well since no one appears to be up, I think it'd be best if I head back to my room before I have another unpleasant encounter.