A/N: Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is staying safe and well!

Warning: Major character death(s).

These violent delights have violent ends.

—William Shakespeare

Yui Komori adjusted her position and the horse slowed. The hill to reach the castle was not kind, especially during summer's beating heat. Or, in this instance, the inferno crackling above them. The horse's neck was slick, its lungs heaving for breath. With haste, she swung from its back and sprinted to the gathering crowd. Yui darted her head: left, right, front, back, until she almost collapsed in a dizzying panic.

"Yui?" A hand touched her shoulder and she wrenched round.

Her father's eyes were bewildered. A bucket of water dangled from his arm with several flannels slung across the rim. He was assisting in calming the victims and taking statements, and Yui was relieved he was not putting himself into any danger by being at the scene.

"Papa! Have you seen—"

"My child, what are you doing?" He interjected, firmly placing a hand on her back. He began to guide her away from the fire. "You mustn't be here. It is dangerous. The smoke... think of young Eve."

Yui twisted out of his hold, as though his touch beheld the heat of the fire itself. "No! I must help!" She cried, angling her chin to the sky. Loose, blackened stone hurdled to the ground, searing the grass. People screamed and were ordered to retreat. "Have you seen Shu? Subaru?"

Seiji Komori gave her a lingering, defeated glance and called across the clearing. In the next moment, a white head bobbed above the swarm.

"Subaru!"

She rushed to him, only to find his head had disappeared as quickly as it came. Yui manoeuvred through the crowd until she reached a flat boulder with a slender, pearly-haired woman lay upon it. She appeared to be sleeping, as serene as a dove. She possessed a rare type of beauty which was startling to behold, glowing and unearthly.

"Subaru," she called, though she could not peel her eyes away from the woman. "Your mother," she realised at once. Subaru's concern was reserved for a select number of people, and his eyes held her like she was the most precious piece of china, broken by a careless hand. "Is she... um, is she okay?"

Subaru noticed her hesitation and beckoned her near. "Fine. I think," he said, listless. He breathed a laugh at Yui's stiffness. She was a beauty with a monster's heart, many had said. Dangerous. Uncontrollable. Mad. "She's passed out cold, don't worry. Found her like that. The smoke either got to her first or she knocked herself out in a panic. But," he sighed out relief. "Thank fuck she's still breathing."

His pale hair was dirtied with ash, his clothes littered in tiny scorch marks. He had been caught amongst the flames and Yui sketched the cross to thank God for His kindness. Gently, she placed a hand on his forearm.

"Subaru, I'm worried. I can't find Shu. Have you seen him?"

He flinched. "Hah? I thought he was with you. Y'know, at the docks."

Yui shook her head. "He was supposed to meet me, but he never came. Then I saw the fire and I rushed here as quickly as I could. I have a bad feeling. I think he may still be…"

Subaru pulled his fingers through his hair and pummelled the ground with his fists. "Shit. Fuck!"

Yui's resolve was set. She sought her father in the crowd and ushered Eve into his arms. She sneezed when suddenly exposed to the smoke, away from the cover of her mother's breast.

"Papa, please take her for a while," she said, turning to Subaru with steel in her eyes. "I will find him and bring him out. I promise."

Seiji took the child with reluctancy. He reached to take his daughter's hand, hoping the act would make her see sense.

"Y-Yui! Do not be so foolish!" He exclaimed, his cheeks veined red, his forehead clammy. "You are my only daughter. I cannot see you hurt. I cannot see to lose you."

Yui shook her head and returned the pressure on his hand. "I'm sorry, papa."

"If not for me, think of your child!" He pushed on, his voice quick and quivering. "If anything were to befall upon you, to grow up without a parent—!"

"I am thinking of her! Why do you think I am so desperate to save him?" She did not know whether the tears which burned her eyes were born out of frustration, or from the fire's heat. "I want her to know her parents. Both of them."

Seiji Komori blinked at her face, as though a flame's tongue had come with the wind and scorched it into disfigurement. His mouth worked, but it delivered no sound.

"Papa," she encouraged.

"M-Master Shu," he finally uttered. "You cannot mean…?"

Yui offered an apologetic smile. This was not how she wanted to tell him, in a world of fire, fear and death. Yet she was glad it had been spoken from her own lips, rather than one of the gossiping church ladies on a Sunday morning. But perhaps no time was the right time to disclose a lie. Especially one which would hurt so much.

"As I have said, papa. He is a good man," said Yui, settling her gaze onto the castle. "In an impossible situation."

She faced Subaru for the final time and nodded. Turning, he seized her arm, his fingers unrelenting.

"Cricket," he warned, his eyes as hard as stone. One may have misinterpreted it for anger, but it was not. It was worry, panic, fear. "Don't play fucking stupid. Say you reach him, and he's what, unconscious. You think these," he said, plucking up her thin arms. "Are gonna be able to drag him out?" For a while they stared at each other, battling in the silence. "I'll go."

"No," Yui argued, slotting her hands onto hips. "Your mother's here and she needs you. He needs me. This may not be my fight, but... I'm one of the reasons for it." Yui stepped back, closer to the castle than anyone dared to be. "I'm going in. Do not try to stop me. We will endure far more pain at the loss of Shu than at the hands of this fire."

With determination firing in her blood, Yui raced to the castle as light-footed as a deer. The men's faces flared in alarm as she passed, like she was a demon in the smoke. They ceased lashing their buckets, their skin shining with sweat.

"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

"That girl! Somebody stop her!"

Yui tucked her arms to evade their lunging hands. The great iron-cladded door was closed, seemingly untouched, like the pursed mouth of a fire-bellied beast. Graceless, she thrust her body into the panel and tumbled through, all limbs loose.

Her palms flew in front to catch her fall, but the ground's heat made her hiss and recoil. Her head slapped the stone. She blinked and saw red darkness; fire that seemed to fill the world.

Clutching her head, her throat, Yui attempted to rise, but she fell to her knees. She coughed and coughed until blood tasted stronger than smoke. She staggered on. The clean slices of metal cut through the crackling, thin flashes in the smoke, like the veins of lightning on a pitch-black night.

She shielded her eyes. Two hazed silhouettes were locked in battle on the stairway. Yui stumbled forward, closer. Their faces were crazed and blistered; their swords two static thunderbolts.

They leaped to strike. Reiji held the advantage positioned above, and Shu's only option was to be quick-footed and use an underhanded attack. Their bodies fanned the flames, starring her hair with embers. She closed her eyes. A sword squelched and retracted, reaping an anguished cry. The silence was sudden, startling.

Yui screeched. "Shu!"

She charged to the stairs and skimmed the flames, pushing back the white-hot pain which crept up her legs. She cried his name over and over until his face rippled through the smoke. Her knees buckled. A sword clattered to the ground, spoiled with blood. Yui could not breathe. She wrapped her arms around herself and coaxed her parched lungs to take a single, starved breath.

"No, no, no," Yui mumbled, gathering her head into her hands. She rocked wildly, unfeeling the flames which snapped at her skin. "I-I am too late."

Suddenly, a fumbling hand found hers in the smog. It pulled and she was suffocated. It pushed her deeper, tighter, against something. In her madness, Yui was almost convinced she had died and the fiery gates of hell were sucking her under.

God forgive me, I beg of you! She prayed. Save him, not me!

A voice brushed her ear. "You impossible creature. I do not doubt you would follow me to hell and back if I desired it."

Shu Sakamaki was embracing her, his arms strong and alive. In the space above his shoulder, she caught glimpses of slow, shuffling movement. In an instant, the shadow lunged and Yui spun and threw her body in front. The sword stabbed blind.

"I refuse to accept my death from a worthless man's hand," spoke Reiji, his voice pained and wet. He hissed in the spaces between words. "Look around. The Sakamaki name will be eradicated from history. A handful of ash, a felon in a folktale. And I assure you... you will go down with it."

Reiji lurched closer. Blood dribbled from his mouth and leaked patches through his shirt. But his mad eyes dimmed once he caught sight of his blade jutting out from Yui Komori's ribcage.

"I—I—" She uttered several shocked sounds and set her shaking hands on the metal.

Shu's war-cry was almost enough to frighten the fire into submission. Reiji was weaponless and flushed with remorse. Revenge's tormented disease had fled from his eyes and infected blue, bitter and bloodthirsty. Holding up Yui's faltering body, he hauled the blade from her and plunged it into Reiji's chest.

He held his killer's stare with as much hatred as he could muster, until his body stilled and caved over the stairway railing. Shu looked down upon the weight in his arms.

He wanted to turn back time. He would have made his senses alert; he would have reacted to the danger in an instant. He wanted to vomit, flee and kill him again, just to feel the delicious spark of justice once more. He wanted her alive. The future he spoke of would not exist without her in it.

"You—" Shu's words caught in his throat. "Never learn," he finished, agonised. He thought of bruised cheeks and green apples, of her selfless promises and sacrifice.

A black, boiling anger settled inside of him, killing all of the kindness he had learned from her. He shook her, he called her name, he insulted her nerve for leaving him. This cricket-like woman should never be still, silent, and it sickened him. Shu cradled her unmoving form as sweetly as he should have done in life. Affection would have spoiled her and he gave it as a rare treat, not dissimilar to how he treated his animals. He ached with regret.

"Reiji was right," he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. "I didn't… deserve you."

He brushed her long hair from her neck, his fingertips jumping at the warm, fluttering pulse. Suddenly, Yui coughed and winced and smiled, as though his worry was unnecessary.

"I-I am fine," she croaked, fussing in his arms.

She tottered to her feet and Shu's arms fell lifeless at his side. He blinked and blinked, unsure whether she was real or the hopeful vision of a mad-man. Hesitantly, he touched her arm, her cheek, and looked to her eyes, open and alive, two blazing red orbs in the firelight.

Shu's lip trembled. "Yui…?"

"P-Please do not worry," she insisted, "I am well."

Shu almost swore. He hauled her into a fierce embrace and she yelped, her hands trapped painfully tight against his chest.

"I have just seen you stabbed," he growled. "I do not see a more appropriate time to be worried."

"Yes," she nodded, forcing distance. "But it is not too deep. Who would have thought these things could have another purpose apart from vanity?" She pointed to her corset. It had hurt like a terrible bee-sting, her ribs aching and tender. She had fainted, the disturbing sight of the blade protruding from her body causing more damage than the injury itself. "I will not complain about them again."

Shu felt drunk with relief. "Or," he countered, "that man had a weak hand. It is worthless sparing the dead of their pride."

"Reiji… he's really gone, isn't he?"

Yui's gaze hovered over the spot where the doctor's body had fell. Tears streamed and they dried as quickly as they fell, crusting lines over her cheeks. Shu did not believe Reiji deserved her grief and she knew it, running her hand up her throat to silence the sound.

"I do not think I will ever be able to figure it out. Love. It is easy and it is hard, is it wrong, right, or will it ever be enough? It is beautiful but it can destroy so much," she mumbled. "So very much. Reiji... I'm sorry. I pray that you find peace. Please."

"Yui," Shu called, his voice flat. "I will not pretend to regret it... I would do it again, a thousand times over. If this has taught me anything, it's that mercy is synonymous for hesitation. Weakness." He closed his eyes. "Once I take my position—"

He will have little time for her, his every hesitation and weakness.

"—you will have no time for me?"

He looked at her with bright eyes. "It is not often a woman comes along who is willing to battle through flames and take a sword to the gut for a man... is it?" Shu said. "You are no man's weakness. You are a strength in everything that you are, and you are a fool to think otherwise. I am weary of telling you to value yourself more."

I am more than a temptress, she thought, and we are more than a moment of weakness.

The scarlet letter on her breast had cowered from the heat, black-edged and curling inward. Its punishment no longer held meaning, nor could its blinding beauty alienate her. Yui flung it into the flames, without fear. She looked back at Shu and wished she could smile. His words may have filled her heart if it had not been broken.

"Shu, we must go," she said, concern shrilling her voice.

They were at the bottom of the stairway and the fire had migrated dangerously near. She tugged his hand and rushed into the entrance hall, their sleeves pinched tight to their faces. The heat had lessened, but the smoke was thick. The door was in sight and her pace quickened at the thrill of fresh air.

"Wait," said Shu, suddenly. He rooted his feet to the floor and Yui's body jerked. "I am not done here."

"The smoke is getting worse. It's dangerous for us to remain here any longer."

His attention drifted past her and Yui knew he was hardly listening. "My father is still here," he said slowly, as though he was tasting the words. "He would not have left this castle no more than a captain leaves his ship. That man, always concerned with reputation… he would rather die an honourable death, protecting the legacy of his name, than be seen a coward abandoning his responsibility."

Yui frowned. "I do not think one is a coward because they fear death. It makes them human."

"Hn. I've wondered."

"W-Well," spluttered Yui, coughing. "We must get him out of here—"

He made himself tall. "Leave… and return to the child," he said, turning away, and Yui chased and grabbed his arm.

"What?"

"I am accepting my position as the head of this family… which means that man's rule will have to end," Shu spoke grimly. He glanced at his sword, crusted with blood. "It is easy to forget the true villain… when they are not the one seeking your blood."

Behind her, Yui bunched her hands into fists. "This is not what you want. This has never been what you wanted!"

"You, and a family, is what I want… it's what I've always wanted. Once the power is mine… I do not care what I have to do. I will ensure that you are by my side. All I ask is that you be a good girl and wait. The shift cannot happen instantly."

"I will wait, but I will not leave," she said. "I promised Subaru that I would get you out, and I will not return to him without doing so."

Above the arm thrown across his nose, his eyes were sliced narrow.

"You are a stubborn woman... and so, you will see with your own eyes the choice that I've made," he started. "Even if it disgusts you... do not look away. Watch until the end. This... everything that has happened... it has changed you. And this will change me, in ways unknown. This fate of ours will be dark. Better you get used to it, because I have no intention of letting you go."

Yui's face was stern. "I trust your decision, Shu."

He continued down the hall and she followed him, through the fire and smoke, to fight for their future.

.:.

Habitually, Shu raised his fist to knock on the door of his father's study. He froze mid-movement and thought of Reiji, a man who valued manners as highly as a knight valued his sword, the same man who this evening had barged into his bedchamber without entry.

Murderers were not polite.

"It's all right," reassured Yui, placing her hand over his fist. He reaffirmed his determination with a nod and clicked open the door.

Smoke hung about the room, thin and low, like an early morning mist. The glowing, scarlet world was no more and Shu almost shivered. Black streaked his hair like old, tarnished gold, his shoulders hanging with exhaustion. Yui cupped her middle and followed behind, masking each wince with a quickened step.

Lord Karl Sakamaki stood at the window watching with pondering eyes, as though the world burning around him was the result of an experiment which had taken a curious turn. At the disturbance he turned, unperturbed, and dipped his chin in acknowledgement.

"You have something you wish to say to me, I assume?"

Shu's eyes dwelled on his sword, of the dried blood blighting the blade, of his own strange reflection staring back.

"I have come to claim your crown," he said, cold and curt. "And accept my position as the head of this family."

Lord Sakamaki's lips pulled into a small, pleased smile. "So," he curled the word around on his tongue. "It is you, my son, who is fated to kill me after all. Once I imagined it may have been Ayato. My death would cause no greater pain to dear Cordelia, and in the same triumph, Ayato would be pushed closer to the throne. Alas!" He clasped his hands. "No, it is you, Shu," he said. "My, how satisfying it is to see my predictions fabricate before me."

Shu's eyes thinned. "You accept your death willingly?"

"Why of course," he said, as though he was conversing with a fool. "If my son and heir has grown the sense of responsibility necessary to accept the Sakamaki title, then I see no reason to refuse you. I am an old man who has borrowed this title from my father before me, and now you will borrow it from me. If it is not yours to take… whose is it?"

Lord Sakamaki wore a wisp of a frown, his head tilted thoughtfully. "But…"

Shu clicked his tongue. It was never going to be this easy. "But what?"

"I applaud your growth," he began. "It was near an impossible sight to imagine yourself, with such magnificent determination, standing before me to demand the crown you previously scorned. But what I cannot applaud is your reason, the force behind such determination."

His eyes swayed to Yui Komori, sad and pitiable, in deep regret over his son's poor decision. Hot shame burned her cheeks and she frantically pinned her gaze to the floor.

"Do not look away," Shu barked. "You are with me. You have every right to be here."

"Woman, it is unlike you to be silent," Lord Sakamaki jeered, circling her like livestock. "Where is your tongue, always readily available to defend or protest? Ah, I see. Your silence confirms your agreement."

"N-No," spoke Yui, raising her head. "I am not the sole reason, I believe I am one of many reasons. Shu may not always show it… but he cares about many people. My daughter, my father, Subaru, the triplets. He has decided to take on this role on his own… In fact, it is my wish that he didn't," she said, giving Shu an apologetic glance. "But I cannot enforce my wishes anymore. I respect his decision because he has made it, because I respect him."

Lord Sakamaki pursed his mouth and turned to his son, vexed at the lingering, bright-eyed smile he cast her. "It is easy to see the future you seek," he said. "You will threaten the church, criminalise the innocent and abuse the crown in the pursuit of this match. You will marry and breed with this commoner, and your sons will borrow the title from you," he paused and twisted his beautiful face. "But they will be so very undeserving to behold it."

"You speak of the methods to dispose a wife well. Was my mother… subjected to such fate? Was murder less troublesome than fighting for divorce with the church?" Shu breathed a laugh. "Her death was tragic, but it was no accident. This family has no room for accidents. Tell me."

Lord Sakamaki gave his attention to the towering portrait of his late wife, the seeping smoke blurring her detail.

"Beatrix was a fine wife," he said, "and a fine mother."

Shu shook his head. "She did not want a son, she wanted an heir."

Lord Sakamaki mirrored his son's refusal. "I had heard you were a misbehaving child, endlessly escaping the women in your care. During midwinter, you refused to stay inside and heed to your study and you fell into the river, the very one at the entrance of the castle grounds," he explained.

"Beatrix was returning from church when she caught sight of you struggling and called for help," he continued. "But of course, the women had limited their search to the house, for even they could not believe the foolishness of a child. Thus, no help came, so she went to your aid. She reached you, but the currents were rife and the banks were iced. She pushed you to safety. By the time your nurses returned… she had passed. She had died smiling, they had said. You developed a terrible fever and your heart weakened as a result. I rushed myself a new wife for security."

Shu stole a glance at his mother's portrait and quickly turned his face away. He could not bear to look at it, not when he had believed the misconceptions about her character for all these years. She was like himself; cold and caring.

"Why… did I not know this?"

Lord Sakamaki hummed. "You never asked."

"Well," he bit out with frustration. "Why was this not common knowledge?"

"It would do our name little good for the people to know how Lord Sakamaki had a weak wife, foolish staff and a misbehaving son."

Shu could not recall the incident, but he could recall the fever, the pain. His body was heavy and tethered to the bedsheets, sweating in the cold. Blurred echos of people flitted about the bedchamber; the chants of a priest, the sorrowful whispers of women. He thought of Yui when she was small, carelessly hopping across the riverbank stones. Perhaps his fascination had been born out of concern. Watching in case of a slip, a splash, so he and his brother could rush to her rescue.

'C'mon, let's do something else,' Subaru had moaned, throwing himself dramatically onto the scatter cushions. 'This is boring!'

'No… just a little longer,' Shu had replied, glued to the window. 'Just until she's safe at the bottom of the hill.'

"Unlike you… I care little for appearances," he said. "If there is nothing for people to run their mouths about then they will simply create something." He swallowed, paused, thought. "For my entire life… I have cringed watching your rule, helpless and unable to protect anything. The way you abuse the triplets, as though they are at fault for your own temptation; my brother's mother, locking her away in a tower to starve and freeze. I have watched you ruin the woman I love, humiliate and instill her with fear… and to snatch her child away… in front of me."

Shu's eyes blazed, his knuckles white around the sword's hilt. "You knew that day… didn't you? That she was mine," he continued, clawing his fingers through his hair. "How could you not? Her birthmark, an unmistakable mark of me. An imperfection you always detested, passed down from mother to son to daughter. You knew Subaru was not the culprit; you knew it was me. You wanted my reaction… and hoped it would amuse you."

"I have known all this time," Lord Sakamaki confirmed. "One only had to look to see it."

"L-Lord Sakamaki," Yui piped, and Shu made a disgusted sound at her pleasantries. "Can I ask… whether you were ever going to deliver my punishment, lock me in a cell or send me to the gallows? Or… is my punishment the fear of punishment itself? I just… have to know. Please."

He considered her for a moment before he spoke. "I do not see why many view death as a punishment. Death is a mercy. It is far harder to live, and to live under the weight of one's sins."

Yui nodded, unsatisfied. He was like a politician, filling the people with vague and empty answers.

"Enough," Shu bit out, pursing his sword. "You may not have killed my mother… but that does not make you an innocent. Vanity has blinded you from your own hypocrisy. Your broken rule ends… now."

"You are not yet twenty-seven, yet you have a wife, are seeking your second, and have fathered an unlawful child." Lord Sakamaki stepped closer. "I have always said, that although my son's have their mother's faces, they have their father's heart."

Shu ground out unintelligible frustration but made no comment of correction. He lunged at the man, desperate to silence the voice which livened his nightmare. His blade soared towards his heart, yet Karl Sakamaki merely raised an eyebrow and swiftly dodged the hit. Yui blinked, stunned at the elder lord's speed.

"A lazy, unthoughtful move," Karl Sakamaki said, not a hair out of place. "It is unwise to judge an opponent too hastily."

"I have thought many of your decisions to be unwise…" Shu replied, stilled. He did not lower his sword. "I will not listen to your nonsense now."

His lips quirked. "Very well."

Shu attacked once again, thundering him with countless fast slices and jabs. Lord Sakamaki successfully evaded them, his face unmarked with emotion. He was god-like, as though he knew the direction of his blade before Shu had decided himself. Shu pushed him back, further and further toward the wall. Emitting a light sigh, his father uncovered a dagger from beneath his cloak.

Pressed against the wall, Shu raised the sword to deliver the death stroke, but Lord Sakamaki threw his own small blade before him, the sharp clashing of metal ringing throughout the room. He was strong despite his age and weapon, and Shu strained under the pressure.

"Damn this…!"

Shu stumbled back, struggling to maintain the grip on his sword. His arms were weak, trembling, his lungs rasping as they heaved for breath.

"I do not wish to end your life… but it is my wish to end this fight. You cannot kill me alone, no matter the strength of your hatred, or the strength of this love you claim to behold."

Lord Sakamaki twirled the dagger between his fingers and Shu had a sickening flashback of Subaru's close hit. He inhaled and willed his body to move, but he was not as quick-footed as his earlier battle had suggested.

With a swoop, the blade pierced his sword-arm. Shu yelped and instantly dropped the sword to favour the grip of his gushing wound.

"Shu!" Yui screamed, rushing to his side.

The injury was deep and the dagger's blade was scarcely visible. Amidst her fretting, Yui feared he would never be able to lift his arm again, or if it would have any feeling.

Shu's face was twisted in agony and he did not acknowledge Yui's pleas to administer first aid; he stared up at his father before shifting his attention to the window behind him. A rush of air left his lips, and whether it was a laugh, a sigh or a whimper of pain, no one could be certain.

"I am not… alone," Shu forced out, eternally grateful for years of violin training to sharpen his ears.

Suddenly, there was a crash and a tremendous shatter as the window burst into thousands of sparkling shards. Two bodies, bearing flashes of white, tumbled through in quick succession.

"M-Mother—!" Bellowed Subaru Sakamaki, clambering to his feet. The glass glittered in his hair, his clothes, like blessed summer raindrops, with some unfortunate pieces having nipped at his face, neck, hands. He paid them no mind, even when the blood dripped and sullied the carpet. "Fuck! Mother, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

Yet Subaru's scrambling search for his mother ceased when he laid eyes on her, apparently unhurt. She had leaped onto Lord Sakamaki's back and latched her legs around his waist, with a taut strip of fabric—possibly her dress' belt, or perhaps it had tied her hair—around his neck, strangling him.

He flailed his arms and clawed his neck, but it did not hinder her determination. His golden eyes bulged, no longer beautiful, whilst blue and purple veins coloured his cheeks.

Lady Christa's features were crazed, inhuman, and with each cackle of laughter, with each incoherent mumble, frothing spit flew from her lips.

Subaru cursed and twitched forward, but Shu raised his good arm to stop any interference. "Leave her," he said. "I will not have her punished."

The youngest danced on his feet, throwing his head to Shu, to his dying father, to his murderous mother. "Shu!" He yelled, exasperated. "I hate the old bastard, but to let him die—!"

Shu's eyes were cold as he watched. "His rule is broken. It ends now."

"I—I knew it! You were with her! That Beatrix!" Christa spat, casting a scornful glance at Shu. He looked back, impassive, still clutching his arm. Yui noticed how he paled each time he caught a glimpse of the blood flowing through his fingers. "Y-You lied to me! You said you loved me, and only me, yet she is still alive, walking these castle grounds whilst I am locked in away in that wretched tower!" Christa tightened her grip and barred her teeth; Lord Sakamaki collapsed to his knees. "The fire… oh, you are a clever man, My Lord," she crooned, her features a sudden, eerie wash of calm. "To leave your poor wife to die in a tragic accident…"

Shu looked toward Yui who was hiding in his shadow, whispering strings of soothing mantras. Blood had blossomed through her dress, her frequent coughing stretching the wound. His vision swayed.

"Hm? You are quite right," Lady Christa muttered, speaking to some invisible advisor. "It is a terrible shame, but it must be done. If I cannot have him, then I will ensure that nobody else can either."

Lady Christa's red eyes ignited with delight as the man she held captive finally struggled no more, lying limp in her lap. She giggled like a small child and arched down to press a kiss upon his lips.

"Until death do us part, My Lord," she said sweetly, her white, translucent hair falling over his face like a funeral veil.

Shu rose and looked down upon them, a bitter smile spreading across his lips. "So, it is finally in death that we are to see those eyes, always knowing… surprised."

It crossed his mind that his father may have locked Lady Christa away for the preservation of his own life. She saw ghosts, conversed with invisible foes, and was consumed by paranoia. But Shu knew there were humane methods to treat the mad, without starving or abusing them. She deserved to enforce vengeance upon the man who mislead and mistreated her and he was inclined to thank her for it. Punishment was out of the question, as was the truth of his father's demise being outed to the public. It would be a tragic accident, not dissimilar to the fire.

"M-Mother, you…"

Subaru's broken voice startled him. He turned to see him staring vacant at the rocking, muddled woman, tears numbly flushing the blood from his face. Shu touched his hand, for he could not reach his shoulder, and he jumped like a skittish animal.

"I-It is not her fault!" He snapped, fidgeting. "She is not a monster or a murderer, she is just unwell—!"

"Of course," Shu agreed, deeply concerned his brother was on the verge of losing it himself. "She is not at fault."

His outburst had driven Christa out of her mind and the furious madness returned, yet this time, it was fixated on Subaru.

"You disgusting, filthy boy! Look—!" She frantically gestured to the corpse still positioned in her lap. "Look at what you have done! To kill your own father! You have ruined me, and now you have ruined him! The devil is within you, destroying everything in which you touch! He was once so very handsome…" She softly brushed her fingers over his cheek, her tears splashing against his cold skin. "Your hands have been dirtied with blood! You are no son of mine!"

She snatched a paperknife from the desk and darted forward, the blade directed at his neck. Subaru hung his head, unwilling to dodge the attack he thought was deserved. There was a hurried shuffle from behind them followed by a grunt of exertion. Suddenly, a book hurdled through the air and whacked Christa in the side of the head. She cried out and stopped, the paperknife clinking against the floorboards. Her feet wobbled and her body swayed, and soon she crashed to the ground, unconscious.

The two brothers wrenched round to gape at Yui, her arm still frozen in place.

"I—I am sorry! I could think of little else!"

Subaru did not berate her and instead went immediately to his mother's side, scooping her into his arms. He adjusted her head to rest against his shoulder and dabbed the leaking blood with his sleeve. Ashamed, Yui slinked to Shu's side.

"Shu, I am so sorry," she said, glaring at her boots. "I should never have done that. It was disrespectful."

She felt the weight of Shu's hand upon her head, ruffling her hair. "Quiet," he said, sounding relieved. "You did well."

"T-Thank you for saying that…" she mumbled, her cheeks faintly pink. She averted her eyes upward, but before they found his face, they found the dagger jutting out from his arm. "Shu, we must go, but first… please let me treat your wound."

He pursed his lips, but did not refuse. "Do… what you want, woman."

"Just a moment then." Yui gathered the tray of spirits and tore a long strip from the hem of her dress, wincing at the reminder of Lord Sakamaki's gruesome end. "If I may?" Her hands hovered at the dagger's hilt, awaiting permission.

Shu stalled and continued to glare at the dagger, as though he was debating whether its removal was entirely necessary.

"What do I get in return?" He asked, looking down at her.

"Sorry?"

"This will cause me great discomfort. You are insisting, so I will allow it… as a favour. So, what will you give me in return?"

Yui frowned. "An arm you can use?"

He shook his head and his eyes flashed. "A kiss."

"I told you," she said, "I have no intention of being your mistress."

Shu hummed. "Well, I fear I may forget why I even desired you in the first place, it has been that long."

Yui was tempted to rip the dagger from his arm, permission or not. She exhaled, feeling mildly insecure. "Shu… you are horrible. I am only trying to help."

"You are being horrible," he argued, pouting like a child who did not get his way. "I am asking for a kiss, not permission to take you to bed." He turned his face away and mumbled, "You know how I detest being… doctored."

Yui's smile was sympathetic. "You're afraid?"

"Enough," he snapped. "Get on with it before I change my mind."

Yui steeled herself. "Grit your teeth, hold onto something and… think of something pleasant."

With both hands viced around the hilt, she mustered all of her strength to ensure she removed it in a single pull. She could not imagine the pain, or the complaints, if it took her several.

Many seconds passed as she tugged, her face flushed with strain. Finally, Shu gave an agonised cry as the blade slipped from his skin, sending Yui tumbling backwards and holding up the bloodied dagger, victorious.

"I hate you," Shu grumbled, holding his breath, his features scrunched with pain.

"You do not," Yui said, casting aside the blade. "It is done and you were very brave."

Shu cut his eyes. "You dare treat me like… a child?"

"No, I…"

Yui shuffled closer and stared at his face, still beautiful despite the painting of blisters and ash and blood. She stared at his eyes, nose, lips—suddenly grateful that his eyes could see her, his nose could breathe, and even that his lips could insult her so cruelly. Her heart swelled, and instead of crying, she kissed him.

He smirked against her lips and Yui retracted, unwilling to turn her moment of rash relief into a surrender to his whims.

Shu's eyebrow was raised. His hand was curled around her neck, trapping singed strands of hair. "Hn… was that so difficult?"

Yui sighed, her small hands cupping his face, his skin tingling with warmth beneath her fingertips. "Thank you," she said, joining their foreheads. "For staying alive."

All humour vanished from his face. He rested his hand on her stomach, where the blood continued to flourish. The place where she had given him life, and saved his life.

He closed his eyes. "Thank you… Yui."

She hummed. "For what?"

Shu swallowed his frustration; she was a dense creature.

"Existing," he said.

Yui gave a little laugh and removed their closeness. "Well, you're welcome," she said, her eyes crinkled in the corners. "Now please let me work on your arm. You will need to see a doctor when we are outside, too. I am sure there will be more than enough milling around… given the circumstance."

"No," Shu groaned, snatching back his arm. "I have had enough doctors for one lifetime."

"Tough," Yui countered, yanking back his arm and dousing the wound with his father's expensive liquor. He hissed curses through his teeth. "I have not come this far to see you die from a septic, untreated wound as a result of your own stubbornness."

She looped and fastened the strip of fabric around his arm, but the blood saturated it immediately. Her features dragged into a frown.

At least the foreign object is removed and the wound is sterile, Yui consoled herself. I can do no more, with the fire growing near. We must go.

The cough behind them snapped Yui out of her thoughts. Subaru had risen and was carrying his mother in his arms. She slept as heavy as a young child full with warm milk and fairytales, and she found it impossible to believe the same woman had murdered her husband, and almost her son. Yui's face burned as she noticed the scarlet clump lodged in her white hair.

"S-Subaru, please forgive me for earlier," Yui uttered, her stomach swirling with guilt. It appeared all she asked from her old friend was forgiveness as of late. "She meant to hurt you—kill you, even. I meant no disrespect. I could not bear any harm coming to you."

"It's fine, whatever," he replied, turning his gaze to the floor. His face was shadowed. "It's a lot better than some of the methods my father would have the guards use."

Yui sucked her lip. "Are you sure she's okay?"

"No, I'm not," he scoffed, though she knew the frustration was not directed at her. "She's never okay. Okay people don't fucking strangle their husband and blame their son—!" Subaru paused and heaved a great sigh. "Don't sweat it, Cricket. Hell, I wouldn't have the nerve to stop her," he met her eyes, his smile small. "Thanks. You did good."

Subaru turned to Shu and nodded at his bandage. "Hey, how's that?"

Shu sulked. "Feeling bullied."

"Nonsense," Yui said, shaking her head. "It is fine," she answered Subaru. "Or it will be once we get the attention from a doctor."

Subaru nodded and turned his attention back to Shu. "And your mouth?"

"What?" Shu and Yui spoke in unison.

"Shit, I thought that might've been injured too with the way she treated it," he said, his eyes thin. "Just because I know, doesn't mean I have to fucking like it, approve of it, or look at it. Got it?"

Yui's complexion rivalled the colour of her eyes. "Y-Yes of course! I'm so sorry!"

Shu waved a hand in dismissal and walked towards the door. "In any case," he said, flinching at the heat beyond the office. "It is unwise to linger here. We must leave before the fire reaches the main door."

Yui and Subaru did not offer any complaints and gladly followed, aching for the sight of sunshine and the scent of clean air. Subaru continued ahead, fearful that the jumping embers would rouse his mother. Shu stood rigid and stared into his father's office, as though he could not bear to part with the man, the heir, he left behind. He would be leaving a ruler, with the weight of the people in his crown.

Yui tugged his hand to bring him back to reality. "Shu?" She attempted, but her only response was silence.

"Your father was right, you do have your mother's face," Yui began, and he whirled his head to glower down at her. "But I can tell you with absolute certainty, you do not have his heart." His expression softened, but he still appeared doubtful. "Your heart is your own, Shu. You are yourself and you are accountable for your own mistakes, not your father's. And mistakes are okay! As long as we learn from them. You are not perfect and sometimes you are not very brave," she continued, flashing him a teasing smile. "But you are strong, kind, fair. You are not a coward, you are human, and you are worthy of this. You will do fine."

She clasped her hand around his.

I will be with you, she thought. Always.

"Come," she said. "Your people are waiting."

.:.

Three drooping, smoke-stung figures stumbled from the castle's iron-cladded door. The crowd, previously choked with fear and bated-breath, erupted into momentary elation. Seiji Komori pounced on their arrival with haste.

"Oh Yui, my child," breathed Seiji in one rushed, relieved breath. He pulled her into a one-armed embrace whilst Eve occupied the other. She cared little for her mother when playful, glowing embers danced before her eyes. "I prayed to the Holy Father for your safe return, and here you are. Thank you," he mumbled, releasing her and sketching the cross. "Thank you…"

Yui did not realise how she relied on his support to stand until he held her no more. She quivered on her feet, the ripe, rich air startling. She clutched her middle and her palms revealed scarlet.

Seiji paled with fright. He beckoned over a doctor who was finishing applying balm and bandages to a servant's scorched forearm. He inspected the wound, eyeing her torn corset and the bloom of blood.

"This is not a wound of fire, mistress," said the doctor, curious, but not curious enough to press further.

"Sir, this is a mere scratch compared to the injury held by Master Shu," said Yui, fighting to stand. "Please assist him first."

When the man stepped aside, Yui believed her words were enough to shift the doctor's attention, until she saw Shu Sakamaki raising a hand to silence the crowd. His eyes looked out thoughtfully, but his lips were marked with distaste.

The people hushed until the only sound was the spitting, hissing fire and the restrained whimpers from the injured. Subaru, having reluctantly handed his mother into the care of a doctor and a number of guards, stood behind his brother, eyes viced shut and his fists balled around the fabric of his cloak.

"My father is dead," spoke Shu, toneless, and Yui thought how strange his voice sounded when raised to address a crowd. Some dropped to the ground and wept into their hands; some hid their smirks into their sleeves. "And as my father's rightful heir," he continued, "it is bestowed upon me to take his place, both in name and responsibility as the lord and protector of this village."

The crowd fell to their knees, their faces tilted earthward. Shu watched as the people willingly surrendered their fates to him, the once lost, misguided heir. The words they chanted buzzed and confused his ears, but the weight of their praise was not lost.

"God bless you, My Lord!"

"Let your reign be long!"

Shu felt he could almost smile, until his infant's screech reminded him of responsibility. Closing his eyes, he raised his hand to signal the required silence.

"Let the past mistakes of my father's rule die with these flames," Shu said. "And with it… my secret."

His blue eyes opened in the direction of Yui and Eve Komori and the crowd's attention followed. Yui flushed, her throat constricted dry. Although she knew what his next words would be, she did not dread them any less. She fumbled against her chest, expecting to find the fine fabric of her scarlet letter. But it was gone, cast away like their vow of secrecy. They were both open and vulnerable, but their hearts were finally free.

"I am the father of Yui Komori's child," announced Shu, unafraid. His voice grew fiercer with each word, each bind of restraint slowly unbound. He sounded beautiful, unrecognisable to his usual quiet and slow drawl. Bumps prickled her arms. "A child conceived under the illusion of widowhood, not adultery. I herby clear the charges and announce that Miss Komori is from this day forth… a free woman."

She was reminded of the first procession at the castle door, when Eve was a tiny seed growing in her belly. The eyes which held her now did not differ, shining with hate, disgust, anger. Once she had only threatened her own marriage, but now she threatened the one of the beloved, newly appointed lord and lady.

She would be detested by all.

Yui witnessed Lady Mirai crumble into her mother's arms, caring little for well-rehearsed dignity. Lady Akiyama caught her stare and scowled, her icy, thin eyes doing well to portray what her lips wished to.

Shu frowned at the jolt of strife in the crowd and his grip tightened around the blood-coated sword. "All of you, learn how gossip… displeases me. This is the end of this matter and it will not be discussed further. If this woman is to receive any mistreatment… You will have me to answer to. That is all."

A united mumble of assertion rang out and Shu turned to face the glowing castle as an undefeated foe.

"Now, enough of this… nonsense," he spat, like his reels of perfect, dutiful words were poison on his tongue. "I need a place to sleep tonight, and my home is burning."

Taking charge, Shu encouraged the injured to seek help and the ones who had to return home. Women and children were not deemed invalids and all those who were willing were ordered to grab a measure and fetch water from the riverbank. Animals where sheltered in the forest, while riders relayed back and forth to the village to rally aid.

Yui tended to the injured with the assistance of her father, making plenty of conversation to avoid the overdue one between them. It would come but not now, when the entire world seemed to burn, when confusion and rage ran high.

"Mistress! Help required over here!"

"Coming!"

With Eve pressed against her chest—somehow lulled to sleep by the chaos and the stifling heat—she rose to her feet. Turning, she collided with Shu who winced as he steadied her. Yui huffed, realising he had not sought a doctor to oversee his wound. They opened their mouths to speak, but they soon snapped shut. There was too much to say and so little time. Yui felt the burning glare of the Akiyama women and she flinched, almost preferring the fire's blistering intensity to the shame.

"Wait for me," he said, noticing the subject of her discomfort.

The outcome they both desired would take time: five, ten, fifteen years, perhaps.

"Always," she replied, softly.

Shu extended an arm and sloshed water over her boots. "Take a bucket... I will not be seen to have favourites."

Yui nodded and resisted the temptation to dunk her head and be rid of this sweat-sticking heat. She headed back in the direction of the fire, burying the hurt in her heart as she watched Shu struggle to converse with his wife and her mother. In their eyes Lord Shu Sakamaki would be eternally comparable to his father before him, a philanderer, a man who did not respect their beloved daughter. Yet out in the light of his father's shadow, Shu had changed. Never before would he outwardly attempt peace with his wife. He would not have cared; but now it was his responsibility to care.

I feel so wicked, Yui thought. But I was his before my husband and he was mine before his wife. We are not the thieves who deserve to be punished. We were sold into marriage for our body, our title, our blood. We are planning to reclaim what is rightfully ours. Each other. Is that truly wicked?

Fate had driven them together and it had driven them apart. If fate was another foe to fight, then they would undoubtedly take up arms. But no matter how long it took, how many impediments awaited them, she would wait until the grace of time silvered her hair.

Yui was determined for them to have an ending, even if it was not happy. It made it all the more real.

A/N: I will admit, I changed the ending at the very last moment. Even as I finished the first chapter of this story I had resigned Shu to die—in fact, every ending I ever conjured Shu would die. But each time I went to write I just… couldn't do it.

This year has been too depressing for another depressing ending. And it's Christmas! I wanted a realistic ending, with a little bit of hope.

Epilogue is next! Get ready to do a hop, skip and a jump twenty years into the future…

allyelle~