.:. 2 .:.

To them, she has always been a cricket. A strange creature with unrelenting energy and laughter as chipper as the insects song, Yui would spend her afternoons away from the church hopping the stones protruding the riverbank. Shu and Subaru would peep from a castle window and watch her with timid curiosity, but if she caught their eye, they would startle and shrink into darkness. They rarely ventured outside the grounds, and when they did so, they were accompanied by a nanny who frowned upon her free spirit.

It was autumn then, and the village was bustling with the preparations for the Harvest Festival. The surroundings were bathed in a dye of copper and red; the decomposing leaves of the forest pines and the golden hay scattered across the fields. The sun had peaked and the stone turrets became yellow and shadowed, yet the two brothers' silhouettes were absent. The eldest, eleven at the time, would have been dragged into town to learn the proper way of conducting business. The younger, she presumed, would have followed.

Karl Sakamaki's first wife, Lady Beatrix, had died in an accident many years prior; but there had been speculation of foul play as the lord's fickle affections had drifted to another. The White Lady, as Christa was more commonly known, made rarer appearances than the sons. Unpredictable, her temperament shifted with the weather. Rumours had spiraled that she, too, had died and only her distressed ghost remained. Forever a prisoner of the castle, her wails would echo down from the hill.

Yui, lost in a daydream of fire-breathing dragons and captive-towers, failed to notice their presence by the riverbank until Subaru, then a boy of only six, stomped his foot and screamed. It was apparent that he had tried to attract her attention for some time.

"You cricket! What's wrong with you? Do you ever stop moving?"

Perched on the balls of her feet, she twirled to face them. Subaru's small, pudgy hands were bundled into fists while rounded cheeks puffed with a pout. His breathing was strained and his face was flushed from exertion. Shu was similar; his golden hair a disarray, the luxuriant navy and red of his garbs torn and splashed with mud. They had taken the shortcut through the forest, and by their appearances, they were fleeing from their guardians.

"You! Are you going to answer me?"

The child was spoilt and undisciplined. Yui skipped the stones until her toes brushed blades of grass.

"My name is Yui Komori, young sir, and you will do well to remember it!"

Shu's wide-eyed gaze snapped from his brother to her, his sudden burst of hysterical laughter rising above the gushing water. He clutched his stomach and toppled backwards onto the grass; he looked like he was being mercilessly tickled by a ghost. Subaru flunked down beside him, whined and punched his arm. Shu exclaimed with pain as he regained control of his breathing, lolling forwards to face her confusion.

Yui kneeled and rested palms upon the shape of her thighs. "Did... did I say something?"

"You... have not a care in the world." He wore a tiny smile, crinkles formed in the corners of blue. "Most run from my brother's temper."

"He is far too little to scare me."

Subaru sat cross-legged and was looking up at his foliage-embedded hair. He spluttered once he registered her remark, his cheeks scarlet with fury.

"L-Lady, I heard that!"

Yui giggled, finding his vexed expression one of endearment. He sulked from her laughter and turned his back to them, his fingers ripping out needles of grass. Shu stared at her with a fractional tilt of head, as though she was an object of the utmost fascination. She blushed under his gaze and twirled the stem of a daisy.

"And why, for so long, have you spied upon me from the window?"

"Hm...? Spying?" His words drawled with mischief. "We were simply looking out of our window. It is you who is trespassing."

She startled at the fact. Thoroughly embarrassed, she rose, brushing the dirt from her skirt. "Um... I... I'm sorry..."

Yui turned and sprinted down the hill, but Shu's voice managed to reach her. "Put shoes on your feet tomorrow! They are going to get all cut up, Cricket Girl!"

Children did not concern themselves with trivial things such as rank, and from that day onward, the trio became close friends. During the rainy season, they would retreat to the stables with stacks of books and Shu would read to them. He created worlds of fantasy and wonder from his glittering imagination, his blue eyes as radiant as the sun.

He became a patient teacher when he realised her poor education, improving her grammar and mathematics. Subaru always held an interest with swords, and after a while, acting as the damsel became tedious. He taught her how to wield while Shu, unimpressed, would play a sombre tune on a lute and wait at the top of the hill for his two young rescuers.

As the years passed, the river currents strengthened and they took refuge under the canopy of the apple tree. The presence of Shu diminished with the pressure from his father, and they continually saw his hunched silhouette and his ink-stained hands in the arched window. Those hands were forged for instruments, not for cramping from the grip of a quill.

He carried the future of the Sakamaki name upon his shoulders and it weighed heavily upon his spirit. Years of monotonous work had woven a fibre of apathy into his being while duty ironed out childhood jubilance.

Yui and Subaru grew closer in their bubble of adolescent freedom.

The brothers grew into handsome men and maidens vied for their affections. Subaru, despite his brash exterior, possessed a shy and gentle heart. He was suspicious to their motives and believed they were only interested in his wealth. He had low self-esteem stemmed from years of his mother's mental punishment. But the women were not infatuated with him because of his status; he was a protector and a figure of safety. He was a knight of unruly character.

If any man gave a girl trouble, he would be the first to intervene and escort them home. The same way he came to her defense at the castle door.

Shu remained indifferent. He entertained only the prettiest of maidens until their lackluster personalities morphed painted faces. Karl Sakamaki would not approve of any match for his heir unless their status leveled or surpassed theirs. So his heart was locked and guarded, and no one, it seemed, owned the key. He could be charming and flirtatious if the mood suited him; drawn out whispers and quirked lips and in his wake would be a trail of broken hearts.

Yui rotated a scarlet apple in her palm when her cottage door was thrown open. The gust of air fluttered her skirts and splayed blonde tresses across her face. Stood in the doorway was Reiji. He had changed into clean clothing while the hair which cloaked an eye was combed back, revealing an ugly vertical scar across his cheekbone.

She couldn't breathe. At the castle door, she believed him a fragment of her torment. But he was a physical entity, blocking the outside light.

"R-Reiji," her voice was feeble. "I was not expecting—"

"Could anyone have been? Indeed... your surprise is sorely evident by your," his mouth pulled in distaste. "Condition."

He straightened his posture and dusted invisible dirt from his jacket. His mannerisms hadn't altered, but something within those blood-red eyes had shifted. They had been as clear as a pool of water, rippling and gleaming whenever he inhabited his study. Now they were clouded and cold, like the climate before a storm.

His study remained untouched. She rarely entered when they lived together—only to call him to dinner or to let him know if she was going out. He would give her a distracted hum in acknowledgement or a fleeting smile, eyes magnetically pulled back to his work. Shelves were lined with books and herbs while parchment and quills littered desks and surfaces. The dust would be thick after four years.

"I believed you dead!" she shrieked, tears hurdling over every curve on her face. "I mourned you!"

"Is that the case?" he mocked. "Then amidst your grave despair, you thought it suitable to move on to another?" His thumb and forefinger pinched his chin. "My, you are a cruel woman."

"He was my only comfort during your absence," Yui murmured, her nails digging into the apple skin. "If you hadn't left, I needn't of searched."

He regarded her for a moment and his calmness frightened her, as though waiting for an animal to pounce. Striding towards the dining table, he plucked an apple from the basket and lifted his arm so the rosy shell bathed in sunshine.

"Ah," his lips had a secretive curve. "The famous red of the Sakamaki apples."

"Subaru Sakamaki is my oldest friend," she defended. "Do not forget, he brought me similar gifts when we were married."

"It seems that you have forgotten, dear one," his hand caressed her cheek and she shivered; it was not the warmth of his touch. "We are married still."

"I am widowed," said Yui, turning and opening the draw of the bureau—careful not to scatter secret letters from him—and pulled out the certificate of Reiji Kasei's death. She extended the scroll with a hand placed protectively over her stomach.

He roughly snatched it from her and tossed it aside, clasping her face between his fingers. Yui squeaked with pain, but she pursed her lips and forced herself not to crumble underneath his stare.

"Am I truly a ghost to you?" His grip tightened, his nails scratching her cheek. "Was I so easy to forget?"

Yui pushed his wrist and staggered out of his hold. "I waited for you for three years! Must I be punished for loving another?"

"You are my wife." He inched closer, his figure towering hers as she backed up against the wall. "You belong to me."

"I belong to nobody," she said, hands knotted to ease their trembling. "Nothing shall own me but the results of my own foolishness."

Reiji took a backwards step and gave a humourless laugh. "I am the most intrigued... did your lover appreciate the company of such a headstrong woman?"

"I believe," she mumbled, "he thought me rather humorous."

Her careless words broke his restraint. He had masked his true feelings through eloquence and poise, but his eyes had finally revealed him in a scarlet fire of malevolence.

"Insolent woman! Speak his name at once!"

"Never!"

"You have done well to discard of my name, Yui Komori! For you have shamed it!"

A whipping sound coursed through the air and she was blinded as his hand struck her cheek. She collapsed onto the ground with the force, the bitter taste of blood upon her lips. Shaking, she lifted her arm to wipe the red smear, cupping her palm to nurse the bruised skin.

It was common practice for husbands to beat their wives for disobedient behaviour. Black eyes and swollen lips were not a subject of scandal, but the reality of daily life. Yui believed herself lucky. Reiji had never physically harmed her; he would chide her with words in a battle of wits. Occasionally, if she had particularly irked him, his punishment would be sly and cunning. Slipping mildly harmful herbs into tea, resulting in a day of sickness, or locking her outside in the rain so she was forced to take shelter in the barn. However this assault only confirmed him a changed man. What had he endured during those four years of absence?

"Reiji... what happened to you?"

His back faced her, voice quiet and frosty. "It seems that we have both lost our way."

She heaved herself to her feet and clung onto the frame of a chair to steady the dizziness. "I am sorry for making you ashamed. But I will not apologise for my heart."

He spun to face her once more, their noses millimeters apart. He wore the smile of a devil and her blood ran cold. "I promise you this," he said, a finger jabbing into her collarbone. "I will find him. And when I do, I will destroy him."

It was only when the door closed behind him did her wall of bravery finally crumble.

A/N: Hey... um, apologies for taking a month to update D: I've had this and a few other chapters written up for awhile, but due to basic laziness, I didn't get around to proof reading them. Nonetheless, thank you for your reviews and for your favourites and follows!

On an unrelated note, this story will be littered with flashbacks (past speech will always be in italics) about Yui's history with all of the brothers. Instead of Shu becoming depressed over the "death" of "Edgar" I decided to make him a happy, normal child who becomes tired of life due to the pressure from KarlHeinz and his role as the heir. Subaru's backstory is the same. He has unresolved issues with his mother and struggles with self-loathing and aggression.

In terms of ages, Yui is the same age as the triplets (like in the games/anime) and is two years younger than Shu. I know it's not canon, but for story purposes, I imagine Reiji as older and Subaru as much younger.

Basically—

Reiji: 28

Shu: 26

Yui: 24

Triplets: 24

Subaru: 21

Thanks for reading! I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible :)

allyelle~