Tsukiyomi-Hio: You're welcome! Thank you for reviewing! I feel bad for her, too! ):

ZaxForever: Thank you! :D I hope you continue to enjoy!

Whitney: Once again, I'm sorry about the missing trigger! ):

Nonami: Yay! I'm glad that you reviewed once more! :D Thank you so much for your kind words! You are right in the fact that Mai has so much stuff going on right now that it may seem as if she simply brushed it off. (: The line of consent doesn't really even enter Laito's mind most of the time, which can be seen when he has never once respected her boundaries. :D I'm so glad that this is your favorite OC story! :D I try very hard to keep them all in character and not make my OC disrupt the setting much. I hope that you continue to enjoy! :D

mspyrrha: Thank you! (: I hope that you like this chapter! :D

Nadia: Thank you! :D I do try to keep them in character since that's how I like them :D I think that Yui is truly stronger than she is given credit for since she's able to actually survive dealing with them. (: Haha, I'm glad you like how Mai handles Laito! It's always fun to write the two of them interacting! :D I'll see about adding more smut/limes when possible! :D I hope that you continue to enjoy the story!

Thank you for reading! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! This chapter has a bit of sensitive information in terms belief by others that Mai is trying to harm herself!


Laito prods her until she simply follows after him. Finally, they arrive at a children's park. Mai casts a confused glance at his back, but she's simply ignored. He just drifts further into the park before stopping beside a swing set. Mai remains rooted in place at the edge of the playground equipment and continues to stare at him. She has a feeling that she isn't going to enjoy what he has planned. Still, she can't help but think it might be somewhat amusing to watch the teenage vampire trying to swing on the swing set that he was approaching. Somehow, she manages to bite back the smirk. The smirk melts away when Laito turns to face her with a sadistic smile. He makes a 'come here' gesture with his hand then gently pats the seat of the swing. Bewildered, Mai simply shakes her head and retreats a step. Unfortunately, this only seems to amuse him more, and they fall into a silent staring contest. Despite trying her hardest, Mai ends up making a mistake by looking away. She shudders softly in the cold night air. Thankfully, her voice comes out equally as cold. "I'm going home."

She turns just in time to see him appear before her. She stiffens her body and stares at him. Now that she's closer, she can clearly see that his smile isn't amused at all. In fact, even the air around him seems colder. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees movement. She almost turns to look at it, but a hand catches her chin. Her eyes shift back to look up at him, only to find that he is leaning too close for comfort. To her absolute horror, his cold lips press against hers, but she doesn't bother kissing him back. She closes her eyes and waits for him to grow bored. Unfortunately, he seems to have something else in mind. Without any sort of warning, his fangs sink into her bottom lip far enough that the tips poke through the skin under her lip. The only good new is that only his fangs sink into her lip. Out of pure reaction to the pain, she flinches back. Unfortunately, he doesn't bother to stop her, nor does he release his fangs from her lip.

Excruciating pain races through her bottom lip as the skin gives way, and she lifts a hand to press against it. Warm blood spills onto her hand and into her mouth, but she's too preoccupied with retreating behind a slide to really care. Tears fall down her face and leave cooling trails behind. She flinches down when there is a bang on the slide over her head. Without considering her options, she weaves her way beneath the playground equipment and rushes toward the street. In the back of her mind, she knew she would never make it, but she still wants to try. Just like she predicts, an arm wraps around her waist and scoops her up. She lets out a scream and twists. Luck still seems to be on her side when her elbow collides with the side of his head. To her surprise, he lets himself collapse only he drags her down with him. Her body is mostly cushioned by his, but her head still cracks painfully against his. She immediately begins to thrash in the grass, but Laito keeps a bone crushing grip on her. Eventually, she just stops moving and lays ontop of him. His face appears in the crook of her neck. Her entire body stiffens, and her heart starts to race. Thankfully, he only releases a sigh. She lifts a hand to touch her lip, only to find it still bleeding. With a flinch, she lifts the collar of her shirt to press against it.

An overwhelming sense of being watched prompts her to lift her gaze. To her mounting horror, she finds three women who look badly decomposed standing at the edges of the park. It looks almost like they were wailing, but she couldn't hear anything than her own heart and her own breathing. Laito's body shifts, and she finds herself on her back staring up at him. She attempts to glance toward the women again, but Laito's arm appears to block her view. She turns her gaze to glare up at him. He chuckles and leans down to press his lips to her nose.

She flinches and casts a glare his way. "Ge-"

"You haven't told me you love me yet, Sweetheart," Laito coos at her. He reaches a hand up to grab her shirt and pull it away from her face. "If you do, I'll give you a fantastic reward!"

"You are doomed!" The sound echoes around the park, and her gaze snaps around in a vain attempt to find the source. She opens her mouth to say something, but Laito cuts her off.

"Come on. You know…."

"Run away, little girl!"

"...that you love…"

"He will ruin you!"

"...me. Now, just say it!"

Her eyes squeeze shut. It's so hard to hear what was being said. It sounded like everyone's voices were overlapping. She flinches when she feels his cold tongue running along her jaw. She tries to turn her head away, but he simply shifts in order to follow her. Her heart starts to pound when she feels the fingers of his hand sliding over her neck before dipping down the neckline to trace her collarbone.

"Laito, stop," she breathlessly begs. Panic threatens to overwhelm and suffocate her. She attempts to shove him away, but he doesn't move an inch. She turns her face the opposite way and tries to force herself to breathe. Unfortunately, that's when Laito's entire body shifts. Without warning, his knee appears between her thighs. She attempts to stop him by pressing her thighs tightly together. Thankfully, she is able to stop him just short of her core. Still, full panic had set in. She shoves his chest as hard as she can. "Get off!"

He responds by chuckling and grinding his knee closer to her core. Her efforts are doubled when she hears the womens' screaming growing louder. Mai thinks she can hear them calling names, but she doesn't know who they are talking to. She flinches when Laito's teeth brush her cheekbone only an inch or so below her eye. Her eyes snap open.

He wouldn't. He can't. She closes her eyes tightly when she sees his mouth slowly approaching her eye. Now isn't the time to be stubborn. Despite the sinking feeling in her stomach, she opens her mouth and loudly says, "OK! I love you!"

Everything goes silent, but she feels like something other than Laito is sitting on her chest. She cautiously opens one eye to meet amused green ones. Laito's face is inches from hers, but he appears to be smiling mockingly at her. His voice holds a teasing edge to it when he asks, "what did you say? I didn't quite hear you."

She gives him the best glare she can manage, but she knows it's ruined by the fact that she's shaking. She grits her teeth and forces herself to say it one more time. "I….love…..you, Laito."

Her eyes move away from his to look at the playground equipment, and she forces her body to completely relax. She silently hopes that his 'reward' isn't trying to sleep with her at a public park. Humiliation fills her chest, and she squeezes her eyes shut. At least the women aren't screaming anymore. She considers looking for them, but she decides that she doesn't want to see them again. Her body is already shaking uncontrollably. She slowly opens her eyes when she feels Laito getting off of her. With a mixed feeling of relief and apprehension, she turns her gaze on him. He holds out a hand and says, "Ready for your surprise?"

She is careful to inspect his hand before she decides to just climb to her feet on her own. Unfortunately the second she is completely upright, he wraps his hand around her upper arm. Like before, she's a little startled and concerned by the fact that the world spins for what feels like a couple seconds shorter than normal. When everything finally stops, she finds herself in a strange place. A large bed four poster bed with a canopy on top is almost pressed against one wall. Beside it is doors to a balcony. Toys are strewn all over the floor. Laito carelessly walks over to top of them toward the bed, where he flops down and leans against one of the posts. Mai casts a frustrated glance at Laito before crouching to make sure that nothing had been damaged. Thankfully, nothing looks broken. She straightens and turns her gaze to look around the room. It looks like a child's room, but she couldn't figure out who it belongs to. Still, she has a sense of dread filling her body. Her gaze turns to find Laito observing her with a frown that sent chills down her spine. She quickly turns her gaze away and glances around for the door. That's when a picture above the fireplace catches her eye. The woman in the picture was beautiful. She had long flowing purple hair along with piercing green eyes. With a jolt, Mai realizes that it was probably their mother.

"Hey, Mai?"

The sound of her name has her snapping her gaze back to him. A sense of unease fills her body. He was sitting up with a serious look on his face. She takes a few steps backward. Unfortunately, her leg bumps something that draws her attention backwards. Thankfully, it just appears to be a wooden riding horse. She flinches when she feels something cold brush her cheek, and her gaze snaps around to find Laito practically towering over her. Her breath catches in her throat, and it feels like everything around the room is closing in and suffocating her. A slow smile spreads over his face, which just makes everything worse. In a sultry voice, he asks, "Do you know who's room this is?"

She leans away from him and tries to keep a cold look on her face. "I have n-"

Then it hits her. It's the room of the most childlike brother of all. Her mouth slams shut with an audible sound, and she feels an overwhelming need to get out of the room. Laito leans back and flicks his hand in a lazy manner. "I could smell him on you, so I assumed that I'd treat you by letting you see him."

Mai can only stare at him in disbelief. She opens her mouth to say something when a resounding crack comes from the floor. She looks down to find that Laito had stepped on yet another toy. She doesn't get a chance to say anything, because he literally disappears from view. To her absolute horror, she hears something else breaking. She spins around to find that he upended a toy chest with a look of excitement on his face. His green eyes lift to meet hers, and she feels a sense of anger fill her body. She carefully picks her way over to him. Without intending to, she snaps, "What the hell are you doing?!"

He gives her a playful smile and says, "Playing with Kanato."

"This isn't playing. You're destroying his things!" Mai argues. She reaches out to snatch a stuffed toy from Laito's hands before he has a chance to rip it apart. He lets out a laugh and reaches for a different one. She's not sure why, but her anger continues to grow. She forces her body between Laito's and the toys.

"Ah, I didn't expect you to cosy up to me, so easily. Do you care for Kanato that much?" Laito coos playfully. He suddenly leans down as if to kiss her. Mai does the first thing she can think of. She lifts the stuffed animal that she had taken from him. Thankfully, it appears between the two of them at the right moment. He had inadvertently kissed his brother's stuffed animal. A sense of satisfaction swells in the pit of her stomach when she sees his eyes widen slightly in surprise. Amusement swells up in the pit of her stomach. She presses Kanato's stuffed animal closer to her face to stifle her laughter, but she ends up laughing so hard that tears appear in her eyes. She squeezes her eyes shut, which is her undoing. She hears a scoff seconds before Laito's hand appears around her throat. All of the laughter dies instantly. Her eyes snap open, but all she sees is Laito's amused face seconds before he shoves her backwards. Completely caught off guard, she takes a step back, only to step on the pile of toys. Unfortunately, the toy she stepped on rolls, and her body pitches backward. Thankfully, a majority of her body manages to land on soft toys. A few dig into various parts of her body. She lets out a surprised sound and turns a cold look on Laito, only to find that he isn't there anymore. She scrambles up to her feet, only to trip a couple of times. She finally sees that the door is open just a crack. Despite her better judgement, she quickly makes her way over to it and rips it open.

She fully expects Laito to be standing there. To her surprise, she finds the hallway empty. She glances back into the dark room and wonders is she should pick up the toys, but she decides against it. She would likely just put them in the wrong spot anyway. She turns, cautiously steps out into the hallway, and shuts Kanato's door. Still expecting him to pop out of nowhere, she looks up and down the hallway. A sense of relief floods her body when she still finds it empty. After stand there silently for a few moments, she decides that she should try to leave. After all, the brothers will be returning at some point, and she doesn't plan to take the brunt of Kanato's anger.

She decides to head home since she will be the safest there. She cringes when she remembers what Reiji had said to her. Would she really be safe at home? Dread starts to fill her stomach, and she finds herself jumping at every sound that the empty manor makes. She starts one way, only to turn and head the other way. Once again, she stops. What is she going to do? She doesn't relish the thought of being punished by Reiji. In fact, she flinches at the very thought. He was not happy that she had disobeyed him, and there were a variety of ways that he could hurt her both mentally and physically.

Her mind begins to race through each one of them. In fact, she's so distracted that she jumps when someone puts their hand on her shoulder. She spins around fully expecting to come face to face with either one of the haunting women or Laito. Thankfully, she finds herself staring into Yui's concerned face. Yui glances over her shoulder and looks back at Mai. Her voice drops, and she whispers, "I heard that you skipped school, so I came to look for you. Are you OK?"

Mai cringes at the thought once more. Why did it feel like she's been skipping an awful lot of school recently? She opens her mouth to explain when she gets a surprise. Yui gives her a light nudge. Yui's face holds a hint of desperation that has Mai's heart racing. Once again, Mai felt as if something was very wrong. Yui's words are so low that Mai can barely hear her. "Ayato said something about Reiji being upset."

The blonde's voice lowers even more, so Mai becomes unable to hear the rest of her words. Still, it feels like the night just kept getting worse and worse. Yui glances over her shoulder once more then turns her red crimson gaze back to Mai. Her eyes lock with Mai's lip, and a look of concern overtakes everything else. "Mai? What happened to your lip?"

Mai cringes. She's not sure why, but her eyes flick around the hallway. She didn't want to think about what happened in the park, so she pushes the thoughts from her mind and focuses on a more important issue. Perhaps it would be better to hide from Reiji. The thought makes her flinch. It's likely that it will only anger him more, and her punishment will be worsened. Still, the thought of having to face him tonight causes her flight instincts to kick in. It feels like so much has already happened in such a short amount of time that she just wants a break for once. Without a second thought, her hand lashes out to grab Yui's arm. She gives her friend the best pleading look she can muster and says, "Let's find somewhere else to talk. I don't feel like confronting Reiji tonight."

Yui gives her a startled look. Her next words have Mai cringing. "Are you OK? Did something happen to you?"

Mai forces a smile on her face and says in the quietest voice she can. "Can we find somewhere else that is somewhat private?"

Yui gives her a skeptical look but thankfully nods. Mai's eyes turn toward the hallway. Now, she just has to find a place to hide. Where can she hide that Reiji wouldn't follow? He could probably smell her blood drying, so it will have to be somewhere she went a lot. With a sinking feeling, she has an idea. She casts a glance at her friend. The second their eyes meet, Mai gives her arm a gentle tug before leading the way to her hiding place.

It doesn't take long to finally get there, but Yui's doubts are already written all over her face. Her voice is barely above a whisper when she asks, "You chose here?"

Mai tries to swallow the lump forming in her throat and gives her friend a nod. She takes a deep breath to steady her nerves. She turns her attention back to the door, reaches out, grabs the door handle and lets herself in. She only takes one step in before she pauses to look back at the blonde. She keeps her voice low and says, "Well, think about it. Reiji hates him, so the chances that he will look here are slimmer. On the off chance that he does show up, I figured that you and I have spent quite a bit of time in here, so it'll have strong traces of our scent. Besides, Shuu's scent might overwhelm ours and make it impossible to tell if we are here or not."

Yui still gives her a doubtful look. "What do we do if he comes back?"

Mai forces a smile to her face. "Yui, it's Shuu. I don't think he'll like it. But as long as we are quiet, do you think he will even care?"

With a look of doubt still plastered on her face, Yui gives in and steps into the lazy vampire's room. Mai gives her friend an apologetic look, before she makes her way down the stairs and toward the bed. She's faintly aware that Yui shuts the door, but her mind is preoccupied with what she is and isn't going to tell the blonde human. Finally, the two girls settle on the floor behind the bed and lean back against it. Silence settles between them as Mai tries to figure out where to start. While she is thinking, she lifts her finger to her lip in order to see if it had stopped bleeding. The moment her finger touches the skin, she flinches. Without a second thought, she tells Yui about what happened before school had even started. She retells her about what she heard Laito saying, which is followed by what Yui herself had done. She doesn't give Yui a chance to respond. Instead, she jumps into her conversation with Shuu, which she follows by seeing an increase in the women like figures. Her body starts to shake when the fear starts to set in all over again. She tells the silent girl about how she tried to get the stuff Yui had asked for, followed by talking with Richter. Once she gets to Laito's kiss in the park, everything seems to overflow. Her story starts to jump all over the place, and she can only hope that Yui can keep up with everything. She wants to feel embarrassed by coming bare, but she finds that it's actually the opposite. Immediately, it feels as if a huge weight was lifted off her chest. Without warning, a sob breaks through her words, and it gets to the point that she can't talk anymore. She simply buries her face in her knees and tries to fight the tears. Her body starts to shake with the sobs, and she feels like she can't breathe. Why did it come to this? She keeps thinking that over and over in her mind. She's vaguely aware of Yui saying something, but she can't hear her friend over the sound of her own crying.

An arm hesitantly wraps around her shoulders and pulls her against a warm body. She's not sure how long she sits there crying, but she finally manages to reign her emotions in. Now, she just felt humiliated that she actually told her friend about what happened between her and Laito. It's even worse that she told Yui about seeing and hearing things other people couldn't. She hugs her knees even tighter. She was afraid to look at the petite blonde, because she was afraid of seeing a look of disbelief, or worse pity, on her face. She asks softly, "Yui? Did Ayato ever do something like that to you?"

Yui falls silent, and she pulls herself away. Mai finally turns her gaze on her friend. Yui's face held a look of pain, but she quickly clears it away. "Well, I can't say he's gentle, but…."

Yui trails off causing Mai to snort and turn her gaze to Shuu's wall. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, an idea occurs to Mai. She says softly, "We should run away."

"Mai," Yui says softly. It sounded like it was supposed to be some sort of warning, but Mai stubbornly shakes her head.

"I don't know, Yui. I don't think it's healthy here. I mean, you're having those chest pains, and I'm seeing things. This has never happened to me before, and I remember you telling me that you've never had heart problems before. Did you ever think it's from the stress of being here?" She turns her gaze back to her friend and continues. "I mean, I was perfectly normal before I ran into this mess, and I'm sure you were too. I think it's this…... this place. Maybe.."

"I love Ayato," Yui says softly as if that would change things. Unfortunately, this simple statement takes Mai by surprise. She finds herself staring at the side of Yui's face, who is staring intently at the ground. Finally, Mai manages to find her voice again.

"Do you really love him? Or do you think it's something like Stockholm Syndrome? I mean they are your…"

"Enough, Mai," Yui says softly. Mai feels as if her heart just sank to the pit of her stomach. Yui sounded so hurt that it makes Mai instantly regret asking her. She tries to push the thoughts from her mind, but they keep surfacing. Once more, Yui takes Mai by surprise by asking. "Don't you feel something for Laito?"

Mai flinches at the thought. Did she feel something for him? She found that she couldn't really answer that question. In fact, she found that she doesn't really want to answer it. This causes the two of them to lapse into an uncomfortable silence.

Mai knew it was inevitable that Shuu would show up, but it's still embarrassing to hear him suddenly sigh. She slowly looks up into tried, but cold, blue eyes. He looks as if he were about to fall asleep standing up, and his voice reflected it. "What are you two doing here?"

Yui answers before Mai gets a chance. "We are hiding from Reiji."

Mai flinches at that and casts Yui a glare. Did she really need to say it so bluntly? Yui simply gives her an innocent smile making Mai roll her eyes. A chuckle drags both the girls' attention upward. Shuu isn't exactly smiling, but he still somehow looks amused. He tiredly sighs out. "Whatever."

He steps out of view, and Mai turns to rest her chin on her knees. Her eyes meet the wall, and she finds herself thinking over her situation. She fully expects to hear the bed shift, but she doesn't hear a sound. Unfortunately, she finds herself unable to do much thinking since Yui's voice cuts through her thoughts. "Shuu! You can't sleep in your uniform!"

He makes a scoffing sound and mutters about her being loud, but Yui is already on her feet. Mai turns her gaze to look up at her friend, only to find the blonde attempting to give the lazy vampire a fierce glare. Unfortunately, the look is ruined when Shuu states coldly. "I don't remember calling for my mother."

As Mai watches, Yui's face turns a brilliant red color. Despite everything, Mai can't help but stifle a chuckle. With a jolt, she realizes that she feels genuinely amused. This only increases when she watches Yui stomp her foot like a child. She stubbornly says, "You won't be able to get comfortable in such restricting clothes."

Mai almost smacks herself in the forehead. How could she still be so innocent? A chuckle from Shuu only makes Mai cringe. Unfortunately, Yui still doesn't seem to understand her mistake, since she sternly says, "Shuu, take them off."

"I thought you were with Ayato." There was a hint of amusement in Shuu's voice; however, it's clear that he is already starting to doze off. Mai reaches up to grab Yui's sleeve and attempts to tug before the blonde can dig herself a deeper hole. Unfortunately, she doesn't manage to grab her friend's attention in time.

"Ayato has nothing to do with this, Shuu. I'm talking about you taking off your clothes."

Mai isn't sure how she does it, but she manages to bite back the laugh that threatened to bubble out of her. Unfortunately, Shuu's next words unravels her work. He calmly says, "Then undress me, perverted woman."

The shocked sound from Yui, only makes it funnier. Unfortunately, her relief is short lived when there is a knock on the door. Panic sets in, and Mai somehow manages to find herself crammed beneath Shuu's bed with her hand over her mouth. She closes her eyes tightly and listens while silently hoping that it isn't Reiji. Everything is silent for a few moments before the voice she's dreading starts talking. "Is she here, human?"

"Ah." Yui says, and Mai silently hopes that she can come up with something believable. Unfortunately, the silence continues to drag on. Finally, Mai hears a sigh from Reiji. She fully expects him to know where she is and drag her out. To her surprise, the minutes tick by before Yui says softly, "Mai? I think he's gone."

Mai still remains beneath the bed for a few more minutes. Finally, she wiggles her way to the edge of the bed and peeks out. Thankfully, the room appears empty. She finishes dragging herself out and lifts up onto her knees in order to look over the bed at Yui, who gives her a look of concern. Finally, Yui's red eyes shift back to Shuu. Mai glances down at him and lets out a groan. He's clearly asleep. She turns her attention to find a pleading look on Yui's face. Despite her own reluctance, she knows it'll help keep her mind off of her panic.


Somehow, she manages to help Yui convince Shuu to change out of his school uniform; however, he starts to carelessly strip in front of the two of them. They quickly scurry out of the room with dark red faces. Upon leaving, they share a nervous glance before quietly deciding to eat and go to Yui's room. Somehow, they manage to avoid Reiji while doing so. Thankfully, Ayato isn't there when they arrived, So, they were able to do their homework and get to sleep. As Mai drifts off to sleep, she realizes that tomorrow was Friday. An overwhelming sense of relief floods over her. She only has to wake Shuu up one more week.

Unfortunately, their morning is chaotic. It starts with a knock on the door, effectively waking her up. She can faintly hear Reiji informing Yui that it's time to go to school. That's the only warning she got before a foot is planted firmly in her lower back. Her body pitches forward, and she ends up grabbing the blanket to try to keep herself from falling off the bed. Unfortunately, it does nothing to help. It simply strips the bed of all blankets, and she ends up tangled in them. Yui lets out a gasp and says, "Ayato!"

Anger floods Mai's body when she realizes that at some point during the day, Ayato had snuck into Yui's room and crawled on the opposite side of Yui to sleep. It takes quite a bit of thrashing to wiggle free, but once she is free, she rudely flips Ayato off before quickly escaping the room. She's vaguely aware of Yui calling for her to wait, but Mai doesn't plan on waiting for Reiji to come back. She's grateful to find the hallway completely empty, so she ducks her head and rushes to the blond vampire's room. Somehow, her luck holds out, and she makes it to her destination without meeting a single vampire. She simply opens the door and slips inside. Just as she reaches the bottom of the stairs, a knock on the door has her jumping. She tenses and turns to face the door. She fully expects to see it opening and revealing Reiji. Her tension continues to mount when she doesn't hear anything from the other side. Her heart stops completely, and she lets out a gasp when fingers press against her lower back. She leaps away from the touch and retreats up a couple of stairs before spinning to find Shuu standing there with a mildly amused look on his face. To her utter surprise, he's already dressed. His tired eyes grow cold for a moment before he releases a yawn. Mai's eyes narrow a little and she asks quietly, "Did… did you just touch me?"

He scoffs and takes a step up the stairs. "I asked you to move, but you ignored me. You don't have to react so violently, vile woman."

She presses herself against the wall to allow him to pass, which he does so without looking at her. Just when she thinks she's safe, he pauses one step up and turns to look down at her with a curious look on his face. Her heart stops when he leans a little closer to her. Thankfully, he doesn't touch her, but it's clear that he's sniffing the air around her. His voice comes out as almost a sigh. "You smell different."

She opens her mouth to say something, but he cuts her off. "Ah. I see."

Horror fills her stomach. Was he going to mention the fact that she slept with Laito? She quickly rushes out. "I didn't want to sleep…"

"You didn't shower."

"...with….him…." Her face pales at the cold smile he is wearing. He simply turns away from her and continues to the door. She finds that she can only stare at her back. Finally, it feels like a switch is turned in her brain, and she calls out. "Hey! Wait! I have a qu-!"

He doesn't stop, or even look back. He simply says, "you can hide in here from Reiji, if you promise not to sniff my underwear or something else perverted."

Heat fills her face, and she clenches her fists. Unfortunately, she doesn't get a chance to retort since he has already stepped out of the room and closed the door. With a sigh, she lets herself slowly sit down on the stairs and leans back against the wall. She closes her eyes and releases a slow breath. The silence begins to become overwhelming, so she opens her eyes. She finds herself still sitting on the stairs inside a vampire's room. With a flinch, she realizes just how bizarre her life has become. She is calmly sitting in a male vampire's bedroom. She has been bitten so many times that she had lost count, and it hasn't been bothering her like it used to.

Her hands start to shake. When did she start accepting this as normal? With a jolt, she realizes that it isn't just her. Yui and her parents were dragged into, too. Everything that she once considered normal has slowly shifted. She isn't as close to her parents as she use to be. In fact, how long has it been since she last saw them? She spent more time at the Sakamaki household than she did at her own. She reaches up to run her hands into her hair and grips it tightly. The small sting does nothing to clear her mind. After everything that has happened to her, her parents and her friend, she's just taking it without a complaint. She closes her eyes tightly and lets out a slow breath. She could remember asking Yui why she didn't even try to fight Ayato, but Mai is now doing the exact same thing. She has lost everything to Laito, and she didn't even react. With a sick feeling, she decides that she isn't normal anymore.

Her chest gives a painful throb, and she lets out a whimper. Without realizing it, she finds herself crying once more. She's unsure how long she sits there crying in Shuu's room, but she finally convinces herself that she needs to get up and continue on with her life. Crying won't change the past. With a renewed sense of determination, she mutters. "I'll prove to him that he doesn't affect me."

That's how she finds herself incredibly late to school. The teacher comments on her tardiness when she slips into her seat. She's so late that she only has this class before lunch starts. She doesn't bother glancing around the room at the stares. She just forces herself to focus on the chalkboard. Perhaps she'll go home for lunch. It'd lower her chances of running into an angry Reiji. The thought has her cringing and unable to focus on what the teacher is saying. Careful to seem attentive, she mentally maps out how she'll escape the school without being caught, and how she will make it to and from school without having to meet him.

Before long, the bell for lunch rings. She doesn't hesitate to scoop all of her belongings and bolt. Unfortunately, she is only halfway toward the school exit when her name is called from behind. "Mai!"

She flinches at how Yui's voice cuts through the drone of the rest of the students. She casts a quick look around the hallway before settling a glare on her friend. Thankfully, it looks like the vampire she's avoiding hasn't appeared yet, but that doesn't mean that she should waste more time than necessary. After all, she can vividly imagine him popping out of any shadow.

It takes her friend a moment to weave through the students, but she finally arrives. She stops before Mai and leans forward to pant softly. Mai wants to rush her, but the words die in her throat when Yui suddenly lunges at her. She wraps her arms tightly around Mai in a surprisingly bone crushing hug. She lets out a soft whimper and says, "I was so worried about you! I'm glad to see that you are safe!"

Her crimson eyes fill with tears and pity. She finds herself suddenly regretting telling Yui what had happened between her and Laito. She forces a smile onto her face and lets out a scoff. She waves her hand in front of her face. "Of course I'm safe. Now, please forget what I told you before. It's not really that big of a deal."

A look of shock and desperation spreads over Yui's face, making Mai feel even worse. Yui's voice is slowly starting to become a screech. "It is a big deal!"

Mai notices that students were turning to look at them. Her heart skips a beat, and she reaches out to grab Yui's shoulders. She gives her friend a gentle shake and says softly. "Relax, Yui! Why don't we grab lunch? I'll buy it an.."

That's when full terror takes over her entire body. Over Yui's shoulder, she could see a familiar face in the crowd. If the cold expression on his face is any indication, then he is not happy. She finds herself clenching Yui's shoulders tightly before whispering. "Reiji."

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Yui's face paling. She finally manages to turn her eyes away from Reiji's cold gaze to meet Yui's terrified one. Without a second thought, she says, "Run!"

She releases her friend and spins on her heel before weaving her way through the students. She turns a corner and glances back to make sure Yui's following her. Just as her gaze meets Yui's, her body collides hard with someone. The person lets out a groan, and Mai finds herself sitting on the ground. Yui appears beside her asking if she's alright, but Mai ignores her in favor of looking up. She flinches upon finding cold brown eyes glaring down at her. A chill races down her spine. She doesn't remember ever seeing anyone like him in school, and he's memorable. He's tall, and his most of his brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail. Still, a lot of it hung loosely around his face. Mai can only assume the reason she doesn't recognize him is because he is an upperclassmen. He bares his teeth at her in a sneer, and she spots something that sends chills down her spine.

Fangs.

She feels Yui tense beside her, letting her know that she isn't the only one who saw them. The strange boy takes a step toward Yui and Mai, causing Mai to scramble to her feet and retreat a couple of steps. Every muscle in her body is so tense that it's becoming painful. The boy tilts his head, and, without warning, his hand lashes out to grab a fist full of her shirt. Yui lets out a soft sound of protest when the boy drags Mai's body closer to his. She tries to hide the terror she is feeling by doubling her fists, but she doesn't strike immediately. To be honest, she's not sure punching him is a wise choice. She didn't even know if it would hurt him, and she is already off balance since she has to stand on her tiptoes to avoid being held up solely by her shirt. He lets out a sadistic sounding chuckle and asks, "Aren't you going to say sorry?"

Mai stubbornly glares at him, but she doesn't get a chance to respond. Yui's body collides with Mai's, effectively winding her. Her friend's arms wrap tightly around her stomach. To her frustration, she hears Yui saying. "I'm sorry! It was my fault! Please let her go!"

"Yuma! That's not how you treat a lady!" A cheerful voice says from behind the large boy. To Mai's relief, this seems to be just the distraction she needs to awkwardly twist away. Both girls retreat back a couple of steps before Yui suddenly stops moving. She lets out a surprised cry right in Mai's ear, causing her to flinch away. Mai turns just in time to find a dark haired boy leaning into Yui from behind. Her friend is wearing a look of pure terror on her face. The boy has a very noticeable scar running over the top of his nose, but that's all Mai can see since the rest of his face is hidden by Yui's shoulder.

"Hey!" Mai snaps. She reaches out, grabs her friend, and jerks her away from the dark haired boy. He slowly opens his eyes, but he only focuses on the blonde who is now hiding behind Mai. Now that she could see him better, she could see that he has a bandage wrapped around his left arm. Despite the scar, he's still incredibly handsome looking. Still, chills run down her spine at just the sight of him. The feeling of dread grows even worse by the fact that he doesn't once look at Mai, despite her efforts to hide Yui with her own body. His gaze remains locked on her friend, prompting Mai to continue to try and obstruct his view. He tilts his head a little finally looks at her.

His voice is so low that Mai can barely hear him. "It….really is…..her."

A scoff from the boy named Yuma makes Mai's gaze snap back to him. To her absolute horror, she finds a new boy standing next to him. The new boy is incredibly handsome, which is further enhanced by the disarming smile he is giving the two girls. His clearly visible eye is a pretty blue color, while the other appears to be blue, but his hair is hiding it from clear view. He winks at them, which just causes Mai to press her body closer to Yui's in an effort to hide the petite blonde. It seems like they were all looking solely at her friend. Unfortunately, her efforts to hide Yui go to waste since they clearly aren't interested in her at all. Panic starts to build in Mai's chest as the three males seem to close in from all directions. In fact, she's starting to feel like she couldn't breathe. Everything only gets worse when her view of them is cut off by someone's body.

"I see that you three have no manners," a horribly familiar voice calmly says. Dread makes Mai's body feel even heavier. She sags back against Yui, who leans forward against Mai. Their running from him seems to have gone to waste. Reiji's cold voice continues to cut through the nearly empty hallway. "As you can tell, these two have been claimed as food for the Sakamaki family."

Mai's body tenses, and she finds herself staring at the back of Reiji's head. When did she agree to become food for anyone? She hears a soft sound behind her and glances back to find that Yui is pressing her hand to her mouth. She looks like she's trying not to cry, which makes Mai's heart sink. She carefully turns to give her friend a hug when the blonde disappears from her view. Stunned, she's only able to stare at the now empty space before a hand wraps around her upper arm. She flinches when she feels a tug, but she doesn't even bother to struggle. Her gaze lifts to find that it's Reiji who is dragging her along behind him. Just as she passes the new blonde boy, he says softly, "Ah, sorry we got you in trouble! Let's try to be friends, OK?"

She glances back to find the hallway empty. She releases a shudder and looks back at Reiji. After a couple of turns, he pauses before a door. Without warning, he opens it and jerks on her, causing her to stumble inside. Thankfully, she keeps her balance. She's not sure why, but she feels a sense of relief. She turns to face Reiji only to notice something peeking in through the window on the door. To her absolute horror, she can see a decomposed face staring back at her. She feels something touch her arm, and she jerks away. Unfortunately, she doesn't get a chance to pull away very far. Two hands latch onto her shoulders, and her body is violently shaken until her eyes lock with Reiji's frowning face.

"Human, you are to listen when you are spoken to," he sternly says. Mai opens her mouth, but she closes it seconds later. It's probably best that she doesn't argue with Reiji right then. She's alone with him after all, and most of the students are far away in the cafeteria. Besides, she's starting to feel sick to her stomach. It feels like she's being watched. In an effort to calm her nerves, she closes her eyes tightly. To her surprise, she feels something cold against her forehead. She slowly reopens her eyes to find only Reiji in the room with her. One of his hands has released her shoulder and is touching her forehead. He gives her a once over before a look of disapproval appears on his face. "What have you done to yourself?"

She gives him a confused look, before she realizes that he's looking at her lip. Dread fills her stomach, and she violently jerks herself away. She settles for glaring at him and says as strong as she can. "I didn't do anything to myself."

His face twists into a sneer for a moment before it smoothes back into a mask of indifference. "Does this have to do with Laito?"

Mai tries not to cringe, but she knows she fails. In an effort to cover up her blunder, she snaps, "It doesn't have anything to do with Laito. What is my punishment?"

Everything falls silent before Reiji folds his arms over his chest. "If you have any concerns, you are to bring them to me."

Anger starts to warm her stomach. Why is he so stuck on this subject when there is clearly nothing wrong with her? Unfortunately, the anger disappears into embarrassment when her stomach growls loudly. She fights the blush and quickly says, "I've already discussed it with Shuu. I can go to him, correct?"

A loud sound reverberates around the room, and she finds herself staring wide eyed up at Reiji. She's so shocked that she doesn't even know what happened for a few moments. Did he seriously just slap her? She finds herself staring at her shoes, while her brain tries to catch up with what happened. He suddenly says in a cold voice. "You are disgracing my family name. You have been known to have ties with us, but you show up to school whenever it pleases you. Your grades are slipping, and you look as if you have not slept in weeks. That good for nothing will not do anything to rectify the situation if you truly did tell him. Now, I will ask you again. What have you done to yourself? If I am not satisfied with your answer, you will be punished right here."

Mai grits her teeth and tightly closes her eyes. She slowly reaches up to touch her face. Despite her wishes, she tells him everything in detail. Embarrassment and shame swells in her chest when she glosses over the part that she slept with Laito. She makes sure to keep the details to a minimum. Thankfully, Reiji seems to accept her blunt way of saying that she spent the night with him. She flinches when she recounts the women she has been seeing. Finally, she finishes and lifts her gaze to look up at him. His usual mask of indifference is on his face, while he stares down at her. Finally, he closes his eyes and pushes up his glasses. His voice comes out surprisingly low. "Interesting."

He opens his eyes to glare down at her. "Come to my room after school. Perhaps I can help you deal with your issue concerning Laito and these mysterious figures."

He turns to leave but pauses at the door and glances back. "Ah, your punishment. You are to report to my room after school every day until I tell you otherwise. That will suffice for now."

The small smile on his face leaves her feeling even worse than before. She shudders hard and reaches up to rub her arms. Why did it feel like everything was about to get worse? She suddenly finds that she isn't hungry anymore.


She's not thrilled to find that her class right after lunch has the blonde haired boy in it. He gives her an excited wave from behind a group of female students fawning over him. She rolls her eyes and sits in her seat. Before long, the girls have to go to their own class or sit down. That's when she notices that across the room, Yuma is sitting by the window. The teacher gives both the new students a welcome before delving right into the history lesson. She jumps when she feels a tap on her shoulder and turns to find the blonde vampire smiling at her. He holds up a piece of paper then offers it to her. Mai glances at it before turning away without taking it. To her surprise, she finds it sitting in the center of her desk. She glances back with a glare to find him resting his chin in one hand. He doesn't look at her once, and he manages to pull off paying attention to the teacher. Before she's caught, she spins around to stare at the folded piece of paper. She has a feeling that she should just throw it away, but her curiosity gets the better of her. She cautiously opens it, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Hello, cutie!

I didn't get you and your friend's names earlier! So, can I ask your name now? I'm sorry if we caused you trouble with that upperclassmen! He sure was scary looking! Are you two OK? Ah, I wanted to apologize again for Yuma. I know he can be rough, but he's a good guy. Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Kou! I hope that we can be friends!

The letter is written in incredibly neat handwriting. She frowns at it and gives a glance over her shoulder to find him giving her a charming smile once more. She rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to the teacher before she gets caught. After only a few minutes pass, something begins to incessantly nudge the back of her arm. With a sigh, she glances back to find Kou's still smiling at her. He nudges her with the paper until she finally rips it away from him. She simply shoves it into her bag and turns back to the front. Once again, minutes pass before the incessant nudging starts all over again. She grips the edges of her desk in a white knuckled grip and attempts to fully ignore him. Finally, she decides that she can't take it anymore and reaches back without looking. Paper brushes her hand, which she takes and pulls it in front of her. She quietly opens and smoothes it out. Her eyes glance down to find the same neat handwriting.

I'm sorry that I seem to be bothering you! It's just that my brothers and I are new to this town. We could really use the help getting to know everything. Besides, we couldn't help but notice that both you and that adorable blonde girl from before look so scared! If it's Yuma, I can talk to him for you! We were also concerned, since it looked like you had hurt your lip. Are you OK? Did that scary boy from before do that to you? Don't be scared to talk to me! We can help you guys! I promise.

Mai reads it over a few times before she closes her eyes and shakes her head. She glances up at the teacher. With a cold jolt, she realizes that the teacher is staring straight at her. Thankfully, it seems like he hasn't stopped the lecture, but it's still a clear warning. Mai offers a nervous smile and pretends to once again pay attention. Thankfully, the teacher turns his attention back to a powerpoint slide. Mai glances down at the note before her. Her teeth brush over her bottom lip, causing her to flinch. She finally picks up a pencil and quickly scribbles across the empty portion.

Please leave us alone. We have no idea who you are, nor do we want your supposed friendship. I saw fangs in that boy's mouth. We know you are vampires, and se don't need to get further tangled up with vampires.

She twists to place it on his desk and turns back around. She quickly raises her hand. Once the teacher asks her what she needs, she asks to use the restroom. Thankfully, she's excused. She leaves her books on her desk and hurries out of the classroom. With her head down, she makes her way to the bathroom. Once there, she pulls out her phone and opens a text. With a jolt, she realizes that she originally considered texting one of the brothers to inform them of what Kou said in the note. She frowns at the phone and gives her head a shake. Finally, she decides to text a warning to Yui, since she seemed to be their focal point. Once she locates her friend's name, she quickly tells Yui to stay away from the new students. She gives a brief run down that they seem strange and insist on being friends, but Mai has a bad feeling. She closes the phone and retreats to sink to wet her hands before running them over her face. She does this a few times before lifting her gaze to look at her bottom lip. It's swollen and has nasty looking scabs covering it. She flinches and closes her eyes. She takes a deep breath and tries to think of something else. She finds her mind drifting back to Laito. Did she ever want to see him again?

The thought of what he had said that morning sent chills down her spine. She was still curious about why he would do that. She loosely grips the sink and tries to convince herself that she has to approach him to ask. She watches her own face begin to pale. She tells herself that there is no way she can escape him. She jumps when the lights flicker a couple of times and turns her gaze upward. They flicker back to life and seem to stabilize, so she tries to tell herself that florescent lighting always behaved weirdly. Once her eyes turn back to the mirror, she lets out a yelp of surprise. She spins around to face the girl that is standing only feet behind her. She looks to be around Mai's age, only she has white hair. Her skin is snow white as well. The most shocking is her eyes. They were nothing but bloody jagged holes, as if someone had cut them out. Terror completely fills Mai's entire body, and she wants to run, but she finds herself rooted to the spot.

The weirdest part is the girl is wearing the school's uniform. She's an inch or so shorter than Mai, but she's also barefoot. She's missing a sock, while the other looked to be caked in red colored mud. In fact, most of the uniform looks like it's caked in the same reddish mud. There were numerous scars littering her skin, but there doesn't seem to be any open wounds; however, around her neck there is a clear bruise that has formed. It eerily looked like hand prints. Mai swallows hard and tries to keep her eyes from meeting the empty holes where the girl's eyes should be. A childish giggle echos off the walls.

"So...afraid."

Mai recoils back and bolts for the door without a second thought, but the girl simply steps out of one of the stalls. She turns to face Mai once again, completely blocking the only exit. Mai retreats a few steps. Her body is shaking so badly that she feels like she could tip over at any second.

"Do I scare you?"

It sounds like two people are talking at once, but it's still the clearest she has ever heard one of them talk. Each word is almost crystal clear. A lump forms in Mai's throat, and her mouth goes dry. She feels like she can't breathe. The room still felt warm, but Mai's body felt so cold that the warmth is biting at her skin. The girl lets out a piercing laugh that makes Mai's ears ache. Mai pulls her arms closer to her body and asks in a hesitant voice. "What…..what are y…..you?"

The girl releases another chuckle before stating in her eerie double voice. "Is that really what you want to ask? Time is short, you know."

Mai feels her back press against the cool wall behind her, but she didn't even know when she backed up so far. Her body is starting to feel numb. She gives her head a firm shake and says as steady as she can. "What do you want?"

The girl tilts her head. Inadvertently, the actions causes Mai to lift her gaze to stare at the girl's empty holes. She flinches when a wicked smile spreads over the girl's face. While Mai watches, her mouth doesn't move, but Mai could still clearly hear her talking. "I want you. You have listen to me. It is very important."

Mai makes the mistake of blinking. The girl appears inches in front of her. In fact, she's so close that Mai's sure that her chest will touch the girl's if she were to breathe. Mai jerks her head back, hitting the wall behind her with a soft hiss. The girl tilts her head and leans forward. "They have polluted your blood by appearing to you."

Mai wants to ask what she meant by that, but at that moment, the girl's hands appear around Mai's throat. As much as she doesn't want to admit it, the hands feel warm and real. They start to squeeze, and panic takes over Mai's mind. She reaches up to grab the girl's wrists. The girl hisses softly. "Hundreds, if not thousands, of girls have been killed much sooner than you. Much sooner than that blonde bitch. Why must you two survive? Why does she get his attention?!"

The girl's voice echos loudly around the bathroom. At this point, Mai isn't able to breathe, and she's desperately trying to pry the hands away from her neck. The girl lets out a loud unearthly howl that sends Mai's panic into overdrive. She starts to scratch at the hands holding her throat. To her absolute disgust, the girls skin gives away in long chunks that drop to the floor with a sickening plopping sound, but there isn't any blood at all. The girl lets out a loud scream. "Those stupid brides! They polluted you, so you caught that freak's attention! You got special treatment! She gets special treatment! What was wrong with me?! Why couldn't I stay by their side?! I loved them! They could do whatever they wanted! I didn't care! Why?!"

Everything rushes back into reality. There is a female teacher calling her name and shaking Mai violently. Air rushes back into Mai's lungs, and she lets out a savage cough. To her absolute horror, the bathroom suddenly becomes full of paramedics, but she didn't understand why. Everything moves so quickly. A male paramedic assists her out of the bathroom. Unfortunately, the bell has already rung, so the halls were full of curious students. Mai keeps her head down as she walks. She doesn't want to see anyone right then. She feels her phone vibrate, but she doesn't even try to answer it.


She finds herself sitting on a hospital bed in clothes her mother had brought. It was determined from the teacher's account that she had some sort of seizure. The bruises around her neck were her own doing when she believed that she was suffocating. Several tests had been performed on her, but she doesn't say a single word when the doctors ask her questions like if she could remember what happened directly before the episode. She knew that she didn't have a seizure, but they wouldn't believe her anyway. Her mother had stayed by her side and was clearly trying not to cry. Finally, after several hours, the doctors determined that she was simply having a mental breakdown, and she would just need to be observed overnight. She simply refused to look up from the blankets on the bed before her while he talked to her mother. She hadn't bothered to correct them when they said that she was the one who had harmed her lip. They wouldn't believe her anyway, so she had no reason to deny what they decided. They said they if she behaved differently they would inform her parents. After the observation period, they would help her parents decide what to do next. After all this is done, she is left to herself in an effort to help her relax. She lets herself fall back on the bed and roll onto her side. She closes her eyes and lets her mind lazily wander over everything that has happened.

She hears a noise over her shoulder, but she finds that she doesn't care enough to look. Her eyes open when she hears a sigh, but she closes them after only a few seconds. A familiar rumble spits out. "How pathetic."

She slowly opens her eyes to find that the chair by her bed is now preoccupied, and he didn't look happy. Mai simply turns away from him again. Silence fills the air before she finally says, "Are you even real?"

"Is that what the humans are telling you?" Richter growls from behind her.

"Why are you here?" Mai asks. She forces her body to relax. She didn't trust the vampire, but she is also tired, and she's starting think that everything is just in her head anyway.

"It isn't my choice to be here either, human. Besides, the bride will come to see to you, and you can ask them to keep those pests from entering," Richter states coldly. Mai's sits up and turns to face the green haired vampire. Her eyes narrow a little, but he simply gives her a look that is completely devoid of emotion. She had a feel that Tougo had asked him to watch over her, but this was only the third time she has seen Richter, and she has a feeling he's completely uninterested in her. Still, it's unnerving to her that he's so interested in Yui. In an effort to distract herself, she decides to start questioning him.

"Do you know what is going on with me?" She asks. All she receives is a cold stare. She grits her teeth, and anger fills her chest. She continues to keep his stare in hopes that it will make him talk. Finally, it seems to work, since he makes an annoyed sound in the back of his throat.

"Those brats haven't told you?" Upon seeing Mai shake her head a little, a cold smile spreads over his face. His voice holds a small hint of delight. "So, they must not have figured it out."

He leans back, clearly seeming to gloat over the fact that he knew something that his nephews did not. He closes his eyes and lets out a slow breath. When he finally opens his eyes again, they pin her with a cold look. A chill runs down her spine, and she considers changing her mind. Unfortunately, he doesn't give her a chance to. "You are slowly changing. Not in the way that...the bride is, but you have come into contact with the dead brides' souls. It's likely due to the fact that Yui is…..unique. Her presence is what is affecting you."

Mai finds herself clenching the blankets. She's finally getting the answers she has been longing for, but now she has even more questions. She opens her mouth to ask, but she doesn't get a chance. Richter simply continues. "You are no longer fully human thanks to your experiences with the brides. Tougo set it that way; however, it's usually only the current bride who can see them. You must not have been a simple human to start with, or it could just have been an accident that you saw them. Tougo may be bored with the current way things are done, since Yui is obviously going to be the successful bride. I think he reached out and changed something within you."

Mai cringes at the sound of that. She shifts uncomfortably but refrains from letting her mind worry about how Tougo could have changed anything. She swallows hard and gives him a nervous stare. Is she sure she wants to know more? She decides that she can't stop now. She finally has someone who's willing to talk to her, and she has to finish finding out all she can. She opens her mouth to ask. "So, does that mean I'm not human?"

He doesn't say anything, which makes her heart sink to the pit of her stomach. She asks a different question. "Then what am I?"

He releases a sigh, as if she were bothering him. His gaze lifts to find the clock on the wall before he turns his attention back to her. "You're still human, but I believe that you aren't fully human. It's unlikely that you a candidate for a bride either. You simply exist. A placeholder between two different worlds, though I'm not sure of your importance yet."

His voice is cold, and it sounds as if he plans to be done discussing the topic. She turns her attention back to her lap and thinks over this new information. It's quiet enough that the clock could be heard ticking away. She jumps when he starts to talk again. "I thought you were under that perverts thumb; however, you smell like that lazy, good-for-nothing older son. Does a woman's heart change so easily?"

He sounded mocking, and it makes her clench her fists tightly. She doesn't plan to actually answer him, though. The sound of his scoff lets her know that she has played right into his hands, but she doesn't care. She simply continues to stare at the blanket. She jumps once again when he starts talking. "Did that boy force himself on you?"

Once again, she doesn't answer. He lets out an amused sounding chuckle. "Poor little human. You couldn't possibly understand."

That catches her attention, and she lifts her gaze to silently observe him. Her gaze locks with his, and an amused look takes over his face. He suddenly leans forward and points toward her phone. His voice is so low that it's barely audible. "Call the bride here. Ask her to come without that pest that is leeching off of her. If you do, I'll tell you all about those bastards."

Mai's eyes narrow, and she quickly snatches up her phone. There's no way that she's going to willingly call her friend into danger. This vampire clearly has an unhealthy obsession with her. Richter's cold gaze locks with Mai's, and the minutes turn into hours. She stubbornly stares back at him. Finally, he lets out a chuckle that takes her by surprise. He leans forward again and says, "Your loyalty will be your downfall, human. He'll only use that to manipulate the two of you."

Mai jumps when there's a knock on her door and reluctantly tears her gaze away to see who it is. To her absolute horror, she hears a familiar feminine voice through the door. "Are you awake, Mai?"

Mai's gaze snaps back around to find that Richter is now sitting up right. A strange look overtakes his face. It looked almost heartbreakingly hopeful, but Mai still opens her mouth to tell Yui to run. Unfortunately, Richter's gaze snaps to her, and a cold, furious look takes over his features. Suddenly, she finds herself unable to talk, and Yui unknowingly enters the room. Mai's entire body begins shaking, and guilt threatens to consume her. Thankfully, Richter's gaze moves from her to her friend. Finally, Mai feels that she's able to move again, so she quickly turns her gaze to find Yui watching Richter with a curious look. Mai quickly scrambles up and tries to offer Yui a smile. She attempts to place her body between Yui and Richter and says, "It's good to see you."

Yui's gaze shifts to her, and a look of concern floods her face. She reaches out to give Mai a tight squeeze. It was clear that her friend is also shaking. To her surprise, Yui lets out a soft whimpering noise. Mai awkwardly returns her friend's hug, completely aware of the fact that Richter's still in the room. Thankfully, he seems content to just observe, but that makes her feel even more uneasy. Finally, Mai pulls away and peeks out into the hallway before softly asking. "Is it just you?"

Yui shakes her head and glances back. "Well, Ayato has to make up a test that he failed on. Kanato offered to come, but Reiji insisted that it's nothing more than you wanting attention and said that he will deal with your outburst."

Mai cringes at the sound and starts to shake her head, but Yui offers a smile before her eyes lock with Mai's throat. A look of concern takes over her face once more. She quietly says. "Reiji came to sort things out. He's discussing something with your parents in the waiting room. The rest of the brothers went home, though I think that Laito might drop in later."

Mai's heart skips a beat, but she forces the thought from her mind. She glances back to find Richter still watching Yui intently. Mai swallows hard and gives her friend another hug then starts to nudge her out of the room. She makes herself sound as confident as possible. "Yui, I'm fine. I just haven't been sleeping well, and I had a breakdown. Nothing big."

"Does it have to do with Laito?" Yui asks softly. She resists being completely shoved out of the room. Mai's body tenses, and she thinks it over for only a moment. Finally, she releases a sigh and shrugs.

"I suppose he didn't help my stress level. Look, I just have a lot on my mind, and it didn't help that….."

The sympathetic look on her face causes Mai's word to trail off. Suddenly, Yui grabs Mai's hand and confidently says, "I know it hurts, but I promise that I'm here for you. It may not seem like it, but it gets better."

Mai's heart gives a painful lurch, and she finds tears welling up in her eyes. She desperately fights the tears, but she can't stop herself from chuckling and gives Yui a smile. She could never describe just how much those words helped to ease a part of her mind. She didn't understand how Yui could be so happy with Ayato, but it still comes as a relief. She reaches out to hug Yui once more. She says softly. "Thank you, Yui."

She's not sure how long they stood there hugging each other, but Reiji eventually shows up with a cold look at his uncle. He blatantly ignores the vampire and shoos Yui from the room. He turns to coldly inform Mai that she would be released the next day. He practically orders her to return to her own home where she would contact him in order to get her next instructions. Her last week of waking Shuu for school would be suspended for a couple of weeks, until Reiji himself determined she's ready to return to the task. Until then, she is to keep up on her school work, but she is allowed to miss a couple of days as long as she received her homework from one of the triplets or Yui. He casts one last look at his uncle before pushing his glasses up and turns to leave. Just as he's about leave, Mai calls out. "Wait, Reiji!"

She freezes the second those words leave her mouth. In fact, she's not even sure why she called out to him. He pauses at the door and glances back at her. She frowns for a moment and looks at the blankets while her mind races for a suitable excuse. Finally, she settles on what happened with Kou during class, but she finds that she's unsure how to bring up the topic. She fiddles with the blanket until she hears a sigh from Reiji. With a sense of determination, she pushes her thoughts out of her mind and lifts her gaze to meet Reiji's indifferent stare. She tries to sound confident when she says, "I think those new students are going to be trouble for Yui. I think they are targeting her."

He watches her silently for a few moments before scoffing and leaves without another word. Despite the obvious brush off, Mai still felt a sense of relief. She jumps when she hears another scoff and turns to glare at Richter to find that he is leaning back in the chair. For a moment, Mai considers hitting the call light for the nurse, but the green haired vampire's cold look stops her. His voice comes out as an almost amused rubble. "You sure are a foolish child. Did you think you were smarter than those boys?"

Mai chooses to ignore his jab and continues to glare at him. He stares back at her for a moment before scoff. "I see."

He stands up, and relief floods Mai's entire body. If he's leaving, it meant that she could finally relax. To her absolute frustration, he slowly paces around the bed and stops near the foot. His eyes slowly turn to focus on her once more. His voice is barely audible when he says, "Cordelia is mine. Not that brat's."

Confusion fills her chest, but she doesn't say anything. She simply watches him. He reaches out to grab the foot board of her bed and leans forward a little. Still, it's enough to send Mai's heart into her throat. A look that can best be described as insane takes over his face for a brief second. It's gone only seconds later, but she has an uncomfortable feeling that he allowed her to see it. He lets out a soft chuckle and says, "You, those boys, even that girl. None of you mean anything to my brother. You are all simply pawns that are dancing to his tune. That's all you'll ever be. Still, Cordelia showed up without that arrogant brat, so I'll tell you a little about each of them, since your heart is so fickle."

Mai opens her mouth to protest, but he doesn't give her a chance. He straightens and immediately jumps in about Shuu. It appeared that he was born to the second wife, and he was expected to become the next head of the family. His mother did whatever was required to keep him in line. He seemed to be such a happy boy until a nearby human village burned to the ground. Afterwards, his entire personality changed. A look of horror seems to spur Richter to continue in even more detail.

Reiji was the second born; however, it seemed that his mother never once acknowledged him. All of her time and attention went to shaping Shuu how she pleased. In fact, it didn't seem as if anyone gave Reiji one shred of attention. He eventually hired some hunter to kill his mother. Mai's fear of Reiji instantly spikes, and she decides that she doesn't want to hear anymore. Unfortunately, Richter isn't done.

The triplets were born to the first wife. Richter's face contorts with anger for a moment, but it seems that he always says their mother's name tenderly. It sent chills down her spine. It only gets worse when Richter explains that the triplets were all bad children. Ayato was expected to compete with Shuu, since Cordelia felt it was her right to raise the heir to the family. Unfortunately, he never studied when his mother wanted him to. After all the effort she put forth, he always defied her. So, she had to think of creative punishments. Her punishments went from locking him away from others or slapping him to finally throwing him in the lake to drown. Ayato's ungratefulness in his mother's faith goes so far as to finally trying and succeeding to have a hand in murder her. Horror continues to mount in Mai's chest, and she finds herself unable to breath.

Kanato seemed to be the next one on Richter's list. Richter doesn't seem overly interested in the purple haired vampire. Instead, he simply glosses over by telling Mai that his mother had taken the time to teach him a few songs. He appeared to be the best one out of the three. He at least sung to his mother whenever she asked him, too. Still, he burned her body when he found it.

Mai's hands clutch the blanket beneath her in a white knuckled grip. She's shaking so bad that she mistakes the tears in her eyes for simply shaking. Her reaction seems to amuse Richter, since he chuckles in the back of his throat. He slowly starts around the edge of the bed until he is standing beside her. He leans down until his face is only inches from the side of her head. She wants to pull away, but her body doesn't respond. His voice takes on a mocking edge when he proceeds to tell her that Laito was the worst of all. He tells ther that Laito never saw his mother as a mother. He saw her as a woman. Despite sharing blood, he pushed himself onto her. Disgust wells in the pit of Mai's stomach, and she closes her eyes as if it will block out the words, or even make them untrue. She presses her hands to her ears in an attempt to cover up what she was hearing. Unfortunately, Richter doesn't allow her to. His hands grip her wrists tightly, and he pulls her hands away from her head. He proceeds to tell her that Laito was punished for pursuing such a disgusting relationship with his own flesh and blood; however, this never stopped him. His mother still loved and trusted him enough to run to him when Ayato attempted to kill her, but he rewarded her by proceeding to finish her off. Richter's voice becomes laced in anger when he slowly tells Mai that Laito had thrown his own mother off of a balcony.

Mai's body feels like it's breaking out in a cold sweat. She felt utterly disgusted not only with Laito but with herself. She had allowed him to touch her like that. She flinches away from Richter's touch. Thankfully, he lets her pull away. She scoots her body as far away from him as possible. He coldly chuckles, letting her know that he was enjoying her fear and disgust. She silently prays he's done, but he still had one more brother to discuss. She closes her eyes tightly when she hears him talking once more. Subaru's mother is still alive, but she is mentally unstable, though Richter openly admits that it's entertaining to watch her switch personalities. She seems to greatly care for Subaru one moment before trying to kill him the next. It seems that she truly hated her own son. Mai feels so sick to her stomach that she doesn't even react when something cold brushes her cheek. By the time it registers that Richter may have touched her, he's already gone. She lets her body fall back and twists to pull the blankets over her head. She kept going over everything that Richter had told her. She keeps telling herself to not blindly believe him, but something deep down in the pit of her stomach kept reminding her that the brothers weren't normal.

With a flinch, she realizes that she isn't normal either. She had spent so much time with them that the girl in the bathroom was right. She has been polluted. She isn't normal, and she didn't think that she would ever feel normal again. Tears slowly make their way down her face, and she finds herself silently crying. She's not sure if she is crying for herself, Yui, or the brothers, but she decides to just let herself cry until there are no more tears. There was no one there to impress anymore.


She didn't sleep at all for the rest of the night. In fact, she stares numbly at the wall any time she is asked questions by the doctors or nurses who come to check on her. Eventually, they end up not asking her questions. She receives a few texts from Yui throughout the day, but it's clear that she's sleepily texting since most don't make sense.

It's slowly creeping up on night again, and her mother has been visiting for the last hour. She informs Mai that she would be able to go home the next morning if she wants, but it's perfectly OK to stay at the hospital. Mai simply shakes her head before informing her mom that she wanted to go home since she couldn't rest well in the hospital. Her mother gives her a kiss on the forehead and asks if she wants her or her father to stay the night with her. Thankfully, Mai has a long time to consider everything that had been told to her, so she's able to smile convincingly enough to fool her mother. She tells her mother that she's a big girl and could sleep by herself. Still, her mother seems unsure about leaving, but she finally does. All over again, time ticks. Yui drops by, but Mai finds it hard to tell Yui about what Richter told her. She isn't sure why, but she tells herself that it's because it'll cause undue stress to Yui and there's always the risk that Richter was lying. Thankfully, Yui leaves which gives Mai time to think everything over. Could she really believe everything Richter said? She didn't even know him. Perhaps she's stressing about the wrong thing?

She jumps when there's a soft knock on the door. She sits up, fully expecting it to be a nurse there to check on her. To her surprise, it's someone that she doesn't immediately recognize. The blonde boy steps in with a charming smile and winks at her. Her heart skips a beat, and she leaps to her feet with the bed between them. He lifts his hands and lets out a nervous chuckle when Mai prepares to scream. His voice is oddly cheerful. "Easy! I'm just here to return your book bag and homework from class yesterday!"

He gives her a charming smile and lifts her bookbag into view. Still, she can't find it in herself to relax. She remains ready to call out for help. That's when she notices that the door's still open, so they were in full view of anyone who walked by. Her eyes snap back to find he has a very convincing look of worry on his face. He slowly places the bag by the door and makes no attempt to approach her. Suspicion fills her chest. Now that she has a better look at him, she has a feeling that he's familiar outside of school, but she can't quite place where she has seen him.

He lifts a hand to rub the back of his head in what appears to be a nervous gesture. "I was hoping that you weren't left alone. I'd like to see your adorable friend again, and there are some interesting rumors going around school that you tried to kill yourself."

Mai's eyes narrow at him, but she doesn't say a word. It never bothered her what the students said before, and she isn't about to let it start bothering her now. Kou leans against the wall and folds his arms, though she's thankful he doesn't even attempt to venture further into the room. Still, she has a feeling that his helpful, cheerful, and caring demeanor is nothing but a disguise. He's a vampire, and all the vampires she's come in contact with have been cruel, merciless beings.

Still, he doesn't seem to be fazed by her silence. He just continues to give her that disarming smile. Mai's eyes narrow a little more, but she forces herself to say. "Thank you for bringing that to me."

His charming smile grows, and his voice takes on a hopeful sound when he says, "Does this mean that we can be friends?"

She simply continues to glare coldly at him. He lets out a sigh, but he doesn't actually sound upset. Finally, he says. "Aren't you curious as to how I found you?"

"You're a vampire," Mai bluntly states. "You probably followed my scent."

Kou gives her yet another grin. Thankfully, he doesn't say anything. He simply tilts his head in an almost cute way.

"Can I sit down?"

Mai flinches when she realizes that her manners had lapsed. Still, she doesn't want to let him sit anywhere in the room. Against her will, she snarls out. "By all means."

He lets out a chuckle and scoops up her bag. He drops it at the foot of her bed and sits in a chair furthest from her bed. Dread fills her stomach, and she keeps a sharp eye on him. It feels like he's trying to get her to let her guard down. While she watches, he leans back and turns his attention toward the tv that's currently turned off. Finally, Mai can't stand the silence and bluntly asks, "What do you want?"

He turns his attention toward her and offers that infuriating smile. He shifts so the heel of one of his feet is on the edge of the seat. He loosely wraps his arm around his leg and shifts till he is comfortable then playfully says, "I thought you'd be bored sitting here all by yourself. Your blonde friend has been worried about you. I heard her talking to that red head of hers about you yesterday. She's worried that you'd be sad if you were alone, so I thought I'd do her a favor and keep you company! Aren't you so lucky!"

Mai's body tenses, and her eyes narrow. There's something off about him, but she has to admit that his carefree attitude is refreshing. In fact, he's even respecting her boundaries. How long has it been since a vampire has done that? She clears her throat and says, "I didn't ask you come see me."

He gains a thoughtful look. In fact, he lightly taps his chin for a moment. His blue eyes roll toward the ceiling before they slowly drift down to settle on her. He chuckles and winks at her once again. He playfully sticks his tongue out at her then says. "You don't have to ask! We're classmates. Besides, your adorable little friend is worried about you, and I can't just let a cutie sit in a depressing room like this one all by herself, can I?"

Mai finds herself instantly disliking him. She didn't know why, though. He seems to sense her dislike, and a frown flashes over his face before he lets out a happy chuckle. The smile returns, and he tilts his head. "Didn't they hurt you? Don't they hurt that adorable little friend of yours? Why be so suspicious of me when they are the ones to blame for you being here?"

Mai's entire body stiffens, and she glances toward the open door. She silently hopes the nurse will show up soon. She jumps when she hears him say, "Don't you want to protect your friend?"

She turns her gaze back at him with a frown. He leans forward a little and says softly. "You know, if you believe in my brothers and I, we can help you two out. You want to escape them, but they seem impossible to escape from, right? We have a secret hideout. They wouldn't be able to find you."

Mai can't help but wrinkle her nose at him. Without thinking over her words, she bluntly asks. "How old are you?"

He gives her a curious look, but she doesn't give him a chance to respond. She simply says, "Are you a child? A secret hideout? You have got to be kidding me."

The cheerfulness seems to drain from his face. A cold look replaces it only seconds later. Mai clenches the blanket, but she finds that she doesn't feel any fear. She simply returns his cold look. Kou suddenly stands up and seems to dust himself off. His voice no longer holds a hint of his previous cheer. It's simply cold when he says, "Ungrateful bitch. I tried to do something nice for you, but this is how you treat me. You're nothing more than a good for nothing pet for those pathetic vampires."

His cold words startle her, but she tries to keep it off of her face. He starts toward the door without another word. Mai simply watches him go with a furious look. He pauses to look back and gives her a cold smile that is just as charming as his cheerful one. "You must like the abuse they give you. Pathetic."

He's gone before Mai gets a chance to saying anything in return. Still, she finds herself seething. She jumps when her phone rings and turns her attention to it. To her relief, it's only Yui who is texting her. It simply reads.

Mai, Ayato just told me that Laito has been punished for what he did to you. I think that's why we haven't seen him.

Humiliation and dread fills her stomach. How had Tougo known what Laito had done? To make matters even worse, she hadn't given Laito's disappearance much thought, but she now realizes that she hasn't actually seen him. The humiliation is taken over by dread, and she texts back a single question.

Is he upset?

The response is immediate, but it's also unsatisfactory.

I don't know.

Mai flinches. What if Laito blames her? What will he do as punishment? The thought makes her feel sick to her stomach all over again. She lets herself fall back and pulls the blanket over her head. She forces herself to push the worries from her mind and focuses on what she would do when she met up with Reiji. Any time her thoughts wander, she forces herself to return to the upcoming meeting with Reiji. That seems to be the trick to help herself finally doze off.