Hey! It's a while. The holidays had me busy! (: I hope everyone's was good! :D Thank you all for being patient with me!
Tsukiyomi-Hio: I'm sorry it took me so long! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
VampireSiren: :D I'm glad you liked the Laito POV! (: As for your question, yes there will be a chapter from their POV's. (: I've started work on Shuu's chapter while I was writing this one. (:
Righel: Thank you! :D I hope you continue to enjoy it! :D
Guest: It would make sense for that to happen in order to bind him to her. I think his mind doesn't work like normal, so his terms of binding her can go from something like that to something much darker, such as locking her away, trying to kill her, breaking her willpower, etc. (:
Thank you everyone! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :D It does have some violence and mention of drugs.
Thankfully, the rest of the night eases by. She confirms with her parents and doctors that she can finally go home. The car ride home is so incredibly awkward that she can only numbly stare out the window while her parents talk nonstop. To make matters even worse, they try to cheer her up by stopping to grab her some fast food. Their hopeful looks cause her to feel guilty about not feeling hungry, so she ends up forcing down the food. All the while, she has to pretend not to see the worried expressions they are sending each other over their own food. The painful experience is dragged on as they leave the fast food restaurant. Her mother offers to stop by the store to get her favorite candy. Her father chimes in with an offer to get her some movies. The whole thing turns into an offer to get movie snacks and have a family movie night. While the gesture was touching, she found she wasn't in the mood, so she simply forces a smile onto her face and declines. Upon seeing their questioning, and worried, stares, she gives them the lame excuse that she's tired and just wants to sleep in her own bed. Upon seeing the disappointment clearly written on their faces, she promises to think about doing it tomorrow night.
Thankfully, they give in and take her home. She doesn't say a word for the rest of the trip. Once home, she simply gets out of the car and makes her way inside. Without bothering to take off her shoes, she walks through the house to her room. With a shuddering sigh, she crawls up on her bed and flops onto her side. For one brief moment, she considers how gross it was to have her shoes on her bed, but the thought floats away just as quickly as it came. Her thoughts slowly become blank, which allows her tense muscles to finally relax. Her body slowly curls into a ball, and she finds herself listening to the sound of her parents' voices. Despite the door being cracked open, she can't quite make out what her parents are saying. She finds that she doesn't particularly care though. Just the sound of their voices is enough comfort for her. She allows her heavy eyes to slowly close and pulls a pillow close to her chest. She squeezes it tightly and tries to force herself to sleep.
Unfortunately, her body doesn't want to cooperate with her. Her thoughts had started up again, and they keep back around to what Richter had told her. Was it true that she's no longer fully human? The simple thought is almost laughable. He probably isn't telling her the truth. He is related to Laito, after all. Besides if she isn't human, then what is she? That circled her thoughts into a different direction. Since she didn't plan on believing that she wasn't human anymore, what could she believe? Is anything he said even true? Or is it nothing more than a lie? The thought of Laito being with his mother made her sick to her stomach. She gives a hard shake of her head. Her eyes squeeze tightly closed. Would it be better to just ask him? Would he tell her the truth? Her heart gives a painful throb. Who can she even trust anymore?
She releases a slow sigh, sits up, and opens her eyes. That's when she realizes that the sound of her parents was gone. In fact, the whole house seemed eerily silent, causing her to wonder where her parents had disappeared to. After everything that happened, she didn't see her parents leaving her side any time soon. A shudder runs down her spine when memories of the recent events run through her mind. In an effort to distract herself, she glances around her room before her eyes land on the new cheap alarm clock beside her bed. The big, red letters read twelve p.m. Her heart sinks to the very bottom of her stomach. It feels like hours have gone by, but it turns out that she has only been released for roughly four hours. With a flinch, she remembers she that she is supposed to call Reiji when she returned home. Despite realizing this, she finds herself absentmindedly watching the minutes tick by. It's not until her pocket starts to vibrate that she's able to tear her gaze away. She doesn't bother checking the caller ID to see who's calling her. There were only a handful of people it could be, and she's already at her house, so it wouldn't be her parents.
"You were supposed to call when you arrived home," a cold voice states the second she lifts the phone to her ear. She can't help but roll her eyes. He doesn't give her a chance to respond, though. Reiji simply states. "Outside of your home, a car is waiting for you. You are to come straight to my room. Do not stop at any point."
She's not sure why, but she quickly asks, "Reiji?"
Silence is her only greeting, which causes her to silently wonder if he already hung up. On the off chance he hasn't, she hesitantly asks, "Can… Richter be trusted?"
Once again, silence is the only response she receives. She's too afraid to pull the phone away and look at it to see if he hung up. He might say something while the phone is away from her ear, and she doesn't want to miss a single word. She could even take it a step further by saying that she had to know. Her hand begins to grip the phone until her knuckles turn completely white. Hope is becoming nothing more than a shrivelled up feeling in the bottom of her heart. Just as she loses the little bit she has left, he finally starts talking again. "Come to my room. You will explain the reasoning behind your question in full detail."
There is a beep in her ear, letting her know that he did indeed hang up this time. She pulls the phone away and glares at it as if it were to blame for all of her problems. She inhales deeply through her nose, silently reminding herself that an inanimate object can't do anything to her, and releases her breath as a sigh. She considers not even going to their house, but the thought of getting answers is tempting. Besides, she doesn't relish the thought of having to deal with an upset Reiji the next time she sees him. It takes some mental convincing, but she finds herself silently slipping out of the house and into the back of the car Reiji mentioned. She glances out the window at her house while the car backs out. A sense of guilt rises into her throat, and she has to forcibly tear her gaze away. Was she doing the right thing? She gives a small shake of her head. It felt like she's walking right into a trap. The kind of trap that cause millions of horror movie fans to yell at the hero not to fall into. She settles for leaning back in the seat and closing her eyes while trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. When had she stopped trusting her own gut instinct?
She jerks awake when something cold touches her face. She fully expects it to be Laito, but it turns out that it's a red eyed, young man who is dressed in a suit. His leather clad hand moves away from her face out of the corner of her eye. She barely represses the shudder at the thought of an unfamiliar person touching her so easily. The young man doesn't say a word to her. He just steps beside the open door and bows slightly. Feeling unnerved that she had so easily fallen asleep around one of the Sakamaki familiars, Mai quickly slips out and rushes up the steps to the house. She doesn't even think twice about slipping in the already open door. She glances back to watch it shut without anyone in sight. With a shudder, she turns and looks around the entry hall. Taking a deep breath to steady her fraying nerves, she makes her way up the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots see Shuu sleeping on a couch through a doorway that leads to the living room. Not far away from him, Subaru is sitting in a chair. Unfortunately, his back is to Mai, so she can't see what he is doing. She decides to finish her task as fast as possible, so she quickens her footsteps. It's not long before she arrives at a cracked door. With a deep breath, she knocks, causing the door to open a little more.
Without a response from within, Mai decides to just poke her head in. To her utter frustration, Reiji is sitting at a desk, casually flipping through a book. He doesn't say a single word to acknowledge her presence, so she slides her body through the door. She's careful to leave the door open behind her. She wants to have an escape route open to her should something seem fishy. She only takes a few steps in and keeps her eyes fixed on the dark haired vampire. As the minutes tick by, it becomes harder and harder to not fidget. Finally, red eyes lift to meet hers. She feels her entire body stiffen, but she keeps her gaze locked with his. After a short staring contest, he leans back in his chair. He gives her a thoughtful once over before he stands and walks around the desk. His voice is barely audible. "Are you thirsty?"
It feels like every nerve in her body comes alive. Suspicion fills her entire being, and she starts to shake her head. The action stops when he gives her a cold frown. He turns his attention to pouring himself what appeared to be tea. His voice comes out cold as usual. "That is very rude of you to refuse your host."
Mai's eyes narrow, but she choses not to respond. It almost feels like he's trying to bait her, but she couldn't figure out what he was hoping to accomplish. She watches him sit in a comfortable looking arm chair, close his eyes, and take a couple of drinks. The seconds tick by in an agonizingly slow manner before Mai cautiously starts her way toward the chair opposite him. Just as she reaches it, his eyes snap up to meet hers. "What do you think you are doing?"
Baffled, Mai opens and closes her mouth a few times. He gives her a cold, almost disgusted look. Thankfully, she manages to say. "I…. I was going to…..sit…..down?"
She flinches at the fact that she sounds completely unsure by the end. It's made even worse by the fact that he is now staring at her with an unreadable look. Finally, he releases a sigh that has her gritting her teeth. The teacup in his hand makes a gentle clinking sound when he sets it down. His hand lifts to push his glasses up and coldly says. "I don't remember inviting you to sit down. All I offered you was a cup of tea, which you rude declined."
She decides to ignore the last comment. She just wanted this over with as quickly as possible. She decides to inform him that it's common courtesy to offer guests a seat, but she thinks better of that as well and closes her mouth. To her complete frustration. he seems to be regarding her internal struggle with a cold expression. Once it becomes apparent that nothing is going to happen, he gracefully stands up. In response to his movement, Mai takes a step, but her body becomes rigid when he gives her a warning look. Her heart starts to race while he stalks closer to her. Without any sort of warning, his hands cup her jaw. She attempts to flinch away, but pain races through her face and neck when he presses on pressure points. She involuntarily closes her eyes and sucks in a breath before holding it. Her entire body continue to tense. After a few seconds, the air rushes out of her lungs. She jumps when Reiji's cold voice breaks the silence following her released breath. "Relax, stupid woman."
She tries to force her body to relax, but it stubbornly refuses to do so. She slowly opens only one eye to look up at him. To her surprise, he looks like he's really concentrating. His gloved fingers suddenly feel light on her skin. In fact, she can only barely feel them. The only part she feels is when his finger tips prod various pressure points around her face and neck. Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt, but it didn't feel pleasant either. After a few moments of soft prodding, his hands leave her face, and he takes a step back. She wants to feel relieved; however, the look on his face effectively kills any sense of relief. He's staring at her like she's some sort of vaguely interesting experiment. In fact, it's almost like he's deciding whether or not she is worth his time. She instantly begins to regret following his orders to visit him. She swallows hard and takes a step back. Unfortunately, the movement causes his eyes snap to hers, and she finds herself frozen in place. He suddenly turns away and approaches a table that has multiple beakers and other science equipment. Her muscles become painfully tense when the sound of liquid being poured reaches her ears. She reluctantly pulls her gaze away from him to glance toward the door, silently wondering if she could make it. She jumps when his voice cuts through the silence.
"You won't make it."
She turns her gaze to observe him once more. It doesn't come as a surprise to find his back toward her, but it's still eerie that he seems to know what she's thinking. He suddenly spins back to her and steps close once more, but his face isn't what interests her. In his hand, he holds a beaker with a strange greenish, almost see through, liquid. Dread fills her stomach, and she attempts to retreat a couple of steps, but his hand reaches up to grab her upper arm. She lifts to slam her hands over her mouth while she glares up at him. He gives her a look of disgust before he tugs hard. She doesn't even bother to try to stop herself from stumbling forward. Instead, she ducks her head and allows it to drive into his chest. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to bother him. His grip tightens on her upper arm, but his voice is still cold. "Drink this."
Her voice is muffled by her hands and his chest, but she's sure he can still hear her. "Fuck you!"
He releases a sigh and suddenly releases her arm. She quickly retreats toward the door. Once she reaches it, she lets her curiosity get the best of her, and she glances back to find that he has carefully set the beaker in a holder along the table. She gives him a cold glare, but he simply returns to his seat. She turns to leave, but she stops when he says. "Do not trust everything Richter tells you."
She tries to will herself to leave, but she finds herself frozen in place. Finally, she carefully turns to look at him, though she's careful to remain by the door with a hand pressed over her mouth. She keeps glancing at the strange green liquid, while he simply returns to drinking his tea. After a few minutes of silently arguing with herself, she cautiously says. "He said I wasn't completely human."
Reiji doesn't make a sound or even react, which causes her frustration to mount even further. After a few minutes of more silent arguing, she finally decides to not let this chance slip between her fingers and chooses a different topic. "Is…. did Laito…. Sleep with his… mother?"
Reiji's red eyes finally lift to meet hers with a frighteningly, cold look. She finds herself leaning back against the wall beside the door. Her legs were shaking so badly that she is sure she won't be able to stand without the support of the wall. He closes his eyes once more and takes another sip of tea. As the unneeded silence continues to drag, she finds herself clenching her fists before saying louder than she means to. "Reiji, answer me!"
His red eyes open once more to give her yet another cold look, but she finds her desperation to know truth from lies is overtaking her fear of him. After all, he told her not to trust everything Ritcher said, right? So the part about Reiji hiring someone to kill his own mother might be fake. The thought sent a whole new sense of fear through her body. What if Ritcher's the one telling the truth? Could she even trust Reiji? She clenches her fists tightly and silently reminds herself that Reiji has always seemed honest with her, and she knew him a little better than Ritcher anyway. The more she thought about it the more Ritcher's words seemed like the ramblings of a madman. What child in their right mind would pursue a sexual relationship with their own mother? Even one who was as perverted as Laito. Her attention is brought back to the present when Reiji once again sets the tea cup aside and releases a slow breath. His voice is barely audible when he mutters. "I see. That is what he spoke to you about. Was there anything else?"
He settles back and neatly crosses his legs. His hands lift to interlock his fingers in front of his chin. He gives her a strange, calculating look, and Mai finds herself pressing even harder against the wall. Finally, he coldly states, "The triplets relationship with their mother is best described as complicated. It is hardly something that you should be asking about, regardless to whether or not you have slept with Laito."
She felt like she was punched in the gut. Of course this had to do with her! She had slept with him, willing or not! The very thought that Laito may have done something like then proceeded to touch her made her skin crawl. She finds that she is only able to stare numbly at Reiji before anger fills her stomach. His eyes grow even colder, as if he already knew that she planning to lash out at him. Barely able to contain herself, she spins and grabs the door. She fights hot tears while she jerks it open even further. Unfortunately, a hand appears beside her head, and the door is slammed shut. Every muscle in her body becomes rigid, and her breath catches in her throat. She jumps when he starts talking directly into her ear.
"You were curious as to what is going on with you. I am as well. Participate in a couple of experiments. It will be mutually beneficial. You'll get answers to whether you are human or not."
She cautiously glances over her shoulder. Thankfully, Reiji isn't invading her space like several of the others do. In fact, she has a feeling that the moment she started to turn; he moved further away. She grits her teeth tightly before she turns her gaze back to the door. She tries to put as much venom into her voice as she is possible can, but it still comes out shaky. "I don't want to be a lab rat."
She quickly spins to face him, but she ends up pressing her back tightly into the knob. She settles for dealing with the discomfort by glaring up at him. Unfortunately, his face remains a mask of indifference. The staring contest continues for a moment before she finally snarls between her teeth. "This is pointless."
A look of anger flashes over his face for a moment before it smoothes back out. He takes a simple step back, silently freeing the door. Dread fills Mai's stomach, and every warning bell in her head starts to go off. This was a trap. He expected her to open the door and turn her back on him. He'd pounce on her at that point, and she'd be helpless to stop it. Her eyes narrow at him, but he simply gestures for her to leave. His voice is cold when he states. "I 'm the best chance you have at figuring out what is going on with you, and I know all the answers to your questions. If you simply do as I ask, I'll give you everything you want to know."
She clenches her fists tightly while she considers her options. He's clearly trying to bait her, and she doesn't want to needlessly fall into the trap. She takes a deep breath to try to ease the anger, so she can think clearly. After a few seconds, she finally manages to ask, "What do you get out of this? I don't exactly picture you doing this out of the goodness of your heart."
To her absolute horror, he gives her an amused smile, which is followed by a chuckle. He simply turns away from her and stalks over to the desk where he picks up the beaker. He lifts the liquid until he can look through it. Just when she thinks he's not going to answer, he says softly. "You will do what I ask and help to alleviate my boredom."
"I'm not a toy or some lab rat," Mai snaps. He glances her way before turning his gauge back to the liquid.
"Don't be foolish. Of course you're not my plaything. Laito has already claimed you, and I don't take leftovers."
Mai finds herself both revolted and stunned by how rude he's being. He's usually so polite, so this felt as if it were coming out of left field. She wraps her arms around herself and decides to change the subject, since she's becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the direction the current one is taking. She unconsciously presses her legs tightly together and lifts a hand to her chest. This isn't the best choice. In fact, she's sure that it's the worst possible choice, but it could be the fastest. She could put a time limit on how long he could experiment on her and put up parameters that must be followed such as; no changing her physical appearance or causing her pain. He always followed through with all of his threats, and he held her to her word as well. She really knew nothing about Richter, and now she was starting to feel foolish for even considering listening to him. Finally, she makes a choice that she knows she will regret. "Fine, but I want you to promise that you won't do anything…. Weird. Nothing that will cause irreparable damage, pain, or change me in some way. You can have… two weeks? A month at most. Regardless to whether you find anything or not, you stop once the time is up. "
Reiji gives her a cold look before he lowers the beaker. To her utter relief, he gives a sharp nod before seeming to appear directly in front of her. His voice is cold and commanding. "Open your mouth."
Confused, she takes a moment to stare at the unappetizing liquid before forcibly reminding herself that she can't help Yui if she herself is a mess. Slowly, she opens her mouth. Reiji stoops down to glance through her mouth for only a few seconds before he straightens himself up. He lifts the beaker between them and says softly. "You are to drink all of this, then you may sit in the chair. I would like to record your reaction to it."
Mai can't keep the mistrustful look off her face while she stares at the liquid. "What is it?"
He scoffs coldly and holds it out to her. "As if I would not only waste my time, but go back on my word by making something to kill you. I would use less effort by just snapping your neck."
She can't help the glare she directs up at him, but she keeps herself from reaching out to take it out of spite. She wanted to know what it could possibly do to her. She carefully thinks over her next question for a few seconds before she asks, "What will it do to me? It's not a drug or anything is it?"
He doesn't reply right away, causing her to get more and more convinced that she did not want to drink whatever it was. She begins to shake her head when he says. "It is not poison, stupid human. It is just a mixture of chemicals to see if I can recreate the things you see."
She gives him an unamused look. "So, you're saying it's an hallucinogen?"
He gives her another cold smile, causing her to flinch. He continues to hold it out once more. Despite the smile, his voice is cold. "It could help me figure out if something is being slipped into your food or drink."
She wrinkles her nose before taking a deep breath. She silently berates herself for willingly walking into his trap before she snatches it away and lifts it to her mouth. She's faintly aware, and grateful, that it doesn't have any scent. Once her courage is gathered, she closes her eyes and tips her head back. The liquid fills her mouth, and she tries to swallow it without tasting it. To her absolute surprise, she finds that it doesn't actually have a taste. In fact, she opens her eyes just to see if the beaker was empty. She quickly hands it back to Reiji and remains tense. He gestures to a chair, but she remains rooted in place. She kept thinking that something was going to sneak up on her, but nothing happens. She watches Reiji start to slowly circle around her with a thought look on his face, but he doesn't say anything for the longest time. Finally, he releases a sigh and coldly flicks his hand toward the door. "I see it. So, it's a failure. You may leave."
"What?" Mai asks, completely baffled by his behavior. He simply turns and makes his way over to the desk. He picks something up, but she can't see what it is. With an overwhelming sense of dread, she takes a step back. "Reiji, what did I drink?"
The minutes tick by, and she has a feeling that he isn't going to answer her. A feeling of betrayal takes over, and she makes a rude gesture at his back. She shouldn't be so surprised that things turned out they way they did. In an effort to calm her racing thoughts, she desperately tells herself that she just drank colored water, and he's trying to make her panic that she drank something terrible. She stiffly turns, opens, and makes her way out the door. She pauses only once to look back at Reiji, but he clearly isn't paying much attention to her anymore. She swallows hard and closes the door. With a deep sigh, she decides it's in her best interest to just hurry home and starts down the hallway. She only gets a few steps before the hallway swims in front of her eyes. She is faintly aware that she staggers to the right, but she is able to retain her balance for a few seconds. An awful sense of vertigo overtakes her body, coupled with the swimming makes her dry heave. Her body staggers to the right once more, and her shoulder collides hard with the wall, earning a hiss of pain from her. She stubbornly tries to make it a few more steps, but she dry heaves so hard that she has to stop moving and lean on the wall. She slowly sinks to the floor and silently curses not only Reiji but herself. The spinning sensation continues to grow worse by the second. She closes her eyes tightly and tries to make herself relax, but she dry heaves yet again. She didn't know what would be worse; dry heaving until her abdomen muscles ached or actually throwing up. Unfortunately, closing her eyes isn't helping to ease her dizziness. In fact, it feels like it's making it worse.
"Hey!"
She tiredly opens her eyes. Red and silver is the first that she is able to identify after a few seconds of squinting. She is faintly aware that she is leaning against something, but her brain can't figure out what it is. She just knows that she's no longer leaning against the wall. Finally, Subaru's face comes into focus, but it's still blurry and continues to move. He's frowning at her. He waves his hand only inches from her nose, but she doesn't even bother to react. The only thing she can think about is that she really, really wanted to throw up. Her eyes lock onto his mouth, and she watches his lips move, but the words are a blur. It's almost like he's speaking a different language entirely. Anger floods his face, and his lip curls back into a snarl, revealing his fangs to her. She's vaguely aware that normally she would tense. He doubles his fist and slams it only inches from her face, but she doesn't even flinch. She feels small pieces of the wall pepper her face followed by a slight stinging sensation, and she responds by dry heaving again. Disgust floods over the anger, and Subaru starts to back away as much as he can. That's when she becomes aware that she is leaning into him.
"Don't you dare fucking throw up on me!" he snarls. She's not sure why she heard him so clearly now, but she doesn't get to dwell on it. Her thoughts slowly go blank once more, so she stubbornly forces herself to focus on him.
"Huh?" She wants to say so much more. She wants to ask for help, but her mouth felt oddly dry and numb. In fact, it feels like she just got back from the dentist. He gives her another disgusted look, but it melts away when he says something she can't quite hear. Her head suddenly slumps forward against his shoulder. She tries to lift her head again, but it feels like it weighs a hundred pounds.
"Hey!" Subaru's voice clearly cuts through the haze again. She decides to focus solely on that. She's not sure why his voice sounds like he is right by her ear. Her head turns to look at him, but all she sees is darkness. She figured that she must have closed her eyes at some point. Tiredly, she forces them open to look at him. He snarls at her. "You've spent too much time around that lazy ass. You can't sleep here! That is my door you are leaning on! Move your ass!"
She tries to swallow, but it causes pain to erupt through her mouth. She slowly lifts a hand to try to grab some part of him. She only gets part way before she gives up. Her eyes close once more, and it feels like she's about to doze off. Unfortunately, she had just started to relax when she's given a violent shake. She isn't sure, but she thinks Subaru says her name. She slowly shakes her head as a response. Her mouth just didn't want to form words. She's just so tired that she can't even open her eyes anymore. A pleasant tingle starts to tickle her throat, and she finds herself already slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing she remembers is hearing Subaru yelling in her ear. "Hey! Don't fall asleep!"
She will never trust Reiji again.
Her consciousness slowly returns. Her body still feels heavy, but the dizziness is already gone. The tingling is gone as well, so she isn't even sure she even felt it in the first place. As her consciousness becomes aware of everything around her, she realizes that she's laying on something incredibly soft that smells amazing. She nestles deeper into it and releases a content sigh. Despite feeling heavy, her body feels so incredibly rested that her mind finally feels clear. Reluctantly, she forces her eyes open to see where she is. Unfortunately, the room is so dark that she isn't able to make out where she is at first. She just knows that the room is incredibly large, so it's not her bedroom. She slowly rolls onto her back with a groan and stares up at the ceiling with a blank look. She has no idea where she is, but at the moment, she doesn't really care.
Her body finally starts to wake up, and it feels amazing, almost like she just got home from a day at the spa. She lazily stretches the relaxed muscles, and they easily give a pleasant tug. Finally, she slowly sits up. Once up, she reaches back to brace herself when her hand touches something solid. She lets out a gasp and quickly scoots away. Unfortunately, she is a lot closer to the edge then she thought she was, and her body pitches over. She lands headfirst, but it oddly doesn't hurt at all. She finds herself lying on her side while trying to make sense of what just happened to her. A tired sigh from above her grabs her attention, but she can't see who made it. She knew that she should be feeling afraid, but that pleasant feeling never goes away.
Something is very wrong with her.
"You really are stupid," a sleep logged voice cuts through her thoughts. She feels herself being pulled up by her arms. She attempts to struggle, but her body remains limp until she falls against a cold one. After some shuffling, she finds herself lying on her side with a body spooning her from behind. "Don't trust Reiji anymore."
She hears a yawn beside her ear, causing her mind to go into overdrive. She's lying beside Laito, and her body isn't even trying to react. In fact, she didn't even feel anything but a pleasant numbing sensation. She's rudely pulled from her thoughts when she feels him press his face into her neck and inhale deeply. It's easy to figure out where she is now. Normally, the very thought of being alone with him in his bedroom would scare her. She opens her mouth to say something, but all that comes out is odd croaking sound. She hears him chuckle, but she still doesn't feel anything. His voice is heavy with sleep and echoes loudly in her ear. "Rest a bit more. It'll wear off faster if you don't resist."
She feels him shifting their bodies before she finds her head resting on his arm. She wants nothing more than to stay awake and struggle, but her body is betraying her by already slipping back into unconsciousness.
She jerks awake and sits upright. She silently prays that everything was nothing more than a horrible nightmare, and she's in her own room, but the green around her lets her know that she isn't. Her heart starts to race, before it leaps into her throat. Her eyes spot something at the foot of the bed, so she turns her attention toward it to find that it's nothing more than her uniform. After a nervous glance around the room, she finds that she is alone. Unfortunately, she doesn't know for how long, so she quickly scrambles out of bed and switches clothing. The whole time she is changing, she expects Laito to appear out of nowhere. Thankfully, he never does, but it still sets her nerves on edge. A soft knock on the door makes her jump, and she turns her attention toward the door when she hears it open only to find Reiji's head poking in. Anger explodes through her body. Against her better judgement, she storms his way. "What the fuck did you do to me?!"
She doubles her fist to slam it in his face, but his head disappears. Her hand collides painfully with the edge door, effectively splitting the skin. She lets out a hiss of pain and retreats a couple of steps while cradling her hand to her chest. Reiji reappears with a look of disapproval on his face. She doubles her fists again, ignoring the pain. Unfortunately before she can strike, Reiji coldly asks. "How do you feel?"
Stunned, she finds herself unable to answer or even move. The only thing she can do is frown at him for a moment. Unfortunately, he doesn't give her time to come up with an answer. "I assume that your brush with Laito added to your stress. You have not been sleeping well, so it can be assumed that sleep deprivation is be the leading cause behind your hallucinations. This is the first experiment. Besides, that solution is toxic to vampires, so you don't have to worry about you turning into one. You are still human."
"You….You…." She couldn't even get the words out. Her anger only continues to rise when he gives her a cold look.
"Next time, do not question me."
"You… You asshole!" She finally explodes. "You drugged me! There won't be a next time!"
He scoffs, but he doesn't reply. He simply disappears behind the door, but there's no way that she's going to let him get away from the consequences of his actions. She lunges forward and shoves the door open enough that she can grab his arm. In seconds, her back and head collides hard with the hallway wall. Pain rushes through her body, and she finds herself dizzy for a moment. To her horror, Reiji's face is inches from her own. His voice is low and clearly threatening. "Do not mistake my interest in your delusions as an interest in you. You are simply here to alleviate boredom, human."
One of his hands tightly wraps around her throat when she attempts to say something, and she finds her air supply abruptly cut off. Full panic sets in, and she starts to thrash. Her panic is made even worse when he leans in until his lips brush her ear. "Do not forget. It was you who came to me."
He gives her neck another painful squeeze before he finally lets her go. The second she is able to, she begins sucking in greedy breathes. He gives her a look of disgust and coldly states. "You are to come here after school from now on. Now, you have two minutes to get down and into the car. If I were you, I would avoid Subaru."
She doesn't get a chance to ask him what he meant by that since he disappears. She glances up and down the hallway to find it empty, but there's a more pressing concern on her mind. How long had she been asleep? She gives her head a shake and reluctantly makes her way toward the car. After all, she could think about it on the way to school. To her surprise, she's the first to arrive, so she doesn't pay much mind to where she sits. She only stares at the floor between her feet while she thinks over what had happened. She only looks up when something brushes one of her arms. To her surprise, it's Shuu as he sits beside her. Her eyes turn back to the floor, but she jumps when she feels something cold and wet brush along her jaw on the opposite side as him. She presses her body against Shuu's and turns a startled gaze toward the culprit. To her horror, her eyes meet amused green ones. Laito gives her a playful grin and winks at her. He playfully says, "Long time no see, Sweetheart."
She can't help but roll her eyes and mutters. "Not long enough."
Laito lets out an obnoxious whine that grates on her nerves. His arm comes up to rest on the seat behind her, so she presses harder against Shuu, simply ignoring his muttered complaint. Laito's eyes seem to darken a little, but it disappears just as quickly. Instead, he gives her a mock offended look. "Ah, don't be like that. I missed you!"
Disgust fills her stomach, and she turns her gaze away. Unfortunately, that's when Shuu decides to speak up. "Are you planning to crush me with your weight?"
"Huh?"
Laito lets out a laugh and playfully says, "Hey, Shuu. I don't think it's nice to call a girl fat."
Mai's mouth drops open, and she quickly peels herself away from Shuu in order to give him a dark look. Unfortunately, it's lost on him since his eyes were already closed. In fact, he didn't even bother to respond to Laito's jab. Mai decides to keep her body from touching either of theirs for the rest of the trip. She awkwardly stares at the floor and tries to push Richter's words about Laito out of her mind. It turns out to be easier said than done. Finally, she gets an unwelcome reprieve in the form of Subaru, who is the last to board. She cringes slightly at the sight of the hostile stare he gives her before he settles into the last remaining seat. Confused by the look, she finds herself unable to form words to even try to greet him. The car starts moving without anyone saying a word. Unfortunately, the tense, awkward silence continues to stretch with Subaru casting what could be considered death glares Mai's way, making her increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, Laito lets out a laugh, effectively ending the silence. Laito's coo comes out with a mocking edge to it. "Ah, sweet little Subaru, she didn't mean to."
"Fuck off, pervert. Don't call me such a disgusting nickname," Subaru snarls. Mai wants to ask what's going on, but she has a feeling that she shouldn't say anything at all. Ayato lets out a snort from his corner where he is squishing Yui. His snort turns into laugher, which serves to drive Mai's curiosity even higher.
"She got you good, though!" Ayato laughs.
"I said….fuck….off!" Subaru snarls out. Mai swallows hard and glances at the side of Laito's face. After a moment of silent debate, she decides to just ask him what they were talking about. She opens her mouth, but the words seem to die in her throat. Laito seems to notice the movement out of the corner of his eye and turns to give her an amused look, but the amusement seemed incredibly cold. Her mouth instantly shuts, and she gives him a cold glare before turning her gaze back to the floor. For a brief moment, she wonders if he's in a bad mood, but she decides not to dwell on it. What did it matter to her what he thought and did? Her heart skips a beat, and Richter's words bubble up to the surface of her mind. She cringes at the thought, and her skin begins to crawl all over again.
He suddenly leans forward, causing every muscle in her body to tense. Her gaze lifts to lock with his once more, and her breath catches in her throat upon seeing his proximity. His lips appear by her face, and she fully expects him whisper something perverted to her. To her absolute surprise, he loudly whispers, "You threw up all over poor Subaru on Saturday. You know he was only trying to help you."
The blood drains from her face, and humiliation takes over all other thoughts. Her gaze snaps back to find that Subaru's face, which is covered in a light blush. His arms are folded over his chest, and his eyes are closed. He snarls something, but it's drowned out by Ayato's laughter. Somehow, he manages to add between his laughter. "You should have seen the look on his face! He….he…."
He leans forward with his arms wrapped around his stomach. He continues to laugh so hard that he's unable to finish what he is saying. At this point, Subaru's growling had grown to the point that it could be heard, even over the sound of Laito and Kanato's laughter, who had joined in with Ayato. The laughter from the triplets and the look on Subaru's face just serves to make Mai feel guilty. Despite blushing so hard, Subaru looks absolutely livid. Finally, Ayato manages to reign himself in enough to say. "You threw up on his face! I have never seen him look so pissed! I thought he was going to kill you!"
Ayato once again begins to laugh. She jumps when she hears a chuckle to her right and turns her gaze to Shuu. He lazily opens one eye to look at her, but it is closed only seconds later. After waiting for a few moments to see if he'll say anything else, she decides to return her attention to Subaru in an effort to apologize.
"Subaru, I… I'm so sorry!" She says louder than she intended. His red eyes snap open and turn to give her a murderous glare. She unconsciously presses her body into the seat behind her. Her heart grinds to a halt when he leans forward, which just makes the triplets laugh even harder.
"Fuck you, bitch. I don't need your useless apology!" He slams his hand roughly into the seat beside him and turns his attention to the window. Eventually, the laughter dies, but the ride remains awkward the rest of the trip.
The night air never felt as refreshing as it did when she finally escaped from the limo. She stumbles when Subaru brushes past her, but she doesn't have the will to snap at him for it. A sense of sadness wells up in her chest while she watches him walk away. It looks like she will have to try to start over on their friendship, if it's even salvageable. She jumps when something touches her shoulder and turns to find that it's only Yui. A sense of relief washes over her, and she can feel her body relax. Her friend gives her a sad smile and gestures toward the school, as if she were inviting Mai to walk along side her. To Mai's absolute surprise, she finds that all the brothers were gone. With a sigh, Mai finds herself following after Yui.
The two girls slowly make their way to Mai's first class. Mai considers telling Yui what happened with Reiji, but she finds herself embarrassed by her own stupidity, so she decides to just keep her mouth shut. Yui drone on about something, but Mai can't bring herself to really pay much attention. When they approach the door, they hear someone calling out from behind. "Masochistic Kitten! Hello!"
Both turn their gaze toward the loud voice, and Mai's heart sinks when she sees the cheerful blonde vampire surrounded by girls waving at them. She cringes at the dark looks they receive from the girls surrounding Kou. This is going to turn into a headache if he keeps casually calling out to Yui. Her friend lifts her hand to wave back, but Mai quickly grabs it and gives the blonde girl a disbelieving look. She's careful to keep her voice low when she hisses, "What are you doing?!"
Yui gives her a sheepish look. "Oh, I was… I was waving back."
Mai can't help but roll her eyes. Without letting go, she reaches out, opens the classroom door, and drags her friend inside. "You are too nice for your own good, Yui. That's why you are in this situation!"
Her friend gives an embarrassed chuckle, but she doesn't say anything in defense of herself. Mai lets go once the door is closed and turns to look at Yui with a stern look. Yui's face flushes, and her gaze drops to look at her feet and begins to fidget. The whole situation would have been hilarious if Mai had been in the mood to laugh. With a sigh, Mai closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to ease her irritation. Once she gets a handle on her emotions, she slowly opens her eyes to find Yui still looking down with a forlorn expression. Guilt smothers the rest of her irritation, so she reaches out to pat Yui's shoulder in a comforting manner. Making sure to keep her voice soft, she says, "Yui, I just don't think it's wise to get close to him or those other boys. I don't even think you should be nice to them."
Yui continues to fidget. Her already soft voice becomes almost inaudible. "I.. they are….new, and they seem so nice. Don't you remember what it was like when you moved here?"
Mai releases a sigh and says, "Yui, they are vampires. They don't need you to be kind to them. They aren't trying to fit in."
Yui finally looks up at Mai and gives a small, stubborn shake of her head. "Not all vampires are bad, you know. A-"
Mai lifts a hand and closes her eyes. "Yui, I swear to god. You better not say that Ayato is a good vampire. In case you didn't notice, he's not the best person in the world. Nothing about him can be defined as good."
She hears a strange sound, which causes her to open her eyes. A look of frustration adorns Yui's face, taking Mai by surprise. Yui wraps her arms around her stomach and says, "Ayato is not as cruel as some of the others. I really wish you would stop being so negative about him. He's just… gentle when you can't see it."
Frustration has Mai gritting her teeth. She clenches her fists and says, "Listen, Yui, he's way too obsessive and so possessive! Did you forget that he has tried to keep you from being friends with me?"
Yui's look of frustration continues to grow. Her next words are barely a whisper, but she may have been yelling. "You can't judge Ayato off of Laito."
A jolt races through Mai's body, and she finds herself speechless. Yui's eyes widen, and she lifts her hands to cover her mouth. With a sharp pain racing through her chest, Mai takes a step back and shakes her head, but she tenses when Yui reaches out to grab her wrist. She quickly moves out of range and snarls. "Fine. Do what you want, but you're going to get nowhere in life if you stay with him. I can't help you stop your transformation unless you want me to!"
Yui's image begins to get blurry, so Mai quickly spins away. She could feel warm fingers brush her arm, but she quickly steps away. "Don't touch me."
"Mai, I…" Yui tries to say, but Mai simply makes a shooing gesture over her shoulder. She doesn't bother looking back to see how Yui took it. She just moves toward her chair, but she freezes when Yui says, "Don't you find any good in them? I know that Laito is terrible to you, but… but…. What about Subaru?"
Mai glances back at Yui and says softly. "I don't even really know Subaru, Yui. He doesn't talk to me. To answer your question, no. He's violent and rude. How could that be a good thing?"
Yui gains a desperate look on her face and takes a step toward Mai, but she seems to think better of it when Mai's eyes narrow into a stern glare. Yui takes a moment to gather her thoughts then says in a rush. "Listen, I know that Laito hurt you! I don't deny that, but he's done a lot for you, hasn't he?"
Mai gives her friend a disbelieving look. A dull pain rips through her heart, but she stubbornly chooses to ignore it. Instead, she says as calmly as she can. "No, he hasn't! He's been cold, cruel, and he…"
She trails off and shakes her head. It's better to not even think about it anymore, or she might just spill everything. She turns and finishes the journey to her chair. She flops down, intent on not saying else. Unfortunately, Yui isn't done, so she makes her way over and squats beside Mai. A reassuring look overtakes Yui's face, and her hand lifts to grab Mai's hand, who tries to shake it off. Finally, Yui seems to decide to approach the conversation from a different angle. She softly says, "Ok, I understand. Something happened between the two of you. You used to trust Laito like I trust Ayato. To be honest, I think you still do, and you're just hurt. Still, you can't deny this next one. What about Shuu?"
Mai glances at the blonde with a confused gaze. "Huh?"
A smile lights up Yui's face. In fact, she even looks excited. In response to her excitement, her voice grows a little louder. "Don't you like Shuu? He's been nice to us when we've woken him up."
Mai releases a sigh and says in an exhausted voice. "Yui, you know…"
Unfortunately, Yui isn't keen to listen since she starts to name off the things he's done to "help" Mai. "He lets you hide in his room, when you need it. He's entertaining. I mean, I've never seen you laugh as hard as you do when you and I wake him up. Ah, I suppose he's a good listener."
Mai rolls her eyes. "Yui have you ever tried talking to him?"
She gives her head a slow shake, which causes Mai to chuckle. She gives a small shake of her own head and says, "Yui, in order to be a great listener, you actually have to listen."
She tries to emphasize the last word. Yui lets out a giggle, so Mai starts to laugh as well. Once it dies down, she continues by saying. "Listen, I don't mind Shuu, but it doesn't mean he's nice. In case you've forgotten, I laugh because you always somehow get caught and drug down to be his teddy bear. Wouldn't you laugh if it was me?"
Yui frowns at Mai, but she isn't given a chance to respond before Mai continues. "Listen, I know there is nothing I can do about Ayato or the others, but stay away from Kou and his brothers. We don't know anything about them except they are vampires, and you know vampires only want one thing."
Yui opens her mouth to respond but jumps when the door opens. Both girls turn their attention in that direction as a couple of students pour in. Yui quickly stands up and straightens her skirt. Just before she turns to leave, Mai reaches out to grab her forearm and says in the softest, sternest voice she can. "Yui, stay away from them. If not for my sake, than do it for Ayato. You know that he'll get upset if you're around other guys."
She releases her friend. Yui gives her an uneasy smile then waves goodbye before disappearing. Mai turns her attention to her desk and closes her eyes. She could feel her hands shaking, and that annoying pain in her chest is still eating at her heart. She slowly lets her head rest on top of her desk and closes her eyes. In an effort to ease the pain, she keeps silently repeating that she's not heartbroken.
Thankfully, the day proceeds like any other day until her history class decides to shake things up. To her absolute horror, the teacher informs them that they will be working in groups of three or four to do a presentation about a major event in the history of the world. Most events consisted of wars such as World War I and II or the crusades, but there were a few other things mixed in, such as the Black Plague. A trickle of unease runs down her spine when the teacher informs them that the groups are already set up. Most were groups of four, but there were two groups that only had three. She glances around the room, wondering who her partners were going to be. The teacher begins to call out names, and she finds herself silently praying that neither Yuma nor Kou end up in her group. Her breath catches in her throat when she hears Yuma's name being called.
Relief floods through her body when her name isn't called along side his. She hears a chuckle from behind her, but she chooses to ignore it. The minutes drag by while the teacher continues to set the groups up, and her mind begins to wonder to how she could possibly repair things with Subaru. The sound of her name calls her attention back to the present, and the dread starts all over again. Her name is followed by a boy's name she doesn't recognize, which is then followed by Kou's name. She turns to glare at the blonde when movement catches her eye. To her left is a boy, that she doesn't recognize. Once her attention is turned on him, he gives her a half hearted wave. Her eyes quickly turn away without returning the wave, and she surveys the rest of the groups. It appears the groups were decided by those sitting closest to them in the seating arrangement. She figured the teacher did this so there wouldn't be much noise when the students moved the desks closer together. Once the groups were announced, the students shift closer to their groups. She jumps when the boy quickly pushes his desk closer to Mai and Kou's desk. Once her attention is turned to him once more, he gives her a half hearted smile. This time, she notices that it's slightly lopsided. Despite the disarming smile, she finds suspicion welling up in her body, which in turn causes her to feel sick to her stomach. When had she become so suspicious of everyone around her?
She jumps when Kou's voice rings loudly in her ear. "I don't want to do this."
She casts a cold look in his direction, which he returns with an infuriatingly cheerful look. A deeper voice gains her attention only seconds later, causing her to drag her gaze back to the human boy beside her. "It's not that bad actually. I think we just need to state the reason that it happened, skim over the important parts, then state how it ended."
Kou gives the boy a dark look, but he easily wipes it away only moments later. He puts his hands over his head and lazily stretches. Much to Mai's irritation, his voice is cheerful once more. "Ah, then I suppose you won't mind doing it yourself?"
The poor boy gives Kou a startled look, but he isn't given a chance to say anything since the blonde vampire abruptly stands up. The teacher calls his name, but Kou simply leaves the classroom after calling out that he's going to the bathroom. The girls in the class squeal softly at his departure, causing Mai to roll her eyes. She glances around, silently wondering how many of the girls would squeal if they knew what he really was. With a sick feeling, she realizes that it might make the squealing worse. Vampires aren't the scary monsters they used to be depicted as. The boy beside her suddenly sighs softly. "I have a feeling that it'll just be me and you who do the assignment."
Mai wrinkles her nose, but she nods and casts a wary glance toward him. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to notice and just gives her a lopsided grin once more. She takes this moment to really observe him. He's a lot more attractive than she thought he'd be. His skin is lightly tanned, which matches his short, sandy blonde hair perfectly. His eyes are an interesting hazel color that almost looks simply brown at first glance. After a moment of silence, he lets out a deep chuckle that causes Mai to smile a little. Still, she can't get rid of the nagging warning that coils deep in the pit of her stomach. Why hadn't she noticed someone like him before? She didn't remember a new transfer student. The last one was Yui.
Once again, she wonders when she had become so paranoid.
The rest of the hour seems to fly by, even though the two of them don't get much work done. Mai learns that he ironically went by Shiro and is an easy going kid that's only a year older than her. He had a rebel stage and skipped school to the point that he was held back a year, causing him to repeat freshman year. To be honest, she could still see the rebellious stage by the state of his uniform. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed and threw his school uniform on. He wore everything but the tie, and he didn't bother to button up the jacket.
It came as a pleasant surprise that it was easy to chat normal, teenage things, like what type of movies they watch or music they listen to. She casually mentions reading, but he wrinkles his nose at the very thought, which earns a chuckle from her. They were warned a couple times by the teacher to begin their work, but nothing was ever enforced. Thankfully, Kou doesn't seem very interested in joining their discussion when he finally returns. In fact, he takes his phone out and uses Mai's body to hide it from the teacher, and it keeps his attention.
Unfortunately, the class comes to an end, and the teacher informs the students that they are to either divide up the work or meet up after school if they aren't finished. While gathering up and helping to straighten out the desks, Mai feels a light tap on her shoulder. She lifts her eyes to meet Shiro's bright gaze. He lifts a folded piece of paper up between them that draws her attention. She gives it a suspicious stare, but she takes it from him anyways. He gives her his lopsided grin once more and says. "I think it'll be easier for us to work outside class than dividing it up. We both know Kou won't do his work, and two sets of hands and eyes will make the work go faster. Besides, it'll be funner than working alone."
She barely stifles the chuckle upon hearing the snarl coming from Kou's direction. She thought for sure that he would've already left by now. To her frustration, the paper is suddenly ripped from her hands, causing her to flinch back as a sting races up two of her fingers. She turns her hand over to find blood bubbling to the surface. She only hesitates for a second before her heart skips a beat. Her gaze snaps up to see Kou leaning dangerously close to her, so she responds by lifting her fingers to her mouth. He responds by giving her a cold smile before pulling away and glancing over the paper. His visible eye slides over to give Shiro a sickeningly sweet smile. "Don't I get your number?"
Silence fills the space between the three of them. Unfortunately, they are interrupted by the next class beginning to enter the room, so Shiro releases a soft sigh and says. 'Sure. Sorry. I didn't think of that."
He drops his bag and pulls out a notebook before jotting down some numbers, tears it out, and holds it out to Mai. She's quick to grab it and shove it into her pocket before Kou can do anything else and sends a cold look in the blonde vampire's direction. The exchange only takes a few seconds, then the three of them separate to go on with their day.
Despite her initial unease about Shiro, she finds herself spending more time with Shiro than she expected. In fact, only a week has gone by, but it feels like she knew him for months, even years. His easy going nature seems to be helping Yui relax as well, when she's able to escape Ayato. Somehow, the three of them have become really good friends in such a short amount of time.
On another positive note, Reiji hasn't approached her about the experiments he wished to conduct. In fact, the only concern she has is the fact that Laito seems to be keeping his distance from her, which has left her on edge for the last few days. She had become so used to Laito being in her face that she isn't sure how to handle his seemingly cold shoulder. In fact, he has gone so far as to no longer greeting her in the limo. That wasn't the only thing he stopped. He also wasn't sneaking into her bed, and she had even seen him in the hallways leaning into other girls. His green eyes always seem to catch her at the worst possible time, which was when she could feel anger boiling in the pit of her stomach. She stubbornly tells herself that it's nothing more than anger at him for playing off as sweet and innocent while tarnishing yet another girl. She'd simply turn her attention away when he caught her and continue on with her day. Lately, she been noticing a sympathetic look from Yui and curious one from Shiro.
Another downside to the last few days was the fact that Kou and Yuma seemed to be appearing a lot more than before, which always ended in some sort of scene since Ayato would choose that moment to appear. Unfortunately, he would start some sort of loud argument with one of the other boys that almost always turned physical. Another concerning problem was Yui's increased inability to actually focus on anything. During their few minutes of 'girl' time, Mai begins noticing that Yui's attention span has gotten shorter by the day, and she frequently zones out. Once she does, nothing is able to capture get her attention again. Her appetite seems to have disappear entirely, but she appears to be always drinking something every time Mai saw her.
Thankfully, the three has managed to escape Kou, Ayato and the others during their lunch hour, so they took refuge on the school's roof. Yui's leaning against the wall beside the door, while Shiro and Mai were sitting opposite her sharing looks of concern. The blonde girl is wearing a far away look on her face, and it's obvious that she's on autopilot. The only thing she has touched is the chocolate milk that Mai had placed on her plate.
"Hey, Yui?" Mai asks loudly, hoping to snap her friend out of whatever zone she had disappeared into. Shiro releases a sigh after a few minutes of silence, and he turns his gaze to Mai. Seeing the movement out of the corner of her eye, she reluctantly turns to look at him.
"She'll be out of it for the rest of the day. What's wrong with her anyway? Is it that boyfriend of hers?" He asks softly, as if he didn't want Yui to hear him. Mai opens her mouth to tell him, but she thinks better of it and instantly shuts her mouth. She finds herself staring at Shiro, who now looks even more curious. After he asks her again, she swallows hard and looks at her lunch. This is her chance to tell someone that is unrelated to the whole problem, but she finds her words stuck in her throat, though she's not sure why. She can tell him everything and maybe even convince him to go to the police for her. Her gaze lifts to look at Yui, and it feels like her heart starts to sink to the pit of her stomach. She has to do something in order to help her friend, so she tries to force herself to talk.
"I…...I don't know." She lamely states. She flinches and closes her eyes silently berating herself for chickening out at the last second, but she can't shake the eerie feeling that something bad will happen to Shiro if she tells him anything. She slowly opens her eyes once more to find herself staring at her half eaten lunch again. The weight of both the silence and his stare is beginning to wear on her nerves, so she forces herself to look up at him and smile weakly. "I mean, it's not like I live with her or anything."
He's wearing an indescribable look on his face, but it quickly melts away into a caring smile. "But you two are best friends, right? I can see that you two care about each other."
Mai finds herself unable to say anything in response to that, so her gaze drops back to her lunch. Thankfully, her phone vibrates, freeing her from an awkward silence. She reaches into her pocket to retrieve it. Just as she opens it, the phone vibrates again. To her utter frustration, there are four texts from Ayato, who is rudely demanding to know where they are hiding Yui. She starts to answer him with a rude reply of her own when she hears her name being called. Reluctantly, she glances up to find Shiro giving her an expectant look. Embarrassment fills her chest when she realizes that she doesn't know what he wants an answer to, so she clears her throat in an effort to fill the silence. Thankfully, he picks up on the fact that she didn't know what he asked and repeats his question with a chuckle. "So, I talked to Kou about our assignment today. You know it's due on Monday. I guess he has to work all weekend, so we're gonna meet up today after school in the library to finish it. I forgot to mention that earlier."
"Oh," Is all she manages to say. She releases a soft groan of irritation when the faint sound of the bell ringing catches her attention. Movement out of the corner of her eye captures her attention. She turns just in time to see Yui standing up and walking away without taking her tray full of food with her. Mai simply watches her friend practically zombie walk through the door and down the first couple of stairs. Worry bubbles up once more. Was she running out of time? She tries to hide her worry from Shiro by gathering up not only her and Yui's tray, but Shiro's too. She gives him a smile and quickly excuses herself before he can say anything. Unfortunately, she only manages to make it to the door before he catches up with her. Thankfully, he doesn't ask any more questions and simply opens the door for her. She gives him a quick thank you and proceeds down the flight of stairs before he can say anything.
The trip to the cafeteria is more nerve wrecking than she cares to admit. The second bell has already rang, so she knew she's late to her next class, but it doesn't bother her like it normally would. Her thoughts keep turning back to the mounting dread she's feeling in the pit of her stomach. To make matters worse, she's seeing the women in white at the very edge of her vision. Every single one of them send a shiver down her spine, so she tries to keep her gaze locked on the floor, but her heart is starting to pound loudly in her chest. She tells herself that they aren't real, but her thoughts keep turning back to the girl that attacked her in the bathroom. She isn't sure when she had started to shake, but she finds herself barely able to keep a hold of the trays. She finally makes it to the cafeteria and drops the trays off before practically running to her locker. Once she arrives, she gathers her bookbag and shuts the locker. She closes her eyes and forces herself to focus on her breathing in an effort to calm herself before she went to class. Unfortunately, she's unable to calm down when something cold touches her shoulder. Her heart feels like it has halted completely in her chest, and she spins around, fully expecting to find one of the women standing there.
Unfortunately, it's something much worse.
Her eyes lock with curious grey ones, and her body tenses up. She hasn't dealt with him much, so she has no idea what to expect from him. His messy black hair and scars just further his eerie appearance. She takes an unintentional step back when he leans closer to her. Unfortunately, her back presses against the cold metal of the locker behind her, making her heart start to race. To make the whole situation even worse, he inhales softly a couple times, causing goosebumps to raise all over her skin. In response, she lifts her arms to her chest, as if it'll protect her from his actions. His eyes drift closed before they slowly open only moments later. His voice is so soft that she has to struggle just to hear him. "You….are…..afraid."
"Uhhhh…." She finds herself unable to figure out a response to that. He doesn't sound like he's asking a question, so she decides it's better to not say anything else. To her surprise, he doesn't make any move to scoot closer to her, but she's not sure if it's a good or a bad thing. She decides it isn't a good thing, since she has no idea what he could possibly want. She flinches when he moves again, though he only to tilts his head a little.
"Why?"
"Uhhhh….. It's…...hard to explain?" Mai finds herself completely unsure of her own answer. His grey eyes seem to bear into her soul, effectively keeping her frozen in place, much like how Touga seems to. A sense of fear begins to coil in her stomach. It almost feels like she's dealing with Kanato instead of Azusa. She reluctantly forces her gaze to move away from the vampire in front of her, but she's careful to keep him in her peripheral vision just in case. Her gaze locks with the wall behind him. Once her gaze is away from his, she finds that she's in control of her body again. Now, she just needs to get away from him. She slides a foot to her right and flinches when it scrapes loudly across the flooring. To her relief, Azusa makes no move to stop her while she continues to scoot away from him.
"Are you…..afraid of….me?" His soft words cause every muscle in her body to tense. He sounds hurt, but she can't figure out how this works to his advantage. Her gaze turns back to his face when she sees him moving. Every fine hair on her body stands on end. He's taken a step toward her, and she fully expects some sort of meltdown, like one of Kanato's, but all he does is tilt his head a little. "I…..don't…...want…..you…...to…..be….afraid."
Chills race down Mai's spine. If he was trying to reassure her, he was doing a terrible job. Silence overtakes the hallway, and Mai continues her retreat. Finally, Azusa releases a soft sigh, effectively halting her once more. She has to strain to hear his next words as well. "Is….Eve…..ok?"
She tenses at the name. Kou and Yuma let it slip a couple of times, so she has a feeling he's asking about Yui, but there is no way she is going to answer him. After a few uncomfortable seconds tick by, it becomes apparent that he doesn't plan to actually do anything to her, but it doesn't do anything to ease the unease that is filling her stomach and chest. This boy's even eerier than Kanato is. His sad eyes continue to bore into her and eats away at her resolve, so she softly, and carefully, says. "I'm sorry. I don't know who Eve is. If you'll excuse me, I need to get to class before I get in too much trouble."
She fully expects him to lash out at her while she starts to quickly back away from him, but he doesn't. He just retrains a strange look on his face while he watches her leave. Once she reaches the staircase to head up to the second floor, she doesn't waste any time in hurrying out of sight. Despite the initial relief at escaping, a sense of guilt spreads through her chest. Azusa hadn't done anything remotely threatening to her.
She firmly tells herself that she has nothing to feel guilty about since he's a vampire and can't be trusted. There's something eerie going on with him. She shoves the disturbing thoughts from her mind and quickly makes her way toward her class, but she pauses once she reaches the door. After a few seconds of staring at the doorknob, she glances over her shoulder. Thankfully, nothing is there, but she still has an uneasy feeling. Still, nothing is immediately standing out, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Her thoughts begin to race, and she tears start to well up in her eyes. She angrily wipes at her eyes, silently thankful that no one's around to see her. She steps away from her class door and covers her face with her hands. Just what is wrong with her? A cold sweat has begun to break out over her skin, and she jumps when she hears a loud giggle echo through the hallway from every direction. Her gaze snaps to look for the source of the sound. Her heart's racing so wildly that there is a dull ache in her chest. She fully expects to find a woman, but thankfully, the hallway is empty. Another giggle echoes eerily from the direction of a classroom that she knows should be empty. Upon closer inspection, she realizes that the door is cracked open just enough that yet another giggle escapes through. Mai considers looking into the classroom for the source of the sound, but she instantly dismisses the thought. Nothing good ever came from investigating creepy sounds, so she turns to reach for the door to her class. Unfortunately, she doesn't even touch it before she hears a frighteningly familiar voice mutter. "Good girl. Be as loud as you want."
The girl responds with something, but Mai doesn't pay close attention. Her blood runs cold, and the only thing she can think about is the fact that the girl's in danger. Her thoughts quickly turn to the best way to help the girl. Unconsciously, she starts toward the classroom in order to carry out her nonexistent plan. She only takes a couple of steps before she stops herself. What is she doing? Is she seriously going to walk right up to him while he's doing dirty things with another girl? The very thought makes her sick to her stomach, but she can't help feeling guilty that she's relieved his attention has been diverted elsewhere. She forces herself to take a couple more steps toward the half moan half giggling sound. She should really help that girl he's with. Maybe she didn't know that he was nothing more than a monster with a handsome face. Unfortunately, she finds the burning in the pit of her stomach to be too much, so she turns away from the classroom and starts down the hallway. She silently berates herself for not helping the girl. Before she knows it, she's already passed her classroom and even off the same floor of the school. Instead of trying to go back to her classroom, she pauses in the middle of the hallway once again and closes her eyes. She needed to calm down, so she decides to focus on her breathing.
She only manages to get a couple of deep breathes in before a cool hand touches her sweating forehead, effectively stopping her heart. She flinches back a couple of steps, and her eyes snap open. A sigh of relief helps her muscles relax when she finds a familiar, but concerned, face hovering directly in front of hers. Shiro lifts his hands up beside his face and gives her a nervous smile. "Easy there, tiger. I'm not gonna hurt you!"
He lets out a laugh at his own lame joke, but it's clearly forced. She flinches and uses the back of her hand to wipe away the sweat that's lingering on her face. She isn't sure why her skin felt so hot. In fact, it's weird because she's sweating, but her bones feel ice cold. She wraps her arms around herself and forces a smile onto her face. She playfully sticks her tongue out at him, but it doesn't stop the concern from reappearing on his face. He takes a step toward her, and his hands come to rest on her shoulders, but she flinches away without even realizing it. A frown settles over his face. She finds herself silently hoping that he won't ask her what's wrong.
Unfortunately, he's her friend, so her silent wish goes unanswered. "Mai? Are you ok? Is something wrong?"
She closes her eyes and takes a couple of steadying breaths before reopening them. She gives him a smile and a shrug. Upon seeing his expression turn into a stern one, she releases a defeated sigh. Apparently she isn't going to be able to brush his concerns off so easily. "It's….nothing."
His scoff sounds almost like he's reprimanding her. He reaches out once more, and she feels every muscle in her body tensing. Thankfully, she doesn't flinch away this time, but he still notices it and lets his hand fall to his side. An uneasy silence settles between them for a couple of seconds before he suddenly snaps his fingers, causing her to jump. Ignoring her frustrated look, he gives her a playful smile. "Why don't we sneak into the library and start on our history project before that stick in the mud Kou shows up? You can even tell me what's wrong without worrying about someone eavesdropping. It'll be like two birds and one stone."
He gives her that lopsided grin of his. Unease swells through her chest, and she glances toward a random classroom door. She should probably get to class or Reiji might find and punish her. Anger instantly burns the pit of her stomach at the thought of Reiji. She's still angry that she had been drugged, even if she originally agreed to working with him. The overwhelming need to rebel against his instructions threatens to overwhelm her.
She is a teenager, after all.
Without giving it a second thought, she turns her attention back to Shiro and nods. He gives her another grin, and they quickly make their way toward the library. A sense of gratitude overtakes her, and she finds herself feeling more relaxed than she ever has with Yui. She only half pays attention while he tells her about his classes, and how much he wishes that the school year would just end already. She can't help but smile at the fact that Shiro reminds Mai of Yui when they first became friends. Perhaps that's why she feels so comfortable around him. They finally arrive at the large library, effectively halting any more pondering she can do on the subject. They cautiously peek inside to find the librarian's not at her desk. After making sure the coast is clear, they slip into the room. She can still vividly remember the first time she stepped foot inside the huge library. It was so large that she was positive that she'd get lost in it if she ventured too far from the door. The room is easily the size of four or five classrooms, if not bigger. It has two levels. The bottom level is dedicated to strictly fiction and is easily the busiest. The top floor is packed full of non-fiction books, but most students only go up there if they are working on homework. Tables that could easily fit six people fit through the very center of each aisle between the tall shelves. In the very back corners, there are three chairs in a small circle around a small table. The arm chairs are easily the softest that she has ever had the pleasure to sit on. The upper leveled looks similar to the bottom one. The lighting seems more natural than it should, but she isn't sure how since it's always night outside when she visits the library.
She's broken out of her thoughts when Shiro quickly bolts toward the staircase leading up to the non-fiction part of the library. Mai only hesitates for a moment before she quickly makes her after him. They silently move all the way to the back before settling in the comfortable arm chairs. She barely manages to represses the moan of pleasure at being able to relax. Unfortunately, her relaxation is short lived, since Shiro wastes no time before jumping into their project. Luckily, she has the history book they need since he left his in his backpack back in the classroom. The hours seem to quickly tick by. Surprising, they accomplish a lot more than she thought they would. In fact, they are almost finished with it. Finally, their conversation starts to turn toward dangerous territory.
"So, is Yui ok? Is she in a bad relationship?" He asks, a hint of concern twisting through his words. She finds herself staring intently at the history book in her lap. She isn't sure where to start or how much to tell him. Finally, she drags her gaze up to look at him when she hears him sigh. He sets the book he took from the shelves on the table between them and gives her a stern look. "Listen, you look like you've been in pain the last few days. Now, I can help you, but you have to be willing to talk to me about what is wrong."
It feels like the world around her comes crashing down with those haunting words. Hadn't she said similar words to Yui only months before? Her hands begin to shake, and an overwhelming feeling to just blurt everything out overtakes her. She manages to stop herself from doing so when she realizes that he isn't going to believe her. Her hands begin to tightly grip the history book in her lap. She is Yui, and he is her old self. She is now caught up in a net full of hungry, vicious vampires, and he's the outsider looking in with an unbiased view. Her thoughts race, and her gaze drops to the book. She has a chance to tell him everything that has happened to her. He might be able to actually help her, even if he doesn't believe her. After all, he is a guy, but there is one huge problem staring her in the face.
He's human. He'll be ripped apart by the brothers if he tried to interfere. A sick feeling swells in the pit of her stomach. Is this the worry Yui had when she first approached Mai for help? It must be. That's why she was so unwilling to tell Mai anything. She stares hard at the book while a sense of guilt begins to spread through her chest, threatening to choke her. She was so cold and unwilling to believe Yui at first, so why would Shiro be any different? How much could she tell him without sounding crazy? She could end up in the hospital again if she wasn't careful, and the thought sends a shiver down her spine. There is no way she can simply go around claiming that vampires are real.
"Mai?" Shiro's soft voice cuts through her thoughts, and she slowly drags her gaze up to look at him. He gives her an encouraging smile. "It's ok. Take your time. You don't need to rush anything, but I do want you to know that I am here to help you and Yui."
She finds herself feeling even more tense than before, despite his comforting words. She drops her gaze once more. She needs someone to talk to, and Yui's becoming more and more like a zombie. She realizes that it wasn't only Yui. Laito was distant as well. She thought she could trust him, but she isn't so sure anymore. Her chest gives a dull ache. She didn't realize that she had been starting to feel so alone that the simple thought of having someone to finally talk to without the feeling of being judged is so overwhelming that she couldn't hold herself back anymore. Before she can stop herself, her mouth is moving. "Well, it's not like…. I don't really know how to explain it. She's…. Damaged? No. That's not the word."
Her mind feels like it's starting to shut down. "She's been hurt so many times, and I can't help her. She won't let me, because she loves him. I do think he cares about her, but he…he's just so rough. I don't think he truly knows how fragile she is. I wish there was a way to show him."
Without warning, her thoughts turn to Laito, and she flinches hard at the thought of what he meant by love not being real. Ayato didn't think that way, did he? She closes her eyes, and her fingers find the top corner of the page. She lightly drags her fingers along the edge, causing it to lightly flutter. She forces her eyes open, but she doesn't dare look up at him. The silence is clearly his way of urging her to keep talking. Her gaze finds some sort of painted medieval image. She swallows hard and says. "I don't like him, though. He's not the best guy, but she does. That's what matters, right? Her happiness?"
Mai can barely contain the scoff threatening to bubble out of her throat. She takes a deep breath in an effort to keep it contained and finds herself glaring down at the painting. Her emotions suddenly seem all over the place, and she finds herself gripping the edge of the book once more. "They're all cruel, cruel freaks of nature. I hate them all!"
Her voice comes out as a hiss. The painting swims before her eyes, but she makes no effort to wipe the tears away. "I hate being here. I just want to run away, but I can't. I mean… They'll find me, and my parents will be the ones to suffer, so I can't run away. I'm trapped with…..with those…. Sadists! I just want…. Oh… I don't know what I want anymore! Yui is turning, and I can't figure out a way to stop it! She'll be gone soon. She'll be like them, and I don't want that! I just...want my friend to be safe. What if she starts acting like them? What if she becomes horrible?"
The tears were slowly running down her face now. The thought of losing one of her only friends terrified her, but it's worse to think that said friend will become something inhuman and cruel. She jumps when a soft, but deep, voice cuts through her misery. "You know Yui isn't like that. She's a sweet, kind hearted girl, who thinks highly of you. Love is a hard thing to swallow you know, and she is still a teenager. Her feelings are probably just feelings of infatuation instead of love."
He lets out a nervous laugh and says. "You know….hormones and all. That's probably what's wrong with her. She isn't going to change much."
Mai's body suddenly feels incredibly heavy. She knew that nothing she said made any sense, but it was still painful to realize that he was dismissing her concerns. Her eyes close, and her body starts to shake. It's starting to feel like everything that could go wrong was.
Unfortunately, she thought that too soon. A cold arm wraps around her from the side, and a chin comes to rest on her shoulder. Her entire body tenses up, and she finds herself silently praying that it's Kou. A cold cheek brushes hers, and she closes her eyes tightly so she doesn't have to see who it is. The worst imaginable voice echoes through her ears.
"Ah, you aren't going to get anywhere if you make her cry. A true gentleman won't make a girl cry." It's clear by his tone that he's teasing Shiro, and she wants nothing more than to jerk away from him. Unfortunately, her body betrays her by remaining rigidly in place. She is vaguely aware that Shiro is responding to Laito, but all she can hear is her heart pounding in her chest. Laito's body presses closer to hers, and he releases a soft chuckle that brushes her face. The tear track feel like they are turning to ice, and she finally is able to lean away from him. Her eyes open and slowly lift to find a dark look clouding Shiro's face.
"You're interrupting us," Shiro states coldly. In fact, his tone is so chilly that it sent a chill down Mai's spine. "We're trying to get school work done."
Laito's hand starts to rub her shoulder in a seemingly comforting motion, but it does little to ease her tension. In fact, it only serves to make her even more tense. Laito lets out a chuckle and pulls his face away from Mai's. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him looking down at the book in her lap. His eyes slowly lift to look at the side of her face, and she feels like the room has gone deathly cold. He clearly has a taunting look on his face, as if he knows something she doesn't . Her heart sinks to the pit of her stomach. Is something wrong with Yui?
She clears her throat and abruptly stands up. Thankfully, Laito lets his hands slide away from her body. She takes a quick side step to attempt to get out of his reach. To her absolute horror, her shoulder collides with a solid chest. She twists to find out who she bumped into. Her horror mounts when her gaze meets a frustrated blue one. She scoots back a little, but she stops when her calf bumps the table. A clatter behind her just makes her feel even more on edge, but she doesn't dare take her eyes off Kou, since she can see Laito out of the corner of her eye. Kou lets out a scoff and drops his bag beside the last chair and flops into it. He leans back and lifts a leg to drape over the arm. He gives them bored look before a playful grin spreads over his face when his eyes land on Laito. "Shall we start? I got work in an hour."
Mai flinches at the sound of his voice. He sounds much too cheerful for the current situation. Reluctantly, she turns back to her chair, only to find it now occupied with a smiling redhead. He playfully pats his thigh, but she decides to give him a look of disgust and carefully scoots around the table. She flops herself onto the floor between Shiro and Kou with an overwhelming sense of defeat. She feels so tired at this point that she doesn't even feel like working on any school work. Silence invades the circle before Shiro finally breaks it by filling Kou in on what they have already finished.
She desperately wishes that she could feel happy that she's finally off school grounds, but her problem hasn't gone away. Due to Laito's interference, the group ended up taking longer than needed to finish the project, but they were finally done. Kou had simply disappeared from sight when Shiro had left to put the borrowed books back. Shiro walked with Mai for a few blocks, while Laito lurked behind the two of them. Once his street came up, Shiro offered to walk her home, but she waved him off. The sun was peeking over the horizon, and the streets were starting to buzz with activity. She could easily stick to crowded streets, besides the last thing she wants to do is expose him to Laito more than needed.
She increases her pace, but she knows it won't help. Finally, her nerves have had enough, so she spins to face him. All of her anger reaches its' boiling point. Without giving herself a chance to second guess herself, she snaps. "What is wrong with you?"
He is a lot closer than she expected him to be. In fact, his body is only inches from hers. He leans closer to her face, but she stubbornly stays still. His chuckle brushes over her face, and a shudder runs down when he starts talking, since his voice is low and husky. "I haven't got to see you very much lately because of my punishment and your new friend."
She gives him a look of disgust, but it feels like her heart is grinding to a halt. Shiro is now on Laito's radar, and she knew it isn't a good thing. Her hands slam into his chest, and she shoves hard. To her surprise, he stumbles back a couple of steps, but she has a feeling he's doing it to mock her. That only makes her anger spike even more. She clenches her fists and glares at him. "You don't care! You...you…."
To her utter frustration, the pitch of her voice becomes higher, and tears invade her vision. Without any sort of warning, everything spills out in one go. "Without regard, you...you… You don't listen! I didn't want to sleep with you! What is wrong with you?! Don't you understand the word no?"
He scoffs playfully. The sound of his voice only makes things worse. He takes a threatening step toward her. "Don't even try to deny that you enjoyed it."
Bile rises in her throat, and her stomach gives a painful twist. She did not enjoy what he did to her. She stubbornly keeps repeating that. After only the third or fourth time, an idea emerges. Without any sort of hesitation, she takes a step toward him. His playful grin only grows a little wider at the action. Her voice is louder than she intends it to be when she finally manages to says. "Your uncle came to see me in the hospital. He told me something about you that is absolutely disgusting."
The smile starts to fade. A sense of achievement starts to swell through her body, despite the warning bells going off in her head. She leans even closer to him. Her chest lightly touches his, and she raises her voice even more. "I heard that you screwed your own mother. You're absolutely disgusting. Who would enjoy anything you did to them?"
A dark look passes over Laito's face, and a thrill of fear races down her spine. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices a couple of people slow to look at them. To her absolute surprise, a smirk begins to spread over his face. Every warning bell starts to go wild, and she attempts to jerk back. Unfortunately, she doesn't get far before his hand appears in her hair, and her face is pressed forward. To her absolute disgust, Laito's mouth easily finds hers. Pain erupts through her scalp when his nails sink into the skin of her scalp. She closes her eyes and pushes her hands against his chest, but he simply wraps an arm around her waist. His sharp teeth brush the soft skin just inside her lip, as if he were silently warning her to be silent.
To make matters worse, she can hear the bystanders she was trying use to embarrass Laito talking around her.
"Didn't their parents teach them any better than to do that in public?"
"Ah, isn't young love just so adorable?"
"Must have been a lover's spat."
Her eyes slam shut, and she continues to shove him as hard as she can. Much to her relief, he releases her after only a couple of minutes, but she doesn't get much time to be grateful. He gives a flirtatious smirk to those around them, and his hand intertwines with hers. He gives her a rough tug while she tries to shake him off, but he easily drags her toward a secluded alley. As a last ditch effort to stop, she leans back and literally digs her heels in. The world spins, and everything gets worse. Before she has a get her bearings, her body is spun to face Laito. She can hear water lapping behind her, but she doesn't get a chance to even give it much thought. He releases her hand and reaches up to put a hand on her left breast. A rough shove sends her stumbling backwards. She makes it a couple of steps before the ground disappears out from beneath her, and her body pitches backwards. Warm water hits in her back, only to close over her head seconds later. She twists her body around and kicks toward the surface, but her bookbag only serves to make her struggle harder. Still, she's able to break the surface. Thankfully, she isn't far from the edge of the pool, so she is able to reach up and grab the edge. She pulls the upper part of her body out of the water, but she pauses when legs appear before her. She grits her teeth and slowly looks up the body to find a dark look on Laito's face. He isn't glaring at her, but the smile on his face is clearly dangerous. He slowly squats in front of her, and her entire body tenses. Her eyes narrow a little, and her breath catches in her throat. Fear coils in her gut, and it only gets worse when he starts talking in a low, threatening tone. "So, dear Uncle Ritcher talked to you while you were having a psychotic break, huh? Isn't that so nice of him?"
She just glares at him, which only makes the dark smile grow. His takes on a mocking edge when he asks. "Do you really think you saw him?"
Mai grits her teeth, but she stubbornly refuses to say anything. Laito lets out an eerie chuckle that echoes around the pool room. His eyes narrow a little and reaches out to run his fingers along the side of her face. She lifts a hand and swats it away. He releases a soft chuckle and says. "Fine. You want to know if what you think you know is right?"
She suddenly realizes that she doesn't want to know and starts to shake her head, but she knows that it's already too late by the cold smile on his face. Her breathing starts to increase, and her heart races so fast that a dull pain starts to race through her body. Before she can even blink, his lips are near her ear. His voice is barely audible, but it's enough to make everything in her body go numb. "I did. See, she taught me the real meaning of love. She taught me that there is no such thing. You stupid humans made up that foolish notion in an effort to cover up your lustful desires. Why can't you be more honest with yourselves? Are you all afraid of some sort of divine punishment? If you are, don't hold your breath. It'll never happen."
She opens her mouth to say something, but his hand appears on the top of her head. Before she even gets the chance to react, he effortlessly shoves her head down. Her forehead scrapes along the concrete lining, as does her arms. Water closes over her head before she can get a good breath. Panic races through every part of her body. The only thing that keeps her from thrashing wildly is the fact that her hands had somehow managed to catch the side. Unfortunately, she is in the deeper end of the pool, so her feet couldn't touch the bottom. To make matters worse, he doesn't bother to submerge her entire head. The very top of her head stills pokes up out the water, making this sensation even worse. She was so close to the surface, but she couldn't breathe. She struggles to pull herself back up, but Laito continues to hold her under. Her lungs start to burn with the desire to breathe, and her thoughts turn to escaping by kicking off the wall and swimming toward the center of the pool. Just as her feet touch the wall, his hand disappears, and she's able to drag herself upwards. The second her head breaks the surface, she begins to suck in greedy breathes in an effort to ease the burning in her lungs. She looks up expecting to find him gone, but he's still crouching in front of her with that terrifying smile on his face. She opens her mouth to say something, but he cuts her off by coldly saying. "You know, you say I'm disgusting, and no one would enjoy what I have to offer. Perhaps you're right."
A thoughtful look spreads over his face. Mai slowly tries to scoot away from him, but his hand lashes out to grab a fist full of her hair. He pulls her head up, making her arch awkwardly out of the water. The book bag pulls at her body, and she tells herself to get rid of it. She attempts to distract him from her actions by giving him a cold, defiant look. He lets out yet another chuckle, and goosebumps form all over her body. She awkwardly moves to rest one elbow on the concrete and moves the fingers toward the strap crossing her body. Once she hooks it, he cheerfully says, "You know, I think people would react much like you have. They would be so revolted because I gave into that woman's primal desire."
"Because it's not normal," Mai mutters softly. Laito lets out a scoff and rolls his eyes playfully before they land back on her. He gives her a playful smile and leans in to mutter.
"Then that means you're tarnished, too." Her entire body stiffens, and she gives a small shake of her head. Unfortunately, he gives her hair a sharp tug. Pain makes tears spring to her eyes. He clicks his tongue and leans close to her once more. She closes her eyes tightly, but it does nothing to stop the feeling of his cold tongue, which starts at her jaw and moves up her cheek only to disappear. It starts again not even a second later back at her jaw. He proceeds to lick her a few more times before whispering seductively in her ear. "You know you liked it. You don't have to pretend here. It's only us."
"I don't like you," Mai gasps out. To her surprise, she feels him move away from her. She slowly opens one eye to find a curious look on his face. The moment her eye meets his, he gives her a playful grin. Dread fills her entire body, and she attempts to shove herself away from him, despite the fact that he has a fist full of her hair. Unfortunately, he shoves her head forward, and it collides with the concrete in front of her enough to hurt but not break skin or even bruise.
"You aren't a very good liar. I know you love me. Besides, who else will want you?" Without warning, she feels a sting near the top of her earlobe. To her horror, she realizes that Laito had just bitten her, and she is sure that it's enough to draw blood.
"I didn't do it willingly," she argues. Unfortunately, her voice comes out as a weak whisper.
"Oh, sweet, naive Mai. You know you were more than willing. Did you really not enjoy it?" She desperately wants to find anger at the mocking way he's talking to her, but she can only feel more dread. A sickening feeling starts to settle in the pit of her stomach. Something very bad is going to happen, and she has a good idea what it could be. There is no way she should try to escape into the middle of the pool. He will just swim after her. She decides to try her luck at pulling herself out of the water, but Laito's next words halt her. "Are you going somewhere? Thinking of running to that silly little human boy? He can't help you. After all, he's no match for a vampire. Who does that leave? Subaru? You know he's mad at you. He'll probably kill you given the chance. Hmmm. Perhaps Shuu?"
Laito releases a mocking laugh. "Sweetheart, you know he won't lift a finger to help you. It's just not in his nature."
Her blood runs cold. She never once thought of running to any them. After all, she knew it wouldn't do any good. Her eyes lift to meet his, and she decides to act on impulse. Her words and tone soften to make it sound like she's talking to a baby. "Ahhh, is someone jealous?"
Laito silently stares at her for a moment before a genuine sounding laugh erupts from him. Confusion fills her chest, but she doesn't get a chance to say anything before his laughter abruptly dies. His eyes meet hers, and a chill runs down her spine. In a dark, deep voice, he says. "Sweetheart, I'd have to have something of value to be jealous of. In case you forgot, you are nothing but a plaything. Besides, what competition do I have?"
She opens her mouth to retort, but a smile spread over his face. Unfortunately, this one is even darker than the previous one. His words echo hauntingly in her head when he says. "It's times for your punishment."
"What?" Mai stupidly asks. She already knew the answer. He lets out a chuckle and leans down to mutter.
"Well, your stupid outburst got me in trouble. Besides, the look of terror is simply too arousing to pass up. Keep showing it to me, and I promise you'll get a reward later."
Her eyes widen, and she immediately kicks off the wall. Unfortunately, he chooses that moment to shove her head forward. She had opened her mouth a little to ask him not to shove her under the water, so she's even less prepared than last time. A little bit of water rushes into her mouth, but she is shut her mouth and swallow it before she can truly panic. She still feels like she's drowning, though, since she doesn't have any air in her lungs at all. To her horror, he pushes her further underwater than last time, since her hands had slipped off the edge at some point. She claws at the side in an effort to reach the edge, but she isn't able to find it. The panic starts to make her lungs burn. Her eyes squeeze shut and shifts her focus on an effort to claw at Laito's hand. Panic continues to push out every rational thought until all that is left is the urge to breath. It feels like an eternity had passed, and she isn't sure she can continue holding her breath. Her heart sinks, and her movements begin to slow.
Is she seriously going to die?
She's not sure why, but she opens her mouth. Water rushes in and down her throat. A heavy feeling fills her lungs, but her consciousness is already starting to slip away. Her fingers begin to feel numb, and her thoughts go blank. Even the panic starts to dull. She knew she should be alarmed by everything that is happening to her, but she finds she can't even muster the strength anymore.
Her body shifts, and she's vaguely aware that she is laying on her side on something hard. Her eyes refuse to open, and she can hear a voice talking to her in a comforting tone while something lightly touches her back in an odd pattern. Her brain doesn't even bother trying to make sense of what is being said to her. In fact, she can't even recognize to voice as being anything but a male. After a moment, liquid rushes up her throat, and everything comes into sharp focus. She's laying on her left side and viciously vomiting a mixture of water and bile. She's uncomfortably aware of the fact that the taste of chlorine and bile make a disgusting combination. She feels a hand rubbing soothing circles in her back and slowly opens her eyes when she feels her head being moved around. It ends up resting in something soft that smells incredibly good. She knew what it is, but she doesn't want to think about it at the moment. Suddenly, fingers begin to work their way through the knots in her wet hair. Her eyes drift closed at the wonderful sensation. She tries to work her thoughts into a comprehensive train of thought, but the sting in her throat and lungs makes it difficult to think about much else. Her lungs still felt like something was caught in them. That simple thought is enough to bring her back to the present. Her eyes snap open, and she abruptly pushes her body into a sitting position. She turns a cold glare onto the only other person in the room. He gives her a loving smile that sends anger to the pit of her stomach. She swallows hard, which causes her to flinch.
Suddenly, his fingers reach out and start to lovinging stroke her cheek. She wants to flinch away, but she finds that her body still felt heavy. The best she can manage is a cold stare while sitting upright. He leans close enough to press his cold forehead against hers. She attempts to lean away from him, but he reaches up to place a hand on the back of her neck, effectively halting her movement. He releases a chuckle and mutters. "Sweetheart, don't project your feelings onto me."
She grits her teeth and weakly snarls. "What the hell are you talking about now?"
His eerie green eyes bore into hers from only centimeters away. Being this close, she can see an array of emotions in his eyes. Unease fills the pit of her stomach. She's sure that she can see many conflicting emotions there such as: amusement, excitement, pain, and sadness. Before she gets a chance to dwell on it, his voice interrupts. "I know you heard me and that girl at school. You aren't exactly discreet."
Disgust fills her stomach, and all traces of pity disappears from her mind. She manages to sneer at him, "If you heard me, why didn't you stop?"
"Where is the fun in that? It's always so much better to be watched!" He lets out a chuckle and leans away from her when her disgust appears on her face. Thankfully, he releases her as well, so she is able to scoot away from him. Unfortunately, she doesn't get far since her muscles still feel weak. She carefully keeps her eye on him. A confident smirk adorns his face, and he tilts his head to the side a little before saying in a playfully teasing voice. "Come on. You can't deny that the thought of me being with someone else didn't send a bit of jealousy to the pit of your stomach. Your favorite toy being used by another."
A look of mock realization spreads over his face. He snaps his fingers and leans forward with a chilling smirk. "Let me guess! It did the opposite. If you were turned on, you could have joined us! I wouldn't have minded! I don't think she would have either."
Disgust fills every corner of her being. She watches in absolute horror when he gets onto his hands and knees before starting to slowly crawl toward her. She scoots her body away as fast as she can, though she's careful to scoot away from the pool. Her voice comes out more fearful than she meant for it to. "W-what the h-hell are you talking about?! W-who would be...be….be into that….that kind of thing?!"
He releases a chuckle. Unfortunately, he has already closed in on her. Her body freezes, and his hands plant themselves on either side of her hips. His face looms dangerously close to hers. Yet again, she finds herself feeling frustratingly helpless while facing him. His words brush over her face in a cold rush of air when he says. "Ah, that's right. I was your first. You don't know the joys of watching your lover with another."
"You're not…. I don't…." She has no idea what she is trying to say. He gives her mocking look of pity.
"Now, now. Threesomes are the best," he whispers in a husky voice. "It's so much fun to watch your partner being ravished by another."
His body gives a shudder, making bile rise in her throat again. His eyes close, and he releases a soft moan. Only seconds later, his eyes snap open and a look of excitement spreads over his face. He's on his feet in seconds, and she's dragged along with him. He lets out a soft groan and leans in to press his lips to hers. Before she has a chance to react, he leans away again. Only seconds later, her feet disappear from below her, and she finds herself resting in his arms in a princess style carry. Her mind faintly notices that the weight of her bookbag is gone, but it quickly returns to more important matters. The look of excitement on Laito's face did not bode well for her. She immediately begins to struggle, but her efforts are halted when she hears his words.
"You need to experience it all first hand."
Her heart stops, sinks, then begins to race wildly in the span of a few seconds. She didn't like the sound of that. Who is he planning on dragging her to? An image of Kanato springs into her mind. If Laito's disturbing enough to sleep with his own mother, she's positive that sharing someone with his brother would be nothing. The thought made her stomach twist uncomfortably. A shudder runs down her spin, and she doubles her fist and swings it at his face. Unfortunately, that's when the world spins.
To her absolute surprise and gratification, her fist collides hard with his nose. He lets out a loud sound of pain and drops her. To her relief, she lands on the edge of a bed. She's not sure how, but she manages to roll her body further onto the bed instead of bouncing onto the floor. She quickly scrambles to her feet only to freeze when she realizes that she is in a hauntingly familiar room. Her heart starts to race as her eyes search every inch for the owner of the room. Thankfully, it seems like he's out. Her returns to Laito, who's still holding his nose. She fully expects him to look angry, but her fist seems to have had the opposite effect. A look of pure excitement is visible on his face. She takes an awkward step back, though she doesn't know why. He is standing between her and the door. It still comes as a strange type of comfort to be able to do something. Before she gets another step in, Laito disappears from her view. His cold arms wrap around her waist from behind. She tries to flinch away, but he pulls her back into his body. He releases a soft chuckle into her ear and says in a husky voice. "You still owe me a couple of bites. I'm absolutely starving."
Mai's entire body stiffens for a moment before she resumes struggling. His breath cools the skin of her neck, causing her to shiver. She stubbornly shakes her head. "No. I bet you drank from that girl earlier, so you don't need my blood."
His tongue runs slowly up her neck, causing a shudder to run through her body. A sense of awkwardness begins to spread, and she shifts a little. She flinches when her movement causes her body to brush his. He releases a loud moan in her ear. She closes her eyes tightly and says in a barely audible voice. "Fine. Fine. I did promise that you could drink my blood, but I'm sure this is the last time. I'll continue struggling."
She closes her eyes tightly and takes a steadying breath. "I just….have a request. Can we….not…."
Embarrassment causes her to choke on her words. She clears her throat a little and forces out the words before he has a chance to interrupt her. "Can we just go to your room?"
He makes an amused sound in the back of her throat, causing her to flinch. His voice just furthers her embarrassment. "Why?"
She lets out a soft growl, but she manages to ask. "I just don't feel comfortable here. It's… embarrassing. I don't want Shuu to walk in."
He releases a chuckle, and his teeth graze her skin once more. She puts as much warning into her voice as she can. "Laito, I don't want you to bite me here."
His words send a pang of dread through her entire body. "Isn't the threat of being caught so much fun? Besides, you haven't gotten to enjoy the feeling of having multiple partners yet, or even observed while you are in the throes of pleasure. I thought you liked Shuu."
"I don't like any of you!" She snarls. He lets out a playful scoff and mutters huskily into her ear.
"Lair."
She opens her mouth to protest, but nothing comes out. His teeth has already sunk into the joint that connects her shoulder to her neck. She fully expects to feel pain, but there isn't any.
The only thing present is mind numbing pleasure, which causes her legs to suddenly feel weak. Only seconds later, her body relaxes back into Laito, who eases her down into the middle of Shuu's bed. She is vaguely aware of the silent wish that Shuu decided to sleep on the couch, since it's already getting late in the morning. She closes her eyes the moment she settles into Laito's lap. She hates that it's feeling as good as it is. The minutes drag by into what feels like hours, but the feeling doesn't ease up. Her arms start to feel like they are getting heavy, and she begins to feel sleepy, despite her wet clothes. Her head rolls back to rest on Laito's shoulder, and she finds the darkness that is eating at the edges of her vision more and more inviting. How long has it been since she had restful sleep? Was the last time when Reiji drugged her?
Guess it wasn't that long ago.
She's vaguely aware that Laito's whispering something into her ear, but her mind is too tired to really make out what he is saying. She easily gives into the darkness, and lets her body slip into the comforting darkness. If she is asleep, than she won't have to face Shuu; should he find her and his brother sitting in the center of his bed. She won't have to listen to Laito's disturbing proposal, or even have to worry about Shuu's answer.
The darkness of unconsciousness is a surprising friend that she didn't realize she had.
