New chapter! I've been more motivated to write lately :D

As usual, leave a review if you wish! This will allow me to work harder~!


Ayato could still remember the way Yui first looked at him. Those eyes, so filled with fear, and he loved it.

"Look at me," he'd said, his fingers turning her chin towards him forcefully, "And now…scream." The feeling of her blood hitting all of his senses was the best he'd ever felt. The way she'll wriggle desperately in his grasp, only for him to tighten his hold, and for her to cry out.

He really had tormented her a great deal when she first stepped into the Sakamaki mansion, deliberately making things hard for her sometimes, just to get a reaction out of her. After all, he loved the way she trembled in his presence.

But this time…this time was different. He felt fear, but not the sort he wanted. She'd looked so pained, so disappointed, staring at him as though he were a monster to be feared. He could feel his heart sink then, if he ever had one in the first place.

He couldn't get that image of her out of his head, when she lifted her hand up and slapped him hard; like it was the most difficult thing she'd ever had to do.

"-Sakamaki, I'm speaking to you."

Ayato snapped out of his thoughts. Oh, right. He was just at the hospital in the demon world.

"Yeah, so just tell me what's it going to take to cure this now. I gotta go back-," Ayato opened his mouth to speak, only to earn himself an irritated look from the physician.

"What do you think this is, simple magic? I don't care if you're Karl Heinz or whoever's kid, you're not going anywhere till I'm done with ya, y'hear?!" The 800-year-old vampire waved a hand in the air.

Looking down at his own hand, he realised how much worse the cut has gotten. It's only been some 24 hours since he got it. Now, the entire area where it was has turned black. It hurt like a bitch, and the rest of him arm wasn't looking too great either. If the doctor wasn't around, he can't say if he'd even still have his arm now. That was how badly silver affects vampires. It's also happened at the worse timing possible.

As he lay back down on his uncomfortable bed, watching as his doctor slap on more medicine on his arm, the only thing he has on his mind was Yui. It kind of irritated him, but he couldn't deny that he actually longed to see her. He guesses, that the dumb girl is probably scared to death, with him gone from the mansion all of a sudden.

He found himself wanting to see her. There's so much, after all, that he wished he could say.


Yui had been sleeping for more than her usual 8 hours now, and even though Subaru had been up for a while now, barely able to get more than a bit of sleep in, the girl still didn't look like she's about to wake up anytime soon.

Wondering if maybe she needed more clothing than the few sets she brought, and also that he himself had a lack of stuff, he made a quick trip back to the mansion in the human world.

As he was rummaging through his own drawers, stuffing more clothes and essentials into his bag, he nearly wanted to put another hole through the wall again, seeing how Reiji had appeared out of nowhere behind him.

"Dammit, at least say something, will ya?!" he shouted.

"Better to keep all your ill manners in check and have some respect," Reiji hissed, "Seriously."

Subaru threw him a glare, but his hands didn't stop moving, still stuffing the things he needed. "Get out."

"Yui has been missing. You've taken her somewhere, haven't you? Your mother's place, I'd assume."

But of course. Trust Reiji to be the perceptive one.

"Answer me, Subaru."

"Yeah. So what?"

"You understand she was sent here to be one of ours, as an offering. We're under strict instructions from our great father that she mustn't be killed."

"I'm not gonna kill her, okay!" Subaru didn't like how Reiji's eyes were piercing into him. It was as though he was trying see through his intentions.

"And so, why have you taken her away from this mansion?"

"Be-because-," Subaru's mind raced, his mouth dry. Indeed, why did he take Yui away? Even if she was heartbroken and devastated, he didn't have to go all the way to make sure she gets peace and quiet. He shouldn't even care, especially not when she's already given herself to Ayato…

Subaru clutched at his chest, because he knew why. He knows he has feelings for her, and maybe, he's about to have to admit to them, even if he doesn't want to.

"If you're trying to have her for yourself, you understand Ayato, especially, will not take this lying down. If you know what's good for you, you will bring her back immediately. Or else," Reiji stared at him, "I can't guarantee I'll be bothered to inform father of your dead body when that half-wit comes for you."

"Also," he continued, "Yui should be returned, before he gets back to this world."

"What do you mean?"

"Ayato is now in treatment in the demon world," Reiji said, pushing his glasses up with a finger. "He had been slashed during the recent vampire hunter attacks. It was a silver knife."

Subaru made a mental note of that. Basically, he doesn't really care whether or not Ayato lives, but maybe Yui might want to know about this. As he turned heel to leave, duffel bag swinging over his shoulder, he caught sight of Shu sleeping along the hallway, and Laito throwing him a smirk from where he was at the end of the corridor. His brothers have all probably caught on the fact that he's smuggled the prey out of the house, and soon, Ayato's going to know too.

But when Yui's teary face appeared in his mind, there was zero hesitation in his footsteps. Already, he doesn't feel quite like himself anymore.

And it was Yui who changed him.


When Yui woke up, her head was pounding, as though a truck had just run her over. Her muscles felt a little numb, and her feet were cold despite her entire body being under the covers. A candle that sat in the middle of the small, wooden dining table was the only source of light. Outside, it remained pitch black.

She didn't see Subaru, so she figured he was out somewhere. It didn't really worry her, since no one besides Subaru could get anyone in or out. Yui crawled out of bed, turned on the lights, and then took another shower.

She had no idea how long she'd slept. It certainly felt like quite a while, but it could also only be just a few hours. She didn't know.

When she rummaged through the groceries that Subaru had put away in the cupboards, she found some ingredients that looked edible (even if nothing seemed particularly familiar). She managed to get a fire started, found the cookware and cutlery, and it was just easy from then on. As she cooked, Yui thought about how peaceful everything was; it was quiet all around, and the sky was dark, but littered with beautiful stars, and she was alone.

She was alone.

Her thoughts went back to her father for a moment. How he'd raised her on his own, how he had taught her to read, sing and draw, and how she'd loved those simple evenings spent with her father, just being by his side. She'll never in a million years have assumed that…her father would be a vampire hunter. But no matter who he was, or what he was hiding, to know he would never be by her side again, and that he was gone forever was just the hardest pill to swallow.

"Watch it!" A voice yelled from behind, effectively startling her. Yui nearly dropped the pan she was holding, when a hand shot forward and gripped it.

"Dammit!" Subaru scolded, "What are you doing, spacing out when you're cooking? Fuck-"

As Subaru took over the pan, which by then, the vegetables have already been more than well cooked. Yui let herself take a step back. She watched him pour the piping hot vegetables onto a plate, before him turning around to shoot her a glare for having been careless.

"I'm sorry," she apologised.

"You didn't even hear me come in, you," he barked. But then his expression softened and he avoided eye contact suddenly. "Have you been crying?"

Yui wiped at her face with the back of a hand, and was surprised to find it moist. Oh. She had no idea that that even happened.

Subaru let out a sigh, furrowing his eyebrows. "Here," he said, pushing the plate in front of her and handing her the cutlery, which Yui took. He watched her eat in small bites quietly. She looked so fragile, as if she was going to fall apart anytime.

"You know, I lost my mum too," he said, after a while.

Yui looked up at him, "What happened?"

"She wasn't well, not mentally at least. At times she's fine with me around, but most of the time, she hated me, for looking like my old man, the man who never even once showed himself," Subaru gave a sad laugh, at the memory of it. "I lost count of the number of times she said she wished I was never born. And for the longest time, I wished I never was either."

He continued, "I think my mum was happy when she died. When I stabbed the knife into her heart, I set her free. She was probably glad to go because she doesn't have anything left to live for anyway."

A silence hung in the air, as Subaru remembered those terrible days that he tried everyday to bury at the back of his mind. He never talked about his mother, except for the occasional time when the topic comes up and his brothers said something out of line, in which he has to defend his mum, but otherwise, no one needs to know. It was the first time he ever said this out loud, willingly.

He never even realised Yui had gotten up, until he felt a pair of arms coming from the back, wrapping themselves around him. He tensed up, but quickly relaxed, at the realisation of how warm they feel.

"I'm so sorry," he heard her voice through sobs, "It must've been so hard to go through that yourself."

Subaru instinctively raised a hand to place it over hers. Never in his life had anyone said these things before to him, and he had assumed no one cared. But here was Yui, whose heart went out to a cold-blooded creature like himself. He couldn't understand.

When Yui didn't show sign of letting go, he arched his head around. He instantly paused when he realised how close her face was to his, and Yui must've known as well, for her sobs suddenly ceased. They locked eyes, and a million thoughts ran across Subaru's head in that split-second.

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do it right there and then.

But, as he leaned another inch forward, Yui drew back. Her huge eyes lingered on his gaze, red from tearing, and he could tell she was completely apprehensive. He instantly drew back himself, although a pang of hurt hit him on the inside.

"I should…go do the dishes," she muttered softly, withdrawing her arms from around him. He watched her scurry to gather the plates and cutlery, bending over to wash them at the sink. The sudden sound of gushing water helped to make things less awkward.

Of course, he should've known. Ayato. It was probably it. No matter how close he gets to Yui, his half-brother would always be in the picture, and he knows that deep down, she sincerely has affections for him too. He could never bring himself to make things difficult for her, or their friendship, by crossing the line.

He could never, but what's scarier is, he wants to.


It was really mostly quiet, being this far out in the demon world. Besides the occasional sound of an animal call faraway, or the engine of a passing vehicle, it was dead silence that surrounded them. It was also pitch dark, save for the flickering candles, one on the dining table and one on the bedside table next to Yui, that brought some light and warmth.

Subaru was having a hard time trying to fall asleep. Strange, considering that insomnia wasn't something that he struggled with regularly. He tried keeping his eyes shut, and to divert his thoughts, but they all seemed to fall on Yui without fail.

He was still sharing the same bed as her, as he did from the beginning when she'd insisted. He wondered if he turned to a side, to just steal a look at her for a quick second, would he unintentionally wake her. He did so, and thank goodness, Yui didn't even stir. She was facing him while sleeping on her side too, except her eyes were closed. Her breathing was even, and she is sound asleep.

She's probably exhausted, thought Subaru. Although she looked so peaceful now, her eyes had been red and puffy some hours ago. Now, the skin around her eyes looked like they've gone back to normal, as if she wasn't just heartbroken a while before.

Speaking of skin…he couldn't help but notice how her cheeks had that perfect, slight pinkish glow to it. And how it looked so smooth and supple, quite unlike most of the other human beings he'd seen. In fact, up close, he could practically hear the blood gushing below that very skin.

Damn.

He wanted to tear his attention away, but instead, they fell on her neck area. Some of her shoulder-length hair was blocking his view, so he dared shift those strands away, allowing his eyes to take in the sight before him. She was flawless. Except for a few fading bite marks that no doubt belonged to Ayato, her neck, her shoulder, and even the slight cleavage that was accidentally exposed to him turned him on more than anything.

He scooted just a bit nearer to her, feeling his breathing get more ragged. He hasn't had a proper drink from a human in weeks, and right now, the perfect opportunity was in his hands. After all, she smelled so good. He could easily drink her dry, and she won't even have a place to run to. It could be so simple-

He had been so pre-occupied lately that he barely noticed his raging thirst, but now that he did, it was crazy. He leaned in closer. He knew that he really should've hunted more often, since being in the same enclosed area as this girl was bad news. Again, closer. This was a horrible idea, and it was possible that he could incur Ayato's wrath, like drive the man to murder him, but he couldn't stop. He bared his fangs, and just a little, tiny bit closer-

"Subaru?"

Yui's small voice scared the hell out of him, and Subaru retracted himself instantly. His eyes, large, focused on hers.

"What the- aren't you s'posed to be asleep?!"

When Yui didn't quite respond, he guesses that she was probably shocked at how close he came to biting her. He didn't want to ruin anything, so he apologised, even though it came out as barely a mutter.

Instead of her just turning away from him like he'd expected, Yui pushed her hair further back, and pressed herself closer to him. She tugged the collar of her nightgown further down, and looked up at him shyly.

"It's okay. I don't mind."

He could die; he really could, if only he wasn't a vampire and that vampires have one hell of a long shelf life. It took him a minute to actually comprehend what was going on, but the determination in Yui's eyes told him that she was sure of it. He could feel his willpower waning.

Subaru placed his lips on the skin of her shoulder, taking in a deep breath as he did so, while feeling her wrap her arms around his back. He hesitated for a second, but he followed his instincts and bit down slowly, in case he hurt her.

"Ah," Yui let out quietly, her eyes shut tight. Although he had been slow and gentle at the beginning, the more he drank, the more she could feel Subaru grow hasty. His next bite landed on her neck, then on her collar, and then he shifted himself to bite her on the other side of her neck.

At this point, Subaru could hardly care about Ayato very potentially murdering him in future. Yui's blood was hot and thick and unlike anything else he'd ever drank, that it filled him up, but also made him desire more. It tasted so fucking good, that he doubted anything short of a vocal 'no' from Yui would stop him.

He could feel the strength in Yui's grip weakening, but neither is she protesting.

Just a little more, thought Subaru, as he held her body closer to his.

Just a little more.