Chapter 28
The knife skimmed across the black and blue skin of her abdomen, slicing her delicately all along her gut, and caused Yui to release both an ear piercing scream and and wriggle in pain. After the first initial cut, Ayato moved his wrist in quick jerks to begin 'carving' through her flesh in a swift attempt to penetrate the wall of her pounding uterus. Azusa was left to watch in horror as Yui continued to scream until she fell backwards and flat onto the floor, knocked out cold from the shock, and listen to Kanato singing in glee. Even with her fainted on the ground, Ayato still continued to shove the knife in deeper and suddenly snarled, "It won't go through." Kanato's snickering came to an immediate halt before pouncing away from Azusa and instead to Ayato's side, shoving him away and snatching the dagger from his hands. "If you're going to do it, do it right at least," The smallest triplet said matter-of-factly. He raised the knife high above his head and plummeted down, directly at Yui's belly, and suddenly shrieked at the dagger's blade bent and fell to the ground. Frustrated and utterly confused, Kanato pushed Ayato again and cried out, "You've ruined it!" He then grabbed his ragdoll by the hand and said in a softer voice, "C'mon Teddy- oh. I mean, Ted," before scampering out of the room in a bratty fit. The room felt silent aside from the sound of Yui's labored breathing.
The blood pouring out of the wound was not bright nor crimson red. It didn't smell too sweet or not sweet enough. In fact, the blood coming out of her was just nonexistent. Ayato was left puzzled as he jabbed at the slice repeatedly, expecting blood to spurt out at any moment but it never came. Azusa's eyes were saucer-like and though everything in his being was screaming to do something, he could do nothing but watch. His calm nature had met the ultimate match and the challenge of facing it was too much for him to go at head on. Not only was his lover at risk but now, his unborn child. His child was dying, the mother of his child was dying, and he wasn't doing anything.
Ayato's preoccupation with the miracle that was happening right in front of them was enough to give Azusa the perfect chance to lock his arm around his neck from behind and begin squeezing. He didn't know if he could stop himself, even if he heard a neck snapping. He would burn him to death and watch his eyes as he would be swallowed whole by the fire. No matter if Yui lived or died, he would at least have that. The imagine of her potential killer burning. He would plead to him for mercy but in a world without her, he had nothing to feel- nevermind mercy for a bloodthirsty killer. Bloodthirsty. Just as he was. Just as he was, bloodthirsty and in love with a sac of blood itself. His mind was spinning and the farther he dived into thought, the farther in the distance was left the reality of Ayato being strangled to death within his grip. The only thing that could possibly bring him back would be next to another miracle, and surely two couldn't happen in one day. Until it did. "Azusa-kun?" She whispered.
Her eyes were warm and filled with tears, and even past the sight of the love of her life strangling another man, she somehow managed to smile. Yui had always managed to smile somehow. It was something that Azusa had never recognized in her until he saw it finally in front of him. With a slice across her belly and the humiliation of her naked body sprawled across the floor, the blonde he had come to care for was smiling for him and he quickly let go of the pathetic vampire who was drowsing out of consciousness in his arms. "Yui," Azusa breathed. He was starting to smile as well.
The moment had melted into a somehow gentle tenderness despite the location and morbid situation, leaving only the two of them to focus on each other as Azusa knelt down to her side and scooped a fragile Yui into his arms. "Why did you come for me?" She said in a soft voice, "I thought you didn't want me anymore." Her voice shook slightly with each word but her hand remained still, even as her fingertips stroked down the side of his sweat caked face. "What a silly thing to say..." The corners of Azusa's mouth twisted into a sweet smile but quickly reverted back to his usual seriousness. "Are you... hurting? We must get you somewhere safe..." Their eyes met for a split second but was enough to somehow calm his nerves. Perhaps it was her abnormal softness, or the smile that was still printed across her flushed cheeks. "I'm not hurt, Azusa-kun," she said clearly. "I don't know how, but I'm okay."
"What have you done?"
Their moment was too good to last, for it was quickly interrupted by the sound of the door slowly creaking open and the emergence of Subaru Sakamaki. Yui was confused by the lack of reaction he had towards Azusa being there (something that both Azusa and Subaru had been expecting from each other since their talk at school) but rather his focus on Ayato who was laying on the floor. "He's not dead..." Azusa sighed as he slowly rose to his feet, scooping up Yui bridal style and allowing the wedding dress to shake off of her dainty heels. Subaru's focus on his half brother quickly snapped when he saw the wound on Yui's belly and he quickly strode toward the couple, quickly yanking Yui out of his arms and holding her in his own. Azusa didn't fight back but instead scowled as Subaru placed Yui onto her feet, holding her up by draping her arm around his own shoulders and placing his free hand onto the small of her back. The confusion of how she wasn't bleeding struck him suddenly but before he could continue, Azusa said, "We need to get somewhere safe... now."
The two vampires hustled out of the house with the mortal girl in being held up by each of their arms, their footsteps hurried and clearly panicked. Usually Azusa was the calmest of the immortals but it seemed that somehow, Subaru had absorbed his calm nerves and his anger had vanished. "I don't know where we can go," he said in a tired huff as they carried Yui across the property and into the trees. "No need..." Azusa sighed, "I know of a place."
Yui insisted that she was fine to walk but neither of the boys would listen, for they continued to hold her up straight and half carry her until the familiar clearing had come into view. It was the pool of the Earth that Yui knew so well and absolutely adored. The moment (she hoped) that she had conceived their child that she desperately hoped would be okay. Subaru didn't bother asking about the clearing and instead pushed in front to prepare a nice spot for Azusa to lay her down, which he did slowly into the dirt and then kneeled by her side. "Move," Subaru growled before nudging Azusa to the side with his leg and then took his place kneeling at Yui's side. The lack of her clothing made it easy for Subaru to access the torn flesh of her lower stomach, which was coated in shredded skin where Ayato had wiggled the knife inside of her. "It's deep," Subaru said coldly as he pried the slice open with his thumb and index finger. Yui cringed and as Subaru tended to her, Azusa slowly reached for her hand and squeezed it. Through the pain, the girl managed to smile in his direction. "This is so... strange." Subaru had seen nothing like it. Despite the protest of Azusa, Yui allowed him to slowly press his fingertip down into the wound and push against the uterus. "So deep," he added on. His index finger abruptly stopped and he quickly jerked away. "It-it moved. The thing in you moved."
A sensation of relief washed over Yui and she burst out into a happy fit of tears, allowing herself now to fully cry both from the pain and happiness that her baby was in fact alive. Her clutch on Azusa's hand tightened tremendously as she cried. Minutes passed and finally Subaru hushed her. "Will you shut up?" He growled. He was now sitting back on his behind with crossed legs and his arms crossed in front of his chest. "It seems that it has formed some tight of protective membrane around it." His eyes narrowed as he turned to face Azusa, who slunked down into something that resembled shame. "I've never known a human to be with a vampire. It's not possible. At least for real vampires. There's nothing more I can tell you, you're on your own." And with those words, Subaru was gone and the couple was left alone to puzzle over the fate of the mother and her unborn baby.