Chapter 44

"I suppose you're the one who spat out the brat upstairs, aren't you," Kanato sneered from between gritted teeth. He looked somewhat empty, lost, without teddy in his hands to shield the anger that was bubbling up his throat. Beside him stood the ever so charming, and terrifying, Laito. His locks fell in front of his brilliant green eyes, which was piercing through her as Yui trembled on her feet. Ruki had grabbed her by the wrist, whether it be out of protection or marking his territory, she didn't know - but she was somewhat thankful. "He's here," Yui breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Ruki with a wide smile, tears swelling in her ducts, and prepared to speak until Ruki's cold eyes hushed her. It was only a glance, for his full attention was on the two Sakamaki triplets. "So it's his? Oh, bitch-chan... you're hurting my feelings." Laito slowly swooped forward and trailed a single finger along her cheek bone, hissing a sweet hum and saying behind deadly breath, "It makes me jealous... the thought of him filling your womb-"

"That's enough."

Ruki used his grip on Yui's dainty wrist to rail her behind him, puffing out his chest ever so slightly to touch Laito's. Laito raised a brow, releasing a soft "hmm" as he looked Ruki up and down and then began to chuckle. Kanato was clutching onto his hair and aimlessly glaring. He looked even more awkward now, not knowing what to do with his hands that were gripping with anger. His knuckles had turned white. "What do you want," Ruki said coldly. "If you were going to bring us to father, you would have done so by now." Laito kept his eyebrow raised and then suddenly burst into a bought of childish giggles, throwing his head back and allowing his fire-like locks to flare upward towards the grey sky. It sounded more like clucking rather than laughter, it was almost enough to set Yui into her own fit of giggling. Almost. "You think we care about that?" He snickered, elbowing Kanato in the arm who remained unphased. "No," Laito grinned, "this is just pure entertainment. Plus..." he trailed off before flashing his fangs at Yui, "I would never throw you to the wolves, would I? Bitch-chan..." He flicked his tongue upward as he breathed out her name slowly, so slow that it made her skin crawl. "Fine," Ruki said, "then you're going to help us."

Yui kept her eyes on Kanato, who was practically shaking in anger, as Laito and Ruki awkwardly bounced ideas off of each other. Laito was only being half serious, which was expected; he had already admitted that this was nothing more than a joke to him. He had suggested that Yui dance around naked in the front garden and everyone have their pick of what limb they wanted first (he generously offering to take the pieces 'no one would want') while Ruki slipped inside and snatched up the baby. Yui secretly feared that Ruki would take him up on the offer but he refused, claiming it would make too much of a mess of their flowers. Enough death had occurred in that flowerbed, he added. Laito simply chuckled at the remark. Even Kanato couldn't help but crack a sinister grin.

They had decided on that which was not a plan at all. Ruki would casually strut inside to speak to his father while Yui was left to doddle outside. "With them?" Yui asked through innocent eyes, a question only that Ruki could understand. He gave her one stiff nod and then turned to the triplets, jerking his gaze to the front of the house and saying, "You go first. I'll come inside on my own time; it won't look suspicious that way." Laito mocked Ruki's seriousness, tipping the front of his hat to him and singing, "Whatever you say then!" He winked back towards Yui and said through slight puckered lips, "I'll miss you." Once again, his tongue traced his lower lip and he murmured, "Bitch-chan."

Laito strolled out of the brush and back towards the mansion, his smaller brother only inches behind his heels. They disappeared quickly through the doors and finally, Yui exhaled. She hadn't even realized she was holding her breath, and her lungs thanked her. "Now wha-" she begin before having Ruki's hand cupped over her mouth. She sucked in a sharp breath through her nostrils and gazed up at him, attempting to apologize for forgetting one of the most important rules of all. Don't talk. It was crucial now more than ever but, for some reason, she wasn't afraid. Only determined. Ruki could see it in her eyes and waited only moments before mouthing to her, "Okay. nod It's time."

Yui had forgotten another rule. The rule about following orders without question. As she watched Ruki disappear now into the Sakamaki manner, anxiety bubbled in the girl's chest and she wondered if this was all a plan to torture her that much further. But she knew that Noah was inside. Kanato had admitted it himself the moment he had spotted them, and he surely would never plan something out with the likes of the Mukami boys. Her baby was in there and she was the only one who she knew had his best interest. She was going to take him home. And so, Yui crept through the foliage on the outskirts of the land and searched for her opening.

And there it was. Usually Reiji would never allow the windows to be open (the light is bad for the furniture, he would always say) but today he had made an exception. Perhaps for the special occasion, or maybe the autumn breeze. Or maybe it was apart of the plan. No matter the reason, the blonde darted across the lawn as fast as her feet would go and ran for sitting rooms open window. It took a few times, but with determination rather than strength, Yui had hoisted herself up five feet and wriggled herself through the small opening. With the smallest thud, she had fallen onto the designer carpet and quickly scurried like a field mouse across the room to the staircase that lead up to the bedrooms. She figured she would check the guest room first, the doll house she had once called home, but with no luck. The door had been locked and when she pressed her ear ever so delicately to the wood, she heard nothing on the other side. She crept on tiptoes through the never ending hallway, listening to each door and being disappointed every time. Surely if they had been downstairs, they would have heard her fall through the window. But then, it occurred to her. Perhaps the room that scared her most would be the perfect spot for some experimentation.

The closer she drew to Reiji's lab, the tighter her skin became and struck her like lightning, causing all of her hair to stand on end. She could hear their voices, now Ruki's as well, and they all sounded strangely cheerful. The one voice that stuck out to her most was that of Karl Heinz, who sounded the happiest of them all. It made her stomach churn. He talked confidently, and why wouldn't he? He surely had a crowd of all of the boys, who rarely saw him, to boost his ego as he went on surely about his tale of how he was responsible for such a creation, a masterpiece to grace this Earth. No one would have seen anything like it! All pieces of Yui's being was telling her to turn back until she heard something else. The faintest sound. The sound of a baby weeping.

Yui's body was running purely on adrenaline. When before her legs were telling her to go back, now they had surged forward with hands in front and she bursted through the double doors of Reiji's laboratory. Beady eyes of the vampires stared back at her, some in shock and others of pure disinterest, but the ones she had connected with were the dark eyes of Karl Heinz who was holding her newborn in the hook of his right arm. Only a mother could feel the fury that Yui now felt searing through her chest. The adrenaline had run out and she instead was running on the fuels of pure anger and disgust. Noah was crying an ear piercing scream and it was only then that Yui's eyes had wandered to the tool in Reiji's gloved hand. It was tweezers and between the metal locks was what appeared to be a small pearl. It was bloody and no bigger than a tooth. A tooth. "What have you done to him?" Yui shrieked. Without another thought, she charged at Heinz and only stopped when one of the boys had swooped her up with both arms. It was Ruki restraining her. "What did you let him do?" She sobbed. She was still reaching toward her baby, who was no longer screaming but now mewling in pain. Yui howled in protest of her captor and struggled until Ruki had adjusted his grip onto her, crushing her body forward into his and shielding her face with his chest. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and she screamed into the fabric of his shirt.

"How annoying," sneered Reiji, who was now handling the miniature fang with gloved fingers to get a closer look. Heinz was peering over his shoulder to admire his work, now barely paying any attention to baby in his arms. When Yui finally managed a glimpse, she was horrified to see a trickle of blood smeared across his chin and fresh dribbles coming from his pudgy lower lip. "You bastard," she hissed through her teeth. But no one paid her any mind, not even Ayato who was sitting at his father's side. "Did you bring her here, Ruki?" Karl Heinz said. His brow furrowed with concern as he passed Noah off carelessly to Reiji, who held him awkwardly under the pits and widened his eyes behind his glasses. He tried to say something before Ruki said, "Yes. A newborn is no use to you without regular breast feedings, it would be dead within days." He shoved Yui forward and she collapsed to her knees in front of Heinz, who looked completely unphased. At his feet, Yui was now silently sobbing and she clutched at her heart. "That makes sense, I suppose." He mumbled, nudging the blonde over with his foot. He was examining her, just as he had with the tooth. "But I do not expect any more interruptions from you." As the two spoke and the boys watched, Yui slowly looked up to Ruki with hateful eyes. Of course it had been a plan, and she dared betray Azusa to go along with it blindly. She cursed herself, but cursed the vampire twice as hard. Her eyes then softened as she looked toward Noah, who was now stirring uncomfortably in Reiji's arms. At least he was alive, she thought. In pain but alive. All she could think about was what her next move would be, how she could possibly sneak out with Noah on her hip. She hadn't realized how much pain she was in until now and wondered if she would even be able to stand. But her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the heart stopping sound of the gurgling of blood in Karl Heinz's throat.

Ruki had sliced him swiftly with one jerk of his wrist and knife in hand, causing Heinz to fall to his knees. He grabbed at his own neck and tore at it like a wild animal, looking up at his son that had eyes equally as animalistic and gargled the words "What. Have you. Done." To Yui's surprise, none of the brothers had jumped in. In fact, they all stayed in their exact places - even Reiji with Noah on his hip, whos sounds of pain had finally ceased. They just watched and perhaps secretly enjoyed it. "You know as well as I that this isn't enough to kill you," Ruki said as he lifted the blade to his lips, swiping his tongue along it and slurping up the blood. He grinned a blood stained smile and said, "You're a fool for trying to steal the spawn of Adam and Eve." He then turned to Yui and pointed to Noah, mouthing 'go.' She quickly complied and ripped the infant for Reiji's grip, who shockingly put up no fight, and clutched him tightly to her chest. He had started crying again but now quieter, allowing Ruki to continue his speech as Yui slowly backed up toward the door. For once, none of their eyes were on her and instead were locked on the bleeding Karl Heinz. "And you'll be twice the fool if you dare try to follow us. I, Adam, will kill you with bare hands."

Yui was sprinting at full speed with Noah screeching in her arms through the familiar halls of the Sakamaki mansion. She didn't know she could run so fast, nevermind with a baby in her arms, with her injuries but something beyond her was pulling her through. Maybe because you're Eve. Maybe, she thought. A silly thought. And maybe, Ruki is Adam. Your Adam. That thought wasn't silly, but horrifying. And he believed it. Yui used her shoulder to burst through the front door, shielding Noah from the crash by cradling him against her chest within her shirt now, and into the arms of Ruki. If he wasn't there to catch her, her legs would have given out for sure. "We need to go," he huffed, "this isn't over yet."