When he saw her for the first time, she struck him as a fool. Too carefree, to reckless. To willingly step into a house of vampires, of monster like himself. She was beautiful, he could not deny. Nothing like the Christian girls that the church had sent them before. She was laughter and smiles, and she fooled him.
He had thought she came from a free life. One without pain and sorrow, where she had been sheltered and protected by loving parents. He had thought she might as well have been the exact opposite of him. Loved, beautiful, priceless. Him, a monster, something no one would ever love. Those eyes, that held no regrets to him, the first time they met.
The first time they met, he had snarled something rude and scowled at her and her sister. Her sister. Subaru hated women like that. Well, he amended, girls. Too scared to say their own mind, so determinedly optimistic, voices constantly hopeful. Yui Komori was more of a fool than her sister. He couldn't stand her high-pitched voice, how easily she was shaken.
Subaru remembered the first time that he laid eyes on Scarlet Silver. Red hair falling down her back, chocolate eyes mirthful and sharp. He remembered the way that Shu had shifted away from Subaru, hiding himself. At the time, Subaru had been slightly confused. They were the Sakamakis. They feared no one, not even their father. He remembered the way that Ayato had left silently. It had been his turn with the brides.
Scarlet Silver had caught his eye because of the way that she walked. Chin tilted upward, back straight, feet never straying from her path. Her sister, he had noticed off-handedly, was a cowering and whimpering mess trailing after the only familiar thing in the house like a lost puppy. He remembered watching her speak to Ayato in a sharp, condescending voice, and he remembered retreating as fast as he could, leaving just like Laito and Kanato. Shu had already left, Reiji had joined the girls and Ayato.
Subaru doubted, from the very beginning, that either of them would be his pick.
Scarlet pressed her lips into a flat line, crossing her legs as soon as she sat down in the limousine. If she was honest, it wasn't her first time in one. She had made many wealthy friends in the past at the school she and Yui had attended, and gone to many high-class parties with them. It was the reason she was so well trained in aristocratic maters. She had learned quickly, and charmed many young boys, both intentionally and unintentionally. She had found rather quickly that all she needed to do was play the new-to-this-sophisticated-society card or the I'm-a-pretty-chick-that's-perfect-for-your-rebellious-schemes card. It was simple enough.
Many times, she had charmed one into her grasp, then turned the boy over to one of her well-known friends that had wanted the boy. She'd flatter both her friend and the boy in question with compliments, throw in a side comment about the friend's father's wealth, and the deal was typically done and sealed.
Men, she scoffed to herself. Fingers absentmindedly tapping out a piano piece on her thigh, she scooted over to let Yui slide in next to her, putting herself in a corner. She slipped in earbuds, fiddled a bit with her phone, ignored Reiji's sharp glare, leaned her head back against the rest and closed her eyes, letting music drown the rest of the world.
After a while, she opened her eyes, feeling Yui shake besides her. Blankly, she looked from Reiji's scowl to the cranberry juice clasped tightly in Yui's shaking grip to Kanato's excited face. She sighed. Vampires would always like to antagonize their prey, she figured. Or perhaps it was that they were his sons, and they shared the habit of playing with food.
"Must you?" She drawled, blankly. She motion towards her sister, drawing a vague circle in the air with one hand. A ring glistened. "Must you always antagonize your prey? How many times have you said the same line, Reiji Sakamaki? How boring. Though," She laughed, head tipping back and exposing her throat and the silver chain that hung around it. "I suppose it is expected of the second born."
A stiff silence followed the statement, but Scarlet's job was done. The brothers wouldn't lay a hand on her without knowing what she was. Their attention was on her now, not on Yui. Six pairs of immortal eyes trained on her should have fazed her, but she met their gaze evenly, smiling - bluffing like she was taught to do.
"There are lines that are not to crossed, Scarlet Silver. You would do well to remember." Reiji bit coldly at her. Scarlet sneered, tossing her hair behind her.
"You've crossed many with me, Sakamaki. It was only expected that I do the same with you." She let her eyes turn golden once more, settling back in her seat.
"Don't speak in riddles." It was the youngest son, red eyes glaring at her. Scarlet raised an eyebrow, silently challenging. Subaru went on, glaring at her. "If you're going to keep on spitting shit, then you better be able to back it up."
"I can back it up," She said, waving her hand dismissively. Once more, the ring glistened, silver against fair skin. It only caught the eyes of the eldest. "I don't make empty threats. I mean what I say, Subaru Sakamaki."
Subaru scowled, lips bared to reveal sharp canines. Scarlet stared right back, until Yui's trembling hand upon her arm pulled her attention away. Casting a glance at her shaking, wide-eyed sister, Scarlet sighed, exasperated. Her legs, clad in denim jeans, un crossed as she patted her sister's hand, reaching over to read the ingredient label of the cranberry juice box that was still clutched tightly in Yui's shaking hands, set in her lap.
Her disinterest in Subaru eased the tension in the car, as the minutes rolled by. Subaru had returned to scowling outside the window, Reiji resumed in reading a book. Laito and Ayato exchanged glances and Kanato spoke in hushed tones to his bear. Shu seemed to be slumped against his side of the car, interest elsewhere.
"Ne, bitch-chan," Laito cooed, suddenly, grinning at Yui. Yui blinked, expression dumb, not realizing it was her that was being addressed until Scarlet nudged her. Laito watched on in hidden amusement. Scarlet scowled at him. "How many classes do we have together?"
"What?"
"I'd prefer," Scarlet began coldly, eyes glittering. "That you refrain from calling my sister a bitch while I'm within hearing distance, or better, not at all." She snapped her fingers at Ayato, who had begun to grin, smile cutting across his face. "Don't grin like a dickhead, Ayato. It doesn't look good paired with those pretty green eyes."
Ayato had the grace to look offended.
"Four-eyes." Scarlet continued on, ignoring the look she was receiving from Reiji. "Yeah, that's right, I heard Ayato's good choice in nicknames for you. What's Yui's schedule? I know mine and all; I emailed the headmaster. Nice guy, by the way, he's pretty polite for a major demon." Wordlessly, Reiji pulled out a crisp, neatly folded piece of paper. Scarlet didn't wait for him to do anything with it before she snatched it out of his hand.
"Here you go," Scarlet handed it to Yui, who accepted it in a state of shock. "Tell me if you have P.E. sixth, yeah? No? Sucks. We've probably got no classes together then. Stop staring at me like that, Four-eyes. I haven't committed a crime by taking a paper, have I?" She spoke looking at Yui's schedule, which had been unfolded and revealed black ink on ivory paper. Looking over Yui's schedule, it became rather clear that they shared no classes.
"Scarlet, what's your schedule?" Yui asked, what was probably the first full sentence she had muttered since getting on the car ride.
"First is a free period, since it was supposed to be German four, but I took the final and aced it, so I have a free period. Second is English five, third is mathematics, fourth is History of Magical Beings. I've got lunch after fourth." Scarlet paused, contemplating her schedule. "Damn. After lunch, I have science. Chem, I think. I hate Chem. Sixth is P.E., which I chose as swimming. Seventh is music. That'll be easy, I hope."
They were just pulling up to the school, an elaborate looking building, pillars of marble and screaming expensive as hell. Scarlet let out a low whistle as Yui starred in something between shock and admiration of the building. The limousine pulled up to a stop against a curb, showing a grassy field that students were milling about around. Trees, large, old, trees, rose a little way away from them, casting shadows over a fountain in the middle.
Scarlet was the first out of the car, bag swinging on her shoulder, chin tilted up. She would set her social ranking high in the school's ladder. It was her best way to survive. She didn't look back at the car, or at Yui.
She missed that the eldest son had not let her ring slip out of his eyesight since he first realized what it was.