A/N: Sorry this update took so long, I took my time settling into the new quarter. I'm starting to map out in my mind how I want the individual pieces of this story to go, so if you have suggestions please comment and I'll take them into consideration. Enjoy!
Ch. 02: The Research Team
Looking up at the large, ornate door, Masumi waited for someone to answer the doorbell. But no one came. After a few minutes, Masumi looked around helplessly. Maybe they're outside and didn't hear the bell? Should I ring it again? Masumi had just stretched out her hand to do so when the door opened suddenly. A tall, dark-haired man in a three-piece suit stood in the open door. Flustered, Masumi simply stared.
"May I help you?" the man asked, his tone evident of his annoyance as he looked her up and down disdainfully. This broke Masumi of her stupor and she immediately bowed low.
"I am so sorry, you frightened me. My name is Yatari Masumi. I was instructed to come here to live for a while. I deeply apologize for my attire and my disgraceful lack of manners a few moments ago, this was rather a sudden arrangement, you see." The tall man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"I was not made aware of your arrival, Miss Yatari, so it seems I have also been caught in a lack of manners. I am, however, determine to get to the bottom of this miscommunication, so please, do enter." He held the door open for her, and as she stepped inside, a maid appeared seemingly out of nowhere to take her bag. As the one maid faded into the shadows at the edge of the dimly-lit foyer, another appeared at Masumi's right elbow, holding out what seemed to be a dress in Masumi's size.
"Thank you," Masumi said in surprise, taking the dress gratefully. The dark-haired man pointed to a nearby alcove with one gloved hand.
"Please change over there, Miss Yatari, I'm afraid I can't allow you to meet the rest of the household in such... deplorable fashion." Ignoring the dig, Masumi rushed over to the alcove and undressed as quickly as possible, once she made sure she was out of sight. The dress was simple, an unpatterned blue dress fell gracefully across her thin, pale shoulders, settled under her bust and then flared out around her knees. Her black slippers would go nicely with the ensemble. Folding her previous "garments," Masumi rejoined the young man in the foyer. Looking her over with a critical eye, the gentleman gestured up the central staircase.
"This way, Miss Yatari." He swept ahead, moving quickly enough that Masumi was forced into a brisk stride in order to keep up with him. His lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
He led her to a large room at the top of the stairs, sitting in an arm chair away from the door. Masumi knew better than to sit before she was invited to do so. She managed to stand pleasantly, quiet but alert, despite the awkwardness of the situation. There was silence in the room for several long moments before the man spoke again.
"You may sit, Miss Yatari, my brothers should arrive shortly." Masumi bowed her head slightly in deference before settling lightly on the couch cushions behind her. Just then, several people appeared in the room at once and seemingly from nowhere, startling Masumi, though she worked hard not to make any unsightly noises. A quick glance back at the man who'd answered the door told Masumi she had not been very successful in hiding her surprise from him, anyway, as he sniffed.
The new arrivals were not as quiet or reserved as the other man, however, and made their presence known quite loudly.
"Oi! There'd better be a good reason for waking Oresama up this early! Chichinashi and I had just gone to sleep!" A small blonde girl peeked around the abrasive redhead, her hair a little disheveled but her smile intact.
"Ayato-san, I think we have a new guest. She doesn't know our sleeping schedule yet," she soothed.
"That's no excuse! Why should Oresama have to get up for her? Your body makes the best pillow for sleeping on, and we were disturbed for this?" He gestured toward Masumi, who was sitting on the couch a little less primly. She blushed slightly.
"I do apologize if my arrival interrupted your sleep, Sir." The dark-haired man who answered the door waved a hand.
"Enough, Ayato, your crass speech is desecrating my ears. I will introduce the household and then you may go. Subaru is on the way, and as usual," he said, his voice deepening into a growl of intense hatred, "that filthy, lazy, good for nothing will arrive last," he practically spat. Masumi looked at him in surprise. He seemed far too polite to ever address anyone in such a manor and Masumi was curious as to what kind of person could arouse such animosity in the young man.
Two of the other inhabitants who had entered the room spoke for the first time.
"~Nfu, Neko-chan and I were in the middle of something, so make this quick so we can go back to it, hmm?" The other redheaded man giggled and the girl he held tightly around the waist blushed, but seemed rather unaffected otherwise. Masumi had been steadfastly ignoring them until then because they had been very publicly and voraciously making out and flirting with each other. The young man who seemed to be in charge turned his attention on them next.
"I have told you repeatedly to keep such activities to your own room. Restrain yourselves for only a few more moments." His voice held such authority that Masumi was again surprised that the couple did not immediately leap to attention. Instead, the redhead pushed his partner up against the nearest wall, caging her in with one hand while he proceeded to fondle her with the other. At least they were more discreet there.
Masumi did let out a small squeak when a purple-haired boy materialized next to her on the couch.
"They always display this pathetic behavior in public, ne, Teddy?" Looking down slightly, Masumi realized that the tired-looking boy clutched a stuffed bear with an eye patch quite closely to his chest, and it was to this doll that he spoke. She worked hard to resist the urge to scoot away from him.
"Ne, can we eat her so Teddy and I can go back to bed? She'd make a pretty doll, but I'm too tired to work on her tonight." More quietly, he whispered to the bear, "It wouldn't take long, though, her skin is almost the right color, so pale and smooth... I'd give her blue eyes, I think. She'll look good in the long-cut dress..." Masumi stopped listening, her pulse elevated as it sunk in all at once the sort of situation she was in. She had knowingly agreed to live at the Sakamaki mansion, but face to face with the insanity of the room, she the only human, Masumi had a momentary spike of fear and adrenaline.
"You reek of fear. It woke me up," a white-haired boy spoke, cracking the wooden railing as he gripped it. He too had appeared out of thin air. The purple-headed boy"mmm-ed" in agreement.
"It was suddenly unpleasant. But the way she tried to hide it was wonderful. It made me want to scare her more... Ne, won't you show me that face again? I want to see you break." He leered at her with his wide, sunken eyes.
Masumi was feeling terribly uncomfortable, but she understood that it would be a grave error to let these sadistic vampires know that. She couldn't help the way she smelled, but she could choose not to get riled up. Turning slowly toward the white-haired boy, Masumi again apologized for disturbing their rest. The only response she got was a brisk ''tch" as the boy turned away from her.
Masumi could almost feel the tension in the air as they all waited for someone else to arrive. At some point the dark-haired boy had acquired a folder of documents, which he now shut as he looked up at the clock and shook his head in disgust, taking another sip of his tea. The two couples continued their personal "conversations," while the purple-haired boy leered at her and whispered to his teddy bear. The white-haired boy avoided eye-contact. Behind her, the clock ticked the seconds by so slowly that it seemed an eternity passed between ticks. Finally, a new female voice spoke from the shadows.
"I apologize for our tardiness, it was rather difficult to convince Shu to get up, since I've just returned from the tour." The pink-haired vampirette was beautiful, and somehow very familiar. The blonde-haired vampire reclining on the couch behind where she sat perched on the edge had one arm around her waist. He said nothing, and didn't even open his eyes, but the dark vampire who'd greeted her at the door seemed to take this couple's arrival as his cue to begin. He set his teacup down on the saucer with a soft but distinct clink, and stood.
"Now that we have all gathered, I shall introduce the rest of the household. The lazy, no good over there is Sakamaki Shu, the eldest. His mate," he said through clenched teeth, "is Nakamura Sachiko-" she interjected, " Just call me Chiko." The tall young man said nothing for a moment, and only tightened his lips the slightest amount. Masumi realized she had been studying his face for a moment too long when he turned and they made eye contact. His eyes were a deep shade of red. How unusual. But then, vampires are not all that ordinary.
"I am Sakamaki Reiji, the second son. Over there is Sakamaki Ayato,`the third son, and his mate Komori Yui. Sakamaki Kanato," he gestured to her side where the purple-headed boy sat still clutching the bear, "is the fourth son. Sakamaki Laito is the fifth son, and he is currently attempting to devour his mate Kashimoto Kimi. And finally, the one attempting to crack that banister into splinters is Sakamaki Subaru, the sixth son." Masumi nodded at each brother or couple respectively.
When Reiji had finished his introduction, Ayato made only a "tch" sound as he and his mate disappeared, presumably back to bed. The other two couples did likewise, and Masumi found herself alone with three brothers: Reiji, the leader, Kanato, the disturbed, and Subaru, the tsundere.
Oh boy, this will be fun, Masumi thought to herself. But before the other two brothers could speak or make a move, Reiji moved to stand directly in front of her and she craned her neck to look up into his slightly smiling face. His smile was not at all comforting, and in fact it was rather unsettling. Masumi swallowed thickly as he pinned her with his burning red gaze. He slowly extended one gloved hand.
"Miss Yatari, if you'll come with me. I am correct in assuming you have been sent as my research assistant. I have several things I would like to get started with right away." Masumi did not ask how he knew that. He probably had also seen her qualifications and medical reports, hell, he probably had footage of her as a child wandering around with her father. She accepted his hand and rose as delicately as possible.
"I look forward to working with you," she murmured. His smile grew and Masumi's stomach dropped. This day would not end well for her.