A/N: Sorry this took so long, I had most of it done, but it felt so rushed and disjointed and I didn't like it... I'm still not loving it, but I'm excited for what's coming in the next chapter, so be on the lookout for that. In other news, I'm working on two thesis projects, studying for the GRE, and applying for grad schools, so please just bear with me.

~Nique

Ch. 04: Methods

"I did not anticipate I would have to remind you to refill the pipettes each morning. Your laziness will not be tolerated," Reiji scolded, turning his page. They were in the kitchen, and Reiji was brushing up on yesterday's chemical warfare briefing, courtesy of the CIA, and definitely illegally obtained. Masumi still found Reiji's sense of morality difficult to puzzle out. He seemed a stickler for rules and decorum when it came to some things, and not to others. For example, he still found Masumi's sleeping habits deplorable, which is to say she shifted around the bed during the course of the night, or rather, day. The reverse sleeping schedule was still kinda weird for her. According to the second Sakamaki son, ideally, she would lie entirely still for exactly the recommended eight hours, and then wake quietly, dress and prepare to essentially serve him. She didn't know how he'd survived without her, but her appearance in his life apparently meant he was able to foster off his many responsibilities onto the young woman, and devote his time instead to more "practical" endeavors, like figuring out how to create a colorless, odorless gas that would kill everything within a city the size of Tokyo, or something. She spent all night handing him various tubes, cleaning the (toxic) messes he left in the lab, and doing her own assigned chores around the house. Her pride would not allow her to think of herself as his slave, but it was probably a more accurate description than 'assistant.'

Resistant though she may have been, she recognized her life was falling into this pattern. In the few weeks since her arrival, Reiji's gentlemanly facade had fallen away and his attitude to ward her had grown increasingly sadistic and disparaging. Not only were her duties as his research assistant constant and taxing, but she was also expected to maintain household duties that should have been carried out by the mansion's elusive staff members.

She stirred the pancake batter she cradled under one arm while she kept an eye on the sizzling bacon. Ayato was very specific about how crispy he liked his bacon. As was Reiji. Kanato and Ayato were also very specific about how they liked their pancakes. Masumi hadn't gotten the balance between Kanato's sweet tooth and Ayato's desire for fluffy pancakes quite right yet. So she often endured verbal abuse from the brothers, hurled across the table as Reiji looked out the side of his eyes at her, waiting to punish her later. Yui, Ayato's mate, wandered into the kitchen, fixing her tie to cover the bite marks still healing on her throat.

"Good morning, Masumi-san, I'm sorry I'm late. I was going to come down early to help you with the pancakes, but Ayato woke up and decided he was... thirsty," she finished, blushing and looking down. Masumi only smiled at the strange vampirette. The ex-human was so different from what Masumi had imagined a vampirette would be, but she liked her well enough.

"That's alright, I was just finishing the batter. Would you mind pouring the first few for me? I need to cut up the strawberries for Kanato-kun." Yui took the bowl and Masumi moved around her to pull the fruit out of the refrigerator, placing them on the cutting board near Reiji.

Head down, she muttered, "I refilled the pipettes yesterday after I recovered from that dose of salvia miltiorrhiza (red sage) that you tested on me, and you know it. Your continued attempts to find fault with my service and person are pathetic and childish. And if you want to punish me for saying so, be my guest, but you won't find another assistant as adept and knowledgeable about your work as I, and your father won't let you kill me. We're stuck with each other for the time being." She sliced the final strawberry and moved away before Reiji could respond, smirking as she turned her back, noticing the muscle in his jaw twitch slightly.

It surprised her how much she actually enjoyed antagonizing him some days. To be honest, she resented the way he treated her, and others, like they were inferior toys to be manipulated or subjects to be experimented on, but he was incredibly emotional, despite his cold exterior. He had a swift temper and was easily provoked, and she often used this to her advantage, letting off some steam when she could.

Of course she paid for it later. The red sage he had given her the night before had been a punishment for allowing one of the other boys at school to engage in prolonged conversation with her, even if it had been regarding a class project. The herbal solution, which he had forcibly injected her with, caused her blood to refuse to coagulate, and he enjoyed biting her in various spots, watching the blood just run across her skin until she fainted. He must have given her an antidote at some point, as she did eventually recover, and went back to her nightly duties. This became a common occurrence for Masumi, the human guinea pig.

But she also benefited from working under Reiji, and this was why she felt so conflicted. Her love for science had been unmatched prior to her illness. She had gone to the top schools in the country, and had found no other students her equal, spending much of her time in the lab, working on projects then presented to Japan's top scholars. But she had seen Reiji's work, though she had known little about the man behind the test tubes before. Now, working for him, she found the sadistic vampire's thirst for knowledge perhaps rivaled even hers, and she was fascinated (and a bit frightened) by his work in the field. His degrees had clearly been earned, and yet he seemed no older than she. One day, she asked,

"Reiji-san, how old are you? I understand that vampires live lives significantly extended from that of a human's but I was wondering about the adolescent growth-rate..." The dark-haired vampire did not look up from his lab notes, where he was recording the data from their latest experiment, the batch of cells labeled EX26-T81.

"I fail to see how that concerns you, Masumi-san," he responded. The young woman positioned herself in front of him where she could not easily be ignored.

"I think I'm allowed to ask a few questions about the man I've apprenticed myself to. And since you have experimented on me countless times thus far without my explicit permission, not to mention the verbal and psychological abuse you and your brothers subject me to daily, I think the LEAST you can do is answer me truthfully in such a small matter, Reiji-san." Her voice was cold, but her argument suggested personal investment in the matter, which meant Reiji saw another means by which to manipulate her.

After a short pause, Reiji closed his notebook and set it on the countertop. "Very well, I will answer your question. But in exchange, you will answer a few questions I have regarding how you came to be here and your previous illness." Taken aback, Masumi was quiet as she stared at the dark-haired boy, assessing. What did he want from her? Slowly, she nodded.

"Physically I am eighteen or nineteen years old, and clearly a high school third year student. However, due to my pureblood vampiric lineage, I was born during what is known in Europe as the Victorian era. Developmentally and intellectually I matured many many decades ago, thus I have been earned several doctoral degrees in various fields. Physically I will continue to mature until I appear to be in my early 30s, at which point I will cease to visably age. Have I answered all of your questions, Masumi-san?" He finished. Arching one brow, Masumi inclined her head in agreement.

"For now," she replied. Reiji pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Then it is your turn. I do, of course, have your medical files and information regarding your educational background prior to coming to live here, but what I unfortunately lack are the exact terms of the agreement you made with HIM, and the up bringing provided by your mother after your father's death," Reiji prompted.

Masumi smiled. "Your arrogance leads you to believe that I cannot possibly understand anything about my situation, let alone yours, Reiji-san, but you are sorely mistaken. We have something in common, you and I. I know all about your mother, how she neglected you, and how despite your best efforts to impress her, she always loved your older brother more... Well I don't have an older sibling, but our mothers were cut from the same horrible cloth. After my father's death, my mother couldn't be bothered to raise me, I was simply an inconvenient reminder of her loss of wealth and status, a disappointment because I could not bring her the notariety she so craved." Masumi paused, watching Reiji closely, noticing the slight tensing of his muscles. "Oh dear, I've hit a nerve. Yes, both our mothers were... are, horrible people, Reiji-san, but her neglect allowed me to pursue my own passions and control my own upbringing. Like you, I developed a talent for academics, and I have been able to attend some of the best schools in the country... at least until I fell ill."

Reiji again pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, allowing the light to reflect off the surface and shield his eyes, his arms coming to rest on each other as they crossed his body. His body language told Masumi volumes, and she filed away the information for later... He's got some serious Mommy issues... Not that I can blame him. Masumi continued,

"It started off as a summer fever, I assumed it was simply the changing weather and perhaps my self negligence as I spent long hours tucked away reading on the latest scientific advancements or experimenting with what supplies I had at my disposal. But the fever lasted first a full week, then a month, and then it broke, only to reveal far worse symptoms. It seemed the fever had thrown off my body's equilibrium, and it struggled to maintain basic functions, such as proper circulation, oxygenation, circadian rhythms, etc. I developed weakened lungs and extremeties because of these internal issues, which compounded on each other until I became an invalid, a medical enigma no one could cure. No one knew what had caused the fever, or how to restore my body back to its normal functionality... at least until my father's friend visited my hospital room."

Almost despite himself, Masumi noticed Reiji leaning in with great interest, his red eyes roaming her body curiously as she spoke. But as silence reigned in the room for several long, tense moments, Reiji's eyes met hers again.

"I don't recall asking you to stop your story, Masumi-san," Reiji bit out. Masumi shrugged.

"I feel like this isn't quite a fair trade. I've already told you so much, but I know so little about you... I think I'll finish my story another time, when you've had time to open up a bit more." And with a pleased smile, Masumi turned her back to Reiji and left the lab.