*One of the reasons Diabolik Lovers and InuYasha can't be owned by the same person (me, for instance) is because they would either kill each other right away or do dirty things.
When Kagome woke up the next night, she decided that it was time to explore the manor that she now called her home. She dressed in a pair of comfortable slacks and a button up shirt before putting on a pair of house slippers and leaving her room.
Though it was late in the day, it was early for her new housemates so she doubted that she would come across anyone for a while. First thing, she followed the hallway down to the room of the brothers' former bride. She saw that a new white rose had replaced the other one and bowed her head to give a prayer to the girl that had given her life to protect the brothers. I wish I'd had the chance to meet you. Even if Subaru said you were weak and scared all the time, I have a feeling that you must have been brave too if you were able to live among them for an extended period of time.
She then made her way down to the kitchen to grab something to snack on while she explored. To her surprise, there were fresh peaches sitting in a bowl on the counter so she helped herself to one before continuing around the manor.
Many of the rooms appeared unused and forgotten while others seemed close to lived in. Other doors were locked and allowed no exploration. She eventually found a door that lead to a large garden and couldn't help but smile. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the garden was very well kept with multiple rose bushes and well placed paths.
She also found a small herb garden and couldn't help but kneel down to see what was growing. Kagome was easily able to identify all the herbs that were growing and was pleased to see that it had everything she needed to make the herbal remedy to replenish her blood and stay healthy. She was tempted to pick some so she could get started making it, but held back since the garden probably belonged to someone else.
It was a while before she went back inside. When she did, Kagome easily sensed that the others were beginning to stir and would be seeking her out. Deciding to go about her own business, she went back to the kitchen so she could bake some cookies. She had a craving for snickerdoodle cookies that could not be ignored and wanted to share them.
To her surprise, the brothers left her alone for a long time before Kanato appeared beside her in the kitchen. And he only appeared after she had pulled the first batch of cookies out of the oven and was eyeing them hungrily.
"Are those for me?" He asked, staring at the cookies.
"They're for everyone, but you can have the first one as soon as they're cool enough to eat," Kagome told him as she put the next pan full into the oven and set the timer before turning to prep the next batch. When she looked at the violet haired vampire again, she wasn't surprised to see that there were crumbs at the corners of his mouth and two cookies were already missing from the pan.
"These are terrible," he told her in a deadpan voice.
She was tempted to laugh at his boldfaced lie but held back. She knew that he must have liked them or else he wouldn't have been reaching for a third cookie. Instead, Kagome shrugged before picking up the pan and walking towards the garbage can.
"If that's the case, I'll throw these out so you won't feel obligated to eat them."
It didn't surprise her when the pan disappeared from her hands and ended up on the other side of the room in Kanato's possessive grip. "I will eat them."
"Are you sure? You did say that they were terrible."
"Don't patronize me!" He yelled at her before throwing the empty pan in her direction.
Dodging it easily, she couldn't help but be a little scared. Of all the brothers, she'd noticed that even though Subaru had a violent temper, Kanato's temper was more unpredictable and it set her on edge the most. When he growled at her, baring his fangs, Kagome was tempted to show submission to keep from getting hurt. But Kanato was the one that she refused to submit to since he would most likely rip her throat out if she did because of his lack of control.
It didn't surprise her when he attempted to strike at her, it was only because she was expecting it that she was able to dodge his first attack. She wasn't so lucky with the second one. He backhanded her and sent her flying into the counter. The impact was painful and she couldn't help but fall to the floor, but she'd taken worse hits in the past but it still hurt.
Then he was on her, his fangs giving her a vicious bite to the throat that had her body locking up in pain. She wanted to push him away but knew that she'd end up with her throat torn if she did. Instead, she forced her purification powers to seep into her blood to the point where it would burn him. Kanato shrieked as he jumped away from her, his one hand covering his mouth while the other gripped Teddy. The way he was glaring at her made her even more terrified than before.
"You burned me. You think I will let you get away with that?" Before she could move, he had his hand wrapped around her throat and her feet were off the ground. Kagome struggled to free herself, but the small vampire's grip was as strong as any demon she'd come across. It became even more terrifying when her vision began to blur from a lack of oxygen.
Just as she was about to flare her powers to force him to let her go, her body was wrenched away from Kanato's grip. She felt her skin of her throat open up even more as his nails dragged along her wound. Taking greed breaths, she was barely able to decipher the scene around her at first. Ayato and Laito were holding back an almost ravenous looking Kanato while Subaru held her close to himself and Reiji was looking on with displeasure.
"What problems have you decided to cause, Kagome?" Reiji said with annoyance.
She was just barely able to muster up a glare. "A proper gentleman would inquire about my well being and offer assistance before placing blame."
He sniffed indignantly before turning his glare to Kanato. "Control yourself. If she is expected to survive the Awakening, you cannot kill her beforehand."
"She burned me! She made her blood burn!" He yelled.
At the mention of blood, Kagome went into a coughing fit which sent a spattering of blood across the kitchen floor before her head spun and she slumped unconscious in Subaru's arms. Reiji hid his concern as he went over to strip the girl of her shirt. He appreciated the sight of her well developed breasts for a moment before his eyes focused on the large bruise forming on the right side of her rib cage.
"And did she do that before or after you nearly punctured her lung by breaking her ribs?" He asked coldly, receiving a growl in response. Straightening up, Reiji took the girl from his youngest brother and took her to his lab.
~oOo~
Kagome slowly began to wake as she noticed how painful it was to breathe. She opened her eyes, quickly realizing that she was in an unfamiliar room and that one of the brothers was close by. Turning her head, she saw Reiji working at, what appeared to be, a lab station. With how much it hurt to breathe, she didn't want to risk talking and decided tapped the wooden part of the couch she was laying on, knowing full well that he would hear her.
He didn't turn to look at her, but she saw him pause his movements for a half-second before continuing his work. Since he seemed to be concentrating on something, she decided that his pause was good enough and she would wait for him to acknowledge her.
It was a relief that she didn't have to wait long. He approached her with a glass of dark blue looking liquid and helped her sit up. "Drink this."
She couldn't help but raise her eyebrow at him. Reiji seemed like the kind of person that would experiment on someone if he was interested in doing so. Kagome hoped that the look she gave him came across properly, asking if that was what he was doing.
Reiji didn't even seem offended as he forced her mouth open and forced the foul tasting liquid down her throat. "It would be moot to experiment on you when you are not at a proper state of health."
Hard to argue with that logic. She thought as she swallowed the liquid. It made her feel like she was going to be sick, but she also noticed that in quickly numbed the pain in her ribs and she was breathing a little easier.
"Thank you, Reiji." She said before tilting her head, offering him the side of her throat that Kanato hadn't bitten.
His eyes glowed for a moment, but he didn't go after her throat. Instead, he took her right hand and lifted it to his mouth to bury his fangs in her wrist. He reveled at the fact that their bride was offering herself to him so freely in thanks for healing her. No bride had ever done so in the past and it kept his urge to cause her pain in check. Having consumed her blood only days before, he didn't take more than a few gulps before releasing her.
She took a moment to settle herself before looking at him, he could easily tell that she wanted to ask him a question but would not do so until granted permission. That greatly pleased him. "Speak," he said.
"I noticed the herb garden outside, it has the ingredients I need to make the remedy I told you about. Do I have permission to use it?"
"No," he said simply. He enjoyed the look of annoyance on her face before pulling her up to lead her to one of the cabinets in his lab which held bottles of the herbs. "The herbs in the garden are not ready for harvesting, you can use these."
Kagome couldn't help the amused chuckle that bubbled out of her. She should have known that he was up to something, but she would let him win this little battle since she had been the victor so far.
"Would you like to observe my process?" She asked him.
"That is an ignorant question since I will not leave you alone in my lab."
"Of course," Kagome smiled at him as she began grabbing the herbs that she needed from the cabinet. She was aware of him the entire time she mixed the herbs and ground them into a fine powder. When that was finished, she grabbed the bowl and left for the kitchen to grab the other ingredients. She could have explained what she was doing, but she had a feeling that Reiji preferred to observe in these instances rather than have it explained to him.
When they arrived, she was surprised to see that the cookies that she had been making were all finished and set out on cooling racks. A servant must have done that, none of the brothers seem like the baking types, she thought.
Deciding to think more on that later, Kagome grabbed two peaches from the bowl and cut them up into chunks before grabbing a carton of orange juice from the fridge. Then she grabbed the blender to pour in the herbs, peaches and juice before blending all of them into smoothie consistency.
"This mix contains the major vitamins and iron stimulants to encourage the human body to produce more blood," she told the dark haired vampire as she poured half of the mixture into a glass. "I will not be able to drink it every day since doing so will exhaust my system, but drinking this twice a week should keep me healthy."
Reiji took the pitcher from the blender to smell the contents as she drank it. He would admit that it was an interesting mixture. He was also impressed by her knowledge of medical herbs since it had become a dying art. He had memorized the herbs she had used and the amount. He could easily have the familiars make it for her twice a week as she had instructed.
"Will it effect the taste of your blood?"
"I don't think so. You or the others can check tomorrow since it takes time to have a full effect on the body." She said as she finished her glass.
"I shall have the familiars prepare this for you twice a week as you said." He told her as he handed the blender pitcher to her. Kagome promptly poured the remaining contents into her glass before she began consuming the rest of it.
"Thank you, Reiji. Is there anything you require of me tonight?"
"No, you are dismissed."
Kagome smiled at him before walking to her room with her drink. The remedy did an amazing job at replenishing her blood and healing wounds, but it also made her tired. No doubt, she would need a nap very soon to help her healing along.
She wasn't in her room for more than a few minutes when she felt another presence join her. Sitting on her bed was Kanato, his face half hidden behind Teddy's head.
"You got me in trouble," he said in a pouty voice.
"And you hurt me pretty bad, so why don't we call it even?" She smiled at him.
His eyes found hers and she couldn't help but notice the confusion in them. "Are you scared of me now?"
Kagome shrugged as she sat next to him on the bed. "A little, but no more than before. Everyone gets mad sometimes, including me. But I want you to know something, Kanato." She waited until he was looking him in the eye before she continued. "When I was pretending to throw away the cookies, I was playing with you because I thought you were being cute. I wanted both of us to have fun."
His head tilted as he studied her. "Why do you think I'm cute?"
"I think it's a combination of your love of sweats, Teddy, and the way you act so shy and a little creepy at the same time." She smiled at him.
He looked away from her before he somehow materialized a plate of cookies. "I finished them."
Her smile grew as the urge to hug the small vampire came upon her. "See, that makes you even cuter to me. Can I have some or is that plate for you?"
"You can have two." He muttered, still looking away from her. She continued to smile at him as she ate her cookies and he ate the rest of them. Soon, she began to feel the effects of the remedy and laid back on the bed.
"Are you bored with me? Is that why you're falling asleep?"
Kagome shook her head as she continued to smile. "I took some medicine that makes me tired. And the fact that I'm falling asleep with you here means that I'm comfortable with you and Teddy, Kanato."
The violet haired vampire stared at her for a moment. Then, faster than her eyes could track, she was suddenly under the covers with Kanato laying beside her on top of the sheets. "I'll watch over you while you sleep so the others won't touch what is mine. But you better give me your blood when you wake up, and don't you dare burn me again or I'll hurt you."
She gave a sleepy chuckle as she made herself comfortable. "Thank you, I promise to give you some blood as soon as I wake up."
~oOo~
Laito stood quietly outside of the room of their new bride, slightly shocked by how she had handled his brother. Any other bride would have been terrified of them after such a event, but Miko-chan had shaken it off as if it had been any other day. Then she had explained things to him the way a real mother would have so he would understand and, hopefully, adjust his own behavior.
The past few days had taught him quite a bit about their new bride, mainly the fact that she was a plethora of contradictions. She was timid when it came to ways of the flesh but a warrior when threatened. She was stubborn to the point of insanity for anyone arguing with her, but she seemed loyal to those she considered friends. She also knew pain and suffering but refused to let it hold her back.
If she had been born a vampire, she would probably have been the most sought after female in the world. But, lucky for us, she was born human and has the potential of becoming our bride. I only need to wait a bit longer, then I will know exactly how to break her and make it so she will only want to be mine.
Smiling to himself, Laito adjusted his hat before walking off to do something else to occupy his time. Although he knew that his mind would be centered around his little Miko-chan for a long while.
A/N:I hope all of you are enjoying my story! This chapter was to establish that the brothers can still be as violent as usual but Kagome knows how to handle them. I'm really happy with how this story is coming along, though I don't know how long it is going to go. Will just have to wait and see.
A/N: The poll will be closing soon, so be sure to put in your votes for which brother(s) you want to see Kagome with. It's actually a really close race so every vote counts, but I won't close the poll until all the brothers have had their time with her.
Warm-Fuzzies and please vote and review!