A/N: Sorry, I wasn't sure how I was going to do this chapter, but I think I'm going to not make it too sad, but more informative. Next chapter might have more action, but I think this one was a good place to tell more of a story.

Summary: Growing her bond with the brothers has finally paid off. Elizabeth has been approved to start school with them, but with a few restrictions...

Hair as red as the skin of an apple…

Skin so light it would match the inside…

Eyes so dark they would represent the seeds…

…But even apples get bruised…

A few weeks later…

In the car – To Ryotei Academy

"We agreed to allow you to attend classes with us, but you have to do exactly as we tell you." Yuma whispered to me as we both sat in the back.

He had been acting rather strange since the other day when he talked with Kou.

I wonder what kind of conversation they had…

"I get that, I do…but why do I have to wear this thing?" I whispered a bit louder than he did, but it didn't bother anyone. I pointed atop my head to the blonde wig placed over my hair.

"You look good M Usagi-chan!" Kou heard us from the passenger's seat and turned around.

"M…Usa…" I stared at him, wondering what that name was for.

"Don't look too much into it. Kou, face forward." Ruki ordered and Kou immediately looked straight ahead.

I tilted my head in question of their intentions with me today.

"It's necessary because your safety is at hand. There will be people at the school that will try to harm you and we're the only ones that know how important you are." Ruki seemed to have also heard and read while explaining to me, keeping his eyes narrowed on his book.

I hope their intentions are good…

Main Entrance – Ryotei Academy

I was being strung along with the boys on guard around me like some sort of bodyguard fortress. I was confused, I didn't understand what Ruki meant, but pressing the issue may have retracted his decision to allow me to attend classes with them.

"You can walk around if you'd like, just make sure you go to all your classes on time. I've made sure that at least one of us is always going to be in class with you." Ruki handed me my schedule and walked off before I could get a chance to talk to him alone.

"Yuma…" I said while staring at the image of Ruki's back walking away from me. "Why are you guys taking so many precautions?" It dawned on me to at least ask Yuma. He and I were basically like siblings nowadays. It was almost like I could feel Edgar was still with me.

Looking at his face, he seemed upset, like there was something he was keeping from me. I furrowed my brows and looked to the floor as if I was looking for an answer there.

"I'll try my best to be good." I placed my hands on the sides of his face, cupping it in my hands. "I won't make trouble for you or the others."

His expression relaxed as he brushed one of the tendrils from the wig out of my face. "I know you wi – "

KCHAK.

We heard the doors slam open again from behind us, and we looked over to see six boys and a girl coming our way to walk past. Suddenly, Yuma tensed up and pushed me up against a wall, hunching him over me.

"What're you doing?!" I blurted out, due to his sudden actions.

Placing his hands on my shoulders, he leaned in and whispered, blocking my vision from the people coming in. "Stay quiet, tilt your head down and keep it there until I say so."

I did as he said and heard the crowd pass. However, I did take a sneak peak to see who I was shielding myself from.

Shu…

In that instant, it felt like time had slowed. Shu's eyes lingered on me as he walked with that group. It was maybe a few seconds at most, but he closed his eyes again and placed an ear bud back into his ear and continued onward to the next hall.

"Th…that was…" I fumbled over my words, seeing him…after so long…it was unreal.

"I want you to stay away from them." Yuma released me as I stared vacantly to the end of the hall where they had turned the next corner.

"…But, I need to talk to –", almost as if reading my mind, Yuma held my chin and turned me to face him.

"Don't talk to them…Especially Shu." His eyes were filled with a deep sorrow; it was as if he was losing something to him.

I bit down on my bottom lip. "Fine."

I promised I wouldn't talk to him. I never promised he wouldn't talk to me. My old habits didn't disappear, I felt like it was just like in my dream. Even if it was Edgar who had given me the order, I would have tried to find a loophole. I'd follow him blindly, but then I'd also defy him without going against his wishes.

Art Class

"Nfu!~ Little Bitch, who is that girl?" Laito takes note of a girl who is a bit taller than Yui with blonde hair and dark violet eyes.

"I…I don't know…" She meekly responds seeing the girl at the front of the classroom. Elizabeth is introduced to the class as Rin Go*. She's then invited to sit next to Kou at the front of the room surrounded by many girls who praise him.

"Uwaaa…Bitch-chan!~ Go talk to her maybe you can be friends with Oppai-san*!~" Yui took note of this new girl's figure as Laito had gestured over to her. She was definitely had the figure of a curvy woman compared to Yui.

"Eh? Why don't you talk to her?" She protested against Laito's request, mainly because he'd normally jump at the chance to talk to girls he liked, so why was now any different?

"I can't…" His eyes narrowed on the canvas in front of him. "We're not allowed."

Flashback – Hallway

Moments earlier, as the brothers and Yui scattered through the halls, Reiji made it very clear that none of them would get involved with the prey of the Mukami's, lest they start a feud with them.

'Now, I'm sure most of you know better than to take a meal from a starving dog. I just wanted to emphasize once again that whoever was sent to them was probably another sacrificial bride in case…' He glares over to Yui who's caught between Shu and Laito at the back of the group, '…Things don't go as planned with this one.'

Oblivious to his warning, Yui scurries off to class with Laito. The Sakamaki's have made the same arrangements for classes that the Mukami's have, ensuring Yui is with one of them at all times. Both families had planned for this sort of safety check to make sure that their 'property' was always theirs.

Currently – Art Class

"You have a class with Yuma after this don't you?" Kou asked while dipping his brush into the palette for more paint.

"…Yeah." I tried to concentrate on my painting, but I could feel someone staring at me from behind.

"You're quite full of yourself aren't you?" Kou smirked, I could see his expression grow dark in my periphery.

Disgruntled by the fact he keeps reading my mind, I lash out at him quietly. "Could you not?" I really just want privacy in my thoughts and would prefer if Kou didn't intrude.

"M-Usagi, you're really mad aren't you?" He says as he looks over to my painting. "Is that…?"

Subconsciously, I had been painting a picture of Shu. It was very vague though. I hadn't really gotten far, but the cold look in his eyes when he treaded past impacted me a bit.

"You know…" Kou's mouth curved into a toothy smirk, "If you want, I can arrange for you to meet him."

I was about to dab my brush into the water to remove the color, but as soon as Kou had spoken, I watched as the dark navy color had drifted to the bottom of the cup, rippling out the excess paint with the light touch of the tip into the liquid.

"I…" I wanted to meet Shu, but what good would it do. I could tell him my feelings? I shook the thought away as I looked over to his face in my painting.

Kou stretched his arm over his head and looked at me, "I'll see what I can do…"

In my heart, I was happy. I didn't know if Kou was being genuine or if he was just egging me on, but if he really could help me get to Shu…I think I'd cry.

We painted in silence for the duration of class.

Cooking Class/Home Economics

"AZUSA!" I grabbed the knife away from him.

My second class of the day and I still felt on edge. I requested him as my partner since he was the only person I knew, and even at home, he was the one I didn't trust wielding the sharp utensils. I guess you could say, I made it my personal duty to watch Azusa.

"Eh…But Justin is feeling so lively today. He's really excited that you can join me in class…" Azusa grips the knife I took away from him seconds ago and places it to his lips.

"Nooooo!" I call out to him as I bring the knife back down to the counter top. "Please, just..." I can tell everyone could hear me after I shouted. "…Let Justin sleep…"

Azusa sat on the stool near our work area and started to stare at his uncut wrist. "…Sleep? Just like you, he will sleep…"

"Just like…!" I was trailing off his words, when I could hear the noodles in our chef pot boil over. I grabbed the oven mitt and lifted the cover just as the foam from the boiling water toppled over and settled back down, allowing me to lower the temperature.

"…Christina would have wanted to feel the sensation of being burned…What's it like to be burned alive?" He smiled as he looked over to me.

I sighed, "Azusa, I really don't want you to get hurt. Ruki will be mad if I let it happen." I really don't know if I should care what Ruki wants, but I'm also not the type of person to let someone harm themselves.

"Oy! Chichinashi!" I turned around to see a boy with red hair holding a cookie tray with takoyaki. "You should always let yours truly taste it before you try any."

I could only see the back of the girl in front him. She had blonde wavy hair. Her form was quite petite, but her shoulders were slumped slightly, like she had just been reprimanded.

I turned back around shrugging them off. They're probably boyfriend and girlfriend…maybe they just fought? I don't let it bother me as I finish off the noodles with some light olive oil and a side of Shichimi Togarashi.

"May I try some?" Azusa seemed half-asleep, but he woke up to the smell of the peppers I had put it for the Shichimi. He points to his mouth as I spin the fork with noodles.

I blow on the Shichimi Togarashi to cool it off and feed it to Azusa who seems to be eating it happily. Not once do I take my eyes off him. It's like having a child who still can't use scissors. I smile as I watch him enjoy the meal.

Passing time – Music Room

It's the time right before half the school goes to lunch while the other half goes back for classes. During this time, Yui looks for Shu to get him to attend his classes. He's already missed a good portion of classes from earlier that evening, but she feels that if she can at least get him to go to one, the family might be more lenient on her restraints.

The familiar smell of apples was spread thickly through the hallways. It was almost unbearable to him. It was like it was making him drunk, just by the scent.

Those eyes…Impossible…

He thought back to when he saw Yuma with that girl. Closing his eyes in an attempt to sleep, he could tell the scent was stronger.

For that person to be…Tch…There's no way…

Kchak. Tp. Tp. Tp.

Shu hadn't placed his headphones on yet, so he was able to hear the sound of footsteps coming closer to him.

Elizabeth…

He was lying on the floor when he looked to see who had found him. Her smile, her hair, her skin…everything…it felt dreamlike to see her standing in front of him, but there she was.

"Oh, Shu." She knelt down beside him.

He was confident that right now, he was experiencing a lucid dream. Humoring himself, he responded.

"What? Oh, it's you." He replied in his usual unbiased manner. He had wondered what her reaction would be, seeing the person he was now.

Same time – Hallway

"Hmm? M Neko-chan went in that room." Kou said aloud to himself. He had tailed Shu all the way to the music room. "Eh…I guess it can't be helped." He sighed deeply.

Elizabeth had just gotten out of her class with Azusa. Unfortunately, feeding him the noodles with a fork was still a dangerous thing to do.

"Azusa, we'll get you to the infirmary!" She was holding him under his arm to support him while walking as he held a folded towel in his mouth.

Being the sadist that he was, Azusa bit firmly onto the fork! It pierced his tongue and caused him to bleed. Elizabeth stayed a few minutes after class to help him find a temporary solution to clot the bleeding.

"Elizabeth! Azusa?" Kou called over, watching the two come his way.

"Kou…" Elizabeth saw him smiling in front of her, like he had done a great deed. "I can't talk right now, Azusa is…"

Kou went around her to Azusa's other side. "I'll take him, just go inside." He gestures over to the door of the music room. She didn't have this class, but she really did enjoy music.

"What for?" She questioned him. She was never too confident to confide all her trust in Kou, not completely anyway.

"Remember what we talked about earlier?" A grin was apparent on his face, but the underlying truth behind it, she ignored. Kou was about to set her up.

"Wait…You mean…" She looked over to the door. Shu's in there?

"Eh…" It took awhile to get to him, but he should still be in there. You go ahead, I won't tell. It'll be our secret, ne?~" He winked as he helped Azusa out from her and walked with him to the health office.

This…This is it…

She had the knob to the music room in her hand. The cool and cold touch of the metal was in her grasp. Elizabeth took a deep gulp as she felt her heart speed up a bit.

Music Room

"Agh!" I could hear the voice of a girl as I quietly opened the door. The door must have been replaced recently because no sound came from its opening. I set a foot in the door, a light tap as I was ready to walk in. The sound of my foot was only muffled by the sound of someone sucking on skin.

"Mn…Haa…Not bad. Your blood… It's so delicious, it's unbearable…"

That's…

In front of me, I couldn't believe my eyes. I saw the girl from my previous classes, sitting atop Shu while he…

SLAM.

I shut the door and ran down the hall as fast as I could. Tears were streaming down my face as I passed student after student. Eyes were on me as I placed my hand over my mouth. I didn't want this… Thoughts raced through my head. I should have known… My chest was aching in pain. It hurt down to my core.

"MMPH!" I stopped suddenly as a pair of hands held me.

"What happened?" Yuma looked at my distressed face.

"I – ", I was about to tell him I didn't want to talk about it, but then a voice came from behind.

"It's been years since you last saw him. Of course, he would've moved on." Kou walks towards us with his elbows up and hands behind his neck.

I wanted to be mad at him, I did…but he was right. After all that time, I should have realized I was nothing special… I silently cried in Yuma's arms. The pain I had felt earlier had grown rapidly and it was becoming difficult to even breath. My hands felt like they were tingling as the heat in my body rised.

"Elizabeth!" I could feel my body give the last of its strength as Yuma shook me. "Elizabeth…Elizabeth…" My mind had faded into darkness.

I should have listened to you…I'm sorry…Edgar…

Infirmary – hours later

"Is she going to be alright?" I heard Ruki's voice beside me.

"She'll be fine when she wakes up." Another, unfamiliar voice, responded to him.

"What about her memories?" Ruki asked.

"I'll let her ask me. She needs the answers more than anyone else. For now, you go back to class. We'll discuss the switch later." The voice was calm. There was an herbal scent in the air as I lie there with an almost clear head.

Kerchak. The door had closed.

"You can get up now." The mysterious voice said.

I blinked a few times, getting up as soon as my vision was no longer fuzzy.

"You overexerted yourself. Even an apple can become bruised if it's abused." I sat up and saw his nametag. Dr. Reinhart…

"I…I guess I did. Thank you for helping me." I was about ready to step off the bed, but my body felt far too weak, I ended up collapsing onto the floor. Dr. Reinhart helped me back onto the bed.

"As I said, you must rest. Water, care, and sunlight is enough to restore plant health, but it also requires time and effort to stand on its own." His cryptic messages weren't really helping. I was healing from a broken heart.

"So…" He says as he looks over his paperwork. "Are you interested in learning more?"

I shook my head, completely confused, "What are you talking about?" My brows were furrowed. The only thing I wanted was to leave this place and never come back.

"Here." He showed me in his file, a picture of a giant flower bulb. Inside was a human…

"What is this?" I asked looking closer to the photo with my eyes wide in surprise.

"You see, sometimes even plants can take time to sprout new life." He fixes his glasses as they sit on his bridge, "It takes time and patience for flowers to blossom. Some take longer to blossom than others."

He takes a sip from the cup on his desk, the fresh scent of tea is clear. "Would you like some?" He offers to pour me a cup, but I politely decline.

"Tell me, have you ever heard the story of Adam and Eve?" His eyes locked onto mine like they were searching for information or cracks in my calm façade.

"Sort of?" I wince as my heart reverberates that same painful feeling before I fainted. I clutch my chest, but it's bearable for now. "Isn't that the story of how humans were created? Adam was the first male, but he wanted a companion so Eve was created?"

I breath deeply feeling the pain spread. The doctor nods and turns back to his file to sort papers. "That's the story humans were told to cover up the real history." He shuffles a few files and clears his throat. "Adam and Eve were both vampires actually. Eve was turned into a human after eating the apple from the forbidden tree. Do you know what happened to Adam?"

I try to make sense of his version in my head, but I can't. "No, I can't say that I do."

He chuckles and heaves a soft sigh, "Adam was doomed to be killed by the same fruit that he and Eve shared. When he bit into the apple, a piece was embedded into his throat. It would have killed him. However, the overseer watching them had, instead of letting him die, left a lump in his throat to remind him of his misdeeds, but removed the piece. With it, he created another Eve. That Eve was born a vampire, but would live like a human and be reborn again." He tossed away a few notes he had on a side table and grabbed a book.

"'For those who have not sinned, shall be saved.'" He recited from the passage in front of him. He smiled as he spun around to see my reaction, "This new Eve…If she is abused to an extent, her blood will become poison and kill Adam. However, if he follows the wishes of the overseer, then they will be together again. The overseer took the Eves away from Adam, but when Adam is ready, one Eve will find her way back to him."

"That sounds like a nice story, but I should really get back to class." As kind as this doctor was, I had to go back and apologize to Yuma. He must've left me in Ruki's care when I passed out and returned to his classroom. Feeling well enough after listening to him and resting for a few minuted longer, i got up. "I apologize for leaving in a hurry, but maybe we can talk again some other time. Thank you for taking care of me!" I bowed my head and took off.

Dr. Reinhart laughs cheerfully waving her off. Inaudibly, he says, "It's good to see you again, Eve."

Elizabeth exited the room and went to her final class of the day. She looks for the room number in the hall. There, she runs into Yuma.

"Sow…" His face fills with color having been worried sick about her. "I don't think calling you 'Sow' fits." He says as he walks ahead of her to the classroom. "We'll think of something different. For now…Just come here." He pushes her into the classroom, not allowing her to see the smile formed on his face from knowing that she's well.

She smiled at him as he spoke to her, but somewhere in the depths of Elizabeth's heart, darkness festered.

A/N: I hope this didn't confuse you guys too much! If anything needs clarification, please let me know. I tweaked the story of Adam and Eve a bit more than the game did just because Elizabeth is supposed to fit in it XD I'm also really happy that you guys like the story and approve of the pairings :D

Follows, favorites, and reviews are always much appreciated!~