The High Queen of Angst: Yes... the gloves have indeed been thrown off... I see how it is. *rubs hands together maniacally* consider your review officially responded to... I WILL AVENGE KYO! *dramatic music plays as I exit the stage, glaring and pointing at you sassily, dragging Kyo's bloody abused body with me*
Queen Ore-Sama: Yeah, I actually kind of felt bad that I made her not love Yuki so much, but I needed something that justified her decisions in her own mind rather than her just doing it because she liked someone else better. I needed her to practically die inside because of her guilt and hate of herself for not feeling the way Yuki does. So then Kyo can come and pick up the pieces that she chipped away of herself.
And RIGHT?! But a couple of my readers don't like Yaoi, and I'm an author for the masses. I'll write some yaoi and some hetero, this one is just hetero. *shrugs*
Marionette
Chapter 3
Back when I just began to conform to my, mother's and father's rule, night exploring had quickly become one of my favorite activities. It was one of the only ways to satisfy my curiosity, not to mention it helped me to keep up a secret, feeble rebellion. It took only a short while for me to travel further and further away from my room. I would sneak around the halls past my bedtime and play hide-and-seek with the unknowing night guards; the game I found most fun to play was detective. I'd inspect every nook and cranny of the stretching hallways and elaborate guestrooms. Of course I'd only started doing this after curing my fear of the dark.
Hajime had just been named Arietta's Valet. After a bad dream, I started seeing bad things at night and in darkened places. Eventually I stopped leaving my room, afraid of what my shadow might hold. The only time I'd come out was when the maids bribed me with my favorite sweets. However, after a while I stopped coming out at all I refused to see Claudia; I refused to see my family; and I refused to see Yuki. That's when my father became upset. And whenever father was upset, mother was there to yell in my face. That was back when I used to cry and plead to be let alone. It never worked-only made things worse.
As most big siblings tend to, Arietta pitied me, but didn't want to show it. So she'd send Hajime into my bedroom at night to stay with me until I slept. We'd sit for hours, staring awkwardly at one another until my eyes dried and I became too tired to continue. It was like this for only one or two weeks. Then he began asking me why I was so afraid. At first I avoided answering in fear of sounding silly, but he was relentless. After a while, I told him that I saw strange, scary faces that would come closer and closer just to back away once I looked, taunting me. At this, he smiled. Hajame never smiled back then.
"Young miss," he started, coming to sit on the side of my bed. His fingers comfortingly combed through my brunette hair; it reached only a bit past my shoulders then. "Those creatures you see exist only to tease and make you cry. But please understand that where there is darkness there is light." And thus he told me about magical beings that protected me from harm. Fairies, he called them. "They protect and love you like a mother does her children," he said. I didn't much about motherly love. Only the stories Claudia used to tell me about her own mother, Ellie. But I knew they must care for me an awful lot. So I spent a lot of time creating an imaginary fairy. A new mother. Her name was Glayde, and she listened to all my problems. She couldn't talk, only gesture, but I loved her all the same. But all good things come to an end.
When mother received word that I seemed to talk to myself for hours on end, she gave me a firm whipping and told me to never do such odd things again.
This memory had long since been forgotten and I wondered briefly why I had let so many pieces of my happiness be torn away. Brushing away the thought along with a strand of my hair, I continued down the Sohma Estate's longest corridor. My fingers curled around the loop at the base of a candle. Its gentle glow was my only source of light other than the crescent moon showing boldly through the open windows. The night air was especially warm despite the day's rain. There wasn't much wind, but the occasional billowing of burgundy curtains was proof enough that there was some kind of draft. Preparing to round the corner I was approaching, I began to think about calling it a night when-
My collided with something soft, yet firm. I gasped, it grunted. My candle crashed to the ground, the flame snuffed out. Darkness enveloped me and whom I assumed to be another person. In the back of my mind I hoped it wasn't Yuki.
I regained my composure and bowed deeply. I said quietly, "I'm terribly sorry. Are you unharmed?"
"It's you!" the person hissed in response. My body went stiff with surprise at the proclamation. "I told you to watch where you were going!"
Giving my eyes time to adjust, the first thing I noticed was the shock of ginger hair, still so bright while enveloped in darkness, then the garnet eyes glaring into my own azure. His irritation was almost palpable, and left me very confused. It was impossible for him to be this upset with me just because I bumped into him, right?
"My name is not 'you'. It's Brielle," I corrected, staring back at him. "And you're Yuki's younger brother... Kyo."
His glare deepened at the mention of Yuki's name. He crossed his arms, "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be getting your precious beauty sleep or something? What are you even doing out here?"
"What?" I asked, dumbfounded by his accusation. He intrigued me in ways that no one else had. He was the only aristocrat I'd ever met that wasn't prim and proper. Sure he had some major anger issues, but at least he didn't hide his faults like the rest of us. It was... refreshing. And exciting. I stood straighter, trying to muster up my old confidence.
"I'm not interested in such egotistical needs." He scoffed, that being the only sign that he was listening other than his unwavering stare.
"What are you doing out here?" he repeated. I crossed my arms and mimicked him: "What are YOU doing out here?"
There was a hint of challenge in my voice. Something lit up behind his eyes, and he shifted his weight.
"None of your business," he deadpanned.
"Well then my answers the same."
Scepticism shown plainly on his masculine features. He uncrossed his arms, opting to rest one hand on his hip as he sized me up. It seemed like he were trying to figure out something without knowing what was wrong in the first place. I'd been scrutinized by many people all of my life, but the thought of Kyo staring at my body made my face heat up.
I didn't understand why he was being so hostile towards me, but a part of me didn't even care. I wanted him to treat me however he wanted as long as he talked to me at all. There was this overwhelming feeling in my gut that made me want to befriend him. Even if that meant letting him huff and puff all the time. That was actually something I wanted him to do. Someone like him could help me loosen the ropes that bind me. He could be the key to regaining the parts of me that had long since been forgotten.
While I was lost in thought, Kyo took a step back. His fingers scratched at the back of his head as he gave me an odd look.
"What?" I snapped, tired of him staring at me like I'd done something strange.
He looked off to the side, then back to me. "I didn't know you were gonna be like this..."
We both stayed silent for a moment.
"Be like what?" I inquired, stepping a tiny bit closer to him. He hadn't noticed.
"... A real person..."
That caught me off guard. A real person… what was that supposed to mean? While I tried my hand to decipher his meaning, a flicker of light came floating through the air behind Kyo. My attention was averted to it, my throat becoming dry. Kyo turned to look as well, both of us no doubt wondering who was coming up to us. I had a feeling that I knew, however.
Upon becoming close enough to see us, the little light paused in its stride, then hurried over. I froze in place, while Kyo scoffed and leaned against the wall. We both saw him now.
"Your boyfriends coming to save you."
"Fiance," Yuki corrected upon reaching us. There was a hard edge to his voice that I only heard when he was talking to his biological mother. He side-stepped in front of Kyo, knocking him back a bit.
"Hey!" he hollered in outrage, "Watch it!" Yuki ignored him, giving me a tight smile. He held his candle between us, casting our shadows across the wall. Seeing our bodies stretched darkly against the fancy wallpaper made me wonder if I were still being protected by Glayde.
How foolish.
"Brielle," Yuki said gently, trying to maintain his calm demeanor, "It there a reason your wandering about this late?" I looked over his shoulder at Kyo. Kyo looked back at me. I turned toward the wall.
"I was just exploring," I answered. "It's something I do when I can't sleep."
"Oh sure, tell your boyfriend everything," Kyo grumbled, putting his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants.
"Fiance," Yuki corrected, turning with venom in his voice, "and it'd do you good to remember that, brother."
Silence. Kyo and I stared in surprise at the young lord, so rigid and riled. Since when did he get angry? About anything? Normally he was very good at keeping his true thoughts and feelings behind locked doors. It was most out of character for him to lose his temper.
At a loss for words, Kyo growled and stalked off into the direction he came from. My eyes stayed wearily on Yuki, mouth parted slightly in concern.
"Yuki," I began, my voice light, "It was alright. He wasn't bothering me. You don't have to be upset."
It took a second before Yuki looked at me. His lavender eyes softened, making me feel awkward under his gaze. But then he became distant. He tenderly grabbed my upper arm, making me look up at him. Upon me tilting my head up, he kissed me for a fraction of a second longer than he normally did.
He asked, "Could you do me a favor?" I nodded even though he wasn't looking at me anymore-anything to bring back the non-threatening Yuki I knew since I was a child. "Stay away from Kyo. He's bad news, Brielle."
"But," I paused, trying to come up with the right words, "he really wasn't bothering me any."
Yuki gave a polite smile, but didn't take back what he'd asked. He slide his hand down my arm to hold me hand and calmly escorted me back to my room. All the while, unknown to me, Kyo had been watching the entire thing.
Been a long while since this has been updated. Please don't hate me anyone! I had originally rewritten this MONTHS ago, but lost it, and then became depressed and couldn't rewrite it. But then I started to, and once I got done, I FOUND THE REWRITE! So there's the story, as tragic as it is.
Hope you enjoyed!
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