Nor so Diabolik and nor so Lovers
Chapter 8: The school
On the third night of lockdown, Kim and Yuzu were awakened by their respective keepers. They were both hungry and tired in a corner of the dungeon, sleeping on each other's shoulders.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Subaru called as he shook Kim's body a bit.
"Petty bitch, I've missed you~" Laito said, crouching in front of Yuzu with a big smile.
They both stretched, weak and somewhat disoriented.
"Is the punishment over?" Yuzu asked Laito, sleepily rubbing her eyes.
"Food! I need food!" Kim leaped to Subaru's shoulders effusively before realizing who she was dealing with and decided to step back.. "Oh... I... I'm sorry..."
The vampire did not reply. He was still affected by what happened the other day. ( I wonder if she is still afraid of me ... It would not be strange though.) , he thought before meeting his gaze with hers. She seemed embarrassed by her own reaction, but beyond that Subaru couldn't read her. (What is she thinking?), he wondered as Kim looked down at the ground.
"Both of you get ready." a grave voice suddenly interrupted. It was Reiji, who stood idly at the threshold of the cell entrance. "Your punishment for escaping is over but I decided to think ahead and prevent something like this from happening again. You will attend school from now on."
Kim and Yuzu blinked, not understanding a thing he was saying. They looked at each other and then let out a scandalous:
"HUH?!"
The humans ate a hearty feast after being released from the dungeon. After taking a bath, they were forced by Reiji to wear a black school uniform. They both complied with no other option, afraid of being locked up again. Once ready, they got into a luxurious limousine along with the six vampires, who wore the same uniform.
Already on the way, Kim tried to keep Yuzu away from Kanato, and made sure none of the lads did anything strange. They were silent most of the time, but just by exchanging a few words with Ayato and Laito, they discovered that they would attend a prestigious evening school along with the vampires, news which terrified Kim.
"Nooooo! I do not want to go to school!" she yelled as she clung to the gate of the institute entrance. "Yuzu told me that you come here and make friends! But I don't remember anything!"
"I said that?" she wondered, watching her from the distance with a tiny drop of sweat on her forehead.
"Shut up! We all have to attend the damn school!" Subaru yelled at Kim, taking her into the institute.
Some students stopped by to watch the scene. But when the albino turned to glare at them, they ran away terrified.
"No, no, no!" Kim held tight to the bars. "No more vampires! I'm scared!"
"We are the only vampires in here! And if you don't lower your voice, you'll give us away!" — Subaru was starting to despair, but he didn't want to make the struggle harder since he could hurt her in the process. "Besides, the faster you study and learn, the faster you may be able to recover your memories."
"I don't want to!" Kim replied, becoming defensive. "What can I do if something goes wrong?!"
"Calm down! I'll be by your side!" Upon saying this, the vampire blushed and released her. (Shit… I got carried away...)
"Eh?" Kim turned around, surprised by what Subaru had just said. "Did you mean it?"
He raised a hand to his face and looked away, visibly embarrassed. Kim watched him blankly: (Why does he act like this all of a sudden?)
"Don't look at me like that!" Subaru snapped, interrupting the girl's thoughts.
"Get a room ~" Laito mocked, who was watching them next to Yuzu. The rest of the brothers did too.
"We don't do any of that!" Subaru and Kim answered in unison, both blushed up to their ears as they remembered they were crowded.
Ayato interrupted the moment by walking through the entrance, giving Subaru an undisguised push.
"Move, idiot. You're in my way" he said, glancing at Kim for a moment and then turning to the school visibly angry.
"Hey! What 's wrong with you?!" Subaru jumped as Ayato left. "Oh, I'm sure you're still upset about the fact I kicked your ass."
The oldest stopped immediately and retraced his steps until he faced his brother, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.
"That was a stroke of luck, brat!" he clarified with his wounded pride.
"Ha! Pester my prey again and you know what stroke of luck awaits for you!" Subaru warned him with a confident smile, letting go of his grip.
The foreheads of both vampires collided and their gazes seemed to draw fire, eager to fight right there. On the other hand, Kim watched them with a little vein poking out of her head, remembering the real reason why Subaru protected her: (He was so sweet a moment ago... and now he calls me prey again, I can't understand him! He may be different from his brothers, but I shouldn't lose sight of the fact that I'll always be food for him.)
The girl sighed and Ayato looked at her over Subaru's shoulder, raising his voice to her:
"Hey, pancake... What's so good about him? Do you like him more than me?"
Kim couldn't believe his nerve, why was he involving her in this stupid competition? Like if her opinion really mattered...
"What are you talking about?! I didn't choose to be with him!" she answered without hesitation. Evidently annoyed, she walked away from the two of them. "And no, I don't like any of you!"
Her blunt reply chilled Subaru. Both he and Ayato were surprised to watch Kim leaving in the opposite direction, towards the school.
"Hey! Where are you going?! Wait!" Subaru tried to stop her, but his brother grabbed him by the arm, holding him back: "Fuck off! You made her mad!"
"Me? Ha!" the redhead replied with a certain air of victory. "I heard her clearly say that she doesn't like you and that she doesn't want to be with you!"
"She doesn't want to be with you either!"
"Wanna fight?!"
"I think so, son of... !"
In the end, neither of them stopped her from leaving because they preferred to continue their fight.
Not so far, Laito and Yuzu were still watching the scene amused, aware that she couldn't go too far. Also, the vampires would be stopped by Reiji before it got out of control. Staying on the sidelines was the wisest thing to do.
"Ayato is very insistent and quite violent, Kim will never prefer him over Subaru" Yuzu commented, and observed Laito discreetly. "You two are very similar.."
"We are brothers of mother and father, after all" the aforementioned agreed, shrugging.
"Yes, although he is easy to read, but you ..."
As she spoke, Yuzu's tone deliberately changed. She clutched the school bag in her arms, the anger she still felt over what happened during the escape attempt was almost irrepressible. (We'll be entering the school soon ... I don't think it's a good time to talk about it ... but ...)
"Mmh? What do you mean, petty bitch?" As always, Laito couldn't stay in doubt.
"What do you think?" she spoke firmly. "You're a fucking liar, do I have to draw it for you?"
"Ehh?" The vampire noticed her annoyance and, instead of taking her seriously, he just smiled at her with interest. "Are you still jealous because I bit your friend?"
"How many times do I have to tell you it's not like that?!" Yuzu couldn't take it anymore. She had to tell that fool exactly what she was thinking: "You play all the time with my trust and my suffering! You don't give a shit about what happens to me! You're so entertained seeing me rock bottom!"
"Really?" Laito kept smiling, which further enraged her.
"You are impossible!"
It didn't matter if she explained it to him or not, he wasn't going to understand her. Come on, he wasn't even able to listen to her without laughing! Yuzu felt like crying, but she didn't want to break out in front of him, not again, so she held back and walked determinedly to the institute.
However, the vampire suddenly hugged her from behind, stopping her and paralyzing every one of her senses.
"La…Laito... we're at school, let me…" Yuzu fell silent at that moment. She was sure the vampire was going to bite her or do something weird to her, but it didn't happen. There was something different about his embrace, something oddly warm. From her position, she couldn't see his face but she was sure her own was starting to blush. "La.. Laito"
He was silent, until...
"Ah, I can't resist it, petty bitch!" he exclaimed in his usual tone. "You look so sexy in uniform!"
And with that said, the vampire squeezed her into his arms.
"Ugh, let me go! I'm going to kill you!" Yuzu yelled, feeling embarrassed for expecting something different from that idiot.
At that moment, the high school bells rang, announcing the first notice for the closing of the doors. Subaru and Ayato startled, putting their discussion aside as they remembered something very important:
"Kim!"
"Pancake!"
They were both willing to go looking for her until they met Reiji at the entrance, who was holding back the aforementioned by grabbing her by the jacket.
"I found this little fugitive trying to escape again. Didn't I tell you to be more careful? " he scolded Subaru. He was visibly irritated when he pushed Kim towards him. "And what is everyone doing here? Classes are about to start." Reiji wandered his gaze between his brothers, Kim and Yuzu. "I won't excuse you two for being late on your first day. I will have to discipline you if you don't attend the classes properly. And trust me, it will be much worse than starving yourselves for three days."
The humans noticed that Reiji was serious. They both gulped upon listening to him.
"That won't be necessary! We'll behave!" Kim assured, turning to her friend to take her hand and walk together. "Co… come on, Yuzu."
"Where do you think you are going?" Reiji stopped her. "I tested your blood the other day. You are seventeen years old."
"Eh?"
"What do you mean by testing her blood ?!" Subaru chimed in, alarmed.
"Traces of her blood were left on my gloves the night she almost died from your outbursts," Reiji reminded him, leaving him speechless when he referred to that event. On the other hand, Shu silently looked at Reiji sidelong.
He turned back to Kim: "Anyway ... Judging by your age, the sacrificial bride is older than you. You must go with the triplets."
"What?!" Kim, Subaru and Yuzu exclaimed in unison. On the contrary, Ayato grinned from ear to ear.
(This is bad. This is bad. This is bad.) , Kim thought, aware that she couldn't be in a worse group. Without Subaru, Ayato and Laito could try to forcefully bite her. And not to mention how sick and dangerous Kanato was according to Yuzu's anecdote. How could she possibly defend herself if something bad happened? She had to share a classroom with them five days a week?
"Seen like this, I will take you to the classroom... Pan-ca-ke~" the redhead announced, feeling the authority to hold Kim closely by the arm as they walked, followed by Kanato and Laito.
"I told you not to call me like that!" the girl stated, shocked by feeling Ayato's hand on her.
"Don't worry, Subaru. I'll take care of your precious pet for you ~" Laito crooned, giving the albino a flirtatious wink that only increased his concern.
"If any of you do something to her, I'll kill you!" Subaru bellowed, following them closely at a steady pace.
"Yes, yes~ "
Soon, the triplets and Kim were about to reach the junior building, which was packed with students. Aware that Subaru hadn't left yet, Ayato put an arm on the brunette's shoulders and snorted with a mocking expression.
"What are you doing, Subaru? Your class is not around here ~ " he bragged, glancing at him over his shoulder and showing off Kim in front of his classmates.
Subaru gritted his teeth as he listened to the general murmur of the crowd:
"Who is she?"
"A new student?"
"Is it Ayato's girlfriend?"
"I'm jealous!"
(His girlfriend ... Yes of course!), Subaru thought, looking into Kim's eyes. She looked very nervous among so many people. And of course, Ayato put her in the spotlight. It seemed as if at any moment she would run away... Until she turned in his direction. When their gazes met, Kim frowned shook her head, and walked into the classroom. (No way ... she ... is she still mad at me?), Subaru asked himself, watching with bewilderment as the girl got lost in the crowd.
"See? She prefers to be with me ~ It's obvious! After all, I am the best" Ayato bragged before retreating and following Kim.
"Fuck you!" Subaru replied back, who had no choice but to leave with a heavy defeat feeling towards the sophomore building.
At the same time, the students didn't stop gossiping about the new girl and her apparent relationship with the Sakamaki. Kanato and Laito were also going to enter the building when the second one turned to see Yuzu, who was still watching from a distance with the senior vampires.
"I'll miss you, petty bitch~!" he exclaimed, waving at her. "Let me know if you want to do it during the break time! I know good places!"
Unsurprisingly, half of the institute overheard him.
"It's just ... I'll kill him ..." Yuzu muttered absolutely furious as the tittle-tattle around her got louder. Then she snorted. "I wonder if coming to school is a good idea after all..."
"What do you mean?" Reiji spoke next to her. "It is essential for both of you to have a good education for the remainder of your short life. Besides..." He stopped to look at her suspiciously. "This is how we can keep an eye on you, ladies."
Yuzu stared at Reiji as he retreated to his classroom, she didn't trust him. Shu was about to do the same when he noticed the human's brown eyes looking at the entrance of the junior building.
"Hey, don't get lost," he said suddenly. "You come with us."
"Y…yes." she replied, following him and hoping her friend was okay.
Kim couldn't stop thinking about Subaru and his indecipherable facial expression before splitting. She also could not understand why he insisted so badly on being by her side, supporting her, and then again treating her like an object in front of Ayato's dumbass.
She was sick of it! (I know it's silly, but ... I can't stand him reiterating to me all the time that I am his food..)
The point was, why did it bother her so much? Why couldn't she just let it go? Yuzu did it all the time even after going through such horrible things. Also, Subaru himself ... No, not just him, everyone had told her! As a predator, he needed prey to feed. That was the kind of relationship they had, no more and no less. If she compared it to her own need for food, it was logical. She couldn't even blame him for it! The same thing happened between Yuzu and Laito: both accepted their roles and played with their needs in order to survive.
(Instead, I ... I have been living in that mansion for nine days and I still don't understand something so simple ... I wonder why)
She wanted to accept it. However, every time she tried to get used to the idea, she felt her blood boil. As if an absurd and purely instinctive pride couldn't bear to be someone's prey.
(Me? A prey? Don't make me laugh.)
Those odd words preceded a severe headache. Like in the first time she tried to escape, she needed to sit down as soon as possible and not think about it.
When she entered the classroom, she sat in the first empty seat she could find, hoping not to attract further attention as her headache subsided. Unfortunately for her, this was impossible. Ayato quickly sat down next to her and didn't take his eyes off her, Laito sat on the other side and Kanato in the back seat. She was completely surrounded by the triplets.
(You're kidding me... )
"Hey, everyone is looking at you. Introduce yourself as you should ~ " the redhead cheered her on, leaning towards with a mocking tone.
"Shouldn't we wait for the teacher?" Kim murmured with a hand to her temple, fed up with his harassment. (I have a very bad feeling about this ... )
"It's whatever! Besides, we're all here."
"What?" The girl looked around her. There were about ten people in the classroom, counting them. "Are we so few? Yuzu told me ..."
"What did you expect? It's an evening school" Kanato interrupted her, irritated.
"But ... there were many students outside ..."
"Oh, the thing is there are plenty of parallel degrees and installations." Laito explained. "This type of distribution is normal for elite schools."
"In fact, Laito doesn't even belong to this classroom." Kanato said while playing with Teddy, not caring much about the conversation.
"Come on, nobody's gonna know! Also, I promised Subaru that I would take care of his little pet ~ " The vampire in the fedora winked at Kim.
The girl remembered what had happened in the sewers and covered her neck with both hands:
"If you dare to bite me again, I ...!" she exclaimed in fright, being suddenly interrupted by Ayato.
"Laito bit you before me ?!" he yelled, banging on the table and violently leaving the seat.
Once again, the entire classroom was watching them. Kim shrugged her head at the realization. (If these idiots continue like this, I won't be able to make friends ...), she thought, anxious.
"Calm down, Ayato. I only did it to tease my petty bitch" Laito said, waving his hand like it wasn't a big deal. "Although, I admit that little Kim's blood is hot and delicious... I recommend it ~ " he added, giving a suggestive smile to his brother, who flopped down on the desk like a child after throwing a tantrum.
"Tsk!"
Kim had not quite recovered from the outburst and neither from the headache when the professor finally arrived. He was an ordinary man who looked to be in his fifties.
"Teacher, we have a transfer student!" Laito announced cheerfully.
"Oh my, welcome!" the man said, identifying Kim as the new face. "Come on and introduce yourself!"
She glared at Laito but quickly resigned herself to obeying. (I wasn't ready, but ... here I go), she tried to cheer herself up as she got up automatically, feeling her stomach in her throat. Awkwardly, she approached the blackboard, standing in front of everyone just as Yuzu told her what she did the day she introduced herself as a class delegate.
"Uh..." she stammered. The silence was absolute. All eyes were on her. "H-hi, my name is Kim ... and that's it"
Another silence.
"Pfff! That's the worst I've ever heard!" Ayato exploded into outrageous laughter.
"What a boring presentation ~ " Laito complained.
"A boring presentation for a boring woman" Kanato appraised disinterestedly.
"Guys, that's no way to treat a new student ... " the teacher scolded them, knowing that this trio rarely paid attention to him.
"Let her at least tell us what her favorite food is." the vampire in the fedora suggested.
"I..." Kim froze. Her heart was pounding on her chest
"She doesn't even remember that" Kanato advanced, letting out a chilling chuckle.
Ayato raised his hand.
"I have a question that she can answer ..." The students remained expectant. Kim just looked at him fearfully. He smiled mischievously: "Have you been naughty?"
The students tried to contain their laughter. The teacher claimed Ayato for his rudeness, uselessly. Everyone was slightly blushing by misinterpreting the question, except for Kim, who stayed in place with downcast eyes, clenching her fists.
"Wow ~ Isn't it too early for that kind of question, Ayato?" Laito joked leaning back in his chair with a sly smile.
"But it's already night ... " Kanato muttered, rolling his eyes as if he were saying: my brothers are idiots.
"Cut the crap! The time doesn't matter!" Ayato exclaimed excitedly. "Answer now, pancake~"
That nickname drew even more laughter from the students, who no longer bothered to hide it.
It was the straw that broke the camel.
"Ayato, you are an idiot!" Kim yelled angrily before running out of the classroom.
"Miss!" The teacher reacted to stop her, but she had already left. "So fast ..."
The students were perplexed by her escape. Including the Sakamaki.
"Oh, Teddy didn't expect that." Kanato commented, turning his attention to his plush bear.
Ayato wasn't laughing anymore, he squealed and got up from his seat.
"Are you going to chase her?" Laito asked curiously. "Are you really interested in her or do you only do it to compete against Subaru?"
"None of your business!" his brother bellowed, heading for the exit.
"Where do you think you're going, Sakamaki?" The professor tried to get in his way, but the redhead dodged him quickly.
"Get lost, old man" he responded, leaving the classroom without using violence. Once he disappeared from the professor's sight, he vanished into thin air.
The man rushed into the hall and called out to his student repeatedly, threatening him with every permissible punishment he could think of. But nothing motivated him to return. He couldn't even explain how Ayato left so fast.
"What do you think of Ayato? " Kanato asked, somewhat intrigued by his latest reaction.
"Mmh? About what?" Laito wanted to know, turning to him.
"You know, he's obsessed ... with that woman. It's not very normal to see him like that."
Hearing him, Laito leaned an elbow on the desk and his face in one hand.
"Do you think so? That would be interesting! I wonder how Subaru would react" he commented, by then adding: "Also, Ayato-kun is not much different from us. We are direct brothers, after all~"
Kanato clung to Teddy and stared at him, understanding what he meant.
"That is completely different" he assured, threatening. "Yuzu is mine. You stole her from me."
"You see it? Petty bitch was right" Laito laughed, looking back at the window thoughtfully. "We are similar."
As Kim ran down the hallways, her erratic walk led her towards the sector that intersected all three buildings of each grade. So eventually, she ended up passing by Subaru's classroom. When she did, he jumped to his feet.
"Mister Sakamaki?" The teacher called him, initially excited, thinking that the quietest and most intimidating teen in the classroom was going to participate in her exciting math class.
However, she understood that this was not the case when she noticed that his student was staring at an undefined point in the classroom, ignoring his notebooks. In fact, these weren't even on his desk.
Before the expectant silence of the sophomore students, Subaru Sakamaki headed towards the exit.
"Mister Sakamaki, go back to your place!" the teacher ordered. The vampire threatened her with his gaze. This made her change her mind: "Uhm... unless you have ... something urgent to do ..." she answered trembling as the boy walked through the door, in search of that familiar scent that he had just smelled.
(She shouldn't be out at this time. Something happened.)
During the break, Yuzu left her classroom and let out a relieved sigh.
In class, Reiji sat in the first row and Shu in the last. In this way, she took a position in the middle row: comfortably and without opposition from anyone. Being able to concentrate on the matter without major inconvenience.
Neither of them seemed interested in making her school time more difficult, which she appreciated a lot. But still, the institute system impressed her. There were almost no students and according to the schedule that Reiji gave her, they had really ridiculous classes. Which looked more like clubs for rich children.
(My classmates didn't even pay attention to me when I attempt to introduce myself ...,) she thought, discouraged. Although, if she analyzed it well, maybe it was best to keep a low profile. She was in her senior year, only a few months apart from graduation. Most likely she would never see them again.
This bare thought made her smile bitterly. What was she worrying about? Perhaps she wasn't even making it to her graduation alive.
(I'd like to roll the dice and check on Kim, but... What if I run into Kanato? Quite probable since they are in the same classroom. I hope Laito comes to see me soon, I'll feel safer.) The girl stopped her thoughts at that very moment, without giving credit to herself: (Wait, did I just wish to see Laito? No... Well... It wasn't like that!)
With this in mind, Yuzu rushed over to the ladies' restroom. Where she surprisingly found Shu sleeping on the ground.
"Oh sorry, my mistake" she apologized, turning back as soon as she recognized him. (What the heck is he doing here?!)
"No, you're fine. Unless you wanted to spy on the men's restroom" the vampire replied using his usual reluctance to speak. He was sitting against the wall with his headphones on.
"Uh... okay, excuse me." A little nervous, Yuzu approached a cubicle and locked herself in, to come out after a few seconds and yell: "As if I could do anything with you in here! Go to your bathroom!"
"Shut up, do not be noisy" he reclaimed, frowning with his eyes still closed.
Yuzu sighed.
"Okay I let you sleep" she announced as she headed towards the exit. "I'll go find another bathroom."
"I wouldn't do that in your place" Shu warned.
"Ah? And why not?" the girl wanted to know, turning to him surprised.
"All other restrooms will involve you going through the junior level. Do you want to risk Kanato finding you alone?"
Just hearing that name brought the sacrificial bride to a standstill. Her fear was enough to quit the plan.
"Now that you mention it, I better stay here" she agreed, then walked over to the vampire and pulled him by the arm. "But you're leaving, come on."
Shu opened one eye, surprised and somewhat incredulous. Was that human really trying to force him out?
"What are you doing?" he asked, without moving an inch of his body.
"This is the ladies' restroom! Go to sleep somewhere else!" Yuzu demanded, insisting on pulling his arm in order to force him up. "Besides, the floor doesn't even look comfortab- AAAH!"
Without much effort, Shu made a movement with the same arm that Yuzu was holding, pulling her so hard that she ended up falling on him.
"What are you…?!" the girl complained, trying to get up immediately. As she did so, she found his beautiful face dangerously close to her.
Shu held her with only one hand on her arm, using that damn supernatural strength that all those guys had. As Yuzu struggled, he pressed harder.
"You're too noisy" he whispered, and approached her ear and said: "I wonder if you are the same between the sheets.
"W…what…" The human felt her cheeks burn. (He's playing ... he's just hungry. If I let him bite me he will be satisfied, but... What if Laito finds out?)
"There's something I want to discuss with you." the eldest of the Sakamaki muttered, staying in the same position to speak near Yuzu's ear while she kept her face hidden from him. "That girl, your friend ... Who is she?"
Surprised that Shu was interested in Kim, the sacrificial bride responded becoming defensive:
"If you mean Kim, I don't know why you ask me that. You know as well as I do that she lost her memories.
"But she trusts you," he insisted. "If you know anything else, tell me."
"Why should I?"
Shu paused before answering:
"Because we may be in danger."
Yuzu was startled. It was Kim they were talking about!
"What do you mean by...?"
"Yuzu." A third voice cut off the conversation, a voice unmistakable to the human. "I was looking for you." Kanato. She didn't look back. She was petrified in her position wanting to die right there. "Why are you with him?"
Silence crept into the restroom. Shu looked up at his brother, who was blocking the only way out, and then glanced at the frightened girl on his lap.
"Oh, you didn't know?" he spoke reluctantly, taking Yuzu's hips to imprison her against his body in a completely suggestive position. "When this woman gets bored with Laito she comes to have fun with me. She's hopeless.
"Hey...!" Yuzu jumped at the unexpected movement, clearly feeling how her crotch was colliding with Shu's.
"Shu, bastard!" Kanato took a few steps closer to the couple, showing off his fangs. "Get your hands off of her!"
"Ah, how annoying ..." Shu complained without changing his expression at all, as he moved his pelvis up and down, giving the impression of having sex with Yuzu. Can't you let us enjoy it? We were just warming up...
The panicked human couldn't even breathe, so he just got carried away. Kanato had opened his eyes so wide that it seemed that at any moment they were going to pop out.
"You will see!" he screamed, hysterical.
However, contrary to expectations, he disappeared on the spot.
Yuzu had never felt so much relief in her life. (What was…?)
"Kanato hates seeing other people having sex" Shu explained, finally releasing her. "It brings back ugly memories for him." Still in shock, the girl drew back in a daze to drop herself next to him. "So every time you want him to get away from you, throw yourself towards Laito as if you were going to fuck him right there and the problem is solved.
But she wasn't processing anything he was saying, There was only one thing she wanted to know:
"Why did you help me?"
"I didn't do it for free." Shu gave a sly smile as he said: "Now you owe me one."
"I won't tell you anything about Kim," Yuzu said quickly, "She is my friend. If she hides any secrets, it will be known in due course and I will support her."
The vampire's smile disappeared. He looked more serious than usual.
"What if that secret cost you your life?"
Now it was Yuzu who was smiling. It was quite ironic that he precisely "cared" for her.
"I don't think my life interests you very much, Shu" she said, looking up to meet his serious and listless expression directly. (Although ... he's not as bad as I thought. He doesn't really seem interested in my blood or hurting me. That's saying a lot already.), she thought as she watched him. "Anyway ... Thanks for now. I will not forget." After a short silence, she stood up. "I'll try to see if I can find Laito before the break is over. You know, to avoid further incidents. "
Shu didn't protest. He let her go without taking his eyes off her.
As soon as Yuzu left, the vampire closed his eyes and spoke in the apparently empty bathroom:
"You should go. Take advantage of the fact that she still trusts you."
At that same moment, one of the cubicles opened and Laito came out of it.
"I thought you would show me something funny, what a disappointment ~ " he commented with his usual mischievous manner, putting a hand on his waist.
Shu looked at him seriously.
"Do you really want someone else to play with your prey?" he asked.
"Jealousy is the best condiment for love, nfufu~" Laito laughed, seemingly excited at the idea of sharing Yuzu.
"Jealousy, eh?" The older man rose from the ground and took a few steps until he was shoulder to shoulder with his brother. "I'll take your word, Laito."
"Mmh? Is it a warning?"
There was silence. Shu smirked.
"Well, who knows..." With that said, he disappeared.
In the meantime, Kim was hiding in the greenhouse of the institute. She hoped to go unnoticed among the beautiful rose garden, the scent was strong enough to distract the triplets in case they decided to look for her.
"White… roses…" she whispered, crouching in front of them to admire them. (Subaru...), That thought was inevitable, but why? Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? Furthermore, why did she want to see him?
Kim hugged her knees, very confused. Although her head seemed to have recovered from the dizziness and headache, her feelings were still a pure contradiction.
"So here you are!" she suddenly heard. "I've been looking for you for hours, but now I see why I couldn't find you. Your scent was confused with the roses."
The girl got scared upon noticing someone had just entered the greenhouse:
"Ayato..." she murmured, bolting to her feet facing him: "You are inconsiderate! You didn't have to humiliate me like that!"
"Humiliate you?" he repeated without a hint of regret. "Foolishness! I was just trying to help you with your pitiful introduction."
"This is the first time I come to a school..." Kim winced with rage. "I was very nervous because I could make friends here, and you ruined everything!"
"Who cares. The only one you need is me." Ayato advanced towards her threateningly, cornering her against the rose bushes. "You'll see ... I'll kill you in pleasure, pancake~"
He was one move away from touching her, so the brunette had no choice but to get defensive and protest with the first thing that came to her mind:
"Go away! If you bite me, Subaru will beat you one more time."
"Take care of your mouth! That time I was caught off guard..." Luckily for Kim, Ayato was proud enough to be outraged by that comment. "Why do you shield yourself behind him? Don't you realize he's an idiot?"
"And you're not?" the girl snapped, gathering her courage. "If you had been kind from the start I probably would have stayed with you. But I know what kind of guy you are, Ayato. You killed Yuzu's friend, the last sacrificed bride... And I don't want to end up like her!
"Do not be silly." The redhead gave a confident smile. "Subaru will also end up killing you. He only protects you for your blood. It is the only thing that matters to him.
"I know!" That outburst stunned the boy, who noticed that Kim was fiercely clenching her fists and was staring at the ground. "I don't understand Subaru, I really don't understand him at all. He is annoying and his attitude confuses me ... But he saved my life and, in his own way, he cares about me!" Saying this, Kim raised her eyes and voice with an expression filled with determination: "It doesn't matter if he does it just because I'm his prey, he's the only one who has earned the right to drink my blood!"
The statement was intense enough that Ayato himself swallowed his words and remained gaped, watching her. However, a familiar presence forced him to divert his attention to the side.
Upon Ayato's gesture, Kim also turned around and was shocked to recognize who it was. The white came first, then the red.
"Su... Subaru..." she stammered, feeling that strange voice suddenly resonating in her mind.
(I will kill him!)
At that very moment, the girl's eyes went into a trance, making her collapse.
"Kim!" Subaru jumped up, appearing next to her in a second to catch her fall. "Hey... Hey! What is going on with you?" the boy called as he shook her in his arms. Clearly, Kim seemed to have passed out. Ayato, for his part, remained motionless. "What are you doing?!" Subaru yelled at him. "Go find the nurse now! Kim is ...!"
"She's just unconscious, you idiot" the redhead interrupted him, putting a hand to his waist in annoyance. "Did you do something to her? Or did she just freak out when she saw your face?"
"Moron! There's no time for that!" Subaru growled, showing off his fangs.
However, jokes aside, Ayato didn't smile." Subaru, I challenge you to a duel" he said suddenly. "The prize will be Pancake."
"Bullshit! She is my prey!" Subaru clung to Kim, unable to believe that his brother insisted on competing against him.
"Come on, she's just a sacrifice like many others, isn't she?" Ayato studied the boy's dazed expression as he said that and smiled. "Of course, I want to taste her... What if we bet a bite? Or what, are you scared?"
"You wish!" Subaru exclaimed.
"It's just a bite" Ayato insisted provocatively. "You don't have much to lose."
Subaru frowned and looked at Kim, seriously considering the challenge. The girl was still in his arms, unconscious.
"If you bite her... will you leave her alone once and for all?" he wanted to know.
The redhead took a few steps closer before answering:
"Maybe." He kept a haughty smile as he watched his little brother so concerned about the girl that had caught his interest. "I want to see which one of us hunts a lycanthrope first. You know, in that forest that we were forbidden to frequent..." he revealed confidently. "What do you say?"
"You really are an idiot, you know very well that those creatures are almost extinct... and they are also difficult to find ..."
"Oh? Are you giving up?"
"Of course not." At that moment, Subaru carried Kim in his arms like a princess. "We will go on a full moon when lycanthropes cannot hide their true form and are more dangerous."
"Tsk, that will happen in seven days..." Ayato muttered, unhappy. He put both hands in his pockets as he stared at the desired "prize" from his next duel. "Okay, I think I can wait a little longer. See you, Pancake~ " he said as he vanished, but not before directing a disdainful glance at the couple.
Once alone in the greenhouse, Subaru crouched down to bring Kim to the ground and look at her with concern.
"Hey... What's wrong?" he whispered, getting no response. There was a pause in which the vampire stroked her cheek to clear the hair from her face and without thinking too much about it, he leaned on her, watching her face with intensity. "There are so many things I would like to ask you ... but ... " he was suddenly silent.
(How can I get closer to you? I destroy everything I touch... There is nothing else I know to do.)
And despite his thought, his lips could not resist the extended neck in front of him, fully delivered due to position.
"Kim, if you don't wake up ... I'll have to ..." Subaru's deep voice was heard moments before biting her, allowing himself to drink pleasantly of that blood that he missed so much.
"Ngh!" The girl reacted to the pain, snapping back to reality. Her eyes widened, contemplating an image similar to the first time she woke up: a night scene of white and red roses. Colors that characterized his keeper. Subaru withdrew his fangs and licked the wound just left with the edge of his tongue when he noticed that Kim had come to herself. Generating in her an extremely pleasant sensation. "Ah... Su... Subaru... What are you doing?"
To her bewilderment, the vampire covered her mouth with one hand.
"Shut up" he growled, still licking and sucking on her neck voraciously. "It's your punishment for skipping classes." And as he said this, he pierced her collarbone.
"Stop… You're hurting me..." Kim complained, weakly reaching one of her hands up to Subaru's head to pull his hair and stop him.
But he didn't seem to want to let go of her. ( If I had not arrived on time, that idiot would have gone ahead, just as it happened with Laito ... Shit! Just thinking about it makes me furious!), he thought, being carried away by his possessiveness and his uncontrolled thirst.
It took him long minutes to free the girl and stare at her. She had her neck full of his bites, cheeks flushed and breathing excitedly.
"Have you already woken up?" he asked. The brunette nodded softly, somewhat dizzy from the accumulation of intense sensations that she just experienced. "Hey… What you said to Ayato ..." Subaru felt an uncomfortable heat in his chest upon remembering those words he heard when he appeared in the greenhouse. He looked away and retracted what he had said. "N…never mind…"
"Subaru..." Kim called him, urging him to show the blush that was beginning to appear on his pale cheeks. "Can I trust you?"
That question caught the vampire off guard, however, he did not hesitate:
"No," he answered bluntly. "But ... I don't recommend you disobey me." he narrowed, by then directing his mouth back to Kim's bare neck, looking for a good place to bite.
(What is that supposed to mean?), she wondered, once again feeling a painful pang, now close to her chest. She shuddered without resistance in those familiar arms.
Subaru kept Kim busy for the next hour, ignoring that some Reiji's companion in bat shape was spying on them from a distance.
The hours passed by until the bells announced the end of the day. As instructed, the sacrificial humans met the vampires outside the institute, where the limousine that would take them back to the Sakamaki mansion was waiting for them.
"Laito, I was looking for you during the break. Where were you?" Yuzu asked as soon as she met with him.
"Did you miss me, petty bitch? What a joy!" he replied animatedly, wrapping her in a hug that twitched Kanato's nerves and caught Shu's attention.
"Don't get your hopes up." The human pushed him away, blushing. However, as soon as she saw Kim in the group, she rushed towards her with concern: "Kim! Are you okay? These idiots did something to you?"
"I'm sorry, Yuzu. I hardly attended classes" the girl confessed, notoriously distressed. She didn't want to go into detail about what happened with the triplets. After all, Subaru had kept her company throughout the night. "But I will try again tomorrow! I will strive to make new friends and..." Kim's words were interrupted by a surprise hug from her friend. "Yu…Yuzu?"
"Don't try too hard," the girl whispered apprehensively. "You don't have to have a normal school life. Nothing that is happening to us is normal, please ... Just take care." Yuzu moved away to face Kim and patted her head gently. "As long as you are okay is more than enough."
Kim didn't expect that. Those words took a weight off her, so she realized she was pushing herself harder than she should have. In silence, she felt her friend's affection and gave her a big smile as she nodded.
"Not fair" Laito complained, who was watching the scene from a close distance. "I also want petty bitch to pamper me!"
"I tolerate you every day, isn't that enough?" Yuzu replied with a small vein poking out on her forehead.
Laito and Yuzu continued to tease each other during the journey back to the mansion. And despite the fact that the first day of school had been a total failure, Kim felt much better than at the beginning of the day. (We will be fine. I trust that it will.)
Indeed, to Kim's surprise, the situation remained.
The institute managed to create a somewhat different routine for everyone, more regulated and orderly, which gave a certain advantage to the humans, who could predict a little better the movements of the vampires. Reiji had strictly forbidden them to bite them at school, And even if Subaru and Laito weren't willing to obey him at all, at least the others did: Ayato because he was waiting for the duel with Subaru; Kanato because Yuzu was in the same room as Reiji, and he would easily detect that she had been attacked by him; and Shu because he didn't look interested.
The girls came up with plans to meet secretly during breaks, sometimes besieged by Laito or accompanied by the intimidating Subaru. Or both, depending on which vampire will find them first and their willingness to share their respective prey. At times, they almost felt like a completely average group of teenagers. At least that's how they thought their ignorant schoolmates would see them.
The tension between Laito and Yuzu was still present, but they both seemed to understand that things would never be entirely predictable between them. One way or another, they worked fine. On the other hand, Kim had no objection to continuing feeding Subaru, with whom she began to have greater complicity since what happened in the greenhouse. Something remarkable since the weekend, because she was locked in the room with him the whole time and she didn't protest once. Subaru maintained a surly character, however, she noticed that he was behaving in a more gentle and permissive way.
After all, the situation had changed for Kim, but in such a subtle way that it was difficult for her to say exactly what was different from the first night.
In this way, a week passed.
It was Friday night. The brunette was waiting for Yuzu at the school rooftop when Reiji appeared in front of her, surprising her under a cloak of stars.
"What is it, Reiji?" she wanted to know without hiding her mistrust of him.
The vampire looked at her sternly, but he took a moment to reply:
"I will be direct with you. Your presence is affecting Subaru."
"What do you mean by that?" Kim asked, defensively. "If this is about Ayato, lately they hardly…"
"You have caused too much trouble" he continued, interrupting her no matter what she had to say. "You will leave the mansion at dawn. Of course, Subaru doesn't have to know about it."
"Eh?" The girl's mind went blank. While she knew that the relationship between Subaru and Ayato had worsened since her arrival, during that last week they were both taking it easy with each other. Furthermore, she knew that no sacrifice had ever escaped from the Sakamaki mansion, why was she the exception? "Wait a minute ... Wasn't I supposed to be unable to escape? What about Yuzu?"
"She is the sacrificial bride. You are just an intruder." Reiji kept a safe distance from Kim, but even so, she could sense the contempt in his eyes. "When Subaru is asleep, meet me at the entrance of the mansion. I'll get everything ready for your departure."
"I'm not going to leave without Yuzu!" the brunette jumped, euphoric just to think that after so many problems the possibility of running away was there, at her fingertips.
"How dumb can you be?" he said, adjusting his glasses with a superb gesture. "Didn't you want to survive? I am giving you a unique opportunity. You shouldn't waste it.
"Yuzu is the only friend I have!" Again, Kim raised her voice in desperation. "I'm not leaving her in that crazy house!"
Reiji remained silent, then let out a sigh full of disgust. He needed that woman to leave the mansion as soon as possible and without making a fuss.
"Alright..." he finally accepted, resigned. "If you do exactly what I tell you, your friend will also be free."
"Really?" Kim's eyes lit up as she saw that the vampire was giving in, however, she quickly became suspicious: "How do I know you're not tricking me?"
"I will indicate the route you must follow to get out of the forest. Then, you will find a road that will take you to the only bus stop connected to our domains. You will wait in that place for one... No, two days. If the sacrificial bride does not arrive with you in that period of time, you can return to the mansion and give us your life again." As he spoke, Reiji solemnly advanced towards Kim, until he was one step away from her. "It is the only option I give you. Take it or leave it."
The young woman was intimidated by the vampire's sharp magenta eyes and his height, far superior to her own. She lowered her head, not knowing what to do.
"Would you give me a little time to think?" she asked nervously, considering that it was best to discuss it with Yuzu.
"No. It has to be now" Reiji demanded.
(This is too good to be true... I have a hard time assimilating, but... If I still have to leave the mansion on the orders of this guy, I shouldn't hesitate. Although... I won't be able to say goodbye to Subaru), she thought, feeling an inexplicable pang in her chest as she remembered those last days, where the silence with Subaru had seemed the safest place in the world.
She clenched her jaw at the thought of it.
(No I can not. I have to get Yuzu out of there.)
"Okay… I will do it." She had a hard time speaking, but she did so and decided. "But you better keep your promise! You have to free Yuzu, otherwise, rest assured that I will come back to rescue her.
"If you do your part, I will do mine" he assured her.
"Fine."
After receiving that answer full of determination, Reiji turned his back on Kim and left with only one thing in mind: (Tomorrow night there will be a full moon...)
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Don't seemed it at all, but we're alive!
Please let me know if the translation have some mistakes.