Chapter 1

The Start of Yui Komori

Claustrophobia.

Being confined in such a tiny room, Yui believed herself to be developing a pathological fear of being trapped. She believed this to be stemming from the fact that she had been trapped under the clutches of the Sakamaki brothers that the phobia surfaced as a psychological defense mechanism that warns her of incoming pain.

Being inside a small room without much freedom to move always filled her with a sense of dread.

Her first instinct was to stay away from such rooms. She preferred places with a lot of space to run away. Not that it mattered when you're dealing with vampires. Still, she'd like to believe she had a chance.

"You're going to be staying here until we can figure out what to do with your recent...rebellious nature."

'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' Yui Komori shouted in her thoughts as she slammed her forehead on the wall, not at a speed enough to do any damage but enough to be felt harshly.

Oh, Good Lord, why did she ever fight back?

Why did she even think that she stood a chance? That if she showed an ounce of defiance, the burdens she carried might actually lighten? That the vampires might actually learn to treat her with a little bit more respect?

Yui looked over to her bruised knuckle.

Punching a vampire resulted in broken fingers...?

Interesting logic. She should take note of that.

'...owie.'

Yui tried to caress her hand to soothe the pain, but it did little effect. She started looking around the room for something to lessen the sting. They didn't even bother patching her up. They just threw her here without even dinner and left.

There wasn't even a bed to lie down on in this empty room.

The place was just an empty storage filled with boxes that were covered in dust. It looked like they haven't been touched in years. The shelves on the side were filled with old books and spider cobwebs hanging all around it.

'I don't think anyone's ever entered this room in a long time,' Yui thought as she began to look around. '...maybe some of the boxes have something useful in them?'

Opening up one box after another, most of it was filled with pretty much useless artefacts to which Yui guessed were priceless antiques that the Sakamaki brothers probably forgot about. She frowned at the waste. A lot of these were in perfect shape.

'Figures...they are rather rich.'

After some time searching, she didn't think she'd find anything of use until she found some old curtains. They were aged, but were neatly folded on top of each other. Yui thanked her lucky stars that she could use these to wrap around her hand. Now if only she could find some scissors. Too bad she didn't have the knife Subaru gave her.

Unfortunately, no matter where she looked or how hard she kept an eye out for it, there was nothing sharp inside the room for her to use.

Yui sighed.

The curtains were soft, but they were far too big to wrap around her tiny hand.

All of the sudden, an idea stuck her.

One of the boxes had some fancy looking glass plates in it. If she could break one of them into a piece that's just sharp enough to use as a makeshift knife, then she could cut herself a nice little bandage to wrap around her hurting hand.

'Alright, here we go. I just hope this won't make too much noise. Who knows what they'll do if they hear?'

Yui braced herself before picking up a plate. She could see her transparent reflection on it.

'Shame to waste something like this; it looks rather expensive.'

She tried to aim it carefully at just the right distance so any glass shards wouldn't hit her. She also calculated the type of force that she would use. Too little and the glass wouldn't break. Too much and the glass would break into too many pieces too small for her to use.

'3...2...1...'

The sounds of glass breaking filled the room for half a second. Yui could've sworn the brothers would've heard that but hoped that they wouldn't bother checking up on her. Maybe then she could get some peace and quiet.

'Oh, thank goodness there's a shard big enough I can use.'

Picking it up carefully, Yui then began to cut the soft fabric of curtain into a nice little bandage just enough to cover her injured hand.

Once finished, she used the remainder of the curtains to give herself a self-constructed futon. It would not be comfortable, sure. But it was ways better off than sleeping on the cold, dirty floor.

As she lied down on the curtains, she started to wonder what she did to deserve all this. Had she not been a good person all her life? Had she not been an honest woman? Maybe this was God's way of testing her virtue and character? Could be. But did it really have to be vampires?

Yui was tired. Really tired.

Not just physically as she is now. But she was tired mentally, spiritually, and even sexually. She's tired of having to deal with all these problems the brothers cause for her. What was their problem anyway? Why did they always harass her? She would not wish this burden upon anyone else.

She tried being nice to them, she really did. But nothing seems to change no matter how sweet or how kind she is to them.

This was the night when Yui began to question her forgiving nature.

No, not her forgiving nature, but her passiveness. She was way too "meh" with whatever it is that they just did to her.

'How could I just let them do that to me?'

Yui looks down to her injured fingers.

'...oh, right.'

Maybe it's because she's just not doing enough for them?

"Am I really the heroine of this story...or just another victim?"

Flashback...

This night school that she was attending were for rich brats from powerful families. Most of the boys and girls who go to this school don't even bother to pay attention in class. They all pass with flying colors regardless of how they do in exams or attendance.

Everything was all about socializing.

It's about who you're in with. What's the point of learning how to get a job when you're just going to inherit the family fortune anyway? The reason the kid's parents even send them here is to build connection with possible future business associates.

Seriously, why else would school be in the middle of the night?

Yui felt a little alienated by her peers. And to be honest, she felt intimidated by their wealth. She was the daughter of a priest from a rundown church. Having grown up working hard, she fears what people of this social standing would treat her as. So she always avoided them. Maintained as minimal contact as possible with anyone.

Unfortunately, being near the Sakamaki brothers, who were somewhat very popular in this school, attracted her quite a lot of attention. Especially from the fairer sex, whom were not happy that she was considered "worthy" enough to be near the school's princes.

Of course, they left her alone not truly knowing what her relationship with the Sakamaki brothers really is, but they had a rather mean opinion about her and made no efforts to hide their gossip.

"Hey, it's that weird girl again..."

"Who is she, anyway?"

"I don't know. She has to be rich and powerful, though. To catch the attention of Ayato-sama."

"She doesn't even have any friends. Seriously, I've never seen her walk with any girls."

"A total ice queen."

"She can't fool me with those innocent looks. She's probably, like, secretly a bitch or something."

Yui sighed. Oh, why must rich girls be so stereotypically judgemental? Just pretend not to notice them and they'll eventually get bored.

"I just don't see what Ayato-sama would see in her..."

"Who cares about Ayato? Reiji-sama is where it's at. Good and refined manners – a total gentleman. Too bad he never gives us the time of day. He's always paying attention to Komori, though."

Yui felt some heavy strain and venom in her words.

"He's kind of boring. Bad boy Subaru, now there's a man."

"Shu-sama is the cool one!"

"Oh, please. He's got the personality of a walking plank! Kanato-sama is the cutest of the bunch!"

"You're a damned shotacon, Maya."

"Am not!"

"Laito-sama's pretty charming."

"Don't even think about it, girl. That boy has slept with half of the women in this school."

"Those are only rumors!"

"Oh, yeah. Well, you know Rei? That quiet girl who sits by herself? When Laito got his hands on her..."

'Too much information.' Yui began to block them out of her mind.

They had began to gossip too much about the Sakamaki brothers and were going into rumors that were so ridiculous that they were way off. Seriously, one of them commented that Reiji was like a prince charming who is charming, kind, and loyal beneath his icy exterior.

Goes to show how little this school knew their own students.

Then again, maybe not. Yui figured that this school only accepted the rich and powerful, so it must have some idea as to who they're taking into the student body. They must have recordings on every student here.

Did the school's staff know of the brothers' nature?

She then felt a little bashful when she realized that she knew little about the Sakamaki brothers as well. Aside from them being complete sadists, she never really did learn of their family history or if they had any other relatives.

Maybe the school has records on those?

Maybe she could-

Yui began to shake the idea out of her head. Oh, no. She was not going to take that kind of risk. She mentally noted to clear any funny ideas out of her head. They would only serve to get her more into trouble. She already learned the consequences of trying to escape; she was not going to take another risk.

Besides, she doesn't even know how to access their private records. Surely, the school wouldn't just hand them over to her.

'And Reiji is really mean when he's using a whip.' Yui shuddered at the thought of the tall, glasses-wearing Sakamaki using it on her poor self again.

She could still remember the lashes on her butt.

Before Yui could continue to ponder in her thoughts, she bumped into somebody tall.

"Oh, sorry-"

"You should really watch where you are going, Komori." A strict, harsh condescending tone Yui knew all too well greeted her.

Speak of the devil.

Reiji Sakamaki.

Yui could hear the girls behind her giggling and squeeing at the second eldest of the Sakamaki brothers, clearly infatuated and fooled by his princely looks. If Reiji noticed, he did not show it. Instead, he merely stared at her through his glasses.

"Oh, Reiji-san, I'm sorry for bumping into you." Yui did a quick bow before sidestepping him. "I'll just be on my way."

"Just a second." Reiji grabbed her arm just before she could make her escape.

Yui could feel herself sweat. Oh God, what did he want now? Is he going to suck her blood as punishment for bumping into him? Could he really be that petty? Or maybe he wants to go with the whip again? Oh please, not the whip! Anything but the whip!

"I was looking for you, actually."

Yui gulped.

"You were?"

Reiji frowned at her. "Yes, I was. We received a letter this morning addressed to you."

"This morning?" Yui blinked in confusion. "Why are you just giving it to me now?"

Reiji's frown turns into a scowl.

"It was from that priest," he says with a hint of venom. "...I had to examine it in case it held plans for your escape."

Yui shivered. That priest? Could Reiji possibly mean her father? She felt a little angry at Reiji for snooping through her stuff but knew she could do nothing about it.

"Thank you, Reiji. Well, um, where is it?"

"I never said I was going to give it to you."

Yui's face twisted into confusion. "What? But you said the letter was for me."

"I did. Unfortunately, Laito stole it from me on my way here. So you are going to have to acquire it from him."

"What?!" Yui shouted in shock. "You're kidding me!"

Reiji merely stared at her impassively.

Yui sighed dejectedly. "I'll go look for him."

"You go do that."

Yui wandered the halls aimlessly looking for Laito, the more perverted brother of the bunch. She was in the same year as him, and although they did not share classes, he was always nearby. She figured to look for him near her classroom because he wasn't inside his.

She had to act fast. Break was almost over and classes were going to start soon.

Not that she was in any hurry to attend it.

Now Yui wasn't exactly eager to see him. Laito has always been the most problematic one she had to deal with. With his constant perversion often driving her away in disgust, she feels his aggressive seduction tactics would work better had he been a woman and she be a man.

'Seriously, I can't even believe why girls would like a guy like that.' Yui shook her head. The modern female populace was something she'd never understand.

"Oi, Pancake, what're you prancing around for?"

Yui continued to look around without even looking at the source of the voice.

"Oh, nothing, Ayato-san. I'm just trying to get to the bathroom." She lied. She did not want to tell the redhead that she was looking for his younger pervert of a brother. She really just hoped that Ayato would leave her alone. Of course, she knew better than that.

"Hey, don't ignore me! Wait up!"

She hears him follow after her.

"You know class is about to start, right?"

"I really have to use the bathroom, Ayato-san..." Yui speeds up her footsteps.

"What are you on your period or something?"

Yui remained silent. Although she was clearly bothered with that question.

"You know, you could get Yours Truly to help you out with that."

"I just need to wash my face, Ayato-san."

Before Yui could move on forward to look for Laito, she suddenly felt herself being slammed unto the wall faster than she could've comprehended it happening to her.

"Don't lie to me, Pancake."

Yui started to blush. "Ayato-san, people are starting to look."

"Who cares? Let them." Ayato said with a smug smirk as he pinned the blonde. "What's important is dealing with me right now. You should be more worried about that."

Yui shivered when she felt Ayato's hot breath on her face.

"Ayato, please...let go."

Ayato smirk only seemed to widen. "Now why would I do that? You seem to be in a hurry for someone only washing her face. You should have some time for me if you're not taking class attendance that seriously."

"I-it's not what you think." Yui fidgeted below him.

"Oh, it's not? Then what are you really doing?"

Yui inhaled and exhaled. She had a guess what the following reaction would be.

"I'm looking for Laito-san, okay?"

The moment that smug smirk left Ayato's face, Yui immediately looked away. Feeling scared at what's to come, she mentally braced herself for whatever tantrum the redhead might throw.

"So Laito, huh? You like him, is that it?"

"W-what? No, of course not!" Yui defended.

"You want him to fuck you, don't you?" Ayato snickered, but it had a deprecating tone to it. "I never figured you for that kind of girl, Pancake."

"I am not looking for him for that!"

"Then why are you looking for him?"

Ayato's voice was low and dangerous. Yui made sure to choose her next words carefully.

"He...he has something of mine."

Ayato raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Reiji-san said he took a letter that was addressed to me." Yui explained. "It's from my father. I just want it back."

Ayato looked indecisive for a moment.

"Now please let me go, Ayato." Yui smiled sweetly. "I promise I'll try to get to class as soon as I'm done."

For a moment, Ayato looked frozen in his spot. He did not move nor looked at her. He was looking towards the side as if he were thinking about something.

"Ayato?"

Before Yui could stop him, the redheaded vampire grabbed her wrist and pulled.

"Follow me, Pancake." He said as he dragged her. "I'll make this quick."

Yui cringed when Ayato kicked the door to the music club open. It slammed catching the attention of whoever was inside.

"Oh, Ayato...and Bitch-chan!" A flamboyant voice Yui knew all too well and dreaded greeted them. "What a surprise? Is there something you needed from the music club?"

Yui took a glance at the Casanova vamp. It seems he wasn't alone in this room. There was another female student with outstanding foreign looks sitting on a chair reading music sheets while Laito was bent over behind her. They were probably talking a few seconds ago.

"Cut the crap, Laito! You have something that belongs to Yui. Give it back!" Ayato went directly to the point.

"Ayato..." If Yui didn't know any better, she would've been charmed by the redhead gripping her wrist. This was the first time she heard him call her by her real name even though he wasn't talking to her.

"Oh, I don't know what you're talking about, Ayato?" Laito smiled coyly. "I think you might have made a mistake."

"There's no mistake, you bastard."

"Ayato-sama," it was the girl who was with Laito earlier who spoke up with seemingly noble eloquence. "...is there something you wanted from Laito and I?"

"Stay out of this, bitch." Ayato spat at her before turning to Laito. "Now give it here, or do I have to beat it out of you."

Laito gave a short laugh before sighing and shaking his head in what seemed to be mock disappointment.

"Ah, a pity at that...and here I was hoping that Bitch-chan might do some tricks for me in order to get this back."

Laito pulled out an envelope from his pocket.

"That's mine!" Yui shouted nearly going after it if only Ayato had not held her in place. "Give it back!"

Laito smiled. "No."

The girl from earlier looked confused. "Maybe I should come back later then, Laito-kun? I shall return to my class now. No doubt the teacher will be mad if I'm late."

"You go do that." Ayato commented roughly.

The two vampires ignored the lady leaving the music room with the exception of Yui who stared at her with jealousy wishing she could leave just as easily as she could.

"Aw, that's really rude, Ayato? I was just about to get to know that lady a little bit more better."

Laito then licked the envelope much to the disgust of Yui.

"Shut up, you bastard." Ayato seemed to be screaming in rage. "Give it here, and I swear to God if you lick it like that again I'll kill you."

Laito feigned mock hurt.

"Aw, Ayato-kun...I never thought you cared about Bitch-chan that much. You really want to get in her good graces that badly?"

Yui couldn't help but somewhat ponder what Laito said. Why was Ayato helping her?

Laito gave a mock laugh before shaking the envelope like a fan to air his face.

"Ah, fine, here."

He threw the envelope like a shuriken at Ayato who caught it effortlessly.

"It's not like I can make her do tricks now anyway. Not with you around, anyway. Oh well, another time perhaps. Ta-ta~!"

Ayato and Yui watched in silence as Laito left the room in nonchalant swagger.

"Um, A-ayato-san?"

Ayato shoved the envelope unto her chest with more force than necessary.

"Here, idiot! Next time, you're on your own. Geez, I'm late for class..." He shakes his head and starts to leave the room.

"Wait, Ayato..." Yui stopped him before he walked out of sight.

Ayato turned back to her, looking rather annoyed.

"What, Pancake?" He says harshly.

"Thank you." Yui smiled at him brightly. For once, very genuinely glad that he was around.

Ayato blushed. For a moment, Yui believed her eyes were fooling her as she saw the redheaded vampire fidget and try to hide his face.

"Idiot!"

With that he left with no intention of letting Yui stop him again.

Yui looked down at the envelope that was from her father. Class already started a few minutes ago and she was late. Not too much so the teacher might excuse her. She didn't want to ruin her perfect attendance as useless as the record might seem. She decided to read the letter later.

For once, Yui Komori was in a good mood. She hadn't been in a good mood in quite a long time.

Class was over before Yui realized it.

It was the final class that she had for the night. She wanted to go over to Ayato and thank him for what he did again and maybe even let him drink her blood, but the redhead strangely disappeared from the classroom before she got the chance leaving her alone.

Now Yui did not want to admit it, but she actually thought that Ayato was starting to look rather handsome there.

She shook her head before she got any stupid ideas. Ayato probably had an ulterior motive. Now Yui felt bad for looking a gift horse in the mouth, but past experiences with the Sakamaki brothers taught her that their whatever kindness they showed always had a mock of falsity to it.

Now she was proven wrong a few times, such as when Subaru gave her that knife which she hid inside her room. She never took it with her in fear of one of the brothers finding out. So far, none of them found it yet and Subaru never really sold her out. So she held unto it.

It was pretty nice to look at. Even if she didn't have any martial training on how to use a knife or defend herself from one, it still made her believe that maybe, just maybe, they weren't so bad.

Long shot for that one, though.

Now Yui was stuck here in school for another hour. The limousine wouldn't come to pick her up until all the Sakamaki brothers were done with their classes. Shu and Reiji still had an extra class to attend so she had free time until then.

Of course, she never got anymore funny ideas of escaping just because she had a lot of time to do so. Not since Laito caught her in her last attempt.

She shuddered at the thought.

She'd rather not go back there, really.

Anyway, her point being that the vampires always seem to be a few steps ahead of her. They always knew where she was and where to look. It was almost as if they had a GPS tracking device latched onto her soul.

Sucks to be her, really.

She decided to do a little bit of wandering. Maybe the school had some interesting events coming soon?

Yui decided to wander around the gardens of the night school.

One upside to being in a school full of rich folk was that the place was absolutely gorgeous. Now Yui wasn't a plant person. She couldn't tell the difference between what flowers were what. But she held an appreciation for beauty nonetheless. The huge fountain in the middle only served to increase the beauty.

The gardens were really the only place where she could get some relaxation away from the brothers. As far as she noticed, they never seemed to be here for some reason.

There were quite a few students here all admiring the view as well. Most of them were couple who gather around to kiss under the romantic mood.

It honestly made Yui rather jealous. She was already this far in her teens, and she never had a boyfriend before. It honestly made her feel sad.

"You okay there, Miss?"

Huh?

"Huh?" Yui turned around. She was greeted to a sight of an older male teen, who was a head and more taller than her. He had messy spiky hair adding more to his height. He was rather ruggedly handsome. Like her, he was dressed in a uniform for this school but had a green jacket over it. "Um, yes, I'm quite alright. Thank you for asking."

The mysterious young man gave a chuckle.

"Really? You look rather stressed to me." He said nonchalantly, scratching the back of his hair. "I could tell by the way you were staring at space."

Yui felt rather bashful. Was it that obvious?

"Oh, I just had a lot of things to worry about."

"Well, I could lend an ear if you'd like. You look like you have a lot of things on your mind."

Yui looked at him strangely. She did not even now the young man. She didn't really feel like telling strangers about her worries, but it's not like she had anyone to talk to.

The young teen smiled at her as if he read her mind.

"Heh, I get it. You're suspicious of me." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I can promise you I've got no ulterior motives."

"Oh, it's not that." Yui denied it. "It's just that..."

The strange young teen raised an eyebrow.

"...well, I don't want to trouble you or anything."

"Shinya." The young man stared into the fountain beside them.

"Huh?" Yui blinked.

"My name." The young man looked at her in the eye. Yui couldn't help but be mesmerized by his warm chocolate colored eyes. "Ren Shinya. You can call me Ren."

"Oh," Yui nodded. "...my name is Yui Komori. You can just call me Yui then, Ren-san."

"Yui...Komori?" Ren brushed his chin. He seemed to be pondering about something. "I've heard that name before. Hey, you wouldn't happen to be that girl who hangs around with the Sakamaki brothers, are you?"

Yui gulped.

"Yeah, that'd be me." She admitted sheepishly.

Shinya looked at her seemingly surprised with the news.

"Didn't think I was talking to someone so popular..." He whistled.

"What? No, no, no, I'm not popular at all."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Really, you're a subject for rumours. Thought you were somewhat of a bitch, but you seem nice."

"Those rumors aren't true, I can assure you."

"So what're you doing hanging around with them?" Ren asked. "Your parents engaged you to one of them or something?"

"No, it's not like that." Yui shook her head. "It's really a long story..."

Ren looked at her empathetically, understanding the message.

"Well, alright. Those guys are a bunch of weirdoes anyway. Hope I'm not being offensive."

"Oh no, they can be pretty weird." Yui knew this was an understatement.

"Anyway, I'm gonna relax for a while. Feel free to sit with me since you don't look like you have anybody to talk to." Ren moved towards the edge of the fountain and took a seat there.

Yui, having nothing else to do, followed him and took a seat.

"Ah, nothing beats the cold fresh air of the night." Ren breathed in and looked up, admiring the stars.

Yui looked up as well, her lips turning into a smile as she noticed how beautiful the stars looked.

"I'm more of a morning person, really. But I can enjoy the night."

She didn't mean to say that, but the words slipped out of her mouth. She was being honest though, the mornings were the only time she got peace and quiet in the Sakamaki mansion as the brothers, being vampires, naturally disliked that time of the day, with the exception of Reiji who was always up early. Whether it was personal preference or a vampire thing, she did not know.

"Really? I always thought waking up in the mornings were a pain."

"You prefer sleeping in?" Yui guessed.

"Not really, I wake up to jog every day to keep my body in shape. Not that I like it or anything." Ren admitted. "But yeah, I sometimes wish I could sleep in."

A noticeable moment of silence ran past the two as Yui didn't know how to forward the conversation.

"So, are you a senior here, Ren?"

"Uh-huh," Ren confirmed in the positive. "Going on my last year."

"What course are you gonna take once you graduate?"

Ren shrugged.

"Don't really know. Still deciding."

"I see, I don't suppose you share classes with someone named Reiji?"

"Aw, him?" Ren's face contorted comically in a funny way. "The elder Sakamaki with a stick up his ass and wears glasses?"

Yui nodded.

"Yeah, I share a few classes with that guy alright. Always seems uptight. He's nice and polite and all, but I got no idea how anyone buys into his act."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's from the way he walks," Ren explained. "...he looks down on everyone else and always has a condescending attitude he hides well. It doesn't help that he acts aloof and has no friends. Guy's got no friends cause he's an asshole."

"Really? You can tell?" Yui looked surprised. "All that just from the way he walks?"

"Well, am I wrong?" Ren looked at her and pulled out a cigarette, placed it in his mouth, and lit it up. "You live with him so you tell me."

"No, you're not." Yui was surprised with the young teen's accuracy. She then coughed when the smoke from the cigarette hit her face.

"What, is the cigarette bothering you or something?" Ren looked at her worriedly.

"Oh, no, I'm just not used to smoke." Yui admitted. She knew it was against school regulation to smoke on campus grounds but she decided not to mention it.

"I'll take that as a yes."

With that, Ren put out the smoke and placed it in a container he had in his pocket.

Yui smiled and genuinely appreciated the young man's thoughtfulness.

"So, Yui...are you in any clubs?"

Yui shook her head.

"No, I've never had the chance to be in one."

"Why not?"

"I never found a club I fancied. In fact, I've never been in a club before."

Ren stood up from his seat, smiling at her.

"In that case..."

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see..."

Yui followed Ren up the stairs after the older teen beckoned for her to see something. He said it might be interesting to her and that she might like it. She didn't really know what he meant or if it was a trap of the sorts, but Ren had an air around him that made her feel safe. She decided to trust him and follow the guy to a higher level on the school building she had never been to.

Ren stopped by a door to the left. Yui began to notice that there were almost no students on this floor.

"We're here." He announced, sliding the door open. Yui couldn't see what was inside until Ren flicked the light switch on.

"...Kickboxing Club?"

"Yeah."

Yui took notice of all the gym equipment and noticed that the room had an air of masculinity.

"What are you waiting for? Come on in."

"I didn't know this was here." Yui took a look around as she stepped inside the room. "Where are the rest of the members, Ren?"

"They called in for the night – said they were studying for the midterms next week."

That puzzled Yui. Someone here actually studied for the exams?

"If can guess, that's an obviously lie." Ren explained to her. "There's a new shop down the road near the school, they've got waitresses in skimpy Halloween outfits serving customers. Take a guess where they are now?"

"...oh." Yui said dryly. "You didn't go with them?"

"Nah, I've got better things to do than to ogle women." Ren took of his jacket and threw it to a nearby workbench.

"So why did you take me here?"

"Wanted to see if you might want to join us..."

"No offense, Ren, but why would I need want to join Kickboxing?"

Ren gave a short chuckle as he sat on the workbench he threw his jacket to. "You'd be surprised. Beating things up is actually quite the stress reliever. And you, my friend, look quite stressed."

Yui looked down sheepishly.

"I suppose I have been rather tired lately. But I don't see how punching and kicking is going to relieve stress."

Due to her Catholic upbringing by her father, Yui was always taught that violence was wrong.

"Simple, just imagine whatever's stressing you out and beat the ever living shit out of it." Ren said with a confident smirk.

"Oh, I really couldn't..."

With a sigh, Ren stood up and walked over to a punching bag behind Yui.

"Just give it a shot, you came all this way." His thumb pointed towards the punching bag.

"I don't know how to throw a punch." Yui admitted.

"Give it a try." Ren encouraged.

Yui sighed. She didn't really think it would work, but she walked over to the punching bag, reeled her fist in, and threw it.

It was pathetic, honestly. The old punching bag barely moved and it didn't decrease her frustrations at all. Her pathetic attempt only lowered her self esteem.

She then heard Shinya giving an understanding laugh as she felt him pat her back softly.

"It's okay. That's normal if you don't know what to do." Ren flashed her an encouraging smile. "Look, watch this..."

Ren positioned himself in front of the punching bag and took a stance. Yui immediately felt the aura of a seasoned fighter in front of her as she watched the way his body moved comfortably into the stance as if had been doing it for years.

Ren threw a punch.

His feet and legs twisted along with his hips as he threw a few jabs and reeled in a hook twisting his body to the other side.

"When you throw a punch, it's not just in your fist, you see. It's in your footwork and your hips. When you throw a jab reel it back in immediately and if you throw a hook, twist your body so that it adds to the force."

Yui looked at him impassively.

"Think you can try it, blondie?"

Yui nodded.

She tried to imitate Ren's boxing stance but her body was shaking. Being in a fighting position made her feel weird as she was never in a fight before in her life. She couldn't pinpoint what she felt by it exactly but it was like trying out a new dancing move you've never done before.

She sighed before she remembered Shinya's instructions to her.

'When you throw a jab, reel it back in immediately...'

She did as he said and, to her surprise, she felt actual force behind her fist as she threw single jab into the punching bag.

"Good, now why don't you try out a few..." Ren commented in the back.

Yui nodded and threw a few more jabs and followed it up with a hook.

'...if you throw a hook, twist your body so that it adds to the force.'

This one also had success. And it felt heavier and more powerful (for someone of Yui's stature anyway) than her jab.

"Looks like you're getting the hang of it."

Yui looked over to Ren who was smiling proudly.

"Don't drop your stance and always keep your guard up when you're boxing. Lowering your arms is leaving yourself up for an opening."

Yui nodded.

"Well, do you feel better now?"

Yui nodded, smiling happily.

"Yeah, I feel a bit more confident in myself." She exhaled, clutching her chest. "I had no idea it could feel so liberating."

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Ren looked at his own fist. He looked like he was reminiscing something. "To have power for once, I remember the first time I learned how to punch. It made me feel like I could change something. I took down some asshole who was bullying me back in the past, never felt better..."

Yui looked at him, studying his face.

"I appreciate it, but why are you helping me?"

"I had the same look as you once when I was younger. Figured I found a kindred spirit when I saw you near the fountain staring into space like that..." He shrugged nonchalantly. "You and I may be more alike than you think."

Yui giggled.

She then looked over at her watch.

"Oh my, it's getting late. I really should be going." She remembered that the limousine was going to arrive in a few minutes.

"Already? Aw, I didn't scare you off, did I?"

"No, of course not. You're a wonderful person. It's just that the Sakamaki brothers don't like it if I keep them waiting."

Ren smiled at her. "Those assholes giving you any trouble?"

"N-no," Yui lied. "I just don't want to overstay my welcome at their place."

"Well, you coming back soon?"

Yui nodded in the affirmative.

"Of course, I look forward to spending some time with you."

"Hey, don't put it like that," Ren chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "...you're making me feel like a player."

Yui giggled at his reaction.

"Alright, I'll be seeing you, Ren." She made her move to exit the room. "I had a wonderful time with you."

"You want me to escort you down, Yui?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"If you say so..."

"I'm sorry for being late."

"Where were you?" Reiji's voice cut out menacingly. "When you were late, we figured you might have tried to escape. But your scent never left campus ground, so I figured you must have selfishly taken your time."

Yui looked down in depression.

"It was only a few minutes..."

"Don't talk back to me."

Yui sighed.

"I'm sorry for being late, Reiji-san. It will never happen again."

Reiji gave her a strict look as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"It had better not. Now get in."

"Yes, sir..." Yui said depressingly.

The ride back to the mansion hadn't been enjoyable.

The entire time, the Laito and Ayato had been bothering her scent being different like she had been spending time with another man. She chose to keep silent about Ren. They might not have allowed her to go near him again, or worse, they might kill her new friend. And she did not want that.

Kanato merely stared at her creepily meanwhile Shu ignored her as usual sleeping on his own listening to headphones.

Subaru looked as pissed as ever.

Reiji did not look happy. Well, he never did, but this time the air around him felt heavier than ever before.

Yui felt as she did like always – exhausted physically, mentally, and sexually.

Her body had been abused every day, by now she should have been used to it. Unfortunately, her body never learned how to cope.

So she did what she always did: keep quiet and let the vampires do whatever they want with her.

Noticing this trait of herself made her feel bad; it made her feel weak.

For once in her life, she noticed that she did not like being a victim.

Yui felt frightened.

"So, are you going to tell us why your scent smells like another person's?" It was Reiji who spoke, looking down on her with an emotion Yui could not pinpoint.

"Have you been seeing someone behind my back, Bitch-chan?"

"Oi, Pancake, you had better not think of leaving Yours Truly for that asshole."

"I'm telling you guys, there was no guy."

"She's a dirty liar, isn't she, Teddy?"

"Maybe breaking her legs might make her more honest."

"Look, it was probably just somebody who bumped into me." Yui shouted in defense, taking a few steps backwards.

"Give it up." It was Shu who surprisingly decided to enter the conversation despite lying down on the couch. "The way the blood inside your body is reacting smells of deceit. Do you really think that we wouldn't notice that you're lying, human?"

Yui looked defeated.

"I'm telling you it wasn't anybody."

Ayato pulled on her arm all of the sudden rather painfully.

"I can smell it off on you."

"I must admit that the scent is disturbingly familiar, but I can quite place my finger on it." Reiji commented.

"Why are you guys giving me pressure so much about this anyway? So what if there was a guy? It's not like he'd be stupid enough to help me escape."

"Ah, so you do admit there was a guy..." Laito smugly commented. "I'm quite hurt, Bitch-chan. I'm very much hurt. You couldn't spend your time with me instead? I promise to show you a better time."

"No, I said: 'what if' I never said there was anybody."

There was an uncomfortable amount of silence that dawned inside the room.

"So you are really adamant of not admitting it?" Reiji pushed his glasses up his nose. He then walked over to her and placed his face near hers a little too close for comfort.

"You reek of cigarette, human."

Yui gasped.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, Reiji suddenly held something familiar in his hand.

"My letter!" Yui screamed. She had forgotten to read about it. She hadn't read it yet.

Reiji did something that broke Yui's heart.

He ripped it into so many pieces that it was like going through a shredder. She watched with sad eyes as the only letter her father ever wrote her fell down on the floor in pieces.

"To think I was kind enough to have given you this. It seems I need to be a little less lenient next time I allow you to have a moment of happiness. You've obviously been quite spoiled."

The room howls with mocking snickering from Ayato, Kanato, and Laito.

At the sight of the letter down in shreds, Yui felt something in her she had never felt in her life before.

Unstoppable rage.

'...if you're gonna throw a hook, twist your body so that it adds to the force.'

For a momentary second, Yui felt like she had become the most victorious person in this world. Her fist slamming Reiji's cheek made her feel joys she never thought she could achieve by committing violence.

For a moment, she felt like a real heroine.

All of that crushed in the next moment when she noticed the room go deadly quiet and a painful sensation on her hand.

Yui screamed in pain as her bruises started forming on the exterior of her fingers.

She looked over to Reiji who had his eyeglasses dropped onto the floor and had clear shocked expression. His reddish eyes shaking with unknown emotion.

"How. Dare. You."

And now, Yui felt like a little girl facing down the big bad wolf.

"You, insolent human!" Reiji's scream could be heard across the room.

Yui felt herself get lifted into the air by the throat. She started choking as the air left her lungs.

"How dare you lay a finger on me, you wretch?!"

Yui felt a sudden sense of dread. This was it. This was how she was going to die. At least she had one moment of triumph before the very end. At least she did not lose herself to them.

Before Yui could feel death's embrace, she felt the force of gravity pull her down towards someone's arms. She looked up slowly while holding her sore throat coughing to see that Ayato and Subaru was holding Reiji down.

"Are you crazy, tableware otaku?! You actually looked like you were trying to kill her!"

"Fuck that, he almost did!"

Yui looked behind her to see that Shu was carrying her bridal style while crouching.

"Let me go! How dare that human-!"

"That's enough, Reiji...I'm sure she's learned her lesson."

Reiji looked like he could murder somebody right now.

Before Yui could find out what a vampire's full extent of rage was, she felt like she was immediately carried into the air by Shu.

"Where are you going?" It was Subaru who asked.

"I'm going to take her somewhere where she can have a time out."

Yui spent the rest of the trip being carried around the mansion by Shu bridal style.

She'd be lying if she said it didn't feel comfortable in his arms. Agrh, damn female hormones! It would've made her feel like a princess, but judging from the reason of why Shu was doing this, Yui knew she had nothing to be happy about.

Before she knew it, she was dropped into a room that felt dreadfully small and empty.

"This is the closest one next to my room. If anything happens I can come by immediately."

"Wait, Shu-"

"You're going to stay here until we can figure out what to do with your recent...rebellious nature."

She'd expect such words to come out of Reiji's mouth, but never from Shu.

Yui sighed.

She spent the night trapped in her memories repeating the events over and over again in her head.

She almost died a few hours ago.

Never had her heartbeat beat faster than before.

She almost died. This was closest she had to dying.

Yui shook her head. It didn't matter. It was best not to think about it if she wanted to get some sleep.

A while of moving around the curtain made bed looking for a comfortable position to sleep in, she suddenly heard somebody knocking on the door.

"Oi, Pancake, you there?"

"Ayato?" Yui responded weakly.

"Heh, guess Shu really did decide to keep you in the least comfortable room in the house."

"What do you want?" Yui said rudely. She was not in the mood for him right now.

"Aw, come on, after all the trouble I went through fixing your precious message? I thought I'd get a warmer welcome."

"What are you talking about?" Yui demanded.

"Look under the door..."

Yui stood up slowly as she walked over towards the locked door. She immediately notices something white slip under.

"What's this?" Yui picked it up.

"You can't tell? Damn, you're slow. It's the letter from your dad."

"What, but how?! I thought Reiji tore it to pieces."

"He did." Ayato confirmed on the other side. "I spent all night piecing it together."

Okay, that surprised Yui.

"But why? Why would you do such a nice thing?"

"Don't get me wrong, Pancake. This is my way of getting even for laughing at you earlier. You hear that? We're even now. Enjoy your crummy letter."

Yui felt so happy that she could almost cry. In fact, a few tears slid down her face as she fell down on her knees staring at the letter.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, Ayato~!" She covered her mouth in happiness.

"Tch, whatever. I'm going back to my room."

"Goodnight, Ayato. And thank you so much."

"Goodnight, Yui."

Dear Yui:

My beloved daughter, it has been so long since I've last seen your face. You cannot imagine my regret for sending you to that place. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I know it's difficult to understand a reason as to why I did what I did sending you to that place, but believe me, nothing I ever do is out of contempt for you. I love you, my precious daughter.

In time, you will learn why you are there, but in the meantime, I made sure you aren't alone. I sent somebody there to help you with your burdens. This man will assist you and act as your protector. Yui, there are some things that this young man does that you may find amoral, but you must forgive him and trust what he says. Do whatever it is that he tells you to. He will keep you safe.

His name is Ren Shinya.

With love,
Seiji Komori

Yui was puzzled.

What did her father mean by him having a reason to send her here. Did he know that these people were vampires? And Ren? What does he know about the Sakamaki? Her father said that he sent him to protect her.

Yui felt quite confused.

There were so many things she did not know the answer to.

Author's Notes:

This was tiresome to build.

I admit, towards the end I got a little bit lazy because I was just hurrying up for the chapter to be finished. My neck hurts from being bent to face the computer for so long.

Bah, whatever, I'm sure you don't want to hear my lousy excuses. You want to talk about the chapter, right? I guess I could explain a few things.

Here are my thoughts...

About the story: this has always been on my mind. What if Yui actually had decent character development instead of being a flat character with no personality. A story where Yui acts as the detective to solve the mystery instead of the victim who's there for the sole purpose of being abused.

My thoughts on Yui Komori: A flat, frustrating character who I wish I could've been the one to design. She's just too generic. I wish she had a defining character trait other than stupidity. While this story stays true to her character it does give her a more likable development and better portrayal.

Ren Shinya: My OC. Somewhat of a mentor as a stepping stone for Yui's growth. I based him off of somebody. Take a guess on who he's based off of. Anyway, what's your take on him? Is he interesting or bland?

My favorite brother? I seem to be leaning towards Reiji. Not in a gay way, I just find him more interesting than the other characters.

And yes, there are pairings in this story, though I'll let you guys take a vote as to who you want to see with Yui. Also, please state the reason WHY you want him to end up with her and WHY you think he should be the one.

I hope you guys had fun reading this, if not, be sure to tell me what went wrong.

I'd appreciate a good review. Do me a favor and leave your thoughts.

User 627 out!