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seen from Russia
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seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
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I present to you
Rin Yamada
I finally gave her some clothes lol Even if I'm not satisfied with the design yet, I'll just let ya'll see her face cause I think she's really cute (I'm obssesed with her hair)
I did draw her myself, it took me a fucking long time as I'm not used to the drawing pad but oh well.
Maybe I'll redo her face later as well as her eyes are not as I'd like but one thing at a time lol
Q.E.D. - quod erat demonstrandum: Chapter 5
Summary: Rin woke up with no memory. Not of where she was, nor who she used to be. Trapped in the Sakamaki mansion, the real threat isn’t their fangs, but the visions that haunt her, revealing secrets long buried. And despite everything, she keeps falling into their traps. Not by accident, but by choice. As if she wants to see how far she can go… before something breaks.
CW: Cannon-typical violence; HDB Laito
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻Tag — It's Rigged༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
After a week, Rin had gotten used to many things — but she still couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
Not by vampires. Not even by the creatures they called familiars. It was the ghosts.
It seemed silly — even childish — for a girl like Rin to feel threatened by ghosts when far more concrete dangers lurked around her. But she couldn’t help it.
After stepping into that doll room, the feeling had worsened. Of course, it could all be in her head. After all, there were rumors that the mansion was haunted, and she was certain that those dolls had something to do with it. Ghosts — vengeful souls — weren’t far from her reality anymore.
So every time she saw a female figure drift through the corridors, she turned away, pretending not to see.
After all, her heart might painfully pound — but stressing over their stares wouldn’t change anything.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
"So you made me miss class to play... this?"
It was Tuesday — just a week before midterms. Rin didn’t even know if she’d rank well — not just because of her missing memory, but because she had just transferred to Ryoutei.
And there she was: skipping class.
She'd missed the limousine because of the shady hat guy, who'd intercepted her in the hallway less than five minutes before departure. Now he was standing in front of her with a suspiciously playful smile.
"Don't make that face, Bitch-chan~!" Laito said as Rin glared at the pool table.
The game room was on the first floor, in the opposite wing from the one she usually stayed in. The rooms in that hallway seemed rarely used, and judging by the architecture, Rin was certain there had to be something larger at the end of it. What exactly, she couldn't say — the large windows overlooked the back patio, but the curtains were always drawn.
"We immortal creatures have plenty of free time. If we don't use these mundane ways of having fun, we'd end up bored." The vampire rolled one of the balls across the green fabric nonchalantly.
"Why not use that time and try getting decent grades?" She looked at him, annoyed.
"Boring... Besides, I was not even in the mood for classes today." He smirked. "Don't tell me... is that face because you don't know how to play, Bitch-chan? You should've told me sooner. I can teach you~."
The playful look in his jade-green eyes gave way to the usual wicked glow, which Rin had already expected to see. Laito was like that, unpredictable, but one could always expect ulterior motives in his movements.
Rin glanced around the room as discreetly as she could.
Even if she found a way out, he could easily catch her.
Then, like a flash, a fragment of a thought, something passed through her mind. The sensation was too sharp, too urgent to be dismissed as just a passing thought. Something told her not to let Laito get the white ball.
"Not that I don't know how to play..." She circled the table carefully — not looking directly at Laito, who watched her like a snake waiting for the right moment to strike — and stopped on the opposite side.
She casually picked up one of the cues resting on the table and the cue ball.
"I know you have to hit this ball with the cue and knock down the others."
Her body was tense, her heart was pounding, as she waited for something to happen.
Laito's eyes squinted slightly. And then he smirked.
"And by knowing just that, do you think you know how to play, Bitch-chan?~" He moved towards her, his fingers grazing the wooden edge of the table as he circled it. "Nfu~ I think I'll have to teach you a thing or two, then..."
She took a step back, nervously gripping the cue and the ball tightly in her hands. Still, she tried to maintain her position, her expression neutral.
"You know you don't need to come this way for that, right?"
Laito laughed, getting so close that the tip of the cue touched his chest. "Bitch-chan~... aren't you setting your expectations too high? It's just billiards." He gripped the cue — not pulling it away, but holding it like a challenge.
Rin could feel her heart trying to come out of her mouth. Her breathing was heavy, and the tension in the air felt different.
"...I have no expectations of you."
Unfortunately for her, Laito noticed the split second she hesitated.
Laito broke the wooden cue stick, the only barrier separating them.
He pushed her against the pool table, pinning down her wrists.
She immediately tried to free herself. "Let go of me, Laito!"
His eyes seemed to read her soul as a cruel smile appeared on his face.
"Still putting on this innocent facade even when everyone already knows that Bitch-chan is really a slut?"
"No!" She tried to kick him, but he held her leg.
Laito took his time opening the top buttons of her uniform shirt, revealing the marks in her skin - some already almost disappearing. His face took on an expression of arousal.
"Hey, tell me..." he licked the marks, his tongue sliding through her neck, making Rin shiver. "What was it like to feel that sharp pain of their fangs sinking into your skin as your life flowed out of your body?~" he groaned in her ear.
This time, she seemed to be losing strength; her body no longer responding the way she wanted. She felt her face burn with shame.
"You also showed them those lewd expressions like that? How dirty, Bitch-chan~" Laito's hand snaked up her thigh under her skirt.
Her skin seemed to burn wherever he touched.
She tried to push him once more, but her body didn't properly respond to her.
No…
Her body did respond to her.
The part of her that she didn't want to recognize.
"Don't worry…" he whispered. "I'll make sure it hurts a lot more."
Laito brushed his fangs against her skin, letting the sharp tips graze her slowly.
"So show me, Bitch-chan… All the expressions you make when you cry.
Then his fangs sank in hard on her collarbone, making her scream. Her mind became a blur.
Her heart hurt like his fangs were piercing straight through it.
She couldn't even register the moment Laito hesitated when he tasted her blood.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
The fact that Laito decided to suck her blood until she passed out could only have been some kind of merciful divine intervention.
It might seem extremely contradictory given the circumstances. But if she hadn't completely blacked out and only woken up a few hours before class time the next day, she was sure she would have heard a harsh scolding. That very night, Reiji himself made a point of going to find her in her room. He "gently" reminded her that her poor performance in the tests would be unacceptable and that, as a member of the family, she shouldn't tarnish the Sakamaki name.
Funny how she was conveniently part of the family at these times.
Rin was heading to the library. She would take advantage of the little peace she usually had during break time to pick up some books on the subjects she had yet to master, so she could at least try to revise later at home.
If she strategically positioned herself in the house, perhaps in the living room if Shuu was napping in there or even within sight of Reiji, she could avoid the triplets from bothering her. Maybe she would try this.
"Look who's coming..."
Rin looked at the girl who stopped in front of her and sighed tiredly. That was Hana Sato — a girl who seemed to have made it her life's mission to make Rin's life a living hell. A shame for her, as there were already six people in line for this. At best, Hana was a mild inconvenience.
Rin nonchalantly walked past the girl with long black hair, without answering, but Hana grabbed her arm.
"Where do you think you're going, Yamada?!" Hana hated being ignored.
"A place you'll never have enough status to go to..." She teased. The girl's face contorted with envy before Rin added: "The library."
Hana dug her well-manicured nails into Rin's arm. Still, Rin didn't wipe the sarcastic smile off her face. "What are you insinuating?"
Rin shrugged and didn't respond.
This was her life now — vampires and high school drama.
If only she could get rid of at least one of those.
That was when she noticed someone walking down the hallway toward them.
Kanato.
Judging by the look on his face, he was already in a bad mood.
That could be useful.
"Kanato!" she called.
Hana’s eyes widened instantly, and she stepped back, releasing Rin’s arm.
“Did something happen?” Rin asked.
Kanato looked at her with empty eyes. Then they suddenly filled with tears.
"I forgot my snacks at home..." He replied, sobbing softly.
And Hana seemed to sympathize.
"I have some, Kanato!" she said quickly, stepping forward.
The boy slowly turned toward her.
The tears were still there.
But the look in his eyes was terrifying.
"Who do you think you are to talk to me?"
The girl flinched, mumbling something incoherent before quickly retreating down the hallway.
Rin watched her go.
Honestly, Hana wouldn't last five minutes in the mansion. She'd probably die of a heart attack before any vampire even got the chance for a taste test.
"Want me to go buy you something?" Rin quickly asked once Hana disappeared around the corner. "You like the ones from the vending machine on the ground floor, don't you?"
Kanato sniffed quietly, his expression softening just a little.
"Yes."
"I'll be right back."
And with that, she hurried down the corridor.
Whatever Rin might be, she knew very well how much Kanato's mood worsened — if that could even be possible — without his sweets, and she wouldn't want to risk another second of putting her well-being at risk because of such a small thing.
Luckily, Kanato seemed to like some of the sweets that the vending machine near the entrance used to sell.
With packages stuffed into the pockets of her blazer, her cardigan, and her skirt — and more in her hands — she began to head toward Kanato.
"Oi, Pancake! Why are you looking like that?" Ayato's laughter came from the top of the staircase. "What do you have in those pockets to make it look like you robbed a convenience store?"
She couldn't even argue with that one. She did look like she’d just robbed a convenience store, with all her pockets stuffed to the brim.
"Kanato forgot his snacks at home, so I went and bought him some." She showed him the ones in her hands.
He smirked. "Doing favors for Kanato, huh?" He teased, jumping down the stairs.
"Ha! No. I just have some brains. His mood sours when he doesn't have sugar in him."
"So what you trying to do?" He mocked. “Protect yourself from that hysteric?”
Rin rolled her eyes. For a moment, they looked like normal classmates — just two students teasing each other.
But something shifted. The air felt heavier.
Ayato suddenly shoved her against the wall, her back slamming harshly into the cold surface.
"You belong to Yours Truly.” His face was way too close to hers. “So don't be doing things for others without my permission."
"Since when...?" The words slipped out of her mouth.
Was it due to tiredness or just her tendency to be reckless around him?
"HUH?! What did you say?!" Ayato's expression darkened.
Before anything else could happen, a cold voice cut through the tension:
"Ayato... What are you doing?" Kanato’s stare was as sharp as his words. Rin was not really thrilled to be "saved" by him. "She doesn't seem to like that."
Ayato slowly turned his head toward him. "Got any complaints? Too bad!" Childishly taunted.
And with that, Kanato's eyes turned watery. Rin and Ayato were both frozen in place as if the lilac-haired boy was a ticking time bomb - he kinda was, to be fair.
Kanato started sobbing loudly, like a child whose candy had just been snatched away at the playground.
"Fuck! You killed the mood!" Ayato stepped back, irritated. "I don't want to see a guy's crying face! Especially not yours! Stop being such a baby!"
As Kanato continued to sob, Ayato just turned and stormed off, muttering under his breath. Rin was amused.
"...Thank you..." Rin looked at the boy's teary face. She had absolutely no idea what to do next.
Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the crying stopped.
His face fell back to that vacant stare, as if nothing had happened.
"Don't misunderstand," he said flatly. "It was obviously fake."
Rin blinked.
Now she was impressed. Crying, like that, on cue was impressive even for professional actors.
"I take my eyes off you for a bit, and you're already throwing yourself at Ayato." He glared at her.
"I didn't—" she started, before stopping herself. Was it even worth denying it?
"It's fine. I already understand." His expression remained blank. "Women are all the same."
He held out his hand.
"Give me my things."
Rin emptied her pockets one by one without hesitation. It was easier to comply quickly than to risk upsetting him.
Soon, Kanato was holding a small mountain of candy in his arms.
Without another word, he turned and walked back toward his classroom.
That interaction would definitely make it onto Rin's list of the weirdest encounters she'd had with the brothers.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Confusion was already a common feeling for Rin at this point, but nothing could compare to the confusion and slight panic she felt upon waking in complete darkness with someone's arms wrapped around her as if she were a pillow.
She stirred, trying to break free.
Ayato's hoarse voice grumbled behind her:
"Quit moving..." He buried his face in her back, still half-asleep.
Realizing who it was, Rin stiffened and struggled harder, her foot slamming against the walls of what she thought was a coffin.
The loud metallic noise echoed inside the tight space. Ayato jolted awake.
"The hell you doing?!" He snapped, tightening his arms around her. "Stop trashing around! It's cramped enough in here!"
"Would you, please, explain what this is supposed to be, Ayato?" Rin asked, irritation sharp in her voice. Yet she tried to stay calm.
Her last memory was of studying in her room after getting home. She must have dozed off at some point…
"This? Hehe... We're inside my custom-made iron maiden."
"Iron maiden…?" Rin repeated slowly, just to make sure.
"Yeah, you idiot. Iron maiden." His voice carried a strange pride. "Don't know? The torture device from the medieval era. The person inside would be pierced by countless spikes until they died."
He sounded almost pleased saying it.
"Too bad for you, this one doesn’t have the spikes." He laughed. "Probably."
"And why am I here?"
“Isn’t it obvious?” His tone turned mocking. “Because you know who you belong to, so you came crawling here, desperate for my attention.”
Rin immediately started kicking again. "Liar!"
Her foot struck the metal wall.
Then his leg.
“OW! You bitch!” Ayato hissed. “Fine! Fine! It was a joke, idiot!” He tried to hold her in place.
She kept struggling angrily.
“Damn it, stop already!” he growled. “Fuck! This thing’s tight enough as it is!”
With an annoyed grunt, Ayato shoved the lid open, and he climbed out.
Rin immediately tried to follow right after — but the lid slammed shut.
“AYATO!”
From above came the sound of his laughter as he sat on top of the lid.
“So?” he called. “How does it feel being locked inside a torture device? Who knows how many people died in this thing, huh?”
She paused — and for the first time since being trapped, she felt at ease. He wasn’t holding her anymore, though for a moment she could still feel the ghost of his arms around her waist.
Rin’s voice came from inside after a moment.
"...It's actually pretty cool..." She said, keeping her tone deliberately flat
Ayato slammed his fist against the metal.
"Stop acting tough!"
Inside, she rolled her eyes and sighed.
She sank back against the soft blanket. It was surprisingly cozy. Besides, if it were a custom coffin, it was probably just a replica.
Also, struggling would only prolong this nonsense. She was fine where she was for now.
Outside, footsteps paced back and forth.
One minute passed.
Then another.
Suddenly—
Ayato punched the metal.
"Hey!" he snapped. "Did you die in there or something!?"
"Not yet. " Rin replied flatly.
The lid flew open.
Ayato glared down at her, who calmly finished cleaning her glasses.
"Hi." She greeted.
His eyes twitched. "HI?! You really want me to hurt you, don't you?!"
She climbed out, patting imaginary dust from her clothes.
"I'm tired now. It's still early, and we still have school. Can I go?"
He stopped. His eyes were burning with rage.
Then his face twisted into that cruel grin that meant he had just gotten an idea.
Rin froze.
What had she just done?
That was the limit. She had definitely reached it.
Not good.
"Go. Run." He said, getting close to her. "Maybe now you get lucky again, and someone comes to save you." He mocked.
She took a step back. He followed.
Another.
“But if I catch you…” He said with a grin. “…I’ll kill you.”
She turned and sprinted through the mansion’s hallways.
Without looking where she was going, Rin ran.
The corridors turned into a meaningless blur as she vowed to herself that she wouldn't go into any rooms.
There was no way out this time.
She saw him everywhere.
On the stairs. At the end of the corridor. Blocking her path.
Even though she knew she was only delaying the inevitable, she kept going. Her heart pounded, and her breath struggled to keep pace with her feet.
Ayato’s laughter echoed through the mansion. To him, it was just a game.
She had truly crossed the line by testing him this time. Would this be her end?
Rin prayed to the heavens that this game would tire him enough to let her live.
He was chasing her for fun. If he wanted to, he would have already caught her.
Her legs burned with every step — muscles screaming, lungs on fire.
She was sure she was hallucinating as her vision flickered, and for a second, she saw cracks spider-webbing across the walls.
The hallway stretched on. Endless. Suffocating.
Everything looked the same.
She had no idea where she was anymore.
How long had she been running? Minutes? Hours?
Time had stopped making sense.
Her breath hitched, and she gasped, collapsing against the wall, knees trembling.
She closed her eyes.
It was the end.
But she heard nothing.
No footsteps. No laughter.
Ayato was nowhere to be found.
When she opened her eyes, she realized she was in the entry hall.
How did she get there? It didn't make any sense.
But she couldn't think about that now. She had to focus. Ayato couldn't find her anytime soon.
She decided to head to the second floor. Anything to avoid the underground.
She dragged herself a few steps, her breath still catching, when she tripped over something on the floor, nearly falling if she hadn't caught herself against the pillar.
"...That hurt." The voice came from below — flat, almost bored. As if being stepped on was merely an inconvenience.
Shuu was simply lying stretched out on the floor. Rin had stepped on him. That was what made her trip.
"I had just fallen asleep... You're cruel." He didn't move.
“What… Why are you—” Rin sighed. It was no use. She had no energy for this.
"You're all red and sweaty... Been doing something? Pervert."
She couldn't believe she had to entertain Shuu now.
"It's not that, okay? I was running."
"...Running?" His eyes lazily drifted in the direction from which she had come.
She followed his gaze — curious.
And before she knew it, with surprising speed for someone so slow, Shuu grabbed her wrist, pulling her to the ground.
Her body tensed up. He was now on top of her, her wrists pinned above her head.
"What are you doing?" Her eyes widened, and her heart was back to racing. "Get off me!"
"Heh... You must have run a lot." He smirked, getting close to her face. She could feel his cold breath grazing her cheek. "Your breathing is still heavy... I can hear your heart pounding from here."
"Let me go..." Her voice came out weaker than she intended. Exhaustion was already winning.
"Look at you..." He murmured lazily. "Pretending to hate this when even your hips are trembling... Lewd woman."
"I’m not! That’s not what this is!" She snapped.
Rin turned her face away, trying to avoid his gaze.
One of the female figures she had been seeing appeared, rushed past them, this time, too close, and vanished like dust before even reaching the corner.
And then she heard the sound of bells.
Shuu froze, his grip on her wrist tightening slightly. Had he heard it too?
"You heard. " Rin whispered.
"What?"
"Bells."
"There aren't any bells around here."
Silence settled between them.
And it lasted a little longer than it should have.
"You're hearing things." He said, at last, loosening his grip.
"I'm not." She was firm in her response.
"Humans start imagining things when they push themselves too hard." There was a faint edge in his voice now. That was unusual.
"...You see them too?" She asked.
This time, Shuu seemed to freeze for a split second.
"No."
The air between them grew heavy.
For a brief moment, Shuu looked… lost.
"Pancake! Where did you go...?! Oi! Shuu! What you doing?!"
Ayato had found them.
Rin's blood ran cold. That tight feeling piercing her chest was back.
"...How troublesome. " Shuu murmured, clearly displeased to be dragged into this.
As Ayato's footsteps grew closer, he finally released her wrist.
Then he simply dropped back onto the wooden floor and closed his eyes, as if returning to sleep.
But Ayato had already seen it.
And he was furious.
"That's my prey! Don't touch it!"
Shuu didn't respond.
Rin remained seated on the floor, barely moving. The last thing she wanted was to attract more attention to herself.
"Are you listening?! Shuu!"
"So noisy..." Shuu murmured.
"You bastard!" Ayato growled. "You know what? Let's play darts!"
Rin looked up at Ayato, whose glare was now fixed on his older brother.
It was a challenge. Not because of her.
Something much deeper lurked behind his eyes that felt like poison.
She was just collateral damage.
Chapter 5 before Mukami headcanons? Yeah, blame Ruki for that. I'm not very confident in this one but if I keep editing it I'm going to go crazy.
- ivy
I think I finally figured out Rin's full design
Q.E.D. - quod erat demonstrandum: Chapter 4
Summary: Rin woke up with no memory. Not of where she was, nor who she used to be. Trapped in the Sakamaki mansion, the real threat isn’t their fangs, but the visions that haunt her, revealing secrets long buried. And despite everything, she keeps falling into their traps. Not by accident, but by choice. As if she wants to see how far she can go… before something breaks.
CW: Canon-typical violence
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻Dollhouse Confessions༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
The last one to be called for dinner was the wall-puncher himself, Subaru.
The cold corridor was quiet, as all of the other brothers were already out of their rooms, hopefully gathered in the dining room. Rin knocked on the door of one of the rooms nearest to the start of that hallway. Subaru's room was the second, wedged between Reiji, who had the very first room, and Kanato.
No response came, not even after a moment. She knocked again, harder.
"Subaru! Reiji is calling you for dinner!"
Silence was her only answer. Yet she was certain he was inside.
"I'm coming in." She announced, opening the door.
Entering someone else's room without permission would certainly break about five hundred rules of basic etiquette, and he would be furious to have her invade his privacy. But he was the last brother to be summoned, and Rin would only pass on the message and then be right back to have dinner.
The first thing she noticed when she stepped in was the absence of a bed. Instead, a simple coffin stood in the middle of the room.
Was that a vampire thing?
She hadn't seen any of the boys' rooms before, as they were on the opposite side of the manor from her own, so she wasn't sure about that. It did have a couch and an armchair, yet everything was... way too simple compared to the rest of the manor.
"Are you there?" She knocked on the coffin. "Come out already! Reiji is gonna be mad if you don't hurry. "
No response.
She kicked it, but the silence remained.
Rin suspected he was holed up inside the coffin, though she wasn't entirely sure. The youngest vampire was a complete antisocial, but she didn't blame him for that, considering his older siblings.
As a last resort, she gripped the oak lid and tried to lift it. It just wouldn't budge.
"Is this made of stone or what?! Why is this thing so heavy?" She tried again. Still nothing.
She kicked the wood, frustrated. Giving up on lifting the lid, she turned to leave. At least she could deal with the consequences of this decision later, with a full stomach.
"You know what? I'm not doing this. I'm going to dinner. I'm starviーー!"
Before she could take a step, a firm grip caught her wrist, yanking her back. Rin closed her eyes, bracing for the impact on the hard floor, but instead she landed on something soft.
When she opened her eyes, it was dark.
"Great..." She murmured, trying to move, but somehow it was way too cramped.
"Don't move." The hoarse voice said in her ear.
She jumped, startled.
"OUCH!" She'd hit her head on something hard. "Subaru?! Is this... Is this your coffin?!" She was astounded. Why did he do this?
"Of course, dumbass, what else did you think?" He chuckled.
Before Rin could come back with a response, probably with something witty, she felt something cold, soft, and wet slide across her ear.
"What is with all of you guys and licking me?!" She squealed, squirming in the limited space.
"Didn't I tell you to stay still? Stop moving." A cold hand gripped her arm.
"Subaru! What are you doing? Let's just, please, get out of this corpse box?! It's really cramped in here!" She complained.
"Don't call my coffin a corpse box! And don't lean against me. You're heavy."
She was very much offended. The guy who smashed walls and threw people around like ragdolls, calling her heavy was a stretch.
"There's barely enough space for the two of us here without touching. I'm going to lean on you eventually."
He was the one who pulled her inside with him, and now he was complaining about the two of them being glued? She could feel his ice-cold body pressed against her back, but wasn't complaining even if she didn't want to be there.
"Whatever. I wanna sleep some more. And if you move... I'll bite you."
The threat made her body tense up. The wound on her neck, where Ayato had bitten her before, started to feel uncomfortable again.
He was still one of them after all.
And unlike Reiji or Shuu, he hadn't shown any disinterest in her blood. She was the one who'd assumed that.
His laugh felt like a knife in her brain: cold, sharp, dangerous. Suddenly, she was hyper-aware of her position.
"Are you scared?" He scoffed. "Why did you come into my room, then?"
"Reiji sent me to call you for dinner." She replied, her voice meeker than before.
"Why would I go there when my meal is right here?" Rin could feel the cruel smirk in his voice.
"Stop it." She warned, even if she had no power to do it.
She felt his face drawing closer to her neck. Way too close.
His hand traced her skin, as if searching for the perfect spot, until his fingers stumbled upon the bite marks. She flinched.
"Is this..."
Subaru pulled her collar aside to see the two punctures at the base of her neck, fang marks. Ayato's fang marks.
The silence that followed was heavy. Without seeing anything, Rin couldn't read his expression. She didn't have a clue what could be on his mind.
"Tch, that guy..." his voice was darker now, irritated.
"Subaru——"
"Shut up." He barked.
Without warning, his fangs pierced her skin, right beside the old mark.
Rin had to clamp a hand over her mouth, stifling whatever sound could escape, a moan, a scream, she didn't want to know which.
That sharp sting. That burning heat on her skin... and that something again, curling low in her stomach.
But it didn't last.
Just as quickly as it started, Subaru pulled back, the coffin lid creaking open as he got out.
"Didn't you want to get out? Scram. Out of here."
The pain might be messing with her head, but his face seemed to be in shock. Confused even.
"Is something wro——"
He punched a hole in the wall. "I SAID TO GET THE FUCK OUT!"
She blinked. Not scared. Just confused. Still, she got out of the coffin and headed for the door.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Kanato was the weirdest of all the brothers. Just looking at him sent chills down Rin's spine.
The boy looked like a ghost wandering the mansion's halls — talking to the teddy bear in his arms, giggling at nothing. He wasn't like the others, whose behaviors were an attempt to frighten her.
He could look like a doll, carry a teddy bear around, and seem fragile, but he definitely wasn't harmless.
The boy with lilac hair and vacant eyes was insane. Living in his own world.
During dinner that day, Rin saw a little more of his behavior. And it disturbed her almost as much as Laito's.
Seated at one end of the table, Kanato wasn't eating the same meal as everyone else — not the salad, not the pea soup, not the tomato stuffed with goat cheese, not the sole meunière, not the filet mignon with bordelaise sauce…
Instead, his plate was full of sweets, which made her wonder how Reiji, as strict as he was, allowed such a thing.
She even felt offended. Reiji could be an arrogant asshole, but his food was divine. So much so that she tried to ignore the tension in the room just to savor every single bite.
But even if she tried her hardest, she couldn’t last long — because Kanato and his creepy giggles wouldn’t stop.
She heard him whisper to the doll, which he called Teddy, in the gentlest voice she'd ever heard him use, if the stuffed bear wanted to have some cookies.
Curious as ever, she glanced his way.
He picked up the fork and innocently tried to spear a cookie. It broke.
He stared for a second... Then tried again, with one of the broken halves. That broke too. And then, he smiled.
Not a happy smile. Not a twisted one.
Just... maniacal.
He began stabbing the sweets on his plate, laughing now, loudly. His voice was climbing to a higher pitch, scratching her brain like chalk on a blackboard.
It was like he was stabbing... a person.
The thought made Rin freeze. Of course, it's just paranoia... right?
Shuu, annoyed by Kanato’s laughter, the dinner itself — and probably the fact he wasn’t sleeping right now — pushed back his chair without touching his food.
Muttering under his breath, complaining about how much of a hassle it all was, he stood… and simply left.
Reiji's face turned sour, and he, once again, used this as an opportunity to call the blond brother "useless and spoiled".
And with that, dinner was over.
Just as the girl was about to leave for her room, Kanato approached her.
"Rin."
That was a first. No one in that house had ever called her by her name — until now.
It was always those ridiculous nicknames — “Pancake,” “Bitch-chan,” or just “you there” — but never “Rin.”
Yet, she somehow felt more connected to those offensive names than to her own.
It was almost paradoxical.
"Please, come with me."
She followed the boy through the hallways. Not as if she had a choice. Declining his request — or accepting it — both felt dangerous. And no one in the house cared enough to help her out of it.
Kanato was the shortest of them all — sometimes even shorter than Rin, depending on her shoes. She had a habit of wearing thick-soled ones, which added just enough height to make her tower over him... even though he was technically taller.
Yet it didn’t make her any less afraid of the middle child of the Sakamaki family. If she was scared of his twins, at least she could see some trace of sanity — something she could try to reason with — behind their eyes. Kanato had none. His eyes were vacant.
"Uh... Kanato... His name is Teddy, right?" She tried to break the silence, pointing to the doll in his arms.
"Yes." His cold response hit like a punch.
"He's cute." She tried again.
"Of course he is." It wasn't going anywhere.
Only the sound of their footsteps echoed as he led her to a part of the mansion she’d never seen — the underground floor.
They delved deeper, walking through the stone corridor, scented with the faint, waxy perfume of the candles Kanato lit with just a flick of his fingers.
At the end of it, a heavy double door waited. He pushed it open — and they stepped inside the chamber.
At first glance, Rin thought the figures inside were mannequins.
"What is this?"
"Isn't it obvious? They are wax dolls." He replied, his husky voice getting that childish tone again.
Rin was creeped out — yet equally fascinated.
Some were posed in the main area, as if they were attending a ball, dressed in beautiful garments, frozen in elegant postures. But what caught her eye were the brides. Dozens of them, lined near the walls, with intricate white dresses in the most breathtaking designs, standing beautifully, like waiting for a groom that would never come.
There was something hauntingly beautiful in the artistic melancholy that Rin couldn't help but feel hypnotized by. It was poetic.
But as she got close to one of them — admiring the work, amazed — she felt off. It was... eerie. The faces were way too real.
Kanato giggled behind her. "This is my favorite place. Teddy also likes to come here. What do you think? Isn't it wonderful?"
"Yeah..." Her voice nearly betrayed her. It couldn't possibly be…
He approached her. "What's wrong? Don't you like it here? You don't seem happy."
"I do like it. It's just that... the eyes..." She was still trying to understand what could be so wrong with those figures — other than…
"If you mean they look like their souls have been ripped out, Teddy isn't that different from them."
"Souls?" Her body stiffened. The cold air in the chamber grew even colder.
He giggled — that innocent, chilling giggle. "By the way, Rin... Don't you want to become one of them? I could turn you into such a beautiful doll."
She turned abruptly — Kanato was too close, that maniacal grin once again plastered across his face, his eyes now glistening with excitement.
“I wonder how pretty you’d look as a silent, motionless corpse. I’d make you such a beautiful display.” Kanato reached out to touch her — but she jumped out of his reach.
"No way!" And so she made another mistake.
Kanato grabbed her wrist — with more force than he seemed to possess — and slammed her against the nearest wall. Her body hit the stone with a sickening thud.
Rin screamed. The broken sound echoed through the walls.
"Why are you scared?" He laughed, his tongue tracing the line of her jaw as he tasted her skin, just like he had on the first day. "I wonder why faces contorted in fear turn me on so much."
She trembled, her jaw tightening and her heart racing. She felt claustrophobic in that gigantic room. Dying wasn't even the worst of it. What scared her was that she wasn't even sure what Kanato could do.
"I'll sew up that noisy mouth of yours with tidy stitches and give you glass bead eyes... What color should I use?" He pondered, whispering in her ear — not really speaking to her. "You could also be friends with Teddy. It would only be a win-win situation for you."
"I'm not becoming a doll!" She screamed, trying to push him, but it only made his grip tighter. He wasn't listening. Not a word.
"And that skin of yours... I would make it smooth like porcelain." his cold fingers traced her cheek, his touch soft, while he happily analyzed her frightened face. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to suck every single drop of your blood."
He sank his fangs into her neck. The sharp sting making her quiver.
And even though Rin expected the burning sensation, the pain, the feverish heat — none of it came. Instead, dizziness hit her. She blinked hard.
Bells rang somewhere, the sound piercing her brain like needles. The candlelight illuminating the room grew stronger — blinding. White. Very white. Blue. It hurt. The light hurt. The sound hurt. Even the strong smell of coffee and incense — mixing in ways both familiar and utterly foreign — hurt.
And then everything exploded into thousands of fragments of images that fell around her, swirling around, pulling her into the church.
She was kneeling, hands clasped.
In his prayer, the priest spoke of the path, the choice, the divine purpose. And sin. And then he called her by name. More than one. All at the same time.
Sinner. Error. Waste. Curse.
"Crying won't do anything for you," a chorus of voices said.
Then came the laughter.
She knew exactly who each voice belonged to. Some hurt. Others comforted.
The organ should have started playing then. It always did. She had heard it several times before.
But it didn’t.
She was back in the underground chamber.
She woke on the cold floor, her body weak and trembling.
While she was off — unconscious? in a trance? — something had happened. Kanato vanished and left her there alone, thrown like a rag doll.
At least he seemed to have given up — for now — on the idea of turning her into a doll. Or so she hoped.
Her eyes fell on one of the figures before her. Would this be her end someday? Turned into a doll in this chamber — for eternity? If she kept making reckless choices… perhaps.
If so... she’d want glittery, bright golden eyes.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
The hallway where her room was located was usually empty — as far as she knew. No one went to that side of the mansion unless they meant to torment her.
So she was caught off guard when she saw one of the doors at the end of the hallway slightly ajar — light spilling out, the scent of tea drifting out.
Rin approached carefully, trying not to draw attention to herself, and peeked inside.
The room resembled an office — potted plants neatly arranged in one corner, bookshelves overflowing with books, and lab glassware on the desk. The rich scent of tea grew stronger with every passing second. She heard the clink of metal against porcelain from somewhere out of sight — and a whisper, too quiet to make out… at first.
The voice that followed, however, left no room for doubt.
"…How about rather than hiding, you show yourself?” Reiji's voice was like thunder.
Rin had no other choice. She entered the room, just caught red-handed snooping around. Reiji sat in an armchair, posture flawless — as if he were a king of some kind, his gaze piercing. He was displeased with something — managing that house, literally anything could be displeasing. The younger brothers were chaos incarnate.
"Good grief. If I were like any of my brothers, you would have been captured and devoured by now." He adjusted his glasses with his right hand — the one that was always gloved for some reason. She could also be a source of his annoyance, but that wouldn't be on purpose. “Pacing around me like a little pest... On your knees. Sit down over here, before I decide otherwise."
Rin was... confused, to say the least. "On the floor?"
"Yes. On the floor, in front of me. Now." There was no hint of mockery in his tone. It was an order.
She walked over and sat on her heels, knees pressing against the polished wood. It was uncomfortable, but at least she had the flexibility — otherwise, it would have been way worse. From that position, she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.
“I shall not allow you to move your legs until I give you permission." He said it nonchalantly — as if ordering a servant.
"Excuse me?" She protested. "What kind of game is this?"
"You're lacking in the most basic manners. Consider this... step one for you to become a proper lady." He reached for the teacup resting on the side table. "Well then, I shall continue enjoying my tea time."
Rin was stunned. Was she supposed to just... stay there? She stared at the vampire. Her eyes were fixed on him as he just peacefully enjoyed his cup of tea. She didn't say anything. She just stared. Her face had that almost completely blank expression.
"How long do I have to stay like this?" She finally asked.
“How long do you have to keep sitting like that...." He pondered, tilting his head slightly. "Until I am tired of it, I suppose."
She felt her blood boil. Her legs were already going numb. Rin moved a little, and Reiji's eyes glistened behind the glasses.
He chuckled. "Have your legs gone numb, already? It does look rather painful." Was he doing that just to get off on it?! "However, my mood has greatly improved. I doubt I will get sick of this any time soon...” He was just... watching her. She felt chills run through her skin, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"A cup of tea always helps me relax…" A faint smirk curled his lips. "You would agree, wouldn’t you?”
Rin held back her words. He had not offered her any tea — and he knew that. If this were a game, she refused to lose.
"Oh dear, you look rather displeased..." He scoffed at her. "If there is something on your mind, please do not hesitate to tell me."
"Nothing." She replied stiffly.
"I see." He calmly stated. "How unfortunate. If you'd like, I was considering pouring you a cup of tea as well.
She hesitated for a second.
"...May I?"
"Of course." There it was. The politeness. He got up from his seat.
Reiji was elegant, his hair always in place, clothes aligned. She studied what she could of his hands moving while making the tea. They were big compared to hers. It was one of the only things on him that wasn't perfectly polished. She could see some marks of the endless work he did.
"I prepared a special blend for you. Take a sip." He handed the steaming cup into her hands. "Slowly. It is still hot, so please be careful."
Rin studied the cup. Nothing seemed unusual. Yet, the plants, the laboratory equipment, his unwavering gaze... She just knew.
Yet, right now, she refused to cower.
She lifted the porcelain to her lips and sipped the liquid. It was hot, slightly sweet. Not bad at all.
But before she could swallow it, her mouth went numb.
She couldn't help but throw the teacup on the floor, shattering it.
"Is it not to your liking?" Reiji stood beside the girl, towering over her, who was still kneeling.
"Poison." She muttered, as if it just confirmed her suspicions.
"Didn't I tell you earlier? It’s a tea I brewed especiallyfor you." His expression turned into something cruel.
Rin got up, stumbling with her legs recovering from the numbness.
"Did I give you permission?" He squinted his eyes. "Get back down on your knees and clean it. Lapping up the spilled tea should be your priority."
She stared at him again. His face had a grin of someone who was enjoying humiliating her. Yet she wasn't as affected as he expected. She took out of the pocket of her cardigan, her handkerchief - that she started to walk with, in case she needed to clean blood - and knelt back, cleaning the mess with it.
“Looking at you kneeling on the floor like that fits you well.” He scoffed.
"Why did you do it? It's going to stain the floor..." She muttered.
Reiji was annoyed. "I had just finished the development of a new drug. It needed testing." He fixed his glasses again. "Furthermore…You did not truly believe that I would pour a cup of tea for you, did you?"
"No, I didn't." She stood back up, calmly. In reality, the moment he offered, she knew he would tamper with it. If it was observation or intuition, that was past her.
“I did not expect someone so foolish as to walk directly into a trap without reason.” His voice lowered. “Someone like you has little value in remaining alive.”
“Perhaps.” She flexed her fingers slightly. “My hands are starting to go numb as well. May I wash the handkerchief?”
“...Leave my sight.”
She nodded and exited quickly.
Somehow, she could not resist testing Reiji. Was it curiosity? Defiance? A need to prove something?
If she continued pushing him, she would eventually find his limit.
And that would not end well.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Hours later, her hands were still a little numb from touching the poison for so long. Even though she'd washed them thoroughly, the poison seemed to be quite strong. She was curious about what could have happened if she had swallowed it. Unfortunately, she couldn't ask Reiji.
It was already time for her to go to bed, to finally get some rest. The sound of the water running into the bathtub was calming while she rummaged through the bathroom cabinet. They had some fancy stuff lying around there. For today, she decided to test a bath bomb. It was something she found oddly fascinating.
As she debated between the vanilla and lavender bath bombs, a faint sound of music cut through the air. It was the sound of music blasting through headphones — so loud that anyone wearing them risked going deaf.
She sighed. Not now.
She turned around to see Shuu, the lazy brother, peacefully lying in the bathtub. Fully clothed, headphones and all, everything was soaked in the water.
"What are you even doing?" She was not amused. She just wanted to take a bath. Now she had a soaked vampire sleeping in her bathtub.
Shuu didn't answer. His heavy breathing indicated that he was asleep... as always. He slowly started to slip, now slipping fully underwater.
"Not in my bathtub!" She grabbed his arm, pulling him. If that guy wanted to drown himself, he could do it anywhere else. "Wake up!"
He didn't move.
"Wake up, Shuu!" She shook him.
"Are you a gatekeeper from hell?" His sapphire eyes lazily opened, as if he hadn’t just been about to inhale half the bathtub.
"I can be if you don't get out of my bathtub." She replied.
He smirked. "You look like a demon right now."
"Because you are in my bathtub!" She gestured at him.
"Heh... Pervert. What are you looking at?" He said, just as her eyes briefly passed over him. She didn't even mean to.
"You are fully clothed." She replied. "And why would I want to look at you?"
"Then why are you here?"
"I should be the one asking that!"
"My bathtub is empty." He simply stated.
"Have you tried to, I don't know, fill it?" She pinched the bridge of her nose.
She couldn’t help but blurt out, at the same time as him: "Too much of a hassle."
His eyes widened for a split second.
"Get out." Her voice was sharp, almost sounding like an order. He tilted his head in curiosity.
"...You want me to get out?" He smirked — clearly enjoying her frustration.
"Obviously?!" The girl combed the short strands of her hair, tugging at it slightly, trying to stay composed — or as composed as she was right now.
"...Heh. Then will you pull me out?" His voice was low — almost seductive — contrasting with the absurdity of the request.
Shuu was way bigger than Rin. Even if he were human, he could easily carry her in his arms without a second thought. And yet, he was asking that girl to pull him out of the bathtub. And she knew he wouldn't lift a finger to make it easier for her.
"Can't you just get out yourself?!" She squealed. Why was she even arguing with this guy?
"Don't scream. It echoes." He complained. "And stop being so nosy. This is my business..."
She stared at the blond guy. Was he seriously trying to drown himself in the tub? He really did have zero will to live. She sighed, her voice getting softer.
"It would be troublesome for me to deal with a corpse in my bathroom, so please don't drown." She rolled her eyes. "And I need to take a bath now. It would take a goddamn lot of time to clean it if you die there."
He looked at her. A second too long.
"...Then you will pull me out?" He grinned.
"OH GOD!" She grabbed her hair in her fists, now getting it all messy.
"If you don't want to do it, just leave, then. You're bothersome." He closed his eyes.
"Fine! Give me your hand."
He lazily extended his arm. Rin gripped it — her small hands barely wrapping around his massive one. She pulled with all her strength, throwing her entire weight into it. He was heavy, but she managed to do it.
He didn’t even stay standing — collapsing against her, drenched and heavy, nearly making them both fall to the floor.
"Don’t just cling to me!" She squealed, trying to shove him off.
Her face turned red. The situation was getting more and more awkward by the second. Now she was stuck in the bathroom — soaked, and pinned under a guy the size of a refrigerator, his clothes soaked, just leaning on her with his full weight.
He laughed. "Why are you so flustered all of a sudden? Did you come to see me naked after all? Pervert."
"Get off of me." She asked once.
"So, what are you gonna do now? Are you gonna attack me?" He teased.
"No. I'm just going to let you fall." She moved, expecting to see him collapse. He didn’t. He stood. Like a proper person.
He laughed. A malicious grin curled his lips. "Well... Go ahead and soak in my leftover bath water while imagining me naked."
And he left, leaving a water trail behind him.
Rin screamed in frustration, emptying the bathtub.
Somehow, the image was stuck in her head — and even though it wasn’t exactly an unpleasant sight, it made her furious.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Rin stared at the hall. She was truly back.
The wax doll room was even more frightening now that she'd come back on her own. The empty glass eyes seemed to watch her. To judge her as an intruder. It was bizarre to think that being there with Kanato made the atmosphere a little more comfortable. But not enough.
Rin sat on the staircase at the back of the gallery, observing the figures. It was there that she'd had that vision — so returning here made sense... didn't it? There had to be some other clue...
The echo of her footsteps seemed louder than before, the air colder, heavier. The smell of candle wax lingered. Could this really be a memory? It seemed so distant to her — almost unreal.
But Subaru had mentioned the church before when she asked about her past. It couldn't be a lie, right?
Rin started drawing, in the small notebook she'd found among her things, everything she could recall: a cup of coffee, the silhouette in the stained-glass window, a vase of lilies, something like a cross between an amulet and a rosary... her cell phone.
She was there for a while. Pencil scratching paper, her heart racing, the doll's empty eyes observing in dead silence.
Until she was startled by footsteps. They were getting closer.
She got up and looked around, tucking the small notepad back into her pocket. Could it be Kanato? She held her breath.
It wouldn't be weird for Kanato to be there, after all, he was the one who introduced her to this place…
And that would be a problem.
A shadowy figure appeared in one of the darkest corners. She froze. She couldn't figure out the silhouette. It couldn't be any of the triplets. She could only tell it was a tall man — nothing more.
"Reiji?" She hoped.
The figure moved towards her.
The skin was pale. Eyes unblinking.
It was one of the wax figures. It shouldn't be moving.
Startled, she took a step back, but tripped on the last step of the stairs. The impact of her body on the floor made her head spin.
"Reiji?!" Ayato came from behind the wax figure. "Why did you call that four-eyes?!" He looked astounded. And mad.
She sighed, relieved to see the vampire. It was a prank after all. Even if he was not happy with her reaction, it was better than... whatever that could be.
"...The height." She muttered, rubbing her hands. She didn't scratch them, but they still stung.
Ayato stopped and looked at her with a dumbfounded expression for a second. And then, he laughed.
He laughed hard for a while. So hard that he had to grab his stomach.
"That’s hilarious!" He was almost out of breath. "Do you really think this thing looks like that four-eyes? Do your eyes even have a use, or are those glasses just to make you look even dumber?"
She sat on the floor, just looking at the guy who didn’t stop laughing. "Is it really that funny? It's dark in here." She explained herself.
He grinned. "Is it?" He glanced towards the wax figures. "Are you afraid of the dark?"
"No." She replied, a little distracted by the dust in her legwarmers.
But then it hit her. Chills ran down her spine. She knew that he was plotting something.
However, she had an idea.
"Ayato," she got up, patting the dust out of her clothes, and smiled mischievously at him. "Do you want to try and make Takoyaki?"
He was taken aback — his mind completely changing its focus for a second.
"Are you trying to deceive Yours Truly?!" He snapped, clearly confused.
"No, I just thought that you liked it. Also, I never had it before." She stated, innocently.
"You never ate it before?!" he blurted, his voice echoing through the chamber. "The great Ayato-sama is going to introduce you to the best food in existence, so you better be grateful to cook for Yours Truly, Pancake!
He grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the mansion — not wasting a second.
Rin would now have a lot of work ahead of her. But at least she was learning to play the game… right?
No notes, just vibes. Now I can finally write some more headcanons. Thank you, takoyaki-san <3 (I'm craving takoyaki now, guess I'm going downtown this weekend to get some. :3).
- ivy
Q.E.D. - quod erat demonstrandum: Chapter 7
Summary: Rin woke up with no memory. Not of where she was, nor who she used to be.
Trapped in the Sakamaki mansion, the real threat isn’t their fangs, but the visions that haunt her, revealing secrets long buried.
And despite everything, she keeps falling into their traps. Not by accident, but by choice.
As if she wants to see how far she can go… before something breaks.
CW: Canon-typical violence; bullying
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻Calculated Risk༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
She opened her eyes, gasping, startled.
Her right cheek burned as if something had hit it.
Then she saw it.
Jade-green.
Too close.
Her breath caught.
And for a split second, her mind refused to catch up.
“So you’re finally awake, huh?”
Almost glued to her face, Ayato smiled.
“You are a heavy sleeper, aren’t you?” He pulled back from her face. Just enough for her to see — she wasn’t in that castle anymore.
It wasn’t her bedroom either.
Rin looked around. She was without her glasses, but even like that, she could still tell: The walls. The layout. The tables...
They were in the game room.
She wasn’t fond of the place.
“Ayato, what the hell is this?!”
She tried to move, but something held her in place, making a metallic sound.
Her wrists were firmly chained to the wall above her head, the cold metal pressing against her thin, already bruised skin, causing it to sting.
“Hehe, what a sight.” He took a few steps back.
“Get these off me!”
“Dumbass! Why would I?”
Ayato didn’t get far from her, but beyond arm’s length, things dissolved into blurred shapes. Now, she couldn’t make out anything more than his silhouette, his movements were quite unclear.
And worst of all, she couldn’t see his face.
“I took the time to put those on you ‘cause we’re gonna need them for the game.”
Her stomach twisted.
The chase from the day before was still fresh — the threat of death, his laughter, her body burning from the effort. Did he not get enough from that?
Or did losing the competition between the brothers make him more... desperate?
“What game?”
Rin could only see his bigger movements.
He raised his hand to eye level.
And as a response——
A thud.
She flinched — a second too late.
Something struck right beside her ear. A sting spread across her cheek.
“You will be my target, Pancake.”
Her eyes widened.
That was...
It was a dart.
“As expected of Yours Truly, I have perfect control of these.” He said casually.
Rin tugged hard at the chains, trying to yank them off, but only managed to hurt herself more.
“Why are you doing this?” Her voice trembled, but still sounded irritated.
She tried to focus, but his movements were still unclear.
“Why? Let’s see...”
Another thud.
This time, it scraped her arm.
“Because I want to see that terrified look on your face again.” He laughed.
Her heart hammered in her ears. She clenched her jaw and struggled once more against the chains. She wouldn’t give him that satisfaction so easily.
Ayato laughed, watching her worthless efforts.
“If you want me to let you go so badly, why not beg for your life?”
Rin stopped, caught off guard.
“What do you mean?”
He paced around the room, considering whether to tell her.
“You could try: ‘Please, Ayato-sama, suck my blood! Make me feel good with your fangs!’ Like that.”
Rin stopped — and stared at him.
Her irritation quickly outgrew the fear. The suggestion was as absurd as the situation itself.
She stood there, dumbfounded.
“...What?” A chuckle of disbelief escaped her mouth.
“What are you laughing at?! Do you think it’s funny?”
Another dart hit the board, barely missing her head, making her flinch.
Yes. She kind of thought that was funny, actually.
Make her feel good with his fangs?
This, after he’d dragged her out of bed and chained her to the dartboard to use her as a target?
Right. Of course.
Ayato was stuck in that phase.
“If you can’t do it, I’ll just shred your body with one of those!” He threatened.
Tied to the board, every wound on her skin — from the cuts to the bites — throbbed.
“Really?” she asked, her voice sounding unimpressed.
“... What?!”
“You like my blood, don’t you?” She was almost too calm. “Too many injuries will result in blood loss. With that, the lack of blood cells will make it taste bad.”
The words just slipped out of her mouth, one after the other, like someone explaining to a child that the moon wasn’t made of cheese.
“And if you kill me, you won’t ever get to taste it again.”
“...You bitch!”
She didn’t need glasses to tell he was fuming.
“Let’s see if you still talk like that with one of these in your heart!”
Ayato threw another dart. This time, aiming straight for her chest.
For a moment, Rin doubted her intuition.
She closed her eyes, bracing for the impact, for the pain.
But it didn’t come.
As her eyes opened, Ayato was right in front of her again, his face just a breath away.
In his hand, he held the dart, hovering above her chest, so close that half a second more and it would’ve hit her.
“You should be grateful for my generosity.” He said, his voice low.
Even if she knew it wouldn’t happen — that he wouldn’t kill her — her knees weakened.
But her body didn’t get the memo, apparently.
“That’s it! That expression of fear!” Ayato held her chin. “That’s what I wanted!”
Once again, she didn’t understand her own body’s reactions.
In her chest, her heart pounded painfully, as if the dart had pierced it after all.
Ayato leaned down and licked the blood that dripped from the cut on her cheek, his tongue dragging slowly along her skin. Rin struggled, trying to push him away, but he only pinned her down further.
The door to the game room creaked open, making him stop.
“Oh, my apologies. It seems I’m interrupting something.”
The insincerity of the apology was obvious, but Rin was relieved to hear that voice.
“Reiji...”
Ayato turned to see his brother standing next to the door. “Hey, you four-eyes! Don’t just barge in like that!”
Even though Ayato had pulled back, Rin only saw Reiji’s silhouette as he crossed the room.
“If you don't want to be interrupted, take this kind of activity to your room, as I’ve told you many times before.” Reiji said, his tone sharp as ever, even if the words sounded polite. “Although I hope this... game doesn’t make you late for class, I only came to pick up something.”
“That fucking four-eyes...” Ayato muttered, irritated.
“The next time I hear you call me four-eyes, I’ll make sure you don’t open that foul mouth of yours ever again.”
Rin saw Ayato’s body tensing up. She wondered what had happened before for him to react like that. But considering Reiji’s poison-filled lab…
“What’s the matter? Do not mind me. Continue as you please.”
The red-haired guy clicked his tongue. “...I’m not in the mood anymore.” Ayato stomped out of the room.
And just like that, she was left chained up to the dartboard, alone with Reiji.
She saw his blurred silhouette moving elegantly. Rin didn’t say a thing, waiting for him to address her first, and maybe she wouldn’t be punished. Even if she didn’t want to entertain Ayato to begin with.
In silence, Reiji finished whatever he was doing and finally approached her.
His eyes analyzed her from behind his glasses with cold precision.
She was way too aware of everything — arms chained above her head, disheveled pajamas, barefoot... Rin could feel the blood dripping down her skin from the cuts, the bite marks on her wrist opened again, and all the wounds throbbed. She looked far from what anyone would see as appropriate.
Looking like that under the judgmental gaze of Reiji Sakamaki made her want to disintegrate into thin air.
“What an eyesore.” He adjusted his glasses with the middle finger, his voice edging with annoyance. “You seem to have a problem with staying away from stirring trouble, don’t you?”
She looked away. Rin couldn’t deny it. Maybe she played a little bit of a part in how messy things always happened to turn out. But it wasn’t all her fault.
Reiji stepped closer. So close she could see the red and deep blue details in his irises, blending into the pink of his magenta eyes.
She froze.
And then...
The chains loosened around her wrists, releasing her.
“You may clean this mess.” He stepped away, fixing his glove with a displeased expression, as if he had touched something dirty. “I will deal with you later.”
He turned on his heel and headed toward the door.
Her body leaned on the wall, her back against the cold surface. Her mind could come up with a million ways he could decide to “deal with her”. None ended well.
“Also,” he stopped, looking back at her. “I will not tolerate you missing or showing up late for class once more. Do you understand?” If his stare could kill...
She straightened instinctively. “Yes...” It wasn’t of much use trying to put energy into saying that it wasn’t her fault.
With a final disapproving look, Reiji left the room, leaving Rin to clean the mess Ayato made.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Rin absolutely hated math. Just looking at all those numbers crammed together made her think that maybe being a vampire’s prey for the rest of her life wouldn’t be so bad after all — not if it meant never touching a math book ever again. It wasn’t that she was bad at it; She just hated it that much.
Unfortunately, following Ayato’s example, and just skipping class was not an option. She’d already gotten scolded by Reiji that day — she didn’t need to give him another reason to “deal with her.” On top of that, it was already Friday. Midterms started Monday.
She grunted in frustration. When she went to the teacher for some explanation earlier on some problems, he gave her a warning about her inattentiveness to the subject, pointing out mistakes she already knew she’d made. Rin was pissed to be called out like that by some single middle-aged man who still lived with his mom. She didn’t know if he actually did -- but that wasn’t the point. She was not in a good mood, but she stayed a little longer after class, trying to study before dragging herself back to the hell the Sakamaki manor was to anyone trying to be decent.
She was so focused that she only noticed someone else in the empty classroom when they were already towering over her, blocking the light.
“Yamada is so diligent, isn’t she? She even hurt her face, burying it in a book.”
She looked up. Hana Sato and two of her friends were laughing like it was the funniest thing they had heard all day. Rin took a deep breath.
“What do you want, Hana?”
“Me?” Hana tilted her head mockingly. “I’m just checking what the local freak is planning all alone in the classroom after hours.”
“If I’m a freak, you’re all cowards.” Rin pressed her fingers to her temples. “Do you think intimidating me will get you into the Sakamaki brothers’ beds?”
“W-what?!” The accusation made Hana turn red.
“If you’re that desperate, go find Laito. Just don’t panic too fast.” Rin said, as if giving directions. “But they don’t do dating, if you didn’t know.”
“You’re trying to mock me? Liar!” Hana screeched in pure denial.
“If I’m a liar, go ahead.” Rin turned back to her notebook, trying to ignore the group. “I don’t care.”
That was enough for Hana to lunge at Rin, grabbing her by the collar.
“You think you’re smart? You think you’re above everyone just because they keep you close? You’re nothing but a plaything!” Her grip tightened. “They’ll never see someone as low as you as anything more than that!”
Rin let out a low, dark chuckle. “How did you find out?”
The sarcasm made Hana’s eyes burn with rage, her face twisted, contorting in fury.
“Stop acting like you’re worth something!” Hana shoved Rin against the chair and backed away. “You’re nothing!”
“Are you done throwing a tantrum?” Rin adjusted her collar, rolling her eyes. “Instead of being obsessed with me, you should try studying and get a decent grade for once.”
Rin looked at Hana — With her pretty face, long black hair, and perfect skin, she’d be much better in Kanato’s wax doll room.
...What the hell was she thinking?
Hana was ready to lunge back at Rin, but her friends held her back.
“Hana, let’s go. Don’t you see she’s enjoying this?” One of her friends looked at Rin with disgust.
Hana hesitated, glaring, but finally gave in, letting her friends take her out of the room.
If Hana wanted so badly to be with one of the Sakamakis, Rin might help her... No, that wasn’t funny.
Rin was so stressed about everything that strange things were popping into her mind. It was better to just focus on the exams and stop whatever was going on in her head to avoid more trouble. She returned to the problems in her notebook, trying to focus, but once more, something took her concentration.
Rin almost cursed, thinking it could be Hana again, but she looked up instead, just to check. And she was glad she did it.
Standing there was Reiji. That was unusual, as not only did he belong to the grade above hers, which had classes on the floor above, but he didn't roam around the school without a motive.
“Do you need something?” She gulped.
His gaze was as sharp as when he found her in the game room — looking at her like she was a persistent stain on his favorite teacup.
“It appears that you are having problems with class and, therefore, received a warning from the teacher.” His eyes narrowed behind the glasses.
Rin tried to get herself out of that situation. “I wouldn’t put it like that. I went to him for an explanation—— “
“You may be an outsider,” he interrupted her, not giving her any chance to make any excuses, “but for someone living at the Sakamaki household to rely on someone else for instruction, it’s unacceptable!”
Rin tried to argue. “But it’s his job...“
“Silence!” He ordered, his tone stern. “I won’t allow this to happen ever again.”
His gaze pierced as deeply as any knife would. It was as if dragging along her skin as she averted her eyes.
“From now on, you will study with me.”
Rin looked up to meet his eyes again, astounded.
“Do you understand?”
“Y-yes.” She fixed her posture, her voice cracking slightly.
She just hoped that Reiji wouldn’t decide to ‘deal with her’ using that as an excuse.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Having lessons with Reiji was, in theory, something that would help her, but Rin could only think of the thousand ways he could turn it into a meticulously calculated hell without even having to lay a finger on her. It sent shivers down her spine and made her more anxious than the possibility of ending up as a victim in yet another one of Ayato’s ridiculous games or of being bitten again until she lost consciousness.
“Rin.”
There was something that made her more anxious than all of that combined. The last time she’d been called by name inside the house, she’d almost joined the wax dolls in the basement.
“Yes?” She answered, turning to see Kanato standing right behind her. “Need something?” She tried to stay polite, not to upset him.
She just wanted to get to her room as quickly as possible to finally have some rest. But Kanato was bored, and for some reason, that was her problem now. Once again, he asked her to follow him.
The game room had no trace of the earlier torment she had to endure after she cleaned it. But it was still uncomfortable being dragged there so soon.
“You know how to play chess, don’t you?” The boy stared at her with his big, vacant, lilac eyes. It was more like an accusation than a question.
“I think so...”
It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t true either. Just like the billiards situation, maybe by playing it, she could remember the rules, but she could be wrong.
His face contorted into a scowl as he hugged Teddy close to his chest, his face slightly covered by the toy’s head. His eyes narrowed. “For someone as stupid-looking as you to understand the rules of chess...” He hissed. “Unbelievable.”
Rin stilled, not knowing what he wanted from her.
After a second that felt like an eternity, his expression relaxed a bit. “Oh, well... I guess this works, too.” He said, lowering Teddy. “Please play a game of chess with me.”
“I don’t think I’ll be a good match...”
“It’s just a way to kill time. I don’t mind if it doesn’t provide a proper challenge.” He shrugged. “Besides, I never expected you to be a strong opponent. Don’t get ahead of yourself. It’s sickening.”
“Right... I’m sorry.”
“It isn’t interesting if it’s too easy for me, so I’ll give you a handicap.” He said. “Let’s make your opponent Teddy instead of me.”
Rin didn’t dislike Teddy. She found him kind of charismatic with his eye patch and everything. That said, it would make no difference. Yet, just playing along with his delusion would be easier.
“Well, then, let us start.” Kanato stood beside the chess table. “Teddy is saying you can go first.”
Rin took a quick glance at Kanato. He seemed to be serious about her going first, so she sat at the side with the white pieces. Kanato followed with Teddy in his arms.
The chess table had beautifully sculpted wood pieces. Rin did recognize the images, but the names didn’t come to her mind. She stared at them, trying to trigger some memory.
“Hurry and move your piece already.” Kanato said impatiently.
For a first move, only the front row seemed like a viable option, so she moved one of the center pawns to the space ahead. A safe move.
Kanato debated with Teddy about which piece to move, looking like a kid. It would be endearing if Rin didn’t fear the boy.
As the game progressed, Rin slowly started to remember how to play. The names, the moves, some strategies. Even if all were just beginner-level knowledge, she kept going, getting a little too competitive in the meantime.
“You’ll move your rook that way? You can’t, Teddy. Your queen will get taken. Then the bishop instead? Yeah... Let’s do that.” Kanato murmured to the bear in his arms.
Rin didn’t look up from the table. “If you do that, if I move my knight over here...”
She was proud of beating Kanato, even if he wasn’t the best of players. Just an hour earlier, she didn’t remember how the game was played. Her lips curled into a slight smile.
“You laughed at me just now, didn’t you!?” The sound of the chair scratching the floor as Kanato jolted up, screaming, took her out of her thoughts. “I can’t believe you would make fun of me like that! Apologize right now!”
Rin didn't know what he was talking about. “...I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to!”
Kanato yanked her wrist, pulling her out of the chair, knocking down a few pieces from the table.
“I get it... You angered me on purpose, didn’t you? Say... What did you think I would do to you once I got mad? I’m listening.”
"I don't..." She muttered. It was useless.
He pushed her hard, throwing her onto the ground. Her knees burned from the impact, hitting the floor with a sickening thud.
Kanato laughed, that screech making her ears hurt. “Such a miserable sight! Come on, show me how you kneel on the floor, beg for forgiveness like the pathetic girl you are! If you do that, I might just forgive you.”
Rin glanced at him, tired.
"I'm sorry." She said. No tears, no begging.
He stopped laughing, stopped screaming. And stared at her. His face twisted into something Rin couldn't decipher.
The air in the room suddenly dropped, turning colder. Rin could swear that the lights blinked, but that could be her being paranoid.
"I'm really sorry, Kanato..." She repeated, now looking down at the floor.
It all got way too quiet. A second. Two.
"How boring." He muttered. "Let's go, Teddy."
Rin looked up only to see him leaving. She didn’t understand what had just happened. But at least the screaming had stopped. That was good enough.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
The day — or rather, the night — had barely begun, and she was already up. As she got dressed, Rin found herself wondering if she shouldn’t just run away from her fate. Studying math was bad, but studying with Reiji… that would be worse. Much worse. The desperation was to such an extent that she considered seeking out Ayato or Laito; the idea of hanging out with them seemed far less torturous than whatever was about to come...
It was a lie, but it made her feel a little better somehow.
The problem wasn’t the fear of being punished anymore. She’d already gotten over that around the second hour of tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. What gave her chills was something else entirely.
Reiji’s gaze.
That made her want to run, disappear, vanish from the face of the earth.
One thing was provoking him willingly; another was making mistakes. Both led to the same result, but Rin hated just one of them.
Yet, she was standing in front of Reiji’s door five minutes earlier than she should have been. Part of her still wanted one of the others to “rescue” her.
Her heart thumped against her ribs, telling her to flee, as she clutched the math book to her chest.
She took a deep breath. And knocked on the door.
I had so much trouble while writing this... It was one hell of a time. At least now I have a clearer vision for the next chapters so luckily I won't get stuck in writing scenes. That being said, I'm really excited to write more of Laito lol I'll try to post the last part of the perfumes headcannos and answer some asks in the next few days. If you're reading this, thank you for being here. See you soon. :3
- ivy
Q.E.D. - quod erat demonstrandum: Chapter 6
Summary: Rin woke up with no memory. Not of where she was, nor who she used to be.
Trapped in the Sakamaki mansion, the real threat isn’t their fangs, but the visions that haunt her, revealing secrets long buried.
And despite everything, she keeps falling into their traps. Not by accident, but by choice.
As if she wants to see how far she can go… before something breaks.
CW: Canon-typical violence
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻The Prize Never Wins༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Rin shuddered. She knew it wasn't because of her.
"You know what? Let's play darts!"
Ayato stared at Shuu with piercing eyes, but the intensity was just a fragment of something much deeper and older than the moment.
Ayato clenched his fists.
"What a hassle..." Shuu muttered, purposefully not answering, eyes closed.
Rin's whole body tensed, and she caught herself holding her breath.
A new presence emerged in the room behind her. She didn't need to turn to recognize who the voice belonged to:
"Darts?"
Laito tilted his head slightly — genuinely amused by the idea.
Rin froze.
"In that case..." He said, with that characteristic purr. "Why don't we make Bitch-chan the prize?"
"Why the commotion at this hour?" Reiji's voice cut through the air, like thunder, as he descended the stairs.
Did he really just suggest that?
"As I was saying," Laito dramatically gestured towards the oldest brother. "Whoever wins in darts can do anything they want with Bitch-chan~. Doesn't it sound good?"
Reiji stopped a few steps from the group, his gaze scanning the scene with cold precision: Shuu and Rin both on the floor, Ayato ready to lunge at the blond brother at any given time, and Laito standing behind Rin like a predator guarding his prey.
Shuu grunted. "Do whatever you want. I don't care."
His magenta eyes narrowed, the shadows almost turning them red.
"I thought you would say that."
Reiji's gaze fixed on his older brother — who didn't bother to move. His voice was calm, but she could still feel the silent rage.
Rin felt everything stop. The air grew heavier — so heavy that the drop of a needle could set everything off.
"You have always been the same: a coward who turns his back at the exact moment things get inconvenient. A spoiled, useless man, who waits for everything to be taken from him."
Finally, Shuu opened his eyes.
His gaze settled on Ayato.
"...Let's play."
It had been a while since Rin saw all six brothers gathered for something that wasn't going to or coming back from school. Especially at this hour.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
After the confrontation in the entrance hall, Subaru and Kanato showed up to see what was going on. Both probably woken up by the chase earlier and, given the chaos that came up, they couldn't fall back asleep. Each had their own reasons to join the game.
Trying to stay composed, she sat in the armchair, even though her hands were shaking. After all, the outcome of the game would decide her fate for that night.
The order of play was drawn by lot. Ayato would be the first to play, followed by Reiji, Laito, Subaru, Kanato, and finally, Shuu.
And she didn't have any say in that.
Despite the competitive atmosphere, the boys didn't seem to share even a fraction of her tension.
After a while, she started to notice how their attention kept shifting toward her.
Reiji's gaze was analytical, as if he were already calculating how she could be useful in some future experiment.
Kanato looked at her with open disdain, despite having insisted on joining in.
Laito, with his usual unfaltering smile, had his eyes drifting back to her as if just her anxious expression was worth the game.
Ayato stared at her as if he wanted to make sure that she — and everyone else in the room — saw his abilities.
Subaru, every time their eyes met, looked away, as if he didn't want her to notice him watching.
Shuu was the only one acting like she wasn't even there.
And yet...
She could feel it.
Everyone thinking what they would do with her if they won.
Rin's palms were sweating as the dull thud of darts hitting the target echoed through the room. The taunts the brothers exchanged eventually blurred into background noise.
Who did she want to win?
Nothing mattered but the outcome.
The triplets were definitely out of question. She didn't even want to think about it.
Reiji's gaze alone sent shivers down her spine: cold, dissecting — she wasn't sure she'd survive whatever he had in mind. Still safer than most.
Subaru was aggressive, sure. But he had pulled back when he bit her back then, as if something had stopped him. Something about him made her think she could deal with him.
But her eyes kept drifting back to Shuu.
It couldn't be a coincidence that he was actively avoiding her — not just ignoring her, but making a visible effort not to look in her direction.
He had heard it. Back then, in the hallway, he heard it.
He would understand the situation.
She didn't know why she was so sure. Maybe she wasn't. Maybe it was just exhaustion talking — or fear...
He had to.
But something in the way he'd hesitated when she mentioned the bells told her she wasn't wrong.
After all, he hadn't tried to bite her yet.
And he'd had the opportunity.
Her eyes met Subaru's. He didn't seem to be focused on the game, instead, he kept looking at her with an intensity that she couldn't read — even more that he kept pretending to be fascinated by the rug, the paintings or the ceiling when she stared back.
Rin’s blood turned to ice.
"Wow! Max score!" Laito’s voice echoed.
It was Shuu.
She turned — her gaze landing on the one who had just won.
"Argh! Why does Shuu always win?!" Kanato whined, stomping his foot like a child denied candy.
With his usual bored expression — as if winning was just another chore — Shuu had nailed all three darts in the highest-scoring square. 180 points. Effortless.
So it was all decided from the start?
"What a waste of time." Subaru muttered, crossing his arms — his voice flat, but his eyes sharp, watching Shuu leave.
Rin got up slowly from her seat. Her legs unsteady, her mind racing.
Shuu didn't look at her. Not once. He just headed for the door.
Now what?
Wasn't he...?
All of a sudden,, Laito's hand clamped around her wrist.
And then, with a cruel grin, he shoved her — hard — straight into Shuu’s back.
"You forgot your prize. One Bitch-chan for the winner~.”
Rin couldn’t react. She slammed into him just as he reached the door.
He turned slowly, his gaze locking onto hers. Cold and empty, as if she were a stranger he’d never seen before.
But she didn’t need to.
"Shuu... I—” Her voice cracked. She didn't know what to say.
"Humans are nothing more than food,” he declared.
He gripped her face and stared into her eyes.
"W-what…?” Her voice trembled. She didn’t understand. Where had that come from?
Without another word, he tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck, and sank his fangs into her skin. Her jaw clenched.
Why now?
All the brothers were there, watching, while Shuu drank her blood.
But he let her go. Like she wasn’t worth the trouble.
The spot he bit her grew hot, her body quivered.
Blood still dripped from her neck as Shuu walked away — without looking back.
Every muscle in her body ached. Everything hurt. The last four hours weighed heavily on Rin’s shoulders.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Since she woke up in Ayato's Iron Maiden, she didn't have any time to rest.
Now that adrenaline and tension had faded, only exhaustion remained.
And yet she still had to go to school.
The steam blurred everything — but it didn’t matter. Her vision had never been clear without her glasses, anyway.
She turned off the shower. Silence.
Even so, she cleaned the mirror.
The silhouette staring back at her looked tired. Her shoulders slumped, and there were noticeable shadows beneath her eyes.
And around her neck—
For a moment, she didn't remember looking like the girl in the mirror.
Even blurred, she could see them.
The marks.
Yellow.
Purple.
The colors bled into each other like watercolor stains.
Some older. Some new.
Some already gone.
Five out of six.
Her fingers brushed lightly over the bruised skin.
A smile crept onto her lips.
Only one left.
Even with how quickly they healed, not a single day passed without her skin bearing marks.
It wasn't even funny.
It seemed ridiculous.
Like something she could've innocently fantasized about in her past life.
Before losing her memories.
She laughed.
Innocently…
She began to dress, but her hands kept quivering, making it difficult to button her shirt. She muttered a curse.
She sank to the floor, knees hitting the cold tile, frustrated.
Why was nothing working?
Something dripped onto her skirt.
Again.
And again.
Rin touched her face.
She hadn’t even noticed.
Tears.
Yet, another laugh escaped her lips.
She was exhausted.
It came out too loud. Too sharp.
It echoed through the walls.
Of course. It was all her fault.
After all, she was the prize.
Still...
And the prize never wins.
It wasn't over yet.
Not yet.
Finally, Rin got up. She finished getting dressed, grabbed her glasses, and walked out of the bathroom.
She wouldn't let it be.
School started soon.
Being late would only make things worse.
The library had become some kind of refuge for Rin by this point.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Not exactly because of the vampires, but because she didn’t feel comfortable around the other students.
It wasn’t fear of someone discovering the bites.
What could they do? Ask questions? Call the police?
Rin found the idea almost amusing — even tempting. But she didn’t want to start something and end up having to face consequences.
It wasn’t about status either.
Most students came from elite families, and being associated with the Sakamakis gave Rin just enough status to fit in.
She didn’t care either way.
Still, she avoided unnecessary interaction — anything they might mistake for friendliness.
That's why, when she went to the library during recess, she always chose the table in the most secluded corner.
Later that night, Rin finished gathering the books she would need and headed to her usual spot, absentmindedly. To her surprise, it wasn't empty as usual.
It would make sense if it were a student studying — exams were close, and the library was busier than usual.
But the person there was none other than Subaru Sakamaki. Sleeping.
But then, Subaru puffed out his cheeks in his sleep.
At first, Rin was annoyed. Wasn't there anywhere better for him to take a nap?
Was he dreaming?
Rin took a second look, intrigued. She chuckled.
Just like that time when she found him fighting, she couldn't help but think of him as kind of... adorable. Especially now, seeing him asleep. It almost made Rin want to poke his cheek.
When she glanced at him again — just to steal one last look at his sleeping face — she met his red eyes, wide open. He was awake.
Still, she shook off the thought and began setting her things down beside him.
"...You're fucking noisy." He said, glaring at her.
Rin couldn't even form a complete thought before Subaru pinned her down on the table.
"I’m not. I was quiet.” She shot back.
"Also, you stink. That woke me up."
"No, I don't!"
Rin glared back, flabbergasted.
Rin didn’t even have time to respond.
"And what’s with that strong scent...” He leaned closer, his breath brushing her neck. "...around here?"
She’d been lying on a thick book the whole time, and when Subaru leaned closer, her back bent at an awkward angle.
Subaru froze. He blinked.
"Wait, wait, wait!” she begged, voice rushing. "There’s a book digging into my back. Can we at least change the position?”
Then he let her go — though not before huffing in frustration.
Subaru looked at her, puzzled.
She grabbed the book and glanced at it. "This thing’s seriously uncomfortable.” She muttered.
"...You were thinking something weird earlier, weren’t you?” His eyes narrowed slightly.
He didn’t seem to understand how she wasn’t deeply scared of him.
"When?” she asked, leaning on the table, still not following.
"You were staring at me while I was sleeping!”
"Oh! Yeah. Maybe it’s weird. I don’t know.” She smiled at him. "I just think you look cute.”
For a second, his pale face turned pink.
"What?" She asked. Subaru didn't look in her eyes for a split second. "You don’t like it?” she teased, grinning.
"...FUCK OFF!"
Rin lunged toward him, covering his mouth.
The youngest Sakamaki was confused, embarrassed — and definitely not happy.
"We’re in the library,” she whispered, chuckling.
Before she could react, Subaru yanked her hand away from his mouth and sank his teeth into her wrist.
She had to muffle her scream with her other hand.
Subaru stared at her—
This pain was different — harder, sharper.
And she was laughing.
She couldn’t say it out loud, but seeing him react like that only made it worse.
"Have you gone crazy?!”
He stared at her for a while. She didn't stop.
Rin looked at his back as he walked out.
"Tsk. You ruined my sleep. I'm out of here."
A vampire being embarrassed... She couldn't help but want to tease him, even if she knew it could be a terrible idea.
And that, of course, only made it more tempting.
The last bell rang, signaling the end of classes. Rin couldn't take it anymore. Her head was spinning — too much information crammed into too little time. Ironically, it would've been easy if only she hadn't kept insisting on putting pressure on herself.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
The wind moved gently, brushing her skin, threading through her hair. The moonless sky was dark, yet somehow it made the place feel almost romantic. Also, the view of the school grounds wasn't bad at all.
She still had time before the car came to pick her and the brothers up, so she headed to the rooftop for some fresh air.
She settled on the ground behind a flowerbed and began counting the stars she could see — not many, obscured by the city lights.
Rin preferred the night. The sun stung her eyes, and its rays seemed to devour her skin after only a few minutes. Not dangerous — just deeply inconvenient. People could argue that humans were made for the day, but if that were truly the case, she'd rather live in a cave.
Sometimes, she felt too comfortable with the new rhythm.
Just as if the night had claimed her long before the vampires ever did.
"I love you..."
The passionate declaration came from the voice of the last person she expected to confess in that way.
Rin’s curiosity would still kill her.
"Forever. And ever. Whether you like it or not."
She couldn’t stay still, couldn’t pretend she didn't hear it. Her whole body trembled, itching, wondering who the unlucky soul was to have Laito’s attention.
She rose just enough to see him.
And to her shock, there was no one there.
Only the youngest of the triplets and the empty sky.
"I can't forget... Your voice, your scent, your taste... Not even for a single second..."
Then Rin saw it:
He continued. His words ached for someone who wasn’t there.
The full moon
It shouldn’t have been there.
Bright. Huge.
Just seconds ago — the sky was empty.
All of a sudden, her heart started hurting.
A new moon night.
As if something were trying to rip it open from inside.
She suppressed a whimper, trying to not catch attention.
"You, over there.” Laito’s voice dropped, deeper than she’d ever heard it.
Her stomach twisted.
"Don't think I won’t fucking kill you for eavesdropping on me."
The sky had returned to its emptiness.
She realized the wind had stopped blowing.
"I'm talking to you!"
But her chest still trembled with the ghost of that strange pain.
She didn't see him move, just felt his hand around her throat, choking her, and her back slamming against the wall.
"Bitch-chan?! What are you doing here?" He snapped, voice sharp.
His look of surprise was genuine. He hadn’t even noticed it was her.
"I just——" She didn’t even get to explain before his grip tightened, almost all her air gone.
Rin couldn’t speak, almost all air gone.
"To think that you would eavesdrop... How naughty~" His voice carried the usual flirtatious tone, but his eyes were serious. "Should I wreck you completely as punishment? Or drink your blood... to my heart’s content?
Laito laughed. Cruel, dark, hollow.
He squeezed her throat — harder — before releasing her.
"Can’t breathe?” He mocked, voice dripping with false concern. "Dying to get some air?”
She would've fallen if the wall hadn't been there for her to lean on, coughing.
Rin was tired from the long day. If she passed out now, she could at least get some rest.
"Oh no! I almost killed you by accident~" He took a step back, as if admiring his 'work of art'.
She doubted any of the brothers would be interested in her like that.
Except, it was Laito standing right in front of her.
She needed to get out.
His mood carried that same melancholy as the day in the garden.
But, instead, she found herself looking at him — waiting.
Maybe this time, he wouldn’t drag it out.
"I guess I’ll just choose your punishment for today.”
He leaned in, fingers tightening around her jaw.
Rin barely had time to react.
Just as his fangs sank into her skin, a dozen images flashed through her mind — too fast, too blurred to make sense.
With that opening, she gathered all the strength she had left.
Laito must have felt something, too — because he recoiled, as if something had yanked him away from her. His eyes widened, brows furrowed in confusion.
And she ran.
To her surprise, Laito didn't chase her.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
She was standing in the middle of a garden. The bushes looked like rose bushes, but there wasn't a single flower. The sky suggested it was daytime, and yet she couldn't identify where the sun might be behind the thick layer of clouds.
When she opened her eyes, Rin didn’t immediately recognize where she was.
Rin looked around, trying to orient herself, and saw a fountain. She remembered one just like it in the mansion’s garden, water gushing endlessly, dutifully doing its job.
Before her loomed a castle — massive, daring anyone to challenge it.
But silent — not a single drop made a sound.
And then she realized.
The only sounds she heard were her own breathing and her heart pumping blood rhythmically.
No sound came from the surroundings — not even an echo.
And worse:
There was no wind. The air seemed still, as if sealed in a box for centuries.
A castle of that size should have some kind of movement. Servants, guards, nobles...
There was no one there.
She walked towards the castle, her steps making no sound, and the massive doors to the ballroom opened without a single whisper as she pushed them.
But there was nothing.
But the sight made her shiver.
The beauty of the space was breathtaking — and she could almost hear music, soft and haunting, inviting her to dance.
In fact, she felt she had already done so.
Perhaps in some distant daydream.
Some of the corridors seemed familiar, others completely unknown, and some... didn't belong.
She resisted the urge to lose herself dancing in the soundless hall — and wandered deeper into the castle’s corridors.
She didn't know how long she had been walking. Most doors were locked — the few that weren’t led only to empty rooms or guest chambers long abandoned.
The walls, where portraits should have hung, held only blank canvases — and the windows were too fogged to see beyond.
She didn’t know which way to turn. The corridors twisted, confused, and she was utterly lost.
So she decided to just keep going.
When she turned the next doorknob, and the door swung open, revealing the first room that felt... lived in.
She looked around — objects, furniture... all felt familiar, as if they belonged to someone she should know — even though she had no idea who.
And then — laughter shattered the silence.
Cruel. Mocking. Seductive.
A woman’s.
Rin froze.
A name came to her mind.
Because when she looked into the mirror—
The shadow staring back had jade-green eyes.
This one was already done for a week now. I edited it so much just to end up with the first thing I had in mind :P Also I had a mental breakdown in the meantime because I ran out of meds so it has been a fun ride :) At least my therapist doesn't ask me what the thousand word fanfiction I'm writing is about because she doesn't want me to start infodumping mid-session lol
- ivy
Q.E.D. - quod erat demonstrandum: Chapter 1
Summary: Rin woke up with no memory. Not of where she was, nor who she used to be. Trapped in the Sakamaki mansion, the real threat isn’t their fangs, but the visions that haunt her, revealing secrets long buried. And despite everything, she keeps falling into their traps. Not by accident, but by choice. As if she wants to see how far she can go… before something breaks.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻A Guest Without a Past༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Running with all her might, sweat dripping through her forehead, her body was engulfed in burning cold darkness. The time made her nauseous, seemingly going too fast, but at the same time, it was painfully slow. Her muscles burned as if she was running for ages, breath hitching, and as if her body was going to give up anytime soon, but once she felt her legs trembling, the darkness faded, leaving her speeding through a garden — a maze if you will, with walls three or four times her height, covered in deep red roses. Its beauty still couldn't hide the fear and the sensation of imminent danger crawling through the thorns.
When she finally stopped her efforts, she was in a wide courtyard adorned with a beautiful stone fountain. The statue of a woman standing at the center, holding an opal-colored vase of both Angel’s and Devil’s Trumpets, the flowers spouting unusually crystal-clear water — like they were crying to heaven and hell, mourning something yet to come — and turning the basin into a mystical mirror.
Her legs finally faltered, and she fell to her knees. Looking up into the night sky, the moon, greeting her with its bloody color, mocked her efforts as she realized: no matter how much she ran, there was no escape. Before she could get up again, everything turned back to black.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
The cold, wet drops at the beginning of the rain woke her up. She felt a little drowsy as she sat on the stone path, and her eyes spotted a suitcase and a handbag beside her. Did it all belong to her? Looking inside, there was nothing of much help: some candy wrappers, a handkerchief, and the wallet, which, not including the student ID, was empty. It belonged to a person called Rin Yamada, 17 years old. The name didn’t ring a bell, nor did the school or city name.
She stood up and looked around. There was nothing in her surroundings besides what seemed to be a deep forest and a haunting-looking mansion standing right in front of her. A fountain, strangely similar to one she had seen in the garden before — not being for the absence of the statue — was set up between her and the shut iron gate. The rain intensified, now starting to wet her glasses and blur her vision. She tried to take them off, but it was no use; her sight was shit without them. She grabbed the luggage and ran towards the building, with no other option, as she heard a rumble of thunder. After a couple of tries to knock and searching for a doorbell with no avail, she decided to try and open the door herself, as the rain had no signs of stopping soon, and finding shelter was a priority over manners at this point, after all, she didn’t even remember where she was. Did she hit her head when she fainted? But she didn’t feel her head hurting or anything like that…
To her surprise, the tall, heavy door opened easily, welcoming her inside the foyer. She dragged herself with the luggage inside, walking past the entry hall and stopping at the bottom of the staircase, the crystal chandelier hanging over her head. The room gave this imposing impression, luxurious but cold. The space was not really filled with anything besides a couple of side tables, neatly arranged with flower vases; some paintings and a long red rug leading to the big staircase at the back of the room, which had two gargoyles sitting at either side, holding electric candles — that one day surely were real ones but were replaced for convenience — as if patiently observing the unexpected visitor, deciding if it was friend or foe. She would leave the suitcase there and come to grab it later; it wouldn’t be a problem to leave it there, right?
Taking the handbag with her, she decided to look around. Maybe to find someone? A clue? The kitchen wouldn’t be bad. She took some steps back to decide which side to start. Left one or right one? To decide, she looked at her hands, making a motion of writing. The right hand felt more natural. Oh, well. So right it is.
She walked down the chosen hallway, thinking about how dark it had gotten because of the clouds, even though it was still afternoon. Another lightning strike illuminated the room, making visible a figure that was hidden by the shadows of the poorly lit place. A bright red instantly caught her attention as she stepped closer.
The guy lying on the couch near the window wasn’t really tall, nor did he look any day past eighteen — she could say he looked even younger than that as he slept peacefully. In contrast, his pale skin was almost too porcelain-like, lacking the usual red that skin tone would bear. She stood there for a while, analyzing the good-looking guy, and deciding if she should really wake him up from his peaceful slumber — she was invading the building after all. But the questions in her head were too loud. Maybe he could answer them or at least give some clue? So she poked his soft cheek. The feeling of his skin was weirdly cold. She could be wrong, though; she was passed out in the rain just minutes ago after all. Her fingers could be feeling weird or something. She poked again, but had no success at having either a reaction from him or getting a conclusion to whether the coldness was from his skin or her hand. So she pressed her palm against his face, flattening his cheek. It was definitely colder than a human should be… almost as if it never had warmth to begin with.
“Oi! What are you doing?! Who are you?” Her wrist was grabbed by a cold hand, and she finally saw his big jade eyes staring at her.
“Good question…” she answered, the words feeling unnatural to her, even if they didn’t have anything wrong with them.
“Huh!?” his confused expression turned annoyed in a matter of seconds. “What’s the matter with you? Going around poking and shoving that hand of yours in people’s faces!” his grip got stronger as he sat down and pulled her closer.
“Uh… sorry…?” She awkwardly replied. He did have a point; she couldn’t argue with that. “Can you let me go?”
“Too bad for you. I woke up, and now I’m hungry.” With a sharp tug, he pulled her and pinned her down on the couch where he was previously lying. “A perfect snack for waking up…” he smirked.
“What are you doing!?” Her eyes widened, and she tried to free herself.
“I’m the one who should be saying that! You’re the one who walked into my house!”
“Not my best move, I know.” She suddenly stopped fighting, causing him to lose balance and their heads to accidentally bump against each other.
“Ouch!” he backed off, rubbing his forehead, jaw clenched. “You little…—”
He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps marching rhythmically in their direction.
“What is going on?” The severe voice belonged to a handsome guy with a tall frame, dark hair, and an imposing appearance. He was the perfect image of someone who would live in that cold, dark mansion. His magenta-colored eyes behind the glasses fell onto the red-haired boy. “Ayato, you know that I’d rather not have to deal with this kind of ruckus at this hour of the day.”
“…Reiji…” Ayato narrowed his eyes with certain annoyance.
“Is there something wrong? You seem surprised.” Reiji’s tone remained calm and composed.
Taking advantage of the opening, the girl jumped off the couch and got behind Reiji. Maybe this was the guy who could help her? He, at least, seemed reasonable.
“And you are?” Reiji glared at her, eyes ice cold.
"I-I’m… " she gulped, not feeling very confident, but she wouldn’t help her case by staying silent now. “Rin Yamada… I’m… I’m supposed to stay here… I guess…”
For some reason, even the name didn’t sound right as she spoke it, but it was what she found on the ID in the handbag, so it would have to work.
“Staying here, you say?” Reiji inquired. “What’s all of this about, Ayato?”
“Do you think I know?!” Ayato clicked his tongue. “Hey, Pancake, you didn’t say anything earlier!”
“…Pancake?” She looked at him with a puzzled expression. Where was this coming from all of a sudden?
“Yeah, you idiot! I’m obviously talking about you, Pancake!” he grinned, pointing at her chest.
She looked down, then at him, then down at her chest again. It really was compressed under the sports bra. Clearly, it was intentional, but someone like him could never grasp the concept. The comment made her roll her eyes.
Boys…
“By the way, Reiji.” Ayato lazily stretched his arms above his head. “Did you hear anything about it?”
“No, not a thing.” He turned to the girl standing by his side, looking her up and down. “Come with me. Let’s clarify this once and for all before it takes up more of my time.”
Rin was escorted by the two guys to what seemed to be the living room. The place had large windows covered with heavy curtains; the source of light was the chandelier, similar to the one in the entrance hall. Ayato sat at one of the blue armchairs, letting his body just fall into the obviously antique and expensive cushioning.
“Well, well, well~” A purr at the bottom of her ear made her jump, startled. “What a cute human do we have here…”
She turned her head to see, too close for one’s comfort, another pair of jade colored eyes, their owner, another stunning guy, with a cheeky smile, and a fedora hat covering his chestnut hair.
Where did he come from? He didn’t just appear out of nowhere, did he? Or was he here before they entered the room? Her surprised face must have been hilarious, because the guy laughed, throwing his head back, dramatically.
“Hello,” He brought his face close to hers again. “Nice to meet you, Bitch-chan~” He licked her cheek.
Did he seriously, like, just now, lick her cheek? Now she was dumbfounded and even more confused.
“Laito, don’t you think that’s a bit… improper towards a lady you’ve only just met?” Reiji scolded, fixing his glasses with the middle finger.
“Hm~? Stiff as always, right, Reiji?” Laito teased while grabbing her by the chin, with predatory eyes. “I’m just giving this delicious-looking lamb a little bit of a taste~.”
“You fucking bastard!” Ayato jumped, taking Laito away from her and throwing him on the sofa, where he just casually made himself comfortable. “Trying to get the advantage, huh?!”
“Nfu~ Do I have a choice?~” Even with Ayato’s anger, Laito’s voice still sounded melodic and honey-covered. “Otherwise, my wild brothers are going to eat up all the treats… Right, Kanato?”
“I want a taste as well. Don’t move.” The voice behind her was raspy, creepy, and with a softness almost child-like. Suddenly, she felt someone moving her hair and something wet at the nape of her neck.
Did he also…?
“Hm… Surprisingly sweet, for a mere human…” the owner of the voice said.
She turned to see a boy her height with purple-colored hair. The dark circles under his amethyst eyes, and the look in his face like he hadn’t had a good night of sleep in ages, clashed with his soft angelic features.
And this one now? Where did he come from? Did he also just… appear? And why the fuck did they lick her?
"Hey… Why is this girl here?” The shorter of them asked in a monotone.
“Maybe so we can have her for dessert~” Laito suggested, crossing his legs and licking his lips.
“As if! You can use your hands to make one yourself!” Ayato replied. “This one is mine! I saw first!”
“But you let her get scooped out of your plate.” Reiji pointed.
“Fuck off, Reiji!!!”
“Heh. Lame.” The new voice this time came from afar, husky and loud. She looked around, but there was no one.
“Huh…? It’s you, right, Subaru?!” Ayato screamed at the voice, “Come here, jerk!”
Far from them, next to the wall, a guy with white hair appeared out of thin air. Rin took off her glasses for a second and rubbed her eyes, as if this was some error in her vision.
“It’s you… Reeking of human.” She could see the guy’s eyes, shining like rubies, glaring at her as soon as her glasses were back in place. “You made me lose some precious sleep time. How are you gonna take responsibility, huh!?”
She pointed at herself as if asking if he really was talking to her. What did she even have to do with it? Did he know her? A loud noise echoed as his fist opened a hole in the wall next to him with a punch. Her eyes widened in disbelief. How…?!
“Oi! Aren’t you going to answer?!” His loud voice rumbled through the room.
“Phew~ Always short-tempered, right, Subaru? Nfu~” Laito shook his head, looking at the hole in the wall.
“Shut up, you fucker in heat!” Subaru lashed, but Laito received the aggressive words like he had been complimented. “Just so you know, I don’t see a bastard like you as my older brother!”
“This is pissing me off already.” Kanato brought his stuffed bear closer to his chest. “If you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll cut you up.”
“Wanna see you try it, dwarf!” Subaru grinned.
“…Teddy, look at him.” Kanato took the bear and made it look at Subaru. “He’s next.” his voice was cold, even though his action could be seen as childish.
“Good grief… Can you people stop it? Even I am losing my patience and getting irritated.” Reiji raised his voice, glaring at the others. “I would like to say I don’t care what you make of her, but I can’t stand seeing my mischievous brothers fighting over this in front of me.”
He fixed his glasses with his middle finger, his eyes fixed on her, cold, sharp, and dangerous.
“First and foremost, please, tell me, loud and clear, how you wandered inside this house.”
She felt her body shiver under his gaze, as if he could read her soul and thoughts. For a split second, she felt her cheeks starting to burn, but then the fear hit her. Something was definitely off. About these guys, about this manor, about her, and… how the fuck did she get there to start with? And where was there?
The drowsiness from when she woke up — that still lingered — turned into a dizzy feeling as her vision started to blur.
“What’s wrong, Pancake? You’re trembling.” Ayato’s voice started to sound muffled, too far to reach, even if he certainly was talking in his loud and mocking usual tone.
As if on cue, multiple flashes of memories passed through her mind, but they were too fast and too confusing to grasp anything.
Was she ever here before?
The feeling of knowing these guys washed over her as the image of the blood red moon lingered in her head.
“—— getting anywhere like this. You really are testing my patience.” Reiji’s voice was slowly starting to reach her again, even though it seemed like she was off for a couple of seconds. “You there. Hurry up and explain yourself.”
Her vision and hearing were still slowly coming back to normal as the dizziness faded away when Reiji’s face came closer to hers, now just a hand’s breadth away.
“If you don’t want to be whipped by me, that is.” His voice lowered in a threatening way, and for some reason, she didn’t even consider it as a joke, even if he had a smirk on his face.
Promptly, she was more awake and aware than ever.
“Hold up! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you!” She nervously took a step back as she moved away from him. “It might sound weird, I don’t understand it either, but I just passed out cold at the front door, I don’t have a clue what is going on, I just thought maybe some of you in this God-knows-where mansion would have an idea!”
“How odd…~” Laito was the first one to doubt her words. “So you don’t know anything? Liar~”
“How would I know?!” she blurted out.
“You are a bold one talking like that, aren’t you, Pancake?” Ayato said.
Before anyone else could say anything, another voice, this time low and monotonous, almost too lazy to speak, caught the group’s attention.
“Is this the girl?”
The guy lying on the sofa near the extinguished fireplace could be as tall as the other one, with wavy blonde hair and a weird-looking choker with an MP3 player attached to his earphones.
“Oi, Shuu! Do you know something that we don’t?” Ayato demanded.
“…I guess.” The nonchalance of that guy was to the point that he didn’t even bother to open his eyes.
“Don’t be vague! Explain it properly!” Kanato hissed, his annoyance showing clearly in his contorted face.
“That guy contacted me the other day… ‘She’ll be living with you guys from now on.’ — That’s all.”
“So it seems like no mistake has been made here after all,” Reiji concluded.
“Still… something feels off…” she murmured, mostly to herself.
“Is it because we are vampires?” Shuu finally opened his eyes to reveal deep sapphire irises, lazily looking her way.
“No, not at all—” she started, but the words only truly reached her brain seconds later. “Excuse me?! Did you just…—?”
“There he goes blowing up our cover…” Ayato sighed
“Yes. A race called vampires, nothing more and nothing less. Did you not hear, or are you stupid?” Kanato really seemed to be at his limit of politeness.
“Hah… could this get any weirder than this?” She massaged her temples, mumbling.
“No screaming or denying? You seem surprisingly calm, Bitch-chan~” Laito teased.
“What would anything like that help me out in a situation like this?” She looked at him with a hint of annoyance. She wasn’t calm, but she couldn’t do much.
“Aren’t you just pretending, just to try and run away when given the chance?” Ayato narrowed his eyes, his face expressing pure disbelief in her words.
“Do I look like it?” She sat down on the sofa, at the opposite end from Laito, as he was still giving her those malicious eyes that gave her the creeps.
“Oh, is that so? That’s perfect then. I’ve been starving this whole time.” Kanato’s voice lightened up a bit as he got closer to her.
“And…?” She sounded too unconcerned for someone in her position.
“You really are a moron, huh?” He pushed her against the backrest. “If a vampire says he’s hungry, it can only mean one thing.”
“Wait, Kanato! I’m the older twin, I should go first!” Ayato protested, running closer.
“Eh?~ I also want to have a bite.~” Laito crawled to their side.
Great. Now she was cornered by three of the six guys, all of them claiming to want to bite her.
She held her breath.
“Just make sure not to kill her.” Shuu lazily said, as if he just remembered to. “Not that I care tough.”
“We can’t kill her? Why?” Kanato sounded disappointed.
“That’s what that guy said. To ‘treat the guest with utmost care’.” He yawned.
“You should have said it earlier!” She shrieked.
“Too much of a hassle…”
The three guys who were cornering her backed off with bitter expressions.
"Seems like we're going to have a long relationship then, Bitch-chan~" Laito concluded.
“That guy” they were talking about, would’ve been someone really powerful in the household for just the mention of him to make them stop in their tracks. Still, something deep inside told her that what was said was true. That they really were vampires. It didn’t really make sense, but neither did waking up with no memories at their door. She decided that it didn’t really matter what they were, though. She had bigger things to worry about: to find out where she was, what was happening, and even more: who she was.
It's been a while since I've written anything, but my hyperfixation on Dialovers seems to want me to do it, so I guess it is what it is. This is all based mainly on the games and CDs (and on the anime, just for the reverse harem aspect :P), and I'll be trying to make the boys stay in character. I'm also considering writing headcannons and short scenarios for the boys, so if you want, you can send me an ask!
- ivy
Q.E.D. - quod erat demonstrandum: Chapter 3
Summary: Rin woke up with no memory. Not of where she was, nor who she used to be. Trapped in the Sakamaki mansion, the real threat isn’t their fangs, but the visions that haunt her, revealing secrets long buried. And despite everything, she keeps falling into their traps. Not by accident, but by choice. As if she wants to see how far she can go… before something breaks.
CW: Canon-typical violence
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻The Moonlight Crimson Testimony༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Her body was still a little sore as she ate breakfast. After all, for the last two days, she'd been secretly sleeping on the pantry's floor. Rin had the idea right after the episode where Laito harassed her, when she was getting ready for bed, but she managed to escape from him. After running for a while that day, she found herself in that storage room, near the kitchen. That was one of the places she was least likely to be found by the triplets ー in the mental ranking she did, they were the biggest threats. Rin wasn't able to sleep in her own bedroom since the incident, apprehensive that one of them could try something. When she woke up, she was lucky that it was still too early, even for Reiji to be up, so things went surprisingly smoothly all day long. Especially given that Ayato and Laito skipped classes that day.
Yet, today's attempt didn't go as she expected. When the time for bed came, Rin managed to use the excuse of studying to stay up in the living room. At the time, Reiji was finishing his chores and ー as she felt his disinterest in her or her blood ー she stayed there until he ordered her to go to her room, then headed to his own. Considering that he was always the last one to go to bed, shortly after, she slipped away to the pantry. Tired from all that had happened, she drifted off to deep slumber, getting far too comfortable, given the place she was sleeping.
The loud crack of Reiji's whip woke her up abruptly, hitting the floor next to her. She didn't even get the time to fetch her glasses before another threat came, whip hitting the floor again. Reiji ordered out, his voice sharp with fury. Now standing in the kitchen, he lectured her for longer than Rin could remember, her mind going blank. Her eyes fixated on his perfect, shining shoes while trying to look more remorseful than bored, she almost desired that he had just whipped her instead of making her stand and be scolded while trying not to slouch.
‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙
Even with the mean girls from the "wanna-fuck-a-Sakamaki club" ー she was still finding a good name to call that annoying bunch ー trying to make her life harder, Rin was having fun going to school. She genuinely liked to attend the classes and make notes. Having no recollection of her life before arriving at the manor, she still had a surprisingly good intuition for school subjects ー she wondered if this intuition was of fragments of her past ー which made learning all the more exciting.
Recess came in no time, and Rin went to find a quiet, yet not secluded spot to go through her notes. The library was out of the question. The last time she entered it, she almost lost track of time and had to walk all the way home. As she went down the stairs of one of the secondary staircases, going from the first year's floor to the ground floor, a loud thud took her out of her thoughts.
"This is insane! You are going to pay!" The pained scream came from right under the stairs.
She came closer to the railing, more curious than concerned, and glanced over to see a well-built boy, all beaten up, ugly bruises spread through the parts of the skin that his disheveled and torn uniform couldn't cover. Leaning on the wall for support, he looked straight ahead, his eyes wide with fear of what was right in front of him.
"Bring it on, you son of a bitch!" The threat in a familiar voice made Rin turn her head instantly.
Standing a few steps from him, the burning red eyes were unmistakable. Subaru didn't even look like he was involved in this mess, as not even one strand of his snowy white hair was out of place — if it wasn't for his furious demeanor with clenched fists.
"I'll beat you to a pulp!" he declared to the injured student while walking in his direction, cracking his knuckles.
The girl watched the scene for a while, standing halfway up the stairs. "Subaru?" She called, but he appeared to be too focused on the other guy. "Subaru Sakamaki! What are you doing?" She called louder as he grabbed the collar of the boy's shirt.
Subaru turned to see those dark eyes staring at him. "What!? What do you want from me?"
"I don't know what happened, but come on," She got down the stairs' last few steps, stopping at the bottom. "Violence should not be the first move." Rin said as if simply pointing to a wrong answer in a notebook, not really surprised by the whole situation.
"Are you trying to defend that piece of trash?!" Subaru dropped the guy, who just fell back to the floor like an empty bag, and turned to her.
"No. But you're going to get into trouble if you don't stop, won't you?" She argued as she stared at him with those big, round eyes of hers, not really worried.
His anger didn't show signs of fading. "Whatever. He's the one who provoked me!" He huffed, still trying not to sound like he was giving her the satisfaction.
"W-why did this school... allow such a brute...?" The boy coughed, his voice weak, getting up with difficulty.
"Shut up!" Rin glared at the beaten-up boy, irritated. Were all the students at this school this entitled? The attitude reminded her of the girls who insisted on trying to intimidate her for being apparently close to the Sakamakis.
"I-I'll have... my father know... about this..." He declared, still feeling weak, pointing rudely to Subaru.
"What did you say?" Subaru, once again, grabbed him by the collar. The student screamed, shrinking back.
"Such a coward..." she muttered, analyzing the boy. If he was so scared, he was really dumb to be trying to intimidate Subaru when he had almost changed focus.
"Seems like this idiot is just begging for another punch. How fucked up. That makes me laugh." A twisted grin spread across the vampire’s face as he shook the entitled brat like an empty bag of chips.
He threw the guy against the wall as if he weighed nothing at all, yet Rin didn't move. She was motionless, just examining Subaru's face. The vampire wasn't the type to blow up like this ー even if some walls could argue. Since she arrived at the manor, the triplets were always making fun of him for the dumbest things, but he never went for a fight, always choosing to smash some of the nearest furniture.
"Do as you want. Just in case, I'll destroy every bone in your body so you'll never can talk nonsense ever again." Just after saying that, a punch met the guy's face, as Subaru started to beat him again.
However, as the guy seemed like he was about to collapse, two of the school's security guards arrived. They were appalled by the situation, even more as the only injured was the studentー that Rin didn't bother to learn the name. Subaru was questioned and didn't hesitate to admit that all that was his doing. Even so, they had to take the boy to the nurse's office to first tend to his wounds before anything else.
"Geez... you really did quite the damage." She commented as both were left alone. "One more punch and maybe he would have to be taken directly to the hospital... What happened?"
"...Nothing. That piece of shit just said things that got on my nerves..." He answered, not looking directly at her. His voice was lower than usual. "...It's not like... I'm being..."
"Being what?"
"...Everyone's just a pain in the ass!" He turned to her, voice sharp. "I'm better by myself!" His irritability seemed to hide some kind of embarrassment.
Rin tilted her head. "Subaru?" She said his name as if asking a hundred questions, yet not voicing any of them.
"...I told you it was nothing!" He sulked.
She stared at his face, turned away from her. Even with all the violence, looking at him closer, Subaru was... cute. Not as in being attractive ー that wasn't even a doubt about it, he was hot ー but she found herself thinking of him as adorable as he avoided her eyes.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Her fixed gaze on his face started to make him feel uneasy.
"There is some... Excuse me." Her being willingly ー and so calmly ー approaching him was clearly something new, as he stared her like she had grown a second head. Rin pushed his hair aside, revealing a small cut on his cheek. "Looks like you didn't come out of this mess unscratched, after all."
"Now that you mention it, when I kicked him into the air, something flew my way and grazed my cheek." He said, as it finally dawned on him.
"It's bleeding. Maybe you should put a bandage on it." Her voice was flat, unconcerned.
"Tsk! Are you an idiot? I'm a Vampire, remember?" He roughly pushed her hand away from his face, slightly annoyed.
"Okay then." She wasn't going to insist on such a minor thing. They heard the bell ringing, warning the students to start heading back to class. "I'll get going."
She turned and started to go up the stairs where she had come from. Subaru muttered, bothered, watching her short hair bounce with each step. "You'll end up dying if you keep trying to get close." Rin stopped. She didn't understand if he was talking about himself or all the brothers. "You should just leave." He said.
"Maybe." She shrugged, way too casually. "But it's not like I have a choice. I don't know where I would go if I were to leave the manor. Besides, I don't even think I can leave, to begin with." She chuckled. An odd reaction to her own words.
Subaru rolled his eyes and started to walk away. He had no more business with her. Looking at his back, Rin wondered if he would know anything about her past. Asking any of the vampires could be risky, but if one of them found out ー who was she kidding? She was concerned that Laito could find out ー about all her memories being missing, and he would use it against her for as long as he could. But maybe she could try to get some information out of Subaru.
She called him one last time. "Subaru..." He stopped and turned just enough to see her. "Do you know anything about the place I came from?"
"Why would I know something like that?" He answered with clear irritation. "Why would I know anything about the Church?"
Church? That was the first clue she got in all this time.
"...Makes sense." She nodded. Her blank expression hid the gears turning in her head with the information. "See you." And quickly strolled back to class, leaving him behind.
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Given the time, she was pretty sure the limousine had already picked up any of the brothers who were on time for it. It seemed like Rin would have to walk all the way back to that manor alone that night, something she was not thrilled to do at all. That's just because she decided to do some research in the school's library about what kind of church organization she could have been associated with in the past. Even if she had found some pretty interesting information, nothing was a real clue. And now she was doing homework, in the classroom ー just her, the moonlight, and the soft sound of the mechanical pencil scratching the paper ー before heading home to the unpredictable fate that the chaotic place could serve her.
"Yo, Pancake! Let's go home!"
Ayato suddenly appeared, sitting on the top of the desk right in front of her, making her recoil. "Fuーー Ayato! Don't do that! It made me make a mistake!" She erased her answer, annoyed. "And stop calling me that, it's not funny."
"Yours Truly does whatever he wants!" He put his right foot up on the chair's backrest. "And it is funny. Besides, I don't remember your name, yet I think of your lack of boobs when I think of 'pancake', Pancake." He mimicked towards his own chest, laughing.
Rin didn't think any of this was even remotely entertaining. She rolled her eyes and went back to her homework.
"What you doing?" He leaned in, snooping to see what she wrote in her notes.
She didn't even bother to look back at him, her answer short and dry. "Homework."
"You gotta be kidding! Nobody does this shit!" He snatched her notebook out of her desk. "The great Ayato-sama came to pick you up, so hurry and let's go home!"
"Give me back!" She jumped up from her desk, trying to reach for it, but he kept it out of her reach, laughing at her efforts.
"No~" He stuck out his tongue, pestering her. "Maybe when we get home, if you let me suck your blood, I'll think about it... maybe."
Sometimes Ayato was so childish that it made Rin's eyes twitch. It's not like she was the most mature person in that house, but his actions were like those of a 12-year-old who had just entered puberty ー especially his obsession with boobs. Sometimes, it made her really want to throw her shoe at that stupid smirk.
She stopped trying to grab the object, all of a sudden, and glanced at the classroom door, "Oh god! There is a really hot girl with really big boobs in the hallway!" She exclaimed, her voice sounding oddly flat by her standards.
"Where?!" Ayato turned so quickly she could almost hear his neck cracking.
With the opening, she quickly took back her notebook, taking advantage of his distraction. "Really?" She scoffed. Who would've thought that he would fall for that silly trick? She wasn't even trying.
Ayato turned to her, stunned, now seeing a triumphant smile on her face. "You little bitch...!"
"If you snooze, you lose ~" She stuck out her tongue, teasing him back. She couldn't resist the temptation to provoke the vampire — even if her rational side warned her not to.
"You sure have guts to try and trick the great Ayato-sama like that." His voice dropped, and his face lost all the playfulness, yet Rin just stared back at him, unblinking.
"I'm not scared of you, if you want to know." The words came out of her mouth without a second thought. She knew that she shouldn't, yet...
"Trying to play tough, huh?" He hopped off from the table where he was sitting, his face contorted with anger. His hand slammed on her desk, the sound making her flinch. "Then I'll have to really try to scare you. And remind you of your position."
The vampire grabbed her wrist roughly, yanking her closer with unusual strength. Rin stumbled, and her body crashed against his chest, his fingers painfully digging into her skin. She swallowed hard, trying to stay calm.
"You pissed me off. Now I'm starving, you see." He stated, showing his fangs.
Rin held her breath, her heart racing, as panic began to set in. "There are people in the hallway! What if someone sees you?" She tried to reason, hoping he would back down.
"It just makes everything more exciting, don't you think?" He grinned maliciously. Of course, he would say something like that! He was Laito's brother ー his twin, to be precise ー, she should expect something like this after all.
Before she could think of anything else she could use as an argument, Ayato's hand was at her throat. He pushed her head to the side with his thumb, face so close that she could feel his breath on her skin, making her shiver. She grasped his arm in a useless last attempt to stop him.
"Your skin is so pretty. Without a single bite mark." He chuckled, his eyes bearing cruel intent. He harshly undid her tie with his free hand. "So that means I'm gonna be your first? You better be grateful that you'll be bitten by Yours Truly."
Ayato ripped open her shirt, to expose her right shoulder. Rin was frozen in place, mute with the fear that took over her. Yet when his fangs sank deep into her neck, her jaw clenched as she had to stifle a cry of pain. The agonizing sting sent a shock wave throughout her body, her hands gripping his arm in reaction. It was something she surely never felt before. She could feel his sharp fangs piercing deeper into the flesh. The blood being sucked out of her body, his lips ice cold against her skin while he swallowed every drop. Her whole body quivered as the burning sensation spread. However, as the vampire drank her blood, that feeling slowly turned into something else. Her body felt feverish as if it would burst into flames at any moment, her mind feeling dizzy.
"Stop it..." She whimpered, the words feeling awkward in her mouth.
What the hell was going on?
Ayato stopped for a second. His breath was heavy. "This is... delicious... So sweet..." He said, amazed. The vampire let go of her wrist to now cage her waist with his arm, pressing her body against his in a possessive and violent embrace.
Rin tried to pull away, not understanding her own reactions. The same pain that made her want to run, scream, and beg for mercy, intoxicated her — to such an extent that she somehow felt... something.
The idea of not understanding her body's reaction — or even herself — was more terrifying than the vampire's bite.
"Whoa...! Stop moving!" He held her tighter, to keep her in place. "Are you stupid? It's gonna hurt even more if you move like that. Or do you want me to make you cry?" Red tainted his lips, dripping down his chin.
"No...!" She sounded confused, her mind getting foggy by the second.
He laughed one more time as his hand tightened around her neck and he plunged back into her, drinking more of her blood. Rin tried to stay strong, fighting to stay conscious, gripping his uniform with all her might, but as her veins were emptied, her body and mind began to give in. The only thing she could remember after that was how her body shook, the burning feeling on her neck, and the red hair that somehow reminded her of roses.
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Sitting at the kitchen table with her bowl of egg rice, Rin was not in the best of moods. She woke up in her bed, a thing she was glad about, after all, she thought she would be left for dead after what happened in the classroom. Ayato at least had a shred of conscience to take her home ー whatever his reasoning for it could be. However, he didn't miss the opportunity to mess with her. When she got up, she realized that she was only wearing her underwear, and her glasses were nowhere to be found. She had to search for it for what felt like an eternity ー only seeing blurry blobs of color and bumping into the furniture ー until finally she found them in the plant pot farthest from her bed. On top of that, the lack of sunlight got her confused with her already lacking sense of time, making her easily lose track of time, while doing anything that she had to focus on for more than 5 minutes. Also, the bite marks at the base of her neck, almost reaching her shoulder ー that she luckily could hide with ease under her usual clothes ー felt a little uncomfortable at the touch. It wasn't too bad, but not pleasant either.
"...Bitch-chan?"
The voice was way too close. Rin flinched as she turned her head to see Laito standing right beside her, his green eyes looking at her with curiosity.
"Is there anything wrong? You look like you're with your head in the clouds... I've been calling you for a while, but you didn't even react." He tilted his head. Had he called her? She didn't even realize it. "Are you thinking of someone else, perhaps? You sure are naughty~."
"I... No." She didn't know how to answer that. In reality, she never knew how to react to Laito.
"Tsk-tsk... You shouldn't lie, you know? I can see right through you, Bitch-chan~" His eyes glistened, sending chills down her spine.
Did he know something? Rin didn't even know what to be scared of ー him finding out about Ayato sucking her blood could be a reason, so could literally anything else ー, yet with his unpredictability, he could just be bluffing. He grabbed her hand, but as a reflex, she yanked it back, pulling away from his grip.
"What are you doing?!" She glared at him, still unaware of any of his intentions.
He chuckled. "Such a strong reaction just because I touched you a little!" His eyes glistened with wicked enjoyment. "I almost want to just pin you down right now on the floor and rip that innocent facade out of you." He said as if the thought delighted him.
Rin stared at his face, finding the statement quite displaced. Was he saying that just to get a reaction out of her?
"Gosh... You are really bold to let your mind wander like that and not hear me calling you." He sighed. "I'll have to give you a punishment, then~."
The threat of a punishment coming from him weighed heavily on her mind ー but when he dragged her to the moonlit rose garden just outside the manor, she was caught off guard. Rin had seen it from the windows before, but didn't have the opportunity to visit sooner. It was stunning, stretching for hundreds of meters at the rear of the mansion. There was a big fountain and multiple marble statues, giving it a whimsical feel. But the scent of roses made her anxious, uneasy. Flashbacks of that strange dream that she had the day she arrived flooding her mind.
She looked at Laito, the suspicion still hanging in the air. Something was not right. "Did you take me to the garden as a... punishment?" She squinted her eyes.
"That's right. Admiring the roses with me is your punishment. Look at them!" He opened his arms in that theatrical way of his. "They are so pretty that it almost makes me jealous, you know? Especially the ones that bloom at night... They are almost like..." He stopped. Something was different about him; his eyes had a hint of melancholy that she couldn't figure out.
"Almost like...?" Rin asked, subtly trying to get him to talk. It was a dangerous move, but she was consumed by curiosity. That was one of her biggest flaws. Her sense of self-preservation couldn't beat her nosiness.
"Almost like you, Bitch-chan. You're so pretty that it makes me wanna torment you." He giggled, but it felt unnatural and hollow, unlike his usual self. He plucked a rose and studied it, carefully. "Yet, to me, what really matters is how I can tear and wreck you just like this..."
He crushed the rose in his hand, getting her heartbeat to falter — almost painfully — as the scent intensified.
"And I want to devour you just like this..."
He ate the crushed flower, shoving it in his mouth all at once, his eyes never leaving hers as he gobbled up the rose. Rin froze in place.
"Poor rose..." She laughed nervously, holding her breath.
"Do you think so? It's delicious, though." His voice was lower than usual, like he wasn't fully there. "Come here, you should enjoy it with me."
"I..." She gulped, fear creeping in as something in the air shifted, the wind feeling colder all of a sudden.
"Come on, it feels really good." He invited, offering her another wine red flower that he picked.
She tried to convince herself it was just a rose. A simple flower that he picked right in front of her eyes. Yet her sense of danger was going off like crazy. His expression was unreadable, the moonlight carving his silhouette. Rin reached for the flower, but her eyes ended up catching something behind him. A woman's shadow sat at the fountain, doing a motion that suggested laughter. Her heart stopped for a second.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did it prick you?" Laito asked. Blood was dripping from her finger, leaving a red trail behind. She didn't even notice that the thorn pierced her skin. Her body felt somewhat anesthetized. "...Show it to me."
"I-it's nothing, really..." When she looked back, the figure was long gone — but her body remained numb, her touch desensitized. "Don't worry about it."
Laito grabbed her by the arm, pulling her closer. Her legs faltered, feet tripping in unnatural clumsiness. She would've fallen if not for his tight grip.
"What are you doing?!" She panicked, her body finally snapping back to its senses.
He grinned. "Taking care of Bitch-chan's wound, don't you see?"
He took her hand to his lips, lapping at the blood that dripped into her palm. His tongue slowly traced her finger, as if he was performing an obscene act, until he took it into his mouth, sucking the blood from the wound. Rin was speechless at the scene. But, still, her cheeks burned.
"Humm... Your blood is so sweet..." he muttered under his breath, his face contorted as if savoring the finest wine.
"Stop it!" She tried to take her hand back, but his grip was firm. What now if he decided that he wanted to drink from her?
He giggled, nibbling her hand. "I'm a vampire. We are more sensitive to the scent of blood than any other creature." He teasingly tugged her wrist to make her stumble. " You should feel really grateful I haven't pinned you down and torn you with my fangs yet."
She kept quiet. If she tried to argue or act smart, that would be the end of the line.
"There you go." He let go of her hand, as if he'd lost interest in toying with her. "Let's call it a day before I lose control and suck you dry."
Her confusion, layered with the tension that already bothered her, showed on her face. She was worried he'd find out about his twin's bite marks on her neck, or that he'd drink her blood. But this was really unexpected, even coming from Laito.
"What's wrong? What's up with that face? Did you want to have your blood sucked, perhaps?" He teased.
"NO! It's not it! I'm fine!" Her response came with a panicked shriek.
Laito chuckled, delighted. "Scared of me? You're so easy to read, Bitch-chan. Don't worry. You can fear me more and more. I get so aroused when people fear me..." He leaned closer, predatorily, his hat almost touching her forehead. As he traced her cheek, touching her one last time, his face flushed. "Your frightened expression is so sexy, did you realize that?"
Just after, he stepped back, nonchalantly walking deeper into the garden. For a fraction of a second, Rin could see the place engulfed in flames, but just as fast as the vision came, it vanished.
"Should we go see some more of the garden? The roses are really beautiful tonight." His sharp laugh cut through the air, as if trying to convince the moon, witness to the encounter, that everything was the same as always.
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The sun had just begun to rise when she finally got rid of Laito and that strange garden stroll. Rin was starving, so once again, she headed to the kitchen to find some food. That place was not used often by the vampires. As expected, they didn't eat human food for its nutrients, so they didn't cook as often as Rin. Until now, she hadn’t even seen any of them using the kitchen — unless it was for grabbing snacks in the fridge. So when the scent of perfectly harmonized herbs and spices greeted her as she entered the room, Rin was surprised, even more so when she saw Reiji surrounded by what could have been a full five-course meal prep station. The meticulousness of his movement was like an elegant dance, with perfect coordination, as the vampire took ingredients and added them to the almost-finished dishes. On the table sat what she assumed was pea soup, green salad with leaves so delicate they looked unreal, stuffed tomatoes with creamy filling, and some type of fish that she was certain was fancy stuff.
"What are you doing, standing there like poorly placed furniture?" He questioned, fixing his glasses with his middle finger, voice rigid as ever.
"N-nothing! I was just... Are you guys having dinner tonight?" She tilted her head.
“Our monthly dinner is not just a dinner. Our father has a deep interest in human behavior, so he instituted this as a way for us brothers to ‘bond.’ Though I fail to understand why we should imitate your… foolish customs.” He glared at the girl as if all of this were her fault.
"Can I help with anything?" She offered.
"What makes you think that someone like you is suited for helping with such a thing?" he scoffed. "Not only do you lack the basic decorum for sleeping in inappropriate places ー like that good-for-nothing ー and arriving passed out, being carried by Ayato, but your sense of fashion is atrocious, and you lack even the minimum elegance that would be required to deal with the simplest of tasks in preparing a dinner like this."
His critique was sharp and demeaning — not only did he list each of her mistakes from the last few hours, but also her fashion choices. Even if she knew he hated her signature leg warmers… that was unnecessary.
But she didn't falter. It wasn't worth taking his critiques to heart.
"...I think I could at least set the table." She said. Her blank expression unintentionally striking like a direct attack.
He laughed, scornful, his magenta colored eyes glinted. "So you think you have the faintest idea of something like that? Very well, then."
Reiji led her to the large, antique, and — surely very expensive — cupboard in the dining room. He opened its doors to reveal what she could only describe as pure luxury tableware collected through the centuries — everything shining, like every single one of them was a mirror.
"Choose." He ordered.
Rin stared at the infinite options. "I don't know anything about plating food. Nor do I know the menu." She reasoned.
"So you're saying you are incapable of doing the bare minimum? Choosing the right china for a dinner?" He narrowed his eyes.
"No. I'm saying that each dish has its own perfect plate, to enhance the experience of enjoying it to the fullest. But I'm not knowledgeable enough at this specifically, so I rather not get in your way."
Her tone was calm, logical, and the statement made sense. Reiji blinked. He couldn't argue with something he himself treated as a law.
Fixing his glasses with quiet annoyance, he still censured her. "Not even knowing how to do this... You are a disaster."
He selected the set for the night and placed it on the table — matching cutlery, napkins folded with surgical precision. “If you mess this up, I’ll punish you for wasting my time. Then I’ll teach you, thoroughly, until every single detail is engraved in your soul. To the point you could forget how to breathe, but never forget my teaching. Understood?”
Chills ran down her spine. That was a threat she was very much terrified of.
She was left in the cold dining room to set the table as Reiji left to put the finishing touches on the meal. She could have just stayed quiet and not put herself in that situation. But it was pointless now. The porcelain reflecting her face challenged her.
She wouldn't lose to a bunch of plates.
Following that intuition — the one that felt like a whisper from her past self — she started to sort the tableware: big fork, less big fork, big knife, weird knife, spoon... She just did what felt right, hoping that would work.
When Reiji returned, she presented her work, anxious. He studied it carefully. The only sound in the room was of her heart, thumping apprehensively.
After circling the table, he sighed. "I guess that it's the best someone incompetent like you is capable of doing."
Was that... a praise?
Rin was proud of herself. His voice didn't show any hint of anger. That was a win considering how close she got to making him snap.
“Go call those foolish brothers of mine for dinner.” He ordered, ending their interaction right then and there, already turning back toward the kitchen.
Now that would be far more challenging to come out of unscratched, compared to setting a dinner table with nothing but intuition.
This one is bigger than the previous two. I still had to push some of it to the next chapter 'couse it would be twice the size otherwise. Also, thanks for all the likes! I'm really happy as I thought no one would care to read this when I wrote the first draft. Hope you did enjoy it!
- ivy
