Reiji heard it, up in his study, tending to his nightly duties as he watched the grandfather clock in the corner strike no later than one. It was raining still, yet, of course he cared nothing of this, for it did not affect him so he would have no business in discontent.

Yuri's soul longed to be taken, pleading to be taken up by any Lord, whether it be the man from the snow, or the God of her grandmother. Ayato was there, but what was he doing? What was his plan? Quite frankly, he longed to humiliate Yuri quite similarly the way he pleased. Her poor little body could not bear this at all, for she was as fragile as a doll.

"A-Ayato..!" Her voice began to crack as he lunged himself closer, holding the sides of her waist and squeezing hard enough for her to scream. It hurt dearly, and when Ayato began moving towards her neck, ot began causing her eyes to broaden in immense fear.

"H-he's so strong...he's so much stronger than those guys...my body aches, too. How could I fight back..?" She shook her head a little in her effort to stay awake. "What is he gonna do..?"

Yuri's dreams began taking over; Ayato was on top of her, fastening his grip on her neck, preparing for worst. Her heart began to sink, quite literally really. She began to realize that, this place full of six seemingly perverted, inhuman, and intimidating young men were her new home. She was only a child, only sixteen, how could she run away? This is what Yuri thought of as Ayato prepared his hand to hit her quite roughly, really.

Yuri hadn't noticed Shu standing along in the distance, and in an abrupt few seconds or so, Yuri could feel him grabbing Ayato by the shoulders and thrusting him into one of the walls. Yuri shrieked in horror at this; was Shu going to do this to her too? She was petrified, and subsequently, she tried stumbling to her feet.

"Usual dumbass, ignoring every bit of what that guy said..." He shook his head a little, and, where Ayato fell to the floor, there was a bit of wall falling on his head.

"What the hell is it to you if I take the breastless bitch's blood?" He grumbled, rubbing a bruise beginning to form over on his forehead.

Shu sighed, shaking his head in disapproval; his eyes shifted over to Yuri, who was tensely trying to get away from this predicament. "You're gonna scare her off, then she'll be utterly useless..." He sighed, beginning to walk her way. Yuri stood there, her hands folded against her chest as she felt like an insect compared to this boy's height. He stopped before her, glaring at her from a height of six feet or so. Yuri felt like crawling away into a hole somewhere to die; Shu was far more intimidating than Ayato, and she could feel he was older too.

"You're an idiot when it comes to these things." Yuri could feel him grasp her shoulder with a deathly force; it took her back, and, subsequently, she attempted to pull away from him.

"Who gave you the right to do that?" Ayato's voice sinisterly growled, and, Yuri, who was simply staring at Shu in perplexity, felt too frightened to move. "Calling the great Yours Truly an idiot! If anyone is an idiot here it's her!" He shouted and Yuri could see him pointing fingers her way.

"I know I'm an idiot...please don't degrade me like that anymore," Yuri's eyes shifted to the floor, and it took a great force conjured up from her heart to pull away from this man. Shu's hand dropped to his side as she began walking in the opposite direction.

"E-eh? You're just gonna let her walk off like that?! You little shit!" Ayato growled, his fingers clenching together.

Shu tilted his head a little, watching her begin to disappear down the hall. A chuckle began to leave him as he turned back Ayato's way, his fingers pushing into his pocket. "Such a stupid woman," he muttered to himself, brushing shoulders with his brother.

"Catch you doing that again and I'll bash your brains in," he said in a nonchalant manner as he too disappeared into the void of darkness. Ayato stood there puzzled, watching his brother leave.

Yuri had a hard time sleeping that night; she was surprised she even stayed, but with the storm outside and the isolated location in which the Sakamakis lived, she found it better to wait out her dilemma. After all, being chased through the woods, attacked by a strange boy, and practically going back to December to relive those memories was far better than returning to Yakimura's house, to her anyways.

Karlheinz was on the move once again, especially since Yuri had alas joined him and his sons. The Founders' bizarre tactics were beginning to escalate, and, as he returned to the Makai once again for a grave meeting with his eldest, he began losing himself in anxiety.

"What a blubbering fool, where is he? I should've given this chore to a more punctual son," Karlheinz shook his head, reclining in his study with a displeased expression. This was not a rhetorical question, for he turned to Yazoo, who was standing by his side.

"Familiars caught sight of him leaving the house in the rain, my lord," he replied, bowing ever so slightly. "His arrival should be anytime soon," Yazoo assured him. Karlheinz of course, merely shook his head at this.

Shu arrived at the entrance and made his way down the hall, guided by one of many ghouls throughout the castle to the study where his father reclined. When he made his appearance, Karlheinz simply shook his head in disproval.

"You're late again," his voice snapped in discontent. "Perhaps I should weigh this task on Reiji's shoulders, yours seem to be too weak."

Shu sat on the chair across from Karlheinz, shaking his head and looking to his feet. "I wouldn't count on it...he doesn't seem to set on looking out for that girl," he replied. "I don't care, though. Whatever you do, I've had enough. It's too much of a hassle."

Karlheinz felt the aura of the room stiffen; Shu leaned into the chair, relaxing on the armrest with a face of discontent. "You lazy imbecile. I tasked you with looking out for the girl because your siblings are too ludicrous. It was not a requirement to be her maid-in-waiting, you fool."

Shu sighed, tapping his foot lazily. "Whatever.." He simply rolled his eyes, yawning in desire for a nap.

"If you're done with your childish diversion, let us talk business. How was the night? You didn't let her slip through your fingers, did you?" Karlheinz relaxed his head on his hand, staring at Shu with eyes the shade of the sun.

"No, but I think she was set on running away. Ayato chased her back and tried taking her blood like the dumbass he is..." Shu retorted, causing Karlheinz to frown.

"That idiot!" Karlheinz shouted in reply. "Damned imbecile..." He muttered beneath his lips. "And now? Where is she now?" Karlheinz raised his eyebrow ever so slightly, glancing to Shu, who seemed to sigh and shake his head in reply. "If she slips away, the Founders could find her, and the plan would be ruined,"

Shu shook his head. "She's too cowardly to run away. Last I saw her she was going to bed, but I can't say for sure. Perhaps she's breaking those rules of yours herself." Karlheinz sighed at this, beginning to cross his legs.

"I specifically chose her because I am quite aware of her desire to remain a pure virgin," he replied. "Chaste, to put it more bluntly. Upon tasking other women with handsome young men, I watched them become the devil's handmaid." He put it in simple terms, Shu chuckling a bit.

"So in your terms, they became a bunch of cheap sluts?" He retorted.

"Lust is a powerful feeling, yet, if a human is scarred by that feeling, they'll avoid it all costs." Karlheinz spoke very seriously, and wiped Shu's smirk from his face. "Now, you ought to get going, I have a sense that Hatori will be up to no good at the moment. I have a feeling she'll try escaping again, so it's your duty to talk her out of it."

Shu shook his head as he rose to his feet, sighing and looking about the room. "Yazoo, lead him out," Karlheinz instructed, and, of course Yazoo complied. He began leaving, heading down the hallway. Shu's mind began roaming away from him, and he became slightly curious as to what Yuri was doing at the moment. He shook his head a little bit, murmuring the words "lewd woman" beneath his breath.

Shu looked about, beginning to notice the strong stench of blood. He must've been walking for a few moments before the front doors opened rather widely, and his eyes grew rather wide. For standing before him, making their way along the corridor, were the sons of Geisbach and Krone; their scent was repulsive to Shu, who froze in his steps and stared to the young man.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," one of them said, who seemingly lead the other in a cocky manner. "Shin Tsukinami, the second son of the man you murdered unjustly on that throne of your father's."

Shu tensed up drastically, yet tried his best to refute any signs of it. "What are you bastards doing here..? Walking into your own grave..." Shu sighed sharply.

"Hah, you amuse me," the other began, his eyes piercing through Shu's stoic manner. "Vinzer was a foolish man, truly he was. Stupid enough to submit to our father. Now the two of them reunite through the bonds of death. Tell me, what kind of war do you suspect they rage in hell? Is it over a throne? Or for a drop of water?"

Shu's mind began racing, the footsteps of Karlheinz echoing down the hall. "Your father should have never raged war with that man. He knew you Ancestors were growing weak. He was scared, and you could barely deal with the loss of rule, so here we are." Shu replied.

Karlheinz began brushing past his son, frowning in repose. "You Founders are unwelcome here. I find it in your best interest to flee, for your health is weak in this half moon. Consider this an act of mercy from God," Karlheinz growled lowly.

Shin emitted an uncanny noise from his lips before transforming momentarily into a haggard creature; Shu could see the wolf leave through the entrance, the other taking a form of a bat and departing. Shu crouched down and swiped a bit of blood from the floor, pressing it to his lips.

"It's the blood of a familiar," he said sharply, frowning at its flavor. "Disgusting..." He muttered.

Karlheinz began walking onwards past Shu, heading to the midnight moon. "You had best head back. If they catch scent of Hatori, my plan will be foiled. Get away," he simply put it. Thus, Shu departed back to the human world in shear curiosity for what the girl had been doing. When he arrived back at the Sakamaki estate, sometime in the early hours of the morning, he began to go upstairs.

Yuri had woken up sometime past four, and was making her way out the window. Her anxiety beseeched her to leave as she slept; thus, she was left with no resolution but to leave. Shu slowly pushed the door open, his eyes wandering on Karlheinz's behalf.

Yuri of course couldn't see him, so she continued moving towards the window. "I'll go to Himeji, I'll take a train...or I'll just..." Her voice sputtered off, she felt as though she would cry, and had no idea what she was going to do.

"It's stupid to leave, but I'm not surprised you'd wanna go. Air-headed girl," he shook his head, and completely caught Yuri off guard. She shrieked loudly and dropped her suitcase out the window, hitting the bushes bellow as she held firmly to the windowsill.

"S-Shu! Get out of here!" She cried, becoming engulfed in nervousness and sweaty palms. Shu glanced around the room before entering and sitting in one of the chairs near the fireplace.

"Why should I..?" He replied, closing his eyes tiredly as Yuri began to pout in protest.

"W-well for starters you scared me half to death! A-and secondly, I don't like having a man in my bedroom!" She cried, though staying far enough away so that he was incapable of touching her.

Shu sighed in annoyance. "Your voice is too squeaky...it sounds like a chipmunk, so please be quiet." He replied. Yuri began to look towards the window again, the drizzly rain continuing to pour. "Besides, I think you forgot to add, 'thirdly, I'm going to Himeji to become a prostitute,'" Shu chuckled.

Yuri grit her teeth; how she hated that comparison, she felt like a fool. Shu's antics certainly weren't helping.

"I thought I asked for you to stop degrading me like that...I have feelings..." Her tone shifted a little, this new aura sounding quite sad in comparison to her former. Shu's left eye opened and he glanced at her sitting at the window, dressed to leave this place.

"I'm not going to stop you, after all, I'm sure you'll like living in the sewers like a rat better than here." Yuri looked away, she became terribly shy, and her chest began to firm up.

"Please don't rat me out to Reiji..." Her voice muttered in a softer emphasis. "He might get upset with me..."

Shu raised his eyebrow ever so slightly. He sighed sharply and closed his eyes again. "I don't have any business ratting you out," he replied in a careless voice. "I am the oldest, after all,"

Yuri sighed and rubbed her arms a bit. "Now get down from the window, and get back into bed, at least, that's what I recommend," he continued. "Lest you have an interest in falling three stories into rose thorns. For a little human girl like yourself, frail and thin that is, you'd most certainly die."

Her eyes shifted downwards, and Yuri began to retract away from the window. She shakily returned her feet to the floor and closed it, pulling the curtains back. "You said you didn't come in here to persuade me to stay, but that's what you've done..."

Shu sighed and shook his head; he began to stand up again, scratching his neck sleepily. "I have no business watching a kid like you change, so I'll be going now,"

Yuri watched him trample his way over towards the door, and she tilted her head rather curiously. Oddly enough, she found herself relaxed. "Hey, Shu?" She frowned slightly, poking her fingers together.

Shu merely turned around her way ever so slightly, looking at her with the clearest and most loveliest ocean eyes. Yuri glanced his way and sighed.

"Your eyes, they look like the sky..." She smiled slightly, looking towards the floor. Shu's eyes reminisced of her mother's, who possessed the same shade iris as he. Yuri had trouble for a moment, because her heart seemed to melt. "I love them..."

Shu turned back towards the door, not allowing her another moment to gaze affectionately into the window of his soul. He shuddered ever so slightly. "Don't get too infatuated in them..." He muttered, disappearing without a single goodbye to Yuri.