Yuri had her eyes buried deep into her knees; she was in pain, her heart was in pain. The very thought of Shu caused tears to fall harder like the rain in an April shower. He reached her level and gently began to brush the strands of hair from her eyes. Oh how terrible she felt...

"Yuri, please look at me..." His voice spoke gently, though Yuri couldn't manage to shake her desire to spill her heart to him. It ached horribly.

"I can't.." She cried, causing Shu to lightly lift her chin up, examining the look of despair on her face. Oh how lovely she looked tonight, with her hair pulled back in lovely little locks, sweet brown curls surrounding her rose tinted cheeks. Her gown looked so elegant on her too, it draped her body perfectly, and all of the weight and figure she'd gained from the months staying with him made her a sight for sore eyes.

Within a moment's notice, her tears began to fall harder; the sight of him caused her to find herself in hysteria, sobbing violently. "D-don't you see..? I-I'm going to die..." Her voice murmured lowly, her eyes dwindling with tears. "I-I'm going to die, Shu..." Yuri whispered, and Shu felt his shoulders and body tense up dramatically.

Yuri was plagued with guilt, and as Shu tried desperately to look her way, he could hardly bring himself to. She looked helpless, and, as a matter of fact, felt the same. No amount of pity Shu felt for Yuri could save the fate in which Karlheinz had set for her. Her martyrdom would be his life, the price of her blood would bring him to a deity, the only thing daring to save his race from the brink of despair...

"..I don't like those words.." Shu responded in a quiet tone, slowly beginning to sit down beside her and join her side once again. Yuri buried her face back into her hands, the faint murmurs of young men attending the party's echoing from the balcony, and the ever so slightly tunes of the gala inside drifting downwards into the garden. It felt like a dream ending in an nightmare, whatever hopes she dreamed of had no choice but to leave her now. Sobbing into her hands, Yuri began to solemnly reminisce of the past few months with him...

"But....I know..." Shu's voice whispered quietly, his eyes staring far away from her; his fear petrified him; he couldn't bear to say those words, but somehow he dared to let them escape his lips.

The truth was, he knew every bit. Shu knew every word Karlheinz had spoken, down to the very beginning when he first summoned the boy. How long ago it seemed like, so many years ago it felt like when he was called into his chambers, ordered to protect her at ever undying cost that sprang his way. Now, she would need it more than ever.

Yuri's head lifted up in sheer surprise; she looked to him with a distraught expression, yet one that conveyed an aroma of sadness and surprise. "Y-you do...?" Her voice murmured lowly, and, once again, Shu couldn't bear to push her away, not even for a moment.

Thus, with a slight nod, Shu began to pierce his canine fangs into his lower lip; he would push himself to suffer, longing to take her place. "I do..." His voice turned into its usual hushed tome, one full of calmness and radiance. "I have to be completely honest with you..I haven't been, and I hate myself for it..." As blood dripped down his chin, Yuri could feel her throat clench up. Had it not been for the faint voice in the back of her mind telling her not to be so emotional, she would have choked right there.

"I know every bit of every thing...from the very beginning, my father spoke of you, he spoke of murdering you..H-had I...Had I blinked an eye...you wouldn't have been dragged into this mess...h-had I sent you on your way that day you'd be far away, safer from this..."

Gently pressing her hand against his arm, Yuri's face looked anything short of rather worried. "S-Shu...p-please don't lie to me.." She whispered softly. "I-I shouldn't have faulted you into loving me...!" Yuri cried, though, after a moment Shu grit his teeth, roughly grabbing her shoulders in a manner that Yuri's breath was taken away.

"S-shut up! It's not your fault! I agreed to this stupid mess b-because I'm fucking weak! I-if I had known...!" His voice became interrupted as Yuri began sobbing, rapidly shaking her head.

"D-don't say that!" She screamed, shaking her head in great fear as she held tightly to his elbows. "P-please don't s-say that!" Yuri cried, and Shu rapidly felt himself begin to grieve. Yuri hadn't ever seen him get like this, get to the point when she began to see tears swimming in his eyes. They floated so quickly as the beautiful sensation of fireworks began to blast in the sky; the applause of many echoed nearby as the lights perfectly cascaded enough brightness to show the tears streaming down his face and onto her hands.

"I-I shouldn't have put you through this..! I-I shouldn't have asked y-you to come a-along with me...! I should have s-stayed alone!" Yuri sobbed, tears falling down her face. Then, her memories began to flash back to the night they met; she sat on the windowsill, seemed full of innocent intentions but...even now Shu knew that wasn't the case. Their hampered breathing slowed as they both gazed at one another and the fireworks hidden in their eyes, both of whom seemed to be trapped in one another's eye-line.

"I can fix this..." He whispered quietly, and the both of them were unable to part their eyes. "I can...I can save you..." Shu murmured very lowly as Yuri cupped his cheeks closely; oh if only the moment could have lasted forever, if only the kiss in which Yuri placed upon his lips could have truly spared them from the moments to come, they could remain together for an eternity. Yuri knew it, very well in fact, that she had no choice but to part from him. Though these thoughts didn't echo in her mind for a moment as the cold winter air pressed itself against her skin, something else did.

"Oh how truly pathetic, laughable even! Don't tell me this is from a pathetic novel of yours!"

Shu's grip on Yuri tightened immensely as he pulled the girl into his arms, causing her to nearly stumble forwards as he gripped her tightly in his chest. Before she could realize what had begun to happen, the Founders began to speak again.

"Enough of this nonsense, dear brother Shin. Allow me to introduce myself to this Eve once again, after all, she could hardly pertain her consciousness last time we met. I must follow formalities and tell her my name once again." Carla remarked as he took a few steps forward; they had appeared from nowhere, and as Shu grit his teeth in a violent mannerism, glaring daggers to these vampires, Shin bowed in a low sarcastic manner.

"Let's not waste any time, right brother?" His voice cackled, Carla merely snickering beneath the fabric shielding his cough.

"Silence with your foolery, I, Carla Tsukinami, have come to take Eve, whether the means be by force or submission. My dearest Eve, you, my lady, are the key to our survival, though, Sakamaki scum, I will have you know I must be returning with her to my chambers soon enough," Carla snickered in a low tone, and, within moments, the set of brothers looked up at them and cackled in sarcasm.

However, Shu wouldn't stand this for a moment more, for he took Yuri close by her ears and whispered in a deep tone, in an inaudible whisper, "Get away from here, run fast.." The words caused her tears to plead for him to stay with her, but there was no time to think before Shu'd pushed her away, far away. In a shrivel of time, she departed from that place; it was hazy, so hazy. Yuri could only see glimpses of the stars above as she traveled somewhere...but where? Where she'd awaken it was dark as night. It didn't take long before she realized she'd been returned to her secret place among her lilies. Yuri suddenly felt frightened as she remembered Shu.

"I-I have to go back for him..!" She cried, scattering her dress together and making a run through the flowers towards the exit; however, the fate of God wouldn't allow this, for within seconds Yuri was met with a sharp, singeing pain in her leg, one that caused her to scream in pain.

"Oh my, making a drama out of this are we?" Shin's lips curled into a delightfully devilish smile. That voice taunted her as Yuri fell to the dirt bellow, and, as she began to weep, the vampire cackled lowly under his breath. "How laughably pathetic! Especially for Eve, the mother of my offspring, falling to the blow of a single dagger..." Shin mocked as Yuri slowly found herself crawling in the dirt, tears rolling down her cheeks. It occurred to her, within moments, that a terrible feeling was zapping through her body. Oh how cursed it was...

"L-leave me alone!" Yuri's voice could do nothing but cry out, and by this point, the blade had become adapted to her bones and muscles, buried deep into her leg at an angle, rough enough it did nothing short of take her breath away. After a second or two, the rustling of lilies, the familiar footsteps of shoes hitting dirt, it all grew closer, and just as violently as he had struck her over, Shin forced himself upon her.

"Don't be shy, little kitten!" He practically cackled, which caused Yuri to slur out a scream for help from Shu; her legs had come to be weakened by him, so no amount of kicking could completely force him away. Slamming her wrists and head back into both the flowers and earth, he straddled himself atop her; Yuri continued to cry for help, his strength was far too much for her, especially as his hands began reaching up the many entrances to her dress.

"Too squirmy, eh!" He shouted, his fingers lacing another set of daggers from his hip. Within seconds, blood spewed like a dam from the palms of her hands, for Shin had conclusively decided to trap her there in her bed of flowers, daring to torture and violate her in the most sacred of places.

"G-get off me!" She cried, though it was no use; Shin's hands were too strong, far too strong. The way in which his fingers moved bruised her thighs and hips at every turn, and before Yuri knew it, he'd come too close to her, as close as Shu had been. Nearly intimate it seemed, in the midst of her rape..

The moment Shu had scene Shin vanish after her, he swallowed a hard pill; part of him hated himself immensely, the other half saw Carla and knew he had to take care of the dreaded monster first. Blow after blow it seemed like, and oh how Carla could mock him..bruise and batter him..it hurt a great deal.

"Why dare you give a single damn about her? Or your father for that matter? Aren't you sworn into hatred for him?" Carla mocked with a delightfully devilish smirk, and, one moment after another, Shu had nearly bashed his head into the gazebo wall.

"Yuri shouldn't have to pay for my father and I's relations," He growled lowly, however, once he heard that terrible scream, one he had never heard until this point, he spared no moment before teleporting away to the field of flowers. The blood drenching his hands felt awful, sure. But not as awful as the pit of anxiety in his stomach from hearing his beloved beg for him over and over again, her voice seriously hurt and beyond fear.

The sight in which greeted him nearly drove him into a blast of fury; Shin was close, far too close and hitting her, seeking that delicious pure virginity of Eve, and it enraged him so much Shu nearly snapped his neck upon arrival.

"Get your damn hands off her!" Shu shouted from across the field, and as slick as ice he came closer, rustling through the petals that seemed to fly everywhere at the moment. Shin had a moment of cockiness before Shu violently struck him off Yuri, who screamed loudly at the reply.

The both of them rolled over into the bed, and after a moment it appeared as though Shu had a moment of high ground, violently and repeatedly hitting him over and over again, throwing his corpse into one of the trunks nearby. Shin hit the tree and shouted words of Latin beneath his breath, and, just as suddenly as it all had become, Shu pulled one of the daggers from Shin's hip and brutally aimed it directly for the throat. Had it not been for Carla's words, he would been a dead man.

"Don't even think about it." He warned, Shu directing his attention towards across the bed. In his arms, her throat caught in his elbow, was Yuri. Carla held the knife directly to her heart as Yuri squirmed and sobbed in utter panic. The moment her eyes met with Shu's, she began to become hysteric.

"S-Shu d-don't let him!" She screamed, her palms holing tightly to the arm around her neck and drenching it full of blood. As Carla watched Shu's expression closely, his eyes piercing into his innermost thoughts, he pushed the knife closer.

"S-stop it! Stop it!" Her voice screamed again, and, once more, Carla gave him a truly stoic expression as Shu held Shin up against that tree trunk. The younger merely laughed at him now, blood spilling down the corners of his lips.

"I'm going to make this a simple exchange," He snickered lowly, Yuri trembling underneath and begging as the knife began to pierce and tease the flesh of her waist, her tears truly traumatized Shu as he watched her. He could hardly understand it.

"Kill the boy, I kill the girl. Let the boy go, and well, your precious Eve will be returned to you untainted. Which will it be?" Carla said in a slight firm voice; Shu bit his lips and let Yuri into the world of his ocean eyes once again. The waves of tears wouldn't seem to stop.

Deep down inside, Shu somehow knew both fates were worse than death. Pressing his luck, he couldn't bear to lose her. Shu dropped the dagger and stepped away from Shin, who was now cracking his knuckles very hastily. Satisfied, Carla released Yuri from his grip and threw her forward towards Shu's arms. Oh how strange time seemed that day, how truly off it was indeed. Yuri almost fell into his arms so perfectly, so beautifully in fact. He could see the tears leaving themselves behind as she sprung for his embrace again.

But, they would never have that moment again.

For as fast as Shu had turned Shin over, and Carla tossed Shu as a teasing little reward for his compliance, the younger seized tightly to Yuri's arm as he passed by. The moment in which they shared was snatched away within moments, and just as soon as they had come, the Tsukinamis had gone with their precious Eve in hand.

Oh the many things they planned, the sinister thoughts in their heads of things to do towards the Mother of their race, the woman who held the key. Shu knew too, and as he collapsed into the bed of flowers, weeping and crying, he hated himself for it. Yuri's fate would be terrible, torture, rape, and ultimately, death would be coming her way, and what had he done to stop it?

Nothing, nothing as a matter of fact.