Yui walked to class with Kanato and Ayato on either side of her, making her feel like a prisoner about to be executed. She kept her face blank in order to hide the pain she was emotionally in as she continued moving in an almost robotic manner.

When they got to class, it was almost empty, save for the raven haired student who sat in his assigned seat that was next to Yui's. Seiichi glanced at the door to see Yui come in after Kanato, he wanted to wave to her, but he had a feeling that he would start something that would end with Yui getting hurt, and he didn't want that. Yui silently took her seat, not saying a word to her neighbor as she stared at her desk, but looking into nothing.

After a while, the room was filled with students and throughout the entire period, the teacher assigned a partner project. He posted list on the board for his students to look at when class ended. After the bell rang, the students gathered around the list to find out who their partner will be. When it was Yui's turn, she guided her finger along the list until she found her name the exact same time a second finger found theirs right next to hers.

Turning her head, her heart skipped a beat when she saw Seiichi right next to her with his finger brushing against hers under their names. Seiichi turned his stunned eyes to Yui before breaking out into a smile and disbelieving chuckle, "Well look at that, you and I are partners now. Hope we work well together." he said before removing his hand from the list.

Yui blushed and smiled shyly with her hands clasped in front of her, "I hope so as well." she said, trying to control the state her heart was in as she talked to him.

Seiichi smiled before leading her out of the classroom, "Let's talk in the library to discuss our topics." he said before they were blocked at the doorway by a mad looking red head.

"Any topics you need to discuss you can do it here." The redhead said, glaring distastefully at Seiichi for taking something that 'belongs' to him.

Yui tensed up at the nasty look he was sending Seiichi, the good feeling she had moments ago disappeared in an instant. Seiichi however, remained unaffected by the vampire's stare as he put on a shit eating smile, "Sorry, can't do that. You see, the library is a place where all the information is kept, so logically, me and Komori-san are required to look up information that would be useful for our topics." Smirking at the redhead he added, pointing at Ayato's head, "Also, there's nothing useful up there that is anywhere helpful for our project, so move aside please." he said, not really being polite, since Ayato had that arrogant, sadistic aura around him.

Ayato gritted his teeth at Seiichi's insolence, "You wanna say that again?" he growled at Seiichi, making Yui shrink behind the raven boy, angering him further.

Seiichi kept smirking, "No, that would only be a waste of my time. So please let us pass." he said, enjoying the pissed off expression on Ayato's face.

Ayato grinned hatefully at Seiichi, "I'd like to see you try." he said arrogantly, daring him to try it.

Seiichi sighed in disappointment, "Oh well, nothing I could do about it now. Yui, could you hold this for a second? Thank you." he said, handing Yui his book bag which she unconsciously took before taking a step back.

"Now don't take this personally, but I really don't like you at all." was all Seiichi said before striking him in the gut, making Ayato keel over at the very fast movement before Seiichi, who started to whistle, grabbed a handful of red hair and leading him away from the door like a dog. Once the door was clear, Seiichi turned to Yui with a smile, "Ladies first." he said, keeping a firm hold on Ayato's hair before Yui scurried out the door, absolutely flabbergasted by Seiichi's movements.

Once Yui was out of the classroom, he let go of Ayato's hair who stumbled before righting himself, holding the follicles that suffered Seiichi's death grip. Turning to glare at the still smiling Seiichi, "Good luck on your project." was the last thing he said before escaping out the door to join Yui.

Ayato recovered quickly before running out the classroom to catch them, but they already disappeared.

Yui never thought that staring at her hands interested her more than looking up at her mentors as all three of them rode in the back of the wagon. "To be honest, I don't even know where to begin." Yui said, feeling their eyes on her.

Mara kept her gaze on the young girl as Izuna kept her guard up in case they were attacked again, "You could start from the beginning, how did you even get mixed up with those freaks. Better yet, what the hell were they, no human being could ever heal that fast." Mara said, watching Yui clench her hands into fists on her thighs.

Yui took a deep breath before she began her tale, "I was supposed to live with some relatives while my Dad worked overseas. But I was deceived when I was sent to live with the Sakamakis." she said, bitterness creeping into her voice. "I was their sacrificial bride...their toy...their meal." she paused as memories of those horrible nights flashed through her mind.

"Every night they take my blood, using their superior strength to drive me into a corner just to drink from my body. I was weak, I could not fight back with human strength alone...I was practically abandoned..." her voice cracked as tears swam in her eyes, "I was all alone, I had no one to turn to, nobody to protect me from those vampires." she shook as sobs wracked her body, her heart unable to keep her emotions bottled up anymore.

Mara took hold of Yui's hands and clasped them in her own, "But you got away from them, Yui. You got your freedom." Mara said, her voice soft and her eyes sympathetic as Yui continued to shake.

Yui looked up at Mara, her cheeks streamed with tears, "I did...but that was only because...Seiichi came into my life." she struggled to talk, her voice hiccupping as her heart cracked at her beloved's name.

"Seiichi?" Mara repeated, having heard that name many times in her childhood.

A sad smile came onto Yui's face, "Seiichi...he was the one who saved me from them...he hid me away from those monsters and gave me sanctuary. We barely knew each other, but he saved me nonetheless." A far away look came upon her face as she thought of her gentle lover, "He was my light in the darkness... my pillar of hope." she closed her eyes as she immersed herself in the memory of her Seiichi.

"Haaaa. Man that guy was a pain. Sorry you had to see that. I don't usually fight for violence, only for sport, so I believe I scored higher against that dude." Seiichi sighed, apologizing to Yui as they sat together outside the school on a bench as Seiichi pulled out his laptop.

"It's fine. Sorry about Ayato, he's...well..." Yui failed to come up with an excuse to pardon his behavior, but came up blank since there's no defending that guy.

Seiichi waved off her apology, "It's okay, I get it, your brother doesn't like anyone near you. Can't say I blame him, I'd be overprotective if I had a little sister as cute as you." he said, smiling at Yui who blushed at his compliment.

"Um...actually, he's not my brother." Yui corrected him, with great discomfort as she looked down.

Seiichi's smile disappeared as he looked at her in confusion, "Huh, wait, don't tell me he's your boyfriend." he said, refusing to believe that someone as sweet as Yui would be in a relationship with an asshole like Ayato.

Yui shook her head, "He's not my boyfriend, he just doesn't like it when I talk to people outside his family." she answered, almost reluctantly as she kept her eyes to the ground, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Then why do you live with them?" Seiichi asked, feeling Yui tense up, her head lowered, her bangs covering her eyes.

"It's...complicated." Yui said, knowing that she can never answer such a question. If Seiichi were to know the truth, the vampires would surely kill him and Yui will be the one responsible for his death.

A warm hand laid itself on her shoulder, making her look up at gentle onyx eyes and a reassuring smile. She had to fight herself from blushing at his beautiful smile, "You don't have to tell me anything. Whenever you're ready to tell me, I'll listen. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me." he said, his hand still on her shoulder, but she didn't complain, because it felt wonderful.

"Also," he began, his dark eyes shining in the night, "if you have any problems and feel stuck, I'll be there to help you...save you even. Consider me your knight in shining armor." he added with a grin, making Yui giggle into her hand, feeling very happy in his presence and at ease for the first time since...never.

Seiichi removed his hand from her shoulder, "Well, now that we got that out of the way, let's see our list of topics that are available and hope to God that he sent an angel of mercy to go easy on us for this project." he said, opening his laptop and typing away as they discussed their options and what can be done.

Yui was only half listening to Seiichi, she touched her shoulder, still feeling the warmth that Seiichi left behind and tried to savor it, wanting to to last her through another night, and the nights to come.

"Before I realized it, I was in love with him." Yui said, opening her eyes, "Just being with him made me feel warmer than I've ever been in a long time." she smiled as she looked up at Mara, "He gave me a reason to live, he gave me life. In exchange, we gave each other our hearts." she said, laying a hand on her heart where Seiichi still resides in.

"But something happened." Izuna said, speaking for the first time since they started talking. Her eyes still watched the landscape, but felt their eyes on her, "Those sick bastards ruined it, deprived you of your happiness." she said, knowing that bitter feeling all too well from her years of war.

Yui nodded sadly, "Indeed they did." she said, gripping the front of her shirt, "We were gonna run away together, Seiichi and I. The night before we decided to run, he proposed to me, he gave me his pendent as an engagement, to tell the world that I belong to him." she touched her neck, missing the jewel that told her that she was his. "I said yes, obviously, and he promised that we would be married the moment we escaped that world." a shadow passed over her eyes, "But the Sakamakis found us, they tried to take me back by force. Seiichi fought back, and he got hurt in the process." guilt clouded her eyes as the darkest moment started to come, "We managed to get away, just barely. He opened the door to our new life, but they interfered again, and he fight them." Tears swam in her eyes, "The door was closing, and Seiichi was weakening. With our final kiss, he pushed me through the door before it closed, then everything went black." Tears streamed down her face once more before she looked up at the sisters. "When I woke up, you two were right in front of me in Seiichi's place." she said, finishing her sad tale.

Mara and Izuna remained silent, her tragic story sinking into their minds. Mara sighed silently, the sound of the wagon moving filled the quiet and sad atmosphere, "I'm sorry you went through that. You shouldn't have suffered such a fate." she said, giving Yui her condolences.

Yui nodded in acknowledgement, "When I lost Seiichi, I blamed myself. I had hoped that I could find happiness with Seiichi and live the rest of my life with him. I was so foolish to think that I could earn it after all the hell I went through." her eyes were downcast as she remembered the last time she saw him at the very moment when he pushed her through the portal.

"Is that why you want me to train you...so that you can get your revenge?" Mara asked, not seeing Yui as the type to go for vengeance.

Yui shook her head, "Revenge is the furthest thing from my mind. When the door closed, I thought know one else could get through...I had hoped that the Sakamakis would follow me no more." she said, her hope for freedom shattering with the reappearance of those vampires.

"Then why do you want to get stronger?" Izuna asked, wanting to know the real reason behind her desire to fight.

Yui looked up at her mentors with a determined expression, "Because I owe it to Seiichi to keep fighting. If I can't fight, then how can I honor his sacrifice? I need to learn how to protect myself if I want to keep my freedom, otherwise, I won't be able to face Seiichi again knowing that I failed him." She said, begging Mara not to turn her away for the trouble she think she caused her mentors.

Mara stared at the girl who resolved to be a fighter before them. With a smirk, Mara said, "Well, we were stuck with you already, so no turning back now." Izuna smirked while Yui sighed in relief, "Thank you." she said, smiling at Mara.

"Remember, you have to train hard if you want to keep those Sakamakis off your trail." Mara warned Yui before adding, "So don't you dare hold back, you hear me?" she said with an encouraging smile.

Yui nodded with a small smile before a hand landed on her shoulder, making her turn to see Izuna sitting beside her, "We will never let them take you, not now, not ever. That is a promise." she said, making Yui smile wider in response.

With the final bell signalling the end of the day, Yui and Seiichi walked through the halls together as they made their way to the front of the school. They got a good start on their project and were ready to conduct their studies at home. Well, Yui would have been looking forward to it if not for the fact that she had to go home with a bunch of vampires.

"So, should we work at your house or mine, just to get things out of the way and save time." Seiichi asked, looking at Yui beside him.

Yui froze at the idea of him coming to her house, knowing that it was a bad idea and would only cause a fuss if she were to ask Reiji. If she were to work at his house, the results would remain the same.

"Um, I don't think that's a good idea." Yui declined, already considering the consequences such a thing would bring.

"Hm? Why would that be a bad idea? We'll only work on the project, plain and simple. What's wrong with that?" Seiichi asked, not understanding why she would think such a thing.

"It's just not a good idea. If we ask Reiji, he'll say no. Let's just work with the time we have in class to prepare for this project." Yui said, feeling guilty for acting coldly towards someone who has been nothing but nice to her. However, considering her circumstances, it was better for him not to meet the rest of the brothers.

Seiichi sighed, "If you say so." he said before a smile took over his face, "Though I have to admit, this the first time a girl has ever rejected me, kinda stings a little." he said in a teasing voice, making Yui blush and look down.

"It's nothing personal, the Sakamakis don't like to be disturbed and I don't wanna intrude on your family." Yui said, hoping that he would buy her excuse and not cause trouble.

Seiichi smiled reassuringly at her, "Nonsense, you won't be disturbing anyone at my house." he said, making Yui look up at him in question before he continued, "I live by myself, so there's no one waiting for me at home." he said, not really bothered since he has already gotten used to his solitude long ago.

Yui felt a pang in her heart when she heard that he was alone, 'So he's alone as well.' she thought to herself as she looked back down, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it doesn't bother me at all." Seiichi said, dismissing her apology as they approached the entrance. Yui spotted a familiar spectacled vampire standing at the entrance, obviously waiting for her. When his cold violet-red eyes locked with Yui's, she gripped her bag tighter for the scolding that would come.

"You're late." Reiji said, displeasure clear in his voice as he looked at her disapprovingly.

Yui was about to apologize, but Seiichi cut in, "That would be my fault." Reiji turned his cold stare onto Seiichi who smiled apologetically at the older student, "We were discussing the information required for our project and I guess we got a little carried away."

Reiji tweaked his glasses as he stared at the raven boy, "And who might you be?" he asked, not liking Seiichi at all, from what Ayato described him earlier.

"Oh, my apologies, I'm Seiichi Uchiha, I'm Komori-san's partner for our project. And you?" Seiichi inquired, wanting to know the other's name.

"Reiji Sakamaki." he simply said, watching Seiichi suspiciously while the boy in question widened his eyes when he recognized that name.

"So you're Reiji. Actually, it's good that I ran into you since I wanted to discuss with you about my project with Komori-san." Reiji nodded at Seiichi to continue, "You see, I asked Komori-san if we could do the project at either her house or mine, but she said 'no' to both and that you would only say no as well if we asked you. So I was wondering if it would be alright if we could do our project at your place or let her work with me at my house." Seiichi explained, not taking his eyes away from Reiji's stoic ones.

"Komori-san already said that I might say 'no,' did she not?" Reiji asked, his eyes sliding over to Yui's form as she looked down and nodded.

Seiichi watched the silent exchange, but pretended not to notice as he continued, "She did. I just want us to get ahead on this project before the deadline and get a good grade. I promise, I won't do anything to her, it will just be business." he said, trying not to sound eager as he tried to convince Reiji to let him work with Yui.

Reiji hummed as he let his words sink in. This one was human, so he wasn't much of a threat when it comes to intelect and strength. Plus, he can keep an eye on him if he did anything suspicious in their house.

Taking out his notebook, Reiji scribbled on the paper before tearing it out and handing the piece of paper to Seiichi. "The address and home phone number is on there. Give us a call when you want to set an appointment to work on your project at our mansion." Reiji said, closing his notebook and putting it away.

Seiichi folded the piece of paper before putting it away in his pocket. "Thank you very much Sakamaki-san, I really appreciate this." Seiichi said, Reiji nodded in acknowledgement before turning to Yui, "Let's go home." he said before turning around and walking to the limo that was waiting for them.

"Okay." Yui said as she started to follow after Reiji, "Bye Seiichi-san." she said as she passed her project partner.

"I'll see you soon, Komori-san." Seiichi said, not letting this be goodbye as he stared at her retreating back as she disappeared into the limo before the transport disappeared.

Once the transport was out of sight, he let out a breath of relief as he started walking home, happy that his plan worked accordingly. He was happy that he changed that list out before the school night started, otherwise, he would miss his chance to find out who the Sakamakis are.

"The chess board is set, I've already made my move."

It was night time, Yui was sound asleep in the inn they were staying in for the night. However, Mara sat at the window sill, keeping look out for any sign of danger that might come at them in their sleep.

"Mara." Izuna said, sitting up, ready to take the next shift as she got out of bed.

"Go back to bed 'Zuna, I can stand guard a little while longer." Mara said, not looking up, using the name she always reserved for her little sister in their childhood.

Izuna ignored the pet name as she sat down beside her elder sister, "I can't sleep, not after what happened in a span of twelve hours." she said, her eyes on Yui's unconscious form.

Mara nodded in agreement, not taking her eyes away from the outside world. "You're thinking about him, aren't you?" she stated rather than asked.

Izuna tore her eyes away from Yui and stared at her elder sister, "How could I not, it has been many years since I've heard his name mentioned. We never even uttered his existence, not even at his funeral." Izuna said, her voice low, as though speaking his name loudly would only bring more pain than it already has.

Mara glared at the outside as she thought of him, "He was still a baby, 6-months-old, barely even knew what living truly means in this forsaken world." she said, her self-loathing having left its scar which could never be healed for not protecting the brother who should've been head of the clan instead of her.

"You have to stop blaming yourself, Mara. We were not trained yet, we could not have stopped them even if we tried." Izuna said, trying to relieve Mara of her guilt she has carried since they were children.

Mara stayed silent, rare moments like these where she would think of their brothers whom they've lost in battle. As sad as she was, she still considered herself fortunate that she got to keep at least one sibling in her life. Turning to Izuna with a soft expression that so few could ever see, she took her younger sister's hand, "I'm glad I still get to have you, Little 'Zuna." she said, smiling at Izuna's pout for being called a childish name at the age she was currently at.

Mara chuckled, stroking Izuna hand with her thumb before saying, "Now, go back to bed sister. I'll get you up when we're about to set off again."

Izuna sighed before following her sister's orders, "Okay, fine. Goodnight." she said as she pushed herself off her seat before walking back to her bed. As soon as she was under the covers, she went to sleep faster than she could blink.

Mara smiled at her sister before her eyes wandered Yui's slumbering form, how innocent and vulnerable she looked, Mara couldn't help but feel protective of this girl. She sighed as she stepped towards the sleeping girl to pull the covers tighter around said girl in order to keep the cold away.

"You give me trouble little one, but you're the best kind of trouble." Mara said softly to sleeping Yui who was unresponsive in her unconscious state, "You've reminded me that women everywhere have to learn how to fight back against the monsters men are capable of becoming at the single drop of the hat." with a smile, she pushed a lock of hair away from Yui's forehead, "Seiichi would be very proud." she said, but immediately regretted it since remembering his name still hurts, even after all these years.

Mara shook her head as she returned to the window, "They're not the same you fool. They're both dead." she quietly said to herself, ashamed to think that Yui's Seiichi and her baby brother were alike.

Hashirama sat in front of the fire he had just created as he stared at the Uchiha necklace in his hand, his only clue to finding his lifelong friend and bring her back.

Closing his hand around the pendant, Hashirama sighed before looking at the stars, "Mara, I hope you're okay. I'll bring you home no matter what."

Much longer than my previous chapters. I hope this one made you happy like it did with me.

If this made you happy, send me a review.