It Was All Arranged [R. Sakamaki]

Awakening

"What happened?" Laito Sakamaki purred, staring at the fragile human wrapped in a puffy white coat. She laid on the floor, her hair everywhere in tangles, her skin awfully pale and her breathing shallow. She appeared to be unharmed, merely unconscious, making Laito sigh. "Was Reiji playing with you?" He asked softly, nudging her knees with his shoe, "No, you smell like the cold, you tried to escape, didn't you? Naughty girl. I can smell Athena on you, she must've brought you back. Silly Girl." Effortlessly, he hoisted the human over his shoulder and walked up the stairs, humming to himself as he headed for her bedroom.

-_-_-_-_-

"What's that look for?" Shin huffed, perched upon the plush, white couch situated in the centre of the room. Carla was standing by the roaring fire, fingers holding his scarf to his nose as he pondered silently. Shin's lips pursed as he crossed one leg over the other, leaning back on the palms of his hands with a slight huff.

"She's missing," Carla then announced after a long pause, "my familiar reported to me this morning. She left the manor with the human but only the human returned." Shin shot forward, eyebrows furrowed and jaw clenched as he stared at his older brother.

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing."

"What?" He was standing now, hands on his hips as he stepped towards his brother, "She could be in danger - are there any traces?"

"It doesn't matter," Carla replied, facing Shin with a sigh, "we only act if she's confirmed deceased."

"You're joking," Shin's voice grew louder, "she's our sister, our blood."

"She's nothing but filth now," Carla returned, "moving on, I have a task for you."

-_-_-_-_-

"Huh...?" Yui gasped as her eyes gently fluttered open. It was dark in her room, the moonlight dribbled through the gap between the curtains, kissing her pale hand as she slowly pushed herself up. She frowned, blinking several times before her eyes landed on a figure perched at the end of her bed. "Laito?"

"You're finally awake?" He asked, his voice soft as he stood from where he sat, "What happened?"

"Where's Athena?"

"I'm assuming she's in her room-"

"No, that man took her," Yui whispered, hand grasping her nightdress tight, "I'm sure of it."

"'That man'?"

"He uhm... he was tall and he had long hair - gold eyes, Athena knew him."

"Ah, her brother, I'm assuming."

"Why would her brother attack her?"

"Founders are weird," Laito shrugged, sitting beside her, "although if it was her brother, we'll have a war on our hands."

"A war?"

"That's why Reiji and Athena are married, two halves of a union. If the founders took her, we'll go to war."

"I see..."

"Is there anything else you remember about the man?"

"He was well dressed... I don't know."

"Well, rest up, Little Bitch. I'll report to the master."

"Reiji?"

"No, Shuu. Reiji can't find out about this, understood? I'm counting on you!" With that, the man disappeared.

-_-_-_-_-

The room was awfully cold and damp, the bars tall and rusty and laced with thick, dark magic. A tiny barred window stood at the top of the cell, letting red light pool into the small, cramped home that now belonged to Athena Tsukinami. It'd been a week now and her ankles were put in chains and she was chained to the wall. She sat before the bars, hands wrapped around her, her forehead resting upon the coldness. She'd been stripped bare, her flesh pink beneath the harsh light and her hair a dark red. Red lines decorated her exposed back, carved with silver, a warning and a punishment.