It Was All Arranged [R. Sakamaki]

War?

The room was dark with the drapes closed and the candles burned out. Smoke wafted on the air around the room, tainting every surface with its strong scent. The sleeping first-blood laid upon the plush bed, her auburn hair fanned out against the silk pillows, her hands placed neatly upon her stomach and her skin deathly pale. She'd been treated, her wounds bandaged and the blood cleaned from her body, ancient magic had been used to soothe her pain. Still, she didn't stir and her breathing was shallow and her body was as cold as ice.

"Will she be okay?" Shin asked, perched on the chair beside her bed, his elbows digging into his knees, chin held upon his hands.

"How did you find her?" Carla ignored his question, standing by the large painting hung upon the wall opposite her bed. It'd been a painting he'd done of the ocean, Athena's favourite as a child.

"She was a wolf," Shin said, "since when could she turn? She stumbled in and collapsed in the bushes, begging for help."

"What happened to her?"

"Have you seen the wounds?" Shin replied, jaw clenched, "she'd been tortured for at least a week, she'll definitely scar."

"She reeks."

"She has been around those vampires."

"Of him."

"I know. What do we do?"

"If she dies, we'll have a war on our hands." He shrugged, turning back around, "How long has she been here?"

"Two weeks."

"If her husband notices her disappearance, we're the first to blame."

"I know."

"We need to return her."

"But-"

"There are no 'buts', Shin. It pains me to say it but she isn't our sister anymore."

"I follow you blindly," said Shin, "and then Father died and so did Mother and then you removed my eye. I've stayed silent this whole time... this is the one thing I'll ever speak up on."

"I don't care. She isn't ours."

"Can't she choose?"

"I'm afraid not."

"It's not fair."

"I never said that it was."

-_-_-_-_-

"Ahh I'm so sad," the blonde boy flopped onto his creaking bed with a long, solemn sigh. The girl in the top bunk rolled her eyes, rolling onto her stomach to peer over at him.

"What on Earth are you moaning about?"

"My little mate," Ansel pouted, "I have not seen her for quite a while."

"Do you know how rare it is to meet your mate?" a voice spoke up, it belonged to a blonde man who looked to be in his sixties, "I believe you are mistaken, Ansel."

"No. This girl is my mate."

"She's married, Ansel, get over it," the girl retorted.

"Shut up Agatha," the teenager spat at his little sister, eyebrows furrowing as he kicked the upper bunk causing her to yelp. "She was forced into that marriage, she hates the man she's married to."

"I don't blame her. He's a stuck up prick."

"Enough," the old man said, sighing as he seated himself in his beloved rocking chair, "if you truly believe her to be your mate, then who am I to stop you?"

"Did you ever meet your mate, Pops?" Agatha asked with a small smile. The old man looked at the burning fire pit, the light reflected on his round glasses as he rocked gently in his chair.

"I thought I had," he said, "but it was all a lie."

-_-_-_-_-

Dinner was tense as the vampires sat around the table, the seat beside Reiji empty and plateless, the new custom lately. Yui sat beside it, her heart heavy in her chest as she mourned the loss of her newfound friend and ally. Even the triplets were quiet as they ate their hot food.

Reiji hadn't changed his clothes since the night that Yui awakened, his hair hadn't been combed or washed, his shirt was buttoned wrong, the tie long forgotten. Dark circles decorated beneath his eyes as he stared at his full plate, his appetite long gone.

"I'm sure she's okay," Yui began but was silenced by a harsh glance from the vampire.

"How will we get her back?" Kanato spoke, clutching the headless teddy tight, "Teddy needs his head fixed."

"There's nothing we can do," Shuu said, "if he has her..."

"At least we won't be going to war," Laito tried to joke with a smile which fell as soon as it appeared.

"It's been weeks," Kanato said, staring gloomily at Teddy, "she probably isn't alive."

"We'll definitely have a war on our hands if that's the case," Ayato joined in.

"No," Reiji sighed, "her brothers couldn't care any less," he stood up from the table, "please excuse me." No one protested as he left the room.

"I think he loves her," Kanato said after a long silence, Yui looked at him, her head tilted to the side.

"He definitely has a soft spot for her," Laito said, "but it's not love."

"No," Yui said, "I've seen the way he looks at her. Deep down, he loves her."

"He's probably manipulated himself into loving her," Subaru shrugged, standing up, "I'm guessing we're dismissed."

"What are we going to do?" Yui said, glancing up at Ayato who shrugged.

"We're going to war, fledgeling," a cold voice sounded, catching the attention of the remaining vampires.

"Father?"

-_-_-_-_-

"The Tsukinamis have her?" Shuu asked, sitting upon the plush couch beside his younger brother. He was leaning forward, elbows on his knees as he rested his chin upon his hands. Reiji was beside him, eyebrows furrowed as he stared up at their father who sat in the armchair before them, sipping a cup of tea.

"It was reported that you had her," he spoke up, clearing his throat.

"I did," Karlheinz said, "I was asking her about your marriage and when I would be expecting a grandchild. But she disappeared and a familiar noticed her on the Tsukinami grounds."

"You have a scar on your face," Shuu said, looking at the claw marks that raked down the left side of his stoic face, "how did you get it?"

"Feral wolf."

"What are we supposed to do?" Reiji asked.

"We're going to war." Karlheinz shrugged, a sadistic smile on his face.

"But that would disregard the entire reunion and everything we've sacrificed."

"Oh well."

A/N: Sorry for the very short chapter, I've currently got Covid and a little bit of writer's block. I'll try to write more for you soon!! Thank you for all of your support, it means the world to me and encourages me to write more <3