Diabolik Lovers: Daddy Edition

Chapter 18

Another week or so goes by, Shuu already has informed his younger siblings and Yui of Karlheinz involvement, which has been minimal up until this point. Now, the ancient king knows of Ema, and none of them are warming up to the idea of the vampire king taking everything into his own two hands.

“What do suppose we do? Hmm? None of us are strong enough to go against Him.” Reiji is the first to speak at the impromptu meeting, they are located in the parlor while Ema is being looked after by the evasive servants in the manor. Each of the young adults were at a loss of words at the valid deduction, but after only a second, Ayato speaks up not caring if the others agreed or not.

“I don’t care if I’m strong enough to kill that dusty old bastard. The only thing I know is that Yours Truly will protect Ema regardless of the cost! There is no way I’ll let that psychopathic, pathetic excuse of a father use my kid as another experimental project!” Ayato boldly states.

Reiji is about to say something, but is interrupted by a quiet feminine voice.

“I agree with Ayato-Kun. I may not be as powerful as all of you, but I’ll die before I let Karlheinz take Ema away from me.” Yui clenches her fist over her lap, feeling powerless but determined at the same time. The young woman begins to visualize the day that Ema is taken away from her, right out of her arms by the man who is the cause of all of this.

In that moment it feels as if all her senses have enhanced, and the rest of the world fades away. She sees it. She sees everything so horrifically clear.

The heat flares up, nearly scorching her back and breaking her skin in perspiration. She turns her head around slowly, and looks on in horror. The parlor, the manor, their entire home, engulfed in roaring flames. Furniture could be seen overturned, broken, and now scorching as the fire grows and continues to feed its flames by devouring the entirety of the Sakamaki household. A black cloud of death hangs over the estate in volumes, and a cry could be heard over the chaos and destruction.

“Mommy!” Her child’s desperate, broken cry for help echoes inside her head. She feels the tears well up in her eyes as she looks on past the smoke and embers.

Demonically long platinum blonde tresses blow in the breeze and appear as woven strings of gold against the bright burning colors of red, orange, and yellow. Blood red eyes stare at her stoic figure, piercing into to her very soul; it’s as if she were staring at the Devil himself.

Yui fights back the urge to rip a painful scream from her lungs and throat, the image too raw, too real for the seventeen-year-old mother to handle.

Suddenly, a hand makes contact with her shoulder. She jumps back, startled beyond compare, only to look back to see six pair of gem-like eyes stair back at her in concern. No longer did the house appear to be going up in hell fire. The young woman suddenly felt her skin cool instantly with the winter air chilling the walls of the parlor. Her skin, still covered in sweat and crawling with fear, quickly adjusts to the dropping temperature as the high school girl continues to look around in shock and confusion.

“Yui.”

The sound of her name catches her attention. Ayato stands, being the one to say the young mother’s name, and looks deep into her sorbet pink irises. Instantly, Yui begins to calm, realizing that the image she saw was only a vision, and a horrid one at that.

But now that Yui has a chance to calm her racing heart, the image and echos of Ema’s helpless cries plagued her very mind. The unshed tears begin to fall relentlessly, one by one staining her cheeks as the dropped on to the ground. She feels weak and lets her body collapse to the ground with an open cry.

The others simultaneously reach for her and come to her aid. Laito and Subaru are the closest and bring her back to sit on the sofa next to Shuu who brings her closer to the point that she practically sits in his lap as the other congregate around them.

“Yui,” Shuu whispers her name, not sure if anything louder would frighten the young woman, “what did you see?” He asks his shivering bride in his arms. It takes a few moments for the girl to answer, but she manages to choke out an answer.

“Fire. Karlheinz, will take Ema from me,” she begins to sob into his chest at the recurring image of heartless, blood red eyes staring back at her, but continues knowing the others need to know what she saw, “he’ll take her from me... and burn this place to the ground.” She finishes and buries her face into Shuu’s neck, not willing to say anymore.

The others tense after hearing the bride’s words, and all is silent in the parlor with the exception of Yui’s inconsolable cries in fear. Just what exactly will become of them?

...

Months pass and it’s summer once again. Shuu had already graduated, along with Reiji, and the triplets were graduating this year. It was. Only Yui and Subaru who still had one year of high school left. At first, they had to leave Ema in the care of the servants which left Yui a nervous wreck at school, and being unable to focus. Now that Ema is older than was in the beginning, it helps ease the anxious feeling Yui got every time she had to leave during the school year.

With is being summer once more, it is a month spent being together as a family and nothing more. Yui was now eighteen, a third-year high school student, and mother of a bright, fun-loving two-year-old little girl.

“Mommy! Daddy! Look!” Ema is on the terrace taking a walk with her adoptive mother and the triplets. It was a nice summer evening, and the stars were wonderful as they illuminate the dark sky in tiny specs of light, nearly outshining the moon itself.

The young adults all look to the night sky to appreciate the view that they were given that was pointed out by their loving daughter.

“It’s very pretty isn’t it, Ema?” Yui says to her daughter as they both gaze into the night.

“Mhm!” Is the little girl’s hum in agreement.

As they all stand to admire the beauty of space, a loud knock could be heard throughout the estate.

Yui looked towards the triplets but they have already vanished without her noticing. Yui merely sighs, but wonders who would show up here at this time of night. In contrast to her mother, Ema giggles. She loves it when her daddies disappear only to reappear seconds later. Her daddies were all very special and strong, at least that’s what Mommy told her. Either way, she loves her fathers with all her heart and quickly runs to join them at the front of the house to see who this mysterious visitor is.

Yui steps quickly to keep up with the little girl, but for a two-year-old Ema could run fast. After catching up with her daughter, something makes Yui stop. Call it maternal instinct, if you will. The young woman grabs her adoptive child by the wrist and bring her back close to her side.

Ema looks up at her mother and tilts her head in confusion, “Mommy?” She questions.

Yui looks down at her child and offers the girl a small smile in apology.

“Ema, I need you to go to your room with Sir Bunny and don’t come out until me or Daddy comes to get you, okay?” The teenage mother instructs.

Ema doesn’t get why she can’t go with her mother, but knows better to follow instructions when given, but she still asks, “Why? Why can’t I go with you?”

The Komori girl smiles again and crouches down to her daughter’s height. She takes the time to pat the little girl’s head and smooth back the golden curls and tuck a loose strand behind her ear, before placing a peck on to the toddlers forehead.

“Daddy and I need to make sure it’s safe for you first. Strangers can be dangerous, Ema, remember that.” Yui speaks, managing to give her daughter an explanation she would understand and an important life lesson all at once.

Ema nods before going back to her room, leaving her mother to head in the direction of the front door.

She reaches the top of the stairs only to see the brothers gathered surrounding a woman with sun blonde hair and sky blue eyes. Eyes that Yui has seen before. Eyes she knows too well. For once, it seems as if no one has registered her presence, and she is determined to make herself known.

As she continues to look at the woman her eyes glaze over in a cocktail of emotions, fear, confusion, anxiety, anger, and hatred. After all this time, why now?

“Who is that woman?” Yui says, not even recognizing her own voice anymore.

The occupants downstairs all turn their attention to the young woman with flowing platinum blonde locks, and blank pink eyes. The brothers could tell right away that Yui was angry, a new look they haven’t yet seen cross the girl’s face. This is a rare sight, and as shocked as they are, Reiji takes it upon himself to break the silence by answering Yui’s question.

“This woman claims to be the one who left Ema on our doorstep nearly two years ago.” He explains as he fixes his glasses.

Yui processes the new information. Her suspicions were correct. This woman is the same person who abandoned her daughter in the cold, pouring rain and fled.

“Is that so?” Yui says as she takes her time to tread each step until she is on equal footing with everyone else. The triplets, who cornered the poor woman, make way for Yui to take a good look at the mysterious woman.

They were nearly equal in height. Ema’s proclaimed biological mother wore her hair up in a bun, and clothed herself in professional business attire. Yui didn’t break eye contact with the older woman, not even once. Still staring intently she asked, “Where’s your proof?”

The woman was taken aback but she expected this, she frantically dug into the bag slung across her form and pulled out a folder containing documents about the details of her birth, the time, how much she weighed, etc., but Yui isn’t willing to accept this. She passes the folder to Reiji so he could do further inspection of the folders contents.

“That could be information about any child. How can I trust that what you are saying is the truth?” Yui asks, unconvinced but can’t help the feeling of anxiety bubbling near the surface.

The woman dugs through her bag again, wordlessly, as she takes an old wrinkled photo from her purse and hands it to Yui.

The adoptive mother looks over the photo to see a baby girl with large, bright blue eyes curled up in a car seat. It was the exact same car seat that Ema was found in long ago. The child had the same eyes, the same hair, and the same cute nose that would scrunch up anytime the child laughed. Yui knew it the minute she saw the photo. This woman is her daughter’s biological mother.

“Well, Pancake? Is she telling the truth or not?” Ayato asks, not being able to handle the suspense for so long.

Yui felt something in her break as she nods a confirmation and passes around the photo to the triplets that makes it way back to Subaru and Shuu, to finally Reiji who collects it to study along with the given paperwork.

Yui suddenly felt numb, but still manages to speak.

“Let’s not be rude. It seems that we have an important guest.”

“That is correct. If these documents are the original copies of Ema’s medical records then this woman is truly her biological parent. What is your name madam?” Reiji concludes.

After minutes of not speaking, the woman clears her throat, “My name is Serinuma Ryoko.”

“Serinuma-San, then, won’t you join us for some tea?”

“I would be glad to, please pardon my intrusion.” Ryoko says politely. She didn’t know exactly who lived in this manor but knew they must’ve been a wealthy family. She hadn’t expected to be greeted by the young males at the door or to be threatened by them. No, she wasn’t expecting that at all. She must admit that they freak her out with the weird atmosphere around them, but thanked the heavens the minute a teenage girl appeared to get their attention.

She felt her heart calm down but only for a moment as she got a better look at the young girl stepping towards her. The look in her eyes, they were hollow and sent chills down her spine as she felt the heavily contained wrath ooze from the girl’s aura. Just what has she gotten herself into?

Without thinking, Ryoko allows a sigh to escape from her mouth as she is seated alone in the parlor. Once Yui comes back with some tea she serves her guest and makes herself a cup as well and sits on the opposite sofa facing Ryoko.

“Thank you for your hospitality, um...”

“Komori.”

“K-Komori- San.”

“You’re welcome, Serinuma-San.” Yui says blandly as she takes a sip of her freshly brewed tea. She sets the cup down on to the coffee table, and doesn’t flinch as Serinuma lets out a cry in alarm. The brothers have once again decided to join the two woman with the triplets making themselves comfortable surrounding the startled woman.

Laito could be seen with his arm wrapped around Serinuma’s shoulders as she jumps at the sight of Kanato leaning down into her personal space, and Ayato sitting on the arm of the sofa with his arms crossed.

“I-Um, where is she?” Serinuma asks the young woman across from her while silently pleading for help. Yui ignores the look in her eyes, knowing very well what it means.

“Before you meet our daughter, I just want to know one thing: Why? What caused you to abandon your own flesh and blood? A human you, yourself brought into this world. Tell me.” Yui demands through gritted teeth.

The woman stays quiet for a few moments. She looks around the room to see seven pairs of eyes staring back at her. She felt trapped. She knew damn well that she walked into the lion’s den, and how foolishly she thought she would make it out alive. May God help her.

Ryoko felt a cold nervous sweat break out on to her forehead and neck as loose strands began to stick grossly to the back of it. She clears her throat after giving it some thought.

“A-Actually, you see before I gave birth to her- and this may be hard for you to believe but please understand that this is the truth when I tell you- oh, and I’m not insane either, you just have to believe—“

“Just spit it out already, cow! We don’t have all night, some of us have kids that need attention.” Subaru spits out from his designated corner of the room.

“Subaru-Kun don’t be rude to our guest,” Reiji interjects to the relief of the woman, “even though what you say is true.” And slowly as she stares into the harsh glare of Reiji’s spectacles she realizes that she truly is unwanted and deep into enemy territory and lets whatever hope she had die in that instant.

“She wasn’t conceived...naturally.” The blonde woman states.

“What do you mean Serinuma-San?” Yui asks, genuinely curious and confused by her statement.

“What I mean is... I was still a virgin when I found out I was pregnant.”

...What?