Chapter Text
even though she doesn't show it, he knows. he can see it. the pained expression every time her heart wrenched at his unfamiliarness towards her. the depression she was falling into. the timid smile she tries so hardly to put on even when she is suffering from inside. everything is going the same as he remembers except her. she. she deserves better.
Reiji has been watching Yui from afar for a few days now and his throat always turns dry whenever he sees that darkened expression on her face. everytime his good-for-nothing brother gives her that cold unknown look after filling her up with so much hope, previously. it's weird. why does things have to turn out like this? shouldn't Shu have remembered everything, if Yui does? then why him? why Reiji remembers everything that happened?
her gloomy expression frustrates him.
is it because of his strong fondness towards her?
days turns into weeks and there's no development between Yui and Shu. Reiji has tried to comfort her, trying his best to hide the fact that he remembers… because it he tells her, he is afraid she'll have those hopeful eyes again just like she had when Shu promised her only to be broken again if he is not able to successfully rejoice them.
at first that's how Reiji validated his reasoning in his mind about not telling her anything, but as he spent tea times with her to calm her down and ease her, he realized something. maybe he was being selfish? maybe he doesn't want Shu to remember that's why he is concealing everything? why is he even holding such hope for someone who is already out of his reach? who is already someone's.
and as much as he knows, someone loyal like Yui would rather die with Shu having no memories of them then to fall for someone else just because he doesn't remember her anymore.
weird. a vampire’s heart never beats then why does he feel that his heart that was beating(?) has stopped with this wrenching pain clutching him aggressively from top to bottom.
still, he suppressed himself. still he acted coldly towards her like usual but never crossing the boundaries unlike previously. it was better for both of them. after all, he has always remained in the shadows.
but one day, everything changed. the moment he saw her sobbing constantly in her room with various scars and one deep painful bite mark, he knew. he knew he had enough.
Shu . it was Shu's doing. that was the last straw for Yui. she kept hoping and believing that one day Shu will remember, one day her strong unfazed love for him will bring him back. days and days she kept spending time with him to re-create the memories but it was to no avail. he really has forgotten her from the roots. she knew he always kept himself away from everyone, especially mortals, due to his past but still… she had a hope, which shouldn't have ever existed from the beginning.
she was already having a hard time healing those internal scars that he gave her for forgetting about her, but today he didn't just extend those to paint them externally on her body, he broke her.
he crossed the line.
Reiji took a deep breath as he slowly picked her up and took her to his room to tend her. Yui, who was still in a broken state, didn't even realize when Reiji teleported them, when he patched her up, and when he gave her anesthesia to calm her down and make her fall asleep.
Having enough, Reiji casted a barrier around his room for Yui's protection, hoping she won't wake up before he returns as he quickly leaves to finish off what he is about to do. he wanted to take her with him, at no cost he is leaving her alone, especially at this state of hers, but things will get more difficult for Yui if she ends up regaining her senses in the other world.
Eden, the castle of the great king Karlheinz, the ruler of Makai, and his father.
He went in to find the answers he needed. but it wasn't easy as his father refused to converse until the right time comes.
but Reiji didn't have much time. Yui is alone. and at the same time he can't give up so easily and go back without answers, it would lead nowhere and they will just keep going around in circles. He took off to the pharmaceutical institute inside his father's castle where he kept notes of his research.
his finger brushed through various books, some old, some new, until it stopped on one specific one ‘The apple of the Adam’
he flipped through it and stopped at one page, struck melancholy. there it was, the result of his father's experiment marked with a red pen, in his beautiful clear handwriting “failed”
failed? what failed? he doesn't understand!
at this point Reiji was getting angry and having second thoughts about his father after seeing those red words.
from what he saw, Shu went through all the lengths to protect Yui, he even chopped off demon lord burai’s head to protect Yui from the founders. yet, failed!?
he doesn't understand. taking a deep breath, Reiji calmed himself down to think rationally and take in everything that is written in his father's notes about Yui to get more clues.
He squinted his eyes to check around the page for some more pointers on why Shu failed.
there he found it. “even though he went through all the extents, still their love wasn't that strong to remember each other when things went back to square one. only Eve remembers. a true Adam would have remembered his true love for his Eve no matter the circumstances, led by his strong fondness and desire for her.”
…
could it be…? no. no. maybe he is thinking too much into it. there's no way.
he definitely remembers only to help Shu, just like he has been told from his childhood and about his future as his elder brother's right hand man.
Reiji took the diary with him and again stood in front of his father's mysterious room door. he isn't budging before getting the answers, but to his surprise, the door was opened immediately.
Reiji stepped in to see his father smiling and mentioning how finally it's the right time. but he remained silent, though that didn't stop Karlheinz from continuing as he repeated what Reiji read in the notes, totally conscious of his son's awareness on the said matter.
“I'm pretty sure you already figured it out but my son, you are the true Adam. I'm proud of it.”
“no. Adam is chosen by Eve, didn't you say it yourself in your notes? so there's no way I'm Adam when Yui is obviously in love with Shu. there's more to it, isn't it, father?” even though Reiji was aware that his perseverance of memory was his father's doing, he still can't speak it out loud after all no matter what he is their father.
Karlheinz laughed as he commented on his son's intelligence as to be expected. he agreed that it was his doing.
With the truth in his hand, Reiji was completely speechless, not sure what to say. Karlheinz's smile dropped as he realized that his son has no intention of accepting the truth of becoming Adam.
“you should return back my son, she is alone isn't she? your anxiousness is way too obvious. we'll talk another time”
and in next snap, Reiji was back in his room with Yui still asleep peacefully in his bed but with a darkened expression.
that's when he swore he was going to heal her. he is going to help her. even if his love is unrequited until the end.