#dlabolik lovers ayato

[somegirlontheinternet135]

For anyone who doesn't know what Diabolik Lovers is. . . you don't want to know, and don't need to know. . .

But if you're curious, or had watched the series, keep reading

As the opening suggests, I've recently fallen down the "Diabolik Lovers" rabbit hole, very similar to "Madoka Magica" but not in a good way. . .

I'll probably be the first to say that Diabolik Lovers is the ultimate guilty pleasure anime; it's bad, but it's good at being bad, which I entirely blame on the fact that the show was made in 2013. . .

There was a lot of issues I had with the series, but the biggest caveat I had other than the thorny vampires, was the story. Cause other than the mom coming back to life and new vamps, it was ✨Boring✨

Especially the ending!

And because I disliked the story so much, I've made a whole mental reboot in my head. What do I mean by that? Basically taking the entire series in my head and giving it ✨A complete makeover✨

I'm talking redesigns of old characters, introducing new characters, worldbuilding, and an actual story! Which all of that, I could go on and on about, but given my very messy schedule and several other projects, I don't think I'll be able to

So for now, I'll talk about what I'm most proud of: The story

(Massive spoiler warning)

(Tw: Heavy topics will be discussed, stop reading if you're uncomfortable)

Alright, let's talk about. . .

✨Diabolik Lovers: The Glass Labyrinth✨

This takes place in the modern day, roughly 5 years after season 2; things still haven't changed, and Yui is still very much stuck with the vamps. Yui is, as expected, extremely depressed; not only is she trapped with bloodthirsty vampires who constantly torment and ab*se her, but she has no family nor friends to run to. All except for one little creature she acquainted with, a peculiar dove

Ever since she started reading on the balcony alone, the same dove would always fly over to where she sat and approached her, even letting her scratch its head. Yui was surprised at first, but having no one else to be around other than her ab*sers, she lets it go and the two become good friends

But it doesn't take long for simple head scratches to turn into full blown therapy sessions, as she begins lamenting all her feelings to the creature. Talking about how alone and trapped she feels, and wishing she were a dove so she can "fly away from this horrid life. . !" Of course, all the little guy could do was sit and listen, again this was a bird, not a miracle worker. . . This routine would go on for at least a few months till one day, when she's out on the balcony reading, waiting for her little bird friend, it arrives as normal, but Yui is quick to notice that something was off, it wore a strange device. Fortunately, she was able to get a better look once the creature landed, it was one of those capsules they used for messenger pigeons

Yui takes the capsule from its back and opens it, which the dove gladly allows. Revealing the letter inside, she finds out that the letter was from the dove's owner. They asked if she wanted to talk more in the letter, to which Yui, desperate for friends, immediately accepts the offer. Quickly, she flips the paper over and begins writing, asking general questions like who they were and where they'd come from; but before she could roll up the paper again something happens. The letters begin to shift into another sentence in different yet beautiful handwriting, reading:

"Who I am isn't important, but what is right now is getting you someone to talk to, you seem like you need it." Before disappearing from the page. Yui, although shocked, response back just as fast as before, asking how it knew that, it merely said it could tell from her rather shaky writing. It's quick to change the subject, asking general questions about her, to which Yui very much responds to them. Her and the talking paper begin having a conversation, still so curious about who was really behind it, but within minutes, their subject begins to change into something far more mysterious. Witches

Being the religious girl that she was, Yui knew quite a bit on witches, how the devil would leave his marks on unexpecting women, their familiars, the trials against them, a tiny bit of everything. When writing it all down, the paper disagrees with her, saying that witches are far more complex than she lets on. It goes on to compare witches to vampires, how, unlike them, a witch and her familiar are much harder to spot. They can be anywhere. . . When Yui was about to ask how it knew, she puts two and two together extremely fast. Just before she can ask any more questions, the paper burns into ashes, startling her, and the little dove? gone without a trace. She lets the realization sink in as she watches the ashes scatter in the wind. That dove, the dove that visited her constantly, the dove she's been venting to. . . was a witch's familiar

The next day, it was all she could think about. Did a witch really try to contact her? How did they know so much about her? Why her specifically? Questions that were, understandably, messing with her head for what felt like days, the only way for her to gain closure now is to do more research, a lot more research. And unfortunately, she knew exactly where to start. . . The vampire brothers

Fortunately, Yui's interaction with the dove and paper were left under their radar, but for everything else, they could tell something was up. Something was plaguing her mind, and they knew it. Despite some bewildering and bizarre guesses they were making to what it exactly was, Yui had to pick one of the brothers to ask for information; she knew that Subaru or Reiji would be too stubborn to give a full answer and god forbid if she asked someone like Laito, Kanato, or even Ayato. Making her safest option, the eldest brother, Shu. So later that night, sneaking past snoozing vampires, makes her way to Shu's room. But before she even knocked on his door, she knew that Shu wouldn't give away that information for free. . . yeah, we can all see where this is going. . .

For the sake of everyone's sanity, let's use our imaginations and picture Shu sticking a straw in Yui's shoulder or something-

Once inside Shu's room, their interaction goes to following:

Yui: Ok, kinda an off-topic question, but what do you know about witches?

*Shu stops drinking her blood*

Shu: Witches. . ? They're old hags who fly around on broomsticks and eat small children. . .

Yui: . . .That's what you think witches are. . ?

Shu: Well, aren't they? Why are you asking?

*Yui gets a little flustered but manages to keep calm*

Yui: Oh- n-no reason! I just thought that someone like you, a vampire, would believe that witches existed-

Shu: *Heh* Obviously not, witches don't exist, and if they did, they'd be a huge threat to us, us especially

Yui: Wait, why?

*Shu realizing his mistake*

Shu: uuuuhhhhhhhhhh-. . .

*Cut to Yui being kicked out of Shu's room*

Although it wasn't much, Shu had unintentionally given her just enough information to guide her on the right path of where she needed to go next. She sneaks back to her room, not before bumping into Laito. . . yeah, the guy wanted a midnight snack. . .

In the years she spent with the vampires, not only did she get a little braver, but a little smarter too. Using the vampires' dislike for loud noise to her advantage, she plants tape recorders of various loud and repeating noises and hid them in various hard-to-spot locations, that whenever they'd turn on, it causes the brothers to go mad trying to find the source of the sound, and for extra measures, she places one of Kanato's "wax figures" in her bed to give the fake illusion that she was sleeping. And with the brothers distracted and using a homemade rope, Yui is able to sneak off the balcony and leave the mansion, all the way to her local library

She estimated the time it would take for the vampires to find the device to be roughly an hour, so she makes every visit count. There, Yui was able to learn not just more on witches, but their relationship with vampires. She learns three major things:

Vampires and Witches had been coexisting alongside each other for years, but the most talked about and cataloged were the witches (The witch trials)

The relationship between the two beings is extremely shaky, one second they're completely peaceful, another they're at full on war with one and other. Through most of history, however, they had a business-relationship; a vampire could sense a witch from miles away and would often do tasks for a witch in exchange for their help and or guidance

(This is the most important one) A single witch or any magic user can take down an army's worth of vampires, within minutes. . .

A witch can fight a vampire. . . and win

Yui gets a habit of preforming this plan often, each word of the books enticing her more and more. She was thankful to have a working library card, but even if she did bring some of the books with her, it would immediately give away what she was doing to the brothers. Besides, Yui absolutely adored the new amounts of alone time she was getting. And, as a bonus, she gained more of a resistance to dirt and bugs, due to sneaking outside so much, and being completely willing to dodge the vampires by any means possible, even if it meant crawling through the mud and jumping into bushes. But of course, all good things must come to an end. . . And on one rainy night, when in her normal study nook, she gets confronted by Reiji, who had followed her all the way to the library

The interaction goes as the following:

*Reiji places a hand on Yui from behind, startling her*

Reiji: I should've known something was off. . .

Yui: Reiji-san! I-

Reiji: Now, explain to me, why exactly have you been leaving the manor?

Yui: H-how did you?!-

Reiji: Let's just say it was a hunch, and. . .

*Reiji trails off and pulls out one of the tape recorders from his jacket*

Reiji: Judging by how many of these you've been leaving around, it was likely you've been doing this often. . . Now, if you could be so kind as to give me an answer. . .

*Reiji starts to get more irritated*

*Yui, although scared, tries to stay calm and makes up an excuse*

Yui: Well Reiji-san, you see-

*Reiji cuts her off, noticing the several open books she left carelessly*

Reiji: What exactly have you been studying here anyway?

*He instead focuses on the area surrounding them, picking up one of the books*

*Yui tries to stop him, but fails*

Yui: Uh!- Reiji-san! You don't have to do that!! Please give it back!

*After reading a few sentences, he fixes his glasses and sighs, assumingly unimpressed*

Reiji: Witches. . ? Do you really believe in such fairytales. . ?

*He looks down at a now scared Yui*

Reiji: Stories of women possessing magical powers aided by the devil, and using said powers for either malicious purposes or to help others in need. . . Just more folklore and nonsense created by mortals. . .

*Reiji shuts the book with one hand*

Normally, this would be chalked up to his constant need to judge and him wanting to play the role as the "smart one," but there was something about his body language that didn't match his tone nor what he was saying. Yui managed to notice small things, like how his eyes widened before he fixed his glasses, or how he pushed the book closer to his face, as if wanting a better look, it was almost like he was surprised she was reading about this stuff. . . And when she attempted to confront him on it, he quickly got defensive, even going as far as to grab her hand, scolding her to never question his authority, but decides he wasn't going to hurt her, saying that he didn't feel like punishing her. So, with that, the two leave, Reiji pulling Yui by the hand, all the way back to the mansion, to which a bunch of "happy vampires" were waiting for her

Despite their negative and overall cruel comments, once Yui went back to her room, she couldn't fall asleep, especially with all the information she'd gathered. She formed somewhat of a theory board in her head, taking what she knew and trying to figure out what it all meant. The books, Shu's comment, Reiji's body language, everything was or could be important. Yet out of all that was being sorted in her mind, what she found most jarring was the fact a witch was the only being strong enough to take down a vampire. She laid in bed, eyes open and unmoving for hours, till finally the morning light sent her back into reality. Once she got up, she was, as expected, very tired, clearly noticeable by her dreary eyes and messy hair, and when she made her way to the dining room, Laito humorously remarked how she "looked like she just rolled out of bed"

At the dining room table, Ayato and Subaru were talking about a popular theme park that's near their area, but all eyes are shifted to Yui once she sat down. Laito's perverted comments of how he much preferred her half-asleep state as he played with her hair without consent; Kanto's attempts of gaslighting her, saying she wouldn't be so tired if she'd just stayed put like she was supposed to; even Reiji telling them to stop; it was all routine to her at that point. After he scolds two of the brothers, he's quick to scold Yui next, telling her to fix her behavior because they had a big day planned. What was their plan? Well, the Mukami brothers had gotten tickets to the theme park Ayato and Subaru were just talking about and invited them all to go with. Of course, this got the respected amounts of excited and nonchalant reactions, but not everyone was too happy. . .

Subaru, although excited for the trip, was extremely hesitant to bring Yui along with them, given her sneaking out so much, questioning the others if she really deserved to go. And taking the opportunity for more alone time and possibly the chance to go back to the library, she accepted her punishment, telling the brothers that she deserves it. To which Reiji is quick to stop her, asking what kind of fools she mistaken them for. It was obvious that if they left, Yui would just try that little stunt again. She was going, whether she wanted to or not. . .

Fast forward to when they actually got to the theme park. The gang meets up with the Mukami brothers, who were more than happy to see Yui again. . .

*Kou yells out to the group*

Kou: There you are!

*They all turn around, seeing the Mukami brothers walking towards them*

*Azusa runs ahead, like an over excited puppy*

Azusa: Eve!

*He proceeds to run up and hug Yui, making the other vamps a bit defensive, but that drops once the other three show up*

*Laito giggles a bit*

Laito: Well Little B*tch, looks like someone's happy to see you!~

Ruki: Nice seeing you all again! Glad you've made it

Subaru: *Uh* *Duh!* This is the most popular theme park in town right now! Why wouldn't we show up?!

*Reiji fixes his glasses, unfazed*

Reiji: It'd be rude to turn down an invitation. . . And if I may ask, why did you want to meet us here in the first place?

*Reiji takes the matter way more seriously than it had to be*

*Ruki laughs a bit*

Ruki: This is merely just for some rest and relaxation is all! We hardly spend any time together and we thought this would be the best way to do so. . . And besides. . .

*Ruki trails off, looking over to Azusa, still very much latched onto Yui*

Ruki: It's nice to see Azusa so happy. . .

Reiji: . . .Is that so?

*Yuma chimes in*

Yuma: Yeah, on the ride here, all he could talk about was that little piggy. I don't think I'd ever seen him run that fast. . .

*Meanwhile, Azusa was still very much hugging Yui, the triplets watching in slight amusement*

*Yui was too tired to attempt to pull him off herself*

Azusa: I missed you. . . so much Eve. . .

*He hugs her a bit tighter*

Azusa: Did you. . . miss me too. . ?

*Yui tries to choke out a response, despite having the air squeezed out of her*

Yui: I-I missed you too- Azusa-kun. . .

Kou: Alright Azusa, let her go or she'll pop!

*Kou pulls Azusa off her, Yui immediately taking a breath after*

Kou: I'm sure she's happy to see all of us! Aren't you little Maso-kitty?~

Yui: Oh! *Um-* yes, of course. . .

From early on in their interaction, it's safe to say that Reiji was still a bit iffy about the Mukami brothers, even if they formed their little alliance almost years ago; and the fact that Ruki paid for everything. Aside from that, the Mukami brothers planned the trip cause they were generally interested in the main vamps and wanted to get to know them more. It seemed like everyone was excited for this trip. . . well, "almost" everyone. . .

As part of her punishment, Yui would be paired with the triplets, as well as Kou and Azusa, entirely going on the rides and attractions that they wanted to go on; which were all, unironically, mostly horror based. And sure, there were some rides and sites she enjoyed, but that didn't distract from the fact that the whole time, the vampires were watching her like hawks, further reminding her how trapped she was. Want to know what was so interesting? This behavior doesn't go unnoticed! Whilst Azusa was holding Yui's hand, guiding the group to the ride he wanted to go on next, she thought she heard whispers. . . Whispers from girls amongst the crowd! At first, she tried to ignore them, thinking they were merely voices in her head as a result of not sleeping. But as they continued, the more apparent they got. . .

"Is that who I think it is?!-"

"No way, it's her. . !"

"Look at the guys she's with. . ."

"They look scary. . ! Like serial killers. . ."

"Could you imagine what she has to go through. . ? Poor girl. . . "

"Honestly, if I were her, I'd probably drive my car over a cliff, it'd be better than what she probably has to go through. . ."

"Don't say that! She's been with them for years, who knows how bad her situation is. . !"

Left and right, the whispers didn't seem to stop. Although it being very obvious just who they were talking about, Yui didn't seem to believe it, and heck, a part of her didn't want to. . . She'd lived with the vampires for so long, and for just as long, people just didn't seem to care. . . Not enough to get her out of that situation nor enough to help her. And by that point, she'd already seemed to accept that. . . in till she got a look at the crowd herself, finally seeing the tens of hundreds of eyes on her. These girls were talking about her and her alone! And honestly, why wouldn't they?!

Through their eyes, Yui was basically being dragged to these different locations, with her head down and a visibly sad look on her face, her dreary eyes only doubling it; she looked, acted, and was miserable. Back to Yui, to say she was surprised would've been an understatement, but not before long, Kanto gets in front of her, blocking her view of the crowd and demanding attention. This would continue throughout their visit, Yui would hear whispering and once she'd turn her head, one of the vampires would be in front of her. And as this pattern continued, it became very obvious to her of what they were doing. . . They were clearly trying to distract her, block her from the truth in some way. By all means, she could've confronted them, but by that point it was already too late. . . She was much too tired to fight back, and even if she did, she'd doubt that her attempts at rebelling wouldn't last long. . . After all, she was only human. . .

Continuing on their trip, just when the sun was starting to set, the vampires decided that it was probably time to meet back up with the others, but not before making a quick pit-stop at the nearest restrooms. As the guys took their time doing their business, Yui, waiting outside, catches something moving in the corner of her eye. . . a small, white, flying something, if you will. . .

Just flying above her, was that familiar dove. . ! She couldn't believe it. . ! Ever since her hyper fixation on witches, she'd never had time to be around the little creature, she even doubted if it would even come back anymore after she learned the truth; but there it was, flying circles above her! It whistled and cooed, as if to tell her something, before darting off in another direction, like it wanted for her to follow. Suddenly all the energy she lost a day before, came flooding back into her body, and with little time she had to think, she sprinted in that same direction, not looking back, and chasing the dove. Now, for as ridiculous as this sounds, it was actually due to a much bigger flaw in the boys' plan. Originally, they were going to work in shifts, one person was going to watch Yui whilst everyone else did their business, and the one thing they never thermally talked about was who was gonna watch her first, nor did they estimate just how long they would each take, so they were all treated to the pleasant surprise of seeing each other in the restroom, with none of them watching Yui

*Azusa and Kou leave their restroom stalls at the same time*

*Kou sighs*

Kou: *Sigh* What a great day! Think it's time we head back now, don't wanna keep our little Maso-kitty waiting!

*Azusa nods his head*

Azusa: Agreed. . .

*Just when they were about to leave, they see Kanto washing his hands at one of the sinks, shocking Kou*

Kou: What the- Kanto?!

*He doesn't notice them at first, already looking down at the sink, but once he hears his name, he peers at the restroom mirror, seeing the two there and turning around, just as surprised as they were*

*Kou gets angry at Kanto because he, to him, was supposed to be watching Yui*

Kou: What the hell man?! I thought you were watching Yui!!

*Kanto, having no idea what he was talking about, gets irritated as a response*

Kanto: What-? No! I never said that!!

Kou: Dude didn't you listen?!, we all talked and agreed you would do it first!!

Kanto: Oh please, we'd never agreed to that!! And besides. . .

*Kanto turned to, and staired death-daggers at Azusa, who was still very much confused*

Kanto: Last time I checked. . . We'd agreed to let Azusa be the first to watch her. . .

*Kou is quick to defend him, blocking the two from each other*

Kou: Hey man! leave him alone!! He has nothing to do with this!

Azusa: I. . . was supposed to be watching Eve. . ?

*He tilts his head*

Azusa: But. . . I thought. . . Ayato was doing that. . .

*Just then, Laito and Ayato walk out from the nearby urinals to meet up with the rest of the group*

Laito: Well gentlemen, shall we goin-?

*Seeing Kou there, the two are shocked, since they believed that Kou would be the first to watch Yui*

Laito: Kou? What on earth are you doing here?!

Ayato: Yeah man, what the hell?! You're supposed to be watching Yui!!

Kou: Dude no!! That's not what we talked about!!

*Azusa puts two and two together, quicker than everyone else*

Azusa: So. . . if we're all here. . . then who's watching Eve. . ?

*That realization hits the rest of the group like a truck*

Ayato: Oh sh*t! PANCAKE!!

But just when they sprinted out of those restrooms, Yui was nowhere to be seen. . . Oh crap. . .

"Well why can't they just teleport to her?!?!" Is what you're probably asking, and the simple answer is that they can't anymore. That's right, we're getting rid of their whole teleporting ability! They got away with it for too long, it's dumb, it's stupid, you're welcome-

Moving on, of course the vampires go full "manhunt mode" trying to find her, assuming that because she was so tired and the fact that she wasn't a great runner, she couldn't had gotten far, right? Well, unsurprisingly, the exact opposite happened. Yui manages to make her way to the other side of the park, somehow avoiding the other five in the process, still very much on the trail of the dove. Speaking of which, the little dove flew and flew while Yui just followed and followed, eventually leading her all the way to a run-down funhouse, far away from all the other attractions. It flies into the building through one of the only open windows, to which she's quick to follow suit, although rather scared and questioning whether or not the place would even be open, Yui is proven wrong once she placed her hands on the door, allowing it to creak open. . . no turning back now. . .

Seeing the building from the outside, it led her to question to what it was exactly it closed down for, because despite how old the building probably is, it still looked fairly decent. Entering and exploring however, she very much understood as to why, each corner and crevice of the building were covered in not just black mold but were riddled with the bite marks of rats and other creatures. As grossed out as she was, Yui kept moving, using what little sun was left peering through the windows as her source of light.

She needed to find the dove, she had to! Cause in her mind, maybe just maybe, it would help her learn the truth. . . did a witch really try to talk to her. . . and after several minutes of searching, she finally found it. Inside an open room, with its walls coated in mirrors, was the little dove, sitting right in the center of the room, waiting for her, helpfully illuminated by the last few seconds of golden hour. Yui was overjoyed, and ran toward the creature immediately, going on to tell it how happy she was to see it. After so much waiting, she'd finally would get some form of closure! But their little reunion doesn't last long. . . Just moments after Yui enters the room, the once completely open-door slams shut, startling the both of them and causing the dove to fly into Yui's arms. Both were, respectfully, confused by this, considering they were the only two who'd entered the building to begin with

Turns out, other girls weren't the only ones sneaking glances at her. . . Men stared too, but rather than viewing her as a victim, they saw her as a price tag. . . This one group in particular knew the vampires were overprotective of Yui and would go through extreme lengths to keep her in their mits, thus, the kidnapping. And given the brothers are rich, we all can probably tell what will happen. Out from the shadows, the group of men revealed themselves one by one; to make matters worse, Yui could recognize so little about their faces before she started backing away in fear. That only continued when they started talking, and by the first sentences she already knew exactly what their plan was. . .

She hoped the little creature in her arms would help her, but it was just as scared as Yui, beginning to quiver in her arms, even it knew they couldn't handle these guys alone. . .

Now with the two surrounded, this seems like the end. . .

But strap in everyone, this is where things get good!

Remember the mirror-covered walls? Well, one of the men notices and points out something disturbing about their reflections. The images presented, instead of showing the regular facial features, it showed the men with black holes for eyes, as well as large, drooling a gap smiles, it looked like a kid scribbled over the mirror with a black marker. And before anyone could know what was going on, something just as terrifying is displayed, the images begin to distort and move in ways unlike any funhouse mirror can. What were supposed to be faces began laughing, their arms increased in length, and parts of their flesh were fused together, almost like something stripped out of a horror movie. Using their elongated arms, they stretch themselves out of the mirror, each reflection grabbing their respected creator and pulling them to their fates. Yui watches in speechless awe as the men scream and struggle for freedom, but are left helpless in the hands of the mirrors. . .

Sooo. . . They're dead. . .

Pretty much every moment of that scene was jarring, but what made it even more jarring were their reactions. Yui, rather than going into instant terror or fear, is left in a state of shock, maybe she was still processing what happened, perhaps she thought the encounter wasn't as terrifying as having bloodthirsty vampires at her neck; but one thing's for sure, she'd never seen something like that before. As for the little dove, its reaction was the polar opposite, it cooed in cheer and glee as it flew from Yui's arms and onto her head, snapping her back into reality. She attempted to calm the creature down and figure out what was making it act like that, but to no avail; till, from out of the blue, a feminine voice began to speak to both of them, echoing within the room and only increasing the little creature's excitement

"Good work Apollo! You've got her!"

Somewhat startled by the sudden talking, Yui violently turns herself around to find the source, causing the bird on her head to fly off and onto her shoulder, still just as happy for some reason. When she asked who said that, the dove finally directs her to the very front of the room, there, the final unused mirror stands. But instead of showing anything that merely resembled her reflection, it showed something entirely different. Like some kind of magic, bright, colorful blobs of light began to shine from the mirror, turning her confused shock to amazed awe. Gears in her mind began winding as a curious gleam gets into Yui's eyes, she walks forward, still ever so curious

The feeling she got was almost magnetic, continuing to creep forward it were like time itself stopped just for her, and by then, she'd already long forgotten about the vampires hunting her down, truly during these moments. . . nothing mattered other than to reach the mirror. . . Only when Yui reached the middle of the room, is when she abruptly stopped. Thankfully, her sudden stop made her come back to her senses for a little bit, so although still curious, she couldn't understand why. . . she wanted to keep moving but her body kept telling her not to

Obviously, this starts a small argument between her mind and gut, both fighting for control as Yui stood there helplessly, rightfully confused the bird on her shoulder.

"Cmon, cmon!- We're so close, keep moving!"

"No, no, something is bound to happen! We should stay put just in case. . !"

But as the two sides continued to bicker back and forth, the still yet radiance mirror began to move, vibrating violently, bringing the internal argument to screeching halt; and Yui immediately understood why she stopped. Suddenly, a white aura glowed from the mirror edges, the rapid shaking causing cracks to form on its surface, and once more, that feminine voice speaks to her once more

"Awh, having trouble deciding to keep walking, are we?~"

"It's honestly understandable, I mean if I saw a glowing, shaking, mirror, I'd walk towards it too right? *Hah!*"

"Oh! Another thing, terribly sorry for what happened earlier. Me and Apollo expected you, but, weren't expecting the guests. . ."

*Even more cracks form on the mirror*

"*Sigh* supposed I kept you waiting for long enough, don't you think. . ?"

"You've worked so hard and gone through some much. . ."

*The mirror becomes almost entirely broken*

"I'd say it's time we finally met: face to face!"

And with that, the mirror finally shatters, nearly making Yui fall back in fear, covering her face and the dove with her arms as to not be injected with the shards of glass that were flying across the room, yet only exciting her bird friend. Once she thought the coast was clear, Yui hesitantly pulled down her arms to see what was in front of her, then she saw what she thought to be unexplainable. The mirror was shattered, but the colors underneath still remained, creating this luminous, unworldly, entrance. . . like a portal to another dimension

Gaining back her footing, Yui was, respectfully, tooken back by the sudden jump-scare of broken glass and surprised by the vortex in front of her, but the little creature didn't seem to mind, fluttering off her shoulder and atop the strange gateway, yet by then, she'd already put the pieces together and knew exactly who was about to walk through that door. Like clockwork, a faint silhouette formed in front of the entrance and began pulling itself out of the reflection. This was it. . . The moment she'd been waiting for. . . The witch that's been trying contact Yui, the witch that sent their familiar to her at a time of need, they were finally going to meet. . . And honestly, Yui was whole mess of emotions at that point, scared was one thing for sure, but a sudden wave of joy and determination as well. Finally, she would get the answers that she so desperately wanted, and nothing was going to stop her, not even bloodthirsty vampires. . .

Stepping out into the real world, the figure fairly resembled a human, with a short structure and a thin hourglass figure, perfectly matching their voice. They lightly dusted off their shoulders as the dove cooed in joy and fluttered onto one of them

"*Sigh* Not one of my greatest entrances, but it'll do. . ."

They turn to a, very much in awe, Yui, and begin to walk toward her, amused by her reaction and the look on her face. Slowly but surely, their figure changes, becoming more human and revealing their true form. They've shown to be someone roughly Yui's age, brunette hair with bleached tips and the richest of hazel eyes; wearing 70s attire, a red beret, red-painted lips and an amused yet sweet smile. Now in front of her, there were so many things Yui wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to ask, but due to experiencing so many emotions at once, it awkwardly came out in one sentence

"Y-you're. . . you're-"

"What? A beauty? A muse? *Gasp* Your savior?!"

"Y-You're the witch. . !"

". . ."

"*Eh* I get that a lot. . ."

"Niji Shikisou, The Painter Witch, at your service~"

"Nice to finally meet you, Ms. Eve. . ."

As they did a little curtsy to introduce themself, new questions as well as old remaining ones were swarming Yui's head, and they were very aware of this, and although they wanted to clear things up to make things easier, what Yui didn't know was that time was running thin. Just before Yui could say anything else, they quickly cut her off, telling her they understand how confused she must be, reinsuring her that she will get the answers soon as long as she was patient and if she trusted them, offering their hand. And like the Painter Witch said, she'd come so far. . ! After outwitting the vampires and commending to their torment for years, she deserved to know the truth. . ! So, Yui, wanting the truth more than anything, takes Niji's hand, accepting their offer, which pleased them that she was so willing to cooperate

But everything can't be too easy, they're quick to direct the group's attention to the ground, where most of the largest shattered glass shards laid. Forcing herself and Yui to crouch down and look at the shards, Niji uses that same spell to alter the current reflections, to show what exactly was happening concurrently. Just like before, it instead revealed the actions and faces of all ten vampires. . . and they looked angry! Turns out while searching for Yui, the triplets, Kou and Azusa rejoined with the rest of the group, and were getting close to their half of the theme park. Of course, Yui was absolutely terrified by this; now if this were one-off thing, the brothers would probably find a "creative" way to punish her, likely a whipping or taking turns drawing her blood, but remember, she'd done this multiple times to this point forward. . .

So, case in point, if they find her now, they'd rip her to shreds, or worse! But before Yui could properly panic, Niji calms her down, reinsuring her that she has nothing to worry about with them around. Very much unintentionally reminding her of a very important fact, witches are stronger than vampires. They go on to say that they've already had a plan to deal with the vamps, and they were gonna need mirrors, a lot more mirrors! Despite having even more questions, from that point forward, Yui had never trusted another person more in entire life, there was no time to chat. Grabbing onto her, Niji forced the two of them back up again, saying they had no more time to waste. With that, pulling Yui by the hand, they sprint toward the shatter doorway, forcing the whole group inside! All the while, Yui fully trusted her, despite having no idea what her plan was. . .

~Meanwhile~

Both Sakamaki and Mukami brothers were still searching for Yui, the sun was now completely out of the sky and all the lights in the park were coming on. Once the group rejoined, the rest of the main vamps, Yuma and Ruki were all rightfully angered by them losing Yui, causing the group to argue a bit, only stopping once Reiji breaks them up and reminds them of the task at hand, putting an end to their fight for the time being. Like a pack of hungry wolves, they scout a majority of the theme park for their prey, and looking at their plan on paper, it was pretty uncoordinated, cause despite working together for half the search, they could only cover so much ground at a time, making their attempts to find Yui even more difficult than if they just split up into groups of two. Making matters worse, they weren't the quietest nor the sneakiest either. . . Yuma and Subaru, so angry about her sudden disappearance, caused massive amounts of damage to the park itself, to which they were narrowly caught by park staff

This was entirely Reiji's idea, due to still not trusting the Mukami brothers, and finding the plan as a way to not only find Yui, but also to keep a close eye on them in case they tried running off with her again, despite how time consuming it would be. At that rate, the vampires kept searching and searching as it got later and later into the night, eventually making their way to the other side of the park, where all the old and unpopular attractions were. Irritated, Kou climbs up an old signal tower to get a better look at their surrounding area, the view he got wasn't the best, the tower he climbed was a bit smaller than what he expected and the night sky away from any source of light wasn't helping either, but he made do with what he had. When yelled at from the ground, asking for what he saw, he did a slow 360° with his body, scoping out the land. He yelled out the repeated phrase "nothing" as he went full circle, at first he didn't see much, just rundown buildings, the night sky, nothing too special. It's only when he got about halfway around, he saw something truly unexpected. . .

"W-W-Wait. . ? What are those sparkly star things. . ?"

"A-Are those particles?!"

From out in the distance, Kou saw bright yellow, glowing particles, radiating from one specific area. Bewildering him, cause aren't all the attractions were supposed to be closed? And what made more suspicious, were that the particles were coming from one specific area and nowhere else. . . Once Kou came down and reported what he saw, they were just as confused as he was, and despite how big of a red flag that is, the guys were running thin on options on actually finding Yui, so they headed there without another thought, desperate to reach her again, and once they did, it was nothing like they've ever seen before. In front of them was the most saturated building the group had ever come across, covered in every hue of the rainbow, the building itself looked like something straight from Las Vegas, like one of those fancy and over-the-top casinos, and at its entrance were flickering, neon-glowing signs reading things like:

"Alastor's Wine: Best Served Cold Finale!!"

"One Night Only!!"

"Don't Miss It!!!"

Alongside a sign of an amorphized dove. All radiating, you guessed it, the glowing particles Kou saw earlier. Internal alarms were blaring in their heads as everything about that place practically screamed "trap!" But at that point, they were already getting desperate, a majority of them were tired from the searching and wanted to get things over with. So slowly, they crept up to the building's entrance, watching each other's backs in case something happened. Pulling Ayato in front, the rest of the group decided to send him inside first, and annoyed but still wanting to keep his pride, he grudgingly agreed. Right away, and like Kou, he notices the unexplainable, how despite the building being so unyieldingly bright, there were no signs of any lights, no stage lights, no electrical cords, nothing; so either they used really powerful technology, or this was the building's natural colors. . !

The groups kept moving despite, and luckily for Ayato, the building had no doors, which made taking a look inside a tinier, all be it being ten times saturated on the inside than on the outside. With everyone in front of the door, they all got a look inside, it seemed safe enough, neither of them still weren't too sure. . . what if the gateway is rigged with traps? Sheepishly, Laito suggests that Ayato should go first, since he made this far taking the lead, to which he immediately regrets, because he knew a rattrap when he saw one. . . It went on back and forth between the guys, everyone pointing fingers of who'd be willing to sacrifice themselves of entering the strange building, eventually sparking yet another argument between the vampire, but this time, Reiji is even quicker to end it. . ! He breaks up the fight in half, loudly scolding them that their bickering wouldn't get them anywhere closer in retrieving Yui, and how he was gonna get everyone inside? He thought of that too. . .

Turning to Ayato, he asked for one of his shoes, and although confused, he reluctantly does give him one. Reiji goes on to explain that he's going to throw it into the building, and if nothing happened to it, that meant that the room was trap-free and it was safe to enter, earning a collective "ooohhh!-" from the rest of the group; there were many times where Reiji truly felt like the "smart one," this was one of those times. . . Anyways, with the object in hand, he throws it into the building, already thinking that this plan is was just a waste of time as is. Yet, instead of the shoe just getting a long distance in the air before hitting the floor, because, well, gravity. . . The object, immediately upon entering the building, completely changes. Its appearance alters, lightening in color and matching the building's insides, which takes the entire group by surprise. That's when Reiji finally notices just how different the insides of the building were from the outside

Cause while everything outside looks sturdy, simple and well, normal, the inside of that building looked almost "hand-drawn", it looked more smoother, rounded, like something straight from a classic Disney film. But just before Reiji or Ayato could question anything further, Laito, obviously thinking that it dragged on for quite long enough, just pushes them in without warning. Uncalled for sure, but exactly what the group needed. . .

"Laito, what the hell?! What was that fo-?! Wah-wait a sec. . ."

Similarly to the shoe, both Reiji and Ayato's appearances change just like that. Becoming more detailed in their physicals, again, like it was straight from a classic Disney film. Of course, everyone had their questions, Ayato even asks if they'd all took something earlier. But no time to think about that! They have a Yui to catch! They had to keep going, so with the unintentional greenlight, everyone else entered the building, a few of them marveling in their new looks, and quickly began their search. . . They fell for it

With that, we finally learn about Niji's plan, and unsurprisingly, it involves using Yui as bait, but not in the way some think. Niji, as holder of the Painter Witch title, was no stranger to creating vivid illusions that mess all sorts of minds, so they knew immediately what they wanted to do. Using their magic, they transform the building, turning it from a crusty run-down attraction to a marveling casino within seconds. But, as fate would have it, they knew the vampires weren't going to fall for such a trick, so that's where Yui comes in! Niji could change the casino all she wanted, yet there were still some things she couldn't, more importantly being, Yui's scent, which was behind by her earlier. . .

Exploring inside, every room had the typical over-exaggerated casino vibe, blinky lights, colorful machines, any bell and whistle you could think of was there, but of course, that's not what the vampires are here for. They immediately recognized Yui's scent from the hallways she'd traveled in before, and reverted back to their instincts, scouting each and every room in search of their prey, all now irritated and dead set on finding Yui. Till finally, all 10 of them, after tracking down her smell at its strongest, led them to grand and alluring doors, jackpot. . !

Yui's scent was now stronger than ever, and they were ravenous, like they've haven't eaten in years. Both Yuma and Subaru swing the doors open with full force, allowing everyone to run inside without a second thought. The room inside completely matched the door that guarded it, the place was almost entirely covered in large round tables, all draped in simple white cloths, looking to be a sort of preforming area, at half of the room was a massive stage, weirdly shaped and leveled by stairs going up, covered in even more bright colors and blinky lights, but the strangest thing about it were the mirrors littered all across its walls, including one giant mirror in the center, only lit with dim lighting. Yes, something was especially off here, red flags were all over the place. The group didn't let their guards down for a second, checking their surroundings and watching each other's backs. Their eyes were glued to the stage, waiting for something to just pop out, and eventually something did. . .

"Finally, you all showed up! I was starting to get bored!~"

*Niji's voice echoed within the room, practically jump-scaring the vampires and throwing them into defense. Looking all around to find the source of her voice*

"Do you know how easy you're making this for me? I could've made my get away at any moment, but *sigh* I knew. . ." "I knew that little pests like you were much too persistent. . ."

*The group gets slightly irritated, noticing that the voice was feminine*

Yuma: Who the hell are you?!

"Who I am is none of your business nor of your concern thank you. . ." "Not like it'd be much use to you anyway. . ."

*She only fuels the flame as most of the group got angrier, how dare this woman talk so condescendingly to them. . !* *Quickly realizing she was the one responsible for Yui's disappearance*

Ayato: Alright, quit the horsesh*t, where's Yui?! We know you have her!!

"*Hmm?* I have not the slightest idea what you're talking about"

*Before Ayato could bark back, Kou places a hand on his shoulder, giving a nod while smiling as he stepped in front of him*

Kou: Look lady, there must be some misunderstanding here. Our little Maso-kitty happens to be our property, so if you could just hand her over-

"Oh! You're talking about Ms. Eve! *Haha!*" "Yes, she's safe and sound with me and I plan to keep it that way. . !"

*At that point, their patience was already growing thin, like ravenous dogs ready to snap. Subaru shoves his way to the front*

Subaru: *Ugh* You piece of sh*t!! GIVE US THE MORTAL OR ELSE!!

*Suddenly, the giant mirror at the center of the stage begins to glow, the same as before but brighter than ever* *The group shields their eyes*

"Oh temper, temper!~ What got you so worked up?" "Are you upset I have your little toy?~" "Well too bad! You weren't putting her to good use anyway. . !"

*Cracks begin forming on the mirror* *Most of the group peak to see what was happening*

"Yet to come this far. . ! It gets harder and harder to tell whether or not you actually care about her. . !" "*Sigh* suppose there's one way to find out. . ."

*Finally, the mirror shatters, sending glass all over the place and causing the group to fully cover their faces* *Once it sounded like the coast was clear, they all slowly put down their arms*

*All eyes towards the now broken mirror, Niji steps out of the carnage as once unnoticed spotlights shine onto her, revealing her form and sickly-sweet grin* *Revealing her true form, the vampires were a mix of shocked, confused, and angry. Subaru, so angered, immediately began running up to the stage, all the while Reiji immediately realized something sinister about her*

Subaru: Why you!!-

Reiji: Subaru, wait!!

Just before he could even land a finger on her, she swiftly dodges the attack, shocking him, and delivers a colorful blow, causing him to go flying into one of the mirrors on the side. She then proceeds to turn to the, now horrified, vampires, shocked that she managed to take down Subaru so easily, and finally realizing who exactly they were up against. From her back, Niji proceeds to pull out a paintbrush, holding it in both hands before it magically increased in size, letting it go and allowing it to levitate in the air like it was nothing. It floated above her as it began to spin violently, the bristles extracting a colorful paint-like substance as the wind around them became sudden and almost violent. Niji begins cracking her knuckles

"You all do love Ms. Eve, don't you?~" "So, why don't you all stand up and fight me for her?!"

And it was at this moment, they knew. . . they f*cked up. . .

With a blur, Niji gave all ten vampires the most colorful beat-down ever. . ! Seriously, paint was everywhere! And unlike Niji who has magical powers, the vampires didn't have weapons, only having the cloth-drawn tables as ways to block their attacks and as projectiles, which she'd merely blast. But regardless, it didn't matter what they did or what they threw at her, cause Niji would just hit them even harder, it was hopeless. . ! All the while, she would continuously tease them, asking why aren't they using "their powers?" And in all the commotion, you had to wonder, where was Yui in this? Keeping this part brief because of time

Well, Yui alongside Apollo, was climbing up to the roof of the building. As a part of Niji's plan, once the vampires were defeated, Niji would fly the two away, allowing Yui to leave the vampires' grasp entirely. Obviously, Yui was hesitant but wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like that, so she ran to the rooftop as fast as she could. But before Yui could make it, she gets confronted by a paint-covered Azusa, who saw her heading upstairs and tried to beat her to it, He made one final attempt to convince her to stay with them, saying how things wouldn't the same without her, only to be cut off by Niji, pressing the back of enlarged against his own, threating him not to say another word, forcing him to back off. They proceed sprinted pass him and toward Yui, grabbing her hand once more and guiding her directly to the rooftop

Every moment, Niji just seemed to surprise her more and more, whilst also confusing her at the same time. Why did she do so much for her? For what reason was she being picked out? What did it have to do with being "Eve?" How did they even know she was "Eve?" Yet despite all the questions, a part of her felt. . . relieved, like years-worth of chains were magically being lifted from her body, this was her chance of escape, and she took it without another thought. Arriving on the rooftop, as Niji prepares their paint brush for their escape, Yui grabs ahold of their wrist with both hands, and just thanks them. For, well, everything, for giving her a friend, for saving her from those creepy men, everything, small tears welled up in her eyes as Niji turns and smiles at her, saying it wasn't a problem, before instantly scooping her up, and onto the magical brush

Both of them on basically a broomstick and with Apollo on Niji's shoulder, the two take to the skies, Yui held on for dear life while Niji was as calm as ever. Just before they'd could fully leave, the vampires showed up just at the nick of time, all injured and covered in paint and bruises, already angered but unable to reach them due to them being very much flightless, they were unsurprising powerless, and Niji takes the chance to gloat a bit while they were still in the air

*They giggle*

"Awh~, what's wrong? can't make it up here?~" "You know, if you want her so bad, why don't you just fly up and get her?~" "I've always wanted to see a vampire turn into a bat. . ."

*The bloodthirsty vampires were beyond angry and ready to snap, but from below, they looked like angered little dogs*

Ayato: DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH?! WE'LL RIP YOU APART LIMB FROM LIMB!!!

*Reiji started to bark back as well, his now extremely cracked glasses almost completely fell off his face*

Reiji: IF SOMEONE LIKE YOU HAD ANY BRAIN, YOU'D STOP TREATING THIS AS SOME GAME!! HAND OVER THE MORTAL!!

*Despite the tears rolling down his face and the obvious redness, Azusa tried to stand his ground and act tough*

Azusa: You. . . you big bully. . ! L-let go of Eve, LET GO OF OUR EVE RIGHT NOW!

*Yui's eyes were closed out of fear during the yelling, she wasn't used to being so high up. But just by their voices, she was surprised, she'd never heard them this angry before. . .* *Niji just looks down at them, unimpressed but amused, before laughing*

"Oh no~ I'm so scared!-*hahahah!*" "I knew you would all get mad, but I didn't expect you to be this hotheaded- Oh!- That reminds me!"

*They snap their fingers as warm-colored particles release from their fingertips*

"I left a little surprise for you, think of it as a parting gift!" "Just be careful going downstairs, ok?"

*Within seconds, the brush began to lift higher into the air, Yui holding on all the tighter as she felt it shift*

"Well gentlemen, I think it's time we'd depart. . ." "Terribly sorry it has to end like this, but don't worry. . . We'll take good care of her. . ." "Bhyeeee~!"

And just like that, they were gone. . . The vampires watching speechless, in horror, as the witch shot up into the sky and disappeared, Yui only catches glances of their faces as she, Niji and Apollo flew off. . .

. . .

You still here? Good. . .

As you can probably tell, this's one of my longer posts, and I'm not too confident not many people let alone anyone will read it, but I had a lot of fun writing it so, screw it I guess

Big apology for taking so long, I thought it was going to be easy but man, did it take me longer than I expected, to a point I had to write some parts in school TwT Overall, I did this project for fun, as well as trying to bring in more darker and mature elements to my writing. Despite how time-consuming it was and how trashy the actual anime was, I genuinely enjoyed putting my personal spin on this show and giving it the rewrite it deserves. I'm not entirely sure if or when I'll bring this back, maybe if it gets popular enough-

How I actually found this series is still beyond me though. It really felt like I just looked at the show and went, "yeah, I can fix him. . ."

Anyway, be on the lookout for my other projects And as always, stay tuned^^