Azriel Nouralail's Story

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Jiro had listened quietly as Haruka sang. He could see the meaning behind those words. While she wanted to break free of her fear, it wouldn't be easy. But he knew she would find a way, her own way to do it. Perhaps, in time she could even manage to trust one, but that was a goal too far off to even think of. His thoughts were interrupted when the black creature of a familiar appeared, latching onto Haruka in the process. It irked him to no end how enthusiastic this creature was, despite being from a creature of darkness. But wasn't he as well? Jiro shook that thought from his mind. Haruka glanced down, blinking in confusion before she spotted Sodom. She sighed as she rubbed the black creatures head, listening as he called her an angel which caused her to scoff.

"I am no angel," she whispered before the thought was stated out loud by another. She didn't even have to glance at the person to know who it was. She turned her gaze towards the pure-blood, nothing but pure hatred radiating from the stone-gray irises. She could still feel the shiver of fear rolling down her spine, but she wasn't going to break her gaze. She heard Sodom speak to Azriel in a rather dejected manner. She couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the black creature who was bound to the vampire. One of his statements caused her to actually laugh out loud.

"Do you honestly think I would bear him children? Let alone have him touch me in such a way," she responded to the black familiar. She didn't even want to think of something so...atrocious as to bear the vampire children. She wanted to commit no such thing with the vampire and she would rather die first than to allow that to happen. Although she was sure the male in front of her had harboured the same feelings as she was nothing but a tool for him. The thought alone made her skin crawl and caused her hairs to stand on end. It was a disgusting thought and she wished Sodom had never spoken of such things. The pure-blood continued to speak and had mentioned traveling to a mansion. What mansion, why was he meeting her parents?

"I am not going anywhere with you! And you are not going to meet my parents," she gritted through her teeth. This vampire infuriated her to no end. Perhaps that could be a means to an end of her fear. If she could remain angered by this one vampire, perhaps there was a bit of hope. She stood from her perch on the log, the breeze whispering through her hair and ears. Her fists were clenched tightly, causing her knuckles to turn white as she continued to stare defiantly at the pure-blood. "This mark," she stated, hovering her hand over her chest as she continued, "means nothing to me. You mean nothing to me. You are just a nuisance, an annoying fly that won't die no matter how many times you attempt to kill it." she could feel her voice as she spoke those words. There was no doubt that she had insulted him, she could see it in his face as when he had stated their trip, he had wanted no retort or disagreement to the words. So what if she was just a tool to this vampire, it meant nothing to her. Why had he wanted to use her as a tool in the first place?

"Why couldn't you choose someone else? Why not the Lancaster vampiress? Why not any of those forsaken things that clamor for your attention, your feelings, why not any of them?! What do you want from me!?" she nearly shouted at the vampire. She could feel her breathing increase as her heart began to pound against her ribs. It hurt, hurt so much that she had to clench her fists tighter, drawing blood as she pierced her flesh with her nails. She hadn't meant to, but she was far too angry to care. The river they were near was slowly misting as she felt her anger rise. Jiro couldn't do anything as he watched the events unfold. He was silently hoping his master would calm down because he knew exactly what the pure-blood was capable of. He wouldn't hesitate to tear the girl apart if she continued down this path. He had tried to get her to stop, but she just kept insulting the pure-blood.

"I refuse to play this twisted game of yours!" she finally ended. She didn't want to play the game in the first place. Although, in reality, it wasn't his game to begin with. It was a matter of fate playing its' twisted game on her. Otherwise, she wouldn't be here in the first place.

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Her gaze never once faltered, not even when he grabbed her by the throat and pushed her into a tree. She wasn't an ignorant person to not notice the splinters flying from the tree nor of the pain that surged through her body. She could feel the hold on her throat tighten as those pools of black abyss that turned into pure hatred, just as she had shown him. It was almost laughable at how much they hated each other, and yet, here they were bound to each other. Fate did have a twisted mind after all. Regardless, out of instinct - or was it reflex - her hands went for the ones that held her in place, trying to pry them off as her lungs screamed at her for precious supplies of oxygen. His words only served to anger her more. Through the grip, she tried to retaliate.

"My father was not a bastard! And the day that happens, everyone will rejoice at the end of such a tainted blood-line," she managed to squeeze through. What did he know of her father anyways? It wasn't like her father had ever met the illustrious Nouralail family because if he had, she would have known about them. Her father was the one that taught her of all the pure-blood families and how each one was connected to each other in one way or another. He never discerned the details about how or why they were connected, but he had just said that they were. The next set of words caused the light in Haruka's eyes to falter a bit as what he said held truth to it. Her family wouldn't hesitate to quickly disown her if they knew what exactly it was that they had done.

They raised a child of a gray world without knowing the darkness that crept into the soul. It was no secret that the Kurosawa family of hunters despised vampires. They abhorred the treaty and were always treading on thin water when it came to abiding by the rules. How they managed to remain a live was still a mystery to Haruka herself, but that wouldn't matter. As long as they had loved her as their own, raised her as their own, they were still her family regardless of how they reacted to her vampire side. It was just that naive selfishness of hers. She would cling to them even if they cast her aside as a piece of garbage because they were the only family she had left. Wait, did he just say he had informed her parents of their arrival? What had he told them? These thoughts ran through her mind as he continued to speak, ignoring the black familiar tugging at his collar, begging him to stop.

Jiro could only watch as the events unfolded. He was no match for the pure-blood, of this he was certain. And he didn't want to jeopardize Haruka's broken sanity any more so than Makoto had already. He watched as the black creature tried desparately to get his master to stop, and Jiro could only smile at the effort. At least his familiar was trying something. He could see the confusion, and the anger behind Haruka's gaze, and for once, he felt proud of his master. She wasn't backing down nor crying out of fear. She was meeting this monster head on with a strength he hadn't realized she possessed. He didn't miss the falter in her eyes though when he mentioned she was just as disposable.

"That still doesn't answer the question of why" she retorted when he responded about the only reason why she was still alive. If this had been a romantic gesture, one that was honest and pure, she might have found herself under the fire of actually love, but there was nothing sincere about the words nor the gesture. She couldn't help but cry out as the mark began to burn her again. She hated that mark so much that she was tempted to carve it out of her skin, but it wouldn't work. He had said it was part of her soul now, so it wouldn't matter if the mark was visible or not. Instinctively, her head went further back into the tree to avoid the next course of action the pure-blood did. She tried to avoid it, however; he violently kissed her, causing her to nearly vomit in her own mouth at the way he did it. She began to try thrashing about, but it was only stopped when he flung her over his shoulder once more like he had did that night. With that, he stated they were leaving now.

"Where are we going?" she found herself stating her thoughts. Where were they going? He wasn't serious about going to meet her parents was he? It wasn't even the break from school yet. "Please, don't take me there! I beg of you!" she nearly screamed. She knew it would fall on deaf ears, but she didn't want to go. She tried once again to release herself from his grasp, trying to thrash about but his hold was too firm. She couldn't bring this monster to her family. She didn't want to lose them because she knew that once they find out of his heritage, they wouldn't hesitate to try and kill him. With the demonstration of the previous night, if he were truly that strong, her family would be torn to pieces in a matter of seconds. She couldn't bear the thought of any more death. It was sickening to her, especially since it was her family dying off.

"You'll only kill them," she couldn't help but whisper out the last of the sentence. She closed her eyes, filling herself release the tears she had tried to fight off. Was that the only thing she could do, was cry?

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There was no doubt in the back of her mind that this man would like nothing more than to erase everything from existence. It seemed that he had a penchant for killing things and did so with great pleasure. She shuddered as the words that left his mouth. Their lives were in her hands? This finally stopped the tears that flowed as he made his way through the Academy and down the stairs. She was glad that the prefects were not around and that everyone was either out enjoying their weekend or somewhere else. Why she had opted to stay at the academy was a decision she was now regretting. She allowed her body to go limp as it was useless to struggle further against the pure-blood.

They exited the building and she was thrown into a car. She hit her head on the other side of the dor and cringed a bit, rubbing the now sore spot before she clutched herself closer to the other side. She didn't want to be so close to this creature and the next words from his mouth almost had her laughing. Almost. She refused, however, if it meant that her family would be ignorant to his heritage, she would surpress the urge of fear and replace it with something different. It would only be for a few hours though, right? During the drive, she kept her gaze away from the man beside her and fixed it on the passing scenery.

It was a beautiful day, and yet, she couldn't enjoy it. She was on her way to meet her family with a man she was forced into a marriage with. It wasn't long before they reached the home. He was the first to exit as she hesitated a bit. She wasn't ignorant to the change of demeanor to the vampire when he spoke to her father. It caused her to raise an eyebrow but she ignored it. She was greeted by her father, and she forced a smile to her face as she went to embrace the man.

"Hi daddy," she whispered with a soft smile. Before the man could respond, the exited shouting of a younger child entered the vicinity. Haruka found herself wrapped tightly by a pair of arms as she smiled down at the child that clung to her so. She knelt down so that she was eye level with the brown eyed child and embraced him. "How is my little Aki?" she stated as Akihiro smiled up at his older sister.

"I've missed you! Why haven't you come to visit us on the weekends?" he asked, a childish tone to his voice despite being ten years old. He turned his attention to Ryuu and glared at the male. "You stay away from Ruka-nee-chan! She's my sister!" he stated in a childish tone. Before Haruka could retort to that, the clearing of her father's throat entered the vicinity. She had completely ignored to introduce Ryuu to her family as were customs. She sighed, but forced a smile at the same time. Walking over so that she stood by his side, she laced her fingers with his, trying not to allow the shiver roll off of her body as she did so. She could see the amused look in her father's eyes as she forced a brighter smile onto her face.

"Dad," she began. How was she going to tell him that this man at her side was supposed to be her lover. Apparently her father was already familiar with the man, which confused her a bit. She had never been told much of other families, and it was slightly confusing to her, but that didn't matter at the moment.

"So it seems that that a Giou has chosen a Kurosawa. Tell me, do you plan on carrying the Giou traditions of asking before taking her away from us?" her father teased, causing an irritated twitch to Haruka. "I am glad that now we will not have to worry about her anymore though. I can tell she will be in capable hands," he had spoken. What had he meant by that? If she remembered correctly, the Giou family (even if she hadn't been told much) was a family of retired hunters. That was the only thing she knew really. She wasn't able to continue her thoughts as a pair of arms wrapped themselves tightly around her.

"Mom...I...can't...breathe," she stated as she tried to get her mother to release her. She could see the happy tears falling from her mothers eyes as she couldn't help but smile at them. Everyone seemed so happy to see her, with this thing and it was causing her heart to break so much more. She was doing this for their sake and she wouldn't allow them to perish. Not while she could help it. When her mother finally released her, Haruka let go of the hand she had been holding and gently returned the favor.

"Come inside, we have lunch prepared!" she stated as she ushered in the two. Haruka only sighed as she followed after her mother, leaving her husband to deal with her father. It seemed that no matter how many years passed by, the woman would always be hyperactive and a bit overly motherly. "You need to tell me how it happened," her mother stated. How what happened? How they met, were married?

"Ever heard of a shotgun wedding," Haruka stated in a rather bland tone, causing her mother to turn around and grasped Haruka's hands. She hadn't really paid much attention to the actual definition of a shotgun wedding. She had meant it as she was forced, but apparently the look on her mothers face was horrified.

"How many months are you along?!" her mother nearly shouted, causing a blue streak to form on Haruka's face as she understood what her mother had been implying. She waved her hands wildly in front of her, trying to discern the woman's current thoughts. Her mother, however, had her head to Haruka's stomach, trying to listen for signs of life with a rather teary eyed expression. "Yoshiro! We're going to be grandparents!" her mother shouted happily before Haruka could tell her mother otherwise.

"No you're not!"

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She hated it.

These feelings, the touches, everything. It felt like her skin was on fire, however; she never let it slip through of her discomfort. She sighed rather dejectedly as she tried to explain to her mother she wasn't with child. Of course, her mother had always been one to be over dramatic with things, especially when it came to possible grandchildren. The woman had always pestered her older siblings, specifically her sister, when they got married that they had nine months to give her a grandchild. She was dead serious when she stated that. She was brought out of her thoughts when Ryuu swept her off her feet, truly catching her off guard when he called her by her name. She could feel the discontempt of such an action through her body, but merely smiled up at Ryuu.

"I am not pregnant," she gritted through her teeth when Ryuu addressed that he would make their child and herself happy. She almost choked on it, however; she continued with the game and replied to him. "And you are my king," placing what was to be a quick, chaste kiss on his lips before removing herself from his arms. She smoothed out the her crinkled blouse as her mother stated something about young love. She wasn't paying attention, only to the burning sensation in the pit of her stomach. Just a few more hours, she thought to herself before her mother stated something out loud, causing a knot to form in her stomach and her eyes to widen slightly before setting into an apologetic smile.

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea! You should stay for the weekend. We have a spare room you two could share," Chiharu stated with a large smile. Haruka shook her head violently at the woman's request, earning a disappointed frown from her mother. "Oh don't be like that Ruka, it'll be fine," her mother continued. Haruka sighed before smiling softly.

"Mom, we can't stay. I have," she paused for a moment, trying to think of a proper excuse to get this Ryuu away as quickly as possible from her family. She had introduced him, her father had already seemingly knew him from a past experience. She would have to ask him later about this Giou family. She wanted to know a few things, but for now she was simply trying to leave. "I have a project for school that I need to work on," she stated, half truthfully. While it wasn't necessarily a project for school, it was more for her own selfish reasons. Her mother however waved her off, saying it was nonsense that her project could wait. Haruka shook her head.

"I promise I'll," she paused in herself, "We'll come over again soon, but let's enjoy lunch!" she stated, clapping her hands together, ignoring the scratching feeling at the back of her mind. Her mother laughed and ushered them to the table. Apparently they were having plain sandwiches, causing Haruka's eyebrow to twitch slightly. Of all things to cook, her mother resorted to making sandwiches. She would have thought that the woman would have prepared a grand feast or something, she enjoyed her mother's cooking. A frown tugged at her lips as she turned to her mother.

"Mom, what is this?" she inquired as her mother laughed nervously. Haruka sighed as she realized that, even though they were expected, they were not expected. She replaced the frown with a smile. She understood and didn't press things further, however; her mother hit her fist to her palm as if she had suddenly recalled something, causing Haruka to raise a brow in confusion.

"I forgot! I wanted to give you something!" her mother stated as she dragged Haruka away. She led her to her room and began rummaging through a small box. She mumbled something that Haruka couldn't make out before she finally shouted in excitement. Pulling the object from the box, she presented it to Haruka. "This, your father gave it to me when we got married," she stated as Haruka looked at the object. It was a silver ring shaped into what appeared to be a leaf. She pulled Haruka's hand and slipped it onto her middle finger.

"Mom, I can't accept this," Haruka whispered out, causing her mother to frown slightly. "Of course you can, you're a married woman now. And might I say you have quite the handsome one there. I bet a lot of the girls at school are jealous," her mother teased, but it only caused Haruka's frown to deepen. She buried her head in her mother's shirt, clutching at it as if she were holding onto life itself. Her mother smiled as she rubbed Haruka's hair in an attempt to soothe the girl.

"It's not an easy thing to be in, but if the two of you truly love each other, it'll make everything obsolete. The only thing that matters is the feelings you two will share for each other. Marriage is work, but it is worth it," her mother stated. If only she knew the truth, she wouldn't be saying those words. She'd be disowning Haruka at this very moment, calling Yoshiro to deal with the problem before dealing with Haruka. This only served to heighten the senses in Haruka as she clutched tighter to her mother.

"Thank you," she stated, fixing herself as she stared at the silver ring now on her finger. "But we're still not staying the weekend," she chided.

"Oh don't be like that!"

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Haruka had remained with her mother, trying to dissuade the woman from making them stay the weekend. But Haruka wouldn't budge from her decision. The longer they stayed, the more at risk they became at discovering both of their secrets and certain death would befall them. Even if her family might disown her or attempt to kill her, she still loved them. So much that it was hurting her just being here with that man. She excused herself from her mother and began walking through the home. She passed by a few rooms and located her old one. She smiled, entering the room and glanced around.

Everything was still in place, almost as if she had never left to begin with. She shook her head slightly. She shouldn't have left. She should have just enrolled into a different school. A normal school and everything would still be the same. She'd be free, he'd probably still be killing things or contemplating it, but she would be free. With a heavy sigh, she closed the door to her room and made her way back to her father. She could hear their muffled voices, but because she wasn't paying much attention, she didn't hear what they were saying. They hadn't noticed her presence yet so she opted to stand in the doorway.

Her eyes widened slightly when her father mentioned something about taking revenge on a pure-blood. So, something happened to him regarding another pure-blood when he was a child, or so she assumed seeing as the man before her was already an almost fully grown pure-blood. Almost. Then she heard Ryuu state that she was his one chance at being saved. She was curious and frightened now. He had said that she was all he needed before, but now. She couldn't help but feel that she was part of something that she hadn't realized was there to begin with. She continued to listen on their conversation until her father came to a realization. How they met. She couldn't help but smile at her fathers enthusiasm, but at the same time she was feeling such fear for the man. Then he mentioned something about Haruka performing with him. She frowned but quickly replaced it with a smile.

"I don't think we have time for a performance dad," she apologized. It wasn't that she didn't want to perform for her family. It was something she always did for them, but to do it with him, she didn't want to. "Actually, I need to ask mom something. Excuse me," she stated, bowing in a polite gesture as she hurriedly made her way out of the area. She didn't know that the pure-blood had been raised as a human. Even so by a hunter family. Hadn't they known he was a vampire?

Unless.

It made sense. Her father had told her once about pure-bloods and their strange abilities. One had been the ability to suppress another's vampiric abilities and memories, rendering them human. Of course, there was a great price that came with it though. She hadn't known the price until she had asked her father to make her wholly human. He had told her that the payment would be his life. She had been fearful of that ever since and had never inquired about it again. She rounded through a hallway before finding her mother in the laundry room, Akihiro helping her fold a blanket. She couldn't help but sigh at the situation. Not only had they been unprepared, but apparently they were doing chores still. She laughed, capturing her mother's attention.

"Hey mom, can I ask you something?" Haruka asked, ushering Akihiro out of the room even though he protested. She gave him a stern look before he ran away, leaving her and her mother in the room. Her mother nodded her head as she continued. "What can you tell me about the Giou family? It seems you and dad were close to them," she inquired, earning a frown from her mother.

"If this has to do with Ryuu," her mother started as Haruka shook her head. "I think you should ask Ryuu about them if you want to know about his history with them. It is his to tell, not mine, however; I will tell you they were wonderful people. Kenta was almost like your father really," she stated, laughing lightly at the similarities. Both were extremely doting when it came to their families, but of course Yoshiro had been more strict with his whereas Kenta had been more lenient. Haruka smiled at the statement, but her attention was soon focused back on her mother.

"We knew Kenta before his marriage to Megumi. His family was much like ours, he even had a younger sister. I do not recall her name, but she was a lovely woman," she could her the slight hesitation upon mentioning the other woman in her mother's voice. This caused a slight curiosity to bubble within Haruka as she continued to listen to her mother. The woman gave a slightly annoyed look but continued on regardless.

"You know our look upon coupling with a vampire," she began, causing Haruka to shiver as she nodded. She knew those thoughts too well really. "Don't tell your father I am telling you this. He doesn't like those days much," Chiharu continued, a light losing it's place in her eyes. "Kenta's sister involved herself with a vampire. She had said that he was in love with her and she him. She even became pregnant with it's child" Haruka could hear the disdain in her mothers voice. In a way, she felt sad for this woman. If she truly loved this vampire, enough so to carry his child, then why couldn't she be free to love whom she loved? She shook those thoughts in her mind. Why was she concerned about it anyways?

"Well, Kenta at the time had objected to such an abomination and had his sister try to terminate the pregnancy, but the little disease just fought back," Chiharu stated with slight animosity towards the words. She sighed a bit, wrapping up the story. "Regardless, she ran away and gave birth to the creature before dying. The hospital had given the child to someone else before Kenta and his family could claim it and kill it," she finished. Haruka couldn't help but sigh at the information. It wasn't exactly what she was looking for, but she had insight at least to the Giou family. Really, they hadn't seemed much different than her family, but the difference was still uncanny. They were retired whereas Yoshiro and his family (minus Chiharu) were still hunters. She thanked her mother and returned to where her father and Azriel were, walking in with a slight hiccup in her step. There was nothing she could do now. It was a fate she was slowly starting to accept, but the voice in the back of her mind kept yelling at her.

"I think it's best if we return already. It is getting late," Haruka stated, trying to hurry and wrap the visit up. They were now on borrowed time and it wasn't something Haruka was willing to gamble with. The pure-blood could just snap and decide to kill her family just for the heck of it. For all she knew he could come back in the middle of the night and kill them, set the house on fire or something. She didn't want to think of that, but the vampire before her caused nothing but fear and worry for her family.

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Haruka said her goodbye's to her family, hugging Akihiro who tried not to have tears in his eyes. She couldn't help but laugh at her brother, he truly did have a big sister complex and she wiped away his tears, promising him she would be back. But she knew that she was lying through her teeth. She couldn't return, not when she was still bound to him. Until she could find a way to rid herself of him, she would stay away from her family to keep them safe. There was something bothering her though. Her family knew this vampire, and it seemed it was on a much personal level than she had expected. She watched as her mother embraced the pure-blood and stated something about his parents. She felt her body shiver when he took her hand. She would have to scrape herself clean later. Probably purify her body in a flame or something to rid the feeling of him touching her as much.

She didn't care what he had said about him being able to touch her whenever and however he wanted to. She wasn't going to make it easy. Did that make her a masochist then? He would undoubtedly put her under so much pain and discomfort for that, but it hardly mattered in a way. He lead the way to the car, missing her father's voice as he called out to Azriel. It appeared he was giving the pure-blood something, a piece of paper, or was it a photo? She didn't care, but nonetheless smiled as Azriel took the picture from her father and thanked the man. She waved goodbye one last time with her free hand as she entered the car first. She fixed her gaze outside once more as the car drove away, her family becoming nothing but a mere spectacle as she left them. Her heart felt so heavy now. At least they didn't have to return to them. She hoped she managed to keep them safe for now.

She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she had managed to get them killed. It would have taken the last bit of humanity she still had left. But what would she have done? She wasn't a match for the pure-blood, and he would likely kill her in a matter of seconds. And he wouldn't hesitate to make it the most excruciating last seconds of her life either. She sighed softly as to not cause unwanted attention to herself. She would just lock herself up in another part of the Academy, or attempt to, when they returned. Subconsciously, her hand laid itself over the mark on her chest. It wouldn't matter if she went to the Earth's core to escape the pure-blood, as long as she had this mark, he would always find her.

Why couldn't you stay? she thought to herself as an image of her father appeared. She knew it was hopeless to think of the what could have been since what could have been is no longer relevant to her world. There was no point in dwelling on the thought, but she couldn't help her thoughts on the subject. It seemed as if she were repeating the same thought process. Why this, why that? What she truly wanted to know was the reason why he did leave. She remembered the look in his eyes when someone came up to him, whispering something in his ear that she couldn't hear. A faint smile had appeared on his lips as he turned to her, and spoke to her.

"My little light, I must go. I will return for you eventually," Haruka listened as her father spoke. There was a tinge of sadness in his voice that she could hear, but she was so young that she couldn't make it out properly. "You look so much like your mother," were the parting words he left her before he disappeared into the thick blanket of darkness.

How she wished she could have stopped him from leaving. Even if she had succeeded, the reason why he left was never given. She had asked her family multiple times about when her father would return, but they never said anything. They only fed on her until it became too much for her young mind. They were the reason why she was so terrified of vampires, and yet, here she was in the accompany of one. Her body wasn't trembling as it once had. Had she finally lost her sanity? She would have scoffed at herself if she didn't believe it. There was still the slight shiver rolling down her back, causing the hairs to stand up as if they had been poked with a static. She had been so engrossed with her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the expression on Azriel's face as he stared at the picture.

She wondered what kind of people the Giou family were. Although from the sounds of it, they were probably no different than her family. She had felt something for the woman who died. She didn't know the woman, at all, but something tugged at Haruka's heart when her mother told her the history, or some of it really, about the Giou family. The woman had fallen in love, it was natural. Everyone falls in love. Well, maybe not everyone, she thought as she glanced at the pure-blood beside her. He would probably be the only exception to that seeing as he was a malicious being. The woman was condemned to death because of the person she fell in love with. Haruka's fate would have been the same if her family knew the truth about Azriel...and herself. She sighed, shaking the thoughts from her mind as she finally took notice of the males' beside her expression.

If this were some parallel universe in which they were happily married, she might have inquired about it. But they were not, and she would not. It wasn't until she noticed that they had been driving for quite some time, passing by the exit that would have taken them back to Academy. Where were they going? This caused the fear to swell up in her being again, her breathing becoming labored breaths as she tried to contain it. She managed to get her breathing under control as she questioned out loud their destination. "Where are we going?" She knew she wouldn't get a response, but that didn't settle the fear that kept rising within her being. Was he going to finally take her somewhere and kill her? She would be glad to be rid of him one way, but still, it was a frightening ordeal and it was one she didn't want to have to experience by the hands of this thing.

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Bel sunk to his knees. He had seen it. He hadn't been able to do anything about it, but he had seen it nonetheless. His reflexes were dull, he'd been so used to slowing himself down for the humans at this school that he hadn't been able to react in time. Bel hadn't been fast enough to save Makoto's life. When Bel pulled Makoto off of Sir Azriel, Bel had watched with horror as Sir Azriel's hand snapped forward like a whip and dislodged Makoto's heart from his chest. It had been like watching someone take something out of a pocket. His hand pierced Makoto easily, as if it had no resistance. It had exited just as swiftly, carrying a dark something. That something was inundated with the stench of blood. It was... it had to be... Sir Azriel had taken Makoto's heart as if it were nothing. As if a child could do it.

Still kneeling, Bel was dead to the world around him. He heard nothing but the roar of the wind in his ears. He saw nothing but blackness. He felt nothing but numbness. Once more, Bel had been unable to save someone he'd cared about. It was his fault. If he hadn't intervened, Makoto might have lived, even if it was just for a bit longer. Without a word, Bel looked up just in time to see Azriel smirk at him, then vanish. Something broke within Bel. The world closed off to him. He couldn't hear anyone, he couldn't smell anything, but he could see red.

Slowly, without noticing the arrival of Kieran and Allessa or the arrival and disappearance of Haruka, Bel stood. He was full of anger, hatred, and sadness. There were no limiters on his body anymore, they had snapped with the rest of him. Bel jumped. His takeoff generated a crater, as the earth couldn't withstand the massive force exerted on it. He shot into the air like a rocket, landing about a mile away, deep within the forest. Bel, unable to contain his sadness and rage any longer, roared. His cry was full of anguish as he yelled his sorrow into the night. Without thinking, without hesitation, as soon as he had finished, Bel set himself on a rampage. He uprooted and threw fully grown trees as if they were nothing but twigs. He spun them in circles over his head and around his body before he left them fly. Sending massive trees high into the sky before they plummeted to the earth, crushing other growth and decimating a small part of the forest. It was still no good. Bel wanted to smash something that wouldn't give when he gripped it in his hands. Though the wood was old, and strong, his gasp utterly destroyed it. The only thing that could take his rage head on was another vampire. A pure-blood. Nothing else, short of hunter metal, would satisfy his anger.

Bel continued on, thoroughly destroying roughly an acre of very old forest before he even began to break a sweat. Starting to burn himself out, Bel decided he needed to hit something. The only thing that could take it wasn't around. The ground would have to do. Bel raised both his hands into the air, making tight fists, and slammed them both into the ground. The impact was massive, it shook the forest itself, and sent any debris that was even remotely close to him into the air. Bel appeared to have caused an explosion. Dust, trees, branches, and boulders kicked up into the air as if a sudden massive hand had picked them up and then dropped them. The earth groaned underneath the massive force Bel generated. Another crater formed, this one massively larger than the one generated by his liftoff. Though it hadn't been very long, though it had felt like hours, Bel was finally starting to calm down. Once he could no longer hear the wind roaring in his ears, and the feeling once again returned to his body, Bel stood. While he wasn't done being angry, by any means, Bel didn't feel like doing anything anymore. Luckily, Bel had been deep enough into the forest that his activities wouldn't have disturbed the fair too much. Sure someone might hear him, but the festival was loud enough that the ambient noise would cover up his roaring and smashing.

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She knew that they were going to the mansion, but he had said during the summer break. It was only the weekend and they still had school to go to. What the heck was he planning? The mentioning of Jiro and Sodom being at the mansion already caused her to somewhat relax, but the tension was building in her muscles. She could already feel a knot in the back of her neck as a result. There was no use retorting something back to the pure-blood. A decision once made would have results regardless of what she would do. Was she finally giving up? The thought alone seemed to spark something in her heart as she felt it beat a little faster.

No, she would still resist the pure-blood no matter what he would do to her. She vowed that much to herself. When they arrived, she couldn't help but stare at the home of the Nouralail. It was beautiful in a weird, twisted kind of way to her. How could something belonging to this man be beautiful? There were probably keepers around to help keep it that way. She doubted he did anything to help since it wasn't his place. She had been staring at the building for a bit longer than she should have that she almost missed his voice. He was ordering her to get out less it would be his pleasure to drag her out. She glared at the man before getting out herself. She didn't want this man touching her any more than he had already during their visit.

She was greeted by Sodom, the black familiar of the Nouralail pure-blood before her. He had attached himself to her as she smiled down at the familiar. She liked this creature, almost as much as her own. He was the opposite of his master in every sense of the word. He was cute, adorable, and loved (or appeared to) smiling. Jiro wasn't far behind the flying familiar as he passed the pure-blood. He had been there with Haruka when they visited her family. He had witnessed the events she had and for some odd reason, Jiro couldn't find himself to respect the pure-blood any more than what he already did. The only reason he obliged in greeting and obeying was for her sake.

"I do not need to be handled" she muttered after the pure-blood. She wasn't an object to be thrown everywhere. She hated that feeling and it only seemed to intensify with the man before her. She watched as he entered the mansion and disappeared. She let out a deep sigh as she turned her attention to Jiro and Sodom. "Jiro, I hope everything will end soon," she spoke to the familiar as he rubbed his head against her hand. She then turned her attention towards Sodom, the ever happy familiar. She offered him a smile and pulled him from her, holding him at arms length.

"Will you be showing me around then Sodom?" she asked the familiar. She would rather honestly go find the nearest lake and drown in it, but knowing that man, he'd come, pull her out and then berate her more and probably do some other things. She really didn't want to be at this place. It left her vulnerable, and she didn't like that feeling at all. Not to mention that her fear was currently occupied by anger. Once that anger subsided, she'd be terrified of the pure-blood once more. And that wouldn't take long at all if she spent time away from him. Why did that seem like such a bad idea either way she looked at it?

One, she could be angered by the pure-blood by being near him, or two, she could be terrified by being away from him. Neither seemed like logical choices, but what choice did she have? Not many apparently, a voice echoed through her mind. Was she fated to be like this until she died, if she died? Being one of the first of her kind, she didn't know her own lifespan. Would she be like the nobles and only have an extended period of life? Or would she have taken on more blood from her father and live until she was killed by something? If that were the case, she would be screwed for eternity. It was something that terrified her more.

Haruka, it's good to see that you are not as fearful as before, Jiro spoke to her as his golden eyes gleamed with a slight hint of happiness. He was tired of his master's fear, and she had even expressed that she no longer wanted to be fearful, But I do not believe that this anger is the key, he continued, causing Haruka to frown. Of course it wasn't the key. If she were to use anger as a leverage of breaking from her fear, then it would only cause it to come back ten-fold should she ever become passive again. Not that she was passive to begin with. She had built up so many barriers around herself to keep from being found out about, but it seemed to crumble when Makoto entered her life. Her eyes glazed over slightly as she thought of her brother. So, she had a sibling after all. Why hadn't she known about him? Did her father find him later, before his disappearance? Whatever the reason, she would never know now. With that thought pushed to the back of her mind, she turned to Sodom and awaited the tour.

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Haruka smiled at the familiar as he happily agreed to show her around. He explained the cherry blossoms littering the way of the path, and had called it the 'Cherry Lane'. It was named so by the lady of the household, or at least she assumed she was by the way Sodom called her. 'Mama Nora' as Sodom had called her planted the trees, and Haruka couldn't help but admire the beauty they radiated underneath the light of the moon. It was an ethereal appearance, one she couldn't hope to ever create and she found herself reaching out to the petals. She grasped one that fell into her hand and glanced at it. A sense of familiarity washed over her as her gaze softened slightly.

They had one cherry blossom tree in the backyard of the Toko residence. It was the one thing she loved about that place before her father left. He would often sit underneath it with her in his lap, telling her stories of his past and how the world changed so suddenly. He would often mention her mother at times, but it wasn't enough for her to picture the woman. All she knew was that she looked like her. She heard Sodom call after her to follow him and she obliged the familiar. He took her to another part of the area where the lane split. He seemed excited, and she couldn't help the steadying of her heartbeat to the familiar's presence.

Her breath seemed to hitch as they walked upon what appeared to be a meadow of white. It was truly beautiful in every sense she could feel. The flowers, as described by Sodom, were labeled as Star Flowers. The name seemed fitting as they shone with such a brightness that Haruka had to glance away for fear of being blinded. Also, she felt a tug at her heart when Sodom mentioned the flowers were created by 'Papa Nouralail' for 'Mama Nora'. How could such a sweet gesture come from such a family, and then their son be the way he is? Then again, she didn't have to dwell on that thought much further. They were not here to greet their son, so that left only one conclusion.

They were dead.

This was only confirmed by the destroyed rubble littering the ground as Sodom lead her through the forest of the Mansion. She could almost feel the screams of the scenery piercing her as she clutched the front of her shirt. She couldn't understand the feeling. Was she sad because of what happened here? Why would she be, she didn't know these people? What kind of people they were or what they did. These things she didn't know, and yet she couldn't help the overwhelming sadness that flowed through her being. Sodom then led her to a rather peculiar lake that she almost had to laugh at the irony. Hadn't she just moments ago thought of finding a lake to drown in? And now, here they were standing before one.

"The lake of wishes?" she found herself questioning as Sodom flew to a particular candle. All of the Nouralail made wishes if they had one here, or so Sodom stated. He read the candle as he stated it belonged to his master. The words, they sounded so familiar. Almost as if they were uttered from her mouth before, and this thought brought the heavy burden of feeling the sadness on her. Jiro glanced up at his master as the tear drops fell to the floor. She was crying, not because she was afraid, but because she was genuinely sad. She had felt something so terrifying here that she couldn't stop the tears from falling. He rubbed against her leg, trying to comfort her, but she could only fall to her knee's and cradled her head.

"So much grief, so much sadness," she stated. Nothing mattered at the moment to her, not even her anger or fear. The only thing that did was the depression that lingered in the area. But there was another feeling in the air. So much care and love that it was suffocating her. "Why does it hurt so much," she tried to state through broken sobs. She wanted to laugh at the silly notion of this. She didn't care about this mark, this man, this thing, that held her in shackles and bound her to an everlasting darkness. Why was she so upset then about his home? His family? It made no sense to her. She wiped the last of her tears with the back of her hand as she stayed on the ground.

"I wish for an end of this...all of this sadness, this pain, this grief, this fear" she whispered so low that it couldn't even be considered a whisper at all. It was as if her lips had just moved, but no sound came out. Even if she were to receive this wish, she wouldn't be able to stop the hate and the anger nor the memories from surfacing. She needed to forget, but how could she? Letting go of her past would be the first step, but she couldn't let it go. It was bound to her much like this arrogant man that was her husband. Even the mere thought of mentioning him as such caused a sickness to bubble in her stomach. There would never be another sense of normalcy in her life.

"A light, no matter how dim, will always find a way to shine brightly. You just need to fan the flames of the fire first,"

She recognized that voice. It belonged to her father. He had said that to her days before his disappearance. She had asked him a question that she couldn't remember now, and that was his answer. She smiled as she took a deep breath. This place, no matter the feeling of sadness, grief, death, it also brought a sense of serenity, and she couldn't help the whispered song spilling through her lips, Jiro curling in her lap as she stroked his fur.

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She didn't have to open her eyes to know Azriel was in the vicinity, and yet she still continued her song. Once it was finished, she heard Sodom state so happily a compliment about her voice. The only response she received was a command to rise and follow after him. She hesitated, but obliged none the less. She didn't want the torture any more. She didn't want to feel anything anymore. It was causing her heart so much pain, that she wasn't sure if she'd live and die of a broken heart. Could people really do such a thing? Die of a broken heart? Well, she'd find out eventually if this continued any longer than necessary. She was just so very tired. Not even her fear could overwhelm her right now. The tired feeling, the tranquility of the area they were in, everything was numbing out her fear of the pure-blood. Whatever it truly was, she was brought out of her thoughts on the subject when Sodom spoke.

"Sodom," she stated in a light tone, rubbing the familiar's head affectionately, "I doubt that is where he is taking me," she continued in a light whisper. The broken edge in her tone had come out sorrowful on accident. She hadn't meant to state it as such a bad thing, but wasn't it? Wasn't it a bad thing that she was even here to begin with? From the way the familiar spoke, the Nouralail seemed like such nice pure-bloods, and anyone who had been their chosen one for their son should have been thrilled. But she wasn't, because this marriage that was forced upon her was all by default. She shouldn't have been asleep in that room. She shouldn't have even been anywhere near that room, but it wasn't Makoto's fault. Partially, she blamed Jiro for that since he was the one that directed Makoto to her room.

With a heavier sigh than intended, she continued to follow behind the Nouralail. Where he was taking her, it didn't matter in her mind. The steady rhythm of her heartbeat frightened her a bit. It was so calm, that the melody it played was almost taunting to her. Why was it so calm? She placed a hand over her chest to feel it with her own hands, and there, beneath the flesh and skin, the soft drumming of her heart could be felt. Her eyes glazed over in a wistful appearance. Her mind was occupied of thoughts that didn't belong there, and Jiro just glanced up at his master. He could hear the confused thoughts of his master as she questioned so many things. The same question though that repeated within her mind: Why? Why what? Why was this happening to her? Jiro shook his head.

It was like an over-lapping door that never ceased, like an escalator someone never turned off. It was always the same question lacing her thoughts. The occasional, what does he want, thrown into the mix would occupy her mind since that question was never fully answered. He had just said the same thing, that she was the only one he needed. But what did he need her for? This caused a slight pain in her head as she cradled it softly with one hand. She was giving herself migraines' and headaches for thinking too hard on these questions that would never be answered. She rubbed her throat absentmindedly. It was still sore from early today when he had grabbed her and pushed her into a tree. Thankfully, there wasn't a mark there any longer, otherwise she'd have had to lie to her parents about the mark.

She was also grateful of where that mark was located. If it had been like his, on his neck, then she'd surely have a lot of explaining to do. This thought seemed to comfort her tortured mind. How odd that a single thought as this could bring a sense of peace. Surely she had to be a masochist to endure so much pain from this vampire. Whether it was physical or not. Occasionally, the thought of this was her punishment for killing her family would enter her mind. That night was still unforgettable. She could still see the events that happened, the blood that was spilled, the screams. Everything. The way her family tore flesh from her skin, she could still feel their claws ripping at her. It wasn't until Jiro had arrived that she finally blacked out.

The next thing she remembered was waking up, walking with blood coating her small body and Jiro in her arms in the form of a black cat. She was found by a group of hunters who were passing by and heard the commotion and the screams. Of course, their natural instinct was that someone was in trouble and they came here. They hadn't found bodies of any human casualties, but they did find shards of broken glass from the pure-blood family that no longer existed. In a way, she managed to wipe out her own family in the process and end their blood-line. The only left known link was her. The Toko family was no more. Her father was gone, somewhere she thought him dead (if only she knew) and her brother dead as well. It was thanks to this man before her that the last of her family was dead.

And yet, she didn't say a word. Instead, she remained silent as she continued to follow behind him, staying a good three feet behind as to not be so close. Yet, she didn't want to fall behind where he would more than likely grab her and hoist her over his shoulder like an annoyance. If this had been a different universe, she would have inquired about their destination. But she knew better than to ask anything of the Nouralail anymore. It only brought unwanted touches of pain. And she was afraid of the answer.

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Twenty-Four hours earlier

A breeze swept across the field where two people stood, each holding a sword. Hikari stood across from her adoptive father, the man who had taught her how to be a hunter so she could protect herself against the vampire that had killed her family...if only she knew the truth. They both looked out of breath, but Kari was more beat up than the older man before her. She had slices on her stomach and sides, each of them from when she lost a match. "Again!" His gruff voice shouted from across the field, making Hikari flinch, but she didn't hesitate as she ran towards him, sword raised and at the ready.

"I suggest a blade. It would at least inflict a wound and even useful against humans."

The Pure-Bloods voice rang in her head as she swung on her father, aiming for his neck, through he easily blocked and swiftly kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying a few feet into the air and then into the ground. Hikari forced herself to sit up as she gasped for breath. "Stand up!" He called out once more, unrelenting when it came to her training. She forced herself to stand as she raised her sword once more, ready to attack when the order was called. The two watched each other carefully before he screamed out once more."Again!" He snapped, and as soon as the words left his mouth, she jumped towards him, using an air attack this time. He raised his weapon just in time, making the two swords clang together before the real battle took place. their swords made contact over and over again as their boys moved in blurs across the field. Another loud clang sliced through the air once more as Kari was pushed backwards into the air.

She raised her sword in defense, blocking the attack that would have sliced through her skin like a knife slicing through butter. Her father expected this through, and so he used his other hand to punch her in the stomach and send her flying backwards once more. Hikari grunted as she landed on her feet in a crouching position and slide backwards, stirring the dirt and sending it into the air around her. "Again! You need to cut my left shoulder before we can stop." he said while holding up his blade. Hikari grimaced and ran forward once more. They both moved at the same time, her aiming for his should and him moving to block, however Kari was going for his right shoulder instead of his left. At the last minute she spun around, dogging his move to block her sword, and slashing towards his left shoulder until she felt his skin slice open.

His moved his own sword, aiming for her side and making her blood stain the ground before she could jump away. "Why would you do that?! I got the point, it was over!" She screamed holding her side. he merely shrugged, the shoulder wound seemingly nothing. "By using that move to get my shoulder, you left your left side open to attack. If you are fighting a vampire, they will not stop to end your life, if you leave any blind spots, you're as good as dead." He sheathed his sword as he spoke. Hikari held up the hand that was now covered in her blood as her world blurred. "Grandfather would have never purposely done that.." She spat at him as her world tilted to the side. "That is why you were never taught in sword fighting." He said as her world went black.

. . .

Hikari woke up after five hours of sleep, her mother had banged up her wounds and cleaned up the blood, luckily her father as only attack aiming for her stomach, and not her legs or arms or face, so she didn't look like she had been beaten up unless someone somehow got a glimpse of her bruised and cut up stomach. She winced before shaking her head in annoyance. "I go on vacation from school and end up in worst condition than when I left. Go figure." She rolled her eyes before pulling on a t-shirt over her bandaged chest and stomach before padding out of her room and down the hall to where her parents sat at the dinning room table. She silently sat down with them while drinking the cup of tea that had been waiting for her. Hikari, you have mail." Her mother, well her adoptive mother, said, handing a fancy plain while envelope to the younger girl, who rose her eyebrow.

After carefully opening the letter and reading the contense, she nearly screamed. "What the fuck?" she said plainly, making both her parents look up sharply at her. "Watch your mouth young lady!" SHe mouth scolded while her father just shook his head. "Who ever sent this letter must be mixed up in the head, because they are referring to me as a Vampire and their asking me to attend an All Vampire Party...the hell man." She said shaking her head and throwing the paper down in the middle of the table. She watched as her 'parents' shared a look before turning towards her. "I think you should go." Her father stated before going back to drinking his tea. Hikari looked at him as if he had just grown a second head. "I never knew you had just a broad sense of humor." She said dryly, making her mother snort. "Vampire's do not make mistakes, if you were invited to a Party being hosted by a Vampire, surly you will be safe, seeing as to the fact that you are invited. They will know you are human and they will stay away, you have enough training to protect yourself if need be." He never once looked at her, and a strange feeling settled into her stomach.

"Don't you think it's just..stupid? Sending a human into a party for JUST VAMPIRES?! I know what your getting at, you think something is going down, and if I go we'll have eyes and ears on the inside, well you know what, I'm not gonna stick my neck out for those damn vampires or be you friggin spy!" Her voice raised as she spoke before she stood up and slammed her hands down on the table. "Your grandfather would have wanted you to go." He said cutting her off before she could say anything else. She stood there for a moment, with wide eyes, before shove backwards and making her chair scrape across the ground loudly. "If I'm not back by midnight, don't both looking for me." She hissed the words with so much hate it made her mothers heart sink, and then she was gone, down the hall into her room.

Not even five minuets later Hikari left the house with a bag over her shoulder and the invention in her hand. She would go to that damn party,but not because her grandfather would have wanted her to or her parents wanted her to, none of them were her real family anyway, when it came to family she was completely alone. She would go to the party because she wanted to find out what was going on.

Present day

Hikari neared the location of where the part would be held dressed in a nice white dress with a red pattern on it, and her bag slung over her shoulder. Most of her wounds had healed over night, and she had cleaned and dressed her worst cut before changing and heading towards the Party so none of the vampire got a better smell on her wound than they already would. To be honest, she wasn't sure why she was here, or why she was even going to this stupid party, but if someone thought she was vampire, they were very wrong, and they had to be corrected now, or never.

Let the party begin...hopefully it wont end with blood.