Whoo! An even 9,021 words! Yeah!

Okay, so this was originally in the Dearly Beloved Extras, but I moved it upon request to be it's own little thing. I give credit to Raine-San who actually had a request. She wanted a ShizNat vampire story and it just so happened that I was thinking of a vampire story earlier this week.

Now, when she said vampire story, I'm sure she didn't mean anything along the lines of what I actually wrote, but I hope she finds it just as good.

This is strictly AU, so if you're confused, don't be. It'll all be explained throughout.

Something details have been changed.

Have fun reading and don't forget to fav and review and whatnot. You know how this works.


Normalcy is defined as something that is not out of the ordinary or abnormal in any way, shape or form. Normalcy can take on many different standards like getting out of bed in the morning, eating breakfast and then heading off to school. Coincidentally, that was exactly the kind of normal that Natsuki Kruger had experienced for the past seventeen years of her life and, frankly, she was tired of it. It was the same thing day in and day out with no deviation at all and even though she never said it out loud, she secretly wished that one day her life wouldn't be so predictable, so normal.

Be careful what you wish for because that was exactly what Fate had in store for her and, unfortunately, it would be the beginning of the end - of everything.

The morning of the beginning of the end began as any other. As usual, Natsuki was forced to get up at six o'clock at the bidding of her ridiculously annoying alarm clock. The harsh noise blared in her ears and the blunette groaned before throwing a pillow over her head to block out the noise, but to no avail. The loud screeching bled through the material of the pillow to torment her poor ears more until Natsuki could no longer take it. Throwing the pillow off of her head, she reached out a fist and slammed it down on the "off" button of the alarm with a resounding smack! Instantly, the screeching shut up and Natsuki sighed in relief.

"Finally," she groaned, flopping back down on her bed. Her tired eyes stared at the florescent red numbers on the clock and sighed. Six in the morning was way too early to get up, she decided, especially for such a night owl like herself. Natsuki stifled a yawn. Just five more minutes, then I'll get up. Throwing the blankets of her bed over her face, Natsuki shut her eyes and snuggled up with the pillow.

However, she wasn't going to be so lucky. No sooner had Natsuki closed her eyes, the creaking of feet on wooden steps reached her and small hands were shaking her awake.

"Kaikua'ana," Alyssa Kruger murmured as she shook Natsuki a little harder. Despite her efforts, Natsuki refused to wake and merely groaned.

Why is she up? Natsuki thought to herself as she continued to be involuntarily rolled by her youngest sister. Alyssa was at the good, tender age of eight and despite being so young she was very bright. Smart and talented, she knew the exact time she was supposed to get up each morning and had a habit of not letting her older sister sleep in - especially on a school day. In fact, Alyssa had gotten to be so good at her daily waking routines that Natsuki could set her watch to the minute she would come to wake her.

"Kaikua'ana," Alyssa repeated, a little more forceful this time. "We gotta get up. Mommy and Daddy will be mad at us if we don't." She grasped the sleeve of Natsuki's light blue pajama top and pulled. She had seen in movies parents dragging their kids from their beds and the little girl hoped to do the same.

Natsuki grumbled and held onto her pillow tightly. "Just five more minutes," she begged, finding a particularly comfortable and warm spot in the bed. Honestly, why did she have to find that spot right when she got up every morning? Why couldn't she have found it earlier? "I'll get up soon."

Alyssa pouted. "You said that yesterday and almost made us late," she whined. "Mommy and Daddy yelled at us, remember? Come on, get up!" She tugged harder on Natsuki's sleeve, using all her strength to pull the teen from the bed.

The blunette sighed deeply and turned her head to stare at her little sister with lazy green eyes. Even though she and Alyssa had different hair colors (Alyssa's being blonde) and skin tones, they still shared the same dazzling green eyes. "I'll be up in a few minutes, okay? Promise." Natsuki swallowed yawn.

The little blonde girl turned her head, messy blonde hair falling behind one ear. "You promise?" she asked again. She had Natsuki had a pact in which they always fulfilled their promises, no matter what. "Pinkie promise?" Alyssa held out her small pinkie to her sleepy sister.

"Yeah, yeah." Natsuki held out her pinkie and wrapped it around Alyssa's. "Pinkie promise." Satisfied, Natsuki plopped down on her pillow and closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. "Hey, do me a favor and wake Annie, will you?"

Alyssa frowned, her expression souring. "Why do I have to do it?"

"Because she sleeps on bunk right above you," Natsuki replied, keeping her eyes closed. She loved ordering Alyssa around while she did absolutely nothing. "Please, for me?"

The little girl pouted again, but because Natsuki said please she simply had to do it. "Okay, but I don't like it." She hurried to scramble up the ladder that lead to the third bunk of the bunk beds.

"Thank you," Natsuki sang as dozed back off to sleep.

Alyssa nodded and poked her head over the edge of the third bunk, clinging tight to the ladder just in case. She always was uncomfortable with heights which is why she slept on the second bunk: it wasn't too high of the ground, but it gave her that sense of independence from her sister (even if she did constantly look down to make sure Natsuki was still there and didn't leave her all alone). Her green eyes scanned the other sleeping teen nestled under the blankets of the bunk and her look soured again. She hated this girl.

"Hey," Alyssa called to the girl and then retreated halfway behind the bunk, as if frightened. When the teen refused to budge she said, "Kaikua'ana wants us to get up." Still no movement. Alyssa sighed and finished the rest of the climb up onto the bunk and began jumping (really hard) on the girl's back. "Hey! Get up!"

The force of Alyssa's jumps caused the whole bunk to tremble and shake. Natsuki groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Looks like she wouldn't be getting any sleep at all. "Alyssa, stop it. You're going to bring the whole bed down."

"It's her fault!" Alyssa cried as she continued to jump. "She's not getting up. And why is she so soft?" The child plopped down on her knees and crawled forward, ripping the blankets away and blinking upon seeing nothing but pillows beneath them. " . . . Kaikua'ana . . . she's not here."

Natsuki blinked. "What?" Stepping from the warmth of her bed, she gripped the edge of the third bunk and stepped up on the edge of her bunk so that she was eye-level with Alyssa. Sure enough there were only pillows stuffed into the bunk and no girl. "Where in the world did she go?"

"What're you guys looking at?" A girl with jet black hair appeared unexpectedly between them and both Natsuki and Alyssa gave a cry of surprise. Alyssa screamed and fell back against the wall the bunks were leaned against, bumping her head. Natsuki lost her grip on the bunk and fell backwards onto the floor, bruising her bum. The girl laughed and jumped down from where she stood on the edge of Natsuki's bunk. "Wow, I sure got you."

Natsuki growled and glared up at her. "Anberlin! What was the point in that?"

Anberlin Cody, a girl of fourteen with average looks and smarts, choppy black hair and dazzling aquamarine eyes, grinned and shrugged, sticking her hands in her pockets. "To scare you, duh." She stretched out a hand. "You okay?"

Natsuki, grumbling, grasped her hand and was pulled to her feet. "Besides some bruising, yeah I'm okay." She let go of Anberlin's hand and immediately came up with the other one, smacking the girl upside the head. "That's for scaring us half to death."

Anberlin winced and held the side of her head. "Ow! That hurt, you know?"

"Good." Natsuki climbed up the ladder again and glanced towards Alyssa, who was holding the back of her head with both hands. Small tears were beaded in her eyes. Natsuki moved to sit on the bed and held her arms out to her little sister. "Come here."

Alyssa was more than willing to climb into Natsuki's arms and sit in her lap, her back facing the older girl. She glared daggers at Anberlin as Natsuki peeled back her blonde hair in search of any injuries.

"Well, all you have is a bump," Natsuki reported, placing her hands on Alyssa's shoulders to let her know she was finished with her examination. "It'll go away." She turned to look at Anberlin, frowning. "But you, I hope that bump I gave you stays."

Anberlin frowned. "You're always so mean to me."

"Then don't do things to deserve it." Natsuki descended the ladder and brought Alyssa down from the top bunk, placing her gently on the floor. They had wasted a goo ten minutes of their time and school started at seven. Natsuki then took control of the other two girls, ordering them to dress and brush their teeth.

Anberlin was able to dress herself no problem and was ready to go in ten minutes flat. She brushed her hair through with her fingers, looked in the one mirror in their room, gave satisfied nod and headed down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Don't take too long," Anberlin warned to her roommates. "Or else everyone's going to eat all of the good stuff."

"Got it," Natsuki called back. She stayed with Alyssa and helped her fix up her hair in the black ribbon like she normally did. "Okay, you're all set," she said once the ribbon was tied.

Alyssa admired herself in the mirror and adjusted the tassels of blonde hair as she saw fit until they were just right. She then gave a big smile and watched her sister's reflection as Natsuki pulled on a worn white and black letterman jacket. "Kaikua'ana, that's the jacket that Daddy gave you, huh?"

Natsuki stopped once the jacket was fit around her shoulders. "Yes, it is," she replied softly. This jacket was one of her prized possessions, along with a stuffed toy dog that her mother had given her when she was young. Every time she put it on, she thought of her dad. "I always wear it to remind me of him . . ."

Alyssa frowned some as her thoughts to turned to her parents and she sniffled quietly. "I miss them," she muttered while wiping at her eyes. They were beginning to get puffy and red. "Do you think they'll come back for us some day?"

That was something Natsuki had often asked herself, but she knew the truth. Their parents were never coming back, it was part of the reason why they had been placed in this foster home to begin with. Still, Alyssa was unaware of all the details surrounding how they had ended up in foster care and Natsuki knew it wasn't the right time to tell her yet. Once Alyssa was old enough, she would. In the meantime, Natsuki had to feed any false hopes the little girl had.

Natsuki bent down in front of her so that they were at eye level and ruffled her hair gently so as not to mess it up too much. "Of course they will," she said in the most believable voice she could manage. "We'll see them again. And once I turn eighteen you and I can get out of here and live in a big house all to ourselves. Mom and Dad will come over to live with us too and we will all be together again."

Natsuki, of course, knew better and all she was saying was a pipe dream, but she didn't want to crush Alyssa's hopes. The little girl's naivety and innocence was all that kept Natsuki connected with the good times of her past and she wasn't ready to let them go.

Alyssa stared up at her with wondering green eyes. "Really?" she sniffled.

The older teen nodded. "Really. We'll all be happy again, don't worry." She stood to her feet and stuck one hand in the jacket pocket while she held Alyssa's hand with the other. "Come on, we better see what we can get for breakfast."

Alyssa nodded and held onto Natsuki's warm hand tightly, as if she were afraid to let her go. "What kind of house are we going to live in?" she asked, clinging to Natsuki's fantasies. "Is it going to be a mansion with lots of rooms and big fluffy couches and blankets?"

Natsuki smirked. "Yeah, the biggest mansion you can think of with lots and lots of rooms and its own swimming pool."

The little girl's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Whoa! Our own swimming pool! And we don't have to share with anybody?" The only swimming pool they knew of was a community one they would frequent during the summer and it was normally so packed that they hardly had enough room to swim around.

"That's right," Natsuki said with a nod, "it'll be our own swimming pool with no one else to use it, unless they ask us first. Mom and Dad are the exception though. They can swim in it any time they want to. And when we're all together we'll eat dinner with each other and laugh just like we used to." She smiled as a fond memory played in her mind from when she was eight. And we'll all be around the fireplace sleeping together after Dad finished telling a story."

She could still picture that moment freshly in her mind as if it happened yesterday. After a wonderful dinner and a ghost story, Natsuki would curl up in their father's arms and stare at the blazing fire that would burn in the fireplace. Alyssa, only a babe, would be in their mother's arms and fast asleep against her chest while their mother stroked her short blonde hair. Their father would hold her close to his chest and she would listen to the strong pound of his heart before eventually falling asleep.

Those were good times and Natsuki desperately wished she could enjoy them once more, for old time's sake. However, that was unrealistic. Their parents were gone and she and Alyssa were forced to scrape out a life among the other foster children they lived with. And even though their foster parents, Yohko and Reito Kanzaki, were nice people . . . it wasn't the same.

They entered the main dining room where scraps of leftover breakfast were there before them. Everyone else had already gotten to the meal before they did and hardly left anything. It figured, the greedy gluttons.

Natsuki sighed and handed Alyssa a couple slices of leftover toast while she picked up a green apple for herself. She was one of the only people in the house that actually liked the sweet tanginess of the green apple. Taking a healthy bite, she helped Alyssa pour some milk for herself and leaned against the wall while the little girl sat down and munched her breakfast.

Yohko suddenly appeared in the doorway and smiled at Alyssa. "Glad to see you're up," she said, then frowned. "Oh and Natsuki could you eat at the table. You know how this works."

The teen sighed softly and sat down next to her little sister, throwing an arm over the back of the chair to get more comfortable. She took another bite of the juicy apple and munched it thoroughly, savoring the flavor.

"Thank you," Yohko said in a singsong voice. "You don't have much time to spare, girls. School's going to start soon and Anberlin is already waiting for you outside on the porch. So hurry up, okay?"

"Will do," Natsuki replied with a wave of her hand and Yohko disappeared back into the kitchen.

Alyssa finished her meager breakfast in record time, polishing off the two slices of toast and downing the glass of milk in record time. If there was one thing Alyssa liked best it was milk. She wiped at her mouth with her sleeve, just like she had seen Natsuki do it, and beamed up at her sister. "All done."

"Good job," Natsuki praised. She finished off the rest of the apple and bit down on the core with her teeth, sucking up the juices that leaked out before tossing it in the trash can. She then gathered up what remained of the food in plastic bags and put them in both her and Alyssa's backpacks. They would be good for lunch that day. Afterwards, they said their goodbyes to Yohko (Reito had already left for work ten minutes before) and headed out the door.

No sooner had they appeared on the porch did Anberlin stand up and pushed the bangs from her face. "About time," she grumbled good-naturedly. "I was beginning to wonder what was keeping you."

Natsuki was in no mood to deal with the younger girl's antics, not after she had scared them earlier. "Just shut up and start walking. We're going to be late as it is." She and Alyssa descended the two steps leading down from the porch and were already on their way down the street.

Anberlin blinked at the roughness of Natsuki's attitude, but followed anyways. "Geez, someone's grumpy. I woke you up on time, you should be grateful."

"What do you mean 'you'?" Natsuki asked, stealing a glance at their companion. "Alyssa was the one who woke me up. And why were you up so early? You know we don't have to get until six."

"I know," Anberlin replied, "but I couldn't sleep very well last night and when I woke up it was about five-thirty, so I just decided to get up and help Yohko with breakfast. God knows that woman makes enough food to feed an army. She had me elbow deep in scrambled eggs and toast."

"And still we got the cruddy end of it," Natsuki muttered, then smiled as she pictured Anberlin buried beneath a mountain of eggs and toast. It was actually pretty funny.

"What're you smirking at?" the blue-eyed girl questioned, not liking how Natsuki was grinning as if she were imagining something embarrassing.

Natsuki continued with her mental images and walked ahead of the girl she was imagining, Alyssa in tow. "Oh, nothing."


The trio made their way across town and through what seemed like endless busy streets packed with people traveling to and from work. They liked living in Fuuka, Japan, but sometimes the crowding was a bit more than they could take. It was another few minutes or so before they reached a Garderobe Academy, a private school that al three of them attended.

Garderobe Academy tended to the needs of children of all grades and was situated in different sections: elementary, junior high, and high school. Anberlin had only recently graduated from the junior high section of the school to the high school section and Alyssa was still stuck in the elementary school section. As one, they all went to that section to drop Alyssa off before going to their classes.

"Be good today, okay?" Natsuki said as she said her goodbyes to her sister. "I want to hear nothing but good things when I pick you up again."

Alyssa nodded, staring up into her sister's vibrant green eyes. "Okay. I promise I won't do anything bad."

Natsuki smiled and ruffled her head. "Good girl. Have fun and work hard." She stood back up as Alyssa raced over to her classroom where a high school senior named Miyu Greer stood waiting for her. Since Miyu had first period as her free period, she often helped with the elementary classes, which was surprising seeing as how she was always so serious. She seemed to have a special bond with Alyssa, but Natsuki didn't mind. It was good that Alyssa hung out with a strong role model like Miyu. it would help her build character and stay out of trouble. Once Miyu and Alyssa disappeared into the classroom, Natsuki and Anberlin ventured across campus to their own respective classes.

"You know, you're a good big sister," Anberlin remarked as they walked.

"I try to be," Natsuki replied, hoisting the strap of her backpack higher upon her shoulder. "She's the only family I have left and I have to take care of her. I promised I would."

"Hey, you seem to have done a good job raising her these past five years. You've raised me too and look how good we both turned out." Anberlin smiled. "I'll be hanged if you don't become a good mother someday."

At this, Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. Just because I took care of both of you doesn't mean I'll be a good parent, or a parent at all. I don't really like kids all that much."

Anberlin was a little taken aback by Natsuki's harshness. "Could have fooled me. If you don't want kids of your own then do something that helps kids at least. Despite what you might think, you're really good with them."

Natsuki rolled her eyes. She wasn't used to having people telling her what to do, but humored the girl beside her and nodded. "I'll think about it. All I know for sure is, once I turn eighteen I'm moving out and getting the money left to me by my parents. Then I'll buy an apartment and Alyssa and I can be happy together. We won't have to worry about anything."

That was a touchy topic with Anberlin. She had always known that once Natsuki turned eighteen she would be an adult and booted out of the foster care system. She didn't want Natsuki to leave. They had fun together. they fought all the time and got on one another's nerves, but they had fun. One could almost say they were like sisters. And once Natsuki was out of the house they wouldn't be able to hang out with one another like they did and they definitely wouldn't see each other. Anberlin knew it was selfish, but she wanted to keep Natsuki with her forever.

"That's a good dream to have," the dark-haired girl replied, "and I can say I envy that. At least you have a future to look forward to. Once I'm out of the system I'll be flat on my butt and broke. I'll probably have to stay in a homeless shelter for a while until I get on my feet, but hey hard work builds character."

That was the same line Anberlin had fed herself for the past few years, since she fully became aware of the system in which she lived in. She had hope that she would be able to carve out a future for herself, but wondered if she would survive the road to get there. She definitely wouldn't have it as nice as Natsuki.

Natsuki sighed deeply. She hated it when Anberlin got all depressed about her future like that and it did nothing to bring her spirits up. "Don't give me that crap. You'll be okay. You'll survive."

"But I don't want to just survive, Natsuki," Anberlin replied with a whine, "I want to live. I want to live like those people you see on the streets sometimes with those big expensive cars and boat loads of cash. They have it made and I want to cruise through life just like they do, without any worries or responsibilities."

Natsuki snorted and pulled open the door that led into the high school building. "Get real. You want to live like those champagne drinking, white collard, dinner party every night losers who are so stuck up they have to make an appointment to scratch their head? Not the life I would want to lead. I'm happy where I am right now . . . I just want to live on my own and care for my sister like I should."

Anberlin shook her head. "Wow, so blunt."

They entered into Natsuki's homeroom (Anberlin didn't really go to her class until the bell rang and would hang out with her metaphorical big sister until that time) and suddenly the blunette paused. Anberlin crashed into her back and pulled away groaning.

"What was that for?" she grumbled, rubbing her nose. "Why'd you stop? Huh?" Anberlin looked where Natski was staring and noticed that her eyes were upon a certain seventeen year old with beautiful wavy tawny hair and dazzling crimson eyes that looked as if they had been carved from garnets. "Hey, it's Shizuru V- mmph!" She hardly had a chance to finish her sentence when Natsuki slammed her hand down on her mouth.

"Shut up!" the blunette hissed as she tugged Anberlin out into the hallway. "What were you thinking, saying her name like that?"

"So?" Anberlin said as she wriggled herself from Natsuki's grasp. "She's a nice person and besides you like her and -"

"No I don't!" Natsuki howled, blushing pink. "She's a snot-nosed, stuck up daughter of a white collar who thinks she owns the world. Why in the world would I like her?"

Anberlin didn't have to even think. "How about because you point-blank told me that you like her? Not to mention she's pretty, well-mannered, very nice, gets top-notch grades and student council president." After finishing her list Anberlin blinked and pursed her lips in thought. "You know, come to think of it she's way out of your league."

Natsuki's face fell. "Gee, thanks for the boost of confidence." She cleared her throat before adamantly proclaiming, "And I do not like her. She's too stuck up for her own good and she's a high-class blue blood." She turned her back on the younger girl and crossed her arms under her chest. "What in the world would I want to waste my time on her for?"

"But don't you two get along?" Anberlin asked, moving so that they could meet eyes. "I mean, she invites you to hang out at lunch a lot right? And you spend time together when you need help on homework and stuff, right? And come to think of it, didn't you go over to her house once?"

"I only went there to drop something off that she left in the Student Council Room," Natsuki defended. "And besides, I never made it past the porch. I hardly count that as going over to her house." She sighed and ran a hand through her midnight hair. "Why are we even talking about this anyways? Don't you have a class to get to?"

Anberlin nodded. "I do, but not for another thirty seconds. And I'm saying this so that you can have the nerve to man up and ask her out already."

At this, the blunette threw back her head and laughed, drawing attention from everyone around. It was very rare for Natsuki to chuckle, let alone laugh. "Are you kidding? Why in the world would I do that? The woman has like fifty billion admirers anyways and probably gets asked out more times then she can count. If I did have the nerve to ask her then I'd just be another admirer she'd shoot down." She shook her head. "No way. I'm not sacrificing my dignity for the likes of her."

The younger teen raised a questioning eyebrow. "Now, are you just saying that because it's true or because you don't want to admit you're scared of asking her?"

Natsuki's brow twitched. "I'm not scared!" she cried. "I just don't want to lose my dignity and self-respect, and besides like you said she's out of my league. What in the world she want with me when there are better people she could choose from?" She placed a hand upon her foster sister's shoulder. "Trust me, Annie, there's no way a blue blood like her would ever mix with someone like me."

Anberlin's expression fell and she tilted her head to the side. "How do you know? I mean, look at the Beauty and the Beast story. No one thought they would end up together, but low and behold they ended up getting married."

"Yeah when the beast was almost killed and turns into a prince," Natsuki replied sarcastically. "Do you honestly think I'm going to turn into Prince Charming? Face it, Annie. It's not going to happen."

"And I'm saying you never know unless you give it a try." A small smile played upon the fourteen-year-old's pale pink lips. "Who knows, maybe she just might say yes."

A harsh ringing of the bell signaled for the beginning of class and Anberlin sighed. She enjoyed hanging out with Natsuki and being her conscience that she hated it when she had to leave. Before disappearing down the hallway, she unlooped the necklace from around her neck and clasped it around Natsuki's.

"Here, have this," Anberlin said quickly as she pulled Natsuki's gorgeous blue-black hair through the chain. It was one of the only times that Anberlin was able to touch Natsuki's hair without Natsuki throwing a fit. The girl absolutely loved her hair and would not allow anyone to soil it with their hands. "It's a good luck charm, you know, just in case you change your mind about Shizuru."

Natsuki held the charm at the end of the necklace in her palm. It was a butterfly painted in shimmering tones of metallic blues and greens with a lining of jet black. It was very beautiful and Natsuki could hardly remember a time Anberlin would willing part with it. For Anberlin to part with this necklace would be like Natsuki parting with her letterman jacket. She glanced up at the younger girl.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Anberlin nodded with a half-smile. "Yeah, it's no big deal. Just give it back when we go home today." She began trotting down the hallway. "I'll see you later, Natsuki. Bye." With a small wave, she took off towards her homeroom, eager to make it before the final bell rang for the official start of class.

Natsuki nodded. "See ya." Her hand touched the butterfly necklace before hiding it beneath the collar of her jacket and turning into the classroom. She pretended not to be aware of too much that was going on and stuck her hands in her jacket pockets on her way to her desk. Her green eyes were kept anywhere she wanted and passed by the kids she found uninteresting and she slumped into her seat in the most unladylike fashion ever, resting one leg upon on the seat itself. It didn't matter if she was wearing a skirt, she had a pair of black shorts on.

Folding her arms beneath her chest, Natsuki leaned back into the seat and glanced around. The friends that normally sat around her, a snappy redhead named Nao Zhang and a caring orange-hair named Mai Tokiha, were missing and that's when Natsuki knew it was going to be a crappy day. Those two were the closest people she had to friends and they made class and campus life interesting and fun. Without them, class was just as boring and dull as it had been before Natsuki met them. She sighed and leaned her cheek into her palm, closing her eyes.

A light tapping on her shoulder prompted her awake from her little nap and Natsuki lifted one eye lid to stare at the person who had tapped her. Both eyes shot open when she saw that Shizuru Viola was standing right beside her, hands folded perfectly in front of her and ankles together to support her perfect posture. Natsuki didn't know whether to inwardly groan, blush or throw up. She thought about doing all three.

Shizuru smiled politely as always. "Hi, Natsuki."

Natsuki swallowed and quickly composed herself, assuming her laid back and careless attitude that she was known for. "Oh, hey," she replied as nonchalantly as she possibly could while her heart rocketed in her chest and stomach performed somersaults. Her mind did its best to calm both organs down. I don't like her. I don't like her. She's a snotty blue blood and would never think about getting close to me.

Just as the words left Natsuki's mind, a tingling pain shot through her chest.

"How are you doing this morning?" Shizuru continued. She blinked and reached out a hand to touch Natsuki's face. "You look a little tired."

Natsuki blinked. That's it? She came over just to make small talk? Even though it ticked her off, Natsuki kind of liked how she alone was receiving Shizuru's attentions. "I'm fine," she replied bluntly, brushing her hand away.

Shizuru blinked when her hand was pushed away. If it had been anyone else she would be touching, they would have leaned into her hand, but Natsuki was different. She wasn't one to give into Shizuru's wiles and it troubled the tawny woman to no end. She had to know what was it that made Natsuki distant herself when no one else could resist her. It was a troubling enigma, and one Shizuru was determined to find out any way possible.

The tawny teen took a step backwards, as if Natsuki's icy harshness had physically hurt her. "If you're sure. I just want to make sure you're alright." She headed back to her desk which was an isle away, glancing over her shoulder. "Take care of yourself, alright? I'd hate to be the one to save you if something happened." She offered one of those bewitching smiles which she was famous for. "Unless you'd want me to."

Even Natsuki wasn't immune to her smirks and turned away even as a pink tint overcame her cheeks. "No way. Why would I need anyone to save me? I can take perfect care of myself. I don't need anyone's help."

A soft smile graced Shizuru's full plump lips and she gracefully leaned her chin into the palm of her hand, beautiful crimson eyes watching Natsuki with gentle intent. "No, I'd think not. You can definitely handle yourself. Though I want you to know that if in case you do need help one day I'm always willing to lend a hand, not matter what."

Shizuru had always been a very kind person and she was willing and ready to help anyone who needed it, but to hear it from her own lips was rather refreshing. It made Natsuki realize that Shizuru was saying that because she truly wanted to help and not because she felt obligated to help.

"I appreciate that, Shizuru," the blunette replied, looking the other direction. "Thank you . . ."


Class carried on as it normally did with the teacher rolling of dull lessons that Natsuki barely had the attention span or the patience to listen to. She knew how important it was to get a good education and make something of herself, but it was very difficult for her to pay attention in math when she hardly liked the subject and the teacher was very lousy at his job. If anything, it only made her relationship with math all the harder and was only through a miracle that she was holding a solid C in the class.

Rather than paying attention to the lesson, Natsuki would pay attention to anything that was of interest. She stared out of the window for a time and noticed a series of clouds rolling in from the distant shore. The forecast for the did call for cloudy weather and possible rain later that week, which Natsuki was completely okay with. She loved the rain and found a lot more appealing the boiling, scorching sun.

After said clouds had blocked out the sun and cast cool shadows over the school, Natsuki then spared a sideward glance at Shizuru. The tawny girl was paying full attention to the lesson at hand and scribbling down notes whenever she found something that was worthy of remembrance. It was humiliating but Natsuki found the concentration in Shizuru's face absolutely stunning, emphasizing that she had brains beneath all of that long, pretty hair of hers. The way her brow would furrow whenever she was trying to figure something out and how her unusual crimson eyes shone whenever she had figured it out. They were, to put it mildly, cute.

"Now, if we take the square root of forty-nine . . ." the teacher said as she touched the end of his chair to the board. He stopped short when loud thump echoed throughout the ventilation system above their heads, as if something large had fallen. All heads turned up the the ceiling and for a few precious seconds, no one moved or even breathed, waiting to hear the next sound if it would come. Sue enough, it did, but this time it came from the hallway as well as the sound of heavy footsteps. No sooner did the footsteps settle in the hallway did the ceiling lights in the classroom and the hallway go out, leaving all in perpetual gray.

Soft murmurs gathered around the room as all eyes were trained on the door, some students even rising from their seats. Whatever had made the noises sounded big and being in the darkness, uncertain, was not good.

"Alright, alright, settle down," the teacher hushed. He shuffled through his desk and found a flashlight. "Everything's fine. I'll go and take a look." He crossed over to the door and opened it before closing it behind him, leaving his class to wait and wonder.


A child-like Alyssa whimpered among other third grade children in her classroom, their eyes scanning the darkness for anything that might offer safety. The small blonde reached out with her hands and found the hem of Miyu's skirt, gripping it tightly in her hands as the silver-haired teen kneeled down by her side.

"I'm scared," Alyssa confessed, drawing close to Miyu's side. She looped her arms around her neck and held her close, though she actually wished she were holding Natsuki for dear life. No one provided the ultimate comfort than her sister. "What's going on, Miyu?"

Miyu gently rubbed Alyssa's back, hoping to provide the comfort she needed. "I'm not sure," she replied. "But I think I should find out. Stay here, Alyssa, and don't move unless I call for you, alright?" With that, Miyu stood to her full height and walked out of Alyssa's grasp and further into the darkness.

"Wait!" Alyssa yelped as she reached for her friend. She hated being in the dark by herself. "Don't go, Miyu!"

Miyu glanced back and smiled softly. "Don't worry, I'll be right back. Remember, stay here." She continued on her way until she was swallowed whole by the darkness and nothing but her footsteps marked that she was there at all.

Alyssa licked her dry lips and clutched herself tightly, trembling violently. It was times like that she wished she was with her mom and dad again. They always had a special talent for making her feel safe and chasing away the monsters lurking in the closet or under the bed. They were the ones that taught Natsuki not to be afraid and would have taught Alyssa, but they had left before then. Still, nothing could have chased away the fear that clutched at Alyssa right now.

A few moments passed without much incident and for a moment Alyssa began to have high hopes that Miyu would come back and everything would become normal again, but how wrong she was. Nothing was going to be normal ever again.

It hadn't been more than ten minutes and Miyu still hadn't returned. In fact, all movement had ceased and there was nothing but the sounds of uneven breathing from the children and the shuffling of feet as they crowded together in one big group. Alyssa had backed up against the wall and swallowed hard, green eyes darting every which way and prepped for danger. Her mind screamed for her to run towards the door and find Natsuki, but her loyalty to Miyu ran a lot deeper than her instincts. She would wait a few minutes more and then run if need be.

It was a shame that her loyalty was her undoing.

A sudden movement to her left caught her attention and Alyssa whimpered as her head snapped to see who or what was coming her way. She could hardly see a thing, but could well distinguish the screams of her classmates and the pound of rushed feet against the ground. The blonde girl pressed her back fully against the wall, almost as if she might sink into it, and glanced all around hastily. This was very bad.

"Miyu?" she called, losing all control to her fear. She held herself tightly as more screams ripped through her ears and what sounded like water hit the floor. And the smell, she would never forget the stench of copper that came along with the water sounds. "Miyu, where are you?"

There it was, more movement off to her left. Something was moving towards her quickly and hurriedly at an alarming rate, desperately one could say. Alyssa's heart pounded in her chest as she watched the thing move closer and closer towards her and as it did, she could make out the pair of glowing blue eyes and the spiderweb-like tendrils of electric blue veins running through the creatures flesh. Those eyes and those veins would be the last thing Alyssa ever saw.


The teacher still hadn't returned and some of the students were beginning to get restless. Most of them were conversing in worried tones while others texted away on their cell phones to others throughout the school. The situation was the same in all classes: the lights were completely out and the teachers had all ventured out to see what the matter was and hadn't come back. It was a worrying predicament that set everyone on the edge of panic.

Natsuki stood with her lower back pressed against the edge of her desk. Even though on the outside she was calm and placid, inside she was panicking. Were Alyssa and Anberlin alright? Were they hurt in any way? If Natsuki had a cell phone, she would have called or texted them to make sure, but they didn't have cell phones. The Kanzaki's couldn't afford them for all the children in the house, but now Natsuki wished they had made the extra sacrifice of their money. Not knowing what was happening was killing her.

Her fingers found the wings of the butterfly necklace beneath her jacket and gripped them tightly. "Annie, please be okay," she whispered. "You too, Alyssa."

Shizuru, who had hung around others in the class listening to what they had to say about the matter, squeezed up to Natsuki's side and stared at the door with her, but with a little more concern. "People are saying odd things about what's going on," she said, hoping to spark conversation. "No one knows exactly what it is."

"Probably a fuse burst," Natsuki inputted, hoping to make a molehill out of this mountain of a situation. "People are just psyching themselves out. It's probably nothing, don't worry."

A loud crackling noise suddenly came over the intercom and all talked ceased as they waited to hear the message that would come.

The voice that came through was that of the principal, Elliot Chandler, strained and frenzied and anything but calm. "Students! This is an emergency! The school is under attack, please proceed to the shelters beneath the school and remain there until further notice. I repeat, this is an emergency! And please, any of you with crucifixes, I encourage you to wear them." She grunted, as if battling with something, and slammed a door shut. "Please! You must hurry! Go!"

Natsuki blinked, the color draining from her face. Crucifixes?

Needless to say Elliot's warnings were enough to start a panic as every student in the class swamped the doorway, pushing and shoving one another out of the way in order to flood into the hall. People who weren't surefooted or had the strength to fight their way through were shoved the the ground and promptly trampled. It was a gruesome sight really.

Not wanting to get caught up in the flow, Natsuki and Shizuru hung in the back of the crowd, watching. They were just as panicked as everyone else and desired nothing more than freedom and escape, but there was something that needed to be done first.

Jumping upon her desk, Nastuki pulled out a pocketknife from the folds of her skirt and flicked it open, revealing a screw driver. She then began unscrewing the little bolts from the ventilation cap and one by one let them drop the ground.

"What're you doing?" Shizuru asked as she watched her. If this was an emergency then it was no time to be taking down a vent.

"I need to make sure my sisters are alright," Natsuki said without breaking concentration. The last bolt was loosened and Natsuki tugged the vent cap away and placed it down on the desk top. "Also, I think this is a better way then using the door." Putting away the screw driver, she pulled out a small flashlight and turned it on. It worked. "Now, you can either come with me or leave with the others, it's your choice."

"I can't let you go up there alone," Shizuru insisted. Truthfully, she would rather leave by means of the doorway, (it would be easier to navigate through the halls rather than the ventilation system) but with all the crowding, they would be able to get out anytime soon.

"Then come with me," Natsuki said again. "Though you better make a decision fast. I need to get to them before they leave." She stared down at Shizuru a moment, waiting for her answer. When it came in the form of a nod, Natsuki nodded in return. "Alright, I hope you're not afraid of a little dirt." Grasping the edges of the vent, she used her powerful muscles to hail herself up and into the confines of the vent.

It was dark (as expected) and tight and hot. Natsuki could barely find enough clean air to breathe. Moving her head around, she positioned the flashlight to shine down both ends of the vent and found it all clear. They would be safe if they crawled around in this.

Taking the pocketknife in her teeth, she reached down with one hand, signaling for Shizuru to take it.

The tawny girl was a little apprehensive. She wasn't used to crawling around dirty and tight places and the thought of it did scare her. Still, if this was an emergency then they had to get out of the room and this vent would lead to other vents around the school. It would be an efficient way to move around without bumping into others who were also trying to flee. And besides she couldn't let Natsuki wander around alone. She would need help and that's just what Shizuru planned to give her.

Standing on top of the desk, the girl grasped the edge of the vent and Natsuki's hand, making a mental note of how soft and warm it was before pulling herself up. Shizuru wasn't as muscularly agile as Natsuki and took a little more time in getting into the vent and when she did, she was breathing lightly from the effort while squeezing in next to the toughened blunette.

Natsuki removed the flashlight from her teeth and shone the light against Shizuru. "You okay?"

Shizuru nodded. "Yes, I think so." She tugged at the collar of her uniform. It certainly was very warm in the vents.

Natsuki nodded. "Good." She took the flashlight firmly in hand and faced the vent as if it were any other hallway. "Stay close to me and whatever you do, don't get lost. I don't have the kind of time to go looking for you."

The tawny girl shook her head. "As long as I'm with you, Natsuki, I won't get lost." With that, the two girls ventured off into the unknown that was the labyrinth of the vents, unawares that their quest and survival through the darkness was just beginning.


Will be continued in the next chapter. I expect this story segment to be a three-chapter thing so the next chapter will also be the second-to-last chapter. This one was kind of an opening/setting the mood kind of thing.

As I said before, I am Christian so I will be adding some religious stuff into this as well as the classy cliche vampire folklore and whatnot. Under no means am I trying to offend anyone with my views.

I know I'm cruel with how I killed Alyssa right off the bat, but I wanted to get Natsuki and Shizuru alone to create the most tension. If things aren't up to par, they will be, trust me. If I can, I'll try to push for a happy ending but right now we're looking at a bittersweet/sad ending.

Ow! My hand hurts! I've been writing way too much, but I have to get all of this done. I hope I don't develop arthritis. -_- I won't become an author if I can't use my hand! Oh well, I'll wear a brace if I have to.

Now that that's out of the way, I'm going to work on the next chapter of the main story. See you all later~

Chapter Theme: Lullaby (The Cure Cover) by Editors

On candystripe legs the spiderman comes
Softly through the shadow of the evening sun
Stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead
Looking for the victim shivering in bed
Searching out fear in the gathering gloom and
Suddenly!
A movement in the corner of the room!
And there is nothing I can do
When I realise with fright
That the spiderman is having me for dinner tonight!

Quietly he laughs and shaking his head
Creeps closer now
Closer to the foot of the bed
And softer than shadow and quicker than flies
His arms are all around me and his tongue in my eyes
"Be still be calm be quiet now my precious boy
Don't struggle like that or I will only love you more
For it's much too late to get away or turn on the light
The spiderman is having you for dinner tonight"

And I feel like I'm being eaten
By a thousand million shivering furry holes
And I know that in the morning I will wake up
In the shivering cold

And the spiderman is always hungry...