I ran around in the snow playing games with my older brother with a broad smile on my face. The ball flew over my head, and I frowned at it.
"You threw it too high!" I complained to Anji before sticking my tongue out at him.
"Well then go get it!" he laughed at me. I pouted before doing as he said. I ran and grabbed the ball when I noticed a small black figure being buried in the snow. I knelt next to it, and it looked up at me with sleepy red eyes. "Kokoro! What's taking so long?" I dropped the ball and picked up the black cat and held it close to me.
"Big brother! look what I found!" I ran back to him with a smile on my face and showed him the sleepy cat. "Can we keep him? Please?" He looked down at my hopeful face with sadness before nodding.
"Yeah." He placed a gentle hand on my head before grabbing one of my hands. "Let's go." We walked home, him thinking and me smiling at the small cat in my other hand. "What will you name him?" I looked up at Anji in confusion. "He needs a name." I looked down at the cat who seemed to be watching me with curious eyes.
"Shouta." I looked up and smiled at Anji.
"That damn cat," I muttered looking around for Shouta. I kept my hood pulled up over my head to block me from the sun. I'd been looking in every alley I could find to search the shadows for the cat that I'd followed here. I bumped shoulders with a boy in a high school uniform, and he tripped over my feet.
"Hey! You should watch where you're going!" he turned and shouted at me.
"You're the one who bumped into me kid," I pointed out. "Hey, have you seen a black cat sitting around here?"
"A black cat?"
"Yeah, he's extremely lazy and will eat you out of house and home." I could almost hear the complaint from his yawn now. "Oh, and he has red eyes."
"You're Kuro's owner?" he asked getting up, and I stared at him. He named Shouta? "He's in my apartment." He motioned for me to follow him and I did. Was this kid really that trusting? Or just stupid? I followed him up to his apartment while staring at him in confusion. "He's slept most the time since I picked him up."
"Where did you pick him up?" I asked him.
"On the way home from school the other day," he told me. "I hope he didn't get into trouble while I was gone."
"Trust me, he tries his hardest to stay out of trouble," I told him, and this time he looked at me confused before opening his door. "Kitten, I'm home. I brought your owner with me."
"Today's gourmet spot is a hidden little piece of paradise in the shopping district." I heard a voice say and I sighed. There's Shouta, same as always.
"I thought I turned the TV off before I went to school," the kid said.
"You probably did." I stepped into the room to find Shouta watching TV while eating ramen.
"I'm telling you," the woman on the TV laughed. "It's that good!"
"You're such a mess," I sighed looking at the large tea bottle, stacks of manga, and trash in front of him. He looked back at the two of us, ramen still hanging from his mouth.
"Huh?" the kid asked confused. "What... the crap...?" Shouta slurped up the last of his ramen as the kid behind me started to freak out. "Who are you?!"
"This is going to be so troublesome I could just die," Shouta complained.
"Die later," I told him as I knelt next to him. "I'm hungry, so we need to go."
"Have some ramen." He handed me his half-eaten ramen, and I gave him a look.
"It's mostly broth now," I complained.
"You must be crazy!" the kid yelled at us. "You can't just break into someone else's house!" I moved back as the kid attacked Shouta with a mop. Shouta jumped up and flipped behind him.
"Wow, you're a pretty violent kid, huh?" Shouta asked him. "You got me spooked. I'm shaking in my boots." The kid moved to attack him again but tripped, and I quickly jumped out of the way as he grabbed the curtain and allowed the sunlight to stream in turning Shouta into a cat.
"Kuro?" he asked confused before closing the curtain, revealing Shouta's other form.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Shouta asked him. "We're not supposed to be in the sunlight, so keep those shut okay?"
"Wha-? What in the world are you?" the kid asked in fear.
"Nothing special," Shouta told him. "I'm just a kind-hearted shut-in. One who happens to be a vampire."
"That's it, you're going out the window," the kid told him pulling on the tails of Shouta's coat towards the window.
"No! What's wrong with you?" Shouta asked him trying to grab onto the floor to stop him. "I'm a vampire; you can't throw me out in the sun! I'll die! I mean, okay, technically I'm immortal, but still... How come you humans are such mean creatures?"
"Shut up, evil spirit!" the kid shouted.
"I know what you mean," I sighed. "No one but this kid wanted to even help me find my poor lost cat." Shouta turned his glare at me and I smirked at him.
"Wait, a vampire?" the kid suddenly said. "Are you that street slasher? Did you come here to bite me and drink all my blood?!"
"No thanks," I said waving my hand in front of my face.
"You're a... vampire too?" I nodded at the kid's question.
"Sounds like a lot of work. Why would I bother going through so much trouble?" Shouta asked him. "And what makes you think you're the kinds person I'd bite? You think highly of yourself."
"Isn't that just what vampires do?!"
"Maybe don't jump to conclusions when you're judging people," Shouta told him. "Actually, I am getting pretty thirsty. Could you make me some tea?"
"You have a bottle right in front of you," I reminded him.
"I want hot tea," he begged and I sighed.
"Where is it?"
"Don't go in my kitchen and make tea!" the kid groaned. "I don't even know where to begin with you two!"
"Maybe start by cooling down a bit," Shouta suggested as I started to boil the water. "We can get out of your way once it gets dark. Until then make sure you don't say my name while I'm in human form."
"Huh? How would I do that?" the kid asked. "I have no idea who you are! I only know what I called you as a cat. Kuro!" I went back into the living room to see the blue light surround Kuro's neck and the kid's wrist before surrounding them both in a circle.
"What an idiot," I sighed as the kettle started to scream at me. I went back into the kitchen and poured Kuro a cup of tea
"You're so stupid I could die."
"What the hell just happened?!"
"I hate this."
"Stop ignoring me, cat! Explain!" the kid ordered shaking him.
"Explaining is such a pain." I pushed the kid off him before handing him his tea.
"Start talking right now! I want simple answers!"
"You sure are demanding, aren't you?"
"You're the one who got lost and got picked up by him," I told him. "Hey, what's your name anyway?" I asked the kid.
"Mahiru." He introduced. "Now, I want my answers."
"Okay," Kuro said. "I'll begin with something that's pretty obvious. you and I would die before ever getting along."
"Yeah? You know, I was thinking the exact same thing!"
"Wait, so you're basically a pet vampire?" Mahiru asked us while vacuuming Kuro's mess.
"Ugh, how to explain...? Vampires like me only drink blood from the master we have a contract with. And we follow our masters' orders, even if they're bothersome. There's a name for vampires like me. But there's really no point in telling you if I'm being honest." Kuro told him munching on a fresh bag of chips.
"Hey, could you at least try and not get crumbs everywhere?!" Mahiru yelled at him. "If he's a pet vampire then what kind are you?"
"You don't need to worry about her," Kuro told him. I looked at Kuro before turning my eyes back to the boy. "We won't be here long enough for you have to worry about our mess.
"So just now, please don't tell me I accidentally made a contract with you," Mahiru sighed.
"Sort of," Kuro said playing with the bell around his neck. "But it was a temporary one."
"How long does it last?"
"If I don't drink your blood in the next 24 hours, it'll be automatically canceled," Kuro explained. "So you don't need to worry."
"24 hours, huh?" Mahiru asked. "All right." Mahiru picked up Kuro, dropping more crumbs onto the floor, and placed him outside the door. I followed and walked outside the apartment. "Then go somewhere else. See ya never."
"Shouldn't you have told him about..." Something hit the door har in front of me and I sighed. Mahiru opened the door and stared at us.
"Not as easy as that," Kuro told him. "Until the contract is canceled, we have to stay close together. Those are the rules. I can't believe I have to stay chained to you all day."
"Trust me. The feeling is mutual." Mahiru pulled Kuro back inside with the still-forming contract chain.
"How did you manage to make such a mess so fast?" Mahiru asked vacuuming on top of Kuro's body.
"Ow! Ah!" Kuro grunted in pain. "Why are you so abusive towards a cute little pet? What would your parents say if they saw you now? Uh, where are they, anyway?"
"My mom... she died in an accident a long time ago," Mahiru told us. "I was all alone after that. My relatives don't really know what to do with me. Fortunately, my uncle ended up taking me in. If it hadn't been for him, I don't know what would have happened to me."
"Big brother!"
"Oh, I get it," Kuro said. "That's why you felt sorry for a little stray and decided to take me home. What an idiot. Look at what an annoying mess you've gotten us into." Kuro turned so his back to Mahiru and stared at me. I nodded to him with a smile. I'd be okay.
"How am I the source of this problem?!" Mahiru shouted at him. "Oh, I forgot. I have to run errands."
"Not possible," Kuro told him. "Forget about them. You and I still can't be separated yet." Mahiru picked up Kuro and moved to his shoes.
"Okay, then you'll have to come with me," Mahiru told us.
"Are you crazy? I can't face the sunlight, stupid. Remember?" Kuro reminded him. "Kokoro! Don't leave me alone with him!"
"It's getting dark," Mahiru told him. "You'll be fine." Mahiru opened the door and I shied away from the sun as Kuro was transformed into a cat. As the door closed we heard glass breaking behind us. Mahiru stopped and stared behind him before running off. I stared at the closed door, with a glare, before following the pair.
"Wait," one of Mahiru's friends said after Mahiru told him everything that had happened. "This cat and girl? They're vampires?"
"Exactly! Just like Sakuya said earlier! That rumor about vampires is true! These two are actually super evil!" Mahiru told them and I grabbed Kuro from his hands and held him in my arms. "Ugh! Why isn't Sakuya here? He'd be all over this!"
"Um... is this a joke?" Mahiru's brunette friend asked him.
"That's just a cat and a girl. For real," the blonde said.
"No! That cat can turn into a human!" Mahiru told his friends before looking back at Kuro. "C'mon Kuro. Speak! Show 'em what I'm talking about! Why don't you say something?" Kuro just yawned in my arms.
"Uh... Mahiru..."
"What?!"
"You're tired, aren't you?" the brunette asked.
"For sure," the blonde agreed. "You've overloaded yourself."
"That's not it!" Mahiru contradicted. "Um... Let's see. How can I prove I'm telling the truth?" I noticed a shadow in the window and glared at it before a voice sounded behind us.
"Greetings and salutations!" the man said with open arms. The man had on a white suit with a pink undershirt. He wore a white tophat that had pink and purple stripes on the base. His long pink hair was in a low ponytail and he grinned at us, his eyes covered by pink and purple glasses. "Students, as you wander down the worthless path of youth, why not stop a moment and watch my amazing show?" He reached into his hat and pulled out three swords with pink hilts and yellow guards that each had two pink stars on them. The crowd applauded him and he held his arms open. "Thank you, thank you, thank you for your applause!"
"Huh?"
"Amazing!" the brunette said. "It's some kind of street performance!"
"Just lame magic tricks," the blonde commented. "Let's go." He turned and walked away from us before a hand was placed on his shoulder.
"Hey, kid." the kid turned to stare at him.
"Uh... why are you touching me?"
"That's a good question. "Tell me, audience... Why do you think I stopped this petulant little brat, huh? Anyone? Was it one, because he ignored me? Two, because he cut in front of me? Three, because I'm very hungry?" I clenched Kuro closer to me at those words. Another Subclass? But which of the Servamps would be stupid enough to cause such a large scene? Kuro moved to the back of my shoulder so he could hang on and hide. "Or four, um... because he ignored me?! The answer is..." the Subclass bit into the kid's neck making the crowd scream in terror. "All of the above! This idiot's dead! And I'll kill anyone else who ignores me!" He dropped the kid and Mahiru and the other one ran to their friend.
"No, Ryusei!" The crowd ran screaming around us as the Subclass laughed at them.
"Thank you! Thank you!" the Subclass was swinging around on one of the posts store owners would hang promotions off of. "I love your enthusiastic cheers!" I watched as Mahiru did what he could to help his friend. "The crowds always get more excited about bloodshed than they do about magic. I guess its because it's much more rare to see a vampire on the street than a magician, right?"
"Another vampire?" Mahiru asked fearfully.
"You should know. Yes!" the Subclass shouted at him. "You picked one up. Right? Yesterday. And found another today."
"Why would you do something like this?" Mahiru asked him. "Who are you? Are you a friend of Kuro and Kokoro's?" The Subclass made a buzzer noise at the question before dropping to the ground.
"No! I hate that little black cat and his little girl! Bleh! Bleh! The absolute worst!" He pulled out another three swords from his hat. "That's why I'll skewer you if you try and protect them."
"Good thing there's no need for that," I said drawing his attention to me.
"Let's hear some applause, yes?" he asked excitedly. "But where's your master? Come one out, kitten! Where are you, Sleepy Ash? Make an entrance. Give us a show! Vampires should show a little bravado! Let's kill all these humans."
"That's not my style."
"Then I guess I'll just have to skewer you a few times to draw him out! After all, he wishes it to be this way-" Kuro kicked him in the face forcing him through the glass shop window behind him.
"Kuro! Kokoro! What's that guy talking about?" Mahiru asked him.
"More importantly, for now... let's run!" Kuro ran away in his cat form.
"Huh? Hey, wait! Kuro!" Mahiru grabbed Kuro's tail and my hood to stop him, but only ended with us getting pulled along with him. Kuro pulled us into an alley before Mahiru actually was able to stop him. "Why are you running away, you dumb cat?"
"Let me go!"
"My friends are back there!"
"There's no way I can hold my own against a crazy vampire like that one," Kuro told him. "We should go."
"But you're a crazy vampire, too! Can't you do something to help?" Mahiru asked him.
"I don't know who that guy is," Kuro told Mahiru. "I've got nothing to do with this."
"No way! He just attacked my friend!" Mahiru reminded us. "If we leave now, then we leave everyone in danger. Someone has to stop him!"
"What a pain," Kuro sighed. "'I can't do anything.' 'I don't have the power to change things.' 'Someone should do something about this.' 'Someone.' 'Someone else.' Everyone always says stuff like that. Sounds like the right mindset to me." Mahiru ran away from us and back towards his friends.
"Are you really going to let them fight alone?" I asked Kuro.
"Why should we get out of here," he told me and I stared at the entrance Mahiru had disappeared from. "Kokoro?"
"You can only go so far from the kid," I reminded him. "They'll die if we do nothing."
"This isn't our fight."
"Isn't it?" I asked giving him a small smile. "That Subclass was looking for the two of us and now he's attacking the humans to get to us. I don't know about you, but that makes it feel like this is our fight."
"Kokoro, I'm ordering you not to fight."
"Since when have I ever listened to your orders?" I asked him before going to help Mahiru. I pulled Mahiru off the vampire before pulling out one of my daggers and attacking him.
"So the little Subclass makes her appearance?" the Subclass grinned at me. "Ready to die?!"
"Not gonna happen!" He attacked me with his first sword and I blocked it but he grabbed one of his others and made a piercing strike. I dodged, but not in time. He managed to scratch my side and I jumped away from him placing my hand on my side.
"Ooo! Looks like I got a slice," he grinned at me while I glared at him. He attacked again but instead of aiming for me he went towards Mahiru.
"No!" I tried to get ahead of him, but I knew I wouldn't be fast enough. He sword went through flesh and my eyes widened at the scene in front of me. Kuro had managed to get between the two and was stabbed in the right side of his chest. Kuro had grabbed the blade in order to stop it from piercing Mahiru behind him.
"You're so bothersome that I could just die," Kuro complained.
"You can't complain when you're the one who stepped in front of a sword," I told him. Kuro forced the pair away from each other.
"I don't know how either of you thinks I can help in this situation," Kuro continued before pulling the sword out of his chest. "I'm weak; it's been hundreds of years since I've had even a drop of blood. At this point, I'm practically more of a cat than a vampire."
"Kuro..."
"Get out of here," Kuro ordered the kid. "I'll try to stop him, but I probably can't do much on my own."
"It's a good thing you're on your own," I said moving next to him.
"No," he told me. "You have to get them out of here. I don't want you anywhere near this."
"I'm not leaving you!" Suddenly, an arm appeared in Kuro's mouth forcing him to bite down and draw blood.
"Let's do something about this together! You with me?" Mahiru removed his arm and Kuro licked the blood off his chin. The blue light from earlier appeared again only this time, they were a fully formed chain.
"I knew you were gonna be trouble from the start," Kuro told him as the chain connected on the back of his neck. "But I didn't think you'd go this far. Kuro's hands had formed into black claws. "I guess there's no use fighting it. You're my Eve now."
"He made a contract," the Subclass I'd nearly forgotten about said. "This could be a problem for me." He pulled out a deck of cards and pulled them apart and they started to flip around. "I know what to call true vampires who make contract with humans." The cards made three lines that read: SERVANT + VAMPIRE = SERVAMP. "It's written in the cards here. You are a Servamp!"
"Meow." The Subclass pulled out another sword with a giggle. "So... what should we do?"
"We'll defeat him!" Kuro scratched the side of his head with his claws.
"I think you've read one too many shonen manga. I really don't want to face him." With a grin on his face, he stood up and slashed at the Subclass, creating a harsh wind. "Unfortunately, Servamps have to obey their masters' orders. Fine, then. I take no responsibility for my actions from now on. I'll submit to your command." Kuro attacked him cutting him across his chest. Kuro grabbed him by his pink hair and lifted him up.
"Kuro. Hold on. That's enough!" Mahiru told him. "He can't move anymore. He's not a danger to us. Stop." Kuro looked between the two of us before opening his mouth, revealing his fangs. Mahiru pulled on the chain to get him to not bite the Subclass. "No! I'm the one who has to take all the responsibility for your actions now, right? That means you have to listen to me, Kuro!" Kuro eventually dropped the pink haired magician and I smiled softly at him.
"You brat, you brat, you brat!" the Subclass growled. "How dare you? You just boarded the deadly vampire parade headed straight to hell!" he coughed spitting up blood as he did so. "It's a runaway train with no stops in between, you pointless waste of blood! That's a wrap. I guess I'll end the show here for now." He put on his hat and turned into his doll form.
"Uh... what just happened?" Mahiru picked up the doll and stared at it. "Is he, uh... dead?" the Subclass laughed while kicking his feet.
"Of course I'm not! I'm a vampire, you stupid, stupid, stupid human." Kuro pierced his hat with his claws and started to shake him. "Stop! Don't shake me. I get bad motion sickness."
"So who are you?" Mahiru asked him. "Why would you come after another vampire, one of your own, like Kuro?"
"Because obviously, that's what my orders were," he told us.
"Your orders?"
"Of course, idiot. You see I have a master, too."
"Subclass vampires serve under the orders of their Servamp," I explained to him. "I serve under Kuro."
"My Servamp's name is Tsubaki and does he hate Sloth!" the doll said. "Do you hear that? You've got some pretty powerful enemies, kitty."
"Maybe, but I don't think I know anyone by the name of Tsubaki," Kuro told him.
"That's right. You don't know him, Servamp," the doll said. "Poor, poor, poor Tsubaki. No one knows who he is! That's why he wants blood to rain down. That's why Tsubaki wants to kill so badly! To destroy his siblings, humans, society... The whole world! He wants everyone who doesn't know who he is to die!"
"It's not my fault I don't know who this guy is," Kuro told him. "What a pain." The chain and claws disappeared in a flash and the doll was dropped back to the ground.
"The chains are gone. What happened?"
"The chains are still there," I told him. "But they disappear after a time. The power boots Kuro received from your blood is gone too." Kuro dropped to his knees before falling to his stomach.
"Whoa, hey, Kuro, are you all right?" Kuro grabbed my pant leg and pulled me down to his side.
"Quite the opposite, really," Kuro told him. "My body is definitely going to be sore tomorrow. This is your fault."
"You're complaining about sore muscles?" I laid down next to him before he turned back into a cat. I curled my body around him before falling asleep.