The nightlife of the city was always a short time. Soon enough the only people that walked the streets were only the people who managed to scramble out of each night club and bar in order for them to make their way home, either on their own or with someone they had picked up from possibly flirting in the bar or night club. The time was 12:00am, the very time where every horror you could imagine came out to play with the life stock that was available for each of them to share in their twisted ways. People who foolishly accepted that they were the only things to worry about at night usually knew these horrors. They were only as thieves, rapists, kidnappers and murderers. What no one seemed to understand though was that these were nothing compared to what stalked the night ever so freely.

The sound of slow walking could be heard, the only sound that now seemed to echo within the dark, abysmal streets of Azumano. No one dared to look up at the stranger, nor did they bother him by the cruel sounds they were each making within their own dark corners, painful moans escaping the lips of each victim. Where the stranger was actually going, no one knew. Screams of help could be heard coming from each victim who dared to look upon his unusually dark features. Ignoring each scream, he made his way into one of the nightclubs, ignoring the annoying racket of the music that seemed to be blasting out of a set of hidden speakers. The club seemed almost dead except for the dancers that were dancing the night away still upon the dance floor.

No one seemed to stick out that much to him, not until he noticed a dark haired girl run out of the club, tears within her eyes. The emotion that he was picking up from her told him that she had just had her heart broken by a man who was foolhardy enough to do so. Pushing at his messy, violet mane with his right hand, he followed the girl out of the club, picking up on the sounds of crying coming from the nearest alleyway. Walking slowly towards the alley, he stopped and looked upon the girl who was crying from afar. She couldn't have been no older than fifteen maybe sixteen years of age. Her break down sent his emotion radar of board, allowing his imagination to pick out what words for him to say if he were to say any.

"Poor child…no one understands your pain as much as I do…" He kept to the shadows like he always did when he was hunting, his voice a resonating pitch of eerie silence. Her crying stifled to a stop, her fear growing. The fear was what made the blood taste sweet and tender, like that of a woman's flesh.

"H-Who's there?" The dialect was a little shaky, her emotions colliding together. Her very own mind seemed to be weird and wonderful to him, like that of a growing child. That was it wasn't it? This woman was still innocent on her own rights, so innocent that she wasn't used to what she was feeling right now.

"Hush dear child, I am not here to hurt you!" Walking out of the darkness that surrounded him, he allowed her to see what he looked like. A mane of pure violet spiralled out in all directions, the colour adding a light-hearted gothic glow to his particularly pale skin tone. His lean frame leaned on the wall right beside her, making her fear grow even more as she looked up into his startlingly beautiful violet eyes. Wiping at her own, she never noticed the dark wings that graced his back, allowing all to see and to stay away from his kill. He loved her ignorance of his most distinguishable appearance, could smell it dripping off of her lovely lavender lips as he kissed her passionately like he always did to his victims before a kill.

The kiss was deeply intoxicating, his tongue wandering around her small cavern before leaving her lips to pay more attention to her neck. Delicate moans reached his particularly sensitive ears, allowing the grin that was waiting to grace his usually emotionless voice before finally sinking his razor sharp fangs into her delicately smooth flesh. She shrieked and tried to push him off but his ungodly strength held her there, completely under his control. Darkness began to surround her vision. She tried shaking it off as hard as she could but it was no good. Her hand moved up on his back. She was terribly weak now, her vision fading fast. As she held onto his back, the pain seemed to greatly increase upon her neck before she finally fell limp within his arms.

Draining someone completely of his or her blood was something that he hated the most but he knew he had to live with it. Leaving her body to rot inside the alleyway was the most ungraceful thing he had ever done but there was nothing he could do. It was the way that he was taught by his master, Krad, the way that he learned to survive. In truth, he never knew his sire. Krad had picked him up wandering the streets of Azumano, not knowing how to survive. He didn't even know what a hunter looked like then. Krad had saved him from a group that cornered him one day when he was wandering the dark alleyways. His thirst was unbelievable. Water tasted like acid and fresh food rotted quickly in his stomach, causing it all to come back up.

He was easily spotted in the darkness, mainly because of his beautifully long, graceful wings that shone a pure violet within the light of the lunar orb. A gang of hunters had cornered him within the very middle of the spiralling alleyways, each clad in dark clothing. Closing his eyes, he eagerly expected death, anything to stop the pain growing inside of him but was immediately startled when he heard crossbow bolts flying throughout the atmosphere, each missing him. Opening his eyes, violet irises gazed upon what truly did look like a fallen angel stained with the blood of the hunters. What an odd site it was to see! This "fallen angel" had saved his life from possible death, yet the pain caused him to cripple over. He wasn't exactly sure what happened next but the sweetest liquid could be tasted upon his lips coming from a wound.

He snapped out of his sudden reminiscing. Others were coming and they were surely going to discover the body within the alleyway. Who knows, maybe it was the fool who had broken that girls precious heart. It was simple for someone like him to take to a rooftop but what did amuse him was when the cries of the fool who broke her heart could be heard throughout the dark streets of Azumano. Closing his eyes once more, he could remember what Krad always used to say about every fool who came across the bodies they left:

"The night is alive, like rich blood for us to share!" That very quotation from the vampire that he left long ago didn't brighten the mood. In fact it made it worse as he heard the boyfriend confess all of what he couldn't say to her when she was alive.

Turning away from the scene, he proceeded to traverse each rooftop. It was only 1:00am and he had until dawn to make use of his nighttime freedom. Yet her beautiful face seemed to haunt him wherever he went, whatever he did. Never before had he realised how much he hated taking lives away unless they were an evildoer. Maybe I should have taken the life of one of those disgusting excuses for life below, he thought, his mind referencing to the murderers and rapists who hid within the dark just like he did. He could still hear her moans of pain, haunting him as if he too became like those who deserved to die. Who knows? Maybe I do deserve to die, to repay for all the lives I have taken over the years of my existence!

Human screams reached his sensitive ears. Someone was going to die tonight unless he could do something about it. Racing towards the lake was nothing for him. He didn't care much about revealing himself for what he was now, not even when he grabbed hold of the knife that was held by the killer, popping his arm right out of it's socket. Blood soaked through the crimson sleeves as the killer proceeded to scream out in pain. Holding his neck viciously in place, the razor sharp fangs came down upon the cursed flesh within a pinch, draining him dry. He felt no pity, no guilt for killing off this man who was probably only sick within his mind. It wasn't like a hunter was going to know that it was him anyway.

Blood streamed out of the evil doer's pierced neck. He refused to drink him dry completely. The kill had died of fright right before he could actually taste his crimson essence anyway. Turning towards the victim, his face remained in shadow as she ran away. Should have done that in the first place, he thought before the smell of someone familiar seemed to course towards his heightened senses, yet he made no attempts to find out whom it was. The words of Krad drifted back to him. Someone was going to find the body there, he was so sure of it that he didn't quite realise that he was still covered in the killers crimson essence. Those emerging, tainted words were upon him once more, the guilt within his heart gaining control as he collapsed, blood tears streaming from his eyes.

It was nearly 4:00am and he still remained there, a broken being torn between what he was and what he believed in. Ever since he left his master, Krad to fend for his own, he never quite realised what it was like to be alone until tonight. It was loneliness that was ebbing away now at his sanity, making him feel like he was embracing his true fate as a creature of the night. Dawn was only within an hour and he knew that he had to make it back to the safety of the apartment that he had remained shacked up in for a while, yet he didn't want to move. Maybe, if I let the sun rise, all this will go away? He shook off that thought, rising slowly as he wiped at his blood stained cheeks. Ambling away from the scene, he stretched out his pure violet wings before taking off, the smell of dawn rising dangerously.

An annoying sound seemed to fill the room, causing the person who was lying upon the small, single bed to groan as a set of dark irises opened up groggily. Today was Saturday, the only day that Riku Harada was allowed to sleep in if she wanted. Last night had been pretty hectic, especially with the sudden news of Ritsuko's death. She wasn't as close to the girl as her twin sister, Risa was but it was still pretty shocking to hear what had actually happened to her. She had been found in an alleyway alongside Takeshi who, for a change, was sobbing when the police reached the crime scene. This was the only strange part of her death. All of her blood had been drained, but the only mark upon her body was two tiny holes, not even visible to the naked eye.

The cries of her sister could be heard as she made her way into the bathroom. Had Risa stayed up all night crying? Whenever Riku went to see to her sister, Risa told her to stay away from her, that she would never know how she felt. Risa wouldn't know how she felt anyway, especially since Riku was the one who watched her mother lying on her deathbed alongside her father who died shortly there after. Riku was the one who brought Risa up after her parents died. Since Riku was only five minutes older than Risa, her believed that she was going to understand, that not all was wonderful in this world. Death was to be expected after all and Risa had caught the same illness that had killed off their mother and father. Riku had caught the illness once but she was brought to hospital before anything happened to her. Risa had visited the hospital but she had demanded to stay home. Staying home right now wasn't the safest thing to do but Riku didn't argue. What Risa had said simply brought tears to her eyes.

"If I am going to die, I don't want it to be in a hospital bed. I want to be with my sister, Riku!" Riku had eavesdropped in on the conversation between Risa and the doctors who were already up to their ankles trying to sort everything out for her very stubborn twin. Opening Riku's door slightly, she wiped a little at her face, making sure that it still wasn't wet from the splash of water that was used to wake her up. Risa looked peacefully asleep, yet something was wrong. Very wrong in fact!

"Risa?" She said simply as she walked over to her sisters bedside. Her face had been stained terribly with tears; her once pretty features now looking deathly still. "RISA?" She almost shouted. She hoped that this wasn't what she thought it was right now. Checking her pulse, she took note of how cold her sister's body seemed to be yet she still tried to look. When she couldn't pick one up, she collapsed beside her sister's bedside, crying her hardest. This very day was going to be expected but Riku wished that it wasn't true, that they could still have a day together. First the death of Ritsuko last night and now this. It was all becoming too much for her to handle, so much that in fact she didn't her the phone go until her grandmothers voice came on the line. The old lady was obviously calling to say that she was coming over to check to see if Risa was okay.

Picking up the receiver, she dialled her grandmothers phone number, trying her best not to sound like she was crying as she told the old lady everything. Her grandmother's end went silent for a moment before telling Riku that she was coming straight over. Dropping the receiver noisily back onto the phone itself, she dropped to the floor, her hair tangling itself around her swollen face as the tears forced themselves to break free from the death grip she had on them. It hurt to cry, to feel weak at a moment like this. Today, her and Risa were going to go shopping, to allow her sister to have some fun before the inevitable time approached but now, she knew that she was too late. She didn't know how long she was there for. A sudden trance had taken her over now. She didn't even know who it was that had picked her up and placed her in her grandmother's car.

It was Thursday now and the funeral of her twin went well, even if everyone was on the verge of tears. She had no need to cry now, her tear ducts already dried up from crying so much. Her eyes were still red-rimmed and even if she was staying with her grandmother for the time being, she still felt like she had been left alone. Everyone from school was here, paying their respects to Risa. Before they set off to the funeral, Riku had phoned up the school and asked if Risa's class mates could come and pay their respects. It appeared that Risa had more friends than she ever knew about, even when her sister used to tell her everything of her day in school. They used to have their arguments about school and the boys there sometimes as well.

A couple of weeks had passed since the funeral and now Riku was eighteen years of age except she had no party on this day like some of the people in college had told her too. She couldn't bear to celebrate this day without her twin sister beside her. Ever since she had left school at the age of seventeen, she had most certainly grown taller. In fact she was almost as tall as her best friend Daisuke who was once in love with Risa. Today was no longer a birthday to her anymore. It was just a day now, just like every other day of the week. Picking up her bag, she stuffed her purse and her keys in quickly before heading off out into the night. She didn't care about the dangers of going out at night, she could hold her own now anyway.

Rubbing at his groggy eyes, he sat up in bed, not caring that he was half naked. This apartment was a basement one that he had discovered while trying to find a proper place to stay away from the suns rays. There were no windows in here. The whole room was completely underground. The only source of sound that usually kept him company was the hard rock music that blasted out of the window. He may have been a vampire, a creature of the night but he was still allowed to indulge in anything that was human. Pulling himself out of bed, he wandered into the bathroom, switching on the shower as he did so. The cool water hit him quickly, its healing properties wishing out all the sins of his soul. Last nights events had been forgotten, the screams of the girl as she was being slowly drained becoming nothing now except martyrs.

"My mind is in fragments…my memories…martyrs…" It was a quotation he had picked out of a poem he had read once, one that seemed to remind him of each kill he had made over the years. He didn't exactly know why he held onto it though. He felt his wings shiver as each drop of water spread quickly through out each feather until it finally dropping off in the pattern of a small waterfall hitting the base of the floor with a thundering splash. Turning off the water, he stepped out, wrapping a clean towel around his lower half whilst allowing his hair to dry naturally. There was no mirror in this bathroom for him to look into, not that he would ever need one anyway. It was the only thing that made vampires stick out from humans – they couldn't age!

Quickly slipping on clothes that had been wash only a day before, he slipped out of the apartment, locking the door behind him as he did so. As he reached the stairs to the lobby, time itself seemed to stop as noticed a dark haired beauty walk past him. Unlike so many girls before though, this one certainly made him feel quite nervous. Where is she going? He thought before following her out into the night. The girl seemed to have no aim to where she was going. What was worse though was the fact that she was heading towards the dangerous side of the city of Azumano, the very side where he was hunting last night.

Every time she turned around to see who was following her, he hid in the shadows, pulling his wings in even tighter than what they were already. An emotion form this woman seemed to stick out to him painfully: grief! She had just lost someone close to her! That was also her reason for going out into the night but it wasn't a good enough reason to him in all reality. And then a thought seemed to cross his mind. I wonder if I could turn her? It was a long shot he knew and there was also the possibility that she would end up taking the burden the wrong way. He also didn't know her that well and he guessed the only way to turn her was to get to know her a little bit. That was when the trouble had finally started.

Her screams filled the air before she was pushed to the ground by a particularly grubby looking male, one who looked a little like the evil doer he had killed a couple of weeks ago. His vile kiss seemed to make her struggle more, yet that was what they always liked wasn't it? To see them struggle. It was just the same with rogue vampires and their victims. It was always a disgusting sport to them all.

In one second and one second only, it seemed that her attacker had been thrown off of her. Looking up, she saw a faint glimmer of violet as it seemed that however this was, was proceeding to chase the attacker into one of the many alley's within this area.

"Risa…I'm sorry for everything!" The sounds of a struggle followed by a sickening thud alerted her, yet she refused to look up.

"It's okay miss, he's gone now!" A smooth, sultry voice said. Looking up, she immediately looked into the strangers beautiful face, its expression looked like it was carved by angels. What was even more alluring about this stranger though was his mysteriously hypnotizing violet eyes. Never before had she actually seen someone look so beautiful in all of her life. He couldn't be human. "Are you okay now, miss?"

"The names Riku and yes I am fine thank you." Just as the stranger was about to turn away however, she stopped him by asking one single question that seemed to change everything? "What's your name, sir?"

"It's Dark…"