-Chapter 1-
The Genesis
"Kura, run as far from here as you can, quickly!" Her concerned mother blared as the back door burst open and a tall, shadowy form stepped in. Gleaming crimson eyes stared her down, before averting its blood thirsting gaze towards Kurayi.
"Kura, I said get out!" She yelled once more.
The dark-haired girl spun around and leapt out of a small nearby window, racing down the side of the house and into the dense backwoods. She glanced back, making sure that she wasn't being followed by that… that… Vampire. Thankfully, it was just her and the forest; which was beginning to get darker and darker by the minute as the sun set. Failing to watch where she was going, she collided with a tree and fell to the ground.
"Ow…" She winced, grasping her left arm as she stood up. It was just then that an agonizing scream penetrated the crisp autumn air; her eyes nearly bulged at the earsplitting noise.
Mother.
No… This can't be happening.
Her breathing became heavier as she began running again for dear life while hanging onto her throbbing arm. As time passed by, it felt as though she had been running for hours. It surely didn't help that the sky was pitch black, making it nearly impossible for her to find her way- in fact, she didn't even know where she was. Her chest heaved as she slowed down, trying to catch her breath.
How am I going to get out of here?
What am I going to do?
I can't go back. Not now.
Many leaves and twigs crunched beneath her black, knee-high boots which where laced up in the front, it was astonishing how she was even able to run in them. A slight smile crossed her face as a vivid light came into clear view; moonlight, which meant she had made it out. Now, all she had to do was find a place to stay. Yet, something didn't feel right. Kurayi came to a complete standstill when she heard a strange sound, it was the sound of… splitting? She shrieked and looked down; the arid soil was collapsing right from under her.
The girl flew forward with great force and hit the ground, tumbling down the hill. She instinctively covered her face with her hands to avoid getting dirt and gravel in her eyes as she rode out the maniacal, life-threatening ride. Sharp branches and twigs clawed at her thighs like an enraged feral cat, and the sharp edge of a rock tore into the soft flesh of her stomach.
She tightly clasped at her stomach with her blood drenched hands, in order to keep the gash from splitting open even further as she slowly and painfully managed to stand. Reeling several steps forward, the faint sound of trickling water filled her ears. Squinting slightly and scanning her surroundings; her gaze stopped upon a rather large ivory water fountain several yards away. She paced towards it as fast as her legs were willing to take her; she then dropped to her knees and immersed her hands into the mildly lukewarm water. The scent of fresh blood lingered in the area around her whilst she rested her head at the edge of the fountain. Her breathing diminished, and her eyes slowly began to close due to pure exhaustion and blood loss.
"What are you doing here? You don't attend Cross Academy, do you?" questioned a rather low, yet feminine voice.
Her intense burgundy eyes flickered open, leering at the fair-haired girl that stood before her. "No," she answered plainly, placing her wet hands onto the cold cement and pushing herself up. She cringed and held back a scream as the wound burned, leaking abundant amounts of blood that poured down the front of her legs and onto the ground.
The girls once dusky-rose gaze turned to a bright maroon at the sight of the blood, before shifting back to normal. "It's not in your best interest to be out here at such hours, especially like this," she said coolly.
Kurayi stayed silent for a moment, staring blankly at the girl whom she now realized to be wearing a school uniform. "… …" she opened her mouth to speak. To explain. Yet, no words came out. Obscurity began to take over and her vision blurred considerably. Taking a few steps back, she felt her legs weaken and she toppled over, smacking the side of her head against the cement and blacking out.
* * * * *
To explain.
To explain.
That was her last thought.
"Explain," she droned in her sleep, turning over and slinging her arm over someone.
"What?" inquired a voice.
That voice.
She's heard it before.
But where?
Her large, almond-shaped eyes slowly opened to be met with the same dusky-rose orbs she had seen the night before. She instantly slid her arm off of the other girl and moved away, "Wh- who are you?" she stammered, their gazes still locked.
"Souen Ruka," the girl answered calmly.
"I- It's nice to meet you. I'm Kanon. Kanon… Kurayi," she replied, "but no one ever calls me that."
"Well then, Kano-chan," Ruka smirked, "I found you outside last night, a bloody mess." She stated, "How did you end up at the academy? More importantly, what happened to you?" she questioned.
-
Kano-chan.
Kano-chan?
Kura…
'Kura…
… as far from here as you can, quickly!'
RUN!
-
Her heart pounded madly as the events of last night flooded her head. She grasped onto the silken white bed sheets beneath her and sat up, breathing heavily. "She's dead because of me… my mother, I mean. I never should have left," her eyes began to well up with tears as feelings of guilt rushed through her body, but she wouldn't cry. Kurayi never cried.
Ruka's gaze softened, yet she stayed silent.
She almost felt sorry for this girl.
An emotion she hadn't felt in a long time.
"She was so bent on keeping me safe, though I don't blame her. If I hadn't listened, if I hadn't run… maybe then I could've done something to help," she closed her eyes.
"That Vampire." She seethed, clenching the sheets in her hands.
Vampire?
Ruka sneered.
She was insulted.
"Who would kill their own kind?" Kurayi exhaled, brushing back her cascading locks of dark auburn hair.
* * * * *
"You're a Vampire?" Ruka's eyes glimmered with curiosity, a smirk formed upon her delicate roseate lips.
She slowly loosened her grip on the sheets and shook her head, "Not entirely," she said flatly, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and stepping onto the taupe imbued tile floor. She was in complete dismal. What was going to become of her life after this? Remembering the accident she had the other night, she placed a hand to her stomach and trailed her fingers along the bandages. "Did you save me?" she questioned, turning her head back to Ruka.
Ruka nodded, "I did bring you in, but save you?" she mocked, "No."
"Then who did?" Kurayi asked, continuously pressing onto her stomach, where the wound should have been.
Why didn't it hurt?
Is it gone?
What's wrong with me?
"You'll meet him later," Ruka shrugged, reaching into the night table drawer. "Here, you can wear these for the time being," she suggested, handing Kurayi a heap of clothes. "The bathroom is down the hall, to your left," she continued, making a gesture with her hand, "Also, we all share it, so you might want to be quick."
Him?
Kurayi nodded, "Arigatou gozaimasu. I'll see you in a bit," she stated, accepting the clothes and silently exiting Ruka's bedroom. She gradually made her way down the hall, taking in her surroundings before coming to a brief lull at the top of a staircase. Gazing down, she noticed something familiar lying by the front door. Her boots. She sighed, placing a hand to the front of her long sleeved shirt; the once luxurious carbon lace fabric was now tattered and blood-stained. She shook her head in an attempt to rid the awful memory from her thoughts, before turning to open the bathroom door.
Shutting it behind her, she placed the clothes onto the marble counter and stepped back to examine herself in the mirror beside the bathtub. Ethereal scarlet pools peered back at her as she ran pallid fingers through her long, maroon-tinted locks. Although she was quite delicate in structure, she stood at least 5'5. Running her hand along the side of her stomach, Kurayi slowly began to unravel the bandages and let them descend to the floor. To her amazement, the gaping wound really was gone.
Gone.
Vanished.
Not even a scar would be left.