Closing the door behind him, the young vampire quickened his pace. He needed to get out of this building, get away from them. Before he knew it, he was outside, breathing cool, fresh air. He stopped and looked around. It was two in the morning. No one was around. He decided to open up his speed and took off across town.

To the passing observer, he would be considered exceedingly fast. He was running at breakneck speeds for a normal human. He wasn't yet breaking a sweat. In only a few dozen minutes, he had crossed town and sat down on a bench in a small park.

He remembered this park. He had taken Moka here several times. His favorite had been in high summer. They had seen an ice cream vendor just a few feet away from where he was currently sitting. He had bought her a large cone and had told her to eat quickly. She didn't of course. The ice cream had quickly melted, dropping a large dollop right on her lap. He had simply laughed at it she had blushed heavily but before long she was laughing as well.

He remembered this now and made his decision. He opened his cell phone and dialed the number he so hated to call. "Oh me oh my, brother dearest, how nice it is to hear from you."

"Hello Ria. I need a pickup. You know that small park across town from my place with the fountain?"

"I'll be there in twenty minutes. If I may ask though, why would you be calling me at this time of night? Did something happen between you and my sister dearest?" Her sickly sweet voice cut through his ears.

"Moka and I had a fight. It ended in a very serious mistake on her part. I-I am looking to absolve our bond."

"Oh me oh my, whatever did she do?" Ria was nearly drooling. She knew that it had been made clear to Tsukune that minor infractions could not be used as an excuse for such an action.

"For now, that's between me, her and Lord Akashyia.

"Alright my dear, I will be there shortly."

Tsukune closed his phone and sat back. While he was waiting, the wind picked up. It was a cold breeze, clearly out of place in midsummer. He stood quickly. The wind continued to pick up and whip around him. The whistling started in his ears. Something was not natural about this. "b..d i..ls" he heard suddenly.

"Who is there?" he yelled to the wind, "What are you saying?"

"Bl..d .ri…s" The wind started picking up faster. The air was starting to pull away from him. Dirt was being lifted into the air, almost like a twister.

"I know someone is there. Show yourself!"

"Blood Trials, DAMNIT! God, how deaf can you be?" a booming voice rang through the park. Black flames burst through the mini twister and immediately dispelled the wind. A lone figure stood at the former center of the winds. Long hair wrapped around the lean figure. As his eyes adjusted back from the flames, he could see it was a woman. She lifted her head up into the glow from the park lights. Emerald green eyes flashed at him, luscious pink hair framing a face he had seen every day for nearly ten years. A whisper escaped his lips, "Moka."

"No Tsukune. Take a closer look." He blinked. The voice was far too deep for outer Moka, more like Inner Moka's. Squinting, he saw that the face belonged to a woman who could be anywhere from 20 to 30 years old, but the eyes. There was a depth to them that he had rarely seen.

"Who are you?" a simple question, but in this case, one that needed answering.

"I am her mother. Akasha."

"No, that can't be. You were taken by Alucard twenty years ago. Lord Akashyia told me as much himself."

"And yet, here I stand. My story is one for another time. Your story is the one that is important here. Yours and my daughter's. I have been watching you for some time now, Aono Tsukune. I have seen some of what you have gone through with my daughter on this night. Tell me, did she break your trust, your respect."

He found himself drawn in by her words, "Yes. She did."

"Did she leave you feeling like a broken man?"

"Yes."

"Did the events tonight break your love for her?"

The question managed to catch him off guard. He looked away from her. Had what she done broken his love? "No." The answer came out despite what he WANTED to say.

"Aono Tsukune, do you believe her to be beyond redemption?"

Again, he had to think about it. "No. But how would she redeem herself? What she did…"

"What she did was inexcusable, unforgettable, but, was it unforgiveable?"

He hesitated again before answering, "No."

"Then, Tsukune, there is a way for her to redeem herself."

"The Blood Trials. What are they?"

"Blood Trials were ancient laws, created for occasions such as this. They were dangerous; mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. They were outlawed close to a thousand years ago because they were so dangerous." She paused and looked off into the distance. "I outlawed them because so many of our kind died because of them. However, the ones to survive were cleared of all crimes."

"Your sister in law will be here shortly. I will not be able to make an appearance until the correct time. Search Issa's library for a secret compartment under the mantle. You will feel a series of buttons. The buttons must be pressed in the correct order for the compartment to open. Inside lies the book you need to help you. I cannot give you any more help. She arrives." Black flames wrapped around her form, and she disappeared.

"Brother Dearest, oh me oh my, I'm afraid to say that Father is not at his castle. He is away on a meeting in Romania. He should be back the day after tomorrow. Now, how is my little brother doing?"

"Ria, I don't really want to talk about it too much, especially to you. You'll find out soon enough, Moka and I don't need the extra stress."

"Oh, but brother, it has been my lifelong DREAM to see Moka in as much pain as can be inflicted without killing the poor thing."

"Ria. You will stop. Wait until after the meeting with your father. I beat you at your own game once. This time it will be my turn to choose the game, and I will not lose."

"How can you be so sure? I am a master of many games with close to two centuries of experience on you."

"I was broken tonight Ria. Something up here," he pointed to his head, "snapped. You would do well to remember that there are those who are stronger than you." He opened the door to the limo she had arrived in. There was a hardness to his voice that had not been there seconds earlier.

"Perhaps it would be best if I waited then Tsukune." She joined him in the back. "Driver," she snapped, "Take us to Castle Akashiya."

The trip through the dimensional tunnels was spent in silence. Tsukune spent the trip thinking on Akasha's words. 'Blood trials huh? What could they be that they could be so dangerous…'

Ria meanwhile spent the trip thinking of ways she could screw her sister over.

After arriving at the castle, Tsukune found himself greeted by dozens of maids and guards. "We live to serve Masters Aono and Sekitan," they said in unison. The head maid stepped forward, "Master Aono, I would be honored to show you to the guest roo-" She was cut off suddenly by Ria.

"Tsukune, you wouldn't mind gracing my rooms this evening, would you?"

Tsukune took a deep breath before answering, "Actually I would mind, Ria, I have had a long night. Perhaps another time?"

She took a deep, mocking curtsy, "My doors are always open to you, brother dearest."

Without answering, he turned to the maid, "Lead me to the guest rooms."

He followed her as she lead him through the large main hall and up several sets of stairs and hallways. Coming to a plain set of doors, she slipped a key out and unlocked them. Stepping to the side, she spoke up, "If you would like master, as head maid, I am privy to some of the magics built into this castle. I can activate a charm that would alert you should anyone approach your rooms, from both the outside and inside."

Smiling, he looked down to her, "I would like that very much. I wish to be awakened around nine am."

"Anything my master wishes. Would you like breakfast brought to your chambers?"

"Yes. Blood and waffles. No syrup."

She smiled. It was a prevailing joke he had overheard by chance when he stayed here with Moka the first time. "Of course master." She turned and left.

Opening the doors to his room, at first, everything was dark. As he took a step in, flames burst to life in the fireplace, throwing a soft glow across the room. He walked slowly towards the huge bed. 'This will be our first night apart in years.' He quickly undressed and left his clothes on the floor in a pile. Climbing onto the bed, his mind wandered to images of his wife and him making love countless times. Before long however, as a tormented mind is want to do, his drifting mind eventually conjured images of Moka and Gin together. Before he knew it, sleep overtook him. His dreams offered no respite from the waking world. Within minutes, tears stained the pillows from nightmares of his beloved.