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BALSAMIC VAMPIRE

Chapter 2

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….."The blood? What blood?" asks Tsukasa. Her father stays silent for a moment before speaking back up. "You see Tsukasa, you and I…. are VAMPIRES."

The room stays silent for a few moments. Tadao, curious as to the lack of response from Tsukasa, looks back up at his daughter. To his surprise he sees her shaking with her hands balled up in fists. "Tsukas-?" "Is this some sort of joke?" asks Tsukasa in an obvious angered tone interrupting her father. "A Joke? No Tsukasa it's the truth. If you'd let me expla-" "THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Tsukasa yells surprising her father. Tadao recoils in surprise. "Tsukasa wai-" "I collapse at school because of an anemia attack, and here you are picking on me! You think that I'm some sort of blood sucking mythical creature!" Tsukasa yells again. "Now hey I'm not pi-" "You should be ashamed of yourself! Picking on your own daughter!" Tsukasa yells again interrupting Tadao.

Tadao is starting to get irritated at being repeatedly cut off. "Tsukasa calm down-" "How can I be calm! My own father is lying and cracking jokes about me! What's next! Are you going to tell me that werewolves, Frankensteins, and mummies are real too!" Tsukasa yells some more. "Well to be truthful Mummies are real." says Tadao. "THAT DOESN'T MATTER! Father you BAKA!" screams Tsukasa. Tadao has had enough. "Tsukasa!" says Tadao in that angered fatherly tone that would get any of their children's attention. Tsukasa looks up and is about to yell at him again when suddenly she is taken aback in surprise.

To her shock, Tadao opens his mouth as his K9s begin to grow into fangs. Tsukasa stares in shocked disbelief with her eyes opened wide as his fangs lengthen to about an inch before stopping. She then notices blood pouring down his gums. His fangs quickly retract and he covers his mouth with his hand. "Ah damn that hurts!" he mumbles. He pulls a handkerchief from his back pocket and covers his mouth. Blood begins to soak into the once white piece of cloth. Tsukasa stares for a few seconds longer as more blood continues to soak into the handkerchief. She slowly reaches for him. "D-Dad?" she says softly. "Don't worry. I'll be alright. I'll be alright. The bleeding should stop in a minute. I at least inherited a little bit of vampiric healing abilities." says Tadao. Soon enough the bleeding does indeed stop and Tadao takes the handkerchief and puts it back into his back pocket.

He then looks back up at Tsukasa. "Now do you believe me?" he asks. Tsukasa doesn't quite know how to respond. "Tsukasa think back to what you told me about what happened to you in the changing room. How you felt like biting Konata and how you saw yourself with fangs." says Tadao. It finally hits her. She lowers her head sadly. She can't deny what she just saw. She stays silent for a few seconds. "So…. It's true then." says Tsukasa softly. "Yes. I know this comes as a shock, but what happened to you was also. I thought the blood had skipped you, like it did with your sisters. Having your traits show up this late in your life was completely unexpected." says Tadao. Tsukasa looks up at him with a little confusion. "How so?" she asks. Tadao looks up and sees her confused look. "I guess I should start from the beginning." he says sheepishly.

"Now I don't know all the details but I will tell you all that I can." says Tadao. "About 600 years ago are ancestors lived in what is now the eastern part of Czechoslovakia. At that time an incident occurred that made our ancestors renounce our vampire ways. They swore they would wipe their vampire blood from their family line and thus began to marry humans. For the next 100 years our family migrated from Eastern Europe, across Asia, and finally settled in Japan continuing to marry into human families. Gradually our vampire blood kept getting thinner and thinner with each generation until now when I thought it had finally been bread out. But… there's something strange about you." explains Tadao.

"About me?" asks Tsukasa. "Well there are a few things actually. First off it's rare for one of the Hiiragi female descendants to show vampiric traits this late in the line. Ever since 300 years ago almost all of the Hiiragi decedents with some form of vampire traits have been male with only one or two females during that time. We think it may have to do with the Y chromosome, but it's only a theory. Another reason why it's strange is because twins are extremely rare in the vampire race; whether identical or fraternal twins. This we do know why. It's because in the womb one twin will absorb the other early on. You and Kagami came out lucky. This was one of the main reasons why I thought the vampire blood had finally been bread out of our blood line." explains Tadao more.

"But the oddest thing about you is that your vampire traits didn't show up until you were a teenager." says Tadao. "How is it odd?" asks Tsukasa. "Well to put it bluntly you're supposed to be BORN with your traits. No matter how weak, one vampire can always sense another vampire. I never felt anything from you or any of your sisters. They are all fully human. Why your traits showed up so late is beyond me. I've never even heard of something like this happening. Something like this is unprecedented especially for a 'Low' family like us." say Tadao. "'Low?'" asks Tsukasa curiously. (Author note: please note that Tadao said the word "low" in English, which is why Tsukasa is asking her question)

Tadao sees her confusion again. "Hmm? Oh yes. I guess I should teach you about the different types of vampires in this world. There are an estimated 250 million vampires in the world today. And there are three main types of vampires in this world. Lows, Moderates, and Pures. (Titles are spoken in English) Lows are vampires who are more human than vampire. We have more human blood in us than vampire blood. We are the lowest category of vampire. Because of our low amount of vampire blood we have very few vampire traits." he describes.

"We may show one or two traits like being able to extend our fangs and/or having some healing ability, such as myself. Some may have a few more traits than others depending on how diluted the vampire blood is. Bottom line is if you have more human blood than vampire blood, you're considered a Low vampire. Us Lows are also considered to be lower class vampires and thus are shunned and looked down upon by Moderates and Pures. Thankfully bloodlust in a Low vampire is virtually non existent. We have very little urge to suck blood. We also live a normal Human lifespan." describes Tadao.

Tsukasa listens more as her father continues. "Moderates are probably the most populous kind of vampire there is. And you can be one in more than one way. First the most common way is to be born with more vampire blood than human blood. Basically if you've had even one human ancestor you're considered to be a moderate. Another way to be a moderate, which has become rare now, is if you're a human and have been bitten by a pure vampire. Moderates also have most of the vampire traits you think of; increased strength and speed, healing abilities, a thirst for blood, and various other traits. Most have the same lifespan as a human.

Moderates are also considered the most dangerous type of vampire. Because of their human traits some Moderates will lose self control and go crazy with blood lust and will start to hunt humans when ever they please. And most of the time they will kill their victim because they will gorge on the blood from them in their hunger. Thankfully a human can't be turned into a vampire by a moderate and there are enforcers out there who try and protect and prevent this from happening." says Tadao.

"And finally there are the Pures. And as the name implies, they are the pureblooded vampires with no human 'contamination' in their blood line. But as such they are also the rarest kind of vampire with an estimated 400,000 worldwide. They are the most powerful kind of vampire as well containing all the traits of a vampire and are more powerful than a moderate. And because of their pure vampire blood they can live for a few hundred years. They also have a strong blood lust. However because of their full vampire blood they are able to control their urges: well unless they get very hungry. But in this modern age that doesn't happen much anymore. Pures, are also the highest class of vampire. They are the most respected and feared class of vampire of them all. They are basically treated like royalty." finishes Tadao.

Tsukasa lowers her head slightly again. It takes her a few moments to contemplate all that her father has just told her. "Wow…. this is a lot to take in all at once. I'm not quite sure I understand it all." says Tsukasa softly. "Yeah I know what you mean. There are several things about vampire society that I don't quite understand too. My father didn't teach me a whole lot because he thought I was going to be the last Hiiragi to show any kind of vampire traits." says Tadao. "Grandpa Kira?" says Tsukasa. "Yes. Your grandfather, when he was younger, decided to accumulate all the information he could find about our family to build a family tree dating back as far as he could in hopes of documenting our family history. He did it so he could preserve our vampire history for future generations. It took him nearly ten years to complete it. I guess we'll have to tell him about you later. I'm sure he has all the information you need for living in vampire society." explains Tadao.

Tsukasa again has a concerned look on her face. "I'm not sure if I should get involved in vampire society. I mean, I do just fine in my…. 'human' life." Tsukasa hesitates a little when saying "human." "I'm sorry to say Tsukasa but you have no other choice now. You'll have to interact with vampire society now to make it; even just a little." explains Tadao. Tsukasa looks at her father with a mix of puzzlement and a scared look. Tadao sees this and sighs a little. "I know it may be hard to except, but it's necessary. Tell you what. Come with me tomorrow night to a special place I go to and you'll understand why." says Tadao. Tsukasa is still unsure if she should, but agrees to go.

Early the next day Tsukasa is released from the hospital. After she got home the rest of the family let her have all the sleep she wanted and threw her a small welcome home party, much to her embarrassment. She tried hard all day to enjoy herself but stuck in the back of her mind she knew things would never be the same ever again. Tadao had told her not to tell anyone else in the family, not any of her friends, that she was part vampire. She was never good at keeping secrets but this is one secret that even she could keep, and needed to. She also kept wondering where her father was going to take her that night. She knew it had something to do with vampire society and it was making her nervous, and a little scared.

Late that night, early AM in fact, when everyone else in the Hiiragi household was asleep, Tadao wakes Tsukasa and tells her it's time to go. Rather sleepily Tsukasa changes and quietly leaves with her father. Tsukasa never liked getting up in the middle of the night, but the crisp night air quickly shakes the sleepiness from her. But she's still curious as to their destination. As they walk down the street, Tsukasa finally works up the nerve to ask her father where they are headed.

"Um Dad…. Where exactly are we going?" she asks. "You'll see. I'll explain everything when we get there." answers Tadao. This doesn't help Tsukasa much. "Listen dad… I'm still not sure if I should go. I don't think I'm ready for this yet." says Tsukasa nervously. Tadao stops and looks up at the sky, but stays silent for a moment. Tsukasa stops and looks at him curiously. Tadao closes his eyes for a second. "You know, I felt the same way when your grandfather took me out into vampire society for the first time when I was a child. But trust me Tsukasa…" Tadao looks back at Tsukasa. "This is the best thing for you." he says. Tsukasa lowers her head again and gives a slight nod.

After another ten minutes of walking they reach the business district of town. They walk down a few streets, each one more remote than the next. The only businesses still open at this late hour are a few late night bars. But each street they go down has fewer and fewer of even them, and the characters inside seem to get shadier and shadier. Tsukasa can feel that they are no longer in the safe part of town. "You don't have to worry much Tsukasa. They won't do anything to us. They are actually centuries looking out for people who would cause us trouble." says Tadao. But despite her father's words it doesn't make her feel any less nervous.

One of the last bars they pass Tsukasa looks in and sees two people sitting at a bar. One in a blue business suit and the other in a dark round wide-brimmed hat and a dark trench coat. The one in the trench coat has a neatly trimmed pointed beard and narrow beady yet handsome eyes. Never the less he gives her the creeps. She also notices what looks like the handle of a saber sticking out from his coat.

"Tsukasa!" calls out Tadao. Tsukasa looks back at her father. "This way." he says as he points down an ally way. Tsukasa glances back at the man in the bar and he looks right at her. A chill runs down her back as she looks directly into his eyes. "Tsukasa!" calls out Tadao again. It takes a moment for Tsukasa's legs to begin moving again. "C-Coming." says Tsukasa as she quickly runs to catch up. The ally that Tadao takes Tsukasa down is a bit dirty and it's poorly lit. "The perfect place to get mugged." says Tsukasa to herself. They finally come to a building with a set of steps leading down to the basement from the outside next to the front entrance. Tadao takes one last look around and then heads down. Tsukasa nervously follows. The bottom of the steps is dirty with some crusty old newspapers and other various street debris. It also smells. The door at the bottom doesn't look any better.

Tadao reaches out and knocks on the door. A moment later the small slide viewport opens up and two squinted eyes peek through. "Hi. It's dark out here. Can we have some light?" says Tadao. The viewport slides shut and then the sound of various locks are heard unlocking. Finally the door starts to open. It surprisingly only makes one creek when it first opens. On the other side of the door is a large brutish looking man. Tsukasa can tell right off that he's from the Middle East. He's wearing long black pants, a dirty white t-shirt with a black vest. He's very muscular and has a very strong looking chin. He has a bushy mustache and a bald head. He is also a giant of a man. "Oh. It's you Hiiragi-san. Come on in." he says in his low deep voice. He remains emotionless as he backs away from the door to let the two in.

He then notices Tsukasa and his squinted eyes open a bit to look at her. She can't help to recoil a bit at his stare. "Don't worry Baghadur; she's with me." says Tadao. The large man nods his head and lets Tsukasa by. As they go by, the large man closes and locks the door back behind them. Tsukasa looks back as he sits back down on a stool and seems to nod off. She looks back ahead and sees a long hallway with a room at the other end on the left with its lights on. As they begin walking down Tsukasa asks her father a question. "Dad who was that?" she asks. "Oh. That was just Baghadur. He works here." says Tadao. "Here? Where are we?" asks Tsukasa again. "You'll find out when we reach the end of the hallway." says Tadao.

As they near the end of the hallway Tsukasa notices a sign hanging next to the entryway. "The Dark Night" it says. The odd phrase reminds her of what her father said before they got inside. "Dad. What was the odd phrase you said back at the door?" she asks. "Oh that. It's the password phrase to get in. You'll find out to where in a second. And here we are." says Tadao as the two round the corner and enter the very large room. What Tsukasa sees surprises her a bit. What she sees for all intents a purposes is a bar. The bar itself is on the right side of the room stretching from the front of the room all the way to the back with barstools along it. On the left side of the room are about a dozen booths with a round booth in the back corner. They are all wooden with red padding. Then there are tables in a zigzag like pattern on the floor in between the bar and the booths with the chairs having matching red padding. The tables themselves seem a little warn and have seen many years of use it seems.

Tsukasa looks and also sees what seems to be a separate parlor in the back with more of the round booths along its walls. And almost every booth and table are full. The room is full of muddled conversations and laughter with some occasional back slapping and clinking of glass. The place is mostly full of men, but there are several women around also. "Where are we?" Tsukasa asks once more this time in an obvious curious tone as she looks around. "Where do you think we are?" says Tadao with a bit of a smirk. "It looks like a bar." says Tsukasa. "Indeed it is. But this is no ordinary bar. Take a closer look at the drinks in their glasses." says Tadao. Tsukasa takes another closer look. Then she notices it. All the drinks are red. A dark red. She's curious as to why they are all red. Then it hits her. "Wait! You don't mean…" she mutters is surprise "That's right. It's human blood. You see Tsukasa this is a blood bar. It's a bar for low vampires such as us." says Tadao.

Tsukasa is left speechless for a moment. Not surprisingly the first question out her mouth is rather odd. "How can they supply so much blood?" she asks. Tadao giggles at the odd question. "You know all those commercials and blood drives they have to convince humans to give blood? Well it's not all for the hospitals. Almost half the blood given is shipped to various blood bars around the world. You see, thanks to modern technology human blood can be shipped to anywhere in the world to blood bars like this, forgoing the need to drink blood strait from people. Everyone from the lowest vampire to the highest of pures can drink blood safely and harmlessly. That's why stories of vampire attacks are rare in this day an age." describes Tadao.

"But wait I thought you said that Lows like use don't need to drink blood?" says Tsukasa. "No I never said that. What I said was that our urge to drink blood is nearly non-existent. Even us Lows need to drink some blood every so often to maintain our metabolism. If not then our bodies eventually start to break down. One of the first symptoms is anemia." describes Tadao. "Wait you don't mean I have to start drinking blood too!" says Tsukasa with shock. "I'm afraid so Tsukasa. In order to continue with your normal life you'll need to drink some blood every so often to stay healthy." says Tadao. "But what about blood transfusions? I mean I felt a lot better after getting one." asks Tsukasa.

"Won't work. For one they are expensive and two their effect only lasts a couple of days. Ingesting blood helps to prolong the effect and regulates it through out our body. It's just better this way." says Tadao. Tsukasa lowers her head again. This isn't going to be easy. "Hey Tadao ol' boy! I thought that was you!" comes a loud call. Tsukasa looks up and sees three men walking towards her father. One of them is thin and has the same build as her father. The next one, a fair taller than her father, has a neatly trimmed brown goatee, and is wearing small round glasses with a white suit and a purple shirt. The third one is rather chubby with a thin haired head with a poorly done comb-over. He has on a rather dirty t-shit and unbuttoned jeans. "Hey Tomeru, Sashi, Yomuru. How are you guys doing?" says Tadao with a smile as the four men greet each other with a couple of handshakes and backslaps.

"Well this is a surprise. You usually only come here every two or three Fridays. What are you going here on an early Monday morning?" asks the tallest of the three, named Sashi. "Ah well…. it's kind of a special night tonight." says Tadao with a sheepish grin. "Hey who's that behind you there?" asks the fatter man. Tsukasa slowly peers out from behind her father. The fatter man walks over and bens down a little to get a good look at her, much to Tsukasa's embarrassment. "My. My. She really is a cutie isn't she." says the fatter man as he straitens back up and gives a big cheery smile. "Hey now wait a minute Tadao: you're not cheating on that hot wife of your's are you? I'm still amazed at how you managed to score such a hottie." says the tallest man.

"Heh. Heh. No. I'm not cheating on my wife guys. This is my youngest daughter, Tsukasa. Tsukasa these are my… drinking buddies. Tomeru Aki, Sashi Nichi, and Yomuru Takanashi" says Tadao. Tsukasa bows, still a little embarrassed. "Um. Hello. It's nice to meet you all." she says timidly. All three guys get a confused look. They look at Tadao, then Tsukasa, and back to Tadao. "But wait a second. I thought you told us that all your kids were human." says Tomeru. "Yeah well…. It's kinda hard to explain. You see we didn't find out that she was part vampire until just a couple of days ago when her vampire traits just suddenly appeared." says Tadao with an embarrassed head scratch.

"Really? That is strange." says Sashi with surprised intrigue. "I don't think I've heard of this happening before." says Tomeru. "I don't think any of us have." says Sashi. "You think it may be some sort of mutation?" he adds. "Who knows? I really haven't had her tested to see what's going on. And frankly I don't really want to bother." says Tadao. "Hey! Maybe she's that 'Legendary Vampire' from that old prophecy! HA HA HA!" laughs Yomuru with a big bellied laugh. "Come on Yomuru. Noone believes in that old myth anymore. Besides the 'Legendary Vampire' is supposed to be a Pure." says Tadao with a sigh. "Sheesh I was only kidding." says Yomuru.

"Legendary Vampire?" asks Tsukasa confusingly. "It's just some ridiculous 1500 year old prophecy about a vampire that will rise up to save all humanity and vampire kind alike in a time of crisis. But no one really believes it anymore besides a few old crazy religious zealots. It really has nothing to do with us. Come on Tsukasa." says Tadao as he leads her to the bar. Tsukasa and the four guys take their seats on some bar stools nearest the doorway. Tsukasa takes the stool nearest the door, followed by her father and the three other guys. As Tsukasa sits down she overhears the people at the table behind her.

"Hey did you guys hear what happened to that Pure family in Giku prefecture?" says one man. "Yeah I heard. Another Pure family got wiped out. All five members of it. All the police could find were a few blood splatters and some ash." says a second man. "Man who would do such a thing? After all there are only about 1,000 Pure families in this country. I heard that something like this happened with some Pure families in Europe too." says a third man. Their conversation suddenly gets drowned out by the other conversations going on in the bar. "Ahh. Hiiragi-san. Unusual to see you here on a Monday morning." comes a deep voice. Tsukasa looks forward and sees another Middle Eastern man with almost the exact same build and look as Baghadur at the front door. Except he has a full goatee, and is wearing clean dark pants, a long white dress shirt, a black vest, and a little red fez on his head.

The large man is drying off a glass. He's obviously the bar tender. "Yeah well. Some things came up and well, here I am today. Oh! Tsukasa this is Goker. He's the owner and bartender of 'The Dark Night.' His younger brother is Baghadur, the bouncer and door keeper. They are both Moderates who moved to Japan from Turkey a long time ago and set up this bar. Mostly Lows come here." describes Tadao. "Ohh." says Tsukasa. "They sure are big fellows." she adds. "Ha ha ha! I'll take that as a compliment young lady." says Goker with a light laugh. "So Hiiragi- er Tadao-san: the usual?" he asks. "Yes please." answers Tadao. "Ok then. One Loyal-Loving coming right up." says Goker.

"'Loyal-Loving?' That's an odd name for just a glass of blood." says Tsukasa. "Ha ha. Well that's because it's a mix of two different kinds of blood." says Tadao. "What do you mean 'two different kinds of blood?'" asks Tsukasa. "Oh yes… I guess I forgot to tell you that… Well you see each vampire has their own…. 'taste' in blood I guess is what you'd call it." says Tadao. "You mean like blood type A or O-?" says Tsukasa. "Well not quite. It's more like the blood of a person with a certain personality. The personality of a person determines the blood that we drink. Each vampire is attracted to a person with a certain personality you see. 'Loyal-Loving' is the mix of blood that I get because it is the personality that matches your mother." describes Tadao.

"I see. Wait does that you've bitten-" "NO! I have never once bitten your mother. Nor will I ever. Places like this help to prevent such happenings. Besides I said before us Lows have very little urge to bite." says Tadao interrupting Tsukasa. "S-Sorry I didn't mean to…" Tsukasa trails off. "Don't worry. I knew a question like that would be coming eventually." says Tadao. Goker returns and sets a small glass of blood in front of Tadao. "So young lady, what will you have?" asks Goker with a smile. "Oh uh me? Um… I'm not really sure…" says Tsukasa as she looks off to the side a bit. "I think I might know. Tsukasa you said you have a reaction to your friend Konata am I right?" asks Tadao. "Yes. For some reason her smell was very sweet and… well it's hard to describe." says Tsukasa.

"Ah that's it then. What kind of personality does Konata have?" asks Tadao. "Um… well… she's an Otaku for anime and manga stuff." says Tsukasa. "Then that would be 'Obsessive.' What else?" says Goker. "Uh well…" Tsukasa starts to think. "Well is she mean? Jealous? Angry all the time?" asks Goker. "No. Most of the time she's very cheerful." says Tsukasa. "I see so 'Happy'…. 'Happy-Obsessive.' That IS an odd combination." says Goker. Goker pulls out a V shaped whine glass and brings it up to the dispenser. He types on a small pad and pulls the lever which dispenses a certain amount of blood into the glass, filling it about half way. He then types on the pad again and pulls the lever. More blood comes out and nearly fills the glass full.

Goker places the glass in front of Tsukasa. "Enjoy." he says with a smile. For a few moments all Tsukasa can do is stare at the shinny red liquid in the glass, unsure she should drink it. "I really don't think I can do this. Does this actually…. 'taste' any good?" she asks hesitantly. "Well sadly us Lows have about the same taste for blood as Humans do. Blood to us tastes very bitter and very unappetizing. But we have to drink it in order so survive. Most of us just treat it like medicine and gulp it down as fast as we can so it won't be in contact with our tongues for very long. You're going to have to do the same thing." describes Tadao. "Hmmmm." Tsukasa groans as her upper lip quivers in angst.

She slowly picks up the glass. After a few tries she finally brings it up to her lips. It takes her another few seconds to work up the nerve to go for it. She closes her eyes kicks it back, allowing half of the blood to poor into her mouth, and she quickly gulps it down as fast as she can. "So? How was it?" asks Tadao as Tsukasa puts the glass back down. Tsukasa blinks a couple of times in surprise. "It's sweet…" she mumbles. Tadao's eyes instantly pop open in shock. "W-what… did you just say?" says Tadao still in shock. "It's sweet." Tsukasa finally says in her normal voice.

"Almost instantly everyone in her vicinity goes silent. Her father, his three drinking buddies, and the three men at the table just behind her. Even Goker is a bit stunned. Tsukasa confused about their silence looks up from her glass. "What?" she says curiously. "What the HELL is this?" comes voice from behind Tsukasa, startling her. Tsukasa looks and suddenly finds herself surround by the three guys from the table behind her. "You're a fucking MODERATE aren't you?" says the first guy. As soon as he finishes his sentence, the whole bar goes silent. "Huh wha? I'm a Low." says Tsukasa still a bit surprised and confused.

"Don't give us that crap! We heard what you said! You said that blood tasted sweet didn't you!" says the second man. "Yeah but-" "Everyone knows that only Moderates and Pures find human blood sweet! And a Pure wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this! So that makes you a fucking Moderate!" says the third man. Tsukasa glances over at her father for help, but she sees he still has the stunned expression on his face. The first man then slaps the drink out of her hand and the blood spills onto her shirt and some of her pants. "We don't like it when Moderates come to hang around here! What say you guys, shall we 'escort' her outside and show her how Moderates treat us Lows?" says the first man again.

"Yeah!" "Sounds good to me." say the other two. The first guy grabs Tsukasa by her firearm and starts to pull. "Come with us girlie." he commands. Tsukasa resists. "No! I don't want to! Let me go!" she cries out. "I SAID COME ON!" says the first guy again as he then squeezes her arm hard. "Ow! Let me go!" Tsukasa cries again. The three guys laugh and begin to yank on her arm this time. Suddenly, *BAM!* a loud slam gets everyone's attention, nearly making Tsukasa jump out of her skin. They look over to see Goker having had slammed his big fist onto the bar. The slam shocks Tadao out of his stunned look and he finally sees Tsukasa's plight. He's about to go over and punch the guy holding his daughter when Goker speaks up.

"I believe the young lady said to let go. Or do I have to get my younger brother Baghadur to 'kindly' escort you fellows out?" says Goker as his squinted looking eyes open up to reveal two beady brown angry looking eyes. The three men jerk back a little in shock, and the man holding on to Tsukasa slowly lets go. Tsukasa immediately jerks her arm back and runs over to her father. Goker looks back at the three men. "Have you guys forgotten that both my brother and I are Moderates? My brother and I opened this bar to any vampire who chose to drink blood from here rather than attacking some innocent human. Whether they be a Low, Moderate, or even a Pure, all three are welcomed here. You guys may have turned this place into a Low vampire haven, but I am still the owner and MY rules still apply. Now. If you gentlemen would kindly take your seats again." says Goker in a firm tone.

The three men don't say a word as they quickly take their seats. The bar slowly starts go back to its usual muddled conversations. Goker then reaches under the bar and grabs another V shaped wine glass and fills it with the mix of blood again that Tsukasa had and places it on the bar in front of her. "Here you go young lady. Both of your drinks are on those guys. AM I RIGHT FELLAS?" asks Goker as he looks towards the three men again. "Yes sir" says one of the men as the other two just nod. "Th-Thank you Goker-san." says Tsukasa softly but looking down. "Don't worry Tsukasa-san. You're always welcomed here at 'The Dark Night.' Rest assured you'll never have any more problems like that ever again. My Brother and I will see to that." says Goker.

Tsukasa grins slightly. "Thank you. I appreciate that." says Tsukasa softly again. Goker then turns away to fix another drink for another patron. "Tsukasa are you alright?" asks Tadao with concern. Tsukasa takes a sip of her blood drink, not even caring anymore that it's blood she's putting into her mouth. But this time the taste is bitter sweet. But not because it was mixed wrong or anything. The whole ordeal has made her a little depressed. "Dad….. Let's go home." says Tsukasa after a moment. Tadao nods his head. "Ok. Let me pay for my drink, you finish yours, and we'll go." says Tadao.

A few minutes the later the two Hiiragis leave the bar and begin their walk back to their house. They stay silent until about half-way back. "Look. Tsukasa. I'm sorry you had to go through that back there. But do try and forgive them. Lows like them have been mistreated by Moderates for years and you can't blame some of them for having some strong resentments towards Moderates." says Tadao. "I know. But… Is it true what they said back there? Am I really a Moderate as they say?" asks Tsukasa with concern in her voice. Tadao takes a deep breath and sighs.

He closes his eyes for a moment. "Yes… I'm afraid so. Only Moderates and Pures find blood to taste sweet. I guess this explains your transformation in your gym class' changing room. I thought it may have been just your vampiric nature just suddenly coming on and overwhelming you. Like 16 years of pint-up vampire urges being released all at once. But I guess not. Mind you it was a good theory though. Don't ask me how or why it happened because I have no idea how you're a moderate born to a Low vampire. It should be impossible." describes Tadao. "So what should I do?" asks Tsukasa with concern again. "Don't worry about it right now. I'll do that. I'll try and set up a doctor's appointment with a vampire doctor to do some tests. Maybe they'll figure out something. Until then I MUST warn you. NEVER USE YOUR VAMPIRE POWERS TO ATTACK ANYONE. Human or vampire." says Tadao.

"You don't have to worry about that Dad. I don't plan to." says Tsukasa. "No Tsukasa you don't seem to understand. You must NEVER do that under any circumstances. Both Vampires and Humans have friends and allies that will more than likely try and seek revenge on you if you do. They will target not only you but your friends and the rest of your family. You'll have to go on the run and everything. Basically you'll lose your humanity if you do. You'll never have a normal life ever again. Not only that but if you attack a human they'll send Vampire hunters after you: and they are relentless." describes Tadao. Tsukasa's eyes are a little wider open after hearing her father be completely serious about telling her this. He means it. And she knows she'll have to do what he says.

"Ok Father. I promise you I'll never use my powers. No matter what." says Tsukasa firmly. "Good girl. Now let's get you home. You'll need to get those blood stains out of your cloths when we get back. Not to mention you have school in the morning." says Tadao. Tsukasa looks down. "AH! MY CLOTHS! Do you know how hard it is to get blood out!" says Tsukasa in near panic. "Don't worry Tsukasa. Vampires have developed a stain remover for getting out Blood stains. Well buy some on the way back. Come on." says Tadao. "If you say so dad." says Tsukasa.

Meanwhile, about a block behind them, a dark figure peers from around the corner of a building: his eyes focused on the Hiiragis.

End of Chapter 2

To be continued in Chapter 3: Kagami Taken! Tsuaksa's Choice.

Author Note: Well that took forever to get done. I had to restart this chapter four times before I settled on this version .Sorry it took so long to get out. Since I no longer have home internet access I've been spending less and less time at FF. net to read and be inspired to write. Hopefully I'll be getting the internet back soon, maybe sometime in August. If I do a lot of you authors out there well more than likely be seeing some of my reviews in your stories. So please look forward to it!

Story Note: Wow. Tsukasa's gone from finding out that she's part vampire to finding out she's a Moderate. How and why this happened will be explained sometime in the future but for now she has to deal with adapting to a life of being part vampire, such as how to control her powers and urges. But that's not going to last for long. What does that mean you ask? You just have to stick around to see. See you next Chapter!