Navigation Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4

Kira woke up bright and early Monday morning, two days after the dance. The amazing dance. Kira sighed. She couldn't wait to see Rei.
Hopping out of bed, Kira dressed as fast as she could. She scrubbed her teeth, brushed her hair and washed her face. She took a moment to dream about Rei, loving the fact that when she got to school, he'd be there waiting for her.
"Kira, don't forget to get the dress from the Laundry Mat today for Lindsey's party." Her mom called to her.
"Oh the party! I forgot!" Lindsey was another friend. She didn't get to see her too often since they didn't go to the same school, but they've been good friends since elementary school.
"I won't! Bye Mom." She yelled, thundering down the steps and out the door. "Have a good day, Honey."
Running all the way to Emily's house, Kira breathlessly knocked on the door. When Emily's voice sounded from the other side like always, Kira yelled, "Hurry up."
Emily opened the door, smiling. "Maybe I'll go slowly, just to torture you."
"Emily!" Kira whined. "Don't be so mean."
Laughing, Emily joined Kira on the walk to school. Kira ran up the High School steps with Emily trailing behind.
"Do you have to go so fast, Kira?"
"Sorry." Kira waited for Emily to catch up. "I just can't wait to see Rei."
"Oh sure…Rei."
Opening the doors to the High School, Emily winked and went ahead to their homeroom. As usual, Rei was waiting for her with a smile on his face.
"Hi Rei!" She said happily. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." he said. Rei kissed Kira's cheek and draped his arm around her shoulder possessively.

†

Kira raised her hand.
"Kira?"
"Can I get a drink of water?"
Kira's English teacher, Mrs. Schultz, nodded and smiled. "Fill out a pass and you may go." Kira was starving. She usually was by sixth period, but she was really thirsty all of a sudden. Filling out a pass, Kira practically skipped out the door.
The water was fresh and cold. Kira gulped it down, quenching her thirst. "Ahhhh!" Kira sighed. She was about to go back to class when something caught her eye.
"Rei?"
Rei turned around, surprised to find her there. He smiled warmly, a glint in his eye. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked curiously.
"I forgot my Math book."
"Oh…"
Rei's smile suddenly turned cold. He looked both ways down the hallway, his smile widening. He walked towards her.
"Do you know how much trouble you've caused me?" he asked, his voice frigid.
Kira's heart stopped. "W-What?"
"So many times I've tried. But you don't die easily, do you?"
Kira's eyes widened. 'What was Rei talking about?'
"But it doesn't matter. Now I can kill you."
Rei lunged at Kira, his hands closing around her neck, shoving Kira against the lockers. Kira shut her eyes as pain tore through her back. Rei's hands loosened as he gently stroked her neck.
"I had fun while it lasted, though." he whispered.
"N-no…you can't mean that Rei." she gasped out. "Why would you want to kill me?"
"Foolish girl." he murmured. Rei pushed himself closer to Kira, his mouth moving closer to its destination. "I'm surprised you never noticed the connection. After all, you did see me." Kira couldn't breath. 'He didn't mean it,' she thought. 'It's a joke, it's all a joke. He wasn't the boy who attacked her that one night. He couldn't be!'
"It's not a joke, Kira. That was me." Rei whispered, his teeth unsheathing. His lips hungrily reached her neck. "You're so naive." he murmured. "So innocent." Rei smiled and plunged his teeth into Kira's neck. Kira was too stunned to react.
The person she loved, the one person she loved in the entire world…was trying to kill her. Kira squeezed her eyes shut, feeling suddenly light-headed.
"Hey! What are you two doing! Get to class!!" A security guard stomped down the hall.
"Damn it!!" Rei shouted. His teeth sheathed again, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Rei glared at Kira, whose eyes were still shut. "I will kill you!" he whispered to her. Rei turned and took off running down the hall.
Without Rei's support, Kira slumped down the wall in shock.
"Miss, are you ok? Miss?"
Kira nodded.
"Do you know who that was, Miss?"
"No." Kira whispered. She didn't know who that was. That wasn't the Rei she knew. Tears started to fall from her murky green eyes.
The guard helped her to stand. Slowly, he walked her down to the nurse's office where Kira fell down on the bed, tears soaking the sheets around her.
Kindly, the Nurse sat down next to her and rubbed her back. "What's your name, dear?"
"Kira." she whispered. "Please, can you get my friend?"
"What's her name?"
"Emily Meioh."
The nurse nodded. "We'll find her, Kira. Don't worry, we'll find the person who did this."
That caused more tears to fall. She didn't want them to find Rei.

†

"DAMNIT!! I was so freakin' close!!" Rei drove his fist through the wall. "Now she knows. Now she remembers." Rei forced himself to calm down.
He came straight to his house after the guard found them. There's no doubt that she would tell everyone who did it, who he is, what he is! He'd have to leave, if that was the case. But not before he killed Kira.
How did she always manage to escape him?! It was as if someone was protecting her. Someone stronger than him. But how much stronger? Did he need to find this person and kill him or her too?
Rei licked his lips, the remnants of Kira's blood still on his lips. Such a sweet taste. Maybe he would slowly kill her. Slowly suck the blood out of her.
Rei shook his head. Whatever he planned to do. He needed to do it fast, before he was discovered.

†

Emily hugged Kira.
"I'm so sorry, Kira. I didn't think he would break up with you. You two were getting along so well."
"I know. I don't understand either."
"Are you still going to Linz's party?"
Kari shook her head. "I don't think I can go."
"Please…besides, maybe you can find someone else." Emily pleaded.
Kira shook her head. "I don't want to find anyone else."
"Fine, but please go. Josh is going to be there. I have to go! Please, Kir." Emily stuck out her lip, her eyes wide and pleading.
Kira looked at Emily. She sighed. "Maybe. I'll think about it."
Emily nodded. "Ok. Hey, if you need, I'll walk home with you now. The Nurse gave us permission. Isn't she nice?"
Kira nodded. "I'd like to go. But…" she looked at Emily. "Can you stay with me?"
Emily nodded and smiled. "Of course I will."
Kira smiled weakly, feeling guilty about not telling Emily the whole truth. 'I can't tell her.' She shook her head. 'They're looking for the killer, and I know who it is. But…I still love him.' She felt tears well up in her eyes again.
"Oh, Kira. Come here." Emily wrapped her arms around Kira's shaking body.

†

"That's your dress?! It's beautiful, Kira!" Emily was studying Kira's dress. It was made of a long, white silk, which hugged Kira's curves from her hips, up. The shoulder straps were a little too big and usually fell down Kira's shoulders when she wore it. Emily picked out gold sandals to match.
They were both going on the bus to get to Lindsay's house. It would be weird going on a bus in such nice dresses but it was the only way.
"Come on. Get ready, I'll go put my dress on in the bathroom."
Emily left to give Kira privacy. Kira looked at the dress. She sighed and took down the hanger from her door. She slipped off her clothes and pulled on the dress, savoring the feel of silk against her bare skin.
Kira twirled slowly in front of the mirror.
"You look beautiful." gasped Emily from the doorway. A small smile caught Kira's lips. Emily's dress was pink, which reached to her knees. It was ruffled at the bottom and decorated with silver sequins. She wore white high heels to match.
"You look great, too, Em."
Emily spun around. "Do you think so?"
"Yup." Kira smiled feebly, trying to be happy for Emily.
"Oh Kira. Stop it. Don't smile like that. It's been a week since he broke up with you." Sadness filled Kira's eyes. "I can't help it." she whispered. "I feel like my heart's being torn apart."
Emily sighed, giving Kira a sideways hug. "I wish he didn't break up with you. Things would be so much easier."
Kira sniffled, nodding.
"Come on, let's go." Emily said, dragging Kira down the stairs and out the door. "We can't mope anymore. We've got to have fun!"
Kira smiled at Emily's enthusiasm. "Wait!" she cried abruptly. Kira hopped back up the stairs to her house and closed the door. She bent down and shuffled under the mat that welcomed visitors. A small key glinted in the sunlight as Kira locked the door and replaced it.
"Ok…now we can go."

†

"Here, I'll pay." Emily inserted three dollars into the bus dispenser. Both looked around for a seat, finding one in the middle. The bus stopped a few times before Emily and Kira got off. "So we have to walk?" Kira asked.
"Yup. Don't worry, it's a short walk."
A short walk it was. Within minutes, Kira and Emily were safely enclosed in Lindsay's warm house filled with other guests. Emily went off to dance, leaving Kira to dawdle by the food. She wasn't really hungry, but she didn't feel like dancing either. She didn't feel like being there at all.
Kira looked around and sat down on a couch. She watched Emily dance to a Brittany Spears song, smiling slightly. Emily was such a dramatic dancer. She didn't even have to try to dance, and she danced well.
A flash of silver caught Kira's eye. Rei?! Kira looked around. Rei was here?! She thought. Kira watched as a girl's hair ribbon flashed again. Kira sighed as she sat back in the couch. No…Rei wasn't here. She was going paranoid.
But after that day…who wouldn't? Kira looked at the clock. Time was going too slow for her liking. Kira shook her head. She couldn't stay here. There was nothing for her to do, here. She'd just be boring.
Kira stood up and looked for Linz. She found her standing with a bunch of guys. "Linz? I'm gonna go home. I don't feel too well. Can you tell Emily that."
Lindsey looked over where Emily was dancing. "Sure. Oh, hey, Kira…I heard about Rei breaking up with you. I'm really sorry."
"Yea." Kira smiled weakly. "Thanks. Sorry…I'll see you later."
"Well, thanks for coming anyway, Kira. I know it's been tough for you."
"Yea. Bye."
"Bye, Kira."

†

Kira stumbled out the door, walking toward the bus stop. Tears threatened to fall again. She lifted up her skirt and began to run. When she reached it, she was the only person there. Feeling lonelier than ever, Kira boarded the bus with heavy steps when it came.
She dropped her money into the dispenser and looked around. No seats. She'd have to stand, then. Kira grabbed the pole nearest to her as the bus started driving back the way they came.
Kira's mind drifted to Rei. She loved him so much. Still, after he had deceived her. She just couldn't let go of him. He was such a major part of her life. She would always love him.
'Wait.' her mind slowed to a halt, her stomach clenching. 'Rei never once told me that he loved me. Never. Not even when I had told him that I loved him.' Kira felt close to tears. She should have noticed him that first day, should have felt fear, just looking in his eyes. But she didn't. 'Maybe there was a reason. Maybe God wanted us to meet…'
Suddenly, the bus stopped fast, pitching Kira forward. She gasped aloud, trying to regain her balance, unsuccessfully. Someone grabbed her around her waist, stopping her fall. She looked up, relief covering her face. "Thank-" Kira stopped. She paled. "No…" she whispered.
Rei smiled and leaned toward her. Kira jerked away from him, terrified. Rei's arm around her tightened and he leaned down toward her ear.
"Don't make a scene." he whispered. "I won't hurt you if you come with me."
Kira trembled. 'No…' she thought. 'No, why was he here?' She heard Rei chuckle. "Don't worry, Kira. I won't hurt you. Just come with me."
At the next stop, Rei directed Kira off the bus. He led her down the same street she had gone earlier. Reaching the driveway to his house, Kira immediately planted her feet.
"No." she whispered. "No! I can't!" The tears that had been threatening to fall, poured down her face. Rei was here with her again…and he wanted to kill her. "Let me go, Rei. Please. Just let me go!"
Swiftly, Rei brushed away her hair and grazed her neck with his teeth, making Kira fall silent. "You'll do as I say, Kira. So you won't loose your life." Kira shuddered and took a step forward. Rei draped his arm around Kira's waist and opened the door, guiding Kira into the house.
Rei smiled slyly and picked Kira up in his arms. Kira cried out in surprise and struggled against his arms. He made his way up the stairs and turned into the hallway, unhindered by her thrashing. Rei opened his bedroom door with his shoulder. Her struggling became frantic, causing Rei to loose hold of her feet, letting them drop to the floor. Kira yanked her arms out of his hold and bolted for the door. Catching her around the waist, Rei violently kicked the door shut. "Where do you think you're going, Kira?" he snarled.
"Rei, why are you doing this?" she cried. "Wasn't there some part of you that fell in love with me?"
Rei laughed mockingly. "Of course there wasn't. Haven't you ever heard of unrequited love?"
Kira's bottom lip trembled. "How can you say that?" she whispered. "After the way you kissed me and held me?"
"A guy has to practice, darling." He smiled sardonically.
Tears filled Kira's eyes, making Rei's heart jerk painfully. For a moment, he lost all motive to torture her so. But once again, his heart hardened, freezing over.
Pain and anger swelled up inside Kira. "How could you do that to me?" she cried, beating at his chest with her fists. "How could you lead me on like that?"
Rei pretended to laugh as if the punches she threw didn't hurt. "I'll let you on a little secret, Kira." He whispered in her ear. "You're the first that's ever gotten away from me." He laughed. "I enjoyed playing with you while I could."
Kira stilled in his arms, tears freely falling from her eyes. "Then kill me." she whispered. "I have no reason to live."
Taken aback by her words, Rei looked down at her in shock. Kira's bowed head didn't obscure the fact that she was speaking from the heart. 'She really wants me to kill her.' Rei thought surprised.
Finally, Rei smiled, resolved. "Your wish is my command." He murmured.
Tipping up her face, Rei almost winced at the amount of pain he saw in her eyes. Almost. He gazed at her lips longingly, before capturing them in a powerful kiss. Her warmth surrounded him, almost making him tear away from her and tell her to live. But he didn't. Instead, Rei found his body being drawn to the blood being pumped through her. His lips found her neck, his teeth unsheathing instantly. He bit her, kissing her with the kiss of death.
Kira gasped, struggling to breath in air. Her heart pounded erratically, telling her to live. But she couldn't. Not without Rei. She felt her knees going weak beneath her, causing her to collapse into Rei's chest. His arm supported her, helping her stay upright. Kira closed her eyes, raising her hand, slowly entangling it in his hair. "I love you." she whispered painfully.
Rei's eyes flew open. He tore away from Kira's body, wiping his mouth free of her blood. Kira's limp body fell to the ground. Rei drew in long breaths of air, his heart aching at hearing those words again.
He stood there, watching Kira shudder with each breath, until he couldn't take it anymore. Collapsing beside Kira, he drew her gently into his arms.
"What have I done?" He whispered. "Oh God, what have I done?"
"R-Rei?"
Rei looked into Kira's face. She was smiling. Rei's heart wrenched violently.
"Am I in heaven, Rei?"
Her words seemed to tear all his defenses down. Rei broke down sobbing, his body wracking with each breath. To think that she believed he would be in heaven with her…
"Oh Rei, don't cry…" she whispered.
Rei lifted a finger to her lips, forcing a smile for her. "Don't speak, Kira. If you want to live, don't speak."
"I-I'm not dead?"
Rei shook his head, cradling her body in his arms. Her eyes seemed to sparkle, looking up at him with love and admiration. "You didn't kill me?"
"No." he whispered.
Kira struggled to sit up, but Rei pushed her back down. "No, don't get up. You're too weak, Kira."
Tears filled Kira's eyes.
"Why are you crying?" he asked, wiping away each tear as they fell.
"Because you care enough about me that you won't even let me get up."
Rei smiled weakly, smoothing away her hair from her face.
"Why didn't you kill me, Rei?"
He closed his eyes, inhaling sharply. "I-I can't." he said softly.
"Do you love me?" she whispered.
"I don't know what love is." he answered.
"Yes you do."
Rei bit his bottom lip. Raising her hand, Kira brought Rei's head down to hers. "Kiss me." she whispered.
Rei leaned closer to her lips, trembling. He kissed her gently, his shaking fingers trailing through her long hair. When he pulled back, he felt himself on the verge of tears.
"Now, tell me you don't love me." She said.
"I'm a vampire, Kira. I can't love you."
" 'What's in a name, that which we call a rose?' " Kira whispered.
He closed his eyes, drowning in her presence.
"Rei?"
Her voice drew him back into the present. "I'm supposed to kill you, Kira. But I can't. If that isn't loving you, then I don't know what is."
"Oh Rei." Kira sobbed. Tears filled her eyes again.
"Kira, please don't cry." he whispered, kissing away each tear. "I will never try to kill you again. I want to protect you, even if that means protecting you from me. Just, please don't cry."
"I can't help it. I love you so much."
Rei's heart jerked again and suddenly, Rei knew. "I love you too, Kira." he whispered. A beating sounded from somewhere, causing Rei to look up.
"What's that?" he whispered frantically.
"What's what?"
"That sound."
Kira looked at him with a dazed expression.
"It sounds like a banging. A pounding."
"Rei…" Kira's eyes lit up suddenly. She struggled to sit up.
"Kira, what are you doing? Don't get up, you'll hurt yourself!"
She smiled weakly, collapsing against his chest. Rei wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from falling back.
"R-Rei, I know where the sound is coming from."
"Where?" he asked.
Kira laid her hand on his chest. "Your heart's beating, Rei."
"M-My heart?! But it doesn't-"
"Shhh…" Kira rose a finger to his lips. "Listen." she whispered.
Rei closed his eyes, listening for a rhythm long forgotten within him. A loud pounding pulsed through his entire body. Eyes wide, Rei stared down at Kira in shock.
"Kira! My heart's beating! I'm not dead anymore!"
"But how, Rei?" Kira asked.
" 'But these three remain: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.' That's it, Kira! I told you I loved you, I meant it. I-I'm no longer a vampire! I can be human again! I'm free." he whispered. He kissed Kira with all the love he felt.
'Free at last!'

†

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails…And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:4-13

The End...

Navigation Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4