Chapter 7: Funeral, Literal and Figurative


Wakaba Estate

Clear skies and a nice sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. A lovely day for a funeral.

If Sayori could call it that, as there was little to no fanfare. Just a priest, the headmaster, and her friends.

Oh right, Haruka and Juri too. Whom were in the process in adopting the former human, which Sayori allowed as they were her anchor now.

The priest finished his sermon, which indicated for Sayori to lower her parents ashes into the ground. Next to the hole was a tombstone carved in the Wakaba Family Crest, the names of the deceased running through the middle. In Sayori's mind, it was missing something.

Her own name.

On the day her parents perished, she felt like she died too.

Her Humanity.

She no longer had any closes ties to humans, at least not on emotional level. Sure, the headmaster was supportive but there was no bond between them.

Now she only had personal connections to vampires, which would be true for the remainder her long life.

For the first time since she had the misfortune of meeting Rido Kuran, she felt like a vampire through and through.

Sure, her personality was the same as ever, but that eroded slowly at this rate. She already felt a bit cold, like how Kaname or Kain could be. The curse of longevity brings detachment, not even Yuki was immune to this tendency.

And if her master had his way, she would become a shadow of herself: Twisted, Demonic, and Lustful. She would not blame Kaien or Toga if they decided to exterminate her.

"Mother...Father...I'm sorry" Wakaba solemnly spoke, "I wish I could've explained things to you, but I can't. If I'm not damned in death as well, I hope you understand and forgive me." A tear rolled down her face, staining the ground beneath her. She knew she was lying to herself, as beasts like her don't deserve a pleasant afterlife.

Yuki approached her, giving her comfort in this time of sorrow. The rest of her friends and adopted family remained silent, allowing her to grieve without commentary.

After what felt like an eternity, Sayori Wakaba stood up and turned to face her friends and guardians.

"Though the night is young, I feel like retiring until tomorrow evening" Sayori said.

"Then, shall we be on our way?" Haruka delicately asked. Sayori nodded before following Juri and Haruka back to the sedan.

The sedan that took them back to their home...her home. That...would take a while to get used to, but she was given a month away from the academy to adjust.

Meanwhile, Kaname and Yuki were chatting in private on their way back the Night Dorm.

"I fear for my dear friend" Yuki quietly said, "The expression on her face was similar to a vampire's, not a human in grief."

"Yes" Kaname breathed, "It's like if her humanity died along with her folks."

"If so, then we might be short on time" Yuki frowned, "Especially if her master is malevolent."

"They certainly are" Kaname answered, "I suspect the death of Wakaba's parents were tied to her master, in effort to break her."

"And for what?" Yuki pleaded.

"To use her as a tool, to harm those close to her" Kaname close his eyes, "The ritual is almost ready to perform, but a piece is missing."

"And that is?"

"She needs to drink the blood of her lover" Kaname answered, "That's why I am keeping an eye on Hanabusa and her, to see if anything comes about."

"I see" Yuki said, "I hope the ritual is a success, since she would be the first to be free from our hierarchy."

"A truly free vampire" Kaname answered, "The beginning of the end of a system we Kurans hate." Yuki just nodded at that statement.

Without the vampire hierarchy, vampire society can finally modernize to better ideals.


Kuran Manor

Sayori took in the sights of her new room, which was modest in taste. She should thank her guardians for that, as she was expecting something more...grand.

Although to be honest, the home of Juri and Haruka was very modest for a supposed royal family. Then again, Yuki had no qualms living in the rather simple Day dorms.

Maybe this royal family was tired of the current hierarchy, which still persisted even with the council. She decided that would be a question for another time.

She unpacked her belongings and arranged them in her new room. When she came across the journal her father kept, she decided to read it.

Its contents shocked her, as it revealed the fact her father knew of the existence of the vampires at one point.

That was until the tragedy that befelled her aunt...who was turned into a vampire five years before Sayori's birth. She fell to level E and nearly killed her brother in her craze, before being exterminated by Kaien. The episode was too much for him, so he requested to have his memories erased of everything vampire.

And the story of her late aunt's death was fabricated into something less tragic, which she recalled asking about at one point.

Sayori put the diary in a drawer, allowing herself to cry into the dried blood-colored sheets. She wasn't the first Wakaba to become a monster and her father wasn't brave enough to keep his memories. If he had, then he might have a better idea what happen to her at the hospital.

Then again, he might deemed her as a lost cause, as it was for his sister.

And in hindsight, it was a lost cause. Sure, she would never fall to level E, but her master wasn't benevolent.

Knock, Knock.

"Who is it?" Sayori called out while wiping her eyes with tissue paper.

"It's Juri" a voice answered, "I can sense distress, do you wish to speak about it?"

"Yes" she admitted. Juri slowly opened the door, her face sad and yet comforting at the same time. She sat on the bed next to the downtrodden ex-human.

"What is the problem, dear?" Juri asked.

"My father's diary" Sayori answered, "Apparently, he once knew the existence of vampires but had his memory erased after his turned sister nearly killed him."

"Oh, how awful" Juri shook her head before embracing the girl in a hug, "That just makes your situation even worse, since it brings up a lot of questions and what ifs."

"Yes" Sayori returned the hug, "I can't imagine what he would do or say if he learned that is own daughter became a vampire with no self-agency, just like his late sister."

"I understand" Juri sighed, "It's our curse as purebloods, since it was necessary to change humans into our kind in order to populate our numbers. For us Kurans, those days are long gone and we believe in a world where vampire and human society can intermingle peacefully. Sadly, plenty of the remaining purebloods don't share our vision."

There was a moment of silence, before Sayori broke it.

"Have you turned any humans into vampires?" Sayori asked in a curious and calm tone.

"A few times" Juri admitted, "But never out of malevolence, but as a gift to those met with cruel circumstances. One of them still lives, who is happily married to a pureblood that keeps a low profile."

"I see" Sayori said.

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" Juri asked.

"No, I think I am going to rest now" Sayori answered. She was still tired from all the grief in her heart, so she still wanted to rest her mind.

"Alright, then I shall let you be" Juri answered, "Should you need anything, I will be available to you."

"I appreciate it" Sayori said with a small smile.

In her darkest hour, she grasped what light was left.


A/N: Wow, almost a year since I updated this story. Still going strong, even if Breath of the Wild is taking up a lot of my time.