Last chapter!

You guys might be mad at me by the end of it and I'm fully prepared for that. I was upset just writing it, but I'm not too big of a fan of happy endings . . . no matter how much I might want them. I always like the tragic endings. I don't know, maybe my brain will work something out to make it happy. We'll have to see.

Happy reading!

As fast as she could, Shizuru stomped up the stairs as fast as she could, working to reach the top in time. Behind her she could hear the men come after her, scrambling over themselves in an effort to hold her back. However, Shizuru couldn't allow them to beat her. After what she had seen happen to Haruka, she wouldn't allow that to befall Natsuki, not while she still had life in her body.

Suddenly, Shizuru's foot slipped on the stair and she tumbled down, curling in on herself to protect her neck. She barreled into the oncoming refugees and as a whole they crashed down at the bottom of the basement in one big tangle of limbs and stakes. The antivenin slipped from Shizuru's hand and skidded across the floor, landing in the corner in the silky threads of a spider web.

From her position beneath all of the men, Shizuru punched and kicked, trying to break her way free. She had to reach Natsuki in time or else all of her efforts would have been for naught. One man moved to pin her down and prevent her escape, but Shizuru fought back, whacking him in the nose. A torrent of blood gushed out and dripped onto the floor. The man stumbled back, holding his wounded nose and moaning.

The crimson-eyed beauty winced as she stared down at the blood on her knuckles. She really had no intention of hurting anyone, but she had to fulfill her obligation to Natsuki, and unfortunately she would have to mow down anyone who got in her way.

Jumping away from the men, her eyes flicked wildly about the basement, trying to locate the antivenin. It was so dark that she could hardly see anything. Her hands stuck out and skid against the walls, hoping to find something that would provide light.

"Please," Shizuru begged as her fingers brushed over empty shelves filled with nothing but dust. All she needed was one lucky break . . . "Agh!"One of the men, lost in the chaos of killing Haruka and running after Shizuru, had hit her over the head with the blunt end of his stake. Shizuru went down and curled up on her side, clutching at the back of her head. Hot wetness coated her fingers and she winced as pain lanced over her skull: she had been cut.

The man, eyes wide with madness and a crooked grin plastered on his face, stared down at the helpless Shizuru, brandishing his stake as if it were an axe. In the light streaming from the crack in door leading to Yukino's lab, the chaos could be seen swimming in the man's wide eyes.

Shizuru scurried away as much as she could, backing up against a shelf as she stared up into his face. The wild pounding in her chest was unmatched and she held out a bloody hand, begging for him to stop before he did something rash.

"Please!" she cried, but he didn't listen. With a fixed grin, the man brought down the stake, ready to pierce Shizuru's heart through.

Time slowed for Shizuru as she watched the pointed end of the stake descend towards her vulnerable chest. For a brief moment she saw Death staring down at her, beckoning her to finally join his side in eternal nothingness, but Shizuru wasn't ready to leave just yet. Absently she reached behind her up on the shelf and her fingers enclosed around the first thing they could find: a maximum-power staple gun. Cradling it in her hands, she cried out as her finger squeezed the trigger . . . and popped several staples into the man's stomach.

The man screamed, halting in his stride to stare down at the staples stuck in his bleeding gut. Dark pools of blood stained the front of his shirt and the stake fell fro his hands, landing on the floor with a loud clang! His palms flew to his stomach and pressed down on the wounds, struggling in vain to stop the bleeding.

Shizuru remained on the ground for a few seconds, panting hard as she held the gun outwards. She stared at the damage she had caused, horrified by the harm her own hands could do. It frightened her that she had stooped to hurting people just for the sake of protecting Natsuki and she tossed the staple gun away forcefully as if she had been burned.

Searching for the antivenin once more, she finally found it lying in a corner. Keeping her eyes away from the wounded around her, she scrambled for the syringe and grasped it, pulling it free of the spiderweb just before the spider could descend upon her hand.

Pressing back against the shelves, Shizuru held the antivenin to her chest and gazed around for the quickest escape route. The two men she had wounded were being tended to by the others, but they had set their sights upon her. Certain that they would try to avenge their comrades, Shizuru grasped the staple gun from the ground and held it out towards them as a warning.

"Stay back," she growled.

Slowly she skirted her way around the group of men, keeping them in her sights until she reached the base of the stairs. Seeing that the group was kept at bay by the staple gun, Shizuru knew she had a clear escape upstairs. Without a second's hesitation, she dropped the gun and stormed up the stairs, skipping two at a time until she made it to the top and slipped past the door.

If Shizuru was expecting to leave the darkness behind in the basement she would be disappointed. The hallway surrounding her was just as dark, if not darker, than the basement and an ominous feeling settled into her stomach. She recalled multiple times what had happened when she found herself in complete blackness and it didn't help to soothe her frazzled nerves. If anything, it only made it worse.

Still, Shizuru couldn't allow fear to get a grip on her. Her mission wasn't over yet and she wouldn't rest until it was. She would simply have to suck it up and do what needed to be done. Only after everything was said and done would she allow a moment of rest and emotion.

Clutching the staple gun to her chest, Shizuru swallowed her fear and took careful steps forward down the hall, the heels of her shoes clacking against the ground. Outside the soft crackle of thunder rumbled through the sky and the first freezing raindrops pattered against the windows of the mansion. Abruptly the temperature fell and Shizuru released a hot breath that took the form of a cloud in front of her nose. After dealing with crazed vampire hunters and the pressure of Natsuki turning, freezing cold was the last thing she needed.

It was peculiar, she thought, how no one else in the mansion seemed to come out of their room. Perhaps it was because the men told them to stay put while they took care of the vampires. If that was the case then her job became a lot easier; the less interruptions she had the better.

Quickening her pace, Shizuru trotted into the main room and down another hallway towards Natsuki's room. The moment she set foot down the long corridor she could sense something was wrong like someone could sense a tornado right before it struck. Something terrible was about to happen and it was incentive enough for Shizuru to break out into a full-on run towards the room.

"Please be okay," she prayed as she raced past the doors flanking her one either side. Her fingers curled tighter around the antivenin. "Please, Natsuki, be okay!"

Skidding to a halt in front of the door, Shizuru gasped upon seeing it wide open . . . and the room empty. The bed was in shambles: the covers torn, the pillow ripped to feather shreds and the straps that held Natsuki down were completely ripped off. Claw marks scratched up the walls and the curtains framing the window were shredded to strips. The room was a complete mess, but the destruction wasn't what caused Shizuru's blood to freeze: there was no sign of Natsuki.

Her heart sank all the way down to her toes and tentatively Shizuru strode into the room, looking all around for the blunette. She scoured every nook and cranny, digging into every recess that one could squeeze in and found no trace of Natsuki.

Shizuru stood in the midst of all the destruction and panted hard, clutching the staple gun and antivenin so hard until her knuckles turned white. They couldn't have found her so soon, she thought. She would have heard the screams if they had.

Another glance at the room proved that Natsuki hadn't been murdered - yet. From the scratch marks she broke free of her binds upon turning and had possibly gotten loose. It was a relief to Shizuru, but also posed another question: if Natsuki had ran off, then where was she now?

A muffled cry tickled Shizuru's ear and a wave of goose bumps prickled her skin. Turning on her heel, she stared out of the door a moment and took in one breath after another, listening for more cries. Her wait didn't last as frenzied pleas of mercy echoed throughout the hallway until they were silenced by the sound of ripping flesh.

Her stomach sank and it felt as if she would throw up. Her imagination ran away with the possible scenarios for the sounds and each of them were revolting. Shizuru didn't want to venture out and see what exactly was taking place, but she needed to catch Natsuki before anyone else could so, steeling herself, she placed one foot in front of the other and exited back into the corridor.

The gory sounds failed to cease the closer she drew to where they emanated from and the more Shizuru heard, the more her nerve deserted her. Every sense in her body screamed for her to run, to find someplace to hide until the whole thing blew over, but she pushed the warnings away into the back of her mind. Now wasn't the time to turn chicken.

Running off of autopilot, Shizuru slowed her steps until they were virtually silent, flicking her eyes from one side of the hall to the other. It was like watching herself outside of her body, slowly creeping towards her death. Her pace stopped just outside the door where the sounds were coming and she froze, just standing there listening and wondering if she would meet the same fate should she push open that door. It was definite possibility, but . . . it was one she was willing to take. Taking in a breath, she readied the staple gun and antivenin before standing in front of the door . . . and gently pushing it open.

The scene before her sent her reeling. It was just like something out of a bad horror movie. The first thing to hit her was the smell, the overwhelming stench of freshly-spilled blood was phenomenal and she stumbled back, nose buried in the material of her coat sleeve. It was so strong she could taste it upon her tongue. Then of course was the sight: the room bathed in darkness with a stream of silvery light from a streetlamp piercing through the watery curtain of the rain to cast its glow upon the room. The silhouette of a man laid on the floor, unmoving, while a shadowy figure loomed over him. The figure had its face buried against the man's neck and eagerly sucked at it, a torrent of blood soaking into the floor.

Shizuru could only stand and stare, eyes wide in terror. This was far worse than anything she could have ever imagined. She had seen the same scene before in horror movies she had watched as a child, but somehow it was different seeing it in real life. There was no changing the channel and forgetting about it or covering her head with a blanket and waiting for the scary part to be over. Everything before her was one-hundred percent real and she had no choice but to endure every gruesome minute of it.

Her lips parted, a film of saliva peeling away from the twin mounds of pink flesh. "Natsuki . . . "

The figure above the man ceased her movements and swiftly glanced over her shoulder. Twin electric blue eyes stared back at Shizuru under a curtain of dark blue-black hair and a river of dark blood dribbled from her lips. Natsuki bared her fangs and she slunk off of the man, crouching as she stared up at Shizuru. The blue veins pulsed in her arms and as Natsuki rose up on her feet, she hissed dangerously at Shizuru, drops of blood spraying onto the floor.

For a moment, Shizuru could only stare on at what had become of her friend and love. A tear slipped from her eye, slipping down the curved of her cheek and dropping to the bloody ground. "What have you become?" she whispered.

Natsuki didn't answer, simply stared right back though not in a benign way. With a need for blood controlling her, she regarded Shizuru as if she were a piece of meat ripe for the taking. The man's blood was tasty, but the scent of Shizuru's blood enticed her hunger far more. She hissed in enthusiasm.

Shizuru held up the hand with the antivenin, showing it to the vampire. "Natsuki, I can save you! Let me save you."

She cried out when Natsuki lunged at her, fangs bared and ready to pierce the soft flesh of her neck. At the last second, Shizuru hit the ground and rolled, coming up in a crouch by the corpse, standing in the glow of the streetlight outside. Her breathing was rough and ragged.

"Natsuki, please! I'm trying to help you!"

the vampire hissed venomously and paced the length of the room, eyes zeroed in on Shizuru. She was quick and like with most quick prey, Natsuki needed to be quicker. The lean muscle in her legs tensed and were ready to spring when a stabbing pain erupted in her shoulder. Natsuki howled in agony and dropped to her knees, scratching at whatever had stabbed her shoulder.

Shizuru gasped. "Natsuki!"

The sharp item left her body and she dropped to the ground to reveal Lance standing there, a bloody stake in his hand. He was breathing heavily as Natsuki continued to scream and clutch at her shoulder, eyes wide with barely contained fright. His gaze drifted to Shizuru and stared.

Shizuru flicked her eyes from her father to Natsuki and back. "What have you done?" she asked in a breathy voice. Tears sprung t her eyes and she rushed forward to aid the vampire. "What have you done?"

When she began to move towards the vampire, Lance took a step forward to stop her. "Shizuru, stop! It's dangerous!"

With both people closing in around her, Natsuki did the only thing she could: run. With one hand pressed to her wounded shoulder, she scrambled to her feet and reached for the window, breaking through the screen mesh and landed in the pouring rain into the backyard.

Lance followed her to the window and swore, brandishing the stake. "Damn! Stay here!" he ordered Shizuru as he began to race outside towards the backyard.

"No!" Shizuru latched onto her father's arm and pulled, trying to keep him from going out of the room and harming Natsuki further. "Don't hurt her!"

Shaking his daughter off, Lance grasped her shoulders and pulled her close enough so that they were eye to eye. "I already told you what must be done!" he roared, shaking her. "She's a vampire and vampires must be killed before they kill us. I won't have that demon roaming around and hurting my family."

Shizuru shook her head. "She's not a demon! She's my friend and she won't hurt me. I can save her!" She held up the antivenin for her father to see. "With this, I can save her with this."

"What is that?" Lance asked, eyeing the syringe with suspicion. He didn't like it.

"It's a cure, a cure that can reverse the process that turns people into vampires. Yukino came up with it and she used it on Haruka." She shuddered, remembering how the blonde policewoman had looked once the antivenin was injected into her. "She was almost healed . . . but then you came and murdered her!" Jerking out of her father's grasp, Shizuru held the antivenin close, crimson eyes glowing. "I won't let you do the same thing to Natsuki!"

The Viola head stared at his daughter, utterly shocked she was so determined to prevent him from doing his job . . . but at the same time understanding why. "I know you don't like the thought of me killing your friend," he said in a calmer tone, sympathizing with his daughter, "I don't like it either, but it's what must be done. I've done it with friends that I've cared for . . . and it wasn't easy." He gripped his stake, staring at the dried blood on the tip. "But sometimes . . . we just have to do what must be done . . . wether we like it or not."

Still Shizuru couldn't accept that. "You're not listening to me. I want to help her not kill her!" Clutching the cure to her chest, she lowered her head and murmured quietly, "I love her."

Thankfully, her confession was a little too quiet for Lance to hear. "Shizuru it won't work."

"How do you know?" she howled. "I've seen it work and even if it's just a small change that's good enough for me. There's nothing I wouldn't do to get her back." A frown creased her lips and she glared at her father. "And there's nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me!" Bolting forward, she raced past her father and out of the door, each footfall hammering on the floor as she sped towards the front doors. I'll protect you, Natsuki. I promise I'll get you back.

Flying through the front doors, Shizuru stumbled out into the courtyard. The storm was at its peak and water gushed down from the dark, swollen clouds above, quickly drenching Shizuru to the bone. Wiping an arm over her eyes, she cleared out the water form her eyes and glanced around. The light from the street lamps blurred through the thick sheets of rain, making visibility poor.

Turing her eyes to the ground, Shizuru tried to look for blood drops that could lead to Natsuki's whereabouts, but the water had washed them away. Finding her would be more difficult than Shizuru thought.

"Natsuki!" she called loud, voice mixing with the strong patter of the rain. There was no reply back and Shizuru's heart sank. "Natsuki, where are you?"

Racing around the courtyard to the backyard, she kept her eyes peeled for any sign of the blunette. The cold had settled in upon her and her breath formed a white mist in front of her nose. She wouldn't be able to stay out too long; she had to make it quick.

Pausing in the backyard she took a sweeping glance around on all sides. The mansion was notorious for having a very large garden with many different types of plants: trees, flowers, shrubs, et cetera, making it a prime spot to hide. Natsuki could be anywhere.

"Natsuki, where are you?" Shizuru called again, coming close to a collection of shrubbery. "Let me help you."

Silently, a pair of glowing blue eyes stuck out from beneath the leaves of a bird of paradise, watching every move Shizuru made carefully. She was the one that had the sweet blood, the one Natsuki wanted to feed upon. Being all alone made Shizuru a prime target and the fact that she couldn't see only made it better. She was a sitting duck. Slinking on hands and knees through the mud, Natsuki drew in close, stalking her prey carefully until the right time to strike.

Finally Shizuru just stopped moving and stood where she was. Natsuki wasn't going to answer her and even if she did, there was no way she could hear her above the rain. Swallowing hard, Shizuru took in a deep breath and wiped the water from her eyes. She wanted to find Natsuki . . . but part of her already felt like her friend was already lost.

"Natsuki . . . "

Her thumb brushed over the needle of the syringe and she gasped, jerking her hand back. She stuck her thumb in her mouth, licking up the small pinprick of blood. Then she got an idea. It was a stupid idea that could potentially get her killed . . . but it was the only surefire way to bring Natsuki out in the open.

Turning to the collection of foliage at her back, Shizuru wet her lips, tasting the rainwater, and narrowed her eyes. "Natsuki!" She nicked her hands upon the needle, wincing as fresh cuts sliced open the skin and small pearls of blood slid down her fingers and palms.

The coppery scent of blood teased the vampire's senses and she picked up her head an inch, staring intently at Shizuru, or rather the red blood dripping from her hands.

Spreading her arms out wide, Shizuru raised her voice high and loud, so that no one could not hear her. "Come and get me!"

Her breathing increased as she waited, listening as the bushes before her rustled with movement. She had no true plan in what she would do once Natsuki came at her, but she hoped to survive and inject the vampire with the antivenin. It was the only chance she had at getting to close.

Once by one, the bushes and ferns rustled as if something was coming forward until it stopped right at the edge. Shizuru swallowed hard as she waited in silence, counting the agonizing until her target would appear. The wait wasn't forever as a figure rose up from the all fours in the vegetation, gazing at Shizuru through a pair of menacing blue eyes.

If Shizuru said she wasn't afraid that would have been a lie. She was absolutely petrified and it hurt to see Natsuki reduced to such a predatory state against her will. It nearly ripped out her heart. "Natsuki . . ."

The vampire growled in response, her breath fogging in the rain.

"Come into the light," the other girl commanded.

Natsuki did as told, enticed by the strong scent of Shizuru's blood. Her mouth watered at the sight of her red palms, saliva dripping from her sharpened fangs. She paced back and forth like an animal in its cage, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Shizuru held up her blood hand, hoping to coax Natsuki out as far as possible. She needed to have her close enough for her plan to work. "Come here . . . and you can have all you want. I won't hold anything back from you."

All at once, Natsuki couldn't take it anymore. Shizuru's blood as well as how easy prey she was enticed Natsuki to make the first and final move. She pounced as if she were a cheetah: fangs bared, claws outstretched, and hunger in her eyes.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru raised up the antivenin as if it were a stake and stood her ground as the vampire came upon her. She would hold her ground and complete her mission, even if she should get bitten in the process. Nothing would stop her.

Time had slow to a snail's pace, each second passing frame-by-frame like a movie, each move they made amplified tenfold. The rain pounded harder against the girls' freezing bodies and a blot of lightning illuminated their faces in a flash of blue. The hunger and the pain were easy to see and it only came down to one question: who's will would win out?

Then everything fell apart.

Just as the pair was about to collide, Lance appeared out of nowhere. He jumped in front of Shizuru, knocking her away even as Natsuki crashed into him, forcing him to the drenched ground. Shizuru tripped over her feet as her father pushed her away, falling to the ground hard. The force of the fall was enough to loosen her grip around the antivenin and it flew off into the darkness. When it landed on the ground, it shattered into a hundred pieces, spilling its contents all over and the rain promptly washing it away.

Shizuru could only stare wide-eyed at the ruined syringe, her blood running cold. "No . . ." She rose to her knees, trembling. "No!" Racing forward, she fell to her knees beside the broken pieces, a bitter coldness more frigid than the rain around her settling into her bones. Everything she had worked for to help bring Natsuki back . . . was gone. Clamping her eyes shut, Shizuru threw her head back and screamed, "NO!" The tears stormed down her face, mixing with the rain. Her one chance to bring the one she loved back to normalcy was lying in fragments before. There truly was no hope left.

"Natsuki . . . I'm so sorry," she sobbed, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes. "Forgive me. I'm sorry."

With Natsuki's hope of humanity gone, that only left one option . . . and it made a pit grow in Shizuru's stomach. It hurt and sickened her to think that she would have to resort to it; she wanted other options . . . but in truth there was no other choice.

Stoically, Shizuru rose to her feet, back turned to devastating carnage going on behind her. Chills rippled through her body as she imagined what must have become of her father, but for some reason . . . she didn't really care. It had been his fault he jumped in the way, she thought. And even if his intentions were good, he still wanted to kill Natsuki. He invited his own death. She remained where she was even before the gurgled cries of her father had died and Natsuki sucked at his blood, feeling colder than the harshest winter the world had to offer.

The vampire pulled back from Lance's corpse just before his dying breath slipped past him. He had decent blood, but not as good as she would have liked. She compared it to food that had been sitting out too long and had rotted, it just wasn't good for the palate. Shaking her head, she turned and spotted Shizuru standing there, back turned to her and Natsuki had to grin. Even after all of this carnage her true prey had still not run. She didn't know whether she was very foolish or very brave. Either way, she was going to die.

With each step Natsuki took, puddles splashed, wetting her jeans even more so. A flash of lightning illuminated all in a beautiful blue and crashing thunder followed, threatening to shatter the whole world with its awesome might. Shizuru turned around to face her friend, tears flowing freely from her eyes. She stared at Natsuki with the utmost sorrow and regret that any human being could feel, crimson eyes smoldering in her pity.

"Natsuki . . ." Shizuru opened up her arms, inviting the vampire to come to her. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you . . . and I hope you can somehow forgive me," Her voice quieted to just a whisper, ". . . for everything."

Her legs trembled and the color flared in her cheeks, a sign of sickness and like in the animal kingdom, sickness meant weakness. Natsuki picked up on that and decided that her task couldn't have been easier. She certainly would enjoy feasting upon Shizuru's delicious blood the most. Dropping to all fours, the vampire tensed her muscles and sprung, leaping high into the air much like she did before they were interrupted, all attention focused on bringing Shizuru down.

For a moment everything vanished and memories of innocent times were all Shizuru could see. The first time she and Natsuki met had been an awkward one, but they had gotten along well. They had ended up in the same class together and, whether it was by chance or divine intervention, continued to be classmates all up until their high school years. Those memories brought so many emotions in Shizuru that they all clashed together in a tremendous gale within her bleeding heart that forced hot tears from her bloody eyes.

"Natsuki!"

Schlick!

The vampire's eyes widened a fraction of an inch and she froze, the breath ripped harshly from her lungs. She was pressed against Shizuru, leaning against her as if for support. They dropped to their knees in a puddle of rain, keeping the proximity close, the action causing the sharp pain in Natsuki chest to heighten. With another flash of lightning, Natsuki glanced down to see what she had feared: a sharpened stake stuck in between her breasts, impaling her heart. She gasped.

Against her, Shizuru swallowed hard, the bangs of her damp hair hiding her eyes from sight. Her body trembled even as she drove the stake in a little bit further, her hands resting against Natsuki's blood chest. She hated this, knowing that she had no other option but to kill her. It made her feel like the foulest thing in the universe, unworthy of anything.

Her lips cracked open, a film of foamy spit parting, but no sound came out. Shizuru's throat had swollen shut with guilty tears, voice constricted with regret. There was nothing she could do as she leaned against Natsuki and hoping that the vampire would die quickly . . . and at the same time wishing she would stay with her for as long as possible.

"Shi . . . zu . . . ru . . ."

Shizuru's eyes snapped open at the call of her name and she jerked her head up to peer over Natsuki's shoulder, unable to look her in the face. Seeing her in so much pain would have been too much to bear.

"N . . . N . . . Nat . . . suki . . ." Her heart stopped upon feeling a gentle hand at the back of her head, pulling her closer to the dying girl.

"Thank . . . you . . ."

Natsuki closed her eyes for the final time and her body went slack, falling backwards from Shizuru and to the ground, joining Lance in eternal nothingness, the blood from her gushing wound mixing with his only to be swept away by the storm.

Shizuru remained on her knees in the same position, the stake held up where it had been stuck in Natsuki's chest. She dared not move or breath or even blink, fearing that if she did the world would abruptly end and come crashing down on her head. After all of this time and all of this effort of fighting to protect her and striving to hope for a life with her . . . Shizuru Viola was Natsuki Kruger's undoing.

The guilt crushed her like a thousand pound weight, forcing out whatever strength she had under its might. Shizuru trembled violently and took in one staggering breath after another, her sorrow and remorse draining away through her eyes. She gripped the stake tightly in hand even as she threw her head back and screamed at the heavens for taking away what her heart truly desired.

"NATSUKI!"

I decided to separate this chapter and the epilogue just because. Sorry if this one was a little short.

Chapter Theme: Carnival of Rust - Poets of the Fall