After a good day of sleeping, Rei once again left her perch on top of the chapel, came soaring down and entered the church. "Good evening, grandpa," she muttered as she walked past the elderly priest and headed towards her room, which was situated in the back rooms of the church, close to the priest's office.
"Rei… I could use some help getting this coffin down into the crypt…" Hino called after her.
"Later, later," the gargoyle said with a yawn. "Sheesh, can't you wait until I'm wide awake? It's eleven in the evening, way too early if you ask me…" She didn't even take a look at her grandfather and the coffin he was standing next to before she entered her room.
In here, she kept everything she owned. It looked very much like the room of a regular teenage girl, however, she didn't have a bed, naturally. She didn't own a lot of clothes either, but she had a lot of books and magazines, as well as some personal items her parents had left her. In one corner of the room, she even had a desk where she liked to sit and read. And next to it, there was a big mattress on which she liked to lay down and relax.
Right now, there was a blonde mummy girl lying on her mattress, reading one of her books, wearing the baseball cap her grandfather had given her as a present for her last birthday.
Minako cheerfully looked up from the book as the red gargoyle entered. "Yo, bunkmate! You finally awake?"
"What… what are you doing here?" Rei sputtered. "This is my room!"
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'm not sleeping here or anything. Your grandpa was nice enough to offer me your crypt as a resting place. I don't really need to sleep, but I can restore my magic by resting in my coffin."
"That's not what I meant," Rei grumbled. "Those are my books. And that cap you're wearing…"
"Yeah, it's really cool, I know," the mummy smirked. "Suits me, doesn't it? But this book of yours is really boring… you got something else I can read?" And she stood up and walked over to Rei's stash of books and magazines.
"H-hey!" Rei protested.
Minako whistled as she pulled out a shojo manga. "Wow, you collect those? I haven't seen this one before. Can I read it?"
"B-but…" Rei stuttered. "But I…"
"Thanks," Minako grinned before plopping down on the mattress again. "This is a really nice place you have. Looking forward to sharing it with you, girlfriend!"
Unable to utter another sentence, Rei let out a strangled growl of frustration, turned around and ran back to Grandfather Hino. "Grandpa!" she shouted. "Why… why did you offer her to stay here?"
"The poor girl doesn't really have any other place where she can go," Hino sighed. "Our crypt is the perfect place too hide her coffin… and remember, this is a house of god. We never turn away those in need."
"That's not what I meant! Of course we have to help her. But does she have to stay in my room? She's reading MY mangas!"
"You've lived on your own for some time now, Rei," Hino said sternly. "Way too long for a girl your age. Having a roommate can only be good experience for you."
"As long as she can put up with Minako's annoying voice," Artemis grumbled. He was curled up on top of Minako's coffin. "See it like this: At least you don't have to share a coffin with her for several hours."
Early in the morning, the Tsukino household saw the usual: Usagi came running downstairs in a hurry, hair unkempt, her schoolbag in her hand and shouting: "I'M LATE! I'M LATE!"
Her mother shook her head as she watched her daughter shovel down her breakfast. "Honestly, Usagi, this can't go on like this. You never get any sleep lately."
"I can't help it, Mom," Usagi said between bites. "I'm nocturnal now. And the summer nights are so beautiful, I just have to get out. I'm not really tired."
"If you say so… I still don't like it. Just don't let this affect your grades, you hear me?"
With a swift gulp, Usagi downed her milk and rushed out the door. "Will do, Mom! Bye!"
Ikuko looked after her with a sigh. "Knowing her, she sleeps at school instead… what am I going to do with that girl…"
With her children at school and her husband at work, she did the usual: She took care of the housework. It was a normal day for her… until she heard the doorbell while vacuuming the living room.
"Huh? I wonder who that could be," she said as she switched off the vacuum cleaner and went to open the door.
A handsome man with black hair stood outside. He looked as if he was a couple of years younger than she was. He wore a black business outfit and a smile that was sure to break any single woman's heart. "Excuse me… this is where Miss Usagi Tsukino lives, isn't it?"
"Ehm, yes," Ikuko said, a bit flustered. "May I ask who you are?"
"Oh, pardon me. I am Genya Arikado. I work for the government." He quickly showed her some sort of badge and put it away before she could take a closer look at it."
"The government?" Worry spread across the Tsukino matriarch's face immediately. "Oh dear… did something happen to Usagi?"
"No, no, that's not why I'm here," the man quickly reassured her. "It's a long story… could I come in? Then I can tell you all the details."
"Ah, yes… please, do come in," Ikuko nodded as she lead Mr. Arikado into the living room. "Please excuse the chaos, I was just cleaning…"
"That's all right, Arikado smiled as he sat down. Ikuko quickly got another chair and sat down as well.
"Well, about your daughter… it is a complicated matter. Before I go on, I need to know something: Are you aware of her… actions at night?"
Ikuko was surprised. "Oh… why, yes, I do. But how did you…?"
"As you must know, she did appear in the news recently," Arikado went on. "Finding out an inividuals identity isn't that hard after seeing him or her on screen. Well, as you might guess, I am from an investigation office that deals with that kind of business."
"What… business are we talking about, Mr. Arikado?" Ikuko asked.
"The supernatural, unexplainable for science. Vampires, werewolves, demons, the undead. Creatures that many people only see as fiction or superstition. My office is secret even among the government. Not many people outside of it know about the work of me and my colleagues. The only reason why I tell you this, Mrs. Tsukino, is because your daughter recently became a half-vampire… and because of the… special situation we're in."
"What situation?" Ikuko asked. "Is my daughter in trouble just because she's… half vampire? She never asked for this, and neither did we, her family."
"I know that," Arikado nodded. "As a half-vampire, she doesn't have the bloodlust of the true vampires. However, she needs to be registered in our office. Also, we need to ask her several important questions."
"Oh dear… she's at school right now. You could wait until she comes home… although, sometimes she goes somewhere with her friends instead."
"Could you give me the names and addresses of her friends?" Arikado asked.
"Why, certainly," she nodded. "There's Naru Osaka and Makoto Kino… wait a minute, I'll write down their addresses for you…"
Some time later, Genya Arikado left the Tsukino household. On the street, he ran into a young, blonde woman in a red dress. "Well? How did it go?"
"She has no idea of her daughter's true lineage," Arikado frowned. "And it sounds as if her daughter doesn't know of it either… or maybe she decided not to tell her family about it. I think we should visit the parents of her friends next. Their descriptions fit her companions."
"You mean the werewolf and the whip-girl? I really need to know how she managed to acquire that weapon… and if it's the real Vampire Killer. Okay, which one of these shall I pay a visit?"
"Neither," Arikado said. "I need you to go to the library, where a new acquaintance of mine is staying. Her name is Ami Mizuno… and I believe you could teach her one or two things about magic, Yoko."
"An apprentice?" the blonde witch frowned. "Never had one of those before. Oh well, I guess it beats fighting the undead in rotten crypts."
And while Alucard went to find out more about the background of a young werewolf and the latest successor of the Vampire Killer, Yoko Belnades drove to the library, to teach a young ghost more about the magic her family has used for decades… not knowing that she might indeed be a relative of hers.
"I hate the looks the others are giving me recently…" Makoto muttered as she, Naru and Usagi were sitting together for lunch. "Karin and her bunch are the worst… I bet they've spread news about the 'wild beast' I've become. I wouldn't be surprised if by next week, the whole school knows about my affliction." She lowered her head. "It's the same as always… as soon as someone finds out, it's just a matter of time before I have to drop out of school again…"
"Not if we have to say something about it," Naru intejected forcefully. "Besides, you're not alone. Usagi has to deal with the same… and some even see me as a 'freak', since I hang out with you guys."
"Naru… if you want to sit with the others, I won't blame you…" Usagi carefully said.
"Don't you start that now, too!" Naru shouted. "We're in this together. We're a team now!"
"Speaking of team…" Makoto then changed the subject. "Do you think letting Mina live with Rei was the best idea?"
"Of course!" Usagi said. "Mina-chan has no place to stay, her coffin fits into their crypt and Rei needs some more time with a friend she can socialize with."
"You're right about that," Naru admitted. "I think what Makoto is worried about is their… clashing personalities."
"Huh?" the young half-vampiress blinked, not understanding what her red-haired friend was getting at.
"They'll be getting on each others nerves in no time," Makoto sighed. "Still, it's the only solution we really have. Let's just hope they learn to get along before going at each other's throats."
"Minako certainly cheered up when Rei's grandpa offered her a place to stay," Naru said. "It really bothered her that we failed to revive her… and that the enemy took the amulet from us."
"We need to do something for her," Usagi said. "Let's find out more about Akmodan and the amulet at the library tonight."
"Good idea," Naru nodded. "I have a cousin working at the library… I'm sure she'll lend me the keys, so we can get in after closing time. That way, Minako and Rei can come and take a look, too."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Makoto nodded.
Kenji Tsukino sighed on his way home. It had been a stressful day at work. Knowing that his sweet daughter was now a vampire bothered him to no end. It was distracting him from his work, so much that he got yelled at by his boss.
"I don't know what to do," he murmured wearily as he got on the evening bus. It was empty except for one woman in one of the other seats. "Parents always worry about their children, especially when they're teenagers, but did a father ever have to deal with this before? My little sweetie could be hurt at night… and I'm not even there to protect her, because I'm sleeping. I'd do anything to protect my little Usagi…"
"Anything, you say?" the woman sitting close to him asked.
Kenji looked up in surprise. He'd been so in thought that he hadn't noticed that the curvaceous, beauty in the tight-fitting, revealing dress was sitting right next to him. She was giving him a smile that almost looked sultry.
"Pardon me," she said. "I didn't mean to intrude in your personal affairs. But I couldn't help but hear your worrisome murmurs from over here. You are worried about your daughter?"
Kenji knew that this was a complete stranger, but as long as he didn't tell her the true nature of his problems, he didn't see the harm in telling her about his problems with Usagi. Also, having someone to talk to felt relieving to him. Also, there was a lot worse than being in the company of a beautiful woman. He was a married man, sure, but any male who looked at this lovely lady and didn't enjoy the view had to be either dead or cold-blooded.
"My daughter… she often goes somewhere at night. I know it's important to her… but at the same time, I know it's wrong. A girl at her age should stay home in bed. It's dangerous out there, especially at that late hour, and even more so for a young girl like her. I only want to see her safe, see? But I know I can't stop her from going by simply grounding her… so what's a father to do?"
"Your daughter sounds like a rebellious teenager, indeed," the woman mused. "And the lure of the night is a strong one. Young girls like to go out at night even though they know of the dangers. And sometimes, it's the danger itself they seek."
"My poor girl," Kenji gasped. "What can I do?"
"Hmmm… I think I can help you with that, sir," the stranger smiled.
"R-really? But how? Do you know a way how I can make her realize that it's too dangerous?"
"Well… if someone she really, really cares about is in grave danger… mortal danger, even… she might realize that facing the dangers of the night is not in her best interest… nor in that of her family." She grinned, leaning closer to the surprised family father.
"What… what are you talking about?" he gulped. "Um, please don't come this close, lady… you're irritating me a bit…"
"It's easy…" the Succubus purred as she cast off her human disguise, revealing her demonic self. "We kill little Usagi's father, right in front of her eyes… that will be more than enough to teach her that siding with us might be the best decision… and safer for the rest of her family!"
Kenji had no time to call for help when the female demon wrapped her wings around his body and engulfed him in darkness.
Author's Notes:
I don't know yet if I will use Julius in this (if yes, then Naru's father could be his brother, cousin, nephew or son), but my decision not to use Soma stays. I know I might change a bit of Castlevania lore by doing this, but I guess I already did that anyway by introducing Usagi as Dracula's daughter.