Sorry. There may be some confusion in this chapter- and it really has nothing to do with Zero - and its not that important.

Its to clear up that confusion of Aikido/Aiko's…problem.

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"NIGHTSHADE!! OPEN UP, DANG IT!" I screamed, banging my hands against the door wildly.

I was ready to know the truth.

(Just so there's no confusion here…this is a series of flashbacks)

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10 YEARS OLD

"Just come around when you want to know the truth, Aikido." Nightshade gave the ten-year old me a serious look.

But you couldn't expect a ten year old to really WANT to know what was going on with her body…I mean, hormones and body changes are mean enough! Even still at ten.

"I don't want to know!" I shrieked, wanting away from this man. In my pocket was the bottle of little pills he'd give me. To 'help.' He'd said. But he was still a stranger at the time. Still just a creepy old man that came over my house sometimes to meet with my parents. They talked about things, too. Things I didn't quite comprehend. I'd listen in, sometimes, but could never make much of it. All I'd known is that they'd been talking about me.

And my parents had sent me here. Sent me here to pick up my medication. The little pills I'd been taking for as long as I could remember. They were light purple in color, and fell to dust at a certain bit of pressure. At the time I would mix the dust with my water or food, to get it down. My parents had said they were for a rare disease. That I could only be normal if I had them. What was I supposed to do? I didn't know why I took them, or…anything really.

I ran away from this man…back outside to my parents waiting car.

13 YEARS OLD

I smiled. Today I was a teenager. Today I was-- well, still in the process of being on strike against my pills. I'd go into the bathroom to take them, because I could swallow them now. I was proud of even this little accomplishment. My parents didn't know- they just assumed they'd given me enough warnings about not taking them. Even though I wasn't sure what they did. I would crush them to powder in the sink, and wash it down.

This was my angst phase as well, with all of your typical teenage problems. Well…pretty typical. If you forgot the whole vampire hunting thing. And the vampire hunting thing had been giving me a whole bunch of physiological problems…I was depressed, full of angst, and ready to die myself. Like the very things I was being trained to hunt. I'd killed one already…which was trauma. That's the only way to describe it when you kill something… something that was alive. Well…sort of alive. Were vampires alive? I'd always thought so.

Suddenly there was a sharp pain down my back, like something I'd never felt before. I fell to the floor, in shock. My family that was gathered for my small little birthday party all looked to me in concern. I ran into the bathroom, and looked at myself in the mirror. Blood was being soaked up by my shirt…and dripping down my back…and there was still a sharp, searing pain. I yelped, ignoring the cries from my parents outside. "Open the door, Aikido!"

I pushed the door closed, although I knew it was in vain. Anyone in my entire family line could break down this door if they so pleased. I ripped off my shirt….and then felt indescribable pain…but it only lasted for a second…

Then my mom had gotten the door open, and was leaning down by my side.

"It's alright, Aiki," She used my nickname, "Are you sure you don't want to know?"

I looked at myself in the mirror. Coming from my back were two, very large wings. One the color of fresh fallen snow, and the other the color of a starless night. I didn't want to know what was wrong with me. I never did.

"No." I said miserably.

"Don't worry, Aiki…it only bleeds the first time."

As if that was reassuring.

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END OF FLASHBACK…

"I'm coming, I'm coming, Aikido." Nightshade was unlocking his door. I could hear the series of clicks. Finally, he got it open. "What is it?"

I walked right inside, making myself at home. I sat on the couch. He relocked his door behind us. I couldn't help but notice the patched bullet holes in his door. I flinched.

"Can I help you?" He asked, "You can't possibly need more medicine already." This was Nightshade. The fantasy-creature thing pharmacist. He obviously had to do it in secret though, or the police would get the wrong idea about his goods.

"Yes…what AM I, exactly…what are you?" We were the same thing….Nightshade had trained me at 14 to use the wings a little bit more to my advantage, although I'd disagreed strongly.

"So you finally want to know, eh?" He gave me a crooked smile, before standing up and removing his shirt. His own wings came out in a flash, and his face showed know sign of pain. Not like mine.

"We aren't quite angels. We aren't quite demons. We aren't…really anything. We're in limbo, still, Aikido. Our kind are few and far apart. There isn't an official name for what it is that we are. We keep ourselves secret."

I admired his glossy wings. Mine were still rather scruffy. Well, not admired them exactly. I hated being what I was. But hey, if I'm going to be a freak…might as well be a pretty freak, right? Not a scruffy little weak runt of the litter that looks worse for wear.

"But we think it might be some sort of demon/angel combination…but if you really need something to call yourself…we're probably demons. Angel is too fluff of a word. Angels don't go through random transformations at the drop of a hat. They have more control. But demons…tend to lose control…even more so. There hasn't been much research on us. Which is how we want it to stay."

"Of course…I mean…I can only imagine…the… 'scientific' things that they would want to do…"

"Oh, no, I don't think they'd do that unless we offered. We are endangered, after all."

I nodded. Not quite the explanation I had wanted to hear.

"What if…I hadn't stopped taking the pills?" I asked, carefully. I shifted on the couch, and he retracted his wings.

"Then eventually, it might have passed completely. Then again, it might not of." He sat back down on the couch, shirt back on. He sighed.

"What exactly is in those pills?" I questioned.

"I don't think you want to know."

"Tell me."

"Why do you ask so many questions?"

"Because you taught me to."

"Alright. Fine. But I don't think you really want to-"

"Just tell me."

He sighed. "Fine. The main ingredient is… vampire blood."

If I had been drinking anything, I would have spit it out. "What?!"

"I told you that you didn't want to know…"

"But…why?"

"It's the only thing that works…don't quite understand why, though. Maybe its just…symbiotic or something. Our blood is a delicacy among vampires…that's why there are so few of us today. Constant vampire attacks. Why do you think I stay locked up in here all of the time? I suppose we were meant to be somewhat of the opposite to vampires. I believe that we were supposed to share blood. Our blood has similar effects to a purebloods. It can save Level Es. And in turn, we would take their blood to remain hidden. But…they abused the code we'd had with them. They abused us, and just let it work one way." He sighed, troubled.

I finally understood. Nightshade was the real coward here. He was weak. Even weaker than I was. Now the question was…why? Suddenly he stood me up, and dragged me up with him.

He shook me by the shoulders.

"Listen, Aikido. You have to stop taking that medicine."

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Okay. So maybe that was a really bad idea. But…oh well… :D reviews appreciated!

If I entirely ruined the story, please tell me.