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She opens her eyes slowly. She can feel Mika shift behind her pressing his naked form harder into her back. His arm is still loose around her waist. Something had woken her up, but she wasn't sure what it was. It hadn't woken Mika, which was unusual since he seemed to be a light sleeper. She slowly moves his arm from around her waist. He mutters softly and rolls to his other side. She takes a moment to take in how beautiful he is. Her face darkens with embarrassment at they had finally done. She reaches over and runs her fingers through his hair. His head turns lightly into her hand as a response. He must be in a deep sleep. She blushes at the thought when she hears it again. A scraping noise near their door. She turns her head to look. She couldn't see anything in the dark room at all. There was another scrapping noise that sent chills down her spine. It sounded like nails scrapping down the metal door. It wasn't loud enough to making a loud screech, but it was still eerie.
She slowly gets out of bed. Her body felt strange for the first few minutes that she was standing. She felt stiff, but it disappears as she moves around. She feels around till she finds her clothes. It sends chills every time there is a scrapping it stops whenever Mika mutters or moves in his sleep. She reaches around feeling for her sword. Her hand brushes along Mika's before she finds her own. She pulls it out of its' sheath before she approaches the door. She keeps the sheath with a tight grip till she reaches the door. She sits it beside the door and grabs the door handle lightly.
"Atsuko." Her hand jerks back from the door handle. Something had called her name. She retreats from the door. It sounded haunting. Whatever it was she didn't want to face it. It starts to scrape at the door again making every hair on her body stand on end. She was trembling now as she forces herself toward the door again. She was a vampire, and she would be hard to kill. Mika was here too. He'd help her if she screamed.
Her hand grips the door handle once more. She jerks the door open before she can second guess herself. Her heart stops when she doesn't see anything there. She still had the chills as she scoops up the sheath of her sword. She sheaths it and pulls on her shoes, though her eyes never leaves the door. She steps out. She pauses thinking about leaving the door open, but she worries that if there is something, it'll attack Mika in his sleep. She closes the door.
"Atsuko." Her hair stands on end again as she looks up the hallway. A person is standing there, though they step out of view. It looked like a human, but she couldn't be sure. She draws her sword once more and starts down the hallway. Every time she turns a corner, the person steps out of view around the next corner. She feels dread settle in her stomach as she finds herself outside. It was a human that she was following. She could see that now. She didn't know why she wasn't able to tell by scent as she walked through the halls. It was a human girl to be exact. She picks up her pace trying to catch the girl. Something was wrong though.
'Am I dreaming?'
The girl stops a short distance from the vampire camp. She stops behind the girl. "Hey. Ummm..."
She hated referring to humans as 'human'. The black bands around her wrists still reminded her every day of where exactly she came from. She steps to the side as the girl's shoulders shake. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" She felt confused as she could faintly smell tears. The girl turns to look up at Atsuko. She didn't recognize her, but the look on her face scared Atsuko. "What are you talking about?"
She approached the girl planning to give her a hug as she sheaths her sword. She still keeps a tight grip on it though since she was outside the camp. The girl flinches away. "He said to lead you here. I'm sorry."
Her body tenses as she stops. She puts on her best stern face to hide the fear. Her voice wavers slightly. "Who told you to lead me here?"
She starts to cry harder. "He said he'd kill them if I didn't get you to follow me. I had to do it without the guy following. The blonde guy."
She can only watch the human girl in fear and confusion. She finds herself repeating her previous question, "who told you to lead me here?"
The girl cowers slightly as she continues to cry. Atsuko wants to reach out and shake her. "Who is he going to hurt?"
"My mommy and daddy," the girl answers sounding miserable. Atsuko's heart feels like it is going to stop. "He said you needed to be punished."
Fear rips through Atsuko. She could only think of one person who would want to 'punish' her. Her eyes move around the area not seeing any sign of him. He'd been absent for so long that she was starting to think she had escaped his notice forever. The girl's voice haunts her as she turns to retreat back to the vampire camp.
"He said you'd have one of two punishments. He said you needed to be punished. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."
She bolts as fast as she can. She can only pray that she'd make it. She can't stand up to Ferid on her own. Maybe if she got back to camp, she could find help. Something catches her foot, and her body pitches forward. Something hard lands on her back helping to drive her chest into the ground. It makes her cry out in pain. She rolls throwing the thing off her. She rips her sword from its' sheath. She's no where near Mika, Lacus, or Rene's level. She was average at best, but she still planned to fight the best she could.
To her utter horror, it's the girl's body that is laying next to her in the dirt. Her wide terror-filled eyes are staring sightlessly at Atsuko. It looked like a savage animal had ripped the whole front part of her throat out. It makes bile rise to her throat as she turns to observe the area. It seemed like no one was there, but she could feel someone watching her. In the distance, she hears a scream that makes her heart stop.
It sounded almost like one of the girls from her family. She's on her feet in seconds rushing toward the noise. As she runs, she hears the eerie call of a horseman. She pushes her body as fast as it'll go. Maybe she could wound the monster and save her family member. She knew it was irrational, but she didn't want to kill anything, even a horseman She leaps over an fallen piece of debris. There on the other side she can see the nine year old girl she grew up with. She lands heavily as she rushes toward the horseman. She'd never fought one on her own, but she wasn't going to let her family member die. The girl was hiding behind a car as the horseman's face rounds the side of it. Atsuko drops her sheath as she leaps straight at what she assumes is the horseman's head. She sees it turn it's attention to her. She slashes at it just as one of it's arms comes up. It hits her hard in the upper stomach. It halts her movement completely before it throws her easily. She gasps for breath as she hits the ground and rolls back up to her feet. Her head spins as she charges again.
She sees the leg this time and manages to duck around it. Unfortunately, it sees her trying to cut at it again. She feels something wrap around her leg as she manages a deep gash across it's main body. It lets out a strange howl, and she's jerked off her feet. She almost slams her face into the ground, but it pulls her up before she actually does hit her face. She keeps a tight grip on her sword. She reaches up trying to cut at the arm-like appendage that was wrapped around her leg. She does manage to cut it before it swings her body down into the vehicle that her sister is hiding behind. She gasps loudly as she hears the screaming. Her eyes gain black dots as it pulls her up into the air again. She didn't want to take another painful blow like that again, so she slashes at the arm. It howls again and releases her. She lands in a heap and rolls away getting to her feet. It was still thrashing around in anger at her cuts.
She turns and rushes toward her sister. She almost loses her footing as she tries to stop abruptly. The girl sees her and calls out her name. Atsuko doesn't hesitate as she lunges forward grabbing the girl's wrist and turns dragging her away from the area. She grits her teeth as she hears the horseman follow her sister's scent. They couldn't out run it. Her sister trips, and she flinches as she turns and plants herself in the path of the monster. "Run! Straight ahead! Don't stop!"
The girl doesn't hesitate, she just climbs to her feet and stumbles off. The horseman starts to follow her when Atsuko rushes forward cutting at the legs to get its' attention. She didn't try for the main body. She just wanted to slow it down and then follow her sister. It lets out a howl as it collapses. She flinches back away as it's body starts to disappear. She hears something behind her. As she spins around in her adrenaline fueled haze, she swings her sword. Her sword connects with another piece of metal. To her horror, she finds that it's Ferid. He's holding her sister by the back of her clothes.
What scared Atsuko the most was the fact that she couldn't see any actual movement. Her anger boils at the thought that Ferid could have hurt her sister. He shoves her blade away. "You could have killed your sister. Aren't you aware of your surroundings?"
"Let her go," Atsuko snarls. She feels sick as Ferid smiles at her.
"I'm bored. I want to play a game. A game of tag for now," he says. Before she can reply, he moves. She lets out a cry of frustration and rushes after him without a second thought. He doesn't once try to escape her. He stays just out reach taunting her with various words.
"You can't save them. They are doomed. Didn't you know, you are weak. Ah, I love your expression of anger and worry."
He finally stops at the top of a building. Just as she reaches him, he hold the girl out over the ledge with narrowed eyes. "Ah, don't come closer or I'll drop her. A fall of this height will kill her."
Atsuko freezes immediately. She grits her teeth as she glares at him. He makes a cooing noise. "You, my dear, are just too adorable."
"What do you want?" She didn't want to play his games.
"Your cooperation, little butterfly," he says gently. "You see, I enjoy your company. Your every expression. It has been a while since I have met someone with such cute expressions of terror and misery."
He paces back and forth holding her sister so close to her death. It made Atsuko's body want to pitch forward and grab the girl, but she didn't want to give him a reason to make good on his promise to throw her over.
"I want Mika as well. You see he's special," Ferid's eyes narrow slightly in amusement. "He was an orphan before the fall of humanity. Simple right? Nothing impressive there. His parents were unusually cruel."
She just stares at him not daring to say anything. He tilts his head as he lifts his free hand to trace it along the girl's neck making every muscle in Atsuko's body feel like they are ready to snap.
"He was part of an experiment when he was human," Ferid says then feigns shock. "Oops, I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Oh well, you are in the loop now. I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you everything. Have you tried Mika's blood?"
She still doesn't move, but he still laughs at the look on her face.
"Ah, you have, my dear. It's just indescribable, right? It's the best in the world, though I bet Yuu's blood could rival it. Sadly, Mika stopped me the last time I had a chance. The answer to why it is so good? It's the experiments done on him by humans while he was a child," Ferid laughs as Atsuko feels anger at the thought of Mika being hurt, but she still doesn't move. "Now, here's the true secret. It was called the Seraph project. Dangerous, dangerous work. The humans are so greedy and don't care. It's no wonder they wiped themselves out. I have never seen the result of Mika's experimentation, but Yuu's... It was frightening to even me."
Atsuko's mind wanders to the green eyed boy for a brief moment. Ferid's voice drags her out of her thoughts. "Now, Krul was ordered to kill them both, but as you can see, she didn't. That threatens her position as our queen."
Shock fills Atsuko. It turns to anger as Ferid pulls the girl to his chest. He was trying to throw Atsuko off with this speech about Mika. The girl's back is to him as her head rolls slightly. Ferid grins at Atsuko over the girl's shoulder. "Now, Mika loves you. You are a weakness for him. Krul likes you as well. You are so useful to me. I need Mika to finish my plans."
"What plans are those?" Atsuko snaps as she takes a few steps toward Ferid. Ferid jerks the girl back over the ground. Atsuko freezes instantly.
"You don't need to be worried about that, but I do want his cooperation. You can guarantee that cooperation. If you work for me, he will by extension. See, I like to think of you two as a packaged deal. Do we have an understanding?"
"No," she says without hesitation or second thought. She instantly regrets it as sadness spreads over his face.
"I see, I had hoped you would see my side of things. I told you a secret that only three of us vampires know. Four counting you now," he sighs. "I suppose she's useless now."
He pulls her close and sinks his fangs into her neck. Atsuko panic and rushes forward. He wouldn't drain her, would he? He pulls his head back and smiles. Relief floods her, but it's short lived. She reaches out for her sister as Ferid carelessly flings her body away.
"No!" Atsuko screams dropping her sword as she leaps after her sister. Something catches the back of her shirt throwing her back onto the building. Atsuko can hear a sickening crunch below. It makes her heart stop. He hadn't planned to drain her from the start. He'd tricked her into lunging toward shim. He had just thrown a living human to her death. Tears well up as Atsuko aprings up to her feet. He kicks her sword over the edge as well and grins. In her haze of anger and misery, she didn't care that she was unarmed now. She just wanted to get revenge on him. Before she can move, he says softly.
"Did you forget the others?" He grabs her from behind and drags her from the site where she was sure her sister's body lay motionless on the ground. She hadn't seen it, but she didn't want to. She thrashes and digs her nails into his skin. He does drop her after a second. Her head is spinning as she hits the ground.
"Atsuko?" Her heart stops at the sound of Izumo's voice. She is on her feet in seconds. He is standing at the end of a ruined alleyway. She rushes to him. The others are with him. Every single one has injuries, though all look minor. They all wrap her up in a hug as she tries to check them over, even Sora wraps her up in a hug. She hears laughter above her and looks up. Ferid is grinning at her from the top of a fence-like structure. It was hard to tell because of the decay. He gives her a thoughtful look.
"Have you ever seen a vampire that has been starved of blood? It's a sad, sad sight. They crave human blood so much that they are crazy. Blood in general will do I suppose, but human's always best right, Astuko?" His eyes light up. "I got you a present. It's a game of tag. You aren't 'it' I'm afraid. I got the players from a friend of mine. I like to call it 'run from the demon'. Think you can get the children to survive?"
Horror fills her entire body. There is a scraping just out of view. Ferid whispers, "I suggest you starting running, butterfly."
In an instant, she scoops up the youngest one. Izumo and Sora grabs the others. They all take off down the alleyway. She holds back to make sure the others are able to keep up with her. Every corner brings new terror that they'll meet something that they don't want to. They end up on a wide open street. She tries to urge the kids faster when one that Sora is holding is ripped from his grip. The child disappears into a building. Everyone stops running to watch in horror as screams start.
"No! Don't stop! Run!" It kills her to say that, but she wanted to save what was left. She hears a strangled type of laughter. She turns to look. There were three. They were clearly vampire, but they moved wrong. Their movements were jerky and uncoordinated. They were walking from three different angles. A crazed look in their red eyes that scared her. They didn't look like demons, but she was sure they weren't far off either. She pulled the littlest one closer as the others are pressed between Sora, Izumo, and herself. She slowly sets the child down and pushes it behind her. "I'm going to get their attention. Sora, I want you to run. Get the others out of here. I don't care where but get them out."
She doesn't wait for an answer as she raises a hand to her mouth and bites the flesh. She lifts her hand. It gets their attention as the smell of her blood fills the air. It seemed to work like she hoped. She bites the other hand as she runs at the open spot between two of them. She stops completely when she hears a scream behind her. She sees one of the crazed vampires had attacked. It had Izumo. His eyes had rolled back in his head. The little kids do the worst thing they can.
They scatter. Her heart drops as she watches Izumo's body fall to ground. She felt completely unable to move due to shock. Sora catches one of the kids as the others are captured before they get far and drained in seconds. She watches as one of them starts toward Sora and the little boy he's trying to protect. Her shock wears off as she lunges toward them. She wasn't far away since Sora had been backing toward her. She lands on him just as a vampire lunges. She feels a burning in her shoulder as the demon-like vampire sinks his teeth into her flesh. She lets out a cry of pain. In seconds, the vampire is gone. She looks up to see Ferid standing there. She can smell the ash that signals he had killed the one that had bitten her. He smiles gently at her. "Are you hurt?"
She feels sick that he was acting so caring. He seems to get pleasure from the look on her face. She gets up slowly making sure that she's between him and what's left of her family. He tilts his head a little looking thoughtful.
"You must have fed recently. How disappointing that is," Ferid says thoughtfully.
She can hear Sora moving, but she doesn't look back. She just hopes that he stays behind her. She figured that he was standing now. She can hear the boy crying. It breaks her heart to hear the noise. Ferid lifts her sword. "Mika has trained you, right? At least a bit. Let's see what you have."
He tosses her sword to her. She manages to catch it. He lunges for her. She swings out of instinct, but he laughs as he seems to dance behind her. His hand hits her lower back painfully. She stumbles forward, but she keeps her balance. She lets out a groan and spins as fast as she can. He stops the blade with his own and shoves her back. He continues to taunt her as she tries to land a blow on him. It feels like this torture is lasting forever. He laughs behind her. She turns and thrusts. To her surprise, her sword sinks into flesh.
"No!"
Her eyes widen at what she had struck. Ferid had the little boy by the back of his neck. Her sword had plunged right through his chest, straight through his heart. His eyes are wide as they start to tear up. Blood drips from his nose and mouth. His breathing stops seconds later.
"No!" Sora calls out again. She couldn't believe what she had done. She falls back onto her butt pulling her sword from the boy's body as she does. What had she done to deserve this? Why? Why did fate twist around like this? The boy's body disappears as Ferid approaches her ignoring Sora's frantic cries. Ferid scoops her face into his hands. He leans down so all she can see is the red of his eyes.
"You are a killer, butterfly. You need to realize that. That's what vampires are. They kill. This was your choice. Had I had the chance, I would have told you. Krul didn't though, did she? Vampires don't have human families. There is only one more problem. Then we can get on with our deal."
Her eyes widen as he pulls away. "Sora!" She leaps up and runs for him. Ferid allows her the feeling of protecting her brother. She turns so she is facing Ferid. He smiles at her. She feels confusion at that look. It feels like everything slows down. A green arrow almost hits Ferid. He moves enough that it misses. She reacts instantly pulling Sora out of the way as well. Ferid turns to face what appeared to be Yuu's group. She doesn't understand what they are doing here.
"Right on time. He really did pass the information on like I asked," Ferid coos at the sight of the group. She pulls on Sora. She had to get him out of the way of the battlefield. She shoves him behind her when Ferid appears. He wasn't facing her. She thrusts her sword at his back. He moves just before the tip hits him. To her horror, Yuu's right there. His sword was raised as well. He had lept at Ferid. She tries to move her sword, but she isn't fast enough. Her sword sinks into his shoulder as he impales himself onto her sword. His sword sinks into her upper stomach shoving her back into Sora. Pain erupts through her whole body. She feels blood bubble up her throat.
By some luck, Yuu hadn't actually activated his sword.
He has a look of pain and horror on his face. She hears cries from his squad as they rush forward. Blood trickles from the corner of his mouth. She hears a choking noise behind her and her heart sinks. She tries to shift despite the sword that was run through her.
Sora cries out halting her. Her eyes fill with tears as she realizes Yuu's sword had run right through her and was likely impaling Sora as well. She hears footsteps as she feels dizzy. Yuu's sword was causing her unimaginable pain. She slowly pulls her sword backward as Kimizuki wraps his arms around Yuu's waist careful of the tip of her sword. He slowly lifts Yuu off of her sword. Her eyes close in pain as she feels his sword exit her body. She feels arms around her in an instant as she hears a body hit the ground behind her.
"Atsuko?!" Her head spins as she tries to ignore the person.
"Sora." She had to see if he was ok, but her body felt so weak. Her eyes finally focus on wide, worried blue eyes in front of her. Her eyes fill with tears. She wanted to be dreaming like she had so many times before. "Mika, Sora..."
He drags his eyes away to look at something then looks back at her. He leans down muttering "He's fine. You took the brunt of the blow."
She forces herself to move. Every nerve in her body hurt. She had to see Sora. She had to. Mika helps her to sit up. She hears someone kneel beside her. She turns her head to see it's Yuu. His eyes is wide as he looks up at Mika.
"Mika, I..." He starts and stops. He turns back to Atsuko. He reaches out touching her wound making her flinch. "She's not healing."
Mika shakes his head, but he doesn't say anything. Yuu looks back up at him then back down at her.
"She... I didn't... I'm so sorry. I didn't think you were right behind him," Yuu says as he looks up at Mika. "Is she going to be ok?"
Atsuko feels dizziness set in and leans over into Mika's chest. He carefully lifts her up. He holds her tightly but with care not to crush the wound in her abdomen. She can feel him shaking. She felt exhausted. She lays her head on his shoulder. Her forehead presses against his jaw. She feels it move as he talks. She focuses on his voice.
"I'll take care of her. Do you think..." His voice trails off. "Did she hit anything vital on you?"
There isn't an audible answer. Mika nods and says softly, "Yuu, the boy. Take him to the army please."
"Mika, he's..."
"Please, Yuu." Mika says sternly and turns away. She tries to lift her head, but she hears him say. "Don't move. Yuu's sword is a cursed weapon designed to hunt vampires. Even not activated, it will keep you from healing."
She just leans against him not saying a word. She could hear his heart racing near her ear. She tries to focus on anything other than pain, but it felt like venom was spreading through her veins starting at the stab wound. She lets out a sob as her mind thinks about what had just happened. It all happened so fast. There was so much she should have done different. She should have never followed that little girl. She should have woken Mika. She should have not assumed this was a dream. She should have killed the horseman. She wanted nothing more than to wake up next to him and feel nothing more than just embarrassment at losing her virginity.
She wanted to see him roll his eyes at her a laugh at her embarrassment and tell her that he loved her. She didn't want to be carried by him away from the cooling bodies of her family. She didn't want to leave Sora behind.
She had a sinking feeling that even Sora wasn't alive. She felt like Mika had lied, but she didn't want to believe the feeling. She wanted to believe Mika. Her mind loses track of the time and before long she can hear voices around her. It sounded like Rene was talking to Mika.
"...ready to go. We always have one that is ready. Where did you find her?"
She doesn't hear Mika answer as the sound of Lacus' voice saying, "I'll get her some blood. She'll need it after she gets out."
She feels someone tugging on her lounge clothes. She opens her eyes to see it's Mika. He finishes removing her bloody clothing and then lifts her putting her into a chamber she's never seen before. At this point, she doesn't care what it truly is. She feels herself drifting off. She forces her eyes open for a second to look at Mika.
Why did everything go so wrong?
Her eyes drift closed. Her body starts to feel better as time slips by. She could see dreams of her family. They flicker through the times she spent with them. Interwoven is her times with vampires like Mika. She even dreams of some of her missions with Rene. His rough behavior when he was irritated with something she said. Sora calling out her name in excitement with something he had cooked when she got home. Lacus' mocking smile as he leaned into her face. Izumo's face when he told her that he thought she should become a vampire. Mika with the little ones. It was so funny to watch them hang off of the vampire.
Her eyes open slowly when she hears someone calling her name softly. There is a hand on her cheek. She turns her head a little to focus on Mika. He helps her out. Her physical wounds were healed, but she still felt raw emotionally. He helps her dress, and he guides her out of the room. Lacus is there with a bag of blood. She turns her face away, but he's right there in her face like he always is. His face isn't threatening though. "You have to drink. Come on."
Mika gives him a cold look, but he doesn't interrupt. It was almost like he agreed with Lacus. Instead, he reaches out pulling her close. Her back presses against his chest. She leans back into him. They were gone. She couldn't believe it. It felt like everyone was going to disappear. Lacus shoves the bag under her nose again. She turns her head away again. He grabs her chin bringing her face back. She stares at him numbly. She wasn't hungry. She didn't want anything. She didn't want to feel at that moment. She feels Mika's face press against her neck. She feels her tears well up again as Mika holds her tighter.
"Atsuko," Lacus growls. It seemed like it was the first or second time that he had ever said her name. The bag is snatched from his hand. He is shoved aside. Rene reaches out grabbing the pressure points on her jaw. He uses his mouth to tear the bag at the side. As he pries her mouth open not caring if it hurt her or not.
"Drink or you'll drown." He shoves the torn part into her mouth.
"Rene!" Lacus says in mild amusement. Mika apparently doesn't find amusement in Rene's display as he reaches up and grabs Rene's wrist tightly. Atsuko lets out a choking noise. She quickly lets the liquid flow down her throat.
"Mika, if you interfere, she won't get the blood she needs to get strength. Baby the dumb bitch when you are alone," Rene snarls.
The bag finishes, and Rene lets her go. Mika doesn't release him right away. In fact, he doesn't till she sags against him. Lacus says in a quiet voice, "Mika, she doesn't need to see others right now. She still thinks and acts like livestock. Take her so she can be alone."
For once, she feels incredibly grateful to Lacus. She didn't pretend to understand why they were helping to take care of her. She feels Mika lift and carry her out. She feels numb till he lays her on the bed. She grabs at his clothes when it feels like he is going to pull away from her. She didn't want him to leave her side. She wanted his support. Nothing was the same. She had gotten them killed, she was sure it was her fault. If she had run from Ferid in that alleyway, they'd be alive. All of them. She tries so hard not to think of their deaths. She tries not to think of their bodies laying on the ground around her. She feels Mika pick her up once again. She feels herself cradled in his lap. She lets out a sob as he holds her. She gives in and cries into his shoulder. He doesn't say a word. He just rocks her slowly. She loses track of time as he lets her cry her frustration and pain out.
She starts to fall asleep after a while. She felt so emotionally exhausted. Her tears still hadn't stopped, but they had slowed down for now. She should have actually tried to kill the horseman. She should have shoved that part of her that hated killing to the back of her mind. They should be alive right now. She feels Mika kiss the top of her head. She lets her eyes shut. She'd wake up from this. It was just a nightmare. She was sure of it. She didn't want to believe this was reality. Her body gives into exhaustion as she falls asleep the feeling of Mika rocking her.