There was nothing but pain. Everything inside begged and screamed for relief. His teeth and claws ached but he couldn't put them away. This wasn't supposed to happen; not to him. He was an easy-going lover of all humans, especially the female variety. He didn't attack unsuspecting human girls or go on blood rampages. This wasn't him.

And yet their screams filled him with a perverse kind of pleasure.

He had been patrolling the streets. Some local human girls were fawning over him and had stopped him to ask for a picture. Being the kind vampire lord that he was, he complied. The first picture attracted more humans and soon he found himself bombarded by his fans begging for attention and singing his praises. Overall, Kijima would say he had been having a good day until a giant wolf emerged from the crowd.

It had been a beautiful girl with long black hair. Kijima had noticed her watching him from afar a troubled look marring her gorgeous features. She was Strigoi, a shapeshifter, though she did not appear to be of noble rank. She almost blended in with the other humans if not for her extraordinarily slow heartbeat Kijima wouldn't have known she was a vampire. With every intention to find her later and ask if she needed help, he committed her scent to memory as he carried on with the humans. Then she cried out and was seemingly forced into a wolf form.

Before she could sink her claws into a human Kijima tackled her to the ground. The humans screamed and ran around in panicked disarray. The giant wolf snarled but did not seem to want to attack him. She howled clawing at her head before lunging at Kijima and slashing across his chest. He could sense that she was begging for help but he was at a loss for what to do besides kill her.

Be in thy nature.

The voice was a cold whisper across his mind, and it opened up a flood of hunger. Suddenly he wanted to sink his fangs into the young Strigoi wolf. The frantic humans were pulsating around him like giant steak dinners just waiting to be devoured. Fearing the worst, he sent a telepathic message to Yashiro.

Everything hurt. Kijima knew only screams and blood. He swiped at the Strigoi, but she was too fast for him. He shouted at the humans to run faster but his voice sounded animalistic to his own ears.

Blood. Feed. They have forced you to be subservient to the humans when they are your natural prey. Kill them all.

He lunged at child but forced himself to smash his face in the nearest wall instead. No matter what he would not give in to the need to feed. He would not kill a human. All he had to do was fight himself long enough for Ren or Yashiro to show up. One of them would have the strength to kill him and the Strigoi. He didn't even notice when she gave an agonized cry and turned her attention towards the Takarada palace.

Back at the Takarada palace Maria groaned and rolled onto her side. At least she tried to roll onto her side, but a dead weight was holding her down. She squirmed and shoved at the soft warm thing momentarily confused as to what it could be. Smoke stung her eyes and her head throbbed from colliding with the ground. Frustrated she focused her energy into her hands and electrocuted whatever it was on top of her.

"Ow!" Kyoko groaned but did not immediately lift herself off Maria. Her bones screamed at her to not attempt movement and her muscles begged her to rest. There was a ringing in her ears reminding her of the danger they were in. "Maria-chan, are you hurt?" she asked finally mustering the strength to push herself up.

"Yeah, there's a big useless weight on top of me." Maria remarked snidely.

"Sorry." Kyouko breathed catching her breath as she heard a familiar voice in her head. Feed. It said and her teeth threatened to elongate themselves. "Be quiet." She barked at her inner voice and slowly pulled herself into a crouched position so she could look around. Smoke and debris obstructed much of her view.

"You be quiet." Maria retorted glaring at the older girl. "I'm going to find Sawara-san." She declared taking a step away from Kyouko.

A firm hand caught the little girl's wrist and yanked her out of the way. Mere seconds later a body came crashing hard into the rubble. Peering down at the body without getting too close the two girls saw that it was Shoutaro. His face was swelling, and he was covered in fresh wounds but Kyouko would recognize that pretty boy anywhere. She could already guess that he had tried to seize the opportunity to save Maria and earn favor with the Takarada family.

An animalistic howl sounded not too far away and Kyouko was tempted to flee with Maria. It wasn't as if she owed Shoutaro anything. If whatever beast was rampaging ate him, it was no concern of hers. Jaw clenched she dragged Maria over to Shoutaro and attempted to heave him up. The creature was close and the three of them needed to find a place to hide.

"Ugh!" she grunted unable to lift him.

Maria scowled thinking her a fool for bothering to save her tormentor. She looked around ready to bolt by herself. If only she could see through the thickening smoke.

"Stay back!" Sawara-san cried out from somewhere close by. Then both girls froze at the sound of his blood curdling scream.

"NO!" Maria cried out. Through the fog they could see the silhouette of a man falling to his knees before a much larger beast. The creature paused in its attack and sniffed the air before it turned in their direction.

"Maria run." Kyouko breathed shoving the smaller girl behind her.

Kyouko stood up clenching her fists prepared to defend the unconscious Shoutaro and the little princess. Maria trembled staring at Kyouko's shaking back. It was clear that Kyouko was frightened and yet she stood her ground as the wolf stalked closer to them. Her heart was pounding, and her fists were shaking but she still stood tall to protect two people who in Maria's mind she had every right to hate.

"I said run!" Kyouko shouted and Maria jumped. It was too late the wolf was running at them now. Teeth bared and claws ready to tear into their flesh.

An inhuman growl tore from Kyouko's throat. Letting her instincts take over she lunged at the wolf. In a flurry of claws and fur, Kyouko and the wolf wrestled each other. Maria watched helplessly as Kyouko managed to catch the beasts open jaws in her hands before it could bite down on her neck. Kyouko cried out arms shaking with the effort to keep the wolf's sharp teeth off her flesh. Its claws dug into her shoulders pushing her into the dirt and it fought to clamp its strong jaws shut.

"You better not lose to that thing stupid fledgling Upyr!" Maria yelled at Kyouko.

Gathering all her energy the small girl formed electricity in her fingertips. She aimed at the wolf and sent sparks at it. The wolf howled in pain but then in a flash it was off Kyouko and hurling itself at Maria. Strong arms caught the girl and Shoutaro turned to use his body to shield the princess. He braced for impact hoping that it wouldn't hurt too much when the wolf tore him in half.

The wolf gave a yelp never having the chance to reach Shoutaro or Maria. Kyouko had tackled it from behind and straddled its back holding its head down. It growled and thrashed beneath her, but she held on tight mumbling the words to a soothing spell she had read about. The words only served to drive the wolf wilder and it bucked Kyouko off. She crashed into the ground a few feet from the wolf. Her body ached and she was beginning to feel dazed from her blood loss. The wolf took the opportunity to leap at her again ready to bite into her neck. Once again, Kyouko caught its powerful jaws in her quivering hands.

"Nnnn." Kyouko cried struggling to hold off the beast.

She stared into crazed brown eyes and saw that there was someone else inside. Her own eyes softened in understanding. This creature was not hungry, nor did it have any desire to kill. It was someone else who wanted to wreak havoc. Some other monster was using this poor creature as a puppet and the wolf was desperate to find someone who could end its misery.

Pissed at the puppeteer Kyouko glared into the large brown eyes and snarled. "Let go." It was a clear command. "Let go now." Though the puppeteer did not want to obey his blood compelled him to do so.

With a deafening pained whine, the shaggy black fur melted away and the beast morphed into a young woman. Kyouko caught her with a heave of relief.

"Thank you." The woman breathed before closing her eyes to rest.

"What the hell was that?" Shou asked staring at Kyouko as though she had grown another head.

"Go get help Fuwa." Kyouko said falling back to the ground.

Maria stared down at her hands in contemplation. She had been useless. Looking at Kyouko she found herself unable to forgive herself for being unable to protect her own home. It had been clear that Kyouko was trembling with fear and yet she fought. There was no one here whom Kyouko could say was her real friend but still she had done all she could to protect them. Like a real princess. Maria shook her head and amended her thought, like an Upyr.

Ren grunted as he caught Kijima's hands in his. Nothing in him desired to hurt Kijima. The man was a constant nuisance and a consummate rule breaker, but he was not an evil vampire. He didn't scheme like the other nobility. He didn't grovel to serve the upyr covens. It was a rarity that Ren felt he could trust another vampire with his life, but he trusted Kijima. They may have even been friends if Ren would ever consider having one. Killing him would not be pleasant but it had become necessary.

Closing his eyes Ren summoned his strength and yanked Kijima towards him. He swiftly changed trajectory to flip Kijima over his head and slammed him down cracking the floor. His vision blurred and his dry throat ached. When he returned to LME, he would have no choice but to eat.

"Aahh!" Kijima cried out as Ren twisted his arm until he heard a sickening snap. Maybe if he broke all Kijima's bones, he wouldn't have to kill him.

"Ren don't prolong it. If a possessed human is in agony think of what a high-level vampire must be feeling." Yashiro said from his hiding place behind a table. "You can't save him."

Just then a leg swooped out tripping Ren and Kijima jumped up to his feet. Deranged eyes sought out Yashiro and Kijima lunged forward teeth bared.

Blood.

It pooled into his mouth. So much of it that he couldn't drink it all down and it spilled down his neck. Kijima hated wasting blood, but he couldn't stop his jaws from biting down harder on the hot flesh.

Ren grit his teeth relieved that he had made it to Yashiro in time. Kijima bit down harder on his neck and the king already depleted of blood fell to his knees.

"Ren." Yashiro panicked. He ran around Kijima and gripped the younger man's head. It was up to him to kill his friend in order to save their king. "I'm sorry." He said preparing himself to snap Kijima's neck.

Let go. All three men stopped. Kijima's body fell slack his jaws releasing Ren's neck. Yashiro caught him still looking around for the girl who's voice he had heard clear as day. Ren slumped backwards finding it impossible to close his neck wound.

"Ren!" Yashiro shouted struggling to support Kijima and make it over to check on Ren. He sent a distress signal to Sawara-san but felt something blocking him. Again, he tried to send a mental signal for help but couldn't get through to Matsushima either.

"Was that Kyouko-chan I heard." A woman asked startling him. She removed the concealment charm with a wave of her arms and a false wall vanished to reveal a kitchen.

"Kyouko-chan?" Yashiro asked seeing the woman and her husband look around. There were about twenty humans with them as well looking around for the rampaging vampire. "I thought I heard her too." He admitted. "But that's impossible; she cannot leave Takarada palace."

The woman turned on him with a cold gaze and said, "You locked that girl up."

"No." Yashiro said both confused and defensive. "She is a member of the Takarada family and has finally been returned home."

"Home." The woman's imposing husband scoffed. "If she were so important to the former king, he would have never permitted her to live with that boy who was using her as food. Better yet, he shouldn't have let her vampirism be concealed."

Yashiro narrowed his eyes at the couple. How had they known Kyouko's vampirism was concealed? The story circulating was that she had simply never developed any vampire attributes until recently.

"Who are you?" Yashiro asked them as he sat Kijima against a wall and knelt beside Ren.

"Takatsuki." The woman said stepping closer to Yashiro.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this out. Truth is it's been written for a while I was just undecided on whether I wanted to finish this story or not. My computer crashed and I lost the outline. I thought it was stored in onedrive but it wasn't. I was going to give up since it seemed the universe was against me on this story but that felt like such a waste. Sorry it's so short as well. I'll have to work on a new outline now.