Author's notes: Oh, oh, oh. Back to school again. Drat. Well, it was fun while it lasted. ^_^ (we had 3 days of intramural, our prom, and 2 days of career talks). *sigh*

Happy Valentines Day! You know, I don't really get the point… you waste money for stupid flowers and weird heart stuff, you wear red (for god's sakes!) and you all go mushy!? What's to love about it??? (the more decent Tesuka: forgive her, she didn't have a date! *stares disapprovingly*) Wah! *pigs out on chocolates*

Anyway… *drum roll* HEEERRREEE'S the next chapter!!! Well, just one more thing… AOSHI'S GONNA DO SOME ASS-KICKIN'! But the question is… is he going to succeed? Or will a certain revelation weaken his will? Find out below… (Yuck, that sounded like a cheap ad. ~_~)

Warning: rated for a bit of violent content (and totally shocking revelations)… during and after the chapter. (you guys know what I mean… hehe.)

Disclaimer: WAHAHAHA! I OWN NOTHING! *runs amok, crazed.* Minnie me sighs. ~_~ '

The Vampire Aoshi

By Tesuka- chan

I'm confused.

He used you.

I don't know…

He didn't want you.

Why?

He hated you.

But I…

He KILLED you. You must take revenge. He cannot get away with it.

Y- yes.

Yes.

He killed me.

He took everything away.

Revenge.

My revenge will be sweet.

The goddess smiled.

Aoshi approached the side door of the tower.

There was no one about, everything was silent. It was dark again. He had waited the whole day, hidden in the borders of the forbidden forest. This gave him time to think about Shiro, and what he is.

Shiro… is he a vampire? His scent is like one of us, but I sensed something alien in him… a greater power that I can only dream about. He can control with his thought, psychic… not to mention psychotic. He smirked. Then his features were once again stoic as he contemplated on the extraordinary powers that his enemy showed in the fight. The misty cage where Misao and him floated on, the movement of objects with a wave of a hand, the changing of shapes from the little boy Fuuma to the dangerous Shiro.

No. He is not a vampire. He is something more… something that I cannot put my finger on. The last words of his father swam in his mind. 'You must protect her… must protect Nifleheim… the prophecies… remember…' His eyes clouded as he remembered his failure in the first part. He steeled his thoughts, forcing them to think of the situation in hand. Then he started to remember. When he was a child… fairytales… gods and goddesses… what were they called? The Ch – then it was gone. He simply cannot try to recall everything. It was a long time ago. He sighed in exasperation. Somehow, he knew the answer was there… it was very near.

Nevertheless… I will not yield. I will kill him with my kodachis. Silvery green eyes narrowed at that. When he was sure it was safe to go in, he had moved in the shadows, as silent as a cat and had reached the tower. The security was tight in the main gates, but he knew this secret side door on the farthest side of the castle when he was still a boy. Only a few were aware about it.

He opened the black stone door easily, even if it was unused for a long time. He went inside the dark, musty tower, cobwebs and dust sticking to his tall frame. Cautiously, he moved his way along the narrow hallways, his highly sensitized eyes seeing everything in the dark. The vampire stopped in front of the wall, a thin crack catching his attention. It's here somewhere… he lightly ran his lithe fingers over it and pushed. The wall moved.

As he expected, he emerged into the armory room, where the weapons were kept. He remembered what his father told him about the passage; that if the castle was ever conquered, the royal family will arm themselves and escape through the passage, with the promise of return for revenge. Of course, that never happened, until the prince's return now. In Aoshi's case, he definitely returned for revenge. He strode in, seeing the chamber empty.

Different kinds of weaponry were displayed all over the chamber. Axes, knives, spears, and metal armors – all shown in their deadly splendor. Still, he ignored all of these and moved towards the chest at the corner with the royal crest. He lifted the lid, expecting to find his kodachis… and he did.

In shards.

His aristocratic features hardened in fury as he picked up one particular sharp piece. He clenched his hand around it, making it cut into his flesh, blood dripping down to the floor. No… this can't be. He threw the bloody shard back on the chest… and it hit something glowing. It was also a shard, but silvery and longer, different from his own swords. He lifted it with his bloody hand, and found two other pieces near it. He fitted it like a jigsaw puzzle…

and it merged, one whole sword yet again.

Aoshi held his breath. It was his father's sword, the one that shattered in the fight. It had merged as one again when his hand touched all three shards, his royal blood staining them. He tentatively touched it again and when it only glowed, he grasped the hilt. To his surprise, a thin beam of light slashed from the hilt, straight to the sharp tip. It had separated into two, forming two short swords, resembling a pair of kodachis. It had shifted to his preferred weapon. He wouldn't be surprised if it turned into an axe if he wanted it.

He held them reverently into both his hands, feeling the power, the strength. He swung them around expertly. They're perfect. His father was wise, and had most probably meant to pass it to his son. The prince smiled without humor. Shiro had made a mistake in keeping the silver shards. Now he will die by them.

He was a guardian, the strongest of them all, and his life was solely dedicated to guarding the People. He came down once in a while to Nifleheim, to assure that things were going well, to see if everything's peaceful. It was one of those visits that he met her.

He was walking by the woods, seeing the healthy young trees, hearing the sweet song of the birds, and just enjoying the warmth of the sun on his pale skin. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed dangerously close to him and had hit a tree. He turned swiftly around, his robes and long, dark blue hair whirling around him, ready to kill the oppressor in one zap of a finger… when he saw her.

She was wearing what a lady should not; green tights, a boy's dark green tunic reaching up to her knees with a thick leather belt around her waist, and soft leather shoes. But instead of making her look like a man, it had emphasized her curves more, startling the guardian. Her long, black hair was braided and rested on her left shoulder, reaching up to her mid- thighs. She was holding a bow, body poised as if she had just shot an arrow, and a quiver of it were strapped around her shoulders. What really caught his attention though was her clear, blue- green eyes, so much like the sea, which was at the moment startled. Well… what do we have here?

Though she was steady and her body taut, she was shivering inside with the look the man gave her. Sure, the man was gorgeous, and she usually didn't mind when the men in the village stared at her so, but this was different… like he would like to eat her up whole or something. Annoyed at her reaction towards this man's scrutiny, she straightened and stonily said, "There was a snake about to bite you."

The man narrowed his blue eyes and lifted and eyebrow. He slightly turned his head, and true enough, a python was pinned to the tree behind him, its blood dripping down to the forest grounds. He smirked, thinking of the irony. I am a guardian yet I was saved by one of those whom I am protecting. He turned his head back to his savior. "Thank you…"

But she was gone.

Intrigued and curious, he searched the forest for a sign of her. But she had vanished, like she never existed in the first place. He burrowed his eyebrows, thinking that his powers might be weakening when he caught sight of a green tunic, lying on the grass by the river. He picked it up, thinking that someone might've abducted her or some wild animal attacked her and tore her clothes off when he heard a scream.

"AHHHH!!! Hentai!!!"

And a rock hit him squarely in the head.

Startled, but unfazed, (he was a guardian after all) he looked at the direction from which the rock came from. And she was there, wading in the river, only her head visible above the water, her cheeks flushed prettily from anger and humiliation. Her hair was floating around her, creating a curtain that shielded her body from him. "I don't know what you want but will you please return my tunic?" She said, rather irritated.

Amused, he sat down on a boulder, dangling the said tunic on one finger. This woman intrigued him. "And why should I?"

"Because I don't have anymore clothes and I doubt if you'll be able to use that, seeing that you have your splendid robes."

The guardian smiled mischievously. "Then, come and get it."

Her blue- green eyes widened in disbelief, and her cheeks became redder every second. "B-but I don't have any clothes on!"

He raised a brow. "So?"

"So you might see ME!" she sputtered.

His eyes lingered on her face and on the body hidden under the water. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

Livid with anger and furiously blushing, she tried to think of a way to get her tunic back. She looked about her and saw a huge tree with equally huge leaves. Her face brightened as an idea came to her.

Enjoying himself for the first time in years, he watched her wade to the far bank and tried to reach for the nearest large leaf. However, because of her small frame, she was unable to grasp it without having to emerge a part of her body from the water. Sighing in annoyance, she decided to get this over and done with. She presented him with her back, stood up a little showing white creamy skin and firm buttocks and quickly grabbed the leaf with her vicious hands. She quickly sat back down under the water and wrapped the leaf around her.

Totally embarrassed by now, knowing that he saw the whole thing, she stood up, stalked over to him and grabbed her tunic. He didn't let go. She tugged angrily and looked at his face for the first time after her 'adventure' – his deep blue eyes were a mixture of mirth and a bit of desire, and he was looking at her in a very uncomfortable manner. After a very long moment, she dragged her eyes away from his and tugged again.

"What's your name?"

Quite confused and dying to have her clothes back, she snapped at him, "Why would I tell you?"

"Because I won't let go until you tell me."

"It's Meia." She tugged at the cloth again, expecting for him to give it. But he tugged back. They played tug-of-war for a few moments, and making her fell totally irritated every second that passed by. Suddenly, he tugged hard… and she fell against his tall frame. She gasped as his arm curled around her small waist, making her move nearer to him than it already is. "Well then, Meia," He drawled, " will you give me the pleasure of accompanying me around the forest this afternoon?"

Being too close to this mysterious man was making her head spin. "Okay… fine… Just let me go." Another effect must be craziness. He let her go, giving her tunic to her. She snatched it and put it on, tugging out the leaf underneath after. She walked away from him, and he appreciated her bare, long legs and the confident way she held herself. She put on the tights, belt and shoes, and she got her bow and quiver. "So? Where do you want to go?"

He shook himself out of his thoughts, mainly about the woman in front of him, and answered. "Let's just walk around, shall we?"

Meia's eyes narrowed. "What's YOUR name, by the way?"

He hesitated. Then he finally said, "Just call me… Damon."

She tilted her head, trying to remember something. Then she shook her head, and quipped, "well Damon, what do you usually do when you're not being bitten by snakes or peeping on unsuspecting, bathing women?"

Damon laughed out loud, feeling really free and alive for once. "Well, I help people."

The conversation went on, and he found out more about her, her liveliness and love of life drawing her to him. She was enigmatic, full of strength and laughter. I must be careful… I cannot, will not, fall in love. My duty always comes first. He looked at her ocean- blue eyes and knew… knew that it was already too late. He already loved her.

The doors of the Great Hall banged open.

Measured footsteps were heard, echoing menacingly throughout the hall. Droplets of blood stained the marble floor, harshly red against the shiny blackness of it. Aoshi stopped a good few meters from the throne itself, his hands on his sides, holding the two swords, which bloody tips almost scratched the smooth surface of the floor. His silver eyes stared penetratingly at the man sitting on throne.

Shiro smiled cynically. "Well, well… I have been expecting you, prince."

Aoshi's body simply formed into an offensive stance, his left arm stretched forwards while his right arm was bent at the elbow. Both silver tips glinted towards the king. "Fight me." His cold voice rang all over the hall.

Shiro laughed. His laughter was crazed, evil, sending cold convulsions down Aoshi's spine. He suddenly stopped and his emerald eyes returned the same intensity of hate to Aoshi. "I'll humor you."

Suddenly, he jumped upwards from the throne, vanishing in the air. Aoshi concentrated, his mind clear. A single flash of icy green was enough for him to anticipate Shiro's move… upper left. He slashed his left arm upwards, his kodachi meeting Shiro's green sword. Aoshi suddenly slashed his right kodachi, aiming for the enemy's free right side… but it met only air. He swung back, defensive.

Shiro appeared not far from his right, his sword poised in front of him, his long ponytail swishing at his back. He had a smirk on his face. "Not bad… considering that you're the son of a loser."

Aoshi's blood was ringing in his ears. How dare he talk about my father like that? Now he took the initiative, moving forward in great speed, not giving Shiro time to move away.

Shiro smirked again. Does this boy actually think he can defeat me with a move so forward as that? He swung his sword towards the moving man. This is too easy.

Aoshi did the unexpected. He clamped both of his swords together, making an X, trapping Shiro's sword on the middle point. He twisted up and sideways, his whole body moving, defying gravity. His left leg pushed from the floor, giving momentum… and his right leg kicked Shiro squarely in the face. His body lithely twisted horizontally, still bringing the green sword with his kodachis, wrenching it away from its owner's hand. He landed on his feet, and his body was once again in an offensive position.

Shiro was flung to the floor, the strong impact reverberating all over his body. His green sword was flung to the other side of the room, piercing the stone wall, deeply embedded to the hilt. Aoshi was still in his position, not moving, not stirring.

Shiro felt weak all over, his mind and body stunned at what just happened. He had never been hit like this before, full of anger and revenge. He put his hand on his dislocated jaw, painfully putting it back on its original position. Heaving heavily, he looked at the one who defeated him in such a short time.

Aoshi was calm, but inside, his blood was still boiling with utter hate, disgust, and revenge. He slowly sheathed his swords at his back and approached the writhing man on the floor. "Bastard." He kicked the man on the stomach, making him double over again. "You killed my people," another kick to his side, "You killed my father," another to his back, "And most of all… you made me kill Misao." He crouched down, snagged his hair, making Shiro's face look at him. That hateful, deceiving face. The devil's own. He punched it with all the force he could muster. "You don't deserve to live after all you've done." His cold voice gave away no emotion.

Shiro laughed maniacally, but his laugh gave way to coughs, blood spilling out of his mouth. Most probably, one of his ribs had pierced his lungs… but it didn't matter. He shakily stood up, and if the vampire in front of him was surprised that he was still able to stand up after that beating, he didn't show it.

"You fool… no one can kill me."

"What are you?"

"Heh… I thought you would've figured it out by now. I've overestimated your intelligence, Shinomori." He straightened, but leaned on a pillar for support. "Try to guess."

"I have no time for games. Tell me now. I'm going to kill you anyway."

At that, Shiro laughed again. He already felt his healing powers swiftly zapping all over his body, fixing broken bones and punctured lungs. His immune system works faster than vampires, even without nourishment from blood. He continued playing the defeated, stalling for time. "Well…" he drawled, obviously enjoying every moment of this. "I am… one of the Ch'nage."

Aoshi's eyes returned to its more normal green as the revelation seeped into his brain. Ch'nage… Memories from his childhood came back to him; his nanny telling him about gods and goddesses that watch over the vampires and other creatures of Nifleheim. They were the Ch'nage… the guardians. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "There are no such beings."

"You vampires have very little faith over us. We have watched over you for centuries, longer even. Your belief faded in time, and with it, our power and existence were also fading… killing most of us. What power I have now is only one tenth of the power I had before.." he said in disgust. "But it is still enough for me to achieve my goal."

"And what goal is that?" Aoshi unsheathed his sword again, getting suspicious. He should've killed him by now, but he was curious. He wanted to know what motivated this evil man to kill everyone he loved.

"That goal… is to have more power." Shiro stood straight, his healing finally complete. He cracked the side of his head and his back, reveling in the feeling of renewed health. "Of course, in order to do that, I have to get the power of the greatest."

Silvery green eyes narrowed. He had a bad feeling about this.

"And the greatest is… Makimachi Misao."

Aoshi's heart stopped cold. No… "But she's dead!" For the first time that night, his stoic mask fell and all his weakness, all his fears swam in his eyes.

The knowing glint in Shiro's eyes said it all.

"So you made me kill her… that was part of your scheme, isn't it? You sent me to the forbidden forest, knowing that she'll go after me… and you made me kill her. To gain her power. The power that she didn't even know she has." His voice cracked as he fell to the floor. I contributed to his plan… I caused him to be more powerful… when Misao died, her power must have transferred to the nearest Ch'nage… Shiro. He buried his head on his hands.

"On the contrary, didn't I tell you that we Ch'nage don't die easily?" Shiro is immensely enjoying the discomfort of the prince reading his mind clearly. "Didn't you know that Misao is one? That she is the daughter of the highest order of the Ch'nage?" His voice became lower, more amused… laughing, mocking. "When you killed her, this opened her powers, transferring the power from her seal to its rightful place." Now he was the one who approached the stricken vampire. "What I'm saying is…"

"My love!"

Both heads turned toward the unexpected voice – feminine and familiar. Aoshi's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw a vision going towards him, her long hair cascading down her back, her white gown perfectly fitting and hugging her curves, and her face lifted up in a smile that reached her sapphire eyes… "M- Misao…" Aoshi stuttered, his own eyes wide and stunned.

Misao approached the two, innocently looking at the scene before her. "What happened here, my love?" She inquired, looking at Shiro.

All of Aoshi's hope and renewed love shattered. No… I thought she loved me… why? Anger once again raced over his veins, stronger than before. "SHIRO!" Now, he held nothing back. He attacked Shiro, lifting him by his collar and punching his face like a madman. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" He screamed at him, letting out everything in full force. In the background, he heard a vague scream, but he didn't mind it, intent he was on beating the crap out of Shiro. "You influenced her, you bastard!" He punched his face.

Suddenly, he felt a force so strong, greater than that of what he had felt when Shiro slammed him before on the pillars. He cried out in pain as he was hurled to the farthest side of the hall. He slid down the wall and crumpled to the ground. He raised his eyes, seeing Misao floating a few feet above the floor, her blue- black hair waving all around her, a yellow aura surrounding her. Her eyes were all blue, no irises. Her cold voice pierced Aoshi's already shattered heart.

"Don't you ever do that to him again!" She waved her hand in front of her, and Aoshi's head slammed back to the stone wall again. But he didn't fell the physical pain. What he felt was worse – a pain that Misao's words and actions inflicted on him… like the blade of a cold knife striking his heart repeatedly, and none other than his one and only love who's holding the cruel knife.

Misao felt angry and hurt. No one could ever harm her one and only love and live. She floated down, her amber pendant resting light against her throat. Shiro's arm snaked around her waist. She felt a cold, dreary sensation but she shoved it away. With her was the man she loved… and the bastard who was trying to hurt him was the one that she will kill… for not only did he hurt Shiro, but he had killed her too.

Meia was worried. Shiro had taken her daughter and brought her back to the castle. She shivered at the icy dread that she was feeling. True, by killing her, only then will she be able to regain her powers fully, and Meia will reunite with her love, Damon, in heaven. An arm rested on her waist and she looked up at Damon's beautiful face. She smiled. I can't believe we're together again.

Yes. Damon replied. He looked at the lovely face of his wife, so much like his daughter's. He loves them both, from watching them above. He stoked her cheek and said to her, after I inflicted all my power in Niflehiem to punish them for killing my wife, I died then, and thought that I'd be with you here. But your mission was not complete… you had to return to give my power to Misao, and now that I've died, she inherited it. He looked away, thoughtful.

That traitor Shiro! I hate him with all my heart… Meia vehemently declared. All he wanted was your power. He wasn't fit to be a Ch'nage! Now he's ruining our daughter's life!

Remember… we didn't decide who are the Ch'nage… the Almighty did. We are one step lower from heaven and one step higher from Nifleheim. We were the go- between. He have plans for everything. His kissed the top of his beloved's head. Everything will turn out okay, Meia. Everything will be okay.

But somehow, he even had to convince himself of that.

If confused, read this:

A/n: *worried look on face* I'm not sure if it's clear for all of you… well, to say the least, Meia and Damon are Misao's parents, they fell in love, got married secretly, had a child. But the mob killed Meia (earlier chapters) and Damon got mad so he sent a really deadly plague over Nifleheim, leaving only a few to survive. In doing that, he died. (Ch'nage die too!) and went to heaven, expecting his wife to be there. But she's not. Her ghost was left on earth (forbidden forest) until Misao 'dies' and gets all her powers.

Now in Shiro's case, since Misao is stronger than him, he couldn't kill her to get her power. So he sort of influenced her so that she'll follow him, and in a way, her power is in his hands. Got it?

Phew! *wipes sweat off face* darn. Took me 5 hours to write this chapter!!! (well, I watched a movie in the middle- hehe.) I wonder… why do I write complicated plots???? Err.. anyway, any suggestions, please tell me how you want it to end1 I have a vague idea but I'm still working it out… so any help is welcome! ^_^

Oh well… Thanks so much for the reviewers!!! I totally love all of you! ^_^

Errm…

Uhhh…

*scratches head*

So here I was, looking at the reviews to say thanks but… why are most of them replaced by XING@FANFICTION.NET??????? *sweatdrop* I mean… weird. Something must be wrong with the site or something… *double sweatdrop*

Well, since I obviously can't say thanks individually, I'll just say thanks generally. So:

THANKS!!! *gives everyone a big hug* LOVE YA'LL!! ß believe me, it's not the valentines spirit. Ehehehe. ^_^

Well, read and review please! I know this chapter's kind of weird so flame if necessary. ^_^