Dark Love

by Datenma

Robin(Isaac) in a vampire who has been living on the planet for centuries who only lives to kill his creator. Ivan is a newbie vampire hunter, still confused about his place in the world. What happens when the two meet? Shonen-ai! (Robin&Ivan) COMPLETE

5. Rainy day kisses

Dark Love

By: Padfoot-chan

Sorry for the delay. I am really glad that everyone enjoyed the last chapter. Family problems got in the way but I am happy now and I suppose that is all that matters because when I am happy, I can write. I am a little worried about my mom. Anyway, this chapter ended up being longer than I planned and I ended up staying up late into the night to finish it. It is 3 in the morning at the moment and I just finished. Hopefully my heart problems are not related to my sleep I did plan to post this chapter on my one year anniversary of being here at but seeing as that is on the 21, I did not think it would be too far to everyone. I guess I can just try to hurry up with Ivan's chapter and hope I finish it by the 21.

I know I could have taken the dream further but I have trouble writing those scenes and my father was lurking around the house so I did not want to write something and have him come in and go "what is going on?" Please do not read this while parents are around, I do not want anyone else getting into trouble because of me, I feel guilty. Also, I am raising the rating to R just to be safe.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Golden Sun characters, they belong to Camelot. I do not own L'ArcEnCiel, they own themselves.

Warning: Heavy shonen-ai bordering on yaoi in this chapter. Yaoi: yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi in English it means: No climax, no resolution, no meaning. But since…there is resolution/meaning in this…it's only bordering. It you do not like shonen-ai or yaoi (how could you not? ::stares at Wild Rock wallpaper and drools::) then do not read. You have been warned.

No flames. Only constructive criticism. Read and Review please! Once again, I love you guys! You're the best reviewers ever! I have another present for you. My imoto-san Hoshi got the 1000 page views for my DA account and she kindly asked for a picture of Garcia and Picard together. It turned out great. Just go to my homepage, click on it and you'll see the drawing of them together. Also, a screenshot of my Wild Rock wallpaper is there as well. Mature content, though, so be careful Also, sorry for the typos ;; I haven't got a beta-reader and I am far too busy to read over the story myself.

Dedicated to: All my reviewers for being so wonderful and MightyHealer from Dark Ages for being so sweet to me

Chapter 5: Rainy day Kisses

A chorus of birds chirps loudly in the tree just outside the window across from me. I grab the pillow I am lying on and duck my head under it to block out the loud chirping. My sensitive hearing picks it up anyway. I try to ignore it but groan when I feel the warmth of the sun begin to recede, signaling the coming nighttime. I lift myself from the couch, finding the darkness around me somewhat comforting but complicated to maneuver in. I trip over one of the legs of the coffee table and bump my forehead on the arm of one of the chairs. I sit back, leaning against the edge of the coffee table as I rest my forehead in the palm of my hand, waiting for the bruise to slowly heal.

What has gotten into me? Normally I am not so clumsy, even with the darkness and the clutter of furniture. I have not moved anything recently so I should know this room like the back of my hand. I certainly was not clumsy when I was alive and with my vampiric agility, I should have been able to catch myself before I hit my head against the chair. I shake my head and push off the ground so I am on my feet. I walk out of the room and up the stairs. Flipping the switch on in my room, I move to the closet and change into different clothes.

Life has gotten so tedious and routine. If I am not home trying to keep myself from 'dying' of boredom by watching the mortals on television, I am out hunting for my next victim, or out searching for any clues that will lead me to my maker. Of course, each lead has only turned up dead end after the other. It is as if he disappeared from the face of the earth after he brought me into this darkness. He is toying with me. He planned this from the beginning and it is all just some damn game to him. I am here as his sole form of entertainment. I bet he was a load of fun at parties when he was human.

I roll my eyes as I walk down the stairs, slip my coat over my shoulders and step lightly out of my house. Something is different in the air tonight. A softer, more melodious emotion kissing at the normal rush to a bar or a friend's house that usually fills the night air at this hour. Maybe a carnival or a fair came to town. I have never been to one before…not even while I was alive. Back then, there had not been much to celebrate and even if there had been something to celebrate, Father would never have taken us. He hated loud noises and it was worse when he was drunk.

I pause and look around me. In my thoughtfulness, my legs had carried me all the way to the park near my house, the park that boy had been walking towards the other night. How had I walked here without even noticing? What was I doing here anyway? I normally disliked going to the park, no many people came here at night.

Oh, hell…now that I am here…I sit on the bench and gaze up at the darkening sky. It is transforming from a pale, pinkish-blue to a deep violet color…a rich amethyst heightened by the stars blinking into existence as if being reborn into some new world…a new purity all their own. For some reason, it reminds me of that boy. Everything reminds me of him. It is as if I am under his spell, his helpless victim, lost in his violet gaze. This is such a strange yet intense emotion. I feel warm inside.

Whenever I think about him, my heartbeat speeds up. It feels good…to think about him. Is that why he has been on my mind since last night? Do I see him as my only source of hope now? A bright light blinking in the darkness that surrounds me, a lighthouse to guide my way in this sea of emptiness. I certainly have hit rock bottom now. To rely on a mere boy that I just met for my happiness.

Light, graceful footsteps echo around me and I look down the small path to find a young man moving toward me. He is not a human, his body does not carry the human warmth to it and his smell is that of someone of my kind. He is a young one, too, maybe a little under a hundred years old. He is a foolish one, walking so close to one of my age when I could kill him so easily almost as if he were still a mortal man.

He stops in front of me, his hand resting on the back of the bench near my shoulder. "Do you come to this park often? I have never seen someone so pretty here before. You must be new in town. What do you say to me showing you around town and then afterward, you can come back to my place." So he thinks I am mortal. I smirk, folding my arms over my chest before looking up at him, the smirk still on my lips. He staggers back as soon as my eyes lock with his.

"Who made you, boy? Was it one of the old ones?" He sways for a moment before clenching his fists and narrowing his eyes at me.

"I bet my creator was a lot older than you." He snaps at me. I rise from the bench slowly. I am a few inches taller than he is so this makes for an intimidating stance. He takes a couple of steps back as I stare at him, quickly reading his mind to see if his creator was the same one who made me. No. I risked exposing myself to another vampire for this. I cannot have more him knowing I am here, especially not with his mind open to my maker. I guess I am just going to have to get rid of him before he encounters anyone else.

"I will give you until the count of ten to get as far from me as possible before I come after you. That should give you a little over eleven seconds left to live. I suggest that you use it wisely, young one. I trust you wish to know the name of your killer. I am sorry but I shall not give my name to you, my face shall be enough for you." He stares at me, standing rooted on the spot. I open my mouth, smiling kindly before beginning the countdown. "Hitosu…futatsu…mittsu…" His eyes widen and he spins around, dashing past me and out of the park. I sigh and continue to count down under my breath. "Yottsu… itsutsu… muttsu… nanatsu… yattsu… kokonotsu… toh." I move after him slowly, slipping my hands into my pockets with the sound of his footsteps still ringing in my ears.

I catch up with him just outside a café, the light from the window shining on my face before I walk past it. He must know what is about to come. I place a trance on him and he turns a corner up ahead slowly, his mind locked away deep within himself. I sigh and turn the corner after him, winding up in a dark alley. I grab his shoulder and push him roughly against the wall. I push his head back with my hand, grabbing his hair to keep his head steady as my upper lip curls back, my fangs sliding out as I lower my mouth to his neck. Soft running footsteps to my left make me hesitate for a moment, but only for a moment, in the next second I feel someone slam against me with enough force to knock the person backwards and onto the ground. I roll my eyes at the interruption and turn slowly to look at whoever ran into me.

A gasp escapes my lips before I can stop it from doing so. There he is, the boy from yesterday. My mind leaves my current task as I release the young vampire, allowing him to slide down the wall, still lost in my trance. There is that burning emotion again, I feel it as I begin to move toward him before gracefully dropping down to the ground. Almost without meaning to do so, I reach out a hand to touch his cheek, cradling it in the palm of my hand. He lets out his own gasp and I try hard not to smile at the sound. Something passes over his eyes and he blushes, the new warmth of it burning my hand. "I…I wanted to…um…" he tries to say to me.

I watch him, studying every inch of his face as I lift my free hand up and lightly touch his silky hair. I trail my fingers down his face, letting them lightly pass over the lids of his right eye before allowing the tips of my fingers to dance along his slightly parted lips. He sits there, watching me as well. "So strange." I whisper, voicing my thoughts aloud. "You sought me out after one meeting. What do you want from me?" Truly, one must wonder what a kid like him sees in someone like me, especially after what he just saw. I was about to kill this man and he still sit before me, not one emotion emitting from him signaling that he is afraid of me.

"I…uh…" He seems to have difficulty speaking, perhaps because of my fingers still resting on his lips. He swallows and looks as if he is trying to say something else. His breathing becomes a little ragged as he finally says something more, "I…wanted to know your name." This catches me off guard. No one alive now knows my name. Only my maker knows my name, I have made sure of that. I have no distance descendents that might have heard of me from their ancestors and I rarely tell anyone my name. However, this boy…he makes me feel so strange. It is all so new to me.

"Robin." I wait a moment as he blinks up at me before continuing, "And you would be?"

"I-Ivan." He stutters, "My name is Ivan." I nod and study his eyes further. The faint silvery moonlight is reflecting in their amethyst depths. I have never found anyone so captivating before. He is not saying anything; he does not have to really. Something about him, maybe everything, catches my attention and draws me under his spell, like a receding wave along the shoreline. Almost without thinking, or willing myself to do so, I feel my fingers that were once on his lips slowly move over his chin and drop to his shirt, the soft fabric startling me slightly. He swallows deeply and bites down on his bottom lip as if to keep from saying something. I smile slightly at this but stop when I hear rushed footsteps coming from around the corner.

Two men appear around the corner, one of them a young vampire and the other…a vampire hunter. I narrow my eyes at them and stand up, brushing the dirt from my knees before taking five careful steps away from Ivan, my eyes still trained on the hunter. For a moment, Ivan is the only one moving, turning to look at the two men before glancing back at me, then the hunter speaks, Ivan turning back around when he addresses him. "Did he hurt you, Ivan?" Why does his words hurt me so much? The way he said them…or what he said. I shake my head, glad that Ivan was not watching me now.

In a flash, the hunter is in front of me, but I caught every movement. For him to use such speed, though, he must be in an advanced class of the hunters. Great, this is just what I need. I glare at him as he does the same to me. Not the normal hunter. If he had been, he would have tried to destroy me instead of trying to stare me down. He is brave, I will give him that, but very stupid if he thinks he can win against me at this little mind game.

"I know what you are." He says finally, "You may be able to fool Ivan, you may have been able to place your demonic spell on him but it will not work on myself." He takes a step towards before continuing. "Tell me, how many people is it now? Do you even know anymore? You are the oldest one I have met but even so, I cannot allow you to just go and continue this blasphemy." I incline my head slightly at this, before letting out a cold laugh, the sound piercing into the strangely silent night. He is a foolish one, to think he can get into my head so easily. He can believe what he wants but he will never know the truth with such a closed mind.

"Blasphemy? You dare to speak of blasphemy to someone like myself? Do you truly believe that I am doing something so wrong that you would put such an audacious title on it?" I feel shoulders shake with my harsh laughter before I lift my arm to point past the hunter and Ivan, to the vampire. "Would you rather me become like him? I am surprised that the strain of the thirst has not driven him to insanity yet. It is what we are, child, we cannot fight it no more than you can fight breathing. We cannot fight it regardless of what gets in the way." He allow my hand to fall back to my side. "You are only hurting him by allowing this to continue. You call that love? Do you want to lose him? Watch him wither away before you?" Ivan looks back at the vampire as he closes his eyes and turns his head to the side. The hunter turns back to look at him, surprise flashing in his russet eyes. I soften the look in my eyes for a moment as I continue, "Of course you did not know. So simple…"

The hunter spins around again, glaring at me, his shoulders shaking with anger. "Shut up." He seethes, "You know nothing about this. You are nothing like him. You are a cold, heartless monster and you do not deserve to walk this earth any longer." He pulls out a thin dagger and in a blink of the eye, has it pressed against my neck. Ivan gasps, reaching out to stop the hunter but the vampire holding him tightens his grip on his shoulders, stopping him from moving from the spot. I narrow my eyes again, grabbing the hunter's wrist, forcing him to push the blade deeper, the edge biting into his neck. I feel the blood begin to push past the opening and the cool blade, slowly dripping down my neck. I turn my eyes away from the hunter and look to Ivan, holding his eyes with mine once again. For some inexplicable reason, I take comfort in his gaze. I snap my eyes away from his and return my stare to the hunter's.

"You have no right to say that to me. You think I enjoy this life? I was human once too, you know. We all were. It is far worse for the old ones." I finally release the hunter's wrist and he stumbles back as I place a hand to my neck, touching the thick crimson liquid there. There is not reason for me to explain this to them, they have no right to know but I still cannot stop myself from saying this. Maybe just to prove my point. "I tried to starve myself once. I grew weaker, dizzier. Any kind of light would hurt my eyes. I began to hear voices all around me. I lost my mind to those voices. You truly think that young one is strong enough to fight it off to remain with you? Just wait and see how long he can hold on." I take a deep breath and stand there for a moment before turning away and starting down the alleyway but the hunter's voice causes me to pause again.

"Don't go anywhere near Ivan again, do you hear me?" I glance back at him, watching his eyes as he stands there, motionless before I decide to reply, waving my hand absently at him.

"That is for him to decide, hunter. If you worry about him so much, tell him not to seek me out. As for me not seeking him out…you are not my keeper. Until you understand what I have said to you tonight, you have no right to consider yourself my equal. I am far above you, child. You had better grow up before you are killed like your other hunter friends." I nod to them and turn away again, turning a corner and pressing my hand to my neck again, mildly wondering why the wound there was talking so long to heal. I stop at the street corner and glance back at the alley, frowning slightly. For a moment, I felt as if someone was calling out to me, wanting me to turn around and go back. I almost obeyed that something but the light changed and I tear my gaze away from the alley and cross the street.

Even as I slowly near my house, there is still that nagging feeling of someone calling out to me, wanting me to go somewhere. I pause every other step, looking back down the road, each time tempted to walk back the way I came. I walk through the gate of my house, turn and move towards my dark motorcycle, parked next to the house just sitting in the driveway. I let out a sigh, fumble around in my pockets for the key before mounting the machine and thrusting the key into the ignition. I pull out of the driveway, onto the street and drive towards whatever is calling me.

For an hour, I drive through the streets, sometimes randomly turning a corner, almost against my will. Just as I was about to give up, I feel the pull disappear and I pull up next to the sidewalk, pulling off my helmet and looking around. My eyes fell on a large mansion surrounded by a intimidating looking wrought-iron gate. Letting out a surprised gasp, I stand up and lean against my motorcycle, staring at the house, studying every stone.

How could I have missed something this massive? I must have drove down this street hundreds of times on my hunts and yet…this is the first time that I actually ever noticed this mansion. This must be the academy. I smirk. To elude me for so long, they must have placed some sort of warding spell on the mansion to keep me from seeing it. However, I can see it now so either someone inside wanted me here or whoever cast the spell lost his or her concentration or died. I narrow my eyes at the house, quickly calculating how many hunters were in the house. Only two, then there was that vampire, and two older normal humans, with only a dwindling amount of hunter power left in them. It would be too easy if I were to go in now. I would rather have them all here for a big battle rather than a small battle.

I sigh and start to turn when movement catches my eye. Someone just dropped from a tree at the side of the house and landed into the bushes at the base of the tree. Blinking I wait until the person comes into view. Ivan. I look back at the house, once against trying to sense everyone in the house. The second hunter is gone…which means that Ivan must be. I groan but try to hide it, keeping my cool as he reaches the wrought-iron gate. He pauses for a moment, just watching me, maybe wondering if I am even there before he checks the road and runs over to him, stopping once he reaches my side. I look down at him as he looks up at me and I utter three simple words, "Need a ride?" He nods at my question and I slip the helmet over his head, it is not as if I am not a safe driver or could not easily grab him and jump to safety, I just do not want get hit my any flying projectiles on the road.

I turn away from him and climb onto my motorcycle again, starting the motorcycle up as Ivan climbs on behind me, wrapping his arms loosely around my waist and I hear him whisper "Fukui," over the rumble of the engine. I nod and drive out into the street, weaving in and out of the cars to try to make the ride go faster. When I feel Ivan begin to nod off, I use my vampiric powers to teleport somewhere near Fukui. I do not want to be outside when the sun comes up, I made that mistake once and I do not want to make it a second time.

When we reach a road Ivan recognizes, he points down it and I turn into it, following his instructions until I pull into a dirt paved driveway with a tall lighthouse built near a cliff overlooking the sea. I slow down, cutting the engine before we can get too close. Running my hands through my hair to comb it back, I turn around, not too surprised to see Ivan was drifting in and out of consciousness. I smile to myself before shaking his shoulder and climbing off my motorcycle, leaving my hand on his shoulder to hold him up so he does not fall forward. I turn away from him and look around, subconsciously pulling him a little closer to me when I feel a chilling breeze. I clear my throat and ask quickly to make sure he does not notice the movement, "Is this the place?"

He opens his violet eyes as I turn my gaze back to him but I turn away again, trying to hide the blush that has stained my cheeks. Does he have any idea what he does to me? He stumbles off my motorcycle and leans against me, his hands clutching folds of my shirt. He stares around us, taking in everything before he pulls the helmet off his head and looks up at me. "Thank you so much." My blush disappears at this and I blink down at him. I was not expecting him to thank me…should I say something in return. 'Your welcome' would be too stupid and too simple, this seems to mean a lot to him. Before I have a chance to say something, he continues. "This is my house. I…I wanted to ask my mother something, but I am a little afraid of the answer that I will get."

Hesitantly, I lift my hand up to his head, patting his silky, dirty blonde hair. "If you came this far, I think you are brave enough to bare the burden of the answer." I step away from him and start toward the lighthouse, knowing he would follow me. He catches up to me and he walk to the lighthouse silently. I pause once we reach the door and Ivan leaves my side, lifting himself up on his toes and feeling around for something in the doorframe. He grabs a small bronze key from the doorframe and drops to his feet again. He slips it into the keyhole and pushes the door after the faint click of the reaches my ears.

He steps through the doorway and into the dark room. Looking around the area once more, I hurry inside the lighthouse, pushing the door shut behind me. The sun is going to come out soon, I cannot be too careful. The loss of the faint light from outside throws the room into complete darkness. I hear Ivan spin around in front of me, followed by a sharp intake of breath then he bumps into me, grabbing onto my arms to keep himself steady. "S-sorry," he apologizes to me. I shake my head, laughing softly in spite of myself. He certainly is a shy one. Could he possibly be a hunter? I feel him pull away slightly, looking up at me. He cannot see my face in this darkness but I can see his. He looks confused…

He pulls away further and turns away, most likely to hunt for the switch in this darkness. He stops when we hear something click and then the room is bathed in a dim light. A woman is standing in a hallway, dressed only in a nightgown, blinking at us for a moment before she smirks, her eyes falling on me. "I see you came back, Ivan, and you brought a friend with you. He sure is a handsome one, isn't he?" I stare at the woman, blinking in confusion. Who is this woman? To speak so bluntly.

The woman makes us sit down in the living room before she hands us warm tea and sits in a chair across from us. I lift an eyebrow at the tea before sighing and setting it down on the table before me. "Alright, Ivan, what are you doing here exactly? Your mother told me that you were in Sendai, studying at the academy run by some of our relatives. Did it get to be too much for you and you ran away with your friend? Who is he, if you do not mind my asking." So, Ivan was sent to the academy by his mother…? And the academy is run by people in Ivan's family?

I shake my head, "My name is Robin."

The woman nods at this, smiling, "Ah, Robin is it, nice to meet you." Then she turns to Ivan again, her stormy violet eyes narrowing slightly. So, Ivan?" I turn to look at Ivan myself, watching him as he stares down at his tea.

He finally answers her, looking across the table at the woman, "Well, Hama…I wanted to ask my mother something important. Hama, I know about the truth of the academy, that it was built to train vampire hunters." I tense up slightly at this, turning away and busying myself with the paintings on the walls. This is really none of my business. I just came here because Ivan needed a ride.

The woman he called Hama let out a tiered sigh, "I was afraid this day would come, but I knew that your mother could not hide it from you forever. Ivan, she is very ill at the moment. I think that something like this would upset her. You do not want her condition worsening, do you?" I turn quickly when I feel Ivan's weight leave the couch. He rises to his feet, the cup in his hands falling to the ground and shattering into sharp pieces.

"Upset my mother? What about me? I have been lied to my whole life! Why have you all been keeping something like this from me? Every single one of you knew what I was, what the academy was all about but you still kept it from me. What were you trying to protect me from? If you had not wanted that life for me, you should have allowed me to be the one to make that decision."

"Your mother knew you would be like your father. She knew you would want to fight against them." Whispered Hama, in hopes of calming Ivan down. Ivan clenches a fist, shutting his eyes tightly. I remain silent through the whole ordeal. It is not my place to speak and maybe if I merely listen I can find out a little more about Ivan and about the academy. "You have so much more going for you, Ivan. You are a very smart young man. The world has so much more to offer you aside from the life of a hunter. They could kill you so easily. She did not want to lose you as well. You are all that she has left of my brother."

"She is being selfish."

"You are right, Ivan. I was being selfish." Ivan and I turn to see a woman standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall for support. "I sent you to the academy because I knew you would soon figure everything out. I had not expected you to return, though, but I am glad to see you again." She moves towards us slowly, pauses here and there to gather her strength before she falls into a chair near Hama.

"Mother…" She looks up at Ivan and smiles weakly, coughing after the simple movement. Ivan turns his head away from her and I have the sudden strong urge to pull him into my arms. She makes a weak hand gesture for him to sit down and Ivan slowly sit back in on the couch next to me.

"I am sure that Garcia has already told you most of what you want to know, so why are you here?"

"I…I wanted to hear it from you. I could not believe it unless you were the one to tell me what is going on, what I am." Ivan slowly begins to recount everything that Garcia told him that night.

"Why did you lie to me? What is going on here? I want to know the truth. I think I deserve that after tonight, after that little…conversation with Robin." Garcia stops his search, sighs and turns to Picard before he looks at me. I do not look into his eyes, instead, I stare at the fire burning in the fireplace, the brilliant flames dancing before my eyes. The fires of Hell. Ultimate purification of the soul. Burning the sins away, punishing the soul for the crimes they have committed in life. Forever burning in death.

"We did not lie to you, Ivan. We were just keeping things for you because your mother did not want this life for you. She did not want to place you in danger." Replied Picard when Garcia had to spoken. "And you are right, you need to know the truth so that you can avoid the danger that you have fallen into." He turns to Garcia, giving him a look before Garcia takes a deep breath.

"The best place to start this off would be from the beginning." He starts slowly, turning his eyes up to the ceiling. I look away from the fire and watch him. "You understand that you and I are related, correct?" I nod, not knowing what that had to do with anything. He sighs again, "What I am about to tell you may confuse you…it may even scare you, but please do not overreact. As Picard said before, your mother did not want me or anyone else for that matter to tell you of this. But again, there had to be some reason why she sent you here to live at the academy for so long.

"Ivan, our family…is very special. You can trace our family line back for centuries, back to the time of the first vampire." My breath catches in my throat, and I recall the image of Robin's lips curling back, those two fangs flashing in the moonlight before I had stopped him. "I suppose you could say that our family was created for the sole purpose of becoming vampire hunters. Not everyone in our family had the ability to become a hunter. It was our family that became the first hunters. There were always vampires, though. Our work was never over.

"That was when my great-great-great-grandfather, your great-great-great grandmother's brother, built the mansion. It was his way of fighting back against the growing vampire threat. He would seek out special people with the abilities of a hunter, be it healing, tracking, or slaying. He wanted to hone in on their abilities and turn out strong hunters who could fight against the vampires or at least protect themselves against the vampires if they were ever attacked.

"I am one of the vampire hunters, Ivan. A slayer, which means I kill them if I find them." He pauses for a moment, "You are a hunter as well. That test you took when you were here last time, it was not an entrance exam like we told you. It was to see if you had any abilities. You do have powers, one of the strongest for someone your age. Your mother did not want to place you in any danger by becoming one of us so she asked us not to tell you about the true purpose behind the academy. To you, it was just some prep school for college."

"And…and what is Picard? Is he a hunter as well? Robin said…" Garcia cuts me off before I can say anymore.

"Picard is a vampire, just like Robin." Garcia looks to Picard for a moment before he continues, "Picard was the first vampire I met. We were both considered new at what we were, it was so awkward. I was mad at myself at first for falling in love with him but Picard is different from the other vampires I have met. He is still so human…sometimes I forget that he is a vampire."

"I joined the hunters to help out because I hated what I had to do…I really had no right to live if I had to kill someone each night just to sustain myself. I was able to fight it off more with each passing year, though." Whispers Picard, bowing his head. "I am afraid that Robin is right though. I am beginning to feel weaker…and I do hear strange voices sometimes. I just never said anything about them. I did not want to worry you."

"Idiot," mutters Garcia, "You should have said something before, instead of having me find out like this. From that guy." I stand up abruptly at this, startling them. I smile weakly at them.

"Thank you for telling me all of this. I…I am very tiered. You would not mind if I went up to my room and go to bed, do you?" They watch me for a moment before letting me run off to my bedroom. It did not help. I do not believe them. I cannot believe them. Not yet. I need to hear it from someone else. The only person left that will be able to answer my questions, all of these questions finally. My mother.

When I reach my bedroom, I lock the door behind me, open my laptop and plug it in before writing out a letter on my laptop, telling Picard and Garcia where I am going and what I plan to do once I get there. I turn away and hurry over to the window, throwing it open and poking my head out the door to look around. Being on the fourth floor of the mansion does not help escaping any easier. I spot a nearby tree limb and climb out the window, jumping from it and narrowly managing to grab onto the branch. I swing up onto it and climb down the tree, dropping into the bushes before running through the yard and down the driveway. The train station is only a couple of blocks for the academy so I should get there in no time.

As I step out the wrought-iron gates, something catches my eyes. My heart skips a beat when I see a black motorcycle across the street from me and leaning against that motorcycle is Robin, a helmet in hand almost as if he was waiting just for me. I cross the street after making sure that none of the cars were going to run over me and pause when I reach his side, looking up at him. "Need a ride?"

So, that is it. The origin of the academy of vampire hunters. This is bigger than me. I cannot win against them. It is not that I want to get rid of them now, though. Now after meeting Ivan. I just want what is mine now.

Ivan takes a deep breath once he finishes with his story and then his mother nods, smiling at me. "Thank you for escorting my son here. I am most thankful for your trouble." I bow respectfully to the woman, making her giggle. "I suppose you would like to know more about your father, the truth of him at the very least." Ivan nods to this and his mother takes a deep breath before speaking again. "Your father showed signs that he would become a great hunter at a young age. His parents sent him to the academy as soon as he was old enough to begin the intense training. It lasted until he was seventeen, when he was finally released from the academy and joined the hunters at night.

"I have already told you how we met so I will skip to the end. Your father did not die in a plane crash like we have told you so many times before. He was killed by a vampire on a mission. Garcia's mother called me the other night and told me about how my mother died. It seems as if a vampire killed her as well, a vampire she knew. My mother was a vampire sympathizer. She hated the fact that I had fallen in love and even married a vampire hunter. She was even more angry when she discovered that I had a child, you. I suppose she knew that you would have your father's powers and abilities. I am sorry to say that that is the reason your grandmother hated you so much."

"Nasty old bat." Hissed Hama, "She deserved what she got, hating my brother so much…and even you, Ivan, when you had done nothing but be born. And you could not have been more sweeter to her when you were around her." She sighs. "There is nothing we can do about it now, of course."

"And you Auntie, are you one of the hunters?" Hama pulls the pin out of her hair, allowing her long, pale violet hair to fall onto her shoulders as she shakes the tangles out of her hair. She begins to laugh at Ivan's question, as if he had told a joke. I frown slightly, silently wondering if the woman was mentally insane.

"Me? A hunter? Heavens no. I have none of the abilities that my brother had. I admit that I was a bit jealous of him at times but he really loved it. The training was hard and he would complain to me just for the hell of it but he enjoyed it, saying that he would be able to save lives." She frowned, "However, after you were born…he started to say strange things to me. That he was not so sure that your grandmother was so wrong for sympathizing with the vampires." Ivan stands up once again. His mother and aunt look up at his slightly surprised. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, wondering what could have made him stand up so suddenly.

"I'm really tiered. Do you think I could go to bed, just for a little while?" His mother smiles happily at him.

"Of course not. It is great to have you home again, Ivan." Ivan nods to her and looks down at the shattered teacup, opening his mouth to say something but Hama waves her hand to stop him.

"Don't bother. I'll get it in a second." He nods, apologizing as he stumble out of the room. One I hear the door to Ivan's room click shut, his mother and aunt turn to me, watching me with knowing smiles on their face. It is a little unnerving to say the least. I have not sat in a room this long with a woman since my own mother. I had forgotten what it was like.

"Robin, is it?" asks Ivan's mother, still smiling at me. Does she know I am a vampire? It is a little hard to tell with this dim lighting but still, my skin is too pale and my eyes have a strange glint to them. To a trained eye that knows what they are looking for, I certainly do not come off looking very human.

"Yes." I reply, a little skeptically, not sure whether to trust this woman yet or not.

"Can I ask you why you helped my son here? What was in it for you?" I bit down on my lip. I was not expecting that but I suppose it is a valid question. Anyone would want to know why I drove Ivan all the way from Sendai to Fukui just like that. That is none of her business, though. Not even Ivan's own mother. I stand up gracefully, whatever wrinkles that had managed to get into my clothes while sitting smooth themselves out.

"I…I cannot explain it myself. I just ended up helping him." That was not too far from the truth, just something to keep them off my back. I do not know what made me drive out to the academy when I did.

"Please, protect Ivan. He is all that we have left of my brother and he is very important to us. I can see it in your eyes as well, that Ivan is special to you." I watch them for a moment, studying their eyes before I break any, moving toward the hall and walking down it to the door Ivan had entered.

I pause at the door for a moment, breathing in deeply and listening carefully before turning the handle and pushing the door open, walking in after it. I close the door shut softly behind me and look around, smiling when I spot Ivan asleep on the bed. I let the smile fade away as I move toward his bed silently as possible, not wanting to wake him. He looks so peaceful sleeping like that.

When I reach the side of his bed, I drop to my knees and continue to watch him before I reach out tentatively with my hand to touch his, only to pull it back again. I look down at my hand for a moment, take another deep breath and try again, this time actually touching his hand. I pull away as quickly as my skin brushed his. His skin is so warm, almost burning compared to my skin. I release my breath and try again. On the third try, I bite down on my lip and finally take his hand in my own.

It is not so bad, I actually like it. I lift his hand to my cheek, brushing the back of it against my skin before brushing it against my lips. If I can do this then I should be able to do something else without any problems. I look at Ivan again and shut my eyes, moving forward slowly. My lips are mere inches from his when the door creaks open. I jump back, dropping Ivan's hand quickly and stumble backwards, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. Ivan's mother walks into the room, smiling at me as I clutch my chest, trying to regain control over my breathing.

"You are in love with my son, aren't you?" The question catches me off guard. I would have expected her to ask what I was doing with her son, or start grabbing furniture from around the room and throwing it at me. I look around the room for something to help me explain but my eyes keep falling on Ivan's sleeping form and looking at him certainly would not help me at the moment. I turn away and bite down on my bottom lip, searching for some good excuse.

"I…well…I…you see…" I stutter, still not sure what kind of bullshit excuse to give her. "I wouldn't say that exactly…I mean, we just met…" She crosses the room and walks over to Ivan's bed, pushing Ivan's bangs out of his closed eyes. I watch Ivan, my eyes softening when I realize something. I am in love with him. I want to protect him and I do not want him to ever be sad or ever be in pain. This is so strange. I have never been in love before. It scares me. Was meeting Ivan my destiny? We were destined to meet?

"It is quite all right. I see the way you look at him. I have seen it so many times before, in my husbands eyes each time he looked at me." She sighs nostalgically. "I know what you are, Robin. You are a vampire, but even so…you are still the only person that Ivan has ever shown such strong emotions for." She turns away from Ivan and walks towards me, smiling up at me as she places a hand on my cheek and whispers into my ear. "Please, take care of my son, I know you will do that for me, Robin. You have a kind heart, I can tell that from the way you were just looking at him." She giggles and walks out of the room, closing the door behind her. What a brave woman. She reminds me so much of my own mother before she started to lose her mind. I would hate for something like that to happen to her, but most of all…how would Ivan take that kind of loss?

I ruffle my hair, trying to shake off the sudden chill that had filled the room at that thought. I turn away from the door and look back to Ivan's bed, jumping back again when I see him sitting up in bed. "How long have you been awake?"

"The whole time." He mutters, lifting his hand in front of his face and looking down at it. I bow my head guiltily. "I…um…I am a light sleeper when I have things on my mind." I raise my head again and watch him as he trails his finger down the side of his hand that I had kissed. I widen my eyes.

"S-sorry about that…I…" I apologize, not really knowing why. He shakes his head and smiles up at me, something different about his eyes this time. My cheeks heat up at the look and I smile back at him in spite of the blush on my cheeks. I would love to get to know him better.

"It's just fine. I didn't mind at all." We watch each other for a long moment, captivated by the other's eye until I clear my throat

"What are we going to do now?" I ask. I need to know just how far he wants to take this. I do not want to do something that the both of us will forget. I can live with heartbreak; my whole life has been nothing but that. Ivan…I do not want something like this hanging on his shoulders if he does not want to be with me. "You are a hunter and I am a vampire. And…according to your mother, we both have strong feelings for each other. What do we do now?"

"I don't know. All we can do now is just wait and see how things play out. Garcia is definitely going to be pissed at me when I get back to the academy, though. That much I can be sure of now." He lets out a sigh and turns to me again, smiling in spite of what he had said, "I guess it was all worth it, though. I got the answers that I came for. All of them." I smile as well.

"I guess that is all that matters." He stretches and covers a huge yawn with his hand, blushing at me when he lowers his hands. "You should get some rest. A lot has happened to you today, you do not want to overexert yourself and get sick, do you?" He shakes his head and stands up, walking toward me hesitantly before slipping his arms around my waist and hugging me. Before he can pull away, I return the hug and lean down, brushing my lips across his cheek lightly. He blushes, touching his cheek lightly before turning around slowly and stumbling toward his bed, pulling out his covers and lying down on it.

I smile and turn away, pulling out the chair of at the desk behind me and sitting down in it, watching as Ivan falls asleep almost immediately. I lean back in the chair and fold my arms across my chest. Does this change things? I do not even know if my creator is alive anymore, he could have let himself die, giving up living since it was so boring going around just killing humans. There is my revenge, though. Do I still want it? Meeting Ivan does change things but to what degree? I do not want him to get involved in this mess. I do not want him to get hurt, especially not because of me. It would be my fault for ever allowing him to get this close to me. I know my maker. If he finds out about Ivan and if he finds out that I am trying to kill him, he will use Ivan against me any way he can. I suppose I will just have to back off for now.

Hours pass before Ivan wakes up again. I start to fall asleep myself, tiered from both the drive and sitting in one place for so long without moving a muscle. Ivan smiles when he sees me and I snap my head up, widening my eyes to try to cover up my fatigue. No good. I fall asleep as he walks over to me. He taps my shoulder, waking me up again. "Good morning, Ivan." I greet him with a tiered smile but yawn. He laughs at this.

"If you want…you can use my bed to sleep in. I bet it is more comfortable than sleeping in that chair." I shake my head, waving my hands at the suggestion. Sleeping in his bed? Even without him in it, it seems a little too big a step for me. Ivan rolls his eyes but leans down, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet. He switches places with me and turns me around so my back is to his bed. He smiles up at me sweetly and my cheeks redden as I wraps my arms around Ivan's waist. Ivan's smile widens and he pushes me back toward the bed. He pauses and I only catch a glimpse of the weird hip movement he makes before he places his hands on my chest and pushes me back. I gasp, releasing my hold on him so that I do not take him down with me if I fall and I trip over Ivan's foot, landing backwards onto Ivan's bed. I blink up at the ceiling as Ivan jumps on top of me, pinning me to the bed while he laughs. "It seems that I am the winner, Robin." I look at him and groan, waving my hand at him as he sits on my stomach, his laughter still in the air. "Don't pout, Robin. Did you want a kiss? You looked so expectant."

"You are really enjoying this, aren't you?" He winks at me and rolls off me before hopping off the bed and making his way toward the door, opening it before looking back at me as I lift myself up on my elbows to look at him. "Please get some sleep, Robin. I know that you were watching over me while I was sleeping. I am sure a lot has happened to you as well today, right? You do not want to overexert yourself, right?" I smirk as he tries to use my logic against me. I do not have the heart to tell him that I cannot get sick or overexert myself. I simply sigh and nod at him. He returns my smile, waves to me and walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Might as well do as he asks. I remove my jacket and lay it on the corner of the bed before pulling off my shirt as well. I flop back onto his bed and rest my head on my arms closing my eyes and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

I wake up again, hours later, just as the door opens and Ivan walks back into the room. He freezes when his eyes fall onto me, blushing crimson and turning his head as I sit up and pull my shirt on, quickly apologizing. Ivan shakes his head, turning back once I slipped my shirt over my head. I pat a spot on the bed next to me and he walks over, dropping onto the bed beside me, still blushing. After a moment, he turns to me and bites down on his bottom lip, "Uh…Robin, you…look really good." Mentally I am dancing around for joy in my head but outwardly, I merely frown and look down at him, leaning in a little closer.

"Is that the only reason you are attracted to me?" He gasps and shakes his head quickly, grabbing onto my arm, startling me.

"That is not it at all, not that you are not attractive, you are very attractive." He says forcefully, "I do not know why I like you so much, what made me fall for you in the first place. I…I think I might even be in love with you, but it certainly is not because of your body." I smile at him. Ivan turns away, embarrassed and lifts his feet off the ground, falling back onto his bed. A comfortable silences settles around us. I listen to his breathing and the beating of his heart, a soft drumming echoing in his chest. "Robin…would it be rude of me…to ask you if I could stay with for you a couple of weeks? I have a lot of thinking to do before I can go back to the academy and I know my mother would never allow me to even stay here another day. As long as she thinks I went back to the academy it will be okay."

Another question that catches me off guard. I blush and turn to him, "It would not be rude of you, but do you really want to live with me? Even if it is for a couple of weeks…" He smiles and sits up again.

"It would give us more time to be together and get to know more about each other." He laughs. I smile. He does want to be with me them, he seriously would not mind it at all. I nod in agreement at the suggestion and look away from him for a moment, glancing out the window. Night had already fallen, but there was a dim remnant of sunlight on the horizon.

I take Ivan's hand in mine and stand up, lifting him off the bed with me and setting him on his feet. "If were are going, we should go now while the sun is down. I cannot be outside when the sun is out." He nods and leads me out of his room, still holding my hand. His mother and aunt are sitting in the living room, talking to each other when we enter the room. Ivan spots us in front of them, throwing his arms around my neck as he smiles at them.

"Robin and I are going back to Sendai now. I know how much you want me back there in the safety and protection of the academy's walls." Hama smirks and nods. Ivan's mother stands up and Ivan releases his hold on me, moving to his mother and hugging her quickly. She kisses him on the cheek as he pulls away and bows to her. "Bye, Mom."

"No goodbyes for your aunt?" asked Hama, standing up and pulling Ivan into a bear hug. I widen my eyes and take a couple of steps back. Ivan sways as she releases him and he falls back into me.

"Bye, Auntie." I frown at Ivan as we leave the lighthouse, walking back toward my motorcycle. I grab his arm once we reach it and turn him around to face me. "Robin?"

"Is that all you are going to say to them? Don't you want to say more?" Ivan shrugs but leans against me, resting his head against my chest. I sigh and loop my arm around his waist, using my free hand to rub his back. "You still have a chance to say something to them before we leave. I do not exactly want to make coming to Fukui a habit." He smiles up at me as he pulls away but shakes his head.

"It will be better this way. We never were big on goodbyes. We like to leave things unsaid so we will have a reason to come back." He blinks and pats my arms, slightly confused, "Did you forget your jacket?" I look down and sigh, nodding. "Do you want to go back and get it?"

"No, I can always come back and get it now that I know where this place is." I smile, "Besides, we really should be getting out of here already, right?" He nods and I lift the helmet off the back of the motorcycle and hand it to him before climbing on and starting the engine again. Once Ivan has the helmet on, he hops on behind me and wraps his arms around my waist again, leaning his head against my back. I pull out onto the road again and speed down the street, once again using my powers when Ivan falls asleep. Some things about me he does not need to know, at least not yet.

We reach my house with an hour of darkness left, the moon slowly lowering from the sky, shrinking in size. I cut the engine and slip the keys into my pocket before turning around to look at Ivan. He is still asleep, not that I expected him to be awake. I smile and remove the helmet, setting it on the ground before I pick him up and carry him into the house, locking the door carefully behind me.

I yawn and quickly shake my head, trying to shake it off but fatigue once again catches up with me. I carry Ivan up the stairs and lay him down on my bed. I am too tiered to do anything other than remove my shirt and drop onto my bed next to Ivan, finally falling into a deep sleep. Ivan rolls over in his sleep and I smile. Having him staying here for a while might be nice for the both of us.

I thought it was just some weird dream but I can feel smooth fingers brushing along my chest, tracing a familiar pattern there, the pattern of my scar. I blink my eyes open and look down, violet eyes watching me. Looking down I see his fingers dancing along my scar. I grab his hand and bring it up to my lips, kissing it lightly, making Ivan blush. "Robin, can you tell me how you got that scar?"

"It is not important." I reply simply, sitting up and climbing off the bed. Ivan sits up after me, stretching and looking around the room. He turns back to me, looking slightly disappointed. Smirking, I throw him some of my clothes to change into. He gives me a questioning look as he pulls the shirt that I threw him from his head. "You can those, they might be a little big but that is all I have, and," I point to the room next to my bed, "you can take a shower and change in there." He climbs off my bed and moves toward the bathroom hesitantly.

"Thanks for letting me stay here, Robin. It really means a lot to me." He whispers from the door before walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind him. I smile at the closed door and turn away, changing into different clothes before heading downstairs, suddenly glad I decided to keep food in the refrigerator just in case I ever had to prove to someone that I was human. I did not need my cover being blown just because of that.

When I enter the kitchen and move to the refrigerator and lean forward, looking around for something that Ivan might like. Sighing, I grab the egg carton. I hope he likes pancakes…

I finish just as Ivan comes down the stairs and walks into the kitchen, a towel draped around his shoulders as his wet hair drips onto it. The clothes I gave him are a little too bit, the sleeves are hiding his hands and the pants are hiding his feet from view. "I knew they would be too big for you." I say, smiling apologetically at him.

"They're okay." He replies, waving his arms in the air a bit before walking over to me and leaning around me to see what was on the table, "What are you doing?"

"You have to eat, don't you?" I ask laughing, "I wasn't sure what you like but this is all that I learned how to make. It's kind of pathetic, I know but since I don't have to eat…I didn't think that learning would be all that important." To my great surprise, Ivan smiles up at me happily and throws his arms around my neck, drawing me down slightly so he can kiss my cheek.

"Pancakes are my favorite, Robin! Thank you." I smile and shake my head.

"I can't exactly let you starve now, can I?" I turn him around and push him toward the table, making him sit down. "Now eat. Here, let me dry your hair." I pick up the towel from his shoulders and start to dry his hair as he eats. "What to you want to do today?" Ivan leans back and smiles.

"I was hoping we could just stay here tonight. You know, just talk and spend time with each other like we planned to do." I laugh and nod in agreement.

Once he finishes, we move into the living room and sit on the couch together. Ivan fiddles with the sleeves of the shirt I gave him to wear before he lifts it up to his nose and takes a deep breath. "This shirt still has your smell." I blink at him, wondering how to take that comment.

"Is that a good thing?" He gives me a sweet smile and nods, slipping his arms around my waist and resting his head against my chest. This is nice.

"It sort of smells like roses, but it's really faint. I like it, though." I lift a hand up to stroke Ivan's hair, threading my fingers through his soft locks.

"You certainly are a weird kid for falling in love with me without even being placed in a trance." He shakes his head, laughing, lifting his head up briefly to look at me.

"Oh yeah, well you're weirder for falling in love with me." I smile as he rests his head on my chest again, closing his eyes as he listens to my heart beating.

"You know, it is strange. Before I met you, I barely ever smiled. Not once have I smiled as a vampire before I bumped into you that night, but now, when I look at you, you make me smile, even when you are not doing anything at all. Is that what it means to be in love?" I bring a stand of Ivan's hair up to my lips, kissing the blonde strands gently as he snuggles up closer to me. "Ivan, you would not mind tell me more about yourself, would you? I really would like to know everything you are willing to tell me." He fiddles with the buttons on my shirt before running his fingers down the black fabric.

"I would not mind telling you. Where should I start?" I smile.

"The beginning is always nice." He nods and takes a deep breath before starting.

"Well, I was born in Fukui. My childhood was just like everyone else's, I went on picnics with my parents, spent a lot of time with my cousin when he was in town or when we went to visit him. I went to a lot of fairs with my parents but my mom was too weak to go on rides and my dad did not want to leave either of us alone so we just decided to try some other time."

"Rides?" As I mentioned before, I have never been to a fair or amusement park before so I would not really know what it is like.

"You've never been to a fair before?" He asks, surprised as he pulls away and looks up at me again. I blush and shake my head. "Well, then we should go sometime, the fair should be in town for a while. It is somewhat hard to explain it, though, so you might want to just go and see for yourself. A lot of couples go there, too."

"I would like to go there with you…" I mutter, blushing. He smiles and rests his head on my chest again.

"So, anyway…I had a pretty normal childhood until my dad died when I was seven. He told me he was going on a business trip to the States, but then my mother later told me that his plane crashed before he arrived. As you know, that was not true, but it was what I was always told. It is still hard to believe that he was actually killed by a vampire instead. I guess it is true, though. He was a vampire hunter and all.

"Let's see…what else? A year ago, I came to Sendai and studied at the academy, under the pretense that it was just some fancy prep school that some of my relations were running. My mom said that my father had gone to the academy when he was younger and she wanted to see how I would fair there, of course, she did not want me to actually attend the academy permanently."

"She probably did not want you to get mixed up in all this mess. She did not want to lose you like she lost your father." I offer softly, moving my hand from the top of my head to his back, drawing small circles there. "Being a hunter is dangerous, even for the ones with the most advanced training and knowledge. If you let your guard down even for a second, it could mean instant death. Vampires have the strength of ten men when they are first turned. It would not be wise to go into battle with one if you do not know what you are doing, or what you are up against. That was why…Garcia was it?" He nods, "Yes, well, that was why he and I were staring each other down, gauging each other's strengths and weaknesses."

"I see…"

"Even the strongest hunter must be on guard at all times. Your mother did not want that life for you, I doubt she still does but she has no say in this any longer. The decision is yours, to continue into this life further, follow in your father's footsteps or let what power you have fade and forget any of this has ever happened." He looks up, suddenly worried.

"You mean, if I chose not to become a hunter…you and I would never…" I blink and smile, laughing.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Ivan. Even if you were to not choose the life of a hunter, my feelings for you would not change. I would rather be relieved but I, like your mother, have no say in the matter. You need to chose what is best for you, what you want to do with your life." He sighs and settles down again.

"It seems like a very big decision for me to make."

"It is. However, vampires do not seek out the hunters, they do not wish for their own demise. We know what the hunters are capable of and for the young ones, they fear that but fear can sometimes make one do foolish things." I explain to him, "If they are confronted by a hunter, they will either stand there in fright or charge forward recklessly. Many do the latter and meet their death because of that. Sometimes that is not the case. From experience, many of the younger hunters find the younger vampires, since their powers are around equal levels. A less experienced hunter might get startled by the charging vampire and…forget what to do. If you do chose to become a hunter, remember not to show fear, or allow your fear to control your actions."

"I understand."

"Continue." I say after a moment.

"I stayed at the academy until I received a call from my aunt, telling me that my grandmother in Hong Kong had just died and my mother was too sick to attend the funeral so I was to go in her place and speak at the funeral." He says calmly, "So I had to leave the academy to speak at the funeral. When I arrived in Hong Kong, I also had to look over the police report about my grandmother's death. They said that she had been drained of her blood and the only signs of wounds on her were two small puncture wounds on her neck." He lifts his hand up to his neck and points to a part of his neck. Of course, every vampire knows where to bite their victim on the neck to draw the life from them. Therefore, it is true, but who could have killed her? She must have known him, from what Hama and Ivan's mother said, Ivan's grandmother was a vampire supporter. Strange…"If I had known about all this vampire stuff before I would have known the truth about what had happened to my grandmother. Not that…I really was worried about her, she always hated me because my mother married my father, I just hate being lied to." He buries his head in my chest, grasping folds of my shirt in his hands.

"Your mother was thinking of your safety when she withheld this information from you." I reasoned. "Just be happy everything came out into the open now. You went looking for answers to all your questions and you got them. It certainly did not take very long for you to get your answer, either." I sigh and glance at the clock. Four in the morning. An hour and a half left before the sun rises. I turn back to Ivan as I feel him shift his weight in my arms.

"But even so, even with that excuse…I still believe that I had a right to know about my own father's death. He fought up until the last moment, and my mother tells me the lie that he died in a plane crash. That is disgracing his memory, everything that he was, everything that he struggled to become. It was not right, at least, I think it was not…" He trails off and after a long moment, does not speak. I lean back and look at him.

"You…you fell asleep?" I whisper to myself when I see his eyes closed, his breathing coming out slowly. I watch him for a couple of minutes to make sure he is asleep before leaning down slowly. I hesitate, my lips inches from his as I watch his eyes to make sure he will not wake up. I brush my lips against his and back away quickly, blinking at him. Why did that…feel so good? I lift my hand to my lips, blushing. I want to kiss him again…but he is sleeping. Would that be fair to him? I sigh and smile to myself. Still…that kiss was good enough for me. I am a little dizzy, like the world is spinning even though I am standing still. It does not feel weird. It feels really good. I close my eyes and let my head rest lightly on Ivan's as I fall asleep as well.

I am the first to wake up. Ivan's arms are still wrapped around my waist and his head is still lying on my chest as he continues to sleep on. I smile and bend my head slightly, pressing my hand to his chest, both listening to and feeling his heartbeat. He wakes up a moment later, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he sits up slowly. I pull my hand away from his chest quickly. "S-sorry…I just wanted to…" Why does he make me act this way? I usually know what to say. He shakes his head.

"It's okay, I don't really mind." He lets out a sigh, stretches and hops off the couch, pulling off the shirt I had given him the night before. I flush and quickly stand up, taking his hand and leading him back up to my room. I grab him a change of clothes from the closet and hand them to him. He giggles at me before running off to the bathroom, leaving me alone in the room again.

I turn back to the closet and pull out some clothes for myself, unbuttoning my shirt and throwing it into the hamper on the other side of the room. I feel foolish now. I have been so focused on tracking down and trying to kill my maker that I never stopped to notice what has been going on around me. I kept my emotions bottled up inside and I never was able to understand things, never able to open up to anyone like this before. Ivan has his own problems but he is dealing with him better than I ever could, even now. He even wants to get mixed up in my problems. How can he care so much? How can he still keep a smile on his face after he found all of this out? I know I told him that his mother had his best interest in mind but even I think she was being selfish. He had a right to know all along. He would have been able to understand this life when he was younger, he is a smart kid. It would have been better to tell him when he was younger so that he was not used to everything being so normal. You cannot just throw someone into the life of supernatural beings and not expect him to be a little frightened and confused by all of it.

I pull a dark blue, long sleeved turtleneck over my shoulders and pull a pair of tight, black leather pants on before walking out of the room again and entering the living room. I turn the television on and lean back, staring blankly at the screen for a couple of minutes. I hear Ivan bouncing down the stairs before he pops his head in the doorway and smiles when he sees me. He hops towards me, turns around and sit in-between my legs, a towel draped around his shoulders, his hair dripping wet once again. I blink at him for a couple of seconds until I realize what he wants me to do. I smile and laugh before happily complying. I pick up the towel and start to dry his hair gently. He lifts his hands up and wraps his fingers around my wrists so he can follow the movement of my arms.

Once I finish drying his hair, I throw the towel somewhere behind me, not really caring where it lands. Ivan continues to sit in front of me so I wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him back slightly so the back of his head is leaning against my chest. I rest my chin on top of his head and we watch television, even though I am sure that neither of us are actually paying attention. Ivan turns around and looks up at me after a moment. "Um…can we go somewhere, Robin?" I nod and he stands up, holding out his hand for me to take. I smile and take his hand, leading him to the door.

After we put our shoes and coats on, we walk out into the night air, Ivan taking my hand again and leading me down the street, toward the park. As we walk along the paths through the park, Ivan keeps the conversation up, taking about some of his favorite bands that I should listen to sometime. To make sure that I am paying attention to him, he adds something funny and completely off topic here and there.

He blinks up at me, swinging our joined hands as we walk, "…and then Gerald went sliding down the stairs on his mattress to try to impress Jasmine." I turn to him.

"What does that have to do with…L'ArcEnCiel, was it?" He laughs, takes my other hand in his and we spin around until my back bumps into a tree. Ivan smiles up at me and slips his arms around my neck, lifting himself up on tiptoes and kissing my chin. I wrap my arms around his waist, holding him up and pulling him closer to me as I close my eyes. I feel his lips brush against my cheek and then he turns around, lowering himself and laughing as I groan.

"You really enjoy teasing me like that, don't you?"

"Only because you get so disappointed, Robin. If you want to kiss me, you should just do it." Before I can do or say anything, he takes my hand again and drags me away from the tree, leading me to the entrance of the park. "I really like spending time with you, Robin. You are different from anyone else. I like that." I smile after him but pause, pulling him towards me and drawing him into a hug.

"Te amo." I whisper into his ear. I doubt he will understand but I need to say it, I need to hear myself telling him this. I do love him, as much as anyone can ever love someone, maybe even more than that. This feeling is just so strong. I want to be with him for as long as time will allow. I want to be the reason he smiles, I mean really smiles because he is happy to be with me, happy to just be in my presence. I have never felt this before and I do not think that anyone will make me feel the way he makes me feel. He has stolen my heart.

"S-sorry, I don't know what you said." I smile and pull away from him.

"I'll tell you later." He starts to pout but I lean down and kiss his nose, winking at him as I pull away again. "Come on, Ivan."

"Uh…Robin?" I stop again and look back at him. He looks at his feet, shuffling them now and then before he looks up at me again, his cheeks red, "Could you…um…you wouldn't mind…carrying me?" I smirk and nod, leaning down slightly, I sweep him off his feet, his arms wrapping around my neck as I lift him off the ground.

"Is this how you want me to carry you?" He nods, leaning his head against my shoulder as he watches me. I smirk, "Hang on tight." I bend my knees slightly and kick off the ground, leaping into the air and landing gracefully on a rooftop. Ivan yelps and tightens his hold on my neck. "You all right?"

"Y-yeah…just a little surprised is all." I nod and jump to the next roof, quickly reaching my house in a matter of seconds. I leap to the ground and turn to the door, opening it with my mind before stepping inside and closing the door in the same manner that I had opened it. I set Ivan on the ground and he starts to sway before I grab onto his shoulders to steady him.

"I didn't know you could do that."

"Yeah, there are a lot of things that you do not know about vampires. I should tell you everything before you return to the academy." He leans forward, pressing his ear to my chest.

"Why do you have a heartbeat? I mean, vampires are supposed to be…dead, right." I sigh and steer him into the kitchen, pushing him down into one of the chairs before moving to the counter and leaning back against it.

"Aside from the part that we are immortal, impervious to everything apart from fire and sunlight, we are pretty human. We live, we breathe, we can eat mortal food if we want to, and some of the older vampires do just that. Our sense are strong when we are younger but the older you get…the more you begin to lose some of your senses, that is why some of the older vampires kill themselves mainly by stepping out into the sun or seeking lighting themselves on fire." I lift myself onto the countertop and wait for this to sink in. "Everything you were told about vampires is not true, well everything that you see in the old movies. I can see my reflection, I can cross water and I have actually have a weird fetish for crucifixes." I pull on the chain under my shirt and show him a silver cross. "This belonged to my older sister, Lupe. I am surprised that it has lasted this long. She gave it to me before she died, telling me that she wanted me to have it." I gaze down at the cross before letting it fall to my chest.

"I am sorry…it must have been hard to watch your sister grow old while you remained the same age…" I shake my head.

"It wasn't like that. I was still human when she died. I was born during the bubonic plague. It took my siblings but left me…" I pause at the memory and close my eyes, "But…I do not want to talk about that right now. I can tell you that later and I promise one day…I will tell you everything."

"I'd like that." I smile and slip off the counter.

"So, what do you want to eat?" He hops off his chair and bounces toward me.

"I say…we should eat…sashimi!" I blink.

"Sashimi? What's sashimi?" He laughs.

"Yep, you are defiantly not from Japan. Here, I will show you how to make it. My aunt taught Susa and me how to make it when we were younger. We nearly burned the house down but we did learn how to make it before the fire department came."

After we finish making and eating the sashimi, we head upstairs, not wanting to fall asleep on the couch again like we did last night. "So…we're still sleeping together, right?" He asks when we enter my room.

"Unless you want me to sleep on the couch." He climbs onto my bed and lies back down on the covers, turning to me when I sit down as well. He tugs on my sleeve, making me lay down next to him.

"Robin…how old are you?"

"Well, I was turned into a vampire when I was eighteen, so physically I am eighteen still. That is not what you want to know though, is it?" He shakes his head, "I lost track…but I am a little over 990 years old, maybe 1014 counting my years that I was alive. I have seen a lot…and I am not proud of this, but I have killed a lot of people." He sits up and leans over me, his hair tickling my forehead and he leans a little closer.

"But you only kill bad people, I saw it on the news the night I met you. They said that you had been killing people that were involved in some of the major crime lords of Japan and that they had already killed many people before you killed them."

"Even so, that does not give me the right to take their lives away from them." I lift my hand up and place it on his cheek. "I do not take pride in what I am, Ivan, but I know that I cannot change it so I do not try to fight it. I did that once and I know not to make that mistake again…however…" I trail off, turning my eyes away from him but leaving my hand on his cheek.

"However what?" He asks, leaning forward more.

"I might not have to kill anyone anymore, I have not tested it but the force that drove me to kill when I was younger has left me. I cannot even feel it any longer." He perks up.

"So that should mean you do not have to kill anymore, right?" I sigh and remove my hand from his cheek, sitting up slowly.

"It makes me stronger, and I need that strength. The reason that I have not stepped out into the sunlight or set fire to myself is that I am looking for the vampire that made me. He was old when I was alive and I know that he is extremely powerful now, if he is even alive. I know him. He would not have given up this life for anything. He revels in other people's pain. Before he changed me, he killed both of my parents." I shake my head, lowering my eyes to my hands, "There was nothing I could do. I was too frightened. I just sat there, listening to my mother's cries and she begged him not to kill me, to take her instead."

I feel Ivan's hands on either side of my head and he pulls me down, resting my head on his chest as he hugs me. "It's okay, Robin." He whispers, stroking my hair as I had done for him, "You cannot change what happened in the past. Everything happens for a reason. You could not have stopped him even if you had tried and you know that."

"I know…I know that, but still…something he said that night keeps coming back to me. I cannot help but feel that their deaths are my fault." I pull away and watch him. "We should get some sleep now." He looks as if he wants to say something but keeps it to himself, for which I am glad. I am not ready to tell him my past yet. The memories are still so fresh for me, even after so long. This is the most I have told anyone about my past, about what happened the night I was changed into a vampire.

We fall asleep in each other's arms again.

The next three days pass in pretty much the same fashion. We either stay in the house or go out to the park, either way we just talk, not about my past or his, just what we are doing now, happy to be with each other. On the sixth day since he came to stay with me, though, I make a decision. One that I will trust with him and him alone.

After he showers and eats, we move into the living room again and I turn him around before we sit down on the couch. I make him lean against me and I wrap my arms around his waist. "You said you wanted to know more about me?" I whisper, "There are some things that I still cannot talk about but I will tell everything that I am willing to tell you."

"Only what you are comfortable with…"

"I was born in England…which is where I got my accent from, but it is very faint since it has been a while since I was in England last. I had three siblings, one older than me and the two others younger than me, two sister and a brother. Lupe, the one who gave me my necklace, was the oldest. Silas and Amdis were younger than me by a couple of years but the four of us were all people close. It was lot long after I was born that the plague struck with full force. My siblings were the weakest so it effected them the most. I barely ever received an illness when I was alive, I still am not sure why that was.

"…After they died, my parents started to fight more often and my father would always come home drunk." I bite down on my lip before I can continue, "Three months after my eighteenth birthday, my father came home drunk again. This time I tried to intervene and ended up being thrown into my room and he locked the door shut on the outside so I could not get out…

"It was not long before the front door slammed open and someone strange entered the house. He had graceful footsteps, I could hear that through the closed door, even though they were muffled by the wood. He moved toward my father, killing him before turning to my mother." I tilt my head forward, resting my head against Ivan's shoulder. He turns around in my arms and looks at me. I shake my head, "She asked him to spare me, that I was all she had left in the world. He said that the only reason he was there that night because of me, because he wanted to turn me into a vampire so I could carry out his will. He killed my mother and then turned me. I was under his watchful eye every moment after that, but he could not make me obey all of his orders. Soon, he grew tiered of me and then left. I have been trying to find him ever since them, trying to find him so that I can make him pay for killing my mother."

"And even after all these years, you have not been able to find him? Not even a trace of him?" I shake my head sadly.

"Nothing, it is almost as if he vanished from the face of the earth but I have a strong feeling that he is still around. I cannot give up as long as he is alive." Ivan bowed his head before looking back up at me.

"Don't do anything too dangerous, Robin. I do not want to lose you. I…" I place a finger to his lips and smile down at him.

"Shh. Don't say that just yet. Wait a little longer, when you are sure you really want to be with me." He shakes his head and throws his arms around my neck.

"I don't care that you are a vampire, Robin. That is only what you are, not who you are and I care about deeply. Moreover, what happened in your past does not matter. What matters now is the present and the future. I want to be apart of both. No matter what it takes." I hug him and shake my head.

"No matter what it takes, huh?" He pulls away and glances at the clock before he grabs my hand and drags me to the door. He releases my hand and picks up my coat, forcing it over my shoulders and then he drops to his knees, putting my boots on for me and lacing them up. "What are you doing?" He does not answer me, but heads for the door after he gets his shoes on as well.

I grab his hand and pull him back, slipping his jacket over his shoulders and smirking. "Forgetting something?" He smiles happily up at me and loops his arm through mine before we walk out the door. "Okay, Ivan, where are you going?"

"It's a surprise. I'm sure you are going to like it, though." He leads me through the streets for a couple of minutes until we reach…

"That fair?" I gasp, blinking at all the bright lights. Ivan smiles up at me as he hugs my arm and nods. "Uh…so what are we supposed to do here?"

"Have fun, come on!" He pulls me forward and we run around the fairgrounds, riding every single one of the rides until we get to the Farris wheel. I look out the window when we reach the top, "I think I like this ride the most. You can see everything from up here." Ivan scoots closer to me and rests his head on my shoulder. "Thank you for taking me here, Ivan. I did not know what I was missing before I actually came to a place like this. It is a lot of fun. I could have done without everyone staring at us, though."

He laughs, "You should have seen them when I came here with Picard and Garcia. They could not move fast enough to get out of the way of those two. It is hard to keep up with them at a fair. I like coming here with you a lot more, though." I kiss the top of his head and turn back to the window before he can look up at me. He shifts under my arm and I feel his lips on my cheek. "Robin, what does te amo mean?"

"You are just going to have to wait if you want to know so badly. Asking is not going to get you anywhere." He sticks out his tongue and I catch it. "What are you going to do now?" He reaches up and pinches my cheeks. "Ow, ow."

"Leggo."

"You let go." We release each other at the same time, laughing as he throws himself at me. The box starts to rock and someone on the ground yells at us. "We better put this on hold until we get back onto the ground. I would not want us falling out."

"You could save us before we actually hit the ground." He says with a smile, but settles down, leaning against me. "Robin…"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing…" I sigh and smile.

"Ivan."

"Yeah?"

"How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" He pulls away and stares at me for a moment before trying to tickle me. And he succeeds. "I-Ivan! Come on! S-stop! I'm really—haha—ticklish!"

"Good! Here I thought you had something important to say. You are such a dork, Robin!" He yells laughing as I lean against the side of the box to try to get away from him. "Apologize for being an idiot."

"Huh?" I ask through my laughter, "No way! I was just—heh heh—joking around with you! Come on, stop tickling me already!" Just as Ivan climbs on top of me, the ride stops and the door flings open, a very angry man poking his head through the doorway and glaring at us. "Uh…we can explain…"

"If you cannot behave, you have to get off the ride. It is very dangerous to roughhouse on a ride like this. Someone could get hurt. You two have already been warned once. Get off. If you want to ride on this, you will have to come back later, when I actually think you are ready to ride." The man pulls his head out of the doorway again and Ivan climbs off me, laughing.

"What's so funny? We got in trouble." I say, sitting up and smoothing out my shirt before standing up and following him off the ride. He takes my hand again and pulls me through the crowd.

"I know, that was the fun part." We reach the entrance and he turns around, "I have one more place I want to go before we go back to your place, okay?" I nod and he turns away from me again, leading me down the street to a small café. He pushes the door open and a young woman in a French maids uniform bows to us.

"Oh, you're back and you brought a different friend with you this time." She replies, smiling at Ivan. Who is this girl…? I am getting strange vibes from her and her eyes…they are not normal. I narrow my eyes at her as she begins to talk to Ivan. Could she possibly be…? But she does not look to be of my kind. Even so, she could still be dangerous. I should get Ivan out of here but I cannot alert her of the fact that I think she is dangerous. Only one way to do that.

I wrap my arms around Ivan's waist and lean down, nibbling on the edge of his ear. He shivers in my arms and giggles, blushing. I turn to the waitress, smirking with my eyes half-lidded, "If you would please excuse us, we really must be going. We have a lot of things to take care of before the night is through." She smiles and nods, bowing to us again and turning away, walking off in another direction. I steer Ivan out of the café and release him.

"Uh…Robin…" I place my hand on his waist and pull him close, silencing him with by pressing a finger to his lips.

"Not here." I hold out my hand for him and he takes it. I lead the way back to my house and when we arrive, I push him against the wall gently after shutting the door and locking it. "Ivan, I do not want you to go anywhere near that woman for the café ever again, do you understand? I sensed something dangerous from her."

"I understand, I won't go near her." He promises, "What do you think it is?' I pull away, releasing my hold on his shoulders, walking to the living room with him following closely behind me. Before I can sit down, he hugs me from behind. "Are you mad at me, Robin?" I turn around and lean down kissing his forehead.

"It isn't that. I was just worried about your safety. I do not want anything bad to happen to you. You are important to me." He smiles and pushes me back, making me lay back on the couch before he climbs on top of me, resting his chin on my chest.

"Thank you for letting me stay here."

"You already thanked me before." I laugh.

"But it does really mean a lot to me, Robin. I mean, we just met and you are treating me so nice, letting me stay here and taking me out."

"Anything for you, Ivan."

The next six days pass with little change. We spend three days just hanging around the house, going out onto the roof to stargaze and talk until we begin to fall asleep. Then we went out to dinner, only to be kicked out of the restaurant for goofing off and upsetting the other customers. The day after that, I heard that L'ArcEnCiel would be holding a concert in Sendai so I surprised Ivan by taking him to the concert. He really did seem to enjoy that.

I wake up to Ivan poking my nose, probably wondering how many pokes have can get in before I wake up. I grab his wrist without opening my eyes and smirk when I open my eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to wake you up, of course." I sit up and stretch my arms.

"There are other ways of waking me up." He leans towards me.

"Oh really? And what ways are those?"

"I can't tell you that, they are my secrets." He groans, flopping back onto the bed. "Come on, get ready. I want to take you somewhere today." After he takes a shower and eats, we head outside and I hand him my helmet before climbing on the back of my motorcycle. He slips the helmet on, buckles it under his chin and climbs on behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist to hold on.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." I reply before starting the engine and pulling out of the driveway. It takes an hour of so but we finally reach the destination. The beach. The moon is reflecting on the water, turning it a silvery color. Ivan climbs off and pulls the helmet from his head, handing it to me. I smile at his expression as I strap the helmet to the back of my motorcycle and follow him onto the beach. "You have to return to the academy after tomorrow so I thought that I should take you some place nice tonight."

"It's wonderful, Robin." He sits down on the white sand and I sit next to him, looking up at the sky.

"You can see a lot more stars here since it is so far from the city. I've never actually come here before since I was too busy with…" I pause, "You know. I saw it when I first came to Sendai and I have been wanting to come back ever since. I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to come here."

"It is romantic." He leans against me and lets out a sigh, his eyes watching the waves move towards us and away again.

"What would you like to do tomorrow, before I drive you back to the academy?"

"Could we go to a nightclub?" I look down at him, only to see him still watching the waves. "I want to dance with you." I blush, thankful that he is looking out at the waves instead of up at me.

"I guess we could, if you really want to go dancing…"

"And I have decided what I want to do."

"Oh? Have you now? And what is that?"

"I want to become a hunter, not like my father. I want to become better than him, I want to surpass him in everyway possible. I do not want to die and hurt my mother the way he did. I do not want to make people sad by losing. Besides, I still have a lot left I want to do and I refuse to be killed before I do them." I smile and laugh.

"Very optimistic, aren't we?" He simply nods before adding a reply.

"I need to be, thinking pessimistically will only get me depressed and might jinx things for me. As long as I believe I can do it, I know I will be able to pull through somehow. Besides…" He turns to me and smiles, "You are my knight in shining armor."

"I am? Well, I hate to be the barer of bad news, my sweet Ivan, but would your knight in shining armor do this?" I push him to the ground and start tickling him, his laughter chasing the previous silence away. "This is payback for the Farris wheel incident!" He is unable to say anything, his laughter coming out more as I continue to tickle him.

I finally stop and smile down at him. "Well, now that I have had my revenge…it is time for me to rest." He gawks up at me.

"You rest? I should be the one tiered after that." I shake my head and lay back on the sand next to him, my eyes trained on the stars. "Robin…"

"Let's not do that again."

"No, I was wondering…if I ever get caught up in something too big for me…would you come to my rescue?" I watch a flickering blue star for a moment before letting out a sigh and holding my hand up to the sky, cupping a cluster of stars in my hand.

"If it is in my power to do so, I would be there in a heartbeat. I did promise not to let anything bad happen to you, but you cannot rely on me alone. I might not always be there when you need me." I sit up and pull my necklace off, dangling it in front of Ivan's face. "I want you to have this, it means a great deal to me and I know you will take care of it." He takes it hesitantly.

"But Robin…this was your sister's necklace…" I smile and turn away, studying the craters in the moon.

"Before she gave that to me, she told me…that I would one day give it away as well, to the person that meant the most to me. I guess she was telling me that I meant to most to her. I did not understand it then, I still do not see why she gave it to me even now. I had always thought she had given it to me so Father would not try to pawn it off somewhere for money to get beer." If she had not given the necklace to me when she did, he most likely would have done just that. "You are the most important person to me, Ivan. I am never going to meet someone that means more to me than you do."

He sits up and I look back at him, "Thank you, Robin. I understand how important this is to you. I promise to take care of it."

"You better be sure to take care of yourself before that thing. No running into danger if you lose that thing, got it?" He nods and I take the necklace from him, slipping it over his head. It is true. No one has ever mean more to me than Ivan does. I did not think that it was possible to love someone this much…but here I am, loving him as much as I possibly can. I do not know what else I can do except…

"Ivan…you do not want me to kill anymore, do you?" He turns to me, frowning.

"Where did that come from?" I shake my head.

"I need to know…whether you want me to kill anyone else anymore." He bows his head.

"I do not want you to end up like Picard…he admitted that he heard those voices and that he was getting weaker…I do not want you to stop if it is going to hurt you." I smile.

"It might not hurt me. I think I will stop for now, I am strong enough for the moment." He yawns and I lay down again, letting him rest his head on my chest. I play with his hair as he begins to drift to sleep, humming a tune. My eyes begin to lull as well…Somewhere in my head I hear a bell ringing, a warning that I should not be falling asleep here, out in the open. I cannot help it. I am tiered now and the tune deep in Ivan's throat is lulling me to sleep…My eyes shut and I fall asleep.

It feels warm. I hear birds chirping somewhere in the sky overhead and there is a orange light in my eyes. Orange light…I sit up quickly, glad Ivan had rolled over in his sleep. The sun is just rising in the ocean horizon in front of me. Not strange to some but to me…I have not seen the sun in over 900 years without having it hurt. My heart pumps faster in my chest as I begin to panic. I am burning. I have to be burning. I…I have not been able to look at the sun or step into its light since I became a vampire. I look down at my hands only to discover that they are perfectly fine, that I am not burning. "This does not make any sense…" I whisper aloud.

"How come…" I turn to look down at Ivan, still sleeping on, unaware that anything strange is accruing at the moment. Could this be one of the abilities of a hunter? I take a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm my breathing and slow my heart. My first sunset in over 900 years…I should really try to enjoy this. I lean back and watch the sky change colors slowly as the giant orange orb begins to rise into the sky.

Ivan should see this. The colors are wonderful. I am sure the sunset is better to watch, though. I can still remember watching a sunset once with my mother but it had been so long ago. I flop back onto the sand. Well, it is going to be hard to get to sleep again, especially here. I sit up again and take Ivan into my arms, lifting him off the ground carefully before I head back toward my motorcycle.

This should prove interesting. I sit Ivan up on my motorcycle, holding him up with one hand while I struggle to undo the strap that is holding the helmet in place. Once I manage to get it off, I slip it over Ivan's head and then get on, making him sit across my lap. I hope this does not wake him up. I start the engine up and pull out of the parking lot of the beach and drive down the road.

I reach my house without any troubles or waking Ivan. I remove the helmet from his head and toss it over into the grass, not really carrying about it now. I pick him up and walk up to the door, opening it mentally, stepping inside and closing it once more. I sigh and lean back against the door. My life sure has changed since I met Ivan. Change is good, though. I had needed it badly.

I carry Ivan up the stairs and lay him down on my bed, sitting next to him and watching him sleep. He is going to make a great hunter, I can already tell. He is determined and strong and he already has strong powers that most of the advanced hunters take years of training to gain. I must have done something right in life to have him with me now.

I lay down next to him and close my eyes, once again tiered.

Today is the last day Ivan can stay at my house. He said that the other hunters were to return from Nagasaki, which I neglected to tell him was one of the vampire hotspots that I had learned about recently. Ivan and I are already out on the streets, having spent a couple of hours at one nightclub we are on the search for another one.

"Haven't you had enough, Ivan? A lot of people were watching us in the last nightclub, it is sort of embarrassing." He smiles and turns around slipping his hand in my back pocket. I blush and turn my head to the side.

"Oh, come on, Robin, this is the last day I get to stay at your place we need to make it count, right?" I wish he would not say it like that. My mind runs away with the idea and I hold my hand up to my nose before it can start to bleed. He laughs and removes his hand from my pocket. "Come on, I think I saw a nightclub just around the street corner up ahead." He pulls me down the street and sure enough, there is a nightclub not too far away from us as we turn the corner.

"You are going to be the death of me, Ivan." I sigh as we step out onto the dance floor, a fast song already starting. He laughs at this.

"I can't be the death of you if you are already dead." He teases, leaning forward and whispering in my ear so none of the other dancers can overhear. I shake my head and take his hand, pulling him closer and placing my other hand on his waist, dipping him back before pulling him up again, spinning him around.

When he finally agrees to go return to my house with me again, we leave the nightclub, some eyes following us as we walk up the stairs and out onto the crowded streets. Ivan hugs my arm, laughing, "This was the best, Robin! We should really do it again sometime."

"You mean if you keeper allows you to go out with me ever again. I am pretty sure that after this, I am not going to be in his favor." He frowns.

"I guess you are right, but still, he can't keep us apart forever. I can always sneak out again." I smile.

"And here I thought you were a good little boy." He smirks.

"Oh, I am, but I can't be good all the time, can I? Besides, it's so much more fun to be bad." He pulls me down the street and pauses just before the park entrance. "Can we go to the park? We still have time before the sun rises and we can cut right through the park to get to your house." I still have not told him about having seen the sunrise that one day and not being burned. I do not know how to explain it and it might be a onetime only thing.

"Sure." We enter the park and walk around. It is usually deserted around this time and today is no exception. That is why I like coming here so much, especially with Ivan. When we reach the center of the park, I look up at the sky before removing my jacket and placing it on top of Ivan's head.

"What…?" A second later, rain falls down around us, but my jacket keeps Ivan dry. He looks up at me and smiles but stops and just watches me for a long moment. I go to say something to try to break him out of whatever trance he has fallen into but his next actions stop me. He wraps his arms around my neck, lifting himself up and presses his lips to mine, his eyes sliding shut. At first I do not know what to do but as I slowly grow accustomed to the kiss, I loop my arms around his waist, holding him closer to me as I deepen the kiss, parting his lips with my tongue and dipping it inside his mouth. Ivan brings his hands up to my now damp hair, threading his fingers through it.

We remain like that for several minutes before we pull away at the same time, gasping for breath. I place my hand on his cheek, brushing my thumb against his lips. We smile shyly at each other before running the rest of the way back to my house, Ivan throwing both my jacket and his own off as we enter my house. I fumble with the lock as Ivan unbuttons my shirt, pulling it off my shoulders and making it harder for me to lock the door. I give up and lock it mentally. We turn around and hurry up the stairs, we stumble and laugh as I fumble with the buttons of Ivan's shirt before I finally manage to get to the last one as we reach my room.

I push Ivan back toward my bed and he trips when the back of his knees hit the edge of my bed, I hold onto him and lower him to the bed, kissing his forehead as I do so. He lifts his arms up and I pull his shirt off, throwing it somewhere behind me. I kiss his lips and he wraps his arms around my neck again, pulling me closer. I pull away from the kiss, smiling down at him reassuringly before kissing my way down Ivan's chest. I pause when I reach his pants, pulling myself to my knees and fiddling with the button on his pants. "Are you ready for this? Do you really want this, Ivan? Are you really sure you want to be with me?" He grabs my shoulders and pulls me down into a deep kiss. I moan into the kiss and let out a surprised gasp when I feel his hands on my chest, pushing me over and onto the bed.

He climbs on top of me and sits on my stomach, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against main. He smiles and whispers, "I love you, Robin. I only want to stay with you, regardless of what you are. It does not matter as long as you are happy." I smile and pull him down into another kiss, wrapping my arms around his waist as I turn slightly, now lying on top of Ivan.

-TBC-

Ivan likes to sit on Robin's stomach… Hmm, I wonder how far I am going to take this into the next chapter. I did not want Ivan to be as innocent as everyone thought he was so I figured that this was the perfect way to get everyone to stop thinking of him as an innocent little boy. I am sure Robin has stopped thinking of him that way ::evil smirk:: I am sure everyone who does not know Latin is wondering what "Te Amo" means. Well, you could wait…but Robin is not going to tell Ivan what it means but you should have been able to figure it out for yourself. If not, it means "I love you." I love Latin and I am so glad I'll be taking it this year. Junior year is going to be the best! Plus, I'm going to be sixteen Let's see…what else? Oh right, Robin counts up in Japanese when he hunts down that younger vampire. I didn't use the regular "Ichi…ni…" because Robin is older and what he used was the traditional way to say the numbers. Also, sorry for the boringness at the beginning. I hate when things repeat and yeah…I got bored and didn't know what to do with it. From here on out, things are going to become a little different. In the next chapter, Ivan starts his training.

I hope everyone liked this chapter and I hope it did not take too long. I am really sorry for the delay. I had the chapter outline ready but the problem was how to tie everything together and then problems in the family kept me away from the computer and…yeah. I'm sorry. Read and Review please! If anyone plays Dark Ages…come see me and we can talk My character name is "Amdis" and I can be found in the town of Mileth. Well…bye! I need my sleep!