. Author's note: Okay, I'm having a little bit of a dilema. I can't decide on a title for this story. I've listed a few choices listed below. Please vote on them and I'll list the results in the next chapter.

1. Darkest Secrets

2. From the Inside Out

3. Ahead of the Game

4. Never Look Back

5. No Regret

6. Forgotten Darkness

These are just a few ideas. However, if you have one you think is better, feel free to suggest it.

Summary: AU: Miyu is of royal blood, but is treated as a slave. After having dealt with too many happenings and a meeting with a mysterious man, she flees the palace and the world she had always known into a world of mystery, vowing never to return home. But how can she deal with it when things keep dragging her back and replaying horrid memories? Miyu/Lava

Author's Insert: No, she's not a vampire...atleast not that she knows of yet (I may change that, possibly)

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Princess Miyu.

The night air was crisp, with a breeze wafting by ever so often. There were no sounds to be heard but those of the wildlife, and the light treading of footsteps. The footsteps went down the central corridor, into the main hall, and out into the gardens. The greatly shadowed figure quietly opening the gate, pausing after a slight squeak caused by the rusty hinges. The figure then continued past a torch that dimly lit the pathway, revealing very rough and bruised features of a young girl, no older then her early twenties. Her hair was dark and hung loosely about her face. Her bangs were stray and long, framing her heart-shaped visage. She sighed as she sat down on a stone bench. She spent many a night outside, just listening to crickets chirp and allowing the scent of the flowers to soothe her worries and fears. Every night she'd walk the gardens until she came to her favorite spot- a bench beneath the large sakura tree in the farthest side of the gardens. It was her haven, her solitude.

She sighed and gazed up at the stars, allowing the days events to replay in her head.

Flashback

The sun barely rose above the treetops when Miyu was brought from a sacred world of dreems quite abruptly. The door swung open and slammed against the wall, causing her to jump up clasping the scrap of a sheet she had.

"Get up." the woman said. "The king requires your presence immediately."

Before Miyu could ask questions, the door was slammed. Miyu winced at the loud noise. She sighed, collecting her thoughts from the dream realm as she sat on the side of the bed. Then she walked over to a water basin and washed her face, avoiding the shard of the mirror at all costs.

Later

Miyu wore her best kimono down to the main hall. She then was announced before the king and queen.

"Miyu is here as you requested, syre."

"Good. Send her in." he said as the woman beside him glared at the girl standing just behind the door.

"Yes, syre." the messanger said as he nodded toward the guards, who opened the doors.

The ragged girl entered the room in a pale pink half-kimono, tied with a megenta obi. Both having patches throughout the threads.

The queen glared at the young girl, gaining no response. Rather, Miyu kept her head lowered as she walked forth.

"You requested my presence syre?"

"Yes. It appears that you have been having too much free time on your hands."

"But syre, I work nearly from dawn til dusk. I cannot handle any more wo-"

"I am the one who can tell you what you can and cannot handle. Miyu, as a daughter, you have disgraced your mother and I. You are not fitting to bear the crown in the future. Nor are you fitting to be considered of royal blood. From this night forth, you will be considered as a servant. You will be allowed to keep y our lavish living conditions as long as you work. You will follow Nariko's orders. One false move, one little incident, and you will be a slave to that which you once called your family."

"But.. Father!"

"No. I am not your father anymore." he said. The woman beside him smirked evilly as the guards escorted Miyu out.

"What am I to do now?" she asked herself. "I am a slave to my own family. I must...." She paused, " I must prove myself so I will not be treated worse..but how?"

A single tear drop slid down her cheek as she leaned against the rough bark of the sakura tree. The cool breeze, in an instant, swept the tear away, yet her sorrow remained.

End Chapter I

Author's Note: Hey. Just so you know, I have a beta reader (in a way). You should check out her story, Human Copensation. She's damn good.. Her name on here is SanovaDreams.