Hey everyone. Thank you so much for all your reviews. I'm glad to see some of you have liked the story so far. And of course I've gotten some bad reviews too, but that's alright. I accept the good with the bad : ) So be it good or bad, let me know what you think. And if you have any suggestions you could give me to help improve my writing, I'd be more than happy to listen. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this third chapter in my Miyu story. Vampire Princess Miyu was created by and is owned by Narumi Kakinouchi and Toshiki Hirano. Enjoy.

Through the Heart

Chapter III

The time was 7:50pm. From the look of the clouds above, one might think it would rain any second. However, for some reason the clouds refused to allow the precipitation to flow freely through their ash-gray fingers, holding on to it as if waiting for just the right moment. This caused an uneasiness in the city people walking the streets.

In front of the local theater, underneath one of the movie posters, we find Miyu. With a calm, almost amused look, she quietly watched the people as they walked by. They mind their own daily lives, completely unaware of the supernatural being that watches them with such placid eyes. That is probably the fact that amuses Miyu the most. That some humans will never know the true nature of the creatures that are standing right next to them.

As 8pm drew near, Miyu started to seem a little troubled, be it nervousness or a feeling of not belonging, she was not sure.

'What am I doing here? Am I doing this for my own amusement or do I really like him? It's so hard to know. This isn't like me at all. To get so worked up over a human boy.' She thought to herself.

Then she started to think about the gentleness that showed through in his eyes the last time they talked. She took a sigh and thought, 'Maybe I do like him. I am happy when I'm around him. Happier than I've been in a long time.'

"But do I really deserve this? To feel this way?" she said out loud to herself.

"Feel what way?" A familiar voice inquired.

Recognizing the voice right away, and now beyond the point of embarrassment, Miyu simply turned around, smiled and said, "Okay, that's time number three, Itsuki."

"What?" He said, playfully.

"Did you go to much trouble getting here?" Miyu asked.

"Not really. It was just 10 minutes on the train. No trouble at all." He said.

"How much is the movie? It's been a while since I've been to a theater." She said, opening her wallet.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll cover it, Miyu. I insist." He said, motioning to put her wallet away.

"Are you sure?" she asked, to which he quickly nodded. "Okay, then. Thank you, Itsuki."

Itsuki purchased the tickets from the box-office and the two were seated inside the dimly lit theater. After a few moments, the lights went down and the movie screen lit up before them. A few short previews of upcoming films were shown and then, the feature began.

The movie's intro started with the camera slowly moving along the reflection of samurai sword. Crystalline raindrops fell in the pitch-black background. The music playing was that of traditional Japanese flutes and strings, giving feelings of warmth and harmony. Zooming into the reflection, we see a camilia tree in full bloom with golden rays of sunlight passing through its many leaves and blossoms. As the camilia flowers slowly fell to the ground, the words 'A Drawn Sword and a Camilia' appeared across the screen in Japanese Kanji.

Through the entire movie, Miyu was impressed with the visuals of the rolling green country-sides and beautiful mountains of feudal times Japan. She was also very delighted by the story of a young upper class samurai, under the servitude of the emperor, who fell in love with a lower class village girl. Itsuki really liked the highly disciplined skill displayed in the sword fighting scenes, but he was also very touched by the samurai leaving his life behind at the emperor's castle so he could live happily ever after with the girl.

After the movie let out, the two decided to take a walk through the park. The time had just struck 10pm. The clouds above them were still the same rain clouds and the ground was still completely dry. It almost seemed as if the clouds hadn't moved since their arrival in the late afternoon.

"Thank you so much for the movie, Itsuki. I enjoyed it very much." She said, as they both walked along the long path among the park trees.

"It was no problem. I liked the movie a lot too." He said.

"Mostly the performances of the action scenes, right?" she said, looking over at him with a smile.

"Y-Yeah. Was it really that obvious?" He said, slightly surprised.

"Oh, I can just tell. Hm hm." She said with a laugh.

"I don't know what it is about you, Miyu, but I find it easier to talk to you than most other people. Than any other people, actually. I don't understand it, but I get sudden burst of confidence when I'm around you."

"Maybe I just have that type of personality that brings out an inner strength in you." She said.

"Maybe." He said.

Then, when Miyu's eyes were still forward, Itsuki looked down at her hand. He wanted to hold it. He made a move to reach for it, but then pulled his hand back to his side. Unaware of his attempt, Miyu looked over at his hand when he wasn't looking.

'Physical touch. It's been so long since I've held a hand in the comfort of close company. I know my purpose here is to be guardian, but would it be wrong to be just a little selfish?' She thought, trying to decide whether or not to reach for his hand.

Slowly, without looking, they both reached out their hands at the same time and were startled to meet half way. They quickly looked at eachother with a slight blush. Then, with a pleasant smile, Itsuki held out his hand to her. Matching his smile, Miyu took it.

"It's getting kind of late. You must be tired." Itsuki said.

"Not really. I'm more of a night person." She said.

"Where do you live, Miyu? Shall I walk you home?" He asked.

Miyu, who was suddenly reminded of where she stays at night, said, "No, that's okay, Itsuki. Thank you for offering, though."

"Oh, okay." He said, a little disappointed.

"I think we should call it a night, Itsuki. Again, thank you so much for the movie." She said.

"Miyu?" He asked.

"Yes?"

As they both stopped, he paused, trying to find the right words to say.

"I…I really like you, Miyu. And I would like to know more about you." He said, facing her.

Miyu felt a quick jump in her heartbeat.

"I like you too, Itsuki. More than I've liked anyone for a long time. But let's take it slow, alright?" She said, now holding his hand in both of hers.

"Okay, then." He said with no objections. "Well, I guess this is were we part ways for now."

"Yes." She said, as their hands slowly separated.

"I'll see you on Monday, then?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'll see you then, Itsuki." She said.

They then parted and walked in opposite directions. Miyu found her way to a dimly lit street a few blocks down. In her mind, the voice of Larva came to her.

(Miyu, I don't like where this is going.)

"Don't be too concerned, Larva. I'll be alright." She said out loud as she walked along the dark, empty road.

(Miyu, how do you really feel about that boy?)

"I know now that it's not a playful interest. I want to be closer to him."

(Is it because he reminds you of…Him?)

"Maybe that's true, Larva, but I know that's not the only reason."

(You know you can't stay with him forever, Miyu.)

"I know, Larva. I know that all too well."

Miyu became silent for a moment.

"Larva?"

(Yes?)

"What if…I could stop being a guardian? Live a normal life. Wouldn't that be nice?"

(Miyu…)

"I know. I'm sorry. Let's just not talk about it for now."

(Very well.)

Miyu then disappeared into the shadows. A few blocks away, was Itsuki. Silently walking along, he failed to notice what was starting to happen above him. The thick clouds began to swirl around in a circle and flashes of light could be seen at its center. Without warning, a bolt of lightning shot down and struck Itsuki with a bright flash. Helpless, he fell to the ground and passed out for just a moment. After he regained consciousness, he slowly stood up. He looked up to the sky and then looked over his body.

"I was struck by lightning…but I'm alright. How can that be? I'm not hurt at all. This is really weird." He said, still looking himself over. "Should I even be alive right now?"

Drops of rain began to fall until the rain poured from the sky. "I'd better get home before I get soaked." As Itsuki ran home, he still questioned the freak occurrence he had just experienced. Little did he know, this was not the end of it. This strange occurrence was only the beginning of something far greater than he could imagine.