In the Taiyo Household, there is nothing out of the ordinary. It is a family of four; a mother, a father, and two adorable twin daughters.

Every day, since Fine was thirteen, she woke up before 7 to get ready for school. Her sister's bed is empty and neatly made, her stuff remains tidy and untouched. Fine's side of the room, on the other hand, looks well lived in and suited for a teenager. It was slightly disorganized, but she knew where everything was. She got up and dressed. Her bed hair would never go down and she would struggle with the rest for about 5 minutes because there was so much hair, then she had considered chopping it all off until she decided not to.

After dressing up, she would go downstairs. Nothing was out of place and there was no food on the dining table. Fine would not dare step in the kitchen because of what happened last time she tried making something to eat. So, she would settle for a fruit and toast. It was light, but she can always buy food on the way to school or on the way back.

Just before she left the house, she would turn and say, "I'm off!" Then leave the house with a big smile.

Fine is not lonely at all. Her parents and sister are always busy, but she knew why. Besides, she has friends to keep her company. Halfway to school she would meet up with a couple of friends and they would talk on the way to school. They would laugh, chat, and mess around before reaching the school gate and splitting up to their classes. Fine would greet her classmates, talk to more friends, remember an assignment last minute and rush to finish it, then proceed with her day.

It is her life. Although simple and boring, this is the life she always wanted. Nothing will change that.

SLAM!

Fine stared at the stack of papers in front of her.

"Um..." She glances up and locks eyes with little miss- ahem- Elizabeth. "What's this supposed to be?"

"Can't you tell? It is paperwork from the student council. I want you to go through them and hand them to me tomorrow." Elizabeth explained as she looks at her nails. "I just did my nails, and I don't want to ruin them. You know how it is?"

Fine pointed secret glances at her classmates, but none of them would look her way. Not that she would blame them because Elizabeth was a bi- bossy pants. A bossy pants.

Elizabeth is the daughter of well-known celebrities and sometimes she would leave school to shoot a drama or attend meet and greets with her fans. She is stuck up, and as much as she is bossy and rude, she does well in the entertainment industry. It sucks to admit it. It is questionable on how she became president in their grade, but rumor has it she bribed the principal. The worst part is she does not even do her job?

From time to time, she would dump it on someone and this week it is Fine's time to become a target.

But...

"Why is there so much?" Fine asks.

"I was gone for 2 weeks because I was busy." Elizabeth answered like it was obvious.

"And the vice-president? Why don't you give them to him?" Fine had an idea on why he would not do it. Against his will, Fango became the other representative. He even skipped the meetings and class just so he can avoid her. He only comes to class whenever she is not here. Or whenever Rein came back, but that is a different story.

"He doesn't need to bother with things like this." In other words, you cannot find him.

Poor guy.

"Finish this before the school day ends." Elizabeth left no room to argue and left to her seat.

Fine nearly cussed her out, but what can she do? One bad move and she can make your school life miserable... Looks like Fine's skipping break and lunch. Aaahh her poor tummy.

Fine was not close to halfway by the time the day ended. She really did try to rush it, but there was so many errors and she had to do the calculations. It was hard to do them during classes, but at least it was only review today. Her classmates offered to help her, but she denied their help. They had somewhere to be and plans to go through. She did not want them to give up their time to help her when it was supposed to be someone else's responsibility. She could not help, but glare at Elizabeth for being so carefree and leave without leaving guilt.

But it is whatever at this point. This was a good distraction and kept her busy. It was not like she had anything to do anyway. Her family are overseas doing their responsibilities, so Fine will work hard to make them proud. She did not want to worry them anyways, so she did her best in her studies and participated in school activities. Even though she had become limited to certain areas, she can still do as much as anyone.

Fine sat in the now empty classroom. The sun setting and the wind picking up a little.

It was peaceful.

She could hear the leaves dance, the birds chirp, and the sound of the sports team practicing in the distant.

Yes.

This is the life she chose.

Suddenly a shadow blocked the sun and she looked over to the reason. Instead of feeling panicked, she smiled with happiness.

"Shade!"

Shade was wearing a long dark cloak and a hat to hide his face. His clothing covered him from head to toe. He stepped in the classroom without making a sound. Now that she got a perfect view, she can see not everything he wore was dark. Yes, he did wear dark boots and pants, but his white-collar shirt was untucked and unbuttoned on the top and he wore a worn-out yellow tie.

In ways he reminded Fine of a hermit.

"I was wondering why I haven't seen you come out yet." Shade said and pushed a desk next to Fine.

Fine pouts. "You do realize someone could've seen you, right?" She scolded. "The organization would have your neck if they found out!"

"Who cares." Shade takes off the stack and pulls up Fine's bag to grab a pencil. "They really can't do anything. Losing someone like me would cause a major power declination."

"True, but-"

"Just finish. You have not eaten yet, right? Let us finish this and get you something on the way. Your sister will have me by the neck if you don't eat properly." Shade stopped for a moment before sighing. "Scratch that. Your whole family would pin me down..." He grumbles under his breath and finally gets a pencil then settled the bag down again. "They're too protective. I don't understand how it's not suffocating."

"I think it's cute."

"Ha!"

They work on the papers in silence. It was a comforting silence. Fine snuck a peak at Shade and smiles softly to see him focused. She goes back to her part of the paperwork.

In the past, Fine's heart would have pounded, and she would blush for being in the same room as Shade. She had a huge crush on him when she was younger, but as she grew older...it became apparent that he would never recuperate her feelings. Not that she minded. She enjoyed and valued their friendship. Shade became someone who can fill in the absence of her family, but she knew it was because they ordered him to protect her. It sucks, but she does not care. She likes being around him. As a friend.

They did not talk for a while, and she did not mind it. They were close to finishing the paperwork, but hunger was really getting too Fine, and she needed a distraction.

"Have you heard from my family?" Fine asks.

"Even if I did, they wouldn't want me telling you anything. You aren't in that path anymore, so they figured it was better to keep you out of the loop." Shade said.

"Haaaaah of course." Habits die hard after all...

"Don't worry. They are more than capable of managing themselves."

"I know that. I know that more than anyone."

"Hm."

"But that doesn't mean I can't worry. We are family. I'm sure they worry about me endlessly."

"No doubt." Shade does not bring up the times her parents would constantly pester him about how she is. They were truly doting parents. It was no wonder their daughters do not understand the dangers in their life.

Fine's stomach grumbles. She is neither embarrassed nor ashamed because Shade has always seen this side of her. She had already lost her dignity a long time ago.

"Let us hurry. I heard of a good pastry shop not too far from here." Shade said.

"Ah! Me too! The shop is called Shine and Mine, right? My classmates said the pastries there are good! And-" There was an unbelievable beauty there, but Shade has already become the limit of beauty to Fine. She is immune to it at this point, but Shade is undoubtedly the perfect combination of a bad boy look. Messy hair, thick eyebrows, frowning constantly, and yet he has long eyelashes, eyes that are mysterious, a strong jawline, and she is sure he is all muscle down there. He has somewhat of a lean body, but fine has seen him in uniform and that almost made her crush on him again. Almost.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I think it's unfair how men are more handsome. Spare some, would you?"

Shade made a 'what-nonsense-are-you-saying' face. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"You're weird."

"Says the one suddenly appearing on the third floor. Normal people don't jump that high."

"Good thing I'm not normal then. Mortal bodies sound like a chore."

"Hey!" Fine felt obligated to defend her kind, but he has a point. She is reminded of her reality and unconsciously rubbed her knee. "I guess..."

Shade, who noticed, felt guilty and turned his head. "Sorry."

"Don't worry. Humankind do have limits, but isn't that why we make everything worthwhile? We can either stay in the past or move on. I choose to move on with my life and live to its fullest." Shade does not say anything, but Fine knows he got the message. "I hope you can learn a lot about humans before the end of my life."

"Stop talking nonsense already. I get it so stop being depressing and go back to being your cheerful self."

"...okay."

They go back to the paperwork. "Does it ever hurt?"

"Hm? My knee? Well sometimes. If it lifts heavy objects or when it gets too cold. It even starts to throb when I run for a bit." Fine sighs. "It sucks not participating in sports."

Before the accident, Fine was very athletic. She was good at every sport, did gymnastics for a time, and when she ran it was like she was free. Not it felt like there was this heavy shackle preventing her from being the free person she once was.

"It isn't so bad though." Fine continued. "I got to learn new hobbies. I still can't cook though, but I'm good at arranging flowers now!"

"Mortals get excited over the smallest thing."

Mortals this, mortal that. It felt like he was degrading humans, but luckily, she knew what he meant. Shade's different in that way. People like him can live past the human expectancy, but still look like their early twenties.

He is a vampire after all.

Long ago there was a struggle between power between the supernatural. It was a war with humans in the middle. Back then it was a literal hell to survive because of the major disadvantages, so humans had to learn how to defend themselves.

And what is the two things' humans are good at?

Experimenting and inventing.

Humans began experimenting among themselves to develop strong weapons and an energy core. Energy cores, in other terms, is like a magical element in the body. So, if your core were a bluish color, it would be between air, ice, or water. It did not limit to that though. If it is liquid or any type of gas, then they can still bend it.

The first person to succeed on awakening their energy core was Fine's ancestor, Grace.

Their family's energy core is unique compared to others. For starters, it is a whitish gold called Prominence. It eliminates evil and creates order. Creating anything, and happiness and peace.

Thanks to her ancestor she was able to restore peace and form alliances between the different races of supernatural. Over time they mellowed down and soon disappeared from history, so that is why no humans know about them today.

However, sometimes a rouge or a secret alliance will form to destroy that peace, so after the start of a new Era there was an organization built to keep the peace.

They named the organization, Wonder.

Doesn't that sound wonderful?

The current head of the organization is none other than Fine's distant aunt, Grace. Yes, she shares the same name as their ancestor, but if reincarnation exists then she is the living proof. She is dignified and graceful. There are no flaws in that woman that sometimes Fine becomes scared of her.

Anyways, back to the main topic at hand, Shade's race is one of the alliances that their ancestor built. But he is not the descendant of the one who made the agreement.

Shade is known as the "prince" of vampires, but it was a title granted to him when his mother married the current head. So, it is his little sister, Milky, who is the true heir of vampires. That does not mean he is treated less. He had become respected and does his responsibilities flawlessly. He does them so well that Fine wonders why he even agreed to watch over her.

Yes, she is a descendant of the great hero, but she is honestly not special anymore.

A couple of years back, Fine was caught in an ambush along with a few other kids from the organization. They had been kidnapped and... well experimented on. Fine does not remember what happened, but it is probably because she suppressed the memory due to trauma. But during her time there, she was injured bad, and her energy core ripped out of her. It nearly killed her, but her father was able to save her. He was able to save her soul attached to the energy core, but by then the core had tainted and broken. So Fine lost her abilities and left with invisible scares. She had lost two things that day. Her ability and leg.

Her leg is there, but when they were...tormenting her...they injured it bad. Because she tried getting away so they wanted to make sure she would not run away anymore. It worked too well because now she cannot run for the life of her.

That sums up her sob story and why Shade refers to humans as mortals. He is a vampire, so he lives longer than the average.

Fine first met him when their mother went over to the vampire clan to congratulate the birth of Milky. She was eight at the time, but by then Shade was already in his early teens. So, it was reasonable why he was annoyed with her persistence. She had a huge crush on him, but after learning about a vampire's lifespan and how romance between them would never work, she gave up. It lingered for a bit, but after she turned twelve, she was over it.

Now she was seventeen and Shade was in his early twenties. This is the age he will stop aging and will not start aging again until reaches one hundred.

"Hurry and eat before it gets cold." Shade brought her back to reality.

Not too long ago they finished the paperwork. Shade teleported them back to her house and made dinner for her. He is good at cooking and managing a household. They ended up not going to that shop, but Fine is pretty sure Shade wanted to make up for what he said. So he's cooking her a meal to make it up to her. It's his way of apologizing.

Also! Here is a fun fact! Vampires can eat human food! Just not too much of it because it will upset their stomachs. They can also stand in the sun, but only a period. It is mostly because it looks like they have sunburns and from there they start to burn up. It is fine to walk around noon though. That is why Shade did not burn up a bit when he sat in the classroom with her. It can also be from the fact he wore long clothing, but it is whatever at this point.

There are also other mythical creatures that she had not mention, such as werewolves, fairies, spirits, etc. Whatever you can think is mythical, is real. Whatever you cannot see, is there.

And sometimes you wish they were not. But then again, if they did not exist, Fine would not have found friendship with Shade. She also would not have lost her ability to run...

How many times has she mentioned her leg already? Bringing it up now would not do her any good anyway.

Fine finally takes a bit of her food. It got a little cold, but she still ate it regardless. Food is food, and she should be grateful for a home cooked meal. She does want to practice how to cook, but after she blew up the kitchen...no one let her set foot inside. Which is why she is now the permanent food taster.

"Did you lose your appetite?" Shade broke her train of thought. His cool hand touched her forehead. "You feel fine."

"I am Fine."

Fine giggles when he groans. He pulls away and pulls out a small device. Then he checks the time. "I need to head out. Nighttime is when the rogues like to hunt."

"Ah." Fine pushed down the loneliness in her chest and smiles. She stares down at her cup of water. "I see. Be careful, okay?" She did not want to annoy him any longer. He has other responsibilities besides being by her side. The friendship is one-sided to her, and he is only by her side because it was an order by his superior but spending time with him was nice. She did not feel lonely, and she can pretend everything is okay.

"I'll come back tomorrow."

Fine quickly looks up to where Shade stood, but there was nothing. He was gone in an instantly. Her smile slowly falls, and it turned into a sad small smile.

"Liar." She said to nobody.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

As expected, Shade did not come back the next day. Or the day after that. Rein called her though and told her there was an urgent matter, so Shade would not be able to protect her. Fine told her it was fine and that she is glad her and their parents are at least safe.

Sometimes Shade would promise to come back, but Fine learned fast there was a pattern. Around this time the rogues are active. That is why her family are gone. As members they have a responsibility and a mission to protect the peace.

Deep down Fine wishes they can be a normal family, but this is the life to which she was born. She is thankful for a loving family but hurt that they prioritize others. She understands, but it still hurts. She hates that she had to retire early, but at the same time, she is glad to be out of that business. She was fast, but that was her only advantage. She was not strong or brave like her parents. That is Rein. Not her.

"Oh? No bread?" Fine muttered to herself.

It is a Saturday, so it is a free day. Fine cleaned up a bit, but since she is the only occupant now there was not much to do. She remembered to finish her homework early, so she decided to be a bum. But being a bum was also arduous work and she got hungry. Now she is in a predicament because there is no food and its noon. The nearest convenience store was ways away, and by the time she got home it will be dark. Her option is the bakery. It is still a little far, but it is the safest option.

Why did they have to live so far?

Fine grabbed her wallet and keys before leaving the house.

"Uh-oh. Where did I leave my phone?" Fine patted her body down and checked under the couch, but after seeing the time she decided she would look for it after she got home. She rushed out of her house and remembers to lock the door before leaving. Then she turns right on the street to the way of the bakery.

Her parents wanted her to live close to school, but they failed to look at the distance for the stores nearby. They do not even have a car because it kept getting into accidents, so now they are stuck with walking long distance to reach certain areas. They considered moving because they did not want Fine to hurt her knee, but she assured them it was fine just if she did not overdue. Fine had come close before, but this is her fault for not thinking ahead. She already felt like a burden, so she did not want them to limit themselves for her.

That does not mean she could not complain.

After walking for 20 minutes, she arrives at the bakery. She opened the door and scents of various bread and pastries welcomed her. It was also warm that it felt like she was home.

"Welc- Oh. Never mind it's just you." The girl who dismissed Fine is none other than Kaguya Aoyama. She is an extremely cute girl, and can come off as cold, but as Fine got to know her she is nice. She knows it in a rude manner though, but Fine can read her like a book. They do not go to the same school though, but Fine would be sure that they would be friends. "Hotaru will come out in a bit. I'm busy, so wait your turn."

"Okay~" Fine browsed through the pastries. She would buy everything if she could, but she had to think about her allowance. A certain pastry catches her eye. "Kaguya-chan~ this is new."

"Don't call me- tch whatever." Kaguya stomps over and stands next to Fine. She leans close next to her. "Oh yes. It's the Moon bread."

"I can see that, but what's the flavor and inside?"

"It's tastes like bread, but there's blueberry jam in the center. It tastes rather good, but not a lot of people bought it because they were wary by its appearance."

"Why? It's cute!"

"That's what I told Hotaru."

"Hotaru-chan made this? That's amazing!"

A person clears her throat from behind. "A-hem!" They turn around and sheepishly smile at Hotaru's appearance. Her bloody eyes glaring at the two. One was the now slacker and the other disturbing the peace.

"I see we have a lot of time in our hands." Hotaru said as she obviously pointed it at Kaguya. "And are you here to buy or distract the staff?"

Scary. Fine thought and straightens her back. "I was simply curious about this pastry. I would like to buy one please." Fine said.

Hotaru glances at the moon bread and clicks her tongue. "Okay. Anything else?"

"Yes."

Fine ordered more pastries and Hotaru rang her up. Just as she grabbed her bag, Hotaru clears her throat again.

"Is he...not here today?" She asks.

"Hm?" Fine looks up with a slightly confused expression until it clicks. "Ah. No. He has a family emergency, so I don't know when he'd be back."

"I see. That's a shame."

Fine intuitively knew who she was referring too. It was Shade. She also knew that Hotaru has a little crush on Shade. It is obvious because of the shy expression, the light blush on her cheeks, and her attempt to avoid eye contact.

"I'll bring him by next time." Fine promised. Then she whispers, "I'm rooting for you."

Hotaru's eyes widened, and she makes a panicked expression. "Sh-shut up and leave already! You live far, don't you? Go before it gets too dark!"

"Okay~"

On the sidelines, Kaguya tilted her head in confusion.

Honestly, this side of Hotaru makes her appear more her age. She pretended to be more mature but when it comes to the boy, she likes then she turns into a girl who is lovestruck. Fine did mean what she said though. She is rooting for Hotaru, but she hopes that it will die down soon. Nothing good will happen if she falls in love with a vampire.

"Bye! I'll see you next time!" Fine leaves before Hotaru cussed her out. It was colder outside now. It was also getting darker, so she knew she had to rush. She did not rush so fast that it can cause more injury to the knee, but she kept a brief pace.

She makes it home safely just as the sun settled and it caused her a huge relief. She reached to her doorknob and stops.

Why was the door open? Did she forget to lock the door? No... she was sure she did. She made sure of it.

Her heartbeat starts to speed up.

It can be her family, but if that were the case then the lights would be on. Come to think of it why is the lights off? Their house has a motion sensor that goes off whenever someone comes too close. So, the light would come on, but they have not. She felt increasingly anxious.

The one time she did not have her phone!

Calm down. Do not panic. You may not be a member, but you had training.

Fine quickly settles the bag of pastries by the door and opens the door fully. It did not creak, but the hallway was fearfully dark.

She really hated the dark.

Fine snuck inside and relied on her memory on the layout of her house. There is an emergency flashlight under the coffee table in the living room. She can sneak in and grab it. But is grabbing the flashlight priority here? Shouldn't she leave and wait it out?

But it is not safe outside. Neither is here and it is supposed to be safe.

Fine makes it to the living room and carefully searched for the coffee table. She finds the flashlight and turns it downwards to prevent flashing her eyes. Now, she finds something that would have saved so much trouble.

Her cell phone.

Quickly she grabbed her phone and checks to see any message from anyone.

There was a bunch of missed calls from her parents and Rein.

Suddenly the whole room goes dark. Like...dark. She could not see anything. The flashlight and phone were off, but she could have sworn they had power.

Unless...

The room felt colder even though it was warm. It was hard to breathe and suddenly there was a foul stench in the air. It made Fine dizzy and gag. With whatever strength she had, she pushed forward. Not caring about how the speed will affect her knee.

Surviving was more important!

Fine made it to the hallways and ran to the front door, but just as she reaches the door it slams shut. It was hard to breathe now. Her knee was beginning to throb, and she could not keep her eyes open without them watering.

Think! Think! What is causing this? What mythical creature causes this?

Then it clicks. Now it was more of the question why is it in my house?

It was a goblin.

Regrettably Fine was in no shape to fight it or defend herself. The smell and temperature are messing with her mind so she cannot even describe the layout of her home.

How is she supposed to defend herself now?

It is okay. Think. Be calm. Panicking does not lead to anywhere and she needs to access the situation.

There is a goblin in her house. An autumn goblin that is. They usually appear around this time of the year, but they are especially dangerous after waking up from a year slumber. They collect so much power that they start attacking to cool off steam. They do not really target humans though, so that just brings the bigger question.

What is going on?

Autumn goblins do not come into civilian houses. They want chaos, but they are more calculated than this despite what other people think. However, Fine does not have a normal family. Which means this is a planned attack.

Damn. She really could not catch a break.

"Come out. I know you are there."

No response.

"Hm. So is that how it's going to be." Fine chuckles. "Then so be it."

Looks like she is going to have a busy weekend after all.