Chapter 3

She sighed. "Takarada-san, I'm not sure this is going to work."

He chuckled. "It will. Now hide those fangs and point those ears, young lady. Vampires don't do magic of any kind. Elves do. Your voice will give more credence to that disguise you wish to keep, and this way you don't have to hide what you eat." He shivered at the thought of having to drink blood for a disguise. Not worth it.

She blushed at the memory of the music department heads getting completely lost in the song that they had asked her to sing. A fairy had to be brought in to make a charm for them so they could listen to her with a critical ear and give her an honest opinion without thinking about the emotion that her voice had instilled in them forcefully.

She relaxed the hold she had on the image her ears were disguised with. They were now pointing up through her hair and elongated. They were her normal ears or what she called normal for her. She sighed. It was far more comfortable like this anyway. She could hear better, her ears weren't ringing constantly and her earlobes didn't hurt like this.

Lory smiled softly. "Much better. Are you sure you don't want to release the rest of your form?"

"Only this. At least until I know the truth... You know, about what I am." She said quietly as she stared at the floor.

He nodded. "I understand." and he did. He was 300 years old and he had met very few like her. She was a rare specimen indeed. It seemed as though she had quite a few abilities that weren't normally found in one particular race. She could perform all forms of magic, so he had to warn her of performing shadow magic as an elf, it was something that they didn't do. Only Kitsune had that little gift. Her voice was like that of a Siren, yet she had no gills or scales to indicate she was of that variety. He thought that maybe she could pass as a shape-shifter, but they didn't have all of those talents either and he couldn't ever remember a were-person with horns or wings like hers. Perhaps she was the lost princess, but didn't they say that she died? That would mean they found her body, right? Or did they? He would definitely need to research this a bit more.

Kyoko Mogami. The Fuwa's had given her the surname for the area in which they had found her while on a small family vacation in Northern Japan. A very small, little 5-6 year-old girl they had found wandering on the side of the road. Not once did they think to take her to the authorities or that anyone else had been looking for her, and at the time Yayoi had wanted a little girl. They certainly didn't see her as she thought they did. It was their strict upbringing that kept them from showing her the affection that a child like her required. She certainly lived through a trauma, she cried frequently, she was frustrated by her memory loss, and she was far more clingy than Shotaro ever was. Sadly, the novelty wore off quickly. Children of her kind required a significant amount of affection that the Fuwa's were not prepared to give, and there were certainly no laws regarding taking in a clearly abandoned child.

The only thing she had on her when they found her was the clothing on her back, which at that point had been tattered and worn, and a small blueish-purple gemstone that changed colors in the sunlight. They may have been a family of vampires, but they weren't monsters. They allowed her to keep it and did their best to provide her with a home. How were they to know their son's intentions? When she called them to tell them that Sho didn't need her anymore and asked if she was free, they were too stunned to respond. Did she really feel that they had treated her as their son's slave? What did he do to her, to make her think such hurtful things? With hidden tears and a clear voice, Yayoi gave her their blessings, and hoped that one day Kyoko-chan would see the truth in it all. They loved her as much as their own son, and at times perhaps a bit more. One couldn't help, but love such a wonderful child.

By all the gods! How on Earth was he supposed to compete with that? He thought as he listened to each song from his female rival's debut album. She had the voice of an angel or what he thought to be an angel. They didn't really exist, did they? He wondered. No, they're just a myth. Just like the demons in Kyoko's stupid stories. He put his player on repeat and thumbed through the CD insert to find out more about this girl. What did she look like? What was her name? Who was she signed with? Was she his type? He could definitely go for a quality girlfriend at the top of the charts like him. She would definitely be worthy of his attention. Not like all of these hangers-on that he had to deal with since Kyoko disappeared. Someone that would make him look good until he caught the attentions of the elites.

He stared at the photo of the beautiful, strawberry-blonde, elf. He groaned. She had to be an elf. He should have known listening to that voice. Of course. She had to be in a part of society that was just above his reach and a member of a race that once hunted his kind with gusto, except for his little Poochie. He had to admit though, they did have a good reason during the wars. This was one female he was going to be need to be careful around or they would be sending his charred remains back to Kyoto. Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to find out more about a rival, would it?

He was irritated. Typical elf behavior: haughty, closed off, and irritable. He only wanted to help her back to the filming site, but she had to squirm and complain like an eel in his arms as he carried her. Although, her scent was really clouding his mind like no one had ever done before. He had dated others from the different races, but nothing ever produced this result. His mind stopped mid-thoughts as he remembered something vaguely, later in the day. Wasn't she a vampire? He shook the thought free. No, I probably remembered wrong. She's clearly an elf. He pondered as he stood next to her, while the little diva she had accompanied, complained about Director Shingai's demands.

"No Ruriko-chan, all I see is you just walking around in a costume. What I want is elegance. Ojousama, Princess. You are not giving me that." He told her flatly.

Kuon noticed how the female next to him straightened her back, bowed her head in thought, and the placement of her hands. Hmm, must be from one of the noble families. He thought briefly. The puzzle pieces were there, but he wasn't seeing the larger picture just yet.

"Fine! If you think it's so easy why not get her to do it?!" She started to stomp off. "I quit!"

"I'll do it." Kyoko murmured just loud enough for the director to hear. "It's not like it's that difficult. A child could do it."

Ruriko screamed and stomped out.

Seiji Shingai smirked and looked toward his AD. "Get her into costume and makeup. I want to see what she can do."

Kyoko groaned internally. I should have kept my big mouth shut. She thought, as she was being dragged out of the room and down the hall, to the room they had been using for costume and makeup.

In the end, Kuon was impressed. Impressed that the little elf didn't slit the little diva's throat. Impressed that she could act, and impressed that she had such a high tolerance for pain. Elves were normally more fragile and less... hmm, he wasn't sure what else, but this did tell him there was more to her than what she let others see. Elves were more like Ruriko-chan and a few other little spoiled divas he'd met in passing.