"No!" I finally let my voice scream. I stumble backwards and over a poor soul's gravestone.

            "Gengaa." The Vampiress' tongue moved like a snake. "Paralyze her."

            The purple little demon appeared next to me. Trembling, I try to scoot away farther, but my legs wouldn't work. My arms were as wobbly as a wet noodle. I couldn't reach into my pocket for a poke' ball. Helplessness consumed my being in disbelief. Kasumi, you die this evening! You'll have every ounce of blood squeezed from her like juice from a fruit. You're going to end whiter than a Pauwau's coat.

            Gengaa moved toward me and slowly slid out its thick tongue. I screamed one last time as it lied it against my face, slowly gliding it up. It felt so cold! A tingling sensation erupted from my cheek and it ran through my body like a rapid river. I felt the pain enveloping everything as I fell flat…never to move again.

            "Well done!" The Vampiress sang to her Pokemon. "You may go now."

            This does not look good! All I could do was think to myself. My jaw was frozen, like the rest of my body. My eyes could move though, and they could only watch as the woman descended on me, finally showing those abnormally long teeth. I may have been paralyzed, but I was far from being numb. This was going to be painful. The woman gingerly set her sharp canines against my flesh. Right above my aching pulse. My throat exploded with the only noise my throat permitted it to make as she thrust her teeth down, puncturing my neck. It was disgusting! She was slurping me the way you would a milkshake. I started to feel dizzy…

            "Hanako!" That was Satoshi's voice!

            The Vampiress released me. Her face was right above my own. Her lips and chin held droplets of my life source. It was hard to believe that it was my blood. I wanted to throw up.

            "Why do you disapprove of my actions, Satoshi?" The woman asks. "When you are hungry, you eat. Don't I also have that right?"

            "Leave her be, Hanako." Satoshi replies. "If you so desire, I can get you different food. A better food."

            "Ah…" The woman straightens up and gazes at Satoshi. "You intend to strike a bargain."

            "I intend to stop this only." Satoshi says. "You weren't like this before. But just before Father died…"

            "Don't!" The Vampiress covers her ears. "Don't say it! Don't say his name!"

            "Leaver her then!" Satoshi yells.

            "Never, she's mine."

            "Hanako." Satoshi plainly says. "Take mine then." He takes his black turtleneck and pulls the collar down to reveal his neck. "It wouldn't be the first time I provided you energy."

            To my surprise, tears formed on the woman's face. "Satoshi…"

            She covers her eyes with her hands and walked away. The sound of her sobs echoed off the gravestones and the trees as the leaves rustled from her kimono passing over them. She was gone. And I was still alive. A little faint, that's true, but I could at least see the sun in the morning.

            Satoshi walked up to me once more and looked down with those shaded eyes at my paralyzed body. I felt so vulnerable. But he didn't do anything. He just stood there. I couldn't imagine what was going through his mind. He knew that Vampiress. Hanako; he called her. Such a pretty name. He also mentioned something about his father. Had he known that woman too? Wait…she couldn't be!
            "Rafureshia." Satoshi calls and the oversized flower came forth. "Antidote, please."

            Rafureshia's petals glowed as a thick liquid formed in the center. The Pokemon tilted its head forward and the concoction trickled into my mouth and swam down my throat. A warm sensation crept through my body, starting with my stomach. Within minutes, I could move again.

            I sat up and looked at Satoshi. He took a gauze pad out of his pocket and started to dab my neck where the Vampiress had punctured me.

            "A-arigatou." I whisper, not knowing what else to say. "I…I probably looked pretty pathetic."

            Satoshi put his free hand on my lips. "Don't strain your neck with talking. I want you to go home, have some tea, and go to bed. Don't talk very much." He pauses. "You reacted like any regular mortal would."

            He said not to talk, but I had so many questions! "Satoshi-kun…you said she took your blood before. The first time…were you scared too?"

            Satoshi stops dabbing my wound. I couldn't tell if he was looking at me or not. Those sunglasses…even at night? "Yes." He finally replied.

            I look away.

            "Though…" Satoshi continued. "I begged her to. She was close to dying. I couldn't let her die."

            "You care about her?" I ask.

            "Why wouldn't I?" Satoshi looks at me. "She's my…mother."

            I couldn't hold in my gasp. I hope so much that it didn't offend him! Satoshi was not fully human. He was half vampire? Now, that's something you don't hear every day. It explains some things, but not nearly all. Satoshi's secret has unopened, but not completely.

            "Satoshi-kun?"

            "What, Kasumi-san?" He says dully.

            "Why did you stop your mother from taking my blood?" I ask.

            Satoshi stands and I mimic his actions.

            "Because…I don't hate you."

            With that, he turned and left.

            Chikusho! This boy! He was as mysterious as a Muuma, but I had the feeling he didn't like being that way. Lately, he's been open with me. Is he trying to become my friend? Does he have any others to begin with? That's sort of sad. Living your life as a half-breed, well, no one would know about it, but that's not the point. Living your life with no friends or companions to share your grievances with or your troubles or your accomplishments. Who would praise you? Well, evidently, his parents did, I suppose. He lived in a graveyard with his mother, a vampire, after his human father died. It's so strange. Something you wouldn't even think would happen in your own neighborhood. To your own classmate. To your own friend.

            I sigh and look left to right. It was getting even darker. I was still quite scared. Run. That's a good idea. Run home.

            So I did.

            I took a nice hot bath and had a nice cup of tea like Satoshi-kun suggested. I put myself to bed and turning out the light, think of how Satoshi might react when I see him at school tomorrow. Will he threaten me not to tell anybody? I wouldn't dream of telling a soul! If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't want anybody who wasn't my close friend to know. Secrets are so important. You have to put them in the right hands if they escape your own. I hope Satoshi trusts me. If he doesn't, I suspect my heart will be somewhat broken. I'd trust him with my secrets…

            My eyelids weighed down as the darkness of my bedroom became true and my brain slowly shut down for the night. I had a feeling that I would sleep like a rock tonight. I know I didn't loose a life-threatening amount of blood, but it was enough to make me a little weary. Tonight, I shall regain my strength with dream that are hopefully not full of visions of vampires and Gengaas'.