Things were slowing down quickly, Sunako thought not for the first time. She realized soon after they brought her home that they were not what she expected from vampires, but the routine they had confused her even more.

Vampires were wild. Unpredictable. Careless. Recluse.

But, she accepted them as the exception. Everything has an exception. She often saw herself as an exception.

They just happen to be the boring type of exception.

The four vampires (plus one human) she had come to know had a schedule they followed, seemingly unaware that they did so.

Sunako released a heavy sight as she walked towards the backyard garden. Her time was running out, and she still didn't have a response good enough for Takenaga. Though, she suspected, after spending a month watching him, any answer she could give wouldn't be good enough for him. Nothing was worth trading this life for his.

They were at an impasse. She could say anything, and it would never be satisfactory to him. Sunako glared at nothing in particular. In one month, she would be going home and this would all seem like nothing more than a dream.

A semi-boring one, at that.

Sunako sunk slowly to the bench was quickly becoming familiar with. It seemed that the nights she wasn't inside watching a movie, she was out side of the bench contemplating her future, something she'd never really done before. Now, though, a whole new future was opened up to her. And the more she thought about it, the more she wanted it. It wasn't just about the blood and darkness anymore. Lately, it had become more about time.

She'd seen Yuki and Ranmaru hold a conversation in so many languages she'd lost count.

Kyohei was a master fighter of just about every style she had ever heard of.

Takenaga had a library so full of books old and new it would put any public library to shame. And she was sure he'd read every last one of them.

She may not have known a lot about her new housemates, but she knew they had all the time in the world and they knew how to use it.

Sunako wanted that now more than ever. The chance to travel the world, see it change. Learn anything and everything. Vampires didn't need to eat human food (a fact she was correct about) but she'd seen Kyohei stuff his face more than enough to know they enjoy it.

"It's a nice night," a voice interrupted her mental list. Glancing over, Sunako confirmed what she already knew.

"Yes," she agreed with the dark haired beauty.

Takenaga took his sit next to her on the bench. "I like evenings like this," he said, looking at the sky, "when everything is quiet and a person can think."

Sunako studied him intently, wishing to see what he saw and to hear what he heard. Another thing she desperately wanted.

"What do you think about?" he asked, turning to her.

"Time," Sunako replied honestly, "and how much I want it."

"You've got time."

"Not as much as you."

Takenaga lifted a brow. "True, but what would you do with all of it? Trust me, it becomes mind-numbing eventually."

"Maybe," Sunako shrugged, "but there's has to be something to do. There's too much in this world for you to have done it all by now."

Takenaga laughed. A deep, husky rumble that Sunako had never heard before. And, she assumed, neither had most of the house.

"Yes. There is much in this world."

They lapsed into silence, and Sunako held out the hope that he'd begin to think about her request more seriously now. Peeking at him from the corner of her eye, questions began to fill her mind once again, one more prominent than all the rest.

"Are you going to tell me what's going to happen with the Eliza situation, or am I going to just be surprised?"

Sunako wasn't prepared for him to full direct his hypnotic gaze onto her. Suddenly, there was nothing but him and his eyes. She felt powerless and willing at the same time.

"Why do you want to know?" The words came from within her mind. They were soft and rhythmic.

Sunako found it hard to answer. "It has to do with me." In the very small part of her mind that was still hers, she started to panic.

"You know, you brought yourself here," the voice continued, lulling her into security—into safety. "Whatever happens here is your fault. You put us at risk, and yet we still protect you. Do you really think you have any right to ask questions? In fact, it would be easiest just to be rid of you; give you the thing to dream of most and start my life again. You are alive, and that is the only thing you need to know."

Swirls of blue filled her world; she could see nothing else. Then, there was a iciness. She couldn't figure out where it was centralized, only that she could feel it everywhere, and it was constantly growing, consuming her completely.

"Takenaga!" The swirls stopped and warmth returned slowly. "What are you doing?"

The world came into focus, but all Sunako could see were the bright blue eyes of Takenaga, his pupils narrowed into slits. She shivered, realizing the blues of the swirls and his eyes were the same, wondering what he'd been doing to her.

Gradually, his eyes returned to normal and he turned away from her, facing Kyohei who was standing a few meters away. "Nothing," he said, "just having a friendly conversation."

Kyohei stared wide-eyed. "Well, go have a friendly conversation with the girls Ranmaru brought back."

Sunako watched the two stare each other down, not understanding why, as it was completely out of character for the both of them.

Takenaga stood and started walking away. "We'll talk again later, Sunako. Please excuse me."

Sunako nodded dumbly, still in shock, watching his retreating figure. A growl brought her attention back to Kyohei who was now standing in front of her.

"What did he say to you?" he demanded.

Sunako tried to think back to what had been said, but found she couldn't remember any of it. It was all like a dream she'd had, simple glimpses and feelings but nothing solid.

Kyohei sighed and sat down next her. "In all this time, you haven't figured it out yet, have you?"

"Well, maybe if you all weren't so cryptic and confusing all the time," she snapped, upset about the loss of her memory. "You don't exactly make this easy."

"It's not supposed to be easy," he replied furiously. "You're the first outsider, so don't get mad at us for not knowing what to tell you and what not. We spend our entire lives trying to hide from you mortals. It hasn't been easy for us either."

Sunako wanted to reply, but found she had nothing to say. Taking a deep breathe, she tried to calm nerves. They felt as if they were jumping and buzzing everywhere, like a limp and been severed and they didn't know what to do. "What did he do to me? What haven't I figured out yet?"

Kyohei looked at her, but she was afraid to meet his eyes. "Most people don't put the pieces together, but most people don't get as close to us as you have."

"Are you talking about vampires in general or you specifically?" As disturbed as she was, Kyohei was willing to share something and she wanted to learn. Sunako wasn't going to let this pass.

"Vampires in general," he answered, shrugging. Sunako tried to think back, reviewing the time she spent with them in detail, trying to draw upon anything that could possibly mean something. So far, all signs pointed to them being vampires, but that was nothing new.

"The fangs, the coldness," he continued. "We can't stand the sun, but have you noticed how much we enjoy the warmth…"

Snakes. "Vampires are like snakes?" She asked, the pieces falling together as she remember how warm they kept the house, or how they would snuggle under blankets when watching a movie or stand under the direct light in the house.

"Have you ever looked into a snake's eyes?"

Sunako snorted. "Can't say I've had many chances to do that personally,"

Kyohei nudged her, rolling his eyes. "They capture you," he said, serious again. "Once you're in them, you can't look away. A part of you wants to, but you're sort of afraid what they'll do; they can move so fast. But another part of you just wants to know what it's thinking."

Sunako thought about what had happened with Takenaga, the filling still escaping her. All she could remember was blue.

"Some believe that the first vampires were infected from a snake bite."

"Is that what you believe?"

Kyohei shook his head. "No, but whose to say? It's one of those things that can never be determined; a story no one will ever get right. And it doesn't matter. We're here right now. There's no use understanding how it happened if understanding isn't going to fix anything."

Sunako stayed quiet, taking in his words.

"There's nothing you can do to stop them if they capture you, so try to avoid it."

"Why'd he do it?"

"One, he's thirsty, which is why Ranmaru brought two girls home instead of one."

The image of Takenaga—posed, sophisticated Takenaga—sucking on the neck of some girl filled her mind and Sunako found that it didn't fit, despite everything she'd thought of him previously.

"Two," Kyohei went on, "he's frustrated. He's been here for so long, and having drop so close as filled him with hope, but having Eliza show up changes things. All he wants is to be down with this, but he made you a promise. He has to protect you to keep that promise. Extra pressure."

Guilt filled Sunako, and the drop around her neck burned. She hadn't realized how much trouble she was causing them. Gripping the heated globule in her hand, she briefly considered just giving it to them. Maybe they'd let her stay anyway…

"But don't worry," Kyohei interrupted her musings, "we're experts on handling pressure—especially Takenaga. You should see him in action one day; it's a real sight to behold."

Sunako rolled her eyes. "If that was Takenaga under pressure, I'm not sure I want to see anymore."

Kyohei didn't reply, instead he nodded. He didn't appear to be paying any more attention to their conversation as he looked up to the sky. Weeks of staying up all night had completely adjusted her inner-clock.

"What do you see up there?" she asked.

Kyohei turned to her and smiled. "Everything."

Sunako leaned back against the bench and relaxed. Her mind of drifting, she knew, but at the moment she didn't care. Thoughts about vampires and snakes and her family and everything that had happened were slowly leaving, giving her a sense of peace. As long as she could remember, the only time she felt at peace was in her room with her movies.

"Well," Sunako turned her head at the voice and saw Noi standing with her hands on her hips, "Eliza's back—says she wants to say goodbye."

Kyohei lifted an eyebrow. "So?"

"To all of you." Kyohei opened his mouth to argue, but Noi waved him off. "Just go," she said, "so that she can leave."

The vampire rolled his eyes but got up nonetheless. He gave a small wave to the girls before taking off towards the house.

Noi waited until he was indoors before sitting down in his seat. "He likes you, you know," she said to Sunako, a bright smile plastered on her face.

"I guess," Sunako shrugged. She couldn't figure out why it would matter or bring herself to care one way or the other. It was a nice thought, though.

"No," Noi shook her head. "that's rare. Especially for him. I mean, he hardly deals with me, and I'm considered part of the family."

Sunako looked out at the garden, trying to form an understanding of what Noi was saying. "Does it really matter?"

Noi blinked. "I've never seen him act the way he does around anyone but you; you're special, Sunako."

Sunako had been called "special" before. By her parents, in that endearing way, and by her peers in that not-so endearing way. But she couldn't place what way Noi was meaning it.

Noi sighed. "It's okay if you don't get it," she said, patting Sunako on the knee, "I wouldn't either. Just be extra careful from now on."

With that comment, Noi got up and walked back to the house, leaving Sunako even more confused. The whole evening had been mystifying, from Takenaga to Kyohei, and now Noi. There was something going on underneath the surface, and Sunako wanted to know what.

She sat there for another ten minutes, thoughts of the past month roving from one thought to another. At the base of her throat where the drop sat, she felt a pulse. Then another and another. Dragged out of her thoughts by the speeding beat, she grabbed the droplet. At her touch, it heated quickly. Gasping at the burn, Sunako rapidly removed the necklace and held it out to observe from a distant.

"It's a warning."

Sunako knew she should have been surprised, as it seemed everyone was going to sneak up on her that night, but she wasn't. At the voice, she turned around, taking her fighting stance since she'd never had a flight reaction.

Standing there was the girl from the store, Elizabeth she recalled. Sunako didn't lower her arms, something her father taught her as a little girl.

"The drop," Elizabeth went on to explain, motioning towards the drop, "it's warning you that a threat is close."

Sunako had begun to understand the drop had didn't reactions for different situations, but she hadn't been able to read them easily.

Looking at the woman she'd only met a week earlier. The dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders in gentle waves. Her eyes were dark and intense; she looked every bit as a vampire as Eliza, but there was some thing softer about this vampiress.

"What's going on?" she asked defensively. There was some thing different about Elizabeth, sure, but the drop had given her a warning for a reason.

"Change of plans," Elizabeth said, coming closer to Sunako. "Sorry my counsel wasn't of help, but Romelia is very paranoid; I should have known that she would change her mind at the last second."

Sunako stayed silent. While she observed the vampiress in front of her, her mind dragged up Elizabeth's words from that day in the store.

"What's changed?" Sunako asked. She remembered Elizabeth telling her that if she'd stayed away from Eliza and only trusted them, she would be okay.

"Our orders." Elizabeth answered simply. "You should know now that this is not something I want. Rather, I am doing this for my own survival. You understand?"

Sunako briefly wondered when she got so mixed up. Four weeks ago, taking off with a vampire who surely had intentions of killing and/or changing her wouldn't have been an issue. In fact, four weeks ago she was begging a vampire to take her. Now, it was being offered and she had objections.

But then, she didn't have a choice. Elizabeth was standing next to her, grabbing her in what Sunako was sure was supposed to be gentle, and they were gone. Apart of her wanted to scream, but there was a feeling of euphoria coursing through her as they traveled down the hill.

Elizabeth growled and suddenly swerved. Opening her eyes, Sunako tried to see what was going on. Elizabeth changed direction again. This time, Sunako could tell that Elizabeth was trying to avoid the swipes of Kyohei and the others. Her carrier leap again as Ranmaru darted out of nowhere to tackle her. Sunako's exhilaration left as she realized the danger was in. She started struggling, knowing there was no way she was going to get out of Elizabeth's grip, but hopping to making it harder for her to run.

Kyohei was gaining on them and Sunako struggled harder. He reached out a hand to grab Elizabeth's shoulder. Sunako's heart filled with gratefulness that they came for her and arrogance that her vampires could out do the ones trying to kidnap her, but then Kyohei disappeared from sight. Sunako shouted out in anger as she focused on the figure of Eliza pinning Kyohei to the ground. Ranmaru and Yuki were nowhere to be found and she could no longer see Kyohei.

A feeling of doom took over. Elizabeth slowed down to a stop and Sunako struggled even more, though she wasn't sure why. She obviously couldn't fight off a vampire even if she wanted to, and again she was confused by the fact that she wanted to. Wasn't this want she originally wanted?

She found a cold hand wrapped around her throat as Elizabeth shoved her back against the rough bark of a tree. Over her shoulder, Sunako could she the dark outline of a sleek black car. Her vision blurred. She could see Eliza appear and smile.

"You make things very convenient for us," Eliza said smugly. Turning to Elizabeth, she smiled. "Do you think she'll let me keep her?"

Elizabeth didn't answer, but it wouldn't have mattered if she did. Sunako had lost consciousness anyway.

So, did you all like my disappearing act?

No?

Oh. Sorry. I'll try to work on that.

And honestly, after such a long lack of updates, I wish I could give you something better than this, but hey, at least it's something right?

So yeah, review, rant at me for my absence, correct any mistakes.

What do you think of Elizabeth and Eliza? I haven't really had the chance to get into them, but yeah…And Takenaga? He was weird in this chapter, but it seemed right when I wrote it.