Me: Yo.

Gene: 'Sup.

Naru: No, Gene, don't.

Gene: What? I can be edgy too!

Mai: … Do you even know what it means to be edgy?

Gene … … … … … This isn't about me! Let's get to the story! Angel owns nothing!

Me: That's right, use me as an excuse to run away.

Italics/underlined: flashback
Italics: thoughts
italics/bold/underlined: flashback thoughts

Mai's POV

… Yeah, okay. Not what I was expecting.

We finally escape the long passage and come into a room that was fit for a king… Of freaking vampires! The walls were covered in some old-fashioned wallpaper and the four corners of the room had tall, sculpted pillars. There were drapes hung up on the walls even though there were no windows to cover and to top it all off, most of the light was being produced by candles and the lit fireplace.

Have they not left this place since the 1800s?! The 21st century is crying…

To make it creeper, there was a man, surrounded by about another four men, lying across a chaise lounge chair holding a glass of red wine. His long brown hair made him look a little feminine but his clothes kinda gave him that "starving artist" look. This is the person that had me kidnapped…He then stood up and opening up his arms, and with the brightest smile, he cried out, "Welcome!"

…

…

"There are so many things wrong with this picture…"

"Trust me, I agree," Reo agreed, "but do us both a favor and don't mention it. I'd like to get out of here with my sanity."

"Ugh…." I groaned. Someone end my misery!

"Don't just stand there. Come, sit," said the man.

I was beyond reluctant to go sit with a man that was so… weird. There were so many things off about him. Beginning with the odd contrast with his way of acting and his aura. I felt something dark coming from him but his bright smile and kind demeanor made me feel like putting my guard down. Needless to say, I felt uneasy. And just as I was about to refuse…

"Move it," Reo said as he pushed me forward, "Believe me, I know it's a bit weird but he is not going to let it go."

And, just like that, I was forced to sit next to… Wait… Who is this guy?

"Umm… sorry, I didn't catch your name."

He smiled at me and simply said, "Irrelevant."

The hell it is!

"Yeah, but what am I supposed to call you?"

"Presently, that is not important. I'd rather skip the stuffy formalities and get straight into the business at hand."

"Okay, but…"

"Sooner we begin, the sooner we end, and the sooner you can leave."

"Pfft… names. Who needs 'em, am I right? " I awkwardly laughed.

"Nicely said," Reo laughed as he stood next to me. I could do nothing more than simply glare at him and, in response, he simply stuck out his tongue. What a child. As I thought this I couldn't help but grin.

"It seems that you and Mori have come to get along quite nicely," said the nameless man and I hastily replied.

"No, he just happens to act so childish I find it funny."

"Oh, I'm childish?" Reo inquired a bit irked, "Do you need a reminder on how you look more like a child? Maybe you should worry about whether or not you're going to fill out in certain places."

I glared at him, with my face probably as red as a tomato, and shouted, "Pervert! You shouldn't be harassing a girl based on her figure. If I fill out, I do. And if I don't… well, I couldn't care less."

"I think that pause in your sentence says otherwise."

"I DIDN'T PAUSE!"

"PLEASE! YOU COULD PRACTICALLY SEE THE ELLIPSIS OVER YOUR HEAD."

We probably would have continued this ridiculous fight had the nameless man not intervened.

"Now, Mori, she's right, you know. You shouldn't say such mean things to a young lady."

"Whatever," Reo huffed.

That was when it suddenly clicked. From the moment that I met Reo and heard his name, I know that I knew him from somewhere. Of course, I had no idea from where.

"Wait a second," I said as I turned to face the nameless man, "You called him Mori?"

"Yes, that's his surname."

"Meaning his full name is Reo Mori?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Reo said, clearly curious. He was clearly intrigued by my questions, who knew why.

"…Wait! Are you Reo Mori the singer and actor?!"

"Did you just now realized that?!" Reo questioned me.

"Well I knew you looked familiar from somewhere. I just had no idea where I'd seen you before."

"Seriously? What kind of teenager are you? I happen to be very popular, I'll have you know!" he said smugly.

"Yeah, well, my schedule tends to be packed so I don't normally listen to things that are not worth my time."

"Excuse you?!" he snarled, "Just because you just happen to be a socially dead halfwit with nothing more than a few snide remarks to offer as a potential personality doesn't mean you have to try to take a jab at me!"

"And you don't have to take a jab at me just because I have something better to do than listen to a musician whose already washed-up!"

"Now you're crossing a line!" he yelled.

"Enough!" called out the nameless man.

We both looked in his direction. He didn't seems angry but he looked as if he had completely lost the patience to deal with us. Reo bowed slightly and mumbled a slight apology as he took a couple of steps back, as if he were giving me and the other guy some space. I don't like Reo but I sure as hell prefer him over Sir Dracula, whom was sitting right next to me.

"Now then, shall we return to why you are here?"

"Oh, right…"

Reo somehow made it very easy to get off topic. It's really weird that I don't really like Reo but I definitely don't hate him. Heck, I think my opinion of him has improved significantly and it has only been like, a day, since…WAIT! He abducted me, I'm not supposed to like him in the least. Screw him, but screw the nameless guy even more because he's the one who told him to kidnap me!

"Well Miss Mai, first things first, I have to apologize for what we put you through. I did tell Mori to be nice about bringing you here but I'm not sure how well that idea went."

"Oh, yeah, super nice about it. It's not like I'm physically bruised or anything…," I sarcastically joked.

"I could have made it much worse if I put my mind to it," mumbled Reo.

Asshole.

"Alright…? That aside, we need to discuss a bit of a business deal. I have an understanding that you have been having a bit of a 'struggle' with a certain group of people."

"You mean having Alice Academy chasing me as if they were ghosts and I was Pac-Man?"

"Yes, I guess that is one way to put it. But, on a greater sense of importance, this leads to a potential partnership between us."

"I'm sorry, what do you mean?"

"I also have a bone to pick with Alice Academy. Quite frankly, they have been a thorn in my side since the day I was born."

"I don't see what that has to do with me."

"We have a common focus; to get Alice out of our lives permanently. We have a common goal, a common enemy…"

"And the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?"

"Precisely! They have created chaos in your life and they have essential destroyed mine. I want nothing more than to repay them in full for the loving care they have shown to the both of us and to all those who have and are currently under the miserable control of the Academy. They have played with the lives of many, threatened the lives of loved ones, all for the sake of their own selfish goals. They have no tolerance for disobedience and no respect for the life of others. They break whoever walks through the doors of the academy into submission. That is the way of Alice Academy. My goal in life is to destroy them and I believe that you could be the key to accomplish that goal. Of course, this is beneficial to you as well. With them gone you would be able to return to whatever life you were robbed of. So, please, would you be interested in a partnership?"

He looked me in the eyes with an outstretched hand and a smile that clearly were expecting me to say yes. Of course me being me, I already knew that this man was off. I leaned back in my seat, arms folded, and gave a slight smile, showing no intention of taking his hand.

"Well, that was quite the pitch. How long did you practice that in the mirror?"

He drew back his hand and shrugged. He smiled and said, "It's the truth. I have only our best interests in mind."

Lies. Nothing but lies.

"Sorry pal. I'm not buying what you're selling. Everything you've said is nothing but a bunch of lies."

I looked him straight in the eyes and he did the same. His smile still etched on his face but now a dark aura fell over his eyes. He turned and poured himself another glass of wine. He looked back at me, his back still turned, and asked, "Whatever are you talking about? Care to explain what I've supposedly lied about?"

"No offense, but from the moment I came into this place I've had this nagging feeling that I should not trust you under any circumstance."

"Well that is rude!" he laughed.

"It may be rude but it is honest," I continued, "Not to mention that there is something very suspicious. Now correct me if anything I say is wrong… You don't really know anything about me or about how my life was ruined by Alice. I'd daresay that I could even claim that you don't particularly care."

"You make interesting claims but I do know more than you give me credit for."

"Yeah but here's the thing… you said that I am the 'key' to accomplishing your goal, correct? Well if I am so important why is it that you know nothing about me? Furthermore, you made it a point to be vague about the chaos that Alice has caused me. See, normally when someone is trying to sympathize, or in your case, coerce, with another they tend to be slightly more specific. They would exploit every scenario to the fullest just for impact. And more than likely, they'd eve add in their own experience. My favorite is when they give some sort of origin story as if they were superheroes."

"Sorry but my ability to show sympathy has faded over time. And just because I do not wish to share my personal history does not mean that I know nothing of your suffering," he said, still smiling as if nothing in the world was wrong.

"No.," I said shaking my head, "I can't deny that you are a very smart man and for that reason I know that you would do anything to make sure I willingly joined you. The fact that you haven't is either because you can't or because you won't out of mercy. And I highly doubt it's the ladder. Meaning the reason you don't is because you don't know any specifics on what has happened to me."

"That is quite the theory you have."

"Fun thing about theories is that they can sometimes be tested to prove them as facts. So let's prove it shall we? Sir, if you truly know so much about me tell me exactly why I'm the key to your masterful plan. Wait, better yet, what is my alice?"

There was a moment of silence. Even Reo didn't make a sound, much less speak. It was obvious that I was right, these people didn't know the slightest thing about me or my life and they did not care. The odd man looked at me and grinned, simply saying, "Irrelevant."

"Seriously? That's all you have to say?" I replied, confused by his reaction.

"Well to be honest, I didn't expect you to figure that part out. Please, do tell me then, what do you believe my interest in you was."

"Simple. The interest Alice Academy has in me. They, for a particular reason, are determined to get me and that was when you decided to bring me onto your side. If I agreed to work for you then I could purposefully get captured by alice so that I could enter the academy as a spy and they would be none the wiser. Meaning that you don't really need any knowledge of my past or of my alice since it does not really matter. All you need is for me to be there doing your dirty work."

Funny how he is right, on the part of my past being irrelevant. I don't think anyone really cares about who I used to be, so long as my alice is functional and I am willing to obey. I'm just a tool to them...

I watched as the man sat down silently and took a drink from his wine glass. He grinned, looking away from me and laughing silently. He then spoke saying, "Well you are better than I gave you credit for. Quite smart indeed."

"You would do well not to underestimate me, you condescending prick," I replied, annoyed at how he was looking own on me.

"You are also much ruder that I had imagined you to be. But anyway, that aside, I wasn't completely lying. I want you to help me and I help you get back everything that you lost. I wasn't lying when I said that this could be mutually beneficial. To destroy them as they have attempted to destroy us. Come now, little one, open up your mind to the possibilities of our partnership. With them gone, we will at long last be free. With my plan we can achieve that together."

Will I? Free? I have been running for so long it feels like the most normal thing in the world to me. Can I go back to how it used to be? Will I finally be able to stop running and live out a normal life where I am simply a girl with a gift instead of being hunted every day for the rest of my life?... Even if I can't I want payback. To make them suffer for everything they've done…I …

"I'm listening," I said, with new found determination and a firm desire.

I'll make them pay. I'll use my anger and hatred as a weapon that I will wield to destroy them. I'll make them regret having ever crossed me.

The nameless man looked at me, a sly and cruel smile spread across his face, his eyes clouded over with visible hate and darkness, and he simply said, "Excellent."

Me: Another one in the can, my friends.

Mai: That was quite the personality you painted…also when did I get the attitude?

Me: You've always had it. You've just never known your potential.

Mai: Right…

Me: Hey, where's the boys?

Mai: No idea….

Yasu: Naru took his shot at running away and Gene is probably curled up in a ball feeling dejected somewhere.

Me:… It is so sad that I can honestly imagine that. Well anyway, Yasu?

Yasu: On it! … Thanks for reading everyone! Come back when the new chapter is out and please don't forget to R&R!