Sympathy for the Diva

by Perentie Fan

What if Diva chose not to make Riku forever hers by killing him? What if he became a new kind of influence on her life? Can someone with a mind so twisted by her past ever be redeemed? Main Pairings: Riku x Diva, Saya x Haji, Kai x Irene

3. Chapter 3: Memory Lane

Sympathy for the Diva Sympathy for the Diva

Disclaimer: Don't own so don't sue

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Part 3: Memory Lane

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For some people what we perceive as time seems to crawl forward, for others it slips by far too quickly. This is largely a matter of perspective of course, as the same amount of time passes for everyone. It could be said that in general the younger you are the slower time seems to pass because your experience with time is limited by your age. For a two year old a year is half of their existence and can't even be comprehended, while for a twenty year old it is merely one-twentieth of their life and a good deal easier to conceptualize.

For Riku it had been neither. This was why he lay in bed, staring in shock at the calendar he had found and laid before him. He had checked it out of curiosity and now found the result a lot to take in.

"A year…" he sighed. It really had been a whole year now since Diva had kidnapped him from his siblings and brought him into a life that he at times still had trouble believing was real.

It was not that time had passed by unnoticed. He knew he had been with Diva for a long while, but to have it quantified like this was new. Diva lived her life moment by moment and rarely referred to the passage of time nor did she celebrate holidays, while for Riku time had also lost a good deal of meaning. Most of his daily life revolved around Diva and just as he could lie in bed with her, never fall asleep and yet never be bored, so most days seemed to blur together into a long series of interactions with Diva. One might say he was fully aware of the passage of time, but had simply ceased to care enough to pay much attention to it. Perhaps it was part of being a chevalier, a way to ease the decades spent apart from one's queen.

Or perhaps it was simply the new life span he had gained. Humans who live a long time feel time pass faster and feel as though it is slipping away from them as they march inexorably to the decades where their death will likely occur. Riku felt no such anticipation. Now some part of him seemed to understand that he had the potential to live for more time than he might imagine and that there was no great hurry for him to do anything.

Nonetheless, he knew that a lot had changed. He had been moved multiple times over the course of the year, and now was somewhere around London. Diva's practices for her upcoming concert were becoming more frequent and thus he spent more and more time alone in her room with his thoughts. He had put the time to productive use, making use of Diva's chevalier Nathan's vast stores of books to keep up his studies to some degree. Nathan had lived a long time and had stowed great amounts of information and rare artifacts in his many homes around the world.

Riku in fact had come to know each of Diva's chevalier by name and though he was certainly a strange man he still regarded Nathan as one of the two who he felt fairly safe with, the other being the mild-mannered Solomon. Indeed, the two could be downright friendly with him, whereas Karl, James and Amshel (who he rarely saw) spoke to him only when they had to and ignored him whenever they could.

He knew they disliked him, or perhaps hated would be a more accurate word, and that he was only still alive due to Diva. And although he usually was not in fear of his life, it was still a unsettling thing to consider, especially when Diva even now sometimes joked about killing him if he made her unhappy.

It was still better than thinking about Saya and Kai though. Inevitably he'd bring himself to tears over how much he missed them. Indeed, the sobering revelation that a year had passed was enough to make him think about how he had managed to live here for so long without breaking physically or mentally. There was no doubt it had much to do with something that started shortly after he began to room with Diva.

-- flashback: approximately 1 year ago

It had been only a few days since Diva had 'claimed' him as her own and he'd already been moved once to a new area. Just where he didn't know, he'd been blindfolded for the trip and it was not undone until he had arrived in what served at this particular location as Diva's room. The same room he now lay in.

By now Riku's feelings for Diva had grown ever more confused. He despaired over the injustice of what had happened to him. He knew Diva was selfish and manipulative, a monstrous murderer who had violated him several times now. At times such as when he was locked up alone, as he was afraid to even think such things in front of her, he was almost sure he hated her.

And yet in addition to the incredible lust he felt for her body he had also come to enjoy the affection he felt from her when she hugged him or smiled at him. It seemed genuine, if twisted, on her part, to some degree at least. Moreover, his experience of seeing or feeling into Diva's mind that first morning had spawned a deep curiosity on his part. He wanted to understand just who Diva was, if only to help him see how he could feel anything but hatred for her.

That very night he would get an answer.

-- flashback: the 1830s

Pain.

Hunger.

Thirst.

Loneliness.

Despair.

Fear.

Those were the basic elements of her earliest memories, memories of feelings before words came to have meaning.

And him. The face of the man she came to know as Joel Goldschmidt.

Her world was a small and dark one, the windows only allowing small shafts of light through, their openings good for little more than gaining glances of the outside world. Not that she spent much time gazing out them, she was usually too tired for it.

For she was constantly hungry, her body weak and emaciated, often fed little more than the amount needed to keep her conscious. That she lived and grew on such a meager diet only proved her extreme durability. Yet durability could not take away the constant ache of hunger in her stomach, or the thirst that dried her tongue. Such pain was magnified in the form of the many tests and experiments she was subjected to.

Joel was obsessed with learning all he could about her body and its capabilities. Time and again he would have her restrained with ropes or chains before inflicting her with horrific injuries, then seeing how long it took for her to recover and what difference there was between her recovery time with a recent blood feed compared to without.

Thus he would cut into her flesh with knives, poison her and burn her. At times he would nearly bleed her dry and study how she could return from the coma-like state with simply a little blood. He would sever her fingers and toes, even entire limbs to see at what point they stopped growing back and instead needed the lost appendage placed at the wound to reattach.

This was her life, if it could even be called a life. An existence of unending pain and loneliness, of suffering that few could even imagine much less understand. And yet she herself at the time did not particularly understand how terrible her life was. It was after all the only life she had ever known.

For suffering is, like many things, partly dependant on perspective. Because she had known of nothing in her life except her tower prison, the outside world, freedom, was not something she particularly desired at first. In fact it frightened her. Joel had encouraged this, in what was one of their few conversations. She had been quite young at the time, but the memories of it were still clear even if she didn't remember just where she had first heard the word "outside" from.

"Out- side?" her small voice had questioned.

Often Joel ignored her questions, but this time his curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know more about what the girl had been able to learn from simple observation, about just how much she understood of her own speech and how much was simply imitation. He turned to look at her, pleased at the submissive look she gave him. She knew well enough not to speak when he spoke. "Yes," he replied in a neutral tone. "Was there something you wished to say?"

Her voice was unsteady, unsure, due to lack of experience, fear, and nervousness. Out of fear and awe she could not look him in the eye, but she somehow found the courage to keep speaking. "W-hat. Is… Out. Side?"

Joel raised an eyebrow, a bit amused at the question and what it said of the girl's limited knowledge and comprehension skills. "Outside," he began "is the world beyond your windows, the world where I live."

This success spurred her confidence and she spoke more forcefully, with an almost hopeful tone. "I… I go. Outside?"

Joel's face darkened and she drew back, frightened. What had she said to anger him?

"No." He replied in a cold and commanding tone. "This is your world, you must never leave it. It is important that you understand this child, because you could never survive in the outside world. You have no family to provide for you and outside this room there is no one who will feed you or house you. So put the idea out of your head. Indeed, so that you may understand a bit more just what would happen if you left here, I believe I shall inform Amshel that he need not bother with your next scheduled feeding."

She wanted to plead some kind of apology, to beg for him not to do this. She was fed so little to begin with, to have even less was a thought too dreadful for her. And yet she found her voice paralyzed under Joel's disapproving gaze as he turned and walked away, ignoring her outstretched hand, her silent plea.

Again she was left with nothing but her own tears as she sobbed on the stone floor to the point of utter exhaustion. And yet it was not these things that made her hate Joel. Indeed, one might say that at this time she loved him.

For a long time she had understood the world in very childish terms, even compared to how she currently thought. That is, Joel was not her torturer or keeper, but her provider, her source for what little pleasure she felt in life. His arrival usually meant pain but it also meant human contact, the chance to hear a voice other than her own, perhaps even to in the process learn a new word or two. More importantly it meant that other man, Amshel, might be there, and that in turn she might be fed something.

Joel was the source, he was the one in control, the one who mattered. He was stronger than her, smarter than her, he held all power over her. If she had any concept of a god, he fitted it. And how could one despise an almighty god? Even if that god saw fit to leave her as little but skin and bones, what choice did she have but to obey? Or so she had thought.

The years passed and in spite of Joel's efforts to keep her isolated for the integrity of the experiment she continued to learn about the outside world bit by bit. She was an attentive girl, far more intelligent than her simple speech and childish mannerisms suggested. She also had an eye for beauty, though her surroundings left little to look at.

On the bright side there were the blue rose plants which grew around the outside of her cell. On occasion they would grow enough to even enter into her dark room through the small windows. She loved these plants and could spend hours simply admiring one of the blue plumes in her hand. When she was particularly bored and had the energy for it she would even cut herself on the thorns, using her blood to scrawl crude drawings on the floor or walls, or simply watching herself heal, tiny cuts often sealing themselves in seconds.

Her ears were keen as well and absorbed all they could of any conversation from anyone who came near the tower. Much of it was gibberish to her for some time, but after years of listening, she had learned the meanings, or probable meanings, of many more words.

Occasionally she would also overhear conversations between Joel and Amshel that she would only later comprehend the importance of.

"I understand the need to keep her isolated," Amshel had once asked Joel just outside her door, "but why is it that you keep the girl so malnourished?"

"I do not believe in taking unnecessary risks," Joel had replied plainly. "She is being raised as an animal, without any of the controls placed on her sister in her human upbringing. This makes her potentially very dangerous. Keeping her weak is thus a logical measure. It also tests her durability. I want to learn just what her kind is capable of under such constant duress."

Of course, matters of logic and durability meant nothing to her. She just wished to know what a full stomach felt like.

When not listening in on the outside world or recovering from Joel's latest experiments with her body she would sleep and dream of a world where Joel spoke to her with many kind words. The years continued to pass like this, the development of her lonely song as it emerged from the depths of her instincts being the only major event. She didn't know who she was calling for in the song or why, only that somehow she needed to call out.

Then one day it all changed. The day she first saw her.

It was hard, but her keen eyes could see just enough through the shafts of light to view the girl's face far below as she wandered about near the tower, and what she saw shocked her so much that she almost cried out. She stumbled back and searched until she found a broken shard of glass on the floor, left over from some testing equipment she had broken while writhing under one of Joel's more painful experiments. She then held it up to meet what light it could. Her reflection showed the truth. She was much cleaner than herself, had darker skin and her eyes were different, but there was no doubt, the girl outside had the same face she did!

She gripped the shard so tightly her hand bled. It made no sense. To comfort herself she began to sing as she had before she had spotted her, while the girl outside called up to her. But even as she replied vacantly and began to learn about who this girl was, her mind was focused elsewhere. Why? Why was this copy of her allowed to run around outside in the sun? Why did she look so well fed? Why did she smile so much? Why had Joel not locked the girl away in the dark? Why was she locked up in the dark?

It was a novel question, and one that her fragile mind could not answer. The contrast between her existence and this other girl's became ever starker in her mind as she began to ponder things she had rarely pondered before.

What would it feel like to walk on that soft-looking green stuff that covered the ground? How warm was the sun without a roof over your head? Where did this other girl sleep? Where did she get such pretty clothes? Who was it that provided for her? Was it Joel, was he her family?

Days of such pondering passed. Then came darker thoughts. What did it feel like to take blood from the source? How would Joel react if he were the one trapped in this tower? Could she punish him? Somehow it didn't seem so impossible anymore.

She began to want to leave her world, her prison. One by one she worked through the various problems Joel claimed she would have. If no one provided her with clothes or a place to live, perhaps she could live with that girl that looked like her. The girl had so much, surely she could share some? And if the girl did not share, well perhaps she could simply take what she wanted. After all, why should that girl get everything?

Then there was food, blood specifically. How was she to get it? Where was blood kept? She had known for a long time that she herself was full of blood. Joel had taken many samples of it over the years. It stood to reason that other people, Joel as well, were full of blood too. She also knew that if she focused her hunger enough then her fangs could lengthen and become sharper, sharp enough to easily pierce her own skin. She had thus experimented with drinking her own blood from her wrists and wondered if she could do the same to another person.

And so she began to learn about this other girl. It turned out it was the song that had caused their meeting. Her song had made the copy curious and the two had proceeded to learn a bit about each other. The girl's name was Saya and it seemed she found it strange that she had no name of her own. Then in a strange and wondrous event, the girl decided to give her a name.

Diva.

It was such a magical word, even more so when Saya told her more deeply about its meaning. It signified such elegance and dignity, a skilled and beautiful vocalist, a singer who deserved to be renowned.

So why… why was she locked in this tower? To her Joel seemed less and less of a benefactor and more and more of a jailer. One fact became seemingly clear as her warped mind twisted further. Joel was a bad person. He was the one keeping her from living up to her name. For that he needed to be punished… no… he needed to die. Just like the fleas she would squish between her nails whenever she found them on her skin. She hated him, he needed to die, everyone who had idly lived so near her in ignorance needed to die. Even Saya… Yes, perhaps Saya most of all, for Diva had begun to suspect they shared more than just looks. Whatever linked the two of them was strong, they were so similar to each other and yet their lives were so different. Diva could only conclude that Saya's mere existence had somehow caused her to be given this life.

Her dreams that had so long been filled with nightmarish visions of her pain and suffering under Joel now began to include other things. Blood and violence continued to fill them but she was no longer the only recipient. No, now it was Joel who was pierced and burned and it was the outside world that was awash in blood. Yet the nightmares of her own suffering remained and even seemed to intensify as she contrasted her life with Saya's. She would awaken screaming from the night terrors, she would enter rages where she bashed her hands against the walls until they were bloody and broken and she would hold herself hour after hour on the cold, lonely nights, losing herself ever more to the rage and madness.

As her heart closed-up she ceased to cry, as if her tears had all been shed and she had been left empty. What was the point of crying when no one was there to see it or comfort her? What was the point of grief or regret? No one understood. No one cared. No one ever did, and no one ever would. It was with such thoughts that any concept of empathy that she had once possessed shriveled up within her and came to its end.

-- end: 1830s flashback

Riku regained his awareness with a pained gasp of fear, his eyes moist from the intensity of the emotions he had experienced even as his mind tried to understand what had just occurred.

What happened? Was I asleep? No… that's impossible… but I was lying down, thinking about who Diva was, when I started to see… He looked to Diva, who even now twitched and murmured restlessly in her sleep, her expression pained.

Her memories. He had somehow tapped into her memories as she relived her childhood in her nightmares. The key apparently was to focus extra hard on thoughts of her while she was at the same time experiencing powerful emotions and thoughts. He tried to reach out his mind to her and again was assaulted by the horrific visions and feelings. He drew back, trembling.

The memories had not truly come in chronological order he realized. Rather his mind had organized them into the most probable chain of events as it experienced them. Indeed, some of them might have only been remnant nightmares rather than real memories. Regardless, he had wanted to know more about who Diva was and had gotten his wish. Yet now he felt sick inside as the images and feelings replayed mercilessly in his head, all the while Riku knowing it must be worse for her as she had actually physically gone through those horrors. It was a wonder to him that Diva could even function.

The memories of Joel were perhaps the most disturbing. He had imagined Joel to be a maniacal, raving villain of some kind, like the evil geniuses on so many shows he had seen on TV. Instead he appeared as a calm, composed, perfectly decent human being who wouldn't hurt anyone. And he didn't seem to take any pleasure in causing Diva pain, rather he just didn't care. He never laughed or smiled when he performed his horrific experiments. Indeed, he rarely spoke at all, and even more rarely to her. He simply saw her as an object, an object through which he could answer some of the many questions he pondered about the world.

In relation to this Diva had apparently learned to speak on her own, her learning based almost entirely on what few words she heard from Joel, as well as the more frequent conversations between him and Amshel. This perhaps helped explain how childish and unrefined Diva's speech patterns often were. She had learned to speak under less than favorable conditions and it had effected her for life.

He was sure of it now, of what he had felt for her aside from anger and lust. It was pity, and more than that, empathy. Being adopted, then losing his adoptive father, he knew what it was to lose important things, and here was a girl who had never even had anything to lose. He could not hate her, not when he had seen what had shaped her into this and how little she understood that living any other way was even possible.

She was like a beautiful glass sculpture that had been beaten and battered for years until it at last shattered and the shards rained down upon the people below. The glass pieces that represented her had killed her tormentor and in succession had killed or injured many others who were not guilty of harming her, and yet Diva was just as much a victim as they were. She was alive, yet she was not truly living. She was a shattered soul, empty and cold, living only to experience physical pleasure, to indulge her lusts, and searching endlessly for anything that might give her life more meaning, something that could fill the void in her heart.

And now she writhed beside him, sweat pouring off of her, groaning in fear and anger. He stared at the sight, shaking as he found his resolve. He couldn't just watch this happen, not when he knew what she was experiencing. He had to help her somehow.

"Diva?" he asked while prodding her shoulder gently. "Come on Diva, wake up, you're having a nightmare."

She didn't awaken, indeed the nightmare seemed to get worse, and Riku could only try harder. Soon he had leaned over her, shaking her shoulders vigorously and imploring her to wake up, tears welling in his eyes as the psychic reverberations of her inner turmoil continued to feed into him.

He yelled her name a final time and at last, while loosing something between a scream and a roar, she snapped her blazing blue eyes open. At the same time her arms shot out defensively, one grasping Riku by the neck, the other by the throat, both proceeding to squeeze hard enough that he would have cried out in pain had his throat not been constricted.

He gritted his teeth and strained to breathe. It felt like she had crushed his shoulder and collapsed his throat. He did the only thing he could and pled with his eyes for her to loosen her grip and give him a chance to heal. They stared at each other for several seconds, Riku's tears landing on her sweaty face as she panted, her heart racing in fear. At last she seemed to realize where she was and what was happening and let go, Riku collapsing on top of her and gagging as his body restored itself. Diva made no reaction, continuing to stare blankly into space, lapsing back into apparent shock, their heavy breathing the only sounds in the room.

Slowly, Riku managed to pick himself up enough to look in her eyes again. Diva seemed confused enough by his expression to snap out of her blank stare. "Riku?" she inquired, raising herself up to a sitting position as he sat back to wipe his eyes.

His fear of her once more overcome by his feelings of sympathy, he proceeded to wrap his arms around in her in a desperate embrace, sobbing into her shoulder. Diva's whole body stiffened at the contact, so different from the passionate way it was done during lovemaking. This was driven by something other than physical desire or attraction. She simply didn't know how to react. No one had ever hugged her like this.

"I'm so sorry!" he cried, "I… I wish… I wish none of those things had happened to you!"

At least now she understood part of his motivation. "So… I was right," she said in a plain tone, "you are seeing my mind, my dreams. I also wish those things hadn't happened…"

Noting a change in the tone of her last words, Riku withdrew to look at her. For a moment a mask seemed to fall from her face and he again saw the starved, terror-stricken girl in the tower. He felt his eyes brimming with tears again. "Diva…"

"But they did happen."

Her tone was aloof once more, coldly indifferent. Her expression had changed, become fake, a look he was rapidly becoming familiar with. She had donned what he had come to think of as that smile, the eerie, empty look in her eyes betraying that it was not born of real happiness but of a mind that wanted badly to express happiness. "Do you want to hear the rest, Riku?" she asked with the same twisted enthusiasm she had when speaking of killing Saya, "About how I escaped and punished that awful old man?"

Riku hung his head. He didn't want to hear more, and yet he had to, for himself if no one else. He couldn't afford to let his newfound sympathy and empathy for Diva blind him to the terrible things she had done. As she spoke he could feel her pushing into his mind images, flashes of memory, just as she could push her words into his mind. He began to feel again as though he were living the memories.

--flashback: the day of Diva's escape--

For a short time she had been disappointed that Saya had not bothered to so much as look at her face-to-face after unlocking the door and running off, but she soon came to the conclusion it was just as well. It helped assure her that Saya was not the type of friend she claimed to be. Or rather it proved to her this concept of friendship was all about one's own self. That was what Saya cared about, not Diva. All Saya wanted was to use her to sing to her precious father Joel. That was what a friend was, someone you could use for your own benefit. In that sense, Saya had just become a very good friend for Diva.

Her thin arms strained as she struggled to finish opening the heavy door of her unlocked prison, but even as it finally swung open she fell back, blinded by light brighter than she could remember ever having shined upon her. It took several minutes for her eyes to properly adjust, at which point she staggered to freedom.

She moved slowly down the steps of the tower, knowing that if she fell she would likely break her fragile body. Then at long last she exited the tower and stepped into the outside world. She was astounded by it, the sights, sounds and scents of it all, it was overwhelming.

Her hunger, however, soon overtook her fascination. Trying to keep herself hidden as best as she could she crept toward Joel's house and the sounds of human activity she could detect there. She stalked to a quiet area, away from the main party, hiding herself in bushes from which she could observe passersby as the sun continued to lower itself upon the horizon.

It was then she spotted the man who would become her first victim. He was one of Joel's servants, perhaps a gardener or a cook, she couldn't tell and didn't really care. What mattered was he was alone and coming near her as he went about his business, utterly unaware of her presence. As he got closer she could feel her heart beat increasing and saliva massing in her mouth while her fangs lengthened. Her vision was altering, becoming shaded in blue. Through these transformed eyes her prey stuck out like a sore thumb.

It was painful to keep herself from attacking but she knew she was too weak to force the man to give her his blood. And so she waited until he had his back turned, grabbed a rock, crept up, and struck him over the head with it with all the strength her starved body could muster. She then dragged the unconscious man behind the bush he had fell next to. She collapsed, panting in exhaustion from the effort but somehow found the strength to crawl on top of him. Then, for the first time in her life, she fed beyond her meager rations in the tower.

The neck immediately stuck out as a good place to bite him as it meant she could straddle the rest of his body and hold it down if necessary. Furthermore, she found substantial pleasure when she rubbed her lower abdomen against his, pleasure she had only really experienced before by using her fingers there. She decided to keep the movements up while she drank.

It had been an ecstasy for the starved girl as she sucked on him with abandon. She drank and drank until the flow through him slaked and at last stopped. She continued to suck but to no avail and wondered what had happened, only slowly realizing the man was dead. That realization though had meant little. After all, for all she knew Joel did this on a regular basis to provide for Saya and so she should be able to get the same. She had no reason to care about this nameless man's life.

On the other hand, it did surprise her some that he had died. After all, she hadn't meant to kill him. Are other people really this fragile, this pathetic, or was just this one so very weak? She honestly didn't understand how it had happened. Joel himself had removed nearly all her blood on more than one occasion to see if she could survive it. She had eventually been sent into a coma-like state, but awakened and recovered quickly once she was given some blood. Why had this man died?

On the other hand what impacted her far more was the changes in her body after having fed. She felt so different, the world felt different. All her senses had become heightened. In particular her ability to feel and see the blood coursing through the veins of people in the surrounding area magnified and in turn she could see that what little blood remained in her previous meal had ceased moving. She felt stronger, faster, more alive. In fact she felt better than she ever had before, but she was still very hungry. After being starved for so long her body was rapidly using up the blood she had just consumed to rejuvenate herself. She would have to gorge substantially to recover from a lifetime of meager meals.

She had then spotted another of Joel's servants and walked toward him, feeling much more confidant than before. He seemed to be searching for the one she had killed. The man had noticed her and called her "Saya" in a confused tone, then became afraid as he noticed the blue glow in her eyes. Her reply was to latch onto his neck and suck away at it. He had let out a brief yell as he fell and the two wrestled on the ground a bit, she managing to maintain her grip on his neck. By the time he realized he could not overpower the seemingly weak girl, he was too weak himself to call for help.

A few minutes later she stood over the now lifeless body, panting over her recent exertions. Overpowering him had been enjoyable, and she felt even stronger now than before. She then decided to enter the mansion and seek out Saya's room. But first…

"Amshel…" she remarked impassively, turning to look at the man who had been standing a short distance away, quietly observing her.

"As I suspected," he said, equally aloof, "you have been freed and awakened to your true nature."

"Amshel…" she repeated, drawing her eyes to him, daring him, "are you here to punish me, to put me back in the tower?"

Amshel shut his eyes and shook his head slowly. "That would be a very foolish thing to do. Now that you have fed, there is no way that I could stop you, nor do I desire to."

"I'm going to kill all of them Amshel" Diva stated, giving him an empty smile. "Joel… his friends… you as well." She walked toward him with utmost confidence, Amshel responding by bowing down on one knee.

Diva paused, a puzzled expression on her face. "What are you doing?"

"Only what is proper when one of lesser standing is in the presence of royalty," he replied, not raising his head to meet her eyes.

"Royalty?" Diva scoffed. "Do you think words like that will make me spare you? Though… I am curious… you feel very different to me now Amshel compared to the last time I saw you. Why is that?"

"It is because of you of course. Or rather, your blood."

Diva was truly curious now. "What did you do?"

Amshel remained bowed as he spoke. "Several days ago I took a leave from my work with Joel. However, unknown to him it was because I desired to perform experiments that he was too cautious to ever attempt himself. However, the potential rewards were too great for me to ignore. And so I took a sample of your blood from the laboratory and once I was certain I had hidden myself where I would not be easily found, I consumed that blood. The initial effect was… most unpleasant" he remarked, recalling the horrible pain that had made him fall unconscious. "Yet when I awoke, I found myself reborn. Like you, I was no longer human."

"Not human?" Diva questioned.

Amshel nodded. "I am sure you have noticed you are different from other people. You do not age beyond your teen years, and any injury your body sustains regenerates at an extremely accelerated rate. You also can survive wounds that would kill any human. What you are is one reason you were caged. For you see neither you or your sister are human."

"My sister…" Diva pondered, "Is that Saya? Is that why she has my face?"

He nodded. "Indeed, the two of you were separated at birth, after the cocoons you were encased in were removed from your dead mother. While Saya was raised as Joel's beloved daughter, you were sent to the tower to undergo the opposite extreme of care. Joel wanted to see what effect it would have on your development."

Then it is true… Saya robbed me of my freedom the day I was born. If she had never existed… it would have been me! I would have been the one favored! Diva seethed in her thoughts. She then recalled another point Amshel had made. "If we are not human, than what are we?"

"Something greater, something beyond human experience. Regeneration, enhanced senses, eternal youth and perhaps eternal life, these and perhaps more are the powers instilled within your blood. They are powers I now possess, though I cannot compare to you. For the creator is greater than the created, just as you, the mother, the queen of your race is greater than any you may choose to sire."

Diva was only half listening now, her thoughts meandering down dark paths. Not human… I see… yet Saya was treated as a human… why? Why only me? Why was I the only one who suffered?

Amshel continued. "Along with my new abilities I have found myself instilled with a intense desire toward you and Saya. This caused a bit of a conflict within me at first as to what I should do. However, it is now clear to me that you are the superior of the two sisters. You already possess more power than Saya has ever shown in her coddled life. Not that you should take her lightly. The tests I and Joel have performed show that Saya's blood is deadly to you, and to me as well presumably."

Even so… your potential my lady…" his voice shook with more emotion than she had ever heard from him before, "to think of is enough to make my blood race."

"My potential?" she questioned.

"Yes, the potential to achieve anything and everything you want. As I said, it has become clear to me that you are nothing less than a royal being that all human rulers pale against. You are a queen among queens, perhaps even a goddess whose power could spread across this very planet. I wish to see that happen and to help you accomplish it, at any cost."

"Anything and everything I want…" she considered the words, liking how they sounded. Yes… she could have everything Saya had, and even more for that matter. Still… she wondered if this could be a trick. "Why should I use you Amshel? Are you offering yourself because you're afraid of me?"

"I come to you in fear and awe," Amshel noted, "and adoration. As for why, what is a queen without servants, loyal chevalier to carry out her will? After all, there is much about the world you know nothing about. I can teach you."

It made some sense. If she was a queen she did need followers. "Okay… I'll forgive you…"

She stepped closer to the bowed chevalier…

"However…"

And stabbed him straight through the chest with a single swift strike of her fist.

She bent her head to his ear as he gasped in shock. "First you'll still need to die for what you did to me. If your blood is like mine as you say, then when you come back to life I will accept you as my loyal servant, my… chevalier. Yes… then you will serve me, your queen, your Diva."

She stood up straight and smiled as Amshel crumpled to the ground, struggling to breath with his damaged organs as blood pooled out under him. Diva lifted her hand to her lips and slowly licked off a bit of his blood from her fingers, smiling at the taste, before turning to walk into the mansion.

Amshel felt his consciousness leaving him and could only hope he was indeed able to regenerate from such a wound. Moreover, he hoped that the gamble he had taken to keep studying Diva would work. Even with the desire and loyalty her blood had conjured within him, he was still a man with personal ambitions, ambitions he desired to fulfill at any cost. He needed Diva, so he needed her to be convinced that she needed him.

Diva continued through the massive building, draining and killing the few people she encountered along the way, most of them mistaking her for Saya. Their struggles and cries had been easily silenced and in a way she was disappointed. Wrestling that man to the ground earlier had been rather arousing. She pondered holding back against the next one and seeing if he or she would play with her a bit, but found no more to be had. Most of the people must be at the party, she reasoned when she thought about why she had not been caught yet.

Finally she arrived at what she recognized must be Saya's room. There were so many dresses in it, she just had to try them on! After all, she had promised Saya to sing at Joel's birthday party, and one needed to be well-dressed for a party. But first she needed to clean up a bit. She smiled as she glanced in a adjacent room and noticed a bath had been prepared, probably with Saya in mind for when she returned indoors.

It would be a new experience to use one, for Diva had never had a real bath before. The most cleaning she tended to get was a quick rubdown when she was being prepped by Joel's underlings, or a couple buckets of water poured on her and the floor to wash out some of the blood, wastes and grime that would accumulate in her cell. She tore off the dirty, blood-stained rags she had worn most of her life, entered the tub, and began to wash herself off. Once done she would find a suitable dress among Saya's collection of garments. Then it would be time for her entrance at the party, to come to Joel herself for the first and last time.

Soon Joel… very soon.

She could feel her thirst renewing at the thought.

--

The carnage was beyond his most horrific nightmares. It had started with a small fire that had erupted on one side of the courtyard. The guests had been so distracted by it that they had not at first noticed some of their peers along the edge of the crowd being ripped to bloody shreds. When they did complete chaos ensued.

Joel had watched in utter shock as in a matter of a few minutes every one of his guests died before his eyes. Something was moving among them, something so fast that their panicked states and the fire left no hope of avoiding it. Some died in the flames, either thrown into them or running into them in an attempt to escape. Most though simply died where they stood. One moment they would be unmarked, the next their heads had been torn from their shoulders or their torsos ripped in half. Others found their chests suddenly hollowed out as though an arm had punched through them, tearing out their heart and leaving them to fall next to it lifeless. Sometimes a body would vanish only to be thrown out into the courtyard shortly after, completely drained of blood.

Now the screams of fear and confusion were silent. There was only the sound of the fire blazing all around him and the heavy smell of the massive amounts of blood now seeping into the soil and stone. Joel felt himself overcome with nausea at the sight of so much gore and heaved out what he had eaten during the party.

Coughing and spitting as he tried to clear his throat, he regained a modicum of composure and stood back up. He scanned the area with his aging eyes, logic dictating that the perpetrator had spared him thus far for a reason. He involuntarily gasped as the sound of the flames crackling was joined by an eerie song, a song that he failed to recognize amid the noise of his burning home and the confusion of his shocked mind.

A short time later the song had faded. It was then that he saw her among the flames, her mouth latched onto a limp body held up by one of her hands before she tossed it away seconds later.

"Saya?" he questioned aloud, not sure what he was seeing, but then squinted as he looked more closely. "No…" Joel's eyes widened in shock. "It's you."

She closed her own eyes, tilted her head, and then smiled. It was a childish, beaming, innocent smile, and yet it chilled him to the bone.

"Happy birthday, Joel."

At first he could only stare at her in shock and gape, words failing him. "M-my precautions… you should never have had the strength to escape."

Diva closed her eyes, a fainter smile coming to her as she remembered the encounter that led to her freedom. "It was Saya."

Joel was again floored. "Saya?"

"She let me out Joel. She also gave me a name. It's Diva. You will call me that name before you die, but first…"

Before he could even think of reacting she had closed the distance between them and grasped his throat with one hand. "W-w-hat did you d-do with Saya?" he choked out.

Diva didn't know if he was concerned or simply wanted to know for the sake of knowing but she answered anyway. "Nothing yet. My idiot sister ran off to play with that Haji person of hers. It's just as well. She probably wouldn't agree with what I'm doing and killing her right after she let me out would have been pretty hard."

She lowered her eyes and seemed to ponder for a bit. "Saya… she is of the same blood as me… yet she seems to actually like you, though why wouldn't she? You raised her with all of your love and care while I…" her confident smirk faltered as for a moment her eyes became pained, "I…" she didn't complete the sentence, instead turning to glare into Joel's eyes.

"Why," she growled… "Why was Saya chosen over me? Why did she get raised as a human instead of me?"

For a while Joel was silent, as though weighing his odds, but in the end sighed under her grip. Accepting death was his only option it seemed and so he may as well tell her the truth. For all that he was, he still had his pride as a gentleman.

"There was no reason…" he began. "I needed one of you to serve as my contrast, a version unaffected by the influences of human society. You were identical at birth, Saya just happened to be the one I chose at random. Yet it seems you were influenced by someone… how is it you know these things about yourself?"

So there was no reason… She grinned. "Amshel told me. He told me a lot of things."

Joel wasn't entirely surprised. Amshel's pursuit of knowledge had always been too ambitious for his own good, even by Joel's standards. Amshel… so you and Saya have opened the Pandora's Box that I have created, are we all to be damned now as a result?

Even so, Joel was not prepared to die without having had his final say. "You intend to kill me child?" he said with all the confidence he could muster. "Then what? You have gained strength, but you are still as unfit for the outside world as you ever were. There is no place for a girl like you."

Diva dug her nails into his neck, drawing blood. "Then I will make my own place, even my own world. I am a queen Joel, and I will be treated as one. I will be free forever."

"How naïve. You are what I conditioned you to be," Joel groaned through gritted teeth. "You were raised as a test subject, you will always be controlled, one way or another. You know no other way to live. What's more, at some point people will learn what you are and for that they will fear and hate you wherever you go. You will be hunted wherever you go. You will never be accep- argh!"

"Quiet," she ordered, the mirth in her voice replaced by cold anger as she squeezed his neck. "I don't have to do what you say anymore, and I don't have to believe what you say anymore. There is only one thing left that I want to hear you say Joel. Call me by my name. I want you to speak my name from your own lips."

Her grip again relaxed enough for Joel to speak, albeit with effort. "You wish for me to acknowledge a beast like you by name? Preposterous!"

Diva frowned for a moment before switching to her psychotic smile again. "Then let's see how breakable you are old man. Looking at you now, I think you might be even more fragile than the other humans." Using her free arm she took his left hand and grasped his thumb, snapping it effortlessly.

Joel cried out in pain but before he could manage to speak Diva moved to his other fingers, snapping them each in turn. "Say it."

The whimper that followed from the aged scientist only incensed her further and she promptly broke his arm.

"Say it!"

"Di- va-" he choked out, unable to stand the pain. In the end his resolve could only go so far.

Diva smiled darkly. "That's right. I know who I am now. I also know who you are Joel. You aren't god, you aren't even powerful."

Her eyes began to shine a brilliant blue and she adjusted her grip on him.

"No Joel, you…"

Joel's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of her fangs.

"All of you stupid humans…"

She bent to whisper in his ear the last words he would hear in this life.

"You are food."

With that she bit down into his neck hard and fast, Joel letting out a hoarse cry as she drank herself full of his blood. The intoxicating rush of physical and emotional pleasure that followed left her wanting to shout her song to the heavens and beyond. For in that moment of twisted happiness she had experienced satisfaction for the first time.

It was nightfall and the fires had largely burned themselves out. Yet Diva still stood in roughly the same spot, seeming to stare into space as she tried to comprehend just how much things had changed. Merely a day before she had been a starved prisoner, a test subject trapped in a dark tower. Now Joel's drained body lay crumpled at her feet, his home in ruins, his friends dead. She was free to do as she pleased, but what did that mean?

Amshel slowly approached her, the gaping hole in his chest healed, his mouth bloody from feeding on some of Diva's intact victims. He bowed down "Your vengeance is complete, my queen?"

She didn't bother to look at him. "Saya is still alive…"

Amshel seemed surprised that she had survived. "What?"

"She saw me eating Joel, then she ran away. She has a chevalier as well, I can feel him." Indeed she felt a bit of a longing for him as well but quickly banished the thought. She already had one tall boring man in her life, she was in no hurry to get more. Besides, if she was to take someone from Saya she wanted it to be someone more suited to her."

Amshel nodded, "it's Haji no doubt. Do you wish for me to pursue them?"

"Don't bother. It doesn't matter to me. If Saya gets in my way, I'll just kill her."

"I see," Amshel replied in a serious tone, "then how shall I serve you Diva? What is it you desire?"

"What I desire…" she repeated as she contemplated. "Joel said that I have no place in this world, that I can never hope to belong anywhere, that I will be hunted and chased wherever I go. I would like to live with my sister. She is after all my only family and my first friend…"

Her voice turned darker, "but I hate her too much for what she took away from me. I can't look at her without seeing what should have been mine, and for that I want to kill her… I want to kill her more than I want to live with her. But Saya is gone now, and I don't want to chase her either… so what do I do?" she wondered aloud.

Her tone turned sadder. "I felt so satisfied for a little while… I killed, and I fed, and then I killed again and again… their blood was so delicious, so warm and filling. Yet now… I only feel empty… so empty, hollow and cold inside…"

"I am not human…" she continued, "so I will never belong with humans. And so…" Her eyes brightened. "I want others like me."

Amshel raised an eyebrow. "Others?"

Diva turned to him, an eerie smile in place. "Yes, that's it! I want babies Amshel. I want a family that I can make a world of my own with, a world where I belong. Until today I was denied everything, so I deserve to get everything, everything I was ever denied."

Perfect, Amshel remarked in his mind, a new enthusiasm in his eyes. Diva's desire for a family fit perfectly with his desire to see what she and her race could become. "A truly inspiring vision," he commended. "Yes my lady, through your progeny a new dominant species could emerge on this world."

"I don't care about any of that stuff," Diva replied sharply. "I just want what I should have had." She directed a disdainful glare to Joel's corpse. "I will prove this old fool wrong."

-- End: The day of Diva's escape flashback

"It took me a long time," Diva whispered in Riku's ear, enjoying the way he trembled a bit both from her story and the pleasure of her lips against his earlobe, "and Amshel failed me again and again… but finally, I found you, my Riku. With you, all my dreams will finally come true. I will never be alone again. Yes, making you a chevalier was the second thing Saya ever did that helped me."

Riku was repulsed by her story of murder and vengeance, but he didn't dare voice it. In her current state condemning anything she had done would only lead to a violent response. And so he focused on the knowledge he had gained of her suffering, and the desire to comfort her that had come from it. Wordlessly he held her, stroking her gently as she fell back to sleep peacefully for the remainder of the night.

-- End: One year ago flashback

Riku was brought out of his reminiscing by a mental tug at the edge of his senses. It was Diva's way of telling him she had come back and would see him soon. He found himself smiling a bit and feeling more excited than he had all day.

For when she was in a stable mood Diva could be surprisingly fun to be around, albeit her immaturity was often frustrating. Sometimes he would even forget about the terrible things Diva had done, the fact that he was technically a prisoner of a girl who wanted to kill his sister, among other things.

They played board games, video games, watched tv, she even had him read stories with her occasionally. At other times she simply talked with him for long periods on various, often mundane, topics. She was even interested in hearing about his former life back in Japan, so long as he avoided speaking about Saya in any great detail, although she did find the tales of Saya's initial blank slate amnesiac personality to be highly amusing. Other times they would have picnics outside or simply lay in the grass watching the clouds or stars.

This Diva was not at all the monster he had first encountered back at the tower, and as he came to know her better he was finding more and more redeeming traits in her. At times like this he would act completely as himself, even arguing with her if they disagreed on some bit of info or a rule in a random game.

Then there was the other major aspect of their relationship, the one which could still make him blush a bit just thinking about. Given the desire he could already feel from her he knew they'd be engaging in this and not a board game when she returned.

Right on cue the door burst open. However, the sight that greeted him was not what he had expected.

"What do you think Riku? Surprised?" she twirled about to give him a good look from various angles but the boy could only stare speechless. What stood before him appeared to be no less than a feminine version of himself.

"H-how?"

Diva laughed, and giggled again at the sound of his gasp as she randomly morphed her voice to mimic his in sound and manner. "Didn't you know? Queens and chevalier can copy the appearance of anyone they've fed from. I haven't shown myself like this to you until today, but it was actually decided a while ago that this is the form I'd be using for those performances Nathan is setting up for me. I thought it'd be appropriate, given how important you've become to me. Its almost like having you with me even when you're not here, like you're alive inside me and the babies that I'm sure are there as well."

"I'm important to you?" Riku asked in an uncertain tone. Diva often said affectionate things to him in passing or in the midst of seducing him, but this seemed different, more personal and real.

She gave him an uncertain look, as though her own words had confused her, but then brightened, apparently reaching a conclusion. Suddenly she was directly in front of him, her arms around him, looking down on him, entrancing him with the blue glow of her eyes. Somehow she had in that moment returned to her true form as well, her soft locks caressing his cheeks as they fell from her newly lengthened hair. At the same time her expression was eerily far from soft and yet seemed to hold some affection. Her now luscious red lips had tilted in a slight smile and hints of madness flashed in her glowing orbs.

Riku stiffened under her gaze, then forced himself to relax and go as limp as possible while still standing straight under his own power. He had seen this look enough by now to know Diva wouldn't truly hear him if he spoke or objected to something. The intensity in her expression was as frightening as it was hypnotic because it could mean so many things. It was a look Diva often displayed when she was particularly unstable, but he knew tensing up and acting overly afraid would only incite her psychosis toward a violent outlet. And so he relaxed, willing himself to be the pliable "doll" that could reach Diva's softer side even when she was in this state.

"Yes Riku," she said, her smile growing slightly, but the madness not fading. She seemed in a semi-manic state, her mind obsessively clutching to an idea she had formulated and come to love. "You are important, very important. You understand, don't you?"

Riku did his best to neither affirm her question or reject it. The fact was he didn't understand, and could only hope she saw fit to explain it further.

She caressed his cheek and Riku did his best not to shiver, the look in her eyes was so hard not to be unnerved by. Yet under her caress he could more easily feel the genuine affection that existed behind her diseased mind. It allowed him motivation to relax.

At last she spoke again. "Your form, our form, that is what you are to me. I have let you keep living as you are Riku, but I believe we are still as one. I've never let anyone as close as I have you and my thoughts seem to always come back to you. With what we shared that first night and all the times after, you are more than my lover now, you are a part of me! I don't care about anyone but myself, but I care for you so you must be me as well."

"Is that…" Riku's tone wavered, "is that true?"

"Love, friendship…" Diva continued, "I have never had those things and I don't understand them, but with you perhaps I can. Either way, I feel as though a part of me would be torn away if you ever were taken from me."

Her grip on him tightened.

"If it came to that, to losing you to someone else, I would do as I almost did that first night and make sure no one else would ever be able to have you or take you away from me. I want to keep you as you are now, but don't you see, I could kill you and still have you. You would live on as part of me and everything would be good."

"Then why…" Riku asked earnestly, "Why do you not want to think of losing me? Why are you keeping me alive like this? It doesn't guarantee anything. I could die tomorrow for all we know."

Confusion donned her features again and Riku was relieved to see the manic tension in her ease. Clearly what he had said had broken the insane tangent she had been on by indirectly pointing out a flaw in it. "I… I don't know…" she said slowly. "I want you here with me always, but I want to be able to see you too… to feel you and talk to you… I don't want the Riku I can see to die."

Riku was surprised. For Diva to admit something like that was quite unusual, and it was probably as far as he'd get that day toward reaching her troubled mind. Noting she still seemed confused, he decided to relieve her stress and grasped her in a comforting hug. As usual she stiffened in reaction to being touched like that, but soon melted and returned the embrace.

"Mmm… Riku… you're so warm…" she whispered. Diva was now reminded of the strong urges that had brought her here.

She began to nibble his ear and his whole body seemed to shiver in anticipation as he blushed. Diva noticed it immediately and ran a finger against the front of his pants to press against the hardening arousal behind it. "Oh Riku-" she remarked in mock surprise then grinned wryly, "You really missed me, haven't you?"

Riku could only blush and slightly avert his eyes from hers. "Uhh… yeah… I guess I did…"

He let out a muffled cry of surprise as she pulled him into a passionate kiss that left his heart racing. When they finally broke apart Diva took his face in her hands and pulled him so close her lips brushed against his in a sultry intone. "I'll need to give you some extra special attention…"

--

I didn't sign up to the SAS for this!

That was the main thought running through the young officer's mind as he and his companions fired round after round into the… thing, in front of them. He had known they would be encountering creatures that reportedly had been the cause of various disappearances in recent weeks. People had vanished during the night and in cases where a body was found it had been drained of blood. He knew it was a dangerous mission to kill the perpetrators, but he'd never expected this.

The creature they had searched out to this large entrance to the sewer system was nothing short of a monster. Bullet after bullet struck its flesh yet it continued toward them, the wounds healing right before their eyes. Their weapons barely slowed the thing down, clearly they had come ill-prepared. A grenade or bazooka would be really nice to have right about now.

As it was he and the others had turned and begun to run when it became clear they couldn't win. Yet the creature was surprisingly fast. He had only taken a few steps before it had all but closed the distance between him and his group. He could practically feel its breath on the back of his neck but he didn't dare look back.

Suddenly the creature's maddened howl was replaced with a slicing sound and he heard something large hit the ground with a thud. At this he and some of the other men did turn around and could only gawk in shock at the sight before them, barely visible in the darkness.

A beautiful light-haired woman in a dark cloak stood before them, a large sword, dripping blood, in one hand. Beside her was the body of the monster lying on its side just as it had fallen, minus its head, which had landed a few feet away.

Before they could react any further the woman hid her blade away and then vanished in a blur of motion, leaving no trace of her presence aside from the dead chiropteran at their feet.

--

"I'm sorry you weren't able to get a chance to test your abilities Kai…" Irene said softly as she and the chiropteran-turned boy strolled away from the scene.

Kai shrugged, "don't worry about it. Lives were in danger so its not like you could afford to wait for me to catch up."

Irene couldn't help but notice he still seemed a bit glum over his lack of performance. She leaned into his shoulder, trying to catch his eyes with hers. "You're strong Kai, don't doubt yourself. It was only one night."

"Thanks Irene, I do appreciate that." He turned and took her into his arms, hugging her tight. When they broke apart she moved to kiss him only for him to block her with a finger and a grin. "We should probably meet up with Lewis and David and get back to Gray's before things get hot and steamy between us, you know I find it hard to stop once we start."

She blushed deeply and turned away, "Kai… you… stop teasing me!"

Kai only laughed good-naturedly and put an arm around her shoulder as they continued on. In truth he was actually in a pretty good mood even if he hadn't been able to prove himself useful in a fight. The fact was that here in London, for the first time in a year, they had a good solid lead on the chiropterans. And where artificial chiropterans were, Diva's chevalier were likely to be nearby. And where her chevalier were, so Diva was likely to be. And where Diva was they just might find him.

We're getting closer Riku… just hang in there, he thought, putting the last part as much for himself as for Riku.

--

Later on they had arrived in another part of town and been picked up by their charming, if somewhat rotund, driver.

"So good hunting?" Lewis asked jovially.

"Well Irene took one out," Kai remarked proudly, "but Irene is certain there are more. Also, its pretty clear that those SAS guys can't handle them."

"I see," David said and looked at the two in the backseat. "Myself and Lewis will be accompanying you on your next search. Also, Joel will be coming by soon to deliver the bullets we requested of him. I think its time they had a proper field test. Irene, now that you've scouted the area do you have a general idea of where it would be best to look next?"

"I do," she nodded. "Their presence was faint but once I killed the one near us the others became easier to distinguish."

"Good," David replied. "You can help us draw up a search grid. Hopefully the sightings and other incident reports we've gathered can narrow the location further. Until then you both should take it easy."

Irene was in full agreement there. Although they needed no sleep it still felt good to lay her head on Kai's shoulder and rest. On the drive back they could reminisce or simply enjoy each other's warmth. Despite the tragedies that had brought them together and the worry the young man held for Riku, she could still say they were quite happy together.

She did wish Mao hadn't been hurt by their relationship though. The girl had been quite devastated at first finding out but over time seemed to come to accept it. She was glad for that as her and Mr. Okamura's ability to gather information was very helpful to the still debilitated Red Shield. Monique, a girl who lived with the man, Gray, they were staying with also seemed rather disappointed when she found out Kai wasn't available. At least the kind orphan hadn't gotten her hopes up much before finding out.

And at least no one but she and Kai knew the details of how they had ended up together. It would be embarrassing to say the least if it ever became known and she knew she was blushing just from the memory. Still she couldn't help but savor it.

-- Flashback: around 6 months ago

Kai had thrown himself into his training with a gusto that was appropriately super-human. Above all else he wanted to be useful and to be able to do something more the next time they encountered Diva or her chevalier. He wanted to become as strong as he could, for Riku's sake.

Irene found his efforts inspiring and spent most of her time with him, teaching him slowly how to bring out and control his abilities, as well as simply being with him and there for him. As time passed she was proud to find Kai confiding things to her, concerns and problems that he didn't share with others. It made her feel special, useful, needed. She was happy beyond words to have formed such a strong bond with someone other than her fellow Schiff.

Kai's training had proven more difficult than expected simply because his chiropteran side was born from Diva rather than Saya who had born Irene herself as well as Haji and Riku. They had no idea what unique powers his body might have, and out of fear of him losing control to the influence of Diva's blood, slow progress was believed to be a necessity.

Still progress had certainly been made. By now Kai had managed to transform his arms and accessed his new strength and speed, the latter of which seemed slower than other chevalier could accomplish. Using it properly in combat was another matter, Kai's reckless nature tending to make him too aggressive and thus opening him up to deadly counter attacks. Keeping a cool head meant suppressing the primal bloodlust he usually felt when his powers were active. Even with Irene's gentle guidance it was not an easy task.

To Kai's relief his transformed body was much more like Haji's than Diva's chevalier's monstrous forms, which surprised most everyone as Haji's powers had been born of Saya's blood. Clearly the form a chevalier took when transformed was dependant on more than who the mother was. Aside from his eyes and fangs only his arms and hands physically changed. His hands were much like Haji's except they were more thickly plated with armor, and instead of Haji's razor sharp claws his fingers ended in blunt nails. Together they formed a hand that could not slash like Haji's but rather was made to create a fist with all the strength and stability of a sledgehammer. What's more he could punch the ground with enough force to send out a shock wave that could knock nearby enemies off their feet.

His lower arms were also heavily armored, each covered over by a single large, wide, plate. Their bulkiness hindered the speed of his punches somewhat, but in return he could use each arm as a shield more effective than Haji could. Tests done on its structure indicated the armor could even handle high caliber bullets with little damage. It seemed that where Haji was suited to fast attacks involving slashing or impaling enemies, Kai was suited more for defensive fighting followed by somewhat slow but extremely powerful punches. The structure of his hands also gave him a grip like a vice, so that locking one hand onto the base of a chiropteran's neck and using it as leverage for the other hand to tear off the creature's head was deemed the most effective way for him to kill a chiropteran.

As for Irene she had felt increasingly odd around Kai over the past few months as they grew closer. Her heart rate would rise when he was near her, to the point of making her nervous and fidgety at times. Then there were the strange desires and thoughts that seemed to coincide with him. Seeing him with another girl would make her anger briefly flare and she'd even consider hurting that girl in surprisingly violent ways before realizing what she was feeling. What's more, when they were alone together or whenever she happened to get a peak at him with his shirt off or even whenever he happened to brush his skin against her, she would feel a rush of excitement and heat. She would feel the urge to touch him and to be touched by him, everwhere, to press against him and not stop, not stop until... well she wasn't sure just where things were supposed to lead after that except that she wanted to do it badly.

She knew enough to know these feelings had to do with romance, but was at a loss otherwise. So she had taken to studying by watching romance movies, or at least what she assumed were romance movies. But what she saw on some of them, namely her accidental viewing of a porn movie, just made things worse as far as controlling her desires went. It had gotten to the point that she had started to avoid him, afraid of what she might do if the heated feelings became too great to hold back. This was rather difficult though when she was the one training him and they were often left alone for long periods while David and Lewis scouted out potential leads.

So today she found herself watching and admiring Kai as he practiced in the main area of their lodging in a large apartment the group had rented out for their stay in that area. He leapt about, hammering into imaginary opponents while she gave tips, then sparring with her directly.

"Remember Kai," she told him as she laid her sword on the ground and transformed her hands into the monstrous, spine-shooting, clawed ones the Schiff were known for. "Just because I'm not using my sword doesn't mean you can afford to hold back."

"I got it," Kai replied, impatient to begin. "Let's do this!"

"As you wish," Irene stated, vanishing in a blur of motion and striking hard and fast as Kai attempted to block, Irene getting past it and slamming her fist into his stomach. Kai stumbled back but recovered quickly, Irene's punch having been much lighter than she could have made it as this was only sparring. He then lashed out with a strong punch, forcing Irene to leap back to evade it. She rushed back in but Kai was ready this time and the two grappled, hand to hand against each other.

Their close proximity was not doing anything to alleviate Irene's lust. She could feel his rapid breaths on her skin as they struggled, and his masculine scent was driving her crazy. Then there was his blood… she could sense it just underneath his skin, hot blood flowing from his exertions… so much of it. She wanted to taste him, to feel him… so badly…

Kai was also noting a strange smell, this one coming from Irene. It made him feel oddly aroused. And while she had donned her cloak he still couldn't help but admire the grace of her movements. She really is something… I wonder just how big they are… no! Focus Kai! Ogling a girl isn't gonna get me any closer to saving Riku.

With that resolve he, for the first time, managed to work past Irene's guard, grabbing her shoulder and ramming her into the opposite wall. He brought the spar to an end by brining his other hand to her throat, signaling she was "dead." He smiled, reverting his hands to human form just as hers had reverted upon her loss. "I finally won one."

It was then he noticed her heavy breathing, heavier than his own, her shaking frame and how she was keeping herself from looking at him. "Irene?" He pulled the hood of her cloak off to get a better look at her face, revealing her long, light hair. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked in a growing panic. Chiropteran or not it was still sometimes hard for him to not see her as a fragile girl he needed to protect.

He's so close to me… too close! She thought in a panic of her own, her whole body getting hotter and hotter. I can't take it, I can't hold back! "Kai…" her voice was strained, pleading and hungry. It had lost its sweet quality and seemed more intense.

He touched her smooth cheek, raising her face so her ears would meet his. "Irene?" Damn she smells good…but why is she blushing so much and breathing so hard?

It was then that she grasped onto him by the shoulders, swinging him around and slamming him into the wall before pressing the length of her body against him. She embraced him tightly, climbing him, riding him, her hot breath at his ear.

"I-Irene? Wha- ah!" he cried out, suddenly feeling his whole body become ever more awash in heat.

"Kai…" Her breaths came in gasps, her voice husky and full of lust. "I want something… its not blood…"

She rubbed her body against him more closely, moaning quietly.

"I want… ah… I want you… ahh! I want you to touch me…"

Her voice in his ear sent pulses of pleasure through him and Kai was completely overwhelmed. He'd never felt such a great desire before as what was welling up in him now, which being a teenager was really saying something. It rose in him and increased with every movement of her body, every sound that escaped her lips, every bit of contact her skin made with his. It clouded his mind in a fog of pleasure. Was this another result of being a chiropteran, this weakness to one's base urges?

She was so soft, so smooth, so strong… he couldn't stop her… didn't want to stop her… he could feel the curves of her lithe form through her clothing as she gyrated into him, his arms holding her tight and caressing her. She was nibbling on him, sucking on him, and soon they were exchanging wet, inexperienced, wonderful kisses. He moved to her neck, the sound of her moans and purrs driving him wild.

"So hot… mhhmm… Kai I feel so hot inside…"

"I- Irene… why- ah!"

Her clothes were loosening, coming off through her own efforts and his, revealing the perfect pale skin beneath, long healed of the Thorn. As more fell away he found her body to be everything he'd imagined and more. He then noticed Irene was tearing his own clothes off and were he not possessed by his chiropteran lust he might have cared about the damage she was doing.

Soon their clothes were scattered about the room, some in pieces, and then they were writhing on the floor. Nothing seemed to be enough, every touch fueled passion for another, until at last they became one, their eyes ablaze in red. Going further they bit at each others' necks enough to make small cuts and licked at the blood.

Irene's lips left the wound on Kai's neck, arching her body against Kai's thrusts. "Please…" she pled, her eyes shut in ecstasy, "please don't stop Kai, don't stop… oh… yes… yes!"

Climaxing, they bit harder at the other's neck and sucked greedily, moaning in the dual pleasure and continuing until the wounds had closed.

Their chiropteran lust at last sated, their boldness vanished in turn. They blushed brightly and rolled away from each other before lying still, gasping as they continued to try to catch their breath and the magnitude of what had happened dawned on their rational sides. It was too much too take in, too shocking to accept what they had just done had really happened

Wow… wow… we just… how could we just… I mean I knew I liked her but for it to happen like this- agh damn it! I even sucked her blood! He thought more about the latter, how Irene's neck had looked so gorgeous, so delicious, how the more he tasted her the more he wanted to taste and how delicious her blood had been, a thought he certainly never would have expected having when he was human. Taking a deep breath, Kai turned his head to face her, prepared to begin apologizing and try to salvage whatever might remain of their friendship. He was shocked to find Irene looking back at him, tears sliding down her cheeks and looking more sorrowful than he'd ever seen her look before.

"I'm sorry," she sputtered over her sobs, holding her discarded clothes around her like a blanket and blushing. She'd dealt with the blood thirst for so long and had largely mastered it, she should have been able to handle this other thirst she had developed.

Kai on the other hand was so new to these urges, he never stood a chance of resisting them, not with the way she had thrown herself at him. "I shouldn't have done that… I promised Saya I would help you and instead I drew out your urges in order to sate my own. I even took your blood. I just didn't know what to do… I wanted you… all of you… so badly… I didn't know how to deal with those feelings…"

Kai's expression turned downcast. "Is that all it is Irene? Are you trying to say that this was just a random thing, that hormones took over and that's all there was to it? Did you do this with me just because I happened to be available when you were in heat or something?"

"No!" she replied, horrified that he had gotten that impression. "I would never- I care about you so much Kai… please… please believe me… you're the only person I've ever wanted this with… I just… I couldn't hold back any more. But to use you for my desires and then throw you away… it was never my intention!"

"… You really mean that?" He asked after a pause, his tone neutral.

"Yes," she implored, her voice shaking with emotion. "Because my feelings for you… I don't know if I have a right to say I know what love is, but I… I think… I like you so much Kai… I want… I want to love you."

"I see…" He was silent for a bit more, only to then relieve Irene's fears with an encouraging smile. "It's a good thing then that I think I want to love you too."

A new flood of tears came and Irene tackled him with a hug, her clothes discarded once more to the side. Kai held her close as they cried and laughed, and spoke at length about the feelings they had been holding back. As they talked, they cleaned up and retreated to her room to continue to explore the new aspects to their relationship, a resurgence in their hormones once again blunting their inhibitions, though not to the same extent as before.

Lying in her bed cuddled against him, Irene sighed contentedly. "Even now it amazes me. I never imagined this body of mine could feel such incredible pleasures after bringing me nothing but pain for so long. You gave me that pleasure Kai, I only hope I was able to give you something approaching that level of feeling."

"Well, there's no doubt about that…" Kai remarked. "I never imagined it would be at all like that but it still felt so good… better than anything I've ever felt before…"

She kissed his cheek and closed her eyes. "Thank you for saying that Kai."

"It's the truth," he replied, then looked at her in concern. "You're sure you feel okay right?"

Irene giggled a bit. "Kai, I told you before you didn't hurt me. Even if you had I would have long since healed by now. Why do you keep asking?"

Kai looked distinctly uncomfortable and avoided eye contact. "It's just… isn't it… suppose to hurt for girls the first time? I mean, not that I'm bothered if that wasn't, its just the way you acted so unfamiliar with… ah just forget it!"

"It's okay," she replied nervously, "and oh yes, I did learn a bit about that in that DVD on human anatomy David had the Schiff watch to help us learn more about humans. Its called the hymen right?" She blushed as did he, "I don't know if I ever had it, but even if I did with all the injuries I've suffered and all the physical exertion I've put myself through, it could have broken on its own a long time ago. Something like that wouldn't regenerate either I guess."

She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. "And it was my first time. I hadn't even really felt those desires until after Saya healed me, and even then I felt them most toward you."

It was then they heard Lewis' voice announcing that he and David had gotten back. The two chiropterans panicked and hid under the covers.

"What do we do Kai?" she squeaked. "I don't regret this but I still don't want them to know it happened! Its private, right?"

Kai looked at her seriously. "Yeah, it is. Besides, who knows what kind of lecture we'd get, and Lewis would never let us live it down." He took a second to think. "Okay, just stay calm. We'll get dressed and just act like nothing happened. If they ask why I was in here we'll say we were talking."

"But what about your torn clothes?"

"We'll just say we overdid it a bit with the sparring, no worries" Kai smiled.

It worked too. Lewis gave them a number of suggestive looks but it was pretty clear he was unsure. This allowed Kai and Irene to simply mention that they were together later on when David noted how close they had gotten, a comment that held more weight than Lewis's joking observations.

-- End: around 6 months ago flashback

Irene couldn't have stopped smiling even if she tried as she continued to envision the fond memory. Then, just because she could, she planted a kiss on Kai's cheek before resting beside him again, Kai smiling warmly in return. Irene was an angel to him, an angel that had been there for him when he was at his lowest. He wanted her to remain with him always, he wanted to show her the place he had grown up in, to give her a taste of the kind of life she had never had the chance to live. And now his hope was stronger than it had been in months that Riku could be there with them to share it as well.

--

Sex.

To Riku it was at the same time the most pleasurable and twisted aspect of his and Diva's relationship. Even in his thoughts he found it hard to conceptualize. Nevertheless his ample free time meant he had contemplated it often.

Shortly before his death, his father had explained sex to him and, embarrassing as it was to listen to, he had taken his words to heart. Beyond the reproductive purpose it was special, the ultimate way to bond with someone physically. He was further told sex was something he should only have with the woman he loved and intended to spend the rest of his life with.

Diva didn't exactly fall under those categories. She was an enemy he had feared for nearly killing him, a girl who had abducted him from his family before half-seducing, half-raping him. And she had continued to use him for her own pleasure ever since.

Indeed, to Diva sex was essentially one of the two greatest pleasures she could indulge her body in, the other being the consumption of blood. As such she indulged in it without any real concern for the emotional aspects Riku had been taught were to be associated with sex.

Yet Diva was quite immature emotionally, in many ways less mature than Riku himself. Her captivity had kept her from ever truly maturing beyond the whims of her desires. So could she be judged on what she was ignorant of? Perhaps it was better for him to consider his part in this. Just what were his feelings for Diva anyway?

He certainly felt lust for her, most strongly when she was present but sometimes even when she was away. On occasion he would find himself patiently waiting at the door hoping, even as he mentally berated himself for it, that she would come in and have her way with him. Her touch, her scent, it was all so addicting…

He also had come to feel sorry for her as over time he witnessed in person more and more of the effects her torturous upbringing had inflicted on her. But to love her… it was hard for him to tell even what romantic love was. Lust was a part of romantic love and he certainly had that, but to really love her he'd have to love who Diva was, even at the times when the lust was not there.

Therein laid a roadblock. The fact was that even after a year spent with her he felt he understood her only partially. In fact he doubted Diva even understood herself very well. Her unstable mind made it hard to tell just what was her real personality and what was merely a symptom of her insanity.

On that note there was Diva's resolute belief that she had become pregnant early in their relationship. Riku was inclined to believe her, though he found it odd that after a year there was still no external evidence. It sounded crazy, but he reminded himself that Diva was not human and so did not necessarily have a nine month pregnancy. He also had at times thought he had "felt" the infant's presence, much as he could feel Diva's presence. Then there was how he felt about having children at an age when he was considered by most to be little more than a child himself. Frankly he found that even harder to think about.

Perhaps the worst part of all was that the majority of the time he found himself enjoying being what amounted to Diva's pleasure slave. Pleasing Diva in any way, but especially with sex, filled him with euphoria along with a sense of completeness and purpose. He knew it was his chiropteran blood that gave this feeling and wondered if Diva's presence induced in it the release of chemicals that made him literally addicted to her. He certainly loved to smell her and she him, as if their bodies were making some kind of pheromone for each other.

When she was gone though, the guilt over what they were doing would at times return and eat away at him. Yet, instead of wishing to stop being with Diva, he was now more inclined to wish that they could experience intercourse the way it should be experienced. He wanted Diva to see it could be more than just pleasure and a way to make babies. For that matter, he wanted to see it himself.

He was quite sure Diva would benefit emotionally and mentally from real intimacy, but she seemed to lack the level of understanding needed. What she did have was a libido worthy of being the one successfully breeding chiropteran in the world. This was further enabled by her having little sense of shame, which meant it didn't seem to matter a lot to Diva where or when they did it so long as she had it when she wanted it. Another way to say it would be to say she liked variety. In bed, on the floor, in the shower, the bathtub, against a wall, on a chair or couch, in the morning, afternoon, or evening. All of them were options. Diva's lustful urges could also come calling at all hours of the night, especially if the vampire chose to carry on an erotic dream into real life as she tossed and turned.

That she was essentially shameless also brought no small amount of embarrassment. Sometimes she would even start undressing him while one of her chevalier was in the room. Thankfully they had the decency to leave right away when such a thing happened.

However, the fact it was not an uncommon event didn't seem to ever keep it from being exciting for Diva and Riku. This was particularly clear to the couple in question at the moment. For Diva currently had the young chevalier pressed up against a wall in their room. As usual Diva was already undressed and was rapidly relieving Riku of his own clothes. His pants were already down and pushed aside, Diva having long ago mastered undoing his belt.

They had actually already gone a few 'rounds' on the floor over the room over the time since Diva had decided to give him "special attention." He was nearing his physical limits at this point and, assuming they were done, had gotten up after a period of cuddling and begun to put his clothes back on. He had been nearly dressed only to have the lustful queen find her second wind and tackle him into the wall.

She rapidly unbuttoned his shirt and drew her tongue and teeth up along his chest, causing him to arch his neck in pleasure, Diva then slipping the shirt off. They continued and it wasn't long before she had gotten him to enter her, so that now she was grinding against him, bracing him against the wall as she rode him.

Riku had his own arms around her and was doing his best to return the affection. It embarrassed him but he knew how much Diva liked it and with his face currently held against her chest anyway it seemed natural enough. So he tentatively went on to nibble and suck on her breasts a bit. As expected Diva's moans altered, becoming more pleasured as she became more stimulated and rode him even harder.

She literally banged him up against the wall quite forcefully, but thankfully his steady diet of blood meant that Riku's body had become a good deal stronger and tougher over the course of the year, even if his physical appearance had hardly changed. The wall was not so lucky, their activities leaving various cracks in it. His enhanced strength also enabled him to support her as she wrapped her legs around him to thrust him even deeper into herself.

"Yes… yes!…" she whimpered as she panted, nearing her bursting point, intermittently tossing her head back with her gyrations. Riku for his part continued to stimulate her breasts with his hands and mouth, sometimes moving to nibble her neck and jaw line. For even though Diva insisted on being the aggressor in these encounters (something Riku had no desire to argue) she still enjoyed what reciprocal actions he was able to make against her.

Climax came and somehow the two managed to remain standing until it subsided. At that point Riku started collapsing, his legs feeling like jelly, only to be held in place by Diva's embrace. Stronger than he was before or not, he still couldn't match her power and stamina. Thus as she giggled and brought her face down to his to give him another fiercely strong kiss, he knew that if she wanted to go again he wouldn't be able to respond much, at least at first. Not that Diva seemed to mind taking him when he was in such a weakened state. In fact she liked it.

Keeping him close, she carried him to their bed and laid him down on it before blanketing his body with hers and renewing their kissing. His expectations turned out to be a bit off though as Diva quite suddenly bit down on his neck and started to feed, a satisfied moan emanating from her soon after. Apparently she had in fact gotten worn out a bit and she was not above using Riku as a hearty meal. After his previous exertions Riku doubted he could take the blood drain long before losing consciousness so he simply enjoyed the intimate sensations of her mouth and tongue's sucking actions for as long as he could. He closed his eyes as her pleasured murmurs brought a slight smile to his face. In spite of everything he loved being able to make Diva feel so happy, especially when he knew that through this he was also likely helping other people.

For this scene had its origins early in their odd relationship. It had started only a few weeks after Diva had abducted him. Diva had begun spending portions of the day away practicing her singing with the chevalier Nathan. He wasn't sure what it was all about, he wondered if even Diva knew but all she gave were evasive, playful answers about how Amshel said her voice was important and that the world needed to hear it.

Then one day she had returned later than usual.

-- Flashback: about one year ago

"Sorry Riku," Diva chimed with a smile as she walked into the room. "I stopped to eat and had to get another ride back."

Riku's attention perked at that. Normally when Diva referred to 'eating' in that particular casual tone it meant she was talking about consuming blood from a living source. And since it had effected her arrival at the mansion he doubted she had merely fed from one of her chevalier, who would have still been able to take her back on time most likely. That really left only one conclusion, and it made him feel sick inside.

It was further confirmed when he took a closer look at her and noticed the partially dried blood smeared on the side of her face. "Your… your cheek?"

"Huh? Oh! Silly me. Guess I missed a spot," she remarked, wiping the blood off her cheek with a finger. "Like I said, I got hungry on the way back, and the driver was annoying me so I decided to make better use of him. It took a bit for Nathan to clean him up and get me another ride, and of course he had to whine about it the whole time."

Then she!… that blood… is from her driver? She killed him? He felt himself unconsciously tremble. He knew this side of Diva existed, but that made it no easier to deal with. Diva though seemed to not notice his reaction at all as she strolled toward him, still speaking.

"He wasn't worth the effort really. He tasted so bad I didn't even finish, must've had clogged arteries or something, I wonder how long he would have lived if I hadn't killed him…" she mused casually and wrapped her arms around the boy only to pause at the way he flinched under her touch. It wasn't his usual nervous flinch, the kind she loved to bring out and seduce away, rather he had recoiled from her as though he found her repulsive.

She loosened her grip and frowned at him, feeling something between disappointment and annoyance. "Why such an ugly face Riku?" she asked, noting his own frown and sad eyes. "You know that I want to see you smile for me."

"You… killed him…" Riku said blankly.

"Yes?" She really didn't see what the problem was. Its not like Riku had any relationship the driver, he'd probably never even seen him.

Suddenly Riku looked up at her, his eyes moist and his voice stricken, as though something he cherished had been taken away. "But he worked for you! He served you and trusted you! So why… why kill him?"

Diva shrugged. "He served as a meal, even if not a very good one." She cupped his face in her hands to keep him looking at her and frowned a bit more at how he angrily averted his eyes. "Are you really going to waste your anger on such a worthless life? He can be easily replaced, a hundred times over if need be. He was just a paltry human, not even cute."

Riku's frown remained. "So that's what makes something valuable to you, how easily it can be replaced?"

"Of course," she replied. "And be careful Riku, just being cute and fun won't be enough reason for me to keep you around if you keep complaining like this. You've already spoiled the mood," she pouted.

Riku sighed at the teasing threat. He knew it was pointless to try to convince Diva that killing and draining people was wrong, because Diva had no real concept of right and wrong, no moral code. She lived according to the whims of her passions and instincts. She saw what Joel had done to her as being wrong but never transferred those feelings to an empathy for others. Still, he had to do something.

"But your chevalier…" he started uncertainly, "why don't you just use them to get yourself blood?"

"They're not always around," she remarked plainly. "Besides, it's never exciting. They just stand there and let me drink."

"Then why not just use the cloned blood or the stuff from the blood banks like what you give to me?"

"Again," she said, irritation now in her voice, "its boring. As if I would drink such things unless I had to to. Blood like that is plain-tasting and cold, it makes me want to throw up. It can't compare to the taste of warm fresh blood straight from the source."

"But you can't just kil-"

"I'm done with this silly talk," Diva interrupted in an angry tone, signaling that she wanted the conversation to end and if he were to ask another question she would react violently. She cupped his face in her hands, her expression more threatening than before even as she smiled seductively at him. "It's not your place to say what I can or can't eat Riku." She leaned forward and kissed him, only to stop and frown at his lack of response. She felt her anger rise, but she was simply too tired from the day's work to act upon it. She had wanted to play with Riku, to cuddle and fondle him and perhaps make a bit of love before falling asleep with him in her arms. Yet the mood was now ruined. With a huff she turned her back on him.

Riku was silent, merely staring as Diva walked away, his mind racing as he tried to think of a solution to all this. Then it came to him, an idea that would give her mind something it did understand. "Use me!" he shouted after her.

Diva stopped in her tracks and gave him a confused look over her shoulder. "What?"

His initial bravado gone, Riku blushed and looked away, twiddling his fingers nervously. "You've said before that my blood was some of the best you ever had right? Well, then why not take mine? You can have all you like from me, and I won't fight you or try to run or anything. If you'll just stop hurting other people for it. Please Diva, I don't want to think about that when I see you!"

Diva realized then that in the few weeks since taking him she actually hadn't fed from him yet and wondered why. One reason was that she was enjoying the sex so much that blood was actually not on her mind much when she was with Riku. She also didn't want to spoil the set-up she had gained in her relationship with Riku. But if he really was giving himself to her…

She turned to him with her usual expression of false innocence. "So, you're offering to let me feed from you whenever I please, without complaint, so long as I stop eating other people?"

"Y-yes," Riku stammered. "I'm a chevalier, so I should be fine and you'd have me available whenever you wanted."

Diva's smile didn't falter as she reached out and traced his cheek with her finger then sliding down his neck and chest, Riku struggling to keep himself composed. "What's to stop me from just taking your blood?" She brought her hand back up to his face and after flick almost too fast to see Rikku now sported a tiny cut on his cheek, Diva's outstretched fingernail coated in his blood. "You are mine after all, little boy."

Rikku trembled a bit. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop her. He barely noticed his cut sealing up in the intervening seconds.

"Still…" Diva closed her eyes, contemplating then sighing contentedly as she licked the bit of blood from her fingernail, her eyes brightening at the taste. "I have never had someone who was not my chevalier willingly give me blood before, and I'm always up for new things."

Before Rikku could react her body was pressed against him. She whispered in his ear, "but Rikku… I will have to taste the merchandise a bit more before I agree to such a thing. And you can't just give in. I enjoy a bit of struggle. To make this really good I also want you to pet me, hold me, call out my name… understand?"

Riku gulped, no longer so confidant about the wisdom of this whole idea.

She then pushed him onto the bed and crawled on top of him, licking her lips as she eyed his neck. She could sense the flows of blood in it, fast and hot. It was enough to make her mouth water. She licked her lips as she stared down at the boy, her eyes glowing an eerie blue. "You're going to fill me up Riku…"

With that she went for his neck, licking, then nibbling before at last biting down hard, moaning in pleasure as Riku's blood flowed into her mouth. The blue glow in Diva's half-lidded eyes flickered with her arousal. It seemed impossible but the boy tasted even better than he had back then. His was now perhaps the best blood she had ever tasted. She closed her eyes fully and reveled in his taste.

The brief stabbing sensation of her fangs piercing his neck had sent an overwhelming jolt through his body, making Rikku convulse under her and begin to lose touch with his surroundings. Much like the first time, it had not really hurt. In fact, this time it felt quite good. Diva's saliva seemed to have a rather anesthetic/aphrodisiac-like effect on him, and so he simply became engrossed in the pleasant sensations of her body upon his. What's more he felt some primal portion of his chiropteran mind reassuring him that this was good, that to share one's blood with the queen was a great honor.

Diva continued to feed, growing ever more eager and forceful in her actions. She licked and sucked with abandon, intermittently biting again to reopen the wound as it attempted to heal itself. The whole process was extremely pleasing for the queen, as well as for the chevalier who responded as best he could with his own movements.

Riku felt his consciousness begin fading, and a sense of panic spread through him, giving a warning that was only barely registered in his euphoria-filled mind. Diva was taking too much and he knew loss of blood could be a problem even for a chiropteran. Growing weaker by the second and his mind still dulled by pleasure he strained to speak, managing only a gasping "Diva…"

That utterance actually seemed to arouse the queen even more, as she growled, purred and moaned into his neck, the movements of her throat and jaw muscles plainly visible as she took ever more of his vital juices. She rocked and bucked against him, moaning louder. Rikku lost any remaining will or ability to fight back and drifted into unconsciousness, even as an intense pleasure overwhelmed his senses. Soon after Diva released him with a loud gasp and lay upon him for a bit, panting hard as she recovered and noticing with slight concern how her bite wound upon Riku was neither healing quickly or bleeding much.

She had clearly overdone it, not that it mattered, for a chevalier could be all but drained of blood and still recover quickly once they did gain access to new blood. Instead Diva was as shocked as she was pleased. Feeding had always been a sensual experience for her, often leaving her ravenous for sexual satisfaction, or even taking the place of it. However, never before had the act of feeding itself been enough to cause her to orgasm. And the pleasure was different, yet equal, to what she could got from mating with him. Yes, she could get used to feeding just on his blood.

She looked him over and noticed with quite some satisfaction from the stain on his pajamas that her lover had climaxed as well during her feeding. This whole experience offered so many intriguing possibilities for future games. Still, first things first. His life may not be in danger but she had still drained a lot of blood. The sooner he got his strength back the sooner she could play with him some more. Licking her lips to catch the last remnants of her meal she reached over to the bedside table to grab a glass of red liquid there. Diva herself didn't like drinking blood this way, but it was about the only way to get Riku to and so the glasses were made available to him each day. Opening the boy's mouth she gave him a soft smile and slowly poured the blood down his throat.

Diva frowned though as despite his unconscious attempts to swallow, some of the blood was sliding out the corners of his mouth. That wouldn't do at all, he deserved every drop. She carefully licked his face clean before taking a mouthful of the blood and kissing him to transfer the blood more effectively. It was all so very romantic! She giggled as his body reacted on reflex, his mouth sucking and his teeth attempting to bite into her. It didn't matter, he wouldn't be able to make her bleed or drink her blood unless she let him, and she was having far too much fun to allow that.

The "fun" had continued as a regular part of their interactions ever since. As for Diva, she actually hadn't had much intention of keeping her word, not at first at least. Yet the more she drank of Riku's blood the less she wanted of other blood. It was strangely addicting. Indeed, normal human blood soon became utterly distasteful to her. She could barely keep it down even when hungry. The blood of her chevalier remained acceptable but it was now only Riku's blood that she craved. In turn his blood seemed to adapt to her attention, becoming thicker and richer so that she had to take less than before to get full. For such incredible blood she didn't mind giving into his demand that she not eat people.

-- End: about one year ago flashback

The haze in his mind lifted and he realized Diva was now asleep on top of him, a bit of his blood trailing from her lip like drool. It made her look cute… in some disturbing way at least. Riku marveled again over how his blood had apparently changed to suit Diva better, so much so that even after enduring a heavy feed in such a fatigued state he still lost consciousness for only a short time. Not to mention she could normally feed and leave him only somewhat tired.

He and Diva, he wondered. Just what were they? And what did it mean for them, for his family, for the world in general?

--

"Run!" Kai commanded the frightened man who had just watched an artificial chiropteran drain his companion dry. He nodded and turned, fleeing into the night air of the dark street.

Kai glared at the creature before him. It seemed this night they had arrived a little too late to save one man, but now at least they could stop the beast from killing further. "What do you say David, ready to give those bullets I came up with a field test?"

David gave him the slightest of smirks as he raised his gun, "don't take all the credit. You may have had the idea but it was Joel who paid to have them made."

He proceeded to fire round after round, each hitting the chiropteran's upper body. At first little damage was apparent, but then the bullets detonated from inside the creature, destroying most of its chest in a bloody display.

"Well that certainly looked effective," Lewis remarked, lowering his own, normal, gun with a smile.

"Perhaps…" Irene added in an unsure tone. Her eyes then widened. "Kai! With this one down I'm sure I can sense it, there are more of them!"

Even as she spoke a cry of pain and fear tore through the night and from the direction that the man from before had fled came the hulking figure of another chiropteran. Grasped in its jaws was the unfortunate civilian, clearly already dead.

"They're multiplying," Lewis noted with exasperation and leveled his gun at it. His concentration was broken, however, by a feral growl from Kai.

"Damn you…" Kai snarled at the vampiric beast, his clenched fists shaking in rage, his fangs lengthening. Without another word he ran headlong at the creature, his right hand transforming into his chiropteran hammer fist.

"Kai!" Irene cried out, concerned that he was making a reckless attack. She moved to intercept him only to gasp as she again sensed something. Behind me. She turned just in time to raise her sword in a block as a third chiropteran tackled her to the ground. Unable to get the leverage she needed to throw the creature off her she was forced to concentrate on keeping it from getting its jaws close enough to maul her face.

"Irene hang on!" David called, trying to aim so his few remaining bullets wouldn't hit her by accident as she grappled with the chiropteran only to be interrupted by Lewis.

"We got a problem," he indicated to the body of the fallen chiropteran. It seemed that while the bullets had done a lot of damage it hadn't been enough. The creature's head was still attached to its body and it was getting back up, regenerating at amazing speed.

As for Kai, his increased speed allowed him to get in close before the chiropteran could attempt to defend itself, and he had thrust his hand into the creature's upper chest, intending to lock onto it at the base of the neck and use the leverage to tear its head off with the other hand. The attack certainly penetrated, but he had underestimated the damage it would do. For instead of giving him a solid hold his hand had broken right through the chest and was now stuck in an awkward position in the beast's ribs. While it was a lot of damage, this type of injury meant little to the chiropteran, which had merely roared in anger, gripped his shoulders with its arms and bitten down on his neck before sucking his blood.

With one arm caught inside the chiropterans' ribcage, Kai strained to force the creature off him with his other. However, what they lacked in intelligence the artificial chiropterans made up for in brute strength. With both its jaws and arms locked on him Kai could do little but keep the creature from biting harder than it already was by using his free hand to keep its lower jaw from fully biting into him. This is too close! With the way its holding me I can't move enough to build up enough force in my punch.

This is bad… this is really bad, he noted as he checked his surroundings as best he could and noticed everyone else was occupied.

--

Silently trailing behind the tall, blond chevalier known as Nathan, Riku pondered just what could have happened to warrant him being fetched from his and Diva's room at this late hour. Diva had been out late practicing her singing and he was fairly sure he had sensed her returning to the immediate area of Nathan's large home. It would be quite unusual for her to throw a fit in such circumstances as getting back to the house was normally something she looked forward to.

However, a fit itself was not so unusual. At times a chevalier, usually Nathan or Solomon, would come to his room and send him out to wherever Diva happened to be at the time. Sometimes this was by her own request if she got too bored or lonely but more often it was the chevalier using him to placate her. Diva's whimsical and unstable nature could turn violent even around her chevalier and she was prone to sudden bouts of rage and depression that could make it dangerous for anyone to be in the same room with her and impossible for any work to get done involving her.

For Riku Diva was at her most frightening like this. Her eyes would be glazed over, not in lust but as if empty of thought or feeling. She might gaze long and hard at an object in her hands before randomly crushing it, throwing it or tearing it apart. He always had a bit of fear that she would do the same to him, but every time as soon as she stepped close to him she would calm down. His presence had somehow become a pacifier of sorts to her, a person through whom she would work out her aggression and frustration on. He believed it was something about his scent that calmed her as she often would spend a bit of time sniffing his neck and hair and sighing contentedly as she moved to kissing him.

Calmed was a relative term though, as usually Diva would still need to work off the energy of the aggression she had built up. Riku's presence diverted that energy from destroying the room around her to satisfying her body with his. She was controlled enough in this to not seriously hurt him but nonetheless could be quite rough compared even to their usual passionate couplings. She would be vicious in her demands at such times, not caring much at all about his pleasure and simply seeking a quick climax for herself. He could count on her biting him hard and even dislocating bones with the force of her movements. Yet despite looking much the same his body had become much stronger and able to take the damage, so it didn't hurt a lot and he healed quickly.

Looking at her afterwards he would never be able to find it in him to be angry at her for her actions. Finally spent of the stress and turmoil in her mind, she would stare back at him looking utterly lost and broken. She would rarely speak during these encounters, but would usually hold onto him in a tight hug, sometimes for minutes, sometimes for over an hour, seeking what comfort she could gain from his presence.

He had always had a heart for comforting others and this seemed to manifest strongly in his chiropteran blood. Whereas he was normally hesitant and shy when it came to touching Diva, when he saw her in such a broken state he would without thinking walk or crawl over to her to grasp her in a tight hug. The first time he had done this her whole body had gone stiff in shock only to melt into his arms seconds later. He wondered if she had ever been hugged in such a situation before. More than anything he felt compelled to comfort her. He would even initiate kisses at such times.

One thing that struck Riku as odd from the start was that no matter how terrible her fits and nightmares were, Diva never shed tears. Seeing her enter such states and be unable to release the tension in tears was sad enough for Riku himself to sometimes tear up. To see her end up with an expression so blank and devoid of life was heart wrenching for him. Diva had reacted with surprise and confusion to these feelings when he had expressed them for the first time and it had lead to an enlightening conversation.

She claimed no one had ever cried for her sake and was touched to see Riku do so. When asked why she never cried she simply replied that she no longer knew how. Her tears had been long ago used up in the darkness of that tower, where no one would see or hear them. She would remark that tears are pointless when one is alone so she simply stopped crying. Now she had no more reason to cry. One cries for themselves or for others. She would no longer cry for herself, for she had risen far above the sad, weak creature she had once been. And she would never cry for others as that would mean they were important enough for her to appear weak for, something she claimed she would do for no one.

Regardless it seemed as though he was helping her. Diva's breakdowns and fits had become rarer and their intensity lessened as time passed. Indeed she no longer did him much damage when using him to relieve her various frustrations. He was also sure he at times saw a genuinely warm expression from her, rather than the cold innocent glee she usually showed.

It was then he remembered something he had hoped to ask Nathan about. He didn't usually speak to the chevalier except when spoken to, but this would be an exception. He never really got opportunities to speak with Amshel but Nathan seemed like the next in the line of power and was also not so intimidating. "Um," he started uneasily, "Nathan, sir, can I ask you something?"

"So the little man can speak!" Nathan replied dramatically, looking back at Riku and giving him a broad smile. The kid had to be one of the quietest he'd ever seen. "I'm all ears."

Riku steeled his will. "Wh- why do you chevaliers do all these experiments on people? Diva doesn't seem to know or care much about them. How are they helping her, what's the point?"

"Heck if I know," Nathan exclaimed, sounding irritated by the topic. "Brother Amshel is the real force behind most of the nasty cloak and dagger stuff. He seems to think the more we understand about Diva and her blood's abilities the better off she'll be. And to find that out he needs subjects to experiment on and when it comes to the number of experiments he seems to think bigger is better. I don't really understand it... As for me I basically handle my own art and do my best to help Diva in my own way."

In a movement too quick for him to catch Nathan was suddenly behind him speaking into his ear. He hated when chiropterans did this as he couldn't help but gasp in surprise every time and be made more aware of how little his abilities currently compared to theirs. "And just between you and me, I don't think Amshel really understands Diva all that well. If it were up to me we'd focus more on her happiness rather than trying to fill the world with chiropterans, let alone making those gruesome excuses for our kind with that Delta 67 stuff. Don't you agree?" Riku gulped and nodded, still unnerved.

Nathan straightened up and walked ahead again, shrugging his shoulders. "Alas, it isn't up to me, and so long as Diva doesn't forbid it Amshel is free to do as he pleases."

Stopping at the door in front of them he turned to Riku and smiled. "Now then, be a good boy and calm Diva down for me will you? The poor dear seems quite frustrated over something, though she wouldn't tell me what. She does tend to get bored with her practicing, but this reaction is a bit much."

He rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "She tends to get hungry too. A whole day of practicing with her voice means a lot of feeding. After all that I'm too drained for now but she does like your blood best so I think you can fill her up nicely," he smirked at the innuendo and Riku blushed before half-heartedly entering the room.

--

The room was barely lit, but it was easy enough to see that it had been thoroughly trashed. Objects from shelves, pieces of furniture and assorted ornaments lay strewn everywhere, and in the center of the chaos stood Diva, rays of moonlight illuminating her features although her face remained shrouded. In her hand she held what look to be one of Nathan's expensive vases.

He stood silent for a time, waiting to see if Diva might respond to him, only to get no reaction. Taking a deep breath he then stepped forward. "Diva?" he said in a tone as non-threatening as he could manage. "What's wrong?"

The sound of the shattering vase stopped Riku in his tracks as Diva's grip on it magnified in the barest of moments. Her hands were now empty, clenched into fists, her shoulders trembling. She seemed as if she might explode at any moment.

Taking his chances, Riku continued toward her until he was finally within touching distance. She had not yet attacked him so that was a good sign, but he still needed to calm her down. "What is it?" he asked again, placing a hand on her shoulder lightly. "Why are you so upset?"

"Can't you feel it?"

Riku froze, his whole body tensing up at the cold anger in her voice. "Feel? Feel what?"

Diva gave him a sardonic smirk. "Then you haven't noticed… after all, you haven't used your powers much, and it is some distance from here."

Confusion etched his features. "…Diva?"

--

Lewis and David stared down the regenerating chiropteran, hoping that if they both fired together when it attacked them they would at least be able to drive it back. It was a gamble, but they needed the creature incapacitated again before they could focus on Kai and Irene. Moments passed and then the creature pounced, only to be rammed in the side and thrown to the ground by, of all things, a flying cello case.

Irene finally managed to kick the chiropteran off of her, but lost her sword in the process as it was gripped in the creature's teeth. She turned to Kai, transforming her right hand into the barb-firing claw all the schiff were equipped with and ran to free him, only to stop in her tracks as a sudden, powerful presence struck her senses.

--

"She's come back Riku… come back to take you away from me…"

Diva embraced him but the boy found it difficult to find any comfort in it when her voice seemed so drenched in hate. Still, her words caught his attention. "You… you mean…"

--

Irene tried to calm her racing heart as she realized she was not sensing a new enemy. Wait… I know this feeling! This presence is…

The feeling had caught the attention of the chiropteran holding Kai as well as it lifted its head from his neck and let out a howl. The one that had been attacking Irene did the same.

Kai glared up at the chiropteran, trying to ignore the pain in his body, which was still unused to such combat. He had sensed the approaching presence too. Damn it Kai! He berated internally, Irene always said to go for the neck or head, and what do you do? Get your hand caught in its damned ribcage. There's no way I'm letting her see me like this! With a groan he mustered what effort he could to grab its neck with his other hand and crush a portion of its throat. It wasn't enough to kill it, but it did let go of his neck and shoulders, giving Kai the chance to brace himself and pull his other hand out before staggering back to nurse his wounds.

Every combatant's attention had become diverted to a dark street before them where the sounds of shoes upon stone could now be heard echoing from quiet steps. The sound was soon accompanied by a feminine silhouette emerging from the darkness.

--

"Saya…" Diva whispered wistfully, "she is so persistent. My sister really is annoying. But don't worry Riku… I won't ever let her take you away. Saya will never take anything from me again." She released Riku and strode slowly for the door, leaving him stunned still and silent.

--

Her hair was longer, her clothes were different, but there was no mistaking the red glow in her eyes. Haji watched from the sidelines, his impassive expression set, as she raised her sword, cutting into her palm and letting the blood fill the blade.

By now the chiropterans were moving toward the red-eyed queen, continuing to utter their unintelligible guttural howls and growls. Created from Diva's blood, their instincts now desired only to fill their bodies with Saya's, even if it meant their own death. The true cause of the instinct to seek out the queen's blood was the desire to mate with her or serve her, but their minds and bodies were too malformed to accomplish that. No, these pitiable beasts, once human, could only pursue her scent and gather like moths to a flame.

And as Saya strode to meet them head-on, everyone felt one thing for certain. Chiropteran blood would fill the street this night.

--

Notes:

Wow! This chapter ended up taking longer and being longer than I expected it to. It took a lot of time for me to figure out how to put all the scenes together in a workable way as it covered so much material. It was worth the time I think but I do apologize to any who were waiting for this.

As for why I didn't split the chapter up into two chapter, it was because I from the start wanted it like this. That is I wanted a chapter full of flashbacks that ended with Saya's return. Hopefully future chapters won't take as long. They certainly won't cover so many events.

About the flashbacks, if anyone is confused the format for them goes like the following. First in italics is the word "flashback" for when a flashback is starting. Then is a description of at what point in the story the flashback goes to. When a flashback ends it is marked by "end" followed by the description of what flashback is specifically ending. This was necessary as at one point at least I had a flashback within a flashback.