Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or Inuyasha.

Chapter Three


Unpleasant hunger had become an understatement, she later thought, anxiously balancing on the balls of her feet.

In the distance, she watched her traveling 'companion' finish off another rogue vampire with ease. She also noted the blood that trickled down the side of his arm; something he'd paid little attention to.

Kagome was not an idiot. Granted she was still young, she already knew what this was.

She was hungry. She was also a newly turned vampire. And right now, Yagari looked absolutely delicious. Kagome turned her head away, ashamed of her thinking.

"You okay, kid?" Yagari had long ago finished off the nuisances, walking over to where she stood.

Glancing up at his towering form, Kagome nervously offered a smile. "Yeah." She couldn't bear to tell him she was starving.

Narrowing his eyes, he stared down at the small girl before him. "Bullshit."

"I'm fine." She retorted, sparing his injured side an awkward look, "…clean yourself up."

It was with quiet realization Yagari pulled his arm away.

Of course.

He'd been careless. How long had they been traveling together? He tried to go over the times he'd fed her just ordinary food.

"Why didn't you say anything?" It came out more accusatory than he would've liked, but he was annoyed at her.

Kagome sighed, "It's fine, okay?" Turning her nose away from the enticing scent of blood, she closed her eyes. "It'll pass."

"Don't be an idiot." Yagari chided, holding pressure onto his wound. "You're a vampire. You drink blood." He wasn't comforting about the fact, instead shoving his bloodied palm towards her. "Here."

Her tongue flicked out to lick dry lips, but inwardly, she recoiled. Turning her head, she took a couple of steps back. "I don't think this is how one does it." Already, she could feel her fangs lengthening in response to the slowly building hunger. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you, right?" Tentatively, she pushed his hand away. "I'll drink... just not from you."

The thought of taking his blood was enough to make her burn with shame. She liked Yagari. He may have been callous, but he was kind to her in a round about way. It was the first time she'd ever felt cared about.

The elder male looked down at her with indecipherable emotion, squeezing his hand, "Alright."


Several hours later found the sun setting to a low horizon and Kagome staking out a nearby park. Yagari had insisted he come with, but she didn't want him to see.

Part of her was still in denial. It was also unethical for a hunter to be encouraging she prey on innocent humans, and it made it easier on her conscience if he was elsewhere when she was 'hunting'.

It wasn't difficult for a concerned stranger or two to walk up to her and ask what a young girl like her was doing out alone by herself. She weighed her options, settling on a young female, and shooing away other people.

Kagome was cute, she knew, only heightened by the fact she was now a vampire. She was irresistible.

"So, where're your parents?" The one she'd chosen was a bright eyed blond woman. Sincerity shone in her eyes, "Did you get lost?" It was hard not to like her, but anyone was better than biting Yagari.

She played niceties, "I… I don't know where they went."

"Oh, you poor thing." The woman soothed, holding out her hand. "Here, why don't we look around and see if we can find them?"

'You fool.' Kagome thought, placing her smaller hand into the other. "Please."

A reassuring smile was flashed at her. "It'll be okay."

She wished it could be. As soon as she was sure her guard was down, she experimentally let her holy powers leak out. It was weak, and it stung to use them, but she could sense there was no one in the immediate vicinity.

The smile that curled on her lips worried her, but she was so very hungry. The chattering of the other girl was cut short when she pulled her down, hard.

"W-Wha?!"

Her teeth caught jugular, cutting short the scream that'd begun to work its way out of the terrified lady's throat. And just as she'd begun to dig in, there wasn't a body there anymore.

She snarled in response, annoyed at what could've been.

In her place, Shizuka flicked her nails clean, "Hello my pet."

The blood drained from Kagome's face. She imagined she was thinking of their last encounter, which prompted the question, "Are you alright?" It slipped out before she could quash the concern she felt, something Yagari had thought to educate her on. It was only natural to obey.

The pureblood regarded her with careful consideration, a smile playing on her lips. "We don't die easily."

A sort of relief washed over her, further affirmed by the fact Shizuka was up and about. It was a stark contrast from the days prior where she'd been bleeding out.

Regardless, she hesitantly took a step back, "Why're you here?"

"Don't play coy." Cherry colored eyes danced with amusement, "Surely you know I've come to collect."

The dread in her stomach intensified. "I… I..." The refusal wouldn't form words. She clenched her teeth, weakly finishing with, "I like it here."

When her lips turned downcast, Kagome shuddered.

"Are you refusing me?"

At the words, she stiffened. This wasn't what she wanted at all. She couldn't bring herself to respond, but she didn't have to.

"You're not taking her."

Oh no.

Kagome watched Yagari step out of the shadows. He gave a quick look over to the two of them, and then the lifeless body of the female, before pursing his lips. "Come over here." He instructed the young girl, leveling his gun at the pureblood.

"Stay." Shizuka softly uttered.

Kagome couldn't find it within herself to refuse. She cast a withering look to the hunter behind her, sorrow igniting her reddening irises. He responded in kind with a grunt, walking closer to her, "You're not taking her." He repeated.

"And what would you have me do?" Shizuka's eyes turned a shade darker, but her face remained pleasant. "The girl is mine."

Kagome closed her eyes. She had no desire to endanger the only person to be kind to her. "….I'll go with you."

Resigning herself to her fate, she ignored the protests of Yagari, instead flashing him a smile. "You were good to me. Thank you." Dropping her eyes further, she motioned to his arm, "Did you fix yourself up?"

He was fighting a losing battle. "Don't be an idiot."

"I… enjoyed the time spent with you." She continued, stepping closer to Shizuka. "But… I don't think I can live in your world." It was bittersweet. She really really liked Yagari. Turning to her maker, Kagome nodded.

Pleased, Shizuka wrapped an arm around her. "Of course."

He could only watch the two disperse into scattering blossoms, cursing again the fact that damnable pureblood seemed to only take and take from him.


Returning to the house was easy enough. Ichiru was another matter entirely. He hated her. That much was evident upon arriving, his lips curled down in distaste. She imagined he was remembering their last encounter.

"Hi to you too." She muttered, shifting slightly. Shizuka had left the two of them alone.

"Shizuka-sama is too kind." He finally broke the silence, tersely chastising her. "You should've been killed." She found the harshness of his personality to conflict with the softness of his voice. It was a shame such a beautiful face was wasted. Then again, wasn't that all vampires?

Sighing, Kagome looked around. "Yes yes, but unfortunately, I'm alive. It also looks like I'm here to stay." Fingering her sleeve, she uneasily looked up. "…And I'm hungry." For one thing, she was glad she'd never bitten Yagari.

He was about to rebuke her for her insolence when the door clicked open. "Hungry?"

They both looked at the beautiful being that commanded attention.

Slightly shy, Kagome nodded. "I've been hungry for quite some time…" The sensation in her eyes thrummed, something she could only guess was the color of her eyes changing. She was slowly but surely growing more accustomed to the needs of her vampire nature.

Shizuka's voice spoke volumes of how pleased she was to see the changes in her pet, "Wonderful." It was almost like a laugh, "Have you ever tasted blood?"

She was growing less and less inhibited the more she thought of the tantalizing way it sounded to her. "No. Not since that night."

"You're not seriously thinking of giving her your blood?" Ichiru's voice rang with disgust as he protectively situated himself between the two. He glared down at her, "She's undeserving."

In response, the superior vampire looped her arms over his shoulders, still taller, smiling into his ear. "Are you jealous?"

The way he stiffened did not go unnoticed before he lamely replied with. "You're a pureblood."

He further froze when Shizuka gave his neck a tentative sniff, "Do you want this?" She prodded, "This bloody life?"

The interaction shared between the two ran far more intimate than Kagome dared say, before noting that he too looked delicious. In the presence of far more primal creatures, it was easier to drop the human tendencies she had fought to keep.

The moment was broken when he looked away, a faint tint of red running along his face, "Don't tease me."

Judging by his reaction, she guessed this was something common. What had her curious was how Shizuka seemed to have a peculiar fondness for the boy. She handled him as delicately as he handled her, if not more. It was strange. She'd only ever known vampires to be calculating and cruel. But Shizuka merely let Ichiru go, regarding his innocent reactions with delight.

"If giving her my blood is too much, then why not yours?"

He frowned, clearly hating the idea. "My blood is only yours."

It seemed that was the answer she wanted to hear, brushing back a stray strand of his hair. "I'll send for someone." The pleasure in her voice was enough to make Kagome relax.

When she left, it was back to an awkward silence between the two. More awkward on her part, and a subtle indifference for Ichiru. 'Pity. He was actually sort of gentle beforehand.' Kagome thought, tilting her head to the side. Maybe it was because she was feverish?

She barely looked away when he threw her an annoyed glance, "Are you quite done?"

Kagome was 110% sure he was only kind to Shizuka. Shaking her head, she replied with, "Crystal."

She only hoped Yagari would forget about her.


Life with the two was strange. The more she spent with the two, the more she came to learn exactly why Shizuka wanted her. The powers she possessed were desired by a multitude of people. It was just pure luck that Shizuka found her first.

Little by little, she found herself growing accustomed to the life she now held. Ichiru was still insufferable in his dislike of her, but she found him tolerable. With Shizuka, she wanted nothing else to obey. She also knew it was because of her blood and she was conflicted, but the sinewy smile the pureblood gave her always drowned out everything.

At present, she was working on summoning what little power she held and being given schooling by a private tutor. It wouldn't have been proper to keep around an uneducated fledging. She was also given a certain amount of freedom that had slowly been growing given how she had run away earlier.

For where could she go in the world now?

Time passed by quietly.


End of Chapter