A brief author's note:
For those of you who really want my logic behind Satsuki's revival, check the topic for this story on Beast's Lair forums. I won't clutter the story with it.
Chapter 13: "Interview with a Badluck Vampire"
I remember full well the horror that went through my mind as I cleaned Nii-san's wounds that night. Various small cuts, scrapes, injuries... and two small marks in the left side of his neck.
How I told him I would take care of everything. Even as I panicked and began to wonder if I would need to give him some very expensive medicine. Porphyric Hemophilia, if caught early enough, can be cured before it progresses fully into vampirism... assuming the victim is not drained fully of blood and dies. If they die, it takes immediate effect.
I carefully dressed and tended to his wounds. Cotton balls, dipped in rubbing alcohol, and he did not even wince. Antibiotic ointments. Bandages. Gauze. Carefully tracing my fingers in the lacerations, applying the gentlest touch that I could so that it did not cause him even more pain.
I washed him down as best as I could with a warm towel without looking at his nearly nude body. My mind tempted me a few times, but I did not have Nii-san remove his underwear... even though I screamed at myself inside my head for thinking about that at a time like that, when Nii-san was injured.
I prepared a meal for him... well, not so much prepared as heated the dish Kohaku had pre-made. I could not cook then if I had wanted to... and I did. That night is why I began to learn how to cook... in secret.
And then I finally led him to his room that night, and as I tried to leave, he held me closely in his arms. Tightly.
And he began saying he could not save her. Nearly crying into my shoulder.
This girl, then... is the one he wanted to save.
I was so afraid that he would not come home... that I would never see him again.
If he had not... I... I probably would have lost my fight to stay human, then and there.
"...Yumizuka Satsuki. Yes, that was it. I remember now. I remember him stating how he could not save someone. To reduce him to the verge of tears like that... it is truly a horrible thing to put someone through, you know." I cross my arms and look at her angrily. I wish to make no mistaken assumptions to her, that I did not like what she did to him. At all.
She looks down, looking a little ashamed. "I was... foolish... I wanted to be with Tohno-kun, forever... so I bit him, to make him mine... but..." She looks wistful as she continues. "...A human like Tohno-kun can't love a vampire like me... he tried to save me, but even after killing me, I didn't die... my parent vampire was still alive, so... he held control over me like that, I guess... he denied me peace..." Her fists shake slightly with anger as she speaks about him. "...I'm trying to feed only when I can't take the pain anymore... even then... it still hurts..." She coughs hard, and clutches her chest once more.
...This girl is a victim of bad luck, then.
"This vampire... did you kill him?" I examine her from a distance. Her hand is still clutching her stomach.
"No," she manages to say. "He was far stronger than I was. But I think I injured him severely."
"...What did he look like?" It is possible that Arcueid-san, or Ciel-san, or Nii-san, or myself have faced this vampire and eliminated him. If one of us has, maybe that will give the girl some peace. At least... maybe I can grant her that.
"White hair... kimono—"
I do not even hear the rest. I freeze in place, like I were on the tracks of a bullet train and it was 50 feet away.
This... this was... his fault?ǃ
That... that... bastard. I feel my blood burn inside my veins. Just thinking about it is making me angry.
"Him," I voicelessly mouth. At least, I think I voicelessly mouth it. My ears do not confirm my voice had successfully said the word.
I cannot believe it. Then... this girl might have been what forced him to begin feeding, if she injured him badly enough. But...
...What could she have done to get him to that point? His abilities were certainly nothing to scoff at... indeed, if I had been forced to fight him up close, he likely would have bested me. Thankfully, my ability works from a considerable distance, so I was able to affect him when he could not harm me, but...
The girl must have seen the expression on my face, because she looks at me, slightly concerned. "Tohno Akiha-san... are you... alright?"
"...Him..." This time, my ears do acknowledge the noise my lips and throat produce.
"...Have we switched roles now?" Yumizuka Satsuki blinks.
Innocently.
Like a child, almost, she does not quite realize what is so impressive about this. Then again... how could she?
It is not as if she knows about our past, or me, or any of us besides Nii-san, and even then, she only knew him in the most casual of senses... certainly not a friendship, even though that is what she desired.
But... the words she said... they were really more like the simple wishes of a teenage girl. A paradise of the mind, because the reality she had was not one that was up to her ideal.
...But, thankfully, at least I can give the girl some peace.
Yes. "He" is dead, completely. I made sure of that, personally. I may be damned in the afterlife for my murder, a fate which I will accept with arms wide open. For now, I have protected those I love and hold dear. To me, that is more important than any potential afterlife consequences... for I am going to some kind of hell or damnation anyway, due to my heritage.
I quickly shake it out of my head and return to myself.
"...Ah... you will not have to worry about him anymore, Yusa— er, Yumizuka-san. I have killed him. He is no more." I smile slightly.
The girl looks relieved upon hearing this. "Y... You did? Are you sure?"
"I am certain. Let us say that I had a personal vendetta against him..." I feel my throat tighten slightly for some reason.
"...I see." She appears thankful.
I would like to know how important this girl holds Nii-san. He never told me about her until well after the fact, well after he had done what he had done to her.
He said that she had been in his classes for three years. And that he never realized how much the girl, Yumizuka Satsuki, had loved him, to the point where even if he did not talk to her, she was merely happy being in his presence.
The reality she had was that she merely shared a class with the boy, Tohno Shiki. She knew his name, and maybe a few things about him. She wanted to get closer to him, but due to her own reluctance, or Nii-san's general indifference, it seemed to not be fated for her to know him better.
They talked perhaps casually, as classmates do, but that was as far as they got. And then, the one day when she walked home with him...
...A tragedy that I would not wish even onto my most damned enemies befell her.
This, really, seemed to hurt him more than any of the wounds he suffered that night did. For it was a wound to his pride, a wound caused by being completely oblivious to someone else's feelings when they care about you.
The sort of wounds that cause a scar that never seems to completely heal...
"You say you are familiar with Nii-san. What is he to you?" I relax my posture a bit, so that the girl does not feel so threatened by my presence. Clearly, she will not attack. We are having a discussion; I should not take such an aggressive posture.
"Tohno-kun?" She blinks. "He... well... I... think I love him... I don't really know..."
"...Love? You loved Nii-san?" I may be right after all...
"...I don't know, but ever since he got me out of that locked shed, I've... wanted to be with him." She blushes slightly in embarrassment. A cute blush, I have to admit. A blush that reminds me of the way Seo blushes sometimes.
But... Nii-san rescued her...?
"Oh? When was this? Nii-san never informed me of this." I gently rest my back against the wall.
"Ehm..." Her red eyes look up slightly and she taps her lips with her index finger as she thinks. "About... four years ago, I'd say? Me and some others in our school's badminton club were trapped in a shed in winter, and we were all scared we'd freeze to death, because it was very cold that day. But Tohno-kun came and found us there, and I guess it gave our captain the strength to bash the door open, and he told me to go home and eat some Ozouni. Ever since then, I've always wanted to be with him..."
...Then, Nii-san was only 14. As was this girl. I can guess full well how Nii-san had opened the door — he likely had cut its "line" using his eyes. The eyes that, were it not for his glasses, would be their original blue instead of a gray.
...How I wish that they could be blue like that, all the time. I feel my heart skip a beat every time I look into them, when they are blue. It feels like they pierce my body completely, and look directly at my soul.
"...But... while I dreamed of Tohno-kun the way only a girl can, he was caught up far too much in other things to pay much attention to me. But, I was okay with that, somehow. I knew he'd be there to help me if I really needed it... a year ago, I finally managed to get to talk to Tohno-kun on my way home again. It was one of the happiest times of my life, even though it was so brief..." she sighs a little bit sadly.
This girl... loves him unconditionally. She is a good soul, but how come she is a vampire?
"Oh, that?" Yumizuka Satsuki's question startles me.
"Eh?" I blink.
"You just said 'How come she is a vampire,' didn't you?" She blinks.
"...I said that out loud?ǃ" I blush slightly in embarrassment. My thoughts are supposed to be inside my head, not outside my mouth!
Strangely enough, this makes the girl giggle slightly. "Yes. But it's okay." She sighs slightly. "On my way home, I was attacked. I never saw it coming. I just felt myself being grabbed, and a sharp blow to my head... I guess I was knocked out immediately. When I came to... I was in front of someone, and I'd ripped them apart, and I had their intestines in my hands, and my hands and clothes were covered in blood... and I could taste it in my mouth, too... it hurt... My body hurt, my brain hurt, my soul hurt... I wanted Tohno-kun to save me from it. So I began killing, to get his attention... and I did... I offered him to join me, but he couldn't, so I tried to bite him to make him mine... but even as I did bite him... even as I began to drink his blood... Tohno-kun saved me. He saved me by killing me... even as I began to die, the pain stopped, and I was able to thank him. So I died happily..."
A slight sigh and a smile escapes from Yumizuka Satsuki's lips, as she closes her eyes and imagines what peace must feel like before she resumes.
"...But then my parent vampire revived me somehow... because I came to on a table next to him, and he laughed and told me how I would not be able to get away from him that easily... I would be doomed once more to a hell of pain, an eternal life without purpose... and... I got so angry... that I did something... I don't know what really, but something inside me just... snapped... I just screamed, and then I heard him scream in pain for some reason, like he was burning, and it felt like I was the only thing alive in there, somehow... When I got my senses back, I saw him convulsing on the floor... I ran, thinking I had killed him somehow... but then I found out I had not, and that he was looking for me. So I hid..." She sighs.
"...And then I killed him a few days later." I finish.
"If what you say is true, then yes, Akiha-san. But I did not know that until now, so for a year, I've been hiding because I thought he'd kill me if he found me..." The fear in her eyes is obvious. She definitely fears "him" even though she, herself, was embraced and made into one of them by him.
...Even now, she looks like she would rather hide than fight. She is talking to me, but her eyes... they say "If you let me go, I will not bother you ever again, and I am so sorry that I did."
...It is unfair.
She looks so sad that it is hard not to feel the injustice this girl has suffered. Even though she is a competitor for Nii-san's feelings... this girl did not ask for this extra burden of vampirism to be planted upon her.
...Like me, she has had a curse foisted onto her without her choice or consent.
But, in some ways... hers is even worse.
I was born with my curse, the curse of the Tohno lineage. There is no escaping it. The only time I will ever be freed from this curse, of ever being one hundred percent sure that I will never invert...
...Will be death.
But... Yumizuka Satsuki has it far worse. For she was born as a regular human. And for most of her life, that is what she was. Dealing with human issues. How pretty she looked. How attractive and handsome the boys in class were. Her life plans. The future. Hopes. Dreams. Fantasies. Children. Marriage. Aging. And finally, the ability to lie on her deathbed, many years from now, and reminisce on what a good life she had led before she takes one last, happy sigh, closes her eyes, and her soul is freed from its physical constraints by her acceptance.
...And it was all taken away from her by a beast so damnable, so vile, that I feel my blood boiling just from the thought of it.
How dare he. This is a punishment even more corrupting than rape. Rape defiles the temple of the body, the sanctity of a person's sense of security.
This... makes rape look like a gentle embrace, in comparison. Even murder is more humane than what Yumizuka Satsuki had went through.
Instead... he has damned this girl to an eternal life as a monster. One who needs blood. One who can never be among humans. Never see smiles, never hear laughter, none of it, ever again...
...Frankly, it is a miracle the girl has managed to survive this long. Most new vampires go mad with what has happened to them, or are relishing in their power. This girl does neither. Instead, all she does... is hide, and cower, and wish just for the happier times...
...Unacceptable. I cannot allow this sort of suffering to continue.
...But, what can I do? This girl may not even trust me, even if I am the sister of the one she loves and desires. But... I do have plenty of room in my home. And, truth be told, having someone else there... may be an interesting change of pace.
Perhaps I can help... yes. That sounds prudent.
"...I think I may be able to help you, Yumizuka-san," I announce with a slight smile.
"...You... can?" The girl blinks as she looks at me. She looks slightly nervous. I cannot blame her for that.
"I assure you, my intentions are honest." I groan slightly as I stretch, trying to relieve my tension, since it seems Yumizuka-san will not attack me, knowing who I am now. "I think I could use someone else in the house to do some small things... and honestly, having another person there will be a nice change of pace and make it seem less lonely. To put it bluntly, I will forgive you for biting Nii-san... if you will become my servant."
"Y... Your servant?ǃ" She seems to enrage slightly. I had better quickly calm her down.
"Relax. It is nothing like what "he" wanted you to do, probably. It is real simple things, for the most part... small household chores, perhaps some night guarding, things of that nature... in exchange, of course, you get a bed, shelter, and blood."
...She looks away. It is clear she does not like that idea. "I... don't want to bite Tohno-kun. Or you, Akiha-san. I can't accept that..."
...Ah. That is all then, is it? No, she does not want to be a vampire... just like I do not want to be a demon. But, if I can live mostly as a human does except under times of great stress, then so can see. Besides...
"...The blood is in transfusion packs, Yumizuka-san. You will not need to bite anyone."
She looks back at me. "...How do you have those? Do you work in a hospital, Akiha-san?"
I smile slightly. "No. But it is a long story. If you will return with me to the mansion, though, I shall tell you it."
The girl seems still slightly worried, but she nods. "A-alright." I can see her thinking, more or less. Probably something along the lines of "It is better than what I have now."
With that, the vampire named Yumizuka Satsuki and myself leave the back alley. Tonight, unlike many other nights, there will be no bloodshed here.
Yumizuka-san and I chat amicably on our way home. It turns out she is a rather bright girl. We speak about a lot of things, but especially Nii-san.
Strangely enough, even though I was initially jealous of her for potentially being a rival for Nii-san's affections, as we walk back to the mansion, I think I can say that besides me, a woman like Yumizuka-san would fit Nii-san the best. She loves him unconditionally... perhaps even more unconditionally than I do. For while I overlook Nii-san's flaws, Yumizuka-san simply does not mind them. She believes they are integral to him.
Perhaps they are... perhaps he would not be the Nii-san I love either, if he were not without those flaws. He would be too perfect. A simulation.
Maybe I love those, even though I think I do not...?
Love is such a confusing emotion. Like a roller coaster in the dark, you do not know where it will go, or what it will do to you. You just know that it "is" for lack of a more elegant phrasing.
"Akiha-san... may I ask how you obtained blood packs, please?" Yumizuka-san turns her head slightly towards me.
"Hm?" Yumizuka's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. Ah, yes. I did say I would explain that, did I not? "Well... I will explain from the beginning, then. Truth be told, Nii-san and I are not fully normal humans. Or, for that matter, actually related." If this girl is going to live in the mansion, there is little point in hiding these secrets from her.
Besides... whom is she going to tell them to?
"Eh?" She blinks, looking at me with those red eyes.
"Nii-san's original name was Nanaya Shiki. And originally, our families were at war. When Nii-san and I were still both children, they went to war for the last time. My family, the Tohno, led a surprise attack on the Nanaya, with help from some of our branch families. We massacred all of the Nanaya, for they were plotting to kill us all, but Otou-sama spared one boy. That boy was Nii-san. Otou-sama took him in because he also had a son named SHIKI." I resist the urge to revulse at the mention of "his" name.
Yumizuka-san blinks. "So... there are two Tohno Shiki-kuns?"
"Not quite," I say. "Not long after Nii-san arrived at our house, my older brother... the "original" Tohno SHIKI, so to speak, went insane. He attacked me... but Nii-san threw himself in the path. SHIKI killed him instead... and when Otou-sama saw what had happened, he killed SHIKI. But I had grown attached to Nii-san... and I desperately used my powers to give him half of my life, so he could live. I swore I would never consider SHIKI my brother again... my one, and only, Nii-san from that day on was to be the boy formerly known as Nanaya Shiki."
Yumizuka-san looks like she wants to cry. "It's... it's like something out of a tragic story..."
"There is more to it than that, though. Nii-san recovered in the hospital thanks to me, but as a side effect of only having half the lifeforce of a normal person, he had fits of anemia, as you have perhaps seen, and I suffered from being cold all of the time and fits of almost intolerable pain. The only thing keeping me alive, really, was knowing that his life depended on mine, and knowing that he would pull through. That allowed me to deal with the pain. Then, Otou-sama sent him to live with a branch family of ours, the Arimas. And SHIKI was still alive, and still insane, having stolen Nii-san's original lifeforce... eventually, after Otou-sama died, SHIKI escaped before I could kill him myself..." I sigh.
"Wow... is he still prowling the streets?" She looks afraid.
"No," I say. "Because I killed him." It is delivered, subconsciously or not, in an ice cold tone.
"...You killed your own brother?" She looks scared, now.
"I had to. He was a threat. You know that already." I look away, towards the moon hanging in the sky, and I sigh.
"...I do?" She blinks... and then stops as revelation comes crashing down on her. "...Y-You mean..."
"Yes. The 'vampire' who bit you was the real Tohno SHIKI. He is not a true vampire, for he does not need blood, but those of the Tohno bloodline suffer due to having demon blood in our veins. Nearly all Tohno will eventually suffer from what is called an 'inversion impulse.' It is when their demon blood takes over, turning them into mindless beasts who only desire to kill, and drink the blood of the slain. This is what happened to SHIKI and made him nearly kill myself and Nii-san."
I stop, realizing Yumizuka-san has not walked since realizing that we are now irrevocably connected. I turn back to her.
"...Yumizuka-san? Have you changed your mind about my offer?" I blink. It is her choice, but I will not force her.
"...N-No," she manages to breathe out. "I am just... stunned..."
"Then please keep walking. If we stop for too long, the sun will start to rise. It is..." I check my watch on my right wrist. "...4:26 in the morning."
"...Yeah." She sadly says it as she resumes walking. I wait until she is at my side before I resume walking as well. "But, Akiha-san... will you not invert someday?" She asks, somewhat nervously.
Ah. Not a bad question, after all. I would likely ask that myself, if I were her.
I sigh. "I already did once. After I killed him, SHIKI managed to invade my body, and nearly made me kill Nii-san. With SHIKI dead, Nii-san could have his life back, but SHIKI was making me want to control and dominate him... and his presence increases the demonic Tohno blood within me. To counteract it, I began drinking from my servant, Kohaku, first, but when I needed more than she could provide without killing her, we began to get blood packs. This is why I have those."
"Oh," Yumizuka-san says. "I guess that makes sense, then... but... you're not bloodthirsty now, right? So how did it stop...?"
"It was only after we nearly killed each other, and with a little intervention, that we all managed to snap out of it. I gave Nii-san his lifeforce back, and then took back the half of mine that I gave to him since he no longer needed me to keep him alive. By taking that half back, I regained full control over my Tohno blood. Inversion for me is no longer a when, but an if... and it is something I fully control." Thankfully... at least, as far as I know. I have yet to stress myself enough to test my control... and I do not dare to try.
Yumizuka-san looks at me with awe. "Wow... Tohno-kun's life is a lot more difficult than I thought." She seems almost surprised.
"Yes. He is not fully 'normal' either, as it were. Do you know why he always wears his glasses?"
"Uhm..." Yumizuka looks up briefly. "He said he gets bad headaches if he takes them off?"
"Partially. He does, but the reason why is without his glasses, he can see people's death as lines. If Nii-san sees these lines and traces them with some sort of instrument, or even his own finger, whatever it is will split along that line, or if it is some vital organ, be killed. Presumably this is what he did to you, Yumizuka-san."
"...Yeah. He stabbed me in the heart I think, and I instantly knew I was dying... but... it was so warm... and so painless... and all of the hurting stopped... even if I was dying, I was thankful that he stopped the pain... it was almost... pleasant, really, as sick as that sounds..." She sighs a bit, almost as if she wishes she were dead.
"...If you really wish for death, Yumizuka-san, I could make it painless as he could..." ...Though I really would not like to...
She shakes her head with resolution. "No. I don't have to run or hide in fear anymore, and if you have blood packs, I don't even have to drink from people anymore. I can... try to live something like a normal life again..."
I nod, respecting her wishes. "Very well then. Anyway, seeing these lines gives Nii-san headaches, and if he looks at things that have no concept of 'life' such as buildings, the headaches can get much stronger. If he does it too much, then the blood vessels in his brain will burst, and he will die. But with those glasses on, Nii-san does not see those lines and points. They allow him to function. Other than those abilities and some very fast reflexes, Nii-san is basically a normal human."
"I see. Tohno-kun is more interesting than I thought." She smiles slightly. "Is... he there, too?"
"Sometimes," I reply. "Usually he is only in some of the time. When he is not here, he tends to stay with Kohaku, or is at Arcueid-san or Ciel-san's place."
"...Ciel? I've heard that name before... uh... tall girl with blue hair and blue eyes?" She blinks, trying to dredge up long-disused memories.
"Yes... Do you know Ciel-san?" This raises my interest. If Ciel-san knew this girl existed... it was almost certainly before her change. Ciel-san would try to kill Yumizuka-san to put her out of her misery.
"Yeah. Tohno-kun was talking to her some right before I was bitten. She was our senpai." She smiles. "She had this exotic beauty to her that I kind of was jealous of."
...Well, it would be only natural for her to talk to some of her "fellow students" if she were acting as one, as a cover.
"I see. Well, they are friends of his. He helps them out. Kohaku is a former servant at the mansion that I think Nii-san has fallen in love with. She still comes by on the weekends, though."
I am not sure if Yumizuka-san heard the last part of that statement. Her shoulders slumped as soon as I mentioned Nii-san loved another woman.
"Yumizuka-san?" I stop and look at her.
"...No, I should expect that. I was dead, after all." She shuffles onward slightly, and still looks quite sad as we round the last corner. "Oh... the mansion on top of the hill. That's right." She says it slightly mechanically.
I look at her. "...Are you sure you are alright with this, Yumizuka-san? I am not forcing you to do this. It is your choice."
She, once more, shakes her head. "No, I want to do this. You've killed my parent vampire, and I feel kind of guilty for what I did to Tohno-kun. Besides... if I get to see him again, that will be worth it." She smiles.
...She really is too nice of a girl to have had such a tragic fate befall her. I shall do my best to help Yumizuka-san.
Hisui is awaiting in the hall when I unlock the door. She bows deeply.
"Good morning, Akiha-sama. I am happy to see your walk was uneventful." She looks at me, and then Yumizuka-san. "...Company, Akiha-sama? That is unlike you."
"It was quite eventful, actually, Hisui. And yes... I hate to make such an unusual request, but could you please prepare a room for our guest? I have a feeling she will be staying from now on. Ah, and please make it fairly dark... she... does not go well with sunlight."
"...A vampire. I understand." She closes her eyes. "Shall I blacken the window—"
"NO!" Yumizuka-san impulsively shouts, and then looks slightly embarrassed. "Ah... I can't go into direct sunlight, no... but I like to look outside and feel the wind sometimes. So... please don't shade it up any more than you must."
Hisui reopens her eyes, and then nods. "I understand. If you will excuse me, I will get right on it." With a deep bow and a curtsey, Hisui departs, heading upstairs to prepare the room.
I turn to Yumizuka-san. "We can sit in the tea room for now. I know you only need blood, but do you still get cravings for regular food?"
"...Do you have... uhm... any green tea?" She pushes her fingers together slightly, embarrassed to be asking.
I nod. "Several kinds. From regular green tea to the finest Gyokuro money can purchase."
She blushes slightly. "Ah... I don't want to impose..."
"It is not imposing, Yumizuka-san." I smile.
"...Alright then. Just some green tea, please." She manages a small smile in kind.
I nod once more. "Very well then. Please wait there, Yumizuka-san." I walk off to the kitchen.
I will prepare some Aki-Bancha for us both. Tea, at least, is not so bad to prepare. Add some tea leaves, soak in water, and wait.
About ten minutes later, I come out with two cups, and carefully hand Yumizuka-san hers. She looks at it, with longing, almost disbelieving eyes. Eyes that say "I cannot believe this is happening."
"Please, go ahead. Just do not drink it down all at once. That would be greedy and wasteful, and good tea is meant to be sipped, savored, and carefully enjoyed." I lift my cup up to my lips and draw the tea into my mouth.
Yumizuka-san nods, and carefully sips it. For perhaps the first time in a year, Yumizuka Satsuki has liquids other than blood coat her throat.
It makes me... feel happy to see such an act.
"I hope it is to your satisfaction," I say as I finish the sip of mine.
"...It is some of the best tea I have ever had. What kind is it?" She looks down into the cup, watching the steam rise up gently from it.
"Aki-Bancha," I reply. "We have more expensive tea, but as Aki-Bancha is only obtained around this time of year, I prefer to drink it in autumn, when it is freshest."
She smiles. "It could be because your name is Akiha, too, Akiha-san."
I cannot help but return it. "That may also be a factor, Yumizuka-san."
Yumizuka-san looks considerably more at peace, now. Her clothes might be tattered and dirty, but washing the chair is but a small thing compared to giving this girl peace of mind. She lifts the cup carefully and closes her eyes slightly as she savors the rich flavors inside.
I watch her as I sip my own tea. Deep down inside... I wish I were a little more like Yumizuka-san. Not for her being a vampire or anything, but... the way she talked about Nii-san, and how she could love him so simply, yet so purely... this girl truly deserved something better than what fate has dealt her. Ripped from her family. Her friends. All that she knew...
...All by "him." Because he lost his mind, because he saw an easy target... a meal for him that starts a nightmare for a girl who had her whole future ahead of her...
My cup rattles slightly in its saucer.
I have even more reason to hate him now. He is lucky I cannot kill him again, but if I somehow can, it will easily be twice as painful for him as it was last time, just for making this girl's life a living hell. I will drain his life just fast enough for him to be helpless, but slow enough that he suffers... yes. Only a true monster would turn an innocent young schoolgirl like this into such a monster.
She is resisting her vampire side. That is why she throws up the blood. Yumizuka Satsuki does not want to be a vampire.
For now, the blood transfusion packs will have to do. I will have to call some of our more medically-oriented branch families and see if they have any access to such cures...
I do not think we have a cure, but I know some branches of our family are working on one. It would be a base for our own genetic cure. For being a Tohno would not be so bad if inversion could be completely cured, I must admit. Even I would not mind to have these powers as long as I could be one hundred percent sure that they remained under my control, at all times.
That said... I also would not mind even if I lost my powers entirely. Power is both a blessing and a curse, and those who wield great power tend to be twisted and distorted as a result of it. I would not want the same thing to happen to me, so if it came down to it... I think I would sacrifice them.
As she finishes her tea, I notice it is about 5:30 AM. I must prepare for school soon. Fortunately, Hisui arrives as well, and bows. "Akiha-sama, our guest's room is ready." She announces it with a graceful bow.
"Ah. Perfect timing Hisui. Please show Yumizuka-san to it, and when she awakens at dusk, please have a blood pack ready for her. She will be needing those, so please leave a note for Kohaku to obtain more." I finish the last of my tea, and then stand up.
"Of course, Akiha-sama." She smiles, and turns to Yumizuka-san. "Please follow me, Yumizuka-sama. What sort of blood type do you prefer the most?"
I watch as Yumizuka-san walks away with Hisui. "Uhh... Blood Type A. But you don't have to call me Yumizuka-sama, just call me Satsuki, or Sacchin..." Their voices soon fade.
I feel like I have done a good deed. With my heart full of pride and happiness, I walk to my room to shower and change into my school uniform.
At least today... I have shown that the human side of Tohno Akiha will win out. The monster inside of her wished to kill her for attacking Nii-san... but the human side of her could listen to reason.
Plus... if I had been able to kill "him" then she would never have become a vampire. This, then, is partially my fault... so the least I can do is help her if I am able. And all she wants are simple things... shelter, safety, company.
I can provide those. They are simple things. Besides...
"...She is not that bad of a girl at all."
Welcome to my home and my life, Yumizuka-san.
It is good that by pure fortune I found an ally in you.
Just pray you never betray my trust... or you will die.
Arc 1: "A Non-Existant Life" END.
Arc 2: "Reassembling a Shattered Soul" START.
Next Week (9/5/10) – Chapter 14: "Westminster Quarters"