As the celebration drew nearer everyone became much more anxious and guided by the calm and collected hand of Sayori Wakabe. She had been given complete reigns of the preparations and she did not disappoint on any level. Just as she had prepared the welcoming celebration for Yuki Kuran, she prepared this one with as much exuberance and energy as before. On many occasions, Hanabusa had to pull her aside and plead with her to take it slower being that she was still weak and recovering. She would simply give him a shielded look of love and affectionate before continuing on in the manner asshe told not to. It exasperated Hanabusa, but he loved it. It was apparent to everyone that Hanabusa was in another world when near Yori. It was something that did not even escape the attention of Aria. She knew that there was something going on between her father and Ms. Yori, but she did not know the true nature or the history of what had happened and no one would really answer. She remembered as a child seeing her father walk the limp body of Ms. Yori into the mansion upon his return from battle and not long later Vaugt showed up to give his support. The large giant of a man did not give anything away, saying it was not his place to divulge the past. It was something she would need to discuss with Hanabusa, which was impossible since he was screwed tight as a jar when someone ever brought up the past.

Things between her parents didn't seem so bad though. She knew they did not share the same bed, but they were not vehement or malicious towards one another, not as she had read about in her books of unhappy couples. There were so many questions and so few who were willing to answer them.

Aria took to hiding herself in the evenings to a secluded corner of the gardens, hoping to absorb herself into her books to the point where no one else would intrude upon her space. She did not care what color her dress was or the flowers she would be wearing in her hair. All of this she would leave to Yori and those who were planning the event. Right now, all she wanted was some peace and quiet. She was currently embroiled in a heady battle between the dark forces of an even lord and that of the shining white knight, outnumbered and fatigued, the knight prepared to go into battle against all odds.

A rustling in the bushes brought her with some irritation out of her world of battles.

"Who's there?" she said sharply, always annoyed when her peace was disrupted. There was no answer, but the bushes seemed to go silent. Gently setting aside the book, she stood and looked curiously in their direction. She repeated her question and there was no answer. Taking a slow and cautious step forward, she drew closer. Suddenly a rabbit shot out from under the hedge and took off into the night. Breathing a sigh of relief, Aria laughed at herself softly, noticing her sporadic heartbeat. She had been reading too many horror and mystery novels.

Aria's back was turned when she was suddenly grabbed from behind, a hand with a cloth dotted with chloroform enveloped her mouth and within moments her world went dark.

-------------------------------------------------------

Voices drifted in and out of her ear as her mind began to start to work once more and she realized that her head was hurting horribly. She reached up to caress the tender area, but found her arms bound. Her situation came crashing down on her. Blindfolded, bound, and gagged, she realized that she was sitting on hard concrete, surrounded by several men. She tried to remain still so they would not realize she had woken up.

"Should we drain her first?"

"No, we were told to keep her intact so that we can use her later on. If we drain her now there won't be enough for all of us." The rough voice of the other answered in almost a pout.

"But we have her now. No one will know if we prick her just a little."

"No, he was very adamant about us not draining her even a little."

"When will we get our share then? I have been waiting so long now for this."

"Immortality can wait a little longer," growled the other man. Finally another spoke from the other side of the room.

"It will be necessary that she stay healthy. There is a high demand for her mixed blood right now. With it we can ensure that everyone will have enough. I saw it on the battlefields, how the Blood Share gave longevity to all who drank the mixed blood. Humans age slower and heal much faster than most. Ah, it looks as though our princess has woken up." The man took steps towards her and she backed up as quickly as possible only to find she was up against a wall. Gently, the man pulled away her blindfold and smiled at her. He was handsome. His hair was a shade of blond mixed with a red and his eyes were a dark chocolate. He could not have been too old. He spoke of a battlefield, surely not the one her father fought in years ago. He was so young!

"Hello, Lady Aidou." She glared at him with hostility. "I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Andre Kawasaki, but most call me Ace. I will be your guide to your new life." If the gag had not been in her mouth she just might have spit at him, and he was well aware of this. Letting out a warm chuckle, he took it out and waited for her to speak. Her throat was dry.

"What do you want with me?" she said gruffly. Her throat was parched and the gag had not helped. Straightening he went to the corner and pulled a canteen from one of their satchels. Aria took a moment to take in the other two men standing before her. They were certainly not as handsome and looked far stupider than their compatriot. Ace turned around and stood before her to offer the canteen. She would have refused, but then she would not be able to scream later if she so chose to.

"Don't bother screaming, we are far from where any ears, even that of a vampire might hear. And in answer to your previous question; you are our saving grace." Aria gagged on the water and sputtered, forcing Ace to emit a hearty laugh before screwing back on the cork. He sat hunched down in front of her, looking her from top to bottom and Aria blushed and cursed herself for doing so.

"We have all had a taste of the mixed blood from the pureblood, Kaname Kuran, but many found it to be even still too harsh for their bodies and perished. Once we found that a noble had mixed his bloodline with that of a human, the offspring's blood then becomes much more palatable. You, my dear, are what we seek to longevity and inevitable happiness." He chucked her gently across the chin and she jerked away as a delayed reaction.

"You will be highly disappointed to hear that I am not of mixed blood." Ace cocked an eyebrow and reached into his pocket to pull out a small knife. Aria's eyes widened as she tried to become a part of the wall. Ace approached slowly.

"Excuse me, Lady Aidou, if you will allow me to show you that you are indeed of mixed blood." She moved away, but could go no further. Gently, but firmly, he brought up one of her bound hands and nicked the skin, barely enough to even warrant an outcry of pain. A small drop of blood appeared and then grew slightly. It did not move however, just glimmering in the lamplight. Ace put his knife away quickly and sat back on his heels. Aria was shaking as she glanced from the sheathed weapon to her captor. He raised his hands to show he held nothing else and he backed away a step.

"As you can see you do not heal as quickly as others. Any vampire of noble blood would have sealed that cut away in an instant, before the knife even left the skin, but you, Lady Aria, are the exception." Aria found it difficult to respond at first.

"You're lying."

"Am I? You know that you have been different from the start. We have watched you for a long time now. You enjoy the sunlight to an abnormal degree for a vampiress. You prefer your meals cooked and shun blood when offered, when blood is in the air you do not react like the others in fact you hardly take notice anymore. Do you wish me to go on?" Aria was shaking once again, but not out of fear.

"I apologize, I see that you had no idea." Aria kept shaking her head back and forth, staring at the floorboards.

"It's not true. I am the granddaughter of Lord Aidou, my father is Hanabusa Aidou. My mother is Lilith Beron who descends from the line of old. I am a pure noble!" she threw at him in denial. Ace stared at her disconcertingly and almost seemed to show a look of pity.

"Your father is Hanabusa Aidou, but your mother does not descend from the line of old… your mother is human." Startled, Aria looked rapidly around the room, seeing in the faces of the other two that Ace was speaking the truth.

"But she…"

"Lady Beron is not your real mother." It was like a thunder clash over her head.

"Then who…" Only one face seemed to stand apart from the others and only one seemed to beckon to her as it had done for so many years. "No… it can't be…"

"Unfortunately, yes it is…"

"I mean, she was close to all of us, but… I don't… I don't understand."

"All there is to understand is that you are of mixed blood and that is what we are seeking. We will be leaving at sunrise and…"

The statement jolted Aria into action immediately.

"I'm not going anywhere with you. Just because you think that you have me bound and tied does not mean I will make it easy for you to do with me as you wish!" Ace was certainly not expecting this much resistance in such a feisty manner! He rather liked it.

"Lady Aidou, I'm afraid that you have no choice in this matter. Trust me that we will make you very comfortable."

"I won't make it comfortable for you." Ace laughed and turned to his companions who also chuckled at this joke.

This was going to be interesting.