Girls always made me uncomfortable. They were so fragile, and always cried when I would play too roughly with them. As a result, I never had any female friends, and that distressed my father. Why don't you play with those nice girls down the road? Why don't you wear dresses? Why don't you stay out of the mud? He would ask. But he never forced me change.

My mother was worse. Come here and let me fix your hair. Look how cute this bow is! You got dirt on your blouse, how unlady like of you, Aika! How will you ever get a husband? But even with all her nagging and all her attempts to wrangle me into a dress, she always relented. She let her "wild daughter" have her way.

But now I see that my parents were too soft. They mistook their kindness and lenience as helping me, when really they had crippled me. They left me unprepared. Unaccustomed to effeminate women and to the terrors of wearing a dress and all the inconveniences that came with them.

So I really wasn't sure how to react to Hilde.

"Tch. How are you still alive..?!" She snapped the moment Shu had closed the door. "I was certain you'd be sucked dry by now..."

Hilde is a strange name.. I decided, watching her grab my wrist to inspect the marks there. I winced slightly as the fresh wounds ached.

"Well, it certainly looks like someone tried to drain you... I'm astonished you're still standing; you've got some stamina, I'll give you that." She commented, flinging my hand back to me. If I was less tired, I would have been offended by her handling.

But everything was just strange... especially Hilde. She was very pretty; I'd never seen a woman with red hair before, but she was very rude. But her aside, I felt strange, too. My head felt light, and the world kept rocking, I had to cling to the stool I sat upon to stay upright. It must be all that blood that I lost...

"So, who did it?" She demanded, arms crossed. "Was it Ayato?! Or maybe Kanato... no. It must have been that Shu. Hmm, you must have had it rough in his domain, huh..?"

I didn't answer. She was talking too fast, I could barely keep up with her high pitched voice and quick tempo. She was making my head throb... but at least she wasn't a vampire. Right..? Well, annoying or not, I was stuck with her.

After an hour of wandering around in the darkness, Shu had somehow found the room she was in and shoved me into it. Hilde had let out a surprised shout, but had curtsied and blushed prettily for Shu when she recovered from the shock. Shu left her with orders to clean, feed and dress me, before cruelly abandoning me to Hilde and her torturous interrogation... even though he also ordered her to tell any of the other lords that I was off limits, I still found the energy to silently loath Shu.

Huffing in irritation, Hilde grew tired of my silence, and spun on her heel to begin the work Shu had tasked her with. She bustled around the small room we were in, gathering items from shelves and drawers as she chattered incessantly. I tried my hardest to listen, but it was difficult.

I came to gather that she cared for someone named Laito, and that he liked her the best. Or so she said...

"Ohhh, he's the most handsome and caring lord of all..!" She sighed dreamily, pausing her work to hold her blushing cheeks. I stared at her, puzzled. Did she just say... caring and lord in the same sentence...? "But! Don't begin to think of swearing your blood to him! He has refined, exotic tastes, okay?!"

I could only stare and nod numbly. Believe me... I'm not interested in 'swearing my blood' to anyone... let alone whoever Laito is.. Hilde didn't seem too satisfied by my silent answer, but she huffed again and continued her work, this time drawing water from a hand pump into a bucket.

"Hmph... you probably won't even last long enough to find a proper master..." She muttered. "Especially if you keep having threesomes every night, miss greedy..!"

That stirred me. Okay, that's enough rudeness. "Look, it's not like I asked for it.."

She paused, looking up at me in surprise, before grinning an unpleasant grin. "Ohh, so you can talk. Well, whether you vocally asked for it or not doesn't matter. The fact that you don't have a master is asking enough!"

I was about to snap at her, when she suddenly pulled off the ruffled collar around her neck. I gasped. The stool clattered to the floor behind me.

"If you don't have a specific master, then these lords will bleed you dry in a day..." She stroked her neck lovingly. If I had any food in me, I would have puked. Her slender throat was columned in bite scars. Terrible marks made her throat look like a white field, tilled by fangs. Red and brown blotches ran up and down the sides of her neck. It was ghastly. Yet she touched the marks with adoration. I was horrified. "These are Laito-Sama's bites... they mark me as his, and no one else is allowed to touch me... unless he wants them to, that is.."

She giggled insanely, and I couldn't take anymore. I made a dash for the door, but my head reeled, and darkness overwhelmed me. I woke up to a cold floor on my cheek and her high laughter in my ear.

"Woah, there, slow down! I know you probably want to find a master as soon as possible, but no one's going to want you smelling like this..!" She cackled, grabbing my arm and pulling me up. "And don't pass out on me; I'm not bathing you, and dragging you to your bed, okay..?!"

I rubbed my spinning head. Tch... it hurts so much... and I feel so weak... is this really because of blood loss...?

"Look, I know you're suffering from all that blood they took from you.." Hilde gently tucked a hair behind my ear. I gave her a suspicious look. "You'll need to make sure you eat well so that you don't die, okay..?"

She rose and strode towards the door, pausing with it open. "If you died too soon, it would be boring!"

She laughed cruelly and I glared with loathing. That seemed to amuse her. This woman is vile...

"I'll be back with your dinner; it's not going to be anything fancy, but you'll have to deal with it until the kitchens open tomorrow night. In the mean time, wash yourself with that bucket of water and soap and get dressed with the clothes on the right." She paused before closing the door behind her. "Oh, and I'm locking the door. So don't even think of running away."

I scowled, and sure enough, when she closed the door, there was a resounding click of a lock. I glared at the ground.

What an infuriating woman... I'd hoped that we could be allies, that we could help one another get out of this hell... yet she seems to enjoy it here... I shook my head. How is that even possible... these monsters are slowly eating her alive, and she smiles while they kill her.

I rose onto shaky legs and set about my tasks with great difficulty. It felt good to get the grime of three days in a cage off of my skin, even if the water was cold.

So, Aika... how are you going to get yourself out of this one...? I thought bitterly. I couldn't even begin an escape plan; everything seemed so hopeless... first of all, I could barely stand due to blood loss. Second of all, it didn't look like I was going to find any help in other humans. Thirdly, the castle was huge, and that wasn't even mentioning the forest beyond it... and worst of all, were the fucking monsters trying to suck the life out of me!

I paused, touching my forehead with a sudsy hand. I was glaring so hard that it was giving me a head ache... I groaned, deciding I was clean enough. Gingerly toweling off, I tried not to move too quickly, or else risk passing out again.

It looks like my only hope is... is... I thought back to the scars on Hilde's pretty little neck. I found myself touching the bite on my own throat and flinched. It ached terribly... No. There's no way I could allow that to happen to me..! Aika Tsukimura isn't a late night snack, she's a human being!

I had just pulled the white dress I'd been supplied as I heard the lock on the door click. The door opened, revealing Hilde balancing a tray of food on one hand and holding a candle in the other. "Are you just going to gawk, or are you going to follow me to your room? Oh, and bring your clothes with you."

I glowered at her bossiness, but gathered the clothes she'd supplied me and followed her nonetheless. The halls were lit with torches where we walked. I braided my dripping hair as I wondered why they hadn't been lit where Shu and I had traveled... I suppose the vampires don't need light to see, right..? So only us humans need torches... I began to recognize signs of life the longer we walked down the fire lit hall. I heard quiet voices from a couple of the many, many doors, and sometimes one was ajar, revealing a tired face.

I hadn't realized how badly I craved intelligent human interaction until I came to see those gaunt cheeks and empty eyes. But as soon as I realized I had the urge, company with the available humans didn't seem terribly desirable. I wonder if all of them are as brainwashed as Hilde is...? Or is she some special brand of crazy... I watched her skeptically. Maybe it's contagious..

When Hilde paused at a particular door, she raised her brow expectantly. I glowered, uncertain of what she wanted.

"Well, open it!" She snapped.

I scowled, but did as she ordered, letting her saunter in before me. I'm only doing it because your hands are full... your manners really are horrible...

The room she had led me to was small, as expected. But, unexpectedly, it had a desk, chair and a comfortable looking bed. She laid the candle and tray of food on the desk before turning to me, hands on her hips.

"Look, new girl. We have a few ground rules in the servants quarters. First!" She held up her fingers as she counted. "Keep down the noise. Many of us have different sleeping schedules to accommodate the lords, so don't wake anyone up! Second! Keep it tidy in here; Reiji-Sama likes to run random inspections. If anything is out of place, it will result in severe punishment. Third! You are only to use your room for rest; if you cannot find work to do, then someone else will. And finally..."

Her expression softened from aggressive to something that might have been sadness on another person's face. "You are not permitted to disobey a lord. Failure to obey will result in punishment at his discretion... up to and including death."

The words weighed heavily on me. They settled in the pit of my stomach and drained away all warmth. This is your worst nightmare, Aika...

A sudden snap drew my attention. It was Hilde's fingers. Her irritated expression was back. "Hey. What's your name, anyhow?"

I shifted uncomfortably, but somehow the words gave me strength.. "... my name is Aika Tsukimura."

She lifted her chin. "Huh. Pretty. Well get some rest, Tsukimura. You've got a long night ahead of you and I'm not sure when we'll meet again.. or if we will."

She laughed as the door closed behind her. And even though I probably hated her, I was left feeling much colder without her... I rubbed my shoulders, unaccustomed to leaving them bare, and approached the desk. Running my fingers through my damp bangs, I sighed.

"So, Aika... welcome to prison." I murmured bitterly, quietly pulling the chair out and taking a seat.

Dinner consisted of rice and some form of beef. I curled my lip. Some form of cow was more like it... Yuki's big eyes came to mind. But instead of feeling comforted, I felt a crushing regret. I held my head.

What a hero... you rescued Yuki, Aika... and it's doomed you... and maybe your family, too. Aren't you proud..? I shook my head clear of those thoughts. They were poison... I ate my rice, noting that everything tasted bitter. Save your self pity for later... you have to work on getting out of here as fast as possible..! Every minute you waste sulking, your family is waiting...

Okay, start from the top, Aika. What is your current situation? You're being held captive by psycho monsters. What do they want from you? Uh... that bastard Shu said that he wanted to make me a proper lady, right...? But he also said that I'd be his servant... I rubbed my aching head. Well, if he wants to make me a lady like he first said, then my goal will be to pretend to be a lady for him... if he's intent on keeping me as his servant... forever... then my goal is escape.

I sighed, sitting back in my chair. But... as slim as the odds of escape are... even if I make it out of here, what's stopping him from hauling my ass back here... or worse? My head throbbed painfully. So... escape isn't an option then, either, is it...

"Ugh... this is too much..." Tired of my dinner, I pushed away from the desk. I guess I'll just have to stay alive, for now... I ruffled my hair irritably, scolding myself. "No, Aika! Your family is waiting for you! Figure this out now..!"

I sighed loudly, wracking my head and gritting my teeth.

Click.

I froze. W-was that the door...?

Sorry, not very much Sakamaki fun..! I tried to make it short and bearable.. But you're getting to know Aika and Hilde, so it's okay, right..? :'D