I walked down flights of stairs, wandering the mansion for a while until I found the others.

'This is quite the mansion, I'll give Bathory that, but-no, I must forgive him...I wish the process wasn't slow. Is it okay for me to vent? I mean, every human does it-!'

Something I didn't realize until now caught me off guard.

My hair had grown to my collarbone.

I started to rake my hands through my hair, 'What?! When did this happen?! Mo- I mean, Dante! What is the meaning of this?!'

'I think long and medium long hair looks lovely on you. Lest Karr is wrong about your short hair. Wait a minute, if that little munchkin thinks he can slip into your heart, like butter, he's got another thing coming!'

'...What? I'm sorry, I'm confused.'

'*Sigh* Sweety, do you hardly look in the mirror and not acknowledge your beauty and curves?'

I tilted my head in utter confusion, 'Um..no? I mean, who has time for that?! We're in a crisis! No girl should be looking in a mirror, checking her makeup and hair!'

'Oh, God..she's oblivious to her beauty on the outside and inside, just like her father...'

I puffed out my cheeks, 'Hey, what's that supposed to mean?! I-I can be...delicate looking sometimes.'

'You know what, turn to the left of this hallway and enter the first door to your right.'

'Why?'

'Just do it.'

Sighing at the naive and somewhat request, I did as she explained and came upon a black door with a gold knob.

I slowly turned the knob and cracked the door open, seeing a slit of sunlight peak through the crack.

Deciding that it was safe to enter, I opened the door and with wide eyes, i stared at the dress on a mannequin in the center of the room.

'Do you like it?' she asked with what I assumed was a smile.

'How...How do you expect me to fight in that thing?!'

"You're not supposed to! Go to that door on the left to take a bath, then put it on and walk to the dresser behind the dress to style your messy hair!'

~Small Time Skip~

As soon as that situation happened, I stepped out the room in a white, spaghetti strapped, long dress.

Despite the fact of not being able to fight in it, it was comfortable along with the silky see through sash around my forearms.

My hair was put up in a downward French bun in the back with a big white ribbon wrapped around it as my long bangs hung in my face and on each side.

Dante told me to apply mascara and eyeliner along with clear lip gloss. Honestly, this was torment to me...

'Did you tell Bathory to prepare...all of this disaster?'

"Yes and you know you like it! One day, your father and I prayed to see you in that dtess on your eighteenth birthday, when you'd come out of hiding and assemble the throne.'

I frowned at hearing Dante's voice since as she was sad, 'It's okay. As long as you can see me in it than not at all.'

"I...I suppose you're right...'

With that last sentence, she exit my mind and went back to her dwelling, Himezuru-sa.

I turned a corner and entered what looked like a place to relax, like a sun room with two bookshelves against each wall.

Observing the room a bit, I saw a grand black piano, then smiled, 'I haven't played since the battle in Shinjuku...'

I sat down on the black chair and lifted the cover from the keys. Placing my fingers on the keys softly, I began to play and sing.

"~Our prayers meet no matter where we're going. In unison, they beat, the sky is glowing.

~Above our thoughts, we'll find a key together_ To fill the day with all the things we treasure_.

~A crystal view, I'll follow you_. An open ga_te invites me through_.

~Our prayers meet no matter where we're going. In unison, they sing with lo_ve.

~Above the clouds, we'll find a key together_ To fill the day with all the things we_ treasure_.

~All we, treasure~" I sung.

I kept playing the notes to the song until the last verse came up.

"~A crystal view, I sing to you_.

~And in my slee_p, you softly speak_.

~In stormy sea_s or solid blue_.

~I'll remember_ to trust in you_~," I finished.

(FF13-2: Plains of Eternity by Joelle.)

"Your singing is beautiful," a voice complimented.

"Thank you...Wait, what?!" I stopped playing the keys on the piano and and looked up.

Standing in the entrance was Yoichi and Narumi.

I sighed and looked back down at the keys, "Oh..it's you two..."

"What's with the dress?" Narumi asked in a curious tone.

An irk mark formed in my left cheek, "Please, don't ask..."

"Anyway, we came looking for you. Why did you...fly off like that?" Yoichi said and questioned, not knowing how to form his sentence.

I scratched the back of my neck, "I thought I..sensed something, but I didn't find much."

"Let's discuss this over 'dinner'," Narumi said, leaving me confused and a smiling Yoichi.

"What does he mean by that?" I said, confusion obvious in my tone.

"Apparently, this place has food. C'mon, we can't let Yu raid the refrigerator. By the way...*Blush* You look really..pretty," he said and quickly left, too.

I blinked my eyes, "...I do?"

~Tiny Time Skip~

After discovering for myself that there was indeed food to cook or grab and go for myself, I decided to cook along with Kimizuki...again.

"Um..Sayo, what do you have on?" He asked me.

The irk mark formed again, "Do you have a problem with it?"

"Not at all! You look hot, Sayomi!" Yu said with his cheerful smile.

*Silence*

"...You can't just say that to a girl with a smile as if there's nothing wrong," Narumi said with a sweat drop.

My face slowly turned red, "...I don't normally dress like this, but...thank you..."

I began to cook teriyaki chicken, baked chicken, and German brots with what the type of meat I saw.

I got a cutting board and started on teriyaki first. Later, I would add barbecue sauce to this.

Then, I would start on the baked chicken and add lemon spice.

Lastly, the brots will have cut up onions and green peppers to bring out the flavor more.

"Wow, a vampire who can cook..." Narumi said unbelievably.

As soon as I was done cutting the teriyaki in good pieces, I walked over to the preheated oven and opened it, setting them on the top rack.

I closed it back, going to start on the chicken that was soon to be thoroughly clean and seasoned with pepper and once it was done, barbecue sauce is added on.

"Well, my mother taught me how to cook. She said it'll come in handy one day...and when I went to the orphanage, it did," I explained.

"If I recall correctly, vampires don't have appetites for human food. Only blood interests them," Narumi said suspiciously.

I stopped cleaning the chicken, "..."

"True, but Sayomi's different. She doesn't drink human blood, but animal blood. Plus, she's capable of eating human food," Yu spoke on my behalf.

"Really? And how do you know she doesn't drink human blood? Has she eaten in front of you?"

"There was that one time when we met at Shinoa's apartment to discuss things over breakfast...but I never saw Sayomi eat a omelette..." Yoichi recalled, but said the last part uneasily.

"Exactly. So..." Narumi said and picked up a pear in a fruit basket, "Eat this. I want proof. I overheard you and Kimizuki's conversation on the bus. Instead of animals or beef jerky, eat something other than that."

"Hey, don't go bullying her, too! You don't have to eat it, Sayomi," Yu told me. He is obviously on my side.

"What will this prove?!" Kimizuki asked, aggravated.

"If we trust her not to attack us when she's...'dehydrated'," he said, glaring at me.

By now, I was fully turned around and decided to grab the now identified pear as an Asian pear, and I did just that.

I raised the pear in my left hand to my nose and sniffed it, then took a bite out of it, chewing the piece.

"...Well?" he questioned.

I swallowed, "..So...this is what a Asian pear tastes like?! It's really good and sweet!" I asked and said in bliss.

"Seriously? You never had a Asian pear before or any type of pear?" Kimizuki questioned.

I shook my head, "No. As a born vampire, my mother and father didn't want to take risks, so they only let me drink animal blood and eat rare or medium meat," I said, taking more bites of the Asian pear.

"..Born?" Narumi stuck out the word with wide eyes.

"I guess...Mikaela isn't the only newborn within the past eight years," Yoichi said...seeming worried?

"I don't understand. Is there something wrong with that?" I spoke and asked with narrowed eyes.

"...It's against vampire law to reproduce or turn another into one of them," Narumi said.

*Silence*

I smirked, "Oh, really now? You can't put blame on my mother when she and my uncle are the ones who created that law," I explained and went back to cleaning the chicken.

His eyes widened, "Why did she defy her own law?"

"...She was in love with my father. There was a time...when she wasn't always so nice and loving. Anyway, she was willing to protect him, for whoever tried to harm or kill him."

"But...vampires can't feel any emotions, right?" Yoichi asked, sounding unsure.

I chuckled, "That's another story for another time, boys. Let's get cooking!"

~Small Time Skip~

"Aaaah! Boy, am I stuffed! I've never eaten so much meat all at once in my life!" Yu said, patting his stomach.

"Geez, Yuichiro. You ate too much," Yoichi lightly chided.

"Can I go to sleep? I wanna go to sleep. My stomach feels ready to burst," Kimizuki said, lying his head down on the table, "I can't believe you two have space for more," he said, looking up to Shinoa and Mitsuba.

"You know what they say. "There's always room for desert"," Mitsuba quoted, biting a slice of cake from her fork.

"Oh, yes. Definitely. Elegantly enjoying a sweet dessert boosts the girl power," Shinoa commented.

I noticed the others looked at me as I finished my two brots in a hot dog bun and began on my dessert as if I just discovered what food tastes like...which I kinda did.

"Yeah, no kidding there..." Yu said with a crooked smile.

I stopped eating my chocolate cake and looked at him with wide eyes, "I'm sorry...it's my first time eating human food like this."

"I can't say I understand, but I guess it's like introducing a child to sweets," Mitsuba said with a huff.

"Would a child kill a bunny she befriended because she couldn't control her thirst?"

*Silence*

"...That's deep," Kimizuki said.

I took a bite of a spoon full of my peach yogurt parfait, "It was my first kill, too."

"You rather not prey on humans, but on animals. Similar to how..." Narumi spoke, but trailed off.

"To how humans kill, and preserve animals in grocery stores for humans to buy, cook, and eat, I know," I finished his sentence and chucked a chocolate strawberry in my mouth.

Since the conversation began to turn tables, Yoichi started a new one about how meat isn't the only good protein and named other foods.

I finished my parfait and started on my three carrot cake cupcakes covered in cream icing, 'Though it's true, I understand why they put off the situation. This could turn Mika against them...perhaps even me, but I don't have a grudge against humans.'

I noticed Yu was at Mika's side and I kinda listened on to what they were saying since he hasn't said anything in quite a while.

My eyes widened after hearing 'blood' and 'later', 'Don't tell me he had already drunken all five vials of my blood? His thirst is stronger than I thought...'

"You look deep in thought, Sayo," Shinoa noticed, "Is something wrong?"

"Or...do you know something we don't?" Narumi questioned suspiciously.

I ate a few double chocolate chip cookies, 'There are many of things I know and they don't because most of them are my problem. If I did tell them most of what I know, the future would have a dire outcome. What should I say and it has to be truth...'

"...It's just...I was thinking about a song that my mother used to sing."

"Due sing it. If I recall correctly, the song you sung in Shinjuku was angelic," Shinoa said, entangling her fingers together.

"So it was you..." Mika said quietly to which I quickly winked at him, telling him 'I'm glad you heard me from far away'.

"Thanks and okay...

~Try with all of your might, but none can can hide from this unforgiving moonlight.

~Bear your scars like a prayer. Another wish lost to the night.

~Every step I take, every fallen tear, weaves another lie-a curse I will bear.

~There's another part of me, struggling to break free.

~It lives within the dark.

~Will tomorrow come at last? In a million shards of broken glass?

~Fate is bleeding through, my resilient soul, dyeing in a pale and fragile blue.

~There is beauty in the lie, spoken like a bitter sweet goodbye.

~Still, that brilliant light, is beyond my reach. Maybe I belong here-

~Beneath the light of the moon,~" I sung.

(Aoki Tsuki Michite by AKIRA. Listen to it in English dub by AmaLee.)

"...Beneath the light of the moon..." Mikaela mumbled aloud.

I smiled, "To be honest...that song bothers me. When I sing it..it makes me realize-..."

"Realize what?" Yoichi questioned.

-Flashback-

"P-please, spare m-"

*Snap*

I flicked the blood off my fingers, "I'm sorry, but...you would've found my friends on their escape route. I cannot allow that to happen."

Staying in the shadows as I saw my family rounding a corner, I smiled at their excited faces, getting closer to their freedom.

I was helping in their escape by disposing vampires that were nearby.

No one noticed that I was gone since I chose to look after them from the back of the line...which I kinda was doing, but moving ahead of them in the shadows.

Though Mika knew I was a vampire, even I didn't tell him about my alternate motives for their escape. It's best he didn't know what I was doing...

As they kept sneaking underground and around the city, I kept snapping vampires necks to the point where their pulses could barely be felt.

Oh, no, I didn't kill them, it would kinda bother me, so I basically spared them.

As a child, I could take on servants and tenth progenitors...which was a problem because if they ran into one less than that...

'I can't think that way! I would lay down my life in order for them to escape this hell hole-!'

Something was off as they came closer to the exit.

'This scent...it smells familiar. Wait a minute...It's him!'

There he appeared on top of the gate, Ferid Bathory.

When Aiko was bit and killed, I went into a frenzy and ran as fast as my 'twelve year old' feet could take me.

Suddenly, I froze in place.

I glanced down and saw a glowing pentagon with a circle touching the edges, 'It's a type of restraining spell! Who put this here?!'

I glanced up and saw Bathory looking straight into my eyes before he bit Akane.

He did it. He prevented me from saving my family: Aiko, Akane...Mika...

As I stood there, restrained, silent tears went down my cheeks, watching the horror before me.

When Mikaela pushed away Yuichiro and told him to run away, the restraining spell broke.

I ran quickly to Mikaela with tears still running down my cheeks.

-Flashback Ends-

"Sayomi?" I heard Yu's voice.

I looked up, "..Yeah?"

He stared at me with wide eyes, "You're crying."

I touched my cheeks, feeling tears that kept sliding out of my eyes. Swiftly, I wiped them away, chuckling a bit.

I smiled, "I'm okay. Perfectly fine. I just thought about the deep meaning of that song and it made me cry."

"And this deep meaning i-" I noticed Kimizuki grabbed Narumi's shoulder and shook his head, telling him to stop.

"C'mon, Narumi. Can't you stop questioning her and just accept who she is, background, race, and her feelings?" Yu asked, then sighed.

"That's hard to do when bloodsuckers of the real queen's killed my friends," he said, clenching his fists and glaring at me.

I bowed my head a bit, "My condolences for your losses."

"A-anyway, Sayo, since you're kind of four races...I've been meaning to ask this question: are you really sixteen?" Yoichi changed up the subject...again.

"I, uh, lied about that, too. I'm very sorry. As a child of a half human and half snake chimaera-my Father, his venom transferred to my blood...making me kinda age faster."

"Well, how old are you now?" Shinoa asked, seeming interested.

"Hn, it's been two months since Yu and I basically were in a coma, so I'm...eighteen years old."

"If Lt. Colonel only knew, ahahaha..." Shinoa said and chuckled.

"You're still stuck on that?" I asked her with red cheeks as she laughed.

"Hey, did you hear that?" Yu asked all of us.

"It sounded like a scream," Yoichi commented.

We turned to where we heard footsteps...and I almost choked on my chocolate mochi ice cream due to not trying to laugh because Crowley looked beaten and burned.

I wiped a tear from my eye, swallowed the mochi and laughed at him, pointing a finger at him.

"Hahahahahahaha! What happened to you?! Hahahahaha!"

"Are you okay?" Yu asked in a uncertain tone.

"No. I'm not okay."

"Who did it?" Yu asked.

"A jerk! Now..everyone's done eating? Good. The cellar's waiting," he responded, kinda asked, and said.

"The cellar?" Mitsuba questioned.

"Wait, what's down this cellar anyway?" Shinoa asked in suspicion.

"...I haven't been down there, so I can't say for certain. Oh, let me explain. There are dead bodies...of people who were important to you."

My eyes widened...'Bodies? Importance? Then, does that mean...'

Instead, I buried him where his body wouldn't decay.

I stood up from my chair, "Show me."

"And...given the way Ferid does things..." He continued.

"Now that he's played with our emotions...he'll plunge us into despair and amuse himself with our tears, right? I know," Mika spoke.

"But Mika-"

He cut me off, "You think they'll actually come back, right? Don't make me laugh, Sayomi. You know better than that."

I frowned, "That's not what I was thinking,"

'...Dante, is 'he' here?'

'...I see you've figured it out...'

"I don't care either way, I'm going," I said and passed he and the others by.

"What? Did you go down there before me? You have me interested because someone you know is down there," said Crowley.

I stopped before turning slightly, "I haven't seen this person...in nine years," I said and kept walking.

'I need to see him, I need to...'

(To be continued...)