Even though soldiers surrounded them, ready to attack, Reika couldn't keep her eyes of Yuu. Shinoa had her arms around his unconscious body, staring at him with love laced in her copper eyes. A little anger wavered over the vampire, wishing she was the one embracing him.

A sudden pain pierced her mind. She winced and clenched onto Mika's cloak tightly, burying her face in his chest. She could feel the darkness trying to push through but now that she's found Yuu, she's determined to stay in control. Still in his arms, Mika glanced at her in worry, tightening his protective grip around her as he glared at the soldiers.

Kureto Hiriagi turned to his men, fiery burning in his red eyes, "Let's go! Take the nobles alive! We need to show them to the marrow what happens to those who go against the humans, the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, the Hiragi family."

Glancing back towards the vampires, a pompous smirk on his face as he ordered, "Attack."

And just like that, all soldiers ran towards the vampires. Their mighty strength in numbers outpowered the supernatural beings. Though they fought to their best abilities, it was clear that there was only one choice to do.

"Retreat!!"

The vampires fell back. Kureto Hiragi sighed, noticing that none of the nobles were captured. They would be proven useful when giving information about their race and their hideout whereabouts.

"The girl in the noble clothing," Guren spotted her, "She's injured. We may be able to catch her alive."

Losing Mika in the hectic crowd, she shouted his name in hopes of finding him. Hearing him yell back, she tried to follow his voice, shoving panicking vampires out of the way. Her vampire speed was weakened due to the grave wound, only being able to run as fast as any human. She saw Mika and Ferid from afar and breathed out in relief, picking up her pace as she ran towards them.

"Top priority: Capture the injured noble alive!" Kureto ordered, sending Guren and his men towards her.

Upon hearing this, Reika glanced back and saw soldiers running after her. Her eyes widened in fear. She wasn't a noble but anyone could have mistaken her with that because of Ferid's fancy clothing that clung to her body. Being distracted for a moment, she tripped and fell, colliding painfully into the ground.

"No! Reika!" Mika panicked, having to be held back by Ferid as he watched her get surrounded.

Reika gazed at the soldiers, terrified, as they circled around her, pointing their weapons towards her. She desperately searched for a way to escape but found none. She had dropped her sword somewhere along the way, leaving her defenceless.

She saw a familiar face. Guren stood in front of her, an unreadable expression on his face. He advanced towards hiding something behind his back as he did. Even though it was his duty to question her about the things that would benefit the army, he had his own questions in his mind. Why did she save him? Who was she? How did she know Yuu? Why did she ask him to kill her? Many more filled his mind as he gazed into her blue orbs. He knew the girl that had saved him was in front of him.

"You.." she murmured in recognition, standing up. The soldiers made a move to stop her but Guren raised his hand, signaling them to stop.

She smiled at him, "Thanks for taking care of Yuu-chan."

Leaning towards him, she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. He stilled for a moment, her lips making a warm buzzing feeling erupt in the pit of his stomach. Pulling away, she took a step back, wondering what he was going to do next. For some reason, she felt as if she could trust the man in front of her.

He stepped towards her. Quickly, he pulled something from behind his back. A needle was plunged into Reika's neck. She gasped in pain and surprise, the substance drying out any ounce of strength she had left.

She fell forward, Guren catching her before she hit the ground. She stared into his eyes, her eyelids falling.

His voice dropped to a whisper, only her being able to hear his words, "I'm sorry."

That was the last thing she heard before falling unconscious. The soldiers offered to be the ones to carry her but knowing how rough they would be, Guren refused. He felt a need to protect her, like she had done to him when they first met, saving him from death.

He carried her in his arms, walking towards the transportation vehicle and a very pleased Kureto Hiragi.

Mika's eyes widened in shock, seeing Reika's body being carried off. He struggled against Ferid's grip, wanting nothing more than to save her. He felt burning anger light up like a fire towards the human.

"Let me go! Damn those humans. They took Yuu and now Reika! I have to save her!"

Ferid also wanted to save her but knew that if they did, they wouldn't come back alive. He knew of the Hiragi family. They were powerful beyond words and could easily defeat them.

The noble sneered at the boy struggling against his hold, "Listen, Mika! We will save her. We will. Just not now. What good would it do if you were captured trying to rescue her? Nothing. Although I do not want to, we have to retreat. But we will get her back, soon."

Mika stilled, knowing that Ferid was right. Nodding his head reluctantly, he was let go.

"Now, let's go. Don't worry, we will see her again."

Glancing behind him one last time, Mika's eyes fell upon Reika's face, a heartbroken feeling settling in him. Tearing his eyes away, he pushed himself to move. He ran, his speed unbelievably fast, using his anger to burn off steam. Though, one thing was for sure. He would return for her. No matter what.

~*~

Reika awoke, unfamiliar to where she was. Her throat felt dry, hunger hitting her hard. Her eyes flashed red but she suppressed the darkness, it being weak from being starved. She found that she was strapped to a table, bound to the point of immobilization. Fear built up in her throat, scared of what was about to happen.

"Hello, vampire."

A bright light was shone on her, blinding her for a moment. She squinted at the dark figure approaching her, her vision still blurred from the sudden lighting. Her eyes soon focused on what was in front of her.

It was the leader, Kureto Hiragi. A powerful aura surrounded him, the way he said 'vampire' brought fear to her eyes. He advanced forward, a sword in his hand. Reika tugged on the bounds, terrified.

"Mmh, scared are we?" he taunted, "Well, you should be."

Before she could blink, he unsheathed his sword and slashed across her face. She cried out in pain, the demon weapon causing the pace of the healing to slow, only lengthening the time of her agony. Blood trickled down her face, a lengthy gash stretching from her temple to her lower cheek. It barely missed her left eye, almost taking away her ability to see. She clenched, glaring at the man in front of her.

"Ooh, still defiant I see. You're going to be fun to break," he smiled maliciously. Leaning forward, he grabbed her chin, giving her a once over, "Too bad, a beautiful face like yours having to be a vampire."

She jerked away from his grip, snarling, "I was once human. Don't mistake me for those terrible creatures."

A look of surprise flashed in his eyes. An ex-human? He had never encountered one before. His lips tugged into a small smirk, knowing that this would finally be interesting. She would be interesting.

He questioned, "You hate vampires, even though you are one?"

She seethed, "I was turned against my will and kept as a toy. Wouldn't you hate a creature that did that?"

"But I saw the way you fought before I had arrived. You were ruthless, killing my soldiers with a sick smile on your face. I could have easily mistaken you with a vampire," he stated.

A horrified look was shown on her face, memories flashing in her mind. Kureto raised his eyebrows in surprise, watching her face with new found curiosity.

She hung her head in shame, speaking in a soft voice, "Vampires can turn off their emotions. Because I was hurt at the time, I stupidly decided to turn them off. But when I'm not in control, I do horrible things. I deeply regret what I've done."

Kureto scoffed, a wave of anger passing him as he heard this, "Please, stop lying. You're just embarrassing yourself. You think I will believe this? A vampire actually having human emotions? That's impossible. Vampires have and always will be heartless creatures."

Tears fell from her eyes. His eyes widened in shock. She smiled sadly, nodding, "I guess this is my punishment, huh? For taking those lives. I was captures by you and I'll probably tortured. This is my punishment.. For letting her take control. Go ahead! Torture me, hell, even kill me! I deserve it! I deserve everything!"

She looked up, revealing her glistening eyes. Kureto didn't know what to do. All the vampires he had encountered had red eyes. Why did she have breathtaking blue ones? Could this girl really be a vampire? His perspective wavered slightly, never seeing one cry before. He watched as tears fell from her eyes, real genuine sadness on her face as she did.

Without another word, he pushed his sword back in his sheath and walked out, closing the metal gate behind him, locking it. He walked away, his mind screaming questions at him. What the hell just happened? What is she? Can she be a human? No... she can't. She can't. Vampires are nothing but horrible creatures. She is just one of them... right?

"You see it, don't you?"

Kureto stopped, hearing Guren's voice nearby. Guren chuckled, pushing himself off the wall and walked towards his leader, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You see that she's different from the rest, right?" he asked, standing in front of him.

Kureto's eyes narrowed before he scoffed, shaking his head. He felt the bitter lies dancing on his tongue as he spoke, "Nope, all I see is a bloodthirsty vampire. You should really get your eyes checked if you think she's different."

"She saved my life. I know she is different," Guren stated, truth seeping from his voice.

The man's eyes widened upon hearing this, shocked, "What?"

"I was about to be killed in battle. She saved me. She told me to win this war. So yes, she is different from the rest. I know you know it. I could tell the moment I saw your eyes. It shocked you, didn't it?"

Surprise was shown on his face, hearing that the vampire had saved someone. Even bid a good luck. His eyes narrowed even further, anger all gone from his face, only pure confusion. This was the first time this had happened. He had never encountered such a vampire like her.

"So, what if she is different? It doesn't change anything," Kureto said firmly, "We will still torture her for information, experiment on her then kill her."

A scowl formed on Guren's face, a little anger present. But for some reason, he felt fear. Fear of her being killed. Why did he feel this way? Confusion settled in him.

"Let me interrogate her," Guren offered.

Kureto sighed, shrugging nonchalantly, "Fine. Do what you want. I'll give you a few days. If you don't find anything useful by then, I will take over."

Guren nodded, determination clear on his face. Kureto glanced behind him one last time, his mind still on the vampire he had just encountered. Shaking his head, he gave Guren one last piercing glare before walking away, his footsteps echoing in the deserted tunnel. Only one thought was in Kureto's mind as he walked away:

What an interesting girl.

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