Everlasting Spark ~DARK 01~
Human food was not very nutritious to Vampires. King Karlheinz had, at some point, imported various human things into the demon world. A cultural exchange of some sorts. So, while technically none of them save for Yui actually needed to eat breakfast or dinner, they still all met in the dining room before and after school.
As for Chiyo, she had trained herself to drink blood, in order to show everybody that she indeed was worthy of calling herself a Vampire, but frankly, deep down she really liked eating the human food.
The mood, as usually, was not very warm or invoked sense of belonging, of family. It was somewhat tense, and Shuu wasn’t even present, which was lucky for Chiyo because she sat next to the only empty chair. She hoped he would not show up at all today.
They had Belgian Waffles for breakfast.
“I don’t understand why I have to be here when Shuu doesn’t bother to come either,” Ayato complained despite having stuffed his mouth full of waffles a minute ago. “I mean I only drink blood from the pancake already anyway, I don’t need to eat pancakes.” He waved his fork around in Yui’s face.
“Aww Ayato those are waffles~” Laito laughed at him.
Chiyo listened to the siblings' squabble and Yui being embarrassed for a while before her attention shifted to Reiji, who started talking to her about all the organizational stuff regarding her new home at the mansion, which also included her having to transfer to the same school as the others. They might have been the richest household in town but apparently that wasn’t enough to hire a tutor. On second thought, maybe that was a good call; wouldn’t want to have to cover for missing bodies every week.
“I had a familiar prepare your uniform for today.”
Chiyo disliked Reiji. Her loyalties had always been with Shuu but even now, after they fell out, she couldn't bring herself to even try and like this person. He was so annoying. Like a teacher that is never satisfied with your homework, because your letters aren’t written in a neat line. Or an overly intrusive mother that would not leave you alone about cleaning your room; not that Chiyo knew how having a mother would feel like, she didn’t have one. Not anymore anyway.
Reiji was annoying, but at least he kept the household running. Chiyo kept her comments to herself.
As she put on the uniform, she looked at all the other things she had gotten with it: a bag, some books, the usual stuff.
“A third year, huh,” she said to herself as she flipped through the workbooks. Nothing very new or interesting was written in there. After all, they all have had tutors before.
A large limousine brought them to school. Even though Ryotei Academy was commonly known as a school for the richer students of celebrities and fellow night owls they stood out like a sore thumb. At least there were no –
“Kyaaaaah! Look the limousine is here!”
Ah, there they were. Female students freaking out because a bunch of attractive guys arrived at their school. Chiyo did not really understand why they lost their cool like this. She didn’t wish any of those girls a run-in with any of the brothers.
Of course, Yui being an addition to the odd family has probably been something everyone already had gotten used to, but nobody knew Chiyo yet. The crowd suddenly went quiet when she stepped out of the car. Some of the girls looked at her in awe, some of them looked at her in contempt. Nothing she wasn’t used to already. She could feel the eyes on her. Some male students apparently also took an interest in her. Not something she was used to.
But maybe she could use that to her advantage at some point.
She was supposed to meet the homeroom teacher in the faculty office. People kept looking at her while she walked down the hallways as per instructions from Reiji. It all seemed kind of pointless, the idea of having to attend school being ridiculous in her head.
“I saw her this morning; she came to school with the Sakamakis. I wonder if she’s related to them.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. But did you see how Shuu-kun looked at her? I really hope she won’t steal him away from me!”
Chiyo rolled her eyes. Oh, if only they knew! A quick look at the girl revealed to Chiyo, that she wouldn’t be Shuu’s type anyway. Ignoring that fact, Shuu hardly took any interest in anything, except for his violin and sometimes steak. She heard some other similar remarks before she finally found the room she was searching for.
“Oh, there you are. Himura-san, correct?”
She nodded.
“Great, let’s get you introduced to the class. I’m sure you’ll love it here.”
Right.
They walked one floor down, where the third-year classrooms were and soon enough she was introduced to the whole class.
“Let’s see where we have a free seat…ah in the back next to – “
“Shuu,” Chiyo whispered. The thought they would land in the same class hadn't even crossed her mind. He had always been at least a year ahead of her studies.
“Ah, of course, you already know each other, this makes things easier. I hope this helps you settle in quickly,” the teacher said in a cheerful tone.
No, it didn’t. It made things more complicated and painful. Chiyo groaned internally but sat down next to him anyway. Her hope was that he would just stay the way he was currently; head resting on his arms, laying on the table. Maybe like this it would be less awkward.
He didn’t.
While the class resumed working on the problems the teacher gave them, Chiyo started drawing on the paper. Of course, she could have pretended to learn like the rest of the class, but she already knew how to solve those things. It seemed mundane to her.
She was lost in thoughts and didn’t notice the boy next to her slowly raising his head, blinking at her sleepily.
“You cut your hair off,” he said in a low, quiet voice.
She looked at him, surprised to hear his voice so suddenly. In front of her a scene she used to wake up to and see daily: Shuu, barely awake, sleepy look in his eyes and the slightly messier hair. It made her chest hurt to see it now. With all that had happened between them it felt so different to look at him. She forced herself to lower her gaze and look away. Turning back to her notebook she nodded briefly, answering with a short “yes. I did.”
She had cut it short after their fight, thinking that she could somehow free herself from the feelings if she got rid of her long hair. It had only helped a little.
It was still unbearable to sit next to him.
Shuu looked at her. He felt like he wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure what it even was that he wanted to say. He had always loved her long hair, the way it used to curl and frame her face just perfectly. She knew he liked it, so she probably got rid of it for the same reason. There really was nothing for him to say here but he kept on looking at her for the rest of the period.
As soon as the bell rang, Chiyo packed her bag and stormed out of the classroom. She needed to get out of there! She didn’t think having to simply sit next to Shuu like this would be so unbearable, alas she was wrong about that.
Hectically, she turned random corners in the hallway until she found the library. A great spot to hide! She found a spot with no students around and let out a breath. All of her energy was gone from trying so hard to keep herself together. She leaned against the wall, sliding down and crouching soon after.
Unwanted memories started to flood her head.
Limbs entangled with each other. Messed up sheets. Long fingers being dragged through long, disheveled locks.
“I like playing with your hair.”
She buried her head into her crossed arms.
Make it stop!
“Chiyo-san?”
She gasped in surprise, moving her head quickly to see who was speaking to her. Standing before her was Yui, concern plastered all over her face. Did she follow her all the way here?
“What is it?” she asked.
The other girl backed off a little after seeing Chiyo’s defensive attitude but quickly regained her composure. She fidgeted with her hands, looking around frantically before finding her voice again.
“I…uh…saw you looking panicked, and I thought that maybe one of the brothers was being mean to you. So, I followed you thinking that maybe you needed help. I know how it feels like having to adjust to living with them, I’ve been here a while now. It can be a lot and overwhelming – “
Did this person have no common sense at all? Was she just stupid? She just like that assumed Chiyo would be in the same pathetic situation as her, when they could not be further apart. She might be accustomed to dealing with the Sakamakis but that did not concern Chiyo in the least. She regarded the other girl with a stare so cold Yui flinched.
Chiyo stood up from the floor, coming dangerously close to Yui, pressing her against one of the many bookshelves. A bunch of books fell out of it and to the floor.
Being so close to the girl made Chiyo realize why she was one of the sacrificial brides she heard so much about. The smell of her blood was intense and sweet. Calling out to her almost.
She put her lips close to the blonde’s ear, whispering:
“You do realize I am also a Vampire, right?”
She heard her gasp as she tried to move away, but she ultimately failed due to shock.
“Don’t compare me to a feeble human like you ever again if you don’t want me on your bad side. What I do and why I do it is none of your business.”
Chiyo could feel the blood changing fragrances as the emotions in the other girl changed. She could practically smell the fear in her and for some reason it only made her more thrilled. Yui’s pulse was music in Chiyo’s ears, and she found herself growing hypnotized, her face drawing closer and closer to the thin white neck.
She needed to snap out of it!
It took a lot of willpower, but Chiyo shook her head and moved away from Yui again. She cleared her throat and began to make her way out of the dark library corner. Before she left, she took a last look at the other girl. She looked like a mess, just as much as the mess on the floor. Chiyo regarded the scattered books.
“You better pick those up.”
After leaving the library she fixed her skirt and smoothed out any creases, as if nothing ever happened. She needed to scout the area for a room where she could hide for longer periods of time. There was no way she would pretend to be interested in classes during her whole stay here.
Her next stop was the bathroom. After all that happened, she felt like her face did not look fresh at all anymore. Her hair needed some fixing as well. She used some water to cool off her face before reapplying her make-up and brushing through her hair. She noticed two pairs of eyes staring at her and looking in the mirror she saw that there were two girls looking her up and down.
Chiyo glared at them through the mirror, and they left. Humans were so annoying, could they not mind their own business for once? The bell rang soon after and Chiyo decided she would go back to class for today. She didn’t find a fitting room to hide in; she could start skipping classes from tomorrow on as well. She felt such a relief when Shuu didn’t come back to class for the remainder of the night. Time went by faster when she didn’t have to worry about the man in the seat next to her. It was almost bearable like this.
“Chirin, I heard a lot about you on your first day. Rumors are so amusing; don’t you think so?” Laito mused on their way home.
“I wonder what you heard that makes you look like you’re gonna jizz your pants, sicko,” Ayato looked at him, visibly confused on how to make his expression look like at the reaction of his brother. Between being weirded out and being amused, everything was possible. Chiyo decided to just look at him unfazed, deciding she’d wait for whatever it was Laito had to add to his statement.
“Oh, you know,” he stretched his arms out on the seats, “this and that.”
Very enlightening.
“My favorite is how you supposedly slept your way into the limousine,” he laughed, “and it’s funny, because it’s true.”
The look he gave her was so incredibly devious, she felt like she’d throw up if she looked into his eyes for even a second longer. She was lucky Shuu was sitting on the same side of the car as her, so she didn’t see his reaction. She ended up looking out the window for the rest of the car ride.
Had she wanted to sleep her way up at any point in her life she would have chosen anybody but Shuu. It was no secret that he wasn’t particularly interested in the logistics of becoming the heir to the family. Now Reiji of course would complain that Shuu was handed everything on a silver platter, but could you really say that when you didn’t want the things that were being thrown at you? Chiyo wasn’t sure. At the same time, she had no direct interest in sleeping her way up in any way. Frankly, in the past she always thought she would have preferred it if Shuu was not Karlheinz’s son but just a regular boy that liked her. Going out with the eldest son of the Vampire King meant a lot of eyes on her and she hated it with a burning passion. But whatever, guess she was the gold digger now.
“Hey curlyhead!” Ayato called out to her after they arrived at the house.
She rolled her eyes at the nickname.
“Do you want to come and watch us play some pool or dart in the game room? We came up with a fun way to make the game more interesting. Of course, you’ll never beat us so you can be the judge and count the points for us.”
Of course, Ayato would think that a mere woman would be no good at such an absolutely complicated and manly game like darts. Well, it was true. She was no good at it, but that was because she has never been interested in it. Had she shown any interest she was sure she would be better than the three of them combined.
Ayato had his arms crossed in front of himself and looked at her in a taunting way. She didn’t know if he wanted her to react and be mad at him for belittling her or if he meant any of this. Honestly, she didn’t care, as any kind of distraction was welcome.
“I know you’re all good at math but if you let me win, I will remember you once I become the next demon king,” he said on their way to the game room.
“No thanks,” Chiyo said.
“Your loss then.”
Ayato seemed way too excited about these new set of rules that he was simultaneously being very secretive about. Chiyo became wary of this. Nothing good ever came about when the triplets had an idea. She was confirmed in her suspicions when she saw Yui in the room as well. She clearly looked like she did not want to be there but was chained to the dart board by Laito anyway.
“Aww, come on Bitch-chan, I can’t secure this properly if you keep squirming like that. Even though you look delicious when you try to flee,” he chuckled.
So, the grand idea was throwing a bunch of darts at a human girl and then see what would happen. Chiyo sighed.
Yui looked positively stressed but of course the fear in her eyes would only spur on the triplets further. They had a knack for fear-play.
“So, what do you think? Genius, right?”
It couldn’t have been further from what Chiyo was thinking. She sighed again before looking at Yui. And for some weird reason when she saw the pleading look on the girl’s face, she couldn’t help but say:
“I was hoping for something entertaining, Ayato. This is underwhelming even for my standards.”
Ayato raised an eyebrow at her, about to protest whatever she said. However, Chiyo went up to the dart board and swiftly removed Yui from it.
“This is boring. It’s like taking away a baby’s candy, way too easy,” she said before letting the girl out of the room.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” Kanato started screaming. “How dare you just let my dinner get away?!”
“I have something far more interesting for you three,” Chiyo said, taking one of the queue sticks from the wall, smiling in a dangerous manner.
“Winner gets her to themselves.”
If someone said Chiyo was a horrible person, she would most likely agree. It was an end result of being around creatures that looked like humans but most definitely did not behave like them. Being around the Sakamakis also required a set of skills in that regard. Not to mention that it was always in the nature of a Vampire to try and find the most beneficial way for themselves. Quite egocentric specimens.
Oddly enough Chiyo had managed to win the game of pool, meaning she could do whatever she pleased with Yui for the night. Yes, she was as surprised as everyone else in the room, but who was she to complain. Of course, the phrase doing whatever she wanted to her was a trigger to Laito, who was very much into the girl-on-girl fantasy. Now Chiyo was not a prude, however she didn’t feel like doing that. She didn’t even know if she was interested in Yui at all. Her blood smelled nice though, maybe she should take a sip after all. She decided to pay the girl a visit in her room.
Yui was sitting on her bed when Chiyo came in.
“Oh! Chiyo-san! Thank you for earlier!”
Yui bowed down in a very formal manner to show her gratitude. Chiyo only had a sigh to answer with.
“Don’t bother, I didn’t really do it for you anyway. Besides,” she looked at her while looking around the room. It was very pink, “I won a bet and own you for tonight.”
“Eh?”
“That’s right. We played and your blood was the prize.”
She made a point to sound as cold as possible while stating that. Chiyo didn’t want her to think she did anything out of pure kindness for Yui. Why she had tried to save her was a mystery to her as well though.
“Why do you always pretend to be so mean?” Yui asked.
“Me? Pretending? Don’t be ridiculous.”
Yui nodded her head slowly. “I think you are just trying to show everyone how aloof and dangerous you are, a little like small dogs that bark a lot.”
Wow.
That comparison didn’t please Chiyo at all. If a simple human could point out her insecurities, how did that make her look in front of actual demons?
Suddenly and way too quickly to comprehend, Yui found herself pushed back onto the bed she had been sitting on. Chiyo had trapped her, grip tight onto her shoulders.
“So, you think I am all talk and no action?”
Yui gasped when Chiyo’s hand moved to her neck and squeezed at it painfully. Even being only half a Vampire, she was still stronger than the average human.
“Listen up Yui, I can still snap your cute little neck in half if I want to but if you don’t believe me, maybe I should give you a taste?”
Yui let out a soft whimper.
“I am not one of the guys, your odd sounds don’t arouse me, so stop that.”
Chiyo realized the position they were in had odd sexual undertones, but she was not interested in such endeavors at the moment. Right now, she was angry.
“I’m not- “
She wasn’t able to finish her sentence anymore, as Chiyo had sunk her fangs into the smooth white flesh of Yui’s neck. It was so sweet and fragrant, this blood. Chiyo had never tasted blood like this before and she wanted more of it. She couldn’t stop. What was wrong with her? She usually was so composed.
“Please…” Yui pleaded weakly, “stop…”
But Chiyo just couldn’t stop herself from wanting more and more of it. Only when Yui’s body went limp against her, she realized she had made a mistake. It would be bad if she killed her, so she quickly sealed the little holes with her saliva and carefully placed the girl on the bed. Maybe she should dress her up in her nightgown, surely laying there in the school’s uniform until she woke up again would be very uncomfortable. That little bit of guilt that creeped into her conscience made her go through with it in the end.
Why wasn’t she able to control herself in the presence of her blood? She already had noticed it back in the library. There was something special about this girl for sure. It was almost funny how this feeble human girl got the brothers fighting for her blood like crazy while Chiyo, who had Vampire blood running through her veins was bullied for her unpleasant human smell. She had always felt so ashamed of herself. The reason she refused to let go of her perfumes. Even then this was not enough to be taken seriously sometimes.
The girl sat in the grass, crying. Hair and clothes damp because Kanato had poured a bucket of water all over her only moments ago.
“Chiyo? What happened? Why are you crying? And why are you all soaked in water?”
“Kanato said I smelled bad because of my mother. A-and that’s why he poured water all o-over meeee!”
The boy took off his jacket and put it around the girl.
“Kanato is an idiot. Don’t listen to him. You’re just a little different, but that doesn’t mean it’s anything bad…”
Chiyo looked at him with her big damp eyes. Tear stains still visible on her cheeks.
“You really mean that, Shuu…?”
“Mhm.”
“A kind person, huh?” she spoke to herself. She definitely wasn’t kind at all. She was selfish and egotistic, always looking out for what would benefit her the most.
But that was okay, Vampires weren’t kind or nice. There was a reason these creatures were used to scare children after all. Nobody is scared of a nice Vampire, therefore being nice wasn’t a Vampire thing. It was a human thing, which meant she couldn’t be nice if she wanted to be considered one of the others. The only thing that mattered in this world was how strong you were.
She thought this as she walked down the dark hallway. The moon was almost full tonight; maybe it was the reason for her slip up. She wasn’t free of the effects of a full moon either.
Stopping at one of the windows, she took a moment to take in the beauty of the shining object in the sky. Looking at the moon always invoked a feeling of longing in Chiyo. She wanted so badly to be a real Vampire. A full child of the night.
Exactly like the moon it was just out of her reach.
