Chapter 2

Finding a mate is never easy, especially for a Royal. He only has forty years to complete his quest. If he fails, he needs to wait another two hundred years to embark on this sacred quest once more. And to a royal, forty years is a very short time.

So how does he know he has finally found his mate? No one knows. Each vampire has his own unique way of knowing when his mate is found. However, they share one thing in common, which was their strong affection for her and the fierce determination to protect her… both from others… and from themselves…
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Mizuki sighed, it was going to be her second year in high school. This year, she'd turn sixteen, a sacred year according to her mother.

How can my sweet sixteen birthday be so sacred? What's so different about it this year? Mizuki wondered. I guess I'd only have to wait another seven months before I can get my answer...

Mizuki donned her school uniform and wore the new green ribbon that signified that she was a year 2 student around her neck and left for school. As she strolled to school, it suddenly started pouring.

"Crap! I forgot my umbrella!" she cursed and dashed towards the nearby bus stop.
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Keito emerged from the Shrine and into a place in the human world called Japan. He took in the surroundings and was shocked to see how much it had changed in the last 200 years.

The once lush grasslands were now replaced with tall skyscrapers that were all clustered together in a concrete jungle. The people no longer wore kimonos, instead, short skirts and tight pants were worn. Keito looked down and realised that he was dressed in clothes two centuries out of date.

He clapped his hands twice and his kimono disappeared, instead it was replaced with something more modern. Dressed in black skinny jeans and a navy blue blazer atop his white shirt, he blended in with the people perfectly.

An umbrella magically appeared in his hand and he slowly wandered around the huge city that was now called Tokyo. Everywhere he turned, he could see white collared workers rushing off to work, as well as students squeezing into the already packed trains during peak hour.

Keito decided to avoid the trains and take the buses since they were not as crowded. While waiting at the bus stop, he saw a young girl dash under it’s shelter. She was drenched and even her uniform was already dripping with water. She looked absolutely miserable.

As Keito checked her out, he suddenly felt his pulse increasing rapidly and had this wild desire to bite into her jugular and her sweet blood. What was happening? Wondered Keito. He had been to the human world three times before this, and never had he felt such a strong sudden urge before. He was very unsettled.

As time passed, she look more and more desperate as the unrelenting rain continued to come down in torrents. Keito started to pity her. Going against his better judgement, he decided to walk her to school. However, deep down, Keito had a hidden agenda… he wanted to know more about this intriguing girl.

“Hello Miss, do you want to share the umbrella with me?” Keito asked the girl, opening the umbrella and offering her to go under it.

“I’d appreciate that.” She mumbled.

“So where are you heading miss?”

“Eitoku Gakuen.”

“Oh, I’m heading in that direction as well!” Keito lied.

Hmm… Eitoku Gakuen… I shall keep that in mind. Thought Keito. As they hurried towards the huge imposing building, Keito couldn't help but take in the scent of her skin. It smelled so delicious. He could feel his fangs starting to emerge from his gums.

 The soft touch of her skin when ever she accidentally brushed against him made his heart pound. Everything was just too tempting for him. Subconsciously, he inched closer to her neck, ready to plunge his fangs into it.

Suddenly, a car skidded along the road and hurtled towards them.

“Kyaaaa!!!” the girl screamed and shut her eyes, waiting for the impact  of the car to crush her.

Keito snapped out of his daze and grabbed her hand. Using his supernatural speed, he pulled her away from the car and shielded her from the debris that rained down when the car crashed into a concrete wall 2 meters in front of them. Keito snapped his head back to look at the ruined car.

Suddenly, a pair of pointed ears briefly caught his eyes before it disappeared. The driver stumbled out of the car, looking baffled but otherwise unhurt. The girl opened her eyes and looked at herself in wonder.

“I’m still alive?” she whispered.

“Yes.” Keito replied.

“But how? I swear that the car was heading directly for us!”

“Maybe the driver had managed to angle the car to avoid us right at the last second.” Keito tried to dismiss her questions. The girl nodded in agreement.

Keito couldn't believe it. He had used his powers in public to save this girl whom he had barely known. But every time he thinks about the near death experience, he felt a fierce determination to protect the girl. What was going on? And to make matters worse, the elves were the one who were behind the “accident”.

Something doesn't add up… could it be? Was this girl my mate? Was that why I have been feeling this way ever since I met her? Was that the reason why the elves wanted to kill us just now? Could the elves have already firgure it out before I did? Keito questioned himself.

They had finally arrived at the school gates. The girl waved goodbye and dashed into the school compound as soon as she heard the first bell ring.
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For the next two days, Mizuki kept thinking about the handsome teenager who had offered to share his umbrella and saved her from the car. Who was he? How could she have forgotten to ask for his name? Mizuki mentally berated herself.

Just then, the classroom door slid open and her form teacher stepped into the class.

“Class stand.” The class chairperson shouted. “Class greet.”

“Good morning Nishida sensei.”

“Good morning class. Please have a seat. Today we are going to have a new transfer student. His name is Okamoto Keito.” Nishida sensei said, gesturing for a tall, fair boy to enter.

All the girls in class started to squeal. Mizuki gasped in realization. He was the one who had saved her the other day!
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Keito could hear the girls whispering about how hot he looked but decided to ignore them. He scanned the room and cought sight of the girl. His eyes widened in surprise. It was the girl from the bus stop.

He had transferred here in hopes of finding her and getting to know her more. After all he knew she was going to be his destined mate. He had expected to be in a different class as her, hence it took him by surprise to be in the same class as her.

“Okamoto kun, please choose an empty seat and sit down.”
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Mizuki watched the boy named Keito walk towards the tables. Girls were making space for him and each vied for his attention. The boys all watched him, envious of all the attention he was getting.

However, instead of sitting with the prettiest girl in class, Nakajima Nanami, Keito chose to sit beside her.

“Hello, I believe I forgot to ask for your name the last time we met. I’m Okamoto Keito.” He introduced himself.

“Eh? They’ve met before?” Mizuki could hear one of her classmates whispering to Nanami.

“I am Matsuoka Mizuki. Thanks for sharing with me your umbrella.”

“Welcome. I hope we can be friends.”

Mizuki smiled at him.
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Keito was completely taken aback by her smile. It was so beautiful that it stunned him momentarily. Her face was glowing!

He turned back to face the white board, but his mind was already wondering elsewhere. Matsuoka Mizuki… what a nice name… he tought.
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“I am sorry my Queen, I failed to kill the girl.” Satoshi said, bowing down before his Queen.

“It’s fine for now Satoshi, I will not punish you yet. At least we’ve managed to identify her. From now on, tracking that prince’s mate is going to be easy. We will have a lot of opportunities to kill her.” Saki replied.

“Thank you my gracious and merciful Queen.”