“Nana!” Mako called out as she regained consciousness. She looked around, beads of sweat running down her forehead.

 

“Hey, are you alright?” a voice asked.

She looked up and saw a young girl with short black hair. She handed her a can of tomato juice, Mako just accepting while still a bit dazed.

“Do you know where you are right now?” Jurina asked. The vampire just shook her head in response. “Do you know how you got here?”

Mako didn’t respond. She just drank her tomato juice as Jurina continued on.

“This place is protected by a special barrier… It only lets you in if you have the right to be here. So why do you think it let you come here?”

“...Maybe.. to find out the truth about my past?”

“Is that so?”

“I’ve been dreaming… and it feels like part of my memory is missing. I think I’m here to try and recover it.”

 

“I hope you find it,” the girl said with what seemed like a knowing smile. Mako looked at her confused, but she just gave a wink and left the room.

“Ah…” Jurina gasped as she looked out the window, seeing the old, tattered main entrance gates. A twinkle in her eyes, she smiled, “Looks like they’ll all be here soon.”

--------------------------

“I see it! The clock tower!” Akari pointed out as she spotted the aforementioned clock tower in the distance.

“We’re close! Let’s go!” Yuka sprinted ahead, anticipating to see what was on the other end.

“Hey, Yuka!” Tomu ran after her, and everyone else followed sport.

Once they finally reached the end of the path, they saw it. An old school building covered in overgrown vines and other plant life.

“Uwaa… this is the old school building for Magnolia?”

“No, it doesn’t look like Magnolia,” Natsuki said. “Maybe Rena was wrong.”

“Speaking of, how did she even know of this building when it’s so deep in the woods?”

“It does sound suspicious…”

“Hey, I told you, Rena-san can be trusted!” Yuka insisted. “She saved our lives, right, Nana?!”

She turned to look at her, only to find that she was crying while staring at the school building. She looked over at them, unaware of the tears she was shedding.

“Oi, Nana, what happened?! You’re crying!”

“Eh..?” Nana touched her cheek, seeing her tears. “Why..? Why does this place make me cry?”

 

“Hey… should we go in?” Nao asked. Everyone looked around, not knowing what to do. “I mean, who knows… Mako might be here.”

Nana’s eyes widened. She looked to Natsuki, giving her a serious expression.

“We… can check.”

 

They walked through the entrance gates and soon entered the school building. Everyone looked around, making sure that no one else was present.

“I’m hoooome~” Natsumi suddenly called out.

“Oi!” Akari hissed, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

Natsumi just tilted her head, causing the girl to groan.

“Nevermind.”

“Let’s split up,” Natsuki then said. “Everyone go in twos. Yuka and Nana, Akari and Natsumi. Nao, you come with me. Tomu, think you can handle things alone?”

“Who do you think I am?” Tomu spoke in a cool tone, a snicker or two escaping Akari and Natsumi.

“Alright, we’ll re-group here. If anyone finds Mako, just come back here. Wait for us to return so we can leave as a group.”

“Eh? We’re not staying here?!”

“This isn’t the place we were looking for. Of course not.”

“But Natsuki-san… what if this is?” Nao asked.

“Huh?”

“Even if it isn’t our destination… what if this place has something more to us? Something like…”

“Hello?” A voice then called out. Everyone grew tense as they heard footsteps approach. “Is someone here?”

 

“Move out,” Natsuki whispered as everyone dashed away, disappearing without a sound.

Marika appeared from the shadows, looking around confused.

“Huh..? Weird. No one’s here.”

----------------------

 

Rena’s POV

“Yes. I pointed them in the right direction. They should be on their way as we speak… Yes. It’s almost time. I’ve already got preparations ready. Keep them busy until the time comes… You’re welcome. I’ll see you then.”

Destiny is inescapable. I learned that when I was very young. I was running from destiny without even realizing it. When I learned the truth of who I was, what my destiny was, I didn’t want to run away anymore.

The day everything changed… My 22nd birthday.

Flashback, 4 years ago…

 

*BANG!*

“Excellent marksmanship, Matsui!”

“Thank you, sir!” I bowed to the chief, strapping my gun to my waist.

“We’ve got an assignment for you, as well,” he then said. “There’s been recent vampire activity in former Tokyo. I’m sending you and a special agent over to investigate. Her name is Takayanagi Akane; she’s a Magnolia alumni like yourself. I expect both of you will get the job done.”

“Yes, sir,” I saluted the man and walked out.

 

I had been working as a hunter since I was 17, just after graduating from Magnolia. I was raised in an environment where everyone around me opposed vampires. I was taught to kill first, and ask questions later.

It was a brutal, harsh environment. I lived in a time where little hope was present, fighting in a war that had no end in sight.

That’s why… even now, I fight for that small hope.

“Matsui Rena-chan, it’s nice to meet you,” the woman wearing an eyepatch smirked at me. “I’m Akane.”

“Please take care of me today, Akane-san,” I bowed to her respectfully.

“Here’s our target for the night,” she showed me a picture of the vampire. She was wearing a blue mask with a rose on it. “She goes by J. She’s committed acts of theft, as well as breaking and entering, and assault on humans.”

“She’s dangerous?”

“So it would seem…” she said, then pulled out a tracking device. “She’s currently heading towards the fallen Tokyo Tower.”

“Eh? What could she be going there for?”

 

“Beats me. That’s why we’re here.”

 

The two of us started walking toward the fallen tower, splitting up in order to search for the vampire. I kept one hand close to my gun, prepared to raise it at any moment.

 

I could then hear someone singing as I walked toward the stairway. I slowly climbed up, hearing the song more clearly as I advanced. The song seemed familiar to me, like a forgotten melody that once played on the radio.

I finally reached the top and saw a girl sitting at the edge of what was once the peak of Tokyo Tower. Her voice was drawing me to her.

“Huh…?” She suddenly stopped, raising her hand to touch her face, “Why am I crying..?”

Suddenly breaking from my trance, I pulled out my gun, pointing it at her.

“Put your hands up, vampire!” I yelled out. The girl looked back at me for a short moment before turning her head back. It was enough that I saw she didn’t have her mask on.

She quickly put it on and faced me again.

“Don’t try anything… I won’t hesitate to shoot you!”

“I mean no harm, hunter,” she said, raising her hands.

“Then tell me why you’re here.”

“This is just a place where I come to clear my head…”

 

“Even so, you have still committed crimes! I’ve been ordered to kill you for act of thievery, and assault and battery!”

The vampire gave me a confused expression.

“Thievery, I understand, but assault and battery..? I never did that,” she spoke in a sing-song tone. “I always ask permission before eating or entering someone’s home! That’s just manners~”

“Shut up!” I shot a bullet, but she quickly dodged.

“My my… seems like you could learn a thing or two about that.”

I ran towards her, trying to shoot her. She was so light on her feet, always dodging my attacks. But she never fought back. She didn’t try to land a punch or bite me.

“I don’t want to fight!”

“Too bad!” I yelled as I ran toward her. However, she dodged and suddenly grabbed my arm, pulling me back.

“Look out!”

“Uwa!” I looked down and saw I was close to falling off the rubble.

“If you fell and died like that…”

I raised my gun at her, pointing at her head.

“Don’t act like you care for me! You’re a vampire! A bloodsucking demon!”

“Is that what they’ve told you?” she gave me a piercing glare. “Why are humans always so quick to accuse us? I told you before, I always ask permission before I enter someone’s home or drink their blood. It’s the polite thing to do after all.”

“That’s--”

“Not breaking the law. If they said no or told me to stop, I would stop.”

“Even so..! Even so, you..!”

She grabbed my hand before I could shoot her, pulling me close. Her eyes locked on mine.

“Freeze,” she whispered. I saw a light blue glow emit from her hand, surrounding me.

I tried to move, but found my body was frozen against my own will. I couldn’t speak as the vampire circled me.

“Impressive, isn’t it? I learned magic from my two caretakers. They were warlocks.”

Caretakers…?

“They were human, not vampires… But they didn’t care about what I was. They took care of me and raised me when I was left all alone. They told me my family was killed by hunters. All I have of my real parents are faded, flickering memories.”

Her family was killed… Why does that matter? Why is she even telling me this?

“I came to this place because I can allow my mind to drift off in the desolate silence of the fallen capital. I was hoping my memories would reveal the truth to me. My long forgotten family… Or memories of a past life.”

Past life..?! That’s crazy..! Reincarnation… couldn’t possibly..!

I then felt her cold hand touch my face, my hair.

“Strangely…” she whispered, “tonight, I felt like I had come here by some unknown force. Even though I’m always in this abandoned city. Do you feel the same?”

I suddenly felt my throat become unlodged, allowing my voice to escape.

“What… do you mean?” I hissed.

“We’re all here, in one place. Under the same full moon. You, me, and that woman.”

“Akane-san..?”

“She has a powerful aura to her. Have you not noticed it? After all…”

She suddenly faced me with dark eyes, raising her hands to grip my wrists tightly.

“You’re just like me, a vampire.”

“..!” Feeling my body unfreeze, I tried to charge at her, screaming in anger. “Lies! Liar!!! I’m a HUMAN! I’M NOT A VAMPIRE!!!”

“I can smell it. Your blood… it’s the same scent as mine. The scent of the vampire,” she insisted.

“NO!!! I’m nothing like you!”

“Those human hunters brainwashed you,” she said lowly, her eyes still locked on my own even as I struggled. “You may have the mindset of a human, but deep down, you still have the body and blood of one of us.”

“SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!” I pushed her away, seeing that she was near the edge. My blood boiled as I cocked my gun.

I’m human… Human… Vampires are…!

“MONSTER!!! DIE!!!”

BANG!

She dodged the bullet… but slipped and fell backwards off of the tower rubble. She hit the ground, facing the sky. Seeing that she wasn’t moving, I carefully climbed down and walked towards her.

She was definitely alive, still breathing. But she wasn’t moving at all. Her wide eyes stared blankly at the sky, unblinking with a red glow present…

Red… the color of blood… like a vibrant flame…

“Ugh…” I rubbed my temple. Why was I becoming fixated on the color of her eyes?

Recomposing myself, I pointed my gun at her and prepared to shoot, killing her once and for all.

“I finally remember…” she whispered, still in a trance. “There was one more person… who was captured by the hunters.”

“What..?”

“My… sister? ..Yes. Yes, she’s my sister..!”

What’s going on? Her memories are… she’s recalling her own memories?

“That night… there was a blood red moon… The hunters came and tore my sister away from us..! She was screaming my name..!”

“Jurina!”

“Ngh..!” I suddenly held my head, dropping my gun.

“The humans took my sister… and my parents hid me in the darkness of the forest…”

“Don’t worry, Jurina. Rena will find you again. I’m sure she will.”

“Rena…!” Tears well in her eyes as she screamed, “Rena! RENA!!!”

She yelled my name countless times to the sky. Her screaming was only making my headache grow.

N-no..! It can’t be true..!

“Rena! My sister’s name is.. Rena!!!”

I suddenly looked up. In my eyes, I could see the full moon over us…

A blood red moon…

 

Red… crimson red… like blood… the thread that ties us together…

“Jurina! I’ll come back for you! I swear!”

Jurina…

“These drugs will act as antibodies and cut off the vampiric energy in her blood. It will be like she was a human from the start.”

“And her memories?”

“Don’t worry. Once we’re done with her, all those pesky memories from her past will be gone.”

My blood… my memories… all tampered with..?

“Your name is Matsui Rena. You are a hunter sworn to kill all vampires.”

I’m a hunter..! I am..!

“Look, Rena, your baby sister.”

“You must be proud to be a big sister now.”

Big… sister…

 

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!”

….Suddenly, I out.

 

 

Third Person POV

“I knew it,” Akane smiled, seeing the two girls collapsed. Tears were stained on their cheeks and their hands were tightly held together. “I finally found you both.”

End of Flashback

Rena’s POV

That’s when I learned the truth. I was a vampire, and Jurina was my little sister. We were torn apart by vampire hunters and they took away my memories to have me fight against my own kind. That’s when all three of us decided…

This war needs to end.