“WHO ARE YOU?” Shizuka asked as a pair of reddish eyes peered on the hole in the roof of her cell. It was very dark inside. She couldn’t see nor hear anything.

The eyes were gone the moment she spoke but a box was lowered down using a thick rope after a while. The moment the box was lowered on the ground, the rope was pulled up again leaving the box.

Shizuka heard a sound of metal crashing and chains being pulled then a lock closing. She sighed while staring at the box in front of her.

She stared at the other boxes, some were opened, some were not. She was already sure of what was inside. She didn’t bother opening it. She just can picture out a flask. Inside were a thick red ounce of blood.

She bit her lower lip. She had been praying for them to give her proper food, just a bread will do or even just a cup of water but all they give her was blood.

She just couldn’t understand what they were trying to do to her. She remembered the first day she was caught.

“What the…” It was Jin. She couldn’t be mistaken. Being with Jhenie-sama for a while made her really familiar with the man.

“I told you to capture an able vampire, not an ex-vampire.” He snarled at his men. “What good will she be for us?” he asked.

“Don’t worry Jin, lend her to me.” A female voice said.

The female vampire made her tell them about the safe house. She was tortured that she thought she would die. They suffocated her, drowned her, hang her upside-down and worst electrified her.

Without her vampiric ability, she was just a mere human being. Everything became hard and painful for her.

And now, they were feeding her with mere blood, something that she couldn’t even get to swallow. Were they trying to starve her to death?

“I just want to die…” she whispered to herself while hugging her knees. She let her tears fall from her eyes. “Why can’t they just kill me?” she asked.

She felt the cold soil at her back. She closed her eyes. A flash of a beautiful face came back to her memory. “Keito… tasukete…” she murmured as she cried.   

TONI GRASPED HER CHEST. It was pounding hard and her breath was uneven.

Hikaru saw her clinging on the nearest tree and came to her aid. “What happened?” he asked her while helping her take a sit.

“I’m so thirsty.” She said in a very soft, tired voice. She had been feeling it since the other day but she just couldn’t let Hikaru know.

“Wait here. I’ll get some water.” Hikaru said and rushed to their camp.

He took the bottle of water. He just couldn’t understand how she could be so thirsty since she had been drinking most of their water making Hikaru look for a water source.

He took the water to her. She grabbed it and drank eagerly but it didn’t satisfy her thirst.

Hikaru stared at her and felt her forehead. She was unnaturally hot and pale.

She looked at him in hazy eyes before opening and letting her pangs drop.

“!” Hikaru exclaimed and was taken aback. He stared at her. All this time, he was travelling with a vampire. Of course, he already had an idea but then he never saw her dropped her pangs before thus making him forget that she could be one.

“Don’t tell me…” Hikaru whined. “Do you want to drink my blood?” he asked.

Despite her dizziness, Toni looked back at him. “I don’t drink human blood.” She almost whispered.

Hikaru remembered the dead animals in their village. “I should have known.” He commented while gritting his teeth. “Stay here!” he commanded. “I’ll hunt something for you. I’ll be back quickly.” He said and stood up. He ran to grab a bow and arrow from his back pack.

Hikaru located an area full of huge trees in the mountain that they were trying to climb. It was a good hunting area. He listened for any wild animal when he heard a branch breaking under his foot.

Due to the noise, a bunny ran from its hiding place. Hikaru saw the running bunny. “Gomenasai.” He murmured and aimed at it.

The arrow struck the bunny on a huge root. It was still alive when Hikaru went to check it. He was able to struck the bunny on one of its ears. He shook his head. The bunny was trashing wildly. It wanted to be freed from the arrow. Its eyes were teary.

Hikaru took a deep breath. He bowed at the bunny. “Hontou ni gomenasai.” He apologized. He took a knife from his pocket and closed his eyes before cutting the throat of the beautiful creature.

Hikaru brought the bunny back to their camp. Toni was still where he left her. Her eyes were close suggesting that she fell asleep.

“Toni…” Hikaru called and shook her body.

Toni stirred.

“I brought you something.” He said and held out the animal for Toni to see.

Her beautiful blue eyes sparkled a little at seeing the creature. Hikaru gave it to her and she accepted it willingly. She let her pangs drop and she was about to bite when she felt his prying eyes on her. “Will you please turn around?” she asked shyly.

Hikaru felt himself blush and became conscious. He nodded. “I-I’ll just prepare supper.” He said and walked away.

Toni sighed while watching Hikaru’s retreating back. She never really wanted Hikaru to see this side of her. It was really shameful. She kept on asking herself why she ever became a vampire. Why does she has to be something that Hikaru was bound to hunt and kill? Why she has to be something that he hates?