Chapter Text
Yui stared up in bewilderment at the enormous, elegant mansion before her. She couldn’t believe it. The relative who was supposed to take her in lived…here? There had to have been a mistake.
Before she could question it any further, something cold fell on her cheek. Yui looked up as more drops began to fall from the grey skies.
“It’s raining…?”
Thunder sounded overhead, startling Yui with its deafening boom. She hurriedly pulled her suitcase up the steps to the tall oak doors. In any case, she had to hurry and get inside before the storm got any worse.
She took the antique metal knocker in her hand and let it fall, the heavy clang echoing around her. After a few seconds, she struck it against the door again.
“Hello!”
Still no response.
Yui sighed. Now what was she supposed to do? It didn’t even look like the lights were on, so was nobody home? Her father said that he had contacted them already, so shouldn’t they be expecting her?
She reached forward to try the knocker again, only for the door to creak open, as if it had moved on its own.
Yui drew back her hand in surprise. There’s no way that was possible…
“Hello!” she called out again, poking her head into the now open door. “Is anyone home?”
Still not getting a response, she hesitantly stepped inside, pulling her luggage in along with her. The door shut with a soft click.
It was dark inside, dimly lit only by a chandelier that hung from the high ceiling, its crystals sparkling above her.
Yui surveyed the entry hall in awe. The floors were constructed of gleaming white marble, a plush red carpet leading the way to a grand staircase. If not for the fact that it was completely deserted, Yui could have mistaken it for the lobby of a five star hotel. Was she really going to be living here?
She walked in further a few steps, wondering whether she should try looking for someone. It would be rude to just wander around someone’s house without permission though. She was a guest here now, so she had to make a good impression.
Turning her head, Yui noticed a small sitting area to one side of the stairs. Maybe she could wait there until someone showed up?
She flinched as thunder sounded again. But this time, she was sure that she saw something illuminated by the flash of lightning. A person?
Yui’s heart flooded with relief as she made her way to the sitting area. As she drew closer, the sight nearly took her breath away.
Lying on one of the expensive looking sofas was a girl around her age, her hands resting comfortably on her stomach. Her long black hair framed her peaceful sleeping face, pooling over her shoulders, a few strands trailing over the edge of the sofa.
Yui continued to stare entranced, eyes sweeping over the girl’s relaxed form. Starting from the gentle roundness of her face to the subtle curves of her waist, down to the smooth porcelain skin of her slender thighs that were partially covered by black stockings.
Every part of her was so breathtakingly beautiful, Yui felt like she understood how the prince in Snow White felt when he came across the sleeping princess in the forest.
After standing there staring for a few more moments, Yui shook her head to snap herself out of it. Now was not the time.
She swallowed to suppress to blush rising in her cheeks and stepped forward.
“Um…hello?” She called out gently. “Do you live here?”
The girl didn’t move.
Yui frowned in concern and leaned in closer. “Hello? Are you okay?”
She reached forward hesitantly to nudge her arm, only to pull back in shock.
Her skin was ice cold.
Alarmed, Yui quickly knelt down, placing her ear against the girl’s chest as she frantically strained to hear a pulse.
There was none.
Yui‘s heart pounded in dread. It couldn’t be…she was dead?
Just as she was thinking about calling an ambulance, she looked up to see a pair of wide crimson eyes blinking at her in confusion, her face slightly flushed.
“Um…hi?”
Yui yelped, jumping back in surprise. She was alive? But she had no pulse a second ago, she was sure of it!
The girl sat up slowly, still appearing half asleep. She gazed at her for a few seconds, her eyes filled with wonder. “…I must still be dreaming.”
Getting over her initial shock, Yui found her voice. “No, um…you were just asleep?
“Yeah…?” The girl tilted her head, looking more confused than ever. “Sorry…who are you?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I should introduce myself.” Yui composed herself and gave her a polite bow. “My name is Yui Komori. My father said that I would be staying here…”
“Your father…? Staying here…?” The girl repeated, clearly perplexed.
Yui felt her heart sink. So there had been a mistake. “I’m sorry. I must have gotten the address wrong. Do you live here with anyone else?”
The girl shook her head. “No. It’s just me. Well, this is my aunt’s house but…” Suddenly she widened her eyes, as if having a realization. “Oh she couldn’t have.”
She then reached into her jacket pocket to pull out a cell phone and began to dial, looking back at her with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, one second.”
Her call was soon picked up. “Hello, Krul? There’s a girl here and…”
Yui watched the girl’s eyes widen and her expression become strained. “What…? You have to be kidding me. That’s… Okay. Okay!”
She then handed the phone over to her. “Um, she wants to talk to you?”
Yui took the phone from her, studying it curiously. What was going on? She raised it to her ear. “Hello…?”
The chipper voice of a young woman reached her ears. “Ah, Yui! I’m so glad you made it safely!”
Yui blinked. The person on the other end of the line sounded much too young to be the aunt of the girl before her. But then again, every family had their circumstances. She decided not to worry about it. “Um, yes. Thank you so much for letting me stay. I hope it’s not too much trouble…”
“Oh, not at all!” The woman, who she had heard the girl call ‘Krul’, replied cheerfully. “Amaya has been so lonely in that house all by herself.”
There was a quiet annoyed grumble of “I’m not lonely” from the girl, whose name appeared to be Amaya. Yui wasn’t sure how she had heard that, but her attention was grabbed again as Krul continued.
“—Make sure you take good care of her, okay!”
Yui nodded, a smile returning to her face. Her host sounded like a kind person. “Yes of course. I’ll be sure to get along with her.”
“Alright. I’ll let you two get acquainted then. Call me again if there are any problems! Oh, and make sure to let your father know you’ve arrived too! Let me talk to Amaya again now, okay?”
Yui then handed the phone back to Amaya, who continued to listen to Krul speak over the phone, occasionally nodding and giving short replies of acknowledgement.
The call soon disconnected and the girl slipped the phone back into her pocket.
A short, awkward silence passed between them before Yui spoke up. “So, your name is Amaya?”
Amaya nodded, giving her a gentle smile. “And you’re Yui? It’s nice to meet you. My full name is Amaya Yuuki, by the way. Sorry, I would have opened the door for you if my aunt had bothered to tell me you were coming…”
Yui returned her smile, very much relating to her annoyance towards the unreasonable whims of their respective parental units. “It’s alright. I really wish my father would have told me about this sooner too. He just got called away so suddenly…”
Before she could say more, another crash of thunder outside made her jump.
Amaya’s eyes flashed with amusement, but not in an unkind manner. “Want some tea? It’s pretty cold outside today.”
Yui nodded at her thoughtfulness. “That would be nice.”
Amaya then stood from the sofa and gestured for her to follow as she led her into another room. This one appeared to be a proper living room and was lit up much brighter than the entry way. Yui sat on one of the sofas, marveling at the plush upholstery. Amaya then excused herself to make their drinks.
While she waited, Yui took out her own phone to call her father as Krul had suggested. She managed to catch him while he was still waiting at the gate for his flight.
“Yes, I’ve just arrived. The girl who lives here seems really nice too, so I’m sure we’ll get along.” Yui looked up at the sound the door opening as Amaya returned with a tray. She smiled and quickly finished up her conversation. “Talk to you again soon then. Have a safe flight!”
Yui put her phone away just as Amaya set down the tray and sat down next to her. “Your father?” she asked as she handed her a cup of tea.
Yui nodded and reached out to take it. “Yeah, his flight should be leaving soon.”
Her fingers brushed against hers as she took the cup. They were still freezing. Yui frowned, reminded of the strangeness from earlier. She could have sworn Amaya hadn’t been breathing…
Yui took a sip of the tea as she eyed her with mild suspicion. She wondered about how she should ask about that. “Um, your hands are really cold. Are you okay?”
Amaya drew her hands back sharply, clasping them in her lap. She looked down in silence, as if trying to think of a reply.
Yui immediately felt a pang of regret. She hadn’t meant to offend her… “Ah, I’m sorry! That was rude of me…”
Amaya shook her head. “No, it wasn’t. I’m just not sure how to explain…” She took a deep breath and met her eyes. “I’m a vampire.”
Yui nearly dropped her cup.
“A…vampire?” She had to be joking.
However, Amaya’s eyes were dead serious. “I know it’s hard to believe. But it’s the truth. And Krul isn’t really my aunt. That’s just how it is on paper. She’s the one who turned me. I’m keeping an eye on this estate for her.”
“Then…” Yui swallowed, trying hard to keep her hands from shaking. “Am I here…for you to feed on…?”
Amaya widened her eyes and waved her hands in a frantic denial. “Wha? No! I wouldn’t! It’s not like that!” She faced the floor again. “Krul said that she and your father worked together on something before, so she’s doing this as a favor for him.”
Yui’s head spun. Her father, a priest, was on friendly terms with a vampire? It was much too ridiculous.
Amaya bit her lip, clearly nervous at her silence. Yui saw a flash of sharp teeth and drew in a breath. Fangs. That confirmed it.
“I understand if you don’t want to stay here… No matter what I say, living with a vampire is scary, right? If you don’t want to, I’m sure Krul can find somewhere else…”
Yui’s expression shifted to one of sympathy. She remembered what Krul had told her over the phone. Amaya had denied it earlier, but it truly had to be terribly lonely living in such a huge mansion all by herself. And even though she was a vampire, Yui didn’t sense any ill-intent from her whatsoever. She genuinely seemed like a completely normal girl in need of companionship.
And if Yui could be a friend to her, then there was no harm in staying, right? Not to mention, she’d been nothing but kind to her since she’d arrived. If Amaya had wanted to hurt her, she would have had every opportunity.
And yet, she hadn’t.
So wouldn’t it be unfair of her to refuse just because she was a vampire?
Yui set down her cup and reached forward to take her hands. She gave them a small squeeze, hoping that it would be able to warm them even just a little bit.
Amaya met her eyes in surprise, a blush tinting her pale cheeks. Yui felt her heart speed up at the endearing sight.
“I’ll stay,” she declared, giving her a warm smile. “So you don’t have to be alone anymore, okay?”
Amaya swallowed, her blush deepening. “Um, there’s one more thing you should know.”
“What?”
“…I’m a lesbian.”
Oh this day could not get any better.