Chapter Text
“The one thing you must always remember is that you can never harm humans. Because if you do, that is when you truly become a monster.”
Puddles splashed underfoot as Yui raced through the alley way. She knew she should have been able to run a lot faster but it had been days and even her body was nearing its limit. Her pursuer had proved relentless. She couldn’t stop to rest for more than a couple hours before feeling his presence again.
Perhaps things would have been different if she had tried to fight back from the beginning but…
Yui shook her head. No. That wasn’t an option. She’d made a promise to her father.
Worry gripped her heart at the thought. She could only pray that he was alright.
Besides, she didn’t have enough strength left to put up any sort of fight at this point. So all she could do was keep running.
Yui yelped as her foot caught on a crack in the pavement and she collapsed to the ground. Desperately, she tried to pick herself back up. But although a fall wasn’t enough to harm her physically, exhaustion made even standing an impossible task.
The sound of footsteps drew nearer, and Yui’s eyes widened in fear at the glint of a silver dagger through her rain-soaked bangs.
“This is it for you. Vampire.”
***
Amaya sighed as she checked the messages on her phone, angling her umbrella the best she could to keep the rain off the screen. Walking home when the weather was bad was always a pain. The fact that it was getting dark out since kendo practice had let out later than usual did not help either. But of course, she knew that it was necessary if they wanted to do well in the upcoming inter-high tournament.
Knowing that home was just a few more blocks away, Amaya’s thoughts drifted towards how she would soon be able to get out of the cold when a sharp cry cut through the silence.
“No, please!”
Amaya stopped in her tracks. It sounded like it had come from the alley up ahead. She hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward and heading towards the sound, hand tightening around her phone as she inputted the numbers for emergency services. Of course she knew that what she was doing was dangerous, especially when she didn’t know what she could be walking into. But she also knew that if she walked away without at least trying to help, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.
***
Yui stared up with wide eyes at the dagger in the man’s grip. His expression was cold as he stepped towards her.
“No, please!”
She scrambled backwards until her back hit a wall.
But still the man continued to advance forward, a solemn look in his eyes.
Yui lowered her head and braced for the end, internally apologizing to her father for not being able to get away.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?”
Yui looked up with a start. Standing at the entrance of the alley way was a girl with long dark hair. A human girl. She wore a high school uniform and had a bag slung over her shoulder. Her brown eyes smoldered fiercely.
The man who had been hunting her turned to face the disruption with a glare.
“Girl, this is no place for you. Leave now and pretend you saw nothing.”
The girl’s glare deepened and she marched forward. Yui watched in disbelief as she placed herself squarely in front of her, arms spread wide.
The hunter gritted his teeth in frustration, hand tightening around his weapon.
“Stand aside.”
“I won’t do that. You leave.”
“You are making a big mistake. If you knew what she was…”
“All I see is you trying to hurt an innocent girl.” She said firmly. “If you want her, you’ll have to go through me.”
The hunter hesitated, then held his hands up in a pose of surrender. Although he kept a loose grip on his knife and his expression remained serious. “I have no intention of harming you. But I took an oath to eradicate threats to humanity. I ask again, stand aside so I can do my job.”
“I don’t know what your job is supposed to be, but I’m not letting you hurt her.” The girl then held up her phone to show him her dial screen. “So get out of here or I’m calling the police.”
Anger returned to the hunter’s face as he considered his next move. Eventually, he took a step back.
“You are interfering with something you don’t understand,” he warned her once more. “Just know that whatever happens next will be the result of the choice you made.”
With those final ominous words, the hunter sheathed his weapon and turned on his heel, heading out of the alley.
Once he was gone, the girl sighed in relief before turning to face her. “Are you okay?”
Yui looked up in awe, unable to respond. She didn’t quite understand how, but it seemed that this girl, who by all accounts appeared perfectly human, had just saved her.
When she still didn’t respond, the girl gave her a smile of understanding. “It’s okay. That must have been scary, but he’s gone now. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
She then knelt down, holding out her umbrella to shield her from the rain and offered her hand. “My name is Amaya. What’s yours?”
Yui swallowed, a fluttery feeling that she never imagined was possible growing in her heart. Hesitantly, she reached out to take the hand of the girl who had appeared before her like a knight in a fairy tale.
“Yui,” she replied. “My name is Yui Komori.”
***
A few minutes later, and the two had arrived at Amaya’s house. She ushered Yui inside and shook the rain from her umbrella before closing the door.
The lights were all off, so it seemed her parents were still out. It was nearly time for dinner though, so they would likely be back soon.
Grabbing some guest slippers for Yui, Amaya stepped up from the entryway first to give her some space.
“I’ll get you a towel so you can dry off. You can use the bath too if you want. You must be freezing—”
Just then, there was a soft thud and Amaya quickly turned back, shocked to see that Yui had fallen to the floor.
“Whoa! Are you okay? Here, let me help.”
Dropping her bag on the floor, Amaya knelt to put an arm around her shoulders for support. Her concern grew even more once she saw that her face was flushed and that she was breathing heavily. If she ended up with a fever, things could get seriously bad.
“Thank you…” Yui panted as Amaya helped her toward the living room couch. “I’m just...so thirsty…”
“Thirsty?” Amaya repeated. “Right, hot tea should help warm you up. Wait here, I’ll make some right away!”
But before she could head into the kitchen, Yui had grabbed her sleeve to stop her. “That won’t help me…”
When Amaya’s brow furrowed in confusion, she let out a long sigh. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke.
“That won’t help me... because I’m a vampire. The man from the alley... he’s a hunter sent by the Church…”
Amaya blinked as she tried to process what she was hearing. Vampires, which she’d only known as characters in fantasy novels and late night anime, were real? And the girl before her was one of them?
But well, if that was the case. Then, there was just one thing to do…
Silently, she reached up to undo her neck tie, the fabric rustling as it fell away. Yui sat wide eyed and frozen as Amaya unbuttoned the front of her shirt, pulling it open to reveal her neck.
“Is this what you need then?”
Yui’s jaw dropped in disbelief and sure enough, Amaya caught a glimpse of dainty fangs before she slapped a hand over her mouth to cover them. She quickly averted her eyes, her cheeks reddening further.
“No, that’s not what I meant…um. If there’s a butcher shop nearby, you can just—”
“There’s no time for that!” Amaya insisted. “I don’t know how long that guy was chasing you, but you just collapsed! By the time I come back, it might be too late!”
“No, you don’t understand…” Yui swallowed, trying her best not to look directly at her. “I-I promised my father that I would never harm humans, so I’ve only ever had animal blood. And I...I really don’t want to hurt you!”
Amaya smiled in reassurance as she held the edge of her shirt collar. “You’re not going to hurt me. I’m giving you permission.”
“But…” Yui still hesitated, the hand that wasn’t covering her mouth trembling in her lap. “It’s still wrong to treat people as food...if I did that, it would make me a monster…”
Shaking her head, Amaya reached forward to take her hand. “But you’re not doing that, are you? If you’re worried about hurting me, then that means you see me as a person. Same as you.”
Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, she then reached up to ease her other from her face. “You’re not a monster. You’re a person in need. I want to help you so can you please let me do this for you?”
Yui stared back at her silently, the blush on her cheeks deepening further. Taking a shaky breath, she managed a tiny nod. “O-okay…”
With that word, she allowed Amaya to pull her in closer until their bodies were flush against each other. She placed one arm around Yui’s waist while using her other to guide her head towards her exposed shoulder.
Amaya could still feel how tense Yui was, her hands shaking with nervousness where she gripped the front of her shirt.
“A-are you really sure about this?”
Amaya nodded, stroking the back of her head. “I’m sure. Whenever you’re ready. Just take whatever you need.”
Yui sighed, her breath cool where it tickled her skin. She leaned in closer, trying to decide which was the best position before finally aligning her fangs against the vein at her neck. “O-okay. Here I go then…”
There was one final moment of hesitation before she felt two sharp points piece her skin. Amaya winced but didn’t cry out so as not to scare Yui off. However, the pain lasted only a moment, and was soon replaced with...something else.
Amaya gasped. She wasn’t sure what she expected getting bitten by a vampire would be like, but she hadn't considered that it could actually feel good. A strange warmth seemed to spread through her body from where Yui was gently sucking at her neck, making her skin feel feverish and her mind cloud over. Soon, she was feeling so lightheaded, it became difficult to stay upright.
Amaya closed her eyes and let herself fall backwards, pulling Yui down with her, the vampire girl still held securely in her arms. She began slowly stroking the back of her head, encouraging her to continue, although she had to fight to keep her hands from wandering more than that. Despite how her hair and clothes were still slightly damp from the rain, Yui just felt so soft and delicate pressed against her, Amaya wished she never had to let go.
Through her blissed out euphoria, Amaya vaguely registered the lights turning on and the sound of indistinct yelling. Moments after that, she realized that the weight of Yui on top of her had disappeared.
Amaya made a small groan of confusion, pawing sluggishly at the air trying to find her again. When that turned up nothing, she slowly opened her eyes to see Yui now on the floor with a seemingly terrified expression on her face.
Vision still bleary, Amaya followed her gaze to find that she was looking up at her mother and Wachi. Both of whom appeared absolutely furious.
Except something was strange. Was she imagining it, or were two twin daggers flying through the air into her mother’s hands? And why was the strip of paper Wachi gripped between his fingers sparking with electricity?
As the fog clouding her mind began to clear, Amaya was finally able to start making out what they were saying.
“What have you done to our daughter!?”
“You’ll pay for this, vampire!”
That made everything click together. Struck with the realization that their anger was directed at Yui, Amaya snapped to full alertness and sprung to her feet.
“Mom, Wachi-san, no!!”
“Amaya, get back!” Her mother cried, knuckles white against her knives. “That girl is dangerous!”
“No! You’re scaring her! Can’t you see that!?”
“That’s a vampire!” Wachi insisted. “Amaya, she attacked you!”
“No she didn’t! Look, this is all a huge misunderstanding!”
The tension was broken by the sound of the front door.
“So was anyone going to help me with the groceries?”
Her mother and Wachi both flinched at the voice, their grip faltering on their weapons. Amaya turned towards the door as well.
Standing at the entryway was her father, his arms laden with plastic grocery bags. Nagatomo Yuuki surveyed the scene in bewilderment, looking only slightly confused by the knives and sparking paper charms in each of his partners’ hands. Eventually, his gaze moved towards the unfamiliar girl practically cowering on the floor whom they appeared to be pointing their weapons at and finally came to a stop at the sight of his daughter standing between the two parties. He also briefly noted that her clothes were in mild disarray and frowned.
“I thought we all agreed not to do the shovel talk thing when she got a girlfriend...?”
Girlfriend?
There was a beat of silence as everyone processed what had been said. Yui in particular seemed to have a hard time looking anyone in the eye.
Amaya felt her cheeks burn red. “This is still a misunderstanding!!”
Her father chuckled. “Then how about we all calm down and talk so we can get it sorted out? But first,” he lifted his arms to remind everyone of the groceries, “can I please get some help? The ice cream is going to melt.”
Exchanging glances with each other, Wachi and her mother both lowered their weapons.
Amaya sighed in relief. She’d have to apologize to Yui about her family. “Alright. So like I was saying…”
But before she could start her explanation, Amaya’s vision began to blur once more and the world went sideways.
The last thing she heard before passing out was four concerned voices calling her name…
***
As Amaya started to come to, her first thought was that whatever was cushioning her head didn’t quite feel like a pillow. Her eyes slowly fluttered open to reveal Yui leaning over her in concern.
Relief immediately flooded her face. “Amaya! You’re finally awake!”
“Yeah…” Amaya blinked, still feeling quite drowsy but was now extremely aware that she was lying on the couch with her head in Yui’s lap. She also noted that she appeared to have freshly showered and was now wearing a flannel shirt and jean shorts that she recognized as her own. The sight of Yui wearing her clothes sent an interesting mix of emotions swirling through Amaya's chest.
Feeling a slight itch at her neck, Amaya reached up and was surprised to find that a large paper seal decorated with intricate writing was now plastered over where Yui had bitten her. “What…?”
“Don’t touch that.”
Amaya looked over to where Wachi was sitting on the opposite couch.
“It’s a talisman,” he explained, looking slightly disgruntled. “For treating blood loss.”
“I’m so sorry…”
Turning back to Yui, Amaya was surprised to see how remorseful she looked.
“I-I didn’t mean to take so much… If your parents hadn’t come home when they did, I really could have…”
Wachi shook his head. “No, it wasn’t your fault. Amaya is the one who pushed you into it.”
“I...what?”
“Yes,” her mother added as she entered from the kitchen. “Our daughter truly loses all reason when a girl she likes is involved.”
Amaya felt her face start to burn again, but before she could protest, a bowl of food was shoved in her face. She recognized it as her mother’s recipe for tomato beef on rice. Extra beef.
“Eat this,” her mother said as she sat down on the opposite end of the couch in a huff with her own dinner. “Magic can only do so much. You are very lucky that there was a sale on meat today.”
Amaya grumbled but sat up so she could eat. “What happened while I was out?”
“Yui explained to us what happened,” her father said as he came in as well. He handed one bowl of food to Wachi who accepted it with a smile before taking a seat on the couch next to him. “I’m surprised though. I thought you hated vampire romances?”
“Only because the male leads are always so gross in them,” Amaya clarified. “The concept itself is interesting, but why are the stories always so…”
Seeing that Yui seemed to have gotten lost in the conversation, Amaya gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry. Those stories probably don’t reflect real life…”
“I wouldn’t know... I’ve never met another vampire…”
Amaya blinked in confusion. “You mentioned your father though?”
“He’s human,” Yui clarified. “I’m actually... adopted, I guess you could say…”
Letting out a sigh, she began her explanation. “The truth is...I’m different from other vampires. Sunlight doesn’t harm me like it should, so I can go out during the daytime with no problem.”
“A Daylighter…” Amaya’s mother spoke in awe. “Vampires like that only exist in legend. How did you obtain this power?”
Yui shook her head. “I don’t know… I don’t remember anything before living with my father. He’s actually a vampire hunter affiliated with the Church, but he decided to protect me because of my powers. He did his best to keep me hidden, but they eventually found out and…”
Her voice trailed off as worry clouded her face.
“So that’s why that guy was chasing you…”
“Magic organizations…” Wachi said with a bitter sigh. “Always so inflexible. They say they’re trying to protect people, but they can never see outside of black and white.”
“Oh right,” Amaya suddenly recalled, “what was that earlier? The weapons you and Mom had…”
“That was…” he exchanged a nervous glance with her mother before continuing. “I learned it from my father. His family was a part of a magic organization but he left before I was born. He only taught me a little bit though…”
“I’m a little different then,” her mother jumped in. “The Leung family is a prestigious name in Chinese magecraft. I’ve been training ever since I could walk.”
Amaya’s father raised his hand. “How come I’ve never heard about this?”
“You were never supposed to. I gave it up when I came to this country to marry you and have a normal life. I didn’t even know Wachi-san knew magic until now.”
“But...I’ve been to your house in Hong Kong! It was definitely fancy, but very normal!”
“We’re good at hiding it.”
“Okay but…” he turned to Wachi next. “What about you? We’ve known each other since we were kids! How did I never know!?”
“My family doesn’t even use magic actively anymore. They only taught me the basics in case of emergency. I wanted to be normal too, so why would I drag you into it?”
Her father went silent for a time as he stared into space, slowly processing the revelation that both of his partners were involved in magic.
“Okay, putting Dad’s midlife crisis aside…” Amaya cut in. “Magic exists and so do vampires. What happens now?”
“That,” her mother answered, “depends on the two of you.”
She gave Yui a kind smile. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like. You don’t need to decide right away either.”
Yui blinked in surprise. “That’s very kind of you, but why? You’re a spell caster and I’m a vampire... shouldn’t you see me as an enemy?”
Amaya’s mother waved off the question. “I jumped to conclusions earlier, but I can see now that you wouldn’t harm anyone. And there’s more to the legends. It’s said that vampires immune to sunlight maintain a human heart.” Her eyes crinkled in a warm smile. “I can see with you that it’s true.”
Yui was speechless for a moment, but soon relaxed. The slight tension she had before melted away. “Then, if it’s at all possible...I want to save my father.”
Her hands tightened in her lap. “I don’t know what happened to him after we were attacked by the Church and he told me to run...but if there’s a chance he’s still alive, even if we aren’t related by blood, I want to save him.”
Wachi hummed in thought. “The Church, huh… If they know he was protecting you because you’re a Daylighter and are still after you, it’s likely that your father’s fate won’t be decided until after you’ve been caught. I’ll reach out to my father’s old friends and see if they know where they might be keeping him.”
Amaya quickly raised her hand. “Well, if we’re going to rescue him, then I want to learn magic.”
She turned to her mother. “You can teach me, right? I’m your daughter after all. I should be able to pick it up.”
Her mother smiled knowingly. “I thought you might say that, and yes, I can. With what you already know from kendo, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Until we can find the location of Yui’s father, I’ll train you as best I can.”
Amaya felt excitement bubble up within her. “Yes! Then let’s start right away!”
“No. Not until you’ve fully recovered from your anemia. You shouldn’t exert yourself until then.”
Amaya laughed nervously.
Yui meanwhile, listened to their conversation in bewilderment. “You’d go so far to help me?”
“Of course!” Amaya exclaimed. “We’ve come this far already.”
“Exactly,” her father added, appearing to have recovered somewhat from all the recent revelations. “I’m still processing all of this, but as far as I’m concerned, any girl that my daughter takes a liking to is considered family.”
His choice of words made Amaya blush once more.
“Dad!!”
***
Shortly after dinner, Amaya’s parents had suggested that the two turn in early and get some rest. Yui because she’d been through quite the ordeal over the past few days, and Amaya who had undergone a completely different kind of experience that wasn’t entirely terrible.
But really, what were her parents thinking?
“If you’re lonely sleeping by yourself, you can stay in Amaya's room.”
“Yes, and I’m sure the bed will be much more comfortable than a futon on the floor. I’m sure Amaya wouldn’t mind!”
Amaya blushed as she glanced over to where Yui was under the covers right next to her. She knew they needed to get some sleep but it was impossible to relax like this.
The lights were turned out, but her outline was still faintly visible in the dark. Absent-mindedly, Amaya began to wonder if she could still see her clearly regardless.
She quickly shut her eyes, desperately trying to calm her fluttering heart. It was just a very pretty girl in bed with her. This was absolutely nothing to get worked up about whatsoever.
A few more minutes of failing to fall asleep later, and she was suddenly aware of cold fingers brushing against her neck. Amaya’s eyes flew open, and she saw Yui quickly drawing her hand back.
“...Sorry.”
Since the talisman had done its job, it had been switched out for some more mundane bandaids and antibiotic ointment. Amaya genuinely didn’t think much of it, but she could tell that it continued to weigh heavily on Yui.
She smiled gently at her. “What are you still saying sorry for? I’m alright. Really, it didn't even hurt that much. Just felt kind of warm and, um…” Amaya’s face grew hot and she trailed off, realizing that continuing that train of thought wasn’t going to do her any favors.
“Warm…” A few moments passed before she heard Yui repeat that single word to herself, followed by a soft sigh. “You gave me a lot of warmth too…”
It was like those words lit a fire in her heart, and in that moment, she knew. In order to put a smile on this girl’s face, she would gladly give her everything.
Emboldened by a newfound rush of confidence, Amaya reached out to grip her hands.
“I’m going to get your dad back. I’ll get strong enough so that the Church won’t even think about bothering you again. So don’t worry about a thing, okay?”
Yui seemed surprised at first, but her expression soon softened into a content smile. “Yeah.”
“And if you need me to give you any more ‘warmth’ like before, I wouldn’t mind at all!”
Yui blinked for a second before her eyes widened in realization and an indignant blush spread across her face.
“D-didn’t your mother say she wouldn’t train you until you had recovered? If you want to be strong enough to help me, I can’t keep draining you…”
The implications of what she just said quickly caught up to her as Amaya broke into flustered stuttering. “U-uh, you don’t have to or anything. Just if you really needed it…”
“Your parents already said they would buy some for me, so I don’t think I’ll need to…”
“Oh right…”
However, it seemed like Yui was still able to detect the hint of disappointment in her voice. “You haven’t developed a liking for it, have you?”
Having been called out so directly, Amaya went bright red and threw the covers over her head in an attempt at hiding her burning face. “…I’m sorry.”
There was only a small sigh in response before Amaya felt a hand gently patting the top of her head. She peeked up to see Yui looking at her with an endeared smile.
“Go to sleep, okay?”
Amaya nodded stiffly and screwed her eyes shut. But as she drifted off, that last smile Yui had given her was still on the forefront of her mind. That teasing twinkle in her eye, and amused quirk of her lips. Hinting at something more behind the seemingly gentle, soft-spoken girl she had rescued.
And Amaya for one, was more than eager to uncover more.