Vampire Story

Chapter Two- The Vampire's Promise

Akira spent the last week of her freedom was well as she could. She went places she loved, and spent lots of time with Damien, Madison, Scarlet, and Richard. Madison, Scarlet, and Richard soon learned of her deal with Kane, and they were highly against it, but that didn't make Akira change her mind at all. Besides, she couldn't tell Kane the deal was off even if she wanted to, because she had no way of contacting him.

On the day of Akira's eighteenth birthday, she went out on a shopping spree with Scarlet and Madison, so she would be well equipped for any weather in any season, in case Kane lived far from a town or store. She also bought things she would use to entertain herself, in case Kane's house was a bore.

Akira got home late. The sun was setting as Scarlet pulled into Akira's driveway. Damien and Richard were there, and together the group of five celebrated Akira's birthday.

"Man, how much did you guys get?" Damien asked as he and Madison relaxed on the couch. Akira, Scarlet, and Richard were packing Akira's things upstairs.

"Don't worry Damien, Akira hasn't run you broke," Madison replied with a laugh. "When is Kane coming?"

"Who knows, who cares?" Damien replied in an annoyed tone. "Whenever it is, I hope it's not soon."

Just then, the doorbell rung and Damien groaned in response, hoping against hope that it was not Kane at the door. However, it was indeed Kane waiting outside.

"Speak of the devil…" Damien muttered. "It's you…"

"Is Akira ready?" Kane asked, inviting himself in, much to the displeasure of Damien.

"No," Damien replied, closing the door with a bit of a slam. "She and her friends are packing."

"I see. Good then. Nice to meet you Madison."

"Likewise Kane," Madison replied calmly, shaking Kane's hand.

Kane turned back to Damien, who was glaring at Kane. "Her room upstairs?"

"You're not going up to see her," Damien growled.

"I wasn't planning to," Kane replied, walking to the end of the stairs. Then he called upstairs, "Princess, you almost ready?"

For a moment, there was nothing. Then Akira rushed downstairs, three steps at a time. Scarlet and Richard were quick to follow, nearly bumping into Akira clumsily.

"Hello Kane," Akira greeted kindly, though it was obvious she wished he were not standing there. "We're all packed I believe. You think you could help?"

Kane nodded. "Of course Akira," he replied in a flattering voice that made Akira blush.

"And would you stop calling me Princess?" Akira muttered in an annoyed tone, starting back up the stairs.

"I'll think about it," Kane replied with amusement, following the three friends upstairs, while Damien protested from downstairs.

They walked up the stairway, the only sound were Scarlet's giggles. Kane could tell, from Scarlet's mind, that Scarlet thought he and Akira were dating, or something of the sort. Akira was rolling her eyes at Scarlet. As soon as they reached a doorway, Akira opened it and led them in.

Akira's room was quite simple. The biggest piece of furniture was her bed, which was only a full size. Kane frowned when he saw how little there was in the room. Even if she had packed away many of her things, she probably did not have much. Indeed, all her belongings that were not furniture fit in two medium sized suitcases and a small backpack.

"Is this all?" Kane asked, trying to hide his surprise.

"Yeah," Akira replied, picking up one of the suitcases with minor difficulty and setting it close to Kane. "We don't have much money. Most of it is used for food and bills. The rest we save when we need new clothes or something. It's a simple life, but we get by."

Kane couldn't help but feel pity for Akira, but he hid it as he picked up both her suitcases with ease. Akira gave a grumble, but slung her backpack over her shoulder. Soon the four were at the bottom of the stairs. Damien and Madison were waiting with sad looks.

"It's time to go then, right…?" Damien asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Akira replied with a nod. Her expression was hard to read, but Kane knew, not only because he could read her mind, that she was sad to leave her brother.

"Well… take care…" Damien said awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Akira gave a gentle smile and nodded.

"Must you really do this Kane?" Madison asked seeing how sad Damien and Akira looked.

"Yes," Kane replied. "A vampire's promise is never broken."

"Bull fucking shit," Scarlet spat angrily.

"Kane, will you promise me something?" Akira asked, ignoring Scarlet and turning to Kane.

"Depends," Kane replied, his crimson eyes gazing into Akira's azure ones.

"Will you let me see everyone again?" Much to everyone's shock, Kane nodded. "Do you promise? Tell me you promise."

"I promise," Kane replied.

The tears Akira had tried to hide fell from her eyes as she smiled at Kane. "Thank you Kane."

Kane gently wiped away Akira's tears with his finger. "Yes… but no more tears, princess. It's time to go."

Akira blushed, and her frown returned. She gave everyone one last hug, not knowing when she would next see them, then walked back to Kane. Kane put a hand to her shoulder. With a slightly nauseating feeling, Akira suddenly found herself in a new place.

She was in a dark living room type room. There were a couple of couches around a fireplace that wasn't lit. There was also a simple looking coffee table.

"Michiko!" Kane called. "We're home!"

After only a moment, a girl only a few years older than Akira came hurrying out of a room nearby. She was Japanese, with small brown eyes covered by glasses. Her black hair was tied in two pigtails. Her face shone with excitement.

"Welcome back Kane!" Michiko said. With the apron she wore, Akira wondered if she was some sort of maid. "Is this…?"

"Yes," Kane replied. "This is Akira."

"I've heard so many good things about you from Kane!" Michiko told Akira happily. "It's great to finally meet you. Oh, my name's Michiko by the way!"

"It's nice to meet you too Michiko," Akira said politely.

"Let's let our guest get unpacked first," Kane said, putting a hand on Akira's back, as if to lead her away. "Then we'll give her a tour if she's ready."

Michiko smiled and nodded. Kane smiled back before leading Akira up a staircase.

"By the way," he began. "She's not my maid, she's my adopted daughter."

Akira flushed. "Really?" she asked. Kane raised an eyebrow.

"Would I lie about something like that?" he asked.

"No, I suppose not," Akira replied, rolling her eyes.

They continued walking for a little bit before Kane stopped her in front of a door.

"This will be your room from now on," he said, opening the door for her.

The room was much larger than her previous room at her house. It had a large, probably at least Queen size, bed, a lavish dresser, a medium sized bookcase, a small desk, and a large looking closet. There was also a door, probably leading off to a bathroom, and a small window. It was a cute room Akira already liked.

"This is really great Kane," she said, setting her backpack down and looking around. "You didn't have to do this for me."

"It was nothing," he said, setting down her suitcases. "Why don't you unpack for a bit? Michiko and I will still be up for a while if you'd like to come down when you're finished."

Akira nodded, and Kane soon after left. Akira looked around for a bit longer before opening her suitcases and beginning to unpack. Really, she didn't have much. She put her clothes away, in either the closet or the dresser, and she put her new books she had bought in the bookshelf. Other than her photos and other various knickknacks, most of her luggage was her clothes, and she didn't even have that many.

It only took her about an hour to finish. Once she was done, she changed into something more comfortable, which was a simple tank top and a pair of sweatpants, and headed downstairs. She decided to explore a bit, hoping to maybe find something interesting and exciting. She headed first toward the living room and noticed a door. She was probably more curious than should be, so she headed toward the door. As she put her hand on the handle, a voice spoke out.

"I wouldn't go out there if I were you."

Akira jumped. Kane's voice was very sinister, especially as he was giving her a warning. She turned back to look at him.

"Why not?" she asked, wondering just what he was hiding behind that door.

"Because that door leads outside," Kane replied, as though it was nothing. Akira raised an eyebrow.

"Why can't I go outside then?" she asked, wondering if he intended to keep her locked up. Kane smirked a bit at her thought, and Akira mentally cursed.

"It's quite late you know," he said. "Vampires roam the woods at night. It's not safe for a human like you to be wandering around."

Akira vaguely wondered if he was warning her because he cared. Surely this was not the case. She took her hand off the handle of the door and turned back to Kane. However, she was soon pushed back against the door. Kane's hand on her shoulder kept her against the door, though it was only one hand. His other hand was holding her face close.

"Why else do you think I'd warn you?" he asked, his crimson eyes boring into her own sea blue eyes. She didn't quite know what to say.

As if knowing something was wrong, the doorbell suddenly rang. Akira jumped a little, since she had been so tense before. Kane sighed a little. He gently pulled Akira out of the way before opening the door.

Standing at the door was a handsome looking man. His mid-neck length black hair covered his left eye, though his right eye was a dazzling blue, deeper than Akira's. He was about Kane's height, and he was wearing all black, as well as a big, happy grin on his face.

"Hi Kane!" he greeted enthusiastically.

"Hello Satoshi," Kane greeted. "What brings you here at this hour?"

"Wife kicked me out," Satoshi said with a sigh. "Can I stay here tonight?"

"Yes, that's fine," Kane replied before letting Satoshi inside. Once Satoshi was inside, he spotted Akira.

"Hey, who's this?" Satoshi asked.

"That's Akira," Kane said. "You touch her, and I'll lop your head off."

"Scary," Satoshi muttered before turning back to Akira. "Nice to meet you Akira. I'd shake your hand, but Kane might lop my head off."

Akira couldn't help but smile. "That's all right," she replied. "It's nice to meet you too Satoshi."

"Hurry along Satoshi," Kane said. "Did you feed?"

"Nah, don't need it," Satoshi replied. "Her blood doesn't smell that good. Now Helen's on the other hand-"

Kane sighed. "Just go."

After Satoshi left, Akira looked at Kane. "So Satoshi is a vampire too?" she asked.

"Yeah, Michiko is the only person who isn't a vampire besides yourself," Kane said. "Are you hungry?"

Akira shook her head and rubbed her eyes a little. "I'm tired though, so I think I'll go sleep."

Kane nodded and accompanied her. Akira looked at Kane as they stopped in front of her bedroom. Not wanting something like what had happened at the doorway, she stood away from the wall.

"So… I'll see you tomorrow then," Akira said, trying not to sound awkward.

To Akira's surprise, Kane took her hand and kissed it. "Sleep well princess."

With those last words, he walked away. Akira stood there in a daze for a while, not quite understanding why he had done what he did. Soon, she got fed up with wondering and hurried into her room to get some well-earned sleep.

The next morning, Akira got up fairly early and got dressed in a light dress, though it was a reasonable temperature. She headed downstairs to see if any one else was up and about.

To her surprise, everyone was already awake. Satoshi was frying some eggs, wearing a terribly frilly and pink apron that must have belonged to Michiko. Michiko was setting the small, circular table, while Kane was reading a book in one of the chairs. Without looking up, he spoke.

"Good morning Akira," he greeted.

Akira blinked, not used to someone who wasn't looking at her talk to her. "Morning," she greeted.

"Hey Akira!" Satoshi greeted enthusiastically. "Did you sleep well?"

Though she was lying, Akira nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "The bed's really comfortable."

Satoshi blinked, looking surprised, but he didn't say anything.

"Come sit down!" Michiko insisted happily, pulling out the chair beside Kane. Akira smiled a bit and sat in the chair Michiko had indicated. Kane didn't bother to look up from the book in his hands.

Once breakfast was done and eaten (Akira was surprised to see the vampires eating), Satoshi and Michiko left. Kane began to clean up.

"Need any help?" Akira asked.

Kane merely shrugged, so Akira hurried up to help him. Akira didn't care how awkward she felt; she liked helping others.

When she had finished cleaning, she looked over at Kane. To her surprise, he was staring at her. She felt her face heat up a little. "W-What?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Come with me," he said, holding out a hand for hers.

Hoping he wouldn't try to kiss her hand again, she took his hand. He led her up the stairs silently. They walked for a minute before Kane stopped, a bit before Akira's room.

"This is my room," he said. "If you ever need me, I'll probably be in here."

Akira barely had time to nod before Kane led her away again. He led her past her bedroom to the end of the hallway. He opened the door for her and helped her inside. There was an array of books lined along the walls of the room. There were a few lounge chairs in a corner by the curtained window. Satoshi was in one of them, curled up with a thick looking book. Michiko was in the far corner of the room, sewing away on a sewing machine. There was a back room behind her, but who knew what was in it.

"Wow, this is amazing," Akira mused as she looked around in awe.

"It's been a collection I've worked on for a long while," Kane explained. "Ever since it was passed to me."

"Oh, hi Akira!" Michiko greeted, hurrying over. "Did you come in here to look around?"

Akira nodded. "What are you making over there?" she asked curiously.

There was a flash in Michiko's eyes that made Akira wish she had been quiet. "Are you interested?" Michiko asked. "It's a dress I've been making in my spare time. It's the Japanese style of Sweet Lolita done in a nice green." She smirked a little. "You know, it might look good on you."

Before Akira could speak, let alone think, Michiko was suddenly right next to her, pulling at her clothes in an attempt to quickly get them off. Akira tried to protest, knowing both Kane and Satoshi were staring in her direction; however, Michiko did not fulfill her wish.

When Akira was stripped of everything but her underwear, Michiko threw the green dress over Akira's head. After securing a few pins, she dragged Akira into the back room. The back room was filled with different designs and fabrics, as well as a working table. It seemed like quite a blur as Michiko worked around her, hand sewing a few things and curling her hair. She even had a pair of matching stockings and shoes that she put on Akira. It seemed as though only ten minutes had passed when Michiko put the final touches on Akira's look and took her back out to the boys.

As Akira discovered that day, the Japanese Lolita style was very frilly, almost overly so. Her collar, the beginning of the sleeve, and the bottom of her skirt all had white frills and ruffles. The rest of the dress was a moss green, save the ribbons to tie the corset in the front and the sleeve. The ribbons were a thin, forest green while the sleeves were made of a see-through green material. The dress went to about Akira's knees. Not only did her shoes and stockings match the dress, the small intentionally lopsided top hat matched as well. All together it created a very stylized look.

Satoshi gave Akira a toothy grin. "Wow, you're really cute!" he exclaimed, hurrying over. He took one of her hands, apparently forgetting about the threat Kane had made the previous night. "You look like an authentic Lolita!"

Akira blushed and looked over at Kane. He was smirking a bit, though it looked like a combination of both a smirk and a smile. "It suits you," he added with a nod.

"T-Thank you," Akira said shyly, still embarrassed about earlier.

"I should call Helen!" Satoshi said. "I bet she'd love to meet you! Kane, can I use your phone?"

Kane nodded. "Sure, go ahead," Kane replied.

"Wait, hold on Satoshi!" Michiko exclaimed, stopping him in his tracks. There was another gleam in her eyes. Akira wished she could run, but damaging the dress would be too cruel.

Satoshi smirked a bit. "Good idea," he said. He ran off to get something from Michiko's back room and returned with a camera.

"Oh no…" Akira replied, looking at Kane with desperate eyes.

"I'm afraid I can't help you," he said with a smile.

"Kane, Kane, get changed too!" Michiko insisted.

Kane rolled his eyes, as if he had seen it coming. Without a word, he went to Michiko's back room to put something on.

Until he returned, Michiko and Satoshi put Akira in every position with every expression they could think of. When Kane returned wearing something new (man did it show off his figure), a whole new set of photographs emerged. Kane and Akira were finally released in the afternoon.

"Does Michiko do this a lot?" Akira asked, tired from being pulled around in every way.

Kane smiled. "Yes, she does," he replied. "She's always more enthusiastic when it's someone new."

"So it'll wear off?" Akira asked, looking up at Kane curiously.

"Soon enough, yes, most of it," Kane replied.

"Good," Akira said with a smile. "It sure tired me out."

"Why don't you go take a nap then?" Kane suggested, stopping in front of her room. "I believe Satoshi is inviting his wife Helen to dinner, so you can rest until then. I'll come wake you up when we need you."

"Thank you," Akira said. She continued to be amazed at how chivalrous this man was. Just how old was he? Suddenly, Kane began to laugh. Akira cursed herself for thinking.

"I'm not quite that old my dear," he said. "I'm only fifty." Quickly doing the math, Akira concluded that he was 'only' thirty-two years older than her. He soon added, "But I have the body of a twenty-five year old, for that is when I became what you see me as."

"So… you're twenty-five in vampire years?" Akira asked. "That seems rather… young."

"Well of course," Kane said with a laugh. "I quite new at this in the eyes of the experienced. Satoshi is nearly one hundred years old, while his wife is closer to two hundred."

"How amazing…" Akira mused in awe. "Is that even considered young?"

"You could call it that, yes," Kane replied. "Now I think that's enough for now, my princess. Try to get some rest so you're awake for our guest."

Akira nodded a bit. "You know…" she began. "I didn't expect things to be so calm between us."

"Is that so?" he asked. "How did you think things would be?"

The smirk on Kane's face only made Akira blush. "N-Not like whatever perverted thought you're thinking," Akira said in a stutter. "I just mean… we aren't really angry at each other."

Kane smiled a little. "I couldn't be angry with you, my Akira," he said, stepping closer. Akira cursed herself for forgetting that he would do this. "You forget how devoted I am to you."

Akira blushed even more. "What is it you think of me then?" she asked quietly.

Kane paused for a moment, merely looking down at Akira. She wished she were the one who could read minds.

"You'll know in good time," Kane replied, leaning down and kissing Akira's head. "Now go get some rest. I'll have Michiko drop off something to wear." He took one of her curls in between his fingers, playing with it a little. After a moment, he let go and backed away. "Have a nice nap." With that, he was gone.

"H-How does he always do that…?" Akira asked herself, so Kane wouldn't listen in on her thoughts. She sighed a little and went into her room to try and take a nap.

Akira woke up later that day, towards the evening. She sighed a little. Her dreams had been all over the place. It was sort of depressing, watching all of her memories over again.

Quickly, she shook herself out of it. Everyone would know if she was feeling bad, and she didn't want anyone to worry.

She got out of bed and looked around. Though Michiko was supposed to drop off a dress, Akira didn't see one. She merely shrugged and headed for her closet. She opened it and began to look through it. But something didn't seem right.

"This can't be mine…" Akira said as she pulled out a revealing dress. She continued looking through the closet and saw many more pieces of clothing that weren't hers. "I guess Michiko did drop off some clothes." She shivered a bit at the memory of the afternoon, still embarrassed. "I don't think I needed this many…"

Akira grabbed a conservative enough dress and began to get dressed in it. It was knee length and a cute blue color that looked like it would match with her eyes. She took off the clothes she was wearing and slipped the dress over her head. Then she began the other processes to make herself look nice for their guest.

That's right, Akira thought as she applied a thin layer of what little makeup she owned. It's our guest now, because this is our house. I never imagined I would be living with a vampire.

When Akira was done with her accessories and shoes, she left the room in hopes of finding someone. She slowly walked downstairs. The living room was empty, so Akira continued to explore. She heard talking from a nearby room so she peeked inside to investigate.

Michiko, Satoshi, and another woman were inside the room. The other woman, whom Akira assumed was Satoshi's wife, was astoundingly beautiful. She had a curvy body and very long, curly, red hair. Her crimson red eyes, about the same color as her hair, were looking at Michiko as she spoke. She stood at about Satoshi's height.

"There you are."

Akira jumped at the sudden voice and turned quickly to find Kane behind her. "Don't scare me like that," she said, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. While she was doing so, Kane gave her a look-over.

"You look beautiful," he said with a bit of a smile. Akira felt her face heat up.

"Thanks," Akira replied. "It's one of the ones Michiko dropped off."

"Would you like to go in and meet Helen?" he asked, putting a hand on her back. Akira took in a breath to try and rid herself of her nerves and nodded. Kane opened the door and lead her in. The two vampires and one human looked over.

"Finally," Michiko exclaimed. "I've been waiting to see which one you picked! It's so cute, good choice!"

Akira smiled a bit and thanked Michiko. She then turned to look at Satoshi's wife Helen. She was even more beautiful up close.

"Good evening," Helen greeted softly, smiling a bit. She walked closer and held out her hand for Akira's. "My name is Helen."

"I'm Akira," Akira greeted as she shook Helen's hand, happy to see that Helen was very nice. "Satoshi's talked about you a lot."

Helen laughed a bit. "I'm sure he has," she said. "The idiot just doesn't know when to stop."

"Hey!" Satoshi exclaimed with a pout. "That's mean!"

"It's the truth," Helen said with a bit of a mysterious smile, as if she were merely playing with him for her own amusement.

"All good things of course," Kane said with a smile.

"At least he's honest," Helen said with a bit of a giggle.

"That's right!" Satoshi agreed, coming closer. "And you know what else? I love you Helen!"

He threw his arms around his wife happily. Helen rolled her eyes, though there was affection in her gesture.

"You ready to eat or what?" Michiko asked happily. "I made the food with lots of love! And the occasional help from Kane and Satoshi."

Akira giggled a little. "I'd love to," she said with a smile.

Together, the odd group sat down to eat dinner. They talked about Satoshi and Helen's life, a very interesting one, to Akira's surprise. They had met and bonded though the language barrier separated them. They had struggled through the Great Depression and World War II together. Such love and dedication made Akira a bit jealous. After so long and so much, people could still love each other that much. It made her insides tingle.

After a wonderful dinner, Satoshi and Helen left. Akira guessed they'd settled their fight. Michiko cleaned up the food and table. When Akira offered to help, Michiko brushed it aside, saying it wasn't a big deal. So Akira reluctantly left, escorted by Kane. How silly, her room was only upstairs. But he insisted on walking her there anyway.

"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" Kane asked as they walked.

"Yes, I did," Akira said, though she was pretty sure he knew the answer already. He'd been watching her all throughout dinner. "Helen seems really nice."

Kane nodded. "She is, very lovely."

They reached Akira's door, and they stopped in front of it. Here we go again.

"Thanks for a wonderful dinner," Akira said with a smile. "I'll see you in the morning, all right?" Akira turned to open her door.

"Hold on a second."

Akira curiously looked back up at Kane. He was smirking a little.

"You looked very beautiful tonight."

Akira felt her cheeks get warm. "Thank you," she said with a modest smile. "You were attractive yourself."

Oops. That did it. Akira cursed herself mentally, not meaning to say that. How embarrassing. She looked up at Kane, her cheeks much warmer. Was that a smile on his face?

"Why thank you," he said with a low chuckle. He gently ran a finger along her cheekbone. He then cupped her face in the same hand.

And then, slowly, he leaned down, capturing her lips with his.

From that moment on, Akira couldn't think logically. He was an amazing kisser. She felt a fire spreading through her. This certainly wasn't the first time she'd been kissed, no, but something was incredibly different about Kane's kiss. Akira moved her arms around him, pulling him closer. She was lost in his smell, his touch, everything about him.

When he pulled back, she felt drugged up. Her eyelids were heavy, but she looked up at him. God, he looked sexy. She'd messed up his shirt on accident, revealing some of his pale skin. He gave her a small smile.

"Good night Akira," he whispered, giving her a last kiss on the forehead before walking away.

Still shaken up a bit by the intensity of their kiss, Akira slowly went into her room, and thought of nothing but Kane until she finally fell asleep.

End Chapter Two