Furukawa Ibara—

She had been born to a good family. Parents were loving and cared greatly for her, her cousins were nice and the rest of the family wasn't that bad either. Despite being gifted with the sight to see apparitions and the supernatural, Furukawa Ibara had somehow always yearned for more.

"She's growing and learning rapidly. Sometimes it's hard to tell what she's thinking."

Her parents had complained about this to her grandfather once. He was the head of the Furukawa clan, something she hadn't learned of until she was old enough to read properly. It was then that she had also been given lessons about the supernatural and how to properly deal with them.

The Furukawa's had once been part of the prestigious Minamoto clan before officially branching off into their own family clan. The rich history that had preceded them was not continued.

As the Furukawa clan had decided to take care of the vampire clans, once they were all gone, so would the purpose of the clan. And yet,

"Noooooooo! I don't wanna see those things! They're weird! My classmates call me crazy cuz I tell em there's a ghost there."

As a child, she hated being able to 'see'. She couldn't turn it off and she had been the unfortunate child to receive this gift. Her older brother had been lucky enough to not receive it. As the family no longer dwelled into supernatural affairs, there was never any formal training after their grandfather had undergone training. Thus, her parents had never gotten training much less asked their children to undergo it either.

However, because of the long history the family had, they still held sight towards the supernatural.

That had undoubtedly not disappeared and it created more problems for the children who couldn't ignore the extra things they saw. Ibara had always been a curious child but even these things, they were far too much for her.

That is, until she heard about a certain distant relative of hers. A certain Minamoto prodigy who could easily take down strong supernaturals despite being only a child himself. She hated him, he was praised for practically nothing and she, she was called crazy for pointing out what others could no longer see.

She was envious of him, putting it shortly. How could someone her age be so powerful while she was so, so weak.

Throughout her elementary and junior high years, she would constantly change schools. The stress of having sight to see supernaturals but not having enough willpower to ignore them made her an easy target not only for apparitions but for her human classmates too.

It was why during her enrollment into Kamome Academy was such a big deal to her. She'd finally be able to see the person she had to surpass and maybe also surpass him, even if just in academics.

However, contrary to her expectations of herself, she could not reach his level... This was a rather heavy blow to the young girl. At the time, before Yumeko's transfer, she had pulled Teru aside to confront him about the issue, wanting to put her intentions clear however,

"Um, I'm sorry but I'm not interested in dating right now. I also have someone I'm already interested in." He rubbed the back of his neck, without even having allowed the girl to talk. In his hands, he held a cute, pink envelope. Oh, wait--

With a bow in apology, he turned and left not even allowing Ibara to explain that wasn't why she was here for. From that day on, she wanted nothing more than to take down the eldest Minamoto child a peg or two. She scoffed when she heard people talking about him in the corridor and even in class.

Sure he was handsome and had a kind persona, even when he had 'turned her down' he had maintained a good distance from her and wasn't harsh with his explanation. All these people were just smitten by his appearance.

When Yumeko appeared, her spine tingled and just by the fact that Teru had paid attention to her even if just for a small fraction of a second, something he doesn't do for the other students unless they directed a question at him. These small observations made her suspicions more true. Fujisaki Yumeko was a supernatural under the guise of a human.

She avoided direct sunlight and was often excused during physical education under the pretense of having poor health. This had been backed up by a doctor's note. During their first year, with Minamoto Teru and Fujisaki Yumeko in the same class, Ibara was ecstatic to be able to observe both at the same time.

Contrary to her expectations, the two were practically model students, with the exception of the few days that Yumeko would be absent from class. Some sort of illness was reported, or so the Furukawa child had learned.

However, there were small incidents that appeared highly suspicious but were cleared by Minamoto Teru. Oh how everyone ate up his words.

Come by the start of their second year, a few months ago, Ibara had finally, finally caught evidence that Fujisaki Yumeko was truly a vampire.It wasn't just a delusion of hers She hadn't meant to, it felt like she shouldn't be watching; she felt like a pervert for having caught the scene but she felt ecstatic at having found it too.

The red eyed girl had looked a bit paler that day, moved a bit more sluggishly and was generally quieter. Though everyone was somewhat acquainted with each other, their homeroom teacher still wanted everyone to give a quick introduction. So everyone had, when it had been Yumeko's turn, she had only mumbled loud enough for those in her immediate surrounding to hear that she liked to take naps... it was to be expected from the seemingly lethargic girl.

Come morning break, Yumeko stood from her seat and as Ibara was the health rep., told her she was off to the infirmary for some rest. As Ibara was still acting her 'timid but kind' persona, she assisted the ruby eyed girl to the infirmary.

Seeing no one inside, Yumeko had only gone off to one of the beds and told Ibara she'd go back to class soon. And so the other girl left, turning a corner before spotting Teru walking down the same hallway. This made her ever so curious. She waited a bit before turning back around, back towards the direction of the infirmary.

She had to be quiet, she couldn't allow herself to be caught. Ibara found herself holding her breath as her hands nervously opened the infirmary door just enough for her to see inside. Angling her head, her eyes shifted towards the bed Yumeko had chosen. There, Ibara spotted two figures.

Her legs wobbled as she slapped a hand over her mouth to cover a gasp. Inside, holding Teru in place as her head leaned into his neck, was Yumeko. The two were facing away from the door but it was clear to Ibara what the other girl was doing. There were no students around to make noise, thus Ibara had ended up hearing Teru scold the vampire.

"That's enough, Yumeko." His voice was a bit hoarse and held an allure that made Ibara's skin flush. Wait, no! Stop it Ibara, this isn't what you came for.

Ibara watched with bated breath as Yumeko stood and Teru fell onto the bed. Her glasses blurred her vision but she could see the puncture holes on his neck, scarlet liquid freshly running. She fled the scene.

Present ----

Yumeko yawned loudly, not bothering to cover her mouth. She was still alone in the room and although hardly any time passed by (only about another two hours or so), she was very much so bored of just sitting. She couldn't take a nap for obvious reasons and even if she could, the chair she was on was hardly comfortable for sleep.

She inhaled before exhaling deeply, however doing so only caused another yawn.

"Is Furukawa back yet?" She called out, hoping those outside guarding the door would give her an answer but they remained mum. How boring.

They had taken away her belongings as well, otherwise she could have probably read a book or two in the meantime. Maybe text her brother her location or something.

She could easily break out, there clearly being no curses or spells locked onto the door or window but where was the fun in that?

She thought once more to her childhood, or rather the childhood after her mother had put her into a slumber. From waking up and leaving their home. Finding a person who ended up feeding her willingly even if just once; he was a ghost now, her curiosity on the subject grew. To being locked away by human exorcists for years to come only to be released by the same exorcist family's descendant. Compared to that, her current dilemma was child's play.

Yes, child's play. Being trapped like this for a mere few hours; sure it was boring but she'd give them the benefit of the doubt. She wanted a good reason for her capture, vampire hunter families practically nonexistent. However, Furukawa Ibara was clearly someone who came from a long line of hunters. Yumeko would have been more surprised if the girl were a simple human with a twisted fascination with the supernatural.

Well, maybe to a degree, the girl was twisted. If Yumeko remembered correctly, on a day where she had forgotten to feed and had been forced to retreat to the infirmary, the dark haired girl had spied on her and Teru. She might have thought she were being quiet but Yumeko had sharper senses than humans and could easily hear (and smell) the girl cowering behind the door.

Back then, Yumeko hadn't thought of it much. She wasn't worried about it; if anything it could have been passed off as a couple making out (as weird as the thought was suddenly). Had anyone barged in and saw the scene they could have easily lied. And yet, she had run off after watching the two.

Suddenly thinking back to then made her crave blood, her hunger returning. She'd have to endure a bit more.

Maybe she should have asked one last time for a sip... the vampire shook her head, she was getting too far ahead of herself. Now wasn't the time to lose herself.

So what if drinking Teru's blood had made her more self aware of him. Of a pseudo feeling of like towards him. The feelings she gained from his blood alone, deep down, he tolerated her at least, right?

Her sigh turned into a yawn half way. She had forgotten. During times like this, how tired she got. How low her energy became. It was only a matter of time before she fell asleep until her energy levels returned.

The door opened with a loud bang. In entered Ibara and another person, though they cowered behind Ibara, using her like a shield.

"You said you can help me make her suffer so, let's begin."

"Hey, Furukawa, it's quite rude to leave your guest unattended for so long you know." Yumeko stifled another incoming yawn, she'd really need to prevent them from showing lest Ibara think of them as a weakness.

The dark haired girl snarled, in no mood for Yumeko's playful jabs. "I don't really care what you think. You're not even a guest. Much less anyone significant."

Red eyes stared back into dark azure before shifting onto the teen behind her. "Well, if I'm not a guest then do be so kind and introduce the person behind you to me would you?"

"I'm not that mean, I brought you food." The poor boy behind Ibara quivered and paled at the mention.

"I see. In that case you wasted a whole trip in coming and bringing him here." It was kind of Ibara to, in a sense feed her but, "Besides, I don't take from those who don't give consent. This child was brought here forcefully. It ruins the appetite."

Well, it wasn't like she was lying. She had been taught to ask for permission when feeding from people. Even with Teru, she still needed some sort of confirmation.

"HUH? What do you mean consent? Aren't you supposed to not care and just, you know!"

Yumeko blinked in confusion. She knew what she had been taught, not whatever had been described by humans. She raised an eyebrow, "I'm not sure what you have been told but only barbarians would take without consent. It's common manners to make sure the other party is willing. We're not that cruel."

Again, Ibara scowled deeply and sent the child behind her away. The poor boy couldn't have fled faster. Though he was glad he wasn't going to be vampire food he was still confused at the situation at hand. All left in his mind was, how had a vampire been captured and were they all that beautiful?

Ibara was left to pace back and forth in front of the door, muttering curses to herself as well as her doubts. Had all the things she read in her grandfather's books all false? What was the actual truth in all this? No, had they even done good in getting rid of every vampire. "Hey, tell me why you even captured me in the first place. I khaven't done anything to you and I'm still under the Minamoto guardianship." Well, somewhat. But Yumeko wasn't about to allow the truth be spilled out like that.

The vampire had deduced the other girl came from a family who had dealt with yokai and other supernaturals in the past, however, she lacked the spiritual energy the Minamoto children possessed and she could hardly count as someone who even dealt with anything supernatural related. However, she was a bit physically strong; an incident from a physical education class reaffirmed her suspicions.

"Why shouldn't I eradicate all the vampires living?" She bared her teeth menacingly, attempting to appear more confident in her skills.

"If you were really aware, then you would know everyone was killed off long ago. I lost my parents and other family members. Of course, someone like you wouldn't understand the loss of family."

Ibara had read some of the files but she never gave it thought. They were monsters in human form, why should she pay attention to the smaller details? "Say, what if you were in my position? Should you be killed for being born that way? For only living the only way you were taught? I understand Teru's hatred toward the supernaturals, as much as I hate to see it. But what about you? I have never done anything to do, I even tried to befriend you in class. Why do you have such animosity towards-"

"Because I want to surpass him! I want to show everyone that I can be better than that blonde exorcist!"

"How disappointing."

Yumeko's facial features returned into a neutral look. Any sign of sympathy washed away. Her legs crossed over each other, "I thought you had a better goal but it seems I was wrong." Although exact motives were unclear, the vampire did understand this was some sort of grudge against Teru and perhaps the Minamoto family.

The vampire stood up and made her way to the door. "Looks like I have no reason being here any longer. See you school, Miss Fake Vampire Hunter."

With that, Yumeko thought they were done. The slap mark on her cheek had healed earlier and though Furukawa Ibara might have some physical strength, she was still weak. However, Ibara thought otherwise.

As the silver haired girl passed by her, her arm was caught by Ibara. "We're not done here." She seethed. Her hand tightened around the vampire's arm. Nail sunk themselves into the sleeve of her shirt.

Yumeko raised an eyebrow, guess she would wait to see what more was going to be said. "Aren't you even going to ask how I knew you were a vampire? Aren't you dying to know how I discovered that?!"

"Not really. You weren't exactly quiet when you discovered us. Although, I didn't think you'd be that pervert." Yumeko shook away Ibara's hand from her arm. She had heard the teen one day when she was feeding from Teru but had expected whoever it was to leave thinking they were intruding on a couple making out or something. However, the person stayed right until Teru had collapsed onto the bed under him.

Ibara's face flushed, in a mix of anger and embarrassment. "I-I'm not a pervert!"

"Sure." Yumeko's face was that of disbelief. The human girl trembled in anger, raising a hand to land a hit once more but was intercepted by Yumeko's own. "Violence doesn't solve much of anything. But of course, what would we know?"

In a sort of sarcastic manner, the vampire directed her gaze directly at the human girl. Her hold tightened, the other girl flinched at the pain she began to feel. Ibara didn't like being hurt, who liked to be in pain?

"L-let go!" The attempts to try and distance herself from the vampire were futile.

"Let me tell you something, Furukawa Ibara. You want to surpass Teru but what have you done to prove yourself capable? He has his siblings to care for, his duties as the student council president and the task to terminate apparitions that cross his path. Not to mention he has his hands full with me as well. And even so, he has gained the praise of your family, who no longer serve a purpose in the supernatural world. So what if you still hold sight?"

Was Yumeko being unusually cruel? Just a tad. However, the satisfaction that Ibara's pale face brought her, it was truly... delightful.

Tears crept up at the corner of Ibara's eyes. She knew what the vampire was saying was correct and yet, she didn't want to hear it from her lips. It wasn't revolting but it struck her painfully.

The vampire continued her torment, the girl next to her stuck in a bout of envy. Though Yumeko wasn't one to wholeheartedly care about humans and their affairs, this would certainly affect her and her brothers, she couldn't have that. She would protect them as best as she could.

"I was going to leave just now, I still have to study for the end of term exams you know. But, I'd like to meet with your grandfather before I leave. You can arrange that, right Furu-"

"That won't be necessary. I am here." A voice outside the holding room called out.

In came an older man, his hair greyed from age and his face full of wrinkles. He walked with a cane aiding him. To Yumeko, he held no significance but she knew there was something about him that appeared familiar.

"I apologize for the foolishness of my granddaughter. It seems I have failed in educating her properly." The older gentleman bowed slightly in apology, though he grimaced at the thought of having to lower himself for an otherworldly creature.

"Is that so? The fault lies on herself but if you're so willing to lower yourself to a creature such as I, you must be sincere in this apology. However it doesn't rectify the fact that I was forcefully taken. Truly, what have you humans been taught." Yumeko crossed an arm oer her waist while the other went under her chin. Though her tone was serious, she spoke in a sarcastic manner.

The older man continued his bow, leaving Ibara flabbergasted, how could her grandfather, the one person she ever looked up to be apologizing to this, this, this creature. It was practically unheard of and yet, she didn't want to appear so shameful. The teen lowered her head as well, gulping her pride for what she was about to do.

"Grandfather, please don't apologize to this creature. It's just as she says, the fault is solely mine. You and the Furukawa family have nothing to do with this. Please allow me to-"

"You have caused enough trouble already. Do be more mindful of your words. You'll receive proper punishment at a later time. Now apologize properly to this girl."

Although the Furukawas were vampire hunters in the past, going as far as getting rid of everyone, there was a piece of information that only the head of the family had known. This information had passed onto the heir and so this information was only known to a select few.

While vampires had been hunted, when there was but only one clan left, the hunters and that vampire family held a treaty. The clan was much more peaceful and hardly meddled into human affairs. However, someone had gotten the news and they despised the fact that this sole clan could coexist with their family. It was simply blasphemous.

So they did what any hunter would do, gather up a group of people and go off to get rid of them.

This became a battle well known between the hunter and exorcist communities. The clan was small in number but their strength outnumbered the hunters. However, the hunters had a trick up their sleeve. By threatening what they held dear, the children of the head of the clan. Though it was a mere bluff because the hunters had no idea where the children were. Thus, the battle raged on leading to the demise of many hunters and vampires alike, however, the loss was greater for the vampire clan.

However, the treaty remained, the head of the Furukawa clan would make sure of it. Though there was no evidence that there were any vampires left, everyone slowly forgot about the treaty. Everyone but those who knew the complete truth; the head of the family and his heir.

It was no surprise that every other descendant wouldn't be aware.

"Grandfather why should I-"

"Apologize now Ibara." His stern words cut into whatever the teen was about to say. She didn't understand why she was the one who should apologize. If anything shouldn't her grandfather take her side.

She grit her teeth and bowed her head. "I apologize for any trouble I may have caused."

Yumeko stared at the two. She was unsure of what motives the older man had but for now she would believe the apology. She stared at the two blankly waiting for something else to happen. When nothing did, she sighed.

"Please educate this child well." That was as far as she would express herself on the matter. With one hand, she flipped some stray hair over her shoulder while passing by.

"Ah, one last thing before you leave, miss. I believe the Minamoto child and I believe an acquaintance of yours is waiting for you. I shall lead you to them." He threw one last glare at his grandchild before walking out the room, the vampire slowly following not once glancing back at the girl who slumped towards the floor in disbelief of what had just happened.

And just like that, in a few hours, Yumeko was back to being a free vampire.