Running, running, running. The triplet rhythm of beating hooves, the vague feeling of wind rushing past her, was bizarrely lulling to [Y/n]. She sat atop a gorgeous bay horse, her hands gripping his black mane. The calmness that flooded her senses seemed to distract from the fact that she was being watched by a cloaked figure in the distance. Then, with an ear-splitting wail, the horse reared up. An arrow stuck through his chest and he toppled to the ground, sending [Y/n] flying. The cloaked figure began to walk towards her. She could barely make out the cruel grin on its face. Before he could get too close, however, a glowing figure appeared before her. She couldn't make out a gender - all she saw was long, flowing hair and skin white as snow.

Her guardian angel.

[Y/n] woke suddenly, placing her hand on her temple and rubbing it softly. She noticed, in the corner of her room, Aytsa was staring at her worriedly. The moment he saw she was awake he shot up and ran over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders. His eyes were wide and tearful and his expression looked mortally desperate.

"[Y/n]... [Y/n], oh, I'm so sorry," he said quietly, shaking her a little. [Y/n] stared up at him with wide eyes. "I-I know you're p-probably never going to forgive me—" he cut himself off as his voice cracked tremendously, making him blush a little in embarrassment, "-b-but I wanted to tell you that I really care for you a-and never wanted to do that! I-it was an accident, I promise... I promise..."

Aytsa began to sob, his hands wrapping around [Y/n] as he fell onto her bed beside her and cried into her chest. [Y/n] was frozen for quite a while before her hand slowly moved to his hair, her dexterous fingers combing through it in soft, reassuring strokes.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, his voice trembling. "I'm so, so, so sorry," he added, before repeatedly whispering "sorry" over and over again.

"Shh, Aytsa," [Y/n] said gently, "it's okay. You... you didn't mean to. I understand," she smiled gently, though it was clearly forced. Aytsa didn't seem to notice as he looked up at her with a look of overwhelming joy on his face.

"Y-you mean it?" his voice cracked again, though this time more out of emotion than pubescent teen stuff. "I promise... I promise I'll never do it again! I'll never hurt you again," he vowed, his eyes wide and determined. "I-I mean... what sort of monster would I have to be to want to hurt a cute little kitten like you...?" he trailed off with a slightly nervous smile. [Y/n] felt a little uncomfortable at the statement but was simply glad that he'd learnt from his mistakes.

[Y/n] didn't respond for a while - she stared forwards awkwardly. Aytsa's hug eventually felt a bit invasive as it technically left her pinned to the bed. Still, she couldn't bring herself to actually tell him to get off. She sat and waited, thinking. Her mind wandered off to her friends, Tara and Sally. A memory greeted her.

"So, [Y/n]? You gonna go out with him or what?" Tara giggled, punching the arm of the smaller girl, her long red hair tied back in a ponytail. [Y/n] blushed embarrassedly, looking over at Sally for help. Sally stared into her mirror (meeting [Y/n]'s eyes through the reflective object) and brushed her golden locks, letting out a sigh as she turned around and met [Y/n]'s eyes with her blue ones.

"You gotta ask him eventually," she huffed, waving her hairbrush as she spoke as though it would somehow help to prove her point. "He obviously has a thing for you. What have you got to lose?" [Y/n]'s face flushed further as Tara smirked. "Other than that. You sleep with that guy and I'll be there tomorrow with a shotgun license and a meat cleaver for his—"

"Chill out Sally~" Tara sang, "you gotta let [Y/n] have some fun! We're not gonna be young forever, y'know?"

"Guys, guys. I'm good. I don't want to be in a relationship right now," [Y/n] groaned. "Plus, Damien's great and all but he's also pretty clingy at times," she shrugged, "he also has that... uh... thing? He thinks he's a vampire or something," [Y/n] shrugged. It wasn't that she had an issue with that, but Damien took it pretty far. Heck, he'd threatened to bite a teacher before and he hissed at people he didn't like. It could get a bit awkward at times. Tara shrugged.

"I thought you were into rougher guys?" Tara asked, crossing her arms over her chest. [Y/n] blushed further at this.

"Who told you that?!" she groaned.

"Your wattpad library," Tara laughed, holding up [Y/n]'s phone. "Let's see... what does 'yandere' mean? I see loads of kinky looking stuff," she giggled. Tara (being immensely tall at 6'0) held the phone above [Y/n] no problem, scrolling through the girl's library with a smirk. "Ooh, what does that mean? Looks interesting—" she was cut off by [Y/n] ramming herself into Tara's side and snatching the phone from the girl, grabbing it and running off with it. The only thing the scene was missing was Golem's 'my precious' as [Y/n] hugged the phone close to her body.

Sally watched the scene with a disinterested expression before cracking a smile and letting out a small laugh. She threw a book at Tara (which Tara managed to catch) before going back to the mirror, now applying makeup.

"Either way, [Y/n]," Tara called out to the girl who was in the neighbouring room, still protecting her phone, "you can't be single forever. You're 17, dontcha know. You're probably like... I don't know... the last virgin at school," she laughed. [Y/n] let out a huff loud enough for the girls to hear through the wall.

"Haven't I already clarified that I'm killing whoever [Y/n] sleeps with if she for some reason decides that's a good idea?" Sally said nonchalantly, applying highlight and contour to her already beautiful face.

"Never said you couldn't kill him," Tara giggled.

"God, guys, enough already. You both have partners and that's absolutely fine," [Y/n] called through the wall - Tara went out with a guy called Liam, probably one of the hottest guys in the school (but she was technically the female equivalent in looks, if not even hotter) and Sally went out with a girl called Alex (blonde with a pixie cut, she had feminine features but it was difficult to tell whether she was a girl or a guy. She and Sally looked like princess and prince together; it was a gorgeous sight), "I'm really happy for you. But no one's interested in me anyways. Damien's just obsessed with me and that's definitely not romantic," she shrugged. "Also, have you seen the amount of homework we have? Unlike you guys I have very limited brain space and I don't know if I can balance homework and a boyfriend," she joked, standing up and walking back into the room, her phone now tucked into her bra (something she never normally did, but desperate times called for desperate measures) so Tara wouldn't grab it again.

"Fine~" Tara sang. "Okay, well, don't kill me... buuut~ I may or may not have arranged a date for you already?" she giggled sheepishly.

"Haha, sorry, I think I misheard you," [Y/n] laughed before her face fell flat entirely. "What?"

"Well, I kinda gave Damien a date and time when you'd be at a certain café so he could meet you there? Hehe please don't hurt me," she added as [Y/n] stepped towards her. The girl stopped and let out a long sigh.

"I hate you," she shook her head. Even still, a laugh escaped her. Before she knew it, Tara and [Y/n] were practically rolling on the floor, roaring with laughter. Sally watched with a small smile. The sleepover went on like that, the love-hate relationship with the girls constantly bringing them closer together. Despite how terribly irritating they could be at times, [Y/n] loved them wholeheartedly.

When [Y/n] returned to her senses, she noticed Aytsa's breathing had changed. A small laugh escaped her as she realised the boy had fallen asleep. She gently shook him awake, to which he responded with a groan and ended up hugging [Y/n] tighter.

"Aytsa," [Y/n] sang warmly, "I'm not a pillow. Come on, up we get," her words trailed off into a grunt as she attempted to lift the (now nearly her height) boy off her and onto his feet. This didn't work and he instead pushed back, keeping her exactly where she was.

"You're comfortable," he mumbled, his face pressed into her chest, "I don't want to move."

"Well, you've got to," [Y/n] huffed, "or I won't let you see the surprise," she giggled. At this, Aytsa immediately sat up and stared at her with big green eyes.

"What surprise?" he asked immediately, placing his hands on her shoulders, only further pinning the female.

"I'll tell you when you get off me," she smiled. Aytsa paused before huffing and flopping off the side of the bed; how he didn't fall over was anyone's guess, but somehow he defied gravity and stayed on his feet. He turned to stare at her expectantly. [Y/n] made sure she wasn't laying down before clarifying:

"Gotcha~ there isn't a surprise," she laughed, ruffling the boy's hair. Aytsa crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, walking over to her and grabbing her arm.

"No fair!" he groaned. "Okay, well now we're gonna have to improvise," he shrugged. "The surprise is you spending the day with me!" he declared. [Y/n] placed a hand on the back of her neck, heaving out a sigh.

"I was thinking of spending today with everyone, Aytsa," [Y/n] laughed. The little boy crossed his arms over his chest again but [Y/n] ignored his actions, ushering him out of her room so she could change and freshen herself up. Aytsa didn't go without a fight but ultimately [Y/n] won. For good measure, she locked the door. Walking over to her wardrobe, she began to allow her mind to wander once more. She tried to recall what she was thinking about before. Then, she laughed to herself. 'Right, Tara being an ass,' she thought to herself as she recalled her previous train of thought.

Nervously, [Y/n] made her way over to the cafe Tara had arranged her date at. Damien had picked a seat in the window and she noticed him staring out of it impatiently. When he spotted her, his lips upturned into a bright smile. [Y/n] gave a small wave, pushing the door to the cafe open. She walked over to the table and sat opposite him, giving him a polite yet awkward smile as she placed her bag beside her.

"Wow, [Y/n], you actually came," Damien chuckled to himself. She had to admit, Damien definitely had good looks; it was just his bizarre personality that turned people off him.

"I'm not one to ditch dates," [Y/n] responded with a confident smile. Her confidence soon faltered however. "Not that I've ever... uhh... been on a date before," she laughed. Damien laughed with her. A young waitress came over and asked what the pair would like to order. [Y/n] asked for a cappuccino, Damien asked for a blood orange beverage. And there was the wonderful reminder of his obsession with vampires. Fortunately he didn't say anything weird about it so [Y/n] could pretend there was no link to him thinking he was a vampire.

"So... uh, how is everyone?" he asked, his head tilting slightly in curiosity.

"Everyone's good thanks!" [Y/n] smiled. He smiled back.

"And your cousin?" Oh, yes, of course; it was easy to forget. [Y/n] had a cousin with the same name as her who she'd never really had anything to do with in her life. Namely because the girl lived in Italy and didn't speak a word of English. [Y/n] had recently received the news that the other [Y/n] had gone missing, presumably abducted in Arezzo. Though of course it was sad, they'd cut off that part of the family long ago so [Y/n] didn't really know anything about the ordeal.

"I don't know anything more, sorry," [Y/n] smiled apologetically, "how's your sister? Still playing violin?"

"Yeah haha. She's trying to learn Dracula's theme. I'm not sure she's doing it in a supportive way, though. She plays it every time I walk into the house or go in the same room as her. Pretty sure it's mockery," he laughed. [Y/n] laughed with him. "Oh... and [Y/n]?" he began, he nervous smile on his face. [Y/n] tilted her head as if to say 'go on, I'm listening'. "About the me thinking I'm a vampire thing... I obviously know I'm not a vampire," he laughed.

"Oh my god Damien, I'm so proud of you!" [Y/n] responded jokingly, giving him a friendly nudge on the shoulder. "So what's it all about then?" she asked, merely curious.

"Just a bit of fun I guess," he chuckled. "Even though I know I'm not a vampire, that doesn't mean I think they don't exist," he trailed off. "Honestly, I swear, I've seen them." [Y/n] raised a brow disbelievingly. "I'm not messing with you this time. Outside your house, four times. I saw some creepy guy wearing a cloak sitting in a tree. Then when he realised I'd spotted him he vanished."

"Mhm?" [Y/n] laughed lightly. "Alright Damien. I have a vampire stalker and you've been standing outside my house for what reason?" she raised a brow with a playful smirk. His face turned red.

"I-it's not what it sounds like...?" he smiled nervously. "The first time was when I was going to see my aunt. The other three times... I may have gone back to check...? Not in a perverted way, I swear!" [Y/n] merely laughed at this which made the brunette in front of her laugh as well.

The waitress placed their drinks on the table and the pair immediately picked them up, grateful for them. They continued to chat the afternoon away.

[Y/n] unlocked the door to her room and stepped outside, noting the slightly ajar kitchen door opposite. She peeked her head around the door and was surprised to see a familiar brunette thinly chopping onions and placing them into a bowl. His violet eyes widened when he noticed [Y/n] and he placed the knife down, walking over to her with a bright smile and giving her a hug.

"Good to see you awake, [Y/n]," Nyais said with a smile, stepping away from her so he could continue chopping onions. It made [Y/n]'s eyes water a little. "Aytsa hasn't bothered you anymore this morning, has he?"

"No," [Y/n] said gently, "he's been really nice actually. I think he's mortified at what he did," she shrugged. Nyais nodded - to [Y/n] it looked as though he was unconvinced. "What are you making?"

"Salmon and lemon risotto," Nyais said shortly, walking over to the slow cooker and emptying the bowl of onions into it, before pouring in some risotto rice and a jug full of water. [Y/n] watched with a bright grin.

"Wow... you sure you're okay cooking for me?" she asked gently. He nodded with a smile.

"If I wasn't I wouldn't be doing so right now," he laughed, waving his hand at her (in his opinion) silly question. "The boys are all in the living room," he said simply, giving [Y/n] the gist that he wanted to be left alone to focus. She nodded and waved a goodbye at the unusually stoic brunette, stepping out of the kitchen and making her way down the hall to the living room. The door was shut so she gently pressed down on the handle, pushing the door open. The boys, quiet as ever, all turned to look at her.

"Good morning [Y/n]," Laion greeted with a smile. Draka smiled and waved, Mitzu seemed to force a smile but it fell flat almost immediately, Aytsa grinned giddily, Kori glanced up and then down at his feet and Seishin watched her carefully.

"Good morning," she responded with a smile, looking around the room. She wondered what had the boys so quiet. Seeing as Laion seemed the only one willing to have a conversation, she spoke to him. "How have you been?"

"Alright," he hummed, "but the mushrooms died. Maybe it was too hot?" he frowned. [Y/n] gave him an apologetic look. "Oh! Don't look like that [Y/n], it's quite alright. Accidents happen," he said gently. "I'll just... uh, try something different next time. Maybe I should let them have sound?" he wondered aloud. [Y/n] smiled.

"Or a bit more space? Can mushrooms be claustrophobic?" she asked with a laugh. Laion laughed too.

"Don't be silly!" he giggled. "Even still, the more I go wrong, the more I know how to go right," he smiled. [Y/n] grinned at his enthusiasm. She only vaguely noticed the glares some of the boys were giving Laion. She decided she ought to talk to others as well. She noticed Kori with a bit of paper in his hand so decided to walk over to him.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked curiously. Kori's eyes widened a little as he pulled the paper closer to his chest. She noticed a pencil in his hand. "Are you drawing?" He shook his head. "Writing, then?" He hesitated before nodding. "What're you writing?"

"An informative document," he mumbled. [Y/n]'s eyes widened a little at this as that was something she'd more expected Seishin to say than Kori. His intelligence surprised her. She remained quiet as a way of urging him to elaborate. "I-it's... uh... about the misconception of a lesser species," he hummed. [Y/n] furrowed her brow. "U-uh... w-well... vampires think they're a superior species to humans. B-but, if that were the case, then why wouldn't we want to let you go home? It's... it's because we know that if you gave away our location, we'd be instantly wiped out. We rely on strength and primitive instincts to do anything really. Humans are lacking in that and therefore always look for shortcuts. That's why you have technology," he explained.

"Wow, that's... that's really interesting," [Y/n] smiled.

"Some big words there, Kori," [Y/n] heard Seishin's snide remark, "don't hurt yourself."

"Oh, go away, will you?" [Y/n] frowned as she turned to look at Seishin. He shrugged, before turning to look at Kori.

"What you're forgetting is that, despite humans' intellectual advantage, if we were to go face to face with an armed human who do you think would win? We are far above them on the food chain. Our speed, hearing and general combat skills far outmatch even the most skilled of humans. On top of that, humans are our one and only source of nutrition," he turned to look at [Y/n], which made the girl shrink back into herself slightly, "which is why I'm confused as to why Aytsa biting her yesterday was such a big deal. She's still alive, isn't she?" he frowned. Aytsa's eyes widened at this.

"B-but she wouldn't have been had Nyais n-not stopped me!" he put in immediately. Seishin chuckled.

"Then you'll have to practice until you can stop yourself," he hummed.

"Practice on what...?" [Y/n] said quietly, a little unnerved as to where this conversation was going. Seishin returned his gaze to her with a smirk and a light chuckle.

"You of course, imbecile," he laughed. [Y/n] immediately shook her head. "Did I say he should do it now?" he asked with a huff, to which she slowly shook her head, "exactly. So what are you getting so worked up for?" She looked down. "Oh, don't tell me you're doing the whole 'it hurts, feel sorry for me' thing," he groaned.

"That's enough, Seishin," Laion interrupted, his usually kind expression harshening.

"And who the hell do you think you are?" Seishin muttered.

"Your equal," Laion responded levelly. "Since when were you above us, Seishin?" he asked coldly. A couple of the boys in the room seemed to grimace at Laion's boldness, but none more than Seishin himself who looked deadly. It was a sort of calmness that radiated malice. "For starters, you're the weakest of all of us," he put in, "even Kori could beat you in a fight." Kori glared at the 'even' but didn't argue.

"You think we're equal?" Seishin said gently, his voice soft yet monotonous. "Then you're clearly the most stupid one here. I may not outweigh you in combat skills, but I make up for it with strategy. You say that you could beat me in a fight but I highly doubt it. I doubt any of you could beat me. I don't have to be stronger to win."

"You just defeated your own point, Seishin," Kori laughed. Seishin narrowed his eyes as he turned to face the boy. "Earlier you were saying humans being an inferior species was due to their lack of strength, but now you're saying that despite your lack of strength you're still superior?" Seishin glowered at him.

"I am. Humans, as a species, are inferior to us. If we had their numbers, they'd be wiped out." He looked back at [Y/n] coldly. "But humans have a similar system to the one I'm implementing here. Usually the smarter ones become the world leaders." [Y/n] wanted to scoff at how ridiculous that actually was but kept a straight face. "As the smartest one here, I am your superior."

Kori shrugged at his words and pocketed his piece of paper. Seishin's gaze remained fixed on [Y/n]. Oddly, she noticed how no one else argued against Seishin anymore. Perhaps they figured it was pointless, or perhaps they truly did accept him as their superior. It was a mindset she couldn't understand. She was more than grateful when Nyais appeared at the door, looking at [Y/n] and telling her he'd finished preparing her food.

phewsh, I actually had to cut quite a few bits out of this one because it was nearly 5000 words and I thought 'hmm, might be a bit too long!' Who are your favourite characters so far? Where do you think the story might go? I'm very curious hehe~ I'm trying to animate a little (very simple because this is my first time ever animating anything) MV for a piece of music I just wrote - in the last chapter you may have seen the notes for the tune [Y/n] was humming to Mitzu. It's a little piece I wrote (literally yesterday) - it's Mitzu's theme and I'm hoping to write an original piece for each one of the characters! ^^ Next chapter: Day 14 and a Whole Lot of Hormones