The hospital smelled like antiseptic and something stale, like old paper and overworked nurses. I sat stiffly in the waiting room, the cold plastic of the chair against my back. The fluorescent lights overhead hummed, bright and sharp. It made everything feel surreal, like I wasn't even here being questioned by the police.
"Tell us what happened, son," the policeman stated.
The officer across from me watched me closely, his pen tapping against his notepad. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel the weight behind his gaze. The suspicion.
"I already told you," I said, calm and collected. "I found her at the park. She was barely conscious, so I called for help."
"And you're sure you didn't see anyone else? You told the dispatcher it was an assault."
My fingers curled against the fabric of my pants. I did say that. At the time, it was the only explanation that made sense. She was assaulted, by a vampire no less, but I highly doubted they'd believe me if I leaked out that piece of information.
And now the doctors had brushed off the whole thing as a severe case of anemia thanks to the vampire saliva's healing properties. It erased any evidence of the woman being wounded and painted me as a liar. My story had begun falling to pieces.
"I… thought it was." I said, slowly. "She was on the ground barely responding. It looked like an assault! So of course, I panicked when I called emergency services!"
The second officer, who stood just behind the first, let out a quiet huff, flipping through his notes.
"So let me get this straight," he said, pausing to glance at me. "You just happened to be wandering through the park, at the middle of the night, and found this girl unconscious? And you didn't see anyone else?"
I swallowed, my throat dry.
"That's kinda convenient, don't you think?" he added.
The air in the room shifted. I could feel it— the slow unraveling of my story, the way their eyes sharpened, turning from concerned to suspicious.
"Hold on," the first officer interjected, flipping back a few pages in his notes. "Didn't you say that you were a high school student? Isn't there a curfew? What were you even doing out so late?"
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Shit.
Before I could scramble for an excuse, a loud voice cut through the room.
"Rui! I'm here now! Is everything alright?" Sora shouted, bursting through the automatic doors to join me in the waiting room.
I jerked my head up just as Sora came sprinting toward me, panting and wild-eyed.
"And you are?" The officers asked, on edge.
"His friend! And his alibi!" Sora shot back without hesitation. "Rui was with me all night! We went to the convenience store together, and we got separated, isn't that right, Rui?" he said, turning toward me, flashing a sly wink.
I blinked. It was a lie, a blatant one at that.
But Sora didn't waver for a second.
"Yes, that's right." I smiled cheekily, following his lead.
The officers exchanged one last look between each other.
"If he was with you all night," the first officer started off slowly, "then how did he end up at the park? It's the middle of the night. You high schoolers shouldn't even be out past curfew."
"What do you expect from a pair of teenaged boys? You can't arrest us just because we broke a couple of rules!" Sora jabbed, crossing his arms.
"You should be grateful Rui stepped in to help that girl! You should be praising him, not interrogating him! And if he was guilty, then why did he bother calling for help at all? Try and explain that. Better yet, when that girl wakes up, you should be asking her these questions instead. I guarantee you wouldn't be suspicious of my friend then."
The room was silent.
For a long moment, the officers just stared at us. Even without being able to hear their thoughts, it was clear, they didn't have probable cause to hold us anymore.
"Alright, fine. But you kids should watch yourselves. Don't let us catching you sneaking around at night again."
I barely stopped myself from exhaling in relief.
"Understood," I muttered.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. Can we go now?" Sora tapped his foot impatiently.
The officers exchanged one last look before sighing and stepped aside.
"Thank you for your cooperation, officers. Come on Rui, let's go!" Sora grabbed my wrist and without wasting anytime pulled me toward the exit.
Once we were outside with the cold night air hitting my face, I was finally able to let out a relieving breath.
"You alright?" Sora asked, concerned.
"Yeah." I nodded.
But I wasn't, not really.
Because tonight, I had nearly gotten caught. What was I even thinking mingling vampire affairs with humans? I thought I was acting like a hero, but despite all that, I was still viewed as the villain when all I wanted to do was help.
It's like I could hear Kana's cynical words echoing in my mind. If he were here, he'd be laughing his head off and making fun of me. No doubt calling me a fool.
The night was almost too quiet. The brisk air breezed in my hair, and the solemnness of the situation pressed down on me. Forcing the weight of everything that had just happened to settle on my shoulders. My pulse was still racing, the near miss with the police a sharp reminder of how thin the line was between everything staying intact or it all falling apart.
"Are you sure you're alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Sora gave me a quick glance, his face serious now.
I didn't answer right away. My thoughts were far too tangled. The officer's questions, my own lies, and the girl in the park—none of it sat right with me. I had been playing apart in this dangerous game, slipping deeper into something I didn't even understand.
"Yeah…" I forced a smile. "Just tired, I guess."
Sora hummed, tapping his finger against his crossed arms.
"Let's just get out of here. You need a break from all this madness." He led me toward his motorcycle, the feint lights of the town twinkling down the road.
I followed him, every step heavier than the last. The girl had been a warning—an omen of what would happen if I kept walking this dangerous line. But I didn't know how to stop. The lines between human and vampire were blurring too closely together, and I was getting tangled up in it all.
As we reached his motorcycle, I turned to Sora, my voice barely above a whisper. I had to say something. I just had to know.
"Sora," I said, quietly. "Before we continue playing this charade, I need you to answer me honestly." I stared at him. Despite the bags under my eyes, I wasn't nearly tired enough to just cast aside my suspicions of him.
Sora turned, already on his motorcycle, a casual smirk on his lips. But there was a flicker in his eyes— surprise, maybe, or even hesitation.
"Suddenly your tone of voice has me a little scared," he said, half laughing. "But what charade are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me!" I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended. "I know I'm not the smartest guy out there but give me some credit! You were at the convenience store? Yeah right, how can I believe that when you still have the smell of…"
I hesitated, the words sticking in the back of my throat. It was hard to say aloud. But he had to know that I knew.
"What? Speak up. I'm having a hard time hearing you." Sora's tone had shifted. He was playing it cool, but the glint in his eyes told me he was waiting for me to finish my thought.
"When I woke up, there was blood in your bathroom sink!" I clenched my fists at my sides, feeling the heat rising in my chest. "You were just gone. You didn't even tell me you were leaving."
Sora's expression didn't falter, but the faintest flicker of something passed through his eyes. Was it fear? Guilt? Either way, he was responding, even if he wasn't saying anything.
"I didn't want to wake you up," he said, smoothly, a calmness to his words that made my blood run cold. "I had a nosebleed, honest to god. I just went down to the convenience store to buy some gauze and icepacks."
I let out a low laugh, almost bitter like I didn't believe him. I wanted to, as naïve as I am, but I knew better. His lies were too obvious. I wasn't oblivious like the cops were, and I wasn't about to let him pull the wool over my eyes.
"If I'm wrong then call me crazy," I said, my voice quieter but every word was laced with poison. "Spread rumors about me. I don't give a shit. But I'm tired of people misleading me."
I took a step forward, my eyes locked onto his, unfaltering. "When you walked into the hospital, I didn't smell your blood on you. The smell in the bathroom, it was different. But now…" I took another step, closing the distance between us.
"All I can smell is that woman all over you."
For a moment, the space between us crackled with tension.
Sora's lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes hardened, but I could detect anxiety as well. He didn't speak for a long time. The weight of his silence was louder than any sentence.
I stood there, waiting, but the longer he stayed quiet, the more I felt like he was avoiding the truth.
"What do you expect me to say?" Sora wasn't even phased, he just smiled that usual grin of his, as if it was a trivial matter.
"I expect you to tell me the truth, damn it!" My eyes flashed that ominous shade of red, but Sora sat on his motorcycle, unphased.
"I've told you all you need to know, Rui."
I was beginning to get tired of that smile of his. I got enough shit from Kana, but to be brushed off like this, from someone who I thought was my first real friend, that stung more than anything else.
"Fine. If you won't give me a straight answer, then I'll force it out of you." My eyes started crying those tears of blood, I had nothing else left to hide. Because I was so sure he knew my secret. But if our bond was as true as he made it out to be, then I wanted to know his secret to.
For the first time, I wasn't driven by instinct. I wasn't just reacting; I was in control. My power, the one that always felt like a dangerous uncontrollable force, was now mine to command through sheer willpower. The blood that always threatened to overtake me, those crimson tears, I willed them all on my own.
The tears streamed down my face, but instead of falling to the ground, they shifted. I focused, pulling every ounce of concentration into my thoughts, and they solidified. My blood became the gleaming edge of my saber blade, shimmering in the moonlight.
Sora's eyes widened, and for a split second, I thought I something like awe flicker in his gaze. But there was no fear, not even a hint of it. If anything, it was like he expected this outcome.
That realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Sora wasn't shocked, he wasn't even surprised.
I now knew, he wasn't a regular person. A regular human would have looked away. They would have recoiled at the sight of me wielding this power. But Sora? He wasn't afraid. And that was exactly why I couldn't let this go.
I took a step closer, the blade in my hand radiating with a cold, deadly glow.
Sora sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before meeting my gaze. His smirk had faded, replaced by something more serious—something that made my stomach twist.
"Are you sure you want to do this here?" His voice was low, careful. His eyes flicked around the parking lot, reminding me that we weren't alone. Even in the dead of night, there were still passing cars, hospital staff on break, security cameras watching from the corners of the lot.
That was all the confirmation I needed.
"So, I was right." My breath hitched, quivering. It felt like I was on the brink of tears.
Sora didn't deny it. He just let out another sigh, looking almost… tired. "Rui."
He said my name like a warning, like I was teetering on the edge of something I couldn't take back.
But I wasn't going to stop now.
"You weren't at the store," I said, my voice quieter but firm. "And it wasn't just a nosebleed, was it?"
For a moment, I thought he might brush me off again, make some excuse, turn this into a joke like he always did. But instead, he just exhaled, slow and deliberate.
"Get on," he said, nodding toward his bike.
I didn't move. I wanted to believe him—I really did. But I couldn't shake the feeling crawling up my spine, the nagging instinct that told me I was being strung along. I needed more than just words.
My fingers curled tightly around the handle of my blade. Before I could second guess myself, my mind was set in stone. I needed to see it for myself. I raised my saber, pointing it at him, the danger in my eyes reflected my intentions; I would not go with him so easily. Not until I saw the truth.
Sora didn't react—not immediately. He just watched me, his expression unreadable. No surprise. No panic.
That only made me grip the hilt tighter.
"Show me," I demanded.
Still, nothing. Sora turned his head away, as if he was trying to ignore me. Or perhaps he was just too ashamed to answer.
The tension snapped. I lunged. The saber sliced through the air, straight for his shoulder—nothing fatal, nothing serious, just enough to force a reaction. If I was wrong, if this was a mistake, he'd dodge, stumble, maybe even yell at me for being reckless.
But Sora didn't do any of those things. He moved fast—too fast. A blur of motion, a sharp gust of wind as he pivoted, his arm snapping up to catch my wrist before my blade could land.
My breath hitched then I saw it.
His eyes. For the briefest moment, they flickered—red, deep and burning, glowing like embers in the night.
It was only for a moment before they returned to normal.
I staggered back, ripping my arm free from his grip. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out everything else. I had my proof.
Sora wasn't a human after all.
My gaze dropped to the floor. How many times had I been lied to? How foolish was I to actually think someone cared about me? Of course I'd be wrong. He was a vampire, and there was something he wanted from me.
Why didn't I see it sooner?
I gritted my teeth, and my saber disappeared, turning into red shimmer before spreading in the wind.
I didn't want to hurt him, this whole thing was just an act to see what he would do, and I got my answer. I had just really hoped the outcome wouldn't have come to this. I've become tired of people misleading me.
And it hurt me, to realize he was just another big fat liar.
Sora sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck, looking almost annoyed but tried not to show it. "Was that really necessary?" he said, his tone so calm and collected it made me feel inferior in a way.
"I knew it," I whispered.
Sora met my gaze, and for the first time, he didn't deny it.
"Get on the bike, Rui."
"Why?" I snapped, my voice sharper than my blade had been. "To lure me into a trap? To explain something that I don't even care about?" That's right. Why should this be my problem? I used to live a peaceful life. I mean, as peaceful as it could have been.
But every day I realized I should have been grateful for what I had. Kaito? He was the least of my problems. Why was I so desperate to keep on living, anyways? I should have denied Kana's help, because then, I could have died a human being. Instead of watching my back every day, wondering when the next opponent would reveal themselves.
"If I wanted to trap you, I wouldn't be standing here having this conversation with you, would I?" Sora exhaled through his nose.
"Then what do you want from me?" My voice wavered, but I kept my stance firm. "Because if you think I'm just gonna go with you willingly, you'd be dead wrong."
He tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was the one being unreasonable. His patience should have made me feel like I was in control—like I had the upper hand—but it only pissed me off more.
"You already know the truth, so what does it matter?" he said, his voice devoid of his regular playful undertones. "I'm a vampire, congratulation, Rui. Did you want a medal or something?"
The way he said it—so plain, so unbothered—made my stomach twist. I wanted him to deny it, to fight me on it, to act like it wasn't a big deal so I could call him a liar and walk away. But he wasn't doing any of that. He was just standing there, waiting for me to decide.
"And I'm just supposed to trust you now?" I clenched my fists even tighter.
"No," Sora admitted. "I don't expect you to trust me. But you will get on the bike."
"Yeah? And why is that?" I scoffed, shaking my head.
Sora stepped closer, invading my space. He wasn't threatening, but his presence was heavy, undeniable. His voice lowered, calm but firm.
"Because I'm the only one who's going to tell you the truth." He walked over to me, smiling that usual grin of his.
I should have stepped away, guarded myself, but I wasn't threatened around him. Maybe it was because I got to know him, but who knows if what he told me so far was the truth or not. Did I even really know him? But I couldn't shake this feeling that perhaps I should place my trust in him. Even if it was just a little.
"I would like to know the truth. I'm sick and tired of the lies or having my questions unanswered." My whole transition process would've been so much easier if Kana hadn't left me in the dark.
Perhaps this was my outlet. To finally learn the truth. Death was knocking at my door yet again and Sora was the only one who could shed some light on my situation.
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Sora said, stepping to the side to offer me a ride on the back of his bike.
I hesitated, wondering if what I was doing was the right decision. Kana was always listening after all, but right now, I couldn't give a damn about what that bastard would say.
"Fine then. Show me the truth." I took a leap a faith. I had to trust my instinct. Sora was suspicious for sure, but he was the only inkling I had to figure out what my existence meant.