Disclaimer: I do not own Diabolik Lovers. This amazing anime was created by Seiko Nagatsu. I only created Reiko and a few side characters.

Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)

Rated Teen for violence, blood, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes (rating may change to Mature in the future as story progresses, readers have been advised).

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Bound To Shadows

By: Swanna

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Chapter 1: The New Guardian

New York, USA

Dusk was falling, casting long, dark shadows at every corner of the bustling downtown streets. Reiko stood at the corner of a secluded alleyway as she watched her target entering the splendid two story nightclub, Eclipse, through a pair of towering glass doors. Dance music drifted down the boulevard from the club's rooftop, signaling that the nightly revelry had already begun.

Eclipse was quite a popular rendezvous for both humans and vampires. Young mortals came for varying reasons, from seeking a good time with their friends to hooking up and spending the night with complete strangers. But immortals came here for one purpose only - a quick meal. Places crowded with youthful humans attracted vampires like moths to a flame, and Eclipse was no different.

Reiko took out her mobile phone from her back pocket and speed-dialed her partner. "He went inside the building. I'm going in."

"Do you need me for back up?" asked her Japanese-American partner, Tashiro Nicholas.

The twenty-two year old man also happened to be her roommate, which turned out to be rather convenient since they were both in the same line of business as rogue hunters. At least Reiko didn't have to fabricate some far-fetched lies about her graveyard shifts that required her presence only after dusk; or give an explanation as to why she would return home all bloody and wounded at the crack of dawn from time to time. Those were only some of the perks that came with sharing an apartment with another fellow vampire hunter.

"Didn't we just recently have a talk about you doubting my ability? Your memory is definitely getting worse by the day," Reiko chided with harmless humor.

Two passing teenage boys wolf whistled Reiko as they walked past the young female with pale silver hair and sapphire blue eyes. The hair was a real pain in the butt. According to her sometimes friend Nicholas, she might as well wear a sign announcing her presence. Reiko put on the hoodie attached to the black cropped sweatshirt that she was wearing and pulled it down to her nose. Now it totally intensified the malodorous ambiance of this humid part of New York City.

Nicholas gave a deep chuckle on the other line. "Just trying to help. I have to make sure my partner will return in one piece since I can't afford our place and pay for the rent all by myself."

"Nice try but you aren't going to talk your way out of it. As per our agreement, dinner will be on you tonight," Reiko replied as she crossed the empty road and walked towards the entrance of the nightclub.

"Sure. I saw a burger place just down the block earlier. We can go there once work is over."

She gave a quick glance to her left and noticed the stretching row of patrons waiting in line to enter the building. "No. We are going to a fancy restaurant where I can wine and dine like you promised."

"So you want a date night with me. Are you trying to come onto me, roomie? I don't know if I'm ready to complicate our relationship so soon," Reiko could almost hear the amused laugh in his voice.

"Keep talking and I will pound you to the ground later." This time Nicholas laughed out loud. "I'm entering the club now."

"Alright, keep me posted," with that, Nicholas disconnected the call.

Reiko slipped the phone back into her back pocket and approached the tall, heavy-looking bouncer by the doors. There was no way in hell she would go through that extensive line to go inside. Her target would have been long gone and moved to his next destination by then. She knew the exact method to cut in line right away.

"You," the bouncer began sternly, pointing at Reiko and then to the crowd. "Wait in line like the rest of them."

"Think I can change your mind?" Reiko put on her charming smile and slipped a hundred dollar bill into his raised hand discreetly. It was a small price to pay. After completing the mission, she would be paid out a generous bounty anyway.

His serious face relaxed as he eyed her up and down with a grin. "Sure. Anything for you, sweet thang."

Reiko wanted to roll her eyes when she noticed the man was now checking out her behind. Men couldn't be any more obvious with their perverted thoughts, could they? She moved past the bouncer and was about to enter, when she felt a smack on her butt.

Annoyed, Reiko froze when she heard the bouncer chuckling. Under normal circumstances, she would have beaten him to a pulp already. But right now certainly wasn't the time to be sidetracked, so she decided to let it slide. The idiot should consider himself lucky for being able to walk away unharmed. For now.

Without turning around, Reiko continued walking and entered the expensive looking dance club. The interior was extremely spacious, tall, and lacked any windows. The high ceiling, marble tiled floors, walls and various other accenting features were installed with blue LEDs. The architectural design appeared to be trendy and contemporary. Ear-piercing dance music was playing from the surrounding speakers, with people moving rhythmically to the music on the dance floor.

With her increased vision, Reiko gave the loaming place a quick scan and was able to locate her target in almost no time. He sat by the counter and was chatting up a female bartender, obviously setting his predatory eyes on her. Too bad for this young vampire, he was about to end his night on an empty stomach. Reiko removed her hood and her hair tumbled down her shoulders in waves of silver, distinctive and bright. This wasn't too much of a risk to stand out in crowd, at least not tonight. She wanted to attract his attention for sure.

Reiko walked up to the target and stood relatively close enough to him as she ordered a drink. "One Red Sangria please."

She allowed the vampire to have his fun as he roved his hungry gaze over her body with evident appreciation before turning her head to him.

"Hi," Reiko said with a smile that men would find sensual.

"Hello," he replied, looking delighted.

She knew what he saw. A defenseless lone human girl who was dressed in a way that screamed for male attention; a pair of skintight dark blue jeans, formfitting cropped black hoodie that revealed her toned abdomen and no visible weapons. Definitely meeting the checklist of a potential female victim on a vampire's menu. The image made him loosen up.

"You don't come here often, do you?" she asked, trying to strike up a conversation with him first.

He shook his head once. "No. How did you know?"

Reiko thanked the bartender when she delivered her drink and then answered, "Because I come here often myself. I don't remember seeing you here before."

"There are so many people here. How can you remember who you've met every night?" he asked, sounding intrigued.

"Oh trust me, I would definitely have remembered you," Reiko replied before taking a sip from her alcoholic drink.

Reiko picked up the stemmed cherry from her glass. She deliberately darted out the tip of her tongue, licking the bottom of the cherry before devouring it in a slow, methodical way. The vampire watched her every movement, his unwavering gaze darkened.

"Hey," Reiko started again, gliding closer to him and whispered softly into his ear. "What do you say that we leave this place and enjoy ourselves elsewhere?"

"Where do you have in mind?" he questioned while sniffing the fragrance on her hair.

"Anywhere as long as we can have some privacy."

He seemed to be pleased with her answer and took her hand. "Come."

Reiko let him guide her through the dance floor and out of the club through an emergency side exit. They were outside a grimy, narrow lane that was an apparent alleyway. As soon as the door closed behind them, he shoved Reiko up against the wall and trapped her there; his hands were sliding down to her waist.

"You like to play rough, huh?"

He lowered his head until his face was dangerously close to her neck. She could feel his fangs grazing her skin already. "You have no idea."

"Trust me when I say I do," Reiko smiled genuinely for the first time, "But that's good. Because I like to play rough too."

Right when he was about to sink his teeth into her neck, Reiko teleported out of his grasp and reappeared right behind him, startling him. Before his mind could even process what had happened, Reiko was already reaching forward and snapped a metallic choker around his neck. Shocked, the vampire started clawing at the device.

"Uh-uh," Reiko wagged her finger at him disapprovingly. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, not if you want to keep your head intact anyway."

The vampire's eyes bulged. "What the fuck is this?!"

"I'd like to call it the vampire collar, but you can think of it as a small-scale time bomb. If you take it off by force, kaboom. If you don't get this unlocked by a special key in the next forty five mins, kaboom. If you misbehave and I have to press this button on the detonator," Reiko held up a small electronic remote and flashed it at his nose. "…Kaboom. Well, you get the picture."

He stood rigidly in place, fear was skittering across his face. Reiko would have felt sorry for this young vampire if she hadn't known he'd killed six humans in the course of the past month. That was unacceptable. Reiko may have shared their vampirism but even she had her limits. She wouldn't hesitate to use any and all force necessary to capture this target.

Unfortunately for this vampire, two of his victims' rich father had put a handsome bounty on him for slaughtering his daughters. Instead of executing him on the spot, Reiko had been ordered to bring the vampire back to him alive. The man was probably planning to carry out his own form of punishment as revenge. Who could blame him? You reap what you sow, after all.

Reiko made a quick call to Nicholas and notified him that she had apprehended the vampire, and instructed him to wait for her by the front entrance. Now that she had made sure this vampire understood her willingness to hurt him, she smiled.

"Follow me."

Aghast, the vampire followed along like an obedient puppy on an invisible leash. Damn, but she loved the chokers. It never failed to work its magic on these impure vampires. Since these turned vampires were once humans, their strength and abilities weren't as strong as pureborn ones. To some extent, the device made it easier to subdue them without engaging in bloody combat.

Reiko spotted Nicholas' black car and saw him getting out of the driver's seat. She opened the passenger door and turned to the vampire. "Get in."

Nicholas made sure their captive was well belted in at the back of the car before locking him inside. He was about to make a comment but Reiko interrupted him.

"Hang on," she spun around and strode towards the bouncer, who instantly brightened at the sight of her.

"Hey babe, leaving so soon?"

Wordless, Reiko smiled and kneed him in the groin unexpectedly, causing him to groan and double over in excruciating pain. "That was for what you did earlier."

With that being said, she then turned on her heels and returned to Nicholas' side again. He rose an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"What? He smacked my butt."

"The nerve of that man!" Nicholas feigned a shocked expression and gasped exaggeratingly. "I didn't even have a chance to do that yet. If I ask nicely then can I smack your butt too?"

"Only if you don't intend to keep your hand after," her threat induced an animated laugh from him.

"Oh by the way," Nicholas fished something out of the inside of his blazer pocket and handed it to her. "You've had a couriered letter delivered to our apartment today."

"A couriered letter?"

Reiko couldn't help but wonder what kind of urgent document was so important that it needed to be delivered to her in such a haste. She took the midnight black envelope from Nicholas. The dark color of the envelope definitely enhanced the overall ominous feeling it gave off. She flipped the enclosure over and saw the bright red wax seal at the back. Frowning, she opened the letter and the first thing that drew her undivided attention was the signature of the sender's name at the bottom of the page.

Karlheinz.

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Tokyo, Japan

The gentle breeze carried along the scent of spring throughout the forest on the cold night. The smell of blossoms that wafted from the open glass windows combined with the aroma of fresh blood, and seeped into the living room where Shu was resting. He had no doubt that the scent was coming from the human girl, Yui's bedroom.

Ayato is taking her blood again, Shu surmised with his eyes closed. The earbuds attached to his MP3 player was still inserted in his ears.

Since the knowledge of the origins of Yui's heart was exposed into the open, the triplets were evermore possessive of her. Especially his third brother, Ayato, who was bordering on being overprotective of the girl. He had even spent a substantial amount of time with her in either his or her bedroom on a nightly basis. Why Ayato was so peculiarly infatuated with her somewhat bemused Shu. Besides the fact that Yui had the heart of the triplets' deceased mother Cordelia inside her, she was just like any other ordinary human girl at school.

Yes, Shu couldn't deny the truth that he had been drawn to her blood just as much as the rest of his brothers when she had first become the property of Sakamaki's household. But shortly after they had unearthed Cordelia's scheme to be resurrected through Yui's body with the transplanted heart, Shu had lost his interest in drinking her blood.

He had been annoyed to realize that his only one compulsion in the past decade had somehow ended up linking back to the Sakamaki family once again. It was almost as if he was meant to be tied down to this household endlessly; whether Shu liked it or not, it was his inescapable fate.

"When are you going to pry yourself off from that sofa and start acting like the real master of this mansion?" Shu didn't have to open his eyes to know that the disapproving complaint was coming from his younger brother, Reiji.

He didn't understand why Reiji wouldn't put a stop to his needless criticism. It wasn't like his brother didn't know about Shu's lack of interest in taking care of the household. Reiji had been doing a fine job without him anyway, it would have been much better to keep everything the way it was. His silent demeanor seemed to have irritated Reiji further and just when his brother was about to cross the room to him, he felt another presence in here.

"Master Reiji," a deep voice greeted.

Shu didn't move a muscle when he heard faint footsteps approaching over the violin music playing in his ears. He cracked one eyelid open when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Masato Sawada, their immortal butler stood above Shu's lying form with a mobile phone in his gloved hand.

"Master Shu, there is a phone call for you," when Shu showed no attempt to move from his current position, Masato continued. "It is from Master Karlheinz."

Reiji appeared to be more wired up by the unexpected announcement than Shu was when he quickly strolled over to stand beside the butler. After a moment of hesitation, Shu sighed wearily as he swung his legs over the seat and forced himself into an upright sitting position. With a lift of his arm, Masato took the cue and placed the mobile phone into Shu's outstretched hand.

He removed one side of his earbuds and pressed the phone snuggly against his ear. "Speak, I'm here."

While Shu was half concentrating on what the man on the other line had to say, he was fully aware of his brother's prying stare burning into him. Reiji's curiosity was evident but he was also bothered by the fact that their father had chosen to speak with the eldest brother in the family once again. Reiji made it no secret that he'd always wanted to take over Shu's position as the master of the household.

Without a word, Shu disconnected the call. As soon as he passed the phone to Masato, Reiji eagerly asked, "What did he say?"

Shu looked up at his brother and gave a nonchalant answer, "We are getting a new guardian."

Reiji's brows furrowed together in complete confusion. He was about to ask more questions but held his tongue when Shu plugged in his earbuds again. Shu lay back down on the sofa and closed his eyes when he heard his brother spitting out the word worthless angrily before storming out of the room. Masato dismissed himself shortly after. As soon as Shu heard the door close, he opened his eyes again.

Why a new guardian? He asked inwardly while his gaze was fixed on the ceiling, his own mild curiosity was budding. What are you up to this time?

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AUTHOR NOTE:

Hello readers, thank you reading my new Diabolik Lovers story. The fic will take place after Diabolik Lovers series but before More Blood. However, I will still be including the Mukami brothers in here.

I knew about Diabolik Lovers through online images, saw the lovely artwork and I was totally in love with Shu. It was very disappointing that there wasn't English translation to the game otherwise I would have loved to play all the guys' routes. Luckily there was the anime version to satisfy me (not by much though) in the meantime.

Special thanks to Waffle who will be my beta reader (he's my beta reader for all my stories, what a poor dude).

Lastly, please feel free to let me know what you think of the story. All comments and feedback will be welcomed. Thanks in advance!

See everyone in the next chapter.