Summary- Shun, a vampire, a blood-sucking monster working for a secret organization. Alice, a normal human being, who may not be that normal after all. What now? The age old tale of a human who found herself in love with an enigmatic vampire is set underway. Please read.

I understand that vampire stories are overdone. I really do. But this story is in a response to a request I received from an anonymous reviewer who signed by the name of 'Ash' in my story 'Devil's Wind, Angel's Link.' Yeah so I considered your request and decided that I would get to work on it to try and overcome the writer's block I've been experiencing.

Anyways, I hope you will all read this story and give me your valuable support.

Yet Another Tale of VampirexHuman!

crystal-mist

Chapter 1

Who…is…he?

The riverside shrine had always been a mysterious place. It consisted of a small little run-down hut set on the river bank. There was only one single lone statue within it.

Not many people noticed just how enigmatic the place was. Alice was an exception.

Something about the shrine relentlessly drew her back there time and time again. This was one such day. She found herself standing in front of the shrine; just staring at the stone statue that lay inside it… there was something vaguely familiar about the place. Sure, she passed it everyday on her way to school...But that wasn't it.

She shook her head free from the supposed trance she was immersed in and proceeded to school.

The classroom was full of lively chatter and the kids were having a great time. A group of girls were all huddled and talking about something in high-pitched voices.

"Yeah, so romantic!"

Alice briefly looked in their direction and saw a copy of "Breaking Dawn."- the fourth book of the twilight saga in one of their hands.

Alice sighed slightly and sat down in her seat.

She couldn't fathom why high school girls found these vampire tales so intriguing. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why anyone would want anything to do with blood-sucking creatures that lurked about creepily at night. But then, there were some things in this world that would remain a mystery.

She had cleaning duty that day so was forced to stay late at school. The sun was already halfway down the horizon.

She made her way home; the sky was a glorious red. The wind ruffled her hair and blew dried leaves all over the place.

She went at a leisurely pace… And then, she felt a sort of uneasy feeling for no reason. She felt as if she was being watched.

She scanned the surroundings, there was no one there. But the uneasiness wouldn't subside. In fact it built up more and more.

She quickened her steps and finally broke out into a sprint… She felt her throat tighten as she struggled to keep her pace... Something at the back of her mind shrieked at her to keep running.

As she neared the shrine she heard footsteps. Frantic and fast footsteps.

Fear overtook her entire being. She couldn't bring herself to turn around and look at her pursuer.

Realizing that she could run no further she ran into the little shrine and hurriedly crouched down into a dark little corner where she was positive no one could see her.

And then, everything happened so suddenly.

A big cloud of dust appeared out of nowhere and furious snarls filled the atmosphere. She gulped and pushed herself deeper into the corner. Was it…a wild animal? No, those snarls and growls were so ferocious. How could a jungle animal be set loose in a city…How? But all the logic disappeared from her mind as she sat immersed in trepidation.

More dust flew. Against the background of the scarlet sky and azure river she saw the silhouette of two 'things'. She noticed that the figures were crouched down, standing on all fours and growling in animalistic ferocity.

They pounced, snarled and scratched. Alice planted her palm to her mouth and tried to suppress the fear that was now running smock within her. What was all this? The last thing she wanted was to be noticed by these monsters.

In the end one of the figures were struck to the ground. And the other stood up. "Don't you ever dare to come to this area ever again Titus." He warned the figure on the ground.

"You haven't seen the last of me Shun Kazami." snarled Titus aggressively before making a dash for it.

"If I ever see you here again I'll splatter your guts all over the place." He called after Titus. Shun decided to let Titus go this time

It was only now that he realized how much his wounds hurt him and what was worse, he felt hungry, he felt ravenous. He walked towards a tree that stood there and flopped down at the base.

Where he sat, the light shone brilliantly and now Alice could see him clearly. This Kazami person looked about 19 years old. His clothes were all ripped and had blotches of blood here and there. He had jet black hair and looked like any average person.

Alice wouldn't have dismissed him for a monster had she not witnessed the previous events. She sincerely hopes that he wouldn't be able to see her. The corner she was squeezed in was not particularly comfortable.

And then, Alice's nose began to feel ticklish. Honestly, the timing couldn't have been any worse. She just had to feel the urge sneeze when hiding from a man/boy who snarled like a wild animal. A sort of mild squeak escaped her lips as she stifled her sneeze.

'Please let him not have heard it…Please…please.' She prayed to herself.

Shun stood up from where he sat. He sniffed the air and then his golden eyes narrowed. "Who's there?" he called out.

Alice didn't dare to move. 'He's a monster. So…so he won't be able to enter the shrine.' She told herself in a futile attempt to calm herself down.

Alice shrank back further into the corner, her back was hurting but she didn't care. A 'sore back' would be better than 'splattered guts' any day.

She watched in agony as Shun neared the shrine.

"If you value your life then speak up now." Said Shun warningly, his voice was mingled with a growl at the last bit.

This was it…Alice felt as if her life was about to draw to a close. Her heart quaked as he reached the shrine.

When his eyes fell on Alice the surprise on his face was evident. "How much did you see, human?" he asked.

She couldn't reply. her voice had abandoned her.

"Well?"

Now that she looked at his face, it seemed handsome. She was certain that if she had met him in any other situation she would've developed a crush on him. The next thing she noticed were his fangs; pearly white fangs that glinted dangerously. But then, something disturbed her…She knew that face...She had seen it somewhere previously. It was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Answer me." He commanded as he took hold of her hand and dragged her out of the corner and onto her feet.

"You were…fighting this other person…named 'Titus'..." She answered, realizing that he'd probably kill her if she kept mum. "You were clawing and snarling like animals."

"You know too much." He stated, his eyes burning deep into hers. His face was nonchalant and intense at the same time. Was that even possible?

Tears appeared in her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. "What…what are you?"

A smirk highlighted his lips. "Good question." He cupped her face with his hand. "Too bad it'll go unanswered." He muttered dangerously as he trailed his hand down to her chin.

"Please…you-" she couldn't complete her sentence.

Shun took out a blue-black colored pill and pressed it into Alice's mouth. She tried struggling but he held it in place. "Swallow" he commanded harshly.

Tears welled in her eyes as she resisted with all her might.

"It won't harm you…" whispered Shun, his voice was softer now. He brought his lips closer to her ear... "It won't harm you." he said.

Alice's eyes widened. She didn't know why, but she believed those words of his….There was this sort of hidden sincerity in them that comforted her. Granted, he was a monster that half-threatened up till now, but then that hidden gentleness in his voice made her warm up to him instantly. But then, there was also that vague familiarity that lured her into accepting his order.

"You swear?" she mumbled.

Shun was taken aback, he wasn't expecting that she would actually heed what he said. "Yes…I swear." He himself was surprised at the gentle reassurance that rang through his normally cold, lifeless voice. She obeyed his command and swallowed the pill. A few seconds later she felt dizzy.

Shun knew by now that this was same girl he had encountered thirteen years ago. She had the same intoxicating smell and air of naivety.

"You're a strange one…" muttered Shun. "What's your name?"

Alice felt as if in a daze, everything seemed cloudy and hazy. Her vision was getting more blurred by the second.

"Alice…Alice Gehabich…" she answered.

"And now." Shun whispered into her ear. "You'll forget everything that just happened."

And then, to Alice's horror everything went blank. She fell unconscious.

Shun supported her lax body and placed her on the foot of the tree where he had previously sat down.

"Alice Gehabich…" Shun muttered staring at the beautiful girl who lay there innocently. "Thirteen years ago, I couldn't catch your name." he said. "Pity that you won't be able to remember me this time also." He muttered before walking away.

She had placed trust in him when she willingly swallowed the pill and he wanted to uphold that trust, that is why he didn't drink her blood despite being presented with the opportunity..

"How silly." He muttered to himself.

When Alice finally came to, the sun had already set. She sat up and looked around in astonishment. "Why…why am I here near the shrine? And why is it already night?" she muttered, still confused.

Her back hurt her as she stood up. She rubbed her eyes.

It didn't make much difference, her head still felt heavy. Instantly, the figure of a person with raven-black hair and piercing golden eyes came into her mind. Something about that person bothered her…She had seen him somewhere before, she just knew it…The memories of a six year old girl were nagging her to remember the person, but she couldn't…

She did no know who he was..The how come his features appeared so clear and vivid to her? "Who…who is that person?" she questioned in utter stupefaction. And only the moon heard her bewildered query.

Just so we are clear, Shun and Alice have encountered one another once before in the past, when Alice was about six years old. That is what Shun means by the encounter 'thirteen' years ago. It will be explained in the future.

I hope that the first chapter was to your satisfaction.

Please do leave me a REVIEW and tell me what you think, kay?

Take care.