From then on, Emiko and Kakeru spent almost every waking moment together. It was clear how fast they had fallen in love. Kakeru's lust for her blood had only grown in the few weeks they had known one another. It was now painful and almost unbearable. Every second with her he heard the blood rushing in her veins. As ever, he continued to ignore it.

Quite often they visited the hut in the woods. It had become their little love nest. He had shown her how he made the models and even helped her carve a wooden chute that he would need.

"Emiko?" he asked one day. They were in the hut weaving straw for another experiment.

"Hmm? What is it?" she asked, brushing some of her long hair away from her face before looking up at him.

"What. . .if I was different? I mean from everyone in the village?" he asked softly

"But you are different" she smiled "No one has ever thought of me as more than the donation girl. Though of course, I'm happy to fill that role" She went back to her weaving.

"I mean... what if...I wasn't fully human?" he asked. It had taken a lot of courage before he was able to say that. He wasn't shy by nature, he was far from it, but he was afraid. Afraid she would fear him and leave him when she knew what he was. He focused on his weaving as he waited for a reply. The pulling that signaled her weaving stopped.

Kakeru raised his eyes slowly to look at her. "You mean. . .like a demon?" she asked softly.

"Of sorts..." he replied, choosing his words carefully.

"I don't suppose I'd know how to handle it...it would be rather alarming"

"Ah...of course...I-" his next words were cut off by the tolling of a loud bell. Emiko looked up with him. That was the village's warning bell. Something was wrong.

Dropping the project, Kakeru grabbed Emiko's arm, pulling her closer to him as they fled the hut, following the secret path to the village. They arrived to heat. Horses trampled around in the streets herding the villagers towards the center of town. Each home was ablaze with yellow and orange flames, even Kakeru's. The heat was almost unbearable and it swept over them just at the end of the path.

Emiko gasped at the devastation, one hand flying to her mouth to cover her gasp. Kakeru pulled her to his strong chest before moving closer to the burning house. At least behind it they stood a chance of hiding. The familiar scream of a woman cut through the air. Kakeru's lips parted in a silent gasp. It was his mother. A male voice joined in, after the woman screamed.

"Leave her alone! She hasn't done any-" the mans words cut off sharply, and Kakeru could smell blood. He closed his eyes in brief mourning. He had to do something. He quickly embraced Emiko before leaving her side. He grabbed one of the burning sticks from beside the house holding it as a sword and a torch, he left the small shelter to face the riders.

The leader was the first to sense him. The man was still on his horse. His face turned towards Kakeru. He was just plain ugly. He wore a white tunic with brown armor covering his torso. His head had been shaved except for an Egyptian style pony tail sprouting from the middle of his head. His eyes were brown and evil looking under thick eyebrows. His mouth twisted in a nasty sneer exposing brown chipped teeth. "Well, look what we have here boys" he sneered, his voice as nasty as his face. He turned his horse to face the single vampire. The rest of his band turned as well. Half the bandits were on foot, separating the men from the women. The other half brandished swords and remained mounted on their horses. Every person, even the captives, turned to look at him.

"Well, looks like we missed one, boss" one bandit said, turning his horse to approach Kakeru "Want us to put him with the others?"

"Of course" the leader snapped irritably. "He'll be a fine prize. Put him with the others"

Kakeru held his ground as the mounted rider and three others approached him. They separated, trying to outflank him. He remained still. He'd discovered his unique powers long ago. It had taken very little time for him to learn to control each talent. And this was the perfect situation to use it in.

The horseback group prevented the villagers from seeing anything. The men closed in around him, but in a flash, he was gone. His powers allowed him to move quicker than they could see. So as far as they knew, he vanished and reappeared behind them. He retook his stance but stopped when fresh blood wafted into his senses. His eyes widened.

Another mounted bandit rode from behind the house "Heh, you missed it boss" the man grinned wickedly "There was this pretty wench behind the house... blond hair.. the works. Wouldda been worth a fortune... Had ta cut her down though... the wench refused to obey"

At the realization of what had happened, Kakeru's eyes began to glow. His anger and protectiveness blended into one, creating a whirlwind that cut around the bandits as if they were dolls. Kakeru stood in the center of it all. When it was over, not one bandit remained on their feet. The villagers likewise, had been tossed around but none were injured. If anything they were dazed that such a gale had come on such a calm day. The wind had wreaked havoc on several of the burning buildings nearby. They sky had cleared of smoke during the blast, but was quickly blackened by the ash and smoke seconds later.

None of this mattered to him though. He only cared about the person who lay injured or dead just beyond one of the homes. He hurried to her, his eyes moving over her still figure. A large pool of blood stained her torso, one of her hands dyed red as she tried in vain to staunch the bleeding. His breath caught as he kneeled by her, gently raising her to hold her close to him "Emiko..." he whispered, closing his eyes. He knew she wasn't dead, but with her injury, she might as well be. Not even the best medic could help her. Only one thing could help her, but he was loathe to do so.

Something hot and wet touched his cheek. He would have thought it a tear, except that it was far from any spot a tear would fall. He allowed his eyes to open and stare into the smudged pale face of the girl he loved. Her eyes were open and she stared at him sadly. "Ka...keru.." she croaked weakly, her soft voice breaking.

Emiko stared at the sorrowful eyes of the man she loved. His perfect face was so sad. Her body blazed with pain and she knew she wouldn't last much longer. No matter how perfect her life was, she would have to leave. Then she heard his voice. It sounded so far away and she could barely make out the words. "Emiko...I...secret...I'm...different... powers... can save you...let me?"

"Will you let me?" he repeated softly, fearing she was to far gone to hear. She surprised him with a nod followed by a whispered 'yes'. He nodded in reply. He needed to hurry. He couldn't let the villagers see, nor could he let her heartbeat get any weaker.

He gently pulled her closer to him, pausing as he took in her sweet scent. Releasing his fangs, he sank them into her pale neck.