Rosario of Sorrow

Chapter one: Childhood Promise and a Vampire

It was the year 2025, and the long winter had finally given way and allowed spring to take rein. A bright sun hung over the park, which was bustling with activity since the snow was finally off the ground. Children played happily with one another, while parents looked on with pride at their offspring, as they basked in the warm spring day.

Near the edge of the park, a girl of around eight sat alone, clad in a black and red school uniform. Her pink bangs fell into her despondent eyes, as a silver cross hung from her neck, attached to a black leather choker. Her parents were not around, nor were most of her sisters, and she sincerely hoped the youngest didn't find her, or it would've doubtlessly caused a catastrophe. Even her caretaker, who waited patiently in a black limousine, seemed like he was hundreds of miles away.

As she wept, a lone boy approached the grieving child, clad in a gray jacket and blue jeans. His skin was rather pale for a Japanese youth, but his most distinguishing feature was his full head of white hair, which was an anomaly amongst his peers.

"Hey," he began, as he stopped before the despondent girl and placed his hands on his knees, "you alright?"

The pink-haired girl sighed mournfully in response. "No one wants to play with me," she spoke in a small voice.

"I'll play with you," the Japanese boy spoke up without hesitation, as he knew well the pain of isolation.

The distraught child looked up at him, her tearful green eyes widening in hope. "You will?"

"Sure," the boy replied with a smile as he held out his hand, "playing by yourself must be lonely."

"Oh, thank you so much!" she exclaimed excitedly as she took his hand. The boy's eyes went wide, and he groaned in pain as he felt his hand being crushed in her viselike grip.

"AH!" the pink-haired girl cried out as she instinctively released him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she spoke rapidly as she stood up and held her hands out in a pacifying manner. "I didn't mean to grab you that hard! It's just-" She groaned and looked away, certain that she would've been rejected for her thoughtless actions.

"I-i-i-it's alright," the pale youth replied in a shaky voice, as he held his injured hand close to his body.

"Are you sure," the eight-year-old child spoke nervously.

"Yeah, didn't think you had such a strong grip. Do you work out?"

The pink-haired girl hummed nervously to herself, as she looked unsure about how to have responded.

"Anyway," the Japanese youth spoke up as he held out his good hand, "I'm Cruz Soma."

The formerly sad child smiled, and held the outstretched hand gently in her own. "Akashiya Moka."

"'Red night,'" Soma asked himself mentally, perplexed by her surname. "Anyway, let's meet here everyday, and play together."

"Promise," the strange girl asked with a hopeful look.

"Cross my heart," the white-haired boy replied with a warm smile.

"YAY!" Moka exclaimed as she tightly hugged her new friend. When he cried out in pain at being embraced too tight, she quickly released him. "Sorry, I'm sorry!" she hastily replied, as a sweatdrop ran down the back of her head.

True to his word, Cruz Soma met Akashiya Moka met at the park every day. It was one of the happiest times in both of their young lives, one they wished would've lasted forever.

"I really like playing with you, Moka," the white-haired boy spoke as he sat on the swings.

"Same here," the happy girl replied as she sat on the swing beside him.

"You know, you're my only friend." Soma then scratched his cheek, "Well, besides Mina."

"Who's Mina?!" Moka snapped as her head snapped in his direction.

"She's, my friend," the boy replied, perplexed by the hard glare sent his way. "You're not mad, are you?"

"You're my only friend!" the pink-haired girl declared as she rose from her swing and tightly wrapped her arms around Soma. "I won't share you with anyone! I won't!" she announced repeatedly as she tightened her grip on him. The sound of the boy's groans quickly brought her back to her senses and she released him. "I'm sorry, Soma!" she spoke repeatedly, ashamed that she'd lost control of her strength yet again. She became even more afraid, as she feared if his parents found out she'd injured him, she would've never seen him again. And then she would've been alone, again.

The boy groaned to himself, as he absently rubbed his ribs. "Alright then," he offered, trying to ignore the pain lest his parents have discovered it, "let's make a promise."

"A promise," Moka asked with a curious look.

"Yeah, that no matter what happens, or how many friends we have, we'll always be best friends." Soma smiled sheepishly, and prayed that she would've been satisfied with his proposal.

The pink-haired girl smiled in response, and tilted her head to the side. "It's a promise."

"Between best friends," the Japanese youth replied with a nod, grateful that she'd accepted his offer. He didn't want to have considered the consequences if she'd rejected it.

"Hey Soma," Moka asked nervously, which got the white-haired boy's attention. "What do you think about Vampires?"

The strange lad gave her a perplexed look, and absently scratched his cheek. "Um, I guess they're cool." he replied, somewhat taken aback by her inquiry. He'd never believed vampires existed, so he never gave it a second thought before that time. " I had a dream that I was a Vampire once," he continued hesitantly, "but I was a scary one."

Soma recalled himself in his dream, an imposing being clad in twisted golden armor, with a dark cloak around his shoulders. A brooding scowl crossed his features as he hovered above another similar being, who looked up towards him with a frightened look.

"Night falls," Soma remembered saying in a menacing voice, for reasons he couldn't fathom. "And now, the finale!" A twisted laugh escaped him, as he held a huge sphere of blazing dark energy above him, targeted at the cloaked man in silver armor below. "Everything must burn!" Soma announced as he hurled the sphere at his apparent adversary. "DEMONIC MEGIDDO!" The huge orb crashed into its target and erupted in a titanic explosion of seething dark energy. The figure's screams could've been heard within the explosion, which Soma found disturbingly pleasing. "That is the power of darkness!" he proclaimed proudly, as he turned about and disappeared in a black mist.

The white-haired youth decided against relaying any of the details, as he was sure it would've terrified her. He saw his close friend looking curiously at him, and he wondered if she suspected that he didn't believe in vampires.

The Akashiya girl somberly closed her eyes, and wrapped her arms around herself, as she mustered her courage. "You might not believe it, but vampires are real." She then opened her eyes, as she felt herself shaking. "I should know, I am a vampire."

"W-w-w-what?!" Soma exclaimed in shocked, as Moka looked nothing like the vampires he'd seen in the movies. But when he considered her monstrous strength and unusual surname, he knew it could've been possible. He calmed himself down, as he realized she'd risked a lot by what she'd just revealed. "It's alright," he finally spoke up. "No matter what, you're still Moka, my best friend in the world," he finished, as he tried to make his smile look convincing.

"Soma," the pink-haired girl spoke doubtfully, but she felt them subside as she beheld his warm gray eyes. "Soma!" she exclaimed joyfully as she instinctively embraced him. "Thank you so much," she spoke gratefully as she cried tears of joy.
"Don't mention it," the stricken boy replied as he felt his ribs being compacted. "I'm here for you, through thick and thin!"

"Oops!" Moka replied as she realized she was holding him too tightly again. "Sorry," she replied sheepishly as she relaxed her grip. "You're my best friend ever." She soon felt his arms wrapping around her shoulders, which made her feel more at ease. "I think, I'm in love," she thought to herself. Unbeknownst to her, the crimson jewel in the middle of her Rosario glowed brightly for a moment, then faded.

A few days passed after that tender moment. The white-hared boy met his best friend at the park again, but on that occasion he wore a grave expression.

"Soma," the vampire girl asked nervously, "what's wrong?"

A deep sigh came from the enigmatic youth. "Moka," he began sadly, "I hate to say this but, I'll be moving away soon." He looked down morosely, unable to have concealed his fully concealed his sorrow.

"N-no!" the pink-haired girl protested, as tears came to her eyes.

"You can't!" She instinctively grabbed his shoulders, aghast at the possibility of losing her only friend.

"I'm sorry," Soma replied sadly, as he tried hard not to cry. He loathed the decision as much as Moka, but he also knew he had no say in the matter, since he was still a child.

"Why, why are they taking you away? It's not fair!" she declared through tears of bitterness. "You're my only friend, they-they can't take you away! I don't want to be alone again! I don't!" She clutched tightly to his jacket, and buried her grieving face into his shoulder.

"Moka," the white-haired boy replied softly, saddened and yet nervous by response.

After several long moments, the young vampire ceased her weeping, wiped her tears away and looked at her close friend. "Soma," she began anxiously, "can you promise me one thing?"

"Sure," the strange youth replied without hesitation.

"Promise me, that if we meet again, we'll get married."

Soma became thunderstruck, and almost lost his balance when he heard her proposition. "Um, is this a good idea," he thought nervously to himself. He knew Moka looked innocent at the moment, but wondered how she would've turned out after another ten or twenty years, and wondered if she would've become like the vampires in the old horror movies.

"Promise me!" the pink-haired girl insisted, aggravated by his hesitation. "I'd promise you, because-" She paused for a moment, as a soft blush appeared on her cheeks. "I love you."

Soma cringed in response. "That's dirty pool!" he accused mentally. He then tensed up again, as he wondered if she could've read his mind. He quickly shook it off, as he remembered how impatient his friend could've been. And as he thought about it, he felt the same way towards Moka, and chose to let her know. "I love you too," he finally admitted as he hugged her warmly. "I promise."

"We'll see each other again, right," the vampire asked hopefully, tears in her emerald eyes.

"I know we will," Soma replied with a somewhat forced smile.

A few minutes later, Soma's parents arrived in their car to pick him up. A grave sigh escaped him, as he knew once he left, he would've never come to the park again.

"I have to go now," he admitted begrudgingly, as he gazed at the ground for a moment. "Goodbye, Moka," he concluded as he turned and headed towards the car.

"Wait!" the pink-haired girl called out and ran to him. He turned back, and the young vampire grabbed his jacket lapels, pulled him towards her and kissed him on the cheek. "That's so you won't forget our promise," she spoke with a smirk, a veiled threat in her voice as the jewel of her cross glowed.

Soma looked at her nervously, and knew he wouldn't have liked the consequences of failing Moka. "I'll come back for you," he spoke with a nervous blush, "I promise"

Eight years passed since that sad day. Cruz Soma was alone as he walked down the street of his suburban neighborhood, frustrated by the recent turn of events.

"Damn," he muttered as he looked at the list of high schools, "I didn't get into any of the schools I wanted. Juuban, Furinkan, Karakura, all of them turned me down." A frustrated sigh escaped him as he brooded his fate. "This sucks."

"Troubled, my son," a older man's voice asked cryptically.

Soma gasped in response, as he was certain there was no one behind him. He spun around, and saw a man in a white robe and habit, with a silver cross hanging from his neck. The lower end of the habit concealed his eyes.

"Who are you?!" the teenager demanded. "You got a lot of nerve sneaking up on me like that! I don't care if you're a priest, you try exploiting me and I'll knock your block off!"

A rather sinister laugh escaped the stranger, which Soma found very unsettling. "Such an excitable youth, you would be perfect for our, fine institution."

He held out a manilla envelope, which the somewhat hostile youth suspiciously took. He opened it, and pulled out what he discovered was a new student form. He became even more suspicious when he saw the name of the institution. "Youkai Academy," he asked with a quizzical look. "Is this some sort of a-" He looked up, and saw the man before him was gone. He looked about the area, and saw no sign of the mysterious figure. "Where'd he go?!" After several seconds of looking about, he gave up trying to find the stranger. He then looked to the form in his hand. "Well, it's either this or Ishiyama. I think I'll take my chances." He then turned about, and headed towards his house. "Shoot, and I really wanted to get into Juuban, heard the girls there were really hot. What a shame."

As the white-haired youth disappeared down the street, his mysterious benefactor walked out of a dark alley and watched him. "Excellent, " he began with a cryptic smile, "now that the stage is set. We can welcome the Lord of Darkness himself, into our academy."

Author's Note: This is the second time I pair up a White haired guy with a pink haired girl! I'll be changing some details about Soma's past and his age during Aria of Sorrow, so please bear with me! Next chapter is Soma and Moka's reunion! Did anyone guess what anime Ishiyama is from?]