"Servamp?" Mahiru questioned from behind me.

"Meh, nevermind..." Kuro said, trying to run away. "This is short notice, and my lower back is..."

"Running isn't helping anyone," I said while stopping him with the chain connecting us.

"Violence is not the answer," he said. "I'm a man of peace."

"No, you're a lazy ass!" Mahiru shouted at him.

"Servamp," the pink vampire called out, and we turned to him. "How unfortunate! As long as you're chained to your master, you can forget about ever showing off your true power. Not much of a vampire! And you have to listen to humans of all things!"

"Nah, it's not so bad," Kuro told him. "All I have to do is say, "she made me do it," and I can get away with pretty much anything. No responsibilities. It's a pretty sweet deal."

"Nice try," I told Kuro before turning to the pinkette. "Why did you attack us if you're a vampire too?"

"Hmmm? I'm here on an errand," he told us. "I and others like me were made by one of the seven Servamps, and as such, I must obey the Servamp who made me. The Servamp I obey is named Tsubaki, and Tsubaki hates you. So here's the final question!" He pulled more blades from his hat and grinned at us. "Why does Tsubaki hate you? The answer will be revealed in 30 seconds after you've been skewered!" He tried to attack me, but Kuro pulled me back by the chain connecting us, and I grabbed Mahiru as we fell back. Mahiru landed on the ground in front of me and Kuro, who caught me when I landed.

"Hey! What was that for?" Mahiru asked angrily.

"Did you want to die?" I asked him.

"I've had enough of this, what should I do?" Kuro asked.

"Mahiru, you should get our friends and yourself out of here while we try and keep him here," I said, standing up, and Kuro sighed.

"You've read way too much Shounen Mange... I don't wanna fight..." Kuro sighed again before unleashing an attack on the other vampire. "Didn't I tell you? Whatever happens from now on isn't my fault." I didn't even see Kuro move from my side, but he was suddenly behind the pinkette with blood dripping from his black claws. The pinkette lost an arm and was nearly ripped in half. I covered my face as blood seemed to rain down on Mahiru and me from his wounds. When I finally looked up, I saw Kuro gripping the pinkette's hair in a fist and holding him up.

"Wait, Kuro!" I shouted at him. "Stop it!" He turned his stare at me and I felt my blood run cold. His look was dark as he opened his mouth and was ready to rip the other vampire's throat out. "Kuro! I said stop!" I pulled on the chain forcing his head back. "If I'm supposed to be responsible for everything you do, I refuse to be responsible for this!" He dropped the vamp and I sighed in relief.

"Damned!" the pinkette suddenly yelled. "Damned, all damned! Contestants, do you not know where this train is headed?! You're heading toward a super fun vampire parade in Hell! Brat, you're stuck on a runaway train to a nightmare you can never escape! Sorry folks, that's all for today's show!" He put his hat on his head and turned into a doll.

"What happened to him?" I asked going to the doll and picking it up. "Did he die?"

"Of course I'm not dead!" he laughed still in doll form. "I'm a vampire! What an idiot!" Kuro stuck his claws in the doll's hat and started to shake him.

"Commercial break's over," Kuro told him. "What's this answer?"

"Agh! Stop it!" the pinkette shouted. "Don't shake me! You'll rip off my hat!" Kuro stopped shaking him. "Don't you already know why Tsubaki hates you? Isn't failing the quiz enough of an answer?"

"I don't even know any Tsubaki," Kuro told him.

"Right," he agreed. "You don't "know" Tsubaki. Poor, poor Tsubaki. No one knows Tsubaki. That's why he wants to kill everyone. His siblings, humans, society, even the world. Anyone who doesn't know him is done for!"

"If I don't know him, I don't know him. What a pain..." Kuro sighed again. Suddenly, the chain disappeared and the doll fell to the ground.

"The chain is gone," I stated. "I didn't expect that to happen." I looked over and saw Kuro face down on the ground and quickly moved to his side. "Kuro! Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay... Agh... my muscles are gonna kill me tomorrow... what a pain..." I sighed in relief. He was just fine.

"You're worried about a few sore muscles?" Mahiru asked him annoyed. I felt extremely tired all of a sudden and fell next to Kuro's cat form and was soon asleep.

When I woke up, I was in my room with Kuro sleeping next to my head on my bed. I got up slowly and looked around. Everything seemed normal, but... I picked up Kuro and he started fidgeting in my hands.

"Stop it... I'ma sill shweepy... I was on an epic adventure and had finally found the legendary pillow." I giggled at him before starting to get ready for school.

When I walked into class, Mahiru and Sakuya were the first to see me.

"Hey, Akari. You get enough sleep?" Mahiru asked me as they worked on whatever was in front of them. "I couldn't wake you up this morning."

"Well after what happened last night I'm just glad to be awake," I told him and he looked at me confused. "How's Ryuusei?"

"What happened last night...?" Mahiru asked confused and I looked at Sakuya.

"Is Ryuusei okay?" I asked him and he looked at his desk sadly.

"Sakuya! Yo, catch! A croquette is all you get!" I turned and saw Ryuusei with his neck wrapped around his neck.

"You're okay," I sighed happily.

"Huh?" I hit Sakuya across the head and he was down on the ground.

"How's your neck?" I asked him.

"This? Yeah, I'm fine," he told me.

"You were really hurt though..."

"Ah... the email I sent must have worried you, right?" Koyuki asked me and I gave him a confused look.

"Email?"

"That Ryuu-chan was in a car accident... sorry."

"Car accident? But... that's not what happened..."

"Yeah, when that magician was performing for us a car was driving too fast and lost control. We're lucky no one was really hurt," Mahiru told me.

"But that magician was a vampire," I corrected him.

"A vampire magician?" Koyuki laughed. "Akari, you sound just like Sakuya!"

"Seriously, you weren't even with us yesterday," Ryuusei said and I looked at them confused. What's going on?

Why don't they remember the vampires and the fact that I was with them yesterday? Did someone alter their memories? Is that a vampire's ability? Come to think of it... there wasn't a crowd last night when that riot started.

"It's cramped in here..." I froze at that familiar mumbled voice.

"Shut it! Don't make a scene..."

"Hey, I'm hungry..."

"You're such a pain in the ass..."

"Hey, whoever's talking..." everyone turned to me and I flushed before picking up my backpack and looked inside to see Kuro and the other vampire fighting for room.

"I'm so sorry, Sensei! I'm not feeling well so I'm going to leave early!" I shouted out before running out of the room with my stuff.

"Wait... Shirota?! Didn't you just get here?!"

I was walking home when I pulled out the doll and Kuro jumped on my shoulder.

"Why were you in my bag?" I asked the doll.

"I'm hungry! I want to drink some blood! Hey you, c'mon just a bit..." he begged me.

"You're size and appearance may have changed, but you're still just as annoying," I sighed.

"Hey, look at that kid..." I heard someone talking behind me.

"She's talking with that doll..." I flushed before stuffing the doll back into my bag.

"Hey, what're you doing?! Damn brat, Tsubaki is going to kill you!" he threatened when I finally shoved him in the bag.

"Who is this Tsubaki?" I asked Kuro as I walked down the street. "You sure you don't know him?"

"I wouldn't know any brute that attacks innocent, defenseless kittens like myself!" Kuro told me and I laughed at him as he yawned a meow.

"Whoever he is, he doesn't like you, or anyone for that matter," I told him. "Since the magician failed to kill you then I guess he'll send someone else."

"Nah, that's too much work."

"Such a lazy cat." It suddenly started to rain and I stopped walking and looked up at the clear sky. "Rain on a clear day? A sun shower?" Kuro shrugged and I continued walking home when something strange happened. The world seemed to turn red and everything vanished, but it continued to rain. "What the?!"

"A wall of red?" Kuro asked.

"Hey, you," I looked behind me to see a guy in a traditional kimono with a white coat on with red on the bottom of it. His right sleeve was longer than his left and covered his entire hand and he wore sunglasses that blocked his eyes from view. "Tell me something interesting. There's something very interesting you want to tell me, isn't there?"

"One day a brother and sister picked up a little kitty..." I looked down at my bag as the vampire told the guy the story he wanted. "But it was actually a super-strong vampire! The girl obtained the vampire's power and nearly killed a poor, wretched magician... He was done for!"

"What a pain. I've got a bad feeling about this..." Kuro said.

"Are you... a vampire?" I asked the guy in the kimono who suddenly started laughing. A lot. He suddenly stopped and looked at me with golden eyes.

"Boring." Kuro moved between my hair and my neck to try and hide and that just made me nervous.

"Why are you hiding behind me?" I asked him. "You're the only one who could fight him. Do you know him?"

"I... I don't know him! He's got creepy eyes..."

"You think I didn't notice that?"

"By the way..." we turned to see him going through a familiar bag until he pulled out the vampire doll. "I was looking for this. Thanks for picking it up for me." I looked down at my side to see my bag was gone.

"Ah, I'm so sooore! You're late, Tsuba-kyuun!" the doll complained.

"Of all the names to call him, that's what you go for?" I asked with a sweatdrop going down my face. Or was that still the rain?

"But you save me! Thank you, Tsuba-kyuun! I'll buy you some Haagen Dazs later!"

"I saved your life and Haagen Dazs is my thanks?"

"Uh-huh! It's a creamy treat..." Tsubaki started cracking up again before he dropped the laughter and tossed the doll behind him.

"Boring."

"How can you say that, Tsuba-kyun?! I know! Two ice creams! I'll give you two ice creams!" Tsubaki went and grabbed the doll happily.

"I like the green tea and apricot flavors, okay?"

"Tsuba-kyun... I'll get you every flavor..."

"And now they're in their own world..." I sighed.

"What a pain in the ass..."

"But... he just came out of nowhere... This Tsubaki person..."

"Quit it! You're thinking too hard!" Kuro told me. "More importantly, we should get out of here..."

"Where would we go?" I asked him looking around the world of red. I jumped as Tsubaki appeared right in front of my face.

"I am Tsubaki. What of it?" he asked me. "I caused all this fighting. So what? I want to kill all humans and vampires anyhow. It's all me, so what?" He reached out to me and grabbed Kuro by his face and threw him to the ground making him transform back into his human form. "I'm very depressed, you see. Sleepy Ash, or should I say "Sloth"... Tell me something interesting. If nothing else, you'd agree that the world is a worthless place, wouldn't you? I say we start a war. How about it, big brother?"