"Guys! Come on!" The boy called, running after a group older kids. "You can’t go in there! There’s Vampires!"
"Don’t be such a scaredy cat, Iye." One of the boys snickered.
"But it’s true!" The boy exclaimed "There ARE vampires in those woods!"
"Thanos, shut your brother up." Another boy sighed.
The tallest blond of the group sighed and turned to Iye. Thanos gave his brother a warm smile as he leaned down a bit to look him in the eye. Iye was ten so Thanos, being 17, was a good head taller then his brother. "You don’t have to be afraid, Iye. I told you before, there’s no such thing as vampires. They’re just stories adults made up to scare little kids." He said, ruffling the younger boy’s hair.
"But Thanos!" Iye said, ducking away from the hand.
"No ‘But’s. If you don’t believe me then come with us." Thanos challenged, standing straight.
"But... the vampires... They’ll kill you and drink your blood!"
"I’ll be fine. There is no such thing as vampires." Thanos said with a wave of his hand.
"Thanos! Come on!" The group called, already at the edge of the forest.
"Are you coming or not?" Thanos asked.
Iye shook his head. "No way!"
"Fine," Thanos shrugged "I’ll see you at dinner then." He waved before running after his friends.
<>
Terrified, blood-curdling screams resounded throughout the forest. Thanos fell to the needle-covered floor, eyes wide with horror as he witnessed the black figures bit into every one of his friends’ necks. "V-v-v-vampires!"
"Thanos!"
The teen’s head jerked up, hearing his brother’s voice. He must have followed them after all!
A large figure held the sobbing boy up by his shirt collar. "Thanos! Help! I don’t want to die!" Iye screamed.
Rage filled him, accompanied by insanity. Thanos ran at the figure, attempting to tackle him to the ground. "Let go of him!"
However, he didn’t get within arms reach. Another dark figure swung, catching him in the back of the head. Thanos flew into a tree. By the time he came too, his brother hung lifeless, the dark figures fangs still buried in his neck.
"Iye..." The broken teen whispered.
A demon woman stepped toward him, a smirk adorning her face. "My, my. I applaud your bravery. Or perhaps, your stupidity?"
"Just... get it over with. Let me join my brother."
"No, I don’t think so. You could become very useful to me." Her smirk curled into something of pure evil. "My name is Ardis, but you, my dear, may call me mother."
Ardis forced the teen’s head to the side as her fangs dug deep into his neck.
><
"Thanos! Thanos, wake up you fool."
The Yoru Oni sighed as he woke to the summons of his ‘mother’ Ardis. "What do you want?"
"That brat that you activated the other day? She and Darius have already activated a pod and are moving on to a second!"
"So?" Thanos asked, uncaring.
Ardis growled "You started this cycle, so you’re going to help stop it. We’re going to stop them from finding the other pod. Now get up!"
Thanos rolled his eyes. Even after a couple thousand years, he still hated everything about being a Yoru Oni.
<>
The girls wondered around Cairo, Malu doing everything in her power to get off track. "Oh! Oh! Look at that, Darie!" she said, tugging on the other’s arm and pointing.
"Why do I get the feeling you’re not looking for the pod?" Darielle sighed.
Malu pouted "Well... I’m looking!"
"Mmhm. And why did we leave Darius back in the dessert? He could be telling us where to look!"
"Oh, don’t get mad, Darie!" Malu’s pout increased "We’re having fun together, aren’t we? Just you and me! What do we need that stupid Kiyoshi for!"
"Darius said he’ll be really strong against the Yuro Oni, that’s why!"
"But you and me can be strong together! Not to mention all the other elements that are supposed to be activated first! Darius isn’t being fair at all having us activate Kiyoshi now!" Malu cried.
"What does it matter as long as he helps us defeat the Yoru Oni?!" Darielle shouted in annoyance. She suddenly became very aware of the many eyes that were on then. "Heh heh heh," She laughed weakly, waving at the people before grabbing Malu’s wrist and dragging her into a near by alley. "What is your deal with this Kiyoshi guy, anyway?" She asked the white haired girl in an angered whisper. "Aren’t we all supposed to be on the same side?"
Malu stomped her foot "I don’t like him! I don’t want him activated cause he’ll steal you away from me!"
Darielle blinked "He’ll what?"
Malu opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly froze, fear filling what had just been determined white eyes.
"What’s wrong?" The other asked confused.
"Don’t you feel that?" Malu whispered.
"Feel what?" But as soon as Malu had asked the question, a strange feeling of dread began creeping up the back of Darielle’s mind. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She had felt this before, the night she and Kevin left with Darius...
"It’s the Yoru Oni," Malu whispered fearfully. "They’re here! They must know we’re looking for Kiyoshi! Come on, We must get out of the shadows!" The girl said, whispered voice squeaking as she pulled her friend out of the alley.
But getting out of the shadows was going to be easier said then done. Dark clouds were rolling in, blacking out the sun. Thunder boomed, but there was no flash of lighting.
Malu was trembling now "Oh no, this is bad! They could never do something like that before! They’re not supposed to be able to come out of the shadows!"
"So, can’t you just, blow the clouds away?" Darielle asked. The feeling of dread was growing and it felt like it was numbing her mind. She couldn’t shake the image of that thing bending over her brother...
"R-right! I’ll try! You have to find Kiyoshi, quick!"
"By myself!?" Darielle cried.
"You should be able to sense him or something if you try hard enough! Get going! Before they find you!" Malu said before taking off into the air.
"Malu!" Darielle cried after her.
The air was turning cold fast. People were hurrying to get to shelter in fear of the storm.
Darielle took a few deep breaths. "Calm down, Darie, you can do this. Sense him, you’ve got to try to sense him, concentrate." She closed her eyes and tried to focus, but the feeling of dread was even stronger now. Fear was rapidly filling her and she could suddenly see her parents lying dead on the floor. "NO!" She cried, brown eyes shooting open.
There in front of her stood a dark woman. Black lips smiled at her. "My, my, if it isn’t Darius’s little puppet."
Darielle stepped back and felt herself hit a wall. The strange feeling dread seemed to be radiating off of the woman, which only terrified Darielle more. "Y-you’re a Yoru Oni..."
The woman’s smile broadened a bit, showing her fangs. It was an evil smile, as if she was calculating just how she was going to kill her. "My dear, I am the Yoru Oni. I am Ardis," The woman bowed. "It’s been quite some time Darielle." Ardis said, walking toward her.
Darie pressed herself against the wall "Get away from me!"
"Oh, I think not. It’s time to end this, I think. Before you get any stronger." Ardis said, pinning Darielle against the wall, bearing her fangs. "My little Darius won’t be able to do much with just that annoying brat of a wind..."
Darielle whimpered fearfully, brown eyes closing to hide from the end. This was it, she would never see Kevin again. She’d never avenge her parents. She was going to die, just as they had. Even if Ardis didn’t bite her, she felt sure she would drown in the dread and fear that poured off of this woman’s body.
There was a sudden gust of wind and, just like that, the suffocating dread lifted a bit. Darielle gasped for breath as Ardis’s screech filled air.
"Run, Darie!" Malu screamed.
Brown eyes opened to see Malu floating in midair. Of course! She must have blown Ardis away from her...
"Go!" Malu screamed again "Find Kiyoshi! They’re all over, I can’t defeat them by myself! Go!"
It was then that an enraged Ardis knocked the girl do the ground. The vampire screeched as she clawed at the wind child.
"Malu!" Darielle screamed, fearful for the other’s life.
A gust of wind caused Ardis to fly away from the bleeding girl and smash into the opposite wall. "I’m fine! Go! Before more come! "Now!"
Darielle gave a small sob and wiped tears from her eyes before running. She didn’t want to do this anymore, she just wanted to wake up. She should be at home, with her parents and her annoying little brother. She should be watching TV and talking on the phone. Fighting vampires is not something a teenage girl is supposed to do!
Several hisses alerted her of more Yoru Oni. Dread was seeping off of them as well, but not nearly as much as Ardis.
"Got you!" A vampire declared, landing in front of her.
Darielle instantly recognized him as the monster that had killed her parents and attack her and her brother. "No! Get way from me!" She cried, ducking into the nearest door and locking it shut.
"She’s over here!" She heard the vampire shout.
Falling back against the door, she let a few sobs escape. This wasn’t right, she wasn’t supposed to be here at all! She coughed as a strange relief hit her. Looking around, she found herself in what seemed to be a small museum. Something was pulling her forward, a feeling of comfort and safety. She walked forward, not even noticing the rattling of the door.
There was a golden headpiece sitting on a stand. In the center was a perfectly round, purple pebble.
"Kiyoshi..." Darielle breathed, reaching out to touch it.
The door shattered and about a dozen Yoru Oni stormed in. "Grab her." The vampire from outside ordered.
"No!" She cried, quickly touching the pod before the vampires grabbed her.
A rose bud of light erupted into the air. All fell silent and stared as it bloomed to reveal a spiky hair boy, curled into the fetal position. Purple eyes opened to give then a terrifying glare as the rose vanished. "Let. Her. Go."
