Chapter Twenty: Glass Castle:

I waited in the park at night after the funeral. I had so many questions for that bastard. He killed Kiku; I just knew it. He probably wouldn’t deny it either. I even counted on him to laugh at me. Just thinking about him pissed me off. I clenched my teeth.

Kaoru, I’m going to end this once and for all!, I thought.

“End what?” I heard that old snake ask behind me. I whipped around with narrowed eyes. Just as I expected him to be. I put on my best brave face.

“How did you find me?” I asked him.

“I came when you called,” Kaoru replied. I frowned at him.

“Tell me the truth!” I demanded. He looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

“Truth?” he asked. I folded my arms across my chest.

“Did you kill Kiku-chan?” I asked. “Don’t lie to me either!” He didn’t speak at first. I waited with my eyes narrowed at him. Come on, you bastard! Confess it, I know you did! Kaoru finally smirked at me.

“Yes,” he admitted. “I did kill your little friend.”

“Why?” I asked.

“She wanted me to,” Kaoru replied. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Liar!” I hissed. He gave me a small shrug.

“Don’t believe me?” he asked. “Here, let me show you.” He inched towards me wrist. I drew back as fast as I could.

“Oh come now,” he said. “I just want to show you the truth.”

“Don’t touch me,” I muttered. Kaoru gave me a little frown.

“Very well,” he said. He held out his hand to me and shut his eyes. A weird buzzing noise filled my eyes as everywhere around me grew silent. An image filled my head. Kiku stood on the beach, looking at the waves. My jaw just dropped.

“Kiku-chan?” I gasped.

“Shhh,” Kaoru whispered in my head. “Here comes the best part.” My dear friend turned and looked behind her.

“Oh,” she said. “It’s you.” Kaoru came into the image, looking at her. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“So… you know who I am?” he asked. Kiku gave him a small nod. They speak for a long moment. I found myself hoping that she would run away. Instead, she walked closer to the alluring trap of a man. Kaoru stared at her in curiosity.

“What?” he asked. Kiku swallowed for one moment.

“Is it true that you are a…” she began to ask.

“What?” he asked her. My dear friend leaned in real close.

“V-A-M-P-I-R-E?” she spelled out. Kaoru smirked at her.

“Why yes,” he said. Kiku didn’t respond at first. Then, she kind of laughed it off.

“No way!” she brushed off. Kaoru smirked at her.

“Oh, but I am,” he said. Kiku gave him a big smirk.

“Oh really?” she challenged. “Prove it!” I really wished that she hadn’t said that. As soon as those words came out of her mouth, he crept up behind her and sank his teeth into her neck. My poor friend was only able to let off a small gasp before she sank into a slow, but strangely erotic death. Kaoru himself delighted in draining the life out of her. The part that made my stomach was the pleasured look on my dear friend’s face as she was dying. I shook my head.

“Stop it!” I cried. “I don’t want to see anymore; you’re lying! You’re lying! You have to be!” I opened my eyes and looked around. Kaoru was nowhere in sight. It didn’t take me long to figure out where he went. I froze at the heat breath on my hair. Two strong hands seized me from behind. I winced at the tight pressure trapping my body. I didn’t even get to breathe out or scream. That hot breath hit my ear. Then, Kaoru muttered something that pushed me down my road of unraveling and a nightmarish battle that I didn’t even wish for.

“If you do not submit to me, I will kill everything that you hold dear around you!”

I mashed my teeth with such rage. “Never!”

“Excuse me?”

“Never! Now let me go!” The pressure around my body lessened and I fell to my knees on the ground in the deep, dark night.