A raindrop for bon_san! (1/4)

[stormies]

Title: I vow my love to you for a hundred years
Pairing(s): Sho/Jun, Sho/Nino, Sho/Ohno
Genres: Vampires, reincarnation, friends with benefits, misunderstandings.
Rating: NC-17
Summary: The idea of getting involved with a vampire makes Sakurai Sho's skin crawl, despite having been one himself for three hundred years. He's only ever loved human men, in particular two members of the now-extinct Ohmiya family. One day, he meets a newborn vampire that looks and smells like a walking pile of garbage, and for some reason, Sho just can't leave him alone. Lord Masaki, ruler of Sunrise Land, hopes this newborn will be a positive influence to make Sho stop chasing humans. Sho, however, may need another few centuries to make up his mind, especially when both of his past lovers are reborn and come back into his life.
Warning(s): Characters die several times, but they get reborn.
Author's notes: Bon-san, I had this idea and ran with it. Now I’m crossing my fingers and hoping you’ll enjoy reading the result as much as I enjoyed the process. The initial setting is inspired on medieval Japan… and it advances from there. The three pairings mentioned make appearances during the story, albeit at different points. The genre is misunderstandings, so you may guess which pairing stays together by the end of it? Anyway, have fun!





The first thing Jun felt was the heat.

It was unbearable, it was everywhere. The air around him felt as though a wildfire was spreading nearby. His lungs burned as if he was breathing smoke. He started coughing; that finished waking him up. He rolled on his side and rubbed his eyes.

“Shouldn’t have drunk so much last night…” he muttered to himself.

He managed to crawl under the shade of a large tree. His body felt strangely weakened and his head was spinning. He had squint due to the light surrounding him; even at the shade, it made his eyes hurt. He sat up with his back against the tree’s bark, grumbling to himself.

“What the fuck’s wrong with this weather?” He shielded his eyes with his hand to glance at his surroundings. He frowned. “Where am I anyway?”

The last he remembered from the previous night… god, it was blurry, probably due to all that sake he’d been chugging down from the moment he walked into that house. It was a rare opportunity to have a taste of the lifestyle of the rich and powerful, he couldn’t let it pass. Dinner was larger than he expected for a party of two, almost excessive from a commoner’s point of view. His hostess probably had different ideas.

Ah, yes, her. She was there before he passed out, wasn’t she?

She was a wealthy widow who had recently moved into the mansion near Jun’s humble shack. There were talks that she had been the late Lord Matsumoto’s lover and that now his son was her lover as well. Jun had no interest in gossip, but he heard about it every time he went to visit other people. He knew that they only commented it to him because of the unconfirmed story about him being the late Lord’s illegitimate child.

That rumor had been why she became interested in him. She had her servants offer him an astounding amount of money to do some work in her gardens. She spied him from behind her blinds and silken curtains. He could see the long, colorful sleeves of her multilayered kimono peeking through the tiny space between the blinds and the floor.

One day, she asked him to come in. A cushion was set for him in front of the blinds. She was sitting behind them, her floral perfume strong enough to reach him. After getting tea and some sweets served, she asked her maids to leave, and only spoke again when she heard the doors close.

“You do look just like him,” she said. “I dare say you’re even more handsome. But I’d need to do a proper check.”

Jun was shocked when she pulled on a string and rolled the blinds up. The most shocking thing, however, had been her face. It was so small, delicate, youthful. She didn’t look a day older than twenty, although it was a well-known fact that she was around her fifties. Her long black hair cascaded down her back like silken threads.

The first few visits were rather innocent. She showed him her large collection of artworks and tried to teach him how to read. It wasn’t until the tenth visit that she made a move on him. She kissed him on the mouth, her tongue prodding his lips until he parted them for her. He gasped when, as they were kissing, she started removing his clothes. Her delicate hand slipped between his legs and started fondling him, her touch setting his body on fire.

“W-Wait…” Jun gasped, pushing her away. His torso was already exposed, his breeches pulled down to his thighs. And he was so hard it was almost painful.

“You’re adorable,” she said, laughing with a hand covering her mouth. She sat a few steps away from him, her eyes glinting. “Come back tomorrow night. I’m sure you’ll be ready by then.”

Jun had hesitated. Their social stations couldn’t be more different, not to mention that if the rumor about the current Lord Matsumoto being her lover was true, Jun could get in major trouble. The lord didn’t like him much due to the rumors, especially with people saying that Jun looked more than the late lord than the current lord did. It was a miracle he hadn’t been expelled from the lord’s lands. She was also probably old enough to be Jun’s mother. Granted, nobody would be able to tell from the way she looked.

On the other hand, it had been a while since Jun hooked up with anyone. The last time had been during the mid-autumn festival, with a young man who also worked at the lord’s rice fields. He’d had a rather lonely winter.

He decided to go. And it was worth it.

The very last thing he could remember was having her on top of him, half-undressed, her pale skin glowing under the moonlight. He’d just had the best orgasm of his life. He had gone in a few hours from that to… this.

The heat, the light, the scenery that was so utterly unfamiliar to him. There were mountains in sight not far from him. Mountains!? There weren’t any around his home! And, as his senses continued awakening, a putrid smell coming from something nearby made him retch. Closer examination suggested that he was the source of it. Jun looked down, noticing how ragged and dirty his clothes were. He had to push back his hair, which kept getting in his face and seemed to be much longer than he remembered.

What happened last night!?

With much effort, he got to his feet and staggered aimlessly, sticking to the path covered by trees. The sun hadn’t even finished coming up, he could see it rising on the horizon. It horrified him to think that the heat would probably get much stronger once it was fully out. His head was spinning as he dragged his feet forward. He thought he might pass out soon if he couldn’t figure out a way to deal with the heat.

Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable clip-clop of a horse’s hooves. Through his squinting eyes, he could see the rider, a man in mourning clothes. He was so relieved he could cry. With the last of his energy, he started yelling and flailing his arms, hoping that the stranger would notice him. The man took heed of him right away. He got off his horse and walked up to Jun. He covered his face with the sleeve of his haori when he was a few steps away.

“Whoa! That’s a strong smell!” The man observed Jun with an amused expression, showing no signs of repulsion whatsoever.

Jun jumped on the guy, holding on to his arms. “Sir, you must help me out! I… I don’t know where I am,” he said. “L-Last night… last night I was at a friend’s home, and I passed out and… and… now… I don’t know what happened. I don’t even know how long it’s been! I can’t even recognize myself! Why is my hair this long? Why am I so dirty? Why do I smell like my flesh is rotting!?”

Jun broke into tears, sinking to his knees without letting go of the man. “What’s going on with me? Everything’s so hot, so bright around me! M-My head…! I think it’s going to burst! A-Am I… am I going crazy, sir?”

The man gave Jun a sympathetic look. He patted the top of Jun’s head softly. “Hey, calm down. Everything is going to be alright.”

Jun looked up at him, his eyes full of tears. It seemed to him that the man was smiling.

The man had a wide hat in his left hand, which he placed on top of Jun’s head. The hat had a dark veil around it, which blocked some of the light and eased Jun’s headache a little. The man picked Jun up with surprising ease and sat him atop his horse.

“We need to get you somewhere cool,” he said, as he guided his horse through a path where the trees were much taller and cast larger shadows. “I think there’s a cave around this area… aha!”

The cave was small and dark. Jun felt much better the moment he walked into it. The man made him sit with his back leaning against the cave wall and then placed a curtain in the entrance of the cave. It effectively shut out the sunlight, which was getting stronger outside.

“Are you alright?”

Jun opened his eyes. He was surprised that, despite the cave being so dark, he could see the man clearly. In fact, his eyesight was much better now that they weren't outdoors. The man had a serious face, with large brown eyes and a small button nose that softened it a little. His lips were plump and red. He had his hair tied in a knot, as was the custom among noblemen. He was wearing a pitch-black kimono and haori, with a white nagajuban and a striped dark gray hakama—a mourning attire, just like he thought. He seemed to be somewhere between his late twenties and early thirties.

“Yes,” Jun mumbled. “Thank you.”

The man smiled at him. “When did you regain consciousness? It looks to me like it was pretty recently.”

Jun frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Let me rephrase the question,” the man said with a chuckle. “What’s the last day you remember?”

“Yesterday,” Jun replied. “I told you, didn’t I? That yesterday I was at a friend’s home, and now… now I’m in the middle of nowhere!”

“Oh! It was today, then?” the man whistled. “You were in luck that I passed through this road! Another hour and you would have been dead!”

“Dead!?” Jun gasped. There had been a moment he considered that he could be dying of a stroke, yes, but to hear the man say it with such conviction was unsettling. “What do you mean!?”

“The sun was coming up. The trees could keep you safe for another while, but it’d be over for you before noon. We’ve had pretty hot weather recently.”

Jun blinked. “I… I don’t understand. Why would that be a danger to me?”

“Of course you don’t understand! You just regained consciousness!” the man laughed. “For our kind, that’s like being a newborn!”

“Our kind? What?” Jun stood up, intending to storm off. Talking to that man was only making him more confused. As he took his first step, however, he lost his balance. The man was quickly by his side, holding him so that he didn’t fall to the ground.

“Easy there, baby,” the man said, grinning. “You just stood outside for who knows how long, and you probably haven’t eaten in a while. It’s best if you don’t push yourself.”

“Don’t call me baby!” Jun hissed.

The man wasn’t the least bit phased by his reaction. “If I call you baby, it’s because you are one,” he said. “A defenseless, delicate creature, that desperately needs some proper care and support to survive. And you’ve fallen into my hands now.”

The words offended Jun, but the tone wasn’t a mocking one. The man’s expression had turned grave as he spoke, something like pity showing in his eyes.

“Now… this may be a little scary, but I need to see your fangs before we continue.”

“My… what!? I don’t—”

The man’s eyes glowed blue. Jun felt two fangs descending from his gums after that. As if that wasn’t terrifying enough, the man opened his mouth to reveal a set of fangs as well!

Jun screamed in terror, pushing the man away and recoiling in a corner of the cave. He touched his fangs and cried when he noted how sharp they were. His mind was reeling as he thought of the implications of it. His headache returned with a vengeance, and he couldn’t breathe. He just wished he could go back home and forget everything that had happened.

“I needed to confirm it,” the man said with a sigh. “I was sure from the moment I saw you. I wouldn’t have come to your aid otherwise. This is the standard procedure for cases like this, though, so it had to be done. I’m sorry for frightening you.”

“What are you!? What am I!? This can’t be happening to me!” Jun sobbed.

The man pressed his lips into a line. “What you remember as ‘yesterday’ was your last day as a human. It was exactly ten years ago.”

Jun shook his head frantically. “No, it can’t be! It can’t be, it’s impossible!”

“It’s not,” the man said. “Trust me, I’ve been where you are right now. Three hundred years ago, I couldn’t believe it either!”

Jun frowned. “Nobody can live that long!”

“Humans can’t,” the man corrected. “But you and I, we’re different. Our species is different.”

Jun gulped, looking at the man incredulously. Could he believe a word of what he was saying? That he wasn’t human? Then again, there were those fangs in his mouth and the man’s mouth, so even if it made no sense, did he have any option other than accepting it as true?

“We are vampires,” the man said. “Humankind’s only predator.”



Back when Jun was a child, his mom had told him about the vampires. The two of them lived in their shack, away from everyone. Jun’s mother wasn’t from the area. She had been working at Lord Matsumoto’s castle until she was kicked out one day, already pregnant with Jun.

Contrary to what most people thought, Jun considered his childhood was quite happy. They were poor, and they had to work hard at Lord Matsumoto’s fields to survive. But Jun’s mother was a loving, gentle woman. She was smart, well-read, and very wise. He always wondered how it was that she ended impoverished like that, but she never talked about it. What she did share with him were the stories she had memorized from her youth.

“Many, many years ago, before the first Emperor claimed the throne, the vampires ruled over the humans,” she started. “They looked just like us, but they had an otherworldly beauty, supernatural powers, and eternal youth. They could only go out after sunset, and their sole source of food was human blood. They had long fangs to pierce people’s necks like… this!”

Jun laughed as his mother launched a pretend attack on him, growling and tickling him. He scooted closer to her, resting his head on her lap as she resumed her story.

“It is said that the Vampire King, Matsuoka Masahiro, was the most stunning and bloodthirsty vampire to ever walk the earth. He killed humans every single night,” she said. “But then, after hundreds of years, a brave tribe of warriors ambushed his palace. They cut his head off and ripped out his heart, in a declaration of war against humanity’s vampire masters.”

Jun’s eyes were wide in awe. “Did they win, mama?”

“It took hundreds of years. The battles were so long and had so many casualties that many people believed it’d be the end of the world!” she replied. “In the end, humans prevailed. The first Emperor, son of the hero who started the rebellion, finished the war and named the nation under his rule Yamato, in honor of his father.”

“Does that mean there are no vampires anymore?”

“Yes,” Jun’s mother said. Then, she flashed him a mysterious smile and spoke in hushed tones. “Most people think that the stories about vampires are legends, but others say they have seen them hiding among common people. They could be anywhere…”

Jun liked listening to the stories, but he didn’t believe them. There were rumors of a vampire inhabiting Lord Matsumoto’s castle, of servants who would suddenly get strange bite marks on their necks, with two little puncture wounds. From what Jun heard, most of the peasants in the area jested that Lord Matsumoto was the vampire and that the hickeys he left on so many people were proof of how far his philandering ways had gone. Instead, there was another type of nocturnal supernatural creature that people claimed was real. The description couldn’t be more different from vampires.

“They’re called zombies. They eat human flesh and blood. Along with vampires, they are known as the undead,” Jun’s neighbor said as they talked one winter night.

Jun was eighteen years old. He had lived alone for several years after his mother passed away. That neighbor’s family always let him stay with them during the winter, so that he wouldn’t freeze to death. Jun’s first lover was the man’s eldest son, who was around Jun’s age.

“Zombies are corpses of people who suffer violent deaths and don’t get a proper burial, so they get possessed by a demon,” the neighbor continued. “That’s why there are so many lately, with all the groups of bandits that have popped up in this province. The roads aren’t safe anymore.”

“They say the fields south of here, in Lord Takizawa’s domains, are riddled with zombies,” the neighbor’s wife said, shuddering a little. “They’re the foulest creatures of all. Their bony bodies never gain weight no matter how many humans they eat, and their skin looks yellow or blue. You can always notice them coming because of the putrid stench oozing from their decaying organs.”

“I’ve heard that they hide in pits all day and come out to hunt people at night,” the neighbor’s eldest son added. “You have to be cautious when you go back to your place next spring, Jun-kun. There have been some sightings around here.”

Jun bit the inside of his cheek, trying not to smile as the young man sneakily grabbed his hand. He was glad that it was dark already, so no one would notice him blushing. “I will take care,” he said.

“You should walk Jun-kun home when the two of you come back from the fields, darling,” the neighbor’s wife said. “Zombies only attack people who are walking all alone.”

“I agree, son. And it shouldn’t be a problem since Jun-kun’s home isn’t that far.”

“Then I shall do as you say, father,” the young man replied. He gave Jun a quite mischievous look while the other family members continued discussing the topic. He leaned closer to Jun to whisper some words into his ear. “Seems it won’t be so difficult to get some alone time after all.”

The zombie panic was still going strong. He never believed in it either, although he played along with his neighbors’ precautions to get some private time with their eldest son. It was a memorable spring and summer for them.

He heard of vampires and zombies again at the wealthy widow’s mansion. She owned a collection of scrolls with explicit images depicting vampires drinking the blood of humans during sex and of zombies being the vampires’ submissive slaves.

“Vampires are sex gods, no human can resist them,” the widow said with a smirk. “Their sexual appetite is incredibly high. And they’re such good lovers that people get addicted to them.”

Jun hummed. “And zombies?”

“Oh, they’re a bit of a mess!” the widow laughed. “They can’t function at all without a vampire master to keep them under control. They’re rather calm when they aren’t left to their own devices. Otherwise, they’re nasty.”

“You talk like you’ve met vampires and zombies in person,” Jun commented.

“That’s because I have,” she replied. “Back when I was young, I lived with a vampire for a while. Everything I know, I learned from him. You could say he was my mentor.”

“Your mentor? But what could a vampire teach you?” Jun asked. He blushed at the look she gave him, understanding that she could only be talking about sex.

She placed the scrolls in a lacquered box. “People shouldn’t be so afraid of vampires. In my opinion, anyone who hasn’t slept with one is missing out,” she said. “They’re not easy to find, though; they’re very secretive creatures. Not everyone meets their standards either. Their taste in humans is quite refined.”

Jun gasped when she grabbed him by the chin, an enigmatic smile on her face.

“With a face like yours, I wouldn’t be surprised if you caught the eye of a vampire someday.”



Jun was a vampire. A predator, the stranger said. He had heard so many words to describe them before—monsters, killers, sex gods, the undead—but the way this stranger described his species had to be the most accurate.

Predator. Which meant that every human out there was now prey.

Jun curled up into a ball and shed bitter tears, mourning the humanity he had lost, possibly forever. As he did, the stranger held Jun in his arms and cried with him. He didn’t know when the man had stopped staring at him and came over to his side to comfort him. All he knew was that for the first time since he regained consciousness—that was what the stranger called it—he felt safe.

“Why are you crying?” Jun sniffed.

The stranger’s lips trembled as he spoke. “Because I know what you’re going through, and I’m sorry this happened to you,” he said. “I was turned against my will too. I woke up and found out I wasn’t normal one day, and then I had to live with the asshole who did this to me for hundreds of years. So… I know.”

Jun gulped. That sounded much worse than his case. He furrowed his eyebrows, thinking about the word turned. “I… I didn’t know a human could become a vampire,” he said. “Vampire stories never mention the vampire’s origins.”

“Makes sense. The vampires that humans encounter are usually hundreds of years old,” the stranger replied. “We’re not so dashing as newborns. They even call us by a different name in our initial stage because they can’t conceive that we’re the same creatures. You may have heard of the word zombie before?”

Jun’s eyes went wide. “Zombies are vampires!?”

“Mindless vampires, yes,” the stranger said. “The first ten years after being turned, a vampire’s body is in a state between life and death. Their soul remains locked away while the bloodlust takes over their entire being. If their sire doesn’t supervise them, mindless vampires end up roaming around terrorizing people and, well… like you.”

The stranger flashed Jun an apologetic smile. There was no need, Jun was very aware that he looked and smelled like garbage.

“And this sire would be another vampire?”

The stranger nodded. “The sire drinks the human’s blood, leaving enough for them to be on the brink of death without losing consciousness. Then, the human drinks theirs.”

“I don’t remember anyone drinking my blood,” Jun mumbled.

“Of course,” the stranger snorted, shaking his head. “But you do remember the sex, don’t you?”

Jun’s eyes went wide. “H-How…!?”

“It’s what we use to alter humans’ memories of the encounter,” the stranger said. “For a human, getting their blood sucked by a vampire feels like an orgasm—multiple orgasms, even. The easiest route to hide what happened from the human is to make them believe they had sex with the vampire. It’s an easy trick, one of the first every vampire learns. Even a baby like you could master it in no time.”

“Wait, wait… hold on a second,” Jun cut him off. “You’re saying that what I remember from that night…?”

“Could be false memories implanted by your sire.”

“Wow…” Jun chuckled, shaking his head. It made sense that the widow turned out to be a vampire. She did talk about them in a rather positive light. “To think it felt so real… I’m a bit disappointed.”

Then, Jun started getting lightheaded. He felt like his body was losing all its strength. He gasped and reached for the stranger’s arm. The stranger seemed to know what it was immediately.

“You need blood,” he said, looking a bit conflicted. “I could give you some of mine until we get to a place where you can drink from a human, but there’s a side effect to it.”

“What is it?”

“A mental link, between you and me. Given that you’re just a baby, I’d have full control over it, at least for the next one or two hundred years,” the stranger explained. “You’d be giving me a lot of power over you.”

That sounded like a risky choice. Jun didn’t know whether he’d survive if he didn’t do it, though. He didn’t sense any danger from that man, didn’t think that he’d try to take advantage of him. I’ll have to go for it.

“Tell me your name.”

“I am Sakurai Sho.”

“My name is Jun. And my life is in your hands, Sho-san.”

Sho grinned and bit his wrist. After an initial moment of hesitation, Jun started drinking the blood, marveling at how delightful the flavor was to him. It tasted a little spicy, like something expensive you’d find at the house of a nobleman. He could have it all day, could go on happily his entire life if only he could have it forever.

“Stop!”

Jun felt as though something inside him forced him to quit drinking. He didn’t want to, would have much rather continued, but he couldn’t.

“Lick it,” Sho said, motioning at the puncture wound on his arm. “That will close it.”

Jun did as he was told, again, disobeying what seemed to be his natural inclination. He was shocked when, after a touch of his tongue, the two little circular wounds closed and disappeared.

“The bites don’t leave marks on vampires,” Sho explained. “For humans, the marks disappear in a couple of weeks. They don’t bleed anymore after you lick them.”

The blood made Jun start feeling stronger, less tired. It was fascinating, in a rather macabre way. What puzzled him the most, however, was the way he responded to Sho’s instructions.

“It’s the mental link,” Sho said. “And, yes, I did just read your mind.”

Jun gaped at Sho, who looked at him with an amused expression. He couldn’t help smiling back. “This will be hard to get used to.”

Sho laughed. “You haven’t seen anything yet!”

As for their next course of action, Sho thought it’d be prudent for Jun to stay inside the cave. Sho would go on to his destination and bring back a carriage with him. He calculated that he could be back before midnight if he hurried up.

The moment Sho said he’d leave Jun all by himself, Jun panicked. He didn’t want to be alone again. He’d felt so lost that morning, only Sho had given him a sliver of hope about his future. What if he didn’t find that cave again? What if something happened to Jun while he was away? Who would protect him?

“Don’t go!” Jun pulled Sho by his arm. “Please, Sho-san, don’t leave me here!”

“It would be too dangerous to take you with me,” Sho said. “You could die before we make it there.”

“B-But…!”

“Look into my eyes,” Sho said. His eyes glowed yellow for a moment. Jun could hear Sho’s thoughts inside his head, his voice soothing and calm. “You’ll be fine, I promise. And I’ll be back in no time, you’ll see. Do you trust me?”

Jun nodded, feeling a bit drowsy. “I trust you.”

His eyes got heavier and heavier. The last he remembered was Sho smiling at him, repeating that everything would be alright.

*

The first time Sho saw Jun, he immediately felt sorry for him.

Jun was a thin, pitiful thing, with a mane of unruly black hair that reached his ankles and so much dirt covering his skin that it looked brown and yellow and bluish-gray. If it wasn’t for his eyes—those pretty, light brown eyes, begging Sho to help him—Sho would have taken him for a zombie.

Seeing him reminded Sho exactly of why humans believed vampires and zombies were different species. Who could blame them? Vampires were the most alluring creatures on earth, with a power of seduction so strong that any human could be brought to their knees just by seeing them. Zombies, on the other hand, had to be the most unsophisticated, repulsive thing to ever exist. What a difference a state of consciousness and some proper grooming made.

Had Jun’s eyes been unfocused and pitch black, like zombies’ eyes always were, Sho would have had to kill him. Such were the rules set by the Four Elders, truly merciless in Sho’s opinion. It wasn’t their fault that their sire abandoned them. They had a point, though, as zombies made it much harder for vampires to lead lives that didn’t raise much suspicion in their human neighbors.

But Jun was just a newborn vampire, lost and confused like all the others.

“Poor baby,” Sho sighed as he picked Jun up and carried him deeper into the cave, where sunlight wouldn’t reach him. He laid Jun on the ground with utmost care and covered his body with the curtains he had used earlier to shut out the sunlight. “This should be enough.”

It was still early. Going by foot would have been the fastest option, but Jun had just drunk some of Sho’s blood, depleting what was left of his reserves. He’d have to take the horse with him.

For a newborn, Jun was remarkably self-composed. He’d cried, naturally, but it was the mildest reaction Sho had seen so far when a baby vampire was informed of their new condition. He has a very gentle soul, the exact opposite of mine, Sho thought to himself with a grin. He had almost destroyed an entire wing of his sire’s palace when it was revealed to him that not only had he been turned, but much of his life had been a lie.

He tightened his grip on the reins as he recalled it. The bastard was dead already, but Sho’s grudge would live on for another while. Maybe forever.

He looked down at his dark clothes. He knew that everyone expected him to be in mourning for a year or two. It annoyed him that he’d have to go with it but wearing black for a couple of years was a small price to pay for his freedom. He regretted nothing.



The first time Sho saw Lord Takizawa, he was bewitched.

The Sakurai family had served the Takizawa clan for generations. When Sho’s parents passed away, his relatives chose to send him to Takizawa’s palace to become his page. It was a high honor, especially for an orphan from a minor branch of the family like him. Sho was only ten years old. Takizawa was supposed to be in his twenties—that was a lie, but he did look the part. He was friendly, behaving more like an older brother than a master. They became so close that Sho eventually got a crush on him, and it was reciprocated.

It wasn’t uncommon for a young nobleman to be into a pretty boy like Sho. The man never touched Sho against his will, never did anything that Sho didn’t explicitly ask him to do. That was a level of decency that not many noblemen displayed towards their lovers, especially those below them in social rank. They shared a bed since Sho was a teenager.

The night Sho was turned had started pretty much like any other night, with them making love in their room. It was when Sho was far too lost in pleasure to notice anything was amiss that Takizawa asked for something unusual.

“I want to tie you up,” he said.

Sho had said yes, obviously. Takizawa tied each of his wrists and ankles to a small pillar made of metal using chains. “Stay still for a moment,” he said. “I’ll make you feel so good…”

Sho’s vision had started blurring after that until everything went completely black. The next time he opened his eyes, it had been ten years since that night; he didn’t know it yet, though. Takizawa was there, smiling at him as if nothing happened and untying the chains.

“I… I think I passed out…” Sho mumbled, feeling ashamed. At that moment, he thought he had fallen asleep during sex.

“It’s fine,” Takizawa said. He was smiling as he rubbed Sho’s wrists with ointment. “You did amazing. I had never been so proud of you.”

Sho blushed at the praise. “T-Thank you…”

Takizawa took Sho for a bath. Then, he dressed him in new clothes and asked him to come to see the sunrise with him in the garden. Up until then, everything seemed normal.

The moment the first ray of sunlight illuminated the sky, Sho freaked out. His sight was getting blurry, his body was heating up. He pretended to be fine, but it got more and more unbearable as the sun rose. At some point, he rushed back into the room, terrified of what was happening. Takizawa followed him, showing no concern at all. He asked for the doors to be closed and for heavy dark curtains to be set around Sho.

“Congratulations,” he said with a smirk. “Now we’re equals, my dearest Sho.”

Sho looked up at him, holding his head with both hands. The headache that had been afflicting him was gone, and he could see things as clear as day despite it being dark inside the room. He was horrified when Takizawa’s eyes glowed blue as he opened his mouth to reveal a pair of sharp fangs. His terror only grew when he felt fangs descending from his gums as well.

“What… what is this?” Sho asked with a nervous laugh. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”

Takizawa chuckled. “Let me explain it to you.”

He placed a hand over Sho’s head. Suddenly, Sho could see everything. His past lives, from the first time he was born on earth, going through successive cycles of life, death, and rebirth. His current lifetime, both as he thought he lived it and as it truly was. His last night as a human, up to the moment he was turned. The past ten years, tied up inside a dark room, consuming human blood with relish.

His relationship with Takizawa wasn’t the way he remembered it. All those times they ‘made love’, the vampire had been sucking his blood, manipulating what Sho saw. The pleasure was real, very much so, but the sex wasn’t. Not even before taking away Sho’s humanity had he engaged in the actual thing.

“Y-You…” Sho clenched his fists. “You turned me into a monster!”

Takizawa laughed. “A monster!? Isn’t that a little dramatic?”

“What else would anyone call someone who feeds on fellow humans!?”

Sho had murdered innocents during the last ten years. He’d enjoyed it. It sickened him to think of it, but he couldn’t push out the images out of his mind.

“Not your ‘fellow humans’ anymore,” Takizawa pointed out. “You’re a vampire now. Like me.”

“You deceived me all this time! You ruined my life!” Sho snarled.

Takizawa glared at him. “I saved you!”

“From what!? From being happy? From being normal!?”

“From being boring,” Takizawa replied. “From wasting all your potential and remaining an inferior being. From the horrid, endless cycle of rebirth! I have given you the biggest gift there is in the world. You have a chance to achieve true greatness.”

“You had no right!” Sho screamed.

That was when he ran off, destroying everything in his way. The building would have collapsed with him inside if Takizawa hadn’t reacted fast enough.



Sho had planned his sire’s demise from the moment he turned two hundred years old and was granted permission to leave the palace unsupervised for the very first time. It wasn’t an easy task, but he had the time, the resources, the skills, and enough hatred to fuel him. There was no other thought in his head during those years.

The one who informed him of Takizawa’s death was Lord Masaki, the Vampire Ruler of Sunrise Land himself. “It appears he got involved with a human who discovered his true nature and killed him,” he told Sho. “He was found by the servants the next morning, with his head severed and his heart ripped from his chest.”

That method was the most common technique humans used against vampires. It was the only way to ensure their bodies wouldn’t regenerate. Cutting limbs was ineffective, as they could grow back given enough time, but the head could not. Breaking a vampire’s neck or a hard blow to the top bone of the spine would be enough to kill them too.

It had been Takizawa’s page, a teenage boy, who did it. He was Sho’s replacement, the latest in a series of boys to be used as his sire’s blood supply. It had been extremely easy for Sho to use mind control on him, even at a long distance.

“The servants’ memories have been wiped, including the boy who did it,” Lord Masaki said. “We’ve sent them all away to different locations.”

“I see…” Sho sighed, doing his best to appear afflicted. “This is… I can’t believe this could happen to him!”

Lord Masaki pressed his lips into a line and patted Sho’s back. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

As Takizawa’s only vampire child, Sho had inherited everything he owned. He had stayed at Takizawa’s palace until the initial fifty-day mourning period passed, then informed Lord Masaki that he’d be going to introduce himself to the humans who managed the other properties. He was on his way to visit the closest one, a luxurious leisure complex, when he came across Jun.

Poor lost baby Jun, who needed to be protected from bastards like the sire Sho was stuck with for three fucking hundred years. Sho wanted him to live with someone who would empathize with him, who wouldn’t try harsh educational methods like the ones Takizawa used with him. And the more he thought of it, the more evident it became that there was no one better for the job than Sho himself.

He’d never actually wanted to raise a baby. But something in Jun’s pleading eyes had moved him to the core of his heart. He couldn’t just abandon him or hand him over to another vampire. He felt responsible for Jun’s future. I must be out of my mind!

He arrived at the complex a couple of hours past noon. He was exhausted; he’d need to rest for a while and drink some blood before heading back to the cave.

A nobleman greeted him at the complex’s gates. “Welcome back, Master,” he said, bowing deeply in front of Sho. He helped Sho dismount, gasping when he noticed the pallor of Sho’s lips. He immediately pulled on his collar, to fully uncover his neck. “You must drink, my lord.”

“Thank you,” Sho sighed.

He bit the man’s neck and held him, one hand on the back of the man’s head and another on his waist while sucking his blood. He couldn’t help smiling a little as the man let out little moans and grabbed the front of Sho’s kimono. When Sho was done drinking, he kissed the man along his neck and jaw.

“I need to rest for a while,” Sho said in his ear. “Would you show me to my chambers and keep me company?”

The man bit his lip, his face a little flushed. “It’d be my pleasure.”

Most of the people managing vampire properties were humans whose families had posed as the landowners for generations. After the Great Vampire War, around two thousand years earlier, several clans had entered a pact with the vampires to serve them in exchange for attaining high social ranks and living in luxury, as well as getting protection. Each family member took a vow of secrecy and loyalty to the vampire species once they reached puberty or when someone married into the family. Said ceremony took place in Lord Masaki’s castle—only Lord Masaki had the power to keep so many human minds under his control at the same time.

The people working for vampires had a strange fascination with them, almost bordering on obsession. They readily offered their blood to them and were quite eager to engage in affairs with them. It was convenient for the vampires, but Sho didn’t think it was healthy for the humans involved. Getting their blood sucked too often and sleeping with vampires was addictive for humans despite it being potentially fatal. Not that it stopped him from indulging in the company of attractive young men from those families from time to time. What could he say, he had needs and, after fifty days of abstinence due to his mourning, he couldn’t help himself.

His current host, Tsumabuki-dono, was a delight. Unfortunately, Sho didn’t have as much time as he wished to spare.

“I need to head out,” Sho told him. He chuckled when Tsumabuki pouted at him in response. “Get a carriage ready for me.”

“Alright, Master,” Tsumabuki replied. He slipped out of bed and put on his nagajuban. He called a servant and told them to get the carriage ready for Sho. Then, he returned to bed. “It will be ready in an hour.”

“Perfect,” Sho said. He raised an eyebrow when Tsumabuki pulled him by the waist, preventing him from standing up.

“We have a little time, don’t we?” Tsumabuki said, kissing the corner of Sho’s mouth.

“Tempting,” Sho said, “but we shouldn’t. There’s something else I need you to do, and it’s urgent.”

Tsumabuki slowly pushed Sho back on the mattress, climbing on top of him. “Tell me, my lord, and I shall do it,” he said as he undressed again.

Sho laughed as Tsumabuki started kissing his neck. “I’m serious,” he said, pinching Tsumabuki’s side. “Someone is coming to stay with me. He’s a newborn, so I’m going to need you to make this room as dark as possible.”

That got Tsumabuki to stop. Surprise was evident in his face when he looked up at Sho. “You have a child, my lord?”

“I didn’t turn him if that’s what you’re asking,” Sho replied. “If Lord Masaki allows it, however, I will become his guardian. By the way, I’ll need you to send a messenger to Lord Masaki’s castle. I need to talk to him about this in person as soon as possible.”

“Okay,” Tsumabuki nodded. “What shall I tell everyone here about your guest?”

Sho hummed. He hadn’t thought of a good cover story to explain Jun’s presence there. Vampires always had one ready when they stayed at properties managed by humans. They were introduced as relatives or acquaintances of the supposed master of the house. Tsumabuki had told his servants that Sho was an old friend, for example, given that he’d only stay for a couple of weeks.

“What do you suggest?”

Tsumabuki furrowed his eyebrows in thought. “Well… given that he needs to remain indoors in a dark room, how about we say he’s a lady? Like a family member or something.”

“That’s a great idea, but let’s say he is my lover. Telling people that he’s a single lady while keeping him so protected might attract too much interest,” Sho said. “Do you think you could have the dark room ready by tomorrow morning?”

“Of course,” Tsumabuki said with a smile. He resumed kissing Sho’s neck as he wrapped Sho’s legs around his waist. “Anything else, my lord?”

Sho smirked when he felt Tsumabuki’s erection against his crotch. He pulled Tsumabuki for a kiss, biting hard on Tsumabuki’s lower lip after it. “I don’t think I need to tell you,” he whispered. “You know what I like.”

*

“Jun! Come out!”

Jun’s eyes snapped open when he heard Sho’s voice inside his head. He noticed right away that he wasn’t on the same spot. The curtain that had been at the entrance of the cave was covering him. He stood up, rubbing his eyes. He folded the curtain and walked out with it. It was dark outside; there was no moon that night, but the stars were bright and beautiful. A carriage was waiting not far from the cave, and Sho was standing next to it.

“Sorry, Jun-san. I got here later than I planned, and the horses needed to rest for a while,” he said with an apologetic expression. “The sun will be coming out within the next hour. The drapes of this carriage should be thick enough to keep you safe on the road.”

“It’s fine,” Jun said. In all honesty, he was just relieved that Sho hadn’t abandoned him.

Sho put a black kimono around Jun’s shoulders and wrapped a large black cloth around his head. He helped Jun climb on the carriage before going to wake up the coachman. He got in after that, securing the drapes in place.

It was the first time Jun was on a carriage. The constant movement kept him a little on edge. And hours later, as the sun progressed in its ascension, it felt too hot and stuffy in there. It was better than being outside, but it wasn’t comfortable at all. Sho was right next to him, smiling reassuringly every time Jun looked up at him in fear. His eyes glowed yellow sometimes, and Jun would feel his anxiety dissipating when that happened.

“We’re almost there,” Sho said after a few hours. He placed the hat with the dark veil on top of Jun’s head. “It must be around noon. Everything should be ready for your arrival by now.”

The carriage came to a halt. The coachman, whom Jun hadn’t seen up to that moment, helped them come out. His eyes had an unnatural red color, which frightened Jun a little. “Welcome home, my lady,” the man said, bowing at Jun.

Before Jun could reply anything, Sho led him to an entrance, where a group of servants greeted him in the same manner. They all had red eyes, like the coachman.

“We’ll talk about it when we’re alone.”

Jun frowned. He could be mistaken, but it didn’t look like Sho had moved his lips at all.

“Don’t look so startled. This is how our mental link works.”

Jun huffed, smiling a little. “Right. I forgot about that.”

They went straight to a mansion that was separated from the main building by a large pond and a garden. The doors were closed, and heavy dark curtains were placed all around the rooms, to prevent any light to filter in. Sho dismissed the servants, saying that he and his lady wished to have some private time.

Once they were alone, Sho removed the hat and the headscarf. He inspected Jun’s face and limbs, sighing in relief when he didn’t find any injuries. “Well! It seems you’ve made it in one piece!”

Jun narrowed his eyes at him. “Explain.”

Sho nodded, already giggling a little. “So… I needed to invent a new identity for you. And it occurred to me that the easiest way to sneak you in here was to make the humans believe you were a woman. My lover, to be more exact.”

“Why!?”

“For starters, because covered the way you were, with the hat and all that, and your hair being so long, you could be mistaken for one from afar! Also, not many ladies of high society frequent the outdoors,” Sho replied. “Besides, no one will question that I want to keep my lover hidden from everyone else.”

Jun folded his arms across his chest. He had to admit that it was an excellent disguise for someone in his current situation. “Alright, that does sound fair. But the servants will eventually interact with me. You think they won’t notice my voice and, well, everything else?”

“Not while they’re under the effects of the illusion I planted in their minds,” Sho flashed Jun a smug smile. “They will ignore everything that doesn’t align with that version of the story.”

Jun hummed. “And why do they have red eyes?”

“There are five types of vampire abilities. You can tell when a vampire is using them or when someone is under the effects of them because of the color of their eyes. Red is for illusions.”

The feeling of someone embracing him made Jun jump a little. Sho’s eyes flashed yellow. “Yellow is for telepathic communication. It allows us to send thoughts, feelings or physical sensations, and to read people’s minds.”

Jun gasped when, after Sho’s eyes flashed blue, he felt his body freezing in its spot. “This is mind control. Sit down,” Sho said. Jun’s body moved of its own accord to follow the instruction given. “There are tons of uses for it but controlling someone’s actions is the most basic one. The commands, as you noticed, might be verbal or mental.”

“I… I see…” Jun nodded.

Sho’s eyes flashed green. He disappeared in thin air, reappearing right next to Jun some seconds later. “Abilities that enhance your body’s capacities make your eyes look green. That was invisibility, by the way. And…”

Jun’s face went warm. Right after Sho’s eyes flashed purple, he started feeling a bit aroused. W-What…?

“Seduction uses sexual attraction to make someone obey you or see what you want them to see. It also makes them feel lust,” he said. “You can use it on anyone, but it works better when they’re attracted to people of your gender. This is the one that most vampires use when drinking human blood to disguise it as sexual intercourse.”

“I’m impressed,” Jun said with a little laugh. “You’re very powerful.”

“Not really,” Sho replied with a snort, his eyes going back to normal. “I came of age at the beginning of last year. There’s a lot I still need to learn.”

“I thought you said that you were three hundred years old.”

“I am! That’s when a vampire comes of age!” Sho replied with a grin. “We stop being vulnerable to sunlight and look about ten years older than we originally were. After that, our aging gets much slower. Vampires don’t ever look older than forty, though, unless they were turned after they were fifty years old. Some vampires get gray or white hairs, but that’s after thousands of years.”

The only other vampire Jun had ever seen so far was the lady that turned him. And, indeed, despite being rumored to be nearing her fifties, she looked much younger.

“How old were you when you were turned?”

“Twenty-one,” Sho said. “And you?”

“Twenty-four.”

Sho seemed deep in thought for a moment. “We’ll probably look around the same age when you get to your three hundredth anniversary. If my calculations are correct, our remaining lifespans after that should be equal, maybe with a year or two of difference.”

“Vampires can die!?”

“Oh, we can! There are ways to kill us after all,” Sho said. “His Holiness, the First vampire, lived for nineteen thousand and three hundred years. He’s the only vampire to ever die of natural causes. He was also turned right after birth, which is how the Elders figured out how to calculate any vampire’s total lifespan.”

The formula relied on the discovery vampires made that human life cycles lasted two hundred years. “They’re born, they live, they die. Then their soul rests for the remainder of the two hundred years, purging itself from everything the human experienced while they were on earth. They become a blank slate once again, and they start over.”

The total lifespan of a vampire depended on how old they were after being turned. They added ten years to that age after the first three hundred years; the ten years they spent as zombies didn’t count towards that total. Then, they deducted the resulting number from the total two hundred years. They multiplied the result by a hundred to obtain the total of years said vampire would get to live as a grown vampire.

“The shitty thing is that, whether we die by natural causes or not, we’re gone for good once it happens, unlike humans,” Sho said. There was a bitterness to the tone of his voice.

Jun pursed his lips into a line. “Then we should make the best out of it,” he said. He blushed when Sho gave him a questioning look. He continued after Sho kept staring at him as if expecting Jun to elaborate. “W-We only get one shot at life. We can’t afford to throw it away.”

A smile spread across Sho’s face. “That’s the most optimistic thing I’ve heard a vampire say.”

Jun’s face got warm. He looked down, feeling a bit silly. “I know I sound naïve…”

“No, I like the way you think,” Sho said. “I hope you don’t ever lose your innocence. I’ll do my best to keep you this way.”

Jun’s heart leaped. He hoped Sho didn’t notice.



A group of women came into the room after sunset under Sho’s orders. They were from the Tsumabuki family, which meant they knew that Sho and Jun were vampires. “They’ll bathe you and help you put on some decent clothes,” Sho said. “I hope they’ll finish before dawn, but who knows how long it’ll take!”

His tattered, dirty beyond repair, clothes were immediately thrown out. The women scrubbed his body for hours, using water and a fragrant substance they called soap. They informed him that it had been imported from the continent, and it was quite expensive. “The old master first heard of it during a trip to the continent. He has some people who produce soap for him here, but the kind that is made overseas is the best.”

It took several hours for them to clean all the grime and filth that had accumulated on Jun’s skin during the last ten years. They also washed and brushed his long hair, untangling the knots that had formed in it.

As he relaxed and let them do their job, Jun reflected on what he had learned about vampires so far. There was a lot.

Vampires did consume normal food. He and Sho had shared a meal that afternoon. “We can go on for long periods without eating, but our bodies start getting thinner and our organs may start rotting. That’s why zombies look the way they do,” Sho said.

Also, they didn’t act like they were out to kill humans all the time. He had only met two, the widow and Sho, and neither of them fit the ideas that society had about vampires. Sho behaved like a proper aristocrat. From what he said, it seemed most vampires lived among the wealthy. There even were some at the Imperial Court.

“I’ll need to educate you,” Sho said. “To blend in the social circles us vampires frequent, you need to read, write and play music. I could also teach you some dancing, but the other arts you’ll have to learn from someone else, as I’m not very adept at them.”

After eating, Sho lured two maids into their room to drink their blood. Jun immediately noted the red hue of their eyes, which was curious given that Sho said vampires used seduction instead of illusion when they fed on human blood. They bit the maids’ thighs instead of their necks and helped them lie down after they were done drinking.

The two maids writhed on the floor, moaning in pleasure and touching themselves through their clothes. The effect lasted for a few minutes, after which they sat up with their eyes still looking red. Sho instructed Jun to stand next to him.

“When I asked you to come here in half an hour, you two went back to your quarters together and, as the room was empty, you finally admitted your attraction to each other and fooled around,” Sho said with a smirk. “Then, you came here to clean up everything. You found both of us sleeping, so you didn’t bother us.”

After saying this, he and Jun hid behind a curtain. “Watch,” he mouthed to Jun.

The two maids’ eyes went back to normal. They started picking up the empty plates and small tables where Sho and Jun had their meal. They exchanged shy smiles as they did so. Jun, of course, had questions.

“Never bite a human’s neck unless they are from the families that have sworn loyalty to vampires or you use seduction on them,” Sho told him with a stern expression. “A mark on the leg or arm, or even the torso, is more likely to be mistaken for a normal bruise. Plus, it stays hidden.”

“And why did you use an illusion to make them believe they had sex with each other?”

“I tried to use seduction to make them follow me, but it didn’t have any effect on them,” Sho explained. “If they were attracted to men at all, it would have worked instantly. Most vampires double down, going for a stronger seduction technique, but I prefer not to use those on people who aren’t into men.”

“How come?”

“Because as someone who has never been into women, I’d hate it if a woman used it on me,” Sho replied with a chuckle. “If I ever need to suck someone’s blood and seduction doesn’t work on them, I switch to illusions. One time, I made a guy think a viper had bitten him and that I was only sucking out the poison. He thanked me after I was done.”

Very considerate of him, Jun thought. “Are the two maids attracted to each other, though?”

“They are!” Sho giggled. “I peeked into their minds, and both have been agonizing over it. I figured they wouldn’t dislike that sort of illusion.”

“And will they be alright? Doesn’t the blood loss hurt them?”

“They might feel a little tired for the next couple of days. They’ll have more appetite too,” Sho said. “As for the future of their relationship, only time will tell if this illusion changed anything.”

But the most surprising fact Jun learned had to be that there was a vampire government.

“Our ruler is Lord Masaki,” Sho said. “He’s seven thousand years old, kind of a lech and a weirdo. He’s not a bad guy, though. He assigns all vampires in Sunrise Land our respective posts every twenty years or so. We have to run most of our plans by him.”

“Sunrise Land?”

“That’s what his Majesty, King Miyake, Elder of the East, calls the five large islands at the most eastern point of the realm he governs,” Sho said, rolling his eyes. “Humans call them the Yamato Empire and the Ryukyu Kingdom, both of which sound much better in my opinion. The official name for us is Sunrise Land, though, so you’d better get used to calling it that.”

He told Jun that Lord Masaki kept a registry of all vampires in Sunrise Land. Officially, there were only around a hundred vampires, divided into seven clans, including Lord Masaki’s Aiba clan that only had one member aside from himself. But given that zombies had been seen all over the main island, their registry was probably outdated.

“The overseers help Lord Masaki keep an eye on the vampire population. My sire, Lord Takizawa, used to be one,” Sho said. “He passed away, though. I don’t know who’s his replacement.”

And Jun would have to meet Lord Masaki very soon. He was quite intimidated by that.

“Your skin is so beautiful!” A woman sighed. “It’s so pale and soft!”

“As expected of our Master, his lover is a beauty,” an older woman nodded, satisfied with her examination of Jun’s body.

They dressed him in various layers of silk kimonos in somber colors, to respect the mourning period for Sho’s ‘father’. They didn’t apply make-up, as they found Jun’s natural complexion and pink lips quite lovely. They led him back to the room, where Sho was busy examining some papers. Then, they closed the door, leaving them all alone.

Jun’s heart was racing. Why was he so nervous anyway? It’s not like we’re lovers for real.

He took a deep breath and walked up to him.

*

Jun was breathtaking.

Sho didn’t expect it. He had no idea what Jun looked like, but he would have never imagined that he’d turn out to be such a beauty. The moment Sho lifted his eyes from the letter he was reading and saw him come in, his jaw dropped.

“W-Wow! This is what you look like!?”

Jun’s face was rather small, with large eyes and lips, a long nose, and high cheekbones. He had three moles around his lips, which stood out on his pale skin. His hair was dark and thick, very soft to the touch. He blushed to the tip of his ears when Sho ran a hand through his hair, which Sho found quite adorable. Standing in front of one another, it was evident that Jun was slightly taller than Sho, but not for a lot. He was also quite thin, given the little nourishment he got during the past years. His figure would make it easy for him to pose as a lady, though.

“You’re gorgeous,” Sho said. “I think I hadn’t seen any man as pretty as you in my entire life.”

“T-Thanks…” Jun replied, looking down with a sheepish smile.

They spent the whole night together, with Sho reading the letters he’d just received to Jun. Lord Masaki had sent a messenger. He’d visit in a week. He requested Sho to choose some good-looking young men and women to look after him during his stay—the pervert always asked for the same thing.

“He’s incorrigible. He loves to surround himself with beautiful people to seduce them,” Sho said, shaking his head. Then his eyes widened in panic, thinking of what Lord Masaki might do when he met Jun. I must be careful and keep an eye on him.

The other letters were from various administrators of the lands and properties he owned. During the following years, Sho would visit all of them. He was already adjusting his plans so that Jun could accompany him. The journey would be longer, but he’d rather play it safe than risk exposing Jun to harm.

“We need to get Lord Masaki’s approval so that I can become your guardian,” Sho said. “Of course, that is if you decide to stay with me after all.”

“Oh, I’ve already made up my mind, Sho-san!” Jun beamed at him. “I want to be with you.”

“Are you sure that you don’t want to wait, to explore your options?” Sho asked. “There are many other vampires who would be more qualified than me. As I told you before, I’m barely of age myself. It’s perfectly okay if you’d rather wait to meet Lord Masaki and listen to his suggestions—”

“No need for that,” Jun cut him off. He grabbed Sho’s hand. “Sho-san, I was terrified when you found me. To be honest, the more I hear about vampires, the scarier it all seems. You make me feel safe. I’ve only known you for a day, I know, but I believe I can trust you.”

Sho felt his face getting warm as Jun stared into his eyes. “Ah… t-that’s great! I’m glad I can make you feel at ease!” he said, averting his eyes from Jun. “But, you know, if you change your mind—"

“I won’t, Sho-san. I want you.”

When Sho looked back at Jun, he had the impression that his eyes glowed purple for a moment. Sho felt a shiver going down his spine, giving him a most pleasurable tingle all over his body. Seduction? He took a better look. Jun’s light brown eyes were bright, but there was no trace of purple there. Must have been my imagination.

They spent most of the following week behind closed doors. Jun seemed to be taking his transition into a vampire lifestyle well enough. Maybe it was because his memories weren’t unlocked immediately after becoming conscious. Sho also tried to explain everything to him in a calm manner, without putting him through anything that could shock him too much.

Jun only showed some anxiety when Sho had to leave the room. Sho used mind control to put him to sleep before doing so, as he didn’t want Jun to go into a panic attack, much less if he was by himself.

It was almost noon when Lord Masaki’s carriage arrived a week later. Tsumabuki immediately informed Sho of his arrival.

“Tell him I’ll be there in a moment,” Sho said.

He changed into his formal outfit. Etiquette dictated that he should welcome the lord wearing a sokutai, no matter how ridiculous it looked outside of the Imperial City. The servants helped him out with it and left the room when he was ready.

Jun grabbed the sleeve of Sho’s sokutai before he could step out of the room. “Where are you going?”

“Lord Masaki is here. He’s waiting for me in another room,” Sho replied. “He doesn’t know about you yet. I’m going to tell him, and after sunset, I’ll introduce you to him.”

Jun pulled Sho again when he tried to move away. “Please, don’t leave me!”

The pleading tone and the distressed look that accompanied it would have been enough to make Sho stop. But it was the purple glow of Jun’s eyes that ultimately made him pause for longer. Unlike that other time that he thought he saw Jun’s eyes change color, it didn’t fade right away.

“I hate to see you go,” Jun whined, his lips forming a pout. “Can’t I join you?”

Sho had no idea of how, but Jun was using seduction on him. And it was having an effect; he was already reconsidering his choice not to bring Jun with him for the meeting with Masaki. How can a baby be this powerful?

“Sho-san?”

With a heavy heart, Sho had to force Jun to fall asleep. He carried Jun to bed and couldn’t help staring at him for a while.

What am I getting into by keeping you with me, Jun-san?



The scene that Sho walked into when he went to meet Lord Masaki was… to be honest, tame compared to what he’d seen at the lord’s castle.

Masaki was sitting on a mattress, wearing nothing but his undergarments. A young woman was giving him cups of sake, while a young man fed him sweets. Another two young men were playing music, sitting on cushions. All of them were nude, their eyes glowing a bright purple.

“For fuck’s sake, isn’t it too early for this?” Sho grumbled, sitting in front of the table that was prepared for him.

Masaki laughed and kissed each of his companions on the mouth. “Go sit over there, my darlings, and wait for me,” he told them.

They obediently stood up and put on their undergarments. Then, they walked to the other end of the room, closing some heavy curtains to give them privacy. Masaki started getting dressed. “So? What was the urgent matter you wanted to discuss? I’m very intrigued.”

Sho sighed when he saw the look on Masaki’s face. Here it comes. He’s going to lecture me…

“Out of all the vampires in this land, you’re the one that probably hates me the most,” Masaki started. “I expected that with Tackey gone, we’d only meet, what, every twenty years or so? And just for your relocation and nothing else.”

“I do not hate you.”

“Yes, you do,” Masaki said with a frown. “You hate all vampires, everyone knows it. Don’t worry, we don’t take it personally. You’re still quite young. We’re sure that you’ll come around once your rebellious phase is over.”

Sho bristled at that, which only made Masaki smirk. “Just because I didn’t join a clan, it doesn’t mean I hate vampires!”

“You also rejected my offer to be this island’s overseer,” Masaki reminded him. “The position should be yours, given that your sire was the previous one and he taught you the skills you need to do the job.”

“I’m not interested in being a government official,” Sho replied with a huff. “That was his life, not mine. I want to find my purpose.”

“And you think you’ll do so by mingling with humans and turning your back on your kind?”

Sho rolled his eyes. “That’s not—”

“That’s exactly what this is, Sho-chan,” Masaki cut him off. “You’re going to be visiting your properties, and that’s alright! You should do it. But you’re doing that just for yourself! What are you contributing to our community?”

Sho looked down, biting his lip. He had refused to do all the things that Masaki suggested. He didn’t want to go check up on the vampires that lived in the areas he’d visit, he didn’t want to spy on powerful humans to see what they were up to, he didn’t want to have anything to do with zombies or vampire nests.

“We know that most of the vampires that have been popping up are under three hundred years old, but we haven’t been able to keep tabs on them!”

“Yes, because the overseer was doing a shitty job,” Sho grumbled. “He was too busy seducing young men to pay attention to anything.”

“See? You know there’s a problem!” Masaki insisted. “And I know that Tackey taught you to expand your field of perception to locate other vampires. You’re the only one on this island who knows how to do that! Why do you not want to help!?”

“Because I didn’t choose any of this!” Sho snapped. “You did. You wanted to be turned into a vampire, and you offered to be Sunrise Land’s ruler. Whatever happens here is your problem. And if there was any way that I could just not have to do anything with it, I swear I’d take it!”

Masaki gave Sho a disappointed look. “I was sort of hoping you’d have changed your mind and that I wouldn’t have to beg another island’s overseer to send me one of their pupils.”

“Never!” Sho growled.

“Alright. I won’t bother you with that for now,” Masaki said, shaking his head. “But if that’s not why you wrote to me, then what did you want to discuss?”

Sho took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. “I… I need to change my plans.” He handed Masaki a sheet of paper where he had detailed the adjustments. “This is the revised itinerary.”

Masaki hummed as he scanned the document. “You do realize that it’ll take you five years to make this journey instead of the original two we had agreed on?”

“Yes, I’m aware,” Sho said. “But there’s a good reason.”

“Do tell.”

Sho bit his lower lip, averting his eyes from Masaki. He had no idea how the news would sound to him, but he hoped that he wouldn’t oppose his plans. “I… I have a baby with me.”

Masaki’s eyes went wide. “A… what?”

“I’m traveling with a baby,” Sho repeated, his cheeks tinted red. “I need to take more time so that it’ll be safe for him.”

Masaki opened his mouth and closed it at least three times. He seemed to be at loss for words. “How…? When? Did you turn someone? Did…? Shit!”

Sho laughed at Masaki’s baffled expression. “I know, I know. It’s a bit surprising.”

“Surprising doesn’t begin to describe it!” Masaki shrieked. “Sho-chan, what the hell happened this week!? Are you okay!? Did you hit your head? Is someone blackmailing you?”

“I’m perfectly fine, I can assure you,” Sho said with a grin. “And I did this of my own volition.”

“But why!?” Masaki scooted closed to Sho. “You’re the last vampire I’d expect to take in a baby! I mean, I get it, newborns are a handful! They’re disobedient, reckless, and god damn it, they just don’t know how to be around humans without acting like creeps!”

“Not my baby,” Sho said. “He’s… different.”

“Is he now?” Masaki smirked. “Let me guess: he’s beautiful, isn’t he?”

“I had no idea what he looked like when I found him. He was covered in dirt and smelled like a rotten corpse!” Sho defended himself, still getting a little red. “He had just regained his consciousness. The poor thing was walking under sunlight. He had no idea of where he was or that he had been turned in the first place. He would have died without my help!”

Masaki hummed. “It’s very unlike you to help another vampire, though.”

Sho sighed. “I just thought it’d be nice to do for him what I wish someone had done for me when I was a newborn, to help him adjust to our lifestyle without traumatizing him.”

Masaki gave him a sympathetic look. “Tackey was pretty harsh with newborns.”

“Understatement of the century.”

Masaki patted Sho’s back and stood up. “I’m very intrigued about this baby. Take me to him.”

“I… actually wanted to ask you something before we go to meet him,” Sho said. “He’s, uh… he’s been trying to seduce me. I’ve seen his eyes go purple at least twice now!”

Masaki’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure?”

“He tried to make me bring him with me. If I hadn’t put him to sleep, it would have worked,” Sho replied. “I thought newborns took a long time to learn how to use their powers.”

“Yes and no,” Masaki said. “Some newborns have natural affinities for certain powers. The First could use mind control from the moment he regained consciousness. And the Elder of the East was a natural at telekinesis, which as you know is very hard to master.”

“Then it’s normal?”

“At the very least, it’s nothing to worry about,” Masaki said. “If anything, it gives you a clue of where to start with his education. Seduction is where his natural talent lies, so you show him how to control it. He has to be quite powerful for it to work on a vampire without previous training.”

“Okay,” Sho nodded. “I’ll do that.”

Masaki grinned. “Very well. Let’s go see him now.”



Jun’s eyes fluttered open slowly. He whined as he nuzzled Sho’s hand. “You put me to sleep again, didn’t you?” he asked with narrowed eyes. “I hate when you do that.”

“You know why I do it,” Sho said. “You wouldn’t let me go otherwise.”

Jun pouted. “You could just stay with me.”

His eyes flashed purple again. Sho chuckled and helped Jun stand up. They came out from behind the curtains holding hands. Jun had been the one to grab Sho’s hand, to ease his nerves.

Masaki whistled as soon as he laid eyes on Jun. He came up to them, giving Jun several once-overs. “He is quite a looker, Sho-chan! What’s your name, child?”

“J-Jun…” Jun mumbled, looking down at his feet.

“Nice to meet you, Jun-pon! I’m Lord Masaki of the Aiba clan, but you can call me Aiba-chan or Ma-kun if you want,” Masaki said. He winked at Jun; it looked a bit off, as usual, given his inability to wink. “Sho-chan here told me that he wants to be your guardian.”

“Yes…”

Masaki chuckled. “No need to be so afraid of me!” He put a hand on Jun’s arm, but Jun immediately took a step back, pressing himself close to Sho. It didn’t offend Masaki, though. He laughed it off and went to sit down. “Come here, you two. Let’s talk.”

They sat side by side, Jun still clinging to Sho’s arm. He did look up at Masaki, but he seemed a bit intimidated.

“First, we need to know where Jun-pon here comes from,” Masaki said. “We need to find out why he was roaming around on his own.”

“How will you do that?” Jun asked.

“We’ll have to unlock your memories,” Masaki replied. He gave Sho a look right after saying it. “I know you’d rather not do that to him, Sho-chan, but in his case it’s necessary.”

Sho pressed his lips into a line. “Alright…”

Jun gave Sho a concerned look while Masaki approached. “Will it hurt, Sho-san?”

“Not physically,” Sho said. “You can stop us anytime if you don’t like it, okay?”

“Okay,” Jun nodded.

To unlock Jun’s memories, they’d have to use a mind control technique. Both Sho and Masaki placed their hands on top of Jun’s head. Their eyes flashed blue as they started.

It turned out that Jun was a new soul. This lifetime was his first, which was great because the process would be less traumatic. They went through his memories, one by one, from the moment he was born. He had led a simple life, marked by poverty and hard labor. The one time he got acquainted with someone from high society, it turned out to be a vampire woman.

“How strange. I do not know her,” Masaki commented. “This is what I’m telling you, Sho-chan, there are so many grown vampires that haven’t come to see me even once!”

The vampire woman had taken her time to make Jun trust her. And finally, she pounced on him one day, when his defenses were lowered.

“She didn’t alter his memories, except to hide the blood-sucking part,” Sho said, frowning. “She did have sex with him.”

“You can tell from it that nobody taught her our ways,” Masaki grumbled.

Turning Jun into a vampire had been an accident, one that she could have prevented if she had known how sexual encounters with humans affected vampires. Feeding and sex didn’t usually mix. Doing so didn’t end well for the humans most times.

She reached her climax more than once during their encounter; Jun’s sex drive and prowess seemed to be quite high as a human, no wonder seduction came so easily to him. They were still in the middle of sex when she started sucking his blood. As expected, once she was on the verge of another orgasm, she lost control and drained most of Jun’s blood.

She had gone into a panic. “Oh, dear! Jun! Jun!” she had tried to make him react to no avail. He was on the brink of death. She slashed her wrist and made him drink her blood.

Then, Jun had gotten drowsy, like all people do when they’re being turned. He wasn’t asleep nor awake, but he could still hear what she said. “It wasn’t supposed to be tonight.”

It appeared she did plan to turn him at some point. It had just happened much earlier than she planned. But then, after Jun’s transformation into a vampire was complete, he immediately went into zombie mode. He wasn’t restrained in any form, another proof that his sire ignored a lot about the process. She became his first victim. She tried to resist him when he sucked her blood, but he used such force that he’d ended up snapping her neck. She was dead in no time. Then, as dawn was coming, Jun instinctively rushed back to his shack, dug a hole into the ground, and lay in it after placing his mattress over it to block the light.

The next night, he went off on his ten-year journey. During the day he hid in caves or holes he dug with his own hands under trees, covering his entire body with dirt to protect himself from the sun. At night, he came out of his hiding place to feast on human blood and flesh. The fact that he’d been able to survive ten years without being found was a testimony to the terrible job Takizawa had been doing as an overseer. He had spent most of those years in Takizawa’s lands.

When the stream of Jun’s memories had gotten to the moment he regained consciousness, Sho and Masaki removed their hands from Jun’s head.

“Jun-san… are you alright?” Sho asked.

Jun looked up at him with glassy eyes. “I… I am, yes,” he said. He stood up and covered his face with the sleeves of his kimono. “E-Excuse me for a moment.”

Jun rushed back to the bed and hid behind the curtains. He was sobbing, trying to muffle the noise with a pillow. Sho wanted to follow Jun, but Masaki stopped him.

“Let him be. He needs to come to terms with it.”

“I don’t want him to deal with it all alone!”

“He knows you’re here for him. He’ll come to you when he’s ready,” Masaki replied. “Give him some privacy.”

Masaki dragged Sho back to the other room. He ordered the servants to bring Sho some refreshments. Meanwhile, he disappeared behind the curtains, accompanied by the nude young people who had been entertaining him earlier.

“Don’t you dare leave this room until Jun-pon comes to call you,” Masaki warned. “There are things every vampire needs to do on their own.”

Sho sat there for a while, barely touching the food and drink that was offered to him. He watched the sky get darker, growing antsy. Just when he thought he wouldn’t bear the wait any longer, Jun came out of the room. He scrambled to his feet and walked up to Jun.

“I’m fine,” Jun said, sniffing a little. His eyes looked a bit swollen. “Where is Lord Masaki? We haven’t finished our discussion yet.”

“I’ll go get him,” Sho said. He took a couple of steps, then stopped for a moment. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Jun shook his head. “Let’s just get this over with, Sho-san. I feel a little tired.”

“Of course,” Sho nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

They went to the hot spring at Masaki’s request and bathed. Jun was quiet and pensive most of the time and seemed not to pay attention to their conversation. It worried Sho to see him like that, but Masaki insisted that he should give Jun space. They sat in the garden later, to enjoy the beautiful night view. It was there that Masaki informed Sho of what he had decided regarding him and Jun.

“I’ll approve of the changes you made to your itinerary, and I’ll let you be Jun-pon’s guardian, on one condition,” he said. “That you help me find newborns and unregistered grown vampires within the areas you visit.”

“That’s not—”

“Let me finish,” Masaki continued. “I won’t force you to get involved with them. Just send word to me and I’ll take care of everything. It should leave you enough time to use as you wish.”

“I don’t know…”

“We accept.”

Sho blinked. He didn’t expect Jun to talk, much less to accept Masaki’s request.

“Newborns and zombies are a potential danger if left alone, and unregistered vampires lack much knowledge,” Jun said. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to find them, is it not, Sho-san?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Then we’ll do it,” Jun reiterated. He gave Masaki a determined look. “You can count on us, my lord.”

Sho glared at Jun. “What makes you think that you can make decisions for me, child?”

“If you don’t accept, then I won’t stay with you!” Jun snapped. “T-The thought that… there are more out there, more like me…! And you won’t do anything to stop them!?”

His eyes filled with tears. He looked furious.

“If you do have any consideration for human beings, then you must do this, Sho-san. And if not for humans, at least for me. That is if I matter to you at all.”

Sho sighed, feeling conflicted. He loathed the thought of working with Masaki, doing, of all things, what his sire should have been doing. But he couldn’t say no to Jun. Just the thought of disappointing him was unacceptable to him.

“Fine. I’ll do as you wish, Jun-san,” he said. “But I want it to be clear that I’m only doing it for you.”

Jun beamed at him, blushing deep red. “T-Thank you, Sho-san.”

“Then it’s settled!” Masaki grinned, pouring sake in three cups. “You’ll depart tomorrow night, with your lover. And I will be expecting your reports.”

They stayed outside for another while, drinking together. Jun excused himself around midnight, saying he was feeling tired. Sho offered to go with him, but Jun said it wasn’t necessary. He walked away hurriedly and shut the door behind him.

“From afar, he does look like a lady dressed like that,” Masaki commented. “It won’t be much trouble for him to pass as one behind curtains and screens, even veils.”

Sho sighed. “That’s the least of my worries right now.”

“Patience, Sho-chan.” Masaki patted his back with a little too much force—he was a little drunk. “You’ll need it if you’re going to be taking care of Jun-pon for the next three hundred years. Better start practicing now!”

By the time Sho returned to the room, Jun was already asleep. Sho lay next to him, watching him. He wished he could do anything to make Jun feel better.

*

I’m a monster.

Jun was terrified of himself. The memories that Sho and Masaki unlocked were worse than he imagined. He’d murdered the widow after she turned him. He’d done the same to several of her servants who had gone out to investigate her death the next night. Peasants, warriors, bandits, nobles, children, elders, men, women… he had made no distinction among them. He was an equal opportunity death bringer. His muscular figure slowly wasted away. His hair had an uncontrollable growth. He covered himself in mud, dung, or dirt to protect his skin from the sun. He used his bare hands and teeth to kill and eat humans.

When he closed his eyes, he could see it all again. He could hear his victims’ screams. Part of him felt that he deserved to be tortured so, even if he had not chosen to become a vampire. He was evil, disgusting, a creature that shouldn’t exist.

He woke up in tears the day after his memories were unlocked. And the first thing he saw was Sho’s concerned face.

“Hey…” Sho caressed his cheek. “Are you alright?”

Jun shook his head. “I saw terrible things in my sleep. Things I did.”

Sho wiped Jun’s tears, giving him a sympathetic look. “Don’t beat yourself up too much, baby. It wasn’t your fault.”

“But it feels like it was,” Jun said, worrying his lower lip.

Sho stayed with him most of the day. He let Jun cry his heart out while he rubbed Jun’s back to soothe him. He didn’t talk or do much, but just having him around made Jun feel so much better. To know that Sho had gone through the same things he had, that he didn’t condemn Jun at all, was reassuring. It didn’t lessen his guilt, yet it gave him some comfort.

In the afternoon, Sho left for a while to arrange the last details of their transportation. He sent a couple of maids after sunset to guide Jun to the carriage. On his way there, Jun saw from afar that the complex’s administrator was dressed as a coachman, and he was giving Sho a passionate kiss. The man gave Sho’s butt a firm squeeze as he did so.

Jun averted his eyes from them. He felt a little envious of that man.

The journey lasted a few days. They traveled by night, given that it was more comfortable for Jun, and rested by day. Three men joined them: the coachman, the administrator disguised as a second coachman, and a vampire guard sent by Lord Masaki who followed the carriage by foot. The two humans were also tasked with giving the vampires blood in case it was necessary.

The memories were still haunting Jun’s dreams. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone, not even Sho. He closed his eyes without sleeping and rested his head on Sho’s lap while in the carriage. When they made stops to eat or rest a little, he sat far from the group. And at their lodgings for the day, he chose to continue feigning sleep inside the dark room assigned to him.

Sho would always stay in an adjacent room. “If you need anything at all, call me right away,” he said. But Jun never did. First, because he felt like crap and didn’t want to talk to anyone. And second, to give Sho and the administrator some alone time; he was certain that they were having an affair.

Their arrival at the Sakurai palace was right at dawn. Sho helped Jun put on a headscarf and his veiled hat when he saw they were near.

“The Sakurai family descends from the same ancestors I do,” Sho said. “I was born in one of the junior branches of the family, though, so we don’t come from the same direct line. They’re my cousins several times removed.”

Jun couldn’t greet the Sakurai family members. He had to be led to the building immediately, shielded from the sun by an umbrella with dark, long drapes around it. Inside the room, there was a bed surrounded by multiple layers of dark drapes. Jun would be able to hear everything that was going on outside, but nobody would see him, and he wouldn’t see them either.

“You’ll have to excuse Jun-san, but it’s still too bright outside for him,” he heard Sho say. “After sunset, you’ll be able to meet him.”

Jun wasn’t all that interested in the conversation, so he curled up and tried to sleep. The sound of voices distracted his mind enough to prevent the memories from resurfacing. Feeling exhausted after days of being unable to rest, he let the noise lull him to sleep.



The Sakurai family’s attitude towards Jun took him by surprise.

He didn’t know that it wasn’t rare for men of high society to have affairs with other men, especially younger ones. Among peasants, especially in rural areas, that kind of relationship was usually kept secret. It also was bound to last only until one of the two men involved got himself a wife. Or men would have sex with other men without forming a relationship at all.

The ladies-in-waiting explained to him that no human expected vampires to follow their social conventions in the first place. “Marriages between men and women are a way to produce heirs, increase fortune and make political alliances. It’s pointless to expect vampires to choose their partners the same way we choose ours.”

Vampires couldn’t reproduce. The way to increase their population was to turn humans. They accumulated wealth, but it was shared among members of the same clan. They stayed out of human politics and there wasn’t an equivalent for that in the vampire government either.

“When a vampire is with someone, we know it’s all about passion,” a lady-in-waiting said with a smirk. “And passion for vampires has no limits.”

They didn’t think at all strange that Sho introduced Jun as his lover but spent the night with another man—the administrator from the other place, Tsumabuki, stayed for a couple of days. Having a steady partner and sleeping with other people was commonplace in high society. Plus, they knew that it was just a fling.

“It’s rare for a vampire to have a lasting affair with a human,” they said. “Either the human is eventually turned, or they break up and move on. Vampires only take other vampires as their long-term partners.”

They were quite curious about Jun’s relationship with Sho. Jun admitted that he’d only met Sho recently and that they had never really slept together. The ladies got quite excited, saying that they’d be waiting for the moment they consummated their relationship.

“We must have a banquet after your third night together to make it official!” one of them said. “You’ll let us know, won’t you, Jun-sama?”

Jun laughed. “I doubt it’ll ever happen! He’s my guardian, you know?”

They still made him promise to keep them updated on the progress of his relationship with Sho. They seemed to be very invested in it for some reason.

That evening, Jun had to go out of his room to look for Sho. He knew that Sho had returned hours earlier, but he hadn’t dropped by to see him. He was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable among so many humans, especially when he got a little thirsty for blood.

“Ah, Jun-san! I was thinking of going to see you!” Sho said, flashing an apologetic smile at him. He was in the middle of writing a letter. “I found three younglings today, had to terminate two of them: a zombie and a dying newborn.”

Jun hummed, sitting next to Sho. “And the other one?”

“Brought him back with me. I put him to sleep while he recovers from the heat,” Sho said. “This one has to be over a hundred years old. He suffered sunburns, but his skin could resist sunlight without blistering. He was hallucinating, though. He’ll be in serious pain for a couple of days. Better if he sleeps through all of it.”

“Will he live with us?”

Sho shook his head. “I sent a message to Lord Masaki. He promised that he’d take care of the younglings we found. I already have a baby anyway; my hands are full.”

Saying this, he pinched Jun’s cheek, making him giggle. Jun leaned his head on Sho’s shoulder.

“Have you had any blood?” Sho asked. “You’re looking a little pale.”

“I couldn’t bring myself to drink from a human.”

“Jun-san…”

“Can’t I drink from you again?” Jun pouted at him.

“Fine. But just this time, okay? Tomorrow you’ll have to drink from the ladies-in-waiting,” Sho said. “They know you need blood. They won’t resist you.”

He was going to offer his arm to Jun, but Jun was quicker and went straight to his neck. He sank his fangs in Sho’s skin and sucked greedily.

“S-Stop…” Sho said after a while, his eyes flashing blue.

Jun stopped and licked his wound. “Thank you, Sho-san.”

Sho ruffled his hair. “Go back to your room. I’ll join you in a moment.”

Jun waited for Sho in the veranda, with the blinds rolled up. The ladies-in-waiting had turned in for the night at his request. After a few minutes, Sho showed up. Jun greeted him with a smile and poured some sake for the two of them.

“It’s a beautiful night,” Jun commented. “Too bad they are so short this time of year.”

“They’re long enough to go out for a bit,” Sho replied.

“A lady isn’t supposed to be up and about, Sho-san. That would give away my cover,” Jun sighed. “Besides, I’d hate to come across humans. Or, worse, come across others like me. They’re bound to come out at night, aren’t they?”

“Right,” Sho nodded. “Then… how about we go for a walk together after I’m done exploring this area? I don’t think anyone would have a problem with a couple going out at night by themselves.”

“It sounds great.” Jun looked down, feeling his cheeks go a little warm. “I hope you’re done with it soon, Sho-san.”

Sho beamed at him. “Me too.”

*

The stay at the Sakurai palace wouldn’t be one of leisure. Sho knew it from the very first day.

As usual, the Sakurai family greeted Sho with the utmost deference. They were proud that one of their own belonged to the same species as their masters.

“Sho-sama! Welcome home!” The current head of the family, a man around thirty years old, greeted Sho with a deep bow. “We are very sorry to hear about what happened to the master. How are you doing?”

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Sho replied.

“We also heard that you finally got yourself a lover of your kind,” the man added with a smirk. “He is rumored to be a beauty.”

Of course, Sho sighed. He knew that Lord Masaki would make sure to spread the word that he was traveling with another vampire, but he didn’t expect it would reach everyone so soon.

“The whole family is waiting at the west wing for the two of you. They’re quite impatient to finally meet you in person.”

Sho was introduced to the most senior members of the family, both from the main and junior branches. Some of them didn’t live at the palace, but in places nearby. There were at least two who had seen sent to administrate other properties that also belonged to Sho. They had traveled all the way here to meet Sho and pay their respects to him.

The ladies of the family were sitting behind blinds. Sho could see their colorful kimonos from the gap left between the blinds and the floor. They talked in whispers, loud enough for Sho’s sharp hearing to pick up what they were saying—it was about how handsome he, the new Master, was. He smiled in their direction, chuckling when he heard some delighted gasps in response.

The west wing would be reserved for Sho and Jun. They had chosen a few young unmarried women from the family to be Jun’s ladies-in-waiting; Jun would be introduced as a lady to other humans.

After one hearty meal, Sho decided it’d be prudent to discuss with them the mission that Lord Masaki had entrusted to him. They were familiar with Takizawa’s role as an overseer, so he didn’t have to explain a lot to them.

“There have been some worrisome reports all over the island,” Sho started. “Every day, there are more and more instances of humans claiming to have seen vampires or zombies, especially around more populated settlements. We believe there could be unauthorized nests, ran by vampires that are not in our registry.”

The family members exchanged comments in hushed tones, looking quite worried. Even the ladies were talking among themselves. Sho couldn’t distinguish what all of them were saying, so he signaled them to be silent.

“Have you heard of any zombie sightings in this area?” Sho asked.

The head of the family cleared his throat. “Rarely, but yes. In the last year, three people have been attacked by zombies,” he said. “We informed your father, but he told us not to worry. He said it wasn’t serious because the attacks weren’t frequent, so he’d let it be while he tended to more urgent matters.”

Sho cursed between his teeth. Useless prick. “What about vampires? Any rumors of them living around here?”

“Other than the couple who live in the forest, none, Sho-sama,” was the reply. “I did hear they have someone living with them, though.”

Sho frowned. “A couple? There should be no vampires in this area!”

Everyone gasped, once again talking among themselves. Their voices were louder, and they sounded more concerned this time.

“Your father authorized them to set home there!” one of them said. “Didn’t he inform Lord Masaki about it?”

Sho massaged his temples. It seemed he had his first case to investigate, and it was directly related to Takizawa’s incompetence. Unbelievable how his asshole of a sire could continue to cause him problems beyond the grave.

“Alright, we have a lot of work to do then,” Sho said. “We’ll start tomorrow morning. I expect your full cooperation in this matter.”

A group of men from the family was chosen to go with Sho on his search. They’d be heavily armed, for they didn’t know how soon they’d encounter potential danger. The talk regarding the preparations they needed to make prolonged until sunset, right when Sho got behind the blinds to see Jun. He found Jun curled up sleeping and smiled at the sight. He touched Jun lightly on his arm to wake him.

Jun whined and rubbed his eyes. “Is it sunset already?” he yawned.

“Our hosts are waiting for you,” Sho said.

“I don’t want to see humans,” Jun pouted. “Can’t we be alone?”

“We can after they’ve seen you,” Sho said. “Come on, it’ll be just for a while.”

Jun fixed his clothes and came out after Sho. The men stood up instantly, staring at him in awe. “Nice to meet you,” Jun said, flashing a smile at them. “I’m sorry for making you wait, but as Sho-san probably told you already, I’m still too young to withstand sunlight. Please keep me in your favor.”

Everyone’s eyes, both men and women, flashed a vivid purple for a moment. They watched him reverently as he sat down. The older men said that it was nothing, that they understood his circumstances perfectly. Some younger ones stared at him with marked interest, blushing and looking away if his eyes happened to meet theirs. The women talked excitedly among themselves. Sho could hear their comments clearly enough, even though they spoke in hushed tones.

“Oh, how lucky you are to have been chosen as his lady-in-waiting! To see that face every day!”

“Doesn’t the long hair suit him so well? And his skin! It looks like porcelain!”

Sho was pleased, and quite impressed too. Jun had managed to seduce the whole family in just one greeting. If that was his base ability without training, Sho wondered how powerful he’d become in the future.

They had a banquet and enjoyed some music, played by the members of the family. Jun received plenty of gifts from everyone and a few poems, praising his beauty. He couldn’t read them, but he carefully placed them inside a beautiful lacquer box. He requested Sho to read them to him once their hosts were gone.

The celebration lasted more than Sho expected. Jun got quite drunk and was cheerfully listening to everyone. It was Sho who forced him to leave the party around midnight. Jun showed some resistance at first, but he was in no condition to fend him off.

Jun pouted when Sho made him lie on the bed. “I was having fun.”

“There’s way too much alcohol in your system. You need to sleep it off.”

Jun grabbed Sho by the wrist. “Don’t go!” he said. He suddenly looked sad, as though he had only been putting up a front until then. “Stay with me. I don’t want to be alone.”

“What about our hosts?”

Jun’s eyes flashed purple. “Stay.”

There was no way he could leave after that. Jun snuggled up to him, and they slept in each other’s arms for a few hours. Sho slipped out of bed in the morning, doing his best to not wake Jun up.

The men were waiting in the garden for him. “Let’s get to it,” Sho said.



Like most fully-grown vampires, Sho could sense anyone within a five-hundred-meter radius. He could hear what they said if he so wished and could use any of his powers on them. However, with his ability to expand his field of perception, his range became ten times larger.

His eyes turned a vivid shade of green. He grumbled as his augmented senses picked up on more and more signals all around him. He stopped seeing images, which were replaced by amorphous blobs of light in the middle of the darkness. They represented any living organisms: white for humans, yellow for animals or insects, green for plants, and red for other vampires. He could see the little blob representing Jun not far from there, inside the west wing. And almost on the edge of the area that he could reach, another red blob.

“Found you,” Sho growled, his fangs descending automatically. “Fetch my sword!”

Once he secured the sword to his belt, he took off running. It’d be faster to get there on foot than to ride a horse anyway. His natural speed was four times faster than a human; using his ability tripled that. When he got there, he quit using it momentarily, to be able to see again. What he found horrified him.

“H-Help… me…” a weak voice said. Its owner, a male vampire, was lying on the grass, exposed to direct sunlight. The face’s skin was completely charred, with white and red areas covered in blisters and some others where the flesh was turning a black hue. The exposed skin in other body parts seemed to have taken the same damage. It was likely that the vampire was blind as well.

“A newborn,” Sho wrinkled his nose, sighing. He checked him, to see if recovery was possible. Unfortunately, it was too late. He unsheathed his sword, taking a deep breath. “Sorry, buddy.”

He decapitated the newborn with a single blow of his sword and extracted the heart from his body. He wished he hadn’t had to do so. It would have been a lot better for him if he could have obtained some information. Then, he dug a hole on the ground and buried the vampire.

He decided to continue exploring the area for a while. He found a zombie not far from there—he dispatched it too, as vampire norms dictated—and a young vampire that had signs of a sunburn on the left side of his face and seemed to be under the effects of hallucination caused by the heat. This one Sho carried home after putting him to sleep and wrapping him in a blanket. He would interrogate him once he was in a good enough condition to do so.

In the meantime, he needed to inform Lord Masaki of his findings. He sent a message documenting everything and urging the lord to send reinforcements. Finding three vampires in just a few hours, not very far from each other, could mean that there was a nest in the area. His priority would be to locate it.

He couldn’t spend much time with Jun for the next couple of weeks. He made a point to visit him every night, though. Jun refused to tell Sho any details about what he did during the day, but he demanded a full account of Sho’s activities. He also tried to get Sho to stay in bed with him after dawn, looking quite disappointed when Sho left.

“I’m very sorry, Jun-san. I’ve been quite busy,” he told Jun one morning as he was on his way out. “This problem turned out to be bigger than I expected.”

On the first three days of exploring, he found ten zombies in total. The youngling he had taken to the palace regained consciousness after that. His name was Ueda Tatsuya. He was one hundred sixteen years old.

“I don’t know who turned me,” Ueda said. “I’ve spent the past hundred years or so with other three vampires. None of us can remember what happened to us, but we met shortly after coming back to our senses, so we decided to stay together. We didn’t even realize that we were vampires until a human walked by the entrance of the cave where we were hiding, and she smelled so good that it made us hungry…”

He went silent after that, clenching his jaw and blinking back tears. “I’m not proud of what we’ve done until now, but my brothers and I needed to survive.”

The other three brothers weren’t hard to locate. The area where they hid was free of other vampires. Ueda admitted that they’d been killing any other newborns or zombies that came into their territory.

Lord Masaki sent his second-in-command and only current member of his clan, Kazama, in his stead. With his assistance, Sho unlocked the four youngling’s memories to find out who had turned them.

It wasn’t much of a surprise when it turned out that a couple, a man and a woman, were the ones behind it. The Sakurai family did mention them the day Sho arrived. The four young men hadn’t been turned at the same time, but within a very short period, with only weeks separating them. It appeared to be the result of sex acts mixed with feeding, with the vampires choosing to turn them because they thought it was better than to let them die. What baffled Sho about it was that despite knowing what would happen—namely, that they’d end up killing the humans—the couple chose to continue indulging themselves, showing no signs of self-control or learning at all.

“They’re not registered,” Kazama confirmed to Sho. “We must capture them as soon as possible.”

Getting to them, however, proved to be harder than they initially expected. During those two weeks, they managed to capture alive three more younglings, injured due to lack of care, and they had to bury around seven severely damaged newborns and five zombies. They also found evidence of an alarmingly high number of deceased vampires in the area. Some of the remains had to be at the very least from two hundred years ago, as the skeletons, identifiable as vampires because of the presence of fangs, presented signs of disintegration.

The younglings were quite relieved after they were taken to the palace. They’d never met other vampires, much less some as old as Sho and Kazama. The oldest among them wasn’t two hundred years old yet. They couldn’t use illusions or seduction and had relied on brute force to subdue humans around the area.

From their origins, Sho and Kazama deducted that the couple was bringing their prey from the Imperial city and other large settlements on the main island. The population had grown so much in recent years that it was no wonder the humans hadn’t noticed some lads going missing.

The next step, locating the nest, was difficult. The younglings had memories of the place, but the last time most of them had been there was so far in the past that they weren’t of much use, other than to confirm how it looked on the outside. Sho had gone all over the place every single day, with no luck. More zombies popped up, as well as a couple of dying newborns, but that was it. It didn’t help that Sho was the only one capable of detecting vampires at a long distance. He wished he had someone to help him out. Jun was far too young to be taught the skill. Heck, Sho hadn’t even been able to sit down with him and teach him how to control his seduction!

Kazama told him off for postponing that. “You have to take proper care of this newborn or Ma-kun said he’ll come and take him to his castle. And I know you’d hate that,” he said with a smirk.

“I haven’t had time,” Sho replied. “We’ve been so busy with this nest.”

Kazama grumbled, massaging his temples. “I believe we should take a break. The overseer at the Ryukyu kingdom accepted to send one of his disciples up here for a few years. He should be arriving in a few days.”

“You think we can take that long?” Sho frowned.

“I doubt things could get much worse in just a week or so,” Kazama pointed out. “Let’s wait, okay? In the meantime, you could tend to that baby of yours. The Sakurai humans have commented that he isn’t in very good shape.”

Sho’s eyes went wide in shock. He rushed to Jun’s room, pushing all concerns about the nest out of his mind for the time being.

Jun needed him. And he had no idea of how much.



A lady-in-waiting told him everything as soon as he came into the room.

“He’s been crying a lot these days, mostly during the mornings. We’ve tried to ask him why, but he doesn’t talk much to us,” she said. “We have practically to force ourselves on him for him to take any blood, and at most he drinks a couple of sips. He barely touches the food we offer him.”

“Since when?”

The woman sighed. “It’s been like that since you arrived here, but it has gotten worse,” she replied. “We’ve been thinking of telling you, but you only come here a couple of hours every day and he insists to be left alone with you. We’re very worried.”

“Thank you,” Sho said, bowing to her. “I’ll take care of that.”

He went to Jun’s bed straight away, slipping behind him under the covers. Jun perceived the movement instantly and seemed to want to sit up. Sho put an arm around him, preventing him from moving. “Stay there,” he said. “It’s not sunset yet.”

“You’re early then,” Jun mumbled. “Anything happened?”

“We decided to pause our search,” Sho said. “We’ll be waiting for reinforcements. So, I decided to take a nap here with you. If you don’t mind, of course.”

“I don’t mind,” Jun said softly. “You can come anytime you want, Sho-san.”

They cuddled for a few hours, way past sunset. Jun slept most placidly from what Sho could tell. And he looked quite cheerful when they got out of bed.

They had dinner together, as well as some blood. Jun didn’t want to drink it at first, but Sho managed to persuade him. Sho played the koto for him later, which Jun enjoyed a lot. They also did some basic exercises with the brush, to help Jun familiarize himself with it. Afterward, they took a bath. Sho noticed then that Jun’s body continued being just as skinny as it was when Sho found him, which wasn’t good. He should have been gaining back some weight already. Sho would have to pay more attention to his nutrition.

They had a light snack before going back to bed. Jun was shocked when Sho said that he intended to sleep a few hours with him. “Are you sure? Don’t you have things to do outside?”

“I do! But…” Sho put a finger over Jun’s lips to shut him up. “But I can do those things later. Right now, I just want to spend some quality time with my baby. Can’t I do that?”

Jun clicked his tongue. “I am not a baby, Sho-san. I’m a grown man!”

“You are not.” Sho snorted. “You’re in your twenties. That’s not even a grown human, much less a grown vampire. You’ll be just a baby to me until you come of age.”

“It sounds patronizing,” Jun mumbled.

“Fine…” Sho rolled his eyes. “I want to spend some quality time with my adult ward. How does that sound?”

“Correct, but kind of ridiculous,” Jun replied with a giggle. “I guess baby does sound better.”

Sho thought that spending more time that day with Jun would make things improve a little, but it didn’t. When he was about to leave bed to get a message from Lord Masaki, Jun got quite upset. He told Sho it was okay for him to go, but he was unable to hide his disappointment.

“I’ll be back in a moment, I promise,” Sho said. He got no response because Jun turned around.

The message said that Lord Masaki was preparing to drop by the palace. He was expected to arrive next week. Kazama and the younglings were excited by the news. Sho returned to Jun’s room after reading the message and found Jun sobbing into his pillow. As soon as Jun saw him, however, he wiped his tears.

“Jun-san, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Jun said. “Leave me alone.”

“But—”

“Leave, Sho-san! Please!” Jun whined, curling up into a ball.

Sho didn’t. He sat next to him instead, holding him while he cried. Jun eventually fell asleep, leaving Sho very worried about his state.

Four days passed with almost no change. Jun continued being mostly quiet, bursting into tears sometimes, and avoiding contact with the ladies-in-waiting. Sho had to use mind control to force him to drink blood and get him to take some food as well. Kazama and the younglings were very understanding when he explained the situation. They were waiting for the arrival of Lord Masaki and the overseer’s disciple anyway, so the exploration was still on hold.

On the fifth day, Sho tried to leave the room in the evening to read a new message from Lord Masaki, but Jun pulled him back before he could step out. “It’s only a moment,” Sho said.

Jun’s arms wrapped tighter around him. “No! Stay!” Jun cried. “There are humans in this room! I can’t stay alone with them, Sho-san. I can’t trust myself right now, not after… a-after knowing what I… what…”

He burst into tears again, hiding his face in Sho’s chest. They ended up sitting on the floor, as he couldn’t stay upright.

“I’m a monster, Sho-san,” Jun mumbled. “I’ve killed humans. I shouldn’t be anywhere around them! I’m a danger to everyone!”

He was hyperventilating, so Sho helped him calm down using telepathy.

“You’re the only one who makes it better,” Jun said, sniffling. “When I’m with you, I almost feel normal again.”

“Even though I’m a fellow monster?”

“You’re not a monster!”

“Then neither are you!” Sho replied. “I know it’s hard to accept what you’ve done, but it’s not your fault. You were just trying to survive! You had no one to take care of you!”

Jun shook his head. “Still… I feel awful.”

“I know,” Sho nodded. “I wish I could tell you it’ll get better, but I can’t. It’s hard, no matter how much time goes by. Or maybe I also need more time to get used to it, I honestly have no idea. What I can tell you is that you don’t have to let this affect the way you see yourself. This isn’t all you are, Jun-san.”

Jun sighed. “When you say it, I can almost believe it.”

“It’s because I’m right!” Sho replied with a smug smile. He got a smile in return from Jun, the first in a while.

Jun leaned his head on Sho’s shoulder. Sho put an arm around him, rubbing Jun’s arm up and down. He turned to look at Jun and noticed that Jun was staring right back at him. He smiled when Jun cupped his cheek. But he froze when Jun pulled him for a kiss.

No! Stop!

His first instinct was to push Jun away. Ever since he found out how his sire deceived him, he’d sworn never to get involved in any manner with a vampire. The idea made his skin crawl. When he pulled back, Jun gave him a hurt look. And he hated himself for that.

“I… I’m sorry…” Jun mumbled, looking mortified. “I-I… I didn’t…”

To Sho’s surprise, between making Jun sad and kissing a vampire, he’d much rather choose the latter. So, he did it. He kissed a vampire for the first time.

Jun blushed when Sho gave him a little peck, his eyes going wide. Sho dropped kisses along his jaw, and then they locked lips. Jun cupped Sho’s face with both hands, his eyes fluttering close. He moaned when Sho slipped his tongue inside his mouth. He let Sho take control, following his lead.

Making out with Jun was getting Sho more aroused than he expected. He helped Jun shed the multiple layers of kimonos he was wearing, leaving him only with his undergarments. He pushed Jun so that his back was fully on the mattress and climbed on top of him.

They broke the kiss for a moment to take a breath. They both were bashful when their eyes met. Jun reached for Sho’s belt, looking a bit unsure. Sho understood what he wanted and took it off himself. They finished undressing and resumed making out.

“F-Fuck me,” Jun begged as Sho fondled him. His entire face, ears, and chest were flushed. His eyes were a bright purple.

Sho was more than pleased to comply with his wishes.

Unlike human men, Jun didn’t need to be prepared for too long before penetration. Sho could be rough with him, could fuck him hard and fast without worrying about hurting him. And like Sho, Jun didn’t have a refractory period or the need to take a break too soon. Not to mention that since Jun was unconsciously using seduction on Sho, his libido was out of control.

They were at it for hours, until they collapsed in a tangle of limbs almost at dawn. And even then, Sho felt that he couldn’t get enough of Jun. The sun was about to rise when Sho finally mustered the willpower to leave Jun’s bed.

“Will you be alright while I’m gone?” he asked. “I don’t want you to feel lonely.”

“I’ll be okay, Sho-san,” Jun said with a sheepish smile. His eyes had gone back to their usual light brown color. “Will you come back after sunset?”

Sho bit his lip. “Yes, of course.”

They shared a last long kiss before Sho left.

*

Human tradition dictated that a couple was declared married after spending three nights in a row together, and they shared rice cakes the morning after the third.

Jun laughed when he opened his eyes and saw the rice cakes on a small table by the bed. “This was probably them.”

The ladies-in-waiting knew that he and Sho slept together from the very first time it happened. They had congratulated Jun on it and made an extra effort to create a good atmosphere for the second night. Jun wasn’t even sure it’d happen again, but they turned out to be right.

Sho was amused to find Jun wearing fewer layers of clothes the next day. “First you seduce me, and now you’re provoking me,” he said in Jun’s ear as he removed Jun’s obi. “It’s like you want me to ravish you.”

Jun was embarrassed when Sho told him that he’d used seduction the previous night. “I don’t even know how I did it!”

“You’ve been using it on me for a while now, every time you really want me to do something!” Sho said. He pulled Jun for a kiss while sliding Jun’s undergarments off Jun’s shoulders. “You’re powerful, baby, but it wouldn’t work near as much as it does if I wasn’t willing. And I can assure you I am. Very.”

They wanted each other. Not that Jun had any doubts after the previous night, but it was satisfying to get a verbal confirmation of it.

Their encounters lasted until the following morning, and they only stopped because their bodies couldn’t go on for longer. Even vampires had a limit when it came to stamina; it seemed to be around the twelve-hour mark, which was quite impressive to both Sho and Jun.

“I’d never done it for so long. A human would end up quite injured if I tried on him what we just did, Jun-san,” Sho admitted.

And now… they got rice cakes.

Sho laughed at the sight of them too. “This is the first time that humans give me rice cakes after spending three nights with the same man,” he said. “I think it’s because they see us as equals.”

“Should we eat them?” Jun asked. He handed Sho one after getting his assent.

“Do you think they will organize a banquet for us? With Lord Masaki arriving today, it wouldn’t surprise me,” Sho commented with a smirk.

Indeed, that was exactly what happened.

Lord Masaki was ecstatic when Jun came into the room that evening. Next to him were the younglings that Sho had found during his search for the nest, as well as Kazama and another vampire Jun had never seen, but he supposed it was the Ryukyu Kingdom’s overseer’s apprentice. They all erupted in cheers when Jun greeted them.

“Stop that!” Sho grumbled, his face turning red. He grabbed Jun’s hand and led him to the spot where he was sitting. “I’m sorry, Jun-san. They’re a bunch of assholes.”

“Jun-pon! My hero!” Lord Masaki jumped on Jun from behind, encasing him in a hug. “I am so, so, so proud of you! You’re the best thing that’s happened to our island in recent history!”

“Especially him,” Sho huffed, rolling his eyes. “Could you stop making such a big deal out of it, my lord? It’s not like I proposed or something like that!”

Masaki clicked his tongue. “Can’t you let me have anything nice? This baby here is finally getting you to act like a respectable vampire! I’d say that’s big enough for me to celebrate!”

He then started telling Jun about Sho’s past, bemoaning what he called Sho’s difficult years. “Tackey was to blame, of course!” Masaki clarified. “Sho-chan wouldn’t have turned against his species for so long if he had been more considerate as a sire. His tactics to train Sho-chan were too extreme. Did you know he locked up Sho-chan for a hundred years?”

Jun looked at Sho, who averted his eyes right away, looking dejected as Masaki talked about his sire. He held Sho’s hand and intertwined their fingers, which got Sho to look back at him with a small smile.

Meanwhile, Masaki continued. “Anyway, thanks to that horrid impression, Sho-chan decided to only have relationships with humans! Can you believe it!?” He folded his arms across his chest, looking quite annoyed. “His first one caused quite a controversy two hundred years ago. The only heir of a family that had a pact with us became so infatuated with him that he chose to not marry and ended his family lineage!”

“That was not my fault! Yuuji-san had already decided not to marry when I met him,” Sho defended himself. “Besides, the Ohmiya family had started declining from the time Ohmiya Taka was alive.”

“You mean the ancestor of Yuuji that got so obsessed with you he only produced one child with his wife?” Masaki arched an eyebrow. “I know you weren’t lovers, but the notes he sent you…”

Sho blushed. “T-Those were perfectly innocent!”

Masaki shook his head. “See what I mean, Jun-pon? This guy indirectly erased a lineage by getting too involved with humans! And that was just the start!”

It appeared that Sho had had several lovers from families that served the vampires. He was forced to end most of those affairs when the men grew too attached to him. It wasn’t their families who disapproved; on the contrary, they encouraged their sons to pursue Sho. Lord Masaki had been the one to intervene because he didn’t want a repeat of what happened with Ohmiya Yuuji.

“They stayed together until Yuuji passed away. Sho-chan was inconsolable for a decade.”

Sho lowered his head. “Yes, because I loved him.”

“That was the problem,” Masaki replied. “It’s not good for a vampire to love a human. They live for such a short time that it’s not worth the trouble to get invested in relationships with them. It’ll always end up in heartbreak for us. We remain on this plane when they pass away, and they won’t remember us when they’re reborn.”

A moment of silence passed. Sho excused himself and left.

“He isn’t over it yet. Every time anyone mentions the Ohmiya family, he gets like that,” Masaki told Jun with a sigh. “He may not seem the type, but when he’s in love, he falls hard. It’s why I’ve been hoping for him to stop chasing humans and find himself vampire lovers instead. The fact that he’s shown interest in you is the best sign. Of course, I don’t expect him to ever settle down with a vampire consort, that’d be too much to ask. But having an affair with one is a good start.”

Jun got curious about vampires having consorts, so he asked. It turned out that vampires had something similar to human marriages, where two vampires entered a lifelong alliance to share their powers. Two clan leaders could use it to permanently unite their clans under a sole name. The souls of two vampires bonded under such an alliance were thought to become one. There was also a ritual mating after the betrothal ceremony and the nuptial ceremony, the latter of which was held one thousand years later.

“The older vampire must propose with a gold ring,” Masaki said. “After the betrothal ceremony, the couple must renew their blood pact every hundred years at the same location, until the pact is confirmed permanently a thousand years later. Once that’s done, the pact can never be revoked. It’s a very serious decision for any vampire to take a consort.”

“Do all vampires go through it?”

“Goodness, no!” Masaki laughed. “Most vampires see it as a strategy rather than a way to solidify a relationship. The Elders have been trying to promote the nuptial ritual as an act of love, something I support, but they’ve had very little success. Here in Sunrise Land, only a handful of vampires have done it, and I wouldn’t call any of them true couples.”

“It sounds quite romantic, though, the idea of your soul becoming one with someone else’s.”

Masaki nodded, flashing a smile at Jun. “You should see the rituals. There’s nothing more intimate than that.”

Sho didn’t go back to sit next to them. He didn’t seem upset, but Jun wondered if Masaki had taken it too far by mentioning his past lovers. I’ll have to ask him later.

The banquet was over before midnight. The team, conformed by Sho, Masaki, Kazama, and Yokoyama, the overseer’s apprentice, would be leaving the next morning. The younglings who could withstand the sun were tasked with patrolling around the palace, taking turns to do so. The ones who couldn’t withstand it would be on duty by night, except Jun.

“You cannot leave your room without company under any circumstance, you hear me?” Sho said emphatically. He turned to look at the younglings with a serious expression. “I’m entrusting my baby to you lot. You’d better not disappoint me.”

They left the room together. Sho was quiet as they made their way back to Jun’s room. Once the door was closed, he sat on the veranda and beckoned Jun to join him.

“Sho-san… I’m really sorry,” Jun started. “It must have been very uncomfortable for you, all that happened today.”

A little smile appeared on Sho’s lips. “I knew it would be like this the moment they found out what happened between us,” he said. “Everyone in the vampire community knows I find vampires revolting. I’ve never tried to hide it. They must think this is hilarious.”

“It was my fault, wasn’t it?” Jun said with a little wince. He lowered his head. “If I hadn’t used seduction on you—”

“You’re wrong, Jun-san,” Sho cut him off. “You weren’t using seduction at the start. I could have stopped it after you kissed me, but I chose to go on. It was on purpose.”

Jun blushed. “For real?”

“Do you think I would have come back for more if I wasn’t into it?” Sho flashed a sheepish smile at Jun. He moved closer and ran his fingers through Jun’s hair. “I’m attracted to you, even though you’re a vampire. I was surprised by how much.”

They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before their lips met. Jun’s heart was racing as Sho deepened the kiss. When they pulled apart to get some air, Sho gave Jun an amused look. “Your eyes are purple,” he pointed out, laughing.

Jun groaned, covering his face with his hands. He felt as though he was on fire. He felt ashamed that it had happened again. Sho put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer. “It’s fine, baby,” he said, kissing Jun’s temple. “That’s what I’m here for, to teach you how to control it.”

“Yeah, but I’ll keep trying to force you into doing things, and I won’t even realize I’m doing it!” Jun whined. “It’s despicable.”

“Stop overthinking it,” Sho said. “Besides… so far, you’ve never tried to make me do something I didn’t want. Although to be fair, there aren’t many things I’d say no to if it was you asking.”

Jun looked at him with his eyebrows raised. “You can’t be serious about that.”

“You have more power over me than you realize. You just don’t know how to use it yet, thank goodness!” Sho chuckled. “The way I see it, you could have me wrapped around your finger until the end of my days if you wanted to when you learn how to control your seduction.”

Jun shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that to you, Sho-san.”

“I know,” Sho replied, grinning at Jun. “And I like that about you.”



They stayed out in the veranda for another while, just sitting next to each other. Sho kept his arm around Jun’s shoulders. They were in silence, each lost in their thoughts; they didn’t know they were thinking of the same thing until Jun spoke again.

“Sho-san… could you tell me about Ohmiya Yuuji?”

Sho’s lips curved into a smile. “I met him the day I went outside after a hundred years,” he said. “He was with me when I watched the sunrise for the first time after being turned.”

Takizawa had locked up Sho after he almost destroyed an entire building of his palace in a fit of fury, the same day he regained his consciousness. For a hundred years, Sho’s only contacts with the outside world were the few humans who took turns in giving him blood. The only true friend he made during those years was Ohmiya Taka, Yuuji’s great-grandfather. He was quite lonely after Taka’s death.

“Taka-sama was my first crush,” Sho confessed. “I had met him when he was young, way before I was turned. We exchanged letters for decades. He sent me his artwork too. I never told him how I felt, though. I wasn’t ready to get involved with anyone.”

By the time he met Yuuji, however, he was a lot more stable. He learned to rein in his temper, although he still flew into a rage if a vampire so much as looked at him the wrong way. Takizawa no longer feared he’d destroy his property, so he was granted permission to leave his room.

“I cried so much when I saw the sun again. It was ridiculous,” Sho laughed. “Yuuji-san gave me a hand towel to wipe my tears. I didn’t even know who he was until he introduced himself saying ‘I’m Takizawa-sama’s latest puppet lord, my liege’.”

Jun snorted. It sounded like Yuuji had a good sense of humor.

Sho became more interested in Yuuji because of his attitude. He had no intention to bow down to tradition, get married, and have kids, just because he was the last of his lineage. The Nakamaru family, his cousins, would take over the palace’s administration instead, and he was fine with it. He had just taken them to Lord Masaki’s castle to make their vows of loyalty to the vampire species.

“He stepped down from his duties around that time. He was allowed to remain at the palace, but he spent all day playing music in his room. He was good with many musical instruments, but especially with the biwa. He taught me how to play.”

An affectionate smile appeared on Sho’s face, his eyes shining as he continued talking about Yuuji. He loved that man so much, Jun thought.

They met every day, always at the same spot. Sho would come out of the room an hour before sunset, and they’d sit there to watch the sun going down together. Then they’d go on long walks on the fields nearby, to talk or to play music together. A little before dawn, they’d go back to their meeting spot, to sit and watch the sun come out again.

“And when did you become a couple?”

Sho blushed. “Well… we had been friends for a year or so. I was in love with him, but I didn’t know if he was interested, until he kissed me.”

It was Sho’s first kiss—what Takizawa did to him didn’t count, it had all been a lie. For Yuuji, it was the day he confirmed that he was into men. He told Sho that he’d tried being with women, but it just never felt right. That was why he never got married.

“We were inseparable after that for twenty years,” Sho said. His smile faltered a little. “He passed away when he was in his late forties. I offered to turn him, but he said that he didn’t want to live forever, that it was better to let life run its cycle.”

Jun gave Sho a sympathetic look as he wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye. “Do you still miss him?”

“Sometimes,” Sho mumbled, pressing his lips into a line. He looked like he was desperately trying to avoid crying. “I’ve been with other men since then, but I’ve never felt that way about anyone else. He was special.”

He couldn’t keep holding in after that. Jun looked away to give him some privacy and waited for him to speak up again.

“Lord Masaki is right in saying that I’d be better off with a vampire. I know it’d be much easier, but I just can’t because it’d mean that I’m accepting to be a part of this forever, that I’m giving up my last links to humanity, and I still have mixed feelings about doing that.”

Sho gnawed on his lower lip, scratching his head. “When I’m with a human man, I can pretend that I’m still normal for a while,” he said. “With a vampire… I’m reminded all the time of who I am now, and there are days I’m okay with it but sometimes I hate it.”

He hasn’t accepted himself either, Jun thought. He could understand the feeling.

“I think you shouldn’t force yourself to be with a vampire if that’s not what you want,” Jun said. “You need to process your feelings regarding being a vampire first. And if it changes after that, good. But even if it doesn’t, I don’t think the species you prefer is the most important thing here.”

“I can’t believe you do get it! Nobody else does!” Sho laughed. He reached for Jun’s hand and kissed it. “You keep impressing me every time.”

They went to bed afterward because Sho needed to rest. They slept side by side, holding hands until the sun came out and Sho had to get ready to leave.

“I hope we’ll be back soon,” Sho said. “Yokoyama-san thinks it should take us no longer than three or four days. It’s not far from here, but we have to look out for zombies and newborns.”

“It’ll be lonely around here without you,” Jun said.

Sho pulled him into a hug. “I’ll miss you too, baby.”

They said their goodbyes when a servant announced that the others were outside already. Sho kissed Jun on the lips, something that Jun wasn’t expecting after the conversation they had the previous night.

Jun sighed as he saw Sho’s retreating form. I will not overthink this.



Part Two