Vanity

She ran, the cold air beating on her skin and her tears running down her cheeks. Would she make it? Would she survive? This was her life or death situation that she was seeming to win. That's when he let out the dogs. That damn wench. He cheated every time. How could she out run the dogs? They were barking and catching up quickly. There was no way she could win. That's when she hit the forest trees. Perhaps she could lose the mutts in there.
She kept running, but the dogs were gaining. She got to a tree that she could climb up in, but first she grabbed a rock. She climbed up and watched as the dogs circled the tree. He was coming. She prayed to the lord in heaven that her plan would work. As the pale man with the sharp teeth walked up, the girl put her drift into action. She through the rock far, and caused the bushes at a distance to rustle. The dogs heard, and looked over. Lucky for her, a rabbit popped out of the bushes and the mutts began running after it. The man followed where the mutts went, but first he stopped.
The man held his nose to the air, and began to listen. The girl knew of his sharp sense of hearing, so she ceased her breathing, temporarily. He heard nothing, but the dogs in the distance, so he began to smell the air around him. He hadn't caught her scent, so he continued on. The girl held her breath, still, until he was far enough away that she could breathe. She gasped for her breath, and caught it back.
"Damn vampire. I refuse to be your slave anymore. You promised not to bite me if I did what you said. You lied to me..." The girl said to herself as she began to cry, again.
What to do... She was alone. She had no place to go. Her legs were numb and she was tired and hungry. She couldn't just trust anyone anymore. She had been held captive for so long, how could she just go back into the real world. Not to mention that there are more vampires in the world. What if another vampire had caught her? Wouldn't everything just be the same? Or would things be worse? The girl thought for a while, and as the rain started to fall, she fell into a deep slumber. Hopefully, she would be safe for the night.
As the sun rose, the girl steadily opened her eyes. He back ached with pain. She had fallen from the tree and was now on the ground. There were two boys around her. They were talking. She was scared, was it the vampire and his apprentice? She had never met his apprentice before, so she wouldn’t have known. The girl rolled over to look at her finders. Two human boys, and they were frightened by the girl. They stumbled to the ground, screaming, just as the girl did, as she sat up.
“Holy shit, man.” The first guy said; the one with the blond hair, “What happened to her? I thought she was dead!”
“I don’t know man!” the other replied; the one with the black hair, “I thought she was dead, too-- Hey? She’s crying. She’s scared of us.”
“Whoa, girl, are you alright?” They blond one asked.
The girl cringed. They were being nice to her? Was it a trap? She didn’t care. They were scared of her, and cared that she was hurt, but she didn’t want to take the chance. She stood, and tried to run, but her legs were still numb, and she fell back on the ground. She began to cry more. The two boys crawled over to her. They helped her stand and walk.
“Hey, It’s going to be alright.” The black haired guy said, “You can come stay with us.”
“Our mom will understand.” Said the blond, “What’s your name kid?”
The girl said nothing and was shaking. She blacked out and began to fall from the boy’s grasp. She had fainted and made things more difficult for the two guys. One pulled out his cell phone, and they all sat on the ground. The blond haired man set the girl in his lap, and the black haired one talked to their mom on the phone. She would come and get them from the park, which wasn’t to far way from where they were. The girl had been passed out for some time, and awoke in a nice, soft bed at the two boys’ house.
“She’s waking up!” A girl yelled.
The two boys and their mom entered the room. The two looked relived and the mom looked shocked. She carried in some food for the girl. It was a plate of bread, cheese, and apple slices. The blond haired boy had a glass of milk for her in his hands. They were all smiling, and the girl sat up in the bed. She watched closely as the women sat the plate down next to her.
“Poor dear. You look like you haven’t eaten in days.” The mother said, “Go ahead, eat.”
The girl was about to say something, but closed her mouth. Her stomach growled right on queue. She looked at the plate and then at the faces of all who were in the room. The blond haired boy nodded and held out the milk to her.
“I thought you might be thirsty, if you were going to eat.” The boy said. He had a kind smile to her.
The girl nodded and kindly accepted the milk. She hadn’t had milk in years. She drank happily, and then chugged it down. She then looked at the plate of food that was placed next to her. She held the cup out to someone. The young girl was the first to grab it.
“Would you like some more?” The girl asked, as she stood from her chair.
The girl nodded, and picked up the bread and cheese. She stacked them together, and then took a bite. She felt weird with everyone watching her eat, but she was hungry, so she didn’t really care. She ate quickly, and when she finished, she grabbed the apple slices. She hadn’t had apples before, and she didn’t really like the taste of them, but she didn’t really care much for that either. Everyone was shocked at how fast she had eaten, and that her stomach still growled. She set the plate down and whipped away the crumbs from her mouth.
“Wow, do you ever get to eat?” The blond guy said, “It’s like you haven’t eaten in years. And you passed out before you could answer us before. What’s your name?”
The girl looked at the guy with a confused demeanor. Name? She hadn’t really had a name, or at least she couldn’t remember her name given at birth. She looked around. They all waited to hear what she had to say. She had only been called “girl” or “Slave”, and sometimes she would be called “darling”. She thought that “darling would make the best answer to their question.
“Master called me Darling.” Said the girl. It was the first time she had actually heard her voice in almost a year. She liked the way she sounded.
“Darling? That’s not a real name. And master? What do you mean by that?” The black haired boy questioned.
“It’s not a name?” The girl asked, “Well.. He also called me ‘girl’ and ‘slave’. Could one of those be my name?
“No! That’s horrible.” Said the girl who returned with a full glass of milk, “You were a slave?”
“Now’s probably not the best time to ask these things, Mina” Said the mother.
“So what’s my name?” The girl asked.
“Well, that’s up to you.” Said the black haired guy, “You have no name and that means that you can choose your own name for us to call you.”
“Well, what’s your name?” She asked.
“Me?” Asked the black haired guy, “I’m Howl.”
“And you” She then asked the blond guy.
“Akito.” He responded.
“And I’m Mina. I’m friends with Howl and Akito.” Said the girl that handed the milk to her, again.
The mom didn’t say anything. She was just so stunned, and she shed a tear. She felt that bad for the girl. Akito sat at the edge of the bed. He looked at what the girl was wearing. She did look like she had been cooped up for a long time with out a change of clothes. He felt bad for her and wanted to ask what all had her “master” done to her, but felt that it would be a bit rude.
“You all have cute names.” Said the girl, “Who should I be?”
“It feels like we’re thinking of names for a game.” Said Howl, “But, we should think about it over night. We have school tomorrow. I’ll fly you home Mina.”
“Okay.” Mina said to Howl, and then directed her attention back to the girl, “It was nice to meet you. I hope that you think of a good name soon.”
The girl nodded as the two left. The mother left and brought in more food for the girl. The phone rang while she was eating, so the mother ran off to answer it. Akito sat at the end of the bed watching her eat. He felt so bad that she grew up as a slave. He wandered what all had happened to her and it made him feel even worse. He frowned as he watched her choke down food. He felt bad about it, real bad.
“How long were you held captive as a slave, and by who?” Akito asked.
“I’ve been a slave to a vampire named Victor Delacroix since I was young. Very young indeed.” The girl said, “He promised not to bite… Last night, he lied to me. He bit my hand… He drank some of my blood, but I ran away. I feel so weak now.”
“A vampire? They don’t drink blood unless the person that they drink the blood from gives it up by will.” Akito said, “Why would he be so cruel?”
“He’s an ancient. He doesn’t understand the fact that humans, vampires, werewolves, and lycans live together in peace now with the flesh and blood addictions going around.” Said the girl.
“I thought that all the ancients were killed?” Akito asked.
There was no response. They sat in the quietness of the room. After a few more plates of food, the girl was finally full. She didn’t speak after that. She still felt really weak, she even lost the strength to stay sitting up. After Howl returned, his mom insisted that they all went to sleep. And so they did. The girl, however, couldn’t sleep. She was thinking so hard of a name to call her own. She thought for a long time, and at about three in the morning Akito snuck into her room.
“Are you awake?” Akito whispered.
“Yes. Who is it?” The girl replied.
“It’s Akito. I’m going to turn on the light, okay?”
“Yeah. That’s fine.” The girl said and Akito filled the room with light.
Akito sat at the edge of the bed and said, “I thought of a good name for you.”
“What? Tell me.” The girl whispered.
“Kumori Uta.”
“Kumori Uta?”
“Yeah. It means lullaby. Don’t you think it’s cool? I thought that since you’re a girl, you’d like it.”
“It’s cute. I do like it. Just call me Kumori Uta then.” Announced the newly named Kumori Uta.
Akito smiled, “I’ll call you Kumori for short. Now get to sleep. You need the rest.”
Kumori nodded to Akito. He ran a finger through her hair to comfort her, and her forehead felt really hot. He thought nothing of it, and turned off her light, and left the room. He closed the door and looked as her eyes twinkled as he did so. He still felt bad for her, and noticed a tear run down her cheek. Why was she crying? He didn’t know. He went to his room and then he crawled into bed. He kept thinking about her, but he didn’t know why. What was it about this girl? She seemed so calm. You can’t just grow up as a slave all your life and then be some clam about who you talk to after you find freedom. Oh well.
In the morning, Akito fell out of his bed as the alarm clock roared in his ear. Not enough sleep to make him aware, and it terrified him. He couldn’t believe that he had actually fell out of his own bed. He yawned, and stood up. He looked out the window, and then remembered Kumori. Wandered if she was awake yet. He left his room and walked down the hall until he reached Kumori’s temporary room. Opening the door, he saw that she was dead asleep, and her pillow was soaking wet. She had cried herself to sleep. Akito walked over to her bed side, and sat next to her. And whipped away still falling tears. She was burning up and her cheeks were flushed.
Akito had wandered if he should take her temperature, but was unsure. He then moved her bangs from her forehead. Her forehead was hotter than ever, and not only that, her hair was a grease pit. He shook at the feel of it, but clamed himself. He went and got a cold wash cloth for Kumori, and when he came back, she was sitting up. She was crying hard. She had gotten sick.
“Oh, damn.” Akito said, running to her side, “Are you alright?”
Akito put the cold cloth on her head as she shook her head. Kumori wasn’t used to eating much. She only ate once a day, and only got a small helping of bread everyday. If she did eat more, she was desperate enough to eat a mouse or rat. She once found a rabbit, and ate it raw. It was horrible, but she was starving. Akito flipped the cloth to the colder side, and then realized that he was still in his boxers. He should have gone to get a shower, but he worried for Kumori.
“I’m not used to eating so much. I’m sorry.” Kumori apologized, whipping away her regurgitated food on her ripped shirt.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Let’s change the sheets and get you cleaned up. And I’m sure my mom can lend you some new clothes.” Akito offered.
Kumori looked up at Akito, and nodded. They stood, and Kumori’s legs were still real weak. Akito helped her to walk to the bathroom, and started a warm bath for her. Kumori was confused. She hadn’t bathed before. The only times she was in water was when Victor had wanted to experiment with her in a “pleasurable” way. This scared Kumori, but then Akito put bubbles in the bath as it filled up. Kumori had never once seen bubbles. She was utterly fascinated. Akito stood, and walked towards the door.
“I’ll leave you to your bath.” Akito said, as he began to close the door.
“Wait!” Kumori quietly yelled, and Akito walked back in.
“Yes?”
“What’s a bath?”
“Umm.. A bath is when you clean yourself. You’ve never taken a bath?”
“…No.”
Akito blushed. He would have to help her. His mother was already gone for work. Howl was already at school for early lessons. With a sigh, he closed the door behind him and his face turned bright red. He directed Kumori to the bath.
“Take off your clothes and get in the water.” Akito had said.
Kumori became frightened. It was just like Victor had said, but in a kinder manner. A tear ran down Kumori’s cheek, and she quietly cried.
“Hey, don’t cry. I won’t look.” Akito said, and covered his eyes. “I’ll wait till you’re in and I’ll wash your hair for you.”
Kumori whipped away her tear. She was confused. He wasn’t going to hurt her like Victor had. She smiled a little, and began to undress herself. She felt cold in her bare skin, but immersed herself in the water. The water was so warm, and she already liked it. As she sat in the water she signaled to Akito that she was ready. Akito uncovered his eyes, and looked as Kumori eyed him. He walked over to the bath, and grabbed the shampoo bottle. He told her to get her hair wet, so she went under and then came back up. He washed her hair.
Unknowing of himself becoming “happy down south”, Akito continued to wash her hair. Kumori enjoyed the bubbles in her hair and surrounding the ones surrounding her. She was happily playing with the bubbles, and looked back up at Akito. He smiled at her, so she smiled back. He looked funny upside down. After he finished scrubbing her hair he told her to go under. She did, and came back up. There was still shampoo in her hair, so he got a cup so her could poor some water in her hair to wash out the soap. Akito dipped the cup in the bath water and poured it over Kumori’s head. The soap washed from her hair, and Kumori smiled. Her first bath and it was becoming her favorite thing.
Akito shampooed her hair again, and then used conditioner in her hair. They rinsed it out, and then Akito told her what to do with the soap for her body. He also explained to her how to shave and where to shave: legs, under arms, and (given the choice) of her lower area, so she shaved everywhere. She felt so good being clean. It was a great feeling for her, and she never wanted to be dirty again.. Then when Akito had told her that they were done, Kumori stood in the bath tub and was confused for what to do next.
Akito’s face turned bright red, with embarrassment. He now noticed his lower area having a tension for pleasure. He tried to keep himself from looking, but now that she was clean, she looked beautiful. He calmed himself and looked away. He walked over to the sink and opened the covert below, pulling out a towel for Kumori. He walked over to Kumori and handed her the towel. He tried to make it so that she didn’t notice his “happy in the pants” motions; more of “happy in the boxers” however. Kumori dried her self and stepped out of the tub. Akito let the water drain, and then escorted Kumori to his mother’s room. Time to find Kumori a decent outfit. As Kumori looked at all the outfits, Akito went to clean up where Kumori had gotten sick. He then realized that he was late for school.
Akito put the dirty sheets and converter in the laundry machine, and the returned upstairs. Just as he reached the top step, the phone began to ring. With a sigh, he returned down stairs and turned to the left where the phone hung on the wall. The caller ID read that it was school calling; Howl. Akito answered the phone.
“Hello?” Akito said.
“Akito!” Howl yelled through the phone, “Why aren’t you at school?”
“Kumori got sick, so I’m helping her clean up and I’m going to give her some medicine. I’ll be up there when I can. I’m washing the sheets as well.”
“Okay, but if you don’t show up, I’m going to have to report you for playing hooky. So her name is Kumori?”
“Kumori Uta. We decided it this morning.”
“That’s cool, I guess. But, get up here when you can. I’m not getting you’re homework for you this time. Got it? And Akito, don’t do anything with her, okay?’
“Right. I wasn’t planning on it anyways.”
“Good. Well, see yah later , and Mina says hi.”
“Hi? And okay then. Bye.”
Akito hung up the phone, and returned up stairs. He walked to the end of the hall way and into Mother Mei’s room. Kumori sat on the bed, awaiting his return. Kumori smiled when he got back, and greeted him with a bow of the head. This was something Akito wasn’t used to, and he had wandered why she hadn’t put anything on yet. She was still wrapped up in a towel.
“Find anything you like?” Akito asked.
“They’re all too big, all but one.” Kumori said and looked back at a long candy cane striped shirt that lied on the bed next to her. It was a shirt, but it fit her like a dress. Kumori put it on for Akito to see to get her opinion. It was beautiful, though it reminded him of Christmas. He smiled at her and nodded in acceptance. He just hoped that his mother wouldn’t mind.
“What do you usually ware?” Kumori asked.
“Uh…” Akito looked down at himself, still only wearing boxers, “Heh heh, I normally ware other close over these.
Kumori giggled, “Don’t worry. I’ve seen worse with… Victor.”
Kumori’s smile turned to a frown at mentioning Victor, but is was true. Victor cause a lot of bad memories for Kumori. She couldn’t even remember a good time that she had with Victor. Only on Christmas, her birthday, and another day… The one where he lost his only love. The only actually time that Victor had told Kumori about his beloved was when he had said that Kumori looked like the one he loved. That’s why he took her, but he treated her horribly. Akito became uneasy when he saw that Kumori became upset.
“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Akito said, and sat next to Kumori on his mother’s bed, “I promise you, I won’t let anything bad happen to you again. I just wish I knew what all had happened to you so that I knew what was going on in your head.”
“Well…” Kumori started, and then went through her old pair of clothes. Hidden in it was a dairy of hers, “I kept this dairy when I live with Victor. I wrote everything that happened to me, but I wouldn’t get much time to right. I’m not a good reader nor writer, so it might be hard to read. However, can you promise me not to tell anyone…”
Akito replied, “I promise.”
Akito put one hand under the book and his other over Kumori’s hand, which was placed over the top of the book. Kumori smiled. She never had such a happy feeling inside. It made her stomach turn, and suddenly she felt sick again. She grabbed her stomach and put her hand over her mouth. Akito was aware of her motions, and picked her up. Akito then began to run to the bathroom. Luckily the bathroom was two doors down across he hall. He pushed the door open with his foot and then he set Kumori down next to the toilet. Kumori sat there for a moment, and then got sick. Akito held her hair back, and sat next to her the whole time. He rubbed her back to comfort her.
“I’m sorry.” Kumori apologized after she finished.
“It’s okay.” Akito said, “Let me get you a cloth to clean you up with.”
“Okay.” Kumori said, and grabbed her hair.
Akito went to the sink and reached in the covert for a cloth. He got it wet, and returned to Kumori’s side. Kumori looked over at him, and he began to wipe away whatever came she regurgitated on her face. Kumori felt bad for making him take care of her. She had always tired to take care of herself. Suddenly, Kumori’s stomach growled. Maybe her getting sick made her hungry again.
Kumori looked up at Akito, “Do you think I could get something to eat?”
“Yeah. Come on.” Akito had directed her out of the room and down the stairs.
Kumori was amazed at how wonderful the house had looked. It was warm, and bright. Everything wasn’t dark nor dreary, and there was a wide variety of colors, and though it was a mess, the place made Kumori feel more comfortable. She stopped for a second to look around, and Akito had thought that she was wandering why it was a mess. Boys will be boys and wrestle for fun.
“Sorry for the mess--” Akito started.
Kumori interrupted, “It’s beautiful. Such warm colors to brighten the place. I like it.”
Akito looked at Kumori’s face. She had a big smile on. Akito grabbed her hand, and walked her into the kitchen down the hall. Kumori looked at the paintings on the wall as they passed by, and then in the kitchen she sat at the table. Akito opened the fridge and the kitchen covert. He then stepped aside so that Kumori could see the food and choose what she wanted. Kumori’s eyes widened and she jumped from the chair running over to see the wide selection of food. Again, she was amazed, and she began to pull out food that looked good to her. She sat them on the table and it looked like a feeding frenzy.
Kumori looked back at Akito. He nodded in approval, but took some things that needed to be cooked. He cooked them for her and set it on the table. Kumori choked down the food quickly, but she would take a break to make sure her stomach would stay settle. Akito also began to eat. As they enjoyed their meal, there was another phone call. Akito excused himself and walked over to the phone. It was howl again.
“Hello?” Akito said.
“Why are you still at home? It‘s been two class changes and you‘re not here yet. The sensei’s are getting concerned. You haven‘t missed a day of school and it‘s worrying them. What are you doing.” Howl asked.
“Listen, Kumori is extremely sick. Every few minutes she gets sick. Maybe not minutes, but still. She’s really bad. The medicine doesn’t seem to be helping.” Akito had said, though he hadn’t gave her any medicine yet and she had only gotten sick once. Truth was, he didn’t want her to be by herself in case she got sick again.
“So you’re not coming in today?”
“Maybe later. I’ll probably go by later tonight so I can get in my lessons with Mr. Warheit. Could you have him give me a call later this afternoon?”
“Yeah. Well, hope she feels better. Later.”
“Bye.” Akito hung up the phone.
Returning to the kitchen, Akito walked in to find that there was almost no food left, and Kumori was sitting there. She was full and waiting for Akito. Akito sat across from her, and he just stared.
“So what do we do now?” Kumori asked.
“Well, we could go out and buy you some more new clothes. Maybe something to keep you entertained.” Akito answered.
“Alright. I’ve never gone to buy anything before.” Kumori confessed as the two stood from the table.
“Well, there’s always a first.” Akito had said, “But you should probably dress warmer. Let’s see what my mom has that could fit you.”
“They’re all to big.”
“Huh?”
“They’re big. They don’t fit me. I tried them all.”
“Oh.”


-To be continued-