Love and Blood

Chapter 2 - Meeting Him Again

Mieko

Keiichi and I are returning home after the mission, which by the way was a success. We approach the house and see our parents waiting for us with stern looks on their faces.

“Oh no,” I say.

“Good luck,” Keiichi says, then pats me on the back.

Although I know my parents will scold me harshly for disobeying their instructions I don’t regret going after Keiichi. This mission was harder than anticipated. It turns out it was actually a group of 3 vampires that attacked those schoolgirls, not just one. I can imagine the hard time Keiichi would have had taking down those 3 vampires by himself had I not been there.

“Can you explain to me why both of you went on the mission? I thought my instructions were clear. Mieko was supposed to stay home!” My father yells.

“I’m sorry father,” says Keiichi. “I was going to go alone but then I thought it might be useful to have Mieko with me, so I helped her escape.”

“Wait no that's-” I try to protest but Keiichi interrupts again.

“If anyone should be punished it's me, for my incompetence. I should have listened to your instructions and gone alone.”

“Keiichi, we'll talk about your punishment later. Mieko, I expect you to follow the directions you are given. I will not be so easy on you next time.”

“Oh, your father is so harsh. I’m just glad both of you are okay,” says my mother. Then she hugs us both tightly.

“Moooom!” Keiichi protest. Then she lets us both go.

"Come on let's go inside." Says mom.

We all walk into the house and go to our rooms. I'm in bed, just about to fall asleep when I hear a knock on my door.

"Come in," I say.

Mother walks into the room.

"Hey sweetie, how did the mission go?"

"Good. It ended up being tougher than expected, but we were able to handle it."

"Well, I'm glad. But Mieko dear, I know your dad is being harsh but he's just trying to protect you. You know with your constitution…"

“Yes, I am well aware. I will keep that in mind next time.” I interrupt.

I understand where she is coming from and to be honest I wasn't thinking about that when I sneaked out. I was just too worried about Keiichi to think. But my weak constitution has always been a problem in this line of work. Ever since I was a child I was very weak. Although my swordsmanship skills are advanced, I don't have enough stamina to fight for a long time. I am proud of how far I have gotten in my training. I am skilled enough to go on missions with other adults like my parents or Mr. Ishikawa, but I am not yet ready to go alone.

It was never explained to me why I was born weak, it is unusual for vampires of the Ooyama clan to be weak. We are from noble blood, so our powers are stronger. But regardless of the reason, it is something I have to overcome. I do not want to be protected forever.

“Alright, I will let you sleep now. Good night.”

“Goodnight.”

My mom opens the bedroom door and exits my room.

I wake up to a knock on my door.

“Mistress Mieko,” says Ann, the servant.

“Come in,” I say, still feeling groggy.

“Your mother wants you to get dressed. We have a guest coming this evening.”

“Alright, help me pick out some clothes.”

“Of Course.”

I lay in my bed for a couple of minutes while Ann helps pick out my outfit. I still feel very tired. I look at the clock and see it is almost 10 pm. I overslept. We got home from the mission pretty early in the morning, but that's still no excuse. I finally find the will to get up and head to the bathroom to wash my face. After washing my face I grab the clothes Ann carefully laid out on my bed and put them on. She picked out a silk button-down blouse, with a flowy black skirt. After doing my hair quickly I head down to the living room. I enter the living room and sit on the couch next to my brother.

“Do you know who will be visiting us?” I ask my brother.

“Not sure. I haven’t heard anything.”

My mother walks in with a young vampire. He is tall and has beautiful blonde hair and dark red eyes. He looks familiar, but I can’t remember where I met him.

“So, who is this?” Keiichi asks.

“let me introduce you. This is Kazehara Satoru. He'll be staying with us.”

“Nice to meet you, I'm Keiichi Ooyama.

“Nice to meet you, I'm Mieko Oyama,” I say, then politely bow. My brother follows my lead and also bows. It is important to show respect to nobles, I know he is a noble because of his last name. He’s from the Kazehara family, a very important noble family. They have a strong influence on the Vampire Council, which is our government.

“Nice to meet you,” he says politely. “I will be staying here for a while.”

After hearing his voice it comes to me. He’s the drunk vampire that attacked me yesterday! The image of yesterday's events appears in my mind and I start shaking. I look up at him with a look of terror in my eyes. He gazes at me and I back away.

Why does this have to happen? Why is he even here and he’s a noble?

“Is something wrong Mieko?”

“No it's nothing, please excuse me,” I reply then leave the room quickly.

“Mieko!” I hear my brother yell. But I keep on walking. I exit the mansion and head to the training grounds. Training is the only thing that calms me down. I first start with a warm-up then I grab my sword and start with some drills. I immerse myself in training and forget about everything.