Chapter Ten: Deadly Game I�m Reluctant to Play:

I went home pale and trembling. Kaoru was a vampire? I tried my hardest to get that image out of my head. It only intensified as it played over and over again in my head. I froze up in my tracks and opened my eyes. Is that how Aki died? But everything about Kaoru screamed hetero. Maybe, it was a power and dominance thing. Or maybe it was a warning to me. Then, I began to realize, the news didn�t exactly say how Aki died. I then decided that I had to see for myself. So, I turned and walked all the way to the morgue. I didn�t even make a single stop during the entire trip. My heart pounding against my chest kept me moving. I held onto my ring under my dress with clinched fists.

I made it down to the morgue and pushed open the doors with great might. I ran all the way to the front. The man on duty looked up and saw me.

�Hirata-sama,� he said. �What can I help you with?� I slammed my hands down hard on the desk.

�Aki�s body!� I forced out. �Where is it? Is it still here?� The night-shift man blinked at me in confusion.

�Yes,� he said. �Why?�

�I need to see it!� I blurted out. �I think I might know how my fianc�e was killed!� This caught his attention.

�Okay, right this way,� he said. Then, he got up from the desk and walked down the hall. I followed behind with quickened breath. As much as I didn�t want to be right, the truth was fast approaching. Turning back was not an option anymore. I had no choice but to face it now.

We made it all the way to the back room. The man took out his key and unlocked the door. I felt my heart speed up as we walked through the door. He led me through to the Aki�s cooler. The man in charge unlocked the door and drew out my beloved finacee. Sorrow waved into me like waves at the beach. I kept my grief hidden behind a stoic mask. The man turned back to me.

�What would you like me to do?� he asked. I forced my emotional down into the pit of my stomach.

�Show me his neck,� I said in a trembling voice. The guy turned his neck to me. My eyes slowly widened at the two things I had discovered. My Aki�s neck was broken and he had to puncture teeth marks that broke past the skin. As I began to regret learning that my suspicions were right, a little tiny benefit of the doubt crawled into my head. Kaoru could have broken Aki�s neck before he bit him. That is highly unlikely, but�

�When was his neck broken?� I asked.

�Post-mortem,� the man in charge told me. An icy pit reformed in my stomach. My fears had just come true. Kaoru killed my Aki! I backed away, pale as the winter snow. The doctor gave me an odd look.

�Something wrong, Hirata-sama?� he asked. I quickly shook my head.

I thank you, san!� I said with a quick bow. Then, I walked right out of that icy cold, morgue. I had the truth, but what could I do now? Who the hell was going to believe me when I said that Aki was murdered by a vampire? They would all think that my grief had driven me to insanity. However, I would have to deal with another, much bigger problem soon.

As I began to look for a cab to take me home, I felt someone grab me and snatch me up from behind. I tried to scream out, but I found that my mouth was firmly covered. Kicking to escape was not an option either. The action all happened so fast. And before I knew, I found myself face to face with Kaoru, floating up in mid-air above the city. I looked deep into his eyes with fear and terror. He glared at me with eyes of the Anti-Christ.

�How much do you know?!?� Kaoru growled. �Tell me, how much do you know?!?� I trembled in his grasp.

�You killed my Aki!� I cried. �I saw the puncture wounds on his neck!� This monster got angry at me and slapped me hard in the face. I gritted my teeth to hold back my pain. The last thing I wanted to do was give this bastard the satisfaction of seeing my suffering.

�I know what you are!� I hissed. �You�re a vampire! I saw you killing that woman behind the bar! You killed her! You killed her just like you killed Aki!� He slapped me again in the face and kissed me on the lips hard. I tried to fight him off at first. Kaoru didn�t seem to want to let go of me. I finally gave in and kissed him back. Then, he slowly leaned into my ear and held me with a freezing death grip. I felt and heard myself gasping at the pressure. Kaoru licked at my ear once.

�You breathe a word of what you saw tonight and I will kill everyone else dear to you, got it?� he hissed. I nodded at that quickly. I already saw what he did to my Aki; I didn�t want the same thing to happen to my friends and family. Kaoru gave me a chilling smirk.

�Good,� he told me. Then, we slowly floated back down to the ground. My captor let go of me with a push. I nearly stumbled backwards. Kaoru gave me a twisted, little smile.

�Good night,� he said. Then, the monster turned and disappeared into the night. I stood there staring at the empty space with huge, blank eyes. What kind of demented, twisted, fatal game had I gotten myself into?