The ill-fated maiden

My Sweetest, Ophelia:

You fell asleep on the floor by the bookcase, holding the letter from Shuu tightly to your chest. He was the first to visit you again the next night. His face seeming to wake up as he saw you holding the letter so dearly. Even at his distance, the book, the letter... He could recognize it all instantly. He brought his head down, only to walk closer to you, bending down to your level. Taking note of your slight redness from crying. He wore a melancholic expression, 'Seems you've figured it out already, Ophelia...' He ran his hands through your hair. He'd forgotten how soft and silky it was. He remembered the day he said he wouldn't mind searching an eternity for you. Not realizing that you running away from him, his family, would be the cause of the search that felt like an eternity. He was still torn from your decision all that time ago. He never understood why you and your family did what you did though. He wasn't always experienced with emotions, but he knew that you had loved him...

His thoughts paused as you rustled around a bit. Smiling faintly as he saw you still wore your clip even after finding all this out. You fluttered your eyes open to meet one of Shuu's blue ones. He was laying next to you, facing you. You awoke fully after seeing him, you sat up slowly. You wanted to say something, but what what was there to say? "The rest of your memories will flow back slowly. I'm not the only one you share them with. But... Mine came first since... Mine were last." Shuu spoke now with both eyes shut. There was undeniable sadness in his tone. And your heart ached with hearing him. Seeing him.

"We're vampires. And you were born to be ours. You've been reincarnated for as long as we've been vampires." He continued but he turned the opposite direction, so that now his back was to you. "You've always lived nearby us, at a certain age, you would come to us. You were drawn to us. Thats how you were made. And we would have you. But as fate would have it, over the hundreds and hundreds of reincarnations... Each of us slowly realized we wanted more than blood. We wanted you. Your last few reincarnations from that time were spent with each one of us." He stopped and curled up a bit.

"Since you belonged to us all, we agreed that after each reincarnation, the next brother would have you. And the cycle stopped after the final brother, me. I was last to realize my feelings for you. So I was the last to have you. For that reason I bear the greatest loss. You hurt me the most because, we didn't get to have a good ending. We... Didn't even get an end. Our story was cut short and unfinished. And the chance to continue was lost." You reached your arm out to him like it was an instinct. He stayed still after your touch and you pulled your hand back.

He turned around again, "Why did you flee, Ophelia? Our father... He warned you and your family at the start of each reincarnate of your life that if you tried to run and hide. You'd be killed off. You knew this... And you left me." He was sorrowful but the more he spoke the more his words were laced with venom.

Your eyes watered as you looked at him, "I... I don't know! Besides my memories with the others... That's the only thing that hasn't come back. I swear Shuu, I don't know why I did what I did back then. All I know is that I regret it. It was so foolish of me." It's like the you from then was speaking. "I'm so sorry Shuu, I don't know why I ever wanted to leave you... I never meant to hurt you." You gently reach for his face and place your hand on his cheek. His expression wavers for a moment but its soon returned to its usual one.

He pulled his face away slowly and in that moment a stray tear fell down. "If you don't have the answers I seek... Then I'll be going now." He got up and vanished from your sight. Leaving your hand in the air, you let it drop.

You curled into yourself and leaned against the bookshelf. "Get yourself cleaned up." A voice called out of no where. Reiji.

"Reiji...?" You questioned, only then noticing his scowling towards the book and paper besides you.