Shiro Bara (White Rose)

Emi gathered up her books, glad that the school day was finally over, and even happier that it was Friday. She was sick of geometric proofs and learning about WHY ancient Rome was such an amazing empire. Perhaps now she could enjoy some down time at home. Shoving her books unceremoniously into her bag, she walked briskly towards the door to the Shinkansen station. She was late last time, and she didn’t want to have to walk around Tokyo trying to get home while avoiding all the traffic. Again. Nor did she want to get there even slightly late and have to endure Kakekomijyousha, or “The art of rushing for a train.” It was never fun, and if she did mange to get on all the best seats were taken.

            Halfway down the hall, she paused and turned around, feeling a pair of eyes on her. A shiver ran up her spine when she saw no one was there. Attempting to shrug it off, she turned back to the door and froze.

            Someone was standing there.

            That shouldn’t have been too odd, after all school was out and people were leaving. But this person…

            He was staring at her.

            No, staring wasn’t the right word. He was surveying her. He was sizing her up. Emi tried to hide the nervousness in her voice as she spoke. “You can stop staring now.” She said hotly, although her voice trembled slightly. “I’ll bet you didn’t find anything interesting.” It was true. Emi wasn’t exceptionally pretty like other girls. She was attractive enough, slim and willowy with dark brown hair and brown eyes. But nothing special.

            The figure – she couldn’t tell who it was, as he was shrouded in shadow – chuckled. Emi scowled. “What’s so funny?”

            “You.” Came the blithe response. “You think you’re not worth staring at, that you’re nothing special…oh how wrong you are.”

            Emi took a step back. That tone of voice…the gleam in those pale, icy blue eyes…they were…

            Predatory.

            “I have pepper spray!” Emi snapped tensely. That was a lie; Emi had nothing on her to defend herself. But she wasn’t about to tell him that.

            Another chuckle, laced with amusement and oh so smooth and rich…

            NO! Emi thought. I did NOT just think that!

            “Your name is Emi, correct?” That voice was smooth and rich too…

            Emi scowled, trying to dispel those thoughts. “How did you know?” She demanded.

            He cocked his head to the side. “Does it matter?” He asked.

            “At least tell me YOUR name!” Emi shot back.

            He chuckled a third time, and Emi felt weak in the knees just from hearing it. “I am Kai.” He replied suavely.

            “K-Kai…” She mumbled. For some reason, she felt dizzy and light-headed all of a sudden. What was wrong with her? She closed her eyes in an attempt to make the dizziness go away.

            When Emi opened her eyes, she was in her own bed at home, not the dimly-lit school hallway. Confused, she sat up and looked around. Her eyes rested upon the small digital alarm clock and she froze.

            Three hours had passed.

            What did he do to me? She contemplated what could have happened, and then decided she’d be better off not knowing, considering some of the possible scenarios she’d thought up. With a shudder, she slid out of bed and padded out the door, failing to notice the pure white rose in a vase on her nightstand. A rose that had not been there before.

           

            “…Flash flooding is expected…”

            “…Versailles is coming to Tokyo for an exclusive concert…”

            “…nomadic cult continues its pilgrimage through Japan, having reached Hokkaido…”

            “…Recent studies show that teens with cell phones have a higher rate of…”

            Emi surfed through the news channels, not really paying attention to anything. Suddenly, she felt cold. Shivering, she pulled her sweatshirt tighter around her. It didn’t help. Soon she felt as if she was in the Arctic Circle. Shivering violently, she shuffled up to her room and opened the door.

            That’s when she noticed the rose.

            She stiffened. Where did that come from? Emi wondered. Momentarily forgetting her chill, she reached out and touched it, only to yank her finger back as she pricked it on a thorn. Shaking her head to clear her jumbled thoughts, she climbed into bed and cocooned herself in the thick comforter, eventually falling off to sleep.

            As the week went on, Emi had even more cold flashes. She took to wearing extra layers to help alleviate the stinging chill.

            Scowling, Emi rounded the corner on her way home, only to hear a clap of thunder before the floodgates opened and the rain came pouring down.

            Still a long way from the Shinkansen station, Emi made a mad dash for a vacant, dilapidated mansion she had passed earlier, hoping to find shelter there.

            The doors swung open soundlessly, which should have made Emi suspicious, since this house was old and the hinges should have been rusted. However, Emi did snap to attention when the smell of roses reached her.

            …The smell of roses, coupled with the coppery taste of fear…pale, ice-blue eyes and something sharp brushing against the tender skin of her neck...a gasp, and cold, pale hands holding her firmly in place as a sharp pain blossomed in the place where neck meets shoulder…

            Emi felt her knees tremble as those memories came rushing back to her. That was what had happened. That man…

            He was a vampire.

            Forcing herself to stay standing, she took a timid step towards the source of the scent. It originated from somewhere behind a large oak door, engraved with thorny stalks that had roses blooming from them. Taking a deep breath, she swung open the door.

            She was in a small chapel, with rows of wooden pews and a small white altar. Candles burned on the altar and roses were scattered everywhere.

            There was a whisper, a small sound, almost inaudible, but Emi heard it.

            “I knew you’d come.”

            Emi turned to the source of the voice. There, sitting in a pew, was a man with short, wavy brown hair and creamy pale skin, with eyes an icy blue and dark circles around his eyes, as if they were cast in shadow. He wore a loose-fitting dress shirt with ruffled cuffs and a rose at the collar, along with a black vest that had silver embroidery, tight-fitting black pants and knee-length laced boots. He stared back at her evenly, his eyes calm and calculating.

            Emi felt so many emotions whirling around inside her. Fear, intrigue, horror. She shuddered slightly, fully aware of how…magnificent his mere presence was.

            Kai’s lips tugged upwards in a small, amused smile, showing off his glinting fangs. Those fangs sent a wave of terror down Emi’s spine, and she hastily stepped back.

            In an instant, he was behind her, hands grasping her shoulders firmly. She wanted to struggle, wanted to break away, wanted to escape. But…

            The smell of roses.

            For some reason, the fragrant smell of roses hanging in the air lulled her into a calm state. Kai watched as her head lolled to one side, exposing the bare skin of her neck. He licked his lips, running his tongue over his sharp fangs.

            Tantalizing.

            Emi’s eyelids fluttered slightly as Kai's lips brushed the sensitive skin of her neck. His tongue darted out to lick a patch of skin, and he let out a contented hum before his fangs sank in to her neck.

            Emi gasped as a sharp pain erupted in her neck, but Kai held her tightly, preventing her from squirming too much. She whimpered in discomfort. The pain was so much…

            After what seemed like an eternity, Kai pulled away, and then wrapped his arms around her. “You are mine now.” He purred. "Mine forever."