Bitten By Love

Four

Man found unconscious in alleyway.

The report went on to say that he had been on his way home from work when he had been assaulted by unkown persons. There were few external wounds, but the man had woken up feeling very weak. Doctors assumed it was due to blood loss, despite the lack of wounds.

Akiko put the newspaper aside. There were too many sinister reports like these. First the conflict in her district, now people getting attacked...she was beginning to get worried.

Maybe I should go on a vacation for a while, she thought. I'll probably feel less stressed after.

Akiko went to her uncle's house for tea that evening. She discussed her thoughts with them.

"Well, I understand how it's worrying you," her aunt said, "bit the protests should die down in a few weeks. If it doesn't, then we're fully supporting your idea of just taking a break from all the stress."

"That's right," Akiko's uncle agreed. "Wait for a while, and then take a decision."

Akiko's POV

They're right, I thought. I shouldn't be so hasty in making a decision. Anyway, it's nearly summer, so I can probably wait till then. I'm quite overdue for a vacation anyway.

I hadn't been on a vacation in years, not since I took charge of the café.

I decided to think about it, and hoped the situation would improve soon.

I sat down in my uncle's living room and switched on the television. There was a news report from the district capital, where the governor lived.

The broadcast was live.

"Rebels have taken over two villages near the district capital," the reporter announced. "All local officials have either been imprisoned or thrown out of the villages. The rebels are believed to be made up of factory workers and unemployed youth.

"When asked for a statement, the governor's office declined to comment. It is believed that senior officials, including the governor, are attempting to contact the national government for assistance."

I shut the television off. I couldn't bear it anymore.

I spent a long time in the bath before dinner. I cooked myself a small steak, just so I could feel better.

I sighed. I think I should take a vacation, I said to myself. I'll go to the beach for a few weeks, and get all this stress off. I'll book the tickets for next month.

*  *  *  *

Third POV

Uruha pressed the brakes as his car approached the garage. He'd been away for longer than he expected.

Just in time, he thought. Shortly, he would have to start recording the new songs for his band's album. He was looking forward to it, but wondered how much time he'd have to spend in the studio.

After parking his car in the garage, he opened the front door of the three-storey house he shared with his bandmates. "I'm back," he called wearily.

"Hey! Welcome back!" Kai called from somewhere else. "How was your interview?"

"It was okay," Uruha said, "but it got delayed because the magazine staff insisted on a drinking party, so everyone was too hungover to finish it on time."

Kai laughed as he walked into the living room with Uruha. They saw the others in the band lying around on the couches. Aoi and Ruki looked up and grinned; Reita high-fived Uruha. "Did you manage a feed?" Reita asked.

"Yup, some drunkard. That town's full of them. As a matter of fact, that whole district seems to have taken to food and drink to solve their problems."

"Unless people other than the protestors speak out, nothing will happen," Ruki said, reading the newspaper. "The struggles appear to be getting more violent as time goes by."

Aoi sighed. "I've said it before, humans are so dramatic. Their problems will just kill them early. It's not like they have long lives anyways. Why don't they just learn to solve problems without so much trouble?"

Kai answered: "That's because this situation has gone far beyond reasonable discussion. They tried it, but when one group agreed to the terms the other didn't, and vice versa."

"I hope the ordinary citizens stay safe," Aoi said anxiously. "Humans may have their own problems, but most of them aren't so bad."

"See, this is why us vampires should live in more towns. We can atleast protect the innocent people," Reita argued.

"But that only works when the entire town agrees, and teaches their descendants to leave the Red-Eyed Persons alone," Ruki explained. "We're lucky that it worked here centuries ago, so that any vampire can seek asylum here."

"True," Uruha agreed, but his mind was elsewhere.