Euphoria

Chapter One

Shinoa's pink lips parted slightly as she buried her fingers into the dirt. With her stomach pressed firmly against the ground the scent of dirt and the ever closer footsteps tickled her senses, filling her with a mix of emotions before leaving her with nothing. Her once braided bun was messily sprawled against her back, the purple locks mangled with sticks and rubble and the scent of battle all in one.

She knew it was futile; the enemy was too strong. They had single handedly defeated her comrades despite their desperate attempts to combat them. Even Yuu, the headstrong, unforgiving idiot that he was, had been effortlessly defeated. But still, she forced herself to rise, her hands grabbing onto her scythe and turning to face the vampires.

The vampires seemed at ease, the two males bickered amongst each other with little regard to her. Both wore their white uniform with modifications, the redheaded one having rolled up the leg of one pants leg slightly and traded in the knee length boots for shorter black shoes.  His collar was exposed and the sword in his hand seemed to gleam in the sunlight's reflection.

His companion, though he wore the same uniform, seemed to have disregarded the jacket and wore only the exposed black collared shirt. He did not have a weapon on hand but his fists remained in a tight ball nonetheless.

The red-headed vampire noticed her first, turning his green eyes from his companion and placing a hand on his hip.

"Look, the girl's still moving," he said.

"I know you idiot, I'm not blind," the other growled, his own ruby red eyes flickering to her.

Her situation was beyond hopeless. She could see the bodies of her squad lying merely feet in front of her: Mitsuba, Kimizuki, Yoichi, Yuu all motionless in the dirt. To her relief, she could see the faint rising of their chests and strengthened her resolve.

"Shi-chan, this is it," she said, holding her scythe in front of herself. "If I don't push them back we're all dead."

There was a rumble of black that spilled from her scythe and she smiled lightly, pulling her arm into a swinging motion before flinging the black mass towards the vampires.

A grunt escaped the unarmed vampire's lips as he jumped out of the way. The red-headed vampire, however, smiled in return and braced himself for impact. A loud crash rang out into the air as black smoke covered the vicinity giving Shinoa time to run towards her companions.

"Shi-chan, grab them!" She yelled, the black rising from her scythe rolling over her unconscious squad one by one and lifting them into the air.

"Stupid human," a voice snapped, forcing Shinoa to turn to the right and hold out her weapon.

There was little time to react. She found herself being propelled into the ground by a sharp punch. It was like getting hit with a bus and her head connected with the ground with a loud CRACK!

All at once her vision blurred and she could feel the energy being zapped from her body.

"Oi, Subaru!" A voice yelled, "You can't kill her you stupid shit. We need them alive."

"I didn't kill her you dumbass, she's still alive!" The vampire named Subaru snapped, "If you hadn't went easy on her to begin with she'd be like the others."

"Ahn? And that's my fault? You're the one supposed to collect them not me. You're lucky Ore-sama felt like helping you."

She could hear footsteps approaching her, and despite the pounding headache and her blurry vision, she fumbled for her scythe blindly, her hands searching the ground desperately. 

"...Oi, human. Stop resisting."

The heel of a shoe buried itself into her hand, digging sharply into her flesh. She winced at the pain, her free hand desperately clawing at the foot pinning her in place. 

A dry laugh fell from the vampire's lips. "it's not bad watching you struggle."

The foot moved long enough for her to pull her hand to her chest and curl into a ball, the helplessness and lingering death finally weighing down on her. This was it, a pathetic end to all that she knew.

A hand slammed down on her neck, forcing her to look  up at the vampire, his green eyes glistening with an unnerving expression. He smiled, his fangs peaking out from his lips.

"Consider yourself lucky," he said, "Ore-sama is going to partake in your blood."

He licked his lips and ripped open her collar with his free hand exposing her neck. Shinoa refused to cry, instead gripping his arm with her hand as tightly as she could while she tried wriggling out of his grasp.

He ignored her struggling, pulling her body close to lick her neck slowly. His icy cold tongue forced her to freeze, her heart hammering in her chest. She could only glance towards Yuu and silently beg for him to wake up. He was always waking up in the nick of time and saving the day, so couldn't he save them now? 

The moment his fangs pierced her skin she squeezed her eyes shut. The pulsing of her heart, the quickening pace of her breath and the slight tingles of euphoria all attacked her senses at once. The urge to fight was slowly evaporating from her, leaving nothing but the drowsiness that threatened to overtake her.

"Oi, Ayato enough! Don't kill her!"

The fangs retracted from her neck and Shinoa's eyes fluttered open. There was a small trail of blood that dribbled down the vampire's chin, and she couldn't help but hate them even more. 

"Damn, she tastes good," he said, licking his lips. With the back of his hand he brushed the blood from his chin before licking it off. "I wouldn't mind drinking all of her."

"Of course you wouldn't mind," Subaru grumbled, "But we've wasted enough time because of you."

"Oh shut up. You're only saying that because you want to see your beloved Krul don't you?"

"Hah?!"

"Don't act innocent Subaru. Everybody knows you have the hots for her."

"Why you!! I'll kill you!"

"Haha, what happened to us wasting time huh?"

Shinoa was dropped unceremoniously , her body crumpling instantly. She couldn't move a muscle, the tips of her fingers barely wriggling as she tried to will herself to move.

"She's mine now got it?" Ayato growled. 

There was a grunt. "Whatever, take her. I'm not going to stop you."

Her vision was once again filled with the sight of red hair and a grin before she was lifted by her neck and holstered over his shoulder. Her hands and feet dangled uselessly as she fought to stay awake, fighting unconsciousness with each passing second. 

"Ore-sama only drinks from the best of the best. You're lucky to have such high quality blood."

He bounced her on his shoulder, the only indication that he was talking to her. She could do nothing but watch as the figures of her friends grew distant until they disappeared from her sight completely.