Chapter 1: Memories Like Shattered Glass
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13 Years Ago:

    “N...no… Mommy… plea..se… help… help me!- Please… I.. I need you!-” A child’s cry rings out like an alarm overlapped by the crashing world around him. He grips the hardwood floor, his tiny fingers curling as he digs his nails, scraping as he scoots himself trying to escape, to find refuge from the chaos around him. Trembling, the child freezes in place huddling into a tight curled mass, his eyes shut tight, he throws up his clenched hands, covering his head trying to blot out the world around him. 

In the next moment a warm familiar feeling surrounds him. A grip so tender yet firm covering him like a veil or a protective hood. Trembling hands, so delicate yet full of purpose… someone is speaking to him. But the voice is too out of focus, as though he’s being spoken to from a long tunnel with light just out of reach… the ringing in his ears distorting that desperate voice… then, in an instant the ringing is replaced by the sound of another CRASH and a pained scream… 

Eyes once shut shoot open again as he looks off to the side a single form splayed on the ground… once more the child picks himself up, clawing at the floor as he raises his body up… face drenched in sweat and tears he scoots himself, inching his hands forward willing his body to move on his knees… A small yelp echoes as he lifts his hands looking at the splinters covering his fingertips and palms, but the majority of his attention still rests on the mass in front of him…

Pushing forward he finally reached the form, his head resting forlornly as he cried, in the next moment a chill ran down his spine, followed by a pain through his neck, his head shot back looking at a massive shadow looming overhead seeming to overtake him until the room, the world was completely enveloped.

***

Kai burst from under his sheets clutching his chest as it heaved up and down, beads of sweat falling profusely down his forehead. His nerves wreaking havoc on his body. Silence filled his ears as he inwardly began trying to will himself to calm down. His eyes darted around the room as his subconscious tried to refamiliarize itself with the surroundings of his apartment.

After a few minutes he pulled his covers back turning his body to swivel around letting his feet rest on the floor taking another breath before standing up. His eyes rested on the outline of the curtain which framed both the windows in the room, underneath a thin ray of twilight etching across. 

Blinking a few times he padded his feet on the carpet steadying himself before making his way down the short hallway to the bathroom covering his eyes letting out a groan as he flipped the switch. Gripping the edge of the sink bowl he pulled himself forward, head sunk as he sucked in a breath.

For thirteen years Kai has been haunted by the same dream fractured pieces of a lost past. Night after night, the same face yet he cannot remember anything about the woman besides the connection of  “mother.”

Finally, mustering up the courage he looked up into the mirror, a faded almost reflective image staring back at him and the blazing blue inferno in his eyes, once again reminding him of what he had lost.

Running a quick hand through his scalp trying to control his unruly hair he finally gave a definitive sigh, unable to look at himself any longer he nodded… Good enough. As he turned to leave he hissed out as his hand slipped along a jagged section of the sink's edge.. “Dammit.” Instantly a pang of unrelenting hunger gripped him and he brought his finger to his lips sucking softly. Well, here’s my breakfast… 

Turning away from the room he made is way back to the small bedroom setting his sights on the dresser at the side of the room, since he was already awake, he figured that he might as well get a start on the day, on top of that, he remembered that he had been summoned the day before and just as the thought entered his mind there was a ring coming from the nightstand by the single queen-sized bed. Checking the caller ID he answered by pressing the phone to his ear.

“Yes, I am at your beck and call.” There was a moment of silence before the person on the other end responded with a soft chuckle. 

“All I am is your wakeup call kiddo, after all, I know how much you love your sleep.” There was a mix of joviality and seriousness in her voice, an unusual combination. Kai cracked a bit of a smile at the corner of his lips as he propped the phone between his ear and shoulder to begin rummaging through the drawer. “Your motherhood is showing again Ma’am, I’m a big boy, when I have someplace to be, I can wake myself up…” There was a sense of pause in his voice as he thought back on his nightmare but was immediately brought back to the conversation with her next statement.

“Kai… you know you can call me Mai, as you said, you are an adult and I have come to think of you on a much more equal footing,” Kai simply shook his head as he dug out the plain t-shirt he was looking for. After placing it on the bed with a long silence, he sighed.

“I just can’t do it, don’t get me wrong, I love the nongolant relationship we have but I can’t just break rank, when we met, you took me into your home and I called you mom, when you brought me into the Prevention Unit, you became my superior on a professional level that’s just the way I am, and that’s just the way it is.” Again there was a long silence until the one on the other side spoke at an almost inaudible level.

You shouldn’t think of me so highly Kai, putting one on such a high pedestal is dangerous…

What?” he tried probing her to repeat herself but she finally changed the subject. “What’s your ETA?”

“I can get out the door in 10 and arrive in 10.” He set the phone on speaker and moved it onto the bed as he pulled the T-shirt over his frame. “Can you tell me what this whole thing is about, I thought you said you were going to keep the during-school missions to a minimum?” 

“It's not a mission kiddo but it's important so try to make it before class; got it?” Kai shook his head as he turned his head towards the clock on his headboard. “I highly doubt I’m going to not make it before then, considering it's 6am.” The woman on the other line let out a chuckle.

“See you soon then.” He nodded and picked up the phone again;

“Yea see you.” Hanging up the phone he tossed it back on his bed, moved back to the drawer plucking out his school uniform vest and tossed it on the bed while he pulled up his uniform pants. Then, picking up the shirt tucking it under his arm he moved out of the room heading down the narrow walled hall to the open area which connected the living-room, kitchen and inner entry way. As a studio apartment, there wasn’t much to see but it was enough to satisfy his needs.

As he walked towards the door he caught something out the corner of his eye, an ornate table which sat at the center of the living-room, stopping, his breath caught in his throat as a faded vision of the form from his nightmare appeared. Shaking his head, clearing his thoughts he looked again and the vision vanished.

When the woman who had saved all those years ago brought him into her home, she used her resources to have the old table restored, perhaps as a way to try and give the young man a piece of the past he had lost so suddenly and brutally. Damn sentimentalist. He said as he stopped near the door, slipping into his shoes and grabbing his bag stuffing his vest inside. 

Opening the door he stepped out pausing for a moment as he looked up at the sky. Twilight had just broken so the sky was mostly dark lined with the slightest hue along the horizon. This was the type of atmosphere Kai appreciated best. It's not that he hated daylight, in fact, he liked the sun but, he had to be careful, it was his curse.

Taking a cleansing breath, he took a moment to look down the street, with no vehicles around it was so peaceful. Finally, as he readied himself he headed to his car, started the engine and headed to his destination.

For some reason, maybe because of the nightmare, maybe because of the phone call or a combination of the two, Kai was feeling rather contemplative. He thought as much as he could about the dream, the old house, the disaster, the woman who took him into her home and in doing so, gave him the chance at redemption and purpose. The I.S.I.P.U (International Supernatural Incident Prevention Unit) It was at fifteen that he was made aware of the organization and the creto in which she and soon he would live their lives. “If they mean harm, they must be stopped, if they just want peace, leave them alone.” To him, it really spoke to what kind of person she is, and why he had so much respect.

Finally, he reached his destination. The headquarters of the Japan branch of the I.S.I.P.U. it didn’t look like much, nothing major stuck out about it, it wasn’t technological, or even guarded, just a building on a road in the middle of the city.

Back in the early 2000’s the building was actually used as a college preparatory school. Students from some of the surrounding lower level schools would transfer over to prepare themselves to either head to the local University, or even overseas for special programs, but, when the time of the school ran its course the government had to decide what to do with the same building. It was around the same time that the I.S.I.P.U had run into a problem of its own. The former Director and Kai’s foster mothers mentor, decided that a change needed to occur, he was the main driving force which caused the world to be in the state it is in now. According to his ideology, the world needed transparency, he believed that they were ready to know the existence of the organization, and as a whole, the existence of the Supernatural kind. That decision created a fundamental shift. With the secret already out, transparency then became a must, so the headquarters were moved and the school was converted, people can come and go as they please, but, with it now commonplace, many, no longer bothered. 

As Kai stepped inside the building, he made his way down the main lobby area which was converted by knocking down the walls of nearby classrooms and through a door which led to a small reception office where Kai stood in front of a tall desk with a 30 something-year old with a soft complexion. “Hey there Rika, I’m headed to the director's office.” The woman glanced up from her computer giving him a soft smile;

“You do realize you don’t have to ask permission for that right, especially if she is expecting you.” Giving her a small wave, he turned down the next hall and headed down towards his destination. He could see a few of the other members inside the labs hard at work probably mainly trying to learn more and more about vampiric physiology.

He continued down the hall until he reached a door with a nameplate on the side which read Mai Hinata: Director He knocked lightly waiting until a gentle yet firm voice invited him in. “Come in Kiddo.” Opening the door slowly he nodded;

Stepping inside, it took his eyes a mere moment to adjust to the lack of lighting in the room due to the blackout curtains that covered the windows, just like the ones which covered Kai’s apartment. This was because the inhabitant of this room, his savior and Kai, shared the same secret. However, for some reason her eyes were more sensitive than his, because of that, the only light was the dim overhead ceiling light and the dim shine of her computer screen.

“Reporting for..- Uhh..” As he went to sit down in front of the desk Kai noticed the form hunched over behind it, she seemed to be rummaging through the desk drawer. As organized as ever I guess… Moments later the figure straightened, a soft smile on her soft features. 

“Punctual as ever, eh kiddo?” 

The soft features and complexion of the 30something year old gave her a very youthful vision, if one were to have met her for the first time they honestly might think she was no more than eighteen years of age. Her soft spoken yet firm demeanour made her way to talk to which really made her all the better for the position of Director in most people’s opinion. She was well liked and respected. 

Rising from her seat, Kai saw a small device in the woman’s hand, about the size of a pen. It had a small round needle poking from its end, the young man recognized it immediately and instantly his muscles tensed. It was a device used to draw samples of blood. 

“Umm, what's that for?” Kai asked, hesitation clear in his voice. The woman stopped in front of him and rested a hand on his shoulder reassuringly but her voice was serious. 

“As you are well aware, our scientists have been working with method, on top of method trying to find some way of creating a true defence against the nightwalkers. The situation began to look promising when we discovered your blade could actually penetrate them. We thought perhaps, the key is within… the physiology of vampires themselves.” He could tell she was hesitating, trying not to trigger him but he gave her a slight nod signaling her to continue. 

“We tried all manners of ways to enchant weapons with my blood but, we can’t get so much as a miniscule reaction. You are the only one who has been able to actually fully defeat them which means, your special Kai.” Finally, he nodded placing his upturned hand in hers, she pressed the device to his wrist drawing the sample and made her way back to her desk setting it down.

“So, is that all you needed me for, I could have come by after school you know.” Kai said with a shrug, but the woman seemed over-encumbered by something. 

“That’s not the reason I asked you here.” She said as she pushed the manila envelope she had drawn from the drawer closer to him. Hesitantly, he took it and began to read the contents inside, his eyes widening. 

“WHAT?!”

他人を食い物にする悪者から来る大胆で無謀な最近の一撃によって、私は協力者を割り当てられる全ての猟師を必要としています。全ての協力者は私の意のままに私に選ばれるでしょう。

(Kyuuketsuki ga totsuzen ni daitan to muhou ni natta node, subete no ryoushi ga patona ga hitsuyou koto ni natteiru. Subete no patona ga jibun no erabi kara ataerareru)

(Due to a recent stroke of boldness and recklessness from the vampire species, I am requiring all hunters to be assigned a partner. All partners will be chosen by me at my discretion. -Mai Hinata-

“I’m confused, you can’t be serious! I haven’t had a “partner” since that old man back when you  first brought me in, you yourself told me how impressed you were by my ability to be independent, you called me one of the best, so why!?”

“Kai, calm down.” The softness in her voice was gone now, only sternness remained. “I of all people understand how independent you are, but there’s something you have never understood, the most independent and well off and well thought, are the ones that have the foreknowledge and and the sense to be dependant, it might sound like the two are completely exclusive, but they aren’t.” She sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of her nose. 

“On top of that, in the last week alone we have lost five of our people to ambushes. And that only accounts for a small amount of the time that the nightwalkers have begun their extreme advances. I won’t lose anymore, especially you. I know I can’t completely guarantee that we have no more casualties, whatever this is, is far from over but, if there is anything I can do to give the people left a greater chance then that’s it, the decision is made.” Deflated Kai finally calmed down, slumping slightly in his seat.

“Alright, I get your point, just, tell me one thing, who was it you chose, I wasn’t made aware of this decision so obviously my opinion wasn’t taken into account.” He said a bit husskilly, earning a bit of a glare from the woman. After a moment however, her features seemed to soften again. She folded her hands in front of her sighing.

“A fellow student was chosen from Clandestine Academy.” His barley calmed body tensed once again…

“What… No….no..no...no..no, anything but that, you have to choose someone else, from somewhere else please! He seemed to be lost in a stammered fit… “They… they hate me, day after day, they either avoid me, or fight with me, they make my life a living hell and now you want me to… to work with one of them. I understand that since moving out you probably don’t keep too good an eye on me but-”

“KAI!” The words caught in his throat suddenly turned harsh, “I always keep an eye on you, I know very well what you have to endure, however, it’s my belief that this person is the right choice.” Baffled it took a few moments before he could speak again... 

“W..ho who was chosen?” Just as the question left his lips he heard the door creek open, he caught the sight of a figure sauntering in, he felt a hand glide over the back of his chair as the figure turned in his direction, his blood turning ice cold as the girl looked down at him. With one hand she brushed her long bangs out of her face. Orbs of pale purple burrowing straight into him Raven hair, eyes of pale amethyst....

“That would be me…” Her voice was smooth yet toned with condescendance as she held out her hand and flicked his nose… “So get used to it, Fang-Face.”

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