Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sky was dark, almost black, with just enough light for Illari to see where she was going without tripping over anything. It was raining heavily outside, and she began to get drenched in the process. Her clothes stuck uncomfortably to her body as she ran toward her destination. Trying to seek shelter in a nearby bar, she quickly found a door that seemed to lead directly into the building. She pulled the door open with some hesitation, knowing that there would likely be many people inside, and not wanting to attract any unwanted attention.

As soon as she was inside, though, her worry abated when she saw the empty place. A lone bartender stood behind a long bar counter, she was busy polishing glasses with a rag. Illari looked around the bar, taking everything in. The whole place was dimly lit with small lamps, the lighting creating an aura of warmth. Despite this, her clothes were still soaked, causing her to shiver a little. Illari took a seat at one of the many stools at the bar, trying to make herself comfortable. The bartender turned around and caught sight of Illari, giving her a friendly smile. Illari couldn't help but notice that her hair was green and up in a high ponytail.

“Hey there, what can I get you?” She asked cheerfully. Illari freaked out a little bit, she had never actually been to a bar before.

“Vodka,” Illari replied, no emotion shown. The bartender raised an eyebrow a bit, confused as to why someone would just order 'vodka', but shrugged it off nonetheless and poured the requested drink. When she brought it back to Illari, she noticed the girl was shivering quite noticeably.

“You got caught in the rain? Here, take my jacket.” She offered, placing the jacket on the bar top. Illari hesitated for a second before accepting. She immediately felt warmer.

“Thank you.” She said quietly, looking down at the shot in front of her. Illari soon grabbed the glass and downed the contents. Her face immediately twisted into a grimace. The alcohol burned her throat like fire, and she choked a little. Illari coughed slightly and set the glass down, attempting a more dignified gesture. The bartender stared at her, holding back laughter.

“What...?” Illari tried to ask. Her voice sounded hoarse, barely coming out at a whisper. She cleared her throat and spoke again, this time somewhat more clearly. “Why are you laughing?” The bartender continued to chuckle lightly to herself.

“You've never drank before, have you?” Illari frowned. How could she know that?

“No.” She stated, hoping the woman wouldn't press the matter further.

“I figured, so why are you out so late? People usually head home before twelve since the recent vampire incidents.” She leaned forward with intrigue, resting her arms on the countertop, which made Illari lean back unconsciously.

“Vampires don't scare me.” Illari stated flatly, her eyes hardening slightly.

“Well then you're definitely different than the rest, huh? The bartender commented, leaning on the counter a little closer to Illari now.

“What's your name?” Illari shook her head.

“Come oooonnnn....” The bartender pouted before pointing to her name tag. “I'm Kiriko Kamori.” Illari nodded curtly and returned her focus to the empty shot glass in front of her.

“I told you my name, it's only fair if you tell me yours.”

“I don't wish to be friends with you,” Illari stated coldly, glaring at Kiriko defiantly.

“I never said I wanted to be your friend, but that'll be a plus.” Kiriko grinned playfully. “It's just nice to see a new face around here!” Kiriko continued to grin. Illari huffed, rolling her eyes before finally giving in.

“Illari Quispe Ruiz.” She finally spoke, looking up from the glass to meet Kiriko's gaze.

“It suits you.”

“How so?” Illari asked, narrowing her eyes.

“It's beautiful, much like yourself.” Her response caused Illari to blush faintly, looking away from Kiriko’s gaze once again.

“I don't take compliments from strangers.”

“Ouch, I offered you my jacket and told you my name, technically I'm not a stranger anymore, right?” Kiriko grinned mischievously, wiggling her fingers as if she'd already won. Illari shook her head and rolled her eyes. “So are we going to sit here and be grumpy, or would you like to tell me why you were out in the rain this late at night?”

“Business.” Illari gave a terse reply.

“Oh yeah? What kind of business would take you out into the streets in the middle of the night, eh?”

Illari sighed, her irritation growing. “None of your concern.”

“If you say so, babes.” Kiriko smiled widely once more. “But hey, maybe next time you feel like being sociable, you can come and visit me instead, okay?”

That comment must have struck some sort of nerve in the girl. “I'm never stepping foot inside of this bar again.” Illari huffed, standing up abruptly and stalking towards the door.

“Hey, wait -” Kiriko called out, hurrying to follow Illari. Illari ignored her, pushing open the doors and striding angrily through the pouring rain. Kiriko hurried after her.

“Could you come back inside? At least until the rain stops! You'll catch a cold!” Kiriko said desperately. Illari finally turned around, facing her with an icy expression on her face. Kiriko was momentarily intimidated by it.

“Don't follow me.” She spat out bitterly before storming away. Kiriko was too flabbergasted to respond. She watched Illari disappear around the corner before sighing and walking back inside the bar.

“What's her problem anyway?” She murmured irritably under her breath before heading to the counter to grab a drink. Kiriko looked around the bar quickly to make sure she was all alone before digging into her backpack to grab a bag of blood. She poked a straw into the bag like it was some sort of juice box before beginning to drink from it.

Kiriko had done this during her many years of being a vampire. She stopped hunting years ago since she despised taking the lives of innocent people. She receives her blood 'ethically' from her friend Angela.

She works at a blood bank, and she's been feeding Kiriko for about two years now. She didn't mind and was grateful for the care Angela gave her, especially considering most vampires starved themselves to death due to their inability to feed off humans.
Angela was one of the few humans Kiriko could trust. While blood bags kept her full and tasted fine, she still preferred the taste of fresh blood. However, it was much harder to find a living blood bank nowadays with the rise of vampiric crimes and the increased violence against humanity.

After draining the bag of its contents, Kiriko stepped outside, locking up the door in front of her. As she made her way through the streets, she received a text on her phone. Glancing at it for a second, she realized it was from her friend Sloan.

RockMunxher: Yo are u off yet?
FoxesNDonuts: Ye, ur not gonna believe what happened 2nite.
RockMunxher: Wut????
FoxesNDonuts: We got a new customer, past midnight.
RockMunxher: omg?? They a vamp too?
FoxesNDonuts: Def not
RockMunxher: WHAT
FoxesNDonuts: I'll tell you more later, you better clock in tmrw!
RockMunxher: Aye aye!

-ˋˏ ༻𖤓༺ ˎˊ-

“You're such a fuckin' liar, Kiri!” Sloan roared from across the bar, nearly dropping the glass they had been cleaning. Kiriko, who was standing on the other side of the bar, was busy wiping down tables, listening to her best friend yell at her, and trying to stop herself from laughing.

“I'm serious! This girl was completely human.”

“The last humans I saw walking the streets late at night were dead ones. That chick is most likely a vamp, you're delusional, Kiriko.”

“I know what I saw, but whatever, it's not like it matters anyway. I'll probably never see her again.”

“You scared off a new customer?”

“What, no! She just left, I don't know why…” Kiriko trailed off.

“Yeah, right.” Sloan snorted before turning the 'closed' sign to 'open' and setting the rag down onto the counter.

Tonight had been a Friday, meaning that they would be extremely busy later tonight, meaning that the bar would be packed for hours upon hours. Kiriko and Sloan would have a few minutes to themselves before customers started flooding in.
Kiri took that opportunity to lean over the bar, staring deeply at the glass in front of her. Her gaze flickered to the clock hanging above the main door, and she groaned softly. She really couldn't get her mind off Illari. It seemed impossible to her, and frankly, she didn't want to think about anything other than her.

The only thing that had been able to snap Kiriko out of her thoughts was the sound of the front door opening. She glanced up briefly, thinking it was one of the regulars coming in to grab an early drink, when she realized it was Illari who had come in. Kiriko's heart skipped a beat and immediately went stiff as a board, completely unable to move. Illari spotted her and immediately raised an eyebrow before glancing up at the woman.

“Kiriko?” There was a hint of softness in her voice as she approached the bar, eyeing Kiriko curiously.

“What happened to 'I'm never stepping foot in this bar again?” Kiriko teased, trying her hardest not to let the nervous excitement show in her voice.

“Your jacket…”

“What?” Kiriko blinked in confusion before glancing down and realizing Illari was talking about the black foral jacket she held in her hands. “Ah,” Kiriko smirked slightly. “Well, how did you end up with that?”
“Have you forgotten already? Remember yesterday night?” Illari asked, clearly not understanding whatever joke Kiriko was making at her expense.

“Yeah, I'm not sure I remember hun, what happened?” She smiled innocently in an attempt to hide the fact that she actually remembered every detail of that night.

“You're doing this on purpose,” Illari growled before stomping away towards the door. Kiriko bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh.

“Wow, are you trying to steal my jacket again?” Kiriko called out to Illari right before she could touch the handle. Illari paused and then slowly turned her head back around, giving Kiriko an annoyed glare.

“What? No! Here!” Illari shoved the jacket into Kiriko's hands, causing her to almost drop the jacket. She looked down at the jacket, then over at Kiriko, then back at the jacket, her cheeks flushing as she stepped away from the bar.

“I should go,” Illari mumbled softly, glancing around nervously before darting quickly out the door. Sloan stared after her in bewilderment before chuckling quietly, shaking their head fondly.

“No way!”

“See I told you she was human!”
“No, not that!” They exclaimed.

“Then what?” Kiriko was honestly confused now. What exactly had Sloan been on about?

“She's literally well known by every vampire in this city for one thing.” Sloan began. “What's that?” Kiriko asked, eager to learn more about Illari.

“She's a vampire hunter! And a very dangerous one at that. She's the last of her kind, and worst of all, she's got these crazy solar powers, aka THE ONLY THING THAT KILLS VAMPIRES.” Sloan continued explaining like they were telling some sort of 'scary story' on TV. Kiriko leaned forward and listened intently, completely captivated.

“She's so cute, though, you're telling me a cute girl like her slaughters vampires on the daily? Like what the hell?”

“If I were you, I'd be very careful if you ever see her again,” Sloan warned.

“But we're civil vamps? We're not a threat to anyone.” Kiriko argued.

“That doesn't mean she won't kill any of us if given the chance. Trust me, Kiriko, she holds a strong vengeance against us all.”
“Woah, she must be pretty hardcore if she's got you all worked up. I won't tell her we're vampires if she shows up again. Which I'm pretty sure she is, did you see how flustered she got around me?”

“Don't even think about it.”

“Whaaat? You think I can't land my shot with a vampire hunter?”

“You're insane, dude.”

-ˋˏ ༻𖤓༺ ˎˊ-

“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why do you keep doing such stupid things?” Illari growled in exasperation as she kicked at some gravel beneath her feet. She was angry with herself for growing so flustered in front of a bartender, of all people. She hadn't meant to react that way; it had just happened. She hated showing weakness, she hated feeling emotions in general. However, she hated herself even more, especially now as she found herself stepping right back into the bar.

When she entered, she felt instantly relieved. Even if Kiriko had annoyed her before, she couldn't help but to crave Kiriko's company. Seeing her made all of Illari's anger fade away, and she became calm once again.

“Illari! You're back? I'm starting to think you might actually enjoy my company.” Kiriko teased as she finished cleaning behind the bar.

“Shut up! I don't appreciate your attitude or your flirting.” Illari snapped as she sat on one of the stools next to the counter. Soon after she said that, an influx of customers came in through the front door all at once. They were loud and quickly began filling up stools at the bar. When there weren't any more seats at the bar, people sat at the various tables scattered throughout the establishment, some were even standing. The number of people here were really starting to bother Illari.

“I'll talk to you in a bit, hang tight, alright.” Kiriko handed Illari a glass of water before turning her attention to the rest of the crowd.

“Okay,” Illari replied in a cold tone. She sat herself up at the counter, leaning against it as she crossed her arms over her chest. Despite her mood being ruined due to Kiriko's attention being turned to the patrons, her eyes kept wandering over to Kiriko, who was currently serving a customer. When she noticed Illari staring, Kiriko winked at her, causing Illari's face to turn bright red, and she quickly averted her gaze, cursing under her breath in annoyance. How could that woman be so attractive? What had gotten into her?
“Heya!” A person suddenly appeared from beneath the counter and poked their head out, scaring Illari in the process. She jumped back, slamming her hand on top of her racing heart.

“Don't you ever scare me like that again,” Illari muttered darkly, glaring daggers at the person across the counter.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to cause any harm. I'm Sloan Cameron.”

“I've seen you here before,” Illari stated with an unreadable expression on her face.

“I know I was hoping to run into you again.”

“How long have you been under the table?”

“Not long, you were just too busy staring at Kiriko to notice.”

“I wasn't-”

“Relax, Illari. It was amusing.” Sloan grinned slightly, earning a deadpanned look from Illari.

“Whatever.” Illari sighed.

“Want to hear something cool?” Sloan suggested eagerly, earning an annoyed grunt from Illari. “I'll take that as a yes.” Sloan chuckled softly to themself. “Kiriko has the day off tomorrow.”

“And why should I care?” Illari questioned with a shrug, her eyebrows standing up with curiosity as she leaned in closer toward Sloan.

“You two should hang out,” Sloan responded confidently. Illari snorted derisively in response.

“We hardly know each other, and I highly doubt it would benefit either of us if we did.”

“Come on, I've known Kiri for years, she gets along with everyone!” Ilari glared at them, annoyed by Sloan's persistence. She opened her mouth to respond but stopped short as she heard Kiriko call out her name, snapping her attention back toward the woman.

“Told you I'd be back soon, so what are you guys talking about?” She asked innocently as she hopped onto the stool beside Illari, placing a fresh glass of water on the table and smiling at Illari sweetly.

“Illari just finished telling me that she wants to go on a date with you,” Sloan smirked. Illari choked on air while Kiriko let out a small giggle.

“What?! I never said such a thing.” She defended, looking anywhere but at Kiriko's sparkling blue eyes.
“You wanna make it happen or not?” Kiriko prodded.

“Of course I want to make it happen,” Illari answered immediately before realizing what exactly she was agreeing to, her cheeks immediately grew warmer than the sun's rays.

“Alright, bet. We can go to the boba place downtown tomorrow then.” Kiriko suggested. Illari nodded in agreement before sipping on the water Kiriko poured for her earlier. She took a moment to take in Kiriko's features once again. This time, however, she allowed her thoughts to linger on them. Her lips. Her long lashes. Her hair... Her soft skin... Everything was so beautiful.

“Ah, wait, aren't you two supposed to be working?” She tried to change the subject, hoping to distract her thoughts. “Everyone has already left.”

"Huh?!" Illari took a brief second to look around, confirming Kiriko's words. Everyone seemed to have vanished during the span of less than a minute. “It's midnight, everyone's heading back home before the vampires start their murderous rampages.” Sloan and Kiriko shot each other knowing looks before looking over at Illari.

“Yeah...Murderous rampages. Those damn vampires sure are evil.” Sloan nudged Kiriko's shoulder, hiding a giggle, which caused Kiriko to giggle in return. The sudden laughter caused Illari to quirk a brow at the two, clearly confused.

“What's so funny?”
“We're just laughing at how stupid vampires are,” Kiriko explained while Sloan hid their face in the counter, laughing uncontrollably. Illari began to laugh as well, if you could even call it laughing, as it consisted of a quiet chuckle and a slight snort. Kiriko took the time to really take in Illari's laughter. She looked absolutely adorable when she laughed, it gave her butterflies all over. It wasn't often she saw Illari truly smile, let alone genuinely laugh. Illari's breath caught in her throat as she noticed Kiriko's gaze. Her face grew pink as she stood up from the stool.

“I'll see you tomorrow Kiriko,” Illari announced awkwardly before swiftly walking towards the door.

“Wait,” Kiriko called out as Illari reached the door. Illari stopped walking and glanced back at Kiriko, who had approached her. “Can I have your number?”

Chapter Text

“She asked for your number?” Hana exclaimed from her hot pink gamer chair, not once looking away from the computer. Illari groaned loudly and slumped down on her bed dramatically, pulling a pillow over her head.

“Yeah.” All Illari wanted to do was hide under her blanket and forget everything about this whole situation. But that was impossible with a roommate like Hana. “She invited me to get boba with her tomorrow,” Illari spoke through the pillow and grumbled something unintelligible. She rolled on her side, facing away from Hana.

“She what?!” Hana turned her chair away from the monitor, facing Illari now, completely dumbfounded. Illari continued to mumble to herself about how embarrassing it was and how she didn't want to go.

“Why didn't you say so sooner!?” Hana yelled at Illari with excitement in her voice.

“Because I knew you'd overreact.”

“Why wouldn’t I? You're going on a date!” Hana cheered, going over to yank the pillows away from Illari's face.

“Don't call it that,” Illari complained with a pout as Hana tossed the pillows to the ground.

“But it is. Omg I'm so excited for you! Do you know what you're gonna wear?”

“No, besides, we're only going to a tea shop, I don't think it matters anyway,” Illari replied, sitting herself up.

“Fair point, but I'm still so happy for you!” Hana hugged Illari. Illari remained unfazed by Hana's embrace, instead giving off a weird expression. While Illari couldn't fathom why Hana had been so excited, it became clear.

Illari was lonely. She had no other friends outside of Hana. Even though she always tried to keep her guard up, there was a part of Illari that was constantly longing to be held in someone else's arms, whether it was Hana or even Kiriko.

The only reason Illari was able to cope with her loneliness as well as she did was because she didn't let anyone get too close to her. Her sudden attraction to Kiriko was most certainly real, but Illari refused to acknowledge it, much less let anyone know about it.

Hana released Illari from her hug, soon returning to the video game she was previously playing. Illari sat there quietly, pondering about how tomorrow would go. She had only seen Kiriko at work, so seeing her in a non-professional setting would be an interesting experience. However, there was one question that Illari couldn't quite wrap her mind around.

“Hana?”

“Yeah?”

“What's boba?”

-ˋˏ ༻𖤓༺ ˎˊ-

Illari cursed herself for leaving so late. Hana refused to let her leave the house wearing a black hoodie, so they spent nearly an hour digging through her closet to find anything good to wear. Illari settled for a yellow turtle neck and light blue jeans.

While walking to the location Kiriko had sent the day before, Illari's phone began to buzz in her pocket. Upon grabbing the device out of her jeans pocket, she realized it was a message from Kiriko.

Kiriko: Heyyy, Illari I made it to the boba shop are you close by? or did you get lost along the way lol
Illari: I'm almost there, sorry I'm running late.
Kiriko: It's all good no rush lol

Illari felt so bad being late, especially since it was Kiriko who had invited her for boba in the first place. As soon as Illari made it to the boba shop, she quickly spotted Kiriko sitting at a table in the corner of the cafe, scrolling through her phone. She waved shyly at the woman in front of her which Kiriko returned enthusiastically.

“Hey, Illari, I'm glad you could make it.” Kiriko smiled politely.

Illari walked over to the table and took a seat across from Kiriko, taking in her appearance as she watched the woman carefully. Kiriko was wearing a simple white crop top underneath a floral biker jacket.

“I'm sorry for being late again.” She apologized with a nervous chuckle.

“Nonsense, Illari, it was my fault for bringing it up so suddenly last night.”

“Still…”

Kiriko chuckled before standing up from her seat, extending a hand out to Illari in a polite gesture. “Let's order our drinks.”

Illari hesitantly grabbed hold of Kiriko's hand, allowing her to guide her to the counter. Illari couldn't help but blush lightly at the contact; she wondered if the woman could feel her heart racing against her ribcage.

“Hello, welcome to Snowball's Boba.” A female employee with brown hair and glasses greeted them with a warm smile before Illari took a look at the menu.

“Hey, Mei.”

“Who's your new friend Kiriko?” Mei asked, glancing at Illari from the corner of her eye before focusing back on Kiriko.

“This is Illari, I met her at the bar, she's my new favorite customer by the way.” Kiriko winked playfully at Illari, causing the woman to blush even more intensely.

“Is that so?” Mei smiled. “Well, Illari, you're very beautiful.” Illari blushed darker, keeping her eyes glued to the menu as she muttered a quiet 'thank you'.

“I assume you're getting the Matcha-Strawberry boba tea and a chocolate chip cookie.”

“Yep, my usual please.” Mei nodded her head before writing down the order. When she finished, Mei looked over at Illari.

“And what would you like?”

“Oh…” Illari paused momentarily as she glanced at the list in front of her, trying to find something she might actually like. After a few seconds, Illari's gaze fell onto Kiriko once again who smirked mischievously when she realised that Illari was staring at her.

“You have no idea what to get, don't you?” Kiriko stated in an amused tone.

“How exactly do you know?”

“It's written all over your face.”

Illari huffed, shaking her head. How was she supposed to know what she wanted?!

“I...don't know…” Illari admitted before sighing. “What do you suggest?”

“You've gotta start off simple, I think you should try the brown sugar caramel milk tea.”

“I'll get that then.” Illari replied, watching as Kiriko pulled out her wallet from her jacket.

“On me.”

“You sure?”

Kiriko smiled reassuringly, “Positive.”

When Kiriko finished paying, they sat back down at their table, waiting for their drinks to be made. Illari nervously tapped her fingers on the wooden surface of the table. She was feeling anxious again, thinking about just how stupid of a decision she was making by agreeing to Kiriko's request to go on a date together.

“How'd you sleep?” Kiriko broke Illari from her trance by asking.

“I slept as well as I could; my roommate was up playing video games until two in the morning.” Illari laughed dryly.

“Oh you can't tune them out? Or are the walls paper thin in your home?”

“We share a room actually.” Illari explained, “It's not that big of a deal, I just need some peace and quiet sometimes.”

“Well, if it ever becomes too much, you can always come spend the night at my place, you know. No charge, I won't judge.” Illari felt her face grow hot at the idea of spending the night at Kiriko's.

As if on cue, an employee came around carrying a tray with their drinks in it.

“Here you go.” She placed both cups gently onto the table with shaky hands.

“Juno?” Kiriko called out. The waitress nearly jumped out of her skin and looked towards Kiriko in confusion before recognizing her.

“Oh, hello Kiriko! What brings you here?” The girl finally appeared to calm down from the shock, which made Illari frown slightly, but then again, she wasn't entirely surprised that Juno knew Kiriko; she seemed pretty familiar with everyone.

“I come here all the time. When did you start working here?”

“Auntie Mei gave me this job recently, I started working last week. I'm just thankful that I didn't spill your drinks, I'm no good at serving tables.” As Juno began talking with Kiriko, Illari took a moment to look around the cafe.

It had a cute wintery theme to it with white and blue decorations around the room, as well as little snowflakes decorating the window above their table. However, her attention was brought back to Juno once she realised just how flustered the girl was while talking to Kiriko. The waitress kept looking away, her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red as Kiriko spoke to her. It bothered her.

Juno was simply adorable; her purple hair, the cute way it was cut, not to mention the uniform she was wearing. The green outfit with its little apron made her impossibly 'cuter.' Well, she didn’t care how cute she was; the way she interacted with Kiriko made her blood boil.

“Are you Kiriko's new friend? Nice to meet you, I'm Juno.” Juno held her hand out for Illari to shake, which Illari reluctantly did after a few moments.

“Illari…nice to meet you too, Juno,” Illari said softly, her mood soured.

“I hope you enjoy the drinks! Auntie Mei is calling for me.” Juno bowed apologetically before rushing off towards the direction of the kitchen, leaving Illari and Kiriko alone once again.

“It's your first time trying boba, I need to know what you think.” Kiriko began drinking from her cup, waiting for Illari to do the same.

“I just drink it? What about the balls? Will I choke?”

Illari asked skeptically, letting the plastic straw hover over her lips. Kiriko tried keeping a straight face at Illari's words, but eventually burst into laughter; curse her dirty mind.
Soon enough, she slowly sipped from the straw, holding her breath as she did so, waiting for the bitter taste. To her surprise, the flavor was quite pleasant.

“How does it taste?”

“It's really sweet, I've never tasted anything like it.”
She took another sip, eyes widened as she found a boba pearl. She chewed on it thoughtfully before speaking again. “I love it.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah.” Illari smiled just a bit as she drank more. Illari's smile always caught Kiriko off guard every time she saw it, it made it look as if her whole face was shining bright enough that the sun itself was reflecting in those beautiful brown irises of hers. It caused her to smile uncontrollably, completely forgetting that they were still surrounded by other people in the cafe. Kiriko felt herself smiling involuntarily at the sight.

“Aw, look at the puppy!” Kiriko pointed out on the TV above their table where one of the local news anchors was currently explaining a local story.

“Puppy?” Illari repeated.

'Security cameras near a local grocery store have caught footage of what appears to be a vampire fighting off a mountain lion to protect a small dog.

We are unable to find the exact identity of this person since they are seen wearing a hoodie, but the bite marks found on the lion's throat indicate that this was a vampire.

After mass murders occurring throughout the world as a result of vampire attacks, seeing this act of kindness makes us wonder if these creatures really aren't the monsters we've been led to believe they are.'

“Bullshit.” Illari scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and glared at the screen, clearly unconvinced by the report. “Vampires are evil bastards that kill innocent people.”

“I'm sure not all vampires are bad, that one on TV seemed nice,” Kiriko commented.

“One good deed doesn't mean anything; they've probably killed hundreds of humans anyway. All vampires are murderers, and I want them all dead.”

Kiriko felt a faint sting at Illari's words, laughing nervously. It was definitely time to change the subject.

“Wanna share my cookie?” Kiriko offered.
The next couple of hours were spent chatting about random things; everything from the weather, to their favourite colours, to favourite foods. Neither of them seemed to notice the amount of time passed until Juno came running back to their table.

“I regret to inform you that we're now closed for the day,” Juno informed them, causing Kiriko and Illari to blink at her, confused.

“Oh shit?” Kiriko checked her phone only to realise that it was already nine o'clock, the sun was down, and it was time for the two to take their leave.

“Thank you for the drinks, goodbye Juno! Tell Auntie Mei that I send my regards.” Kiriko stood up along with Illari, who followed suit quickly after, not wanting to stay any longer than they needed to.

“Bye. Have a safe trip home.” Juno waved as she watched them walk out the door. Once they stepped outside, there were still plenty of people walking the streets, probably hanging out as much as they could before midnight.

“I had a great time hanging out with you today,” Kiriko admitted before she turned around to look at Illari, who had her hands in her pockets nervously, seemingly having trouble meeting Kiriko's gaze.
“But you seem kind of upset.” She noticed Illari's expression becoming tense as she glanced away, seeming uncomfortable with her statement, however, Kiriko didn't let that deter her from continuing. “Are you alright, Illari?”

There was silence between the pair for several seconds. When Illari spoke, her voice sounded very quiet, almost a whisper, yet loud enough for Kiriko to hear.

“I don't want our night to be over yet.”

The comment threw Kiriko off guard, she couldn't help but notice the blush on Illari's cheeks. A smile spread across Kiriko's face as the brunette looked away.

“Me neither,” Kiriko replied quietly. She could feel her face heating up as well, her cheeks felt warm under Illari's intense stare. They walked for a bit in comfortable silence before Kiriko decided to break it.

“I can take you home if you'd like?” She suggested. Illari thought for a moment before nodding and agreeing to the offer.

“Only on my street corner, though.” She added as she started leading them in the direction of her apartment.

“Where are you going?”
“I thought you we're walking me home?”

“We aren't walking. I was gonna take you on my bike.” The two stopped right in front of a red motorcycle parked not to far away from the boba shop.

“Absolutely not, I'm not getting on that death trap.”

“Come on I promise I'll drive slow.” Kiriko pleaded, a pleading expression taking over her features, as she stared back at Illari with wide eyes.

“You're seriously gonna try and convince me to get on that thing?” Illari narrowed her eyes at the woman in front of her.

“Please?” Kiriko begged again.

“No.”

“Pleaseeeee?” Kiriko pouted.

“Fine fine!” Illari grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest. Kiriko grinned victoriously as she pulled out her keys from her pocket, turning on the vehicle. After the engine roared to life Kiriko hopped on with ease whilst Illari hesitated, biting on her lip before sitting behind her on the bike. As soon as she sat behind her, Kiriko grabbed Illari's hands, gently guiding them to her waist. “Hold on tight.”

Once Illari wrapped her arms around Kiriko securely, she revved her engine once, then with one swift movement, Kiriko pushed off from the ground using both feet, riding off into the distance. For a moment, Illari shut her eyes tightly shut fearing the possibility of crashing.

However, nothing happened; instead, she opened her eyes to see them speeding past houses and cars, the wind hitting her harshly against the face, making her laugh. Kiriko laughed as well, feeling elated. Soon enough,h Illari leaned forward slightly, pressing herself flush against Kiriko.

Kiriko couldn't contain the blush that covered her entire face. She could feel Illari's chest vibrating behind her as well as the warmth from her hands on her bare skin.

'Great day to wear a crop top' Kiriko noted mentally.

The ride was short and quick, but even still, Illari found it to be amazing. Kiriko parked the bike at the end of the street corner before helping Illari off the motorcycle.

“See, told you I'd get you home safely.” Kiriko teased.

“Yes, you did. Thank you, Kiriko, for everything.”

“See you tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Illari turned her head away shyly; hiding her blushing cheeks.

With one final wave, Kiriko finally headed home, unaware of the fact that Illari was watching her drive away until she disappeared.

Chapter Text

Kiriko woke up in pain, groaning loudly and clutching her head. She began feeling a burning sensation in her eyes. Her body was stiff and hot; it was excruciating.

“What the hell?” Kiriko mumbled, rubbing furiously at her temples to alleviate some of the pain. The sudden ache of her fangs reminded her of what the problem was. “Oh…” She was starving.

“Right…” Kiriko slowly climbed off the bed, stretching her legs slightly before heading to her fridge to grab a blood bag. Hanging out with Illari throughout the week nearly made her forget about her need for blood entirely. She was just so captivating to Kiriko; no matter how hard she tried, there was nothing else Kiriko could focus on besides her.

She opened her fridge, groaning in annoyance. “Shit, I'm all out of blood…” She slammed her fridge shut, thinking for a moment. “No big deal, I'll just stop by the hospital later, Angela should have a few bags waiting for me,” Kiriko said to herself before getting changed and heading out the door of her apartment, checking her phone to see if Illari had texted her.

Illari: Good morning Kiriko :) sleep ok?

Kiriko: Heyyy good morning, I slept well, hbu?

Illari: I slept better than most nights, will you be at the bar tonight?

Kiriko: Not sure, I've got a bad headache today, but I'll let you know if I change my mind.

Illari: I hope you get well soon, let me know if you need anything.

Kiriko smiled at the text, happy to hear Illari cared for her well-being. She sighed happily as she continued her walk to the hospital, deciding against using her bike due to the excruciating headache she currently had.

'Hopefully, Angela has lots of blood lying around.'

Her headache was starting to get worse by the second. It didn't take her long to reach the building, entering the main floor where doctors and law enforcement could be seen all over the lobby. “What the hell?” She walked right past the commotion, heading into Angela's office where she found her sorting through a mess of papers that were thrown all over the floor.

“Hey Angela, what the hell happened here?” Angela sighed tiredly, setting down the stack of papers she was holding.

“Someone broke into the hospital last night and stole files, paperwork, patient records, and all sorts of information. Plus, they left a mess to clean up, which is why we're dealing with this now. Do you mind picking these up, please?” Kiriko quickly went to work, helping Angela pick up the mess of papers as best she could.
“I know it seems like a bad time right now, and I hate to ask you now, but do you have any blood for me. I'm starving.”

“I was just about to mention that, whoever broke in last night stole all of our blood supply as well.”

“Great,” Kiriko muttered sarcastically as she gathered up the papers together, placing them carefully in a large pile on her desk. “Any idea who did it?”

“Unfortunately, not, but people are suspecting a vampire may be the culprit, but I have no idea why they'd want my patients' medical records.”

“Was there any surveillance footage? Anything caught on camera?” Kiriko asked.

“Nothing, whoever did it cut power to all the cameras.” Angela shook her head.

“I'm really sorry Kiriko, I'll let you know as soon as I get more blood donations.”

“It's cool, I'll figure something out. Thanks, Angie.”

-ˋˏ ༻𖤓༺ ˎˊ-

“This is so not fucking cool!” Kiriko's head continued to throb on the way to the bar, eyes lingering a bit too hard on some of the people surrounding her on the streets. Unlike most hungry vampires, Kiriko could control her urges, she stopped hunting years ago. Besides, she didn't want to bite just anyone, she had standards.

As she walked Kiriko definitely noticed how many times Illari popped into her mind, but these weren't her usual thoughts. The image of Illari's neck filled her vision, her teeth sinking deep into the soft flesh. Blood oozing from the wound and trickling down her chin, trailing down her neck and onto her clothes. “Fuck!” Kiriko swore under her breath, trying to rid her mind of the thought. She reached the bar within twenty minutes and entered it as quickly as possible.

“What the hell? You okay, Kiriko?” Sloan asked, worried about the woman.

“Yeah, I'm alright. Just light-headed.” She said, smiling lightly and walking towards the counter.

“You're starving, aren't you.” It wasn't a question; they knew exactly what had caused the look on the woman's face.

“Dude, I'm so fucking hungry I started daydreaming about Illari's neck.”

“...We gotta get you some blood ASAP.”

“I only want Illari's blood,” Kiriko whined slightly.
“That's not going to happen.”

“Fuckkkk.”

“Y'know, if you're that hungry, I can see if my girlfriend can give you a bit of her blood until you figure something out.” Sloan offered, grabbing their phone to text the girl.

“I'm not drinking from your girl, I told you I'll be alright,” Kiriko said, a twinge of uncertainty in her voice.

“How was your date with Illari yesterday?” Sloan asked casually, changing the subject.

“Great, actually, we ended up hanging out much later than I intended.”

“Oh yeah? Was it fun?”

“Yeah, it was, and now it feels like all I can think about is her. And how she smells so nice and-”

“Stop. Stop.” Sloan interrupted, covering their ears playfully. “You're turning into such a weirdo.”

“Look who's talking,” Kiriko said with a grin before earning a middle finger from Sloan. They continued to laugh together for a moment before the doors of the bar flung open, revealing the person Kiriko wanted to see most in the world: Illari.

“I swear you guys are always laughing about something when I'm around.” Illari made her way straight to her 'favorite' stool, which gave her a better view when watching Kiriko prepare drinks for customers. Kiriko's eyes immediately found Illari's, causing the other to blush faintly.

'I really shouldn't be around Illari today.' Kiriko said internally, trying her hardest not to 'eye fuck' her neck.

“You just caught us at the wrong time.” Kiriko winked, earning an eye roll from Illari.

“Awe, shit I just remembered, I gotta go pick up my girlfriend’s anxiety meds.” Sloan sighed, quickly standing up to leave the bar.

“Wait,” Kiriko spoke up suddenly, surprising Sloan.

“What?” She tilted her head discreetly towards Illari while mouthing the words. ‘You can't leave me with her alone, not when I'm this hungry.’

'You'll be okay,' They mouthed back, giving Kiriko a reassuring smile before rushing to leave the bar.

“Oh, Sloan has a girlfriend? I had no idea.” Illari commented after watching them leave.

“Curious about Sloan's love life, huh? What are you into them?” She teased.

“Don't be foolish, I'm not into anyone.”

“Are you sure? Not even me?”
“Ugh, stop teasing me!”

“But it's so fun, especially when you start blushing.” Kiriko stuck her tongue out playfully.

“Whatever, are you just gonna flirt with me the entire time?”
“Sure, why not?”

“You're hopeless.”
“Nah, I'm pretty confident in myself.” Kiriko winked playfully before glancing at Illari's neck. Her hunger made it hard to ignore the wonderful scent that came off of her skin, making Kiriko's stomach grumble.

“You're not good at hiding your stares, you know.” Illari caught Kiriko red-handed, knowing that the woman was staring at her neck.

“Neither are you.” Kiriko shot back, causing the woman to blush uncontrollably.

“Shut up,” Illari muttered, clearing her throat to try and remove some color from her cheeks.

Eventually, the sound of the door interrupted whatever the two had planned to say to each other.
They looked over to the doorway to see two women enter the bar; one tall and slim, with dark hair tied into a high ponytail, while the other had short white hair cut into a bob. Both women looked like they were dressed to go to a banquet.

The taller woman wearing a skin-tight black dress, matching heels, a simple silver necklace, and earrings, had an elegant air about her. The woman beside her was wearing a white button-up shirt with black slacks. Both seemed rather close, clearly comfortable around each other as the shorter woman kept her arm wrapped around the other woman's waist, rubbing her hip slowly as they approached the bar.

“You must be Kiriko, I'm the new owner of this bar, name's Elizabeth Caledonia. This is my lovely partner, Amèlie Lacroix.” Elizabeth grinned before pulling a chair for her girlfriend to sit. The taller woman nodded politely to both Kiriko and Illari, taking in every little detail of the bar.
“I hope you don't mind us showing up unannounced.”

“Not at all,” Kiriko answered cheerily, pouring two shots of whiskey for the two women.
Illari watched the two women curiously. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew there was something suspicious about the couple.
They're vampires. Kiriko knew what they were as soon as they walked through the door. There was no doubt about it, while Kiriko didn't feel like the two posed any threat to her, the way both of them eyed Illari made her uneasy. They looked at her as if she were a meal, as if they were looking forward to devouring her alive.

They didn't even properly greet her. Kiriko glared at them, waiting for either of them to say anything. But to Kiriko's surprise, the couple didn't speak, simply sipping at their glasses of whiskey in an attempt to relax. Illari ended the silence by acknowledging the elephant in the room.

“Your skin, why is it purple?” Kiriko nearly died on the spot. Although she wanted to know the answer, she knew it was a completely inappropriate question to ask.

“It's a skin condition,” Amèlie replied without hesitation, it was clear that she had answered this question a million times before.

“What kind of skin condition turns your skin purple? Is it serious?” Illari's curiosity seemed to get the best of her, resulting in Kiriko dragging her into the nearest bathroom. Kiriko closed the door behind her, closing herself in with Illari.

“What's wrong?” Illari was puzzled, but tried to mask her confusion.

“You can't just ask questions like that! It's rude!” Kiriko hissed, unconsciously backing Illari into the wall.

“Sorry, I don't talk to many people. I didn't know what I did was wrong.” Kiriko sighed, realizing there wasn't much point in scolding Illari.

“No, it's fine. Don't feel bad, I wanted to ask the same question, honestly.”
“Really?” Illari appeared to be amused.

“Yeah. I mean, come on. Who the hell has purple skin?”
“Your boss's girlfriend apparently.”

Kiriko chuckled loudly, shaking her head, a smirk present on her lips. Illari giggled as well, unable to hold it in at the absurdity of the situation. After a moment, though Kiriko's laughter faded, she noticed just how close she was to Illari, their faces only inches apart. Being so close to Illari made her stomach growl. She smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, and she felt dizzy from the intoxicating aroma coming from her skin.

“You should eat something,” Illari suggested gently, her eyes flickering down towards Kiriko's mouth momentarily before meeting her brown eyes once more.

“Feed me then.” The words slipped from Kiriko's mouth before she could stop them, surprising both of them.
“What?” Illari questioned, seemingly taken aback by Kiriko's offer.

“...Like take me out to eat, buy me some food…” Kiriko attempted to make up a believable excuse, hoping her sudden lack of self-control wouldn't reveal that she was a vampire.

“Ohhh.” Illari's expression softened considerably, a light blush rising on her cheeks. “Yeah, I can totally 'feed you' then.”

“Deal, it's settled then. Let's get out of here before my manager gets suspicious.” Kiriko grabbed Illari's hand and pulled her outside of the restroom, leading her back to the bar.

“You can wait outside for me. I'll be out shortly.” As Illari made her way outside of the bar, Amèlie and Elizabeth turned to look at the girl who was leaving before turning their gazes back to Kiriko.

“Aw, I thought that was our supper?” Elizabeth pouted as she watched Illari walk out of sight.

“Sorry, she's not the main course; you two will have to find someone else to bite,” Kiriko responded in a joking manner, but her tone told a different story.

“You've got yourself a fine human,” Elizabeth stated as Amèlie rested her head on her shoulder.

“We can tell just how starved you are, it's written all over your face,” Elizabeth continued, causing Amèlie to laugh softly.

“Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?” Amèlie teased, pushing herself away from Elizabeth slightly to look into Kiriko's eyes.

“Food has a name, y'know,” Kiriko huffed, crossing her arms.

“Well, what is it?”
“Illari.”

“Wow, you must really have a thing for her. You're so protective of this human, and you haven't even drunk from her yet.”

“Well, unlike most vampires, I have self-control.”

“Mhm, whatever you say.” Elizabeth smirked before leaning into kiss Amèlie's cheek.

“Enjoy your night with your human. Keep her safe, someone may bite her before you do.” Amèlie warned.

“You know I won't let anyone touch her, so you don't need to worry about that.” Kiriko wished the couple a good night before leaving the bar, joining Illari outside.
“Sorry for the delay, I just had to check on a few things. You doing alright?”

“Yeah I'm fine, now come on, we have a long walk ahead of us.” Illari linked her arm with Kiriko's, guiding her down the street.

“So where are we going?”

“Just follow me, you said you're hungry, right?” Kiriko allowed Illari to take the lead, wondering what kind of food they would get. Most restaurants were closed at this time of night, leaving many fast food spots as the only option to grab a bite. However, once they walked passed the fast food joints and into a small neighborhood, Kiriko began to wonder what restaurant could possibly be here.

Once they turned onto a different street, Kiriko noticed a few of the street signs looked familiar to the ones she saw yesterday when dropping off Illari. A few steps later, Illari stopped in front of a gate surrounding an apartment complex, using her keys to unlock it. Once inside, Illari led her up some stairs until they finally reached the top floor, opening the door to a very small apartment, if one could even call it that.

It almost resembled a college dorm room with two twin-sized beds against opposite walls, a mini kitchenette area, and a door that seemed to lead to the bathroom. The first thing Kiriko noticed almost immediately was how the place was decorated. One side of the room was covered with pink decorations, anime posters, stuffed animals, and pillows scattered across a bed with pink blankets.

A matching PC and gaming chair sat next to the bed, along with a desk that was decked out with anime figures and various empty cans of energy drinks littering the space. The other side of the room was kept more simple, with less decoration and one medium-sized bookshelf next to the bed. This bed had yellow blankets and a small llama plushie sitting on it.

“So this is your place? It's cute,” Kiriko commented, giving Illari a smile. “I could immediately tell this is your side of the room.” Kiriko walked over to Illari's bed, sitting on the edge of it.

“You don't strike me as the kind of person who likes pink. Your roommate has a pretty cool setup. What kinds of video games does she play?”

“Uh, I think she plays Fortnite and Call of Duty? She has like four consoles, she plays everything.” Illari answered awkwardly.

“I see, does she rage?” Kiriko teased, earning a laugh from Illari.

“If yelling into a microphone past 2 am counts, then yes.” Kiriko couldn't help but laugh, imagining Illari waking up at 3 am to her roommate screaming into a microphone to a group of strangers.

“Aw, you've gotta introduce me to her one day, she sounds really awesome.” Kiriko looked over at Illari before standing up from the bed, walking towards her. “So what's for dinner, I assumed you were taking me out to eat, but instead you brought me to your place. I don't smell any food cooking. Does that mean I misunderstood you? Did you really plan on cooking for me, or did you have something else in mind?” Kiriko smirked suggestively, leaning in closer towards Illari, whose cheeks instantly reddened. Illari averted her gaze from Kiriko, avoiding eye contact before playfully shoving her away.

“Stop being weird, I was going to feed you cup ramen, but now I don't want to.” She crossed her arms in a childish manner.

“Ramen? I love ramen! Please, I promise I'll be good.” Kiriko pleaded, throwing her hands above her head, pretending to cry.

“Ugh you're annoying.” Illari rolled her eyes, but there was no real malice behind it. She took Kiriko's wrist, tugging her gently towards the kitchen.

After getting a pot of water to boil Illari went and picked out two cups of ramen noodles, pouring hot water into each cup before placing their chopsticks on top to allow them to cook. After the noodles had finished cooking and been placed into bowls, Illari led Kiriko back onto her bed, handing her a bowl.
“Here, eat up.” Illari urged Kiriko to sit down on the bed and eat her ramen. Kiriko obliged and happily dug into the noodle dish. While the food was delicious, it did nothing to cure Kiriko's hunger; nothing would besides blood.

The two girls were silent while eating the meal they shared with no words exchanged between them, but neither minded. Every now and then, Kiriko would steal glances over at Illari, studying every little detail about her, trying desperately to memorize every inch of her face. After finishing her bowl of ramen, Kiriko placed her chopsticks aside, watching as Illari finished hers a moment after her.

“Your tattoos.”

“Hm?” Illari looked up at Kiriko questioningly before tilting her head to the side.

“Your tattoos,” Kiriko repeated as she pointed to Illari's face, where several tattoos were neatly etched into her skin with black ink. “They look nice.”

“Thanks... uh…” Illari trailed off, confused by the sudden compliment.

“Is there a meaning behind them? Or are they purely decorative?” Kiriko asked curiously. “I don't want to pry too much, but I'd appreciate knowing if they mean anything to you.”

“Oh.” Illari replied hesitantly before fiddling around with her chopsticks.
“They're a symbol of my family and my people,” Illari spoke softly, causing Kiriko to nod slowly. “I'm sure you know this already, but I come from a family of vampire hunters.” Kiriko winced at the statement but nodded nonetheless, understanding that this must be hard for Illari to talk about.

“After several years of training, I was officially recognized as a hunter. On my 14th birthday, a celebration was held at my home, and I received these tattoos as a symbol of my newfound status.” Kiriko knew the story wouldn't stay innocent for long. Illari was the last of her kind after all, so she knew better than to ask further questions. Kiriko wanted Illari to feel comfortable enough to share any personal details about herself with her, and she wasn't willing to push Illari until she felt ready.

“They're beautiful.” Kiriko smiled softly, only for Illari to frown, looking away from Kiriko and playing with a loose string on her blanket.

“They only remind me of death,” Illari mumbled under her breath as she avoided eye contact.

“The same day I got these, I lost my entire family to a vampire attack.” Kiriko immediately felt the urge to reach out for Illari, to hold her tight. Instead, she just put her hand over Illari's own, causing her to look over at Kiriko again. “A large group of vampires broke into our house, attacked us, and killed everyone inside. Everyone except me.”

Kiriko's heart ached when Illari mentioned her family, not knowing what she'd do without her family. “I've always blamed myself for what happened.”

“No, don't say that, there was nothing you could have done to stop them.”

“I was too weak, they didn't even think I was worth killing.” As Illari broke down, Kiriko noticed just how warm her hand was beginning to feel. It felt too warm, unnaturally warm. Before she could comment on the oddity, Kiriko quickly pulled her hand away from Illari's in pain and started to rub at her palm with her fingers. Her hand burned from the intense heat Illari's touch caused.

“Are you okay?!” Kiriko yelled as she jumped to her feet.

“Get away from me, don't touch me!” Illari screamed as she tried pushing Kiriko away.

“Illari, calm down I-” She couldn't get another word out before Illari's dark brown hair turned yellow, her eyes glowing brightly as she screamed. Illari was floating now, and many objects in the room began to levitate around her. Kiriko had never seen anything like this before. Was this the true strength of a vampire hunter?

Kiriko backed away from Illari as the items in the room moved faster around Illari. Kiriko tried avoiding the various items getting thrown around the small apartment before a brown-haired girl rushed through the doorway and tackled Kiriko backwards, sending the two tumbling onto the floor.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Kiriko hissed angrily as she pushed her assailant off of her, scrambling to her feet. “I'm Illari's friend, she invited me over, I swear!”

“Oh shit, my bad. Why didn't you say that sooner?” The shorter girl scoffed.

“Because you fucking tackled me!”

“Look who cares, what happened to Illari to make her this upset. I've only seen her like this twice.”

“We talked about her past, and she got very emotional about it!” Kiriko yelled amongst the chaos.

“Shit.” The girl muttered, pulling Kiriko to the corner of the room. “There's an aluminum blanket in the closet if you can grab it, I can calm Illari down and-” Kiriko didn't even wait to listen to what the girl was saying before sprinting towards the closet. She yanked the door open with such force that it nearly ripped apart. The first thing that caught Kiriko's eye was the aluminum blanket that rested in the back of the closet. She quickly grabbed it before wrapping it around herself.
“Wait! What are you doing?!” She stood on the bed to reach Illari, who was still floating. Kiriko wrapped the blanket around Illari's torso and pulled her downwards to her level, wrapping both her arms around Illari until her hair and eyes stopped glowing. Illari sniffled, wiping away a stray tear as it slipped down her cheek.

“Hey, hey, look at me,” Kiriko whispered, grabbing Illari's chin and forcing Illari to look at her, tears streaming down her cheeks. “It's okay, I'm here, sunshine.”