The night sky bled with streaks of crimson and violet, a palette too dark to be real. In the depths of the city, hidden among the forgotten alleys and half-sleeping streets, lived a girl who was no longer human. An Shiraishi, with eyes that glowed faintly in the dark, had long since lost the innocence she once held. Her life had been taken by the bite of an ancient vampire—an act that condemned her to walk the earth as something other than human. No longer a girl of laughter and light, she was now a creature of silence and shadows, bound by the curse of immortality.
But it wasn’t supposed to be like this. An had never wanted this life. The cold, unfeeling hunger that twisted her insides, the dark void that seemed to follow her wherever she went—it was all too much to bear. She had chosen the night only to escape it, to disappear into the shadows where no one could see her pain.
Then, there was Kohane Azusawa.
Kohane, the light in An’s dark world, the fragile, mortal girl who had unknowingly become a beacon in the endless night. They had met by accident, or perhaps it was fate. Kohane had wandered into the forgotten corners of the city one too many times, her curiosity pulling her deeper into places where humans weren’t meant to be. An had been drawn to her then, captivated by the warmth Kohane carried in her heart, the purity that seemed to shine even in the darkest places.
Kohane had no idea what An was. She was just another innocent soul, unaware of the dangers that lurked in the world. And yet, despite An’s attempts to push her away, to keep her at a safe distance, Kohane kept coming back, her presence a constant reminder that light and darkness could never be truly apart. They spoke, laughed, and shared the little moments that made life feel real again. Kohane had unknowingly become An’s tether to the human world, to the warmth she had lost.
But for An, this connection was a trap.
It had been days since she had last seen Kohane, and the hunger inside her was growing unbearable. She was no longer the girl who could pass as human; she had become something monstrous, something she hated. Every time she saw Kohane, her control slipped further. The temptation was maddening. Kohane’s blood, the warmth of her, the sweetness that seemed to call to An’s every instinct—it was all An could think about.
And then it happened. Kohane had followed An one night, unable to resist the pull of curiosity. She had followed her into the deepest, most dangerous part of the city, where even the moon seemed to shy away from the darkness. An hadn’t planned for this, hadn’t expected Kohane to find her. But there she was, standing in the middle of an abandoned street, her eyes wide and innocent as she looked at An.
“An… what is this place?” Kohane’s voice was soft, like a whisper that could break the silence.
An’s heart twisted in her chest. Kohane had seen too much already. She could no longer pretend, could no longer hide behind the mask of the girl she used to be.
“Kohane… you shouldn’t be here,” An whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of warning and sorrow. “It’s dangerous. You have to go.”
But Kohane, with a stubbornness An had come to know so well, shook her head. “I’m not afraid of you.”
An’s breath caught in her throat. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to hurt her, didn’t want to drag Kohane into the world of darkness she had been cursed to live in. But Kohane didn’t understand. No matter how much An tried to push her away, Kohane was still here, still reaching out.
“I can’t let you stay with me,” An whispered, voice barely above a breath. She was fighting to keep the monster inside her at bay, the dark urge threatening to overtake her.
But Kohane took another step forward, her hand reaching for An’s trembling one. “I don’t care what you are. I want to stay with you, An. You’ve changed my world... Don’t shut me out. Please.”
And that was the moment An knew she was doomed.
Her control shattered, and before she could stop herself, she reached out, her fangs bared in an instant, her lips brushing Kohane’s neck. The scent of her blood was intoxicating, the warmth radiating from her skin nearly enough to make An lose herself entirely. She could feel her hunger rising, the need to taste, to take, to possess…
But she didn’t want to be this way. She didn’t want Kohane to be just another victim of her curse.
"Kohane..." An’s voice was strangled, barely a whisper. Her body trembled with the effort to pull back, to resist the urge that clawed at her every instinct. She wanted to stop, but the hunger was overwhelming. "I’m so sorry..."
But Kohane, of all people, didn’t pull away. Instead, she reached up and cupped An’s face with both hands, gently forcing her to look into her eyes. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m here. I’m not afraid. I just... I just want to be with you.”
An’s heart shattered at her words. Kohane’s willingness, her trust, only made the situation worse. Because An knew, deep in her bones, that love was a curse when one of them was a monster. She could never be what Kohane needed, never be the person she deserved. She wasn’t human anymore, and her heart would never beat again in the same way.
And yet, Kohane’s gaze was unyielding, her expression full of a painful hope that An couldn’t bear to break.
With a sob, An stepped back, struggling to hold herself together. “You don’t understand. I’m not the person you think I am, Kohane. I’m not... I’m not good for you.”
Kohane, with tears brimming in her own eyes, reached forward, touching the cool skin of An’s cheek. “I don’t care. I don’t care what you are. I love you, An. I always have.”
The words struck An like a bolt of lightning, and for a moment, she was suspended in time. Love... But how could Kohane love her? How could she love something so broken, so twisted by the darkness?
“I don’t deserve you,” An whispered brokenly, pulling away from Kohane, the tears in her eyes mixing with the anguish in her heart. “I can’t give you what you want. I can’t give you a future. I will only bring you pain.”
Kohane’s voice, quiet but resolute, came through the darkness. “Then I’ll stay with you in the dark. I’ll stay, even if it’s painful. Even if you think you don’t deserve me. I will always be here.”
An’s heart shattered all over again.
But love, like blood, could be a dangerous thing. And as Kohane took a step forward, the hunger inside An rose once more, too strong to deny.
This was a love destined to break.
The city passed by in the silence of the night, with the bloodstains of their love scattered across the moonlight. An’s curse was eternal, and Kohane’s heart was no longer hers to hold.
They could never escape the darkness together.