[Returning Home.//]

[Masuto Itsuki]

Footsteps echoed on marble floors.

The man placed his long coat in the arms of a servant, who tottered off to put it away. He shut the large wooden doors on his own without even physically touching them.

Being a vampire certainly had its advantages.

Silver hair that reached down to his back was released from his ponytail, cascading freely. He adjusted his glasses and dress shirt, removing his gloves and stuffing them into his pockets.

This was a normal routine for him to do when he came home. Simply fixing himself at the door of his home so he'd be more comfortable later on.

The servant returned and bowed.

"Is there anything I can do for you, sir?"

Masuto gave it a thought.

"Yes, a glass of blood, if you don't mind," he replied simply, shrugging. He still had Aito's report tucked underneath his arm, which he reguarded when they ruffled at his movement.

"Yes, sir." The other man went to move and attend to his business when Masuto stopped him again.

"Tell me. Do you know where my daughter has run off to this time?" In his mind, he could only imagine where she gallavanted off to. If he found out that she had been helping any of the outsiders... He bit his lip hard, causing blood to be drawn.

"No, sir. She left a few hours ago, stating she would be home before you got here. That's all I know."

"Thank you anyways," he said in his fake, grateful tone. "If you happen to see her, send her up to my chambers, please."

"Yes, sir." The servant left, leaving Masuto to travel up a set of spiral stairs, folder of papers still tucked under his arm. He planned to read these detailed reports once more, looking for anything that might lead him to getting rid of this disease and the outsiders.

[Amelia Itsuki]

Amelia was home she had just made sure to slip in un-noticed,sitting in her room on her bed.In her arms she held a doll that she was very fond of,it had been a present she got from her mother before the accident.It was a beautiful doll that was crafted so nicely,even the hair and the dress was a work of art.Guess it was time to see if her father was home,she did say she would be back before him since she had to run out for a couple of hours.Sliding off the bed with ease the doll still in her arms she went over to a shelf,placing it in the empty spot.Then going over to her mirror she fixed her hair,and made sure she looked presentable.Since she was home she didn't wear her usual travelling robes,instead she wore a white dress with red trim and ribbons that went down just a little pass her knees.

Her mother always said she looked good in frilly things,or was she simply stating she looked like a living doll.Her hair was done with a red ribbon to match,fixing her shoes she went over to the door and turned the handle opening it and peeking out.Slipping out into the hallway and making her way to the left,but smacked right into a young maid and both went tumbling to the ground.The maid quickly apologized and helped Amelia up,then bowed.

"Young miss do forgive me,I did not see you there.I believe your father has returned,you should go to see him".

"Yes thank you,I will do that and don't be sorry it was my fault".

Amelia smiled then watched the maid rush off,so he was back was he.She had a pretty good idea where he was,and she also knew he was going to ask her where she had run off to.Might as well get this over with now,otherwise he would just come looking for her later on.Again she set off keeping her gaze to the front,until she came to the spiral steps.Gripping the rail she began to climb upwards her heart racing with each step she took,until she got to the top in front of his chambers.Entering she just seemed to stand there,her gaze towards the ground and words came from her lips.

"Father.......you wished to see me".

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[Masuto Itsuki]

"I did," he replied coolly, motioning her forward to sit in an armchair diagonal from his large wooden desk. It was carved beautifully, looking most ancient yet sturdy. It was littered with papers, the topmost being Aito's report on the Geostigma and a glass of blood.

Taking a graceful sip, he set the glass back down, looking his daughter over with careful eyes. How much she looked like her mother... Masuto slipped back into reality, and cleared his throat.

"I do believe you were out in places I politely asked you NOT to go. So, where was it this time, Amelia? No doubt to somewhere new.. infected with that.. disease they brought in... like rats." His tone was curt. Not rudely so, but enough to hint at irritation.

After he had slipped back into his own little world, Masuto began to make little notes on a seperate sheet of paper, anything that he thought would help him out.

Masuto also made his own mental note to go see his wife soon. He had forgotten all about seeing her as frequently as he used to when she first had the accident.

But he would have to free up time. Whenever that would come.

Work would come first. Running a country was not easy. Personal things would always take a back seat.

[Amelia Itsuki]

She obediently sat in the chair that was offered to her,not making eye contact with her father or even looking up at him.Amelia sat there fidgeting with her dress,and a small frown upon her lips.She could have remained hidden in her room all night if she wanted to,although her father would have come there no matter what.Unlike her he was a full vampire,and she was nothing more then a half breed.It's what they called those born of humans and vampires,that sort of thing is not allowed but her father had done it anyways.Slowly looking up,she scrunched her nose up at that awful stench.The smell of blood,gross it was so disgusting but when her father spoke she sat stright up.

She was always told not to slouch but she did it anyways,that frown never left her lips as she listened to her father talk.The first part was true,she had left the capital again to go and see the survivors.Why couldn't he see that it was not them who were at fault,those people out there were suffering as much as they are.Water has been tainted due to some kind of cells in the water,people dying and then blame being pointed at the wrong people.What was so wrong about helping them,and besides she was not infected.

"So what if I did,are you going to ground me.Lock me up in my room,tell me what a naughty daughter i've been.I am only helping,you look at them like a plague".

She slouched back in her seat,so what if they had come from a different world the cause of all this was in that stupid lab.True not being able to drink the water has become hard,they had to find other sources that weren't tainted.Turning her face towards a nearby wall,she tryed to hide the anger that was in her eyes but also the sadness that was in her heart.And she wasn't out there all day,Amelia had stopped by to see her mother.

"I also went to visit mother,why father.......why haven't you gone to see mother".

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[Masuto Itsuki]

"I won't ground you, simply because I know if I do, you will only find ways to wriggle free, as you always do," Masuto replied sharply, draining the rest of the blood uncerimoniously. "As for those people, I don't believe they have good intentions. I haven't since the day they set foot here. Survivors plead for their lives when they know they're guilty of bringing harm to the city of Iquoto, and the rest of the countries!"

His temper was rising steadily. But, it all snapped for him when she reminded him of his beloved wife. The only one who knew he even possessed a softer side. He remembered her smile and speech vaguely, as it had been a few years now since she slipped into a coma.

Masuto cleared his throat as he calmed down, fixing his glasses and brushing a stray hair out of his face.

"It has been sometime since I've seen your mother, hasn't it...?" he murmured. When it came to Amelia's mother, he became sullen and couldn't be cold to his daughter then. "I'm a monster..." He let a weak smile play on his face as he rested his head on top of his hands. "I'll remember to go soon..." While he could consider this a moment of weakness, he wouldn't outright show it.

[Amelia Itsuki]

"Don't have good intentions,but i've met some of them".

Those two she had met on the road by the fort,then another in the city it's self.True she had yet to meet any more like those people,but Amelia could see they were lost and needed answers as to why they were here.Except that one guy he said he was from this world,and that he needed to speak to her father about the issue at hand.Survivors plead for their lives he says,because they might be guilty of bringing harm to Iquoto or to the other countries.It struck her hard seeing how many have already died, but they were nothing but humans right....could it even harm vampires.No besides her father,Kai was also a vampire wasn't he.

She then came back to the matter of her mother,why wouldn't she just wake up so they could try to be a decent family again.It has been hard on her not having that sweet smile to greet her in the morning,or a simple soothing song to lay her off to sleep at night.Amelia had kept quiet about it for a long time now knowing how sensitive her father was with the subject,he was always trying to keep his softer side hidden.When he mentioned the "M" word,she shook her head.

"Mother didn't think you were a monster,and..........neither do I".

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[Masuto Itsuki]

"These strangers..." Masuto began, ".. have brought something with them that is ruining our home. No doubt it's that thing we have in the lab. However, I will not rule out they did this on purpose. That is a major possibility. Meeting them proves nothing if you cannot see through deception." He was becoming serious again, taking a look at the report. How many times had he read this now and not found any more clues?

He sighed and tossed the papers to the side of his desk.

"Amelia.. You must forgive me for being cold. Ever since your mother had the accident, I've completely lost sight of myself. Even before the accident I've been cold. I can't make it up to you, but I figure an apology is a good start. I work hard to keep the city in check so I know you have a good place to live, and to have something nice for your mother to come back to. But, these outsiders and whatever they have brought with them do not bode well with me. My people dropping like flies isn't exactly something I want you and your mother to be surrounded by. I don't expect you to forgive me for being harsh. I just thought I should let you know."

Masuto took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, never making eye contact with his daughter.

[Amelia Itsuki]

"That thing from the sky,how did it even manage to come into our world".

How could something such as that be powerful enough to even find this world,to break through the atmosphere and crash down here.Now she was even starting to ask these questions in her mind,had it been one of the worlds faults that this was happening.Were they truly to blame for that creature coming here,and that the people she had already met keeping something from her.She shook her head,no not all of them are to blame.Whatever that thing was in the lab had to have come here on it's own will,although bringing other entire worlds with it......she couldn't understand.

The frown disappeared from her lips,now just a solum look was upon her face.He was cold after the accident true but before the accident,he barely even spent any time with her or his wife.But saying he was cold was abit of a lie,true he never spent much time with them when she was around but Amelia always saw how gentle he was with her mother and how much he truly loved her.He shouldn't be blaming himself for anything,she would come back to them she just had to.

Her expression changed once again,to that of a worried look both upon her face and in her eyes.They needed to stop people from dying,there had to be a way for the illness to go away.People only caught it when they drank the water right,so then there must be a way to counterattack the spread of this in the water system.Rising from the seat that she had been sitting in,she went around the edge of the desk beside her father and wrapped her arms around him.

"Is it possible,to find a cure".

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[Masuto Itsuki]

The man stood up from his large chair and turned his back towards his daughter, looking out into the grand city below. For many years, his father had ran the city, and now it was his job. He really didn't even think of it as something he had to do, but more like something he wanted to do. He had always wanted to make it a better place, even at the time when he had no family to speak of.

The lights from the city were illuminated on his face through the reflection of the glass. His steel-colored eyes studied every light's origin, every person running amuck outside, and every other source of movement. So much was going on, and there was a reason for it: the disease. It was normal everyday life if you looked at it from the eyes of an outsider, but it was really mass chaos. People struggling to just stay alive, others mourning the losses, and the rest trying to clean up after all of it.

"How it managed to get here is beyond me, I'm afraid..." he began, still studying the scene closely and intently, as if doing this would give him all the answers he needed. "Whatever this disease or plague is, the cure has yet to be found. Our lab is hard at work, with no signs of being close soon. But, something tells me that the outsiders know."

Masuto turned back around, his hair gracefully turning with him, now having a sheen from the city lights behind him. His eyes became slightly dull and he looked at his daughter with much seriousness in his features.

"Tell me... You've talked to them. Is there any way you can ask them anything at all about this condition?"

[Amelia Itsuki]

She stepped back as he rose from his chair,turning his back towards her.From the mansion you could see the city below,all the light's that illuminated the city like a million fireflies except they didn't move.At night it was a beautiful,almost like you were in a wonderful dream that you didn't want to wake up from.Amelia always loved the lights in the capital,they were the warmth you could find if you were lost in the dark.Before all this trouble came here you would see people going on about they're buisness,not having a care in the world.Now they were running around,or hiding in they're homes afraid this disease would get them next.

It did pain her so much to see the people suffering,crying for loved ones lost to the disease.A sickness that shouldn't have even brought this misfortune upon them,although she was sticking by what she had mentioned.This disease no sickness,whatever it was had to have been caused by that monster that fell from the sky.What other reason was there,and keeping it in the lab was only making things worse.How did she know these things,because while visiting her mother she had heard some of the doctors mentioning that thing in the labs.

They had to find a cure,her blue eyes watched her father turn his attention back to her.His hair sheen with the reflection of the lights upon it,but his eyes were dull and his expression more serious.Her eyes went a little wide when he asked her a question,was this really her father she was speaking to.After telling her to stay in the city and not go near the outsiders,he was asking her to ask them if they knew about this condition.

"I suppose I could ask them,some of them must know a cure".

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[Masuto Itsuki]

"Amelia, I've become desperate in my quest to find the cure for this plague... All I'm asking is for answers, nothing more. I do not trust them at all, but I will take anything I can get by this point. Surely they are human and do not appreciate watching their loved ones suffer, no? So then they must know."

His tone was flat as he spoke to his daughter. He had become very desperate by this point. He was even willing to let his daughter go and confront them when just days ago he was forbidding her. Masuto questioned his sanity at certain times, and this was one of them. But he needed answers and he needed them soon. Anyone employed in his services had not come up with any at all, so he was going to take what he was going to get.

And what he was going to get for his strategical thinking and plans was answers to his problems. Complete answers.

"If they are able to help and do so willingly, I might look at this from a different angle. However..." Masuto drawled, "should they decide to make matters worse for my people, -- our people -- I will make it so they won't be so comfortable in their stays, anywhere they might be..."

Usually that would be called a threat, but in Masuto's mind, that was a promise.

How he wished his wife were awake. Perhaps she could solve this problem better and more peacefully.

[Amelia Itsuki]

"I promise not to let you down father"

So all he was seeking was answers,fine if that is all he wanted then she would not let him down.But hearing he did not trust them still made her heart sink,if they could help her find a cure then would he think different of them.Just maybe if they knew she could ask them to help figure out how to cure this sickness,then no one else would need to die anymore.The people could look at the outsiders in a different light,instead of shunning them because they are from worlds not like theirs.

"I won't fail you father".

There was a certain someone she didn't trust,and that was Aito.He seemed to take a different approach towards these strangers,and there was something about him she couldn't read.Almost like he was planning something,but that could be just because she hated him so much.Aito hated her as well,she wasn't afraid of him......no matter what threats roll off his tounge she would never run away from him.Her eyes went a little wide,a big smile spread across her lips.So if they decided to help willingly then he would think of them as allies perhaps,she also understood that if they didn't her father would make life in this world hell for them.

"I'll be off then,unless you need to ask me anything else".

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[Masuto Itsuki]

"I can not think of anything at the moment," he replied, turning his back towards her. His thoughts of having his questions being answered soon were maddening. It was an anticipation. It was almost even an excitement, simply because it meant that once all of this was over, he would be able to try and focus on his wife more. Finding out how to wake her up.

But, for now, his priority was the city and making sure things would fall into place. He would have to ask Aito once more for the statistics of those who had died and those that were still infected yet dying.

'Happy hunting,' his thoughts finished, some little part of him hoping Amelia would be safe. Of course, Masuto being Masuto, he wouldn't tell her that.