Guiltia quietly sat on his bed. She had completely passed out. Now he was left alone in his thoughts. He removed his glove covering his left hand. Red scars had appeared in most spaces. It was his punishment.

He had accepted his punishment long ago. But..... even after suffering for so long..... Now, he desires to live for some time longer...

He turned his head to look at Angelique. He wanted to stay with her and OZ for longer. The blonde wondered how Ange was doing. Did he make up his mind regarding eternity? If he did choose eternity, then he wouldn't hesitate to turn Ange into a full vampire with all his remaining power.

 At that time, a song rang in his mind. He recognized those voices right away. He had to admit Eclipse's new song was really pleasant to hear. When the song ended, he found himself growing weary. It had taken some of his powers to join their minds. He should get some sleep to regain his strength.

He reached his hand out to Angelique before retracting it and smiling weakly. ". . Will you be able to withstand the pain?"

Obviously, he didn't receive a reply. Next to the sleeping girl, he lied down. Like Angelique, he, too, fell into a deep slumber.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .

Where am I...? Angelique found herself in the middle of nothing but white. What is this place? How did I end up here? She racked her brain to find a suitable answer. .....Right, Guil-san was going to share his memories with me. Then is this...?

"Ah...!" She flinched when a scene she had never witnessed before began playing in her mind.

.

"Guilty blood
I became lost after this bloody feud."

A man with long blonde hair leaned against the wall of a familiar building. . . . It's Guil-san.

The Guiltia in her memories smiled bitterly after pausing his singing. "Who am I doing this for?"

"You there. Are you alright?" A voice she had never heard before suddenly asked.

On top of the staircases stood none other than...Dad! He looked just like the person she saw in the photos.

Without saying anything, Guiltia proceeded to walk away.

"Are you a runaway? Or did you get lost?" Her father, Yutaka, asked him.

"Is that how I look to you?"

"Not exactly look, but that's how you sound. Your song was lonely and was calling for me." His words caused the blonde to be surprised.

Is this their first meeting? She watched the scene gradually disperse into fog. The last thing she heard her father say warmed her heart. "We can connect through music." huh.... 

Another scene flashed in her mind.

.

"So, how is it?" Kotomi's excited face popped in her mind. Mom...

"I'll dig in!" Happily, Yutaka took a bite of his meal. With a single bite, his eyes twinkled with happiness. "It's really tasty, Kotomi!"

"Really?" The black haired woman grinned before looking at Guiltia. His hair was back to being short like the way it currently was. "How is it, Guil? Do you like it?"

Smiling, he nodded. He might have lost his appetite but he could still taste delicious foods. "It's good, Kotomi."

Heaving a sigh of relief, she slumped on her chair. "Thank goodness! I'm glad you like it." She announced, "I was thinking of making it a new item for our cafe."

"It's a great idea." Guiltia nodded.

In a matter of seconds, Yutaka had completed his plate before asking for seconds. "I want seconds!"

Kotomi chuckled happily. "Coming right up." They look really happy.

.

"Should I do it like this?" Guiltia asked with a concentrated expression.

"No. You must be gentle in every step. Or else the coffee won't taste good!" Yutaka rested his hands on his hips. He had been teaching Guiltia for some time now. While he was quick to memorise the steps, he had yet to make the perfect coffee. 

"I understand. I'll do it again."

From behind the counter, Kotomi watched the two males with a smile. "You know, Guil," she called the blonde male, "sometimes, while I feel jealous that you're taking Yutaka from me, I think I can forgive you since you look so good as a barista."

With a zealous grin, she offered, "Hey, why don't you officially work in our cafe? I'm sure our sales would skyrocket just by having you stand behind the counter!"

"I appreciate your offer." Guiltia smiled genuinely. "However, as you can see, I'm still not perfect in this sector."

"Well, that's a shame. Our customers would have increased ten fold by having you here." She gave a thumbs up. "But I'm still excited to try your special coffee, Guil!"

Yutaka, who heard their conversation, was certainly amused. Despite that, he also believed in what Kotomi said.

So, that's how Guil-san learned to brew his special coffee. Angelique had a smile on her face while the whole scene unfolded in her mind.

.

In another memory, the three friends were sitting on the couch while they were talking about music.

"But, you see, Guil, music exists to be listened to. I'm sure Tenn-chan wants to hear it soon, too." Yutaka spoke in front of Kotomi's inflated stomach.

"Tenn? Is that the name of your baby?"

"Short for Tenshi because they'll be as cute as an angel. What do you think?" Guiltia smiled, agreeing with Yutaka's thinking.

The brunette added, "Just so you know, this will be their name till they're born. We haven't decided to know whether there's a boy or a girl."

Kotomi lovingly gazed at her stomach. Angelique had never seen her mother look so happy than she did now while speaking about her unborn child. "So we thought up names for both. If it's a boy...." Kotomi giggled. "Nevermind. It's still a secret. You'll just have to find out when they're born."

Guiltia smiled brighter than she had ever seen him. "I look forward to it."

So that's how we ended up with such unique names. Angelique felt an incredible wave of warmth spread across her chest. She wasn't aware that their parents loved them this much. Hehe...I'll call Ange 'Tenn-chan' and see how he reacts to it.

.

"Yuta-" Guiltia stopped trying to call his friend when he saw Kotomi napping on the couch. Her head rested on Yutaka's shoulder who was gesturing to Guiltia to remain silent.

"Shh.... she just fell asleep." Yutaka spoke in a whisper-like voice.

"I apologise." His voice turned soft as Yutaka wanted. He took a seat next to Yutaka. "She must've been tired."

"She is." The brunette softly held her hand. "She's really excited to meet our baby. Of course, I am too!"

This time, Guiltia gestured Yutaka to pipe his voice down, afraid that he might wake Kotomi.

In a sheepish manner, Yutaka laughed silently. "Sorry. I can't stand still when I think about our child." Guiltia simply nodded, not exactly understanding what his friend was experiencing. Yutaka seemed to have catched on.

The human male gently placed a hand over Kotomi's swollen stomach. With a paternal smile, he whispered, "Someday, when you're going to be a father, you'll be able to understand my emotions, Guil."

"I'm afraid that won't happen. I don't intend on having a relationship." After all, females can't be vampires and he wouldn't start a relationship with a human. He'd rather devote himself to music.

"Who knows? You'll never know when you fall in love." Yutaka joked, this time being mindful to keep his voice low. "Maybe one day in the near future, you'll be anticipating holding your own child in your arms! I can't wait for that day to come!"

That seemed highly unlikely. However, Guiltia couldn't bring himself to say it when he saw the joyous look on his friend's face. He let him have fun with his imaginations.

But then the two males panicked when Kotomi grumbled in her sleep, after the noise reached her ears.

So Guil-san had a weak spot when it came to dad. Angelique giggled. Just like he has a soft spot for Ange.

.

Angelique didn't expect the last shred of memory to be this. No . . .

"Yutaka...! Yutaka...!" Guiltia was screaming his name desperately. In front of him.... her parents were covered in blood. Kotomi was unconscious while Yutaka barely held onto his consciousness.

When he saw Guiltia by his side, he stretched a smile. He didn't want Guiltia to be so sad. Though it hurt to speak, he did his best. After all, he didn't want to leave his friend in that state. "...We're connected......it's okay..."

"But..." Even though one of his side had gone numb, he turned around with great difficulty. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach his wife and their unborn child. "...Kotomi..."

"Please..." He begged Guiltia. "...take care of her..."

"I..." Yutaka was asking for the impossible. Kotomi....can't be saved. And if she can't be saved then the child in her womb...

"Leave Tenn-chan.... to you.... Guil.." He whispered.

"All right." He went to Kotomi's side and lifted her up. Guiltia could only wish for a miracle as he dug his fangs in her neck before everything blackened.

.

Gasping loudly, Angelique's eyes snapped open. She couldn't see properly as her eyes were hazy. She sat herself up on the bed and covered her eyes. She must've started crying while she was dreaming.

She sobbed silently and more tears rolled down her cheeks. She never felt like this. So sad, so devastated, so heartbroken, so lost. She didn't just see what Guiltia had seen; she had also felt them. She felt everything Guiltia had felt. She could understand the man at a whole new level now.

She understood why he couldn't sing anymore. After losing Yutaka and Kotomi so suddenly, how empty Guiltia must've felt! And she's experiencing them all now because of being one with his mind.

The heartache in her felt intolerable. She clutched her chest and curled. "Dad...mom..." Even if it was only for one night, she got to know her parents and feel their love. That love was also replaced by their sudden loss. It was..... too much. It hurts....

She can never see her parents. She can never hear their voices again. She can never feel that fuzzy warm feeling she got by being near them. She missed them. So unbearably much.

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her fists and sniffled. Right now, all she wanted was to bawl her eyes out. This pain of losing someone was so unbearable. 

"...Angelique?"

Being overwhelmed by her emotions, she had failed to notice the sleeping vampire next to her. After waking up and seeing her pitiful state, he sat up and gently grasped her wrist.

Her black hair and hands were covering her face. Inspite of that, he could tell that she was crying. Gently, he tugged at her wrist to see her face. Just as he had expected, Angelique's eyes had gone red from all the crying. Truthfully, he had a feeling she would break down after witnessing everything through his memories.

"Guil-san...? Why... are you here?" She asked, glancing at him through her tearful eyes.

"....This is my room," he stated, unsure of how to treat her when she looked like she could break any second.

"Oh...." Realisation hit her that she had fallen asleep in his room after everything. Wiping her eyes, she turned away. "I'm sorry. I'll head back to my room."

"Wait... You can remain here till you feel calm," he suggested.

"Sorry....." She didn't look at him. "I think I'd like to be alone right now."

"I see.." He watched her leave. It was probably a good thing that Ange wasn't there at the moment because she'd like to cry her heart out alone. In the end, Angelique hugged a pillow and cried into it.

.  . .  . . .  .

All throughout the day, everyone's moods were gloomy. Angelique's mood was especially in the blues. While the girl stayed in the room for most of the day, Guiltia decided to explain things in more detail to the two males. The day was over without any colours.

As everyone was preparing dinner, Robin nonchalantly mumbled, "Tonight is the firework summer festival,huh..."

Eve heard him. "Oh, was it tonight?" He remembered Robin being excited for it. However, he didn't seem interested in the event now. As for Angelique...

Eve and Robin looked in her direction. She had been so uncharacteristically quiet all day. They both looked at each other to figure out how to cheer her up.

Eve clapped his hands together, trying to lighten the mood. "Why don't we view it from the roof?"

"Nice idea, Eve-san!" Robin played along. He hugged Angelique's arm. "You'll go too, won't you, Angelique?"

The raven, who had been mindlessly staring outside, pondered how to answer."I...." Her heart still felt heavy. So, could she even enjoy the moment? She'd just end up ruining the moment for all of them.

Guiltia piped in, understanding their motives. It's better to live comfortably, rather than always being in the blues. "It's a good idea. I'm sure you all will enjoy it."

In the end, after the pinkette's request, she ended up agreeing to join.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .

..........However, that's not the scene she expected to see once she arrived at the roof.

Having heard Ange's screams coming from the roof, Eve, Robin and Angelique had rushed to the roof, only to find an unconscious Guiltia lying on the floor.

"Guil! Guil!" Ange desperately kept calling him.

Guil...san..... Red scars had appeared all over his body. And his right hand.... was no longer there. It had already returned to the Scarlet Moon.

Next to the unconscious vampire, Angelique fell to her knees and clutched his left hand. "Guil-san...." She gently shook him. "....Guil-san, wake up...please..."

Robin went to her side when he noticed her shoulders trembling. After crying so much in a single day, she didn't have any tears left to shed now. But her heart was crying.

"Guil-san...why...?" He whispered. Though the boy was just as heartbroken, he had promised Guiltia this morning that he'll take care of both Ange and Angelique when the time comes.

"Angelique. . . Guil-san won't wake up...." He softly murmured to her.

No..... "...He just told us to meet at the roof," she mumbled. Above them, the fireworks kept dancing across the sky, in the midst of their despair.

She pressed her forehead against the back of his hand. She tightly closed her eyes. Guil-san... you lied again. You left too soon.

"He's in a state of suspended animation. His body is starting to deteriorate," Eve explained.

Hearing that, Ange stood up. "I'll go get Elizabeth!"

"Wait!"

"Why?! He saved me! So I'm sure he'll save Guil..."

Eve wasn't ready to say goodbye to his longtime companion. But he had to accept the truth. At least for the kids' sake. "He has reached his end, Ange. Guil was punished by the Scarlet Moon and lost his feelings towards music... So he was just trying to disappear quietly. He was finally able to regain his feelings after meeting you."

Eve finally broke down. "But I never thought..... the end would come so soon."

The strength seemed to disappear from Ange's body. "No one ever told me... Guil's condition was like this."

"Ange!" Robin stood up and hugged him. "Guil-san didn't tell you because you're super important to him." His hold tightened and he let his tears flow. "He said that if you wanted to become a vampire, he'd use all of his remaining strength..."

Hearing Robin, Ange's blood ran cold. "I...told him... that I wanted to become a vampire." His fingertips barely grazed the mark left on his neck and his left eye turned red for being overwhelmed.

The eldest vampire understood. "You need a lot of strength to turn someone into your brethren. That's why..."

"But this..." he cried, "This wasn't important!"

The brunette remembered something important. He wiped his tears with his sleeves. "I have to sing." He repeated those words in his mind. "I promised him that I'll sing."

He jerked his head towards his sister and faced her by holding her shoulders. "Angelique, before, Guil told me he didn't want you to cry."

She looked at his solemn eyes with surprise. "He wanted you to keep smiling, Angelique. So, for Guil's sake, smile, Angelique. You can't cry."

"I...." She nodded and averted her eyes. There was such a big hole left in her heart. ...... I don't think I can do this, Guil-san...

To be continued...