Stitched up Heart- Monster

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"Tatsuki, it's time to go." Rima says as she knocks at her open door. 

"I'll be right there." Tatsuki says as she closes up an envelope. She tucks it into her coat pocket and looks over towards Rima. 

"Is that for your bandmate?" Rima questions her. 

"Yeah. If I run into Zero I'll ask him to give this to Sora." Tatsuki tells her, picking up her luggage.

"You seem to be getting along with that prefect when considering that he hates our kind." Rima says with a sigh. 

"Yes, I guess so." Tatsuki says with a shrug. She puts her hood over her head as they make it out to meet up with Senri.

"I'll see you after break, Rima." Tatsuki says as she heads off with Senri. 

"See you, Senri, Tatsuki." Rima says with a wave of her hand. She feels concern with them going off on their own to their family. From what she knows about them, they're definitely toxic people that shouldn't be involved with the twins.

"Tatsuki." She stops at Takuma's call. Her face instantly blushes as he approaches her. "I see you are going off with Senri for winter break. It's well deserved. You two have a lot of catching up to do." Takuma says a little disappointed that the Shiki twins won't be accompanying them. Tatsuki nods her head unsure of what to say. 

"Well I wish you both a wonderful trip." Takuma says hesitating a little in hugging Tatsuki.

"Me too. Have fun." Tatsuki says to him. 

"You too." He says with a smile. 

"Fun. We shall see." Tatsuki says getting knot in her stomach, but not the good kind. She can't figure out what's wrong. 

"You too, Senri. Take care of yourself and Tatsuki." Senri nods his head at Takuma.

"We'll head out now." Senri says. Tatsuki spots Zero and Yuki rushing over towards them. Tatsuki rushes towards Zero, but Yuki quickly stops behind him.

"Zero, please give this to Sora." She says handing him the letter. 

"Right." He says putting it in his jacket pocket. 

"Take care, Zero. You too, Yuki." Yuki flinches lightly, and looks over at Tatsuki. 

"Th-thank you, Tatsuki-san. You too." She says not meeting her eyes. Tatsuki stares at her for a moment before heading off with Senri.

"Where shall we be going first?" Tatsuki questions Senri. 

"I haven't seen mother in a while." Senri says as they step into the vehicle. 

"So we are going to see her." Tatsuki says as the driver heads off. Senri nods his head, and the Shiki twins sit side by side in silence. Preparing the encounter with their mother, together, for the first time.

"TATSUKI!" The Night Class students, Zero, and Yuki all turn to the sound of a rushing Sora. He had missed her by a couple minutes. "She's gone. She didn't even say bye." Sora says sadly. Zero stands in front of him, and hands him a letter.

"Tatsuki left you this." Takuma looks on surprised. She didn't leave him a thing only Sora. He feels hurt at that. He can't help but wonder what Tatsuki left for him. Sora quickly takes the letter, and opens it. He skims through it recognizing her writing before actually getting to reading it.

Sora,

There's a lot that you don't know about me, and I know you are desperately trying to figure out what is different about me. Sora, be patient. I'm sure that difference will be revealed soon enough. Much to my dread. Yes, I feel that to. At least that's what I've read. I don't have very much to say because I'll give away too much. Take care of yourself. Be careful. . .around me.

~Tatsuki

Sora looks on confused at the very short letter. He doesn't understand what she means at all. He looks at the letter before walking away from the people that were watching him. They too were wondering what Tatsuki's words were for Sora. Especially Takuma. He's worried about the content in those words. He's afraid that Tatsuki might also have feelings for Sora. He clenches his hands, and keeps his composure.

                                                ~0~

The Shiki twins walk hand in hand towards the entrance of their mother's lonely manor. Tatsuki shields her reddish brown eye before she enters, but Senri stops, and uncovers her eye. "Mother, doesn't like this eye." Tatsuki tells him. 

"She has no say to what genetics we get. In the end we look more like her than that man after all. Either way, those are his eyes and these eyes are yours. They suit you better." Senri says, and makes sure to have Tatsuki reveal both of her eyes. She feels at ease and gently squeezes his hand.

Senri opens the door, and picks up his luggage again. "We're home." Senri says as they spot their mother sitting on the steps. Her messy mahogany hair covering her left eye. The same eye that Tatsuki tries to hide from her. She looks up at the twins holding their hands.

"Senri. Tatsuki." She says surprised, but isn't going hysterical like when Tatsuki told her she was going to reunite with Senri. They walk over to her, and she reaches for each of their cheeks. Yet she doesn't stand up yet.

"We're back, mother." They say to her. She quickly stands up at their voices, and hugs them both tightly. "Senri! Tatsuki!" She says sounding happy, but they know she isn't exactly right in the head. 

"Lets at least comb your hair. The fans from your acting days would cry if they saw you like this." Senri says to her. Shiki pulls back, and smiles at her children. She happily takes their hands and leads them upstairs to her room. The dusty manor looks untouched and that no one has been around in quite a few days.

Tatsuki holds the hand mirror for her mother while Senri combs her hair. Shiki looks over at Tatsuki, and then in the mirror at Senri. "Both of you are beginning to look like that demonic bastard." She says to them. 

"Really? Since I don't know father's face, but I always thought I looked a lot like you, as does Tatsuki." Senri says. Tatsuki observes his accepting nature. How he doesn't fight back. 

"I have to protect you." She mentally states as her eyes meet her mother's again.

"Yes, you both do, but. . ." Tatsuki holds her temper in check. "I liked that deep look that never told me what he was thinking. The same look that both of you have, and more so that Tatsuki has his eyes." Silence fills the room as the Shiki family sits there in a tense silence, but none show it.

"Senri, there's a letter from the Council." Both look surprised at the letter she suddenly pulled out. Handing it to Senri. 

"My uncle from the Council came by yesterday while you were out, and asked me to give it to you." Tatsuki looks a little suspiciously at the letter. Something about it doesn't feel right to her.

"Since Uncle doesn't have children. . .I think he wants you to succeed him." She says as if Tatsuki weren't there anymore. "Of course, we can't say no, because he's from the Council. But come home quickly, okay?" She says reaching out for Senri. "And I'm hungry, give me some fresh blood." She says as her fangs extend. Now Tatsuki understands where her abrupt craving for fresh blood comes from. 

"How spoiled. Well, alright." He says and she pierces his neck. Tatsuki simply watches her obedient brother.

She looks at the letter in Senri's hand. Wondering what darkness resides in it. She puts a hand to her heart. Feeling scared. Tatsuki jumps as she watches Senri drop to his knees. She goes into action and pulls her mother back with a hug.

"You're draining him, mother. That's enough." Shiki turns around and hold's Tatsuki's face, looking into her mismatching eyes with glee.

"Ah, those eyes are so beautiful, but I also hate these eyes the most." She says laughingly as her fingers slide over around Tatsuki's eyes. Her nails start to press against her skin. She turns her head away and goes over to help Senri back up to his feet.

"I'm going to feed Senri and then we'll visit great uncle." She walks out with him, not letting Shiki respond. Senri points her to his old bedroom. It's a complete mess, like it was trashed not that long ago. They assume Shiki had a break down and took it out on Senri's room.

Tatsuki uses her free hand to adjusts the bed mattress and helps Senri sit down. She sits next to him and offers her arm to him. He gratefully accepts and drinks enough blood to take away the weakness in his body.

"Alright, how are you feeling, Senri?" He nods and wipes his mouth from any residual blood. Tatsuki cleans up her arm and looks to the letter. Senri holds up and opens it. They read it together, it seems rather vague and that he wants to see him about something important. It even brings up Tatsuki coming along if she's with him.

"Great uncle knows about you too. Have you met him before?" Senri asks Tatsuki who shakes her head.

"I never met any of the Shiki family before. Mother and you were the first ones. I think all the adults knew that our mother was expecting twins. I'm still not sure why Rido separated us. What kind of purpose it served." Tatsuki mentions to him honestly. Senri nods his head and slowly stands up. He tosses the letter aside and puts his hand out.

"Lets go meet with great uncle. We'll find out what he has to tell us." Tatsuki takes Senri's hand and they once more head out hand in hand.

                                           ~0~

"This place seems so unwelcoming." Senri says to Tatsuki as they walk together. She doesn't answer, and walks on as the door opens. A butler at the door bows to them. 

"Welcome." They step in, and meet their mother's uncle. Tatsuki observes the butler, who is identical to Zero. She is a little surprised. She never expected Zero to be a twin as well. They meet eyes before she looks back at her great uncle.

"Thank you for coming, Senri. Ah, Tatsuki. I see you've come as well. I guess this will do." He says to them with a suspicious smile Tatsuki doesn't trust for a moment. She had no idea that he was even there, now she knows how Ichio was able to lead her to the Shiki family. It was all thanks to her great uncle, a member of the Vampire Council.

"It's been a while, great uncle." Senri says to him with a slight bow to his head. Tatsuki only looks at him as she keeps a hold of Senri's hand. 

"Everyone doing well over there with your mother?" He questions as he turns away. The Shiki twins follow behind him. 

"Yeah, quite okay, but to be honest, all employees have been fired." He says to him, while Tatsuki stays on her guard, and looks around. Her step slows as she ends up walking behind Senri, his hand still in hers. 

"So I've heard." He says, and stops. Turning back to look at them. Tatsuki stops her observing, and looks back at their smiling uncle.

"Don't worry about that now. Today I want to show you both something." He says, and Tatsuki's dread only grows. 

"I really don't like it here-" 

"What? It's not about taking over my place." He says knowing what he was going to mention. His niece, Shiki has mentioned it many times, having Senri take over for him. He knows that the boy before him is not meant for any kind of leadership role. He leads them down to a cellar of the building they are in.

"You both are not children any longer. That's why, as part of the Shiki family, I will reveal to you my deepest secret, that I've been hiding up to now." The Shiki twins exchange a confused glance. Neither knowing what to expect. They walk down a flight of stairs to the musty cellar, the strong scent of blood fills their nostrils the further they descend. He leads them to a door, and it opens ominously holding something dark behind it.

"Well then. . ." They look up as they see some tomb where blood falls down into it. They step closer. Tatsuki gasps recognizing the still regenerating body. The face and body is incomplete, but she knows who she is looking at right now. "The reason was to protect him, your father." He says to them both. Tatsuki tries to keep her composure as she looks on at her past, now becoming her present.

"So he hasn't died. How disgusting." Senri says stepping closer. Not having had noticed that Tatsuki was starting to tremble. 

"To say something like that about your father, how cruel. He may not look it, but he's quite alive!" They both look up at a kid that popped out of nowhere. "But it seems like it's reached its limit now, that's why, I was looking forward to meeting you. When you've grown up." Senri looks shocked at the little boy, and then back at Tatsuki.

"Both have the same eyes?!" He says stunned to himself. The little boy smiles at Tatsuki who looks at him with wide eyes. 

"Excuse me for keeping you waiting, young master." Their great uncle says as he bows. The little boy slips, and falls unconscious.

Tatsuki steps back petrified as her father's still body moves. Splashing blood as he rises. His face is nearly complete. It is covered in a lot of blood. Tatsuki gulps as he looks at them both. She thought she'd be okay, but in the end she still fears him. She still fears Rido Kuran.

Tatsuki stops as she sees wisps of blood reaching for Senri. "My cute son. Well then, Senri. Lend me your power." He says reaching for him. 

"NO! SENRI!" Tatsuki tries to reach him, and stop the danger befalling Senri, but Rido uses his blood to throw Tatsuki against the door making her hit her head, and fall unconscious. Senri can't move from the shock as Rido reaches out to him. Ready to take in his son's body. Like a parasite.