To tame a Vampire (Sara's Past)

[Saraitha Mei Miafuji]

“Yukki!” An irritated yet tired voice called. “Mou yamate!” (Stop that) the middle-aged woman scolded the little boy who was running around the waiting room at the government hospital facility in Gaiki Japan. They were there in hopes of being able to see her daughter. For almost a week they'd been turned away. Her daughter was still too unstable for a safe visit. Her husband Tomoe, a powerful politician, was determined that they would see their daughter this day. He'd gone to speak to the people in charge.

The little boy paused at her scolding and jumped up into the chair in front of Mei. “Can we go see Oneechan now?”
“Its oneesan or oneesama, Yukki. Oneechan is used for an older male sibling” Mei Miafugi, Saraitha's mother corrected her son for the fith time in an hour. He missed his sister and was overanxious to see her. The five year old boy frowned and jumped off the chair across from her and landed with a big “kaboom!” sound effect being yelled. “Oneechan said it was ok for me to call her Oneechan!” He wined, making more airplane sounds and running past her. She was almost 50 years old and wondered if she would be able to keep up with her youngest child. She was always away with her husband on business so her daughter was the one who raised the boy. She was old enough to be his mother anyway. Yukki saw her as such, even though he called Sara Oneechan. He always listened to his sister. Mei went from a more Grandmotherly role to being forced to resume her roll as the mother full time, but she'd lost her touch. Mei shook her head. The last few weeks had worn her down. All the stress. All the worry. Was it really that important? Sara had raised him anyhow. Why try to change what Sara had taught. The reality slapped her in the face again. Her daughter may never be able to resume her role of raising Yukki. Her son didn't know about his sister being turned into a vampire. All he knew was that she was really sick and couldn't come home. >>Let him have just a little more time to be care free, she thought<< “Asukina you ni” (As you like). The little boy cheered up instantly. “Hai!” He ran off down the hall, arms out as if he were an airplane. Motor sounds galore.
Mei looked up at the clock on the wall. Her husband had gone to check on Saraitha's progress over an hour ago.

Yukki ran down the hall past the nurses station. He turned sharply left down another hall. The guards there were startled at the racket at first, but quickly recovered seeing just a little boy. The private yelled a command of stop and was about to stop the boy, but the Sgt. Grabbed his arm. [All Japanese pre-translated into English for your convenience.] “Don't bother, Yamato. He's the son of that big-wig Ambassador Miafuji. You'll just get yourself into trouble.” He advised. “Yes Sir” he replied and stepped aside to let the boy pass. The sign above the soldiers read “Maximum Security BioGenome Medical Isolation Ward. Authorized personnel only”.
The heavy steel doors were open, only being closed to seal the ward if there was an emergency of some sort.

No sooner did the boy get past the doors, The alarms started to blare and muffled gunshots rang out. The heavy doors swung closed behind the soldiers. The boy continued on oblivious of the meaning of the alarm and rifle reports. The muffled shouts of the soldiers on the other side of the door lost in the sounding klaxon's.

The boy ran down the corridor, ignoring the sounds of the lady over the intercom talking. It was probably more boring pages for Doctors. He'd grown tired of the announcements and tuned them out. He made a left down another corridor, pretending to have under steered and making a screeching wound of his wings scraping on a mountainside as his outstretched arm slid across the wall. He was running all out when Gunshots, much louder this time, brought him to a stop. They were coming from a steel door about 10 feet ahead on his right. There was muffled screaming and a dull “THUD” from the wall. Yukki. Put his arms down and stared at the door. Behind him many footsteps of people running came around an intersection in corridor he came from.

Halt! He heard a familiar voice yell and turned to see a squad of heavily armed and armored soldiers. Among them, his father. His arms outstretched side to side stopping the soldiers behind him. Yukki's father, a tall man in his early 50's with salt and pepper black hair, stood panting for breath. His eyes wide in surprise at seeing his son before him. Before he could say anything else there was a THUMP! At the door followed by metal tearing sound from the door as its hinges gave way. A loud BOOM! And the door flew from its hinges and fell over with a loud crash. Yukki was frozen in fear. His eyes wide at the racket.
“Yukki! Run to me NOW!” His father ordered. But the boy was scared stiff. There was a feral growl behind Yukki. One that had the hairs on the back of his head stand on end. Something flew over his head that rained liquid on him landing in front of his father and the soldiers with a splat. It was the mangled torso of a soldier, but Yukki never got to focus on the body. He raised a hand to his damp hair and lowered it to look. It was covered with a crimson thick liquid. The little boy's mind couldn't comprehend what he was looking at. He looked up at the sounds of many automatic rifles being brought to bare. The soldiers all took positions and readied weapons with loud “CHI-CHLACK” of actions being primed. They soldiers cursed the death of one of their own.
“Hold you fire! You'll hit the boy” One yelled. “He's as good as dead anyway!” another responded. “Thats an order” commanded the ranking officer.

There was another feral growl behind Yukki.

The vampire stood at a crouch, ready to spring into another attack. The once white hospital gown it wore was soaked in blood. It stared in hatred at the soldiers at the end of the hall. Its mouth snarling, teeth and elongated canines showing. The uncontrollable blood-lust yet un-sated.
The vampire wanted to feed, but first it had to be free of the prison. It's food had the guns that hurt its ears and skin. Thirsty. So Thirsty. The vampire looked down at the small boy in front of her. Its throat burned with thirst, pupils wide with the lust. All it knew was that it must feed. Feeding would make it stronger. Feeding would sate the burning thirst. It would feed then destroy the soldiers and feed again.
It took a step towards the small creature before her.

“SARAITHA! NOOO!” Tomoe's voice shouted out in horror his eyes locked on the small crouched figure who had eyes fixed on his tiny son and now advanced. The familiar sound stopped the vampire. It tried to clear its mind. To think of why that voice was so familiar and why it felt it had to listen. The burning red blood-lust clouded its thoughts. It couldn't think. >>FEED. MUST FEED<< it repeated in its head.
Yukki heard his fathers shout. >>Oneechan is here?<< he thought. His frozen muscles relaxed. Oneechan was here so everything would be ok now. Oneechan always knew what to do. Oneechan would make everything ok. He turned to find her. “Onee chan!” he shouted.
Yukki's eyes locked with the Vampire's. Yukki stood there staring at his sister. He'd never seen her looking so angry. The scary face she was making froze him in place. He saw all the blood, but his young immature mind could not comprehend what he was looking at.
The vampire stopped against its better judgment. Something stirred in its subconsciousness. It looked at the boy its head tilting to the left and it inhaled the boys scent. The darkness stirred anew, recognizing the scent. Instinct told it to grab him and drain the sweet delicious life-blood from him, but its muscles no longer responded. “Onee chan!” the voice echoed in its head over and over. It knew that voice. Something pulled at the monster from the shadows. It wrapped its arms around the beast and drug it down into the dark depts of her consciousness. The burning lust lessened, her mind clearing enough to put a face to the voice. The boy before her was no longer a creature to feed on. It was her little brother. She slowly straightened from her crouch and her feral features relaxed. Her pupils shrinking so that the iris was now visible.

Yukki watched the scary sister turn back to her normal self. She wasn't much taller than him at 5'3”. As her face returned to something much more familiar, his voice came to him again. “O-nee-chan?”he asked in a small voice.
Sara stared for what seemed like forever. The boy's words echoed in her mind once more. Memories flooded back into her. Of all her life experiences. Of the first time she saw Yukki at the maternity ward. Of their five years together. “Autotosan” (little brother) she whispered. She glanced up at the group of people at the other end of the hall. She saw her father there with a horror stricken look on his face. Soldiers with guns pointed at her. She looked down at herself covered in blood. Raised her hands to see them dripping with the crimson fluid.

Her eyes widened. All the memories of what she'd just done hit her like a ton of bricks. She gasped, her breath catching. A hand coming up to cover her mouth. She'd been under heavy sedation and didn't know how long it had been since she was attacked by that vampire assassin in Brazil. The clueless medical staff was giving her too low a ration of blood. And to make it worse, it was done intravenously. They were literally starving her to death in their ignorance of vampire anatomy. The growing blood-lust finally burned through the sedatives, even though they were high enough doses to paralyze an elephant.

Sarah remained unable to move, while the monster which was the vampire reigned unabated in her mind and in full control. When it gained consciousness it ripped through the straitjacket and restraints and killed the doctor attending her. Before she could feed, soldiers came in and she killed the four of them. >>What have I done?<< she asked herself.

Yukki smiled, hearing his sister call him. His immature mind ignored all the bad things he saw. He only saw his beloved sister who he missed something awful. “Onee-chan!” he called, reaching out to embrace her, taking a step forward.

Sara heard him call to her and looked down at her brother as he advanced. His scent hit her and the burning blood-lust rose up, Instinct telling her to reach out and rip the boy's throat out and sate her hunger on his life-blood.

“Yukki Stop!” She gasped and tried to back away but tripped on the mangled door on the floor behind her. She landed hard on her bottom but sat up onto her knees. Her brother rushed forward and put his arms around her neck hugging her tight.
“Onee-chan! Onee-chan! Onee-chan!” He cried, releasing pent up frustration at not being able to see her. He missed her more than anything in the world. Sara was frozen stiff. Her brother hugged her with a death grip. Her arms hung at her sides, her blood covered hands and fingers curled slightly. The vampire within her screamed for the boys blood. She had but to sink her teeth into the pulsing vein at the boys neck. Just open her mouth and tilt her head in. Its all she had to do. The monster took hold and climbed out of the darkness. Her lips parted and pulled back. She let out a small hiss. A chocked gasp echoed from the far end of the hall.

“I love you, Onee-chan. Are you all better now? Can you come home?”
Sarah's breath caught. Her eyes widened. She came back to her senses took hold of the vampire within and wrestled him down to the back of her consciousness. Her eyes closed. Her lips twitched up into a smile. Her muscles softening and relaxing to accept his embrace. Her hands slowly came up and embraced her brother, which she loved more than life itself. She sat back on her heels and just held him.
“I'm fine now, atoutosan. Thanks to you.” she said in a silky voice.

She heard something at the end of the hall. Her eyes flung open and she saw her father drop to his knees, then forward onto his hand. He was crying. Tears dripping from his bowed head, pooling on the floor.
“Thank you god, oh merciful god. Thank you. Thank you” He sobbed. The sounds of firearms being lowered and safety's being engaged followed. Sara would have cried also if it were possible.

Yukki released his hug and sat back on his own heels. He beamed at Sara with a smile that reached ear to ear.
“You're cold, Oneechan. Lets go home, and make hot tea to warm you up.”
Sara looked down at him and smiled.
“I can't just yet, Yukki.”
His face screwed up in thought.
“But.. you said you are better now”
Sara reached between them and pushed him gently out and put a hand on each of his shoulders. She could hear the soldiers advancing slowly toward her.
“Listen carefully, Yukki. I have to go away for a while longer. I..”
“I'll come with you, Onee-chan.” He interrupted, his smile starting to fade.

Sara glanced up at the soldiers. Her father was with them. They held handcuffs and other restraints in their hands. One soldier prepped a gun with some type of syringe or dart that she knew could only be a sedative or tranquilizer. She looked back down at her brother, still smiling for his sake.

“I don't want anyone I love to get hurt, Yukki. Please, just do what father tells you, ok?”

She looked up at the men approaching. She put her hands behind her head, knowing what was to come.
Yukki looked confused. He turned to see his father and the soldiers behind him. He blinked. Eyes widening at the sight of the restraints and guns.

“Daddy? What are those men doing?” he said in a small voice

“Yukki. Come with me. Your sister...” he paused, glancing at Sara and nodding. She nodded back

“Needs to go back to her room to finish getting better.” He reached out a hand to the boy. He backed away, falling into Sara's lap.

“Doshite. (why?) I want to stay with Oneechan”

Tomoe reached out and grabbed his arm. He pulled his son away from Sara. Yukki pushed and fought to get out of his fathers grasp. The soldiers moved in, pulling Sara to the ground roughly. They pulled her hands behind her back and cuffed her. Additional restraints were being applied to her ankles and torso.

Yukki turned around at the sounds of the soldiers restraining Sara. He saw what they were doing and started yelling at the top of his lungs for them to stop hurting her.

Sara tried to shut out her brother's cries to be with her. She tried but failed. His cries made her angry. She reasoned that it was her father who had him. He was safe, but the words echoed in their hollowness. The soldiers fell upon her as her anger increased, her self control decreased. She was handled roughly which didn't help anything. One of the Soldiers grabbed Yukki to help usher him away. Yukki screamed out in pain as the soldier twisted his arm unintentionally. Time slowed for the middle-aged man. Tomoe pushed the soldier away. Glancing back at Sara,the first thing he saw was her pupils start to enlarge. He heard her growl and He panicked.
“Lieutenant! The sedative! Hurry!”
Sara's eyes went wide.
“Wait daddy! NO!,” Sara screamed. But it was too late.
She felt the pressure of the gun at her neck. The gadget was like a Shelti nail gun. It used the charge of a gunpowder filled cartridge to push an object forward and through a barier. With a “POP” she felt the titanium needle puncture her skin with the force of the .45 caliber propellant. The sedative was injected, and time slowed to a crawl.

If Tomoe had taken a second to think he would have realized that once Sara was unconscious there would be nothing holding back the monster within her.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream as the drug reached her brain. She felt herself go numb and drift off. The monster she'd held at bay lunged forward taking control. The blood-lust surged forward. The thirst overwhelming. Her survival instincts reacted to the soldiers restraining her. There were no people. Only prey and food.

The monster rolled on her back, brought her knees in and kicked out sending the soldier with the sedative gun flying down the corridor to impact on the closed doors at the other end. He hit with a bone crunching slap and slid down to the floor unconscious. Her legs tore free of their bindings and she jumped up, regaining her feet. Soldiers scrambled for their weapons as her arms tore free of their restraints. Her arm extended and flew out in an arc, her hand flat and her fingers together, She slashed one soldier, cutting though him and his body armour like knife through butter. He fell to the ground creaming at the pain of his open wound. She spun at a second soldier and side kicked him into a wall. She held him there with her outstretched leg while she licked the blood from her fingers relishing in the sweet taste of human blood. She lowered her leg and he slumped to the ground unconscious from the force of the impact. Only one would reach his weapon. He got his weapon up and fired point blank at Sara's head. The three round burst rang out. Her head snapped left with the impacts, but the bullets bounced off her skull causing little damage. Sara reached out and grabbed the barrel of the riffle. The poor soldier still had the shoulder strap around his shoulder and neck. Sara yanked. The soldier fell forward. She grabbed him and sunk her fangs into his neck. The remaining soldier ran for his life,

Tomoe stood frozen in place at the horror that was the vampire. Those men's lives were his responsibility. Their blood was on his hands. His lack of judgment had killed them all. With this realization his grip failed him. The still struggling Yukki hadn't stopped trying to get to Sara the whole time. Yukki broke free of his fathers hold and rushed forward. “Oneechaaaan!!!” he yelled running at her. Somehow Yukki knew he was the only one who could stop her. He wasn't afraid. He didn't hesitate at all. He just knew he had to get to Sara. He had to get to his sister to stop her from hurting people.

Sara was gulping the ambrosia down greedily. A jolt like an electric shock stopped her. Yukki's voice had awakened Sara. She forced herself forward willing herself past the paralasys of the drugs and the monster's eyes flicked up from the neck she was feeding from to the boy running at her. The blood-lust faded. The monster within her being dragged down once more. It was not as hard this time. The fact that she'd fed made it easier. The monster had weakened, and even though hindered by drugs, she was able to pull him down and shut him within.

“Oneechan, Stop!”

Sara blinked. The pupils in her eyes shrinking. Her brother stopped in front of her. He looked frightened. He stared at the limp man in her arms as the his life-blood fell from the wound on his neck to the floor. He looked up at his sister. Blood dripped from the corners of her mouth.
“Wakarimasen” (I don't understand) he said in a flat toned voice.
More soldiers appeared at both ends of the corridor. Tomoe, having regained his senses, ordered them to stand down.
Saras lips came away from the neck and she licked the wound. It closed imediately. She knelt and gently put the man down.
“Why?” he asked. “Why did you hurt him?” He asked, his voice chocking. Sara's heart broke. He was still so young. So innocent. The events were only “just” starting to sink in. She felt pain where her heart should be, even though it no longer beat.

Sara could no longer stand to look at her brother. She was a monster! She looked around her. All these people she hurt today. How could she continue this existence. She hatted herself. She hated that her brother's innocence was being shattered this day because of her. He now understood that she'd hurt all those people. That she drank the blood of a man. That she was an animal. A monster. She balled up her first lifting her head up. The words “kill me” caught in her throat. Her brother was staring. His arms crossed at his chest. But he no longer looked scared. He looked.... disappointed?

“well?” he asked. “Apologize and lets go home, Oneechan”

“home?” she whispered.

She looked up at her father who stood behind Yukki. She remembered now. He'd come into her room where she was restrained and drugged and spoke to her almost daily without the knowledge of his wife and son. She remembered his words trying to coax some recognition or other sign of the Sara within the feral beast that was in control. She didn't respond to him at all. Only Yukki could reach her in that dark hole of her subconscious mind. If not for him she would have killed and drained everyone in her path. He alone gave her the strength she needed to maintain control.

No. There was no home to go to. He would not want her. No one would want her. How could anyone want her. “I'm a monster. How can I go... home”
Sara cast her eyes down and sobbed. She made all the motions. Chest heaving, facial features screwed up in pain. But no tears flowed. She was not human anymore. A dead thing that had no place in what used to be her world. Then suddenly there was warmth. She felt arms around her. Not just one set, but two. Her eyes flew open to see her brother AND her father embracing her. They both wept with her. She left her mind blank, afraid to think. Afraid to do anything to disturb this moment. Her arms came up and she embraced them in return.

“Oneechan is not a monster. Oneechan is Oneechan” Yukki whispered.

“I'll do my best, Yukki. I won't hurt anyone ever again. I promise”

The medical staff and soldiers tended to the wounded around them. They left the three alone. They sat down and talked. They explained to Yukki as best they could about Sara's “sickness” He brightened up to his normal happy go-lucky self afterwards. Sara and Tomoe were both amazed at how easily he absorbed what he'd seen and heard and quickly came to terms with it and accepted it.

After a long while, the three let go of each other. The Ambassador gave orders that the three of them would return to Sara's room alone. None were to follow. No restraints. No medication.

In the hours that followed she fought a continuing battle with herself. She suffered greatly that first few days. She would almost loose control often. The instinct and lust was overwhelming, but a word from her brother, or just his smile, strengthened her resolve every time. It became obvious to the staff that Sara was less frightening when her brother was with her. She seemed to calm and act normal when he was in the room. She would often tell him he was her anchor in the unrelenting storm. The rock that always and held kept her from floating out into the chaos. Every time he was asked to step out of the room, he'd start to cry and throw a tantrum. Tomoe finally stepped in and ordered that Yukki could stay in the room at all times. Yukki seemed to be oblivious to the possible dangers anyway. And seeing his sister feed didn't seem to affect him any.

From that moment forward, the two siblings never left each other's side. Sara made it clear that Yukki was her anchor to sanity. He would need to stay with her until she learned to control her blood-lust. An arrangement which her little brother was all the more happy with.

Now that she was allowed to remain conscious, she was able to help correct the mistakes made before. The regular and adequate feedings helped her cope much more easily. The time between feedings was stretched out longer and longer. She made huge strides in her control. She hated the fact that she drank human blood so much that she would force herself to reach the brink of her self-control before feeding again.

In the 3rd week she refused human blood altogether. She started requesting animal blood. It was messy at first, she had to overcome the taste and smell and urge to puke it up. Once she was certified safe, she was released to her father.