Black. It was what surrounded her, what she breathed, what she felt, who she was. Black. That was the only thing that described it, for there was no other hue that entered her sight. Black. But there was something in the distance, what was it? More Black? No, this colour was different.

      Crimson. The colour was pulsating, calling her name. A-ki-ra. A-ki-ra. Akira. Akira. AKIRA! AKIRA! Its harsh whisper got louder with each repitition, reminding her of everything, everything before the Black.

      A woman with tanned skin smiled brightly.

      "Akira, I'm baking cookies, you can't be in here," the woman laughed lightly, her now-visible green eyes sparkling, "Go outside, I'll call you in when I'm done."

A little girl with golden hair that fell to her waist nodded and ran out the door, making airplane sounds as she went through it.

       The little girl, Akira--no, wait, herself--ran over to a tall tree and she began to climb, scraping her palms along the way. She didn't notice the blood coming from her hands until she reached a branch big enough to lay down on. Young Akira pressed her bleeding palms against her jeans, hoping to stop the flow. She looked at her home and noticed that the door she left from was still open.  Hadn't that woman--wait, her mother--close it behind her?

      Something was wrong, her mother never left the door open, she always closed it. Young Akira climbed quickly down the tree, reopening a few scrapes on her palms and adding some to her arms in her haste. She began to run back home when her feet touched the solid earth.

      "Momma! Momma!" Young Akira cried.

      She ran through the open door to a horrid sight more nightmare than reality. Blood was pooled on the kitchen floor, and her mother was in the middle of it. A man with short, ruffled chestnut hair wearing a black leather trenchcoat had his face to her mother's neck. Young Akira's water blue eyes widened in horror and pure fright, and she opened her mouth to scream but the fear pulsing through her veins took the sound from her before she could utter it. Her body began to tremble when the man's head came slowly up from the neck of her mother.

      "Heh, you weren't too bad, though I wish you had at least let me chase you, there's no fun without a chase," the man's deep voie said.

      Tears began rolling down Young Akira's cheeks and a choked cry managed to escape her lips. The man stood and turned to face her. His blood-coloured eyes froze her in place, but the blood dripping from his mouth made Young Akira's blood turn to ice. He smiled and let his fangs lengthen to their full extent. Young Akira's vision began to dim and she felt herself sway on her little feet. The man chuckled, a bloodthirsty sound.

      "Awaken now, little child, there will be no darkness, no black to steal you, to protect you. No, you will be awake."

      Young Akira's eyes snapped open as if of their own will to obey his command. She could feel the man take a lock of her hair and put it to his nose, taking a deep breath and letting it out with a sighing sound. He grabbed a fistful of hair, and pulled Young Akira's head back, revealing her pale throat--unlike her mother, she had gotten a pale colour to accompany her golden locks.--The man gently put an ice cold finger to the revealed skin and gently traced the length of her neck.

      He withdrew his hand and put his lips to her throat, brushing them against the skin; then, slowly, he let his fangs puncture the flesh of her neck. Pain shot through Young Akira's body as his fangs sank deeper into her flesh...

      Akira--now that she recalled who she was--remembered the pain from the long forgotten memory. Suddenly she heard agonized screaming, seconds after she realized it was her own. Millions of seemingly never-ending pinpricks of pain wracked her now-feeling body, then they went away as quickly as they came.

      The Crimson light grew stronger in colour, almost as if it were coming closer. AKIRA! it still said, though the sound was still getting louder.

      A 13 year old Akira was running down an alley, there were two men following her easily. She knew that they were the nightmares known as Vampires, the very nightmares that had taken her mother's life, and nearly her own as well.

      13-year-old-Akira tripped over a loose rock and tumbled to the ground, her few possesions flying everywhere. She reached out and grabbed a silver cross, thrusting it at the Vampires. They stopped dead in their tracks. 13-year-old-Akira got back up and continued to rundown the alley until she realized she had cornered herself at a dead end. She turned to face the Vampires again, thrusting the cross out so that it was in between her and the two Vampires chasing her. The taller male Vampire laughed heartlessly.

      "I'm through playing with our food," he said, the other nodded.

      "The chase is good for only so long," the second replied in agreement.

      The cross shookl in 13-year-old-Akira's quivering fist, it was taken easily by the taller Vampire. He discarded the object and reached out his hand to grasp her throat. The look on his face showed that he was in pure ecstacy, her pulse was racing because of the adrenaline running through her veins, putting him in a state of morbid bliss.

      He decided that he had had enough and pinned her aarms to the wall. He put his lips to her neck, kissing it once before sinking his fangs savagely into her neck, deepening them as she squirmed. Her eyes began to glaze over as the pain overwhelmed her body. When he was done, he took his fangs from her flesh, she could feel the blood pour from the wound.

      The now-fed Vampire cast her weakened body aside and she hit the rough ground, unable to feel anything or move. The second Vampire rolled her onto her back began to unbutton his pants, and that was when 13-year-old-Akira's vision failed, plunging her into darkness...

      Cold. The pain was Cold, numbing her limbs. The screaming increased, thoguh she could feel only Cold, not Pain. Akira began to lose feeling in her icy limbs. Crimson was now surrounding her. The colour brought fear to her, and the fear became accompanied by Pain. Now Akira knew why she was screaming. The pain overwhelmed her, surrounded her, cocooned her with itself so she could feel nothing else. But soon Pain and Cold began to fight for dominance...

      17-year-old-Akira was driving her white punchbug down the street when the Mercedez SUV rammed into the side of her little car. She blacked out. When she awoke moments later she was still in the car and it took her a moment to realize what had awoken her. There was a screaming pain in her left shoulder where a long piece of metal had sheathed itself into her flesh and bone, pinning her to the seat. She could smell smoke, but he brain was so disoriented that she could only remember that that wasn't a good smell to be smelling at that moment, though why she couldn't remember.

      Cold and Pain. Pain and Cold. Those were the only things that she was aware of, other than Crimson. But there was something else in the distance again, another colour. Black? No, Black had been long gone, never seeming to return to her. No, this colour was different.

      White. Akira didn't like White. Too bright, and, as it came, Pain and Cold increased until she thought it would kill her.

      Nearly-18-year-old-Akira limped to her house, accompanied by a strawberry-haired man. He was 6'2" with silvery eyes and pale skin. They had met when she had been in the hospital and had been dating ever since. Nearly-18-year-old-Akira sensed that there was something different about him, but what she could tell not, and he certainly wasn't telling. After seven months of dating the man, Amido Amake, had offered to take her home that night, which was odd, since he never let her see him after sunset. Amido led her in and closed the door behind her. He waited at the stairs patiently so that he could lead her up them and into her room, when they entered he shut the door.

      "Amido, why'd you shut the door?"

      Amido kissed her, suddenly pationately kissing her soft lips. As always it felt like he was holding back, like there was a beast inside him that he struggled to keep tame. He broke the kiss and framed nearly-18-year-old-Akira's face with his strong hands.

      "I can't keep this secret from you any longer. Akira, I need to tell you something," Amido said.

      Nearly-18-year-old-Akira looked at Amido. Did she want to hear the secret? Her instincts told her that it would reveal what the beast was that dwelled--caged--inside him. Fear shown in his eyes, but what would he be affraid of? Amido took a deep breath and began to speak again.

      "Akira..." he closed his eyes, when they opened them they were no longer the deep blue that she remembered, but a glowing blood red. His teeth lengthened into fangs, "I'm a Vampire. Please, Akira, don't reject me, I love you, I always have. I couldn't hurt you if my life depended on it."

     White surrounded her. It scared her; Akira didn't like the White, she wanted the Black to come back, but it wouldn't. White began surrounding her, it was too much, this White. Akira feared it, for the brighter it got, the more hurt Pain would bring, and the greater the Pain, the tighter the grip Cold had on her.

      Akira feared that this White, this Pain, this Cold would never cease! She looked into the distance almost beyond her sight and noticed something, it took her a moment to realize what it was.

      Black...

      Amido placed his hand upon nearly-18-year-old-Akira's face, his thumbs tracing her lips. He leaned in and kissed her, she couldn't help but respond to his lips that were caressing hers in its tender embraces. His lips began to find its way to her neck, when they reached it he let his fangs sink in. Nearly-18-year-old-Akira gasped, each time she had been bitten it had brought only pain, but now it brought her pleasure. Amido, after making an effort to not drink her blood, let his fangs recede, kissing her neck again.

      "Now you will become what I am, and we will be together forever, never to be parted by Death," Amido said against her throat.

      That was the last thing she heard before the black darkness took over...

      The Black had now surrounded her, Pain stopped and Cold left her. Black. It was safe, but now she could hear the spark of a sound.

      "Akira," said the voice, it sounded familiar, "Time to awaken. Open your eyes."

      Akira remained in the Black, she was safe there, no Pain, no Cold. She felt someone tighten their hold on her, like she was being embraced to a man's chest.

      "Please don't be dead, please, I need you here," the man's voice begged in a pained manor, Akira then remembered who the voice belonged to.

      "Amido..." Akira murmered weakly against his chest.

      Akira opened her eyes slightly and Amido's face entered her vision. His eyes were watering, the icy drops falling to her face. Fear was so prominent in those eyes. His mouth formed soundless words.

      Suddenly Akira's throat began to burn like she had been swallowing molten lava. She felt her teeth sharpen to points and her saliva began to taste coppery, but not like blood. Blood. Just the thought of the word made her throat burn hotter and her new coppery saliva began to fill her mouth. It was then that she realized what she had become.

      Vampire.