_The Reality Of It All_(RADU)_

[Larksing]

A choice. "Why not?" Tiffany asked. "What happened, exactly?" She felt like a little kid, asking too many questions.

[Shin-sama]

"I guess I should just explain the entire story, or at least the parts of it that are relevant to our conversation," Radu replied. "During the war, Alucard married a woman named Illona. This was before he became a vampire. From what I gather, they were deeply in love, and had three children; two sons and one daughter. However, a group of soldiers that were not under my command ambushed his castle and set it aflame. Illona and the two sons were murdered, Alucard was mortally wounded, and the daughter had been safely hidden."

"Anguished by his wife and sons' deaths, Alucard had crawled towards Illona and willingly drank her blood..every last drop, saying, 'the blood is the life, and it shall be mine'. Contrary to popular belief, he did die that night, but woke later that evening as a vampire. As the months went by, Alucard sent his daughter to live with a peasant family in the countryside, where it was safe. He'd reasoned that staying with him in the castle was dangerous. Not long after, his childhood friend, Mina, returned, and stayed with him to help ease his pain and grant him comfort."

"They eventually rekindled their old feelings and became engaged. Seeing that he was not human, Mina became fascinated with Alucard's vampiric nature. She asked him to turn her, and seeing it was his mistress's wish, granted it. It was then that I launched the surprise attack on his estate, with the Ottoman battalion behind me. Mina escaped, and we chased Alucard up the Carpathian Mountains until we cornered him on a rocky precipice. It was there that I staked him through the heart."

Radu paused for a moment, recalling the memory. Alucard on his knees in the bloodstained snow, a spear through his chest. He shuddered. "Anyway, it was Mina who found me and attempted to kill me for murdering her fiance. But when I told her my side of the story, she relented. She came with me when I ran away from the Ottoman army, and we settled down. I told her that she needn't stay with me if I repulsed her so, and truth be told, I was rather repulsed by myself. But no; Mina had always been a forgiving person, even as a vampire."

"We unintentionally fell in love. But the one thing she couldn't control was her thirst. Alucard hadn't lived long enough to teach her how. One night, Mina ambushed me while I was sleeping..and she turned me. After that she disappeared, and I've lived by myself ever since. At least until I came to America, when I heard rumors of this boy named Alucard, and so here I am."

//OOC: I apologize for the really long post.//

[Larksing]

Tiffany stared out over the large yard, not sure of what the say exactly. "Hmm." she let out. Her blue eyes scanned over Radu. "I'm sorry," Tiffany told him. "I guess we both have something in common.. our lives have never been pleasant."

[Shin-sama]

"Yeah.." Radu agreed. He felt relieved to have the burden of the secret off his shoulders; it felt good to finally tell someone, even though it was wrong. Radu reached for Tiffany's hand. "But it doesn't have to be like that anymore."

[Larksing]

"Yeah," Tiffany replied. She leaned her head on Radu's shoulder. She blushed. "Sorry. I'm really not good at this 'romance' thing." I've never been so close to someone, is the cause.

[Shin-sama]

Radu grinned. "What? You?" he asked. "Naw. Its a new relationship," he said, referring to them. "Its always awkward at first."

[Larksing]

Tiffany shrugged. "I'm not even good at loving my own family, let alone anyone else." She stumbled over her words. "No, that sounded strange."

[Shin-sama]

"Don't worry about it." Radu draped an arm around Tiffany's shoulder as they continued walking about the garden. "I don't think you're completely incapable of feeling those emotions." He stopped briefly to reach down and pluck a delicate pink primrose bloom, and gently tucked it behind Tiffany's right ear. Radu thought the soft pink of the flower contrasting with her blonde hair shimmering in the sunlight looked beautiful, and so he told her.

[Larksing]

Tiffany smiled and lightly pecked Radu on the cheek. She whispered in his ear. "Thank you."

[Shin-sama]

Radu nodded. "Anytime." Soon, he fell silent, walking beside Tiffany and looking about the garden, observing the swift flight of an occasional dragonfly, or the loftly fluttering of a butterfly. The summer flora was in full bloom, and there was vibrant color everywhere. However, for all the garden's beauty, it seemed dull compared to the person by his side.

Radu's burgundy eyes softened as he looked at Tiffany again. "Do you have any other questions?" he asked. She had seemed to express a curiosity when she asked him what it was like to be a vampire.

[Larksing]

Tiffany considered this. "No," she replied. "I don't think so." At this she chuckled. "Actually yes." she said. She reached up on her tiptoes and whispered in Radu's ear.

"If I ran away, do you think you could catch me?"

She waited for a few seconds, her lips widening into a slow, mischevious smile, and then she took off towards a large willow tree.

[Shin-sama]

Radu smirked. He purposefully let Tiffany get ahead, then pursued. With otherworldly speed he was able to easily catch up, until he was right behind her. Radu laughed as he lifted Tiffany effortlessly off her feet and held her bridal style. "You're fast, but not fast enough," he said, grinning ear-to-ear. "Gotcha."

[Larksing]

Tiffany could barely speak, as she was laughing so hard. "No fair," she managed. She stared into his eyes and smiled.