The Warning from Above

Thursday evening, 6 PM.

Akira was at home, trying to decide what to eat for dinner and failing to focus on anything except tomorrow's stream, when his phone rang.

Mio. Her voice was shaking.

"Akira?"

"What's wrong?"

"The Osaka coven leader. The one who was in critical condition from the attack." She took a shaky breath. "They died. Just announced."

His stomach dropped. "When?"

"An hour ago. Third progressive coven leader killed this month." Her voice cracked. "Reina's calling an emergency meeting. Can you come?"

He was already grabbing his keys. "On my way."

"Thank you. I…I'm scared."

"I know. I'll be there soon."

He hung up. Texted Tanaka immediately: Going back to mansion. Emergency.

The response was instant: What happened?

Osaka vampire leader died. The one from the attack.

Jesus. Be careful. Check in when you can.

Will do.

Akira drove faster than usual through Tokyo traffic.

The emergency meeting Reina called wasn't about if they'd be targeted.

It was about when.

Thursday, 6:30 PM.

He arrived at the mansion. Knocked.

Reina answered. Took one look at his face and said, "You saw the news."

"Mio called me."

"Good. Come in."

The atmosphere was completely different from this afternoon's practice sessions. No more jokes about camera angles or wardrobe choices. This was grim.

Momo sat on the arm of a chair, phone in hand, scrolling with unusual focus. No teasing smile.

Mio was on the couch, laptop open, surrounded by printed news articles. Her hair, styled so carefully for practice, was messy again from running her hands through it.

She looked up when he entered. Relief flooded her face.

"You came."

"Of course I came."

She stood, crossed to him, wrapped her arms around him tight. He held her.

"I was afraid you'd…after the news…maybe you'd think we should cancel…"

"I'm here." He kissed the top of her head. "Whatever you decide, I'm here."

Reina cleared their throat. "We need to talk. All of us."

They moved to the living room properly. Akira sat beside Mio on the couch. She immediately took his hand, gripping tight.

Reina remained standing, pacing. "The Osaka incident isn't isolated. There have been three attacks in the last month. All targeting progressive covens."

"Three?" Akira asked.

"Two made the news initially. One was kept quiet, the coven paid to suppress it." Reina pulled up something on their phone. "Kyoto. Fukuoka. Now Osaka. The leader just died from their injuries. All the same pattern."

Momo spoke up, voice unusually flat. "Traditional vampires. No warning. Brutal. Message is clear: go back to the old ways or get destroyed."

"Do we know who specifically?" Akira asked.

"The attacks aren't claimed. But they don't need to be." Reina showed him their phone. A vampire community forum. "The Elder Council isn't directly involved; they can't be, legally. But they're not condemning it either. Their silence is approval."

Mio's grip on his hand tightened.

"What about the police?" Akira asked. "Supernatural crimes division?"

"Investigating. But vampire-on-vampire violence is complicated jurisdiction. Especially when it's political." Reina's jaw clenched. "They're moving slow. Being careful. Meanwhile, people are dying."

"The human partner didn't make it either," Momo added quietly. "Found drained. Made to look like the coven leader lost control and attacked them."

"But they didn't," Mio said.

"No. But that's the narrative. That's what people will remember." Momo set down her phone. "Progressive vampire loses control, kills human partner. Proves the traditionalists right. That we can't be trusted. That the old ways exist for a reason."

The weight of it settled over the room.

"So what do we do?" Akira asked. "The stream's tomorrow. Do we still…"

"We have to decide tonight," Reina said. "New options given the circumstances."

They started counting on their fingers. "One: Cancel the stream. Go underground. Hide the relationship. Mio stops public appearances entirely."

"No," Mio said immediately.

"Two: Do the stream but announce a blood pact. Show we're following traditional relationship structure even if we're progressive otherwise."

"Also no."

"Three: Increase security significantly. Hire Ren full-time. Turn the mansion into a fortress. Do the stream but prepared for immediate retaliation."

"Expensive," Momo noted. "And might not be enough."

"Four:" Reina looked at Mio. "Give up entirely. Shut down the progressive operation. Go back to traditional methods. Cancel stream. Disappear from public eye."

"Never."

"I didn't think so. But I had to say it." Reina stopped pacing, sat down heavily. "Which leaves option five: We do the stream as planned. Publicly. Loudly. Make our case before they can make theirs. Accept that we're painting a target and prepare accordingly."

"That makes us an immediate target," Akira said.

"We're already a target. The question is whether we become one quietly or loudly. Whether we control the narrative or let them control it for us."

Mio was silent, thinking. Akira could see her mind working, running scenarios, calculating risks.

All that prep. The wardrobe battle. The makeup disaster. Reina's glow-up intervention. Learning not to yell "CHAT" during serious conversation.

All of it leading to tomorrow.

And now people were dead.

"What about protection from the authorities?" Akira asked. "I work for supernatural investigation. We could request…"

"Human authorities can't interfere in vampire politics without cause. And vampire politics are murky." Reina shook their head. "By the time they decide to act, it's usually too late."

"So we're on our own."

"We have allies. Other progressive covens. Sympathetic vampires." Reina pulled up a list. "Not many, but some. If we coordinate…"

"We make ourselves an organized resistance. That's open rebellion." Mio rubbed her face, ruining the carefully applied makeup from earlier. "That's war."

"It might already be war," Momo said. "We just haven't admitted it yet."

Silence fell.

Akira's phone buzzed. He glanced at it. Another news alert.

"Vampire Community Divided: Traditionalists vs. Progressives"

He showed Mio. She read it, expression darkening.

"They're making it public," she said. "Framing it as a debate. Traditional values versus dangerous innovation."

"They're winning the narrative," Reina observed.

"Because they're louder. More organized. More willing to use violence." Mio stood abruptly, started pacing. The composed "stream-ready" version of her completely gone. "We've been quiet. Careful. Building slowly. But maybe that was a mistake."

"Boss…"

"They say we're dangerous? That we're going to get humans killed?" Mio's voice rose. "THEY'RE the ones killing people! Traditional feeding practices, compulsion, violence: THAT'S what gets humans killed! We're trying to STOP that!"

"I know…"

"So why should we hide?!" She whirled on Reina. "We should be SHOUTING. Making our case. Showing the world that our way WORKS!"

"And when they come for you? When they attack?" Reina's voice was gentle but firm. "What then?"

Mio deflated slightly. Sank back onto the couch. "I don't know."

Akira put his hands on her shoulders.

"Then we figure it out," he said. "Together."

She looked up at him. Eyes wet, makeup smudged. Not the polished version from practice. Just Mio. Scared and angry and determined.

"I'm so tired of being afraid," she whispered.

"I know."

"I want to go outside. I want to live openly. I want to not have to hide." Her voice cracked. "I want the world I'm trying to build. And I'm so angry that I can't have it."

"Not yet," he said. "But maybe someday."

"And if we don't survive to see it?"

"Then someone else will." He touched her face gently. "But I think we will. I think you're stronger than you know."

She leaned into him. He held her.

Reina and Momo gave them a moment.

Then Reina spoke: "We need to make a decision. Tonight. About tomorrow."

Mio pulled away from Akira slightly. Wiped her eyes, smearing the mascara Reina had so carefully applied. Straightened her spine.

"We don't hide," she said. "We don't cancel. We don't go underground."

"Okay."

"We increase security. Hire Ren full-time if he'll take it. Install better systems. Prepare for retaliation."

"I can handle that," Reina said.

"And we do the stream. Tomorrow. As planned." Mio's voice was steady now. "We tell our story. Show them this is real. That it works. That vampire-human relationships don't have to end in tragedy."

"Even knowing they might come for you immediately after?" Reina asked.

"Especially knowing that." She looked at Akira. "Are you still willing? After today's news? After knowing what happened to the others?"

Akira thought about his coworkers' warnings. The statistics. Kimiko's photo. The panic button in his pocket.

Thought about Mio's dream. Her courage. The four days of prep, watching her struggle with eyeliner and professional jeans and not yelling "CHAT" during serious moments.

"Yes," he said.

Momo sat up straighter. "Okay. Then we're doing this. Stream goes live tomorrow night. 8 PM. Everything's already set up from today's practice."

"What should we expect?" Akira asked.

"Everything. How you met. Why you're together. Whether you're under compulsion. If you're in danger. What your endgame is." Momo scrolled through her phone. "I'll moderate. Filter out the really awful stuff. But some hard questions will get through."

"Good," Mio said. "We should address them. Honestly."

"Even the scary ones?"

"Especially those." She looked at Akira. "Right?"

"Right."

Reina raised their glass. "Well then. To terrible ideas executed with confidence."

"To Boss's big declaration," Momo added, some of her usual energy returning. "The internet's gonna lose its MIND."

"It's not a declaration…"

"It is," Akira said gently. "We're declaring that this is real. That we're choosing each other. Publicly. That's the whole point."

Mio hid her face in her hands, mascara be damned. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"You can back out…"

"NO." She lowered her hands. "No. We're doing this. I'm just... processing. Again."

"Process fast," Momo said. "We go live in twenty-four hours."

"Don't remind me."

They spent the next hour going over logistics. Security protocols. Emergency procedures. What to do if the stream got attacked, digitally or physically.

Reina made calls. Ren would be on property starting tomorrow morning. Additional wards would be set up overnight.

The mansion was preparing for war.

While Mio prepared to smile at a camera and talk about love.

Akira stayed until midnight. Neither of them wanted him to leave, but he had work in the morning and needed to at least pretend to sleep.

At the door, Mio clung to him.

"Tomorrow's really happening," she said.

"Yeah."

"People died today. And tomorrow we're going to go on camera and talk about our relationship like everything's fine."

"We're going to go on camera and show them why it matters," he corrected. "Why the deaths matter. Why the change matters."

She pulled back enough to look at him. Her makeup was completely ruined now. Mascara smudged, lipstick faded. She looked exhausted.

"I'm terrified," she said.

"Me too."

"But also... still hopeful? Is that stupid?"

"No. It's brave."

"I don't feel brave. I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"You're the bravest person I know."

"Even though I'm shaking?"

"Especially because you're shaking." He kissed her forehead. "Being brave doesn't mean not being scared. It means being scared and doing it anyway."

She smiled, watery but real. "I love you."

"I love you too."

One more kiss. Then he left.

Got in his car. Sat there for a moment.

Texted Tanaka: Leaving now. Safe.

Good. Big day tomorrow?

Very big.

The stream?

Yeah. It's happening.

I'll be watching. Good luck.

Akira blinked at his phone. Tanaka was going to watch. His coworkers would probably all watch.

His mother might watch, if word got out.

Everyone would be watching.

He texted Mio: Tanaka says good luck.

Her response came immediately: Tell him I said thank you. And that I promise not to drain you on camera.

Very reassuring.

I try.

He smiled despite everything.

Get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be intense.

You too. Love you.

Love you too.

He drove home through empty streets. Tokyo at midnight. City lights. Life continuing as normal while his world was about to turn inside out.

Tomorrow, everyone would know.

His coworkers. His family. Strangers on the internet. The vampire community. The traditionalists who'd just killed three coven leaders.

Everyone would have opinions. Judgments. Warnings.

And some of them might come with violence.

But they were doing it anyway.

Because the dream was worth it.

Because love was supposed to be brave.

Even when it was absolutely terrified.

Tomorrow at 8 PM, they'd go live.

Tomorrow, everyone would know.

And tomorrow, they'd either prove coexistence was possible.

Or become the next cautionary tale.