Bloody Ribbons: Part 3
Happy birthday to me! Thought I'd treat myself (and by extension, all of you), to posting something new. I'll admit, I've had this written for a long time, but I wasn't satisfied, so I changed a lot and switched some words around and... I still don't completely like it. Hopefully you will!
Summary: What happens when TRC Vampire!Subaru meets Tokyo Babylon Seishirou? Lets find out!
Or you could go back and read:
Part 1
Part 2
------------------
It took several days and many blood bags before Subaru was able to leave his room. He suspected that the magic used to teleport them drew on his and Kamui’s energy at least in part, and it was an irritatingly slow process to gather his strength back.
In a way though, he was grateful for the bed rest. It had given him time to gather his bearings and form a semi-cohesive plan, although it had been torture waiting, imagining all the terrible things that Kamui could be going through and knowing that in his current state, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
It was this mentality that forced him to pull himself out of bed in order to find his host.
By now, he was intimately acquainted with Seishirou’s comings and goings. During the day, he was downstairs, doing what Seishirou referred to as working, but Subaru could tell his true profession called late at night. He would only return in the early morning, and the smell of blood that he brought with him made Subaru’s mouth water. He never slept, as far as he could tell.
So down the stairs Subaru went, catching sight of the lower level of the apartment for the first time. It shared the beige and cream color scheme of the upstairs, stuffed with numerous couches and coffee tables, with a counter sectioning off several more rooms. Whatever Seishirou did for a living obviously brought him a decent stream of revenue.
Seishirou stood at that counter, smiling at a young woman who appeared to be accompanied by a golden retriever.
“-assure you that I will give him the best care. I will call you if there is any change in his condition,” Seishirou promised.
The woman smiled and handed over the leash, but she was reluctant, as if uncertain that she would see her pet again if she let him go. “Yes, all right. Thank you, doctor.” She turned back to the dog. “Be a good boy, okay? I’ll be back to get you soon.”
She left, allowing herself one more nervous backward glance before letting the door to clink shut behind her. With his client gone, Seishirou shifted his attention to his young guest standing at the stairs.
“Finally out of bed, Subaru?” Seishirou asked, smirking at the boy’s disheveled form. His hair was mussed, Seishirou’s clothes about three sizes too big for him, and he squinted at his host blearily as if it was two in the morning rather than two in the afternoon.
It might as well have been as far as Subaru was concerned. His kind was nocturnal by nature. Being awake during the day felt strange and unnatural, but he had no choice in this instance. Humans operated on a different schedule, and Seishirou, despite compelling evidence pointing to the contrary, was unfortunately human.
Subaru shrugged, hoisting himself up to sit on Seishirou’s counter. “You’re a veterinarian?”
“This surprises you?” Seishirou asked, eyeing Subaru’s dangling legs with mild irritation, but doing nothing to upset the boy’s chosen position.
“I just didn’t expect you to do something so…pedestrian,” Subaru explained. “Vet by day and by night… I’m guessing some sort of assassin? You must be very busy. I wouldn’t have pegged you for an animal lover either.”
“They have their uses,” Seishirou replied, rubbing the retriever’s head. “It’s always good to have a few spare sacrificial lambs in case of emergency. Magic is unpredictable, and the strongest spells always run the risk of backlash.”
Oh, Subaru knew that very well.
“That’s logical of you,” Subaru agreed, looking into the dog’s trusting eyes with something akin to pity. “Such a shame though, that your charges have to pay a price that rightfully belongs to you.”
He reached out to scratch behind the dog’s ears, but the canine growled, sinking his teeth into Subaru’s hand. Subaru frowned at the mild irritation and applied pressure on the hinge of the dog’s jaw until his hand was released.
“He doesn’t seem to like you,” Seishirou remarked, noting the raised hackles and bared teeth with some surprise. His Subaru-kun had always loved animals, and Seishirou had never treated a patient that hadn’t taken to him immediately.
Subaru chuckled. “Animals are smart enough to sense a predator when one stands before them.” He cast Seishirou a sidelong glance. “Though perhaps not a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
He eyed the blood dribbling from his hand and sighed. “Such a waste,” he remarked, licking the spare droplets from his skin.
Seishirou watched with interest as Subaru’s tongue dipped into the wound, seemingly coaxing it closed before his eyes.
“I assume you came down for more than just to discuss my veterinary practice,” Seishirou remarked after a moment, the unspoken question hanging in the air.
Subaru smiled, pulling his hand out of his mouth with a small popping noise. “Ah, yes of course. Now that I’ve spent these days gathering up my strength, I’m ready to start the search for my companion. You’re still willing to help me, correct?”
Seishirou nodded. “I would have started on my own, but you haven’t given me much to go on. I’m guessing this person you’ve lost is also a vampire?”
“Yes,” Subaru confirmed.
“I’ve tried to follow rumors of possible sightings, but aside from a few strung out teenagers claiming to be “creatures of the night” I haven’t been able to find anything. In a city this size, if your companion was in any sort of state that you were, something would have been reported. Mysterious deaths, a strange figure appearing from nowhere. The fact that there’s nothing means that either this vampire isn’t in the city, or someone else got there first.”
“My partner is here, I can sense it,” Subaru insisted.
Seishirou raised an eyebrow at that. “It would help if you gave me a description of who exactly I’m looking for.”
“You have all you need,” Subaru answered. He was determined to keep Kamui’s identity a secret, hence the carefully gender neutral pronouns. Perhaps he was being overly cautious, but he still remembered what happened the last time he let Seishirou near his family.
Seishirou sighed. “Subaru, I can’t help you if I don’t know who I’m looking for.”
“No,” Subaru said stubbornly.
There was a brief flash of irritation in Seishirou’s eye, but it quickly disappeared into his normal, carefully pleasant expression. “What if we played a little game then?”
“A game?” Subaru repeated, taken aback.
“Yes, a game. It’s very simple. Judging on what I know about you, I’ll guess who it is you’re looking for. If I’m correct, all you have to do is confirm it. Easy, yes?” Seishirou said with a smile.
Subaru frowned suspiciously. “You know nothing about me.”
“No, I don’t,” Seishirou agreed. “But I do know a version of you, and while I admit there are vast differences between the two of you, I believe there are facets of your personality that will never change no matter the species or circumstance.”
Subaru bristled at Seishirou’s easy confidence. As if he’d ever open himself up to this man’s tricks again. He was no longer that stupid, trusting child who thought Seishirou-san hung the moon. He knew better now. He knew better, dammit!
But Subaru couldn’t help the lingering feeling of curiosity. Could he be read so easily, based only on a version of himself?
“Fine,” Subaru agreed quietly, even though he knew it was against his better judgment, knew he was walking into a trap. “Show me what you know.”
Seishirou’s lips twisted into a pleased smile. “I know that wherever you’re from, a version of me is there, and that he betrayed you. This means you are choosing to trust me on great personal risk, against every instinct in your body. There’s only one person who you would go to such lengths for. It will be a delight to see your dearest twin again.”
Subaru’s eyes flashed, his voice low and dangerous. “I may need your help, but if you think I’m going to let you near him again--”
“Him?” Seishirou interrupted, and for the first time, he looked genuinely surprised.
Oh shit.
“Uh… by him I… I mean-” Subaru floundered, hating himself for that slipup. Such a stupid mistake. But judging by Seishirou’s face, he wasn’t trying to trick him, at least not in this instance. But if he wasn’t referring to Kamui then…“Who did you think I was looking for?”
Seishirou flushed slightly, and in the back of his mind, Subaru thought that made this embarrassment almost worth it. “Hokuto-chan.”
“Hokuto?” Subaru repeated incredulously. “You thought that this was about her?” And he tried to ignore the torrent of feelings at the mention of her name. The memory of the woman who had raised him mixed in a pile of bodies, like a graveyard of bloody doll parts.
Seishirou chuckled and shrugged, recovering from his mistake nicely, Subaru noted with some jealousy. “Well, it appears I don’t know you after all. Tell me, who is this boy to warrant such devotion?”
Subaru snarled. “I played your game. You lost. I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“You do,” Seishirou retorted. “You know you do. As I’ve said before, I can’t go into this blind. I understand that you are concerned for your boy’s identity, but are you willing to risk his life on that?”
Seishirou was right of course. He could hardly be expected to look for Kamui if Subaru tied his hands. Still, the last time he had trusted Seishirou… no. It wasn’t safe. Seishirou wasn’t safe. He’d put Kamui in enough danger already. He would not risk the only family he had left.
“…Swear that you won’t harm my loved one in any way,” Subaru commanded.
“I swear on my life-”
“Not on your life,” Subaru interrupted. “If you cared about that, you wouldn’t be in your particular trade. Swear on…” His lips twisted into a smirk. “Swear on your Subaru’s life.”
“His life already belongs to me,” Seishirou retorted. “He is prey I can hunt at my leisure. Why would I care if he lives or dies?”
Subaru leaned forward, eyes glinting. “Because he is important to you, even if it is only as prey, and if you are indeed going to kill him, I believe you would want it in your own terms, not because of some broken promise at someone else’s bidding. Assuming that I allow you to do the job, of course. I might do it myself, just to deprive you of the pleasure. Imagine it, me draining your dear little toy dry as you watch him dying at the hands of himself. What a delightful paradox it would make.”
Seishirou, to his credit, didn’t flinch at Subaru’s morbid description, although he could detect the rage simmering below the surface (along with the faintest scent of arousal, how interesting). “Fine, I swear on the life of this world’s Sumeragi Subaru that I will not harm your twin in any way. And as long as this oath is kept, no harm shall come to Sumeragi Subaru by you or your sibling’s hand.”
The concession added didn’t concern Subaru. He had no reason to hurt Seishirou’s plaything, so he reached out to shake Seishirou’s hand.
Such a small way to seal a pact, Subaru reflected. Vampires’ methods were far more ritualistic, swearing in blood so that it would boil if the oath was broken. But perhaps the simplicity somehow fit the gravity of the situation, and when Subaru felt the faint tingling of magic where their hands met, he was satisfied that his promise would be kept.
“Now that I’ve satisfied your paranoia, tell me about this companion who is so close to your heart.”
Subaru smiled. “Yes, my companion. My dearest twin brother. His name is Kamui.”
Seishirou snorted. “The one who represents the majesty of God. Or hunts it, depending on your interpretation. How presumptuous.”
(He didn’t remark that he knew the name, had always known the name, for who could forget the name of a messiah?)
“Yes, well our mother had a strange taste in names. A strange taste in everything, really. I know he’s in the city, I can sense him, but I can’t pinpoint his location. It’s as if something is blocking me, which makes me believe that our separation was intentional, that someone wanted him for a reason.”
“I doubt Yuuko-san’s magic could have been foiled by anything else,” Seishirou added. “Perhaps if we returned to the alleyway I found you in, I could find some useful information in the remnants of the spell. It’s been a few days so there probably won’t be much left-”
“But it’s a start,” Subaru finished. “That’s all I need. I’ve been lying around too long. I need to be looking, even if it gets me nowhere. I won’t stop until Kamui is by my side once again.”
“Kamui is luck to have such a devoted brother,” Seishirou said, and it annoyed Subaru that he couldn’t tell whether he was being condescending or not, “but surely you don’t intend to go out like that? My clothes make you look like an underfed vagabond.”
“Wearing your tailored shirts?” Subaru pointed out, amused. “I doubt that. Although I suppose I could wear my own clothes again if this attire offends you. Surely they must be clean by now.”
Seishirou shook his head. “Too conspicuous. Come with me. I believe I have something for you to wear.”
-------------
Give me some feedback if you're in the mood! Did I mention that it's my birthday?
Summary: What happens when TRC Vampire!Subaru meets Tokyo Babylon Seishirou? Lets find out!
Or you could go back and read:
Part 1
Part 2
------------------
It took several days and many blood bags before Subaru was able to leave his room. He suspected that the magic used to teleport them drew on his and Kamui’s energy at least in part, and it was an irritatingly slow process to gather his strength back.
In a way though, he was grateful for the bed rest. It had given him time to gather his bearings and form a semi-cohesive plan, although it had been torture waiting, imagining all the terrible things that Kamui could be going through and knowing that in his current state, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
It was this mentality that forced him to pull himself out of bed in order to find his host.
By now, he was intimately acquainted with Seishirou’s comings and goings. During the day, he was downstairs, doing what Seishirou referred to as working, but Subaru could tell his true profession called late at night. He would only return in the early morning, and the smell of blood that he brought with him made Subaru’s mouth water. He never slept, as far as he could tell.
So down the stairs Subaru went, catching sight of the lower level of the apartment for the first time. It shared the beige and cream color scheme of the upstairs, stuffed with numerous couches and coffee tables, with a counter sectioning off several more rooms. Whatever Seishirou did for a living obviously brought him a decent stream of revenue.
Seishirou stood at that counter, smiling at a young woman who appeared to be accompanied by a golden retriever.
“-assure you that I will give him the best care. I will call you if there is any change in his condition,” Seishirou promised.
The woman smiled and handed over the leash, but she was reluctant, as if uncertain that she would see her pet again if she let him go. “Yes, all right. Thank you, doctor.” She turned back to the dog. “Be a good boy, okay? I’ll be back to get you soon.”
She left, allowing herself one more nervous backward glance before letting the door to clink shut behind her. With his client gone, Seishirou shifted his attention to his young guest standing at the stairs.
“Finally out of bed, Subaru?” Seishirou asked, smirking at the boy’s disheveled form. His hair was mussed, Seishirou’s clothes about three sizes too big for him, and he squinted at his host blearily as if it was two in the morning rather than two in the afternoon.
It might as well have been as far as Subaru was concerned. His kind was nocturnal by nature. Being awake during the day felt strange and unnatural, but he had no choice in this instance. Humans operated on a different schedule, and Seishirou, despite compelling evidence pointing to the contrary, was unfortunately human.
Subaru shrugged, hoisting himself up to sit on Seishirou’s counter. “You’re a veterinarian?”
“This surprises you?” Seishirou asked, eyeing Subaru’s dangling legs with mild irritation, but doing nothing to upset the boy’s chosen position.
“I just didn’t expect you to do something so…pedestrian,” Subaru explained. “Vet by day and by night… I’m guessing some sort of assassin? You must be very busy. I wouldn’t have pegged you for an animal lover either.”
“They have their uses,” Seishirou replied, rubbing the retriever’s head. “It’s always good to have a few spare sacrificial lambs in case of emergency. Magic is unpredictable, and the strongest spells always run the risk of backlash.”
Oh, Subaru knew that very well.
“That’s logical of you,” Subaru agreed, looking into the dog’s trusting eyes with something akin to pity. “Such a shame though, that your charges have to pay a price that rightfully belongs to you.”
He reached out to scratch behind the dog’s ears, but the canine growled, sinking his teeth into Subaru’s hand. Subaru frowned at the mild irritation and applied pressure on the hinge of the dog’s jaw until his hand was released.
“He doesn’t seem to like you,” Seishirou remarked, noting the raised hackles and bared teeth with some surprise. His Subaru-kun had always loved animals, and Seishirou had never treated a patient that hadn’t taken to him immediately.
Subaru chuckled. “Animals are smart enough to sense a predator when one stands before them.” He cast Seishirou a sidelong glance. “Though perhaps not a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
He eyed the blood dribbling from his hand and sighed. “Such a waste,” he remarked, licking the spare droplets from his skin.
Seishirou watched with interest as Subaru’s tongue dipped into the wound, seemingly coaxing it closed before his eyes.
“I assume you came down for more than just to discuss my veterinary practice,” Seishirou remarked after a moment, the unspoken question hanging in the air.
Subaru smiled, pulling his hand out of his mouth with a small popping noise. “Ah, yes of course. Now that I’ve spent these days gathering up my strength, I’m ready to start the search for my companion. You’re still willing to help me, correct?”
Seishirou nodded. “I would have started on my own, but you haven’t given me much to go on. I’m guessing this person you’ve lost is also a vampire?”
“Yes,” Subaru confirmed.
“I’ve tried to follow rumors of possible sightings, but aside from a few strung out teenagers claiming to be “creatures of the night” I haven’t been able to find anything. In a city this size, if your companion was in any sort of state that you were, something would have been reported. Mysterious deaths, a strange figure appearing from nowhere. The fact that there’s nothing means that either this vampire isn’t in the city, or someone else got there first.”
“My partner is here, I can sense it,” Subaru insisted.
Seishirou raised an eyebrow at that. “It would help if you gave me a description of who exactly I’m looking for.”
“You have all you need,” Subaru answered. He was determined to keep Kamui’s identity a secret, hence the carefully gender neutral pronouns. Perhaps he was being overly cautious, but he still remembered what happened the last time he let Seishirou near his family.
Seishirou sighed. “Subaru, I can’t help you if I don’t know who I’m looking for.”
“No,” Subaru said stubbornly.
There was a brief flash of irritation in Seishirou’s eye, but it quickly disappeared into his normal, carefully pleasant expression. “What if we played a little game then?”
“A game?” Subaru repeated, taken aback.
“Yes, a game. It’s very simple. Judging on what I know about you, I’ll guess who it is you’re looking for. If I’m correct, all you have to do is confirm it. Easy, yes?” Seishirou said with a smile.
Subaru frowned suspiciously. “You know nothing about me.”
“No, I don’t,” Seishirou agreed. “But I do know a version of you, and while I admit there are vast differences between the two of you, I believe there are facets of your personality that will never change no matter the species or circumstance.”
Subaru bristled at Seishirou’s easy confidence. As if he’d ever open himself up to this man’s tricks again. He was no longer that stupid, trusting child who thought Seishirou-san hung the moon. He knew better now. He knew better, dammit!
But Subaru couldn’t help the lingering feeling of curiosity. Could he be read so easily, based only on a version of himself?
“Fine,” Subaru agreed quietly, even though he knew it was against his better judgment, knew he was walking into a trap. “Show me what you know.”
Seishirou’s lips twisted into a pleased smile. “I know that wherever you’re from, a version of me is there, and that he betrayed you. This means you are choosing to trust me on great personal risk, against every instinct in your body. There’s only one person who you would go to such lengths for. It will be a delight to see your dearest twin again.”
Subaru’s eyes flashed, his voice low and dangerous. “I may need your help, but if you think I’m going to let you near him again--”
“Him?” Seishirou interrupted, and for the first time, he looked genuinely surprised.
Oh shit.
“Uh… by him I… I mean-” Subaru floundered, hating himself for that slipup. Such a stupid mistake. But judging by Seishirou’s face, he wasn’t trying to trick him, at least not in this instance. But if he wasn’t referring to Kamui then…“Who did you think I was looking for?”
Seishirou flushed slightly, and in the back of his mind, Subaru thought that made this embarrassment almost worth it. “Hokuto-chan.”
“Hokuto?” Subaru repeated incredulously. “You thought that this was about her?” And he tried to ignore the torrent of feelings at the mention of her name. The memory of the woman who had raised him mixed in a pile of bodies, like a graveyard of bloody doll parts.
Seishirou chuckled and shrugged, recovering from his mistake nicely, Subaru noted with some jealousy. “Well, it appears I don’t know you after all. Tell me, who is this boy to warrant such devotion?”
Subaru snarled. “I played your game. You lost. I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“You do,” Seishirou retorted. “You know you do. As I’ve said before, I can’t go into this blind. I understand that you are concerned for your boy’s identity, but are you willing to risk his life on that?”
Seishirou was right of course. He could hardly be expected to look for Kamui if Subaru tied his hands. Still, the last time he had trusted Seishirou… no. It wasn’t safe. Seishirou wasn’t safe. He’d put Kamui in enough danger already. He would not risk the only family he had left.
“…Swear that you won’t harm my loved one in any way,” Subaru commanded.
“I swear on my life-”
“Not on your life,” Subaru interrupted. “If you cared about that, you wouldn’t be in your particular trade. Swear on…” His lips twisted into a smirk. “Swear on your Subaru’s life.”
“His life already belongs to me,” Seishirou retorted. “He is prey I can hunt at my leisure. Why would I care if he lives or dies?”
Subaru leaned forward, eyes glinting. “Because he is important to you, even if it is only as prey, and if you are indeed going to kill him, I believe you would want it in your own terms, not because of some broken promise at someone else’s bidding. Assuming that I allow you to do the job, of course. I might do it myself, just to deprive you of the pleasure. Imagine it, me draining your dear little toy dry as you watch him dying at the hands of himself. What a delightful paradox it would make.”
Seishirou, to his credit, didn’t flinch at Subaru’s morbid description, although he could detect the rage simmering below the surface (along with the faintest scent of arousal, how interesting). “Fine, I swear on the life of this world’s Sumeragi Subaru that I will not harm your twin in any way. And as long as this oath is kept, no harm shall come to Sumeragi Subaru by you or your sibling’s hand.”
The concession added didn’t concern Subaru. He had no reason to hurt Seishirou’s plaything, so he reached out to shake Seishirou’s hand.
Such a small way to seal a pact, Subaru reflected. Vampires’ methods were far more ritualistic, swearing in blood so that it would boil if the oath was broken. But perhaps the simplicity somehow fit the gravity of the situation, and when Subaru felt the faint tingling of magic where their hands met, he was satisfied that his promise would be kept.
“Now that I’ve satisfied your paranoia, tell me about this companion who is so close to your heart.”
Subaru smiled. “Yes, my companion. My dearest twin brother. His name is Kamui.”
Seishirou snorted. “The one who represents the majesty of God. Or hunts it, depending on your interpretation. How presumptuous.”
(He didn’t remark that he knew the name, had always known the name, for who could forget the name of a messiah?)
“Yes, well our mother had a strange taste in names. A strange taste in everything, really. I know he’s in the city, I can sense him, but I can’t pinpoint his location. It’s as if something is blocking me, which makes me believe that our separation was intentional, that someone wanted him for a reason.”
“I doubt Yuuko-san’s magic could have been foiled by anything else,” Seishirou added. “Perhaps if we returned to the alleyway I found you in, I could find some useful information in the remnants of the spell. It’s been a few days so there probably won’t be much left-”
“But it’s a start,” Subaru finished. “That’s all I need. I’ve been lying around too long. I need to be looking, even if it gets me nowhere. I won’t stop until Kamui is by my side once again.”
“Kamui is luck to have such a devoted brother,” Seishirou said, and it annoyed Subaru that he couldn’t tell whether he was being condescending or not, “but surely you don’t intend to go out like that? My clothes make you look like an underfed vagabond.”
“Wearing your tailored shirts?” Subaru pointed out, amused. “I doubt that. Although I suppose I could wear my own clothes again if this attire offends you. Surely they must be clean by now.”
Seishirou shook his head. “Too conspicuous. Come with me. I believe I have something for you to wear.”
-------------
Give me some feedback if you're in the mood! Did I mention that it's my birthday?