FIC: Anesidora (PG-13) (1/1)
Title: Anesidora
Author: Saitaina
Theme: 31: Vampyre
Rating:PG-13
Characters: Saguru Hakuba, Kaito Kuroba, Toichi Kuroba, OC Female with mentions of Aoko Nakamori.
Warnings: Blood, disturbing imagery, ghosts, mythological elementary and creatures.
--
Anesidora
Bottom line is, even if you see them coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So, what are we, helpless? Puppets? Nah. The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are. -Whistler (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Becoming pt. I)
It was known as the 'house on haunted hill', though that wasn't it's official name (after all, who would name it that?). But that was still the name everyone knew it by, and it was that name he used in his note.
Kaito had selected the location out of amusement, overhearing the task force talking about some of the 'creepier' places Kid had held heists. The house had been a local feature in ghost stories since his parent's were children and it just had to be done, after all, he was always looking to top himself.
Or at least, that was his thinking two hours ago.
Now, he simply...wasn't thinking. His actions were automatic, each twist and jump a muscle memory after two years of the same dance with the same members of the task force. It was routine...it was normal.
He cursed under his breath as he darted around another officer, causing the man to go flying into a team mate after failing to catch the thief, and he glanced around, realizing he backed himself into a corner. Thinking quickly, he shoved the marble sized diamond into his mouth, reaching above him and firing off a suction cupped rope, raising himself into the air just as two officers collided where he had been.
Grinning, he raised a hand to spit out the gem when suddenly the lights went out and a scream sounded. Startled from the un-expected sound, he swallowed reflectively and started to choke, grasping his throat as the gem got stuck, muscles working desperately to either cough up the gem or finish swallowing.
By the time the lights were restored, Kaito was on the ground, having lost his grip on the rope, hand still clutching at his throat, staring wide-eyed at nothing anyone could see as he realized he had completely swallowed the gem he had been in the process of stealing.
Standing shakily, he glanced at the confused officers around him before simply running, dashing for the nearest window, throwing himself through the glass and rolling across the grass before stumbling to his feet, heading for the waiting car.
It wasn't until much later, after the costumes had been put away, after showers and dinner, that Kaito realized something wasn't quite right, beyond the whole swallowing of stolen goods. He grunted softly as he climbed up the stairs to his bedroom, rubbing his stomach absently, feeling the tossing and turning of nausea a bit distracting from his plotting of how to return the purloined gem once it was...returned to his possession.
Laying down on his bed, he grabbed a pillow, rolling over onto it, hoping the slight pressure would ease his stomach, yawning deeply as his eyes started to drift shut. Only to be greeted with pain shooting through his stomach and lower abdomen.
Deep inside Kaito's stomach, as the boy thrashed and groaned in pain, a small diamond rolled it's way up the side of Kaito's stomach wall, before cracking, a small, sickly green vine wiggled it's way out of the crack, searching, hungry.
The vine curled, pushing it's way up the wall of Kaito's stomach before suddenly darting, pushing through tissue and muscle, seeking nourishment it knew was resting just out of reach. Another vine followed, and again another, until the small, broken gemstone was resting snug against the side of Kaito's stomach, happily pulsing as it drank from it's host, absorbing the sweet nectar it hadn't tasted in centuries.
As for the host himself, he was screaming, clutching at his abused stomach, mouth open wide as he panted between cries. Pain erupted in his mouth, tendrils of vine curling and twisting as they spilled free of his gums, wrapping around his teeth, before retreating back, loosening the roots of Kaito's canine teeth, pushing against them, almost removing the teeth completely before a yellow sap leaked from the vines, healing the wounds left by their exploration.
Those same tendrils then retreated to the boy's saliva glands, resting happily in their new home, the sap they extruded mixing with the saliva, causing a thick, bitter liquid to be released every time Kaito swallowed.
Kaito's eyes rolled back, whites brightly visible as he panted, tears streaming down his cheeks, body heaving with each urge to vomit, before blissful darkness finally claimed him, pulling him from his misery.
--
It was the slow, steady ticking that drew Kaito from his pleasurable darkness. Blinking, he groaned, eyes slowly slitting before opening, staring at the man across from him. As recognition settled in, the teenager found himself halfway up a wall, using his bed post and the dresser to hold himself up in his attempt to escape the figure. "D-dad?" he gasped out, and cursed as his newly lengthened teeth sliced his lip.
Toichi looked up from the swinging pocket watch, smiling softly. "Been a while, eh kiddo?" he asked, making the pocket watch disappear. The magician stood and Kaito realized that his father looked a bit...washed out, almost as if Toichi was a television channel not coming in cleanly.
"This is a dream...I'm still asleep," Kaito muttered, managing to get down the wall and back into the bed without taking his eyes off of his father. "Yup, dreaming...dunno why I'm dreaming but I am." He promptly rolled over and pulled the covers over his head.
"Kaito..."
"Ig-noring," Kaito muttered, attempting to block out the sound of his father's voice, humming softly and sticking his fingers in his ears, wincing slightly at the aches still rolling through his body. His stomach growled as he blocked out the outside world and he frowned, lifting an elbow enough to peek out of the blankets before sighing and removing his fingers from his ears, heading downstairs to grab something to eat, still ignoring the man walking soundlessly behind him.
"Food, food, food," he sung to himself, opening the fridge and peering inside, attempting to find something that appealed to his hunger. "Food, food, food...ooo, pizza!" He grabbed the box and opened it as he kicked the door shut behind him, setting the box on the counter and taking a large bite from the slice, making happy sounds as the slice.
He started to gag after the first swallow, setting the slice down and grabbing a glass, filling it with water to try to wash down the rest of the bite, staring at the slice of pizza, wondering how it went bad in a night. He set the glass on the counter, just in time to lean over the sink, vomiting the bite of pizza as well as whatever else was in his stomach into it. He gagged softly, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain in his stomach. Resting on the edge of the sink he tipped the pizza and box into the trash, groaning softly.
"Are you alright, Kaito?" Toichi asked, reaching out for his son before remembering he couldn't actually touch the boy.
"Ugh," Kaito muttered before pushing himself up and staring into the fridge, stomach now even hungrier then before. "Okay, pizza bad, let's see..." He hummed before his eyes fastened on a wrapped slab of beef, the fresh meat the most beautiful sight he had seen since he last broke into the girl's locker room.
He grabbed the steak, checking the date on it before ripping into it, shoving it into his mouth, not even realizing he was eating the meat raw, too consumed with the sweet, tender juices hitting his tongue, a blissful expression crossing his face as the ambrosia slid down to his starving stomach.
"Er...Kaito..." Toichi said, blinking as his sun sucked on the meat, slightly grossed out.
Kaito cracked open one eye in reply before returning to his ignoring, spitting out the piece of steak he had been sucking on before ripping another piece off with his teeth, sucking away at it, groaning in pleasure.
"Kaito...it's not a lollipop," Toichi muttered, wrinkling his nose in disgust and looking away.
"Hmm?" Kaito muttered around his mouthful, opening an eye again in question. Toichi waved at the raw steak in Kaito's hand and Kaito blinked down at it, before sending the piece in his mouth flying across the room and through his father. "What the hell am I doing?!"
"That was my question..." Toichi said, not looking fazed he had just been spit at.
"But it tasted so good," Kaito mumbled, staring hungrily at the steak still clutched in his hands before tossing it in the trash. "What is wrong with me?"
"Perhaps you're ill...though I am unsure what sort of illness would have you craving raw steak."
Kaito snorted, rinsing his mouth out before heading for the stairs, intent on sleeping again and waking up from this bizarre dream. "Perhaps I've contracted lycanthropy," he muttered.
--
He was burning, heat tearing at his skin just as the hunger clawed at his body. Growling he pushed away from the crowd, eager to put the mass of flesh and beating hearts behind him, hair sticking to his face from the sweat dripping down his face. Everywhere he looked was another stranger, another warm body to slide up next to, the rhythmic pulses of their blood flowing through veins taunting him as the sound rushed across his ears, forcing him to lick his lips, eyes eagerly trained to wrists and neck, where the veins were often most visible through thin skin, faint blue traces, easy track lines for the waiting junkie.
Swallowing thickly, Kaito wrapped his arms around his body, shivering as someone passed too close to him, close enough he could smell their skin, their soft...creamy...
He hissed, wrapping his arms tighter around him, heading towards the subway, eager to get away, to get...somewhere. The smells were thick and cloying, causing nausea to churn in his stomach along with the hunger, each pulse from his stomach sending his mind reeling between wanting to be sick and wanting to rip into the next person he passed, eager to absorb teasing vital fluid anyway possible.
He was so hungry...
"Kaito!"
A voice called behind him and he turned, eyes latching onto Aoko who was waving at him, a grin splitting her face. The grin faltered as she got a good look at the wild-eyed, shivering teen and she started to look concerned. "Kaito?"
He turned, walking away from her, speeding up as he heard her follow. He started to run, shoving people out of his way, desperate for escape., hunger fading under his panic. He couldn't...not Aoko, too close, too nice...too good. He wouldn't...it wouldn't be right...he wasn't right...he was going insane and Aoko...
He slammed into a body as he turned yet another corner, sending both him and his victim tumbling until they came to a rest in the shadows of an alley. Blinking, arms trembling he pushed himself up, a flash of gold catching his eye before the stranger had fully sat up.
"Figures," Saguru muttered, dusting off his jacket, glancing at Kaito. "Care to explain or is this something I'd be happier not knowing?"
Kaito could see Saguru's mouth moving, but couldn't hear him, the words white noise compared to the sight of a single blood drop slipping down Saguru's cheek from the small cut their fall had caused. He licked his lips, watching the droplet as it slid down Saguru's cheek, towards the curve of Saguru's jaw, hovering their, trembling as it prepared to fall.
Kaito's hand shot out, grabbing Saguru's jaw in a tight, bruising grip, capturing the blood drop on his thumb, ignoring the protesting blond as Kaito drew closer to Saguru, tongue darting out, licking his thumb. Pleasure once more exploded across his nerves as he tasted the blood and his stomach lurched, wanting more...eager for it, desperate.
Kaito crawled over Saguru, straddling the blond as he forced Saguru's head to the side, lapping at the cut, whimpering as nothing more slipped out. Saguru's protests started to invade the fog covering Kaito's brain and he growled, jerking Saguru's head around violently, sealing their lips together as he silenced the detective, new fangs slicing his and Saguru's lips as Kaito kissed the blond.
It was the beginning of the end when the blood hit his tongue. Kaito shoved the appendage into Saguru's mouth, lapping at the wounds and making fresh ones, whimpering as he tried to get more of the sweet taste.
He pulled away from Saguru, a trail of saliva linking their mouths, breaking only when Kaito once more jerked Saguru's head around, baring the detective's neck, finger trailing lightly over the flesh, finding the large vein that slid from brain to artery, licking his lips before lunching, fangs sinking happily into flesh.
He slipped his fangs free and moaned, spilling blood down his chin as his mouth filled with the nectar with each steady pump of Saguru's heart. He sucked hard, drawing more blood into his mouth, eagerly feeding the hungry beast that his stomach had become, shoving his fingers into Saguru's mouth when the boy started to cry out in pain, attempting again to keep him quiet.
He drank deeply from Saguru, not caring about what he was doing, who he was doing it to, or what result might come from his feast. He drank, nails scrambling at flesh, tearing the puncture wounds further when they started to clot, not pausing, breathing through his nose until he was forced away, vomiting blood on the cement, his stomach rejecting anymore. Panting, he leaned back on his hands, body still humming happily from the pleasing meal. As the hunger faded, his brain returned to higher function, focusing on more then primal reaction.
Raising a trembling hand, he brushed his sweaty bangs from his face and laid back, staring at the stars above, giggling softly, not even noticing the corpse next to him. Raising a hand he reached up, almost attempting to grab the stars before giggling again.
Toichi watched his son sadly, glancing at the young teen who was laying next to Kaito, sightless brown eyes staring up at the moon. Toichi then frowned, glancing around, wondering where the boy had gone. Since his death, Toichi had been around enough dead bodies with Kaito to know that the spirit lingered at least a day. Some, like himself, even longer. But the boy's spirit wasn't hanging around, wailing about the injustice of being murdered.
Toichi turned his attention back to the two boys, watching as Kaito came down a bit from his drunken high and realized there was a dead body next to him. He winced at Kaito's reaction, turning away from his son clutching at Saguru, attempting CPR, knowing already it was useless.
Toichi stared up at the moon, wondering what now...what else would his family have to go through before they could finally have peace. His attention turned back to Kaito as the teenager fumbled for his cellphone, trying to dial the police at the same time as he tried to resuscitate Saguru.
Toichi's eyes widened as a hand reached up, grabbing the cellphone and closing it, effectively ending the call. Saguru blinked at Kaito, silent for a moment before lowering his hand, staring at the blood stained thief. "You, have a lot of explaining to do."
--
"And now, we're back at the beginning," Kaito muttered, staring at the house in front of him.
"Best place to figure out what happened to you," Saguru said, nudging Kaito forward before ringing the bell.
The front door opened and a small woman opened the door, staring at them. She studied Saguru before looking at Kaito, stepping away from the door and gesturing for them to enter. "Please, come in."
The two boys entered, staring around at the darkened hallway before turning back to the woman who had closed the door, leaning heavily on it before turning to them. "You have come about Anesidora."
"Anesi..."
"We have," Saguru interrupted, and gestured to Kaito. "Something has occurred, since the last night we were here."
"Tell me, where is she?"
"She?" Kaito asked, confused.
"The gemstone, Anesidora."
"I...there was an accident and...well.."
"Where. Is. She?"
"I swallowed it...her"
The woman closed her eyes, as if physically in pain, before moving past the pair, taking a small gas lantern from a nook. "Follow me," she whispered and headed across the hall, opening what appeared to be a coat closet, only to reveal a set of stairs.
The threesome headed down into the bowls of the house, Kaito shivering the further they descended. Two more doors later, and the woman lead them into a large, underground room. She left the boys in the center as she moved around the earthen room, lighting lamps.
"This wasn't on the blueprints," Saguru mused, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"No, for no one knows of it, but myself and my husband. The house was built to cover it." the woman said, setting the last lit lamp on a small table before crossing over to the center of the room, where a slab of stone was now visible. "Come here."
The pair moved closer to the slab, blinking at the mess of ancient looking cloth on the top. "What is..." Kaito started before being silenced as the woman pulled on a tie and the bundle fell apart, revealing a long since mummified corpse.
It was a woman, strands of her long black hair still attached to her scalp. She was dressed simply, in a plain linen dress that must have once been white. Her arms were crossed over her stomach, resting just above where her belly button would be.
"She, was the original owner of Anesidora. The first to name her, the first to know the hunger."
"Who is she?" Saguru asked, staring at the corpse before looking at the woman in front of them, noticing faint similarities in bone structure.
"Long ago she was called Pandora, I have forgotten what name she died under. My mother had...many names."
"Your mother, but..."
"Pandora's tears can create immortality," Kaito whispered, reaching out a trembling hand, gently touching Pandora's leathered skin, his hand resting lightly over the corpse's. Closing his eyes, he felt as if he could touch her, feel her soft skin against his cheek, her tears staining his skin.
"Tears...so the legend says," the woman said, gazing sadly at her mother's body. "For me, it was her blood, it fell on my lips as her body covered mine, protecting me. For you..." She glanced at Saguru who closed his eyes in painful remembrance.
"Saliva...or sweat. Both were shared." Saguru whispered, truly realizing what had happened to him, besides just being a tasty dinner.
"How did she die, if the...tears...can make one immortal, couldn't the gem itself do the same?" Kaito asked.
"It does, for as long as the gem is inside you, you will live with it. My mother killed herself. She..." The woman coughed, clearing her throat, gaining control of her emotions. "My mother removed Anesidora from her body. I, and my brother found her laying on her bed, Anesidora clasped in her hand."
"How long have you been protecting the gem?" Toichi asked, and Kaito turned to stare at his father before noticing Saguru and the woman were also looking at the ghost. The teen whimpered, realizing he wasn't hallucinating if the other two could see the man as well.
"Two centuries, give or take. I'm...not good, with time." Toichi nodded, going silent again.
"Might I...might I be alone, for a moment?" Kaito whispered, his voice slightly broken. The woman nodded and headed for the stairs, Saguru following after a moment, taking a last glance at Kaito before he acceded the stairs after the woman.
Kaito knelt next to the body, resting his head lightly against the corpse's arm, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt a brush of cold air against his back and his eyes opened, staring up at his father's sad ones. "We found her," Kaito whispered before starting to cry.
--
"He will need support."
Saguru turned as the woman spoke, looking away from the painting he had been studying, blinking at her. "Excuse me?"
"Your friend," the woman clarified, taking a seat on the sofa, pouring two glasses of scotch. "He will need support, someone to talk to, someone to listen...someone to..." She licked his lips, taking a sip of scotch before looking up to meet Saguru's eyes. "Someone to feed from."
"You're certainly not suggesting that I..."
"Either you or someone else, and how long can someone last, someone normal last against that hunger? You have already died to it, how many more, will he have to kill? How many more will you force him to kill?"
"But I..." Saguru went silent, turning away. He was silent, before finally whispering. "The very idea terrifies me. I'm not food."
"To him you are. He is no longer human, not in the ways that matter, and neither are you. Who will be there for you, Hakuba-san, when you fail to age, fail to get ill...fail to die? The only thing either of you have left, is the other. Twenty years from now, fifty...a hundred, he will still be there, a teenage boy, un-aged, immortal. Just as you will be."
Saguru grabbed the other glass of scotch, draining it in one go before collapsing into a chair. "This is too hard...it's too much."
"I know, believe me, I know. And you will have time to collapse...you have forever in fact, but this is something that can't be delayed. The hunger...it eats at you. I watched my mother be driven insane by it, by the blood left on her hands. Is that what you want for him, while you attempt to deal with eternity?"
"Of course not, but to become...how can I just allow someone to use me, to feed from me as if I was nothing more then an animal for the slaughter?"
"Perhaps I was wrong," she mused, staring at the ice in her glass as it shifted and clanked together. "I had thought, that there was a decent person, somewhere inside you." She sipped her drink before standing, silently leaving Saguru to his thoughts, heading downstairs to check on the other teenager.
Saguru watched her go before burring his face in his hand, wondering what to do.
--
Kaito tossed and turned in his bed, growling softly, kicking at the sheets, clawing at his skin, desperate to stop the hunger once more consuming him. It had been a week since he had met Tellus face to face and discovered the truth behind the myth of Pandora. A week since he had taken his first sip of human blood and discovered the bliss it contained.
He had tried to go on as normal, going to school during the day, and planning heists (now with Toichi's help) at night, but after three days he had given up. He stopped attending school, stopped talking with his deceased stalker, stopped doing anything but laying in bed, clawing at his skin until unconsciousness claimed him.
Saguru watched the teen from the door to the bedroom, watching as Kaito twisted and whimpered on the bed, Kaito flopping onto his stomach, laying heavily on his fist, hoping the pain would stop the constant ache in his empty stomach.
Sighing, Saguru slipped off his jacket, dropping it over a chair before entering the room, un-buttoning his shirt as he moved closer to the bed. "Kaito," he said softly, reaching out to shake the teen to attention, only to find himself suddenly jerked into bed, a fevered, starving vampire resting on his hips.
"Get out," Kaito hissed, fangs glinting in the fading light.
Saguru reached up, brushing his thumb over Kaito's lower lip before slipping the finger into Kaito's mouth, pressing up against one of the razor sharp teeth, hissing as it pierced his flesh, blood dripping into Kaito's mouth.
Kaito whimpered, eyes showing confusion before closing as Kaito wrapped his lips fully around the bleeding finger, sucking eagerly. Saguru had to smile at the look that only he got to see, the pleased, sated expression Kaito wore as he ate.
Kaito gave a whimper, his eyes opening again, silently begging and Saguru turned his head, revealing a long, pale column of skin to the magician. Kaito released Saguru's thumb, licking his lips before attacking, teeth sinking hungrily into Saguru's neck, his hand reaching up to hold Saguru's head to the side, drinking eagerly.
Saguru winced at the first flash of pain before reaching up and wrapping his arms around Kaito's body, gently rubbing Kaito's back as he was fed from, fingers pulling at the teen's shirt, freeing it from his pants before slipping under, exploring the skin warmed by the starving fever.
Kaito gave a needy whimper at the first touch of skin against his own, pulling free of the wound on Saguru's neck to lap at the skin around the puncture wounds, cleaning it up before diving in for another drink.
Saguru continued to stroke the cooling skin, smiling more as he heard Kaito give a hiccup as the boy drank too fast. Once the drinking started to slow, knowing Kaito was full, he pulled Kaito's mouth up, staring up at the un-focused blue eyes before leaning up, kissing Kaito, thrusting his tongue into the boy's blood stained mouth as his hands slid around to un-button Kaito's shirt.
Kaito pulled away after a moment, leaning back on Saguru's thighs, staring down at the blond. "Saguru?" he asked, confused, groaning as Saguru sat up, the blond latching onto Kaito's neck, returning the favor of marking the brunette as he pushed Kaito's shirt down his arms.
Tossing the shirt aside, Saguru pulled back to study the mark before looking up at Kaito. "I propose we come to an...agreement, that will satisfy both of us," he said, sliding a finger down Kaito's chest, smiling as the brunette shivered under the light touch. "My blood...for your body."
"Saguru.."
Saguru leaned in, silencing Kaito with a kiss, his hand working at the button of the magician's jeans. "I need you," he whispered, opening the jeans and pulling down the zipper. "I can't stand it anymore, you left and I felt so cold...so alone. I...everyone around me, clutching at their short lives, eagerly worrying about school and dating and everything that is now so stupid and meaningless." Saguru pulled away more, putting space between the two as his head fell forward, almost resting on Kaito's chest. "I cut myself last night, in the lab...I..." He swallowed and raised his head, tears staining his cheeks. "I should have needed stitches...I should have bled, but it closed...as if nothing had ever happened."
Kaito reached up, gently touching Saguru's cheeks, brushing away the tears with his thumbs before kissing Saguru softly. "I need you," Kaito whispered, and rocked against the blond, distracting Saguru from his thoughts. "Please..."
Saguru smiled and leaned in, kissing Kaito as he rolled them over so that his body covered the magician's smaller form, hand once more exploring the body beneath his.
Kaito yelped before giggling violently as Saguru found a ticklish spot, whimpering from the light, teasing touches. "Sagu-ru!"
Finis
Author: Saitaina
Theme: 31: Vampyre
Rating:PG-13
Characters: Saguru Hakuba, Kaito Kuroba, Toichi Kuroba, OC Female with mentions of Aoko Nakamori.
Warnings: Blood, disturbing imagery, ghosts, mythological elementary and creatures.
--
Anesidora
Bottom line is, even if you see them coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So, what are we, helpless? Puppets? Nah. The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are. -Whistler (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Becoming pt. I)
It was known as the 'house on haunted hill', though that wasn't it's official name (after all, who would name it that?). But that was still the name everyone knew it by, and it was that name he used in his note.
Kaito had selected the location out of amusement, overhearing the task force talking about some of the 'creepier' places Kid had held heists. The house had been a local feature in ghost stories since his parent's were children and it just had to be done, after all, he was always looking to top himself.
Or at least, that was his thinking two hours ago.
Now, he simply...wasn't thinking. His actions were automatic, each twist and jump a muscle memory after two years of the same dance with the same members of the task force. It was routine...it was normal.
He cursed under his breath as he darted around another officer, causing the man to go flying into a team mate after failing to catch the thief, and he glanced around, realizing he backed himself into a corner. Thinking quickly, he shoved the marble sized diamond into his mouth, reaching above him and firing off a suction cupped rope, raising himself into the air just as two officers collided where he had been.
Grinning, he raised a hand to spit out the gem when suddenly the lights went out and a scream sounded. Startled from the un-expected sound, he swallowed reflectively and started to choke, grasping his throat as the gem got stuck, muscles working desperately to either cough up the gem or finish swallowing.
By the time the lights were restored, Kaito was on the ground, having lost his grip on the rope, hand still clutching at his throat, staring wide-eyed at nothing anyone could see as he realized he had completely swallowed the gem he had been in the process of stealing.
Standing shakily, he glanced at the confused officers around him before simply running, dashing for the nearest window, throwing himself through the glass and rolling across the grass before stumbling to his feet, heading for the waiting car.
It wasn't until much later, after the costumes had been put away, after showers and dinner, that Kaito realized something wasn't quite right, beyond the whole swallowing of stolen goods. He grunted softly as he climbed up the stairs to his bedroom, rubbing his stomach absently, feeling the tossing and turning of nausea a bit distracting from his plotting of how to return the purloined gem once it was...returned to his possession.
Laying down on his bed, he grabbed a pillow, rolling over onto it, hoping the slight pressure would ease his stomach, yawning deeply as his eyes started to drift shut. Only to be greeted with pain shooting through his stomach and lower abdomen.
Deep inside Kaito's stomach, as the boy thrashed and groaned in pain, a small diamond rolled it's way up the side of Kaito's stomach wall, before cracking, a small, sickly green vine wiggled it's way out of the crack, searching, hungry.
The vine curled, pushing it's way up the wall of Kaito's stomach before suddenly darting, pushing through tissue and muscle, seeking nourishment it knew was resting just out of reach. Another vine followed, and again another, until the small, broken gemstone was resting snug against the side of Kaito's stomach, happily pulsing as it drank from it's host, absorbing the sweet nectar it hadn't tasted in centuries.
As for the host himself, he was screaming, clutching at his abused stomach, mouth open wide as he panted between cries. Pain erupted in his mouth, tendrils of vine curling and twisting as they spilled free of his gums, wrapping around his teeth, before retreating back, loosening the roots of Kaito's canine teeth, pushing against them, almost removing the teeth completely before a yellow sap leaked from the vines, healing the wounds left by their exploration.
Those same tendrils then retreated to the boy's saliva glands, resting happily in their new home, the sap they extruded mixing with the saliva, causing a thick, bitter liquid to be released every time Kaito swallowed.
Kaito's eyes rolled back, whites brightly visible as he panted, tears streaming down his cheeks, body heaving with each urge to vomit, before blissful darkness finally claimed him, pulling him from his misery.
--
It was the slow, steady ticking that drew Kaito from his pleasurable darkness. Blinking, he groaned, eyes slowly slitting before opening, staring at the man across from him. As recognition settled in, the teenager found himself halfway up a wall, using his bed post and the dresser to hold himself up in his attempt to escape the figure. "D-dad?" he gasped out, and cursed as his newly lengthened teeth sliced his lip.
Toichi looked up from the swinging pocket watch, smiling softly. "Been a while, eh kiddo?" he asked, making the pocket watch disappear. The magician stood and Kaito realized that his father looked a bit...washed out, almost as if Toichi was a television channel not coming in cleanly.
"This is a dream...I'm still asleep," Kaito muttered, managing to get down the wall and back into the bed without taking his eyes off of his father. "Yup, dreaming...dunno why I'm dreaming but I am." He promptly rolled over and pulled the covers over his head.
"Kaito..."
"Ig-noring," Kaito muttered, attempting to block out the sound of his father's voice, humming softly and sticking his fingers in his ears, wincing slightly at the aches still rolling through his body. His stomach growled as he blocked out the outside world and he frowned, lifting an elbow enough to peek out of the blankets before sighing and removing his fingers from his ears, heading downstairs to grab something to eat, still ignoring the man walking soundlessly behind him.
"Food, food, food," he sung to himself, opening the fridge and peering inside, attempting to find something that appealed to his hunger. "Food, food, food...ooo, pizza!" He grabbed the box and opened it as he kicked the door shut behind him, setting the box on the counter and taking a large bite from the slice, making happy sounds as the slice.
He started to gag after the first swallow, setting the slice down and grabbing a glass, filling it with water to try to wash down the rest of the bite, staring at the slice of pizza, wondering how it went bad in a night. He set the glass on the counter, just in time to lean over the sink, vomiting the bite of pizza as well as whatever else was in his stomach into it. He gagged softly, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain in his stomach. Resting on the edge of the sink he tipped the pizza and box into the trash, groaning softly.
"Are you alright, Kaito?" Toichi asked, reaching out for his son before remembering he couldn't actually touch the boy.
"Ugh," Kaito muttered before pushing himself up and staring into the fridge, stomach now even hungrier then before. "Okay, pizza bad, let's see..." He hummed before his eyes fastened on a wrapped slab of beef, the fresh meat the most beautiful sight he had seen since he last broke into the girl's locker room.
He grabbed the steak, checking the date on it before ripping into it, shoving it into his mouth, not even realizing he was eating the meat raw, too consumed with the sweet, tender juices hitting his tongue, a blissful expression crossing his face as the ambrosia slid down to his starving stomach.
"Er...Kaito..." Toichi said, blinking as his sun sucked on the meat, slightly grossed out.
Kaito cracked open one eye in reply before returning to his ignoring, spitting out the piece of steak he had been sucking on before ripping another piece off with his teeth, sucking away at it, groaning in pleasure.
"Kaito...it's not a lollipop," Toichi muttered, wrinkling his nose in disgust and looking away.
"Hmm?" Kaito muttered around his mouthful, opening an eye again in question. Toichi waved at the raw steak in Kaito's hand and Kaito blinked down at it, before sending the piece in his mouth flying across the room and through his father. "What the hell am I doing?!"
"That was my question..." Toichi said, not looking fazed he had just been spit at.
"But it tasted so good," Kaito mumbled, staring hungrily at the steak still clutched in his hands before tossing it in the trash. "What is wrong with me?"
"Perhaps you're ill...though I am unsure what sort of illness would have you craving raw steak."
Kaito snorted, rinsing his mouth out before heading for the stairs, intent on sleeping again and waking up from this bizarre dream. "Perhaps I've contracted lycanthropy," he muttered.
--
He was burning, heat tearing at his skin just as the hunger clawed at his body. Growling he pushed away from the crowd, eager to put the mass of flesh and beating hearts behind him, hair sticking to his face from the sweat dripping down his face. Everywhere he looked was another stranger, another warm body to slide up next to, the rhythmic pulses of their blood flowing through veins taunting him as the sound rushed across his ears, forcing him to lick his lips, eyes eagerly trained to wrists and neck, where the veins were often most visible through thin skin, faint blue traces, easy track lines for the waiting junkie.
Swallowing thickly, Kaito wrapped his arms around his body, shivering as someone passed too close to him, close enough he could smell their skin, their soft...creamy...
He hissed, wrapping his arms tighter around him, heading towards the subway, eager to get away, to get...somewhere. The smells were thick and cloying, causing nausea to churn in his stomach along with the hunger, each pulse from his stomach sending his mind reeling between wanting to be sick and wanting to rip into the next person he passed, eager to absorb teasing vital fluid anyway possible.
He was so hungry...
"Kaito!"
A voice called behind him and he turned, eyes latching onto Aoko who was waving at him, a grin splitting her face. The grin faltered as she got a good look at the wild-eyed, shivering teen and she started to look concerned. "Kaito?"
He turned, walking away from her, speeding up as he heard her follow. He started to run, shoving people out of his way, desperate for escape., hunger fading under his panic. He couldn't...not Aoko, too close, too nice...too good. He wouldn't...it wouldn't be right...he wasn't right...he was going insane and Aoko...
He slammed into a body as he turned yet another corner, sending both him and his victim tumbling until they came to a rest in the shadows of an alley. Blinking, arms trembling he pushed himself up, a flash of gold catching his eye before the stranger had fully sat up.
"Figures," Saguru muttered, dusting off his jacket, glancing at Kaito. "Care to explain or is this something I'd be happier not knowing?"
Kaito could see Saguru's mouth moving, but couldn't hear him, the words white noise compared to the sight of a single blood drop slipping down Saguru's cheek from the small cut their fall had caused. He licked his lips, watching the droplet as it slid down Saguru's cheek, towards the curve of Saguru's jaw, hovering their, trembling as it prepared to fall.
Kaito's hand shot out, grabbing Saguru's jaw in a tight, bruising grip, capturing the blood drop on his thumb, ignoring the protesting blond as Kaito drew closer to Saguru, tongue darting out, licking his thumb. Pleasure once more exploded across his nerves as he tasted the blood and his stomach lurched, wanting more...eager for it, desperate.
Kaito crawled over Saguru, straddling the blond as he forced Saguru's head to the side, lapping at the cut, whimpering as nothing more slipped out. Saguru's protests started to invade the fog covering Kaito's brain and he growled, jerking Saguru's head around violently, sealing their lips together as he silenced the detective, new fangs slicing his and Saguru's lips as Kaito kissed the blond.
It was the beginning of the end when the blood hit his tongue. Kaito shoved the appendage into Saguru's mouth, lapping at the wounds and making fresh ones, whimpering as he tried to get more of the sweet taste.
He pulled away from Saguru, a trail of saliva linking their mouths, breaking only when Kaito once more jerked Saguru's head around, baring the detective's neck, finger trailing lightly over the flesh, finding the large vein that slid from brain to artery, licking his lips before lunching, fangs sinking happily into flesh.
He slipped his fangs free and moaned, spilling blood down his chin as his mouth filled with the nectar with each steady pump of Saguru's heart. He sucked hard, drawing more blood into his mouth, eagerly feeding the hungry beast that his stomach had become, shoving his fingers into Saguru's mouth when the boy started to cry out in pain, attempting again to keep him quiet.
He drank deeply from Saguru, not caring about what he was doing, who he was doing it to, or what result might come from his feast. He drank, nails scrambling at flesh, tearing the puncture wounds further when they started to clot, not pausing, breathing through his nose until he was forced away, vomiting blood on the cement, his stomach rejecting anymore. Panting, he leaned back on his hands, body still humming happily from the pleasing meal. As the hunger faded, his brain returned to higher function, focusing on more then primal reaction.
Raising a trembling hand, he brushed his sweaty bangs from his face and laid back, staring at the stars above, giggling softly, not even noticing the corpse next to him. Raising a hand he reached up, almost attempting to grab the stars before giggling again.
Toichi watched his son sadly, glancing at the young teen who was laying next to Kaito, sightless brown eyes staring up at the moon. Toichi then frowned, glancing around, wondering where the boy had gone. Since his death, Toichi had been around enough dead bodies with Kaito to know that the spirit lingered at least a day. Some, like himself, even longer. But the boy's spirit wasn't hanging around, wailing about the injustice of being murdered.
Toichi turned his attention back to the two boys, watching as Kaito came down a bit from his drunken high and realized there was a dead body next to him. He winced at Kaito's reaction, turning away from his son clutching at Saguru, attempting CPR, knowing already it was useless.
Toichi stared up at the moon, wondering what now...what else would his family have to go through before they could finally have peace. His attention turned back to Kaito as the teenager fumbled for his cellphone, trying to dial the police at the same time as he tried to resuscitate Saguru.
Toichi's eyes widened as a hand reached up, grabbing the cellphone and closing it, effectively ending the call. Saguru blinked at Kaito, silent for a moment before lowering his hand, staring at the blood stained thief. "You, have a lot of explaining to do."
--
"And now, we're back at the beginning," Kaito muttered, staring at the house in front of him.
"Best place to figure out what happened to you," Saguru said, nudging Kaito forward before ringing the bell.
The front door opened and a small woman opened the door, staring at them. She studied Saguru before looking at Kaito, stepping away from the door and gesturing for them to enter. "Please, come in."
The two boys entered, staring around at the darkened hallway before turning back to the woman who had closed the door, leaning heavily on it before turning to them. "You have come about Anesidora."
"Anesi..."
"We have," Saguru interrupted, and gestured to Kaito. "Something has occurred, since the last night we were here."
"Tell me, where is she?"
"She?" Kaito asked, confused.
"The gemstone, Anesidora."
"I...there was an accident and...well.."
"Where. Is. She?"
"I swallowed it...her"
The woman closed her eyes, as if physically in pain, before moving past the pair, taking a small gas lantern from a nook. "Follow me," she whispered and headed across the hall, opening what appeared to be a coat closet, only to reveal a set of stairs.
The threesome headed down into the bowls of the house, Kaito shivering the further they descended. Two more doors later, and the woman lead them into a large, underground room. She left the boys in the center as she moved around the earthen room, lighting lamps.
"This wasn't on the blueprints," Saguru mused, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"No, for no one knows of it, but myself and my husband. The house was built to cover it." the woman said, setting the last lit lamp on a small table before crossing over to the center of the room, where a slab of stone was now visible. "Come here."
The pair moved closer to the slab, blinking at the mess of ancient looking cloth on the top. "What is..." Kaito started before being silenced as the woman pulled on a tie and the bundle fell apart, revealing a long since mummified corpse.
It was a woman, strands of her long black hair still attached to her scalp. She was dressed simply, in a plain linen dress that must have once been white. Her arms were crossed over her stomach, resting just above where her belly button would be.
"She, was the original owner of Anesidora. The first to name her, the first to know the hunger."
"Who is she?" Saguru asked, staring at the corpse before looking at the woman in front of them, noticing faint similarities in bone structure.
"Long ago she was called Pandora, I have forgotten what name she died under. My mother had...many names."
"Your mother, but..."
"Pandora's tears can create immortality," Kaito whispered, reaching out a trembling hand, gently touching Pandora's leathered skin, his hand resting lightly over the corpse's. Closing his eyes, he felt as if he could touch her, feel her soft skin against his cheek, her tears staining his skin.
"Tears...so the legend says," the woman said, gazing sadly at her mother's body. "For me, it was her blood, it fell on my lips as her body covered mine, protecting me. For you..." She glanced at Saguru who closed his eyes in painful remembrance.
"Saliva...or sweat. Both were shared." Saguru whispered, truly realizing what had happened to him, besides just being a tasty dinner.
"How did she die, if the...tears...can make one immortal, couldn't the gem itself do the same?" Kaito asked.
"It does, for as long as the gem is inside you, you will live with it. My mother killed herself. She..." The woman coughed, clearing her throat, gaining control of her emotions. "My mother removed Anesidora from her body. I, and my brother found her laying on her bed, Anesidora clasped in her hand."
"How long have you been protecting the gem?" Toichi asked, and Kaito turned to stare at his father before noticing Saguru and the woman were also looking at the ghost. The teen whimpered, realizing he wasn't hallucinating if the other two could see the man as well.
"Two centuries, give or take. I'm...not good, with time." Toichi nodded, going silent again.
"Might I...might I be alone, for a moment?" Kaito whispered, his voice slightly broken. The woman nodded and headed for the stairs, Saguru following after a moment, taking a last glance at Kaito before he acceded the stairs after the woman.
Kaito knelt next to the body, resting his head lightly against the corpse's arm, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt a brush of cold air against his back and his eyes opened, staring up at his father's sad ones. "We found her," Kaito whispered before starting to cry.
--
"He will need support."
Saguru turned as the woman spoke, looking away from the painting he had been studying, blinking at her. "Excuse me?"
"Your friend," the woman clarified, taking a seat on the sofa, pouring two glasses of scotch. "He will need support, someone to talk to, someone to listen...someone to..." She licked his lips, taking a sip of scotch before looking up to meet Saguru's eyes. "Someone to feed from."
"You're certainly not suggesting that I..."
"Either you or someone else, and how long can someone last, someone normal last against that hunger? You have already died to it, how many more, will he have to kill? How many more will you force him to kill?"
"But I..." Saguru went silent, turning away. He was silent, before finally whispering. "The very idea terrifies me. I'm not food."
"To him you are. He is no longer human, not in the ways that matter, and neither are you. Who will be there for you, Hakuba-san, when you fail to age, fail to get ill...fail to die? The only thing either of you have left, is the other. Twenty years from now, fifty...a hundred, he will still be there, a teenage boy, un-aged, immortal. Just as you will be."
Saguru grabbed the other glass of scotch, draining it in one go before collapsing into a chair. "This is too hard...it's too much."
"I know, believe me, I know. And you will have time to collapse...you have forever in fact, but this is something that can't be delayed. The hunger...it eats at you. I watched my mother be driven insane by it, by the blood left on her hands. Is that what you want for him, while you attempt to deal with eternity?"
"Of course not, but to become...how can I just allow someone to use me, to feed from me as if I was nothing more then an animal for the slaughter?"
"Perhaps I was wrong," she mused, staring at the ice in her glass as it shifted and clanked together. "I had thought, that there was a decent person, somewhere inside you." She sipped her drink before standing, silently leaving Saguru to his thoughts, heading downstairs to check on the other teenager.
Saguru watched her go before burring his face in his hand, wondering what to do.
--
Kaito tossed and turned in his bed, growling softly, kicking at the sheets, clawing at his skin, desperate to stop the hunger once more consuming him. It had been a week since he had met Tellus face to face and discovered the truth behind the myth of Pandora. A week since he had taken his first sip of human blood and discovered the bliss it contained.
He had tried to go on as normal, going to school during the day, and planning heists (now with Toichi's help) at night, but after three days he had given up. He stopped attending school, stopped talking with his deceased stalker, stopped doing anything but laying in bed, clawing at his skin until unconsciousness claimed him.
Saguru watched the teen from the door to the bedroom, watching as Kaito twisted and whimpered on the bed, Kaito flopping onto his stomach, laying heavily on his fist, hoping the pain would stop the constant ache in his empty stomach.
Sighing, Saguru slipped off his jacket, dropping it over a chair before entering the room, un-buttoning his shirt as he moved closer to the bed. "Kaito," he said softly, reaching out to shake the teen to attention, only to find himself suddenly jerked into bed, a fevered, starving vampire resting on his hips.
"Get out," Kaito hissed, fangs glinting in the fading light.
Saguru reached up, brushing his thumb over Kaito's lower lip before slipping the finger into Kaito's mouth, pressing up against one of the razor sharp teeth, hissing as it pierced his flesh, blood dripping into Kaito's mouth.
Kaito whimpered, eyes showing confusion before closing as Kaito wrapped his lips fully around the bleeding finger, sucking eagerly. Saguru had to smile at the look that only he got to see, the pleased, sated expression Kaito wore as he ate.
Kaito gave a whimper, his eyes opening again, silently begging and Saguru turned his head, revealing a long, pale column of skin to the magician. Kaito released Saguru's thumb, licking his lips before attacking, teeth sinking hungrily into Saguru's neck, his hand reaching up to hold Saguru's head to the side, drinking eagerly.
Saguru winced at the first flash of pain before reaching up and wrapping his arms around Kaito's body, gently rubbing Kaito's back as he was fed from, fingers pulling at the teen's shirt, freeing it from his pants before slipping under, exploring the skin warmed by the starving fever.
Kaito gave a needy whimper at the first touch of skin against his own, pulling free of the wound on Saguru's neck to lap at the skin around the puncture wounds, cleaning it up before diving in for another drink.
Saguru continued to stroke the cooling skin, smiling more as he heard Kaito give a hiccup as the boy drank too fast. Once the drinking started to slow, knowing Kaito was full, he pulled Kaito's mouth up, staring up at the un-focused blue eyes before leaning up, kissing Kaito, thrusting his tongue into the boy's blood stained mouth as his hands slid around to un-button Kaito's shirt.
Kaito pulled away after a moment, leaning back on Saguru's thighs, staring down at the blond. "Saguru?" he asked, confused, groaning as Saguru sat up, the blond latching onto Kaito's neck, returning the favor of marking the brunette as he pushed Kaito's shirt down his arms.
Tossing the shirt aside, Saguru pulled back to study the mark before looking up at Kaito. "I propose we come to an...agreement, that will satisfy both of us," he said, sliding a finger down Kaito's chest, smiling as the brunette shivered under the light touch. "My blood...for your body."
"Saguru.."
Saguru leaned in, silencing Kaito with a kiss, his hand working at the button of the magician's jeans. "I need you," he whispered, opening the jeans and pulling down the zipper. "I can't stand it anymore, you left and I felt so cold...so alone. I...everyone around me, clutching at their short lives, eagerly worrying about school and dating and everything that is now so stupid and meaningless." Saguru pulled away more, putting space between the two as his head fell forward, almost resting on Kaito's chest. "I cut myself last night, in the lab...I..." He swallowed and raised his head, tears staining his cheeks. "I should have needed stitches...I should have bled, but it closed...as if nothing had ever happened."
Kaito reached up, gently touching Saguru's cheeks, brushing away the tears with his thumbs before kissing Saguru softly. "I need you," Kaito whispered, and rocked against the blond, distracting Saguru from his thoughts. "Please..."
Saguru smiled and leaned in, kissing Kaito as he rolled them over so that his body covered the magician's smaller form, hand once more exploring the body beneath his.
Kaito yelped before giggling violently as Saguru found a ticklish spot, whimpering from the light, teasing touches. "Sagu-ru!"
Finis