It's Not That Far Away - Chapter Six (PART ONE) | We Lost Our Heads For the Last Time
(This is a sequel to Mercy Me - We suggest you read that first.)
NaNo Book Cover
Rating: R (solid)
Pairings for Chapter: Tora/Saga
Overall Pairings: Tora/Saga, Nao/OFC, mention of OMC/OMC & others
Genre: Drama, Action, Adventure, Chapter, Fantasy, Supernatural, Romance, Angst, Dark, Horror
Summary: Months of living on the edge of danger is enough to drive anyone to behave irrationally. Though there comes a point in which sitting on the fence, watching both sides, is no longer feasible and a decision must be made. How can one know they are making the right choice? What causes one's perception of good and bad, right and wrong? How does one choose? More importantly, how does one know they picked the right side once they’ve chosen?
Insanity has nothing to do with morality - are you right or....wrong?
__________________________
“Hiroto…” Shou reached forward and caught the smaller man’s wrist and pulled him back slightly. There was a frown heavily set on Shou’s face; in fact, it seemed as if he hadn’t stopped frowning since they had left. He looked tired and worn out from all of the stress they had been under. It had certainly been a while since he found himself smile true and wide; he felt older than he should. Shou shook his head and blinked several times very hard after standing up straight as he had leaned over to stop Hiroto. “We can’t do this. You know that. We promised if he helped us, we’d never bother him again. I’m not ready to break that promise-I don’t think he would hesitate to force us to leave him alone. We don’t want that.”
Hiroto’s face was firmly situated in a frown too though more from irritation than from the stress Shou felt. He had, after having witnessed Daichi’s attack, gone straight to the familiar apartment complex in which he had agreed never to return to. He had hoped the others would follow; in fact, a part of Hiroto hoped they would find another option before they arrived to the very apartment building they were in. The fact that no one seemed to think of any other option made Hiroto certain this was their only one.
He was slightly sick to his stomach with the thought of what Shiki and Daichi had plotted and carried out. He had met Shiro and he had liked him. Never had he imagined he was anything more than a man but Hiroto was learning quickly that the world wasn’t exactly what it seemed.
Hiroto had been plagued with the wonderment of how many people he’d met in his lifetime were more than what they said. How many changelings had he met on the street? How many mages went to each of their shows? Were there visiugo that had gone to the fan club events? He simply couldn’t fathom how much he’d overlooked in his oblivion. It was exactly as Payton and Ash had explained to them so many months before, when it was all scary and new. These magical beings were everywhere if one knew what they were looking for. Hiroto was slowly learning that he still didn't entirely know what to look for, but he wanted to find out - if only to avoid them.
“We have no other choice, Shou-san. We have to. If we’re ever going to find Nao, we have to get direction from Payton. He’s…the only one we can trust.” It was the last thing Hiroto thought he would ever say in his life, though when the words escaped his lips, he found them true. He would have trusted in Koko, for the simple fact that she had spoken to him so honestly. Though she had been in the room with Shiro and was likely swept off somewhere else by the magical bomb that the young emperor was. Hiroto was fairly certain it had worked in the same way it had for him and Daichi; not, of course, to mention that he wouldn’t know how to find the hidden changeling palace or even the mage palace.
He pulled his wrist free, sighing softly as he slipped away from Shou. The frown on Shou’s face deepened and he blinked hard again. “He has to Shou…he must.” Hiroto said again.
Tora and Saga were silently lingering behind Shou and Hiroto as they spoke quickly. Neither had been present the last time that Payton had been visited but both had been told of what transpired. They weren’t prepared to support either side though they were ready to follow, with their friends, in whatever decision was made simply because no one would be alone. In fact, Tora had made it very clear that he wanted no part in this decisions as he had his own worries helping Saga. Pain and hurt inflicted the bassist after discovering that the visiugo weren’t what he romanticized.
Saga had a difficulty accepting the truth since they had left and he was still recovering from the overwhelming sense of confusion that came from what felt like blatant betrayal. He had believed in Shiki and therefore had trusted Daichi by proxy. He couldn’t imagine that a man he had spoken with on many occasions, who had told him of love and peace, was willing to take a life so easily. Nor did he understand how a man willing to risk his own life in order to save Hiroto, one who had followed him into the night only to be wounded and trapped in bird form, could so easily take a life instead. He was devastated to have discovered that their tenets were self serving in a matter that seemed to lend to the idea that they were somehow superior and capable of making choices in natural selection. Not simply capable but they believed it was their duty to decide who was to stay and who was to go.
The man had been silent since they left the nest and offered very soft spoken, short answers when spoken to. Therefore, Tora had inadvertently and subconsciously moved to protect Saga’s broken heart in any way possible. It was much the same way Saga had offered to him; Tora only hoped that he could achieve the same thing his lover had for him.
Shou sighed heavily, reaching a hand up to run through his blonde locks, as Hiroto moved before any further words could be exchanged. He marched the rest of the way down the hall, leaving Shou, Tora and Saga to wait. Shou’s eyes moved towards the other two and he frowned even deeper. It was Tora that spoke first. “We stay together. No matter what, we stay together. He is the only person, outside of the three of you, that I trust. We stay together.” Tora repeated, his voice heavy in the air.
Shou nodded after a moment and sighed again. “Yes, yes. I know. That’s what scares me-I don’t trust anyone else and it’s not as if he’s trustworthy in the first place. We’re running out of options. This is not good, Tora-“
Hiroto hadn’t stopped when he lifted his hand to knock on the door. Shou’s eyes were focused on him the entire time, ready to leap forward should Payton open the door with magic at the ready. The second Hirito’s knuckles came in contact with the wood, the door swung open as if it wasn’t latched and Hiroto took a surprised step backward.
Shou felt his heart sink at seeing Hiroto’s small backward stumble and his hand shot to his mouth. In an instant, Shou, Tora and Saga sprinted forward, falling into place behind where Hiroto stood. The youngest of them hadn’t moved yet, his eyes glued forward at the living room before them. It had once been white and filled with pristine, well kept furniture; Ash would have had it no other way. Now, however, the sight they witnessed had them frozen. Every an inch of the apartment was painted in red, dried blood. It was as if a group of children had come in and had colored the walls in some sort of play. Though this was hardly as harmless as crayon on the walls.
The smell hit them like a wave; it was, perhaps, worse than the sight of the crimson blood. Wafting out in the hall, it was the strongest smell of iron that sent shivers up and down each of their spines. There were bits of flesh throughout the apartment; some chunks were stuck to the wall and others dotted the floor as if it was a stone path that led further inside. Even splintered bone and other remnants of a human carcass were strewn about, the fluids soaked up by the couch fibers and only added to the putrid smell of the room.
Saga’s knees had started to give and it took a swift move by Tora, as he took firm hold of Saga’s elbow, to keep the man from collapsing from the sight. Saga moved only to take a grasp tightly to Tora’s hand, though his eyes did not move away from the room. They had all seen blood but the very sight was too much to bare; they had seen it so much, they had smelled it and witnessed the bloodshed of too many innocent people, not to be truly horrified by what they saw.
“Go-we need to go.” Shou mumbled out quietly, though his voice was strained and barely audible. That, or they were all unable to understand any words at all as the smell and sight was overpowering their logical thought. Shou swallowed hard, trying to convince himself to turn and force them all to leave.
“Ahh…what a pleasant surprise.” An oily voice beckoned to them, making Saga jump a little in his spot. It seemed to come from no where and everywhere at once. “Welcome-please come in.”
Hiroto would never mistake the sound of such a voice, broken with a thick English accent against his Japanese words. The voice was foreboding as it had been used by a man, rather a person who was once a man, that had frightened Hiroto not so long ago.
“He won’t mind, I promise you.” A second later, a tall and eccentric body stepped from the shadow and into the pale moonlight that was cast from the open window. It was the same window that had been shattered when Shou was pierced with a spear, which had been sent by the same man that appeared bathed in the white light. His skin was white, the color of alabaster, after having missed the sun for several millennia. He was clearly a creature of the night; a predator. Tall and handsome, as well was dark eyed and dangerous, yet, still, his presence demanded attention as did his voice, which was just as strikingly charismatic as it was intimidating.
“Come in!” He snapped at them, his lips pulling across his long pointy canines. He tipped his chin down, surveying the four of them over his slim nose.
Hiroto’s eyebrows came together as he fought the urge to take a step backwards. He worried it would only egg the vampire forward. “Prince Bastien…we’re protected by…” Hiroto started to warn but the slim creature cut him off.
“Kenshin...” his smile broadened. “I know. I am very aware of your terms. Now…come in, please. I encourage you.” He said again. The sound of other creatures inside was evident though Hiroto could not see them in the darkness. Shou’s eyes flickered towards each sound; he blinked harder each time as he tried to see one of the creatures hidden in the dark shadows of the apartment. He was glad it was darker; that meant that they were spared of seeing exactly how much blood was covering the apartment. “I assure you - he was dead when we got here. However, there’s no use in wasting a body…now is there? The world is in peril-we must not be wasteful.”
“Dead?” Shou chirped frightfully; he had voiced the question that had ran through each of their minds in that instant. He stepped through the threshold, fearful of the alternative as the vampire had insisted several times; there was no part of Shou that doubted the cruelty Bastien might inflict if they didn’t obey. The sight and smell made him ill and he thought for sure that he was going to pass out if forced to be in the apartment for an extended period of time.
“Yes, you know…dead. The spark of his life is gone. It was bound to happen when he and his brother started on that plan to save all of humanity from the foul vampires. The joke is on them, yes? Though I must say I never expected it to be at his own hand. Yes…Payton Lionel was a coward and therefore deserved this fitting end. I think perhaps, if I ever visit his family again, I’ll take his daughter. Then I can complete the family.” His tongue ran across his upper lip invitingly, as if the mere thought satisfied a hunger of his.
Hiroto stood in awe; it never occurred to him that the blood and the flesh that was spread across the apartment was Payton’s. For a moment, he imagined it as Shou’s or Tora’s or Saga’s or Nao’s and he felt his stomach lurch at the very idea. The back of his hand went to his mouth for a moment and it took all of Hiroto’s effort not to empty his stomach then and there. It would be a smell, a taste in his mouth, and a sight that he would never forget.
“Come in, come in.” Bastien waved his hand and gestured to them kindly as if welcoming them. It was so courteous and polite that it could be deceiving if they weren’t aware of his vampire nature. “I am forbidden to harm you; any of you. Though you may pay your respects to the late Mr. Lionel. I am sure he would have…appreciated it.” It was only Shou who moved closer, unable to focus on anything but the shuffling of his feet forward; Hiroto followed soon after.
They that saw Bastien’s hands were discolored, the skin on them reddish-pink from blood. Carefully, the prince drew his fingers to his lips and delicately licked each one clean. “Delicious, I assure you.” He spoke honestly, however the end came out in a bitter and distasteful sneer that he’d meant to conceal but failed. The expression spilled out momentarily and solidified the fact that he was truly disgusted by the four of them.
Bastien shook his head lightly, long spears of dark hair swaying lightly with his motion. “All the way…yes, yes…” he nodded encouragingly to Shou and Hiroto who were timidly moving forward. It was as if he were prompting children to behave in a manner he needed them to. Not a single one of them was prepared to accept that Payton was dead, nor were they willing to witness what had happen to his body. The evidence was painted on the walls and across Bastien’s hands and clothes. They had, like vultures, torn his body to shreds; dead or not.
It was simply too much; they were all reaching the end of their proverbial ropes. Shou was even beginning to believe that they would never be able to escape these horrors; he feared that from now on, since that night, they would be forever stuck in this world. They would forever witness this blood shed.
The prince sighed slightly when Saga lingered back, unable to pass the threshold. Tora had tried to follow his friends forward but Saga’s hand was still in his and when Tora made to step forward, Saga’s fingers clenched tighter to his lover’s and held Tora firmly in his spot. “A moment, if you will.” Bastien bowed his head lightly to Hiroto and Shou, as if he was offering them curtsy and respect he thought they deserved though no part of the vampire respected either of them. He gracefully moved forward and, as he did so, it was as if he were floating on a cloud by the ease at which he glided across the blood caked floor. It was deceiving, as if he were at a masquerade rather than inside a contaminated apartment.
He paused, looking over Tora first. “You’re not afraid.” He said with a sideways tilt of his head. “Curious. That is strangely curious. I remember you from my club. You gave us the visiguo that night. She too was lovely.” Behind him, though Bastien could not see, he could sense the wave of irritation that had washed over Shou at the mention of Aiko. A flicker of a smirk crossed his face.
Bastien’s eyes moved to Saga before his head did. He lingered on the man for a moment as if he were appraising a piece of artwork. “You, however, are. Wise by nature, perhaps. Or timid.” He drew in a deep breath, one he didn’t need but did because - before all else - he had been human. Therefore, he was bound by the innate behaviors that living, when he had been living, imprinted on him for inflection. It was both a natural and learned behavior.
“We are not the creatures stories and legends would have you believe. I have a reflection and I’m capable of entering any establishment I so choose. Including homes, without permission.” He leaned forward and brushed the back of his fingers along Saga’s neck and gently whisked his hair back revealing just the flesh the bassist’s throat. A shiver ran up Saga’s spine at Bastien’s tender touch, it sickened and terrified him. “Beautiful indeed.” He whispered softly, though in English, as the corner of his lips turned upwards.
Tora had tensed, as had Saga, though for different reasons. Bastien’s fingers didn’t move from Saga’s shoulder where they’d landed softly; instead, he slipped them down Saga’s arm, caressing his skin as he did so. It was a sensual act, part of the very nature of the vampire that stood before him, and Saga was aware of it. Bastien’s voice, by nature, was seductive and alluring as was his very touch. Saga, however, felt as if every second the vampire’s skin touched his, he was being burned with a hot iron. Saga shivered again and his eyebrows came together in discomfort. Tora’s jaw clenched as he stared at the vampire, his eyes having turned darker than ever before as he watched the display of false affection. It was in his nature to lure his pray in by touches and words, no part of vampires were actually sexual though they fed of human's sexuality to seduce and then strike. It was a ruse.
Bastien’s hand closed around Saga’s free hand, and he lifted it up to lead the two of them inside. His arm, however, did not get that far before Tora’s fist collided with his jaw and he was suddenly between Saga and the vampire prince.
In that very instant, Hiroto howled out in pain as the imprint of Kenshin's seal on his jaw felt like it was set aflame. It was as if Tora’s actions had been the catalyst to the pain that shout through him. Hiroto couldn’t make sense of why; he was certain, however, that the magic that existed in Kenshin’s mark had something to do with why it suddenly felt like his flesh was being burned away.
Bastien’s head snapped down and he doubled over from the force at which Tora hit him, cradling his jaw where he had been hit. It was, in spite of Hiroto’s shout, still in the room. Silence fell over it a moment later as Saga took in quick breaths, Shou looked between Hiroto and the others and Tora’s furious gaze had not left the vampire before him. Then, a gruff chuckle, starting low which turned into a rumble and then a rolling snicker, sang out from Bastien. “Not afraid indeed.” He said, clearly unfazed by Tora’s outburst as he stood up to his full height, his hand moving away from his face.
“You will not touch him again.” Tora growled, tipping his head down. His eyes were still dark and heavy; he had moved to stand before Saga, tall enough to shield some part of the man from Bastien.
“Oh precious…you are a foolish bleeder. Evidence remains as such, from first word of your presence in our world through to this moment.” Bastien said, offering Tora a wide, toothy grin full of malice and mistrust. “Though you’re friend - I suspect lover - is right. His fear is good; it is wise. Perhaps you may do well to learn from it. It is not safe to believe in what I am. Nor it is wise to be unafraid. My intentions are never kind.” For a moment, Tora’s hard gaze faltered only to be replaced by brief confusion.
“But…” Hiroto hissed out as his fingertips moved over the agonizing pain from the scar just under his jaw line. No sooner had the word left his mouth and Shou squeaked in surprise as two vampires descended upon him, easily hoisting him up and restraining him in his spot. Hiroto’s head whipped around to the door where Bastien stood as several more swarmed in on Tora and Saga. He couldn’t see his friends among the mass of bodies that surrounded the two. He was frozen in his spot, unable to decide how he should help his friends and which to go to first.
“My intentions are never kind.” Bastien said again, this time in a boomingly frightening voice. It sent an icy chill down Hiroto’s spine as he found himself unable to calm himself. He could see Shou, Tora and Saga being restrained by strong, cruel vampire fists. More than just fear and worry flooded him; he felt absolute dread for the safety of his deal with Kenshin.
“Your friend reminded me of such.” He told Hiroto, though Hiroto could not see him. “I do not take well to being attacked like that bitch Elisabeth, as when you threw yourself on her; I am not such scum. You are only protected so long as I wish to keep civility towards Kenshin and his clan. I will take war over disrespect if necessary. My honor will remain in tact; your friends will die. My clan will prove to Kenshin’s that we will not take his threat lightly and that we are superior to his weak family of degenerates. You will take word to him - if you don’t, your friends will die. I plan to kill them. I suggest you do it quickly as time is of the essence. I suspect he will fail in following through with his promises to you. Though you are welcome to watch…and so is your friend, Kenshin. Let the games begin.”
____________________
Authors' Note
Mandy & Jackie: We are terribly sorry this too so long put up--life decided to get in the way and so did temporary writers block. Our original plans for some of this got derailed and we had to quickly find our ground again. Don't worry though--we got it. :D We know what's coming. :D
Get ready. ^_^
We hoped you enjoyed this and THANK YOU for reading!!!