It's Not That Far Away - Chapter Fourteen | It Was A Half Bad Dream That Was Way Too Long...
(This is a sequel to Mercy Me - We suggest you read that first.)
FINAL CHAPTER (end of trilogy)
(Note - Full chapter title: "It Was a Half Bad Dream That Was Way Too Long, My Whole Life It Seemed")
NaNo Book Cover
Rating: R (solid)
Pairings for Chapter: Nao/OFC , Saga/Tora
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?
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“I don’t know.” Nao’s voice shook lightly as he glanced up the dark building that loomed in the night sky. It was full of a plethora of memories, none of which were good. The very instant he was faced with it, he found himself reliving every single day he had spent under Elisa’s control. It destroyed parts of his soul to know that he had once been so broken, so lost, that he found no other reprieve than the numb, emotionless existence of a doll. He felt a hand on his shoulder, it squeezed the muscle and he glanced over to see it was Saga who had offered physical support to him.
Endeared by it for a moment, if only because he was reminded of the support he head outside of his own mind, Nao ried to smile at the bassist but failed and only offered the other man a blank expression.
He was still sad from Joey’s absence; shock had disappeared only to be replaced by a deepening depression over the fact that she would never return and he would have to cope with that. He had watched her plane leave and that hurt had finally hit him. Though he thought about returning to his doll existence, if only to ensure that his sadness would go away, Nao knew better. Not just because his blood would not allow him, but because he didn’t want to; beyond his hurt, he truly didn’t want to return to that empty life. He was happy and excitable by nature and he wanted to find a way back to that part of himself; even still, the temptation was there and he swallowed hard against his throat as if that would push it away.
He missed her; both Joey and Evelyn were in his thoughts. In fact, the entire Lionel household was situated firmly in the forefront of his mind. He never got to tell Layton ‘goodbye’ or Layton’s pretty girlfriend ‘thank you’ for making him coffee every morning while he recovered. He didn’t get to hug Lisa and explain that Ash was fine now, happy even. He could think of something to say to each of them and, as he stood in front of his vice, he was afraid he’d never see them again…ever. He didn’t beg Joey to stay when he should have and he didn’t follow in her wake to ensure that she was in his life; he didn’t get to do half of the things he waned to do regarding the new people that mattered to him and yet now he stood certain he was about to let his own life fall wayside.
Joey’s warning rang in his head louder and clearer than every before.
Hiroto, on the other hand, was determined; a rather common trait for the more brazen of the bunch. He stood stiff and still as Kisho offered them words of encouragement. “Remember, we will be right here; should you not return within the hour, we’ll come in after you. But this is something you must do. Only then will your safety be secure.” Hiroto watched Kisho bow softly to them, his linen vest swinging forward on his back. “We will make certain that you survive this, one way or another.”
“Yes.” Hiroto agreed firmly, offering his own bow in return. He knew why it had to be done, why he wanted it to be done though it was matter they had all agreed upon as Hiroto wanted no longer to lead them to danger without their decision first. He wanted to prove to the vampires that they didn’t need to be protected by their own in order to be kept safe; that they protected themselves and weren’t in the shadow of Kisho Yamada behind him, or Akio’s little sister Hiroko Shintato off to his left, or even the tall tight lipped German Dr. Drozdov who lingered with the two visiugo at the back. He wanted to be able to stand on his own against their opponents and to ensure that the five of them had some level of control over the world they had been so abruptly plunged into.
As he stood there, gathering all his strength, he didn’t realize that he was submerging himself in the world he’d fought so hard against- the one he’d scrambled to get out of. It wasn’t the world that stole him but it was Hiroto that allowed himself to be consumed by it. He was, for all intents and purposes, trying to blend in and claim his own place; he wanted their own safety and not need to be kept safe by others and he, along with the others, meant to prove their ability to do just that.
“Elisabeth is their leader now. You will need to address her directly.” Drozdov added in his thick accent. Tora had nodded slightly, his lips pressed together as he stood close to Saga’s side. There was seriousness about them all as the air was thick with the importance of what was about to come.
“I can’t do it.” Nao suddenly squeaked, squirming out of Saga’s grasp and receding back next to Koko. Saga’s eyebrows had raised on his forehead and he moved to stop Nao but was stopped himself by Tora’s grasp. “I can’t go in there.” Nao told Koko, his voice quivering as he spoke. She reached out and caught him by the shoulder before he dropped his head against her as to gather some comfort from whatever he could. It was her name, the name of the vampire that still looped around his wrist, that branded him as her possession-and instilled the fear in him that would no doubt always exist.
Nao’s hand slipped in his pockets and his fingertips brushed against something he didn’t remember placing there. Carefully, he drew it out and eased himself away from Koko’s helpful embrace. Laying against his palm was a square, folded piece of paper. He recognized the actual paper itself; he had been looking at it for a good amount of time as he wrote to Joey on pages similar to it. It was wrinkled, likely one of the balls of paper she’d chucked at him, but had been smoothed out and folded into the square instead. He carefully pulled it open, all eyes watching him carefully in their silence.
On the small slip it merely said: ‘Go get ‘em, slick’ in a slanted, loopy hand. It was enough in that moment for Nao to hang onto though. She might not be there physically but it was her spirit in the little scrap of paper by the words she offered that he felt coursing through him. He could hear her in his head telling him if he had to do this, he better do a good job or she’d be pissed. He wasn’t sure if there was a bit of magic - or if he just wanted to hear it and believe it - that made him feel so strongly. No matter what it was, he felt her support and for it, he felt a little bolder. There was less concern about the vampiress that lie beyond the doors and had controlled him for so long. Joey’s words were encouraging him to control her, rather than the other way around as it had once been.
Nao snorted a small smile and slipped the scrap of paper in his pocket. His eyes moved back to the others, looking sheepishly to them before he sighed and bowed his head in agreement. “Okay.” He said softly. “Okay, lets go.”
Shou nodded, though he too was shaking slightly. Of them, he was the one most traumatized by the club itself having witnessed it when it was at its peak and vampires played wildly there. Tora had been nothing but a play toy at the time and too terrified by the fact that he could die to notice the actual club; and Hiroto had been a mess of aggression and determination to take away the fear that the building could instill. Shou, however, had stared at it all through frightened eyes and therefore, was left with metallic tastes in his mouth; he could remember being drenched in blood and watching the visiugo he was trying to gain the attention of as she was torn to bits.
Hiroto was the first to make a move forward. He said nothing but marched directly off the curb and toward the building, expecting that the others weren’t but a step behind him. The others immediately followed him and slipped into the club in a neat little line through the ‘welcome’ hallway.
The renovation was complete and the club had been reopened, certainly under the haste of Elisabeth and her new ownership of the clan as she tried to stamp her dominance firmly in the community now that Bastien was gone. The sound of the blood fountains rang in Shou’s ears but he didn’t turn to look at them; the whole dance floor, in fact, was just as disgusting and painted in blood as it had been the first time they’d been there. They drew attention immediately, one vampire who was the first to spot them shouted something that the five members of Alice Nine could not hear but it seemed the others had understood perfectly in their frenzied party.
As one vampire moved to catch them as if they were pray, Hiroto didn’t hesitate to snatch up Nao’s arm and thrust it forward, pointing at the inscription around it. “We’re looking for the one with this name!” He shouted to them, his vocal cords vibrating wildly as the music in the club rattled the guitarist’s entire body.
At seeing the markings on Nao, the vampire receded back, hissing; it was followed by all the ones around her as their throats opened up and they hissed at the five of them. There were levels of dominance and they clearly knew that Nao was not theirs to be touched-it was why the entire group of them had slinked away from them rather than grabbing them. Quickly, the strobes stopped flashing and the music halted, leaving the room in an eerie, ringing silence. From above, where the balcony was, Elisa’s voice rang out against the walls. “Ah…what a pleasant surprise. Welcome back my lovelies. It’s been too long-I was hoping you hadn’t forgotten me.” She cooed down to them, a sly smirk across her seductive face.
All five sets of eyes moved up to Elisa where she stood aside the tall and handsome male called Cassius. Nao was struck with how little fear he actually felt seeing them-he still was terrified of Elisa on principle but the knowledge of how safe they were kept him from true fright of what either vampire could do to him and his friends. The only sounds were those distant voices of the living bodies pinned to the ceiling and flayed open, or perforated, to allow slow bleeding.
Three of the five had been trapped in this building not long before and it was enough to send fear through each of them, and memories of the torture they’d suffered in chairs situated in the middle of, what was now, the dance floor. Tora had moved closer to Saga on instinct, particularly as he had already spotted the vampires that had caused his lover pain in the first place. Unlike Nao in that instant, Shou and Tora and Saga couldn’t get around the fact that the very building itself-and a the creatures around them-had used them each as human cutting boards.
“Thanks. Your hospitality is too much.” Tora shouted back up to her mockingly, his side still pressed closed to Saga’s. Tora’s adrenaline took over and gave him an edge in spite of his own fear. It seemed as if the vampires of the floor could smell the fear that coursed through them all. It was thick in their veins and the taste of a mortal with blood full of fright was considered a delicacy among the vampires. If only because it meant their power had succeeded in terrifying their prey. It was had them all rile up and a rustle would race through the crowd every few seconds as they pushed and shoved one another to get a better look at the scared mortals.
Shou shot him a slight scowl and Hiroto made a sound to start speaking but Shou clapped a hand on his shoulder and stepped forward. “We’ve come to negotiate peace. You leave us alone and we do the same of you.”
“Oh aren’t they precious.” She clasped her hands together at her breast bone and glanced sideways at Cassius. “They want peace after setting fire to half my community, setting loose wild visiugo on me personally, destroying my new prodigy Ashton - my first Lionel mind you, and to top it all off, killing my prince. Mind you, the last one I’m not remotely fazed by; but really, you must be joking Shou-san. Nothing could please me more than killing the five of your for the hell you’ve raised in my life; all I need now is that pretty little raccoon and the winged girl and I’d be over the moon.”
Shou sensed Nao go rigid and he to keep him from interjecting too, as he knew this was something that needed to be handled with care, he took a step forward, “You’re making a mistake-”
“ENOUGH CHATTER!” One of the vampires, who looked particularly feral and frenzied by the humans so close, and so hot with fear, interrupted the singer before he could finish. The rouge creature broke from the crowd and pounced on Shou, his strength overpowering Shou’s smaller form; it all happened so fast that no one could have expected it. Elisa’s voice rang out in anger at the beast’s hasty action.
Shou slammed hard into the floor from the force of the overly-powerful creature. The two of them slid across the floor in the slick blood and bounce into the wall. The blood sloshed around them, coating Shou’s back and making it so his clothes clung tightly to his skin. Vampires stepped aside, not dumb enough to help in the soon to be slaughterer as they knew full well that he would be punished for his actions and none of his fellow wanted the same fate. Tora had been the first to try and reach their friend but not before the vampire’s mouth closed down on Shou’s soft, fleshy skin.
Shou felt the vampire’s teeth sink into his neck and the singer’s responded with a howl as a mixture of agony and ecstasy coursed through him at the sensation. The sensation, however, stopped abruptly and it felt as if Shou was filled with emptiness just as the intense pleasure had flooded him was taken away. The second his blood touched the vampires tongue, and started to slide down his throat, it burned away the vampire’s flesh entirely. From the inside out came actual flames that licked the inside of his body, engulfing him in light. Holes appeared in his skin as if he were rapidly decaying, the skeleton underneath charred as the vampire’s skin was burned too. In a matter of second, the vampire became ash and disappeared from existence as the mixture fell away into the air around them. It had happened while he gasped and clutched at his throat, incinerated in mere seconds.
Shou had propped himself up on his elbow to watch, shocked at how fast the process consumed the creature. His other hand was pressed against his neck where blood was still flowing from the two puncture wounds. The large number of vampires still present receded backwards, as far as they could from the bleeding man who clearly was a threat to them. Their faces were distorted in confusion and what almost looked like fear of Shou.
A hand had moved over Elisa’s mouth; she stood still in her spot before she cursed under her breath, her voice echoing only because the room had gone painfully silent again. Nao immediately went to Shou, he and Tora helping the fallen man to his feet and Hiroto spared no time in taking that moment to interject. “How about those peace talks now?” He felt, for the first time since his exposure to this world, in absolute control. It was a valiant feeling and he felt one corner of his mouth turn up triumphantly.
Saga, however, moved in next to Hiroto and started to speak. He was patient and calm as he did so though is voice was tight. He was doing his best to keep focus and stay in control as the surroundings were still difficult for him to bear. “We’re protected - the five of us - against your kind. As you can see.”
“I could kill you -“ She snapped at him, her fingers gripping tightly to the railing of the balcony. The only thing that kept her from leaping over the edge in her fury-and making a mistake as she would bite into one and find herself incinerated-was Cassius’ firmly hold on her shoulders. “I should kill you and I will…if you have the concoction Ash was working on then…I will kill you. Make no mistake of that!” She spat hastily.
Saga, however, held up a hand as if to stop her. “You could do that, but that wouldn’t stop those who know from manufacturing and producing it; it will be given to every human child when they receive their other immunizations; or perhaps even at birth - infiltrated and marketed as something that it’s not to keep humanity safe but presented as something that it’s not. But that’s not why we’ve come; not to tell you your race will be exterminated, give me a moment…” he told her, seeing that she was seething as her chest rose and fell in large heaves regardless of whether she needed breath or not.
“We mean not to give it to everyone. We mean to keep it secret; that’s the negotiation. None of you harm us and the inoculation remains safe, hidden and unspoken of. Should one of us be harmed by you or your kind, however, those that do know of the vaccination will release gladly it to the public.” Saga’s eyes were trained on her the entire time he spoke; he appeared strong and brave in that moment though his hand, still on Hiroto’s shoulder, was shaking slightly.
“How can we be sure you’ll keep your word? We are not the ignorant creatures you’ve not doubt been told of. There is no reason to trust you just as you have no reason to trust us. How can we know you won’t release it otherwise?” It was Cassius’s voice that cut in, strangely calm as he tried to keep Elisa from leaping forward-though his face was contorted in irritation as he looked down to them.
“You can’t.” Saga responded, his eyes flicking over to Cassius. “However…what choice do you have? I’ll tell you again that we won’t, but you will just have to take my word for it. I can promise you that if you harm one of us, it will absolutely happen; therefore it is your choice to risk it. If you kill us, it’s certain to happen - you’re better chance is to let us go and hope we’re telling the truth.”
The vampires had moved even further back so that the dance floor was entirely empty and even the moans from overhead had stopped as if they too could sense the tension in the room. She was livid, it was obvious and Hiroto felt smugly proud as he looked around at the vampires who seemed terrified of him and his friends. Tora and Nao were helping to stop Shou’s bleeding as Saga spoke; just there very presence in the room had managed to control it entirely. It was a feat Hiroto thought none of them could ever accomplish, that they’d be forever at the mercy of these sadistic people, and yet there they stood with the advantage.
“We’re done here.” Cassius snapped swiftly, his eyes dark with hate and disgust for the five before them. He tightened his grip on Elisa’s arm, tugging her away from the railing in the hopes of getting her to retreat. It was the safest, for the vampires, route to take. “You’ve made your point…now get out of here.”
Saga bowed his head down; a small smiled even tugged at the corners of his lips. “With pleasure.” He caught a proud and approving glance Tora shot him. Nao and Tora stood on either side of Shou in order to catch him should he fall from dizziness and Saga’s threw his arm triumphantly around Hiroto’s shoulder, leading him away from the dance floor they had occupied. The five of them finally walked out of the club without fear of what could be following them.
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Three Months Later
Hiroto was the first to hit the stage for the live performance they were about to put on. There were screams that drown out anything else he could hear and the lights from the stage made it seem as if the people awaiting them was larger than he knew it was. It was comfortable to be there, to see the crowd of people all cheering for them; nothing could outweigh the excitement coursing through him to be in a place so familiar. There was adrenaline and energy, joy and sheer optimism that came from the depths of the crowd and Hiroto could feel in the very base of his soul. He circled the stage in a run, letting energy pump him up and get him ready for the level of enthusiasm he would need for the night ahead.
He could hear the crowd roar as his friends joined him on stage one by one, just as invigorated by the sight. He grinned wide as he scanned the crowd, taken with each and every one of them. His mind wondered momentarily; he recalled Payton’s words about how everything was hidden in plain sight and it simply took the right eye to see it. Hiroto considered which of those in the crowd were changelings there to glean a little bit of raw magic from the very magical nature of live music. There were probably a few hidden visiugo who happened to be fans and even a mage or two happy to experience life a little beyond the world they tried to conceal.
There as a time that it would have made him uneasy to think on. He laughed as Shou skirted him and patted his shoulder as he passed; he ducked when Nao made to give him a fake punch, laughter consuming them both. Now, however, it was more of a feeling of ease that allowed Hiroto to be himself despite the possibilities. They weren’t separated from him, they weren’t a different bunch of people but ones who shared the same culture and society and were just as mortal as he was. It was not scary and not something he could ignore; rather it was something he had learned to embrace.
Saga and Tora had made it on stage and both were hamming it up, trying to get the crowd ready. Hiroto’s friends had all taken it well and learned before he did the good that was to be seen in the world they’d stumbled on. He, in fact, understood that they created magic of sorts - they certainly fed the changelings - through doing just what they did. It was good magic, magic that should be embraced and loved, and Hiroto had learned that too.
He felt something brush his shoulder and he spotted Nao, who had stopped bouncing around as he often did. In fact, he was walking cautiously toward the edge of the stage which only ignited the cheering for him from the crowd. The drummer had one hand perched along his brow as if to shield his eyes from the bright lights overhead.
Nao, on the other hand, had always been pro magic. He still was captured by the very fact that it existed all around them. He could tell his friends had stopped to watch him, but he was certain he caught something from the corner of his eye; a flicker, he fleetingly thought, of something purely magical. It was their first live since they’d healed and he was just as eager to get it started as they were. He sank down to his knees at the edge of the stage in front of a woman with long dark hair and a sly look on her face. She was separated from him by the pathway left for cameras and security but there was no confusing what he saw.
Up to him she held a small candy wrapped in yellow cellophane, reaching it out as far as she could towards him. “This time it’s for real, this time it’s just a candy.” She shouted, barely audible above the noise though Nao figured he could hear it because he wanted to hear her. He gingerly reached out, afraid he was imagining what he was seeing, in order to take the candy from her grasp. When his fingers, as he had to lean far over to get it, closed around the piece of butterscotch and he was made aware that it (and she) was very real, he let out an echoing laugh. It was a full, boisterous and energetic as the outburst overtook his entire face. “Joahee!” He exclaimed, nearly falling off the stage in his zeal and excitement.
A moment later, he did come off the stage, but of his own volition. The girls moved forward and the security tucked in closer around him but he didn’t pay much attention to either. He gathered Joey up in his arms without even thinking his actions through, giving her an excited hug as if to solidify how very real she was. “You’re here!” He felt security giving him a little tug to urge him back on stage; he knew that he had to so he hurriedly looked to her and she offered him a sly, little smile. He was a little frantic, unprepared to let her go for fear that she might not be there when he closed his eyes and opened them again.
“You’re a tough little Asian to get a hold of when one wants to. All these people who protect you and what not.” She told him in the familiar lazy tone she often used.
“I have to go.” He said frowning, pointing to the stage, but she laughed; one that matched the bored tone she often used. In that second, he had forgotten about his excitement to play and was instead overcome with his happiness in seeing Joey there at all.
“Yeah…I know.” She told him. “Go get ‘em slick. For real this time.” She told him again. “I’ll…be here. Right here when you’re done. I’m not going anywhere, I’m hopeless and couldn’t live without you. Fucking changelings and our senseless romantic side-logical and all that bull shit comes second to it. I think I almost died of heart break because of you, slick. Way to go. Remember, I’m a fan of you. Of you.” She patted his cheek and pulled away from Nao, waving for him to get back up on the stage with a serious look in her eye. Nao pointed at he ground and mouthed ‘wait right here’ only to receive a smile from the pooka.
And with that Nao took the stage; there was a new found hope in him and he laughed, hugging Hiroto swiftly before he bounded his way back towards his drum set. A brighter look was on Shou’s face than Nao ever remembered having seen before. Saga clapped the drummer on the shoulder and Tora held his index fingers up to the sides of his head as if he were making little devil horns, but Hiroto’s eyes stayed fixed on Joey for a moment. She shrugged at him and he smiled back, realizing his assessment of the crowd was right - there were all sorts of creatures in the sea of people before him. But he was once more filled with a sigh of relief; they might not all be human but they were all fans and for that he appreciated them even more.
‘This is exactly how it’s supposed to be,’ he thought just as the others gathered their instruments and Nao picked up his sticks and busted out into their first song of the set.
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Authors' Note:
Jackie & Mandy: We don't want to bore you all to death with a big note where we tell you how sad we are to see this end. :D You already know that. :D We've said it a million times. So instead we will thank you--truly THANK YOU--for how much support you've given us. Neither one of us actually thought we'd finish this story--we sort of thought we'd get sick of it, bored and then move onto the next shiny ball. But we didn't and we had all three parts done in about four months. Which was only delayed because the real world is a bitch. :D
Now!! Before you tuck this story away for good, forget us both and go off on your merry way, we have a question. :D We've both talked his over again and again and we know our own answers--but we want to hear what you lot thing. Out of the three (God Bless Catastrophe, Mercy Me, and It's Not That Far Away), which is your favorite? You can tell us why, you can tell us none, you can tell us all--you can completely ignore us too. :D Though we'd appreciate it if you didn't do that last one.
So again!! Thank you!! We're glad you stuck around--we certainly didn't expect anyone to. ^_^