Tyrant Fanfic: Blood, Love and Tears. Chapter 28
The next chapter is ready. ^-^ Now you’ll know for sure who kidnapped Souichi. And you’ll have a bit more from Isogai/Hiroto relationship, or lack of it. ;)
The 29th chapter? Eee…. I’m not sure. XD But I’ll do my best.
Title: Blood, love and tears
Author: yaoilovefan
Beta: elyrian
Warnings: language
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Souichi, Masaki, Hiroto, Isogai, Kurokawa, Tomoe
Note: It's an AU fic.
Summary: Morinaga is a vampire and wants to play around. One night in a club he finds an interesting human and is mesmerized by him. Will he only use his new prey or will he fall in love? And how will the other one react on an immortal lover? What will his feelings be?
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Souichi came to awareness very slowly. His head was killing him and he was a bit nauseous, not to mention how thirsty he was. Moving his muscles wasn’t a positive thing either. They felt sore. Souichi couldn’t remember what he had done to make his muscles scream at him like that. Despite his body’s protests he rolled to the side very slowly and with a very loud groan.
“Ahh… so you’re finally awake. Good. I was starting to worry,” said a cool, composed voice.
Souichi’s eyes snapped open at once. After a few blinks the initial shock of finding himself yet again in a strange and unfamiliar place passed, and his eyes found a handsome man sitting in a heavy mahogany armchair. The stranger was holding an open book in his lap although his eyes were focused on Souichi. He was dressed in blue pants and a sleeveless button down tunic in the same color. Both pieces had masterfully sewn western style dragons on them and Souichi wanted to stare at the pattern a bit longer than would have been polite.
Suddenly his last memories returned to him. Souichi remembered seeing the man, sitting so casually yet quite gracefully, before and he also remembered the circumstances of that meeting. Souichi bolted upright, although he was too weak to move out of bed and stand on his own feet he shifted backwards until his back hit the headboard. His muscles were screaming at him for making them move so much with such a high degree of tension and a sudden bout of dizziness hit him. Souichi closed his eyes for a moment but didn’t trust having them shut for very long with a cold-blooded blood sucker in the same room.
“As if,” he sneered when he opened his eyes again and sent the vampire a mighty glare. He couldn’t stop himself. Even knowing how dangerous a pissed off vampire could be, he just had to voice his displeasure.
The vampire’s eyes narrowed. “You’re a cocky one, aren’t you?” He looked at Souichi with cold distaste.
Souichi felt as if the other man was judging him and not thinking much of what he saw. For some reason he felt insulted by that assessing gaze.
“Fuck off!” Souichi sneered defensively. He was in a very bad mood. Not to mention that he wasn’t feeling confident at all, and now that he was more awake fear started to crawl its way into his heart. He wasn’t about to let himself become overwhelmed by his emotions but he also wasn’t strong enough to fend off anything that might come his way. He was still feeling like shit and wanted desperately to lie down and rest. That desire was currently even greater than his need to get away from the vampire.
“I advise you to take it easy,” the vampire said coolly, sitting calmly in his armchair. “You’re still very weak. I can hear your heartbeat.”
Souichi grimaced.
“Where am I? What do you want from me? Who are you?” Souichi felt a sense of déjà vu. He couldn’t remember well, but thought that those might have been the same questions he had asked Morinaga a few weeks ago.
The vampire didn’t answer him, just looked at him stoically. The only thing he did was close the book on his lap.
Souichi suspected that the vampire was holding in a sneer and it puzzled him. Why would he do such a thing?
“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” The vampire smirked. “And you’re wrong. I was just wondering if you’re really this oblivious or if you’re trying to deceive me for some odd reason.”
‘He’s fucking reading my mind!’ Souichi’s hackles rose instantly but he really didn’t have enough blood to expend his energy on being angry and a very powerful wave of dizziness hit him. He closed his eyes and slid down, lying flat on the bed again. He tried to breathe as deeply as he could but his ears were still ringing.
“Here, you should drink this,” the vampire said from nearby.
Souichi opened his eyes and saw his oppressor offering him a glass of water. He frowned but sat up slowly and took the water anyway. Drinking the cool liquid felt wonderful and he downed it within seconds. The vampire stood by his side the whole time and when Souichi had drunk the water, he took the glass and put it down on the night stand near the bed beside a tall crystal pitcher full of water. Souichi wanted more but he was not about to ask for a refill.
The vampire didn’t say a thing but reached for the pitcher and poured another glass, passing the glass to Souichi with a raised eyebrow. Souichi gritted his teeth; he really didn’t like this vampire’s cockiness. He clearly didn’t know the meaning of the word privacy and Souichi was sure that his thoughts should be private and not a buffet lunch kind of thing.
He took the glass anyway. He didn’t think he should have to act politely towards a person that had violated and kidnapped him. The thought of another violation that the vampire might want made him choke on the water. He sputtered and coughed.
“Calm down. I’m not after your sweet behind,” the vampire said with slight amusement in his voice. “Although I have to admit, your ass looks tight and perky. No wonder Tetsuhiro came after it.”
“You know Morinaga?” Souichi asked when he had gotten rid of the water in his windpipe. He didn’t want to admit it but he was relieved after the vampire’s reassurance. He ignored the comment about his ass and hoped that this time his kidnapper would answer him.
The vampire chuckled, taking the glass from the human’s fingers and setting it back down near the pitcher. “Quite intimately,” he answered looking smugly at Souichi.
“WHAT?!” Souichi yelled and regretted it a moment later when another dizzy spell hit him. He hadn’t been expecting such an answer and felt a pang of something in his chest. The feeling was not pleasant and he tried to ignore it by focusing on the vampire’s imminent words even if he secretly dreaded what he might say next.
“Don’t be so shocked. Did you think you were his first?” the vampire sneered amusedly, but his eyes soon narrowed with annoyance. “Think again, human. He was mine, sleeping in my bed long before you were born,” he hissed then turned around and strolled away from the bed.
‘He wants to have one up on me! … but why?’ Souichi frowned, puzzled.
“I don’t fucking care,” he said, forcing himself to speak as calmly as possible. He wasn’t sure how to take the new revelations. He never in his life would have thought he would meet Morinaga’s ex-lover. Not to mention that the ex-lover looked striking and might actually be a class above Souichi. ‘I don’t care!’
“Oh yes, you do,” the vampire purred, one side of his lips pulled up and eyes half lidded. He was leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Would you mind stopping reading my mind?” Souichi glared, totally fed up with vampire super powers.
“Aww… it’s not that simple. Hasn’t Tetsuhiro explained anything to you? The deeper the connection between the vampire and its food the more instinctual and therefore easier the mind reading,” the vampire explained.
“What are you talking about?” Souichi sat there confused. He couldn’t understand what the vampire was trying to tell him. That because Souichi was his food, he could now read his mind without trying? Was that it? That didn’t make any sense to Souichi.
“You’re so ignorant,” the vampire whispered looking at the human with superiority. “It’s pathetic.”
Souichi’s eyes widened. No one could call him pathetic. No one!
“Fuck y-“ Souichi had such a nice speech prepared. The vampire wouldn’t have been able to tell top from bottom after Souichi stopped yelling at him, but before he could even properly start he was violently stopped.
The vampire moved with lightning speed and gripped Souichi by the throat, hoisting him up so that he had to grip the vampire’s arm to steady himself on the bed.
“I advise you to think before you speak. I do not take kindly to people that disrespect me,” he hissed, looking Souichi in the eyes and squeezing the human’s throat once and then letting him go altogether.
Souichi hit the mattress and rubbed his throat, looking at the vampire with fury. He had had enough of vampire attitude.
“Who - who are you anyway?” Souichi asked still rubbing his throat.
“Your beloved vampire’s worst nightmare,” the vampire said enigmatically while returning to his place leaning against the mahogany door. “My name’s Masaki Yunya.”
“What do you mean… worst nightmare?” Suddenly Souichi felt an ominous feeling creep up his spine. “What did you do?” he asked quietly and then more loudly, “What the fuck have you done to him?!”
“Nothing much,” Masaki shrugged, unconcerned with Souichi’s anger. “I only accepted his feelings.”
“Morinaga loved you….?” Souichi asked numbly. He didn’t think he’d like the path this conversation was going down…
“He still does,” Masaki said confidently looking boldly into Souichi’s eyes. “He wouldn’t be hurting so much still if he didn’t love me anymore.”
“What?” If Souichi thought that Morinaga was the one who talked rubbish then he needed to have a reality check. He didn’t understand even half of what this vampire was talking about. He had a sneaking suspicion that Masaki was telling him something more than he was catching.
Also the thought that Morinaga might really love this man was making Souichi hurt inside for some odd reason. ‘I don’t care! I don’t care who he loves. It’s none of my business.’
Masaki chuckled. “You lot are very entertaining. The way you deny your thoughts and feelings. It’s very amusing.”
“Mind your own business,” Souichi murmured unhappily. He didn’t want to feel like this but it was beyond his control. His heart was rebelling against him and doing exactly what, Souichi suspected, the wretched vampire wanted it to do, namely hurt.
“Ah, but I am. I’m most certainly minding my own business. That’s exactly why you’re here,” Masaki said looking with narrowed eyes at Souichi. At the human’s quizzical look he continued. “You’re my trump card. I won’t be freeing you until I get what I want.”
That was not what Souichi wanted to hear. He wanted it to be a stupid joke played on one vampire by another. He would have been pissed if that was the case, but it would have been a relatively benign thing. Or even a pissed off man, vampire in this case, wanting to get back at his straying lover by messing with the third party. That scenario would have been a lot more painful and humiliating but probably would have been resolved fairly quickly. The thought that he was here, wherever that might be, because this frigid vampire wanted to use him to strike some kind of a deal was not sitting well with Souichi.
“And what is this bargain about?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know but he had to ask. If he was about to become a tool in a game of power between vampires he had the right and obligation to know what would be happening because of his kidnapping. That might also give him a very good reason to strike at Morinaga without the vampire evading his punch when he saw him when this was over.
“It’s none of your concern,” Masaki smiled smugly. He retrieved the book he had previously left in the armchair and made his way to the door again. “I would advise you not to leave this room in the hope of escaping. It’s pointless. You are protected here but out there,” standing by the door with his back to it, he pointed at the door with his thumb over his shoulder, “you’ll be on your own.”
He opened the door and stepped outside but before he closed it again he looked Souichi straight in the eyes and added, “And as I said, you have a delicious ass that a lot of demons would love to fuck.” He smiled wickedly and closed the door after himself.
Souichi gulped. He didn’t hear a lock turning but he had stayed long enough in this realm, he was sure he was in the Demon World again, to know that there didn’t need to be a lock to make a door impossible to open.
Now that he was alone he looked around the room. It wasn’t anything like the tower he had been locked in before. The first glaring difference was that there were no windows here, only thick navy blue draperies on the walls. The ceiling was made of stone; a chessboard like pattern was carved on it. Every square was filled with an image of either a raging sun or a sliver of the waning crescent moon. There were also far less crystals illuminating the room than in the tower. The floor was made out of solid rock, smooth and shiny probably from constant use. Souichi wondered whose room this was.
There were a few rugs covering the floor but Souichi still suspected that it was extremely cold and he also noticed that he had no idea where his shoes were. He wasn’t cold although the temperature in the room was cool. The furniture was also sparse although all made out of mahogany: only a bed, a bed side table, a large desk, and an armchair cushioned with material the same color as the draperies. He didn’t see a bathroom door.
‘Well, I didn’t see a door in the tower, either.’ Souichi thought. ‘Looks like I’ll need to snoop around a bit.’
Souichi’s head started to hurt. He was still weak and a bit of sleep would do him good so he lay down and closed his eyes but sleep wasn’t coming this easily. He wasn’t feeling safe. That Masaki guy had said that he was protected here but Souichi didn’t believe him. He felt vulnerable and very exposed. Masaki’s parting words still rang in his head. What if a demon happened to come into the room and saw him lying on the bed? Would he try to rape Souichi?
He rolled from one side to the other, finally settling on the side facing the door. ‘Are they even locked?’
He caught himself on a yawn and sighed. He was exhausted. ‘I should probably eat something.’ He looked around once more but save for the crystal pitcher of water, there was nothing resembling sustenance in the room. He drank a bit more water and flopped on the bed again. Even something as mundane as pouring himself a glass of water had him feeling dizzy.
“Morinaga, you better find me,” he whispered.
*** ***
In the Human World a very frustrated Vampire was following a very infuriating Hunter.
“What if the others hadn’t found anything either? What will we do then?” Hiroto asked worriedly. He knew that Morinaga would not be happy about the lack of any promising news and he hoped at least his friend had had more luck finding Souichi than they had.
“We’ll think of something,” Isogai shrugged strolling determinedly down the street. They were heading back to Tatsumi’s house to meet with their friends and discuss what to do now.
“You’re very confident. Aren’t you even a little bit worried about Souichi?” Hiroto asked, appalled and annoyed. Humans thought that Vampires were heartless monsters but this Hunter seemed totally unmoved by the disappearance of a human he was supposed to protect.
“Who said I’m not worried?” Isogai asked looking back at the Vampire.
“You don’t act the part,” Hiroto snorted.
The Hunter sighed, stopped, and turned around to face the Vampire.
“Look, it seems you don’t like me much - “
“I wonder why?” Hiroto interrupted one eyebrow arched.
“Yes, I wonder,” Isogai threw Hiroto a calculating look.
“Are you kidding?” Hiroto’s mouth dropped open. The Hunter had some nerve, he had to admit that.
“What?” Isogai asked, puzzled.
“Don’t tell me you really don’t know?”
Isogai rolled his eyes. “For a Vampire you’re very sensitive, aren’t you?”
“And what do you know about Vampires, huh?” Hiroto poked the Hunter in the middle of his chest. He was a bit shorter than the Hunter but he didn’t let it intimidate him. He was used to looking up at people, being one of the smallest Vampires alive. Normally his kind was rather tall. “Tell me!” he demanded.
“Whatever I know, I’d like to learn more,” Isogai pressed. He caught Hiroto’s hand in his own, and when the Vampire wanted to withdraw it he didn’t let him, holding tightly and looking the Vampire in the eyes with utmost seriousness. “Will you teach me?”
Hiroto hesitated, and then shook his head in resignation. “You’re playing with me again.” He noticed the surprise in the Hunter’s gaze and snorted. “Why so surprised? I’m not stupid, you know. I won’t fall for the same trick twice.”
Isogai grimaced but let Hiroto’s hand go. He took a few steps back and looked morosely at the Vampire. “I’m not stupid, either,” he said seriously.
This time it was Hiroto’s turn to look surprised. “What? What do you mean?”
“Now… it’s your turn to be kidding,” the Hunter arched a brown the same way Hiroto had a few moments before.
“Look, I don’t have the slightest idea - “
“Really now. Weren’t you planning to play with me a bit and then perhaps… suck me dry? One less Hunter in the world?” Isogai moved to the side and his gaze started sweeping their surroundings.
Hiroto stood there and looking stupefied, totally floored by the Hunter’s accusations. Isogai, as if not noticing the way the Vampire reacted to his words, carried on.
“I can’t really blame you. We’re enemies and now we have a truce because of Tatsumi-kun, but we both know what would be happening if not for the matter of finding Souichi. Your fang-y friend might have a soft spot for Souichi Tatsumi and he might even love the human, but I’m not stupid. If Souichi was a Hunter, Morinaga wouldn’t have even glanced twice in his direction, just simply killed him when he had the chance.” Isogai shrugged and finally looked at the Vampire. And froze.
Hiroto had a calm almost serene expression on his face. Isogai had never imagined that a creature that he had thought of as a predator could look so beautiful and harmless. He didn’t know what to say or do, didn’t even know if he should speak at all after his little speech. So they just stood there looking at each other for a very long time.
Finally Hiroto broke the silence. “It’s a shame,” Hiroto said and strode past the stunned Isogai, then he turned his head and asked, “You coming?”
The Hunter shook his head to clear it of the multitude of contradicting thoughts and emotions and continued forward. They didn’t speak until they reached Tatsumi’s house, both immersed in their own thoughts. Kurokawa was already inside talking with Tomoe; Kanako was staying at a friend’s house for the night. Isogai rang the bell and waited for someone to open the door. Before that happened Morinaga materialized behind them seemingly from out of nowhere.
“That wasn’t very wise,” Isogai said without turning around. “I had to fight all my instincts not to put a bullet in you.”
“Did you find something?” Morinaga ignored Isogai and turned to Hiroto who sadly shook his head in denial.
Morinaga growled in frustration. In front of them the door opened and Tomoe looked at them, his eyes widening slightly when he heard the growl. Behind him stood a grim looking Kurokawa. Morinaga stopped growling and looked at Souichi’s younger brother. They didn’t really look much alike although they both had that air of innocence around them. Morinaga thought that if he had to describe them he would use the word “pure”.
“Come in,” Tomoe stepped aside and the two Vampires and the Hunter entered. “Did you find anything?” he asked with nervous anticipation.
“No,” Isogai said apologetically, making Hiroto look at him oddly. Then the Vampire’s attention shifted to the nervous human who was looking from one new face to the other and back again.
“Hi! I’m Hiroto,” he extended his hand with a smile and shook Tomoe’s when the human gripped his hand. “And this is Morinaga Tetsuhiro,” he pointed with his head to where Morinaga was standing deep in thought.
“Ni-nice meeting you both,” Tomoe said shyly but with a positive attitude.
“Too bad that it’s in such dire circumstances.” Hiroto’s happiness at Tomoe’s reaction visibly deflated and his smile evaporated.
“Lets go to the living room, then we’ll talk and decide what to do now,” Isogai proposed looking at Hiroto with an unreadable expression.
After everybody sat, Morinaga in an even grumpier mood than before, Isogai started speaking.
“We need to state some facts first.” He turned to Morinaga and looked the Vampire over before continuing. “When was the last time you saw Soucihi-kun?”
“You want to interrogate me?” Morinaga asked incredulously and irritatedly, a note of threat audible in the tone of his voice.
Tomoe tensed and Kurokawa enveloped him in his arms. The two were sitting side by side on the couch. The other three people occupied two armchairs, and in Hiroto’s case sitting astride a chair.
Morinaga saw Kurokawa’s gesture and his eyes widened. Without shifting his gaze from the cuddling couple he answered Isogai’s question without further complaint.
“I saw him in my own realm, just before my brother forced him to step through the portal.”
“And you haven’t tried to contact him after that? You haven’t sent any demons, small or big, to keep an eye on him?” This time it was Kurokawa who asked.
Morinaga focused his attention solemnly on the Hunter and shook his head in denial. “No, on both questions.”
Before either Hunter had the time to ask anything else Morinaga started speaking. “It would have been very dangerous trying to contact Sou-chan in any way or form so soon after my brother discovered him in the castle.” Morinaga’s jaw clenched, remembering the fear he had felt back when he was sure Kunihiro would kill Souichi. To distract himself from unpleasant memories he carried on. “And by sending out a Demon or some other creature to keep an eye on him… that would have only scared him and wouldn’t help me at all. Not to mention whoever I’d sent, they would have been in mortal peril if they stumbled upon the both of you.” Morinaga looked meaningfully at Kurokawa who shifted slightly in his seat.
“So it wasn’t you, nor was it someone sent by you we sensed opening and closing the portal.” Isogai hummed. “And since Souichi-kun’s gone and we can’t find him, we need to assume that whoever took him didn’t have good intentions.”
“But you’ll find him, right?” Tomoe asked scared for his brother’s safety.
Before any of the Hunters could speak Morinaga moved from his seat and knelt in front of Tomoe.
“I give you my word that Souichi’ll return home safe and sound. I won’t let anything bad happen to him, I promise you that,” he said seriously, taking Tomoe’s hand and squeezing it lightly for reassurance.
Tomoe sat stunned for a moment and then nodded his head; his shoulders weren’t as tense as they were just a moment ago. He also gave Morinaga a tiny smile.
Both Hunters were looking at the still kneeling Vampire with a mixture of stunned disbelief and awe. What Morinaga had just done was something they were taught Vampires weren’t capable of doing. Morinaga just proved them wrong, showing them a depth they were not aware the blood sucking creatures possessed.
‘What else differs from what we were taught?’ Isogai wondered, his gaze straying to the other Vampire still straddling the chair comfortably, totally undisturbed and unsurprised by Morinaga’s behavior. At that moment he sincerely regretted turning Hiroto down and agreed with him wholeheartedly. ‘It is indeed a shame.’
As if the other had heard, Hiroto turned his head in Isogai’s direction and lifted one eyebrow.
Isogai looked more closely at Hiroto. The Vampire was slim and looked fit. He wondered how flexible he was. The clothes he wore were only highlighting his build, making him look irresistible. The tight jeans and snug t-shirt looked as if tailor made for the Vampire.
Isogai turned his head away. ‘Damn! I’m such an idiot!’
Note: I’m a tease, I know. You all want for Souichi and Morinaga to finally meet again and here the bad author is making everything difficult and writes about everything else but their reunion. XD But I never said their reunion will be quick, right? ;) And on top of that I’ve given you a new mystery: what use has Masaki for Souichi?
Now leave me some comments, please, to make me happy. ^-^
The 29th chapter? Eee…. I’m not sure. XD But I’ll do my best.
Title: Blood, love and tears
Author: yaoilovefan
Beta: elyrian
Warnings: language
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Souichi, Masaki, Hiroto, Isogai, Kurokawa, Tomoe
Note: It's an AU fic.
Summary: Morinaga is a vampire and wants to play around. One night in a club he finds an interesting human and is mesmerized by him. Will he only use his new prey or will he fall in love? And how will the other one react on an immortal lover? What will his feelings be?
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Souichi came to awareness very slowly. His head was killing him and he was a bit nauseous, not to mention how thirsty he was. Moving his muscles wasn’t a positive thing either. They felt sore. Souichi couldn’t remember what he had done to make his muscles scream at him like that. Despite his body’s protests he rolled to the side very slowly and with a very loud groan.
“Ahh… so you’re finally awake. Good. I was starting to worry,” said a cool, composed voice.
Souichi’s eyes snapped open at once. After a few blinks the initial shock of finding himself yet again in a strange and unfamiliar place passed, and his eyes found a handsome man sitting in a heavy mahogany armchair. The stranger was holding an open book in his lap although his eyes were focused on Souichi. He was dressed in blue pants and a sleeveless button down tunic in the same color. Both pieces had masterfully sewn western style dragons on them and Souichi wanted to stare at the pattern a bit longer than would have been polite.
Suddenly his last memories returned to him. Souichi remembered seeing the man, sitting so casually yet quite gracefully, before and he also remembered the circumstances of that meeting. Souichi bolted upright, although he was too weak to move out of bed and stand on his own feet he shifted backwards until his back hit the headboard. His muscles were screaming at him for making them move so much with such a high degree of tension and a sudden bout of dizziness hit him. Souichi closed his eyes for a moment but didn’t trust having them shut for very long with a cold-blooded blood sucker in the same room.
“As if,” he sneered when he opened his eyes again and sent the vampire a mighty glare. He couldn’t stop himself. Even knowing how dangerous a pissed off vampire could be, he just had to voice his displeasure.
The vampire’s eyes narrowed. “You’re a cocky one, aren’t you?” He looked at Souichi with cold distaste.
Souichi felt as if the other man was judging him and not thinking much of what he saw. For some reason he felt insulted by that assessing gaze.
“Fuck off!” Souichi sneered defensively. He was in a very bad mood. Not to mention that he wasn’t feeling confident at all, and now that he was more awake fear started to crawl its way into his heart. He wasn’t about to let himself become overwhelmed by his emotions but he also wasn’t strong enough to fend off anything that might come his way. He was still feeling like shit and wanted desperately to lie down and rest. That desire was currently even greater than his need to get away from the vampire.
“I advise you to take it easy,” the vampire said coolly, sitting calmly in his armchair. “You’re still very weak. I can hear your heartbeat.”
Souichi grimaced.
“Where am I? What do you want from me? Who are you?” Souichi felt a sense of déjà vu. He couldn’t remember well, but thought that those might have been the same questions he had asked Morinaga a few weeks ago.
The vampire didn’t answer him, just looked at him stoically. The only thing he did was close the book on his lap.
Souichi suspected that the vampire was holding in a sneer and it puzzled him. Why would he do such a thing?
“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” The vampire smirked. “And you’re wrong. I was just wondering if you’re really this oblivious or if you’re trying to deceive me for some odd reason.”
‘He’s fucking reading my mind!’ Souichi’s hackles rose instantly but he really didn’t have enough blood to expend his energy on being angry and a very powerful wave of dizziness hit him. He closed his eyes and slid down, lying flat on the bed again. He tried to breathe as deeply as he could but his ears were still ringing.
“Here, you should drink this,” the vampire said from nearby.
Souichi opened his eyes and saw his oppressor offering him a glass of water. He frowned but sat up slowly and took the water anyway. Drinking the cool liquid felt wonderful and he downed it within seconds. The vampire stood by his side the whole time and when Souichi had drunk the water, he took the glass and put it down on the night stand near the bed beside a tall crystal pitcher full of water. Souichi wanted more but he was not about to ask for a refill.
The vampire didn’t say a thing but reached for the pitcher and poured another glass, passing the glass to Souichi with a raised eyebrow. Souichi gritted his teeth; he really didn’t like this vampire’s cockiness. He clearly didn’t know the meaning of the word privacy and Souichi was sure that his thoughts should be private and not a buffet lunch kind of thing.
He took the glass anyway. He didn’t think he should have to act politely towards a person that had violated and kidnapped him. The thought of another violation that the vampire might want made him choke on the water. He sputtered and coughed.
“Calm down. I’m not after your sweet behind,” the vampire said with slight amusement in his voice. “Although I have to admit, your ass looks tight and perky. No wonder Tetsuhiro came after it.”
“You know Morinaga?” Souichi asked when he had gotten rid of the water in his windpipe. He didn’t want to admit it but he was relieved after the vampire’s reassurance. He ignored the comment about his ass and hoped that this time his kidnapper would answer him.
The vampire chuckled, taking the glass from the human’s fingers and setting it back down near the pitcher. “Quite intimately,” he answered looking smugly at Souichi.
“WHAT?!” Souichi yelled and regretted it a moment later when another dizzy spell hit him. He hadn’t been expecting such an answer and felt a pang of something in his chest. The feeling was not pleasant and he tried to ignore it by focusing on the vampire’s imminent words even if he secretly dreaded what he might say next.
“Don’t be so shocked. Did you think you were his first?” the vampire sneered amusedly, but his eyes soon narrowed with annoyance. “Think again, human. He was mine, sleeping in my bed long before you were born,” he hissed then turned around and strolled away from the bed.
‘He wants to have one up on me! … but why?’ Souichi frowned, puzzled.
“I don’t fucking care,” he said, forcing himself to speak as calmly as possible. He wasn’t sure how to take the new revelations. He never in his life would have thought he would meet Morinaga’s ex-lover. Not to mention that the ex-lover looked striking and might actually be a class above Souichi. ‘I don’t care!’
“Oh yes, you do,” the vampire purred, one side of his lips pulled up and eyes half lidded. He was leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Would you mind stopping reading my mind?” Souichi glared, totally fed up with vampire super powers.
“Aww… it’s not that simple. Hasn’t Tetsuhiro explained anything to you? The deeper the connection between the vampire and its food the more instinctual and therefore easier the mind reading,” the vampire explained.
“What are you talking about?” Souichi sat there confused. He couldn’t understand what the vampire was trying to tell him. That because Souichi was his food, he could now read his mind without trying? Was that it? That didn’t make any sense to Souichi.
“You’re so ignorant,” the vampire whispered looking at the human with superiority. “It’s pathetic.”
Souichi’s eyes widened. No one could call him pathetic. No one!
“Fuck y-“ Souichi had such a nice speech prepared. The vampire wouldn’t have been able to tell top from bottom after Souichi stopped yelling at him, but before he could even properly start he was violently stopped.
The vampire moved with lightning speed and gripped Souichi by the throat, hoisting him up so that he had to grip the vampire’s arm to steady himself on the bed.
“I advise you to think before you speak. I do not take kindly to people that disrespect me,” he hissed, looking Souichi in the eyes and squeezing the human’s throat once and then letting him go altogether.
Souichi hit the mattress and rubbed his throat, looking at the vampire with fury. He had had enough of vampire attitude.
“Who - who are you anyway?” Souichi asked still rubbing his throat.
“Your beloved vampire’s worst nightmare,” the vampire said enigmatically while returning to his place leaning against the mahogany door. “My name’s Masaki Yunya.”
“What do you mean… worst nightmare?” Suddenly Souichi felt an ominous feeling creep up his spine. “What did you do?” he asked quietly and then more loudly, “What the fuck have you done to him?!”
“Nothing much,” Masaki shrugged, unconcerned with Souichi’s anger. “I only accepted his feelings.”
“Morinaga loved you….?” Souichi asked numbly. He didn’t think he’d like the path this conversation was going down…
“He still does,” Masaki said confidently looking boldly into Souichi’s eyes. “He wouldn’t be hurting so much still if he didn’t love me anymore.”
“What?” If Souichi thought that Morinaga was the one who talked rubbish then he needed to have a reality check. He didn’t understand even half of what this vampire was talking about. He had a sneaking suspicion that Masaki was telling him something more than he was catching.
Also the thought that Morinaga might really love this man was making Souichi hurt inside for some odd reason. ‘I don’t care! I don’t care who he loves. It’s none of my business.’
Masaki chuckled. “You lot are very entertaining. The way you deny your thoughts and feelings. It’s very amusing.”
“Mind your own business,” Souichi murmured unhappily. He didn’t want to feel like this but it was beyond his control. His heart was rebelling against him and doing exactly what, Souichi suspected, the wretched vampire wanted it to do, namely hurt.
“Ah, but I am. I’m most certainly minding my own business. That’s exactly why you’re here,” Masaki said looking with narrowed eyes at Souichi. At the human’s quizzical look he continued. “You’re my trump card. I won’t be freeing you until I get what I want.”
That was not what Souichi wanted to hear. He wanted it to be a stupid joke played on one vampire by another. He would have been pissed if that was the case, but it would have been a relatively benign thing. Or even a pissed off man, vampire in this case, wanting to get back at his straying lover by messing with the third party. That scenario would have been a lot more painful and humiliating but probably would have been resolved fairly quickly. The thought that he was here, wherever that might be, because this frigid vampire wanted to use him to strike some kind of a deal was not sitting well with Souichi.
“And what is this bargain about?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know but he had to ask. If he was about to become a tool in a game of power between vampires he had the right and obligation to know what would be happening because of his kidnapping. That might also give him a very good reason to strike at Morinaga without the vampire evading his punch when he saw him when this was over.
“It’s none of your concern,” Masaki smiled smugly. He retrieved the book he had previously left in the armchair and made his way to the door again. “I would advise you not to leave this room in the hope of escaping. It’s pointless. You are protected here but out there,” standing by the door with his back to it, he pointed at the door with his thumb over his shoulder, “you’ll be on your own.”
He opened the door and stepped outside but before he closed it again he looked Souichi straight in the eyes and added, “And as I said, you have a delicious ass that a lot of demons would love to fuck.” He smiled wickedly and closed the door after himself.
Souichi gulped. He didn’t hear a lock turning but he had stayed long enough in this realm, he was sure he was in the Demon World again, to know that there didn’t need to be a lock to make a door impossible to open.
Now that he was alone he looked around the room. It wasn’t anything like the tower he had been locked in before. The first glaring difference was that there were no windows here, only thick navy blue draperies on the walls. The ceiling was made of stone; a chessboard like pattern was carved on it. Every square was filled with an image of either a raging sun or a sliver of the waning crescent moon. There were also far less crystals illuminating the room than in the tower. The floor was made out of solid rock, smooth and shiny probably from constant use. Souichi wondered whose room this was.
There were a few rugs covering the floor but Souichi still suspected that it was extremely cold and he also noticed that he had no idea where his shoes were. He wasn’t cold although the temperature in the room was cool. The furniture was also sparse although all made out of mahogany: only a bed, a bed side table, a large desk, and an armchair cushioned with material the same color as the draperies. He didn’t see a bathroom door.
‘Well, I didn’t see a door in the tower, either.’ Souichi thought. ‘Looks like I’ll need to snoop around a bit.’
Souichi’s head started to hurt. He was still weak and a bit of sleep would do him good so he lay down and closed his eyes but sleep wasn’t coming this easily. He wasn’t feeling safe. That Masaki guy had said that he was protected here but Souichi didn’t believe him. He felt vulnerable and very exposed. Masaki’s parting words still rang in his head. What if a demon happened to come into the room and saw him lying on the bed? Would he try to rape Souichi?
He rolled from one side to the other, finally settling on the side facing the door. ‘Are they even locked?’
He caught himself on a yawn and sighed. He was exhausted. ‘I should probably eat something.’ He looked around once more but save for the crystal pitcher of water, there was nothing resembling sustenance in the room. He drank a bit more water and flopped on the bed again. Even something as mundane as pouring himself a glass of water had him feeling dizzy.
“Morinaga, you better find me,” he whispered.
*** ***
In the Human World a very frustrated Vampire was following a very infuriating Hunter.
“What if the others hadn’t found anything either? What will we do then?” Hiroto asked worriedly. He knew that Morinaga would not be happy about the lack of any promising news and he hoped at least his friend had had more luck finding Souichi than they had.
“We’ll think of something,” Isogai shrugged strolling determinedly down the street. They were heading back to Tatsumi’s house to meet with their friends and discuss what to do now.
“You’re very confident. Aren’t you even a little bit worried about Souichi?” Hiroto asked, appalled and annoyed. Humans thought that Vampires were heartless monsters but this Hunter seemed totally unmoved by the disappearance of a human he was supposed to protect.
“Who said I’m not worried?” Isogai asked looking back at the Vampire.
“You don’t act the part,” Hiroto snorted.
The Hunter sighed, stopped, and turned around to face the Vampire.
“Look, it seems you don’t like me much - “
“I wonder why?” Hiroto interrupted one eyebrow arched.
“Yes, I wonder,” Isogai threw Hiroto a calculating look.
“Are you kidding?” Hiroto’s mouth dropped open. The Hunter had some nerve, he had to admit that.
“What?” Isogai asked, puzzled.
“Don’t tell me you really don’t know?”
Isogai rolled his eyes. “For a Vampire you’re very sensitive, aren’t you?”
“And what do you know about Vampires, huh?” Hiroto poked the Hunter in the middle of his chest. He was a bit shorter than the Hunter but he didn’t let it intimidate him. He was used to looking up at people, being one of the smallest Vampires alive. Normally his kind was rather tall. “Tell me!” he demanded.
“Whatever I know, I’d like to learn more,” Isogai pressed. He caught Hiroto’s hand in his own, and when the Vampire wanted to withdraw it he didn’t let him, holding tightly and looking the Vampire in the eyes with utmost seriousness. “Will you teach me?”
Hiroto hesitated, and then shook his head in resignation. “You’re playing with me again.” He noticed the surprise in the Hunter’s gaze and snorted. “Why so surprised? I’m not stupid, you know. I won’t fall for the same trick twice.”
Isogai grimaced but let Hiroto’s hand go. He took a few steps back and looked morosely at the Vampire. “I’m not stupid, either,” he said seriously.
This time it was Hiroto’s turn to look surprised. “What? What do you mean?”
“Now… it’s your turn to be kidding,” the Hunter arched a brown the same way Hiroto had a few moments before.
“Look, I don’t have the slightest idea - “
“Really now. Weren’t you planning to play with me a bit and then perhaps… suck me dry? One less Hunter in the world?” Isogai moved to the side and his gaze started sweeping their surroundings.
Hiroto stood there and looking stupefied, totally floored by the Hunter’s accusations. Isogai, as if not noticing the way the Vampire reacted to his words, carried on.
“I can’t really blame you. We’re enemies and now we have a truce because of Tatsumi-kun, but we both know what would be happening if not for the matter of finding Souichi. Your fang-y friend might have a soft spot for Souichi Tatsumi and he might even love the human, but I’m not stupid. If Souichi was a Hunter, Morinaga wouldn’t have even glanced twice in his direction, just simply killed him when he had the chance.” Isogai shrugged and finally looked at the Vampire. And froze.
Hiroto had a calm almost serene expression on his face. Isogai had never imagined that a creature that he had thought of as a predator could look so beautiful and harmless. He didn’t know what to say or do, didn’t even know if he should speak at all after his little speech. So they just stood there looking at each other for a very long time.
Finally Hiroto broke the silence. “It’s a shame,” Hiroto said and strode past the stunned Isogai, then he turned his head and asked, “You coming?”
The Hunter shook his head to clear it of the multitude of contradicting thoughts and emotions and continued forward. They didn’t speak until they reached Tatsumi’s house, both immersed in their own thoughts. Kurokawa was already inside talking with Tomoe; Kanako was staying at a friend’s house for the night. Isogai rang the bell and waited for someone to open the door. Before that happened Morinaga materialized behind them seemingly from out of nowhere.
“That wasn’t very wise,” Isogai said without turning around. “I had to fight all my instincts not to put a bullet in you.”
“Did you find something?” Morinaga ignored Isogai and turned to Hiroto who sadly shook his head in denial.
Morinaga growled in frustration. In front of them the door opened and Tomoe looked at them, his eyes widening slightly when he heard the growl. Behind him stood a grim looking Kurokawa. Morinaga stopped growling and looked at Souichi’s younger brother. They didn’t really look much alike although they both had that air of innocence around them. Morinaga thought that if he had to describe them he would use the word “pure”.
“Come in,” Tomoe stepped aside and the two Vampires and the Hunter entered. “Did you find anything?” he asked with nervous anticipation.
“No,” Isogai said apologetically, making Hiroto look at him oddly. Then the Vampire’s attention shifted to the nervous human who was looking from one new face to the other and back again.
“Hi! I’m Hiroto,” he extended his hand with a smile and shook Tomoe’s when the human gripped his hand. “And this is Morinaga Tetsuhiro,” he pointed with his head to where Morinaga was standing deep in thought.
“Ni-nice meeting you both,” Tomoe said shyly but with a positive attitude.
“Too bad that it’s in such dire circumstances.” Hiroto’s happiness at Tomoe’s reaction visibly deflated and his smile evaporated.
“Lets go to the living room, then we’ll talk and decide what to do now,” Isogai proposed looking at Hiroto with an unreadable expression.
After everybody sat, Morinaga in an even grumpier mood than before, Isogai started speaking.
“We need to state some facts first.” He turned to Morinaga and looked the Vampire over before continuing. “When was the last time you saw Soucihi-kun?”
“You want to interrogate me?” Morinaga asked incredulously and irritatedly, a note of threat audible in the tone of his voice.
Tomoe tensed and Kurokawa enveloped him in his arms. The two were sitting side by side on the couch. The other three people occupied two armchairs, and in Hiroto’s case sitting astride a chair.
Morinaga saw Kurokawa’s gesture and his eyes widened. Without shifting his gaze from the cuddling couple he answered Isogai’s question without further complaint.
“I saw him in my own realm, just before my brother forced him to step through the portal.”
“And you haven’t tried to contact him after that? You haven’t sent any demons, small or big, to keep an eye on him?” This time it was Kurokawa who asked.
Morinaga focused his attention solemnly on the Hunter and shook his head in denial. “No, on both questions.”
Before either Hunter had the time to ask anything else Morinaga started speaking. “It would have been very dangerous trying to contact Sou-chan in any way or form so soon after my brother discovered him in the castle.” Morinaga’s jaw clenched, remembering the fear he had felt back when he was sure Kunihiro would kill Souichi. To distract himself from unpleasant memories he carried on. “And by sending out a Demon or some other creature to keep an eye on him… that would have only scared him and wouldn’t help me at all. Not to mention whoever I’d sent, they would have been in mortal peril if they stumbled upon the both of you.” Morinaga looked meaningfully at Kurokawa who shifted slightly in his seat.
“So it wasn’t you, nor was it someone sent by you we sensed opening and closing the portal.” Isogai hummed. “And since Souichi-kun’s gone and we can’t find him, we need to assume that whoever took him didn’t have good intentions.”
“But you’ll find him, right?” Tomoe asked scared for his brother’s safety.
Before any of the Hunters could speak Morinaga moved from his seat and knelt in front of Tomoe.
“I give you my word that Souichi’ll return home safe and sound. I won’t let anything bad happen to him, I promise you that,” he said seriously, taking Tomoe’s hand and squeezing it lightly for reassurance.
Tomoe sat stunned for a moment and then nodded his head; his shoulders weren’t as tense as they were just a moment ago. He also gave Morinaga a tiny smile.
Both Hunters were looking at the still kneeling Vampire with a mixture of stunned disbelief and awe. What Morinaga had just done was something they were taught Vampires weren’t capable of doing. Morinaga just proved them wrong, showing them a depth they were not aware the blood sucking creatures possessed.
‘What else differs from what we were taught?’ Isogai wondered, his gaze straying to the other Vampire still straddling the chair comfortably, totally undisturbed and unsurprised by Morinaga’s behavior. At that moment he sincerely regretted turning Hiroto down and agreed with him wholeheartedly. ‘It is indeed a shame.’
As if the other had heard, Hiroto turned his head in Isogai’s direction and lifted one eyebrow.
Isogai looked more closely at Hiroto. The Vampire was slim and looked fit. He wondered how flexible he was. The clothes he wore were only highlighting his build, making him look irresistible. The tight jeans and snug t-shirt looked as if tailor made for the Vampire.
Isogai turned his head away. ‘Damn! I’m such an idiot!’
Note: I’m a tease, I know. You all want for Souichi and Morinaga to finally meet again and here the bad author is making everything difficult and writes about everything else but their reunion. XD But I never said their reunion will be quick, right? ;) And on top of that I’ve given you a new mystery: what use has Masaki for Souichi?
Now leave me some comments, please, to make me happy. ^-^