Tyrant fanfic: Blood, Love and Tears. Chapter 30
Yup, you’re not seeing things. Another chapter, so soon! Yay!
The 31st might take two weeks since I’m being lazy and over contemplative but I might actually finish it in less than two weeks. Hard to say. It all depends on my mood on Saturday and Sunday.
Title: Blood, love and tears
Author: yaoilovefan
Beta: elyrian
Warnings: language, violence
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Hiroto, Isogai, Morinaga, OC, Souichi, Masaki
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 29
Chapter 30
Isogai had been sitting quietly beside Morinaga for the entirety of the odd exchange between Morinaga and Silvan. That had given him time to work out who their new friend really was. He had been a bit stunned by the revelation. It was rare for an Elf to live in the Human World. They found the occupants of this world to be far too primitive compared to the Elves. They also tended to live near forests or nature and not in the middle of a large city surrounded by buildings with very few green places. Isogai also noticed that Silvan didn’t have the vibrant aura of an Elf. He looked human. It was a frightening thought. If there were more creatures from the Demon World in the Human World such as this Elf then the Hunters would be oblivious to their presence. They wouldn’t be able to do their job. He would have to report this and as soon as possible.
His focus shifted from his musings to Morinaga and Silvan when the Vampire spoke.
“Name your price.”
The Elf’s gaze shifted from Morinaga and settled on Isogai.
The Hunter remained silent and waited for Silvan to speak. The Elf’s gaze bore steadily into Isogai while the Hunter held his gaze and waited. The Vampire by his side shifted nervously and was about to break the silence when the Elf spoke.
“What are you willing to offer for the information…Hunter?”
Isogai’s eyes widened although it was the only sign given that the question surprised him. “You’re asking me…Elf?”
“M-hm,” Silvan hummed. “I’m fairly certain I know how much your Vampire friend is willing to offer. The question is how much are you willing to offer?” He was peering from underneath his glasses with narrowed eyes like a predator ready to strike at any given moment.
“What do you think I’ll offer?” Maybe it wasn’t the wisest thing to ask but Isogai was curious. There were a lot of things that the Elf might want from him and all of them were things that the Hunter wouldn’t be able to give him. He hoped that he was going to be proven wrong and Silvan would want something trivial.
“I think you’ll offer your word that you’ll never mention my existence on this plane to anybody, especially to another Hunter, or people involved with them. You will forget about seeing me and that I was speaking to you.”
Proven right. ‘Damn.’
Isogai grimaced. He took a healthy gulp of his drink and stayed silent for a while although he couldn’t wipe the frown from his face.
“I can’t do that.”
“What?!” Morinaga snarled, twisting to look at the Hunter.
There was promise of a slow, painful demise in the Vampire’s eyes but Isogai did not take the threat to heart.
“It’s against my duty, against all I stand for,” Isogai explained flatly. His gaze was focused on Silvan even if he was now speaking to both the Vampire and the Elf.
“Your duty is to protect Humans and help them when they are in trouble,” Morinaga hissed angrily. “Souichi’s in trouble and here is our chance to get the information needed to help him!”
“We can get that info elsewhere.” Isogai shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
“You can try,” Silvan arched an eyebrow. “But I doubt you’ll have any luck. You wouldn’t be here if your search elsewhere was fruitful.” He looked at his wrist watch. “A few hours have passed already. Do you really have time to waste? Do you really want to take that risk?”
“Give him your word,” Morinaga pressed. The Vampire’s gaze was drilling into Isogai, willing him to change his mind. The Hunter also felt Morinaga starting an attack on his mental walls. It was a waste of time. There was a really slim chance that Morinaga would be able to breach his walls and enter his mind. He wasn’t sure why the Vampire even tried. Morinaga wouldn’t be able to change his mind by violating it.
“No.” Isogai’s answer was definitive and forceful, both verbally and mentally, pushing at the pressure on his mind and shoving it away.
“Isogai!” Morinaga recoiled on his seat, nearly falling of the stool. He remained seated only because he grabbed the edge of the counter.
Isogai heard the threat in the Vampire’s voice together with the hint of pain from the violent shove but he also heard the almost unnoticeable plea. He winced, trying to squash the oncoming guilt. He was doing the right thing. He was sure of it. What kind of a Hunter would he be if he went against all the rules that he swore to follow when he became one? He should be doing everything in his power to make sure creatures from other worlds, if they happened to come into the Human World, wouldn’t stay there for long. Everyone had their own place, their own dimension, and they should stay there and not wander to other dimensions and make themselves at home somewhere where they had no business staying. Making sure that everyone stayed where they should was his job. He just couldn’t let an Elf hiding among Humans pass.
But a nagging voice in the back of his head reminded him that he had some unanswered questions from before he had taken his oath. One of them had been: Why could you make a gate to travel between worlds if creatures should stay in their own dimensions? It was a question that he had asked only once, not of his teachers but of his friend Kurokawa. He hadn’t gotten an answer; the other soon-to-be Hunter hadn’t known and had advised him to drop it since asking such questions might get them both in trouble. Kurokawa had been right. A few weeks after he had voiced his doubts another would be Hunter had asked something similar and was expelled from their ranks in the blink of an eye.
After that incident Isogai had kept his questions and insecurities to himself. The only other person he had kept sharing his thoughts with was Kurokawa. He had tried finding answers through experience but it wasn’t always easy. Sometimes he had to act without knowing why he was doing something. He only knew that it was for the sake of protecting Humans. When he was paired with Kurokawa and they started taking missions and patrols away from the “Lair”, as they called the Hunter’s headquarters, there wasn’t much time left for idle thoughts so he mostly concentrated on doing his job as best as possible.
‘But you gave Souichi the opportunity to meet his Vampire again,’ the sneaky, always contradictory voice of his conscience supplied helpfully.
Yes, he and Kurokawa thought it better if Tatsumi-kun and his Vampire met again, if only for proper closure. Since coming to this town Isogai had had the opportunity to let his thoughts run rampant, loosening his beliefs about the proper place of creatures, and look where it had gotten them all, especially Souichi Tatsumi. Associating with creatures from other worlds seemed really like something that shouldn’t be practiced, no matter how stupid trying to keep them away sounded. ‘The reasons that Hunters believe everyone should stay where they were born may be wrong, but the idea might hold some sense after all.’
He sipped his drink feeling Morinaga’s heavy gaze. The Vampire hadn’t renewed his attack on Isogai’s walls. This time the Vampire chose to pressure him with silence and staring, silently willing him to change his mind. Isogai couldn’t look Morinaga in the eyes. The Vampire wouldn’t understand. He wasn’t the one asked to sacrifice his ethics, to breach every rule he followed, and rearrange his principles. And for what? Dubious information. Who knew if the Elf was pulling their legs in exchange for safety and invulnerability. Was Souichi Tatsumi’s life really worth the trouble and doubts that would come with giving the Elf such immunity? Isogai sighed. One more sip for courage and then he forced himself to look at the Vampire.
His throat closed up and he couldn’t force the emphatic refusal past the lump that had formed there.
Desperation.
That was what he saw first and foremost in Morinaga’s gaze. There were some other emotions in the Vampire’s eyes, but desperation was the most pressing and visible of them. Suddenly Isogai was certain that if sacrificing everything that the Vampire believed in was the price for Souichi’s life, Morinaga would do it without hesitation. All for a mere Human.
He dropped his gaze, unable to look even a second longer into eyes that told him far too much, more than he ever wanted to know.
‘I’m such a hypocrite,’ Isogai thought bitterly.
A Vampire, a creature that Isogai did not respect much, had the gall to admit that he had romantic feelings for a Human, a creature that Isogai had thought Vampires didn’t hold in high esteem. And Isogai was coward enough not to acknowledge that he had already combined forces with the Vampires in a rescue attempt, working together with the same creatures he should be trying to chase away from this world. Not to mention that he and Kurokawa had planned to look the other way when Morinaga met Souichi again. After everything that had already happened, was the promise of not mentioning this encounter with the Elf to anyone really such a big deal? They would receive information for it after all.
‘And if after getting my word the Elf doesn’t hold up his part of the bargain, then I won’t feel inclined to hold up my end either.’
“All right. I’ll promise.” Now that the decision was made he felt immense relief and a sense of calmness that actually startled him. He glanced at Morinaga and noticed the same relief there too, as well as gratitude. Isogai paused for a moment. He understood the relief but gratitude? ‘Looks like I don’t know even half of the things about Vampires that I should be aware of.’
He remembered Hiroto’s words and grimaced. Shifting his gaze from Morinaga to Silvan, Isogai was startled yet again by what he saw in the Elf’s gaze. Appreciation. It was the last thing the Hunter would have thought to find in those pale eyes. Triumph, smugness, superiority - yes. But such silent acknowledgment for the dilemma he had had to face before agreeing was not something he had anticipated.
‘This is ridiculous. I feel like a child making their parents proud for the first time ever.’
“Now, Silvan, is the best moment for telling us what you know, don’t you agree?”
The Elf shook his head. “First I want your word, then I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“Fine. Have it your way.” Isogai opened his mouth to give the Elf an oath but before he could start Silvan interrupted him.
“I know the perfect place where we can talk in private. Follow me, please.” He stood up and went further into the pub.
The two men didn’t have any other option but to follow him. They collected a confused Hiroto from one of the booths and went after the Elf. Silvan led them through a back door, down a corridor and into a room that couldn’t be described as anything other than a greenhouse. There were so many different flowers and bushes, not to mention miniature trees, that the place really looked more like a forest than a room.
Elves loved nature; they withered away if they couldn’t be near it. That was why it was so difficult to believe that one of their kind lived indoors surrounded by brick walls. Now was clear how he did it. The only mystery that remained was how he had managed to pass for a Human and not be noticed by the Hunters when they invaded the city. It was clear Morinaga didn’t care, and while Isogai wanted to ask he didn’t really want to know the answer. Hiroto just asked.
“How did you manage to fool the Hunters?”
“Wouldn’t you want to know,” Silvan smirked.
“It would help me immensely. I wouldn’t need to evacuate myself to the Demon World whenever rumors have it that the Hunters were about to come into town.” Hiroto shrugged and looked pleadingly at the Elf.
Silvan regarded Hiroto for a moment, looking him up and down. Isogai noticed the lust that flashed in the Elf’s eyes and he went from calm to pissed off in a flash. He was about to divert Silvan’s attention from the sexy Vampire but Morinaga beat him to it.
“We came here for a reason, Hiroto. You can pester the Elf for secrets later,” he stressed, looking pointedly from one to the other.
“Yes, but don’t you want me to help your friend?” Silvan arched an eyebrow, moving to stand closer to Hiroto.
“You can help him some other time.” Isogai smiled challengingly. “I think right now you have an oath to listen to.”
Silvan nodded. He moved and stopped in front of Isogai. “Yes. I just need your word… and your blood,” the Elf said.
Isogai’s eyes widened. He didn’t think it was a good idea to give his blood to just any creature not from this world and he wasn’t isolated in his apprehension.
“That’s not necessary,” Hiroto protested.
“And how would you know, little Vampire?” Silvan asked.
“I have a friend that happens to be an Elf and I actually asked him about oaths and such things. There is an oath that can be given without blood being involved,” he explained crossing his arms over his chest.
“That oath is not as effective,” Silvan protested.
“But it’s less dangerous for Humans,” Hiroto countered. “Also I’m sure you can believe in Isogai’s word without needing the extra reassurance. The circumstances are odd enough, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes,” Silvan sighed. “What a shame,” he said enigmatically looking from the Hunter to Hiroto with an unreadable expression on his face.
“So now that we have the logistics out of the way, let’s get down to business,” Morinaga said.
*** ***
Souichi must have fallen asleep because he was jolted back into awareness by a roar emanating from behind the door. He jumped upright on the bed and listened for more sounds, but there was only silence. He still didn’t move, remembering Masaki’s warning. He drank some more water and managed to stifle his growling, empty stomach. He really needed to eat something soon. He wasn’t confident enough to put something Masaki might give him into his mouth without suspicions, but logically the vampire needed him alive for whatever he wanted to gain by holding him captive. It wouldn’t do to starve him to death. Neglecting his needs until it became strictly necessary to address them was another matter. And everything pointed to that being the case here.
‘And I complained about Morinaga’s hospitality,’ Souichi thought.
His heart contracted painfully at the thought of the vampire. Wondering about what Morinaga was doing now wouldn’t be of any help and it was putting Souichi into a dark mood, so instead he rolled out of the bed and looked around the room. He needed to find the bathroom. After a few minutes of searching it became clear that there was no bathroom in this room.
Pissed off, hungry, and with a full bladder, Souichi stalked to the desk and flopped into the chair previously occupied by Masaki. He was a fucking prisoner here, a real prisoner this time and not some vampire’s secret hidden from his brother. Souichi looked at the door again. It was the only way out and he wanted out so desperately for so many reasons.
The roar from before and Masaki’s warnings shoved to the back of his mind, Souichi stalked to the door. Before he could reach out for the door handle, the door opened slowly on its own. Souichi’s eyes widened and he backed away hastily. A frightened gasp left his mouth when something Souichi couldn’t name crept through the crack. He thought that the hounds that had been chasing him all over his home town were bad, but in comparison to whatever was approaching him now they looked harmless.
It wasn’t really that the thing that crouched low to the ground and showed him all its fangs in a mockery of a grin was bigger or anything. It was the manic look on its face that had Souichi backing as far away as physically possible.
The demon advancing was human-shaped and male. It looked to be around the age of a human teenager. Souichi wasn’t sure what height the demon was since it kept low to the ground. The creature’s eyes were big, very round, and had a very unusual color. It reminded Souichi of golden honey. Its hair was short, spiky, and jutted in all directions although it didn’t appear to be neglected, just not combed today. The color was a bit darker than the demon’s skin tone which was ashen. The most glaring difference between the creature and a human was the arms. The demon child had two pairs instead of one and used all of them to crawl on its knees towards Souichi. Its upper body was bare, the only things it wore were tight, black leather trousers. The creature didn’t look dirty although the ashen color of its skin made it very difficult to tell.
Souichi didn’t dare break eye contact with whatever was approaching him, but the sound of the door closing momentarily distracted him, causing him to shift his gaze to the door. In that split second, the creature jumped and tackled him. He hit the ground painfully and in an instant felt a heavy weight settle on his chest. The pressure of the creature’s mass made it difficult to breathe. He thrust his arm out and tried to shove the creature off but his arms were grasped firmly below the wrists by one set of taloned hands. The claws pierced Souichi’s flesh and small rivulets of blood started flowing down his arms. Souichi bit back a whimper. The claws were long and went deep into his arms. Souichi looked into the creature’s face and noticed the sharp teeth the four-armed teen was showing off. He shivered, trying not to imagine what those teeth could be used for. His heartbeat accelerated and his breathing picked up.
He was terrified. Masaki had said that he was safe in this room but clearly the vampire had been wrong… or he had lied. Souichi didn’t know which version was more frightening. One way or the other he couldn’t sit back and decide which version was more probable. He had more pressing and dangerous matters to concentrate on. For example, the thing that was currently straddling his chest and pinning him to the ground. It was looking fascinated by the blood trailing down Souichi’s arms and ignoring everything else around it.
Souichi tried to yank his arms from the demon’s hold but it only caused the claws to sink even deeper into his flesh and produced a wave of stinging pain. He hissed and stilled his movements. Unfortunately the four-armed monster didn’t loosen its hold. More blood flowed down his arms and Souichi watched the demon lean down and lick it. The creature sat back a bit and savored the taste as if deciding if it was good or bad.
Souichi held his breath. He didn’t know what would happen if the demon decided that his blood tasted good but he doubted it would end well for him. ‘I am NOT letting this thing eat me alive!’
He gathered all his remaining strength and bucked violently. The demon sitting on him went flying off and to one side.
“Ahh!!!” Souichi screamed clutching both his arms where the claws had been piercing his skin. The violent way he had gotten rid of his attacker caused the still embedded claws to rake his skin. He didn’t have to deal with deeper or shallower puncture wounds anymore. Now he had to deal with gashes of torn flesh. There was also a lot more blood coming from the tears than Souichi was comfortable with. He still remembered that not so long ago a vampire had made him into his meal. He didn’t think he had any blood to spare, even a little bit.
The creature hissed nastily and Souichi focused his attention on his attacker. The demon showed his impressive teeth, all sharp and dangerous looking. Before Souichi could even start being terrified about what the demon might do to him now while pissed off, a voice barked sharply from the door.
“Out!”
Both Souichi’s and the demon’s attention shifted from each other to the person standing at the door. Souichi didn’t know if he should feel fear or relief at the sight of the cold vampire but he noticed that the four-armed demon flinched and tried to make itself as small as possible.
“Haven’t you heard what I said? Get. Out,” Masaki spat. He looked absolutely furious.
The cowering creature whimpered and started crawling towards the door. The demon scurried past Masaki and out of the room as fast as possible. Souichi didn’t even see when it vanished from sight, it happened so fast. He felt a light touch on his shoulder and flinched. His head snapped from looking at the still open door to the vampire kneeling on his right.
“Let me see your arms,” Masaki said looking into Souichi eyes.
“You want another meal?” Souichi pressed his arms more firmly to his chest. He didn’t trust the vampire. He might want to help, but he might want to hurt him even more. Souichi didn’t want to take that risk, especially since his life most likely depended on it.
The glare the vampire sent Souichi’s way sent a very unpleasant shiver down his spine. His heart rate accelerated but he stood his ground and didn’t give the vampire his hands.
Masaki shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
He got up and swiftly went to the door and out. The loud slam sounded ominous to Souichi’s ears. He hissed in pain. Now that the adrenaline was fading he started feeling the pain from the gashes. He looked at them; they weren’t pretty and were still bleeding.
‘Now what?’
Note: You, people actually surprised me with your ideas about Silvan in your comments to the previous chapter. I started regretting that I’ve already written so much text onwards since I might have used a few of them. As things stand, Silvan won’t play a bigger part in this story. He’s just a convenient information source and the source of Isogai’s inner turmoil.
I think you may hate me for making Souichi suffer but I can’t stop myself for making his life miserable. But you don’t have to worry about him! He’ll be alright. ^-^
The 31st might take two weeks since I’m being lazy and over contemplative but I might actually finish it in less than two weeks. Hard to say. It all depends on my mood on Saturday and Sunday.
Title: Blood, love and tears
Author: yaoilovefan
Beta: elyrian
Warnings: language, violence
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Hiroto, Isogai, Morinaga, OC, Souichi, Masaki
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 29
Chapter 30
Isogai had been sitting quietly beside Morinaga for the entirety of the odd exchange between Morinaga and Silvan. That had given him time to work out who their new friend really was. He had been a bit stunned by the revelation. It was rare for an Elf to live in the Human World. They found the occupants of this world to be far too primitive compared to the Elves. They also tended to live near forests or nature and not in the middle of a large city surrounded by buildings with very few green places. Isogai also noticed that Silvan didn’t have the vibrant aura of an Elf. He looked human. It was a frightening thought. If there were more creatures from the Demon World in the Human World such as this Elf then the Hunters would be oblivious to their presence. They wouldn’t be able to do their job. He would have to report this and as soon as possible.
His focus shifted from his musings to Morinaga and Silvan when the Vampire spoke.
“Name your price.”
The Elf’s gaze shifted from Morinaga and settled on Isogai.
The Hunter remained silent and waited for Silvan to speak. The Elf’s gaze bore steadily into Isogai while the Hunter held his gaze and waited. The Vampire by his side shifted nervously and was about to break the silence when the Elf spoke.
“What are you willing to offer for the information…Hunter?”
Isogai’s eyes widened although it was the only sign given that the question surprised him. “You’re asking me…Elf?”
“M-hm,” Silvan hummed. “I’m fairly certain I know how much your Vampire friend is willing to offer. The question is how much are you willing to offer?” He was peering from underneath his glasses with narrowed eyes like a predator ready to strike at any given moment.
“What do you think I’ll offer?” Maybe it wasn’t the wisest thing to ask but Isogai was curious. There were a lot of things that the Elf might want from him and all of them were things that the Hunter wouldn’t be able to give him. He hoped that he was going to be proven wrong and Silvan would want something trivial.
“I think you’ll offer your word that you’ll never mention my existence on this plane to anybody, especially to another Hunter, or people involved with them. You will forget about seeing me and that I was speaking to you.”
Proven right. ‘Damn.’
Isogai grimaced. He took a healthy gulp of his drink and stayed silent for a while although he couldn’t wipe the frown from his face.
“I can’t do that.”
“What?!” Morinaga snarled, twisting to look at the Hunter.
There was promise of a slow, painful demise in the Vampire’s eyes but Isogai did not take the threat to heart.
“It’s against my duty, against all I stand for,” Isogai explained flatly. His gaze was focused on Silvan even if he was now speaking to both the Vampire and the Elf.
“Your duty is to protect Humans and help them when they are in trouble,” Morinaga hissed angrily. “Souichi’s in trouble and here is our chance to get the information needed to help him!”
“We can get that info elsewhere.” Isogai shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
“You can try,” Silvan arched an eyebrow. “But I doubt you’ll have any luck. You wouldn’t be here if your search elsewhere was fruitful.” He looked at his wrist watch. “A few hours have passed already. Do you really have time to waste? Do you really want to take that risk?”
“Give him your word,” Morinaga pressed. The Vampire’s gaze was drilling into Isogai, willing him to change his mind. The Hunter also felt Morinaga starting an attack on his mental walls. It was a waste of time. There was a really slim chance that Morinaga would be able to breach his walls and enter his mind. He wasn’t sure why the Vampire even tried. Morinaga wouldn’t be able to change his mind by violating it.
“No.” Isogai’s answer was definitive and forceful, both verbally and mentally, pushing at the pressure on his mind and shoving it away.
“Isogai!” Morinaga recoiled on his seat, nearly falling of the stool. He remained seated only because he grabbed the edge of the counter.
Isogai heard the threat in the Vampire’s voice together with the hint of pain from the violent shove but he also heard the almost unnoticeable plea. He winced, trying to squash the oncoming guilt. He was doing the right thing. He was sure of it. What kind of a Hunter would he be if he went against all the rules that he swore to follow when he became one? He should be doing everything in his power to make sure creatures from other worlds, if they happened to come into the Human World, wouldn’t stay there for long. Everyone had their own place, their own dimension, and they should stay there and not wander to other dimensions and make themselves at home somewhere where they had no business staying. Making sure that everyone stayed where they should was his job. He just couldn’t let an Elf hiding among Humans pass.
But a nagging voice in the back of his head reminded him that he had some unanswered questions from before he had taken his oath. One of them had been: Why could you make a gate to travel between worlds if creatures should stay in their own dimensions? It was a question that he had asked only once, not of his teachers but of his friend Kurokawa. He hadn’t gotten an answer; the other soon-to-be Hunter hadn’t known and had advised him to drop it since asking such questions might get them both in trouble. Kurokawa had been right. A few weeks after he had voiced his doubts another would be Hunter had asked something similar and was expelled from their ranks in the blink of an eye.
After that incident Isogai had kept his questions and insecurities to himself. The only other person he had kept sharing his thoughts with was Kurokawa. He had tried finding answers through experience but it wasn’t always easy. Sometimes he had to act without knowing why he was doing something. He only knew that it was for the sake of protecting Humans. When he was paired with Kurokawa and they started taking missions and patrols away from the “Lair”, as they called the Hunter’s headquarters, there wasn’t much time left for idle thoughts so he mostly concentrated on doing his job as best as possible.
‘But you gave Souichi the opportunity to meet his Vampire again,’ the sneaky, always contradictory voice of his conscience supplied helpfully.
Yes, he and Kurokawa thought it better if Tatsumi-kun and his Vampire met again, if only for proper closure. Since coming to this town Isogai had had the opportunity to let his thoughts run rampant, loosening his beliefs about the proper place of creatures, and look where it had gotten them all, especially Souichi Tatsumi. Associating with creatures from other worlds seemed really like something that shouldn’t be practiced, no matter how stupid trying to keep them away sounded. ‘The reasons that Hunters believe everyone should stay where they were born may be wrong, but the idea might hold some sense after all.’
He sipped his drink feeling Morinaga’s heavy gaze. The Vampire hadn’t renewed his attack on Isogai’s walls. This time the Vampire chose to pressure him with silence and staring, silently willing him to change his mind. Isogai couldn’t look Morinaga in the eyes. The Vampire wouldn’t understand. He wasn’t the one asked to sacrifice his ethics, to breach every rule he followed, and rearrange his principles. And for what? Dubious information. Who knew if the Elf was pulling their legs in exchange for safety and invulnerability. Was Souichi Tatsumi’s life really worth the trouble and doubts that would come with giving the Elf such immunity? Isogai sighed. One more sip for courage and then he forced himself to look at the Vampire.
His throat closed up and he couldn’t force the emphatic refusal past the lump that had formed there.
Desperation.
That was what he saw first and foremost in Morinaga’s gaze. There were some other emotions in the Vampire’s eyes, but desperation was the most pressing and visible of them. Suddenly Isogai was certain that if sacrificing everything that the Vampire believed in was the price for Souichi’s life, Morinaga would do it without hesitation. All for a mere Human.
He dropped his gaze, unable to look even a second longer into eyes that told him far too much, more than he ever wanted to know.
‘I’m such a hypocrite,’ Isogai thought bitterly.
A Vampire, a creature that Isogai did not respect much, had the gall to admit that he had romantic feelings for a Human, a creature that Isogai had thought Vampires didn’t hold in high esteem. And Isogai was coward enough not to acknowledge that he had already combined forces with the Vampires in a rescue attempt, working together with the same creatures he should be trying to chase away from this world. Not to mention that he and Kurokawa had planned to look the other way when Morinaga met Souichi again. After everything that had already happened, was the promise of not mentioning this encounter with the Elf to anyone really such a big deal? They would receive information for it after all.
‘And if after getting my word the Elf doesn’t hold up his part of the bargain, then I won’t feel inclined to hold up my end either.’
“All right. I’ll promise.” Now that the decision was made he felt immense relief and a sense of calmness that actually startled him. He glanced at Morinaga and noticed the same relief there too, as well as gratitude. Isogai paused for a moment. He understood the relief but gratitude? ‘Looks like I don’t know even half of the things about Vampires that I should be aware of.’
He remembered Hiroto’s words and grimaced. Shifting his gaze from Morinaga to Silvan, Isogai was startled yet again by what he saw in the Elf’s gaze. Appreciation. It was the last thing the Hunter would have thought to find in those pale eyes. Triumph, smugness, superiority - yes. But such silent acknowledgment for the dilemma he had had to face before agreeing was not something he had anticipated.
‘This is ridiculous. I feel like a child making their parents proud for the first time ever.’
“Now, Silvan, is the best moment for telling us what you know, don’t you agree?”
The Elf shook his head. “First I want your word, then I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“Fine. Have it your way.” Isogai opened his mouth to give the Elf an oath but before he could start Silvan interrupted him.
“I know the perfect place where we can talk in private. Follow me, please.” He stood up and went further into the pub.
The two men didn’t have any other option but to follow him. They collected a confused Hiroto from one of the booths and went after the Elf. Silvan led them through a back door, down a corridor and into a room that couldn’t be described as anything other than a greenhouse. There were so many different flowers and bushes, not to mention miniature trees, that the place really looked more like a forest than a room.
Elves loved nature; they withered away if they couldn’t be near it. That was why it was so difficult to believe that one of their kind lived indoors surrounded by brick walls. Now was clear how he did it. The only mystery that remained was how he had managed to pass for a Human and not be noticed by the Hunters when they invaded the city. It was clear Morinaga didn’t care, and while Isogai wanted to ask he didn’t really want to know the answer. Hiroto just asked.
“How did you manage to fool the Hunters?”
“Wouldn’t you want to know,” Silvan smirked.
“It would help me immensely. I wouldn’t need to evacuate myself to the Demon World whenever rumors have it that the Hunters were about to come into town.” Hiroto shrugged and looked pleadingly at the Elf.
Silvan regarded Hiroto for a moment, looking him up and down. Isogai noticed the lust that flashed in the Elf’s eyes and he went from calm to pissed off in a flash. He was about to divert Silvan’s attention from the sexy Vampire but Morinaga beat him to it.
“We came here for a reason, Hiroto. You can pester the Elf for secrets later,” he stressed, looking pointedly from one to the other.
“Yes, but don’t you want me to help your friend?” Silvan arched an eyebrow, moving to stand closer to Hiroto.
“You can help him some other time.” Isogai smiled challengingly. “I think right now you have an oath to listen to.”
Silvan nodded. He moved and stopped in front of Isogai. “Yes. I just need your word… and your blood,” the Elf said.
Isogai’s eyes widened. He didn’t think it was a good idea to give his blood to just any creature not from this world and he wasn’t isolated in his apprehension.
“That’s not necessary,” Hiroto protested.
“And how would you know, little Vampire?” Silvan asked.
“I have a friend that happens to be an Elf and I actually asked him about oaths and such things. There is an oath that can be given without blood being involved,” he explained crossing his arms over his chest.
“That oath is not as effective,” Silvan protested.
“But it’s less dangerous for Humans,” Hiroto countered. “Also I’m sure you can believe in Isogai’s word without needing the extra reassurance. The circumstances are odd enough, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes,” Silvan sighed. “What a shame,” he said enigmatically looking from the Hunter to Hiroto with an unreadable expression on his face.
“So now that we have the logistics out of the way, let’s get down to business,” Morinaga said.
*** ***
Souichi must have fallen asleep because he was jolted back into awareness by a roar emanating from behind the door. He jumped upright on the bed and listened for more sounds, but there was only silence. He still didn’t move, remembering Masaki’s warning. He drank some more water and managed to stifle his growling, empty stomach. He really needed to eat something soon. He wasn’t confident enough to put something Masaki might give him into his mouth without suspicions, but logically the vampire needed him alive for whatever he wanted to gain by holding him captive. It wouldn’t do to starve him to death. Neglecting his needs until it became strictly necessary to address them was another matter. And everything pointed to that being the case here.
‘And I complained about Morinaga’s hospitality,’ Souichi thought.
His heart contracted painfully at the thought of the vampire. Wondering about what Morinaga was doing now wouldn’t be of any help and it was putting Souichi into a dark mood, so instead he rolled out of the bed and looked around the room. He needed to find the bathroom. After a few minutes of searching it became clear that there was no bathroom in this room.
Pissed off, hungry, and with a full bladder, Souichi stalked to the desk and flopped into the chair previously occupied by Masaki. He was a fucking prisoner here, a real prisoner this time and not some vampire’s secret hidden from his brother. Souichi looked at the door again. It was the only way out and he wanted out so desperately for so many reasons.
The roar from before and Masaki’s warnings shoved to the back of his mind, Souichi stalked to the door. Before he could reach out for the door handle, the door opened slowly on its own. Souichi’s eyes widened and he backed away hastily. A frightened gasp left his mouth when something Souichi couldn’t name crept through the crack. He thought that the hounds that had been chasing him all over his home town were bad, but in comparison to whatever was approaching him now they looked harmless.
It wasn’t really that the thing that crouched low to the ground and showed him all its fangs in a mockery of a grin was bigger or anything. It was the manic look on its face that had Souichi backing as far away as physically possible.
The demon advancing was human-shaped and male. It looked to be around the age of a human teenager. Souichi wasn’t sure what height the demon was since it kept low to the ground. The creature’s eyes were big, very round, and had a very unusual color. It reminded Souichi of golden honey. Its hair was short, spiky, and jutted in all directions although it didn’t appear to be neglected, just not combed today. The color was a bit darker than the demon’s skin tone which was ashen. The most glaring difference between the creature and a human was the arms. The demon child had two pairs instead of one and used all of them to crawl on its knees towards Souichi. Its upper body was bare, the only things it wore were tight, black leather trousers. The creature didn’t look dirty although the ashen color of its skin made it very difficult to tell.
Souichi didn’t dare break eye contact with whatever was approaching him, but the sound of the door closing momentarily distracted him, causing him to shift his gaze to the door. In that split second, the creature jumped and tackled him. He hit the ground painfully and in an instant felt a heavy weight settle on his chest. The pressure of the creature’s mass made it difficult to breathe. He thrust his arm out and tried to shove the creature off but his arms were grasped firmly below the wrists by one set of taloned hands. The claws pierced Souichi’s flesh and small rivulets of blood started flowing down his arms. Souichi bit back a whimper. The claws were long and went deep into his arms. Souichi looked into the creature’s face and noticed the sharp teeth the four-armed teen was showing off. He shivered, trying not to imagine what those teeth could be used for. His heartbeat accelerated and his breathing picked up.
He was terrified. Masaki had said that he was safe in this room but clearly the vampire had been wrong… or he had lied. Souichi didn’t know which version was more frightening. One way or the other he couldn’t sit back and decide which version was more probable. He had more pressing and dangerous matters to concentrate on. For example, the thing that was currently straddling his chest and pinning him to the ground. It was looking fascinated by the blood trailing down Souichi’s arms and ignoring everything else around it.
Souichi tried to yank his arms from the demon’s hold but it only caused the claws to sink even deeper into his flesh and produced a wave of stinging pain. He hissed and stilled his movements. Unfortunately the four-armed monster didn’t loosen its hold. More blood flowed down his arms and Souichi watched the demon lean down and lick it. The creature sat back a bit and savored the taste as if deciding if it was good or bad.
Souichi held his breath. He didn’t know what would happen if the demon decided that his blood tasted good but he doubted it would end well for him. ‘I am NOT letting this thing eat me alive!’
He gathered all his remaining strength and bucked violently. The demon sitting on him went flying off and to one side.
“Ahh!!!” Souichi screamed clutching both his arms where the claws had been piercing his skin. The violent way he had gotten rid of his attacker caused the still embedded claws to rake his skin. He didn’t have to deal with deeper or shallower puncture wounds anymore. Now he had to deal with gashes of torn flesh. There was also a lot more blood coming from the tears than Souichi was comfortable with. He still remembered that not so long ago a vampire had made him into his meal. He didn’t think he had any blood to spare, even a little bit.
The creature hissed nastily and Souichi focused his attention on his attacker. The demon showed his impressive teeth, all sharp and dangerous looking. Before Souichi could even start being terrified about what the demon might do to him now while pissed off, a voice barked sharply from the door.
“Out!”
Both Souichi’s and the demon’s attention shifted from each other to the person standing at the door. Souichi didn’t know if he should feel fear or relief at the sight of the cold vampire but he noticed that the four-armed demon flinched and tried to make itself as small as possible.
“Haven’t you heard what I said? Get. Out,” Masaki spat. He looked absolutely furious.
The cowering creature whimpered and started crawling towards the door. The demon scurried past Masaki and out of the room as fast as possible. Souichi didn’t even see when it vanished from sight, it happened so fast. He felt a light touch on his shoulder and flinched. His head snapped from looking at the still open door to the vampire kneeling on his right.
“Let me see your arms,” Masaki said looking into Souichi eyes.
“You want another meal?” Souichi pressed his arms more firmly to his chest. He didn’t trust the vampire. He might want to help, but he might want to hurt him even more. Souichi didn’t want to take that risk, especially since his life most likely depended on it.
The glare the vampire sent Souichi’s way sent a very unpleasant shiver down his spine. His heart rate accelerated but he stood his ground and didn’t give the vampire his hands.
Masaki shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
He got up and swiftly went to the door and out. The loud slam sounded ominous to Souichi’s ears. He hissed in pain. Now that the adrenaline was fading he started feeling the pain from the gashes. He looked at them; they weren’t pretty and were still bleeding.
‘Now what?’
Note: You, people actually surprised me with your ideas about Silvan in your comments to the previous chapter. I started regretting that I’ve already written so much text onwards since I might have used a few of them. As things stand, Silvan won’t play a bigger part in this story. He’s just a convenient information source and the source of Isogai’s inner turmoil.
I think you may hate me for making Souichi suffer but I can’t stop myself for making his life miserable. But you don’t have to worry about him! He’ll be alright. ^-^