Bloody Ribbons Part I
Happy Halloween, as well as L's birthday for fans of Death Note. I love this holiday. The little kids are so cute in their costumes, I can wear kitty ears all day without anyone looking at me funny (for the most part), and there's the leftover trick or treating candy. So, I decided in honor of this wonderful holiday, I'd post this work.
This is what happens when Vampire Subaru meets post Babylon but pre-X Seishirou, so it's somewhat . Yes, I caved and wrote this instead of Yami no Matsuei. And shirogiku, I blame you.
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Subaru felt as if someone had poured corn syrup in to his veins. His blood ran sluggishly through his body, old and dirty as he struggled to move forward.
He was starving. He was always starving after traveling between dimensions. Yuuko had never entirely clarified why, but Subaru suspected that it was part of his price.
But this was different. He and Kamui had cut it too close. They hadn’t seen Seishirou coming. The fight had been brutal as skin opened and blood flowed. He and his brother had escaped, but not before Seishirou left him a parting gift of a sword through his stomach.
It was always frightening to enter a new world hungry and weak, but this was especially true now. He was alone, Kamui nowhere to be seen, losing more blood by the minute and nearly out of his mind in pain. The city was too bright, too full of noises and smells, apparently all designed to over stimulate and permanently disorientate.
And there were people, so many people. Empty eyed hobos sitting on street corners with their cups, begging for spare change, drunks stumbling to cars they shouldn’t be driving, young girls and boys alike, barely clothed in the cold, offering themselves to passersby in exchange for mere pennies of what they should have been worth.
Here, no one looked twice at Subaru staggering down the sidewalk, hissing in pain as he struggled to see straight. The black of his coat hid the blood, although Subaru doubted it would make a difference if it hadn’t. To them, he was just another junkie desperate for his next fix. And they were right, although they didn’t know why.
Subaru chuckled bitterly at the thought as he leaned heavily against a building. He regretted the action immediately as his laughter turned into dry heaves, aggravating his sandpaper throat. The hole in his chest was oozing blood, far more than he could afford to lose. If he didn’t feed, he wouldn’t last.
But still, Subaru moved forward. He had to keep going, find Kamui. He would keep moving even if it meant he had to crawl.
He used the wall as a support for as long as he could, ducking into alleyways when he found them, inching further and further away from civilization, seeking to escape the noise and the stink. The light of the streetlamps became distant pinpricks, and Subaru sighed in relief at the comforting darkness, only disturbed by the light of the moon.
But unfortunately, despite his efforts, he wasn’t alone
“Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing,” a voice remarked, smirk audible in his tone.
He was probably around in his mid to late forties, dressed in a shiny orange shirt and tight pants, most likely in a misguided attempt to look younger. His hair was long and greasy, ear piercings glinting in the moonlight like a morbid pincushion.
“Leave me alone!” Subaru hissed, practically forcing the words through his parched throat.
“Don’t be like that, baby,” the man teased, running a finger down Subaru’s stomach as he leaned in to whisper in his ear, “I can help you.”
Subaru shivered in disgust as his breath tickled his neck. “I-I don’t w-want your help,” he rasped. The very effort it took to form the words was agonizing.
The man chuckled. “I think you do,” he replied, fingers wandering lower, just above the waistband of Subaru’s pants. “You look like you’re in pain. I am a man of many connections. I can give you what you need…that is, if you’re nice to me.”
He pushed Subaru into the wall, his groin pressing persistently against the vampire’s thigh. Subaru barely noticed. The man was too close. Subaru could hear the thump of his pulse as his blood ran through his veins, barely contained by a thin layer of skin.
“I can give you what you need.”
“What I need?” Subaru parroted dully, eyes focused on the vein on his neck, so close, so close…
“That’s right, baby,” the man assured him, smirking. “Daddy can give you what you need.”
So hungry, starving, dying. What I need, what I need…
Subaru ripped out of his grasp and switched their positions, forcing “Daddy” roughly against the brick.
The man chuckled, but it had a slightly nervous edge to it. “Whoa! Kitten likes it rough!”
You have no idea, Subaru thought. Fabric tore as Subaru pulled at his collar, leaving his pudgy neck exposed.
“Shit!” the man swore. “Do you have any idea how much that shirt c-”
Subaru broke his neck before he even had a chance to finish his sentence.
The corpse lurched forward bonelessly, a marionette with its strings severed, and for a split second, Subaru pitied the little man, pretending to be strong when he had no idea what a real predator looked like. How pathetic.
But then Subaru was slicing his claws across the man’s throat and bringing his mouth to the trail, the blood flowing hot, fresh, and…actually rather disgusting.
The blood was bitter, diluted by alcohol and chemicals so varied that if Subaru had the time and motivation, he probably could have picked each one out by taste.
Shouldn’t a drug dealer know better than to sample his own product? Subaru thought irritably. Even if he could stomach the stuff long enough to drain this man dry, it would barely even take the edge off of his hunger, let alone seal his wound.
But beggars couldn’t be choosers, so Subaru continued to drink, forcing down his gag reflex so he could get the act over with as soon as possible.
So immersed in his task, Subaru didn’t notice the footsteps until it was too late.
“I thought I had seen everything, but this is definitely new.”
Startled, Subaru pulled himself from his meal. The man was immersed in shadow, and not even Subaru’s keen night vision (made weaker from blood loss) could discern his form.
But it really didn’t matter what he looked like. Not when Subaru could hear his heartbeat throbbing strong and healthy in his chest.
The man laying dead at his feet had been a meal of opportunity. He would never have been Subaru’s choice, simply having the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was like a starving person eating dirt. It was revolting, unsatisfying, and had no nutritional value, but it was better than nothing.
This man, however, was young, at the peak of his life, and he smelled delicious. Subaru could feel his fangs pushing through his gums as he his eyes dilated yellow.
Subaru smiled wickedly as he felt the bloodlust take him, but before his hunter’s instinct took him completely, he managed to utter a single word. “Run.”
And then he pounced.
The warning had been a courtesy. It wouldn’t have mattered if the man had run or not, because Subaru was faster. Subaru would always be faster. The moon shone bright he took his prey by the throat, fangs aching to pierce that flesh-
“Subaru-kun?”
Subaru blinked, once, twice, forcing the red haze back to get a clear picture of his victim. There was only one person who called him Subaru-kun.
“Seishirou?” But how could he…No! It was too soon! Subaru would have known, would have sensed him!
And there was something about him that just wasn’t right. He looked like Seishirou, but he felt…different. And even as he addressed Subaru by name, he seemed genuinely confused by his presence, and Seishirou wouldn’t be. Not the one that was tracking him down.
“Not him,” Subaru murmured. “ Not my him.”
The-man-who-was-not-Seishirou smiled. “Interesting observation, but perhaps it would best if we discussed it later.”
“Wha-”
Escaping from the hand on his throat with ease, Seishirou’s look alike pulled Subaru into his arms, whispering words in his ear too low to comprehend.
Subaru eyes began to droop as he fell forward, deeper into the embrace. He couldn’t move, couldn’t stop himself from being cradled in his enemy’s arms and taken away.
The last thing he remembered before blackness took him was the smell of cherry blossoms.
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I'm not so sure about Seishirou's characterization in his little moment of screen time, but Vamp!Subaru was very fun to write, even if he is way out of character compared to the original.
This is what happens when Vampire Subaru meets post Babylon but pre-X Seishirou, so it's somewhat . Yes, I caved and wrote this instead of Yami no Matsuei. And shirogiku, I blame you.
------------------------
Subaru felt as if someone had poured corn syrup in to his veins. His blood ran sluggishly through his body, old and dirty as he struggled to move forward.
He was starving. He was always starving after traveling between dimensions. Yuuko had never entirely clarified why, but Subaru suspected that it was part of his price.
But this was different. He and Kamui had cut it too close. They hadn’t seen Seishirou coming. The fight had been brutal as skin opened and blood flowed. He and his brother had escaped, but not before Seishirou left him a parting gift of a sword through his stomach.
It was always frightening to enter a new world hungry and weak, but this was especially true now. He was alone, Kamui nowhere to be seen, losing more blood by the minute and nearly out of his mind in pain. The city was too bright, too full of noises and smells, apparently all designed to over stimulate and permanently disorientate.
And there were people, so many people. Empty eyed hobos sitting on street corners with their cups, begging for spare change, drunks stumbling to cars they shouldn’t be driving, young girls and boys alike, barely clothed in the cold, offering themselves to passersby in exchange for mere pennies of what they should have been worth.
Here, no one looked twice at Subaru staggering down the sidewalk, hissing in pain as he struggled to see straight. The black of his coat hid the blood, although Subaru doubted it would make a difference if it hadn’t. To them, he was just another junkie desperate for his next fix. And they were right, although they didn’t know why.
Subaru chuckled bitterly at the thought as he leaned heavily against a building. He regretted the action immediately as his laughter turned into dry heaves, aggravating his sandpaper throat. The hole in his chest was oozing blood, far more than he could afford to lose. If he didn’t feed, he wouldn’t last.
But still, Subaru moved forward. He had to keep going, find Kamui. He would keep moving even if it meant he had to crawl.
He used the wall as a support for as long as he could, ducking into alleyways when he found them, inching further and further away from civilization, seeking to escape the noise and the stink. The light of the streetlamps became distant pinpricks, and Subaru sighed in relief at the comforting darkness, only disturbed by the light of the moon.
But unfortunately, despite his efforts, he wasn’t alone
“Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing,” a voice remarked, smirk audible in his tone.
He was probably around in his mid to late forties, dressed in a shiny orange shirt and tight pants, most likely in a misguided attempt to look younger. His hair was long and greasy, ear piercings glinting in the moonlight like a morbid pincushion.
“Leave me alone!” Subaru hissed, practically forcing the words through his parched throat.
“Don’t be like that, baby,” the man teased, running a finger down Subaru’s stomach as he leaned in to whisper in his ear, “I can help you.”
Subaru shivered in disgust as his breath tickled his neck. “I-I don’t w-want your help,” he rasped. The very effort it took to form the words was agonizing.
The man chuckled. “I think you do,” he replied, fingers wandering lower, just above the waistband of Subaru’s pants. “You look like you’re in pain. I am a man of many connections. I can give you what you need…that is, if you’re nice to me.”
He pushed Subaru into the wall, his groin pressing persistently against the vampire’s thigh. Subaru barely noticed. The man was too close. Subaru could hear the thump of his pulse as his blood ran through his veins, barely contained by a thin layer of skin.
“I can give you what you need.”
“What I need?” Subaru parroted dully, eyes focused on the vein on his neck, so close, so close…
“That’s right, baby,” the man assured him, smirking. “Daddy can give you what you need.”
So hungry, starving, dying. What I need, what I need…
Subaru ripped out of his grasp and switched their positions, forcing “Daddy” roughly against the brick.
The man chuckled, but it had a slightly nervous edge to it. “Whoa! Kitten likes it rough!”
You have no idea, Subaru thought. Fabric tore as Subaru pulled at his collar, leaving his pudgy neck exposed.
“Shit!” the man swore. “Do you have any idea how much that shirt c-”
Subaru broke his neck before he even had a chance to finish his sentence.
The corpse lurched forward bonelessly, a marionette with its strings severed, and for a split second, Subaru pitied the little man, pretending to be strong when he had no idea what a real predator looked like. How pathetic.
But then Subaru was slicing his claws across the man’s throat and bringing his mouth to the trail, the blood flowing hot, fresh, and…actually rather disgusting.
The blood was bitter, diluted by alcohol and chemicals so varied that if Subaru had the time and motivation, he probably could have picked each one out by taste.
Shouldn’t a drug dealer know better than to sample his own product? Subaru thought irritably. Even if he could stomach the stuff long enough to drain this man dry, it would barely even take the edge off of his hunger, let alone seal his wound.
But beggars couldn’t be choosers, so Subaru continued to drink, forcing down his gag reflex so he could get the act over with as soon as possible.
So immersed in his task, Subaru didn’t notice the footsteps until it was too late.
“I thought I had seen everything, but this is definitely new.”
Startled, Subaru pulled himself from his meal. The man was immersed in shadow, and not even Subaru’s keen night vision (made weaker from blood loss) could discern his form.
But it really didn’t matter what he looked like. Not when Subaru could hear his heartbeat throbbing strong and healthy in his chest.
The man laying dead at his feet had been a meal of opportunity. He would never have been Subaru’s choice, simply having the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was like a starving person eating dirt. It was revolting, unsatisfying, and had no nutritional value, but it was better than nothing.
This man, however, was young, at the peak of his life, and he smelled delicious. Subaru could feel his fangs pushing through his gums as he his eyes dilated yellow.
Subaru smiled wickedly as he felt the bloodlust take him, but before his hunter’s instinct took him completely, he managed to utter a single word. “Run.”
And then he pounced.
The warning had been a courtesy. It wouldn’t have mattered if the man had run or not, because Subaru was faster. Subaru would always be faster. The moon shone bright he took his prey by the throat, fangs aching to pierce that flesh-
“Subaru-kun?”
Subaru blinked, once, twice, forcing the red haze back to get a clear picture of his victim. There was only one person who called him Subaru-kun.
“Seishirou?” But how could he…No! It was too soon! Subaru would have known, would have sensed him!
And there was something about him that just wasn’t right. He looked like Seishirou, but he felt…different. And even as he addressed Subaru by name, he seemed genuinely confused by his presence, and Seishirou wouldn’t be. Not the one that was tracking him down.
“Not him,” Subaru murmured. “ Not my him.”
The-man-who-was-not-Seishirou smiled. “Interesting observation, but perhaps it would best if we discussed it later.”
“Wha-”
Escaping from the hand on his throat with ease, Seishirou’s look alike pulled Subaru into his arms, whispering words in his ear too low to comprehend.
Subaru eyes began to droop as he fell forward, deeper into the embrace. He couldn’t move, couldn’t stop himself from being cradled in his enemy’s arms and taken away.
The last thing he remembered before blackness took him was the smell of cherry blossoms.
------------------------
I'm not so sure about Seishirou's characterization in his little moment of screen time, but Vamp!Subaru was very fun to write, even if he is way out of character compared to the original.