Blood+ Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Blood ❯ Crumpled Blue Rose ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6

(Disclaimer: Some of this chapter is taken from various scenes in Blood+ episode 11. I do not own any characters that are found in Blood+)

“Look a blue rose!”

“Then is he the Phantom?”

“He must be, because he's so incredibly gorgeous!”

Aina heard a cacophony of gasps and squeals. Saya looked in the direction of the commotion and strained her neck to see what or who was causing all the chaos.

“He looked at me!”

“No! He looked at me!”

“Liar! It was me!”

Aina began to tense up. She shut her eyes and tried to block out the exasperated sighs of all the girls around her. She balled her hands up into fists and was tempted to shove them into her ears in order to rid herself of the awful symphony of screams. She felt Saya touch her shoulder. Aina immediately let go of her frustration.

“Aina, what's wrong?” Aina had wished that Saya hadn't said her name. She knew what would happen… “I don't know what all the commotion is about…he's not the Phantom.”

Aina heard nothing but silence. The girls had ceased their twittering, but now a single pair of shoes hit the ground and the sound was growing louder. She froze in her spot…not daring to move. She heard Anna Marie gasp. The sound made Aina instinctively look in her direction.

Anna Marie was quickly looking about her, blushing, and finally attempting to compose herself behind her fan. Aina heard some whispers; “He's picking her?” and “She's so lucky.” She scoffed internally. `Yeah…if that's what you call it.' Aina kept her gaze focused in front of her, but out of her peripheral vision she saw Anna Marie gracefully, and quite presumptuously, hold out a gloved hand. But the footsteps continued. Aina began to turn and walk in the opposite direction but she felt a strong hand grab hold of her wrist.

She slowly spun around to meet those devilish green eyes and wavy, golden locks. He was dressed in another of his trademark white suits with a blue rose sticking out of his breast pocket. He held an extended hand towards her.

With that same mellifluous voice that she remembered, he asked “Pardon me, but may I kindly have this dance?”

All eyes were on the two of them. Aina was confused and very tempted to strike him at once. She glared and eyed his hand warily, but then she caught sight of Anna Marie's surprised and almost disgusted expression. She was intently watching Aina's actions, completely baffled by how she could have been passed up. Aina smirked and graciously took the offered hand.

“I'd be delighted to offer it.” She sneered in Anna Marie's direction and then smugly walked onto the dance floor.

Immediately, the two of them clicked into position and began floating across the ballroom. Aina continued to haughtily smile to herself for a few more moments; very satisfied by Anna Marie's reaction. Then her thoughts turned to her dance partner and the smile faded into a scowl.

“Solomon.” She said flatly.

“Aina.”

“What are you doing here?”

“It's a party. Hosted by my brother's school. It would be rude not to come. Besides, I should ask you the same question. You are not a student, nor are you the relative of one.”

“On the contrary, I happen to be the relative of a girl who recently enrolled at this school.”

He scoffed. “Saya? She is no more your family than mine.”

Aina raised her voice and turned indignant. “She is my blood relative.”

“Then mine as well.”

“That does not count. Just because some of Diva's blood runs through your veins, does not make you related, in any way, to Saya, Diva, or me.”

“But we are all kindred to one another. Are we not all Chiropterans?”

“Yes, we are both Chiropterans, but there is a difference between you and me.”

“Oh, and what pre-tell would that be?” Solomon raised a questioning eyebrow.

Aina lowered her voice and looked sternly in Solomon's eyes; her tone serious. “I am not a monster.”

Solomon narrowed his eyes. “Now that hurts Aina.”

“I'm sure not anymore than the dagger you left in my back.”

He sighed heavily and gazed deeply into her eyes. “Now that, I am truly sorry for.” The statement bewildered Aina. “My first few decades as a Chevalier, I was, what I would call, overzealous and completely under the intoxicating power of Diva's blood. I was eager to please the Queen whom I had pledged myself to by any means necessary. Amshel presented me with a means; killing you. All I could feel was the exhilaration that came from being a Chevalier, I thought those feelings would only intensify if I pleased my Queen once she awoke. But as you witnessed, Amshel never believed that I could kill you…it was all a trap.” Aina felt herself hanging on his every word. It seemed all too good to be true. She wasn't sure if she trusted him, but desperately wanted to.

“Aina,” She felt a tremor run throughout her body as he spoke her name softly to her. “Since then, I have felt empty. The bond between Diva and I has grown cold and I am left with a void that cannot be filled. I have not been happy since my days with you as a human. I realize that now. Aina--” She dropped her arms. Throughout their entire conversation, never once had either of them faltered in their dance steps, but now Aina stopped completely. She lowered her head and ran from the ball room, out the door that led to the gardens. Solomon followed her.

She rested beside a black railed fence and put her arms on top of it. A few tears escaped the barriers of her eyelids and she franticly tried to bat them away with her eyelashes, but they grew and rolled down her cheeks. She hurriedly wiped them from her face.

“Aina, what's the matter?” Solomon asked innocently.

She slowly turned to face him; her anger welling within her. She had balled her hands in to fists once more but now she released one. She lifted her head to show Solomon the expression of pure hatred that was on her countenance. She used her open hand to slap Solomon hard across his cheek. He did not try to dodge it. Immediately afterwards, Aina could see the blood rushing to the surface of his skin from the force of the impact but her anger did not subside.

Silently, she seethed until she exploded with all her frustration. “How dare you! How dare you let all those lies slither from your lips! How dare you try and deceive me!” Her voice broke with emotion. She looked down at the ground and spoke in a lower, more subdued tone. “How dare you feed me false hope…”

Solomon furrowed his brows; her words hurt him. He took his hand and brought her chin close to his face. He spoke intensely with his eyes, but his words also penetrated her soul.

“I would never dare give you false hope; I would never deceive or lie to you. Aina, I love you.” He uttered the words without realizing what he had done. It just came out so naturally that there was no time to stop it. But once they were out, he knew that he meant it. The emptiness that he had been feeling lately; she filled it. Solomon knew that standing here with her was the most exhilarating feeling that he had experienced since becoming a Chevalier. A rush of emotions overcame him; the ones that he had locked away with his past human life. Now he allowed them to fill every part of his being. It felt right to be holding Aina this way, to be with her, to profess his love for her. He felt as though Solomon Goldsmith in human form had been resurrected from the dead. He could no longer go back to Diva; he could only have Aina.

They stayed there a moment longer before Aina's eyes drifted and she uttered, “You can't possibly mean that.”

“Why not?”

Now she stared intently at him; his insolence in the matter annoyed her. “Because you are bonded to Diva by blood, even if you do love me, which I doubt, you will not be able to overcome the blood that ties you to her. It is impossible.”

Solomon took the blue rose from out of his pocket and tucked it behind her ear. He then placed his other hand on the small of her back and brought her entire body closer to him. He whispered in her ear, “Nothing is impossible”. He began to close the distance between their lips when…

“Haji! The Phantom showed up, come with us!” Saya shouted in the distance.

Aina froze but soon broke the tender embrace. She stared back at Solomon and began to accuse him. She pointed her finger at him and began jabbing the air in front of him.

“This was just a distraction, wasn't it? To keep me from helping them against Karl. That's why they sent you here, to keep me occupied so that Karl could get Diva's container safely out of here. Isn't it?!”

Solomon sighed heavily. “I promised I would not lie to you.” Aina was still fuming and awaited a reply that satisfied her fury. “Yes, I was to distract you--” That was all she needed to her.

“And to think that I actually believed you for a moment!” Aina grabbed the blue rose from behind her ear and threw it on the ground. She glared at him once more before running off in the direction of Saya's shouting.

Once she was out of sight, Solomon sighed deeply. He walked a few steps and stooped down to retrieve the blue rose. He twirled it between his fingers. `The ironic part is that I wasn't lying to her…'

 

Aina ran. Tears stung her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. Her legs carried her to an excluded alcove where she was sure Saya had yelled to Haji moments before. Now no one was there so she leaned against a pillar and caught her breath. She choked out gasps of air, not from her exhaustion, the run had been nothing for her, but her emotions made it difficult to breathe. She buried her face in her hands as she slowly slid to the ground. Aina landed on the cement with a `thud' that reverberated off the stark walls of the school's inner courtyard.

She wrapped her arms around her legs and continued to cry; finally releasing seven decades worth of pain. She had wanted to believe his words. She wanted so badly for his embrace to be true. But she knew better. `Then why does it still hurt? Why does he continue to wound my heart even though I have cut it from me? How can he have such an effect over me when I have sworn to myself so many times that I would not allow it? Am I weak?' The very thought made her shudder. `No…and I will show him.'

Her sobbing ceased. She slowly lifted her head from her knees. Her eyes blazed an intense blue fire of malice and vengeance. They also lit up the tears that still remained on her porcelain cheeks. She wiped them away now vowing: `Never again Solomon…'

Aina stood up quickly and ran with lightning Chiropteran speed towards the rose garden behind the chapel. She opened the gate to the structure that led to the cellar. She jumped through the hole and landed gracefully on her feet. As she did so, the sound of gunshot rang through the air. Screams erupted. Out of the chaos she picked up on David's voice.

“It's Diva's container. Don't let it get away!”

Aina came into the large room to see Saya slicing her thumb on her sword. The Phantom before her and Julia watching worriedly. She saw Saya's eyes glow with blood red intensity and instantly she was reminded of Nira. Her eyes that were filled with hate. Aina saw the same emotions in Saya's eyes, but she knew this was not Saya. It almost seemed as if she were possessed by the antagonizing spirit of her mother.

The Phantom spoke to himself, his voice thick with a sense of desire. “I know all too well that I shouldn't, but I just can't help myself. I can't resist the sweet taste of a forbidden fruit!”

At this, Haji began to throw daggers at Karl and they fought one another. They threw each other around, breaking barrels as they went. Saya screamed Haji's name as they battled.

The Phantom's attention turned to Saya now. She readied herself. Karl hissed her name. He lunged towards her. Aina instinctively lurched forward one step; ready to attack, but she stopped herself. David watched her.

“Aina, help Saya!” She turned her head slowly towards him and stared with solemn eyes.

“I can't,” she whispered regretfully. “Not yet”

David watched her with confusion as she turned back to look at Saya as she attempted to strike Karl three times but he dodged her swings. In return, he sliced her several times, ripping her dress and causing blood to spurt all over her.

“Turn…Dance…For Me!” His delighted tone contrasted greatly with Saya's small cries of pain. She panted heavily, covered with blood, and swung straight at Karl one more time.

He gasped with realization. He quickly caught her sword with his bare Chiropteran hand and pulled it down, holding her chin so he could look directly into his eyes. Karl searched her irises for an answer.

“Saya, you haven't…” Her eyes faded, and now she looked like a vulnerable young girl again; not the demonic creature that Aina has seen a few moments before. “You haven't completely woken up yet, have you Saya?” Karl's face was torn with disappointment.

Aina's eyes narrowed. With lightning speed, she fly at Karl while simultaneously pulling out a dagger that was secured around her leg. There was not enough time to cut herself, but she did not mean to kill Karl now anyway. With her dagger uncoated with blood, she thrust the small blade into Karl's abdomen and sent him a few yards farther from Saya. They both stopped, kneeling on the ground.

Saya gratefully whispered, “Aina.”

Karl stared at Aina, obviously annoyed at her intervention. His mouth twitched in irritation.

“I see that Solomon did not fulfill his mission.”

Aina scoffed. “You're a fool if you thought that Solomon could stop me.”

“Perhaps.” Aina raised an eyebrow. He continued, “Perhaps I overestimated your…” Karl's lips curled into a demonic smile. “Humanity.”

Aina's anger boiled within her, but before she had the opportunity to strike, Karl swung his arm at her. She reacted quick enough to jump out of his way, but she failed to pull her dagger from his torso. He now wrapped his fingers around it and ripped it from his flesh, the blood gushing from his stomach, but it soon stopped. He threw the dagger across the room and it clattered to the floor. Karl slowly stood up, keeping his head lowered.

“I am so disappointed, Saya. You are not quite whole yet, are you? You were full of anger and sadness back then, remember?” Now he lifted his head and spoke with sharpened fangs. “But look at you now. You're nothing but…nothing but an ordinary girl.”

Now Haji ran at him once more and they danced as they tried to strike each other. Saya aided him with her sword. David shot his gun several times at Karl. The fight continued until Karl jumped to the ceiling and stuck his hand in the stone.

“Great swordsmanship, Saya. However, you're still not fully awake yet, are you? It's a big party night. I regret that I didn't get to dance with you, but I must go and take care of some business. Farewell, I look forward to seeing you soon. Maybe you can save a dance for me until we meet again.” He held up a blue rose to his lips and kissed it before throwing it down at Saya's feet below him. He malevolently chuckled as he mysteriously escaped once more.

Saya only stared at the flower and vengefully whispered, “Phantom” in a voice lower than her normal one.

 

 

Aina ran out the front doors of the school, she was well ahead of the rest of the group. She looked down to see a girl sitting glumly on the steps, a young man eating chicken stood beside her. The girl turned her head slightly to look at Aina.

Aina recognized the girl as one of Saya's friends, the one that had seemed to be the closest with her niece, the girl in the ruffled, marigold dress. Aina's eyes widened and her jaw dropped a little in surprise. But before she could do or say anything, David burst through the doors as well.

“That's right. Bring the car around to the front of the cathedral. We can't let that truck get away from us.” He ordered to his cell phone. Julia ran down the steps past him. He turned his head to yell back, “Hurry!” to the rest of the group. Saya and Haji brought up the rear.

Aina stood motionless behind the girl, Min. Saya ran past her but as soon as she was in Min's field of vision, Min stood up and questioningly called, “Saya?” Aina held her breath. Her heart stopped beating for a moment. She was all too familiar with this scene. The human friend, finally learning what the Chiropteran Queen really was…a monster.

“Ah where have you been? Saya?” And Saya certainly did look like a monster right now.

Aina couldn't see Min's face, but from her frightened gasp she could tell that Min probably had a mix of sheer terror and utter disgust on her face as her eyes beheld Saya; her dress, which Aina remembered was actually a loan from Min, was shredded, blood stained, and covered with dirt. But what was the most terrifying thing of all was not the state of the dress, or the blood that was splattered across Saya's face, or the various cuts that marred her countenance, but the fiendish red eyes that were glowing as they stared back at Min with a strange, alien feeling of evil and despair.

The headlights of the car shined on Saya to reveal her cuts that were rapidly healing themselves as she gravely murmured, “Min.”

From the car, they all heard David yell “Saya, what are you doing? Hurry!”

They continued watching one another in disbelief. Haji walked to Saya's side.

“Saya.” She slowly turned away and walked with him to the car.

Min was left standing there, with her hand held hesitantly close to her chest. Aina finally began walking down the steps as well. But she turned back to look at Min. Her sober gaze conveyed the regret of her words.

“I'm sorry.” Then she took walked towards the car, but she paused before getting in.

Aina held her hand in mid air; she would not grasp the door handle.

“Aina, get in! Hurry!” David yelled from the passenger seat.

Her eyes were fixed on the handle. She whispered to herself, “No.” But David still heard her.

“Aina, what are you doing?!”

She looked into his frantic eyes, hers were wide with terror. Her lips moved slowly but determinedly.

“I cannot go with you. Not for this next phase of the journey.” She lowered her head. “I will meet up with the Red Shield again at later time. I'm sorry, David.” Her eyes turned to Saya. “I'm sorry, Saya. Be strong.”

Aina slowly turned from them and walked in the opposite direction down the road.

Saya turned in her seat. “Aina!” She was frantic with worry; she did not want to carry the burden of killing the Chiropterans by herself. She needed Aina. She was about to jump from the car when David stopped her.

“No, Saya. Let her go. We cannot bring her back and attempting to do so would only waste more time. We will just have to do this on our own, trusting in you.”

Saya nodded but as they drove away from the school and into the Vietnamese jungle, all she could think to herself was `Why Aina? Why did you leave me?'