Dragon Knights Fan Fiction ❯ My Immortal ❯ Fugitive ( Chapter 8 )

AN: I have been informed that some people are capable of churning out thirty-four chapter stories with thirteen-page chapters. I shall sulk now x-.- But in other news, I thought it was about time I let ya'll know that this story will be fifteen chapters. Isn't it grand?

 

Ronin-N-Gang: Hee, hopefully you'll like this chapter. Since I'm sure it won't spoil anything really, I haveta say, did you actually think that I could actually kill off Kharl? I would cry XD Not to mention that Rune is way too kick-ass to let him die :D Between the two of us, I'm sure he'll survive... And, of course, I wish their relationship in the manga could be like this too ;) Sigh, not a day goes by that I don't wish I could make doujinshi... but my art teacher is worthless, I haven't learned a thing in that class (and I'm almost certain that that's not my fault, even!). Hmm, y'know, if there's anybody reading this that has that kind of talent, hinthint...

 

Turtle Kid: XD Ah, Garfakcy, you are so popular... well, of course I couldn't have a fic about Kharl without Garfakcy even making a cameo, but I'm afraid to say that it's going to be a pretty short cameo. However, since you're like the second or third person who's asked about him, I've decided that he's going to have a bigger role in the (coughprequelwhatprequel?cough). Just as soon as I figure out how exactly to work him in there, heh heh...

 

Sarehptar: Well, since I got carried away and have already replied to your review, I'll just say - (bow) - thank you very much for gracing this humble story with your shining presence! XD Hope you enjoy this chapter too.

 

Raven of Darkness Shadows: (blush) Aw, I'm glad you liked it so much. I feel so loved, hee. What sites do you normally go to? This is also up on Media Miner, but not on aff net... and I really need to put it up there, even though it takes forever to get to the, ah, material that would make it appropriate for that site, hee...

 

Xooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooX

 

Chapter Eight: Fugitive

 

Xooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooX

 

 

 

The only problem was, Rune hated vampires. He'd really been hoping to not have to have anything to do with them ever again. But, he reflected resignedly as he watched Kharl `sleep', it just couldn't be helped.

 

His aversion to vampires didn't mean he tried to deny their existence; on the contrary, he was quite well-read on the subject. For instance, he knew that merely having all the blood drained out of their bodies wasn't enough to kill a vampire - nothing was enough to kill them, if you wanted to get technical - and he also knew exactly what to do about it.

 

It was a bizarre scene - the dank little room was lit by mysterious bauble-like lights drifting serenely in the air around the face of a young boy, who first filled an exquisite crystal wineglass with highly suspicious blackish liquid out of a battered old metal soup pot at his feet, and then raised it to the lips of what appeared to be a corpse...

 

He had to admit that he hadn't expected it to take effect this fast. Only a few seconds passed before the body's instinctive swallowing began to get markedly stronger, and after just a few more moments Rune saw Kharl's eyelids flutter. The vampire hadn't even drained a full glass when he gave a weak moan, and lifted one hand to clutch Rune's wrist, to keep him in place.

 

Then he opened his eyes. By the light of the odd little glowing orbs they stared at each other for a few moments; Rune gulped.

 

He didn't feel a thing. In fact, it took him a few moments to even realize that they'd switched places - that he was now pinned to the slab Kharl had been laying on an instant before. Thankfully, it took Kharl about as long to grasp that the only reason he wasn't ripping his fangs into Rune's neck right now was that the boy was holding he head away with a single hand on his forehead. His wings strained to their greatest width in an unspeakable agony.

 

“On the floor - there's a pot -” Rune said simply, and Kharl was off him in another instant.

 

For a minute or two, it was all Rune could do to remain where he was and wait for his heart rate to return to normal. It occurred to him vaguely that the wineglass was shattered on the floor somewhere; luckily, Kharl didn't seem to mind. This, he thought dourly, was why he hated vampires.

 

When he finally seemed to be breathing properly again, Rune snapped his fingers - more to get his companion's attention than because it was actually necessary - and held out the crystal glass that appeared between them. “Don't drink out of a pan on the floor like a dog,” he grumbled, doing little to keep the disgust out of his voice. Kharl eyed him warily for a moment or two, but he took it.

 

“How,” he asked at length, “did you do that?” Without waiting for an answer, he continued, “What are you? You're not a vampire, or a human either...”

 

Rune turned his head to look at him. “Do you really have to ask? A vampire as old as you should be able to smell it. I'm a witch, of course.” Kharl boggled, and Rune let loose a put-upon sigh. “Yes, I know, we've all been dead for over three hundred years. Except I haven't.”

 

“You're Rath's friend,” Kharl said abruptly. When Rune took his turn staring, he elaborated, “It's the hair. It's memorable.” Rune could've sworn he saw just the slightest hint of a smirk on his face.

 

He just shrugged, though, deciding to let it go. There were more pressing issues. “The question is,” he said softly, “are you Rath's friend?”

 

The slight upward turn of the lips remained, but something in the vampire's eyes softened... “So that's why you're here,” he said, nodding to himself. “Does he miss me that much?”

 

“I suppose,” he said casually. “Not that he actually told me a thing; I figured out that you were a vampire on my own.” Rune stared meaningfully at the other man. “There's been death all over him for a while now; I'd thought the rumors were true. But I recognized the name - if I hadn't, I would've left you to die. They are planning to kill you, right?”

 

“...Yes,” Kharl said eventually. “What happened to you, then? Last I heard, witches liked vampires.”

 

“Not all of them.” Rune gave Kharl an especially flat glare, and swung his feet down to the floor. “So, is my knowledge of vampire customs accurate? If left like this, you would've revived in the morning, and so tradition insists on a whole big ritual for sticking a stake though your heart, right? So they'll be coming for you?” Kharl nodded, thin-lipped; Rune folded his arms across his chest. “Uh-huh. You do realize that you're going to have to tell me later what you did to make them this mad, right?” The younger boy sighed again, and shook his head. “But all I need to know for right now is... Have you put Rath in danger?”

 

Kharl fidgeted with the now-empty pot. He thought it looked rather like something from a vampire bar, and a memory from another era reminded him that witches couldn't create organic substances; he must have nicked it... “I showed him my identity. They're probably going to kill him,” he muttered, deciding that he was really starting to dislike this boy. “Scratch probably.”

 

Rune nodded, business-like. “Then I guess I'd better get you out of here so I can go save him.”

 

Kharl didn't even have enough time to gawk at him properly before his world turned inside out.

 

Xooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooX

 

By the time Kharl was able to climb shakily to his feet again - his stomach was still churning, unfortunately, but he'd been blessedly lucky in controlling it so far - Rune was already searching the contents of a particularly large bookshelf. “Sorry,” he called over his shoulder. “I guess I'm a bit rusty on two-person transit spells...” Kharl rolled his eyes, but supposed he just ought to be thankful the boy had seen fit to leave him with all his parts.

 

“What are you looking for?” he asked, grabbing the nearest chair.

 

“Something to keep vampires away... from Rath...” Kharl considered that the extra-long pause was a bit of a cheap shot, but before he could say anything to that effect, Rune glanced up at him. “Oh, yes - this is my home. Since you owe me for saving you life, I request that you please not mess with anything. The vampires are going to be looking for you, of course, so it'd probably be best if you didn't leave the house for the time being.”

 

Kharl smiled at him. “What's your name?”

 

Rune gave him a long look, and then went back to his book with a slight shake of his head. “Rune.”

 

Kharl nodded. “And do you have a plan, by any chance?”

 

Rune shut his book with a snap, and picked another. “About what to do with you, you mean? How could I, without knowing what you did?”

 

“Well, it seems I was too powerful, for one thing.” He beamed. “But also, I broke about three of the fundamental Codes. One of them I broke twenty-two times.”

 

Rune gawked. “That's disgusting!” he blurted.

 

“Would you rather I let Rath die, then?”

 

Rune stared for a moment or two longer, and then looked down at his book again, turning a few pages absentmindedly before saying, “He didn't tell me about that.”

 

Kharl considered offering his condolences, but he couldn't quite bring himself to, so he said nothing at all, and that pretty much put an end to the conversation. Eventually Rune nodded to himself. “I found it. This won't take too long -” he paused to give the vampire a quick appraising look, “- we'll figure out what to do with you when I get back.” Once again, he didn't give Kharl a chance to reply but just disappeared, and all he could do was grudgingly appreciate the lack of sparkles or other fanfare.

 

And then it was suddenly very quite. It was the kind of quite that made things like clocks loud enough to drive the faint of heart to insanity, so Kharl couldn't help but get up and see if he could find some of the things he wasn't supposed to mess with. He didn't turn up anything that looked too out of the ordinary, however, and he could only make a half-hearted effort anyway, so eventually he flopped down on the bed and wished vampires could sleep. He was most displeased to realize that he was really still in prison, as long as he couldn't go to the one place he wanted to be...

 

Xooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooX

 

AN: Ooh, the tension. Hhn. After rereading this chapter, well, I just hope no one thinks Rune is unbearably out of character... Hopefully he'll be a bit better in the next chapter. He'll certainly be more interesting, mwuha... Not telling nuthing. Well, except that the next chapter should be a bit longer; I apologize for how short this one was again, eh heh. R&R?