Dragon Knights Fan Fiction ❯ My Immortal ❯ Discovery ( Chapter 9 )

AN: Rolling Stones CDs and fucking Godiva chocolate - can't live without 'em, man. And thus the tension continues... for a while... (smirk) `Twist dimensions' are nicked from You Look Best in Shadows, but that's mine too so it's all good XD I still have this feeling that Rune is turning out to be sooo OOC... and yet, not O.o At least I haven't turned him into a girl...

 

Sarehptar: (deep breath) Okay! (grin) You know super-long reviews are my fav thing in the whole world, even more than pocky, right? Even if half of it was a reply to a PM; it still counts. I love your point about why Rune would be all prickly at Kharl! I hadn't even thought of it that way -.o; It was my subconscious, I'm sure; yeah, yeah... (cough)... Hee. I'm glad you like the witches; I guess I really worked hard to add as many details to this world as I could. Well, I don't know if you could call it `work', it was more like just letting my over-active imagination run rampant... I didn't think to include actual dragons in this, but I suppose that would've made an interesting twist. You see, the whole vampire part of this story (though the witches didn't turn up until B-chan demanded that Runey be in it) were originally part of a daydream of mine... in another fandom. Heh. 10th Kingdom, actually... oh, how it has grown... XD I love Runey's hair. And I love Kharl; don't you? (Rapidly losing all coherency here, I know... it would make sense if you were looking at your review, I swear... plus I'm sick and so full of chocolate that I can barely move...). And I swear to gosh, switching `quiet' and `quite' is my single most-typed typo; I think that this is the second time someone has told me I've done that in this fic... (blushie) Aw, I'm glad you like it so much. But I still say `Cloaks' is the definitive work on Kharl (and I haven't even finished it, sweatdrop). And not to mention Fallacy! (grin) Love that chapter, by the way, as always... Hey, have you ever read Interview With a Vampire? I think anyone who has will realize that Kharl's relationship with Garfacky in this fic is actually extremely obvious ;) Happy sigh, I'm actually getting really excited about bringing him into the prequel. To be honest, I'm actually having a lot of trouble getting the thing off the ground, so I'm thinking that I need to bring him in soon, heh... I wonder if I can find a way to bring the apron in XD (Now that might be too silly...). Heh, now there's a good New Year's resolution - mine is a terribly cliché `practice more self-restraint' (especially around food T.T). (beam) And finally, I'm glad you like the length and pacing of these chapters :) I can't believe you managed to write a 300-word story, though T.T As I've said, this thing is pretty-much done, and it's currently at 118 pages - and it's the longest thing I've ever written. Of course, I think I've also written about 66 stories (I don't think every single one of them is on any one site); isn't that kind of like going for quantity over quality...? XD Wow, it is long... Erm, enjoy the chapter? (sweatdrop)

 

Ronin-N-Gang: (grin) I'm glad you don't mind. Maybe it just seems so short to me because I spent so long writing it, heh... But in any case, I really have read a story that long; there are a couple of Inu-yasha writers, actually, who have a whole bunch of really good stories that're that long, (weeps) Oh well; this just means that I may not be cut out for the world of professional writing, and since fanfiction completely owns me anyways, heh... XD OMG, my art teacher gave me a D- once. She gave me the option of redoing the work, thank Kami, but still, that seems downright insulting T.T Personally I just think she was off her meds that day, mwuha... Hee, how to tell the difference between Kharl in this fic and in the series - if he'd been left alone in Rune's house like that in the series, he totally would've made some kind of demon, just to pass the time (and probably be accident XD). (huggles you) And finally, I'm so glad you also don't think Rune is too OOC! I'm really surprised that no one else seems to think so (and relieved...).

 

Raven of Darkness Shadows: Hey, I'd love to read your original fictions! Since obviously you have good taste! (shot dead XD) Other than that - (bawls) - you're the third person to comment on me making that mistake in this fic, second this chapter T.T I've really got to start paying more attention when I use that word, heh, don't I...? On the other hand, I'm glad that yet another person doesn't find Rune to be OOC :) Maybe it's just because I'm making him a bit more serious/sane than he is in a lot of the fanfics, nyah...

 

Arie Date: Heh. 39 reviews on ff net so far - but you are my very first reviewer on Media Miner. (happy dance!) And I was really beginning to wonder why I was posting on this site - but for you I'll keep going ;) I'm glad you're liking it! Hee, Kharl/Rath may be unconventional, but they're by far my favorite pairing in the fandom; I actually have another fic in the works about them, also quite long, and so if I ever actually finish it I'll be holding you to your promise ;) lol...

 

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Chapter Nine: Discovery

 

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They did not, in fact, figure out `what to do with' Kharl when Rune came back. He'd come in well after midnight, muttering something Kharl didn't catch about trouble opening a twist dimension, but also about how there'd already been vampires prowling around the mansion when he'd gotten there. He fell into bed shortly after that, and Kharl listened to the clock and wished for a gin until dawn.

 

And when Rune came down to the kitchen at ten in the morning - stumbling and yawning and squinting all the way - it was clear that he was already unstable as it was, so it was a miracle really that he didn't fall right over at the sight of the table. Kharl beamed at him.

 

“It seems to me that, despite how you saved my life, we nevertheless got off on the wrong foot,” he said. “So I thought I'd make it up to you.”

 

Rune took a moment to absorb the sight - bacon, eggs, pancakes, bagels - before sitting down with a groggy but apparently sincere `thank-you', and digging in. Kharl found the fact that he obviously was not a morning person to be insanely amusing and endearing, so he was even nice enough to pour him a cup of coffee.

 

Eventually, however, he deemed his companion conscious enough to carry on a conversation. “So, I did some thinking,” he said, steepling his fingers in front of his face, “and no matter how I look at it, I'm afraid I can only see one way to get out of this whole mess. Shydeman and Shyrendora are the Council members who are apparently behind this - normally the crimes I committed would come nowhere near warranting a death sentence, of course.” Which he was none too sure was right himself, but he had more important things to worry about at the moment... He smiled grimly. “So I was thinking that, if those two were... out of the way... the Council ought to revert into the pliable bunch they usually are.”

 

Rune raised an eyebrow. “They'll probably be very well guarded.”

 

Kharl grinned approvingly at him. “From other vampires, maybe.” He gave the subtleties time to sink in by taking a bite of pancake before continuing. “So if you're the last witch alive, why don't we know about you? I would seek out other immortals, whether or not they were of the same species, in your position.”

 

“It's because I hate vampires,” Rune said, with a matter-of-fact shrug. “I only helped you because you'd somehow managed to get Rath to care about you -” and for the first time since Kharl had met him, he actually smiled slightly, “- and I know how hard that can be... But you know, you never did tell me what crimes you committed,” he added accusingly.

 

“Alright, I can see how curious you are,” Kharl said, mildly bemused. “How about this - I'll tell you what I did, and then you tell me why you hate vampires.”

 

“I don't want to,” he replied, with a complete and utter lack of emotion that Kharl just had to admire. “You still owe me, you have to tell me or I'll kick you out.”

 

Kharl stared at him for a bit, and chuckled. “You have a point, I suppose. Very well... I killed twenty-two mortals, and I also showed my true identity to a human and let it live, as you know. Also, I hate to tell you, but it's ten fifteen on a Thursday morning, making you over two hours tardy.”

 

Rune sat in a slack-jaw trance for a moment or two... and then he jumped to his feet, nearly overturning his chair, and scrambled for wherever the phone was. Kharl couldn't quite keep himself from laughing uproariously.

 

Eventually he returned, scowling. “I have the stomach flu,” he informed Kharl bitterly. “Don't laugh at me.” This only made him laugh harder; Rune rolled his eyes. “You know, this is one of the things I hate about vampires,” he grumbled into his coffee cup.

 

Though he was still chuckling, Kharl managed to get out a stammered, “W-What?”

 

“You're all so arrogant. And spiteful and petty... and over the top; it's really not that funny.”

 

“Oh are we now, Mister You-have-to-tell-me-or-I'll-kick-you-out?” Kharl asked, aware that he was having entirely too much fun again. “Intriguing, do go on.”

 

Rune just scoffed, folding his napkin up. “We don't really have time for this, do we? You were suggesting earlier that I might know a way to kill these Shydeman and Shyrendora people, right?”

 

Kharl found that this boy's ability to change the subject reminded him of Rath's mood swings, and that it was every bit as annoying. He sighed long-sufferingly. “Do you, then?”

 

Rune frowned. “Oh, I know I have a spell for it somewhere... A normal killing spell won't work, of course, you don't kill vampires. It'd take something that drains all their blood... Something specialized.” He grinned nervously. “Unfortunately, that means I probably have it filed away.”

 

Kharl shrugged. “You bookshelf isn't that big... unless... you have more?”

 

Rune gave him a look of dry amusement... and then seemed to grab the thin air next to him and twist. Just like that, a sort of doorway or tunnel opened up, hanging in nothing, right there in the middle of the kitchen. Looking at its edges for too long made Kharl's eyes water. “It's called a twist dimension,” Rune said by way of explanation. “It's what witches usually use for storage space. Come see for yourself.”

 

It took rather a lot of willpower to get himself to step through that swirling vortex of an entrance, but Kharl didn't let on. Once inside he forgot all about it anyway. Books spread into the hazy distance in every direction; he gaped like a tourist.

 

“The spell we need should probably be somewhere in this area,” Rune said helpfully. He glanced sideways at his companion, and grinned. “I may only be a little under three hundred years old myself, but I also inherited someone else's collection. Books are very important in our line of work, after all.”

 

Kharl shut his mouth and tried to look dignified again. “Right. Of course.” He reached out to touch a book in a contemplative fashion, trailing a long finger down its spine. “So, what's the plan? Do we have to just look through every book until we find it?”

 

“Not we. I,” Rune said, removing Kharl's hand as graciously as possible. “Books are more than just words to a witch; they're the source of his power. And to let a vampire -”

 

Kharl gave an exasperated sigh. “I don't know just what exactly it is that you have against my race,” he said a bit tensely, “but if the Council gets to Rath before you find that spell because you refused help...” He let his voice trail off, but his expression implied that he might just give Rune something to really dislike.

 

Rune, for his part, tried to look indifferent. “The protections I put on him will hold. No vampires can get anywhere near him.”

 

“Are you really willing to take that chance?” Kharl asked quietly. This was followed by several unpleasant moments of staring. Finally, Rune made a disgusted face.

 

“It's not like you'll even be able to read half of them,” he groused. “And you won't be able to read any of the actual spells... you'll probably find it and not even realize it...” Kharl just smirked.

 

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Hours passed. The living room table soon became covered in books and the remnants of snacks. Rune was deeply annoyed to find that, while Kharl could of course not read the witches' language of spells, he seemed to have no trouble with any mortal language the boy could throw at him. Perhaps this was why, when Rune looked up around mid-afternoon to find Kharl staring out the window, he was illogically irritable even for him.

 

“You force me to let you read my books, and then you can't be bothered?” he snapped. Kharl just smiled at him.

 

“Oh, I was just thinking... Does Rath know what you are, by any chance?” Rune shook his head `no'. “So you didn't talk to him last night? He should at least know he's in danger...”

 

“You want to talk to him.” It wasn't really a question. Kharl shrugged, trying to look indifferent.

 

“Well... if you have his number...” The way his eyes were shining, Rune mused, he shouldn't have even bothered with the off-hand tone. It was probably just the mood he was in, but for some reason that troubled him...

 

Nevertheless, he got the phone and dialed, handing it wordlessly to Kharl. The way he smiled while it rang was really quite odd, but it was even more odd that the expression remained firmly in place even after, once he'd said hello, he was greeted with a long string of creative expletives.

 

“You missed me that much, really?”

 

“You fucker!” Rath said, with feeling. “Where the hell are you?”

 

“I can't tell you.” Even Kharl had to hold the phone away from his ear for a moment or two at the response that got. “I really can't; I'm sorry. But I'm okay, for the moment. The problem is... I don't know if you are. Rest assured that you're well-protected... we seem to have something of a mutual friend... but keep your eyes open, just in case.”

 

Rath groaned. “What did you get me into?” he demanded.

 

Kharl chuckled lightly. “Oh, it seems the Council is even more unhappy with me then I'd thought... Also, since you know what I am, well...” On the other end, Rath gave a heavy sigh; Kharl looked down. “...I really am sorry,” he said softly. “I wish I could see you...” Rune, sitting across the table, found that he'd stopped even trying to pretend to be reading. Kharl continued hurriedly. “We'll get it sorted out soon, though; we're working on it right now. Everything will be fine.”

 

“It'd better be,” Rath griped, almost immediately. “If I get killed I'm going to fucking haunt you.”

 

Kharl laughed. “Oh, lucky me.” This was followed by more swearing, but the vampire didn't seem to mind.

 

When they eventually got off, Rune glanced at Kharl over the top of his book. “He really likes you, doesn't he?”

 

Kharl smiled in a distant sort of way. “I'm glad you think so.”

 

“And you really like him...” Rune stared at Kharl thoughtfully, but the man merely shrugged and appeared deeply interested in his latest book, so finally the blond was forced to sigh and go back to his own.

 

The rest of the day passed fairly uneventfully. At about an hour before sunset Rune went out, and he returned with another pot-full of pig's blood. Kharl chose not to ask, and merely thanked him. And after Rune had gone to bed and Kharl had recovered from his Change, he spent a while pacing through the house, too edgy now to read any more. For a while he thought seriously about waking Rune up and making him give up Rath's number, and then waking Rath too by calling him. It helped his nerves a bit, however, when he realized that Rath would probably just cuss him out again for calling so late. Lord, he... had such a thing for that boy...

 

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As the days progressed, a funny thing happened. At first, Rune just got quiet, which was at least a step up from grouching. But then he started asking questions. Mainly he asked about Kharl's past, and since he seemed genuinely interested, Kharl answered. Sometimes, he noted, the boy would get such a wistful expression...

 

In fact, when Kharl in all his winged, fanged glory wandered into the kitchen late on his fourth night to find Rune up and mixing a drink, the young immortal just nodded casually at him, completely unbothered. So Kharl decided to be unbothered too, and merely sniffed the air in a mixture of amusement and distaste.

 

“Alcohol? Aren't you a little young...?”

 

Rune rolled his eyes. “I was a balding old businessman when I bought this,” he said as he headed out of the room with his drink in the direction of the living room; Kharl followed.

 

“You mean you can look any age you wish? Why all this, then?” he asked, gesturing at Rune's effeminate teenage form. “If I could hold any social position I wanted, high school student would not be my first choice.”

 

Rune mumbled something as he was sitting down, and a fire sprang to life in the hearth next to him. “I did it to get close to Rath,” he said idly. “I knew something interesting was going to be happening around him sometime, though I suppose I hadn't expected anything quite like this.”

 

Kharl laughed again, taking a seat across from him. “Sounds like you need a hobby.” Rune looked quizzically at him. “There's an art to dealing with immortality, you know. Rath's problems weren't any business of yours until you made them that way, and now you've wound up housing a vampire.”

 

“Well, everyone deals with immortality in their own way, I suppose.” While Kharl nodded thoughtfully, Rune took to staring into the fire. His expression gradually softened into that pensive look again, and after taking another swallow of the shining amber liquid in his glass, he muttered, “Do you still want to know why I hate vampires?”

 

Kharl ruffled his wings in mild surprise. “Of course; I'm all ears.”

 

Rune seemed to hesitate even so, and he took another drink before he said anything. “Well... Just how old are you, anyway?”

 

Kharl smirked mysteriously. “I was a mercenary for Alexander the Great, boy - which was in the 300s B.C. in case you're a bit rusty, high school curriculum just isn't what it used to be.”

 

Rune gaped for a moment, and then laughed softly. “Well, I guess you'd know all about the history of the witches, then.”

 

“I'm afraid so,” he said, watching the flames himself now. “Your people were great allies... and a great example, in the end.” He smiled wryly. “After seeing the witches kill each other off, we vampires were able to make the transition to abstinence from human blood fairly bloodlessly. Resistance against the majority opinion was not worth the risk in such a violent society, it seemed.”

 

Rune nodded. “So I understand... It was just that there were so many opposing ideas. The longer someone lived with humans before being given their power, the more they would question the culture's ideals. People like that wanted to use their power for good; they wanted to break their ties with the vampires.” He smiled to himself. “Those people were so passionate about their opinions, back then... that I couldn't help falling in love with one.”

 

Kharl went rigid, and could only be happy that he didn't seem to be expected to say anything as the boy went on. “Her name was Tintlet... She was the most serene person I'd ever seen; she was like a dream.” He shook his head, and downed the rest of his drink in one. “She was against the thought of my becoming immortal at first, but she knew she was one of the last witches left... so she gave me her power, when she died.”

 

By the flickering light Kharl searched Rune's face, but his eyes remained firmly locked on the fire. “I'm so sorry,” he said, feeling dull and depressed all of a sudden. All immortals knew what it was like to fall in love with someone and lose them in practically the same moment, after all...

 

Rune laughed again, though he looked tired and like he wished he had another drink. “It's funny to think that you actually understand what I'm talking about, you know that?” He shrugged sadly. “I just thought that, if the vampires had tried to help keep their allies from killing each other instead of picking sides and helping them along, maybe it would have turned out differently.”

 

“I didn't fight on either side,” Kharl said suddenly. “If it's any consolation.” Rune glanced up at him, startled, and then smiled and looked away.

 

A peaceful kind of quiet settled over them as they each watched the fire and thought their own thoughts, for better or worse. Kharl was just about to open him mouth and say something, when he realized with a jolt that Rune's eyes were closed. He chuckled to himself. Ah, to be a living immortal. He had gotten up and was walking passed him, with the vague plan of going somewhere else where he wouldn't wake the boy, when a hand grabbed his wrist.

 

“Kharl, you know, I... never told anyone all that.” Kharl got just long enough of a look at the tears, and something suspiciously like desperation, in Rune's eyes to set off the `danger' alarms in his head, before a pair of lips closed over his own.

 

Though Kharl just stood there like a rock - not so much shocked as incredibly pained - Rune wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him close, and after a moment slipped his tongue into the other's unresisting but unresponsive mouth. It was only when he pushed Kharl back onto the chair that the vampire gently turned the boy's face away by the chin.

 

“I... really wish you hadn't done that to yourself,” Kharl whispered. Rune's body convulsed in a silent sob.

 

“Why... for a mortal...?” Rune glared at him in sudden anger, made all the more venomous by the tears in his eyes. Kharl grimaced helplessly, and the boy stalked out of the room.

 

Kharl sat where he'd been left until the fire died down to embers. At some point he let his head fall heavily back against the chair, eyes shut tight. The dull depression was back, except now it had an edge to it. It occurred to him that it was hard to be three hundred. And after a little while, he got up and found the nearest door out of the house.

 

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AN: Now that was a pretty long chapter :) Sadly, though, I'm pretty sure it sucked (aren't I always?), since I wrote most of it at two o'clock in the morning... Worse yet, I only have two pieces of chocolate left! Soon I will be reduced to eating Nutella on raisin bagels. (whimper) But at least it's snowing; unlike Rath, I like snow :)