Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Gravity Well ❯ Anderson Keyes ( Chapter 5 )

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Chapter 5: Anderson Keyes

Anderson waited in the other room for Tohma to get dressed. Tohma was dizzy and it took him much longer than it should have. Anderson was standing in the middle of the living room with Tohma's coat over his arm and his hat in one hand when Tohma finally left the bedroom.

“You don't look good,” Anderson said. “You should let me take you home.” He handed Tohma his hat and held his coat out for him.

Tohma plopped the hat on the back of his head and slipped his arms into the coat sleeves. God, I'm tired. He closed his eyes for a moment to fight the dizziness. “Thank you, Mr. Keyes. I think I shall have to accept your offer.”

“Like I said, call me Andy.” He started for the door. “We'll stop for food.”

They ate at a coffee shop. It was not the sort of place Tohma would have normally patronized, but the food was surprisingly good and there was plenty of it. Tohma was starving. Under the circumstances, he was not too proud to stuff himself like the expectant Noriko.

Andy just drank coffee. “How long has she been taking you?” he asked.

“Almost two months.”

Andy looked surprised. “You look pretty bad for being so new.”

“She said last night I am the only man she's seeing.”

“Really? How often does she take you?” Andy leaned forward, staring at Tohma intently.

“Every few days.”

“Shit!” Andy sat back with an angry frown. “I should have come after you sooner. It might be too late.”

“Too late?” That sounded horribly ominous. “What do you mean?”

“She'll have infected you pretty badly. You might not recover, especially if you've started drinking, too.”

Tohma thought of Ryuichi and blanched.

Andy studied his face. “You did drink someone.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Just once,” Tohma said softly. He felt like he was admitting to some shameful act.

“Try not to do it again.” Andy leaned forward with his arms on the table, his coffee cup clasped in both hands. “I admit I don't understand everything, but I do know that once a vampire's pet starts drinking other people, it's pretty much all downhill from there. You have to resist the urge, no matter what.”

Tohma stared at him. “Has this happened to you, Andy?”

Andy looked down. “No. But I lost someone close to me to a vampire.” He met Tohma's eyes. “I swore I wouldn't let it happen to anybody else, if I could stop it.” He smiled suddenly. “You know, I never did ask you your name.”

“Tohma Seguchi.”

“How do you do, Mr. Seguchi?” Andy held out his hand and Tohma shook it, feeling faintly amused. “What do you do for a living, Tohma?”

Tohma almost laughed. “Where do I start? I am the president of a multi-national production company, but right now I'm on tour as a keyboard player in a synth rock group called Nittle Grasper.”

Andy grinned in surprise. “That's mighty diverse, but it explains why Miranda's after you. She loves musicians. My friend was a singer.” His smile turned sad. “And he was good-looking, like you.”

Tohma tucked the last bit of toast into his mouth and sat back. He'd eaten more food in this one meal than he was accustomed to eating in an entire day. He felt terribly stuffed, but at least the dizziness was starting to fade.

“Tohma, you need to get away from Miranda,” Andy said abruptly. “I know it's past the point where you can resist her, so you have to go where she can't find you.”

“I can't do that, Andy. We're on tour. Our schedule is already fixed. She knows where I'll be for the next month.”

Andy frowned. “Do you have some free time?”

Tohma was a little confused by the abrupt change in topic. “Yes, but why?”

“I want to show you what you're in for if you don't break free of her. Can you go out with me tonight?”

“I think so.”

“Good. We'll go vampire hunting.” He signaled the waitress. “But first I'll take you to your hotel. You need to get some sleep.”

- - - -

K was waiting, looking like he was ready to start shooting people, when Tohma entered the lobby. “Just because you have the night off doesn't mean you can disappear all night without telling me where you're going.” He shoved his face so close to Tohma's that their noses were practically touching. “Do it again, and I'll put a tracer on you, just like Ryuichi.”

“I'm sorry, K. It won't happen again.”

“Damn right it won't.” K accompanied Tohma up to his room as if he didn't trust him to actually go there. “And you look like shit.”

“I was up all night.” Not quite the truth, but close enough. “Where's Ryu? Because I'd really like to get some sleep.”

“He's with Nori. I'll tell him to leave you alone for a few hours.”

“Thank you.” Tohma paused at the door to his room. “K, I have something I need to do tonight. I'll probably be out all night again.”

“Oh, so you think telling me in advance that I won't know where you are is going to make me feel better?” K snarled sarcastically. “If I shoot you in the leg, you can still play, but you can't wander off.”

Tohma smiled disarmingly. “Don't be silly, K. You can't shoot me. I'm your boss.”

K poked Tohma's forehead. “Not when we're on tour.”

“This is important, K.”

K frowned. “Fine! But it better be the last time.” He thumped Tohma in the chest. “If you get yourself killed, I'll shoot you.” He marched off back toward the elevator.

Tohma entered his room with a sigh. He was starting to feel dizzy again. He stripped out of his clothes and crawled into bed, feeling incredibly tired. Andy is right. I have to get away from her. Somehow.

- - - -

“Be quiet, Mr. Bear. You'll wake Tohma.”

Tohma opened one eye to find Ryuichi sitting cross-legged on the bed beside him, playing with Mr. Bear. “It's all right, Ryu, I'm awake.” Tohma sat up on one elbow. “How long have you been here?”

“Hours and hours.” Ryuichi grinned. “Mr. Bear said you were going to sleep through dinner.”

Tohma sat up completely. “Is it that late?” He glanced at the clock. It read 6:12pm. He'd slept all day. “Damn! I should have arranged a wake-up call.” Stark hunger tightened his belly and suddenly he was intensely aware of Ryuichi's scent. The seductive, masculine aroma of his friend excited him. Tohma licked his lips as he remembered the taste of Ryuichi. Thirst consumed him. “Ryu,” he whispered, “come here.”

Ryuichi looked at him with his usual innocent expression and scooted across the bed. Tohma put his arms around his shoulders.

“I need something from you, Ryu. You'll let me have it, won't you?”

Ryuichi blinked at him. “Of course.”

“Thank you.” Tohma pressed his lips against Ryuichi's neck and licked him. The taste was exhilarating. He opened his mouth wider and bit down, tasting Ryuichi's blood. Ryuichi gasped softly as Tohma pushed him down into the pillows, sucking hungrily. The taste of blood was thrilling, but the feel of Ryuichi in his arms and the wonderful scent of him in Tohma's nose were utterly arousing. After all those times with Miranda, it was heavenly to have a man in his arms again.

“Tohma said he wouldn't bite Ryu again!” Ryuichi cried plaintively.

Tohma froze, suddenly, painfully, aware of what he was doing. It wasn't just the drinking. He realized he was on the verge of making love to Ryuichi. He rolled away and sat up on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.

“Forgive me, Ryu! I am so sorry!” Tears of shame and fear began to slide down his cheeks.

“Don't cry, Tohma!” Ryuichi sounded worried. “It doesn't hurt.”

“Please go find K, Ryu. Have dinner with K. I need to go somewhere.”

Ryuichi's lip quivered. “You don't want to be with Ryuichi?”

“That's just the problem,” Tohma whispered. “I do. Please go now, Ryu. I'll see you tomorrow.”

Ryuichi climbed off the bed, but he hesitated at the door. “Will you be all right, Tohma?”

“I hope so,” Tohma answered faintly.

Tohma showered and dressed after Ryuichi left. He felt a thousand times better, but he wondered if it was because of the sleep or the blood. He didn't want to know the answer. He waited in his room for Anderson Keyes to call. Andy had said it would be late. He finally called a little bit before 10pm and told Tohma to meet him out front.

Andy was waiting outside the lobby doors, dressed in a long trench coat quite similar to Tohma's, although without the fur collar and cuffs.

“How did you sleep?”

“Quite well. I slept the day through.”

“Good.” Andy hailed a taxi.

“You said we were going vampire hunting,” Tohma prompted.

“We are.” Andy gave the cab driver directions to a waterfront bar. “I'll explain when we get there.”

The bar was in a trendy part of town, but on a seedy looking side street. On the sidewalk outside, Andy put his arm around Tohma's shoulders and leaned close so he could speak directly into Tohma's ear.

“This place is frequented by vampires. We won't run into Miranda here, though; too tacky for her. They'll be able to tell someone's been drinking you. It will make some of them shy away and attract others. There will also be regular humans, but they'll all be someone's pet. They're the ones I'm bringing you here to see.”

With his arm still around Tohma, Andy led the way inside. The bar was dim and smoky. Softly muted music floated from hidden speakers. The patrons were mostly couples, sitting close together. As Tohma's eyes adjusted to the gloom, he realized that what he had taken for simple necking was much more. All around him, vampires were feeding more or less openly on their companions. And the companions were enthralled. Their eyes glazed with pleasure, they slumped against their vampire lovers, completely submissive. The sight sickened him. His steps faltered as Andy led him to the bar.

“Two beers,” Andy ordered casually. The bartender looked him over with a raised eyebrow before turning away to fill two mugs from the tap.

Tohma grasped his mug desperately and downed half of it in one long quaff. Andy sipped his more slowly, looking around.

“This is what she wants, Tohma. To make you like this. Most of the humans in here are drinking from somebody else. It helps them sustain the vampire's appetite. But blood-drinking is a very sensuous experience, for both parties. In humans, it tends to arouse a sexual response, which is why a vampire's pet usually ends up drinking from a lover. Love-making and blood-drinking tend to go hand-in-hand for humans that are starting to turn.” Andy sipped his beer and looked at Tohma. “A vampire's pet can retain his or her humanity for several months, maybe a year, if they aren't drinking too much blood on their own, or if the vampire has a harem. But in an exclusive relationship, it can happen much faster, especially if the human doesn't have much self-control.” A bitter expression briefly crossed Andy's face.

Tohma looked around at the couples nuzzling each other. He could imagine himself in such an embrace with Miranda. It had happened often enough, just in the privacy of hotel rooms, not in a public bar. He turned away and downed the rest of his beer. “I have to get away from her! I have my own life. I'm no one's pet!”

Andy finished his beer and signaled to the bartender for two more. “It might be too late.”

“You said that before.”

“She's taken you a lot, Tohma. You might not be able to stay away from her even if you want to.”

“I may surprise you.”

Andy studied him. “You might at that.”

The bartender brought them their second round and Andy sipped his beer thoughtfully. “Getting away from a vampire isn't easy. We may have to kill her.”

Tohma sipped his own beer. “If it's necessary, then it must be done.” He favored Andy with a hard look. “I did not get to where I am by taking the easy path.”

Andy lifted his beer in a salute. “Very well. Some of the locals are checking you out. Why don't you leave first? They'll follow you and I'll back you up. No time like the present to kill your first vampire.” He put his beer down and slipped his hand inside his coat. Then he hugged Tohma around the waist. Tohma felt him press something long and hard against his side underneath his own coat. “Take it,” Andy whispered in his ear.

Tohma put his hand inside his coat and grasped the object. It felt like a wooden stick.

Andy leaned back. “See you later, man!” he called loudly.

“Yeah, later,” Tohma echoed. He turned and headed out the entrance. He had just started up the side street toward the main boulevard when someone called out to him.

“Hey, Mr. Long Coat, wait up!”

Tohma turned to see two young men hurrying after him. He waited for them.

“We've never seen you in there before,” said one, a slender blond, when they reached him.

“I've never been there before.”

“Were you looking for someone in particular?” This one, a huskier brunette, was staring at Tohma with hungry eyes. The blond ran the tip of his tongue over his sharp white teeth.

“Yes, but she wasn't there.”

“Maybe you wouldn't mind spending a little time with us instead? I'm sure we could make it enjoyable for you.” They moved closer, their eyes alight with desire. Tohma took a step backward.

“Sorry, gentlemen, but my friend's not interested.”

The two vampires whirled around to find Andy standing behind them. “Get lost!” the blond snarled. “He's ours!”

“Oh, I beg to differ,” Tohma replied, feeling strangely calm. “I don't belong to anyone but me.” He pulled the stake out from under his coat. The blond stared at him in confusion.

“Aim for the heart,” Andy advised calmly and he jammed a stake into the brunette. The vampire's scream of anguish was echoed immediately by the blond's startled cry as Tohma thrust his own stake as hard as he could into the young man's chest. The blond vampire exploded into a cloud of dust. The other shriveled into a dried husk.

“Well that's interesting,” Andy remarked. “The blond was a lot older than I thought. He was pretty stupid, for all his years. He should have seen that coming. This one was probably a former pet of his.” Andy looked around. “Let's get out of here. All that screaming may draw some attention.” He stepped over the desiccated corpse and continued up the street. Tohma fell into step beside him.

“That was easier than I expected.”

“It can be. If they don't expect it, you can frequently catch them off guard. Older vampires are harder, though, and Miranda's very old.”

Tohma glanced at Andy out of the corner of his eye. “Where did you learn all this?”

“Around.”

“Andy,” Tohma said sharply, “You were the one who came to me and offered me your help.”

Andy sighed. “It's hard for me to talk about it.”

“It's still early.” Tohma hailed a passing taxi. “Let's go somewhere and talk.”

They climbed into the taxi and Andy gave the driver directions. He stared out the window without speaking as they drove away from the waterfront and back into the city. Tohma did not question him. He could wait. He hadn't gotten where he was in life by being impatient, either.

The cab dropped them at a motel. Andy looked apologetic. “Your hotel's quite a bit nicer, but I didn't want to risk running into your friends.”

“You're staying here?” It looked like the sort of motel where streetwalkers would bring their clients.

“I'm on a budget.”

Andy had a room on the second floor, where the walkway overlooked the fenced-in pool. The room was clean and not particularly rundown, much to Tohma's surprise. He took off his coat and draped it over the back of the room's lone chair. He put his hat on the seat and sat down on the bed closest to the door. Andy stretched out on the other bed and stared up at the ceiling.

“I used to live with a guy,” Andy said quietly. “We met in high school.” He put his arm across his eyes. “We fell in love in high school. We were together for ten years. I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. Then Tony met Miranda.” Andy turned away and stared at the wall. “He had a day job, but what he really wanted to do was sing. He sang with this little nothing band, working the club scene at night. That's how he met her. At some club. I didn't know what was going on at first, I just thought he was seeing someone. I was so hurt I didn't know what to do. And then he started drinking from me.”

“You said it never happened to you,” Tohma interrupted quietly.

“Not with a vampire.” Andy's voice was choked. “Just with him. I let him do it because I loved him. I begged him to stop seeing her, but he couldn't do it. He loved the way it felt. He kept urging me to try it with him. And one night I almost did it. I really wanted to. It terrified me. I told him I would leave him if he didn't stop seeing her; if he didn't stop drinking blood.” Andy stopped and a sob escaped him. He looked at Tohma and there were tears running down his face. “He left me.”

“What happened to him?”

“He turned.” Andy wiped his tears away with the heel of his hand. “After a few weeks, I went to look for him. I saw him at a club he used to sing at. When he saw me, he just smiled. And then he started drinking from the boy he was with.” Andy began to weep softly.

Tohma said nothing for a long time. Andy's sorrow softened his features and took the fierceness out of his face. “I'm sorry,” he said finally. “Did you ever see him again?”

“Yes. The night I killed him.”

Tohma swallowed. “Why did you do that?”

“Because he tried to take me, and I refused to become what he had become, even to be with him again.” He sat up slowly. “He left me because the pleasure of blood-drinking meant more to him than I did. That's how seductive it is.” He fixed Tohma with a harsh stare. “You've done it. Tell me you can resist it when you're looking into your lover's eyes!”

Tohma couldn't meet Andy's gaze. He could still taste Ryuichi in his mouth.

“Perhaps I didn't love him enough,” Andy continued softly. “Maybe if I had really loved him, I would have let him take me and we would still be together.”

“Like those two vampires we killed tonight? Feeding side by side on the same victim?”

Andy stared at him. “You understand.”

Tohma nodded. “I will not let that happen to me, Andy, nor to the people I care about.” He moved over to the other bed and put his arm around Andy. “Thank you for helping me, and for your honesty.”

“You're welcome.” Andy smiled sadly at him. “I haven't told anyone that story before.”

“I appreciate your confidence. But what do we do next?”

“It depends on you.”

“How so?”

“You said you drank from someone once. Was it really only once? And do you see that person on a regular basis?”

Tohma bit his lip. “It happened a second time earlier this evening. I told you I slept all day, so I was ravenous when I woke up. My friend was there and the hunger was irresistible.” He flushed. “I wanted to make love to him.”

“Is he your lover?”

“No. He's the singer in our band. We've been friends for a very long time, but never lovers.” Tohma frowned at Andy's look of surprise.

“You must still have very strong feelings for him if he attracts you like that. But if he's not your lover, do you have one? Because you will be completely unable to resist that person if you have this much trouble with a close friend.”

“No,” Tohma said, but he thought of Eiri as he said it. Eiri was not his lover either, but he felt even more deeply for him than he did for Ryuichi.

“Well, look, Tohma, you have to keep away from this friend of yours, or learn to resist him. You have to do one or the other, because if you start drinking from him regularly, you'll infect him and you'll make yourself worse.”

Tohma returned Andy's concerned look with a steady gaze. “All my life I have done whatever I needed to do to get what I want. I will not endanger my friends. I will not lose my life to Miranda Collins. Tell me everything I need to know about vampires, Andy. I am freeing myself from this trap.”