Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis: Genesis ❯ Chapter VII ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter VII

“We need to talk.” The phrase had so struck Lyrial that she felt her knees buckle and her throat clench. Alan's tone was so serious. It was so out of character for him that it made the girl very uncomfortable, sick even. She grasped the edges of the small table where the telephone's cradle rested.

“I'm moving out.” Every word stabbed into Lyrial's ribs and she felt short of breath. Her legs quaked as she struggled to reason with Alan's curt statement.

“Nathan will come by later and get my things.” Lyrial's brows furrowed at this next set. Why wouldn't Alan move himself out?

“I can't go back to the apartment. I…” There is hesitation and Lyrial's heart skips a beat. Alan was afraid, so afraid in fact that he couldn't even return to the flat to collect his things. None of this made sense to the brunette and she felt herself losing balance. She slid to her knees to keep from falling and held the phone with both hands to her ear.

“I'm sorry, Lyrial. I'm sorry to run out on you like this. I'll still pay my part of the rent so you won't have to worry about losing the apartment, but I just can't go back there. I can't.” Silence follows echoed only by the furious beating of Lyrial's heart in her ears. She can feel Alan still on the line, waiting, hoping for some kind of response, some kind of forgiveness.

“Lyrial, say something!” Alan pleads and the girl takes the phone from her ear, pressing the receiver into her lap so she cannot hear her former roommate's voice anymore. Only muffled syllables penetrate the fabric of her dress and are heard in the otherwise quiet living room. Lyrial moves her dry tongue around her mouth as if digging for long hidden words. More muffled sounds come from the smothered telephone, alerting that Alan is still on the line attempting to communicate. She inhales slowly and brings the receiver back to her ear.

“Alan, what happened?” She asked in a hurried tone. The words had tumbled out faster than she had intended and sounded panicked and rushed. A myriad of emotions were bubbling up inside of the girl and she struggled to keep them in line, or at least in a manageable cluster. She can sense Alan hesitating again; for fear, for shame, or for any other reason, Lyrial doesn't know. She clears her throat and amasses a little more strength, slowing her words down.

“What happened?” She asked again, persisting in a descent answer. “And please don't say that you can't tell me,” She added, predicting that her roommate would shy away from the truth unless urged otherwise. This time Alan sighs, a heavy and burdened sound. Lyrial waits, grasping the telephone tightly with both of her hands, afraid that she will drop the receiver upon having Alan reveal the horrible truths to why he has moved out and abandoned her in such a hectic time in their lives.

“Because of him,” Alan said cryptically. “I'm sorry, Lyrial, really I am. I love you, sweets, and I hope…” There is a pause, a silence filled with so many things held back and unsaid. “I'll see you later, okay?” Lyrial dumbly nodded her head before she hears the click of disconnection and in a moment the dial tone fills her ear. Uncertainly, Lyrial reached up to place the phone back in its cradle before shifting about to sit on the ground, her knees pulled to her chest. Did that really just happen? Was Alan really not coming back to the apartment? It certainly seemed that way. The moments ticked by slowly in Lyrial's mind. She scooted across the floor so that her back was against the wall near the small table sporting the telephone, the wicked little device that had delivered such horrible news.

She needed something to forget, something to ease her body and mind, she needed a break from all this madness. The one stable thing left in her life, her roommate, had just announced that he would no longer be living with her. She was now utterly alone. But was even that accurate? Lyrial turned her face towards the closed guest room door and shuddered. No, she wasn't alone; she would never be completely alone. For some reason this notion bothered her more than the previous one and she slowly pushed herself up to stand. For a moment, Lyrial scowled at the door, hoping her angry vibes would penetrate the wood and Sano's skull, warning him just how upset she was with his conduct. How dare he run Alan out of the apartment! She fumed silently for a moment before rubbing her face with her hands in exasperation.

“I need a vacation,” she muttered quietly to herself, trudging defeated towards her room. The light pouring out of the open bathroom caused her to pause and a dreamy smile crossed her face as her eyes fell upon the porcelain tub. That was just what the poor girl needed. Lyrial all but sprinted into the bathroom and closed the door. She sighed in content as the bright fluorescent light illuminated the small space and reverberated off the white and blue tile of the room. It was uncannily bright; so bright, she assured herself, that even if she spent hours soaking in a warm bubble bath, Sano would not dare to bother her. She would need this alone time to collect her thoughts and prepare herself for the inevitable confrontation with the unsavory houseguest.

Lyrial flicked the second switch on the wall and the whirling sound of the fan began. She moved to the tub and grasped the metal taps. She turned the taps and water came flooding out of the faucet, sloshing into the tub before settling. Steam started to rise up from the water and fill the tiled room. As Lyrial began to pull off the small blue sweater and white dress Alan had bought for her, she paused. She hugged the fine fabric to her bare chest and cried a little. It was all she had left of Alan now. How could he have left her? Especially now that she needed his stability the most? Lyrial shook her head and tenderly folded the dress, setting it and the powder blue sweater on the closed lid of the commode.

She hooked her thumbs under the elastic of her panties, sliding them down and off her body. She tossed the piece of cotton into the hamper and let down her hair. The chestnut curls collapsed from their ponytail restraint and cascaded down her shoulders, settling in the middle of her back. She stared into the fogged mirror, her reflection blurred and unrecognizable from the steam. Lyrial reached forward and rubbed her palm over the glass to clear the fog and she sighed at seeing her own tired face. She turned sideways to examine her figure the way most women do when in the confident privacies of their own company. Her brown eyes found every micro problem wrong with her form. Her breasts were too big, her hips curved too much, she was not as tall as she'd like to be…anything and everything she could pinpoint and ridicule.

When she grew tired of the feminine need to criticize her body, Lyrial opened cupboard beside the mirror. She looked at the four tiny tea lights and frowned. She glanced to the bright fluorescent light that seemed more garish now than pleasant in comparison to the tea lights. Usually Lyrial didn't have the luxury time to indulge in a bubble bath, but on the rare occasion that she did, she liked to fully emerge in the relaxing atmosphere by turning off the lights and allowing the four tiny tea lights to cast their soothing glow throughout the bathroom. She hesitated now though, grasping two of the itty candles in her hands. If she turned off the light, there was the off chance that…No, she reasoned. Sano had no business coming into this bathroom when there was a second one for his use in the guestroom.

“Forget him,” Lyrial said in a huff and reached into the cupboard to pull out a box of matches. She set two of the tea lights on the counter surrounding the sink and the other two on the edge of the tub. She struck the match against the side of the box and lit the small candles. She shook the match to extinguish it and held it briefly under the faucet to cool the ember before tossing it into the bin.

“Just one more thing,” She said to herself while reaching for a bottle of bubble bath. She popped the cap and squeezed a bit of the milky fluid into the stream of hot water pouring from the faucet. She returned the bottle to its place in the cupboard and turned to look at the bath. Large, full bubbles were beginning to form on the surface of the water, growing and reaching out to cling to the sides of the tub. Lyrial reached behind her, fingertips dancing along the tile before finding the light switch. She held her breath and closed her eyes, flicking the switch. A click resounded and the overhead light went off. Lyrial slowly opened her eyes and was met by the sight of her bubble bath nearly full and the gentle glow of the four tea lights. She instantly relaxed and exhaled.

The scene was both inviting and picturesque. Lyrial squealed with delight, forgetting all that had transpired earlier in the evening. She moved to the bath tub and turned off the taps. She stepped into the water and sighed as the heat moved up her tired legs and spread across her body. Slowly she eased down to sit in the water, leaning back against the side of the tub to submerge all but her head in the hot water. She felt her muscles groan in relief as they were caressed by the liquid heat. The vanilla scent of the water calmed Lyrial's mind and she let her eyes drift closed a moment. The back of her head rested against the tub to keep her face above water. It felt so good to finally be alone and relax. All the tensions seemed to melt and osmoses from her flesh into the water, bubbling up and then disappearing forever.

How long had it been since she had had such private time? Lyrial discreetly slid one of her hands up out of the water to cup the fullness of her left breast curiously. With Alan sharing the flat, it wasn't often that she was given absolute privacy and although she had heard Alan pleasuring himself on occasion through the thin walls of the flat or heard Nathan and him doing what boyfriends do, she had always been terrified of being heard herself. The sheer embarrassment of waking up the next morning to have Alan tease her about the small feminine cries or muffled little moans would be the end of her. But now, she supposed, it would be all right to indulge. Alan was gone and her life had been all shot to hell, it seemed. Why not take a walk on the wild side?

Lyrial's hand traced lazy patterns on her stomach, slowly drifting further down her body. There was still hesitance, as if she were holding her breath to listen for the slightest sound. She was timid in her pursuits, allowing the hand that held her breast to squeeze lightly; she sighed and felt herself drifting deeper into her own sensations.

So drawn into her serenity that Lyrial didn't hear the door open, nor did she take notice of the new addition to the bathroom, a certain tall and silver haired young man; A young man who wore a crooked smile as he leaned against the bathroom door, watching Lyrial soak, blissfully unaware of his presence. He took the time to take her bubble hidden nudity. Her body, he concluded, was very well developed. The soap filled water made it hard to discern all the details, but from the gentle slopes he could make out, Sano did indeed find the young woman to be well-endowed. It was a shame, he noted, that she was so oblivious to her beauty and form. He shrugged gently, stepping away from the door and towards the tub; perhaps it was more fun that way. Her innocence is what made her so appealing—her innocence was also what was so damned strange about the girl. He had never encountered a mortal with such kindness in their eyes.

“Enjoying yourself?” Lyrial sat up with a start, slipping partially then into the tub from the sudden forward movement. She became submerged briefly in the hot water before sputtering back up. She shook her head and looked up at Sano before letting out a keening wail.

“What are you doing in here? Get out! Get out!” She cried, crossing her arms over her chest hopelessly. Her long slicked curls veiled around her shoulders as she stood up and grasped a bar of soap, hurling it at the unwelcomed interloper. Sano peddled backwards quickly, laughing with the merriment of a drunk.

“Easy, love, don't get your panties in a twist,” he said but took a moment to look at her folded clothes and the peek of green fabric waving its salutations from the hamper. “But I suppose that could be a bit difficult since you're not wearing any.” Lyrial squealed again and yanked the curtain in front of her to hide her naked body from Sano's mirth.

“Out!” She cried again, still holding an arm across her ample chest protectively. She waited for the sound of Sano's amused laughter to die down, and the distinct click of the door shutting. She shook and ran her fingers through her hair to get the tangled mess out of her face. The nerve of him! She thought angrily, pulling the drain from the tub and allowing the water level to begin to decrease. She slowly drew back the curtain and stepped out of the tub, angrily grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her body. She clutched a second and tied her hair up into a turban. Lyrial snatched her clothes off the toilet seat and ripped the bathroom door open and marched into the living room. Sano was still chuckling to himself, lounging on the couch with little care.

“You know, Lyrial, you're kind of cute when you're mad,” he said, looking over his shoulder to the fuming and embarrassed brunette who clutched the towel around her chest while trying to keep the towel around her mass of hair from unraveling and falling to the floor.

“Don't your kind knock?” She asked with a little bit of spite in her tone. Sano chuckled.

“Don't your kind know how to lock a door?” he asked and raised a fine brow of curiosity. Lyrial turned her nose up, tipping the turban too far. It unwound and fell around her shoulders, hanging awkwardly before falling ultimately to the carpet.

“I didn't think I'd have some pervert creeping on me in the tub!” She responded, trying to salvage whatever dignity she had left. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and shame. Her naked body had never been seen by a man before; and now this Vampire had seen everything! Well, her frazzled brain suggested, maybe he hadn't seen everything. It was quite dark in the bathroom and the bubbles had hidden most of her body in their fluffy blanket. Maybe she was overreacting.

“No!” She huffed and marched across the living room only to be intercepted.

“What's the rush?” Sano asked and Lyrial frowned, not able to maintain eye contact.

“Just let me by, you've embarrassed me enough, don't you think?” She asked but the words were no longer angry—strained now by the weight humiliation. Her throat tightened as she looked anywhere but into Sano's silver eyes.

“I can't imagine why you'd be embarrassed. You've got a very nice body, Lyrial. It's something you should share with the world.” The brunette's eyes widened in shock, out of a moment of pure adrenaline pumped instinct, she raises her free hand up to smack the Vampire across the cheek. Sano's face goes to the side briefly and he laughs for a moment in disbelief.

“Wow. I didn't think you had it in you,” he said finally, turning his face back to Lyrial. The young woman looked horrified. Had she really just hit someone? And not just anyone, she had just struck a Vampire across the face! Was she stark raving mad? Sano was a killing machine and she had just girl slapped him. Terror replaced her rage at the realization of her actions and the heavy would-be consequences that came along.

“I'm impressed,” he added, rubbing his slightly reddened cheek. “You've got quite the swing on you.” Laughing. He was laughing about it. Lyrial was now absolutely certain that she had gone insane. She felt like Alice, lost in a dreaded version of Wonderland, with Sano as the Cheshire cat. He was her guide into madness, a journey that had begun the moment she had laid eyes on him bleeding in the alleyway. A madness she felt now that she could never truly escape.

 

The smell of egg fried rice and sweet and sour pork permeated the little stairwell as Kaya climbed up to the second floor. She had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes outside the apartment building with the Chinese food in tow hoping that a resident would come by and open the main gate. She had lucked out when an elderly woman had buzzed herself into the building. Kaya had slipped in behind her and headed up the stairs. The blonde worried that the purchased food would spoil or be cold by the time she finally got it back to Lyrial. She knew how much the girl cherished her time in the kitchen but Kaya thought it best that Lyrial take it easy tonight and not have to cook. She took the liberty of going down the street to the little Chinese shop and ordered what she thought looked good.

Kaya had never actually tried the cuisine herself but hoped that Lyrial would appreciate it. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she made it to the landing and into the hallway. It was as she got in front of the door that she realized she had no key. She hesitated a moment, looking around the hallway. There was the old woman, peeking out of her door, and watching Kaya's every move. The tall woman frowned at the other's obvious nosiness. Cautiously, Kaya knocked on the door and waited. When she heard nothing in return, she knocked a bit louder. She leaned her ear against the door. She could hear the shuffling of feet over the carpet. Two sets. Her brows furrowed as she strained to make out what was going on. One set stopped abruptly. She could hear voices from behind the door—raised voices.

“Lyrial?” She asked, knocking again to gain the occupants' attention. If Lyrial was in the apartment then the other person was either Alan or the new roommate. Kaya had not seen hide nor hair of either since arriving and was beginning to worry.

“I don't have a key, but I brought dinner,” she added hopefully and heard a set of feet moving towards the door quickly, followed clumsily by another lighter set. Kaya stepped back from the door as to not allude to her eavesdropping when the door opened. The sight that met her eyes was not what she had been expecting. The moment Sano had reached for the door knob and pulled it open, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. His silver eyes locked with Kaya's azure and vehement electricity was passed between them. Kaya's body tensed and Sano's eyes narrowed. As soon as the moment had come, it ended with the latter slamming the door in Kaya's face.

“Sano! What's wrong with you?” Lyrial demanded, still holding the towel to her form. Sano whirled around and turned on the brunette, making her stop in her tracks. Her doe eyes were wide but the Vampire brushed past her in a hurry, bolting towards the guest room and locking it behind him. Lyrial stood in shock for a moment, tucking a few damp and disarranged curls behind her right ear before opening the front door.

“Sorry, Kaya, I guess he just thought you were selling something,” she said lamely, letting the other girl into the flat.

“Lyrial, who was that?” Kaya's question was curt and shocked the brunette as she apartment door.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Put some clothes on, Lyrial.” She frowned at the way Kaya seemed so tense; her blue eyes were locked on the closed guestroom door and every muscle in her body was pulled taunt. She had guessed that Kaya was a very lean girl, powerful looking as if she could win a fight against a man, but actually seeing the muscular evidence of this made Lyrial uncomfortable. She eyed the bag of Chinese food in Kaya's hand and cleared her throat.

“Oh, you brought dinner,” she said, hoping to ease the tension.

“Clothes, Lyrial, now,” Kaya ordered and Lyrial frowned. Why was her friend so stern all of the sudden? There was something almost military about the way Kaya addressed her. With reluctance, Lyrial moved quickly to her room to get dressed. She closed the door and turned on the lights. The towel dropped down to the floor and she opened her dresser. She found a set of panties and pulled them on. She hooked her bra and pulled a shirt and some pajama pants. Waking up the dress that Alan had bought her with no recollection of ever dressing herself had been unnerving and for the time being, Lyrial could not bring herself to redress in the dainty white attire. She pushed the dresser drawer closed and reached for a hair band that rested on top. She pulled her curls back into a high ponytail and hesitated. Kaya was acting very odd—more guarded than ever. She was like a mother animal that had seen something in the brush, something lurking, and had sent her cub to a safer area so she could investigate the threat.

Lyrial certainly didn't suite herself as a helpless cub to be ushered away, but the way Sano had reacted to Kaya it was almost as if they all ready knew each other.

“Is that…even possible?” Lyrial wondered aloud before moving to her bedroom door. She opened it just a crack to peek into the living room. Kaya was still staring down the guestroom's door but eventually moved to the kitchen to unpack the delivery food. Her shoulders were tense as she pulled out the little paper boxes and set them on the kitchen table. Next she produced the napkins and chopsticks that came customary with the food. There seemed to be a deliberate method to the domestic display, it seemed too perfect and precise and Lyrial frowned. This was ridiculous, she thought, she was over-analyzing everything. Kaya was just surprised to have someone she didn't know answer the door and have it rudely shut in her face. The brunette nodded to this logic and stepped out of her room, moving to where Kaya was in the kitchen.

“That was really nice of you. You didn't have to get dinner. Here,” She said, moving back towards the living room to get her purse. “How much do I owe you?” Kaya managed a small chuckle and shook her head.

“Nothing, Lyrial. You're letting me stay in your home. The least I can do is go and buy dinner,” Although the tall blonde was smiling, there seemed to be a great deal of distrust hiding behind her azure orbs. The two sat down at the table and opened their boxes of oriental cuisine and began to eat. They would laugh occasionally about an escapade the more foreign girl encountered during her attempt to buy the food or discuss in more seriousness the atrocity of the break-in a while back.

“That's actually something I wanted to talk to you about,” Lyrial interjected, balancing a piece of chicken between her chopsticks. “It was after the break-in that Alan and I allowed Sano to move in. You see, it was Sano that….made the intruder leave. He and Sano got into a fight and Sano won. He needed a place to say and after he saved Alan's and my life, we thought it was the least we could do.” Lyrial watched Kaya's face carefully, her expression never changed during the confession but the fury behind her eyes began to grow. A familiar kind of hatred was brewing under the older girl's skin and the reaction caused Lyrial to drop her piece of chicken back into the plethora of rice and vegetables.

“Sano, you say?” She asked finally, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. “That's a unique name, not very common for this region, am I correct?” Lyrial nodded her head uncertainly.

“Well, he has a bit of an accent. I guess he's from another country but I can't really tell what it is. Sometimes I think it's French but then I think it's Russian,” she admitted. She was never able to pinpoint the origin of Sano's accent—it was both apparent and discreet as if it was playing hide-and-seek with her ears. “To be honest, I've never asked where he's from…” the words sounded more like a heavy confession than a realization; the fact that she had been living with a complete stranger for the last month had finally come to light and shocked her. Why had she never thought of it before? Why had she so easily allowed a stranger like Sano into her home and life? It was then that Lyrial was reminded of the slow madness that she was suffering from—she had been caught under the Vampire's spell from the moment they met in the alleyway on that cold rainy night.

“ I just—“

“You don't have to explain, Lyrial,” Kaya interjected and stood up abruptly. The brunette was startled by her companion's sudden movement but when she noted that the more athletic looking girl was simply moving her trash to the bin, she relaxed and felt a bit foolish for her initial reaction. The two of them had not managed to get through all of the Chinese food; Lyrial looked over her shoulder towards the closed guestroom door. Was Sano hungry? Did Vampires eat anything besides just blood? Would he be offended if she offered him some of their food? The young woman frowned and picked up a small carton of rice and vegetables and moved out of the kitchen.

Lyrial was going to be a good hostess, Sano be damned. If he rejected the little carton of food that she brought then so be it, but Lyrial couldn't bring herself to not offer the leftovers at all. Kaya remained in the kitchen, putting the waste into the bin and disposal as the younger girl left with the small carton. The latter moved across the flat to the closed guestroom door and lifted her hand to knock but hesitated. She cleared her throat and though her hand shook a little she managed a firm rapping.

The door opened more quickly than Lyrial expected and she recoiled her hand swiftly.

“Sheesh,” She mused and shook her head. “Do you always have to scare me half to death?” she asked and Sano leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Scare you half to death? Is that all? Well, I'll have to work on that, now won't I?” Lyrial frowned, clutching the little carton with too much pressure so that its paper walls began to concave. Sano's silver eyes fell on the discrete gesture of fury, a small and triumphant smirk passed over his handsome features.

“What's your problem?” Lyrial's shoulders shook with the pent up rage that had been locked away in her dizzy mind and heart. Too much had happened to be able to properly digest and too much had continued to go wrong in her life—so much that it could no longer be ignored. The root of all these issues, the spawning place of all that was difficult and unjust in her life was standing right in front of her, mocking her anger. Lyrial didn't know what possessed her at the time but later thanked her freed ferocity. She hurled the little carton of rice and vegetables at point blank towards Sano, covering the Vampire in all that the carton had to offer.

“You! You, Sano! You are my problem!” Lyrial huffed.

“You're the reason I lost my groceries that day. You're the reason that weirdo Christian broke into my apartment and nearly killed Alan and I. You're also the reason Alan has moved out and left me all alone! All alone with you! With you!” She screamed and her delicate hands folded into small angry fists.

“What did I ever do to you, Sano!? What did I do wrong!? I could have left you in that alley bleeding! I should have left you! I never should have—I never should have…” Lyrial's livid ranting was dying down as uncontrolled sobs racked her chest. She soon felt a pair of arms around her, but Sano had never moved. It was a protective and motherly hold. Kaya pulled Lyrial away from the Vampire, ushering her to a sound distance where she entreated her to sit on the couch. The blonde cooed to Lyrial and brushed her hair out of her face, drying her cheeks with a handkerchief.

“I think Lyrial has made her feeling towards you clear,” Kaya said in a stern voice that echoed the military-like qualities she had earlier displayed. She looked back at Sano with cold azure eyes but the silver haired young man paid her little mind. He was gently brushing off the rice and vegetables from his clothes with distaste. His overcoat was now stained with soy sauce.

“Who asked you, Brunhilda?” He asked, looking at the athletic girl incredulously. He pulled the coat off his shoulders, standing now clad only in dark leather pants. Kaya stiffened and placed her hand against Lyrial's shoulder.

“Theila,” she whispered and the brunette's turmoil ridden mind became numb and she once again felt a growing warmth spread throughout her body, beginning where Kaya's hand rested against her skin. She panicked, recalling the strange sensation and remembering its effects. She didn't want to be put back to sleep! She had lost too much of her life to unconsciousness in the past week. She struggled weakly against the warmth before her eyes fluttered.

“N-No…please…” Lyrial begged and felt the warmth disappear instantly from her skull. Kaya pulled her hand away and turned on Sano. As the brunette began to slowly recover from the near-coma experience, she watched with a childish delirium as her two houseguests regarded one another like two tom-cats about to fight over a sheba.

“Fakat,” Kaya said, putting her hands on her hips in a challenging way. Lyrial saw Sano's shoulders tighten and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. The word was unfamiliar to the brunette and she came to the conclusion it was a piece of the foreign vocabulary that Kaya and Sano must share. From his reaction, Sano must have understood the monosyllabic phrase and took great offense. Were Kaya and Sano from the same place? No, Lyrial thought. That was impossible. Sano was a Vampire and Kaya certainly was not. They had gone walking in the daytime before and her teeth were quite flat and human looking in comparison to Sano or even her own.
“What did you say?” He asked in a low and angry voice, moving towards the blonde.

“Get your ears checked, fakat,” Kaya responded and held her chin up high in defiance. When she repeated the unfamiliar word, Sano moved forward more quickly, drawing his arm back as if he were to strike Kaya. Lyrial's eyes widened; she remembered what Sano was capable of and briefly relived the Christian incident where the brawl led to the death of one of the participants.

“No, don't!” She cried and leapt from the couch, positioning herself dangerously between Kaya and Sano. She held her arms up, guarding her face as if she expected the blow to continue and be used against her for her interference.

“Lyrial. Move,” Sano growled out, his hand still curled into a tight fist. The girl shook a little, slowing bringing her guard down from her face to stare up at Sano's towering form.

“No,” She insisted bravely and the Vampire bore his fangs at her. She swallowed nervously, her eyes pleading with the animal within him.

“Lyrial,” He warned again and raised an index finger in a scolding manner.

“N-No!” She insisted and remained firmly between Sano and Kaya. The Vampire frowned at the girl, his silver eyes narrowing on her as he brought his arm down.

“Stop frightening her,” Kaya said from behind Lyrial. She flexed her calves slightly to see over the other girl's head to glare at Sano. Her face was still stern, detesting Sano's presence. He huffed and pointed accusingly at Kaya over Lyrial's shoulder. The brunette bit her bottom lip nervously at having the angry male jab his arm so close to her face.

“I'm not frightening her,” he protested making Kaya laugh in wry response.

“Yes, you are. You're terrifying her! But what else is there to expect from a monster like you?” She inquired with a spitefulness that made even Lyrial, who was upset with Sano, shiver. Monster? She wondered, looking over her shoulder at Kaya. Did she know? How could she have? Why wasn't she freaking out about it? No, Lyrial concluded. Kaya couldn't know that Sano was a Vampire; she only eluded that he was a monster because of all the bad things that had happened in lieu of his appearance.

“Monster?” Sano asked, growling out the word in an exasperated way. “Calling the kettle black now, aren't we?” His silver eyes fell on the taller girl, looking clear over Lyrial's head.

“You were gone for a really long time getting that food, Kaya,” he said with intention, using the girl's own name as a form of insult. “What kept you? Did your broom break down midflight or something?” He asked, grinning with malicious humor when the blonde's eyes widened noticeably.

“No, but I was sure to order plenty of garlic in the fried rice!” She replied. The two glared at one another and Lyrial felt very small between them. She turned her head rapidly as each quick piece of banter was shot from combatant to combatant. Her neck strained as those watching a fierce game of tennis—back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Her mind whirled with the catty remarks Sano and Kaya threw at one another; they exercised a familiarity and disdain that Lyrial had not thought possible.

“Just hang on a second!” She cried in despair, placing one hand on Sano's shoulder and the other on Kaya's, pushing them back from one another and providing herself with some needed personal space. “Do you two know each other?” She asked, feeling sheepish and dumb for posing such an unqualified question. The argument stopped abruptly and Sano and Kaya turned their noses up, refusing to acknowledge each other.

“Fortunately, I've never seen her before in my life,” Sano replied. Kaya grumbled and crossed her arms.

“Likewise,” she added.

“Then why are you fighting like this? You've never even met before and you argue like an old married couple! At least I had a reason for starting a fight with this idiot here,” Lyrial said, patting Sano's shoulder. The silver haired young man growled quietly and snapped his teeth at the brunette's hand. She pulled it away quickly and held it in its twin, laughing weakly.

“You wouldn't understand,” Kaya said quietly and her angry, defensive pose began to crumble into a more shameful and embarrassed persona. She grasped a lock of her hair and tugged on it in a fidgety manner.

“We do know each other…well…kind of…” Sano scoffed at Kaya's pathetic attempt at an explanation.

“Your new guest's reputation precedes her. That,” He said, gesturing towards Kaya. “Is not a human. She isn't like you, Lyrial. She's a Wi—“

“Stop!” Kaya squawked and Sano began to laugh.

“You continually lie to Lyrial and I'm the monster? I think you should reassess that accusation,” He said, reaching out to touch the brunette's cheek and turn her face towards his.

“I never lied to you,” He said in a hushed tone, allowing his free hand to continue to point towards Kaya. “Can she say the same?” A heavy silence filled in after the Vampire's ominous suggestion. As far as she knew, Sano had been truthful with her…albeit a little secretive. Lyrial had no real reason not to trust him aside from the fact that he was some wicked kind of creature of the night that needed human blood to survive, a chilling fact that still made her acutely uncomfortable in this proximity, despite the suave and would-be devoted air about him. It was a paradoxical experience being close to Sano and Lyrial was not completely certain about which sensation she should trust: her fear or comfort.

“It's true,” Kaya said reluctantly, breaking the contemplative silence that had filled the apartment. “I've kept things from you, Lyrial, but that was for your own protection,” She admitted and a triumphant smirk moved across Sano's features.

“At least I was upfront about it,” Sano piped in, allowing the hand that had once been accusatory towards Kaya to fall around Lyrial's waist and pull her closer, away from the blonde. “I trusted her to trust in me, something your kind is clearly too proud to be capable of,” he added but Lyrial's brows furrowed together. She pressed her hands against the young man's chest, pushing for distance between their forms.

“Wait, Sano, no,” She said and moved away, but did not gain full possession of her wrist. The Vampire held onto it, reminding her of his superior abilities and that disagreement could end badly.

“And look where your so-called honesty has brought Lyrial! A Hunter came to her apartment and attacked her and her roommate, a dear friend to her whom you have absconded with!” Kaya interrupted, a furious pink growing in her cheeks. “You're so selfish that you were not only willing to put Lyrial in danger for your own sake but you'd run off Alan as well!”

“First off—I didn't abscond with him. He left and if he hadn't,” Sano replied, slowly tightening his grip on the brunette's wrist. “Then your ass would be out of a place to stay! You should be thanking me, Witch.” Kaya threw her head back and laughed, putting her hands on her hips out of disbelief.

“For what? Endangering my only ally in this region?” She asked wryly and Sano hissed, baring his fangs at her.

“Sano, stop! That hurts!” Lyrial cried out suddenly, attempting to wrench her wrist from his grasp. The Vampire's grip relinquished instantly, and Lyrial cupped her wrist with her opposite hand. The manhandled flesh was the same that had been brutalized by Sano's fangs a few weeks prior and was tender enough at the scarring tissue without being pressured by an inhuman grip of rage.

“You're nothing but an animal!” Kaya spat, grasping Lyrial's shoulders and putting herself between Sano and the injured brunette. Sano retracted his fangs, looking through Kaya it seemed to watch as Lyrial nursed her throbbing wrist. Her teeth were clenched slightly as her fingertips moved over the bruised flesh. He hadn't meant to grab her that roughly; he hadn't held her that tightly, had he? Mortal bodies were so delicate in comparison that the hold proved more dangerous than he had intended. How had he not noticed the sound of the tissue beginning to bend and strain against his hold? Any tighter, it seemed, and Sano could have easily broken the fragile little wrist without even noticing.

“Perhaps…you are right,” He said in a confounded manner, taking an uncertain step backwards. There was a strange feeling in his throat, as if he had swallowed a wad of cotton and it was slowly suffocating him. Sano tried to clear his throat, but only a dry sounding cough resounded. The sensation didn't diminish, but grew. He shook his head and stumbled back away from Kaya and Lyrial's sheltered form until he bumped into the television. The black box shuttered from the impact and teetered on the cabinet that it was perched on. Sano maneuvered around the device before its mass was too much for its new skewed position and it tilted off the cabinet, crashing to the floor with a terrible bang.

Lyrial jumped at the sound, squealing suddenly before covering her mouth with her hands. Luckily the screen had not cracked, but the cords had all been yanked from the wall and the small DVD player had become pinned underneath the heavy tube and the carpet. Kaya frowned at the destruction and swatted her hands at Sano as one does a mangy lost animal, attempting to shoo it from existence.

“Why don't you just go before you cause more trouble, Vampire?” She asked coldly, her military azure eyes holding no mercy or passion for the other supernatural being. Lyrial made a sound in the back of her throat, a sound of questioning. She stepped to the side to come into view of the silver haired young man. His face seemed hollower than she had ever noticed; the sunken in dark circles under his hoary eyes gave him the appearance of a corpse and the pallid skin seeming to glow in the darkness of the poorly lit living room. It was now that Lyrial noticed the blaring testament to his non-living state. His chest didn't move as he stood in a ghastly shock—there was no breath moving through his lungs just as there was no blood moving through his still heart.

As dead as he appeared with no circulation and no breath, the bright silver of his eyes told a very different tale. Conflicting emotions whirled through the moonlight pools: anger, horror, sadness, and apathy. His handsome face was stony, giving away none of the confusion that was so apparently displayed in his eyes. If eyes really were the window to the soul, Lyrial thought, taking a step around Kaya slowly, then Sano's soul was far more complex than she had first guessed. He was afraid, like a child, the worry evident in his stance. His shoulders were tense as if ready to accept some kind of blow.

“Sano, wait!” Lyrial called as the Vampire turned suddenly and ripped open the window of the apartment. A gust of winter wind and snow billowed into the room forcing Lyrial and Kaya to cover their faces from the chilling gale. By the time Lyrial lowered her arms and dared to peek against the winter forces, Sano was gone. She ran to the window, grasping the snow covered sill and looking around frantically. She looked down to where Christian had landed after his awful tumble but saw nothing. She glanced left and right, half expecting to see the Vampire scaling the side of the apartment building like some kind of fantastic reptile. Nothing. She looked up but was only met with the cloudy night sky that only spots of moonlight managed to penetrate.

“Vanished?” Lyrial wondered quietly, still looking up to the nighttime sky. Sano may be a Vampire, she thought, but certainly he couldn't evaporate into thin air and disappear so soundly. He was made of flesh and blood, cold dead flesh and blood, but flesh and blood nonetheless.

“He'll be fine,” Kaya said from behind the brunette, dusting her shoulders free of the powder that had been carried in on the back of the northerly wind. “He's not a child although he acts like it.” Lyrial frowned as she felt the taller girl come forward and pull her away from the window, shutting it tightly and attempting to warm her hands. The fingertips were purpling after being subjected to the frigid substance of snow in their nudity and as Kaya vigorously rubbed them, life was restored to the appendages. With renewed mobility, Lyrial ripped her hands from Kaya's grasp.

“How can you say that? It's freezing out there! You saw what he was wearing! He'll probably freeze to death!” Lyrial cried but did find her last statement to be a little stupid. He was all ready dead, sort of, so he couldn't die again…could he?

“Look, from what's been going on, the cold is going to be least of that monster's problems. With any luck, the Hunters will find him and we'll be rid of him,” Kaya replied, crossing her arms again. She was hurt that Lyrial was defending the Vampire. The girl had said he made her miserable and she was clearly terrified of him, so why was she so terrified of losing him? The blonde shook her head resolutely. Lyrial was still obviously very confused by the passing events and was stressed out therefore not thinking quickly.

“I…I'm going after him.” Kaya looked up, her azure eyes losing their military strictness.

“What? Lyrial, no, you shouldn't,” She argued but the brunette was all ready moving towards the front door. She grasped her heavy coat off the hook by the door and started to pull it on over her pajamas. Sano may not be a likely candidate for freezing to death but Lyrial certainly was going out in a snow storm dressed the way she was.

“No, Lyrial,” Kaya said firmly, pressing her palm against the door just as the other girl tried to open it. Their eyes met, scolding blue crossed with determined brown.

“He may be an obnoxious and inappropriate jerk at times….but…” Lyrial dragged her gaze away and stared at the door knob in her grasp. “He's my friend.” Kaya's hand fell away and her shoulders relaxed.

“Am…I your friend?” She asked, hesitantly. Lyrial looked back up at the Witch and smiled despite her sad, tear touched cheeks.

“Of course,” She replied but never took her hand from the door knob. Heaviness hit Kaya's heart and she felt short of breath for a moment. The reply had been more powerful than she had anticipated. Friends. Lyrial and Kaya were friends. They were really friends. If that was the case then the Witch certainly couldn't allow her more delicate companion to venture out into the blizzard on her own—or at all.

“Stay here, Lyrial,” Kaya said, gently pushing the other girl from door.

“Kaya, I have to find him!” She pleaded but as the blonde donned her own winter gear, Lyrial quieted.

“I'll go, but you should stay here.” Before she had much chance to respond, Kaya opened the door and left the apartment. The brunette stood there a moment, stunned and confused before she smiled in realization.

“Thank you, Kaya,” she whispered to the shut front door. She would stay up until they were both back safe in the apartment. The earlier argument seemed so frivolous now. Sure, she missed Alan dearly and knowing that he wouldn't be a shoulder to cry on, a gossip to share, or human shield should another Hunter wacko come by was scary. But, she reasoned, she wasn't as alone as she thought. Lyrial smiled again, opening the window again and looking out into the night. Warmed by her heavy coat, she was starting to see the silver lining of these dark events.

 

Sano leaned casually against the ironclad gate of Zoilia park. He reached into his open faced overcoat and pulled out a cigarette. He dug in his pocket for a match and lit the roll. He put the cigarette to his lips and waved the match out, dropping it onto the cobblestone. He inhaled and took hold of the cigarette between his thumb and index finger before exhaling slowly. His head tilted back while the smoke blew upwards against the gently falling snow.

“Animal,” he said to himself before laughing in a wry manner. He took another drag from his cigarette and ran his fingers through his silver bangs with his free hand.

“It's fucking cold. Don't you think so?” He asked, turning his head lazily to the left to see another approaching the scene. This man was dressed darkly in thick denim and leather. His clothes were accented in religious icons and the belt he wore possessed a myriad of unpleasant looking weapons.

“Out for a walk, Vampire?” The man asked and kept coming forward. His walk was deliberate and calculated as if each step was a paramount decision.

“No, a smoke,” Sano replied. He finished off the cigarette and dropped it on the cobblestone, crushing it beneath the toe of his boot. When the other man stopped walking he was barely ten meters from Sano. The silver haired supernatural laughed quietly and sprang lightly off the iron park fence and turned to face the other man fully.

“Smoking is a bad habit,” The armed man said and Sano grinned.

“So is cheating death,” he replied. “Back for more….Christian?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metamorphosis: Genesis