Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis: Genesis ❯ Chapter IX ( Chapter 9 )

 

(A/N: So, I'm not sure anyone got a chance to read my Author's Note that I posted in between chapter 8 and 9, but if you did, obviously you can forget it. After posting it and apologizing for my slow turn-out, I was struck with inspiration and actually managed to finish this chapter! Haha, funny how that works out, ain't it? Anyway, here's the next chapter, enjoy! But in case you didn't see the Author's Note previously, I'll be away at the Harvard National Model United Nations from Thursday 2-11-10 until Sunday 2-14-10 so I won't get any writing done then. I do plan to start chapter 10 on Tuesday 2-16-10 though, so no fear!)

 

 

Chapter IX

 

It had taken a few days before Lyrial had been brave enough to approach Kaya and ask what had transpired the night she and Sano had returned, the latter badly injured. Kaya had given the timid girl a censored version of what had happened, leaving out more gruesome details such as the impalement of a Hunter in the Cathedral or the fact that they had destroyed the pipe organ which usually rang out with vigor during Mass. All and all, Lyrial was relieved that both Sano and Kaya were all right—for the most part. The Vampire had not come out of the guest bedroom for three days; when he finally emerged, he hid his face from Lyrial. The brunette was saddened by his shame but respected his decision. After about a week, when Sano would emerge at night and prowl around the apartment looking for food or entertainment, Lyrial managed to catch a glimpse of his face.

It was nothing near the skeletal and shredded visage she'd witnessed the night he was brought home by Kaya. His face was nearly completely reconstructed and only had ashen marks where the deeper wounds had not yet healed fully. At a distance, Lyrial thought he looked only as if grey powder had been rubbed on his cheek bones and around his eyes, like some kind of native war paint, rather than the burnt remains of unhealed flesh.

“Did you sleep well?” She asked politely as Sano slumped onto the couch, stretching his arms above his head and yawning in a cat-like way. Lyrial was all ready in pajamas, watching the bag of popcorn in the microwave jump and jerk as the kernels heated and exploded within it. Sano shrugged his shoulders as he propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“Well enough,” he replied and sniffed the air, turning around to look at the brunette from over the back of the couch. “What are you making?” he asked as the microwave beeped, signaling the completion of its duty. Lyrial hopped over to a cupboard and pulled out a large Tupperware bowl. She set it on the counter and opened the microwave, grabbing the bag carefully by the edges. She tugged open the packet and waved at the burst of steam that spilled from its open lips.

“Popcorn!” She said excitedly and dumped the steaming collection of kernels into the bowl proudly. She threw the bag into the bin and moved into the living room where Sano lounged. He wore little, only a pair of Alan's pajama pants. When Alan had lived with her, it was rare she would catch a glimpse of his nude male body. However, since Sano had usurped the position of roommate, Lyrial had had to adjust to seeing a nearly nude man at all hours of the night. At the beginning, the girl had gotten into the habit of going to bed early or at least retreating to her bedroom before Sano woke for the night. That way he was free to parade himself around the apartment in as much or as little as he saw fit. This ritual changed as Sano's body started to mend itself from the sun damage it had sustained. When he first had emerged he walked around in nothing, refusing to have any fabric—despite how `soft' or `gentle' Lyrial insisted it was—to chaff his healing skin.

Now that the light-sensitive epidermis had mostly healed, Sano was more willing to cover himself during his waking hours. His torso was littered with similar ashen brush strokes. The open-breasted overcoat had done little to protect him from the sun's rays in that moment of dawn. One particular mark started at his sternum and branched out across the majority of his pectorals. His abdomen was relatively unmarred; it was shadowed by where the coat zips up and has sustained little damage, much like the majority of his arms and legs which had been protected by his clothing.

“I was…going to watch a movie. Do you want to watch with me?” Lyrial asked quietly. Sano frowned and looked up at her and the towering bowl of popcorn. Surly the girl didn't intend to eat all of that—not alone, anyway. The brunette bit her bottom lip when the Vampire didn't reply and she grasped a few pieces of popcorn and chewed on them nervously. She smiled though when Sano patted the place on the couch next to him. She held out the bowl of popcorn for him and he hesitantly took it. Lyrial turned around to the television and fiddled with some plastic casings. Sano watched curiously before his eyes fell down to the fluffy looking things in the bowl he had been given. He sniffed it and tilted his head to the side. It smelled of butter, salt and corn. Lyrial had eaten some and seemed no worse for the wear and picked up a few pieces of the hot fluff.

Tentatively, he stuck his tongue out to sample the popcorn. He paused a moment, calculating the flavor before putting the pieces into his mouth and chewing awkwardly. Sano grinned, satisfied, and took another handful of the popcorn. By the time Lyrial turned around, half the bowl had been finished off.

“Help yourself,” She said sheepishly but managed a laugh. Sano looked at the bowl, embarrassed, and set it on the coffee table. Lyrial laughed again and sat down on the couch, crossing her legs and picking up the bowl. The movie began and the two sat in silence, only filtered out by the occasional laugh from Lyrial. Sano didn't really watch the movie—he saw the figures interacting on the television screen and scenarios that prompted a giggle or a frown from the human girl next to him, but never really reacted to it himself.

“Where's the Witch?” Sano asked suddenly and Lyrial looked at him, her mouth full of popcorn. She made hand gestures and mumbled through the kernels but Sano shook his head with a small smile of amusement. The girl was precious in his opinion, the way she did things without thinking. When Lyrial swallowed she laughed as well.

“She went out to get some things, I think. She didn't really say where she was going but that she'd be back later tonight,” she replied. “Why?” Sano was caught off guard by the question; he shrugged quickly and reached his hand over into the bowl of popcorn, grasping what little was left of the enticing fluff.

“I was wondering why it was so quiet. I'm not used to not having her stomp around the apartment like an angry hippo,” he said and Lyrial frowned.

“Sano! That's not nice. She doesn't stomp around,” the brunette said, defending Kaya.

“Maybe not to you,” he replied and playfully tugged on one of Lyrial's ears. “You don't hear as well as I do.”

“Well, I must stomp around like an angry hippo, too then!” she said and grabbed a few of the popcorn seeds that did not pop in the microwave and threw them at the Vampire. He winced a little as the tiny barrage nicked against some of the ashen wounds on his body.

“Nah,” Sano said and started to collect the seeds that had been thrown at him. He gathered them up in his palm and dropped them back into the empty popcorn bowl. The ending credits of the movie began to scroll onto the television screen and the room darkened a little with the black backdrop of the tube. Lyrial smiled a little bit; all her interactions with Sano up to this point had been tense and uncomfortable. She was always being reminded in small ways of his predatory nature. Right now, though, he just seemed so normal.

“Normal…” she whispered and picked up the bowl from the couch and set it on the coffee table. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them. Her daytime life had stayed relatively `normal' but every time she came home to the apartment in the afternoon she was met by her friend Kaya. The athletic blonde who had kept the secret of what she really was in order to protect the normalcy that Lyrial had secured in her existence. Kaya, the Witch, had been looking out for her best interest in being dishonest. The brunette knew that the little white lie had been spun with only good intentions. When Lyrial came back to the apartment, Kaya was always there. It was as if she waited to make sure she would come home safely. She had the hunch that if she strayed longer than a few hours after the time she normally returned to the apartment that Kaya would go out and search for her. The idea was thoughtful; it was nice having someone who was worried about you and willing to find you if you were thought to be missing or in trouble.

Then at night her other curious roommate would come to life. Sano would awake from his day's rest and cause all kinds of mischief. It was just another thing that had changed her once normal life into an adventure she had never expected. Had someone asked a month ago when the transition of normalcy was at its most severe whether or not Lyrial was happy, the girl would have wept bitterly for the life she once knew—quiet and uneventful. Now, however, she was beginning adjust to her new measure of normalcy and since no more leather clad maniacs had come to try and kill her, she even enjoyed the little adventure that her life had been transformed into. The brief glimpses into the ordinary like tonight's popcorn fest was something that Lyrial treasured.

“What?” Sano asked finally.

“Huh?” Lyrial asked and looked at the Vampire as if noticing him for the first time.

“You've been staring off into space. What's up?” He asked and Lyrial shifted her legs so she was kneeling on the couch.

“It's just strange doing something so normal with….someone like you,” She said hesitantly. Sano laughed in a watery way and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Someone like me?” he asked and opened his mouth, tapping one of his fangs affectionately. Lyrial shied away from his gaze but nodded her head.

“I said it's strange, not that I didn't like it,” she mumbled, grabbing a hold of one of the couch pillows and toying with the corner nervously. “I do,” she added quietly. Sano turned to look at Lyrial slowly. The genuinely embarrassed flush on her cheeks betrayed the truth of her words. She liked it? Was that even possible? Sano wondered as he watched the girl tug uncomfortably at the corner of the pillow, feeling incredibly vulnerable for the confession.

“Is that bad?” She asked finally, breaking the pensive silence that had fallen in lieu of the menu screen of the movie reoccurring in the background. Sano's hand slid from behind his neck to his side and he shook his head hesitantly.

“N-No….” His look is a bit disbelieving but relieved, his silver eyes swirled with the tiny hope of an acceptance. “No, it's not a bad thing,” he said more certainly this time. Lyrial peeked up shyly towards Sano's face and managed a tiny smile. The look changed to surprise when she realized the Vampire was closer than before. He scooted across the couch, closing the sitting distance between them. When this had occurred, Lyrial didn't know, but she knew now that Sano was very, very close.

Too close, the girl thought as she felt the pillow in her grasp being gently pulled away from her.

“Sano?” She asked, imploring some kind of explanation for their sudden proximity and for the longing that was laden in his pliant silver eyes. Her skin jumped at the sudden coldness of one of his hands against her cheek.

“It's not a bad thing,” He assured then used the tender hold on Lyrial's face to bring her to him. Shivers ran down her spine when their lips brushed in a barely-there contact.

“W-Wait…” Lyrial whispered, looking numbly into the hypnotic gaze of the man in front of her. Her mind felt hazy and her limbs felt heavy; unmerited weariness had taken over and she struggled to understand how or why. She dimly felt his lips against hers again; they were cold. As his mouth moved against hers, life was being massaged back into the thin pale petals. His skin felt warmer than before, masquerading as living flesh. Lyrial felt her back press against the cushions of the couch and an unfamiliar weight press down on her. Her almond eyes fluttered open to look up at Sano from her prone position. She felt her heart push into her throat as her mind seemed to clear briefly.

“Wait, no—“

“Shhh…relax,” he cooed in response, his cheek pressing against hers for a moment. He spoke into her ear, the sound echoing richly before his words were followed by the wet swipe of his tongue along the lobe. Lyrial jumped then shivered, feeling a relapse of the hazy feeling in her brain. She pressed her hands against Sano's chest and pushed weakly as he left small heated kisses along the side of her throat, pausing at the juncture of her shoulder. The brunette's resistance increased at feeling the accidental nick of fang against the thin skin.

“N-No…!” She stammered again but felt the trail left by Sano's mouth move back up the side of her neck to the underside of throat.

“Are you afraid?” He whispered, looking down at her through half-closed eyes. There was amusement in his tone, hidden beneath something darker. Lyrial closed her eyes and turned her face to the side, still pressing her palms against the Vampire's bare chest. She felt his laughter vibrate through his torso and she closed her eyes tighter.

“What's wrong? Doesn't it feel good?” Sano asked and took hold of her wrists, prying them from their defensive prose against him and pinning them with little strength on either side of Lyrial's face. The brunette opened her eyes bravely, her cheeks flushed. The conflicting sensations warred through her mind and she bit her bottom lip. The sensations that the young man caused were exciting—they felt good, very good—but something told her it was wrong. She had known Sano barely more than a month and now he was on top of her fixated on a pawing session.

“I-It doesn't!” She denied, attempting to free her wrists. She turned her eyes defiantly up at the Vampire but was met with only mirth. He leaned forward to press his lips against hers before pulling back a fraction.

“You're lying,” He said frankly and drew her bottom lip briefly between his own. Lyrial whimpered in the back of her throat though whether it was fear or pleasure that merited the sound was questionable. She vaguely felt Sano release one of her wrists to slide his hand down the side of her body, following the natural curve and dip of her waist, before running his palm back up to rest over the ample mound of her breast.

“No, don't!” She cried out suddenly and pressed her freed hand roughly against one of the healing wounds on his bare torso. The Vampire hissed, recoiling suddenly and cradling his ribs. He bore his fangs towards the girl and she swallowed hard. The front door rattled abruptly and Lyrial all but jumped over the back of the couch, running to wrench it open, not bothering to check the peephole and identify the attempted entry.

“K-Kaya!” She exclaimed and Sano looked towards the blonde as she walked in, a few bags in her arms. The stern look she administered his direction made the silver haired young man grimace before getting up from the couch, nursing his assaulted wound and taking refuge back in the guestroom.

“Something wrong?” Kaya asked as Lyrial sighed in relief. The brunette shook her head quickly and shut the door, sliding the lock into place.

“No, no, just…um, you surprised me,” she confessed and took some of the bags from Kaya's arms. The blonde frowned and scrutinized Lyrial's appearance. Her cheeks were flushed a bit and her pajama top muzzled.

“Are you sure nothing is wrong, Lyrial?” She asked again, moving into the kitchen with the other girl to deposit the bags and begin putting the food products she had acquired on her outing. When the brunette shook her head again Kaya sighed.

“I know what happened. I can read minds,” she said offhandedly and Lyrial froze, dropping the loaf of bread she had in her hands. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and her heart skipped a beat.

“I-I don't know why it happened. He just…He just came onto me,” she said, reaching down awkwardly to retrieve the bread.

“He what!?” Kaya asked, putting her hands on her fists. “That wretched cur!” Lyrial blinked confused at the blonde's outburst.

“You…didn't know?” She asked and gestured uncertainly in the air. “But you said that--“

“I lied, Lyrial. I can no more read your mind than you read mine.” The younger girl bit her bottom lip and shifted from foot to foot.

“Where are you going?” She asked suddenly, looking up to see Kaya marching out of the kitchen and through the apartment.

“To inflict a proper punishment,” she responded and banged loudly on the locked guest bedroom door. Lyrial squawked and stumbled out of the kitchen and ran over to the other girl.

“No, wait, please! Just leave him alone! Maybe he won't come out again tonight? Please, I…I just…” Lyrial sighed, gripping Kaya's coat in her hands weakly. She felt defeated before a real argument had even arisen between herself and the blonde.

“He cannot be allowed to manipulate you like that. He could have bitten you, Lyrial. He could have drained you—killed you! Do you understand? He's not to be trusted. He's a Vampire,” Kaya reiterated but did not persist in her knocking.

“I know, I know,” Lyrial assured the other girl as she led her back into the kitchen. “It scared me because…well, because—“
“It felt good,” Kaya finished, sitting down at the kitchen table and rubbing her temples in a stressed way. “He's a Vampire, Lyrial. How do you think he gets his food? Do you think he just walks up to people and says `Hi, I'm a Vampire and I'd like to sink my sharp fangs into your throat and suck your blood, possibly killing you or causing permanent scarring.'? He has to seduce his meals, Lyrial. That's what he was doing to you.”

Lyrial hugged herself in silence when Kaya had finished her tirade against Sano. She looked down at the kitchen table and her brows knitted together. Had it only been a seduction for the purpose of procuring her as food? Was that all she really was to him? Food? The brunette nodded her head in response and looked up at the other girl, bracing hard against the lump she felt in her throat.

“I understand,” She admitted and Kaya's usual military look softened at the crestfallen persona her friend developed. “I'm sorry, I'm just not used to it, you know,” She muttered and wrung her hands together in a sheepish fashion.

“Not used to what?” The blonde asked carefully and sat down on the edge of the kitchen table. Lyrial groaned and shrugged her shoulders.

“The attention! I mean, attention of that intensity. I've never…well, I mean, I have but it was so long ago and I…” She shook her head and shrugged again. Kaya cast her eyes down in understanding. The Vampire's powers of hypnosis had worked well over Lyrial because her body had not been touched by another in a long while. Sano had taken advantage of her body's loneliness and had used it against her.

“Look, I get it. I'm sure it was easy to get caught up in, but you've got to remember that he's a predator and a damned good one at that. He's had decades, maybe even centuries of practice. He's good at what he does,” Kaya explained, reaching an arm out to touch Lyrial's shoulder. “I just don't want you to get hurt,” she added and looked away, not taking her stronger hand away. Lyrial dragged her gaze towards Kaya and burned oak met sharp azure. The upset and used feeling welled up in Lyrial's throat and the next thing Kaya knew was that the smaller girl had thrown herself at her and hugged her tightly around the waist.

“If you hadn't come home when you did--!” She cried and Kaya's eyes widened. She awkwardly patted Lyrial on the back but when she did not withdraw, the blonde sighed and held onto her.

“Shh, it's okay. It's all over now,” Kaya said with the same awkwardness as before. She wasn't used to having to play this kind of role. It was easy to berate Sano for what he had done to Lyrial. It was easy also to scold the naive brunette for allowing herself to fall prey to the most basic tricks of a Vampire. Comforting the girl in the aftermath of the circumstances though was a different kind of beast altogether. Kaya searched for something to say that would ease the terror of the unknown that seemed to plague Lyrial as the human girl hid in the safe embrace.

Although she knew that Sano was dangerous and fully capable of doing all kinds of lewd things in the wake of Kaya's careful guard, something nagged in the back of her mind; somehow she didn't think that Sano would impose those kinds of things on Lyrial. In the brief time she had observed his skittish interactions with the girl during his healing processes, he had never displayed the same kind of hunger he showed towards her or the images he saw on the television of girls dancing around on beer commercials. There was something about Lyrial that Sano kept in reserve—something that he placed a pedestal—like a jar of cash set high on the top of the fridge, only to be dipped into on very special occasions. The Vampire must have had his reasons, Kaya concluded, but those reasons had yet become clear to her. She sighed when Lyrial's shaking did not persist.

“It's all right. I…I might have overreacted,” Kaya admitted, choking out the words. She wanted to bite her tongue to keep the sick and sweet little words from flitting from between her teeth and into the ears of the other girl, providing false relief and comfort. “I don't think he would have done anything too regretful,” she said charily. Kaya's tone treaded on the egg shells of would-be trauma that Sano had thrown about the situation like confetti during a Mardi Gras parade. Lyrial sniffed and looked up after the final syllable, peeking timidly up from the blonde's chest. She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her left hand.

“You don't?” She asked but the words seemed to teeter precariously on sharp rocks of reality, suspended by a thin wind of hopefulness. Kaya forced herself to shake her head. She wanted nothing more than the corners of Lyrial's eyes to dry and display the happiness that they usual bore with ease. She wanted her to smile and to laugh to be herself once more. Kaya brushed the back of her hand against the other girl's cheek and smiled gently.

“You should go to bed. You've got circles under your eyes. You must be exhausted,” she said quietly and Lyrial nodded, leaning in to Kaya's hand briefly. She pulled out of the blonde's arms and moved out of the kitchen, shuffling to her bedroom before opening the door. She hesitated a moment, looking over her shoulder to Kaya who remained in the kitchen. Lyrial smiled before entering her bedroom and closing the door behind her. The Witch watched the light come on under the door and Lyrial's shadow move about. The rustling of sheets was heard before the light clicked off. Kaya waited a few moments longer before she was assured that the human girl had drifted into the postulated rest.

“Now,” She said and turned towards the guest bedroom, cracking her knuckles as she treaded across the carpet. She stopped in front of the door and rapped unpretentiously. “I know you can hear me, Sano,” She whispered and crossed her arms, her fingers drumming impatiently against the toned bicep.

“You have until the count of five to open this door before I break it open,” she warned and glowered at the wood separating herself from the Vampire within. She had some strong words to exchange with the brute and she wasn't going to be stopped by a mortal made barrier. When there was no reply from within, Kaya growled in the back of her throat.

“One,” she punted and was met with defiant silence.

“Two.” Nothing.

“Three.” Nothing.

“Four.” Nothing. As she inhaled to annunciate the final digit, the click of the lock was heard. A triumphant smirk decorated her angular features as she watched the door knob turn slowly. It opened to reveal Sano's pale torso standing fantastically bright against the pitch of his room.

“Yes, mother?” he asked, lilting his voice into the question as a sarcastic teenage son does to an omnipotent parent certain of his crimes. A spark flew between the Witch and the Vampire as they stared one another down. Silver clashed with cerulean and the sharp shades bristled in a wordless battle of dominance. The two were nearly eye level, Sano looking only down slightly at Kaya's tall form. It was the latter who relented from the unspoken war.

“Keep your hands off Lyrial,” she ordered and pointed accusingly towards him. Sano scoffed and crossed his arms, leaning casually against the doorframe of his room.

“Oh? And why's that? Got your own plans for her?”

“How dare you!” Kaya replied, but then hushed her voice, remembering the sleeping object of their discussion across the apartment. “Keep your paws off that girl. She's got enough going on and doesn't need your dumb ass making things worse for her, all right?” She hissed and the military feeling crept back into her visage. Sano pondered briefly on the ever present sternness and settled on the explanation that Kaya needed to get laid—badly.

“Look, you do it your way, Witch, and I'll do it mine,” Sano replied coolly and lifted his brows with suggestion. “He who runs fastest gets the ring?” He mused with a smile but Kaya looked less than amused. It is said that even the Devil can quote the Bible, but in this case, it was Shakespeare.

“I'm warning you, Vampire,” Kaya began but her breath hitched when she found herself face to face with Sano, a breath's distance between them.

“I don't like your tone,” he whispered and his eyes fell half-closed. “A mouth as pretty as yours should be put to more suitable work. Don't you agree?” He asked and allowed their noses to brush briefly before he withdrew. Kaya regained her composure and took a step back. Her eyes widened in the realization of what had just transpired. For a moment she had fallen victim to the same tactics that Lyrial had. She was a seasoned veteran in dealing with Sano's wicked kind and yet she had so quickly been prey herself. Sano was much more powerful than she had thought.

“I hope those Hunters catch up to you,” she spat and turned around, marching determinedly across the apartment. Her shoulders were tense as Sano laughed in his throat.

“If they do, Witch, they will also find you,” He replied and leaned back against the doorframe. “And Lyrial.” Kaya stopped, her hand on the other girl's bedroom door and she frowned. She glared at Sano over her shoulder and the silver haired young man shrugged.

“They tried to kill her once all ready. Without me here to protect her, who is to say that they won't try it again and succeed this time?”

“She doesn't need you,” Kaya hissed and then paused. “She has me.” Sano slipped from his gracefully pose and staggered a moment. He opened his mouth to respond, but the blonde slipped quickly inside of Lyrial's bedroom and locked the door. Safe on the other side, Kaya leaned against the wood and shuddered. That had been too close. She had let her guard fall because of the rage she felt. She couldn't allow her emotions to interfere again. They would cost her dearly in the future. She walked over to the bed where Lyrial slept, curled up on her side, facing the edge of the mattress. Kaya sat beside her, placing a certain hand on the girl's arm. The Vampire's words still rang in her ears. She tried to shut them out but they disturbed her.

If they do, Witch, they will also find you…and Lyrial. Kaya pressed her other hand to her forehead and squinted her eyes shut tightly, attempting to force Sano's voice out of her memory. They tried to kill her once all ready…Who is to say that they won't try again and succeed this time? Azure orbs opened and the blonde let her hand slip from her forehead. She sighed and then shook her head. In the quiet of the bedroom, in the dainty glow of a small nightlight, with a hand resting fondly on Lyrial's shoulder, Kaya made an unspoken promise. The resolution was definite and certain.

“I won't let them hurt you,” She whispered to her sleeping companion.

“Not the Brotherhood,” she squeezed Lyrial's shoulder gently.

“Not Sano,” the brunette sighed in her sleep, brows furrowing for a moment.

“Not anyone.” Kaya place a tender kiss against the other girl's cheek, sealing her vow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metamorphosis: Genesis