Tokyo Babylon Fan Fiction / X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Even in Death ❯ Even in Death 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7

Seishirou arrived just as Subaru was finishing cutting the heart out from the staked vampire in his home. The soft footfall alerted the vampire that he wasn't alone and he started up immediately, ready for another attack. The sight of Seishirou at his doorway brought him to an abrupt stop.

Suddenly Subaru was aware of how he looked-- blood splattered, knife in one hand, and a disgusting mass of heart tissue in the other. It must have presented an appalling sight.

"Seishirou-san…" he whispered, not knowing how to explain, or where to even begin explaining.

"Why did you leave?" Seishirou asked, sounding a bit more concerned than he intended. He wasn't surprised that Subaru chose to leave after sundown, but seeing him kneeling on the floor and covered in blood was certainly a shock. "You know that no matter where you run to, I'll follow you. You're not sparing me any trouble by doing this."

Seishirou was fully aware of the Sumeragi's altruistic nature and the way he put himself in danger to protect those he cared for. He assumed that this latest stunt was the result of that. Stepping over the body of the staked vampire, he walked over towards him.

"I want you to come back with me," he insisted.

Subaru straightened, dropping the knife and heart from his hands with a sickening splat. A guilty expression stole over his face, as if he was a child that had been caught doing something naughty. But that lasted only a moment. He shook himself and squared his shoulders.

"I don't need your protection. I think this speaks for itself," he said in a grim voice while waving his bloodstained hand at the corpses. Drops of crimson splattered across the room. "Did you think I sought you out because I needed you to protect me? I don't need that, Seishirou-san."

"I will protect you, because I promised I would. And I will," Seishirou stubbornly insisted. "You can either accept it graciously, or put up with me following you everywhere. Besides," he said as he pulled a bottle out of his coat pocket. "I bled the man I killed today. I thought you might like something better than the refrigerated packets you have here."

The deep crimson bottle in his hands was a testament to how much he kept to his promises. Protecting Subaru not only meant keeping him safe from bodily harm, but making sure he ate properly as well.

Subaru blinked. Now Seishirou wanted to feed him blood from the people he killed? Subaru wasn't sure how he wished to respond. It was as if Seishirou hadn't heard a word of what he'd told him. He was capable of taking care of himself and that included defending and finding food. Subaru wanted to be angry with Seishirou for doubting him, for not thinking him capable enough, but there was also something inside him that was warmed by the fact that Seishirou did care for him. He must care, mustn't he? Or why else would he go to such lengths to ensure his health and safety?

Or was there some other reason?

"Are you just doing this because I bit you? I'm sorry, Seishirou-san. I didn't know about that side effect," he said, after arriving at the only conclusion that he could. "You can fight it, I'm sure. You just have to stop following me around."

He started forward, making a shooing motion with his hands as if Seishirou was an unwanted stray that had followed him home but as he did so, the pain from his injured shoulder made him wince. He tried to hide it, not wishing Seishirou to have yet another thing to fuss over.

That statement made Seishirou pause. Subaru had bitten him at least five times, but he didn't think that with each successive bite, he felt any different towards the Sumeragi at all.

"Your bite doesn't affect me in that way," he replied after giving that some thought. "But that's not what I'm here to argue about. I'm here to take you home if it means I have to pick you up and carry you." Seishirou was quite adamant when he wanted to be. Subaru was acting like a spoiled child and he wasn't about to let him go off and get himself hurt if he had anything to say about it.

The Sumeragi could see that Seishirou meant every word. He really would pick him up and carry him off if Subaru continued to resist. Exhaustion was sweeping through him now that the adrenaline rush from his fight was over and opposing Seishirou's will was unexpectedly tedious. Scanning the wreck of his apartment, he also realized he couldn't continue living here; at least not until after some massive cleaning up could be done. Besides if Kosarou knew of this address then he might come for him again. He had to fight hard to suppress a shudder at that thought. All these factors combined eventually convinced Subaru it would be easier to just let Seishirou have his way… at least for now.

Signing with resignation, he nodded his agreement. "All right, I'll go with you. But I need to clean up. I'm covered in blood. And I need to call my grandmother to see if she can arrange for someone to come clean up this place."

Before Subaru could say another word, two clouds of pink petals descended upon the mutilated corpses and covered them in a floral shroud. Like a swarm of angry bees, each body was devoured, leaving only the distinct scent of sakura in their wake. Not a fleck of blood was left, save for what Subaru had managed to get on himself. Seishirou smiled smugly and fished out a cigarette from his pocket.

"You'll just need to clean yourself up and then we can go. Bring a few changes of clothes," he suggested, a pleased smirk on his lips. He pocketed the bottle and leaned back against the wall, lighting a cigarette and inhaling a deep satisfied breath. He would make Subaru drink his offering later.

Subaru merely raised an eyebrow at Seishirou's ostentatious display. He knew it was supposed to impress him and he was impressed, but he also wanted to laugh at how cute Seishirou looked when he was being overeager. Except that thankfully he didn't, knowing that Seishirou's ego couldn't stand it.

Capitulating, he did as he was told and packed his bags. Soon, they were back in the comfort of Seishirou's home. Once there, he allowed Seishirou to lead him to the bedroom. With a weary sigh, he slumped into the soft bed, his shoulder feeling as if it were on fire from the knife wound. Silver hurt, a lot, as he was discovering.

Without preamble, Seishirou retrieved a handy med kit, moved to sit down next to Subaru and very carefully removed his shirt. Silently, he applied a bit of disinfectant to the wound before he proceeded to stitch it closed. He was very impressed at how the Sumeragi was handling the pain, making no more than a soft hiss. A knife wound this deep would have caused substantial agony but Seishirou didn't have any anesthesia, at least nothing that would work on a vampire.

"There," he said when he was finished, wrapping the shoulder with gauze. "I'll help you change the dressing when you wake up tomorrow night, though it might be healed by then."

Subaru nodded tightly. "I think it'll be fine quite quickly. I mean, I healed from that stake fast enough," he said, grateful that the wound had closed within hours, although it might have been thanks to the blood donated from Megumi's female servant. He noticed that after any serious injury, drinking quantities of blood helped. Right now, he was thinking longingly of the packets in his refrigerator. Too tired to disguise it, his need showed clearly in his eyes as he stared at the throbbing vein on Seishirou's neck.

The hungered look in Subaru's eyes reminded Seishirou of the blood he'd collected earlier. He got up and grabbed the bottle from his coat, pushing it into Subaru's hands.

"Take this for now. You can drink from me after you sleep," Seishirou promised. He stifled a yawn. Chasing after Subaru these days had made him more nocturnal than he usually was. He supposed he ought to get used to sleeping during the day.

The young vampire grudgingly took the container and drank. He made tiny delicate sips, lapping up all of the liquid neatly. Despite his hunger, he would show Seishirou that he wasn't one to guzzle. When he was done, he set the bottle down and stared at Seishirou, who was watching him lick his bloodstained lips with a strange intensity. Subaru couldn't help thinking that the other man was actually turned on watching him drink.

"Now what? I can't stay here indefinitely," he said, once again trying to address their situation.

"I don't see why not," Seishirou replied with infuriating calmness. "It would prevent anyone else from finding you the way Megumi did. You'll have me to drink from once a day and I can easily obtain as much blood as you need." He had thought their situation out carefully and was confident that he could protect Subaru. That's if the young vampire would stop putting himself in danger. Besides, Subaru was interesting enough to keep around all the time.

Subaru's jaw dropped. "Huh? You… I couldn't possibly!" he protested. It was strange that now that he had managed to get Seishirou to show he cared, Subaru wanted nothing more than to run away. He would have loved to stay, if not for the danger Kosarou presented. Seishirou's life was more important to him than his own happiness.

"What makes you think that if my sire comes, you could do anything to stop him? Have you forgotten that even I am stronger than you now?" Subaru spoke with heat, determined to be as brutal as possible. He knew that at the very least, Seishirou had to acknowledge that he'd lost to Subaru in the start of their chase just a few nights ago.

"I'll be able to fight him," Seishirou insisted, giving him an intense look. "I was unprepared when you fought me for the first time, but I won't be caught off guard again. Besides, I have a reason to fight Kosarou…" As he said the name, he injected a measure of uncharacteristic venom into his voice, proving very plainly that this person had earned his death sentence.

Disturbed to be showing even that much emotion, Seishirou sought to change the subject. Checking his watch, he said, "It's four AM, the sun will be up soon. You should probably get some sleep…and so should I for that matter."

However, Subaru wasn't going to let Seishirou distract and foist him off this time. With a huge effort, he expanded what little reserves he had and sprung to his feet. Grabbing Seishirou by the collar, he pushed him up against a wall, crying heatedly, "You fool! Haven't you figured it out yet, Seishirou-san? What it is that I want from you? It's not for protection against my sire. There is something far, far more important!"

"What could be more important than self-preservation?" the Sakurazukamori asked calmly, albeit somewhat startled by Subaru's outburst. Nevertheless, he had no fear. Seishirou watched him with inquisitive eyes. "Tell me then, because I simply can't fathom what you want from me." He had to swallow his pride to admit that, but he hoped it would at least calm the young onmyouji down.

Subaru shook his head in defeat. Seishirou was never going to figure it out. Deciding that telling him was perhaps the only way of saving him, Subaru heaved a sigh and did so.

"All through the time I was chained and a slave to my master, forced to do the most humiliating things, there was only thing that sustained me," he said, tears coming to his eyes. "And that one thing was the thought that you were alive; that I would one day get to see you again. What I want now is for you to give me a reason to live. I want you to give me a reason not to walk away from you and out into the sun."

He sank his head against Seishirou's shoulder, allowing his tears to sop into the soft fabric of his shirt, shuddering lightly with exhaustion beyond his physical body. "If anything happened to you… what do you expect of me to do? Isn't your self-preservation most important?"

"How could I be that important to you?" Seishirou responded quietly, his arms moving to circle around Subaru, more out of instinct than anything else. Seishirou held the Sumeragi, allowing him to cry onto his shoulder. "I abandoned you after I killed your sister. I had no intention of revealing myself to you until…" Seishirou stopped mid-sentence, wondering if he really ought to tell Subaru exactly what his plans were after they parted six years ago. Subaru really didn't need any further emotional trauma.

"I don't know why, you just are," came the simple reply from the softly crying onmyouji.

"The fact that you are alive in this world is the only reason why I'm still sane. I know you don't care for me. That's why I couldn't tell you before. But please, if there's any way for me to convince you… please, don't fight Kosarou-san," he begged.

"I have to," Seishirou replied softly, giving in to the desire to stroke the Sumeragi's back comfortingly. "If I don't protect what is mine, then it will be taken away. You may not understand my motivations, but I'm not foolish enough to walk into a fight without preparation. Megumi-san offered her assistance and I intend to accept it. You'll just have to trust me."

There was the crux of the matter. Did Subaru trust Seishirou? If he had been asked this question before his discovery of his friend as the Sakurazukamori, Subaru's answer would have been an unequivocal yes. Now though…

Suddenly Subaru realized that he did. He lifted his tear-stained eyes to meet Seishirou's steady gaze and gave him a smile, sweet and trusting. "All right, I'll trust you."

The admission cost him more than just words. As if a dam had broken, Subaru's strength ran out and his knees buckled, sending him slumping into Seishirou's arms. He shook his head sheepishly and tried to right himself but the other man simply grabbed him and swung him up into his arms.

"Seishirou-san!" he protested indignantly, almost like his 16-year old self again.

"Well then, the first order of business is for you to get some sleep," Seishirou said, carrying Subaru over to the bed and tucking him in. He smiled, feeling almost as if he was looking down on the boy he left six years ago. He sat down on the bed next to him, just watching.

"I'm going to see Megumi-san tomorrow night, then we'll figure out what to do next," he murmured, reaching out to stroke Subaru's messy hair.

Subaru murmured his agreement and let sleep claim him, reassured that at least Seishirou had a plan.

~~

Most people had absolutely no idea what a hassle it was to be the Vampire Prince of Tokyo. Most vampires coveted the position, for it seemed very grand and came with many perks; but the sheer amount of administrative work, the nitty gritty of keeping a bunch of ramshackle vampires in order in a city the size of Tokyo, day after day, was astonishing.

And then, there was the Grand Plan. Being a leader wasn't only about making sure things ran smoothly. It was also about planning for the future. Since vampires tended to live for practically forever, unless they met a violent end, (which was a likely fate given their violent nature) they needed a direction to follow. And that's where Megumi excelled.

So there she was, going through the latest population charts, considering whether to approve requests for new migrants to settle in her territory and other such mundane administrative matters at her desk. Being able to delegate things to minions was all very well and good, but Megumi prided herself in knowing about everything that was happening in her city.

Perhaps that was why the thought of the rogue Kosarou running around in Tokyo was such an irritation--not that she gave him that much thought most of the time. Her minions were searching and she had no doubt that they would find him eventually. She had all the time in the world. And when they found him, then he would die. It was as simple as that. Megumi was definitely not lacking in confidence.

She was so absorbed in her work, that she didn't notice the temperature in her office drop a few degrees. A pale mist slowly drifted from one of the air conditioning vents in the ceiling, trickling down the wall and pooling on the floor. Very slowly, the opaque mist solidified, forming a pair of arms and legs. It swirled like a silent tempest until it became almost human, leaving a male figure standing in its place.

The solidifying vampire grinned, the low light reflecting off his white fangs as he watched the industrious figure toil away at her desk. Unseating Megumi, Prince of Tokyo, was one of his grand ambitions.

Kosarou seemed to float a few inches above the floor as he glided across the carpet without making a sound. There was a numerical pad on the wall near the door, flickering intermittently as he approached it. Laying his hand over the keypad, he injected a slight current of magic through it, effectively deactivating the Prince's state-of-the-art security system. It was almost painfully easy to thwart the technology made by humans sometimes. Fortunate for him that Megumi had come to rely on it.

He grinned when he noticed Megumi still hadn't detected his presence. Slowly, he crept over the desk, eyeing her slender neck, thinking that it would be a pleasure to grab it in his hand and squeeze until the vertebrae snapped under the pressure. But not yet. He would make her beg and plead for him to kill her. Perhaps if he were so motivated, he would take her to the pinnacle of vampiric pleasure and fuck her senseless before he killed her in a spectacular display of blood and broken bones.

Pushing his heinous fantasy aside, he slipped his hands around her, one clamping over her mouth and the other around her neck.

"Good evening Princess," he darkly purred, mocking her title. "Don't even bother screaming. If my calculations are correct, my servants should have slaughtered your guard by now." He grinned in cocky triumph. He was so going to enjoy this.

Megumi's eyes merely flashed with dismay to be caught off guard but her self-control held. Dropping the papers in her hands to the desk, she half turned to look lazily at Kosarou, waiting for him to state his demands. These sorts of rogues always had demands. But he would make a mistake and then Megumi would strike. In fact, Kosarou had already made one-- he hadn't killed her at his very first opportunity.

"That's a good girl," he crooned. With one hand still around her neck, Kosarou yanked her up out of her chair and pushed her into the wall, using his body weight to hold her immobile. He released her mouth and moved to grasp her wrist with his other hand, holding it above her head. "You're the only thing that stands in the way between me and absolute domination of this city." Then his expression went from smug, to serious. "You know where he is, don't you? I'm certain you have found my Subaru by now…"

He grinned. First, he would beat out the information he wanted, then he would kill her. In his mind, his plan was flawless.

Megumi luxuriously allowed herself a moment to reflect on the strange priorities people had. Here he was, with her life supposedly in her hands and the power over an entire city in his grasp and Kosarou was obsessing about the Sumeragi. It was just so ironic that Megumi had to smile.

"Ah so, you want Sumeragi-san? Why? He's very pretty, but I suppose pretty boys aren't as much to my taste as they are to you. Is he the only one who ever ran away? He certainly can't be the only one who didn't want you," she taunted. She seemed totally unfazed to be in Kosarou's grip, in fact, she put up no resistance at all, allowing him to push her about as he would. But behind the rogue vampire, a dark spot on the wall began to move and congeal.

"The only one that dared run away," he corrected. "The more elusive, the more desirable, isn't that right, Princess?"

Kosarou leaned forward and began to slowly lick and suck at her neck, not yet breaking the skin. He was going to make this as drawn out as he could, completely confident that Megumi's guards were already neutralized. Her skin was cool and smooth under his touch and her slender body was almost androgynous enough to resemble a prepubescent boy. This only fueled his desire to take her.

But he didn't get very far. It was now Kosarou's turn to be caught off guard. He didn't even see the tendrils of translucent shadow approach him from behind.

It had gone far enough for Megumi. She would not allow anyone to molest her. Kosarou was going to die and she wasn't even going to entertain herself by dragging it out. With a twist of her power, the darkness lashed out, striking Kosarou so fast the rogue didn't even know what hit him, then their positions were reversed and Kosarou was now suspended in the air, bound by seemingly nothing but darkness.

"You're a fool, Kosarou," she said with grim satisfaction. "I am not Prince of the City without reason. And you are too focused on sex."

Not bothering to spare the struggling vampire another glance, she strode over to the door and flung it open, to check on the status of her underlings.

~~

Seishirou had left the house shortly after sundown, and headed for the Prince's penthouse downtown. He expected a reception from one or more of her diligent guards, but as he entered the lobby, he found it void of life, save for one young woman huddled in the corner and bleeding profusely.

He ran over to her and checked to see if she was alive. The vampire looked up at him, her eyes glazed over with pain.

"The Prince," she gasped, struggling to stay conscious. "You must help…the Prince…" At that, she slumped over, the gaping wound in her chest pooling blood all around her. With haste, Seishirou straightened and vaulted over to the stairs to climb to Megumi's floor. As soon as he stepped out of the stairwell, he spotted two vampires stalking down the hallway towards an open door.

"Look out!" Seishirou called out on seeing Megumi emerge from the doorway. He wasn't certain whose side the two vampires were on, deciding to be cautious about it and not make any assumptions. He pulled out a stack of ofuda, ready to attack if need be.

But there wasn't any need for worry. The pair stopped and bowed before their master. The leader of the vampires merely nodded to her two minions, taking in their disheveled state. "Report," she snapped at them, after sparing a glance of acknowledgement at Seishirou.

Quickly the two gave her a status report, which was essentially that everything was fine and Kosarou's minions had been driven away, although with some casualties on their side.

Megumi sighed and waved them off to take care of the clean up. "Take care of the injured and double the guard," she ordered. After issuing her instructions, she turned and smiled slyly at Seishirou.

"Would you like to see your enemy?" she offered, waving at the door to her office, pleased with herself. She intended to kill the rogue, but feeling in a magnanimous mood, she would let Seishirou have some conversation with him first.

Seishirou stepped inside and was greeted with the satisfying sight of the vampire bound hand and foot in a swirling cocoon of shadow. He glared coldly at the man, knowing that this was the one that had hurt and scarred his Subaru-kun. In a flash, he was upon him, his hands closing around Kosarou's neck.

Fortunately for the vampire, he couldn't be strangled, so he waited until the assassin saw the futility of his actions and loosened his grip. He grinned despite his disadvantage.

"So we finally meet," Kosarou said, his dark eyes flashing, memorizing the face of his enemy. He would kill this man someday soon, he decided, preferably with Subaru watching. There was a certain finality to destroying a loved one before his prey's eyes. It would make certain that Subaru knew it was useless to run away, he thought to himself.

Seishirou had other ideas and brutally jammed his knee into Kosarou's groin, causing a soft hiss to escape the vampire's lips.

"Not for long," the assassin growled. "I'm going to kill you." With that said, he drew his hand back, his fingers poised to plunge through the man's chest at full force. Dark magic surged along his arm as he thrust it forward, expecting to meet skin and blood.

But he found his hand only striking the wall behind him.

Kosarou dissolved into mist, escaping the shadow bonds Megumi wrapped around him. He quickly blew away, leaving the room without a trace. The sheer disappointment of not killing his enemy brought loud curses to Seishirou's lips.

Megumi flicked at her shadows but Kosarou was too fast. She spat out an expletive too, a rare thing for one usually so composed and regal. Quickly, she went to her desk and informed her people to be on the look out for Kosarou, even though she expected him to have fled already.

Turning around, she noted that the Sakurazukamori was still in the room, his face a cast of disgust and frustration. "That is your enemy. You'll need to beware, he might be more than you can handle," she warned.

"When I've promised to kill someone, you can be assured that person will die," Seishirou replied steadily. "Though I'm not above asking for help. Some tasks are more challenging than others and I see now that I'll need to ask for assistance."

It was a rare occasion that the Sakurazukamori had to employ the help of others, but he was smart enough to do it when he was sure that his target was especially powerful.

Megumi kept her expression tactfully bland. She could see that it galled the proud Sakurazukamori to ask for help. That he was able to do so, earned her respect.

"Very well, let us work together on this matter. This rogue is a stain on all the kin. Not all vampires are like this," she said with distaste. The Sakurazukamori was a power all of his own and she'd been engaged in enough power plays to know that it was good to gain allies in the 'underworld'.

"We will continue searching for Kosarou. When we do, I will inform you. You may have three of my best men to help. You will have your chance to face him yet," she said. She acknowledged Seishirou probably had a greater right to kill Kosarou than her, especially if Kosarou was still obsessed with the Sumeragi.

"Just a warning," she added, holding her hand up to stop Seishirou from leaving right away. "Kosarou is still obsessed with Sumeragi-san. You'd best step up your protections around him."

Subaru…

"You can be certain I will," he said, darting out of the room, his heart beginning to pound wildly. How could he have been so stupid to let Kosarou get away from him and not leave immediately to protect Subaru. He could only hope that he wasn't be too late. With every ounce of strength he had, he ran homeward, leaping from rooftop to city rooftop, checking and rechecking the bond he had with the Sumeragi.

All this led Seishirou to a renewed determination. Yes. Kosarou was going to die very soon.

Notes:

Okay, the reason why Subaru's knife wound was open and didn't heal like when he was staked in an earlier chapter is because the knife that wounded him was silver. Since vampires are weak to silver, the wounds tend to not close up and need medical attention.