"I've finally caught up to you, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said with a pleased smile. He began to walk towards them, causing an already on edge Kamui to bring his claws forward in warning.
"Stay where you are, Hunter. I won't let you touch even a hair on his head."
"Did you hear that?" Seishirou announced to no one in particular, or so they thought, until Fuuma walked out of the shadow of the building, a pleased smile also gracing his features.
"I did indeed hear, Seishirou-niisan," Fuuma said as he came to a stop beside him. "And I must apologize for Kamui's behavior: he becomes very cranky when he misses out on his breakfast."
"Yes, he does lack manners. I would think that Subaru-kun would have rubbed off him after all this time, but that does not seem to be case. How unfortunate for him."
"If this is all you have to say then save your breath, both of you, or else lose your tongues." Kamui sliced at the air in front of him with his claws, daring them to come any closer than they were.
"I wish to keep my tongue, thank you," Seishirou said, falsely polite. "But Fuuma, by all means, you are more than welcome to have your fun. Go play, and leave the adults to their boring conversation," Seishirou said, the stare he had pinned Subaru with slowly deteriorating into a leer. "I also did not grow you up to be impolite and leave a dance partner unattended to."
"Yes, Nii-san," Fuuma said, clenching his fist. "I certainly want to show Kamui what a real gentleman is like." He crossed over Seishirou's shadow and headed towards Kamui, who was now slowly backing away. The hand he had thrown in front of Subaru, which functioned both as a guard and a posturing mechanism, began to press against the other's stomach, silently imploring him to retreat along with him. But Subaru took a hold of his wrist in a gesture to stop.
"Hello Seishirou-san," Subaru greeted flatly but also with a bit of tenderness in his voice, as if he could not help it. He boldly stepped out from behind Kamui's hand, and his twin reached out to him again, imploring with sad eyes to return to the shelter of his arms; but Subaru had his back to him and missed the display entirely, his disregard intentional, but not his unkindness.
"It has been a long time," Subaru said.
"Too long," Seishirou said, "But luckily Fate has brought us together again." He held a hand out to him as if asking for a dance and, walking over to him like he was possessed, Subaru answered that summon and rested a gloved hand in his own.
"Subaru!" Kamui shouted behind him.
"I will be fine," Subaru said, as Seishirou chivalrously knelt down on one knee in front of him, his hand still in his possession, and slipped off the white glove. He tucked it in his front breast pocket—his keepsake for this meeting, or that was what his smile told Subaru, anyway—as he bestowed a kiss upon his bare hand. "You are as cute as ever, Subaru-kun," he purred and did not let go of his hand as he stood, even tightening his own around it and pulling them closer together by that hold. He held it between their bodies with a placid smile. "I hope I am not inconveniencing you with my short notice."
"You're not," Subaru said tersely.
"Then I hope it's not too much to ask for a moment of your time. We have a lot of catching up to do. I only wish we had a lifetime to get to it all."
Subaru was not surprised when Seishirou suddenly swept him up in his arms and began to nonchalantly make for the edge of the building.
"I hope you two have fun," he called behind him.
"We will entertain ourselves," Fuuma called back and ran headlong into Kamui, tackling him off the other side of the building at the same time that Seishirou dropped to the building underneath. The sounds of glass shattering and cement being ripped up off the building exterior could suddenly be heard behind them, but Seishirou paid no mind to it and walked on with the spoils of the previous encounter being carried off in his arms. He jumped to the roof across from him when he got to the end of this one, and then did the same thing two more times until he had put a good amount of distance between him and the fighting pair, reducing the sounds of their destruction to his and Subaru's romantic background music.
The rooftop that Seishirou lighted upon had a shoddy billboard on low supports, overlooking and shadowing a bunch of crates that were draped with gray tarps. It was here that Seishirou set Subaru down.
The vampire immediately turned his back to him and silently faced the crates, as if they were a pair of ordinary lovers and Subaru was ignoring him because of an argument they'd had. Seishirou put his hands on Subaru's shoulders and squeezed gently.
Thunder boomed in the distance and a few heavy rain-drops pattered the tarps. The overcast sky was rumbling deeply, warning of a storm, and Subaru heeding that warning moved over to the crates. He turned around and, within the confined space, his eyes met Seishirou's as he pressed back into the crate, seeking shelter from the downpour that suddenly erupted from the sky.
It only took three or four long strides for Seishirou to meet him, the man pressing him further into the crate, seeking his own shelter, until Subaru gave up his purchase on the solid ground under his feet and slid into a small space created by two crates stacked on either side of him.
The air was stuffy in the space, made even more humid by the warm rain, but Subaru could not be bothered to care as Seishirou leaned into him, between his legs, his face an inch away from his own. Subaru could see the rain beyond his shoulder, most likely pelting his back, and as their faces drew near and they shared the first long kiss of a decade since they had began this chase, Subaru drew up the long side of his cloak around Seishirou's back and head to shield him from the rain.
"I do not know anyone better to wait out a storm with. Your fashion-sense certainly saves me the trouble of dry-cleaning," Seishirou said.
"I try, Seishirou-san," Subaru said and smiled shyly into his lips.
"Your brother grows less fond of me as the days pass. Will your kin never stop calling me a Hunter?"
"Not until they forget about the past," Subaru said sadly, cupping Seishirou's cheek in one loving palm. "I have missed you."
"You have been running from me, you mean," Seishirou said and took hold of the hand cupping his cheek, laying a kiss on each finger. "I find those two things very different—this missing and running business."
"I go where my brother goes. He believes I need protecting from many things, not only you. He also enjoys the travel. We have met so many people on our journeys and, though he still detests humans, he has opened up to them so much since we left the Tower."
"And while this is all well and good for Kamui, when are you going to leave your dear brother and return to my side." Seishirou brushed his fingertips through the locks near Subaru's ear, but his gentle touch turned dark and possessive when his prompting for a kiss was met with a turned head, his fingers suddenly fisting the locks at the back of Subaru's head, his other hand lifting Subaru's chin so he could stare deeply into his green-colored eyes.
"You know our courting is not a desirable element within my world." There was anguish in his eyes as he said this that caused the green color to glisten and blur.
"Yes, but I am no longer human," Seishirou added. He let go of Subaru's chin and ran that same hand through his hair, then did it again, this time both hands employed in smoothing up his swan-like neck and raking through his scalp. "We are joined by the same blood, the same need." Seishirou punctuated this statement by gripping his hair, this time with both hands. "You made it so. You wished for me to find you."
"Yes… but not now," Subaru said and lowered his eyes. "I can't go with you. I still have responsibilities to my Clan and… to my brother. Please understand, my love."
Seishirou took a deep breath. His eyes flashed white, and as he gripped the back of his head in his two powerful hands, Subaru stared into his eyes and the predator stared back, unsatisfied with the answer he had been given. "It took me a great deal of time to get to this point, and while I greatly enjoyed the chase, at the last stretch I grew very impatient. I am not asking anymore, dear Subaru."
"But we are so close. It could be here."
"I do not think you were ever meant to save them," Seishirou said coolly.
"But we don't know that," Subaru continued, slapping Seishirou in the face with his blind optimism. "Please don't let all these years go to waste on a whimsy. I trusted you to--"
"Has our time apart made you forget what kind of man I am? I only offered you a head start. I did not say anything about letting you go once I caught up."
"But they will not be able to survive the curse if this goes on much longer!" Subaru threw his hands forward and they impacted with Seishirou's chest, and he used that force to push away. He stumbled back against one of the crates and turned his head away. "They will die. My entire clan will be wiped out," he said softly, pleadingly.
"Then let them," Seishirou said flippantly and hoped off the crate. "The only one I need from your clan is right here. Do not worry, familial ties are easily broken, and your brother has gotten between us long enough. I will have Fuuma kill him here and then you can return with me. You will understand when this is all over. I am doing this for your best interests, really." Seishirou raised his arm and wisps of dark energy began to circulate around his palm, congealing and forming into a large crow. It cawed at Subaru once and then shattered into thousand of pieces before reassembling into a katana. It floated before Seishirou before he grabbed it out of the air, brandishing it towards the vampire.
"Now come Subaru-kun, let's not allow Fuuma and Kumui to upstage us in our dance."
10 years ago
"You fell asleep again," Subaru said in a disapproving tone. "You mustn't do that when the Adunarea is in session."
"But that's the only time I can sleep," Kamui laughed. "They're so old and boring. They make me want to sleep." Kamui ran ahead, his footsteps echoing in the long stone corridor.
Gray blocks extended out as far as the eye could see, like the corridor went on forever. Air seeped into the crevices in the mortar, and a draft could always be felt sweeping through, low and moaning, and encouraging the servants to pick up their step whenever they ventured here. It was cold and dank, but it was the only passage to the Adunarea's wing of the Castle, and Kamui and Subaru were forced to make use of it whenever they were summoned.
Kamui spun around to wait for him, the purple cloak around his shoulders flowing along with his steps, this way and that, and Suburu smiled as he watched his little brother at play. Even in royal garb he still managed to retain his carefree spirit.
Subaru followed the silver trim along the borders of his cloak. His eyes stopped on his chest over his heart, where lay the clan's insignia, set off in the same silver trim. It was two wings in the shape of a heart, representing the clan's ancestry as winged beings. This insignia was sacred to his people and only the Prince of their lands was allowed to wear it. Under the silver chains holding his cloak together, Subaru could see the white collar of his shirt peeking out, the black breeches and knee-high black boots he also wore a perfect complement to his wardrobe.
Kamui was looking more Prince-like everyday, Subaru thought proudly. He needed to distinguish himself if he was to impress the Elders of the Clan.
Subaru glanced down at his own garb. He, on the other hand, didn't need to impress anyone. He was still of Noble birth, the first son of the Grand Duchess, and he was proud of his lineage, but he was still more fond of peasant colors than rich dyes. It was easier to blend in when he escaped the drudgery of the Castle and went out into the populace.
Suburu swept his fawn-colored cloak aside, exposing the more refined part of his own wardrobe that almost always lay hidden behind his cloak: a white ruffled blouse and tan trousers. The thigh-high brown leather boots were also something of a luxury.
It was a custom for twins in their country to dress similar, both for ritual and practical purposes. But he and Kamui had grown out of that phase long ago and wished to express themselves differently, even though it was frowned upon.
Twins were seen as spiritual mirrors, each exchanging and reflecting back his mystical energy to the other. Between them was a place of perfect balance and unity, and to severe that exchange or break that link was a ritual crime of the highest. It was like breaking a mirror that brought seven years bad luck. The fact that mirrors could not be utilized by the vampire clan was also one of the reasons why they held these human mirrors in such high regard. They were the only ones in the kingdom that had a reflection.
On the practical side of things, Subaru and Kamui were encouraged to dress similar because of the vampire hunters that had been sent from the human villages bordering their own nation. Their nation was a small one, encompassing a large fortress and a peasant settlement. But the humans, who outnumbered them ten to one, were still afraid. Ever since Kamui had ascended the throne as the Prince, negotiations had been in progress to subdue the anger of the human village leaders, who saw it as a threat that the vampire clan was rallying around a pure-blood. The Adunarea had been calling them into their chamber more frequently to talk politics.
Their clan was dying out and every millennium or so a Renaissance was necessary to increase their numbers. The Renaissance was a mass slaughter of designated human villages, the descendents of the E that their matriarchal line had preyed on for centuries.
The time was coming for another mass-slaughter, but Subaru was arguing against it. Kamui did not care for the humans, so he usually slept through these meeting. They were nothing but food to him, and Subaru could understand his indifference in the matter. He was being targeted by them for no other reason than he was now Prince of his people. Subaru could understand why he did not care if the slaughter happened.
It seemed war with the humans was imminent. It had been four hundred years since the last one. But though imminent, Subaru would still argue against the Renaissance. It was not that he cared terribly for the humans: their kind was territorial and kept encroaching on the royal lands. But it was that if this slaughter did take place, war would break out between the two sides, and it always took a heavy toll on their side.
The humans could reproduce, but there were only a few pure blood families in the vampire clan. They replenished their numbers now by turning humans, but the process did not always take. This was why they could only slaughter certain human villages that had lived alongside them ever since the Tower had been constructed and whose blood could mingle easily with their own.
The war between vampires and humans was a cycle of death and suffering. So why would Subaru, second in line for the throne, wish that for his Clan, or even for the humans.
"Let's go into the Forest," Kamui said as he caught up to him. He was already taking off his cloak and folding it over his arm. When they passed a servant in the hallway, Kamui smiled and tossed the bundle into her arms.
"Please don't treat the royal mantle like that," Subaru said. The purple color was a dead-giveaway that Kamui was royalty, and it was certainly bothersome and dangerous to go outside with it, but Kamui still needed to stop mismanaging his things. Though the Prince, he was still very much a child in his eyes.
The servant-girl smiled uneasily, understanding right away that Kamui wanted her to take it to their bedroom in the Tower. No one but the twins could step foot in the Tower, but like he'd said before, Kamui never cared for the rules. And Subaru had a hard time scolding his little brother. He would much rather spoil him instead.
"So, do you want to go or not?" Kamui asked. He glanced around the cobbled corridor. They had entered their wing of the Castle and the knights that protected their family lineage frequently paced these halls. They did not like Kamui going out in this time of strife, but Kamui would not be closeted away in the tower like a Princess, and Subaru could not say he blamed him.
There were large arched hollow windows that lined either side of the corridor, which was a strange design choice for vampires who could burst into flame if one ray of pure sunlight touched them, but the sunlight was very weak in their Nation, a reason why they had settled here in the first place. Gray clouds always covered the skies and they could venture outside without fear of sudden death.
Kamui stepped up on the stone ledge. He put his hands on his waist and then arched his neck back to look at Subaru. "Are you coming?"
Subaru stifled a laugh at the sight of his brother. "I never said I wasn't."
"Then c'mon." Kamui jumped off the window ledge, dropping down several hundred feet to the concrete below. He landed on all fours like a cat, and still keeping low, he scampered towards the perimeter of the Castle. Subaru followed him out, vaulting over the window and landing with a flourish of his cloak. He darted after Kamui, nimble as a rabbit, and caught up in no time. Kamui had already scaled the iron-wrought gates to the outside and was now dropping down to freedom. Subaru, still at a run, purchased a temporary toe-hold on the surface of the iron-bars and boosted himself up and over in one impressive jump… to only land in mud.
Subaru frowned down at his bad luck. He could hear Kamui laughing somewhere off in the distance, no doubt seeing him land in mud. Frowning some more—he did not like to be made fun of for his clumsiness—Subaru resumed his chase after his brother.
The market place was not far from the Castle, practically inhabiting its shadow. Tents of silk, hessian, calico and velvet lined the main path where the gypsies sold their wares and vampires came to amuse themselves in human endeavors like shopping and haggling. Subaru slowed as he entered the crowds. For discretion, he lifted his hood over his head. Further ahead in the crowd, he hoped Kamui was also using discretion.
He carefully picked his way through the crowd. It was hard to not bump into anyone: everyone was so packed together. But it was a nice feeling to be in the midst of all this activity and noise.
The scents coming from each stall were just as overwhelming. The perfumes, spices, and food-stuff made Subaru wish to buy something, but he did not want to lose sight of Kamui. If he wanted to sample, he would have to come back another day, alone. Kamui disliked this place because it was so noisy, and the only time he could stomach the market was when he had need to cut across it towards the Forest.
Lost in thought, Subaru didn't realize he was wondering closer to the stalls until a fruit vendor yelled into his ear "delicious pomegranates!" and startled him the other way.
Subaru plowed head-first into another pedestrian, hitting his nose square into his chest and nearly knocking the man over.
"Sorry," he apologized, but brusquely walked away, embarrassed that he was acting so clumsy when he was usually very coordinated. He really needed to get his head out of the clouds.
Finally reaching the end of the throng, Subaru resumed his chase. He couldn't see any trace of Kamui, but he knew his brother had come this way because of his scent.
The Forest made up the outskirts of their country, extending for hundreds of miles towards the human settlements, while the Town was located on the other side of the Castle, couched in its fortress-like structure. The gypsies and their market-place resided at the back of the Castle, towards the Forrest, unprotected but at the same time safer for all involved. It was because while the gypsies pedaled their wares to vampires, they were still foreigners, travelers from a different place, and so the townspeople threw a wary eye upon them. They were seen as distant relatives of the vampires, but the distance was now too great to welcome them into the town circle.
"Kamui!" Subaru called out as he entered the Forrest. The trees that greeted him were monstrous and knarled, with mossy green barks and sparse leaves; the barren branches clutched at the leaden sky like the old wrinkled hand of a man crying out for his lost youth.
From the outside this place looked like no Fairy tale, but the farther in one travelled, the more the landscape improved. The trees became fuller, still monstrous in size, but now it was due to their health and not their rot. The barks were brown and almost smooth. The trees at the center owed their appearance to the lake that ran through the area and fed their tucked away roots. Subaru could hear its babble as he neared. This was usually the spot where he and Kamui played, but his twin was no where in sight.
Subaru sat on a fallen log. He put his hands in his lap, waiting patiently for Kamui to show himself. He could feel eyes watching him, so he knew Kamui shouldn't be long in revealing his hiding spot.
He dusted his knees.
Anytime now.
"Brother?"
Subaru glanced around and thought Kamui was milking this situation for more than it was worth. But his twin did enjoy hide-and-seek. Should he go and find him then? Subaru could feel eyes boring into his back… ever since the market place.
Silly him, Kamui had probably doubled back and was now behind him. He was such a prankster.
Subaru smiled and swiveled his neck around, certain he would find his twin grinning at him. But what he did find was not what he expected. Subaru's smile disappeared from his face as a person in a white cloak and hood stood on the slope before him. The stranger had rested one of his hands on a tree and was gazing down at him in the grove, eating what looked like a …pomegranate?
The pores on Subaru's neck rose and he felt the sudden, irrational instinct to run. He wondered where this fear could be coming from? He was a predator himself. What need had he to run from anyone?
"Hello there," the stranger called down at him jovially and tossed away the seed of the fruit. He lifted his hood and Subaru found himself staring into the face of a smiling young man, and he was suddenly struck by his handsomeness, inexplicably struck by it, in fact. He thought there were certainly other more important things to be struck by, or noticed.
He lowered his eyes back to his hands.
"I don't mean to intrude," the stranger said, "But I just wanted to say what a lovely cloak you have."
Subaru raised his head. He pointed at himself, the hood still covering his head.
The stranger nodded. "It's like deer pelt, or perhaps something much softer and finer. A Fawn-ling perhaps? I actually mistook you for one when I was passing through."
"Oh no." Subaru shook his head. "It's not animal skin. I wouldn't be able to wear it if it was."
"It looks an awful lot like it," the stranger said with a meticulous air, like he was used to being right in these matters. "But it's quite nice if it isn't. Did you buy it in the gypsy market-place? I noticed they have many nice things over there. I'm something of a collector of beautiful objects and I've been haggling with the owner of the jewelry stall to sell me these glass beads." He took out a wrist-let from a pocket in his cloak and held it out to Subaru. Then noting the distance between them, he hoped down from the slope and onto level ground with Subaru. He held them out again. "See. They're quite pretty, but I think I was swindled," he laughed good-naturedly.
Subaru nodded. "They are pretty."
"Then would you like to trade?"
Subaru blinked at him. "Trade what?"
"This for your lovely cloak. I never walk around with money, but I do always have objects to trade for the things I want. But I wonder," he put a hand under his chin speculatively, "would you rather money?"
"I don't want your money," Subaru laughed. "But I don't want to part with my things either, especially my clothing." Then when Subaru realized what he'd just said, he blushed up to his ears. "Ah… I didn't mean to make it sound so..." He fumbled for words and then slumped in defeat when they scattered from his grasp. "Sorry," he said simply.
"Not at all," the man said, a little too up-beat about it. "I guess I seem a bit strange when I accost you for your outer-garments." He smiled at Subaru again, but the placid expression wavered a bit when he looked directly into his face, like he was only now seeing him for the first time.
"Have… we met before?"
Subaru slowly lowered his hood from his face. "No, I don't think so."
"Oh my," the man said and stared at him with something akin to surprise. He took off his glasses and put them on again. "You're even lovelier than your cloak. You don't suppose I could make the trade for you instead. I don't think I have anything like you in my collection." The smile he turned on him was still very cheerful, unnaturally so, and a sense a dread suddenly overcome Subaru. He dug his fingernails into the log underneath him.
"My brother…" Subaru said, as if the mention of his brother would make this scary feeling go away. "My brother… I'm waiting for him."
"Your brother?" the stranger asked, suddenly sympathetic, but for what reason Subaru had no idea. "Is he the boy that looks a little like you? I think I ran into him on my way in here." The stranger paced to the other side, still staring at him and smiling, and Subaru noticed that when he moved, he made no sound. There were twigs and leaves littering the ground like a dense carpet, and yet he made no sound when he walked. The woods were also strangely quiet. No rustling of deer or chirping of birds. Only this profound silence, like everything had died.
Subaru realized with a sinking feeling that he had made a fatal mistake by letting this man get this close to him.
"SUBARU!!!"
Subaru spun his head in the direction of the anguished sob. That had been Kamui's voice, but never in his life had he heard his brother sound so… terrified and weak.
The stranger sighed greatly. "He should have bled to death by now. I can't believe he crawled the entire way here in his condition."
"You're a Hunter," Subaru hissed and leapt back several feet. His claws extended out. "You came here to kill my brother."
"I came here to kill you both," he corrected and charged at him. One of his hands began to give off a white-yellowish light as he thrust it at Subaru like a blade, missing his chest but catching him cleanly through the shoulder. He forced him back against a tree by his injury, lifting him off the ground by the neck with his other hand and pinning him there like a butterfly.
"Uhh," Subaru groaned, as he could feel the man's hand beginning to slide from his wound, ready to make the second fatal strike. But he grabbed the arm before it could free itself from his flesh, pulling it back in and dousing his hand in blood. The Hunter looked surprised by the move, and that surprise only grew when he heard the vampire-twin begin to chant scripture:
"For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
The Hunter seemed to realize what he was about to do and he began to pull harder, trying to wrest his hand free. But Subaru was not about to let go and reaffirmed his grip by stabbing his claws through his arm.
"I didn't expect one of you to be a necromancer," the Hunter said and tightened his own grip on Subaru's neck. "It would be wise of you to not finish this curse."
"And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him."
The Hunter tightened his fingers even more in an attempt to crush his windpipe. "You are trying my patience," the man said, as he felt both his arms beginning to grow heavy and succumb to the curse being placed on it.
"And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns…"
Several thorny vines crept up the tree they were pressed against and wrapped around the Hunter's offending arm, keeping it trapped against the trunk. He tsked at the predicament he had gotten himself in and then finally wretched his other hand out of Subaru, shoving the vampire to the ground so he could focus on undoing the curse.
"And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them."
The vines suddenly turned into green snakes and one struck the Hunter in the throat. He grabbed it before it could strike at him again, his hand giving off that same white-yellowish glow as he held its wriggling body in his palm. "You have nice familiars," he crushed the snake and it evaporated in a plume of black smoke, "But mine are much more polite." A white boa-sized snake lowered itself from his palm, as if its massive body had always been coiled away there. It dipped its head to the ground, warily, and Subaru froze in terror when its red eyes fixed on him. He gasped, terror taking the sound out of it, and scrambled to get away. But the wound in his shoulder and the energy needed for the caliber of curse he was summoning had taken its toll, and he couldn't escape fast enough. The snake slithered up behind him, seizing him as fast as lighting and coiling around his body so he could not use his arms or legs.
Trying to squirm free, Subaru ended up helplessly falling onto his side.
"He won't bite," the Hunter chuckled as he watched the vampire struggling to sit up, "but this is my first time wielding this type of familiar and I've heard they're known to do something far worse to virgins." He smiled when the vampire's struggling grew more frantic.
"Let's hope he wants to bite you."
"Get that thing off him, you son of a bitch." Kamui dropped down from the tree above, right behind the Hunter, and with the swiftness of an arrow flying through the air, his leg connected with the back of his neck, sending him face down in the dirt. But the Hunter had absorbed most of the shock of the impact with his hands and his leg swept out in a half-circle, his shoe connecting with Kamui's ribs. The vampire spun into the motion towards a tree, and righted himself in midair like a cat, impacting the trunk on all fours. His eyes turned into golden slits and he stared down at the Hunter from his new higher vantage point. Blood began to drip onto the forest floor below. Kamui's shirt had been ripped open at the stomach, the fringes terribly bloodied. If Subaru had been able to see the back, he would have seen the same treatment to the fabric. The Hunter had obviously gone for the quickest and easiest kill: a strike from behind. But like Subaru, he had missed the heart. Though in Kamui's case, he had felt it unnecessary to dally: he had punched a hole through his stomach and had felt that was good enough.
Kamui's healing capabilities had saved him, but it would not be enough to close the hole in his stomach, and both of them knew that. He would bleed to death if this continued.
"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart."
"Bind," the Assassin said, wanting to shut him up. But the snake would not tighten its coils. He turned towards him with an annoyed look. "Bind," he said again and even held out his hand to better communicate his will to the familiar. But speech and gesture had failed him in the mystical sense, the final actualization of the curse upon his mouth and hands had made it so. Both of the Hunter's hands were covered with the blood of both vampire twins, which had made it easier for Subaru to summon a retribution curse on the offending "weapons." The vines had been used only because the Hunter was also a magician and to not use amplifiers would allow him to break free easily, and the snake-bite to the throat had been the final action needed to close the curse.
The Hunter frowned deeply.
"I should have dealt with you first," he said as he watched the snake uncoiling around Subaru and shriveling up. "My employers certainly had me watching out for the wrong twin."
Subaru stood up and his eyes narrowed into golden slits, matching his twin. "He no longer can use his killing strike nor any of his mantras. We'll take him down together," Subaru said somberly.
"A family undertaking then?" Kamui arched his back and suddenly exploded from the tree, sending leaves and branches flying everywhere. He swooped down right on the Hunter's back. A glint of silver announced his claws before he plunged them into the man's shoulder; he tucked his other arm under his chin, pressing it upward so his throat was exposed.
Before the Hunter could throw Kamui off, Subaru lunged at him in a flash. He stabbed the claws of one hand through his ribs and used his other hand to hold him in place as his fangs pierced his throat.
"This is what you get for stepping into vampire territory," Kamui said coolly, as he watched his twin feeding on the Hunter. The man made a strangled sound in his throat, but Kamui held him fast, not wanting to let anything interrupt the feeding process.
Subaru had never enjoyed feeding from humans. He had a strange affection for them, as one would for a puppy or any cute animal. He sympathized with them for their weakness and frailty. He thought they deserved better than to be preyed upon for sustenance. He even secretly bought blood from the butcher's shop in town in order to keep with his morals. But drinking pig's blood weakened him and it had been so long since he had gotten a taste for something human. It was no surprise that he was drinking so deeply and with such abandon.
The Hunter had stopped struggling and sank to his feet, unable to keep himself standing. Subaru sank down with him, but Kamui jumped off his back, deciding it best to give his twin the privacy he probably wanted. He looked really into it, more than Kamui thought this Hunter deserved. Subaru had wound his arms around his shoulders, squeezing him to his chest in what the humans had snidely deemed the "eternal embrace." They could only be so lucky as to be embraced by his other half for even a second.
Turning his back on the display, Kamui checked his stomach wounds. He would have to trouble Subaru later about a healing spell, but after drinking his fill, he thought his twin would be more than up to the task.
A gasp from behind made him turn around to see Subaru coughing.
"What's the matter? Did you drink too fast?" he joked.
"No, it's…" Subaru wiped his mouth, oddly self-conscious. "It's so… rich." Then his face went beet-red.
"Well, are you going to finish. You know how Karen feels about leftovers."
"No, I shouldn't. I mean, I can't," he said and stood up with some effort. He didn't seem to want to move from the body.
"You're not going to finish him?" Kamui asked incredulously. "But he's practically dead."
"He's not d-dead," Subaru said shakily. "We shouldn't kill him."
"He would have killed us," Kamui retorted. "He nearly did. He's strong. If we give him the chance, he'll try again."
"Yes, but…" Subaru lowered his eyes. "I just don't agree with your methods. Why can't we find a different way to deal with humans? To deal with this war."
"That again," Kamui sighed.
"You've been killing the hunters sent after you, but that just angers the humans."
"As it should," Kamui said in disbelief.
"But why don't we take this chance to learn something from them. We could find out who is sending these hunters after you."
"Humans."
"Yes, but specifically which village. Not all humans want to wipe us out. We could learn who is targeting us and give this information to the Elders. We could use this to negotiate with the humans."
"You're making it more complicated than it should be," Kamui argued back. "And don't you just want to keep a pet?"
"Kamui!" Subaru said sharply.
"Sorry," Kamui replied, not wanting to disrespect his older twin. "But I don't think this is such a good idea. If we bring him into the Castle with us… who knows what will happen." He could pee on the carpet, Kamui wanted to say, but kept it to himself as he knew he would just get scolded again.
"I'll watch him. Please let me do this," Subaru said and stared into his eyes. He took him by the hand. "We don't have much time. We could go to war with them at any moment. They could have hired more hunters like this in their fight against us. They could have hired them as mercenaries."
"I can't stop you," Kamui said simply and slipped his hand out of his grasp. "Do what you want, but I won't help you."
Author's notes:
Adunarea – means Assembly in Romanian(and if it doesn't somebody quick correct me on it because I don't speak a lick of Romanian).
Necromancy – a type of black magic that's commonly associated with raising the dead. Necromancers have a wide range of powers such as summoning demons to do their bidding; will manipulation in which they can control a human, animal or spirit; conjuring illusions; and some serious information gathering skills—they can make their demons "identify a criminal, find items, or reveal future events." They use magic circles, wands, talismans, bells, and incantations in rituals. They also use Christian prayers or biblical verses in their incantations, so this is the reason why Subaru is quoting from the Bible (info on necromancy found on wiki, the most reliable and unreliable website on the great Interweb). I thought it would be a good idea for Subaru to be a practitioner of Necromancy because for one it wouldn't make sense if he was still an Onmyoji and two Necromancy has a lot of superficial similarities with Onmyodo that I think I can get away with it. Yeah. As far as vampire Subaru chanting scripture and not instantly bursting into flame or something equally painful, I think Subaru would make a strange vampire in the first place and his "pureness" would save him. Clamp really out-did themselves with the irony when TB Subaru wanted to be veterinarian and save cute puppies and now he probably feels a dire need to eat them. Now how I'm going to explain away the very Japanese names Kamui and Subaru and have it make sense with this story, you'll just have to stick around and watch me bullshit my way through that. I can do it, I swear. I've already thought up a mighty good excuse.
And now just so I can beat you over the head with more useless information, I give you the book, chapter, and verse for the scripture Subaru was quoting:
Isaiah 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
Isaiah 5:6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
Amos 9:3 And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:
Deuteronomy 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: