THE VAMPIRE AND THE PINK-HAIRED BRAT
I just can't take it anymore, I'm tired. I don't want this unbearable pain, it's too much, everything's gone, all my wishes and dreams are gone. No one to live for so what's the use of going on? I was about to jump off the bridge and drown myself to oblivion, but a force took a hold of me before I could feel the freezing water engulfed me into its lair. All I felt was warmth and gentleness, in one blink of an eye, I saw an angel with invisible wings then I succumb to nothingness.
"Stupid humans." A voice said, and was gone.
I woke up in the banks of the canal, a coat wrapped around me to protect me from the freezing morning dew.
"Why didn't you let me die?" I cried to the air, to the emptiness, I was surprised when someone answered.
'Why do wish to take your life when in the end you will lose it anyway?" a voice asked.
It took me awhile to react when I whirled around to face the voice. He was the most handsome man I have ever seen. Light blond hair, piercing yet somehow brooding light brown eyes, pale skin and red lips. He is the epitome of a modern day Greek God, Adonis. He was just wearing a simple white shirt, and tailored slacks, the cold morning air seem not to affect him at all.
"Don't you realize how some people envy you? Wanting and wishing for another day and here you are wasting it away." He continued.
Ouch. He struck a chord. "You don't know me, you don't know what I've been through." I said, holding his coat tighter around me.
"I may not know you but I know you are stupid. Most humans are. And you top all of them by trying to end your life." He said, walking over to me and grabbed his coat. "I believe this is mine. Pitiful human." He said and began to walk away.
"Hey!" I called, about to ask how he saved me from falling off the bridge and landing safely on the ground. But one minute he was there and then he vanished.
Dr. Hiroshi Nakano had been my doctor ever since I was a kid, and he had monitored my weak heart since my first heart attack. He is the only person I know from my past. Technically, he is my only family left, he is my god father. And my appointed guardian.
Suguru Fujisaki, his intern and assistant was reprimanding me when I failed to show up for the last check up. I got bored being holed up in my room and went exploring, and naturally, being my emo self, had another case of suicidal tendencies. They knew about this and so it got them worried when they couldn't find me.
I was brooding how that guy saved me. Unless he was doing some stunts or doing a movie, that he had some safety harnesses on, it was a long way down, and if you did fall, you're flat, smack dead. But he grabbed me from my freefall and we both landed on the banks of the canal safely without even a knock on the head.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of jumping again." A familiar voice asked. "Well, I'm not in the mood in saving humans today so don't push your luck."
I looked at him, why does he keep saying human, he doesn't look like an alien to me? No antenna, no blue skin or extra eye, he's a typical guy in his late twenties.
"And what are you? A martian?" I shot back, sarcastically.
He smirked and was about to retort back when he began falling to the ground, I caught him in my arms.
"Are you alright?" I asked, worriedly.
"Get your filthy hands off me." He said, but he was too weak to stand on his own.
Suddenly a guy coming running towards us, "Master, Master! I have been looking all over for you!" he said, rushing to the guy in my arms. I was staring at the guy, because he has a pink bunny stuff toy on his head, so how could he run without even dropping it? He dropped to his knees and started opening the paper bag he had with him, its food, and it's a lot. Sweet buns, burger, chicken nuggets, a whole array of food. And my fallen angel had started gobbling them up. As if there's no tomorrow and as if he hadn't eaten in days.
"What took you so long, Ryu?" he asked, as he opened another package of burger. I was shocked, my mouth hanging open, he just finished two and he is devouring his third after eating two sweet buns. There's something wrong here. Bunny guy noticed me and waved at me.
"Oh, hello, human! My name is Ryuichi Sakuma, I'm master Yuki's servant and aide." He said.
So, his name is Yuki. Master and servant? What's with this human crap? I'm going to get to the bottom of this deal. I'm tired of him labeling me as filthy human or stupid human, I don't care if he is a prince or some blue blood he is still the same as me.
"Vampire." Yuki said, after downing everything Ryuichi, the servant brought with him.
Did I heard that right? Did he say vampire? Is he pulling my leg or something?
"What's that?" I asked.
"Master Yuki Eiri is the last heir of the Eiri vampire clan, he needs to get a partner soon or else he would be doomed to be alone for the next three hundred years of his life." Ryuichi said.
Are these guys on drugs or something? Vampire my ass. They don't exist and these guys are just playing with me. I told myself.
But then after he devoured the entire gamut of food, he fainted with a grunt. My apartment was close by so we carried him there. I learned a lot from Ryui, the man servant of the Eiri clan.
Yuki's family were a noble family during the 1700, then he really is a blue blood. Voodoos and witchcraft were the hype of that era. His great, great grand mother fell in love with a man from another country believed to be an aristocrat who turned out to be a vampire looking for a mate. So, the "curse" what his family calls it, had been passed on from generation to generation. And Yuki Eiri is the last of the living heir of that vampire clan. He needs a mate to pass on his lineage. He still has decades to go until he can no longer produce an heir.
Shuichi was too shocked to completely comprehend all of the things Ryuichi was telling him. He turned to the man/boy with a bunny on his head.
"Are you a relative? Are you also a vampire?" he asked, almost like a squeak.
Ryuichi grinned, "During those times, my ancestors were slaves, and alas, I'm also the last of my clan. But sadly a eunuch and cannot produce an heir even if I wanted to, so I'm bound to die by my master side till the last of my breathe."
But there's something puzzling about the situation, and Shuichi didn't have to ask, "Yes, we must drink human blood to survive and live on. But like my master, we don't have the hunger for blood. We don't want to succumb to the curse." He said, looking at his sleeping master.
"We tried various other ways, animal blood, we buy strays from the pound but it makes us gag and puke. But we didn't dare try real human blood even if we can buy it from blood banks. We feared we might crave for it and won't be able to control it." Bunny guy smiled when he saw the boy let out a sigh of relief.
"My master discovered food gave us strength, it might be temporarily but its better than preying on humans, but as you can see, no matter how much he eats, he gets weak easily. He wouldn't even try taking blood pills." He said, caressing Yuki's light hair.
He looked up and saw that the sun was about to shine, Shuichi jumped and started closing all the blinds frantically. Ryuichi chuckled, "Don't worry, we won't turn to dust, we can go out in the day time but it takes most of our strength during the day than at night." He said.
Yuki mumbled something incoherently. "Could you watch over my master for awhile? I need to get more food for him, he would be grumpy when he wakes up." He said. Shuichi nodded and the boy let out a yelp when Ryuichi vanished like air and turned into a bat.
I made a promise long ago, right before my parents died, I would see the next winter. Because that's what the doctors back then kept telling my parents, he wouldn't live to see his 20th birthday. I caressed the photo of my parents. What's the use of keeping that promise now? I got nobody to live for.
"Live for yourself." I heard that familiar voice. How could he know? Can he read my thoughts? I glanced back and saw him sitting up from the couch.
He got cigarettes from his pocket and tried to light one, but his hand was shaking so badly, probably because he is hungry. I walked to him and lighted it for him. He just stared at me and didn't say anything.
"Ryui chan was out to get more food for you, but I got some here to help you get your strength back before he gets back." I said, rummaging through the fridge.
"I can wait." He said.
I whirled at him, "You know just because you're a vampire that doesn't give you the right to be so rude. I know you've got your problems but you don't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders." I said.
He looked at me and blinked but he put back his mask on. He stood up weakly and was about to walk out but he tripped on his own legs.
I rushed to him, he shoved me away. "I don't need your help, thank you for letting me sleep on your couch, I would be fine and wait for Ryu somewhere else." He said, trying to get up again.
"You could depend on others for once. And saying thank you is not hard." I said.
He grew quiet. And he allowed me to hold him.
"Do you know what is it like to be alone? When everyone of the people you love went on ahead without you?" he asked.
I smiled. "Yes, in a way, I am somehow like you. I'm also alone. I got people who cared for me but, when I'm home, I'm on my own. No one there but me." Shuichi replied.
Yuki looked at me, "But you will eventually die when your time comes." He said, getting up on his feet. I stood up beside him.
"That is the human cycle of life. You won't live on. Watching everything change and everyone dies, except you, you don't change, you don't die. You aged a hundred years old but your face and physique remains the same." He said, sadly.
"I must choose a mate. So my clan won't die. I haven't reached that stage that it feels like forever. I'm still in human years, I'm only twenty-two years old." He said and raised his head.
He turned to me, his beauty is captivating. "You think I can find a human who will be willing to spend forever with me? Who won't age, won't die for a very long time. I will aged, but this body, this face with remain the same. I would die too, eventually, but it would be a long time when that happens. The pain of losing everyone and being left behind would be too much. No one wants to live forever, if you are alone." He said.
The boy took awhile to answer him. Finally understood what he meant by wasting life.
"But-But you have Ryuichi san." He said, his face brightened for thinking quickly.
"Two men can't bear children. And even they developed a method for men to give birth, Ryui can't. He's a eunuch. He can't bear or even produce babies." Yuki said.
I let out a sigh. Yes, he has a point there.
"I don't have any answers for you." I said, dejected.
"I got a weak heart. All the experts are saying that I won't last till winter." I said, looking at him.
He remained stoic, his face grim.
"I'm tired of all the tests and being confined in the hospitals, if I'm dying, I don't want to have just my room as my last memories of my life." I said.
"That's the only reason you want to kill yourself because you're tired of living? You really are a stupid human." Yuki said, bluntly.
Before I could retort back, I felt a stab in my chest, I doubled back and fell on the floor. Yuki tried to grab me but he was too weak from hunger, he ended up using his body as a cushion.
"Uhhn." He grunted but he held me, he held me gently, using his body as shield so the cold and hard floor won't hit my body. And then I passed out.