Blood Prince
AU Acting as dogs of the Vatican, twin brothers Rin and Yukio Okumura hunt the true monsters of the night— vampires. Struggling to bridge the worlds of light and dark, both set out on the same dark, thorny path to redemption. But is redemption enough to justify their existence?
Genre: Adventure, Tragedy, and bits of Comedy sprinkled sporadically in between to break the angst-fest.
A/N: Oops, I got another plot bunny. That's all; also, a round of apology to people who were expecting other fics to be updated. I got busy (and distracted by tumblr).
Disclaimer: AnE is owned by Kazue Kato. I just (barely) own the AU idea.
Chapter 1- Doubts and Devils
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Remember us— if at all— not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
-Hollow Men, T.S Eliot
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From atop the precipice of a snowy mountaintop Rin Okumura sat near motionless. His pointed ears twitched at the roaring sound of the wind, mangled by the every current howl of snow. Like some beast, the winter flurry continued on, wailing almost in agony as gust after gust bombarded the youth. Yet the boy took each wave of snowfall with little fanfare, merely shaking out flakes of snow from his messy raven locks and looking deeply into the snowstorm, eyes narrowed. His gaze drifted to the tiny haven of flickering lights leagues below him before a wry smile made its way onto his pale, unflushed face.
Reaching into his coat pocket, Rin pulled out a walkie-talkie, giving a cheeky laugh. "How ya doing, four-eyed icicle?"
From his perch he could clearly make out the freezing form of his twin brother who sat huddled by the outskirts of a tavern, shivering despite the multiple layers of thick, wool clothing he had on. Even his coat, which was fur-trimmed, offered barely any warmth to the unfortunate hunter.
"Shut up, nii-san." Yukio quipped back, rubbing at his reddening nose. He wouldn't be surprised if he caught a cold at this rate, half buried in snow during a winter storm.
But the Vatican just had to send them to the middle of nowhere, all to protect some godforsaken village that was being plagued night after night by a binge-eating vampire. Mildly put, Yukio Okumura wished Coordinator Pheles had assigned some other Unit to this task. It wasn't like any of the other hunters would have any problems with such an assignment. It wasn't some coven of bloodsuckers. There was just one pest that the village needed to be rid of. The usual 'kill a vampire, save a town, reap the rewards' scenario. Rinse and repeat.
Not that we have that luxury.
Shaking away any further thoughts that might hamper him during the mission, Yukio brought the walkie-talkie to his lips again, this time voice strong and firm. "I definitely sense a vampire; what about you, Rin?"
There was the muffled sound of his brother sighing. "You know I can't sense vampires like you do. If they hang around humans too much my nose can't tell the difference." He whined, keen eyes pointing out his brother buried in blankets of snow. He would have snorted again if it weren't for the sudden shadow that crossed his line of sight just at the base of the sleepy town.
"Yukio—"
"I've got it. Stay there, nii-san." Yukio interrupted, rising to his feet. So the tavern had been a bust; another event he'd have to chalk up to bad luck. With a sigh, the hunter removed a small vial of human blood from his pocket.
In one slick movement he popped the cork off, slowly trickling the blood onto the snowy ground.
Drip. Drip. Drip—
The scent of blood brought the monster from hiding, the shadowy creature leaping forth at such a speed that Yukio's only option to avoid the attack was to fall backwards. Even with his preternatural abilities, the brown-haired man only had time to roll to the side before the vampire lunged again, fangs just skimming his collarbone. The monster howled and screamed, garnet slowly seeping into its irises, fangs apparent in the sharp rays of moonlight.
It was in that sudden flash of moonlight from behind the clouds that Yukio could see the monster's face completely. For a brief moment, he froze, seeing the visage of his younger brother as a child in the young vampire on top of him. It was just a kid— with messy black hair and pale skin. And he looked eerily like a young Rin.
"You want to protect your brother, don't you?"
"Do not falter if you wish to live, Yukio."
"They're monsters. But I'll teach you how to be strong— for Rin."
The little beast took advantage of Yukio's sudden lapse of strength, settling its fangs into the man's neck.
It drank deeply, caring not for the struggling half-vampire under him. With a kick, Yukio knocked the child away, feeling his skin tear away with it. Clutching at the bleeding wound in his neck, the hunter quickly rose to his feet, setting the barrel of his gun at the vampire.
The young vampire had just unburied itself from the snow, eyes wide and almost human like if not for the crimson hue at the sight of the weapon. It gave a pitiful whine, still lying in the snow like a wounded animal.
"D-don't… please." It forced out through clenched fangs, small fingers curling into the red scarf tucked around his neck.
"I-I didn't mean to. I… I'm so-sorry…" It gasped out again, eyes flashing from crimson to cobalt and back again as he struggled with his vampiric side. There was another prolonged wail, loud enough to break through the howling of the wind.
"I'm sorry, Yukio! I didn't mean to!" Rin sobbed, blood coating his jaw and neck.
"Shut up." Yukio retorted back, finger pressed to the trigger. Only his shaking hands revealed the true state of his mind as he stared apathetically at the vampire child.
He had never seen a child vampire before— usually the toxin would be too much for a child's body and the unfortunate victim would die rather than becoming a vampire.
Yukio shook his head, grip tightening on the pistol. It didn't matter; the vampiric child had been killing people for weeks in the village. He didn't deserve any mercy— and for a hunter, mercy was a luxury reserved only for the dead. If one were to falter, to lower their weapon, fangs and claws would accost them immediately. The chance of being betrayed in their line of work was too high— especially for what they were. It was kill or be killed and Yukio had no intentions of dying in the snow that night, regardless of what the monster before him may have looked like.
He is not Rin.
Just as he pressed his finger against the trigger a blur knocked the gun from his hands. The force of the attack nearly brought the brown-haired hunter to his knees, but he steeled himself at the last moment, green-blue eyes wide with shock.
"What are you doing, Rin?!" He raised his voice, face frozen is disbelief as his older brother threw his gun several yards away. The weapon was soon lost, buried underneath drifts of snow.
It seemed as if the half-vampire hadn't heard him, crouching down softly beside the shivering child vampire.
The boy immediately twisted back in fear, scrambling in the steep snow. Tears continued to trail down his cheeks even as Rin held out a hand palm-up, giving a wide grin.
"It's alright, kid. My name's Rin."
"P-please don't kill me!" The child stuttered back, flinching when Rin ruffled his hair gently.
"I'm not going to kill you, don't worry. But, you have to know, attacking people is wrong. Even if you're hungry, it's no excuse. Look," He pointed to his bleeding brother, "You really hurt him. You don't want to hurt people, do you?"
"…T-the people in the village. The ones I- I hurt. They attacked me first! I swear! But, I got so hungry, and I smelled blood and—" The child broke into sobs again, futilely rubbing at the tears with the ends of his scarf.
Yukio folded his arms, wincing at the pain that traveled up his neck, now that the adrenaline in his system had worn off. Damn. The kid had really bitten hard. He hoped to god that the vampire hadn't bitten through an artery.
"Rin, he may be lying. Don't be a fool and believe him—"
"Not now, four-eyes. I'll figure out if he's tellin' the truth by myself." Rin affirmed, looking into the boy's scared, now cobalt eyes.
The half-vampire nodded at what he saw. "Yep. He's a good kid— err, good vampire. I can tell." He grinned, getting to his feet.
The child gave a small smile back, still sitting in the snow. His sobs had disappeared entirely after Rin's words, a light, happy laugh ringing through the winter night.
Yukio turned to his brother, eyes narrowed in anger, "What criteria did you use to judge him? What makes him good? The fact that he can pretend to be scared? That he stopped attacking me the moment he realized he couldn't win? Because, to me, that shows manipulation. He's playing us." Had his brother gone mad? There was no way to affirm the vampire's claim—and Yukio doubted the Order would be lenient with them if they brought back a killer, even if he looked like a child.
Before Rin could respond, a sudden gust of wind enveloped the trio. Squinting through the sudden flurry, the twins remained fixed in place as the storm continued. It lasted but moments, revealing the spot where the child-like vampire had been to be empty once the wind cleared.
And it was right after the sudden revelation that Yukio collapsed, falling backwards into the snow for the second time that night.
Beep. Beep. Beep—
With a groan, Yukio woke to the darkness and sterile setting of a hospital room. Craning his head, he winced, finding Rin to be beside him. The half-vampire had pulled up a plastic chair to the side of his bed, falling asleep with his head resting on his arms. Soft snores spilled from his lips and Yukio couldn't help but crack a small smile.
Some things never change…
Looking to his right, he saw the blurry image of the IV drip and heart monitor he was currently hooked up to. So the failed mission and doppelganger Rin hadn't been a dream. Wonderful. Reaching to the table beside him, the brown-haired hunter found his glasses, slipping them on.
The sudden action awoke the sensitive half-vampire, who gave a fanged yawn and a sleepy grin to his brother, unfolding his arms. "Hey, moley-four-eyes. It's about time ya woke up. How are you feeling?" He stared seriously at his brother, the familiar flash of crimson invading his otherwise bright-blue irises.
Rin had never been good at masking his emotions— even now, he could barely control his more vampiric characteristics. His eyes flared up in moments of intense emotion—though hunger, in particular, made a darker, more mahogany color apparent. Yukio was glad to see that the flashes of red were brighter, a garnet if he were to describe it elegantly.
"I'm fine—" Yukio started, feeling a sharp pain in his neck. Wincing, the youth clicked on the overhead light, placing a cold hand to the gauze-covered bite mark.
It came back crimson.
Damn. From the general knowledge that came with being a vampire hunter, he was sure the little beast had torn into his carotid artery.
"Rin, could you get me some more gauze? Or a bandage?" Yukio motioned to the startled dark-haired youth who immediately rushed around the small hospital room, searching for the requested first-aid items. It took him a few minutes, but Rin, to his credit, cut the proper amount of gauze and had a roll of bandages in his free hand.
"Stay still…" He muttered, settling half of his weight onto the hospital bed. Peeling off the gauze gently, Rin quickly disposed of it into the wastebasket, returning his attention to the wound.
For a moment, the half-vampire paused, gaze hovering almost hypnotically to the bleeding wound before he shook his head. Laughing off the vampiric behavior, Rin placed the new gauze over the bite marks, sealing it in place with the bandages.
"There! See, I could have a hunter license in Doctor, like you, if I tried!" He gave a toothy grin.
Yukio couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Sure. Doctors do more than apply bandages, you know…"
Rin frowned, moving over to the door. "Hey, while you were asleep, that clown, Coordinator Pheles, stopped by." He paused, hand on the doorknob.
"He said for the time being, while you're 'recuperating' that I'll be assigned to help another Unit. An all-human Unit. You've been given a week off by the Order so you better get in some rest, Yukio."
Just as quickly, Rin exited the room, not giving Yukio a chance to speak. In the emptiness of his hospital room, the brown-haired hunter slumped further into his cot, giving an uncharacteristically long sigh.
Nii-san… be careful. This seems like a test by the Order— no, the Vatican.
Too bad the half-vampire bolted out before he could give him the advice.
The dark-haired youth stepped into his and Yukio's shared apartment through the fire-escape, not bothering to remove his shoes as he stalked into the kitchen. Dust kicked up in his wake, revealing how often the pair traversed the creaking halls. Rin pulled open the refrigerator door, snatching one of the many blood packets.
Tearing into it with his fangs, the boy drank the blood, feeling the pain in his chest loosen with every gulp. His hands trembled around the empty plastic, the burning sensation in his throat far from gone. He pulled out another blood packet— and another— and another. For the first time he could remember, he drank through the entirety of six blood packets.
And it terrified him.
Slumping onto the dusty wooden floor, Rin pulled his knees to his chest, looking at the scattered, empty blood packets that littered the floor. They all bore various marks of violence, with the last packet of blood nearly shredded to pieces thanks to his hunger.
The sudden onslaught of bloodlust was uncommon for the boy; he could usually go days, even weeks without blood, subsisting on regular food alone. But when he was looking through the refrigerator, the sight of food had repulsed him.
It was as if he were becoming more and more vampiric as the days passed… From his new, more pronounced hunger, to him almost attacking his wounded brother (he had to nearly bite his tongue off for god's sake to stop himself from ripping open Yukio's neck), the youth barely recognized half the thoughts floating through his mind. He truly was becoming the monster the Order— the Vatican, feared.
What would you want me to do, old man? How do I control this hunger? I don't want to hurt Yukio again.
There was, of course, no answer. Just the rhythmic buzz of the refrigerator and the dull sound of the light bulb above him greeted his ponderings.
Shuffling slowly to the still open refrigerator, Rin picked up the remnants of a half-eaten sandwich. Hesitantly, he took a bite. Almost immediately, he ran to the sink, throwing up the sandwich. It tasted akin to cardboard, stuffed with wiggling maggots and molding cheese.
What's happening to me?
"Good job, Faustus. I didn't realize how clever you could be. Your acting was near perfect~!" A certain Coordinator praised, settling a gloved hand on the immortal's head.
The boy growled in retaliation, swatting the vampire's hand away. "When will you stop treating me like a child?"
"Now, now, is that any way to talk to your coven leader? Faustus, you should know better than anyone that I do not condone insubordination. After all, children-turned-vampires aren't even supposed to exist." Mephisto grinned dangerously, fangs exposed.
With a huff, the cobalt-eyed boy turned away, gaze set to the rectangular window in the vampire's office. The sun was just beginning to rise, rays of sunlight peppering the flat horizon.
Even the faint spots of light made the child's eyes burn with pain. Turning back to the vampire, Faustus spoke, "I apologize for my outburst, Samael. Do you need anything else?"
The Coordinator waved his hand dismissively. "No. You're free to leave. Thank you again for your hard work~!"
Just as the child-like vampire reached the door, he paused, small fingers curling around the brass doorknob, head bowed. "…I would be dead if I hadn't looked like his brother."
With that, Faustus stepped out of the Coordinator's office, disappearing in the maze of school hallways.
Once the door closed, Mephisto bellowed loudly, reclining in his office chair with his fingers interlocked at his waist. "My, my, that was the point, young Faustus. I need to see how far the twins will go. Would they kill a vampire who looked like a child? Even now, I'm still unsure…"
A/N: The only OC you should have to worry about seeing again is Faustus ^^' So fear not, people who dislike OC's, because the little brat won't play a pivotal role, but he'll show up from time to time (because whoo, I needed someone to fulfill this role, but no canon character fit the idea). But yah, my solution to my inability to focus on a single fanfic at a time was to write more— literally. Updates will still by sporadic, but I'm gonna try to make chapters longer to make it worth your while :P So yes, if you wish to see more, please drop a review! I'm definitely self-motivated to update, but reviews never hurt, either.
Questions? Comments? Want to kill me for writing a vampire!AU? Drop your concerns in a review and I'll see what I can do :3
-Isis