CHAPTER 3: Hunger
Behind curtains of thick, white mist stood a sky-high castle on an island in the middle of the vast, black sea. The top of the towering fortress displayed a gold-rimmed, black, rectangular flag dancing along with the wind. The heavy haze blocked the sunlight most of the time, making it a safe sanctuary for vampires for two millenniums. Far from the borders, it was beyond human's reach and almost further away from reality. Nobody knew of its existence, or that those who had set foot on the island never returned to tell the tale.
A soft wind brushed against Reito's face like a whispering lullaby. He looked up from his writing desk and gazed out the opened window in front of him. He had been penning a daily entry on his thick, yellowing journal for hours on end, but it didn't get anywhere past the third sentence. His mind was elsewhere, far from his private quarter and driven deep into his conscience.
Letting out a sigh, Reito sat back in his chair. His room was lit by a torch affixed next to the wooden door, and two other torches on the rock-strewn wall to his right. A brass bell on the desk to call upon room service, ordering a glass of blood from the cellar downstairs was made available for senior vampires like him. A cleanly polished, ebony coffin was laid elegantly on the stony altar ten feet from the desk. However, all of these comforts did very little to console him tonight.
Washing down the glass of cold blood, Reito let the cool breeze soothe his mind. Tonight was awfully quiet. Too quiet. Beyond his dimly lit room, the stony corridors were empty. The grand hall was dark and without the usual galas and wonderful music. The wide terrace was left with only beautiful flowers but no one to admire them. Ever since the capture of Tokiha Mai, the castle had lost its vigor and inviting celebrations.
The vampires were simply terrified.
No one was willing to talk about it, fearing they'd be linked as Mai's accomplice. The queen was furious. Mai's treachery, and the fact that she was of royal blood, had hugely embarrassed the queen. When the verdict was made, Reito only realized now how powerless he really was.
At his last thought, Reito stood up, so fast he almost toppled the empty glass. He shifted his stiff shoulders a little, adjusting the high collar of his black, leather suit. He then bent to zip up his black, knee-high boots. Grabbing his coat that was hung by the door, he left the room and stalked through the long, maze-like corridors. Though the night was still young, the sound of his footsteps was the only thing audible in the castle. Other vampires must have locked themselves in their rooms, or some might have gone out to find a more private place to converse.
Soon Reito made his way out of the castle. Along the field of yellow grass, he followed the graveled path that led into the forest behind the fort. A mile into the woods stood a tomb-like chamber, the underground prison for all considered decadents.
Entering the chamber, Reito took off his coat and handed it to a male guard to his right. The lower-ranked vampire bowed as he received the coat and then gestured for Reito to pass.
With his long, graceful strides, Reito felt at odd with the stale surroundings. The damp air unventilated. The smell of rotten flesh and disgrace. The black, cold, stony wall and sodden ground. The rats were the only source of food for the outlaws. Reito was careful not to touch the rusty handrails as he walked down the flight of stairs to the lower level.
Walking pass dozens of cells along the narrow corridor, Reito gave no attention to the vampires that were thrilled by his presence, calling out his name and begging him for mercy. And then he reached the end of the passageway. Slowly, he looked up from the bodies of dead rats on the floor, and then gazed at the young woman behind the bars. She was pale, and her usually fiery red hair was damped from evening dew.
"Tell me you didn't feed on them," Reito said. His face remained placid, but his heart was racing so fast in both rage and frustration. It had been a week since Lord Fukuoka reported to the queen of his own daughter's treason to save himself, but Mai had not uttered a word in self-defense, or confessing the reasons for it.
Mai only chortled, rubbing her face in exhaustion. For being of royal blood, she was not to be chained like criminals, the privilege she found now useless. She sat in the dark corner and said, "Good to see you, Lord Kansaki."
"Mai, please…" He briefly peered down and kicked away the dead rat beside his left foot, offended that she was trying to ignore his friendly gesture.
"Did the queen send you? Have you come here to interrogate me? To torture me?" Her questions came easy, but the meaning of it hurt him deeply.
"Has your father come to see you?" he asked, his brows furrowed. It ached in his chest.
Mai shook her head, her smile so jaded and small. "You're the only one… Only you, Reito."
When she gave in and called his first name, Reito closed his eyes, his jaw clamped shut. It sounded so familiar. It was the way it used to be. She'd laugh in his ear as they danced in the grand hall, their hands intertwined. He used to dream many things and believed they were meant to be.
Reito felt as though winded that he had to lean back against the greasy wall and took a deep breath. "We went through so much together. How could you do this to me?"
He didn't have to turn to see the agony in her eyes. He could sense it even if the world had stopped turning. She was watching him and feeling the same regret in their hearts. She could just look at him now and comprehended how much he had tried to change over the centuries, and then recalled all the promises he had failed to fulfill.
"You left me no choice," Mai whispered.
"That's not true. That's not true!" The dark-haired vampire fiercely turned, glowering at the woman on the floor. "How did you expect me to live on in dishonor? You knew that I'd never break my sworn oath to the queen."
It took him by surprise when she showed him no anger but a pained smile. "I learned to accept it. I learned to love you for who you are and respect your principles. That's why I'm here behind these bars, and you're not. You've chosen your master, and I've chosen my own destiny."
Reito took a shaky step back. He could only look at her, unable to counter or demean her confession. There were times when he misled Mai to gain her affection, believing their love could overcome all reasons. For long years, his attempts to do the right thing were clouded by his own sense of loyalty. Mai's quest for justice was but a small sacrifice to his ambition. When he got where he wanted today, she was driven to the abyss of shame.
"I shouldn't blame you, no. You were not a part of it. It is my father who has failed me," Mai said. Tears welled up her eyes as she kept on showing her smile.
Before Reito could stop himself, he reached through the bars and gently wiped the tears from her face. Mai's mother was staked through the heart and burnt in sunlight, a punishment for a crime everyone knew she didn't commit. And though no one dared to speak of it, it was commonly believed the ordeal was the queen's order to cover up her affair with Lord Fukuoka.
And when Reito was standing on the other side of the bars, he realized that justice did not always prevail and love did not always triumph.
"I'm so sorry, Mai."
At his words, Mai hastily gripped his hand, pulling him closer and burying her face in his palm. Reito held her hand back tightly. For a moment of hesitation, he repeated the sworn oath in his head, submerging himself in blind faith.
Then the moment came. He drew her hand and lifted it to his lips, his fangs protruding and piercing into her flesh. She cried out a little, but did not try to withdraw.
When her blood coursed through his veins, Reito was able to read her memories. He witnessed their old days together, their shared secrets and longings. He squeezed his eyes shut and his heart raced faster and faster when Mai's 600 years of recollections were hitting him like a speeding truck, over and over again. She was an older vampire than he was, twice his age, and if he weren't skilled and strong enough, those influx of memories would have killed his psyche in an instant.
Then Reito suddenly spun off their contact, pushing Mai's hand away. Blood covering the lower half of his face, he jumped onto wall and crawled on all fours, wrathfully hissing.
His eyes glowed in rage as he snarled at her. "You were with him! Who was it! Who was he!"
Clutching the wound on her hand, Mai laughed aloud, seemingly enjoying the effect it had on Reito. The dark-haired one was enraged even more when he realized that she had intended for him to witness it.
"It doesn't matter anymore. He exists only in my memories now." Mai smiled to herself.
"Your memories…" Reito muttered through his gritted teeth. Bulging veins were painfully visible on his pallid face, and his whole body almost burst in fury. "Memories, Mai? Then I'll take it all away!"
Mai only looked up at him, slightly shaken but not moving away. She couldn't possibly run from her fate tonight anyway.
As though flashes of white light had fleetingly blinded the blood in his eyes, Reito found himself moments later inside the opened cell. It took him a few moments to gather himself together and realized what had just happened. It was agonizingly difficult for him to move at first, and when he could, he was bewildered to see blood soaking his gloved hands. He then looked down and saw Mai's collapsed form beside his feet. Blood was dripping from behind her eyelids, her ears and mouth. Even her pale skin was partially covered with thin sheen of crimson.
"Lord Kansaki…! Lord—oh… Oh, God… no…"
Reito turned to see the same guard from the entrance running and skidding to a halt just a few feet from him. The young vampire staggered at the sight of the prisoner on the floor.
Carefully, Reito took his gloves off. He pulled a white handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the blood from his face. His heart was still beating at an alarmingly fast rate, but he gave off the look of the calmest night sky.
"Is… Is she dead, Lord Kansaki? S—should I get rid of h—her body?" the guard stuttered.
"She's not dead yet." Reito strode out of the cell and slammed the bars shut. "Fix the lock. I have other plans for her."
"Y—yes, sir!"
It didn't take long for Reito to trek back to his private quarter in the castle. Truth be told, he ran as fast as he could to get away from the chamber—from the forest of the dead. His heart was screaming for him to repent, but his mind was praising him for the vengeance against her infidelity.
"No… No, it's not over yet," Reito said, looking up to the starry sky.
In the pool of spotlight, the handsome, dark-haired vampire was standing by the edge of the pier. The calm, black sea glittered in the dark. The nearby shops were closed, and very few couples were seen walking around in this chilly night. The beautiful view of the city before him failed to clear his mind of what had happened earlier tonight. Mai's voice kept echoing in his head that he couldn't stand to stay at the castle. He had to flee, far away from her lingering presence. But it didn't matter how far he had come, she would always be in his mind.
"What's not over?"
Reito was already in a new suit, his body cleansed off blood. He appeared as groomed as one could ever be. He turned to his companion, who was sitting on the edge and leisurely hanging her legs into the cold water, a pair of leather sandals placed next to her.
Shizuru sported a white, hooded jacket and a pair of denim shorts. She always had an air of ease, and with her eternal, young look, she could pass as an average teenager. She had been a good listener tonight, asking him few questions and only the ones he wanted to answer.
"I'll make them pay for betraying her, for leaving her to shame… And that man, that werewolf… He'd shamed her," Reito said, his voice a little shaken. Though he already had the answer in mind, he wanted a witness to his resolution. He sought a reassurance that he had done the right thing. What more could he ask for tonight than a friend to hear him out.
Shizuru brushed her bangs to the side and then looked down, apparently studying her own reflection in the dark water.
"Did you really love her?"
There was a moment of silence. Reito kept staring out at the night scenery but not really seeing it. He wasn't quite prepared for the sudden question. Not that he did not have a response to it, the fact that the inquiry came from someone as elusive as his friend struck him.
Shizuru had always been one with few opinions, few favorites, and the usual content to just go along with the flow of event. From the time when he first met her in Italy almost three centuries ago, she rarely ever displayed affection or anger towards anyone of any status or species. It was always a blank when it came to her stance. She'd be there to join conversations and activities when needed, but seldom made an impression of her presence. She'd travel the world alone and cherished her privacy, so much so that sometimes it amused him greatly.
Reito lowered to his knees, smiling at the slightly messy-haired vampire with the most beautiful crimson eyes he had ever seen. "What do you know about love!" He laughed almost in a brotherly manner.
"Now. Have you ever been in love? You know, the absolutely intense feeling building up inside of you. Not the usual hunger, the growling stomach, okay?" Reito covered his mouth in a poor attempt to hide his inappropriate giggle. And the brief, sidelong glare from Shizuru only made him laugh harder. He shook his head and watched her in adoration. "Feed yourself some, Shizuru. You look anemic. A wreck! When was the last time you fed?"
Shizuru raised both hands to count on her fingers. "Almost twenty-five days. Midnight tonight."
"No way! Are you on a starving contest? Would you be rewarded with a brothel of virgins' blood for winning this thing?"
"I wish." Shizuru's grin flashed her perfectly aligned, white teeth and an ounce of childlike innocence.
"The longest I've heard is…" Reito knitted his brows as he tried to recall. "Two and a half week. You're bluffing, aren't you?" He took his time to study her supple physique before reaching out to grab her arm. However, Shizuru had swiftly moved to her side just enough to avoid his touch. Reito knew he was fast. He was among the fastest, even faster than some of the older vampires, and it meant something.
"Hmm?" Reito raised his brows when she was only staring into the water, yet sensing his movement so clearly. All of this without a drop of blood in more than three weeks was nothing short of a miracle.
He rubbed his chin with his gloved hand, smiling. "You know you're good. Ever tired of being a hermit? Have you had enough of roaming around for all these years by yourself? Nobody can survive in this world without a friend, Shizuru."
"Friend," Shizuru echoed, chuckling.
"You need an ally. Why don't you join us? I can tell you'd make it really far in Uriah. The queen would love to have more powerful knights by her side. Imagine how we'd crush the enemies together!"
Shizuru had stopped swaying her legs in the water. She didn't turn to look at him, but he could see her lips curved upwards into a small, scornful smile. He narrowed his eyes at her sentiment.
"I'm fine the way it is. I have no interest in your political circus," she said. She lifted her legs from the water and wore the sandals, ready to make leave.
Reito shrugged and sighed. "We all know it's a crazy world we live in. But it's just sad to waste your talent."
"Socializing is not one of my talents. Thank you."
"Why don't I believe that?" Reito mused himself aloud. His tone was friendly, but his subsequent punch directed at her was as a serious blow as he would target an enemy. Faster than his eyes could catch, she had shot herself from her position, somersaulted in midair, and landed just behind him.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Reito spun around to deliver another strong punch, only to find a gust of air at his knuckle's end. "The queen has pressured me on the hunt again. I need your help, Shizuru," he said. The failure to even touch her only put a determined smile on his face.
"What does it have to do with me?" Shizuru's calm gaze never left her opponent, concentrating on dodging his relentless strikes.
"She wants… Kuga Natsuki… dead or alive," Reito breathed as he lowered himself to his knee and outstretched his left leg to topple her.
Yet another surprise to him, Shizuru only leapt into air, gracefully, while completely humbled his attack. "You should be able to handle her just fine. She's only a werewolf."
"A natural… natural born…" Reito began to wheeze for air. His face turned even whiter and the air around him suddenly felt too warm for his leather suit. Ever persistent as he was, he adjusted his collar and continued to strike at her. "What's more important… is that… that she's trying… to find… the origin… Yes… Must… stop her…"
When Reito was about to lose the strength of his knees, he lunged at her in frustration. But he dipped to stop just before he'd fall off the pier. Panting heavily, he turned, looking left and right. Shizuru was nowhere in sight. The pier was as empty as the air in his grasp. If he wasn't mistaken, she might have dove into the water before his eyes could catch the act. His senses were generally spot-on, and he didn't always have to trust what he saw.
"Very well… I… Impressive…" Staring into the water, Reito laughed heartily as he brushed his sweaty forehead with a new handkerchief. This was one time his friend made an impression on anyone, and he surely wouldn't forget it for a long time to come.
Reito took in a few deep intakes of breath and grinned, looking up and around. "It's been a pleasure, Shizuru," he mumbled to himself, and then chortled before he added, "To answer your question… Yes, I've always hungered for her love, but it wasn't enough… It wasn't…" Clutching the handkerchief, he turned and walked away.
Unbeknownst to him, the crimson-eyed vampire was standing atop the three-story building just behind him. Shizuru only breathed again when Reito was finally out of her sight. She let out a sigh in relief before letting her shoulders drop. Her muscles hurt pretty badly from the exertion her friend had put her through.
Kuga Natsuki… She's really Saeko's daughter, isn't she…? Why—
"Ah…" The throbbing in her head became overwhelming, upsetting her train of thoughts. Shizuru rubbed her temples with her thumb and middle finger. Her sight started to blur and her whole body ached at the sudden strike of extreme hunger. Her condition would have her crawl before Reito, but it was too dangerous to even think of letting her guard down. Between two vampires, she realized just how hazardous the consequences of a simple contact could be, especially dealing with one like Lord Kansaki.
And now she had to suffer the consequence of being paranoid. It took Shizuru enormous strength to evade each of Reito's adept moves. It was even harder to veil her presence from his senses at such frightening proximity. She surprised herself to have managed to escape this far. Certainly, the abstention of blood had taken its toll on her, not expecting to come out here tonight for a test of strength.
Shizuru closed her eyes as the pain in her chest intensified. She turned a little and took a shaky step to her right, planning to climb off the roof. Any more flying or jumping would have knocked her out cold. But her foot seemed to have caught an air instead of a solid plane, and before she could get a hold of herself to change her direction, her body fell into a gust of cold air and landed hard on the cement floor below.
Ouch…
Lying flat on her back, Shizuru failed even to whimper out loud. The only positive thing she could think of was the fleeting few seconds of numbness she felt at the impact of the fall. The chestnut tresses spread out messily, her whole body limped, her skin turned gruesomely pale, and the air just wouldn't get into her lungs fast enough. Her chest heaved at a fast rate and she began to choke.
"Oh, Miss, are you all right over there!" A male voice echoed faintly in her ears, and it took her a few moments to gather what was going on.
A stranger had helped her to sit up, resting her against the wall. For a moment, she could only stare at the artery along his thick neck. He was in his early thirties and looked incredibly healthy. Delicious. The awful hunger in her must have exaggerated the taste of her potential food by far. He was muscular with streams of warm blood to serve her raw appetite.
"I think we should get her to the hospital, darling. She's so pale… Goodness, her hand is so cold!"
Shizuru lifted her gaze to the figure next to the man in blue jacket. The auburn-haired woman was kneeling beside him, holding Shizuru's sagging wrist to find a pulse. She looked thinner than the vampire would have liked. Not much blood to satisfy her craving. Shizuru then returned her steady gaze to the man again. She tried her best not to jump at him, feeling her heart beat so thrillingly whenever she was about to feed. She loved and detested the sensation at the same time, but it was the only moment she'd feel alive.
"I'm going to call an ambulance now." The man pulled out his cell phone.
But Shizuru quickly gripped his hand, causing him to stop. He and his wife looked mildly relieved at her sudden movement. Her shaky hand lingered over his arm. Biting her lips, she found it hard to pull him closer.
No… No, not them.
Just by slight body contacts, Shizuru sensed that the woman was already two months into her pregnancy, and she would hate to make things overly complicated. It was to be between the hunter and its prey. Need and completion. Survival and death. There shouldn't be any emotion involved, any history to ponder, or a potential enemy left behind.
Gradually, Shizuru tightened her grip on the man's arm and pushed herself up, wheezing as she did so.
"Do you want me to call the hospital? You don't look so well," he said.
"I'm… I'm all right… Thank… thank you." Shizuru gently pushed her way from the couple, but the woman rushed to her side with a worried face.
"Are you sure? You should sit a little longer. We can stay until you feel better."
The moment the stranger touched her arm, Shizuru froze in her track. She had only a split second to register the warmth from the woman's skin before turning to tackle the woman into her harsh grip.
"Hey! What are you—" the husband yelled out. But he was quickly wrestled and pinned to the ground by her left foot on his chest. Both hands struggling with Shizuru's ankle, his eyes widened when he saw the sharp fangs piercing into his wife's neck, her body shaking in convulsion.
Shizuru peered down at him, watching him watching his wife dying ever so slowly at her mercy. He struggled to breathe under her hold, his face reddened as he yelled for his wife's response. But as Shizuru was regaining her strength, even a slight movement was made difficult for the man.
The dread and anger in his eyes did ruin her appetite, but she was vigilant not to let a drop of blood spill onto the ground. She always kept the process of preying fast and simple. Cleaning up after her mess could sometimes be a pain to say the least.
After Shizuru took the last drop from the woman, she tore her neck with her bare hand deep enough to get rid of the wound caused by the fangs, and then pushed the body into the water.
Tears streaming down his twisted face, the man screamed at the top of his lungs at the atrocity before him.
Shizuru frowned upon his noise and idly tossed the chunk of flesh into the water to feed the fish. "Be grateful that I am merciful. You will soon follow her," she said.
With both hands, the chestnut-haired woman lifted a man more than twice her weight and flew with him into the sky. Her four-meter-wide, black, slimy wings spread out in a fierce blow, and the moonlight lent her the view of absolute terror in his eyes. She warily, but precisely, buried her fangs along his neck, blinding all lights from his world. Higher and higher, the wind was frighteningly cold, but she only felt the streams of hot blood coursing through her whole. The blissful sensation by drinking from the young and strong was almost an orgasm in itself, but the pain every kill left her was far deeper than a lover's heartbreak. The pain she knew so well, so long ago.
Shizuru took a deep breath in and then growled at the full moon above her, her bloodied fangs challenging the sky. She now felt terrifyingly stronger, and she resented it. Her dull crimson eyes glowed into blood red color, lit by the deepest hunger in her. The hunger to live once more.
Flying further and further away, she let go off his body into the dark water, certain that he was never to find the shores as she was never to find sunlight again.
