Title: Blood Wedding - Persist
Author: Tiian
Summary: She swore she would find him. But as she turned it was not he she was looking at. In a battle against a beast it is hard to stay human.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters/plot taken from Rurouni Kenshin, but OC and the story came from me.
Warning!
In this fic the pairing will be Misao/OC. It is not a permanent pairing, but in this fic it is present. (As you can see, this will be like Dome of Heaven. If I ever write the second part...)
Other: The chapters will be rated separately. So while PG-13 is the chosen rating each chapter is also rated according to its content.
Chapter 04: Pause
Rating: PG
Red Sun
rising
Drown without inhaling
Within, the dark holds hard
Red
Sun rising
Curtain falling
Higher than hope my cure lies
Nightwish – Once – Higher Than Hope
The steady rise and fall of her chest was both comforting and disturbing. There was no need for her to breathe anymore but she had not realized it yet. Breathing was still natural to her that she did so without thinking. He smiled a little. He had given up that habit already a thousand years ago.
He brushed some hair from her face but it fell right back to cover her. He had caught a glimpse and for now it was enough. She had looked quite peaceful and of that he was glad. The feeling would not remain though. The desperation would return as she truly understood what she was. He just wished there was something he could do for her.
He had never gone through desperation like she had. He had known before what he would turn into. He had had time to consider his decision, search information and reach certainty. She had not.
He had sworn already in the beginning that he would not force this upon anyone but allow them to make the choice like he had been allowed.
But he had failed. He had turned her when she knew nothing about vampires.
He sighed and threw his head back to stare at the wooden ceiling. Had his decision been correct? Only time would tell if she ever adjusted to this way of life. He turned his eyes back onto her sleeping form. With a small curve in his lips he brushed few strands back again but as before, they stubbornly returned.
She had been so very alive when he had first seen her. He had immediately taken notice of her and she had shaken him to his core. He had wanted to get to know her the moment he had seen her. Most people just walked through their lives calmly, but she had been like life itself burning brightly and strongly.
And he couldn't have helped wondering what her blood would taste like. Would it be as lively as she was? Would it be as powerful as her life was?
He shuddered as a wave of pleasure run through him. It had been all that. He could have drunk her dry and it would not have been enough, even the taint of the first vampire to bit her was drowned in the absolute taste of her blood.
Only once before during his existence he had met a woman with blood like hers. A true treasure had fallen into his hands and he had tainted it. He knew that there had been very little choice as she had been dying and in the danger of turning into a merciless killing machine the weak vampires were. Even death was better than that fate. He had given her the Eternity but it came with a high price. She had lost her life.
He had been human once too. Born and raised as one. He had been unfortunate to be born into the family of vampire hunters. They had been a rarity then and still were now.
He had hated his fate which had made him a part of that family. Since he had been young, he had been breached about vampires and taught to fight and destroy them. He was no fighter and the weapons always felt awkward in his hands. Yet there had been no escape since all vampires knew the families which killed them as their life's work. As such they were always targets, always fighting and struggling to live.
He had hated it with his every cell. He had wanted to learn to play instruments and create music to soothe the souls of living, but a weapon of death had been placed in his hand. He had wanted to study why the world was as it was, but all he had been taught was about death and killing vampires.
Then he had reached the age of 17 and his parents had started to search for a wife for him. He had refused them all, fighting with his parents daily. They had not dared to throw him out since it would have left him to the mercy of vampire's so they had endured. Sho had not wanted a wife who would live everyday in danger or children that would be forced to fight every single day of their lives like he had been forced to.
He had just reached the age of 20 when he had met the most enticing woman. She had walked straight to him without any hesitation on a remote street on a bright and warm day. Her long thick black hair had easily reached her bottom and it had flowed freely with the air and the gently rhythmic swing of her hips. Her lips had been painted red and that had been all the makeup on her face. Her brown eyes surrounded by thick black lashes had allured him. She had worn only a yukata of white silk that showed everything as the sunlight shone from behind her.
She had smiled to him gently. "I have been watching you, Hunter Sho. I have noticed your reluctance to fight and your strong will to resist the fate assigned to you. I have for long wished to speak with you. My name is Chiyo and I am a vampire."
He had backed from her then and taken out his weapon, a wooden stake. How can a vampire walk in the daylight? He had wondered. He had waited for her to attack but she had not moved, just continued to speak. "The Hunter families indeed know much about vampires, but only of those they meet in the darkness of the night. Of us who suffer the sun and walk in the day as well as night, they know nothing. They refuse to acknowledge our existence, but we do exist although there are not that many of us compared to the weak ones that walk the night."
She had been silent for a moment as if to give him a change to attack. She had not had any weapons but as a vampire she needed none. He had not dared to move. This was his enemy, the enemy he had been taught to fight, enemy he had never wanted to fight. He would have preferred the life of ignorance.
She had smiled and for all he held dear he had not been able to find evil in her eyes or on her smile. The vampires he had encountered so far had always been evil, corrupt and hungry. Just looking at them had often been enough to tell what they were. But he had not been able to find it in her. She had not felt like they did but not like human either.
"What… What are you?" He had finally gotten out.
She had laughed and he had found himself liking the voice.
"I already told you." She had stepped closer. "I am a vampire though not the same as the monsters you have been taught to fight."
She had been close enough for him to attack but he had not moved. He had not been able to. She had extended her hand to him her palm up. "I have no pulse. You can feel it if you like."
He had hesitated. On the other hand if there would be a pulse, she was a human. If not…
She had noticed his hesitation and smiled. "I promise I won't bite." Her words had done nothing to calm him, but with more bravery than he had thought he possessed he had reached out and placed his fingers on her wrist.
He had waited sweat dripping down his face and neck but he had not felt anything. At the realization that she had been speaking truthfully he had jumped back and readied himself for an attack that had never came. She had only smiled. "See?"
She had not moved one step closer but seemed satisfied watching him and speaking slowly to him. "I would like to show you the truth. We are different from those beasts, but then again you already knew that. You could feel it, right? You are such a fascinating person. I have been watching you for some time, waiting for the time to approach. I chose the day since you would not believe me during the night. I want you to see it for yourself, the truth."
She had extended her hand and looked at him with a smile on her lips and gently look in her eyes. "Come with me. I will free you from your fate."
No dishonesty…
No evil…
Some force unknown to him had captured him then and he had taken the hand she had offered.
And as she had promised, she showed him the truth and freed him from the chains of his destiny. As he had wished.
At that time, he had known it all and chosen this fate but the girl sleeping before him had not had a choice. He had forced this fate on her and he hated nothing more than that. She should have been the one to make the decision but he had simply obeyed his selfish desire. He could make excuses all he wanted about not having a choice, but he preferred not to lie to himself. He felt guilty, he was guilty.
She looked so peaceful but he was starting to feel restlessness in her. Feeling her was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He had a similar bond with Chiyo, but it was not the same. He had not tried, but he was pretty sure that through this bond he shared with Misao he would be able to dive so deep into her soul that he would see through all she was. He knew already that he would not do so, but at the moment he preferred to keep the bond open enough to sense her strongest emotions. She was in pain and if he could do something for her, he would.
She was waking up, he could sense it. Soon her blue eyes opened and she blinked to clear her vision. He was glad to see blue and not red. It had not felt right to see her with red eyes which clearly told the tale about the beast within her. It was always a relief to see blue since it meant that it was the human in control and not the beast.
The confusion was disappearing and she was clearly recalling what had happened before she had slipped into the dreamless sleep. The disgust was great in her and he had a feeling it would take time before it would disappear if it would.
"Good to see you awake." He said smiling at her, trying to send comfort and warmth to her through the bond. She seemed to accept them and calmed a little.
"Since we have been bottled in here for some time now, I thought it was about time to go move a little." He continued standing up and walking across the room. "I will get your clothes and then we can go."
He had almost said "must" go. It was already urgent for them to leave. Turning her and feeding her had taken a lot out of him. He could feel the hunger rising in him as a sure sign that he was low on blood. She was too. She might have taken some from him, but as he was a vampire himself it was lacking in actual effect. Hopefully they would make it to the next Pact-house before the hunger grew to dangerous levels. After all, when hungry it was easier to lose to the beast and she would not be able to handle that it so soon after being turned.
He picked her clothes from the dead fire and took them to her. She was hesitant in her every action and he could smell her fear. "Don't worry." He said gently and took her hand. "I won't leave you alone." He gave her a smile and she nodded bravely but the fear was still there.
Nothing I can do about that, huh… He thought and turned to give her privacy she seemed to want. Of course he had already seen everything but she had been asleep then so to her the situation was different. He heard the rustling of clothes for a while and then there was silence.
"I…" Misao said and Sho turned. She was sitting on her legs and her hands were fisted around the yukata fabric. Her hair was flowing freely down her back and he had to say that no matter how pale and sad she looked, she was beautiful. Still, she was clearly missing the life-force he had admired before and he was sad for the loss.
As she seemed unable to continue, he decided to leave it. She would continue when she felt like it. He offered his hand to her with a smile he hoped was encouraging. "Come with me. I will take care of you."
The hand was right before her and the one offering it to her was smiling gently. His words echoed in her mind. I will take care of you… She knew that he had meant it. She had felt his sincerity and caring already before. Still there was a slight hesitation in her. He had been the one to do this to her, no matter how unwilling he had been.
His hand didn't waver. He was a steady harbor she could safely anchor to. So she felt as she looked at him. Taking his hand would mean forgiving him for doing this… Could she? She looked up straight into his eyes.
Safety…
Care…
Honesty…
Pain…
She saw much, some emotions he had planted for her to see, but it was seeing pain in his blue eyes that finally made her give in. She would not forget but she would try to forgive. She reached and took his hand.
The wave of relief from his made her feel a little bit better. He had been worried and he was glad this was her choice.
"Come." He said with a smile. "I will care for you."
Her eyes widened and she stared at his back as he pulled her along. After feeling like a dirty beast, to hear him talk to her in such manner truly made her feel a lot better. If he was with her, she could handle this.
His hand felt warm against hers as he pulled her outside. The sun was not far up in the sky which signaled that it was morning. She frowned. Somehow she felt uncomfortable. The sun seemed too hot even though it was very early.
"Do not worry." A voice whispered next to her. Sho too was watching the sun. "When you get stronger the sun's effect on you will lessen."
She turned to him. "What?"
He gave her a smile and pulled on her hand. "Let's go. I'll explain as we walk."
While she was anxious to know, he seemed to be in a hurry and thus it was probably better for her to wait for a while before asking again. There seemed to be some significance to her slightly ill feeling.
As she looked around, she noticed that they had been in a small house at the edge of the village she had ended up while hunting for Aoshi.
Aoshi-sama…
She felt a bang of pain thinking about him. As she was now… She had no right to appear before him. As she was…
Her chest, her heart was bleeding tears at the thought. He was the person she loved the most, her guardian, okashira and friend. She had searched for him so long… and now she didn't feel that she had any right to go to him anymore. She was no longer human, no longer the same Misao he knew.
And the Aoiya, her home. She could not return there, not as she was. Seeing the beast she had turned into last night, she would not endanger them. If she hurt any of them… She would never be able to live with herself.
He stopped suddenly and turned to her. She could hardly blink before he had leaned close to her. "If there is anything I can do, tell me." He looked sad and she understood that somehow he must have sensed her sadness and emotions like she could occasionally sense him.
She gulped and pulled her lips into a smile. "It is alright. I am…" She was about the say that she was fine, but it would have been a lie and she was sure he would not believe her.
"Just… talk." She said finally hoping that hearing his voice and listening to him would distract her. At the same time she wondered how strange it felt to smile. It was not a smile of happiness but a forced smile she had masked herself with in order to make him believe she was fine. So unlike her normal smiles…
His hand squeezed hers gently and he pulled her along again. "Telling me to talk may have been a mistake from your part." He said and turned his head to give her a smile. "I like to hear my own voice so much that you may find it hard to shut me up."
She knew that he was trying to make her feel better and she appreciated the effort, but it was not that easy to erase her fears and pains. Still, knowing that he was with her gave her some comfort and she was glad for that.
He had not yet started when they reached the forest she remembered all too well. She hated the thought of walking through it, seeing the place where she had lost her life, her home, her friends and her self.
"Do you feel better?" Sho asked and she was about spat out to him her feelings about the forest when she realized what he was referring to. Now that she was out of the direct sunlight she indeed did feel better. She was free to move and it was as if a weight had been lifted.
"Good." Sho said and continued to pull her along. They didn't seem to be taking the path that led to the scene where everything had changed for her and for that she was glad. She didn't know if she could handle seeing it yet. So much bitterness, pain, loss, fear and sadness was in that place. While she had been thinking he had started speaking like a teacher explaining matters to a student. In a sense their relationship was much like that.
"We are not meant under the sun, if it can be said in such way. The sun is too bright and warm and our powers come from dark. We can stand in the sun but it is not comfortable." There was a slight hesitation before he continued. "There are two different kinds of vampires. There are us and the ones that attacked you."
She flinched at his blunt words. Here in the forest the slightest word or thing reminded her of the attack and the bastards who had done this to her. In the end it was their fault she had ended up like this. If they had not attacked her, he never would have had to turn her into the creature she was now.
"We can walk in the sunlight like normal humans but they being weaker cannot. Their skin can't take the warm light and it burns. They literally burn to crisp and shatter to ashes. We are stronger so such a thing will not happen to us. The sun merely limits our powers and makes us more like humans. The beast does not suffer the sun well."
"The way you say that… It almost feels as if there was a separate being inside us." Misao whispered quietly. The hunger, the pleasure, the desire… She had not felt herself when they had overcome her. Almost as if she had lost her sense of self for those long moments.
He was quiet for a moment before sighing. "The truth is that there may be."
She stopped thus forcing him to stop too. Her eyes were wide as she asked the question she was dreading to hear an answer to. "What?"
Sho didn't attempt to pull her along but stood still as if he had not been in a slight hurry earlier. "It has been a topic for few hundred years now. Some say that it is a beast or rather a demon that multiplies by us biting and feeding our tainted blood to the bitten. Some say it is a disease that spreads through blood. Disease or a demon…" He stopped, turned his head up at the sky and sighed. "I don't know which I would prefer."
What was there to think? Misao wondered. "Disease of course! It makes me feel even more ill to think that there is a demon inside of me now…" She shuddered at the thought and its implications.
Sho lowered his head and smiled at her. "Perhaps so. That is what the brave and strong think."
"Why brave and strong?" She frowned.
"If you think that there a demon within you, you can easily blame it for forcing all the desires and urges into you. It is easy to use the demon as a scapegoat. Disease on the other… is much harder to use as an excuse. If it is a disease that causes our bodies to be what they are, what causes the urges and the ease to hurt other? If you say it is a disease, then all those urges…" He left the thought hanging but Misao knew the rest.
"…are from ourselves." She said with horrible realization.
He nodded. "Yes. And I find that much scarier than the thought of a demon."
"Still… Don't you think it is easier to control ourselves than to fight a demon?" She had to know, she had to think about this no matter how little she liked about it. She needed to understand to be able to continue this life.
"I guess that depends on the person and the level of the vampire who bit." Sho said pulling her hand a little indicating that it was time to go.
Misao nodded. "So the difference between us and the lower class is…" A gentle tug of her hand pulled her forward and she followed him.
"They have already lost the fight for their humanity before they rise from the dead. We at least have a fighting chance." Sho said without turning to look at her, gently pulling her ahead.
A fighting chance… But did she really have enough strength to keep on fighting? Already now she felt so weak, hurt and confused. Could she really stand up to this challenge?
Author: If you think that all angst is over, do not worry. Plenty to come along the way. The name of the chapter comes from the fact that this was calm chapter, a small relief for Misao.
Review: Mia, Princess of Eternity: Thank you very much for your kind words. I am aware that there may be mistakes, I am actually sure that there are and as such your words don't offend me. But I am not a native English-speaker and I am quite blind to my own mistakes and I don't have a proofreader so… This is the result. But thank you for showing interest in the story and bothering to review.
