Bloody Fangs
Chapter 9
Hours had passed, the dark of night settled over the seaside town. Outside, winds howled and waves crashed against the cliffside, heavy rain soaking the town. Inside, Nnoitra sat alone in his study, watching the hands of the clock tick round and round. Time paused for only a moment at all three hands struck midnight.
"So, what's the plan?" Nnoitra jumped, started by the familiar voice.
"Dammit, Ikkaku. How is it you're so damn loud by day but quieter than a mouse fart by night?" Ikkaku only smirked, every so slightly annoying Nnoitra. The door to the room was violently kicked in, another large, dark haired man stepping through. Behind him, a man smaller than the rest, and by far the most feminine.
"Glad you three could join us," Nnoitra sighed as he leaned on his desk, elbows bent as his hands cradled his head, "The head badge-whore is using one of these fake Vampire Hunters as bait to lure out whoever is killing the girls." Kenpachi roared with laughter while the others looked disgusted.
"Oh yes, that's just what they need. Another dead body, but of their own choosing," Yumichika sighed, "What imbeciles."
From outside the door, another man spoke softly, "What do you want us to do?"
"First off, you can step inside," Nnoitra watched as the pink-clad werewolf walked through the door. How a full grown, hairy man as Shunsui could wear that much pink and still be considered a real man, he would never understand. "It takes place tomorrow night, we need to form a perimeter around this girl so we can try to avoid getting her killed."
Hearing a small sound from behind him, Nnoitra turned and raised a brow. Wonderweiss had wandered in amidst the commotion and latched him mouth the the window, "All but him. Again, why is he here? Better yet, who the hell thought it would be a great idea to turn him?" Everyone shrugged, a few snickered. Turning back, Nnoitra waved his had at the men before him.
"Question," Yumichika stepped forward, "Did the girl volunteer or is it forced participation?"
"The fake Vampire Hunter offered her up as the volunteer before they knew what they were doing. Entirely forced from start to finish, no option to reject."
The men got quiet as they heard a commotion from down the hall. They listened intently, both female, one voice, angry and speaking a language none of them knew, the other frantic, sounding as though they were jumping about. There was a heavy crash, the sound of glass shattering. With nothing more than a wide eye, Nnoitra stood and rushed out the door. The others peered out, watching him disappear into the room just beyond the top of the staircase. After a moment of what sounded to be intese struggle, Nnoitra reemerged from the room, carrying a blue haired woman on his shoulder.
As he pushed by into the room, Kyoraku was the first to pipe up, "Who's that?"
"This," Nnoitra dropped Razah into his chair, pressing his finger against her forehead to push her down, "This is Razah, the bait."
"Here's an idea, why don't we curl your hair, shove you in a dress, and make you be the bait?"
Kenpachi laughed again, "There you go, a real idea that doesn't put anyone important in danger."
Nnoitra glared at Kenpachi who only contined to laugh at the thought, "As much as I'm sure some of these oafs would like to see that, no. I will not be wearing a dress."
"Is it because you're too twiggy? Not enough curve to appeal to a man?" His one visible eye twitched as Razah smirked up at him.
Shunsui leaned forward across the desk, smiling at Razah, "You seem like a very capable young woman, and there's a lot of us here to make sure nothing happens to you."
"Thank you, but that's not comforting."
Shunsui looked surprised, he'd never known anyone to not feel comfortable knowing they had so many looking out for them. Nnoitra brushed his hand across the desk, shooing Shunsui back, "Could you guys give us a moment, I need to talk to her alone."
"Of course," they all muttered in unison, quickly filing out the door. Nnoitra shut the door behind them, silently clicking the lock. He turned back to Razah, who was peering behind the seat.
"Who's the window licker?"
"Dammit!" Unlocking the door, Nnoitra raged across the room. He grabbed Wonderweiss by the back of his shirt and carried him back to the door, opening it and throwing him out. Once again, he shut the door and clicked the lock.
"Aren't you just one popular pirate," Nnoitra turned to Razah, taking a few short steps before standing across the desk from her, "What's up, Captain Sparrow?"
"First off, I'm not a pirate. Second off, drop the smartass," Nnoitra leaned over the table, his long upper body leaving his face right in front of hers, "Third, you're very transparent."
Razah blinked, "Transparent?"
"You're only angry about this because you're scared."
Razah's face dropped, the smirk on her lips fading to a light quiver, eyes watery. Nnoitra pushed himself up and walked around the desk. Kneeling down beside her, he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. It was a curious thing, how she looked so much like- no.
Nnoitra gently shook his head before looking at her again, "Razah, you will have an army of officers ready and waiting. You will have a large group of expert Vampire Hunters ready and waiting. You will have me there, ready and waiting to rip the teeth out of the skull of the guy if he even lays a hand on you. You don't need to be angry or scared."
Razah looked at him, the single violet eye holding sincerity behind his words. Her usual childish voice was low and trembled, "Is it okay to be nervous?"
"Of course it is, I wouldn't expect anyone to walk in being bait and not be nervous. You know, unless they have a death wish, which I can tell you don't." He watched Razah's lips curve into a small smile. If he was going to get a girl unwillingly killed, the least he could do is comfort her first.
"I have just one more question," Nnoitra nodded, waiting for her question, "What's wrong with your other eye?"
Nnoitra's head dropped on the arm rest of his chair; of all the questions in the world to ask, of course it had to keep on the subject of his eyes. He looked up, her curious eyes staring intently at him, waiting for an answer.
"I got in a fight."
"Obviously, I didn't expect you to have done it yourself."
He smirked, finding her smartass comments to be amuzing once again, "Slashed my eye with a sword, left me for dead. This woman I knew, she was about your age at the time. She found me and healed me."
"That's so sweet! What happened to her?"
"She," Nnoitra bowed his head, forcing back the tears that wished to escape, "She died, not long after that. It was my fault." Nnoitra felt a hand rest on top of his. He kept his head bowed, taking in the warmth of Razah's hand on top of his own.
"You must have really loved her." And how he did, with all of his heart. How he wished he could go back in time and fix his mistakes, only to let his love live again.
