Disclaimer: The characters of CCS belong to CLAMP. The idea of this plot and this kind of future world belongs to me, Waltz Alone.
Short Summary: Syaoran gazes at me with shame and struggle. I close my eyes and pull him towards me, whispering, "It's alright…" Nothing more is said as his sharp teeth plunge into my throat, filling the air with the scent of blood…
Full Summary: Sakura is a Vampire Hunter in a future world where scientists have tampered with human DNAs to create half-humans. Five years ago, every experimental half-human broke free from the labs and cells, blending into the human population. Therefore, it is now up to the Hunters to track them down and kill them. Sakura believes it is right to hunt down vampires… until a horrifying incident awakens her from the pretence of it all – she slowly uncovers the truth behind how and why half-humans were created, and why they escaped. With fellow Hunters and half-humans hot on her tail, she sets out with her partner, Syaoran, with a goal to discover the truth and define what's right and wrong.
Genre: Romance / Drama / Action / Adventure
Author's Note: Relatively quick update! Actually, it's one of the fastest updates I've had recently. :P
So, Sakura acknowledged the fact that she loves Syaoran… REMEMBER, in the chapter with Syaoran's POV, he said that Sakura deserves someone better than him… Anyone catch the implications here:) This chapter is the result of me procrastinating and trying to kill off some of the boredom I had when I should have been studying for exams… So, enjoy, and please review.
Please read and review! Reviews encourage me to write on :D
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ஐ Vampire Hunter ஐ
Chapter 11 - Heartbeat
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"The proof of true love is to be unsparing in criticism."
- Moliere
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My fingers trace the line of Syaoran's face as he sleeps, breathing evenly and quietly.
A smile forms on my face as he mumbles something and buries his face in his pillow, letting out a deep sigh of content.
I leave him alone and decide to go for a walk, grabbing my jacket and closing the hotel door behind me. As I walk through the hallway, I begin to recall the most recent events.
I'm glad he fell asleep so soon. It was very awkward after the scene in the bathroom last night…
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"I'm sorry," I clutch his shirt, "I'm sorry…"
Syaoran silently embraces me, kissing my hair. This affectionate gesture overwhelms my heart even more, adding on to the throbbing pain. As his hands capture my face and wipes away my endless tears, a realization floods into me like the natural waves of the sea. It's as if it's been there all along.
I love him more than anything else in the world.
My sobs come to an abrupt halt at this thought.
I love him.
Syaoran stares at me curiously, as if trying to read my mind. I immediately become aware of my bare upper body, and flustering, I hastily grab my shirt. I feel his eyes on me as I slip it on, and I feel my heartbeats increase dramatically. What the hell is wrong with me? It's not like it's the first time I was topless in front of him.
Just by thinking those stupid three words, I'm acting like a thirteen-year old having her first crush.
Syaoran opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by loud banging on the door.
"Please open up," a man calls out, "Or we will have to call the police!"
Syaoran sighs and reaches out to clean my neck. I immediately blush under his touch, and quickly so I bend down in pretense of wiping the floor.
Oh my God. I'm pathetic.
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In the elevator, I take a look at my reflection in the mirror. I took off my contacts because they were irritating my eyes, thus revealing my true emerald shade. I raise a hand to my neck, where there is a noticeable and vicious scar of two deep holes. I also have a few irregular bite marks from when Syaoran lost control. I feel exasperated. I'm going to carry these scars all my life.
The elevator comes to a halt, and I stride through the lobby and exit out through the back door. I step out into an isolated alley where the hotel keeps the empty storage boxes and broken furniture. There's not even a cat around here. What I wouldn't give for a cigarette right now.
I watch my breath turn in to a cloud as it escapes my mouth, disappearing after a few seconds. It smells like winter. The crisp and fresh air chills the tip of my nose, causing me to rub it for warmth.
Something's definitely wrong with me.
It's not the first time I thought I "loved" Syaoran.
I've had a crush on him for a while after becoming friends with him, and it intensified after he kissed me, but I figured he'd never reciprocate my feelings. So I ignored it.
Then there was that one-night stand we had… which was damn mind-blowing. I remember getting butterflies in my stomach for a while after that night whenever he touched me.
There are so many incidents and memories I share with Syaoran that I don't even know to what extent I love him. Of course I love him, but in what way? I don't completely understand what it is to truly love someone other than in a family-like way. I've never had real or serious romantic relationships (most of them being sexual and all), and even my relationship with Touya was strained for some time.
I feel like I destroy everyone and thing I come in contact with.
I sigh and walk among the scattered bits of furniture, leaning against the brick walls.
I wish someone could answer all my confusions.
I want to be able to recognize my own feelings and admit them.
"Why, what do we have here?" a sudden voice causes me to jump. "Isn't it Miss Sakura Kinomoto."
Leonard Rickman jumps down from the shadows of the buildings surrounding us, looking at me casually as if we were discussing the weather.
"Are you following us?" I snarl, trying to find an easy escape.
"I'd call it fate, if you will," he says conversationally, "Stella and I split up for some hunting, and I was just drawn to this place."
"Liar," I breathe, watching his red eyes fix onto my form. I'm petrified as he nears me, trapping me in between his arms by placing both hands on the wall on my either side. His dark hair sways in the wind as he lifts a hand, causing me to flinch.
He chuckles in cruel amusement. "Now, now, don't be afraid. I don't bite," he smiled smugly, "Or rather, if I do, I promise you'll enjoy it."
"You disgust me," my voice fails me as his hand strokes my neck. Damn these Vampires and their seductiveness. It's making my skin tingle everywhere.
"Your actions tell me otherwise," his hand stops as he examines my throat. "These scars are revolting," he clicks his tongue, "If it were me, I'd have tried my best to not leave a mark on your pretty neck."
My breath hitches in my throat as he brings his lips to my scars. I feel his tongue deftly soothing the breaks in my skin, raising goosebumps everywhere. To my horror, I feel myself lusting for this guy. I try to close the space in between my legs, but his own leg is preventing me from doing so. I glance down at him, only to meet his strikingly crimson eyes, the colour of blood itself… Despite its eeriness, it's beautiful. He is gorgeous.
This is a true Vampire. Dangerously beautiful in the most forbidden way.
To my immense embarrassment, a sound escapes my throat. Leonard smirks against my skin, and I have an urge to just surrender. He sees this and decides to taunt me. "You do know that if I bite into you now," he breathes, "You'll become a Vampire yourself?"
I remain silent, feeling every inch of my self-control slip away.
His hand caresses my arm as he whispers, "Soon, Syaoran will want more of you. He'll take more and more of your blood, until you're completely drained."
A chill channels through my body, awakening every single sense. Vivid images of Syaoran losing control plays over and over again in my head.
"I presume Syaoran had a fit last night? He nearly lost control, didn't he? It's going to get worse. He needs much more blood from you than he's allowing himself," he whispers, and I freeze in shock. "Soon, he won't be able to keep a hold of himself. He will surrender to his instincts and bite you ferociously," he caresses my scars, "Perhaps snapping your pretty neck before drinking every single drop of your blood."
I notice how his pupils have dilated, causing his crimson eyes to appear like an animal's.
"Wouldn't you rather become a Vampire yourself than to be brutally murdered like that?" asks Leonard, gazing intensely into my eyes.
"You just want to drink my blood then sleep with me, don't you?" I ask coolly, suddenly understanding his motives.
He smirks. "I admit, that is a very appealing situation, yes."
"Fuck you," I scowl.
"Yes, please," he chuckles.
Before I can retort, he covers my mouth with his with such intensity that it throws me off balance. He captures me in his hold, thrusting his tongue past my lips and roughly exploring. I feel another moan from myself, my instincts telling me to back off right now while other senses of my body tell me to be submissive.
Leonard seems to sense this internal battle within me, because he begins to slide his hand up my leg suggestively. His other hand is trailing up my back, locking me in his arms. My God, I can't think coherently.
The only thing that jerks me back into reality is the image of Syaoran's face playing over and over again in my mind. I use all my might to force my swollen lips away from his, breathing coarsely and glaring at him.
"Too bad for you," I push him off of me, furiously wiping my mouth, "I would rather be killed by Syaoran than to be bitten by the likes of you."
""The likes of me"?" he laughs, well at ease, "You forget, love, that your beloved Syaoran is included in that category!"
"Syaoran is Syaoran," I grit my teeth, "He's more than you'll ever be."
"Is that so," Leonard smirks once more. "You know I don't exactly need your consent in order to bite you."
"Then you wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of talking to me, would you? You want me to surrender myself to you freely," I return the crooked smile. Although inside, I'm trembling with fear, desire and ambivalence.
"Very clever," he chuckles, "May I ask you one thing, then?"
"You're going to ask anyways," I mutter.
"What is Syaoran to you?"
I look blankly at him. Memories flash through my mind, and I try to make sense of them. "That's none of your business," I say coldly.
"Then why is it that you seem guilty for kissing me? You are not lovers," he raises his eyebrows.
This statement hits me like an arrow to my heart.
Recovering after a moment, I scowl. "Get the hell out of here if you're done molesting me."
"As you wish," he gives me yet another peck on the lips before jumping up high into the buildings and disappearing from my view. The tension and anxiety fades away with him.
I thought this guy was Stella's lover. But then again, Stella was flirting with Syaoran too… I guess they're not very loyal to each other. Well, Syaoran isn't exactly a guy who commits himself to one girl, either. I've watched countless numbers of girls cry because of him.
I exhale and inhale the fresh air, touching my swollen lips. As I make my way back into the hotel, my heart slows down to normal. Finally.
Upon my arrival to the bright lobby, my eye twitches. As if proving that he's still a playboy, Syaoran is surrounded by an admiring crowd of women, laughing and conversing with them all. He catches my eye and beckons me to come towards him. Nearly all of the women's heads snap towards me in annoyance, and I resist the temptation to roll my eyes. Even in disguise this guy manages to flirt with women.
"This girl right here, ladies," he announces as he wraps his arm around me, "is my wife." At his words, my heart immediately picks up its pace, rushing blood up to my cheeks. I turn sharply towards him, but he goes on. "It's a shame, but this is where we part ways!" he says cheerfully before steering me towards the elevator. Before the stunned women can grab at me or anything, the doors shut, enclosing us in this small space.
Syaoran leans against the wall, his arm still casually around my waist. "No disguise is good enough to cover my good looks," he smirks.
I scoff, unable to do much more. My ears are pulsing, I feel like I'm gonna suffocate, and I feel really hot all of a sudden. When Syaoran referred me as his "wife," something just throbbed inside of me. Oh my God, why am I going all mental all of a sudden. Don't tell me I'm going to be all head over heels for him.
"You are not lovers."
Leonard's words echo in my head. It's true. Is this development due to Syaoran's Vampire thing? I am so confused… Okay, so I do "love" him, but to what extent?
It seems so simple, yet it's not. Syaoran and I can't exactly waltz out of the elevator deciding to get married, Las Vegas style, or anything. I feel like it's so unreal for us to be able to have a normal life. I'm scared that I'm going to be afraid of him, more than I was last night.
And should I tell him about my run-in with Leonard? Do I have to tell him that he will lose control of himself soon, leaving me vulnerable enough for him to slaughter me? Do I tell him that I lusted for the Vampire?
"You there," Syaoran flicks my forehead, jolting me from my thoughts, "Did you hear a word I just said?"
"Uh," I rub my forehead, frowning, "No."
He lets out a great sigh before exiting the elevator. I follow, trying to keep up with his pace. Once we're safely in our room, he finally says, "I said that Eriol and Tomoyo gave a quick ring-in while you were out."
"What?" my eyes widen. "How did they manage to…"
"They're on vacation or something, and Tomoyo hacked into several systems to find out where we used our personal credit cards. I forgot Eriol and she knew about them… She's brilliant, that girl," he smirks, "She pinpointed our hotel and called in using a cell-phone Eriol bought off of some random guy in the alleys."
"I gotta hand it to Tomoyo," I grin, "She's a million times better than any other Analyst at the Barastelle."
"And Eriol is just a devious little asshole," he nods, "So they're going to come to our hotel room very briefly to fill us in on what's happening. Of course, they can't stay long or they might be given a death sentence by that bastard General of ours."
"Oh, him," I give a crooked smile, "I'd nearly forgotten about him."
Syaoran sprawls across the couch and sighs. "And as soon as we move to another city, we're taking up some bounty hunter jobs."
"Yessir," I mutter, taking a seat by his head.
There is silence as Syaoran's eyes meet mine. I determine myself to not look away. He suddenly reaches out and takes my black wig off, letting it drop on the floor. In an automatic response, my hand tugs off his fake hair, as well. My heart skips a beat when he captures my face in his hands, slowly pulling me down towards him.
I tell myself feverishly to get a grip. It's not the first time I've been in these kinds of situations with him, so why am I so conscious of it now? I've never even thought twice before touching Syaoran… but now…
I've got to be suffering from a disease or something; maybe it's an STD from my wild days. Oh shit.
"Sakura," he calls out clearly, as if noticing that my mind was wandering off.
Our lips are only inches apart when there is careful knocking at the door.
I feel my own face falter as Syaoran draws away immediately to get it. Goddammit, I need to go see a shrink. But I have no time to brood over myself, because the next moment, there is loud sobbing and laughing.
I look up in time to see Tomoyo hugging Syaoran with tears, then Eriol engaging him into a headlock. "We missed you, bastard," he yells as Syaoran throws a punch at his stomach. As the two bicker and laugh, all I see is a mane of black hair flowing towards me before Tomoyo locks me in her deathly grip.
"Sakuraaa!!" she wails, "Thank God!!"
Suddenly I feel myself tearing up. "Tomoyo…" I sniff, becoming aware of the fact that two of my few close friends whom I expected to not see again are here with me. Eriol walks over and hugs both me and Tomoyo, grinning down at me with what I suspect are damp azure eyes.
"Hi there, stranger," he says, pretending to brush away his dark hair instead of at his eyes.
I'm only able to nod, because I have to bury myself in Tomoyo's shoulder to not bawl my eyes out.
I feel safe.
Safe and warm.
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"We don't have much time, so we're going to just hammer through all these things," Eriol says while patting the sniffing Tomoyo on the back.
Syaoran and I both nod gravely.
"Well, important things first," Eriol grins, "Tomoyo and I are going out."
There's silence.
"What, no woohoos and squealing? I'm hurt," he feigns his pain.
"You conceited little…" Syaoran rolls his eyes, "You would treat that as the most important news, wouldn't you."
"Whoop," I giggle, "Actually, I was wondering when Tomoyo would give in. Congrats, you two."
"Just don't get the poor girl pregnant, bastard," Syaoran smirks, "Of course, unless she wants it."
"Don't compare me to a hypocrite like you," Eriol clicks his tongue.
Tomoyo settles down a bit and gives a happy grin, her pale skin glowing in delight. "Okay, people, let's get down to business here." Her smile falters as she opens up her laptop, but it still lingers about her soft features.
"Maybe if we get through this quick enough, we could have some more time to chitchat afterwards," Eriol shrugs before readjusting his glasses. "Alright, so, ever since Sakura warned us about something fishy going on in the Barastelle, we've been trying to watch the authoritative figures."
"When was this?" Syaoran murmurs to me quietly.
"When I was abused and locked up by Anderson," I smirk sardonically.
His mouth forms a silent 'oh' before turning his attention back to Eriol.
"The General's been acting pretty strange lately… a bit odder than usual, although the guy is pretty weird to begin with," he rolls his eyes, "Maybe we're looking too much into this, but it seemed like he was trying too hard to catch you guys. It's not like you guys are the most dangerous things out there, or that you guys are going around butchering people into pieces… Anyhow, the whole million-dollar-bounty thing on your heads is a bit too exaggerated to be true." He nods to Tomoyo.
"While Eriol was out hunting werewolves, I managed to gain access to the ancient part of the library – the one with the archives stacked from floor to ceiling where they keep printouts of all cases," she sighs as if she remembers flipping through all those pages, "If I tried to hack the computer system, they would have found out, so I had to go the old-fashioned way… and after about five hours," she grimaces, "I found these."
Tomoyo hands over an envelope that looks as old as Santa Claus. As I reach to open it, both of them yell out, "Not yet!"
Syaoran's eyebrow rises in question. "And why the hell not, lovebirds?"
Eriol looks a bit smug at the last word, but it's quickly overshadowed by a stricken expression we rarely see on him. "Just…" he readjusts his glasses nervously, "Just open it once you're out of the city and in a safer area," he says in a strained voice.
Before I can protest, Tomoyo speaks up, as if on cue. "Anyways, we also made an interesting discovery."
Syaoran and I exchange suspicious glances, knowing that they're hiding something from us. But we silently decide to ignore it for now, since we're pressed for time. "Yes?" Syaoran sighs.
"We uncovered the identity of the last scientist who was in the lab where Vampires first broke out before the Crimson Night unfolded," Tomoyo exhales, "Her name was Katherine McGowan, and not much is disclosed about her except for the fact that she was a motivated young woman who was preparing to take an early maternity leave. Obviously, she was killed."
My eyes widen at this new piece of information. Syaoran shuffles uncomfortably beside me, clearly disturbed at the thought of a pregnant woman getting murdered.
"Do you think she could have set the Vampires free?" Syaoran finally asks, glancing sideways at me.
"Her ID card was swiped at the exit a couple hours before the security system was destroyed, so we can't be sure… unless…" Tomoyo trails off.
"Unless she never actually left… A Vampire could have killed her somehow, taken her card and used it to set everyone else free." Eriol finishes.
It takes a couple of seconds for this to fully sink in. "But the question is, how did that Vampire manage to grab her?"
Syaoran interrupts before Eriol can speak, earning himself a glare. "You remember the scene investigation we did on one of those labs, right? The cells were de-activated with the consent or the ID of a scientist. None of the Vampires or other half-humans managed to set even their hands out of their cage…"
"Meaning that a scientist would have had to willingly let them free, since threats are useless when you're trapped in an impenetrable cage," Eriol finishes once more.
"There wasn't much information about her available, but I'm going to try to dig deeper into it… if need be," Tomoyo raises her eyebrows, "But there are more pressing matters to be investigated right now."
I fidget with my hands, staring down at the mysterious envelope. What could possibly be in it?
"Shit!" Eriol suddenly calls out, drawing all of our attention, "Is that the time? We've been here way to long, Tomoyo."
"Yeah, if there was a lesson to be learned from your capture, it's to not dwell in one place for such a long time," Tomoyo smiles bitterly at the memory.
I feel pain in my heart as I realize they're leaving. I want to say something, but nothing escapes my mouth. Syaoran seems to sense this, because he takes my hand and pulls me up from the couch, silently urging me to speak.
I can't help but notice Tomoyo's peculiar expression as she sees our adjoined hands, and the same kind of expression on Eriol's.
"I'll miss you guys," I manage, pulling both of them into a hug.
"Bear hug!" Syaoran calls out with a laugh, squeezing all of us tightly. We all laugh and giggle, relishing in this kind of simple, small pleasure that we've all been lacking these days.
"Take care, buddy," Eriol claps Syaoran on the shoulder, "Behave yourself, will you?"
"I'll try," Syaoran grins, ruffling Eriol's hair.
Tomoyo is in tears again as she whispers, "Please be careful, Sakura. I can't bear having to look at you like a prisoner again…"
I bite my lips and nod fervently, at a loss for words. I watch as they step out of the door, feeling a tight knot in my throat.
"You guys better head out before tomorrow, too," Eriol says, looking around cautiously.
Syaoran agrees. "Be careful on the way back, you two."
"We're going to be on "vacation." Don't you worry about us," he answers.
Tomoyo wipes her eyes. "Well, I guess this is it then."
There are silent nods all around. After a few moments, Tomoyo and Eriol turn towards the elevators.
At this moment, I feel something burst inside of me. "Thank you," I sob out, clutching Syaoran's hand tighter for support.
They stop and look at me in surprise.
"Thanks for trusting us… for helping us…" my voice is becoming drowned in my sorrow, "You better not get into trouble, alright?" Words can't express that gratefulness I have in my heart right now. Not only for having Syaoran here by my side, but people like Eriol and Tomoyo who are standing with us even in this dangerous mission.
"Same goes for you," Eriol quickly answers as Tomoyo threatens to break out into hysteric fits. The elevator opens, and they both step into it. Unable to speak, Tomoyo waves at us, right until the moment the doors close.
Syaoran pulls me into his arms, resting his chin on my head and allowing me to cry into his chest. My heart's about to explode - with joy, sorrow, thankfulness, regret, fear, and about a hundred other ambivalent emotions.
I cling onto Syaoran, praying to God that all this mess will be over soon.
And that once everything's back to normal, all four of us will be able to laugh together.
And that maybe, just maybe, I will be able to sort out my feelings for Syaoran.
I can only hope.
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Chapter 11 – Heartbeat – End –
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Author's Note: Phew, long chapter! I think this is by far the longest chapter in this story so far! So please leave me a review… I'd appreciate it to know how you guys thought about all this. The story's moving forward quickly! And once more, the chapter flowed out as I typed it… the only thing I planned for this one was the scene with Leo… fair enough, I guess :)
The opening quote, "The proof of true love is to be unsparing in criticism" is one of my favourite quotes of all time :D I found it befitting for this chapter...
Just as a sidenote, General Churchill's name was kind of derived from the famous Winston Churchill. Random, I know… but I found the surname quite fitting for some reason.
It was quite difficult trying to portray Sakura's confusion with her own feelings, too… I enjoyed writing the scene with Leonard though. With Anderson out of the picture, I get to have lots of fun writing about him. (sniggers)
And if any of you guys were wondering, there WAS a reason for the scene with Leo:)
Please, please drop a review to keep me going!
The next update will likely come after my exams, which is the end of the month, or early February...
Good luck to everyone who has exams!
