Hanabusa glowered at the back in front of him, a lovely one at that, but every time she so much as coughed or sneezed he was ready to rip his hands off just so he was fast enough to perform another Blood Share. She insisted she felt fine and he watched as her strength had gathered since she woke from her deep slumber, but he could never feel secure enough to let her out of his sight longer than necessary. It grated on Yori's nerves to no end.
"Enough, Hanabusa! I will not crumble like glass! I have been through battle," the memory still made him wince, "I have been through far more than this and I will not allow it to keep me from living my life as I see fit."
Her argument was just as impelling. "Our daughter is somewhere out there in a strange place with far less protection than I am comfortable and I know you feel the same way Hanabusa." The word 'our' had caught his attention and it warmed his heart. That's right, they had created this wonderful person and she was out there unprotected, but who would protect Yori? He could not be in two places at the same time. Yori decided that no one was trustworthy enough to watch over her other than Hanabusa so therefore she would simply have to never leave his side. How could the prideful man argue with such a statement? One, it was a boost to his undying ego and, two, he did not want her to leave his side… ever. Even with Granger, he did not feel safe enough to leave her. Who would give her the Blood Share in his absence? Certainly not Kaname-sama, who was against the Share from the beginning.
Regardless of the situation, the woman was still maddening. She never was willing to submit or go the easier route. Instead, she chose to blaze ahead with a fiery temper when provoked that would cause even the most seasoned of warriors to cower, yet something else that he loved about her and still frustrating all the same.
The two had been riding quietly for the last hour and the lack of sound was nearly driving him mad. He knew Yori well enough to be able to tell when she was preoccupied with the task at hand. This was to find their daughter and covertly monitor her every move and only when the most dangerous of moments arose, they would spring into action. This would be much easier to execute if they could only locate their daughter. There were far more travelers than expected that matched the same description as the party that Aria traveled in, consisting of Vaugt and Ace.
"I don't like him. Ace, I mean," Yori said at one point, taking Hanabusa by surprise. He blinked to try to gain time to catch up with her thoughts. She did not wait for a response. "He kidnapped her, and would have sold her into an almost certain life of pain and indignity." Hanabusa boiled quietly below the surface. He knew full well what that man would have done, but he also knew that Ace was not the type to have chosen that profession by choice. There was something else motivating him to assist these despicable activities, one of which that had yet to be revealed to him, and this was why he had ordered Vaugt to keep a close eye on the lad. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Even if his intentions were pure, routing Aria towards Ace was better than having her endure the hardships of maintaining a relationship with young Zero. At least with Ace, Hanabusa would be able to kill a perceived threat without question; a Pure Blood would be much harder to eradicate.
Hanabusa had forever despised the damned crow in his father's office, but for once he saw how well it could be utilized. For a brief moment, he saw possibilities through his father's eyes by using the crow. Upon realizing he was preying upon miniscule opportunities for petty reasons, he instantly resisted further urges to use the crow's abilities. Besides, his father would refuse the service of his pet for anything other than securing the safety of his granddaughter. Every morning, the crow flew in and transmitted the status of their beloved Aria and every morning Hanabusa and Yori set it off to continue its vigilance. There would be moments of silence and possible glitches in the bird's memories, but they were short lived and not worth contemplating, at least as far as they could tell. Until they overcame Aria, all the parents could do were to follow at a distance and hope for the best.
Aria sensed it right away. She had been raised to smell it for miles around and her nose was acutely aware of changes in the air. It was blood, a lot of it, fresh and not far from their current position. For hours they had been trekking through miserable bog-like surroundings and the smell had almost caught her by surprise. It took Vaugt and Ace only a few moments longer to realize something was amiss as well. Aria sped up her pace, ignoring her guardian's warnings to practice caution, but upon reaching the village clearing, she stopped short. Ace plowed into her from behind and Vaugt, bringing up the rear towered above the two, taking in the carnage before them.
Smoke still rose in rivulets from every one of the dwellings, sobbing could be heard from various corners. It was the type of crying and pitiable sounds that followed uncontrollable fear and screams of terror. They ripped at Aria's heart. Despite the sudden appearance of the sun, the settlement held an impenetrable gloom and immediately outside of the houses were the village guard dogs, their throats ripped out in wounds caused by one driven into a state of a madness. Vaugt continued to caution, but they knew full well that whoever had ravaged this place had long since left. Ace gently placed a hand on Aria's shoulder to slow her progress, taking the lead, sword in hand as a precautionary measure.
The sobbing grew in volume and finally as they turned the first corner they were greeted with its source. The village square was torn and gutted as valuables and goods were thrown in all directions, destroyed beyond repair. They had fared better than the inhabitants of the village. Only a few walked aimlessly in their horror-stricken shock as others knelt over the bodies of the dead, grieving to the heavens. Children were not looking for parents because the little ones had since left this world. No one was spared and those who remained had shamelessly fled only to return to see the fate of their loved ones. Aria stood frozen in place as the smell of blood became overwhelming, flooding her senses. She may have been relatively indifferent to the smell all her life, but in great quantities it nearly paralyzed her system. After finding out her origins, it finally made sense. Her body did not know what to do with it, whether to run as a human would, or to rejoice in the inevitable feast. Vaugt firmly, but gently, held her under the elbow as they slowly continued towards the central post. He tried to shield her eyes, but she refused to be hidden from what lay there. The same shock of the villagers had washed through her and left her in a stunned state.
The bloodbath and pure horror of the acts executed here culminated into one final blow in the form of a body, pinned to the thick post. At first it was difficult to tell if it was man or woman, but the hair had been tied up into a knot customary of the local farmers. It was a man. His entire body was covered in mud and grime, several parts burned beyond recognition and in the middle of his chest bore a gaping hole. Flies had already begun to accumulate, but all avoided that mortal wound. The eyes rolled back but looked almost as if they had turned into rotten grapes as the mouth hung open in a death scream. Iron stakes pinned him in the collarbones to the post. Aria fell to her knees and lost anything that remained in her stomach from that morning. Vaugt and Ace had seen the carnage of war, but even this pushed them to the edge.
Finally, Ace gathered himself enough to go to the nearest griever to try to find answers. Aria pulled herself to her feet with the help of Vaugt, her eyes still riveted to the disfigured man.
"Have we stepped into hell?" she whispered. Vaugt half supported her as he shook his head.
"The chaos is spreading," he mumbled. Aria looked sharply at him.
"What do you mean?" They were interrupted by Ace as he approached, rubbing his hand over his face, as if to erase what he had heard. He was conflicted and Aria detected a small look of guilt and shame.
"They were attacked by a small band of Blood Share participants, of the human nature." He plowed ahead before Aria could respond, as her eyes widened into saucers. "Apparently the three could feel the effects wearing off and sought out another to drain. This poor fellow," he nodded towards the pinned body, "had what they craved. The Blood Share has turned some to madness and cannibalism and this appears to be just such a case. From what I was told this one did not have a much despite being drained of every drop and the three responsible will more than likely strike elsewhere."
"We must stop them!" Aria cried desperately. Ace made moves to negate her, but she would not have it. "I can't allow this to happen to another village. Those who have the Blood Share are incredible in strength; no one will be able to stand up to them!"
"Aria…" She pulled violently away from Vaugt's hold and continued.
"Those who have lost control don't deserve the Blood Share! It never should have happened in the first place!" It was as if a switch went off. Ace's face lost its compassion and fell into a mask of apathy and menace.
"This comes from the daughter of the one who broke the contract and benefited a mother as well," his voice dripped with hostility as he said it slowly and it was enough to take Aria by surprise. She felt the sheer violence rolling off of him in feasible waves, enough so that even Vaugt stiffened to prepare for a possible explosion. Instead of cowering away from him, Aria faced him head on.
"You would blame me for something I was unable to control. She may have birthed me, but I have not known her as my mother until now. My father did what he had to do to save the life of the one he loved. You would grudge him that?"
"Yes. He did not think of the consequences of his actions," Ace said angrily as he swept his hand around to take in their surroundings.
"You cannot put this on my father," Aria said in outrage. "He was not the one to create the Share."
"You would slander a Pure Blood?" She hesitated finally. It was treasonous to criticize a Pure Blood for his actions unless duly approved to excommunicate one by the Ancient Council, something that had been dispersed by Kaname-sama. They now lived in a lawless vampire society, the old ways did not dictate anything here.
"Kaname-sama did what he needed to in order to eradicate a threat…"
"You know nothing of what happened," he cut her off. "Only moments ago you claimed having no control over past actions, yet you defend those that created this world of chaos as we see now!"
The argument would have continued if Vaugt had not grabbed their tails and pulled them apart.
"Regardless of what has been, we must deal with what is. Aria may be right in tracking down this band of Blood Sharers. They may be able to give us more information." Ace shook his head.
"These are rogues. They are out of control and would not be affiliated with those that I worked for. They are desperate for more and will stop at nothing to get it. By leading Aria into such a situation, they would find her out immediately, placing her in danger. She carries the most desirable blood, a Share that was created naturally, so it would be easier to stomach by any human or vampire alike."
"That will not stop me from apprehending those who continue the breach of contract," she growled.
"There are more and there will continue to be more. If you wish to stop these acts of barbarism, you need to destroy the basis of where they thrive."
"And where would that be? We've been traveling for days, Andre," she said pointedly, tacking on his full name.
"I told you, the headquarters is constantly on the move. It's like hitting a moving target blindfolded."
"I'm not so sure you even know where to begin," Aria said angrily as she began to stalk off. Ace lashed out and grabbed her wrist. She quickly smothered a hiss as he twisted it unintentionally. His eyes bore into hers.
"You need me," he said firmly. She yanked away and glowered at him while unconsciously rubbing her abused wrist.
"That may be, but I do know one thing. If I have the desirable natural Blood Share as you say, then I'm sure whoever they are will come for me soon enough."