Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies.
Forewords: One last update before Exams. I'll be back during semester break. Peace!
Title: BloodLust – Chapter 11
By: Uchiha-chan aka Hayashi11
Heavy pants, difficult breathing, restless groans and crumpling of sheets. All these were the only sounds that the room contained. As the sun sets, the chills of the old gothic castle cooled the room down rapidly, making its occupants shiver.
A red haired girl tossed and turned, gasping for air. The other older girl sat beside her on the bed, held her hand and tried to sooth her unrest. A frown was registered on her elegant face as she watched the younger girl wither in discomfort and pain.
Juliet Nao Zhang looked flushed and tired, sweat formed on her forehead even as the room was getting increasing chilly. Her entire body felt searing pain and a burning sensation, her head pounded painfully. She struggled and kicked the sheets off herself but the other pull it back up to cover her weak body. In this semi-conscious state, she knew that she was safe with someone to look after her but the fear of death was greater than relieve.
Shizuru Viola had been with her in the room since Nao collapsed in the dining hall last night. For the first time in her life she panicked. It's not that she was interested in this girl but a sense of responsibility that made her worry. After all, she was the one who took her away and caused her to suffer. The guilty emotions however, did not show on her face. She looked at her gently and placed her cool palm on the feverish forehead.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
The vampire gripped the other's hand a little harder to indicate that she will not leave her side but she was answered by a soundless scream.
'That's it.' Shizuru thought. She could stand to see her in pain no more.
"Reito. Come in."
In her normal soft yet firm voice, she called her right-hand man, Reito K.
The tall handsome man entered the room quietly and bowed.
"What may I do for you?"
"Have they found out the cause of this?"
Reito shook his head and bowed again.
"I'm sorry but the Viola medical group is still working on it. Please give them more time."
Shizuru turned her attention to him and said.
"I could, but she can't. At this rate, she'll die of fatigue even if the original source of problem is not causing it."
"Should I pay the Mayor a visit?"
"It's worth a try. Go and return quickly."
"As you wish.."
Reito bowed the third time and exited the room.
Despite the thick and dark forest, D managed to get her bearings right and reached the castle gates just before sunset. She knew that it's dangerous to visit a Vampire at the time where they were the most powerful but there's not an option. A life was in her hand.
Duran skid to a stop outside the castle's tall and ancient doors and howled. D jumped off him and patted it.
"Thankyou!"
The mechanical wolf gave her a playful shove towards the door and disappeared
The hunter looked around her and saw a window low enough for her to climb through. Although she thought its low, it's actually three meters high. D displayed some excellent footwork and with two simple steps onto a nearby tree and then another up the wall, she managed to hoist herself up.
The interior of the room was dim but the air was fresh, this meant that it's a frequently used room, which also meant that she had to keep moving. Carefully she threaded her way across the room where a slit of light was emitted form the bottom of the door. She was relieved that the door was not locked.
The door led her into a long and empty corridor which ended some fifty meters away. D decided to sneak in when a sudden thought hit her. 'What am I doing sneaking around like a thief when I can just walk in and offer the antidote?' She sighed at her inexperience and continued down the hallway and into another room whose doorway looked a little different form the rest. The door was elegantly carved out of some expensive looking wood and the door frame is so shiny as if it was plated with silver.
Once she slipped inside, she quickly closed the door and leaned against it to calm her breathing. Unconsciously, she had held her breath when she tried the door. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to get use to the dimness before taking a look around her. The room was beautifully furnished with expensive looking rugs and decorative pieces. At the end of the room, there was a raised platform with a sovereign looking arm chair which resembles a throne.
"He who dares to sneak into the home of my honorable Mistress will be punished by death."
The hunter's head snapped towards the direction of the voice. It belonged to a young man who was more or less her age but had an air of an adult. Dressed as a warrior, he had a normal looking sword in his belt but a very unique looking shield behind his back. A shield that looks a little too big for him to handle. That youthful face had a child-like smile but his eyes glowed devilish.
"And so... is a tortoise gonna throw me out?"
D smirked evilly, instantly detesting him to the core. Undeterred by that insult, the young man walked towards her. His messy golden spikes of hair gave him a cool yet dangerous look. He reached for his sword.
"You're not going any further."
Seeing that he was ready to pounce, D made some distance between them and drew her sword.
"I'm not here to fight, take me to see the girl that was taken here!"
"Miss Juliet is not meeting anyone."
"I'm not going to repeat what I just said. Move it! It's important!"
He smirked.
"I'm not going to repeat that either. A hunter is not welcomed in a Noble's home. Be gone!"
Instead of drawing his sword, he took off the shield strapped to his back. It was an unexpected move from an unpredictable man. He clicked some kind of switch and immediately, spikes and razor sharp blades appeared around and on the shield.
D stared at that piece of metal with her mouth wide open. That shield could act as a razor sharp Frisbee which could take several heads if thrown with precision.
"Damn you! You're not going to throw that at me are you!"
"Oh yes I am!"
That boy said cheekily and sprang into action. He jump to the right which made D instinctively move in the opposite direction. Almost immediately, she realized her mistake.
"Darnit!"
She was cornered at a corner of the room with no where to go. That boy smirked.
"Checkmate!"
Just as he was about to throw out his weapon, a loud voice echoed through out the large room.
"Tate! That's enough."
The boy stopped and turned to look at the newcomer. A man walked into the room from another door at the other end of the room and came towards them.
"Keep that dangerous thing Tate. You'll destroy this room. You know the consequences don't you..."
The boy called Tate paled and kept his shield and knelt before him. D sighed with relieve.
"Oh the other hand, I can handle her with care..."
On hearing that, D sprang into her assault mode again. That man was dressed in black and red with a majestic looking cloak. That was a typical noble traveler's look. Tate moved aside to give his master more room. The man drew his sword which is strapped to his back and pointed the tip towards the hunter.
"On guard, hunter!"
"Hold on a second!"
D desperately tried to talk before any possible fight breaks out but it's obvious that he was not going to stop. The two swords made contact. Sparks flew, positions changed. The heavier sword had the upper hand in this situation. D defended herself with an extra ounce of carefulness because she was a girl on a mission.
"Reito. That's enough."
Another voice called out, this time it was a female whom D had met twice. Shizuru Viola. The man called Reito kept his sword immediately and knelt before her as she walked towards them.
"Mistress, I was only fooling around with this young and beautiful hunter. I meant no harm."
"Like hell you mean it!"
D cursed with disgust. The vampire gave her an apologetic smile and turned to the other two.
"That was a bad move Reito. As your punishment, I order you two to take care of a bandit's base 30 miles north from here. Return in four days or else... "
Reito tried to hide his shock with his normal cunning smile but Tate on the other hand trembled.
"Please accept my humble apologies, but what about my trip to the mayor."
"No worries, I'll have someone handle that."
Reito bowed and dragged Tate out of the room by his collar. D watched at the three of them converse in such a gentle manner yet it had such great effect on the boy. Shizuru's words and cool posture amazed her.
"Welcome to my humble home D. What may I do for you?"
D took out the little packet that contained that half tablet and simply said a name.
"Nao."
Back inside the room where Juliet Nao Zhang was resting, sounds of tortured breathe and painful sobs quickened in pace and loudness.
"Don't ...leave...me..." She moaned, hoping that someone could hear her.
D's acute sense of hearing sent her running as she neared the room. She slammed the door wide open and quickly rushed to the bed where the red head laid. The vampire followed closely behind and closed the door.
Nao looked very different from the last time D saw her. She looked extremely weak and fragile. Her face was contorted with pain, every breathe she took added to her misery. Her eyes were half closed with a distant gaze, her face was tear streaked. She stretched out her hand to grab anyone that she can hold on to.
"Don't...go..."
D took hold of her hand and patted her with assurance.
"Hang in there Nao! The princess sent me with your medicine."
"D, give me the medicine."
D obeyed without a word and kept her eyes on the girl in bed. The vampire opened the packet and broke the tablet into half again. She then took a glass of water and handed both items to D. When D saw the dosage, she was puzzled and angry, very angry.
"She's dying here! And you reduce her dosage to a quarter of the tablet!"
"You've mistaken my intention; I want my chemist to prepare more antidotes because that half tablet will not keep her alive very long."
"Oh..."
D was embarrassed with her sudden outburst; she had her head down to hide her shame.
"Please take care of her; I need to get going now."
The vampire smiled and brisk walked out of the room, leaving the hunter and the girl behind.
"No..."
Nao struggled with her words. D sat at the edge of the bed and helped Nao sit up so that she could take the antidote. All this time, the younger girl kept a firm grip on the other's coarse hand.
"Open your mouth..."
Nao was too weak to respond to D. The hunter had no choice but to force open her mouth and popped that little bit of medicine in. She held the glass to Nao's dry lips and let her take a sip but that proved to be a challenge too. Nao choked on that mouth of water and coughed the quarter tablet out.
D quickly moved to the next tactic, she changed her sitting position so that she was leaning against the bed panel; she gently took Nao into her arms and cuddled her.
"Breathe slowly, don't rush."
Nao relaxed considerably and closed her eyes. D picked up the soggy bit of medicine and put it into her own mouth. She quickly took a sip of water and pressed her lips upon Nao's, thinking. 'Come on! Drink!'
Nao's tired eyes opened with shock but the out of focused person before her made her dizzy again. She felt a small hard object being pushed into her mouth followed by a mouthful of water. She was puzzled by D's presence but most important of all, why was she feeding medicine to her?
Nao carefully swallowed this time to avoid coughing into the other's mouth. After she was very sure that she her body will not throw out that bit of medicine, she desperately struggled to get away from the other girl.
D felt a push from her shoulders and slowly backed away, leaving the other girl gasp for breathe. Nao seemed to look redder than before. Was the fever burning up again?
"What was ...that ...for.?"
"Just keep quiet and keep still. Don't die on me after all that trouble."
D's cold words didn't affect Nao at all because she knew that D was that kind of person who is not good with words. The warmth that D gave her made her slowly dozed off. Nao's breathing steadied considerably which was a good sign however when D tried to put her in bed again, she noticed that Nao was still holding her hand. The hunter gave up the idea of leaving her side because she knew that the patient needs warmth and care. After the Princess told her about Nao's scarred childhood, she knew how such a young girl felt.
To face death.
To be alone.
To be betrayed.
"I'm here..."
Good evening everyone! Hayashi desu!
As promised, there is an extra long chapter before my exams. So with love peace and joy, I will step into the path of marathon mugging till my exams are over. Not exactly in a good mood because something happened at home... Well have fun and check the reviews and bio page good day.