Chihiro: Part One

Chapter Twenty

As soon as I stepped back into the coven, I found Marik and Bakura arguing over some Japanese singer's photo in the magazine that Bakura was reading. Something about her being hot or not so hot, I don't really know. I came in and they both turned and looked at me. Marik had a mischevious smile on his face, and if I wasn't so excited, I would have remembered that he jacked me off in the shower the night before. But it completely slipped my mind.

Bakura grinned up at me. "Get your fix, man?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I ran into that fucking hunter again."

"You...wha?" Bakura got up in a hurry and Marik's grin was gone and he was just staring at me. Suddenly they were both looking at me as though something horrible had happened.

I, too excited about the prospect of going to see Seto, wasn't paying attention to how worried they seemed. "Yeah, the bitch followed me from this club and tried to pin me in the alley. I showed her."

Ever get the feeling you've just said the stupidest thing in the world? Well that's how they were looking at me, like I had let out the biggest bout of bullshit they'd ever heard.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Marik finally asked.

"That hunter, from last night, the bitch who started a shoot-up at the bar. She's looking for Seto...well, make that was looking for Seto."

Now turn the stupidest thing and turn it into the most unbelievable thing. The blood drained from their faces, their eyes went wide, and they just stared.

And then, from out of nowhere, Yami appeared. He too, like Bakura and Marik, looked as though he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in his life, but he absolutely had to know whether or not it was really true.

"What hunter?" Yami demanded, his voice deeper and more foreboding than usual.

I cowered under Yami's glare, I couldn't help it, the guy makes me weak. I quickly looked to Bakura and Marik, and they were now standing side by side staring at me with their jaws wide open and their eyes fixed and wide. I was starting to feel like I had done the unthinkable and was about to be punished for it.

I looked back at Yami, into those big violet eyes that demanded an answer. "I-I didn't get her name, but she was looking for Seto." I then took the pendant out of my pocket, holding it up by the string, and produced it to Yami. "She had this."

Bakura and Marik gasped. Yami stared at the pendant as though it held the answer to life itself. I had never seen him so focused, and as I stared at him, the blood in his face drained and he looked positively scared shitless.

Now if I didn't have my head up my ass, I probably would have tried to figure out why they were all shitting themselves over this pendant and the news that the huntress was dead. But obviously I was oblivious. I was too excited thinking about Seto, if there was time I was going to see him right away, not wait for the next night. My blood was absolutely singing at the idea.

Bakura finally broke the silence, pointing at the pendant with a shaky finger. "Yami, isn't that-"

Yami ignored Bakura, looked at me very seriously, and said: "Was she blonde? The huntress?"

For a moment I was surprised that he knew this. I shouldn't have been, who knew how old Yami was and how many huntresses he knew. But I nodded. "...Yeah."

Then Bakura drew in a breath with shock, and I heard him whisper. "It was Mai."

Marik looked right at me, his eyes accusing. "You killed Mai?"

Now turn the most unbelievable thing and turn it into "oh my god what the fuck did I do", and that's me. I looked to Bakura and Marik but they just stared at me in shock, and then I looked to Yami, who's eyes were so fierce and yet filled with the same shock that held Bakura and Marik in a trance.

"Yami..." I stared carefully, lowering the pendant. "Yami, it was kill or be killed-"

"But you did kill her?" Yami asked in a serious tone.

I nodded my head nervously. "Yeah...she would have killed me." I held up the pendant one more time, maybe I was trying to hide behind it, I don't really know, anything to keep Yami's accusing glare off me. "Look, it's Seto's. Think I should take it to him?"

Yami stared at the pendant for a long time, as did Marik and Bakura, and then finally Yami nodded. "Yes. Take it to him."

I smiled but no one smiled back at me, they stared in shock as though I had gone the most unspeakable thing in the name of vampires. I slipped out of the room the fastest I could without looking too suspicious, holding Seto's pendant close, and wondering what the hell was up with them. What had I done? Sure, I killed the blonde huntress, this...Mai, if that's her name. But it was just as I said: either I killed her or she would have killed me. So what was the problem?

~*~

I left quickly into the night, for I knew I had only a few more hours before dawn and I was determined to see Seto. Nothing was going to keep me from seeing him tonight. I was nearly pissing my pants in anticipation to see him. I took the pendant in both hands and left the coven like it was burning down, running into the night like Hell was chasing me. Instinct drove my feet, I could smell him in the air if I tried hard enough and I took off in his direction. I ended up back at the graveyard where I had spent my first few weeks as a newborn vampire.

For a moment I stilled as I realized he was here, he was in the mausoleum and hadn't moved, like I thought he would. He wasn't moving to protect himself from hunters. Had I had a better head at the time, I would have been pissed as hell to know that he had simply kicked me out of his little sanctuary, but at the time I was just too eager to see him. The growing hatred brewing inside of me could wait.

Calming myself, I neared the mausoleum and found its entrance, and slowly I eased myself inside.

Seto was sitting in his chair against the far wall, reading a book and I nearly cried when I saw him. He wore a simple black shirt, he looked breath-taking there and I wanted to throw myself in his arms and kiss his perfect lips. His face was held in such a concentrated gentleness, blue eyes gazing into the world his book provided for him, his rich chestnut hair combed, his bangs falling into his eyes. He sat so gracefully over the chair and was so intent on his book. I was positive he hadn't heard me come in.

But then he looked up at me, and my body sang when his blue eyes looked into mine. His expression remained unchanged. "Jou."

I knew in that simple expression, just from the way he looked at me, that he told the truth: he really didn't love me. It hurt so badly, just looking at his expression, that suddenly I felt the hurt build up inside of me and all I wanted was to get out. My blood screamed for Seto, my heart was racing and I wanted nothing more than to just throw myself at him. But I knew the truth, and the truth held me back.

So instead I came inside and presented the pendant to him, digging it out of my pocket and holding it up for him to see. I watched his eyes shift from me to the pendant, and his lips fell open.

"For you. Mai said you'd want it." I said.

The book fell from Seto's hands and clattered on the floor. I held it up for him to take it but it almost seemed like he was hesitant to take it. Finally he stood up and walked towards me. As Seto was reaching forward to take the pendant, I noticed his fingers were trembling. He grabbed it right out of my hands, as though it were treasure, and he wanted it more than anything. Once he held it all he did was stare at it, his blue eyes extremely wide, and his bottom lip shaking as though he were trying to say something. He continued to stare at it until he finally looked up at me, shock in his eyes like the others.

"You met Mai?" he asked quietly.

I shrugged. "Killed her."

There was deathly quiet, and Seto narrowed his eyes to me as though I was bullshitting him. "What do you mean you killed her?"

I scowled, and leaned back against his coffin in the middle of the room. "I...stopped her from living?"

Seto's not gonna win "Smartest Sire of the Year" either.

He stared at me for a good solid five minutes. I don't know what the hell he was thinking, but the look in his eyes showed me that obviously he didn't believe me. I didn't care, he didn't have to believe me. He got his necklace, and that was obviously all he wanted, because after awhile he looked down at the pendant in his hand and swept its smooth surface with his thumb. He looked like he was going to cry.

"Why did you bring it?" He asked in a quiet voice. "You could have given it to Yami."

I scowled, and then looked down at the floor so he wouldn't see how annoyed I was. "I know. I wanted to see you. I missed you."

I wasn't really expecting any kind of reaction outta Seto for revealing the fact I missed him. He had probably figured that out already and just didn't care, icy bastard that he is.

And of course, he dismissed my feelings almost immediately. "The blood gives you longing."

I looked up at him, and he moved back towards his chair. I stared at his back, literally feeling my heart ache as he sat down in his chair and continued looking at the pendant. Geez, it must have been really important.

He looked up at me again, probably to tell me to get the hell out. "How are you being treated at the coven?"

I shrugged and looked down at my feet. He was asking after my welfare, I guess that was some sign of affection, however puny. "I get lots of attention."

I was hoping this would stir some kind of jealousy in him, but obviously it didn't. He immediately asked: "Are you happy?"

I snorted. What a shitty thing to do, ask a stupid question like that. The asshole knew that I loved him, worshiped him, thought about him constantly, wanted him more than anything in the world. But I couldn't have him. So how the hell was I supposed to be happy?

"Am I supposed to be?" I asked after awhile, still staring at my shoes, not really expecting a reaction. Then I raised my head and looked at him. "Am I strong enough to go on by myself? Domino holds too much heartbreak for me."

I don't know why I said it. Truthfully, was I really thinking about leaving Domino? Not really. Seto was here, despite the fact we never saw each other, and I had friends in the coven. I was only two months old as a vampire, I probably only skimmed the abilities of my blood. I guess I said it because I was aching for his attention. If I threatened leaving Domino, maybe he would change.

Seto sighed and looked at me with all seriousness. "You should already know the answer to that."

He was right, I did.

I stood up angrily. I was so ready to leave, so sick of his bullshit. He got his precious necklace, he made me feel appropriately like shit, now it was time to leave. But as I turned to go, I saw Seto touch the surface of the necklace again, looking down at it like it was a sacred object, and I just shook my head.

"I know there's something you're not telling me." I said seriously. "Maybe something to do with that necklace. There was a reason Mai had it, and a reason you're so terrified of hunters."

Again Seto sighed heavily, and I knew he was anxious to get rid of me. "Wouldn't you have seen?"

He meant through the blood. I had completely forgotten about that, if I had sucked the bitch's blood, perhaps I would have had some answers for why Seto was the way he was. Hell she had his necklace, perhaps she was a key figure in his mysterious vampire past!

...Fuck. I'm never gonna win "Smartest Vampire of the Year".

So I confessed to hide my stupidity. "I crushed her neck. I didn't want her memories. Or her blood."

Seto rose his eyes to me a last time, and this time he looked at me differently. Before he held a gaze of exasperation, maybe a little contempt, but definitely resentment. Now he looked at me as though I was an angel, someone he had never seen before. I figured he was going to give me some bullshit line, but he just stared with that same intentness, and then his eyes softened.

"You're stronger than I first imagined, Jou."

Whatever, what was strength when you were unhappy? I pulled up the collar on my shirt, because I knew it was probably gonna be cold outside. I turned my back to him, and raised a hand. "Good night, Seto."

I knew his eyes were on my back as I left the mausoleum.

~*~

By the time I returned to the coven, it was nearly dawn and everyone had retired to their rooms, so I couldn't even vent to anyone about what happened with Seto. Annoyed, but tired at the same time, I went to my room and surrendered to my coffin. I knew one thing about this encounter, that I had to give Seto up, or I would never have peace. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how much my blood wanted him and my body ached for him, I had to let him go, or I would never move on.

Next chapter: What you've all been waiting for. :P

A/N: Short chapter I know, I apologize. Next one will be nice and lengthy.