Author's note:
Oh dear god. I was SOOO frickin nervous updating this chapter!
Tell me if you think I moved too fast in this chapter. I'm just trying to get back to the main story again. You guys have a point… I'm dying to get back to Zero!
So pardon me if I've rushed, I will smooth it over if you say so.
I'm just desperate to get this memory arc over! It's so funny to get this vibe from my very own story – I always get impatient watching animes and reading mangas when they get to this point!
So I apologise again, bear with me!
Could this even be called war?
The fighting was kept small, in groups of no more than thirty, lasting only hours – attacks on Human villages, which they defended from Katsuo's Vampires. The results were mixed and rather pitiful – half a village of surviving Humans who feared the Vampires who had saved them, and half a village taken away by Katsuo to join the Human slave armies.
Daisuke commanded most of the forces now, left behind by Kaname as he went to hunt down the Army Leaders. If he killed them off, then their subservient Human followers would kill themselves. If Kaname had been successful in slaughtering the right Army Leader of the faction Daisuke's troops were fighting, often the Human army would simply collapse. It would be an easy win.
Still, the surviving Humans always feared them, and they'd have to run away quickly, more like shunned vagabonds than wounded heroes, to lick their sorry wounds.
How long had it been since the fight had begun? Kaname couldn't remember. There was no relief, no victory in a war that was at a stalemate – and because of this, spirits were on a constant low. On top of this, the Vampires were getting hungry, and it was getting harder and harder to not submit to the temptation the Humans were. The increased, frantic blood sharing between them meant that their bloods were already mixed. It was they were feeding from themselves (apart for Kaname, who was banned by Daisuke to share his blood, since he thought it was too special and had to be guarded. In rebellion, and to soothe his guilty conscience, Kaname decided to stop feeding altogether, much to Daisuke's protest. It wasn't fair to let his men starve while he went on feeding).
On his solo missions to find the Leaders, he always felt his heart be drawn towards the east, to the two Twin Mountains-
But he would stop himself. There was no time to satisfy his own selfish needs. If he met Isamu, it would happen, and it would probably be during a Human slave raid. If Isamu had been successful in convincing his village to fight for weaker Humans, now that they were stronger; then they almost certainly would meet one day on the battlefield. He just had to be patient, and wait for that day.
One day though, his heart soared when he realised what direction the Leader he was tracking's scent was leading him towards. Home. What were the chances? From the faintness of the scent, and the staggered footsteps he tracked, he could tell the Leader knew he was being Hunted, and was likely on the run. This was like a blessing to Kaname.
He felt his cheekbones press upwards to his eyes, and his face warm. What was this strange feeling?
He was smiling.
For so long he hadn't smiled, that he had to pause for a second, just to appreciate the warm feeling of happiness stretching across his face.
This place would forever hold a place in his heart, because although the villagers had made it very clear that he was now unwelcome, this land – these mountains, welcomed him whenever he came home. When he thought of home…
He thought of the solid mountains that shaded him from the sun.
The cool rush of a balmy breeze whistling through, unimpeded by any plants taller than the reeds which swept across his kneecaps.
A little boy with sparkling white hair, and a laugh so loud and bright, it echoed through the mountains, lively and brash, as if he was challenging the mountains to dance in time to his laughter…
Kaname felt his own breath catch on the breeze when he raised his head to survey the surroundings. It was so beautiful now. The fresh green carpet of thick, spongy grass paved the sides of the dirt path, with small sections of sunlit grass shimmering from the dew. He felt a swell of pride in what he felt was his homeland, how beautiful it had become.
But Kaname's eyes strayed to the one thing that had always caught his breath.
Up ahead, a man walking, his head mostly bowed but he could still make out the top of his white head.
He walked a bit faster, but kept his distance, practically able to see his own scent being carried downwind towards the figure, Isamu jerked his head, recognising his scent.
Kaname burst out laughing, running all the way down to his friend and catching him around the waist, spinning him round like he was a child again.
"Must we always meet in this place?" Isamu groaned, clinging to his shoulders.
"Impossible! How do we always meet like this?" he laughed, dropping backwards onto the grass, Isamu screeching as he was toppled and crashed into his body. "Isamu… Isamu," Kaname cupped his face, pecking his lips and stroking his cheeks. "You look… older,"
Isamu snorted, "Three years, Kaname. Don't you Vampires keep track of the days?"
"Three years, really?" Kaname blinked. He had thought only months had passed, not years. "We Vampires don't take much notice of time passing…"
His eyes were busy inspecting Isamu's face though. It wasn't that he looked old, but there were definitely signs of time's changes. His slim and angular face was still the same shape, but his jaw was stronger, sharper. Kaname could see that his body had filled out to match the long, awkward limbs he had grown. There was also an intangible weariness in his face – no wrinkles, or scars, but Kaname could see just from his face that Isamu had already seen too many terrible things in his relatively short life.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-one,"
"Is that young?"
Isamu laughed, "Quite young, but I'm a man now. Truly a man,"
"Oh?" Kaname quirked his brow, "And what do you mean by that?"
Isamu's smiling lips twitched briefly, "My wife is pregnant,"
That was surprising.
Kaname wasn't innocent, or too naïve that he didn't understand Isamu's implications.
His smile froze, and he nodded curtly, "That's nice, is it yours?"
Isamu's belly heaved with laughter, and he fell on top of Kaname, so he could feel his convulsing stomach. He didn't find it funny at all, but clearly Isamu did. He sighed, waiting awkwardly for Isamu's answer, with a complacent smile on his face.
"That's so rude, Kaname! God! You're lucky I'm the only Human you talk to,"
"Why is it rude?" he tilted his head in confusion. Isamu ruffled his hair.
"You're implying that my wife lies with other men," he said slowly, teasing the knots he had made out of his hair.
"Well, aren't you lying with another man right now? And didn't you say that she doesn't love you, and that you think she deserves the chance to love… from what you've said, that implies that you have freed her so she can take another lover, despite your marriage?"
Isamu sighed heavily, kissing Kaname's fingertips, "That isn't true, Kaname. The children are mine. Why do you think we married in the first place? It was to pass on our genes, to carry down our family lines. We may not be in love, but we are faithful to each other,"
"Children?"
He grinned, "Twins," he carded his hands through Kaname's hair, winding them around his neck, "It's a good thing Kaname. This means I don't have to do that again with her. We will have two children, which is one more than we need. Our families will be happy,"
Kaname heaved a sigh, burying his nose into Isamu's neck. "If I was to take a mate, how would you feel about that?"
"The same as you, I imagine,"
"Just for babies,"
"Oh Kaname, so crude," Isamu crooned into his ear, "How heartless you are. How cruel. You'd take a woman, only for her womb to plant your babies in, and not give her a shred of your heart,"
"Never, my heart is spoken for,"
"You sap,"
Kaname laughed, rolling them over so he could gaze down at Isamu, waggling his eyebrows playfully. "When you said you were faithful to her, how faithful must you be?"
Widening his eyes scandalously, Isamu chuckled, "Not a sap then. Saps don't have ulterior motives,"
Kaname sucked in a deep breath, steadying himself,
"I want to make love to you,"
His eyes softened, falling half-lidded as he gazed downwards. Kaname cringed, waiting for an answer he already could see.
"Oh, so you are a sap, Kaname," Isamu whispered, slapping him and smiling softly, "But you know my answer. We can't do that. Unfortunately I am a man of my word, and when we married, I promised her I would be faithful. I love you, Kaname, isn't that enough?"
Even though he already knew what he would say, Kaname couldn't help but feel the bitterness of rejection. He dropped on Isamu, so he would not have to see his face.
They shuffled into a comfortable position, grinning when they noticed exactly where they had settled. The lip of the overhanging rock was higher, but the same recognizable angles curved around their heads, just wide enough for both of them to be sheltered under it, if they were lying side-by-side. The child-sized crack (now named "Kaname's SOS Crack" by Isamu), had widened again, now an able size for a man to crouch down and shimmy into, though they would have to walk sideways.
"The ground here is still shifting,"
"Hmm?" Kaname grunted. Isamu slapped him again.
"We're on a tectonic plate that is being pushed upwards, Kaname. It's local geography which you taught me. These mountains are battling to outgrow each other, each of them is being pushed upwards, growing taller year by year. But the rock at the base, where we are, is brittle and cannot bend with the mountain – hence, the SOS crack grows,"
"I wonder what we'll find if we go inside it,"
"You really want to go in there, don't you?" Isamu sniggered, Kaname pouted slightly but nodded, "What's your fascination with it? I still remember that day when I first met you… and your… arm was stuck!" he guffawed, struggling to breathe.
"I wasn't trying to get inside it!" Kaname whined, "It was far too small back then,"
"Then what were you trying to do?"
"I was just playing around," he shrugged.
Isamu chortled, "What a cheeky baby," he teased, tugging at Kaname's ear. Kaname wondered when things had changed so that Isamu could be the one to tease him. "We'll just have to wait for the ground to shift some more. Maybe the crack will get big enough, and we can go inside it. Okay?"
"No one speaks to me like you do," he mused, rolling onto his back to lie beside Isamu.
"No?" Isamu mumbled, head flopping onto his side, a wild grin on his face, "No one speaks to you like you're a crazy fool? A foolish sap? A sappy idiot? An idiotic-"
"I think they think I'll get angry if they treat me like you do,"
"Ooh, you'll get angry, and then…?"
"They're scared of me, Isamu," Kaname said seriously, turning his head to face him too, "They don't say it, but I can feel it. They don't know me like you do. They're always watching me like I'm a bomb about to burst,"
"Explode, you mean… do you mean to say, that no one, not even your friends play around with you?"
"Only you, my love," Kaname said dryly, "Only you treat me like a fool,"
Isamu batted his eyelashes, "I am honoured to belittle you, Kaname. It is my greatest pleasure in life,"
"I think I may need belittling. They treat me far too kind. Always listening to me, doing as I say, waiting on me-"
"Spoiling you? Treating you like a King? Most men wouldn't complain about that,"
"I am not most men,"
"Oh, definitely not. You are a strange one. You're on a whole new level, Kaname, one so high that no one can equal you," Isamu laced their hands together, "You've always been strange, my love, and I mean that in the kindest way,"
Kaname rolled over at that moment, trapping Isamu underneath him, "You are equal to me," he whispered and began to lay kisses all over his face, lighter than a butterfly's wings fluttering against his skin. Isamu writhed, panting rather than laughing, as he usually did when he was tickled. It delighted Kaname that he reacted the same way as he did as a boy, squeezing his eyes shut and beating Kaname with the flats of his hands.
Eventually he relented, and crawled backwards till his chin was settled comfortably in Isamu's stomach. From this view, he could see the flat plane of his chest, the curves of his exposed collarbones which formed a ridge. His clavicle plunged deeply, a hollow which throbbed with the pulse in his throat, that throat which led up towards a long, white neck. Kaname loved how his body was a symphony of sharp ridges and even planes, reflecting the image of the landscape around him, except instead of being cool like the mountain pass, his body was wonderfully warm.
"Why did you come here?" he mumbled, enjoying the bobbing motion of his head as he let it move when he talked, keeping his jaw planted firmly on Isamu's stomach.
"You'll bite your tongue," Isamu warned him, sighing as Kaname snapped his jaws rebelliously, "I'm doing the mission you set me, Kaname. I'm Hunting down the followers, this one is Akiyama-"
"Kenji," Kaname gasped, "I'm Hunting him too,"
Isamu frowned, "Why? You gave me that job,"
"There's so many of them Isamu, and they're working too fast. It's difficult to find Katsuo, almost impossible, so I've decided to at least help with getting rid of these followers. They've already got hundreds of Humans now, and they're turning them into armies. These armies are getting in our way when we're trying to defend other Human villages,"
"Our village is ended. Soon after my people drank the blood, many of us who went to rest did not awaken,"
"What?" Kaname breathed, blinking as he tried to understand that some Humans had died drinking the blood. Isamu had drunk the blood…how close had he been to dying?
"I don't know, Kaname. Some of us didn't make it. The change I went through, it was very painful. Maybe it was just too much for some to handle,"
"How many?"
"Sixteen were lost. The rest of us learnt pretty quickly that we can sense Vampires' presences. I can sense you right now, very strongly, because you're so close. When we began to sense Vampires coming towards us, I convinced them that we should leave the village. I think it was Katsuo. He was coming back to avenge her,"
No wonder.
"Before we left, I did as you asked and checked the vat," Isamu pushed Kaname away, sitting up to reach for his bag that lay discarded to the side of them. He dug through it for a few seconds, then pulling out
a gun.
"We had just enough time to save the metal before it cooled and set. Himura-san (the blacksmith) didn't want to waste it, so he melted it again and cast the metal for weapons. New moulds, Kaname. We've changed a lot from the village you once knew. Weapons aren't so unfamiliar to us anymore,"
Kaname nodded, handling the gun lightly. When he had been handed it, he flinched, feeling to his surprise a zing, like a static shock hitting his fingers. The small pain didn't diminish as he fiddled with the gun, each time he touched it, it prickled uncomfortably on his skin. He had wondered what Lady's heart would do to the metal, and was alarmed to find it made it painful to touch. That he was holding part of her heart in his hands made him feel suddenly melancholy. The loss had never truly faded. For him, the pain was just as bad as if it had been yesterday. The gun was an uncomfortable reminder of her sacrifice.
"So then, are we going to Hunt Akiyama-san together?"
"Why not?" Isamu shrugged, clambering onto his feet. He pulled Kaname onto his feet too and brushed them off quickly. "We'll deal with him together then. But after this we should make it a competition, a contest,"
"What, make a contest of who can kill more evil Vampires?" Kaname exclaimed incredulously.
"Not in a bad way, Kaname. This is hardly a game. But some friendly rivalry will have us Hunting them faster, don't you think?"
This is hardly a game.
…Then why do you treat it this way?
This isn't fun.
Kaname followed Isamu down the Pass, worrying all the while, why Isamu had suggested a contest like this, so playfully. He may have dismissed it quickly, but since when had killing people become a game to him? Maybe he was overreacting, but he just wasn't used to seeing his Isamu so grown up. The gun he held looked too comfortable in his hand, he handled it too naturally.
Weapons aren't so unfamiliar to us anymore.
Perhaps the violence had affected Isamu in ways Kaname had not expected nor realised.
When Kaname arrived back at the Vampires' temporary campsite, it was almost noon and most of the Vampires were asleep. However, outside their tent, he found Daisuke curled up on the floor. A book lay on his lap on its back, its pages fanned open. He tutted, bending to take the book out of his friend's loose grip. Daisuke would be annoyed when he woke, his page had been lost. Kaname watched his friend fondly grasp at the air with his fingers. He was remarkably perceptive of his surroundings, even in his sleep. Eventually he woke, blinking back sleep as he saw Kaname's face swim before his eyes.
"May I ask why you're sleeping out here?" Kaname asked, bemused at his usually well-orientated friend's dazed expression. He put it down to sleepy grogginess, "You'll get burnt in the sunlight when it turns afternoon, and the sun creeps around the tent,"
"Mm, it's difficult to sleep in there," Daisuke grumbled, jerking his head to the tent and snapping his jaws in a wide yawn.
Kaname groaned, glancing at the closed tent flaps. "They're not… not again are they?" It was suspiciously quiet, but he'd made the mistake of assuming quiet meant not busy far too many times.
Daisuke rubbed his eyes blearily, shaking his head, "No. No, they're not doing that. There's some bad – well it's not exactly bad news, but…" he glanced up at Kaname's expectant face, and sighed. "Come with me,"
They entered the tent so slowly and quietly that Kaname's suspicions grew.
At first he didn't see what was different. He moved to ask Daisuke, when his eyes fell on one of the beds.
"Where's Hiroshi?"
Kaname's stomach dropped like a stone.
"Oh no… no, no, no-" Had he gone on a mission? He wasn't back. Did this mean-
"Kaname, no!" Daisuke exclaimed, "It's nothing like that. Hiroshi's fine, it's just-"
"He's left the tent," came the voice on the other bed. Kaname almost didn't recognise Kenshin, from his usual upbeat voice – this sullen, toneless sound was so unlike him. They approached the bed with less care, now they knew he was awake.
"Kenshin, I thought you were asleep…" Daisuke said gently, reaching to touch his back.
The younger blonde shifted away, drawing himself further away from them. He sniffed. It was then that Kaname realised he was crying. The smell of salty tears was noticeable from this proximity, he hadn't recognized it before he heard him. Now he was unsure what the big dilemma was about. Without being cynical, Kaname wondered what had caused Daisuke to sleep outside – Kenshin wasn't a cry-baby, but often he could summon up the greatest of tantrums and sulk for hours. He didn't always go as far as to cry each time, but he was quite childish when things didn't go his way (though this mostly applied to when Hiroshi was attempting to discipline him).
Not many tantrums had resulted in Hiroshi leaving the tent.
"Explain," he said softly, knowing that Kenshin would answer. He felt though that this situation was different from most. When Kenshin was just sulking, he would still speak to Kaname or Daisuke, just not Hiroshi. He would face them too, not hide away like this.
Kenshin remained facing the tent wall.
Daisuke patted his shoulder and then took Kaname's arm, leading them out of the tent. Kenshin hadn't spoken a word.
"Tell me what's wrong," he repeated. He didn't like that he had come back, in a relatively good mood from seeing Isamu (though he had found seeing his beloved fighting like a dog against a very dangerous Vampire absolutely terrifying), and had to face this to end his day; but he just as much wanted to see Kenshin back to his usual mood.
Daisuke took a deep breath.
"Hiroshi's has decided to take a mate,"
Kaname recoiled.
Almost for as long as he'd known these three friends, he'd known Kenshin and Hiroshi to be lovers. Though they bickered and fought and were generally an annoyance to all those around them, they were so happy together. He had assumed they would always be together. Suddenly he felt anger boil in him at Hiroshi. How could he leave Kenshin like this?
He immediately made to pursue Hiroshi, but Daisuke pulled him back gently.
Daisuke shook his head, slowly, as if he had done so many times before.
"Don't," he said simply, "It was a mutual decision,"
"But why?" Kaname growled, feeling unusually protective over Kenshin. He was too young to get his heart broken like this. Kaname couldn't shake the image of him crying silently and facing the wall, so unresponsive, "What right did Hiroshi have to do this? They were in love!"
"They still are, and that's the sad part. Kenshin told me only that the decision had been made a long time ago to do so. He's just dealing with the aftermath – they were almost Bonded, Kaname,"
"You're not explaining to me why this happened,"
"They want children," Daisuke said, "Both of them. This era is still new, and they don't want to be the last of their kind. They agreed that they wanted to pass on their bloodlines someday – and men cannot do this together. So they knew they would have to prepare for the day when they would have to break up.
"Unfortunately, today was that day for Kenshin. Hiroshi told him this morning, and moved all his things to a new tent. Kenshin's been like this ever since,"
"But why now?" Kaname begged. It horrified him to see Kenshin like this. He didn't want to go see how Hiroshi looked like right now. Now that he knew why things had been done, it dawned on him that Hiroshi didn't do this for himself, it was for Kenshin too. He must look the same…
"It was time to, I guess," he shrugged, "I can't understand it. Hiroshi came back from his mission. Maybe it was something he saw. Maybe it's the fear that he won't be able to have his children before he dies, so he decided to end it quickly. I'm not sure of his motives, Kaname, he only spoke to Kenshin for a short time before he left,"
"They still can be together though," Kaname protested. Part of him wondered why he was keeping this up. Was he just fighting for his friends, or for something else? The promise ran through his mind – the promise Isamu and he had made just earlier, to have each other, even if they had to take other people as their wives or mates.
"No they can't!" Daisuke laughed bitterly, "What are you saying, Kaname? A mate is a mate. That's a commitment for life,"
He held his head. This was too much to take in.
Kaname had hoped he would also get a child, one day. But that would require taking a mate, and making a commitment for life to that mate – to be with her always, a pledge he only wanted to make with one person, who was married.
What was the difference between marriage and taking mates?
Which one stopped him from having Isamu?
He excused himself from Daisuke, ignoring his attempts to stop him as he went to sniff Hiroshi out.
The tent he found him in was far away from their old tent, downwind of it. He wondered if this was because Hiroshi thought he'd be homesick from their little family, and wanted their scent to find comfort in at least. Kaname found the redhead hunched over his knees in his new bed, not sleeping either. There was an element of being a cold observer in Kaname's stance, wanting to know what heartbreak looked like from the outside, imagining what it would feel like on the inside.
It was hard to imagine.
Suddenly a hand grabbed him from through the tent flap – Daisuke's hand – and tore him away. Kaname had rarely seen Daisuke as angry as he appeared to be. Silent and strong, the blonde took him far away from any of the tents, though his footsteps were even, he could feel the rage stamped into each one of them.
Daisuke whirled around to face Kaname. His face was taut and a line on his forehead warned Kaname how upset he was.
"You mustn't confront either of them. The choice was theirs, Kaname. Hiroshi saw something in his mission. I sent him out last night with twenty men. Only seven returned, including him.
"I asked the others what had happened. On their search for the village they were told to protect, they caught trail of a strong blood scent. When they followed it, they found Katsuo there, standing on a verge, looking at the remains of Lady. He had dug her up from her grave.
"They told me that he had cut himself and had poured his blood on her. He was telling her to drink from him. He was talking to her, Kaname. They thought he had gone mad. And then when he turned to them, they realised he was almost bled out. He was starving and attacked them, ate them, and then left.
"You must think, Kaname. We once thought we were an immortal race – we can heal almost any wound, escape the very edges of near-death situations. I've survived stab wounds to my heart, fatal wounds a mortal should have died from. It's a real shock to us when Hiroshi and his men came back to tell us so many had been killed by one Vampire. Maybe that was what scared Hiroshi, to make him want to preserve his blood line. Death is much closer to us than we thought. There are so few of us Vampires left, after all this bloodshed,"
The fighting had certainly diminished the numbers of Vampires about. Kaname had even heard stories that there were Vampires who chose to mate with Humans, because the numbers were so few, and they thought their blood lines would be safe amongst the Humans, for whatever reason.
And all this fighting was because of one man, one Vampire who wanted to turn an entire race into an army of slaves, who wanted to avenge the death of his beloved mate and child.
Kaname had been so preoccupied with finishing off the Army Leaders that he had forgotten his main target: Katsuo. Lady had made him promise to end Katsuo, because he was the one who was urging the fight on. He took Daisuke's shoulder.
"My friend, I have not been working hard enough,"
"You are, you're doing all you can-"
"I must leave. I must dedicate all my time now to finding Katsuo. He is the key to this disaster. I must do what our Lady asked us and finish him,"
"You won't return?"
Kaname let out a shuddering sigh, "I won't. Not until he's dead at least,"
"Rest one more night here with us, Kaname. You look so tired," Daisuke pleaded. Kaname raised a brow. He looked tired?
"As the Humans say, 'The pot calling the kettle black',"
"Kaname…"
"From what I have seen, Daisuke, I shan't be sleeping here again. It doesn't feel right without the four of us in it," he said forlornly, glaring at Hiroshi's new tent. "I leave the men to you. You'll command them, I trust no one else. Before I leave…"
Kaname paused from his pacing. What he would ask… would it be wrong to do so? Especially after what Hiroshi had done, what Kaname was debating doing right now felt so wrong to ask for. He kept seeing flashbacks of Kenshin crying silently in his bed, alone and heartbroken…the image kept flickering to having Isamu being the one crying in the dark…
It was all for a child. For a chance to pass on their blood lines.
"Kaname? You stopped talking,"
"Before I leave, please…find me a mate…"
It was only when Kaname was alone that he allowed himself to sob bitterly. On his last night, among his friends and those closer friends he considered family, he had spent his time elsewhere, among the women's tents. Daisuke knew the women of their group well, and had chosen the best mate he could find for Kaname. Still, the touch of her hand did not compare to the touch he wanted and craved. Her skin tasted sweet, as did her soft lips, but Kaname felt with each kiss he gave her, it was like eating glass shards. She was so kind to him, not complaining as he at first was resistant and cold. In fact, the whole time he had been mechanical and emotionless. As Isamu had said, he had used her, just for her womb.
Guilt stabbed through him from both sides. Guilt for using a beautiful, kind woman as nothing more than a means of getting his child. Guilt for betraying his love in this way – even though Isamu had given him permission to do this.
Kaname wiped his face. This was no time for crying.
He stumbled in the dark, carrying nothing more than the clothes on his back. There was no destination in mind, he was simply following his senses, letting his nose lead him to where Katsuo was. But Katsuo was a master in concealing his scent trails. They were barely there. Each time he followed the faintest tendril of a scent, he kept being distracted by scents of other Vampires mixed with Human blood – these were the Army Leaders.
…we should make it a competition… some friendly rivalry will have us Hunting them faster, don't you think?...
Isamu. He was Hunting the Leaders. Was it possible if he also Hunted them, they would meet? He could barely focus on Katsuo's scent with all these bloody Leaders' scents trailing everywhere anyway. Kaname decided, this was the wisest choice – to Hunt all the Leaders first, get rid of them so he could focus on Katsuo's trail. It was like Katsuo himself had said – they were obstructing his sight.
"So this going to be a game then, Isamu?" Kaname muttered, feeling his lips curl into a smile, just from saying his beloved's name, "If it is, let the game begin,"
For the next few years, Kaname did in fact bump into Isamu many times. Often they found each other on the same trail, Hunting the same Leader. Each time, Kaname felt his heart lighten as they embraced and went on the Hunt together. Though the location, and the situations weren't ideal, in his opinion, at least he got to spend time with Isamu. It was more time than they had ever spent together, since Isamu's childhood days.
"Kaname! You look awful. You smell awful,"
"Ah…," Kaname laughed uneasily, "I love you, Isamu," he said, trying to wrap his arms around Isamu, though he was firmly held back at a safe distance. He did smell pretty bad, but he was stinking of several days worth of no bathing. This time he had Hunted three Leaders in one go, and hadn't had time to rest or wash at all. "How are you, my love?"
"Good, I suppose," Isamu delicately pecked Kaname's hand, which was the only bearably clean (he hoped) part of him, "We're getting there, Kaname. The numbers of them are definitely diminishing,"
"Mm, how old are you?" Kaname said quickly, earning a deserving slap on the head for the rude question he asked, every time.
"Twenty-two. She gave birth six months ago," Isamu said quickly, his voice raising in excitement. Kaname couldn't help but share in his joy. Children were a joy, it didn't matter if they came from parents who weren't in love, they were precious, always. Kaname loved the idea in his mind of another baby like Isamu had been, a tiny white-haired child toddling about…
"That's wonderful, how are they?" he said enthusiastically, pleased that he had remembered the detail of Isamu's twins.
"He's fine,"
Kaname's smile dimmed. He? Only one? "I thought-"
"The other one didn't make it, he would've been another son," Isamu sighed, "We don't even know why! Everything was fine, we thought. The babies were healthy, but at the labour… we lost one. There was so much blood everywhere, the babies were covered in it.
"It just wasn't an easy labour, and we found wounds on the other baby – the one that didn't make it. It's so bizarre… she couldn't stop crying. But I told her that at least we have a son, I'm happy to have my son at least," he nodded. Kaname could see that he was still troubled by the traumatic delivery. He hugged Isamu close, whispering words of comfort into his ear.
He knew what it was like to be present at a distressing childbirth. Kaname could never forget that night.
There was something disturbing about what Isamu had said.
…we found wounds on the other baby…
Suddenly it hit him.
…When they mate and have their children, those innocents will have to fight to get into this world! They will have to fight to gain the chance to live, just as my baby did…
Oh god, could it be…Katsuo's curse…?
If the curse said that the baby had to "fight to get into this world", did that mean Isamu's children had fought each other to be born?
He suddenly felt disgusted. Katsuo had cursed all the Hunters. How many babies would die of this curse? That wasn't fair. That was sick. But how could he tell Isamu the reason for his child's death? How could he tell him that his baby son was already a murderer, that he'd committed fratricide in the very moments when he had just begun to live?
He couldn't. That was the only answer, shameful though it may be. Isamu was already grieving his dead son, he couldn't stand to make him even more upset.
They only held each other in that meeting. Kaname didn't feel like it was the time to tell Isamu, his child had also been born only two months ago. He'd been told the news by a scout, and felt a mix of pride and longing, to see the child, to thank the mother.
"Kaname! Stop it," he whacked him, "Stop it!"
He laughed so hard that his gut hurt, running around crazily, waving the water pail over his head. Isamu was red in the face from chasing him, panting a storm and yelling profanities even Kaname didn't know.
"If you want the water, just drink it, damn it!"
"I have your bucket again," Kaname howled, finally coming to a stop beside Isamu when he began to pity Isamu's lack of breath, and the stitch he was trying to soothe. He did take the water to drink, wincing at its gritty taste, since it hadn't been filtered yet.
Admittedly, the water did little for his thirst.
Kaname hated his weakness, but it had been so long since he had last drunk the drink he actually needed, and his teeth ached from the too cold, too bland water. These days he tried to refrain from touching Isamu as much. He was afraid. Even under the layers of sweat and grime from his work, Isamu smelt delicious. He could smell his rich blood, the motes of a healthy, exquisitely unique blood lay just beneath his white skin. Just imagining its taste, the look of hot red blood smeared on his skin-
Kaname had to control himself.
He offered the pail to Isamu, who sent him a harsh glare, still panting.
"Out of breath, old coot?" Kaname smirked, laughing as Isamu recognised the name he used to call Kaname. Indeed, in the time they had been apart this time, he had grown again. Now there were the beginnings of crows' feet at the sides of his eyes, laughter lines were too faint to be counted as wrinkles – he had not laughed enough yet. "How old, now?"
Isamu scrunched up his nose, still peeved at the repeated question, "Twenty-nine,"
Almost thirty. Kaname winced inwardly. How much time were they losing? How long was it taking to finish these Leaders off? It was harder now, he had to admit. There were so few left, only a couple at the most. It made them harder to find and catch.
Isamu also seemed to be more aware of the time, as he glanced between them, a look of dread and bitter amusement glimmering in his eyes. He touched Kaname's lips reverently.
"Ha, at last, I look older than you,"
Immediately, instinctively Kaname shook his head. "You don't look old-"
"I do, Kaname, and that's perfectly normal," he insisted, taking Kaname's hands in his, "It's okay,"
"Are you old?"
"I wish you'd stop asking that, it makes me feel old!" Isamu laughed, shaking his head in amusement.
"I must ask. I have to know how much of you I am missing. I'll replace the years with kisses, Isamu…" Kaname purred, leaning to kiss him. He was dodged skilfully and laughed at, despite his pleading stare.
"I wouldn't call twenty-nine old. I'd call it… 'getting there',"
"Are you still young?" Kaname asked, almost begging desperately. He didn't know what was regarded as young or old in Human age, he only knew that old people died sooner, and young people had much more time to go. It was dawning on him that while he didn't age, Isamu did.
Isamu laced their fingers together, kissing Kaname softly.
"Sort of, I'm getting there, definitely. But Kaname," he whispered, pressing his lips to his knuckles, "I'll always be young at heart. So if you take my bucket again-"
Kaname began to pay the kisses.
"…thirty-two?...thirty-three?...thirty-"
"You'll take forever to get there, Kaname. I'm forty,"
"Forty… is that young?"
"It's middle-aged. I should be expecting a crisis at any second,"
"A crisis-"
"A joke, Kaname, it's just a joke," Isamu chuckled, rolling over to see Kaname's face relax again into a small but pleasant smile. He marvelled again at how young Kaname appeared. It was weird to think of him as young, compared to himself. Kaname had met him as a child, shouldn't he be the one to age? But no, he was a Vampire, and this was one of their "Vamp-quirks" as Isamu called them.
"You know, I think we're down to our last three,"
"Hmm?" Isamu blinked, seeing Kaname staring at him with some sort of odd affection in his eyes, "What did you say? I'm getting deaf in my old age, you see-"
"I said, we're down to the last three Leaders. It's good. I can almost smell Katsuo clearly now,"
Isamu instantly became serious, "You're going after him when we're done?"
"Yes, as soon as I can. This is taking too long," Kaname said quietly. "We've been working fast, my love, but not fast enough-"
"Oh Kaname, don't lie. We've been taking our time. Don't deny we're being selfish-"
"Selfish?" Kaname cried, "Selfish how? We've sacrificed a large chunk of your lifetime on Hunting these damned Leaders for everyone's safety,"
"We're wasting time each time we meet-"
"That's time that we deserve," he yelled, hushing his voice to a murmur at Isamu's agonised face, "My love, I see so little of you, even now. Give me this time, give me some time with you…"
"Kaname," Isamu sighed, rolling closer to Kaname's warmth.
He hated to be under Kaname's eyes anymore, to be seen at close distances. Though Isamu wasn't ugly, and didn't look old at all for his age, he had gained many battle scars from their Hunts. They even littered his face – a pink set of five claw marks on his left cheek, just below his cheekbone. It was embarrassing to compare his flawed face with Kaname's perfect, unmarked skin. Some of his scars weren't even battle wounds, he had to confess. They were simple marks worn into his Human skin from mundane every day things, and silly Human mistakes. A knick in his earlobe, caused by running too fast and not dodging the thorny bushes soon enough. His calloused hands, worn by use of his beloved gun, and washing his hands whenever he could, repeatedly, to get rid of the stench of blood.
But Kaname barely saw these things – no, actually, he did see these things. It was just that they didn't matter to him at all. His eyes tracked every mark on Isamu's face with childish curiosity. He didn't reach out to touch them, he only saw them as things to remember of his Isamu's face, just like the slope of his nose, the colour of his lips, the shape of his eyes…
"Forty-six, Kaname. I am old now, even you can't deny it,"
"My lips will be very sore, won't they?" Kaname laughed as Isamu tackled him, just as boisterously as he had as a child. He wasn't old. He couldn't be if he could still tumble around with him like this. Kaname began attacking Isamu with his forty-six kisses between dodges, cackling at Isamu's furiously red face.
"Stop! Stop! I give,"
"So soon?" Kaname grinned down at him, caging Isamu in with his arms. Though he tried to ignore it, there was definitely an increase in the number of lines on his precious face, though they did not by any means make him any less beautiful than he always had been.
He just smiled up at him tiredly, groaning at Kaname's weight on him. The soil was hard where they lay, and it dug into his back uncomfortably, with Kaname pressing his bones into the ground at strange angles.
"Two left,"
"Two?"
"Yes. And I think it's time," Isamu said softly. Time for you to go and kill him. Time for us to go separate ways- "I'll finish them. You need to go after Katsuo,"
"We can go together. You're so old now, of course. You need looking after- ooh. Ow-"
"I'll go alone. You need to face him, Kaname,"
Nodding quickly, Kaname let himself flat on Isamu, letting their warm bodies warm each other, their scents permeate together. He rubbed his face against Isamu's shoulder. "I will, don't worry about that. I'll get him,"
He felt Isamu's body sigh in relief. To be honest, he had picked up on the way each meeting was becoming more tense and less intense. They were losing energy, though their hate for Katsuo was growing. The sick bastard didn't desist. The Human slaves were dying without their Leaders, but still there were an unaccountable number who lived by his doing, and followed his orders, taking Humans from their once safe villages to be enslaved by him.
As the time drew to a close, and the Final Hunt (as Kaname called it) drew nearer by the day, Kaname began to falter.
Surely these Hunts for Leaders had been a practise, an exercise to build his strength to face the worst of them all, but still he felt uneasy with the prospect of potential failure. What would that mean to them all? The fighting wouldn't stop.
Over the course of these Hunts, Kaname had discovered his own powers beyond his imagining, because just as Isamu suggested to him once – "Imagine, and you limit yourself to imagining". Using his powers, he had to set himself free without the burden and limits of thinking what he could or should do. He had to believe it would happen, and then it did. In this way, he had so far burnt, Leaders, frozen them, drowned them, levitated them into the outer atmosphere….. he had done so many terrible things, and even yet, there was no limit to what he could do. He could do more.
But if he could, surely Katsuo could too; and that was discouraging.
"Kaname… I love you,"
Shaking himself out of his worry, Kaname grunted to Isamu, wondering why he had said so in such a miserable tone. Love should never be declared in such a miserable tone, he thought.
"After this is over…" Isamu trailed off, but his eyes stared at Kaname in such sadness that he felt his heart tremble at the hollowness in his voice. Isamu bit his lip, looking down at their interlaced fingers. His wedding band against Kaname's nude fingers, where an invisible ring tied him to his own mate.
And then, he understood.
After this is over…
"…I… I think it best if we should not meet again,"
For once, Kaname didn't flare passionately in outrage at his suggestion.
Instead, he felt himself deflate, the remains of his heart claw at his insides as it was dragged, deep into himself, where he could not feel Isamu anymore. He was not angry at Isamu. There wasn't pain or despair, but longing.
Living was beginning to become a burden.
Kaname remembered when he had been kicked out of the village again. That had opened his eyes to how unfair life could be, but even now, it shocked him how unfair life could be.
It wasn't any villagers' hands pulling Isamu away from him now. It was all his choice. Isamu was giving up on them. Kaname knew why this was. He had seen the self-conscious glimmer in his lover's eyes, the embarrassment of his rosy face when Kaname kissed his temples, near the crinkled skin of crows' feet framing his eyes. He was afraid of ageing.
But Kaname wasn't going to let this petty fear get in their way.
Unlike Kenshin and Hiroshi, this would not be a mutual decision.
"Kaname, I love you, but I can't bear seeing you like this,"
"But you're perfect,"
He half-sobbed, half-scoffed, "What?"
"You're perfect. Not old. Never old,"
"Kaname!" Isamu laughed breathlessly, shoving him off him. Kaname ignored how weak the push was, rolling over by his lover's request. "It's not that,"
"Then I refuse to accept your suggestion,"
"You will. By gods, I will run away and you will never find me,"
"Then I'll Hunt you down,"
"You won't. Kaname, please, be reasonable…" Isamu panted, breathless and struggling to fight his case. He just hated seeing Kaname never change while he grew older- "I'm doing this for you. Think of how you will be if you see me age slowly to death-"
"I will treasure every moment, every second of our time together, Isamu," Kaname whispered in his ear, holding his trembling body against his, "I want to spend every moment with you that I can, please,"
Isamu's chest swelled a thousand times, and he bit down a retort at how sappy Kaname was being. This was what one could only dream of hearing from their lover, a sincere wish to be together forever. What could be sweeter?
But Isamu's smile was bittersweet, and he shook his head.
He could not face living like that. Though Kaname ignored the fact, the fact was that he would not enjoy seeing Isamu's last years, as his joints became too stiff for running and his bones too weak to rough-tumble, or his skin became too wrinkled to kiss, his hair too thin to run his hands through…
"Once more," he sighed, "I'll see you once more, after this Hunt. Then that will be the end,"
Kaname heaved a shuddering sigh. The darkness around them was emptiness. Once. That would not be enough, but from Isamu's pained smile, he saw that despite the love he knew they shared, being together was damaging them. He grudgingly agreed, hurrying to complete his kisses to Isamu's age, comforting himself with the taste of his skin.
He planned in his mind, a gift. Something he would make, for Isamu to remember him by. If next time would be their last, he would have to make it memorable somehow. He would have to make it something they could treasure forever.
As he set on his mission with a weary sigh, knowing in this mission would come the end, he could not think of anything else but the fact that it also meant the last time he would ever see Isamu before there would be a blank in his life. Kaname didn't pretend that he would not miss Isamu, he definitely would. But he would have to lock away those memories in his life if he was to move on. All he would have to remember Isamu by would be… well, his part of the gift in his pocket.
He tracked the powerful scent that trailed behind Katsuo at a running pace, pausing each time the scent went faint or mixed.
Practise let him do this without much concentration, training his nose to track a scent instinctively (like a bloodhound, the Humans said). He could tell that Katsuo was a long way ahead, and it would take possibly days to reach him, if not weeks, so he let himself relax. Kaname knew how tiring it was to always keep focused on tracking, when he rarely had to concentrate. He just let his nose and legs do all the work on this boring part of the mission.
He decided to let his mind rest and prepare itself for the fight that was awaiting him.
But a Vampire like him should know never to let down his guard.
It was foolish to expect an outcome, far before it was due, and Kaname didn't know the mistake he had made, thinking everything was to be plain and easy. Find Katsuo and kill him – it wouldn't be so simple.
Following the scent, Kaname was too optimistic to guess that Katsuo would be the only one waiting for him, but then again, they'd said so many times before:
Kaname was a fool.
