Chapter 6.
A/N: So many questions, my dear readers. Have faith. Your questions will be answered, in due time. A word on Nagi, though.This Nagi is based more on HiME Nagi than on Otome Nagi. The difference? Otome Nagi was nothing but a nihilistic jerk. HiME Nagi had moments where, ironically, despite having a vast degree more power than his Otome version, he showed a degree more humanity, such as when he spoke to Akane in episode 8 after she lost Kazuya, or when he watched Mai go off to confront the Obsidian Prince. And he was on perfectly good terms with Mashiro when it was all over.HiME Nagi is a bit more sympathetic than Otome Nagi. Not by a lot, but I think it's fair to say that HiME Nagi would actually be somewhat sympathetic if he saw one of the girls endure the sort of trauma Vampire Natsuki has endured.And the fun of vampires as monsters is that vampires, unlike so many other monsters, can be reasoned with at times.
"Shizuru," Natsuki gave her friend a rueful smile, "Are you drunk?"
"I've only had two," Shizuru smiled, "I will confess to being a little tipsy. Delightfully tipsy. But I am not inebriated."
"You know she's into you," Nao slurred from the bar, "So if you're worried about consent issues."
"It's actually a work-related issue," Natsuki said, "Nao, do you smell that?"
Nao stopped what she was doing and sighed, then took a casual sniff. Then she paused, and took a deeper sniff. Nao sobered up quickly.
"Shit," Nao muttered, "I'll get Mai. You get Fujino. We've got to get out of here."
"Shizuru, c'mon. We've got to get to the car."
"Oh. Is Natsuki that eager?" Shizuru waggled her eyebrows
"Natsuki will gladly give you whatever you want, if we get out of this place alive," Natsuki whispered to her, "Shizuru…there's a vampire here. Not just any vampire. Not a Viral. Virals…they smell sick. They smell like stagnant blood. But this…Dracula class vampires are literally the undead. They carry a smell of the grave, of death, of…of utter despair.
"And there's one here. And the stink…it's strong. He's here, and he's not alone."
Shizuru's crimson eyes looked at her, and she nodded, "I see."
"I think this place is a like a salt lick," Natsuki said.
"Salt lick?" Shizuru looked confused.
"When hunting deer, hunters will use bait like salt licks to draw them in. I think this bar is something like that. A place where humans gather, and then the vampires can come and pick the prey they like.
"I'm SCA, as well as a Viral. A Dracula class catches me here, I'm as good as dead."
Shizuru frowned, "What I hear you saying is that we need to make a discreet exit, which I would agree with. But, Natsuki, what about the other people here?"
Natsuki looked at her, "I want you safe, Shizuru. Then I'll call the SCA and get them on it. But if you're in danger…"
"No harm will befall your friend, Miss Kuga," a deep, resonating voice spoke with soft amusement, "I don't steal from others of my kind. Nor will I harm you, here, this night. It is, after all, your dual birthday, is it not?"
Shizuru saw a tall man dressed in a dark red suit with red accents, dark hair, yellow eyes, and a clean shaven face.
"Kanzaki," Natsuki hissed, not in anger, but on an inhale of alarm.
Kanzaki, as Natsuki had called him, smiled at her, and took her hand in his, lifted it to his mouth, and kissed it gently. Natsuki was bristling, but made no move to fight or attack him, or even to withdraw. Shizuru had never seen Natsuki so frozen.
"Natsuki, who is your friend?" Shizuru rose, making mental note of all the weapons she might be able to make use of.
"How rude of me," He half-bowed, "Reito Kanzaki, and…" he paused, smiling at Shizuru, "Excuse me, Miss, but have we met?"
"I think we might have," Shizuru nodded, "Tokyo University. You gave a lecture on politics in the Meiji Era," and then she whispered so that only she and he could hear, "I had no idea at the time that it was firsthand knowledge."
She made sure he saw her ring, and he saw the symbol. He raised his eyebrows, grinning, and chuckled, "I see. Yes, I remember. You had some very interesting questions about secret societies at the time."
"Ara, Natsuki, what does he mean that this is your dual birthday?"
Kanzaki turned to face Natsuki, who recoiled under the sudden attention, "You didn't tell her? Oh dear. Vampires recognize two birthdays, Miss…"
"Fujino."
"Yes, Miss Fujino. Their biological birthday, which, for Miss Kuga is today, August 15th, but also the date of their transformation. The day they are turned. Natsuki Kuga is unique in our community, for she is the only person we know of for whom those two dates are the same," Reito Kanzaki turned back to Natsuki, and there was a gentleness in his eyes, "Tomoe Marguerite is a tiresome and cruel creature. I cannot say that I would not have laid a trap for you, Miss Kuga, but I would never have had you so ill-used. Transforming a vampire hunter into a vampire isn't unheard of, but I feel it a fate too cruel. And the way she went about it…there is not a single True Vampire that isn't disgusted by what she did to you."
"True Vampire?" Shizuru asked.
"It's what the Dracula class refer to themselves as," Natsuki said softly, not taking her eyes off of Kanzaki. She sensed a strange sincerity from Kanzaki's words, and felt obligated to say to him, "I appreciate it, Kanzaki."
"Of course. Now, you have my word that none of my kind are hunting here, tonight. This is a social club for us, nothing more. There is a strict no-hunting pact for this club. Humans who enter here are not targeted here. I would, however, appreciate it if you would finish your drinks and be on your way. Your partner is known for being a bit of a hothead, and she's certainly losing no love with my regular patrons. Your meals and beverages are gratis, if you leave without any conflict. My birthday treat to you."
He bowed again, and walked away.
"I found Mai," Nao said, "We've got to…"
"Kanzaki told us we could finish our drinks and then be on our way," Natsuki said.
"I'm surrounded by vampires," Nao said, "I'm done with my drink. Let's get out of here. And for your sake, let's make sure we ditch any tails before we get you back to the safehouse."
Kanzaki reappeared, "I think it would be to your best interest, Miss Kuga, if you and your entourage left by the back door. There's a pack of Virals at the entrance, and they all have Marguerite's stench on them."
"Can't you just…deny them entry?" Mai asked, joining the group.
"Unfortunately, no. If they were random Virals, certainly. But these are Marguerite's people, meaning if I refuse them, I then have to suffer her presence when she comes to find out why. The woman is insane, even by the standards of the Viral community, and they're not noted for their calm and reserve, and she's not even a Viral. And there's a rumor on the street that Marguerite is interested in having you do a job for her."
Natsuki and friends followed Kanzaki to the rear entrance, "She wants me to find and kill some woman named Midori Suguira. And she said that if I did, she might know how to cure me of my condition."
Kanzaki raised an eyebrow, "Suguira? You don't know? Oh, Marguerite you truly are a wicked creature.
"Kuga, Midori Suguira was a close friend of your late mother. And if there is a cure for our condition, which I doubt, then Dr. Suguira is the one who would have the answers. Tomoe wants you to kill Suguira so that after you do, she can laugh in your face and tell you that you killed the only hope, slim as it might be, for a cure."
Natsuki sighed, "Of course. But why would an archeologist have a clue about means to cure a Viral vampire? Wouldn't that be more the forte of a virologist, like Dr. Sagisawa?"
Reito Kanzaki gave a sharp laugh, "And who ever told you that you were a Viral, Kuga? You are a vampire of the Blood. You are one of my kind, as I said a moment ago. I can even see who your Sire was. You're Nagi's creation. And in two thousand years, Nagi has only ever made one other protégé like you."
And with that, he shut the door.
888888
Natsuki and Shizuru returned to the safehouse after two hours of driving around had convinced Nao and Mai that there was no one shadowing their vehicle.
"Kazahana is going to have my ass in the morning," Nao sighed, "When she hears I took both of you out of the safehouse and almost ran into Virals working for Marguerite."
"I believe I can smooth things over with your Miss Kazahana," Shizuru smiled, "I'm quite excellent at business negotiations."
"That's good to know," Mashiro Kazahana said as they opened the door to find her waiting behind it, "And what explanation do you plan to give for this gross dereliction of duty and breech of protocol?"
"An excellent question," Shizuru smiled sweetly, and gestured into the room, prompting Mashiro to turn her wheelchair and allow Shizuru to walk side-by-side with her, "Miss Kazahana, I'm afraid it is entirely my fault."
Mashiro raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"
Shizuru turned around, showing off the portion of her back exposed by the sundress, "Do you see this bruising?"
"Indeed."
"I'm afraid that in my ignorance, I triggered a bout of PTSD. And then Natsuki reminded me that today was, in vampiric terminology, her dual birthday. She was feeling guilty about the accident that injured me, for an accident is what I consider it, and additionally, she was depressed about a day that should be the celebration of her life also being the anniversary of her being violently turned into a creature that the people around her hunt for a living.
"So, I borrowed her phone, figured out who her best friends were, and essentially guilted them into a night of revelry to help lift Natsuki's spirits."
Nao didn't like the idea of someone else saving her ass, but she also didn't like the idea of Kazahana suspending her without pay for yet another infraction of the rules. Besides, the story that Fujino was weaving with that sumptuous Kyoto-ben was feasible.
"Just like that," Nao said, "I was all, 'Look, you two are in a safe-house. You need to stay put!' But the Pup was looking so down, and Fujino suggested that a quick bite to eat in a quiet public setting would do wonders for her spirits."
"And Natsuki, Natsuki was just so…blue!" Mai added, "She didn't even have the heart to protest when we carried her down to the car. And you know Natsuki! She loves to protest! You could put half a jar of mayo on a sandwich for her, and she'd complain that it wasn't nearly enough! That's how much she just needed to get away."
Kazahana smirked, her eyes telling them clearly and without a doubt that she knew that it was a complete and utter load that they were feeding her. However, she raised a hand to her mouth, covering it while she laughed girlishly, "I see, I see. Well, then…It was still a violation of protocol. Yuuki, you can spend the next week doing inventory. Tokiha, you are going to be on KP duty for the barracks for that time. But I won't put it on your permanent records…if I don't hear a single complaint from the two of you."
"Ma'am," they both saluted.
"Very well. And Kuga, I'm sorry about your dual day. I do understand that the last year hasn't been easy on you."
"Ma'am…" Natsuki looked at her, "Tonight…Kanzaki said I was a True Vampire. A Dracula class. And that my Sire was a vampire named…Nagi."
Mashiro smiled.
"And you knew all of that, already," Natsuki wasn't asking.
"Miss Kuga, Nagi transformed you. Something he has only done once before in two-thousand years. But yet, despite all of our tests, our research, and our examinations, you have not used any power associated with a Dracula class vampire. If Nagi is your Sire, he had either restricted your access to such powers, or you have.
"Thinking you're a Viral class makes your co-workers nervous. Thinking you're a Dracula class?"
"Why would being a Dracula class make it seem worse?" Shizuru asked, still feigning the role of someone newly acquainted with vampire lore. The truth was, she knew the answer, even before Nao Yuuki opened her mouth to speak.
"Because, Virals, for all their hunger and obnoxiousness, can be killed pretty easily. But Dracula Class vampires…Even the young ones, like the Pup here, they're monstrously strong and ungodly powerful. How do you cut the head off of a creature that can turn to mist? How do you stake the heart of someone who can fly? And other weaknesses and strengths are determined by the specific Sire's original curse."
"And Nagi has long guarded the secrets of his weaknesses," Mashiro said, "So, not knowing his, Miss Kuga, we also don't know yours."
"Why did he save me, though?" Natsuki demanded, "I would have died from the blood loss. I would have simply been a cold, pale corpse in the street. I posed no danger of turning, so why did he come along and turn me?"
"Why does anyone do anything?" Mashiro sighed, "It benefited Nagi in some way. Maybe he thought that it would be a good way to get another servant. Maybe he just did it for his amusement. Maybe he thought it would interfere with Marguerite. Or maybe, Nagi owed someone a favor, and saving you was the one way he could think to repay his debt. Fathoming Nagi's mind is a near impossible task, Miss Kuga. But there is one way, just one, that you may be able to find out."
"I'm game. What do I need to do?"
"Try asking him," Mashiro said, meeting her eyes.
888888
"You know who I am, don't you?" Shizuru asked, leading Mashiro to the door.
"The SCA is not the only agency dedicated to the control of supernatural creatures and their proliferation," Mashiro said, "And I've been around long enough to know to keep tabs on the others. Especially since the Order of the Blade have long been allies.
"Tell me, did you seek out Miss Kuga as part of your duties? Are your feelings for her genuine?"
"I was sent to find the daughter of Saeko Kuga and keep her safe. But I met Natsuki and fell in love with her before I knew who she was. Her being the one I was meant to find was…"
"Either a remarkable coincidence, or the Hands of Fate," Mashiro said, "And I don't believe in coincidences. But unfortunately, I don't know that I can trust Fate. Fate, Miss Fujino, is fickle. Did it bring you to Miss Kuga to protect her, to kill her, or to love her? Or something else we can't even begin to understand? Time will tell."