Chapter 8.
"I found it, Saeko," Midori leaned back in the desk chair where she'd been pouring over ancient texts, maps on parchment hundreds of years older than she was, and satellite images of modern topography, "I found the source. And with any luck, and the notes you left with Yohko, the cure."
"Miss Suguira, there's been a perimeter breach."
Midori sighed, picking up her shotgun, "I hear you. Everyone grab your gas masks. I'm going to initiate the security protocols."
Midori rolled her chair over to a computer station, and started tapping hurriedly at the keys, "First defense, solar lamps along the outer building. Active.
"Second line of defense, Garlic spray filling the halls. My apologies to anyone who didn't get their masks on yet.
"Have we got any I.D.s on the intruders, yet?"
"We're registering heat signatures," Takumi Tokiha reported over the intercom, "But we're also picking up signatures on the motion sensors where there are no heat signatures."
"A mix of Virals and Dracula-class vampires?" Midori blinked, "I thought only Tomoe Marguerite worked with Virals?"
"We just got a report from Agent Wisteria," Takumi said, "Tomoe has fled her known mansion in Tokyo. But there's no way she should be here this fast. Oh!"
"What's up?"
"Akira just sent me a message. She's been trailing Marguerite. She hasn't even left the city."
"Everyone make sure you're wearing the type 4 body armor. Fangs might be strong enough to rip you limb from limb like that, but they shouldn't be able to infect you with a bite."
Midori opened a cabinet, and looked at several color coded shells for her weapon. Green was filled with garlic pellets. Purple was holy water. Red was filled with a special pellet that would explode after it made an impact. Orange was filled with a pellets of white phosphorous. She grabbed a few of each.
"Takumi, go ahead and book us some tickets under the usual aliases for Bucharest. If we survive the night, we're going to Romania."
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Natsuki looked at the gated mansion at the address that Haruka had given her. She paused at the intercom by the gate, reaching out to push the switch, and then hesitating.
"Why?" she growled at herself, "You're not a coward, so why are you hesitating?"
She reached out again, only to hear the loud squeal of metal on metal as the gate swung open.
"Miss Kuga," a cheerful voice called over the intercom, "Please, do come in. I've been expecting you."
Natsuki entered the gate, and tried not to flinch when she heard it squeal shut behind her. She walked up the long drive to the front door.
The door opened and a pale woman with silvery hair and scarlet eyes stepped out. She wore a strange outfit with a wide-brimmed fedora style hat, a band of gold medallions circling the headband, and a long black cape with a pair of gold medallions by either shoulder.
"My name is Miyu Greer," she said simply and matter-of-factly. There was no trace of emotion in her voice, but there was something in the way that she looked at Natsuki that made her uneasy.
"I'm here to see Count Nagi," Natsuki said evenly.
"Follow me," Miyu turned on her heel and walked into the mansion. Natsuki followed.
"Tasteful décor," Natsuki remarked, looking at the paintings that lined the wall, "They all look like the same artist."
"Count Nagi is a fond of many artists. Each room is done up with a different artist. These are Maxfield Parrish. That one is called The Waterfall. This one is Daybreak. And this one, which I believe is his favorite, is called Contentment. But you are not here to discuss the Count's art collection."
"No, I'm not."
"The Count is in the dining room."
"Hey, no offense, but I was under the impression that vampires referred to their superiors as 'Master' or something like that."
"Count Nagi is not my Master, and I am not a vampire. Count, your guest is here."
"Show her in, please," Came Nagi's cheerful voice.
The dining room was just what Natsuki expected for a mansion, with a mile long table, with sturdy oak chairs all along it. Nagi was seated at the far end of the table, staring at her with glowing pink eyes.
"I wondered how long it would be before you finally came to see me. But I suppose that part of it was that the trauma of that night blocked your memories."
"It was Kanzaki who told me," Natsuki said, "Just yesterday."
"I see. Well, that's fine, then. It really was an unfortunate night."
"I'm sure you know why I'm here," Natsuki said, meeting his gaze.
"'Fraid not," He shrugged.
Natsuki grimaced, "Fine. I wanted to ask you…why you saved me."
"You called out for help. Well, as much as you were able to, at that time."
"But why did you help me? You could have simply left me for dead. You could have ignored me. What was your reason?"
"I'm capricious."
"And it has nothing to do with the fact that I look a bit like Nina Wang?" Natsuki lifted an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Actually, it is because of Nina, in a sense, but not because you look like her. It's because your Mother, Saeko, was working on a project for me."
Natsuki blinked, "Mom was?"
"Indeed. I might tell you about it sometime, but I have a feeling you want something else from me, right now."
"I do. I…want you to tell me if there's a way to make me human again."
"Pft." Nagi snorted, "Human? Why on earth would you want to be human?"
"Why would I want to be a vampire?" Natsuki countered, "I hate vampires. Every last one of you. You all killed my mother! My Father! My little sister, Alyssa!
"And then, that wasn't enough for your kind! Then you took my dignity! My self-respect! My humanity!"
Nagi's eyes narrowed and his smile became dangerous, "Oh? Do you not like the gift I gave you?"
"Gift? GIFT!? This isn't a gift! It's a curse! I'd have rather died!"
"Then go find Tomoe and play with her. I'm sure she'd be happy to oblige you."
"I never asked you for this!" Natsuki screamed at him, tears in her eyes, "What gave you the right to do this to me?"
"You asked to be saved," Nagi sighed, gesturing with one hand while leaning on another.
"This isn't salvation," Natsuki said.
"You humans are all alike. You ask for power, but none of you want to have to pay the price to obtain it. You asked for help, to live. I gave you the only thing I could to aid you. Because I owed your mother a favor."
"Letting me die would have been a bigger favor," Natsuki wept, "I could have joined my family."
"You asked to live."
"You talk about price? Well, how is it fair to force the price on someone without telling them the cost first? If you'd told me what was going to happen to me, I would have begged for death, instead! Kill me now, for that matter! You've cursed me!
"My friends are afraid of me. Or, in a few cases, for me. Most of my co-workers no longer trust me. And…I'm not free to love…her. I could hurt her. I have hurt her already.
"So don't you act like you've blessed me with life, Count. Because this isn't life at all! I want my life back! I want to be human! Or kill me! Here and now!"
Nagi blinked, and then he was across the dining room, right beside her. He flew straight up, gripping the collar of her shirt and hoisting her into the air.
"You're trying my patience, young lady, and that's not a good place to be. I saved you because that's what your Mother would have begged of me. And I'm not in the habit of taking back the gifts that I've given. But you're annoying me, and while I won't kill you, I'm not above throwing you out on your ungrateful ass."
Natsuki grimaced, trying to find leverage to free herself from his grip.
"Besides, you have no idea what's going on. Alyssa isn't dead."
Natsuki's emerald eyes flew open, "What?"
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"I see," Shizuru smiled at the image of Midori on her phone, "So the facility is a total loss, then?"
"The defenses were only partially effective. There was a Dracula-class in the mix. But while the facility is a total loss, I'm happy to report that we suffered no losses among the staff."
"That much is fortunate. Do you know which Dracula-Class vampire it was?"
"No. We beat a hasty retreat. Takumi and I are heading to Romania now. The artifact we're looking for is in Wallachia. Why don't you ask Mashiro to send your new girlfriend with you to help guard the site. Hell, bring her werewolf friend. I've never met one of them, before."
"Ara, ara, and who told you about Natsuki?"
"I'll never reveal my sources," Midori grinned, "Just find some excuse to drag her here with you and help me out!"
"Fine, fine."
Shizuru hung up the phone, looking at the door, "Hurry home, Natsuki. You can help finish your Mother's work."