Author's Note: I'm telling ya'll, I'm on a roll with this story! Though, unfortunately I start school again tomorrow *much sadness*. Keep up the reviews, they motivate me so much! ...and make me smile XD
To bpv229: I know right...the poor guy! He tried, but failed miserably. What will our beloved Torao do!? Gotta read to find out ;) Thanks for the review!
To fluffypuppies: Hello again! Yeah, Law may cause some trouble for our sweet duo...I do have plans for some of other Straw Hats to appear eventually ;) Haha I'm glad you liked Luffy's discovery of pancakes, it was adorable! I'll have to see what I can do about a picture of that scene lol, I'm not much of an artist, so I'll have to ask my wonderful cover artist if she'll consider drawing it. Thank you for reviewing again, and I'll see you next time!
To Vongola10: Thank you so much! Here's an update for you!
To SarahPrincess: I don't mind theories! Bring them on! Just know I can neither confirm nor deny them ;) Gotta keep up the mystery! Thank you for reviewing!
To Mia: Thank you for the suggestion, but I have actually already decided on a brotherly relationship instead of a romantic one. Though, with the vampire setting and all, some of the scenes may portray as AceLu or SaboLu or AceSaboLu ;) I like writing them clingy, cute, and possessive XD
WARNINGS:
- Vampire/human relations
- Taking blood
- Brief talk of anatomy
- Violence/past violence
Sabo bit his lip tightly to try and keep from appearing over-exited as he made his way down the winding corridors towards Trafalgar's clinic. He was finally going to learn more about humans and step into his new role!
As Sabo turned the corner, the clinic's door flew open and a familiar face exited.
'What was his name again…Ash? No…Ace.' The blonde pureblood mused, watching the freckled vampire briefly lean against the wall. Ace was flustered and breathing irregularly. Did something happen?
Deciding to take the opportunity presented (because it bugged him that one of his new subordinates disliked him already, when he hadn't done anything yet!), Sabo fully entered the hallway and greeted Ace cheerfully.
"Hey there! Your name's Ace, right?"
The freckled vampire immediately straightened up and frowned at him. Sabo glanced down at Ace's hands, noting the sweat, but didn't drop his smile.
"Er…yeah. You're one of the purebloods, Sabo."
"That's correct! Today's my first day of leadership and I am quite excited to learn under Dr. Trafalgar, he seems very skilled. Do you know him well?"
Ace huffed and shoved his clammy hands inside his front pockets.
"Not really, I haven't been around long enough."
Sabo hummed, remembering that Ace was one of Lord Phoenix's turned. How long had he been a vampire? They appeared to be approximately the same age, but Ace retained his appearance from when he was turned…never aging. Sabo, on the other hand, would age slowly.
Very slowly.
Purebloods aged much like humans in their younger years but slowed significantly once they reached their prime. Plus, they could live for centuries, a stark difference to the weaker human species.
"Sorry…but I've gotta go." Ace quickly put in, eyes darting down the hallway. Sabo felt a little dejected. He wasn't much of a speaker (like Kidd), but he was known to be quite likeable. What was it about him that Ace found so…distasteful? He wasn't going to give up that easily!
"Ah, I see. That's too bad, perhaps we can speak again?" Sabo stated hopefully, widening his smile.
"…I guess," Ace replied, avoiding eye contact, "but I'm a scout so I probably won't be around much."
Sabo flinched, recognizing that statement as "go away, I don't want to see you again" …so unfriendly. Still, Ace being a scout brought on many opportunities.
"Oh really? Do you think you could show me the ropes sometime?" He inputted smoothly, smirking inwardly at Ace's surprised look, "My family doesn't appreciate the art of combat so I am not as well versed as I should be."
"That's…surprising." Ace admitted, "But hey, if you want to get your ass kicked in front of your new subordinates, I won't stop you."
Sabo smirked at that, knowing the freckled vampire couldn't resist. After all, who would waste the opportunity to beat a pureblood in battle, especially one who you hated for some reason.
"I'll take you up on that."
Ace shot him one last glare before leaving, silver eyes hard. Sabo didn't falter though and simply kept up his grin, not relaxing until the raven-haired man was out of sight.
Hopefully, they would be able to overcome their differences through a good, old fashioned fight.
Finally entering the clinic, Sabo was met with the tall form of Trafalgar, smirking at him from directly inside the door.
"Challenging Ace-ya to a fight? I see it hasn't taken you long to figure him out."
"I merely wish to communicate with him in whatever way he understands best." Sabo defended, clearing his throat, "It would be unbecoming to not get along with a subordinate."
"…well, good luck with that." Trafalgar said while waving dismissively, a smirk still plastered on his face, "Ace-ya is no pureblood, but he's one of our best fighters… despite his youth."
"May I ask how old he is?"
"He was turned at the human age of twenty, sixteen years ago."
So, in human years, Ace was thirty-six. Compared to the endless lifespan of vampires, he was still a child, not that Sabo could talk, being only twenty-two himself.
He was drawn out of his thoughts when Trafalgar plopped four massive binders into his arms, startling him.
"These are the files on the humans kept in Stables D and E. If you would be so kind, please peruse them and get used to the document format." Law instructed, patting the thick binders, "We keep very detailed records and have a strict harvesting schedule."
"R-Right…" Sabo mumbled, sitting and flipping open the top one. Each human's chart was a different length, depending on their age, blood type, presence of wounds, etc. At that top was their tracking number, which was connected to their tag, and a "designation", something Sabo wasn't familiar with. "What does this mean?"
Law bent over the paper and peered at the words in question.
"During initial processing, we give them a new name." Trafalgar explained, "It helps to disconnect them from their past life and cements their place in the citadel."
Sabo chuckled, enjoying the idea. It was much easier to call a human something that wasn't a five digit number. Though, he did feel bad for this particular human who ended up with "Pickle".
That was just unfortunate.
"Once you're done, we'll make rounds to the stables so you can get firsthand experience." Law explained, busying himself with the coffee maker located on another vampire's desk, "You'll have to let me know if you find anything…unsatisfactory in my work, oh great Second."
Sabo could practically taste the sarcasm in the air. Obviously, the head of human care was not pleased his position was now overseen by an amateur. Though supervising Trafalgar' department was a part of his new job description (per Kidd's instructions), Sabo bet he'd be spending a lot more time going over finances and resources of the citadel…considering the smooth system Law had already created.
"I assure you; I have no intention of challenging your expertise." Sabo quickly stated, "The system you've created for Lord Phoenix-"
"Master Whitebeard." Law interrupted, prompting a confused 'huh' from Sabo, "I did not create this system, as you call it. All I do is maintain what the Master began when he built this citadel, along with his ideals. You and your friend would do well to remember who truly rules here."
"O-Of course." He stuttered, honestly shocked. Trafalgar was a lot older than he originally thought. "I would never want to change what the original Lord implemented. After all, if it ain't broke…" Law chuckled before taking a sip of his now brewed coffee.
"Resorting to old human expressions? You are a strange one, Sabo-ya."
Glad he'd managed to lighten the mood, he closed the top binder and moved on to the next one.
"You should really spend more time examining the documentation." Law chided, poking the binder Sabo set aside.
"Ah, I already have it memorized." The pureblood explained, reveling a little in the other vampire's raised eyebrow, "It's a…skill of mine."
"Whatever you say, Sabo-ya."
The first place they went after he'd finished going through the binders for Stables D and E was the nursery, a place Sabo was particularly excited to see. The royal compounds didn't have any young children, their humans were "imported" from farms and the like.
The younglings were kept inside the citadel as opposed to the stables. The wing was sectioned off and guarded heavily, though all it took was one look at Trafalgar, and they were given entry.
The nursery itself appeared to consist of multiple rooms with beds, toys, and anything else the little ones would need. What surprised Sabo was the presence of adult females who frowned at them when they entered and held their babes closer.
"You allow them to raise their own?" He whispered, not wanting to frighten the children, many of whom were running around in play, laughing.
"Their mothers know best how to nurture them." Law replied, watching the little ones play with a calculating gaze, "Remember, Sabo-ya, our goal here is to raise healthy humans as naturally as possible. We treat them well and receive blood in return without a fuss. The women know this and teach their children accordingly."
His logic was sound, at least in Sabo's mind, but different from what he'd grown up with.
"What about-"
"Master Traffy!" A young voice called out, stopping their conversation. It belonged to a small girl, who trotted up to the tattooed doctor with a smile on her face, "Have you come to play with us?"
"Aisa!" An adult female hissed, obviously uncomfortable with the child approaching Law. She quickly moved to scoop the girl up into her arms and bowed to Law, "My apologies, she doesn't understand the meaning of manners."
Trafalgar huffed and knelt down to their level, smiling…almost nicely to them as he ruffled the girl's hair, causing the elder to stiffen.
"I'm sorry, little one, but I have work to do, so I can't play today. Why don't you go ask one of your friends, hmmm?"
The girl nodded and wriggled out of the female's arms to go find someone else…Sabo assumed. He had yet to fully understand human behavior.
It didn't take long for the elder human to slink away, eyeing them warily as she followed the child back into the main area of the room.
"The children, at least most of them, don't know anything else." Law said, motioning for Sabo to follow him into a side office, which unsurprisingly was locked tightly and had to be opened with the doctor's key, "The adults are more wary as many were taken directly from the wastes."
Sabo hummed and took in the desk which housed papers and binders, much like the ones he'd already looked over.
"Do you ever have problems with rebellion?"
"Yes, though generally not with the children." Law mumbled while rummaging through the desk, "The adults know what will happen if they disobey, so they keep the younger ones in line. Incidentally, you asked about designations earlier…we don't give new names to those born here. They are named by their mothers, a privilege we allow to give them a sense of autonomy."
'Truly fascinating…' Sabo thought, looking out the window to where the children frolicked. They appeared happy, at least under the careful watch of their mothers. He imagined that would change once they were old enough to give blood.
"At what age do you transfer them to the stables? Back home, they were given to us at twelve." Law scoffed, angrily scribbling his signature down a few documents.
"That's ridiculous…twelve." He murmured under his breath, "Obviously, you purebloods have no knowledge of human growth. According to my calculations, and research, humans should not be eligible to give blood until they're at least sixteen. Here, we transfer them at sixteen, but sometimes we don't start harvesting until seventeen or eighteen."
"Really?" Sabo asked, careful with his words as this seemed like a touchy subject for the other vampire, "Forgive me, but humans have short life spans, correct? So, shouldn't we start early-"
"-and kill them?" Law finished, eyes narrow, "No. It's much too easy to accidently drain a youngling dry. They are our precious food source, Sabo-ya…I recommend you consider the sanctity of their lives for a moment."
Sabo found the statement a bit hypocritical as he knew for a fact that Trafalgar had "put down" quite a few humans just in the last few days. But, before he could say anything, the elder vampire stood and walked to the window, a distant look in his eyes.
"I know what you're thinking, but everything I do is for the survival of our citadel, our home. Some humans simply cannot be tamed…" He said through gritted teeth, eyes full of…regret? "Despite my best efforts, not all of them can be saved; and sometimes, death is a mercy."
Sabo was taken aback by the elder vampire's vulnerability. He gave off an air of confidence and of one who had no problem taking lives, but that couldn't be the complete truth, not with how he appeared now. Taking a breath, the blonde smiled softly.
"You carry a heavy burden…these children are lucky to have you looking out for them."
"So you say." Law said, turning around, "Though now they have you as well, so live up to their expectations."
Sabo nodded, wanting but denying the urge to question Trafalgar more. He obviously had quite the past and genuinely cared about the humans held in the citadel. Unfortunately, it wasn't his place to ask, not yet.
As the day went on, Sabo decided that Law was…confusing.
While he certainly had a heart for the humans in his care, especially the younglings, he had a very sadistic side that came out when dealing with a difficult captive human. Law wasn't afraid to break bones and force their submission.
Though, once they were submissive enough for his liking, Law would mellow significantly. When Sabo asked him about it, the doctor simply stated that some humans required a heavy hand.
'Something tells me he has a soft spot for kids.' The pureblood mused, walking next to the tattooed doctor. Law was showing him various charts in the stables and would soon demonstrate how they collected blood.
"Ah, here you are." Trafalgar said with a sneer while grabbing his keys. Peeking around the vampire, Sabo blinked at a terrified looking human. He was tall, broad, and blonde, which might've been intimidating to smaller members of his species, if not for his black and blue face. The man looked to have been beaten.
Glancing down to the chart, he noted his designation was "Hyena."
"N-No, don't you dare touch me!"
Law smirked and opened the door, letting the human out. The first thing he did was swing at them, though it wasn't very effective. It was simple for the doctor to twist his arm behind his back.
"Come, Sabo-ya, it's time I showed you how blood collection works."
The pureblood followed Law back into the citadel, glancing sideways at the humans left behind. Some appeared resigned while others trembled in the corner of their pen.
'This is Stable C, so a newcomer then?'
The tattooed vampire led them into a side door not far from the stables. Inside were multiple rooms, all with chairs and medical equipment. Law wasted no time in strapping the flailing human down to the metal chair, thick bands holding his wrists and ankles tightly.
Ignoring the human who continued to scream obscenities, Law took a device Sabo recognized as a scanner and ran it over the man's right arm until it beeped. Looking to the nearby computer screen, Sabo saw the human's tracking number appeared along with his blood type.
"We generally take blood from eligible humans every four weeks, depending on their health." Law explained while pulling gloves on and cleaning a needle.
"What? I thought humans regenerate blood, so why not take more?"
"Because they need time to recuperate." The vampire continued, pausing a moment to attach the needle and machinery to the human's neck, causing him to cry out (understandably considering the size of the needle), "When we collect their blood, we are taking somewhere between ten and fifteen percent of their blood volume. Clinically, it takes approximately fifty-six days to completely replace their lost red blood cells, and that's when we only take ten percent. We're already pushing it with only four weeks if we want our humans to remain healthy, but we do what we must to feed the citadel."
Sabo had no idea the human anatomy was so complicated. Back home, they just took as much as they wanted, whenever they wanted. No wonder so many of them died.
"Naturally, the time can vary depending on their age, sex, and body type, but fifty-six days is about standard. If they show signs of illness or a severe lack of iron, we wait a few more weeks, just to be safe. Anyway, come look here." Law said, motioning for Sabo to come closer and look at the needle, already draining the human's blood, "Note the placement… you need to be very careful with this vein. If the flow isn't staunched properly, they'll bleed out in minutes."
As the human's blood was taken, Law peppered him with facts he didn't know, like why they usually took from veins instead of arteries (apparently they were larger and held more blood)…along with the fact that venous pressure is lower so there is less chance of blood seeping out of the wound before it healed completely.
Needless to say, Sabo was completely and utterly fascinated.
Once the bag was full, Law expertly removed the needle and staunched the blood flow with a bandage, one that had built in antibiotics and other medicine to help the wound heal quickly.
"Now, I took a little more than normal with him, mostly because Haruta-ya demanded it." Law huffed, removing his gloves, "This is the one who shot him in the gut."
"I see." Sabo whispered, looking over the dazed and definitely weakened human, "I thought for sure Lord Phoenix wanted him executed from the way he spoke yesterday."
"Yes…lucky for him, it was delayed until after you and the new Lord get settled in. So, for now, I take what blood I can."
Sabo swallowed nervously at Law's devilish sneer. The rumors about the Whitebeards being protective of each other to the point of violence was very true.
After taking the human back to his pen, Sabo figured they were done for the day considering the sun was setting, but Law didn't stop and led him down a path next to the bubbling stream. It was beautiful…a stark contrast to the desolate sand outside the walls.
"You have a lot to learn," Law said, breaking the silence, "but I like your tenacity. Just don't get overconfident…you and Eustass-ya have yet to gain the loyalty of our clan."
Sabo bowed deeply, causing his cravat to come undone.
"Thank you, I will take that to heart."
Law nodded, seemingly pleased with his response, before moving to return to the citadel.
"I recommend you check out the library, Sabo-ya. Master Whitebeard had quite the collection and that knowledge may help you understand why we do what we do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have…an obligation."
Sabo smiled at Trafalgar's back, pleased with how the day had gone. Determined to succeed and outshine the doctor's expectations, the pureblood decided to swing by the cafeteria to…mingle, and maybe get a location on the library Law mentioned.
'…and get a kimono…they look sooo comfortable.'
Luffy's bottom lip trembled as his stomach growled again. Ace had only come back to his room once during the day, and unfortunately had only brought a sandwich. He was used to not eating much, but…he secretly hoped Ace would bring back more of the fluffy cakes.
Glancing out to the dark sky, Luffy wondered what the vampire was doing.
At first, exploring the room had been kind of exciting, but after hours of NOTHING, not even the puppy book could keep him entertained. The good news was that his legs were feeling better after getting so much rest…
Huffing, Luffy refocused on what he was doing, sowing. It hadn't been difficult to find his bag under Ace's bed (though he was disappointed to discover his knifes were gone) and retrieve his self-made sowing kit.
'I suppose this could be a weapon…' He mused, looking over his bent and dull needle. No, that probably wouldn't go over very well. Vampires were too strong, especially in his still injured state.
Shifting his weight on Ace's bed so his back was resting against the headboard, Luffy concentrated on his stitching. With nothing else to do, the boy had unraveled some loose string form the vampire's rug and mindlessly made…whatever he was making with some extra fabric and whatever string was left in his bag. Maybe a tiny scarf? Or a headband? It was pretty ugly but gave him something to do.
Thirty more minutes passed and Luffy was falling asleep. Yawning, the boy cradled his unfinished "project" and scooted off the bed, deciding to wash his face, use the toilet (which was a pretty awesome invention!) and go to sleep. Maybe Ace would wake him if he brought more food…
Drowsy, Luffy didn't notice his legs were tangled up in the throw blanket on Ace's bed until it was too late. Yelping, he fell towards the floor, hoping he would land on the rug and not the hard floor.
Surprisingly, he didn't even hit he floor, because someone caught him.
At first, he thought it was Ace, but something wasn't right. Tensing, Luffy's head shot up, taking in the dark hair and golden earrings. It was a vampire he'd never seen before. Had he come in through the window!?
Gasping, he tried to escape the tall vampire's grasp. Snorting, the stranger released him, but not his wrists, making it impossible for him to go anywhere (and causing his tiny scarf to flutter to the floor along with his needle).
"Ace-ya has really done it now." The vampire huffed, switching Luffy's wrists to his right hand before the boy could even react. He instinctively pulled back when the creature cupped his jaw and looked down at his face in interest. "What's so special about you I wonder…"
"Don't touch me-" Luffy growled, only to be cut off when the vampire's clawed hand moved from his chin to his mouth. He couldn't hold in a whimper of fear as his face was drawn close to the other's sharp fangs.
"Hush, we don't want to get Ace-ya into even more trouble, do we?" The creature chided, eyes dead serious, "Now…I'll need you to come with me and be very quiet."
Ace felt really bad. He'd intended on spending the majority of the day with Luffy, but something kept getting in his way! The morning had gone all right (except for the disastrous interview with Law and meeting the blonde noble again…), he was able to sneak back to his room with whatever he could scrounge up.
Unfortunately, after that, it was either "Ah, Ace, there's a meeting you need to go to right now" or "Hey, the new Lord wants all the scouts in the wastes for a special session of training".
While he had enjoyed the sparing in the sand, he wasn't pleased with the Lord's announcement. The ambitious pureblood intended to take a large group of their best out into the city and its outskirts for two weeks!
'What am I supposed to do with Lu?' Ace mused, finally reaching his room and fumbling for the key, 'He can't survive that long alone in here!' He probably shouldn't have shown the red-head his best form…maybe then he would've been allowed to stay behind.
The second he opened the door, Ace bristled. Something was off. Taking only seconds, he checked every room and every possible hiding place Lu could've thought of. Finding nothing.
Breathing heavily, the freckled vampire considered how the human could've escaped.
'On those legs, he couldn't have!'
That was when a flash of white caught his eye. Folded neatly on his bed was piece of paper. It was placed on top of a fabric…thing that still had Luffy's needle attached to it. Had the kid been making something to pass the time?
Swallowing nervously, Ace picked up the note.
In exact cursive, it read:
We need to talk.
Come to my room.
TL
'Law…' Ace snarled, crumpling the paper in his fist, 'If he's hurt Lu in any way, I'll kill him!'