Van, this woman knows a lot about us. Her grandmother was in Gaea at one time! She always believed the tales to be myths and legends, but now that she has seen us, she knows that's not true. She also knows about our relationship…and…Van, she…
What? She what?
The only reason she has Hitomi is because she was raped. Hitomi's father was a young high school student from "America." This woman, Mihira, hates men.
She's like us?
Yes. She did not like men before, but after she was raped, she could not stand them at all. She tells Hitomi that her father died years ago, and made her believe that it was a marriage full of love. Hitomi does not ask her mother about it because she believes her mother still hurts inside.
Van looked at the woman on the floor with concern. She appeared to be adjusting to the new information without problems…
So she is like us…but how did she know about our relationship? How can she know we're lovers?
Ki's thoughts became pink with embarrassment. He sent Van the image of them sleeping together-not-together that morning, and Mihira's accompanying thoughts. Van blushed as well, ashamed to have reached out like that. Ki shook his head.
No love, don't be like that. You can't help it; I'm just too good to keep your hands off of!
Van mock-glared at him. "Oh really?" he said out loud. "I'm not the only one! Remember all the times at those inns when I woke up to find your arms around me?" Ki chuckled, not at all fazed.
A small cough from the woman on the ground interrupted them. Mihira was staring up at them and blushing furiously. "Maybe I should go…" she muttered. Ki laughed again and shook his head.
"No need, lady. I'm sure Van here can mind his manners from now on!" He winked at her while Van raised one ebony eyebrow.
Mihira studied the floor intently, puzzling something out. Slowly she looked up at them. "You don't say anything aloud, but somehow you exchange information. How are you doing it? And why don't you hide your relationship anymore?"
Van bowed his head under Ki's glare. "My fault," he said. Ki just shrugged. Van continued his explanation.
"Ki and I are telepaths. We can speak mind to mind. Ki used an extended form of that to give you the information about Gaea. At the same time, he accessed some of your memories of this place so we can understand where we are. However, he got more than he bargained for. You already knew about us, so there is no need to hide it from you. However, we now know a bit more about you. We know about Hitomi's father and your preferences."
Mihira's eyes filled with tears. "No one…" she whispered. "I never told anyone about that…"
Van nodded sympathetically and bent to one knee in front of her. "You have nothing to fear from us, lady Mihira. We will not tell Hitomi anything about you if you will not tell her about us."
Mihira nodded, sniffed, and stood up shakily. "I should be a proper hostess. Would you like something to eat? Drink?" As she spoke, she walked to the window and, forgetting her daughter's warning, pulled the shades open.
Sunlight streamed through the window, hitting both Van and Kiosun. Both young men recoiled, but Kiosun had faster reflexes and spread his wings to cover them. Feathers began to burn and turn to dust as both whimpered and moaned in pain. Mihira stared in shock, unable to react to what was happening. Van stood up and wrapped his wings around himself. He ran with vampiric speed to the window and grabbed both shades, shoving Mihira out of the way. Closing them quickly, he collapsed in a heap and began to sob.
Kiosun shuddered where he lay, assessing his injuries. He was covered in angry red burns and his wings were in horrible shape. If he could fly within a month, he'd be surprised. Van lay nearby and looked to be in similar shape, only less able to deal with the shock and pain of his burns. Mihira sat on her daughter's bed, staring at them both with confused eyes.
Ki moaned and closed his eyes, wishing for oblivion…Van responded to the sound, dragging himself closer and reaching out to Kiosun.
"Ki…are you ok?" He sounded so worried, Ki had to respond.
"Yes…I'm covered in burns and my wings are half dust, but I'm alive. You?"
Van just sobbed and moved closer. "A sword wound…I could deal with. An arrow through the shoulder, even. But this is agony…"
Kiosun had to agree. Pain flared all over his body, making it hard to think clearly. For long minutes, they just lay there, unable to move or speak. After what seemed to be an eternity, Mihira's voice spoke from above their heads.
"Van? Kiosun? What can I do to help?" She sounded scared.
Van was the first to summon his strength. "Cool…water…healing salve…Until nightfall, nothing…else can…be done." Van panted with effort. He listened as Mihira left the room, her soft footfalls disappearing down the hall. Moments later, the sound of running water drifted to his ears, soothing and restful.
Perhaps a half-hour later, Mihira returned and knelt beside him again. "I set up a bath of cool water. I covered the windows in there and in the hall so you can get there without more pain…is there anything else?"
Van shook his head faintly. "I don't think so…but I don't know if I can make it there by myself. Kiosun will need help too…he was more in the light when the window was opened."
Mihira muttered assent and grabbed a blanket from the floor. Wrapping him carefully in it to avoid chafing his skin, she slung one arm around his shoulders and one around his waist. Hobbling across the room and down the hallway, she finally managed to get him on the bench next to the bathtub. He lay weakly back, exhausted from the minor effort. Mihira stared at him for a moment and left again.
Van lay quietly, finally mustering enough strength to remove his pants and slide into the tub. The water enveloped him, flowing over his burning skin and soothing it gently. A half-suppressed sob of relief escaped him as the water hissed against his burns and rose as steam, taking the painful heat with it. A minute later, Mihira came back into the room with Kiosun draped over her shoulders. He had evidently passed out, and Mihira was unsure of what to do next. Van solved her problem.
"Leave him here, I can get him comfortable."
She nodded in relief. "I'll go get some burn salve. What else can I do? And why did this happen?"
Van sighed, wishing she had not asked that. However, this woman was helping them, and deserved an explanation. "Ki and I are vampires. Not your traditional sort, turning into bats and all, but rather a blend of Draconian and human. Lucard Rimidalv was our ancestor, and the vampiric disease he carried spread to all his daughter's children and to us. He spread the disease through the Draconians, but the precautionary measures that they eventually took were not enough to stop the vampiric race from existing. Evidently there are many, many more vampires in Gaea than any of the humans suspect."
Mihira had paled several shades. "V—vampires?!"
"Yes. Come nightfall, I will go hunting. I suspect Ki will not be in any shape to come with me, but I will bring him his prey for this night, at least. After we both feed, we will be healed within days…although it will take longer for our wings to heal."
Mihira looked quite faint. Apparently, she could deal with strange young men with telepathic powers from a different planet…but not vampires. She nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Van alone with Kiosun. As soon as she'd left, Van slumped against the wall of the tub, far more exhausted than he'd let on. After a few more minutes of pain, he managed to get out of the tub and over to the bench where Kiosun lay.
Getting Kiosun into the tub had to be one of the most difficult things Van had ever done. Every touch he knew was agony for both of them. Ridding Ki of his pants, Van was relieved to find that Ki's legs had very little damage, being hidden by cloth when the sun hit them. After several sweat-drenched minutes passed, Ki was safely in the tub and beginning to revive. Van sighed in relief again as the water slid around him again. Now he could relax a little.
"Van…?" Ki's eyes were half lidded and glazed with pain.
Yes?
It hurts…
Ki sounded ready to break down and start weeping like a small child. That scared Van more than any of his injuries.
I'm sorry love…I'm sorry I can't do more for you. It will be hours before sunset, and until then, I can do nothing. After sunset, I'll go hunting and bring you something back.
Alright…
Ki lapsed into silence. Van felt the temperature of the water and decided to run more cold water into the tub. Figuring out the faucets was surprisingly easy with Hitomi's memories, and soon the blessedly cool water was lapping at their skin once more. Kiosun fell into a calm slumber just before Mihira returned.
"I brought some salve for you. I ran to the local pharmacy and got several jars of the stuff…it says it's good for burns and abrasions…" She set the green jars on the table nearest Van and paused uncertainly. "Is there nothing else I can do?"
Van sighed. "It is not something I would ask of you. It would be too much for you to handle."
Mihira stared at him in puzzlement. Van watched calmly back. Finally her eyes widened and she stepped back involuntarily. "Oh…"
Van nodded. "Indeed. However…" Looking at Ki's troubled face decided him. "Do you have any friends…girlfriends, boyfriends, it doesn't matter…that have always wanted to believe in something more? Do you know of anyone who believes in spirits and vampires?"
She understood what he was hinting at immediately. "Yes, there's an animator friend of mine that does. Do you want me to bring her here?"
"Yes," Van breathed. Then he paused, considering. "You have a telephone?"
"Yes, of course. Why?"
"I think it would be better if I called her. She'll be less likely to refuse." Van grinned faintly, allowing his elongated canines to show. Mihira shuddered faintly and left the room, returning moments later with a small portable telephone. She dialed the number and handed it to him. A ringing echoed from inside the phone, and Van raised an eyebrow. The memories rose within him and he held it to his ear. After three rings, a young woman answered the phone.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Hello. Is this…" Van glanced at Mihira and read her lips without effort. "Yuuhi?"
"Yes. And you are?"
"My name is Van Fanel. I am a friend of Mihira's. She tells me that you believe in Vampires…" The word trailed off his lips, promising the world, implying dark things, hinting at shadows, and blood.
"I…yes…" Yuuhi said slowly. "Yes, I do…I want to…"
"Yuuhi." Van's voice held command and tenderness. "I am Vampire. I want to meet you. Will you meet with me? Today, at Mihira's house. My friend and I need your help, Yuuhi. You need to come here right away." He said this with promise, compassion, and a hint of things that are fey. Laced in his voice was the magic of vampires, a magic that begged and compelled. As Van suspected, she could not resist him. After a few moments of heavy silence, she sobbed her agreement and hung up the phone.
Van grinned at Mihira, and she flinched at the look in his eyes. "She will be here shortly."
"She'll be alright, won't she? You won't hurt her, will you?" Mihira involuntarily shifted into a fighting stance, hinting at previous martial arts training. Van raised an eyebrow at her and she realized that he was in no condition to fight her. She relaxed and he shook his head.
"Yuuhi will be fine. She'll feel faint, of course, from lack of blood, but there will be no lasting harm. She might not be able to drive herself home, though."
Mihira considered this. "I understand. She can stay here for as long as she needs to."
Van nodded and glanced around the bathing room. "Do you have a robe or something for Ki and I to wear? It would be rather uncomfortable to feed from Yuuhi in here."
Mihira nodded and left to see what she could find. Van looked over at Kiosun, becoming even more worried when he realized that through everything, Ki had not woken once. His face was twisted with pain and he kept shivering despite his burns.
He's not in good shape…I have got to do something.
Van shifted and clasped his lover's shoulders, pulling Ki towards him and resting Ki's head on his chest. Ki lay back without protest. Van hesitated only a second, debating the results of his actions.
At least it will keep him safe until Yuuhi gets here, and he can't wait much longer. He was hit with the entire blast of light…
Lifting his wrist to his mouth, Van bared his teeth and bit into his vein, opening two gashes in his vein. He then held his wrist above Kiosun's mouth, allowing several drops to fall inside. Ki reacted immediately, eyes opening and focusing on the bloody wrist in front of him. Van sighed with relief and held his wrist to Ki's mouth.
At least he recognizes blood…
Van stifled a moan as Kiosun began to drink directly from his vein. In his delirious state, Ki hadn't cut the aphrodisiacs from his saliva, and in Van's weakened state, he couldn't protect against them.
Doesn't matter…He's getting better already…he'll stop in a few seconds, I'm sure.
True to Van's prediction, Ki did stop after several seconds. He licked apologetically at the wound and looked at Van with worried eyes. Kiosun's burns had begun to heal cleanly and he stopped trembling.
Van? Are you all right? You shouldn't have given me your blood; you were in the sun too…
Van smiled gently. "Believe me, love, you needed it more than I did. I called a woman on the telephone, and she should be here shortly to feed us both. Mihira, our host, went to get us some clothes so we don't have to meet the woman while we're naked."
Ki smiled vaguely at the weak joke and sank back against Van's chest. Van wrapped his arms around Kiosun as the cool water lapped serenely at their shoulders, at odds with the pain they both felt.
"Van, I found you some robes! …Oh. Umm." Mihira blushed and glanced away from them. Van grinned and didn't move.
"Thank you. You can leave them on the bench over there." Van watched amused as she blushed even more brilliantly and threw the robes in the general direction of the bench and fled the bathroom, embarrassed.
That wasn't very nice, you know.
She said she could deal with it earlier.
I think she meant our relationship in general, not our snuggle sessions.
Too bad. I didn't feel like moving.
All of a sudden, Van's entire world slid sideways for a second and he gasped. Ki looked up at him, concerned, and frowned.
"You overdid it, Van. You were weak enough before you gave me your blood, but now it's a struggle for you to even stay awake, isn't it?"
Van nodded meekly, and winced as the world kept moving. Hearing voices from downstairs, he groaned. "She's here, and I'm not even dressed yet."
Ki stood up slowly, and flexed his fingers. Van's blood had done a lot for him, and he felt almost normal, despite being completely exhausted and in pain. Stepping out of the tub, he grabbed the towels next to the robes and dried off. Next, Kiosun slid his arms around Van and gently lifted him out of the tub and set him on the bench. He tenderly dried Van off and slipped the smaller robe around his shoulders.
The second robe went around his own shoulders, chafing his burnt wings and making him hiss in pain. Glancing at Van, he realized that both of them had left their wings out to be tended. Well, it would have to wait.
"Van…Van?"
"Mmph?" Van cracked an eye open.
"You need to retract your wings." Ki trailed a finger down Van's cheek and followed his own orders, both of them moaning as the pain increased, then cut off entirely.
Van sighed and stood up shakily, throwing a hand out at the wall to brace himself. Black and red stars whirled in his vision and disappeared again as the room came back into focus.
Ki stared at Van with raised eyebrows, then eyed the robes that they wore. "Van, aren't these kimonos?"
Van looked at them. "Yeah. With…flowers?"
"Pink and pale purple kimonos with light blue and green flowers…I thought you said she was getting us robes?"
"I guess she couldn't find any."
Ki snorted. "Huh. All we need now is white rice powder and red paint and we'd be Japanese women."
Van considered this. "I guess the tables have turned on you, Ki."
"What do you mean?"
"I just keep remembering a number of times when I ended up wearing various feminine scents. That incident in Kuwaro's palace, and in Lokia, and in our new house, and—"
Ki laughed and put up his hands. "Alright, alright, enough!" Shrugging and unrepentant, Ki changed the subject. "We should probably go meet with the young woman you called."
"Her name is Yuuhi. She's an animator friend of Mihira's, and she wants to believe in Vampires and spirits. When I called, I established a few threads of obedience, so as long as you can see those, we're all set." Van leaned against the wall and gathered his strength. Ki held out an arm, and together they stumbled down the hallway and down the stairs to where the voices came from.
"…My daughter brought them home last night and I walked in on them this morning, curled up on the floor. Hitomi left as soon as she could, most likely trying to avoid responsibility."
Laughter echoed in the hallway from the two girls. Van looked at Kiosun, then tapped gently on the doorframe. The laughter quieted and Mihira called for them to enter. Van and Kiosun stepped into the room with all the grace they could muster, gathering the darkness around them like a cloak. The innocent kimonos suddenly took on a dark meaning, becoming almost black and mystical. The shadows in the room fled from their presence as both young vampires became shadows and used every vampiric trick they knew to prove who they were.
Vampire. Kyuuketsuki. Dangerous.
Mihira meeped and shrank into her seat, but the other woman, Yuuhi, looked at them with hunger in her eyes.
Ki saw the strands of obedience that Van had put in place and gathered them carefully. Vampires were given limited magic when they went through the ritual, and destiny gave them the gifts they'd need to survive. Most vampires worshipped a form of Lord Destiny or Lady Luck because of this, and Ki suspected that Lord Destiny had a great deal in store for them. Ki knew he was one of the strongest vampires that had ever lived, but judging from Van's command of the obedience magic, it wouldn't be long before the younger man outstripped even him.
Yuuhi stood up and stumbled towards them, opening her arms and falling into Van and Kiosun's loose embrace. Van looked at Kiosun for directions. Ki nodded at him. "You first."
Van didn't bother to argue, just nodded and bent to Yuuhi's neck. His teeth bit into her skin and tapped into the thick vessel nestled beneath it, allowing the thick, delicious blood to throb out and into his mouth. Meanwhile, he allowed the aphrodisiacs in the sacks behind his teeth to enter her bloodstream and rage through her body. She moaned and sank to the floor, smiling and panting, clutching at his clothing. He swallowed ravenously, stopping only when Kiosun placed a warning hand on his shoulder. He grinned slightly and licked her neck, activating the other glands with the special liquid that closed up the wounds and healed them. Ki stood above him, patiently waiting and smiling indulgently as Van sighed happily.
"Your turn."
Ki nodded and bent to his task while Van looked at Mihira. Considering everything that had happened in the past few hours, she was taking it all quite well. Her eyes were wide and staring straight at him. He wiped blood from his lips, enjoying her shock when he licked it off his fingers with obvious pleasure. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted.
"Oh…shit…" Van muttered as he hurried to her side. Looking over at Kiosun and Yuuhi, he decided that it would really be kinder to let Mihira sleep. Finally, Kiosun stood up and smiled at the young woman on the floor, her eyes glazed with pleasure.
Van walked over to Kiosun, he feet making no sound on the floor. Kiosun grinned and held his arms open for Van to step into. Van looked up eagerly and smiled as Ki kissed him, softly at first but with increasing ferocity. Blood mingled between them, Yuuhi's, Van's, and Kiosun's, leaking from cuts on their lips and tongues. Van wove his fingers through Kiosun's long, raven hair and pressed closer to his lover. After a few minutes they broke apart again and walked together to the couch on the far wall, sinking onto it gracefully.
Despite their recent feeding, they both knew that they were far from recovered. For the moment, they were content to lean against each other and watch the two females in the room. Yuuhi was sleeping peacefully on the floor, a little pale but otherwise unhurt. Mihira was groggily shaking her head and looking around the room, confused. Seeing Van and Kiosun on the couch and Yuuhi lying on the floor, she ran to Yuuhi and checked her pulse. When Mihira sat back with and obvious sigh of relief, Van couldn't help but react with annoyance.
"I told you she wouldn't be harmed," he snapped. She looked at him with fear in her eyes. Ki reached over to Van and gently pulled him closer.
"Relax, love. What would you suspect if you saw a friend lying on the floor after watching us both feed?"
Van muttered agreement and settled back on the couch, falling peacefully asleep. Ki watched him for a few seconds before he too, felt his eyelids drooping. His last glimpse before he fell asleep was of Yuuhi being helped to a chair by Mihira.