Chap. 7 Part A- Calling
By Sapphi-chan
A/N: this is going to be in two parts… and no this is not like chap. 6 where you get to choose from the two. Anyway what else??? Gomen for not posting this earlier… guess I'm really stuck in doing too many things… to Aki, here's chap. 7 at least you won't be screaming on top of your lungs... ^______^ and I got death threats too... -sweatdrops- thanks to Angel-chan who continues to torture our Dracula until this came up...
It was already afternoon when Akira woke up from the deep slumber, somehow Kaede didn't show up and nowhere to be found. He shifts from his position to move a little close to the left side of the bed. Somehow, Kaede's scent still lingers even though it was for how many hours, he may have left. He sits up and looks for the bathrobe, but it wasn't a bathrobe that was there, it was his own clothes. They must have been cleaned up from last night, he wonders. So he wears it and fixes his hair, combing it.
He was sitting in front of the mirror when Kaede, enters the room bringing a lamp with him. He looks up to meet Kaede's gaze and smiles at him.
"Are you ready for the tour Akira?"
"Hai"
"I'm going to give you instructions. First is that you are not going anywhere and you must always stick with me. Next is don't touch anything; this place still has lots of traps so I advise you not to touch. Can you promise me that you'll follow these instructions?"
Akira smiles at him, "I promise."
"Then let's go."
It was nearing evening when we took the other side of the palace. So far I have seen such paintings that are filled with dust, some paintings have been ripped or some have traces of blood and everything. Some pictures hold a story from what happened in this place. Kaede added too some facts about this palace, and of course the tale of their master have been told too. Sometimes when we turn around he holds my hand even whispers to be careful cause some of the steps are cracking under our weight. I wonder if he still thinks of what happened this morning in the bedroom. How I wish I could feel him near me again, like what he did in the bathtub, or even the one in the bed. Little did I know that my grip from him loosens and I rooted in the ground. A pitch of darkness surrounds me, and I look from side to side but there's no light for me to see. Kaede must be so far that I can't see the light that was being illuminated by the lamp. As for me I traced back the steps to my bedroom even if I nearly stumble from some steps and even statues that where around the castle.
Kaede looks from his back, he thought that Akira was behind him following him as he moves to the corner. When he realizes that he wasn't to be found he retraces his steps back, and maybe he can find the boy there. Unfortunately he can't find him, and the thing that came to his mind is that Akira might have found something that he isn't supposed to see. Or maybe he went back to his bedroom. So I went into one of the secret passages in the castle. As I move fast, enough to slice the wind and the fire moves wildly, I open his door and found no one. I begin to wonder where is he, and now I'm searching for a lost boy and I afraid on what may fall on us.
I saw something, like a small stairs in the dark hallway. I went there and continue to move down that long stairway, the eerie feeling that gives me grew stronger, as a stench of decay is growing stronger and stronger. Truth is that it's become unbearable and it comes from a door on the edge of the stairs.
I had a difficulty in making myself approach it. The smell becomes so unbearable to the point of covering my nose with the collar of my shirt and hands to cover it more. As I open the door, nothing seems to compare the sight of this, not even the foul smell.
The place seems to be a deep prison cell, however it was like a mass burial where heaps of corpses scatter around the room, all in various stages of decay. The bones in different color depends on the age the person die and what year. Rotted flesh infested with insects, and worms. Rats that ran from every corner in the room and from the light of the torch that I got from the edge of the stairs a while ago. Some of them ran past my legs as they reach for the stairs. The stench suffocated me. And my nausea became a knot in my throat.
I couldn't stop starring at these bodies that are scattered around me. There's something important in here for me to learn, something really important. Suddenly I realize that, these are all men, from the way the bones that are still inside those boots, from the ragged clothing, and even their hair and face of some of the corpses here all tell to me that they are young, men, and slightly build.
There was a recent occupant in here. The corpse that is wet and was lying on the ground with outstretched arms though the bars. The man has the same features as mine; one may have passed as my brother.
I move near to that corpse and I move the torch near his face, and I saw his eyes! It was horrible! His eyes was wet and sticky, all swarmed with gnats, and it's blue eyes! The torch that I move near him fell into the cold floor, and I stumbled backwards. Fear consumed me as I moved near the wall, breathing heavily and the stench didn't help alleviate my fear.
As I move near the wall I tripped on something, the torch gave me the view and I found it was a plate with rotten food and a pitcher. The pitcher falls in the ground, and spilled its contents. The content was curdled milk spilled and it makes me vomit from the looks of it.
From the looks of it, the man was locked up inside this cell, the rotten food, and the milk that looks like a vomit now, either or, it looks like he was tormented or nourished him in here. But he didn't see anymore the light of the sun's rays and now he's being infested with maggots and gnats.
Shiver and fear ran though me as a revelation that may seem to be, my own faith in the next years to come. I may have the same faith as he or I just hope that it would be lighter than this.
"What are you doing here?"
I stand up and try to locate the voice, while picking up the torch.
"I said what are you doing in here?" A boy in hood steps near the light for me to see… it's Kaede! Thank heavens he found me at last!
I ran to him to embrace him, but when I was near he slaps my face so hard to the point that I was thrown back and sit on the cold floor.
"Did I tell you not to stay away from my side?!?! I told you not to leave without me! And you didn't follow those simple commands!"
"I'm sorry, when I look again to your side, you… you… where gone! I tried to find you and I got stuck out of nowhere. Then I found this place…" tears forming from my eyes and I can't take it anymore and it flows freely into my face.
As I continue, I made some choking sounds while letting him hear what I want him to hear. "I found this place… mingled with corpses and insects. I got scarred… I really don't know what to do! I was so scarred and lost. Then I hear your voice… It was really you… then my fear were gone cause you saw me already…. Then you slapped me and shouted at me. I know I did something wrong… but … but…" I can't finish my sentence, and I was shaking badly, even crying too. I feel his arms surrounding me, comforting me. He hugs he tightly to him, pressing our bodies closer, he hushing me and rocking me back and forth to calm me down.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have slapped you. You see, I was all worried about you, and you promised and everything. I don't know what am I going to do if you are in danger. Our master will be furious to the both of us. Now… let's get you back to your room, ne…"
I gave him a small tug of smile and follow him. I wipe the tears in my eyes and touch the cheek that was being slapped. It's really painful, but I deserved it anyways… I break the silence that pass between us as we climb to the staircase and up to where we are suppose to head.
"I'm sorry, I should have followed you in the first place…." He stops and turns and placed a kiss on my forehead. Then he holds my hand just like when we started this tour an hour ago or so. I felt so safe when I'm around him, like he's an angel protecting me from harm. I realize that those elders still believe in that concept of hell and heaven. They said that vampires are child of Satan. But isn't Satan himself was created by God? Then Satan, is a child of God, and the vampires too are children of God…
Things that I seem to not care before suddenly all come back with different meaning and answers. Beliefs that once been taught by the elders as some kind of education beyond these myths weren't really true, and have blinded people with it. Kaede is just like us, he may also be left to believe in those things. Or maybe, he knows this stuff, as to how many years he has lived along with the vampire we loathed.
Must be minutes have passed and I didn't know that he pushed me a little to the bed to let me sit down and I was still in thoughts. I only stopped thinking when he was already asking me a question almost three times? Man, I must be really thinking that hard.
"I'll be gone for a while ok? I'll give you your dinner after an hour or so." Kaede just looks at me in question as I didn't respond to him… and really I do look like I'm a deaf man.
"Hai…"
"Are you ok Akira? You do seem so spaced out…" He inquired.
"I was in deep thought, Kaede"
"Whatever it is, just stay here ok? I'll be back with your dinner."
"Ok…" Then he left. Me. In this room. Again. Ok maybe I was in wishful thinking that he just stay here… this room gives me the creeps. Note to self, Dracula didn't even yet visits this room, and me. I mean, could it be Kaede all along who's Dracula??? Nah. He isn't… he looks so… un-vampire. After all, he's in the broad daylight a while ago… so he isn't. But who's Dracula anyway? What does he look like? Must be the exact opposite of what the elders are saying… or maybe half of it is true too. Oh wait I think I remember what the elders said about him… I think he has this long hair up to his shoulders, that is color black and shiny that looks like blue. He's a little tall, I think 5'7" or more than that… he has a pale complexion… but I think Kaede's paler than him. Oh and those fangs… let's not forget those… All this thinking makes me hungry.
An hour has passed and Kaede didn't yet returned. I heard a tap on the window, but there wasn't a thing there. Then the room is so quiet, and scary, only 5 candles illuminated the room. A loud thunder breaks the silence, and the lightning in window is all frightening, there was like a shadow, or a silhouette of a person looking at me then disappeared quickly. I hid under the covers to hide myself, and I look everywhere in the room to look if there's a person or anything who wants to kill me or harm me.
Then the door burst open, I jerked when a strong gush of wind blown straight inside the opening. It was like trapped inside a hurricane. I hide under the covers more, felling coward at the things happening. The door closed on its own, the wind gone, and the light of the candles where gone. I scrambled off my feet, cold against the plush of the carpet, and I walk straight to the candles to light it up.
Once I light it up, it gives of a warm soft glow around me. I look around and feel something cold moving every where. Ghosts can be seen flying in and out of the room and to the corridors and down to the great hall. I walk out of my room to look for the person with mystic blue eyes.
As I go up to the tower, it gets crowded the feeling of being sucked out of air in your body. It makes me feel as if I'm climbing the Himalayas with the thinness of air. But I still went on even if my limbs are shaking and even when I started shaking to the coldness of the air, I still went on, to search for Kaede… the one who stole me heart.
As I went on and I saw a light on top of the stairs, I walk as quietly as I can not to make noise. There was a shadow cast on the wall and I hide between those thick pillars, and I can't believe what I can see from where I'm rooted at the ground.
There I saw the vampire and in front of him is Kaede, Standing in front of him, without any stitch of clothing. Like he was receiving punishment. I saw the others clamoring for the vampire's touch, or maybe more than that.
There are many slaves here on top of the tower, each older than the other, and maybe a century older than me too. The men here are all in loincloths and some don't even care if they are nude of what. And every single one of them has those two punctured scars in their bodies. The vampire was still rooted on the ground with two slaves beside him, and a very pale, sexy, man, whose name is Kaede.
The vampire said in a baritone voice, "Come Kaede… come to me…"
Author's notes: Ok I really don't know what's Mitsui's height in feet… so I was like thinking I'll play safe with 5'7" basically this is the longest chap. cause there's part B! Our beloved Dracula have come back with something nasty... more fun... and more!
I would like to give thanks to the ppl. who have reviewed and continue to read this fic... I know it can be a little borring... but anyway you're still there!!!! Oh pls. don't forget to R&R! ^_^