A/N: I'm sorry I've taken so long to get this updated! It's not that I was lazy, this chapter (and quite a few ahead of this one ^.~) have been typed up for weeks but my computer is really finicky and doesn't let me upload stuff sometimes. It's really annoying. Anyway, here it is finally! I hope I haven't lost all my readers! _________________

Chapter Five - Truth

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Chris ended up walking past the inn and exiting the village. She needed to clear her head. She needed to get away from *him*.

She walked for a while, deep in thought, until she came to a clearing a little ways into Kaput forest. She stopped and listened. Something didn't seem right. Something was here. Behind her...

She turned to see a long blade an inch from her neck. Gazing down the sword, she saw its owner, and fear was forgotten for fury when she recognized him. As when she'd last seen him, he was dressed entirely in black, and his long blonde hair was braided loosely down his back. He stared at her with his trademark sadistic grin, blue and red eyes regarding her hatefully.

Yuber.

"You?! You're alive?!" she cried. "What do you want, other than chaos and death, you demon!"

"Watch your mouth," he hissed. "I simply want what I've earned."

"Earned?"

"I didn't kill that brat of a vampire for nothing."

Suddenly Chris understood. "You! You're the one after the Moon Rune!"

"So you do know something about it! When I heard that the captain of the Zexen knights was missing, I knew something was up. What do you know? Tell me, or you die. Well, you'll die anyway, but you'll die a less painful death if you cooperate."

"Leave her out of this, Yuber."

Yuber spun around, grabbing Chris from behind and holding one of his swords to her neck. His face was one of malevolence when he saw Nash standing a few feet away, Grosser Fluss drawn.

"It was you wasn't it?!" Nash cried. "You murdered Sierra!"

"So you're still alive." Yuber narrowed his eyes at him. "I thought I'd finished you off... Aahh, yes I see now. You have become one of 'them'. But how pathetic and weak you look! I can tell just by looking at you that you haven't been feeding. I can help you with that. I've caught you a tasty little morsel right here." He shook Chris a little as he said this.

Nash's face was an expression of malice. "I said let her go!"

"Nash!?" Chris looked a little confused as to what Yuber was talking about.

Yuber picked up on Chris' confusion. "Oh, so you haven't told her?"

"Told me what?" Chris asked, fear creeping into her voice.

Nash held the Grosser Fluss steady but his face was one of uncertainty.

"Go on. Tell her. Your prey should at least know what you are before she dies. And put down the weapons, or I'll have to kill her for you." Yuber smiled a twisted smile.

"Demon!" Nash hissed, but dropped the swords, which landed with a thud in the grass.

"Ha! Look who's talking! Stop acting as though you were still a human being. Why deny what you are?"

"Nash! What is he talking about?!" Chris asked, squirming in Yuber's clutches.

"Haha! This is too delightful." Yuber leaned his head forward until his lips were by Chris' ear. "I'll tell you a secret," he said, although he spoke loud enough for Nash to hear, "You've been traveling with a blood- starved vampire."

Chris didn't give Yuber the satisfaction of exclaiming her disbelief, but she knew the minute she looked at Nash's guilt-stricken face, that it was true.

"Chris... I..." Nash was at a loss for words.

"It's really quite amusing," Yuber continued, "All this time he's been probably feeding off of animals - a poor substitute, I might add - and now he is so plagued by hunger for blood that I wouldn't doubt that these ethics he's been hanging onto so vainly would shatter the instant he saw human blood. Even if it was yours."

"You're wrong!" Chris spat.

"Ah, but you don't know, there's nothing so dangerous as a blood-starved vampire." As he said this he slid his sword down from Chris' neck, the blade leaving a thin line of blood just above her collarbone.

Nash grit his teeth, but Yuber laughed manically as he watched Nash stare at the freshly drawn blood on his comrade.

Yuber shoved Chris towards him. "You wanted her back?"

Nash caught her by the arms to keep her from stumbling into him, but he did not release her, gripping her firmly.

"Nash..." Chris gasped, hardly believing what was happening.

But Nash did not respond, his eyes fixated on the thin line of blood trickling down her collarbone. She fought a wave of nausea. He stared at her blood the way a man who'd been lost in a desert for weeks stares at an oasis.

"Bon appetite!" Yuber laughed sadistically. "Next time we meet, I expect you'll be alone." He smiled evilly as a yellow portal appeared beneath him. "Unless you decide to take another snack with you to replace this one." He sank into the portal, disappearing.

She saw what his plan was. Nash had been virtually starving himself of the most essential nutrient for a vampire, feeding only on the blood of animals, and barely getting by. He had managed to control his bloodlust all this time, but it seemed it had gotten to the point where just a trickle of human blood could send him over the edge. Yuber had thrown her back to him in the sadistic hope that Nash could not keep himself from sating his need for human blood.

And it seemed as though Yuber's plan was going to work. Nash was breathing heavily, gripping her arms tighter with each passing moment. He licked his lips, and for the first time Chris saw the two gleaming fangs that he had somehow managed to hide from her until now. He slowly began to lean forward, as though in a trance.

"Nash!" she cried in a whisper, but she couldn't struggle from his firm hold on her.

Chris froze as his mouth reached the skin just below her collarbone, and he parted his lips to take in the trickle of blood. She felt him tremble as he licked the trail of blood up to the cut near her neck, a mere inch away from her jugular. Her heart was pounding. His fangs brushed over the wound. This was it. He was going to do it. He was going to feed off of her until she was dead.

But the next thing she knew he had pushed her away, and with such force that she almost failed to catch her balance. She stared at him, eyes wide. He held his head in his hands and appeared to be fighting for control over the demon within him.

"I'm... I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. He fell to his knees, and when he looked up at Chris, his eyes were so full of torment and anguish that Chris found herself running to his side despite what he had almost done.

"Chris, I'm so sorry. I couldn't help myself," he uttered after a moment, as Chris helped him back up.

Chris was so overwhelmed by everything that had happened that night that she didn't know what to think, never mind how to reply.

"Why...Why didn't you tell me?" she found herself asking finally.

But Nash didn't have a chance to answer, for Yuiri and Yumi had come running out with a few Alma Kinan warriors, all armed with crossbows.

"We heard a lot of shouting out here, what's going on?" Yuiri asked, looking from Nash to Chris.

"Yuber... He's alive. He attacked us." Chris replied.

"Yuber?!" Yumi exclaimed, cautiously aiming her crossbow in the shadows as though the demon might be lurking somewhere close by. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Nash looked at Chris helplessly. It was clear from the look of resigned guilt on his face that he expected her to tell them that he was a vampire and almost killed her, but Chris straightened and stepped forward.

"We're fine. We fought him off."

Nash was silent, but his face displayed obvious relief as well as disbelief.

"Thank the spirits!" Yuiri said with a bow of her head.

"Lady Chris, you are hurt!" Yumi exclaimed, pointing to her cut.

"It's nothing serious," Chris assured.

"Quick, let's get back to the village, and have that looked at," Yuiri signaled to the armed women and they all headed back to Alma Kinan, the two travelers following after Chris gave Nash a small nod.

******

"Time for you to explain a few things."

They were sitting at the table in the inn. Yumi had cleaned and bandaged the minor wound on Chris' collarbone, and after fussing over their two guests for some time, and making sure they were comfortable, they finally left the two to rest. It was nearly dawn, but Chris did not intend on sleeping until she heard everything she wanted to know from Nash.

The Harmonian nodded. He was much more himself now, although Chris could tell he was still feeling guilty. "There's no point in keeping anything from you anymore, I suppose. But Chris... Why didn't you tell them the truth?"

"Why? Did you want me to?"

"I almost completely lost control," he reminded her.

Chris shook her head. "There was no harm done. Besides I can only imagine how difficult it has been for you all this time. Who's to say I wouldn't have done the same thing in your position?"

"There is no excuse. I spent five years learning to control myself, it shouldn't have happened."

"What do you mean by that?" Chris asked, slightly confused.

"I vowed that I wouldn't come to seek your help until I could control this demonic curse," he replied with a sigh.

"So that's the real reason you took so long to get started?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes, that was the initial reason, although the other ones I gave you were true enough."

"Five years..." Chris began to piece the information together. "So you've been a vampire since Sierra's death?"

"Yes. When Yuber attacked me from behind, it was fatal. I was dying. After Yuber left, having failed to retrieve the Rune, Sierra, mortally wounded herself, used the last of her power to save me the only way she could. She knew it was too late for her, so she granted me the gift and curse of immortality. She had to, to ensure that someone would protect the Blue Moon Rune after her death. In fact, part of the reason why I must find the Moon Rune is so I can be rid of this savage thirst for blood."

"I see now. I think I read once, that in the village of vampires, the rune was put on a pedestal in the center of the village, so that the vampires could live peacefully without needing blood, isn't that right?"

"Yes. If I find it, it will null my hunger for blood."

"Is that why you've been eating so much lately? As a substitute for blood?"

"Not that it worked," Nash sighed. "There is always a constant hunger."

"I can only imagine how hard it must be."

"I'm learning to live with it. Some days I can even forget about it. You're lucky that your immortality doesn't come with such a curse..." Nash replied.

Chris thought for a moment. "This explains why you look so young even though you're older than I am," Chris mused.

He nodded again. "I was getting on in my years, truth be told. I must say though, I was still in pretty good shape. Anyway, when I became a vampire, I was restored to the age when I was at my physical peak, which appears to have been around my late twenties or so."

"Now it's all starting to make sense," Chris said, closing her eyes. "But you didn't answer before: Why didn't you tell me you were a vampire?"

He stood and crossed the room to the window, staring out at the sun, which was now visible along the horizon. "I was afraid you wouldn't help me if you knew what I really was. I didn't want to scare you."

"It was a foolish thing to think," Chris replied, slightly bitter. "Nothing about you has ever scared me, except maybe your lack of etiquette."

Nash looked over his shoulder back at her, and a small grin appeared on his face. "I can't promise that will ever improve."

She released a small chuckle and suddenly things seemed lighter between them. A few minutes passed in silence as they contemplated the night's events, the sun slowly rising and flooding the inn with light.

"Nash?" she called suddenly. She had just remembered the argument they had had by the altar, and how his lips had been suspiciously close to her neck right before she pushed him away.

He turned towards her, listening.

"Blood... Is that what you really wanted last night when..."

But Nash was already shaking his head, understanding her concerns. "I swear on my wife's grave, that despite the fact that I'm a half-starved vampire, feeding on your blood had never crossed my mind. I had spent five years training myself to suppress any urges to feed on a human being. For the most part I can be around people without the thought ever coming to mind. It wasn't until Yuber tempted me the way he had that my resolve slipped... But no, last night I had other things on my mind..."

Chris sighed her relief. "So all of that wasn't a desperate act of bloodlust?"

A mischievous grin crept onto his face. "No. It was a desperate act of simply lust."

She looked away as she felt her face heat up. Vampire or no, he was still the same old, blatantly flirtatious Nash. After a moment, she forced herself to meet his gaze.

She cleared her throat. "I... I acted harshly. I apologize."

He shook his head. "Your reaction was understandable. But..." he trailed off as though he had decided against continuing.

"But what?" she asked.

He hesitated a moment longer. "...But it wasn't just lust... I meant everything I said last night."

"You mean, when you... When you said you had feelings for me back then?" she heard herself asking, and looked down at the table.

Nash did not answer for a moment. She continued to stare at the table as he walked a few paces towards her. Then he simply stood there, and Chris knew he wasn't going to respond unless she looked him in the eye. So she did.

His answer was not much more than a whisper.

"I still do."

The door to the inn opened and closed. Both looked up to see Yumi.

"What are you two still doing up!?" Yumi exclaimed. "Yuiri sent me to check up on you. You two should be resting! You have gone through enough for one night."

"Yes, you're quite right," Chris agreed hurriedly then turned to Nash. "We can't leave without having slept at all. We'll rest until midday, stock up on supplies, then be on our way." It was obvious that she was flustered, and Nash grinned.

"Chris, do you feel alright?" Yumi asked suddenly when she saw Chris' scarlet face. She proceeded to feel her forehead and gasped. "You're terribly hot," she said, mistaking Chris' blush for a fever.

Nash's grin widened naughtily. "Yes, I was just telling her the very same thing before you came in. We should definitely go to bed, Chris."

She caught the hidden meanings in his words and Chris' faced flushed even more. Luckily, the innuendos flew right over Yumi's head.

"That's right. You both need your rest!" Yumi said, and turned to Nash. "Make sure you get some sleep. I'm worried Chris might be ill, so I'm going to put her to bed."

"I was going to do that, but if you insist. Chris, if you're still feeling 'ill' and need anything later, I'll be in here," Nash remarked, dropping one last innuendo before feigning an innocent smile, and retiring to his room.

"It must be wonderful traveling with him," Yumi commented as she helped Chris get ready for bed. "He's such a gentlemen!"

Chris rolled her eyes.

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A/N: This chapter was really weird for me to write. I was really hesitant about bringing Yuber into it at the time, but it fits with the rest of the story well enough. I don't do a lot writing involving vampires and blood, and it was a bit dark at one point. I felt the need to lighten it up at the end. I think Nash may have fallen slightly out of character here and there, but I don't think it was too bad...

Next Chapter: 'Dead On'