Dream of Crimson – part two

By Vikki

Disclaimer:  Not mine.  No profit.  Please don't sue.

Flame policy:  "You flame, I kill." – Ran Fujimiya

*   *   *

            I was sinking in the deep blue sea when I opened my eyes, falling peacefully to the inky blackness below, when I opened my eyes.  Below me the clear blue faded to darkness.  Above me the sun winked and bobbled, distorted by the gentle waves of the surface.

            As I fell the pressure increased.  My head felt as if it were being squeezed in a vice.

            There was blood in the water.  It was my blood; it was because of the pressure.

            I looked up at the sun and its fractured reflection and reached towards it.  Maybe if I reached high enough, someone would rescue me.

            Reaching . . . reaching . . .

            Reaching . . .

            "Ken-kun?"

            I awoke to the sensation of having my outstretched hand grasped firmly.  "Omi?" I croaked in reply.

            "Ken-kun!  You're awake!"

            Letting the hand I had extended fall back to the bed, I cracked my eyes open and immediately regretted it.  My head exploded with pain.  "Owwwww . . ." I moaned, reaching up to grasp my head.  My fingers met the rough gauze of bandages wrapped around my skull.  "What happened?"

            "Aya-kun came back to the shop dragging Youji-kun behind him and with you over his shoulder," Omi answered, his voice thick with worry.  I struggled to focus on his face and saw the worry reflected there, too.  "He told me to take care of you, then disappeared with Youji-kun.  I don't know what else happened, but Aya-kun was pretty upset."

            I'll bet, I thought miserably.  Unfortunately Omi's answer didn't answer any of my questions at all, except that Aya must have been the one I heard before I fainted.  I shut my eyes and sighed.

            "Are you okay, Ken-kun? What happened to you and Youji-kun?"

            "Um . . ." I paused.  How did I tell Omi that we had been attacked by vampires and Aya had apparently saved us with magic?

            I heard the door open.  Snapping my eyes open, I propped myself up on my elbows and ignored Omi's protests against my sitting up as Aya walked into the room.  He looked annoyed, but there were dark circles under his eyes and his hairline was damp.  It was almost as if he were exhausted by something.  "Omi, go away," he said, voice flat.

            Omi obeyed quietly at the threatening, demanding tone, throwing me a questioning glance as he went out the door, and Aya took Omi's place on the old, squeaky rolling chair next to the bed.  For a very long moment we just looked at each other, until Aya said, "I warned you."

            And right then I felt it - the same feeling I'd had at the library when I got too near Miki and saw Stacey.  It derailed my train of thought completely, and I found myself blurting, "Why didn't you tell me you weren't human!?"

            Oh, I wanted those words back so badly.  Damn my stupid impulsiveness!  Aya's features turned downright icy; I think he could have killed me in cold blood right then.  "What?" He asked ominously.

            "Nothing," I answered immediately, my voice catching on the word.  I was lying; I hate liars.  "Do you know what we saw today?" I asked to cover myself, trying desperately to keep my voice from trembling as I recounted the day's harrowing events.  "Vampires.  Real ones.  They were going to kill Youji, or whatever the hell they do.  Make him a –" here I was forced to take a deep breath to keep from sounding hysterical – "a dried husk, like the video.  I didn't think they were real, but they are.  They did something funny to Youji, and he was really screwed up by it.  Is he okay now?"  I was babbling.  With effort I clamped my mouth shut.

            Aya let my slip slide for the moment. "Youji is fine."

            "How did you snap him out of it?"  I said.

            Again Aya looked at me sharply.  "How do you know?" he asked.

            He didn't have to be specific.  I knew what he meant - how did I know he wasn't human, and how did I know he healed Youji.  I wanted to erase this whole conversation and forget it occurred.  "I just . . . know," I said lamely, fiddling with the sheets.  "I'm right, aren't I?" I asked.

            Aya didn't answer me directly.  "Bel'uah won't be happy," he observed under his breath, before saying, "Call Manx and tell her you can't do the job.  Do you believe me now?  I told you that you were in over your head."

            I should have agreed and dropped the mission.  I should have told Youji and Omi that this wasn't worth the money; surely the Tokyo police could handle a case that was so 'easy' according to Manx.

            Damn my stubborn streak.

            "We committed to this mission.  I don't care what Youji and Omi do; I'm seeing this through to the end," I said defiantly.  "And I don't care if I'm up against fifty million vampires complete with witches and necromancers!  I'll finish the mission or die trying - like always."

            Aya made a frustrated noise and raked a pale hand through his red hair.  I'd never noticed before how pale he was.  "Baka," he hissed in his deep voice.  "You obviously don't understand at all how dangerous this is."

            "And you do?!"  I asked, temper rising.  "What makes you the almighty god of understanding!?  How come you know what's best for me, and I don't!?"

            "Because I know these creatures far better than you do," Aya answered, voice calm, low and quiet.  "So shut up and lay down before you hurt yourself worse than you already have, Hidaka."

            "How do you know about them?" I demanded.  "What makes you special?"

            "Shut up." Aya's voice cut through my rant like a cold knife.  "That's not important."

            Sure it is, I wanted to say, but I wisely held my tongue.  Aya's eyes threatened instant death if I argued.  Instead I glared at him and changed the subject.  "So . . . what did you do to those vampires, anyway?"

            Aya's sharp gaze continued to pierce me.  "What do you mean?"

            "Oh for crying out loud, don't play dumb!  I heard your voice when I fainted," I accused him directly.  "You said something about a 'wind sword' and Stacey and Miki screamed like they were hurt." Aya's eyebrows arched delicately at my using names for the vampires, but I ignored him.  "What did you do?"

            For a long moment Aya just looked at me while I jutted out my jaw, crossed my arms, and glared back.  Then he suddenly closed his eyes and said flatly, "You're probably about to find out."

            The phone rang.  I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound, and had another heart attack when I realized Aya had predicted the phone call in his own cryptic way.

            "I'll get it!" called Omi from outside the room.  The phone rang a second time, accompanying Omi's pounding feet on hardwood floor, then came the sound of the phone being lifted out of its hook hastily.  "Hai, moshi moshi," Omi greeted breathlessly.  "Gomen kudasai.  Hai.  Hai, shikashi . . . Sou desu.  Hai.  Ja ne."  Omi hung up the phone with a click, and there was a long moment of absolute silence.  I frowned slightly and Aya just looked at me with his unnerving eyes.

"Aya-kun!" Omi called suddenly.  There was a note of confusion in his voice.  "It's someone called Bethany." He stumbled over the foreign name.  "She says it's an emergency, and to come right away."

            Aya gave me a disgruntled look, than poked a thin, callused finger at me.  "If you want to know," he said darkly, "get up and come with me."  With that, he rose and strode out of the room without even glancing back.

*   *   *

            Fifteen minutes later found me in Aya's car being driven down the road at a furious pace by an irate Aya.  Omi had nagged me for a full five minutes about the inherent dangers of trying to move with a concussion like mine and I had developed a severe headache.  Thank the heavens for asprin.  After changing into some cleaner clothes – my shirt was stained with my blood – and removing the bandages around my head, we had headed out the door and into Tokyo's business district.

            Neither of us broke the absolute silence, simmering in our own thoughts.  I was annoyed with Aya for being so secretive.  I had just run into vampires for the first time ever and barely escaped with my life, and Aya obviously knew far more than he was telling.  Didn't I have a right to know what I was up against?

            The car slowed and Aya parked in front of a large office building not unlike the hundreds of other towers of Tokyo.  I followed him in, feeling vaguely intimidated by the huge ornate lobby and the echo of our shoes on the marble floor.  I felt remarkably out of place in my sneakers, khakis, and black T-shirt.

            We crossed the lobby to the reception desk; the secretary looked up at Aya and smiled.  "You're expected.  Brought a friend?"

            Aya shrugged indifferently.  "The usual place?"

            "Of course.  Oh, she's got a new bodyguard; he'll definitely expect some ID."

            "Thank you."  Aya nodded curtly to the secretary and passed her on the way to the elevators.  I followed him into one; elevator music played softly in the background, and Aya punched the button for the eighty-first floor.

            The silence between us stretched, the music only playing on my tensions.  Finally I blurted, "Who's Bethany?"

            "You'll see," he answered.

            I fidgeted and waited impatiently for the numbers over the door to reach "81", the quiet music scalding my ears.  Finally the gold-tinted doors opened and Aya led the way down the brightly lit hall and into an airy reception room.  Another secretary looked up at us from her desk, and a burly-looking man approached from his apparent post at the bark oaken doors to the right.

            "You are . . .?" he demanded, looking me up and down and giving Aya the same treatment.

            Aya dropped his driver's license into the bodyguard's line of vision. "He's with me," he explained while I fumbled for my own license, unsure if I had brought it.

            The bodyguard examined Aya's ID, then grunted consent.  "But he stays here."  The guard pointed an accusing finger at me.

            I opened my mouth to protest when Aya held out a hand in a silencing gesture.  He looked to the oaken doors, and I followed his gaze.

            A petite gaijin woman had appeared in the doorway.  She looked to be at least a decade older than Aya; her close-cut brown hair nicely framed sky blue eyes that were set off by a red business suit.  Reading glasses rested on her small nose, making her look scholarly and wise, but not intimidating.

            No, she did not look intimidating, but as her eyes fell on me I felt an oppressive sense of power settle on my shoulders.  Suddenly the huge reception room didn't seem big enough; I was tempted to ask someone to open the windows and let the stiff breeze carry some of the heavy air outside.

            The woman spoke to the bodyguard in English, and the man glared at me one last time before stepping back to his post.  She then beckoned to Aya and me with an open hand.  "Please, come in," she said in flawless Japanese.  "You're both expected."  Again her sharp eyes settled on me.

            Aya seemed unperturbed, and I wondered if maybe I was experiencing another effect of my newly discovered sixth sense.  We followed the woman into an expansive office with walls covered with pictures and paintings and awards, a wide oaken desk that matched the door with a high-backed cushion chair, and two deep guest chairs.  Aya halted just inside the door, and I paused behind him, not daring to venture any action on my own.  The woman closed the door behind us, then walked briskly to stand in front of her desk, manicured fingernails running down the carved edges.  "Good evening, gentlemen," she greeted us.  Her attention then shifted to me alone. "My name is Bethany Gramm.  Please call me Bethany."

            I bowed to her, not knowing what else to do.  "Thank you.  Er . . . my name is Ken Hidaka.  Good evening."

            Bethany smiled an approving smile.  "It's a pleasure.  I have some questions for you.  But first, down to business . . ." Her gaze went to Aya.

            Aya stood slumped in front of me, which was something that I rarely saw because his posture was usually flawless.  His features were as impassive as ever, but he seemed somehow subdued.  His manner was one of grudging respect.  When Bethany's eyes fixed on him, he answered, "Hai?" without a trace of ice in his voice.  Needless to say, I went into mild shock.

            Bethany's voice was steel cloaked in velvet.  "You know why I called you here.  I am forced to cite you for unauthorized daytime use of magic, using an exorcism circle" – her voice stressed the words with distaste – "and engaging a werewolf in battle when you well know that werewolves are officially neutral.  I am disappointed in you."

            I had no comprehension of the charges, but Aya's jaw muscles clenched as she rattled them off.  "Hai," he gritted out.

            Bethany was untouched.  "I have not yet determined an appropriate punishment.  Until I have decided, I am suspending your blood rites.  A further infraction may result in incarceration, and I will not bail you out," she warned.  "Have I made myself clear?"

            "Hai."  Aya made his hands into fists at his sides and scowled fiercely.  Bethany blinked serenely at him, completely unaffected by a look that usually sent chills up my spine.  I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest.

            Bethany looked at me and a smile crossed her lips, crinkling the skin around her eyes.  "You don't understand, do you?"

            "Uh, no, not really," I apologized.  "Sorry."

            "All that is important for you to know now is that your friend Aya is a highly capable magician, and I hold sway over him."  Her smile faded, and she turned to walk around her desk and sit down in the plush leather chair.  "I know you must have lots of questions about today's events.  Ask me anything about them; then I will ask you some questions."

            That last part sounded ominous, and I bit my lip, scowling in thought.  Something occurred to me.  "Hey, how do you know about the attack in the first place?"

            Bethany's smile was cryptic.  "That's not important.  Next question."

            Aya had answered with those exact words to a similar question, I remembered.  "How do you know Aya?  What do you have to do with him?"

            Bethany closed her eyes and shook her head, leaning forward to put her elbows on her desk.  "Hidaka-san, I am not here to answer questions about myself.  I will answer your questions pertaining to the incident today."

            Okay, I thought.  What's the big secret?  But even I know when to quit, so instead I asked, "So, were those people really vampires?"

            "Yes – well, two of them were."  Bethany paused, probably for dramatic effect.  "The man was a werewolf."

            "Is that the werewolf Aya attacked?"

            "Yes."

            "He was trying to kill Youji and me.  Why are you, uh . . . 'suspending Aya's blood rites', or whatever you said, for protecting us?"

            Bethany looked at me for a long moment, appearing to consider me.  I stubbornly crossed my arms and insisted, "Well?"

            "That extends into a great deal of regulations that I'd rather not get into," Bethany said, dismissing my allegation.  I thought it was an elaborate dodge.  "Simply put, Aya broke a rule that has long been established between him and me.  Again, it has little effect on your life, so it should not concern you.  Next question."

            I licked my lips before continuing.  Bethany was a constantly unnerving woman.  "The vampires did something to Youji.  What was that?"

            "Oh, that."  Bethany seemed almost amused by the question.  "They like to call it 'rolling the victim under'.  I suppose the layman's term for it would be 'hypnosis', but that's not entirely accurate.  Hypnosis takes the mind to another time or place.  'Rolling under' is more like a sedative, or a drug.  They could skin you alive and make you love it."

            I shivered involuntarily at the thought.  Taking a deep breath, I continued.  "Are the vampires dead?"

            "No.  And they are not the only vampires in the area.  Nor is that man the only werewolf."  She pierced me with her gaze.  "I would be on the lookout, Hidaka-san.  Which brings me to the other reason I asked you here.  Have I answered your questions to your satisfaction?"

            No, I thought fiercely, but held my tongue.  "As close as you're willing."

            Bethany actually chuckled, and something in that laugh made me feel that Bethany was not only powerful but also very dangerous.

            "Good.  Then let me ask the questions now."  Bethany pressed her fingertips against one another and leaned forward on her desk, hiding the lower half of her face from view.  "Hidaka-san, did you know that those vampires were not human when you first saw them?"

            I nodded slowly.  "Yes."

            "How do you know?"

            I tried to think of a good explanation and came up empty-handed.  "I just know.  I don't understand how."

            "Just as you 'knew' Aya isn't human?" There was a touch of a taunt in her words.

            "Just as I know you're not human," I retorted without thinking.

            Bethany tilted her head and lifted pencil-thin eyebrows in surprise before smiling cryptically.  "I see."  She lowered one hand to her desk and picked up a pen before leaning back in her chair again, crossing one leg, and reclining comfortably.  She pressed down on the pen cap with her thumb, making it click into place.  "The vampire named Stacey – didn't she try to roll you under?"  Bethany pushed back up on the pen cap, and it made a popping noise.

            "Yes."  I wondered where these questions were going.

            Click.  She pushed the cap back into place.  "What did it feel like?"  Pop.  The pen cap was lifted again.

            I tried to recall the floating sensations and found that they were fuzzy memories.  "I don't remember too well."  Click.  "It was like I had left my body, and there wasn't anything left except Stacey's voice." Pop.

            "Did it feel good, bad, or like nothing at all?" Click.

            "It was . . . pleasant."  I remembered being completely devoid of worries or fear and sighed. Pop.  "But I'm glad she didn't succeed, I guess."

            Click.  "Yes . . . how did you break out of that?" Pop.

            "I . . . I just remembered who I was.  What I was."  Murderer. Click went Bethany's pen.  "And then I was back in my body staring at Stacey."  Pop.

            Bethany nodded slowly.  "Interesting."  Click.

            I began to feel as if the clicking and popping of the pen was like grains of sand falling in an hourglass, ticking off hours of my life.  I was tired, drained; all I wanted was to get away from this high-rise with its creepy employees and fall asleep in my own bed.  My headache was back full-force.  "Are we done?"

            Pop.  "No.  I have one more question.  How did you know Aya had exorcised Kudou-san?" Click.

            So that was what Aya had used the exorcism circle for – whatever an exorcism circle was.  "I didn't.  Aya said Youji was fine, so I figured Aya had done something to him."

            Pop.  "Why did you figure that?"

            The pen was driving me nuts; I felt as if I could fall asleep on the spot.  "I thought you said you only had one more question for me."

            "I was wrong.  Sometimes an answer brings to mind more questions."  Click.

            I sighed.  "Because I knew Aya did something to the vampires.  I heard him before I went unconscious.  Besides, Youji wasn't okay when Aya took him home – at least that's what Omi said."  I paused.  "And I knew Aya wasn't human."  Suddenly it occurred to me that Bethany had known that little detail without my telling her.  That disturbing thought served to wake me up a little.  "Why do you want to know all this?"  Pop.

            "Your chance to ask questions is past, Hidaka-san."  Click.  "Are you feeling well?"

            I blinked at the sudden turn in conversation.  "Tired, I guess . . ." I temporized.  "Why?" Pop.

            "Never mind." Click.

            I couldn't take it anymore; the air was heavy and the pen's clicking filled my ears.  "Would you stop it?" I finally blurted.  "That pen is driving me crazy!"

            Suddenly my exhaustion disappeared, and Bethany blinked as if startled.  The pen slipped from her grasp.  "Oh!" she gasped, composing herself quickly.  "I'm sorry."

            That was too weird for my tastes.  Praying she was done, I asked, "Is that all?"

            "For now."  Bethany's calm, poised atmosphere was back.  "However, Hidaka-san, I advise you to be on the lookout for further vampire attacks.  You are hardly out of danger."

            Great, I thought.  "Then tell me how to defend myself," I demanded.  "How can I be ready?"

            Bethany seemed pleased that I wanted her advice.  "Aya knows what to look for, and so do you, it would seem," she said.  "All I can tell you is a vampire fears nothing except God.  Remember that."

            I didn't find that very helpful, but Bethany didn't seem too willing to dole out more information.  I wasn't about to stick around and try to pry it out of her.  "Can we go?"

            "If you wish."  Bethany rose and walked around her desk, passing me on her way to the door.  "It has been a pleasure to meet you."  She turned to Aya, and I suddenly became aware of his presence again as I realized he hadn't said a word during our entire exchange.  "Aya, come see me again sometime this week and bring Hidaka-san with you."

            "Hai."  Aya turned on his heel and walked out the door.  I followed him, feeling just as confused as before.

            Bethany's eyes bored holes into my back until we were on the elevator and out of sight.

*   *   *

Author's notes:  First off, a huge thanks to all the wonderful reviewers out there!

Several of you have noticed that this bears some similarity to the Anita Blake series.  I must now confess – I have never read them.  However, I have read Acherontia Atropos, an excellent Gundam Wing fanfiction based off the Anita Blake series, centering around Duo Maxwell. I encourage everyone to read it.  Any and all similarities to that fic are my fault.  If Katsu no Miko reads this, I ask her to think of it as a tribute to her excellent work.  Besides, I'll be moving away from the similarities between our works soon …  you can find it here:  http://www.katsudon.net/gwfic/atropos.html  Set aside an afternoon to read it, and be very afraid of things that go bump in the night afterwards!

Besides that fanfiction, most of my influence lies in The Vampire Chronicles by Ann Rice.  This is an excellent series centering from the point of view of several vampires who constantly struggle with what they are, providing sufficient angst to run the Weiss Kreuz series several times over.  Again, I encourage everyone to read it, starting with either The Vampire Armand or Interview with the Vampire.  Go Lestat!  Go Louis!  Whooo!  Okay, I'm fine now.

Thanks again, please keep reading!  ^^x  I love reviews … I make shrines to all my reviewers … ^^x;;;