Part 2

The Dreams of Blood

Kenshin's day was even worse than he had ever thought possible. The sunlight burned his eyes and he sought some place in a shadow to sit. A blanket covered his shoulders to try and keep him from shaking so badly.

Yuki forced a garlic pill or at least he thought it was down his throat, he choked on it, but in some way it was something soothing. He saw Yamagata walking into the house after talking Kaoru into letting him see Kenshin.

"Alright, Kenshin, you better tell me what has been happening in the area. There have been six deaths in this area in the last four weeks," Yamagata put some tea in front of Kenshin. "You look horrible."

"I know, I have been ill," Kenshin took a sip of the tea and looked seriously at him. "Alright I will tell you what I saw the other night. I went to lock the gate for Kaoru-dono, then I heard a scream, I ran into the alley and saw this man kneeling down in front of this girl. When I yelled, I felt some gust and I was pushed up against the fence, then when I looked at the girl she was already dead."

"Kenshin do you remember what the man looked like?"

"No."

**

Watching Yamagata leaving, he turned and looked at Kaoru. "I hope Kenshin gets better soon, it was like he wanted to sleep."

"Thank you, Yamagata-san." She bowed and turned to see Yuki walking up to her from market.

Yuki was holding a small case and looked at Kaoru, she walked into Kenshin's room and looked at him. She put her fingers in the case and gently put a strange ash on Kenshin's forehead, he let out a yelp of pain and she started to do a ritual around his bed.

"He is sealed as long as he stays inside the circle the vampire will not try and control him," she whispered and silently was cursing herself.

"I have a question, can't you forgive Kenshin?" Kaoru asked as she sat down next to Yuki.

"I can't forgive him. Saitou may say that Kenshin will not kill again, but it will not bring back my brother," Yuki looked up at the sky. "My brother, Kyuuka's birthday is in two days, he would be close to thirty and should have a family."

"I'm sorry."

"What's done is done, Kaoru-san, I will ask for no apologizes from you, Kaoru-san. I am only going to thank you for letting me stay here."

**

The shadows grew around Kenshin, he was walking, at least that was what he was thinking. He felt lonely, he saw shadows growing all around him, he turned to see a man standing on front of him, long reddish hair, it was himself. He was kneeling in front of someone and when he pulled away blood stained his lips. His own eyes were gold and almost catlike.

"No, this isn't real!" he shouted and then he found that he was in his room. He was breathing hard and looked around. I saw myself as a vampire! I worked so hard to never kill again.

"You're losing it," Yuki walked into the room and looked at him. "You were having a nightmare."

"I saw myself as a vampire. Was it my future?" Kenshin stammered.

"It could be you, we need to stop the change, you're showing the signs," Yuki sat down and looked at him.

Lying on his back he just stared at the ceiling, he felt a sharp pain in his mouth, then looked over at Yuki who was looking at the window. "Sunset."

**

The call was much more demanding, Kenshin rolled onto his side grasping his sword. "Come to me, servant!" the words echoed in his head. He opened his eyes and looked around his room. He saw the night sky through the open window and got up.

He walked to the place he left his sandals and put them on. He walked to the front gate and stood there staring at it as if he was not sure if he should challenge the creature. He touched the gate and knew it was locked. He walked around the courtyard looking at the sky and seemed more at peace.

He sat down on the porch and watched the sky, that was when he heard the voice again. "Let me in," it demanded.

"I cannot, Kaoru-dono locked the gate and I will not go against her, that I won't," he told the voice.

"You are my servant, now open the gate!"

"Don't listen to the voice in your head," he heard a female whispering to him, he turned to see Yuki sitting nearby.

"How did you know that a vampire was going to-"

"Simple, he will hunt you until you die, then you will be a vampire like him," she whispered and was holding her sword. "I know only one other vampire who would be so foolish to try and reclaim you as his own."

**

The night sky seemed so much like the one that Kyuuka had always talked about, Yuki sighed thinking about that time. "You know, Yuki-chan, grandfather once told me that when you were born a star appeared in the sky. He said you were in luck."

She sighed and looked over at Kenshin, he was dozing off and sighed. Somehow he is like Kyuuka, can sleep anywhere, she thought.

She walked through the yard and then leaned on a tree.

**

Kenshin walked up to the gate again, his hands were on the door and he touched it. The voice was getting stronger, he couldn't resist it, he touched the release and it opened slowly.

He blinked as the vampire smiled at him. "Thank you," it walked in.

He looked down at the ground as the vampire looked him in the eyes. "Don't be angry, after all, you are mine!"

"Like hell he is," Yuki yelled and glared at Kenshin. "I told you to ignore the voice."

Kenshin just looked down at the ground; somehow he did not know what he was doing. Yuki smacked him and he opened his eyes and blinked. "Oro." He then blacked out.

**

Where am I? Opening his eyes, Kenshin saw Yuki standing by a tree, she was looking angrily at the sky as she was talking to someone in the courtyard. "Saitou, I can handle this myself, I'm a trained vampire slayer! Why did you choose now to show up?"

"You know that this vampire has been terrorizing Tokyo for days. When I heard, I came as fast as I could," Saitou was looking at her.

"You still keep beating yourself up over Kyuuka," she glared at the sky.

"I know, I see you have met the man who killed your brother, I'm surprised you did not kill him yourself," the man shook his head.

"I took the oath as a slayer, I cannot harm anything living. I am a hunter of the damned."

"I will remember that."

The vampire was controlling me; Kenshin thought and looked over at Yuki who was yelling.

"I could have handled it, Saitou, I'm not a child!"

"For once in your life, listen to me, this might be too powerful for you, you should call Haru for help."

Yuki walked away steamed and wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone else. "Stubborn girl," Saitou looked over at Kenshin. "Well, you're not injured too much." He walked away leaving Kenshin alone.

**

Kaoru was doing the laundry and looked over at Kenshin who was sitting in the shade. His eyes were burning due to the sunlight and he couldn't really move about at all, she saw Yuki return and was talking to him.

"Lay down inside, you'll be useless if you don't rest," Yuki walked away leaving him alone.

"She's right, Kenshin, go lay down, I'll bring you some tea." Kaoru yelled at him.

"Yes ma'am!" Kenshin ran into his room and shut the doors.

**

Lying down again, Kenshin felt the dreams come again, this time he was standing in a cave looking at the ceiling. "Time go come to me," the vampire was yelling. "Time to leave your mortal life."

"No," he yelled.

There was laughter all around him. "You have one day left as a human. You are already craving blood, what then?"

Waking up and looking up at the ceiling. He saw Kaoru's teacup and took a sip, then spit the liquid out. What is the matter with me? He blinked and looked around the room again.

"You're changing, you have one day left," Yuki was sitting in a corner and looked out the window. She got up and left the room, she still hates me, he realized.

No matter how I apologize she will not accept it, he thought and opened the door, he looked out into the courtyard and saw Saitou standing under the tree. "What do you want?"

"To warn you, Yuki has no intention of really helping you, she can only stave off the vampire for so long," Saitou whispered and took a puff of his cigarette.

"I see," Kenshin pulled the blankets around him.

**

Yuki sat in the local restaurant and ate her beef-pot. She looked over at her shoulder at the people around her and then looked rather tired. "You sure as hell don't like people," she turned to see Sanosuke walking up to her.

"Let's just say I don't like getting to close to the prey." She took a sip of her tea and then saw him sitting down across from her.

"Kenshin isn't your prey."

She nodded and then gave Sanosuke a rather angry look. "He has one day, when that up he will need blood. Only then will he truly be my prey. I kill all vampires, regardless of who they once were."

"You are cold," Saitou reached up and slapped her. "You know better, if Kenshin turns into a vampire, he will be ten times worse than when he was the Hitokiri. You won't stand a chance against him."

Glaring at the two of them she walked off. "Somehow I think she is taking this revenge too seriously."

"It was my fault," Saitou walked away and was following her.

**

Blood was everywhere, Kenshin saw himself kneeling drinking blood. No, not me, I won't be that thing! He opened his eyes and saw Yuki walking through the house. "I lied, you have a few more days, I only have a day to hunt that thing. I can't seem to sense the nest," she growled.

"And you think I know how to find the nest?" Kenshin asked sitting up.

"Yes, I was waiting until the bond was a little stronger. The vampire will attract you, but with the pill I gave you, you should be able to resist its control," she went to get her sword and quiver and bow. "I will be ready soon, Kenshin, so you better be ready too."