Those who ask for quick updates... get them... Occasioanlly.
I have the strange feeling that, even though I put that bit on the bottom of my story, some people have stopped reading this because of what happened in the last chapter. Well, if you have, then more fool you!
This is the last chapter people. The FINAL chapter of CotN….. Kind of depressing really….
Chapter 20 – Children of the Night.
The world was swimming. No. The darkness was swimming. There was no world.
All that she could see was dark blackness, emptiness. It was not frightening. At the edge of her vision there seemed to be light, but it seemed that no matter where she looked, she could not get a decent look at it. As if it were being blocked by something.
Is this death? There was no pain, no hell. Not even a heaven, just awareness. Her limbs felt cramped, and she felt a little too warm. It felt as though she were laying on something, something soft.
More awareness came to her. Something was covering her, keeping her warm. There seemed to be a small weight on her stomach, and something soft and yielding behind her head. Even with all this, she still felt uncomfortable.
Smells reached her next. A clean scent, coffee, bacon. Food. Her stomach growled lightly in protest, urging her to find something edible soon. If I'm dead, why do I need to eat?
She took a breath… and froze. Breath? She was breathing?
I'm… not.. dead? Then why is it so dark? Her mind clicked into place as she woke up more and more, the answer was startlingly obvious.
You haven't opened your eyes yet.
Lids creaked open and bright light invaded her eyes, momentarily blinding her and causing her to wince. She felt musty and stiff. Like she had been still for too long. The urge for a long bath and a quick run was nearly overpowering.
But first. Food.
Brown eyes wandered, searching for that which her stomach desired, it took her a few minutes to realise where she was. The soft white bed, pressed against a partition, steps leading down to a light wooden floor. She could just see a single window, with a flowering orchid next to it.
Paris. Home.
A soft sound reached her ears. Humming. Someone was humming a soft and soothing lullaby, the voice light and beautiful. Kirika felt her eyes widen as memory crashed back in on her. The vampire, the fight, Mireille.
"Mi...---- " Her voice croaked pathetically, making her wince in pain and rub at her throat, it felt raw. Like she had been eating sharp sticks. Making any sound at all felt like more sharp objects were scratching her already raw throat.
The humming stopped for a moment and Kirika froze in place, hoping she had been heard. Unfortunately it started again after a minutes silence.
Frustrated Kirika pulled off the overly warm covers and shimmied to the end of the bed. She was getting up! She already felt like she had slept too long.
The "THUD" she made as she smacked against the wooden floor was quite loud. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea? She contemplated as she began telling her legs to move. They twitched slightly.
She was so engrossed with trying to get up that she failed to notice the sounds of an approaching person, until it was too late.
"Kirika?" The voice was shocked and hopeful at the same time, making Kirika stop her attempts to stand up. That voice was like music to her.
"Morning..." She managed to croak, lifting her head slightly to favour Mireille with a weary smile.
The blonde's face was frozen in shock. Her blue eyes wide and her mouth open in a small "O" of surprise. She looked dishevelled, as if she hadn't looked in the mirror all day. She was still beautiful though, she was always beautiful.
"Kirika..." The blonde let out as she tried to look exasperated, as if Kirika was some errant child. Instead she just looked silly, with a grim frown but twitching cheek muscles and bright dancing eyes.
"It's back to bed with you young girl." Mireille ordered with a big happy smile breaking through her glare. Kirika nodded but still couldn't move, so it was up to Mireille to bend down and pick her up, carrying her to bed and tucking her under the covers again. Despite the earlier heat, Kirika was now very cold, and thankful of the heavy blankets.
Mireille knelt by the bed, her elbows on the mattress and her hands gripping one of Kirika's in a tight hold. The contact felt like heaven for Kirika.
"What happened?" Kirika asked in a still raspy voice. "We... you... I thought you.." She didn't want to say it, in case Mireille felt that Kirika didn't trust her.
"Shot you..." Mireille answered, her face becoming etched with pain. Kirika just nodded, willing to let the blonde speak when she wanted to.
"As far as I understand," Mireille began uncertainly after a minute, "and I don't understand much of this. Alucard unlocked all of his power by breaking the seals that kept him captive. And without meaning to, used so much power that he didn't just kill Gilles, he erased him. Erased him so much, that Gilles' influence for the previous few hours ceased to be." ... Silence.
Kirika felt confused. Mireille looked confused. Kirika felt they made a good team in that.
"So," Kirika began, "He reversed time?" Mireille shrugged.
"Alucard said that what Gilles had done in the last few hours had never happened after he'd finished with him. So those that were Ghouls became human again and appeared back at their homes. Seras, Pip and Luke, who had all died were resurrected. You too..." She added with a look of self hate.
"Mireille..." Kirika breathed, unsure of what to say.
"I killed you Kirika. I shot you, my only friend. I... I'm..." A sob broke through her, wracking her body with pain and misery. Kirika's eyes widened.
"No! Mireille, no, it's alright, I don't care." Kirika hated her body at that moment, that it was too weak to pull Mireille into a firm embrace.
Their malaise was interrupted by a furry figure. Bringing other... more... difficult thoughts to the front.
Kirika stroked the soft black kitten softly, marvelling at how it pressed itself against her face and mewled softly in contentment.
"I see you got my gift." Mireille smiled between her tears. She had stopped crying now, but refused to wipe the lingering traces away. The kitten, seemingly pleased with it's work rushed off to sleep.
"Hmm hmm." Kirika answered in the affirmative, fighting the urge to blush slightly. It had seemed to easy, when she thought she was dying, so say those words. Because it was her last chance. But now... now she felt scared all over again, insecure. Even though she knew Mireille felt the same way.
One of the hands holding her own travelled up her arm to her face, where it lingered touching her cheek softly. Kirika could already feel her breathing quickening, having Mireille touch her face felt like... like... well, she had nothing to compare it to, nothing she had ever felt, felt this good. She felt like she was bursting with happiness.
"Did you... mean... what you said?" Mireille asked, her voice subdued and her eyes frightened, just as insecure as Kirika was.
Kirika nodded hesitantly, smiling shyly.
Silence reigned. Communication was neither girl's skill. Kirika felt frustrated, why couldn't she just say it? Either of them?
Mireille was angry with herself, You're afraid aren't you, that she might say no. That Kirika might not have understood what I meant.
Kirika squeezed Mireille's hand tighter, and leant her face heavily against Mireille's other palm. Mireille blurted out.
"Love you." Not even a full sentence. But Kirika understood, as her heart swelled in her chest.
"I love you Mireille. I love you too." There were tears in her eyes, making the brown orbs sparkle. She tried to hide them, but didn't need to, because Mireille was crying too.
Kirika didn't know what she wanted. She felt drained, and yet incomplete. She had said it, and her feelings had been returned. It felt as if those three words had taken as much a toll as any fight would have on her.
Turning her head slightly she kissed Mireille's palm, marvelling in the taste of the Corsican blonde's skin. Hands gripped her cheeks as her face was pulled forwards towards Mireille's.
Kirika felt that her mind wasn't working. She was sure her heart wasn't beating. All that felt important were Mireille's glorious lips on her own, their warm, wet contact as they performed a dance as old as time itself. This was not her first kiss, but it was nothing like the one sided kiss with Chloe. That one had been empty, but this one... it was filled with passion. And need.
Mireille broke away reluctantly, needing to breathe despite her wish to the contrary. Kirika's face was flushed with emotions, she was now very hot. As well, as embarrassed, pleased and fulfilled. She could still taste Mireille on her lips.
"Sorry." Mireille apologised bashfully, her face tinting slightly red. Kirika shook her head to dispel the apology.
"Why are you apologising?" Kirika asked curiously, did Mireille still think Kirika didn't know what she was agreeing to. I'm not as naïve as she thinks. "I've wanted that for a while." She added, whilst blushing. Mireille's eyes widened slightly as she smiled.
"Maybe we should take this slowly?" She suggested, "You've been out for a while."
Kirika nodded happily, she doubted how long this slowness would last, but didn't care. She suddenly realised what Mireille had said.
"How long have I been asleep?" Mireille's words, and her own stiffness suggested a long time.
"Nearly three weeks now. You haven't moved since then, so it's to be expected you'd fall flat on your face when you tried." Kirika frowned as Mireille let out a silvery laugh, remembering the state she had found her in.
"I think I need a bath." Kirika suddenly remarked, interrupting the blonde's laughter. Mireille looked at her curiously before nodding and helping her out of the bed. The implications of what had to happen struck her a moment later. Mireille saw her shocked and embarrassed expression.
"Yes, that's right. I have to help you bathe. You're a bit useless at the moment." Again, more laughter as Kirika blushed. But Mireille was right, she couldn't do this on her own, and she did need a bath.
"So what happened to Hellsing?" Kirika asked once they had both settled into the bath. Mireille was there too, with Kirika leaning back against her as the blonde washed her, seeing as her own arms were still unresponsive. Mireille assured her by tomorrow they would be fine again.
It did make Kirika feel slightly less embarrassed that Mireille was in the same nakedstate as her, she thought that might have been the blonde's idea. The both of them could fit in their bath quite easily. Still, Kirika was as red as a beetroot. If she had turned around, she would have seen that Mireille was too.
"They went back to England, back to their jobs at Hellsing. Alucard said that even though he was free, he wished to continue the fight. And Seras would follow him wherever he went." Mireille was lathering Kirika's unruly hair with shampoo, trying to make it look at least partially presentable.
"Did she ever tell him how she felt?" Kirika asked after she had blown some shampoo bubbles off her nose.
"I think so. In their own vampiric way, they seemed very close at the end. But they have an eternity." Kirika nodded, feeling the weight of mortality come down on her. They have eternity, but Mireille and myself don't.
"We don't need forever," Kirika began hesitantly, "as long as I have now, and you, I'll be happy."
There was silence, in which Kirika felt she might have said something wrong. Before pale arms wrapped around her shoulders and hugged her close to Mireille's body. Skin to skin, as close as humanly possible they were.
"You know. We're not that different from them." Mireille whispered into her ear, hair forgotten, "we're all creatures who have to kill for our daily bread. All of us fight a war we can never win, but will never give up. And both them and us, are only as strong as our love for each other."
Hands found Kirika's own, pulling her around so that they could kiss again, could meet in their own love for each other. As they pulled away Kirika finished what Mireille had begun to say.
"We're all Children of the Night."
One... two .. three... AWWWWWWWW! Someone tell me, did I go over the top or what? Last chapter, NEEDS to be filled with fluffiness.
Hee hee, anyone who doesn't read this because of what happened in the previous chapter will be seriously missing out on what they feared they had lost.
Well, its finished. Final thoughts people? Please! If you liked this story, then I would strongly suggest you read my other one; "Noir: Divine Contract." It again has supernatural creatures in it, as well as developing romance. Though the romance is slow as they learn to change from untrusting allies to something much closer. I personally think it is coming along better than this one, so give it a read. And forgive the lack of instant fluff, that will come later.
Well, from Children of the Night. This is Cavalyn signing out. I hoped you all enjoyed it. Thanks to Lain of Avalon, my beta reader, who was on holiday so didn't get to beta the last few, but her help at the start was invaluable. And thank you to my reviewers, who offered support, help and a general fluffy feeling in my heart. You made me want to continue when I thought all was lost.
Thank you.