Alliance
A seemingly young girl sat in the corner of a dimly lit bar alone. She sipped slowly as her green eyes stayed glued only on the liquid in her glass. The harsh taste did nothing to quench the fire burning in her stomach and throat. She would need to feed soon, that much she was well aware of.
Yet trying to clear the thoughts from earlier only urged her to drink more of the bitter liquid. The bartender had reluctantly accepted her ID after she'd ordered and in return she offered him a deathly glare and some choice words.
"Stupid humans…" she muttered as she took another gulp.
Soon the late afternoon faded into night outside as she only continued to sulk and mutter incoherently in the corner. She didn't notice the group of patrons that entered the bar and the regular customers leaving one by one. All she was involved with was herself, her drink and her thoughts.
The music in the background stopped and yet she was still lost in her own thoughts. Yahiko had asked her over and over not to leave, but he was just as brainless as the rest of them. She really did love him at one point, but now she was bored of his constant irritating attention and obedient attitude towards Kenshin.
"Argh, Kenshin" she spat, "that bastard and his bitch." Ninna would never return to that place again, her pride meant too much.
"Pretty girl like you sitting here all alone and acting so sour, what's the matter?"
She looked up and saw a man of a tall muscular build standing over her table. His straight black hair fell in pieces over his eyes. Thin lips formed a mocking smile across his chiseled face. Her stare lingered over his eyes, "Where have I seen those eyes before?" she thought.
"What the hell do you want?" she replied unimpressed by him. "Filthy human dogs…"
"I just wanted to know what such a young pretty girl like yourself is doing all alone in a place like this" he smirked.
She rolled her eyes at the comment, "Fuck off loser. I'm not interested."
He let out a deep chuckle and she looked up again at him still frowning. She looked at his face again and wondered again, "Do I know this asshole from somewhere?"
The man leaned down close to her, "Well I am very interested in you my dear" he replied.
She felt the cold hard tip of his blade positioned precariously under her chin. Her green eyes glowed fiercely back at him, "You don't know who you're dealing with do you" she growled.
He only laughed in response to her glowing eyes and descending fangs as she finally took a look around. She was surrounded, they all produced weapons, and their eyes were set on her. She looked back at the man in front of her and realized where she had recognized those glowing yellow eyes from.
The blade made a small puncture and began to coat with her blood, "I think you should be more concerned with who I am. It seems that Battousai has let one of his little black sheep wander right into the wolf's lair…"
Green eyes widened in disbelief as his menacing laughter filled the room.
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Kaoru snapped awake in the bed and found herself curled onto the side. She'd fallen asleep after the encounter with Kenshin earlier and was rather irritated with him at this point. She'd let all her defenses down countless times around him and he'd almost taken advantage of that. He was toying with her that much she knew, but why? He'd gotten every bit of information he needed about Saitou, so why keep her?
She angrily slid off the bed and walked towards the door. She tried to turn the knob several times but already knew that she was locked in. Her temper flared as she tried to pull the door open but the heavy solid wood wouldn't budge from its hinges.
"HEY!" she screamed, knowing that their sensitive hearing would easily pick up her voice.
"SOMEONE LET ME THE HELL OUT RIGHT NOW!"
Kenshin looked up from his glass and towards the direction of the voice. Misao appeared in the doorway of the small study and looked at him.
"She's probably hungry or something you know" she stated.
Kenshin nodded and Misao disappeared towards Kaoru's room.
"Hungry" the redhead mumbled as he took another sip.
"I CAN HEAR SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE DOOR! LET ME OUT!" Kaoru knew she could keep up the yelling for as long as possible to drive them all insane.
"LET ME OU-" she was interrupted as the door swung open and her petite friend stood on the other side.
Silence filled the hallways after almost 10 minutes of her screaming.
"Hungry?" the girl smiled.
Kaoru calmed her temper and nodded in response.
"Well let's go then" she started walking down the corridor and Kaoru followed.
The facility seemed to have been carved into the side of a mountain as best she could make out. The walls were stone in places, but the rooms were anything but dank and dark. Rugs, floors, lights, and all the amenities of home were fully furnished in room after room.
After reaching the lower chambers of the facility through following windings hallways and passages, Kaoru was led into a small kitchen.
"Woah, you guys really made sure you wouldn't miss home!" she remarked at the fully functional stovetops and fridges.
Misao only nodded and smiled as she pulled out a sandwich from the refrigerator, along with a bottled water.
"You guys have food down here too? I thought you know, blood was enough?" she asked.
"Don't make it sound like that's the only thing we can enjoy Missy" Sano interrupted.
"Yeah, big lugs like Sano need their regular food as well. More for taste than nourishment obviously" Misao finished.
"Oh, I…I always thought you guys didn't have a taste for anything else" she replied.
"Nope, we like to indulge in other tastes rather than just sucking the blood out people's necks you know" Sano remarked sarcastically.
"Hey don't get smart with me okay. It's not like I know how you guys live and thrive and what not!" she snapped back.
"You should understand that vampires have been around for centuries" Megumi interrupted as she entered the room as well. "We've lived alongside humans and know how to control our hunger. There are those that are responsible, and caring towards humans. Unfortunately those noble lords that protected villages under their care weren't recorded in history books. Instead, you only know the few that choose to stray and give into their bloodlust completely. The creations of your so-called great writers. Their numbers may be few, but their deeds have surpassed everything else."
Kaoru sat there stunned by the woman's remarks and thought about the numerous vampires she's slain in the past. Never before has she thought of them as anything more than just blood-sucking leeches. Still she was pensive about completely trusting them or anyone for that matter so quickly.
"Don't look so surprised Missy. We're not the primal, uncivilized cronies you're used to hunting" Sano remarked, making his significant other quite proud of him.
"I see, um" Kaoru struggled for a bit before deciding to change the awkward topic. "Well this is boring, what else is there to do in here while we wait for whatever it is you guys are planning. I assume you won't be sharing much information with me considering my associations" she stated dryly. Her tone was confident, indifferent and cocky all at once.
She didn't immediately get a response and after a few seconds realized why. It was him. He was approaching and for the first time she could feel his aura. He reeked of power and strength. Looking up she saw the redhead appear in the doorway of the dining area and look directly at her.
There was a distinct glint in his eyes that she'd never seen before in any man or creature. Immediately her hunter's senses heightened as she only looked back at him with narrowed eyes. Hours before she'd shamelessly almost allowed him so close to her. He'd seen her flaws, desperation and cry for help. Her fear and weakness angered her and she continued to mentally berate herself over behaving so feebly in front of him.
Her facade to the world thickened once more as she gave him an uncaring look and returned to her sandwich. He walked into the room and nodded silently at the rest of them. Sano merely shrugged and walked towards the refrigerators in search of a snack as Megumi returned to her chambers. Misao lingered for a few moments unsure of what to say of her friend. How to address someone who doesn't even trust you anymore and you've been taught not to trust as well?
"Hey Ama-Kaoru? How about me and you get some sparring in later?" she brightened.
Kaoru raised an interested eyebrow at the proposition, "There's space for that down here too?"
"Of course!" Misao beamed.
"Why am I surprised?" she muttered in response before realizing that she still needed to answer the question. "Um, yea, sure why not." She looked back over the red head seated across from her at the table.
Misao smiled and walked out of the room in preparations for the activities later.
"We will be meeting with the wolf clan tomorrow and discussing the situation at hand with their leader Soujiro. After that, we will initiate our next step against Saitou" he offered.
Kaoru looked at him and took a sip from her bottle of water. "And how am I involved in these plans?"
"For now, we'll discuss a few tactical maneuvers and you will give us more information on Saitou's possible plans" he replied.
"But I've told you everything I know already" she answered irritably.
"You are also the one that possibly knows him the best. You can at least guess what his tactics will be if not advise on what his next step will be."
She sighed heavily and finished her sandwich before responding. If he needed her that badly, she'd make him wait. "Not even Saitou knows what he'll do next anymore. I told you, he's erratic, uncontrollable and completely insane at this point! I have no idea what he'll do next and why would you trust me? More importantly, why should I help you in all of this since it doesn't concern me?"
"Defiant" he mused to himself.
"Always" she replied, a slight smile curving in the corners of her lips, her blue eyes filled with amusement at the expression on his face.
His face turned into a frown and eyes snapped back to hers. Kenshin's ears still rang from the sweet tone of her voice and the words that told him she knew what he was thinking. "You can read thoughts as well? Interesting trick for a mortal, but how is that possible?" He kept his true shock and bewilderment shrouded from her.
"It's not a trick, just something I've been able to do for a while" her response was more of a mutter.
He was carefully gathering his thoughts and mentally blocking her probes from his mind. "How is it possible for a human to have such abilities? All those records of mortals having telepathic or extrasensory abilities were assumed to be farces. She's never exhibited such skills before." "Does Saitou know?"
"No…I'm not sure. He's just a mixed bag of crap and I'm not even sure how I have these…abilities!" she spat. He always kept her under his control one way or the other, and his favorite trick was to always keep her guessing. One minute he'd be elated with her skills to hunt and the next he'd rebuke her for something or another.
"He really had you confused the entire time you were with him" Kenshin replied.
She looked up at the redhead, confusion disappearing and once again replaced by her pent up anger. "He's all I ever knew after my mother. It's not something you wouldn't understand anyway."
"So you were born this way, I mean with this ability?" he continued, ignoring her last comment.
"I-I don't know. All of this is just another reason why I want nothing to do with any of this. Saitou, you and your wolf friends. By the way how is that possible anyway? I thought the two clans hated each other?"
"Alliances are possible even between the deepest of enemies when it's mutually beneficial" he simply replied.
"Riiight!" she exclaimed, wholly unimpressed by his words. "You know, you people have a helluva round about way of saying a whole lot of nothing!"
Kenshin decided to end the conversation at that awkward statement. Perhaps he was being rather harsh with her, but of course his priorities were set in stone no matter what his heart wanted.
"So you're bored?" he smiled slyly at her.
"Unless you want to let me out for a walk" she replied sarcastically.
He chuckled, "How about you warm up before you spar with Misao?"
She looked at him, and saw something in his eyes. The searing molten orbs were burning into her cool blue eyes again. She couldn't help but slightly rejoice at the thought of sparring once more with him. A wicked grin cut across her features, "You're on!"
Kenshin smiled towards the young woman before him. He'd never been more gratified at a simple response before. She was rather crude and feisty in her demeanor, but at the same time an even brighter fire raged underneath her apathetic exterior. How interesting this creature was to him because he wasn't entirely what she was. She had read his thoughts so easily and now was doing her best in blocking her thoughts from him.
They made their way to the practice hall. It was a smaller space than the one she'd practiced in before, but it still served its purpose. He'd allowed her to change into her gi and this time she wore all black.
"Just how big is this place? I mean you guys have all the fixings of home and then some. Hardly a hideout!" she exclaimed looking around at the arsenal of weaponry on the walls.
"It was made that way in case we needed to stay here for extended periods of time. It's an entire facility created to sustain not only itself but others as well. Very complex and completely computerized, but home for now."
They made their way over to their respective weapons. Kaoru chose a katana and held the heavy sword in both hands after unsheathing it.
"You want to practice with the metal swords?" Kenshin asked in slight amusement.
Kaoru twirled the sword a few times and looked at its construction carefully. "Of course" she replied, looking up at him innocently.
He retrieved a sakabatou from the wall and walked into the middle of the mat where she stood. "Your sword style is not that strong, are you sure?" he asked.
Kaoru looked up at him, half hurt and all angry over the remark. "Of course I'm sure!" she angrily replied. "Just because you're some damned expert who's been practicing for a couple hundred centuries doesn't make you better than me!"
He smiled, "Alright, if that's what you like."
"It is! Now shut up and fight!" she quickly charged at him, decidedly skipping the formal bow at the beginning.
Kenshin was taken by surprise for a few seconds and quickly regained his senses to dodge her attack. She was deadly serious with the blade, although it was noticeably being awkwardly handled by her. He decided to toy with her a bit and smiled pensively at the young woman before him.
"What's so funny? I won't miss next time" she charged forward again.
They battled for several moments; her taking decisive yet slightly sloppy attempts at him, and he gauging her fighting style while giving her a worthy match. The swords clanked together several times as they danced about the mat and yet she kept coming at him. Her agility and speed were truly remarkable for someone of her stature, and the fact that she could match his own was astounding.
"Her skills aren't bad. I can see why Saitou was happy with her, but she's fighting with so much rage clouding her judgment, it's a wonder she's not hurt herself with that sword" he carefully thought shrouding it from her. "And she can read our thoughts, how is that possible? There's no amount of training in the world unless…unless she was born with that ability. And along with that ability, what else is she capable of?"
"ARE YOU HOLDING BACK ON ME?" the woman angrily yelled. Kenshin snapped from his thoughts and looked towards her. Sweat glistened from her brow as she secured her ponytail into a bun atop the crown of her head.
"Ability to get very angry is the other" he smiled to himself. "No actually I just wanted to give you a fair fight since your sword styles are still a bit lacking."
At that statement he could swear he heard her growl under her breath. He needed to see just how angry he could make her. "So your sweet spot is your pride."
"It's not like there were good katanas available to me before, and I didn't expect them to be so heavy" she replied in anger.
"Well what did you use to hunt?" he asked.
"Everything from automatics launching silver bullets for wolves to smaller blades and stakes for vampires" she replied.
"Stakes?" he asked quizzically. "Isn't that a bit medieval?"
"Well I learned the hard way that it's not only a stake but a full decapitation that kills a vampire. But we had to make due with what was available."
"With all that money you said Saitou was producing, you'd think he'd equip his dear hunters with better weapons" Kenshin seemingly mocked as he ran his thumb over the blade of the sword.
"He had all that money to himself. Said he needed it for bigger and better and didn't want to waste it on us."
"So, how did you survive from day to day?" he inquired. Finally he'd gotten her to openly answer more personal questions about her past and all it'd taken was a quick spar.
"We lived sort in different groups, like ranks amongst ourselves. Of course he kept me close to him and had me watched constantly. We…we didn't stay together if that's what you're implying" she answered now giving him a dose of his own medicine just as she'd inquired about Tomoe before.
Kenshin caught on, "That's exactly what I meant actually" he responded, his tone unabashed by her implication. "So you mean to tell me Kaoru the Hunter is a…"
"You're getting a bit personal at the moment" she snapped before he could finish his sentence and launched towards him again.
But he'd gotten his answer already by the tone of her voice and blocked her attack. Although she was weaker in swords skills by his standards, there were enough tricks she'd picked up throughout her years hunting.
She broke free from him and jutted the hilt of her sword into his lower abdomen, knocking him back in surprise. Then she quickly kicked his feet out from under him with lightening fast speed. He fell back for a few seconds and quickly used his feline agility and pounced backwards a good distance from her.
Kaoru stood upright and looked at him, satisfied with herself. She wiped the sweat from her brow and let out a breath, "And that's a little something I picked up along the way!"
"I'm impressed" he stood upright as well. "But I don't think you completely anticipated your opponent as usual" he smiled.
Kaoru's brows knitted as she opened her mouth to dispute the claim. Just then, the right sleeve of her keikogi slid off her arm and fell onto the ground. The fabric had been perfectly sliced by his blade, yet her skin remained untouched. "But how…" she pondered his speed and agility in being able to do such a thing. Quickly though, her amazement dissolved into anger.
"You fight with too much rage and that's what makes you sloppy" he reasoned.
But to her ears, it was only mockery at her skills and pride. "Heh, fine. Have it your way" she whispered before approaching him again. The katana was held to her side with both hands as she narrowed her gaze on his form. There would be no more blindingly fast attack, since he'd only match and surpass her speed. Instead, she'd focus on her strength and form as well.
The two met at the middle of the mat once more as they began to circle about. Their gazes locked on each other. Kenshin could sense the rage billowing from every pore on her body as she stared at him unafraid and unwavering.
He smiled coolly at her, "You truly do look even more beautiful when you're angry."
"Son of a bitch…" she muttered before bringing her blade towards him.
The two locked swords again and came in close proximity of each other. She looked defiantly into his eyes and saw no signs of concern or even effort on his part. Pushing back and away from him, she frowned. "You're still fucking playing with me aren't you? Damnit!" she spat as she noticed her other sleeve freefalling towards the floor.
"You've got quite a mouth on you" he muttered at her obscenities.
"You're not my mother!" she added.
"Speaking of which, what do you know of your parents?" he prodded.
She was silenced by his questions as she continued to breathe for air and wipe the sweat away. "She's dead and I have no idea who he is, end of story" she muttered.
"I mean to say, what do you know of them other than that? What was your mother like and did she make no possible mention of your father?"
"I was three god-damnit, what do you want from me?" she shrieked. Her voice quivered ever so slightly as her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "She was wonderful, full of life and vitality. Beautiful from what I can remember…" her voice trailed off momentarily as she recalled the cloudy images of the woman. She sauntered over to the edge of the mat and sat down, setting the sword beside her. "I never got a chance to know her completely, but she filled every memory I have with nothing but happiness. I think that was the last time I knew what it felt like to be truly happy. She never made mention of my father, and for some reason I never felt inclined to ask."
"Not even a name or picture or something?"
"Nothing. It was as if she didn't want me to know him at all. Who he was, where he was from, if he's still alive. Damnit, I don't even know if he's still alive. And it's all thanks to that bastard." Her dark unruly bangs covered tear stained eyes and cheeks as she bent her head down.
Kenshin walked up beside her and crouched down next to her. Suddenly his regal stature diminished as he went to sooth her. She recoiled from his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" she flinched. "I don't need this in my life. Not again, not after getting away from that fiend!"
Kenshin continued to look towards her. "You'll notice that me or anyone in this place are nothing like Saitou. We're considered by most as the leeches of his world. Feeding on the blood of humans by night and hiding from the rays of the sun by day. But you see that we can lead somewhat normal lives and not rein down on the humans with bloodlust and terror. Saitou is just a much as my enemy as he is yours, which is why I think that it's in both of our interests to work together and rid him of his world once and for all. Perhaps in the process you'll find out more about your past and get some answers. In the end everyone will benefit from his downfall. What do you say?"
She'd listened intently at every word as it rolled off his tongue. There was that air of divinity and power about him, which was undeniable no matter how hard she fought it. Her senses were attacked by the smooth huskiness of his voice, the smell of his skin, and allure in his eyes. Although she'd trained long and hard in resisting the temptations of the vampires will over humans, she only now became aware that he wasn't throwing any spells over her. She was naturally and instinctively attracted towards him, like a moth to a flame. But her rationale forced her to think literally of the consequences of her feelings. He was after all a vampire and she knew nothing more of life outside of being a hunter.
Kaoru mentally scoffed at the ironic nature of her situation. A hunter and a vampire joining forces along with the wolves if Kenshin had his way. How could such an abomination be possible and further more, why did she feel it was so necessary deep down?
She knew the answer to her questions already. Somewhere inside her there had always been a desire to rid Saitou from this world, fueled out of her own vengeance for him as well as his evil deeds against the very society he claimed to protect. Yet the overlying fear he'd psychologically instilled in every fiber of her being of him was so powerful. This vampire and his assorted comrades could be her answer to finally avenging her lost life, her mother, and getting more answers.
"I'll help you only with the guarantee that I'm free after this entire mess is over with" she solemnly stated.
"We haven't harmed you yet Kaoru, but if there's still any doubt in your mind about our intentions, or more specifically my intentions, than I can assure you that you are free to do whatever and go wherever you want after Saitou and his organization has been dealt with. But let me remind you that if there is even a hint of treason on your part, I will not hesitate to kill you myself. If you've put your life in our hands than I've done no less than entrusting a former hunter with the livelihood of my clan."
She savored the soft but stern tone of his voice, "I understand."
"It's settled then."
They sat in silence, both pondering the awkward truce. She spoke first to break the hush, "Can I ask you something?"
He turned to her acknowledging the question.
"Do you trust me now from the last time, um, in the room? It's only because you expect trust and loyalty from me towards you but how about the other way around?" She referred to the uneasy closeness they'd shared hours prior as he'd hungrily grazed over her neck.
Kenshin was amazed by the sudden turn in nature the young woman possessed. One minute she was attacking him mercilessly and the next he found her looking up at him with the largest, deepest blue eyes imaginable. He had to fight the urge to automatically pledge his loyalties and trust in her. "You mean if I can trust a hunter more in the expanse of only a few hours?" he smiled. "No I can't."
She nodded numbly as the stinging of his harsh words sunk in.
He continued though, "But you ask me do I trust Kaoru, the same who was only known as Amaya days before? Then even if it'd risk me sounding like a complete fool, yes. I do trust you, just as you trust us I hope."
Kaoru looked at him and saw the intensity building in his fiery eyes. They glistened in the dims lights of the room, their color giving the impression of the sweetest most intoxicating potent potion she would taste. How easy it must be for him to seduce mere mortals!
Nodding finally in his direction, she struggled to form the words, "I trust you as well. You've kept me safe this whole time and only treated me as I would've treated you if I was in your position. This alliance can only work if there is trust and you're right when you say we can all only gain from his downfall."
"Anything else?" he asked.
She wondered about the millions of other questions plaguing her mind, "Actually there's just so much more…" Kaoru stopped in mid-sentence as they both felt a presence approaching.
"Very perceptive" he looked towards her and complimented her senses.
"Misao" she stated as she looked ahead at nothing in particular.
"You two can continue to spar. I have some preparations to take care of for tomorrow in the meantime. We can dine together later and I'll answer any questions you may have then. Agreed?"
She nodded and he rose and started to walk away from her just as the green-eyed girl entered the room.
"Oh, you two practicing without me?" she giggled.
"Just warming up" Kenshin replied on his way out.
The last words he heard before leaving the vicinity of the room were Misao's, "Oh Kaoru, nice gi! I didn't know we had sleeveless ones!" He smirked to himself before disappearing completely into the shadows of the passages.
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"So we're to trust her now?" Aoshi asked pensively as always.
"She has just as much reason to be rid of him as we do. She's another ally, another perspective on this whole ordeal" Kenshin stated matter-of-factly. He never wanted them to confuse his tactful decisions with his emotions.
"Well she's pretty hotheaded. I mean Megs and Misao have no reason not to trust her, but I'll be damned if this is the first time I've heard of a hunter teaming up with a bunch of vampires. Actually I'll be damned if I ever heard of vampires teaming up with a bunch of mutts!" Sano added.
"There's more" Kenshin started. All of them, with the exception of Misao who was still sparring with Kaoru, looked towards him. "She's able to read our thoughts as well and put up her own mental blocks from us. On top of which after sparring with her today, I suspect she's stronger than she let's on or even knows about."
"Wait, hold on a minute!" Sano exclaimed.
"Kenshin, how is that possible?" Megumi reasoned. "ESP? Telepathy? Those are all unfounded and extremely controversial fields of science and medicine in humans. How can a human possess such abilities?"
"This tale just gets more twisted by the minute. First she's thrown practically on our doorstep, then she's lost her memory and when it does return we find out not only that she's a hunter, but also a part of Saitou's organization, and now she has super-human powers? What is it with this girl?" Yahiko asked irately. All day and night he'd worried over his lost love. She still hadn't called out to him, and knowing that Saitou was out there striking down those closest to them, he'd wanted her home even more.
"She doesn't know how she posses such abilities. Her past is just as shrouded in mystery from her as it from us." Kenshin replied pondering over the young woman.
"Unless" Megumi muttered. All eyes set on her as she brought her slender finger to her mouth and was in deep though.
"Unless what Megs?" Sano asked unable to stand the suspense.
"Huh?" she snapped from her thoughts, "No I was just thinking that if it's impossible for a human to have such abilities, well, why are we still looking at her as if she's just a human?"
"Hold on a minute, what're you suggesting?" Yahiko asked.
"I'm not certain really…" she muttered, "but I can find out more information from her blood samples back at the hospital. I'd submitted them for DNA synthesis prior to us coming here, and I'm sure her genetic code has been mapped out by now. I would need to look at it to be certain of her origins, her skills and abilities, any abnormalities, mutations, everything."
Kenshin's brow had already creased at the doctor's words. "Fine, you and Sano go back to the hospital and find out what you can. But I want you to do this as quickly and quietly as possible. No excuses and don't leave each others side the entire time. I expect you back well before my departure to meet with Soujiro tomorrow. And Sano, don't try to play hero on your own."
"Okay, we'll be leaving right away" Megumi ran towards her chambers to retrieve her lab coat and id's and Sano followed after her.
The remaining three, Aoshi, Yahiko and Kenshin sat in silence moments longer.
"Yahiko you will be needed too tomorrow with our trip to see Soujiro. I suggest you prepare for that" Kenshin advised.
The young man only nodded in response, as Aoshi rose from his seat. "I need to start preparations for tomorrow in any case. I'll get together some paperwork and check on the barriers."
Kenshin nodded and the tall man left the chambers. Yahiko and Kenshin remained seated in silence. The redhead already anticipated what was on they younger vampires' mind.
"Kenshin I need to ask you about Ninna. I'm worried about her…" Yahiko started.
"I understand that Yahiko, and for her sake I hope she can swallow some of her blinding pride and return back. But for the sake of everything else we have to deal with at the moment, I will not allow you to go out looking for her. I know you and Sano seem to think that being immortal and beyond the reaches of death make it seem as if we're invincible, but we're not. Just like the life a human, our life force is also fragile and easily extinguished. If it were any other hunter I wouldn't have thought twice about allowing you to search for her, but that's clearly not the case. Saitou has been around for as long as we have. He wasn't born a hunter, but became one in order to seek retribution for what was done to his family centuries ago by those brainless minions that stain the namesake our kind. He was once a mortal, but sold his very soul to the dark magic in order to gain immortality. His involvement in the black arts and anything else he could get his hands on has only fueled his desire to seek out more powerful vampires and werewolves in order to destroy them. He is smart, decisive and will employ whatever means necessary to get his job done. He has no allegiance to anyone but himself and you can see that plainly in what he did to Kaoru even though she was apart of his organization for so long. So therefore as harsh as you may think it, I cannot allow more of my kind to lose their lives at his hands. I'm sorry."
With that the redhead rose and walked quietly out of the room, leaving the young boy to ponder his thoughts.
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Kaoru and Misao finished their sparring and sat drenched in a light film of salty-smelling sweat on the mat. Kaour's blood raced furiously over the intense workout she'd received at the hands of the incredibly agile and quick-witted ninja.
"I didn't know someone so small could be so deadly" Kaoru breathed heavily.
Misao chuckled triumphantly, "Well it all takes a good amount of practice. But I'm surprised a human can keep up with any of us. You must have been some hunter."
Kaoru smirked and wondered again about the ironic nature of her situation. "Befriend them, help them, lo-…no, what am I thinking?" she shook free of her thoughts and dragged the back of her hand across her brow. "I need a shower!"
"I figured! I bought some of your clothes and set them in your room. There's a bathroom in there so you can shower before dinner time!"
"Thanks, that sandwich didn't stand a chance after this workout!" Kaoru stood and started walking out of the room. "Ah, a little help?" she asked remembering that she knew nothing of the subterranean routes of the stronghold.
"Oh right, right" Misao laughed as she too followed the girl out.
"Say, you never did tell me where you got that cool sleeveless gi from?" she inquired.
Kaoru rolled her eyes and held back a groan as she continued to walk alongside the young woman.
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A short while later, Kaoru turned the warm water off from the shower head and stepped out of the glass shower doors. She wrapped a soft towel around her wet, beaded skin and went about patted herself dry. Looking around for her fresh top, she growled angrily as she remembered it being left on the bed in her room.
Securing the towel about her, she opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the cool air of the small bedroom and padded across the floor. It was only after she picked up the shirt from her bed and looked up in the direction across from her, did she notice the pair of glowing eyes looking back. Immediately, she took hold of the crystal, flowerless vase atop the night stand and threw it in the direction of the perpetrator. Expecting the shattering sounds of crystal to explode over the form of the perp, she was surprised to find it in the hands of Kenshin, as he only continued to look back at her.
How had she not sensed him prior? How could she be so blind as to not have seen him the moment she stepped outside the bathroom, and even then that was too late?
"You?" she screwed her face up in a frown. "What the hell is the meaning of this?"
"I came to ask you down to dinner and you attacked me after stepping out of the bathroom. I should ask you what the meaning of throwing a perfectly fine piece of crystal like this."
"You're the one sneaking into my room and disguising yourself so I wouldn't sense you. By the way, how is that possible?" she asked her curiosity getting the best of her.
"Like I said before, there are things about us that even Saitou can't begin to understand, and let's just call this a small experiment I needed to conduct. I didn't anticipate you'd step out indecent" he replied referring to her still standing there in only a towel.
"Experiment? Well next time would you mind filling me in your little tests? This does nothing for our supposed alliance and trust you know" she barked back.
"I apologize" he stated, although his eyes danced with amusement at her anger, "I'll wait outside until you're dressed and escort you down to the dining room."
"Pfht…whatever" she disappeared into the bathroom with her shirt in hand and slammed the door shut. "God damnit…son of bitch just walks around wherever he feels like it…argh. And you're so damn stupid Kaoru" she looked at the reflection of herself in the mirror. "How could you not suspect him sitting right there…he was sitting right freakin' there!"
Moments later, she emerged from the room and found him standing against the wall waiting for her as he'd stated. She wore simple jeans and long sleeve form fitting white crewneck shirt Misao had left for her. Her damp hair hung freely down her back as she preferred to let it dry on its own. He wore a pair of dark black slacks and fitted black shirt. The colors of his eyes and hair reflected brilliantly in contrast to his dark clothing.
"We'll be dining by ourselves tonight" he announced as they made their way through the twists and turns of the hallway.
"Why?"
"Sano and Megumi had some business to, Aoshi is making preparations for our meeting tomorrow and of course Misao refuses to dine without him, and Yahiko insists that he's not very hungry, although he's probably still sulking over Ninna."
"Oh" she stated plainly not in the least bit worried about the young brat she'd come to hate over the past few months.
"Ah, here we are" he announced as the turned into finely decorated room. Although again this space was smaller than the formal dining room at the estate, it was by no means less opulent. Shining crystals gleamed under the soft lights of lamps and candlelight. A perfect dinner was set for two at the end of the much smaller rectangular table.
Kenshin helped her sit and then took seat at the head of the table as usual, she was to his right.
"Who cooked all this? And don't tell me you keep a full staff locked away in here too!" she inquired over the finely cooked meal.
"Actually, I prepared tonight's dinner myself" Kenshin announced.
"Y-you? You cook?" Kaoru choked on the water she was sipping.
Kenshin couldn't help but chuckle, "Of course! Is that so outlandish to you?"
"No, I just never took you people…"
"You people. It sounds so…grotesque. You can say vampires although I imagine that only conjures up more images of bloodsucking ghouls for you. But we are appreciative of all the fine accoutrements of the mortal world, cooking included."
She bit on her lower lip in lieu of finding no words to make up for her uncivilized statement.
"It's alright since it's really not your fault. I don't blame you. The human world has always been trained and programmed to think that whatever isn't natural to them, isn't natural to this world. I find myself admiring all the advances they make in science and technology, yet their brains can't seem to find a way of figuring out how to coexist in peace. They've separated themselves so perfectly in different sects based on religion, language, and race, that I don't see them accepting a completely different species with open arms. Religion is truly a drug for the masses."
"Marx" she looked at him thoughtfully.
"Precisely" he smiled at her.
"But he didn't blame religion or name it an enemy, he just stated that it was used just as drugs are used to numb pain, not fix the injury. People use religion to escape their present state, wishing that the afterlife will bring them all the luxuries and happiness they didn't have in this life."
Kenshin looked at her in awe.
"I'm not just some stupid brainless hunter you know. I have picked up a book or two in my time" she smiled back.
"Yet they would all band together at a moments notice when superstitions of vampires and other supposed unearthly creatures troubles them."
"I apologize for my statement before, but aren't you doing the same by being separated from those such as the werewolves?"
Kenshin let out a soft sigh, "I suppose you are right on that note. But again, we're a completely different species from each other. At least humans have the same blood, the same genetics, and the same basic building blocks of life as one another."
"So what else is out there? Vampires, werewolves, what else don't we know about?"
"There's plenty out there that humans will never know or completely understand: spirits, demons, witches, and others. The ones that do believe are completely immersed in the fictitious ramblings of foolish authors who gave us the guise of monsters and beasts. We could walk along aside you, and you wouldn't have the slightest inkling of who or what we are."
"The superstitions help you though" she stated.
He was again thoroughly impressed by her perceptive nature. "Yes you're correct again. The superstitions have helped us live and thrive among the ranks of humans for centuries completely undetected."
"But what are vampires? To only be able to survive by feeding on blood, how is that justifiable in the realms of this world?"
"If you're asking me why we are what we are, then I apologize because I don't have that answer. But such is also true for humans. They have no idea why they exist either and so I find their questioning of all other creatures very amusing."
She'd never known such an intelligent and interesting conversation was possible with another person. He'd obviously been well-traveled and well-read, but she matched his wits with her as well.
"I never thought I'd be questioning all those years of hunting and destroying everything that we labeled as different and inhuman" she softly replied.
"Don't get me wrong Kaoru" Kenshin interrupted. "Megumi was right when she said that there are those among us who give the rest a terrible reputation. They give into not only their bloodlust, but also take full advantage of the powers that we are all granted. Strength, agility, speed, telepathy, and such. But again, that's mirrored in human society as well. When there's one bad apple, the rest is assumed to be rotten as well."
"You're right" she replied.
"So you had more questions for me from earlier?" he inquired.
"Ah, yea, actually I do. There's just so much, I don't know where to start" she tried to collect her thoughts.
"It's alright, just start from whatever is on your mind."
"Okay, well for one, how is it possible for you to exist for so long and no one notices that you never age?"
"We move. Change identities every few years. We have our kind strategically placed throughout the systems of government and everything you know as the fabric of society of bureaucracy. But more importantly, the smart ones keep a low profile."
"Understood. Alright, what about ah, feeding? How is it that some are able to control their bloodlust more than others? I mean I've killed vampires that attack multiple victims in a single feeding."
"Control over the hunger, age, wisdom. Perhaps most of all, the good sense to keep ourselves guised from the rest of society by not overindulging."
"Is it true the older the vampire, the stronger?"
"Yes."
"How old are you?"
"Too old."
Kaoru furrowed her eyebrows at the elusive response. "Don't tell me you're ashamed to tell me your age?" she teased.
"I'm not" came his simple answer as he continued to look at her.
"Riiight. Anyhow, who was the first vampire? You're original ancestor?"
"You mean you don't know?" he asked.
"Ah…no" she stammered.
"Dracula of course" he smirked.
For a moment she couldn't tell if he was serious or not, but she read the slight change in his expression, the mischief in his eyes and rolled her eyes at him. "Funny" she sarcastically replied. "But really, where did you…your kind originate from?"
"Well tell me what you've heard. It's always so interesting to hear about yourselves from the point of views of others." Kenshin was highly bemused by the questions of his beautiful ally.
"Okay, I've heard a few different things. One being that such historical figures like Vlad Tempes Dracula or Vlad the Impaler was an ancient ancestor of Dracula himself. He was born of the Dracul family, and was inducted into the Ordo Draco, which is the Order of the Dragon. As well as Elizabeth Bathory also referred to as the Blood Countess. But even their origins are terms of controversy. From what I've heard, your ancestors were everything from the Antichrist to the offspring of between the Fallen Angels and Humans and even aliens. I don't know for sure obviously."
Kenshin listened in quiet amusement at the short paraphrasing of all of history's mutations of him and his kind. He looked at the young woman who at that moment represented every single human that had ever fantasized about vampires. "Well first off, it wasn't Vlad who was inducted into the Ordo Draco. It was his father. Vlad only used the insignia of the Order to ascertain his own power and force over the people that he ruled. And for the most part you shouldn't believe every gory detail you hear about him. To some he's a crusader and to others a monster, it's all relative. In fact it was his son, Vlad III that adopted the surname Draculea, which means son of Dracu and was later on was known as Dracula. As for being the offspring of the Antichrist or Fallen Angels, you're quite mistaken there as well. None of us have seen the face of any god or devil and so we have no allegiances to either."
"So…what then? Your kind didn't just pop up on the face of the Earth out of nowhere! Oh don't tell that whole alien theory is real?" she proclaimed.
Kenshin let out a hearty chuckle, "No, we're not aliens or even offspring from the Queen of the Damned. We are closer to humans than their minds would allow them to think. We are not under the whims of any dark lord or being, but rather the next step of human evolution."
Kaoru nearly toppled out of her chair at the declaration. "What?"
"Not quite so simple as humans have made it. It's a genetic complex that gets activated by a hormone from a bite. But only from a bite which contains the hormone, as we can control its release. It's believed every human has the dormant gene written into their DNA, but only those that are bitten with the hormone become transformed. The origins of that original bite are a subject of mystery in our sect and so the debate goes on. It is also brings up more questions about our nature, skills, abilities, and of course ultimate fate. Who was the originator of our kind? Is he or she still alive? No one knows for sure."
Kaoru had no idea what to say for a few flabbergasted moments. The air hung heavily around her as the room seemed to spin out of control. Her vision blurred slightly, and she gripped the edge of the table in order to steady herself in the chair. "That…that's unimaginable…" she finally stammered.
Kenshin smirked at her astonishment and even more at her wanting to not believe such a truth. "Isn't it scary to know that every single person in this world is capable of becoming the bloodsucking monster of their very own nightmares?" he smiled.
"How is it that modern science with the discovery of the complete human genetic code hasn't been able to discover this dormant gene?" she asked.
"It's written into the very fiber of every single cell of every man and woman. The strength, the power, the agility of every single cell after it's transformed is attributed to that. Your doctors are either too blind too see, or from my studies, refuse to accept it."
"The superstitions?" she asked mutely.
"They are nothing more than superstitions. People from those times didn't know the difference between science and spirits. The garlic, the crosses, holy water, sunlight and all the rest, they're simple concoctions out of a need to believe that those items have any repellent qualities in them against us."
"I…I'm still not able to completely wrap my mind around this" she continued, staring into her abandoned dinner plate. "What about the dependency for blood then?"
"What of it?" he replied. "The hunger, the need to feed not on flesh but the life force that course through every human is the only curse that this transmutation forces on us. Nonsense such as not being able to go out in the sun for fear of bursting into flames is completely unfounded."
"I've encountered those that have abilities unearthly to humans such as gliding through air, speed, highly sensitive hearing, and things like that. How can you explain that? And what about never aging? Another human quality that your kind should inherit but don't."
"Simple, I can't explain it. Until we know the origins of that first bite, we can't have every one of our questions answered. But if you would ask me to guess, I would say that the retrovirus has profound effects on every fiber of our physical bodies. Strength, speed, extrasensory capabilities, and more, I would attribute to the genes and their interaction with the hormones. Humans only use a small fraction of their brains, the retrovirus unlocks countless restrictions on those it infects."
"So, there are still more questions" she surmised.
"Yes, just as with human evolution."
"Vampires can be created from a bite, what about reproduction?"
"You mean by birth?"
She nodded, anxiously awaiting his response.
"Yes, but only between a male vampire and female human. The hormone causes extreme changes in the reproductive capabilities in a female vampire deeming her unable to bear any children. Although such a union between vampire and human has never been recorded or seen fit to occur."
"Why?" she asked, her curiosity only heightening.
"Because what would that child be? A mix between human and vampire? What sort of abnormalities would it face?"
"So you mean to tell me in the centuries of your kinds' existence, not a single human and vampire have mated to create a hybrid?" she asked disbelievingly.
"Again, I have no answer for that question" he looked at her inquisitively. Her question ignited a certain curiosity within his mind.
"What do you mean you have no answer? HAS IT HAPPENED OR NOT?" she demanded getting every so agitated once again.
"If it had happened in the past, under the conditions in which we must live in order to remain discrete, those opponents of what is the law would've been promptly dealt with."
"What the hell? What kind of answer is that? Under what conditions and who's law? I told you already I don't like getting it when you take forever to say nothing!" she spat.
Kenshin looked at her, meeting her gaze intensely with his own, the finality of her existence bearing down on him all at once as he realized the ironic truth. "If it were so" he started his voice soft and full of emotion, "the vampire and his bride along with their offspring would have been executed in order to keep the secret from the humans."
Kaoru inadvertently gasped at the horrifying truth.
Kenshin continued, "I can't imagine doing something like that with my own hands, but I know that was carried out in the past with merciless swiftness. How cynical though don't you think? For so many of us to loathe humans because of their tendencies to hate the things they don't understand, but ultimately fall under the same ignorant practices as them."
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Slightly shorter than the rest, but I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless. So I hope I've answered some questions. I decided to go along with the Hormone Theory only because everything else is pretty played out, and I wanted to challenge myself a bit.
I also hope the historical references weren't too much of a bore for some of you. I just really enjoy history and have seen really good documentaries on Vlad and some short ones on Elizabeth. And even more recently on the Antichrist. LOL…either I have no time or too much time…it's a weird shuffle.
What did you think of it?
So many more questions I suppose. Kaoru's origins (although that should be becoming clearer now), and more will be slowly reveled.
I know I took longer than usual in updating, but all last week I was being annoyed by more work than I care to have! I also promised to read a few fics along with some novels I ordered from Barnes and Noble. Sooooo…that along with everything else, leaves very short periods of time for me to write in peace!
A lot of talking in this chapter huh? I did take inspiration and ideas from books, sites, documentaries and other general theories/ideas floating around so don't flame just because I didn't use footnotes…lol
Well that's all for now, see ya next time….
Bye!