Pavel blew warm air into his hands. The moisture from his breath only warmed them temporarily before the freezing temperature turned biting once more. The sting of the cold was the least of his worries. Moscow wasn't safe these days. Even for vampires like him.
He wasn't a young vampire, but he wasn't old by any means. A simple 150 years. Long enough to know when things were not quite what they should be, and old enough to know he was nowhere near the top of the food chain.
He was originally from St. Petersburg. With the wars and revolutions that took place during the time, it was a vampire's paradise. Crimean War, Russo-Turkish War, rebellions, change in government, a lot of deaths that could be covered up with a simple excuse of the chaos back then. In smaller cities, it was even easier to get away with it. No one would listen to a small farmer whose child or wife had disappeared. Pavel had been a victim during those times. Helping what he thought was a dying man who ended up being his sire.
He was lucky. His sire wasn't a bad man. He protected him from hunters and other vampires until his death. Due to one of his coven brethren's mistakes, his sire paid the price with his life to protect them.
After World War I, and shortly after the communist party gained traction, the vampire council moved its base to Moscow. Pavel followed, hoping to find protection after his sire had passed. He had found it. With the council's presence, no vampire dared to step out of line in the city. Those who did was met with a swift beheading, sometimes minutes after the crime. The council's powers were the strongest here and everyone knew it.
Pavel could live his existence peacefully, starting his own small coven shortly after coming to the city. There were few of them. Only 8 total over the past 50 years. He didn't desire a large coven and was happy to work as a butcher in the city. He didn't need tributes to get by. He rather his children keep their money for the day he allowed them to start a coven of their own. As long as they came to show their loyalty once a year as they were supposed to, he was happy.
But over the past month, a darkness had spread over the city. A murder here. Murder there. Newborns cropped up without a sire to claim them. Their actions becoming more and more blatant to the public. Rumors of vampires roaming the streets were the talk of the natives, enough so to even be the topic of the newspaper before it was censored a day later. The number of missing people in the city was increasing by the day, and word of It was spreading.
And yet the council hasn't moved to do anything, and none of the bodies were going to the immortal morgue which lead to an increase of ghoul activity too. The city didn't feel safe anymore. He almost wished for the templars' intervention if he were certain they wouldn't come after him and his coven too.
It was getting late, meaning the newborns would be coming out of their holes soon. He hadn't meant to come out, but he forgot his account book in the office. Technology was great and all, but it was harder to steal something physical than electronic, especially if not everything in the account was legal.
He reached the back entrance to his store, fiddling with the keys to get in when the smell of blood hit his nose. It wasn't just a little. There was a lot. Not even the stale smell of animal blood inside his shop could stop his fangs from extending.
There was noise in the alley followed by the sound of quickened footsteps heading to that location. Of course, with that much blood in the air, it would attract the young vampires in the area. He just wished it wasn't so close to his shop. Why did these young ones have to be on his territory? Now, he couldn't ignore it. It had become his problem.
Sighing, he placed his backpack on the step, resting against the door, and followed his nose. The location wasn't even a block away, and as he neared, he spotted a trail of blood in the snow. He frowned when he realized how many newborns had picked up the trail. He had no abilities. He was still too young to access his inner strength. 8 newborns were too many for him to handle, and when he caught a glance of the situation, he wondered if he should intervene.
A human stood in the alley. His clothes were tattered, exposing his skin to the cold air. His wounds varied from what seemed to be gunshot wounds to lacerations to burns. His left arm hung limp at his side, and his body was hunched over. He was breathing with difficulty, puffs of air visible in front of him.
He had what looked like a sword strapped to his back, but his face drew the most attention. Any foreigner always stuck out, but he didn't appear to be a tourist either. The human had the appearance of a man who had dragged himself from the battlefield, barely standing as he was surrounded by hungry wolves.
"Well, well, well, what a delicious treat this tourist has presented us with," the apparent leader of these newborns smiled, showing his fangs. "Could he make himself any more appetizing?"
The human didn't say anything. He probably didn't understand Russian.
Pavel eyed the sword once more. He didn't think it was for decoration. He could smell demon blood on that blade, and it was only hours old at most. That human was likely a hunter. It was something these newborns didn't even consider as they circled the human. They had no idea about territories let alone hunters.
But the hunter looked weakened. Even these newborns could probably take him.
Pavel thinned his lips as he thought whether to intervene. He was itching to kill these children for daring to hunt on his territory, but he was realistic and old enough to know that he was outnumbered, and the human surrounded may not be worth saving.
The human wasn't worried. His face was nothing but stillness and calm. There was a sense of deadness in his eyes. A man who had seen too much, done too much to be fazed by a bit of trash that decided to block his way. Holy power emanated from the man. It was a soft subtle current, that Pavel could barely pick up.
At first, Pavel believed it was about to be the human's last struggles to cling to life. A dying gasp before he was overpowered. But the holy power disappeared as quickly as it came and even his natural energy diminished.
If you blinked, you would have missed him move. Jumping and pushing against the wall, the human got behind the vampires. Only one of the newborns saw the human move, following after the human just a step behind. As he was about to jump over his friends to pounce onto the human, he was hit by an invisible wall, falling back to the ground with a hard thud. Simultaneously, the vampire the human had jumped behind fell to the ground, his head falling off his shoulders in the process.
The newborns were stunned, unable to believe their eyes, or how to process what they had just seen. The human was out of breath, and Pavel could smell wounds reopening. That would have been the best time to counter. With inexperience and lack of knowledge, the newborns didn't take advantage of that small chance, and they regretted it.
When one of them finally regained their senses, charging blindly at the human, the human used the wire he had used to decapitate the vampire to wrap around one of the females, yanking her in front of him to take the blow. The attacker's hand went straight through her chest. She stared at her friend with wide eyes, mouth working wordlessly and the attacker looking stunned as well.
The human grabbed hold of the vampire's hand that was protruding through the female's body and fell onto his back, pulling both vampires back with him and firmly placing his feet into the small of the female's back and launching the pair into another vampire who was charging at them.
Single handedly, with one hand and a wire, he took care of them all, until there was nothing but beheaded bodies and red snow.
Pavel knew he should leave. The trespassers were dead, and the human could clearly take care of himself. He wanted no trouble.
Just as he was about to plan his retreat, the human collapsed, finally succumbing to his wounds. A weakened human on the verge of death. How delicious.
Pavel's mouth salivated. How could he pass up prey just laying there for him to have? But it could easily be a trap. A hunter that skilled had to know that he was there. It was best to leave the hunter to his fate.
He started to leave. He had even turned the corner, heading back to his butcher shop, yet he couldn't shake the hunter from his mind. It was like a lingering stink. He was repulsed by it and was trying desperately to ignore it, but it only brought more attention to it the longer he tried.
Cursing, he turned on his heel. He found the hunter where he had left him, face down in the snow. He must be crazy. This was a hunter. A deadly one at that. Why get involved?
He approached with caution, circling him first. The human was still breathing and damn did his blood smell delicious.
A gunshot rang out in the city, snapping his attention back to the matter at hand. He couldn't stay out much longer. More newborns would be converging to this location soon. Growling a little, he approached the hunter.
The hunter apparently was still conscious. When Pavel grabbed the human's arm to sling over his shoulder, he found a knife at his neck. In hindsight, he should have grabbed the uninjured arm first.
"Drop me," the human said in English. It was pretty much confirmation that this hunter wasn't one of the templars. Most of the templars spoke a little Russian since the vampire council was here, but this one was speaking English.
Pavel's English wasn't very good. What he knew was mostly from movies and tourists he had picked up over the years. Still, he understood the sentiment of what the human wanted.
He pointed to the main street where someone was screaming. It was this early and things were already starting to fall into chaos. "Danger. Want stay here?"
The human's cold eyes assessed him. Even on the brink of death, those eyes were sharp and in control. After several precious seconds, the hunter lowered his knife. Pavel was feeling a bit annoyed at being threatened, but he didn't dare do anything to cause the hunter to kill him. He was already in this deep, may as well follow it through.
He threw the human over his shoulder in a hurry, hearing a grunt from the human from the rough treatment. Pavel didn't stay a second longer, sprinting down the dark alleys. While there were fewer humans on the streets at night these days, it was still early enough for several to still be roaming around, especially tourists. It increased their chances of running into newborns. What could he do other than take the chance? He couldn't run around with a nearly dead human in front of the humans. He wasn't going to have the council come after his head for exposing them.
Pavel lamented that he was leaving his bag and account book behind. He was going to be late on his taxes again this year for a hunter he didn't know. He promised Alena he would change things around. Speaking of Alena, how was he going to explain bringing a hunter home. They would have to move once they released him. If they released him.
Pavel's home was quite a ways away. For him, it was a ten minute run on a normal day. Tonight, it appeared more newborns were wandering around than usual. Their numbers were increasing. After twenty minutes, he was only halfway there, constantly trying to hide and dodge other vampires. At some point, the human fell unconscious. If he wanted to save him, he'd have to move faster.
As such, Pavel moved more recklessly, trying to get home. The result was having to kill two newborns in his path. It was inevitable. Pavel was carrying prime steak through the open air, leaving a trail. Without precautions, how could he avoid them?
Seeing the door to his home was the beacon in the darkness. Relief filled him as he made the final dash across the street, eager to get inside his townhouse and bolt the door. Paranoia filled him when he had to pause the two seconds it took to open the front door under the porch light. He was exposed and he had no idea how many people saw him. He tried not to dwell on it, but he would need to investigate just to be safe.
"Pavel?" his mate called out from another room. Hearing her voice soothed his frazzled mind. Her delicate footsteps across the carpet and the feel of her presence coming near, it brought a smile to his face despite the situation.
His mate's petite face came into view with concern etched on her face as well as confusion. "You brought food?" she asked.
He grimaced. "My love, I need you to run to the store and get medical supplies. Quickly."
"Pavel, what is going on?" Alena demanded.
Pavel ignored her, placing the hunter onto their couch in the parlor, moving quickly to draw the curtains and dim the lights. What he wouldn't give to have a basement right now.
He heard his mate gasp, making his heart lurch to his mouth, thinking the worst, only to see that she was backing away from the human with fear. "Pavel, what have you done!" she whispered harshly. "How can you bring that thing here?"
"My love," he whispered back, going to her side. Lovingly, but urgently, he held her arms firmly, turning her away from the hunter so she could only see him, but she would not take her eyes off the hunter, hatred in her eyes. "My darling," he said, trying to appeal to his mate. "The city is in chaos, and the council have done nothing. He is the first hunter we have seen in the city. You and I know there is a balance. Too many of our kind is as dangerous as too many of theirs, yet the city is overrun. If this isn't stopped, there will be another war. Whether it be amongst our own kind or against the humans, I do not know, but if we can get word out to the hunters now and contain the damage before war breaks, our coven may be spared. We are not old enough or strong enough to survive any other way."
"Then you should have told the council your concerns! Not bring the problem here!" she yelled.
He shushed her, only to infuriate her more. Oh, the beauty of his life. On the thin and bony side and on the later side of her forties, he could not picture anyone more beautiful and brilliant in his life. Seeing her angered was torture to his soul. He wanted to protect her more than anything. This was why he was taking this risk. "Please Alena. Get him some supplies. I beg of you."
"I hope you know what you are doing," she said icily, leaving to do as he asked. Seeing her go, he couldn't help but think he was a disappointment to her. She was older than him by 2 centuries. She had seen more wars, been through harder times, and still remembered what it was like to be hunted by humans, where it was difficult for an abandoned vampire to survive. For some reason, she chose him, someone with a modest income and a weak family who wasn't always reliable with the small, and sometimes big, things. He wouldn't know what he would do without her.
He checked the human on the couch, ensuring he was alive before carefully, stripping away the tattered clothing and assessing the wounds. He knew basic first aid though it may have been outdated. It had been a long time since he tried to keep a human alive. Hopefully, it will be enough to save him.
He boiled some water and found a few rags he didn't mind getting rid of and cleansed the wounds to the best of his abilities, waiting for his mate to return. It took about five seconds to realize the hunter had regained consciousness. When he had returned, he noticed one of the knives he had removed from his person and put on the table was missing. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed. There were a good number of knives and other weapons he had removed from the human's person that the small dagger would hardly be noticeable at first. Pavel made sure to count each and every weapon as he removed them and immediately counted when he returned.
Pavel decided to pretend not to notice, hoping to gain the man's trust. If the council couldn't help, the hunters were the only ones left he could turn to. He pulled up an ottoman to sit on as he cleaned the wounds. He had to admit the hunter was good. He played unconscious well, not flinching or even twitching as he cleaned away the blood. Thankfully, he had eaten the night before so he could keep his fangs in check; however, it was still tempting, causing him to slip from time to time.
Pavel turned to dip the rag in the water once more and nearly jumped out of his skin when the hunter spoke. "Why?" he asked in English. "Why are you helping me?"
Pavel caught a few words. He struggled to find words to respond with, pulling together the little vocabulary he had. "Moscow is my home. Hate seeing it die like this. If you help, I let you live."
Pavel was unaware that his words could be construed as a threat. It wasn't his intention, but he became weary as he felt hostility come from the human. He didn't attempt to talk after that and continued to clean his wounds. Each minute that passed he was growing worried. His mate should have returned by now. The store was just at the end of the block.
An hour later, and he was downright terrified, pacing the parlor and checking the clock. He should go after her. He shouldn't have sent her out there alone to begin with. But he couldn't leave the hunter here. What if he escaped and brought more of them back? What if other vampires found out he had aided a hunter? They could all die.
Pavel paced, biting his lip. When the clock struck 10, and his mate still hadn't returned, he made up his mind, unable to sit still any longer. Coat in hand, he headed for the door, mapping out the area in his head and deciding where he would start his search. He got as far as the front door. Yanking the door open, he was surprised to see his mate standing there, grocery bags in hand with the company of another woman beside her.
The strange woman's presence wiped all thought from Pavel's mind, losing the words of concern that was on the tip of his tongue. At least, he was pretty sure it was a woman. She was over 190 cm, making her one of the tallest people Pavel had ever seen. She was beautiful with clear pale skin with neither masculine nor feminine features, and long golden hair that fell down her back in waves. She could easily have been a beautiful man, and honestly, Pavel wouldn't have minded if she was. The porch light illuminated her, giving her a silhouette a halo, making her shine. Her eyes were the deepest and clearest blue that Pavel had ever seen. Looking into them, a serene feeling spread throughout his body like he was floating on air, and the gentle smile on her lips aimed at him made him feel blessed.
"I apologize," the woman spoke. Her voice, like her face, was indistinguishable. It was deeper than most women but could pass as male or female easily. It was pleasant to listen to and calming as well. "Your mate met some difficulties on the way back from the store. I took the liberty of helping her out and bringing her home. I hope you don't mind."
Pavel blinked several times before his senses came back to him. What was he doing? "Not at all. Thank you so much for your help," he ushered his mate inside, wanting to close the door as soon as possible. Something was not right with that woman. He didn't miss how he had called Alena his mate instead of wife or that this woman was strong enough to help a vampire who was in trouble. Even more suspicious was how the woman had a unique smell. A smell that was neither human nor vampire. It was too confusing and too dangerous.
"Wait," the woman called out. At her command, Pavel found himself stopping, leaving the door open a crack and waiting for her request. "You have someone in need of healing, correct? I happen to be a healer. Perhaps I could be of assistance?"
It sounded like a suggestion, felt like a suggestion, yet Pavel didn't believe it to be. Pavel found himself opening the door wider, feeling his mate touch his arm as he did so.
"We would love your help, Gabriel," his wife said with a loving smile.
"Yes, please come in," Pavel agreed. He didn't know why, but this woman felt safe, trustworthy. His concerns flitted from his mind as he invited the woman inside.
"Thank you," the woman replied, walking in with an unearthly dignity. When she passed, he felt the strong urge to get onto his knees and bow to her. He almost did so. His mate had even started to do so until Gabriel quickly disappeared into the parlor.
What had they invited into their home?
"Pavel," his Alena whispered. She was still looking down to the ground, her knees still bent and ready to fall to the ground at any moment to show her respect. "Do you still believe in God?"
Pavel looked back toward the woman, seeing a glimpse of her from where he stood. Even from where he stood, he was compelled to go to her side and assist her. It was like a pull he had no desire to escape from. Could such a creature exist in this world? "Yes," he said, averting his eyes. He was not worthy to look upon such a beautiful creature. "I think I might."
Missing in action. That's what they classified Iruka as after he missed his check-in. After Uchiha had been confronted by Tsunade directly. The lying bastard of a bloodsucker claimed Iruka had never stepped foot onto the property. What a load of shit.
How could Tsunade accept the answer so easily? But they had no proof he was lying. The two other shinobi they had sent with Iruka had also gone missing. As their disappearance was now stretching into the 36-hour mark, their status had been changed to missing.
Kakashi could laugh if he wasn't so angry. After all the skepticism surrounding the vampires' involvement in all the weirdness going on in the world, Tsunade had declared a temporary truce with Uchiha after he decided to help out just this once. They had kidnapped a council member and they have a truce. If this situation wasn't hilarious, he didn't know what was.
He wanted to drink, but he couldn't. He wanted to rage and curse, but it wasn't allowed. He wanted to demand that Tsunade pushed for answers, but it wasn't his place. Instead, he was on patrol in Beppu, deterring civilian reporters from snooping around while looking for evidence of the supernatural that may have been missed.
Kakashi walked the wreckage of the remains of the Twilight warehouse, his eyes narrowing with just the smallest glimpse of hatred in his eyes that managed to slip through. If Uchiha was never allowed here, none of this would not have happened.
"Tragic, isn't it?"
Kakashi had felt the presence a minute ago, walking around the wreckage. He knew it was only a matter of time before Elder Danzo approached him. He bowed deeply, offering his greetings. "Elder. I wasn't expecting you."
The elder walked towards him, using his cane to assist him as he walked over the rubble. "Rise. There is no need for such formality here. We are alone." Even when he tried to connect with him, something about Danzo's delivery carried a sense of superiority and authority. Kakashi rose, but he waited for his elder to speak first, impatiently.
Danzo's eyes roamed over the wreckage again. His quiet anger was much louder than Kakashi's had been. His eyes carried everything Kakashi felt and could not show. "Even in the afterlife, our ancestors tried to carry out what we should have done long ago. Instead, we decide to try to broker peace with the instigator to this entire disaster."
"All due respect, Tsunade-sama has already announced the instigator as the rogue hunter Orochimaru. Uchiha-san had nothing to do with it." Kakashi spoke matter of factly.
Danzo turned to him, his old body slightly hunched over with his age was still commanding. "Are you telling me you do not feel rage over the current situation? Are you content with the knowledge that one of the creatures that killed your parents now sits in our hospital, surrounded by innocents practically unrestrained?"
Kakashi's jaw clenched, and he had to force himself to relax it and answer in the same calm tone. "I am angry," he admitted, "but spilt water cannot return to the tray. What else can I do but continue to follow our leader's orders?"
"Honor, duty, and loyalty is the foundation of the shinobi. No. It is the foundation of Japan. We have always prided ourselves on this fact. But following a leader blindly is not always the best way. Sometimes the best loyalty is doing what is best for the master and accepting what punishment may come full-heartedly." Danzo stared intently at Kakashi who kept his eyes down. "And if you make that decision, I will support you."
"Thank you, Elder," Kakashi replied, bowing once more.
Danzo left, pleased with himself, but Kakashi did not rise from his bowed stated for a long time. He knew Elder Danzo was trying to manipulate and use him. He wasn't blind. His parents had died when he was young. He barely remembered them. He was born outside a clan, brought into the hunter fold after their deaths. His connection to them was weak, and he didn't hate vampires because of that incident. Iruka, though, was a different story. He had been Kakashi's family. He had kept him from feeling lonely and assisted him in taking the mantle as a clan head and introducing him to the hunter lifestyle. Iruka was his best friend and his brother. And now, the only person who knew where he could be was immune from punishment or interrogation.
His anger had been reflected in Danzo's eyes. Amongst all the flattery and pretty words meant to turn people to his side, that anger and hatred were genuine, and it resonated strongly with Kakashi. He could understand and relate with it. Tsunade's cause seemed more motivated by her emotions towards the host child. Something he could not relate too let alone agree with. It was a cause he could not readily support.
The image of the future he had witnessed reappeared in his mind. Could that image be real? Would following Tsunade lead to such a future or was it simply a vision that had no real basis. How was someone as simple as him to know the truth? He just wanted Iruka to be returned safely but had no strength to do it on his own. He would have to side with one or the other eventually. He could not keep toing the line forever. Danzo or Tsunade. Loyalty or betrayal.
In the distance, Danzo was getting into a car, Sai at his side, opening the door for him. Decision made, he hurried to catch the elder before the car could depart.
