Chapter 21
"Anything, Miss Hinata?" Torune whispered. They had arrived under cover of nightfall, had made haste, and arrived at Lady Natsuki's estate in a day and a half. They knew it usually took Shino three days and he had left three days ago. He should have arrived earlier this evening. The estate was in sight, they were currently within the tree line, and Hinata had activated her Byakugan.
"I've found Shino, it looks like he's sleeping, but his chakra flow is slow, as though he's-"
Another voice rang out to finish her thought, as cold and smooth as steel.
"Lost a large quantity of blood, perhaps?"
They startled, for in front of them on the lawn, where there had been no one before, and who had now appeared without movement or sound, was a stunningly beautiful woman, elegantly dressed, in an evening gown and heels.
"Welcome to my home once again, Hinata and Kiba, it is so good to see you. Though I must say, this is rather rude of you, hiding out in the bushes here. It would have been more polite to knock, as civilized folk do.
"Nevertheless, I have been expecting you. I even waited up to greet you at this late hour. I know of your business here, you are having troubles within your village? With a vampire? How preposterous, for surely such things do not truly exist, do they?"
As she spoke, the smiled, showing extended canine teeth, gleaming in the moonlight.
"Though in truth, many things that occur in this world are rather preposterous. Sometimes, legends are true, and nightmares come to life. What do you think, Kiba? Do they remind you of your own? Or Akamaru's? I must caution you against attacking me. I have no issue with tearing you or your pup's throats out.
"Or you Hinata, I encourage you to look upon me with your Byakugan, you might be surprised by what you find, or rather, what I allow you to find. Go ahead, I insist. But since I cannot see you there amongst the brush, I will tell you I have no chakra flow for you to disrupt. Surprising? Shino certainly found it so, when he tried to attack me with his parasitic beetles. You can imagine how well that turned out for him."
"And welcome to you as well, Torune. I know all about your fighting abilities. I know that you are wondering if you can infect me with your venomous beetles. Possibly, but they prefer living flesh, yes? Even if they did invade, I doubt it would kill me, and it is in your best interests to cooperate with me. I have a whole estate full of hostages, including of course someone especially dear to you. To all of you, so how about we put an end to this nonsense and you all come out from there? We will go inside. After all, we have much to discuss."
"If you chose to flee, any one of you, know that I will kill everyone, Shino included, and forget about exacting revenge, you will never find me. The choice is yours. So, what will you chose?"
There had been tense silence amongst their group, as they digested this turn of events, this incredible knowledge that what they had feared when they came here was true, and in fact far worse than they had imagined, for not only was there a vampire present, it was indeed Lady Natsuki herself, and she had been expecting them. Yet their decision, come what may, was unanimous.
"We will of course be honored to join you inside." Torune answered sarcastically.
"You have no idea how happy that makes me. Follow me."
She led them to the main house, through the grand double doors, strangely shadowed in the weak lighting. She had them walk in front of her, with her guiding their direction.
"Gotta say, Lady Natsuki, this is quite the personality change." Kiba started conversationally.
"You think so? I like to think I am always myself."
"You were kind of hiding the fact that you drink people's blood."
"We all need to eat; there is no need to judge. Though I confess, Shino did not much care for that argument when I proposed it to him. Speaking of, I thought we could convene our meeting in the dining room."
"What a sense of humor you have." Torune returned.
"I do indeed. And I must say, you seem to have kept yours as well. I suppose you had some warning as to what I was before coming here, but still, it must be somewhat of a shock, and yet you are all taking it so well. You know, I asked Shino if he would dine with me, the first night I fed on him. He did not have the luxury of foreknowing that you all had. Specifically of foreknowing what I had in mind for my meal. Here we are." she replied, the double doors opening onto the grand dining hall, lit with candles,
"How long has this been going on?" Hinata asked, in a voice trying and failing to cover her nausea.
"Since the beginning, of course. Let's see, that was a year ago."
"So every time he came here?" Hinata continued.
"I fed, yes."
"Even that time we came with him?" Kiba asked, in a voice that made it sound like he was willing this not to be true, regardless of all evidence suggesting otherwise.
"That is in fact when I proposed my said argument to him. Like I said, he was not taken with it. You are quiet, Torune. Do you not have anything to say? Oh, or are you just taking in my home? It is your first time here, after all. It is quite fetching, isn't it, though I must say, not as fetching as yourself. You are much more handsome in person."
"You said you know all about me earlier. Shino, has he told you about me, about us?" Torune questioned.
"Not in the way you are thinking. When I feed, I gain his memories. His thoughts. By the way, you should take those goggles off, your eyes are such a lovely shade of blue. Has anyone ever told you that?"
"...That true, Torune?" Kiba asked, warily.
"Yeah."
"You all are practically family at this point, there is no need to hide such things. They have seen Shino without his goggles as well, though can you believe I have not? Only through his memories, I know them to be that fascinating shade of brown."
"You've made your point. Why are you telling us this? Why are you even doing this?" Torune ground out.
"Simply put, because I can."
"Are you responsible, for what happened in the Village?" Hinata asked.
"I am. I get bored. It is a good skill, to be able to entertain oneself."
"You think playing people's lives like a game is entertainment?" Kiba demanded.
"I believe we have firmly established that yes, I do. And speaking of my entertainment, would you like to see Shino? I am sure he will be overjoyed to find you all have joined us. You will have to excuse his behavior. I normally let him rest longer, but in light of current events, who would want to sleep? He may appear pale, dizzy, confused, short of breath, but of course you are all shinobi, you are aware of the symptoms. If it is easier, you can imagine he over-indulged in spirits, that is an excuse I have used many times in the past. Or, would you prefer I let him rest? Again, the choice is yours."
"Lady Natsuki, I think now would be a good time to say I really don't like you."
"That is a shame indeed Kiba, for I like you and your teammates very much. But what is your answer? Feel free to talk amongst yourselves. I can wait."
"I want to see him." Hinata answered, while Kiba and Torune agreed.
"He is alright, I can assure you of that. I do have experience with this. Though when I was young, it was difficult to control myself. I drained many a body in those early days."
"Charming." Torune retorted.
"I am glad you think so. It is always enjoyable to share life experiences, is it not? Though you and I, Torune, we are not that different. You too have accidentally killed, with your own abilities. And intentionally, as all of us have. We are all killers here. Even Akamaru. Even Shino, for that manner. All of us sinners. I find it liberating to admit it. I am no saint. Far from it. Why fight my nature? Why should any of us? Do you see your insects as evil because they kill? Why fight and drown in the current, as you so wisely put it, Kiba."
"This isn't really what I had in mind when I said that."
"You say it does not align here? I did not ask to become a vampire. I did not create this. But as you also said, 'Life works in mysterious ways.' I am only playing out my part."
"That is bullshit. That is total bullshit."
"How are you going to get him? Are you going to make him come down here? Do you control him?" Hinata asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, as you must have surmised by now, I do exert influence on him. Otherwise, he would have told you about me long ago. In fact, did you enjoy your talk with him, about your dear cousin Neji? I certainly did."
"You? …Did you?"
"It is actually more believable that way, is it not? Even you yourself said it was unusual for him. You too, Kiba, were shocked that Shino had realized before you. As you are now aware, he did not. I did. But are you not glad for it? Take you Torune, did you not enjoy your sparring matches with him? Or when he confessed, that he feared you were angry with him? That was a lovely conversation. Quite healing, I dare say. We have been living together for awhile now. We are linked, and in more ways than this, a little comment here, an aside there. You know me, and we have gotten along just fine."
"Lady Natsuki, I think now would be an even better time to say I think you are a colossal bitch, and I regret ever thinking you were hot. And that is putting it politely."
"I am glad to have had an influence on your manners, Kiba, since they are certainly lacking. But maybe you will improve them with the arrival of our guest. I suppose it is a rather long walk from here to my bedroom."
Kiba's eyes went wide, shoulders tense. "You didn't."
Lady Natsuki raised her eyebrows. "Isn't that interesting? How even though you dislike me, you still believe I am going to abide by certain rules. We have already established the correlation to dining. You know the literature. There has always been a sexual connotation to this."
"Lady Natsuki?"
"Yes, Hinata?"
"I believe you are bluffing. I think you are enjoying toying with us, but I think now would be a good time to say that if given the chance, I will kill you."
"Did you see that, Kiba? You could learn something from Hinata's manners. Did you notice how clearly and concisely she communicated her intentions to me? Bravo, Hinata. Your noble heritage shows, though I will confess, you are correct. What gave it away? Or are you simply better at reading people, after your cousin's tutelage?"
"When you talk about Shino, you don't look as though you're attracted to him."
"Delightful. You are correct once again, though I did ask him once if he wanted to."
"Did he tell you to go fuck yourself instead?"
"No, Kiba, again, his own noble heritage shown through; though he realized early on it was in his best interests not to offend me."
"Yeah, you hold all the cards, don't ya."
"I would not have it any other way. However, that does lead me nicely into another topic I would enjoy discussing, before Shino arrives. For he did decline my offer."
"Gee, I wonder why."
"I thought it was rather generous of me. As you said before Kiba, I am attractive."
"I said I used to think you were hot. You're looking pretty damn ugly to me right now."
"'She's drop dead, gorgeous.' Did you not say that to Torune, when he asked about me? But that is a rather amusing choice of words, considering by many definitions, I am indeed deceased."
"Yeah, your humanity died a long time ago."
"I respectfully disagree, but I digress. Shino did decline my offer, and Torune, would you like to hazard another guess as to why? You have been ever so quiet, and you gave Shino such a thoughtful gift."
"Oh fuck." Kiba burst out with, and Hinata's eyes widened.
"Ah, that is interesting." Lady Natsuki said, looking around the table. "They know. You talked to them about it. How heartwarming. When did this happen? Was it the same as with Neji? Did you figure it out, Kiba?"
"Hell if I'm telling you."
"Or did you, Hinata, see something?"
"I'm not saying."
"Or did you tell them, Torune?"
"None of your business."
"Isn't it though? Shino's business is my business."
"Yeah, that's where we disagree with you." Kiba replied.
"This delineation of who's business is who's, it is all rather contrary. Do we not all talk amongst ourselves? You all have clearly discussed this amongst yourselves. I have spoken about this with Shino as well."
"Great, just great. What the hell did you say to him" Kiba asked, begrudgingly continuing the conversation.
"I am the one who brought it to his attention. We all know him quite well, though I dare say, I know him more intimately than any of you. Oh, does my choice of words offend you, Torune? Anyways, do you really believe he could have figured it out on his own? And why do you always assume my interference is negative? Are you not glad I assisted you, Hinata? Do you not enjoy your current relationship with Neji?"
When no one answered, she continued. "Keeping quiet? That is your prerogative. I will not push it at the moment, but are you not dying to know what his response was? Or perhaps, two can play at this game. I too will keep quiet, though it must dig at you, to know I know.
"How about this instead? If he reciprocates, is he supposed to return the gesture, to give you a ladybug in return? I had another idea in mind. A black ladybug. Have you ever seen one? Instead of black spots upon red, they have red spots upon black, similar to yourself, Torune, with your red sash upon black robes. Though, the black ladybug has only two red spots. Quite striking. It is commonly known as the twice stabbed beetle, since those two red spots look so much like bleeding wounds. You understand my reasoning, yes?
"Lady Natsuki, this would be a good time to tell you that I am most definitely going to kill you."
"I am surprised you do not take advantage of this unique opportunity. I could tell you everything you want to know, about how he feels for you, or possibly more importantly in this case, how he thinks of you. All you need to do is indulge me."
"It ain't happening, lady!"
"Oh, your manners have improved, Kiba."
"What the hell? What kind of manners do you have?!"
"Of course I have manners. You realize I could simply bite all of you and make you tell me? Yet I patiently wait."
"So what, you didn't bite us. You bit Shino!"
"Yes, but not the first night he was here."
"I want to hear it from him, not you." Torune replied to her earlier question.
"You may find you change your mind later. Love is a dirty game. My advice is to use every advantage you can, and this is the ultimate advantage, but certainly, hold on to your morals as long as you like, I do enjoy playing Devil's Advocate.
"I have known men like you, at some point, maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, the thrill of the hunt will thrill you no more, you will lose your patience, and you will forget about those morals. However, you do not even need me playing Devil's Advocate, you already hold the trump card, and you know it. Shino is already significantly fond of you, in conjunction with the guilt he feels over you taking his place, you could conceivably coerce him into anything. Is that not the very reason you have hesitated? Why you needed to consult his teammates? You are not sure of his side of things, and as I have said, I could very much enlighten you. See? We could be of mutual aid to each other. I am entertained, while you get a valuable piece of information."
"Is this what you enjoy doing? Just, mind-fucking people? Oh, I've got another one for you: you're bat-shit crazy. See what I did there?"
"I do indeed, Kiba… You know, I was surprised, I freely admit, when I first realized your intentions, Torune. One of the reasons I agreed to try out this so called game of mine with Shino was because I determined it unlikely that he would have a lover see his neck. I can cover the wound to a certain extent, but not for long upon such close examination. Yet along you came regardless. This is even more amusing, because while Shino was willing to entertain he may have feelings for you – oh my, I have gabbed away, dropping hints – he under no circumstance, despite my arguments, believed you felt similarly."
"I am so glad to hear your dissertation about this, Lady Natsuki. In fact, aren't we all just enjoying this so much, team?"
"Normally, man, I wouldn't mind talking about your love life, but this? This is making my ears bleed."
"Careful, Kiba. Lady Natsuki might get hungry." Hinata added.
"What, she just fed on Shino? She a glutton, too?"
Lady Natsuki was silent a moment, before directing her focus towards Hinata.
"Interesting. I was not expecting this either. Obviously, Torune and Kiba have made their displeasure with me known, but it is you, Hinata, who truly despises me. Forgive my audacity, my vision is not as sharp as your own, yet it is written all over your face. In order to make amends, I will offer you specifically an olive branch. All this talk of Shino, yet he is still not here. I fear he is more disoriented than I first realized, so distracted was I by your arrival. Go to him."
"Are you serious?" Hinata asked.
"Yes."
Hinata exchanged a silent look with the others. Torune spoke, "Go ahead, Miss Hinata."
Kiba followed with, "Yeah, not like we're going anywhere.. or are we? You don't have some fucked up dungeon in your basement do you? That's what always happens in horror movies, the group splits up and everything goes to hell."
"Or everything goes to the dogs, perhaps?"
"Your sense of humor, Lady Natsuki, it's just killer, I gotta say."
"I appreciate what you did there too, Kiba. Be going now, Hinata. If we change locations, I will simply have Shino communicate that to you."
"Okay, if that's not it – you're not gonna bite us, you're not gonna lock us up – what is the plan here? We just gonna to sit around shooting the breeze all night?"
"I suppose you will just need to wait and see."
