(A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! As promised, this chapter has more romance/fluff than the previous one (although the next one after this is going to be action again probably). I'm not all that used to writing romance/fluff, so most of it is just awkward attraction.
Nagisa woke up slowly. His mattress felt far softer than he remembered. Tentatively, he opened his eyes only to find himself lying in a large spacious bed in a dark room he didn't recognise.
He shot up suddenly, as memories from the night before flooded his mind; He had discovered a lot of horrific things about Kunugigaoka and had ran away with Karma after saving his life. He wasn't sure it was the right decision, but after defying Asano it wasn't as if he could just go back to life at the hunting academy. He was a criminal now too.
"Quit squirming around, still tired." Karma mumbled, from his place next to Nagisa on the bed. The blue haired boy froze when he felt a cold arm snake around his waist and pull him back down.
"Karma! What are you doing!" The hunter squeaked, as he was held in place by the vampire's arm.
"Well, I was sleeping." The Vampire replied lazily with a yawn.
"No, I mean what are you doing here?" Nagisa clarified.
"Here? As in my own bed?" Karma said, already sounding half asleep despite Nagisa's obvious distress.
"Don't you sleep in a coffin or something?" The blue-haired boy asked. He tried to ignore the way the close proximity to Karma made his face flush and his heart race. The Vampire was holding him so he was inches away from his chest.
"How old do you think I am?" Karma scoffed. Nagisa had no idea that Vampires considered sleeping in a coffin old-fashioned, how was he suppose to know about Vampire culture?
"Is that a trick question? Vampires are immortal, you could be hundreds of years old for all I know." Nagisa said.
"Seventeen, I'm Seventeen. Not some creepy old man." Karma laughed. So the Vampire was only a year or two older than Nagisa. That seemed strange, somehow. Anyway! The issue at hand here was the sleeping arrangements!
In one fluid movement, Nagisa quickly rolled of the bed and landed on the other side, his bare feet against cold stone.
"We are not sharing a bed. From now on I'll sleep on the floor!" Nagisa declared. Karma sat up in the bed and smirked at him.
"You were the one who fell asleep here."
Nagisa frowned, remembering;
After Karma's fight with Asano, the vampire had carried him of through the darkening streets of Kunugigaoka, nightfall was fast approaching.
When they got to the outskirts of town, Nagisa had made Karma put him down (why the Vampire insisted on carrying him when he was bleeding everywhere and was a mystery, it was probably just another way to tease the hunter).
"Just let me take the bullet out, we're far enough out the way, nobody will notice us." Nagisa had insisted. Even though Karma kept saying the bullet wound was nothing, the hunter couldn't help but worry.
"Fine." Karma relented, rolling up his trouser leg to reveal the injury. Nagisa winced. It wasn't very deep but it looked painful, even to a Vampire. The blunette took out his first-aid kit from his school bag (an essential piece of equipment giving the work he was doing there). And gently got out the tweezers. Slowly, he moved them toward's Karma's injury.
"Wait!" The Vampire said suddenly, startling Nagisa. Blue eyes met Mercury. "... Will it hurt?"
The expression on Karma's face was almost.. Apprehensive? Nagisa was shocked. Karma had never shown a vulnerable side before, he didn't think the vampire had one.
"It will, but not as much as being shot." Nagisa said, speaking honestly, his tone comforting. "There will be a few seconds of pain then everything will feel better."
"Okay, I got it. So just take the damn thing out!" Karma said, putting on a brave face.
He's like a little kid pretending he didn't hurt himself when he fell over, Nagisa thought. Not for the first time that night, Nagisa realised there was more to the red devil than a smooth-talking criminal.
"Alright, I'm taking it out now-" Nagisa said, calmly. He moved towards the Vampire, but at the last moment Karma flinched away.
"Sorry." He said, looking the other way, not facing Nagisa. "I guess you could say I'm not used to pain. I've never- I've never come that close to loosing before. I've never fought a human as strong as that bastard. If it weren't for the lack of fangs I'd say he was a vampire!"
Karma gritted his teeth. So his battle with Asano had really been bothering him. The red head did have the arrogant air of someone who had never lost before, in that way he was the opposite to Nagisa.
"But, you never had a problem with pain when you actually got shot- and uh- when I stabbed you." Nagisa said,
"That's because of Vampire adrenaline; during a confrontation we're almost immune to pain- Ow!" Karma yelled, when Nagisa suddenly plucked the bullet out that was imbedded in his leg while he was speaking. Nagisa didn't look like much, but his speed and reflexes were insanely good, being able to sneak around a vampire's defenses like that to take out the bullet was no easy feat.
"Sorry," Nagisa said, apologetically, already bandaging Karma's leg. "But it'll feel better now, right."
"Your terrifying." Karma said, the smirk already returning to his face. Nagisa looked at him questioningly. "Anyway, little hunter, or is it ex-hunter now? Lets get going."
It had taken them until the early hours of the morning to reach Karma's place. It was a few hours from the village on foot for a human, and since Nagisa refused to let the injured vampire carry him it was a long journey.
Nagisa had no idea what to expect, but when Karma stopped suddenly in the middle of the barren moorlands this certainly wasn't it.
"Here!" He declared. Nagisa looked around in the darkness. All he could see was bare ground, rocks, and the odd shrub.
"You stay here?"
"Yeah, I just turn into a bat and and hang upside down on that tree over there- " Karma said, pointing to a dead-looking tree. He laughed at Nagisa's horrified reaction. "Calm down, it was a joke!"
The red-head kicked aside one of the bushes, and beneath it was a trap door. It was the same earthy colour as the ground around it.
"Home, sweet home." Karma said, as he pulled out a key from his pocket.
Inside it was cave-like and smelled slightly of spices. The main room was decorated with all sorts of odd trinkets, from plates to jars of mystery liquids that were placed on the rickety shelves of the hard stone wall. There was a large wardrobe on one side that seemed as if it would fall apart at any moment. In the middle of the cave was a large four-poster bed, even in the dim light Nagisa could make out it's pale blue colour.
"This place has been used as a hide-out by my family for centuries. Of course, it has nothing on the main mansion." Karma explained as he took his shoes off. Nagisa did the same, the ground below felt cold against his feet. The red head started lighting the many various candles in the room with a match, providing some illumination for the otherwise dark room.
"This is a lot more cosey than I expected." The blue haired boy said honestly, "In the books I read Vampire's either lived in gothic mansions or gutters."
"Gutters?" Karma said, raising an eyebrow. Nagisa shrugged, the walk here had left his feet and legs aching, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Karma.
"Sit down- I'll put some tea on." The red head said. Nagisa was too tired to even wonder why a Vampire would keep the means to make tea in his abode, he was too tired to even be appropriately nervous about being in a vampire's lair (Well, if Karma really wanted to eat him, he'd had ample opportunity on the way here).
There were no chairs in the room, so Nagisa took a seat on the edge of the blue bed in the middle of the room. Feeling fatigue washing over him, the hunter leaned against the head-board of the bed.
When Karma returned, tea-tray in hand, Nagisa was already lying back on the bed, asleep. His long blue hair had escaped his hair-tyes and was fanned out around his face.
The Vampire put the tray down on the edge of the bed, and knelt down next to Nagisa.
He looked so defenceless lying there, his blood smelled delicious as always. Karma's Vampire instincts were screaming at him to lean over and take a bite from the boy's pale exposed neck. But instead, Karma just brushed a stray lock of hair from Nagisa's forehead, and pulled the covers over him.
"I'll just use a sleeping bag or something." Nagisa muttered to himself, as he struggled to get his bearings.
"Hmm? Why can't we just share the bed? It's big enough for the both of us." Karma said, sitting up against the headboard. Nagisa couldn't help but notice that he was shirtless. The Vampire was lean but still has some muscle definition.
"That's not the point!" Nagisa half-shouted. Before they could pursue the topic any further, the two were interrupted by Nagisa's stomach growling. It wasn't very loud but Karma with his enhanced senses of course heard it.
"Man, I forgot how often you humans have to eat- isn't it like once a day?" Karma groaned.
"Usually more than that." Nagisa replied, feeling his cheeks redden. "What time is it anyway?"
Nagisa realised with a jolt that it he had no idea how long he had been asleep for, there were no windows in this cave so the passage of time was a mystery to him. It could of been weeks for all he knew!
"4pm." Karma replied, reading of his watch. "You've been asleep for eleven hours, you lazy bum."
Eleven hours! Nagisa couldn't believe it! For some reason his first thought was how much trouble he'd be in for missing a day of school, then he remembered that was the least of his worries.
What was happening back at the academy? Had they announced his status as a traitor and a criminal in front of everybody at school? What would his friends think? Sugino, Kanzaki and Rio, would they despise him now or would they just be confused?
His thoughts turned to his mother- His mother who wouldn't even allow him to stop at a friend's house because she couldn't bare for him to be out of her control for too long. His mother who treated him like her own personal doll that she could live through. She even refused to let him cut his hair, so she could live her dream of being a 'pretty girl' through him. Now he'd finally escaped her, the only thing he had left of her was the bruises on his arms.
When they told her about what he'd done, how would she react?
Nagisa felt his chest tighten and his throat constrict. Suddenly it was hard to breath.
"Nagisa?"
The hunter looked up, coming face to face with Karma. The Vampire had silently moved from the bed, to right in front of Nagisa, he gently tilted the blunette's chin up so that their eyes met. The hunter opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Karma was rubbing circles on his back, Nagisa came to his senses.
"Sorry, I just.. I just- "
"It's okay, I mean, I'd freak out too if everything suddenly changed." Karma said to him, his hand resting on Nagisa's lower back. For once the hunter was actually glad for Karma's total lack of awareness of personal space. He feared his own mother and took comfort in from a vampire, just how messed up was he?
"I'm alright now." Nagisa said with a sigh. He had to be strong.
"Want to talk about it?" Karma asked, his tone was non-demanding. The hunter shook his head, there were some things he didn't want to talk about with anybody.
"I'm alright now." He repeated. His stomach growled again, he felt himself blush as Karma smirked.
"Okay, here's the plan." The Vampire said. "I'll run into town and pick up some human food and supplies- you just take a bath and get ready. We'll make our plan from there."
"Plan?" Nagisa questioned.
"You know, to expose the evil of the academy and all that jazz." Karma said, as he stretched. He then put his hands on Nagisa's shoulders, turning him so that the blue haired boy was facing a person-sized tunnel in the cave wall. "Bathroom's that way- "
Before Nagisa could question the vampire further, he was already up the metal ladder and stepping out into the outside world. Damn vampire speed.
"See you in a bit!" Karma called down before re-sealing the hatch. Nagisa sighed, well, he might as well take Karma's advice and go get a bath, he hadn't changed his clothes in over 24 hours, after all. He wondered what the bathroom would be like in the cave; At home they had the toilet outside the house, and a single tap outside that they used for everything.
Their bath was a big metal tub that he and his mother would fill up outside and heat by the fire. Every morning Nagisa would wake up and collect water from the tap to wash his face and hands in.
Such standard of living was normal in Kunugigoaka, only the rich could afford houses with built-in bathrooms. The very poor, like his friend Isogai, had to share a single tap between the entire street. Nagisa shuddered at the thought.
The hunter took one of the candles, following the passage of the tunnel, it was almost eerily quiet, the only sound was his footsteps echoing around the cave. He stopped when he found himself in a cavern.
In the Inky darkness, he could make out a large body of water using the few rays of sunlight that spilled in from cracks in the rock.
The sound of bubbling water filled his ears, was this what Karma had meant by the bath?
Nagisa leaned down, dipping his elbow in- it was warm! It must be a natural hot spring. A little hesitantly, the blue haired boy peeled of his clothes and got in.
The heat took some getting used to but wow- it was relaxing.
"Careful, if you fall asleep you'll drown- don't you humans have to constantly breath or you die?" Karma's voice broke Nagisa out of his daze. The blue-haired boy turned around, startled, just how long had he been relaxing for?
The Vampire was stood behind him, bags in hand. "I got you food, toothbrush, some other dumb human stuff.." He listed.
"T-thanks, I don't have any money but- " Nagisa started to say. He felt inexplicably embarrassed about Karma being here, he shrunk in on himself. It made no sense- Karma may be a Vampire, but he was still just another guy. Nagisa had never felt shy like this in the changing rooms at school, so why now?
"Don't worry about it, I have more money than I could ever spend in a lifetime. Think of it as a thankyou for you know, saving my life last night." The red-head shrugged. "I'll be waiting in the main room, so hurry up and get out before you shrivel up like a prune. I heard humans do that in water."
"Well.. not exactly." Nagisa called after him.
A few moments later, Nagisa and Karma were together back in the bedroom (which also functioned as a kitchen, living room, and dining room in this cave).
Karma was frying up some rice on the trangia. He kept stealing furtive glances at Nagisa, that annoying grin never leaving his face.
"What!" The blue haired boy finally demanded, after Karma had looked over his shoulder for about the tenth time.
"Nothing." The Vampire said, that ever-present smirk still on his face. "It's just- you look cute in my clothes."
Nagisa blushed; He was wearing one of Karma's shirts and a pair of his trousers, even though he had folded the sleeves the clothes still completely swallowed his small form. Stupid tall well-built vampire
"I'm still growing, you know." He muttered. He'd always been insecure about his lack of height and slender proportions.
Karma just laughed. "I meant it as a compliment." He said, switching the gas on the teanjia off. "Anyway, bon appitit!"
He poured the curry and rice on a plate and handed it to Nagisa who took it gratefully. He was starving.
"Thank you for the food!" The Hunter said, digging in. It felt weird being the only one eating, but of course, Karma had no interest in human food. The Curry tasted shockingly good for being made by someone who wouldn't even be able to taste it.
"I learned to cook at a pretty young age, before my vampire powers awoken." Karma explained, as if reading Nagisa's mind. The hunter looked at him, still chewing his food. "Since my parents were useless at making human food because they'd just been drinking blood for so long. It was pretty disappointing that human food started tasting like dirt to me not long after I finally got used to cooking."
"Being a Vampire sounds tough." Nagisa said, honestly. "What.. what do you usually do about, you know, food?"
"You mean blood?" Karma cocked his head to the side, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Usually I just go for animals, because they're easier. But once in a while I meet a human I can't resist~ "
"Should I feel honoured you think I make such a good meal?" Nagisa asked, raising an eyebrow. Karma just chuckled in response.
"Since we're living here together for now- " Nagisa started saying. "You can.. I mean, as long as your careful- you can drink my blood, sometimes.. "
"Your seriously adorable, you know." Karma said, with a sly grin.
"Stop teasing me!" Nagisa protested.
"I'm being serious though!" The red devil laughed.
"Anyway.. " The hunter said, changing the subject. "What about the academy's secrets, ..the experiments?"
Karma's expression changed from playful to serious in an instant.
"You definitely want a part in bringing them down? It'll be dangerous, you know."
"
I know." Nagisa said, with certainty. "But it could of easily been me that was used as one of their experiments. I don't want that to happen to anyone."
He thought of his friends, Nakamura, Sogoya, Isogai. They were destined for E class just like he was.
"Right." Karma said. "Let's formulate a plan then- "
Asano Gakushu paced back and forth around his father's office. His nerves were frayed from waiting for the man to return;
Last night, he'd suffered his first defeat at the hands of somebody other than his father. That Damn bloodsucker and that stupid human trash Nagisa Shiota!
What the hell was that idiot thinking, protecting a vampire? Didn't he know that the red devil only saw him as prey? Vampires liked to keep human's as pets, after all. Another reason Asano hated them.
Last night he'd woken up in the side-alley he'd fought Karma in after being knocked out. He had no idea why the Vampire hadn't just killed him. Although, he was at least grateful that non of his fellow hunters had witnessed him in such a sorry state.
After that, he'd quickly alerted the other hunter's that the Red Devil had captured Nagisa Shiota. He had decided not to brand the boy as a criminal, not yet.
They'd spent all night trying to track the Red devil, but his trail of blood from the bullet wound only reached the end of town.
They had lost all trace of him.
Then of course, after a night without sleep, Asano had to go to school at the academy during the day (he couldn't ruin his perfect attendance, after all). The looks people gave him didn't go unnoticed. Rumours of how the Red Devil had beaten him traveled fast. His reputation as invincible was now completely tarnished.
The sound of the door opening behind him broke him from his chain of thought. He stood still suddenly, staring ahead at the desk as the Chairman walked past him and took a seat in front of him. There was a heavy moment of silence, a pregnant pause.
"A dangerous vampire is wondering free and a boy has been kidnapped because of your ineptitude." The Chairman said, that patronising half-smile on his face. Asano dug his nail's into the palm of his hands.
"He wasn't kidnapped. He chose to go with the vampire willingly, sir." The Hunter explained, glaring at the Director. "I simply chose to say he was kidnapped so we can still offer him immunity from punishment his crimes if he hands in the Red devil. The Vampire seems quite attached to him. You know as well as I do how possessive vampires can be."
"What a pathetic plan. Are you sure concealing the truth from the people isn't so you can avoid admitting that a low-level hunter got the best of you?" The Chairman said, looking at his son as if he were something he couldn't even be bothered to pity. "If your not strong enough to defeat your enemies you are pointless."
"I overheard the Red devil say something interesting to Nagisa Shiota." Asano said, changing the subject. The Director raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Maybe if you'd spend less time listening to the Vampire speak, and spent more time killing him you wouldn't of failed." His father said. Asano ignored the jab and continued.
"He was under the impression that human experiments were being performed here at the Academy." Asano said, his expression unreadable. "Specifically, he seemed to strongly believe human's were being turned into vampires as a part of some sick experiment."
The Chairman's eyes widened, only for a fraction of a second, but it was all the confirmation Asano needed. He smirked. There must be some way could use this.
"You really are an idiot if you trust a vampire." The director said, getting up out of chair and walking over to Asano. "I believe I told you that if you hadn't killed the Red devil by the next time we see each other, there would be consequences."
The grin dropped from Asano's face immediately. The Chairman stood directly in front of him, Asano fixed his eyes ahead, staring at the leaf-shaped pin on his father's tie, not meeting his eyes.
The Chairman put his hand on Asano's cheek in a way that could almost be mistaken for affectionate. His thumb brushed over the bruise below his lip were Karma had punched him.
"Does it hurt?" He asked, his tone mocking. Suddenly, the Chairman pressed down on the bruise with incredible force, his nails dug into Asano's skin as he grabbed his face. The blonde let out an involuntary hiss of pain, he willed himself not to flinch away.
"Does it hurt?" The Chairman asked again, taunting him.
Suddenly, one of the Director's secretary's burst in.
"Director, sir!"
The Director looked up, sending the secretary a death-glare that had him almost shaking.
"How many times have I expressly asked you to knock before entering?" Gakuho hissed, the Secretary actually whimpered.
"S-sorry Asano, sir!" He stammered. "B-but there are Government officials here to see you. They say it's urgent."
The Chairman's eye's narrowed. He took his hand of Asano's face and adjusted his tie, swiftly walking out the room.
"Bring me to them." He said to his Secretary as he turned the corner. Asano let out a sigh of relief once he was alone in the room. His father was busy. He had some more time.
Red Devil, Nagisa Shiota, your time is limited.
(A/N; This Chapter was hard to write, because I wanted the interactions between Karma and Nagisa to be believable while still keeping them in character, and as I mentioned, I'm not the best at writing romance. Sorry if this chapter seemed kind of slow, but it's setting up for future plot-points.
Once again, Thank-you for all the reviews, you guys are awsome! I wouldn't of been able to write this chapter without them, Reviews are love! they keep me motivated! If you've read this, please tell me what you think so far, or if you have any ideas for the story :)
Later~