Tears of Blood
A/N: No, no, your eyes aren't deceiving you. This is an actual update on Tears of Blood. Yes it has been over a year. I was being incredibly lazy, and I apologize. I am however, determined to finish this. If it makes you feel better, this chapter is much longer than the others. Again, sorry for the delay.
Chapter 6
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Trunks's POV
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All my instincts were screaming danger. Whether or not I was listening to them, however, is an entirely different question.
Years of training had taught me not to fall for an innocent face. Years of training could not have prepared me for this. I found myself inexplainably drawn to her, and wanting to believe everything she told me. And yet, somehow, I still found it within me to hold back.
Half of me still thought she was a complete psycho and should be arrested right then and there. The thing was though, she was too well put together to be marked unstable. That was the scary part.
So in that moment, I made a decision, perhaps one that I would regret later or even my whole life.
I decided to help her.
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"Yes," He says, finally breaking the long silence. "I'll help you. But on one condition. You're going to tell me the truth about how you know all this information."
"I will not," I say firmly. "I told you at the beginning of all this that you would not ask me any questions, Trunks, but that you would simply believe that I am not the one you should be worried about. Trust me on this."
"How can I!" He says, frustrated. "You know things that you should not know. How can I think that you are not involved in any of these murders or that you are not the murderer yourself? How can I know that you are not manipulating me, or if this is some sort of trap? I have been in the police force for a long time, Pan, and I have learned to believe that not every innocent face tells the truth." He crosses his arms over his chest and locks his blue eyes on me, waiting for an answer.
"You answered that question yourself, Trunks," I say. "You said I was not normal. I know things that I shouldn't because I am far from normal. One day, if I am able to, I will tell you exactly how I know. But I hope for your sake that the day never comes." I pause. "So, Agent Trunks, do we have a deal?"
He sighs and looks at me for a long moment before nodding. "We do."
I smile. "Good." Before he can say anything further, I walk briskly past him to get my car keys. My knee brushes against his for a moment, and I am shocked at the jolt of electricity that penetrates through me. Our eyes meet for a second, and I know he feels it too. I look away quickly, and it is as if the moment never happened. "If you have made up your mind, then come," I tell him. "We haven't got much time to waste."
I watch him get up hesitantly, and when he looks at me his eyes are still full of questions, questions which I cannot answer. Yet I am impressed by his courage. He has agreed to something knowing fully well how dangerous it could be for him, and he does not even know anything about me. He is a true officer, and I admired him for that.
I smiled. "I am glad that you decided to help me, Trunks."
He gives me a wry grin and shakes his head. "I just wonder what on earth I've gotten myself into."
I looked at him warily. You have no idea.
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It has not even been a minute since I have stepped foot outside of my apartment when I begin to sense an immense feeling of power not far from where I stand. My senses immediately alert, I push Trunks behind me.
"Go back inside. I hadn't thought it would be like this. There's at least fifty of them out here tonight." I could see his confused expression out of the corner of my eye but I didn't have any time to explain. "Go!"
I start to move forward but he catches my hand and pulls me back. "What's going on, Pan? And why are you telling me to go? I'm a certified police officer for God's sake, you can't possibly take on these people on your own-"
I look at him in the eyes then, letting my shield of innocence slide from my face for just a second and I know he can glimpse an inch of the real me. I know he sees the pure feral hunger in my eyes, and if he had any doubts about my abilities before I know they are gone now. He takes a step back, as if too shocked to comprehend what he has seen.
"I am capable of taking care of myself," I say calmly. "I am suggesting that you go back inside, Trunks, because I truly do not want to see you die. "
His jaw is firmly set and I realize then that I cannot change his mind. I let the feeling of shock slowly dissolve through me as I register what he has just done. He knows what I am, he knows what he is up against, and he is willing to risk his life in a futile attempt to help me?
He shrugs nonchalantly, seemingly unaffected, although in his eyes I can see the fear. Yet he continues to stand by me, and I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude that I quickly push away. Perhaps later I can sort out my feelings towards this human, but right now it is time to act.
"Stay low," I whisper, and walk out into the moonlight, feeling the sense of power in the air increase with my every step.
And then everything happens at once. Three vampires hurl themselves at me, almost knocking the breath right out of me. But that is not what makes me cry out. No, I have just seen another vampire slip into the shadows of my apartment, where I have left Trunks standing. Shit. I had thought they would be after me, not after him. What could they possibly gain from hurting him? I barely have any time to think.
I thrash in the arms of my captors until I hear their bones break and I am released. Quickly, I run to the clearing of my apartment where I can see Trunks engaged in a battle with his attacker. A closer look tells me that the vampire is only toying with him, for I am able to see what Trunks isn't: a six inch blade in his left hand, waiting to strike at the first oppurtunity.
So focused am I on Trunks, that I do not notice the vampire who has crept up behind me until I feel his blade in my left leg. Screaming in sheer pain, I manage to take the knife out of my leg and stick it into his heart. Then I topple over in agony, my world spinning, and blacking out before my very eyes …
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I awake to find myself in an unfamiliar bedroom. My head is throbbing with pain, and my first instinct is to just lay back down in bed and sleep. The events of last night play through my mind like a blur, and I remember Trunks with a gasp. I must go find him. I must get out of here and –
The abrupt knock on the door snaps me back to the present. I search my pockets for my blade that I was carrying earlier but it is gone. Before I can reply, a head peeks inside and I sigh in relief.
"You're alive," I say in amazement, staring at this human who has perhaps saved my life. He focuses his deep blue eyes on me, his expression grim, and I find my heart fluttering like a seventeen year old's. Dear God, what the hell is wrong with me?
"Yeah, and if it weren't for me, I'm not so sure you'd still be alive yourself," he informs me grimly, taking a seat next to my bed. Looking closely, I can see his hair is matted with blood and he has a gruesome scar across his neck.
"What happened?" I ask him, scrambling out of bed to face him. "How did they let you go alive?"
He shrugs. "After you passed out, the rest of them just ran off. I wish I could say I committed a few acts of heroism by fighting off a few vampires, but that didn't happen. So I just took you with me and came back." He pauses, and gives me a wry grin. "Still think I'm useless to have around?"
But I am barely listening after he says the word 'vampire' so nonchalantly. "You…know what I am?"
He merely shrugs again, although I notice he is having difficulty looking at me in the eyes. "Yeah, sure. That became apparent after your friend tried to suck the blood right out of me," he says, shaking his head. "And it explains a lot of things now."
I reach out a hand to tilt his chin upwards so that he is looking at me directly in the eyes. He seems surprised for a second, but maintains eye contact.
"Do you know what I am capable of, Special Agent Trunks Briefs? I don't think you fully understand. I have killed before, many times in my life. I have-"
"I know," he says firmly. "I know. And I am still willing to help."
"And you will do no such thing," I say firmly. "I have changed my mind. I don't want you getting hurt. Don't you see? It is my fault that you're in this condition right now. I don't know what I was thinking when I asked you for your help. But I don't need it anymore," I say firmly, getting out of bed.
"And you need to realize that you would have still been out there, unconscious, if I hadn't brought you back here! They would have killed you, Pan. As a cop, its my duty to-"
"And you," I say coldly, "Need to realize that you being there changed nothing. They let us go because it was a warning. They'll be back. And this time, I'll face them alone."
The silence that follows my comment is long and strained. Taking a deep breath, I slowly walk over to where he is seated and take his hand. Surprise flickers across his face, but then he responds by tightening my hand in his grip. His blue eyes look up at mine searchingly, hurt and helpless.
"I don't know why you make me feel this way," He says softly. "I want to do everything I can for you, but I can't even do a thing. I'm useless."
"It's not your fault," I say, caressing his fingers with my own. "I was made this way. Everywhere I go, everything I touch...there is blood. I'm used to it. And that's why it's better if I stay alone. " I stand up to leave, and he stands too.
"I just want you to know," He says, meeting my eyes. "That I am not one to back out of a promise, Pan. Useless or not, I'm still willing to come."
I smile faintly and reach up to touch his cheek. Once again I think what a fine man he is. Consumed with doubts and questions, he still wants to do his duty. He still wants to be with me.
"I can make you forget," I tell him. "I can manipulate your mind so that you would never remember who I was. But I don't want to do that to you, Trunks, even now. And I think it is because I have started to care far too much." I turn away before he can see the pain in my eyes. "I just want you to get away from here, get away from me. And forget any of this ever happened. Please."
He stops me as I reach for the doorknob. I do not shake his hand from my arm, and instead stare into his eyes, which are so full of desire. For the first time in a long while, I feel incredibly lonely. So human and vulnerable. It frightens me enough to back away and remove my arm from his grasp.
"Will I see you again, Pan?" is all he asks.
"I hope not," I tell him. "And I don't mean that cruelly. Goodbye, Trunks Briefs."
And without another word, I turn around and leave.
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A/N: The next chapter will be up in a couple of weeks, and since I'm back into writing mode, there will be regular updates from now on. Keep those reviews coming, they do indeed make me write a whole lot faster =)
-Rose