Yea! Exams are over and I'm back! I hope to be able to update more frequently now! Thank you all for being patient. So here's a really long chapter!
This chapter is going to focus on each character's interaction with Nariko, followed by her decision and conditions. And you find out about Ryu!
Disclaimer: I don't own Yami No Matsuei, no matter how much I wish I did…
I do own Kuri, Ryu, Damian, and Nariko, also Kiyoshi (unfortunately). They're from the strange world known as my mind. Anyway on with the story…
-Chapter 7-
-Damian's Turn-
"So why haven't you been by lately?" Nariko asked, going and sitting on her bed.
"I've been busy." Damian replied, still standing. He took a moment to look around the room. Not much had changed since he had last been here. The furniture was all made of mahogany, with a four poster bed in the center of the room. There was a sliding glass door that lead out to a balcony, and the walls were the same blue as the rest of the house but the ceiling was a mirror. Damian smiled to himself. Contrary to popular belief vampires could see their reflections, but the mirror wasn't there because she liked to look at herself…
"So you kept the mirror." Damian said smuggly.
"Yes I did. I wasn't about to get rid of such a great gift. Especially one that came from you." Nariko replied teasingly.
Yes it was true, Damian had bought her the mirror that now dawned her ceiling.
"So, how do you know them?" Nariko asked, bring him out of his thoughts.
"Ryu is…" Damian started.
"Wait! That's THE RYU! The one that you changed?"
"Only partially remember. And Kuri's blood is able to sustain him when he drinks once a month." Damian replied.
"So you're saying that he can only drink her blood?" Nariko asked confused.
"Yes, unless he wants to change into a full vampire- something about her blood prevents the change from occurring. It's happened over time. I've actually been studying it. It seems that his body has become dependent on her blood, to the point where he refuses anyone else. " Damian said.
"I don't completely understand. I'll have to look into it. So that's why you brought them here? You think that I should help them?"
"Yes, that is the reason why I brought them here." Damian replied.
"Well… you were right to bring them here, but it'll depend on what they tell me. You know you're my favorite fledgling; you can get away with so much more than anyone else. But still why for a kidnapping?"
"With the battle coming up, more and more vampires will be appearing, and I can't help but think that Kuri is involved somehow. You know that there have been many disappearances recently."
"Of course, and then most will be killed in the battle. It happens every time. Arg...I'll need to see how my questionings go. But for now realize that there will be conditions, if I accept that is."
"I understand. Thank you for being willing to consider helping."
"You know I have a soft spot for you. After all, I did change you all those years ago."
"True, but we've grown since then." Damian replied, hinting to a past that neither was ready to face.
"That's all for now Damian." Nariko said after a moment. "Send Ryu in next." she said, dismissing Damian.
Damian could only smile as he left. Of course he knew that Nariko favored him. They were in love when she changed him, and still were. Things were just more complicated now. He wasn't going to dwell on that now, Ryu was next.
"Ryu you're up." Damian said as he exited the bedroom. Damian smiled to himself, as he saw the nervous look on Ryu's face. This was going to be interesting...
Ryu stood up and passed Damian, a little worried. What was he going to tell a vampire goddess?
-Ryu's Turn-
"Come on in Ryu. I'm not that scary am I?" Nariko said.
"Not really." Ryu replied, slowly entering her room. He felt very awkward being in another woman's bedroom, especially one that happened to belong to a vampire.
"So your Damian's fledgling." Nariko began.
"If that's what you want to call me then I am, but I'm only a half-vampire."
"Full, half, same thing in my book. It's not something that we normally do; I'm actually intrigued by this information. I'll have to look into it more… anyway… why exactly are you here?" Nariko asked.
"I'm here to ask you if you'd be willing to help me find my partner." Ryu replied confused. Didn't Damian explain this already?
"Yes, but why are you here?"
"I'm here because Damian said that you'd be our best bet at actually getting my partner back. He told me to come to you instead of going in myself."
"So you'd be committing suicide right now if you weren't here?"
"No… Yes… I don't know…" Ryu replied.
"How long have you known your partner?" Nariko asked changing the subject.
"I've known her for twenty-five years now." Ryu replied.
"And what exactly is your relationship?"
"I'm not sure that you need to know that." Ryu replied.
"I do. Tell me." Nariko said strictly.
"We've been together for twenty-three years as a couple." Ryu said after a moment.
"So you two married?"
"No we're not married…"
"WHAT!!!" Nariko yelled. "You two have been together for that long and aren't married!"
"Yes… We just never got around to it. Besides we felt like we were married so what's the difference?'
"That's a lame reason. You love her right?" Nariko asked, calming down a little.
"Yes, I do."
"Then that's the difference! Marriage is the ultimate confession of love, or do you still have doubts?"
"I don't doubt Kuri, things are just complicated…"
"Then you must be wondering why she's went after my brother?"
"I know that he's the one who wanted her first love killed; I believe that is sufficient reasoning." Ryu replied. He wasn't sure what the point in all of this was. Nariko just seemed to want to question him.
"Doesn't it make you think that she still hasn't gotten over this boy and that you are just a substitute?" Nariko asked staring Ryu directly in the eyes.
"No. I don't see it that way at all. I see it that she wants to avenge someone's death, and that's all. We do love each other if that's what you're trying to determine. And to be honest whether you decide to help us or not, I'm still going after Kuri. I don't care about anything else." Ryu replied.
"You shouldn't be so rash in your decisions, but I think that's all I need. You may leave and send in Hisoka." Nariko told Ryu abruptly.
"Fine." he replied, a little angry as he left the room.
"Well that went well…" Ryu said as he exited. "Your turn Hisoka."
-Hisoka's Turn-
"Well, come on in." Nariko said.
Hisoka slowly entered the room.
"I'm not going to bite, come on." she said, patting the area next to her.
"I'll stand." he replied.
"What is with the standing? Is that all you guys do?" Nariko said to herself. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you why you are here."
"I'm here to help find Kuri." Hisoka replied, bluntly.
"I know that, but WHY? Why do you want to find her? As far as I'm concerned you have nothing to do with this."
"She saved me not too long ago. She came out of no where and saved my life more than once, at the risk of her own life. I feel I should do the same in return." Hisoka replied.
"You're an empath correct?" Nariko asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, I am."
"That's interesting. I haven't met too many empaths during my life. You're rather special."
"If you say so." Hisoka replied, hoping that this would be quick.
"Alright… And you are a guardian of death, a young one at that. How did you end up being guardian?"
"I wanted to find out why I had to die." Hisoka replied.
"Then how did you die?"
"I don't want to say." Hisoka said.
"That's alright I suppose; would you rather discuss your relationship with Tsuzuki?" Nariko said.
'What's with this woman? She keeps changing the subject and for some reason I want to answer her… It doesn't make sense.' he thought.
"Is this necessary?" Hisoka asked.
"Yes. I know a lot more than you think, believe me. But I would really like to know why you became a guardian specifically. But talking about your partner will work." Nariko replied.
Hisoka decided to take the lesser of the two evils and talk about his past. "I found out that I was murdered when I first arrived, and at that moment I became a guardian to get revenge. I wanted to know why I had to die and who it was that did it."
"Who the hell would do something like that?"
"The man who killed me is named Kazutaka Muraki. He's been after me and primarily my partner for a while now."
"And what about the curse?" Nariko asked leaning forward.
"How did you know?" Hisoka asked shocked.
"I can sense it. Is that curse Muraki's?"
"Yes... he cursed me. The curse took three years to complete before I died."
"That must have been hell." Nariko said sadly.
"It was. I'd rather not talk about it."
"It's alright… Wait. Is that the same Muraki that was involved in the Nagasaki incident?" Nariko asked.
"Yes it was." Hisoka replied. He felt like he was meeting Damian for the first time again.
"Damn bastard. Now I have another reason to kill him if I ever see him." Nariko said angrily.
"You want to kill him…" Hisoka started confused.
"Yes! He almost exposed us. A few of my fledglings are in Nagasaki and if something happened to them, there would be hell to pay."
"Alright…"
"I'm protective of those I care about." Nariko explained. "Ok then, I think I have come to a decision, you may leave and send in Tsuzuki."
"Ok." Hisoka replied leaving, thankful to be away from the vampire. She was more confusing than Kuri was, and that's saying something...
-Tsuzuki's turn-
"Welcome, Welcome. You're the last one." Nariko said. "Please have a seat."
"I'm fine standing." Tsuzuki replied.
"Suit yourself. Now let's get down to business. Why are you here? This kidnapping doesn't concern you, so why are you here?" Nariko asked.
"Because I want to help get Kuri back."
"But why? You all say that but why? You realize that you're risking your life, getting involved in all of this."
"I know, but I'll risk it." Tsuzuki said with determination.
"But Why?"
"Because she came and helped me. I didn't even know her back then and yet she showed up and was willing to do anything she could to help me get Hisoka back." Tsuzuki replied.
"Do you love the boy?"
"Well...Is it necessary that you know that?" Tsuzuki replied nervously.
"Yes it." Nariko said.
"If I did would you have a problem with that?"
"A good answer. Let me guess Damian said for you not to say anything that would piss me off, right?"
"Actually yes."
"He always says things like that. I prefer people to be completely honest with me. I know more than you realize, and let's call it an honesty test." Nariko said, trying to explain.
"Seriously?" Tsuzuki asked.
"Seriously. So you were saying…"
"I'll repeat my question would you have a problem with it, if I did?"
"No. I've never cared about that sort of thing. All I need to know is the depth of a person's love, then I judge it, but not until then. So, how much do you love the boy?"
"I'd do anything to keep him safe, even die." Tsuzuki replied.
"But you said that you'd do the same thing for Kuri. What is the difference?"
Tsuzuki was confused. He had never really thought through what the difference was. It was starting to get too confusing for him. "You got me there." he replied after a moment.
"I do that to a lot of people. Tsuzuki I can see how much you love that boy, but you need to remember that your life is worth something. If you are so willing to throw it away, then you are insulting the person who loves you." Nariko said.
"How so?" Tsuzuki asked.
"By making it seem as if their love isn't worth anything. If you consider yourself worthless, then that reflects on the person who loves you. You need to understand that your life is valuable and that someone wouldn't be able to live without you. I guaranty that if you were to die, then Hisoka would soon follow, just as you would if he died. You two love each other so much, it's a little scary."
"How do you know that?" Tsuzuki asked, puzzled. How did this woman know so much about him and Hisoka?
"There are no secrets here remember?"
"That's true, but for someone to know that much about love, you must be in love as well." Tsuzuki replied knowingly.
"You catch on rather quick. Yes, I am."
"Is it Damian?"
"Do you think it's wise to ask such a question?" Nariko asked teasingly.
"At this point I'll risk it." Tsuzuki replied, sure of himself.
"Yes, it is." Nariko replied with a sense of sadness.
"Then why aren't you two together?" Tsuzuki asked, curiously.
"We decided to take some time off from each other. It happens, especially to our kind, but we're still together in a way."
"I think I understand…"
"When you have eternity why rush?" Nariko said.
"That I can understand." Tsuzuki said with a smile.
"Well… that's all that I need from you Tsuzuki. You can go on out and tell the others that I'll be right there." Nariko said, standing up and going to her bathroom.
"Alright. But have you decided?" Tsuzuki asked, heading towards the door.
"Yes, I have." she said and closed the door to the bathroom.
-Nariko's bathroom thoughts-
-Nariko's point of view...-
Alright I've got some strange people out there and what am I going to do?
Let's think this through...
Ryu is Damian's fledgling so of course I feel some desire to help him. Besides he is in love with his partner and I can relate to that. But he still hasn't married her after that long! How long can a girl wait? I'm just worried that there's something he's not telling me. It can't be that important, but there's more to his relationship with Kuri. But that shouldn't influence my decision.
Damian...That boy... He knew that I'd want to help him. Damn it!
Hisoka... poor boy. Now I really need to kill that bastard Muraki. That would make me feel so good right now. What's wrong with just one killing? Damn that too because that means I've become attached to Hisoka. That's why Damian brought them all; he knew that if I like someone I'll protect them. Damn... And Hisoka is just sooo cute! How can I say no to that? And he's an empath... I wonder when did I become so soft...
Tsuzuki...Got to love his desire to want to protect those around him. I basically was willing to help from the beginning if they all had a good character. Anyway... I now that he has to have had a screwed up life, but does he truly not value his own life? Giving your life for the one you love is one thing, but not for anyone. He needs to understand that his life has meaning.
I have seriously fallen for them all. Now I just need to decide if they are all worth it. I suppose I better decide soon.
-End Nariko's point of view-
- The Result-
"Alright boys, I've come to a decision." Nariko said, emerging from her room.
"What is it?" Ryu asked hesitantly.
"I will help, if each of you agrees to my conditions. There is a specific condition for each of you. Only if all of you except your conditions will I help."
"That's understandable, what are they?" Ryu asked.
"Ryu your condition is that if I help get Kuri back, you must marry her. Will you agree to that?" Nariko said.
Ryu looked shocked, was it really that simple? "Yes, of course I'll accept." he replied.
"Good. Now Damian. Your condition is that you must spend one night together with me." Nariko said with a smirk.
Damian smiled to himself. "That's not a problem, but only one night?"
"Yes, the rest is just for fun, this is business." Nariko replied, turning to Tsuzuki.
"Your condition is that you must protect Hisoka with your life. You are not allowed to sacrifice yourself for anyone except for him. Will you agree?"
"Yes, I'll agree." Tsuzuki said looking at Hisoka, who was now blushing.
"And Hisoka…" Nariko said, turning to Hisoka. "Your condition is a little different…"
"What is it?" Hisoka asked, a little nervous now.
"You must give me one-fifth of your blood." Nariko said.
"WHAT!!!!" Hisoka and Tsuzuki screamed at the same time.
"No, no way!" Tsuzuki yelled.
"It's not that much. I've always wondered what an empath's blood tastes like. It will not be painful, and the only side affect is that you'll be a little tired and wobbly for a little while."
"Hisoka you don't have to do this." Ryu said, not wanting to force Hisoka into doing something like that.
"What other choice do we have?" Hisoka said turning back to Nariko. "I accept." he said.
"What!" Tsuzuki yelled.
"I'll be fine Asato. It's just a little blood." Hisoka told his lover.
"Alright, fine. But I don't like it and I want to be there when it happens." Tsuzuki said.
"I understand Tsuzuki, and you may watch. But you don't have to worry I know what I'm doing. Now that all of you have accepted, I will help you."
"Thank you." Ryu said, bowing to Nariko, and then to everyone else. "And thank you all for being willing to help me."
"No problem." Tsuzuki replied. "But what do we do now?"
"Now, I suppose I better take Hisoka's blood. That way he'll have more time to recover before we go and try to talk to my other brother. Is that alright Hisoka?" Nariko asked.
"That's fine." he relied.
"Then lets go do this." Nariko said heading back towards her bedroom.
-End Chapter 7-
I know it just kind of stopped, but I need to have the next part in the next chapter. Wow… that took forever… I hope you liked it. The next chapter is going to be very important so look for it. I'll update as soon as I can. Thanks for reading! Please review!