Reason To Be

Caterina stirred. The last thing she remembered seeing was a bright flash of light and Abel in his Crusnik form, electricity shooting off his body. Then the world went black.

Abel. Where is he? Caterina glanced around, worried. She still did not understand Abel's strange power, but even he must have limits, she reasoned.

Her gaze fell to the limp figure lying facedown on the floor. A cold dread settled over her.

"Abel!"

She ran across the room to Abel's body. "Abel! Talk to me, say something!"

He did not move.

"Abel…" Tears flowed down Caterina's face. "Don't die on me! Abel…"

Footsteps echoed on the polished stone floor. "Your Eminence! Are you all right?"

"Requesting damage report, Lady Caterina Sforza," Tres added in his monotone.

"I'm fine," Caterina said distractedly. "But Abel is—we have to get him to the hospital, now!"

For once in his life, Francesco was at a loss for words. "Our uncle? Bishop Alfonso d'Este? Tried to destroy Rome?"

Caterina would have liked to smirk, but she restrained herself. "Your Holiness," she said, addressing her other brother. "The Silent Noise should be destroyed right away."

Alessandro had been in a daze. "What? Oh—yes. Of course."

Francesco scowled. Caterina knew that, as much as he loathed to admit it, she had been right this time. "And, brother, I assume I am no longer under house arrest, and the AX members are cleared of suspicion?"

Francesco's jaw twitched; he looked murderous. "Indeed, you are correct, sister. You were right after all. What a surprise."

Caterina ignored the jibe. "Good. That's settled, then." She stood up. "If that is all, I have some personal business to attend to."

It was a short walk to the hospital. Outside, the sun shone brightly from the pure blue sky. It was hard to believe that last night, part of Rome had been destroyed and the Vatican had been the target of the Rosencreutz Orden's plot.

It was hard to believe that last night, she was nearly assassinated.

"Good morning, Cardinal Sforza," the receptionist at the hospital chimed. "Father Nightroad's room is down that hallway, the third one n the left."

"Thank you." Caterina knocked quietly on the door.

"Come in," Abel responded.

Caterina entered the room. "So, Abel, you're awake, I see."

Abel was sitting up in bed, looking surprised. "Caterina? I didn't expect to see you here. You weren't injured last night, were you?"

"No," Caterina said dryly. "If I recall, I believe you were my human shield."

Abel looked sheepish. "Well, I'm glad to hear that."

Caterina sighed. All her frustrations and worries came pouring out at once. "Why did you put yourself in so much danger, Abel? You nearly died last night. When will you stop worrying about others and start worrying about yourself?"

Abel seemed stunned. "But, Caterina, you would have been killed—"

"I know that." Caterina dropped her gaze. She felt overwhelmed by her confused emotions. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want Abel to put himself in danger for her sake. "I just…I'm not a person worth dying for."

"What are you talking about?" Abel was baffled. "Of course you are! You're the head of the AX, a cardinal in the Vatican, and an advocate for peace with the Empire. If it weren't for you, the world might be at war already."

"Am I really that important?" Caterina smiled humorlessly. "I didn't feel that way last night. I was completely defenseless, and I couldn't do anything to save myself, let alone help you."

Abel's gaze softened. "That's why you have the AX," he said gently. "We'll always be there for you when you need us, Your Eminence."

Caterina didn't know just how much she needed to hear those words. She closed her eyes, her deepest fears laid to rest. Thank you, Abel.

"Your Eminence?"

Caterina opened her eyes as Kate's hologram appeared in front of her. Kate looked from Caterina to Abel. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, of course not. What were you going to say?"

Kate cleared her throat. "Well, we've received a message from the Empire."

Caterina looked up sharply. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Abel lean forward, listening. "What is it?"

"A Methusaleh by the name of Enderle Koutza, the Count of Zagrev, was exiled from the Empire several years ago for murdering humans. The Empire has recently received news that a recent murder in Venice may be his doing, and Empress Augusta Vradica has expressed willingness to cooperate with the AX to either capture or eliminate him."

Caterina thought for a while. "This is a good opportunity to mend relationships between the Vatican and the Empire," she admitted.

"If we agree to help them, the Empire will send Astharoshe Asran, Viscountess of Odessa and Duchess of Kiev, to Venice tomorrow," Kate added.

"All right. Tell them we've agreed." Caterina suddenly frowned. "The question is, who should we send to work with the Viscountess? We need someone who can work peacefully with a Methusaleh." She began listing the AX members on her fingers. "Gunslinger, though efficient, doesn't have the best personality. Dandelion might start a fistfight and lose track of the mission completely. Sword Dancer has gone missing again, and Know Faith is preoccupied at the moment. But then, who else do we have?"

"I'll go."

Caterina and Kate glanced at Abel. "No, you're not. You've been heavily injured, and I want you to stay at the hospital," Caterina commanded.

"But, Caterina," Abel protested, "I'm perfectly fine now. All I needed was some rest. Besides, it sounds like no one else can do the job."

Caterina had to say, Abel was the best AX agent she could send to Venice. He had an affable personality and, like her, believed that humans and vampires should cooperate. Besides, there was always that Crusnik power of his if things got out of hand… "But what about your injuries?" she insisted. "Weren't you shot with…whatever it was that man summoned?"

"That? Oh, that was nothing," Abel said breezily. "But you can call the doctor to check, if you want. By the way, what was that man's name again? Izaac Ferdinand van Camper?"

"Isaak Fernando von Kampfer." Caterina was beginning to wonder if Abel's quick recovery was also due to his Crusnik powers. She didn't pretend to understand the full extent of his mysterious abilities. "Fine. But if you aren't discharged, I'm sending Gunslinger to Venice instead."

Kate bowed. "I will send your reply to the Empire, Your Eminence," she said, and disappeared.

"Putting yourself in danger again, Abel?" Caterina inquired, raising her eyebrows.

"For the good of our relationship with the Empire. Besides," Abel laughed self-consciously, "How hard can it be to work with a Methusaleh noblewoman?"

A/N: This is my first time writing a Hurt/Comfort kind of fanfiction, so feedback is especially appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Trinity Blood is copyright Sunao Yoshida. I don't own the series or any of the characters.