I'm sorry for such a late update! I've just started working that made me have to live in another city. Since it's an industrial area, there aren't many entertainments around, including internet. I'm also stealing some time to upload this during workhours.
Thanks to Shapby who edited this chapter, despite the complaints. To my most loyal reader and reviewer, Primal Red. You go girl!
I don't think I have to repeat the disclaimer, do I? On with the story!
~Audriel
Chapter 4
Doctor Baudin sat tiredly on his seat in his office, a mug of coffee in one hand and a map of files in the other. He'd just returned from his round up tour in the hospital, checking on the patients and keeping the coma patient as the last of his visits. She was still unresponsive, to his disdain. The only good news was that the twins in her womb didn't share their mother's condition. Her friends were no longer staying by her side all the time, only with great deal of persuading from his part and the other hospital staff who were more experienced in him in handling such thing. They were supposed to enjoy their holidays after all.
They only agreed after he gently implied that their friend wouldn't like them to sacrifice their time for her by spending their days in the hospital by her side. He appealed to them that they could still visit and spend the nights in the hospital, just not all day long. He also promised them to update them for every change in their friend's condition.
Finally they relented, they didn't spend most of their time in the hospital anymore, but they took turns to stay with their comatose friend, whether just for few hours or to spend the night. Their concern and loyalty to their friend amazed him. In times like these he couldn't help to think the difference between humans and vampires.
Vampires were still human if you took away all the extraordinary physical strength they possessed, but due to the years they lived, they became less and less human, such sincere display of emotion that he often saw in hospitals between the patients and their families were become rarer to be seen.
After becoming a servant to Charlemagne, he was getting to understand the reason why. He couldn't really blame them, but he wanted to see these mutual feelings and raw display of emotions to each other, where they gave themselves without asking for anything in return. It might be because of the hierarchical structure of vampire society that was strongly based by their origins, which was rather similar to the animal hierarchy. So he could see where the comparison between vampires and beasts came from, though he couldn't fully agree to the sentiment.
Baudin's mind flew to the young man who concealed his emotions very well behind that cold and detached façade he wore. But for him who had treated so many kinds of people in his prolonged life, he could see the hidden concern beneath the façade. That young hunter was seriously an interesting fellow, he was good in concealing his emotions yet at the same time he was completely honest in his feelings.
The doctor couldn't help to think the description he heard of the man was blown out of proportion, not even close to describe the depth and complexity of the man. Kiryuu was a good man. The hunter could have shot him the moment he recognized him as a vampire servant, which would give him enough reason to. However, Kiryuu gave him the benefit of doubt and gave him a chance to defend himself.
Baudin knew how difficult it was for the silver-haired man to entrust the life someone dear to him to someone else, especially to a pureblood's underling, but he was realistic enough to know this was out of his capability. Because of it, Baudin didn't want to betray the man's trust; he kept close watch on the young woman's conditions, monitoring the slightest change in her condition.
For the past few days Baudin realized there were quite significant changes in her condition, for one was that her injuries were healing slightly faster than normal people. He was surprised to find it at first, knowing that she was a completely normal human with no special powers that he knew of. However, to make sure, he asked for a detailed report regarding her circulatory system.
After his master saved him from the brink of death by giving him his blood, Charlemagne didn't try to hide his other reasons why he did so. The pureblood wanted to learn more of the vampires and their origins, which had been some sort of taboo among them. Little was known about how the first generation of vampires came into existence. The records of that certain part of history seemed to be nonexistent. If they couldn't gather anything from the records, then they could at least guess based from scientific approach, such as genetics.
For that reason, considering his background, Charlemagne chose him and appointed him and a few others the important duty that only selected people were aware of. As such, Baudin knew the physical and biological difference between humans and vampires. When he saw the detailed report of the blood in her system, he couldn't help but stare in complete surprise.
The greatest difference between human and vampire physiology lied mainly in the blood, which was no surprise there, even without further research, one could easily deduce how different they were.
There must be a reason why the blood of those immortals was so sought after and those vampires went to such lengths for the sake of protecting its purity. However, the interesting thing was -which that came out rather as a surprise- that the vampires' blood had the same appearance with humans', it had the composition of blood plasma and cells with the likeness of humans', though the same thing couldn't be said about the constituents and the characteristics of the plasma and the cells.
The red cells of the vampire blood were still rather a mystery to the doctors and scientists working on the research, but they had come to enough understanding of other components, such as the plasma. Recent finding showed how the constituents within the plasma triggered the white cells and platelets to react swiftly to any foreign entity entering the system or any injuries sustained to the person, and how quickly and mercilessly those white cells and platelets got rid of those foreign entity. And yet...
The report of his patient's blood came normal in the first glance, nothing jumped immediately to him, until he looked at the blood plasma. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him; he went as far as rereading the printed letters and wearing the reading glasses that were of no use for him anymore to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. He was completely stunned speechless when he found out that the blood plasma had the same constituents with the blood plasma of vampires, while the other components were normal, or as normal as human blood components should be.
For the last attempt to convince himself that he wasn't wrong, Baudin stood up from his seat and reached out to the hidden compartment beneath his desk where he kept some of his research just in case he would want to work on it in his spare time. He pulled out a beige brief and opened it carefully, leafing through the papers until he found what he was looking for. Laying down the report next to the research paper side by side, there could be no mistake: she had vampire blood plasma. He leaned to his seat, blinking at the newfound information.
He had never seen such partial kind of blood. It was always either normal kind of blood or vampire kind of blood. Either normal plasma with normal cells or vampire plasma with vampire cells, it couldn't be a combination of both.
Unless…
He went through the stacks of maps on his left, trying to find the files for the twins and the womb. When he found it, he swiftly opened the files and found the information he needed to know.
During pregnancy, fetal blood doesn't mix with maternal blood; it is nature's way to protect the growing life that has a different circulatory system with the mother. Once again, he found himself stunned speechless, the blood of the twins were similar to the blood of vampires. Could it be that something happened in the placenta so that the children's blood plasma mixed with their mother's?
He picked up the phone and dialed the number of the obstetrician who was responsible for his charge's children. There was only one way to find out.
"Hello, Rian? This is Baudin, there's something I want to ask about the twins…"
I
I
I
Two figures could be seen on the rooftop overlooking the city lights of Paris. One of them was standing calmly, his hair and coat swaying in the breeze while the other was down on his knees, breathing heavily.
Belmont held his bleeding side that was wounded the worst compared to the wounds he had all over his body. His monocle was tilted, his slicked hair was tousled, his neat suit was crumpled and torn with stains of blood visible. One could hardly recognize him as the Gentleman anymore with his current state.
Meanwhile, on the other side of him, in such a stark contrast, Zero stood calmly, his appearance barely affected by the tense fight that broke between them. There was no wound on him, save for a few stains on his torn clothes. He had his gun pointed at the man's head, his finger ready to pull the trigger.
"It's not going to end here, Kiryuu… You're not going to get to my master or anyone who despises you."
"I'm aware of that. That's why I intend to give Esterházy some warning through you."
The last thing Zero saw on the former hunter's face was a look of complete surprise that was enough to confirm his suspicions and erase all doubts from him to pull the trigger. A resounding noise of gunshot could be heard throughout the rooftop, but couldn't be heard by anyone else. He watched impassively as the man's lifeless body was thrown back and started to reduce into dust and ashes that were quickly blown away by the swift wind over the rooftop.
The man put up quite a fight, Zero must admit, as he checked his body for serious wounds. However, for him who had fought stronger nobles and purebloods on equal grounds, the gentleman was no match for the vampire-created hunter. He walked to the area where the man's body turned into dust and knelt down to pick what was left of Belmont.
It was ironic, he thought, that the way he found out who was the master who gave the orders to Belmont was the same way Belmont found out about her. As they traded blows, continuing their fight outside the noble's mansion after breaking out the study, he started to get used to the scent of his blood and remembered the same scent he once encountered by accident.
In one of the missions to ensure the safety of Eastern Europe of a group of rampant vampires, the association was aided by the nobles and level C vampires under the command of the purebloods of that region; one of them was Nikolaus Esterházy.
That man was the most influential man in Eastern Europe, mainly in Hungary where his lineage ruled. Esterházy sent most of the aids that were also the strongest of them, and because of that reason, he decided to place most of them under his command. In many of their fights, there were times when Esterházy's servants were injured and he could smell another's blood on their blood. It occurred to him later that the pureblood master might give his blood to them, as he gave the precious blood to Belmont.
He wasn't so sure at first, but the reaction towards his name when he said it to Belmont's face simply confirmed it. It was a gamble indeed; the man was least likely compared to his underlings to give away any further information regarding his master. However, he couldn't deny the satisfaction of having it paid off. He placed what was left of the ex-human in his inner pocket, covered with a handkerchief.
There was no longer any need to put off his visit anymore.
I
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I
It was long past the visiting time in the hospital. The halls were quiet and deserted. He didn't encounter any passerby or nurse as he walked in the direction of her room. His steps didn't make any noise on the clean, polished floors-more out of habit than of want. He stopped before the door, hesitating before finally daring to slowly open the door.
He was slightly surprised and relieved to find no one in the room, although with a swift glance around, he could see signs of others' previous presence in the room: few pillows on one couch and blanket on the other couch close to the door. Some books and papers stacked neatly on the coffee table. It seemed her friend spent some nights here. Tonight was not one of those nights.
He was relieved that they didn't. It was hard enough trying to get himself inside the room and to look at her. Having to see her friends' worried faces wouldn't help. He had yet let his eyes linger on her lying form on the hospital bed, taking slow, hesitant steps to her side.
Only when he could not step any further, he finally looked upon her.
Her eyes were closed, her fair hair loose, framing her pale face. She seemed so peaceful, so still, that he almost thought that she was gone forever, but the slight rise and fall of her chest assured him that she was still alive, however barely she was. The only sign of injuries he could see was the bandages on the back of her head that was likely where her head hit the wall. Other than that he saw no other injuries.
His heart ached to see the state Misaki was in, especially knowing that he was the cause of it. He wasn't sure how her blood would have his scent, but he truly wished it didn't, for it was what made Belmont sure that she was the one to go after in order to get him. He couldn't resist the temptation to touch her, wanting to be assured that this was just a bad dream, a dream he would wake up from. But his fingers touched soft, cool cheek that was so hauntingly real that he couldn't deny the harsh reality of it.
Absently he traced the outline of her face, something he would not dare to do if she was awake, or if it was any other time. He felt a great need to be consoled, to be assured, and the closest source of comfort was her presence, her warmth, her smooth skin under his fingertips, telling him that she was here, with him although she wasn't there to talk to him, to smile or to scold him.
Then he felt a gentle nudge against his mind, it was so gentle that he almost ignored it. But the nudge was persistent… and warm.
He turned his head slightly, trying to figure what the feeling was and where the feeling came from. His silver eyes examined the room but found nothing and when his eyes returned to look at her, his sharp eyes caught the sheet covering her abdomen. He carefully placed a hand over the sheets and felt the gentle swell of her abdomen. The swell felt warm and pulsating with life, no, he thought, with lives. He could sense the twins, their presence was no less bright and warm and strong as their mother's.
A slight smile found its way to his sad and worn face. They were truly their mother's children, he thought. There was a note of affection as he thought of the children and their mother. In that moment, in the safety of the silence, in the presence of her and her children, he dropped all the pretenses and let everything he had set aside for so long to finally catch up with him. The pain, the sadness, the anger, the guilt, the weariness, the hatred… Everything returned to him, full force, hitting him so hard that it nearly swept him off his feet. The only thing that held him together was the slightest hope that he hadn't lost everything yet. That was all he had.
That was all he had.
I
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I
It was the sliver of light slipping through the curtains of the window that woke him up. He couldn't remember when or how he ended up falling asleep on the couch. His hand instinctively went to cover his eyes and to recognize his surroundings. His weary eyes fell lastly on the unmoving figure on the bed. His eyes were sad as he gazed on the figure long enough as if he were thinking if he were to look long enough he would see movements. But nothing happened; she remained unconscious and unresponsive.
Then he heard the sound of the doorknob turning, his eyes warily turned toward the newcomer only to find a young nurse who was flabbergasted when she saw him.
"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't know there's someone here."
Zero merely shrugged off the apology, returning to his quiet self once again. He watched silently as the nurse went to check Misaki's vitals and opened the curtains to let the sunlight in. Before the nurse excused herself, he stopped her,
"Is Doctor Baudin here?"
"I think so, last night was his shift. Would you like for me to get him?"
Finding no further need for words, he just nodded and didn't seem to realize the nurse's retreating presence. He returned to his initial position, seated with his back on the couch, gazing at the young woman lying unconscious before him.
That was how Baudin found him after a young nurse –-Suzanna, if he recalled her name correctly- knocked on his door and woke him up from his sleep to tell him that someone who seemed to be a friend or a relative of his charge was asking for him.
He was still sleepy and trying to wake himself up by making a cup of coffee when the young woman shyly described the person was a handsome silver-haired man. He was immediately jolted awake. In the end he didn't really need the coffee; after thanking her, he got himself together and headed to the room.
The man didn't seem to notice his presence, and Baudin himself felt reluctant to announce his presence, feeling that he was intruding a private moment. However, as the vampire servant stood undecided whether to remain or to leave, he was saved from that decision.
"Doctor Baudin." Zero didn't look at him when he said his name, a greeting, the aged man thought.
"Monsieur Kiryuu," he returned the greeting rather nervously. Then he realized the state the younger man was in, or at least the state of his clothing. His white shirt was torn at several places, mostly narrow and small, the rest were wide and long, as if something long and sharp tore through his clothing. The only signs of any injuries he might have sustained were the flecks of brown against white. He eyed the coat laid on the armrest of the couch, thinking the state of the dark coat was in worse condition. Otherwise, the man seemed perfectly fine.
"Are you… alright?" He couldn't help to ask. He could never ignore anyone wounded or dying; that was the part that made him a doctor, and that kept him as one, despite everything.
"It's nothing." Zero seemed to read the line of his thoughts, although he never once met his eyes after he greeted him. Baudin followed his gaze which remained on the young lady.
"She's getting better," Baudin paused, "Actually, she's healing faster than expected."
Baudin knew he had Kiryuu's full attention, although the younger man barely moved at his statement. In a way, he was grateful, because it was giving him time to gather his wits to tell Kiryuu his discovery. He held no illusion that it might not be well received by the hunter.
"As a doctor and a scientist, I have quite an interest in the difference between human and vampire's body, which lies mainly in the blood," Baudin rambled rather nervously, steeling himself to say what he had to say, "I found that… her blood plasma is similar to that of vampires."
At that, the hunter's head snapped up, silver eyes meeting his brown ones sharply. As prepared as he was for the reaction, Baudin couldn't help but instinctively stepped back, wincing at the piercing stare.
"She's not a vampire." His tone was flat, breaking no argument and having no doubt regarding her humanity.
"No, she's not a vampire," Baudin said quickly, visibly straightening as he tried to placate Kiryuu before he could do anything drastic, "And as I mentioned, only her blood plasma."
"How that could be?" The slightest frown marred Zero's features, but the wariness was still there.
"I had my suspicions and it was confirmed by Doctor Rian, the obstetrician who's in charge of the twins and their mother," Baudin seated himself on the other side of the couch, wanting to explain this thoroughly, ignoring his own fear that made his stomach clench uncomfortably, "Normally, the blood of the fetus and the mother don't mix, it's the way for the fetus to survive in the womb of the mother who has a different condition with it. However, in this case… there's a mix between the twins' and their mother's. Strangely, the mix only happens within the plasma so it didn't affect the twin's conditions much."
Zero was silenced, realizing the implication and the words unspoken. His eyes turned thoughtful, no longer piercing, and that relieved Baudin, at least for a while.
"The twins… are vampires?"
"I don't know," Baudin admitted openly, his confusion clear, "I've never had a chance to go as far as examining vampire children, but all I know, the children don't seem to show any kind of unusual behavior that I'm aware of. Other than their blood, they're completely normal."
The president of the hunter association could only run a hand in his hair in frustration. Not only they were twins, they also had to inherit their father's vampire blood. It seemed as if fate made a cruel joke of him, that his children had to suffer his fate, his curse. It was the last thing he ever wanted of them.
Baudin who saw the look in his face couldn't help to feel guilty; he knew the man wanted the children to be as normal as possible, but Baudin still had hope that it might not be that way.
"There's still a chance that these children only inherit some of the traits and also inherit some of their mother's normal traits. However, this discovery led me to find a possible solution for her to regain her consciousness."
Zero turned his head to look at the older man; disbelief was the first emotion Baudin saw, but the doctor caught a glimpse of raw hope underneath his façade.
"It's clear that the blood plasma of the twins aids her recovery, but it's not enough, considering that the children still need the plasma for themselves and their mother needs more to heal herself. It's been well-known that the blood of the purebloods is considered precious due to its ability to strengthen… or heal."
"Are you telling me to ask for a pureblood's blood?" Zero couldn't keep the bitterness out of his tone; he had enough of the purebloods. First Kuran, then Esterházy.
"No. I'm asking for yours."
Stunned silence greeted those words.
At first Zero thought it was a joke of some sorts, but seeing the serious look on the doctor's face, he knew it wasn't and he grew to learn that the man took his promise seriously to find a way for her to regain her consciousness. But still, he couldn't grasp how his blood… his accursed, tainted blood could actually help her.
"The children… they're yours, aren't they?" Finally Baudin brought out the suspicions he had of the identity of the twins' father to the surface. The silver-haired man didn't say anything, but he didn't deny it, and that was the only confirmation Baudin needed.
"The twins definitely inherited your blood, that's why their blood can help their mother's recovery. Normal vampires' blood doesn't have such effect. Only purebloods. This means, your blood has the same effect with purebloods' blood.
"The blood of purebloods can strengthen or poison one's body. Even if I were to ask for my master's blood or any other purebloods, there's a chance instead of healing her, it would kill her. But the fact that the twins' blood heals her could only mean that their blood… which is also yours… is compatible with her."
Zero let out a tired sigh; this was all too much for him. He absently rubbed his temple, leaning back on the couch. The doctor didn't leave anything in his explanation so he could follow his line of thinking easily. As absurd as it was, as difficult it was for him to believe, he couldn't just dismiss it.
He couldn't help to let out a bitter chuckle, he was often compared to purebloods in strength, but if this true, then it would mean that he was nearly no different to a pureblood himself. After being changed into the one he despised most as a hunter, he also became the very kind he despised most as a vampire. He didn't know what to say about that.
"Would it work?" In the end, his feelings didn't matter with this newfound information; what mattered was for her to recover and to wake up.
"We could test a sample of her blood with your blood. I already have the permission to use the hospital's laboratory equipments."
Zero gave a brief glance towards her before finally making his decision and nodded his consent to the doctor to test this theory, however wild and unbelievable it was. He followed the shorter man through a series of hallways until they stopped before a glass door that immediately slid open when the doctor swiped his ID over the scanner. He was greeted with the sight of the most advanced medical equipments which he recognized as the equipments he ordered under the suggestion of the hunters' best medic should the need arise for them.
The doctor went to the cabinet to get the required equipments after gesturing him to sit on one of the chairs close to the table that separated him from the doctor. He watched how the already-older-than-his-appearance doctor skillfully prepared the necessary equipments and took his blood that he barely felt the tip of the syringe prick him.
"I took a sample of her blood earlier…" Baudin swiftly took a sample of Misaki's blood in a small tube out of the fridge and laid it down on the table.
Baudin dropped few of her blood on a Petri dish, followed by a few drops of Zero's. One of the first things Zero noticed was how his blood easily mixed with her blood. Normal humans wouldn't be able to notice it, for there was little difference between their bloods, but for them both who were anything but normal human could easily notice the reaction between the two different bloods. Baudin didn't say anything, but put the Petri dish under the microscope to have a better look on the blood and the reaction between them.
"This is her normal blood," Baudin made a microscopic view of Misaki's normal blood with its constituents on one side of the screen.
"This is her blood with yours." Baudin brought out the microscopic view of the blood mixed with his and its constituents on the other side of the screen. His sharp eyes quickly noted the difference between the two images and constituents, although he couldn't fully interpret it as well as the doctor.
"As you can see, there's a difference in the white cells…" Baudin pointed to the largest, uneven blood cell, "platelets..." to the smallest of the cells, "and the constituents.
"They're not changing into the kind of blood that vampires have, but it clearly strengthens the blood's healing ability by the increase in the white cells and platelets' number and the constituents of blood plasma that aids the healing process… And seeing the time of reaction…" Baudin didn't hide his amazement; it was plain on his features. Eventually he turned to look at the younger man,
"This might work," the doctor told him in excitement at the discovery, but immediately contained himself, knowing that the decision was not his to make, so he turned towards Zero, "The decision is yours."
The reaction Zero saw on the sample of her blood given his blood was promising. The only difficulty was to completely believe that everything Baudin showed him was true and that there was nothing the man was hiding from him.
Because if it was simply to give him false hope, Baudin definitely had.
He was running out of options, Zero painfully realized. However, as he looked at the man before him, he could see no trace of malice, no hint of lies and deceit; he saw no reason not to trust the doctor.
"Doctor, I'm not a man who can easily trust people."
Baudin was startled with the unexpected words coming from the hunter, especially the deathly serious look on his face. Those silvery depths seemed to bore through him, measuring him, judging him, laying him completely bare before his merciless stare. He couldn't help to feel his insides squirm in discomfort with such gaze upon himself.
The man gulped nervously, he knew that it would very difficult for Kiryuu to entrust such an important task to him, when they barely knew each other. Him being a vampire's servant didn't help. He couldn't blame the man. The risk was too high. When Baudin gave his blood to his patient, there was no way to take it back. If anything went wrong, things could take a drastic turn for both the mother and the children. Just as he thought Kiryuu wouldn't go through with it, he was once again taken aback.
"How much of my blood do you need?"
I
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I
Zero absently rubbed the raw skin between the folds of his arm where the blood had been drawn from him. He decided to place his trust in Baudin after going through everything he knew of the man in his mind. The man was certainly considered as the senior doctor in the hospital, seeing how easily he had access to everything he might need in order to treat his patient. He also had a good track record as a doctor, based on the quick background check of the doctor with the help of Kirihara. There was nothing suspicious happening in the hospitals Baudin had worked for that would have suggested whatever motives he might have for working as a doctor. Not to mention the hospitals he worked for would have noticed if there was anything amiss.
Not only Baudin was certified in human physiology, he was also more than knowledgeable regarding vampire physiology. It was something that made Zero extremely wary because he couldn't figure why the doctor could gain such knowledge. Unlike human physiology, the knowledge regarding vampire physiology wasn't public knowledge. He could only suspect that Charlemagne was behind this.
And there was Charlemagne himself.
Zero only met the European pureblood a handful of times, but he already had a good impression of the man, which was pretty surprising even to himself. He still had certain distrust towards purebloods that wouldn't easily fade away. However, the most influential man in Europe was nothing quite like he had expected from a man with such status and position. There was sincerity in his words and gestures.
He was a man of honor and integrity.
Charlemagne must be a shrewd man, being the one chosen to lead the purebloods in Europe. He must have a reason behind everything he did, which included this certain servant of his, for reasons that were clear to Zero and for reasons that weren't. He would count on Charlemagne's honor and integrity and that his servant followed the same code with his master.
He would leave her life in Baudin's hands. Meanwhile, he had some things to take care of. One of them was to send a message to a certain pureblood before everything was taken care of.
Zero stood by her side, his gaze was gentle as he observed that the previously pale and drawn face had regained its healthy honey color and that the bandages once wrapped around her were already removed leaving barely any wounds in its wake.
Baudin immediately informed him by himself when the doctor found him in the hospital after being gone from more than 24 hours of the miraculous recovery. Miraculous recovery, he thought with amusement to himself, that was what Baudin told and convinced the other doctors and nurses. He suspected the man even used a bit of his master's gift in order to do so.
The wounds were healing well, so well that they barely left any marks on her body. The skin was smooth once again. The organs and bones that were damaged were whole again. It was as if the incident never happened to her. The brain was no different, especially the badly damaged frontal lobe. It was a matter of time before her brain could function normally once again, and for her to regain consciousness.
He was truly grateful for the man's efforts and for the chance given to him to see those clear blue eyes once again. He was more than relieved that he didn't lose her forever and the children didn't lose their mother. He closed his eyes, wanting to feel the twins' presence in his mind and he wasn't disappointed. The twins gave the familiar nudge when they sensed him reaching to them, giving him assurance that they would not become another twin like him and Ichiru. They were both strong and healthy; neither was lesser than the other.
And then there was their mother.
He knew that she would love them, regardless of the circumstances of their conception and he couldn't think that there wouldn't be a better mother for them. He had no slightest doubt in her. But he couldn't say the same for himself.
He didn't want to leave her all alone with the burden of taking care of their children, their extraordinary children who definitely inherited his blood. However, he was afraid that he wasn't ready for the responsibility and he wasn't ready for the danger he would bring to them if he were to acknowledge them.
There were enough people going after him now, when they didn't know of her and the twins. He didn't know what those people would do if they found out about them, and he wasn't willing to find out, not now, not ever.
He wanted to give them a normal life… a safer life where they didn't need to worry themselves about humans and vampires' affairs, where they can laugh and smile happily together. He didn't want them to suffer his fate.
And he knew that the only way that could happen was for them to sever all ties with him.
The thought alone pained him greatly, but if this was the cost for keeping them safe, he would do it in a heartbeat. His feelings didn't matter.
Reluctantly he laid her hand down, part of him didn't want to let go, but the other part of him that rationalized that the longer he stayed the longer he kept her in danger made him let go. He looked at her as if he was trying to keep her image burned in his mind. Only when he started to see her lying there, pale and lifeless, he could take the first steps away from her. Every step was heavy, as if his feet were made from lead. It took all of his willpower to remove himself from her side, and to finally turn away from her.
"Ah, Kiryuu."
It was Tanya and Sonia. They seemed they were just coming from grocery shopping, if the bags and the contents they were carrying were any indication. Surprise was evident on their faces to see him here. Part of him was relieved, and another was dismayed at Misaki's friends' appearance. Relieved, because it gave him reason to leave, instead to stay. Dismayed, because they were the last people whom he encountered when he was leaving. He knew what he was doing looked like, and he didn't try to pretend otherwise. It's the only way.
Despite his inner turmoil, Zero's face remained impassive, merely nodding in greeting before continuing his way to the exit. Sonia who realized his intention nudged her friend to get inside while she caught up with him.
"Wait!"
Sonia took a mouthful of air after she finally caught up with the silver-haired man outside the hospital. Kiryuu was surprisingly fast and she had to run all the way to get to him. When she straightened up, she fearlessly met his eyes.
"You're leaving her again?" There was a fleeting flash of pain when she said that, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared.
"I cannot stay."
"Why? She needs you." There was a slight surprise in his face as she said this. "You mean a lot to her, although she never says anything."
There was no immediate response to her words. She wondered if she was being too blunt.
"You were right. I was the reason why she was hurt," Sonia was ready to interject when his hand was raised, stopping her, "If I'm to stay, she'll be in more danger. They will be."
The mention of the twins silenced her. Sonia didn't expect that her wild accusation was actually correct, and was actually that serious.
"Then you'll just leave?" Sonia couldn't conceal the incredulity and accusation in her tone.
"It's for the best," was only his answer, "The lesser people know of me and of our relationship the better… I'll leave them to you."
When Sonia saw the look in his eyes, she knew there was no changing his mind. She couldn't object any further for she wasn't aware of the dangers as well as he was and she didn't want to gamble on her friend and the twins' lives. But she immediately knew the gravity of the situation when the man asked her to take care of her and his children. He was leaving the safety of the ones he cared in other people's hands. It was a difficult decision for him, she was completely aware of it, so she merely looked at him in the eye.
"I will, even without you telling me."
There was a vague resemblance of what might be a smirk, but she didn't have the time to make sure for the man without saying any other word and without looking back simply turned his back on her and left, leaving her stunned in the middle of the crowded streets of Paris.
I
I
I
In Eisenstadt, Austria, a castle could be seen looming in a distance. Its beauty and magnificence were only accentuated with the darkening of the horizon as the sun slowly set.
Schloss Esterházy was not only renowned for its baroque splendor and neo-classical austerity with reminiscences of the Austrian Biedermeier style but also for the ones who resided within the once a fortress castle. Schloss Esterházy was one of the estates that the Hungarian noble family was in possession of that reflected their influence and wealth that also acted as the principal residence and center of administration of the family.
In one of the decorated hallways filled with various antique ornaments, a man dressed elegantly in a suit was walking with long strides to the room where the current head of the Esterházy usually spent his time governing every affair concerning the noble family. His strides were swift and decisive, one would have thought it was the normal way the man carried himself, but for those who were observant enough would realize the urgency within every gesture. It might be related to the box the man carried in his right hand.
When he reached the large oaken door, the man didn't bother to knock or even to announce his presence, barging into the study while ignoring all the courtesy he was supposedly to give to one of the most influential purebloods.
A man was scribing with an ink pen on the large wooden table. He had the appearance of a man in his prime, his eyes were dark brown and so was his combed hair. A neat moustache adorned his stern features, giving the best impression of one with all the power and authority. He didn't seem the slightest bit affected by the sudden intrusion into his study.
"That was unlike you to barge in through my doors like that, Anton."
"Forgive me, Lord Miklós," the man bowed respectfully, although his expression was unapologetic, "But something came up and would require your immediate attention."
"What is it?" Miklós or Nikolaus Esterházy finally straightened up, giving his right-hand man his attention. The other man closed the door to the study first before he moved forward and placed the previously paper-covered box he carried.
"This just arrived through the mail."
The man raised a thick eyebrow at the other man's lack of explanation, while a slight frown marred his features. He eyed the box warily; the box was small enough to fit a grown man's hand. There was nothing unusual with the appearance of the box. It was just one of the ordinary boxes people used to send something through the mail.
He took the box and checked of the paper wrappings, finding only his name and address scribbled upon it. There was nothing else that gave away the identity of the sender, not even any stamp that might tell where the package was sent from. It was definitely a suspicious package, and it was the content that made it matter, and that made his most trusted man go to him immediately.
Knowing that his man most likely had checked the content previously, he removed the lid of the box to see what was inside. His brown eyes widened imperceptibly the moment he saw a broken monocle within the box. The spectacle had a hole broken through it; suspiciously resembling a bullet that went through it and whoever wore the monocle, noticing the stains and subtle scent of blood from the spectacle.
His grey eyes narrowed slightly, going through several possibilities of the meaning of this certain package.
"Have you tried to locate the Gentleman?"
"I've contacted Pál to locate him. He should be reporting back in by now."
As if on cue, the antique telephone sitting on the corner of the table started ringing. Nikolaus picked up the telephone receiver and brought it to his ear. The voice that greeted him from the other line with a slight French accent easily identified the man as his distant cousin he positioned in France to overlook important matters there and in most western Europe.
"Cousin," he greeted in their mother tongue. "What do you have of our dear friend?"
"The Belmonts are being exceptionally quiet about their heir's sudden disappearance."
That one sentence easily summarized what happened to his servant.
"What happened?"
"I've managed to get some information from the servants of the mansion. It seemed there was a fight in the study. The room was badly damaged, especially the windows. From the shards of the glass scattered around, it seemed that the fight continued outside. I sent my men to check the alleys and the rooftop of the surrounding areas. We found traces of the fight, especially blood stains. It came back mostly Belmont's."
"And the rest?"
"The sample was not enough to have definite identification, but it was tested positive for vampire blood."
"Ah I see. Thank you, Pál. There's no need for further investigation."
"Alright. I'll just keep an eye on things, Miklós." With that the line went dead. Esterházy returned the receiver to its hook calmly.
"You're not going to make certain that he's truly dead?" Anton queried, having followed the conversation on the phone without fail.
"There's no need. Belmont never stood a chance against him. He was… after all the hunter of the hunters… He might have better restraint of his hunter instinct, but he would give no mercy when he decided on his prey… He would leave no remains."
Nikolaus picked up the box, looking at the gleaming spectacle that had become the Gentleman's trademark. "Unless he wanted to leave a message."
"You think it's Kiryuu?" There was a hint of wariness in the tone of Anton's words, making him inwardly smile at the man's trust in his judgment although knowing that there was not enough evidence to prove his suspicions.
"I know the Gentleman had enough enemies that wanted him dead, hunters and vampires alike, but he was too cunning and skillful for them. No ordinary hunter or vampire could take him down," Esterházy knew the capability of Belmont well; it was the very reason why he chose him of all people to become his servant.
"From the reports of the scene, Belmont was on the losing side," Anton observed quietly. An observation Esterházy agreed on. "And there shouldn't be much traces of blood with his healing ability…"
"Unless a hunter's weapon was used," Esterházy had come to the same conclusion. He leaned back to his seat, his eyes returned to the box. "There are few vampires who can handle a hunter's weapon, but fewer who had the reason to go after Belmont, and only one of them who can handle a hunter's gun," his mind quickly reached that conclusion, remembering the bullet hole left in the spectacle.
"Then it meant that he found out that you were the one behind the order given to Belmont."
"That's why he sent this to me. As a warning." His dark brown eyes narrowed in anger, holding the small box so tightly that it broke mercilessly under the pressure.
"What do you intend to do, milord?"
Esterházy went over every piece of information he had regarding the gentleman's last assignment. The former hunter was ordered to find a weakness he could exploit in the president of the association.
He had reported of his particular visit to Paris and some sightings of him with a young woman. He was sent the picture and complete information of the woman whose name was Misaki Hisakawa.
There was nothing special in the files save for the fact she also went to the same school with the hunter leader. However, for the man who reminded him of a lone wolf to actually bother to spare some time with someone. He decided that it was worth a try, he had ordered the man to simply hurt her enough to leave some message and get some reaction of the impenetrable Kiryuu. Which he did, but not the reaction that he expected.
The man didn't react immediately, or visibly. He had no warnings of his presence in Europe or sightings of his movements. He was being completely calm and rational of everything to the point the hunter managed to figure that he was the one behind everything and he didn't know what hit him until he received the package sent to him.
He had underestimated the much younger man by many centuries. He didn't think that the man would go to such lengths. And he didn't intend to let the man to catch him off guard anymore. Right now, he was the one at disadvantage, and he would carefully tread between the lines.
"Nothing. Right now, there's nothing we can do, but to keep an eye on him. We cannot underestimate Kiryuu anymore. Not anymore," he stressed his words to Anton, wanting him not to lower his guard against the young president.
He didn't intend to lose against the last Kiryuu, especially to the hunter who gained his powers from those traitorous purebloods. He would make sure that the hunter would regret his move against him, Miklós Esterházy.
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