Get excited, and maybe a little scared, because the antagonist has finally appeared! Update is early because the last one was a bit late and I forgot to actually post it on FF since I normally post on AO3 lol XD
Chapter 13: Elusive Truths
Akashi didn't know what had woken him up, but he opened his eyes and shot up so quickly it made his vision swim. The window was open, even though he remembered closing it. Sweat broke out across his forehead, and he felt shivers run down his arms at the cold breeze coming inside.
Movement in the corner of the room caught his eye, but before he could muster a spell, a figure stepped into the silver moonlight.
"A pleasure to meet you," the man bowed, dirty grey eyes shining through his dark hair and a thin smirk on his lips.
"Who are you? How did you get in?" Akashi snapped, trying to reach for some remnants of his power to defend himself if necessary.
"Hanamiya Makoto at your service," the man held up his hands. "They told me you were sleeping, but I had an urgent message from Aomine Hirohito to deliver, so I let myself in anyway." He held out a sealed envelope.
Akashi glanced at the letter, held out a few feet away from his reach. Akashi hated showing weakness, and this man had already seen him sleeping so defenselessly.
You weren't defenseless, a small voice in the back of his mind whispered. You had him with you.
Akashi grit his teeth, placing his feet on the floor and forcing himself up. He could taste the rancidness of deterioration at the back of his throat, but he fought down the nausea as he slipped on a robe. He was dealing with it, keeping it hidden. As the head of the VLSA, he had a duty to uphold.
Stop ignoring him. He's here to help you. Let him help you.
Akashi shook his head, placing a hand against the wall for support before slowly placing one foot in front of the other and begging his body not to fall. "Give it here," his voice was rough with sleep, which was dryly humorous considering he had hardly gotten any sleep among all those dreams and nightmares.
Dreams and nightmares of memories that didn't even belong to him.
Hanamiya passed the letter over, his head cocked curiously at Akashi's cautiousness. Akashi frowned at the envelope. The seal had been broken. He looked up and the messenger shrugged.
"Your security wanted to check that the envelope was safe."
Akashi pressed his lips together. His security did not usually do that to envelopes, but being suspicious of everything would make things more difficult. He slid the letter out and scanned it, his face paling. "More murders? And all purebloods too… This is horrible news," he sighed. "I'll call for a meeting first thing in the morning. Looks like Yukimura Ami was not an isolated incident."
"Is that all?" Hanamiya looked at him closely.
Akashi frowned. "Wasn't this your task? What are you still doing here?"
"Well…" Hanamiya spoke slowly. "My informants have been saying that you have been keeping to yourself more and more as of late."
Akashi shot him a confused glare. "What does that have anything-?"
"Your grandfather was the head of the VLSA during the last Blood Moon, correct?" Hanamiya mused. "The same Blood Moon Festival where they ruled the Pureblood Act, bestowing major rights and powers to all purebloods over all of the mixed races." Hanamiya smiled. "I know only through word of mouth and books, but didn't the Pureblood Act cause a massive struggle between not only werewolves and vampires, but also purebloods and mixed bloods?"
Akashi swallowed, feeling a sliver of panic run down his spine. Wait, no, why am I panicking? I have nothing to do with this. He voiced his thoughts as such, and to his shock, Hanamiya chuckled.
"Come on, Akashi, you don't need to hide it from me. Fewer than six weeks to the Blood Moon Festival. I think you could use all the help you can get, don't you?"
"What are you talking about? Leave, and take your ramblings with you." Akashi's patience was wearing thin. He was always weakest when he woke up in the mornings, before any of his supplements and…other help. He couldn't afford to spell cast in this state, but he would if he had to. This man, Hanamiya, was an unwelcome presence.
Let me help. I can get rid of him for you.
Akashi winced, holding a hand to his head.
Hanamiya's eyes narrowed. "So you really don't know?"
"Know what-?" Akashi gasped as pain exploded in his abdomen, Hanamiya by his side and a knee planted in his stomach. Before the vampire could follow the attack with another, a bust of energy reverberated through the room. It sent Hanamiya crashing into the wall and toppled over a tall lamp in the process.
"Sir!" Urgent knocking came from the other side of the door. "Sir, is everything okay? I heard a crash!"
Akashi was on his knees in the middle of the room, Hanamiya suspended halfway up the wall and clawing at his throat as invisible bonds choked him.
A smile graced Akashi's lips. "Do not worry, everything is fine."
The doorknob rattled as the guard reached for it. "But-!"
"Leave."
"Yes," the guard droned, and receding footsteps told the two they were alone once more.
Hanamiya's eyes were wide with shock and more than a hint of triumph. "Knew it…!" he gasped even as he felt his consciousness slipping. Suddenly the force holding him disappeared and he dropped heavily onto the ground. Glancing up with some trepidation, Hanamiya rubbed at his neck and struggled back to his feet.
Akashi got up as well, his red tresses falling to cover his eyes. "Hanamiya Makoto," he said as if trying the name out on his tongue. Hanamiya felt his stomach clench at the words, and for a second he doubted the intelligence of his actions. "You are a very smart man. I did not think I would be discovered so soon. Perhaps I have been a little rash and impatient, after waiting for so many years."
Hanamiya trembled, his palms sweaty. Akashi's voice hadn't changed, but the tone had dropped and the method of speech had altered.
Akashi moved forward, all signs of previous weakness gone. His steps were sure, his posture straight and his words strong. "Now the question is whether I should allow you to help, or get rid of you. I am sure no one would miss scum like you."
Hanamiya's throat worked. "I-I can help. My father, he was involved in the motions against the Pureblood Act. I-I'm also not a fan of purebloods."
Akashi rolled his shoulders. "I'm going to have to make the other me forget you even stepped into the room, so he can wake in blissful ignorance. He can be a little rebellious sometimes, but it's getting easier to let him put me in control of things." He was silent for a beat, then: "How did you know?"
"It was a gamble," Hanamiya confessed, forcing down his instinct to step back. "I'm just very good at piecing information together. Even though I don't have the whole story, I…I assumed putting you in a dangerous situation would bring the real you out." He cracked a smile. "You don't have to pretend to be so caring towards everyone with me around."
"Brash, but intelligent," Akashi nodded. "I like that. But the real me? Oh no, you don't really know anything at all, do you?" He came up to Hanamiya, and as he raked his fingers through his red hair, it fell back to reveal his whole face.
Hanamiya's mouth ran dry.
Twin golden eyes stared back at him, shining with the wisdom – and cruelty – of many years.
Akashi – or the thing that called itself Akashi – waved a hand absently towards the fallen lamp without even looking at it. It floated back upright, the shards of the broken lightbulb mending themselves and being placed back along with the lampshade.
Hanamiya had rarely seen magic in action, and it must have shown on his face because Akashi raised his eyebrows.
"That was nothing. If you want to help me, you'll see a lot more than that. And you won't be on the receiving end."
And the smile he gave Hanamiya then were all of Hanamiya's fears and nightmares, rolled up into one small twitch of the lips.
"Who…what are you?" he rasped.
Akashi stepped back and spread his arms wide. The bulb in the lamp flickered on and off even though it was unplugged. The windows began closing and opening rapidly, rattling in their frames. The fan above their heads started spinning, and the temperature fluctuated between hot and cold, causing frost to creep up the windows only to melt and regenerate seconds after.
Bathed in flickering light, golden eyes shining with a thousand thoughts, shadows morphing behind him in multiple shapes, he looked like he had stepped out of Hell itself.
"Me?" he grinned. "Why, I'm just a sorcerer."
Takao sighed to himself, his eyes flitting over Midorima's hunched form and the dark circles under the taller man's emerald eyes. He'd been at it ever since the bodies appeared a few days back. "Shin-chan, when was the last time you slept?"
Midorima shot him a glare before turning his attention back to the book in his hands. Similar tomes were piled by his elbows on the desk and he flipped the page before readjusting the desk lamp.
Takao picked one at random, then put it back down when he saw it was in Latin. "Shin-chan, come on, don't do this to yourself."
"I'll do what I must," Midorima said distractedly. "Four more of your brothers and sisters have died, Takao. Are you not worried?"
Takao shrugged, biting his lip. "It's sad news, of course, but I didn't know them personally. And I'm not involved with the Aomine family."
Midorima took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "They were vampires, Takao! We need to find the killer. What if you…what if you were…?" he clicked his tongue, downing the coffee in the mug that was placed dangerously on one of the teetering book piles.
"They were purebloods, Shin-chan!" Takao stood up. "And I know you aren't interested in politics, but mixed bloods don't really…" he crossed his arms, dropping his voice. "We don't have a good relationship with purebloods. Everyone's always on about the war between vampires and werewolves, when there's always one going on much closer to home."
Midorima squinted at him. "What do you mean?"
Takao hesitated. "I was…I wasn't born back then, but most purebloods today were definitely alive. They know about it better than I do, about…what happened the last Blood Moon. You…not just you, but lots of people see dead vampires and think the killers are werewolves. I just think that's the wrong thing to be focusing on."
"We have a witness that says the killer was a werewolf," Midorima said, but his interest had been piqued.
"Yeah, but there's something else going on here." Takao rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't things seem a bit…weird to you?"
"Yes, they seem much too weird," Midorima picked up another book. This was much thinner than the others, and almost square in shape, like a children's storybook.
Takao shook his head. "All these purebloods being killed so close to the Blood Moon? It's like a repeat of the repercussions of the Pureblood Act."
Midorima opened his mouth to ask for further explanation when the door to his office banged open. Both he and Takao turned to it in shock, to meet the eyes of the last man they were expecting.
"A-Aomine…sama…" Midorima stood up slowly, and although he was taller than the pureblood vampire before him, the older man seemed to tower above him.
Takao paled. Aomine Hirohito. Fuck…how much did he hear? His whole body had frozen up, and he couldn't help it. It was a natural reaction, ingrained into him, a reaction of a mixed blood in front of a pureblood. And the Aomines…the Aomine lineage was one of – if not the – oldest vampiric bloodline throughout history. It was difficult to stand against that kind of power.
"I came here to discuss the bodies," Hirohito's gaze was sharp, but he was ignoring Takao, his attention focused on the doctor. "But I overheard something interesting. If you have something to contribute to the investigation, I would like to hear it."
"All reports go to Akashi," Midorima said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I already sent through Yukimura Ami's autopsy results. I will have the rest done shortly."
"Akashi…" Hirohito grimaced. "Akashi does not seem to have this as his top priority. He has been brushing me off these past few days. Hanamiya has also not been giving me clear answers as of late. I would like to hear it from you directly."
Midorima shifted uncomfortably. "If you want, I can give you a copy of the reports-"
"I don't want the reports." His eyes flickered to the books on the desk. "I want to know your hypotheses." He stepped closer. "Anima Magicae, Virtus Animae, Mortem Animae." Every book title he listed off, he came closer, until he crowded Midorima against the edge of the desk. "Now, what does soul magic and sorcery have to do with the death of my people?"
Midorima swallowed, his muscles stiff.
Hirohito's gaze dropped to the storybook in the doctor's hands, and his eyes widened further. "Vespertilio, Lupus, et Senem Homo," he read aloud, recognition in his voice.
Takao clenched his fists at the small flicker of panic that ghosted across Midorima's face, and the smaller vampire took a step forward.
"Sit, Takao Kazunari," Hirohito turned his head slightly to glare at Takao. "You may provide some useful information as well. I want the truth, all of it."
Aomine knew something was going on, something he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Aomine had been having dreams, weird dreams that felt more like displaced memories. They'd gotten clearer over the past few days though, even though they were hard to remember when he woke up.
Following their dinner, he'd met up with Kagami more and more often, but it was clear that Hirohito had added more duties to Aomine's plate because he was finding free time harder to secure. He wasn't sure whether it was because of his close proximity to Kagami, but he assumed that was the case.
He hadn't seen the redhead in days. It was grating on his nerves, making him feel skittish and uneasy. He needed Kagami like he needed water, and right now, he was parched. Phone calls could only do so much.
Aomine wasn't sleeping well, and everyone knew that. He was crankier, more impatient than usual, but over everything else, he was confused.
He wasn't an idiot, or as much of an idiot as others thought. He knew his recurring dreams meant something, these visions from the past. But every time he tried to remember them, he hit a mental wall. He had questions he wanted to ask and he had a feeling Hirohito would know the answers. But now he couldn't find his father anywhere. Aomine scowled, stalking up and down his father's study.
He also had a feeling his lack of sleep also had to do with the lack of Kagami in his life. Nothing was more comfortable that smelling that sweet scent, curling his hands in those soft tresses, biting those luscious ears…hearing that blood, pumping, so close…
He groaned, burying his face in his hands. What was wrong with him?!
"Dai-chan!"
He looked up in shock to see Momoi's face close to his own. "Huh?"
"I've been trying to get to you since forever!" she griped, but the paleness of her face told him something was amiss. She proved him right with her following words. "There's been another attack."
Aomine grabbed Mai-chan off the floor and buttoned up his coat. "Where?"
Momoi grabbed his arm, her lips pressed tightly together. "Harajuku. This time, it was a pureblood werewolf."
Aomine's eyes widened, his thoughts instantly going to Kagami. His grip on his sword tightened but he forced himself to relax. It wasn't Kagami. Aomine wasn't sure how he knew, but Kagami was safe.
"A witness said they think it was a vampire."
Aomine grimaced. Harajuku was where Crimson Claw HQ was located. First vampire killings on Aomine home ground, now this? Momoi's expression of panic and fear mimicked his own. He stalked over to the door but Momoi got in his way.
"Where are you going? It's better to stay here until your father comes back," she bit her lip. "I've been called to the Midorima household, but someone needs to stay back. Yuuki-sama is on her way back from Kyoto because of recent developments."
Just when you think it can't get worse, it does… Aomine groaned, ruffling his hair. "Look, Satsuki, I need to go warn Kagami. I need to go see him," Aomine grabbed her shoulders. "Please, Satsuki. I haven't seen him in so long, I just want to make sure he's okay."
Momoi puffed out her cheeks, but she had shifted a little out of the doorway. "But...I have important things to do too! I don't want to be here alone when Yuuki-sama arrives-"
Aomine wrapped his arms around her and hugged tight, pecking her on her forehead for good measure. "Thanks, love you, bye!"
"Dai-chan…!"
Aomine grinned, feeling only slightly guilty as he ran out of the complex. Nobody wanted to be around when Yuuki returned.
Because Aomine Yuuki was a mother like no other.
Some of you were thinking it was Akashi, some of you were thinking it was a separate party… Well, it turns out it's a little more complicated than that. XD
Also Aomine's mother will make an appearance soon! I'm really excited to write her. As always, these names aren't canon!
