The return of vampire!Tomoyo and vampirehunter!Eriol. Please enjoy.
xxx
059. Hang
Tomoyo pushes the door to the roof open and runs, she can almost feel the hunter on her heels. Syaoran had separated from her minutes ago, hoping to confuse the hunter. Not for the first time that night, Tomoyo wonders where Eriol went. Usually, there's only one vampire hunter in every city. This hunter tonight is definitely not Eriol. Does that mean that Eriol has moved on elsewhere?
She doesn't understand why that thought causes her heart to clench.
No, of course it does, she tells herself. After all, this vampire hunter is a lot more zealous about his job. It has nothing to do with the fact that she might never see Eriol again. She's merely worried about her own survival.
Like right now. The hunter is gaining on her.
Looking around, she sees that the only way out of her current predicament is to jump the very long distance to the next rooftop. She eyes the gap between the two buildings, it is definitely further than anything she's tried before.
But she doesn't really have a choice now does she?
Tomoyo takes a deep breath and leaps. Midway, she knows she isn't going to make it. Bracing herself for the broken bones as she falls, she takes comfort in the thought that broken bones aren't enough to kill her. And then just as quickly, she realises that they actually might this time. There is no way she can outrun a hunter with broken bones. And even if by some stroke of luck, he doesn't find her, the sun would be up soon and broken bones would make running for shelter very, very, difficult.
Just as she finishes her gruesome thought, her body jerks suddenly as she feels strong arms around her waist, and then she finds herself strangely suspended in mid-air.
Tomoyo opens her eyes to acknowledge her rescuer.
Her breath hitches.
"Eriol."
"Hello Tomoyo."
There is a beat of silence as Tomoyo tries to ascertain her mind isn't conjuring him up.
"What are you doing?" She breathes out.
"Saving you, I think."
He is hanging on to the edge of the building by what looks like his fingertips. His other arm is wrapped securely around her.
Tomoyo knows Eriol is immortal, neither vampire nor human. But hanging from the edge of a building with another body weighing him down does not spell very favourable odds for all involved.
"You should let me go."
Her answer is a scoff, and a tightening of his arm around her waist.
Trying to ignore how very safe she feels, she asks, "Why is there another vampire hunter? There's normally only one of you at a time."
She is looking up at him so she sees his eyes darken.
"I may or may not have been fired from my job." He answers her.
Tomoyo frowns, "I thought there wasn't a way out of this job?"
"Yea, I thought so to. But apparently, there is." Eriol replies as he eyes the edge of the roof.
"But why would they fire you?"
"This seems like a pretty good reason."
Oh, yea. He's a vampire hunter (was) and yet somehow he is saving her from being hunted. Odd. Yet strangely, very comforting.
"Tomoyo? Can you do something for me?"
Anything, she almost replies. Instead, she nods.
"Can you swing your arms around my neck and just, hang on for dear life? I need both arms to boost us up. The other hunter is gone."
She complies with his request readily and secretly, inhales in deeply against his neck, trying to memorise his scent.
She feels him lifting them up over the edge and they roll onto the rooftop.
She still hasn't let go.
He doesn't ask her to.
Tomoyo doesn't know how long they lay there, her arms wrapped around his neck, his, wrapped around her waist.
But then she hears someone clear their throat and she looks up from Eriol's neck to see Syaoran, looking worried.
"Eriol." He nods, acknowledging the vampire hunter's presence. (But she can't call him that anymore can she?)
"Syaoran." Eriol replies in turn.
Tomoyo decides it's her cue to sit up and she scrambles to join Syaoran, whatever moment she was having with Eriol, broken.
"They've sent another." Syaoran says, looking at Eriol who is standing up as well.
"Yes. I thought they might." Eriol replies.
"What are we going to do?" Syaoran asks.
We? Tomoyo perks up a little. Is Eriol going to be included in the we now?
Eriol stares straight at Tomoyo. "Everything we can."
xxx
So Eriol has been fired, which is completely understandable since he is doing a rather terrible job. Unfortunately, this makes things rather difficult for Tomoyo and Syaoran. I have plans for more chapters in the vampirehunter!Eriol verse, so be on a lookout for them in the future!
