Chapter 24: "Through the Dreamscape, Black Nightmare Reality"

I walk back home, having satisfied that particular need for tonight. I cannot wait until tomorrow. I still thirst; however, it will have to wait. Too many "disappearances" at once will arouse suspicion, and I must do it in different locations so that police do not begin to pinpoint me.

I cross my arms and walk towards home slowly. Idly. I take my time, looking over every square inch of the city. MY city. The city my family has controlled for generations, and I do not intend to give it up to anyone, for any reason, anytime soon.

The wind blows through my hair. Long. Red. Silky. Just the way I like it. Red is a good color to have, and I enjoy having as much red as possible. Red hair. Red dress. Red hands. It is so beautiful. So lively.

With pleased footsteps, and a very warm body, it is a good walk to have tonight, under the light of a full moon. A moon that, so low to the ground, looks just as red as my hair and dress do.

Before long, I arrive at home. It is dark, which is good. I do not appreciate very many lights on. I do not like people to know my business. It would mean I have to kill more than necessary, and while I would not mind that, it is difficult to run a town from the shadows when civilian police are investigating you.

I walk inside, and up the stairs to my room. I enter. Hisui is standing behind my chair, as obedient as ever. Perfectly upright. Her feet, straight forward towards me. The things that I like to have prepared and ready, all set out for me already.

She has learned well.

"Welcome home, Akiha-sama," she tells me calmly.

"Thank you, Hisui," I reply. "Were there any intruders today?"

"Yes," she tells me. "We have captured the female vampire huntress known as Ciel, as you requested."

"Good. Is she in the dungeons as I instructed?" I already feel a smile forming at the corners of my mouth.

"...Of course," comes a most efficient reply. Good. She has learned this too, and begun to learn her place.

"Then, I shall go down and see her at once." I reply with a light laugh. "Please prepare all of the things that shall be necessary for cleaning. When I am done, you will have to clean a lot, so you will be allowed an extra two hours of sleep afterward as a reward."

"…...At once." With this, Hisui walks off, and I prepare myself. Tonight shall be fun, indeed.

That damn Churchwoman has been a thorn in my side, a rat under my bed, and a cockroach in my apple pie. She has been annoying me for far too long. At first, the fights were interesting, with her pleading "Don't do this, Akiha-san!" but of course I heard none of it. Why should I? She is beneath me. They all are. They do not understand their place.

But now, they do. There is no mistake about that. I am in charge, and while I am in charge – and I do not plan on stopping being in charge anytime soon – they will obey me, or they will be punished.

For I am in control. And my soul needs to be fed.

I walk down to the dungeons. Since Otou-sama had died, I have taken the liberty of expanding these and making them extremely useful. Formerly they could only hold one or perhaps two at a time. Now, they can hold up to a dozen per cage. Cold, rusted steel, with plenty of small, sharp edges on the insides. Those who try to escape will find that they are likely to gain an excruciating case of tetanus.

Currently, one person is shackled to this cage. The female vampire huntress from the Holy Church named Elesia, or as she prefers to be known as, Ciel.

Naturally, she has been stripped naked, unable to hide her body or the shame of being reduced to the look of a mere whore. There is also a practical reason behind stripping her, however – we cannot allow her to use her weapon, disguised as her outfit, nor can we give her any extraordinary means of escape. Even if she ran, she would run from here naked, and likely be assaulted by some gang of thugs. While I would enjoy seeing her get raped, I have far... better fates in store for her.

She looks up at me, pure hatred in her eyes. Fire and blood burns behind them, and her teeth are already clenched, her lips slightly open to show them. But this is all she can do, with her arms and legs shackled to the cage and spread wide apart.

"Ah. A good night to you, huntress." I smile and bow cordially.

"Go to hell, Tohno!" She strains against her chains, trying to pull herself free. It is of no use, of course.

"My my, such hatred. Is this the sort of thanks I get from my esteemed guest?" I inquire. "After all, you came to see me. I am merely being accommodating for my guest. That is the right thing to do, is it not?"

I am met with merely a growl and the gnashing of teeth. Her hatred is making her body hot, and I can feel the heat.

"Now then, tell me... to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? Perhaps... you planning to try to foolishly attack me again?" I smile. "You barely escaped last time, but I did not chase you, figuring you had learned your lesson. It seems that you have not, Elesia."

I am met with silence from her throat, but a look that says a thousand words. And each and every single one of those words is either "kill," "die," "monster," or "suffer." If Ciel's looks could kill, Tohno Akiha would be a dead woman right now.

But hers cannot. But mine...

…...Mine can.

I smile, and allow my powers to unfold as I look her in the eyes. Ciel immediately cries out in pain, and I can feel the heat from her body flow into mine. Caressing me. Embracing me. Pouring into my very being. Every inch of my body, every opening that it has... the heat pours into it. Such a large amount of heat is contained in her body right now. It is all I can do to prevent myself from moaning due to the pleasure I feel from being filled.

I stop it after a few moments. She gasps slightly from the shock, and glares at me even more hatefully. Her body shakes slightly despite that. She puts up a strong front for me, but her body cannot lie no matter how hard she wants me to think that it can.

"Unfortunately for you, you were caught..." I click my tongue softly. "You will not be leaving here. Instead, you shall be dying at my pleasure, so if you want it to end quicker, please play along. If you do, it will be much quicker, and then we can look forward to our next meeting." I smile.

"F-Foul demon!" Then... she spits at me. A glob of saliva sullies my blouse, offending it as it begins to soak into my left breast. Disgusting. No part of Ciel's body, nor any of her fluids, are ever permitted to come close to my body except for her blood.

"…...Now why did you have to do that? I just had this freshly laundered this evening. Now it will have to go back in the wash." I shake my head. "You really should have more respect for others, Elesia. Allow me to show what happens to an ungrateful guest who invites herself and then insults the host—!"

I look at her again. More screaming.

Heat from her flows into my body, filling my core. This time, I cannot stop myself. A deep, lustful moan comes from my throat, not even noticed by her under the strength and volume of her screams. Panting slightly, I casually slide my hand under my dress and a light, idle rub reveals swollen, aroused genitals, and that wetness has begun to soak through my underwear.

I cannot help my body's reaction. Her heat is simply too good. Too delicious. An intense heat, a heat I can get from no other, for it is the heat of someone who wants to kill you and will stop at nothing to achieve it.

I crave it every day, and whenever I get to enjoy it, it sends my body into fits of pleasure. That wonderful, delicious tingling between the legs that I get every time I successfully capture Ciel. I know that she will make my body feel pleasure, without fail.

This time I let it go for a minute or two as I slowly pull the heat out of her body. It is not fast enough to kill her - not yet, anyway. But it will be quite painful all the same. It is not the first time I have gotten aroused from hearing her screams and feeling her heat fill my body better than any male ever could.

When I stop, she groans weakly and sags slightly in her chains. Her face does not look at me this time; instead, all she can do is pant laboriously from her restraints. Indeed, from the heat being pulled from her, her body is coated in a light sheen of sweat. Goosebumps stick out over most of her body, and her nipples have become erect. A slight shiver runs through her, as her body attempts to generate more internal heat.

"You do realize that since I have killed SHIKI, that I am the one in possession of your life now, yes? You live and die on my whim, Elesia. If you amuse me, I might let you die tonight... but if you prefer to be stubborn, it might be days... weeks... maybe even months or years. Tell me... how soon do you wish to die?"

…...…...Silence. Well, I know how to deal with that.

More looking. More screams of pain.

I close my eyes and moan loudly as I fill her heat enter my body once more. Her screams, creating such a beautiful, lustful song...

…...It is not long before I become unable to take it and, with a grunt, I bite my lip and feel my whole body shudder. The heat, pooled in my stomach, overflows and spreads throughout my body, starting with my groin and spreading throughout my limbs. As both my limbs and my vagina convulse, I feel my underwear stick to my body more and more, the soaked cloth a testament to just how much pleasure Ciel's heat can provide me.

A minute later, violently breathing, my eyes open. I feel so very warm and good right now…...

…...Only to find that she has passed out from shock.

…...…...Unacceptable. I will not have it.

Bored, I call Yumizuka-san over. She responds to my inquiry. Dull, red, hungry eyes look back from my mindless servitor. Breaking her has made her far more obedient and loyal. A year or so ago, it was "Tohno-kun" this and "Tohno-kun" that. Now, it does not matter. None of it does. I destroyed her mind nine months ago, by draining her heat to within an inch of her life. It shut down her mind. Now all she does is obey, like a good girl. Like a good servant.

"...Do me a favor, Yumizuka-san. Please open a drinking hole for me. I do not wish to dirty my fingers by tearing at the flesh of this woman." Calmly, I pull off my underwear, and study them for a moment. Ah... they are quite sticky, and there are more fluids than usual, even... well, it has been nearly three months since I last drained Ciel's heat. One enjoys things much more when they are not routine.

With a simple, wide smile that shows off her fangs, Yumizuka-san complies, rearing back before her hand moves forward towards Ciel's abdomen as fast as it can. Ciel screams, her consciousness restored by pain, as Yumizuka-san punches straight through her stomach. Blood and viscera splatter against the back of the cage, leaving a beautiful vermilion waterfall to cascade down both the outstretched hand of Yumizuka-san, squeezing bright, pink intestine, as well as the shapely lower back and buttocks of the blue-haired churchwoman before me. Her body shudders with sudden violence, and her breathing is noisy, and raspy, like that of a lover.

I smile and walk over. Squatting in front of the panting Ciel, I begin to lick and suck blood from the wound. As warm as her heat was from my abilities... her blood is like a nice, hot meal after coming in from an ice-cold day outside. It slides down my throat and coats it so easily, so deliciously, like it was meant to belong to me and me alone, all along. Vaguely, I am aware that fluids of arousal are dripping from me, and creating a small puddle on the floor, but I do not mind. She is lucky enough to know that her blood and heat pleases my body that fully and completely. It is a rare gift that Ciel, and only Ciel, can produce this effect in me. I am half-tempted to hoist my dress around my waist so that she can get a closer look, but she does not deserve to even think about getting to see between my legs.

I savor every lick and lap of it that I can get. Eventually, however, her body begins to heal; the skin begins to pull taut, the muscles reforming, the bloodflow slowing. With one final lick, I stand upright and step back as the wound closes up like it had never been made, the only sign of it ever existing being a bright pink circle of skin in her stomach, and the occasional red droplets of fluid that, in the process of flowing, have coated her anus, perineum, and labia. A beautiful sight, and one that I would not mind to clean up...

…...But perhaps my servant deserves a little reward for being so obedient and loyal to me now? Yes, in fact. That would be a good idea. After all, Yumizuka-san needs blood, too. The blood of those of the Holy Church are notably pure to those who need blood to survive, so this would be like a feast for Yumizuka-san.

Then, I shall leave it to her. After all, sharing is caring, is it not?

"Yumizuka-san, I leave her in your hands for now. If she keeps it up, kill her a few times to remind her that I control her life entirely. After all, as long as I control her spirit, she cannot stay dead..." I laugh.

Yumizuka-san nods and grins, her fangs showing and lengthening.

"Enjoy your time with her, then, Yumizuka-san. I will check on you on the morrow." I walk away from the dungeon. The screams, resuming once again from therein, soon fade.

Walking back into my house, and re-straightening my dress to ensure I appear at least somewhat more modest, I re-enter my room. Hisui bows politely.

"Is the bath ready, Hisui?" I ask of her.

"Yes, Akiha-sama," she says.

I am thankful for a servant like Hisui. Although originally she did not wish to stay after Nii-san and Kohaku had perished, I managed to break that. She readily agreed to stay by my side after only a little bit of plundering. She took far less work to make completely servile than Yumizuka-san did, and as a result, she was able to keep most of her mentality.

Since then, she has proven herself useful time and again in the year since Nii-san had tried and failed to kill me. Obedient to a fault, having things prepared before I ask of them, and doing exactly what she knows I would want done without being told, or complaining. The very definition of an ideal servant. It is why I kept her around, and alive.

Thanking her, I walk to the bath, and undress myself. I look my body over in the mirror. No scratches at all. No injuries of note. None have touched me unless I wanted them to, ever since a year ago. The space between my legs, with black hair, dampened by release, is still sticky with fluids, and with my dress no longer keeping it away, the scent of it begins to waft up to my nose. No matter.

With a nod of satisfaction, I turn around, walk over to the tub, and slowly lower myself into it. The blood contained inside is hot, just how I like it.

The next day, I return to the dungeon to see how Yumizuka-san and Ciel are faring.

I walk inside and then down to the cell where we are keeping her. I open the door.

…...…...Interesting.

Somehow, Ciel has made it out of her restraints, and the ash pile at her feet shows that Yumizuka-san has failed to keep her properly entertained. Oh well, no major loss. She was beginning to bore me, anyway. Useful only when it came to killing or injuring, and a liability otherwise. Servants are replaceable, after all, and no matter how fond I was of Yumizuka-san, she is no exception. After I kill her, I will simply find another.

Ciel looks at me, hatred and fury burning so deeply that the heat around her is tremendous. She is much like a furnace. She has also somehow regained her outfit and black keys, for I see one between every fold of her fingers, one behind each ear, even one held firmly in her mouth.

This... shall be amusing.

"…...…...Well then. Shall we dance, madamoiselle?" I cross my arms and await her attack.

She does not require a second invite. Black Keys are flung at me scarcely by the time I invite her to attack. Boots come within a hair's width of my body, dodged only by well-honed reflexes and instincts. She fights like a woman possessed. I humor her, toying with her, not activating my power for now. Not even attacking. I simply enjoy the breezes and sounds of pierced air that her limbs and black keys are producing as they are flung forth at me in an effort to hit me, and all are coming very close to managing to do so.

If she can strike me at least once within a minute, I will not vaporize her body. I will give her a full fight, at least.

My head moves. My body moves. My limbs move. Ciel comes so very, very close to managing to hit me, but the harder she tries, the more fun this game becomes. I am truly enjoying myself here.

40 seconds left. I feel the rush of air as she roundhouses just in front of my position as my body bends back to dodge the attack. I smile as I do so, and our eyes meet, hers with a baleful glare full of malice.

33 seconds. I jump to avoid a sweep. Her sweep is quick, but my jump is quicker. She telegraphs it by doing it from one hand.

27 seconds. She begins flinging Black Keys at me rapidly. I knock each and every one of them away. A foolish gesture, really, since I simply use my caging hair to knock each and every single one of them away before they can even get close to my body.

14 seconds. She attempts to use her weapon on me, throwing it off of her and changing it into a large pile bunker of sorts, charging at me with surprising speed... at least, it would have been had I not been ready to evade her the second she threw it off. The foolish woman forgot I knew that her conceptual weapon was disguised as her habit. With that knowledge in mind, I jump out of the way once more, frustrating her and forcing her to put it back on.

"Ten."

She attempts to jump off of the wall of the dungeon and catch me unaware. I jump back, safely out of the way, then jump out of the way of the black key that is thrown at me from midair.

"Six."

She does a kick while doing a sort of handstand. Impressive, but I am unfooled. It is too slow to come out and just expect it to hit.

"Two."

She throws four Black Keys at once in a fanning pattern. Clever... but not when I can sidestep them. I feel two of them pass within half a foot of my abdomen and rear end.

"…...Zero."

I allow my abilities to activate. She does not even have time to scream as her very body vaporizes completely. Instantly, the entire heat of the form of Ciel forces itself into my body, violating it so purely that I whimper and almost have another release. It is only by not allowing myself to get lost in the pleasure that I am able to maintain my sanity.

She will, of course, reform somewhere. But then she will have to track me down again, heh. Perhaps next time she will be a little more careful. Or perhaps next time she will simply learn that such a flashy, ostentatious fighting style is not the best one to use against an opponent who knows that fighting style all too well, including just how to counter all of the elements of it.

Or simply accept my demands of a lifetime of servitude to me, and then when her time comes, I shall allow her eternal sleep. After all, I do not need to have her life. It is merely a nice trump card to have.

After throwing the remains of Yumizuka-san into a garbage can, I return inside. Hisui is waiting for me in the lobby.

...This is a little unusual for her. Usually, it means she has found something out.

"Yes, Hisui? What do you have to report?" I ask of her.

"I have found something of the utmost importance in your room, Akiha-sama," she states with coolness.

"...Oh? And what would that be?" I inquire.

"…...…...It is something you should see. Please come with me, Akiha-sama." With this, Hisui bows calmly, and begins to go up the stairs.

...Hm. This should be interesting. Hisui would not do something like this unless it were important. On that basis, then, I walk off with Hisui to my bedroom.

Inside...

"…...Nii-san?ǃ"

H... How is he alive?ǃ

I am so stunned by this, I never even see his attack coming. Coldly, efficiently, he stabs me in the breast.

I immediately collapse, and I begin to feel my lower limbs dissolve, like spores in the wind.

"...H-How..." I manage to choke out.

How... how did he survive...?ǃ I killed him! I killed him with my own two hands! Th, this should not be possible. This should be someone who is no longer in this world—–!

I hear Hisui's voice as my body continues to crumble to dust. It is now up to my waist. "Y... You really did it, Shiki-sama... you freed Akiha-sama's soul..." She looks to me, nearly crying. "Please rest in peace, Akiha-sama…..."

...Hisui... you... how could you, you...

I try to activate my powers. I know I am dying. But unfortunately, as my hair is dissolving, so does the strength of my powers. They get close to both Hisui and Nii-san, but my ability can no longer touch them.

My body has now dissolved up to the shoulders.

Hisui, you…...…...

Traitorous…... bitch…...…

...How... dare she...
When... I revive... I will tear her apart…...
Li... Limb... from... Li…...…

Next Week (11/21/10) – Chapter 25: "Skein of Akiha"