Captured Hearts

Chapter Forty-Five: The Surging

"I want to shoot some monsters."

"No," Reborn said. "Mukuro, this needs to stop. I'm sorry, but if any more creatures in Crimson Forest are shot dead, either we'll be shut down, or you'll get thrown into prison. Either way, you'll be fired."

Mukuro chuckled darkly. "Don't you get it? I won't just shoot anyone. I'll shoot that weakling Basil, and Hibarin, too, while I'm at it!" Reborn's eyes widened considerably when he saw a tear roll down the hunter's cheek.

"You need to calm down," he said, stepping forward. Mukuro took a step back, not dropping his odd grin.

"It won't mean anything if just a couple of vampires die," he hissed. "I never should've let him into my life in the first place!" Suddenly, the boss came to a theory. He walked up to the other, and reached forward, then placed his thumb on Mukuro's cheek, before pushing his thumb into the skin, drawing back the hunter's upper lip. He frowned, seeing that his theory had been wrong. The hunter had not been mutated into a vampire. No, this insanity was something past that.

This was the insanity of a lost love.

Science Center of Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Outside of the Center- Morning, The Next Day...

Dino walked outside upon hearing a vaguely familiar voice, and he saw Verde, pulling along a crate that seemed to be emitting a number of angry noises. "This is Lal Mirch," Verde said. "She'll be the last one coming here for a while."

"Let me out of this damn thing!" came a cry from inside the crate. Dino took pity on the poor creature, and stepped over to the crate.

"Hello?" he called. "Lal Mirch?" The scuffling from inside slowly stopped.

"Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Dino. I'm one of the tamers here at the Japan branch."

"Feh! Don't try to get friendly with me, tamer!" the werewolf snarled from inside. "I know you're just like all the others! Disgusting humans who think of us as subspecies!" The blonde tamer felt the pity swelling in his chest, and he glanced to Verde.

"I can handle her, don't worry," he said, taking the handle from Verde. He rolled the crate inside as the Italian scientist left, and once Dino had taken the crate over to the entrance of the all-inclusive enclosure, he began to pull off the cover, and he soon succeeded, granting him his first look at the new werewolf. She was a beautiful, matured female, sporting long, blue hair and a bushy, white-tipped tail. Like the tail, her ears were also tipped white, and her cheek was adorned with what was either a red tattoo or a scar, Dino couldn't tell. Her soft eyes blazed with anxiety as she gazed up at the tamer, and the blonde inevitably had a thought.

She looks like Mother.

Dino shook his head, blushing, and reached out his hand. "I'm so sorry you were kept in this thing for so long. Some people just don't understand the delicacy of a werewolf's system." Lal Mirch sighed, and gave a nod, taking Dino's hand. For a werewolf, he noted, her hands were quite soft and warm. The tamer helped her into the enclosure, and immediately, the werewolf perked up. The tamer was unlucky enough to see the reason why.

"Jill?"

"Lal?"

The two werewolves ran to each other, and embraced, before starting to wrestle about like a couple of pups. Dino watched, a twinge of jealousy emerging from within his chest as they rolled about, when he caught sight of Mammon's face from across the enclosure. The gleam of tears stained his pale cheeks, and he retreated, tail tucked between his legs. Dino sighed.

"It must be nature's way," he muttered, closing the door to the enclosure.

Meanwhile, inside the Enclosure...

Xanxus smirked, licking his lips. He'd seen the flicker of jealousy in the tamer's expression, and he knew that there was now a way to show Dino just how much it burned to be losing a loved one. He reached an arm around Squalo's sleeping form, and gave a noise similar to a purr as he fantasized about the look that Dino's face would soon sport.

In the center of the enclosure, Rasiel quickly remembered Mammon, and he slowly backed away from Lal Mirch. "Uh... Lal...?" he began. "Could you... come with me for a moment?"

Confused, the blue-haired female followed her former mate, and Rasiel approached Bel and Fran. "Hey, guys, where'd Mammon go?" he asked.

"Where else?" Fran replied, his tone flat. "He bolted the moment he realized you didn't really love him, y'big jerk." Rasiel groaned, reaching up and tugging on his ears.

"Daaaaammmmnnnn!" he groaned.

"Who's Mammon?" Lal Mirch asked, her eyes glinting with a tint of anger. Rasiel sighed, and turned back to his mate, his eyes filled with apologetic sentiments "Lal, my dear," he started, his ears flat, "I was certain that I was never going to see you again. I mourned you like I would a death, but then..."

"Then you found someone to replace me," the long-haired werewolf completed, pulling her heat-sensing goggles over her eyes so that her former mate may not witness her tears. "I understand," she lied. Rasiel reached to take the female's hands, but she pulled away from him. "Jill," she began, stepping back. "I don't want you to make it worse. Go find your Mammon, and comfort him. I don't need it." Rasiel could only pout for a few moments, for a timid hand brushed over his wrist, as if shy to take it. Upon turning, the princely werewolf discovered Mammon, who had come back out of longing "Um... Jill?" Mammon murmured. "I... uh..."

The blonde placed a hand on the other's shoulder. "It's all right, Mammon. 'M here for you."

"... If you need to mourn her again... please, feel free," the purple-haired werewolf replied. Rasiel nodded, and stalked away, his tail low as he dismissed his current mate. Mammon stared after him for a short amount of time, and an urge that he'd buried since coming to the SCSB surfaced once more. He felt the need to collect money now more than ever before, for now, he felt alone. He hissed to himself, and moved into a bush where Hibari had once buried something. Knowing it had to be valuable, Mammon clawed at the dirt for a while, and soon found the object.

The fangs of Hibari Aki Kurou III were then in his grasp, and thus the werewolf once more began his habit of hoarding valuables. Years ago, Mammon had been a thief, snatching family heirlooms and precious jewels and gold. He never realized it was wrong. He didn't even know that his hoarding was the reason for Mukuro Rokudo to hunt him. All he knew was greed when in that state. And that was something no prince could help with.

Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Outside- 10:00 PM That Night...

Mukuro sat outside beneath the stars, Dino right beside him. "You sure he'll come out?" Mukuro murmured.

"If he's around, of course he will," the blonde answered, taking out a pin. He pricked his finger with it, then passed it to the hunter as a few tiny droplets of blood surfaced on his index finger. "This is how I think vampires should be 'hunted,'" the tamer sighed. "Lure them out with your own blood... you could even befriend them before taking them inside."

"Perhaps," Mukuro grunted as he stuck himself with the pin. The two waited, and were soon rewarded. Two vampires emerged from the shrubbery, but Dino and the hunter quickly discovered that neither of them were the vampire they were looking for. Basil was out with another vampire, a stocky male with long, messy, green hair and dark eyes.

"Oh? Arpeggio, look there, two lurers," said the vampire. "This is something I've been dying to show you and the Lord, but you can teach him yourself, right?"

"But of course," Basil replied. "Lord Daisy, these two art from the Science Center... Is this truly all right?"

"Indeed," said Daisy, "I've dealt with the honey-eyed fool over there before. Watch me, and handle the other."
Basil gave a short nod, although he was nervous to attack the one whose blood ran within his veins. "Uh... Dino?" Mukuro murmured. "Is this part of the plan?"

"N-no...," Dino replied. "This isn't..."

Daisy rushed at the blonde tamer, took him up against the door behind them, and clamped down on Dino's collarbone, purposely piercing a nerve, and the tamer gasped at the pain. "B-Basil!" he cried. "Help me!"

The vampire with dusty tan hair didn't want to help. These people had kept him tormented for years, and now, standing right before him was the one who had tortured him the most: Mukuro Rokudo. Trembling, and helplessly pushed into a corner, the hunter was now Basil's to hurt. The young vampire stalked forward, and placed his arms over Mukuro's shoulders, before leaning in, and pinpointing the hunter's most sensitive pressure point. He bit down hard, and Mukuro yelped, tensing immediately. Dino grabbed a hold on Mukuro's wrist, and the hunter glanced at him. The tamer mouthed an apology, and the hunter nodded, his eyes watering. He had been cruel to these creatures, and now, they were exacting their revenge on him. It was so painfully clear to the hunter that he almost felt as though he deserved this.

Dino, on the other hand, now remembered the vampire before him. Daisy, or rather, Daisy of the Undead, was a vampire who loathed humans more than even Basil. Dino's previous experience with the vampire was one which he wished he hadn't forgotten. As one of the rogue vampires that had escaped the SCSB's clutches, the green-haired male had been introduced to death on many occassions. He was a mutt of the vampire race, filled with the blood of thousands of different clans, hence his lack of a solid full name. They called him Daisy in recognition of his power.

Daisy.

He had been found in a field of the bright, sunny flowers, covered in the blood of many, but none of the blood was his own. He was passed out, covered in wounds that would never leak his own DNA, his mouth hanging open, displaying the tainted fangs that decorated each space in his mouth. He was a vampire among vampires. He was a monster among monsters. The most disgusting, corrupted 'daisy' that vampire society may ever know.

A vampire that had once been drained of all blood, then been given thousands of different blood donations to keep him alive. Daisy of the Undead, and it was he who now drank Dino's blood. The tamer hated the feeling of those multiple fangs that sent the electric pain shooting up his spine, disgracing the polite nature of most vampires. Daisy was the one exception to Dino's pacifism.

Just as he thought that, the undead vampire stepped back, blood trickling down his chin. He spat a mouthful of the precious liquid out into the grass. "Human blood," he muttered. "Disgusting as ever. Come, Arpeggio."

Basil stepped back from Mukuro, and quickly cleaned off his chin, giving the hunter an almost apologetic glance before he followed after Daisy. The two humans passed out beside each other, to be carried inside by Reborn later. Basil caught up to Daisy, and he trembled, his innocent, blue eyes filled with uncertainty. "Daisy?"

"Yes?" Daisy answered, stopping as he looked back at Basil with those deep, black eyes that had softened since they left the humans. "... No... nothing," Basil murmured. "It's nothing."

"... Basilicum Arpeggio V," the mutt vampire husked, taking a hold of Basil's shoulders and bringing him in close. The young vampire gasped as the cold, pale lips melded into his own, and an almost pleasant was shared as the two of them kissed. As Daisy slowly backed off, Basil felt a sinful contentness emerging within him. He hadn't felt that kind of loving lip-contact in a long time, not even from his mate. The young vampire was ashamed of himself for being all right with Daisy's sudden move, but even so, he knew that there was a very distinct reason. It was because Daisy gave him the feeling that he was the only one that it was for, whereas Basil knew that his current mate was less... loyal.

"Daisy... um..."

"Shh," the other answered, "don't tell."

Basil blushed as the other began to walk again, and he followed, his heart throbbing as he daydreamed of getting more affection. The two stopped at the tree where they had hid their prey, and Daisy took one end of the fallen merperson while Basil took the other. "Uh, Daisy, this is wonderful, but Lord Hibarin hast expressed distaste in dining on merperson meat."

"Well, you like it, don't you?"

"... Yes... however..."

"Look, Arpeggio. Since he took five in that cave, he'll eat with Lancia tonight. Let's dine together on this stupid fish, all right?"

Basil hesitated for a moment, but the temptation for him was too great. "All right. Yes. Let us dine together on the fish." Daisy laughed in a way that Basil hadn't heard before, and the young vampire smiled, his eyes shining with life once again.

Meanwhile, Hibari lied in the cave, his arms folded behind his head. Oh, how he wished he was back in that Science Center. He could feel the bond between him and Mukuro so vividly that the pulse running in his body could be seen through the skin of his wrist, rippling, writhing about as if to tell him that he didn't belong out here anymore. Hibari already had a few marks due to scratching at the blood that boiled inside him. He hoped that it wouldn't continue for much longer.

For Basil's sake.

-End Chapter

All right, VIDEO UPDATE: I'm working on it, still. Any voice acting roles or other fanart should be gotten to me by June 9, Mukuro's birthday, at the very latest.

Please Review, I'm going through some serious crap lately!