Captured Hearts
Chapter Forty-six: The Furious
Crimson Forest- Japan- In the Cave- 11:00 PM The Same Night...
Hibari watched as Lancia stepped into the cave with him, dragging a rabbit along with him. "My Lord," Lancia greeted. "Your friend Basil is dining with Daisy tonight."
"... Huh."
Lancia grew concerned. He could see the elite's rolling skin; the boiling, bruising flesh that had already begun to sport a shade of light red, the color of sickness in a vampire. Red represented fever, or, as the case with Hibari, blood that would create an agitation when in a body that did not welcome it. When a vampire was subconciously longing to be elsewhere, or unaware of the fact that they were not satisfied by their current mate, the heart would act as though trying to protest against the blood. It would contract and expand in an almost angry manner, forcing blood through the webs of veins and arteries as it worked to awaken the mind and body to the subconcious sentiments so that its need may be quenched.
The pain of this was one that typically led to biting oneself, or forcing others to take the blood. And on multiple cases, that had led to death from bloodloss. Lancia was amazed that the elite could be still when affected by the violent heartbeatings, and he reached forward, petting the older vampire's head. "My Lord?"
Hibari sighed, indifferent. His mind was trying to focus on the hazy memory of spending time with Mukuro, but every time his thoughts wandered in that direction, the elite could feel the slap of the other's hand on his head, and the shocks administered to his throat at the hunter's command. His aching heart threatened to fail him should he stay in this dreadful state of being, but he couldn't even summon the will to focus on that. He heaved a groan, and reached up, covering his steely gray eyes for a few moments, whining softly from the pain that spiked through his warm arm. "Lancia," he huffed. "Can you keep a huge secret?"
"Yes, sir," Lancia answered. Hibari explained to Lancia the reason for his feverish state, making sure that Lancia knew every fact before he admitted to the returning blood bond.
"I don't know how it was completely restored," he groaned. "Mukuro must've done something, I dunno. Basil's blood tastes different, too... But Lancia, if I stay here much longer, I just know that I won't make it. Then, no side will be satisfied..."
Lancia gave a slow nod, and glanced back out where Daisy and Basil were talking to each other. "You know of Daisy's background, right, sir?"
"Of course," Hibari answered. "It was back when news traveled by bird that it happened. I found out only the day after. It really was stunning to find that he'd come back after losing every drop of his blood."
"Yeah. It is stunning, and Daisy has hated humans since that incident. Your mate, if I may say so, also seems to hate humans."
"Indeed," Hibari sighed. "They aren't so bad, though," he sighed. "They're just a little ignorant."
"Sir... um..." Lancia knew something, but he didn't want to let it slip past his lips. It was something Daisy had confided in him. He was trusted to keep it secret. "You can have all of this," Lancia said, pushing the rabbit closer to the elite. "I'm not hungry."
"Thanks," Hibari sighed, taking the limp body and beginning to steal the blood from it. Lancia sighed, and gazed back outside, anxiety in his narrow, black eyes. What should happen if Basil develop the same emotions for Daisy as the undead already bore for him? What should happen to the last living Hibari? If he was going to take a hunter as his mate, the Hibari clan would be in ruins forever.
None of them would be left for the vampire society to rely on.
Just beyond a wooden wall in the cave, Ken and Chikusa were also sharing a pleasant dinner. Rather, pleasant for them, but not to any others who might see the two of them. Ken was gnawing on a deer bone, drooling as he chewed up the marrow, and Chikusa sat beside him, stroking the light blonde ears as he drained said dear of its blood. The two had been in a sort of awkward relationship for a while now, but while Ken was very public about it, Chikusa would rather they just hang out when in a completely enclosed area.
The vampire often wondered if his half-bred friend thought of him with any form of true love. He knew that his feelings for Ken were loving, even though he'd never admit it to the hybrid. "Ken," he murmured as his hand caressed the other's cheek. "You should move on. That bone's starting to look disgusting."
"Bah! Killjoy Kaki-pii!" Ken protested, starting to dig a hole. After placing the femur bone in the earth with all of his other treats, Ken began to beg for another bone from his informal mate. Chikusa sighed, and swiftly skinned the foreleg he had drained, before pulling out a moist bone. The hybrid assisted him in this task, and was soon chewing on the fresh bone with his lustful, steely fangs. Chikusa might have blushed had that not been strictly against his policy. Ken's fangs were mostly canine in appearance, but the grooves in the longest, top fangs made them so much more erotic. The halfbreed's instincts were so twisted that they made almost a fetish of their own. Ken wanted to gnaw on something, make it last, but at the same time, he wanted to drain his food of life and destroy it.
It really was wonderful.
Suddenly, a loud squeal of a noise came from outside, so Hibari and Lancia peeked out from the cave. It seemed as though Daisy had cut himself on a jutting out merperson bone. "Ugh," the undead grunted, "sorry... Basil, would you mind?"
Hibari's eyes blazed when he saw color emerge in Basil's cheeks. "I suppose I couldst...," Basil whispered, reaching to take Daisy's wrist.
"Hold it," Hibari said, stalking out of the cave, and grabbing a rough hold on Daisy's wrist. "You haven't let me drink yet, Daisy. Surely, you must be suffering." Hibari came in, about to punish the green-haired male, when he smelled something odd. There was a sweet, almost human-like scent mixed into Daisy's blood, and Hibari soon identified it as someone even stranger: Dino Cavallone. "Daisy...? Did you... drink a human's blood?" Basil's face became flooded with guilt, and the elite turned to him, his eyes proudly displaying the betrayal in his heart. "Basilicum Arpeggio the V," he began in a dangerous tone.
"Hold up, Hibari Natsu Kyoya II," Daisy snapped, standing. "Who ever said Basil needs to be your slave? I think you need to calm down, and think about falling out of love with Basil!"
Hibari's expression turned immediately to one of utter shock and anger. Since when was Undead Daisy allowed to order him about? He was an aristocrat! He was elite! He was Basil's mate, and he was the son of two amazing vampires. No one ordered him around. No one was allowed to. And since when did Daisy resort to using his full name in the first place? Who did he think he was?
But his blood compelled him to obey. Hibari's thoughts were cloyed by images of the other whom he'd loved. He could never be with the hunter- he knew that! After their last encounter... the fright and distrust that pulsed through Hibari's nerves when the vampire hunting gun was pointed directly at him. He could've died by Mukuro's hand- the thought was so horrifying that the elite could no longer tell whether he loved Mukuro with a passion, or feared him with a vengence.
"You know what, Daisy?" Hibari said, standing up. "No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to change Basil's mind. True love can't be broken. Besides..." His eyes turned to the wound on the other's thumb. "Mere tricks like that will only diminish his trust. Your dirty, mixed blood will never amount to mine."
With that, the elite turned and left, intending to hunt on his own for a while. He moved through Crimson Forest, his steely eyes growing teary as he thought of his mates. He hated having to hurt either of them, but he realized quickly that his hesitance was only hurting them further. He ran for a while, making sure he was far out of the camp's range, and he soon came up to a pond- presumably from where the merpeople were being hunted. He sat down on a fallen log, and groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "What am I supposed to do?" he groaned. "I'm just going to lose them both at this rate..."
"Hello, what brings you to my pond?" questioned a deep voice as someone emerged from the pond. Hibari stood, startled, but slowly sat back down upon realizing it was a merman. "More hunting?"
"No, no," Hibari sighed. "I'm sorry, mister... uh..."
"I don't have a name," said the merman. "But since you don't seem to be hostile, I'll grant you the knowledge that nearby creatures call me the Phantom Knight."
"All right then, uh... Phantom Knight...," Hibari began. "It's all a bunch of trouble with my romance life."
"Romance, hm? I've been around the block when it comes to such a thing." Phantom Knight eased himself up onto the shore, and leaned back, lifting his smooth tail up and gently slapping the surface of the water with the shiny, black limb. His hair was cut into a single layer, all black as night, and his eyes were golden, almost, gleaming with hunger. A belt hung around his waist, four wooden swords attached to it. The only thing that turned Hibari off about him was his set of rather thick eyebrows.
Even so, the vampire knew that this older merman was to be trusted, and he relaxed, sighing, "What's your experience with it?"
"Same as any old merman," Phantom Knight replied in a smooth tone. "I found a beautiful mermaid named Bluebell, and almost immediately fell for her."
"Bluebell?" Hibari repeated, a small lump forming in his throat.
"Yeah," the other answered. "It was a few years back. I was still young, and she was just coming of age. But only hours before I was going to make my mating proposal to her, I heard the splashing from the surface. As I peeked out of the weeds, I saw her trapped in a net, unconcious, her hands clutching her stomach. I knew she'd been poisoned, and I knew she was going to be caught by humans. But you know, boy? I was a coward. And I didn't save her. Once I realized that she was gone, I did the only thing my instincts would allow me to. I left the old pond behind, and moved in way over here." The vampire knew better than to open his mouth about Bluebell's whereabouts. Phantom Knight would probably be enraged to discover that she was alive, and heartbroken that she hadn't written. And since Fuuta was now expressing affection for Bluebell, it wouldn't be good for PK to come back to her. "Do you know how it feels to want someone you can never be with, young vampire?" the merman asked.
"Yes...," Hibari sighed. "I know that feeling all too well. You see..." Hibari explained his complications to the older swordsman, and at the end of his story, the merman had his arms folded, listening intently.
"A vampire to a hunter, hm?" he murmured, sounding suprised. "This is quite the tale, vampire. I can't wait to see how it ends."
"The end doesn't even feel like it's in sight," Hibari muttered.
"Let me tell you something, kid," Phantom Knight answered, leaning back and staring straight into the vampire with his cold, golden eyes. "When in doubt, follow your heart. Because no matter how much suffering comes with making that choice, you will never have to regret it." The elite considered what the merman had told him for while, and gave a slow nod.
"Thank you, Phantom Knight," he replied.
"And... kid, if you ever hear word of what happened to my Bluebell, let me know, all right?" the merman sighed. "If there's any possibility of her being alive... any trace of her happiness anywhere... I want to know."
The lump in the vampire's throat swelled up slightly, but he forced himself to swallow it. "I'll let you know," he replied.
"Oh, one more thing, vampire," Phantom Knight said, starting to ease himself back into the water. "Keep an eye out for trolls. There's been a real nasty one around these parts as of late. Calls 'imself Leviathan."
"A troll, huh?" Hibari groaned. "Ugh. Thought those things were extinct." The sullen merman sank back down into the water with a chuckle, and Hibari stood up, reaching a hand up and placing it over his heart.
"My heart's desire, huh?" he sighed. "If only I could draw a clear answer from it."
Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- All-Inclusive Enclosure- 5:00 AM The Next Day...
Dino walked into the enclosure, having heard distressed werewolf howling, and he ran in when he realized what it was over. "Lal!" he cried, seeing the werewolf who had blood and gashes all over her body. "Who did this to you...?" he said, holding her up with an arm around her shoulders. She just leaned against him, closing her eyes, breathing heavily. Dino clenched his teeth, fury rushing through his body, and he picked the injured female werewolf up in his arms, then began to carry her out. But, instead of taking her to the scientists, who would draw their blood and observe instead of helping, he rushed her back into his room. He laid her down on his bed, and went into his closet, taking out bandages. "Don't worry," he murmured as he returned to her. "My father was a medicine vampire."
Still inside the enclosure, Xanxus greedily licked up the blood that tainted his fingers, his eyes enflamed with satisfaction. "How does it feel, tamer?" he mused. "Does it hurt? Hehehe..." Squalo looked at his mate with pity.
"Xanxus, you shouldn't have done that," the merman sighed. "What if they move us back into the other enclosure?"
"I won't care," the vampire hissed, his lips fixed in an evil smirk. "I won't care, as long as I'm with you."
-End Chapter
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