Ok, I admit I've been gone for a while from this story. :3 Got distracted by Nocturne. Hehe.
But then a certain someone keeps prodding me every now and then for this, so I finally caved and wrote it! Sorry about not replying to the comments, I don't feel quite up to it at the moment. :3
Without further ado, chapter 9.
===========================================
Chapter 9 - Fugue"See you after class later!" A cheerful Niigaki Risa waved to her friends as they parted ways, each heading to their own lessons. Shouldering her own pack in one swift motion, Risa turned and started walking towards the buildings on the south side, where her class was.
It was a clear morning, blue sky adorned with wispy decorations that swirled endlessly overhead, carried by the prevailing wind. A pleasant breeze topped things off, making her feel like nothing could go wrong today.
"Yosh, today's another good day!" Risa said to herself, a broad smile on her face as she stepped right along. Along the way, other coursemates waved to her, and she acknowledged them just as brightly. She liked people, and people liked her back. That sunny personality had a lot to do with it, naturally.
Walking past the administration block for her faculty, Risa greeted a lecturer respectfully before moving to take a shortcut towards the classroom she was headed towards. As she passed the glass doors of the administration building, a petite girl scurried out, colliding into her.
"Ah!" Risa was not particularly tall, but it seemed that this girl was even smaller than her, and fragile to boot. In fact, the impact of their collision appeared to have knocked her clear off her feet, and the girl in question was currently sitting on the hard pavement, her glasses on the ground next to her.
"Are you ok?" Risa immediately knelt down, trying to make sure that the stranger was fine. Said stranger had her eyes lidded as if the surroundings were too bright for her, which was a little strange, since it wasn't all that sunny out yet. Her hands scrabbled around for her glasses, which Risa had to pick up and hand over to her, noting as she did so that the lenses were tinted for UV protection.
"Y-yes...thank you..." The girl said a bit hesitantly, peering like a frightened mouse from the bushes at the person she had collided into. Risa simply smiled, offering a hand to the other girl, and they stood up.
"Are you a freshman?" Risa asked, since the girl didn't look particularly old to her, and she would certainly recognize any other students of her own level or higher within the same course.
"Actually, I'm a transfer student..." The smaller girl murmured, looking down as she brushed the dirt off her almost all-white outfit. Her short hair swept forward to hide more of her face as she bowed her head almost shyly.
"Ah, that's unusual. Where are you headed? You look a bit lost." Risa smiled again, trying to bring the shy stranger out of her shell.
"Um, it says here..." The girl pulled out her schedule, pointing at the class in question.
"Ehhh! That's my class!" Risa blurted out, then grinned again. "I guess that makes us classmates, yes?" She stuck her hand out.
"I am Niigaki Risa. Pleased to meet you."
The girl stared at the hand for a moment, then returned the gesture tentatively. Her smile was just as tentative as her actions as she replied.
"My name is Takahashi Ai. I'll be in your care."
~*~*~
"You're older than me? Uso!" Risa exclaimed as they walked out of class together.
"Yes, well, I've been told that I don't look my age..." Ai replied with an enigmatic sort of smile playing on her lips. She clutched her file close to her, her white suede boots clicking on the ground as she walked.
"Eh...so what made you decide to come here? I mean, I don't want to be too forward and all, but..." Risa corrected herself, trying to restrain her enthusiasm a little.
"Well, I decided that I needed a break from my regular lifestyle. School seems like a good way to update myself anyway." Ai replied honestly, flicking a glance at her newfound friend.
"That's unusual." Risa commented, before adding hastily. "Commendable though. Most people just want to get
out of school after they get their degree."
"Lamentable. Knowledge is important too." Ai opined as they crossed a street.
Risa looked around, which prompted Ai to ask.
"Are you meeting friends? In that case, maybe I should leave..." Ai started, already beginning to move away. Risa quickly grabbed the girl's arm, noting almost absently the slight flinch as she did so. The girl's arm was also more solid than she had expected. Clearly, Ai was not as fragile as she had appeared on first sight.
"Yes, I mean, no!" Risa blundered around trying to find the right words as Ai watched her with some amusement. "I mean, yes I'm meeting friends. But you don't have to go, I would like to introduce you to them. You should make more friends since you're new."
"If it's not too much trouble..." Ai demurred politely, but Risa tugged her along anyway.
"Never too much trouble. Come on!"
~*~*~
"Ah~ She's so cute!" Sayumi squealed the moment Risa introduced Ai to them. Ai 'eeped' and smoothly stepped out of the way of a crushing hug. Risa sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Don't mind her, she's just a little crazy sometimes." Risa explained apologetically, but Ai simply shook her head with a smile.
"It's alright. I've met stranger people." The exact color of her eyes was indistinguishable given the bluish tint on the lenses of her glasses, but they seemed very dark and lively even then as she fixed an appraising look on Sayumi.
"I suppose it can't be helped though..." Ai smiled in that oddly enigmatic way of hers again, as if appreciating some odd joke that only she could perceive.
"Is she your new girlfriend, Gaki-san?" Eri asked innocently, and Risa spluttered helplessly before turning on her turtle friend.
"What are you talking about, Kame!? Don't spout nonsense!" Risa blabbered about, trying to hide the fierce blush that currently adorned her cheeks. Next to her, Ai giggled, tucking her chin lower to hide her laughter.
"She really is cute though...if you don't want her, I'll take her!" Sayumi grinned deviously, sliding over next to Ai and looping their arms together. Ai gave her a bemused sort of look, the taller bunny girl looking down with a bright smile...
...that faded slightly as their eyes met. Sayumi stared at the calm orbs behind blue-tinted lenses, the hairs on the back of her neck rising up inexplicably. Ai only looked back placidly, seeming entirely harmless no matter how one looked at her.
"Ah, maybe I shouldn't steal her from Gaki-san!" Sayumi quickly let go, going back to lean against Eri instead. "What will Eririn do without me~"
Risa sighed dramatically. "Now you see what I have to put up with all the time..."
Ai simply smiled.
~*~*~
"Aren't we both too old for hide and seek?" Reina muttered under her breath as she flattened herself against a brick wall, melting almost seamlessly into shadow.
The city had turned into their playground, the nightscape providing a perfect backdrop for a game of cat and mouse. And for all that Reina physically
resembled a cat, she was definitely the hunted in this case.
Or just a kitty given a string to chase... Reina thought just a tad grumpily as she masked her aura , erasing the outward traces to make it more difficult for anyone to detect her.
Not the first night since she had been out doing this; running and hiding, all while trying to chase down the elusive Seirei. She could
feel the elder vampire watching her, and as if to add insult to injury, the master vampire would occasionally appear out of nowhere to tag her, before disappearing without a trace again.
It was aggravating, but it
was fun. Reina never knew when or where exactly Seirei would appear; some nights, the elder vampire never showed up at all. Yet, Reina could still feel herself being watched, and resolved to prove herself worthy enough for that arrogant vampire to accept her as a pupil.
I wonder how her blood tastes like... Involuntarily, Reina extended her fangs in the equivalent of a drool, an instinctive reaction she could not quite control. She had not desired the blood of another vampire since...since? Reina frowned, sliding along the wall to sneak down the alleyway.
There had been her master. That had been the first vampire blood she had tasted, and the scent was imprinted into her visceral memory. The blood of other vampires that she had encountered in her existence thus far had never interested her; then again, most of them had been weaker than her, and it provoked no reaction from her.
From what little she had managed to observe thus far, strength seemed to be the deciding factor in the vampire world. Reina could understand that. The human world was not so very much different, and it was not quite that long ago that she was human herself. A mere 10 years, unchanging in her present form, but still within a human's lifespan. Not so easy to forget what it was like, at least, not all of it.
A tap on her shoulder, no more than a light touch, and this time Reina's hand shot out before she even thought to turn around, desperate to grab hold of the elusive vampiress that had been stalking her.
Fingers gliding across smooth, pale skin, no more than a fleeting touch. It was like trying to grab hold of smoke or mist. Near impossible...
...unless, of course, the target didn't
mind being caught.
A figure clad in full black, like a hunting panther. Sleek and dangerous, silent and deadly. Again, Reina was forced to wonder who was the hunter in this game. She had a sinking feeling that it wasn't herself.
A moment of silence passed, dark eyes fixed on the grip that Reina had just barely managed to secure. Reina stared back defiantly, valiantly trying to disguise her discomfort.
"Ara, you've improved." A fanged smile, mesmerizing in the moonlight. Slender fingers smoothly reversed the loose two-finger hold Reina had on her wrist, turning the tables around easily to trap the younger vampire against a wall.
There really wasn't very much of a difference between their heights, but Reina felt very small in front of a domineering Seirei. Not far from a kitten caught between a tiger's paws, helpless.
She didn't very much like the feeling.
"Didn't your Master ever tell you it's rude to bare your fangs at someone else?" Ai smiled mysteriously, using her free hand to playfully poke at Reina's exposed fangs. Reina yelped and glared malevolently at the elder, pressing her lips together into a thin pout.
"Reina doesn't like you." The young vampire blurted out recklessly, without thinking. She found thought to be well nigh impossible in front of this damnably attractive vampire. That and she was feeling rather on the defensive side, and
had to say something to save her pride.
Never mind that she didn't really mean it, or that the person in question could likely crush her with one pinky. Some deep, feral instinct told her that Seirei would not kill her, not for something like this.
She was right. Ai smiled, amused. She had still yet to reveal her true name, or well, her current name, to this young upstart, but she felt little need to. This young one was nothing more than a very enjoyable past time.
"Why do you keep chasing Reina? When are you going to teach Reina anything?" Ai chuckled at the insistent questions from her little toy, pinching the younger vampire on the nose lightly, making her squint and pout even more.
"I'm not chasing you,
Reina." She all but purred Reina's name, making the younger shudder in her arms. Their bodies had somehow pressed against each other during the exchange, Ai still maintaining her hold on Reina's wrist against the wall, but otherwise there was little space left separate between the two.
"
You are the one who doesn't want to let go." Ai finished, gesturing down with her eyes. Reina followed her gaze, the tip of her ears reddening in embarrassment when she noticed her own free hand wrapped around Ai's waist, pulling the elder close.
"You said..." Reina mumbled in a very small voice, but did not let go of the older vampire. Ai let a fang slip out again as she smirked.
"I promised
nothing, kitten..." Reina looked up, slightly offended and even a bit outraged, but was caught by Ai's intense gaze. The elder vampire merely ran one cold hand down Reina's cheek, sliding down to grasp firmly at the young one's chin.
"Ah..." Reina squeaked, feeling suddenly afraid as Ai jerked downwards sharply, forcing her mouth open to expose her fangs to the night. Reina felt very vulnerable as Ai tilted her head to the side, as if studying an interesting specimen.
Why was she letting this arrogant vampire manipulate her? Reina felt her pupils contract angrily, displeased that she, a vampire in her own right, was being toyed with by another. She was strong now; she didn't have to bow to anyone else!
Gathering her strength, Reina was about to break free of the hold when Ai pushed her flat against the wall with enough force to send some dust sprinkling down on them both. Reina's eyes bulged outwards at the impact, reeling slightly from the shock even as Ai leaned in close.
"Don't even
think about it." Her voice was a sensuous snarl, more taunting than truly upset. "You're a thousand years too young to pick a fight with me."
Flattening her ears back, Reina hissed defiantly, much like the cats that she resembled. She felt threatened by this dominant presence, although some remnant of good sense within her was begging her aggressive side to just roll over and play dead.
Ai shifted her grip from Reina's chin down to the younger's neck, feeling Reina shudder as her fingers closed around such a vulnerable area. Unconsciously, Ai licked her lips, her fangs showing more prominently as she glowered dangerously.
Reina swallowed nervously, her gaze helplessly drawn towards the revealed fangs with increasing trepidation. Was the elder vampire going to bite her? An unconscious shudder ran through her spine, partly from fear, and partly from...excitement?
What's this? I want her to bite me...? Reina's eyes went slightly wide at the thought. How could that be? What was going on? She did not, could not understand.
Ai merely continued to give her a completely inscrutable look, her hand still locked around Reina's throat. Then she smiled, a strange, dangerous sort of smile.
"There's so much that you don't know..." Her thumb, sliding down a major artery, making Reina swallow nervously again. "You don't understand at all, do you...?"
"
Then you teach me." Reina rasped out breathlessly, her pupils already narrowed to slits. Her traitorous hand still clung stubbornly on to the elder vampire, needy for everything that this enigma could offer her.
"I am
not your Master." Ai hissed lowly, pressing so close against Reina that their noses were almost touching. "Who do you think you are, trying to attach yourself to
me?"
Reina could not answer even if she could have found a decent reply, because the next moment her mouth was engulfed by an overwhelming force, relentlessly plundering its depths and claiming everything within reach as its own.
Reina pawed helplessly at the front of Ai's black jacket, unable to exert any more force beyond that. Ai was an unstoppable force, dominating her every sense and aggressively marking territory. Teeth, tongue and lips clashed like battling armies, except that Reina was barely putting up any more than a token resistance against a vastly superior force.
Her tongue lashed around Ai's fangs, both of them having somehow avoided piercing each other with their fangs during that exchange thus far. Reina broke that unspoken rule though, brazenly using the sharp tips to break the skin of Ai's inner lip in an attempt to regain some control over the situation.
The first waft of blood rushed like a heady shot of the most potent brew she had ever known through all her senses, sending alarm bells ringing through her head in the best way possible. That scant taste made Reina reel; how could anything taste so
good? Not even fresh human blood was anything compared to this exquisite taste. She wanted more. No,
needed more.
Before she could bite any further, Ai forced her back, using her own fangs to nip warningly at Reina's tongue. The added mix of Reina's own blood only served to inflame the younger vampire, her eyes rapidly turning feral as she clawed wildly at Ai, desperate for more.
The elder vampire held her easily at arm's length, an indecipherable look in her eyes. She seemed displeased, even disturbed, by something. Licking her own lip to clean the blood off, she frowned at the taste of Reina's blood at the tip of her tongue, looking at Reina slightly differently from before.
"You..." Reina snarled at her, still caught up in her instincts. Ai sighed and applied more pressure on Reina's neck, shaking the girl slightly.
"Get a grip on yourself. It's unbecoming for someone of your lineage." Ai commanded. Reina shuddered violently, the fog in her eyes clearing with a start. She continued to stare longingly at Ai though, like a child denied her favorite treat. Her mind started working again though, catching on to Ai's words.
"My...lineage?" Reina seemed confused. "You know...who my Master is?"
"Know her?" Ai smiled enigmatically, finally releasing her chokehold on Reina's neck. The younger vampire rubbed at it, eyeing the elder cautiously. Some part of her still wanted to lunge at the other vampire, but good sense (and survival instinct) kept her from pursuing such a suicidal act.
"I know more than that." Ai did not seem inclined to offer more information, only taking a step back. Reina reached forward, wanting to ask more, but Ai was already out of reach, flashing away in an instant.
Know your place, kitten. Cheap parting shot! Reina threw the thought back, but that domineering presence was no longer there. Muttering a curse, Reina kicked at the nearest object, sending the crushed, empty can scuttling down the alleyway.
Overhead, the waxing moon shone with a pale luminescence, yet never penetrating far enough down into the dark bowels of the earth. Too many things, lying hidden in shadow.
More than one predator was out there, and not all of them drank blood.
Only the moon knew them all.
====================================================================
I had fun.
*crawls back into hole*
Topic: Gegenschein [Ch.18: Open] - 16/5 (Read 80312 times)