Night of the Hunter ( Keru-chan & Gatichan)

[Keru-chan]

Listening to his own heartbeats, the Hunter's eyes slightly narrowed as the other one spoke. But the soft glance in them remained as he rested his head on the man's chest. And with a deep sigh he gave up on the moment to argument about the whole thing. Instead he stayed quiet as his gaze was moved to the distant. It was true that the other one possessed more strength than him. That he wouldn't die as easily as himself. But only the pure thought of the other one protecting while getting harmed at the same time made his mind to tense up as he slowly let the eyelids fall down. He would never be able to just stand still while the only one he held dear got hurt, right in front of his eyes. That was ridiculous! And if the other one expected him to just stand there in the background, then he was wrong. Even though he wasn't as powerful as him. He could still do something. He was still of use. His job was to kill. And it had always been like that. Just standing besides as an observer, he wouldn't be able to do that. He had been trained for this in so many years. Powerful or not. This was his duty. His job. And what his life had been until now. It was impossible for him to change so harshly and fast. It was too much for him to handle. With a light sigh he once again opened his eyes and let his gaze be swept towards the pale body beneath him.

 

While thinking back at his past. His past filled with sadness and destruction he also asked himself a important question: Was he ready to bring someone else into this mess he had created? Was he ready to share everything that he held in his heart? And was he ready for everything that this relationship meant? In this moment he wished that everything wasn't so complicated that it was in this case. An steady romance wasn't possible in this kind of world they lived in. And a bond between their lives would probably not work. They had too many things each to deal with. But even so, he wouldn't mind trying. But it would hurt. And it would be painful. There would be tough times and there would be moments like this. He would try. For Rafael. And for his own heart. "It is possible that someone else had already informed them about the meeting but it's too early to decide if it's a trap or not. I'll have to simply see for myself if it's a trap or not". The young man drew a deep breath as he counted the minutes of silence that followed his words. And then slowly, he sunk down into a peaceful sleep.

[Gatichan]

Rafael would have wanted to continue speaking of the following night, but Cynric, it appeared, had reached the end of his energy and chose to remain silent. Rafael’s brow creased, but he decided to respect his companion’s silence right then. What was the point of forcing a fight? The last thing he wanted to do was wake up the following night with something between him and vampire hunter; something that would be on their minds and possibly distract them when they ought to be paying attention to the occurrence around them. As Cynric drifted off to sleep, Rafael pressed his lips against his lover’s forehead and murmured good night. He hoped that the young vampire hunter would have sweet dreams. Restlessly shifting back and forth on the bed – Rafael was used to sleeping inside his coffin, so the bed was suddenly too large and too unprotected for his liking – until he had finally found the right position, he curled up behind Cynric, spooning with him. He was careful, however, to leave a blanket between his and the hunter’s body, since he knew that once the sun went up, his body would become very cold, probably too cold for Cynric to stand. And even though it cost him a lot of self-debating, Rafael decided to leave the door to his sleeping chamber unlocked. That way, if Cynric woke up, the hunter would be able to leave and get himself something to eat from the kitchen.

 

It was shortly after that Rafael fell into his usual slumber. He left his arms around Cynric, but not too tightly that the vampire hunter wouldn’t be able to escape the embrace if he needed to. It was a swelteringly hot day in London and the sun beat down on the streets, making it uncomfortable for the citizens to go about their daily affairs. By the time night had fallen and Rafael’s eyes flashed open, awake and astute, rain had begun to fall, thankfully removing most of the heat. Rafael found himself lying alone inside his bed and as he sat up and sniffed the air, he couldn’t immediately place Cynric. Had his lover perhaps already left without telling him? Rafael’s hands clenched into fists, but then how calmed down. Perhaps it really was best that way. Cynric might have traces of Rafael on his skin that might give away the fact that they’d spent time together on him and that would obviously arouse suspicion. And maybe, without having said goodbye, the two of them would be able to better concentrate on the task that lay ahead of them. Standing up and leaving the bed, thirst began to trouble Rafael and he reached for a robe with which to cover his nakedness. His hair had once again grown long and irritably, he cut it. A noise was suddenly heard coming from the living room and he turned, suddenly alerted. Who was it? Was it Cynric…or was it one of Mycroft’s thugs?

[Keru-chan]

A ocean of the colour white surrounded him. And the lack of memories, or anything that filled his dream made him worried as he stood there in the middle - he just assumed it was the middle though - and let his gaze run back and forth without finding anything. Only the sound of a clock ticking filled the empty space that he currently was in. And time went awfully slow. It felt like every minute was an eternity filled with, nothing. And it was then he realised it. The one thing that this place had in common with himself. It was empty. Meaningsless. His pale lips formed a vague smile as he exhaled and then let his hands slip down in the pockets on his familiar black coat that he no longer had. So what this dream was inside of himself? Not exactly surprising. Maybe this was God's way of showing him that things were about to change? Well, things had already changed. His searching had gone forward and suddenly he had gotten someone to return to on the way after having fulfilled his revenge. Life was truly a time of surprises. More than he had expected. He who had only a day earlier been alone on his road had suddenly gotten a companion. Someone that cared for him. Wanted him and longed for him. But the question was: Could he trust this person with his whole heart? Could this lone person drag him up from the depths of hell and make everything okay? At least it felt possible for the moment being. Because only the thought of him made a warmth spread inside of his chest. Cynric closed his eyes for only a few seconds, and then suddenly when he opened them once again he stood somewhere he could least expect it. In one of the memories that Rafael had showed him. Which also meant that he was in Venice. It was exactly like he had showed him. And somehow, he felt at ease where he stood in the middle of the busy street and observed the people that passed by. Then, suddenly he saw a familiar face. And he smiled as he watched the little boy run and laughed. It was a beautiful sight. Seeing him this happy. After him came his parents. Smiling at their son that seemed to enjoy himself to fullest. It was truly heartwarming.

 

When the Hunter then awoke, he heaved up his eyelids with an soft smile on his lips. Let his gaze rest on the arms that embraced his body. And for a long while he just remained there, still in the arms of his lover. Breathed in and then exhaled. Slowly and peacefully. Then after a long while he finally began to move. Carefully he sat up in the bed and then removed the arms around him and look down at the other one that ever so peacefully slept beside him. He reached out for the other one and as his gaze softened Cynric let his fingertips wander over the man's cold pale cheek before he got up from the bed and took on the clothes that the Vampire had given him at another time. Then, as quickly as possible he left the house in case one of Mycroft's men was going to visit him later on. The Hunter climbed out through a window at the backside of the house where he later on continued on through some alleys and then came out on the London street. And immediately he directed his steps to Benjamin's old shop to arm himself. Thereafter he would meet up with the other Hunters that would accompany him on the mission.

 

At the meeting they exchanged information. Talked about the Vampires that would attend and how they would proceed after arriving at the house. The Vampires would probably have some kind of guards so the first thing everyone thought on was to dress correctly so that the guards would think that they were just simply passing by. Thereafter he himself ordered them to have nothing on their minds about the mission. Because Mycroft surely had one with him that could read thoughts so that in case he suspected danger then they would be able to escape easily. They also decided positions where they would start from. They ha four snipers that together would cover the house's windows. Himself and four others would take the inside then together. Mainly, the snipers would take out the guards to that themselves could slip in as butlers and then attack. All together they were nine that would carry out this mission. And they all understood the risk of dying it would bring with it. But even so they were all still determined to do it. Then when the night began to arrive they parted and decided to meet up a little later with the right clothes on. So what Cynric mainly did after their parting was to get the butler clothes and then wait at church that were their final meeting point.

[Gatichan]

After breathing in again, Rafael knew that it wasn’t Cynric and his heart fell. Despite the necessity to act as inconspicuous as possible, it pained Rafael that Cynric could so easily have just abandoned him. Doubts suddenly began to fill him- had the vampire hunter used him? Had the night before not meant anything special as it had to Rafael? He felt used in that moment and deeply disappointed. Had Cynric even kissed him goodbye before leaving? No traces could be seen inside the sleeping chamber and aside from the clothes that he had leant to the hunter, nothing remained as proof of latter’s existence. Rafael closed his eyes, clenching his fists together. There was probably a rational explanation for this. Cynric, being the effective vampire hunter that he was, must have decided that this silent parting would have been the best, but still, Rafael would have wished it had gone differently. What if either he or Cynric died that night? What if Cynric was no more but a memory and all Rafael would have to hold onto for support for all eternity would be a simple memory of one solitary passionate night? It was too little, decidedly too little. He swallowed, his eyes awash with conflicting memories as he opened them again. I should have changed him into a vampire when I still had the chance, the thought suddenly, unbidden, crossed his mind. Rafael’s eyes widened in shock. He had never before turned anyone, and such a life-changing step needed to be well thought over. Cynric probably never would have asked for it, but right then Rafael selfishly wished he had, if only to increase the chances that his lover would return to his arms at the end of the night.

 

But right then, the scent of a fellow vampire reached his nose. This matter needed to be attended to immediately. Throwing the robe elegantly around him, Rafael frowned as he threw open the doors to his sleeping chamber and strode out to meet the unfamiliar vampire. As he entered his living room, the other man turned around and he stopped, knowing at once that he was facing one of the high-ups working for Mycroft. This vampire had a mean, heartless expression on his face and even when he smiled, nails of ice scratched down Rafael’s back. He knew even before the other began to speak that he was in trouble. “Tell me, Mr. Capodimonte, why is it that this apartment reeks of a certain troublesome vampire hunter that I sent my men to destroy various times, yet he miraculously got away?” he asked in a bitingly correct upper class English accent. Rafaell’s face remained calm, but inside, he was boiling with rage at this intrusion on his personal property. “As I already told Mycroft, that blasted hunter has followed me all the way from Italy to destroy me. I do, however, hold certain information that is valuable to him and until he attains it, he perversely continues to seek out my company, goading me on and showing off how easily he managed o disperse of the vampire warriors who were sent to dispose of him.” Rafael smiled rather thinly. “One would think, wouldn’t one, that the task of doing off with one extremely young vampire hunter wouldn’t take such an embarrassingly long time now, wouldn’t one?” he purred. The other vampire’s eyes filled with hatred and Rafael made no secret out of his equal loathing. It was obvious to both men that there was no love lost between them and that only their relationship to Mycroft was preventing them from doing something stupid. In the end, it was the other man who relaxed his shoulders. “Maybe you should tell Mycroft that you are being stalked by a hunter? I’m sure that he’d offer you to sleep at his place.” I’d rather die, Rafael thought sourly, but bowed his head. “That’s exactly what I was planning on doing. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must change.”

 

Not daring to waste any further time inside his apartment out of fear that the other vampire would come across more incriminating evidence that proved Cynric had been living together with Rafael under one roof, Rafael dressed in his smartest black and grey suit, donning a white shirt and a velvet blue tie that would only enhance the astounding color of his eyes more. Stepping out of his changing room, he walked over to the open balcony window where the other vampire was poised. “How kind of you to want to escort me personally to Mycroft’s gathering,” he said with forced politeness. “Of course. Especially since Mycroft had already assumed that you were in certain danger,” the other returned, yet his face was fathomless and Rafael had no way of knowing whether this was a warning or simply an upon suspicion. Whatever – as he and the vampire flew into the street to hastily feed on the wretched and homeless off London’s dirty streets, Rafael knew that he was going to have to act very stealthily around Mycroft when the time came. Nodding to indicate that he had satisfied his need for blood, Rafael followed the other man, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until they had made it south of Hyde Park, to a better-to-do neighborhood. Entering via the roof, Rafael soon found himself inside an enormous room that was fitted on all sides with mirrors. The room was already half-filled with vampires, all of which spoke quietly and angrily. It wasn’t usual for them to gather in this way, especially because it was dangerous, should word get out of the congregation. There was still no sign of Mycroft and as Rafael finally found himself without his annoying shadow, he lost himself amongst the crowd, keeping a lookout for the best means of escape.

[Keru-chan]

When they once again had gathered they took their time to talk through the plan that they had decided on earlier. They searched for holes and other small things that would probably cause trouble. Then they read through the list of the guests that had been invited that one of them had gotten from one of the informators after their last meeting. And as they had suspected, there were many of the higher ups that had been invited. It was even more people than them had expected that was listed as guests. But the real question was, how many of these would actually come on this gathering? How many of them would choose to trust Mycroft and which of them wouldn't be there? There were plenty of names on the list that woke old memories up as each one of them eyed through the list. And he could see it in their eyes. The sudden raised interest in the whole thing. This was no longer just an attempt to cleanse London, for them this thing had taken an serious turning. The Hunter drew a deep breath, erased all the unnecessary things in his head and then exhaled in a sigh. That look that decorated their faces, was extremely familiar.

 

In the protecting darkness of the night the Hunters took their positions. They waited patiently as they observed the people that one after one arrived. All well dressed with pale skin and outstanding eyes that seemed to flash against the guards as they let them pass. At the same time, Cynric and the other had somehow sneaked to the back of the overwhelming house and was going to proceed with taking the back way in. Quietly the man beside him unlocked the door with a small metal stick and something else that wasn't considered important according to his sky blue eyes since he didn't remember it's name. Thereafter they all entered and was met by two rows of wine barrels. Apparently they had entered the house through the wine cellar. And in the exact same moment that they had closed the backdoor, the sound of footsteps suddenly became clear. Quickly the young man hid himself between two of the barrels, then crouched down as he slowly backed to the securing shadow that followed the walls. His heart was pounding in his chest as he saw the silhouette of a person passing by. He took in a sharp breath. If this person now happened to be a Vampire then this whole thing would be over even before they had begun it. Because if this person wasn't human then he or she would have noticed them even before entering this room. But even so, it wasn't unlikely that the owner of the house (that he assumed to be Mycroft) had humans as servants. But if it was the other way around, then entering through the back door was the same as suicide. Luckily enough, the person passed him by a second time. But this time to return to the stairs that led up to the first floor. And something that Cynric noticed was the small tree box that the man (the person was obviously a male after another thought about it) had brought with him on his way out of the cellar. But not before the door once again closed he dared to come out of his hiding place to meet up with the other. And the young man had a plan.

 

After having left the wine cellar they separated, tried to melt into the surroundings as he himself took a plate of glasses filled with a red liquid and walked out to the worried Vampires that talked as they waited for the head to arrive. Since Cynric knew that the Vampires would recognize his smell he had momentarily sprayed something to cover up his scent. It wasn't sure that it would work but since he had yet to be discovered. It seemed to be that way at least. Then suddenly, in the middle of the croud he saw a familiar face. He directed his gaze to the floor for a few seconds and then straightened his back and walked up to the man. "A glass sir?" He offered the lilac eyed man and slightly opened up his mind only to the other one as he called out to him. There's a door in the wine cellar that will lead out to the back of the house.

[Gatichan]

The vampires who had gathered there inside Mycroft’s London house was admirable. Even though Rafael had hardly been there a week, he knew as he walked from one group of quietly whispering vampires to the next that he was surrounded by ancient powers. The vampires present right then were old, knew each other well and between them all, they had probably decimated a group of people as plentiful as the current London population. A crease of worry appeared on Rafael’s brow. Cynric’s hunch that something had been off was probably right. The people that Mycroft had gathered together that night were important, influential and powerful…as would be the hunters that Cynric joined that night. More than one surely shared a history with the monsters in the room that Rafael was standing in. All at once, the scales fell from his eyes and he gasped, amazed at his own stupidity. But of course! Mycroft’s interest hadn’t been in getting rid of Cynric…but of getting rid of the vampire hunter population in London! He swallowed uneasily. As soon as Cynric and the other hunters arrived, an all-out war would break out to see which group would survive…and I dragged Cynric into this with me, he realized with a sinking heart.

 

“Why has Mycroft called us here tonight?” Rafael heard an impatient-looking man with a dark beard covering much of his face. “This is madness! If someone from the hunter association were to get wind of this gathering, it would be over for us. This house isn’t even being properly protected- I’ve had to send my own guards out to secure the perimeter!” “I know,” the blond-haired, younger man former had complained to replied, frowning at Rafael because he obviously didn’t recognize him. “I don’t wish to rouse sleeping dogs, but this scenario does remind me of the time that Mycroft gathered his supposedly most trusted allies in one room and then watched them kill each other. You don’t suppose this gathering is for something like that, do you?” He finally gave up glaring at Rafael, having obviously decided that the young noble vampire wasn’t of interest. His companion, however, became rather alarmed. “You think? Well, I doubt anyone in this room will turn around and attack a fellow vampire, but considering the murderous potential here, I think the only way to do away with all of us at the same time would be by sending in a group of hunters…but surely not even Mycroft would be as vile as to join forced with our arch enemies?” It was just then that a human waiter stepped up to him, offering him some wine, but Rafael at first waved him away irritably, the wheels inside his head turning at dizzying velocity. A group of hunters…but that was exactly what Mycroft had done, hadn’t he? Cynric hadn’t exactly said it, but the vampire hunter had sensed that something had been amiss when he’d mentioned the meeting that night. Perhaps because the head hunter had already long since known about this meeting? If that were the case, then Rafael ought to get the hell out of there, and fast. Mycroft had obviously decided to let the hunters infiltrate his party and murder the vampires who could one day become too powerful to control.

 

When the human insisted again, Rafael bared his fangs, turning to him, but then stopped short when he heard the familiar voice and his eyes met Cynric’s. A door…there was a way out. And he’d have to use it, the sooner, the better. Cynric, Mycroft isn’t coming, Rafael sent a desperate message back, beginning to move through the crowd of vampires as casually as he could, his eyes moving to the other blood-carriers. All the humans inside the room were hunters, surely, and very soon they would reveal their true natures. To Rafael’s alarm, he couldn’t smell the usual scent of blood and death that followed his natural enemies around wherever they went. This trap, no doubt about it, had been well planned and executed. Cynric, get out of here, this is a trap! A battle of epic-! he began to warn, but suddenly one of the vampires behind him recognized a hunter and all hell broke loose.

[Keru-chan]

At first the young Hunter only frowned. Slightly confused by the man's words but at the same time he wasn't either surprised or scared of the following events at all. He knew very well Rafael's desire to protect him from harm. But something like that was no longer possible for him. The organisation knew that he had arranged meetings with other people that were just like him and it would certainly be strange if he who had planned to infiltrate the gathering to then attack suddenly wasn't included in the situation. A light sigh slipped past his lips as he followed his lover that began to move. And at the same time he listened to the familiar voice that echoed through his head. Then a horrified scream cut through the air and the sound of a gun being fired. Swiftly the young man turned away from the other one to then rather quickly stop. It had begun. Throwing a last hurried glance at his lover he formed his final words in his mind. Go Rafael, we'll meet in the harbour. Thereafter he cleaned the plate of all the glasses and drew his weapon to then pull the trigger.

 

In the ocean of Vampires he fought for his life and for his comrades life. But it seemed like for every Vampire he managed to kill, he was also hurt in the process. Even though it wasn't more than what he would consider to be light scratches they became more and more and it didn't take long until the first Hunter fell. And it was then Cynric began to hesitant. They wouldn't make it out of here alive if things didn't change. And rather fast by the way. Clenching his teeth he slipped out his last holy water bomb to then throw it at the masses of Vampires and then aim at their heads. They fell, one, two and three. Three of them fell while he himself managed to avoid getting killed by two men. Then it came. A rain of bullets from the sky that crossed the windows and searched their way down to the floor. The snipers had probably not been found by the Vampires yet, but here down in the arena only three Hunter's remained. One badly injured and two that would soon run out of ammo. He couldn't die in here. That was no longer an option. He wouldn't run away no more. Because he had promised him. He had promised to return. And that was exactly what he was going to do. But he wouldn't let his companions die either. Even though they stood there, cornered he still fought. With everything he had. And that was then he remembered it, the thing he had gotten from the Master that he had met. "Get out of here, now" he ordered the men that stood behind him. One of them looked up, stared at his back. "We can't just leave you here!". The young Hunter held another Vampire on distance with knife that he thereafter stabbed him with on his shoulder. Blood splattered all over him. "That's exactly what you're going to do. Leave, now" he said once again while he dodged another attack and then shoot the Vampire in his head. And so another body dropped to the floor to then fade away.

 

By the time he was all alone with the remaining Vampires he knew that there were a chance that he wouldn't make it. But even so he couldn't give up. Rafael was waiting for him. He needed him. He wanted him. And he himself belonged to him. It was then he drew the trigger to the bomb and threw it on the floor. And fire devoured the whole house. Even so he had somehow managed to get out on that short moment. And as the house was burning in the background he fell down on the street. Breathing heavily. With trashed clothes. And a body stained with small injuries. Nothing serious though because he was, miraculously alive. And all this for his sake.