Heart of the Night Part 18
Trowa pulled back and glared as the young man stepped from the shadows, his violet eyes sparkling. "I can handle this, Maxwell." He growled.
"No... for once you can not." Duo stopped beside him, his eyes never leaving Nakki. "You'll never be able to match him, you'll always be younger... your power less developed." He smiled icily. "Heh... but I will always be the older one," he crouched slightly raising his hands, "and the more powerful. This monster has taken enough lives, mortal and immortal. It's time he was stopped."
"Why would you even be interested in this?" Nakki spat. "It's between myself and Barton... not you."
"Not quite correct my twisted fiend." Duo chuckled. "A couple hundred years ago you took the life of a young fledgling... of course I'm sure you've taken so many you'd never remember him. But I never forgot... he was my love!"
Surging forward, Duo struck the other vampire in the face with the heel of his hand, sending him reeling back into the wall. "He had no power... nothing to stand up against you with! I had just made him! He was like a newly born child and you tore him apart just because it amused you!"
Nakki threw himself at Duo, his hands upraised but Duo merely caught him, holding him in the air before him. "Barton... I want you to go to those three upstairs and get them out of here." His voice echoed around the room. "That one... he's the only one you'll ever love. Don't lose him." He laughed again. "I can take care of this refuse."
"This is my fight!"
"No. It's not. It was mine before it was yours." He turned his unearthly violet gaze on the younger vampire. "You have more important things to be taking care of. LEAVE!!!" He roared. "Or you won't have enough time before the sun rises!!"
Despite his own wishes and his feelings of resentment at being denied his revenge, Trowa turned and silently left the room, climbing the stairs to the upper level where he knew he'd find the three mortals waiting for him. Behind him he heard Duo laugh again, a sound this time that turned his veins to ice.
He had known that Maxwell was older than he. He'd never know by how much. The pair had never divulged that much information to each other. Maxwell had simply appeared to him one day, forging a wary and distant friendship. Now he knew why. He had been the key that Maxwell needed to find Nakki.
At the upper level of the house, he kneeled beside Quatre his green eyes searching out Rickard and Vachel. Below him the house had taken on a deathly silence and he shuddered to think of what revenge Maxwell was extracting.
"Can you walk?" He asked Rickard as he lifted the lifeless blonde in his arms. Rickard nodded as he got to his feet and helped Vachel struggle up.
"We both can." Vachel rasped. "You worry about him. He needs you more than we do." He nodded at Quatre. "And I think you need him just as much." His heart shattered as he spoke the words.
"Take him somewhere safe," Vachel spoke up as they stepped out of the house. "You can help him, somehow I know you can. We'll find our way back to town; just... please... let us know if he's alright." He straightened and looked the startled Trowa in the eye. "I'm sure you know where my estate is."
Trowa nodded and then he looked at them with narrowed eyes. "You two know each other." He accused.
"Yes. I just didn't realize it." Vachel replied. "Rickard grew up on the estate. His parents were servants there."
"I had come to town to seek Lord Roche out and discovered what was going on." Rickard added. "My... parents died at the hands of a vampire."
Trowa nodded again. No further explanation was needed. "I'm sorry." He said.
"I'll take care of Lord Roche." Rickard said quietly, his dark blue eyes glittering. "You see, I had always planned to be the one who stood by his side."
Vachel threw a startled look at the young man.
Trowa smiled sadly and then melted into the shadows surrounding the house.
"So there really are ones out there that are good." Rickard mused watching the spot where Trowa had disappeared with Quatre.
"How long..." Vachel was staring at him.
"Long enough," Was the reply. "Come, I think I saw a manor not far from here. I'm sure we can borrow a couple horses with your family's upstanding name."
"It's a good thing I also have some coin." Vachel muttered.
"Probably."
~*~
"How is he?"
"No change. He's been like that for weeks now. You may have to accept that you have lost him."
"Never!"
"His body has healed, but his mind is lost to even you."
"Never! I'll never accept that!"
Pale hands stopped to brush strands of gold from soft skin.
"He's stronger than he looks... he just needs more time."
"How much time do you plan to give him before...?"
"Don't even say it! I can neither take his life nor make him..."
"You have to decide on something." The speaker watched as the tall figure turned swiftly away and headed for the door.
"I'm going out."
"Milord... you've searched the country over for a clue as to what happened to Maxwell and how to save him. You have found neither. You need to get on with your life!"
The tall man stopped in the doorway, one hand resting on the frame as his green eyes flared to life. "You call what I am, living? It's not even close," he bowed his head for a moment before letting go of the smooth wood and disappearing into the shadows of the house, "and without him, it's even less so."
~*~
Sebastian sighed as he stood in the doorway to Quatre's room. At the moment, the young man sat up in his bed, his eyes turned to the window that bright sunlight streamed through. But he saw nothing with his darkened, blank eyes. His face held no color or expression and he spoke not a single word.
He hadn't spoken since he woke up three weeks ago; ten days after Trowa had brought him home, bloodied and near dead. They had saved his body, but Nakki had claimed his mind. He was nothing more than a puppet now and for a short time after he awoke he had been a puppet without a master.
Nakki was destroyed. That much they knew by the fact that Quatre just lay in the bed and stared, unmoving; a blank slate. Trowa finally out of desperation had fed the blonde a small amount of his own blood in order to be able to control him himself.
Now, he moved when told to... he ate because he was ordered to. He sat unmoving hour after hour awaiting a command from Trowa, who hoped against all hopes that he'd find a way to fight his way back. All the time he knew that it wouldn't happen.
The old servant was torn between his loyalty to his master and the knowledge that Trowa had to make a choice between taking the blonde's life or turning him completely. He could not leave him in this state. Eventually, even the commands of his master would not be enough and the young man would slowly waste away to a long drawn out death.
Truth be known, Sebastian knew that he was already dieing.
"He hopes for you everyday." The old man said quietly, sitting on the side of the bed, his wrinkled hands patting Quatre's smooth ones. "Every night he searches for a way to bring you back and for a sign of the other one; the one that helped him." He looked out the window, noting wryly the small bird that called from a lone branch stretching across the glass. "He doesn't even feed any longer. I think he hopes to perish with you in some way."
He looked down at the blonde's hand. Did he feel a twitch? Shaking his head, he got up and walked slowly to the door, the weight of his years finally showing themselves. He came in to speak to Quatre everyday in hopes of some response that wasn't commanded. And some days like today he tried to convince himself that he had seen or felt some reaction. But everyday it was the same.
It would be until the blonde finally died and he wasn't sure he could watch it.
Quietly closing the door he went downstairs to prepare something for the blonde to eat later. When Trowa awoke he would make sure he ate something.
~*~
Trowa set aside the bowl and gazed sharply at the blonde, his green eyes searching over every inch of his smooth expressionless face. Reaching out he ran his fingertips along Quatre's jaw, his eyes sad.
"I miss you." He whispered as he stood up and glanced out the window. "I won't go on if I lose you completely." He leaned down and gently brushed his lips across Quatre's longing for some sort of response. Anything, even anger would suffice. Instead he had to settle for the ones he told him to have. "Put your arms around my neck, Quatre, and kiss me back." He murmured.
Jerkily the blonde raised both arms to rest across the back of the brunette's shoulders, his lips partly slightly to receive his kiss. His eyes remained open and empty, his breathing even as the vampire kissed him gently, tears welling up in his green eyes.
"I love you little one... I-I never meant for this to happen to you. I tried to do everything I could to keep it from happening. Even denying you! What good am I when I can't even protect one small human life??"
No response as the blonde sat silently in the bed with his arms around the brunette.
Finally Trowa let out a sigh and told him to lie down. "Sleep now. I'll search more tonight." He smoothed Quatre's hair from his forehead before turning away and walking to the door. "And if you do have to die... we'll perish together." He whispered before leaving and quietly closing the door.
Behind him in the bed Quatre lay staring sightlessly up at the ceiling.
TBC...
^^;;;;
Back to Lady Nagisa's Fanfictions Page