Heart of the Night Part 19

"Why are you hunting me?"

At the sound of the voice from the dark, Trowa turned, his eyes narrowing. "So you are alive."

"You thought otherwise?" Duo Maxwell emerged from the shadows to stand in front of the slim brunette his violet eyes bright.

Trowa shrugged. "It was hard to tell. I lost the sense of both of you."

"Hm. Maybe because I wanted you to." The older vampire spun around, his long hair whipping around behind him. "I heard through certain channels that you had been out almost every night searching for me. Don't you have more important things to be worrying about?" He glanced over his shoulder. "How's that little blonde mortal you were trying so hard to rescue?"

"Lost." Trowa flinched remembering Quatre's lifeless eyes. "To everyone, including me."

"What will you do with him?"

"I suppose I'll have to end his life." Came the flat reply.

Duo's raised an eyebrow. "What? You won't complete the job and turn him? Are you truly that moral?"

"I suppose so."

The long haired vampire waited for a moment for further explanation and then realizing he wouldn't get any he chuckled. "I suggest you pay a visit to those other two, that one, he knows more about our kind than any other mortal living."

Trowa started. Rickard and Vachel? He honestly hadn't given the pair a thought since he left them behind that night.

"But..."

"Ah-ah! I'm the wrong one to be asking." Duo faded back into the dark.

Before Trowa lost all sense of him, his voice echoed in the brunette's mind. You've nothing to worry about from him... he'll never appear before you again my friend. And then the slender vampire was alone in the night once more.

~*~

Vachel Roche's head snapped up from the papers he was reading as he heard the light rustle in the room with him. "Who's there?" He asked his voice taking on a warning tone.

"Where's Rickard?"

"You!" The dark haired man stood up from his desk, his fists clenched against the smooth wood surface.

Green eyes flared to life from the other side of the room as the tall, slim form stepped out from the shadows. "Where is he?"

"What do you want with him?" Vachel asked suspiciously.

"Nothing more than to speak with him."

"I assume he's at his home. Where else would he be?"

"You didn't bring him here?" Trowa asked in surprise.

"What sort of person do you think I am?" Vachel's grey eyes sparked as he shouted.

"I see." Trowa bowed. "I understand. Please excuse me."

"Wait!" The other man rushed forward to grab Trowa's arm. "Quatre? How is he?"

Trowa knew that with a simple flick of his wrist he could throw the man across the room and he was tempted, such was his distaste of a mortal's touch right now. Instead he stared steadily at the young man as he spoke. "He's gone."

All the color drained from Vachel's face as he dropped his arm and stepped back. "You've done this to him." He whispered. "If you hadn't taken him in..."

"He would have died a much more violent death and at a much younger age." Trowa finished.

Vachel walked back to his desk and sat down, folding his hands together and resting his forehead on them. "Please leave." He said his voice shaking slightly.

"I'm sorry." Trowa replied before exiting the room. Behind him in the library he heard the quiet sounds of the dark haired man mourning the loss of his heart. "So very sorry." He murmured to himself.

Leaving the house, he looked up. He still had a few hours before dawn. Hopefully enough time to talk to the other young man and then find shelter for the day. He wouldn't be able to get home before sunlight. Quatre... He shook his head. Sebastian would take care of him the best he could. He'd be there to make sure he ate at dusk.

~*~

"Ah, there you be." Sebastian pushed open the door to the library to peer at Trowa sitting at the desk reading earnestly from an old crumbling book. "I'd thought you'd not be returning for another night."

Trowa glanced up at him. "I'll be upstairs shortly." He replied, his eyes going back to the faded, yellowed pages. "Last night couldn't be helped."

"I'm sure. You don't do much without a reason." The old man said gruffly. "He misses you when you leave, you know that?"

"How could he?" Trowa's voice flattened out. "He isn't even aware of us."

"I just think he does."

"Quit grasping at straws 'Bastian." Trowa snapped. "He's gone. I can't bring him back and you sure as hell can't! The only person that could was him and it's been too long!" He slammed the book shut, his eyes glowing dangerously. "He's gone!" He roared turning around slamming a fist into the wall behind him. "All this power at my fingertips!!! And I couldn't help him!!" Tears streamed down his pale cheeks as he bowed his head. "I couldn't protect him!! Not a single damned thi-!!" His voice broke.

Sebastian's face saddened as he back slowly from the room. He knew better than to approach his master when he was like this. There was nothing he could do but wait. Behind him he heard Trowa's voice repeating over and over like a chant.

"Useless... useless..."

Trowa wasn't even aware of the old man leaving as he knelt on the floor, his forehead pressed against the smooth wood of the wall. He'd read and read and read and hadn't found a single thing of use in the ancient book that Rickard had given him. Not a shred of information that would help Quatre. The only real thing of interest that he did find was useless to him without the blonde.

If only he had found out about it a few months ago... if only... He started as light hands touched his shoulders. "Leave me be, 'Bastian!" He bit out jerking away. As the hands touched him again he turned his head to warn the old man away again and froze.

Green; eyes as green as leaves framed by waves of black hair gazed back at him.

"Rhea...!!" He gasped as she placed both hands on his shoulders and smiling gently leaned her pale cheek against his back. "Rhea... how...?"

She raised her head and reached around to press her fingers lightly against his lips. It's alright... it will be alright... he could hear her voice in his mind as plainly as if she had truly spoken. And then he knew.

"Nakki!" He turned to look at the pale girl. "You didn't throw yourself from that window!!" She had received a ruby exactly like Quatre's just days before she had died. A gift from his maker... he knew now...

It had been Nakki's way of telling him that he would not be free from him.

She smiled again and nodded, her eyes glimmering in the firelight. For the first time Trowa could remember she looked truly happy. It will be alright, echoed through his mind again.

And then she was gone, leaving him sitting on the floor staring in wonder at the empty room.

To say he didn't believe in ghosts was like saying he didn't believe in vampires... but still... he'd never truly encountered one before.

~*~

Sebastian straightened the blankets around Quatre's thin shoulders, his hands trembling. He knew what was to come. He had seen it in his master's eyes before he had left him alone downstairs.

Soon, Lord Barton would take the young man's life and then destroy his own. The only two people in this world that the old servant considered family would be lost to him. Standing he went over to stare out the window.

He wouldn't be far behind them, he supposed. With them gone, he didn't have much reason. And he was getting old and tired. The events of the last few months had aged him even more. He figured he had just enough left to see his two masters off.

Behind him Trowa entered the room quietly. "'Bastian."

"Aye, milord." The old man turned to him.

"It's time for me to seek my room, the sun is almost up, but I wanted to tell you that tonight..." He stopped, his eyes going to the bed.

"I understand, milord." The old man replied. "I'll be here for you if you need me."

"You've been up all night; you should get some rest too."

"Aye." The servant followed the slim man out of the room.

And behind them on the bed, neither saw the faint twitch of the blonde's fingers as the door closed.

TBC...

*crawls back under her desk*

 

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