Crimson Ties Part 26
Trowa admitted that he had his skepticism about visiting Ireland. If you saw one green hill, you saw them all. However, he was completely mesmerized by the land of the lush, rolling fields the moment he arrived along with his wife and his deemed cousin.
And although there were many other sights to see throughout the world, Barton was already quite certain that they would all pale in comparison to the quaint, peaceful beauty of the Emerald Isle. He was so impressed that instead of picking up and moving along right away, he was in support of Midi's suggestion that they stay for a time.
It had been easy for his traveling family to find a remote place to stay in an abandoned hut along the Shannon River where it ran through the marshlands. With no one else around for miles, the trio of Infected could easily prey on the wildlife that ran through at night without any humans being aware.
During the day, the family would run swiftly through the fields and around the cliffs to take in the majestic views of the ocean flanking the land. There were just so many things observe, to admire. It was the perfect place for quiet reflection for creatures that were still coming to terms with what they were even a century after they had been created.
At night, when they were not hunting, Trowa and Heero would leave Midi to content herself with her sewing and house warming to go about the pubs that fell along the stretch of marshes. Their desire to go was not to drink, of course, but to enjoy being around other people even if it was in the dark corners watching them.
Weeks later, Yuy found a new reason why he liked to hop from pub-to-pub. And Barton was all too happy to follow along and see where it led. For nearly a year, the Infected sought out one particular human that had captivated the only lone member of the family. They'd become her biggest fans, even though they never even knew her name.
"Come sing for us, lass!" one of the regular patrons requested in a voice that boomed over the drunken laughter and conversations throughout the dimly lit pub.
Seated at a table in the furthest corner of the dingy space, the two Vampires turned towards the stage as she was lifted onto a tall shoulder to be carried to the stage by one of the burly men.
Wearing a long, pale green dress with simple lace details that screamed of her low place in society, the lithe girl giggled and shook her head in amusement as she was gingerly lowered onto the platform in the front of the pub while all eyes fell on her.
This was what Heero had been looking forward to all night. Trowa was well aware of that. With a smile, the Latin Vampire watched from beneath the hood of his cloak as his cousin propped his elbows up on the edge of the table to hold his head in his raised hands as he watched the girl with a wistful grin on his face.
Were anyone else looking on, they would have thought that the Infected had a crush on the redheaded teenager across the room. Barton, however, knew better.
Heero was not taken by lust over her lithe body that was only complimented by the form-fitting, low-cut dress or her fall of long, red curls that fell past her thin waist. It was a respectful admiration that his cousin's gold-and-cobalt eyes held for his favorite little performer who could not have been more than seventeen.
All of the laughter and conversations fell to still silence as the patrons and bartenders alike watched the girl lower her head and take a deep breath.
Raising her head, her lips smiled as she sang in her mezzo-soprano, "'Tis the last rose of summer... left blooming alone All her lovely companions are faded and gone... No flow'r of her kindred. No rosebud is nigh... To reflect back her blushes, And give sigh for sigh..."
Heero's wistful grin grew across his face as he closed his eyes and took in the bittersweet song of death as well as the hope for what came beyond the grave.
So, she went with a heart-tugging song to begin the night. That voice of hers conveyed all of the life that the teenager had endured in her short years, able to tear the heart of anyone listening should the melody be sad or rouse a room of people to dance if it sang a happy tune. Haunting and ethereal.
This particular song, 'The Last Rose of Summer,' must have been a favorite of hers. Every night, she made sure to sing it at least once wherever she was. Something about it meant a lot to her.
Also taken by the song as it continued, Trowa folded his arms and watched the performer who made sure she remained nameless amongst her audience. Far too young to legally be in a bar, no doubt she wanted her identity to be kept hidden so that she could perform and make her money either singing or playing games with the regulars wherever she went.
Not the typical life of a girl her age, but she was clearly doing what she had to in order to survive. Like his cousin, Barton also had a great deal of respect for her. Just as Heero had said once, it was evident that there was not much in her life but she was using everything she had to live, never allowing her own troubles to keep her from singing.
Closing his own eyes, the Latin Vampire allowed his own still heart strings to be tugged by the song.
Hours and many songs later, the redhead lifted the hem of her dress to curtsy in response to the standing ovation that rang with cheers, applause and whistles for her efforts.
Grinning widely, the girl hopped from the stage and scanned the crowd. Her piercing blue eyes falling on Trowa and Heero in their corner, where they applauded along with the others, she beamed at recognizing them and waved at them as she always would before she headed off to the bar to collect her payment.
Their night officially complete, Trowa and Heero adjusted the hoods of their cloaks and slipped silently from the pub. Once they were outside, they walked home through the rain that had died down to a drizzle. "She's very good," Yuy complimented quietly as he did every night.
"Yes, she is," the tall Latin chuckled.
* * * * * *
Coming along the edge of the river as they neared their home, Yuy absently kicked a rock into the water as his light feet did not even leave an imprint in the wet sand he walked on. The second stanza of that heartbreaking song, 'The Last Rose of summer' sang that night, played on in his mind...
I'll not leave thee, thou lone one, to pine on the stem... Since the lovely are sleeping, go sleep thou with them... Thus kindly I splatter thy leaves o'er the bed... Where thy mates of the garden. Lie scentless and dead.
"Trowa?" Heero all but breathed, knowing that his cousin would be able to pick his voice up even though the splattering rain nearly covered it. With a hum, the tall Vampire looked over at him.
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, the unruly haired immortal met the emerald-and-gold eyes on him and took a deep breath before he asked softly, "What do you suppose waits for our kind when we die? Do you think we have any chance of following the humans into Heaven and God's grace after the things we have been forced to do?"
Barton frowned deeply. This was something he'd pondered over countless times over the course of his existence. He began to wonder how long Yuy had contemplated it as well without ever having the nerve to bring it up.
A sad smile tugging his lips, the Latin Infected shrugged, "I cannot help but think we will. What we are was not our doing... we certainly never asked for this." His gaze looked out to the water as he said quietly, "I believe that God has a reason and a purpose for everything... including us."
Cobalt eyes blinking, Heero gave a small grin of appreciation and nodded his head. That was pretty much what he had hoped to trust in as well.
The two Vampires walked on in silence for a time when they heard the high-pitched howl of the wind... only there was not so much as a breeze washing over them. Freezing in their tracks, eyes wide and backs taut, they looked to each other. As they turned to peer behind them, they strained their ears.
Able to see through the darkness and the sheets of rain, they watched and waited. When that prolonged wail came back, there was not so much as a brush of air along the grass or in the trees. Then, the sound was abruptly cut off. Instantly, the already tense Infected were overcome with a startling realization.
It was a scream... muffled by the distance and the weather, but without question a desperate scream.
Without another thought, the two were charging at their great speed over the wet grass in the direction that the cry had come from. In their run, the hoods of their cloaks blew back without their notice as they flew along the rocky banks.
The scent of blood hovered in the air when they reached a crest of stone by the river. Eyes narrowed, Heero scaled the rocks first with Trowa right behind when they both came to a stop at the nearly flattened crest with sharp gasps.
Lying in the mud and wet sand of the bank beneath them lay the little performer that they had seen only an hour before. Her pale green dress was tattered, torn by hands from her knees down and at her arm straps to hardly cover her breasts. And what parts of the fabric remained were dirty from her clearly having been dragged over the rocks and sand.
Most startling were the trails of blood that ran down her legs... starting from above the hem of her ruined gown. Convulsing and rolling on the ground, the redhead's eyes were squeezed tightly as she let out another wail of agony.
And standing over her were two male Vampires, blood dripping from their exposed fangs and their eyes filled with leering pleasure as they watched her writhe. The burlier of the pair was standing at the girl's feet while the other, lanky and more disheveled, was hunched down by their prey's neck.
The initial shock of the sight leaving him, Heero felt his own fangs grow in as he glared heatedly at the attackers and shouted, "Hey!" Spinning, the Infected locked onto their unexpected visitors.
At the sight of the wiry Vampire's snake-like eyes and the black ooze running from his fangs, both Yuy and Barton looked on in horror. Unaware of anything around her, the Irish native continued to shake and scream in pain.
Hissing, her assailants decided against chancing a confrontation from the furious pair that had caught them. As they turned, they darted away to be lost in the darkness in the blink of an eye.
Rather than give chase, Heero rushed to the girl's side. Kneeling down beside her, he frowned deeply in fear as he carefully wrapped the top half of her thrashing body in his strong arms to have her sit up. Covered in sweat and rain, the redhead's piercing blue eyes snapped open with a cry as she struggled as best she could to free herself.
"Shh, we're not here to harm you," Yuy insisted in as soothing a voice as he could muster. Sudden recognition when their eyes met flooded the teenage girl and she kept from fighting as Trowa knelt at her other side.
Panting heavily, the little performer whimpered, "Y-ye... I know ye..." With a sharp gasp, her head fell back as she let out a howl of pain and all but melted at the tremors wracking her lithe body. Her head turning away from Heero, the two, round puncture wounds in her neck were in plain sight. And their edges were black.
With a soft gasp, Trowa's eyes widened. "There was no intention from those monsters to turn her. They poisoned her," he whispered. Biting his lip, he peered down at the bloody trails that wrapped around her shaking legs. But they did not do so before they forced themselves on her in a violent way.
His cousin swallowed roughly as he held the girl closely. "P-please," she groaned when she finally found the strength to speak. Desperation mixed with the agony in her eyes as she looked up at him to beg, "I do not want te die. H-help me. I worked so hard te survive this long alone-"
If there was anything more she meant to say, she was cut off when another scream erupted from her. Lost to the intense hell of pain, she convulsed without another moment to collect herself again.
Cobalt-and-gold eyes growing, Yuy shot his cousin a frantic expression. Already assigned to the task, Barton's fangs broke past his lips as he stated, "I'll end it quickly for her. There's not much time before the venom takes her."
"She can still be turned!" Heero hollered, his face exposing his shock at the suggestion. "You heard her! She does not want to die!"
Trowa blinked, pulling away from the girl's neck at the last second. "And subject her to this existence?" he frowned deeply.
When the redhead shrieked again, he returned his attention to her and shook his head, "This is only going to get worse for her if I don't-" He was cut off into stunned silence in watching his cousin sink his fangs into the girl's neck with a growl.
Making sure to bite near the attacker's mark, Heero closed his eyes and began to draw the poisoned blood from her veins. Filling his mouth with the bitter, black fluid, he turned his head to spit it out. It took five more pulls before he finally tasted sweet, pure blood as the redhead gasped and stared up to the dark heavens and her eyes drifted closed.
And it was almost too overwhelming for him to resist drinking it all.
Only indulging in one gulp, Yuy recalled his cousin's explanation of how the turning worked. If he drank much more, there would be little left to keep her alive. The deed of filling her with him was done the moment he bit her.
It was with his desire to preserve the innocent one that the Vampire was able to pull away. Panting heavily from his efforts as a new wave of cries and yells of agony rose from his charge, he looked back to his cousin and urged, "We have to go. Now."
Trowa came out of his shocked stupor and nodded firmly. Quickly breaking away a long piece of fabric from the hem of his cloak, he winced as he slipped it between the shuddering girl's lips when they parted for another heart-wrenching scream. There were no residences around for several miles, but it was only wise that they take every precaution.
Once her teeth clamped down on the cloth to muffle her sounds of pain, Barton got to his feet as Heero easily scooped the redhead in his arms to cradle her against his chest. Turning back to face the way they'd come, they blurred away in their run.
* * * * * *
"My God," Midi breathed. Rising from the rocker beside the fireplace, the sweater that she had been sewing fell away from her limp hands to drop to the floor. In the glow of the flames, her already pale complexion faded even more as she placed a hand over her heart when Trowa and Heero entered their home.
Her cousin moved swiftly with a trembling, wailing mass of a crumbled girl to disappear with her down the hallway that led to his bedroom. Barton met the brunette when she hurried close, resting a hand on her shoulder as she whispered, "What happened?"
Swallowing roughly, Trowa met her gaze and replied, "I will tell you everything as soon as we have her settled and as comfortable as we can make her."
Not needing to be told twice, the mothering Infected's fright was instantly replaced by seeing to the task at hand. Fast in her steps, she led the way to Heero's room and pushed away the dark curtain that sealed off the door. Gasping, her brown eyes widened at the ghastly sight of the thrashing living on the bed.
Crouched over her, Yuy was gently brushing back the damp hair from her face. At the sound of the curtain being opened, he peered back with a deep concern in his cobalt eyes.
Quickly appraising the tattered dress, bruises and dried blood on the girl, Midi hurried to the bed. "Heero, warm a bucket of water on the fire and bring some washrags with it when it's ready," she ordered, lightly pushing her cousin aside so that she could have a good look at his charge.
Without looking back at her husband, she removed the bit from the teenager's clenched teeth as she requested in the same firm voice, "Trowa, bring belts, ties and whatever else we can use as restraints. We need to secure her down so that she can't hurt herself. And I'll need one of my slips, something light because her body is going to heat up before it turns cold."
Her family moved off to their tasks, both back with the requested items in seconds. As the items were lowered by the bed, the brunette straightened herself to face the other Vampires. "I need the room to clean and change her," she frowned over the piercing scream that filled the room. "The poor thing deserves that much decency after what's happened to her."
Trowa nodded, taking hold of his cousin's shoulder when Yuy was reluctant to move. Keeping his golden cobalt eyes on the girl, he allowed himself to be taken back out into the hallway as Midi closed the curtain after them.
* * * * * *
An hour later...
Never in the many years that he had known Heero had Trowa ever seen his cousin so distraught. Pacing anxiously back and forth along the hallway, the unruly-haired Infected walked with his head lowered and a hand over his mouth as they had to listen to the horrific cries and yells coming from his room.
From time to time, he could be heard whispering to himself. "I just couldn't let her die..."
"Such a waste to let that spirit go..."
"Couldn't let her go..."
Pushing himself away from the wall that he was leaning against as he watched, Barton sighed deeply, "I know that you are going to want to be close to her." He paused to take a deep breath before he shook his head, "But you don't want to see this. She will be in and out of it for the next three days, never remembering a thing of it when the change is complete."
Lost to the memories of his wife from her turning, he shuddered, "It is hell to see a person in that transition."
"I did this to her," Yuy replied softly as he stopped to look on the tall Infected. "Maybe I didn't start it, but I finished it." Wrapping his arms around himself as he thought back to how damaged and broken the little performer had been, he muttered, "I need to be here for her... she's my responsibility, after all."
Opening his mouth to protest, Trowa held his tongue when the curtain to Heero's room was pushed back so that Midi could step out. Biting her lip, the brunette focused on her cousin to take in his deeply worried expression with an unreadable one of her own.
Instead of waiting to have permission to see his charge, Yuy rushed for the doorway to blink in surprise at the sight of the girl restrained to his bed. Though the little performer continued to yell and convulse, she looked more like the lovely girl that he had seen perform with such confidence and life on stage for hundreds of nights before this.
Her red hair brushed and falling freely about her, the teenager's paling skin was clean and practically glowing. The thinly-strapped, lilac slip that fell just above her knees was just enough to cover her... a good choice on Trowa's part considering how badly she was sweating.
It was the sight of those restraints that really got to Heero. Swallowing roughly at the vision of them, he slowly walked to the side of his bed. Sobbing quietly, the redhead's face was turned away as her whole body shook. As he lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed, the Vampire's still heart broke all over again in seeing her in such pain and so scared. Then... very carefully, he began to undo the latches of the ties from her.
Gasping, Trowa moved to step in and stop him. Midi blinked in surprise, but grabbed her husband's shoulder, shaking her head when their eyes met so that their cousin had a moment.
When the last of the restraints were pulled free, Yuy tossed them aside and brushed the back of his fingers against the side of the trembling girl's cheek, wiping away a trail of tears from her face that had melded with the sweat drops on her warm skin.
She needed something familiar... something that would help her through. And it was with that knowledge that Heero took deep breath and recalled the end of her favorite song to sing softly, "So soon may I follow when friendships decay. And from love's shining circle the gems drop away."
The redhead's labored breathing slowed, the tremors lessened and finally, her eyes blinked open at his singing. Her head turning, she blinked her blue eyes in a moment of clarity as their gazes locked. Encouraged, the Vampire continued, "When true hearts lie withered and fond ones are flown. Oh who would inhabit this bleak world alone... This bleak world alone."
Biting her lip, the girl's eyes filled with tears as she whimpered past her chattering teeth, "P-please... stay with me? I... 'm so... s-scared."
Without hesitating, Heero stretched himself out to lie beside her, wrapping his arms around her thin waist as he promised softly, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here with you the whole time." Sniffling, the girl nodded and her eyes squeezed closed as she shook. The Infected tightened his hold around her as her head burrowed into his shoulder.
From the doorway, Midi wiped a stray tear as she gently pulled her husband back and closed the curtain behind them. Turning to the other Vampire, she whispered, "I... I never saw anything so sweet in my existence. Who knew that Heero could be so tender?"
Still reeling over the display himself, Trowa grinned widely at his wife's words. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her down the hall as he said quietly, "I think that we should give them some space. It looks like our family is going to be growing in a few days."
* * * * * *
Three days later...
Yuy was sitting on the edge of his bed, softly brushing locks of his charge's hair from the sides of her cold face. Since the morning, the girl had finally drifted off into her final deep sleep. Peaceful and silent, the performer came through her change. Now all that needed to happen was for her to wake in her new life.
Just as his hand fell away from her cheek, the girl's eyes snapped open to reveal the gold bands ringing the blue irises. Her head turning, she blinked at the wide-eyed, nervous Infected watching her. The recognition of his presence, how he'd held her, sang to her and kept his word to never leave her side flickered in her shimmering eyes.
Sitting herself up slowly with their gazes still locked and their noses nearly touching, she smiled widely before she threw her arms around his neck and rested the side of her face against his shoulder with a whispered, "Thank you."
Melting at the embrace, her rescuer closed his eyes as he returned it tenfold. When they pulled back a long moment later, only enough so that they could look on each other again, the redhead grinned, "I'm Anna."
Unable to help the wide smile that spread on his own face at having her name, the Vampire nodded firmly and replied just as quietly, "Heero."
TBC...
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