Another One Bites the Dust

Nathan returns to Japan after years of running away from his past. He returns to protect the one he never had the chance to love, the one whose blood made his still heart beat. To the woman who made his mind dizzy with thoughts he wasn�t used to and the o

 

“Another one bites the dust…” she sang as she danced up the stairs, the cord from her headphones swinging in time with her hips. She spun about, her black hair shimmering blue fanning in the air. She flipped her hair out of her way, hands pushing the heavy door that lead to the rooftop. She grunted with the weight as her small body strained to open it. When she did she jumped happily and let go, allowing the door to close with a loud slam.

 

“Another one bites the dust, and another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust…” She sung, danced and twirled. Her feet nearly tripping over themselves, she was saved from the fall by a strong arm under her back.

 

She smiled up at her savior. She recognized him from her class, the one she just spent the better part of 5 minutes escaping. She ignored his questioning gaze, grabbed his hands and started to dance again.

 

Her mini black pleated skirt fanned out with her hair, her thick stud belt clanging against the swinging chain attached to her left hip. The song continued to play and she continued to sing and dance to it. He seemed to have understood, the song striking a cord within him.

 

The song was old; he remembered when it first premiered and when the group then started to fade. He remembered when songs became a form of amusement rather than a way to relay information or quell a child of their fears. He remembered when the human race began to stand and walk erect on two feet, holding their own against the darkness that permeated the world.

 

He smirked and released the girl from his grasp. She didn’t seem to care whether he danced or not, she was content with her music and thus swayed away. He followed her with his eyes, watching for any sudden changes in her balance. Though he was new to the school, he was not foreign to women, especially young ones such as her. It was a normal occurrence for something to happen for no reason and with her, she was prone to it. She was prone to falling, and other such accident, and being on a rooftop that just didn’t seem like the place to be for someone like her.

 

Her boots were heavy on the cement top, the stomping and the clangs of her chain and belt adding to the rhythm of the song. Though she was across the schools top he could hear it as if the device was plugged into his own ear.

 

Her movements changed suddenly, they were slower, sexier even. He could see the shirt, disheveled from her previous movements stretch across her chest, the picture of a rose distorted and twisted from her bust to the left corner of her hip. He followed that line down her incredibly short black skirt and long legs clad in fishnet to the heavy boots on her feet.

 

She was beautiful for a human specimen; even in his long life he had never seen one like her. True he had seen his fair share of beauties, most with long hair and silk kimono’s, but she, this young teenaged girl had a delicate, childlike beauty to her. She wore little makeup and left her hair down and wild. It was beautiful and refreshing to see someone so carefree and spirited.

 

He continued to watch her even as the bell rang, signaling for change of class. The young woman continued to dance to the many songs on her iPod, the thing never failing, the battery continuing its longevity. Even as the students were dismissed from school and to their lives beyond these walls, she stayed and he stayed watching her.

 

Hours later, when the last body left the school and they were alone on the rooftop, their bags sitting in the corner near the door did she stop, reached into the band of her skirt and retrieved the iPod, shutting it off.

 

Her back was facing him, the wind pulling her hair to her right side violently, dust and dirt that had settled on the roof was kicked up and swirled between the two. He remained motionless, leaning calmly against the railing without a care of how high up he was or how far it would be should he lean back farther and fall.

 

Sunlight was beginning to fade into the horizon, the clouds above them turning pink. They stayed in silence for a while, her back still turned to him. He shifted slightly, crossing his left leg over his right. He could see her tense and he smirked. He pulled his hands from his pockets, the silver rings on his fingers glistening in the fading light before he crossed his hands over his chest. His black jeans were semi-destroyed, though they were not bought like that, and the shirt he wore was a simple black T. He wore black and white high top converse on his feet and a gun on the stud belt that held up his jeans. His wallet sat in his back pocket connected to a silver chain on his left hip, safely out of the way of the gun on his right. He left his red hair tied in a low ponytail, his emerald green eyes shaded by his bangs, were fixed on the woman before him. Waiting for when she would speak.

 

“What are you doing here Alexander?” She asked her voice cold. She never turned to face him, her arms at her side were tense, her hands clenched into fists.

 

“Why do you think?” He spoke, his voice deep and smooth as silk. “And you know never to call me by that name.”

 

“I’ll call you what I wish, Vampire!” She turned quickly, her raven hair spinning, revealing her neck to him. Her sapphire eyes narrowed in anger as she spat out her last word.

 

He hissed at this, then quicker than the eye can see he was in front of her, her wrists caught in his iron hold and her ear near his lips, his other hand resting on the small of her back.

 

“I am not here to harm you or your family, you know this. You know I would never…”

 

“Bull s**t Nathan!” She spat loudly, his ears ringing from the pitch. She tried to pull her hands from his grip, but it was futile, so she resolved to kick instead. She aimed between his legs and brought her knee up to make the connection. Faster than she could hit him, she was pinned against the wall, her legs spread apart and his hips safely placed between them.

 

She growled and tried to hit him in any way possible. Her hair moved wildly from her action. His growl was even louder and it stunned her to the core. She stilled immediately feeling his warm breath on her neck and fangs resting against the pale flesh of her throat. He lifted his left hand that held hers captive and forced them above her head. Using his right, he removed the hair that was annoyingly placed on her right side where his head was. She shivered at the combination of his warm breath, cool sharp teeth and fingers gliding across the nape of her neck, pulling her raven hair to the other side.

 

“Will you be still and hear me out now Vivian?” Her heart raced, her breathing quickened at the feel of his lips on her skin, moving in time to his words. A blush crept upon her cheeks. “Or will I need to use other methods?”

 

“Are you going to shoot me with that gun of yours?” She asked. “Or will you bite me like so many others?”

 

“I would never harm you Vivian, but right now you’re forcing my hand. I have no other choice.”

 

“Shouldn’t my cross repel you?” She sighed out.

 

He chuckled and lifted his head from the crook of her neck. “You mean this?” His right hand traced along the gold chain that hung on her chest. He hooked his finger under the chain and lifted it from between her breast, revealing the gold cross with Christ vividly cast, crucified on it. He passed his thumb over it lightly, and she gasped. His finger was still intact, no burning flesh or screaming. No reaction from him other than a small frown.

 

“No, crosses have no affect on us.”

 

“What about…”

 

“Holy water? Nope.”

 

“Or…”

 

“A stake through the heart? Would probably be the equivalent you humans feel after a bad breakup, except no tears.”

 

“What about crossing water?”

 

“How do you think I got here? Japan is an island chain Vivian. I just came back from Italy, and the Vatican is lovely by the way.”

 

“So… What does kill you?”

 

“Ah, now telling you would take the fun out of it all now wouldn’t it?” He smirked.

 

She huffed and turned her head away from him, unconsciously exposing her neck to him once again.

 

“Vivian, face me, unless you wish for me to take a bite…” She took in a sharp intake of breath and turned to face him, though not happy about it.

 

Silence engulfed them, neither wishing to break it for different reasons. Nathan didn’t want to sadden her with the information he was about to relay, and she didn’t want to speak to him period, end of story.

 

Nathan sighed and loosened his grip on her wrists. She didn’t move, just watched him as he moved slowly away from her. With her personal space now defined by her bubble, though smaller, she was happy for it. She didn’t need the reminders of her past, their past.

 

He looked down at her sadly. His frown evidently placed on his normally calm façade.

 

“What happened between us to cause this mess? Was it something I did? Something I said?” He asked, nearly whispered out.

 

“Just know it was your fault and that’s the end of that.” She snapped. “Now, what was it that you came to tell me?”

 

Nathan just stayed silent, his face displaying his emotions too clearly.

 

“Hurry up and spit it out! I don’t want to be around you longer than I need to.”

 

“Are you sure, I don’t think it’d be good for you to hear this in the angered state you’re in.”

 

“I don’t care what you think! Hurry up and spit it out damn it!”

 

“I…”

 

“Nathan!”

 

“You’re going to die.” He whispered.

 

Again silence crept over them. She stood still pressed against the wall, her hands, now at her side, clenched, and in a move far from the though of her many reactions, Vivian pulled back her hand and punched Nathan straight in the jaw.

 

His head turned slightly from the force, but he made no other movement. He turned to face her again, his hands now stuffed into his pockets.

 

Vivian’s hand was now cradled in her left, her bangs shielding her eyes from view.

 

“How….” She looked up, her eyes locking with his. “How dare you!”

 

She lunged for his gun, he made no movement to stop her, he even moved his arm away from her hand, allowing her better access to the weapon. When she released it from its holster, she pulled back, shakily aiming it at his chest.

 

“Don’t you come near me, you b*****d!” She clenched the gun tighter, the weight of it so foreign and the feel so cool and hard against her hand.

 

Nathan leaned forward, and reached across the space towards the gun. It was a calm movement that he could have executed so much faster. The weapon could have been pulled out of her hand at anytime, but he left it with her, pointed at a deadly distance from him.

 

“Don’t move Nathan! I’ll shoot, I swear to god I will!” She screamed at him, she pressed herself harder against the wall, her hands visibly shaking.

 

His hand closed over the end of the gun and released the safety switch with a click.

 

“I would be easier to use if you had the safety off, wouldn’t it Vivian?” He spoke so calm, as if he weren’t even in such a situation.

 

A small blush tinted her cheeks from embarrassment. She shook it away and pointed the barrel higher up on his chest.

 

“This is point blank range Vivian.” He sighed. “If you want to shoot me then you’d better do it now, you won’t get any better opportunity than this”

 

He took a step forward, grabbed the barrel of the gun and touched it to his chest where his heart rested, silent and still. With the other hand that was not holding the barrel, he whipped a stray tear off her cheek.

 

“Will it kill you?” Her voice nearly cracked her tears thick in her throat. Now that it came down to it, to getting back for ever thing she had been through, every pain and lie he had put her through. Now, she just couldn’t pull the trigger.

 

“It would if the shot is true.” His voice was low, his eyes soft. It was like all his worries were melted away, every mask he ever wore, every barrier he had placed up. All of them were crashing down around him, leaving nothing but the true him, the one he should have shown her long ago.

 

“I’m a vampire hunter Vivian. I hunt and kill my own kind. I’m the best of the best, and I know that what is in that gun will kill me. My question is,” he leaned a little bit forward so he could rest his lips near her ear. “Will you be the one to end my existence?” He whispered those words, then leaned back to look straight into her eyes.

 

“Can you pull that trigger Vivian, and know that I will be dead within moments? Can you live with yourself after shooting someone to death, even if I am a vampire?”

 

He closed his eyes, even though he wanted to see her face as she did it, as she pulled the trigger and ended his abnormal life. He wanted to watch her, just watch. He never wanted to forget her and so he was able to accept his death if it came from her hands. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

The guns shot resonated and bounced off ever space on the roof as possible. Nathan didn’t even flinch as the bullet passed by his cheek, leaving a red line of blood, cutting off several of his strands of hair and splitting the band that held it all together.

 

He opened his eyes to see her standing there clutching the wall. The gun that had once been in her hand was now on the floor a few steps away. Her tears were falling rapidly and her chest was heaving with the difficult job of breathing.

 

He crossed the distance and swept her into his arms, she buried her head into his chest and sobbed.

 

“I couldn’t… I just couldn’t do it….” She cried. “I love you too much to let you go.”

 

He held her tighter and turned to face the horizon. The sun was just a few minutes from falling into night. He had little time to get her as far away from Japan as possible, at least away from Tokyo.

 

“Vivian, we must hurry.” He pulled her from his embrace to face him. She hurriedly wiped her hears off her cheeks and looked up at him. “If we don’t leave now…”

 

“What about my family? Will they be safe?”

 

“They will, but we must hurry. If we don’t get out of Tokyo before midnight I’m afraid no one will be safe.”

 

“Still haven’t forgiven you for what you did.”

 

He stilled and listened to her heart. She spoke no lies, but he had done nothing to wrong her in the past. What was it that made her change this way?

 

“You’re going to have to explain that in the car, and in exchange I’ll tell you what is hunting you.”

 

He gave her no time to answer, he lifted her into his arms, one under her knees and the other across her shoulders. He ran quickly towards their discarded bags and as he bent to leap over the railing that surrounded the rooftop he ordered to Vivian to grab their bags. When she hand them securely settled in her lap, his legs uncoiled and he sprung in the air, over the railing and down the 4 stories of their school.

 

Vivian nearly screamed but bit her lip and clung tighter to Nathan as they free fell. Her stomach felt as if it was left on the railing of the school building, too afraid to take the plunge with the rest of her body.

 

He landed lightly on the grass of the court yard and took of in a brisk jog towards a slick black viper. He unhooked his arms from her shoulder, barking out an order to hold on tight as he fished from his right pocket the keys to open the car door. He lightly placed her in the passenger seat, slammed the door and leapt back onto the rooftop to retrieve his fallen weapon. He holstered it and he returned to the car, making sure the safety lock was securely in place.

 

When he entered the car, he shoved the key into the ignition, ignoring the rapid fire questions that Vivian was now spouting.

 

“Put on your seat belt.” He ordered as he pealed out of his parking space and into the crowded roads of Tokyo.

 

“Now what the hell is going on Nathan?” He sighed and took a deep breath, preparing himself for a long explanation. It was only fair that he spilled first, after all it was her life on the line.

 

“When I was in Italy, I came across a group of vampires, a cult if you wish to call it that. This organization is out to destroy the elders that govern our race. As you may now from previous conversations the elders make all the rules, and these rules are absolute, no shades of grey, just clear cut black and white.”

 

“So what does that have to do with these vampires? Isn’t it law that whatever rule is broken, a hunter is sent after them and executed?”

 

“Yes, that is true, which explains why I was in Italy.” He took his eyes from the road for a moment to look behind him, in the back seat was a large wooden trunk with several leather latches keeping it closed from prying eyes.

 

“Vivian, reach into the back seat, open that trunk and hand me one of those hand guns.”

 

She looked at him quizzically but didn’t question it. She twisted, the chest strap of the seatbelt restricting her movements. She turned back to shove the offending strap behind her back and turned to unlatch the trunk. The trunk opened with a loud screech, the hinges taking some time to pry open. She threw the heavy lid back to reveal the contents of the trunk. Many guns and potions lay in bottles lined neatly. On the lid were several hand guns and magazines, the bullets different than any other she had seen. They were and odd light blue in color, some of them even a deep blood red.

 

“What ever you do don’t touch the magazines, just grab one of the hand guns to your right, shut it and secure it.”

 

Vivian nodded and grabbed the farthest gun to the right then slammed the lid shut. It took her less time to hook the latches then it did to undo them. She then turned around to face the road, which had now switched to a forest landscape.

 

“Where are we?”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” He said as he pulled the gun from her hands. He let go of the steering wheel for the moment to remove the magazine and look at the bullets. It was loaded with the red tipped casings that lined the trunk’s top. He shoved it back in after counting each bullet and reloading it. He gripped the steering wheel with this left hand to guide the car into a left turn and handed Vivian back the gun, safety securely locked.

 

“Have you ever used a gun before Vivian?”

 

“What do you mean have I ever used a gun!? I just shot you not too long ago didn’t I?”

 

“What I mean is, have you had any training to handle one?”

 

Vivian looked down at the gun resting in her hands on her lap. No, she hadn’t had any training to use one. In fact the first time she even held one was not too long ago when she pointed it at Nathan on the rooftop. It frightened her to hold something so dangerous. She was naturally a calm and diplomatic person. She would rather speak her mind and resolve things peacefully then use force to sway the minds of others. Force only lasted for so long, good, clean words and actions always had better, longer lasting results.

 

“No.” She whispered, almost inaudibly.

 

“That’s what I though. The way you held it up on the roof, it was like you were frightened of it.” Nathan turned to face her, placed his larger hand over hers that held the gun. “I only want you to use that for self-defense. Use it only when you have no other options. Promise me that. A weapon can always be turned against you, use it when you truly need to, when you have a clear shot. Got that Vivian?”

 

Vivian gripped the gun harder and sighed. She turned to meet his eyes and nodded. He smiled, a true earnest smile, one that she hadn’t seen since their past during the good old days. He caressed her cheek lightly and pulled away to return to his task of driving. She turned away from him, touching her blushing cheek in a small effort to hide it from him. It was in vain, he was a vampire after all. He could hear her heart speed up to his touch, could see the blood vessels float upon on the skin of her cheeks, neck and chest. The temperature of her body jumped when he touched her and was no boiling along with her thoughts.

 

He chuckled to himself. So she hadn’t changed after all, good. He had hope at least that part of their past was still alive and easily rekindled. He pulled up to a small run down hut and parked the car between two large trees.

 

“What are we doing here Nathan?” Vivian asked turning to him.

 

“Hiding.” He replied swiftly and exited the car, making his way over the passenger side to open the door for her.

 

“Thank you.” She muttered, exited with the gun grasped tightly in her hands.

 

“I don’t think you’ll be needing that right now.” Nathan turned to her and fished a small gold key from his pocket. “This key should open the door. Go inside and find a place to sleep for the night, in the morning we take off for France.”

 

“France!?”

 

“Yes, France. I have an old friend there who is just dying to meet you.”

 

“That can’t be the only reason we’re going to France, is it?”

 

“No, we are going to meet my mother, have a nice wedding, and some hot sex right after.” He smirked as he said this, while pulling out the trunk from the back seat.

 

“Nathan!”

 

“You’re too easily riled up Vivian.” He chuckled at the look on her face. It was priceless, she looked almost as if she swallowed something extremely sour. Her cheeks were a fierce red, her lips pursed and eyes wide, almost ready to jump out of her head. “No, there’s an order put in place to protect you. You’re blood is precious to us.”

 

Vivian looked down at her feet, her embarrassment completely forgotten. She looked back up at him, tears evident in her eyes.

 

“Is that the only reason you came back for me, I thought…” She whispered brokenly.

 

Nathan put down the trunk he had been holding and pulled her into a hug. He silently held her, he could feel her small form trembling from the effort she put into not crying.

 

“Vivian, you know me. I wouldn’t come just to protect your blood,” he pushed her from him at arms length to gaze into her watery sapphire eyes. He could see the individual tears clinging to her long thick black lashes. The color of her irises had darkened to a stormy blue, almost navy, and her nose gained a pink tint. He wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “I came to protect you, all of you, not your blood.”

 

Vivian was about to speak, to thank him for his reassuring words when she felt his lips on her forehead. She stilled, her heart racing once again. Her thoughts were torn between the present and the past. She had loved him so dearly then, nearly giving herself to him, that was, before he up and left her alone in the darkness to stumble through it alone.

 

“Nathan.”

 

Nathan stopped immediately. She was the only one to know his human name, the name he was given at birth many centuries ago. Whenever she used it she wanted something, something valuable or dangerous. This time, he sensed it would be neither, what she wanted was the truth, the reason for his departure three years ago.

 

“Why…” She turned away from him, took a few steps towards the house and crossed her arms. “Why did you leave me three years ago?” She turned to face him, her anger shinning though her tears were falling faster now than before. “Why did you leave me in the dark!?”

 

“Let’s go inside, I’ll explain everything.” He picked up the trunk again and began walking up to the hut.

 

The hut was old. The walls were made in the same fashion as they were before the advancements of modern day technology. The walls were made of old timber that was ridden with termite holes. The windows were just holes cut out of the structure and covered with bamboo mats to shield the inside from the elements. The mats were missing pieces, dusted with dirt and some were hanging to the side, swinging in the light breeze. The roof was made from shingled planks of wood with stones placed randomly to keep the planks in place.

 

“Are you sure this place is safe?”

 

“It’ll have to do for now.”

 

Vivian forced the key into the lock and turned it, pushing the door lightly hoping the surrounding fixtures would stay in place. The hinges creaked as the door slowly opened. Inside there was a small hearth fire pit in the center of the living space that was elevated from the dirt floor. A dusty, moth eaten futon was rolled up in the corner along with pots and other utensils to work the fire with. On the adjacent wall were stacks of dry firewood and a few jars with what appeared to be collected rain water.

 

“It’s not much but its home for the night.” Nathan said as he placed the trunk down on the platform.

 

“Nathan, how do we know this hut won’t collapse on us during the night?”

 

“It won’t, I’ll reinforce the walls with my plants for now. It should also serve as a barrier from unwanted guests.”

 

“Oh…”

 

Nathan left his shoes on as he crossed the platform of the living area, kicking up the dirt that had been previously resting on the aged wood. He stood in the center near the fire pit and pushed the hair from the nape of his neck away. Within his fingers was a small round brown seed. With his right he punched a hole into the floorboards and placed the seed in the undisturbed soil. He closed his eyes and everything became silent. Kagome’s skin and the hairs on the back of her neck raised and shivered with the energy surrounding the hut.

 

From the walls, vibrant green vines twisted in the rotting wood strengthening the foundation. Flowers grew in various places from the vine. Their petals silky white fading into a dark blue. The entire hut filled with the scent of midnight jasmine, it was rather pleasant to stay in now that the musky smell of rotting wood and other timely factors were removed. 

 

“The flowers are beautiful, though I never knew Midnight Jasmine had petals such as this.” Vivian said as she picked one of the flowers and held it delicately to her nose.

 

“They don’t. This is a special breed that I crossed myself. Now I believe it’s time to rest, I’ll explain everything in the morning, but right now you need your rest.” Nathan said as he unrolled the futon and shook the debris that had accumulated there for years. He made his way to the trunk and dragged it over to the futon, opened it and pulled out a large deep blue sheet and draped it over the relatively clean futon.

 

“What about you, don’t you need to sleep in something like a coffin?” She asked as she made her way to stand next to him.

 

Nathan laughed at this but shook his head, straightening the sheet. “No, vampires don’t sleep, we can’t, force of habit really.”

 

“How so?” Vivian asked as she pulled off her shoes. She rested herself against the futon, surprised at how soft it was. She then noticed the rose petals that were falling from a tear in the futon that Nathan had pulled back to answer her unasked question. He fixed it and turned to force her off her elbows and rest her head on the futon.

 

“Humans naturally hut what they don’t understand, they fear it. They fear not having control over everything. When they are threatened of being kicked off the thrown of supreme animal in the animal kingdom they grow defensive. That’s why vampires don’t sleep, it’s to protect our species from extinction.”

 

“But you said that holy water, crosses and stakes don’t kill you, how would they kill you then?”

 

Nathan chuckled once again and placed a finger to her lips shush her. “Just because those methods don’t work, doesn’t mean a vampire can’t be killed. Now get some sleep, we have a very long day tomorrow.”

 

“And a very long discussion. You still haven’t answered me. Why did you leave me three years ago?”

 

“I’ll tell you tomorrow, I promise. It’s a long story so you’re going to want to be fully rested to pay attention to it tomorrow.”

 

“Hey! Are you calling me…”

 

“I’m not calling you anything, I’m just stating facts. If you don’t sleep, then you naturally will during my explanation tomorrow. And I don’t want you blaming me for you inability to stay awake to hear it. It’s a very long story and I don’t wish to repeat it.”

 

Vivian looked a little put off but none the less, rested her head again down on the futon and curled into the sheet. She wanted to hear his reason, and she hoped, for his sake, that they were justifiable.

 

“Good night Nathan.”

 

She felt something drape across her shoulders, and she noticed it was a black coat, even in the dim lighting. Across from her, leaning against the wall, Nathan sat, coatless. His eyes were closed, even though she knew he wasn’t asleep it seemed as if he was. She turned over once again and sank into the rose petal stuffed futon, wrapped in Nathan’s coat, feeling warm and safe despite the situation.

 

“Good night Vivian.” Nathan whispered from his position against the wall just as her breathing evened out and she drifted into slumber. “I hope you do forgive me, I love you.”

 

 

The rest will be coming soon. I just wanted to see what everyone thought about this piece

Author's Note

Warnings: There is some swearing and some sexual content (implied). So read with caution. I'm still trying to iron out the wrinkles, so please let me know if I missed one or so.
The rest will be coming soon. I just wanted to see what everyone thought about this piece. I know that some of you might be confused as the the Nathan's name change, that will be explained in the next chapter, which will hopefully be the last chapter, I don't think I can continue it farther without killing some characters along the way. Let me know if this should make for a longer, maybe novel length story.