Red Eyes

This is joint-written (finally!).

Niqi lay lightly dozing on a cot below deck. She tossed and turned in her sleep; a pair of red eyes haunted her dreams. She managed to toss at precisely the wrong moment, and the rocking of the boat combined with her momentum to dump her to the floor. She woke up with a start to the sound of laughter. It took a second to get her bearings, but then she identified the source of the laughter.

She scowled, got up, and threw Ambree's legs out from under her before she could brace herself. Then Ambree, too, fell to the floor with a whump, but the laughter only increased. Niqi scowled deeper. "Stop yowling like a moron," she growled at Ambree, and the laughter subsided into giggles.

"I was about to tell you to get up because we were almost there, but I see the boat did that for me," she announced from the floor, still grinning. She burst into laughter again after a moment. "The look on your face!"

Niqi shook her head and headed upwards.

Micah was standing at the bow of the ship when Niqi reached the deck. The hunter glanced over his shoulder at her, then returned his gaze to the seas ahead, and the slowly growing island on the horizon. "Mornin', sunshine. Judging by that look, I'd say you woke up on the wrong side of... the floor." He smirked.

Niqi sighed, exasperated, and sat down several feet from the hunter. "Why's that so goddamn funny?" she muttered. Her dream had faded quickly, and she couldn't remember at all what it had been about; but the feeling of the dream was with her still, and she felt haunted.

Micah turned, crimson eyes focused on Niqi. He offered her a charming smile. "Don't feel too bad. You're not the first vampire I've seen that falls out of their bed. By the way, we oughta reach land in... oh, a couple hours or so."

Niqi gazed back at Micah for too long. She didn't know why, but he looked...familiar. She focused on all of his features, trying to recall if she'd ever seen someone like him before, but she came up with nothing. She blinked and shook her head. "F****n' Ambree. Wanted to wake me up, and we're a couple of hours away. Girl can't pick directions or tell distance." She stared ahead at the view of the island, lightening slowly as the morning progressed.

Micah climbed onto the wooden railing, perching precariously atop it, though he didn't seem at all worried about falling. "So, how's your boyfriend, that human?"

Niqi actually jumped because of the shock that went through her at his words. "I - he was - that wasn't - it was just one - how the f**k do you know about that, anyway?" she demanded, standing up. She felt her skin flare a deep red underneath her fur.

Micah shrugged. "I'm a hunter, you're a vampire. It's my job to know everything about you creatures, including stuff like this."

Niqi felt her 'grr' face forming of its own accord; that was the first time she could ever remember it happening. "Have you been spying on me?" she growled deeply as the red haze fell over her vision.

"Back off, vamp." Micah muttered. "I really don't wanna have to waste you, you're not exactly unpleasant to look at, and you seem to have a good head on your shoulders."

Niqi forced down her grr face and sat back down, holding a hand to her head. "Ugh. We must not have been as discreet as I thought, then." She paused. "Of course. He was a f****n' DJ. Famous around those parts. Of course someone would be paying attention to him and see me go into the bathroom with the guy." She sighed. "Sorry, I overreacted. I haven't thought about that in a while."

Micah removed his hat, tossing it toward Niqi. "He has." The hunter murmured, almost too quiet to be heard

Niqi caught the hat. She wore a confused expression. "So you ran into him, then?" She put the hat on almost unconsciously.

Micah nodded after a moment. "... Yeah." He replied. "He speaks very highly of you."

Though it was hard to notice from afar, with the hunter's hat so near, it was just barely possible for Niqi to pick up a somewhat familiar scent.

Niqi wondered about the scent for a moment, then pushed it aside and laughed. "We fucked once in a bathroom stall. Whatever he said probably was just out of politeness," she said, a small hint of bitterness creeping into her tone. "Anyway, to answer your earlier question...he called a grand total of once. We had a good talk. I told him what I do. He told me what he does. Seemed like we were both leading pretty busy lives." She smiled. "I had to hang up in the middle of the discussion because Glide burst in all, 'We've got to go slaughter some demons, right f*****g now.'" She heaved an exaggerated sigh, grinning. "And since then...nothing. I'm pretty sure it's because my cellphone has been out of range for most of the time, though," she said, her voice betraying slight worry. She shook her head. "Anyway...you ran into the guy, didn't you say? You'd likely know more about how he was doing anyway." She bit her lip. "...How was he?"

Micah turned back toward the bow of the ship. "He's... he's okay. He told me he'd keep trying to call you, even if he never managed to get through... I think the guy's pretty fond of you. I'm no Cupid, but it might even be... love..."

Niqi gave him an odd look, though it had no effect since his back was turned. "Nevermind 'not Cupid,' you might be the anti-Cupid or something. Like I said, one time in a bathroom. And one chat." She stared ahead at nothing. "Nothing that should result in feelings," she asserted weakly.

Micah looked over his shoulder at Niqi, grinning. "Anti-Cupid? Ouch. You really know how to cut a guy. I'm pretty sure he likes you, though. A lot. What's your side? You like him?"

Niqi glared at him. "What's it to you? Anyway, shouldn't you be more interested in, like, my eating habits, rather than my love life?"

"No need to get defensive." Micah replied. "If you wanna talk about all the people you've eaten, let's talk. Who do we start with? The tramp you killed for clothing?"

Niqi let loose an outraged, wordless cry. "What the f**k is with you?" she yelled.

Ambree peeked her head above deck. "What's all the racket? Is a fight gonna happen?"

Micah stood up on the railing, peeling his shirt off and tossing it into the ocean below. "I tried to be civil, but it seems like you've got a problem with me. If you don't wanna talk, why don't we just settle it?"

Niqi's eyebrows rose. "You wanna fight me?"

Micah nodded, hopping down onto the deck. "That's about where this is headed, so we might as well."

Niqi stood up, flashing her fangs and falling into a feral crouch. "Bring it."

"I'm gonna go see if we actually have any popcorn," Ambree said, running below deck again.

Micah held his paws up, tail flicking back and forth. He tilted his head back. "I'll let you make the first move. 'Ladies first', all that stuff."

"Mm," Niqi replied, licking her lips in anticipation. She stalked back and forth for a few moments, preparing her attack, and then lunged. She dove headfirst at Micah's shoulder, teeth bared, but at the last second delivered a swift kick to his right flank.

Micah whirled around, intercepting the kick with a lowered paw. He reached back and grabbed Niqi by her arm, tossing her toward the mast.

Niqi quickly gained control over her flight and kicked off of the mast instead of hitting it. She used the momentum to go for a knee to the chest.

Micah sidestepped the attack, ducking behind Niqi and hooking an arm around her neck. "Gonna have to do better than that." He growled, his free paw taking hold of Niqi's tail.

Niqi gasped and then hissed, trying to yank her tail out of Micah's grasp. She pried at his arm for a moment, and then hit him with a sudden elbow to the stomach, breaking free. While he was still bent over, she spun and kicked him in the head, sending him to the deck.

Micah smirked, whirling to his feet after a moment of recovery. "That's more like it." He leapt forward, grabbing Niqi and pinning her against the mast, holding her paws above her head. "I should've warned you, though. I... play... rough."

Instinct told Niqi to lift a leg and kick Micah away from her, but in the second it took to comprehend his words, all thought fled from her. Her leg stayed where it was. Her mouth was slightly open as she stared into Micah's eyes, those red eyes that had looked so familiar, that had haunted her dreams. Only they hadn't been red last time she'd seen them, they had been ice blue.

He had spoken those words to her before; in a similar position, but a drastically different situation. "No," she mouthed; no sound came out.

"Now do you understand?" Micah snarled. "Now will you be f*****g civil and talk to me like we're not enemies!?"

"It's you! I mean – of course! Micah Seraphi!" Niqi cried, so shocked that she wasn't able to conceal her happiness. "Why - how did you - why didn't you tell me, you b*****d?" she yelled, but she was grinning hugely now.

Micah let Niqi go, making his way back to the bow of the ship. "What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, it's me, the guy you fucked in a dance club bathroom, but I'm not a human anymore'? Would you have believed me if I did tell you?"

Niqi stood, still too stunned to move. Only her arms fell down to her sides. "No," she confessed. "But...I..." She walked over to Micah. "Come here, you." She grabbed him and kissed him.

Micah let out a muffled yelp against Niqi, somewhat surprised. He pushed her away after a moment or two. "What, no questions on how this is possible, just straight to the kissing?"

"I'm so happy to see you!" Niqi replied, but then the energy began to slowly drain out of her eyes. "...Sorry," she murmured after a moment, laughing.

Micah shook his head, grinning. "Don't worry about it. Now you know why I've been helping you out at every turn."

"Thank you," Niqi said, smiling in earnest. "Now we're starting to get to the point where I'm confused. How is this possible? And how did you know about the girl whose clothing I took when I killed her? And...who are you, that you can change forms so easily?"

"The rabbits of this planet aren't the only ones that know some powerful magic." Micah replied, heading below decks. "I'll explain everything in detail, but first, you and I have some unfinished business to attend to."

Ambree came up from below deck just as Micah was heading down. "No popcorn," she said sullenly. She glanced at the two. "Did I miss the fight?"

"Yeah," Niqi murmured. "Stay up here, keep watch for when we arrive on the island," she said hastily, motioning towards the side of the boat with her hand. She rushed to join Micah below decks.

Ambree watched the two walk away, puzzled, and then shrugged and turned to keep watch.