CH. 3

Hours later, Hana slowly forced her way up through the dark veil of unconsciousness. As she came closer to the light, she had a vague memory of Sabishii hovering over her, whispering something, then a sharp pain in her wrist. It seemed almost ridiculous, but she couldn’t shake the strange feeling.

Forcing her eyes open, she did a fast survey and found that she actually felt pretty good. She had been so sure that she was going to die, but she actually found that she felt better than she had in a long time. Trying to sit up, she found that it wasn’t hardly difficult at all, the only things holding her back were the many tubes and wires running between her body and several machines and the fact that she was rather stiff. Her right wrist, in particular, seemed to be a bit soar.

Looking down at it, she was surprised to find small scars on the inside of her wrist that she was positive hadn’t been there before. As she touched them, she heard the words “first part of the bonding” echo through her head.

She didn’t have time to ponder these strange words, though, because just then her parents came in and were shocked to see her awake and sitting up. “Hana!” her mother burst when she saw her. “You’re awake. Thank God. But Hunny, you shouldn’t be sitting up. You’ve had a bad attack, you need to rest. Now, you lay back and relax while your father goes and gets the doctor.” Her mother bustled over and gently but firmly pushed her back down on the bed. Hana tried to protest as her father turned from the door and disappeared back down the hall, but the oxygen mask over her mouth made it hard for her to be understood.

Within moments, the doctor came in with her father right on his heels. They performed a flurry of all too familiar tests and everyone was shocked by the results. Miraculously, it seemed as if Hana’s heart had healed spontaneously to the point that it was almost completely better, though there was still some weakness and scar tissue. The doctors were still hesitant, though. As fast as this healing had come, it could revert just as quickly, leaving her on death’s door step once again.

That evening, when she finally had a few quiet moment alone with her parents, Hana was struck by a sudden thought. “Mama, have you seen Sabishii today?”

Her mother looked at her in confusion. “Sabishii? Who is that, Dear? A friend?”

Hana felt her cheeks burn as she smiled a little. “I’m not sure. Maybe. He’s a doctor here. I was talking to him in the garden before my attack. I think I might have accidently upset him, because he ran off. I never had the chance to apologize. I think he might have been here while I was asleep, but I’m not sure. Could you please find him for me? Maybe one of the nurses or other doctors will know him. I really want to see him, at least so I can apologize.”

Her parents looked at each other, seeming reluctant. But if the man was a doctor.... And how could they deny her something so simple when she could have a fatal relapse any moment without a good cause? “Alright, Sweety,” her father finally agreed with a sigh. “We’ll talk to the nurses and see if they can find him for you. But it’s late. You need your rest. We’ll see you in the morning. What was his name again?”

Hana smiled. “Sabishii Kihaku. Thank you, Daddy. I’ll see you in the morning.” They kissed her goodnight and quietly left. Hana laid back with a smile of contentment and soon drifted off to sleep.

Her dreams kept replaying one short scene that seemed as if it were a memory, but she wasn’t sure had ever happened: Sabishii bending over her, whispering to her; a sharp pain in her wrist and a feeling of moisture; the pain receding and him whispering to her again before falling asleep at her side.

A short time later, a nurse found Sabishii resting in the doctor’s lounge. “I’m sorry doctor. I don’t mean to bother you, but I was just told that a Miss Hana Shinme was asking for you.”

Sabishii stood in a fluid movement, trying not to seem too excited about the news. “Thank you. If I’m needed, page me.” With that, he swept from the room and headed up to Hana’s room.

When he reached her door, he hesitated for a moment. It was late, she was most likely asleep. But he just couldn’t resist. Knowing that she had asked for him, that she wanted to talk to him, he couldn’t stand to wait. He gently knocked on the door and quietly walked in.

As he expected, she was asleep, but at the sound of his entrance she stirred. Moaning and squirming a bit, she slowly opened her eyes and looked toward him. As soon as her eyes settled on him, a smile spread across her face. “Sabishii. You came,” she whispered with joy.

He just stood there for a moment, then crossed the room in a few steps, dropping to his knees as his face crumpled and he took her hand in his. “I’m so sorry, Hana. Can you ever forgive me? It’s all my fault that this happened to you. I never should have rushed off like that, but I was just... so confused. So many things were rushing through my head, I just couldn’t think straight. You didn’t do anything wrong, no matter what you may have thought. I couldn’t let you die with that guilt. I’m so sorry.” He tapered off to quiet sobs.

Hana’s initial joy at seeing Sabishii quickly faded away as he collapsed at her side and began crying. At first, she was so shocked that she couldn’t even move. She simply sat there listening to him. But as his words trailed off, she wrapped her free arm around him as best she could and rested her head on top of his. “I’m sorry too. I never should have put you in that position,” she whispered as she smoothed his hair.

They sat there quietly like that for a moment, then she spoke again, being careful of her words. “Sabishii, I think I dreamed about you while I was unconscious. I saw you here in my room. You spoke to me, apologizing. You were holding my hand, then you pressed your mouth to my wrist and I felt a sharp pain. After a moment, you let go, said something about the first part of the bonding and I think you might have fallen asleep next to me. When I woke up, the wrist you touched was stiff and I found some small scars that I know weren’t there before.” She sat quietly for a moment, letting her words sink in. “I don’t know what it all means, but you don’t have to worry. I haven’t told anyone, and if you don’t want me to, I promise I won’t. I promise. But I would appreciate it if you could explain it to me. Please?”

Sabishii sighed to himself. He wasn’t exactly sure how to tell her this, but he didn’t want to keep secrets from Hana anymore. “There is something that I wanted to tell you in the garden, but I couldn’t. I was afraid of what you might think of me, how you would react. That was what was bothering me so much, why I ran away.” He took a deep breath, bracing himself. “I am a vampire, but please don’t jump to any conclusions. I don’t like blood. I mean, I suppose somewhere deep down, I do, but I’m not like the monsters from horror stories. I don’t need to drink blood to survive, and I can fight any desire for it, for the most part.

“Vampires are immortal, at least in comparison to normal humans. We can live for over a thousand years. We... have the ability to ..bond with a human partner, and the shared connection allows the human to live as long as the vampire.”

Hana sat back, taking a moment to absorb all this information. “Wow. So...you’re a vampire. I always thought that it was all make-believe, old fairy tales.” Then a thought hit her. “Wait... I saw you in the sun. Isn’t the sun supposed to burn you?”

Sabishii just smiled at her. He was happy that she was taking this so well. “Well, that might have been true for ancient vampires. I’m not completely sure. Even our own legends about our history are a little vague on the point. But at least for modern vampires, sun isn’t a problem. Nor is garlic or crosses. A stake to the heart will kill us, but then again, it’d kill you humans as well.” He gave a gentle snort of laughter.

Cautiously, he stood and slipped next to her on the bed, pulling her into him. He didn’t want to frighten her, but now that she knew and apparently accepted the truth, he had a deep longing to be close to her. He was relieved when she didn’t pull away and gave a sigh of contentment when she rested back against him.

For her part, Hana didn’t say anything for a few minutes, too preoccupied with trying to rework her view of the world with this new truth. After a moment, something that Sabishii had said flashed in her mind. “Wait. You said that the bite was just the first part of the bonding. What’s the rest of it?”

Sabishii hesitated for a moment, not sure if he really wanted to tell her at this point. But eventually he decided that she had a right to know. “Well, the first is the bite, like I already told you. Next is a mental connection. The human will see the vampire in their dreams, eventually be able to hear his thoughts... not all the time, but in certain situations.” Sabishii paused, unwilling to go on, but knowing he had to.

Hana chuckled a little against his chest. “Well, I’m already seeing you in my dreams. Of course, I think I was pretty high on whatever drugs they were pumping into me at the time...” She chuckled again. “So, is that it or is there more?” She had a feeling there was, but she sensed his reluctance.

After a moment, he spoke again. “No, there’s more. After that, the partners have to..... be physically intimate.” He blushed a little and continued on. “The final part of the bonding requires the human to drink the blood of the vampire. But all of these steps must be done willingly. A vampire cannot force a human to bond with them, despite what you may have seen or read in Dracula.” He tried to defuse the tension with humor, but didn’t entirely succeed.

Hana gave a distracted smile at his joke, but was too busy with his other words. “”Physically intimate? You mean like making love, right?” She blushed at the idea, but tried not to let Sabishii see. “And, I’m sorry, but drinking blood? Ewww.” She realized at once how this might sound to Sabishii and quickly continued. “I’m not saying I don’t want to be with you and bond and all that. I love you. At least, I’m pretty sure I do. But... I’m 16, and I’ve spent most of my life in this hospital. There is so much that I don’t know about, that I’ve never experienced.

“And after we are bonded, what would happen to me? I mean, I know I’d live as long as you do, but that’s....kind of the problem. How could I hide it from my parents that I’m not getting any older? Or at least, not as fast as I should? I couldn’t, at least not for ever. I would eventually have to leave them. That’s been the hardest part about knowing that I was going to die. As much as I want to be with you, I’m not sure I’m ready to leave them yet if I have the choice. Would it be alright... I mean, would you mind if I took a while to make up my mind?”

Sabishii smiled and pulled her into a warm hug. “Of course not, Hana. You take all the time you need. I’ll never force anything on you, I promise. We’ll move forward at your pace. I do have one request, though. I would like it if we could at least move to the second stage. If we are mentally connected, the bond works both ways. I would be able to know when you are in trouble, and I could help you. After that, though, it’ll be when you are ready. And if that’s not for years, that’s fine. I’m not getting that much older. I can wait.”

Hana smiled with relief, glad that he understood. “Alright. We can do that. I don’t suppose it would be that bad, having you in my head. You seem to be there already, so I might as well make it a conscious choice, right?” she teased.

Sabishii closed his eyes and gently but firmly pressed his hand to Hana's face, something like a Vulcan mind meld. Hana held still, not entirely sure what she should do, if anything. She felt this strange sensation, as if something warm was slipping into her head.

After a few moments, Sabishii opened his eyes and released her face. "Is that it?" she yawned. She tried to stifle it, but didn’t entirely succeed.

Sabishii looked down at her and saw her eyes beginning to droop. “Yes, that's it. But it’s late, and you’ve had a hard couple of days. You need to get your sleep.” He tried to stand, but Hana grabbed his arm.

“Please, don’t go. I’m alright, really.”

He let her hold his hand as he grabbed a nearby chair, pulled it up and sat down. “I tell you what. I’ll stay as long as you try and go to sleep, alright? You won’t do yourself any good by getting worn down, and we’ll have plenty of time to be together.”

Content, Hana laid back down on the bed and closed her eyes. After a moment, her face screwed up with a sudden thought. “Wait, what about you? Don’t you need to sleep too?”

Sabishii smiled. “Yes, but I don’t need nearly as much sleep as you do. My kind can get by with just a couple of hours a day. So will you once the bond is complete. But now go to sleep. You can ask me all the questions you want tomorrow.”

“Promise?” Hana asked, her voice starting to fade as sleep began to take her.

“Promise.” Sabishii gently stroked her hair and hummed a quiet tune as he watched her drift. When he was sure that she was completely out, he gently pushed his consciousness toward Hana’s sleeping mind. Hana. Hana, can you hear me? She shifted a bit in her sleep, moaning quietly, but made no other indication that she had heard him. I’ll be right here if you need me, Hana. If you ever need help, just call for me. I’ll hear you. In her sleep she shifted again and called out his name. Smiling, Sabishii quietly got up and left.