Blood Moon: CH 11

Chapter 11

The man had gone back to sleep not long after, fatigue still apparent from how he sounded throughout his story. Nevertheless, he chose to spill all of it out, and perhaps gained some relief from it.

That was a lot.

He could still remember the tragedy; he was a part of the investigation team. And for sure he can say, the investigation for that case was rife with setbacks. It was obvious to him that the incident was made to look like an accident, but for some reason the councils--

He would've shot those outdated geezers himself had he gotten the chance to.

He wasn't the only one. The rest of the team members shared his sentiments. But being fresh out of training, he couldn't really do anything then.

"--It was a set up."

It was. They knew but they couldn't do anything. The high level that instigated the tragedy was someone influential, hence. Though knowing that a different team - the Shadow Corps - was dispatched to deal with the perpetrator brought some peace of mind.

"Us in the Shadow Corps report directly to the Council and our targets are also determined by them. But prior investigations are done by ourselves. They had been keeping an eye over that man and his benefactor for quite some time, though for some reason were kept alive for that long. That night, the commander himself had decided to hunt the man down without an order."

The Council already knew and yet they chose to remain silent. The blood that were spilled are all on their hands.

Following that, there are several stranger cases that were thrown into the dark. Now he knows that those cases are all related to these special individuals.

The last peculiar case that he caught wind of is from before his transfer. It was not too long before that; a team of three - a pair of full-fledged hunters and an intern - suddenly vanished without a trace. Some said they were killed while out hunting, others said that they were murdered. He never knew what happened after that.

 

Laying off his thoughts, he looks toward the sleeping man. The other looks much better than earlier. Is he feeling relieved? Yes, he is. Though he still couldn't quite comprehend how come he cares so much about the other man. And he's again left wondering only how much did the other man show outwardly compared to what he really is. Seeing how he is - was - no one would expect him to be an assassin.

Murasame did feels guilty for killing. But if he didn't, a lot more innocents would've died.

(Not that he cared. They're all the same to him. Somehow, Murasame is the only exception.)

Now, one of their issues is resolved, and at the same time one mystery is cleared up. The only other thing of major concern is to look for the one responsible for making all these enhanced vampires. He still could see some familiar faces among the latest groups, so there's no doubt that the people kidnapped were turned into that.

Mikage has a feeling that the other would have an idea (or probably more) about that since the man himself was turned within the same time period. He only needs to pry that knowledge from the man. But after everything, he probably wouldn't have to work so hard for that. He can say for sure that Murasame trusts him though he couldn't really see why.

(Well, if an ex-assassin trusts you, it'll likely be wiser to not question it.)

 

"How's he doing?" Unaware of the passage of time, he was shaken out of his thoughts with a sudden question from Needle. Glancing towards the direction of the voice, he sees said man standing with two cups of hot coffee in hand. It's morning already?

"Seems fine. He woke up a bit earlier, but went back to sleep not too long ago." Pausing to take a sip, he contemplates on his next words as the hot drink warms him up. "He was the sole survivor of the Central's lab incident, and he joined the Shadow Corps shortly after that."

"So he was not trained as a hunter?" Mikage shook his head.

"No. He was picked up by the unit's commander himself." He thought of what Murasame told him and chose to keep that particular detail to himself. He knows Needle knows he's hiding something from the other's gaze. Even so, it's not his place to tell others of that kind of thing. "And one more thing; he said he was probably not the only survivor of the unit's demise."

"Eh, really?"

"Though he couldn't say for sure. But it seemed that way." Which means there's potentially another person like him outside that could help piece this puzzle together. He doesn't know why but he feels like that incident and their currently ongoing crisis is connected in some way.

Then a different thought crossed his mind. Setting his cup aside, he slightly turns towards the other man.

"That said, what are we supposed to do with him now? We can't let him run around like before."

"Ha, I was going to ask the same thing. Since he's sort of a hunter himself, I guess we can take him in?"

"But Gamon would immediately tell he's not normal."

"That old man seems like that but how'd you think this lab remained running despite the things we do?" Needle's word struck him a bit. Now that he thinks of it, it is quite true. "It's not that difficult to keep one vampire in the fold."

"'Guess we can try something."

 

*

 

Time was lost to him as he spent it stuck within the underground facility. He'd fallen back to sleep after his talk with Mikage and woke up an indeterminate time after that. Glancing to his left; looks like the transfusion is completed. Both the bag of fluid and tubing are gone leaving only a small bandage on his left forearm.

Testing his movement - it is still somewhat sluggish, and the fatigue is still there but his condition is significantly better than the past several days. And the pain on his right shoulder is gone too. He then silently contemplates the turn of events.

What should he do now? He really has nowhere else to go. Well, nowhere that Mikage can't already reach. That and the fact that his target is surely residing somewhere here in the western region (he is sure of it. His tracking ability never fails).

Something from a while ago came to mind.

"Won't you join us? The church, that is."

He had been contemplating that, and he knows it's possible despite current condition. The Western Church's reputation didn't escape him, more so since the Shadow Corp kept an eye over everything. Still, it doesn't feel right to just blatantly fool everyone else. Though coming this far, joining the church would be quite advantageous.

One, he has somewhere to lay low without causing much suspicion (or risk being found). Two, his enemies can't get to him.

But he also can't allow that man to get to the rest of them. Though so far there is yet any large movement from that man other than the appearance of the reinforced vampires.

Like that time.

But he still couldn't see what the man is actually going for. There is certainly reasoning behind the actions unlike with regular vampires, it's just that he couldn't decipher what. Since he's (possibly) the only one left from then, it could be that the man is onto him.

(Only, why?)

The attack that swoop down upon them back then was simply too fast for them to catch; and that is from the viewpoint of one trained (to death) to deal with the stronger kinds. He can safely say that the current batch of reinforced vampires are a tad different from the ones from that time - their movements are a little slower and less random. The strength seems to be comparable, if not slightly weaker. Is it a variant? It sounds possible. Which would imply that there are more.

Looking to his right towards the closed curtain; he needs to tell them the truth, everything that he knows. As much as he grudgingly has to admit, it is now no longer his own issue. It's a matter of strategy. The longer this goes, more victims will pile up. They need to strike soon.

 

The curtain soon pulls away as he was lost in his thoughts.

"-You're up?" Mikage looks mildly surprised with his eyebrows raised.

"Mm, not too long ago. What time is it?"

The other moves towards the chair set beside the bed before shrugging his coat off and draping it over the backrest. "Almost sunset time. How are you feeling?"

"Better, but still sluggish" A low hum replies. "Don't you need to go out later?"

"Don't really feels like it. The rest can handle things pretty good."

A small laugh escapes him. "You'll be reprimanded by the Head Priest you know."

"Hell if I care." A short pause falls as Mikage glances his way. "What're you going to do now?"

"I've been thinking of that. I guess I'll just accept your invitation."

"So, you're joining us?"

He gave a curt nod. "Aah. And there's a lot that you guys need to know too." he was going to say more if not for Mikage stopping him first.

"You can talk about that later. Rest first for now." Now he's the one mildly surprised with the other. Then again Mikage did went to the length of hunting him down with barely any clues.

"Are you my caretaker now?" The other man momentarily glances at that.

"More of keeping an eye on you. Who knows where'd you disappear to when I’m not."

"I was under the impression that you're a more detached kind of person." He was out of it for most of their time back from the mansion but that doesn't mean he didn't know. He did hear everything back then (in which this has nothing to do with his vampire powers; simply a skill that he honed during his time as an assassin). The answering grumble must've mean that he guessed it right.

Then he supposes he's not the only one feeling attached.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"What do you think of me?"

The stretch of time between the question and the answer felt longer than it really is and he can feel the mild trepidation underneath.

"..-I'm not exactly sure. I thought I know you, then I saw you in that suit and I realised that I don't."

"But you know me enough to know that I won't go that far from here."

"Though most of it was just guesswork and gut feelings." Then there's nothing else to say other than that his gut feelings were accurate. "Then can I ask you in return?"

"What is it?"

"..What do you think of me?"

Mikage simply levelled him with a flat look. His eyes seemed to glow sharper in the flickering candle light, and Ryo found himself helplessly drawn into them.

"I thought that you were strange." He pulled his gaze away, looking off to the side, towards the candle. "You're a priest, yet you yourself is a non-believer. Your...advises have a kind of emptiness in them, but I still listened anyway." A soft snicker escaped him. It's ridiculous, how he became so weak towards the other man. What happened to his years of training?

"I was desperate to run away from the past, from what I did." He falls into a momentary pause, looking back towards Mikage, gauging his expression. "You realised it, didn't you? From my confessions."

For once, Mikage broke the eye contact. "I did. Though for some reason there's a part of me that refused to see it."

"Why?"

"Because I somehow believed that you were different."

The play of light on the other man's face only added to the apparent expression. A hint of frustration, and resignation. Likewise, Ryo saw it too. And partly, he stayed away because he didn't want to involve Mikage in the horrors of his past and whatever it is he's stuck in now. He doesn't want to lose anyone anymore.

"..And now?" Slowly those bright yellow eyes returned, and he saw a flash of something across them. Something he'd never seen before in the man.

"I still do." His voice was just a tad above whisper. "I've long since lost my faith in humanity. But in you, I can put my trust in."

And Ryo simply returns Mikage's unwavering gaze. He already knows that he trusts the other man from long ago. On what basis, he didn't know, but he trusts his judgment enough to not question it.

"Then know that you already have mine."