Chapter 23: Doubting
I got out of bed still in the clothes which I was wearing in the evening. I checked the time and it was half-past nine at night. The first thing to do was find Ai since I can think that she would probably be out on a killing spree of vampires. That is probably what she will be doing right now and I needed to stop her or she might get caught in a trap that we never knew was set by the noble.
Running straight to the front door, I saw that it was locked with a key and there was no way to open it in any way. She had planned this all along knowing something like this would happen, shit. I still had no key to the house since whenever I talked about that topic, Ai would just brush it off. We were on the top floor of the apartment complex and jumping from the balcony was also not an option. If it were the first floor, it wouldn't have been a problem for me.
I took my phone and dialed Ai's number but it has been switched off so I just messaged her in the hope that she reads it when her phone is turned on. The only thing that I could do right now was waiting for Ai.
"Please come home quickly."
I went and sat down on the couch thinking about my talk with the first. Now that I think about it, he did not even tell me his name, and calling him the first sounds like a hassle but whatever.
According to what he said, having his blood in me was not a coincidence but he was the one who chose it. What an annoying guy choosing who will carry his burden in the future. I still had no idea what "mission" he was talking about. Was it the reason why he passed on his blood to someone else?
Was there something that the first was not able to do?
No matter how much I think about it, I cannot get a decision.
I am so useless.
Is there anything I can do?
I am just powerless against the beings I am being hunted down by. Heck, I don't even know if I will be strong enough to defend myself. Staying behind and let Ai do everything was something I refuse to do.
"Damn it!"
Getting angry at myself, I punched the wall beside me not caring about the pain in my arm at all. My knuckles turned entirely blue and my hand was shaking after that. The wall was fortunately still intact but had a little crack on it but it was something which was not too unbelievable since it was just the upper covering of the plaster.
I kept sitting there waiting for Ai as the time passed, it had been one hour, then two hours, then three hours, and then four hours.
It was 1:30 AM in the morning or the night since it was completely dark when I heard the doorknob turn. I turned around and saw the silhouette of a white-haired figure enter the house trying not to make too much noise. There was blood all over her clothes and she looked as if she had come from a big battle. This was what I was talking about.
"Took you long enough," I said getting her attention.
She just stood there like a statue looking at me with a surprised look on her face. Her eyes were wandering around everywhere trying not to look straight into my eyes. The guilt she felt overweighed her and she looked down.
"So, do you mind telling me what you found in this excursion of yours?" I asked in an annoyed tone.
Honestly, I was really annoyed but not at her. No, there was no way I could be annoyed at Ai because she did it just to make sure I don't get exposed to danger. I was annoyed because I am weak and could not do anything right now. This is so frustrating.
"Go change your clothes and take a bath. You must be hungry so I am heating the dinner. Make sure to make it quick," I said standing up.
"Huh?" she sounded confused and as I walked past her, she held my hand. "Kazu-kun..."
"Can you please do what I am saying Ai?!" I unintentionally shouted making her flinch.
Ai wanted to say something but she finally let go of my hand and walked away. I, on the other hand, did not move at all. I just stood there looking down clenching my fist. What the hell was that sudden outburst?
"What the hell am I doing?" I muttered.
Without a spec of expression on my face, I went and started heating the dinner. I made some pasta today since Ai said that she wanted to have some for the longest time. Heating it was not hard at all and I just stood there watching it gain energy and release it at the same time.
The pasta was heated and I put it out on a plate and covered it waiting for Ai to get out of the bath. After ten minutes or so, I saw her walk out in her white pajama with her eyes trying not to look at me. I placed the food on the dining table and we both sat down eating in silence. The sound of the fork occasionally hitting the surface of the plate was the only thing that could be heard.
I did not speak anything because I had no idea what to say and looking at Ai, she probably thinks I am angry at her which was definitely not the case. I was not angry at her for the slightest if not for the fact that I was annoyed at myself, I would probably start joking around with her. Unfortunately, that could not happen in this situation.
We finished our food and while I went to take a bath before washing the dishes, Ai went to the bedroom to sleep. She did need that rest.
I entered the bathroom and took off my clothes and looked at my body and found something strange about it. For some reason, my muscles became more defined and I looked fitter than normal. It was not a very big change but I could tell that there was something different. I don't remember working out or anything like that then why was it?
With that and many more questions in my head, I sat down to wash my body. Done with that, I dipped myself in the warm water-filled bathtub till neck down. Good thing that this helped me calm down a lot more and recollect my thoughts. Baths can do wonders.
I finally got out and drained the water and dried myself before wearing my clothes. After drying my hair, I entered the bedroom and found Ai lying down there on her side. I slid under the covers and let my body embrace the heat. Ai did not move from her place and was lying down away from me so I decided to move.
Dragging myself towards her, I wrapped my arms around her waist gently and placed my chin next to her shoulder. Her body jolted at this sudden touch but she did not pull away.
"Ai," I called her out and though she did not move, I knew she was awake and her ears perked up. "You know I am not mad at you for what you did."
She did not respond for some time but I still patiently wait for her. "Really?" she asked
"Really, how can I be mad at such an adorable creature?" I said and lightly bit her ear making her let out a cute sound.
"Eeep!"
She turned around to face me and her face though in the dark looked completely red. Her eyes were lightly glowing looking as beautiful as always. She grabbed my t-shirt and buried her face in my chest snuggling up to me.
"I am so sorry for that Kazu-kun," she said, her voice filled with guilt. "But it is something I had to do. Kazu-kun means the world to me and I don't want to lose you no matter what. It doesn't matter who I have to fight, I will never let you go away. I love you Kazu-kun."
With the last line, she raised her head and looked at me cupping my face and then bringing her face closer. Our lips met and I felt a wave of electricity go through my body at the speed of light. It was an irresistible sensation I felt. She evaded my mouth and her tongue started exploring it yet again. Now that I think about it, she has not done this for about a month.
I kind of missed this feeling.
But I still did not kiss back and just stayed there like a dummy.
She used a little force to push me and got on top of me. Some distance was put between our faces and I saw her face was completely red and she was breathing heavily and placed her hand on my neck sliding my collar away exposing my shoulder.
"I'm sorry Kazu-kun, but I need it," she said and lowered her head.
I felt a stinging pain in my neck for a bit but it was bearable but I was not ready for what I was going to feel next. I placed my hand on Ai's back and I realized, there was a wound there which though was not bleeding but looked pretty deep. I see, she got hurt so she needed my blood to heal.
She started drinking my blood and it felt really...good. So good in fact that I wrapped my arm around her back hugging her close to me and grit my teeth to stop my voice from escaping. I felt pain only for a little but then it started feeling nice and I had no idea this was something that could actually happen in real life. Maybe it is due to the fact that it was Ai who was drinking my blood.
After some time, she stopped sucking my blood and raised her head a little, and started licking the place where she bit me. It was really tickling and my body stiffened at the sensation of her soft and cold tongue on my skin. I suddenly felt something wet on where she bit it but this was different. It was blood but not mine.
The bite mark disappeared and the cut on Ai's lip also disappeared but her red-eye was still glowing. She was looking at me with affection and lust in her eyes as she licked her lip and went to attack my lips and invade my mouth yet again and I did not stop her.
"An hour, you did that for an entire hour and I had to always stop you from going further," I said to Ai who was rubbing her cheek on my chest after the "little" heated session between us.
"It's Kazu-kun's fault," she said giggling a little but then had a seductive smile on her face. "You also got hard, didn't you? It was a very big bulge."
"Go to sleep idiot," I said to her. "So, what did you find?"
Ai closed her eyes and kept on cuddling on my chest until I finally understood what she wanted. I raised my left hand and started stroking her snow-white hair. She purred like a cat for a moment making me surprised and amazed about just how can someone be so cute!
She is so god damn cute!
"I was looking around the area where the club was situated hoping that they might have their lair close by but they are at least not dumb. I encountered ten novices and "enquired" with them a little. Those seven novices that we encountered before were from another group we don't know off. The noble they were serving under was called Shina," she said to me while I kept stroking her hair. "But enough about that bitch, I want to spend some nice time with Kazu-kun."
She started burying her face in my chest again giggling all the while. Seeing her act so happy made me smile at her childish behavior. Also, Ai swears a lot when she gets angry or talks about other vampires.
I have become an existence that was of utmost importance to Tsubaki Ai. I can say without a doubt that Ai was obsessed with me which I already knew but interacting with her more in the past month and now, I am completely sure of it. She does not waver from killing anyone no matter if the person is a human or a vampire. As long as they did something to us, she won't spare them at all. The rage and anger she shows at those moments are enough to scare anyone.
My left arm wrapped around her and I turned to hug her and I kissed her on her forehead. This is the only thing I am able to do as of now but it still makes me happy. Staying close to her and having her by my side made me happy.
"Goodnight Ai," I whispered in her ear.
"Mhm, goodnight Kazu-kun. I love you," she said as I closed my eyes. "Ahh~ you tasted so good that I want more."
Let me sleep already damn it.
"Maybe I won't let you sleep today~," she said in an alluring voice.
"Please let me sleep. Tomorrow is a holiday so you can spend as much time as you want with me. Now goodnight, for real," I said stroking her hair.
"Purr~ goodnight Kazu-kun. I love you," she said and wrapped her hand around my back.
"I know," I softly muttered. "Better than anyone else."
With this, I closed my eyes and let the darkness envelop me. I was back in the same dark place and this time it was a bit different. It had two chairs there and a table placed between them. They were also black but I could make out their outlines even in the darkness. This is new, how did I even do this? I am not supposed to be seeing in the dark.
Not wanting to stand there for long, I walked over to the chair and sat down. Suddenly a big jar and two glasses emerged out of nowhere and were placed on the table. From the way it looked, there was some kind of liquid in it but I did not touch anything and just wait. Waiting for the figure standing before me to come and sit down.
"You sure have guts boy to sit before me," the voice said in an amused tone.
"Well, I know you won't do anything to me if I did sit before you. That is not the type of person you are, aren't I right? The first," I asked the bearded man.
"Haha, you are a lot smarter than you show boy," he said and sat before me. He then took a glass from the table and poured the liquid in it and then swirled it around and smelled it making a satisfied expression. "Ahh, I still can't get enough of this wine."
"Looks like you really enjoy a good wine," I said leaning back on the chair.
"That is true, there is nothing better than a good wine, well, Sarah is a lot better than that but wine always comes in second place so it is a good competitor," he said as he took a sip from his glass and then looked at me. "Want some?"
"No, I am a minor and even if I do become a major, alcohol is something I would really like to not intake at all. It won't really help me in any way."
"Boy, take it from me since I have been in your position. With the type of woman you are with, alcohol will be definitely something you need to get along with. That is the best way to live a happy life with her," he said finishing his glass and then he picked up the entire jug and started chugging it down.
I just looked at him in amazement. This is the legendary first? He acts a lot different from what I imagined. When I heard the name of the first, I imagined a man with a serious and expressionless look on his face. You would be so scared by his presence that you won't even dare look into his eyes. With glare enough to kill any person I thought him to be more like a tyrant.
BUT! Reality is a lot different because he looked like an easy-to-go man who loved his wife and alcohol a lot. He was easy to talk to and was not menacing in any way. The only thing that might look menacing is his beard. He really needs to get serious to sound scary and other than that, he looked like a normal guy.
"I will take care of that when that happens," I said rejecting his offer. "Now that I think about it, I did not get your name back then."
"You didn't? How unfortunate," he said while grinning. "My name is Ethan Hetherberg but just call me Ethan."
"Nice to meet you, Ethan, just call me Kazuki," I said. "So, are you going to show up every time I sleep or lose consciousness?"
"Hey, I have been alone for sixteen years without talking to anyone. Do you know how lonely I felt in all those years?"
"Makes sense."
Then Ethan started talking about his good old days when he was the almighty first but was still scared of Sarah. Well looks like it was true, no matter how strong a man is, in front of his wife, he is just a little mouse.
"Your woman reminds me of her a lot. She would literally kill anyone who would badmouth me and instantly calms down when I hug her. She really loved those hugs," Ethan said in a nostalgic tone. "Oh how much I want to change the history so we could have been together all the time."
"So you have regrets too?" I asked drinking some apple juice which I made to appear. It was my mindscape.
"Who doesn't? Before turning into this, I was also a human back then. So I naturally have many regrets in my life and when you live for as long as me, there would be a lot more regrets than any normal person."
The tone in which he spoke sounded sad and he let out a loud sigh after that. His face was red probably due to the wine he had drunk but he still was sober, I think. Do vampires have resistance to alcohol? I don't know.
"And there was the biggest regret in my life," Ethan said placing his face on the table. "It was not able to undo that mistake I made."
"And what was the mistake?" I asked placing my hand on my cheek and resting it on the armrest.
"I don't remember," he said and lets out a hiccup. "See, here I am, the first who made a very big mistake and does not remember after death what that was. I did remember, I was about to tell Sarah about it and we would go around to solve it but she went into a deep sleep before I could tell her. Every day, I would hold her hand in her sleep and talk to her about how things would have been a lot different if I would not have made that mistake."
He closed his eyes and looks like he fell asleep. I am in my mindscape so how did he get drunk here? I don't know but looks like my mission probably is to undo his mistake. Just how convenient it is to pass on your wish to a completely random person and tell him to do it for you because you share the same blood. Wait, isn't this what some parents do?
Ethan in my parent?
Who am I kidding?
Looking around in that landscape of never-ending darkness, I closed my eyes and rest back on the chair. A lot happened today, didn't it?
I am getting targeted by a noble, Ai came back hurt and I am talking to the first as if he was an old college of some sort to me.
Why does everyone expect so much from me?
Will I be to live up to it?
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