He could not stop the inevitable.
The moment Yamada left and independent study began, Kaito ran out of the classroom and down the corridor. If he went there, and Himura didn't show up, then it was just his imagination. It was just that voice again. He prayed it was just his imagination.
He pushed the roof door open, searching wildly for Himura. Not seeing him, Kaito exhaled heavily, not even considering the fact that Himura could still be coming since Kaito had left the classroom first. It was just the voice again, messing with his head.
He walked to the railing surrounding the edge of the roof and leaned against it, overlooking the school grounds. It was just inside his head. Last night didn't really happen.
"You sure took a long time getting here."
Kaito whirled around, looking around, frantically searching for where the voice had from.
On top of the roof entrance, Himura, Ryunosuke sat. The polite face that he had worn in class had been replaced with a condescending one. There was something strange about him, like a power surrounding him that gave him an unearthly look as the sun shone behind him. Instead of giving him a halo, it gave him a dark silhouette and a more menacing appearance.
"Who the hell are you," Kaito whispered.
"Idiot." Himura stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets and casually jumping down. "For the last time, I am Himura, Ryunosuke. I'm a vampire."
Kaito shook his head with a disbelieving laugh. "Really? You expect me to believe something as stupid as that?" His grip tightened on the roof railing, reminding himself there was nowhere to go but down. "You really need to find yourself some help. Akira can recommend a great psychologist."
"Then tell me, how would you explain it?" He asked lifting an eyebrow. "You can explain last night, can't you?"
"Uh, genetic mutations?" he guessed, leaning back when the so-called vampire approached him.
Himura gave a snort of disbelief, leaning forward and grabbing the railing on either side of Kaito, trapping him in place. "Is that really what you want to go with?"
He was too close for comfort. Kaito moved to knee him in the crotch, but Himura released the railing and moved back, just out of reach. "Have you ever heard of personal space?!" he yelled.
Himura didn't even look phased. He kept that look on his face as if he was the gods' gift to the world. An expression Kaito was more than familiar with at this school and annoyed him to no end.
But seriously, how did one handle delusional psychopaths? If that dream was true, and that was a big if, there could be lots of explanations for it, right?
It was dark. Modern technology could make the strangest things seem real. It was just some prank. A prank that landed Daisuke in the hospital. It, however, didn't explain this paralyzing fear of whenever Himura looked at him. Or why, if he was actually bitten, wasn't dead.
"How did I get back home last night?" he asked quietly, staring at the ground.
There was a plop, and his wallet skid into view. "You shouldn't carry a wallet when committing a crime. It's amazing you're not in prison yet."
Kaito bent down to pick it up, keeping his eyes on Himura. "Doesn't really matter when everyone in town knows who I am anyway."
"If you had managed to commit breaking and entering successfully without being seen but dropped your wallet, you'd have a new entry to your rather pathetic list of petty crimes."
"You looked at my file?!"
Himura gave him the "of course" look, which made Kaito groan, momentarily forgetting his fear and giving him a much needed moment to recollect his thoughts. "Okay. Fine. Let me humor you. Pretend for a second that I believe you. What happens now?"
"You will turn. Obviously." The arrogant tone was granting on Kaito's nerves. Wiping a hand over his face, he tried to reign in his thinning patience. This entire conversation was stupid. This was complete and utter nonsense. "You don't believe me," Himura stated matter of fact.
"How can I? I mean. Just," he waved frantically at Himura's direction, "look at you. You're standing out in the sun. Isn't that like the number one vampire rule?"
The vampire turned his back to him, heading toward the door. "The sun is damaging to the body. Right now, the UV rays are destroying your skin and radiating your cells. That constant damage has to be repaired. For a vampire, that equates to hunger. The longer they stay exposed, the more frequently they feed. Meaning, they need to hunt more frequently. That exposes them to risk of being exposed. It takes decades of practice to learn to control and ignore that hunger, but eventually," he locked the door just as someone jiggled the handle, "it has to be sated."
Kaito wasn't even going to ask where he got the key. It was obvious the lunatic had planned out this little meeting. "So I guess that rules out coffins. How about stakes?"
"It's one of two ways to kill a vampire." Himura leaned against the door. "Destroy the heart beyond repair or a full decapitation. Both of which are not easy to do."
"You know what, you're full of shit," Kaito said, finally regaining his courage to approach Himura, refusing to be afraid any longer. "If what you said was true, I'd be changing, but nothing's happened. I'm still the same."
"It takes 26 days for the complete transformation. Normally, you'd still be incapacitated from blood loss. Even I'm surprised by your quick recovery."
"I'm a quick healer," he said dryly. "Now move before I make you."
Himura smirked. "Try it."
Kaito grabbed the front of Himura's blazer, raising his fist to hit that annoying smirk off his face, throwing his weight behind the punch. Then suddenly, he was grasping and punching air, and there was a shove from behind, making him fall forward after his swing's follow through.
Unprepared, he fell face first into the door, hard.
Warm blood trickled down Kaito's forehead from a small gash. His hand shot up to wipe it away, cursing his luck and everything happening to him. He turned just slightly to check where the other teen had disappeared to only to be shoved against the door with a hand against his chest that he couldn't dislodge.
"Denial isn't becoming," Himura said. He didn't look like he was exerting any power in keeping Kaito pinned. Slowly, he leaned in close, eyes glued on the trail of blood.
Kaito held doubts about Himura being a vampire. Who wouldn't? The story was something out of a fairytale or a horror movie depending on who you asked. He wasn't even a spiritual person. He didn't go to the shrines, Buddhist or Shinto, to pray or even attend the festivals at those places. He just could not bring himself to believe that spirits and/or gods occupied the small roadside shrines throughout the island.
Yet here, as he was trapped against the door unable to budge, Himura's gaze held more restraint than the hand against his chest. They were black like any other average Japanese person, yet they seemed inhuman.
Instinctively, Kaito knew he was food and that the hunter had caught its prey and restraining itself from attacking, fixated on the blood that was trailing down his forehead.
ARE YOU GOING TO LET FEAR CONTROL YOU, BRAT? ARE YOU THAT WEAK?
The weakness in his legs disappeared, finding the strength to grab the wrist pinning him down and dug his nails into Himura's skin, drawing blood. "Let go," Kaito's voice deepened into a growl.
Himura blinked, then shifted his gaze to Kaito's hand and the blood now trailing down his arm. There was a slight crease of confusion in Himura's face before it smoothed into stoicism. With ease, he ripped his arm away from Kaito's grip, and he turned his back to him, taking a few steps away towards the roof railing.
"Any more questions?" Himura asked as if he had lost interest in the conversation.
Nonetheless, Kaito appreciated the sudden lack of direct attention. For a moment, he had believed what Himura had said. But he still couldn't explain the overwhelming strength or the speed that Kaito's eyes could not follow. It was beyond human movement. Was there any other possible explanation other than what Himura offered?
"You said 26 days, right?" Kaito said quietly, slowly wrapping his mind around what Himura had said. "What will happen during that time?"
The wind picked up, making the self-proclaimed vampire's blazer and tie flutter. The air was warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, yet it seemed foreboding, adding to the weight to Himura's words when he spoke.
"Your body will slowly begin to change. Your heart rate will slow until it is nearly non-existent. Human food will lose its taste to you, and it will become difficult to keep down. Eventually, the change will take its toll on your body, and you will have a seizure followed by several days of unbearable pain as the last transformations take place. By the time you regain consciousness, you will become one of us."
Each passing sentence weighed heavier and heavier on Kaito's mind.
"So you're saying in about four weeks…I'll be a monster."
Himura turned around to face him. There wasn't an ounce of sympathy on his face as he replied, "If that's what you want to call yourself."
Kaito chuckled lowly, shaking his head as he smiled. "Perfect," he said under his breath. "Just perfect. I guess the outside will match the inside now."
Himura raised an eyebrow in question.
With a wave of his hand, Kaito dismissed Himura's question.
"Nothing. Forget it."
Kaito removed his tie casually, shoving it into his pocket. Shoulders slightly slouched and hands in his pockets, the teen turned, heading towards the door.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"You put Daisuke in the hospital, didn't you?" Kaito said not turning around. "I'm going to go see him."
"I didn't say you could leave."
The cold voice of Himura's had less of an effect on him now that his back was toward him. It was nearly laughable at how elitist Himura sounded. It may have been funny if this school wasn't filled with people like him. If Himura's eyes didn't unnerve him as they did, he'd have equated Himura to any other student at this school, albeit a psychotic one. "I didn't ask."
Kaito had just reached out for the door, remembering that Himura had locked it, when the vampire said, "Then I guess I will have to come with you so we can finish our conversation."
Kaito's already thin patience boiled over at that point, whipping around to find Himura only a step away. The close distance didn't deter him, instead fueling his anger as he snarled, "Stay away from him!."
Most people would have back down. When Kaito lost his temper, people backed off and cowered. It was how it always was. Himura didn't look remotely scared. In fact, he had a look of mild interest, not even looking away from his eyes. "Do you think you could stop me?"
No. Kaito knew he couldn't. His fists clenched at his sides, concentrating on breathing in and out slowly and reigning in his fury. "If you harm him, you'll regret it."
Himura leaned past him, unlocking the door without looking away.
"I'd like to see you try." He opened the door. "After you."
Deciding physical altercations would not be in his best interest at this moment, Kaito decided to
leave, ignoring the fact that Himura was in fact following. He meant what he said. If Himura hurt Daisuke, he'd find a way to kill him, one way or another.
A CUTE THOUGHT, BUT HE'S WAY OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE, came a dark chuckle. I COULD TAKE CARE OF HIM IF YOU LIKE. GIVE ME FIVE MINUTES.
Kaito continued down the stairs, muttering an excuse me to a student who scurried away at the sight of him.
FINE. I CAN WAIT. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME.