"Satoshi, you must understand." My old PE teacher said to me in the teacher's office.
They say your life flashes before you eyes when you die. Is this it? I've murdered, I've fucked, I've betrayed. And what I remember is my old PE teacher?
"Manekawa's father is an important businessman, an alumni of this very school. Hell, I was his Kouhai! Manekawa always wanted to be in Sports, a competitive Athlete who could represent his town, maybe even our country! But he couldn't. The usual injuries just kept stacking up and his body couldn't handle it."
My PE teacher sighed.
"You wouldn't know what that's like, seeing your Senpai fail at his dream. He managed after that mind you, got a decent career in support staff after a while, did good in the end. And what you've done, Satoshi, is shatter his second dream."
"I stopped her from hurting fellow students, sir."
"And in the process you hurt her. You dislocated her shoulder, Satoshi. It hurts, for twelve to sixteen weeks, it hurts. And Regionals are coming up. You ruined her chances at playing before she went to college. Hell, she'll have to take his exams on painkillers and with her wrong hand. The School, Sports Board and Local Council have pitched in to support Manekawa during this time but… Exams are Exams. There's a limit to how much everyone can help Manekawa's family dream during her pivotal moment in life."
My teacher scooched his wheely chair so that he was right in my face.
"This is going down on your record, Satoshi."
"I bet the two girls I helped would say something different-"
"THOSE GALS? They're destined for the Convenience store Satoshi!" He snapped before the other teachers looked at him. Several put in their earphones.
"The world's a harsh place, Satoshi. You believe your self-righteousness will survive it?
A wet blanket splashed against my face before it scrubbed hard, taking layers and layers of grime and muck that had compiled in my comatose state. I only had the energy to open my eyes as-
Sofya kissed me hard and deep with stunning conviction.
"You're alive." She laughed, "You're actually alive!"
She darted a scouting glance behind her before she embraced me, leading my mouth to her neck.
"Come on now, drink. Quick! Before the guards come!"
I simply relaxed my jaw, my mouth simply resting against her skin.
The energy flowed into me, enough for me to limply return her embrace.
She cradled my head up against her with one hand, while the other she bit down with her snouted mouth to keep herself silent. She breathed heavily, squirming beneath me as a semblance of strength returned to me. Then she collapsed into me, breathing heavily.
H-Had I almost killed her?
Instead, she smiled up at me with complete satisfaction.
"You're gentle. Even when you've been like this for weeks, you're so gentle."
She threw a fur coat around me before nuzzling up against me, "Can you stand?"
My legs quivered upwards, and her smaller frame provided just enough support I needed to get to my feet.
My hand slapped against the stone of the dungeon wall and, inch by inch, we moved out of my cell.
And I noticed how quiet it was. Where were the guards? We were easy targets, completely defenseless against anyone with a wooden spoon.
"Look, we need to get you food. My Husband's been watching over me incessantly and I had to rely on a mad scholar who only saw you as a test subject to take care of you."
My body could only manage to focus and speak one of those words.
"Food…"
We made it to the cellar kitchen, stocked with a small number of jars, pots and aging herbed meats suspended from the ceiling with string. Sofya took a knife, sliding it into one of the strings holding up a hunk of preserved sausage. She sliced it as thin as pepperoni on a table before turning around and handing it all to me.
"No fires, you need to have it cold. I'll find something for you to drink it down with."
As soon as the smell of herbs reached my nose, I stuffed the slices inside my mouth and chewed. It was the best thing I'd ever had.
As I satiated my hunger though, it only grew. I crawled towards the table, leveraging myself upwards like a small kid looking for the cookie jar.
"Don't exert yourself!" She hushed me as she returned, a leather canteen in her hands. "Here, Applejack. It's ice-cold, but it'll warm you up fast."
She steadied the canteen in her hands, holding it up to my mouth, slowly letting the hard cider liquor trickle into my mouth.
It was so, so cold, but the moment it hit the back of my mouth, the heat of the alcohol almost made me choke.
"Here, take it, and don't spill it."
The weight of it sagged my hands, and it was obvious that I would still need help, so she helped me.
My throat burned, but in this chill it felt very good.
My Vampire metabolism started to kick in, finally having something more complete as a meal than the magical equivalent of an energy drink.
"Can you handle it?" She asked before I nodded, finally having the energy to lift the small canteen up with both hands. "Good, I'm going to grab some more things for the journey out of here."
I drank the entire canteen before getting to my feet. I staggered to the table like a monster before grabbing the knife to slice more of the sausage up.
Then I heard feet.
I dived beneath the table, and stole a peak between the jars and pots towards the doorway. A single Rat sniffed the air as he entered, obviously on some snack run, but what he was wearing was weird.
It looked like some kind of short Monk robe that barely clothed him, and what fur he did have was tattooed, but not in some kind of ornamental way. It almost looked like Celtic circuitry.
Still, he was a mature Rat who was a match for either of us.
He took out a meat knife from his belt and sliced through a rope, draping an entire line of sausages across his back. I needed to find Sofya.
As he was busy, I snuck around the cellar shelves, trying to find an angle. I'd just drank a whole canteen of hard liquor fresh out of a coma, but this Rat Monk seemed like he was in heaven, completely absorbed by the incredible smell and taste of good food.
It was then that a feminine eek squealed in the air, and a sack of food sagged to the floor. I took another look. Sofya had just walked straight in from a door to the kitchen into the same aisle as the Rat Monk, and they were now face to face.
"Lady Sofya, can't believe I'd see you here! It's me! Afs! I worked with Pontiff Igrin!"
"... Afs, ah, oh yes, I remember you. H-How are you doing?" Sofya said, petrified to the spot. Her eyes darted back and forth to see where I was.
I waved in between a cellar shelf, glinting my meat knife to show my intention. Sofya motioned a nod that the Rat Monk was completely oblivious of.
"Oh… well," Afs said, looking the other way, "Got into a bad fight, as you do. Bastard broke a bottle over me 'ead. Fought 'im off with me mates, but he got a couple big slashes on me. Thought I was a goner I did, but the Apoths took mercy on me! Can you believe that! Stitched me up all good, and they told me not to move too much lest they open up, but it cost nothin' 'cept a bit of levy service. We're goin' on Erztein soon, take the fight to the next castle an' all."
Afs downcast face then turned back up to her with a smile. "Want to see?"
"I BEG YOUR PARDON!?"
Instantly, Afs took his robe off. Sofya shielded her eyes in embarrassment. Her fingers opened for a peek, and she was stunned.
It was a greater scar than just a bottle slash. Nearly his entire belly had been cut open before being sewn back together.
"They told me they had to put somethin' inside me, somethin' that would make Rodent kind proud! Somethin' real powerful they told me, something that could even kill a Vampire! Can you imagine that! A worthless little Beta like me killing someone as demonic as a Vampire! Isn't that incredible!"
Sofya just backed off, horrified.
"Uhm… Can I get a quickie?"
Sofya snapped out, completely shifting into Lady-mode, "I am already devoted to my husband! I'm afraid-"
"Oh com'on, it'll be real quick! I'm risking my life for the progress of Rodent kind here, I deserve to have a li'l reward just in case I pop me clogs!"
"I-I'm afraid I cannot do such a thing. You have yet to prove yourself to Rodent kind, it's too early to-"
"We're doing this to protect li'l girls like you, how can you say that you don't owe us somethin' in exchange?"
"Of course I appreciate those who fight for me! But results are rewarded, not oaths."
"Drop the act. You girls are always hiding behind such formalities. Oh, think of Society, think of this, think of that…" Afs sneered right into Sofya's face, "Think of the Vampire husband who plows you from behind."
I slid my meat knife right down his shoulder blades and into his ribs. Afs roared and screamed, but the blood clogged his windpipe. His fingers desperately tried to scratch at my face, but they flailed as I twisted and wrenched the knife around inside of him. Then, with all my meager strength, I twisted and hurled him back behind me as far as I could.
I grabbed Sofya's hand, and ambled as fast as my wasted legs could away from the gurgling Rat and towards the kitchen door. But her legs were glued to the floor.
I turned back, and Sofya was engrossed in Afs rolling and howling on the floor.
I gave her hand a gentle tug.
Her head rotated towards me, still in traumatic shock.
I looped my arms around her and hugged her as tight as I could.
"I would never do that to you." I said as best as I could.
Her hands dug into the fur coat she had given me, and her head dig deep into my chest.
Afs body slowed as the blood pooled out of him before he stopped.
And then he popped.