Log: Dan Taichi, Echizen Ryoga, Ootori Choutarou
Who: Dan Taichi, Echizen Ryoga, Ootori Choutarou
Where: Same abandoned house Dan found his sister at
When: Tonight
What: Dan doesn't want anyone to approach, but Ryoga and Ootori are determined to bring him home.
Warnings: Um... blood?
Rating: PG~
"I do hope you're right about him not going near people," Ryoga murmured, pushing a particularly leafy branch out of the way as he quickly moved down a half-hidden path through the forest. "Though on the other hand, it might be easier to find him in a city than in a forest of this size..."
Though he tried to keep his tone light, in the inside, he was far from calm. He didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit. He was a teacher, now; he was supposed to keep his students safe. And while this could probably be interpreted as one way of doing it, it was still... unpleasant.
He shouldn't have been hunting down a student of his, whatever the reason.
Glancing over his shoulder, he frowned slightly. Ootori-kun had already been tired from all those damn tests when they'd left, and they'd had little time for rest since then. And, much though he hated it, he couldn't exactly stop right now. Time was of absolute essence here.
Turning his gaze back forwards, Ryoga kept all his senses open, looking for any sign, any tiny message that their target might have been here. His instincts were quiet at the moment. He wasn't even sure if that was good or bad.
He decided to settle on good. It was about the only optimistic thought he had, here.
He trudged just right behind the older man. He was so tired. He had been exhausted when the elder Kawasaki had pulled him in to his offices. And Echizen-sensei had been there. It was still all a blur. He had been through these long hard tests. He was already drained of his power and his arm was hurting too. But he wasn't about to complain. The last thing he wanted was to complain to Echizen-sensei. He missed most of what the man had said. He had only focused when he had seen the picture of the vampire they were after.
And now, he was stumbling behind the teacher, trying to keep up. Trying not to slow him down. Trying not to get in the way. Because sensei liked him. Sensei didn't think he was a useless kid. He had even lightened his load, only carrying the large ivory cross and a small hand carried cooler. He didn't tell sensei what was in it. That was for him to know.
He tried to keep his worry back. He knew that Dan had powers. He knew that Dan would feel them and that right now, what he might need was the feelings of hope and kindness not worry and fear. Right now...he could only think positive thoughts. He could only believe strongly that they would find the little pure blood. They would find him and he would be okay. There was no other way to think.
"He won't go near people. I know he won't. We just have to keep going. We have to find him, sensei. He's probably very hungry and very scared..." he too was looking. Looking for signs of passage that only a hunter might pick up. "But sensei, you have to promise me... You have to let me deal with him. Please don't get in the way or stop me."
"Ootori-kun..." He frowned. The boy was nice, almost too nice for his own good, and indeed exhausted. He didn't want to put him into any more danger than necessary. "If you think you can deal with him... fine. But I want you to be absolutely sure. I know he's your friend," a hunter befriending a pureblood, now wasn't that just the greatest joke ever, "but he might not be... entirely in control... at the moment. And you're tired. So, if you have even the slightest bit of hesitation as to whether you can do it... Don't. The last thing I want is the two of you hurting each other." After a pause, he added, "...I promise not to hurt him unless absolutely necessary." Of course, he'd never had any intention of any other course of action; however, he suspected it wasn't all that bad for him to clearly reassure Ootori of the fact.
Walking further through the dimming forest, he tried to think rationally. The boy couldn't be just anywhere. Night was only beginning to fall; just staying out in the open, even in such a thick forest, was really not likely for a vampire. Most likely he'd found some form of shelter for the daytime... but what kind of shelter could it be? It wasn't like there were any caves or anything around here, or...
Suddenly, he felt something. Nothing clear, not even a hint of danger yet... just... something. His instincts, honed to nigh perfection after years and years of such missions, were telling him that something was nearby. Hopefully, he told himself, Dan-kun.
Glancing around, he looked for some more signs. A shadowy figure far out in the forest caught his eye, only barely visible between the trees in the escaping light.
"...Is it just me," he asked, "or is that a house over there?"
He tried to put on his bravest face. He didn't want sensei to worry about him. He looked up to sensei. One of his dreams was to maybe one day become as strong and confident as Echizen-san. He knew he was far far from that. He had a long way to go before he was ever like Ryoga. But this...he had to do this. This was for his friend. He had to be brave and he had to believe in Dan.
Clutching his hand around the handle of the cooler tighter, he nodded, keeping that brave face. "Sensei, I'm positive. He will listen to me. And he won't hurt me. He won't because he's a good person inside, no matter how hungry he might be." Which was part of the problem. The elders had said that Dan had left his blood tablets and hadn't fed in a while. A dangerous situation. Even worse because Dan was a pure blood and anyone he might bite could become a vampire too. No. He wouldn't think about that. He pressed on instead. "And I have this..." He gestured to the large ivory cross. Useless to anyone else, but a weapon in his hands that would repel a vampire. "So really, there is nothing to worry about. Just trust me."
He hoped things would be fine. It was getting darker and they hadn't found any traces yet. He tried to put himself in Dan's shoes. If he was Dan-kun, where would he hide. he didn't know, but he would probably hide someplace near to here. Some place safe. Some place...
There was a almost soundless rustle from somewhere near. His senses weren't as honed as Ryoga's yet. He didn't quite detect it. Instead he looked ahead of him where the forest seemed to be clearing out a little. Squinting into the ever closing darkness, Ootori nodded. "I think you're right. There seems to be something up there. I think we should try there." And he was sure that if he was right, they'd both soon be feeling the powerful empath's feelings.
"I do hope you're right," Ryoga murmured. It would be terrible for both of the boys if something happened... and it would be his fault, too, as the senior hunter on this mission.
Ryoga didn't laugh at Ootori's cross. He knew well enough that it wasn't quite as ridiculous as it may have looked like, not when it was held in this particular kid's hands. He also sincerely hoped it was the only weapon they'd need today... He did have both his crossbow and knives at ready, but he really didn't want to use them. Not when having to do so might mean he'd lost one of his students.
"It's our best bet, anyway," Ryoga pointed out. "And as there aren't any lights on even at this hour, it's likely it's not inhabited." Except perhaps by a runaway vampire. He hoped.
Dan had awoken just around nightfall. For a long while, he merely lay curled up, not moving an inch. Finally, he forced himself to sit up, shivering. He was feeling really cold... Not a wonder, really. It wasn't exactly like his body had the energy needed to keep him warm, not after such a long time without blood.
Hugging himself, he closed his eyes, drawing in the feelings around him. His hunger was starting to grow again, and he needed some way to control it. Nothing could work better than the emotions lingering here... the fear and pain that he had caused.
He had been stupid, hadn't he. But then, he had never meant to stay away so long... He hadn't meant anything, really, simply run away in his rage and desperation. And now he was stuck here, gone far too long to dare approach his home anymore, or worse any form of human life. He couldn't guarantee he could control himself if he came close to people right now.
It was perhaps a rather morbid place to choose for hiding, the place where he had saved his sister from the kidnapper. However, it was also the best one. Even in his hunger and desperation it reminded him of the reason he had to remain there, had to remain until he regained control or... was not a danger anymore.
It was still clear, all that pain and terror and other such hurtful emotions. Usually he wouldn't have been able to so easily sense something from so long ago, but nobody had been there since then, tainting the traces with new emotions. He could almost taste it in his mouth, his sister's desperation, his own anger. The fear he had used to kill the man.
Curling up tighter, Dan pressed his head against his knees.
...Someone was getting close. He could feel it, could feel those emotions... worry and wariness and perhaps the slightest bit of fear, but also positive things, feelings so pure he'd rarely felt such. Feelings almost like those of...
No. No. Anyone but him, not now when Dan couldn't control himself. He couldn't allow himself to hurt Ootori-kun of all people.
Sending out a wave of pure fear towards the approaching people, Dan sincerely hoped it would be enough to chase them away... and not enough to kill them, like he had killed the man. He honestly couldn't be sure, not in this state. He just didn't have enough control.
The younger hunter would never have blamed Ryoga if something happened. He was responsible like that. If something happened, it would be his fault alone. But he was sure of it. That everything would be okay. Everything had to be okay. Because anything else was unacceptable. Echizen-sensei using that horrid bow was unacceptable. Dan was salvageable. It was the only reason why he hadn't brought any of the rest of his kit.
He started to move quicker once they spied the house. Dan might be in there. He was tired, but long legs quickly carried him past the elder hunter. He had to get there first. Just in case. Of the two of them, he was sure Dan would be more welcome to seeing him than Echizen sensei. Especially the closer he got to that house in the deep woods. It looked so dark and scary, It looked like a terrible place to hide away. His heart went out to anyone who would ever hide in such a place.
A place that as he got closer, the fear hit. One moment he was walking towards the building and the next, he was frozen in his steps. Body shivering, chocolate eyes wide. Breathing racing. His heart was sudden going at about a million miles an hour. Suddenly, he felt terrified. Utterly horrified beyond belief. There was something out there. Something so horrible that he couldn't even bring himself to go near it. "S...sensei..." His voice was suddenly so small. He swallowed and tried to force down the fear. He shouldn't be scared. He needed to be brave and strong like Sensei. "It's....it's Dan-kun...Dan-kun is in that building..." And though the fear was debilitating, he forced himself to take the first step and then the next. He had to be strong. he had to be brave. He had to save Dan-kun. He had to get his friend.
The fear that suddenly hit him was pretty much like a signal beacon. Such sudden, paralyzing fear could in no way be natural. Gritting his teeth, Ryoga forced himself to go on, just the slightest bit surprised as Ootori actually forced his way past him.
"Yeah," he murmured. "I think that's one thing we actually can say for sure. He's here... and he doesn't want us to be here." They had to keep going, though, for Dan's sake if nothing else. Even though he was absolutely horrified, more scared than he could ever remember being even when faced with other vampires, he had to force himself to go on. If Dan was still all right, they would take him home... and if he wasn't, he could at least give him the mercy of death. The kid was his student; he owed him that much at least.
It wasn't real, he reminded himself as he made his way after the younger hunter. It wasn't real, none of it was. He wasn't scared, really, certainly not to this extent. It was just an illusion of a child who was probably even more terrified, himself. Keeping telling this to himself, he got closer to the building, his gaze sweeping across it to find the door.
They weren't leaving. Why weren't they leaving? Dan wanted them to leave, wanted them to leave him alone while he could still control himself, while he wasn't a danger yet... Yet a small part of him was happy, relieved they would be taking him home... or at least relieving him of the pain of the hunger, by whatever means.
He couldn't attack them. He couldn't. Not Ootori-kun, the one person who actually made him feel better no matter what... Yet he wasn't entirely sure he could control himself, anymore.
"Go away," he whispered, as though the quiet plea would be any more effective than his powers that seemed to have failed him. "Just go away..."
Ootori had to remember that it went both ways. Whatever they were feeling, Dan had to be feeling too. So, he had to think of other things. He couldn't think of how scared and worried he was feeling. he couldn't think about how terrified he was or how tired he was. If only for the young vampire hiding away, he had to think the most soothing things he could. He had to think about how much he liked his violin and how much he looked up to Ryoga and how much he enjoyed the school and all those warm sappy emotions that most hunters thought made him weak and useless.
He kept going until they reached the house. A house he wanted to run screaming from. Door...where was the... a voice. he thought he heard a voice. Small, frightened. Weak. "Sensei..." He murmured... "Remember your promise..." He almost felt relief when he finally discovered the knob. it didn't last too long as another rush of fear hit him. He could see his own hand shaking terribly when he took hold of the door knob.
In a soft voice, he called out. he knew it was dangerous, warning the inhabitant that they were coming, but Choutarou wasn't a normal hunter. He believed in fair play. Especially when it was a mercy mission and not a killing one. "Dan-kun...it's okay. You don't have to be scared anymore. It's me...And sensei... we're coming in. Please don't run or hide. We come in peace. We aren't coming here to hurt you. We're here to help you..." He turned that knob and let the door swing very slowly, so as not to startle anyone. Now he just hoped Dan would stay put and that Sensei would stand back and let him try to handle this his own way.
Ryoga stayed behind Ootori, though not far. He had to be able to help immediately if something went wrong... but he had promised, hadn't he. And for both of his students' sake, he was going to hold onto that promise... unless he was left with no choice.
It was strange, soldiering on against the fear that he knew wasn't real, sure he was afraid but certainly not to the extent of wanting to run away and abandon his mission. In a way, it was almost more dangerous than some of the more aggressive abilities he'd faced sometimes, he mused. If Dan had had more control -- or had used more power -- there would have been nothing they could have done. Hunters were trained to resist all forms of persuasion and mind control... but not the gripping, paralyzing fear that just made him want to curl up and shiver.
They were opening the door, he could hear it. "No," Dan whispered, backing away towards the opposite wall, forcing himself to stand up. They were coming in... and it definitely was Ootori-kun, he couldn't mistake that voice. He'd already known, of course, from the soothing feelings he'd received, but in his current state those had done little but caressed the surface of his inner turmoil. And sensei, too, that had to be Echizen-sensei, and though he didn't exactly like the man it was still much worse than some other hunter he didn't know.
"Maybe you're not here to hurt me," he called out, his hands clenched into fists, "but I may hurt you, whether I want or not. I -- I can't control myself properly anymore, Ootori-kun. I don't want to hurt you... please... please go away." If fear didn't chase them away... for a moment, he opened his own mind to those approaching, showed them just a glimpse of his desperation and fear and longing, the sadness and pain of his loss, his anger at his father, and above all the horrible, relentless hunger that was threatening to tear him apart.
"Please," he murmured, tears in his eyes as he saw the dark silhouettes in the doorway. "Just go away... or at least kill me before I can hurt anyone desu..."
It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness within the house. With his tall frame, it was much harder to see as he blocked out what little light could stream in from outside. He moved in quickly because he was sure such an image must have been so intimidating. Two hunter..showing up in the dead of the night and blotting out the doorway...not a very warm and welcoming sight to any vampire. And definitely not to the small pure blood all but cowering in the corner.
"You won't. You won't hurt anyone. You are a good person. A kind person." He took another step forward and put the cooler down on the ground. The cross went a second later. He trusted Dan. He trusted enough that he put the one item down that might be able to repel an attack if such a thing happened. But it wouldn't. It wouldn't and he was sure that his trust would get though. His faith in Dan's restraint.
Only there was no restraint there. He picked up the cooler and took one more step before it hit. It was only a moment. But it was a moment Ootori doubted he'd ever forget as long as he lived. The emotions that hit him were so overwhelming that he was brought to his knees. All that fear and anger and sadness...and...oh god...the hunger. He hadn't known it was like this for a vampire. The compassion he felt for his opponents as a hunter just grew that much stronger now that he had felt it. Those...poor...things... And poor...starving...
He was crying and Ootori didn't even realize it. "Dan-kun..." He sniffled and tried desperately to move forward. He'd had a lot of practice. Hell, half his kills, he cried through. So tears were nothing new. "We're not going to go away. Sensei and I are here to help you... We aren't going to kill you. I won't let sensei kill you." He meant it too, turning slightly to look at Echizen as if to ask for a little more time. "Not when I have something for you."
He managed to walk closer and put the cooler down near to Dan and opened it. Vapour came out, the cold air hitting the warm. He put his hand in and came out with a bag. A medical blood donor bag. A bag filled with the vital liquid. It was marked O Positive. "When the elder said you forgot your pills...Well...O is the universal donor and they had an extra bag of it on hand...Lucky me..." He glanced to sensei and hoped that the man wouldn't decide to point out to Dan that it was Choutarou's blood in there.
"Sensei...do you have a straw...I sort of forgot one in all the hurry..."
Dan pressed himself back against the wall. This was... this was no good. Ootori was just coming closer, he was coming closer and it was all Dan could do to hold himself back, to stop himself from --
Ootori actually went down to the ground when faced with his emotions. Behind him, Dan saw Echizen-sensei's form gripping the doorframe to stay upright. He was sorry, so sorry to be hurting his friends, but... He couldn't help it. He had to get them to leave, to go away, to...
To not approach him. To stop talking to him like they could help. "You have to," Dan murmured. "You have to go away. I've killed in this house before... I don't want to do it again." He hadn't meant to say that, not like that, and even though he was pleading them to kill him he didn't exactly want them to do so thinking he'd murdered humans. "He hurt my sister and I killed him... I don't want to hurt you, you've never done anything to hurt me desu..."
Wait, what? Had something for him? That... he wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Bad, he decided, he didn't want Ootori being so close, so vulnerable without any of his things, crouching down to take out of the cooler something that smelled of...
Blood. There was blood there, a whole bag full of it, somehow they'd brought him blood and the smell was overwhelming even though it was tightly enclosed in the bag. His hands started to shake, and he barely heard any of what Ootori said, his eyes locked on the liquid.
He didn't pay attention to what Ootori was saying to the sensei. He couldn't. Not that it mattered anyway, as he suddenly lunged forward, not even stopping to think about how they would interpret such a gesture. Instead of attacking Ootori, though, he grabbed the bag from his hands, backing away again even as he tore at the plastic. Straw? What straw? He started drinking greedily the moment he managed to get a big enough hole for the blood to flow through.
Ryoma stared at the kids in the darkness of the abandoned room. For a moment there he'd been ready to attack, to save Ootori from what had seemed like a certain attack... but no. The kid's plan had actually worked... for now, at least. He just hoped the blood would be enough to satisfy Dan's hunger instead of just making him crave for more.
Walking forward, he settled a hand on Ootori's shoulder, the other one still held close to his weapons. "...Well done, kid."
Dan had... killed? He hadn't known that and it probably should have shattered his image of the smaller male forever. But it didn't. Dan had to have a good reason. Just because someone killed somebody didn't make them bad. Echizen sensei did...he had too... To think badly of Dan would be the worse kind of hypocrisy. He couldn't judge. He could only accept.
Choutarou should have probably felt fear when the vampire lunged at him. His heart probably should have stopped in it's tracks. Fight or flight should have told him run. He didn't. He sat there. Sat there, eyes closed, hand out holding the bag, trusting. Trusting with all his heart that Dan would not hurt him. It wasn't him the vampire was after. It wasn't. It was the blood. He was pretty much waving a needle full of smack in front of a junkie. He understood that even more now that he had felt that terrible need.
He full hand was suddenly empty and Ootori felt relief. He felt relief and he felt accomplishment. A hand landed on his shoulder and he felt a surge of utter joy at the praise. A person he looked up to was praising him. Looking up, he smiled. No he beamed at Echizen. "See...there was nothing at all to worry about. I told you it would be okay." He turned that smile back to the feeding vampire. "Just...don't tell on me, okay sensei...I know there are rules about feeding vampires...but I doubt that the tablets would have been affective." There, the secret was out, in a way. He felt better for it too.
To the vampire, the hunter just murmured, "That's right. Drink up...slowly now. Don't choke on it."
"...Don't worry," Ryoga said, eyeing the kid. "I'm not telling on you... not for successfully doing what you were supposed to." That was, to calm Dan down... hopefully. He could only hope the blood was enough.
He had to talk with Dan later, though... about that killing thing. He'd mentioned something about his sister getting hurt, but Ryoga needed more details. He had to know whether the kid might become a risk again. Much though he hated to think that way, he needed the information to properly judge Dan.
It was surreal, wasn't it. He was basically teaching a school full of monsters... but he had to pay special attention to this one. This one, and a couple of others... the most powerful ones. And thus, potentially the most dangerous ones.
...He could only hope it would stay at "potential".
Relief. Sweet, sweet relief as he tasted the blood filling his mouth. He only barely had enough of a presence of mind to listen to Ootori, trying to hold himself back from drinking the blood too fast. It wasn't until he'd emptied the bag almost completely, though, that he actually looked at the other, his eyes bright and clear now instead of the desperate glow of earlier.
"...You're an idiot," he said softly, licking at the bloodstains around his mouth from his rather messy eating. "I could have... hurt you. Killed you. You shouldn't have come so close..." He shuddered at the thought. "I couldn't forgive myself if I hurt you desu."
He was relieved. If it got around at the association that he had fed a vampire... he doubted that even his potential as a hunter would save him. They'd throw him out...They might even take away the Kit...even though that was his by right. The association hadn't given him it. He had come to the with that in his possession already. But Sensei wouldn't tell and that was good enough for him.
Right now, he had to wait. Cross his fingers and hope this worked. It had been a crazy idea. But when he saw those eyes change in the darkness, he knew it was okay. It had been crazy enough to work. He left the relief pass through him as he fished for a handkerchief. It would be okay now. It would.
Holding out the cloth towards the vampire, he smiled slowly. "No you wouldn't. You would have never hurt me. And now that we're here...we can take you back." That was their job after all. Find Dan and bring him back...one way or another.
Dan blinked at the handkerchief before slowly taking it, wiping away the blood in his hands and on his face. His hunger was for now satisfied enough that he could bear not licking away every last trace. "I might have," he said quietly. "I told you... I killed here before." He closed his eyes momentarily before looking seriously at Ootori. "He was a vampire... he kidnapped my sister. Fed from her. I found them and she was so scared... I took her fear and put it into him... just stronger. He died of fear, Ootori-kun... his heart just couldn't take it anymore." He smiled sadly. "I killed him, Ootori-kun."
"We've killed too," Ryoga finally spoke up, "as you surely know... and I know enough of vampire customs to know that the moment he hurt your sister, he was a dead man walking." He looked seriously at Dan. "I won't say you did right or wrong... but as long as that's your only crime here, I'm only concerned with taking you back."
"Back where?" asked Dan, in response to both Ryoga and Ootori. Since it was them, he assumed... hoped... they meant the school. He wasn't sure if he could go back home right now.
He let Ryoga talk for them. Because he knew it was true. Yes, Dan had killed. But so had they. He was just as dirty and tainted and... suddenly he felt the need for a bath. But he kept that small smile and nodded. "We have...and it's wrong for us to judge you. You had a good reason for what you did. The vampire was a bad person...what you did was well within your rights. I would have...I would have done the same thing." To protect an innocent girl...yes...he would have staked such a beast. "and I know you wouldn't have killed me. Or Sensei. We're a long stronger than you think...at least sensei is." He still had a lot more room to grow. He had a lot more room before he was as strong as Sensei. Which was why he was letting sensei take care of things now. His work here was done...Well almost.
"Why home, of course...The academy. Where all your friends are waiting for you and you can get yourself a nice healthy meal."
"Don't put yourself down like that, Ootori-kun," Dan said with a faint smile. "You are strong... in a way most hunters will never be desu." Without that strength, he might have been lost, himself...
"The academy," he echoed, sighing in relief. "Right... home."
Then all the tension and stress and emotional exhaustion finally caught up with him, and he passed out.
Ryoga stepped forward as Dan collapsed, crouching to see how he was. Realizing the boy was just unconscious, not injured or anything, he picked him up carefully, resting the kid's head on his shoulder. It was unnerving, having a vampire so close to his neck, but right now he might have trusted Dan even if he'd been awake. Unconscious, the kid was even less of a threat.
"Come on," he said softly to Ootori. "Let's take him home so we can all get some rest."
...Such strange kids, these two.
Where: Same abandoned house Dan found his sister at
When: Tonight
What: Dan doesn't want anyone to approach, but Ryoga and Ootori are determined to bring him home.
Warnings: Um... blood?
Rating: PG~
"I do hope you're right about him not going near people," Ryoga murmured, pushing a particularly leafy branch out of the way as he quickly moved down a half-hidden path through the forest. "Though on the other hand, it might be easier to find him in a city than in a forest of this size..."
Though he tried to keep his tone light, in the inside, he was far from calm. He didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit. He was a teacher, now; he was supposed to keep his students safe. And while this could probably be interpreted as one way of doing it, it was still... unpleasant.
He shouldn't have been hunting down a student of his, whatever the reason.
Glancing over his shoulder, he frowned slightly. Ootori-kun had already been tired from all those damn tests when they'd left, and they'd had little time for rest since then. And, much though he hated it, he couldn't exactly stop right now. Time was of absolute essence here.
Turning his gaze back forwards, Ryoga kept all his senses open, looking for any sign, any tiny message that their target might have been here. His instincts were quiet at the moment. He wasn't even sure if that was good or bad.
He decided to settle on good. It was about the only optimistic thought he had, here.
He trudged just right behind the older man. He was so tired. He had been exhausted when the elder Kawasaki had pulled him in to his offices. And Echizen-sensei had been there. It was still all a blur. He had been through these long hard tests. He was already drained of his power and his arm was hurting too. But he wasn't about to complain. The last thing he wanted was to complain to Echizen-sensei. He missed most of what the man had said. He had only focused when he had seen the picture of the vampire they were after.
And now, he was stumbling behind the teacher, trying to keep up. Trying not to slow him down. Trying not to get in the way. Because sensei liked him. Sensei didn't think he was a useless kid. He had even lightened his load, only carrying the large ivory cross and a small hand carried cooler. He didn't tell sensei what was in it. That was for him to know.
He tried to keep his worry back. He knew that Dan had powers. He knew that Dan would feel them and that right now, what he might need was the feelings of hope and kindness not worry and fear. Right now...he could only think positive thoughts. He could only believe strongly that they would find the little pure blood. They would find him and he would be okay. There was no other way to think.
"He won't go near people. I know he won't. We just have to keep going. We have to find him, sensei. He's probably very hungry and very scared..." he too was looking. Looking for signs of passage that only a hunter might pick up. "But sensei, you have to promise me... You have to let me deal with him. Please don't get in the way or stop me."
"Ootori-kun..." He frowned. The boy was nice, almost too nice for his own good, and indeed exhausted. He didn't want to put him into any more danger than necessary. "If you think you can deal with him... fine. But I want you to be absolutely sure. I know he's your friend," a hunter befriending a pureblood, now wasn't that just the greatest joke ever, "but he might not be... entirely in control... at the moment. And you're tired. So, if you have even the slightest bit of hesitation as to whether you can do it... Don't. The last thing I want is the two of you hurting each other." After a pause, he added, "...I promise not to hurt him unless absolutely necessary." Of course, he'd never had any intention of any other course of action; however, he suspected it wasn't all that bad for him to clearly reassure Ootori of the fact.
Walking further through the dimming forest, he tried to think rationally. The boy couldn't be just anywhere. Night was only beginning to fall; just staying out in the open, even in such a thick forest, was really not likely for a vampire. Most likely he'd found some form of shelter for the daytime... but what kind of shelter could it be? It wasn't like there were any caves or anything around here, or...
Suddenly, he felt something. Nothing clear, not even a hint of danger yet... just... something. His instincts, honed to nigh perfection after years and years of such missions, were telling him that something was nearby. Hopefully, he told himself, Dan-kun.
Glancing around, he looked for some more signs. A shadowy figure far out in the forest caught his eye, only barely visible between the trees in the escaping light.
"...Is it just me," he asked, "or is that a house over there?"
He tried to put on his bravest face. He didn't want sensei to worry about him. He looked up to sensei. One of his dreams was to maybe one day become as strong and confident as Echizen-san. He knew he was far far from that. He had a long way to go before he was ever like Ryoga. But this...he had to do this. This was for his friend. He had to be brave and he had to believe in Dan.
Clutching his hand around the handle of the cooler tighter, he nodded, keeping that brave face. "Sensei, I'm positive. He will listen to me. And he won't hurt me. He won't because he's a good person inside, no matter how hungry he might be." Which was part of the problem. The elders had said that Dan had left his blood tablets and hadn't fed in a while. A dangerous situation. Even worse because Dan was a pure blood and anyone he might bite could become a vampire too. No. He wouldn't think about that. He pressed on instead. "And I have this..." He gestured to the large ivory cross. Useless to anyone else, but a weapon in his hands that would repel a vampire. "So really, there is nothing to worry about. Just trust me."
He hoped things would be fine. It was getting darker and they hadn't found any traces yet. He tried to put himself in Dan's shoes. If he was Dan-kun, where would he hide. he didn't know, but he would probably hide someplace near to here. Some place safe. Some place...
There was a almost soundless rustle from somewhere near. His senses weren't as honed as Ryoga's yet. He didn't quite detect it. Instead he looked ahead of him where the forest seemed to be clearing out a little. Squinting into the ever closing darkness, Ootori nodded. "I think you're right. There seems to be something up there. I think we should try there." And he was sure that if he was right, they'd both soon be feeling the powerful empath's feelings.
"I do hope you're right," Ryoga murmured. It would be terrible for both of the boys if something happened... and it would be his fault, too, as the senior hunter on this mission.
Ryoga didn't laugh at Ootori's cross. He knew well enough that it wasn't quite as ridiculous as it may have looked like, not when it was held in this particular kid's hands. He also sincerely hoped it was the only weapon they'd need today... He did have both his crossbow and knives at ready, but he really didn't want to use them. Not when having to do so might mean he'd lost one of his students.
"It's our best bet, anyway," Ryoga pointed out. "And as there aren't any lights on even at this hour, it's likely it's not inhabited." Except perhaps by a runaway vampire. He hoped.
Dan had awoken just around nightfall. For a long while, he merely lay curled up, not moving an inch. Finally, he forced himself to sit up, shivering. He was feeling really cold... Not a wonder, really. It wasn't exactly like his body had the energy needed to keep him warm, not after such a long time without blood.
Hugging himself, he closed his eyes, drawing in the feelings around him. His hunger was starting to grow again, and he needed some way to control it. Nothing could work better than the emotions lingering here... the fear and pain that he had caused.
He had been stupid, hadn't he. But then, he had never meant to stay away so long... He hadn't meant anything, really, simply run away in his rage and desperation. And now he was stuck here, gone far too long to dare approach his home anymore, or worse any form of human life. He couldn't guarantee he could control himself if he came close to people right now.
It was perhaps a rather morbid place to choose for hiding, the place where he had saved his sister from the kidnapper. However, it was also the best one. Even in his hunger and desperation it reminded him of the reason he had to remain there, had to remain until he regained control or... was not a danger anymore.
It was still clear, all that pain and terror and other such hurtful emotions. Usually he wouldn't have been able to so easily sense something from so long ago, but nobody had been there since then, tainting the traces with new emotions. He could almost taste it in his mouth, his sister's desperation, his own anger. The fear he had used to kill the man.
Curling up tighter, Dan pressed his head against his knees.
...Someone was getting close. He could feel it, could feel those emotions... worry and wariness and perhaps the slightest bit of fear, but also positive things, feelings so pure he'd rarely felt such. Feelings almost like those of...
No. No. Anyone but him, not now when Dan couldn't control himself. He couldn't allow himself to hurt Ootori-kun of all people.
Sending out a wave of pure fear towards the approaching people, Dan sincerely hoped it would be enough to chase them away... and not enough to kill them, like he had killed the man. He honestly couldn't be sure, not in this state. He just didn't have enough control.
The younger hunter would never have blamed Ryoga if something happened. He was responsible like that. If something happened, it would be his fault alone. But he was sure of it. That everything would be okay. Everything had to be okay. Because anything else was unacceptable. Echizen-sensei using that horrid bow was unacceptable. Dan was salvageable. It was the only reason why he hadn't brought any of the rest of his kit.
He started to move quicker once they spied the house. Dan might be in there. He was tired, but long legs quickly carried him past the elder hunter. He had to get there first. Just in case. Of the two of them, he was sure Dan would be more welcome to seeing him than Echizen sensei. Especially the closer he got to that house in the deep woods. It looked so dark and scary, It looked like a terrible place to hide away. His heart went out to anyone who would ever hide in such a place.
A place that as he got closer, the fear hit. One moment he was walking towards the building and the next, he was frozen in his steps. Body shivering, chocolate eyes wide. Breathing racing. His heart was sudden going at about a million miles an hour. Suddenly, he felt terrified. Utterly horrified beyond belief. There was something out there. Something so horrible that he couldn't even bring himself to go near it. "S...sensei..." His voice was suddenly so small. He swallowed and tried to force down the fear. He shouldn't be scared. He needed to be brave and strong like Sensei. "It's....it's Dan-kun...Dan-kun is in that building..." And though the fear was debilitating, he forced himself to take the first step and then the next. He had to be strong. he had to be brave. He had to save Dan-kun. He had to get his friend.
The fear that suddenly hit him was pretty much like a signal beacon. Such sudden, paralyzing fear could in no way be natural. Gritting his teeth, Ryoga forced himself to go on, just the slightest bit surprised as Ootori actually forced his way past him.
"Yeah," he murmured. "I think that's one thing we actually can say for sure. He's here... and he doesn't want us to be here." They had to keep going, though, for Dan's sake if nothing else. Even though he was absolutely horrified, more scared than he could ever remember being even when faced with other vampires, he had to force himself to go on. If Dan was still all right, they would take him home... and if he wasn't, he could at least give him the mercy of death. The kid was his student; he owed him that much at least.
It wasn't real, he reminded himself as he made his way after the younger hunter. It wasn't real, none of it was. He wasn't scared, really, certainly not to this extent. It was just an illusion of a child who was probably even more terrified, himself. Keeping telling this to himself, he got closer to the building, his gaze sweeping across it to find the door.
They weren't leaving. Why weren't they leaving? Dan wanted them to leave, wanted them to leave him alone while he could still control himself, while he wasn't a danger yet... Yet a small part of him was happy, relieved they would be taking him home... or at least relieving him of the pain of the hunger, by whatever means.
He couldn't attack them. He couldn't. Not Ootori-kun, the one person who actually made him feel better no matter what... Yet he wasn't entirely sure he could control himself, anymore.
"Go away," he whispered, as though the quiet plea would be any more effective than his powers that seemed to have failed him. "Just go away..."
Ootori had to remember that it went both ways. Whatever they were feeling, Dan had to be feeling too. So, he had to think of other things. He couldn't think of how scared and worried he was feeling. he couldn't think about how terrified he was or how tired he was. If only for the young vampire hiding away, he had to think the most soothing things he could. He had to think about how much he liked his violin and how much he looked up to Ryoga and how much he enjoyed the school and all those warm sappy emotions that most hunters thought made him weak and useless.
He kept going until they reached the house. A house he wanted to run screaming from. Door...where was the... a voice. he thought he heard a voice. Small, frightened. Weak. "Sensei..." He murmured... "Remember your promise..." He almost felt relief when he finally discovered the knob. it didn't last too long as another rush of fear hit him. He could see his own hand shaking terribly when he took hold of the door knob.
In a soft voice, he called out. he knew it was dangerous, warning the inhabitant that they were coming, but Choutarou wasn't a normal hunter. He believed in fair play. Especially when it was a mercy mission and not a killing one. "Dan-kun...it's okay. You don't have to be scared anymore. It's me...And sensei... we're coming in. Please don't run or hide. We come in peace. We aren't coming here to hurt you. We're here to help you..." He turned that knob and let the door swing very slowly, so as not to startle anyone. Now he just hoped Dan would stay put and that Sensei would stand back and let him try to handle this his own way.
Ryoga stayed behind Ootori, though not far. He had to be able to help immediately if something went wrong... but he had promised, hadn't he. And for both of his students' sake, he was going to hold onto that promise... unless he was left with no choice.
It was strange, soldiering on against the fear that he knew wasn't real, sure he was afraid but certainly not to the extent of wanting to run away and abandon his mission. In a way, it was almost more dangerous than some of the more aggressive abilities he'd faced sometimes, he mused. If Dan had had more control -- or had used more power -- there would have been nothing they could have done. Hunters were trained to resist all forms of persuasion and mind control... but not the gripping, paralyzing fear that just made him want to curl up and shiver.
They were opening the door, he could hear it. "No," Dan whispered, backing away towards the opposite wall, forcing himself to stand up. They were coming in... and it definitely was Ootori-kun, he couldn't mistake that voice. He'd already known, of course, from the soothing feelings he'd received, but in his current state those had done little but caressed the surface of his inner turmoil. And sensei, too, that had to be Echizen-sensei, and though he didn't exactly like the man it was still much worse than some other hunter he didn't know.
"Maybe you're not here to hurt me," he called out, his hands clenched into fists, "but I may hurt you, whether I want or not. I -- I can't control myself properly anymore, Ootori-kun. I don't want to hurt you... please... please go away." If fear didn't chase them away... for a moment, he opened his own mind to those approaching, showed them just a glimpse of his desperation and fear and longing, the sadness and pain of his loss, his anger at his father, and above all the horrible, relentless hunger that was threatening to tear him apart.
"Please," he murmured, tears in his eyes as he saw the dark silhouettes in the doorway. "Just go away... or at least kill me before I can hurt anyone desu..."
It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness within the house. With his tall frame, it was much harder to see as he blocked out what little light could stream in from outside. He moved in quickly because he was sure such an image must have been so intimidating. Two hunter..showing up in the dead of the night and blotting out the doorway...not a very warm and welcoming sight to any vampire. And definitely not to the small pure blood all but cowering in the corner.
"You won't. You won't hurt anyone. You are a good person. A kind person." He took another step forward and put the cooler down on the ground. The cross went a second later. He trusted Dan. He trusted enough that he put the one item down that might be able to repel an attack if such a thing happened. But it wouldn't. It wouldn't and he was sure that his trust would get though. His faith in Dan's restraint.
Only there was no restraint there. He picked up the cooler and took one more step before it hit. It was only a moment. But it was a moment Ootori doubted he'd ever forget as long as he lived. The emotions that hit him were so overwhelming that he was brought to his knees. All that fear and anger and sadness...and...oh god...the hunger. He hadn't known it was like this for a vampire. The compassion he felt for his opponents as a hunter just grew that much stronger now that he had felt it. Those...poor...things... And poor...starving...
He was crying and Ootori didn't even realize it. "Dan-kun..." He sniffled and tried desperately to move forward. He'd had a lot of practice. Hell, half his kills, he cried through. So tears were nothing new. "We're not going to go away. Sensei and I are here to help you... We aren't going to kill you. I won't let sensei kill you." He meant it too, turning slightly to look at Echizen as if to ask for a little more time. "Not when I have something for you."
He managed to walk closer and put the cooler down near to Dan and opened it. Vapour came out, the cold air hitting the warm. He put his hand in and came out with a bag. A medical blood donor bag. A bag filled with the vital liquid. It was marked O Positive. "When the elder said you forgot your pills...Well...O is the universal donor and they had an extra bag of it on hand...Lucky me..." He glanced to sensei and hoped that the man wouldn't decide to point out to Dan that it was Choutarou's blood in there.
"Sensei...do you have a straw...I sort of forgot one in all the hurry..."
Dan pressed himself back against the wall. This was... this was no good. Ootori was just coming closer, he was coming closer and it was all Dan could do to hold himself back, to stop himself from --
Ootori actually went down to the ground when faced with his emotions. Behind him, Dan saw Echizen-sensei's form gripping the doorframe to stay upright. He was sorry, so sorry to be hurting his friends, but... He couldn't help it. He had to get them to leave, to go away, to...
To not approach him. To stop talking to him like they could help. "You have to," Dan murmured. "You have to go away. I've killed in this house before... I don't want to do it again." He hadn't meant to say that, not like that, and even though he was pleading them to kill him he didn't exactly want them to do so thinking he'd murdered humans. "He hurt my sister and I killed him... I don't want to hurt you, you've never done anything to hurt me desu..."
Wait, what? Had something for him? That... he wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Bad, he decided, he didn't want Ootori being so close, so vulnerable without any of his things, crouching down to take out of the cooler something that smelled of...
Blood. There was blood there, a whole bag full of it, somehow they'd brought him blood and the smell was overwhelming even though it was tightly enclosed in the bag. His hands started to shake, and he barely heard any of what Ootori said, his eyes locked on the liquid.
He didn't pay attention to what Ootori was saying to the sensei. He couldn't. Not that it mattered anyway, as he suddenly lunged forward, not even stopping to think about how they would interpret such a gesture. Instead of attacking Ootori, though, he grabbed the bag from his hands, backing away again even as he tore at the plastic. Straw? What straw? He started drinking greedily the moment he managed to get a big enough hole for the blood to flow through.
Ryoma stared at the kids in the darkness of the abandoned room. For a moment there he'd been ready to attack, to save Ootori from what had seemed like a certain attack... but no. The kid's plan had actually worked... for now, at least. He just hoped the blood would be enough to satisfy Dan's hunger instead of just making him crave for more.
Walking forward, he settled a hand on Ootori's shoulder, the other one still held close to his weapons. "...Well done, kid."
Dan had... killed? He hadn't known that and it probably should have shattered his image of the smaller male forever. But it didn't. Dan had to have a good reason. Just because someone killed somebody didn't make them bad. Echizen sensei did...he had too... To think badly of Dan would be the worse kind of hypocrisy. He couldn't judge. He could only accept.
Choutarou should have probably felt fear when the vampire lunged at him. His heart probably should have stopped in it's tracks. Fight or flight should have told him run. He didn't. He sat there. Sat there, eyes closed, hand out holding the bag, trusting. Trusting with all his heart that Dan would not hurt him. It wasn't him the vampire was after. It wasn't. It was the blood. He was pretty much waving a needle full of smack in front of a junkie. He understood that even more now that he had felt that terrible need.
He full hand was suddenly empty and Ootori felt relief. He felt relief and he felt accomplishment. A hand landed on his shoulder and he felt a surge of utter joy at the praise. A person he looked up to was praising him. Looking up, he smiled. No he beamed at Echizen. "See...there was nothing at all to worry about. I told you it would be okay." He turned that smile back to the feeding vampire. "Just...don't tell on me, okay sensei...I know there are rules about feeding vampires...but I doubt that the tablets would have been affective." There, the secret was out, in a way. He felt better for it too.
To the vampire, the hunter just murmured, "That's right. Drink up...slowly now. Don't choke on it."
"...Don't worry," Ryoga said, eyeing the kid. "I'm not telling on you... not for successfully doing what you were supposed to." That was, to calm Dan down... hopefully. He could only hope the blood was enough.
He had to talk with Dan later, though... about that killing thing. He'd mentioned something about his sister getting hurt, but Ryoga needed more details. He had to know whether the kid might become a risk again. Much though he hated to think that way, he needed the information to properly judge Dan.
It was surreal, wasn't it. He was basically teaching a school full of monsters... but he had to pay special attention to this one. This one, and a couple of others... the most powerful ones. And thus, potentially the most dangerous ones.
...He could only hope it would stay at "potential".
Relief. Sweet, sweet relief as he tasted the blood filling his mouth. He only barely had enough of a presence of mind to listen to Ootori, trying to hold himself back from drinking the blood too fast. It wasn't until he'd emptied the bag almost completely, though, that he actually looked at the other, his eyes bright and clear now instead of the desperate glow of earlier.
"...You're an idiot," he said softly, licking at the bloodstains around his mouth from his rather messy eating. "I could have... hurt you. Killed you. You shouldn't have come so close..." He shuddered at the thought. "I couldn't forgive myself if I hurt you desu."
He was relieved. If it got around at the association that he had fed a vampire... he doubted that even his potential as a hunter would save him. They'd throw him out...They might even take away the Kit...even though that was his by right. The association hadn't given him it. He had come to the with that in his possession already. But Sensei wouldn't tell and that was good enough for him.
Right now, he had to wait. Cross his fingers and hope this worked. It had been a crazy idea. But when he saw those eyes change in the darkness, he knew it was okay. It had been crazy enough to work. He left the relief pass through him as he fished for a handkerchief. It would be okay now. It would.
Holding out the cloth towards the vampire, he smiled slowly. "No you wouldn't. You would have never hurt me. And now that we're here...we can take you back." That was their job after all. Find Dan and bring him back...one way or another.
Dan blinked at the handkerchief before slowly taking it, wiping away the blood in his hands and on his face. His hunger was for now satisfied enough that he could bear not licking away every last trace. "I might have," he said quietly. "I told you... I killed here before." He closed his eyes momentarily before looking seriously at Ootori. "He was a vampire... he kidnapped my sister. Fed from her. I found them and she was so scared... I took her fear and put it into him... just stronger. He died of fear, Ootori-kun... his heart just couldn't take it anymore." He smiled sadly. "I killed him, Ootori-kun."
"We've killed too," Ryoga finally spoke up, "as you surely know... and I know enough of vampire customs to know that the moment he hurt your sister, he was a dead man walking." He looked seriously at Dan. "I won't say you did right or wrong... but as long as that's your only crime here, I'm only concerned with taking you back."
"Back where?" asked Dan, in response to both Ryoga and Ootori. Since it was them, he assumed... hoped... they meant the school. He wasn't sure if he could go back home right now.
He let Ryoga talk for them. Because he knew it was true. Yes, Dan had killed. But so had they. He was just as dirty and tainted and... suddenly he felt the need for a bath. But he kept that small smile and nodded. "We have...and it's wrong for us to judge you. You had a good reason for what you did. The vampire was a bad person...what you did was well within your rights. I would have...I would have done the same thing." To protect an innocent girl...yes...he would have staked such a beast. "and I know you wouldn't have killed me. Or Sensei. We're a long stronger than you think...at least sensei is." He still had a lot more room to grow. He had a lot more room before he was as strong as Sensei. Which was why he was letting sensei take care of things now. His work here was done...Well almost.
"Why home, of course...The academy. Where all your friends are waiting for you and you can get yourself a nice healthy meal."
"Don't put yourself down like that, Ootori-kun," Dan said with a faint smile. "You are strong... in a way most hunters will never be desu." Without that strength, he might have been lost, himself...
"The academy," he echoed, sighing in relief. "Right... home."
Then all the tension and stress and emotional exhaustion finally caught up with him, and he passed out.
Ryoga stepped forward as Dan collapsed, crouching to see how he was. Realizing the boy was just unconscious, not injured or anything, he picked him up carefully, resting the kid's head on his shoulder. It was unnerving, having a vampire so close to his neck, but right now he might have trusted Dan even if he'd been awake. Unconscious, the kid was even less of a threat.
"Come on," he said softly to Ootori. "Let's take him home so we can all get some rest."
...Such strange kids, these two.