Bloody Lips

History

"Aren't you going to tell me anything about you?"

I asked as I walked closely near Reita. He stopped, and so did I. He eyed me carefully, and cocked an eyebrow in response. "No one told you yet?" he asked me. I shook my head in reply. He thought for a moment, and took my hand.

"Let me show you, then." He said and led me to an unfamiliar corridor. "You see, I hated this house." he started as he slowed down a bit. The walls were lined with old portraits and vases, some paintings and old items too. "I was a good liar when I was a child. I can make anyone believe me. We lived peacefully... until when the war broke out." he said. We came across one photograph of a field. The field was lined with tanks, and soldiers. "I was kidnapped. They asked me where my father was. It occurred to me that my father was an information carrier to the Americans in the second World War. I was... seventeen." he said. There was sudden pain in his eyes as he had us walking again. "Then... I was thrown to them." he said, and cringed. "A cult full of vampires. They wanted the truth out of me, so..." He pushed his sleeves back, and numerous scars were visible in the dim light. They were almost like... "Whips. I was tortured. Funny that my lies couldn't save me at the time." he laughed bitterly at the memory. He stopped abruptly when we came to a gray, metal door. His hand wrapped gently around the door handle. He opened the door to a sort of chamber. There were nothing but gray walls, until he flicked the light on. Dim, orange light filled the room, and I flinched back. There were no windows. There was a metal chair in the corner, and chains snaked all over the floor. On top of that, there were bloodstains smeared all over the room. On the ceiling, the walls, the floor and chains... even on the chair. "This was my torture chamber." Reita said, his voice grave and sad. "You can't imagine the tremendous pain they put me through. Then... one of them saved me." he paused and sighed. "He came back for me and snuck me out. I wasn't going to survive, so he bit me." I saw him flinch at the painful memory, and agony lined his voice. "When we moved here, I didn't want this room to be cleaned out. These blood--"he touched the blood stains on the wall"---are my human blood." I breathed in shock. This was... indescribable. Instinctively, I bent down to touch one of the many blood splatters across the floor. It was painful to see him like this. Maybe I shouldn't have asked about it. I felt him move behind me, and I slowly stood up. "Then again, if I didn't become a vampire... I wouldn't have met you, wouldn't I?" he said, a small smile leaking through his voice. I stood up, my eyes wide in shock. I calmed myself down, and I felt Reita's hand on my shoulder. "Maybe I shouldn't be alive, but where's the fun in all that? Somebody has to be the troublemaker at some point, right?" he joked. He gave a small laugh before wrapping his arms around my waist. He let his head fall onto my shoulder and sighed deeply. I gently touched his arms and closed my eyes. I could feel his scars; most of them were thick. "It must have been hard." I whispered. "Yes, it was. Painful..." he murmured, and his arms tightened around me. He slowly pulled back, and my body seemed to react to his painful words. I slowly faced him and stared seeply into his unfathomable eyes. They seemed to convey deeper emotions than normal. Anxiety, guilt, bitterness... agony. He stepped closer to me, and I froze. His lips were at my hairline, and I could feel his cool breath wash over my face. My fingers found his, and he inhaled deeply. "Somehow... when I'm with you... I forget. I forget everything. All the pain, the sadness... I lose it all and drown in your sweet scent. I feel your warmth, and I wish I could never let go." he said, and ended in a low whisper. I didn't know what to answer, so I kept silent. "You make me feel everything until I'm desensitized... and I'm loving it. Every single moment of it." He was murmuring now, almost as if he was losing himself. I heard him breathe, and felt him smile. "Sorry. It may sound weird, coming from a vampire." he apologized. "No heart, no soul." he whispered to himself. My eyes opened. "That's not true." I countered. "If you didn't have a heart, you wouldn't be able to feel..." I whispered as I pulled my right hand free from his, and gently caressed his face. I felt his hand on mine. "Aki." he whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Ehem."

I jumped at the sound of someone clearing his throat. We both turned to the door, where Aoi and Mao was standing. Reita pulled me closer to himself, almost protectively. "It's cool if you don't want to come. Ruki wanted to come to, anyway..." Aoi said. "I'll be there." Reita replied coolly, and the two were gone. He led me out of the room, and the metal door slammed shut behind us. "Where are you going?" I asked. "Hunting." "Again?" That was the fourth time this week. He didn't elaborate more on the topic. I had to let it go... for now. We walked past the familiar corridor, and to the living room of the mansion. Aoi, Ruki and Mao were already there. "Let's go?" Mao asked. "Let's." Aoi replied with a huff. Reita turned to me and kissed my forehead gently. And then, he was gone.