Yuuzel stepped closer, cutting through the white mist that had formed with the coming of the hours after midnight. He was nearer now, only a short distance away from me. And he was different now. Where he exhaled a thick fog formed and where he had stepped, a blood-path stained the cobble stones.
I was holding onto the dead tree limb that was shaking more vigorously than before. It’s as if he was circling his prey…teasing it until…I closed my eyes tight, held on to my chest;
“Yuu…”
I was always afraid like this. Pathetic. I was always hiding away from the truth and making believe that everything was going to be ok. The real reason why I wanted to find the real blood-sucker whose been preying on the teachers, was just to steer away from the hunch that he…he might have…but he couldn’t have. He couldn’t. And yet he could just as easily have done it too. Maybe even with the students if he wanted.
“Back where we came from, we were once called Vampirr…”
I had always had that fear in me. Ever since the day Yoh and Yuuzel told me about their secret. Thinking that, Yuuzel might, and wondering if he had done something like that. It was so pathetic. I couldn’t even ask him about it. Pretending to be brave… when all I wanted to do was run away….
So why didn’t I?
I persisted on chasing after Salasarn, made every excuse to stay with him and hunt down the squawking huge vulture-like creature perched atop the lamp post that stood on my back. Come to think of it, being scared of this, and of, dying a third cursed death…I still insisted on being with Yuu.
“Ruby, you know I'd much rather die for you. There's not a thing in this world I wouldn't do to protect you…”
Why? I wanted to go back to The Archives with him. To finish the Black Journal, while cozily seated on his side. I wanted to do that again, not because of my great curiosity again, but because I was comfortable there. I was safe.
And I felt safe there because of Yuu.
“Yuu…” I said once again, the limb in my arms stopped shaking and my heart had stopped from its erratic beating.
The hours after midnight had begun to tick by and there would be little shade here for Yuuzel to hide during the day. He had always been protecting me no matter what, so I won’t…no…I won’t let myself fear him. I can’t be afraid of Yuuzel no matter what. And I have to protect him also. As he had protected me from the claws of the night, I’ll protect him from the coming rays of the day.
The clock tower, in the middle of the park, ticked further away from midnight. I threw the tree limb down and closed the distance between us, myself.
“Yuu…will you still protect me after this?”
I stood infront of him. Our toes had met and his breathe lashed onto my face. I looked up into his eyes, his blood-colored eyes even more. Mustering all the guts I had in all the fibers from my toes upto the crown of my head.
He stopped advancing towards me. His gaze had dropped to the floor. In an instant he was back to being that geeky-looking boy I met at the Archives.
Yoh had said this before, he “was never really one to disobey…”; and this was an order from me. I was his lady and blood princess. Placing my hands on my hips, I cranked up the demanding look even more, slicing towards Salasarn.
“That’s an order.”
I crossed my arms around my stomach, meeting him straight in the eyes – his red eyes.
Yuuzel drew out an arm and messed with my hair a bit, before exploding into tiny bits of laughter again.
“Thankyou.” He said, and then bowing down low, “to hear is to obey…”
I crossed my arms infront of me and peered towards Salasarn who began to take flight. It flapped its giant wings and caused a strong air current that whirled towards us.
I held onto Yuu’s sleeve to keep myself from being blown away. “Yuu!” I yelped above the strong lashing winds.
“Salasarn!”
Joseff suddenly arrived with the principal, who had tiny beads of sweat lining his forehead. He recognized the creature too.
“Mastah Yohseft…” Salasarn drew its wings further in an intimidating length that almost covered the midnight sky.
Yoh leapt into an assault towards Salasarn, to which the later responded by taking refuge into the woods. They had moved in an incredibly impossible speed. I couldn’t see much but shadows that darted to and fro in the night and there were flashes of eerie light from here and there.
“Ruby…” Yuuzel carefully removed my fingers from his sleeve. “You believe me right?” he asked all of a sudden. I jerked my head into a nod, moved a few steps back;
“I believe… Yuu…” I will believe in Yuu, no matter what.
Yuuzel turned towards where Yoh and Salasarn were battling it out.
“Salasarn has gone stronger, feeding on the academy all this time.” He said, his back still on me.
“So? Go ahead and bite me.” I said, with an eyebrow raised up.
The words came out on their own. I was still a shaky from before, but now…I want him to. If this is the only way I can help in the fight, I won’t mind.
Yuuzel combed a hand up on his head and ruffled a tuft of wavy locks backwards. He inhaled sharply and then sighed, throwing his eyes on the cobble stones.
“Anytime now, Yuuzel?” Yoh shouted over his shoulder.
Salasarn had its claws, trying to aim at Yoh’s neck. Yoh was defending, and struggling with his arms crossed infront of him.
“I could really use some help up here, my friend!” he called out again.
The principal, stood few distances from us. Yuuzel looked at him, contemplating on something.
“If this can help you, I don’t really mind…Th-that’s an order. I've already made up my mind. I want to protect you too"
BINABASA MO ANG
Blood Ink (The Archives Book I): Editing
Vampiro"Two deaths that happened in the distant past were revealed to me. Now there was a recent murder within the school that I had to witness for myself. And when I fled to a new found friend (though I wanted to be more than that) for comfort, he tells m...
