The Return | Cricky [C]

Chapter XLI: Patches

There was far too much adrenaline rushing through my body for me to actually sleep. I laid there, staring at the ceiling while my mind was a restless jumble of thoughts. It didn't take long for Ricky to fall asleep, considering how close he was to passing out anyways. Once I was confident he was far enough into dreamland that I wouldn't wake him by moving, I got up and left the room. I was in no state to be sitting still.

Angelo and Ryan probably want alone time, and Yuki might not care to see me right now. Discovering the truth of his situation had to have caused him to feel something negative towards me, whether it be resentment or disappointment. Either way, I should leave him to seek comfort in either himself or another. It seems like something Ville is far better suited to handle. That is his whole reason for existing, after all.

It wasn't long before I heard some commotion occurring at the front gate. I rushed down there to see what it was and if I could help. Of course, the girls didn't need my help. The scene I found was disconcerting. Kuza had finally returned, barely. He was on his hands and knees in the snow. His clothes were torn up and his body bloody and shivering. Just behind him, the two women who were on guard duty stood over a fresh corpse. Their swords remained trained on it, as if they were worried it'd get up again.

I hurried over to Kuza's side, giving him my shoulder to lean on. As I helped him to his feet, I noticed one of the guards bending over the dead body. She used her sword to cut a piece of fabric from the person's clothing. Then, she handed the scrap to me, stating, "Once you've helped him, bring this to our Master."

It looked to be some kind of coat of arms. I assured them I'd do as they asked and started to get Kuza inside. At least he was able to walk. He started mumbling apologies for his inability to bring me blood, but I hushed him. It wasn't important now. Clearly, he was attacked. By what or who or why has yet to be seen. I knew what Manson's coat of arms looked like and I'm relieved to say, this patch wasn't it. If we're lucky, it was a stray rogue, a thief, someone who had nothing to do with us and just decided to pick a fight with Kuza for his own selfish reasons. Something tells me we're not that fortunate.

Unexpectedly, Yuki had been wandering around the palace. I would've assumed he'd lock himself away somewhere to cry or mope. When he spotted us, he quickly rushed over, asking what he could do to help. I hate to say it, but he's become a lot less selfish since he became a flesh devouring monster. In the old days, he only cared about his interests and mine. No one else really mattered. That may sound terrible and you might wonder why the Hell I'd love someone like that, but a self-centered attitude like that was very important to surviving the vampire world as a human.

I didn't want to automatically go to the pool for two reasons. Firstly, I had no idea how it could affect Kuza. His physical existence isn't very stable. Secondly, I wasn't sure yet why Ricky had become so reluctant to use it. Until I was certain, I wasn't going to put Kuza at risk, even if it meant forcing him to be in agony for the time being. We laid him upon a bed, finding as many blankets as we could to help him combat his oncoming hypothermia. Yuki retrieved supplies from one of the women and began treating his wounds, while I hunted down Ville.

There were so many people who lived here that I actually just never saw. For the most part, I haven't even been outside of the west wing. This place was absolutely massive. I'm sure I could come here constantly and it'd take me years to see every bit of it. I traced his scent to the south end, where I found him in an unexpected scenario. The room was nothing like the rest of the castle, either. It was decorated with light pinks and blues, little paper jellyfish hanging from the ceiling and butterflies on the walls.

He was sat in a daybed with a teenage boy, reading him a book. I knew from looking at him, this boy wasn't like the others I'd met or seen hanging off of Ville's arm. He had an aura of innocence around him. Long pastel pink braids framed his face, faint freckles over his nose. His large eyes stared up at me with wonder, maybe a little fear.