Tainted Blood

Chapter 23

Aiden was sitting on the edge of the sidewalk as he watched a car go by. He sensed a girl walk by behind him. Her heels clicked against the sidewalk but all he could hear was the girl's blood pumping through her veins and her heart beat pounding in his ears.

A bite wouldn't hurt. He began to rise slowly from his place and began to trail behind the curly blond haired girl. The girl glanced behind giving a cautious look towards Aiden.

Aiden's eyes began to fill with crimson beginning to cover the white areas of his eyes. Aiden hadn't noticed the girl had reached into the tote bag she was carrying and slowly began to take out something.

Aiden grabbed the girl, but quickly leaped back when she attempted to slash him.

Drops of blood began to fall onto the pavement as Aiden looked at his inner lower right arm to see a deep cut. The girl was holding a jagged blade that looked like a mini lightning bolt with runes written on the blade in front of her like a shield. She looked to be eighteen years old with long, straight dirty blond hair and stern looking blue eyes.

An… immortal hunter…

"You should look scared, Vampire! That cut isn't going to heal anytime soon. You might have to cut off your arm before the venom travels through your system and start making you rabid," Mirielle sneered. Aiden was attempting to move his right hand but it seemed like the girl had damaged a muscle in it. He stared at her for a long moment before the corner of his mouth quirked and slowly a deranged grin appeared.

"You might've just cut a muscle… that doesn't warrant me cutting my arm off," Aiden retorted as he pushed off towards her to attack her. He attempted to punch her, but she blocked his punch and used her wielding hand to attempt to stab him in the heart. Aiden grabbed her wrist attempting to hold it from reaching his heart.

"Just think of it, I'm doing you a favor," she said between clenched teeth struggling against his strength to push the dagger into his heart.

Aiden twisted her arm to her back and was about to take a bite into her neck, but Mirielle head butted him in the face causing Aiden to release his grip. Mirielle quickly swung her dagger at him causing him to stumble back to avoid it. However, she was relentless and thrust the dagger into his stomach causing him to grimace.

A blond blur whizzed by knocking Mirielle back and disappeared with Aiden around the corner into an alley. It caused Mirielle to curse under her breath as she chased after it.

Stark Anselm threw Aiden roughly against the wall. Aiden slid down the wall sitting against it hugging the stab wound he sustained. Stark had a rather dark smirk across his lips.

"I guess we can't discuss anything because you decided to take a bite out of an immortal hunter," Stark exclaimed in an obnoxious tone," Picking a fight in the day with an immortal hunter? You don't think, do you?"

A psychotic smile began to cross over Aiden's lips as he shrugged.

"It's not my fault everyone here looks like a moving happy meal."

"Yeah, and your 'happy meal' stabbed you and now you're dying from her dagger," Stark retorted with a bad boy smirk over his face. He turned towards the streets. Mirielle was standing there with a not so happy expression over her face.

"I didn't realize he had a friend," Mirielle said twirling the lightning shaped dagger in her hand. Stark snorted.

"And I didn't realize immortal hunters were so... cruel. Poking holes into vampires," Stark said in a rather dark tone.

Immortal daggers won't let a demon heal. Bet there's poison on the blade too... Aiden is going to keep bleeding to the point of death.

"Didn't know you cared so much about me… I know I'm quite loveable after you get to know me," Aiden said with his deranged grin. Stark rolled his eyes. A large puddle of blood had formed around Aiden.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You lost a lot of blood."

Lillie was surprised to find Miyabi sitting on her front porch with a rather troubled expression. His brows were creased and his eyes seemed wild as he attempted to sort out what he wanted to do.

"Miyabi?" she questioned," Is something wrong?"

Loki could sense the faint air of malice around Miyabi though that could be the underlying desire to tear and eat flesh as an undead. However, as Lillie approached him, Miyabi had suddenly lunged at her causing Loki to pull Lillie behind him and roundhouse kick Miyabi back. Miyabi was thrown through the front door and skid on his back to the floor in the center of the foyer.

Loki slowly closed the distance between him and Miyabi. Miyabi rose slowly with a dark expression over his face.

"I don't want my humanity being taken away…but…even if I get to keep it… I still lose it," he stated. Loki was confused at what Miyabi was saying. It seemed more like he was speaking to himself. Miyabi dove at Loki and swung a punch at him causing Loki to take a step back to dodge it.

Miyabi's movements were wild as he punched and kicked but he never once landed an attack on Loki, who kept dodging without any trouble. Loki saw an opening as he dug his claws into Miyabi's stomach causing him to clench his teeth. Then used the side of his hand to hit Miyabi on the back of his neck as bones could be heard cracking. Miyabi fell at Loki's feet.

Loki touched Miyabi's head causing him to be sent into Miyabi's mind. He looked around to see a bright green field of grass as a pool of blood seemed to be encroaching onto it. Miyabi was on his knees on the edge of the grass and had his head down.

"I can't do this…" he muttered," I just can't… trade a life for a life…"

"What are you talking about?" Loki questioned icily. Miyabi slowly looked up at him.

"I can't give Lillie to that cruel old woman. Who knows what she would do to her… That would be selfish of me. I didn't get this second life to do something like this," he exclaimed in a pathetic, solemn manner," Save Koji from his grandmother. She's the only friend he will have..."

Loki had a serious, cool expression cast over his face as he slowly bent down in front of Miyabi.

"What do you mean she would be the only friend?" Loki questioned. Miyabi closed his eyes exhaling loudly.

"Koji belongs to a scary, dark family… Power is their only goal... He needs someone to shine some light into his life," he answered as he held his head," And me… I chose to be loyal to Koji… My humanity is slipping…"

Loki furrowed his brows staring at the blood coming closer to them.

"Humanity?" Loki questioned.

"LOKI!" Lillie's voice cried. However, Loki ignored it.

"I would just be a zombie… craving…" Miyabi began. A wave of blood began to wash over them causing Loki to snap back to reality. Loki slowly turned to Lillie, who had bent down to snap Loki out of it. Loki's vision kept blurring for a few seconds.

"Why did you…" he began as he brushed his finger on his cheek to find blood trickling down his face. Lillie looked at him in concern.

"Don't… strain yourself," she said.

Suddenly Miyabi had attempted to leap at Lillie grabbing at her wrist and then had barely been able to restrain himself as he pushed himself back. A male had suddenly appeared and had punched Miyabi. Lillie slowly looked up to the male with a black cloth over the lower half of his face standing over her.

"I apologize that our undead is attacking this place. However, I believe it isn't a shock to you, is it? None of you are human and are accommodated to strange occurrences," the male spoke. In a quick motion he had slammed Miyabi face first into the ground causing Miyabi to fall unconscious. Then he lifted an unconscious Miyabi over his shoulder and then turned to Loki," He was never an opponent for the likes of you..."

"Who the hell are you?" Lillie cried. The newcomer turned to Lillie bowing his head slightly before saying anything.

"My name is Rain, but we will… meet again another day. You are after all young master's good friend and… sorry for the intrusion," he said before he exited the mansion and disappeared with Miyabi. Lillie seemed slightly puzzled by what had happened while Loki seemed to be attempting to get his vision back to normal.

"Are you okay?" she questioned absently. Loki grimaced rubbing at his temple before turning his attention to Lillie.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Loki answered absently. Lillie was staring out the door for a long moment. Miyabi had said mouthed something towards her when Loki was in his mind and it caused her literally freeze unable to move.

Save Koji from his grandmother. I entrust that to you because you're the only friend he will have...

Stark had a wry, cocky smirk plastered on his face. Mirielle raced at Stark twirling the dagger in her hand as she slashed horizontally at him viciously. Stark dodged.

"C'mon! You know how this will end? I got that vampire… I can get you too," Mirielle said in a confident manner. Stark snorted.

"The immortal hunter thinks too highly in herself. You got in an attack on Aiden because he's starving," Stark exclaimed and added in obnoxious tone," Picking on a weak vampire. Tsk tsk."

Mirielle sliced upwards and Stark flipped back to dodge. She adjusted the way she held the dagger so she could bring down the dagger to stab him. However, Stark had grabbed her wrist and tripped Mirielle. He held her own dagger against her neck as she attempted to push it away.

"Why should I have any mercy on a vampire… a demon… anything that isn't human," she said in an angered tone," Do the vampire a favor and end his life before he suffers."

Stark's grip tightened over her hand that was holding the dagger causing Mirielle to wince as her bones began to crack.

"Then you must hate yourself… because you are anything but human," Stark said with a wry, wicked smirk over his lips as he gripped around her hand even tighter. Mirielle screamed as she loosened her grip. Stark took the dagger out of her hand and stabbed Mirielle in the left shoulder," Well I guess you should kill yourself huh? It'll save you from a slow, painful death while you bleed out."

Mirielle swept her leg under Stark causing him to fall to the ground as she pinned him to the ground. She took out a gun pointing it against his head. Stark still had the arrogant smirk over his face.

"You said you hated demons… so shoot," Stark coaxed. Mirielle began to press on the trigger. However, just as she shot the gun, Aiden had dragged her off Stark causing her to miss Stark's head by a few millimeters and bit into her neck.

Stark had a rather devious expression waiting a few seconds before ripping Aiden from Mirielle's neck. Mirielle had fallen to the ground unconscious.

"I didn't need help Aiden… but I guess you made it a little easier," Stark said in a devious manner throwing Aiden aside as he bent down to check Mirielle. Mirielle was still alive.

Aiden groaned as he lifted his shirt to check on his stomach. The stab wound looked worst than it was supposed to. It was spread and the veins around it were turning black from the poison. Even the cut on his arm was beginning to grow worse and the veins were turning black traveling up his arm spreading like a disease.

"Happy meal… tried to kill me… I'm losing all my blood onto the ground… Happy meals shouldn't… be allowed to… stab… Aiden," Aiden mumbled in a delirious manner. He didn't seem to know what he was talking about. Stark smirked at Aiden looking slightly entertained by the gibberish coming from Aiden's mouth.

"You're lucky I drove. Just don't get blood on the seats of my Porsche."

Stark turned to look at the immortal hunter for a long moment and smirked.

"I'll stuff you in the trunk."

Koji sat against the wall in the dark room. It felt like hours had passed… even days. He hated not seeing any light and the masked man seemed to have the power to alter the mind. Koji resisted the best he could but all he wanted to do was get out of here and shut off his emotions just like his grandmother wanted.

Lillie caused you to end up here… if you only listened…

His conscious seemed to be attempting to get the message through to him causing him to shake it off. Lillie was the one good person he had in his life currently and he couldn't let her go.

But he was in this situation…

The door creaked open as a man that wore a white mask with half of it being white and the other black, and another seventeen-year-old boy with navy blue hair walked in dragging someone between them. Koji squinted to get a closer look but he still couldn't recognize whom it was. Their hostage seemed to look up towards Koji.

"Koji."

Koji instantly recognized who it was.

"Miyabi?" he questioned.

"Let's make this a lesson. Your weakness will cost you… and it will cost you a valuable friend of yours," the masked man exclaimed. Miyabi was thrown into the room and the door shut.

Koji quickly crawled over to Miyabi unable to stand. His limbs felt numb and tired from the energy he spent healing himself from the damage the masked man had done to him.

"How did you get captured," Koji questioned. Miyabi grimaced.

"Listen, Koji. I don't have time to chat with you. You need to kill me before I lose myself completely. I'm fighting it as best I can… I'm becoming a regular zombie," Miyabi exclaimed in a desperate, even tone. Koji furrowed his brows.

"I'm not going to kill you, Miyabi!"

Miyabi put both hands on Koji's shoulder.

"You'll have to, Koji, unless you want to be eaten alive," Miyabi snapped at him. Koji swallowed. Miyabi shook him," KILL ME BEFORE I RIP YOU INTO PIECES!"

Koji began to shake his head vigorously.

"No, I can't do that! You're one of the few good friends I have. I was the one who resurrected you, Miyabi! I'm technically like your medium so you can have your humanity... so you can be human! How can you be losing it," Koji cried.

"Your grandmother cut that tie when I refused to do something she asked. You know what she is capable of Koji," Miyabi said sternly and his tone got more raspy and pleading," Please, Koji. Kill me… before… I…" Then Koji was flung to the other side of the wall causing him to grimace. He could hear Miyabi growling within the darkness. Then suddenly he could see a shadow leap at him and was bitten in his left shoulder. Koji quickly shoved Miyabi back without holding back his strength.

However, Miyabi was relentless attempting to bite him again. Koji was barely able to hold him off with how desperate he seemed to take another bite out of him.

"Hungry… flesh… blood…" Miyabi said hungrily pausing between each word unable to form full sentences. Koji grimaced as he desperately tried to hold off Miyabi from killing him despite Miyabi clawing at him.

Koji bit his lower lip as tears welled up in his eyes. He pulled open the lock around his neck.

"Go back… to the ground," Koji muttered. He could feel Miyabi begin to crumble in his hands and the dust falling around him. Koji placed his hand over the dust as he used his other hand to rub the tears in his eyes away," You were a good friend, Miyabi. I hope you find peace."

Koji felt like everything was beginning to crumble. Friends… family… He would have no one left in his life. He felt like a bad luck charm as he sat there in total distraught over the loss of a long time friend. His weakness… had caused all this.

His expression began to change from distraught to cold and stoic. He never wanted anyone else to die because of him… because of his weaknesses. If his grandmother wanted him to be emotionless and cold, so be it. He'll listen to her. Be as distant as he can from everyone… then he'll never have to feel so alone and hurt.

Author's Note (Jan 21, 2013):

I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter! I've changed things and mixed the events around... I suppose every time I update I will update with 2 chapters until I get back to where I was. =)

Thank you for the reviews so far! It's been awesome! Thank you for being patient while I get back to the chapter I was on.