I May Be A Vampire 04 (Patreon)

Where would a vampire hide?
 
There were two places Hajime could think off. First it was the general area surrounding Misaki town, full of trees and the like. It goes without saying, but the mountainous era was off limits due to flying pigs.
 
And the second, much more convenient place he could think of was... "Kitsy Land." The abandoned glory of Misaki Town.
 
Hajime only knew the basics about Kitsy Land. It was an amusement park founded by some dumbass rich businessman who wished to make something Misaki Town could be remembered by. The soul of the city.
 
He threw a bunch of money at it, enough money that by the end of it he wasn't rich... and then the park failed spectacularly. It was awfully built, and at some point a child even almost died.
 
Nowadays it was just a bunch of junk, and nobody went there.
 
A perfect place for a creepy, evil vampire to hide. Probably.
 
The truth was that for all Hajime knew, the vampire could be living in a normal apartment or something. Tracking her down would be difficult as hell, and Kitsy Land was just his first guess.
 
If he didn't find her there, he would just need to wander around the residential district or something. That was the area where he originally saw her eating after all.
 
So now Hajime was calmly making his way to Kitsy Land.
 
There was one complication however. "I'm thirsty..." His need for warmth had begun to return.
 
Which meant he was weaker, which meant he had a bigger chance of losing to his vampire parent, or whatever she was.
 
"Why don't you just drink an animal then?" The sudden voice caused Hajime to jump away in fear.
 
A distance of twenty meters was made in one measly second. "What the hell!?" And to be honest, Hajime wished he had made even more.
 
He was fully alert, that's why he was so comfortable and talking with himself. And with Hajime's senses, he could track beings hundreds of meters away, that's why nothing should have been able to sneak up on him and yet...!
 
And yet he was now staring at a weird cat man.
 
A weird cat man with a very familiar voice. "Wow, you can jump so far!" If it wasn't obvious, this weird cat man is actually a creature far more rare. He is Soujuurou Shizuki, the newest transfer student.
 
He had been making his deliveries while dressed like a mascot when he spotted his newest friend talking with himself. And so Soujuurou approached him... The problem being that Soujuurou lacked any presence at all.
 
He was more of a bug than a human. At least to the senses of a Dead Apostle.
 
Hajime looked down. "Y-yeah, I guess I can indeed jump very far..." He recognized the voice as belonging to Soujuurou.
 
So as his heart calmed down, Hajime wondered how the hell he would explain himself. For he knew that if the mountain boy found out his identity as a vampire, his life would be utterly ruined.
 
And all because of some stupid mistake. Even now Hajime hadn't truly understood how Soujuurou had escaped his senses. He could only consider as a personal failure and leave at that.
 
Soujuurou was naturally unaware about Hajime's current state of mind. "I wish I could move that fast, it would be super useful for my job." He could finish deliveries way faster!
 
He then realized what he said and covered his neck. "Ah! Please don't turn me into a vampire though." He wasn't ready for another radical change in lifestyle.
 
The mountain boy wasn't actually sure what would change in his life, and he didn't want to assume anything, since Hajime could walk in the sun, but he knew he definitely wasn't ready for it. Maybe a year or so from now he would desire becoming a bloodsucker however.
 
Hajime blinked, as if his eyes couldn't accept what was happening right in front of him. "Y-you knew...?"
 
If he didn't, then he wouldn't just automatically assume Hajime was a vampire after the jump. And that wasn't all, Soujuurou had clearly said Hajime should go and drink animal blood just know.
 
Soujuurou tilted his head. "Knew what?" He was starting to regret this.
 
Not because he didn't enjoy talking with Hajime, but because he did have a job to do. If he ended up being late, both the customer and Soujuurou's boss would be pissed. For the mountain boy that might as well be death.
 
Hajime started stuttering. "I-Isn't obvious!? That I'm a vampire!" Could it be that Soujuurou was always secretly part of the supernatural?
 
Now that Hajime thought about it, the boy did come from the mountains. Recently the vampire had fought flying pigs in those mountains, so who knew what else lived there?
 
And then Soujuurou clarified everything. "I know because you told me." He was starting to get worried. "Is your memory okay?" Maybe Hajime had hit his head? If so Soujuurou would take him to a hospital.
 
Hajime couldn't say anything.
 
He could only laugh and laugh.
 
Which just made Soujuurou even more concerned, he definitely needed to take Hajime towards a hospital. Moving around the way he was was not safe, he could hurt himself even more.
 
And then Hajime stopped laughing. "You... you know what I said back then was supposed to be a joke, right?"
 
As Hajime laughed, he understood what had happened, he underestimated Soujuurou's innocence. Hajime couldn't even be blamed for it, because who would expect that their classmate would take that ridiculous conversation seriously?
 
Soujuurou was now the one perplexed. "So you aren't a vampire...? How did you jump like that then?" How embarrassing, he completely misread that conversation.
 
An awkward grin appeared on Hajime's face. The vampire had now realized Soujuurou would believe literally anything told to him, therefore there was an easy escape route from this situation.
 
I jump that far, because that's just something I can do. If Hajime told Soujuurou that, he would definitely believe it.
 
And yet, Hajime didn't. "The truth is that I really am a vampire. I just told that as a joke because I was trying to... trying to get some things off my chest." He didn't really understand why.
 
Maybe it was because he felt free to confess such things in front of such a innocent boy?
 
"I really haven't hurt anyone though... I promise." It felt good, saying that outloud. "In fact I have even been hunting the vampire who has been hurting people." Yeah, Hajime was not a monster.
 
He could look at what was essentially innocence incarnate and say that. Even if that innocence incarnate was dressed like a man cat right now.
 
Soujuurou smiled inside his costume. "I see." He didn't, but he didn't want to cause more troubles. "But you really shouldn't pursue that vampire. Leave it to the police."
 
When one is robbed, common sense dictates you should give the robber your wallet so you won't get hurt. Soujuurou understood that nowadays, and a similar logic applied here... Looking for trouble was no good, professionals existed to handle this type of stuff.
 
Hajime scratched his cheek. "The police won't get involved with this... probably. I don't really get why, but vampires and stuff are a secret."
 
Or at least Hajime assumed it was supposed to be one. He only learned about the existence of the supernatural after he got bitten, so clearly it wasn't common knowledge. Maybe politicians and the like knew about it?
 
For a second Soujuurou almost asked why did Hajime tell him then, but the mountain boy quickly remembered it was just a badly told joke.
 
So there was a vampire who was roaming the streets, killing people, and nobody knew about it?
 
Modernity was dangerous.
 
But Soujuurou had already accepted that. "Okay then. I'll go back to my delivery then. Stay safe." He would prefer if his friend didn't fight at all to be honest, it was dangerous after all.
 
And furthermore. "By the way Wada, don't forget this. Murder is wrong."
 
Hajime smiled. "I know." He then waved at his friend. "Well, see ya Shizuki. I'll go... drink a bird's blood on a park or something." It should be fine. Hajime would be able to detect if someone came along...
 
Or at least he should be able to. He didn't understand why he didn't detect Soujuurou, the boy was normal after all. It must have been some sort of fluke.
 
Suddenly Soujuurou felt a bit worried. "Hey, let me go with you." His friend was laughing for no reason just now...
 
Soujuurou still didn't understand why, but maybe it was because his friend was way too thirsty? In that case the mountain boy would like to keep a watch on him... even if he might be a little late with his delivery.
 
Hajime tilted his head. "S-sure...? But why though. I mean, it's gonna be a pretty gruesome process." He thought Soujuurou might even vomit.
 
Soujuurou didn't hesitate to respond. "Because I'm worried about you. Oh, and don't worry about being gruesome, it's not like I haven't killed animals before."
 
The mountain had needed to hunt for food in the past... and he also bought meat in the supermarket. So he genuinely saw nothing strange with what Hajime needed to do to survive.
 
Hajime slowly nodded. "Okay then...?" Why was Soujuurou worried for him?
 
Well, it didn't matter, because Hajime had an idea. "Just keep watch for me. It would be bad if a normal person saw me feeding." Since his senses were failing, Soujuurou could be a second pair of eyes.
 
The mountain boy agreed, and they headed to the park. As one would expect from the two, they were completely silent throughout the whole walk.
 
Not that it took much time anyways, Soujuurou knew of a park close by. Due to his numerous part-time jobs he was strangely aware of the city's layout, probably more than even Hajime who had lived there his whole life.
 
Once they arrived at the park, Soujuurou looked around. "So, how do vampires hunt anyways?" He was quite curious. Perhaps Hajime would lure an animal with some kind of trap?
 
Hajime chuckled. "We hunt by being scarier than anything around us."
 
Before Soujuurou could ask him to elaborate, Hajime dashed forward, kicking dust as he went, making the mountain boy cough. Even so, Soujuurou kept his eyes on the vampire.
 
Hajime had moved like thunder, using his enhanced senses, he grabbed a bird that was perched atop of the tree. The poor thing died before they even hit the ground.
 
And as Hajime feasted on blood, he decided that bringing Soujuurou along was a good idea indeed. Because when sucking blood, when receiving such euphoria, he wouldn't be able to notice an elephant, much less a human.
 
Soujuurou meanwhile, was really impressed. Hajime had moved faster than any animal he had ever seen.
 
And there was another interesting thing. "Wow, your eyes become red when you suck blood." What was the point of that anyways? Did it have some special power?
 
Hajjme unceremoniously dropped the empty bird to the ground, as he usually did. "They do...?" Was that the difference his father had noticed?
 
But Hajime wasn't drinking at the time, he was merely wanting to drink... Oh. That was enough for it, wasn't it? That was problematic... Like really problematic. What if Hajime suddenly felt thirsty in the middle of class!?
 
Soujuurou nodded. "Yeah, they become red and glow slightly..." He squinted his own eyes. "Their pupils are a bit catlike." It was truly the eyes of a vampire.
 
Hajime put a hand on his chin. "That's... pretty har-." And then he felt it.
 
Its heart pulsing as it came closer, its legs moving as it came closer, its arms lightly swinging as it came closer, its hair swaying on the wind as it got closer. Its smell was getting closer, its noise was getting closer.
 
He wished he had never stopped sucking blood because he would not need to acknowledge that thing. He wished he had never become a vampire, because he would not have the senses to acknowledge that thing.
 
Yes, this fear was one born out of vampirism, and so Hajime could only stare at its source and tremble.
 
Death was approaching, it sought a corpse.
 
Soujuurou was doing his best to hold back a sneeze. "You okay Wada?" His friend had suddenly stopped, and now he was staring at an empty area for some reason.
 
His friend didn't respond, so Soujuurou started staring at where he was staring.
 
And from that way, slowly a woman came in view, approaching with calm steps, and a serene face. In a way, for Soujuurou she looked like the exact opposite of someone spirited like Aoko.
 
Blonde hair, a beautiful serene face, a skirt that was a bit too long, and red eyes... red eyes with catlike pupils.
 
Soujuurou got into a fighting stance. He would prefer not to, for one should give their wallet to the robber, but if he had no choice...
 
The woman stared at his friend. "So he made a spawn...?" She had a feeling that was the case, she woke up and came here to hunt them down, but even so, seeing it in person made her want to hurl.
 
Oh, if it isn't clear enough, this woman is Arcueid Brunestud.
 
Hajime didn't know her, he didn't know her name, he didn't know her importance. But he knew he was a dead man, one who didn't have the strength to take a single step, be it forwards or backwards.
 
And then red eyes, became yellow eyes. "Child, who is your progenitor?" Her tone was that of a machine. It did not have anger or happiness in it.
 
And yet for some reason, perhaps those eyes, Hajime suddenly had the strength to talk. "Y-you mean the person who turned me? U-um... I don't know who she is exactly." He had a feeling that wouldn't be enough.
 
"B-but she had pink hair! And she looked a bit old! Like she was in her late thirties! A-and I met her in the residential district when she was f-feeding and...!" Fear had taken grasp of his heart.
 
Meanwhile, Soujuurou had no clue what was happening. Why did these woman's eyes change from vampire ones into yellow ones? Was she a good vampire or a bad one? She was clearly not Hajime's progenitor at least.
 
The machine interrupted the newly born. "That's enough." But thousands of thoughts ran through her head.
 
Pink hair? That meant either Roa hadn't truly taken over yet, or that he preferred the way his body was now... Alternatively, perhaps the woman was his spawn, and this boy was the woman's spawn.
 
Utterly disgusting. That was the one feeling this machine had, disgust.
 
"Child, were you turned recently?" She had awoken recently, and she had been brought here. Most likely because Roa's disgusting spawn had evolved far too much for her to ignore.
 
If this child was a newborn, then he was not Roa's direct child. Even so, she obviously wouldn't allow his rotten, stolen power to spread. Her Principle was hers and hers alone, not something that could be tainted and passed around.
 
Hajime slowly nodded. "Y-yeah, I was recently turned." And that was enough.
 
The princess' eyes returned to normal. "Thank you for the information." It's good that she had woken up. She never thought Roa would sire a powerful vampire, but it seemed he had proven her wrong. As usual.
 
And then she dashed forward, for she would not allow his spawn to live.
 
Her fingers had extended into claws, and purple energy, magical energy condescended into its purest form ran through them. With it Arcueid could destroy a castle with zero issues. It was her primary method of offense.
 
Hajime could move again, he had grown accustomed to her presence. So he covered his face with both of his arms and jumped backwards, preparing his heart for a fight against a vampire.
 
He fell into the ground like a puppet without strings.
 
His head was gone, his arms were gone, a decent bit of his upper torso was gone.
 
The machine didn't bother to press the advantage. For a True Ancestor, conserving their energy was key, and so she would always use the least amount of energy possible in a fight.
 
Besides, this was Roa's spawn, so it would not surprise her if he had some sort of hidden trump card. Perhaps something Roa had stolen from the Holy Church, or some long lost magecraft.
 
With that said... This was most likely a Nightkin, perhaps a Nightmare. Healing such a wound was most likely impossible for him, the fight was over.
 
And then Hajime was alive again. "What...?" He did not know what had just happen. He didn't even feel pain.
 
One moment he was there, and then suddenly he was not.
 
He sat up, looking at what might as well be death incarnate, and repeated himself. "What?" Before he could always keep up to a certain extent.
 
Even back when he was a normal human, the difference in pure power between him and his sire had not been so humongous. Now however? As far as Hajime was concerned, Arcueid had killed him with her mind.
 
No, she hasn't. He thought.
 
He could clearly see her claws after all... Was that something every vampire could do? Or was she just a claw vampire while he was a ocean vampire? Perhaps she wasn't a vampire at all.
 
That didn't matter now, she had confirmed he was alive, and so she rushed forward ready to impale his head with her claws.
 
Thankfully Arcueid made a mistake. She came at him in a straight line.
 
Hajime glared at her with intent to kill, and so his eyes desperately tried to grant his wish.
 
The last of the True Ancestor's stopped her dash and raised her claw to her face. "Oh? This is why you were turned, wasn't it?" Corals were growing across her body, draining her energy.
 
It must be quite a high-ranked pair of Mystic Eyes, she thought. Else they wouldn't be able to affect her at all... Gold at minimum. The boy had future amongst the Dead Apostles, so it was a good thing she had found him so early.
 
Not that it mattered of course, even if Hajime Wada suddenly evolved into a Dead Apostle Ancestor right here and now, he would not be able to stand up to Arcueid Brunestud. Not without something even more fantastical than her.
 
Hajime had used the time given to him to stand up. His thirstiness had returned after his healing, but he could feel those corals giving him warmth, taking it from her.
 
Perhaps he could win this.
 
And then Arcueid's eyes shined yellow. "Amusing." And the corals bursted away from her body.
 
It was simply a case of Mystic Eye meeting Mystic Eye. Hajime's were more powerful of course, but Arcueid's Magical Energy blew his out of the water, and so she won the battle of mystery.
 
He had no idea what had just happened, but he wasn't about to let her come to him again. He understood that meant death.
 
"If she can do it, then I should be able to do it too." He was referring to her claws of course.
 
And he was absolutely wrong. That was just not how anything worked. Just because one vampire had a specific ability, didn't mean another would have it. And even a Dead Apostle who shared the same Principle would most likely develop different abilities.
 
Even Roa, Arcueid's child who had stolen part of her Principle, had yet to manifest similar abilities to her. Instead his Principle had revolved around purple lightning, which was his preferred form of battle magecraft, and his reincarnation.
 
Nonetheless Hajime swiped his hand towards her direction, his hands became claws, and a wave of purple cutting energy was fired.
 
Arcueid didn't block. Perhaps out of confusion, perhaps out of disbelief, perhaps... most definitely out of anger.
 
She stood there and took it. It didn't hurt one bit, literally no damage was taken. In the end Hajime Wada was a Nightmare, and he had the output of one. An ability like hers was not a good fit for a newborn such as him. No harm was done.
 
Nonetheless...
 
Nonetheless...!
 
With her own ability, with her own Principle he had...!
 
A machine could not feel anger, she repeated to herself as she moved towards him. She should not feel hatred, she should not feel spite, she would not feel those things. Because she was a pure being, a True Ancestor.
 
She would rip out his heart however.
 
For Hajime nothing made sense anymore. One moment he had attacked her and figured out he was also a claw vampire and then in the next...
 
Her hand was inside of him, grasping at his heart. And even now, she refused to look at his eyes.
 
He suddenly remembered a very important thing those flying pigs had said. That you could kill a Dead Apostle by removing its heart and destroying it. He imagined that was the future that awaited him.
 
And then Arcueid's heart exploded.
 
She looked down in disbelief. "H-huh?" Strange, there was a fist colliding with her chest. And not the fist of Roa's spawn. It was a furry fist.
 
Soujuurou Shizuki had watched enough.
 
His first punch had come with perfect precision, not aiming at destroying her muscles and bones, for he couldn't, but to transferring all that energy to her heart.
 
It wouldn't be enough, he threw a couple more quick punches.
 
Arcueid's liver exploded, Arcueid's lungs exploded.
 
For Soujuurou, it felt like hitting a wall made of metal, but that was fine. As long as the wall of metal didn't hit back, the worst he would receive were a couple of fractures on his arms, he could handle that.
 
He spun around her, and delivered the two final blows he could think of, one to the neck and one to the brain. No more organs exploded, but that was the most he could do, so he retreated.
 
Murder is wrong.
 
Soujuurou truly believed that, and he would rather die than murder someone. That said, he would rather murder someone than let his friend be murdered. It was simple logic, fit for a simple man.
 
Arcueid herself felt extremely confused.
 
She wasn't truly hurt, during the night, when the moon shined over her she quite literally could not die. However, Arcueid could still feel wounds, and having many of your organs explode was quite the... interesting experience.
 
And most importantly... where did that... cat man come from? She truly wasn't aware that he was there at all. Arcueid had not ignored him out of pride, she simply had not seen him, nor felt him.
 
It was as if he was empty, pure void.
 
It was akin to a human battling a baby, and then suddenly losing to a bug they weren't even aware of. Inconceivable.
 
But Soujuurou Shizuki was a inconceivable existence anyways.
 
As a man raised away from everything, untouched by the modern world until very recently, he was an existence far more pure than a pathetic blood thirsty True Ancestor. His mystery could match hers, in its own very weird way.
 
Yes, Hajime Wada could not defeat Arcueid without something as fantasical as her by his side. So it was a good thing Soujuurou Shizuki might as well be fantasy come alive.
 
Arcueid's Mystic Eyes had disappeared in her shock, and as if she was a lost child, she looked upon Hajime's eyes for guidance. Begging him to explain the miracle she had just witnessed.
 
She saw only rainbow and proceeded to drown.
 
The True Ancestor fell to the ground, foam coming out of her mouth, and corals growing from her body.
 
Soujuurou raised a hand. "Um... is she gonna be okay?" He hadn't killed her, right?
 
Hajime looked at her. And then he looked at Soujuurou. And then he looked at her. "You..." He did not know what to ask. "Let's just run, I don't think the effects of my eyes are permanent."
 
And so he dragged the mountain boy out of there. Both of them had enough of the supernatural for today.


 
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
 


She was drowning, falling upon an endless ocean.
 
Arcueid wasn't scared however, she had just misjudged her opponents strength and fallen upon a trap. Those Mystic Eyes were much stronger than she had given them credit for, they might even be stronger than hers.
 
A interesting ability, creating lifeforms that sapped at various forms of her energy, and trapping her mind in some sort of illusion world. It might even challenge the eyes of Rita Rozay-en.
 
She would leave eventually however, because her body would adapt. Then she would hunt down that child... and perhaps that bug, and kill them both. They had simply bought a bit more time, that's all.
 
And then suddenly Arcueid stopped drowning, she stop sinking. "Oh?"
 
Something touched her body, she didn't understand it. But then it happened.
 
The things that lived upon this ocean decided she was worthy prey. That pig made of fairy tale was boring, this was interesting, this was new, this could be toyed with.
 
Arcueid drowned and died.
 
She didn't understand how, it just happened. Her body was flooded with pain until she couldn't stand it anymore, and she died. It was simple as that, true and completed death.
 
And then she was alive again. And then she died. And then she was alive again. And then she died.
 
Slowly she began to understand.
 
This was not an ocean, this was a galaxy, and she was being torn apart limb by limb, being put together again, and then being torn apart again. Its inhabitants were cruelty incarnate.
 
She felt sorry. She didn't know dying hurt this much, she wouldn't kill people anymore.
 
They tore her apart limb by limb.
 
Why was this happening to her? She couldn't even die... but that was under the light of the moon. Here where she was, moons did not exist, the princess had entered a foreign nation, and the only thing she could recognize was the shape of a castle.
 
They put her together again.
 
She understood, that boy's ability was not the power to create corals and to trap people in illusions. It was a gate, a gate that lead her to a place far beyond the grasp of the moon, far beyond the grasp of the roots.
 
They torn her apart again.
 
Arcueid broke and rebuilt herself. She changed from machine to girl, she changed from girl to machine. She undoubtedly died over and over again.
 
They put her together again.
 
Arcueid begged to be rescued. She didn't care who did it, she would be forever grateful for Merem's help, she would forgive Altrouge, she would become Roa's toy. As long as they took her out of here.
 
Where was her grandpa? She would admit he was her grandpa if he came for her.
 
They had no shape. They had every single shape. The castle had no shape, the castle had every single shape.
 
Arcueid thanked her creators, she thanked life. She was glad she had existed prior to this, she loved life.
 
And then it ended... perhaps they grew bored, or perhaps her body adapted, either way she was truly happy.


 
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
 


The True Ancestor opened her eyes.
 
The corals surrounding her body exploded as she got up, the corals surrounding her area melted as she let her magical energy explode onwards. The plants of the park consumed the ocean with no hesitation.
 
She felt rage, pure and utter rage. "I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him!"
 
Just once would not be enough. Just ten times would not be enough. Just a hundred times would not be enough. Just a thousand times would not be enough. She would truly wipe that bastard away from existence.
 
She may have been helpless in that ocean, but that was because that ocean was not her territory. Earth was her kingdom however, and here she was powerful, he was the invader! He was the weakling!
 
B-but what if I look in his eyes again?
 
Anxiety, the white princess felt anxiety. "N-no, I wouldn't make such a mistake, I don't need to worry." She was just caught off guard by the bug.
 
Still, thinking about that place bought tears to Arcueid's eyes.
 
Sadness. Pain. Grief. "I don't want to go there again... I won't go there again." She had humiliated herself, begged even Roa for help...
 
Shame. She would never do that again.
 
She bit her nail. "Still, if I'm going to hunt him down, I should research him a bit more. Upstart he may be, but he is clearly dangerous." What kind of other abilities did he have? He even copied her fighting style...
 
Curiosity. She was curious about him.
 
"Where does he live? I should probably find that out. What's his habits in general? What does he..."
 
What is he? What's his name? What does he enjoy? What does he hate? How old is he? Does he have a family? Does he like girls? What type of girls does he like?
 
She began to feel a bit happy when she thought about the type of person he could be. The amount of possibilities left her dazzled. What if he was a utter scumbag!? Or a super nice guy!? Or somewhere in the middle!?
 
Before long all she could think was about him.
 
Arcueid Brunestud only saw him, only heard him, only smelt him, only tasted him, only felt him.
 
That which was a machine broke in a thousand pieces. Her purity was tainted far deeper than ever before. The incomplete became complete and the complete became incomplete.
 
Arcueid Brunestud fell deeply in love with Hajime Wada.