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 Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:40 pm
Fuuma felt the fangs leave his skin and tried not to be hopeful, as hoping might mean heart ache. And in addition to his neck and head; he didn’t need more aching. But as the biting turned to sweet, soft kisses (In Fuuma’s mind), the hunter allowed himself to relax. Kamui was done, at least for now. And that meant he could start the recovery process.
The recovery process started, Fuuma decided, with focusing on those nimble fingers in his hair. It was a sweet reward for his hard work. And he was going to enjoy it, damn it.
So he closed his eyes and leaned further into Kamui, settling his head comfortably on the shoulder, close in to the neck. He could fall asleep right here, he realized, and was sorely tempted to do so. But there was still taking-care-of-Kamui to be done.
Once he could sit up comfortably on his own, again.
The words in his ear almost went ignored. The treasure hunter was so much more interested in feeling than thought, right now. But Kamui might have been saying something important, so Fuuma forced himself to listen. And promptly laughed, as much as he could laugh right now; it was more like a cough with a smile.
But he would answer seriously, because that was the proper thing to do. Considering how weak he felt, how much his neck hurt, how dizzy his head felt… “Survey says… No.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:41 pm
Fuuma’s answer shot a pang of regret right through the vampire, causing him to pull away so he could regard the hunter properly. While Kamui on the one hand looked a bit healthier with a tinge of color returning to his previously deathly pale flesh, not to mention a bit otherworldly with the fresh blood still shining on his pouting lips and staining the corners of his mouth, Fuuma looked about as bad as Kamui assumed he looked when Fuuma first found him in the alley. So far that was one point against ever wanting to feed again.
“Sorry. I tried warning you…” the vampire murmured as he brought his other hand, that was resting on Fuuma’s shoulder, up to run the back of it over the hunter’s forehead. Aside from Fuuma’s obvious exhaustion, he also seemed to have broken into a cold sweat somewhere along the line.
It was truly amazing how a strong man such as Fuuma could be brought to such a weakened state merely from a bite. It just proved to him how truly fragile humans were. As Kamui slowly detangled himself from the hunter, he helped guide him into a laying down position on the couch with a hand on the other man’s cheek.
“It’d be best for you to get some rest now. You should feel better by morning.”
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:38 pm
Fuuma shook his head, felt dizzy, then decided a “no” would suffice. Kamui had probably forgotten what the human body needs—If he ever knew. “Water. I need to drink something. Preferably non-alcoholic.” He got out, wishing he could just fall asleep, but knowing recovery came faster if the body had something to produce more blood from.
At the same time, he didn’t want Kamui to walk away. It was nice being handled so gently. A gift he hadn’t received since long before Tokyo.
Immediately, Fuuma’s mind went to possible ways to keep Kamui there longer. Fake sickness? Fake injury? Pretend to pass out? How about just asking?...
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:56 pm
“Water?...” the vampire repeated with a slightly puzzled expression, removing his hand from Fuuma’s face in favor of looking around the apartment for the tools he would need to go about getting Fuuma a beverage. Kamui’d never really taken care of a human before. Usually when Kamui “took care of them”, the only thing they ever needed was a place to be buried or cremated.
Wandering over to what he assumed was the kitchen, Kamui began searching through cupboards, draws, the tiny oven, and the mini-refrigerator for an empty glass or cup. When he eventually found what he was looking for in the very last cupboard above the end of the countertop, he approached the sink not even two steps away and turned the water on, eyeing the clear liquid suspiciously.
“Is it…safe to drink?” the vampire asked curiously. After being in Tokyo for three years helping his “teammates” search high and low for pure, consumable water, you never could be too sure anymore.
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:04 pm
Fuuma made sure not to make any disappointed sounds as Kamui walked away. As much as it would get across what he wanted, he had a feeling Kamui wouldn’t comply simply for his benefit and would instead think less of him for wanting it. Such was Kamui’s nature.
That wouldn’t stop him from enjoying the idea of Kamui looking for dishware.
“Yeah,” Fuuma tried to say, but it came out much too soft to be heard by a human and, complete with forgetting that who he was talking to wouldn’t need the help, cleared his throat and tried again louder. “It’s safe; this world has large underground purifiers. You really haven’t done anything here, have you?”
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:30 pm
Kamui shook his head as he filled up the glass and walked back over to Fuuma, kneeling down before the other man to hand it to him before elaborating.
“Subaru and I….weren’t even here a whole day before we were ambushed…” the vampire murmured with obvious melancholy, “I don’t really know anything about this world. And since no one’s given me any trouble with the exception of your brother, I have no reason to care either. Even if it is probably the last world I’ll ever see…”
Sighing, Kamui chanced a look back at the hunter, not really wanting to go into further details of his final resting place so he preoccupied himself with Fuuma’s well being and cleaning his lips off instead.
“Did you need anything else?”
He felt a bit odd asking the question. He’d only ever shown this kind of care and doting to Subaru before and half wondered if he was subconsciously trying to replace his twin with the only person who gave him the time of day anymore. As much as he hoped he wasn’t that shallow, the thought struck another self-loathing chord within him.
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:18 pm
Fuuma listened quietly to Kamui speak. It was truly a sad thing what Seishirou had done to them. And Subaru…
That wasn’t a good thought train to follow. Instead, he took Kamui’s hand and looked down at the ring on the vampire’s finger. “This won’t be your last world.” He said, then dropping the hand and turning to address Kamui’s question. “I need you to take a bath, okay, kitty?” accentuating the last word with a wink to show he was playing.
Then he tried to sit up and realized exactly how impossible that was when his arms refused to support him. It took a struggle, but with rolling over sideways and inching along the pillows, Fuuma eventually ended up at an upward angle at which he could drink the water…
If he could hold the glass. The hunter figured out early the glass was too full for his hand to grip and hold and had instead opted to just tip Kamui’s hand until it was empty enough to be light enough to hold on his own.
“I’ll take you with me.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:23 am
The vampire could only look on curiously as Fuuma guided his hands to do what he wanted them to do. His mind was currently reeling over what had come out of the other man’s mouth instead. What exactly was Fuuma trying to imply by calling him “kitty”? And what did he mean he’d take Kamui with him?
“…Take me where?” the vampire inquired innocently, somehow feeling terrified and hopeful if Fuuma was hinting at what he thought he was. Even though he had nothing left now, Kamui still wasn’t sure if he was ready to completely put his past behind him yet.
“As for the bath, I’ll get to it in a minute,” he added in with a slight pout when he remembered Fuuma had asked a question, “Or is my presence that offensive that I should go now?”
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 7:27 pm
Fuuma laughed gently at Kamui’s question, trying hard not to spill his water. He would have taken Kamui’s hand again had his strong hand not been taken up with a glass and his weaker hand too far away. “Your presence is never offensive,” He said instead, “I always enjoy what you do.”
“And…” he continued, trying not to stray too far from the point, “to the next world.” A simple answer. He wondered why Kamui hadn’t already inferred that from his previous statements.
And then he wondered if Kamui would reject his offer.
Fuuma couldn’t let Kamui do that.
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:11 pm
Kamui looked away both from the compliment and hearing his prediction come true. On the one hand, it was awfully sweet of the hunter to be humoring him with potential companionship like this after he’d been abandoned so abruptly. But on the other hand, the past still had a strong grip on his emotions and even though two weeks had passed, the vampire knew he wouldn’t be able to let Subaru go that easily. Kamui was going to have a difficult decision to make.
“How would you take me with you?” he asked, and then asked again in a whisper, “Why would you take me with you?”
In the back of his mind, he was half hoping Fuuma would give him all the reasons he’d need to go along with him since he didn’t really want to stay in this world when the time came for the hunter to leave….but then there was always the chance that Subaru would come back for him in this world and Kamui wasn’t sure how he’d be able to live with himself if he missed that. He was having issues living with himself as it was…
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 12:25 am
Fuuma shrugged half-heartedly in response to Kamui’s first inquiry. “It’s just a simple trade with Yuuko. As long as you agree to help me in what I do, I don’t think she’ll mind so much.” Then he tilted his head and smiled, “She’s not nearly as unreasonable as she likes people to think, especially hot headed people.” The hunter tried to make his eyes give away to Kamui what he was inferring.
Before taking a long sip of his water and sighing, feeling much better now that he’d had time to adjust to all the feelings his body was throwing at him. He wondered if it would be a preferable existence to never feel this and simply die for the vampire, than to feel this every few days for the rest of existence. It was like being chronically ill. Would Fuuma become accustomed to it? Most likely.
“I like you.” Fuuma said suddenly, simply. “I like you, so I want to take you with. What’s so hard to understand in that?” It really was unreasonable that Kamui was so unsure of this truth. But then, he had just been abandoned by the one person in all the worlds who should have wanted him around the most.
Damn you, Subaru, Fuuma thought. But then if it hadn’t been for Subaru’s choice, would Fuuma have ever had this time with Kamui?...
No.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 1:47 am
Something about the way Fuuma so openly admitted to liking him suddenly made Kamui’s chest ache. He was reminded of Subaru. Subaru and his honest emotions and affection, Subaru and his sweet words about how they couldn’t live without each other and how they’d always be together, Subaru telling how thankful he was to have such a wonderful brother… And yet in the presence of Seishirou, it all meant nothing.
“I…I’ll…think about it,” was all that Kamui could honestly answer with. He didn’t want to commit to anything right away and hoped he didn’t have to right this moment. The vampire needed some time to think. The mere fact that Fuuma liked him both was and wasn’t enough for Kamui to be persuaded one way or the other.
“Were you…planning on leaving anytime soon?”
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 2:45 pm
“Okay,” Fuuma smiled softly in understanding. Kamui had every right to think about his answer before giving it, even if it was wrong. Which made Fuuma think he needed to start preparing a counter argument. He wasn’t leaving Kamui behind even if the vampire went kicking and screaming. But it would be preferable if it were voluntary.
Which brought him to the second question, “As soon as I found the ring,” He said, gesturing with the glass in his hand at Kamui’s pinky, “But my plans have obviously changed. Don’t worry about time; I’ll wait as long as you need.”
Then the hunter downed the rest of his glass, emptying it and placing it on the end table behind his head. He was really too tired to continue talking like this; and Kamui must know that. So he slid further down on the couch and settled with the arm rest as a pillow, “You should get that bath… I’ll be here when you get out, okay?”
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 4:40 pm
Kamui only nodded briefly before he turned around and headed to the only other room in the apartment that could be designated the bathroom. He tried to make it look like he wasn’t running away but Fuuma’s kindness was reminding him so much of Subaru. And yet there was another part of him who recognized the behavior as Fuuma’s own and no one else’s. He seemed so considerate and protective….so trustworthy. Almost as if Fuuma was the doting older brother he’d always tried to be for Subaru…or something more.
Either way, Kamui didn’t know how to handle it. Not now anyway. At any other point in time he would have shrugged it off as Fuuma insulting his pride and intelligence just to irk the vampire. But now, he was so tempted to give in and let the other man take care of him. He didn’t know why Subaru’s abandonment had left him feeling so needy and clingy, but it completely disgusted him. How he wished that he could just go back to being the man he used to be…
But that was obviously going to take some time. And since he couldn’t make time pass any faster, he could only focus on the present, which meant it was bath time. Opening the shower door, Kamui reached out to turn the knobs on, adjusting the water to a temperature he deemed appropriate before plugging the drain. While he waited for the tub to fill up, he slowly stripped himself of his clothes and looked around for a towel to use when he was finished.
While he didn’t locate one right away, he did spot a white bathrobe hanging on the back of the door. The vampire had never worn one of those before and since he hadn’t found a towel yet, he was sorely tempted to just settle for that. But then he looked back at the bathtub, which wasn’t even a quarter of the way full yet, and decided to continue his search for lack of anything better to do.
After rummaging through the cabinet behind the bathroom mirror and ignoring his pathetic excuse of a reflection, the vampire moved his search to the compartment under the sink where he finally found some towels. Pulling the first one off the small stack, he set it aside to use when he was done and was just about to shut the door and forget about the cabinet entirely when something else caught his eye. When he fished it out, it turned out to be a small white box with a red cross on it. He recognized it as something that humans tended to use for small injuries and emergencies when there wasn’t a hospital close by. Kamui couldn’t help but wonder if there was something in the box that might help Fuuma. The other man had said he didn’t feel well.
Opening the box, he found most of the components inside untouched and unopened. Since all the objects inside were utterly foreign to the vampire, he picked up what appeared to be an instruction sheet and scanned through it first. He read the particular section on lacerations with interest while poking around for the mentioned materials in the kit such as disinfectant, bandages, and gauze. Ultimately the vampire decided the kit would be of some use and set it with his towel before checking on the bath again.
Another ten minutes later, and the water level was satisfactory enough for the vampire to submerge himself. It took another 45 for the vampire to come back out. While the act of actually cleaning himself only took half that time, the other half was spent allowing himself a brief amount of relaxation; brief because it took a while to shut out any other thoughts in his mind to get to a point that could correctly be labeled as “relaxation”. It was painfully short lived though since Kamui truly couldn’t go that long without thinking about his brother in some way and when he found himself nearing the point of tears, Kamui took that as a sign to get out.
While sounds of the draining water filled the background, the vampire briskly dried himself off…only to realize he had nothing to wear to bed. Purple eyes suddenly focused on that bathrobe again and Kamui had to wonder why. While it did look comfortable, it was still Fuuma’s and Fuuma could have been waiting to sneak a bath in himself after he was done. But then again, Fuuma was temporarily living here, meaning he must have had extra clothes around… Slipping on the garment, he figured that if the hunter really needed to use it, he could always tell him so and change into his old clothes.
After tying the knot securely around his waist and grabbing the first aid kit, Kamui exited the bathroom. He was relieved to see Fuuma still there on the couch, half thinking he might have up and left while he was away, and kneeled before him. The hunter was sleeping in way that told him he definitely wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon. His lips twitched as if he was tempted to smile, finding the way Fuuma was completely passed out because of him a little…endearing somehow. He could only hope he was doing the man some sort of favor when he clumsily dressed the twin puncture wounds on his neck with some gauze and a bandage, careful to make sure he didn’t do anything to somehow jar the man awake.
With his work complete and laying the throw blanket that hung over the couch onto the hunter’s dozing form as an afterthought, the vampire set the first aid kit on a side table and made his way to the unoccupied bed. Kamui had to wonder if Fuuma did that on purpose, being the generous man he was proving to be, since he was expecting to sleep on the couch or the floor somehow by the end of the night. The thought of waking Fuuma and telling him to take the bed if he wanted crossed his mind but he didn’t want to disturb the other man.
He instead crawled under the covers and settled himself in for what would be the most comfortable sleep he’d had in over two weeks.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 9:13 pm
Fuuma, who was used to sleeping wherever he could find something resembling shelter, still was not accustomed to it. A couch was not as nice as a bed, though it was much nicer than twigs and leaves, and so he had rolled over probably upwards of 20 times in the night.
By morning he was on his side. Again. His head was off the arm rest and instead lay nestled on his arm, which was folded under it. The throw blanket was bunched and twisted around his torso, no longer covering anything below his thighs and nothing above his chest. It would be minutely uncomfortable when he finally woke up, but for now he couldn’t feel it at all and it looked as if he might be out for hours more.
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