The Fallen Vampire

Taira sat alone in the garden of snowy flowers for a long time.

His only only companion was Yukiko, and even she was already asleep as he lightly stroked her fur.

He didn't even know how long he had been in the garden for.

Might've been minutes, might have been hours.

No one came to bother him. The girls seemed to recognize that he might've needed time to himself at the moment.

Taira was very annoyed.

But he didn't know why.

Accusations aside, he had certainly been called worse.

There was no reason for him to be so upset over simple rudeness.

This was something different entirely.

"…I had never thought this choice of form would be so convenient for learning about you. I just thought that it was the easiest way to conserve my energy without fear of dispersal."

Taira didn't move when Velreth left his amulet and appeared behind him.

He didn't even turn his head to look back. Nor did he speak.

But neither of those things really surprised Velreth all that much.

"…Do you mind if an old immortal gives you over three hundred thousand years worth of his two cents..?"

Taira didn't say anything, and Velreth took that as his initiative to go ahead and talk.

"You wear your sarcasm and cold bravado as your armor. Though I am unsure if this is because of your own choice or if you are just playing the role life has dealt you.

But I know the truth.

You are a decent man in a world where such a quality is rare. I believe this to be the reason you were bothered so terribly earlier.

Though you pretend not to like them, you had favorable impressions of them. Enough to consider taking off your armor with them.

I believe that you feel aggrieved because this reminds you of your upbringing. Mud is being cast upon your name by those you hold close to you yet again. It must hurt a great deal.

You probably try to tell yourself that it wasn't a personal attack. Just a calculated assessment based upon the information they had at the time.

But just because you can rationalize something doesn't make it sting any less, does it?"

A cold wind blew from somewhere into the quiet field of flowers.

Taira still didn't say anything to Velreth. He didn't even turn around.

Whether or not the old man's words carried any actual weight was something that he would never know.

"Taira..?"

The fox's ears twitched when he heard a very familiar voice come from behind him.

"…Old age does seem to fracture the mind. Because I am almost certain that I told you all to leave."

Aja grimaced at her friend's cold tone.

"You did… and you can freeze me, curse me, or cut me to pieces if you are so inclined. Just let me get everything off my chest first." Aja said.

"I've no reason to wait that long."

"No you don't, but I'm hoping that you will honor my request anyways... As my best friend."

Taira turned his hid just the faintest bit possible- but his face was still obscured by his hair.

"...I asked them not to test you like that. I knew better than anyone that you would never have killed your people. No matter how much they deserved it.

But Ja'Zaki and Ayame... the realization about what you drank has rattled them. They needed o hear you say that you didn't do it from your own lips." Aja insisted.

"Then they should have simply asked."

"Yes they should have, and I'm not disputing that. But this war, this responsibility, it can exact a toll upon us all. You forget how to treat friends. Or family."

"If you've come to offer an apology on their behalf, you can keep it. I neither need, nor want such a useless gesture."

"Whether you need or want it doesn't matter. You're entitled to it."

Aja gently kneeled in the grass just at Taira's back.

She lowered her body in a deep bow until her head was touching the bulb of a growing flower.

"I beg your forgiveness, Taira. For the others... and for myself."

Taira stood up slowly turned around to face Aja.

She looked up at him, almost as if she were waiting for him to storm away coldly, or berate her.

Instead, he took an action that was probably even more drastic.

He drew his large scythe that was too big and cold to be wielded by mortal hands.

Drawing his arm back, he swung it toward's Aja's neck with the same lack of hesitation that he showed Ja'Zaki earlier.

A gust of wind blew Aja's hair as the pointed tip of Tara's blade barely touched her cheek.

No more than a single dot of blood ran down Aja's face, but she seemed perfectly unbothered.

"Do you see? I knew that you would not hurt me."

Taira's pupils trembled imperceptibly and he withdrew his weapon away from Aja.

"…There's a spare bedroom downstairs if you're going to insist on being annoying. Stay there but be out of my sight by the morning."

"You will find me waiting at the kitchen table for breakfast."

"This isn't a fucking inn."

"So Enyo won't make me little pancakes in the shape of mice with little berry eyes..?" Aja seemed to deflate like a balloon.

"You think she will wake up before 11 to do something like that? Hysterical."

Taira walked back into the palace, but Aja was hot on his tails with no interest in the observation of personal space.

"…Why are you following me."

"I am going to look for your women. I wish to know who will prepare me breakfast in the morning."

"None of them. Go away."

"I can't, I also want to see what you all do at night."

Taira stopped in his tracks and grabbed Aja by her heavily pierced ears.

He led her down the hallway into her own room with the intention of sealing her in for the night.

"By the way…" he said quietly.

"Hm?"

"Ignore the human's request for now… I don't want to do anything until I know how desperate they are."

Aja was mildly surprised, but then again she already knew this to be her best friend's nature.

Even when he was annoyed and lost in thought, his mind still worked tirelessly in the background to determine the best course of action for everyone going forward.

He really was never not thinking about others.

"As you wish."