Chapter Text
Many stories center around the concept of time and space. A single question is tested throughout each, “How many universes are there?” You can step outside and see a stranger- but what if in another universe, that person isn’t a stranger? What if, in another life, you are in love with this stranger? You’ve cherished each other- every single inch of their body and soul- how come in this universe they are nothing but a stranger? But for some people, there is that one person you are destined to meet and fall in love with in any universe. It is a strange concept indeed.
It was a cold autumn evening; however, Vanitas remained warm within the walls of the catacombs, his home, at a desk filling out a report from his recent curse-bearer kill. Roland, the sixth Paladin of the chasseurs, and Vanitas’ overbearing Captain, seemed to have made sure that Vanitas was chock full of annoying work to do. He barely could have any time to breathe after filling in a report before he had to go out again and exterminate yet another one of the shitty blood-suckers.
Vanitas gave a large groan. This must be classified as child labor, whether I’m volunteering to do this or not! I’m not even 17 yet for God’s sake! He finished his writing with a pronounced flick and sat up with a huff. He roughly snatched the paper up and left his room to search for the ever-bubbly Paladin.
The young chasseur wandered the catacombs, searching for any sign of the blonde-haired man. He lit up when he recognized the annoyed grumbles of a familiar long-haired Paladin. Vanitas knew that if Olivier was around, surely Roland would be near, prodding at him as always.
However, Vanitas didn’t want to barge in on the two if they were discussing something important. He quietly peeked through the doorway of Olivier’s office and, indeed, saw Roland sitting on the other Paladin’s desk with a strange smirk on his face.
“Olivier, darling, you really do overwork yourself so!” Roland gently picked up a sheet of paper from the stacks piled on Olivier’s desk. “Look at all this! Surely the church doesn’t need each and every one of these paperwork..?” Olivier groaned and snatched the paper from Roland.
“That is none of your business. Now, unless you have more pressing matters we need to discuss, please see yourself out.” Roland made a pout and stood up.
He then sauntered over to Olivier with the same strange smirk as before. “Oh, Olivier. No need to be so rash. Just one little, itty bitty…” At that point, Vanitas entered with a rough cough. Olivier jumped and pulled away from Roland who had been nearly two inches from his face. Roland turned to Vanitas with a glare but lit up when he recognized the young chasseur.
“Ah, Vanitas! My brightest star, what have you here..?” He smiled as if nothing had been occurring previously. Olivier put his hand to his head with a sigh.
“Uh, yes. Here’s my report for that recent curse-bearer. I decided to give it to you directly since it was much stronger than any of the previous ones we’ve come across.” Roland examined the paper for a moment then gave a smile.
“Well, I’m sure it was nothing for you! You are my strongest chasseur, after all!” Vanitas rolled his eyes but nodded. Roland continued, “I’m afraid you haven’t much time to rest though! We don’t have many chasseurs on hand and you’re our strongest one, so this will be your next target!” Vanitas wanted to scream, “ I KNEW IT! ” but thought better of it. He just smiled tightly and grabbed the letter that Roland offered him.
Olivier, in the corner, looked on with a scowl. “Roland, you were just complaining about how I overwork myself but here you are overworking your poor subordinate who is a child for God’s sake!” Roland laughed awkwardly but didn’t deny Olivier’s remark.
Vanitas nodded to the both of them and left without another word. He found his social battery draining faster every second he was around the Paladin. This must be what Olivier feels like… I’m also not gonna question what they were… discussing before I interrupted…
As he walked through the corridors of the catacombs, Vanitas looked over the paper he had taken from Roland.
“An anonymous individual recalled seeing a ‘young-looking black creature wandering through the forest located by the new circus that arrived in town’. We suspect that this ‘creature’ is likely a curse-bearer. It was last seen by the Cirque Univers in the forests that surround it. The circus has had various investigations set upon it for child trafficking and we expect that the curse-bearer might be related to this child trafficking. The chasseur given this report must exercise caution- the curse-bearer is evidently very strong and dangerous. God bless you.”
Vanitas scoffed at the last part of the note. Each of the reports ended off with a similar statement: “This is dangerous- exercise caution”. No shit it’s dangerous- that’s why trained chasseurs are being sent to take care of it in the first place. However, a mission was a mission and Vanitas was going to fulfill it as he always did. It’d be plain and simple. Right?
The sound of laughing and screams of joy could be heard throughout the Cirque Univers. Although late in the night, the shining lights and lively people made it seem as if it was noon. Vanitas grumbled to himself as he pushed through the crowds of people gawking at the sights. He decided to fabricate a disguise to blend into the circus environment- after all, wearing a black cloak with a bunch of weapons attached to it wasn’t very inconspicuous. However, he deeply regretted it. His outfit included a tight black corset, a frilly undershirt with a large blue bow on his collar, striped shorts, with a wavy coat tail. He also wore leggings and made sure to include leather straps on his thigh that could hold his weapons. It was incredibly itchy and uncomfortable. But, hopefully, he wouldn’t have to stay in it for long.
He aimlessly wandered through the circus, eyeing the various attractions scattered throughout the site. Clowns laughed with flowers in their hands that squirted water, and an old woman gasped as she read out the fortune of an unknowing child. As he walked, he kept note of anything that might be a sign of a curse-bearer but found nothing of importance.
Vanitas deeply despised circuses. They reminded him of the months he spent with his father with their circus troupe- traveling constantly, never having a place to call home. It filled him with blood-filled memories that he preferred to leave far behind him.
The young chasseur finally found himself in a much quieter area of the circus. Around 20 tents- both big and small- were scattered throughout the area, likely belonging to members of the Cirque Univers troupe. Barely anyone was in sight- likely entertaining the people on the other side of the circus. Vanitas found himself sneaking now. Now that there was barely anyone around, it’d be easier to spot an unfamiliar person snooping around the tents.
The young chasseur continued stalking through the tents when he stopped at a certain one that had caught his interest. This was an ordinary red and white striped tent, but what caught his attention was the faint sound of weeping coming from inside. Vanitas recalled the report saying that the circus had been caught various times partaking in the child trafficking business. The young chasseur knew he shouldn’t pry- his one and only mission was taking care of that cursebearer. But… There was something that pulled Vanitas to the tent. As if the one inside was someone he was meant to meet. It was a ridiculous notion but he felt it all the same.
Without any further thought, Vanitas slid in. He was glad he did because he could hear someone walk by just as he entered. It was a few moments until his eyes adjusted to the dim light and when he could see, the sight before him shocked him to his very core.
Kneeling on the ground, tied with thick iron chains, was a young white-haired boy who seemed to have stopped crying when he heard Vanitas enter. The boy looked to be around Vanitas’ age and was filthy, old spots of blood were scattered all over the rags that could be called clothes.
The boy stared at Vanitas with a feral look in his eyes. Vanitas recoiled when the boy lunged at him, sharp teeth poking out from his gums. A flash of red emitted from the boy's eyes but was quickly snuffed out when he was brought back to the ground by his chains. A Vampire?! What in the bloody hell is a Vampire doing here?! Could this be the curse-bearer..? Vanitas examined the boy further from where he stood and concluded that this couldn’t be the curse-bearer. It seemed the boy had been there for a long while and the curse-bearer had been spotted only a few days ago.
Vanitas prepared himself to leave and abandon the boy but was stopped by a weak whimper. “Wait. Please. Don’t go…” Vanitas stopped himself and glared at the boy. The young Vampire continued weakly, “You’re… You’re not one of those bad guys, are you? I haven’t seen you before. You- You have to help me. I don’t belong here.” He looked up with tears rushing in his eyes, and with the dim light, Vanitas could see the boy's eyes were a gorgeous amethyst purple. Something stirred in Vanitas’ heart then but he pushed it away with a scowl.
“I’m not gonna help a dirty blood-sucking Vampire. However you got here, you probably deserve it. Better you be tied up here than out murdering people.”
The boy blanched and continued to beg, a bit more strength in his voice, “Wait! Please- my- my name is Noé. I was captured from my home and taken from my grandparents. They are good human folk- I would never hurt them. Please. I can help you with whatever reason you’re here for. I’ll do anything just help me.” Vanitas sighed and replied, “I didn’t ask for your entire life story- I’m leaving you here whether you like it or not. I have more pressing matters to deal with.”
The boy sobbed and didn’t speak for a moment. After a while, he finally muttered, “C-can you at least open the flap so I can see the night sky once more..?” Vanitas sighed in annoyance. He wasn’t sure whether the Vampire was even being truthful or if he was trying to get Vanitas to release him so he could sink his pointed teeth into his neck. This was a ridiculous predicament he had found himself in.
“I’m not sure you’d appreciate the night sky tonight. It’s a blue moon- don’t your kind dislike blue moons?” Noé smiled and shook his head.
“I don’t- I love blue moons. They are gorgeous- very much like you’re eyes! Did I mention your eyes really are quite pretty?” The Vampire smiled through the tears in his eyes and Vanitas found his face burning up. This Vampire really was quite strange. Vanitas’ brain ran with a million thoughts a minute, debating whether or not he should help this Vampire or not.
He could very well kill him as soon as he was released from his chains but… Could this boy really do something as vicious as that? Vanitas peered at the boy doubtfully. Noé looked at him as well and Vanitas couldn’t help but associate the boy’s face with that of a wounded puppy.
He decided he would aid him. After all, he had no idea how strong the curse-bearer was and maybe the Vampire could assist. If Noé decided to attack him, he could easily kill him with one stab of his knife.
Vanitas stared at Noé for a long while to the point the Vampire shuffled in his chains awkwardly. Finally, Vanitas carefully proceeded towards the boy one step at a time. With each step, Noé’s eyes lit up a bit more. He seemed to be practically glowing by the time Vanitas stopped where he kneeled. He looked down at him commandingly and kneeled down.
His breath rustled the hair by Noé’s ear as he leaned down to break the chains binding the Vampire. Noé’s breath hitched- he likely hadn’t been this close to a human without them hurting him for a long while. Vanitas finally finished breaking the chains after a bunch of hacking and stepped back with a sigh.
“There. Now, you better be able to walk or else you’re not going to be of any help to me.” Noé nodded quickly and shakily stood, extending his arms out to balance himself. Vanitas noted that Noé was quite a bit taller than him from where they stood. He calculated the maneuvers that he would have to make if he ever had to go into battle with the Vampire. Never could be too careful.
Once Noé was situated, they quietly sneaked out of the tent to search for the curse-bearer. Vanitas whispered the details to the Vampire as they slunk through the shadows. “So, Vampire, the curse-bearer is likely going to look like some kind of monster. It is a Vampire like you and probably is a bit younger than the both of us.” Noé listened solemnly.
After a moment, he tentatively spoke up, “Uh… Sorry, I didn’t get your name?”
“Vanitas.”
“Right. Vanitas. What are you going to do to the ‘curse-bearer’..?
“Well, obviously I’m going to kill it as any chasseur would do.”
“What? But they’re a child! You can’t possibly kill a child!”
Vanitas stopped abruptly to look at Noé. “I can possibly kill a child when that child has murdered nearly thirty people!”
“But-”
“No buts. If you’re going to complain about it, I’ll send you back to one of those circus freaks for them to capture you again.” Noé shivered and lowered his head. He still seemed unsure about the entire thing but Vanitas knew he wouldn’t want to be captured again.
Suddenly, the sound of music could be heard from the giant main tent. The main show was starting. Vanitas turned his head to the sound and cursed under his breath. He had searched through the entire perimeter of the circus grounds but to no avail. The only place left was inside of the main tent. He turned to Noé and looked him up and down.
Finally, he said, “You’re going to need a new outfit.”
Vanitas and Noé quickly searched throughout the circus troupes’ tents for a decent outfit to give the Vampire. When they found one, Vanitas shoved the Vampire in and told him to put the outfit on quickly so that they could head to the main tent.
After a moment, Noé exited from the tent he had been changing in and turned around slowly so that Vanitas could get the whole look. He had chosen a dark purple tailcoat with white gloves, and an indigo side cape. His hair was pulled back with a feathered pin. He definitely looked the part. Vanitas admired his creation with glee. This mission was turning out to be quite fun indeed.
The two then hurried towards the main tent, entering through one of the back entrances. Inside this part of the tent, various circus members were hurrying back and forth preparing for the main show. The muffled noise of conversations could be heard on the other side of the wall where the main stage was located. Because of the tirelessness that was apparent throughout the preparation area, none of the members realized that Vanitas and Noé weren’t actually part of the show. They ran past without so much as a glance.
Suddenly, a large man who seemed to be in charge of some part of the show spotted them and ran up to them quickly. “You two! I need you for a moment!” Vanitas jumped and glared at the man, his hidden hand gripping his knife. However, Noé stopped him and smiled at the man. “Yes, what do you need?” The man stopped what he was saying for a moment to examine Noé.
“Wait… Young boy, where have I seen you before?” Noé’s eyes went dark before he said, “Oh, I’m one of the circus members of course! Why wouldn’t I be here?” Vanitas watched the exchange quietly. This didn’t seem to be going well.
The young chasseur quickly snatched Noé’s hand and led him away shouting back, “Sorry sir! We’re actually busy! They need us by the main stage!” After they were out of earshot, Vanitas whispered aggressively in Noé’s ear, “You idiotic Vampire! Are you trying to get us caught?! If we were caught it would be worse for you since they would have to let me go because I’m part of the church!” Noé just nodded, glancing back at where they came from every so often.
They finally reached the stage and snuck to the back of the seats, settling down by a group of children. Vanitas glanced at the group who seemed to be hiding from who he guessed were their parents. They likely wanted to rebel for the night and see the show up close without the supervision of their parents. He paid no more attention to the group as the lights around them dimmed, spotlighting the person in the middle who had arrived on stage.
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Cirque Univers, the best circus in, well, the universe!” A round of applause sounded out around them and Vanitas glanced at Noé who had joined in the applause with glee, seemingly forgetting what had disturbed him just before. “I’m sure you all are excited to witness the most unique, magnifique, and dangerous show around…. But first! We must-” Vanitas jolted as someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind and he swung around. One of the troupe members stood behind him and was looking at him urgently. “You two! What are you doing in the audience?! We need you both for the trapeze act in a moment!”
What?! Vanitas looked at the man in shock. “W-We’re not part of the show-”
“Oh shut up! No trying to get out of the show, you guys are wearing the uniform after all! Don’t think I’m an idiot, come on!” He then pulled the boys along with him, rushing towards the tall trapeze poles. Vanitas’ mind was racing a million miles a minute and he looked to Noé who seemed to be bustling with excitement.
He muttered to Noé in annoyance, “What are you looking so excited for?! We can’t do this?!” The Vampire simply just looked at him and smiled, “I’ll catch you, don’t worry!” Vanitas stared at him, appalled. I’m going to DIE!!!
As Vanitas climbed up the pole with weak knees, the announcer continued with a booming voice, “Our first act shall be our trapeze artists! One of them will be climbing up this tall pole as you see now and will swing above us like an elegant bird! Our other will be at the bottom, ready to catch him as he falls through the sky!” The crowd yelled in excitement. Vanitas groaned. How the hell did he get pulled into this?!
He finally reached the top and gulped as he viewed the terrifying ground below. He closed his eyes as he remembered the way his father had once done a similar act, catching his partner with strong arms and her seeming like an angel as she fell from the sky. He opened his eyes again and noted Noé looking up at him from below, a comforting smile on his face. He had only just met him- a Vampire- tonight and he was already having to trust him with his life. I am going to KILL Roland for this.
With a shaky inhale, Vanitas finally grabbed the metal bar that hung from a thick rope above his head and jumped. The wind flowed through his hair like a gentle hand as he soared in the sky. The crowd gasped in amazement as he flipped in the air, managing to grasp the rope once more with ease. The maneuvers seemed natural to him as if possibly in one life, he might’ve been a trapeze artist after all. Maybe if those Vampires had never massacred his father and his entire circus troupe. Maybe.
With a final twist, Vanitas inhaled again and basically leaped into Noé’s wide arms. His arms tightly held Vanitas as he fell into his embrace, almost as if he hadn’t been chained to the ground an hour prior. The crowd cheered as Vanitas lightly stepped back onto the ground. He wanted to kiss it a thousand times. Never did he want to do something like this again. But, he did have to admit the two minutes of fame was quite nice.
Hundreds of people around him gave him a standing ovation, yelling in excitement. Girls screeched as they threw bouquets of roses in the sky and Vanitas briefly wondered where the roses had even come from.
He basked in the cheers and it was a few moments till he realized the cheers had become screams. Not screams of joy- but screams of terror. Vanitas immediately came back to the present and looked at where the screams were coming from. In the seats- right where Vanitas and Noé had just been- was a Vampire tearing at the throat of a child. That child was one of the children who had sat next to Vanitas with a sneaky smile just a moment ago. The Vampire had a small body, and to Vanitas’ surprise, after it quenched his thirst from the child, it split into a second version of itself. The distorted laughs could be heard throughout the seats and people screamed as they fled the area.
Vanitas snapped into action, tearing off the extra layers of clothes he had on to reveal his weapons. He gripped his knife tightly as he dashed to where the curse-bearer was. He didn’t even notice Noé following close behind him. Before the curse-bearer could notice, Vanitas leaped on it, tearing its throat with his knife with ease. The curse-bearer screamed and gripped at its throat as if it could mend the wound. However, it did not crumble to ashes like most curse-bearers did after a death blow such as the one Vanitas just did. Instead, from the wound emerged another identical curse-bearer.
Vanitas gasped as the clone turned- not yet completely emerged- and gripped Vanitas’ throat with its hands. His knife clanked to the ground as he struggled against the curse-bearer, desperately prying its claws from his throat. With a profound grin, instead of suffocating him, it launched Vanitas across the seats, his head banged on the ground and he felt warmth from the back of his head. Shit- Vanitas barely had time to breathe before the curse-bearer leaped on top of him, knocking the breath from his lungs. Vanitas covered his face as it scratched him countless times, leaving large gashes along his arms the size of branches.
The young chasseur could barely do anything as he withstood attack after attack from the curse bearer. All he could think was, I’m going to die!!! He had shut his eyes, accepting his fate before he realized that the pursuit had stopped. He tentatively reopened his eyes to see the curse-bearer still above him but with its eyes wide open in shock. It then crumbled into ashes on the ground, leaving a thick pile of dust on Vanitas’ chest. He looked up to see Noé, with tears in his eyes, his hand struck through the middle of the curse-bearer’s body. Vanitas imagined that it was the curse-bearer’s true body since the clones had all crumbled to dust. And right after the clones had disappeared, the curse-bearer slowly began disintegrating. It smiled as if in thanks before falling to the ground.
Vanitas stiffly stood up, holding his arms close to his chest. I guess Noé wasn’t as useless after all… Vanitas carefully walked over to the Vampire and made sure that the curse-bearer was gone for good. He guiltily glanced over at the still body of the child but turned away quickly. “Well, that is that. Come on Vampire- I’ll help you get out of here.” However, Noé did not follow Vanitas. He just continued to stare at the ground, his eyes burning red as if the curse-bearer was still there. “Vampire,” Vanitas repeated. Still, Noé did not respond. He sighed and said, “Noé.” At that, Noé slowly lifted his head, finally looking straight at Vanitas.
He opened his mouth to speak but the screams of people behind them interrupted him. Vanitas turned around quickly to see a crowd of circus troupe members surrounding them with fear in their eyes. “What have you done?!” Vanitas cursed under his breath as he realized all they were seeing right now was a dead body, and two people- one being a Vampire- standing next to it. It wasn’t looking too great for them.
The large man from earlier pushed the people aside to see the scene for himself and his eyes widened in recognition as he saw the two boys. “You! Wait… Now I know where I recognize you from! You’re that Vampire boy I bought- I mean- I discovered snooping around- hehe- a few months ago! How did you get out?!” Vanitas gave Noé no time to respond as he grabbed his hand and sprinted towards the exit. In order to get past the crowd, he leaped for the rope that still hung above them all, Noé still in his grasp, and swung above them.
He landed with a thud, and the two quickly hurried out. He could hear yells and the thudding of boots as a few of the troupe members pursued them. But there was no way they were going to catch up with them.
They ran for a good while, entering the outskirts of town, but their pursuers were still on their trail. They were a good bit away, so Vanitas desperately searched for a place to hide while they still had a chance. He brightened when he saw a thin alleyway and pushed Noé inside. However, the alleyway was so small it could really only fit one person. The young chasseur racked his brain for a possible solution and then arrived at one that he knew he was going to regret. “Noé, shuffle a bit more inside real quick- yes like that.”
Noé moved aside as best he could, then gasped as Vanitas began pushing his way into the alleyway. “What are you-” His face reddened as Vanitas climbed up onto his lap and shushed him.
“This is the only way! We won’t be like this for long.” Vanitas’ face burned crimson red as well and he begged for the troupe members to just walk past. Vanitas could feel the hot breath coming from Noé against his neck and he silently inhaled. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.
The alleyway was silent apart from the distant murmurs of the circus troupe. He glared at the darkness outside, only illuminated by a street light here and there. He finally spotted the circus troupe members arrive as they searched around for any sign of the two. It felt like hours before they moved on without spotting them. At the time, the young chasseur had decided to treat his wounds which were still bleeding profusely. He apologized to the vampire as he shuffled around, grabbing the bandages he had tucked under his clothes. He didn’t understand what was stopping Noé from sinking his teeth into his neck at that moment but Vanitas didn’t try to dwell on it.
The chasseur exhaled a breath he had been holding for way too long. He got up to move when he remembered he was still on Noé’s lap, pressed very closely… A bit too close… Noé had placed his hands on Vanitas’ thin waist presumably because there were very few other places to put them. Definitely because of that.
Vanitas apologized under his breath as he moved off of Noé ignoring the grunt Noé made as Vanitas placed his knee on a sensitive spot.
Vanitas was not a very religious person- although he was a chasseur- but at that moment he recited almost a million bible verses in his head to hide the thoughts that arose in his filthy mind. He landed outside of the alleyway, hearing the shuffling sounds of clothes from behind him as Noé followed suit. After they were both out and Vanitas had confirmed there were no other pursuers, Vanitas turned to head back to the church. His mission was complete.
“Wait, Vanitas.” Vanitas cursed when he realized he had forgotten a very important detail. He turned around with a thin smile, avoiding Noé’s amethyst eyes.
“Ah, yes… Noé. I guess this is farewell! We both got what we wanted and that’s that!” Noé stared at the young chasseur with a strange expression.
“So… This is it? Do we part ways? Where am I supposed to go?” Vanitas sighed as the obvious question came up.
“Yes, that is very true you don’t have anywhere to go… Hm, well if you’re thinking of following me to the church, you obviously can’t do that because they will murder you as soon as they see you.” Noé nodded with a frown. Vanitas gazed at him, suddenly feeling very bad. “Well… The Vampires do have an ambassador of sorts here in Paris. His name is Count Orlok. I’m sure he can help you. His office is by Hotel Chou Chou which isn’t that far from here.” He listed off a few directions to Noé but stopped when he saw the blank expression on the Vampire’s face. “What?”
Noé played with his thumbs, suddenly shy, and didn’t reply for a moment. He then sighed and muttered, “I’m not the best with directions.” Vanitas stared at him with stupefaction.
“You’re not good with directions ???” Noé nodded slowly. Vanitas sighed and grabbed his hand once more. “Come on, then.” Noé gazed at Vanitas in shock then smiled. He followed Vanitas as they traveled through the romantic streets of Paris.
The two stopped at the front of Hotel Chou Chou. Vanitas felt a strange feeling of de ja vu come over him although he had never been this close to the hotel before. He had never felt the need. He shrugged it off and waved his hand at the building with extravagance.
“This, my dear Noé is Hotel Chou Chou. You can go inside to ask where Count Orlok is- this is where we finally part.” Noé seemed to want to stay a moment longer and Vanitas frowned. “You can’t have gotten so attached to me already have you? We’ve only known each other for a night?”
Noé looked at him strangely and replied quietly, “Yes, but it feels like we’ve known each other for much longer.” Vanitas blushed at the mushy phrase. He quickly changed his startled expression to a scowl and turned around.
“That’s ridiculous. Well, I hope I never see you again, Vampire.” Vanitas didn’t turn around to see the hurt expression on the young Vampire’s face. He didn’t mention the way his heart twisted leaving the hotel he had never been to previously. He also didn’t mention how he hoped he never see the Vampire again because he didn’t know what he’d do if he had to face the Vampire as a true chasseur.
With a grunt, Vanitas flopped on his creaky bed in his room deep within the catacombs. His night had been incredibly exhausting- much more exhausting than any previous missions and he had a nabbing feeling it was because of the strange Vampire he had met. He carefully adjusted his bandages- changing any that had already bled through.
A few moments after he had finished, his roommate- Astolfo- walked in, looking just as exhausted. He glared at Vanitas and flopped on his bed on the opposite side of the room. Vanitas examined the boy and remarked, “You look like shit.”
“Ditto,” the boy groaned. Vanitas noticed the hint of blood on the chasseur’s clothes and offered to help fix him up. Astolfo denied but Vanitas still helped him anyway. The boy had no other choice but to comply.
Vanitas had known Astolfo for about a year and a half now. They had been partnered together in the same room when Vanitas first became an official chasseur. Although Astolfo had been a chasseur for longer, Vanitas had already far surpassed him which caused a bit of tension between the two. However, even though they bickered constantly, Vanitas held a sort of soft spot for the boy who was a couple of years younger than him. He reminded him of his own little brother, Misha.
Vanitas frowned at the memory of the child. A few years ago, he had still been in a terrifying lab experimented on by an equally terrifying doctor named Dr. Moreau. Vanitas was only able to escape when a very strong Vampire named Luna broke into the lab to retrieve their books. Luna’s more popular alias is Vanitas- the name that Vanitas himself had chosen to call himself by. He’s not sure why he chose that name- it’s not like he stayed with the Vampire for long.
As soon as the Vampire had gotten their books, they had turned to leave, completely ignoring the two children right there in the lab. Despite Vanitas’ disputes, Misha had run up to the Vampire, begging to be saved by them. They allowed him to come and asked if Vanitas wanted to follow. However, Vanitas denied it.
The young chasseur hated remembering the look of betrayal on Misha’s face when he had, but Vanitas wasn’t going to go with the same kind of creature that had killed his father. He still remembered the glint of sharp teeth in the crimson moonlight and the screams of people around him. He shivered at the recollection.
To this day, Vanitas still wondered what might’ve happened if he had gone with Luna after all. He wondered if Misha was still alive somewhere or had been torn to pieces by the Vampire after they parted. But that was all in the past. He finished patching up Astolfo with a quick tug that elicited a quiet yelp from the boy and he backed up to look at his work with satisfaction. He then turned to his bed and stretched out over the covers with a yawn.
“Goodnight, Astolfo. I hope all the bed bugs bite you in your dreams.”
Astolfo scoffed and replied, “Yes, goodnight. And I hope you get eaten by a bunch of wolves in yours.”
Vanitas closed his eyes. He reminisced on the events of that evening. It was crazy to think all that happened in a single night. Vanitas decided he would send his report in the morning (minus his experience with Noé- they didn’t need to know of the Vampire boy). At the thought of Noé, Vanitas couldn’t help but smile. A single, dangerous thought lurked in his mind, “I wonder when I’ll see him again.”