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Kinich could deal with a lot. He could deal with the children at school picking on him. He could deal with the fact that he wasn't liked by the teachers. He could deal with the fact that every therapist he was forced to see was fed up with him by the forth or fifth session that he was sent to a new one by the next time the new visit was scheduled.
It didn’t bother him. Nothing bothered him. He was told that wasn’t right – that there was something wrong with him.
Was there? There didn’t feel like there was. Did it matter that he came home from school after being involved with a fight or two? If he had a bloody nose or his fingers were scraped up from hitting a kid or two that had been doing something they shouldn’t, that should be the other person’s fault, not his.
It wasn’t just anything he got involved in, and it was even more rare he fought back. Most of the bruises were on his own body. Why were people complaining? He should be the one complaining.
“Kinich, what the fuck is wrong with you?” His father added another mark, bruising him near his eye. “This is why your mother left, you know. You’re so fucked up. I just don’t know what to do with you anymore. The teachers keep calling and I just don’t know what to say. Why do you even go to school if you’re just going to piss everyone off?”
“I wouldn’t if you weren’t making me.”
“Do you think I have a choice? Do you think I like this? Ah. If I could pull you out of that shit and tell you to get a damn job, I would. That would be so much more helpful. I need you to start paying bills too. Do you know how long you were in the shower the last time?”
No, he didn’t. He didn’t care much either. Sometimes he was dirty and needed to wash. “I’ll try and shorten them. I’m going to my room now.”
“Do whatever the fuck you want. You do it anyway.”
Kinich did, walking away. He was hungry but he didn’t want to go through his father right now while he was like this. He’d come downstairs later after the man fell asleep and eat then.
Taking out his schoolbooks and noticing he’d lost a few somewhere, he picked up what homework he could among his belongings, staring at it on his desk. He drummed his pencil against the paper for a while to a tuneless beat.
None of this stuff made sense. While he didn’t consider himself stupid, book smart wasn’t one of his best qualities. If he could ask the teachers it might help, but what a waste of time. He’d never use these math formulas when he was working.
“Fifty two.”
Kinich jumped, hitting someone who was suddenly behind him. The other person hadn’t been there before. The door to his room hadn’t opened. Was it his dad?!
“Calm down, kid. The answer is fifty two.” An arm reached over his shoulder, poking at the first math problem. “Kind of stupid, aren’t you?”
“No… you just didn’t give me a moment to figure it out.” Who was…
It looked like another kid, somewhere in high school. Maybe he was hallucinating? That couldn’t be though. He sounded real. And he smelled.
The blond hair the other had was flattened with sweat, grime, and blood. He stank of smoke and there were obvious marks on his clothing that looked on the more expensive side – unlike his own, which were donations that he found at a good price and far too large. Next to each other, they were like night and day, except for the fact they shared wounds.
“Are you alright? You’re bleeding on my floor.” Kinich looked down, the carpet stained with more than a few drops of blood. It didn't matter much. He’d stained it himself a long time ago in multiple places.
“Mmhmm thanks for noticing the obvious. Stupid but not blind. Good to know your eyes work even if your brain doesn’t. Too bad it won’t matter in a second. Sorry, kid, but I’m not doing so well. I need a snack.”
The stranger not only walked into his room but bit him. It was hard to not make noise as he clenched his teeth hard against the sudden pain.
Within seconds the new guy was off of him, spitting on the floor. “Ah, gross. Disgusting. Nasty. What the hell? Are you one of those freaks? Ah… I should have known with my luck. Fuck.” The blond smeared a streak of blood across his teeth as Kinich raised a hand to his neck, feeling the wound there. “I can still kill you if you get in my way. Stay here.”
Kinich stayed.
The blond left the room in a more obvious manner, opening the door and shutting it.
Minutes passed. The homework sat there, forgotten.
Some time later the stranger was back, looking better somehow and caring himself as if he weren’t hurt anymore. “Damn kid, your dad’s a dick. You should thank me for putting him out of your misery. I’d have you join him but you taste like shit so you’re going to have to put up with people thinking you killed him. Not really my fault I was chased here and–”
“Ajaw!”
“Fucking hell!” The new guy went to the window, pressed against the side of his wall and glancing out of the corner. “They found me already? What are they, bloodhounds? I swear these people are insane. I wouldn’t have had to kill anyone if they would have left me the fuck alone!”
“Kill?” Kinich was tense. All of this was a bit confusing but… “Did you kill my dad?”
“Not like I had a choice. I was starving and they shot me up like a pincushion. It looks like they’re here to finish what they started. Sorry, kid, but I’m going to need to use you as a hostage. Don’t get pissed if they kill you to kill me. I don’t know what’s more fucked up, them or me, and that’s saying something. I’m not perfect but at least I know when the hell to back off!” A hand was shoved around his throat, holding him with a strength that Kinich had never come up against before. Even his father wasn’t this strong.
The last few words were shouted out at the people outside, who must be pursuing the stranger.
“Ajaw. That’s what called you.” The other guy wasn’t strangling him, only holding him. Kinich had to keep his hands up to be sure of that, but he got the distinct feeling that if the guy behind him wanted to snap his neck, he could. “Thank you.”
The arm around him slackened.
“What the hell? Did you just thank me?”
“... Yes. Sorry. I shouldn’t do that, should I? I’m sure someone will say I’m wrong and that I shouldn’t, but I’m also not sorry at all.” Something ached in his chest. He wasn’t sure if he was sad or relieved. He could be both, couldn’t he? His dad was dead? That… was horrible and wonderful. He hated the man so much. If he had ever stayed with the programs he had said he would, stayed clean of drugs and alcohol, maybe, maybe they would have had a different relationship.
And if he didn’t blame him and the way he acted and was responsible for all of the man’s problems, Kinich was sure it would be more painful to know he was gone than it was not.
“Kid, you’re not crying, are you?”
Was he? It wasn’t until Ajaw asked him that Kinich looked up and felt the tears on his face smear as he took his face from the other guy’s arm. “Oh. I didn’t notice.”
“What the hell is wrong with you… Damn, you’re one messed up kid. I guess I can’t blame you though. Fuck… I’m in some serious shit here. Listen, I’m a vampire, you know that, right?”
“No. Do you really expect me to believe–”
“Shut up and listen, kid. You just saw me bite you so believe what you want. I could kill you right now and be done with your non-believing bullshit but right now I need your help. There are some bat-shit crazy people after me. They want to kill me and I’m not sure they’ll go through you to get me but they sure as heck might try. You’re a cursed kid, or human or whatever you call yourself. Do you know what that means?”
Kinich shook his head.
“It means you have powers. Do you feel them? Can you do something? You should be able to. You can fight, okay kid? Do you think you can try? You gotta try. And whatever you do, don’t hit me with it. It’ll hurt like hell and I don’t feel like dying. You thanked me, right? Help me.”
Kinich nodded. He didn’t know who this was or what Ajaw was talking about, let alone why people were after him, but if he could get out alive, he did owe this stranger. “Why are they chasing you?”
“I’m a vampire. Why else would they be chasing me? Oh, right, you’re an idiot.”
“Call me an idiot all you want but that isn’t much of a reason to chase you. Did you kill someone before my dad? Is that why they want–”
“Fuck kid, you think I’m that sloppy? Of course I didn’t! They would have found me out right away! Me, the great Ajaw, be found out because I decided to go killing humans? Hah. You’re underestimating me. I haven’t killed a human in my entire life unless they swung a sword at me! In my great honor as one of the elder vampires, I am far too powerful and amazing to waste my talents on nobodies like that and to put myself in danger in such a foolish way!”
“Hmm. Then why are they chasing you?”
Ajaw shrugged. “I’m not an unknown. Like I said, I’m an elder vampire. Lots of people here know about me. I’ve been chased most of my life. I didn’t think these little peons would find me so quickly. I’m not the best at disguising myself. You’d think in a couple thousand years they’d have forgotten my face…” Ajaw sighed. “Can’t they just leave me in peace?”
There was something inside of him that believed this stranger – this vampire. He wasn’t sure if he believed his claim on the latter but the want, the need, for peace he heard in that last part. That was real.
“I want that too. It would be wonderful to live somewhere, even for myself. I just want calm.”
“It’s not a bad thing to want. Hiding is no way to live though, remember that kid. It’s one thing the shadows have taught me. It’s lonely in the dark.”
Something downstairs shattered. It sounded like the front door. Ajaw tightened his hold around him.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.”
There was more door slamming until a group of people broke into his room. He could feel hot breath at his throat as Ajaw was there, panting near his ear, another hand shifting to hold him near the throat, his fingers brushing where he’d made him bleed earlier. “Back off or the kid joins his dad.”
“Do you really think that will work on us, Ajaw? We’ve been chasing you far too long to give up now. Kid or no kid, you’re dying tonight.”
Someone drew a gun and Kinich’s eyes widened. Real fear started to boil up in his chest and he heard Ajaw swear as he let him go.
Not fast enough.
The bullet tore through his body as well as hitting the guy behind them. They both fell to the ground.
The scent of blood was everywhere. Kinich wasn’t certain how bad he was hurt, only that he was hurt. He’d been in fights but he’d never been shot before.
The person holding the gun walked forward, letting off a few more shots into the unmoving figure beside him. Ajaw whimpered. Then he was still alive, or at least was when the last shot went inside him.
“Someone, take the monster. We’ll let the police deal with this place. Let’s go.”
“Wait… why did you do that…?” Kinich reached forward, in shock and confused. Everything happened so fast but somehow… it was easy enough to comprehend except for this. Why had they just shot someone? Was it because of his dad? That wasn’t fair. His father was more of a monster than the one they had just called so.
“Because he’s a vampire. Why else? Stay still and you may not bleed to death. Someone, call an ambulance before the kid dies. We don’t need more death tonight.”
Someone walked beside him and Kinich could only watch as they grabbed Ajaw by the back of the shirt. There was a short fight but the ‘vampire’ couldn’t do much, struggling only to keep the neck of his shirt from cutting off his air supply.
Their eyes met before his vision faded, a small plea on his lips.
‘Help me’.
…
…
It took a lot of months and even longer to get released from where he was sent for Kinich to prove that he wasn’t out to hurt himself or anyone else.
The police had determined that he killed his father after being abused for many years, which was the truth, and that he then tried to take his own life – which was not the truth. The end result had been beyond unpleasant.
Instead of keeping quiet, Kinich had to learn to speak. It was hard when most of what came out of his mouth were lies, but it was better than speaking the truth and being locked up and in the strange ‘classes’ they had for him even longer.
He was sure they were testing him, observing him to see if he was meant to return to society or if he should be locked up for the rest of his life.
That was something he didn’t want. He didn’t imagine what happened that night. He hadn’t killed his father. There were things he had to and wanted to do now. He had a reason. There was someone he wanted to help, even if he wasn’t sure if they were alive anymore.
Due to the fact that he was over age when he was released, the government was nice enough to provide him with a bit of money and let him back into his own house, which he was allowed to keep even with circumstances as they were.
Though he’d heard they’d looked for his mother, she was either out of contact or wanted nothing to do with him. She didn’t need to provide for him legally speaking so there was nothing he could do. She’d been out of his life long enough, she could stay there a bit longer.
Going to the internet, he started searching for anything having to do with vampires or the people who were at his house that day.
They wore peculiar clothing, draped in brown with a strange design on the edges. It had been hard to make out and even harder to remember over the months, but there were certain things he’d never forget.
The look of terror and the vampire’s hand reaching for him as he was pulled away before he’d lost consciousness. That fear, that need, and the fact that he felt strangely indebted to someone all but unknown to him was… new. But not in a bad way.
Nothing. There was nothing about the clothing or the symbols.
Frustrated after over an hour of trying different languages or civilizations, he instead tried looking into vampires.
That was almost worse than looking up the symbols. All he kept getting was fantasy movies, books, and some of the weirdest fanfiction he’d ever come across.
Maybe he’d get something to eat. He was getting hungry… When had he last eaten?
Scrolling through websites, eventually, a few caught his attention. He threw them into different tabs. One was wiccan based, speaking about vampires and other creatures. There was another that was talking about something called ‘visionaries’ that he’d never heard of, and a third and forth that sounded… strange. It was talking about vampires for sure but he couldn’t really make out what. It just gave phone numbers which he wrote down.
“Sketchy.” Getting up, he got himself a snack before sitting back down at his computer and working with what he could. The first thing he did was contact both online groups. One was email based, the second was through a mass group chat. Hm. Interesting.
After joining, a moderator personally messaged him.
KukiMonster(Mod): Hi there. Thank you for showing an interest in the group. Just so you’re aware, “Bloodline” is not a joke. Those who are intending to join are either vampires, visionaries, or humans in support of bringing harmony between these groups. If this is not something you would like to be a part of, please leave now. If not, we welcome all new members. Please feel welcome to speak among each other but, for the safety of our members, personal information should be restricted to the moderators. Those would be me, Windraiser78(mod) or Cyclone(mod) If none of us can be contracted and it’s an emergency, please seek help from “LastGuardian”
It looked like some automated message. Hm. They had to be online to send it though.
DragonNight_04: Thank you. Can I ask u something though? What is a visionary?
KukiMonster(Mod): A visionary? That is the term that has been used for gifted humans. If you are one, you would know. At least, that is what I’m led to believe. If you think you are one I can put you in contact with someone who would know more. Is this curiosity to the term or more?
Kinich debated this before he typed out what he’d been told that night. There had been a lot said and it was still confusing.
DragonNight_04: Someone called me a ‘cursed kid’ and I’m not sure what they meant. I’m still very confused about something that happened to me. The only thing I do know is there’s a vampire out there I really want to help. I don’t want to sound crazy saying that.
KukiMonster(Mod):You don’t sound crazy. Thank you. You know, you’re better off talking with me in person. Let me give you my number. I hate typing like this. Do you mind?
Kinich shook his head before he realized he was being stupid and typed out that he didn’t mind.
His phone rang a short time later and there was a woman on the phone, someone who sounded much younger than he was expecting.
“Hello, I’m Shinobu. I’m also a vampire. Good to meet you. So, cursed kid? Who’s the vampire you met?”
That surprised him.
“His name was Ajaw.”
“Never met him. Where are you?”
“Where am I? Like… my address…?” Self preservation told him he shouldn’t release that information. Those that had taken Ajaw already knew where he lived. He’d love to sell the place and move. “Somewhere I don’t want to be. Somewhere not safe.”
“Shit. You need help right now? What about him?”
“Some group took him. I need help getting him back… He was hurt pretty bad when he left.”
“We’ll get you out first. Do you have money? Where are you? How far from Inazuma are you? I’ve got a place you can stay as long as you need ‘Right, Boss’?” It sounded as if she was asking someone else the last question, unless she just referred to him as her boss…
“I think I can get a plane ticket…”
“Good. I’ll pick you up at the airport. First I have to go save another dumb ass who’s about to get himself killed. Sorry I can’t help you right now but first things first. Ah. How many times is Master going to get in trouble? Here, boss, take this guy’s number and you get him from the airport. Oh, right, what’s your name?”
“Kinich.”
“Good to meetcha, Kinich. Some big guy with white hair is going to come get you in a truck at the airport. He’ll have your number. Don’t worry, his bark is worse than his bite. And no, he’s not a vampire. We’ll help explain things when you get here. Keep yourself safe and we’ll hear your situation out later. You would be surprised how many freaking issues everyone’s been having everywhere. If Kazuha was actually dealing with these problems instead of me… Anyway, bye.”
The phone call ended. He stared at it, wondering just what that was about.
Apparently he was going to Inazuma to find out.
Ajaw… hold on.