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[mayplantstarrwaters]

[berryargento]

Withering Blossoms; fragment II

AO3

Fragment I (prev)

Notes: As always, thank you for reading!! What do you think about WB? xD I would love to hear your thoughts about this~

Anyway, I need to remind you that this is a collab between me and @eulyin

Summary: The night was still, the dance continued without the victor, and the truth was there to be found.

Originally, Dia was there to ask, she wasn’t there to suspect or detest the Duchess of the Old Mansion’s status in her confusion. The truth, however, swayed her more than it should be. It was truly impossible for things to turn this way.

Firstly, her sister was turned to the lowest being she has been hunted for ages. Secondly, the one who made her become that way is no other but her old friend.

No, for instance, Mari—this Ohara pureblood—was never her ‘friend’ to begin with, but a simple word like ‘acquaintance’ didn’t fit to the criteria either.  Mari was an ‘inhuman being’ that’s introduced to Dia and Ruby since their early days before they know that vampires and supernaturals which misbehave were at the ‘wrong’ side of the scale. Mari also the one who taught them to survive while facing any threat from vampire and she never once said that she’s in the friendly side to them. ‘Ohara’ also has been nothing but loyal to the family of Kurosawa for time being, it’s hard to think when such old, prestigious, trusted family would do such—

“I can see every mirth in your expression, Dia. How beautiful.” Mari chuckled. “Do you hate me so much now, hmm?”

The Duchess of the Old Mansion stood, her eyes didn’t leave Dia’s sharp gaze. A sword was shortly being pointed right to her neck, the base of her throat, from the direction of her rightful guest. Her beautiful purple choker is on the way to be ruined.

“Don’t come near me, monster.” the huntress stated bitterly.

The vampire before her materialized to hundreds of bats, flocking lazily around her before staying behind Dia, morphed back to her true form. The huntress turned with her sword pointed, the vampire giggled when their eyes met-the sword once again rested near her throat.

“My, Dia is playing rough~” Dia irked at how calm Mari behaved despite her sword had glared. How much Dia wanted to remove that smirk from that pale complexion of face she had, the huntress wondered. “Can we talk this one peacefully without silver involved?”

“I’ll ask you once more,” The huntress ignored. The vampire remained indifferent. “Are you the one who turned my sister to a vampire? If it’s true, on what purpose?”

People once said that eyes could never lie, but her emerald didn’t detect anything from those golden specks of dust who gazed at her dearly. There was no guilt, but there was no malice either.

“I said it before; we want slaves-I want power, Kurosawa Dia-san.”

She could feel her blood boiling as Mari let out another crisp laugh. Oh, how well the vampire could play her nerves to the limit. Though she didn’t know whether the blonde vampire was saying; was it a well-played truth or neatly-polished lie?

Dia was close to thrust her sword to leave a hole on the vampire’s neck at this point, though she knew that Mari have thousand tricks to disappear without being hit. “I hope you’re prepared for your death.”

“If you so want to finish me, do it outside,” Mari said, lips tight. “It’s impolite to dirty somebody’s house, don’t you think?”

There was no hesitation in her, she was right to move and punish whoever ‘turned’ her sister to be miserable. She has been in the right path. She’s just need to justify her act and stand tall.

“As you wish.”

 ‘Being called to the Guild’—

—was something Ruby came up as a reason to a certain physician when she asked where she was leaving to.

Ruby heaved another sigh as she watched the town from afar. Thankfully, no one is bothering to climb at the clock tower by the center of the town that she could serve it as a temporary hiding place. There’s lack of sunlight around the tower, so there’s a low chance she would be hurt because of the sun.

The younger Kurosawa has been sitting beside the huge bell since the morning when Kanan said that her sister should be released soon. The last three days was being spent with her mulling over things away from her sister while filling needed paperwork after their mission.

Ruby heaved another sigh, her eyes watched the sun disappeared from the horizon, clouds were fading its brilliant orange and the city started to welcome the night; lights started to flicker from roads and buildings, people ending their useless chatter to go back to their houses, the road and alley grew darker and darker.

Something that Ruby loved from the town of Numazu is the tranquility when the day would change to the night. Birds would flock to the beach, kids would play until being called by their parents, stores’ lamplights would start to flick and handful of people who loved drinks would walk together while talking about their day and headed to the bars. She could see between those people, some with dark coat like hers hanging around the alleyway, exchanging greetings before eventually went home. Ruby was more to a day task because she trained the newbies, so she usually followed them-hunter and huntress who went home after the shift changed-and parted ways to shop for groceries.

Ruby hung her head low, rested her arms to support her chin from looking at the town’s peaceful scenery before her. Her somewhat happy feeling suddenly dissipated in a simple mention of groceries. She would think of what she should cook for her sister when it is her turn to cook for dinner.

Her mind stayed in dull colors like how the day coming to an end. It’s all about that person—her sister, Kurosawa Dia.

There happened to be no way she could face her sister after all that had happened, she really wanted to laugh at herself. Her secret, she had failed to keep her secret from her sister. On top of it, she behaved like those animals, couldn’t contain her hunger and feed on the blood of her older sister. Thinking back, part of her mind accepted that it wasn’t wrong at demanding blood as she was hungry. She has been lying to her sister all along about her condition and that night happened, she even couldn’t forgive herself for what had happened.

Her mind drifted when she first got her weapon after being trained harshly by the Elder. Her sister congratulated and hugged her, telling that the younger Kurosawa would be able to do some hunting with her, though Ruby still had a long way after that before finally getting her license. Her older sister would always be there to watch her, support her, even though Dia was eventually getting busy while catching up for mission.

They were able to live together away from the main family after Ruby getting her license years later, though she hadn’t really get a chance to be paired with her sister in a mission because she get to train newbies to silver firearms. Her Onee-chan still be there, though, despite her business to spend their time together in the house in-between their diverging timetables ...

Then again this time, what happened was different-she had done a sin, she had told a lie, she had been hiding a crucial piece from her older sister for so long for it to say for itself in such unsightly matter ... there’s no way she could be accepted, right?

Ruby swallowed her cry. “Onee-chan, I—“

Her head suddenly throbbing. Pain surged across her nerves before it slowly disappeared. Ruby turned her direction to the south of town where the forest was. A bubbling nausea built up inside her stomach.

“It ... can’t be.”

That feeling only meant one thing, after all; one thing she surely had predicted and hoping that it won’t happen.

Old saying has it, becoming a prey is a disgrace to every hunter alive. It also applies to the relationship between vampires and humans; humans that are turned will lost their soul, becoming a lifeless, brainless being who’ll only think of blood. Records from the past never said the exact situation whether changing ever happened from humans to vampires, it was more like thousands of testimonies that were yet to be proved, but elders believed that a change will make the said being to be the lowest of the lowest, maybe even lower than the usually-hunted bloodthirsty vampires. Those vampires who were turned must be eradicated, one book ever said; while another voiced different things—like removing the source of ‘infections’.

The garden of Ohara was beautiful, moon illuminated the tidy lawn and trees barely in synergy of the dim lamplights; the surrounding emmitted a tranquil feel in the dephts of night, though not for the two entities standing on it.

Mari wordlessly left for the garden for Dia to follow. The hunter studied at how relaxed the Duchess of the Old Mansion behaved despite the turn of their conversation, noting her every movement.

“Isn’t the moon beautiful?” Mari’s eyes were soft, looking toward Dia who’s following her stop, but with a safe distance separating them. Dia was nowhere to answer, holding high the frigid expression of hers to confront Mari’s smile. “I thought you’ll take the initiative to slash me before we even go outside.”

“I only do a fair fight.” Dia countered. The grip to the hilt of her sword doesn’t rest. “Also, it’s my duty, as the one who’ll be victorious, to hear every last word that my prey have to say.”

Dia knew that she might as well be the one who’s in disadvantages since she’s still recovered. It wasn’t full moon yet, but there’s no room to underestimate a vampire, and on the top of it, a being granted with the highest purity of vampiric existence like Mari.

“Then, shall we dance, Dia?”

When Mari morphed herself to her bat form, Dia didn’t hold back. Silver readily met the formation of the flurry of bats, making it separated, floating back to the far side from where Dia stood and revert back to the blonde-haired vampire, walking merrily across her own immaculate grass lawn.

Dia followed Mari, sending another thrust to the vampire’s grinning facade, staying close. The blonde caught the attack with her bare hands easily, tasting the silver in her bare palm making her itch. The vampire smiled at the hard stare of the huntress that had missed from impaling her head, watching gleefully as the sword being pulled. Dia jumped back to a safer distance to the left side of the thawed garden, watching Mari licked her own blood.

“Once injured with silver, we regenerate slower, which is a pain,” Mari said, cracking her fist. “But we still regenerate, unlike humans who’ll decay once they are ripped.”

Hearing the threat, the grip on her sword tightened, “You talk way too much, monster.”

“I’m just hoping that you enjoyed your life while it lasted,” the blonde is forever calm. “I see that you’re not as agile as I thought you usually be.”

Dia clicked her tongue. So Mari knew. So the vampire had watched her condition despite the heated conversation they shared, the threat her sword had drawn to the latter throat, it didn’t wind the vampire away. Dia noted to herself that she should toughen up a little.

“Your back is mine!”

Mari soared, turning herself to multiple bats directing to Dia. The huntress have no choice but to run. There’s no safe place for hiding, save the tree which could make her disadvantaged since bats could roam from any direction. Dia kept herself running in circle around the garden until she ducked to the bushes on her left, letting the flurry of bats passing right above her. She quickly get right back to her feet and ran to the opposing direction, seeing the bats turning to see her fleeing.

Mari intercepted her, thankfully she was quick to shield herself away before Mari kicked her from behind. The blonde charged again, targeting her left arm with her claws. Dia tried hard to minimize the impact by guarding. Though with that tactics, it won’t be long until Mari—with many advantages—will manage to injure her.

“Hrah!”

Dia pushed Mari with a swing. It wasn’t enough to knock the vampire, just right to make her off-balance for her to run to the other side of the garden, to where the big tree stood lonely on the corner.

Dia ducked to Mari’s torrent of both claws, letting her to face the tree trunk. She took her initiative to spin her sword, but Mari’s figure diminished to a form of multiple bats, freeing her from Dia’s attack range back to the center of the garden. The huntress huffed, catching her breath before focusing back at the laughing vampire, materializing back from her bat clones form-those golden orbs were turning red.

This would be bad-or would be good for her; red-eyed vampire has more power but the additional power didn’t cover for the lack of defense. Dia simply need to find a way to separate that head from the neck.

Another battle cry rang as Dia dashed, her sword pushed forward to clash at the vampire’s punch. Not good. She wasn’t even close to prick that pearlite skin, Mari’s counters were fast enough to match her sword movement, not to mention Mari could turn part of her body to bats, rendering her attack useless. Dia practically wasted her breath by doing the dance in the night.

She had no choice but to push her luck.

“Same trick will not work, Dia!”

Mari, once again, easily grabbed at Dia’s glistening sword tip as she moved to give Mari an obvious stab. The blonde vampire was about to easily shatter the weapon to pieces when Dia disarm it, using her own body as a force to tackle the vampire down. Both of them fell hard on the grass carpet, Dia’s hand found its way to strangle Mari’s neck as she straddled the vampire-the mark where she scratched the vampire earlier is still visible over decayed choker, not fully healed. It’s still pooling blood when Dia tried to squeeze at the skin, Mari winced.

“Your movement is slowing because of this petty scar?” Dia scoffed.

“What are you waiting for? Kill me,” those red eyes mirrored her bitter green, the grin of Ohara was mocking her. “Put that strength to tear my throat for real.”

Dia was about to do the deed, why hesitate now? The person who was being shown within those pools of bloody eyes, with an intent to kill she never think she can show in her face. Dia was pretty much blinded, she looked like a monster.

In her trance, Mari broke free from Dia’s dominance. Stumbling, Dia stomped hard to the ground to regain her footing, Mari was catching her breath while those eyes fully red-she has yet to give up. Dia rounded up to pick her discarded saber, eyes not leaving watch from Mari.

Dia held her stance when Mari changed part of her hand to a form of claw; it could be an illusion or a real deal, however Dia didn’t have time to simply test waters. She concentrated her strength to her footwork, trying to outmatch Mari’s apt attention to crush Dia with her transformed claw. The blonde was able to disarm the long saber from Dia’s hold, sending it away far from her reach but Mari didn’t know that the huntress had another blade—a small dagger— in her possession, slashing across her torso.

Ignoring the ugly scream of the vampire and the impact of vampire’s blood gushing out, Dia was ready to stab Mari and end it all.

“Stop!”  

A force keeping Dia away, sending her back with a great force that made her tumbling hard on the ground. Mari voiced her pain, dropping to her knees while blood streaming from her scarred neck and torso.

Dia’s eyes unfocused at the figure stood between them, the one who paused them from the battle that has yet to find the victor, the one who pushed her away from her kill.

“... Ruby?”

The crimson-haired huntress cringed at the sight she has to watch. Her worries had morphed into a real battle, her sister was about to cast her judgement to none other than Ohara Mari by her hands.

“Ah, how I forget that my slave will come when the master is on a pinch,” Mari bellowed, coughing. “You have a tough luck, Dia.”

The surrounding air went heavier, heavier than the weight of the battle that had taken place. Mari remained in her position. Dia balled her fists. Ruby stayed between them, hands stretched. Dia was nowhere to see what face Mari is making.

“Why are you protecting that monster, Ruby?”

The word stabbed her, hard. Ruby steeled herself and keep to focus at those emerald eyes which stared daggers at her. “She ... saved my life, Onee-chan.”

Saved? Mari had saved her little sister? Dia squinted at the confession. Ruby’s expression was calm, not even a trace of lie Dia could catch. She couldn’t see what expression Mari is making. She no longer knew what is ‘true’ and what is ‘false’ in this accusation. Was it wrong to believe or was it weak to believe in something wrong?

Mari piped. “Let Dia hate me all she want. It’s given.”

“But Mari-chan ...!” Ruby’s fists clenched, she looked to her feet. She didn’t know what to say to save Mari from her demise. “I ... If—If Mari-chan wasn’t there, I ... wouldn’t have been speaking now. She ... gave me another chance to live.”

Uncertainty washed over her. The contradiction gap is hanging on the air. Her eyes trained on Ruby’s, seeking whatever means of that blonde vampire had coerced, or controlled her; to see the similar emerald shone back to her (perhaps) darkened ones.

“I-It’s true! I’m turned because I wanted to, Mari-chan didn’t force me!”

She was betrayed by how Mari’s words were. How Mari behaved that she valued Ruby no more than a tool. Dia was set to kill the vampire and then out of blue her sister-the victim herself, stopped her and saying that her judgement but a false call. Isn’t she right, to kill the hindrance, to kill the one who had decreased her own little sister as a mere slave? Dia’s face scrunched in agony. “I didn’t recall Mari-san saying such things.”

Ruby moved away so Dia could see Mari there, clucthing to her bleeding skin. Dia approached the fallen blonde, holding her bland, bitter look. She pointed at Mari. “Well, monster?”

An answer to Dia’s threat was hysterical, though it’s more of broken between grasping of air and actual laugh. “That’s unnecessary, you know, Ruby?”

“Stop your useless chit-chat and answer.”

“Just believe what you want to believe, Dia. What Ruby vouches for me is what she feels. You can kill me now to have a revenge over your little sister’s condition.”

Dia swallowed. She was confused. Her muscles still tensed toward the intent to finish the being in front of her. The vampire had welcomed the death with happiness apparent in her features while the victim said otherwise. She could believe in Ruby, she could let Mari go, it wasn’t good to punish a person with no malice, but Dia already decided—

“Onee-chan! Please!”

Dia could feel something warm beside the frigid of skin that touched her back. Her little sister is sobbing.

Dia knew Ruby never lied—at least to her—and there’s no sign that Mari had controlled her in uttering those objections to defend Mari. In front of her, a vampire, a prey had been weakened and accepted her fate because of her sin. On her back, her little sister, once human, once a prideful hunter she highly regarded because her ability; crying, begging to spare the vampire.

All she needed is to choose.

“Why did you ‘save’ my sister?” Dia’s voice was broken. She didn’t let go of both, the death stare on Mari and the hand to hold Ruby’s cold fingers. “I don’t know if humans need to be ‘saved’ by you disgraceful way.”

“She wanted it,” Mari answered, matter-of-factly. “I granted it. It’s a give and take. I opted to bury her instead but she wanted to live.”

With a grunt, she asked another question, “Why do you want to live, Ruby?”

There’s a shift of hesitation on her back, “I ... there’s something I want to do. I-I can’t just die back then ...”

Dia hoped there’s a better explanation of things, she highly hoped there’s one. She didn’t know what to say to this nonsense at this moment, she felt that Ruby didn’t exactly willing to answer truthfully.

“I still don’t comprehend why turning you into a monster is a way to save a life.”

Mari coughed before she speaks. “Do you wish her to die then?”

The huntress tensed. It wasn’t once spoken from her mouth. She never wished her sister to be dead. She doesn’t want her sister to be a monster, either. There was nothing right to begin with, yet there was nothing wrong at how things happened. Mari saved Ruby, the vampire turned her in order to do so, she doesn’t have any choice.

To be exact, there’s no choice for anyone dying to be alive once more without a rightful bargain to begin with, however, to accept her closest person, who’s becoming a monster—cold, soulless vampire; there’s no way she could accept it.

“How far are you going to make me suffer, Mari-san?” Dia asked, her throat constricts.

“I simply granted Ruby’s wish and to wish you a good life, Dia. I never meant for you to suffer. I want both of you to live happily.”

“Mari-chan—“

“Ruby,” Dia’s tone was stone cold, Ruby yelped. Dia broke free from Ruby shortly. “That’s enough.”

They were still outside, freezing midnight wind starting to creep at them, on the disarray state of once neat garden; chopped bushes, broken tree trunks, dirt coating the pavement. It was ugly and the mood is far too heavy to let the sane conversation going. Dia dismissed her glare and draw herself away from Mari to seek her little sister. She was going to regret it later, she knew it. Also she didn’t know whether the appearance of Ruby is being staged by Mari or not. Or Mari had any hidden agenda in her ‘rescue’.

She feel the need to redeem herself. She wasn’t satisfied with how things turned out though she wanted to say that what Ruby said to whatever Mari was spouting held something. Finishing Mari tonight will lead her to emptiness, her gut telling.

“... We need to talk about this later,” Dia whispered to her younger sister, who’s wiping her tears. “For now, I’ll...”

Her eyes trained at Mari’s pathetic figure, she looked powerless because of the streaming blood, also the coughing didn’t cease to end. Silver surely caused number on her, be it Mari was right or wrong.

“We’ll go home ... after this.”

Mari was surprised when a hand gently brushing her skin, not another glimpse of sword. Dia was an eye-level with her, staring blankly. The raven-haired huntress wasn’t bothered by the stench of blood, she could say that vampire's blood is odorless. She was more of dizzy because Mari smells good; a mix of faint rose and another flower fragrance she couldn’t name of, almost like the garden once before they ruined.

“Look, I’m still nowhere from forgiving you, but ...” Dia hesitated. She drawn her knife, the one dyed in Mari’s blood from earlier battle. The raven-haired huntress huffed slightly before she pricked her left wrist with the dagger, letting the blood pour. “I still need your assistance; and I have to pay my debt for your act of ‘salvation’.”

She paused to see Mari’s golden eyes, noticing that the mask of happy-go-lucky she had earlier is nowhere to be seen, replaced by a plain stretch of lips.

“Are you sure?”

It was a simple question, but Dia found herself doesn’t know how to answer. Mari took Dia’s bleeding arm and paused, perhaps waiting for any word coming from Dia.

“Why asking now? You need blood to recover, right?” she countered with a low whisper. “Help yourself before I change my mind.”

Mari nodded wordlessly, taking the bleeding wrist to meet her lips. Golden eyes looked up once, brimmed with uncertainty; nevertheless Dia urged Mari to take her share. The ingest of human blood from the actual source truly energized her. Nothing could beat the taste from sipping the real human, Mari would be sure to savor it.

Silence passed as Dia watched Mari—who is eager, but reluctant at the same time—sipping her drink. Her ugly scars and wound that Dia inflicted earlier slowly regenerating by each drops she took.

[ Why must things taking turn this way?—Dia wondered aloud not for Mari or Ruby to hear. ]

“Mari-san.”

“Mm?”

“... Don’t you think you take a little too much? I feel ... light-headed.”

“A-Ah!” Mari quickly disarm Dia. “S-Sorry, I was—“

Dia was falling to the side where Mari caught her. The vampire must’ve been taking a bit too much than she should, relishing in the taste of actual human got her carried away and forgot the fact that Dia is weak after their battle and all.

“... Dia?”

There was a bit of tongue click, “Ah, how I was wrong to trust vampire for ‘taking a share’.”

“I-I already said I’m sorry,” Mari grunted. “Y-your blood is—“

“A-Are you finished, Mari-chan, Onee-chan?” Ruby squeaked not far, oh, the blonde almost forgot about the little vampire there, closing her eyes with both hands and inched away, how cute.

“One second,” Mari could hear Dia’s faint breathing to her ear, another series of incoherent rants, maybe, she couldn’t hear it well. The huntress was nowhere moving despite protesting. “Dia.”

There was a weak hum as a response. Mari let Dia rested on the base of her neck, while she was drinking on the warmth of the human body to her rigid cold skin.

“Can you hear me? I guess not,” Mari whispered. “Look, we ... might be cold, ruthless monster, soulless, ... whatever your dictionary translated us,” Mari couldn’t believe her voice, she sounded desperate. “But we’re not ... a being with a cold heart. Don’t take your sister too hard, it has been my fault from the start.”

Mari felt a slow nod as an answer, or she might be imagining things. Dia should’ve been far in dreams now and her little sister had waited too long to pick her up. The blonde shared a forlorn look before handing Dia to Ruby. The Duchess of the Old Mansion watched the trail of tears coating those eyes still, her thumb moved to erase it. Noticing it, Ruby looked down once before pulling herself away from Mari’s touch.

“—Ruby.”

The step of the crimson-haired girl who brought her older sister on her back stopped. She looked back at Mari who was resting her back against her grand fence. Ruby must have looked at the expression of anguish she was making. “Yes?”

“Be careful.”

The Duchess of the Old Mansion knew she was selfish, that’s what she practically doing there, praying that things would be fine.