Chapter Text
Utena: Blood Soaked and Honor Bound
ONE
Utena's robin egg's blue eyes suddenly snapped open as the final rays of sunlight faded from the room, giving way to the shadows of twilight. She lay there, deathly still, and slowly felt life and motion begin to return to her chill flesh and bones, the blood starting to pump ever so slowly through her veins. She took a shallow breath, then a full one, more out of a reflex than any real need for air.
'It's time for me to go out and feed again,' Utena thought to herself sadly.
Utena eased herself out of the musty, abandoned bed and quickly washed herself clean in a nearby basin of icy cold water. She then smoothly dawned her usual boy's school uniform with a feline, unearthly kind of grace that she still found a little disturbing. Her new, more powerful senses suddenly expanded outward, reaching across the room to the four corners of the building.
'There's someone alive out there,' she thought, the person's heart beating as loud as a drum to her new senses.
The sound of footsteps, a soft knocking on the door, and Utena knew who it was as she said softly, "Please come in, Wakaba."
The younger girl opened the door and came in, before closing it quietly behind her. Utena could smell the sweet scent of her warm flesh, almost feel the blood that pumped in the girl's veins, and her fangs extended, suddenly aching to be used.
Wakaba shivered as she saw the hungry, almost feral look come over Utena's handsome face. Without intending to, she slowly walked closer to her, almost hypnotized by what she saw in those bright blue eyes. With violently shaking hands she rolled up her sleeve and extended her pale, pink arm, as she said to her huskily "What ever you need, Utena. Please, take what you must."
Utena reluctantly grasped at that outstretched arm, then with what seemed like a superhuman effort she cried, "No, Wakaba!" and gently pushed her away. She continued on hoarsely "I swore I wouldn't. Just watch this place, and I'll be back soon."
Utena all but ran away from Wakaba, leapt out the upper window and then hit the ground below like a cat, sprinting into the forest that lay all around Ohtori. Wakaba watched her go, and hoped that Utena would be all right.
The deer paused in it's feeding, and raised it's head enquiringly, looking for whatever had disturbed it. The figure silently came out from the shadows and in a single forceful gesture, broke it's neck!
Utena roughly picked up the deer, then in a single motion buried her fangs in it's throat, letting her mouth fill with the animal's rich blood. She gulped it down, repelled by the taste but knowing she had to feed, or else she would truly die the final death. Finally sated, she picked up the bloodless corpse and then carried it to a nearby pathway. It was used by the local wolf pack, so the meat wouldn't go to waste.
She owed Wakaba so much, Utena knew. The young girl had come upon her, Utena only just changed to a vampire and nearly mad with her hunger, and she had bravely caught her a rat to feed from. Utena quickly learned how to feed herself, and while the animal's blood tasted awful to her new taste buds, she could at least live her new life ethically. 'Unlike some of the other residents of the vampire haunted academy of Ohtori,' Utena thought to herself grimly.
With that thought foremost in her mind Utena made her way back to Ohtori, and a appointment she really must keep...
Juri stretched as she awoke, feeling the warmth of her chosen companion laying on the queen sized bed beside her. Shiori smiled in her sleep, arcing her body so her neck and breasts were open and available to Juri's every whim. Juri kissed her, lightly, then slipped from the bed and padded nude out of the bedroom. Ruka silently met her at the door and handed her a clean and ironed school uniform.
"You're not...?" he asked, nodding to the sleeping Shiori.
Juri shrugged, "Two nights in a row might be a little too much for her, it could put her life at risk. Ruka, make sure she eats well, spinach, liver, iron rich foods to restore the blood. I don't want her getting sick on me."
"Of course, master," Ruka said, and bowed to her in a semi-mocking way.
Juri shot him an annoyed look as she snarled at him "Do not call me that, Ruka." For just a moment, she wore her predator's face, a visage that often meant a painful death to those who saw it.
Ruka seemed distinctly unworried as he cheerfully protested "Aw, but it spoils the whole vampire queen and servant riff we've got going!"
Juri shook her head and laughed softly at his mad antics. "See you later," she said, and disappeared into the night.
Juri silently made her way across the rooftops to a nearby dorm, and then she gracefully crawled down the wall until she found the room she wanted to visit tonight. The girl living there had seen her feed on another of her dorm-mates earlier that week, but instead of running from Juri in fear, she had instead opened the top of her nightgown, revealing her pale throat and the tops of her pert breasts. Juri was full, so she had just smiled at her toothily and softly promised her "Later."
The girl shifted in her bed, the cold night's breeze awakening her. Her blue eyes opened, and she gasped softly, "Juri-sama!"
Juri smiled at her, stepping closer, "I told you I'd be back." She smiled at her softly, "Would you like me to lie with you?"
"Oh, yes!" the girl squeaked softly, and Juri smiled down at her fondly. She gently flipped the covers back and Juri got another very pleasant surprise: the girl now slept nude. Juri gently fondled and stroked the shapely breasts as she lay beside her, then she let one hand slowly and teasingly slide down the girl's exposed front.
'I should give her pleasure first,' Juri thought to herself wryly, 'to balance out the pain.' Under Juri's very skilled fingers the girl writhed, then shuddered as the orgasms came tearing through her slim body one after the other! Just as she came, Juri brought her mouth to one breast and bit down with her fangs!
The girl came again and again as Juri fed, the pleasure and pain merging into one in her fevered mind. Juri felt the girl weaken and reluctantly released her. Juri didn't feed to kill, just enough for her own survival. She lapped the last traces of the blood away, unique saliva from her tongue sealing the wounds, and then she departed, leaving the girl to sleep the rest of the truly satisfied.
Juri stood out on the rooftop and smiled slightly to herself, waiting for a few moments. "You can come out, now," Juri, tired of the cat and mouse games, said calmly to the figure standing concealed in the shadows.
"You let them live so far," Utena said to Juri quietly as she moved silently from the concealing depths of the shadows. "That's the only reason I'll let you live." With that, she disappeared once more into the darkness.
"Killjoy," Juri said with a wry smile. "She has got to learn to take herself less seriously," she said softly. Her expression darkened, she knew Utena wasn't someone to underestimate. She had already slain the vampire Lord Akio, after all...
Touga held the struggling girl, laughing as she flailed away against his chest. He looked into her eyes, and her struggles slowly ebbed. He didn't take her will away, he liked seeing the terror in their eyes, the rapid pulse hammering like a drum.
"Kozue," Touga smiled, "don't you want to be with me? I remember a time when you would have fallen into my arms easily."
"Please, no," Kozue whimpered weakly. "I want to live," she said breathlessly.
"But you will," Touga smiled, his fangs gleaming in the moonlight, "get to live forever just like I will."
He heard the footsteps before the door opened, and wondered who was so utterly foolish as to think about trying to interfere. The door opened, he caught the scent, and began to laugh softly to himself. "Come in, Miki," Touga invited him.
The blue-hared young man carried a cross in one hand and a stake in the other. "Let her go, Touga," Miki half asked, half pled. His hands shook as Touga met his eye, smiling at him calmly. 'He knows I'm no threat,' Miki thought despairingly.
Then a female voice spoke from the shadows, "He said, let her go." Before Touga could even react, Kozue was plucked from his grasp and flung aside. Utena took a moment to push her hair from her eyes before she fixed Miki with a look. "Get her out of here," she commanded him calmly.
Touga looked at her in shock, "What are you doing, Tenjou? They are our prey!" He shook his head as if he didn't understand her at all.
"They were our friends, once," Utena answered him calmly. She smiled a bit, "But this isn't the time for debate."
"No," Touga admitted, standing a bit straighter as he seemed to try and marshal his strength. He met Utena's gaze calmly, their wills battling invisibly for supremacy.
Utena smiled feraly, hefting a stake in her hand. "Come on," she invited, "lets see what you've got."
Part Two
Without any warning, they leapt at each other almost at the same time, colliding in midair like some twisted aerial ballet. They madly scrambled at each other for a moment before returning to the Earth. Touga reached up to his shoulder, a surprised expression on his face, and his hand came away bloody.
"You are such a fool, Tenjou," Touga said softly, looking at his blood stained palm. He clenches it into a fist, crying out "You fed from Lord Akio himself! You could be ruling the student council, not fighting us!"
"Not interested," Utena said calmly in reply, and she charged him again.
Touga seemed to change, the normally handsome face fading as the monster within him came out to play. Hands like claws, he tore at Utena, his fangs snapping as he fought to gain any advantage over her.
Utena cried out as his claws raked across her brow, blood spilling down into her eyes. She swept it away with a gesture, but not fast enough to save her from his next strike. The blow to her stomach staggered her, buying just enough time for him to leap through the window and disappear into the night.
She moved to the window to chase him, then she stopped. 'Out there in the dark, the hunter could easily become the hunted,' she thought grimly. She turned and walked out of the room, only to be met by both Miki and Kozue.
"You're all right!" Kozue cried out happily. She ran forward, hugging Utena close to her, continuing, "I though I was dead for sure!"
The rich scent of blood was all over the girl, freshly made cuts and scrapes the obvious consequences of her fight with Touga. The scent seemed to reach a hidden part of Utena, summoning forth a primal hunger. For just a moment, her arms tightened around the girl as her fangs extended.
Utena quickly pushed the girl away, apologizing softly even as she turned and fled down the deserted hallway. Only when she was far enough away from that scent did she finally come to a stop. She leaned against the wall, her body shaking slightly.
"I nearly," she gasped out softly, "I nearly hurt her." A single tear, a lone trickle of red blood, coursed down her white cheek.
Juri watched from the shadows, carefully concealing herself from Utena's sharp senses. 'Poor little girl," Juri thought sadly, 'fighting what you are.' She smiles, a slow, sexy smile, 'Let me teach you what you can be.'
It was nearly noon when the taxi arrived at Ohtori academy. No one travels at night, anymore, at least not in this part of the world. The cab driver quickly helped the young lady unpack her bags then he climbed back into his cab. With a loud squeal of his tires he was gone.
Anthy shook out her short purple hair, hefting her cases as she looked around the courtyard thoughtfully. She dressed traditionally, a long dark dress and simple white blouse, white socks and black leather shoes.
'If the reports are true,' Anthy thought, 'I'll find my brother here.' She smiled to herself grimly, thinking of the wooden stakes in her bag, 'And at last I will end the curse on our family line.'
She quickly arranged for her registration and sleeping quarters, then began to check out the school itself. The first thing she did was find the temporary head of the student council. Miki Kaoru.
The blue hared young man looked nervous, twitchy, sitting at the head of the table in the large meeting room. His school uniform looked rumpled, as if he had dressed hurriedly that morning. "How can I help you, Mrs. Anthy?" he asked softly.
She smiled slightly as she explained, "I'm here looking for my brother." At Miki's inquiring look, she elaborated, "Akio Ohtori."
The blood seemed to drain from the boy's face, and for a moment Anthy feared he might faint. "He's gone," Miki said simply, his hands visibly shaking.
"Gone," Anthy echoed. 'Has he escaped me again?' she frantically wondered. In a fierce tone, "Where did he go? How long has he been gone?"
"No, no," Miki said, shaking his head slightly as he held up a hand. "Akio Ohtori is dead," he said to her softly.
"Dead," Anthy said softly. She looked lost, somehow, as if she had lost something incredibly precious. "Who did it?"
"I wasn't there to see it myself," Miki said quietly, "but I understand that it was Tenjou Utena." Miki was visibly surprised as Anthy suddenly rose from her chair, a thoughtful expression on her beautiful face.
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Kaoru," Anthy said, giving him a small bow. She left, frowning and lost in thought.
The rest of the day Anthy pursued her new quarry, this Tenjou Utena. She talked to students and teachers, quickly gathering a sense of who she had been. But Utena hadn't been seen for months, shortly after the disappearance of most of the old student council. Anthy quickly reached certain conclusions.
'It's likely this Utena is a vampire, one created by Akio himself,' she thought. 'Somehow, the young vampire had turned the tables on her elder, destroying him. But why? To rule the other vampires of Ohtori?' she wondered
Anthy shook her head, thinking, 'It didn't matter, really. All that mattered was that Utena was a vampire, and she was a vampire slayer.'
Wakaba pushed open the door before Utena could even finish washing. "Do you mind?" Utena said with a little frown, standing there naked.
"It's not like I haven't seen it all before," Wakaba said with a little shrug. She frowned, "There's a strange lady at the school, asking about Akio and you. She says her name's Anthy."
"Well, I don't know her," Utena started to say, when the door was slammed open.
"Hold, spawn of darkness!" Anthy declared, holding a cross in one hand and a stake in the other. "Step away from the girl!"
Utena and Wakaba stood motionless for a moment. "Would you mind if I get dressed first?" Utena asked her mildly, covering her naughty-bits with her hands.
"Yeah, you shouldn't be seeing my Utena-sama naked," Wakaba said to Anthy firmly, stepping up to her and then turning her right around. Under her breath she added, "Only I get to do that."
"I heard that," Utena shot back, dressing as quickly as possible.
Anthy looked at Wakaba in surprise, "The vampire wasn't attacking you? I guess you must be her servant, then."
Utena laughed softly at that. "If she is," Utena said, her voice a little muffled as she pulled a shirt over her head, "can I trade her in on an more obedient model?"
Wakaba stuck her tongue out, "Bleah!"
Anthy looked back and forth between the two girls. She finally sighed softly to herself as she said, "It seems I don't quite understand what's going on here. Would you two care to explain?"
Finally dressed in her boy's uniform, Utena lit a small oil lamp, bringing some light into the long abandoned dorm room. She sat Anthy down in a salvaged chair, a bit rickety but stable. Wakaba took the other one, and Utena leaned against the wall, keeping some space between her and them.
"You know what Akio was," Utena said softly to Anthy. The girl nodded, and she continued, "I caught his eye, shortly after I transferred here. He courted me, tried to win me over, and when charm failed, he took by force."
"He raped me first, then he bit me," Utena said, tipping her head back to reveal the faint fang marks on her neck, "but for some reason he decided to turn me. He cut his arm, pressed it to my lips, and his foul blood filled my mouth until I had to swallow or choke."
"She woke up three days later," Wakaba said, sounding much more serious. "We were roommates, and I saw Akio bring her back and leave her there. Because of some of the stories about him, I was worried about her."
Utena continued, "I was ravenous. I fought against it, kept myself from attacking her, and Wakaba figured out what I had become. She went out into the hallway and caught me a rat to feed on."
"Akio must have thought you'd feed on your friend," Anthy said softly. "I've never heard of a newborn vampire resisting the hunger before," she said wonderingly, shaking her head.
"It's not easy," Utena said softly, and Anthy suddenly understood why she kept her distance. She looked at the pale face lit by the golden lamp light, and was a little in awe of the strength she saw there.
Wakaba took up the story again, "We moved Utena into this abandoned dorm that night, and she hunted in the woods for the first time." She looked very passionate as she added, "She only feeds on animals, not humans, Ms Anthy."
"For now," Anthy said softly.
"For now," Utena quietly agreed. Her eyes met Anthy's, "And if I ever cross that line to feed on human beings, I hope there'll be someone like you around to stop me." She took a deep breath, continuing, "Eventually, I faced Akio. He underestimated my strength, I think, and I was able to stake him."
Wakaba sighed softly, "But he was a busy little vampire before Utena stopped him. He turned most of the student council to vampires."
"I've been trying to stop them ever since," Utena sighed.
Anthy looked at the two young women thoughtfully. 'They didn't seem to be lying,' she mused, and rose to her feet. "I'm going to go check out your story," she said respectfully, "If you've told me the truth, I'd like to help you." Slightly grimly, she added, "If you've lied to me, I'll stake you."
"Medium rare, please," Wakaba quipped, spoiling a serious moment. She got a glare from both Utena and Anthy. "Sorry, couldn't resist," she said with a small shrug.
Part Three
With the setting of the sun, the creatures of the night stirred from their daytime rest. Owls hooted, bats took wing, rats scurried, wolves howled their lonely cries, and in and around Ohtori Academy, the vampires awakened.
Touga sighed softly to himself, holding out his goblet to one of his pretty little serving girls. There were dozens of them, all sweet young things he had brought here by the force of his will alone. "Fill it up," he ordered her softly.
The nude girl paced towards where Touga was sitting, holding out her arm over the rim of the glass. She took a barber's razor and gently drew it over a barely healed scar. Redness welled up, and then flowed into the glass.
Touga watched the glass fill even as she began to sway in place. She grew pale, and as a last few drops of her precious blood fell, she collapsed limply backwards. He took a small drink from his glass, swirling the liquid around in his mouth, savoring the sweet taste and ignoring the body laying on the floor nearby.
Finally, Touga pretended to notice her, and said to the other girls, "If she's still alive, bandage up her arm. If she's dead, toss her out with the rest." The serving girls dragged her away, leaving a small streak of blood on the floor in their wake.
The mad vampire, Saionji, scrambled out from his corner, lapping at the mess on the clean floor. Touga reached out to pat his filthy mop of hair as he laughingly said, "Good doggie." Saionji whined out his happiness.
But that momentary feeling of pleasure quickly faded, and Touga was left only with his own troubling thoughts.
'It was far too easy,' Touga thought grimly, 'to dominate these cattle. I need to find a new challenge.' He smiled slightly, thinking of Tenjou Utena. 'She's beautiful, so fierce, and her will is as strong as any I have met. No wonder Lord Akio wanted her! If I could take her,' he mused, 'it would be truly glorious.'
"Will you try to take Utena?" the smooth voice asked, almost as if it's owner had read his very thoughts. Touga turned, frowning, to see Juri standing there behind him.
"I haven't decided," Touga lied to her smoothly.
She smiled slightly, "I wouldn't recommend trying it, Kiryuu." Juri smiled, a hint of white fang showing, "I think she'd be too much for you, boy."
He hissed, his own fangs gleaming, but she just laughed, walking away. Saionji tried to stop her, and she kicked him aside like the dog he now was.
Juri strode down the hallway, deep in thought. 'Hopefully, he'll try to attack Utena,' she thought with a grim smile, 'She'll kill him easily, of course, and my primary rival for the ladies of Ohtori will be gone.'
Nanami pressed herself against the wall, trying to get away from him. "Please," she cried out, "you don't want to do this!"
Tsuwabuki just smiled at her, his white fangs gleaming in the lamp light. "I'll take care of you, Nanami," he sighed out to her dreamily, "just like your brother. I'll keep you safe." He took another half step forward, his eyes gleaming madly.
Tsuwabuki's school uniform was shabby, badly torn, far different than how he had once looked. But what he was now had very little in common with what he had once been, the handsome young boy with the bright future ahead.
"No," Nanami softly whimpered, almost trying to go through the wall itself to attempt to get away from the vampire.
A startled look passed over his face, and Nanami cried out as something burst out of his chest, spraying her with foul smelling gore.
"Sorry," Utena said, using the flagpole she stabbed him with to pin the small boy's writhing body down to the floor. She knelt, staked the creature's heart, and he stopped struggling. Utena looked up, seeing the shell shocked look on the young girl's face. It was something she had grown used to seeing, here at Ohtori.
Nanami spat several times, trying to get something out of her mouth. "He used to be a nice kid," she said softly, a tear trickling down as she looked at the boy's body.
Utena noticed that some of the gore covering Nanami had gotten into her mouth, too. "Better wash out your mouth when you shower," she advised her, picking up Tsuwabuki and putting him over her shoulder. 'I don't know if you can become a vampire accidentally swallowing the blood,' she thought, 'and I don't want to find out.'
It didn't take Utena much time to gather the firewood. She did it with as much dignity as she could manage, giving poor Tsuwabuki a silent prayer before she set his remains ablaze. She watched the flames, the body becoming ash, lost in her own troubling thoughts.
"Poor child," Utena heard a woman say from just a little ways behind her, "I don't think he was ever suited to this life."
Utena quickly turned around to see Juri standing there, looking into the fire thoughtfully. The rising flames lit up her orange hair, and seemed to give the color of life back to her bone pale skin. She looked beautiful standing there in the firelight.
Utena toyed with the stake she held in her hand. "Something I can do for you, Juri?" she asked her softly, ready for any attack that she might bring.
"I'd like to help you, Utena," Juri said to her pleasantly. She took a careful step towards her, smiling, and a strange scent seemed to waft over towards her, a sweetness in the air that made Utena's teeth ache to be used.
"How can you help me?" Utena asked, trying hard to concentrate. That scent, it was so familiar, she should know it!
"You need to accept who you are," Juri answered her softly, reaching out to stroke at Utena's cheek. Utena's eyes widened as she saw a streak of dark red along Juri's wrist, a stain slowly spreading up her pale arm.
Suddenly she remembered where she had smelled that before, from when she fed from Akio the very first time. The sweet scent of a vampire's blood, being freely given. "What are you doing?" she asked Juri softly, her extended fangs making speech difficult.
"A sharing," Juri said, stepping up to Utena to whisper softly into her ear. She felt Juri's cool body pressed against her own, she scent nearly overwhelming, as Juri said, "Will you take my blood, Utena, so that I may take yours?"
Utena turned and fled, but Juri followed her closely, over the roofs to the abandoned dorm, and to Utena's silent bedroom. Juri stood at the doorway, smiling at her, as a shaking Utena fought the hunger that surged through her. A hunger for what Juri offered her.
"Leave me alone!" Utena cried out, knowing that Juri could not come into the room unless Utena herself chose to invite her in.
Juri smiled sadly, shaking her head back and forth. "How you deny yourself, Tenjou," she whispered, the softness of her voice making Utena listen all the harder, "We are both so alone, you and I." She smiled, a single red tear trickling down her face and firing Utena's hunger even more. "Could we be together, just for tonight? To not be so alone, anymore?" she asked.
Juri extended her hand, a bit of her blood pooling in her palm, the scent making Utena's head spin. 'It doesn't have to mean anything,' Utena thought, even as she said aloud, "Come inside."
Juri was upon Utena in only a moment, pressing the pooled blood to her lips, then kissing her fiercely. The blood they passed back and forth between them just seemed to make the fevered kisses all the sweeter.
Utena felt the cut wrist pushed to her own lips, even as Juri drew Utena's wrist up to the wet heat of her own mouth. The taste of Juri was indescribable, sweet wine one moment, brandy maybe, then it simply dissolved into a mix of pure pleasure. They fell as one to Utena's bed, their bodies tangling together on top of the covers.
'Now,' Juri thought shortly before the pleasure whipped away all her rationality, 'now you're mine at last, sweet Utena.' Then she simply surrendered to the feelings washing over her.
Early in the morning, Utena stood alone by her window, looking out into the darkness that lingered here before the dawn. The naked young woman looked down at her wrist, the now fully healed wound a soft pink, and licked at her lips. A little bit of the sweetness she had tasted still lingered there, to tease her memory.
She walked over to her bed, looking down at the red stained sheets before violently tearing the bloody sheets right off the mattress. She concentrated on what she was doing, trying not to let herself think about what she had done tonight. 'Or how much I enjoyed tonight,' Utena admitted to herself with a soft sigh.
What Juri had said to her when she was leaving still lingered in her mind.
"When you're ready to accept what you are," Juri had said to her with a little smile, "come to me." A smile stretched Juri's blood red lips as she seductively vowed, "I'll show you pleasures that would make tonight seem like nothing."
Utena could feel the heaviness in her limbs, a cue that dawn was coming soon. She closed up the shutters, laying down on the bare bed for her day's rest. As she eyes closed, strangely, she found herself thinking about Anthy.
It was only an hour after dawn when it was found, sprawled out in one of the gardens. The girl's nude body was pale, drained of it's blood, and wounds made by a blade marked her arms. Most were long healed, but one still oozed a bit of pink.
Anthy knelt down, examining the body. The vampire hadn't chosen to bite, making his servant bleed herself for him, preventing the spread of the vampire curse. There was a smile on the dead girl's face, as if she had been happy to give of herself.
A piece of paper lay nearby, slightly stained by the little blood that had remained in her. Anthy picked it up to read, and a muscle in her jaw jumped in anger.
"Tenjou Utena," it read in elegant script, "Stop me if you can." And underneath, it was signed simply "Kiryuu Touga."
Part Four
Anthy waited patiently out in the dim hallway, calmly leaning up against the wall as she watched the sun slowly set outside the nearby window. The last of the light finally faded, and from inside the room she heard a voice call out to her clearly, "Come in, Anthy."
She pushed the door open, seeing Utena sitting on the edge of the bed. Strangely, there were no sheets or blankets, the mattress totally bare, and the old bed seemed to have a redish stain right I the middle. She looked up, her robin's blue eyes seemingly haunted by something.
"You're here early tonight," Utena said to her softly, taking a damp cloth from a wash basin right beside her bed and then beginning to clean her naked body off. She moved so sensuously, her long, lean body turning in the dim light, and Anthy felt her breath catch in her throat.
Rather hoarsely Anthy managed to get out, "Kiryuu Touga seems to have killed again."
Utena stiffened, carefully putting the cloth down. "Damn it," she said softly, finishing with a snarled out, "I should have got him when I had the chance!" She strode over to her closet, her body still damp, and pulled out a school uniform. Pulling it on roughly, she demanded of Anthy, "Do you know where he's been hiding?"
"The Observatory, I think," Anthy answered her softly, looking at the furious Utena rather warily. She reached into her pocket and grasped a stake in her hand, hoping that the bloodlust had not suddenly taken Utena over.
Utena saw the concern in Anthy's eyes, and visibly worked to try and calm herself down. "I'm sorry to frighten you," Utena said to her softly, "you see, I had a chance to finish him off earlier, but he managed to escape me."
"I understand," Anthy said to her quietly in return, "but don't let your fury get the best of you. You're better than that, I think."
Utena smiled grimly, "I'll try."
Anthy extended a piece of paper, "He left this."
"Tenjou Utena," it read in elegantly written script, "Stop me if you can." And underneath it was signed simply, "Kiryuu Touga." Utena read it through once, then again, the expression on her face strangely blank.
"It was a young woman that was found?" she asked her softly. Anthy looked surprised, so Utena asked the question again, "The body, it was a young woman?"
"Yes," Anthy nodded, and asked her, "how did you know?"
"It's just his style," Utena said, crumpling the note up in her hand. She walked over and looked out the window, "I'm going after him tonight." To Anthy's shock, she simply let herself fall right out of the window before dropping down like a cat to the ground below her.
"You shouldn't face him alone!" Anthy yelled out, but Utena was simply gone from her sight. Swearing softly under her breath, Anthy rushed out of the room intoi the hallway, down the old stairs, and then out of the building after her.
Utena let her body fall, then with a simple twist she landed smoothly on her feet. Anthy yelled something to her, but Utena didn't hear. She loped across the grounds with inhuman speed. focused on one thing only.
The Observatory was a wreck, abandoned by all of those who had any sense in this vampire haunted place. This was where Akio had changed the student council into vampires, where debauched orgies of death and violence had taken place. This was where Utena's life had ended, and then in a spurt of Akio's foul blood had begun again...
Utena felt her rage rising up, and she fought to hold it back. She grasped the rotting door in her hands and with a single surge of unearthly strength tore it from it's moorings. She stepped inside, and was almost instantly set upon!
Saionji gibbered and howled, his claw like hands raking at her face. Utena was slammed to the ground, his fetid breath turning her stomach as she tried to fight free. With his fangs he viciously snapped at her face, seeking something to chew.
Utena kicked outward, sending him flying. Seizing the moment she kicked again, this time at the door frame, and soon held a jagged piece of lumber in her hand. 'A poor stake,' she thought grimly, 'but it'll have to do.'
Saionji circled her a bit more cautiously, knowing what wood could do to a vampire. "Nothing should disturb the master," he slurred out, licking his chops like a dog.
"You were captain of the kendo team," Utena plead with him, "admired by all the students. You don't have to be Kiryuu's dog!"
Making her words a lie, Saionji charged at Utena, howling at her madly. He racked at her, clawed, trying to get at her throat. She sweep kicked his legs, brought him down to the floor and then lay down on top of him. She felt sick as she realized he had an erection.
Utena drove the wood into his heart, and Saionji's body arched upward. His eyes seemed to clear as he gasped out, "Thank you." Then he convulsed, and was still.
Utena pulled a decorative blade off the wall, then in a single stroke she removed the head from the body. "Rest in peace, you poor bastard," Utena said to him softly. She looked around her, and saw the elevator waiting. 'Why do I get the feeling he'd cut the cable?' Utena thought wryly of Touga. Instead, she took the stairs.
The stairway spiraled up the tower, and as she walked, she thought she could hear women chanting. She couldn't make out all the words, but one bit kept on repeating over and over again, "Absolute destiny apocalypse." The chant grew louder and louder, until finally she reached the very top of the stairway.
Looking around the corner carefully, Utena saw that someone had done some fairly serious remodeling. The furniture was all gone, the floor completely bare except for the rose pattern tiles. Touga watched the ladies chant, smiling widely. Occasionally, he would call one over and hand her a razor. She would draw it across a vein, filling his glass until he waved her away yet again.
Utena took a breath, more out of reflex than anything else, gripped her sword and improvised stake firmly, and stepped out into the arena. "Kiryuu," she said loudly, "I'm here."
He jerked up, and Touga looked honestly surprised to see her standing so brazenly on his very doorstep. "Tenjou," he scrambled to his feet, and then gave her a charming, snake like smile as he said, "would you care for a drink?" He made a sweeping gesture to the young women nearby, who all smiled at Utena glassily.
Utena's jaw clenched, and she fought her first response, to take one of the girls so cruelly offered her. "This stops now, Kiryuu," Utena said to him coldly, beginning to pace towards him with deliberate slowness.
"Stop her," Touga, sounding more than a bit frightened commanded the mob of girls. They scrambled to obey him, charging towards Utena at a mad gallop.
They climbed all over her, and all Utena could do was silently swear as Touga laughed. 'I can't hurt them, they're innocents," she thought, struggling under the pile of nubile flesh. The sent of fresh blood wafted from them, and Utena could feel her fangs extend, aching. And then a forbidden idea occurred to her.
Not letting herself take a moment to reconsider, Utena bit down fiercely on one girl, her cry echoing around the room. Then another, and another, and another. 'He bound them with his mind,' she thought grimly, 'but I've just bound them to me by blood.'
The girls gathered all around her, looking up at Utena in pure adoration. "Get out of here," Utena managed to get out past her aching fangs, "and don't come back." The girls ran down the stairs, leaving Utena and Touga there alone.
"I didn't think you had it in you, Tenjou," Touga remarked. He added with a smile, "Maybe you're more like us than you'd like to believe."
"I'm nothing like you," Utena scowled. 'Or am I?' she found herself wondering. 'I did that to them so very, very easily. And their blood tasted so good!' she thought, a faint shudder running through her slim body.
Touga laughed softly. "You're more like us than those simpering human cattle. Join us, Utena, and you could help me rule over them all," he invited.
Surprisingly, Utena smiled sadly. "What I want," she said to him softly, "you can't offer me, Touga. I want to feel the sun on my face again, and to know the warm touch of another human being without wanting to kill them."
Touga's eyes met Utena's, and in them she saw that something, some deeply buried piece of his former humanity, understood her wish, and also understood that she couldn't be tempted buy him. And then he charged.
Utena let him run at her, standing there completely calm. His eyes were glazed with madness, his hands out to rip her apart. And still she stood there. He reached her, fanged mouth going for her throat, when he stiffened.
Touga looked down in shock, at the stake that she had so calmly used his own charge to drive home. He frantically tried to grab at the wood, but it was simply too slick, covered with his own gore. He swayed there, then dropped to his knees in front of her. He looked up dazedly, and saw Utena readying the sword.
"Please," was all Touga got out before she swung.
Utena watched the body drop, and she just felt so cold inside. She had managed to kill two of the vampires tonight, she should be feeling proud of herself. But she had chosen to taste human blood, and a fire now raged inside of her body. Somehow, she knew that the animal blood wasn't going to be enough for her anymore.
Utena heard her coming up the stairs before the sound could have reached human ears. "Hello, Anthy," she said softly, "nice of you to join the party."
Anthy entered the room carefully, holding a stake ready to be used, and she gasped softly when she saw the blood around Utena's mouth. "I saw those girls outside, the blood and fang marks," she said to her cautiously.
"Touga controlled them with his mind," Utena explained to her softly, looking down at Toga's still form, "I needed something stronger to get them out of his grip."
"Are you all right?" Anthy asked her softly.
Utena looked up to meet her eyes, her own dark and unreadable. "No, I'm not all right," she answered softly, "I don't think I'll be all right ever again." She bent down to pick up Touga's remains, "Let's get rid of this, and Saionji downstairs."
The two were quickly placed on a improvised bonfire, and in a moment it was lit. The blaze warmed Utena's body as she looked into the scarlet flames. Looked at what was likely to be her own fate, one day soon to come.
The girls that had served Touga milled around a bit, then made their way over to where Utena and Anthy were standing. Utena frowned at the naked young woman, "What do you want?"
"To serve you, Mistress," she said dreamily.
"The blood bond," Anthy murmured, her eyes widening.
Utena looked at the gathering young women, then over at Anthy. "How do I free them?" she asked Anthy rather desperately.
Anthy sighed softly, "You can't."
It took all of Juri's self control not to start laughing at the stunned expression on poor Utena's face. Things had worked out even better than she had initially planned.
Having Shiori plant that note she wrote in Touga's own handwriting with the girl's body had been a stroke of genius on Juri's part. In one stroke two rivals of hers had been eliminated, and in the process Utena had been forced to taste human blood at long last.
And now Utena had an army of thralls following her around, all of them sweetly willing to do whatever she may want. Juri wondered how long even Utena's strength of will could hold out against all those willing young girls. She didn't think very long.
With a broad smile, Juri silently made her way off into the night.
Part Five
Utena smiled to herself dreamily, the sensation of warmth all around her. She snuggled down, luxuriating in the feeling. 'Wait a moment,' she found herself thinking as she gradually came awake, 'my body doesn't hold warmth like this anymore. What's keeping me warm?'
She opened her eyes just a crack to look, then Utena's eyes suddenly popped open. She was buried in the middle of a pile of naked young women! "Hmm, mistress," one sighed softly, shifting in her sleep. Utena felt the warmth of the flesh pressed up against her, and she could feel her fangs extending, even against her will.
'I have got to get out of here before I do something I'll regret,' Utena thought to herself frantically. Thankfully, the moving girls generated enough room for Utena to slip out between them. She grabbed a uniform from her closet then slipped out of the room as quietly as possible. "I can't believe they followed me," Utena sighed softly. She had even recognized one or two of them, like Nanami's friend Keiko.
"You might want to get dressed," an amused voice commented.
Utena was so distracted that she hadn't even noticed Anthy waiting for her out in the hall. "How did they find me?" she questioned, even as she quickly pulled her clothes on.
"The blood bond," Anthy sighed. "It links you to them as well, Utena," she explained, "and it's unbreakable except by your death."
"We'll save staking myself as a final alternative," Utena shot back as she pulled her shirt, then jacket on. "Are you sure there's no other way to free them?" she questioned.
"I'll look into it," Anthy said. She noticed the hint of fang as Utena talked, and felt obligated to ask her, "Are they all right?"
"I haven't fed, if that's what you mean," Utena said with a bit of anger in her voice. "I'm going out to hunt," she said striding towards the window.
"Wait, you may not be able to... ," Anthy started to say, but Utena had disappeared into the night. "Damn," she cursed softly.
Utena loped across the campus towards the forest, towards food. The familiar scent drew her onward, and nearly silently Utena stalked through the woods, letting her unnatural senses guide the way. 'Here,' she thought, as the rich scent filled the nostrils. She gently parted the branches, and nearly gasped in surprise.
Kozue lay tangled with a paramour in the clearing, the sweat drying on their bodies. A bit of blood has spilt, and that very same scent filled Utena's nostrils. She found herself moving forward involuntarily, and stopped herself. She turned, disappearing into the shadows.
'I was hunting animals, not...' Utena thought dazedly, 'Why did I...' she shook herself. With fresh determination she stalked the woods, eventually finding what she sought: a deer. The kill was done as mercifully as possible, then Utena bent to feed.
Only to choke on the blood. She spat, trying to clear the stuff from her mouth. With a shaking hand she cupped some of the animal blood to drink again, and discovered the same foul taste. "I can't drink it," Utena murmured, then in a tortured cry, "What's going on?!"
"Where is the mistress?" the young woman demanded of her, "She's in pain!" The other young ladies, Anthy had begun to think of them as groupies, all milled around restlessly, looking for their mistress, Utena.
"I don't know," Anthy started to say, when Utena herself walked down the hallway towards them. She looked terrible, her uniform dirty, animal blood smeared down the front. But it was the despairing look in Utena's eyes that most shook Anthy.
"Leave us alone," Utena ordered the girl groupies, and they obediently went back into the dorm room. Anthy took a step towards Utena but she raised a hand to stop her. "I don't trust my self control right now," Utena said to her with a sigh. She met Anthy's eyes, "I couldn't feed, the deer's blood tasted foul. What's happened to me?"
"I tried to tell you," Anthy said softly, her heart going out to the bedraggled young woman standing there before her. "You never fed on human blood before last night," she said softly, "so your body was used to only having the animal blood. But once you tasted human blood for the first time, your body changed."
Utena was shaking her head, her expression despairing as she asked, "I can only feed on human blood now?"
"I'm sorry," Anthy said softly.
"Stake me," Utena whispered softly.
"What?" Anthy asked, unsure of what Utena had just said.
"Stake me!" Utena demanded, as a single blood red tear ran down her face. "I won't become a parasite like Akio," Utena softly vowed, "and this is the only way to prevent that!"
"But what about the other vampires Akio may have created?" Anthy asked, trying to reach past the despair in Utena's voice.
The pink haired woman paused, stiffening. "The only way I can live, now," Utena said softly, "is to feed off human beings." She met Anthy's eyes again, "Is destroying Akio's creations really worth that?"
"I think so," Anthy said honestly. She unbuttoned her sleeve before rolling it back to reveal her arm, "Take what you need." Her eye's widened, she saw the fangs gleam as Utena clenched her jaw, fighting for control.
"Don't feed from her," the quiet voice said softly, "feed from us." The naked young woman led her five fellows out, surrounding Utena. "We serve you in all things, m'lady," she said to her evenly, then taking a blade from behind her back she slit across her arm.
The blood fountained, and before Utena could even think about resisting the hunger she was upon her. The other thralls drew the feeding pair into the dorm room, leaving Anthy hesitating in the hallway. "She'll be fine," Keiko reassured her, her long brown hair flowing free before she turned to go in after them.
Anthy didn't have to wait very long. Utena emerged from the room only a few moments later, dressed in a clean school uniform again. She looked better, her eyes were less wild, but a bit of pink was around her lips.
"The girl's asleep," Utena said softly, an odd look on her face. She looked... completely satisfied, maybe for the first time since Anthy had met her.
"Do you mind if I?" Anthy asked, looking towards the bedroom door. Utena just gave her a shake of the head that Anthy took as a permission. She pushed open the door, then stopped at the conversation she heard.
"How was it?" one girl was asking the other.
"Hmm, wonderful," she sighed happily. "She was firm, but oh so gentle, too," the young woman who had given her blood said.
"And she drank much less than Touga did," another noted.
"Yes, I'm merely tired," the blood giver answered.
"I wonder when my turn will be?" and a wistful sigh.
Anthy closed the door without going in, a faint blush on her cheeks.
Utena saw it, and a slight smile tugged at her lips. She became a bit more serious as she gently drew Anthy away, walking with her down the hallway. "There's something I'm starting to be a bit worried about," Utena said softly.
"Something else?" Anthy said, looking a bit startled. It seemed that everything that had been going on over the past few nights was beginning to catch up with her.
"Someone, actually," Utena said softly. The two reached a window, and paused there for a moment. Anthy looked up at Utena, her pale body lit by the moonlight, looking more like a statue than a former human being.
'She is beautiful,' Anthy admitted to herself. 'Too beautiful, maybe,' she smiled, thinking of her own fading resistance to that beauty. "Who?" she asked Utena, looking away from her and out into the night.
"Akio, our not so dearly departed vampire, had a girlfriend named Kanae," Utena noted. "According to Wakaba, nobody's seen her since before I slew him," she sighed.
"You think he turned her, too?" Anthy asked, unconsciously fingering a wooden stake hidden in her clothes.
"Seems likely," Utena sighed. Her eyes widened, and a smile tugged at her lips as she whispered to Anthy, "Brace yourself."
"Utena-sama!" Wakaba shrieked happily, and glomped her. Utena staggered about the hallway a moment, and Anthy found herself laughing.
'She knew it was coming,' Anthy thought as she remembered Utena's warning to her. She smiled as she watched the two friends play, but it was a bittersweet moment. Someday soon, Utena might be dead, or maybe in some eternal self exile.
"Utena," Wakaba said in a dangerous tone of voice, "what are all those naked women doing in your room?"
Utena actually looked kind of stunned at her question. It obviously wasn't something that she had even thought about, trying to explain the new state of affairs to Wakaba. She threw a desperate glance at Anthy.
"Oh, no," Anthy chuckled softly. "You got yourself into this, so you get to explain it," she said to her firmly.