10 Chapter 10 - Reprieve
I woke up just as the sun was rising over the horizon, feeling refreshed, it seemed that we had arrived at our destination, a little cabin in the woods, prepared before by yours truly. It was a nice 1 story cottage with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen and 1 living room, all rustic looking.
Looking around, I noticed that Valerie had also fallen asleep, she must've been exhausted after everything that happened. Slowly rising up, as not to wake her, I dispelled the bats forming the outer layer of our 'carriage' and ordered the rest to put her in one of the available rooms. Following them, I tucked her in, nice and tightly, and went to my own room, I still felt a bit tired and needed to sleep the rest of the day off.
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The next day
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(Valerie pov)
I woke up in an unfamiliar place. I panicked at first, wondering where I was.
Then I slowly remember everything that happened before I fell asleep. How I was sad and sat there, in my 'home', thinking about everything that happened over the last few years. Then, he came and took me away from everything, and then we flew away under the night's sky.
He fell asleep before me, poor him, he must have been exhausted, but I followed him soon after. I didn't know why, but I felt like I could trust him. That was the best sleep I've ever had. The first time in years where I wasn't haunted by the screams, the first time I felt comfortable.
Looking around, I was in a nice little room with walls made of wood. It would take some time to get used to anything but cold rock. I looked at a nearby window, it was sunny outside, oh how I missed the sun. It may feel a little uncomfortable but it was like greeting an old friend.
Getting up from my bed, I left the room and noticed something that I haven't smelt in years, freshly cooked food, making me feel hungry. I followed the delicious smell until I arrived in what must have been the living room.
There, I saw something that perplexed me. There it was, sitting on a chair while reading a book, a boy younger than me who looked like my saviour, but he was too young.(A/N iirc Valerie was a couple of years older than Issei, that would put her at around 16 years of age right now in the story while Hiro is 14 in his normal state)
He seemed to have sensed me and looked up, locking his gaze with mine. His eyes were beautiful while also a little but creepy at the same time, a reddish orange that seemed to burn and smolder.
He kindly smiled at me and sent the weirdest greetings I have ever received, one of many surprises to come.
"Yo, good morning, hope you slept well. The food is ready, hope you like bacon and eggs, can't cook much else really. Oh! There's also chilled blood in the fridge if you're feeling parched!"
What a weird man.
(Hiro pov)
I woke up in the morning of what must have been the next day.
"Damn, haven't slept 25 hours since I was a teen, well, technically I'm still a teen so that checks out" (A/N fun fact, I DID once sleep 25 hours and it was the weirdest shit ever. I fell asleep at 6pm and woke up at 7pm thinking that I napped for one hour. Needless to say, my mom was looking at me like I was a monster after she told me that she repeatedly checked with a mirror to see if I was still breathing and hadn't just suddenly died. Ha, fun times)
*rumble* my stomach was starting its debate about how I've neglected it for the last couple of days. I lost so it was on me to rise up and make breakfast.
Leaving my room, I went straight to the kitchen but not before checking on sleeping beauty and noticing that she was still in the land of dreams.
I decided to make a classic, bacon, and eggs, my go-to meal when I was in college and couldn't be bothered to eat anything too complicated.
I prepared everything, not much to prepare when talking about a 2 ingredient meal, minus salt and peppa' of course.
The meal was done in a quicky but I wanted to see if Valerie would wake up and come eat, so I put it on the counter, set a spell that would maintain its heat and grabbed a book for a quick read in the living room.
Not even 10 minutes later, I hear a door unlocking and the creaking of wood, I could magic the wood so that it wouldn't creak but who doesn't like a good creak?
I looked up and, there she was, in all her morning glory. Long, unkempt blonde hair, that sleepy look that everyone has before their first coffee, or first tea for you monsters out there. She was the perfect picture of a bedhead. Come on, were you expecting her to look the picture of beauty when waking up? Nobody's like that. Well, she was cute.
I smiled at her and gave her the typical morning greeting that I give myself when I'm alone.
"Yo, good morning, hope you slept well. The food is ready, hope you like bacon and eggs, can't cook much else really. Oh! There's also chilled blood in the fridge if you're feeling parched!"
I then saw that she seemed a bit confused.
"Is anything wrong? You alright?"
"Uh yes, just a question, where is your brother?"
Brother? Brother?!
What the hell?
"What are you talking about? What Brother?" I questioned her back, it was my time to look confused.
"Umm, the one who saved me last night" She shyly responded back with a minuscule rosy tint on her cheeks.
"Wha? Oh! Hahaha!" I laughed at her question, finally figuring out what this was about.
I summoned a mirror with my magic and there it was, my sleep combined with my exhaustion after arriving here must've made my transformation turn off. But damn boi, was I still a handsome lad.
"What's happening? Why are you laughing?" She pouted at me.
"Oh, there's no big brother, Valerie. It's all me, see?" Saying so, I assumed my older form.
"Oooh! I see! Thank you so much for everything! But why and how?" she probably was confused why I was wearing a different form.
Turning back to my normal self I told her.
"Well, you see, people tend to ask fewer questions when a tall hunk walks around instead of a pre-teen." I gave her a winning smile and a thumbs up.
Only to see her laughing. That's it, my cool guy persona was gone, shattered like the dreams of a young adult coming into contact with cruel reality.
"Haha! No, silly! Why did you save me, how did you save me?" She told me between a fit of giggles.
'Welp, now I don't only look like an idiot, I am so idiot' I sighed internally.
"Aaa! I see, makes sense, let me explain." Now, how was I going to explain that I knew she was a prisoner because for me she used to be a character on a show, or that I knew from written material that she existed? Well I wasn't going to say anything about that shit, that was going with me to my grave, for all intents and purposes this was my new and only reality. So, I was going to spin the truth. Lying was always better when compared to the potential of causing an existential crisis.
"Well, I was on vacation for some time and came upon some rumours while I was in Bulgaria, some vampires were running from Romania and spoke about something big happening in the territories of the Tepes. So, I went to Romania, picked up the bits and pieces, and found out about you. Being something of a vampire myself with my unique situation, I found some similarities between us and so, I went to save you." I internally sweatdropped at this bullshit story, hopefully she picks up on the crumbs and drops it.
"I see. You said you were a vampire?" YES, she focused on that*pfew*
"Yeah, you see…"
I then proceeded to tell her a bit about my situation, this time without the need to lie: how I didn't have any memories before 12, how I was adopted, how I felt different etc.
"So, in the end, I kinda am a Vampire and I'm kinda not. I don't know exactly." I sighed, it still plagued me that I didn't know what exactly I was. I mean I knew I was some kind of devil/vampire hybrid but something bugged me about that. Damn my curse of needing answers and damn the fact that I hadn't found a devil to kil*cough* study yet.
"Oh I understand." She hesitated
"Well, about me, I-"
"There's no need for that, Val, can I call you Val? Tell me when you're ready, alright? Let's go eat!" I interrupted her, I wasn't that curious yet, I knew the overall path her story took, no need to force her.
"Sure! Thank you! Yes, please call me Val!" I guess someone's excited. "How should I call you?"
"Well, you can call me either Hiro or Julian but let's go with Hiro, it's my Japanese name and I plan to return there in a couple of years and it would do good for you to practice until then."
She looked surprised with my last statement and I could see a slimmer of happiness in her eyes.
"A-are you taking me with you?!" She half-questioned, half-exclaimed.
"Of course! I didn't get you out of that drab place only to leave you behind. We'll see a lot of nice places before we go to Japan. So, too late to ask but, wanna come with?" I smiled and extended my hand to her.
She gently slapped my hand away.
Then proceeded to engulf me in a bone-crushing hug.
"Yes yes yes!" She exclaimed while I was experiencing death by snu-snu. Ah, bliss.
"Now, now, let's go eat!" I calmed down the excited bunny and took her to the food.
After setting her up, I just had to ask again.
"Hey, wan' sum' blood? I keep a couple of types in the fridge"
I took her slightly agape mouth as a yes and went to get the juice.
Thus started our first breakfast together in this crazy world.
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A/N
Here you go, the next chappie. This one was more of a slice-of-life kind of thing. Felt necessary after all the, um, murder.
Come back next time where we begin our rush back to Kuoh, there's still around 2 some years till the Hiro goes back, 1 year before canon.
On a side note, I finally passed the 15k word mark! Woohoo!
Anyways, feedback is always appreciated.
See you next time.
