Echoing across the infinite night sky came the cry of a bird. Only the night listened.
The strings danced. Pearls flew into the sky. Tears of anger and pathos. And then there was no more. Still holding the koto, Ryuuki turned to his left. A small shadow had mounted the stairs. “We meet again,” he said in a sad voice.
She grasped the hem of the satin skirt, curtsied and smiled, as if between father and daughter.
“It is good to see you here unharmed. What became of that woman?”
“You mean the mother of the children whose blood you drank?”
“Yes.”
“You can rest your mind in that respect. Though her wounds were severe, we took her to a hospital. She should live.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
“You tore out the throats of the children and drank their blood. And yet killed them such that they would not become children of the night. I might even say you killed them with compassion and sagacity.”
Her words were affectionate, and yet like a stiletto between the ribs. Ryuuki smiled grimly. “You know me well.”
“She’s got a better pair of eyes in the sky than those helicopters,” came a voice from above.
Nevermore.
“So the bird is doing well too,” Ryuuki said, sounding truly relieved. “Well, what business do you have with me?”
“The impossibility of destroying you became apparent at the police station. So it follows that you must be confined until the only remaining method—destroying she who first took your blood—can be accomplished.”
“I broke out of the cell you had confined me to.”
“We are preparing one just for you. Please come with me, if you do not wish to be responsible for any more victims.”
“If I do, I will no longer venture out into the night?”
“I guarantee it.”
“That is a guarantee I value highly.”
Ryuuki stood. A veil of tranquility covered his intrepid face. His body was suddenly enveloped in a smoky fog, like condensed moonlight. Dust.
“No, Shuuran,” he stated with firm resolution, as the bands of gray twirled around him with affection. “I will go with her. Have me kill no more. After this, I will suffer the pangs of hunger and thirst as best I can.”
Two spots of light appeared in the darkness. Blood red.
“Watch it!” A hoarse voice said above their heads. “His true nature is awakening!”
“If you would, please.”
The doll girl calmly stretched out her left hand. A golden jar rested squarely in the center of her palm. Placing her hand on the lid, the doll girl leapt backwards as Ryuuki approached.
Without slackening his speed, Ryuuki turned to the right and began to descend the stairs.
“Wait,” the doll girl commanded. At the same time, a raw smell roiled into the air, spreading out like a flooding tide.
Ryuuki whirled around in surprise. Why should he run—here was the smell of blood, thick and rich and sweet, hinting of copper and steel, like nothing he had tasted before.
“That—is—” he gasped, his mouth watering.
Could the man he had just been—the beautiful soldier playing a mysterious tune in this little corner of the night—ever be mistaken for this creature? His face contorted. The glowing crimson rays spilled from his eyes like red drool. He finally steeled his chattering teeth.
“Hand it over—” His hand reached out, the fingers trembling.
“After tussling with you, Tonbeau-sama and I created this fake blood. It will taste sweeter to you than that of any human.”
“Yes—give it to me—”
The hungering, half-human thing inched toward her. The doll girl mirrored his steps backing away. “This is the snare to trap you. Considering how hard it is to kill you, putting you to sleep will be much easier. Knowing that, do you still want it?”
The silhouette leapt towards her with an inarticulate growl. The dress and golden hair pranced effortlessly backward. The golden jar remained between them.
As if fearing she might reach in and swipe it at the last second, Ryuuki dashed forward and scooped it up in his arms, casting menacing looks all around him.
A sad expression somehow grazed the doll girl’s sweet face. “You do not look in the mood for a fight to the finish with me. Drink. Once those eyes have closed, you will slumber in the eternal darkness, never again venturing into the outside world.”
Ryuuki raised his head and the jar. He drank like a man crawling out of the desert, the blood spilling out of the corners of his mouth and dripping onto his borrowed shirt and slacks.
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, then stopped. His fingers released their iron grip on the jar. It fell with a thud to the black earth. As if taking the jar’s lead, Ryuuki toppled over several seconds later.
The doll girl waited for the disturbed air to still, then walked up to him. She looked down at the jar and the general and Silent Night hanging from his head.
“This alone you would not leave behind, and took it back from the police before coming here. Such marvelous playing. For a second time, I experience the deep regret of having no tears to cry.”
She picked up the jar and tossed it into the sky. No sooner had it vanished from view but there came the flapping of large wings. Then that sound disappeared as well. The jar did not fall back to earth.
The Peng bird returned to the north. What became of the fallen soldier?
With the artificial blood, mixed with the detested essence of the peach, coursing through his veins, the doll girl hoisted Ryuuki onto her slender shoulders and walked quickly to the stone staircase.
The moon hovered high overhead.